My brain just imploded.

Yes, brain implosion is actually possible, thanks to a movie that basically played with minds and dreams. I enjoyed it because it was almost literally mind blowing, except all I wanted to do after the movie was sit and mull over the entire thing. I want to try to make sense of it, but my brain was having a hard time keeping up.

I liked it. I think it was genius writing, and I wonder how Nolan developed his story.

Oh, and I especially liked the idea of the idea in Inception. Ideas are very powerful, and once an idea is planted in someone’s mind, it hardly goes away once it gains roots. Ideas can be good or bad, so sometimes, we have to guard our minds from the wrong ideas, and it’s just like how some of the characters learned how to guard their minds against extraction. In a way, we also have to guard our minds against the wrong ideas, or at least, pray for enough discernment to figure out which is wrong and which is right.

In a way, it’s almost like guarding your heart — you have to know which is right and wrong before they can root into your heart. If it’s right, and if it’s from God, your heart will grow. If not, then it won’t.

Okay, that’s just like me to connect this to heart stuff, right? :P

I think I should get to bed. Rest/last training day tomorrow using the fitness equipment at the gym, then race on Sunday! Happy Saturday, world. :)

So last week, my brother, his girlfriend and I set off to watch Eclipse, after I invited them to when we dropped off our mom to the airport. I wasn’t particularly excited about it because I’ve long been disenchanted by the Twilight series. I could have chosen other movies to watch, yes, but I watched this for the following reasons:

1. Shirtless Jacob/Taylor Lautner (I can’t deny it, he has fab abs)
2. Everyone would be watching it

Yeah, abs and peer pressure. What a combination.

As expected, there were a lot of people in the cinema, and we managed to catch the last few seats in the cinema. For a last full show, the cinema was full, and I was wary on hearing squeals of delight all over the cinema if anything squeal-worthy comes on screen.

So was there anything squeal worthy?

NO.

I came out of the cinema two hours later thinking that it was probably the most boring movie I ever watched. I can’t say it was absolutely bad, but it was totally bland. Not even the shirtless Jacob moments gave me a reason to like it. I hate to be so judgmental of something, but I didn’t get any excited with any scene, and I didn’t know they could get worse in acting. To think Eclipse was the book I liked the most. And other people were saying Eclipse was a better movie than New Moon. It was? But why did I feel like sleeping or doing something else  while I was in the cinema?

Maybe I’ve really just outgrown the series. Maybe it’s because I’m not a fan, and most of the time, I shudder whenever I hear anything about the saga. True, I read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner for a review, but that didn’t enhance my movie watching experience.

Maybe it’s really just not for me anymore. *shrug*

I hear Breaking Dawn will be split into two movies. I don’t think I’ll troop to the cinemas to watch it, though — I disliked Breaking Dawn, and I don’t think it will be any better on screen. :| I’d rather click here, choose another movie, or wait for the DVD. Or skip it all together. Whichever. Even if Taylor Lautner is there.

On the other hand, I sure wish they don’t murder the Flipped movie.

No offense to Twilight/Eclipse fans, just blogging my reaction (or lack thereof) to the movie. What did you think of Eclipse, though? Share in the comments. :)

The Cast of Pixar's Up

I watched Up earlier today with Gel and Cors (thanks again Gel, for earlier :D), and I asbolutely loved it. I’m a big fan of Pixar films, and most of my favorite movies are Pixar animated films — Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, Cars, Wall-E to name a few. But Up just blew me away.

Up‘s trailer really does not do justice to the film. I was expecting something just simply comical, like what you see is what you get type after I saw the trailer and nothing really with the story. I was prepared to be amazed at the animation, and the funny moments and just that. But Up has a cute little story, and solid story arcs for each of the characters in the movie that it all just blends together beautifully. I can’t even decide which of the main characters is my favorite…but I’d have to say I’m partial to Dug the dog. Especially after you hear him say this after Carl drives him away by telling him he’s a bad dog:

I slept under your porch because I love you.

