Friday, June 24, 2005

Movie: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Image hosted by Photobucket.comDistributor:Touchstone Pictures
Release:April 29, 2005
Genre:Action/Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction/Fantasy
MPAA Rating:PG
for thematic elements, action and mild language

There was a buzz in some sectors of the internet community about this movie even when it was still filming, that I was curious to see it just to figure out what they were talking about. The movie blew me away. The gags were just delightful. The script was good and the actors portrayed their roles well that you can't help falling in love with the characters.

Arthur Dent is the ordinary man forced to deal with extraordinary situations beginning with finding out that his good friend, Ford Perfect, is an alien - and on the day they first met, Ford was actually trying to befriend the car that nearly ran him over.

Ford on the other hand, is one guy you wouldn't mind getting stuck with if you found yourself homeless because the Vogons blew up your planet. After all, Ford's been roaming the galaxy and has 3 cool things with him - the informative traveler's guide, the ring to wear on your hitchhiker's thumb, and the towel you should't leave home without.

Ford's book is a fun read ... and gives practical advice when it comes to Vogons. They are, by the way, a race that happens to control much of the galaxy - they could even blow up a planet (like Earth) just because it was in the way of an intergalactic route. They're a narrow minded lot (oh yeah, just love the scene on the Vogons' planet where they get slapped on the head by something coming from the ground if anyone has original thoughts), can kill you with their terrible poetry, and it is surprising their government is even running despite having the worst bureaucratic red tape you'll ever find - it was hilarious when Arthur Dent said he's familiar with it because he's a Brit.
Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Ofcourse you can't get around the galaxy with no ship. After a brief, disastrous interlude in a Vogon space craft, our hitchhikers become guests on the spaceship called Heart of Gold - which looks like a teapot floating in space. That's where we meet Zaphod Beeblebrox, his companion Trillian, and the robot Marvin.

Zaphod is the egomaniac president of the galaxy who's wanted for stealing the Heart of Gold, while Trillian is this Earth chick who's with him because she finds living on Earth a bore. The character on this spaceship that I fell in love with, however, is a robot. Marvin, voiced by Alan Rickman, is just the most depressing robot I've ever seen - am I the only person thinking of Eeyore when thinking of Marvin? His dialogues are just so funny.
Image hosted by Photobucket.com

This movie entertained me from start to finish, I would actually buy the DVD so I could watch it as often as I want. Moviegoers like me who are not familiar with the book but enjoyed the film will go buy the book just to find out how much of the story didn't make it to the movie. Considering that it's rare that 100% of a good book makes it to the movie version, and that the tale was long enough to be made into a TV series in the UK - imagine how much fun the moviegoer missed?

Saturday, June 18, 2005

TV Series: Encantadia
Week Seven

Image hosted by Photobucket.comNetwork:GMA
First Run:May 2, 2005 to (present)
Genre:Adventure, Fantasy
Time Slot:Weekdays, 9:00 p.m.
Danaya has got to be one of the meatier roles in this series. I wonder if this was planned from the beginning or whether her role was improved because the character clicked with the audience. She is even more interesting than Milagros or Amihan. Alena's character is developing into an interesting character as well. I like it that the writers made Lira doubt her sanity and Anthony wonder if she's lunatic ... it's the expected reaction of sane people (he he he!). I do hate the development of the love triangles ... well, I can take it if the writers manage to prevent the story from becoming a continual love fest. Muyak finally gets some action... it must be hard to be a wall paper.

This week's story:

Mila is shocked at what she just did to Marge and runs out. Anthony runs after her. He would catch up to her but Mila would insist on walking home alone.

Meanwhile, the dogs that Danaya "freed" would meet Muyak and decide to go back to Danaya and tell her they found another one like her. They were about to lead her to the other fairy when police arrive and tell Danaya that they have to take her in for disturbing the peace. Danaya resists and runs away with her dog friends. The police shoot at her and hits one of the dogs.

In Lireo, Alena is slowly digesting the fact that her last memory occurred years ago and that Hitano lied to her in saying Ybarro is dead. Once it has sunk in that Ybarro is alive, Alena wishes to see him immediately. Amihan calls Muros and tells him to accompany Alena to Apitong's camp where she would find Ybarro.

Pirena arrives from Hathoria and calls Lira to her room. Pirena would interrogate Lira about Mila but the girl refuses to speak until Pirena is forced to hurt her. Terrified that her aunt would hurt her again, Lira admits that her friend has the mark of a sang'gre. Unable to contain her curiousity, Lira asks if the mark means Mila is a fairy, and if she is a fairy, how come she is living in the mortal world. Pirena tells Lira that at the moment, only she (Pirena) has the right to ask questions and not Lira.

At the Mandirigma camp, Ybrahim is in a foul mood. When asked by his foster father what's bothering him, he reveals feeling depressed that he had lost everything - his heritage, his love and finally, victory over Asval. Apitong gives him advice about having the will to survive.

Pirena would travel to Hathoria and tell Hagorn what Lira had just told her. Hagorn repeats his theory that Mila is the real Lira. Pirena resolves to cross the portal once more to get rid of Mila. As Pirena returns to Lireo, Alena travels towards Ybarro with two guards and comes across some Hathor terrorizing women from the Mandirigma camp. They take down the Hathors and are thanked by the women they saved. Alena asks the women a little favor regarding a disguise.

Back in Lireo, Pirena heads straight to Lira's quarters to ask how the girl is able to pass through Asnamon when Amihan had sealed it years ago. Lira retorts by telling Pirena to ask Amihan herself. Pirena loses her cool and once more hurts Lira until the girl tells her about the medallion. Pirena takes the key to the portal and leaves for the forest.

Near the Mandirigma camp, Ybrahim is alone and resting on a log. A Mandirigma woman with a covered face approaches and asks why he is not taking part in the festivities. He tells her he wants to be alone and think about his Alena. The woman hums a tune that reminds Ybrahim of Alena. He turns around to find Alena taking off the veil. Needless to say, the two are overjoyed to be back in each other's arms. Nearby, Amihan, who had been watching them secretly, decides to fade out and return to Lireo.

In Hathoria, Hagorn is telling Agane that the former queen of Lireo, Mine-a, had predicted that Amihan's daughter will be the one to save Encantadia from its enemies. Meanwhile, Lira is secretly following Pirena towards Asnamon and watches as Pirena commands the portal to take her to Mila. Lira would wonder at Pirena's heightened interest in her friend.

In the other world, Marge has left the hospital after doctors found nothing wrong with her. Considering that this was the second time she's had a freak accident while confronting Mila, she postulates to her friends that Anthony's maid must be a witch. Mila on the other hand, has gone to the church to pray and mull about her inexplicable powers. Anthony returns home and finds out Mila hasn't arrived. He goes out again to look for her.

Danaya would be mourning the death of the dog that got hit by a bullet; and Muyak is asking Bathala's help in locating Danaya. As Danaya watches over the funeral pyre for her dog friend, the other dog returns and Danaya apologizes for being unable to save its companion. The dog reminds her of seeing another fairy in the city and Danaya willingly follows the creature.

Another dog is with Muyak, and although the overgrown pixie cannot understand the language of animals, the dog's persistence made her realize it wanted her to follow it somewhere. Eventually, Muyak sees Danaya and greets her ecstatically. Considering that she has grown a few feet, lost her wings, and is now intangible, Danaya does not recognize her at once.

Meantime, Mila is walking home when another strangely garbed woman appears in her path. The woman asks if her name is Mila. Mila answers in the affirmative and walks away. The woman blocks her path and Mila found herself being attacked by fireballs. She had to use her own powers to deflect them.Image hosted by Photobucket.com


In Lireo, Amihan senses that her daughter is in danger. She orders Aquil to find Lira and see that she is safe.

Her real daughter however, has managed to deflect all of Pirena's attacks and has now switched to offense. Mila summoned her strength and blasted wind and lightning to bring down Pirena. Before Pirena could fully recover, Mila sends another strong wind to blow her away.

As this was going on, Muyak is convincing Danaya that she is who she says she is. She explains that since she is an ordinary fairy and not a sang'gre like Danaya, she does not have enough substance to retain her form in this world. She has become intangible that she cannot even be seen by mortals. Danaya informs her that everyone thought she had been killed by Hathors and asks what she had been doing in the world of mortals.

Muyak replies that she has been watching over Lira. Danaya tells her that Lira is back in Encantadia. Muyak is adamant she has been watching over the real Lira and recounts how she witnessed Pirena try killing Amihan's baby but failed to do so because of the protection given the child by Danaya herself. She followed Pirena who took Lira and brought her through Asnamon to leave her to die in the world of mortals.

