Photo from Yahoo Movies

This post contains spoilers.

I have been waiting for this movie for months.  The first time I saw the trailer, I told myself that this is one of my must-see movies – these are the movies that I should watch within the first week of showing.  It turns out that this isn’t really a must-watch movie at all.  It’s entertaining at times, but I wouldn’t lose sleep if I missed seeing it in the theater.

From the start, I felt that it was trying to be amusing.  For me, it didn’t come naturally.  Not like the Pixar movies where you really get lost in the world of the movie, feeling all the emotions felt by the characters, anticipating what’s going to happen next.  The funny scenes felt ‘planted’, especially during the first two-thirds of the movie.  There was really only one strong character, Gru.  I expected more from Agnes, she was just too cute in the promotional photos.  But she was no Boo (the little girl from Monsters Inc., even if they do look alike).  Even her doe-eyes scene didn’t work – Puss (in Shrek) was way cuter when he begged with his eyes.  Vector, did not factor into the movie at all, which is disappointing because he is supposed to be the villain.  Gru’s mom was even more entertaining.   The little yellow characters were hit-and-miss. It was obvious that they were there for the cute/funny factor.   Some of their scenes were cute, some forced, some funny, and some were just plain useless.

Gru and his little yellow minions (Photo from Yahoo Movies)

The movie improved greatly towards the end.  The emotions were stronger, the characters were more interesting, and the pace was faster.   It was also funnier.  At least I was a bit satisfied in the end.

With the latest non-Pixar animated movies (sans “How To Train Your Dragon“, which was Pixar-level in my opinion), I’ve learned that you really shouldn’t expect much story-telling.  The entertainment will come from some cutesy scenes, few and far-between laughs, some slapstick, and not much else.  Despicable Me is no different.

Here are some other links you can check out:

Despicable Me Official Website

Despicable Me on IMDB

Rottentomatoes: 79% (as of September 3, 2010)

I need to change the theme of this blog.

I need to start another blog, a project I’ve thought of months ago but which is still on hold because I have yet to figure out how to set up the new blog on the same host.

Just thinking about these things stress me out.

I wish I were more techie so I can do this easily, in a day, with no stress.  *Sigh*.

LOCATION – I wasn’t too fond of the location.  It was around 2 blocks from Times Square or the Causeway Bay MTR, but you have to pass through a wet market to get there.  And if you have to go back to the hotel to bring stuff, for 4 days, then those ’2 blocks’ will add.  I don’t like it that the mini-bus from the airport had to drop us off almost a block away, because the hotel’s entrance is a bus stop.   The hotel didn’t have a driveway.  The lobby is at the 3rd floor.

FACILITIES – We got the superior room.  Generally, it was okay.  The bed, sheets and pillows were fluffy and comfortable.  There was a flat screen tv on the wall.  The room had wired internet.   There was a standard safe and ref, but, no mini-bar.  My biggest complaint is that the bathroom is too small, and it had a glass door.  One side of the bathroom had blinds, but you can see through a small area of the door.  Definitely not for not-so-close-friends.  It didn’t have a bathtub (which I think is necessary for Hongkong, after all the walking and shopping), and the shower area is too small.  There was no counter beside the sink, just a small area in front for the glasses.  For me, this was the biggest let down of all.

SERVICE – The receptionists and bellboys were okay.  Nothing to complain about, but nothing great either.  Housekeeping can improve a bit though.  The room was generally clean when we got back from the city, but I felt they could have done more.  Another complaint is that there was no room service – I always look forward to this when we go to hotels!

PRICE – I have no complaints, I think I got what I paid for.  We paid Php4,151.67 per night.

Other links:

Official Butterfly on Morrison Website

Butterfly on Morrison on Tripadvisor

Butterfly on Morrison on Hotels.com

I am absolutely ashamed of our police.  They were not trained to handle something like this.  They used teargas, but they had no gasmasks afterwards.  They acted without verifying what the driver said about all the hostages being dead.   There was no crowd control whatsoever after the hostage taker was killed.  They did not control media.   I don’t agree with a full news blackout, but there should have been rules on what could be shared, and media should have had it’s proper place, not all over the place!  If our media is irresponsible, then someone should enforce some rules!

And yes,  the media.  Too much sensationalism.  They even used the word “hypersensationalism” on Twitter.  They reported everything, they were too near, and they’ve been hounding the victims.   As of this writing, they’re even showing the inside of the bus.  Pam Pastor shared a link on Twitter earlier: Guidelines for Covering Hostage-Taking Crises, Prison Uprisings, Terrorist Actions by Bob Steele of Poynter Online.  Some notable items:

• Always assume that the hostage taker, gunman, or terrorist has access to the reporting.
• Avoid describing with words or showing with still photography and video any information that could divulge the tactics or positions of SWAT team members.
• Seriously weigh the benefits to the public of what information might be given out versus what potential harm that information might cause. This is especially important in live reporting of an ongoing situation.
• Be very cautious in any reporting on the medical condition of hostages until after a crisis is concluded. Also, be cautious when interviewing hostages or released hostages while a crisis continues.
• Exercise care when interviewing family members or friends of those involved in standoff situations. Make sure the interview legitimately advances the story for the public and is not simply conducted for the shock value of the emotions conveyed or as a conduit for the interviewee to transmit messages to specific individuals.

