10 Thoughts on 300

• I know it's adapting a comic book, but there is such a thing as too much narration, especially the you'd-have-to-be-blind-not-to-see-what-he's-narrating-about kind.
• The dialogue made me cringe at some parts, as it reminded me of the script I wrote for my high school Passion play. Better read than heard.
• Since no-one can really say what the ancient Greeks sounded like, Gerard Butler's Scottish accent was more-or-less forgivable. (Hey, Kevin Costner made Robin Hood American.)
  
• Yes, it's been said the Queen Gorgo's scenes w/ the council just padded the story, but w/o the female presence the audience might suffer from testosterone overload.
  
• It's the good thing it wasn't a scene-for-scene adaptation of the comic ala Sin City, 'coz in the bonfire scene of the latter they weren't wearing their loincloths, and 300 wangs would've been a definite distraction.
• Once again Frank Miller conveys his fascination w/ Asian and martial arts, giving them superhuman skills. First it was w/ Miho in Sin City, now it's with the Immortals. Orientals swordsmen w/ iron monkey masks. We get it, Frank. Everbody was kung-fu fighting...
  
• The fight scenes are the highlight of the movie. Definitely out-Matrixes The Matrix trilogy. The handling of the corpses of the... losers was... creative, to say the least. And isn't it nice that Leonides could enjoy a fresh apple amidst the stench of death?
• And speaking of which, where did he get that apple? I'll take their word that 300 guys were there, but who brought the food? No caravans, mules, or even pockets. Unless they ate those mushrooms that sent you into berzerker rages before/during battle like the Norse Vikings of old.
  
• The gayification of Xerxes could not escape my movie companion's notice. Hard to miss, really. Eyelined brows and more jewelry than a dozen Mr. Ts. Sure, the Spartans made fun of the "boy-loving" Persians, but given Greek history w/ homosexuality, I think it was a "thou dost protest too much" moment.
  
• I'm not spoiling anything by saying all 300 Spartan soldiers snuff it (not simultaneously). It's happened in similar war movies like Glory or The Last Samurai. Suicidal bastards. Klingons would've been proud.
  

Something I'm Telling Myself to Do Right Now

Do NOT get hung up on someone living in another continent, as the chances of you two hooking up were as likely as any Marvel comics character staying dead.

Still, it stung to see "In a Relationship" where once there was "Single."

UPDATE: Good news! It was use-that-so-guys-won't-bug-me-online trick. Well, I'm outta my funk.

Family Ties

Today is my parents 40th wedding anniversary. This is the non-Christmas family portrait. Lessee: 'rents, 2 brothers, 1 sister, 1 sister-in-law 1 cousin (and her son), 3 nieces and 3 nephews. Feel free to figure out w/c is w/c, but there are no prizes.

Happy V-Day, Peeps!

And by 'V' I don't mean venereal.

Though it wouldn't surprise me if a few of you end up with one, thanks to the unrealitstic expectations brought about by this unofficial holiday.

(Don't mind me if sound bitter. Pretend I'm being facetious.)

Commence Dick Cheney Jokes... Now

Snorkeler mistaken for rodent,

shot in face

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/10/snorkeler.shot.ap/index.html

• Shooter says he thought swimmer was big rodent
• Victim in good condition after 8 hours of surgery
• Gunman, 60, charged with assault, drug possession

Audition Update

Well... didn't get a role for the Tuldok Animation project. Geez, I hope they haven't typecasted me for "worm" characters. That wasn't even my staple character voice! Gimme a streotyped Brit or Aussie dude/ old guy anyday.

In good news (for her, anyway) Rachelle got a role as "little girl." A bit literal, true, but I'm sure she'll do them proud.

(Wilson's) B-day Dinner Highlights

• Family initially had trouble finding Palm Grove restaurant. Didn't help that the first time I went there was at the SJCS Batch '86 Reunion... in the daytime. Then again, every place is harder to find the second time...at night...if the first time was during the day. ('Kay, wrap your head around that awkwardly worded sentence first.)
  
• Wilson's old buds from Ateneo Glee Club also attended. I've never heard Happy Birthday sung so melodiously before, and I didn't even have to buy orchestra tickets.
• Food wasn't anything to write home about (to blog about, mebbe). I admit being fooled by a menu that described the food like it was from TGIFridays but presented like it was made by Pancake House. (Hint: only order pancakes from PHouse, 'coz everything else they make is mediocre.)
• In a other private room met "the Wednesday Group" of Francis Pangilinan, Joker Arroyo, Ralph Recto and Manny Villar (whom I mistakenly said was Mar Roxas to everyone I told). Why they're meeting on a Friday escapes me. If it was to throw the media off their scent it didn't work, as we saw reporters from ANC and GMA waiting outside.

Noises On

As as addendum to the previous post:

It was exactly one week ago when the whole mess started. What was supposed to be a routine motherboard replacement went from worse to vorse. No audio from the PC, busted a harddrive, wrong RAM, etc. After much trial and error I finally got audio back. Just in time, too, since there's a huge backlog of TV shows to catch up on.

RIP PIX

Long story short: PC went kaput. Lost my picture files.

ALL. OF. THEM.

Yes, there's the ones I placed online, but I never got around to saving the rest. The past 2 years worth of pix on CD . All that time photoshopping them, gone. To. WASTE.

Couples pix. Group pix. Sexy pix. Oh, the sexy pix....

Deep breath...

...ffffffFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCkkk!!!!

Riding the "X" Box

Went to Makati to audtition for a radio ad (they wanted someone who could do an "authentic Chinese accent," whatever that is). Afterwards I had a preztel and Moroccan Mint latte courtesy of CB&TL, where I ran into my old classmate Marge. Ok, got all the inconsequential events outta the way.

I haven't taken the MRT for quite some time, w/c is why I noticed the price change and the small watchtower at the bottom of the stairway (where the trains stopped) occupied by a single guard. As always I stood in line for the first 2 boxes 'cause they were closest to the tollway at the QC station. When the train slowed down enough for me to see the passengers clearly I noticed a something else: most-- if not all-- the passengers were women.

Just then I remembered some city ordinance/policy/bullcrap rule about having male and female passengers (save for senior citizens and/or those w/ kids in tow) ride in the separate boxcars, w/ women taking the "upper" half and men the "lower" half. Okay, that explains the guard on the watchtower, I thought. Do I move? Wait, there's an old guy sitting in the first boxcar, sooo... I guess it's alright. Ah, what the hell. I got in the second boxcar; and nobody stopped me or called my attention. No Schindler's List-like flashbacks so far.

I looked around. There was a lady in army fatigues standing by the door. Fellow passenger or guarding against would-be lesbo pervs? I felt like Yorrick in Y: The Last Man. Some passengers that were seated occasionally looked up at me, probably thinking three things: 1)Nothing 2)Must be a plainclothes security guy, or 3)That's a woman?

With every stop we made I half-expected someone to ask me to move to another boxcar, w/c didn't happen. I kinda like it here. No pushing and shoving nor any oily finger, palm or face prints on the windows. Then again it wasn't rush hour yet. At the Cubao station at least 2 more guys hopped on the same boxcar I was in. Nobody screaming sexual harrassment yet.

In the end it was an uneventful ride, just the way MRT management wants it.