This may give you an impression that the Japanese are weird. That's because you have a Western/non-Japanese background.
But yeah, in Christian contexts, this is a no-no, as you (usually males) are putting yourself in a situation where you could be tempted, at least to entertain thoughts violating "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife..." or "Thou shalt not commit adultery..."
Anyway, read this article first: http://www.vanityfair.com/online/style/2008/10/naked-sushi.html
Did you know? The French are predominantly Catholic.
Anyways, it turns out it's somewhere between US$ 100 to 300 to do this, and that's exclusive of something like a mandatory tip of 18% and taxes, and other extras. No, this is legal, and no, you can't touch the "plate." You do have chopsticks. But it would be rude as you are here to eat sushi in a different way.
Of course there are places-a-plenty like this in Japan. Anyway, if you're in New York, check out this out:
http://www.nyotaimori-ny.com/
Monday, November 10, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
[Movie Review] Once (2006)
This is an indie music-movie (almost like a musical; similar to Music and Lyrics starring Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant) about an aspiring singer-songwriter and a girl he meets with whom he shares the same talent and passion for music. Cool. I love music, I am a singer-songwriter myself. For that, this was interesting.
WAS.
I slept on this movie. The songs are so melancholic. It became dragging to a certain point. Perhaps that was the point of the movie. If so, then it's a great movie. That I slept on.
I rate this a 2. It's a must watch only for very, very, very serious movie lovers.
WAS.
I slept on this movie. The songs are so melancholic. It became dragging to a certain point. Perhaps that was the point of the movie. If so, then it's a great movie. That I slept on.
I rate this a 2. It's a must watch only for very, very, very serious movie lovers.
Monday, October 27, 2008
[Book Review] How to Mend a Broken Heart (by Nelson Dy)
Not what I thought it would be. I expected something general, something to really heal broken hearts of all sorts. I do know this is a Christian book.
But this thing is targeted at male nerds/dorks who are already at their mid-30s to 40s and yet haven't hooked up yet. Not applicable to me! Sadly? Well, this also applies to young teeners and 20-something guys who are already "looking." In short, this applies to BOYS, not MEN.
By nerds/dorks/boys, I meant those who do not know how to win at least one girl's heart. And that is, a girl he likes. Because low-EQ nerds/dorks could settle for someone they don't really like, and well, problems could come like flash floods in the middle of the dark night (i.e. married life). Hopefully, this book encourages low-EQ people not to be low-EQ. Ha! As if that's not difficult.
The author was broken-hearted because he did not know what to do, and he wasn't yet ready (in terms of personality, spirituality, etc.), and yet he was barking at the wrong tree. That girl wasn't the right person for her but... if he knew what to do and he was the person he should be, i.e. a good Christian man and not just a nice guy, the girl could have fallen head-over-heels for him even though he didn't have as much money as that other guy, and she would've become the best person for her. Oh well.
But, with an open mind, there are some new stuff you could learn here and there. Like the story of David and Jonathan, or Ruth and Naomi and Mara--If you don't already know their story. Or, there's this one advice at the end for guys. The book says that as The Man in the relationship, it is your task to make your partner and future wife (if not yet your current wife) be SSS. That is, Satisfied, Safe, and Spiritual. You will want to be the man she likes. If not, you shouldn't be with her! You want to provide for her. You want her to feel secure. Financially, yes. Emotionally, too. And not only from evil outside elements. Like you don't let her walk down unsafe streets. But you also make her feel safe with YOU. So you should also control your temper. And by doing that, you are leading by example. You should also lead prayers, read scripture, attend mass and go to church at least weekly - and you bring her along on the ride.
I also like the story at the end - the story about a nice, Christian couple, who had a big fight over parking... There's a moral to that story. I am not sharing the whole story so that you have some reason to buy the book for.
Nonetheless, I do not recommend this book if you're looking to mend a broken heart. Instead, if you want to pick up a few Christian teachings or two, you could get it from this book. Or, if you are a male nerd/dork (God bless you more if you are humble enough to admit that) or a young boy at heart, whether you're 13 or 30 or already dirty, buy this book. Perhaps this is something I could have used maybe 6 to 10 years back. Because although I was already 25, I didn't know better yet, and I put myself at a huge risk of getting a broken heart. And so I became broken-hearted. I was still a nerd/dork; a "little boy" who had false illusions about love brought about by varying environmental factors. Although all the while, I knew I wasn't yet good enough. I wasn't yet the man that I should have been. After then, I started reading, and those helped.
