30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 22: Movie You Wish You Could Live In

I have always wished that one day in one of my travels, I get to meet someone I can really connect with just like in Before Sunset. In a chance meeting, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke find just that and have one amazing day they will never forget.

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 21: Movie With Your Favorite Actor

Johnny Depp is one of the best character actors in the history of cinema! I don't think there's anyone else who can pull off playing eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow, Willy Wonka, and of course, Edward Scissorhands.

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 20: Movie With Your Favorite Actress

I have no one favorite actress, but I have always liked Drew Barrymore because she's very cute and likeable. But in Charlie's Angels, she showed that despite being sweet and all, she can also kick some major ass!

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 19: Film That Made You Cry The Hardest

Anak was such a tearjerker! Family dramas always get me as it is, and then add Vilma Santos to the mix, boom! Cryfest.

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 18: Film That Is Your Guilty Pleasure

I am such a Sarah Geronimo fan! So I just had to watch her first movie, A Very Special Love. :) She and John Lloyd Cruz definitely have onscreen chemistry! The movie's funny, heartwarming and romantic all at the same time.

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 17: Least Favorite Book Adaptation

I really loved reading Audrey Niffeneger's The Time Traveler's Wife. I found the story captivating and the characters lovable. However, I didn't get that from watching the movie. Sayang.

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 16: Favorite Book Adaptation

Peter Jackson is a genius! The Lord of The Rings trilogy is truly a masterpiece. He was able to capture Tolkien's world, the way I imagined it while reading the books, so well! It's like he read everyone's minds and put all our imagination on the big screen:

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 15: Favorite Play Adaptation

I love love love musicals, especially with amazing dance numbers. Chicago is so delightful to watch, and the actors are so talented! Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones were exceptional in the movie, I never knew before seeing the movie that they can sing and dance that well. And All That Jazz and Cell Block Tango are two of my all-time favorite movie scenes.

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 14: Favorite Documentary

I have always loved documentaries, especially about wars and mysteries, and BBC does a great job of making them. Here's a clip from their Days That Shook The World series, on the event which sparked World War I:

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 13: Favorite Chick Flick

Wouldn't you love to be with a guy who makes you fall in love with him everyday? Yup, I thought so.

50 First Dates was a surprise to me. I have not previously seen its trailer, so I entered the cinema without any expectations. I just thought an Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore couldn't be bad. It turned out I thoroughly enjoyed the laugh out loud funny scenes and even got teary-eyed during the mushy ones. There are lots of awww moments, so it's a total chick flick! And adding the Beach Boys to the movie soundtrack was just brilliant. Winner!

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 12: Favorite Love Story

The Mirror Has Two Faces poses the question: Is it possible to be in a relationship with someone by just using your head and not fall in love?

Gregory, a Math professor, has been previously hurt so he's looking to settle down without the mess of physical attraction, sex and romantic love - just plain companionship. So he writes a personals ad to find an intellectual woman without sex appeal whom he can marry. He meets Rose, an English lit professor, and the two get married out of mutual admiration and respect. Eventually, things change and both of them fall in love.

So you have this romantic love story, THE Barbra Streisand, the dashing Jeff Bridges and that wonderful wonderful song. What else can you look for in a romantic movie?

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 11: Favorite Kid's Movie

Watching Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory definitely brings you to a world of pure imagination. Imagine seeing a factory with a chocolate river, wallpaper that tastes like candy, a gum that tastes like a full course meal, and not to mention a whole gang of Oompa Loompas.

Gene Wilder is perfect as the eccentric Willy Wonka. In fact when I watched it when I was younger, I got scared of him especially in the scene where he got angry with Charlie. But he made me wish I was Charlie so I can meet him, eat all that chocolate and finally inherit his factory. That's why for me, this is still better than the newer Johnny Depp version. You gotta watch this:

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 10: Favorite Foreign Film

The Classic tells of parallel love stories of two generations. A love story set in the 50s or 60s is revealed to the daughter through a set of letters and journal entries, while the daughter goes through her own love journey.