It makes me want to hug my pet dogs again. :)

It’s just simply wonderful, including the little background music they play everytime Carl remembers Ellie. :) Awww, to have a love that lasts like that. ♥

And this is probably the second Pixar film that made me tear up (first was Cars)! Not only once, but twice! It’s such a great movie, really, and I can’t wait to watch it again in 3D this weekend. :) If you haven’t watched it yet…well, what are you waiting for? Watch!

* * *

I’m putting the latter part of this post under the cut because of two reasons: it involves a spoiler (sort of), and it’s kind of…well, morbid.

At the end of the movie, Carl and Russell become good friends and Carl basically becomes a part of Russell’s family, acting almost like his dad/granddad. There were shots of them playing, of watching a movie, and even Russell teaching Carl how to use a computer. It paints such a pretty picture but there’s a part of me feeling kind of sad about the entire thing…because you see, Carl is already 78 years old in the movie. And Russell is what, 10? I just feel sad with the idea that Carl will eventually pass and leave Russell and Dug. I mean, Carl may be awfully agile for someone his age in the movie, but he’s still elderly, and he will die.

I know, I know, it’s so morbid. I just found myself thinking about it as we watched the credits roll on the screen. Kind of sad when you think about it that way, that everyone will eventually go and pass away.

Well at least Carl will be with Ellie then. And he’s had his adventure too. :)

Carl & Ellie

On another note, here’s another interesting story about Up, from it’s IMDB trivia page:

On Dec. 23, 2005, young Colby Curtin was diagnosed with vascular cancer, after doctors found a tumor in her liver. On April 28th, 2009, at the age of ten, her parents took her to see Monsters vs Aliens (2009). She was most impressed with the preview to “Up”, saying “I have to see that movie. It is so cool.” Two days later, Colby’s health began to worsen. On June 4th, her mother Lisa asked a hospice company to bring a wheelchair for Colby so she could visit a theater to see “Up.” However, the weekend went by and the wheelchair was not delivered. Unfortunately, Colby was now too sick to leave home and her family feared she would die without seeing the film. A family friend named Terrell Orum-Moore, who desperately wanted Colby to get her last wish, began to cold-call Pixar and Disney to see if someone could help. Pixar has an automated telephone answering system, Orum-Moore said, and unless she had a name of a specific person she wanted to speak to, she could not get through. Orum-Moore guessed a name, and the computer system transferred her to someone who could help, she said. Pixar officials listened to Colby’s story and agreed to send someone to Colby’s house the next day with a DVD of “Up”. Lisa Curtin asked her daughter, “Do you think you can hang on?”. “I’m ready (to die), but I’m going to wait for the movie,” the girl replied. The company flew an employee with the “Up” DVD, which was still only in theaters, to the Curtin’s home on June 10 for a private viewing. He had a bag of stuffed animals of characters in the movie and a movie poster. He shared some quirky background details of the movie, and the group settled in to watch “Up”. Colby couldn’t see the screen because the pain kept her eyes closed, so her mother gave her a play-by-play of the film. At the end of the film, Lisa if her daughter enjoyed the movie, and Colby nodded yes. Lisa Curtin described the Pixar employee, saying “He couldn’t have been nicer. His eyes were just welled up.” Of the film, she remarked, “When I watched it, I had really no idea about the content of the theme of the movie. I just know that word ‘Up’ and all of the balloons and I swear to you, for me it meant that (Colby) was going to go up. Up to heaven.” Seven hours after viewing the film, Colby passed away with her parents at her side.

Full article on that here.

So don’t miss this movie, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. :D I leave you with one final quote from Russell, the Wilderness Explorer kid:

…sometimes the boring stuff are the things I remember the most.

Hope you have an adventurous weekend ahead. :)

And I’m sorry, but I found it boring.

