Miss Fan Girl

The Rock

2012-01-18T22:05:00.000-08:00

When you name a TV show after a location, I would assume that the place would not just be a setting, but a character as well. So far, with "Alcatraz", I did not feel like the story would involve much about the prison, but more of its inmates.

"Alcatraz" is a JJ Abrams-Bryan Burk production. I was waiting for a cross between "Fringe" and "Prison Break". Then, I realized that "Alcatraz" is actually a reminiscent of "The 4400" wherein a group of people were taken and came back without having aged a single year. For "Alcatraz", each episode will seem to focus on each inmate taken from 1963.

The show switches back to two timelines: the present day and from 1960-1963. But, please, enough with the texts telling us which timeline we're watching. Viewers aren't that stupid. Viewers who are familiar with Abrams are used to it, anyway.

I quite enjoyed the twists that were given at the end of the 1st episode. One of which is Madsen and his relationship to the other Madsen. This is when I knew that even though the show will focus on the inmates, it will still get to peel out the main characters' backgrounds. This needed to be stressed because if they will focus on the inmates, it's no less different from any criminal procedure show existing on TV right now. They can't afford being repetitive.

Second, Sam Neill's Hauser is very sinister and menacing in his personal Alcatraz for the 63s. The one twist that I did see coming was Lucy. I just figured she was too young to be involved with Hauser, so I guess she might just look yet but actually isn't. While I couldn't be sure whether Lucy is a part of the disappearance (record only shows that they lost 256 inmates and 46 guards, no staff) or she has an ability to travel time making her very valuable to Hauser, which is why he was distraught when she was shot by Cobb. And I liked Lucy. She's charming. She's actually more alluring that Madsen, which is very sad to say being that Madsen is the lead character.

(Hey, I did not like Olivia Dunham at first, but now she is the most kick-ass female character on TV. Maybe Madsen will evolve to that or be my next Kate Austen. I'll know for sure soon.)

Main questions revolving the show would be:

Where the inmates have been?
Who took them?
Why are they back? And why now?

Now, I know it's not a general question, but I also wonder what was the key that Jack Sylvane took for? Primarily, I thought that the inmates would just be back for vengeance, but when Sylvane took a key from someone not connected to him, there seems to be a need to know who took them and if their takers gave them order when they released them back.

And who is inmate no. 2002?

I also can't help but notice that both attacks seems to have a personal hit on Hauser. Tiller was a friend and he was deeply affected by Lucy being in a coma.

P.S. Who knew convicts back in the 60s were quite good looking.

P.P.S. This is another blog wherein I have to praise Michael Giacchino. I know some critics hated the jail door clanging, but I liked it.

Not All That Gold Is Glitter

2012-01-16T04:39:00.001-08:00

Golden Globes was incredibly boring. Plain. Dull.

Ricky Gervais was funny, but it felt like he was conscious about what he was saying. He wasn't snarky enough. He's mean, but it was mild. Sedated. Was he not nearly drunk enough? Only two jokes registered:

[To Johnny Depp] Have you seen "The Tourist" yet?

[About Colin Firth] What you don’t know is that he’s very racist. Very. And I mean, really nasty stuff. I’ve seen him punch a little blind kitten.

Still, he can still pack more punches than any American host.

There seemed to be an inconsistency with the winners, no patterns whatsoever. Usually, whoever wins best director or best screenplay wins best picture. Or does that only apply for the Academy Awards? Maybe it's a good thing, right? Maybe it gives all the film a chance to win something as oppose to just one monopolizing everything.

Scorses won because of his film-making process. He put on 3D glasses over his normal ones to film "Hugo".

There was a fantastic 3-minute part where no one spoke English and it actually, comedically, made sense as translated by Steve Levitan.

Also, William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman making good music together, proving that she is the best housewife in Wisteria Lane. And because other presenters were snooze-worthy, they really livened up the program for about 20 seconds.

