90 Minutes in Heaven

This movie is about a pastor who met an accident and died. It's so heartwarming and it really touched my heart. Another minister who was held up by the pastor's accident went forward and asked the medic if he could go to the pastor's car and pray for him. He reasoned within himself that God wanted him to pray for Pastor Don Piper even if he was already pronounced dead. He went inside the trunk and bent the chair and touched his shoulder and prayed for him. And Don Piper lived. 

During his death, he was brought to this light place, he thought it was heaven and there he was shown different people, some young, some old. He didn't understand it.

When he was awake, he was brought to the hospital of course. His family had great difficulty with the kids and with money for his hospitalization. he stayed long in the hospital because, he could not walk. His wife stayed by his side. When it came for him to come home, his wife had to work and he was left in the house but his wife formed a Don Patrol composed of members of his church who took turns watching over him. The when he was strong enough to stand up and walk, he went to church. There he found someone just like him, couldn't walk and seemed to be having the same struggles as he did while he was recovering in the hospital. He walked over to that young man and talked to him. God gave him a revelation. He was brought back because he could help people with the same struggles he had. It turned out the people he saw when he was in heaven were the people he would help and there were many. 

God truly works in mysterious ways. He has a purpose for everything that is happening in our lives. Watch the movie and be thankful for what God is doing in your life. I know I am. This movie is also a drama so prepare for tears.

Steve Jobs

Yeah, this is a movie about Steve Jobs. It's a drama. My tears freely flowed of their own accord when I watched the movie. I feel that I now understand why Steve Jobs was like he is. An asshole. No pun intended.

 

Michael Fassbender looked so well portraying Steve Jobs. I didn't know that there was a Joanna Hoffman in Steve's life. It turns out that she was the only one who could stand up to Steve Jobs. The role was played by Kate Winslet and she nailed it. She's a great actress. I totally believed she was Joanna. Lisa was also in the movie and it was the last part where I really shed tears. I feel for Lisa. Growing up without a father.

I have long been fascinated with Steve Jobs ever since I saw The Pirates of Silicon Valley. I got to know him more in this movie. He is indeed an artist. He continuously denied being the father of Lisa but in the end, he accepted that fact. Imagine thinking up of an acronym for the name of his kid? Local Integrated System Architecture (LISA).

Andy Hertzfeld, a computer scientist for Apple under the Macintosh team. In the foreground photo with Steve Wozniak on the left. I didn't know he was an important part of the Mac. The movie brought that to light.

The movie's scenes were typically shot during the launch of new products in which Steve Jobs was at the helm. The launch of the Macintosh, the black box (for Next), and the iMac for Apple. I admit I learned more about the history of Apple in this movie. I enjoyed watching it eventhough it brought me to tears. I didn't want to stop watching. It took a tight grip of my attention for two hours and 2 minutes. I give it 5 stars.

American Music Awards 2015

This is the event I've been waiting for. Where the music icons of the times come out and dress up. Let's start with those whose outfits I would love to wear regardless of who they are.

Number 1 on my list is Selena Gomez.

 Number 2 is Zendaya.

I like the following outfits for guys.

 One Direction looks so dapper.

 Forever In Your Mind

and Tyga in Blue and White, great combination.

And what's up with these women who seem to be showing their underwear? Call me old-fashioned but the following need to put more clothes on.

Number 1 is Gwen Stefani. Number 2 is Hannah Davis.

What's up with these 2? The Biebs and what's her name? I mean seriously. Hire professionals, will you?

I got these photos from CNN. 

Disclaimer: All opinions in this blog are solely those of the author.

              

Da Vinci's Demons Season 3

It's been a while since the last season. In fact, it's been a year. I was really looking forward to this season because the season finale for season 2 left me wondering. The first episode was breathtaking I couldn't wait to finish. I saw the season finale for season 3 last night. It didn't leave me hanging this time. 

SPOILER ALERT!

