Couch Potato Corner: My Favorite Movies and Series =)

MOVIES

source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2149080/The-man-TV-ray-gun-turned-couch-potatoes.html

Like my inclination toward books, I am smitten with movies that mess with my brain or those with so brilliant plots that make me wonder - how did they even think about that? Of course, I also go for movies that are highly entertaining but with a good story, especially those who were able to establish and present characters you will learn to love. I also love it when the cinematography is so awesome or the movie turned out into something totally unexpected.

So here is a list of movies I like =) Again, this is my blog about the movies I like so there will be additions to the list every now and then. =)


Transcendence
This is a movie that made me think - what if man is capable of being a God?

Inception
I dream like them (dreaming inside a dream) and I never thought that a film can be made out of that, a brilliant movie at that. =)

Hotel Rwanda
This made me cry. Films that show what happened/is happening in Africa really interest me.

The Shawshank Redemption
An inspiring and smart movie. Love it.

Patch Adams
My fave late Robin Williams movie. I also cried buckets in this movie.

Titanic
Took me a long time to accept and move on from the fate of Jack (Leonardi di Carpio). It really broke my heart.

Y Tu Mama Tambien
One of the earliest bold and daring and brave movies I watched. I like the way the Mexico political and social issues are exposed while also discussing the entangled lives of the main characters. And Gael was hot too =)

50 First Dates
Who wouldn't want to fall in love anew every single day? =)

Heavenly Creatures
This movie haunted me for several days. I can't get over with what happened at the ending. How could they???

Spider Man 2
Among all the spidey movie, this is the best for me. I love it how Peter went spiraling down to once again, the world's hero =)

Man of Steel
I watched two super man movies in my generation and I like this one better than the Superman Returns (in 2006). I like how they presented the characters - especially the human side of Clark Kent. I also love Superman's costume here, compared to the other superman movies.

Armageddon
I find this movie very touching, in my young heart back in highschool. hehe

12 Years a Slave
One of the best films I saw so far. The cinematography was perfect. And the approach of the movie - very subtle but just heart piercing.

Apocalypto
Morbid and dark, that's how I love it.

Invictus
An inspiring story of what and how leadership should be, and of forgiveness and unity.

Ang Babae sa Septic Tank
A different take on Filipino movies, and in the indie film itself, I like the fresh perspective and attack of the film. Very unique, and really funny.

Milan
Advertised as a love story, but turned out to be a movie about OFWs plights and sad stories abroad. I like socially relevant movies sometimes.

Here Comes the Bride
This film still makes me laugh even if I have seen it several times already. A very unique and smart comedy movie. No slapsticks at all, just pure wits. Not to mention that everyone acted out their role superbly.

Mystic River
This is really a mystery drama movie. Sean Penn was really effective here. I love the twists and how the characters unfolded.

Bona
In the mainstream Filipino movies nowadays, there is hardly any film that portrays empowered women. I found out due to my constant CinemaOne marathon that movies in the 1980s era show strong women. And this is what Bona is all about, stupid and in love but strong and revengeful. It was subtle, no heavy drama but was very effective. I also did not expect the ending!

The Matrix 1, 2 and 3
A totally intelligent movie. Made me think if my life here is real or just because of a software.

Changeling
Dark and sad, but I love it just the way it is.

Cinderella Man
A very touching story. Plus Russell Crowe has the ability to die in movies so I wasn't really sure if he will live at the end.

500 Days of Summer
The ultimate basag movie of all time!

Divergent
I totally relate to the protagonist of this story. Deep within, I am divergent, questioning a lot of norms and traditions. However, I am bent on following, knowing the price to pay for not following the imposed standards of society. And yes, personally, there is an inherent need for me to belong. Anyways, this is a success story of someone who is different =) it inspired me. ehehehe

The Last Temptation of Christ
OMG. What a creative way of presenting the Lord in a different light. Very bold and brave but still strengthens the faith! =)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Definitely a heart-wrenching story about a robot who wants to be a boy. Depicts though human being's cruelty, in this movie, to robots. One smart movie.

Stranger than Fiction
A very simple plot but really pinches one's imagination. I find this one-of-a-kind and quite unpredictable.

Avengers: Age of Ultron
I am not a frequent fan of very famous movies but this one, I like. I like how it was able to balance the characters in the movie despite all of them being big stars. Everyone has his/her own shining moment. I also like how the teamwork is presented, and the special effects to boot. They won one Marvel fan now =)

Pitch Perfect (1)
I lurveeeee this movie! Being the music lover that I am. I hope I can do acapella like that! Walang sinabi yung Glee :p

Heneral Luna
One of the best Filipino films I have watched so far. In an era of a movie industry that creates only shallow stories and boring, predictable romantic comedies, this movie is such a breath of fresh air. Heneral Luna emphasized on a lot of socially relevant issues such as patriotism, gender empowerment, lack of unity, etc. which is absent in most movies nowadays. I hope the younger generation who watched this movie took it by their heart as to be champions for what Heneral Luna wanted for this country. The actors and actresses were also fantastic, the director was just so gifted and how the movie was done was pure artistry. I hope movies of this quality start to come back into the mainstream.

Suffragette
I never knew how bad the situation of women is until I watched this movie. Women were really treated as second-class citizen and that is so sad. But this movie shows us never to give up, like what the women fought for, the right to vote. =) 

The Imitation Game
What a great way to narrate how computers started. Plus, great respect for the actors and actresses in this movie. And I can't believe how bad gays were treated in those times. I am so glad that some parts of the world have become more progressive nowadays.

