Welcome to one of the new series here at The Parody which will feature the movies I’ll end up choosing for those special Friday nights. I can’t say I’ll be writing movie reviews but I reckon I just might in my own little way.

Accommodating my new work schedule, I’ve managed to make time to catch the last full show on a Friday night. Things usually would run late and I’d only be able to get off work around 11pm which would give me roughly around a quarter or half an hour to get to the cinema just in the nick of time.

This routine started a couple of weeks ago when I dragged a couple people — hallo J and P! — to see The Ugly Truth.

It’s a chick flick, yes, but it was the first movie (in a long time!) that J (a guy) didn’t fall asleep. I’m telling you, that’s saying a lot! It’s one of the better romantic comedies I’ve seen to date and it’s such a fun movie to watch since you’ll find yourself LOLing a lot throughout the movie.

Scene that I didn’t particularly like was the bit wherein they’re on board a hot air balloon. The climax turned bland, IMHO. Good thing a lot of the smaller details that made the movie both hilarious and cheesy-romantic made the over-all experience memorable. I came out of the cinema fully entertained.

Last night, it was just a spontaneous decision to watch a movie that we (hallo, K!) actually made a dash for it (slightly exaggerated, of course, but you get the picture) just to catch the last showing in time (er, sort of). This time, it’s 500 Days of Summer.

I loved the movie because the I loved the story and how it was told. It’s a story about love. It’s a story about heartbreak. It’s a story about finding love’s meaning.

It’s a movie which comes closest to how love and relationships are (should be) defined and depicted. It shows how love (and a relationship) can be or is caustic and how it helps you see the bigger picture. It’s a movie that I don’t mind watching again and again. It doesn’t hurt that it has an awesome soundtrack.

Going to the movies is one of my preferred ways to de-stress and relax. A reward for a week’s worth of rendered work, both online and off. My own way of restoring a bit of sanity. I guess, it’s a much welcomed break. Doing something which is totally unrelated to any of my work, helps calm myself down to a certain level wherein ungluing won’t be too difficult.

Two films that helped kick off the Friday night movie series. I’m looking to share the movies I’d get to see on a Friday night from now on — in the hope to push myself to blog more frequently here in my personal blog. LOL.

How about you? What special thing do you do on a Friday night? Have you seen these movies? What sort of movie do you usually go for? If not movies, what do you usually do to de-stress? Come, let’s talk!

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For the past few weeks I’ve been addicted to watching series. Let me give you a quick run down on what I’ve been immersing myself with.

1. CSI Miami, Season 5

I’ve got to admit, I didn’t really expect I’d get hooked on this CSI series. I loved the original CSI Las Vegas. And I found David Caruso’s take on his character Horatio to be so funny that I had a hard time digesting the drama. I believe Jim Carey was able to hit the nail right on its head when he did his impression — him doing a Caruso-doing-Horatio — over at the David Letterman Show.

Rico didn’t make it any easier to watch since I couldn’t help but roll my eyes over his smirking and taunting whenever we reach a scene when Horatio/Caruso does his thing. LOL. Oh, dear. I really don’t know who to blame, the actor or the director. Heh.

2. CSI New York, Season 3

Why, oh, why did they choose Baba O’Riley by The Who as the theme song?

I know that the song is quite popular (covered by the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mr. Big, Grateful Dead and The Flaming Lips) but it’s not a song I’d associate with New York, that’s all. Well, that’s just me.

3. Grey’s Anatomy, Season 3

I’m totally addicted to this TV series. I’ve now watched all three seasons and I’m so looking forward to the 4th season. Imagine my excitement when I found out that it’s starting on the 27th! I wonder if they’ll be airing it simultaneously across the globe. Otherwise, I’ll be waiting for the complete streaming months and months from now. Ah, well. I’ll try not to think about it too much.

4. Heroes, Season 1

Believe it or not, I finished all 23 episodes in less than 2 days. I actually sat through 21 episodes straight through. I’m your everyday couch potato, yeah? LOL. Can you believe that I’m actually on my way to starting on Rome II? Hehe.

