This may sound cliché, but reading Elizabeth Gilbert's book Eat, Pray, Love was life-changing for me. It helped me get over my broken heart when I first read it seven years ago. It was not an instant fix, mind you, but it reminded me that "You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight." I yearned to go on the same sabbatical as Liz did and travel and experience new things alone, but frankly I didn't have the funds nor the guts. I lived vicariously through her memoir and escaped my then reality through her inspiring story and then one day I just woke up, felt my heart, and went, "Huh. Finished with that."

Such is the the theme of the MMFF 2017 entry Siargao starring Jericho Rosales, Erich Gonzales, and Jasmine Curtis-Smith: escape peppered with romance and a healthy sprinkling of environmental awareness and tourism promotion. As you can already tell, I loved that little nod to Eat, Pray, Love inserted in one of Jericho's lines.


I joined a special preview of the movie the other day and felt I was transported to the Surfing Capital of the Philippines. I felt the itch to go to the beach right after and even though I have zilch knowledge about surfing despite going with my friends a lot of times before, I felt like I can paddle out to the line-up and pop-up. I mean, I'm a city girl but I do love the beach and getting sand on my toes and swimsuit.

Jericho plays the role of Diego, the Siargao native who went to Manila to follow his dreams of becoming a musician, but then goes back when things in the city get awry.

Erich plays the role of the brokenhearted video blogger Laura who travels to Siargao alone to try new things after turning her boyfriend's (played by Enchong Dee) marriage proposal down.

Jasmine plays the role of environmental activist and Siargao native Abby. She turned Diego down five years ago, resulting to Diego leaving the town.

Seriously, these three are so nice to look at on the big screen, they should star in more movies. They're so beautiful and golden and glowing, I held my breath at almost every scene they were in. Bonus: they're also very good actors!

You see what I mean? JUST HOW FREAKING BEAUTIFUL IS THIS SHOT?!

I wish I can tell you the plot but I don't want to spoil the movie for you. You have to catch it on the cinemas when the Metro Manila Film Festival opens on December 25 because not only are we treated to a not-so-typical romance with characters that make you want to root for them AND an ending that's not a cheap cop-out, we are also blessed with great aerial shots of lush greeneries and sprawling seas. Cinematography is A+++ but I guess if you're shooting a place as beautiful and as picturesque as Siargao then the job just became 100% easier.

All the actors gave excellent performances but Erich was a standout. I loved her in her show Katorse before and this movie just cemented her status as cinema's sweetheart. She lends such a vibrant electricity on screen and the camera just loves her, her pretty face, and her flawless delivery of her lines. I truly believed she was really a vlogger and it made me want to follow her Youtube channel and see what she's been up to after her trip to Siargao.

A friend in high school told me before that you can never get lost so long as you know how to read. That almost became my mantra when I decided I wanted to travel alone, but then I realized I couldn't get through with it because I was too scared. I'm thinking if I would still want to give it a try. Who knows, maybe I can still try it someday.

As compared to other movies' blatant promotion of sponsors, Siargao's approach is very methodical and understated. References to eco-awareness events and cleanliness drives were subtly inserted into the film, and I also loved the environment PSA at the end.

I hope you can catch Ten17P’s latest opus, the Metro Manila Film Festival 2017 entry Siargao by Direk Paul Soriano. Treat yourself and your loved ones with this beautiful movie starting December 25 and who knows, you might just be inspired to escape to Siargao yourself.

La La Land would be tough to beat I guess, but I really really really hope Lin-Manuel Miranda wins an Oscar on Monday just so he can grace us with another beautiful acceptance speech.

I mean, just listen to this:

One more time for people at the back:

Whenever I feel sad, I just watch my favorite acceptance speeches, cry, and immediately feel better again. Lin-Manuel's speech for Best Score at last year's Tony Awards is one of my top favorites.

The 89th Academy Awards is happening this Monday and you can catch the HBO Live Coverage starting at 8AM! If you're looking forward to the glitzy and glamorous side of it though, you can watch the E! Red Carpet coverage with hosts Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic as early as 6:30AM!


As a prelude to the Oscars, I got invited by SKY Cable to the #SKYTriviaNight with the theme Everything Oscars. It was held in Ludo Boardgame Bar and Cafe in Makati last Thursday night, in partnership with HBO, E!, and Geek Fight.

I actually wanted to cancel at first because I wasn't really in the mood to socialize, but decided to go for it when Niche asked me to be one of his teammates.

Good thing I did because WE WON!

Team Simply the Best! Birthday celebrator Thysz, Vinny, Niche, and me

Did you know that Simply the Best was HBO's first tagline? They have since changed it to It's not TV. It's HBO.

It's all or nothing/ go big or go home. The grand prize is P40,000 and we split it equally among the four of us. More budget for my upcoming trip!

