Some of the readers ask me to post the s/s of this flu last week. And I realize I should really post it to help other in preventing this virus to spread. Based on my research and readings the symptoms of A H1N1 flu virus in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu that include’s fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. Also, like seasonal flu, severe illnesses and death has occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus. We are scared to have this kind of virus because we all know that it dont have a definite medicine.
San Pedro College Directors Guild Team Building Activity last Saturday and Sunday is one of the enjoyable moments I experience. It has held @ Punta del Sol Samal Island. Its like an outcast situation with allot of gadgets that surround you. I think it is good to share the things we had experience. hahaha!!! We made a short video(I will post all of it if I will get a copy!) with different genre and I think it is quite good. In our team building activity we establish team work and growth of oneself.
This has been a good experience for me and all of us in the guild. Directors Guild is the best and “history is in the making”…
Until not long ago, they said that you could easily divide filmgoers into “Star Trek” fans, “Star Wars” ones and the in-between group, those who liked neither. With J.J. Abrams’ 2009 “Star Trek,” the origin story, such classification becomes as redundant as it is unwanted. The director, an already well-known name in the industry for his artistic vision, as well as for his ability to literally take objects on screen, blow them up and have the explosion blast reach even the viewer in the last row in the theater, has managed to do the unthinkable: make “Star Trek” cool, an extremely enjoyable experience and one amazing ride for every viewer out there.
Top movie critics – but, most importantly, fans agree that perhaps the greatest merit of this film, this summer’s first smashing blockbuster, is the fact that screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have discovered a means of having their own way with the story without stepping on the (sometimes highly sensitive) toes of even the most diehard fans.
It’s called an “alternate reality” and, of course, it allows both cast and director to present the world with a brand new “Star Trek” (believed to be an impossible feat following 726 hours of television episodes and no less than 10 feature films), while also staying true to the mythology. What the viewers get in return is a film so frantic and overwhelming that it swallows them the instant it starts playing onscreen, and spits them out at the end, dazed and confused, but still wanting and asking for more – if one may be excused such a blunt comparison.
“Star Trek” features, as fans must already know by now, a cast of relatively unknown actors – yet all of them manage to shine so bright that one is almost left wondering how come no one thought of featuring them in major productions until now. The duo that sets the pace of the action is, as expected, positively jaw-dropping: Chris Pine makes for an unruly, fun and charming to the utmost James T. Kirk, while Zachary Quinto as Spock proves himself by not letting the pointy ears act for him, as the critics put it.
Strangely enough, the more Kirk gets beaten, tossed and thrown around like a piece of rag just because he can’t seem to keep his mouth shut, the more clearly it becomes that he is indeed the calculated, highly intelligent Kirk fans know ever since the ’60 early series. Spock, on the other hand, is so charming and fascinating for his Vulcan-human dual nature that he can’t seem to control just yet that it’s no wonder Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana), along with all the women in the audience, fall so hard for him.
Eric Bana, although almost unrecognizable as the baddie Nero, puts an equally stunning performance. Still, critics point out, it could very well be that he drew the short stick on this one, since Nero is simply not given enough screen time to fully justify his evil, vengeful nature – which, of course, is not to say that he lets anyone down the little time he gets to show just how mean he can be for the camera. Quite on the contrary, it is being said.
Simon Pegg as Scotty and Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov are also adorable, and each time they open their mouth, they’re bound to cause waves of hysteria. Yet they too might have deserved at least a couple of minutes more of film, critics point out. On the other hand, they say, perhaps allowing these three characters to have more exposure would have dampened the Kirk-Spock relationship, and that would have certainly disappointed many fans.
The truth about “Star Trek,” perhaps the only movie in the longstanding franchise that has managed to score so superbly with both critics and fans, is that it actually makes the entire Star Trek universe cool for anyone, no matter the gender, age or previous knowledge of the ways of the Trekkiness, so to speak. It’s a fun, light (in terms of plotline – which couldn’t have been otherwise, since the film was meant to introduce the characters to non-Trekkies as well) and highly entertaining production.
At the same time, it’s also extremely exciting and overwhelming, so attentive to even the most minute details and so gripping that the 126 minutes of runtime feel like 12, or even less for diehard fans. “Star Trek” is, in short, a big budget film that shows quality is not necessarily about star power, and which proves that Hollywood can still put out amazing movies, even if they look for inspiration in older ones. It not only warrants a sequel, it would better have one or else, fans and critics say.