Oh, I did watch films, too. They were Nomad, National Lampoon’s Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj, Evan Almighty, The Condemned, Grey Matters, The Shawshank Redemption and Marie Antoinette. I’m still trying to remember the rest but I can’t. Gah. But I reckon you have an idea on just how much time I’ve spent not blogging, yes? Funny cuz I did manage to meet my 6 posts a week across 4 blogs quota and a few more here and there. And there is the matter of going out on dates, attending events, processing photos, and reading Harry Potter (I’m on book 5 now, btw). Oh, yes. I still sleep and eat and check my email. Hehe.

Now that I’ve managed to break down how I spend my time, I’m quite surprised at just how much I’ve managed to cram in. Egad.

What about you? What do you do when you’re not blogging?

Images courtesy of impawards.com, wikipedia.com

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It’s quite funny, actually, cuz I remember when I went to Australia without my copy, I endeavoured to buy a new one simply because I had wanted to read it again. LOL. Also, during that same time, I had wondered, nay, wished that they’d make a film out of the book, so, imagine my elation when I found out the movie came out when I was there.

I had made plans of seeing it alone even when I really don’t do that (watching movies by myself), in a foreign country no less. Hehe. But off I went. I admit I was looking forward to the experience but my plans were foiled when a guy asked if it’d be alright to see the movie with me. I didn’t think that any harm would come off it, so, I agreed (oh, don’t look at me like that, I can’t help it if he looks like Colin Farrell now could I? Complete with that Irish accent! LOL). This guy I ended up dating for a while when I was there. And, no, I won’t give out his name. Heh.

Anyway, soon after that I heard that there was a longer version of it, a BBC miniseries (2 Discs, 300 minutes), which stars Colin Firth. I knew then that he would play Mr. Darcy real well. I’ve been searching for it, hoping to get a copy locally. No such luck, well, until my brother, that is.

Early this week, he came back from a business trip in the US and I had asked him to place an order for that very film. Imagine me grinning as I hold my very own copy of the Special Edition DVD of Pride & Prejudice. Hehe. Sweet! I’ve never felt so content in my life, er, so far. Hahaha.

To give you an idea on what makes the book special to me, I’ve lifted a few exceptional excerpts (personal choice, of course) that speak volumes of what can be expected from Jane Austen’s work.

“…that loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable — that one false step involves her in endless ruin — that her reputation is no less brittle that it is beautiful — and that she cannot be too guarded in her behavior toward the undeserving of the other sex.”

“Sometimes the last person on earth you want to be with is the one person you can’t be without.” (movie)

“Pride is a very common failing I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed, that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or other, real or imaginary.

Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain.

Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.”

With every film adaptation, esp with someone like me who happens to have read the book a number of times, you can’t help but compare, yeah? You’d often find yourself exclaiming things like, “that’s not how it is in the book!” or “it wasn’t Mary who said that but Eliza!” So, yea, it’s important to “adapt” the book well, to preserve the very essence of the author’s work. Which explains why I had compared the two films. I like Colin’s version since it tried its best to remain faithful to the book whereas Kiera’s version — though it does have awesome cinematography and a beautiful cast — did not.

On my insistence, my brother also brought home other films based on Jane Austen novels: Emma, Mansfield Park and Persuasion.

Emma is fun. It’s where Alicia Silverstone’s Clueless was based on (so that’s why I loved that movie, too! It’s Jane Austen inspired! LOL). Mansfield Park is a witty and stirring film, delves on the line between poverty and wealth and if you’re willing to cross it and at what price. It also asks the question, “Will you marry for love or will you marry for money?” I have yet to watch Persuasion and I’m looking forward to it.

Related Read:
Pride & Vanity
Pride & Prejudice (book review)
Pride & Prejudice (movie review)

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RATATOUILLE
(rat·a·too·ee)
A young rat living within the walls of a famous Paris bistro wishes to become a chef, but is hindered by his family’s skepticism and the rat-despising staff and patrons.

I can’t wait to see Rémy and Alfredo Linguini (and the rest of the cast, of course) in the, er, kitchen. Even when I do find that bit on Remy pulling Linguini’s hair to control his actions, ridiculous, I still am looking forward to let the movie tickle me silly.

Watch a comedy? Moi? N’importe. I actually enjoy watching cartoons, sometimes, like, Transformers. Oh, sorry. They’re called animation nowadays, eh? <sarcasm>How silly of me.</sarcasm> Gawd.