The mention of Pirena was probably enough to make Danaya believe Muyak. As Muyak goes on about the hard life of her charge, Danaya was thinking how this story is confirming her doubts and suspicions. She now knows why Pirena came back to make peace with Amihan, why the Lira she knew in Lireo has the gift of fire when Amihan's power is controlling the wind, why Pirena dotes so much on Lira, and why Amihan would sometimes feel her daughter is in danger when Lira is actually safe and sound. Danaya asks Muyak to show her the REAL Lira.

While Danaya is following Muyak, she does not know that she is being hunted down by the police who are advising people to stay in their houses as much as possible while the hunt is ongoing. Carmen would be worried sick that her son Anthony is still out of the house. Anthony is ofcourse driving around looking for Mila. He would find her sitting in the park and distressed. Anthony starts asking if the incident with Marge is still disturbing her, but Mila changes the topic and asks him what he thinks about her having superpowers. Anthony thought she was joking and told her it was time to go home.

A frustrated Pirena steps back into Encantadia to find Lira waiting for her near the portal. Lira asks what Pirena wanted with Mila and is told off. Lira then demands that Pirena return the medallion. Pirena refuses to give it back and threatens to tell Amihan what Lira has been doing if Lira does not back off.

As a worried Lira watches Pirena stomp off, Alena and Ybarro are still catching up on each other. Finally, Alena asks the question Ybarro dreads to answer - was there another woman in his life when she was gone? Instead of answering, Ybarro takes notice that it is getting late and tells Alena it's time for her to return to Lireo. Ybarro volunteers to accompany her but Alena shows him that she had brought guards with her. Alena gives Ybarro a cloak before they part.

On the other side of the portal, Danaya and Muyak would get to the mansion before Mila and Anthony. Thinking she heard her son come in, Carmen rushes out of the house only to find the crazy woman the police had been looking for standing outside her gate.

Danaya asks Carmen where Lira is, but Carmen does not recognize the name. Muyak, who only Danaya could see, whispers that Lira's name amongst mortals is Mila. Danaya addresses Carmen once more and asks where Mila is. Carmen tells Danaya to go away. Muyak whispers to Danaya that Carmen and the maid who stands beside her often mistreat Lira. This bit of information angers Danaya and she grabs both mortals by the neck and slams them against the gate.

While Danaya is lecturing the mortals about how they should not raise a hand against a sang'gre, police arrive and tell her to release the two women. Danaya lets go and bends to pick up her arnis. The police take this as a sign of aggression and fire at her. Danaya is hit and goes down. The cops approach and find that she is still alive. They take her to the hospital. A worried Muyak rides along.

The police had gone by the time Mila and Anthony return. One of the maids tell Mila the scene she just missed. Anthony is greeted by his worried mother who tells him what had happened while he is out looking for Mila. She then asks suspiciously if he is falling in love with the maid. The question makes him uncomfortable for he does not know the answer himself.

In Lireo, another feather appears out of thin air and is brought by the wind to Amihan. Amihan becomes worried at seeing this, and Aquil asks her what it means. Amihan tells him that the feather is a sign that Danaya is in trouble.

In Hathoria, Pirena is telling Hagorn that her failure to even hurt Mila confirms that the girl is Amihan's daughter. This is because Mila seems to have the natural defense against Pirena's powers that Danaya had blessed Amihan's child with when she was a baby. Hagorn tells Pirena that he would attempt to kill the girl. Pirena gives him the key to the portal.

Alena returns to Lireo to find Amihan at the grounds dressed in armor and sending a ball of air to the skies. When asked what she is doing, Amihan replies that she has told the wind to bring Danaya back home. The three would be surprised when Hathors appear and attack them. When they had finished cutting the enemy down, Aquil voices his alarm that the Hathors were bold enough to enter the area and attack them. Amihan and Alena agree that the place is not safe, and takes Aquil with them as they dematerialize from the grounds to materialize within the palace.

Realizing that Pirena is out of the palace, Lira, who wants to visit her crush, starts hunting for the medallion in her aunt's room. Pirena catches her and tells her she won't find what she's looking for in that room.

Lira soon finds out that Agane has the medallion and she follows Agane and the Hathors through the portal in order to retrieve the medallion.

Amihan would sense that her daughter is in danger the moment the Hathors crossed the gate between two worlds.

In the world of mortals, an unconscious Danaya is handcuffed to a hospital bed. She wakes up briefly when Amihan's ball of air hovers above her. Later, Danaya felt well enough to leave and she takes on the form of a dog in order to escape.

Agane and her men would appear in Anthony's house and when they see Mila they attack. Mila escapes them by "orbing" out. Lira would appear and fight Agane to get back the medallion. Lira succeeds and the Hathors go back to Encantadia with Lira at their heels.

Meanwhile, Mila would materialize just outside the kitchen. She sees Anthony inside and tells him what just happened. Anthony thinks she is on drugs. Anthony relates to his mother Mila's story and Carmen opines that the girl is a lunatic and should be fired.

Mila starts thinking that she's going crazy for seeing all those weird looking people. Anthony is also worrying about her and admits to himself that he loves her.

In Encantadia, Agane reports to Hagorn that they failed because Lira interfered. Pirena would know of this and when Lira returns to the castle, Pirena speaks to her about meddling with her plans. Lira asks if Pirena was the one who gave the medallion to the Hathors, as asks why she wants Mila dead. Pirena tells Lira that Mila is the enemy and will hinder her succession to the throne. Pirena would reason out that although Mila is a mortal, she comes from another world and could pose a danger they are not aware of. Lira does not believe Pirena and stands by her friend .

Amihan would consult with Ybrahim on how they will break to Alena the fact that her Ybarro is the Ybrahim that fathered Amihan's daughter. When Alena joins them, Ybarro asks if she wants to meet Ybrahim. Alena says she is not interested in meeting that person. When she starts administering her affections on Ybarro, he and Amihan can't bring themselves to tell her what they planned to reveal. When a happy Ybrahim leaves Lireo, Asval would appear in his path and burst his bubble by telling him that lying to Alena will cause their break-up.

At another outpost of Lireo, Hitano had joined the Hathors in another foray and does not think twice about killing his former comrades. Agane compliments him and notes that anger seems to work for him. Hitano tells her that rather, it is his desire to have Alena that drives him.
When Hitano gets to speak with Gurna later, she updates him that Alena and Ybarro have hooked up again. This only stokes his anger.

In the forest, Lira makes another visit to Cassiopeia to ask who Mila truly is. Cassiopeia reveals that Mila will be the next queen of Lireo. This bit of information takes Lira by surprise. She does not believe Cassiopeia and goes home.

In the other world, Anthony would get to talk with Mila's friend Gigi and ask her if Mila has some kind of brain sickness. Gigi tells him that Mila is harmless although she's always seen strange things and had an imaginary fairy friend called Muyak. Anthony decides to visit a doctor to consult about Mila. Based on Anthony's description, the doctor agrees that she is loony and tells him that she needs the support of her loved ones, who must show that she is loved despite her condition. Anthony would start showing his love by bringing home a white rose for Mila.
While Anthony is telling Mila why he's giving her the rose, Danaya is outside the house and is discussing with Muyak how she could talk with her niece. Muyak asks Danaya to stay outside and not cause another disturbance. Muyak goes in and reveals herself to Mila once she is alone.

Now, the last time Mila saw Muyak was when she was a child. Since then, she had dismissed Muyak as an imaginary friend. So, the appearance of Muyak now makes her think she must have gone insane. She refuses to acknowledge the presence of Muyak and tells herself she's hallucinating. Muyak tells Mila that someone has come to visit, and if she goes outside, she'll find out if Muyak is real and telling the truth, or not.

Mila follows Muyak to the garden where Danaya is waiting. She remembers their odd first meeting and asks if Danaya is a fairy like Muyak. Danaya answers that she, Muyak, and Mila herself, are all fairies. Mila rejects the idea that she is a fairy and insists she is normal like everybody else. Danaya tells Mila that the power she has shown on certain occassions (as seen by Muyak who related it to Danaya) is proof that she is a fairy. Fearing she has just crossed the line to insanity, Mila gets away from them. Muyak tells Danaya to give Mila time to process the information.

In Lireo, Amihan finds Lira distraught and learns Cassiopeia had told her that Mila will be queen. Amihan affirms that Lira is the rightful heir to the throne and asks who Mila is. Pirena interrupts before Lira could answer. She asks to speak to Lira and brings the girl someplace where no one could hear them.

