i am woman, hear me rawr!

As promised, this blog is going back to it’s blogger roots and will be doing more product features, movie reviews and the like. My yoga and other self-discoveries have now found their homes in their own respective niches so I from now on, I will be a little more true to the tagline of this site…life’s hits and misses as blogged by yapatoots I hope to see you here more often!

Anyway, to get the ball rolling, let me start off with a little feature on the upcoming Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The other day I got to catch the screening of the flick and it was such a great way to start of the year! From the very beginning all the way to the end, I was literally at the edge of my seat with all the heart-pounding action. Seriously

The movie, which is set to open in Philippine theaters tomorrow, January 8, brings the dynamic tandem of Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively. Their chemistry on screen and comedic timing really brings such fun to the movie!

The movie takes viewers back to old time London with Holmes and Watson teaming up again to unravel another mystery as he tries to put together pieces of a puzzle that seemingly is tied to his greatest foe, Professor James Moriarty. The story then takes him from London to France, Germany and on to Switzerland. At the cusp of the modern age, the story also taps into the emergent industrial revolution and modern war weaponry.

Besides Downey and Law, Rachel McAdams likewise reprises her role as Holmes’ love interest,  Irene Adler. The film also features Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty, Noomi Rapace as the gypsy Simza, Stephen Fry as Mycroft, and Kelly Reilly as Mary, John Watson’s wife.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is directed by Guy Ritchie and is released by Warner Bros. Philippines.

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Last night (at long last!) I got to catch movie night with several of my blogger friends. I was so glad to have had the chance to see the press screening of the upcoming movie, Contagion, and yes, even if I was sneezy and wheezy (but not contagious I promise!) I made sure to make my way to the Mall of Asia Imax theater for the screening. I was extra glad to have been invited to see the movie because flicks like this one are really the kinds of movies I like watching.

The film features big name stars Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kate Winslet in a thriller film that is quite timely and relevant especially given the recent threat of the new strain of bird flu in this part f the world. Contagion is a film about the spread of a deadly epidemic and the CDC/World Health Organizations quest to find out more about the deadly virus and how it can be contained.

I must say it was quite a captivating movie, although admittedly, the plot lines are somewhat familiar and a wee bit predictable. Think Outbreak with Morgan Freeman and Rene Russo of years ago. Nonetheless it still is an good film to watch. I like how the film was not too “pretty” (for lack of a better word! teehee) and that the actors didn’t seem to mind looking old and wrinkly and not-so-pretty. I guess making them look that way really captured the emotions of the film even more. Even the costumes and wardrobe was quite simple (but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t nice! hehe. I loved Marion Cotillards outfits, after all. But yeah, the hospital workers had traditional suits on and no wink scrubs to make it look cute or what not haha). To some degree it kind of reminded me to focus on the basics and be reminded of the goodness of the human spirit. And of how life can indeed be quite short. Lastly, I like how the movie posed very interesting points about the medical profession, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies when it comes to dealing with biohazards such as live viruses, as well as the role social media plays (weee…my thesis is relevant after all mwahaha) in the spreading of information like a wildfire in a bush, so to speak.

Contagion is distributed by Warner Bros. and is set to open today in cinemas around the city.

Oh oh oh…but the major disappointment of the film was this….

Jude Law No, not his acting (and yes, I do love the fact that he was a blogger haha!) but but but….he was not as gwapo as usual. Teeheehee.

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The beloved Harry Potter series finally comes to a close with the release of the final franchise of it’s film installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this Thursday, July 14, 2011. It is a bittersweet end for many of the Potter fans who have followed the story from it’s very beginning, whether in book or movie format.

Tonight I got to catch the press screening of the film (thank you Warner Bros., Philippines ) and I guess I can sum it up with these words: Harry Potter was amazingly breathtaking, captivating and enchanting And yes, it is soooo worth it to see it in 3D format.

