Editing Shmediting

Oh look, I seem to have found my new calling! It’s a long time coming seeing as I’m well on my second year of being a Media student, but the time has come at last: I have tasted the delicious … Continue reading →

Weekly Photo Challenge: Today

This is not me, nor is this my German friend. This is some random girl that I shall name Molly.

Well, what’s happening today? A Lord of the Rings marathon, that’s what!! My friends and I are hanging out in order to spend more time with another friend who, after ten months, is going back to Germany. She’s an exchange student, so yeah…

There’s nothing like a LotR marathon to send someone off! Just add some crisps, coffee chocolate and ice cream, and it’s a part-ayy!!

Damn, we’re so lame -_-‘

Oh well. Watch this video. It never fails to lighten the mood.

Dirty Girl (2010)

Perfect film is perfect.

I’m using this poster because the other on is pink. ‘Nuff said.

It’s a rare occasion that I actually go and write about the movies I watch nowadays, so it only goes to show how much this one has affected me. Dirty Girl (2010) focuses on two friends Danielle and Clark, though they certainly weren’t that at the beginning of the film — but then again, all good stories begin with strangers.

Danielle is known in her school as the “dirty girl” while Clarke is the closeted gay boy. The entire thing is set in the 80s, so being promiscuous and inclined towards the same sex is kind of frowned upon compared to modern society’s standards. The fact that these two individuals find in themselves similarities that build the foundation of their friendship goes to show that you’ll never know what life throws at you. So, embrace it. YOLO.

The film, to me, had a very big impact since I find it so easy to empathize with the characters. Succinctly, we have:

• girl with daddy issues
• an abused homosexual
• a single mother who, all along, was doing the best for her daughter
• another mother who is silenced by her husband (as, I assume, during the time some women were — and still are, if I’m frank)

And if you mix them all together in a hotpot of comedy turned road trip turned melodrama turned comedy again, we have an enjoyable film for a Friday night — or I suppose Wednesday night. I’m not ashamed of it, but I cried.

Bawled.

Buckets and buckets of it. Tears were dripping from my nose, that’s how emotional I was.

I mean, Danielle reaction when she realizes that her father (played by Tim McGraw, by the way) has a family and a little girl of his own? You could practically hear the thoughts swimming around in her head! That little kid could have been me. It was clear in Juno Temple‘s reaction, and that’s why she’s one of my favorite actresses. I’ve liked her before in Wild Child and St. Trinian’s, but this film has cemented my adoration of her skills.

You know you’re watching a good movie (and by good, I mean good for you as the viewer personally) when you start the film entranced by the — how do I explain this? — the buildup of the narrative. This is before you begin thinking about the characters, the setting, the props, the cinematography. And then slowly, just as the plot thickens you begin to admire how the director uses certain camera angles to express certain points. And then halfway through, you forget about those things — forget about the camera shots, the wardrobe, the dialogue and the awesome-tastic cars…

…You simply enjoy the film for what it is: a coming of age flick, you can say. A testament to friendship. Mother-daughter bonds. Filial and social responsibilities that transcend eras. Awesome-tastic cars.

Some people might not view this film as I do. Heck, even I might not see this film like I see it now, if you ask me about it a six months from now. This is what I think of it now and I suppose that’s all that matters.

This is a wonderful movie. Go watch it if you haven’t yet.

Well, what are you doing? Shoo! Get the DVD (or whatever it is you kids use these days… BluRay?) and plonk it into your player/laptop/TV. Whatever. I swear, it’s worth it.

Over and out.

Celebrity Crush of the Moment: Rosamund Pike

Because I am in love with her versatility.

Just this afternoon I watched ‘Wrath of the Titans‘ with a friend and saw that Rosamund Pike plays Andromeda, and if my memory serves me right Andromeda is the princess whom Perseus saved, and had a crush on him in the first Titans movie. She then becomes queen and transforms the character for me from damsel-in-distress to a total badass warrior.

I first encountered Rosamund Pike’s work in one of my treasured films, Pride and Prejudice. There she played Elizabeth Bennet’s elder sister, Jane Bennet (she marries the charming Mr. Bingley).

The stark contrast between the two characters she played totally astounded me. I mean, P&P is generally aimed at women and Titans at men, so the two works are as different as they come — one is a satire for Austenian society, the other a Greek epic. Jane is an introvert who is sometimes overshadowed by Elizabeth, while Queen Andromeda led an army against Kronos.

Suffice to say, I’m left thinking that Rosamund Pike is one helluva BAMF* to transform herself like that. Of course, I’ve seen her in action before in one of those James Bond movies… I think it was the one with Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry? Can’t be sure right now.

So yeah. She’s definitely becoming one of those actors/actresses that I would blindly watch their movie for, despite not knowing anything about it beforehand. She’s cool.

