Stephen King's Duma Key... really creepy...

Hey Hey Hey...
It's been quite some time since my last post. :)
Anyway, had a barrage of thoughts a while ago that I thought the best thing I should do is probably share it with y'all... one of those thoughts was how the novel I'm currently reading, Duma Key by Stephen King, has become one of the best books I've read so far.
Duma Key (photo courtesy of http://thewitcontinuum.wordpress.com) tells the story of how Edgar Freemantle, a guy who loses his right arm (& eventually his marriage) and almost loses his life after a freak accident, suddenly gains an unbelievable talent in painting as soon as he arrives at a rented vacation house in Duma Key in Florida. He soon realizes that his stunning but often eerie works-of-art are driven not by his talent but something else...
especially when strange things start happening around him.
Something evil... or something worse.
Even as I've yet to find out what causes these unfathomable events surrounding the protagonist's life, I'm already recommending it.
Truly, truly a wonderful read!

PAYNE Flops... BOND Rocks! - Episode 1

It's the PAYNE that kills me... sigh! sigh! sigh!

...I had high expectations for both films... had very high hopes, in fact, for Max Payne... as I was absolutely addicted to the two games brought forth by its creators. That's why I was absolutely disillusioned, so utterly disappointed, when my wife and I watched the movie.

Never mind that Max, oh I mean, Mark Wahlberg was the actor chosen to play the title role... though I never imagined it would be him... but I thought hey, he might be able to pull it off. The sad, sad, very very sad thing was that the adrenaline rush I felt while playing the game... I never felt it while watching the movie! Aaaarrrrgggghhh!

Oh... wait... there was at least one moment when that occurred. It was a "bullet-time" scene with Max Payne holding a shotgun, then... seeing a bad guy from above and behind him, jumped and shot the guy several times! Ah... at least there was that moment. Are those who adapted the game afraid of being compared to The Matrix series? Well they shouldn't be as the game itself featured bullet-time... it's actually one of the game's best features!

Max's story is a dark, gloomy one... good thing it was adapted onto the film as it's awesome to see it there. Unfortunately, the adaptation made was too much of the drama... not enough action... sigh sigh sigh sigh!!!

Anyways... despite all those unfortunate attributes, there are still some positive sides in it, even teeny-tiny ones (I guess I noticed them since as a Max Payne fan, it's a MUST for me to find something positive in it, lest I end up saying bad words at those who made the film). Aside from that single "bullet-time" scene (sigh...) and that dark mood faithful to the game, the visual effects were awesome... especially portions of the movie involving the Valkyries... yeah!

The Max Payne movie was truly a downer... especially for a game fan like me. Here's to hoping there'll be a remake... hopefully a better one!

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Oh, by the way...

ATTENTION: Prison Break and Heroes fans... Sucre of Prison Break was amazing as the big bad villain Lupino... and two new characters from Heroes season 3 appeared in the movie as well. =)

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(2 b concluded)

PAYNE Flops... BOND Rocks! - Prologue

Wow... after another long hiatus... I finally got around to writing a post again.

After several days of working with the cognitive side of my brain, I was finally able to trigger my creative side and catch that somewhat elusive train of thought I had after watching two of the my most eagerly anticipated movies...

...Max Payne, a movie based on the legendary game of the same title... and Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig's second outing as Ian Fleming's superspy James Bond.

As my wife and I eagerly waited in line to buy tickets... I had high expectations for both films...

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(2 b cont'd)

And Then There Was Minerva

Well, well, well...
It's back...
I'm back...
For more comments, talks...
And the occassional rants...

After a long hiatus (two weeks without a post seems like a lifetime to me, hehe), I finally found time to put in a post. I was supposed to post one after watching Max Payne (sigh! Sigh! SIgH! SIGH!). But I thought, why should I resurrect my talking points with something that's like too much of a downer? It shouldn't be, right? So I'll restart my postings with something much more positive... very positive...

