John Wick (2104)

This is a surprise coming from Keanu who had a fair share of not-so-good films for the past years. I had no idea about the plot but seen good reviews about the film so we tried.

It paid off.

The action scenes are intense and loved the twists of each event.  Besides the action material - I was amused by the humor and unconventional plot.  It was nothing close to Matrix but comparable to Taken.

Me. I Am Mariah. The Elusive Chanteuse Show

Etong concert na ito parang ang feeling ko eh iyong kumakain ako sa banapple. You anticipate for Friday to come fast tapos oorder ka you wait for 20 minutes para sa food tapos in 5 minutes ubos na.

Tapos tatanong mo sa sarili mo "iyon na iyon?".

Mahilig ako sa music and marami akong favorite artists especially mga females lalo na mga divas pero there is only 1 artist na masasabi kong die-hard fan ako, of course Mariah "18 number 1s" Carey.  Pagdating sa group of course Spice Girls.  Straight na straight ang taste ko sa music. Straight na bading walang duda. Haha.

Ok dami kong hanash pero hahanash pa din ako, may mga kaunting preps akong ginawa sa concert na ito. Iyong pagbili lang ng ticket effort na eh tapos nagpagawa pa ako ng shirt. Sa process na iyon narealize ko na maraming mapagpanggap na lambs iyong daming kyeme sa pila di naman totoo sinasabi.

Narralize ko na nandun lang ako sa medium level na fan. Kaloka iyong ibang mga laaaaaaaaambssssss.

I think lahat ng hardcore fans sinubaybayan ang show from Japan to Taiwan kung kumusta naman. Alam na natin nangyari sa Japan at Korea and it pains me to see those circumstances tapos siyempre daming mga negastars at bashers.

Ang hindi ko magets eh iyong mga nagsasabing fan ako ni Mimi pero di ko sure kung manonood ako dahil sa boses niya. I mean kaintindi tindi kung walang anda pero boses ang basehan tapos fan ka? Sa akin kasi one aspect lang iyon - ako naging fan because of her impact at nakakarelate ka sa mga nangyayari sa kanya and sa songs na ginawa niya.

Anyway, whatever darling...

Maaga kaming nakarating sa MOA and luckily hindi naabutan ng ulan at marami pang parking spaces. Sa dami ng sangkabaklaan eh kanya kanyang paandar, iyong iba di lang nakuntento sa shirt may dala pang sunflowers. Bakit sunflowers? Research niyo yan pero eto ang mga small things na dapat alam mo kapag lambily ka. Iyong iba naman naglalakad tapos kumakanta na may mga whistle whistle. Fabulous.

Lafok muna and then pumila na. As usual walang sistema ang management still nakapasok ng walang hassle.

Eto bubulaga pag pasok 

Tapos may mga Mimi impersonators... lavet!!!

Mga 730pm na kami nung nasa Arena. We don't expect na magstart ng 8pm hellloooooo Mariah concert to wait ka ng 2 hours kaya. Dahil diyan ang konti pa din ng tao ng mga bandang 815pm. Leche net connection wawenta.

Mga 835 nagCR ako sabi ko naman tagal pa yan eh. Tawag ng kalikasan. Mga 840 nagtilian mga tao sabi ko ay baka front act na kebs lang yan. Tapos iyong tilian tumagal ng 8 seconds. 

Ay punyeta di pa ako tapos. Dali dali dali. Di ko pa nasara buttons ng pants ko at belt, susunduin na pala ako ni Nold. Shet ang feeling, di ako prepared.  Eto pa naman iyong best part na patay ilaw tapos tilian na gunaw mundo level.

Then at 845, Fantasy Remix... New York in the house yeah brooklyn in the house. The crowd went wild. Vinivideo ko ang moment kaso sabi ko wala akong makita, buset naka selfie mode pala kaya puro black.

Kawawa naman iyong mga nalate kala nila super late si MC. Inferness tinalo ng Filipino time and pagkadiva ni Mimi.