Some wins were expected (Claire Danes), some wins were not (Matt Le Blanc), some wins, I don't approve of (Jessica Lange).

And, oh, HPFA, you might want to reconsider naming Best Miniseries or Television Film to Best British TV series.

Now, dearest, you don't really expect me to blog about the fashion, do you? That would be laughable.

Page 13 of 366

2012-01-13T09:10:00.001-08:00

Note to self: This is your first time watching a Harry'sLlaw episode. Do not feel like you know anything about it.

The episode is entitled "Gorilla My Dreams". I find it really weird to call the episode as such, but base all their promotions on the "Wonder Woman" storyline. The story basically tells a woman, Annie (played by the lovely Erica Durance), who defends battered women ad "Wonder Woman". It's her alternate persona. Based on what I can remember, DEK already did something similar in Boston Legal, so it's not something new or unheard of. This simply goes to show that David E. Kelley is till hung up on his unaired "Wonder Woman" reboot.

I would've been invested had they focused less on the trial and more on Annie's background with Nate's character as they were classmates back in high school.

The other storyline is about a gorilla and, well, frankly, I skipped that part. That required Kathy Bates' attention. It's a different case from Annie which ultimately led to the fact that Erica Durance shared no scene with Kathy Bates. Shame.

Whoever this Nate Corddry guy is, I liked him. I don't know if its his school boy charm or his school boy crush on Annie, but I liked him. I'd like someone like his character on my team. And I saw Mark Valley. Haven't seen him since... "Human Target"? Yeah. No surprises there. There was Tony Plana, too. I knew he's an old-timer for DEK shows. He could be a recurring role as a judge, I'll never know because I'm retiring my Lasso of "Harry's Law". I would simply await Erica's Canadian medical drama to see her again.

Be Careful What You Fish For

2012-01-08T01:26:00.000-08:00

*Sherlock: A Game of Shadows is believed to be an adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Final Problem. Let's establish something: it is not. Suffice to say, that is only evident to the last 5 minutes of the movie as Holmes pushed himself and Moriarty off the Reichenbach Falls.

*Pretty amazing to see all famous Sherlock characters in the movie even if it's just a bit of a role here and there.

*My problem with Moriarty in BBC's Sherlock is that he seems awfully childish. Good looking, but uncharacteristically childish. For Guy Ritchie's adaptation, Moriarty is none of that. Rather, he is more playful. A mental playfulness that became the highlight of the movie. The movie was more engrossing when they show a scene between Holmes and Moriarty. The chessboard theme all throughout the movie that centered between the two of them was very AC Doyle. I liked that and I liked Jared Harris very much.

*No Sherlock adaptation is complete without the much awaited bromance. I haven't much to say about RDJ and Jude Law as I am more of a Cumberbatch-Freeman fan. Still, the chemistry works. The banters are funny despite being a bit rehashed from the first movie. Action-wise, they complement each other. Good enough for me.

*Stephen Fry's crooked nose is pleasantly distracting. Him being Mycroft, being Sherlock's brother is a little unrealistic, though. This guy is magic. His scenes with Kelly Reily are what I enjoyed the most.

*And Noomi? I shall thank whoever is responsible for NOT glamorizing Noomi. She's hot. I love her.

*I'll stand by what I said (in one of my tweets) and tell you again that Lara Pulver makes a flawless Irene Adler and Rachel MacAdams can learn a thing or two.

*Hans Zimmer is an accomplished composer. For me, his themes are more identifiable than Danny Elfman's.

This Side (A) Up

2012-01-04T05:16:00.000-08:00

Currently, my iPod contains 627 songs. Out of the 267 songs, I have 0 OPM. This needs to be remedied.

I caught myself singing a tune as I was walking home this afternoon and again when I was helping my sister in the kitchen. It wasn't exactly a tune; it was more of a medley.

Here's an updated music library:

Hunting the internet for I'll Alway Stay In Love This Way/ Don't Know What To Say, Don't Know What To Do/ You/ Tell Me.

