The Blind Side

Today, I watched The Blind Side. I'd heard a lot of good things about the movie for the longest time but just never had the chance to watch it previously. All I can say is, wow. What an inspiring tale.

For those of you who have not yet seen it, The Blind Side tells the story of Michael Oher, an NFL player for the Baltimore Ravens. Oher used to be homeless, but a well-to-do family took him in, adopted him, and paved the way for him to become the pro-footballer that he is now.

The movie makes me wonder: "Who does that?" Who takes a random person off the street, to live in their home, not knowing what kind of person they've taken under their roof? It takes a pretty special person to do that, and obviously, Oher's adopted family are pretty special people.

To be honest, sometimes I feel like I've lost faith in humanity. You help people, they stab you in the back. You're nice to someone, they take advantage of you. The Blind Side lifts my heart. It shows me that there are still kind people out there, and most especially, that there are still people who don't take advantage of the kindness of others.

Read More

One Does Not Simply Fly Into Mordor

Ever since I saw the movies and then read the books, I have loved The Lord of the Rings. In fact, maybe love is not even a strong enough term. I am obsessed with it. I love everything about it. It makes me happy. I've read the books, seen the movies... I even play the online game! I want to visit New Zealand even more, because, well... it's Middle Earth!


And how do you fly to Middle Earth? On Air New Zealand, course! Check out this safety video they just came out with for the new The Hobbit movie (prequel to the LoTR trilogy) coming out next month. It is absolutely brilliant, imho. This is how safety videos should be. I can't get over it, really.

Read More

They're Real

You know the "secretaries of Juliet" who answer letters in the movie Letters to Juliet? Well, they're real.

Verona, the "City of Love," is the setting of Romeo and Juliet. And while the star-crossed lovers are just a figment of the author's imagination, on Via Capello in this city, there actually exists a house with a balcony... said to be the house of the Capulets, the powerful Veronese family that inspired the Shakespearean play. This house is Juliet's House, the Casa di Giulietta.

Juliet's balcony

Juliet's House is a huge tourist attraction in Verona. It is a place where people can place love notes or graffiti on the walls. A statue of Juliet also stands in the courtyard, whose right boob visitors rub for good luck.

The story of Juliet is indeed an important part of Verona's charm, which is why the city has commissioned the secretaries of Juliet, a group of volunteers to promote the legend of Romeo and Juliet. They are known as The Juliet Club or Il Club di Giulietta. Just like in the movie Letters to Juliet, they answer letters addressed to the ill-fated heroine from all over the world. They give advice, support, or just listen to those who need to talk about love. Yes, they really do exist, and you really can write to them at The Juliet Club, via Galilei 3 - 37100 Verona, Italy. 

I think I will send them a note one of these days.

Photo taken from flickr.

Read More

Letters to Juliet

'What' and 'if' are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life. What if? What if? What... if?

Do you have regrets in life? Are you wondering, what if? If you are, then this movie is for you.

I do not have a lot of what if questions, and I've seen my share of romantic comedies, but this movie struck me, and left me awed and speechless. It's exactly what I need right now--something to remind me that somewhere out there, fate is working. Or at least I hope it is.

Watch it. It is absolutely lovely.

Read More

Notting Hill

Notting Hill is on HBO again. I've seen this movie about a gazillion times, but every time I watch it, I am reminded that it is undeniably my most favorite romantic comedy of all time.

There are so many things I love about this movie, I don't even know what to start listing first. I remember when it was coming out in 1999. Even before it was shown, I was already looking forward to it. After all, the lead star is my favorite actress, Julia Roberts. Also, the main song of the movie, When You Say Nothing At All, was performed by Ronan Keating, the lead singer of my favorite boy band at the time, Boyzone. But that's only the beginning. 

I don't think I've ever seen a wittier and funnier romantic comedy, really. Notting Hill is just one comedic scene after the other, made especially brilliant by its ridiculously funny supporting characters and witty lines. Remember Spike (Rhys Ifans) and his ridiculous t-shirts? Or the part where William (Hugh Grant) goes to visit Anna (Julia Roberts) and he has to pretend he's a journalist from a magazine called Horse and Hound? Remember the young Mischa Barton and the Leonardo DiCaprio/Da Vinci disaster? How about the prescription goggles? And who can forget the memorable quotes? "Surreal but nice," "You daft prick," and of course, "I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her," along with many others.

Many romantic comedies will be created, but I don't think there will again be one with just the perfect blend of star power, comedic wit, and cheesy romance. I'm quite grateful to have witnessed this movie, and I'm sure it will remain my favorite for a long, long time to come.

Read More

Shrek's Message

I just watched Shrek: Forever After last night and I'm thinking how wonderful it is that we can get such profound messages from animated movies.

