Movies to see this long weekend

10/29/09

I’ve recently collected a bunch of DVD’s I’ve had for some time. I realized I haven’t seen some of them, and that catching up on it now, I am reminded on why I got them

Bringing to life the teenager in me, was Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging. You should watch this because it honestly is bloody hilarious. It’s a softer, nicer version of the Georgia Nicholson series, but it’s just as funny. It brings out the kid in you, and makes you l-m-a-o. Watch this with your girlfriends, and “have a laugh”.

If teen movies ain’t your thing, watch 2046. It’s a artsy film by Wong Kar Wai. If the director alone ain’t enough reason for you to watch it, here’s more. It’s about a hotel room in Hong Kong that people say “no one returns” from. It’s a place where lost memories are recovered. It’s got mystery, drama, love, life. It’s a beautiful film, beautifully done. This film will tell you why a Wong Kar Wai film is worth watching. Curl up with your boyfie (or girlfriend,), or fellow artsy lover and watch this.

It’s a long weekend! If you’re not making your way to the provinces, the beack, resorts, cemeteries, or what-not, take some time off and see a movie or two. I heard there are some pretty interesting releases this week. You might want to check that out as well.

Tropical Fish Series

10/21/09

Now, paging all MUA friends! Shall we pull something like this off before the year ends? Someone (me) is in dire craving of a photoshoot.  And I think, (thank you Mr. Ryan Michael Kelly), that series just sparked a dandy idea.

Shoot the Moon: the New Moon OST Review

10/19/09

Hitting stores last week was the “highly anticipated” and “much awaited” New Moon OST. I’ll have to check with my sources, but rumor has it, they released the OST early due to the demand. Is this true? I’ve heard of a LOT of well anticipated albums, but it’s not too often you hear of one released ahead of schedule due to demands. Summit has released a track list I think about a month ago, and well, judgements are best delivered after hearing the music. Got my copy late, thanks to my current health and work status. Anyway, I’ve heard that it’s not as fancy as last year’s. I say, judging from the tracklist, they’ve gone uber indie, and I’m guessing, the people who compiled this album is not the same as last year’s too.

Okay. So here’s what the package’s behind looks like.

As you can now see, they’re mostly indie artists. And the only recurring name here would be Muse (and Radiohead, if you count Thom Yorke). Did I just hear someone go “YAY!”? So here’s a play-by-play thing for you.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or in a cave in the middle of nowhere, you’ve already heard “Meet me on the Equinox” by DCFC. A bit of trivia, Ben Gibbard, the man behind DCFC, is also the man behind The Postal Service. He’s also married to Zoe Deschanel (of 500 days of Summer), just in case you’re interested. I was too quick to discriminate them, but given that I am such a fan of TPS, I’m sure DCFC has better music than Equinox. Although Equinox is not that bad. Remember that youtube hit of guys dancing on treadmills? Does OkGo on treadmills ring a bell? Or the Song “Here it Goes Again”? That’s the same band behind the single “Shooting the Moon“. Which quite frankly, did not impress me. What may come as a surprise to you though, is Alexandre Desplat’s New Moon (The Meadow), which is actally pleasant and fitting, was a track I enjoyed. I actually like this more than Bella’s Lullaby and Claire de Lune. But maybe that’s just me. Editor’s No Sound But the Wind is possibly the most moving song in the entire compilation. Weird, I’m almost teary eyed hearing it. One thing though, it starts out almost awkward, with that quasi-deep voice and all. If you know Radiohead, then you know Thom Yorke. If you know Thom Yorke, then you probably know what Hearing Damage sounds like. And with that, I mean that Hearing Damage sounds just as good as 15 Step. The Killers‘ A White Demon Love Song *snickers at irony* is no Mr. Brightside. Maybe it’s not as mainstream, but it’s fitting. And it’s not bad at all. As for Muse, I Belong to You is not as sexy and dark and hot as Supermassive Blackhole, but it’s still got a touch of dark and sexy in a tango sort of way. The Violet Hour by Sea Wolf, is the most upbeat/jolly the entire compilations going to get. Huricane Bells, which to my surprise has nothing on last.fm (google to the rescue?) is the next upbeat you’re going to get. And their track Monsters, is not bad at all. I might actually heart them. Roslyn, a part creepy, part melancholic track, is by Bon Iver & St. Vincent. They’re not on last.fm either, so perhaps google will help. See? That’s how unknown the other artists are! Even my reliable last.fm doesn’t have them! Anya Marina’s Satellite Heart, I’m guessing will be used somewhere in Bella’s uber emo-post-breakup phase, is just fitting. It’s got that hint of sadness, and distance, and possibility of getting slightly better. Which is, slightly no different from Lykke Li’s Possibility. Although Possibility has a lot more dramatic and painful feel. Friends by Band of Skulls has a happier feel. Either I’ve had too much of the gloomy stuff this album has to offer, or this track’s actually my type of thing. I like it. I’d say the same for Thunderclap by Eskimo Joe.

