Red Dawn 2012

RATING: 7/10

Red Dawn is an American war movie that depicts patriotism in spite of fear and vulnerability. It's about choosing to fight despite lack of experience and the inevitability of losing. It's the story of a bunch of kids who fought for the freedom of their home against a North Korean invasion.

Jed (Chris Hemsworth), a US Marine spending two weeks home, led a group of high school kids in defying the occupants' regime. Going to war is nothing new to him, but it's is a very unfamiliar undertaking for a bunch of inexperienced high school kids, his brother Matt (Josh Peck) included. They trained, they planned, they strategized, and they went to war against the North Koreans. They became terrorists in the eyes of the invaders. They were later on known as the "Wolverines." They had makeshift weapons while their enemy had advanced killing machines. They lost some good men, but in the end, they were able to keep the fire to redeem their home burning.

MY THOUGHTS:
Peeta Mellark is in Red Dawn! And he looked very young (Well, according to Wikipedia, the movie was filmed in 2008 and was shelved because of budget troubles). Josh Hutcherson plays Robert, a friend of Matt. At first, he was reluctant about fighting. He didn't have the guts to kill, much more fire a gun. But his love for his country made him courageous enough to kick some North Korean asses.

Chris Hemsworth is so hot! He died in the end, though. Oops! Spoiler alert.

Isabel Lucas who played as Matt's girlfriend is nothing as hot as her character in Transformers Revenge of the Fallen.

MY FAVORITE LINES:
"I love you both, I hope you know that. What I'm gonna ask you to do may be very difficult, but I want you boys to do what I would do. I want you to go to war and stop this piece of shit. Or die trying." (Tom Eckart, the dad who was then shot in the head after saying those brave words. Oopsie, spoiler alert.)

"I'm going to fight. Now this is easier for me because I'm used to it. But the rest of you are going to have a tougher choice. Look, I don't want to sell it to you, it's too ugly for that. It's ugly and it's hard. But when you're fighting in your own backyard, and you're fighting for your family, it all hurts a little less and it makes a little more sense. And for them, this is just some place. But for us, this is our home." (Jed Eckart)

"You messed with the wrong family." (Jed Eckart)

RED DAWN 2012 TRAILER:

Tuhog 2013

MAMAMATAY KA.

These words were child actor Maliksi Morales' line when the three protagonists of the movie (Leo Martinez, Eugene Domingo, and Enchong Dee) refused to give him alms. True enough, the three ended up in a hospital, all skewered in a steel pole, fighting for their lives.

Tuhog circled around the lives of the three. Tonio (played by Martinez) is a patriarch whose dream is to become a baker. He used his retirement money to finally make his dream become reality. The problem, however, was his lack of know-how as far as baking and running a business is concerned. Despite the disapproval of his children, he pursued his dream and started from scratch.

Fiesta (played by Domingo) is a heartless bus conductor. She's notorious for her sharp words and brusque antics. Her mother left her when she was little and she has been enduring life with her alcoholic father. Her life changed when Nato (played by Jake Cuenca) came into her life. They started out as enemies. Nato was a bus driver in the same company Fiesta works in. They bickered with each other until Nato asked out Fiesta for a date. For the first time, a guy showed her genuine sincerity and concern. She learned to love. But then heartaches are inevitable. In consequence, she also got heartbroken for the first time. I have to say, kinilig ako kay Jake Cuenca at Eugene Domingo dito. Hahaha!

Wanting to lose his virginity with his girlfriend Angel (played by Empress Schuck), Caloy resisted all kinds of temptation for his dearly beloved. He was in love and with high hopes that his girl would do the same. Little did he know that Angel lost her virginity to someone else. This disappointed him and pushed him to cheat with another girl.

Though living different lives, each protagonist is destined to arrive to an end. Their fate led them to one bus ride which will endanger their lives. Who among the three will die? Any guesses?

As far as acting prowess is concerned, I'll give it to Eugene Domingo. I was most moved by her life story. She effectively made people laugh and "kilig" because of her quirky love story. She was a believable lesbian. And when she dressed up for her date with Nato, I can't help but smile and feel happy for her. Martinez' portrayal of Tonio was also heart-warming. His story made me think about my parents who are of the same age. Will they be like the senior citizens in the movie? Will they also want to pursue their dreams despite old age? It also made me think who among my friends will be by my side til my last breath. It's comforting to watch Tonio and his friends play Pusoy Dos because you see them enjoying their final days. I hope my parents find their place on Earth just like Tonio did. As for his portrayal for Caloy, I can say that Enchong also did well. Probably it was effortless in his part because every guy goes through this stage of wanting to lose his virginity. His story tackles the teens' problem of balancing love and lust. As much as I don't want to admit it, there are indeed guys who wait for the girl they love. That's what Caloy's story is all about.

Another thing I liked about the movie is its soundtrack. I love how the song is sad and sentimental. It is a reflection of the characters' fate. We are all scared to death about something, right? Listen to the OST of the movie Tuhog. It's on loop in my player right now!

