EH BAKIT NGA BA HINDI AKO CRUSH NG CRUSH KO?

Ay teka, wala na nga pala akong crush.

Pero ano nga ba ‘tong fuss (okay, I know super late ako) tungkol sa akdang libro ni Ramon “Lucky” Bautista – na noong una feeling ko eh “somebody” pero di ko kilala until natunghayan ko siya sa ewan ko kung nasa ere pa rin ngayon na May Tamang Balita at nagpakilala siya saken – at nagawa pang gawan ng movie adaptation? Ewan ko. Pero salamat na lang din: una sa aking bro sa pag-uwi niya isang gabi sa bahay bitbit ang isang hiniram na kopya ng Bakit Hindi Ka Crush Ng Crush Mo? at pangalawa, dahil ang librong ‘to ang nag-enlighten sa aking isa pala akong “Halamanization” expert.

Hindi ko masasabing market-moving ang librong ‘to. He he. Nang matapos ko ngang basahin in one sitting (dapat lang) ay tinanong ako ng kapatid kong nanghiram – at inunahan kong magbasa – nito kung maganda raw ba. Sagot ko ay isang medyo mahabang pause at “pwede na rin.”

For me, isa siyang reminder, kumbaga. Yung kalipunan ng questions and answers mula sa Formspring account ni RB – re signs na di ka gusto ng taong gusto mo, paano mag-move on, pagiging NBSB, at paano sasabihin sa parents mo na bumagsak ka sa eskwela – ang bumubuo dito, at ilang “selfie” pictures niya na may kasamang quotable one-liner sa ilalim. May mga tanong-at-sagot na totoong magpapangiti sa’yo. At meron ding ilan na talaga namang makaka-relate ka, tipong “teka, may Formspring acct. yata ako at ako yata ang nagtanong nito nakalimutan ko lang.” Parang ako, pagdating dun sa NBSB section.

So ayun.

Maidagdag lang. Kung sa radyo may Papa Jack, sa Internet (at print na rin ngayon) si Ramon Bautista ang counterpart niya. Siyempre minus the pagiging racy, dahil cool dude lang itong huli. At kung sakaling bibili ka ng sarili mong kopya o makakatisod ng hiram lang at babasahin mo ang Bakit Hindi Ka Crush Ng Crush Mo?, pramis sa isang picture andun si Luis Manzano kasama ni RB (na kamukha “raw” niya kaya pwede mong i-compare o kaya ipilit). Wala lang. Pakihanap na lang din dun si Aga Muhlach if you can. 

A SECRET REVEALED

Every once in a while, amid life's turn of making us savor boredom, we stumble upon things that shift our frown upside down. Sometimes, these things come in a one-word facade that whether we're prepared for it or not renders us temporarily stunned. And if by some cosmic coincidence we've got the same wavelength, I bet you've already figured out it's the word "secret." But I'm not referring to the one kept well-hidden with a red stamp over it. Still, I'm delighted to say that my recent discovery involved a "secret" movie. Well, not-so secret actually.

Introducing Secret, a 2007 Taiwanese movie that lets us in on the mysterious love story of Ye Xianglun (Jay Chou) and Lu Xiaoyu (Gwei Lun-mei), both piano major students of the-not-fictional Tamkang Secondary School. An old piano piece, aptly titled "Secret," leads them to each other, and thus provides a "magical" element to the story.

For someone who had just forayed into film directing, the multi-hyphenate Chou undeniably was able to deliver in this movie, but obviously not when we talk about his acting. While Lun-mei was able to strike off her character's enigmatic aura convincingly, Chou, on the other hand, flubbed his portrayal by being emotionless and flat most of the time.
  
But what he lacked in thespian performance, he made up for with his musical prowess, and this, for me, is the best thing going for this film. 

The music he and his fellow composer Terdsak Janpan created for Secret, which was all classical, blended well with the scenes. Moreover, piano enthusiasts will surely find this movie a great one, as it is a real treat for their aural senses. Add to that the larger-than-life piano duel between Chou's character and someone named Prince of Piano, which serves as one of the film's highlights.

Spending your precious 100 minutes for this film is worth it, and I hope you'll take my word for it. Just don't mind the inexplicable and illogical turn of events toward the last part. Now that's an unspeakable secret between the two of us; please don't tell anyone.

THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE: MINIONS

MY CARNIVOROUS ISLAND

"No one has seen that island since, and you'd never read about those trees in any book. And yet, if I hadn't found those shores I would have died, if I hadn't discovered that tooth I would have been lost alone forever. Even when God seemed to have abandoned me, he was watching. Even when He seemed indifferent to my suffering, He was watching and when I was beyond all hope of saving... He gave me rest and gave me a sign to continue my journey...."-- Pi Patel, Life of Pi

                 I was once told that God gives us burdens in life because He knows too well that we can triumph over them. And that the heavier the cross you carry, the stronger person you are. So when you feel life’s beating you so hard, it only means He trusts you that much.

            There are times when it seems like He just keeps on presenting us one adversity after another, testing the limits of our faith and pushing us beyond our fortitude. And as humans, it is not easy not to lose hope, not to waver in believing, and not to be tired of fighting when we’re confronted by ostensibly never-ending hardships, that we sometimes wonder if God still sees us and cares for us. Because if He does, why would He allow us to suffer too much?

            I think it is safe to say that I have had my “fair” share of trials, with pains and tears plaguing my every battle. And I’d be honest in saying that there were moments when I thought of giving up, to just let myself be drowned in fear, despondency, and frustration. But despite this, I have always felt His loving guidance, and have always known in my heart that He’s been there all along, watching me closely. It was just me who failed to acknowledge the strength He has provided me with.
            Now that I'm going through another storm, although it may seem ironic, I can feel that He has let this be my "rest," which I do have to move on from after. I know, whatever headwinds I have yet to conquer, He will always find a way to show me that He will always be there. I just have to have greater faith in Him. 

A TALE OF TRUE FRIENDSHIP

Dear Random Reader,

First off, let me say --

"God gave us relatives. Thank God we can choose our friends."

I don't remember what prompted me to take note of Mary and Max as a must-see film for me last year. Maybe it was because I had read a positive review about it and was talked into proving it myself. Or probably it was because I was enticed by the idea that it could be the first full-length claymation I would lay my eyes on. It could also be that I was just intrigued by the "simplicity" of the film's title and wanted to see for myself the truth behind its rather dull facade. Whatever the reason, I'm glad that it stood me in good stead. Now, I just hope that coming across this write-up would do the same for you.

Mary and Max is a comedy-drama clayography that delves into the 20-year pen friendship between Mary Daisy Dinkle (Bethany Whitmore, Toni Collette), a lonely eight-year-old Australian girl, and Max Jerry Horowitz (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an obese forty-four-year-old Jewish man. A heart-warming story about a friendship that stood the test of time, distance and age gap, this movie in so many ways is unlike childish animated flicks we usually see. It is mature and touches on serious societal issues not commonly discussed (i.e. sex, suicide, depression, mental disability, religious beliefs, among many others) but in a childish frankness approach. This is, in my book, what makes Mary and Max a perfect blend of humor and pain.

Just a few seconds into the film and anyone would be amazed by the amount of passion and talent evident in its every detail, easily reinforced by the fact that Adam Elliot (the film's writer, director and designer) spent five years in making this clay animation.

The animation, though dreary, is excellently done. It made me even think that some of the details were no longer made of clay in that they were so elaborately formed they looked real. It is also commendable that monochromatic hues -- shades of brown for Mary's world, and gray, black and white (along with red in some things intended to depict importance) for Max's -- were employed, as this technique was effective in setting the film's melancholic, dark tone.

I also take my hat off to how each letter was effectively used in developing the characters. The voice talents are superb as well. I was, particularly, impressed with Hoffman's (I honestly don't know him. Is he a Hollywood actor?) voice acting. Max's character would not be that endearing sans this man's participation, I think.

However, one aspect that I personally find disconcerting yet oddly entertaining is the use of rather lively musical background -- the song "Que Sera Sera" -- in the scene where Mary is about to commit what she thinks is the way to end all her sufferings (spoiler alert!).


To sum it up, Mary and Max, though dark, is an enlightenment that would make you think of the friendships you have surrounded yourself with. More importantly, of the one you have with yourself. Friends may come and go, but the one you should never dispense with is being on great terms with yourself. And if you agree with this claim, go (in good health) and spend the next 92 minutes watching this amazing film.

Sending you a virtual hug,
Ybeth

P.S.
Just so you don't have to stress yourself looking for one, enclosed herewith is a link to a decent copy of Mary and Max.

