Planet NAGA

This is a different rabbit hole.
Sure the fixtures of Lewis Caroll's novel are there, the mad hatter, the evil queen, the deck of cards, the smiling disappearing cat, the Indian smoke-pipe wielding blue caterpillar, and of course, your super-sized, mini-me Alice.

It cannot be denied that this one is a visual feast, going through the route of Avatar cgi awesomeness once Alice opens the door to Wonderland. But its strays a lot from the original novel that it will leave you scratching your head. In this one, Alice is persuaded by a dressed up rabbit to peep and fall through a rabbit hole in high hopes of her saving an Underland dominated by an evil queen. Plot reminds you of what?

Still guessing? Clue: It had four kids as protagonists and already has 2 movies under its franchise.

Guessing still? Clue: Its title rhymes with a disease on balls.

Oh cm-on, its Chronicles of Narnia for God's sake. Yes, if you think about it they need a champion to slay a jabbawockee. There is an evil queen and the inhabitants are talking animals. Tim Burton must have missed that movie but I can clearly see the resemblance. It does not take the route of who stole the tarts plot but instead introduces a cliched white queen versus red queen who are surprise, surprise, estranged sisters!

Not to put the axe harder on this one, it has its good to great points. Tim Burton's wife, who is forever Marla to me (Helena Bonham Carter) steals all the scenes with her egregiously humongous head and her signature line of "off with their heads!" Alice played by a newcomer whose last name I cannot pronounce or spell is marvelous with her eccentricity and transformation into a young woman with conviction. Johnny Depp, well I dunno about this one, but his Mad Hatter comes off as over the top and sometimes too weird to a fault, sorta like the bit he played in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Well as this goes, the visuals steal the show and makes all the buck worth the price of admission. With the deluge of these types of movies dominating the cinemas, one will only wonder when they will deliver a movie with substance over style? Still, a good enough attempt to lure us into the rabbit hole, but I feel this Alice in Wonderland did not steal the tarts.

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Filipinos when it comes to Valentine's Day are the most ecstatic. Facebook pages would be flooded with status updates as cheesy as this one - "Above all things, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Happy hearts' day to all! :)" Motels, hotels and apartelles are booked to full sleeping capacity as early as the 13th. And roses climb up to as high as a thousand a dozen to the wooing Romeo longing to impress his Juliet.

I may be in the minority but I am one of the few to laud the Department of Health's unwitting move to distribute free condoms on Valentine's day. It's Robin Padilla being the coitus interruptus that he is in his commercials blurting, "Bago umaksyon, Proteksyon!". It's your regular parish priest talking in an eerily scientific tone that sex should be done with the calendar and with the missionary position alone. It's your mama telling you that lovemaking is for husbands and wives only.

It comes as a reality check in a time of moral degradation. Several prominent Catholic leaders have strongly come out against the condom promotion and have called it immoral and vulgar and said it would promote promiscuity among the young people. I say it is too late to promote, when promiscuity is commonplace and sex is a hushed yet regular activity among teens.

It would be turning a blind eye on the real scenario when we still think of our kids or our younger siblings to be the innocent little children we saw grew up before our eyes. Not when tv stations are gaining a lot of viewership on tv series such as Katorse, or the internet is proliferated with adult sites, or when men's magazine are within reach by the average minor.

DoH's act is good, it's just that the timing is bad. From the news stories, people who were buying flowers from Dangwa were given free condoms as well. Well, figuratively, it plays well, a flower with a condom, and the jokes are limitless. You can just say, "Here 's your flower, and here's another for your flower." No offense.

This is a wake-up call for the church and the family to face the music. Pre-marital and extra-marital sex are real issues, and they must be faced with the frankness and the deposition that no amount of church sermons can turn away the youth from the calls of the hormones. It is time for a new battleplan. I am not saying that giving out condoms is the way but it is a start, a start to accepting the truth, that the birds and the bees are flying low and wide.

To suppress this reality check is the same as putting a plastic orange flavored stretchable synthetic on you know what.

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Last night was a quite busy day for us, seminar and paperwork aside we decided troop to Avenue Square for late dinner.
As with all lazy nights in Avenue there were amazing singers, familiar faces and for this night a lot of dressed up people. It was after all the eve of the Chinese New Year and S. Milby, Richard Poon and Niña is in the building. Needless to say, it is a reminder of the hierarchy in Naga. If you found yourself in the Avenue Square last night, you've got it made. If not, you don't care if people think you've got it made...

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There are movies that can make you laugh, they make your stomach ache (see my last movie post). There are movies that leave you in awe with the visuals that you are transported to a different dimension (Avatar). And there are just a few movies which make you think, and think hard. This movie, Up in the Air is way up there.

