The Wolverine (2013)

Confession time: The boyfriend and I have watched a movie a week in the last four weeks of July with my work barkada. That's a lot of movies, not that I'm complaining. It's been fun going to the movies with friends, you're more emboldened to be noisy - to laugh at the funny scenes or to comment out loud about those you can relate to. Haha. 

Last week, we saw The Wolverine on its opening day.  We were quite the entourage entering the cinema that day, almost all eight of us were dressed in formal wear - lakas maka-premier night effect pero tanghaling-tapat naman.

The boyfriend and I didn't really know what to expect. There was at least one Wolverine movie already in the XMen movie franchise right? We missed that so we weren't sure if we'll feel lost in this one. We also haven't been paying attention to the trailers. Gladly, we didn't get too confused in the story. So this one happens after XMen: The Last Stand where Phoenix dies and Magneto seems to lose his power. 

Here, we see Logan live like a caveman. He lives away from people, and has become friends with a big bear. The bear dies. Logan is summoned by a Japanese soldier whose life he saved when Nagasaki was bombed in WWII. The young girl Yukio who comes to get him is also a mutant, but that's not what makes her amazing to my eyes - she's kick ass with or without a samurai. 

I won't spoil the story for those who have yet to see the film but here we see a Logan who seemed to have lost his reason to live after he kills the woman he loved deeply. Will he grab the chance to lose his ability to self-heal very quickly? Will he give it all up to become normal?

It wasn't an all-out action-packed film but there was enough to keep me glued to the screen. Though my seatmate did (it wasn't the boyfriend), the rest of us stayed up. The fighting scene above the bullet train was something. I know there's been fight scenes atop trains before (there was one for The Lone Ranger too), but this is the first time where they were almost flying because of how fast it was going. 

I don't know what to make of Viper - she was a mutant doctor employed by Yashida - the Japanese soldier mentioned earlier who lived a long life and built an empire. She either did not have enough time to annoy me, or her character was really wasted on this film. I mean, that was all from her? Hah. 

As in other XMen movies, there was a preview of what's next after the closing credits started rolling. We stayed for that and I wasn't really surprised about the second person who unexpectedly appeared. It's enough to whet our appetite for the next installment in this franchise.  

If you ask me, I'd say go see the film. But if you're still not sure if you want to, here's the official trailer:



About the cinema - AliMall Cineplex. This was the first time I saw a movie in the new AliMall Cineplex. The theater probably sits 150 or more and looks quite cozy. Reminds me of the newer cinemas in Greenhills, and Resorts World. Each ticket set us back 200 pesos for a non-3D offering. The only downside was that we got confused about which cinema to enter (and it wasn't a big deal, really). Our tickets said Cinema 12 but there was no 12 there. Turns out it was Cinema 2. Even the personnel at the entrance wasn't sure. Bah. But we enjoyed the experience, so we'll probably watch there again.

A Clash of Kings (Book 2 of A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R.R. Martin

If I didn't like Theon Greyjoy when I first met him, I hate him all the more now. Hah!

Two months after I first picked it up, I finally finished the last chapter of A Clash of Kings, book 2 of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, basis for the hit TV series Game of Thrones. 

I was both happy and sad that the TV producers and writers made some departures from the book. Making Arya Lord Tywin's cupbearer in Harrenhal was more interesting, on the other hand, it didn't allow us a closer look at Roose Bolton's character like it did in the book (okay it wasn't much of a look but at least there was a glimpse). I guess what I'm saying is that the changes that the TV writers did made the series sell better than it would have had they strictly followed the original.

Looking back, I feel that I should have finished reading book 2 sooner than I did but there was something in the way it was written that just didn't make that happen. There just wasn't so much happening in Book 2, I guess. It didn't grip you as much as GoT did. Perhaps it didn't help that we're already on Season 3 and much of what happens is already known. That's probably it. 

There just wasn't much of a clash between the four kings of the realm (and one queen across the seas). We didn't hear much from King Robb. King Stannis wins the battle against King Renly although it isn't clear whether he knew how it happened. Meanwhile, Joffrey plays at king and just grows more annoying every day. Stannis makes his claim known by sending announcements to the realm. If this was in modern day, he could have print flyers and rented choppers to make the drops at densely populated areas of the realm. That surely would have made more of an impact to his claim. Anyway... I am still looking forward to the rest of the series but I think I'll take a break and grab some light reading before I start with the next installment. 

