Boses - 2008

Category: Movie

Genre: Drama / Indie

Director: Ellen Ongkenko- Marfil

Writer: Rody Vera, Froilan Medina

 Cast: Coke Bolipata, Julian Duque, Ricky Davao, Meryll Soriano, Cherry Pie Picache and more


I saw a trailer of this indie film over TV some 2 weeks ago, and it got me curious. I never wouldve imagined that I would be meeting the Director and 2 actors of the said movie right here in Davao City.

I got an invitation for a film showing over at Cinematheque, and since two offices invited me, Tuburan Institute and Happy Team(Councilor Avila of Davao), I grabbed the chance. But, I didn't realize the title was "Boses". All I saw at the invite was: "The Heart Speaks", cocktails and live violin by The Cast.

And I was pleasantly surprised to realize it was a film showing of Boses.

This film is about a child who is being abused by his Dad...

I find this movie simple yet very moving and it sure is worthy of your time. It has multi-dimensional aspects of the film from child abuse, to child welfare, how to run a shelter, isolation rooms, bullying, suicide, dreams, family, father & son, depression, music, therapy and so on and so on. There are so many points of discussion. It's educational. More films like these should be made. :)

After Earth - 2013

Category: Movie

Genre: Action / Sci-Fi / Drama

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Writer: Gary Whitta, M. Night Shyamalan

Producer: Columbia Pictures, Overbrook Entertainment, Blinding Edge Pictures

Cast: Jaden Smith, Will Smith, David Denman, Sophie Okonedo, Zoe Kravitz, Glenn Morshower, Kristofer Hivju, Sacha Dawan, and more

Tagline: Danger is real. Fear is a choice.


I didn't realise this was an M.Night Shymalan ... until I saw the credits... on the first opening scene! Wooot.

One thousand years after cataclysmic events forced humanity's escape from Earth, Nova Prime has become mankind's new home.  Cypher Raige returns from an extended duty to his family and ready to father his son, Kitai, but then a crash landing leaves Kitai Raige and Cypher stranded on Earth, a millennium after events forced humanity's escape. With Cypher injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help.

I loved the film!

I first read about the film about an article saying this film's got something to do with Will Smith's dedication to Scientology. Well, it pretty much looks like it.

Scientology or not... it strikes a chord for us who just attended IkePono. This reminds me of the Pono battle. How to just connect with your pono, thus eliminating fear. Specially, the ending.

The kneeling part is one way of getting grounded, and being in touch with self and going back to Pono.

Also, it has elements of LES (Doc Andre's seminar), about staying in the present moment, becoming aware of everything around you. And a bit of a Peaceful Warrior. Elements of Workshop:Courage and Aletheia was also shown.

This is once again something about the future, yes, another apocalyptic view, about fathers and sons, childhood traumas, getting out of the box, relying on intuition, and well, pretty much the journey of the hero. :)

Photo source: HD Wallpapers

Magnifico - 2003

Category: Movie

Genre: Drama / Family

Director: Maryo J. Delos Reyes

Writer: Michiko Yamamoto

Producer: Violett Films Production

Cast: Jiro Manio, Lorna Tolentino, Albert Martinez,  Gloria Romero, Celia Rodriguez, Marc Gil , Tonton Guiterriez, Amy Austria, Cherry Pie Picache, Danilo Barrios, Susan Africa, and more

Tagline:


Magnifico may not be good in school and belongs to an unfortunate and poor family, he has a big heart and has this positivity that permeates him everywhere he goes. He has not only helped his family, but the community he lives in.


T_T

It's a heartwarming story about a kid who has touched the lives of many people in their neighborhood. It's a simple story, very close to Filipino culture and Filipino values with Filipino issues as well.

Thanks to my friend Juna who recommended that I watch the film.

I think we'd fare really well if we make good films like these. Inspiring. Simple. Touches us and stirs our heart.This is good drama, compared to other dramas that is often fed to the masses.

Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Category: Book

Genre: Sci-Fi / Drama / Dystopian / Adventure / Action

Author: Suzanne Collins


The Hunger Games is a dystopian novel for young adults. North America is now run by the powerful Capitol and is now divided into 12 districts (originally 13 but District 13 was destroyed), and is now called Panem. In the 12th District, there's Katniss Everdeen (16y/o) and Gale who hunts for a living. In order to keep the status quo and to remind the 12 Districts not to rebel, every year they hold a game of death, chosing 2 tributes per district via "draw". Katniss' sister was picked to be the tribute but then Katniss exercises her option to volunteer for the games. With Katniss comes Peeta, the baker's son.  Together, they must fend for themselves and survive.