I’m sure many of you are more familiar with the story than I am (yes, I am not a big fan of the written series hehe…but the movies I loooove!) so I won’t bother to try to explain the story or whatnot (plus you may just hate me for accidentally giving out a spoiler or two, right?) so I will go with this instead. While driving home from the screening this evening, it dawned on me that the film reminded me of 7 very important life lessons:

1. In general, no amount of planning ahead is ever enough. Ergo: always leave room for spontaneity.

2. You always have a choice, even if it means choosing between a rock and a hard place. Despite that, however, the rock and the hard place, always have surprises in store.

3. Sometimes, people just surprise you.

4. Just as the song goes, you always get by with a little help from your friends. Whether or not you realize it. Or want it for that matter

5. Like I said in my last blog post, sometimes all you really need to do is ask .

6. All good things really do come to an end, but it isn’t all gone…perhaps it just evolves and becomes something better, even if you don’t see it at the moment.

7. Lastly, even if things change and people go separate directions, what is truly essential always, always, always remains intact.

And so while the curtain falls on Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, as well as all the other characters from Hogwarts, it’s magic will live on in many hearts forever.

Catch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in cinemas starting Thursday, July 14 Like I said, 3D, well worth it!!! Pre-purchase your tickets NOW!!!

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The other day when I logged on to Facebook, I saw that one of my online friends had changed her profile picture to one where she is holding a wand and is pointing it towards a sign that says Hogwarts. I dismissed it initially as just another random thing people do but then today, it dawned on me that perhaps this is the start of the eager anticipation for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ long awaited sequel. If memory serves me right, it’s scheduled to come out in July,  so that makes it a little over a hundred days away, right???

I have always been a fan of the Harry Potter movie franchise, but to be honest, I’m not much of a reader. I remember reading the first three books but it took me forever to actually finish them because, like I said, I’m not really much of a reader. Well, maybe the right thing to say is that I don’t have much time to be one, even if I would want too. Anyway, although I know that watching the dvds of the entire series is not the same as actually reading it all, it will do

I am looking forward to really seeing the end of the Potter series, especially since I really don’t know what happened in the story. I’ve heard bits and pieces about it, but I still find out all on my own and I promise not to Google the ending or read the various wikis about Harry Potter until the end of the series!!!

Are you looking forward to going back to Hogwarts???

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How’s this for random? After my series of yoga posts, here’s something totally out of the blue.

I was watching tv earlier, which is something I haven’t done in a while, and suddenly I remembered the DVD marathons of The Practice and Ally Mc Beal that I used to keep running for days on end. I always loved all those courtroom series, what with the criminal lawyers, family court drama, to personal and Maritime Injury Lawyer cases and the like. I enjoyed the verbal exchange and argumentation the shows presented. I loved how it would always put viewers on opposite poles. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good courtroom drama as lately it’s been more of medical shows and dramas In the meantime, I will indulge myself with the Law and Order series, thanks to cable’s Universal Channel hehe.

random post, right?

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Sometimes it amazes me how seemingly unrelated things coincide so perfectly. Take for example my yoga practice and how it mirrors certain life events that I go through. Even the poses that I struggle with or fall in love with for that matter are polar opposites.

Tonight I felt my breath get caught in my throat again at one of these synchronous realizations. I was watching the film Black Swan.

The Black Swan offers viewers a psychological twist to the old classic, Swan Lake. In the film, a flailing ballet company aims to recapture its audience by introducing a new star to the company as their prima ballerina Beth, played by Winona Ryder, retires. The stunningly beautiful but demure Nina Sayers, played by Natalie Portman, is chosen to play the role of the Swan Queen in the company’s opening production. She is presented with the task of playing both the polar opposite roles of the White and the Black Swans with precision.

As Nina works on the role she finds herself face to face with her dark side, something she must befriend in order to let go and find her place on the dance stage.

See….so many of my latest posts on this blog has been about that….making space for the dark side, taking time out to be in the uncomfortable and the quiet and the not-so-good necessary pains that come my way. Then this film comes along. I think it was just last night, in fact, when I said I have to learn how to befriend certain feelings that come my way and so this movie came at yet another apt time.

