Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do

Summary: While working part time at an amusement park as a dinosaur mascot girl, Yoon Jung Won gets pranked on by a group of teenage guys, the leader of which she pours cola on as a form of revenge. Shortly after that, a new family moves into the house next door, and to Jung Won's surprise, the young son of their neighbor is the same mischievous guy she met at the amusement park, Shin Eun Gyu. Through conversations exchanged over the rooftops of their houses, Jung Won and Eun Gyu become friends, and eventually, he invites her to watch his band, Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do, practice. At the practice venue, Jung Won meets Kang Hee Woo, an old friend who has drifted away from her because of a "mistake" the latter supposedly commited against the former's family. Burdened by her guilt, Jung Won is forced by Hee Woo to stay by his side always, the way she used to when they were still the best of friends. The complication is that, at this point in time, Jung Won and Eun Gyu are already dating, and caught between the two guys, Jung Won finds it very difficult to juggle her roles to the two of them - will she have to choose?

I have to admit, I was very excited to watch this movie; it's one of the few 5 star-rated KMovies at mysoju.com. (Last time I checked though, it's been demoted.) Also, a few minutes into the movie, I was very intrigued by the guy playing Shin Eun Gyu - he is the most kilig-inducing male lead I've ever seen anywhere. But anyway, he's not the only good thing about this movie.

What I like best about DRMFSLTD is that it's a music-oriented movie aimed at teens, and yet id didn't come out corny like HS Musical and Camp Rock. (Although a die-hard fan of the two bashed films would probably argue that the former's target is a higher teenage bracket while the latter two's targets are preteens.) I also particularly liked the story; except for the deus ex machina, the whole concept's relatively fresh for young adult romance. The editing was cool, and the photography was excellent - the ending credits were worth the wait. But there are two aspects of DRMFSLTD that merit further discussion: OST and cast.

Because this is, after all, a movie about music, the soundtrack is expected to be smashing - and it is. I don't mean to bash KPop or anything (in fact, I'm starting to get hooked on SNSD) but the lyrics of the more popular Korean songs that reach Philippine shores aren't exactly inspiring (e.g. SNSD's Gee's you're-so-handsome "concept" is rather eye-roll worthy). The songs featured in DRMFSLTD, however, have well-written lyrics; for pop-rock songs, anyway. My favorite ones are the song Eun Gyu sings to open the Goodbye Concert, the song he sings the first Jung Won visits the basement to hear his band practice, and the song about the kitten that ran away.

For the cast, I loved each of the actors who portrayed their respective roles; I also noticed, rather belatedly, that the guy playing Hee Woo is the same guy playing that model-antagonist in Boys Over Flowers. My issue, however, is that although all of them played their parts well, somehow, they don't look good together. I mean, Hee Woo and Jung Won do, but Eun Gyu and Jung Won don't - and I'm not saying this because I think I should end up with Eun Gyu, nuh-uh. It's just that Eun Gyu looks very young compared to Jung Won, and they just don't match - physically, at least. Admittedly, however, they have a "best pals" rapport type - just not on an eye candy level.

Overall, I give Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do 4 stars even though I have two issues with it; it's just a really well-made movie, and I belive it's far too good to be rated with just 3 stars. The deducted star I'll divide between: 1) casting mish-mash; and, 2) frenzied plot development (the story might have unfolded better if it was filmed as a TV series). The four stars I give to it because of: 1) amazing acting by everyone, esp. Jang Geun Suk whose mentally-ill characterization was very impressive; 2) OST; 3) editing; and, 4) I just like it. Not the most feel-good movie ever made, but worth watching all the same.

A Millionaire's First Love

Summary: Han Jae Kyung is the heir to a large estate that he's set to inherit upon turning 18. There is, however, a condition: that he transfer to a high school in a rural town and stay there until he graduates. In that tiny, close-knit town, he meets Eun Wan, who later on becomes his first love. The conflict is that she's got a serious heart condition, and she might not live long.