How you feelin??? Sige kanta ka lang Mimi.  Then Shake It Off, hiyawan ulit at kantahan.  Followed by Emotions - lalong nagwala mga tao.  Of course, may mga chika siya in between na chikang lasing that's why we love her.

It will not be a Mariah concert without the wardrobe changes.  After that, mga ballads naman - Cry. na mega sampa pa sa piano ang bruha.  Then, Fly Like A Bird and My All.  Boompanes!!!

3rd Set - Heartbreaker Remix, #Beautiful (katiting lang), and I'm That Chick.  Next set naman Honey Remix (sana original na lang) nagrarap pa si Mimi.  Followed by I'll Be There karaoke session ito dahil pinakanta mga audience.  Iyong ending ng song ang daming koda si Mariah kesyo di raw mareach ung phone dahil walang signal.  Baliwag ang peg ni madam.  Tapos mega party sa Thirsty.

Nakakaawa lang iyong mga half baked fans na clueless sa mga kanta like hanggang Butterfly album lang sila.  Siguro sabi nila WTF ang mga kantang to??? Sayang bayad!!!  The concert is really for hardcore and new fans (starting from TEOM album).

Then nararamdaman na naming ang pagtatapos - Hero, Supernatural, and We Belong Together.  These are not my favorites pero kapag kinakanta niya and nung mga audience kikilabutan ka. 

Of course dapat may encore- pasok Always Be My Baby for nostalgia daaahhhhling!!!  Then Butterfly outro.

I have to be honest though and it should not be taken against her na may mga songs na lipped and may +1.  Understandable.  May mga unoccupied seats din which at first made me feel sad pero kebs na.

I think ang highlights of the show are iyong mga moments na nakikipagconnect siya sa mga fans.  Sabi ko nga ok lang na 30 minute talking 1 hour na kantahan e.  Lalo na iyong sinabi niya na "Mahal Kita Manila" tapos may British accent pa siyang nalalaman. 

Throughout this trip, she keeps on saying she appreciates the welcome given to her by her Filipino lambs.

It was a memorable night and I hope this is not the last time na mapapanood ko siya sa concert.  Probably after 15 years ulit?

The Judge (2014)

It is ok to good but not great - or maybe, I just expected a lot judging by the top caliber casts (Downey, Duvall, Farmiga, and Thornton).

No doubt the Father and Son stole all scenes but I can't help notice that RDJ is having a hard time to separate the shadows of Tony Stark in his acting.  I understand that being snarky maybe required in his character but in the nuances still reflect Iron Man.  I was moved more by Vincent D'Onofrio's acting - silent yet striking.

The film ran for more than 2 hours which I think unnecessary.  The finale was really moving but unrealistic.

Again, overall it was a good movie dealing with ramifications of childhood experiences in your adult life and of course the complicated Father-Son relationship.

The Best Of Me (2014)

It's your usual Nicholas Sparks movie - over the top melodrama that put Filipino soap operas to shame. 

Sad to say but it's a terrible film not just because of the infuriating ending but the whole process did not make a lot of sense.

Too bad I love James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan but ugh!

And yes someone died! Oooppsss don't tell me you did not see it coming.

Flowers In The Attic (2014)

Disturbing film.

This is not for everybody to watch but it kept me glued up to the end.  Based on a novel and this was a movie made for TV.  

Again, extreme caution should you decide to watch.

Walking On Sunshine (2014)

It's like watching a sequel to Mama Mia!  

Predictable which is not a bad thing and light with the help of the 80s songs.  However, bottomline - forgettable film.

Chef (2014)

Finally found a time to watch this simple and yet meaningful film.

As a film addict, there are 2 types of best pictures - one that is so beautiful that transcends you to a magical and surreal places or maybe bring you back in time.

The other best picture is Chef. A type of movie which inspires, affects your life deeply. While I think it was played having a super positive vibe, it's still realistic and logical.

It made me admire Jon Favreau not only as a screenwriter and director but an actor as well. The supporting casts are great too. 

