R.I.P.* The Wedding Singer

*Review In Pictures

Although this movie didn't make it on my List, I am just reminded why I liked it in the first place...

Audio: Pass the Dutchie 'pon the lef-hand side ♫
Video: Hell limo!

Shogun (1980)

Shogun's one of my favourite books, and I always felt like I was missing out whenever friends (well, not really "friends"─mostly my high school Art and English teachers plus my dad) talk about the mini-series.

Set in feudal Japan, Shogun centres around John Blackthorne, a shipwrecked British pilot, as he learns the intricacies of 17th century Japan culture, politics, religion and language.

Blackthorne gains the confidence of Toranaga, a feudal lord vying to be the next Shogun, and is the first foreigner ever to be made a Samurai.

What was so great about it is, they intentionally didn't subtitle the Japanese dialogue adding to the tension and conflict and really putting you in Blackthorne's shoes.

I was pleasantly surprised by Father Alvito, who I imagined in the book to be an old, balding man but turned out to be a really hot, slightly sinister-looking piece of man-meat.

Mmm-mmm. ♥

Hot priests aside, if you're a fan of the book, or like Samurai and historical dramas, you should definitely check it out.

Rating: 8/10

The Big Bang Theory (Season 1)

image source: http://www.buzzmyworld.com/watch-the-big-bang-theory-season-1-episode-1/

This is one of those sitcoms I'm not quite sure on how it became so popular. Maybe because of the genius-wannabes audience it managed to attract? Or maybe we're really all just geeks hoping to have adorable darlings of ourselves (only actually smarter) on the tube? Whatever the case, it worked. The sitcom is as normal as any pre-Arrested Development sitcom, but somehow, other people are actually thinking it's special.

Season 1 introduces us to a fairly simple plot. Geeks plus bimbo next door. As the show goes on, the characters get a bit rounded... but not really. The writers are confused themselves as to what pop-culture and academic references real scientists would actually know and refer to. Sometimes it's believable what the geek characters do and don't know. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I kind of have a hard time believing someone as smart as Sheldon would even waste time watching the pseudo-science in any Dr. Who shows and the like. And as for the luminous fish that he supposedly invented, I thought the real world did that already. Unless I misunderstood the documentary I watched in my Marine Science class.

So really, each character is still a caricature. As far as I know, smarty pants in the real world won't even bother with bimbos. Smarty pants in the real world are, like Sheldon, all pompous and lacking social skills, but unlike the rest of The Big Bang Theory gang, they could actually get bimbos if they wanted to.

Anyway, to break it down:

Penny - I guess if I'm a guy, I'd find her hot? As a girl I'm not swooning for her right now. She's just meh.

Leonard - I have a thing for guys with weird hand gestures and mannerisms. And usually I'm not into the central good guy who takes the obnoxious character (Sheldon) out of trouble, but with this one, I'm going to make an exception.

Howard - So basically, everybody's in love with Sheldon right? Because he's so smart and pompous yadidada. But Howard is actually my favorite character. Usually, I'm not into the token pervert misogynistic mama's boy, but I find Howard's witty surprising interjections more fun than the others. Because when others quip, I feel it planned and coming. With Howard, it's like he's not missing a beat, but you don't expect him to fill in the beat either.

Rajesh - Is hot. Basically that's it. He can't talk to hot women unless drunk or on drugs. And sometimes he's silly funny. Which again, I find way better than the over thought "intelligent" quips from Sheldon and even Leonard.

Sheldon - Ah, Sheldon. Sheldon, Sheldon, Sheldon. The Jack of Will and Grace. The Barney of How I Met Your Mother. I guess the Joey of Friends? Anyway, whatever. Sheldon. I'm usually into the star character of each sitcom. I'm usually all for social skills-lacking characters like Anya of Buffy, who tells you the truth in a manner so innocent and rude, it's funny. So I don't know why Sheldon is just not doing it for me. Sometimes, he does, I guess. But overall, I just see him as the obnoxious person that he actually is. Maybe as I already mentioned, he's just so overwritten. The writers are shoving it down our throats that he's so smart so he has the license to be a bastard. Just like Gregory House! That makes him sexy too, for a lot of women who want bitchy, emotionally uncaring men, I guess.

But... maybe that's just me being all post-February bitter (apparently, it lasts that long) or maybe I can make you believe I have a point. But regardless of the characters, you really have to admit that with Season 1, The Big Bang Theory looks to be just another ordinary sitcom. Maybe it is too smart for me. I like my sitcoms smart-silly, like the Complete Savages or That 70's Show. It's fun to watch. With The Big Bang Theory, it's not that it's not fun. It's just that, with most episodes, I don't need to watch it to get the jokes. Good god, they sure do talk and talk and talk. They might as well have written it for the radio. At the latter episodes, I was actually just getting it over with, so I grabbed my PSP, played Peggle, and just listened.

Still, I have three more seasons copied on my notebook. Maybe I'll change my mind. Who knows?

Pinoy Icons: Paquito Diaz

We say goodbye to one of the most memorable bad guys of Philippine Cinema. With a career spanning 5 decades and 204 films, Mr. Paquito Diaz inspired so much fear on the silver screen that it even spilled over in real life.

