"Triple X"

Via Yahoo Messenger:

Friend:  What are you doing?
Me:  Watching a movie.
Friend:  What movie?
Me:  Triple X.
Friend:  Bastos!  Ano ka ba!
Me:  (initially clueless before realizing after a second what she was thinking).  Gagah!  (insert ROFL smiley here).  Not THAT kind of Triple X.  The one starring Vin Diesel!

Ha ha ha!

This actually transpired a a few years back and I remember this now since HBO has been showing this Vin Diesel movie for the past days.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra

photo credit

The Plot
Paramount Pictures and Hasbro, whose previous collaboration was the worldwide blockbuster "Transformers," join forces with Spyglass Entertainment for another extraordinary action-adventure "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. JOE team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." is directed by Stephen Sommers ("The Mummy," "The Mummy Returns").

Click HERE to view my source of the above plot. For a synopsis, click HERE. You may also visit the movie’s official website or click HERE for its Wikipedia entry.

My Verdict
Watching the movie made me remember that faraway time when I was “one of the boys.” When my childhood toys weren’t dolls but toy soldiers, toy guns and army camps complete with flags, tanks, fences and other battle armaments. It also made me remember the G.I. Joe Choose Your Own Adventure-like books I read as a teen.

G.I. Joe The Rise of the Cobra was one engrossing movie. I love the visual effects (still can’t get over the horror of watching France’s trademark Eiffel Tower collapse) and the fight scenes. But what I like best is the fact that the characters’ pasts were probed thus making the viewer understand their relationships more (like the Baroness’ hatred of Duke and the very palpable enmity between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow).

My friend and I had to wait for more than two hours to get reserved seats for this movie but I must say this movie is worth the wait. Now I can't wait for its sequel.

The Proposal

The Plot
Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is the high-powered, no-nonsense editor-in-chief of Colden Books who coerced her assistant, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) into marrying her to avoid being deported to Canada. He grudgingly accepts her “proposal” provided that she promotes him into being an editor and publishes his manuscript. The couple then went to Sitka, Alaska in his hometown where she meets his quirky but endearing family and (gasp!) his ex-girlfriend. With an impromptu wedding in the works and a tenacious immigration official at their heels, both Margaret and Andrew must navigate their way out of one amusing situation after the other without exposing their plan.

And oh, what happens when in their having surprising revelations about the other, the single-minded and fiercely independent Margaret realizes that she has fallen in love with Andrew for real?

My Verdict
I have been an ardent Sandra Bullock fan since I saw the movie Speed thus I make it a point to always watch her movies. And like her other flicks, this one is a gem. I admit though that during the first ten minutes of the movie, I was kind of unnerved, as I wasn’t used to seeing her play an unlovable role. I mean, Sandra usually has endearing roles (think of Gracie Hart in Miss Congeniality and Lucy in While You Were Sleeping) thus to see her being called a “witch” took some getting used to. But I guess that’s one of her gifts – making each role her own, that while watching, I began to empathize with those who were put off by Margaret’s icy demeanor.

Quotable Quotes
The movie was very entertaining because of the funny banter from the cast. Below are some of them.

While on the plane bound to Sitka, Alaska and they were trying to get as much information about each other as possible, Andrew said he already knew a lot of things about Margaret, even the fact that she has a tattoo thus it is she who has to catch up on learning things about him. Goaded, she asked,

Margaret Tate: What am I allergic to?
Andrew Paxton: Pine nuts. And the full spectrum of human emotion.
----------
Grandma Annie: (when Andrew pointed Margaret out to her) Does she prefer Margaret or “Satan’s Mistress?”
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Margaret Tate: Why didn’t you tell me you’re some kind of Alaskan Kennedy?
Andrew Paxton: We were in the middle of talking about you… for the last three years.
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Grandma Annie: (taking a knitted blanket from the cabinet) If you get chilly tonight, use this. It has special powers.
Margaret Tate: Oh. What kind of special powers?
Grandma Annie: I call it the baby maker.
Margaret Tate: Ok. (Turning to Andrew) Better be super careful with this.
----------
Andrew Paxton:
(after traipsing from Alaska to New York to go after Margaret) Margaret, will you marry me? Because I’d like to date you.
----------

And my personal favorite is the part where Grandma Annie and Grace Paxton, Andrew’s mom had them narrate how their proposal went. It was just hilarious!

Andrew Paxton: You know what? Actually, Margaret loves telling this story, so I'm just gonna let her go ahead and do that. We should just sit and rapture.