Once out of everybody's earshot, Pirena asks why Lira is telling her mother about Mila. Lira responds that she might as well ask her mother if Pirena can't tell her anything. Pirena gives in and tells Lira that Mila is indeed a fairy and not a mortal. Pirena proceeds to tell a yarn about how long ago a wicked group of fairies started war in Encantadia, and that most of the renegades were killed, but Mila survived and hid in the world of mortals. To cap off, Pirena tells Lira that Mila has been cursed and will always pose a danger to Lira. Pirena tells Lira that Amihan does not know this story to ensure the girl will not approach her mother to confirm the tale.

Amihan, on the other hand, would start thinking about what Lira told her that the name Mila gets stuck in her head. Imaw would even hear her murmur the name in her sleep. Her real worry though, is Danaya, who has not come back and could not be found (I assume the air bubble is not strong enough to bring Danaya across the portal, so it came back empty to Amihan). Alena sees her pacing outside the palace, thinking about Danaya, and suggests she calls back the Mulawin spirit, Avilan, who's watching over Danaya. Amihan reveals that she cannot command Avilan because he has chosen to serve Danaya.

In the forest, Lira goes back to Cassiopeia to confirm what Pirena had told her. Cassiopeia corroborates Pirena's story and Lira leaves. When she meets Hagorn, she would spill to him what has been troubling her. Hagorn would take the opportunity to add that it is the renegade fairy Mila who is the real enemy of Lireo, and not Hathoria. Back in Cassiopeia's lair, Pirena shows up with Hathors carrying a chest gold as payment for lying to Lira.

In the world of mortals, AVilan is in the form of a bird and watching over Danaya, who has already decided to come back to Lireo to tell the queen what she had uncovered. The problem is, the portal did not open when she called on Asnamon. Muyak breaks to her the bad news that the portal may have been sealed again, and that they are stuck in the world of mortals.

At the mansion, Anthony learns that Mila has run off again and he takes off to find her. He would find her in the church and persuades her to come home. When they enter the house, Carmen scolds her son for spending time with the crazy maid. Anthony tells Mila to rest then dealt with his mother. When Carmen suggests Mila should be fired, Anthony warns her she will have to dear with his ire if she does that. He leaves his mother to visit Mila in her room.

Mila tells Anthony that maybe she is crazy as his mother says, and perhaps she should leave. Anthony tells her she is not leaving and reminds her that when they were kids and roaming the park homeless (both had run away from home), he had promised to look after her. He tells Mila that he still is looking after her as he had promised.

In Lireo, Hitano had silently followed Ybarro to the palace gates and watches from his hiding place as Alena greets her lover. Inside the palace, Pirena demands where Lira has snuck off to. Lira confesses that she had visited Cassiopeia who confirmed Pirena's story. When Pirena tells Lira that the medallion would be needed if they are to send someone to kill Mila, Lira declares that she would kill Mila herself.

When Lira had gone, Pirena tells Gurna how amusing it is that the acknowledged daughter of Amihan will kill the queen's real daughter.

Outside the palace, Hitano aims a spear at Ybarro and misses. The guards immediately surround Alena and Ybarro. Ybarro sees Hitano running away and pursues him. Alena would follow and run into some Mandirigmas. Ybarro catches up to Hitano and challenges him to a fight. When Hathors show up, Ybarro realizes he walked into an ambush and has no choice but take on all of them. To his relief, Alena arrives bringing Apitong, Wantuk and Apek, and together they bring down the Hathors.

Hitano realizes defeat and runs home to Hathoria. Alena rushes after him before Ybarro and the others could stop her. As the Asnamon is near the path Hitano took, Alena takes a pause and hides near the great tree when she sees someone near the portal. Alena watches as the young fairy used a medallion to open the portal and walk through.

Hitano reaches Hathoria alone and Agane asks where his companions are. Hitano reports to Hagorn and Agane that the ambush was thwarted by the Mandirigmas. This prompts Hagorn to order the extinction of Apitong and his people.

In the world of mortals, Danaya is still outside figuring out how to return to Encantadia, and Muyak is with her thinking how she could convince Lira/Mila that she is really a fairy and not a mortal. Anthony visits Mila's room to check on her and thinking she is asleep, whispers sweet nothings. Mila was actually awake and heard him, and immediately fell asleep with a smile on her face right after Anthony left. So it is that when the portal deposits Lira in Mila's room, she would find Mila really sleeping.

Lira whispers her apologies to the sleeping Mila and raises her blade for the kill. She hesitates, remembering how Mila had been kind to her. She hesitates too long, for someone could be heard running towards the room before Lira could make up her mind. She orbs out just as Anthony opens the door. It seems that the moment Lira raised the blade, the sleeping Anthony woke up thinking he heard Mila scream for help. Appearing outside the door, Lira peeks in to see her crush telling the sleeping Mila that he loves her. Lira orbs back beside the bed the moment the person is gone, and Mila wakes up, surprised to see her standing there.

On the other side of the portal, Alena turns back after having lost sight of her quarry. Apitong returns to his camp, Alena returns to Lireo, and Ybarro and his two friends tarry in the forest. Asval appears to taunt him once more about lying to Alena. Ybarro tells him to mind his own business, but his two friends provoke the strangers to a fight.

At the palace, Alena is greeted by Pirena who asks if she stepped out for a walk. Alena tells Pirena about Hitano then adds that she saw someone opening the portal to the other world. Pirena says that Alena could be mistaken in what she saw. Alena answers that she is positive that someone used the portal but she wasn't able to see her face. When she began asking where Amihan is so that she could report the opening of the Asnamon, Pirena says they should verify this before disturbing the queen.

In the other world, Lira ignores Mila's question on what she is doing in her room, and instead asks who was the man who visited. Taking a guess at who it was she saw, Mila tells Lira it's time she met Anthony. They go out and find Anthony taking a nap in the living room. Lira asks who Anthony is to Mila. Mila tells her he is the one she loves. Lira is devastated to learn that her friend is the person her crush is in love with.

Lira goes back to Encantadia in tears and meets Pirena who asks if Mila is dead. Lira answers that she was not able to kill Mila. Pirena demands to know if someone saw her use the portal. Mila says no one saw her; Pirena tells her that Alena saw her open the portal and leave Encantadia.

While Pirena is interrogating Lira, Alena is telling Amihan what she saw at the Asnamon. The queen, who had been missing her medallion, orders Aquil to guard the portal for whoever is using it is the thief they'd been looking for.

Dismissed by Pirena, Lira would sulk by the fountain at the palace grounds where Alena would see her. Pirena catches Alena watching Lira from afar and asks what she finds interesting. Alena says the girl looks familiar. Pirena tells her that the girl is Amihan's daughter and before Alena got her memory back they spent a lot of time together. Alena contradicts Pirena by saying the girl is familiar because she is the one she saw walking through the portal.

Back in the forest, Ybrahim managed to stop the scuffle and told Asval to leave him alone. The two exchanged words about fate before Asval and his companions decided to leave. By the time Ybrahim and his pals neared camp, it was already dark. They realize something is wrong because there are no lights. When they did reach camp, they find people dead on the ground. Ybrahim searches for his foster father and find Apitong struck with arrows but still alive. Apitong regains consciousness long enough to tell Ybrahim that it was the Hathors who attacked and he faced Agane herself. Before dying, Apitong tells Ybrahim that he is proud of him and regrets having to depart now.

After surveying the scene, Apek runs to Lireo and tells Aquil he needs an audience with the queen. Aquil escorts Apek to the main hall where Apek reports that Hathors had attacked the Mandirigma camp and killed everyone, including Apitong. Amihan orders Aquil to bring the news to Alena and rushes off with the other guards to the Mandirigma camp.

In the world of mortals, Danaya and Muyak decide to go back to Mila. They arrive at the house to see her taking out the trash. They greet Mila but are ignored. Mila walks back to the house. She sits by the pool where Anthony finds her looking troubled. To distract her from her thoughts, Anthony asks Mila to sing the way she used to when they were kids. Mila obliges and sings. Banjo, who had come to visit Mila and present her with flowers, see the two together and leaves.

At the grounds of Lireo, Alena is taking a walk and hears someone singing. Thinking it is Lira whom Alena had given the gift of voice when she was a baby, Alena calls out to her niece. She walks around to find where the voice is coming from and finds nobody else in the area. Aquil would find her looking for Lira when he delivers the news about the massacre at the Mandirigma camp.