Along with bearded Bombays (Indians) on their motorcycles, Paquito Diaz was often used by mothers to scare their children into taking afternoon naps. Well, for all I know, Paquito Diaz could have been a nice guy in real life, with his badassery being just an act that earned him his bread and butter. But his son Joko Diaz also turned out as an on- and off-screen bad boy, so following the "like father, like son" formula, a nice guy Paquito Diaz could very well be just pure fiction.

So here he is, one last time, back in the days when the mere sight of his awesome mustache sent shivers down everybody's spines.

In a survey conducted during Martial Law, it was discovered that
people were more afraid of this moustache than of getting tortured by the military.

Francisco a.k.a. Paquito Bustillos Diaz. 28 May 1937 - 3 March 2011.


*some info from Wikipedia
pic from PiNaysaAmerika

R.I.P. 2001: A Space Odyssey

I was, or am right, (that) to remain in a constant state of gayness actually does contribute to the creative flare. Bongga! And so I did my Top 100+ List of (Feature-Length) Films and spoiler Reviews-In-Pictures (acronym: RIP) shall be its babies. Why? Because we are in a coalescing, exponential stream of devolution, and freewill is not an option. I even have this pilot article title in rhyme! Cheers!

One of the most memorable images in filmic history is this juxtaposition of bone and spaceship. What they represent I know not...

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

*This is a review of the Extended Version, or Special Edition, or Director's Cut, or whatever they call this.


Nobody thought that J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved classic could ever make it to the big screen. That is, until Peter Jackson came along.

Saving a hell of a lot of money on post-production while at the same time preserving realism, Jackson employed old-school photography techniques, such as forced perspective. This also makes you appreciate Peter Jackson's intense pre-production work and storyboarding.

Senior Year

The characters are cute and relatable and the story relies on unique dialogue more than it does on flash and formula. This is a live-action Filipino Indie film. Go figure.

I love Bunda, the big tough girl that even the boys were scared of. The last scene that pertains to her is vague, however.

There's also the heartbreaking story of nerdy Henry and made-over Sophia, whom he's tutoring.

Teachers Che Ramos, LJ Moreno and Ramon Bautista were awesome. I wish there was more of Ramon Bautista's comedy in the movie, though.

It has most of the details of the current Philippine highschool setting down. The movie touched on sexual orientation, love, religion, backstabbing, bullying, smoking, intramurals, and "being the change you want to see."

However, it only slightly touched on the topic of alcohol, which I think makes the movie inaccurate. It also made no mention of sex or drugs─the latter, in my experience, was rare in highschool anyway. Most highschools here don't allow weird haircuts and colored nails. Most highschools here also don't screen Padre Amaro or talk about the Nazi occupation in detail.

The script, by writer/director Jerrold Tarog falls short when the Social Studies teacher discusses the question of whether or not Filipinos are individualistic and then ends with "It's a case-to-case basis."

Anyway, 6.5 for a movie on the Filipino highschool experience is still good. Go watch it and laugh at the fact that you're now probably removed from that.

Also, compare this with the British series Skins and the American Glee.

Gotham City Sirens #20 - Hell Hath No Fury Part One

I don't know what Ivy and Catwoman are doing on the cover, but they weren't in this issue at all. Stunning cover art by Guillem March as usual though.

So issue #19 ends with Harley finally snapping and deciding to go after the Joker for everything she's had to put up with during the course of their relationship.



The thing about Harley Quinn is, it's so easy to just picture her as the token fun-loving, ditzy blonde of the group. What we tend to forget is that before she fell in love with the Joker and went loony, she was Arkham Asylum psychologist, Dr. Harleen Quinzel.



The Harley Quinn in this issue is cunning, strategic, a tad bit cruel and written with a depth that I've never read or watched before. Here, we see Harley as a psychiatrist and how she uses that to her tactical advantage.

Now, I can't count the number of times I've gotten frustrated and sworn off Gotham City Sirens only to pick up the next issue when it comes out, but #20 makes me glad I haven't completely given up on it.

Here's hoping the rest of this story arc doesn't disappoint.

Boardwalk Empire. Season One.

First off, it's a Martin Scorsese production. And the pilot episode was directed by Scorsese himself. That alone should make you watch it.

Then again, the story is quite good. It's sort of like a prequel to The Untouchables, if you want to call it that. Aside from telling the stories of real-life legends Lucky Luciano and Al Capone, it also puts historical context to the period known as the Prohibition. This was the time of the Sufrragettes victory, the first time women were allowed to cast their ballots. Although some of the characters have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes, I think the accuracy of the historical context has been preserved.

1. "Boardwalk Empire"

"I deserve that Golden Globe, right?"

So the title of this episode is also the title of the series. Kind of like how some song titles are also the title of the album they come from. Also, Steve Buscemi is a really, really great actor. I've loved him since Airheads. And I thought I would get bored with this series, but I've been proven wrong. It's either Scorsese has damn great directing skills, or I just really love period films about the Prohibition.

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards

Okay, the Oscars have just wrapped up. If you want to see the full list of winners, click on the Oscar website. Because we have decided to give out a few awards of our own. We shall call it the "Rosca" awards. Or the "Ozkar" awards. Whichever is funnier.

Best Acceptance Speech

Nominee
Tom Hooper

Best Director, The King's Speech

Because he told that gut-wrenching story about how his mum (he's British) found this obscure play called "The King's Speech" and told him, "Hey son, I know this play you can totally rip off into a screenplay."