Margaret Tate: Wow, okay... wow, where to begin... the story... Well, um, wow... Okay, well, um, Andrew and I... Andrew and I were about to celebrate our first anniversary together and I knew that he'd been itching to ask me to marry him and he was scared, like a little tiny bird. So, I started leaving him little hints here and there because I knew he wouldn't have the guts to ask...

Andrew Paxton: That's not exactly how it happened.

Margaret Tate: No?

Andrew Paxton: No, no, I mean I picked up on all of her little hints... this woman is about as subtle as a gun. Yeah, no what I was worried about was that she might find this little box...

Margaret Tate: Oh, the decoupage box that he made, where he'd taken the time to cut out twenty little pictures of himself, just pasted all over the box. So beautiful! I opened that beautiful little decoupage and out fluttered these tiny little hand cut heart confetti and once they cleared, I looked down and I saw the most beautiful, big...

Andrew Paxton: ...fat nothing! No ring.

Grandma Annie: No ring?

Grace Paxton: What?

Andrew Paxton: No, but inside that box, underneath all that crap, a handwritten note with the address to a hotel, date and time. Real Humphrey Bogart type stuff. Masculine. Naturally, Margaret, she thought...

Margaret Tate: I thought he was seeing someone else... so it was a terrible time for me, but I went to that hotel anyway, I went there and I pounded on the door. But the door was already unlocked. As I swung open that door, there he was...

Andrew Paxton: Standing.

Margaret Tate: Kneeling.

Andrew Paxton: Like a man.

Margaret Tate: On a bed of rosebuds, in a tuxedo. Your son. Your son... and he was choking back soft, soft sobs. And when he held back the tears and finally caught his breath, he said to me...

Andrew Paxton: 'Margaret, will you marry me?' and she said 'yep', the end!

Wow. If I were among the audience during this amusing exchange, I might not have been able to stifle a giggle!

Please note that I did not take down all these lines, as I was so engrossed with the movie. To view the source of the above quotes, please click HERE.

My favorite scenes
Aside from their narration of how their supposed proposal went, these are some of my favorite scenes of the movie.

When Andrew asked the haughty Margaret to propose to him on the streets of New York - on her knees. And nicely!

When Kevin, the Paxton family dog, got swooped by an eagle and Margaret saved him only to later have her mobile phone taken by the same eagle. She then waved the dog, enticing the eagle with it in hopes of getting her phone back. Grandma Annie and Mrs. Paxton saw her and thought she was playing with the dog and thought it was cute.

When Margaret and Andrew collided into each other buck-naked! And while Margaret was trying to find something to cover herself with, she ended up with the “baby maker,” which she hurriedly tossed away.

When Andrew and Margaret shared some things about their past and they found out that they like the same band and Andrew even sang the song.

When Andrew saw Margaret in one of her unguarded moments at the woods, dancing to Get Low with his Grandma Annie.

When Margaret was reminded of what it was like to have a family and she was so touched to have Grandma Annie and Mrs. Paxton fawn over her while they were having her fitting for her wedding dress. Grandma Annie also gave her a necklace that has been in the family for generations.

When Margaret tearfully admitted the real reason behind their engagement during their “wedding” at the barn. A “chase scene” ensued as Andrew did his best to go after her. He later showed up in the office where he confessed his love for Margaret and asked her to marry him because “he wants to date her.” The two then get engaged for real.

Fashionable Margaret
Another reason why I enjoyed the movie was the fact that Margaret was dressed to the nines. Being a power-driven executive, she does look the part – from her well tailored power suits to her chic bags and killer shoes. They just exude timeless elegance and sophistication.

Over-all movie experience
It’s been a long time since I watched a movie that I really like and I am glad I did not miss watching this on the big screen. It’s too entertaining a movie to miss.

Watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with the Y! Purple Crew

After our dinner at Trattoria Gourmet, we, the Yahoo! Philippines Purple Hunt Purple Crew members headed to the Shangri-la Plaza Cineplex to watch the blocked screening of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Yahoo! Philippines is one of the sponsors of this event thus we got tickets.

When Tamara gave us our tickets, I stared at it in wonder. It was in all black and there's a pop-up. Cool!

And yeah, I think the Yahoo! Client label added prestige to our tickets. LOL.


Since Kuya Jimmy had to dash off for another engagement, only the four of us made it to the movie. And while we were waiting to be admitted inside the theater, the four of us were sharing jokes and laughs. At one point, I was actually clutching my tummy in laughter while saying my jaws were already aching from laughing so hard. LOL.

