Japan is the first Asian country that I've been to that isn't the Philippines. This is a big deal because as a family, we generally just stay in the Philippines when we visit. After negotiating with our parents, my siblings and I decided thatt we wanted to add Japan to our family trip back to the Philippines.
Let me tell you, Japan did not fall short.
While we were there we mainly stayed and roamed around Tokyo. As I blog throughout the year, I'll share more places with you. The image above is a taster of what's to come.
All I wanted to share for this month's blog is how polite every single Japanese person was when we visited. Everyone was super nice and super respectful that I didn't want to be rude myself. When my family got sick momentarily on our trip and I had to play nurse, the lady at the chemist near us was so lovely and so accommodating that I felt like I was at home and was cared for even though I was using Google Translate to communicate.
As a whole, Tokyo is your typical city with its hustling and bustling. There buildings are chic and futuristic and their boutiques are to die for. One tip I do have is when you're in Japan you gotta slay your outfit game. Girl, jeans and a t-shirt or even a sensible coat is not enough in a high fashion city. Find a pretty, yet warm, coat for the winter or a more than pretty dress for the summer, 'cause these ladies and gents are oozing with style.
New York City. They say if you make it there you'll make it anywhere.
I know Frank Sinatra meant, "If you can be successful there you can be successful anywhere," but I'd like to suggest that if you get the chance to just see New York City, even just for a holiday, you can go anywhere. Little did Sinatra know that his classic ballad would ignite this little lady to sit twenty-two hours on a plane just to "make it" to NYC. Regardless...
New York truly is a concrete jungle. Full of historical buildings with incredible architecture, it's five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island) all tell their own incredible story. I have so many pictures from this city, but I find that its iconic buildings alone are enough to set nostalgia and the imagination alive.
Sinatra was right in sense that New York is a place that encourages dreams. From broadway to television; from Wall Street to fashion; from journalism to novels - it is a city full of opportunities. It's a world where culture is at the tip of your fingers and laughter is right around the corner. It truly is one of the best cities in the world.
Next time I post about New York, I'll share about the theatre. You can't go to New York and not go to the theatre!
For this birthday post I thought I'd start close to home.
These images are from a trip my family and I took to Melbourne in 2016. We caught the travel bug after our big USA trip (more about that trip later!) and we were inspired to travel around the country we call home.
The reason why I chose this city as my "blog-birthday post" is because my sister and I were celebrating our birthdays on this trip. We wanted to do something special and so we all agreed to head to Melbourne for the Easter long weekend that year to celebrate our birthdays.
Melbourne has been likened to New York City with its grid-like formation, love for the Arts and fashion-forward feels. In saying that, Melbourne is no NYC, but it has its own perks. "Getting lost" in Melbourne takes you down alleyways like this one or into the jungle of modern architecture that allows you to feel like you're in a futuristic world.
It is no secret that Melbourne has birthed many 'hipster' trends. Being in the city itself begs you to think outside the box. I enjoyed the cafes, rooftop bars and shopping experience here. It was a rich experience that I cannot wait to relive this July.
It has officially beenTHREE years since my last post!
It's a new year and I don't really have the time and space to let you guy know where I have been, but just so you know, I have been to the cinemas A LOT in the past three years. It's not getting to the cinema that I've had issues with, it's the sitting down and outlining my thoughts about each element that I really was not able to do.
Often in life, we're time poor and managing it seems to be a dream or theory that we laugh off when the pile of things "To Do" gets bigger and bigger. What I've had to learn over the last three years is learning to say "no" permanently or temporarily. This blog, was going to be a permanent 'no' and it would just exist for whoever was bored one day. Truthfully, it remained online for the times I was in my element: showing future writers how not to write. But as 2018 drew to a close, I realised that there are other things - other than films - that I did want to talk about, places I've been in and enjoyed.
Hence...
As of 2019, I'll be blogging about, not reviewing, places I've visited and traveled to over the last three years. It's a semi-explanation as well as a therapeutic way for me to appreciate the places I've been blessed to have visited.
I'm looking forward to the change and I look forward for whoever will read what I've got to say and share your own experiences with me.
I'll be starting with some of the images on my instagram page and then we'll see from there. I'll be posting once a month that way I can keep myself accountable and let you guys live your lives in 2019. Thank you for reading!
Superman changed the world the day he decided to rule our skies with his presence. It changed even more when Batman’s vigilante prowess earned him the keys to Gotham.
With these meta-humans floating around, we mere humans need our own guarantee that we’ll be safe if Batman and Superman decide that they’ve had enough of us “normals” and wanted to create their own version of normal.
