Cats Gone Wild

Puss in Boots

Directed by Chris Miller

Starring Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Zach Galifianakis

I never liked Puss in Boots, well judging from the fairy tale that mom used to read every night before going to sleep. 

I never understood why a cat outwitted a king or some sort. The cat should be the antagonist of the story and not the other way around.

Or so I thought. Pardon me if I have poor judgment and analytic skills when I was little.

But anyway, soon after watching the first movie of Shrek, I started to admire this feline hero. Puss is actually not your ordinary hero. Armed with swift moves and big, beautiful eyes, Puss would surely win every adventure that he had (and also win every female cat's heart). Nonetheless, after watching his very first solo movie, I have realized that our feline friend deserved to be revered as a hero.

What makes Puss' first solo movie special is its story itself. Like any other heroes, human or animal, Puss had a very sad but interesting story to tell. But that's not it. Apart from the stunning scenery like the "wild wild west", the urban slums and the cloud castle, the funny mash-up of all nursery rhyme characters were there too. One wouldn't expect that the innocent Jack and Jill who just tumbled down the hill after fetching a pail water would be the most sinister-looking thieves in the movie! And who would've thought that the magic beans would be the center of the story! But the bulk of the followers of Jack's adventure takes the bean stalk and hunt for golden eggs. Yes, the golden eggs.

I laughed at almost every scenes of the movie, and yes, both children and adults can relate to it!

Overall, this movie is perfect for people who seek nothing but pure fun and excitement.

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The Curious Case of Praybeyt Benjamin

Photo credit from Viceganda.net

Vice Ganda's second movie was really a big hit, at least it did compensate from the loss incurred from his first movie, Petrang Kabayo.The plot of the movie was somewhat similar to Walt Disney's Mulan. Both Mulan and Benjamin were a disgrace to their respective families, thus prompting them to leave their home and head to the military camp to prove something about themselves - that they can do something extraordinary regardless of their gender. More so, both movies presented an equally hot platoon leader. Derek Ramsay surely made the people screaming inside the movie house; one can also surmise that Vice Ganda's screaming inside during the shoot of his second film.But what made Vice Ganda's second movie so successful? Well, it was not because of his jokes but it was how he delivered it. Whether if it is a havey or waley joke, Praybeyt Benjamin is just a movie where everyone can just laugh and enjoy. There is no need to analyze the plot and its story line like any other movies. You just need to enjoy it. Yes, there's a need to reiterate that statement. The story itself was really predictable, yes, but the madlang people loved Vice Ganda and showed their undying support to his second movie.And as for Vice? It doesn't really matter whether his second movie received low scores from movie critics. The important thing is, it's not a flop. It's a big hit!

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A Breath of Fresh Air: Mylo Xyloto

Coldplay had just released their latest studio album, Mylo Xyloto, and it is the freshest album released this year.

Upon its release, Mylo Xyloto received mixed reviews from critics.On December 2008, during the height of their previous album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, Chris Martin announced that their band will never split. Bassist Guy Berryman added that the band would return to the studio and work for their fifth studio album.We've already got lists of song ideas. We never stop writing. We go into the studio with all the best laid plans then what we end up with is not what we intended. It's just exciting to wonder what will come out the speakers in a year's time. We have very exciting things lined up. It's time to take our music down different directions and really explore other avenues."Album StyleTheir latest album, Mylo Xyloto is a concept album. Martin said in an interview that the album is based on love story with a happy ending,  in which two protagonists: Mylo and Xyloto, who are living in an oppressive, dystopian urban environment, meet one another through a gang called "The Lost Boys", and fall in love. Lyrically, the album is inspired by "old school American graffiti" and "the White Rose Movement. Before the album was released, Coldplay announced that their latest album would be more intimate and more acoustic compared to their previous album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.

CriticsThe album received mixed reviews from music critics. Metacritic announced that the album received an average review score of 59/100, based on 27 reviews. Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph wrote that, "it is simply irresistible. I thought the mood is adventurous and the sound is luxuriously colorful and vibrant. Melodies course through everything, constantly shifting and reshaping".Rolling Stone gave the album a positive review stating, "this time Coldplay have integrated the "Enoxification" (as they call it) into their own down-the-middle core: Check out the cascading choral vocals that augment Martin's soaring refrain on "Paradise." Prominent elements prop up the sonic cathedrals: Jonny Buckland's guitar, which is riffier and more muscular than ever, and Euro-house synths that wouldn't sound out of place at a nightclub in Ibiza." Allmusic writer, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave a positive review to the album and awarded it with 3 and half stars out of 5 and wrote: "Mylo Xyloto has a leg up other Coldplay records for this simple reason: they’re no longer attempting to mimic U2’s portentous piety. They’ve embraced their schoolboy selves and are simply singing songs of love and good cheer, albeit on a grand scale that somehow seems smaller due to the group’s insuppressible niceness."Mylo Xyloto is indeed a breath of fresh air. Coldplay never fails to amaze its loyal fans.