For those who haven't seen it, the supposedly final chapter of the Shrek franchise tells about the ogre getting tired of life with his family and missing his old days before meeting Fiona, when people were still afraid of him. In comes the conniving Rumpelstiltskin, who offers to give him a day of his old life, in exchange for a day in his childhood. But the day that Rumpelstiltskin takes is the day Shrek was born, and in the "alternate life" that Shrek has for a day, the kingdom of Far Far Away is in ruins, Shrek doesn't exist for his family and friends, and Puss in Boots is... fat. It perfectly fits the cliché of a "be careful what you wish for" story when Shrek realizes what he's done and that this is not what he wants, after all. 

Like its prequels, Shrek: Forever After remains adorable and funny. But it's sweet in a way that it makes us think about the things and people we have and how they should be appreciated. Living in a fairy tale, Shrek was lucky because he got a second chance. Most of the time, we do not get second chances. We just have to make the best out of our firsts.

Read More

Yeah

I finally finished reading Villette by Charlotte Bronte. Yeah, yeah, yeah! Why did that book have to be easy to put down? Took me ages, and heaps of other books in between to read it. Teehee.

Ok, what else. Hmmm. One more week of classes to go! Need to make two papers, and take one exam. Not so bad, huh? And then, over three weeks to go till we go home. Yeah! I already want to go home, by the way. My sentiments have changed. I cannot stand the heat here!

Love Actually
Starring: Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley
Ok, what's all the fuss about this movie? I expected so much, and got disappointed. It's amazing how so many people love this movie. I feel as if there's something wrong with me because I don't really like it. I couldn't help but compare it to Notting Hill (Hugh Grant, very British, romantic comedy), but it totally didn't measure. Hmmm. If you like this movie, please comment and tell me why you do. Maybe you can help me like it. I definitely need input on this.

Hero
Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung
Beautiful effects, amazing fight scenes, and a mind-boggling story. Very good indeed.

Read More

Waaa

In my previous entry, I wrote about the weird thing that happened at one of the stations here. So, someone really did jump from the platform onto the tracks. Waaaaaaaa! >.<

Sale season has come! Since our allowance had just come too, we (, April, and I) decided to take advantage of it. Quite a lot of shopping was done. Yesterday, I got a denim skirt from GAP which was half it's original price (YEY!), and today I got a Hard Rock shirt (been wanting one for a long time now), earrings (which were 50% off), a pair of beach shorts, and since I got a 1000 yen (about US$10) book certificate from the Networld + Interop exhibition the other day, I went to a book store and got Nicholas Sparks' The Wedding and Dan Brown's Digital Fortress. I'd have to be careful, though. I just paid almost 30,000 yen (about US$300) for the final half payment for my ticket going home. It looks like by the end of the month, I won't have any money again. >.<

Frida
Starring: Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina
This movie is about the life of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. It's very interesting--artistic, sexy, and full of emotion. Kahlo's life was sad and painful, but she was so vibrant and full of life, you can't help but be amazed by her. This movie is moving and inspirational, I like it very much.

What A Girl Wants
Starring: Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, Kelly Preston
I never knew what this movie was about before I watched it. I didn't see any trailers nor any posters. The only reason I wanted to see it was because I read this article in one of my classes last semester. The movie was a surprise, though. I expected the worst, but it was actually quite entertaining. True, it's another modern-day Cinderella story, but I love how Amanda Bynes' character refuses to let people put her down. I think her acting needs more polishing, but that's okay, because Colin Firth makes watching the movie worthwhile!

Read More

Heee...

I was finally able to watch The Last Samurai last night, and, I only have one thing to say:

Tom Cruise, I love you!

Read More

Yeah

Ah, what a busy past few days it has been! It all started on Wednesday. We watched Troy right after our Japanese History class. It was okay, not the best, but not the worst either.

Friday afternoon, we had to haul ass as we had to be in Tokyo right after our class in the morning for a Gender and Nation International Symposium in Shibuya. It was very interesting and informative, even though long (because the Japanese have a way of saying a lot of things going around the topic and not directly to the point). There were a number of foreign speakers too, though, so it was good.

It was a two-day thingie, and my Russian friend and IRC chatmate, Morigen offered his (and his gf's) place in Nippori for us (Annie and myself) to stay at overnight. That was cool coz we didn't have to come back to our boring dorm and beat the stupid curfew. We went with them to karaoke, which was fun, but before that I also met Haniwa, another chatmate from IRC. Morigen had a copy of Kill Bill, and since we had not seen it yet, we watched it. What an insane movie that is, very arienai. LOL.

Now it's back to the dorm, and doing the laundry. :'(

arienai - something that's not likely to happen; impossible

Read More

Lazy

Urg. Lazy Saturday morning. Whoever said weekends are nice? Weekends are only nice if you have something to do, somewhere to go. But since I'm still down with the colds, might as well just stay here at our ultra boring dorm and bum around.

