H and I have a weekly movie date. It’s a regular schedule I look forward to every week. Greenbelt 3 is our favorite movie date place because of the well-behaved crowd (no ringing cell phones in the middle of a movie), Chimara – where I get my favorite low-cholesterol & still delicious popcorn, Sureseats – I’m able to reserve my tickets online, Timezone – where we play before and after a movie. During weekends or on not-so-late week nights, we watch a DVD in our condo. Here are a list of our recent favorites we’d like to share with you. Hopefully you can still catch them at the local cinema, if not, go rent a copy from your local video store!
Beautiful Boxer. This is a true story based on Thailand’s famous transvestite boxer. Nong Toom believed that she was a woman trapped in a man’s body. She kickboxed her way to fame and fortune so she could reach her ‘ultimate goal of femininity’. It’s a “Triumph of the Human Spirit” kind of film with a twist. To quote a line from the film that struck me: “The hardest thing is trying not to forget who you want to be.” A lot will surely sympathize with Nong Toom as we too have whispers deep within our hearts that we listen to and want to be at peace with. If you’re in Manila, do try to catch it at Cinemanila. (As a bonus, H & I got to meet and shake hands with the director last night. How cool is that! And on a girly note, check out the guy named Nat, Nong Toom’s friend. He’s a cutie!!!)
Spider-man 2. I dare not write a synopsis of this film as everyone knows about this anyway. All I can say is, it’s better than the first, Tobey’s extra cute, there’s a part where he spoofs the back pains that were supposed to keep him from filming this sequel, I wonder why they didn’t pursue the Aunt May/Doc Ock romance, and it’s a movie that kept me at the edge of my seat with my hand doing a rhythmic up and down motion from the popcorn tumbler to my mouth. I LOVED IT! Hmmm. That was a mouthful.
Azumi. If you like samurai flicks, this is a must-see. It’s about a young, beautiful heroine trained since childhood to serve as the ultimate assassin. It’s a bloody film, but you won’t care for the blood one bit because of the beautiful Azumi and her swift, flowing and very graceful samurai moves. This has grrrl power written all over it — in blood no less.
Drumline. If you like drums, you HAVE to see this. Devon Miles is a young, super-talented drummer who earns a music scholarship to Atlanta A and T university, hoping to land a spot in the uni’s renowned marching band’s drumline. Miles is a headstrong character though, wanting to beat to the sound of his own drum, breaking away from the sound of the whole band. It’s a pretty predictable film, especially with the romance factor in, but the fantastic drumline showdowns make up for its predictability. I should look into getting the film’s official soundtrack.
Sleepless in Seattle. Okay, so this isn’t a recent fave, but I saw it on cable recently so it’s here in my list. This has been my favorite movie ever since it was shown in ’93. If you haven’t seen this, shame, shame, shame! (Kidding!) Anyway, the tagline says it all: “What if someone you never met, someone you never saw, someone you never knew was the only someone for you?” And of course, my favorite line in the film: “I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home… only to no home I’d ever known… I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like… magic.” Aaah, yes. This is a movie that will keep you holding hands with your date all throughout.
That’s it. Get your popcorn out! Enjoy the movies!
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.