Elsbeth L.S.E.'s Reviews: January 2013

Thursday, January 10, 2013

My Sony Xperia Mini Experience

My mini....

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Yummy Saturday Lunch at Panciteria Lido

Yesterday was our first time to eat at Panciteria Lido. We’ve never heard of the restaurant or anything about the food that they serve there before. You have to understand that we are not food aficionados, who make it a point to try new and different restaurants on a regular basis. Although I know I would be if I could…afford it, that is :)

Anyway, we just happened to be driving along Shaw Blvd at noon and just happen to notice Panciteria Lido at the exact hour that our tummies are already growling in hunger. So we stopped, parked and entered the tiny food nook. We just deduced from the look of the place and the pictures that they serve Chinese food. Since we didn’t know anything about the place, we just ordered their flagship dish – the Pugon-Roasted Asado. And boy, did it taste sooooo… good! We love Chinese food but we love it more now. Here’s a picture of our lunch:

Bwakaw (An Independent Film): From a Commoner's View

I consider myself very fortunate to have been acquainted with different kinds of people in my jack-of-all-trades career. People from high and low… and from just about any industry. But what I consider the most rewarding (emotionally, psychologically and spiritually) is knowing people from the world of arts. And last night was a testament to this luck. Last night, I was given the opportunity to watch a really great movie - Bwakaw - on its Gala Premiere at the CCP Main Theater. It is an independent film and an official entry at the Cinemalaya 2012 Film Festival. I was invited by my friend, Carlo Mendoza, who was the cinematographer for this movie. Here are my tickets:

Grum (A Children’s Book): From a Commoner’s View

As I have promised author Robyn Hill (sorry it took me so long), here is my complete review of her pre-teen book entitled “Grum”. First, I have to say that reading this book has sadly made me realize that despite my conviction not to lose the child in me, I somehow have “grown up”. So reading this cute children’s tale had also been a journey for the child in me to come out once again and appreciate the little things that truly matters. The silliness that make us giggle and laugh out loud, even if it’s just nonsense blabber.

On that note, I‘ll have the adult in me to go first in rating this story and its technical aspects (For better understanding, please read my previous blogs: SheBlogger as a Reviewer II and SheBlogger as aReviewer ‘I’).

CarloMen – A Light that Makes the Stars Shine Brighter

No, this is not about nebulas, nuclear fusions, or astronomy. This is about movies and actors and what makes them shine brighter.

Whenever we see a movie and find it to our liking, we remember the actors. We remember the characters they play. And we even remember their lines. Sometimes we like a movie for the visual effects, the vibrance and brilliance of colors. But most of the time, we do not even realize this. And even when we do, we don’t care to know who’s responsible for such spectacular feast for the eyes. Yes, we sometimes credit it to the director and make a mental note of the name. But the director is but one among the other directors involved in making one film. Yes, he’s the captain of the ship but the ship won’t sail smoothly without the leadership of others in the different aspects of a movie.

The Amazing Spider-Man – Should I Watch it?

(Repost. Update: I did watch it but again failed to review it. I suck... I know. But in my defense, I guess it's because there is nothing to write home about)

I can understand watching movies for a number of times... again and again ...if you really, really, really liked it. For me, I do it because I'm going to see the same characters, particularly the actors that played them, whom I liked; because I want to hear the same lines that made me laugh or fall in love and see the same scenes that made me cry...etc...etc... But seeing a movie, of (typically) the same story but with different set of actors and different script, just made a little bit different by making it in 3D? I'm not so sure.

I'm not really a Spider-Man fan, per se. I watched all the other Spider-Man movies because I like superhero and action movies and I like Tobey Maguire (partly because I dated someone who looked like him years ago :) ) But would I want to see it again with different actors, probably a slightly different plot and now in 3D? Hmm.... Still not so sure.

