thank goodness for movies...

... good ones always make my day.

ok. so i haven't watched movies for a while (apologies to my cne-partner-in-crime bro). but i hope to make up for it when i finally get myself a membership at Blockbuster, rent any number of dvd's by 2's for only $24.95/mo. just how i can come up with that money will be another story. anyhoo...

lucky for me, my next-door neighbors are kind enough to invite me over whenever they use their Blockbuster privileges. i have yet to turn them down, less they think of me as too eager (curse the pinoy mentality of politeness!) but the call of the movies is futile to resist.

wicker park
this starts off really slow; you have to really commit yourself to be patient for the first 10-15 minutes (esp when you have josh hartnett.. i dunno, i never liked him). to see how the movie goes. then the plot unravels, by flashbacks first, then thru the characters. likewise, it has a detective-type feel to it, where each minor detail is pieced together, once, then back-and-forth, then you can finally appreciate the whole story. overall, it is a tale of love, but you might feel the movie is asking you to look into its darker aspects of betrayal and obsession.
i'd recommend it for teleserye fans out there, who are altogether familiar with being emotionally-pulled under.

garden state
starring zach braff (who i heard also wrote and directed it?! woah!) and the brilliant natalie portman, this light-hearted story tells of a man coming to terms with himself, with the unlooked-for "help" from strangers and almost-forgotten friends. we've heard the story before, sure, but this one is refreshingly... simple. and unhurried. those two words should be enough to tell you to watch the story. but don't expect to be blown away, or coming out enlightened, altered or whatever. it does not celebrate life, but it does make you kinda appreciate its normalcy and semi-quirkiness (however weird that may sound). its just that... i think.
whereas some may feel this is not really a strong incentive to go to the theatres or rent the dvd(ok, so i can't make a good movie review), one major highlight that i do have to mention is its soundtrack. i can't remember a movie where i liked the songs so much. coyote ugly was one, but it was more mainstream-ish; garden state had an indie atmosphere in it.