1. Nim’s Island

Despite 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?

Recently, I discovered a restaurant along Kalayaan Avenue in Diliman, Quezon City that serves delicious authentic Filipino dishes. Diners can take their pick of favorite dishes from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The restaurant’s name is Adarna Food & Culture. It’s a cozy place that gives a homey ambiance while you’re dining. The whole concept is very Filipino, like a home, and the place looks like a restored old stone house. You can also dine alfresco, by the fountain. Interesting memorabilia and other collections adorn the main dining room and the function rooms. Customers also get a treat from the sari-sari store (Choices are chocnut, white rabbit candy, chocolate coin,  cigarette, and many other goodies available in a sari-sari store). It gives an exciting feel, like you’re a child again visiting your suking sari-sari sa may kanto.

One of the dishes served at the resto. Pinoy Pasta — it has chorizo instead of ham or hotdog.

A Muslim dish from Mindanao — Piassok. It is cooked in smoked coconut milk. The meat is so tender you won’t need a knife.

Different angels of the smaller dining area — perfect place to have coffee with friends. The sari-sari store is also located in this area.

Sherma & I, taking turns posing at the main dining hall.

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You may reach Adarna Food & Culture at these numbers:

(+632)926-8712/(+63917)961-8113

E-mail: adarnafoodandculture@yahoo.com

(The have a graduation promo this month.)

Note: See photo of Adarna Food & Culture facade from previous entry.

• Family: Definitely, it’s “Laugh at Your Heart’s Content.” The post is composed of photos mainly but I think they say a lot about how we are in the family (meaning, the whole clan). Besides, those photos are among my most treasured — happy and carefree.

• Friends: From my Old Neighborhood. I grew up in the barrio, so the neighborhood is pretty tight. The other kids there became my first buddies before I made friends in school.

• Myself: Me, a Love Charm?! I still think I am. Read the post and tell me if my theory is correct.

• Choice: It’s about an old hobby, a Forgotten Passion. I’m trying to find time to do it. I will. Someday. Tell me if I should.

• Something I love: I love this poem. I hope you’ll read it and you’ll share yours!

That’s about it. I’m supposed to tag other people, but I guess most of you did this already. But if you’re reading this post and haven’t done this meme, then I’m passing it on to you. Just remember this simple rule:

Go through your archive and choose five of your favorite posts about your family, friends, yourself, something you love and lastly, your own choice.

That’s what my sister and my aunt did a few Saturdays ago.

The busy gardeners, seriously committed to create a nice work of art in this little corner in the yard.

All in place after hours of labor. Love the Zen-looking arrangement in the center!

The eager little helper (read: saling-pusa!).

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Update:

They’ve got new plants yesterday. I think they’re planning to rearrange the little garden again.

Ratatouille is a story of two unlikely protagonists-Remy and Alfredo Linguini-both confronting impossible misfortune. Remy is an extraordinary rat who resists eating garbage. He prefers the good stuff, food prepared in human kitchens. And because he loves good food, he has also developed an exceptional sense of smell (this characteristic reminds me of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in the film Perfume. Although the similarity ends there. Jean-Baptiste is more Voldemort-like in character). Sadly, this trait also makes Remy an outcast from his own kind.

Linguini, on the other hand, is the new garbage boy at Gusteau’s Restaurant (now being run by Gusteau’s former sous chef Skinner). In a way, Linguini’s situation is worse than Remy’s. He’s a human being who loves food but can’t even toss a decent meal. And he possesses no other talents than being miserable and feeling sorry for himself.

The paths of our two heroes cross when Linguini accidentally messes the soup on the stove. Hoping to save it, he randomly drops ingredients and spices-thus, making a bigger disaster. Seeing all this, Remy made a move, salvaging the soup and creating the first best thing that the restaurant has ever prepared after the famous French chef’s death. So, here begins a partnership and friendship of two outcasts trying to find a niche in this faultfinding world.

Putting all technical aspects aside (because this film did it excellently), Ratatouille stresses the importance of friendship, appreciation, family, talent, the uniqueness of each individual, dreaming big and making a go to realize it. It also made me realize what a friend had told me once-that food is more delicious if you put your heart in preparing it. Like what Remy did when he chose to make his own version of the French dish (ratatouille) be served to food critic Anton Ego. Remy’s dedication to his craft/art brought tears to Ego’s eyes and brought him back to his childhood and his mother’s cooking.

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View the movie trailer:

Yahoo!Movies

YouTube

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FFoK8ss3Sw]

*****

You can get ratatouille recipe from the links below. Choose which of them you prefer. I promised myself to prepare this dish one these days, although I might need to alter some of the ingredients. I might not find some of them in the local supermarket.

1. Ratatouille Niçoise

2. Ratatouille Recipe

Bon appetit!