What a nerve-wracking night. We weren't sure we were going to win because there was another team (composed of two members WTF??) who were really good! They were actually leading by one point by the end of the first half, but thankfully we brushed up on our knowledge about E! and HBO's shows.

This is the face of someone who just won P10,000 in cash

You can win, too! Join HBO's contest and you can get the chance to win a trip to catch next year's Oscars® Red Carpet 'live' in Hollywood. Live! In the flesh! It's inclusive of Exclusive Red Carpet spectator tickets and Oscars® viewing party, round-trip airfare to Los Angeles, 5D4N hotel accommodation, VIP Theme Park Tour, and a helicopter tour of the breathtaking Californian coastline! Sounds enticing? View the mechanics here.

I'm so excited! I wish I could watch the live telecast but it's going to be a busy work-week for me so I'll catch the Primetime Encore at 8:05PM instead. I'll be following the #LIVEonSKY hashtag on Twitter, though!

How about you, who are your best bets to win the coveted awards?

I watched La La Land with my la la love today and I may or I may have not shed a week's worth of tears inside the cinema while the movie's playing, outside the cinema immediately after the movie, and in Serenitea a solid six hours after we saw the movie.

My expectations were already a bit high seeing as how it won a lot of awards, but it exceeded even that. It's beautiful, it's fantastic, and - not that I need it to - it reminded me why I love movies. It's pure magic, y'all.

Now I just want to close my eyes and bask in the glorious beauty of this film, but I want to relive it here so that I have another pocket to tuck good memories in for when the rainy days come. 

That dance sequence under the stars? Sigh. When you think about it, it's just a simple story about two souls trying to go after their dreams, but brilliant acting, wonderful sets and musical sequences, and film artistry elevated and reincarnated it into so much more. But that's not even my favorite part.

My favorite part of any movie is how it sparks conversation and makes you think. I told my boyfriend that in the event we break up (I'm not saying we're going to, but on the off chance that we do), we are not to see other people straightaway because we will wait until we get back together. And then he scolded me for creating problems when there are none. Of course I'm not counting on it because he's the love of my life, but on the off chance!

Across the miles, my friend Ed also watched it today and it got us talking about our dreams. In the case of Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), his dream was to put up a jazz club, while Mia's (Emma Stone) was to be an actress. When I was a lot younger, my dream was to have a glamorous job as the editor-in-chief of a glossy magazine. When I got a little older, I dreamt of living in seclusion with my own bookstore/ café as means of livelihood. I dreamt of writing a book but now that I've realized it's not as easy as it seems and that I couldn't possibly meet my expectations for my own output, it got sidetracked for other goals. Now I dream of having a regular job, a husband, a kid or two, a house of our own with a library/ toy room, and who knows, maybe someday we can put up that bookstore/ café.

Ed: Would you ever give up your love for a dream?
Me: I don't know... My love is my dream, eh. Hehe.

I used to feel limitless, like the world was teeming with possibilities. Now I don't know if getting older made me forget my impulsive and carefree days, but suddenly it felt like the world couldn't accommodate me and my lofty ideas. Maybe I got realistic? Maybe I became more accepting that something always has to give? Or maybe the world is still teeming with possibilities, but I just got lazy.

Having seen La La Land inspired me to regain that missing spark. After all, I used to think I'm the unluckiest girl when it comes to love, and look at me now. ♥

PS: OKAY THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST BUT I JUST WANTED TO SHARE. I'm not kidding about the tears, you guys, and it's amazing how my Holika Holika Wonder Drawing 24H Auto Eyeliner stayed intact. Fabulous.

The latest in a list of films with a time-bending protagonist and Rachel McAdams as the love interest (viz. The Time Traveler's Wife, Midnight in Paris, and About Time) is Dr. Strange, a Marvel Studios film about arrogant surgeon Stephen Strange - played convincingly well by Benedict Cumberbatch - who learns mystic arts from the Ancient One after seeking help to heal his hands (rendered unusable for his profession after a car accident) so he could resume his career.

I got invited to the advance screening held at the SM Mall of Asia IMAX Theater last night and oh boy, what an amazing ride it was.

Let it be known that I have zero knowledge about the character prior to seeing the film aside from what is shown by the trailers, but that wasn't a problem because the story was easy to digest and process.

Though it's a completely new story for me, there were some elements from other works of fiction that I recognized and enjoyed: the aforementioned Rachel McAdams as the love interest; buildings and major highways folding into itself and onto each other a la Inception; a "the wand chooses the wizard" moment; and the Cloak of Levitation that made me giggle every time it made a scene because it reminded me of Aladdin's magic carpet.

It's one hour and 55 minutes of adventure, perseverance of the human spirit, magic, multiverses, portals, fabulous eye makeup, hand gestures, altering time and reality, and comedy. Lots of comedy. Also, there are two after-credits scenes so make sure you stay for them!

