Ten Thumbs UP!

Up is probably my most anticipated Pixar movie since The Incredibles (and yes, it's because I prefer animated movies featuring people instead of animals or inanimate objects because I'm unimaginative like that, LOL). And it finally hit Manila this week (again, why the delay?) so I (kinda) lined up to go watch cute Russell and the colorful balloons up in the sky (how can I resist balloons and clouds and blue skies?). :)

We all know the Pixar genius is in its appeal to kids of all ages, and Up delivers in true Pixar form. It is a touching movie interspersed with witty lines and humor and severe cuteness (Russell is just too adorable), and one that will manage to make you realize a thing or two about life.

If you wanna know what I gathered from it,

1. Sometimes, life gets in the way of our dreams. But sometimes it can give us much more happiness than any adventure can.
2. Material possessions should never be something to be attached to. Sometimes that in itself gets you stuck. And maybe the less attached to them you are, the higher up you can go.
   
3. Most people are deliberately annoying for a reason. And it's usually because they lack attention. Some deserve to be indulged (like Russell), but some should also just be ignored (like that former movie star). Moral of the story: if you have to be annoying, at least be sure you're doing it cutely. :)
   
4. In the same manner, some people are grouchy for a reason, and it's because life might have kept them on a perpetual bad mood. The bravest of us will dare tear that grouchiness facade down and provide a reason to be in a good mood again.
   
5. Leadership based on fear will never last. Leadership based on earned respect, on the other hand, does. Atta boy, Doug!
   
6. Sometimes, the villains in our lives are the ones we least expect them to be.
7. Sometimes all we really want to do is think only of ourselves. But where's the fun and adventure in that?
8. Age is just a number.
   
9. When you meet a talking dog and a colorful chocolate-eating bird, you can't not keep them. But sometimes those that we want and care about are happiest in situations when we have to let go of them.
   
10. South America is America!!! Only South!!!

If you have to watch just one animated movie this year, you should definitely make it Up! :)

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Time is Nothing. And The Time Traveler's Wife?

When I finally read Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife, I wasn't exactly blown away the way fans of the book were. It wasn't necessarily a bad book, and the central plot can never make the book average or ordinary. But while it won't make it to my list of favorite books, I still recognized the very unique, very original love story, and as a hopeless romantic, how can you tear yourself away from a story that narrates how to make an incredibly difficult love situation work?

For my thoughts on the book, and the movie,

In TTTW, I was most marveled not by the fact that Henry can time travel, but that there was a girl who has loved him, and only him, all of her life (reminds me of one girl in particular, no, not me :P). There is something incredibly romantic, albeit idealistic, about having thought of yourself in relation to only one partner in your entire life but Clare did so, even if it entailed lots of waiting, and lots and lots of patience. While some cynics may argue that this was forced to her as a six-year old, I'd like to believe she had a choice each and every time, to meet that time traveler at the meadow, and she could have easily opted not to. Henry too, after meeting Clare for the first time chronologically, had the choice not to believe her, but he did, and while their story is largely fatalistic, it never seemed forced on either Henry or Clare.

In an attempt to establish that amidst the couple's extraordinary situation, they still struggled to live normal lives, TTTW often seemed like it was bogged down with day-to-day details that I sometimes wish some things were made a little more grandstanded. Which is why I had such high hopes that the movie adaptation could come out much better than the book, given its inherent license for histrionics. Unfortunately, the movie chooses to be somewhat downplayed, when it could have shown the audience one powerful scene, after the other. I could go on and on about which particular scenes could have packed more punch but I might be killed for excessive spoilers (LOL).

Furthermore, the movie could have opted to deviate a little from the book and could have made that work (a happier ending would have been nice), and yet it chose to be quite faithful to it. While there were some cuts and tweaks, they were incredibly minor to be anything effective. Even that slight tweak to the finale seemed too faithful, and unfortunately less powerful, that maybe they should have just stuck to the book on that one. Or still added the book's finale as the final, final scene (which I secretly hoped was gonna be shown after the credits since it was my favorite part of the book). And why oh why did they even forget to use the "time is nothing" line (or did they, and I just didn't hear it?)?

And lastly, the effects could have used a little more work. While the vanishing effect for Henry is as good as it can get (at least for me), I wished they brought in the Benjamin Button crew for prosthetics because it is incredibly distracting to observe that a 20-something Henry had the same deep wrinkles as the 30-something and 40-something Henry. It was as if the movie capitalized on Eric Bana's boyish looks and then crossed its fingers the audience would be convinced enough with mere hair changes. And to think Brad Pitt was actually an executive producer in the movie so it was not difficult or far-fetched to have the movie tap into the Benjamin Button magic.

For all my complaints, it is still an Eric Bana movie (and I love Rachel McAdams too), and one I would have watched even if everyone had told me not to. Maybe the movie just thought of compensating for its shortcomings through Eric's multiple clothes-less vanishing scenes. So watch if you're an Eric Bana and/or Rachel McAdams fan or if you're too lazy to read the book (though the movie might confuse you if you haven't read the book) or if you really absolutely must see how the movie adaptation of the book is. Otherwise, maybe you are better off watching some other movie showing in town at the same time, like say, Up. :)

P. S. I agree with Buzzsugar, a TV series based on TTTW after the movie? Definitely overkill.

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My Favorite Birthday Greeting

I have a birthday cake from my favorite niece.