EDIT: Totally found it. Click here. Yeah, I'm good, thank you very much.

Although, I still break the monotony by popping in Coldplay's Paradise. It's crazy good.

Great Confessions

2012-01-03T03:46:00.001-08:00

Alfonso Cuaron is one of my all-time favorite directors because of A Little Princess and Prisoner of Azkaban, but sadly, I haven't seen his adaptation of Great Expectations yet. Shame, I know. I have, however, read the novel, so I gladly took on BBC's latest version of the classic tale.

One of the most striking things about the 3-episode drama series is its opening credits. More and more, the idea of opening credits are getting lost, so it's very nice to see a good one. Great Expectations' was of a butterfly. Elegant, sublime. It looks very fragile; an image that greatly reflects the story, literally and figuratively.

You know what I think? I think it was too depressing for the holidays. Then again, for some people, the holidays are not always festive.

I have associated Gillian Anderson to science-fiction world ever since X-Files and I was pretty weirded out to see her in a British costume drama. And that voice! The airy voice just throws me off guard.

Now, the big questions is: What are we going to do about Douglas Booth's very pouty lips and that stupid fringe flip he's got? How is a girl to concentrate?

What is beauty? Destroyer.

What is happiness? Deception.

What is love? Death.

A Sherlock Scandal

2012-01-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

I think what surprised me the most is that Benedict Cumberbatch did some minor action sequence. I don't know if Guy Ritchie's movie brought this about, but thankfully, it is not too extreme. With that said, I hope they keep it to a minimum because I can never really see Sherlock as a man who throws punches.

As much as I was rooting for Martin Freeman, it still and will always go back to Benedict. It's his show. He IS Sherlock. His chemistry with Mycroft, Lestrade, Moriarty, Irene, and of course, John varies and each one is special on its own. You know who I love him with the most? Mrs. Hudson. He seems very caring when it comes to her. Also, that soft and tender moment with Molly. Those are very rare.

Those are good ones, but you have to remember who he truly is. Sherlock is somehow cold and detach. Sherlock is a mean character. I see it now. I see how different he is from Moffat's other writing responsibility. Sherlock is a human who sees himself above others while The Doctor is an outsider wanting to connect to the human ways. Matt Smith does The Doctor perfectly and Benedict plays Sherlock effortlessly.

Benedict Cumberbact is an excellent actor, we all know that. I just need to stress it. Also, look at how tall he is.

And I am impressed with Mark Gatiss. Not a lot of writers can do the acting job and he does it well and with conviction. He plays not just any character. He plays Mycroft. Mycroft and Sherlock, from the few A.C Doyle stories I've read, have this long-standing strained relationship and it reflects in the show.

We all know Moffat can write. With given time, he writes really well. I actually prefer this one better than Study in Pink. Sherlock was on a long break, so must have had a long time to prepare this one and I think he did do some preparation. I thought the first few scenes were just a filler, but they actually fit in to the whole picture. Every detail fits into place. Sherlock is really just about the details and the deduction.

And for the last time, Holmes and Watson are not gay. They're not sexually together. Give it up, please?

Now, I probably have to rewatch John Adams because it is only now that I appreciate Andrew Scott.

Page 1 of 366

2012-01-01T05:21:00.000-08:00

One day, I'll be as inspiring as Eric Taylor.

This is the day when I realized how stupid I've been for not seeing how ridiculously funny "Always" was. I only used to see it as this powerful, dramatic hour-long episode of Friday Night Lights, but it is so much more than that.

I thought Matt asking Coach for Julie's hand was a real reaction of a concerned father, but the hilarity is his disbelief and Matt's never-failing awkwardness.

Eric and Tami's fight while decorating a tree also got me giggling. Every time they try to mask a fight is always delightful.

And, yeah, one day, I'll be just like Eric Taylor.

Bungee @ Burj

2011-12-23T06:13:00.000-08:00

Too much Apple products. Well, there were some DELL computers, too. But what matters is the one being used by the lead characters.

