Share!

Hello, dear reader. 


I will ask you a favor. Please read this. I know you have a kind heart and you will help these people. I believe that you can make a difference and change the lives of the children in Aklan, a province in the Visayas near the world-renowned paradise called Boracay.


My friend sent me a private message in Facebook a couple of months ago. I've paraphrased some statements so that even foreigners (those who are not Pinoy) would understand and would also be encouraged to help. And here's an excerpt:

 In Boracay, I met a lady who did a small mission work for kids who study in a small elementary school in Aklan. The kids live in the mountains and walk their way to the school with bare foot especially if their sandals are worn out . So the lady decided to give them slippers. I had the burden of giving them (for next school year), a small set of school items namely: 3 writing notebooks, 3 pencils, 1 eraser, 1 sharpener, 1 set of 8 pcs crayons, 1 set of coloring books all placed in a plastic envelope with a handle. 

If you find it in you to donate o sponsor a kid, I will be more than glad to visit you to get the items that you'd be donating. Watcha think? Thanks much for your support. I am not from Aklan but I felt that burden for the kids. It would be a great help to them! God bless.Help spread the word please. I'd like to emphasized though, I am not asking for monetary help; I am asking you to help me buy the items or sponsor a child. One friend of mine will sponsor coloring books. Your small help can change lives. Thanks again.

I will ask you a favor again. Read it again, if you must. And again, I know you have a kind heart and you will help these people. I believe that you can make a difference and change the lives of the children in Aklan, a province in the Visayas near the world-renowned paradise called Boracay.


Share if you must. Just leave a comment if you want to help.


God bless you!

Musings: Tree of Life (2011)

***SPOILER ALERT***

Tree of Life got the Palm d'Or award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Finally, as majestic and bewildering as its trailer seems to boasts, Terrence Malick's Tree of Life is here. 


I am left speechless, honestly. I'm still trying my best to drive my train of thought.


As I've said, many times before, I would not even begin - not even dare- try to review Tree of Life. I'd like to believe that I simply cannot bring justice to the film in my endeavor to write a review about it. It's that admission and realization that when you think you have already figured it out, certain questions comes into mind- questions that are left unanswered, questions that make you ask yourself if they are, in the first place, needed to be answered by the film. It can leave you with lingering doubts or sheer uncertainty; it can be too perplexing. But that is, I must say, part of its beauty and charm- something that is beyond our explanation, utterly far from our grasp and certainty, but one that is immaculately familiar: life.


And like life itself, it is definitely beautifully complicated. 


Admittedly, I've only seen the film once and I hope it won't stop there. There's just too many and too much of its frontier yet to be explored, like a literary masterpiece so enigmatic that it deserves another chance to be experienced. But unlike any other puzzling work, which meaning and interpretation is easily deciphered, Tree of Life does not give away a response that is direct and specific. Hence, it will be a film that will be discussed and debated throughout the years.


But even if it is generally viewed as something ambiguous, with the film being lyrical and free of a plot, one thing is evident: the film is simply a spectacular visual poetry. It's grandiose depiction of the world's creations: the lovely and glorious Milky Way, the intense and blazing creation of the earth, the lush and verdant unexplored wilderness, and the refreshing and  relaxing calmness of the oceans, among many others, are gloriously magnificent. Really, anyone who claims that he has seen nature at its best form should see these.


Sharing the limelight with nature is the story of a fanciful mother (Jessica Chastain), a formidable but loving father (Brad Pitt) and their three young boys, one of whom is Jack (Hunter McCracken). It seems like an ordinary family represented onscreen, all of whom are characters who are vulnerable of mundane themes like envy, doubt, sin, or desperation. Meanwhile, as the story progresses, a confused and grown-up Jack (Sean Penn) is introduced, as he lives a life of unanswered queries and numerous regrets amidst his corporate success. But the story line is somewhat vague, or specifically fragmented, that some (those that I know, myself included) have admitted that they had quite a trouble in identifying which of the three boys is depicted by Penn. Towards the film's ending, Penn's character has found what is said to be the summit of life in an almost 15-minute divinely-captured, mind-blowing imagery, along with intellectual, or even philosophical whispery voice-overs and striking classical symphony.