This season was about defeating the Ottomans or the Turks. In Season 2's  last episode, the Turks were attacking an Italian citadel, I forgot its name. Da Vinci devised a machine that could throw cannons to their enemies even from a far distance. It turns out that a son of Mithras, a Turk, I forgot his name as well, could read his mind. So the Turks created prototypes of his designs and improved them thus defeating De Medici's cohorts. Lorenzo de Medici, the leader of Florence (a city in Italy), was captured as a result. I initially thought that Da Vinci's mother was an ally of the Turks, but she was in chains and they were using her to defeat the Italians. She was helping her son, by the way, and the show revealed Da Vinci has a sister who was herself gifted. Her mother communicated to her through telekinesis, if there was such a thing during those times, the 14th century. She told Sophia, Da Vinci's sister to help her brother defeat the Turks. And so she did. She could read a page from the book of leaves. If you have also been following this show, you would know about the book of leaves.

This page is enchanted because one reader sees a different thing while another also sees a different thing but they're both connected. That's what happened to Sophia and Da Vinci. Sophia saw a contraption like a bird with no head that was flying but tied to something. Leo saw a series of wheels turning. The siblings proceeded to create the machine. When the wheels are turned while the kite like apparatus was tied to it and the weather was cloudy, it produces a sort of electricity and shoots out lighting or current and blows it up.

They also discovered that they could concentrate the blast and spread it via an armor from the castle of Dracula. Yes. Dracula is in this show. His name is Vlad the Impaler who is the brother of the Ottoman's commander. Nicely done. I commend the show's writers, they really know how to spin a tale. Towards the end, Leo urged the fighters to surrender and take off their armor. Yes the armor from Dracula's castle. They piled it up at the center and voila. When Lucrezia, tossed up the kite towards the clouds and Sophia turned the wheels, spurts of electricity flew. It found the pile of armor and shoot electricity to whoever still wore the armor. Yes. The Turks still wore their armor stolen from Dracula. They stole one and copied the design. Thus, the Turks were defeated. The Italians won.

I forgot to mention Gerolamo Riario, Count Riario in the show. The architect, aroused the crowd to try him. Make him speak his defense even if he admitted to killing Clarice Orsini, Lorenzo's wife, Bishop Rodrigo, a manager of a house of ill repute in Florence and many others. He succumbed to his madness even if Leo already cured him. He killed Pope Sixtus.

I also noticed that they mentioned the F word a lot. I wondered whether that word was already available during that century. And Lucrezia Donati, the daughter of the twin brother of Pope Sixtus (this twin brother was the true pope by the way), wore pants or breeches as what they called it. I didn't know women could wear pants during that time.

Anyway, the show was great. I didn't have to wait long to download the 10 episodes of Season 3. They were already available. I think it was a leak. Well, I'm glad there was a leak. I finished watching because I couldn't help it. It was exciting. I wonder what they will think of next? For Season 4, I mean. I hope it's as exciting as season 3.

Hitman Agent 47

I love this movie. It's a class A movie for me. I literally gasped during certain action sequences. There was a lot of Whoa! coming from me. I guarantee that you will enjoy watching this movie.

I love this part right here. Although I think it was impossible in real life but he pulled it off in the movie. The terms "with guns blazing" come to mind. Literally. Although I didn't like the female lead. She looked too old. Older than  the male lead. The plot calls for a younger woman. They should have looked for a younger woman. The woman in the photo below played Katia, the woman who was looking for her father. It turns out, she was gifted with superpowers. She can foresee what will happen next and she can get out of trouble by herself.

                                         Hannah Ware, an English model and actress.

 

They made up for the lackluster female performer with breathtaking action. High tech gadgets were emphasized. Wow! When the bad guys came tumbling down from the railings of the inside of a building. Wow! When the vehicle where Zachary Quinto (plyed John Smith the villain) was on the passenger side capsized. Wow! I am enumerating my favorite scenes from the movie. It should have been Ryan Reynolds who played Agent 47. Sigh. Although Rupert Friend was an 8 compared to Ryan Reynolds' 10 as an agent. Insert smiley here.

Anyhow, the movie turned out fine. Love the action. I give it 4 stars. More photos here.

                   The photo above shows the scene where he got out of the handcuffs. 

