There were recent films that I wouldn't have watched even if I had been given free premiere tickets and even if the tickets came with a free dinner. Transformers 3 was one of … [Read more...]
Leisure
September 13, 2011 By 14 Comments
I read that Lea Salonga was among the judges in this year's Miss Universe pageant. I knew that the pageant would be televised this morning, Manila time, but I'm rarely awake … [Read more...]
Contagion: one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen
September 13, 2011 By 8 Comments
We have a VCD copy of Wolfgang Peter's 1995 film Outbreak. People dying from a deadly virus for which there was no vaccine. Sam and Alex watched that film so many times when … [Read more...]
The Catholic population has no monopoly on artistic standards
August 12, 2011 By 42 Comments
I would have commented earlier but the controversial "Kulo" art exhibit was closed before I could go and see it. Sam happened to be at the Cultural Center of the Philippines … [Read more...]
World War II, the Japanese occupation and Josef Mengele
August 5, 2011 By 7 Comments
I was born two decades after World War II. I don't remember when I first heard about World War II but I do know that much about what I knew of the 1940s came from three … [Read more...]
June 23, 2011 By 20 Comments
A friend posted the video on Facebook. I learned the song when I was in grade school, years after it was released in North America. I didn't even know at the time who the … [Read more...]
Have you seen a shadow play?
June 18, 2011 By 5 Comments
Yesterday was Speedy's birthday. Last night was also the last performance of a shadow play (another production of Spot, CSB's theater group) for which Alex was one of the two … [Read more...]
The many loves – and the greatest passion – of Dr. Jose Rizal
June 14, 2011 By 13 Comments
I'm not a fan of Jose Rizal in the national hero sense. I will always feel that there's something wrong with his "national hero" status -- a status granted by an … [Read more...]
Let’s talk exorcism. Is a “possessed” person criminally responsible for his actions?
May 4, 2011 By 8 Comments
Speedy and I watched "The Rite" last night. For those of you who are not familiar with the film, it is about demonic possession and exorcism. It says at the beginning that it … [Read more...]
Source Code: two thumbs up
April 18, 2011 By 10 Comments
Our last three movie adventures were disasters -- The Green Hornet, Red Riding Hood and The Adjustment Bureau. The Green Hornet was so bad I wanted to walk out; Red Riding … [Read more...]
The Green Hornet: never mind
January 31, 2011 By 13 Comments
Alex had her birthday last week. But because she and Sam stay at the condo near their school on weekdays, we didn't have a chance to celebrate as a family until last night. We … [Read more...]
Why I like Javier Bardem
January 28, 2011 By 8 Comments
Yesterday's news was full of tidbits about the newborn baby boy of Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. I knew Penelope Cruz as Tom Cruise's ex; before No Country For Old Men, I … [Read more...]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
November 23, 2010 By 10 Comments
Very rarely does a book get translated into a movie and survive the translation. More often than not, a lot of substance flies out the window to comply with cinematic … [Read more...]
The politics behind the Adam Lambert Manila concert
October 11, 2010 By 67 Comments
I don't watch American Idol. I didn't know who Adam Lambert was until AFTER he lost. Then, I watched the reruns and whatever videos I could find on Youtube mainly to … [Read more...]
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
October 4, 2010 By 9 Comments
The first time I saw the trailer many months ago, I knew I was going to see Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. How could I not? I love the 1987 original, and the same director … [Read more...]
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