A Diane Lane Afterthought

I just returned from an afternoon at Filinvest Alabang where I caught "Fierce People". The main reason I went to see this severely underpromoted film is Diane Lane, one of my favorite female actors.

Well, since I scarcely had an idea on this movie, save a few blurbs from a year or two ago, I went in there thinking she was the lead character. She's not, Anton Yelchin (kid from "Hearts in Atlantis") is.

Set in the Summer of 1980, Finn (Yelchin) and his mother (DL) move into a rich benefactor's (Donald Sutherland's "Ogden Osborne") estate to rebuild their crack-damaged New York life. Later, Finn wins old man Osborne's affection and soon the latter takes him under his wing much to Bryce's (Osborne's grandson played by Chris Evans) chagrin and extreme, albeit supressed, jealousy.

To keep this entry spoiler-free, I'll move on to talking about other aspects of the film.

Yelchin reminded me a whole lot of a young Crispin Glover. The voice, the gestures. DL gets jumped by a guy again that it's almost like a staple in her movies. But she puts up a good performance enough to forgive last year's Must Love Dogs. And then you have Donald Sutherland who is simply great. It's impossible to fault him. He played his part with equal amounts of authority and pathos you never see on other actors anymore.

As for plot, it was not as engaging as I'd expected. The production design, however, was commendable. They were effective in creating a miserable look and feel vis-a-vis old money.

See this movie if you want to spend 90-plus minutes dissecting the symbolism and discourse. Watch out for the Pinoy extra who plays a Shaman in a few scenes. He speaks Tagalog.

RIGHT BRAIN ::: Finally, the Sun

Because it had been raining forever. The truth is there's nothing special going on in my neck of the woods so I'm on hiatus. Hey, I do try, what do you want from me? Rin, update your blog. Jonas, update your blog. You slackers!

Echoes of Ani DiFranco

I love Gmail. It's got the most efficient spam filtering system on the planet, enought to make me think they're the source of all that crap. Hardly. If there's anyone left out there who still doesn't have a Gmail account, let me know "why" and tell me where I can send you an invite.

Taking my cue from Paris Hilton, I think I was exceptionally proficient today. I finished a couple of lengthy articles all before 4 pm and I bet my employer would probably sigh and remark how I deserve every bit of the minimum wage they call "basic salary"...but we all know they don't give a monkey's, right? Screw the suits.

Don't get me all mixed up. I love writing but it's a challenge to be a PR writer for the government. That's why I hope there are still some folks out there who are independent thinkers, people who refuse to be fooled by the media.

Everybody is looking out for number one, including those who claim to be watchdogs. But they're more like lapdogs. I'm serious. Mass media is a business and the more shock value a story/piece has, the better it sells. Yeah, big surprise there. So I guess what I'm driving at is give both sides of an issue their space in your thoughts. Everyone's got their dark side.

Sick

Yes, just as I'd expected, my weekend was a disgusting mix of snot, fever, cough and cold pills, liquid, some green oil, and sweat. I had the flu and it's never fun.

If you're like me, you enjoy moments of solitude exploring--the city to watch neopolitans spend their selves, nooks and crannies of your house to find long lost things, or just ideas that came to you not too long ago. Well, I did none of that and instead spent three days lying in bed. The only activities I engaged in were wiping my dripping nose, getting up to pee, taking my pills, and changing my clothes. I tried to write in my journal but my head was so heavy it would literally tip backwards by itself. And then the worst thing happened.

The MTV Pilipinas Awards were held at a venue which our company owns and operated. Guess who was there. Yes, Colby. I had expected Max to be the Singapore representative to the show but he cancelled. Had I known Colby would be coming, I'd have dragged myself out of bed, braved the rain and possibly even pneumonia, just to be able to stare at him...from a (safe and lawful, LOL!) distance. And I could have cared less if the entire audience started sneezing and wheezing cause of me just then either. But as always, I only learn about his returns when he's already left.

So anyway, I'm back at the office and working on some article/press release/letter once again. The only good thing about this week is that it's another three-day weekend coming up. Yeah.

U2 ::: Has This Happened Lately?

For this edition of U2ube, I give you our boys (clearly in that helmet hair phase) doing "Out of Control" where Bono ends up taking his shirt off cause the fans kept tugging and pulling at it. One thing you have to conclude--and I admire him for it--is Bono's one of the very few singers out there who's never been afraid of jumping into the crowd. I mean he really just burrows in there unmindful of whether he gets trampled or whatever!

Money's No Abject

This morning, I thought I was coming down with a flu because of this hacking cough so thick my chest hurts each time I get a 'seizure'. I went to work anyway and got myself conveniently late by one minute. My back hurts, too, and I don't know how in the heck I will sit to ease the strain.

Anyhow, it's almost time to go home and I took paracetamol a while ago which sort of makes me feel a little better now. I'd hate to have a case of "Friday Sickness" tomorrow. It worked for me when I was a kid but it's just plain irresponsibility now even under the right reasons.

I can't wait for the PH Mobbers EB to happen. It'll be great to tour the MTV studios at The Fort and probably catch a show afterwards. Maybe we could even witness another of those wannabe celebrity brawls at Embassy next door. Hahaha!!!

Let the Popularity Contest Begin!

First off, how the heck did I get 3,645 views for this blog?? I know for a fact that that's impossible because I don't post as often as paulvincent does whenever a word comes to his mind. (don't worry, dude, I'm voting for you back. thanks.) So my guess is something's wrong with the site's stats program or whatever software the use to monitor traffic. At any rate, that makes no difference to me...

OK. So Mobbed (or "mopt" according to Max) has this new thing where members vote for best blog of the month. By the way, thank you, Fiz, for clearing that up. I remember someone messaged me a few weeks back asking for feedback on the whole thing and I sorta hinted them to pick interesting blog entries. Well, they didn't do that and instead have come up with this Best Blog of the Month voting thing. I'm not complaining though, lest some knucklehead thinks I'm being sarcastic.

Now look, can you see this thing turning into a popularity contest? Alliances, schemes, that sort of thing? Gosh darn before we know it, it's become the Big Brother house! And I can't wait to find out how that unfolds here in the Mobbed arena. Hey, money could even be involved. LOL! Ohhh this is gonna be exciting. The drama, the deception, the intrigue! It's freakin All My Children meets Melrose Place!

OK, so much for the sugar rush. Vote for this blog if you believe in truth, justice, and freedom fries!!

---- P e a c e ----

U2 ::: The Gold Card Club

I picked up the Vertigo 2005 Chicago live DVD at MusicOne and wondered why it didn't have any 'behind the scenes' footage. I later realized I had gotten the jewel box edition and not the double-disc one. The concert was nothing short of amazing, of course. It was Bono's birthday show and so forgetting his lyrics was pardoned. Not that it's anything new. *smirk*

Above is a short film which I had no idea about except that it was probably made in the late 90s. I know I could google it but I'm about to clock out of here so maybe I'll indulge tomorrow. Note that Bono carries a gold card, like any U2 member should. I dunno. Maybe? Oh and I loved how he tells her "Could you...gift wrap it for me?" in that almost whispery soft voice.