One day vs. Forever

From collider.com

How wonderful must it have been if we meet our one true love early in life and know that they are for us. It is a terrifying thing to face the world alone. Who says we need forever? I think all we need is just those brief moments with these people who could truly make us happy. And those little moments, although transient and fleeting make it worthwhile to wake up every single day.

Prometheus disclosed

Prometheus discusses sticky dinner table non-topics and discusses it 'stickily'. It is a movie that compensates its lack of riveting narrative with compelling visuals.

The audience is treated to a nauseous ride with all sorts of marine-like creatures tormenting the humans who went to a distant moon hoping to meet their 'Engineers'. It is a flawless 3D movie with the storyline allowing for gut-wrenching graphics. Set in 2093 in a distant moon where human ancestors probably live, it is a mixture of sophisticated machines and prehistoric giant worms.

Why did they (Engineers) suddenly decide to destroy the ones (humans) they created would supposedly give the film some heart but it is overwhelmed by too much unjustified fightings. At the end of it, the viewer leaves the cinema house too bothered by the gory visuals that s/he won't be able to process the philosophical ruminations of the film. Does it deserve rewinds at home? Not when you just had squid for dinner.

The Pettyfer Marathon

I am not sure if this Alex Pettyfer has appeared in other films. I've seen two of his most raved about by fangirls movie - Beastly and I Am Number Four.


Beastly
The title is suggestive of the film's quality. I didn't derive any enjoyment from watching the film. I must have been so bored to sit through the whole film. The supposed "Beauty" (Hudgens) had a spunky personality while "Beast" (Pettyfer) was arrogant because he's handsome and because he has daddy issues too. Nothing much happens. They're isolated in a house a la Big Brother and they fall in love. The only redeeming factor about the film is of Pettyfer's tattoo that goes with the season. If only there's a technology that would make it possible to create a season-sensitive tattoo.

The season-sensitive tattoo*

Hudgens's voice matured a bit (compared to the screechy one she had to put us through in HSM). Pettyfer's transformation wasn't as pitiful to see. The arrogant handsome prince to hopeless "Prison Break" look wasn't that touching. NPH who's supposed to be blind in the film wasn't convincingly blind. Olsen's the fashionista witch. I don't get how she's supposed to be ugly and unacceptable in the film's world since she looks ok. But maybe looking ok is ugly.

Rating: Tolerable for passing the time.


I Am Number Four
Six is breathtaking. Pettyfer was topless in the first 15 minutes of the movie. Agron was the typical damsel in distress. I was really hoping she'll get kidnapped in the film just to see her perfectly groomed hair be a bit messy. The Flipped main actor (McAuliffe) was adorably geeky. The best actor for the film goes to Bernie Kosar the beagle/chimaera who faithfully follows Four (Pettyfer) around. I'm honestly looking forward for the next installment if only to watch Six focused.

Screen shot of Bernie's defining moment (after the fight)

The mid-part of the film can get a bit dragging but the action sequence towards the end is fun to watch especially when they die and automatically cremates themselves.

Rating: Good to watch with the family especially if you have younger siblings.

Rizal lifeline

Rizal is such a versatile personality that anyone, for any purpose, reinterpret his life, decisions, and writings based on intended effects. I am subject to that now. I haven't done 'reinterpretations' yet but I'm afraid I'm being utilitarian by reading him (or things about him) like a lifeline.

I am aware that a lot of people have it worse than I do, like those kids from Norway scarred by that crazy man who gunned down everyone that he saw or those children in conflict-affected areas who are not sure if they can see the light of day by tomorrow (I doubt if they want morning to ever come). Reading Rizal is therapeutic. It gives me a great sense of relief that great people like him were in a way or another just like me.

It's really great that Rizal kept his diaries, letters, etc. for the world to see. If not for that, we will be left to speculate about his life. But then, even if we have it, we still speculate and spin away so many theories about how he is as a son, friend, lover. All that he has left were really helpful to craft an image of a Rizal that we like to imagine.

Looking at him now through the eyes of my professor make my Saturdays easily the best and the only day I look forward for in the week. Things aren't going so well for me these days that I am comforted to be transported into Rizal's world, at least for a couple of hours.

Wong Kar Wai's love flick*

typographies were challenged in wkw's in the mood for love. he cleverly creates that ideal set-up to fall in love, makes you pine for the characters to develop strong feelings for each other, and bam! before you know it the film inconclusively ends without the closure that was expected of standard romantic flicks.

two good looking people, living in the same apartment albeit different rooms, sharing the same interest for comics and the same stall where dinner is bought shrink these individuals' worlds such that they'd have to eventually meet and speak to each other. 

so many scenes were cut that you wonder what happened while they were inside the hotel room. common sense tells you nothing happened since they do not have weird faces on the next scene (a typical after sex look common in romantic flicks where girl looks really glowing and instantly parts from her straight hair to curly hair for the added romantic feel). but then again it's wkw, the maindie (indie who made it mainstream or mainstream but makes indie looking films) who in the whole movie is telling you to reconsider your expectations that took years and years of watching movies to be formed. 

one thing is consistent though, the musical score. every time the main characters are close to each other, the same music is played. in a way, the music creates a confusion especially when it is played and yet the characters are away from each other. 

what makes it a more interesting watch is that it viciously breaks all your expectations and makes you feel really warm and fuzzy inside at the slightest body contact. why? because no intimate physical contact happened in the movie that the slightest show of affection makes your heart pop out of your eyes. 

the movie makes for a good, slow friday night with a cup of warm coffee or hot chocolate and cupcake with friends or the significant other.

*gleaned from Film 100: Intro to Film under Prof. P. Campos

**poster taken from here