I tried as much as I can to avoid the reactions of the other people after they watched the movie. Some people told me they loved/liked it, some people said it was meh, but I never asked for details because I wanted to see for myself. I loved the sixth book; I honestly thought it was one of the best books in the series, and it had me crying at the end (of course). I was kind of expecting the movie to be good…but that just shows that I haven’t learned how to lower my expectations of the Harry Potter movies. :P

I just thought it was too long and dragging. I may have a short attention span with the movies I watch, and anything that is beyond 2 hours is already  such. a. long. movie. for me. However, I found Transformers 2 and The Dark Knight quite long too, but I liked it. Maybe it’s because there’s more action there than Harry Potter 6?

I have a feeling I’ll be watching this one again and my opinion will change, but my first viewing was kind of a disappointment. Halfway through the movie, I wanted to just fast forward it and get to the end, just to get it all over with.

This seriously reminds me of the third movie, which I really didn’t like. Hay. So sad. This makes me want to read the book again just to console myself.

Anyway. That’s really not the point of the post. I found this little Harry Potter questionnaire from Candymag.com’s blog, and I thought it would be a fun thing to answer. Credits to them, of course. :)

1. What would amortentia smell like to you?
Ralph Lauren’s Polo Sport for Men (the one in the blue bottle).  Strawberry-watermelon scented perfume. Freshly brewed coffee.

2. If you looked into The Mirror of Erised, what would you see?
As in right now? Okay, me with the my guy (whoever he is), spending time together and doing things that I couldn’t do on my own or didn’t have the time to do when we aren’t together yet. Like traveling with friends, or watching a movie on the opening day despite the crowds or going on a date on Valentine’s Day…or going to bookstores together and giving recommendations to each other as we browse around the store. Ask me again in a few days and it might change. :P

3. Which particular memory would you focus on if you had to create a Patronus?
My family and my brother’s girlfriend on our way to the gates of Hong Kong Disney Land last May. :) We didn’t get in but it was so much fun running around the trains on the way to Disney Land. Oh, another memory would be the day I got my job offer at where I work now. :)

4. If it was possible to accio people, who would you summon right now?
My dad, most probably, who works in another country. Also my grade school best friend Jamie, who I haven’t seen since she last visited during junior year in high school. Or even just my college best friend, Bea, who I haven’t seen for months because of our busy schedules.

5. Where would you like to apparate to?
NYC. Or Australia. The places I have been aching to visit since last year.

6. What would your boggart look like?
Flying roaches and frogs. :/

7. If you drank a vial of felix felicis for breakfast, what would happen for the rest of the day?
It would be a sunny-but-not-too-hot day, with a slight breeze blowing every now and then. I’d be able to go to the gym and have a good work out and then chance upon a friend who’d give me a ride to work. We’d have a relatively low volume day, and our team would go out and eat lunch together. Later on, my friend and I would go visit the bookstore and I’d be able to get the last copy of the book I’ve been looking for with a very good discounted price. I’d give myself time to eat some ice cream for a change with some of my office friends that I haven’t seen yet, and then discover that I have some money in my pants pocket that I totally forgot about. I’d get a good commendation from work, a nice text message (heh), and then my brother would call me and say he’s driving by to pick me up from work. :)

Okay that was actually quite fun to answer. :) Ah, the magical world of Harry Potter. I don’t think today would be the same without these seven books, yes? What’s your favorite book? And what would your answers to the questions above be? :)

But that doesn’t mean I don’t like the movie. Okay, I didn’t exactly totally love the Twilight movie, it was okay. Bella is even better in the movie than in the book, except that I always imagined that Bella’s voice was higher compared to the Kristen’s.

But I digress. This just came out today:

Edward/Robert Pattinson is still the same in the trailer (although he seemed to be even paler here, like he had too much acne treatment), and I’m glad to see more of the Cullen family (at least at the start)…but the real and most notable of all characters in this trailer is (you guessed it right) Jacob. Taylor Lautner, since when did you get so buff? :P There’s just a little shot of him here, but that shot of him there just reminded me of Steven Strait from The Covenant. Don’t you think?