I recently found the CD given to me by my cousin Anjo, who now resides in Canada. It's the first album of the label Minerva Records... appropriately named One. Gratefully reminded of how I loved listening to that CD over and over again two years ago, I promptly loaded all the songs to my iPhone.

All (except one) of the tracks included in that album are from the Minerva Records artists, composed of very talented Filipino-Canadian musicians. Their songs are superbly mixed and matched inside that album... going from mellow and sweet to painfully-romantic to rockingly-alternative to rockingly-headbanging. The whole album is already a treasure in itself via the music from the label's artists. An added treat to it is a track from the band Lokomotiv, with Basti Artadi (formerly of Wolfgang) at lead vocals. Among my most played titles from that album (and when I say most played, I mean they're very likely candidates for my "On The Go Nth Playlist", hehe) are Shadows on the Wall by Out Of Luck, Fireflies by Vultocazhe, Hollow by Kate D.

Stopped...
Looked...
Listened...

Positively satisfied...
Yup yup yup!

On The Go (to the Nth power) - The Encore Release

Encore... Encore... Encore!!!

Yeah... =)

Just when I thought the "circle" of my On The Go (Nth) playlist is already complete, a new song (or actually not quite a new song, but it's new to me 'coz I haven't heard it before, haha) unknowingly passes by my ears...
goes through my brain...
eagerly satisfies my music-loving side...
makes me listen to it twice... thrice... and then some more...
until I finally had to add it to my On The Go (Nth) playlist.

"I could be good, and I would
If I knew I was understood..."

I've listened to and loved a lot of Barenaked Ladies songs. One Week and Pinch Me are still some of my favorites until now. Make me listen to them again and I would. But their song "Too Little Too Late" from the album "Maroon" has that special factor in it (or at least for me, haha) that makes it qualified to be part of my On The Go (Nth) playlist. Just like two of the songs on that playlist, it has wonderful rhtyhm and fast-paced beats with a kind of quasi-comic, quasi-relaxing feel to it...
Something that only Barenaked Ladies songs have.

"And it'll be great, just wait
or is it too little too late..."

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Now the Circle of the On The Go (Nth) playlist is finally complete...

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At least for now =)

On The Go (to the Nth power) 1.3

Three's the charm for this hit-upon-hit playlist of mine... On The Go, Nth Power, ready to go... for the third and last time...

"it's foreign on this side...
and I'll not leave my
home again..."

After two pulse pounding tunes, I know you'll expect another tune of the same type... nah! =) This Side by Nickel Creek has relaxing instrumentals and a feel-good mood that I couldn't help but listen to it all day long. It might not be at the same level as the previous two songs in terms of rhythm and beat, but it blends ever so exquisitely with the two songs that one would say... "Now, the Circle of the Playlist is complete" (another taste of the Lost Podcast, hahaha!).

"... there's no place to hide
but I don't think I'm scared..."

Uhmmm... by the way, I've never mentioned why the title for this entry is such, haven't I?
It's actually quite simple and logical... Or at least in my mind, it is. =)

On The Go... iPhone's default playlist name...
why the Nth power? 'Coz I play the same playlist over and over again for several straight days!

"... and it really makes me wonder
if I ever gave a thought about you and I
so this is goodbye..."

On The Go (to the Nth power) 1.2

What's that I'm hearing...
(clapping)... (wild cheers)...
Settle down... settle down... =)
Time for the 2nd tune on my On The Go playlist

"... i'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
praying for love in a lap dance
and paying in naivety...."

Another intricately written song is next on my list... But It's Better If You Do by Panic! At The Disco. I was first introduced to them via their equally addictive song, I Write Sins, Not Tragedies (with a very, need I say, colorful music video). This new song from the group boasts great lyrics and head bopping beats, making up for another chart-topper. And more importantly... another hit tune on my playlist... Awesome!

"... well I may have faked it
i wouldn't be caught
dead in this place..."

2 b concluded