“Away but never gone.”

Because I now have a friend who gives me free passes to movie premieres like what lovas Jean and Ayla do, I got this very sosyal-looking ticket to see Green Lantern at Power Plant tonight.

Disclaimer: I am not much of a comic fan.

Having said that, I can’t really compare if the movie producers did a hell of a good job adapting Hal Jordan’s story into the big screen. All I know is Ryan Reynolds is freaking gorgeous from head to toe! Thank you Martin Campbell that this movie required Reynolds to be topless or in tight fitting costumes. His hotness is just to die for! Not to mention that he is also witty. Yes, perfect guy.

Thought #2. Blake Lively does not look good as brunette. I think her hair color in this movie would suit me better (gahd, my vanity). With that hair color, plus a bit more tan and bronzer, she’d look like a thin Snooki. Speaking of thin, did you see her waist or what remains of it? Blake is so skinny, it’s not making her look good. Anyway, Ryan is good looking enough for the both of them.

Speaking of both of them, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively had chemistry, at least for me (kinilig ako eh). I was expecting a bland pairing since I read that they’d be pairing up for this film. Good thing, I guess.

Overall, I think the film was okay. I enjoyed watching it. It is worth-watching for its good special effects, shocking scenes and some kilig lines and again, Ryan Reynolds. My favorite part of movie was the last part when Hal Jordan (Reynolds) said to Carol Ferris (Lively), “My job requires a lot of travelling. I will be away most of the time. Away, but never gone.” Kinilig ako. Kthnxbye.

Though I think the story’s build up is slow and the final fight is too short. From the looks of it, there will definitely be a part two for this film. If that means more of Ryan Reynolds’ hotness, by all means go!

I’d like to thank Rachel for bringing me to this free screening. Until the next movie! Hahaha.

Who doesn’t love a back story?

Ever wondered how your favorite Marvel heroes were before they started saving the world in comic books and in the big screen? Director Matthew Vaughn tells the battles of the first human mutants to destroy and to save the world in X-Men: First Class.

Mostly set during the Cold War, the movie follows how the lives of Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier crossed. Erik’s mother was killed by (literally) power-hungry Sebastian Shaw because Erik could not show his powers. Shaw took Erik under his wing and as Erik put it, he became “Frankenstein’s monster”. Driven by his hatred, Erik sought out Shaw for revenge. In one of his attempts to kill Shaw, Erik met telepath and genetic mutation expert, Charles Xavier. Charles, on the other hand, was helping the CIA in stopping Shaw from starting a nuclear war between Soviet Russia and USA. In order to stop Shaw, Charles and Erik recruited other mutants to help their cause. But turns out, the nuclear war was just Shaw’s tool to gain domination over society who he thinks will annihilate them because of fear. Conflict worsened when some of Charles’ recruited mutants chose the dark side.

The movie ends with a heart-stopping face-off not only between Soviet Russia and USA, but also between Charles’ side and Shaw’s forces. Erik was able to avenge his mother’s death, but turns out he was sympathetic to Shaw’s causes. Erik, now called Magneto, led the mutants on the dark side in continuing Shaw’s vision of conquering over “normal” people. Charles became Professor X and continued recruiting and training mutants to protect society, hence the X-men that most of us know.

Now, what made the movie click for me?

One. Good story. I was never a fan of superheros without back stories. When I first encountered the X-men, they were already there combating the evil. But with this movie, it gave these heroes and villains a deeper and more complete sense of who they are. And for a non-fan like me, it feels great to know how Professor X landed in a wheelchair. *laughs*

Two. An even better story-telling. I liked how producers meshed real events in the 60s in the timeline of the story to make it seem more real. Besides that, the development of the characters were very apparent. Not to mention that movie was visually-appealing! From production design, make-up, special effects and even music, I applaud the filmmakers!

Finally. An awesome cast. To tell the truth, I do not know half of the actors in the movie, but they all look good (especially James McAvoy). And they know how to act (which is a step-up from a lot Hollywood films)!

Today’s impulsive trip to the theater was totally worth it! Now, excuse me while I download and watch all other X-men movies.

Just the right amount of “kilig”…

…and an overdose of hotness that is Mario Maurer!

The other night, I was watching “First Love/Crazy Little Thing Called Love”. It is Thai romantic comedy that claims to be “based on everyone’s true story”. Here’s the bitter reality, not everyone wins the heart of their first love while they were still in their ugly duckling phase and have a happily-ever-after ending nine years after. There might be a few exceptions to the rule, but I just want to disprove their claim that this story is based on “everyone’s true story”, because that just does not happen to everyone.

Well yeah, maybe the whole innocence and naivety of one’s first love is true. I’m sure everyone can relate to Nam, the-ugly-duckling-turned-fashion-princess protagonist of the story. Once in our lifetimes, we’ve passed by a classroom just to get a glimpse of our special someone, dialed their number and hung up when he answers, and did just about everything to get his attention. At one point in our lives, we’ve confessed our feelings to our special someones only to find out that it’s too late or he can never reciprocate the emotions. I’m sure we can remember all of that feel-good/naive things we did for love before heartbreak fucked us up real good. I mean, who could forget? It was such an experience.

Kahit na paasa yung pelikula, I enjoyed watching it just because it’s an hour and a half of Mario Maurer on my laptop screen. Even though the story’s time line went on for almost 12 years, it did not seem dragging. Tamang pang-alis lang ng stress at pangbigay GV sa mga taong pagod. And Thailand is just a beautiful place! Ang ganda nung locations ng movie, especially that one in hanging bridge! So romantic. One more thing, I love about this movie is its soundtrack. Alam mo yung kahit hindi mo naiintindihan yung lyrics, gets mo sya kasi dalang-dala ng melody yung kanta? Yeah.

And one major reason why I finished watching this film (even though I started watching it at around 2AM) is Thai-Chinese-German actor, Mario Maurer (I never thought United Nations could look this good). Others might recognize him from his portrayal of Tong in Love of Siam (2007), which I haven’t finished watching yet because it is dragging. There is nothing special about this model-actor. His acting was just okay, sakto lang para sa isang pang-kilig na pelikula. It is just that he is so yummy. I wouldn’t talk more, I’ll let you decide on your own…

Yes, people. Ngiti pa lang, busog ka na.