How lucky I am to have been born in this generation of excellent movies and productions. Open your mind and watch it in IMAX when it opens tomorrow! I swear to you it's more than worth it.

I saw The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 today and as expected, I left the cinema with a torn heart and wet eyes.

o(╥﹏╥)o

Following immediately after the events that transpired in Mockingjay Part 1, we are taken back to District 13 where they deal with Peeta's hijacking and the rebels continue to attempt to overthrow the Capitol. The Hunger Games arena is no more, but war has begun and there are casualties.


A LOT of casualties.

I appreciate that they did not show too much gore, though. Except for the Sweeney Todd movie, I can't stomach movies and TV shows that seem to derive satisfaction from showing too much blood.

I enjoyed the movie and I commend the whole team for again succeeding in giving us an expanded yet condensed version of the book. Attention was given to every minuscule detail; I was especially amazed by Tigris and the girl in the yellow coat. I re-watched Hunger Games and Catching Fire over the weekend and Mockingjay Part 1 just this morning so everything is still fresh in my mind, and it felt like a one-year break didn't happen. I have also read the last book in the trilogy so I know what was going to happen but that didn't stop me from jumping in surprise at most of the scenes and gripping my armrest for what was coming. I squinted my eyes and steeled myself for every time the moments I was dreading were about to come; too bad you can't press Pause at the movies, huh. Kudos to all the brilliant actors for doing an exceptional job on portraying the characters we have come to root for. Thank you for the goosebumps!


Still, I wish they didn't have to split Mockingjay into two parts.

Don't get me wrong. I recognize that cramming everything in one movie might not have given as much impact as the two films have as more scenes might be removed to ensure an acceptable running time. It's just that through no fault of the movie team, I felt that much of Part 2 was spent on them waking up from various states of unconsciousness and running. What can we do, those are really the things that happened in the book. It's just that it's a heavy movie and I missed the little touches of comic relief that Haymitch or Effie provided in the other adaptations.

I also think the Epilogue could have been done better.

Still, I think that all in all, this quartet is the best book-to-movie adaptations I have ever seen. And I have seen a lot. I'd like to thank everyone who made these movies possible for giving life, pain, power, vulnerability, and fight to these characters.

What a ride. 

Do I dare to say I even prefer this trilogy over the Harry Potter series? *insert shocked face with hands over mouth emoji* Maybe because of the fact it's closer to home, the fact that if we're not careful, Panem can be our reality?

I hope not.

As is my custom of seeing these movies more than once, I'm seeing it again on Saturday. Ease up the goodbye, at least.


Mockingjay Part 2 is not my favorite movie (Part 1 is, while my favorite book is Catching Fire) but I'm still betting on the Girl on Fire.

If you are, too, and you are planning to see the movie soon, I recommend that you join Mod World Production's block screening on November 25, 8 PM in SM Megamall and help feed undernourished children at the same time! Modworld Popcorn Club has partnered with SIFCare—the humanitarian arm of The Science of Identity Foundation—and will be donating part of the proceeds to their GoPalakas feeding program in La Union, Cavite, Antipolo, and Lucena.


I've already joined two of their previous screenings (Jurassic World and my second time of seeing Inside Out) and all viewers went home with loot bags each time. Fun! Buy your tickets here.

Don't forget to bring a handkerchief and/ or someone to hold you while you deal with your feelings brought about by Katniss Everdeen and company.

*All gifs are from Giphy.

So many GREAT movies coming out soon, and I feel SO grateful to be living in this lifetime. ^_^ One of the movies I am excited to see is Jurassic World, and it's going to be shown in less than two weeks!

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What could be better than seeing dinosaurs trying to kill interacting with humans on the big screen? Seeing dinosaurs trying to kill interacting with humans on the big screen in 3D! I remember seeing Jurassic Park when I was a kid and feeling positively terrified, so I am looking forward to a more larger than life movie this time thanks to improved special effects. I'm all for hyperbole but I'm not exactly a fan of using the word 'epic' to describe something, but yeah, this is going to be epic! I'm going to the Modworld Popcorn Club screening in SM Megamall on June 13, and you can also get tickets for you and your family and friends by visiting this link!

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Jurassic World is actually The Modworld Popcorn Club's first offering. 3x3: 3 Movies in 3D is a series of block screening events happening from June to August and will also include the movies Minions (July 11) and The Fantastic Four (August 8).

In June, we explore what Jurassic World, the fourth installment in the Jurassic Park film series, has in store for all of us. Expect a thrilling ride as Velociraptor trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) protects the park’s patrons from the deadly rampage of the hybrid dinosaur known as the Indominus Rex. [Get tickets] 

Our favorite yellow creatures are back in July as Minions, a prequel and spin-off movie to Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 brings us the laughs. Take the journey with Kevin, Stuart, and Bob as they search for a new master. The film features the voices of Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, and Jon Hamm.

