Weekend Film Picks
I didn’t realize how weird the last weekend was until I thought of the films I preferred watching from Friday to Sunday. I really don’t know what I was thinking, but these are the movies that occupied my weekend, watched in THAT order.
1. Nim’s Island
D
espite several curious situations in this film, I still liked it!
It’s about an 11-year-old girl named Nim (Abegail Breslin) who lives in an isolated island with her microbiologist dad Jack (Gerard Butler). As far as she could remember, after her mother died, the island has been her home. Everyday is an adventure for Nim. For friends, she has a sea lion named Selkie, an iguana named Fred and a pelican called Galileo. She has a very healthy imagination and her favorite books are those adventure stories written by her favorite author, Alex Rover (who is Alexandra Rover in real life—played by Jodie Foster). When her father goes missing from one of his research, Nim is left all alone in their island. For some twist of fate, she is able to exchange e-mails with her favorite author. Alexandra, on the other hand, realizing that Nim is just a little girl who needs her help. Alexandra, came to the rescue, yes, but with much effort and misadventures.
Note: One has to watch Nim’s Island with a child’s eyes.
2. The Pianist
One of the best films I’ve seen.
A Roman Polanski film starring Adrien Brody, The Pianist is based on the autobiography of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a famous Jewish pianist working for the Warsaw radio in Poland. His whole life literally starts to crumble with the outbreak of World War II and the invasion of Poland in 1939. With things looking ugly everyday, soon Szpilman is separated from his whole family. He has to go into hiding, work in prison camps, escape and go into hiding again with the aid of some non-Jewish friends. He nearly dies because of an illness and malnutrition. Despite all these, he is able to keep his sanity and survives.
3. Little Manhattan
Talk about puppy love! This one is incredibly charming!
Gabe (Josh Hutcherson) is like all other boys his age. He lives in a world filled with the masculine gender. Gabe and his friends see girls as just girls and nothing special. They even see girls as carrier of a disease called cooties. But that summer, when Gabe decides to enroll in a Karate class, he begins noticing Rosemary Telesco (Charlie Ray)—who is not really a stranger to him because she has been around practically all his life—who is among the best students and since she’s the only one he knows, becomes his sparring partner. Accompanying Rosemary to a dress fitting before their Karate practice, Gabe experiences the weirdest thumping of his heart as he stares at Rosemary standing in front of the mirrors. Soon enough, he realizes that he is in love. That summer also, Gabe discovers that girls are pretty and fun to be with.
The film is narrated by the boy and he did it very well. As you watch Little Manhattan, you are taken into Gabe’s world without you knowing it. Among my favorite lines in the movie:
- Love isn’t about ridiculous little words. Love is about grand gestures. Love is about airplanes pulling banners over stadiums, proposals on jumbo-trons, giant words in sky writing. Love is about going that extra mile even if it hurts, letting it all hang out there. Love is about finding courage inside of you that you didn’t even know was there.
- Love is an ugly, terrible business practiced by fools. It’ll trample your heart and leave you bleeding on the floor. And what does it really get you in the end? Nothing but a few incredible memories that you can’t ever shake. The truth is, there’s gonna be other girls out there. I mean, I hope. But I’m never gonna get another first love. That one is always gonna be her.
4. The Virgin Suicides
This is a finely made film, with perfect cast, right storyline and good director.
The Virgin Suicides is Director-Screenwriter Sofia Coppola’s first full-length film. Four neighborhood boys reflect on the life of the five Lisbon sisters—Therese, Mary, Bonnie, Lux and Cecilla. They are a curious brood, mysterious in the eyes of the community, overprotected by their strict parents, making them unattainable. The film is narrated by one of the boys (voice provided by Giovanni Ribisi), 25 years after the girls suicides. They try to put together the pieces of evidence they are able to collect to finally solve the mysterious life of the five sisters.
Cecilla, the youngest, is the first to go. After her death, the family becomes more distant from the community, heightening the curiosity of the people. At the start of the new school term, the remaining sisters act like nothing happened. It also marks the start of Lux’s (the promiscuous sister, played by Kirsten Dunst) secret relationship with the school heartthrob Trip Fontaine (Josh Hartnett). Able to persuade Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon, Trip takes Lux and her sisters (with respective dates courtesy of Trp’s friends) to the homecoming dance, causing Lux to miss the curfew her strict mother had set. Pulled out from the school, the girls remained inside the house, under Mrs. Lisbon’s stern watch. Longing to break away, the girls contact the four boys through light signals, and they start exchanging music played over the phone. One evening, the sisters send an SOS signal. The boys immediately responded but get a shocking surprise at the Lisbon’s basement.
Have you seen any of these films? What do you think of them? Share your thoughts, please.
Also, I’m thinking, should I discuss them further separately?
Yay, girl! First, you did have a weird weekend! Four movies?
Second, I have not watched a single film in the list! Hahahaha! Kaloka. Di ako naka-relate. But I think I’d like to watch some of them.