Okay. I'm sorry for that frenzied summary. I'm watching Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do as I type this, and be cause I'm very distracted by the rather attractive (and that's a euphemism) Eun Gyu - who just might be that trumpeter guy from Beethoven Virus - I can't concentrate very well on reviewing a movie that left me disappointed.

A Millionaire's First Love starts off promising - the editing for the beginning is very crisply Jdorama-like, and then there's Eun Wan's enigmatic entrance, which makes the viewer want to watch on just to know exactly who she is. All the way until Jae Kyun transfers to Rural High (which should have been renamed Ghost High due to the pathetic number of students in it) the movie seems interesting, but after the scene where he's forced to eat dinner with a classmate's family, it loses its appeal.

I kept watching a little after that though, because I was wondering if it would redeem itself by adding more punch to the storyline. But noooo. Until the very end (and I skipped, which I rarely, almost never, do) it stays predictable and unbelievable and ineffective in movie the audience. Unless, maybe, you're a hopeless romantic.

Overall, I'd give this movie 1 star. The lost four stars evaporated because of: lack of originality (I mean, an old template can be told some other way, right?), an unconvincing Eun Wan, very slow plot "development", and ordinary score. The lone star does to an effective Jae Kyung - lead guy from My Name is Kim Sam Soon - and for sheer effort.

Exactly where does the virus come in?

Summary: In the year 2000, an employee at a US Military Base in South Korea dumps several bottles' worth of formaldehyde down a laboratory drain and into the Han River. Six years later, a strange fish-slash-frog-like creature appears under a bridge, attacking innocent bystanders and creating a worldwide panic cum virus scare. Thirteen year old Park Hyun Seo, whose family runs a small food shop by the crime scene, ends up being dragged down into the monster's lair, a sewer full of limp, lifeless bodies. To make matters worse, the authorities refuse to believe her father, Gang Du, who insists that his daughter is still alive. Now, it is up to the Park family, composed of archery ace Nam Joo, unemployed university grad Nam Il, slightly dimwitted Gang Du, and their tolerant, spoonfeeding father, to rescue their precious Hyun Seo - right under the noses of the SKorean government, from whom they have escaped.

The first time I saw the trailer for The Host at our University Film Center, Cine Adarna, I thought it would be good - as in ass-kicking, scream-inducing good. Now that I've seen it though, I think it's one of those movies where the trailers are better than the real thing. Acting-wise, The Host is very good - the casting is amazing, and I'm very happy with the actors who portrayed their characters very well. In terms of music, too, I think the movie is effective; although that opinion is apparently not one I share with Ate Dee, who commented on the poor match-up between the orchestral score and the gory monster scenes.

The plain, same-old story is what brings The Host down. Although some twists are really cool [like miscounting bullets and breaking homemade soju bombs] the plot isn't anything great. Certainly, it's nothing new; we've all heard of the biological whatnot mutating into a mass-murdering creature, and we've seen films about virus epidemics, too. In the end, though, I don't hate the writers, because, as I'm now writing fanfiction, I realize how difficult it is to come up with anything original AND sane AND effective. [And may I please just rant about how disappointed I am that the New Moon script hasn't been adapted properly from the book? Cheesy lines every nine nanoseconds may have worked in print, but I'm telling you, they sound WRONG onscreen.]

Overall, The Host is nothing great, so I"ll give it two stars. I deducted the other three stars for: 1) unoriginal plot; 2) yawn-worthy moments; and, 3) sheer lack of the "glued to the edge of my seat" factor. The two stars I gave it are for: 1) plenty of laugh-out-loud moments; and, 2) Nam Il, Nam Joo and the rest of the crazy Park family. Watch only if very bored and low on movie options.

PS. I may be a bit biased because I don't like monster movies much.

