Instructions Not Included: An Unexpected Twist In Life

"I've learned that seven years can feel like seventy and that $10 for a cab can be the greatest investment in life."

"My two great loves. One taught me to be ready to face life. The other taught me to face life without being ready. Now, they are teaching me to face life without them."

- Valentin Bravo

Surprises abound in life. Some are plain fun and interesting. Others seem sad, scary and simply unwanted. In most cases though, even the latter can turn into something pretty if one simply let it be.

Instructions Not Included is comedic even by its title alone. It spans the tale of Valentin, the playboy of Acapulco, living for the tourists of the city, who was one day dumped with a baby in his arms by a woman who he didn't even really remember. Convinced in his inability and the lack of desire to care for a child, he traveled to Los Angeles to trace the woman and return the baby, but he ended up getting a job as a stuntman (and became really famous at it) and settling down as a single parent for the little girl, Maggie. After seven years though, Maggie's mother, Julie, showed up, wanting to take her back. It is during this time when the truth comes out, bringing all three of them together back in Acapulco.

Surprised is what most viewers would feel all throughout the film. Surprises in various degrees abound in this story of love between a father and his child. It is very much like life where we do not have control as to what arrives when and how. Above it all, we are puzzled as to why everything is happening as it is. Why the party that is a bachelor's life suddenly put to a halt? The answers do not always come fast. They rarely do. In fact, most of the answers come in the end of the story when there is nothing much you can do. You are lucky if you did your best and enjoyed the journey, which is exactly what Valentin did as he strove to be the best parent for Maggie, providing her everything she needs and wants and even making it possible for her to feel the love of a mother she has never actually met.

While the first part of the film is funny in its presentation, it is easy to notice a drama unfolding in the far horizon. The reappearance of Julie with her life partner Renee brought about a storm of emotions on the non-English-speaking Valentin. After a couple more of surprises, the mother was given the right over Maggie, prompting Valentin to bring her to Mexico. This is where tears start falling.

Life happens and it brings with it its own type of surprises. Be it lemons, apples or oranges, it is really just up to you what you do with them, so they can end up to be the sweetest one you'll ever have. For Valentin, Maggie was his best surprise.

About Time: The Essence of Every Minute

"Suddenly, time travel seems unnecessary because every detail of life is just delightful."

- Tim Lake

                                                                                                                  

The chance to undo what has been done. The ability to go back and do what was not actually done. These possibilities make time travel such a hit for many people, which is why it always makes an interesting story line for a film. 

About Time, a romantic-comedy-drama film released in the latter part of 2013, tackles the impact of time travel capability on a regular-looking, nice-but-boring, ordinary guy who went through life making good things happen for himself and his family with a little help from the special talent that he acquired from his dad (as it was passed on from the men in the family). He met and had a family with the girl of his dreams, looked after his little sister and spent quality time with his parents especially with his dad, who was actually diagnosed with cancer and was using his own ability to time travel to spend more time with his family.

While time travel is not proven to be scientifically true, numerous speculations have been brought in the open about it, ranging from its actual possibility, its nature and its consequences. After all, every action comes with a corresponding reaction. In About Time, time travel was more like an option, which results to its own series of results. Going back to a time prior to a child's birth, for instance, eliminates the chances of said child's birth. It is in such cases where one has to choose between two important things. In making such a decision, it is not about who is more important but the nature of the situation and determining which is less good than the other. The protagonist chose the existence of his first child over the accident of his little sister. After all, the incident involving the latter might have been necessary for her to learn certain lessons in life. At the latter part, he also had to choose his third child's life over that of his father. The latter has lived a full life. It is, however, quite an emotional moment when prior to the third child's birth, he took the time to travel back to a time when his dad was alive, and they spent moments of father and son bonding. 

The greatest realization in the movie is about how, at certain points in time, there is actually no need to desire or even think about time travel simply because "every moment is delightful", which is exactly how the protagonist felt. Though there are stresses, pressures and struggles each day, it is important to accept them as a part of existence. This way, one gets to appreciate them as well as the days that are free of such. In the end, time travel cannot solve all problems as it can also bring its own set of concerns. In the end, it is all about how one perceives the situation and just face it head-on.

Probably the best thing about this movie is the fact that there is no need for a time machine. All the effort of building something to take you back in time is unnecessary. All you need is a dark space and the power of your imagination. I wish I can have that. Or maybe not. Whatever.

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty: A Nice Surprise

"To see things thousands of miles away, things hidden behind walls and within rooms, things dangerous to come to, to draw closer, to see and be amazed."

- Life Magazine motto

An adaptation of a 1939 short story by James Thurber (which bears the same title), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was a lovely albeit teary way to spend an afternoon in the cinema. 

While the original story revolves around a much older man with daydreams of truly grand nature, they were actually relatively safe situations. The ones in Ben Stiller's film though are heart-pumping while romantic at the same time.