Enter: Amanda Waller (Viola Davis).
In a new world full of glorified freaks, you need to fight fire with fire. Waller’s answer: Task Force X – a.k.a. the Suicide Squad.
The Story
The overarching plotline follows the Suicide Squad being approved for recruitment and then having to save the world from an accidental mole in their unit. The sub-plot follows the Joker (Jared Leto) searching for his devoted Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie).
The overall plot is pretty good, actually, it’s one of DC’s better films since their Superman reboot. David Ayer’s adaptation of John Ostrander’s comic was pretty close…well considering it’s an ever evolving series. Let’s face it, it’s nice to hear a bit more dialogue after Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice had Jesse Eisenberg talking the whole time while the two protagonist were stuck in a stare-off.
The sub-plot on the other hand, as much as it made sense, made the Joker more like Harley Quinn and less like the Joker that the comics present him to be. What I mean is, the Joker’s always been presented as a selfish, Batman-obsessed lunatic who was only using Harley to do his bidding. Although we do see a little of that side in the film, the sub-plot undermines the character development and portrayal of the Joker as he is seen as caring rather than ruthless.
The Cast
Viola Smith was as conniving as she was menacing. Her fearlessness was matched by her fierceness as she forced her point for the need to use villains to protect humans from the so-called ‘heroes’. In a film full of bad guys, she the worse guy that you’ll love to hate.
Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag was the perfect portrayal of a tortured soldier willing to do anything for ‘God and Country’. He was as endearing as he was fierce and, at times, he was pretty funny too!
Cara Delevingne proves that she not just a pretty face as she takes on a role that calls for duality. As Enchantress, she was purely evil as she fights for her freedom from the hands of Waller. As June Moon, she was relatable and had the audiences wanting the best for her and Flag throughout the whole film.
Will Smith must have asked to skew his character a little considering he was funnier than the comics portray Deadshot to be. Although, his comedic side was forgivable when Deadshot’s fatherly side is shown. We see the protective and distant mercenary whenever he’s with his daughter Zoe, played by Shailyn Pierre-Dixon.
Margot Robbie accurately portrayed the beloved Harley Quinn. Rocking the current HQ attire to all of her loveable antics, Robbie brought the psychotic-lovesick-clown to life. I will say her Harleen Quinzel was less believable, but then again, we didn’t see as much of her as we did Harley Quinn.
Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang was also pretty accurate, but with the changes with Deadshot, we don’t really see the competitive nature between these two characters that the animated films highlight. (Then again we see that more between Deadshot and Flag.) Regardless, Courtney’s Boomerang was dead-on and hilarious.
Jay Hernandez was my favourite. He was believable, relatable and, for the most part, heroic. I’d say he was more hero than villain considering his tortured past and his personal decision to give himself up to the authorities was the basis of his character evolution.
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s portrayal of Killer Croc was undermined by all the other big names and ‘beautiful’ people. I wish he played a bigger role throughout the film, but I am glad he received a more central part towards the end of the film.
Karen Fukuhara was great as Katana. Although, for a jam-packed film, I wasn’t sure if her character was used as much as she should have been. Sure she was Flag’s protector, but her character seemed as though she was forced into the story. But, hey, for her first film, she did really well!
Jared Leto’s Joker was over advertised for someone who was barely in this film. I don’t know what everyone was going on about and I don’t really know why Leto himself committed so much to character with so little screen time. Look, I get it could be for future Batman films, but seriously everyone needs to relax. In saying that, Leto did a great job in separating his Joker from his predecessors, so, congrats dude.
Overall… DC fans will love it regardless of what the critics say. Personally, I didn’t have high expectations and I was pretty surprised with how it all turned out. The opening was a little unnecessary and redundant, but it set the scene. As much as the Joker was oversold, I was glad to see that the Squad made their movie theirs.
We’ve all heard the stories; the myth; the legend.
But where is he now? What is he doing? Who has he become?
Will we ever really know Tarzan?
The Story
Now, for many of us, we’re aware of Tarzan through Disney. But the legend of Tarzan actually came from 20th century author, Edgar Rice Burroughs – heavily inspired by Kipling’s, The Jungle Book. Following closely to the original roots of the story, Village Roadshow Pictures decide to embellish their production with a dash of history between Belgium and the United Kingdom.