What then is better reading for male adults (i.e. 25 and older for Filipinos)? These three books are better than HTMABH by Nelson Dy:
1. Wild At Heart by John Eldredge
2. For Men Only by Shaunti Feldhahn and Jeff Feldhahn
3. The Bible by GOD
But this thing is targeted at male nerds/dorks who are already at their mid-30s to 40s and yet haven't hooked up yet. Not applicable to me! Sadly? Well, this also applies to young teeners and 20-something guys who are already "looking." In short, this applies to BOYS, not MEN.
By nerds/dorks/boys, I meant those who do not know how to win at least one girl's heart. And that is, a girl he likes. Because low-EQ nerds/dorks could settle for someone they don't really like, and well, problems could come like flash floods in the middle of the dark night (i.e. married life). Hopefully, this book encourages low-EQ people not to be low-EQ. Ha! As if that's not difficult.
The author was broken-hearted because he did not know what to do, and he wasn't yet ready (in terms of personality, spirituality, etc.), and yet he was barking at the wrong tree. That girl wasn't the right person for her but... if he knew what to do and he was the person he should be, i.e. a good Christian man and not just a nice guy, the girl could have fallen head-over-heels for him even though he didn't have as much money as that other guy, and she would've become the best person for her. Oh well.
But, with an open mind, there are some new stuff you could learn here and there. Like the story of David and Jonathan, or Ruth and Naomi and Mara--If you don't already know their story. Or, there's this one advice at the end for guys. The book says that as The Man in the relationship, it is your task to make your partner and future wife (if not yet your current wife) be SSS. That is, Satisfied, Safe, and Spiritual. You will want to be the man she likes. If not, you shouldn't be with her! You want to provide for her. You want her to feel secure. Financially, yes. Emotionally, too. And not only from evil outside elements. Like you don't let her walk down unsafe streets. But you also make her feel safe with YOU. So you should also control your temper. And by doing that, you are leading by example. You should also lead prayers, read scripture, attend mass and go to church at least weekly - and you bring her along on the ride.
I also like the story at the end - the story about a nice, Christian couple, who had a big fight over parking... There's a moral to that story. I am not sharing the whole story so that you have some reason to buy the book for.
Nonetheless, I do not recommend this book if you're looking to mend a broken heart. Instead, if you want to pick up a few Christian teachings or two, you could get it from this book. Or, if you are a male nerd/dork (God bless you more if you are humble enough to admit that) or a young boy at heart, whether you're 13 or 30 or already dirty, buy this book. Perhaps this is something I could have used maybe 6 to 10 years back. Because although I was already 25, I didn't know better yet, and I put myself at a huge risk of getting a broken heart. And so I became broken-hearted. I was still a nerd/dork; a "little boy" who had false illusions about love brought about by varying environmental factors. Although all the while, I knew I wasn't yet good enough. I wasn't yet the man that I should have been. After then, I started reading, and those helped.
What then is better reading for male adults (i.e. 25 and older for Filipinos)? These three books are better than HTMABH by Nelson Dy:
1. Wild At Heart by John Eldredge
2. For Men Only by Shaunti Feldhahn and Jeff Feldhahn
3. The Bible by GOD
Monday, October 06, 2008
[Musical Reviews] West Side Story (2008, Philippines) versus Avenue Q (2007, Philippines)
What's a musical made of? One of the producers of this West Side Story said that they have trainers for singing, acting, and dancing.
What can I say about this West Side Story? Christian Bautista is a good singer. That's it.
One word comes to mind. Stiff.
But, he's just the money maker in the group (to appeal to the masses). I would think if he does this more often, obviously he can make it big time... in acting and dancing. Of course, remaking popular ballads is the sure money maker. So doing this was a little bit of a risk for him. Kudos to him.
Anyway, I think the problem with Christian Bautista (I saw the very first showing on opening night) was that he was concentrating on his vocals. I would have thought that in stage musicals, the singing would be secondary (i.e. it comes naturally) to the actor-dancers.
Joanna Ampil of course is a given, though now I think I would've loved to see how Kyril (correct spelling?) did her Maria.
By the way, what does "Teodoro" mean? I know that's Spanish for Theodore. But apparently, it was being used to mean something like "goodbye" or "see you again soon" or "I love you."
