Better than before

At least, now they’ve got some feelings.

That’s how I rate New Moon. After waiting for like a lifetime, the movie has been finally shown in this sleepy town where I temporarily reside. And as expected, girls swooned and squealed and fidgeted in their seats and temporarily forgot about their boyfriends and/or suddenly thought Rob Pattinson was their boyfriend the moment Edward showed up on screen. And when I said “squealed,” I mean voices were actually heard throughout the cinema from girls of all ages, including those already married for more than ten years. I didn’t know whether to laugh or be annoyed.

But as I said, New Moon is far better than Twilight. Perhaps it’s because they’ve sort of stuck to the storyline, removed the cheesy lines and acted like real actors. I would give the best acting award to Taylor Lautner. He was believable as Jacob. His range of emotions varied and wasn’t stuck to just wrinkling his brows. I actually felt for him when he asked, or rather, begged, Bella to stay behind instead of saving Edward’s pale ass. Of course, there’s Taylor’s six-pack abs. I’m sure it didn’t go unnoticed. Especially compared to Rob Pattinson’s drawn abs, which I found really laughable.

The movie was good while Rob Pattinson wasn’t in it. Taylor’s acting made Kristen Stewart look good. But when Edward showed up, Kristen’s acting would go back to just plain dead and emotionless. If it’s any consolation, Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart would make good vampires. They both look dead and emotionless. But I don’t think the population of this sleepy town didn’t notice. They were all transfixed when Edward, after pausing for the longest time, asked Bella to marry him. And the trouble with this sleepy town, when Edward proposed to Bella, the female population in the cinema suddenly believed they were the leading lady. I was waiting for some girl to actually scream “yes” at the top of their lungs. Pathetic? Yes. But funny? Definitely.

All in all, though, I got out of the cinema entertained. The fifty pesos I paid was worth it. It wasn’t devastatingly great (like 2012) but it was good enough.

New moon, same emotion.

Have you seen the movie trailer for “New Moon?” I’m probably the last one not to have seen it yet. But, in my opinion, I didn’t really miss anything. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart’s acting are just the same, lifeless and unfeeling. For a story that’s supposedly filled with emotions, (imagine a vampire falling in love with a human, just how many conflicting feelings could he be going through, right?), both actors miserably fail to deliver. It’s so darn disappointing!

The Twilight Saga is such an amazing story. But it doesn’t get through due to the inability of the actors. I mean, Robert Pattinson shows heartbreak by merely wrinkling his brow?! What was his motivation for that, a stomach ache? Good thing for him he got to show off his abs, probably his only saving grace. And then there’s Kristen who says “I love you” to the boy she’s crazy about like she’s reciting off a menu. For the love of all that’s holy! Jeez! My exclamation points probably show more emotion than they do. But I do think that Taylor Lautner’s acting as Jacob is better than the others. Although I still don’t think Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt should be alarmed yet at being unseated as the best vampires in the movies.

But what’s annoying is that despite my utter dislike for the depressing acting prowess of its stars, I would still go watch the New Moon movie. Argh! Here, watch me wrinkle my brow to show the conflicting emotions I feel inside.

If you’ve been hibernating inside a cave for I-don’t-know-how-long like me, you probably haven’t seen the movie trailer yet. Let me do you a favor. Enjoy this, if you can.

Relaxation weekend

I’m looking forward to the weekend. Not only am I about to finish the report that’s been due ages ago, I now have a chance to see three movies.

I’ve already read the book by Sophie Kinsella. It was superbly written, with parts I can certainly relate to. How that would translate in the movie, I’m not sure. I’ve been known to be disappointed with movie renditions of books I’ve loved. Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code was really a bummer. John Grisham’s The Firm was an even bigger disappointment in the movies. These two notwithstanding the fact that they starred actors of whom I’m a big fan. I suppose it just goes to show that the movie isn’t all about the stars.

Other than Confessions of a Shopaholic, I’ve got two more lined up. I can’t wait!

Salvation is his

With just one save in this season’s American Idol, is Matt Giraud really worth saving? Can he actually bring it?