“Star Trek” opened in select US theaters in April. It is now running in most European countries, opened widely in the US and UK on May 8, and will conclude its theatrical run in Japan on May 29.
The Good Director J.J. Abrams and the wonderful cast of “Star Trek” manage to create a world that seems as fascinating and gripping as it seems possible. It’s a fun and crazy-paced sci-fi film that only a mad person could not enjoy, critics say. “Star Trek” is, as of now, the best critically received film of 2009, while also being a smashing hit with audiences worldwide, and that should speak volumes on its part.
The Bad
“Star Trek” is, surprisingly to many, a film about which one can hardly find anything negative to say. Granted, Nero, Scotty, Chekov and even U.S.S Enterprise could have used more screen time, but this is something that is completely forgotten when looking at the bigger picture.
The Truth
“Star Trek” is a must see, critics urge. Even those who usually shun hyped, niche productions like this one will have a blast from second 1 to minute 126 guaranteed, because “Star Trek” is simply the kind of film that shows that, sometimes, you just have to go with the flow and put all prejudices aside. A superb (and quite good-looking) cast, breathtaking special effects, a mind-blowing score and J.J. Abrams’ skilled hand orchestrating everything as if from above make this film a unique and wonderful viewing experience.
Tom Hanks returns as Dan Brown’s symbologist Robert Langdon in his first adventure Angels & Demons, which Hollywood decided to make after The Da Vinci Code, given the latter’s more controversial subject striking a raw nerve on the faith itself. The Catholic Church was up in arms over the first film, but seemingly nonchalant about this one. And it’s not hard to see why, considering Ron Howard had opted to do a flat-out action piece that serves as a great tourism video of Rome and Vatican City, and would probably boost visitor numbers given the many beautiful on-location scenes, save for St Peter’s Square and Basilica which was a scaled model used.
So I guess with the bulk of the budget going toward the sets, the ensemble cast had to be correspondingly scaled down. Ayelet Zurer tried to step into the female void left by Audrey Tautou, but given Tautou’s character then having a lot more stake in the film, Zurer’s scientist Vittoria had a lot less to do other than just waiting in the wings to change some batteries on a canister filled with anti-matter. In the book she’s the fodder of course for Langdon to converse his vast knowledge of the Vatican, the Illuminati and the great feud between the two, but here she’s neither love interest, nor his intellectual equal.
Ewan McGregor on the other hand, chews up each scene he’s in as Camerlengo Patrick McKenna, who is temporarily taking care of the Papal office while the other prominent cardinals are in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new Pope. And he plays Patrick with that glint in the eye, with nuances enough to let you know there’s more than meets the eye. There’s no surprises here for readers of the novel, but McGregor’s performance here is one of the highlights of the film as Hanks plays well, Tom Hanks.
The book itself is rich with arguably accurate content as always, and had a lot more plot points on science versus religion, and a wealth of information that Dan Brown researched and linked together in an engaging fictional piece of work. While reading the book some years ago, I thought that should a film be made of it, it’s easy to lapse and dwell more on the set action pieces. Sadly, that’s what this Ron Howard film did, with a pace that doesn’t allow a temporary breather. Unlike the first film where you had the characters sit down for some “discussion time” over a cup of tea, this one moved things along so quickly, it’s like reading the book all over again, page after page being skipped just to get to the thick of the action.
Catholic reviewers have called Angels & Demons harmless, because I guess it didn’t dwell on its many controversies, unlike The Da Vinci Code which struck a raw nerve at the centre of the faith. And if anything, this film served as a great tourism promotional video with a nice showcase of the many prominent touristy landmarks that would entice many around the world to go pay a visit. Naturally certain areas like the catacombs beneath St Peter’s Basilica, and the Vatican archives remain out of bounds, but the walk along the Path of Illumination, now that’s almost free.
Nothing new for those who have read the book other than to see it come alive, but for those who haven’t, this film may just compel you to pick up Dan Brown’s novel just to read a bit more about the significance about the landmarks, and characters such as Galileo, Michelangelo and Bernini who are intricately linked to the plot, but much left unsaid. Satisfying pop-corn entertainment leaving you with nothing spectacular.
June 21st, 2009 at 1:21 am
Michael Angelo 
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