I got hooked with reading this because it has an interesting plot. Although, it's something that is socially and  uhmmm morally not sound. The Hunger Games, I mean.

But, what I particularly liked about it was the love triangle between Gale, Katniss and Peeta. Can someone hand me at least a Gale or a Peeta? *giggles*

Anyway it was a breeze reading it. The author did not use any big words. It was simple but enough to give you the hand or play with imagination. The book tackled many things that can actually make people relate to: love, honor, freedom, rebellion, poverty, family, friendship and particularly survival. In the arena, you'd want to move from page to page since the suspense builds up and introduces many new creatures that came with technological evolution.

Anyway, this ain't something "intelligent", if you want to argue.. but it was successful enough to the audience it aimed for. And it's a good book to start or recommend if one wants to get into "reading". :)

Photo Source: NPR

Touchback - 2011

Category: Movie

Genre: Drama

Director: Don Handfield

Writer: Don Handfield

Cast: Brian Presley, Kurt Russell, Melanie Lynskey, Marc Blucas, Sarah Wright, Drew Powell, Steve Turner, Kevin Covais, James Duval,

Producer: Freedom Films, Palo Verde, Hannibal Classics

Tagline: Would you give up everything you love for a shot at everything you've ever wanted?

On the biggest game of his life Scott Murphy (Brian Presley), the best High School Football player in the nation injures his knee which destroyed his college dreams and professional career. 15 years later, he gets a flashback and a chance to go back and change his-story. 


It is an inspiring film and I enjoyed it's unique storyline. It has a metaphysical ring to it. Great character development. This plays on some sort of a near death experience thing. It's also about family and making choices and making the "right now's" count.

It's pretty much about teamwork... but more on a man's journey to life specially one's that could change one's life forever, what will you do with a second chance?

"the future is just a bunch of right now's strung together."

I feel more films like these should be made. It's simple and it started off slow... and yet very moving and gets better by the near end. 

Quotes:

Coach Hand: Do you know what the future is Scott? The future is just a bunch of what you do right now strung together. And what you are doing now is giving up. And trust me there is no future in that. Scott, I hope you don't give up this easy in life, because it gets a hell of a lot harder than football.

Coach Hand: Gentlemen, some players have talent, others have heart, but tonight I've seen players with talent who I didn't know had any, and others that have heart who I thought only had talent. The quality and standard of your life will not be determined by how well you play football, but by how well you confront adversity. Attitude! Gentlemen, if you keep playing like this I promise you, you will leave this field winners. Get in here.

Photo Source: Ace Showbiz

Doc: The Rape of the Town of Lovell - Jack Olsen

Category: Book

Genre: Courtroom / Drama / Non-Fiction

Author: Jack Olsen


 For 25 years, the trusted family doctor (Dr. Story) in the town of Lovell, Wyoming, had been raping and molesting the women and children who relied on him.  The naive women victims who are mostly Mormons, realized on their wedding nights the truth about what happens in Dr Story's examination table.




It's long...and uhmm at the middle I was really feeling like I should abandon in reading the book because it was just way too creepy... but I pursued, just to have closure. Was well written and without bias, albeit what happened.

Photo Source: FantasticFiction.co.uk

The Last Song - 2010

Category: Movie

Genre: Drama

Director: Julie Ann Robinson

Writer: Nicholas Sparks, Jeff Van Wie


Producer: Touchstone Pictures, Offspring Entertainment,

Cast: Miley Cyrus, Liam Hensworth, Greg Kinnear, Bobby Coleman, Hallock Beals, Kelly Preston, Nick Lashaway, Carly Chaikin, Kate Vernon and more

Tagline: Do you ever really forget your first heartbreak?



The parents of Ronnie (Miley Cyrus) and her younger brother, Jonah were divorced. Ronnie and Jonah(Bobby Coleman) lives with their mom ever since but until this summer they were sent to live with their father (Greg Kinnear) in a small town on the beach. Ronnie has become rebellious since then. But, things begin to change on that fateful summer as their mutual love for music reconnects Ronnie and her father.