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Inspiring Audition: Emmanuel Kelly

The X Factor Australia audition video clip of Emmanuel Kelly went viral over the internet. A lot of people were moved by his story and his superb talent, including me.I'm pretty sure that you'll be amazed after watching and listening to his own rendition of Imagine.

Great story, indeed!

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Steve Jobs, Apple Co-Founder, Is Dead

Steve Jobs, the man behind the Apple gadgets such as iPhone, iPod, iMac, iPad and Macbook and named as one of the greatest American CEOs of his generation died on Wednesday at the age of 56, after years of battling cancer and other health issues.

Photo by: winnersdelhinews.com

His untimely demise was announced by his company, Apple in a statement late on Wednesday.It was noted that last August, he resigned as the CEO of the world's largest technology corporation handing the reins to current chief executive Tim Cook.Jobs fought a rare form of pancreatic cancer for years has been deemed as the heart and soul of Exxon Mobil's number one rival in terms of value in America.His untimely death made millions of Apple users worldwide to be on iSad and iCry mode.

Photo by ipadngravy.com

Rest in peace, Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs! Thank you for making our lives easier and efficient, sir!

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Satirically Speaking

Nowadays, people have been dependent to internet - they read news, they entertain themselves and even buy stuff on the internet. That's how internet revolutionized the life of people these days. Thus, it has become their primary source of information.

Rep. Winston Castelo. Photo courtesy of showbiznest.blogspot.com

Remember when Rep. Winston "Winnie" Castelo proposed the Anti-Planking Law? It had spread like wildfire on the internet and has drawn attention not just from the Philippines but also to the world. It was even a trending topic on Twitter! A lot have posted comments about it, mostly negative.

Apparently another news, still related to Rep. Winnie, broke out about the proposal of Anti-Angry Birds Bill. Funny thing was, a LOT of people believed it.

Quoting from So What's News site:

An eyewitness said that Rep. Castelo went shopping at the famous 168 Mall in Divisoria last Saturday and got annoyed when all he saw were Angry Birds themed items. “Naghahanap po sya ng mga regalo para sa mga inaanak nya. Kaso po nung makita nyang panay may nakadikit na Angry Birds ang paninda namin, eh dun na po sya nag walk-out” (He was looking for gifts for his godchildren. But he walked-out when he saw that all our products had Angry Bird stickers on them) said a vendor who met Castelo.

Entertainment sites like the one linked above have been sprouting like mushrooms for the past months and the famous example of it is The Onion News. Posts on these sites are often written in a sarcastic and satirical tone. More so, these sites do not just offer entertainment, but a wake up call as well. Although to unmask the real purpose of the entry, one has to digest the entire post which a lot of bloggers have failed to do such.

Photo from GetReligion.org

And I have to agree with the comment written by an anonymous person on that particular post, saying, "Ang lakas talaga ng loob ng mga tanga na magsabi ng tanga. (Others have the balls to claim that a person is an idiot where in fact he's the real idiot).

I even read several blog posts regarding the alleged proposal of Anti-Angry Birds Bill and I was NOT surprised that they BELIEVED on it. Indeed, satire [humor] doesn't have a place yet here in the Philippines.

The Anti-Angry Birds Bill may sound hilarious but one thing is sure: politics in the Philippines is crazy. Hilarious, but true.

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Cap Ou Pas Cap?

We all have this common notion of what true love is. We always think that true love will always have the happiest endings, an impeccable and lifelong relationship with each other and most of all, a blissful family. But the true definition of love is the otherwise as it comes with lots of sacrifices.We have Sophie, a 7 year-old girl who is a favorite toy of bullies and Julien, also a 7-year old mischievous but sensitive boy who loves to do nasty things. The two of them both attend the same elementary school. At first, Sophie was a bit shy, but eventually they got comfortable with each other. At a tender of age of 7, they start a game of eagerness, which will last for a life-time.There are different scenes, both real and surreal that portray different challenges as they grow older. Sophie wasn’t really sure if Julien is seriously in love with her. He didn’t realize that Sophie was having a maturational crisis. The way they communicate through love was really impressive, in fact the viewers might have thought that such manner of communicating might not have exist in real life due to its exaggeration. But then again, they both understand that they’re meant for each other. There are signature scenes and moments in between their reunion times with an excellent transfer of surrealism into storyboard sequences.Despite the betrayal, they still keep their game deep into their hearts. This became crucial to understand when the social and sociological obstacles happened to put an end to their game. Whereas, they realize the meaning of love is to go after your lover no matter how hard the situation is. They put an end to their life together at the end to be able to stay loyal to their game.It is fantasy in a sense that it lets you suspend realism for a moment, and dwell on the things we take for granted many times- laughter, romance, and childlike innocence.

About the movie: 

As adults, best friends Julien and Sophie continue the odd game they started as children — a fearless competition to outdo one another with daring and outrageous stunts. While they often act out to relieve one another’s pain, their game might be a way to avoid the fact that they are truly meant for one another. 

Release Date: 10/19/2004 Directed by: Yann SamuellStarring: Guillaume Canet, Marion CotillardWritten by: Yann Samuell

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