Silent Night Signals a Fight - Spotlight

Legend has it that Silent Night stopped a war, at least for a night, a hundred years ago in the trenches of the First World War. 

Accounts may differ now on what exactly caused the ceasefire, what songs were sung, what things were done such as was there a game of football? Nevertheless the Christmas truce is remembered as a miracle.

The Punisher (Netflix) (2017)

The Punisher hit all the right notes typical of a ronin of the American military machine. It blends in. I did not get any comic book feels even with Karen Page and that Detective who owes his promotion to Daredevil were on hand.

Leave No Trace - Potipot

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.

The popular traveler's adage literally means not to take, not to leave, and not to destroy anything from the places you visit. Sustainable travelling is the goal.

In the Valley of Elah (2007)

In the Valley of Elah is about a father’s search for his youngest son. On the surface it looks like the typical family drama propelled by a detective story but in truth there is a cleverly hidden antiwar subtext underneath. Too clever that I actually missed it.

Gifted (2017)

Spoilers

Gifted reminds me very much of I am Sam. The same basic elements are there: a father, a young girl, and a third party wanting to break them up. The story also plays with the what-if half of the relationship is an outlier; for Gifted it’s the girl as she is boosted to the level of a math prodigy.

My American Journey: Colin Powell

My American Journey by Colin Powell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My American Journey: Colin Powell is detailed.

Spider-man Homecoming (2017)

Spoilers

In honor of the 3 Spider-man movie versions in over 15 years, here are my 3 character related observations of the newest one Spider-man Homecoming.

Identity Crisis

The exploration of death is inevitable in a superhero story. 

Not to be confused with the loss that often makes the hero, this exploration of death is of the loss which occurs during and perhaps because of being a superhero. Batman has already lost a Robin. In Marvel, Spider-man has lost a girlfriend. 

A hero is supposed to save lives so what questions and doubts does death raise? 

What would Uncle Ben say?

 

With great power there must also come, great responsibility.

Peter Parker’s biggest regret and therefore the greatest lesson about having powers is what made the above arguably the most famous quote of Spider-man. 

It Comes at Night (2017)

So what if you had all the supplies, the fortified dwelling, when the world all goes to shit.

The Defenders (Netflix) (2017)

I’ve seen it before, 4 times before; or 5, since Daredevil had a season 2. Watching the Defenders is like watching every Netflix MCU series, again, only this time 8 episodes long. The end conclusion is even the same: the Iron Fist is the weakest link.

(Spoilers ahead)

Why Not Flats?

It's a curiosity of mine after seeing the most popular shoes ever in a dinosaur movie. The fact that Bryce Dallas Howard had to defend her shoes of all things speaks ill of a dinosaur movie and of running in heels.

Where is the rain of my youth?

Giphy.com

Where is the rain of my youth?

Pit stop in a Bypass Road?

Lead car overtakes the car in front of it and follow car came close behind. Lead car returns to the right lane because there was oncoming traffic, and then suddenly it signals left.  We waited until traffic was clear before we turned left to park at the Bangihan ni Kuya.

My Top 2 Quotes from Season 7 Finale - Game of Thrones (HBO)

Spoilers.

This season I found it easy to narrow down all the season episodes to a few quotes without googling so perhaps this Nerdist article is true . I had less of a tangled web of stories to wade through; the season was all about fun and ease of travel - impossibly easy.

Both quotes are from the season finale, The Dragon and The Wolf. I feel they speak well of the entire season and can even be a lens with which to see who wins it all.

Ayaw Tumabi ng Poste

There's a joke about a drunk who hit an electric post. As expected the drunk never admitted to anything wrong. He didn't fall short of honking and honking, the post just didn't step aside (Ayaw tumabi ng poste).

Skipping a Minefield of Spoilers

Long ago I thought I can map spoilers out, see them in advance, have my eyes jump over or flick the scroll bar faster to avoid the ‘dangerous’ facebook posts.

Competitive Price

The Lost City of Z (2016)

(Spoilers)

Sounds like a sequel to a Brad Pitt movie but looked more like an Indiana Jones, if Indy was real. The Lost City of Z involves the search of a lost city but with less fun, more public ridicule, long walks and boat rides across vast jungles, and most of all, glory is uncertain.

Tumbledown (2015)

Spoilers

Tumbledown had elements I liked. There’s a small town; writers for protagonists; a musician with a cult following; and grief. If done right, any one of those can make a compelling love story but sadly they were not wrapped up into one coherent story.