I must admit, when I saw the auditions for this season’s Idol, Matt Giraud caught my eye. Aside from his uncanny resemblance to Josh Lucas (which automatically makes me think of Sweet Home Alabama along with Reese Witherspoon), he’s got a Justin Timberlake vibe that has been missing in the history of American Idol. I thought that he could actually be the next winner. After all, the show has spawned pop stars and a rock star. Giraud’s RNB and Soul vibe should be what Idol needs at this point. I mean, how many pop stars can you really stand?

Unfortunately, however, Matt has only shown so much of his artistic talent. Sure he can sing — so could the others who auditioned for the show. Well, most of them, probably. But the point is, at this stage of the show, when we’ve almost seen all, the contestants need to show more than just their voice. They’ve got to show creativity. Matt has, however, almost failed in this aspect. I say ‘almost’ becuase he’s had sporadic magical moments. Like I said, he’s shown just a little of his creativity. He’s not really consistent. So, how can we be sure that he’s really gonna bring it after having been saved by the Idol judges?

I have nothing against Matt. In fact, I actually like him. I know he’s got it in him. But at this point, faith in the unseen is not really enough. This is the time where we say “to see is to believe.” Or in case of American Idol, ‘to hear is to believe.’ I would really love to prove Simon Cowell wrong: that Matt Giraud could possibly be the next American Idol. But with his song choices and performance, the way I see it, Simon Cowell could be right. If Matt doesn’t up his ante, he’s definitely not going to go far with the show.

The trouble with life is that there’s no background music.

That’s exactly what was written on a cubicle door of a comfort room at the airport. It wasn’t in somebody’s filthy handwriting. It was designed, printed and framed.

So, if I could pick a song that ought to be playing right now, I’d probably choose Hadji Alejandro’s “Nakapagtataka.” Hah! That’s only because the first line is so fitting: “Walang tigil ang ulan…” which is totally true. It has been raining in this side of the archipelago for FIVE straight days now! In fact, the flights destined for this sleepy town has been repeatedly cancelled since Sunday. I suppose it was utter good luck that my husband’s flight came through yesterday. Otherwise, he would have gone on a longer route. It better stop raining by Saturday because that’s his flight back here. I need to have my personal “Edward Cullen” back in my arms. Ugh! I’m beginning to get as sappy as the weather!

If there is something good to be said about the weather, though, I suppose I could make a pitch for the alleged local production of  Twilight, i.e. Takip Silim. I mean, this is the only place where it rains even during summer! Although, it’s not really the entire day. Usually in the afternoon it rains. But in the morning, argh! The sun shines really, really, really hot. And I mean scorching hot! A bottle of sunblock ought to be enough to protect the skin when you go out to get the mail. Well, I might be exaggerating a little. But you get the point.

I should be thankful that the big boss is on leave until Friday – hopefully until the entrire next week. I am particularly thankful that he’s away today, especially after how the day started. I had already driven the car away when I’d realized that the front right tire was flat. Crappy morning, really. The rain was pouring while I was out standing beside my flat tire, cussing and wondering what I’d done wrong to have this happen to me on a rainy day and I’m running late for work. Not to mention that I’d gotten my feet wet while I went on unofficial errands. Let me tell you, it wasn’t such a pleasant experience on a work day.

But to every dark cloud, there must be a silver lining, right? Well, here come’s that part. At lunch time, the staff had nothing better to do, work’s been done, the boss is out, what else is there but to… watch  Twilight. (Aargh! Not this again!) And despite myself, I couldn’t help but join them.

Right now, I’m just about tired of myself talking/writing about Twilight. And yet, I can’t help myself! I really, really don’t know why. It’s becoming annoying, actually. Maybe with every time that I see the movie, I’m hoping that Rob Pattinson would be better at playing his role. But I get disappointed everytime, so much so that by the time it’s revealed that he’s actually a vampire, I get bored and do something else. I’d admit that sometimes, I have a short attention span. But I’ve read the Twilight Saga twice and, except perhaps for the middle part of Breaking Dawn, I hadn’t gotten bored with it.

So, instead of finishing the movie, I just went and played mind-numbing time-management games to occupy my time while the heavens poured down with all its might. As the day progressed, I’ve forgotten about my crappy morning and found myself liking the rain.

Now, I feel like singing: “I’m only happy when it rains. I’m only happy when it’s complicated…”