The Four-eyed Journal » Asides

Quick reviews: The Grudge 3

jhay — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:51:09 +0000

Naoko performing the ritual to end the curse

Since our classes were officially cut earlier today, the girlfriend and I took the chance to see a movie since we’ve been wanting to watch Year One starring Jack Black since the past weekend.

However, plans suddenly changed when we found out that The Grudge 3 was also now showing at SM Dasmariñas. Without giving it a second-thought, we bought tickets to see the third installment of the franchise.

I am confused up to now because the movie poster mentioned “from Sam Raimi, director of Drag Me to Hell” so I thought he was the film’s director or executive producer. But Sam Raimi’s name was never mentioned in the opening and closing credits. So what gives? Was it just a promotional stunt?

Because the look, feel and camera work of the movie had Sam Raimi written all over it. Moving on, the movie was good, it really had us holding our breath for most of the scenes where the ghosts attacked their victims.

Choice scary scenes

The scariest scene for me was when Kayako went after Dr Sullivan at the clinic. The clean and white walls plus the locked doors really pumped up the scare factor of the scene.

The most ‘creative’ (no pun intended) attack was the one on the resident artist Gretchen. Kayako being invisible and showing only red hand prints on the floor then finally coming out of a painting and making a deadly art work on Gretchen’s face. It even scares me as I write this.

Killer twist

Most people I know who’ve seen the first two films complain that they barely understood the story because of the movie’s flow. Most of them doesn’t even understand why Kayako and her son were murdered to begin with.

All these questions and more were answered in the third film, with a clearer script which really told the story. The most essential part was that finally, a solution to ending the curse was at hand thanks to Naoko. I think it was my first time to see an exorcism, Japanese-style. Though striking a bow’s string and with some Japanese chants were a bit too plain and simple for a Japanese ceremony, I did enjoy it because the sounded like a lightsaber being waved around. Okay, moving on…

One twist at the ending though sort of killed it for me, again no pun intended, since the ritual worked in ending Kayako’s killing spree which meant a closure to the whole story, or so I thought, but when Naoko’s ghost started to do some killing only hinted that there would be a new movie to follow soon. Would her niece, Toshio, be included in it as well?

All in all, The Grudge 3 is a good movie if you want to take a break from the offerings of recent movies shown today. It’s nice to be scared every now and then. Fans of the franchise would surely enjoy this third installment and would look forward to the fourth one.

Image from IMDb

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Say by John Mayer theme song of The Bucket List

jhay — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:35:52 +0000

Late last night, after watching ‘Fated to Love You’ on GMA 7 (don’t ask anything about this Ade), my girlfriend and I decided to stay up a bit longer and watch “The Bucket List” on HBO.

The movie starred Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, two of the my most favorite actors, in which they played the characters of Edward Cole and Carter Chambers respectively, two terminally ill old men who went on a road trip to fulfill a wish list of things to do before they “kick the bucket.”

The movie was something I’m not afraid to admit that made me sappy and teary-eyed. It reminded me once more of a recent great loss, of which I’m still struggling to get over with. It also reminded me of the class discussions we had in our Philosophy classes which would always be repeated in drinking sessions with my buddies; “What are the things you want to do before you die?”

My constant answer to that question and conversely, an item on my would-be ‘bucket list’ is to be remembered for being a change-maker. Be it large-scale or something simple, I’d die peacefully once I know I’ve changed something in this world, hopefully for the better.

The movie’s theme song, “Say” by John Mayer also struck me deep in the heart (I know I’m being cheesy again, but be quite Ade). The lyrics were simple yet a perfect fit to the film’s theme, the struggle to do the things you want before you “kick the bucket.”

Here’s the video and lyrics for you to enjoy as well.

Say by John Mayer

Take all of your wasted honor
Every little past frustration
Take all of your so-called problems,
Better put ‘em in quotations

Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say

Walking like a one man army
Fighting with the shadows in your head
Living out the same old moment
Knowing you’d be better off instead,
If you could only . . .

Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say

Have no fear for giving in
Have no fear for giving over
You’d better know that in the end
It’s better to say too much
Then never say what you need to say again

Even if your hands are shaking
And your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open

Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say

Picking up the pieces and continuing the journey

jhay — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:32:55 +0000

It’s been a long while since I’ve updated this blog. Something that has become quite common for me this past few months, all because my offline engagements and commitments have kept me away from doing serious blogging.

However, the reason for sudden hiatus from blogging this past week has been entirely different. It’s not because of some big offline event or sickness, though I wish that was the case, it was something my family, my girlfriend and I totally did not expect and even wanted to happen. It was the loss of something very, very dear and special to us, to be more precise it was the loss of someone whom we loved so dear and so much we were prepared to sacrifice anything for that someone. Even as I write this, the pain of the loss continues to haunt me, pulling down tears from eyes and sucking creativity and the motivation to live normally out of me.

Most of you would wonder what has really happened, however, since this is only a pseudo-personal blog and I rarely publish my personal life online, I’ve decided to keep the details private. For those who I had prior online commitments, my sincere apologies for being unable to fulfill my part and for being so unprofessional. I’d be getting in touch with all of you soon enough.

I would like to thank Ms Noemi for being such a great help in overcoming this loss. Your words of comfort and care coursed through the internet has been priceless to me and especially my girlfriend. I promise that one of this days, we would treat you to a cup of coffee and continue with this process of grieving and more importantly, moving on.

To the one we lost, never forget how much we love you. Remember that we’ve never regretted your coming but your sudden departure is something no one ever wanted nor it is something that we could easily get over and forget. The best thing we could do for now is to remember the fond memories we had thanks to you and to treasure those memories as long as we both live. Be proud that you have made us all stronger, to improve ourselves and never give up dreaming for a happier future. To you I promise that from this day on, everything I do would be an effort to realize that dream. Wherever you are now, we pray that you are at peace and in happiness. Remember that we love you, ever so much.