By that time, Amihan and her guards had reached the camp to see Ybrahim mourning Apitong's death. Amihan approaches Ybrahim to condole his loss. Ybrahim hugs her and expresses his grief. Alena would arrive to find Ybarro hugging Amihan.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Movie: Batman Begins

Image hosted by Photobucket.comDistributor:Warner Bros.
Release:June 15, 2005
Genre:Crime/Gangster
MPAA Rating:PG-13
for intense action violence, disturbing images and some thematic elements

Some people I've talked to didn't like this as much as the first one, which was made by Tim Burton, although they would agree it is much better than the batman movie previous to this.

I, on the other hand, loved this movie and thinks it is cooler than the first one. Maybe because Christian Bale is closer to my age than Michael Keaton is. It's funny how my mind links his name to Empire of the Sun (which by the way, is one of my favorites), associates his face with Reign of Fire, and not make the connection. I have also seen his adult face in other movies, but it never registered to me that he was the same kid whose touching portrayal made me cry in the Spielberg movie. In this movie, it is not his portrayal of Batman that stood out - what stood out was his portrayal of Bruce Wayne. If previous Batman movies cloaked Wayne in mystery, this movie tried to get into his psyche. To paraphrase a line uttered by Alfred: Why isn't Wayne in a straightjacket?

Which brings me to the butler. I must say that this is the first Batman movie where I remember scenes with Alfred in them. I can't remember what the Alfred of the other movies were like. By asking Michael Caine to portray the character, Batman Begins is therefore emphasizing the important role of the only person who saw, and perhaps aided, the transformation of Bruce Wayne to Batman. Caine has made Alfred an endearing person - loyal to his master, believing in, and never giving up on the only son of the man he idolized. If Alfred did not remember so much of Wayne Sr., he would not have been able to impart the departed man's values to his son.

It's also a joy to see Gary Oldman portray future the commissioner, Gordon, as your everyday man struggling to maintain his morals in a job exposed to corruption. It's one of those movies where Oldman is not playing a person on the brink of insanity (Sirius Black included), or a villain.

Morgan Freeman was superb as Lucius Fox ... definitely aware of what Wayne's up to, but able to pretend he knows nothing if Wayne does not wish to divulge anything. But then, Freeman's always been a cool guy, even from the first time I saw him in the kids' show Electric Company (which to my surprise, only a few my age remember - maybe they just watched Sesame Street and not flipped to other channels).

Liam Neeson is getting the mentor role in a lot of movies lately. Maybe because his persona exudes it. In this movie, he is the gentleman with the cool action moves. I do know he can be wacky as I've seen him in Saturday Night Live (although I only recall "You Call This a House, Do Ya?").

Katie Holmes wasn't much of a stand out. Frankly, the girls who get into Batman films as simply Wayne's love interest never did stand out (I remember Kim Basinger because she was Kim Basinger). You have to be a villain to get good screen time (Michelle Pfeiffer had a good role wherein she was both love interest and villain).

This is one movie I wouldn't mind watching again.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

TV Series: Encantadia
Week Six

Image hosted by Photobucket.comNetwork:GMA
First Run:May 2, 2005 to (present)
Genre:Adventure, Fantasy
Time Slot:Weekdays, 9:00 p.m.
The Mulawins are back? It seems that we can expect them to make an appearance anytime soon. Danaya finds herself in the world of mortals, which also means Milagros will soon visit Encantadia.

This week's story:

Lira is visiting Mila in the maids' room when the latter's birthmark starts to ache. Lira wanted to see the birthmark, but Anthony began calling outside the door. Mila steps out and Lira opens the portal to return to Encantadia. Lira would find Hagorn waiting for her on the other side. He asks her why she keeps going to the world of mortals to see this person called Mila. Lira tells him that Mila is her friend. Hagorn warns her that he would kill her friend if she continues seeing her.

In another part of the forest, Aquil and his men are searching for the missing sang'gres. The creature Awoo, who knows where they are, warns Danaya. She and Alena hide behind a tree when the guards approach. Unfortunately, Aquil sees footsteps on the ground and follows them. Alena decides to show herself, perhaps to distract the guards from approaching Danaya's hiding place. (I'm conjecturing that Alena did this because she fears Danaya will be given the heavier punishment if caught).

The Captain of the Guard asks Alena where Danaya is. Alena lies, saying that she does not know for they got separated. Aquil does not believe her and continues following the tracks. When Aquil nears Danaya's hiding place, Alena tells him that he may have a hard time looking for Danaya for she can transform into any plant or animal. Aquil takes one more look around, sees no one else, and decides to bring Alena back to the palace.

In Lireo, Imaw is telling the children the story of the Mulawins:

Long ago, these half-man, half-bird race lived in Encantadia. One of them, Avilan, killed a Hathor, and for a good reason. He and his beloved were ambushed by Hathors and she was killed. Avilan found himself being pursued by more Hathors. The fairy Cassiopeia appears and helps Avilan. With the pursuers gone, Cassiopeia tells Avilan that his act alone was enough for the Hathors to declare war against the Mulawins. She gives him a medallion and tells him to take his people across the portal between worlds for they will not be safe from Hathors. Avilan thanks Cassiopeia and tells her that part of him will remain in Encantadia, and when the Mulawins sense that Encantadia is in danger, they will cross the portal once more to help the fairies.

Afterwards, Imaw plays psychiatrist (he he he) to Amihan who wants to talk about how her emotions are making her a weak leader. Imaw points out that she picked up that trait growing amongst mortals. I would disagree with this given that Alena, who never had anything to do with mortals, thought of killing herself when she thought her beloved Ybarro is dead.

Aquil and his men return to Lireo and presents Alena to Amihan. The queen is happy that one of her sisters has returned and pardons Alena. Pirena asks about Danaya (given her latest attempt to steal a jewel, she has good reason to be concerned about the youngest sister's whereabouts), and Alena gives the same answer she told Aquil. Once Alena had retired to her room, Pirena makes a comment that reminds Amihan about Ybrahim's love for Alena.

Alena would be visited in her room by her niece, Lira. Alena mentions the aborted trip to Devas, which reminds Lira of her ailing father. Alena learns from Lira of the assasination attempt and Ybrahim getting poisoned. She decides to visit Lira's sick father. Alena watches over the delirious Ybrahim and hears him say her name. Imaw would drop by, and Alena tells him she had seen Ybrahim before in the forest where he called her Alena. She wonders how Ybrahim knows her if he had been presented to court by Amihan when Alena was gone.

Amihan on the other hand, would again resort to praying to Bathala (how like a mortal to ask guidance when she already knows the answer, won't admit it, and hopes she'll be given a more favorable option), but is disturbed by the entrance of Danaya - who is actually Pirena in disguise.

Danaya/Pirena attacks the queen's guards first and finally faces Amihan who demanded to know why Danaya is attacking her. Danaya/Pirena would ramble about Amihan not being fit to be queen while engaged in her attack. The duel is halted when Aquil and his men rush in to hold back Danaya/Pirena. Amihan tells Danaya/Pirena that she is willing to pardon her if she would ask for forgiveness, so naturally, Danaya/Pirena refuses and stands by what she has done. Amihan and Aquil find this new attitude strange.

Aquil voices his opinion that what they have in front of them may not be the real Danaya, then reminds the queen how someone once impersonated him to steal the fire jewel. He tells Pirena to transform to her true form. Danaya/Pirena declares she is the real Danaya. To find out the truth, they all go to Pirena's room. There, they see Pirena (II) sleeping soundly on her bed - which surprises Danaya/Pirena, and confirms to Amihan and Aquil that it is indeed Danaya who stands with them.

Amihan and Danaya/Pirena would start arguing, waking up Pirena (II) who would ask what is going on. Amihan updates Pirena (II) about Danaya/Pirena's attempt, then orders the latter's imprisonment. Pirena (II) accompanies the guards bringing Danaya/Pirena to the the dungeon and manages to bully them into leaving her alone with her sister. Danaya/Pirena transforms into the real Pirena and demands who Pirena (II) is. Pirena (II) refuses to answer and leaves. The real Pirena would make it appear that Danaya had escaped. Pirena then goes to Gurna, hoping to find the identity of the impostor, but gets no answer.

Image hosted by Photobucket.comGurna does know, ofcourse. Earlier, she had seen a problem with Pirena's plan to impersonate Danaya, so she hurried to Hathoria, interrupted the king's ridicule of Hitano's failure to kill Amihan (coincidentally, her presence in Hathoria revealed to Hitano her allegiance), and whispered in Hagorn's ear what Pirena is up to. Apparently, the king also has the ability to change shape, and as we later see a weakening Pirena (II) arrive in Hathoria, she would transform into Hagorn. We can assume that Hagorn's concern for Pirena makes it very likely that he is her father (I remember his hesitance to kill the young Amihan upon finding the mark of the sang'gre on her shoulder - maybe he was thinking of his daughter at that time).