Another Nicholas Sparks novel turned into movie, huh? :) At first I was thinking it was Disney but when i saw the credits it was a Nicholas Sparks movie. That's why it's quite loaded with drama involving heartaches and reconnection...

I actually did not get to read the book .... but I'm sure its not somewhere close to the book.. as always the case. One thing, I like about the film was the acting of Bobby Coleman playing Jonah and Greg Kinnear. There were predictable moments.... I did cry in some of the moments. :) But, according to most reviews the book is way better... but like a new saying goes: "Don't judge a book by it's movie."

But, it could have been given more depth... 


FUNNY LINES

Jonah Miller: Mom says its because she has PMS.
Steve Miller: Do you even know what PMS is, Jonah ?
Jonah Miller: Of course I do dad, I'm not a little kid anymore. It's the Pissed At Men Syndrome.

Robin Hood - 2010

Category: Movie

Genre: Action / Adventure

Writer: Brian Helgeland

Director: Ridley Scott

Producer: Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Relativity Media

Cast: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max Von Saydow, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Danny Huston, Eileen Atkins, Mark Addy, Matthew Macfayden, Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes and more.

Tagline: The untold story behind the legend.


My favorite century, 13th (because of the number) in England, Robin Longstride and his hood confront the corruption in a local village which lead into the uprising of different lords and barons against the crow.


I love the movie. That I can probably watch it over and over again. I know a lot of things were not exactly "real" or wasn't based on history and other flaws... however from someone who doesn't pick up with history and tis and tat... it's still a good movie to watch. Great acting and cinematography. It has some parts that were emotional and were somehow thought provoking.

Please relax on the history. Of course to historians or people who are particular about things like that it's a  disappointment.

Quotes I Like:

Robin: If you're building for the future, you need to keep your foundations strong, laws of the land enslave the people to a king who demands loyalty but offers nothing in return, I've been to the South of France, Palestine and back, you build a kingdom the same way you build a cathedral from the ground up!

Robin: Rise and rise again until lambs become lions. 

Snow Angels - 2007

Category: Movie

Genre: Drama / Romance

Director: David Gordon Green

Writer: David Gordon Green

Producer: Crossroad Films, Snow Blower Productions, True Love Productions

Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, Michael Angarano, Jeanetta Arnette, Griffin Dunne, Nicky Katt, Tom Noonan, Connor Paolo, and more.

Tagline: Some will fall. Some will fly.


This is a somewhat family drama set in a small town where almost everybody knows each other. This interweaves the life of Arthur who is a teenager, and his old baby sitter, Annie(Beckinsale), Annie's estranged husband, Glenn (Rockwell) and their daughter (Tara).

I find this quite a dark movie... however it was excellently done. With all the acting that can really bring you to tears or probably even engulfing your heart sadly. Good thing that the director made things quite light with the budding teenage romance between Arthur and Lila. Great writing and directing.

Way Past Cool - Jess Mowry

Category: Books

Genre: Young-Adult

Author: Jess Mowry

Fact: Already a movie.

Overview and Review of Way Past Cool by Jess Mowry

First Sentence:

"Gordon! GUN!" screamed Curtis, diving off his skateboard onto trash-covered concrete.

Word! Yo, dude!

This book is set on "Oaktown" which is Oakland, California and very much about young African-American teens ages 12-13 are struggling to survive in their town. Two (2) rival gangs, The Friends and The Crew are living in a strict code of honor and a set of rules. Both gang having leaders, Gordon (The Friends) and Wesley (The Crew) which tries to bring order into their own territory and delegate duties. One, 16 year old dealer named Deek tried to place The Friends and The Crew against each other by hiring two Bakersfield guys to ambush them on separate accounts. These guys are living wayyyy past bad. Deek's bodyguard named Ty would play an important role in this story and of course also the "heart and magic boy" of the Friends named Lyon.

By the time, you finish this book, you would be all familiar to some ghetto language. It's actually a great story which a lot of kids that are into "gangs" would relate too. Although, the language - the ghetto language would get you all confused but that's pretty much because of the characters which uses the language. The book is not "preachy" but you could see it talks about "love" and the "magic in our hearts" and of course in believing. Great read.