So, I’d have to say, I’m going to watch this movie, not because I’m a fan of the saga, but because of Jacob. Haha wait, did that make sense? But I will watch this. Jacob! ♥

As seniors in high school ,Troy and Gabriella struggle with the idea of being separated from one another as college approaches. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes and fears about their future.

It’s been so long since I last listened to any High School Musical songs. Ever since it became a household name and everyone was singing and making remakes of the songs and all that, I stopped being a big fan because…well, everyone else loved it and I didn’t really like going along with what everyone liked. But, being a Disney Channel lover and having watched the first two movies, I knew I’d watch this. I was kind of prepared for some cheesy songs and all that, but…I guess you can say that the third movie surprised me. In a good way.

I loved the first movie for the gripping and clean story. It’s the kind of movie that you’d watch because you want to know what happens to Troy and Gabriella, to know if they’d get together and if they’d get the main parts even with Sharpay and Ryan sabotaging them. The songs were easy to remember and fun to sing, and the lesson is easy to see. It’s something you wouldn’t mind watching over and over again (even if I admit, the lip syncing kind of annoys me) just to feel good. The second movie was okay, but I admit I didn’t like it as much as the first, probably because I found some of their songs too poppy or corny. Plus the fact that it’s only been the first twenty minutes and I’ve seen what, four song numbers already? I felt tired for the cast already.

The third one made me like the franchise again. HSM3: Senior Year deals with the cast’s senior year, as mentioned in the title. It dealt a lot with the changes that come with graduating, the choices and sacrifices that they have to make as they make their own way and…well, grow up. :) If this movie went out back in 2006 when I was about to graduate, I bet I would’ve cried like JM did, as I am a sap for things like this. But it did leave me with a bittersweet feeling, as in a way I can also relate with their growing up. It’s…life. :)

Oh, and the songs! One thing I didn’t like with the first two movies is that there’s always the “forgettable” solo in each movie — When There Was Me and You by Vanessa Hudgens in the first movie and Bet On It by Zac Efron in the second movie. It’s the solo numbers that I’d really rather not watch. But for this movie, all solos were lovable. From Vanessa’s Walk Away to Zac’s Scream — they weren’t corny, the acting wasn’t as OA as the ones in the first two movies, and the songs are way better. The fast songs make me want to dance, or at least, tap my foot with the beat (especially for The Boys are Back!) and the ballads are sweet and perfectly fits the mood. The waltz could’ve been done in a better way though, but it was still sweet, nonetheless. The dance numbers (one thing I really loved with all the movies because it makes it seem like such a fun movie) are great too — and did you see how thin Martha is now? I wonder if she used alli…or maybe it’s really with all the dancing. :)

High School Musical 3: Senior Year is a nice feel-good movie, the one you should watch to relax and enjoy as you bop your heads to the music. :) The last part that showed the six main characters before their final bow was just awww. :) They’ve graduated — what’s next? :)

What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off?

Academy Award®-winning writer-director Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo”) and the inventive storytellers and technical geniuses at Pixar Animation Studios (“The Incredibles,” “Cars,” “Ratatouille”) transport moviegoers to a galaxy not so very far away for a new computer-animated cosmic comedy about a determined robot named WALL-E.

After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet’s future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, WALL-E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen.

I’ve been curious about Wall-E ever since I’ve seen the trailer, and I’m really glad that we got this movie for Movie Night at work. :)

Wall-E is pretty much a silent movie, and the first thirty minutes or so of the movie showed what Wall-E was doing in a very deserted and polluted Earth. Together with a cockroach friend, Wall-E goes by his everyday life doing what he was programmed to do (his directive) by compacting trash, but also doing some searching and collecting of random odds and ends he finds in his beat-up lunchbox. At the end of his day, he goes home, sets aside all his collections and then watches his favorite old movie Hello Dolly, trying out their dance moves and wishing for someone to “hold hands” with.