P.P.S.
Thanks for reading this entry, by the way.


(Images from here and here)

A-DORY-BLE

Dory: "Hey Mr. Grumpy Gills...When life gets you down do you wanna know what you gotta do?"
Marlin: "I don't wanna know what you gotta do."
Dory: "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming."

Forgetful Dory! This newest addition to the list of my favorite movie characters just made the cut the other day, as it was just that day that I finally had the chance to watch the movie Finding Nemo in full. It's a bit embarrassing I know, considering that my much younger cousins already knew its story by heart long before they have entered school.

Brave, well-meaning and very funny even without trying to be, that's Dory. How I wish I was like her: always willing to let go of her apprehensions and trust in The Process, that whatever happens she will come out just fine. Well, I think I just need to pat myself on the back and say, "Keep swimming, dude. Just keep swimming."

THE MUST-SEE MOVIE OF THE YEAR!

Ushering in the new year always brings about a feeling of looking forward to better things to come. For this year, save for a much better me (same as my resolve almost every year), there's another thing I have put my high hopes on -- the Hunger Games movie slated for March.

I think it is personally favorable that the film will be shown a week after my birthday, and so I can treat it as a belated birthday gift. Ha ha. This is not to mention that I've been kind of on Hunger Games kick since the start of the (new) year a few days ago -- rereading the book, visiting HG-focused blogs, taking HG-inspired personality quizzes, and feasting my eyes on gifs created by the fans of the trilogy -- just to, you know, prepare myself.


For the record, I'm not actually a fan of movies created based on novels as I often get disappointed with how the events are played out on the big screen. It's like the emotions I feel while reading the book don't cross over to what I experience when I see the film version. I dunno. It's not the case with some filmed novels I've seen though and I do hope it's going to be like that with this movie.

(Gifs from here)

DAY 3: THAT KIND OF LOVE IS...

I may have read all of the four books in the series and have watched the four previous movies that resulted from the franchise (AND may be looking forward to the second part of the latest one), but I DO NOT CONSIDER MYSELF A TWILIGHT SAGA FAN (I do have my own reasons). Yet, I couldn't help but say "WOW" when I first saw this Twilight fanart on this awesome website. And so I thought of sharing it here.



Amazing, huh?

HUNGRY FOR 'HUNGER GAMES'

Wee! I was so happy when I found out about this teaser trailer of The Hunger Games on YouTube. I just can't wait to see this movie adaptation!

THREE CHEERS FOR 3 IDIOTS

Let me start by saying that this one is probably the longest overdue movie write-up, coming to fruition five months after seeing 3 Idiots for the first time and a day after watching it again for the fourth.

My brother came home from work one day and just transformed into the movie's most effective huckster, even threatening us to miss one of the best things in life if we don't see it then and there. So I thought, why not give it a shot?

3 Idiots is a 2009 Indian comedy film first set out to be downloadable from YouTube (for a certain price) by its producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra a year after its release so as to prevent it from being bootlegged. A recent check with YouTube though revealed that only its official trailer, theme songs' music videos, interviews with the main cast and what have you are being posted on the site.(So I guess how my brother got hold of the film's copy is another story.) Loosely based on the novel Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat, it is ostensibly about true friendship, latched on the proverbial "those who are happy are the ones who follow their heart." It also touches on the kind of educational system India has at present, wherein one is "compelled" to be either a doctor or an engineer.

Indian box-office king Aamir Khan headlines this movie as Ranchhoddas Shamaldas Chanchad and someone else (spoiler alert!). The plot basically revolves around the search for him by his two college buddies Raju Rastogi and Farhan Qureshi (Sharman Joshi and R. Madhavan, respectively), with flashbacks intermittently used (Farhan here serves as the narrator) to tell the significance of finding him.

What really stands out in this film for me is its intelligent way of drawing out hearty laughs from its audience. Not only were the dialogues witty, they were also thought-provoking. For one, in the scene showing the first year students of the fictional Imperial College of Engineering gathered to hear the welcome speech of the college's director and in which the koel bird's life is aptly used as a metaphor for the students', Rancho raises a question that makes the director a little taken aback but does make sense: "Why didn't the astronauts use a pencil? They could've saved millions." This is also evident in this scene where Rancho defines in "a simple language" what a machine is and Chatur (Omi Vaidya) in his to-the-letter answer. But when the former then employs his description of a book by rote, the instructor is caught off-guard.