Juxtaposing this everyday, commonplace life with the illustration of the so-called Creation, the dichotomy arises: inter-cutting the intimate scenes with anything that is utterly flamboyant. Apparently, it's that tangent between the simple and the labyrinthine that confronts us of how life was, of how life is, as interpreted and represented by the writer and director of the film itself.

Recalling the experience is just as chilling as seeing it for the first time, if not even more. Astonishing would be a slight understatement; breathtaking would perhaps encompass the experience. Yes. It's not just a film, as I've been told and had read time and again, it's an experience. And what an experience it was. After watching it, my friends and I were so eager to discuss it, we've actually lingered in the theater for a 'brief' exchange of musings, as if there's not tomorrow. Each of us has something to say, something to share but it was a unanimous decision that Tree of Life deserves to be seen again, and we don't mean just once.


At that moment, I was standing there, listening to them, perhaps a bit speechless, but all the while amused with my thoughts as to how a film can take over your life even for a moment, that seemingly fleeting moment. As much as we want to freeze the frame of that motion picture called life and stay in the moment, we must let go, we must move on and journey forward to life, and even to the Great Beyond. Who knows?


But I am certain about one thing: it's the enchanting magic and power of a movie, may be not only that, but that cinematic experience that can transcend a moment in our life- one that is so intense and profound- it can transport us into sheer emotional and spiritual cathartic elation. 




-fmr2011

Stripped off the Truth

All my world.
All the emotions:
The hopes,
The frustrations,
Disappointments,
Rants and whines.
Of the lovers, the past,
and concubines.

A little million pieces
Jam-packed in 140.
The characters
all for the world to see.
Insert the spaces,
cryptic symbols,
Some can be disturbing,
more than finger cymbals.

A promise.
To be More connected.
An endeavor.
To be More updated.
Yet when published,
all may be negated.
All there's left are words:
stripped off with emotions-

                                        -Stripped off the Truth.

webdings

A closed door.
That Window pane shut.
The Lights turned off.
Belonging to an Un-visited Room.

Unmoved food.
A deep well.
Unfathomable thought.
The Computer on a Shut Down.

Let me have a taste.
So you say.
Let me decipher.
So you tried.

Let me In.
So you think.
Let me Understand
So you beg.

I do.
You just don't try hard enough.
And when you do,
you'd be unwilling-
To know, accept, and understand.

"You Know when You're a Meryl fan when/if..."

"You Know when You're a Meryl fan when/if..."

In celebration of Meryl Streep's 62nd birthday on June 22 (yes, that's today) , this blog has been created to give tribute to her Royal Hollywood highness (if Hollywood is royalty, of course). But more importantly, today, this entry also gives due recognition to her fans who have done or have been doing certain things -smart, funny or downright weird- all over the world, and through the years, to honor the said to be greatest living actress today.


So what makes a Meryl Streep fan? Do you have to go over her extensive biography? Or Google the latest news about this notable thespian? Certainly, we all do have standards or some 'qualifying' moments for us to be considered a certified Streeper. And today, we will share them here. As for me, these are just some of the moments that I can vividly remember of which I had utterly professed what a Streep-aholic I am. 


"You Know when You're a Meryl fan when/if (you)..."


*** you have already Google-ed her and would have probably read her Wikipedia entry, no matter how untrustworthy it is, so as they say.
*** after which, you read the nth articles that follow such thing.
*** you subscribe to Google or Yahoo news for a Meryl Streep update.
*** you decide which is the best website about Meryl Streep, which all Streepers would agree to be Simplystreep.com 

Meryl Streep day is celebrated worldwide every May 27.