Over and out.

*For those who are unfamiliar with internet slang, BAMF is an acronym for something I’m too shy to fully type out. Try Googling it? :P

Spread the Word: KONY 2012

Are you busy right now?

Do you have an assignment or a project that is due the next day, and you’ve only managed to do half of it?

Is someone waiting for you outside your door, waiting for you to come out so you can go some place and have fun?

If yes, then please be a dear and ignore them for the minute. THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT.

The video below is not your ordinary viral video. Released just two weeks ago, it has spread in all the major video-sharing websites such as vimeo and YouTube, and as of last night it has made an appearance on my Facebook news feed. Its purpose it to tell the general populace of JOSEPH KONY, not to celebrate him as an outstanding citizen (quite the opposite, in fact), but to RAISE AWARENESS as to who he is.

If you’re like me who have no idea who he is, then this video will explain everything.

If you want to help, here are some useful links:

• Join TRI or Donate to Invisible Children: bit.ly/yp5Ffv
• Purchase KONY 2012 products: invisiblechildrenstore.myshopify.com/
• Sign the Pledge: causes.com/causes/227-invisible-children

And of course, not to forget the obvious: SPREAD THE WORD. REBLOG, if you want. Tell your friends — the real life ones and the ones on Facebook. Tell your family because, honestly, would you want the same fate for your sons? Daughters? Younger siblings? Nieces, nephews, cousins?

I don’t think so.

Related articles

• Kony 2012 (wordsformwindows.com)
• Kony 2012 (aleksandreia.com)
• KONY 2012 by invisible children (afrokanlife.com)

Celebrity Crush of the Moment: Blake Ritson

Blake Ritson is my new celebrity crush, or I suppose to be more specific it’s his character Edmund Bertram in the TV film adaptation Mansfield Park (2007). I watched the film last night (instead of working on homework, etc. but whatever ;D) and suffice to say I am in like.

Not in love, but something akin to that.

As the second son he has no prospects in inheriting a large fortune, and so he’s had his sights set on being in the clergy. He certainly looks it, I suppose… he dresses so much like Mr Collins (from Pride and Prejudice) it’s a little disconcerting. Thankfully he’s not as creepy. Ritson’s facial structure and wide eyes doesn’t help in certain angles, but I really do think he’s okay looking — either that or his acting skills was really good to make me swoon the way I did when I was watching the movie.

Don’t believe me? Watch this short clip of him — and his amour, Fanny — at the end of the film. Skip ahead until the breakfast scene because that’s where it’s the most endearing.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (2010)

Despite being Asian myself, I’m not particularly into the whole ‘Asian experience’ such as the K-pop music, the eccentric fashion or the television dramas. I tried watching Hana Yori Dango a couple of months ago, but that plan went kerplunk down the I-couldn’t-be-bothered-with-this drain. I couldn’t stand the acting, which might be why I didn’t watch that much TV back when I was still in the Philippines… huh.

But whatever, Asian movies are a different matter. Though I might have only seen a few (I could count in one hand the number of Asian movies I’ve seen — that I remember — in my entire lifetime), I’d like to think that my experience with movies that are distinctively Asian are pretty good. I mean, there was Memoirs of a Geisha and Secret and 3 Idiots and… well, that’s pretty much it.

I found all these movies to be moving in one way or another, and I admire how the events happen and how the characters handled them. Suffice to say, I was surprised by the ending. They weren’t a distinctive beginning, middle and then. There were flashbacks and all that. It was a breath of fresh air for the Western-influences teen in me. So I suppose that’s why I decided to give Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac a chance…

…and after watching the movie, I don’t know if I should be glad that I watched it or not. To be honest, it was nothing special (I thought it was because I saw that Emma Roberts was in the cast; she has a small role). Still, I found the movie to be too… superficial. I mean, the main character Naomi’s fall and following amnesia didn’t even take first place as a plot point! Wanna know what did?

Her boyfriend. Or I should say boyfriends.

There’s her boyfriend before the fall Ace Zuckerman, who was the typical teenager. His worries revolved around his passion for the game tennis. And sex. Then there’s the moody woe-is-me boyfriend Yuji Miwa, who is really depressed because his brother died. While I can’t fault him for his behavior, I really did not understand what Naomi sees in him. From the outside perspective, I could totally see that he was not ready for her. Yes, there was the passion and the affection and the spark of chemistry was there. But emotions-wise? He needed to sort himself out first. It was bittersweet when they eventually broke up, though.

Lastly there’s Mirai Hazegawa, who has been in the friend zone for quite some time I presume. He’s been patient with Naomi and he could be really considerate if he wanted to be. However, there was this vibe that I felt from him… that he was being too selfish or something, which is really unfair of me to say because had been nothing but the typical best friend throughout the movie. Anyway, I stand by my opinion that while he and Naomi have history and friends and could be a really good couple, I didn’t see any passion. But whatever. The best friend gets the girl in the end, doesn’t he?