In the mortal world, Mila haves some fun for a change when Anthony takes her out for dinner. This is ruined when Marge walks into the restaurant, sees them, and taunts Anthony for bringing his maid on a date. Anthony asks where Marge got the idea that he is courting his maid then walks out, unwittingly providing the last half of the double whammy Mila gets that night. Marge would further taunt Mila so that she was in tears by the time she had followed Anthony out of the restaurant. Anthony would be surprised to find Mila crying (major duh!). Mila walks away but Anthony follows, prompting Mila's subconscious to deal with this annoyance with a whirlwind. Anthony is surprised and proves he is an idiot in thinking being freakishly tossed around high up in the air is enjoyable. Anthony would recount this story to his mother who wonders if he's been taking drugs.

Mila realizes she could not ignore the power that has been manifesting itself when she feels angry or frightened. She finds time alone to see if she can wield it, and succeeds. She starts wondering why she has this power and remembers the time when her mother was angry and shouts that she isn't her daughter.

Mila would not be the only one thinking of her power. In Hathoria, Hitano is telling Agane that while Amihan was pregnant, Mine-a had blessed the child. Because of this, he had expected Lira to be more powerful than the other sang'gres - but he hadn't thought Mine-a's gift to Lira would be to control fire. Agane would accidentally mention about Pirena having a daughter, which surprises Hitano for no one in Lireo knows Pirena has a child. Realizing her slip, Agane would attempt damage control by trying to confuse Hitano.

In Lireo, Amihan is thinking about Danaya's recent actions in contrast to how close they were while growing up. She would be interrupted by the spirit of Avilan, the Mulawin, who brushes some blood on a nearby tree. The blood reminds her of what Avilan had told her when she was a child - she is strong, but like everybody else, she has weaknesses.

By this time, Danaya had decided to come home and appears at the gates of Lireo. She sees Muros and the other guards and asks if Alena had arrived. Muros does not answer, instead he and his men surround her with weapons drawn. Pirena (who probably had been waiting for Danaya to arrive ever since Alena came back) approaches and calls Danaya a traitor. Danaya denies this and tosses the accusation back to Pirena, who tells the guards to arrest her. Danaya fights, defeats the guards, and using her jewel, conjures a prison for them with treetrunks. Aquil arrives at the scene and also draws his sword against Danaya. It would take the Captain of the Guard himself treating her like the enemy to make Danaya stop fighting and get to the bottom of things.

While this was going on, the Queen of Lireo would walk into her room to find Alena singing a song to soothe the delirious Ybrahim. Amihan cries, and when Alena notices, tells her that the reason for this is because she loves Ybrahim. Their talk would be disrupted by the entrance of Aquil announcing that Danaya had been captured. Alena, who hadn't heard of the scuffle earlier, was happy to learn that Danaya had finally arrived. She would soon hear about Danaya's earlier attack on the queen.

Amihan, Pirena and Alena descend to the dungeons to face Danaya, who knows by this time the real charges against her. Danaya pleads innocence, but it falls on deaf ears for the queen believes what she had seen earlier. Instead Amihan tells Danaya she is willing to pardon her if she asks for forgiveness. Danaya refuses to ask forgiveness for something she hadn't done and blames everything on Pirena. Pirena calls for punishment, and Alena begs Danaya to do as Amihan says. Danaya is stubborn in her refusal so the queen orders Aquil to read the punishment for her crime. Aquil declares that the punishment for attempting to kill the queen is death. Amihan leaves the dungeons, followed by Pirena and Alena. Alena would beg for Danaya's life, Amihan replies that the law must be followed.

Alena would continue to plead for Danaya's life until the time of execution. Amihan maintains that for her to give pardon, Danaya must ask for forgiveness first. Danaya however is still stubborn in her refusal to admit a crime she did not commit. Pirena on the other hand is more concerned about taking the earth jewel from Danaya before she dies and the gem is lost to them. Amihan reminds Pirena that no one can just take away a jewel from its guardian. Since the jewel resides in the body of its keeper, Danaya must release the gem before anyone can even hold it. Danaya tells them she would take the jewel to her death, then later changes her mind by invoking the jewel and telling it to go to Amihan only if queen herself would perform the execution. Pirena gives the sword to the queen and urges her to kill Danaya. Amihan hesitates and Pirena takes the sword to kill Danaya herself. Alena interferes and blocks Pirena's blow. Amihan takes the sword back from Pirena and strikes at Danaya. To Danaya's delight, Amihan chose to aim at her chains.

Her joy is shortlived however, for Amihan proclaims that Danaya is banished from Lireo. Alena would think that Danaya gone but alive is better than Danaya dead. Pirena would seeth, thinking Danaya should be dead. Alena starts thinking that Pirena has her own motives for wanting Danaya dead.

When Danaya had left Lireo, the queen and her guards observe that the place is briefly illuminated by a glow of light. A floating feather appears out of nowhere and Amihan catches it. Alena goes back to Amihan's room to find that Ybrahim had snapped out of his delirium. Ybrahim recognizes her and is shocked to find out she is still alive. Alena tells him she was kidnapped by Hitano and forced to live in the forest, which confirms to Ybrahim that it was her that he saw in the forest long ago. Ybrahim becomes angry at learning this and gets a bigger surprise when he finds out Alena does not remember anything, including him. He tells Alena that they were lovers before she disappeared and lost her memory. He hugs Alena, but the latter pushes him away and walks out. She searches for Amihan and finds her with Pirena. Alena asks them who Ybrahim is in her life but gets no answer.

Later, Pirena would eavesdrop on Amihan crying her feelings out to Imaw. Amihan tells him she had walked in on Ybrahim hugging Alena and felt joy at seeing them together but heartbroken at losing Ybrahim. She realizes her selfishness affected her decisions and these in turn caused trouble between her and Danaya. Imaw would compliment Amihan for recognizing her faults.

In the forest, Danaya notices that an eagle is following her as she wanders around aimlessly. Grateful for its company, she adopts the eagle as her brother. When Danaya takes a rest, Cassiopeia would make herself known to her, saying that she can tell the future in exchange for gold. For the price of a golden dagger, Danaya learns that she would go to another world to find the real owner of the crown and the savior of Encantadia. Danaya would be told that the portal to the other world is a tree found in the middle of the forest. Cassiopeia leaves without confirming if it is the Asnamon. The eagle however, would bid Danaya to follow it.

In Hathoria, Pirena visits Hagorn to tell him about Danaya. This is good news to the king, for Danaya's departure makes it easier to defeat Amihan. Pirena tells him she plans to sow discord between Amihan and Alena.

In the world of mortals, Mila is asking her "mother" if she is her real child, citing what she had once said when Mila was a child. Her "mother" insists that she is her child, telling Mila that she said she wasn't her daughter at the time because she was angry. Mila leaves to return to her place of work. A neighbor who overheard the conversation asked the "mother" why she lied. The "mother" says that if Mila knew the truth, she would stop feeling obligated to support her financially. This neighbor decides to visit Mila and tell her the truth.

At the mansion, Anthony tries to make peace with Mila who is still angry at him for the humiliation she went through in the restaurant. As Anthony tries to mend the worn story book he had given to Mila when they were children, and which he hopes will make Mila speak to him again, Mila would get a visit from her mother's neighbor. The woman tells Mila that she was right in suspecting she was adopted. She was actuallly found by her "father" as a baby on the train tracks. After the woman left, Mila asks her friend Banjo to come over and when he arrived, she starts telling him what she just learned.

When Anthony goes looking for Mila to present to her the mended story book, he would find Banjo comforting her and Anthony gets jealous. When Banjo leaves, Anthony approaches Mila, tears up the story book, throws it at her and walks away. He goes to the gym to let off steam only to be taunted by his friend who asked if he brought his maid along. When the friend suggested he should shag Mila, Anthony flew off the handle and punched him. People intervened and a full blown fight was prevented. Anthony goes out to get drunk. At the house, Muyak, who had come back from a futile search for other encantos in the mountains and forests, sees Mila crying as she tries to patch up a torn book.