The movie revolves around Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller), a plain John, working as the Negative Assets Department of Life Magazine while looking after his sister and widowed mother. He is very interested in Cheryl Melhoff (Kristin Wiig), who works in a different department in the same company. A loyal and trustworthy employee who has been with the same company for 16 years, he is caught in the (mostly boring) daily grind and ends up zoning out of reality to jump into buildings, save other people's lives, engage in a highly animated physical combat with the mean boss and, of course, impress the apple of his eye. He is trying to get connected to Cheryl through an online dating site where a representative (Patton Oswalt) becomes his friend and adviser on both the use of the site and on his love life.

When Life Magazine was bought, his and his co-workers' jobs were put on the line, Walter was faced with a great challenge as Negative 25 from photojournalist Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn) could not be found anywhere. It was submitted by Sean to be cover for the last issue of Life Magazine as it is supposed to be the ideal epitome of Life and it's motto. Because Sean was always up and about, Walter starts going after him to get back Negative 25. In the process, he gets out into the world and experiences things that used to be simply a part of his imagination.

Without much planning, he boarded a plane to Greenland, boarded a drunk-driven plane at the last minute, jumped into the stormy sea with a shark in it, biked and skated through Iceland, came face to face with Eyjafjallajökull and experienced an eldgos, climbed the Himalayas and saw the elusive ghost cat after meeting his friend Sean O'Connell for the first time. The latter revealed to him that Negative 25 is actually in the wallet that he sent to Walter as a gift, which he disposed of after getting weary with the frustrations of his situation. Fortunately, it was set aside by his mother, so he got hold of Negative 25, which he handed to the new management of Life Online along with a couple of his two cents. When he dropped by Cheryl's home to give her son Rich a gift (a skateboard in Iceland that he traded for with his favorite childhood toy), the door was answered by Phil (Kai Lennox), Cheryl's ex-husband. Assuming that the two got back together, he left without seeing Cheryl.

Later, he was back at Time to pick up his settlement when he met up with Cheryl who was still available and was showing some interest in him as well. They catch up and came upon a news stand only to see that the cover on Life's final issue was that of Walter examining a photo with the cover story focused on the people behind Life Magazine. The final scene shows Walter taking the hand of Cheryl as they continue walking.

Personally, I enjoyed the whole story for a number of reasons. One is the whole theme about getting out one's comfort zone; breaking out of the shell and diving into the exciting world out there. The constant tendency of Walter to zone out is actually because of the desire from within him to experience more than what he was currently being served. Life should be like that. It is something to experience, to enjoy and live thoroughly.

Another thing that made me love the film is all the picturesque scenes. While I did not have anything against both Iceland and Greenland, there were not on my list of places to go until this movie. Now though, I cannot take the quaint and cold Iceland and the unending landscapes of Greenland out of my mind. They are definitely now two of the top places I would love to visit.

The third plot is the love story between Walter and Cheryl. I'm a sucker for romance, and I cannot get over the good guys. They should not finish last because they deserve the best for being such gentlemen and respectful of womankind. Needless to say, the ending of the film (and the beginning of the two protagonists' story of love) added to the charm factor of the film.

Probably the only thing I hate about it is the fact that I was crying (again). They were tears of joy though for Walter's adventure and ultimate success. They were also tears of my own heart's longing to further widen my exploration of the world before me. Something I hope to do very soon. 

Though many reviews say this adaptation fell short of its attempt, I daresay it is a movie worth watching. It might be largely different from the literary creation that inspired its story line, but it expresses its own ideas in an entertaining way. When it comes to movies, it is all about being entertained. So, I'd say this film is on the right track.

Peter And Vandy: To Stay In Or Out?

Out of boredom on a Sunday afternoon, I came upon a movie that was saved in the communal PC's hard drive at home. It was not something I have heard of, but there was nothing interesting in the said PC, so I went ahead with this one.

It is actually about the ups and downs of the romantic relationship of two ordinary people. During the first parts of the film, it is easy to get all confused and frustrated about how it is all arranged. It is very much like 500 Days Of Summer, where the entire flick is not presented in a chronological order. It jumps from one scene to another, making it quite confusing for those who find too taxing to think (which includes me). However, I'm a sucker for romantic films, and I had the feeling that this one has a good story behind it, so I proceeded to watch the entire film and see what it wants to point out.

Basically, the film tackles the things that most relationships go through. The entire process involves a long journey. At start, the two people develop and realize an attraction between each other. It seems that they share the same interest and have the same views on certain matters. This eventually becomes a basis for the desire to be with each other at all times. In the film, the couple eventually decided to live with each other. This is where the struggles start to show up. The two people start to realize their differences and how hard it is to get along with someone who does not share one's ideas, beliefs and practices. Even the very simple act of making PB&J sandwich becomes a source of arguments and conflicts. As time goes by, these two souls who were so in-love with each other, who thought that they have found their soul's other half, start to drift apart. They did break up.

That was not the end though. Throughout the course of movie, it was shown that after the winter, when they had the hardest point of their relationship, they were still together. After breaking up, it felt as if there was really nothing wrong with each other. It was nobody's fault. With that realization, they were able to talk things out and get back in each others' arms.