TOP 3 MOVIES that SheBlogger watched out for last 2012

(Re-post of the top 3 movies I wanted to watch last year. I did watch them, except for Great Expectations, which was not yet shown here. Maybe I got the show date wrong or they changed. Anyway, sad fact is I was not able to write a review about the other two. Maybe I would this year...for whatever it's worth)

First let me tell you a few things about my favorites so I won’t have to explain in too many details why they are my top 3 movies. Here’s a partial list (relevant to this blog) of my favorites in Hollywood and in Literature :

1. Johnny Depp – Ultimate Favorite Actor

2. Ralph Fiennes – Favorite Actor (for seriously dark, mysterious roles)

3. Helena Bonham Carter – Most Favorite Actress (for dark, crazy, goth roles)

4. Julia Roberts – Most Favorite Actress (for comedy and drama)

5. Tim Burton – Only Favorite Director (so far…)

6. Great Expectations – Most Favorite Novel

7. Fairytales

8. Vampire Stories

Happy Feet Two – Not Too Happy

Happy Feet Two (Animated Movie): From a Commoner's View

Two happy feet of mine happily tap-danced on the way to the movie house yesterday to get my fill of penguin singing and dancing galore on the big screen. As an avid fan of Mumble and his quirky feet in the first movie, I waited for this sequel with fervent anticipation. And what did I think of it?

Well…sadly, it did not completely live up to my expectations. The storyline was very simple and the same as the first one. You know, one little penguin trying to find his talent or his purpose, being a bit different from the rest. Being odd and weird and hence, being laughed at. Getting sad and low, running away, and finding a hero….etc…etc… It was little Mumble all over again. And then, there’s the bit about saving the entire race of Emperor penguins from starvation. Of course, Mumble saves the day again, although this time with the help from his son, Erik, and from a lot of new characters.

SheBlogger's Reviews

Hello again, SheBlogger's Friends!

As I have said in the Mother of my blogs, SheBlogger's NeverWonderLand, I'm migrating to blogspot. So there'd be no new posts yet for the next few days. Really sorry about that. But I'm going to re-post my reviews from the previous blogsite. Only those I still have in file though.

Please...please...bear with me as I have some reviews at the back of my head that have yet to be put on paper. Errr...in this case, on word doc ;) Just too many things on my plate and too little time. Tsk..Tsk...

Okay... enough of the excuses! I really should get back to work!

Elsbeth L.S.E. as a Reviewer

Elsbeth L.S.E. as a Reviewer - Part I

I intend to write reviews of movies, books, poems, art works, and other such things here and I felt a need to explain myself first in this separate post before I write any review. As I have mentioned in a previous article about the cinematographer Carlo Mendoza, I am Mass Communication graduate but it doesn’t say much because I didn’t really put it into practice. I am no expert in the field of filmmaking, writing, or the arts in general. There may be a bit of the learning and exercises from College but I am not counting on it.

Maybe it is safe to say that I appreciate art. I love beauty and I love finding the meaning and purpose in beauty, which is, I believe, the essence of the art itself. And this is my only guide, or my basis, in judging a movie, or a literary piece. So, whatever review you will read here, it would be coming from my heart.

So as early as now, I would like to warn you that my reviews would only be coming from a commoner’s view, who may not even have enough adjectives and idiomatic expressions in her vocabulary to describe what, or how she exactly feels about something. Let this also serve as an advance apology to great works that I wouldn’t be able to give justice in my reviews because of this inadequacy. But I will try my best to communicate my views well and give you a picture as clear as I possibly can. And I will call every review, “[Title/Subject]: From a Commoner’s View”.

I am hoping that you would enjoy the pictures that I will try to paint in words and find it useful somehow :)

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Elsbeth L.S.E. as a Reviewer - Part II

Time and again I’m feeling a need to explain myself as a reviewer. Please pardon me if you’re getting annoyed already with my ever-changing review format. But as I believe that most everything is a work in progress (most especially this blog), there will always be a need to change or improve something. As the saying goes, “there’s always room for improvement”.