Then comes EVE, an advanced robot (with more computer memory than Wall-E) from the Axiom, where all human beings are staying because of the polluted state of the Earth. She’s an interesting robot, one who we thought was pretty but had anger management issues and is far from demure. :P Eve pays little attention to Wall-E at first, who was smitten with her and tries to win her attention. It wasn’t until she was saved from a sandstorm that she finally paid some attention to Wall-E, who tried to win her over by showing her all his random collections (including a VERY cute dance number), but it wasn’t until he showed her the plant he found that she went into hibernate mode, waiting for the mother ship to pick her up.

And from here we get to see Wall-E’s devotion to Eve, and the start of his big adventure outer space. That’s when the first humans who are not part of the holograms on Earth show up, and we see humans who are not only VERY obese, but also too lazy and too much in their own world that they don’t see what exactly is happening to them.

It’s a very, very cute and endearing movie with only a few quotable quotes since all Wall-E and Eve says are “Wall-E!” and “E-vaaah!”, but their actions and their motivations are clearly shown in the movie. I was really amused with the captain, and I really loved how they all stood up against the robots in the movie. Oh, and seeing Earth like that, and all those humans like that is kind of alarming and scary — may we never reach that stage.

Overall it’s a really good movie. It would make you laugh, say “awww” and be determined just like Wall-E. :) Oh, and if you’re a geek, you’d love the references to Apple as well as how Wall-E was revived at the end. :D

Because of this movie, I now want a Wall-E toy. :D The one that sings and dances! Someone give that to me for Christmas!

Last night was Narnia night with some Street Team friends, and all afternoon I’ve been declaring to my teammates and Twitter and Plurk that I’d be off to Narnia in the afternoon. Excited much? Definitely.

Now, unlike everyone I know, I haven’t read any of The Chronicles of Narnia books yet. *insert incredulous gasp here* I know, even I am amazed that I haven’t. I’ve heard of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe way before because of all of its stageplays that I missed to watch, but I didn’t really know the story until I heard that it’s going to be made into a movie. Then I downloaded an audiobook, so I finally got to know the story and I have been wishing for a boxed set of the books since then (which I think I’ll end up buying for myself eventually, but let’s not get to that :D).

Anyway, so Prince Caspian. I watched the movie with little knowledge of the story, thanks to Wikipedia, but I have no idea how it goes, as opposed to my friends who were watching with me. Because I haven’t read the book, I had zero expectations in the movie, except maybe see how much William Moseley has grown up (yes, I crushed on Peter Pevensie in the first movie, heehee!).

So onto the formal review. Prince Caspian is an okay movie. By okay, I mean, I didn’t really get bored, but I didn’t get too excited about anything else too. I like the entire thing, although to be honest, it feels like such a long movie. The effects were great, as usual, and the battle scenes are okay, except there seems to be a lot of hesitation on both sides. Or maybe it’s just me. However, every battle scene in movies like these remind me so much of Lord of the Rings, it’s ridiculous. :|

Some notes on the movie:

• The Pevensie kids all look so grown up already, especially Edmund and Lucy. Edmund had grown into such a good looking boy and Lucy looks more pretty instead of cute. :) The two older ones look…well, a bit more mature and probably more fit and less awkward than the last movie, which is good since it looked better for them during the battle scenes. They must’ve used pretty good fitness equipment to make them look a bit..buff. Heh.
• It feels pretty weird that Narnia is so dark after everything is so white in the first movie. I miss the old characters too, like the Beavers and Mr. Tumnus. Although everything is darker, I like how everyone has sort of joined forces. Oh and the kid centaur = hilarious. :)
• Trufflehunter, the Badger. I love him! He’s so…cute. :P He reminds me of Mr. Beaver in the first movie. At first I thought he was a skunk, after him saying, “Or do I have to sit on your head again?” but then the markings were wrong. Too bad he only had little airtime in the movie.
• Reepicheep, the Mouse. This character, too, is very endearing. :) He kind of reminds me of Puss in Boots, probably because of his very gallant and knightly posture.
• There were a lot of amazing and witty exchange of lines in all of the movie, especially Trumpkin’s. For example:
  

  Peter Pevensie: [looking down a cliff over the water] Is there a way down?
  Trumpkin: Yes. Falling.