I’ll leave you with a short but appetite-whetting (pun intended) clip, so, we’d all be on the same page. Hehe.

Yes. Ratatouille came to Philippine cinemas just last Wednesday, 25 July 2007.

Note to Ricowums: Je vous verrai ce soir. Tu et moi vous allons chez le cinéma. Je voudrais tu être ici — tout de suite. S’il vous plaît.

Bad French? It took me almost an hour to come up with that and finish it, too! (thanks to my good ol’ French textbook and dictionary) Gah. But twas such bliss to find out that I actually did good. You can use Google Translate to, er, translate. That’s what I used to check.

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Oh, yes. I’m not doing the Harry Potter marathon like I did last year with my brother over several days covering all four films. Incidentally, the night before, I watched the fourth installment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, again with someone who hasn’t seen it but had gone to see the fifth with me.

Anyway, back to my original point, I’ve finally picked up a Potter book and began reading it like I said I had wanted to do. It’s just silly because I had access to my sister‘s hard cover copies of the books when I was in Australia but never gotten around to reading them. I guess it was my younger brother who sparked my full interest esp with access to DVDs and all, and the irrepressible vigor of a certain someone over the books and the movies made it all the more enticing and worthwhile to pursue (cuz I have someone to discuss the book with!).

There. I’ve gone and started on the first book installment, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Heh.

So, okay. No amount of spoilers can ever ruin my reading now, don’t you agree? It’s quite fun to read about the characters that are now familiar to me like Hagrid, Albus Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and even the annoying Dursleys that live on Privet Drive. It’s quite comforting to come across terms like “muggle” and know what it means, and — blimey! — even the writing! LOL. I am thoroughly enjoying the book even when I’m still just starting over at Diagon Alley. Teehee.

How about you guys? Have you read any or all of the Potter books? Let’s take it one book at a time — allowing me to catch up, hehe — as you guys share any special bits about the book you enjoyed most. Think of this as a pseudo-book club session on Harry Potter, Book 1.

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Now I wonder, what’s up for the month of June then? Will it be like queuing up for another ride on the roller coaster? My unquenchable wanderlust beckons me to go on and leap, however, my body can only take so much — esp since I have been keeping (my normal) abnormal hours again. Gah.

Anyway, here’s an initial list of things penciled in on my whatever-calendar.

Scheduled Press Events
I’m still deciding on which ones I’d be able to go to but there is a lunch on Saturday, June 02 at Circles Event Café in Makati Shangri-La Hotel that I’m certain I’ll be attending. I’m keeping my options open since some other invites may still come in. (Pretty safe assumption, wouldn’t you say? )

Style Manila Hard Launch
It’s been a long time coming cuz it’s been around since beginning of the year. Blame it on my quasi-perfectionist nature. Heh. Btw, it’s a Philippine fashion blog that’s under the Bayanihan Blog Network.

The crocs™ Project
It’s just a small thing that’s inspired by my recent purchase of their Capri variant. Hehe. I’ll be hosting it over at Style Manila, together with my b5media fashion blog, Tops 2 Bottoms. You can watch out for it.

The Cult of the Chucks
Sorry. I just can’t help it! I’ve wanted Chucks far longer than I wanted them crocs™! LOL. So, yea, this is a similar project as with what I just previously mentioned. Chucks Taylors® isnt just a pair of shoes, it’s a lifestyle. Heh.

Light Travel
Apart from the usual gallyvanting activities around the Metro, I’m looking into some out of town trips probably some place like Tagaytay.

Zsa-Zsa Zaturnnah Play on June 24
Jonas Diego posted an invite and we’ve scheduled to watch it on the said date. Rico is also planning to go and I heard that Aileen is interested. Who else wants to go with us? It’s an open invite. Just ping either Jonas or myself! We’d love to share this experience with you.

BBN Bloggers Dinner
Rico, Abe, Melissa (even when she can’t join us cuz she’s in Germany! ) and I are making arrangements to hold a dinner with the bloggers of the Bayanihan Blog Network. We’re looking forward to getting these individuals together for some offline mingling and good food!

There are more projects up my sleeve. I’m still working on them and will surely let you guys know as soon as I can.

