left-handed wanders

Case designate Cloverfield (Manila) premiere,
in a place formerly known as "Cineplex 2"

Spoilers are reported.

_________
11:12pm

…I thought it wasn’t the end. Cause the screen blacked out a couple of times already. I waited. And saw the couple on a Ferris Wheel. Then JJ Abrams’ name appeared. Suddenly  I started clapping. Clapping my hands-off even if no one else was. Then a couple of people started clapping.

The lights went on. My pupils dilated. I was starting to feel dizzy so we got up and tried to walk out slowly. As we reached the exit this lady started vomiting on the trash can. My sister went to the bathroom and came disguted afterwards. People were vomiting everywhere.

We all came out of the last full show. On premiere night.

Nauseous/On edge/Awed–sick.
_______

We watched Cloverfield last night.

And it was Php 141 well spent. I’m getting ahead of myself by saying that it’s a super duper awesome monster movie (ever ever ever).

I mean I came to the cinema, you know, with anticipation. With all the hype and viral ads circulating around the net since the last quarter 2007. Then an official site turned up / a full trailer was shown–and it all went down from there. I went on this Cloverfield info scavenging phase everytime I’m online. At office/At home.

Come January 18 envy. Come 30th–answered prayers.

To think I even half-mocked it. Cause "I Am Legend" was disapponting for me. And I deduced that "Cloverfield" might just be the same.  So I came there to watch, glad in  a way that I’m finally seeing the whole film, trying to see it with no expectations at all. But I didn’t even have to try.

Cause the blairwitch/cameron crowe-esque/Godzilla movie simply works.

Yeah, there’s some loopholes. Especially the most obvious one. The indestructible  video camera (with unlimited power supply)  that outlived everybody. But no! I am so glad the cam survived.

First impressions. I thought the films opening scene was long. Maybe because I was just dying to see the monster out right (like right now). But it proved cohesive and very relevant to the plot. I loved the fact that the tape was written over Rob and Beth’s Coney Island trip and how the film cut to this footage after every gripping scene. Nice touch.

The great thing about it also is its "realness" you could easily ask yourself, "Sh*t what if that really happened to me." And for me that freaky thought helped  me be immersed in the film even more. Cause while most of the audience were starting to get sick with all the camera shaking I wasn’t (seriously, I only felt dizzy afterwards).

And man, Cloverfield isn’t short of really good scenes.
It started out mysterious, then action-packed, and then just plain absurd and terrifying.

Who could forget the first eathquake and explosion? Then Liberties head smashing on the street? Then that monsters howl. I mean you literally can’t take your eyes off the screen just trying to take a good look at the thing.

The creature design looked a bit humanoid. Especially with the aerial shots. It had this really long arms, from what I can remember. Which made it seem crawling on fours. Scary.

And if that isn’t enough, spider-crab like creatures are falling off the creature.

The film started to turn aweful, for me, when Marlena (Lizzy Caplan) died. After the tunnel scene where they got attacked by the baby things she got bitten. Apparently, you explode after. You. burst.

Ok I’ll stop.

I could go on. But I have to work. And You can see it for yourselves (which would be a hundred times better).

One last. And that scene near the end. Where Rob and Beth were in Central Park, it was really horrible. Seeing, footage of Central Park beautiful in broad daylight, and that creature still howling. It’s still howling. It’s not a nightmare. Your awake.

The sheer absurdity of a giant monster attack in Manhattan. And all its beautiful people coming to terms with the fact. There are no superheroes to save the day.

Just survival.

An awesome cinematic experience.

Have you seen Mad Men? First heard about it when it won the Golden Globe for Best Drama series this 2007.

I
can’t say much about the show since I’ve only watched the 2nd episode
of Season 1. I missed the Pilot on 2nd Avenue which aired on the 17th.
I’ll try to search torrents for this show but I’ll download the Pilot
only. I’ll follow it on TV since there aren’t much "must sees" on TV
for me nowadays.

From what I’ve seen, it’s hard to judge whether its outstanding or anything other than that.
But
I must say it’s interesting just because its about advertising
(hehehe). The only catch is it’s set in 1960’s New York, the golden age
of advertising. The second episode was okey, it portrayed racism and
feminist issues of the times. Though there were lots of smoking, sex,
and dining out. Not to mention money, deceit, power struggle etc. It’s
all fun to watch on TV but in the real world? Nah.