Awards received: Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (1999), Ignotus for Novela extranjera (2004) 

Sleep and Sleep and Sleep

The lack of posts on all of my blogs saddens me. But the tradeoff is that I get to sleep a little more than usual on work days. Yes. I tend to doze off as soon as I get home, sometimes not even getting the chance to eat properly. 



I get home quite exhausted every day. It doesn't necessarily mean that I feel so stressed while at work, but as I drive home I know I'm ready to go to bed almost immediately. 
Sometimes I do get to do stuff first. Like reading a chapter or two from Book 2 of A Song of Ice and Fire: A Clash of Kings. Or crochet a couple of rows for my ripple blanket. I get to watch a bit of TV too. But mostly, I do stuff that don't require much thinking. That's probably my body telling me I need to give my thinking brain a rest.

Even when I feel awake and not sleepy at all, I find myself dozing off a few minutes after sitting in front of my PC. I'd get some blog hopping done and try to compose a new post, but I'd never finish. It doesn't help that sometimes our connection is slow or the browser freezes up.  

Perhaps we need to clean up our harddrive, or maybe just run a virus scanner or something.  Something is definitely up. We unfortunately don't have enough money to buy an iMac just yet so we'll need this PC to keep working.

Steve Berry Live Chat at BookTrib on 7/1

I received an invite for a Live Chat with Steve Berry over at BookTrib. This is about his latest book, The King's Deception. We don't have this book yet, but sooner or later we will. :)

About the book:

New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author Steve Berry returns with THE KING’S DECEPTION another Cotton Malone thrill ride, which takes readers to the heart of England, uncovering a secret that threatens to rock Great Britain to its royal foundations.

When Cotton Malone’s 15-year-old son, Gary, is kidnapped in London, Malone stumbles into a high-stakes diplomatic showdown—an international incident fueled by geopolitical gamesmanship and shocking Tudor secrets. At its heart is the Libyan terrorist convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103, who is set to be released by Scottish authorities for “humanitarian reasons.” An outraged American government objects, but nothing can persuade the British to intervene. Nothing except, perhaps, Operation King’s Deception—a CIA operation that aims to solve a centuries-old mystery that calls into question the legitimacy of the entire 45-year reign of Elizabeth I. With assassins, traitors, spies, and dangerous disciples of a secret society closing in, Malone is caught in a lethal bind. To save Gary he must play one treacherous player against another—and only by uncovering the incredible truth can he hope to prevent the shattering consequences of the King’s Deception.

Man of Steel (2013)

Henry Cavill aka Clark Kent aka the Man of Steel. SuperMan.

Source: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a480823/man-of-steel-henry-cavills-superman-tests-limits-in-new-tv-spot.html

I am so thrilled to have met you. You are my superhero! Haha. Ang pogi mo!
Thanks to NuffnangPH and WacoalPH, I got to see Man of Steel on opening night, at the Newport Mall Cinemas. 

There are probably very few people who are not familiar with Superman's story, but this year's movie took the time to allow us to get up close and personal as he struggled to get to know and accept himself.

Having been directed by Christopher Nolan, also famous for his Dark Knight trilogy, Man of Steel has quite the same dark feel (albeit not so dark) but only in the sense that you knew you were seeing the story unfold. Some scenes were dragging, and the boyfriend actually dozed off, but I didn't mind. 

I also liked their depiction of the events in Krypton that led to the babe Khalel's journey to Earth. I never really paid attention to that part of his story before.  There were very touching scenes with the Kents too - at school when Clark could barely concentrate and he learns to focus on his mother's voice; the struggle of holding back when bullies went after him; and, the death of Jonathan Kent and Clark being helpless because people were watching.

Amy Adams also makes a spunky Lois Lane. Even before Superman comes into the open, she launches into an investigation of the mystery man who goes around saving lives. She finds the secret identity even before the public one is revealed but she chose to keep it secret. I was waiting for a Men in Black type of trick that would wipe off her memory of who the real Superman is, but it never happened. There was a scene like that in one of the Christopher Reeve movies right?

Watching the film got me interested in reading the comics. I know there's more than one story line now, so DC fans out there - do you have any recommendation for where to start?

Anyway, if you have yet to see this film, go out and watch it. It's over two hours, but well worth the time if you're a fan. :)

NBS: Project Aral 2013

National Bookstore is again running it's Project Aral to provide much-needed school supplies to children who need them. Although there are minimal fees in public schools, the things that a student needs are not all free.