Meanwhile, I’m still thinking of other things to do. Hmmm. Enroll in that modern jazz dance class I’ve been meaning to take up since 2003 perhaps? Or maybe pick up my boxing gloves again? As you can see, these activities are done indoors. Hehe. As much as I love the rain, I don’t like getting my hair and feet (and shoes!) wet. Heh.

What about you guys? What are your plans this month?

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Casino Royale – First movie date. Seeing a Bond movie is always safe. Twas a fine film in my book.

Eragon – Gawd. Please don’t let me say anything about this movie. Twas bad enough that I had to waste good cinema just to watch it. Heh.

Babel – Intense. It’s a movie that will require 100% of your attention, ergo, it’s not a movie I’d recommend you watch if “relaxation” is your goal.

Apocalypto – Sigh. It’s heavily branded but I’ve got to hand it to the makers since it is a well-made me thinks. However, the goal is to R-E-L-A-X. Sigh.

300 – It’s a good movie, too. Loved it at face value. It certainly had that wow factor but not Oscar material, IMHO.

Dreamgirls – If you’ve seen the movie adaptation of the musical, RENT, you wouldn’t appreciate this movie like I did. But all throughout the movie, I keep thinking to myself, “Wow, Beyoncé is sooo beautiful in this movie.”

Pathfinder – Overstatement. I have the movie still fresh on my mind. And it’s like the flow of script didn’t agree with me somehow. I feel like kicking myself for choosing to watch this one over “The Pursuit of Happyness” like what we originally planned. Gah.

Movies I watched on DVD:

The Painted Veil – Great movie. It reminded me of the book, Love at the Time of Cholera (not that I read the book). It’s just that one of the major impressions left on me was they — more importantly, she — found love in the midst of a Cholera epidemic in China. Edward Norton and Naomi Watts starred in this film.

Night at the Museum – It’s one of the movies I had most fun watching.

I missed a lot of films I had wanted to watch but did not have time to do so. I’m hoping that I won’t miss any of the ones I’ve got lined up. I hope our luck would change soon. And I have yet to drag a certain someone to one major chick flick just to see how he’d react to it. Muahahaha.

Aw, come on. It’s not that bad, is it? Anyway, I’d appreciate recommendations!

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Who would have thought that a posh place like Greenbelt 3 Cinemas can be a prime point for these thieves?! Scums! Low-life! (excuse my ranting)

Remember the RAZR that blogging bought me? Well — Rico and I had seats reserved for last night’s showing of the film, 300 in GB3 Cinema 1. (Quite a popular movie, don’t you think?)

When we got there, he went to get me a lemonade from the snack bar and I excused myself to go to the toilet. AND that’s when it all happened!

After I’ve done my business, I went to the sink counter to wash my hands.

I placed my handbag right beside the sink. There’s a zipper pocket (that was open) where I put my RAZR from my jeans’ pocket. As I turned on the faucet, I noticed a woman take up residence on the next sink (to my right), with her bag right next to mine. When I was soaping my hands, I noticed on the mirror that she was “rummaging” through her bag, which looked like a messenger bag of sorts. I also noted that her bag’s flap was over my bag.

Hmmm. I smelled something fishy but I dismissed it and just finished rinsing off the soap from my hands. Once done, I went to get my bag and check the pocket for my phone. And as expected, it’s not there anymore!

I decided not to rush into any conclusion and demand the woman to give it up. I wouldn’t want to cause unnecessary scene in the girl’s toilet, eh? I quickly double-checked my pockets for it and, of course, my bag. No luck.

THEN I decided to check under the “flap” of her bag — and there it was! Lying on the counter! Gawd! I grabbed it and walked out.

Could it have slid out of the bag’s pocket? (cuz that’s the only reason it would have gotten out it without someone else taking it out) Well, no. If you see how deep the pocket is and how upright the bag was (my 400D was holding it up) the possibility of it falling out is out of the question.

Sorry if I sound accusatory. But I know it. I can feel it in my gut. That woman. She tried to steal my RAZR! You should have seen how quickly she had to get away from the scene of the crime. She exited the toilet as soon as I went out (with my phone!) and she had to climb down a moving escalator!