Korean Hospitality

One of the values Filipinos are proud of, to the point of drilling it to our elementary-age kids by way of textbooks and conscious example, is hospitality. According to my trusty Merriam-Webster, to be hospitable is to be: 1) given to generous and cordial reception of guests; and, 2) to readily receptive. To be honest, however, I've never been particularly fond of this innate trait of ours. It's not uncommon for heads of households to borrow money from their friends or, God forbid, 5-6 lenders just to be able to serve something to their guests during fiesta time. I don't like that. (But for the record, if I were in the tightest spot imaginable, I think I could tolerate it.)

My point is that after attending the UPD International Center Korean Night (20 November 09), I realized that our Korean counterparts may just be as hospitable as we are. The whole event was very carefully planned, as evidenced by the "parody movies" that they presented - as anyone who's tried to film and edit anything would know, you can't edit and sub decently within a short span of time. They also made sure that the guests were very "at home", and I daresay they even thought of everything with the guests in mind. Obviously, one of their top priorities, if not their top priority, was to please the crowd.

I have to admit that, initially, my goal for attending the event was getting free food to save on dinner; I'm not big on KPop, unlike a certain faction of the Filipino below-20 population. I stayed even after having eaten though, because: 1) I thought it rude to fall prey to the infamous eat-and-run habit; and, 2) the first half of the program looked promising. So I guess the organizers got their wish: it was a DEFINITE crowd pleaser.

Bana and I didn't get there in time to see the Super Junior impersonation that some of the guys did, but I really don't mind because the succeeding performances were excellent. I particularly liked the Taekwondo Dance, the Fan Dance, the solo performance that a visiting dance professor performed, and the Sign Language Dance - just for the record, I thought the solo performance was breathtaking. Of course, the last 'stage' was very moving, too: an acoustic version of Heal the World by everyone involved in the event. Another thing I liked about Korean Night? They had a donation box near the entrance, the proceeds of which will go to Ondoy victims. Isn't that nice of them?

I couldn't help feeling biter though, even after I had such a good time. See, I was wondering why we couldn't come up with something like that - every culture has its own interesting details, after all. Why is it that, despite the large number of Filipino immigrants in each corner of the world, their children don't organize events like this? A university is the perfect venue for cultural nights, so why can't Filipino kids studying abroad (and maybe even in the country) take advantage of that? Is it because they've assimilated too well? And is our 'colonial mentality' worth blaming for that?

Then again, I'm not the right person to rant about things like this.

A Succession of Filler Chapters

You know those filler chapters that writers put in the middle of serious sections of an anime just to add some sense of lightness to heavy stories? Think of those, back to back to back. That's basically Marmalade Boy. It's light and bright, not to mention sappy, from beginning to end.

The story revolves around Koishikawa Miki, a typical 2nd year high school student just like all other heroines in animedom, and the changes that happen in her life due to her parents' sudden decision to get a divorce and remarry The Matsuuras. Matsuura Yuu, the couple's only son, is the main complication in Miki's life, because the moment she first lays eyes on him, she thinks, "He's gorgeous!" and eventually, she falls for him, even dating him after a while. Because Yuu is a handsome guy with a pleasing personality, and Miki's pretty charming herself, they encounter a lot of "obstacles" to their relationship, That's basically it.

During the first ten episodes of the series, I found myself incapable of ungluing myself from my laptop; seriously, the slapstick-type humor was that addictive. Also, because the show was made in 1994, the art and the music are very different from romcom anime that exist today: the makers exploit the shadow effect, and they often insert 'the twinkling sound', which I'm sure you're familiar with. Also, it has only 1 main theme, and I think 3 ending themes, which is not something you see often today because most new series shift Endings and Openings every few episodes.

The downside of Marmalade Boy is that it's VERY long. 76 episodes, all in all. I know it's not much compared to other anime - Gundam SEED and Destiny have a total of 100 eps - but given that the episodes of Marmalade Boy are just repeats of previous ones, there's really not much to look forward to. It's always the same pattern of introducing a new character (either a boy or a girl) to create a love triangle, and Miki and Yuu overcoming the difficulty and falling deeper in love with each other at the end of every episode. Even though there's hardly any variety in the series, however, a lot of important things happen in each show, so I can't really say the story doesn't progress.