We got West Side Story tickets for just P500 and well, I saw Avenue Q by a different production outfit and starring Aiza Seguerra as Gary Coleman also for the same amount. It was worth all 50,000 centavos for Avenue Q. I cannot say the same for West Side Story.
Now talking about Aiza Seguerra. Through Avenue Q, I thought most Filipino actors are better theatre actors and less of film actors. I did say most Filipino actors. I think Aiza is one of those.
In any case, I liked having to watch these two and I would love to see more from Filipinos.
By the way, maybe it mattered that I watched West Side Story at the Meralco Theatre, where you can really see how short the actors are to be playing Caucasian characters (and you have larger expectations about the sound system - which failed). For Avenue Q, I saw it at the RCBC (Makati) Theatre which was much smaller than Meralco - but for the scale I think it was just right. :-D
Oh, I guess what makes West Side Story worth P500 is the live music played by... The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra? I forgot who. I guess they're the saving grace of the night (and the show).
Problem with Avenue Q - there's a little bit of sex there although it was hidden behind puppets and symbols. So it's not for everyone.
If you're an adult, Avenue Q is very entertaining, I give it a rating of 4 (must-watch!). If you do not yet have the mind of an adult, you might just say bad things about Avenue Q, so steer clear of it.
If you're not deaf, West Side Story is a 3; a must watch for theatre/stage/play/musicals lovers or for those who can afford it. Not worth it.
What can I say about this West Side Story? Christian Bautista is a good singer. That's it.
One word comes to mind. Stiff.
But, he's just the money maker in the group (to appeal to the masses). I would think if he does this more often, obviously he can make it big time... in acting and dancing. Of course, remaking popular ballads is the sure money maker. So doing this was a little bit of a risk for him. Kudos to him.
Anyway, I think the problem with Christian Bautista (I saw the very first showing on opening night) was that he was concentrating on his vocals. I would have thought that in stage musicals, the singing would be secondary (i.e. it comes naturally) to the actor-dancers.
Joanna Ampil of course is a given, though now I think I would've loved to see how Kyril (correct spelling?) did her Maria.
By the way, what does "Teodoro" mean? I know that's Spanish for Theodore. But apparently, it was being used to mean something like "goodbye" or "see you again soon" or "I love you."
We got West Side Story tickets for just P500 and well, I saw Avenue Q by a different production outfit and starring Aiza Seguerra as Gary Coleman also for the same amount. It was worth all 50,000 centavos for Avenue Q. I cannot say the same for West Side Story.
Now talking about Aiza Seguerra. Through Avenue Q, I thought most Filipino actors are better theatre actors and less of film actors. I did say most Filipino actors. I think Aiza is one of those.
In any case, I liked having to watch these two and I would love to see more from Filipinos.
By the way, maybe it mattered that I watched West Side Story at the Meralco Theatre, where you can really see how short the actors are to be playing Caucasian characters (and you have larger expectations about the sound system - which failed). For Avenue Q, I saw it at the RCBC (Makati) Theatre which was much smaller than Meralco - but for the scale I think it was just right. :-D
Oh, I guess what makes West Side Story worth P500 is the live music played by... The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra? I forgot who. I guess they're the saving grace of the night (and the show).
Problem with Avenue Q - there's a little bit of sex there although it was hidden behind puppets and symbols. So it's not for everyone.
If you're an adult, Avenue Q is very entertaining, I give it a rating of 4 (must-watch!). If you do not yet have the mind of an adult, you might just say bad things about Avenue Q, so steer clear of it.
If you're not deaf, West Side Story is a 3; a must watch for theatre/stage/play/musicals lovers or for those who can afford it. Not worth it.
[Movie Reviews] Adam Sandler x2
There is something about Adam Sandler movies.
On the surface, they are usually comedies. In Shakespearean parlance,
that is true. A play (in this case, a film) is usually a comedy (happy
ending) or a tragedy (people die, or something not desireable happens at
the end).
But like many good plays or movies and novels, comedies usually have a
theme - and a "moral lesson" to wit.
The one Adam Sandler movie that I recall - or actually the one line that
I've heard from one Adam Sandler movie that I always recall - is from
Big Daddy. It goes something like, "When you're in love, you change
schedules."