Lots of lessons to be learned but what stroke me is experiencing rock bottom is fate saying we need to restart, experience life, and remember the basics.

Love it!

The Other Woman (2014)

This is a film that portrays women as sex objects which I am not really a fan of (not trying to be prude). It has likeable moments especially the fact that at the end of the story they became friends which should not be a surprise. That's the redeeming quality of the movie.

Dracula Untold (2014)

I won't pretend that I am a Dracula film expert but I guess it's fair enough to say that this one is as shallow as it can be.  His origin has been retold but I find it unsatisfying and unconvincing. 

It failed to quench my thirst.

The special effects are good.

Gone Girl (2014)

Based on a novel of the same name.  I am not sure if this will be an Oscar worthy film considering it was directed by David Fincher.  A mystery-drama-black comedy film which keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I am not a big fan of stories being told back and forth but in this case, it worked perfectly well.  Ben Affleck did good but Rosamund Pike stole every scene that she's in.  I loved the twists and ending.

Am hoping that Pike will get some nominations for her role.

Cheek To Cheek (2014) [Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga]

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Who would've thought that Mother Monster will have a jazz album with Tony Bennett, whom at the age of 80+ still managed to reach the top of Billboard album.

These are all classic ballads and will bring you back in time where music was excellent.

Perfect for intimate-wine-type of night.

Partners (2014) [Barbra Streisand]

Kudos to Ms. Streisand for setting another milestone in her career.  This album contains cover of her famous songs but now are on duets.  Most of the tracks were co-produced by Babyface and Walter Afanasieff (ahhh Daydream album).

If you are a fan of hers, get this album. 

This Is Where I Leave You (2014)

Any movie that has to do with family, I am onboard.  Although to be honest, with the caliber of the casts - I expected a lot.  I felt it was a let-down and there were unresolved conflicts in the end.

It would've been better if the story was not concentrated on Bateman's character and explored the "whys" of the other protagonists.

But hey that's just my take.

Hari Ng Tondo (2014)

Not perfect but definitely one of the best Filipino films I have watched in years.  This is a Cinemalaya entry and should not be mistaken for the Jorge Estregan Jr. film which is also a good one.

Maganda and simple ang story.  Nakakalungkot lang dahil di siya tinatangkilik ng mga Pinoy, very weird.  

Highly recommended to watch this bago pa mawala sa sinehan.

Annabelle (2014)

Every year there's a movie being released to defeat Insidious Chapter 1 which is the most scariest movie (in my opinion) I have ever seen.  All the movies, Sinister, Conjuring, even the sequel to chapter 1 have failed even this one.

Possessed dolls are not unique (very common in Philippine films) so I am expecting that somehow the background story will be good.  I won't lie that it had its moments and definitely will scream but in terms of plot, I don't think it delivered - even the conflict did not make any sense. 

Some of the scary parts were rehashed from Insidious and failed to frighten.

Dementia (2014)

I have high respects kay Nora Aunor as an actress and as much as possible, gusto kong panoorin iyong mga films niya kahit na nilalangaw sa movie houses.  This time naman is suspense horror film at ang peg niya ditto ay isang babaeng may dementia.

Siyempre kailangan kong ibaba ng konti ang expectations kapag pinoy horror at hindi ito pang-insidious type na effects so ang masasabi ko maganda naman siya, may moments na nakakatakot and quality ang execution.  Of course best pa rin iyong "mata" acting ni Ate Guy.  I love the twist nung kuwento din.  Asar talo lang ako kay Jamine Curtis, sarap balatan sa kaartehan but I think ok din naman iyong acting niya for her age.  Infernes cute din si Jeric Gonzales huh!

Sad nga lang mga sampu lang kami nasa sinehan, ayaw talaga ng mga Pinoy sa mga quality films.

The Maze Runner (2014)

Adapted from a novel of the same name, while the conflicts are different, I still think the premise is still the same with the other dystopian/post-apocalyptic future novel based films like Divergent and Hunger Games series.

Nothing worth mentioning or extraordinary in this film.  It is good enough to leave you entertained.