All in all, the album embodies the movie/book’s gloomy and self-destructive feel. What with the whole “I-want-to-die-because-my-living-dead-boyfriend-left-me” phase Bella goes through. And it’s not mockery, that long line, I was merely stating the uberobvious. And it is with compilations like these that last.fm is just so convenient. With one track, I get all the info I need about these artists. Once you give this a listen, you’ll know what I mean when I said “uberindie”. The artists (if not the tracks and the whole compilation itself), is experimental and underground. Lucky for me, I’m in uber indie-love phase, so I’m all good with this. Perhaps they were going for a more artsy-fartsy direction? What do you think?

With all that said, I rate this: Based on its consistency with the story. Of course, ratings don’t really matter to twi-hards. I’m sure they’ve all had a copy by now anyway. And word to the wise, do NOT listen to this post-breakup. You might end up feeling all suicidal after. Such a sad, sad, compilation, this thing.

 

On my Radar

10/8/09

I’ve been on a momentary hiatus due to a LOT of things going on. It’s been chaos, really. It all started with the lack of internet connection, which is sad,since I’ve been ever so attached to it.Then came work, and Ketsana. And in a short span of time, priorities have shifted, along with ideas, and culture. So I stopped thinking about “what do I blog this week?”, and replaced it with “what can I do to help?”. Twitter has been a MAJOR help in spreading information, form finding relatives, to getting help, and donations, as well as where people can volunteer. Today, normalcy is starting to creep in, even though some homes are still submerged in flood waters. It’s been the worst the country’s been in, but we’re a tough race. We will rise.

 

 

As normalcy creeps in, I stumbled upon @elliegoulding via @Jamiebower’s tweet. It was entirely random, how I found it, and maybe I got lucky. Anyway, so I googled Ellie, and I found very little significant info about her and her music. Why she’s on my radar is because of this track, which you can conveniently download free from the artist/website itself. I’m quite impressed, but  I still want to hear her previous tracks before going absolutely crazy. Her new album, which I have no clue when it’s going out, is on my radar. I may blog about that in the future.

 

 

What I’d love for you to put on your fabbity radars is my demo reel, which btw, I uploaded days ago on my Vimeo. Since this blog can’t accommodate vimeo (it’s all youtube patronizing), I inserted a snapshot which you’re free to click to view the video. Hope you heart it too!

 

 

As I type, villages in Northern Luzon are experiencing severe flooding, with most of it’s barangays (towns) already underwater. Thousands of families are currently displaced, and the rainfall they’ve experienced is actually worse than what happened in Manila. Actually, it was almost double the rainfall Ketsana dumped. To keep tabs on the current status of towns in Northern Luzon and how you can help, check out @jimparedes, and @bayanihan_. I’ll be posting info as well on my twitter page.