Until now, the new President of the Philippines has not issued a statement yet.  I know that he shouldn’t issue statements for all incidents in the Philippines, but this involved citizens from another country, which by the way has issued a warning to its residents about travel to the Philippines.  Also, this incident was all over international news.  As of 12 midnight, no statement has been issued yet.  President Noy, I know this is a tough one, since our police needs many CHANGES, but please, silence is just unacceptable.

Lastly, let us not forget the victims of this tragedy, those who did not make it out of there alive, and those who survived.  They didn’t do anything, yet they suffered immensely, some of them even losing their lives.

Photo from Buzz Sugar

[SPOILERS - If you've watched all the 9 episodes of Season 3 then you can go ahead and read...]

The latest season of True Blood is such a roller coaster ride for me.   One minute I absolutely love it, then the next minute – HATE HATE HATE!  There are new plots and characters that have captivated me, but there are those that I absolutely abhor.  Yes I do realize that “abhor” is a strong word but that’s just how I feel.

I *HATE* the Franklin-Tara sub-plot.  It’s disgusting.  I don’t get why they had to include this in the story.  There are already too many sub-plots, it’s bordering on confusing.  They could have done away with this.

I love the introduction of the vampire king of Mississippi, Russell.  I like how they connected him to the werewolves, to Bill and Sookie, to Eric, actually, practically almost all of the major characters.  This I definitely want to see develop throughout the season.

I also love the introduction of the wolves, very interesting how they connected the (bad) wolves to the vampires, and it doesn’t hurt that Alcide is hot.  I want to see where they will take his character.

I’m a sucker for romance and gooey-stuff, so I’m closely following Hoyt and Jessica’s story.  Their story, so far, is lighter and easier to take than the love/romance of Sookie and Bill, which is a welcome reprieve – I won’t be able to take it if it’s just all angst and blood and killing.

Why is Bill not affected by the sun???  What is Sookie’s other power, aside from hearing people’s thoughts?  Actually, what is she, is she human?  We’ll see where these will go, but they got my curiosity.

Jury’s still out on The Authority – let’s see where that will go.   Same with Lafayette and his new love – the development is so slow that it makes me wonder if it’s just fluff.  Surely, there is a purpose for this, but they need to give the audience some glimpses of what this sub-plot is for.   The sub-plot involving Sam’s brother and family was interesting at first, but I have no idea where it’s going now, so…

I can’t help but feel that there are TOO MANY things going on already.  I hope that the stories will “settle down” a bit and the connections of the sub-plots are introduced soon so that the audience won’t feel that everything is out of control.

Photo from Yahoo Movies

I was really excited to watch The Expendables, thinking that it was going to be very amusing and entertaining.  I was wrong.  It is the typical B-action movie – the only thing it can be proud of is that it stars big names.  It was entertaining enough – I mean it’s worth watching in the theater – but to enjoy it, you shouldn’t expect much of a story.

Sylvester Stallone has a long way to go in terms of directing.  There were a lot of effects especially at the start, but they felt forced.  Then all of a sudden, after these “cinematic shots”, it’s just one action scene after the next, with exaggerated violence which just makes you blurt out WTF!   The story was weak, and very predictable.  Basically, the movie is pure testosterone.  On steroids.  If that’s even possible.

There is something good about the movie though.  I thought Mickey Rourke was brilliant.  His heartbreaking scene was, for me, the only high point of the movie.

Other links:

The Expendables Official Site

The Expendables on IMDB

Rottentomatoes: 43%

While I find holiday economics amusing – why celebrate 2 days after or before the real anniversary of an event? – I like it because it gives me time to rest and more opportunities to travel. If it’s taken away, that will be okay, I understand why. But take it away for next year and the coming years.

That said, no one is perfect, and no government is perfect. People CONDEMNING (yes, that’s the right word) this government and the President (and those who voted for him) for this SMALL situation, in my opinion, are bitter citizens who seemingly cannot accept democracy (whoever you voted for, winner or loser, 60% of the country did not agree with you!). I did not vote for Noynoy Aquino but I sure as hell will do my part in helping rebuild our country, and be constructive in my criticisms and reasonable with my expectations.

I see that the prompt for this post has already been deleted on Facebook. Heh.

I’m not a writer, but I’m passionate about many things.  I’m a fangirl – when I’m a fan of something, or someone, I *really* am a fan.  When I try out a new restaurant, or watch a movie, or read a book, which I end up loving/liking, I want to tell all my friends about it so they can share in whatever I love.  But I’m not a writer, though I wish I was one.  It’s just beautiful how writers weave words together you know?

What I like about blogging is just like a journal, it captures your thoughts at that certain moment in time, and you can look back and realize that you’ve grown up, evolved, are the same, or whatever.  It gives you something to reflect on.

Time to look for a new blog template…

Back after a 2-year hiatus!

Gotta look for a new design template…