So true. I mean behind all the funny lines and sometimes slapstick
comedy, there's that lesson in Big Daddy. And that's just one. But if
you can recall from a very old prustrations post, I said something to
that effect: You might love basketball and you might be playing
basketball every Tuesday night, but when you have a family already or
for example when a parent is very ill, you might be playing less
basketball and all, and it's not that you love basketball less, but it's
just that other priorities come up. You might love your work, but when
Love comes, your work is still as important but it may take a back seat
and settle for a silver medal.
Now there's this other Adam Sandler movie which I expected to be a
comedy - a romantic comedy, in fact. 50 First Dates. Oh, from the
title alone, it feels like the perfect, feel-good date movie. I was
wrong.
Again, behind all the funny lines, it is actually a drama. It is a
must-see (a 4) on my scale, whereas Big Daddy might be for movie-lovers
only (a 3 on my scale). The theme of the movie? True love. By the dad
and by the brother. And by the former-playboy lover. Could you imagine
yourself loving someone like Lucy? Characters like Lucy are very rare
so it is difficult to answer that question. Instead, look at your
partner or your friend or your mother or father or your boss or whoever.
What "flaws" does he/she have? And can you live with that day-to-day?
I mean sure, if it is something that needs to be changed, you do
something about it. But what do you do? How do you do it? And what if
you can't change it?
The thing is, I like these movies that surprise me. This is one of
them. Go surprise yourself also, if you haven't yet seen this. :-)
Monday, September 29, 2008
[Movie Review] The Dark Knight
Great entertaining movie!
Lots of quotable quotes. Lots of philosophy behind it. In fact, it's the differences in philosophy between Batman, Harvey Dent (Two Face), and Joker that makes the plot revolve here. If you will read this other review of this movie, you will see what I'm talking about - just what sort of stuff you can get from this; what sort of questions and discussions you can make out of it.
A radio show here in the Philippines ("Good Times with Mo" on Magic 89.9) even played a game on their show called "Batman or (President) GMA?" The quotes from The Dark Knight could be mistaken as part of The President's SONA (State of the Nation Address) speech. And vice versa.
Another blog review I found says the same thing, that Batman and Joker epitomize two philosophies, one of Hope and the other of destruction. True. But this blog concludes that man by nature is good. Let's dissect that: I think we were born with desire for worldly things just as at our very core we are like animals born with instinct, but ultimately it is our God-given minds and free will, developed (or otherwise) through our social environments when we grow up, which decide which way to go. Because I think if we were naturally good, can you imagine what this world will be like? God would want us to choose the right, but he gives us that choice. I think then that we are born amoral, and it is very important for our parents and whoever brings us up in this world to teach us, to lead us to the "good way." But when we are born, we can't choose our parents/guardians nor what they will teach us; we can only choose what we teach the newborns and young ones - when we are the parents and guardians. Wow, this is so off-topic. We are talking about The Dark Knight and now we are talking about parenthood. This is what The Dark Knight does - it poses lots of questions, it creates discussions, it is Hollywood entertainment of a different kind. The kind that I think The Matrix (and sequels), and Minority Report poses. Well if you're not so dense about it. But yeah, on the surface, this is an enjoyable, entertaining movie. You can leave it at that.
[Spoiler alert on the next paragraph!]
Overall, I liked it. The Joker has been played well by the actor. Some funny lines in there actually. Funniest line must be that one in the end. "You complete me."
Some comments though.
It is a little bit of a funny thing that Batman's voice becomes hoarse when he is Batman, and it's normal when he is Bruce Wayne. The weirdest. And those motorcycle tires are huge. I can't imagine how that thing can go fast, lift itself up on walls, or maneuver itself like it did. Weird!
And if you will visit that same blog I was talking about above, you'll find a comment there from a Christian standpoint. My view on that is this: you watch any movie with newly sharpened Christian hearts, eyes, and ears. Or else you will get the wrong message. In this movie, there are good things and there are bad things. You pick the good things, and recognize the bad things so that you may avoid having to have them in your own lives. The good and the bad may come from one character. For example, given a character who does all that is good, except he uses the Lord's name in vain - you know from a religious standpoint that doing that (using the Lord's name in vain) is not right, so you don't do that. But for what other good he does, you take note of that. Get it?
But this is definitely a must-watch movie (four out of four stars), but bring your newly sharpened Christian hearts, eyes, and ears to the movie house. Because there is a lot of philosophy in there; a lot of thought-provoking bits. You have to put yourself in one of them. You have to make a stand. You have to be someone.