*** you won't forget the relevance of May 27 to you...aka... oh you know why...
*** you would type Meryl Streep at the Youtube search bar, then be ecstatic to find that Meryl did attend the Ellen show with Ellen de Generes - who are undoubtedly two of the most fantastic women you know today.
*** then you'd probably reenact her Bronx accent incident in the show. "50 cent!?!?" "Yknow something..."
*** you'd spend a day or two Youtube-ing her, and can't get over how good she is...with almost anything, even messing up seems to be a normal Meryl Streep thing: just plain freaking fabulous.

A movie poster photo compilation of the Meryl Streep films.

*** would collect her DVDs and would go to far places just to get your hands on these collectibles. And if you don't, even if it's against your will, you'd rather download her films illegally than not seeing them at all. 
*** you'd even buy another DVD even if you already have the same kind if it has another kind of cover design, and more importantly, updated features like a commentary or enhanced color version.

She-Devil in VHS format.

*** you'd buy a Meryl movie in VHS or Betamax format, considering it a vintage collectible, even though you don't have the right player for you to view that.
*** you're dismayed, even heartbroken, when you find out that you don't have enough money at your reach, when you come across a Meryl stuff. 
*** so you decide to put that stuff on reservation so that you can claim it next time, when you have no idea how to get the money to get that in the first place.

Some of the things that make of my Meryl Streep collection. This was way, way back, around 2008 perhaps.

*** you wander from one book shop to another  in search for those books which were made into movies that Meryl was in. (e.g.: The Devil Wears Prada, House of the Spirits, Evening, etc)

*** you log on to Livejournal for that steamy Peryl/ Strummer fic update! ;p 

*** you have a Twitter list that goes by the name of "streepers"

*** and you tweet about Meryl with them, or tweet about her period, at least once a week (Are you now counting? ;p)

*** then you remind yourself you should also be buying the magazines which she was on the cover of... (e.g: Ladie's Home Journal August 2009, EW December 2009, Vanity Fair January 2010)
*** you giggle discreetly when you hear someone talking about Meryl Streep, especially if these people would refer to her as the 'best actress' today










*** then you tell your friends, or whoever would discuss the Oscars or these kinds of award-giving bodies to you, that Meryl deserves to win it because "if there's no such thing as best Actress, who the hell is Meryl Streep?!"
*** you frantically get your cellphone or camera to record that TV moment when Meryl Streep is mentioned. 
*** you get your planner to write a certain event which Meryl would be in, wherein most of the time, you're not personally/officially invited, but is certainly allowed to look at, stalk of  (e.g. award shows, galas, premiere nights, photo calls)






*** you spazz when your friends at school or at the office, finally acknowledge that Meryl, is indeed, the epitome of good and great acting there is today, because they initially claimed that the likes of Jennifer Aniston and even Megan Fox, deserve such title.
*** then you secretly despise the people who think, believe otherwise.

*** when you watch any award show like the Oscars and would root for her to win because she has been robbed of this honor for nth times already, and simply because she deserves to win, like many times before, more than the person who won it that year.
*** interact and post your thoughts about La Streep or her movies, at least once in your Meryl fanatic-life, on the internet
*** you channel your inner Meryl Streep and imitate her gestures, her manner of speaking, and the accents, and even that famous giggle or laugh the best way you can.

Streeptease created by Roy Cruz, a Pinoy pride.

*** must have probably known Streeptease. (hmmmm....)
*** coz, if you don't, then you'd search about it and you optimistically hope you'd actually be there and see it for yourself.
*** you, sometimes, watch her movies at the cinemas more than once. Twice seems to be ok. Thrice would be understandable and Four times would be quite a luxury, and 7 times would be perfectly fine, so long as you can bring your friends and enlighten them about who this acting goddess is.
*** you recruit others to become Streepers.

Another lovely photo op day with a Meryl 'stuff'. :)

*** you shamelessly take a time to have a photo op with your Meryl stuff.
*** you'd be willing to argue, even to a stranger, on how Meryl should be dubbed as the best actress today
*** but you're willing to let it go once you've heard Helen Mirren, Catherine Denueve, Cate Blanchett, or Tilda Swinton in these kinds of arguments, but still, you tell yourself, "there's no one like Meryl!!"
*** you read a book, then you have high hopes that Meryl should be playing that amazing character that you're reading.