I can’t stop
imagining myself being the series’ protagonist Don Draper–"the
greatest ad man ever", Sterling Cooper’s creative director. You know,
me holding a bottle of scotch–smoking in my corner office overlooking
Manhattan while the suits & creatives–my minions, do my bidding.
Awesome. Though the imagery might not entirely be accurate cause I
might have to replace the scotch with milk and chocolate chip cookies.

It
was weird to see the office in the series dominated by men. Women were
either secretaries or telephone operators. Not unlike today, like from
my ad agency before our company president is female. It was also
interesting seeing the copywriters and art directors pitching in front
of the boss. The presentation materials were all hand made, to me,
something unimaginable. Laborious w/o much guarantee of actual
production. Yikes, I hope they were paid a lot.

But interesting
of all, is the protagonist’s secret. He’s not who he says he is. Like
Jean Valjean or Sweeney Todd. The Count of Monte Cristo vibe is good
but I hope they put it to good use.

Let’s see.

I got round thinking of how I’d die. I never bothered to know when just how. How did I came to I don’t know. I just slept all afternoon without really being sleepy. I was in bed staring up–closed my eyes only to open them at dusk. I was bothered about how I spent my weekend. Doing inanities, daft and hypnotic, that’s how it was. Funny, because I know I wouldn’t let it slip any other way. My weekends, I realize, are slowly becoming routine as well.

I refused not to do anything productive, so I propped my head on the pillow and opened Ishiguro’s "Never Let Me Go" the benefit being, my backlog would be one book less. But before I decided to read, I popped "Atonement" into the DVD player for background noise.

***
I found "Never Let Me Go" a bit dull. There wasn’t really much happening, just one memory after another. The whole novel unfolded in Kathy’s point of view, which I found a bit hard to sympathize with. If it weren’t for the mysteries of Hailsham I wouldn’t bother finishing it. But maybe there was a part of me that wanted to like it. It doesn’t compare with "The Remains of the Day" but the premise was imaginative enough. Hailsham it turns out, was a "humane" human harvesting center with all the students being clones for medical use–more specifically organ donors. But I admired how the author set the tone of the novel. Yeah the cloning theme isn’t necessarily unheard of but what makes it imaginative is creating this whole lore of "clone" behaviour: human enough with an innocence eerily resonating from creatures (monsters?) reared artificially. It could’ve easily turned into a sci-fi thriller. But Ishiguro decided to tell a love story set in an almost seemingly normal world. Mind you, the novel isnt’t even set in the future, but the early 90’s. This was achieved, I guess, by stifling the flow of consciousness to only one. Too bad it took me awhile to warm with Kathy’s accounts. But I guess the dullness of her narratives from the past were really meant to be like that. I guess Ishiguro wanted us to be outraged at how these creatures accepted their fate almost readily.

Maybe this is what I disliked about the novel. Right in the end when the awful truth was explained to them, Kathy and Tommy were already numb. Yes, Tommy saw the absurdity and inequality of it all (the mud scene) but deep down they always knew their fate, it was explained and reiterated to them when they were young and in an odd way they were ok with it.

But I refused not to believe they didn’t have a choice. In the end Tommy & Kathy could’ve run away or something. Heck, I would’ve even embraced the notion of them both commiting suicide.

The love triangle, one hindering the love of both, premise was ok. The theme of how it all being "too late" was ok too. But I just wished they had more passion, more willingness to rise above it all.

Instead Tommy soon dies (after multiple organ donations), and soon Kathy.

Maybe it’s wrong for me to think of them as beings with freedom of will.I mean, they’re clones after all. Or is the author saying we’re all just like them?
***

My background noise was coming to an end, the scene was how Briony confessed the deaths of Robbie and Cecilia. I thought of Robbie’s journey to Dunkirk. His long voyage to the sea hoping for salvation, to be with Cee, to be evacuated, to be with her. And how he actually reached the sea, Bray dunes, only to succumb to death, to septicemia.