Scared To Death – Kz Tandingan Lyrics & Listen

TOUGH TIMES NEVER LAST.
TOUGH PEOPLE DO.
★ HAPPIDEZZ

2013 Belle de Jour Power Planner

Dear Juliet,

I finally got myself a planner! Yes, a planner is something essential for a scatter-brain like me. It got delayed for a month because I didn't have a job, ergo, I also didn't have money to buy it. So when I got my backpay last Friday, the first thing i bought was the 2013 Belle de Jour Power Planner and a pen.

For the past years, I've always used
Belle de Jour Power Planners. 

To me, it's more of a diary than a planner. I'd scribble and draw my everyday experiences in it. Every time I update it, I feel like I've transformed into a child, playing with her coloring book, trying hard to come up with bright and beautiful pictures using her colored pens.

I also love that it's the kind of planner that empowers women. To start with, the colors in the planner are dainty and girly. It has weekly quotes/mantras which remind women of how amazing they are. It helps ladies track their expenses, set goals, mind their health, explore new experiences with the 100 things to do, and even record their menstrual cycles.

But what I love most about the BDJ planner is the BDJ coupons! It comes with discount coupons which are perfect when you're in the mood for shopping!!! Who doesn't like discounts, right?

Today, I took time to sort my 2013 BDJ coupons. The OC in me grouped the coupons according to different categories (I came up with 11). As I was laying down the coupons on our dining table, I felt a mix of excitement and disappointment. There are new exciting coupons to look forward to but, there are also some brands which aren't in the 2013 BDJ planner.

Let me explain each category and why I am kinda disappointed of the 2013 offerings:

1. Clothing and 

2. Shoes

Obviously, these coupons are intended to avail discounts/freebies from different clothing and shoe companies. This year, there aren't much exciting brands which made me jump with glee. In the past years, there were discount coupons for Bayo, Folded and Hung, Get Laud, Charles & Keith, Celine, CMG, etc. It's just sad that for 2013, these brands are gone. You have All Flipflops and Bauhaus, though.

3. Spas and Hotels

This category made me giddy! Aside from the usual The Spa and Ace Water Spa coupons, now there are discounts to be availed from two hotels. Yes, you read it right! HOTELS! One is a discount on the published room rates of Ace Hotel and Suites, and another on a Relaxation Package from the Subic Grand Seas Resort. These got me thinking when I'd use the coupons and who I'm going with! Yey! This is something to look forward to, right?

4. Food

Here, you get discounts and freebies from TGIF, Bulgogi Brothers, Krazy Garlic, Serenity, etc. Not much fun, but will suffice. 

5. Hair and Face

These are goodies for women's grooming -- eyebrows, hair (from up above and below, LoL!), cosmetics, makeup trainings, hair accessories, facial treatments/products, etc. I'm not really up for these since the participating stores are really far from where I live/work. Plus, there aren't any Etude House, L'Oreal coupons included in the 2013 package.

6. Classes

I'd love to avail the treats from Barre 3 and John Robert Powers. If only I had a buddy to bring to the classes with me.

7. Red Box and 8. CBTL

BDJ users would know that these two companies are the most generous as far as giving freebies and treats are concerned. Red Box has nine coupons while Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf has eight.

9. SM Ladies' Fashion and Parisian

You might be wondering why I didn't put this category under Clothing and Shoes. Well, I made up this category so it would be easier to pick out the coupons once I'm in any SM Department Store. These are discounts for ladies' clothes and shoes! Last year, I got to avail of my Parisian discount and bought this pretty pair for a lower price.

10. COMPLIs

These are complimentary samples which should be availed in the main office of the respective brands. Brands include Khiel's, Luster by Kolours, Black Beauty (the horse shampoo & conditioner), and Splash (SkinWhite, Hygienix, Vitress).

11. Misc.

I made this category because I am sure I won't be able to use the coupons for pets, parking, jewelry, and an iPhone case. Well, I don't have a pet, a car, and an iPhone. But as far as the jewelry is concerned, there's a chance I may use the discounts.

There you go! I hope I'd be able to use my coupons this year. Last year, my coupons were unused and I don't ever want that to happen again this year. Coupon maximization is on :)

TOUGH TIMES NEVER LAST.
TOUGH PEOPLE DO.
★ HAPPIDEZZ

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012)

Dear Juliet,

I watched The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 with my gym friends last Thursday. I thought I wouldn't find the movie thrilling since I've read the book many times. What part of the movie wouldn't I know of, right? But lo and behold! The trickery! And the deaths which broke my heart! It was awesome; a pleasant surprise.

But beyond vampires and werewolves, I think the only unrealistic thing in the movie was the computer-generated baby Nessie. It looked more like a robot than a human-vampire hybrid. Worse was the teenage version of Renesmee. Why didn't they just find a real person? But all in all, I'd say it was a great ending to a saga. Bella was a gorgeous vampire. I loved her makeup in the movie.

What I loved the most was when A Thousand Years played as Bella recalled her pleasant memories as a human. It was so sweet. They flashed snippets from Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. I can't help myself but murmer a soft "AAAWWWW."

To end this crap of a "review," can I just say? I thought Jacob looked hotter than Edward in this last installment.