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac may have ended the lucky string of good Asian movies that I had going on, but I’ve not lost hope. I enjoyed watching it and I suppose I could go back to it again if I feel like it. I’m not gonna shun it like I shun The Last Airbender *shudder* The movie was meant to be a coming of age drama, but I really had not sympathy for Naomi. Sorry. I don’t want to be un-nice but that’s just the way I feel.

Over and out.

Related articles

• Who Are You? (dihsbooks2010.wordpress.com)
• Memoirs of Geisha (jeanneloh.wordpress.com)
• Trend Alert: Memoirs Of A Kimono Dress (fabsugar.com)

Twilight In A Few Words

To all those Twi-hard out there, have you ever wished there was a condensed version of the stories? Having this love/hate relationship with the series, that thought did cross my mind a couple of times. I want to re-read the books so that I can justify to people why I like/dislike them, but I can’t seem to get off my backside and re-read all four books. (Don’t ask how I know, but apparently there are 2,358 pages altogether… -_-‘)

Anyway, as I trolled around internet I stumbled upon this link, and lo and behold! there is a Dr. Seuss version of Twilight. And by ‘Twilight’ I mean the first book, not the entire series. Such a shame, if I’m honest. I would love to “read” until Breaking Dawn.

Twilight, by Dr. Seuss

Jake likes a girl. Her name is Bella.
Bella likes a different fella.

See this vamp? This is Ed.
Ed is pale. Ed is dead.

Ed saved Bella from a van.
Ed must be a special man.

Ed won’t kill boys. He won’t kill girls.
Ed gets fed on deer and squirrels.

This is James. He’s a tracker.
He’s a sort of vamp attacker.

James hunts Bella for a thrill.
Will Ed kill him? Yes, he will.

But James gave her a little bite.
Will she be a vamp? She might!

Edward fixes Bella’s cut.
She won’t be a vampire.
But…

She becomes one. Read some more.
She’s a vampire in book 4.

Disclaimer: Clearly, I do not own this Dr. Seuss version of Twilight… “unicycle” does. No copyright infringement intended.

Pride and Prejudice: Mr Darcy’s First Proposal

Burn, Darcy. Burn!

So we finally covered Mr Darcy’s proposal in English Literature class and let’s just say that as the teacher read the passage, I was mouthing the words and hearing in my mind the swoon-worthy tone of Matthew Macfadyen. I am aware that there are other Mr Darcys out there, though I know the 2004 movie adaptation is far from being the most accurate to the novel, I still think Macfadyen wins as the ‘top Darcy’ simply because of his voice.

Oh, and the passion between their characters! It’s just so… ohmigoshsogreat, y’know?? It completely takes my breath away. And then I thought about my third* favourite Darcy, and how Colin Firth managed to make you feel sorry for him even though he insults Elizabeth so thoroughly. In the 1996 television version, I absolutely love the proposal scene because not only does it stay true to the novel, but Ehle’s coldness was how I imagined Elizabeth to react.

Though Keira Knightley was great and everything, I felt the scene was dramatised too much. I mean, c’mon! The prophetic fallacy? The raining? It get’s old, man. Besides, Ehle’s Elizabeth was strong, and she didn’t nearly kiss Darcy in the heat of passion… unlike Knightley. ^_^

Moving on to the other interpretations of Darcy’s proposal, I came across the 1940s film

Celebrity Crush of the Moment: Ethan Peck

Forgetting that he had that small role in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, I first encountered Ethan Peck in the television sitcom remake of 10 Things I Hate About You — oh, did you know there was a TV sitcom? I didn’t until I saw it on Wikipedia -_-‘ Anyway, his character is the bad boy Patrick Verona… and what can I say? I’ve become a cliché and have fallen for the rebel.

I dunno if it’s the bad boy persona (but I’m sure the leather jacket has a huge part in it), those full lips of his, his bone structure or the fact he looks too adorable to play a rebel (in my opinion, anyway)… but either way, he’s one smokin’ tamale. Or whatever it is you kids use these days. In the words of Shakespeare:

Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day?

…because man, you’re hot.

Okay, so the second line isn’t exactly Shakespeare, but you get my drift. Below are some more pictures of Ethan in his role of Patrick Verona.

Okay, so maybe I’m crushing on Ethan’s character than Ethan himself. But don’t you just love the smouldering eyes?? The tough-yet-sensitive attitude? ? The fact that he actually genuinely LIKES Kat and that they are soooo good together?? *le sigh* Ohh, to be in a Shakespearean romance… (Though, I’d rather not be in a tragedy if I can help it >_<)

Apart from the snappy, witty dialogue... why do I like the show so much?? Ohhh.