And then she thought she'd blow my birthday candle for me.

Except the cake's just too distracting! Makes the candle-blowing and birthday-singing such a hassle (did you not feel the annoyance?).

And then she went on to have a slice.

My fave birthday greeting today! Thanks Nischie. :) See you soon! Candy land, candy land. :)

My Very Literary Take on My Sister's Keeper

There are times in my life when I'm the mood to make myself cry (or try to), and for two years now, it always happens around July (because I always wanna check that I still have a heart before my birthday? :P). As if on cue, My Sister's Keeper comes to the big screen. I've heard good reviews on the book, knew a little about the story and thought I'd pull what I'd like to call a Kite Runner (i. e., watch the movie first, then have the movie convince me to read the book, the way The Kite Runner worked for me). Also, because I was of the impression it is a movie about sisters (something I can relate to because I heart my sister and would be willing to give her my kidney if she needs it, even if I'm scared sh*t of surgery), I really had high hopes it is the movie that finally makes me cry (unfortunately/fortunately, noone was willing to bet that I would).

So what happened? If you wanna know...

Imagine my disappointment when the movie did not even make a dent. I think part of it was the awareness that the movie had tearjerker strewn all over it, and me just being, well, me (totally empathy-challenged). After reading about the differences between the movie and the book (thank you, wikipedia), I realized it was because the movie played out quite expectedly. And while I usually prefer that movies are not that faithful to the books they were spun from, I actually wished this particular one stayed faithful to the ending.

This post does not purport to justify one sister's death over the other (and now, I read like a risk disclosure statement? :D). After all, it is particularly difficult to think of death as justified, especially that of a young girl. However, from a completely literary perspective, there is an element of surprise in the book's ending, and it is it that could have brought out more emotions, mine in particular.

I'm not a fan of Jodi Picoult, but after reading the book, I can now see how a fan can be enraged with how the movie adaptation completely ripped off the book. In fairness to the movie though, to capture what makes the book a good read is incredibly tough. Because the central conflict is such a morally, ethically and emotionally gray matter, the devil is truly in the details, in the introspective look into the characters, which is not something easy to capture visibly, except in the form of memories (which the movie had a loooot of). The good thing about the movie though is that it attempted to eject humor and playfulness amidst such sad circumstances better than the book did.

As with most adaptations, the movie also had to sacrifice some subplots for conciseness and so the movie won't run 4 hours long (duh!). The most notable of these left out subplots is the Campbell-Julia love story (the lawyer and the guardian ad litem who is not even in the movie). While I like their story, I appreciate its exclusion from the movie because it focused the spotlight on the Taylor-Kate love story (that the book rushed), which is just simply sweet and cute, however short-lived. :(

Armed with a hindsight of 20/20, would I have watched the movie after having read the book? Probably out of curiosity, but not with as much eagerness. I'm hoping the next movie I see based on a book turns out to be much better than the book.

Now go ahead and make my wish come true, The Time Traveler's Wife. ;)

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Royal Pains: My Kind of House Call

What exactly is a concierge doctor? This was the question on my mind when I was told about this new show called Royal Pains about the life and adventures of a concierge doctor. Apparently, a concierge doctor is a doctor that makes house calls to the richy-rich. In Royal Pains, the doctor is named Hank (a former E. R. doctor who got fired from his hospital job) who lands the gig while visiting the Hamptons en route to full-blown (and thankfully avoided) existential crisis.

With all the medical shows out there, it's easy to dismiss Royal Pains as yet another one of them and not bother. Big mistake. Because of all the new medical shows, Royal Pains is now my new favorite and top recommendation (i. e., over Mental, Hawthorne, and Nurse Jackie). It's perfect for when you're captivated with Dr. Owen Hunt's job in Grey's Anatomy (who is a trauma surgeon, not an E. R. doc, but whose work seems similar albeit much more bloody), enjoy playing Amateur Surgeon (because Hank sometimes uses everyday stuff as substitute for actual medical equipment though I have yet to see him use a pizza cutter in lieu of a scalpel), and miss Privileged (Me, me, me! All me!).

The dialogue is also exceptionally witty, and I especially enjoy the verbal sparring between Evan (Hank's brother, a. k. a. Standout Sidekick of the Year) and Divya (Hank's Physician Assistant, err, Associate). I am rooting for them to end up together because I'm all for the belief in the thin line between love and hate (Yihee! Hahaha).


While the Jill-Hank relationship drama is a bit forced and cliche, I actually still like them as a couple. I just wished the writers spiced up Jill's situation so that it makes it seem impossible for Hank and Jill to be together. Because getting scared of getting hurt again is so not made-for-TV relationship drama. However, to compensate for the drag in Hank's lovelife, the other supporting roles are all quite interesting, from the young couple Tucker and Libby (I love Libby, she's so cute!) to Miss "New Parts" Newberg, and even Boris (and the mysteries that surround him).

I definitely prescribe it! The eighth episode is airing soon (just in time for me to finish the other episodes) and I can't wait to watch and find out what has happened to Hank and his posse and clients. Also very happy to know that Royal Pains is getting a second season. And hopefully, many more afterwards. :)