I can't reveal much of the story but all I can say is that it's a total cryfest! I don't know why, but the Koreans really have this way of creating movies that break your heart. Don't forget to bring lots of tissue when you watch it.

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 9: Favorite Musical

"The hills are alive with the sound of music..."

Who doesn't know Maria and the Von Trapp family?? It's such a classic! This movie is probably the reason why I love musicals this much. Who knew a nun's life can be this exciting?

I remember being kilig watching Leizl singing I Am Sixteen Going On Seventeen in the gazebo and seeing Maria and the Captain begin falling in love. Oh, how I also wished I could yodel so I can sing The Lonely Goatherd properly!

Everyone should watch The Sound of Music at least once in their lives, or else how would you know your Do Re Mis?

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 8: Favorite Thriller

When Taken was released a few years ago, I intentionally didn't watch this movie before I left for my solo trip to Bangkok just so I don't get freaked out. I also hoped that my dad doesn't get to watch it or else I might not be 'allowed' to go.

This thriller really gave me the chills and I couldn't help but feel praning given that I love travelling alone. Top 3 lessons from the movie: 1) It's always better to be safe than sorry, 2) Be wary of strangers and 3) You should always inform people of your whereabouts. Especially when you don't have Liam Neeson as your dad.

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 7: Favorite Animated Feature

An overprotective dad crosses the Great Barrier Reef just to look for his lost son, and gets himself into several (mis)adventures along the way.

Finding Nemo has everything you want in an animated movie: lovable characters, good plot, it's both funny and heartwarming at the same time, and of course great graphics.

Albert Brooks was cast perfectly as the voice of Marlin. He played the role of the worrisome dad really well. But my favorite character is of course Dory, voiced by Ellen De Generes. She's just so funny with her enthusiasm and optimism especially when her short term memory loss kicks in. Best line of the movie: "Just keep swimming!"

I can't wait for the sequel!

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 6: Favorite Horror

I watched The Sixth Sense in the cinema with a very big group, but I might as well have watched it alone. The theater was full so we all can't sit together so we had to disperse to find seats. I chose to sit in the last empty seat right in front of the movie screen. Worst move ever!

Because I was seated beside strangers, I had to close my eyes or bite my hand during the scary scenes to keep me from screaming! I was so jumpy afterwards and had a very hard time sleeping!

Anyway, I love this movie because it was wonderfully written and the story was beautifully unraveled. What can you say about that ending??? So wicked!

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 5: Favorite Action

I'm not really a fan of action movies so I rarely watch them. But out of the few action movies that I've seen, Face/Off would probably be my favorite.

It's not the hard-core gun-shooting killing spree which is probably why I like it. The story was unique,with John Travolta and Nicholas Cage both playing the protagonist and antagonist roles. John and Nicholas were so convincing playing the two personas that I sometimes get confused on who's playing who. See for yourself:

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 4: Favorite Drama

I knew a bit about French singer Edith Piaf and her songs but I never knew how heartbreaking her life story was until I got to watch La Vie En Rose. She had a hard childhood, and I think an even harder adulthood. Even at the peak of her career, it seemed that she was never really happy. Definitely not a life in pink.

Marion Cotillard played Edith so well that she even won an Oscar for Best Actress in 2008. She was so convincing as Edith and the movie was also well-written that I felt that I was riding an emotional roller coaster. Just watch it!

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 3: Favorite Comedy

Adam Sandler + Drew Barrymore + the '80s = FTW!

Aside from that winning formula, The Wedding Singer's supporting cast members (mostly Adam's friends) were hilarious! My favorite one is the Boy George wannabe who only knows one song: Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? And I can get a big 'Awww', for the original song Grow Old With You?

The plot's really simple like every Sandler movie, but very enjoyable and relate-able, especially if you're an '80s baby like me!

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 2: Least Favorite Film

Sometime in the 90s. It was a weekend afternoon and the whole family decided to go to the mall and watch a movie. The privilege of choosing which one to watch was give to me. So I chose The Stupids, because it looked like a wholesome, family movie. It even looked fun because Tom Arnold was in it. I WAS SO WRONG!