Back in Encantadia, Lira stands in front of Asnamon and with the medallion, commands it to bring her to the man she loves, and steps through. Thus, when the eagle arrives with Danaya following it, they would find the portal open. Danaya knew Amihan sealed this doorway and wonders who had opened it. Remembering the words of Cassiopeia, Danaya orders the Asnamon to bring her to the savior of Encantadia and steps through with the eagle following her.

Danaya would appear in the garden of Anthony's house where Mila is cleaning. Mila sees her, notices her outfit, and asks who she is. Danaya would stare at the girl, wondering what she is. When Danaya asks if Mila is a mortal, Mila remarks to herself that she seems to be meeting more weirdos these days. Mila asks the stranger if she is looking for Ma'am Carmen and if they are going to a costume party. Before Danaya could answer, Carmen walks out with the Head Servant (Maid#1) and asks Mila who is the stranger she's talking to. Mila says she does not know and asks Carmen if she does. This prompts Maid#1 to call Mila stupid. Danaya warns Maid#1 about maltreating Mila. Carmen takes offense at this behavior and tells Danaya to get off her property. Next, it was Danaya's turn to take offense that Carmen dares to command a Sang'gre.
Carmen decides it is time to call security but Mila intervenes, saying the stranger might be lost on the way to a costume party. Carmen reconsiders and instead tells Maid#1 to lead the stranger off the premises.

Outside the house, Danaya is fascinated at what she calls little palaces. The impatient maid sneers and orders Danaya to leave immediately or she will call the police. For daring to order a sang'gre, Maid#1 gets caned.

In the house, Mila is telling the other maids about the weird visitor that Maid#1 just escorted off the property. Based on Mila's description, Muyak recognizes Danaya and runs out to have a look. The stranger had gone but Muyak hears Maid#1 telling Carmen that the crazy woman's family name could be Sang'gre. This is enough confirmation and Muyak runs like crazy to catch up to Danaya.

In the same city, Lira would find herself in front of a car parked beside the road, and Anthony sleeping inside it. She gets in the car, gazes at him lovingly and kisses him the way she had seen some mortals do it in the park. Anthony wakes up and asks what she's doing, Lira tells him she loves him. Anthony calls her crazy to talk about love when he doesn't even know her. Embarrassed and heartbroken, Lira runs to Mila to cry her heart out.

When Mila goes in the maids' room, she would find Lira there crying. Lira recounts to Mila that the person she loves does not love her back. Mila relates to what Lira is talking about and says she is having the same problem with Anthony. The two console each other until someone knocks on the door. Mila opens the door but no one is standing outside. She finds a bouquet of flowers on the floor and guesses it came from Anthony. When Mila returns to the room, she finds Lira gone.

Somewhere in the city, Danaya is accosted by three men as she walks down a street. She began beating them with her arnis, and when the police came to find out what the disturbance was, the guys answer that Danaya is trying to kill them. Danaya walked away and ignored the policemen who asked her to halt. When she kept on walking even after a warning shot was fired, the police decided to actually shoot her. A bullet hits Danaya on the thigh and she weakens. She uses her gem to heal the wound and examines the bullet that caused it.

Back in the forests of Encantadia, Ybrahim has returned to the Mandirigma camp and tells his friends that Alena is alive, that she had been held hostage in the forest, and that she is now back in the palace of Lireo but her memory had been erased.

In Lireo, Amihan had decided that Alena should go to Devas to regain her jewel and memories, and that Danaya is to be brought back to Lireo and pardoned. She tells Alena that Aquil will accompany her to Devas, and orders Aquil to send men to look for Danaya.

While Aquil's men are searching the forest, the Hathors have started their attack on Lireo and succeeded killing the guards of one outpost with Pirena's help.

When Aquil reported to Amihan that Danaya could not be found, the queen decides that she will accompany Alena to Devas. Gurna overhears this and reports to Pirena.

At THE waterfall, Ybrahim is reminiscing about his time with Alena when the three men who had been hounding him appeared. Their coming coincided with the arrival of Hathors whom Ybrahim managed to kill. Once more, Ybrahim is challenged to a duel by Asval, the leader of the trio, and is promised knowledge of Sapiro if he beats them. Ybrahim agrees to a duel and a date is set.

In another part of the forest, Lira visits Cassiopeia once more, asking why the person she loves does not feel the same towards her. Cassiopeia says that he loves another but would not divulge more to Lira. Lira would again decide to visit Mila, but this time, as she walked through the portal, Agane and her band of Hathors were nearby watching.

Lira's love is ofcourse falling in love with Mila, who is talking to him again after the gift of flowers. Anthony promises to buy Mila another fairy tale book so that Mila would totally forgive him. Mila finishes her chores and prepares for the date. As she steps out of the bath in a towel, Lira drops in for another visit and is shocked to see the mark of the sang'gre on Mila's shoulder. She asks how Mila got it and the latter responds it's a birthmark so it's always been there. Mila goes back to the bathroom to change and Lira goes back to Encantadia to search for answers.

At the palace in Lireo, Amihan is talking to Imaw about Alena and Ybrahim getting back together once Alena regains her memories. Imaw reminds her that Alena does not know that Ybrahim is the father of Lira. Amihan had not thought about how Alena would react to this and starts to worry.

In Alena's room, Pirena enters disguised as Bathala and visits Alena's dreams, where she promises to give back Alena's memories and the water jewel. "Bathala" also says that "he" will reveal Amihan's true colors to Alena. Alena wakes up when Amihan comes in to tell her to prepare for the trip to Devas.

In the forest, Lira would step out of the portal and find Hagorn waiting for her. He asks her what she's been up to. Lira tells him she was visiting her friend Mila, and starts asking how a mortal like Mila could have the mark of the sang'gre. Hagorn suspects this Mila is the same child Pirena left in the other world years ago, but he does not share this information with Lira. Lira goes home to Lireo.

At the palace, Ybrahim decides to visit Alena in her room and try his best to make her remember. Alena repeats that she does not remember anything he says and that she cannot have a relationship with her niece's father. This totally puts down Ybrahim who walks out sad. When he returns to the Mandirigma camp, he would focus on training for the duel with Asval and his men.

In another room, Lira is asking Amihan if there are sang'gres to be found in the other world. Amihan does not think there are any sang'gres left there and asks Lira why she asked. Lira dodges the question and leaves.

While the mystery is preoccupying Lira's mind, Hagorn is discussing with Agane the probability that the girl called Mila is the real child of Amihan. Mila on the other hand, is preparing for another night out with Anthony, not aware that Marge plans to ruin it.

Marge isn't the only one doing some plotting. Pirena would visit Alena in her room and put a sleeping spell on her. As Alena slumbers, Pirena calls forth the water jewel and orders it to return Alena's memories.

Amihan's other sister, Danaya, would hear someone calling her name and she goes around looking for whoever it is. She comes across a man walking his dogs and is apalled at the sight of animals in chains. She attacks to rescue them. The stunned man calls security while Danaya runs off with his pets. Danaya would eventually part ways with her new friends, but after learning what kind of species they are and telling them she wishes to see their kind in Encantadia. The security guards would find Danaya on a park bench and calls police for reinforcement.

In Lireo, Alena would wake up with her old memories, but her recent memories gone. She would therefore be confused as to how she got back in the castle when the last thing she remembered was being in the forest mourning for Ybarro. She asks a guard to find the queen at once. When Amihan arrives with Aquil at her side, Alena asks her sister how she got back to the palace. Amihan and Aquil both think Alena is acting oddly. Amihan asks if Alena remembers everything. Alena says yes and recounts Ybarro's death. Amihan tells her that Ybarro is not dead and that Alena had been gone a long time. Alena becomes confused.

While this is happening, Ybrahim meets Asval for the duel. They agree to only use weapons but not their powers. Ybrahim would have won had Asval not use his powers to parry Ybrahim's sword and then lashed back by wounding Ybrahim. Asval and his companions leave Ybrahim to be tended by his friends.

Pirena would make another visit to Hathoria and learn from Hagorn what her daughter's been up to when missing from the palace. Pirena could not believe that not only has Lira made friends with a "mortal", but this "mortal" has the mark of the sang'gres. Hagorn voices his suspicions that this Mila may be Amihan's real daughter that Pirena left in the other world to die.

Meanwhile, the "mortal" that is making Pirena worry is still enjoying her night out with Anthony when Marge appears with her friends in tow. She begans humiliating Mila and won't let Anthony stop her. Marge provokes Mila who couldn't resist directing a small bolt (so small the people around them didn't notice) of lightning towards Marge's stomach. Marge's friends rush in to help when she crumbles in pain while Anthony looks at Mila, figuring out what just happened.