It's very easy to fall in love with Michael Giacchino. All you have to do is listen and you'll just love the guy. I do believe that this page is fast becoming an appreciation for Giacchino (see: Super 8log). I love his reworking of the Lalo Schrifin theme, particularly "In Russia, Phone Dials You", "Railcar Rundown", "A Man, A Plan, A Code, Dubai", and of course, "Give Her My Budapest". It also doesn't hurt that he's been constantly working with two companies that I love: Bad Robot and Pixar.

I'm torn about the locations. Moscow was sluggish. Most viewers were probably impressed by the building jump sequence, but I enjoyed that particular sandstorm scene in Dubai. It was classic movie shot. Sand settled down when the chase was over? Then, lead actor strikes a pose. Hello, good cinematography. Cheesy? Yes. Expected? Yes. But it's also classic. But I do think there wasn't enough India.

I know Josh Applebaum. I've seen his name one too many times on television, most famous for his work on "Alias". And, somehow, it seemed like a very long, very expensive episode of "Alias". Or "Chuck". Take your pick.

Known for The Incredibles, Brad Bird's live-action directorial debut was pretty good. He knows what works in an action movie, I guess.

First of all, Josh Holloway for the first scene? And throwing some punches? It's like I never left the Island. Who wouldn't be grinning, right? And thank heavens for flashbacks because I got to see more of him.

Simon Pegg is just delightful, isn't he?

It did feel like Renner was prepped to be Cruise's replacement in case the latter steps down from his Ethan Hunt duties. I though it was evident when Renner recreated the famous Mission Impossible jump. I'm not complaining. If it means seeing him in very flattering pants that accentuate his asset, I'm all for it. (But isn't he taking over for the "Bourne" franchise already? He's everywhere! Me gusta.) Fan girl loving aside, this guy is a great actor.

P.S. Saw "Battleship" trailer again. So much "Friday Night Lights". I miss it.

Super 8log

2011-06-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

Movies opens. You hear Electric Light Orchestra's Don't Bring Me Down and you plaster a stupid smile on your face. You hear My Sharona and you smile even more. You see a walkman and the giggling starts. Then, halfway through (cemetery scene), you hear the ever familiar Michael Giacchino score in a J.J Abrams movie and you GRIN. You grin like it's the most obvious thing and nobody in the theater seems to understand the meaning of it. Giacchino is a genius, isn't he? Plus, Michael appears in a small role. How delightful was that?

Other than Giacchino, there was Greg Grunberg, too. A J.J Abrams project is not complete without a participation from Grunberg, right? His role is easily missed if you're not looking for him.

Ah, lens flare. How I've missed you. Sure, it was a little forced sometimes, but J.J worked it. I mean, you'd rather have the lens flare instead of time travel, right? Time travel wouldn't have worked in this movie.

I have to point out David Gallagher because it looks like he did not age a year. How long ago was 7th Heaven? How is he not aging?

Can I now talk about Kyle Chandler. Ah, the awesome actor that he is. It was about the children, but J.J Abrams allowed him to have his moments He worked the daddy issues well. As a Friday Night Lights fan, I'm not used to Kyle being detached to his on-screen offspring, but he came through in the end. Surely, this'll get producers and directors to hire him in more movies. Though, I'd personally want him back on my TV screen.

However, I think the best part of it is that the lead characters are children. Children tend to be more naturally curious which makes the whole thing realistic. The humor is also, well, funny. It wasn't so much as they were the most clever thing you hear, but you just know that that's how children are probably going to react in that kind of situation. It's so natural and organic.

And just like any other J.J Abrams creation, some things were left unanswered such as why the ET abducted humans. What was it going to do to those people to took underground? That's okay, though. After years and years of Abrams, I've learned that some mysteries are good for the imagination and that it's all about the characters.

This movie is golden and it makes you wonder what Abrams has planned for the Star Trek sequel, no?