That’s probably why she looked off — as if she didn’t belong — she was even alone! She didn’t look like a mid-30-ish someone (that’s how she looked to me!) who works in an office because she was wearing flip flops on a Friday night. She wasn’t fashioned like the rest of the “I’m sooo fashionista!” women that you see around Greenbelt. Heh.

All I can say is, dear friends and readers, be wary. She may not have succeeded in getting my phone, imagine the countless others she can target?

Note: You may be wondering why I didn’t report her, well, I didn’t have sufficient claims to back the complaint up, right? I did see the phone on the counter, under her bag’s flap and not in her bag.

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I’m guilty of not posting much lately. I can’t come up with a good enough reason — sorry. Heh.

But I’d like to enumerate the things that entertained me these past couple of weeks.

Gig Night. Shared a couple of beers with Rico at 1740 Bistro to hear my friends play. Finally a gig that’s not in Tagaytay! Hahaha. Though, I would’ve enjoyed the roadtrip. Anyway, it has become a ritual that every new friend goes through — sort of like an initiation — meeting these 4 guys [Ram, Joey, Joel and Oliver] of Streamline. Don’t ask why. I’m not telling. Hehehe.

DVD Marathons. Note: emphasis on it being plural. I actually finished 2 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy and 7 seasons of Sex and the City. I’m now on the first season of The OC. I’m keeping my mind off blogging for a bit. Don’t hate me. Hahaha.

Photography. I had the opportunity to do a lot of it over the weekend. It was a bit challenging since I was expected to cover an actual event — a kid’s birthday party. Heehee. But it certainly felt good getting behind the camera once again. Plus the fact that a friend said that he didn’t realise that I was actually really good at it [he got it wrong perhaps? Hahaha.] and went on to ask for pointers. I was so flattered. Hahaha.

Dicovery Channel’s RIDES. I caught the episode, Foose’s 69 where they worked on a Chip Foose-designed 1969 Camaro. I saw a lot of Mustangs like the Eleanor [seen in the movie, Gone in 60 Seconds], Shelby G.T. 350 [my dream car] and the amazing Shelby G.T. 350R [the exact car that Joe Johnson drove].

Random Quote Javascript. Adding it on one of my blogs is a cause for a small celebration. Hahaha. I’ve been wanting to do that for ages.

Driving. I’ve been driving a lot recently, ergo, I’m now NOT cooped up in my house most of the time. It always brings me comfort when I’m behind the wheel. It’ll always be one of my favourite things to do. AND getting to drive a BMW 540 Automatic was certainly a real treat! It was the highlight of my week. Hahaha.

More on cars. Getting a call from a friend [you know who you are. hehe.] to ask for my help cuz his car wouldn’t start. I wanted to laugh at the ludicrous-ness of the situation cuz never in a million years did I expect that a guy would call me about a car problem. Btw, my instructions did help start the car. So — am I good or what? Hahaha.

Of course, writing will be a staple thing and will always be a source of entertainment in my book. So, what about you? What are the simple things you do that brings you pleasure and/or entertainment?

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Enters a new movie coming up, Step Up.

I came across it when I saw a Sean Paul video a few days ago, which showcased some clips from the movie and, of course, it certainly piqued my interest. Hehehe. I knew I had to see the movie but the downside was that I didn’t know when it’s gonna hit the theatres here in Manila.

So, the ever impatient me, I googled it to find out more and I was also hoping to find the trailer. Ha. My search didn’t end in vain. Thanks to apple.com, not only did I watch the trailer, it also led me to the movie’s website so I learned bits more about it. Guess what? It’s now playing — elsewhere. Pffft.

That Channing Tatum is one fine thing. Yummy. The eyes, those lips and that body… he’s the shizzle. A certified hottie! And man, can he move! /sighs Okay. Okay. I’ll stop drooling now. Heh. Well, he also starred in the Samuel L. Jackson movie about basketball, Coach Carter, last 2005 and the last movie I saw him in was the one he did with Amanda Bynes, She’s The Man.

Anyway, I’m hoping the movie comes out this week. If it does, you can bank on it that I’ll be queueing up at the nearest ticket booth and yea, I’ll definitely let you know how it fares. That is, if you’re interested. Hehehe.

Meanwhile, I suggest that you check out the trailer and watch out for that cute little kid who shushed Channing at a ballet class — it cracked me up.

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