I’ve never been a religious person, but in times like this, there’s a particular part of the Good Book that has always given me some measure of comfort and encouragement to which I would share in closing;

May Kanya-kanyang Panahon
(Mangangaral 3:1-8)

Ang lahat ng pangyayari sa daigdig ay nagaganap sa panahong itinakda ng Diyos.

Ang panahon ng pagsilang at
panahon ng pagkamatay;
Ang panahon ng pagtatanim at
panahon ng pagbunot ng tanim.
Ang panahon ng pagpatay at
panahon ng pagpapagaling;
Ang panahon ng paggiba at
panahon ng pagtatayo.
Ang panahon ng pagluha at
panahon ng pagtawa;
Ang panahon ng pagluluksa at
panahon ng pagdiriwang.
Ang panahon ng pagkakalat ng mga
bato at panahon ng pagtitipon sa
mga ito;
Ang panahon ng pagyayakap at
panahon ng paglalayo.
Ang panahon ng paghahanap at
panahon ng pagkawala niyon;
Ang panahon ng pag-iingat sa isang
bagay at panahon ng pagtatapon.
Ang panahon ng pagpunit at
panahon ng pagtahi;
Ang panahon ng pagtahimik at
panahon ng pagsasalita.
Ang panahon ng pagmamahal at
panahon ng pagkapoot;
Ang panahon ng digmaan at
panahon ng kapayapaan.

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2009 Oscars – Heath Ledger is my bet for the Best Supporting Actor award

jhay — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:26:26 +0000

Have you seen the list of nominees for the up coming Oscars? It’s up on display at the official Oscars website for fans to digest and talk about.

Heath Ledger as Joker

Most of the actors and actresses I like are nominated for this year, Sean Penn for Best Actor for his work on Milk, Brad Pitt also for Best Actor for the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

My two favorite actresses are also nominated for the Best Actress award, the awesome pair from 2006 movie “The Devil Wears Prada” Meryl Streep for the movie Doubtand my Hollywood crush, Anne Hathaway for her work in Rachel Getting Married.

I confess though that I haven’t seen any of the movies these actors and actresses have appeared in. So I’ll make it a point to see all of it once school breaks for the summer season.

But of all the nominees for this year’s Oscars, the one I’m really rooting for is the late Heath Ledger. He’s nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his legendary work as Joker in The Dark Knight. He deserves the award, he truly does.

Also, I hope The Dark Knight wins the award for Best Sound Editing and Best Cinematography because the sounds in the film were spot on and visuals of the movie were brilliant! The IMAX sequences and shots were just mind-blowing!

I’m all fingers crossed for the late Heath Ledger and The Dark Knight. The 81st Oscars will commence this February 22nd and it looks like it’s going to a memorable one.

How about you guys? Any particular actor/actress or movie you’re rooting for this coming Oscars?

My pseudo-New Year’s Resolution for 2009

jhay — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 03:51:42 +0000

I’ve never been good at keeping a New Year’s resolution in all the many times I made one.

It’s not that I’m not a man of my word, it’s just that looking back on all the previous resolutions I’ve made, almost all of them were just wishful thoughts, had goals that were a little too idealistic and the ones that were a bit closer to the ground had no solid plan of implementation to back it up.

Hence, I resorted to making pseudo-New Year’s resolutions since 2005. In it, I set goals that are more grounded to reality thus making them more attainable in the immediate year or so.

By pseudo-New Year’s resolutions, I mean a list of goals for the new year that not meant to be fulfilled and realized 100% (else I blame my self and the cosmos and go emo all over it) but at least would serve as guide points as I live through the coming new year. More like road signs pointing me to the proper path that will lead to the goals set for the new year.

What are those goals for 2009?

Improve my photography skills – I’ve been reading a lot about photography lessons, tips and how-to’s online this past month and have barely scratched the surface but I’m loving it! For 2009, I must make it a point to go out more often to take photos. I’m also thinking of getting in touch with Pinoy photo-bloggers and photographers to learn more from their experiences and to simply connect with them.

Get more lenses – this is the twin of the first goal above. Not just get more lenses for my dSLR, but to get the right lenses that suits my photography style and skill – of which I have yet to fully recognize and develop. Getting the right lenses is also crucial, because darn! Lenses are really expensive!

Improve my financial stability – with the US economic recession making waves around the globe, it’s high time to secure my future needs financially. Sure my blog earnings are more than enough to cover my needs but I can no longer go on a shopping spree or expensive food trips whenever I feel like it. Opening a secondary savings account is top priority, where I’d put in a portion of my earnings every month. To make sure I won’t be able to touch those funds until the time is right, it’s going to be a regular non-ATM account.

To augment my earnings, I’d be looking into other opportunities like another blogging stint, improve the earning potentials of my current blog and explore other income streams.

Lastly, audit and end my online paid subscriptions to web services I really don’t need or those that have free alternatives.

Restart my other blogs – taking up photography as a hobby renewed my urge to blog more. With the photos I will take, I could add a new dimension, an accent to my blogging, especially in the niche of social commentary since most of my photos are about the mobilizations, foras and advocacy-related activities I attend. I have a strong feeling that 2009 will be a good year to be a pundit, at least attempt to be one.

So far, these are the major goals I want to achieve this coming 2009, or at least start on come the new year. Other goals like better blogging, becoming more active in social networks and actually be present in events I’ve signed up to would come naturally as they are part of some of the goals already mentioned.

Hopefully, the lessons learned from 2008 will inspire me to do better this 2009 and that the enthusiasm and energy I will not loose.

How about you guys? What’s your new year’s resolution for 2009?