3 signs that seeing it was a horrible idea: 1) I never heard of it. 2) There were very few (if any) people lining up to see it. 3) Tom Arnold is in it.

While we were watching it, my parents and siblings slept through the movie. It was sooooo boring!!! I forced myself to stay awake, syempre panindigan ang choice! Hahaha. It was so bad that my family still jokes about it and how we may have looked like the Stupid family for watching it! They will never let me forget that I was the one who brought them such torture!

I can't recall what the plot was (if there was any), but I will never forget this scene. You know those cheesy/stupid songs or commercials that you hate but can't get out of your head? This is one of those.

Bookworm Log #8 to #11: Game of Thrones

I started reading the books after I watched the first season of the HBO TV series. The TV version was so good (I finished watching the 10 episodes in one night!) that I just couldn't wait to get my hands on the books and know what happened to the remaining characters. Not to give anything away, but George R.R. Martin has this habit of making you feel for a character, and then he kills him off. Oh well.

I can't wait for Martin to come out with the 5th book!

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 1: Favorite Film

Ok now that we've entered the BER months, I need to do double time to reach my blogging goal for the year! So to help me with that, I bring back the 30 Day Challenge! Yipee!!! Hahaha. Last year, I went on the 30 Day Song Challenge. This time, it'll all be about movies, one of my favorite things in the world.

So for Day 1, I'll talk about one of my favorite movies, When Harry Met Sally. It's about two people who have been very good friends for a long time, and they'd be perfect for each other if only they weren't afraid that love/sex would ruin their friendship.

3 reasons why it's my favorite: 1) Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan played their roles wonderfully, and I love their onscreen chemistry. 2) The script was also beautifully written by the late Nora Ephron, who also brought us the other romantic movies Sleepless In Seattle and You've Got Mail. The lines and characters are so real and relatable. And 3) It's shot in my dream city, New York!

If you're in your late 20s-mid 30s and have never seen this movie, shame on you! Kidding. (Not really.) Go get a copy and watch it now!

Bookworm Log #7: The Best of Chico and Delamar's The Morning Rush Top 10

I've been such a fan of Chico and Delamar back in college. Fast forward to 11 years after, and I am still a big fan of theirs, especially now that they have Gino onboard.  They definitely make my morning commute to work a LOT bearable. They're the only reason I want to get up Monday mornings!

Of course aside from their funny repartee, their Top 10 topics never fail to make me laugh! Even their listeners, who are responsible for the Top 10 entries, are so funny and witty.

And so when I heard that they're coming out with a book of their best Top 10 entries, I just had to get me a copy. The moment I started browsing through the pages, I couldn't stop laughing. Alone. In public! Very much like when I listen to them using earphones and I suddenly burst out giggling.

I definitely recommend that you get this book, if you haven't already, and be prepared to exercise your laughing muscles. Oh and of course, start listening to Chico, Delamar and Gino on RX 93.1!

Soundtrack Sunday: APO Hiking Society

For me, the APO is one of the best Filipino bands ever! Their songs are definitely timeless, being sung by generations of Filipinos. They created beautiful melodies that anyone can sing with and they are also songwriting geniuses, creating lyrics that resonate with people of all shapes and sizes.

Here are two of my favorite songs of theirs (and all-time) - Panalangin and When I Met You. I play these songs whenever I'm in a romantic and senti mood. In fact, I love them so much that I even thought of playing them in my fictional wedding, haha!

Just listen to these lyrics and see if you don't get love-struck yourself!





Incidentally, I also got to watch the movie musical I Do Bidoo Bidoo yesterday. It's a romantic comedy, inspired by the APO's music. Think Mamma Mia, only Pinoy (syempre!). It's a unique movie, definitely not your typical Pinoy movie. The actors were great (Gary V., Zsa Zsa Padilla, Ogie Alcasid and Eugene Domingo) and you can't help but sing and tap your foot along the music. Definitely a feel-good movie.