Anyhow…right now, I’m feeling the need to split my review in two parts. 1^st half would rate the technical aspect of the piece while the other half would rate its appeal or effect on me. I’m doing this because I believe that those two are entirely different and separate things. And one may not have anything to do with the other (at least for me) to make a reviewer “like”, “love” or “hate” the work being reviewed. One that is done perfectly in terms of technical aspect, i.e. perfect grammar, great writing/filming, presentation, visual/graphic effects, etc…, may not necessarily make me like it. The piece may have communicated its theme or message clearly but not effectively to my heart as the reviewer. Or simply as the reader or audience. And that is, I believe, the most important of all. But still, the technicalities remain an important ingredient to make the work likeable and must not be dismissed altogether. It is still imperative that I give it some attention, may it be for praise or comments for improvement.

So to solve this dilemma, I’m going to give two separate ratings in every review. A 5-point scale of gemstones for appeal to reason.

And the other, a 5-point scale of hearts

for appeal to the emotion ;)

Under the Appeal to Reason are the following criteria:

Story and Originality

Character Performance

Special FX

Cinematography (for films)

Narration/Storytelling (for books)

Criteria under the Appeal to the Emotion are:

Shock and Scare (for Horror themes)

Laughter and Tears (for comedy & drama themes)

Hhmmm… I’m still not sure if that everything’s all here already. Might think of something later, or much later on, but for now, this is it! :)

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Elsbeth L.S.E. as a Reviewer of the Macabre

As I have mentioned in my blog entry some time ago, I intend to write reviews of art and literature here. And that includes my favorite genre of all – HORROR. So again, I felt a need to explain myself first before I write any review of the macabre, may it be artwork, movie, novel, short story or even a poem.

Here are a few things you need to know about me when it comes to shock fest stories:

1. I love, love, love horror stories and images – A Lot!

2. I love the thrill and chill.

3. I grew up watching Friday the 13^th TV Series – Alone. In complete darkness, except from the glow of the tube (it was still called the boob tube back then). I would sit very close to the TV screen because I couldn’t turn the volume up lest it would wake my parents who forbid me to stay up late.

4. There is not a single horror movie or story in my entire adult life that really scared me. No. Nada. Zilch. My sister would always tease me that I don’t really have a heart, so there’s nothing inside me that could be made to beat fast in fright.

5. The last time I remember I got scared by a movie was when I was four years old. It was also then that I came to realize that there is really nothing to be scared of. I went to bed and slept alone despite being frightened because my “yaya” (nursemaid) had something else to do. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning, around 3am I think, and found myself still alone in the room. I looked around and there was nothing. That’s when I realized that the things from the movies can’t harm me in real life. That it is all a show and none of it is real.

6. Since then, I have not been afraid to be alone in the dark even after watching a horror movie. The scary scenes do pop in my head and vivid images of the monsters and ghosts do play in my imagination but they don’t scare me at all.

7. I can, and I have watched a horror movie alone in a movie theater. The only thing that kept me from laughing out loud at the squeals and loud gasps of the audience is the thought that they might think I’m crazy. Watching a horror movie alone and then laughing? What would you make of that? :D

8. I am always in the lookout for new horror movies, especially those that claim they are really terrifying. Those with taglines like “scariest movie of all time”, “don’t watch alone”, “not for the weak heart”, etc… I try my best to watch and see if it is, finally, the movie that would scare me. I’m not sure whether it’s myself, or it’s the movie, that I’m challenging.

Anyway, those are the things to consider when reading a review from me. I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t take my word when I say it is not scary. This is a caution that what is not scary for me may stop you dead or make you faint.

Oh, a couple more things… I grew up scaring my cousins (even older ones) and other little children, as I play a deranged knife-wielding killer and I love donning scary costumes and makeups at 2am just for the heck of it. Here’s a sample picture :D