(An aside: I don't know if someone else has noticed it, but when you take the acronym of the Imperial College of Engineering you'll get ICE, the water frozen into solid state, a befitting metaphor for the passionless approach of the school to teaching engineering.)

This remarkable aspect of the movie is of course not possible if its actors were not able to deliver. I was impressed especially with Khan's rather flawless acting, let alone that he is in fact too old for the role (Google says he's already forty-something). Indeed the success of this movie has been in no small part thanks to the award-winning performances of its main cast, put to good use by its director Rajkumar Hirani.

I am not that oriented with "Bollywood" films, except that I know they are musicals, characterized by song-and-dance numbers. This film of course is no exception. But while at times this singing and dancing stuff of such films tends to annoy me (I do wonder why), the ones in this movie made me sing along; the dancing was fun to watch and the songs were rather catchy.

For good measure, 3 Idiots is thus far the best comedy film I've seen, making me entertained for the whole of its 160-minute run. It's not only long on laughs but is also well-supplied with heartwarming moments, with scenes that hit home. Its message is also not lost on me, that indeed "all is well" and taking our problems in stride will surely help us a lot. And to be honest, it felt like my enthusiasm towards life was replenished after watching the film.

Truly, 3 Idiots is one of the best films to date. While I might not be able to present here an excellent review of the film, I hope it's enough to whet your curiosity and watch it, just like I did.

THE 'BUZZ' IS THAT THERE 'WOODY' BE TOY STORY 4!

It is one of the trending topics on Yahoo! for today. From what I've read, it was Tom Hanks himself — the voice behind the animated film's lead Woody — who revealed in an interview with BBC that the fourth instalment is now in the works, though he did not provide specific details. Disney has not likewise confirmed it.

Being an avid fan of Toy Story movie series, I was like literally jumping for joy upon reading several "Toy Story 4" articles already circulating on the web. And I do hope it's true. Well, I guess it is not impossible, given that the first three films amassed an upwards of $1.5 billion in revenues worldwide. And if it's really gonna push through, by hook or by crook I'm gonna see it in 3D this time.


Thinking-out-of-the-box Disney Pictures released Toy Story 3 in 3D in June last year.

(Image from here.)

MINIONS I LOVE THEM!

Minions are those yellow capsule-shaped characters in the supervillain movie Despicable Me. I bet they will headline a spin-off movie in the future in that they're ubercute and cuddly. Who wouldn't like that?!!! I guess everyone loves them, too. Just look at them.

(Snapshots from the movie)

WHIMSICAL THOUGHTS

Let's see. It's already past 1 a.m. now and I'm still up, trying this stuff for the first time: writing on a whim, with no exact topics to discuss and just letting my fingers type the words my brain comes up with. Think. Think. Think. Coraline. Just watched that animated feature two hours ago with my mom and two siblings for the first time. Shame on me, I almost missed half of my dear life. The film's fun to watch, let alone that I've seen it with my mom whose ever-present comments like "What happened?!" never fail to make me laugh. For me, the film teaches us to appreciate whatever and, most importantly, whoever we have in our lives; people are innately imperfect, but if we love them they eventually become perfect.

I always say that I'm partial to seeing animated flicks for the reason that they are reminiscent of my younger self (I'm sure the same goes to a lot of people; who among the grown-ups doesn't like to be or feel young again?) and so I believe I can learn more from them than from other types of movies. Being visually-entertaining with the colors and most of the time with the cute characters, they hold my interest from soup to nuts. This is why I think I am able to absorb the message they are trying to impart to me as a member of the audience. Take for instance the Academy Award-winner Up, which says it is never too late when it comes to fulfilling one's dreams; Despicable Me, about that innate longing in each one of us to be recognized and loved; my all-time fave Toy Story, that you can always count on true friends; also an Academy Award-winning film Finding Nemo, which tells the value of family; and Monsters, Inc., which reminds us that things are not always what they seem. I know there are a lot of excellent animated features out there that I haven't seen yet, so I guess we need a little catching up on that.

