We had a tree-lighting ceremony in the office yesterday. Look.
Pretty.
Updates
cabin in the woods + a bunch of movies
Talk about a film review backlog. (Who caaaaaares?)
Cabin in the Woods
Here’s what I knew about this film before I saw it: it’s a horror film, Joss Whedon is involved, and Thor is in it. That’s all I knew, and that’s all you need to know so as to maximize your surprise and enjoyment. On the surface, it has a tired, straightforward plot: five teenagers (Thor? Really?) go on vacation in a cabin in the woods, with no electricity, no phones, and no other connection to the outside world. But then, why the hell does the film begin like this?
Have fun.
ParaNorman – A stop-motion clay animation film for children that is not afraid to tackle the nature of fear and explore what real-life horrors fear can lead to, like prejudice and exile. The look and the atmosphere reminds me very much of A Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s a great watch. (Casey Affleck also lends his voice to a character, which is a bonus for me.)
Ted – A lonely boy wishes his teddy bear to life. Then the boy grows up to become Mark Wahlberg, and the teddy gets the voice of Peter Griffin. It’s a difficult premise to build on, but Seth MacFarlane delivers. Ted has more heart and laughs than most comedies nowadays.*
The Campaign – *case in point
The Son of No One – A rookie cop, belonging to the most hated precinct in New York post-9/11, is haunted by two murders in 1986. The film stars Ray Liotta and Al Pacino, but doesn’t quite soar to greatness. Still a good, affecting watch, though.
Safe – Stars Jason Statham. Fast-paced action. I enjoyed watching Catherine Chan more than the guys, though. And my God, Jason’s character’s connection to the kid feels so fake. Take some notes from Jackie Chan, you guys.
Totally Unrelated Bonus: Here’s a list of my Top 10 books for 2012. What’s yours? :)
a review of ‘a bottle of storm clouds’ from dibuho pilipinas
I met Ms Janina Gillian Santos at Visprint’s WIT 2 event. Thanks for the support, Janina! She reviews my short story collection on Dibuho Pilipinas.
Before I actually met the author, I’ve already read one of her works in Philippine Speculative Fiction. It was a story called Monster. Honestly, I really did not pay attention to the writer’s name, but what I found out was she has a thing for taking creatures of Philippine Mythology and spinning humanity into them. This is what caught made me re-read Monster several times. It reminded me of another Filipino work I enjoyed – the indie film Yanggaw. In Eliza Victoria’s world, even aswangs go online and surf the Internet. They work for a living. They party, drink beer, and do drugs. They fall in love. Not the typical portrayal in mainstream media that’s already kaskas.
I remember Ms. Eliza wearing a cute dress and tights when I first saw her. I thought she was funny and girly. Her stories, however, are anything but. They remind me of twisted fairy tales. One particular story was An Abduction by Mermaids, which starts out with an apathetic guy working in a newspaper office. He gets a call from his mom who tells him that his sister has been abducted by mermaid. Guess what happens? Of course, the main character has to go on a quest, but it isn’t a quest you’d be prepared for. It doesn’t end with happily ever after either. It seems that none of Ms. Eliza’s stories do. Actually, they don’t seem to end at all. I guess I would never cease to wonder what would happen to David Cruz, whose sister was supposedly kidnapped by mermaids. Or how it was possible for all the dead of a small town to rise from the grave and live again. Or if business deals with gods and goddesses were really as brutal as Ms. Eliza portrayed.
Truth be told, it was the second time I’ve read the book, but I couldn’t really resist flipping through the 197-page volume again.
You can read the rest of her review here.
yabu: house of katsu
I wanted to try Yabu: House of Katsu just to see if it’s worth all the hype, but it’s branch is all the way in Megamall. I like good food, but I don’t like good food that bad.
Then a new branch opened in Mall of Asia.
There were only the two of us, so J and I were able to get seated quickly. (Yabu, located on the second floor in the South Wing of MOA, does not accept reservations. We went there on a weekday. Be ready for a long wait if you’re going there on a weekend night.)
Potato and egg salads for starters.
We had the Kurobuta Pork Set (“3/4 inch cutlet made from rosu or pork with a trimming of fat. Kurobuta, also known as the Black Berkshire pig, is the world’s finest pork. It is called the kobe beef of pork, due to its rich marbling, softness, and flavor”, according to Munchpunch). We loved it. Very soft and tender, and not heavy at all despite being deep-fried and covered in bread crumbs.
The set comes with soup, fruit, pickled veggies, horseradish, unlimited rice and cabbage. I love it that they leave all the dressings, spices, and sauces at the table.
Ah, Yabu bliss. We will be back.
my books on ilovebooks
Hello, hello. My ebooks are now also on ilovebooks.com, “an electronic bookshop stocking over 300,000 ebook titles in over 50 categories. It allows book lovers to purchase their favorite e-books and read them anywhere, anytime on their devices. The store is owned by MediaCorp, Singapore’s most diverse multimedia company with interests in TV, newspapers, radio, magazines and new media”, according to Kristine Reynaldo‘s lovely email.
Buy a copy!
The Viewless Dark:
http://www.ilovebooks.com/ebooks/home/7524628D-AD34-4478-BCD2-5B5A3A29C5F5/The_Viewless_Dark
http://www.ilovebooks.com/ebooks/home/7524628D-AD34-4478-BCD2-5B5A3A29C5F5/The_Viewless_Dark
*
In other silly news, I got dragged to the shoot for the company AVP. I played…a corporate officer!
Oh god I hope they won’t show the video in the cinemas.
Happy long weekend! :)
prince of thorns
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you’re a reader who wants to get into fantasy but is allergic to doorstoppers, pick up Mark Lawrence’s Prince of Thorns. It is a quick and engaging read. The narrative is tight and sprints in one direction (with some pause for flashbacks); it doesn’t meander to give long descriptions of landscapes and facial features. The protagonist is vile, and remains vile to the end, picking up some little epiphanies along the way. Lawrence says the book is a fantasy homage to A Clockwork Orange, and it shows.
If you have been reading a lot of fantasy stories, though, the plot is really nothing new: Jorg is nine when the Count Renar kills his mother and only brother. Instead of seeking revenge, Jorg’s father accepts gold and horses in exchange for a truce. Jorg turns 13 and runs away from his father’s castle with a group of bandits. He aims to invade the broken empire and become king by age 15.
However, despite the fantasy trappings, it’s actually far-future sci-fi. Jorg knows Plutarch, and talks about Jesus Christ, but his story happens a thousand years after a massive nuclear war that erases portions of history and access to technology. It’s like Adventure Time! Have fun spotting the WMDs.
It’s Cyber Monday! (Well, in the States, it’s Tuesday here.) Check out these books on sale by Flipside Publishing.
Do consider buying:
The Viewless Dark by Eliza Victoria | $0.99 (PhP 40.59) | Amazon | iTunes | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Flipreads
Visprint will deliver books anywhere in the Philippines for free – till Dec. 10. Read more here.
Do consider buying:
A Bottle of Storm Clouds by Eliza Victoria | PhP 220
We’ve seen the Lights & Sound show at the Ayala Triangle. Drop by if you have the time.
Lights and Sound Show
Nov. 16 – Dec. 30
Watch the lights come to life in Ayala Triangle Gardens every 30 minutes from 6:00 to 9:00 PM
And I bought some new books. Again. (The KJ Parker title I split with J.)
Now reading: Prince of Thorns, to be followed by Gone Girl.
Eliza Victoria 