What makes this anime different from others is that it's got two bests for me: Best Love Affair and Best Confession. Best Love Affair goes to Namura Shinichi and Akizuki Meiko, who are a high school teacher and his student, respectively. Although their relationship is a bit sappy, and can drive some people to the brink of irritation *Joyce, ehem, Joyce*, I still think it's a really cool interpretation of the traditional older man - younger woman template. For Best Confession, I vote Yuu's confession of love to Miki as the most 'kilig' one ever. I've always thought that confessions were serious and mushy and melodramatic, but this one was anything but, and still it was effective. Not to mention, it happened by the seashore, and Yuu was pretty nonchalant about it, so plus points!

Overall, Marmalade Boy is a must-see for fans of good old anime romcom. You have to know, however, that it's REALLY long (yes, the added emphasis is necessary) and really barf-inducing at times - but not on a Twilight Saga level. In my personal opinion, and I believe this strongly, it's more of an anime classic that Hana Yori Dango is. At least, I enjoyed watching it much more than I enjoyed watching 3 versions of the HYD story.

Unifying Themes

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Today, I finished reading a book I picked up from a local thrift shop: John Haskell’s I Am Not Jackson Pollock. To be honest, I didn’t understand much of it, but then again, it’s really not that surprising given that I’m somewhat incapable of absorbing anything remarkably deep.

If I could, I’d give you a summary of the book, but the thing is I can’t. See, John Haskell’s work doesn’t really have a unifying theme – except film maybe. In each of the novel’s nine segments, there’s always some form of reference to film or literature, which I’m pretty sure movie buffs will be thrilled to read. Although it helps greatly if you have a good background in films and you’re well-versed in movie lingo, it doesn’t really matter much whether you know Jackson Pollock or not (and I have to admit I don’t) because Haskell describes each character he writes about, from attitude to thoughts to credentials. Although one should remember that this book is fictional, so Orson Welle’s thoughts in the novel are most probably not what he thought of in his lifetime.

I liked the book because it was something very different from what I usually read. Normally, I prefer reading what I like to call ‘descriptive books’, where things take place in the real world and not just in someone’s head (e.g. Ten Little Indians, Harry Potter, etc). Reading I Am Not Jackson Pollock was definitely a new experience for me, because most of its contents focus on things happening in people’s thoughts only.

I didn’t like the book because: 1) I couldn’t understand it; 2) I found the writing style unsteady and halting; and, 3) It really was too deep for my poor brain to appreciate. I suppose then, that I didn’t like the book simply because I’m me – and that doesn’t mean that if other people read it, they won’t like it either. Although I doubt my artist friend Maia would appreciate it either; it just lacks a certain something that’s common in the stuff Maia reads.

My favorite thing about the book is that it forces you to reflect on what each segment’s theme is. I might be wrong, but my brain tells me that theme for Narrow Road and Elephant Feelings is need – the need to be noticed, the need to be loved. My favorite ‘story’ in this book of interwoven stories is the one about Laika, the first dog in space; I think it’s really moving, the way John Haskell describes Laika’s hopes and dreams and fears in the face of such an unusual, glorious opportunity. (Yes, she’s a dog.)

Recommended for film buffs, people who want to read new things, people who like reading short stories without closure, those who do a lot of ‘after-reading’ thinking in order to guess what the message of the book is. 3 stars.

without saying goodbye

I know I promised myself I wouldn't go online today, but I couldn't help it; it's too boring in my room. I should be working on my Kumon worksheets, and I even bought a special dustless eraser to prove that I'm serious about it, but when I actually faced the papers, I felt the sudden urge to do something less productive but fun. It sucks being alone in your dorm room; even a loner realizes that after a week of having no one to talk to properly. Worse, the pasalubong I got for my roommates and for the dorm's pasafest has expired. Why does pastel have to perish so soon, anyway?