Seventh Heaven - Alice Hoffman

Category: Books

Genre: Family & Friends

Author: Alice Hoffman

Overview and Review of the book entitled Seventh Heaven written by Alice Hoffman.

In this book, the author Alice Hoffman would take you to a suburban community and then explore what happens when a certain woman named Nora Silk comes to town with two kids named Billy and James with no father.

The community is the typical "conservative" community where everybody's pretty much doing the same thing. They all have identical houses and before the kids would get lost looking for their own home. If you are a first timer it would be hard to tell the houses apart.

Nora, on the other hand is one unique woman and caused the women in the community to talk about her and her nonexistent husband. And they all later figured out she was divorced. Just like a plague she was avoided by many and so is her son Billy. Billy gets bullied specially by his next door neighbor Stevie. Occasionally meeting and accidentally talking to Nora the people in the community begins to ask questions they never dared and ask and begin to find answers they never imagined.....

Alice sure is one great dreamy, storyteller with intriguing characters built in the story. She gives you lots of surprises along the way and every corner. A sparkling, entertaining end with a dazzling mix of ghosts, witchcraft and superstitions.

Sleepers - Lorenzo Carcaterra

Category: Book

Genre: Non-Fiction

Author: Lorenzo Carcaterra

Overview and Review of Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra a true story.

*It has a movie already.

The true West Side Story.

Sleeper

1. Out of town hit man who spends the night after a local contract is completed.
2. A juvenile sentenced to serve any period loonger than nine months in a state managed facility.

Hell's Kitchen is a place where everyone knows everything about everybody and everybody could be counted on. This is the West Side streets of Manhattan, where secrets lived and died on it. An area pretty much populated by a blend of Irish, Puerto Rican, Italian, and Easter European laborers.

John (The Count), Tommy (Butter), Michael (Spots), and Shakes (Lorenzo). Four boys inseparable, content and happy to live within the closed world of Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan. Having friends were important as neighborhood loyalty in Hell's Kitchen. They gave them an identity and a group one could trust that extended the bonds of family.

These four friends finds solace with each other's company since they can't find it in their own homes where their mothers are beaten and some of their fathers are out romancing other women. These four boys shared a common interest, like reading books, watching movies, listening to music, collecting classic illustrated comics and baseball cards, listening to Sam Cooke, Bobby Darin, Franki Valli and the Four Seasons on portable radios and playing pranks.

One prank would change their lives forever. One prank that would cost a man's dream to fade and a man to never walk again. One prank that could send them to a facility with multiple horrors to endure and one they would never forget. A mistake that would give them a heavy consequence.

It's a great "true-to-life" book. One that you could never put down and one that would make you read and read until the end. A story one could not forget and a horror you couldn't quite fathom if you live seeing the world in rose-colored glasses. One autobiography that never fails to put you in the edge, to bring tears in your eyes and make you laugh every once in awhile. It's amazing how he builds up the story up until the end. You would actually envy the way he depicted their childhood friendships. The bond they had when they were still young. I like the way he describes things. Everything seemed so important and so you want to read every line.

Los Alamos - Joseph Kanon

Category: Books

Genre: Thriller

Author: Joseph Kanon

Overview and Review of Los Alamos by Joseph Kanon.

Manhattan Project. This story practically revolves around Los Alamos where a laboratory in a remote community of secretly constructed buildings called The Hill, the world's most brilliant minds gathered for a mission to coordinate the scientific research of the Manhattan Project, a project to create the world's first nuclear weapon. Individuals - including scientists living on the Hill are all registered as numbers and all have "numbers" assigned to them. No real name to be divulged outside.

One incident that would involve the Hill would change a few historical facts. A man named Karl Bruner was found dead in a park in Santa Fe. This incident brought Michael Connoly to investigate the murder of a security officer. Along the way Michael found himself sleeping with another man's wife and a dead man's bed.

Very easy to read. Love the good easy movie-like conversations in the book. Rewriting history was particularly what the ending keeps telling, giving you ideas how "history" can be altered, one part hidden and lots of parts made up. It also involves real people like J. Robert Oppenheimer (1943-1945) who is one of the lead role in the book or General Leslie Groves and events like The World War II and the Project Trinity (Alamogordo, New Mexico). A thrilling novel and a love story to boot. Amazing how he builds up his characters so well and to include real people and blend them into a novel is one good feat.