  Winner!

• The clash of Caspian’s and Peter’s egos were believable, and I wanted to bonk Peter on the head for being so hardheaded. Susan’s line during one of the battle was definitely something that should be asked to everyone: “Who exactly are you doing this for, Peter?“
• As for Susan and Caspian’s attraction…I kind of saw it coming, but I didn’t know it wasn’t in the book, so I couldn’t comment. Heh. It has to be placed there I guess; this is Hollywood after all.

I think I’d probably need to watch it again to fully appreciate it. I don’t know if I was a bit too distracted while watching the movie, or because I haven’t read the book yet which made me not really take in all the details.

Oh and before I forget, my most favorite part of the film is when Aslan finally showed up. My friends could all be enamored with Pevensie kids of Caspian, but the bright spot of the film for me would always be whenever Aslan appears. :) I don’t know if it’s because he’s the representation of God in the movie and books or because of the fact that he’s portrayed by a big cat or because his voice (Liam Neeson), but he is my favorite part of both movies. :D When the Narnians stopped yelling “For Narnia” and started yelling “For Aslan”, it felt like they were finally right on track. :)

Now I’m off to read the books (finally)!

Talk about Twilight yumminess. It really helped that when I was reading Twilight, I already knew Robert Pattinson was playing Edward, so it was easier for me to imagine him. He’s hot enough to burn a thick thick mattress! ♥

But you know who really caught my eye here?

Emmett. Suddenly I love him even more. Haha. Kellan Lutz is definitely Emmet. :P

I can’t wait for the movie all of a sudden. I should remember to re-read Twilight before the movie shows in December. =D

Anyway, today was another busy day at work, which what things have been for the past few weeks. I’m so busy I can hardly write in my novel this week, and this is supposed to be crunch time. Hay life. Today our team had to finish this photo book that some people asked us to do for this big boss who came to town. It felt like thesis all over again, where some of my teammates pulled all nighters while I went on day shift today just to help them. Such is life. Good thing I like my job and I’m used to these things that’s why it doesn’t bother me (although my seriously whacked body clock is).

So lunchtime today, my YFC Docu household “anak” came over for an interview and we had lunch. We bought food for some of my teammates and when we got back, the first thing they said was, “Did you feel the earthquake?”

We were, “Was there an earthquake?”

Apparently, it was really strong at our floor (we were at the 9th floor). I hardly felt anything while I was in KFC, where there’s a lot of people, and I don’t think the people lining up with me felt anything too. Everyone was asking about that then, and I felt like such a loser for not feeling it.

Or…not really. I’m the kind of person who sleeps through an earthquake, you know? There was this particular magnitude 7.0 or something earthquake a few years back that happened at night, and I slept right through it. I do remember hearing my parents waking up and saying that the ground is shaking, but I thought it was just a dream…when I woke up and went to mass, it was all they could talk about. I can be such a sound sleeper that I can sleep through anything, even if it’s a radio on a stereo cabinet playing really loud music. And that’s kind of weird too, since when I’m awake and it’s silent, I feel earthquakes easily.

I wonder why I can write so much about an earthquake when I can’t even churn out 2000+ words in my novel. Gah. This means I should write now.

Last week of night shift! But I think I’m going mid tomorrow since my body clock is still whacked. I can’t wait to go back to day shift on Monday.

Last comment before I go: my mom’s watching Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2, and they just played Everything’s Right by Matt Wertz. Coolness. Okay, I go write now.