*** you're watching a TV show and when you find people doing sloppy acting, you think "what a waste!" and apparently wish that Meryl was doing that instead, then the characterization would have been brilliant.
*** Meryl brings out the inner creative artists within you as you are inspired to make graphics, icons, and videos to accord due recognition to this woman!
*** you're enticed to watch a movie when it refers to a Meryl movie or to Streep, period (eg: I Love You, Man for the The Devil Wears Prada mention; Megamind, for the A Cry in the Dark quote)
*** you'd definitely wonder when in the world a person has come from when he/she has not, by chance and so far, heard of Meryl Streep, ever.

The Gummers! Mary Louise, Don, Henry, Mamie, Grace, and Louisa. 

*** have known about The Gummers and know their whereabouts respectively.
*** you think that The Gummers is the best family...ever!!
*** you've downloaded countless Meryl Streep photos in your computer and an album that takes up about at least 1G all for Meryl is perfectly...normal!
*** you have probably flooded your wall or your Twitter timeline during Oscars, Golden Globes or SAG, or any premiere night
*** you have probably included the word '#merylstreep' in your hashtag.
*** you print screen when Meryl Streep is among the trending topics.
*** you take a picture of anything that reminded you of her (like a Banana, pertaining to one of those Strummer fic moments. Haha!)
*** you normally have Meryl dreams, which all seems real to you (at least you wish)
*** then you tell it to your Streeper friends
*** and your share it with your friends who 'understand' your Streep fandom, yet you pray so hard for them not to disown you.

Oh definitely died when I saw this as the slide background of my professor's powerpoint presentation!

*** you ask your professor who his/her favorite actress is, and you hold on to your chest near your heart, when you feel your heart skip a beat and think that you might have had a heartburn that moment right there.
*** you become instant pals with this professor because she fell in love with Meryl after watching Holocaust, then Falling in Love.

My professor in film writing has made Kramer vs. Kramer as an example in his 'Transformation' type of screenwriting. I secretly died and went to Meryl heaven.

*** you spazz (yet again!!) when you see anything Meryl-related in your professor's powerpoint presentation.
*** you volunteer to bring The Devil Wears Prada DVD for a film viewing in your class.
*** you spazz (yet again) when your professor mentions that her favorite book is The House of the Spirits, which of course had Meryl in it. 

*** you somehow find yourself smiling, grinning and nodding when you read this, because you also do these things, well, if not all, then at least, most of them.

*** you think of other hundred reasons to add on this blog
*** then you share it to your friends, to the Streepers, and anyone whom you think would like this.
***you write a blog about her on her birthday, telling the entire world how perfectly normal you are, even though have been cast off as weird and most people had rolled their eyes at you and this blog, after all the things you have confessed as to how much you love Meryl Streep and how far you'd go to profess that 'love'. 


Goofy? Isn't it. Share if you must! And feel free to share your "You Know when You're a Meryl fan when/if..." here and tell others to do the same. Word though, no hating! :)


Then, in 1, 2,3, 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MERYL STREEP!

And to edit this, 62 fucking birthdays... DAMN, WOMAN! ;p

That's all...

For now.

-fmr2011

Arthur (2011)

Movie review

Arthur (2011)

Directed by Jason Weiner

Cast: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig and Jennifer Garner

Russell Brand effortlessly becomes, or is Arthur in this film; he just nails it and owns the character as the childish, spoiled and overbearingly obnoxious billionaire who can’t live without his nanny, who is of course played by Academy-award winner Helen Mirren. Brand portrays the character so well, you might actually believe that he’s like that in real life, with a hint of being slightly neurotic. He delivered a character that is annoying and charming all at once, a task that not all actors can do, without trying to look like a fool, unless of course that person turns that foolishness into coolness, which is what Brand did in the movie. His comedic timing is also spot on and in just the right mix- to entertain.

