keep on writing fu

lately i've been getting a disappointing feeling from the lack of feedback from people i "advertised" my site to. then i had to resign myself with two things:
(1) i didn't really tell a LOT of people
(2) i am really doing myself a favor with my compulsion desire to just write.

there really is that need to just let things pour out of my mind, otherwise i'd be overwhelmed with the burden of keeping it AND entertaining/deliberating on some new issue. so as long as writing keeps me contented, then that's good.

that said, i move on.

recently watched the movies Closer and Sin City, and here i humbly present my reviews on them:


CLOSER -- definitely one of the most honest movies i've watched. ever. everything about it were real, the characters, the relationships. kudos to all 4 actors for playing such intense roles. heck, even the title itself is something to applaud. rather than resorting to using catchy gimicky phrases or lame one word names, it opts to convey its underlying irony.
on the surface, however, i was impressed with clive owen's acting. won't give away on what his role was, but he was intense. maybe because that was just what the character called for, but there's no doubt he delivered.
i have to admit i was also smitten with jude law. no, make that shaking-my-head-in-disbelief, biting-my-nails smitten with jude law. why? the man is simply gorgeous. oh, for sure he's a good actor; i saw him first in the "talented mr ripley" and he did quite well in that movie. but he didn't strike me so much then as he did with this one. really gorgeous. and i bet my ass he's charming too.
sienna miller sure is lucky. must have strong knees, too. small wonder she hasn't fainted.
anyway, must make it a note to watch "alfie", "i heart huckabees" and "sky captain and the world of tomorrow".



SIN CITY -- words fail me with this one. first of all, i went to see it for all the hype. had i been a frank miller fan, i would've enjoyed the film.
not that i'm saying i didn't. story-telling was done well, especially when the ending narration ties up with the introduction. it's set in a dramatic black and white setting, with splashes of bold color in between scenes for contrast and highlight. the characters are stereotypes, but well-cast (this in itself is a feat since there were many of them in the film). then there were some that moved stiffly, but it was understood to be done so only to capture that perfect perspective shot of that scene. the movie aims to be dark and succeeds. grotesque scenes are carefully edited, but is poignant enought to stir your imagination with its sick horror. it also successfully woves 3 stories in it (the first being the best one for me) and takes that faithful step to make the artist's work (or ink, rather) come to life. at one point, i even half-expected narration boxes to appear on the screen.
so, i appreciated "sin city" for all those (and maybe more). yet they are logical reasons, i suppose, and that perhaps be why i couldn't enjoy it completely. the experience for me was lacking. but to another, it may have been different, and i wouldn't begrudge that person for liking it more than i do. really.
now the actor that made the most impact on me? benicio del toro. he just has this commanding on-screen prescence. he fits as the sly scroundel who loves working in the shadows. the lowlife scary creep you would want to hit back if only you had the guts to. the perfect enigmatic villain.
and then there's elijah wood. he must be determined to show his versatility as an actor to shed his good hobbit status. what exactly his role was in the movie, you just have to see.

sigh. now that i finished writing the above, i noticed that the actors that i mentioned all portrayed dark roles. i would want to offset that by picking one protagonist at least. and then i remembered. there are none in the movies i watched. next time na lang.

on another note, i'm finding it rather difficult to enjoy movies these days. for one, there is definitely the lack of spontaneity. transpo is hard here and so is coughing up the dough ($6.50 for 1 movie!?). now i'm reduced to scouring the net for reviews just to make sure the trip to the theatre is worth it. another drawback, and the saddest of them all i have to say, is the loss of company of other film lovers - pre-, during, and post-movie. no one to share giggly anticipation, reactions or comments.

i am now longing for the days when i just go the theatres and watch movies, without the benefit of reviews to spoil/anticipate me. or even the simple company friends, who are movie lovers as well.

sigh. the exile continues.