Mimic 3: Sentinel - 2003

Category: Movie

Genre: Suspense

Director: J.T. Penny

Awards: 3 Nominations

Tagline: Terror has been Reinvented!

Overview and Review of Mimic 3: Sentinel directed by J.T. Penny.

Marvin, a sickly, asthmatic and allergic amateurish photographer 24-yr-old guy is confined to an apartment room and spends most of his day taking pictures of people in the apartment building. He makes all pictures into a collage in his bedroom wall. Then two of his subjects disappeared a young boy and Desmond a drug dealer and a friend of his sister Rosy. With the aid of Rosy and Carmen (a neighbor he admires) they are about to uncover the truth behind the Garbage Man(the one they suspect to be behind everything).

Personally, I was quite disappointed with the movie. I was expecting it to be soo scary compared to the first 2(two) Mimic movies. The story was SLOW. You would only shout at the near end (second disc on our case)... and that's about it.

But some would love the movie. It was done artistically. And since I learned it was a low-budgeted movie, the director actually balanced it all out. The voyeuristic style of the movie was unique.

If you want to scream, don't watch this. If you want something unique, go watch it. :)

V - A.C. Crispin

Category: Books


Genre: Science Fiction


Author: A.C. Crispin

Overview and Review of V written by A.C. Crispin based on the full ten-hour NBC-TV Miniseries.

Resist or Perish.

Tens of thousands of aliens or extraterrestrial beings arrived in huge spaceships the size of a metropolis. They came from a dying planet called Sirius light years away from the Earth.

They said they come in peace and humans embraced them because they don't look scary at all. They wanted a share of Earth's natural resources for their planet. But then, a lot of people - men and women - children and cities began to vanish from the earth a couple of months after they arrived.

I like how it was written. It gives you the chilling edge and would make you want to read more of the book. Although, the ending was kind of "hanging" in the end because of it's second book. It's a great story. Readers or Non-readers would love the book.

Myst - Book of Atrus - Rand & Robyn Miller, David Wingrove

Category: Books

Genre: Adventure

Authors: Rand Miller, Robyn Miller and David Wingrove.

Review and overview of the first book of MYST entitled the BOOK OF ATRUS written by Rand Miller, Robyn Miller and David Wingrove.

I bought this book because of it's attractive cover. Very Myst-erious and intriguing. This book is based on a popular CD-ROM game and set in the same universe as the game by Cyan Worlds. This is the first book of the series "MYST".

This first book of the series provides a lot of background of the history of D'ini and the characters of the CD-ROM game. By the title of the book the main character of the story is Atrus. The story begins with the birth of Atrus and his mother dying on childbirth where his father Gehn left him(Atrus the baby) to his grandmother Anna. Atrus grew up not knowing his father. Meanwhile, Anna's been teaching her grandson the nature of the Earth and it's guiding principles. Anna is the wise woman here who taught Atrus to respond to his nature and not to violate it.

If you are a person who loves adventures, well this is one book for you. What's good about it is that it comes with values and lifelong principles.
It's a very enriching book which would teach you a lot about what is good and what is to be valued, the truths that cannot be shaken or changed. A book about acting selflessly which leads you to act well for all. Very nice book. Lovely words.... and lovely conversations with Anna and Atrus. I enjoyed it...

A Place of Execution - Val McDermid

Category: Books Genre: Mystery Author: Val McDermid
A review and overview of A Place of Execution by Val McDermid.

This is absolutely one of the best mystery books I've read! Really!!!

A thirteen-year old Alison Carter vanishes from an isolated village in an English countryside. Before she vanished, two other kids close to her age vanished nearby as well.

Inspector George Bennett a newly promoted officer was assigned to solve the case and he was so determined to find answers. A murder case without a body and with a lot of dead-ends along the way.

35 years later when George Bennett told his story about the case to a journalist named Catherine and when the book was about to be published, George asked Catherine not to print the book because he found out something that would probably shake a lot of lives.

I figured out what could have possibly happen but I never got the whole concept. Veryy Veryyyy goooood!!!

The ending is one a reader would not expect, and you wouldn't want to put down the book until you really found out what happened and all. Very extraordinary story with an extraordinary ending that would really leave you thinking.

Wonderfully told, rich with deception, a very absorbing book with tension.