09/16

Germilyn Jammy Herrella...my favorite ka-hangout in beauty bars and my go-to person when it comes to girly things, our favorite baker, my favorite shopping & taste buddy, and my long time friend since our NFI days. Just in case I won't be able to greet you tomorrow here is my greeting's in advance. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Welcome to the 3 year's old club. Love and light, Chin.

Movie Quote: The Ice Storm

"In issue 141 of the Fantastic Four, published in November, 1973, Reed Richards had to use his anti-matter weapon on his own son, who Aannihilus has turn into the Human Atom Bomb. It was a typical predicament for the Fantastic Four, because they weren't like other superheroes. They were more like a family. And the more power they had, the more harm they could do to each other without even knowing it. That was the meaning of the Fantastic Four: that a family is like your own personal anti-matter. Your family is the void you emerge from, and the place you return to when you die. And that's the paradox - the closer you're drawn back in, the deeper into the void you go."

- Paul Hood by Rick Moody, The Ice Storm

Sensory Overload: Anime Summer 2013

I feel sorry and quite ashamed for the late posting of my 'Sensory Overload' entry for the Summer-Season. I've had a quite the busy schedule for the past few months that kept me from writing the previously mentioned entry. However, sufficed it to say, it is not a valid excuse to not post it anyways. So before the Anime-Autumn take its course here is my ranking for the summer season, of course, in descending order. 


1. Gin no Saji (A-1 Pictures)

Slice of life has never been more realistic in my opinion. This anime puts the genre into a whole new level. From the same mangaka of 'Full Metal Alchemist', Arakawa has grabbed my attention and never, for one second, let me go. Damn, food porn every single episode! This anime is so friggin' marvelous, there were times I even wanted to be inside the story and to study in that school or to work in a dairy farm. 


2. Uchoten Kazoku (P.A. Works)

Japanese folklore and magic. I'll never get tired of watching anything with magic. And this anime is nothing sort of ordinary. A very well-written story indeed about a family, their crux, a lot of twist and turns along the way. Do not be driven away by the animation though. Please...watch it!


3. Watashi ga Motenai no wa dō Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui! (Silver Link)
A drama story coating itself as a black-comedy. Either you'll love the lead character or you'll hate her for being a pain in the ass. But this anime shows us perfectly the realities of a person with serious psychological problems. The funny side is only a front, but in my opinion there is nothing more heartbreaking than Tomoko and her lonely plight. 

4. Blood Lad (Brain's Base)
I've never been into anime's with fat breasted female characters, but Blood Lad is undeniably awesome in all proportions and never boring, not even once. You'll end up liking every single characters -- the bad guys and the extras are no exemptions. Kudo's to Brain's Base for a magnificent job on the animation. 

5. Servant x Service (A-1 Pictures)
It is refreshing to watch an anime about working-class adults - and their problems. But let's be honest here, I love Servant x Service best when the story focuses on the pairing between Hasebe and Lucy. After all, I'm still a sucker for good love stories. 


6.  Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun 2nd Season (Studio Deen)

One of the most ignored anime's today, with some viewers disregarding its many good qualities. I've seen the first season and given that the pacing of the story was rather slow, but once it got to episode 12 all the way to season 2 Hakkenden became an interesting adventure piece and has consistently produce one of the most interesting mysteries that grabs you by the neck week-after-week. Very well drawn characters and backgrounds, never had a single fluke since season 1, and it will probably be a strong contender for best animation on my 2013 roundup.  

And the other half of this list (from number 7 to number 12):

Visit their Websites:

Shingeki no Kyojin | Genshiken Nidaime | Rozen Maiden Zurückspulen | 

Tamayura: More Aggressive | Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi  | Free!

De rouille et d'os (Rust and Bone)

Year: 2013 | Directed by: Jacques Audiard | Roundup Rating: A

For what its worth, if appropriate, you can renamed this movie as  "blood and sweat" for all its hard-boiled scenarios that comes across as unflinchingly violent, almost at par with the cinema of  neo-realism - sans the used of non-actors. Ugly is the word I associate intrinsically with the former genre, after all neo-realism, coining it astutely, is about life in general — a wasteland  of mess, fucked ups and human decay. Audiard's motion picture is a  raw entertainment art piece that rouses its audiences the ardor of  its pure imperfection.

The emotional and evocative jolt displayed by the lead actors — Matthias Schoenaerts and Marion Cotillard, comes close-to-personal  and at times terrifyingly convincing, both sparingly and unsparingly  in their silences and in their intense outbursts — the way  circumstances are dealt with supposedly in real life. 

When it comes to the story Rust and Bone is more than just a  depiction of what it seems to be firsthand. Above all, I think it is a story about love, its redemptive power and ability to transform us even if we are scarred deeply and the wounds inflicted by incidents or by our own making appears to be beyond repair. This film shows us that by all means what is hopeless can be saved, especially when there is  someone willingly able to believe, may it be from friendship or  family or anyone whom we choose to be connected with in our life. 

I always love a good love story and I think this one is not your  typical one at that. If you enjoy love stories but vehemently detest  chick flicks Rust and Bone would do good for you, particularly if  you like the brutal truth of things — no smoke and mirrors, then this motion picture is highly recommendable for your viewing pleasure. 

HAIM - The Wire

"It felt great, it felt right, oh…But I fumbled him when I came down to the wire.” 

This song is practically stamped on to my head now. I love Haim. Every time I listen to them I can’t help but think that their sound was made from a different decade, more reminiscent of the 80s/and early 90s, but transported into the present time.