Personally, I think the film simply points out the hard part of being in a relationship. It shows how two people can be so different. However, it also points out that despite all the differences, these two people can still be together. All it takes is the desire to be together. If they have that, they can work on making their lives better together than any other way.

Vandy: Peter, everything that happened with us happened for a reason. This is who we are together. We're just gonna stay the same way. It's not gonna be any different.
Peter: Yeah, I know. I understand what you are saying. I understand you. This is what I want. You are the person I want to be with. Do you feel the same way?

The Hangover: Where Friendship Is Tested

At first glance, the movie Hangover might seem like all other funny, senseless flicks that abound in the very, very huge tube these days. However, I do find something sentimental and thought-provoking about it.

This is another unplanned movie night. I was just checking my mails at home when my brother pointed out that I should watch the movie saved in the home PC's desktop, so he can delete it already. Since I was a couple of hours early at home that night, I obliged for some laughs before I hit the sack.

I did get some laugh from it. In addition to that, I was amazed at the great friendship between the guys in the film. Maybe it's because guys do not usually show their loyalty and talk about their bond as much as girls do. It's just touching how they showed their care for each other. It is, more or less, normal for guys to act immature and completely like kids at times, but when the serious stuff comes around, it is nice that they are able to stand up together and really help and pull each other out of the trouble that they got themselves into. There were moments when tempers went ablaze, terrible words were uttered, and punches were thrown here and there, but in the end though, they were concerned about each other's welfare. Phil, despite his constant easygoing personality, kept on telling Stu what a bad idea it was to think about marrying his controlling live-in partner. The guys also did everything they could and dealt with tigers, casinos, Mike Tyson and even a Chinese gangster (who looks gay, by the way) just to save their friend and have him ready for his wedding.

This just makes me realize one thing about guys. They do stick to each other and stand up for each other, even though they do not talk a lot about it. This might be a good thing in general, but for the girlfriends, this might prove to be a problem. Guys can lie together to protect each other, even when the clear evidence of their misdeeds are already there.

PS. I said they can, not that they all do :)

Brother Bear: Animated Drama

It was not on the top of the list of movies I wanted to watch simply because it was an animated one. At my age, animation appears irrelevant because of how large the worries and how serious the problems are. However, I thank BOREDOM with all my heart for one Sunday afternoon when we were uberly-bored with everything the local TV stations could offer, my brothers and I had no other choice but the Brother Bear movie saved in my laptop.

Kenai's character was at first irritating. He was a very good way to describe how younger siblings are, especially the bunso in the family. There is the immaturity, the tendency to act without taking time to think, almost always emotionally-drive. In the process, he got his brother killed and himself turned into a bear. It is during his days as a bear that he learns about the lessons in life. It is also as a bear that he is able to fulfill his totem, which is the bear of love.

The flow of the story might seem simple, but I was still caught off-guard with some of the plots. For one, I did not think Kenai would successfully kill the bear that stole the salmon. After all, she already got away in the same fall that killed Kenai's older brother. I was also unable to piece together that Koda, the young bear that Kenai the bear befriended later in the story was actually the child of the bear that he (Kenai) killed. The part where this was revealed really left me in tears (and my brothers laughing at me).

Overall, it is a good one. It is a movie that I would recommend to moms for their little ones to watch. However, it is easy for kids to get lost in the frenzy of animation and all its cuteness. Hence, it is best for the parents to watch this with their kids, so the oldies can explain about it to the young ones and create impressions in their growing minds.

Great Expectations: The Unknowns In Life

When things are bound to come around, it seems to be a part of a human being's system to expect. Whether it is a bad or a good thing one expects out of the entire event, situation or the presence of something, it is all up to the specific individual. At times though, we get all bounded by our emotions, always hoping for the good stuff.

Great Expectations, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke as the main protagonists, is largely based on the novel of the great Charles Dickens. Although I have not read the book, since I'm not really fond of classics, I would say this has a good storyline. However, the characters might not have been more righteously portrayed by any other characters. Paltrow have always had the beauty that seduces without saying a word, and Hawke came with the innocence that the male character in the story possesses.

Although this is the kind of film that makes me a cry a bit less, the plot is really fun to unravel. It is so heartwarming to see a guy who is truly and deeply in love with a girl that it makes him mad to see her and be with her. It breaks my heart into two knowing that such a rare piece in the entire male human population has to be played with. The feminist in me, however, rejoices in the great way the female protagonist plays her part. She is an empowered woman who knows what her beauty and alluring presence can do to the man, and she uses both to her advantage. After all, she has been taught about the harmful ways of the sunlight and what playing under the sun can do to her. In the end though, love strikes the most important chord. It gives the man whatever he needs to make himself worthy of the lady, and the lady eventually realizes the beauty of being out in the sun with the man, who was once the boy who got her to go out and play out in the open and enjoy the sunlight.

I have always thought that books are better than movies because I've sincerely enjoyed reading certain stories more than when I watch them on the large screen. However, there are always exceptions to every rule, and this specific adaptation of the book of the same title is one of them. Thumbs up!