Finally, in August, let’s meet Mister Fantastic, the Human Torch, Invisible Woman, and The Thing—four people whose altered physical forms grant them special abilities—work together to harness their powers and save the Earth. Fantastic Four is a reboot of the film franchise of the same name, and stars Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell.

I am paranoid when it comes to my anticipated movies and seats that I prefer to reserve my tickets online the moment they become available. I did this for the Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and the Batman trilogy movies hee. (Thank you, credit card!) Aside from the ease and convenience it brings, purchasing your tickets online relieves you from worrying you won't get prime seats. (Or is it just me who gets antsy for movies like this? I'm sure it's not just me, heh.) To buy your tickets for Modworld Production's screening of Jurassic World in 3D, simply go to Modworld Production's website and accomplish the purchase form to buy tickets. P475 gives you a Blue Ticket which entitles you to the movie screening and a goodie bag, while P525 gives you a Red Ticket which comes with the movie screening, a goodie bag, and an SM SnackTime snack package! Further instructions on how to transact payments will be sent to you once you have submitted your form. I also urge you to visit Modworld Production's website now as they're giving away tickets to the Jurassic World 3D screening on June 13!

Again: Dinosaurs! In 3D! This is the closest thing I'll ever get near one without fearing for my life (discounting the fact that, you know, there aren't any dinosaurs alive IRL anymore)! I can't wait! Tweet me if you're going to the screening, too!

This event is brought to you by Modworld Production Management, Inc., SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Jack N’Jill Pretzel Crisps, Jack N’ Jill Magic Jr., Krispy Kreme, HealthyHouse.Ph, Astig.Ph, Circuit Magazine, and WhenInManila.com. 

"Has anyone been in love?"

"Have you ever been in love?"

Associate Biology Professor Matthew Craig said, "I'd also want to be careful not to get so scientific about it that we forget about just the pure joy of the mystical aspects of love. There's something there that may be evolutionary mechanisms, and there's certainly about chemical mechanisms, but somehow, there's a little bit of magic to it, too."

Books and movies are two of my most favorite things in the world but I've been having a problem consuming them lately because I end up being consumed by them. I've always found myself empathizing with the fictional characters a lot but this started to prove to be a problem for me because I end up investing too many feelings. This also happens when I talk to friends about their personal issues. Wanting to be a sounding board, I become a sponge and absorb everything, resulting to myself getting emotionally (and sometimes even physically) drained easily. It's good for the story I'm writing, but I'm not sure if it's good for my general well-being. These days, the only things I can manage are bite-sized chunks of fiction, like the Kikomachine Komix and episodes of Will & Grace and Survivor. Actually, scratch Survivor off the equation because my favorite Joe has already been voted out and there is no else left to root for. 

Anyway, as per my friend Ed's recommendation, I watched Paper Heart today because I needed to put my mind off some things, and I loved it.

Okay, I didn't love love it, but I was charmed by it.

Paper Heart follows Charlyne (Charlyne Yi) as she embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about a subject she does not understand: love. She and her good friend (and director) Nick (Jake Johnson) search for answers and advice about love by talking to friends, strangers, married couples, chemists, romance novelists, divorce attorneys, and even children. They each offer diverse views on modern romance, as well as various answers to the age-old question: does true love really exist? While filming, Charlyne meets Michael (Michael Cera), an awkward boy who may well be the answer to Charlyne's question. It's a quirky film with quirky characters, matched with quirky puppets and animations that match the tone of the movie.

Michael Cera and Charlyne Yi are sooo adorable that it's easy to believe this is not a movie but a real documentary. I am a fan of movies that don't need fizz, bang, and pop to make an impact, and simple in its premise as it is, Paper Heart charmed me right out of my socks. It's forgettable, yes, but it's fluffy and sweet and was exactly the antidote I needed.

I also liked the title. I actually considered it as a possible name for my future stationery brand but Ed said it's the title of a movie, leading to him telling me to see it.

Being the master of procrastination that I am, I watched a movie instead of churning out more pages for my story. I feel guilty, but assuage myself by saying it's all for the sake of research. Sometimes I feel like I'm just putting it [writing] all off because at the back of my mind I really don't believe that I can do this, but it's times like this that I take out my pen and notebook and write the doubts away.

When my characters don't want to talk to me, I relax and get to know other characters instead. And oh boy, I felt like the two characters of Comet came to my room and whisked me away to a field of feels.

Steph and Dell's story is told over the course of a 90-minute film that, like a painting, doesn't really have a beginning, middle, or ending. Starting in medias res, it constantly jumps back and forth their relationship's high and low points.