Both Jennifer Gardner and Greta Gerwig are amazingly adorable and funny, just what their characters need. Mirren is likewise brilliant as Hobson, the nanny, as she plays the character with such finesse and elegance, without overshadowing the main actor, instead she did good to support Brand’s performance.

Arthur is an entertaining flick. You might get annoyed if you're not in the mood to take a break, but that, too, is part of its charm.

Musings: Innocent Voices (2004)

Movie review

Innocent Voices aka Voces Inocentes (2004)

Directed by Luis Mandoki

Cast: Carlos Padilla, Leonor Varela and Xuna Primus

Depressing, intense and perceptive. These are just some of the words to describe the award-winning Mexican film, Innocent Voices, which is based on real events. Undoubtedly, the movie opens your eyes to reality: to the past, present, and what could be, the future, especially that of children amidst war.

Translating history into motion picture is a challenging endeavor. A filmmaker must have that gift to put and sustain truth into the material, without its product turning out to be a documentary or a longer version of a re-enactment. And Innocent Voices was able to do just that; it portrays events without necessarily exaggerating the already-gruesome past, or undercutting it. Instead, it invites you to discover the journey of children and families who are in the middle of a dispute, yet would still like to unveil the tinge of a brighter perspective despite dark times. Innocent Voices, and the story, and even reality itself, are, indeed, the real beacons of hope. 

Musings: The Road Home (2001)

Movie review

The Road Home aka Wo de fu qin mu qin  (2000)

Directed by Yimou Zhang

Cast: Ziyi Zhang, Honglei Sun and Hao Zheng

The Road Home is a poignant tale of a sweet, youthful and uncomplicated love. The film depicts such affection that is easy to relate with, yet it stands out as a love story uniquely carved out- just in any spellbinding romance is- from other couples. But what sets this film apart from the usual drama/romance films is its power and intensity to convince and hence, make you believe, that there is such kind of love- the one that can seemingly be difficult to find and even harder to sustain, throughout the years.

The lovely combination of texture and color is beautifully exhibited throughout the film. Without overdoing this, it is a sumptuous visual meal; it not only feeds the mind but makes the soul and the heart full.

Through wonderfully-shot extreme close-ups, Zhang Ziyi’s honest and childlike expressions are endearingly captivating, which, in a rather surprising way, can linger though one’s thoughts for a long time, if not vividly imprint themselves there. 

Eargasm: Every Teardrop is A Waterfall, Coldplay (2011)

Like their previous hit Viva La Vida, Coldplay’s new single Every Teardrop is a Waterfall screams to be as triumphant-sounding, with its uplifting pop and rock 'n roll arrangement.

Guitar-driven melodies, perceptible oomph and layered harmonies are steered by Chris Martin’s incomparable voice. When he croons, /I turn the music / I got my records on / I shut the world outside until the lights come on / Maybe the streets alright / Maybe the trees are gone / I feel my heart start beating to my favorite song,”  he obviously enthrals us into this melodic elation and pulls us within its magical world.

Ending in a percussive note, a sense of repetition can work as the alluring sound of Coldplay does it again with pretty melodies and escalating guitar work.

Eargasm: Pink Friday, Nicki Minaj (2010)

Multiple personas and smorgasbord of role-playing. Nicki Minaj’s accurately serves them in Pink Friday. It’s worthy to mention that this 25-year-old female MC tries to put a new dimension to the mainstream hip-hop music as she embellishes her very Nictionary-ish characterization (pronunciation, enunciation and... whatever) evidently in the rap, all the while scrounging some themes from perhaps her musical influences: Busta Rhymes’ guest verse on A Tribe Called Quest's 1991 track Scenario, Simple Minds' Don't You Forget 

About Me and the Buggles' Video Killed the Radio Star.

Minaj’s lyrics are generally slick, clever and funny: “/If you could turn back time, Cher/ You used to be here but now you gone: Nair/" she breaks at one moment, boldly threatening an adversary with a depilatory cream; “/That bitch is mad cause I took the spot? / Well, bitch if you ain’t shittin’ then get off the pot/”, raw-ring against The Slim Shady like a dungeon dragon, among others.