                                                             Happy reading...

Southpaw

I watched this movie last Friday with my husband and son. We loved it. I don't know if it's now showing in theaters here in the Philippines. I have to warn you, though. If you haven't watched it yet, don't read on. Spoiler Alert!

The movie is about a boxer named Billy Hope played by Jake Gyllenhaal. His wife is played by Rachel McAdams of "Mean Girls" and "Aloha" fame. Her name in the movie is Maureen nicknamed "Mo". They have a daughter named Leila. The movie started with Billy Hope in the ring fighting some boxer. He got punched a lot but when he looked at his wife, she raised her arms and seemed to say, "Come on baby". When the last round started, he punched back his opponent. He won that fight.

They attended a charity event and Maureen was shot accidentally by Hector, Miguel Escobar's bodyguard. Another fighter who continually taunted Billy to fight him which pushed Billy to punch him. His wife died then and there. Billy spiraled down into nothingness because of sorrow. He lost his house and his daughter was taken away from him. When he visited his daughter in foster care, she lashed out at him saying it would have been better if he died and not her mom. The judge ordered him to stay sober, "no drugs and alcohol", and he must find a job before he can get his daughter back.

He found work at Wills Gym. The gym was owned by Tate Wills played by Forest Whitaker. He asked T. Wills to train him. He jogged every morning, cleaned Wills Gym and practiced boxing. He became better at boxing. He eventually got his daughter back and he got to fight Miguel Escobar in the end. He won. I shed a few tears. 

I hope you enjoyed my synopsis and I hope I did not dissuade you from watching Southpaw. I rate it 5 stars. Great movie to watch with your family. Here are some photos of the movie.

Jake Gyllenhaal portrayed Billy Hope very well. Rachel McAdams also played her part well. The daughter was played by Oona Laurence. She was so believable. 

There were other notable performances too. 50 Cent played his agent. Rita Ora played Miguel Escobar's wife Maria. 

Meteor Garden

I went gaga over this series. A Taiwanese romantic comedy drama about F4 and a girl named Shancai(pronounced Shansay). It chronicles the experiences of Shancai, a student in Ying De College owned by the parents of the F4 members, Daoming Si, Huaze Lei, Ximen and Meizuo. My favorite part of the story is Daoming Si and Shancai's love story. I feel giddy when it's their scene. The producers really tickle the viewers with their love story. 

Even though it was made in 2001, it still holds fresh in this day and age. The story is timeless. Boy meets girl. Girl doesn't like boy. Boy develops feelings for girl. Girl falls in love with the Boy. Even though it's typical, I still feel giddy. Shancai played by Barbie Hsu is so believable in her portrayal. Daoming Si played by Jerry Yan is so handsome and also played his part well. I especially liked the part where Daoming Si was searching for Shancai and he left a bunch of messages on her phone and when Shancai played his voice messages, Daoming Si suddenly appeared and they embrace. Giddiness to the highest level. Another part I liked was when Shancai blocked the smashing of a chair on Daoming Si's body with hers. Scream! 

I finished Season 1 and Season 2 in a span of 4 days. That was 27 episodes for season 1 and 31 for season 2. Phew but it was worth it. I even started watching the episodes again. I don't like season 2 at all because Daoming Si lost his memory in an accident and he forgot about his past. Even Shancai. Though there was the part where Shancai worked in Daoming Si's company and Daoming Si also worked there. Shancai really tried hard to get close to him again. I thought they would but they didn't. In the last part Daoming Si regained his memory and dumped Ye Sha, the one who got Daoming Si in an acciddent and became his fiancee. I shed tears mind you. The setting for Season 2 was in Barcelona. It revolved around 2 rings which they both eventually wore at the end. Sigh. 

Here are some pictures I got from the net.

It was a really successful series in that ABSCBN, a station in the Philippines even made an encore. They showed it 2 times on TV. I could not get over Meteor Garden. No worries coz I could just review the episodes I love in YouTube.  Here's a series of scenes between the 2 characters I love.

I hope you enjoyed my tirade. Watch out for more...