Which reminds me, I have 2 movies here na di ko pa napanood!
Salve: Konti pa yang four na yan, girl. kaya ko 6 movies straight.
anong movies meron ka, girl?
Oist Salve, do you also watch “maging sino ka man”? In-love ako kay Celine. I like her thick, full lips -parang tatlong bazooka-bubble gum na nginunguya!
Peace girl but what are you doing with those Hollywood craps? Mahalin ang sariling at(e)n hehehe!
Salve: VF, of course I watch local films. Di lang yung mga Claudine type. hehehe.
Oi, you should watch Little Manhattan. Tingnan mo kung gano kalayo ang generation mo dyan. Isipin mo na din kung anong ginagawa mo nung ganung age ka. hehehe.
i haven’t seen those films… i wish we can watch some movies too this weekend.
Salve: panoorin mo sila. ganda naman lahat e.
jodie’s the bomb!
brilliant actress…
sobra!!!
=)
Salve: kakatawa si jodie foster sa movie na to. agoraphobic ang lola mo. kaaliw panoorin.
hopefully i get to find time to catch those films as well. Nim’s island looks really good (but I only wanna Jodie Foster) =P
anyway, just wanted to invite you again to this week’s Merlin Club.
Salve: you should see it, pao. nakakatawa talaga dun si jodie foster. and abigail breslin is becoming a really good performer.
i’ll submit an article uli sa Merlin Club. thanks for inviting me again.
Pahiram ng Little Manhattan Cd. Your favorite line got me. haha
Salve: Surely, leng-leng. magugustuhan mo yun.
no lo se lahat!!! hehehe.. pero curious ako sa virgin suicides
Salve: kasi naman ikaw! panoorin mo lahat yan. galing ng virgin suicides.
im interested in little manhattan..love the script..its so true….maybe i can wwatch them too on weekend..cant wait to grab that movie…
Salve: you should watch it, maldito. napaka-cute at charming na movie. magre-reminisce back to the old days ang mga boys sa movie na `to.
Mare, you left me intrigued with The Virgin Suicides. That I have to see:)
Salve: you should, mare. it’s an interesting film.
i saw the pianist a long, long time ago. very good film, indeed. roman polanski is a very good filmmaker despite his troubles with the authorities in the US because of some past indiscretion.
in “the virgin suicides” which incidentally is set in michigan— sofia coppola’s just being true to her pedigree. i’m sure her father francis ford coppola is so proud of her. i also like her “lost in translation”
Salve: i completely agree with you, mitsuru. i haven’t sofia coppola’s marie antoinette. i don’t know if its as good as her first two films.
I always find time to watch a movie before going to bed and your lists are so interesting. Thanks for sharing, hope to get those soon!
Salve: a good movie before going to bed… that’s nice.
I’m done watching The pianist. It’s great really.
You know I dont find it weird that you have watched all those films in that weekend. I could imagine how much you love films.Ansarap mong kaibigan, mag-eenjoy ako sau. Definitely,I will be going to watch the rest of the films in your list. Maybe this friday. Makikigaya ako.
By the way Salve, sa Island Garden City of Samal (Davao) yung nasa picture ng blog ko that you find beautiful. You are right, maganda talaga ‘dun.
Salve: Sige, mag-weekend movie marathon ka din.
Ganda nung view dun sa picture. Hope to visit that place in the near future.
PS
I would love to read your views on the film seperately. That would be wonderful Salve!
jodie foster is brilliant in everything she does
she’s awesome
hindi naman ako bias, diba?
hehe
Salve: Bias, raft3r? Di naman halata.
grabe ka, movie fan
ako absent sa sinehan for 7 years at nakapanood lang ulit nitong marso ng my best friend’s girlfriend!
Salve: Pinanood ko din yan, mommy kengkay! Naaliw naman ako sa movie na yun. Crush ko yung sasakyan ng bidang lalaki, ganda!
i would marry her in a heartbeat
hay…
Salve: ultimate crush mo ba si jodie?
The Virgin Suicides is one of my favorite movies. It’s very well done. I’ve always wanted to see the Pianist too, but never got around to it.
Salve: I agree with you. This film is very well done; also one of my favorites. The Pianist is also good. When you have the time, watch it.
Thanks for visiting, sarah elizabeth!
hala ma’am dati talaga hindi ako makapag comment kaya heto na ibibigay ko na ang gusto kong iparating sayo! hahaha…honestly little manhattan pa lang napapanood ko pero i would love to watch the pianist at saka yung virgin suicides mukha kasing atig ehh..=p matagal na po ba yung film na yun?
Salve: astig talaga yung virgin suicides, eka. may matututuhan ka dun. medyo poetic ang presentation nya. pero di boring. basta maganda. malungkot lang talaga.
astig po yun!! ahahaha…
The same husband-and-wife team of filmmakers who directed “Little Manhattan” were also responsible for “Nim’s Island”
Salve: oo nga, emperorbanana. naaliw ako sa parehong pelikula.
salamat sa pagbisita.
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