Then I wondered, is that how I would end. Though, more prematurely w/o ever finding love at all.
***

In college I took a bus ride home, one afternoon. It was a stressful week, finals were coming up and I hadn’t much sleep. I sat near the back seating myself next to the window. I was exhausted. And I rememberd how comfortable it was pressing my cheek on the cold glass with my eyes closed. I felt the buss gain speed steadily, folllowing a curved path. It slowly pressed my cheek further against the glass. And I remember how I thought of a truck suddenly smashing my side and how it felt good.
***

Is the universe trying to tell me something?

I was coaxed by Zia to watch a movie last Saturday.

I was
content on spending the weekend home mainly because I was running low
on cash. I bought a new queen size mattress for my use, which was
expensive (I had no idea, for awhile I was bent on buying a "banig"
[woven sleeping mat] instead after checking the prices). This has
forced me to be financially dependent on my parents until, at most, on
the next pay day. So imagine my surprise when I received a phone call
from a good friend expecting me to treat her to a movie. I wouldn’t
mind this don’t get me wrong but it depends if I have the ability to
share or not.

I refused at first turning the table around and
asking her to treat me (besides it wasn’t sunny that day–scattered
rainshowers etc). She retorted that I was the one who had a job. It
went on for a little while and the topic shifted to other things until
I had the urge to watch "Sweeney Todd".

We decided to watch it
in Greenbelt since I also wanted to see the billion-peso Ayala project:
Greenbelt 5. The trip to Makati was ok, though old ghosts came back to
haunt me during the train ride to Ayala Station. I remembered how it
felt to ride that jam packed tin can to work everymorning–that heavy
weight on my gut–that sense of entrapment–that, that, forgive me.
nausea. But it was cool since I was coming to Makati for the malls
rather than work that day. I think I’m never going to work there again
either of my own accord or other (shit smeared) circumstance. I don’t
know, for now, I cringe everytime I think of, then my dream office
spaces, the G.T. Tower, the Philamlife Tower, Equitable Bank Tower and
The Enterprise Center. Though I miss my creative team, Powerbooks Live
& Power Mac Center.

The KKB: Kaniya-kaniyang bayad (go
Dutch) arrangement was what finally sealed the deal. So we met around
2pm with zia bringin’ along her sister.

Sweeney Todd was
good. Though the prevalent throat-slicing kept me from looking at the
screen most of the time I liked its overall morbidity infused with
song. Usually with musicals adapted to screen it comes across as corny
when characters burst into song but in this one I liked it when they
sang. The film got me when Helena Bonham Carter sang "The Worst Pies in
London" and Toby with "Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir".

The final scene was great. Unforgettable.

Cloverfield
premieres
on
Jan. 30th
in Manila!

Though it’s kind of a bummer that it already premiered today in Hongkong and Singapore.
But I’ve resolved to watch this on the Big Screen. So I’ll supress the urge to buy a pirated DVD.
Promise.

I’ll try not to see the reviews, until then.

This is going to be tough.

Saw the list of winners for the 2007 Golden Globes.
And I agree with critics that,  sans the Stars, it’s just weird.

But I’m glad "Atonement" won 2 awards

Best Motion Picture-Drama (Yey!)
Best Music Score (The beauty of Thy peace! The beauty of Thy peace!)

Wow! Can’t wait for the Oscars.

Among the Best Picture (Drama) nominees

• American Gangster
• Atonement
• Eastern Promises
• The Great Debaters
• Michael Clayton
• No Country for Old Men
• There Will Be Blood

I’ve seen two already: Atonement & Eastern Promise (which is also very good)

I
have no plans to see the "The Great Debaters" or "American Gangster"
the plots don’t really interest me. I was supposed to buy "No Country
for Old Men" last night when I visited the "dibidihan" with one
consumer, I overheard, claiming that it was the "best movie of the
year" but I opted for "The Painted Veil" (which surprisingly was a
really good watch, highly recommended). So ok, I’ll check it out.

As with "Michael Clayton" and "There Will Be Blood"
I’d probably see the latter.