I thought that since the sem hasn't started yet, tonight would be the perfect opportunity to meet up with the rest of PC over a hearty dinner. Bad news: Roshan's trying to get her diver's license (and yes, diver's not driver's), Tichang is with her mom, Nina has gone back to Davao, and Sunshine has gone back to Batangas for the last time before sem starts. That leaves just Jumpel and me in UP - and 'dinner' with just two out of six doesn't sound right at all.

So, we've postponed it. To next week. Which means I'll be eating tapsilog all by myself again.


If this week's biggest realization were a quote, it would be:

"Go often to the house of thy friend for weeds soon choke the unused path."

It's sad, because, I have a friend who I care for dearly, although, being somewhat self-centered, I don't tend to show affection most of the time. Because of this, despite our degree of closeness in years past, we have gone - er - shall we say, separate ways. It's sad. She's left on a jetplane without even saying she'd be leaving. I kind of blame myself because it was my fault;I had said some rather tactless things, and thinking that she would understand my tactlessness and sheer stupidity, I didn't apologize properly. After that incident, we never talked again.

The saddest part is, her mother once told me that her daughter, once convinced of someone's sincerity, will never leave that person's side. I guess, I have been weighed, measured, and found severely wanting.

disclaimer

The late Prof. Maricon Alfiler once told our PA 11 class, "Read, Think, Write - or die intellectually." I have always tried to keep this little bit of advice close to heart, but I have to admit I'm not a very intelligent reader. Sure, I pick up puns and other side-references, but, and this is embarrassing to admit, I don't understand half the things I read. Often, I have to refer to SparkNotes; I just can't think in the right direction without 'Guide Questions'. Sometimes, even with hints pointing me to the right path, I still don't get the point.

Reading, however, still ranks high in my list of favorite hobbies. Just like writing. I may suck at it, but hey, it's fun. I love writing because it forces me to think 'creatively', to dream up of many potential answers to the question 'What happens next?'. Being a bit, er, whacked up, however, I tend to deviate too far from my original intention - and my story ends up scrambled.

For example: When I was in high school, and I fancied myself a future writer, I volunteered to write scripts for a couple of role plays. One of them was this thing for English class, a family drama/romance thing. I'm sure it wasn't that bad; it even got chosen over two other works to represent our class in the department-wide role play contest.

There I was, ecstatic that my work had been chosen, convinced that making the Gio's delinquent character confess to Jen's grade-conscious med student one over dinner with the rest of the dysfunctional family was the best idea I had ever come up with. We had to present our 'final revised role play' in front of the whole school, competing with the Seniors - we were Juniors then. The 'final outcome' turned out to be a bit complicated - my signature. After incorporating so many new characters into the play, and I think I even put in a homicide scene involving a sexy stepmother or something, my ending turned out to be an easy way out. I just turned everything into a dream; it turned out the protagonist had just dreamed up everything that had happened.

Personally, I don't think the story was that bad. It was a bit too complicated, yes, but a lot of telenovelas are complicated, noh? And about that dream ending, people didn't throw tantrums when the same thing happened in Lovers in Paris. I think the problem was that I squeezed in too much detail into a story that was meant to unfold in less than 30 minutes. That was the problem.

I didn't think much of it until one day, the directress/principal turned up in our classroom requesting to talk to the people who wrote and directed the play. Big surprise: I wrote and directed the whole production. My classmates didn't squeal though, so to compromise, the Head spoke to our whole class about how poorly she thought we had performed. I don't remember much of what she said, but her point was, she didn't like the play at all - I think the part where everything turns out to be a dream hit her pretty hard. And then she left.

I won't be so obnoxious as to attribute my never having pursued writing seriously because her words scarred me for life. Nooo, in fact, I still write, school reports and articles for the org newsletter, and I'm currently planning a supposedly simple fanfic in my head. I just wanted to share this story because it illustrates how complicated my output can be. Think of it as a warning; after all, I'm starting a blog.