P.S. I thought this line originally by Edmund Burke, an English philosopher, "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing," came out in The Dark Knight. I am not so sure now. Maybe in Batman Begins? Anyway, when you do a search for this quote on Google, you will get a lot of Batman/Dark Knight reviews. I'm getting somewhere.
Lots of quotable quotes. Lots of philosophy behind it. In fact, it's the differences in philosophy between Batman, Harvey Dent (Two Face), and Joker that makes the plot revolve here. If you will read this other review of this movie, you will see what I'm talking about - just what sort of stuff you can get from this; what sort of questions and discussions you can make out of it.
A radio show here in the Philippines ("Good Times with Mo" on Magic 89.9) even played a game on their show called "Batman or (President) GMA?" The quotes from The Dark Knight could be mistaken as part of The President's SONA (State of the Nation Address) speech. And vice versa.
Another blog review I found says the same thing, that Batman and Joker epitomize two philosophies, one of Hope and the other of destruction. True. But this blog concludes that man by nature is good. Let's dissect that: I think we were born with desire for worldly things just as at our very core we are like animals born with instinct, but ultimately it is our God-given minds and free will, developed (or otherwise) through our social environments when we grow up, which decide which way to go. Because I think if we were naturally good, can you imagine what this world will be like? God would want us to choose the right, but he gives us that choice. I think then that we are born amoral, and it is very important for our parents and whoever brings us up in this world to teach us, to lead us to the "good way." But when we are born, we can't choose our parents/guardians nor what they will teach us; we can only choose what we teach the newborns and young ones - when we are the parents and guardians. Wow, this is so off-topic. We are talking about The Dark Knight and now we are talking about parenthood. This is what The Dark Knight does - it poses lots of questions, it creates discussions, it is Hollywood entertainment of a different kind. The kind that I think The Matrix (and sequels), and Minority Report poses. Well if you're not so dense about it. But yeah, on the surface, this is an enjoyable, entertaining movie. You can leave it at that.
[Spoiler alert on the next paragraph!]
Overall, I liked it. The Joker has been played well by the actor. Some funny lines in there actually. Funniest line must be that one in the end. "You complete me."
Some comments though.
It is a little bit of a funny thing that Batman's voice becomes hoarse when he is Batman, and it's normal when he is Bruce Wayne. The weirdest. And those motorcycle tires are huge. I can't imagine how that thing can go fast, lift itself up on walls, or maneuver itself like it did. Weird!
And if you will visit that same blog I was talking about above, you'll find a comment there from a Christian standpoint. My view on that is this: you watch any movie with newly sharpened Christian hearts, eyes, and ears. Or else you will get the wrong message. In this movie, there are good things and there are bad things. You pick the good things, and recognize the bad things so that you may avoid having to have them in your own lives. The good and the bad may come from one character. For example, given a character who does all that is good, except he uses the Lord's name in vain - you know from a religious standpoint that doing that (using the Lord's name in vain) is not right, so you don't do that. But for what other good he does, you take note of that. Get it?
But this is definitely a must-watch movie (four out of four stars), but bring your newly sharpened Christian hearts, eyes, and ears to the movie house. Because there is a lot of philosophy in there; a lot of thought-provoking bits. You have to put yourself in one of them. You have to make a stand. You have to be someone.
P.S. I thought this line originally by Edmund Burke, an English philosopher, "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing," came out in The Dark Knight. I am not so sure now. Maybe in Batman Begins? Anyway, when you do a search for this quote on Google, you will get a lot of Batman/Dark Knight reviews. I'm getting somewhere.
[Movie Review] A Love Story
Wow. The twist in this movie alone make me give this movie a must-watch. There are really good mainstream (i.e. not film fest material) Filipino movies out there. For what this innovates on in terms of... plot(?) or whatever, this is a good movie. I do think there was a point when the movie should have ended already (or was that another movie), but like many mainstream Filipino movies, it has to have a happy ending that everyone could understand what happens. Well, check it out for yourself. Maybe I am confusing it with another movie (talking about where it should have ended).
P.S. This is different from the 1970 American movie, "Love Story" - you know, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." Although here, that same line applies.
P.S. This is different from the 1970 American movie, "Love Story" - you know, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." Although here, that same line applies.