Then we were inside the movie house and after a raffle was done by AXN (we did not win anything, dang!) and the sneak preview of upcoming movies was shown, Transformers: Revenge Revenge of the Fallen was finally unveiled to the eagerly waiting crowd.

The Plot:

Two years have passed since young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeaouf) saved the universe from a decisive battle between warring races of robotic aliens. Despite his extreme heroics, Sam is still an average teenager with everyday anxieties about heading to college, leaving behind his girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox), and separating from his parents (Kevin Dunn and Julie White) for the first time. Of course there is the additional burden of trying to explain his departure to his newest friend and guardian robot, Bumblebee. For Sam the goal is to lead a normal university lifestyle, but to do that, he must ignore his destiny.

For more readings about the Transformers, click HERE for the movie's official website. You may also click HERE for the Wikipedia entry of the said movie.

My Verdict:
I have never been an ardent fan of the Transformers. I mean, as a child, I never really watched the show rigidly or collected any of its merchandise. I was more of a bookworm, is why. Truth be told, I came to remember the autobots' names only after I watched the first Transformers movie, which I liked, by the way.

Revenge of the Fallen is fast-paced. It is kind of noisy for me though. Or maybe it's just all those machines clashing. And boy, was it a long movie. It has amazing visual effects though as well as some funny banter among the characters so it's bearable.

As a whole, I like the movie. And I enjoyed watching it more as I was with really wacky people who punctuated our moments of viewing silence with funny comments or playful jokes.

To Yahoo! Philippines, thanks for the invite. And to my fellow Purple Crew members, thank you for your enjoyable company. I really had a great time. And oh, special thanks to Kuya Jobar for exchanging our tickets for snacks and drinks and for buying popcorn. Maybe next time your treat will extend to free meals and drinks, eh? He he he! :P

Red Eye

This movie is absolutely thrilling. Should I expect less knowing that noted filmmaker Wes Craven directed this movie?

Airport scene. Lisa meets Jackson. They exchange pleasantries and seem to get along fine. Airplane scene. Both are surprised that they are actually on the same flight and their assigned seats are next to each other. Destiny? Is there romance in the air? There seems to be an insinuation of it. That is, until the scene shifts to where Jackson menacingly reveals the real reason why he is onboard: he is an operative in a plot to kill a rich and powerful businessman who is due to check-in in the hotel where Lisa works and she is their key to getting to him. Chillingly, while Jackson is working on Lisa, a hired assassin has been sent to watch on Lisa’s father with orders to kill him if she refuses to cooperate.

Trapped within the plane’s restrictive confines at 30,000 feet, Lisa cannot summon for help without endangering her father, her fellow passengers and of course, her very life. How then, is she supposed to thwart her ruthless captor?

The film exceeded my expectations. I can feel Lisa’s terror as she was stuck in an airplane with a madman. My adrenaline was especially pumping in the airport chase scene as well as the house scene when Lisa battled against Jackson.

Fear takes flight, so the film’s teaser says. Indeed.

Over the Hedge

I watched this movie just this weekend. It is about RJ, a wily and self-serving raccoon who, after his unsuccessful attempt of stealing from Vincent the Bear promised to return it to him in a week. Desperate as it his life that’s hanging on the line, RJ ventured out and came to El Rancho Camelot Estates where he met a group of foragers. He then did his damnedest to charm them into stealing food from people who live over the hedge, with these foragers thinking that they were doing the stealing so as to store food when in fact, it was to replace the items that RJ had stolen from Vincent.

The movie was an unexpected surprise and in some scenes, I did not know whether to hate Vincent for his treachery or to love him for his “brilliant” ideas and funny antics to get his hands on what he wants. He was just so amusing!

The entire cast was just as riveting. There’s Verne, the box turtle who was suspicious of RJ’s ulterior motive from the start, Stella the perennially single skunk who would “settle down” if and when she would find a man who did not have a sense of smell (LOL at this one), Hammy the hyperactive squirrel, Ozzie the opossum who’s the master at playing dead and who had a cynic for a daughter named Heather and a whole family of adorable porcupines named Lou, Penny, Spike, Bucky and Quillo.

The “human” characters were just as funny – there’s Gladys Sharp, the neurotic homeowners association president of El Rancho Camelot Estates and the somewhat dumb verminator named Dwayne LaFontant.

The lines are witty and funny, the songs apt and just as meaningful that I was totally riveted. Beneath the laughs though are the more important lessons on family, man’s incessant and insatiable wants (consumerism) and the repercussions to the environment that “development” brings.

This is now officially one of my favorite animated movies.