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Movie: Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Image hosted by Photobucket.comDistributor:20th Century Fox
Release:June 10, 2005
Genre:Action/Adventure, Romance, Thriller
MPAA Rating:PG-13
for sequences of violence, intense action, sexual content and brief strong language

Even if there weren't rumors of Brad splitting up with Jen and hooking up with Angelina, I'd still watch this movie because I like watching Angelina Jolie. It's been years since Girl, Interrupted, but she still has spunk.

Every assumption in this movie is outrageously stupid, starting with the basic premise: two people marry each other without knowing the other is an assassin - and both are supposedly top rank, too.

If you are willing to throw out logic, then you can start having fun.

I am beginning to like "Brad doing comedy" (Friends, Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve), and Jolie mixes beauty and action as usual. The fight scenes raise adrenalin, don't start questioning how some events came about, though - they will not make sense.Image hosted by Photobucket.com


This movie reminds me of True Lies and War of the Roses. But the older movies are more memorable than this.

What I found most hilarious though are those sessions with the marriage counselor. Those domestic scenes, where they are merely tolerating each other, comes second.

Saturday, June 04, 2005

TV Series: Encantadia
Week Five

Image hosted by Photobucket.comNetwork:GMA
First Run:May 2, 2005 to (present)
Genre:Adventure, Fantasy
Time Slot:Weekdays, 9:00 p.m.
A fiercer Alena - now that's my cup of tea. Danaya's growing on me ... she's one cool chick. Polo Ravales playing Hitano shows he can do more than look cute. It's playing the bad guy well that can show a person's acting chops. The Mila/Anthony love story is getting too mushy for my taste. Yasmien Kurdi's Lira shows an endearing side - yehey!

This week's story:

Muyak looks on helplessly while Mila freefalls from the bridge. Fortunately, Mila's power kicked in and she floated back up the bridge. Anthony finds her and she agrees to return back to work. Anthony acts nicer to Milagros they have established that she was the girl he had befriended in the park years ago. Anthony would take her out during her free time, which Anthony's mother, Carmen, disapproved of the moment she got wind of it. Carmen is not the only one who disapproves. Anthony's friends begin questioning what his real intentions are - is he falling in love with a maid? Anthony denies being in love, saying that she is just a friend. The jokes get on Anthony's nerves and he calls off a "date" with Mila. Muyak witnesses all this and feels sad for Mila who spent part of the night crying because Anthony cancelled their date.

In Lireo, Amihan starts avoiding Ybrahim because she has fallen in love with him, this much she admits to Imaw. Alena still does not remember anything but when she had a glimpse of Ybrahim from afar, his face seemed familiar to her. Danaya catches Alena staring at Ybrahim and drags her away.

Pirena on the other hand, had volunteered to try squeezing information out of Hitano. When it was apparent to Aquil that Pirena have had no progress, he recommends that Hitano be put to death. Hitano is led out of the palace for his execution. Pirena secretly follows and kills the executioners before they could chop off Hitano's head. Pirena tells Hitano to run and not come back to Lireo.

At the palace, Ybrahim visits his daughter and attempts to get her to accept him. For added credit, he tells her he is a prince of Sapiro. Lira slams him by saying his title is useless for Sapiro does not exist anymore so Ybrahim rules no one. As Lira walks out on her father (again), three men who had secretly listened in on the exchange also vanish. These same men would keep an eye on Ybrahim after finding out he is King Arameo's son. They would assault him from time to time to test his battle skills, and when they would leave, they'd hint at Ybrahim that if he manages to defeat them, they will tell him secrets about the Sapiryans that he won't learn from anybody else.

Worrying about her father's identity is actually at the bottom of Lira's priorities. After meeting the man Cassiopeia had foretold she would fall in love with, Lira would spend a lot of time gazing at his face as reflected by the waterfall. She becomes interested about his world, wanting to know how mortals live. Once more, she would use her mother's medallion to step into the portal, asking the Asnamon to bring her to a place where she could procure clothes that mortals wear. Amihan would later realize that her medallion is missing, but would never suspect that it was Lira who took it.

Outside of Lireo, Hitano is running for his life and comes across King Hagorn and his men. He pleads for his life and asks to join the Hathors. At the palace, Aquil finds out that the executioner is dead and that Hitano is missing. He reports this to the queen. Danaya suspects someone in the palace is helping Hitano.Image hosted by Photobucket.com

After Aquil's report, Danaya tells the queen that she has come up with a plan to bring Alena's memory back. She, like the others, assumed that Alena had returned from Devas, so she thought it logical that if she travelled to Devas, she may be able to request Bathala to give back Alena's memory, as well as the water jewel that she took with her when she died (the way I understand it, if the fairy guarding one of the jewels die before the jewel is separated from her, that jewel cannot be retrieved from the dead body as her spirit brings it to Devas as well). Amihan thinks this is a good idea, and adds that Alena should go with Danaya. This news does not sit well with Gurna (Pirena's nanny, confidante, and accomplice); she fears what may happen if the queen found out that Alena never went to Devas in the first place. Pirena quells her fears, saying that she already has a plan.

On the other side of the portal, a girl is walking around a department store dressed in a gown. Fascinated by the things she sees, she does not realize that people are laughing at her back, thinking she is crazy. Mila, who is there shopping with friends, takes pity on her. She approaches the strange girl and is shocked when the girl twists her hand, thinking Mila was assaulting her. The girl speaks in a foreign tongue Mila does not understand. Mila asks if she can speak English. The girl begins using Filipino, which made it easier for Mila to understand her.

Mila's friends do not think it is a good idea to befriend the "weirdo", whose name is Lira; but Mila prevails so they found themselves tagging along while Mila helps Lira choose clothes. When it was time to pay for the merchandise, Lira attempts to pay with gold but the cashier would not accept it and calls security. An irate Lira starts a small fire to create confusion, grabs the clothes, and runs out with Mila and her friends at her heels.

Outside the store, Mila tells Lira that she could be imprisoned for stealing. Her friends do not hide their uneasiness so Mila gives them leave to go home for she can handle Lira alone. Lira agrees to follow Mila, but before they could get anywhere, Mila had to convince her new friend to board a passenger jeepney. They both have a memorable ride as Lira was seeing many things for the first time, and Mila found herself acting like nanny to an overgrown kid.

In Lireo, while Danaya and Alena are excitedly discussing the trip to Devas, Pirena is talking to Amihan in another room. She remarks that once Alena gets her memory back, she will remember her love for Ybarro. She adds that it won't be a big deal since Ybarro is a sang'gre himself. Amihan is surprised to hear this and asks Pirena to explain. Pirena gleefully reveals that Alena's beloved Ybarro and the Ybrahim who fathered Amihan's daughter are one and the same.

Pirena's revelation prompts Amihan to leave the palace in order to find the truth. When the Queen of Lireo announced her presence in the Mandirigma camp, Apitong thought she and her guards were there to retrieve an item recently stolen by one of his people. Amihan tells him that she is visiting to ask if Ybarro and Ybrahim are one and the same person. There was a long silence before Apitong admitted that it is true. Amihan leaves and goes off on her own to look for Ybrahim. She finds him sleeping beside the waterfall where, unknown to Amihan, he and Alena first met. She watches him lovingly and leaves sadly when Ybrahim murmurs Alena's name in his sleep.

Cassiopeia, who was passing by the waterfall unnoticed, recognizes the look of love on the queen's face and worries that her feelings may put the whole of Encantadia in jeopardy. She is partly right for Pirena's machination worked as planned. Amihan returns to the palace and tells Danaya and Alena that she is withdrawing her permission for them to go to Devas. To justify her decision, Amihan tells her sisters that Bathala has his reasons for taking Alena's memory and the water jewel, and they must respect this.

Danaya is shocked at Amihan's decision and had to console a crestfallen Alena who could not understand why Amihan would not want her to regain her memories and her jewel if she really cared for her as a sister. Though Danaya tells Alena to trust that Amihan must have a good reason, Danaya herself has doubts and decides to sneak around. This is how she overheard Amihan confess to Imaw her selfish reasons for calling off the trip.

In the world of mortals, Mila and Lira finally arrive at Anthony's home. Mila stashes Lira in the nearest empty bedroom, tells her not to touch anything, then goes out to look for Anthony. Left inside a room full of strange things, Lira starts wondering what they are and pushes a button on one of the gadgets. Loud music starts to play and would not stop even after Lira ordered it to. Lira does the next thing she could think off - grab the gadget and throw it to the ground. Mila rushes back when she hears the racket, and barely had time to hide Lira when Anthony's mother walked into her room to find her CD player in pieces and Mila standing over them.