Unconventional yet realistic and sweet yet bitingly bitter, Comet almost had everything I want in a movie about love set in the modern world – like conversations that stretch on about topics that I myself have wanted to ask people, trains, serendipitous meet-cutes, and the idea of parallel universes. Also, the dialogue and chemistry between Justin Long and Emmy Rossum. Oh god the dialogue. Some people may say movies like this are full of pretentious drivel, but only because it has an experimental film feel to it. It's easy to overdo these things, but yeah, I can listen to Justin and Emmy talk all day. Not as much as I loved listening to Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy of the Before trilogy talk, but you get the picture. It has a meta quality to it that I liked, with undertones of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, {500} Days of Summer, and Celeste & Jesse Forever. Heartbreakingly beautiful, this one.

Huh, for someone who "can't form a valid opinion" because she's "feeling all the feels," I actually said a lot. Oh well, time to go back to my characters Tanya and Nate.

Movie Alex and Rosie had it easy.

In comparison with book Alex and Rosie, that is.

Love, Rosie tells the story of Alex and Rosie, their entanglements, and all the many ways fate played with them. They have been best friends since they were five and discovered they're in love not soon after, but as with other friendships with the same dilemma, they are both scared to confess what they feel and potentially lose what they currently have. Besides, Alex had to move to another country and Rosie got pregnant just before she was supposed to follow. What now?

Perfectly paced and interspersed with funny dialogues and a winner soundtrack, Love, Rosie is a lighthearted romance movie that I'm sure will capture a lot of hearts. It also doesn't hurt that the main actors are so beautiful. So. Beautiful. Sam Claflin is both dashing and awkward in a way that it's like he doesn't know how perfect he is, while Lily Collins lights up the screen whatever state she's in: young and carefree, or pregnant and confused, or a struggling young mom, or even a "best man" forced to look happy for her best friend on his wedding day. 

I am not necessarily a book purist because I recognize that books and films are two separate media and trying to stack up one's merits against the other is a futile exercise, but I couldn't help but point out that the book worked so well from its epistolary format that I wish they could've incorporated more of it in the movie. I have to admit, the book frustrated me a lot because, oh, look at all the many ways they could've been together much earlier, without the need for three failed marriages and wasting away a great deal of their lives not being with each other. However, reading their struggles and seeing them finally get together in the end made me feel like it was earned, and it was well-deserved. At least it wasn't as tragic as One Day was. I'm still scarred.

I loved Love, Rosie. It was a good movie and I liked it, all bokeh-filled, beautiful scenes of it. Watch it when you can, and then read the book after.

Now here's a question: Have you ever fallen in love with your best friend? Did you confess your feelings or did you keep it in in fears of ruining your friendship? I'm writing a Young Adult story with the same theme and I'm trying to incorporate a little bit of research in it. Sound off in the comments! ♡ 

As part of an informal Valentine tradition I started years ago, I just finished watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for the nth time. This movie is faultless.

CLEMENTINE

I'm not a concept, Joel. I'm just a fucked-up girl who is looking for my own peace of mind. I'm not perfect.

JOEL

I can't think of anything I don't like about you right now.

CLEMENTINE

But you will. You will think of things. And I'll get bored with you and feel trapped because that's what happens with me.

JOEL

Okay.

CLEMENTINE

Okay.

Clementine and Joel have made Okay their Always since 2004. 

A quick keyword search through this blog will show that there aren't any other works of fiction I talk or write about more than this movie, How I Met Your Mother, and the Before trilogy. Every re-watching is a new experience because I'm a different person each time. I've been feeling a little jaded lately and, well, it's not a good feeling to have and I'm hoping to come out of this funk soon.

Have you seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? Since you are still reading this I'm assuming you have. If you haven't yet, come on, the movie came out more than ten years ago. Get on it! 

I asked because I wanted to talk about its alternate ending. They say that a very early draft of the script shows Clementine, at an old age, waiting to get the treatment again. It was never filmed. Thank God! Can you imagine how exhausting that would be? Meeting someone, getting together, hitting relationship roadblocks, giving up, hurting so much to the point that you want all memories of them literally erased from your brain, and then doing everything all over again? Can you? Because I don't think I can.

Suspending disbelief for a moment and imagining Lacuna Inc. were real and erasing someone from your memory were possible, would you take that chance for a clean break and start fresh? 

Sounds ideal if you just came from a heartbreak, but even if I were, I don't think I can do it. I wrote a post about this before asking the same question and almost five years later, my answer is still the same:

Some memories may be better best forgotten, but some, some are worthy to be kept going back to, if only to remember how happy we were once, and how capable of love we can be.

Hugs, kisses, dreams, and conversation with someone I love - these are the things I live for, and if my heart needs to get broken a lot of times before I find my person, before I go "Hey, this is it, this is home," then so be it.