The film was quite interesting and captivating, I must say. However, I particularly did not like the style of cinematography as it was quite “shaky”. The twists and turns in the story, and a few of the very vivid scenes, definitely left me at the edge of my seat.

The filmhas earned major nominations in the Golden Globes Awards including Best Motion Picture (Drama), Best Director (Darren Aronofsky), Best Actress (Natalie Portman) and Best Supporting Actress (Mila Kunis) and is set to grace Philippine theaters on February 23, 2011. Audiences can also catch the two-day sneak preview of the film on Feb. 14 and 15 in Metro Manila, Cebu, Bohol, Baguio, Pampanga, Cagayan, Angeles, Davao, Iloilo and Bacolod theaters.

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This morning I posted a message on  Plurk that read  “Good Morning!”

A dear friend of mine commented, “morning! may good!”. I paused for a minute and tried to figure out what she meant by it, then I realized that I often just Plurk “morning”, especially when I cannot find the good in the morning. In fact, once I even went as far as posting “morning. morning lang, wala pa siyang good  (morning. just morning because there’s no good in it)”.

For today, I did not really think about what I posted, I just went with what felt right and it wasn’t till it was pointed out that perhaps, even unconsciously, I am really making strides in reframing the way I think about things around me. After some mulling it over, I replied to her and said, yes, there is good. I am making it a point to find the good in every morning no matter what.

Where is this all coming from? No, don’t worry, dear readers, this is not another Eat Pray Love review or reaction.

Life As We Know It starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel opens in local cinemas on October 20, 2010. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

I came to the conclusion that we really need to look at the world with all new lenses from the upcoming romantic comedy, “Life As We Know It” which stars Katherin Heigl and Josh Duhamel. The story begins with a blind date from hell between  Holly (Heigl) and Messer (Duhamel) after their best friends set them up. From then on, the two were always at odds and since they loved their best friends to bits, they had no choice but to be in the same places and events a lot of the time. Until one day they received the devastating news that their friends had died and that they were named the guardians of their orphaned daughter Sophie. From then on, life as they knew it flew out the window.

Life As We Know It is a wonderfully funny, human look (yes, for a comedy, I have to say it is very real!) at how life sometimes throws you curve balls and all you can do is really just laugh and breathe through it, then reframe the way of thinking about it because holding on to the way things were in the past really won’t work anymore. Unlike a typical chick flick or mindless romantic comedy, this one was full of real emotions and lessons that really reminded me of what is important which is why I loved it so much. It wasn’t all cheesy, it wasn’t all funny, but it was just so real (gah…I think I used real to many times in describing this film, ya think???) Read the rest of this entry »

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"Life As We Know It" starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, opens on October 20, 2010

Don’t you hate it how sometimes when you think you have figured things out, life just throws you a curve ball and before you know it you’re slipping down some slippery slope? Then before you know it you’re caught up in a whirlwind of emotions that send you on all sorts of impulsive actions….like stuffing yourself or rushing out to the mall with an explicable need to buy something you don’t really need, such as gadgets you don’t really need like an iphone despite the fact that your present cellphone is perfectly functional (not that an iPhone wouldn’t be a fabulous new toy!!!), or perhaps yet another pair of stilettos or a dress that you have nowhere to wear to anyway???

No, this isn’t me having another one of those existentialist crises nor is this another inspirational, self-actualizing post about what happiness is and the purpose of life…..this is me looking forward to the Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel’s upcoming movie, “Life As We Know It”.

The movie begins with a first date gone wrong and despite the evident dislike of both characters for each other, they suddenly find that life throws them a big giant curve ball with one simple phone call. Before they know it they are thrust into a new life very different from their present lives.

After the series of melodramatic posts in this blog and self-discoveries I’ve been doing (yes, inspired greatly by the recent Eat Pray Love movie!!!), I am really looking forward to this movie!

The romantic comedy directed by Greg Berlanti opens on October 20, 2010 in Philippine theaters and is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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