Naturally, Carmen got angry, so angry she even yanked Mila by the hair; she did manage to get a hold of herself and stormed out before she could further hurt the maid. Carmen had cooled down by the time she bumps into Anthony. She informs him that Mila broke her CD player and in her anger, she might have hurt the girl. She warns Anthony that if Mila breaks anything again, she is fired even though she is Anthony's friend.

Back in Carmen's room, Lira steps out of hiding when the coast is clear and apologizes for causing trouble. She takes off a bracelet and gives it to Mila. Mila would not take it because it was too expensive compared to the broken CD player, so Lira puts in on her wrist, telling her it is a symbol of their friendship. They sneak into the maids' room where Lira tries on one of the dresses she took from the store. As they were chatting, Anthony knocks on the door and tells Mila he wants to talk to her. Once more, Lira must find a hiding place and the nearest one was behind the door.

Mila steps out of the room and Anthony asks her where she ran off to, and how the CD player got smashed. Mila doesn't answer the first question and tells Anthony she would pay for the CD player. Anthony tells her she doesn't have to then asks her to go prepare his food. Mila returns to her room and Lira notices her sad face. Mila tells Lira what she's feeling, only to be told that it is unlikely for a rich man like Anthony to fall in love with a servant. Lira goes on to tell Mila that where she came from, sang'gre like her are not allowed to choose men beneath their rank. She then proceeds to reveal to Mila that the person she loves is not a sang'gre but she would fight for him, and she thinks Mila should fight for her love as well.

At the Mandirigma camp, Ybrahim shows up and is told that the queen had come to visit. Apitong further tells him that Amihan knows that he is also known as Ybarro. Ybrahim decides to go to Lireo and talk to Amihan.

In Lireo, Danaya seeks an audience with Amihan to know the real reason for the cancellation. Amihan replies that she is merely looking out for their safety. Danaya doesn't bite and reminds her older sister that a queen should not fall in love, which is why their mother made sacrifices in putting duty above everything else. Amihan thinks about what Danaya said and decides to pray to Bathala for guidance. She is distracted when Ybrahim appears for a visit.

Danaya had by then gone to Alena's room, fuming that Amihan lied to her. She tells Alena that she is having doubts about the queen and that she thinks they should go to Devas even without her permission.

In Hathoria, King Hagorn is explaining to Hitano why killing Amihan will make it easier for them to conquer Lireo. This becomes the first task of Hitano, who is given a crossbow, and perhaps this is Hagorn's way to test his loyalty.

Lira goes back to Encantadia. Once her presence is known in the palace, Amihan asks where she had been. Lira makes up a story about roaming the forest and losing track of time. Amihan asks if she has seen her medallion and Lira answers in the negative.

Meanwhile, Danaya and Alena steal a flying ship in order to hasten their journey. They hadn't gone far when Hathors see them and make chase in what seem to be ornithopters. Danaya was able to turn back the first few Hathors to land on the ship deck, but found herself outnumbered in no time. Alena joins her and together they trounce the enemy. A menacing Hathor descends on the ship and this turns out to be Hitano. Alena tells Danaya to leave this man to her. Once more, Alena proves more skillful and Hitano finds himself falling from the ship. An ornithopter swoops down to catch him.

At the palace, Aquil is reporting to the queen that Danaya and Alena are missing. Pirena guesses right that the two have decided to go to Devas even without permission. Amihan orders Aquil to bring the two back to Lireo. Aquil and his guards board the rest of the flying ships. Unknown to Amihan, Pirena charges through the skies in order reach the disobedient princesses before Aquil and his men. Still recovering from the attack of the Hathors, Danaya is starting to think that their quest is doomed and that Bathala really does not want them to go to Devas.

In Lireo, Amihan tells Imaw that given the current string of events, she is beginning to doubt her ability to rule. In Hathoria, Hagorn is wondering who Mila is. He had chanced upon Lira ordering the portal to take her to this person. He summons Gurna and asks about Pirena. He seems pleased to hear that Pirena is pursuing Danaya and Alena.

By this time, the two princesses have abandoned the plan to go to Devas and are trying to get back to Lireo on foot. Sensing the Hathors are near, Danaya tells Alena to run ahead while she holds back their pursuers. Alena is hesitant but Danaya eventually convinces her. The Hathors appear and Danaya takes them down.

Pirena finds Danaya alone and with the point of her blade at the throat of her younger sister, asks for the earth jewel. Danaya fights back and the two duel. While the two are throwing punches at each other, Alena would meet Cassiopeia on the way to Lireo. Cassiopeia greets her and asks if she wants the future told. Alena would find out that she must first give gold to Cassiopeia before she hears anything. Having received her payment, Cassiopeia tells Alena that Danaya will soon leave this world. Interpreting this as Danaya's death, Alena rushes back to her sister. Danaya on the other hand, is losing the duel with Pirena, and turns herself into a plant the moment Pirena lost sight of her. A frustrated Pirena leaves and when Alena reaches the place, she only sees her sister's arnis lying on the ground. Alena fears that Danaya is dead.

In the world beyond Asnamon, Muyak overhears some of the maids talking about encantos, catching her interest. One of the maids say that encantos may be found in the mountains, not in the city. Muyak wonders if this is true, since she has not seen anyone like her in years. She heads for the mountains to find out.

Mila gets a visit from her friend Banjo and is delighted when he gives her a present. Anthony says something unpleasant, so Banjo leaves. Anthony then reminds Mila that she should be working. Anthony goes to another room, tells his friend what happened, and gets ribbed for being jealous. Banjo takes a walk in the park and tells his friend Gigi about how he wants to punch Anthony in the face. Mila goes back to her room and is surprised to find Lira sitting there, waiting for her. Lira had little trouble persuading Mila to show her around since Mila is upset enough with Anthony to skip work.

Mila would take Lira to the park. Lira sees a kissing couple and had to be told that they are not fighting. As before, Lira is fascinated with everything, and before long, Mila realizes that Lira has left her side. As Mila was looking for Lira, Anthony, who was actually driving around to look for her, sees her and asks what she is doing outside the house instead of working. Mila gives up her search for Lira and goes back with Anthony. In the car, Anthony surprises Mila by telling her that he'll be taking her to a party that night.

In Encantadia, Amihan and Ybrahim are talking beside the waterfall when Hitano and his band of Hathors attack. Hitano aims his crossbow at Amihan but Ybrahim catches the arrow before it could reach its target. Hitano and his men flee when the queen's guards pursue them. Ybrahim falls down and Amihan realizes the arrow wounded his hand and has poison. Ybrahim is carried to Lireo to be healed.

The first thing Lira hears upon returning to Lireo is that her father is in her mother's room and is mortally ill. She goes there and learns from her mother what happened. Amihan asks Imaw if Ybrahim could be saved. The Adamyan replied by saying that there is no known antidote to the poison used, and they could only hope that Ybrahim's body is strong enough to fight it.

The rain pours heavily outside and Alena is still wondering what happened to her younger sister. She gets her answer when a flowering plant transforms into Danaya. While the two sisters are happy to see each other alive and well, Pirena is back in Lireo and worrying how the return of Alena and Danaya will upset her plans.

Worried about her father's condition, Lira felt she needed to talk to a friend and thinks automatically of Mila. Once more, she would step through the portal. She appears in the maids' room just as Mila steps out of the bathroom. Lira tells Mila about her father, but stops talking when Mila grimaces in pain. Lira asks what's wrong and Mila says her birthmark just hurt. The ever curious Lira asks to see the birthmark.

Friday, June 03, 2005

Movie: Madagascar

Image hosted by Photobucket.comDistributor:Dreamworks SKG
Release:May 27, 2005
Genre:Comedy, Kids/Family, Animation
MPAA Rating:PG
for mild language, crude humor and some thematic elements

The trailer was a bit "eh", so when I entered the cinema, I didn't know if I was going to really enjoy Madagascar or not.

The penguins were an instant hit with me ... they're something like the squirrel in the ICE AGE movie. They're locked inside a world of their own, they could be in a different cartoon altogether. Really mental creatures.Image hosted by Photobucket.com


I laughed a lot at the middle part ... especially when the characters find themselves shipped in crates - THEN stranded on an island. The gags come one after the other that I was begging for the movie to pause a while else I have a heart attack from laughing.

The gags were tamer though once our ex - suburban zoo residents finally meet the locals of the island Madagascar.

The penguins though, remain a hit to the end.

Current Top Five (Movies)