Errr, kidding about that bit about breaking my heart lots of times more. She has been broken and repaired enough, thankyouverymuch. LOL.

The problem with traditional movies is they usually have to have it one way or the other: happy or sad. For those people who need it, we have a happy ending, but for people who want to look deeper, the movie is saying, yes, love is real, but the road to it is complicated and you're going to make terrible messes along the way and you need to go on anyway.

- Charlie Kaufman

What can I say, pondering these things while on my long commutes to and from work has made me very wise, heh. I love this movie so much and I wish you have a movie or book or TV show you love or can relate to as much. Happy Valentine's Day! Be loved. ❤ 

Antoinette Jadaone's That Thing Called Tadhana is the first movie I watched on the big screen this year. I know the movie has gained a lot of positive reviews but I still didn't want to expect too much because I've been burned by one too many local films already, but I ended up liking it a lot!

[source]

It has a simple premise: boy meets heartbroken girl, heartbroken girls tells woes to boy, heartbroken girl and boy go on a roadtrip so girl can "find herself again." What sets the movie apart are its lines that don't sound fake nor contrived, the palpable chemistry between the two main actors – JM de Guzman as Anthony and Angelica Panganiban as Mace, and its cinematography.

I watch Mace crying her heart out and I remember myself from The Major Heartbreak from four years ago. I never thought of killing myself, but it was like I lost the will to live. I was crying for a long time and felt empty for months. Even without directly telling me, I know I alienated people so I'm really thankful that my friends remained supportive. It felt like forever but finally, one day I woke up and Life looked beautiful again. I buried myself in my new job, met new people, and learned new skills. I became open to possibilities.

And that's why I don't judge when people tell me they are trying to cope with a broken heart. We treat problems differently so it's only expected that we have different ways of coping. I've dealt with a few minor heartaches after The Major Heartbreak, but, I don't know, I guess I'm stronger now, or at least more equipped to deal with bullshit.

If there's one thing to take away from this, it's that I refuse to be cynical.

[source]

I'm excited to fall in love again.

*The title of this post concerns a humorous account of how we were able to get our hands on movie tickets, but I guess it's one of those stories where you had to be there to find it remotely funny. LOL.

You should be.

I just came home from AXN Philippines' block screening of Mockingjay Part 1 and like the first two movies in the trilogy, I just. Can't. Contain. Myself!

The books are written in Katniss' point of view, and since she spends a good part of the last book suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder I was a bit concerned that the last two movies won't be as action-filled as the first two, but then Francis Lawrence just proved that he's a great director with a clear vision of how the struggle between the Capitol and the rebelling districts should play out. Everything we didn't know from the books because Katniss didn't know them herself, the movies were able to show. I can't reiterate this enough: the Hunger Games movies are all excellent condensed yet expanded versions of the books. 

I didn't catch Interstellar because I didn't think my EQ was ready for the emotional ride it promised. (Haven't you heard? I take my movies seriously.) I am still reeling from my Kuya's loss and I wasn't up for having my heart broken again but I couldn't miss this for the world. And what a ride it was. As expected, it was quite a heavy film with a little (and much appreciated) comic relief from Effie Trinket. I teared up at the scenes between Katniss and Prim, and Katniss and Finnick. “It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.”

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A little spoiler-y so please highlight the text below ONLY if you have already seen the movie or you just want to read. I didn't think the movie would be divided that way but I think they did it for the benefit of those who didn't really read the book and wouldn't appreciate the cliffhanger that much. End of spoiler-y statement.

The goal was to dress up like Primrose Everdeen (little duck, get it?), but I think I ended up looking more like Maria von Trapp

I didn't display *that* much level of obsession anticipation for this one as I did with the Catching Fire movie - essentially because that was my favorite book in the series and also because Mockingjay was depressing as hell. But I did see the trailers, TV spots, propos, and the collaborations they did with famous Youtubers to come up with District Voices, and oh man. I geek out at books, movies, and awesome advertising campaigns so I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about how amazing the movies are and how these promotional campaigns tied everything together.

My secret dream is to work on a project as large-scale as this.

I am dreading seeing Mockingjay Part 2 not because I don't want to say goodbye to this dystopian universe just yet, but because it's going to be so nerve-wracking and heartbreaking.

Where is sleep? How can I find it tonight?

That feeling after you watch a brilliant and harrowing movie based on an equally brilliant and harrowing book that you don't even know how to begin writing a review. That's exactly how I'm feeling right now.