TOUGH TIMES NEVER LAST.
TOUGH PEOPLE DO.
★ HAPPIDEZZ

Emma Roberts is Nancy Drew

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Other

Get a Clue with Nancy Drew
By Debra Jane Bozar and Madelaine Joy Garcia

Solving mysteries and driving fast cars are typical stuff for small town girl Nancy Drew. But for Emma Roberts, star of the new Nancy Drew movie, being in the lead role is a big time adventure in her “dream project”.

Emma admits she has never read the book series though she’s a self-proclaimed Harry Potter girl. “It’s really great. I’m rather nervous because so many generations have read the book and I have big shoes to fill. But I’m really excited and it’s going to be a lot of fun,” said the 16-year-old star in an interview.

The Sleuth goes to Hollywood--
Director Andrew Fleming opted not to modernize the all-time favorite teen detective. “But if we did, what’s the point? Why call her Nancy Drew?” Instead, he made Nancy’s surrounding rougher, ruder, and more dangerous by setting the plot in a bigger city-Hollywood!

“It's not based on any of the books — it's a new premise where Nancy Drew moves to Los Angeles and lives in an old movie star's house. It's filled with all sorts of adventures,” said the Aquamarine star. In her latest adventure, Nancy is out to unravel the mystery behind the death of movie star Dehlia Draycott.

The mermaid’s “unfabulous” undercover--
Emma’s first on-screen appearance was alongside Johnny Depp in the 2001 rated-R movie Blow. Since then, she has starred in other movies, Aquamarine being the latest, while doing her own TV series Unfabulous, that made her a household name, in Nickelodeon. She also released her first album last year, Unfabulous And More: Emma Roberts. “I sing and everything. So, we thought it would be cool to put out a soundtrack because everyone said how much they loved the songs. I’ve always like singing,” she said. The newly-hailed Female Star of Tomorrow in the recent Showest Award proudly shares that she did few of her own stunts as Nancy Drew: I get in a car chase and then I have to outrun a car. So that’s fun.

The Pretty Woman’s Niece--
Emma thinks her Aunt Julia’s Monalisa smile is the most striking common feature they have, while being good bakers comes next. “We make peanut butter cookies and chocolate chip scones.” She comes from a family of stars. Besides Academy Award-winner Julia Roberts, her father, Eric Roberts is also a movie star. But she doesn’t want to be forever stuck with the names of her dad and aunt. “I think it is really cool to be compared to her because she’s an amazing actress, but I do kind of want to make a name for myself and accomplish something on my own.”

Busy Bee--
Emma is now working on a comedy film to be shown in 2008 titled Wild Child. Her hit TV series is already running its second season. She’s also expected to appear in Camp Couture, Bras and Broomsticks, and Rodeo Gal. She has signed a contract with Dooney & Bourke, as their new spokesmodel. She is also designing her own Dooney & Bourke handbag, named after her.

Coming Soon--
Prior to the movie’s release on June 15, the director Flemming and producer Jerry Weintraub have verified a sequel with Emma still playing the role.

The Perfect Man (2006)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Foreign

"Nothing is Perfect After All"

In the absence of a father and a husband for her mother, one might have done what Holly Hamilton did for the salvation of Jean—create a fictional suitor for her mother and set a restaurant in the verge of destruction.

Produced by Marc Platt and directed by Mark Rosman, The Perfect Man is about a teenager named Holly (Hilary Duff), who dubs herself as “the girl on the move” because her mother, Jean (Heather Locklear), runs away whenever she is on a relationship crisis. Holly conceives an illusory perfect partner in the person of Ben (Chris Noth) with the intention of lessening her mother’s desperation. Just when things are perfectly coming about, Holly’s good intentions suddenly went off course.

Basically, the movie centered on the mother – daughter relationship of the Hamiltons, with a little romance on the side. It depicted the single parents’ usual hardships of raising children all alone, plus the children’s numerous complaints of living with a single mother who moves from one place to another every after failed relationship and who is in despair to meet the man of her life time and again.

Heather Locklear and Hilary Duff were able to present the natural rapport of a typical mother-daughter team. Locklear was able to bring some realism to the struggle that single mothers undergo while Duff was able to play her teenage character well and ended up coming clean with her lies. Chris Noth, on the other hand, was able to project the image of a perfect gentle man and a perfect suitor that he was expected to be.

This 100-minute film is perceptibly set in the 20th century in that it showed how people of today communicate through the World Wide Web—instant messaging, e-mails, and blogging.

On its downside, The Perfect Man was bombarded with series of comic acts and scenarios that range from implausible to outlandish, and that only kids would adore. Take for example the classic mother – daughter dance performance in the Hamiltons' living room. Additionally, more than half of the cast gradually disappeared as the movie progressed. Also, the character of Lance, a homosexual, added nothing to the plot but comic relief.

All in all, the story, less the downside and more on the search for Mr. Perfect would have been great. The film is just right for those who appreciate feel-good movies. Teen crowds will find Hilary Duff and her new goodies as cute as ever, but the grown-ups (Heather Locklear and Chris Noth) are the strong suit in The Perfect Man.