In an album featuring numerous (and I mean a lot) of notable names in the music industry such as Kanye West, Eminem, Drake, Natasha Bedingfield, and Rihanna, among others, it’s a disappointment that Pink Friday is at a lost in itself: whether to stick with ‘redefined’ originality or  to blend in with the rest of the horde. Perhaps Nicki has been overwhelmed and has forgotten about consistency. Well, perhaps it’s bout time our Dear Old Nicki makes up her mind.

21, Adele (2011)

Compelling a mixture of apparent character and sheer magnitude, Adele's voice infects us with emotional ecstasy. And this she has done flawlessly, yet again, in her second album, 21. Shamelessly exposing the evident rawness in her music, it’s impossible not to relate with her songs- most of which are gloomy taint of heartbreak tales.

In Rolling in the Deep, she audaciously states, “We could have had it all”, revealing the deep lament of ending a special relationship. While in Someone Like You, she brazenly confesses, “Sometimes it last in love, but sometimes it hurts instead”, following it with a bittersweet ‘all-the-best-wish’ for her ex lover. In the song Don’t You Remember, she utterly begs, “Please remember me once more”, optimistically hoping that she’s not erased from the depths of someone else’s memory.

Like her first album 19, Adele’s 21 is a completely honest and raw compilation of heartbreaking tales, especially highlighted with the singer’s powerful voice and emotional intensity, which makes it all the more captivating.

19, Adele (2008)

Album review
19 (2008)
By Adele

Pitching up somewhere between jazz and blues, Adele calms our already disturbed tympanic membranes (yes, that’s our eardrums) and mends it with a melodious playlist in her debut album 19.

Veering away from the ala futurisitic tunes of Lady Gaga and upbeat rhythms of Katy Perry, Adele fills the room with spellbinding aura equivalent to those quirky and romantic sounds you hear at intimate clubs or small coffee shops. Her music is serene yet one that is utterly heartbreaking: the nostalgic Hometown Glory, brutally honest Make You Feel My Love and the painfully accurate Chasing Pavements, among others.

In this day and age when everybody tries so hard to be just like, well, plain everybody else, Adele brings out an awesome alternative— euphonious music and melodious poetry.

Musings: Fast Five (2011)

Movie review

Fast and Furious 5 aka Fast Five (2011)

Directed by Justin Lin

Cutting the chase, Fast Five is a popcorn flick. And that is of course part of its charm, as it slyly tries to make its way as a hybrid of Ocean’s Eleven (2001) and The Italian Job (2003), but unfortunately, it speeds too much from reality, believability or even plain logic. But as you steer your way to the alluring Rio de Janeiro, fantastic cars, blazing guns, flying quips and toned bods, you’ll probably go back to the normal gear and forgive this. Then, you drive along ‘til you see some fist-to-fist, square off action, (not WWE type though) from Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Vin Diesel.

Sometimes, it is never about logic; there are times, you just want to sit back and relax and no matter how ‘dying’ the protagonists can look like or can be, still, they’d end up alive, not to remind us once again how dumb we can get, but to calm our nerves that, in the end and truth be told, we just want to be entertained, Fast and Furious style. So, for now, ‘F**k logic!’, you say.

Mademoiselle (2001)

Movie review

Mademoiselle (2001)

Directed by Philippe Lioret

French filmmaker Philippe Lioret proves he can set forth a light yet insightful film that shows actors at their best, making viewers chortle with delight in the 2001 romantic comedy Mademoiselle.

With a timeline that barely covers two days, and told in flashback from Claire’s (Sandrine Bonnaire) point of view, the movie transports us to the carefree and joyful meeting of two people, yet, at the same time, manages to pull out tinges of melancholy and loss within us. Also, the film showcases the splendid –and not exaggerated- dose of situational humor (e.g. the improv scenes and the lighthouse gift). All in all, this light romcom does not fool us with promises of happily ever after, but offers us with the one ending so bittersweet, yet can be utterly closer to reality, at the very least.