[Movie Review] A Very Special Love
This is a movie which I did not have any expectations on and yet it surprised me with the good and appropriate acting, and the appealing pop love-romance script/plot. It is a fun, feel-good movie worth every penny, when all you're looking for is... fun. and to feel good. :-)
[Movie Review] For The First Time
This is not my review. But because of a friend's "review" of this movie, I am not watching this movie. Maybe you might be convinced that your money is better spent on important or more interesting things. Here is her review (paraphrased):
Richard can't act. This doesn't have the same appeal as "A Very Special Love."
Richard can't act. This doesn't have the same appeal as "A Very Special Love."
Monday, September 15, 2008
[RAW] Web access via e-mail
This might be confusing for some of you - Google gets confused itself about this.
When I was searching for a web-to-mail service, all I got from Google was links to mail-to-web services such as, well, www.mail2web.com, and Gmail, etc.
Somehow, somewhere, maybe through Google also, I was able to find www.web2mail.com. It's a relatively new service and in fact, the same website didn't used-to-offer the service; it was providing other services. Nonetheless, I could now shout:
"Eureka!"
At the office, I am not able to access the web because management saw other people opening up their Yahoo! mail during office hours. Well, you still can't check your Yahoo! mail through this service, but you can get other (static) web pages which contain much needed (or much wanted) information!
Downside? It only downloads the HTML (the text); it doesn't download images. I hope they upgrade this soon.
[CPC websites]
When I was searching for a web-to-mail service, all I got from Google was links to mail-to-web services such as, well, www.mail2web.com, and Gmail, etc.
Somehow, somewhere, maybe through Google also, I was able to find www.web2mail.com. It's a relatively new service and in fact, the same website didn't used-to-offer the service; it was providing other services. Nonetheless, I could now shout:
"Eureka!"
At the office, I am not able to access the web because management saw other people opening up their Yahoo! mail during office hours. Well, you still can't check your Yahoo! mail through this service, but you can get other (static) web pages which contain much needed (or much wanted) information!
Downside? It only downloads the HTML (the text); it doesn't download images. I hope they upgrade this soon.
[CPC websites]
Saturday, February 02, 2008
[Movie Review] Anastasia (1997)
I got the chance to see Anastasia, a 1997 film by Warner Bros. I think.
With my mind wandering around a bit at the start of the movie watching, the first thing that came to mind (as it has come to mind when I first heard about this movie) is that "oh it's another Disney movie."
Watching the film closely, I came to realize it's not a Disney movie. And suddenly, my appreciation for Disney movies grew exponentially.
Anastasia is not a great movie. Not by my Disney-movie standards.
Story-wise, it's fine. But I guess it doesn't also meet Disney movie standards, that's why it's not a Disney movie. How it was crafted - there are some good points for a movie created back in 1997. But overall, no thanks.
I rate it a 2/4: watch it only if you have free time, out of curiosity maybe.
By the way, I'm slightly revising my ratings system as follows:
1 - DON'T BOTHER TO WATCH, IT'S A WASTE OF YOUR TIME.
2 - Watch it only at home on DVD or if you have absolutely nothing else to do.
3 - DON'T PAY TO WATCH THIS MOVIE if you're not a movie lover, or well, it's a MUST-WATCH FOR MOVIE LOVERS.
4 - MUST WATCH FOR EVERYONE! GO WATCH IT NOW! :-)
[sub-label: CPC general, CPC movies]
With my mind wandering around a bit at the start of the movie watching, the first thing that came to mind (as it has come to mind when I first heard about this movie) is that "oh it's another Disney movie."
Watching the film closely, I came to realize it's not a Disney movie. And suddenly, my appreciation for Disney movies grew exponentially.
Anastasia is not a great movie. Not by my Disney-movie standards.
Story-wise, it's fine. But I guess it doesn't also meet Disney movie standards, that's why it's not a Disney movie. How it was crafted - there are some good points for a movie created back in 1997. But overall, no thanks.
I rate it a 2/4: watch it only if you have free time, out of curiosity maybe.
By the way, I'm slightly revising my ratings system as follows:
1 - DON'T BOTHER TO WATCH, IT'S A WASTE OF YOUR TIME.
2 - Watch it only at home on DVD or if you have absolutely nothing else to do.
3 - DON'T PAY TO WATCH THIS MOVIE if you're not a movie lover, or well, it's a MUST-WATCH FOR MOVIE LOVERS.