Today I took half the day off work to see the movie adaptation of Gone Girl directed by David Fincher. Based on a novel of the same name written by Gillian Flynn, the movie is about Nick Dunne and Amy Elliot-Dunne and their tumultuous marriage. On the day of their fifth anniversary, Amy mysteriously vanishes. All clues lead to implicate Nick, who is not winning any fans because of his "villainous chin" stand-offish way of dealing with people. It's 149 jarring minutes of red herrings, twisted lies, selfish motives, and you-thought-you-know-what's-going-to-happen-next-but-you-don't, and I loved every single one of them.

I am all for justice and getting one's comeuppance, so I have to admit I was terribly affected by the ending when I read the book. However, as a reader, I am more than satisfied. Still, it's a very polarizing book and although it has a lot of fans, it attracted criticism as well. Oh well, I can just imagine Flynn smirking at every one of us who fell for this book's wiles.

Comparing a movie from its source material and enumerating where it fell flat is like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg: it's pointless and the debate will never end. All I can say is that the movie FELT like the book: creepy, compelling, and diabolically good. It helped that Flynn also wrote the screenplay, deciding which parts to cut and which parts should stay. I literally felt physically drained after seeing the movie even though I was seated comfortably for the whole duration of the film.

My Film professor back in college told us before that you would know a score is good if you don't notice it as it blends seamlessly with the scenes. Kudos to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for providing the perfect music accompaniment. The cast and the score are my favorite things about this movie. I read the book just this July, so knowing who the cast are helped me immensely in putting faces to the names. Kudos to the director and the casting team as except for Casey Wilson as Noelle Hawthorne (I couldn't help but picture her as Penny in Happy Endings as she acted so exaggeratedly that it almost looked campy), they couldn't have come up with a more fitting set of actors and actresses. Ben Affleck IS Nick Dunne and Rosamund Pike IS the Amazing Amy Elliot-Dunne.

Come see it and learn to be more wary of the people you meet, heh. Towards the end of my Gone Girl book review, I wrote that the moral of the story is to never marry a psychopath. How do you know if someone's a psychopath? That's the problem. Choose well.

I finished reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer before midnight last night, and this morning I watched its movie directed by Stephen Daldry and starred by Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, and Thomas Horn. I don't know if tears are quantifiable, but I know I cried a lot.


Oskar Schell is a nine-year-old inventor, pacifist, amateur entomologist, Francophile, letter-writer, percussionist, jeweller, detective, vegan, and collector of different kinds of things. When his father is killed in the World Trade Center terrorist attack, Oskar aims to solve the mystery of a key he finds in his father's closet and see what it opens. It eventually leads him to come across strangers who share one thing in common - their last name Black - living all over New York and get to know their stories.

It's not stated explicitly in the novel, but I think Oskar has a disorder that hinders him from relating to people that much. He is eccentric, intelligent, clever, empathetic, contemplative, and has a very wide imagination. He also does not sound nor think like kids his own age, which caused a lot of criticism for Foer's work. He is afraid of a lot of things like public transportation, elevators, bridges, and loud noises, and these fears were magnified after the September 11 attacks.



Interspersed with Oskar's search are his grandmother's letters to him and his grandfather's unsent letters to his father. I read them and wonder, how much hurt can a heart hold until it decides enough is enough? I read the lines "I’m so afraid of losing something I love that I refuse to love anything" and  I decided it's one of the saddest lines I've read in a book, ever. When self-ruin becomes hand-in-hand with self-preservation, what do you choose?

As expected, the movie veers away from its source material but it doesn't make it any less worth seeing. All the actors gave stellar performances that wrung my heart dry, and I wish Thomas Horn can be given more projects as I'm sure he'll improve even more with more exposure.


The author has been met with a lot of criticism, saying that using the 9/11 tragedy as a plot point is a cheap ploy to attract acclaim, but I don't think that was his objective. In an interview, he said, "I think it's a greater risk not to write about [9/11]. If you're in my position—a New Yorker who felt the event very deeply and a writer who wants to write about things he feels deeply about—I think it's risky to avoid what's right in front of you." What happened shook the earth right through its very core and grief reverberated throughout every nation. I didn't know any 9/11 victim personally, but I'm still affected until now.

The horrors of that day can never be erased, and however minute, our lives were changed forever after that day. I won't even try to look for a silver lining from that horrible tragedy, because it still makes me angry that it happened. It doesn't make any sense at all, and trying to find its logic is completely futile.


I guess, after all the tears, my takeaway from both the book and the movie is that we should never let a moment to tell our loved ones that we love them go to waste. After all, we don't know until when we will have the time to do so. As Oskar's grandmother pointed out to him, "It's always necessary."

If you think you've watched enough parody movies already, think again. If you haven't seen They Came Together yet, ummm... why not?

Starring the ever so charming Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Cobie Smulders, and a generous serving of cameos, They Came Together is a 2014 movie directed by David Wain that pokes fun at various romantic comedy tropes. I wasn't really expecting much knowing it's a parody movie, but I got hooked the moment Kyle (played by Bill Hader) said, "So if there was a movie about your relationship, it would probably start with aerial shots of the Manhattan skyline." That's when I thought, oh, this is going to be good.