Your 25 pesos can purchase a kit containing the following:

1. 2 notebooks
2. 1 pencil, and
3. 1 sharpener or 1 eraser

Sacrifice your Magnum treat and get two kits. Or better yet, set aside one night's Starbucks frappe and get four or five kits. 

We first supported NBS Project Aral 2 back in 2009. I haven't kept track how many times we've done it since, but we'll be sure to check in to an NBS branch soon to do it again. You won't get to bring home any of the kits, but you'll get to sign it and drop it in the marked donation boxes. 

It would probably be nice if NBS sets up a page where we can all see where the kits end up in, or a list of schools they support. I checked the bookstore's official website but didn't find any. Perhaps they'll post something on their Facebook page once distribution has been done.

If you've got money to spare for a pair of Ray Ban aviator shades, then surely you can afford to give this gift too. :)

Fast and Furious 6 (2013)

What do you do when you get free passes for Fast6? Well of course, you sit tight, and enjoy the movie. That's what we did.

Source: http://www.hdwallpapers.in/fast_and_furious_6-wallpapers.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unlike our experience at the Oz screening, we got to Shangri-la mall that Friday night with plenty of time to spare. Still, we found we had very few choices for seats, and ended up at the top-most row (row M). It seemed like there was a one-hour wait time before the doors opened to let us in, we spent it sampling the free finger food and cookie nibblers we bought at the Mrs. Fields kiosk. I was very tempted to swing by Starbucks for coffee, but I kept telling myself the cookies were an indulgence already, enough for the night (it's considered a treat for two reasons: the cost, and the caloric content).

I really enjoyed the movie. Someday I hope to drive so fast and drift, even if in a controlled environment. I like how it sounds and I can imagine the exhilaration. I drive an A/T car so I don't really need to switch gears unless I'm going up/down a mountain or something, and I only need one foot on one pedal at any given time, so I feel like the driving experience is lacking for me. Know what I mean? Someday, I'll learn to drive stick, and try to race. If I had a bucket list, that would be on it.   

So in the sixth installment to the Fast and Furious movie franchise, Letty re-emerges. For fans who saw Fast5 already knew that much. But she was believed to be dead, so this film sought to explain how she came to be alive, and what her involvement is with a big-time criminal organization that Hobbs was after. 

One call from Dom and the crew reassembles. No one hesitates, everyone signs up to go get Letty back. In exchange, they get full pardons so they can finally come home. Alfred and I kept on wondering, who's going to die next? Someone's got to die. I really hoped there wouldn't be any fatalities, but I won't spoil the film for you and let you find out who dies. 

The opening scene itself was already exciting, with Dom and Bryan racing like old times. We also see Mia give birth to their baby. Sweet. They seemed to already be living a quiet and happy life in Spain, with their own big houses and fast cars. But they longed for home. 

I thought Mia looked quite anorexic. She's way too skinny and she was way lovelier when she was younger. But that's just me. Letty, on the other hand, is more beautiful than ever. She still looks quite feisty, but a lot sexier too. 

Expect to laugh at Roman's antics. He still is a loud mouth and a glutton. Gisele and Han are still together, and were really pretty tight. I love them as a couple. Would you ever have imagined Han being cheesy? Ha!

The crew did a lot of stunts here, and not just while driving. This is the film where they tried to fly! 

Source: http://blog.beliefnet.com/moviemom/2013/05/fast-furious-6.html

Okay so they didn't really fly. But doesn't look as if Roman is flying off to Bryan's car! He came from the white car which was already being run over by the tank. And if that wasn't enough, Dom does a heroic save of Letty who gets thrown off the same tank. I can't describe it and can't find a photo right now, but it was so amazing. Letty asked him later on how he knew there was going to be another car to break their fall. Dom says he didn't, and that some things you leave to faith. Isn't that true for so many things? Many times in our lives we are presented with choices and we don't always know how things will end up, but we take the risk anyway. 

During the movie we talked about how the previous films lead up to this one and we  originally decided that Tokyo Drift had no connection to the succeeding films. Neither Dom nor Bryan played a role there (except for Dom's cameo at the end). But by the end of the film, we changed our minds. That same ending scene, also gives us a preview of what to expect for the next movie: Shaw's brother will avenge his death. 

If you haven't seen this movie yet, brush up on movies 1-5 first, and then go see it. I wish I did.

Much thanks again to Nuffnang and Kettle Korn for the free movie passes. :)