I'm still in the middle of Villette by Charlotte Bronte. Oh my God, that book is soo freakin' hard to read! It's very intelligently written, but nothing ever happens to the main character! It's too long, and there's soo much French that you have to keep on going to the notes every single time (unless of course, you understand French) that now I don't even bother doing that anymore. If you want to brag about the books you've been reading, yeah, go ahead and read this. But, if you're just bored, no, don't read this book, 'cause you'll get even more bored. Hahahah.

I just finished reading Tokyo Stories by Christine Cunanan-Miki, and that is one hilarious book! If you're ever planning to come live in Japan, better read this book beforehand. It's also very good for those people who think they know so much about Japan, but actually don't. :)


Movie Review: Schindler's List
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley
I wasn't able to see this movie before so when I learned it was on tv last night, I just had to watch it. Oh my God, it's sooo good! It's so sad! Those poor Jews! And then that movie made me say to : "Look at those poor Jews. All throughout the history of mankind, they've been abused and persecuted. But they don't go and become terrorists (or something like that--you know what I mean)!" People should be more like Jews, I think.

Read More

Golden Week

A one-week break started last Thursday to celebrate Golden Week here in Japan. Golden Week is a yearly event that allows people to take a break, travel, or do anything they went. During this season, there's also heaps of festivals everywhere and a lot of things happening all over.

Flying kites during Golden Week

Yesterday, I was supposed to go to Tokyo. But I cancelled because the friend that I was supposed to go with had an important appointment and couldn't go until late in the afternoon. I didn't wanna go by that time, because the travel is around one hour and a half one way, and that's kinda scary to be doing that late at night. I ended up going with April and Annie to Futamatagawa (two stations from where we are) and had late lunch and some window shopping. We got some movies, too, so last night we watched The Sweetest Thing and Good Will Hunting. It was my second time to watch the former, but my first to watch the latter. Both were really good, and I'm amazed that Matt Damon/Ben Affleck wrote the Oscar-winning GWH. But then again, they are Harvard peeps, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Read More

The Return of Aragorn the Hottie (If he gets to be a king, then he should have some description!)

Oi, Aragorn has returned! I finally saw The Return of the King! Yah, I know, I'm 3 months late, but spare me, since here in Japan, movies come late coz of the subtitling and all. But, yesterday when we saw it, it was POSH--in the true sense of the word!

OK lemme explain. We arrived at the movie theater in a city named Ebina (about 30 mins from where we live) at almost 2 pm. We didn't know the schedule beforehand. The only Lord of the Rings screenings were at 1:00 and 1:30, so Annie () and I opted for the 1:30 showing so that we would not miss a lot. However, it turned out that that showing was on premiere screen! So, OMG, we decided to watch it anyway even if we had to pay 2400 yen for it! (Normally it's about 1500 yen, but it was Wednesday yesterday so there was a discount for the regular theaters: 1000 yen.) Premiere screen, however, is always 2400 yen. That's roughly 1200 pesos or 24 USD. Imagine that?!? Graaaaaaaaaabeh!

It was so sweet though. The seats were so pretty and fancy! They were huge, and considering how long The Return of the King is, I'm sure all your butts ached out there when you watched it! But, not us! *evil laugh* I felt like I was seating in a first class airplane seat, and at the same time screening a movie for the Oscars. There were also li'l tables between our seats (although if you opted for a love seat, they also had that out in the back). Plus, we got free popcorn! And, outside the theater was a private lounge with a sorta bar place. It was too much really! Hahah.

Of course the movie rocked. Aragorn was hot and Legolas so cute. They also kept calling my name: Merry, Merry!, and as usual Pippin was being a fool of a Took! But I'm sure you all know that. At least, if you're ever gonna watch a movie for 24 bucks, then it should be The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. It definitely deserved its record-tying 11 Oscars!

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Oscar Awards

BEST PICTURE
Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh

DIRECTING
Peter Jackson

ART DIRECTION
Grant Major (Art Direction); Dan Hennah and Alan Lee (Set Decoration)

COSTUME DESIGN
Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor

FILM EDITING
Jamie Selkirk

MAKEUP
Peter King

MUSIC (SCORE)
Howard Shore

MUSIC (SONG)
"Into the West"
Music and Lyric by Fran Walsh and Howard Shore and Annie Lennox

SOUND MIXING
Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek

VISUAL EFFECTS
Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook and Alex Funke

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson


And by the way, I can truly say that Aragorn is hot, but for some reason, I can't bring myself to say that Viggo is hot. Hmmm. Weird. Must be the hair? Or, lack thereof.

Read More