The Theory of Everything
A story of love, marriage and falling out of the madness of love in narrated in a non-romanticized, realistic, less dramatic way. Scenes are just subtle, no heavy dialogues in tears, but just way too moving. This movie also provides a story of hope and courage, never to give up, amidst an awful situation.


SERIES

Meanwhile, I love series that are jampacked with action. I also love series that are solving crimes. So here they are:

Bones
I love how strongly the characters are portrayed here and each character dynamically interact with each other both in a personal attitudinal level and their area of expertise (we have an FBI agent, forensic anthropologist, artist, the bug guy, the shrink etc.). I hope this series never ends! Haha

Nikita
Pure action with the very hot Nikita. I like it when girls kick some ass and rule the world.

Chuck
I like Chuck's special talent here, with the very sexy but fierce Sarah and their love story. The different characters as well make the series even more interesting. I however became bored after Season 2. It seems to me that the 3rd season is overstretched. Stopped watching after that.

Prison Break
I love the first seasons of this series. I think the plot is ingenious. Plus a very good looking main cast. I must admit that I had sleepless nights watching this because I just can't stop from one episode to the other. But it also bored me after two seasons. It seemed that they never stop running from whoever. I got tired of the chasing.

Nip Tuck
Morbid, and very weird, (and perverse!), but it continues to interest me =)

Emily Owens, M.D.
Another story of women empowerment. Just as I was beginning to get hooked, the series had to be cut short because of poor ratings. Oh well. 

izombie
Since I love series about crime investigation, Izombie is a refreshing take in solving crimes. The twist and turns also make me giddy! Will definitely be watching every season =)

The Flash
This definitely does not bore me, as there is something to discover at the end. I also used to watch The Flash during the 1990s and it is cool that the protagonist's biological father is the one who portrayed the Flash during the 1990s. Already finished season 1 and will be highly anticipating the next seasons =)

Supergirl
Interesting characters to love! And this series really places emphasis on women empowerment. =) Really entertaining

Books and Reads: My Faves

Source: https://untitlement.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/reading.jpg

I have been meaning to have a section on my blogsite where I list down all the books I like. And now I am finally allotting the time to do it.

Well, I am not really a bookworm. For some reason, I am very picky with the books I read. I get so bored easily. Some best sellers and classics, I tried reading but I got so bored. I am also not the type who will proactively seek something to read, so the books I read are either required by professors/teachers or are influenced by friends. For those that hooked me, these books either mess with my head or I can totally relate to it =)

Anyways, I have been trying to target reading one book in a month. But...unfortunately, I end up playing video games or watching movies or TV. I hope one day I can get to read one book in a month :)

So back to the topic....

Now I am enlisting the books I like, Blame it on the trending challenge on Facebook where a friend is nominated to list down his/her favorite books. So a good friend of mine nominated me. I might have passed the impression that I like reading, but I like killing zombies more in video games :p

I thought I am not going to reach 10 books. My friend told me to include even academic books. Alright, that's good. When teachers require it, I am sure to read it. And there were a lot of school readings that I really liked. =) So i got to reach 10 books and more!

So here are my favorite books and academic hand outs =)

Since this is my blogsite, I am listing down beyond 10 (bwahahahahaha). These books are organized in random order. I think I love them all equally. :p

And this post will serve as my official blog for all my favorite books. So expect that more will be added to this list =)


Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coehlo
For me, it is a book that describes what I studied and learned in Sociology - my second love (my first love is music!).

Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coehlo
I am amazed on how an author can describe how and what a sex worker thinks. And I love the way Paulo Coehlo deconstructs reality here - what I like best about him =) I am just bothered that the bestfriend of the protagonist here is a Filipina, who has the protagonist's same profession. That's the impression for the Filipinas? Huhu

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
This made me wonder who will be the five people I meet in heaven.

Sociological Imagination by C. Wright Mills
This was a reading required back in college and this is a mind opener for me. Since it was ages ago, I already forgot what it says...all I can remember is - I really love this reading. hehe

The Miseducation of the Filipino by Renato Constantino
Very fresh reading (at the time of writing), as this was required by a professor in my grad school. It gave me a fresh perspective on American colonial rule and the English Language. And the author made very good sense to me. I like it when something that is just so common is criticized. Deconstructing reality really appeals to me.

ABNKKBSNPLAko?! by Bob Ong
I love this book as it talks about my childhood (80s child!) and some topics that made good sense =) I am a Bob Ong fan. I just wonder why his books now are so dark!

Ang Paboritong Libro ni Hudas by Bob Ong
I can't remember anymore the story of this. All I can remember is that I was laughing so hard when I was reading this book. Bob Ong humor is benta to me ;)

Stainless Longganisa by Bob Ong
I also can't remember the story of this one. But one thing that remains to my memory is that I find this book really funny and inspiring. =)

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Finding out just recently that I am an introvert (always believed that I am an extro yet at the same time, I feel so weird socially, deep inside) made me totally relate to this book. It is so funny, that only a loner can understand ;)

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
This book has shaken me being a catholic raised and catholic school girl all my life. But the book is some sort of an emancipation as well. It's like a truth engraved at the other side of the coin. I didn't stop reading this book until I finished it. I like the action here too!

Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
This was a literature piece we studied back in highschool. I love how Dante's mind works! A very vivid imagination of hell, purgatory and heaven. Reading this and discussing it in class made my imagination run so wild.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

This is also a highschool literature piece that we had to discuss for several gradings. I was just 15 back then but this book has a major influence on how to think maturely (yun eh! haha). It is a glimpse of reality and adulthood. I love it =)

Before I Go to Sleep
I am a fan of thriller/suspense books and this one did not disappoint! Really, when it got more interesting, I did not stop reading it until the very end. Sleepless nights because of this book. Highly recommended for suspense/thriller fans like me! =)