Also Cate Blanchett won as Best Supporting Actress-Drama for "I’m not There"
Honestly I was highly intrigued by this movie when I first heard about it:

the
film’s like a biopic of the Musician Bob Dylan wherein different
characters embody his "Diff lives". So Cate Blanchett plays a man.

it’s an all star cast with
Richard Gere/ Julianne Moore/Christian Bale/Ben Wishaw (the dude from my fave movie "Perfume") among others

but.
I tried watching it last weekend
and I got bored. I was so bored that I didn’t bother finishing it.
Maybe because I don’t have a clue who Bob Dylan is.
But still.
Maybe I’ll give it another go.

As for TV

Tina Fey won as Best  Actress in a Musical or Comedy for 30 Rock!

I wanna see "Californication" and "Mad Men" they both won awards so I guess it’s worth it.

Heroes wasn’t nominated for anything. No surprise there. The 2nd season sucks so I don’t watch it anymore.

There.

"Cloverfield" premieres in the US this week!
JJ Abrams, will you disappoint?

During lunch, I strived to seek a little variety in my humble office
routine. Simply meaning: somewhere new to eat lunch. The office pantry
is getting old (and I needed excercise), The Loyola House of Studies is
so…quiet (nice view though) and dining at Katipunan is expensive.

(Yes, I work at Ateneo.)

So
I finally tried eating at the college cafeteria at Gonzaga Hall. I’ve
never eaten there because, I’d like to think, everytime I asked my
officemates where it is they usually say "doon" (there). And for me a
place designated by "doon" as its location just sounded way far. But
today, I was a little adventurous so I set off on a mission to find it.

Ateneo
being a fairly sized campus has most of its facilities accessible by
foot (with enough evergreens to make a noon walk bearable).
Surprisingly, after taking a little detour (paseo de reilly [?]) I
found myself there in a couple of minutes. I’ve always thought of our
building as more in the burbs rather than downtown, cause I barely see
students up and about. Wrong.

The trip started as promising I’ve
decided to go with the flow. Meaning, I followed a group of students (
I figured: "It’s lunch time where are they to?"). As I found myself
near the Loyola schools complex, I hesitated. Finding the canteen, I
thought, might prove a little laborious after all.

But a
familiar sight led me to it in no time: students trying to juggle books
with packed lunches in styrofoam. Just like in UP’s CASAA.

Well it’s not really like CASAA.
It’s more spacious for a start (it has two floors) and more ventilated.
A
lot of commercial franchised stalls but some are "lutong bahay" (home
made) type. I decided to try out the Food Coop, I had menudo w/ rice
for lunch, banana bread for dessert and Four Seasons for drink: decent
enought and affordable. Though my menudo had more pork liver than meat
in it.

As I chewed my food I looked around the place. Dining
with all the students brought out a lot of memories for me. It made me
remember how much I missed going to school. All the familiar sights and
sounds were there, the ambient noise of chatter, the clang of metal
utensils, students cramming for their assigments, class readings
scattered amongst edibles, laptops (lots)/books/notebooks proppped on
the tables etc.

I felt like a freshman again.
And I ate my lunch blending in with the academic crowd.

It
took awhile for me to get a seat. I felt alienated by the many cliques
hogging almost all of the tables, and I’ve proven a common observation
I’ve heard before: a mass of ateneans doesn’t look like a mosh pit
cause they all look "bagong ligo" (well groomed) hehehe unlike a mass
of UP students which are more…mass-y. Like me.

Gonzaga
Hall is situated near all the buildings the students frequent and has a
nice landscaped atrium. I looked around a bit and again missed familiar
sights, students sitting on the hallway posters from different student
orgs posted on bulletin boards (The play "Tanikalang Guinto" is set to
premiere this Feb. which I thought cool).

And I asked myself,"Am I actually liking Ateneo?"

This academic institution

(which is cloistered from the outside world)
(which houses a lot of the affluent families in the country)
(which clogs Katipunan Avenue with its fleet of SUVs)

looks like a really nice place to study.

It is.

After a little stroll
I walked back to my office
counting the 20 peso bills in my wallet
looking at my soiled pants
stroking my greasy hair (I didn’t have a bath this morning)

I just miss UP. That’s all.

Today
The University of the Philippines
starts its year long Centennial Celebration.

Happy 100th Birthday UP!

My favorite. AS Steps.

I feel nostalgic already.
(I feel like reminiscing. Soon.)