Tap. Tap. Tap. What's next to discuss? Oh, I just remembered, I made a mental note to at least write about the latest "awesome" blog I've discovered on the Web. And when I say "awesome," it really means awesome, for the blog is about awesome little things that make us happy in their own little way. It's 1000awesomethings.com, which is featured in Reader's Digest's January 2011 issue. You better check it out! The entries are fun to read, and one thing that I also find "awesome" about them is that they always end with the word "AWESOME." Isn't that awesome?!! ha ha. It's nice to know that even though we're all different in so many ways, the things that make us smile and realize that life actually has so many GOOD THINGS to offer are just the same. Happiness is a universal language indeed. And as for me, what I consider awesome at this very moment is that I'm close to ending this rather long entry for such a fancy topic. Awesome! :)

Oh rats, this is how my brain works at 1 a.m.?!!

TANGLED AND TIED

One is used to seeing Disney animated flicks showing "the inevitable" interactions between distinct fictional princesses and animals: one singing along with warbling birds (Snow White), the other one sewing party gowns with adroit mice (Cinderella), and another befriending jazz-playing alligator and talking insects (The Princess and the Frog). And, so to speak, 2010's musical animation Tangled — in which a chameleon named Pascal and a horse called Maximus play part — is no exception. But that is not to say it will always be just fine to see these animal characters steal the spotlight from whom it's supposed to be in.

Tangled, billed as the 50th animated motion feature of Walt Disney Animation Studios with a staggering $260-million budget (said to be the biggest for an animated film so far), chronicles the story of Rapunzel (Mandy Moore). But unlike the Brothers Grimm's version, this one has an agreeable twist. Here, Rapunzel's story starts with the single drop of sun from which a magical flower with the ability to make someone young and healthy sprang up. This special flower, which manifests its power by singing a particular song to it, was kept by an old lady known as Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) to herself in order to store her youth and beauty for hundreds of years. One day, the Queen got very ill while she was carrying Rapunzel, and so the whole kingdom searched for a cure. Luckily, they found the magical flower and brought it to the castle. With it the Queen was restored to health.

The magical power of the flower was transferred to Rapunzel through her golden hair. Mother Gothel, determined to get back her "flower," figured that Rapunzel's golden hair loses its magic when cut so she kidnapped Rapunzel. Although bent on perpetually secluding Rapunzel in a tower deep in the forest, Mother Gothel do call her her "daughter." There is an undercurrent of warmth to the way she talks to her but that sense is always immediately withdrawn (the way she calls her "flower" does sound very affectionate), just like how it goes to other Disney villains. One is curious though why the film doesn't establish the rationality in her "lifelong" purpose of staying young and lovely.

The story speaks to those who are experiencing the inexplicable dilemma of adolescence, that point wherein choosing what path to take is very hard. In my book, latching onto the topic of "creating new dreams" is a fresh take on that somehow common theme of films to date. Having said this, Disney's decision to change the film's title to Tangled from the original Rapunzel is a recognition of its diverse audience and therefore positive for its commercial strand.

Rapunzel's adventure in the film begins when she finally had the guts to go out of the tower and see for herself the lanterns she mistook for stars. She is accompanied by her guide Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) — who somewhere in the middle discloses to Rapunzel that Eugene Fitzgerbert [sorry, not so sure with the spelling] is his real name — and her very supportive pet-slash-friend Pascal. Then along the way they meet Maximus, a palace horse that is at first dead set against seeing Rider on the loose after stealing the lost princess' crown.

Writer Dan Fogelman is undeniably a good storyteller, with virtually all of the film's smartly rendered characters, save for the palace horse whose character is somewhat over the top. He probably set out to make the film funnier by creating Maximus a smart horse, if not smarter than a human being it supposedly plays a sidekick of. The horse indeed has funny antics here and there, but most of the time, it just becomes exasperatingly brash. Directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard did deliver on making the film engaging from beginning to end, but somehow fail in that cop-out ending.

The music provided by Alan Menken is ace. The songs and the performances — especially the lengthy "Mother Knows Best" (including the "Reprise") by Mother Gothel and the "Incantation Song," simply termed the "special flower song" — will stick with you.

Tangled's animation team greatly deserves an applause for the fusion of the classic hand-drawn animation and the modern-day CG animation in the film. One is greatly impressed by the effect done by 3D on the characters' hairs (lots of them when it comes to Rapunzel), which says that a great deal of effort is exerted on that part.

All in all, the film is fun (memorable and inspiring, I personally say). Highly recommended.

(Image from here)