4 - MUST WATCH FOR EVERYONE! GO WATCH IT NOW! :-)
[sub-label: CPC general, CPC movies]
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
[Movie Review] I Am Legend
I will rate movies according to a scale of 1 to 4:
1. don't bother. it's a waste of your time.
2. put on your to-watch-when-i'm-free list (no need to watch except if you have nothing to do).
3. must-watch for movie lovers.
4. must-watch (now! on the big screen!) for everyone!
I Am Legend, starring Will Smith, is a 3. It's a 1 for those who do not like watching "horror" films. This isn't one, but... You might get nightmares because of this.
The movie poses a philosophical question: what if the long-awaited and much-needed cure for cancer or some other centuries-old-uncurable disease has been found, but has very serious consequences? In this case, it was almost magically found... And as we humans tend to not be able to do - predict the future - we do not know that it has a genocidal effect on the whole human race as we know it.
I guess that's one thing this movie should remind us. We might have little success as "predicting" the future, but we really can't. Not accurately at least.
And that's where the movie suddenly "injects" (pardon the pun) its magical healing serum: that about the existence of a higher being, "the" God, the one and only, the Almighty, who has everything perfectly planned, and who only really ultimately desires the salvation of all his creations, and most especially the human race. Some groups and authors (Christian groups and authors in particular) might say, that's what God does. He puts us under the burning sun, so that we can appreciate the cold. He puts us to carry heavy burdens, so that we can see that what we often times consider as "heavy" is only really pebbles for others. Apparently, what this movie might imply is that, there is a reason - God has a reason - for everything. The cure, the virus, the loss of loved ones, being helped by an unknown friend, death, and so on.
Sometimes, we might think, "we" have found the cure. But have "we" really? Or someone (i.e. God, nature) has had it for so long, and we just didn't pay attention. Should "we" take credit for something we didn't really create? Should we take credit for our "intelligences."
Wow, it is only now I see the philosophical undertones of this movie. While I was watching it, I was enjoying it. It is a movie after all. And now, I write these things...
I've seen such kind of philosophical undertones in other great movies - like Minority Report, The Matrix, etc. Oops, I give I Am Legend a rating of 4. It's a great movie, inside and out. Go watch it now!
[sub-label: CPC general, CPC movies]
1. don't bother. it's a waste of your time.
2. put on your to-watch-when-i'm-free list (no need to watch except if you have nothing to do).
3. must-watch for movie lovers.
4. must-watch (now! on the big screen!) for everyone!
I Am Legend, starring Will Smith, is a 3. It's a 1 for those who do not like watching "horror" films. This isn't one, but... You might get nightmares because of this.
The movie poses a philosophical question: what if the long-awaited and much-needed cure for cancer or some other centuries-old-uncurable disease has been found, but has very serious consequences? In this case, it was almost magically found... And as we humans tend to not be able to do - predict the future - we do not know that it has a genocidal effect on the whole human race as we know it.
I guess that's one thing this movie should remind us. We might have little success as "predicting" the future, but we really can't. Not accurately at least.
And that's where the movie suddenly "injects" (pardon the pun) its magical healing serum: that about the existence of a higher being, "the" God, the one and only, the Almighty, who has everything perfectly planned, and who only really ultimately desires the salvation of all his creations, and most especially the human race. Some groups and authors (Christian groups and authors in particular) might say, that's what God does. He puts us under the burning sun, so that we can appreciate the cold. He puts us to carry heavy burdens, so that we can see that what we often times consider as "heavy" is only really pebbles for others. Apparently, what this movie might imply is that, there is a reason - God has a reason - for everything. The cure, the virus, the loss of loved ones, being helped by an unknown friend, death, and so on.
Sometimes, we might think, "we" have found the cure. But have "we" really? Or someone (i.e. God, nature) has had it for so long, and we just didn't pay attention. Should "we" take credit for something we didn't really create? Should we take credit for our "intelligences."
Wow, it is only now I see the philosophical undertones of this movie. While I was watching it, I was enjoying it. It is a movie after all. And now, I write these things...
I've seen such kind of philosophical undertones in other great movies - like Minority Report, The Matrix, etc. Oops, I give I Am Legend a rating of 4. It's a great movie, inside and out. Go watch it now!
[sub-label: CPC general, CPC movies]
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