Now you guys know me, I have no issues with adding a bit of history to fiction, unfortunately the history enthusiast in me died a little while watching this film. Although I admire the writing team’s attempt to make Tarzan’s story relevant in some realistic way, I will say that they should have just stayed with the fictitious core and left the history for another movie (like, 12 Days A Slave or Amazing Grace). I also understand that there’s a need to move away from the animated film as well as giving audiences something new, but the attempt to mix reality with fiction just opened gaps that poor character development filled.
I said it with Charlie St. Cloud and I’ll say it now: You can have the best cast in the world, but if there’s no story there’s no point. In this case there’s no story, little character development and too much scenic and graphic compensation.
The Cast
NB: The poor storyline did not mean the film had bad acting.
Alexander Skarsgård was fantastic in bringing Burroughs’s original character to life. Though he had very little dialogue, his facial expressions and body language were enough to make him both endearing and fierce.
Similarly, Margot Robbie was great at portraying a ferocious and, at times, comedic Jane Porter. Returning to the original plot, the Aussie actress dons her superb American accent in order to make Jane both entertaining and admirable.
Christoph Waltz was also a very good villain. Text-book antagonist with no remorse. So nothing too difficult on his part, but well done nevertheless.
Samuel L. Jackson’s character was the most confusing character in the film. He’s not the typical sidekick either, he’s kid-of just…there. Not to say that SLJ wasn’t brilliant, I just think his character was out of place. When I say “out of place,” I mean he doesn’t sit well in either the historical attempt or the fictional homage; his just an additional character to be relevant. Other than not having a lisp, he might as well have played Valentine from Kingsman (suav, wise-ass Valentine, not psycho-wants-to-kill-the-world Valentine). He had, on the other hand, a great background story to relate with Tarzan, but nothing really important to the core story.
Overall… just hire it out. Thanks for the Vmax experience Event Cinemas, but I think you should just keep it playing on the regular-screens. It’s a good film for families with teens, but if you have little ones, just stick to Disney.
Patty (Leslie Jones) was just doing her job when she met Rowan (Neil Casey) – she didn’t realise he wasn’t your ordinary subway anomaly. Abby (Melissa McCarthy) and Jillian (Kate McKinnon) were enjoying another day at work. And Erin (Kristen Wiig) always believed in ghosts, but when she’s reunited with Abby, her humdrum-college-professor life is splattered.
The Story
As a whole, this gender-reversed remake follows the original plotline with a serious upgrade in technology. The changes are in the character foundations that shape the film with its own series of ghostbusting antics. It begins with two old school friends (unwillingly) reuniting after Abby, and her colleague, Jillian, ask Erin to help her with a paranormal distress call.
As soon as they encounter their first real ghost – one that proves several of their scientific theories – they’re all kicked out of the collegiate payroll.
The uniqueness of this film stems from the traces of estrogen that dusts its self into the back story of Kristen Wiig’s character. Haunted for a year at the age of eight by the mean-old-lady-next-door; scarred for life by the repercussions of knowing that no one believed her. This traumatic history gives way to small pockets of Erin’s psychological need to prove herself to everyone who don’t believe in ghosts; proving that she really does matter in a world that doesn’t care.
To add a nice little role-reversal cherry at the top of this cake, Chris Hemsworth (a.k.a. Kevin) features as this film’s Janine (Annie Potts), to show that men can sometimes be just as useless as women.
The Cast
Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy were as hilarious as they were endearing. Wiig was great at balancing Erin’s awkward geekiness with her trauma-based need to be believed. She gave us just as many belly-clenching moments as fearfully saddened empathetic thrills. McCarthy was both comical and fierce as the leader of the pack. Unlike Erin’s constant need to be believed, Abby simply cared about continuing the work and didn’t give a stuff about what people thought about her.
Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones matched Wiig and McCarthy in their depiction of Jillian and Patty. Jillian is your typical tech-geek whose quirkiness lies in her suave approach to science and life. Patty is you resident New Yorker who asserts herself as resourceful and necessary to the operation. As an ensemble, this foursome beautifully playoff one another and never overshadowed each other. They’re solid unit and you know you’re always in for a good time with these ladies. So…who you gonna call?
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Earnie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver also make their own unique cameos in this film, gaving the original audience a nostalgic hit. Not to metion Slimer, Stay Puft Marshmellow Man, The Scoleri Brothers and the Ancient Dragon ghosts all pay a visit to wreak havoc on New York City once more.
Overall…it’s one for all ages. You’ll be laughing until your sides are hurting just as much as be yelling at the person who brought you to see this film. It’s as light hearted as it is scary.
sL Star Rating: ★★★ Next on sL: The Legend of Tarzan
