back-to-back

it's been awhile since i went to the movies with my friends so when the opportunity presented itself today, my friends and i grabbed it. so what did we watch? the great raid. and since we had time to spare, we also caught the skeleton key.

capsule reviews: for the great raid -- i enjoyed it. maybe because i've read almost all the negative reviews about it so i ended up not expecting too much about it. watching the movie was almost like a homecoming for me. it's just funny how white people (in general) pronounce cabanatuan [ka-ba-na-two-an] as [cabana + twan] pretty much in the same way as cabana is pronounced. we pronounce it with emphasis on the third syllable; they pronounce it with emphasis on the second.

it was an emotional ride for me, especially during the execution of ten POWs because one of them tried to escape. i ended up sniffing, stifling my tears. i don't know why it had that effect on me. and during the movie's 'highlight' (why, the raid of course), i also ended up suppressing my tears, to no avail. damn.

maybe because i made it personal. one of my mom's brothers was in the actual death march from bataan to camp o'donnell in tarlac and watching on the big screen the atrocities and the senseless killings of innocent people just did it for me. hah. my anti-war sentiments creeping up.

damn the reviews! the movie may not be of oscar-caliber but it was fine story-telling. and isn't making movies just a glorified way of telling oft-untold stories?

the skeleton key was alright with me. it had its moments. kate hudson is a really wonderful actress. what i liked most about the movie? the fact that the film was shot in its entirety in new orleans, one of my favorite cities.

i've been going to the big easy every year since 1999, and every year has been different. i've also nursed a broken heart here one time. hahaha. senti. i think i'm going to break the six-year tradition this year. stand by!