Special mention: When Kyle Chandler hugged his son at the end of the movie and said, "I got you. I got you." My head was screaming, "Suliet! Suliet!" Man, I think I lost it. Er, no pun intended.

X:Men: The Cameos

2011-06-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

I wasn’t expecting a lot given that the trailer was not fabulous and the posters looked like they were done by yours truly. Really, I came there not expecting a lot. I went there knowing I’ll be happy looking at Michael Fassbender. Luckily, he did more than just be an eye candy. Fassbender and McAvoy held their own just like McKellen and Stewart did during their time as Magneto and Xavier. McAvoy is good. Fassbender blew my mind with “Hunger”. Together? They were ridiculously brilliant. Nerdy girls love their fair share of bromance.

I'm not the biggest MARVEL fan, so I don’t know how relevant she is, but I thought Moira was unnecessary. I thought they can do without Emma Frost and Angel Salvadore. Also, Jennifer Lawrence was painful. Sometimes, women can do so much wrong.

You weren’t hallucinating. You did see Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Romijn. Although, I think I was a more pumped to see “Roswell” guy (Brendan Fehr) in the background with General Lane (Michael Ironside) of “Smallville”. There were a lot of people from TV. Jane Seymour of “The Tudors” was there, James Remar (“Dexter”) was there. It also didn’t hurt that Tony Curran was there. Nothing hurts when you have Tony Curran.

Ah, the costumes. The black leather get-up was my main irk with the first trilogy since I don’t really like changing up the classic. I love that they paid homage to the yellow spandex in this one.

The score wasn’t magical, but it wasn’t bad either. I just adore the fact that Take That is back to provide another original song for a Matthew Vaughn movie. Again, bromance. The band and the director seems to have their private love affair. Besides, I love Gary Barlow. There, I said it.

The Collective's Strange Tides

2011-05-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

Sam Claflin and Ian McShane didn’t have many scenes together in The Pillars of the Earth, so I was quite glad that they had decent ones in On Stranger Tides. I didn’t want Blackbeard to die (oops, spoilers!) because I liked his very brief rivalry with Barbosa. I wish that rivalry would’ve gone to a possible 5^th Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

I didn’t know missionaries back then were so, uhm, buff? But what is the point of being muscular when you don’t even get to throw a proper punch or swing a sword? Most importantly, I didn’t know clergymen were into mermaid. Kinda creepy, if you ask me.

---

I think Ninky and I planned this movie date so we can go to The Collective. I mean, we could’ve simply watched the movie in a nearby mall, but we ventured to Makati to visit The Collective. We managed to bring Diane and Tessa with us today. Power of persuasion, I didn’t know I have you.

I was expecting a compound full of restaurants. As it turns out, there are also stalls that sell clothing. There are even costumes available:

We circled the compound thrice. There’s a bag store. It’s a two-storey place, so that’s quite a lot of bags. The prettiest thing in the store, however, will have to be their door:

There’s a tattoo parlor. Is that what you call it? A tattoo... parlor? They have a massive graffiti wall:

Food, however, is what we really came for. Our choices were between Wabi-Sabi and Wingman. We chose Wingman since Wabi-Sabi was a bit crowded.

Diane called it a pub. Well, I wouldn’t exactly categorize it as a pub. It’s more like a place where young people sit down, chat, and have a glass of alcohol or two, but without the pub feel. Look at what I ordered:

Relax. It’s not alcohol. Since when did I ever drink? It’s their blue lemonade! I was thrilled! It’s lemonade, but blue! I loved their service. They constantly refilled my glass. Diane was keeping a tally of the number of blue lemonade I’ve had, but lost it after one too many. Although, I have to admit, those mint leaves on Tessa’s mojito looked refreshing as well.

I ordered wings, of course; just the classic buffalo recipe only the spiciness is classified as “Apocalyptic”. Hey, I thought I keep it in line with the whole end of the world thing. Tell you what, when you order their curly fries, use the Apocalyptic sauce as dip. It’s really good.