It's clever, silly, very entertaining, and doesn't take itself seriously nor try to pass itself off as a highbrow film. I can't even count how many times I laughed out loud! There were a couple of forced scenes but all in all it was a solid film backed by great actors. If you love romantic comedies like I do, you're going to love this. It's fun recognizing which clichés were parodied from which movies and realizing that, hey, that's from almost everything I've ever watched! The great thing about it is that, even with that realization, I am still going to enjoy watching rom-coms. I invoke my right to subject myself to cheesy clichés!

Adorkable. I think that's the perfect word I can use to describe this movie. At times, yes, it felt like watching a hundred SNL skits sewn together... And  I'm not saying that's a bad thing because, yeah, they actually came together.

Hello, I am Krissy. It is past midnight here in Manila yet here I am wide awake (on a workday, no less!). Blame it on the two cups of coffee (one hot, one iced) and the grande Mint Blend hot tea I had today, or on The Fault in Our Stars movie, which incidentally I saw with my friends today. It made me feel a lot of things, and I liked it because it was a welcome deviation from the crappy days I've been having lately. 

I first read the book two years ago. Almost halfway through it on my Kindle app for Android, I decided I *must* have the book, so off I went to the bookstore and got myself a hardbound copy. I was crying for two whole weeks after. At the time, I thought it was one of the most beautifully-written books I have ever had the pleasure of reading --- although I do agree that some lines might sound a little too pretentious when you think about how they're supposed to have been uttered by teenagers. I wrote before that one of my greatest fears is to be forgotten, and so I identified with Gus's wanting to leave a mark.

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars left such a huge mark on me but I found it too difficult and painful to reread the book, particularly because I have a dear friend who succumbed to cancer. I love you, my darling, sweet, dear friend Poly. I miss you every day.

Three weeks ago, I decided to read it again in preparation for the movie I've been excited about ever since they announced it. Reading is a different experience each time since *you* become a different person each time, but I'm glad to say it still remains as one of my top five favorite YA books.

As for the movie, I am glad to say it has surpassed my expectations. It's 98% faithful to the book that I even found myself reciting the actors' lines with them in my head. Beautiful shots, great OST, and brilliant actors, it's a wonderful book-to-movie adaptation that I wouldn't mind seeing again. 

It's not a story about cancer. It's a story of two teenagers who happened to have cancer who fell in love with each other. It's a story of hope that love and beauty can be found even in the bleakest of days, and God knows I need to make sure I don't forget that. It's funny and charming and a whole-lotta-nice, and I recommend that you watch it with people who are dear to you, like I did.

Go ahead and see it! Pro-tip: Make sure to bring lots of tissues. LOL.


Special thanks to Mike and beTV for our tickets!

My Barbies, dollhouse, and play kitchen were my favorite playthings when I was young, but I also snuck into my brother's toy chest lots of times to play with his Lego sets. I didn't care that they were meant to be played with by boys - I had a great time constructing many different houses using different colored Lego bricks.

When I saw the trailer of The Lego Movie for the first time, it brought so much nostalgia that I knew I had to watch it on the big screen.

I can watch movies alone but I felt this is something that is best watched with a group but I had no one to go with. My chance came when I babysat my sister Kyla and cousin Jeco yesterday; I took them to TriNoma so we could see the movie together!


And it didn't disappoint. The Lego Movie was spectacular! Alex was right: it's a verrry hyper movie! It's every bit as hyper as the trailer suggests it to be! I mean, sure, it felt a wee bit too long for a kids' movie, but there was no dull moment. The production was brilliant, the cast was stellar, and the lines were ultra-funny! I especially liked Batman (but of course, duh) and his Bat-Puns. It was a very creative movie and delivered so much fun that I am willing to forgive some cliché‎s and how they missed out on giving Wonder Woman a more proactive role. Great job!

More than anything, the movie reminds us how much fun playing with Lego bricks are while armed with just our imagination. It also further cements Lego's title as one of the - if not THE - best toys in the world ever.

I also think this "Behind the Bricks" featurette and Blooper Reel are hilarious. Sharing them here because I'm a sucker for things like these hee.

The cinema was filled with people of all ages and it was erupting with laughter at almost every scene because if they're not delivering funny one-liners, one thing or another is doing some funny bit in the background. What a silly movie, I enjoyed it so much!

Here are some photos from our day out in TriNoma yesterday. Aside from the movie, we also had a great time in Timezone. ^_^

Giant Fruit Ninja!

The tickets we *worked* hard for

Biscottino and Chocolate Peppermint gelatos in Gelatissimo

Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of a team! Go see it if you still can! The song is still stuck in my head LOL.