They have a chimichurri burger. It was my first time to see a place serve a chimichurri burger. That got me excited. They also serve deep fried snickers bar AND deep fried coca cola. Relax, the latter is just basically waffles with whipped cream and coca cola syrup.

We might go back to try Wabi-Sabi’s pot stickers. I love me some pot stickers.

Lesson of the Day: Spicy foods are good for asthmatic people. They have this breathing exercise going on while enjoying nice plate of food.

Smallville's Metropolis

2011-05-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

In 10.20 Prophecy, Clark said that Lois is his [greatest] strength. Meanwhile, Lana, having absorbed all the kryptonite, became Clark's greatest weakness.

You have to love the one true pair. Always.

Look, I'm not even a fan of Smallville or Superman fan. I am merely a fan of Lois Lane, Clark Kent, and The Daily Planet. For this case, I love Erica Durance's interpretation of Lois Lane. I seem to prefer it over Teri Hatcher's.

It doesn't hurt when she has a killer chemistry with Tom Welling AND Justin Hartley. I haven't had a girl crush in a while and it's nice to have one again. Thus, my weekend marathon of seasons 8 to the penultimate episode of the entire series. Skipping every nemesis arc and concentrating only to Lois Lane's storylines. I might even have to go back to season 6 where Lois was with Oliver.

Speaking of Oliver, is he supposed to be Oliver and Bruce Wayne rolled into one? He's rich, he fights crime. I smell Batman. Now, Batman, I like.

Anyway, like I said, I'm not a fan of Smallville. I was just in it after seeing Erica said those lines to clark in 10.20 Prophecy. But to those who have watched Smallville for the past ten years, I think I know what you're going through (After all, Harry Potter movies are also coming to an end). And I salute you for those ten years. You've probably gone through the ups and downs of the series. Cheers, TV fans!

The Mighty Thor!

2011-05-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

This got me interested because it's directed by Kenneth Branagh (aka Gilderoy Lockhart). Now, he's a proper English actor/director whose discography boasts of Shakespearean roles (Iago, Hamlet, Henry V, and Benedick). It could be the Henry V resemblance, but I was still curious as to what made him do a mainstream comic book adaptation.

With sister in tow, I went to see Thor.

Several pointer about the movie:

1. I NEED SUSTENANCE! From now on, that's how I order my food. Of course, I fully expect to have spit on my food after that.

2. Thor's all powerful, we get it. No need to flip the table, dude. You're being too melodramatic.

3. You see Idris Elba and you're reminded that a British director is at helm. Hoo-freakin'-rah!

4. Uh, any else noticed 7-Eleven's shameful product placement? I did. Twice.

5. Whispers to my sister, "Kamukha niya [Chris Hemsworth] si Charlie Hunnman". Sister said, "Sino 'yun?" Dear sister and everybody else, watch "Sons of Anarchy".

6. Sister whispered back, "Hindi, he's channeling Brad Pitt." I guess Pitt was too expensive for them already.

7. Which is a shame because we realized that Brad Pitt has never done an iconic role. Clooney was Batman, Cruise had M:I, and Depp had everything.

8. Now, for the serious part. The set-up for "The Avengers" was never really about the clip at the end of the credits. It's about Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, the one with the crossbow. Dum-dum-dum-dum.

8. Then, you remember that clip at the end credits of "Iron Man 2" where S.H.I.E.L.D agent discovers Mjolnir.

9. Suddenly, this movie just made me think what S.H.I.E.L.D reference do they have for "Captain America". [Maybe they'll reference that Ed Norton had a face implant and will now be played by Mark Ruffalo?]

10. Chris Hemsworth, your "Star Trek" fans called. They want you to make an unnecessary cameo for the sequel. You were so much hotter as Kirk, Sr. Kthanksbai!

11. Have faith in the Whedon. He'll do good.

Oh, and, welcome to my new blog.