This latest feature from Juno Director tells the story of a corporate downsizer, Ryan, and his exploits. His exploits include his manly goal of achieving ten million miles and be just the seventh person to do that. Due to his lifestyle of steady flying in and out of places, he is living a relationship-free life, much to his chagrin and philosophies. He thinks marriage is overrated, that relationships are a burden, and emotions should be backpacks that be left behind to be able to move faster in life.

All these changes when he meets Alex, a corporate downsizer herself and Natalie, a new hire who proposes an video conferencing downsizing. These changes take a heavy toll on his brick wall of isolation, turning his life around. He suddenly decides to attend a sister's wedding, even bringing along Alex with her, and in a key scene in the movie is able to talk out the groom of cold feet.

The movie is easy to follow and the characters so real. There is Ryan's boss (Jason Bateman) who cares nothing less than the results, than the means by which it was procured. There is the determined Natalie who wants nothing less than to prove her academic achievements by introducing new ideas. And there's the casual lovers Ryan and Alex, who borrow time across flights to just be casual.

The key to all these is George Clooney who seamlessly puts on the part of Ryan. On second thought he is as cool and collected as he can be. In fact, he reminds me of Danny Ocean, wearing that boyish smile, the very witty one liners, and his grace under all the pressure and emotion. He is just playing himself out there.

All in all this film captures a man's struggle to remain within his comfort zone and the teasing of a life that might have been. All that only to be crushed by a shocking spoiler, well not too shocking, maybe I was just enjoying myself too much, I haven't given it much thought. The irony about it all is that Ryan is the master at delivering the deathblows, but life throws him a curve ball, and gets a firing himself. All in all, a relevant tale of hard times, and surviving men.

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The directorial debut of Drew Barrymore hopes to cling on Juno's marketability. At some point, it clicks as evidenced by my agreement to get hold of this whip it movie.

Premise: Kitty Pride is a misfit in her middle America town in Texas. Her mother is insistent on her winning every beauty pageant ion her town. Her father is a non-confrontational football addict. In all these, she tries to find a way to get out of town, or at the very least a little escape, and she does in roller derby.

Due to her small size, her dexterity proves to be a very essential skill in the brutal sport, and she soon takes on the arena and the fake name of Babe Ruthless.

Whip it is as simple as it gets on the effort to produce a feel good feeling. There is the typical conservative family, the cool sports, and the magnetic heroine. Kitty Pride does her usual charm of capturing us with her innocent face and fiery heart. The supporting cast especially the parents reflect the usual family most of us grow up with, over protective, critical minded but in the end, supportive and understanding.

My only qualm it is obviously a directorial debut of Drew Barrymore due to her limited scenes, her actor friends showing up sporadically in cameos and the lack of camera angles to highlight the sports scenes. Not bad, but not great either, still worth a look if only for Ellen Page.

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Taboo.
That's the first adjective that came to mind seeing 50+ year olds humping like rabbits, or smoking weed in a graduation party, or making out whenever there's a chance - in the elevator, the classic legs playing under the table, you name it, this film has it.

Jane and Jake have been divorced for 10 years. Jake is married to the woman he cheated Jane on, Jane is living alone, everyone is moving on with their lives. Their lives get a u-turn on the fateful evening of their son's graduation. They drink some wine, dance, and eventually have mind blowing make up sex (see picture above).

It's Complicated is the latest romantic comedy from Nancy Myers (What Women Want, Somethings Gotta Give) that tackles how adults deal with coping, moving on, young-old love, love triangles and rekindling old romances. The cast is superb in dealing us with recognizable characters, making us point to this and that as some familiar family member. The pace is great and frame by frame the movie unfolds and delivers its laughs. The end wraps it up beautifully by showcasing how the main character (Meryll Streep) has still room to grow and outgrow her selfish quirks, recognize who truly cares for her, and be able to maintain her relationships with the people in her life.

Overall a movie to watch if you want to unwind.

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Normally, a based on a true story with huge historical ties mixed with a sports movie gets me all pumped. Combine that premise with an absolutely loaded cast, I am in in.

Morgan Freeman to play Nelson Mandela? Spot on.
Matt Damon dyeing his hair blond for a Spot African rugby player? Intriguing.
Clint Eastwood directing? Promising.

Invictus is the latest feature from acclaimed Director Clint Eastwood (Mystic River, Flags of the Father, Letters to Iwo Jima, Unforgiven, Gran Torino) which tells the story of how Nelson Mandela, South Africa President, uses the rugby national team to unite a country ailing from inter-racial pains.

I cannot make my mind up if Invictus is a sports movie, or a historical one. While it has bits and pieces of how Mandela rose from being a 27 year prisoner due to his apartheid convictions, the whole movie still screams sports story. It has the predictable thematic of feel good yet the over-all treatment is subtle on the policial undertones, and the general theme of forgiveness, unity and peace.

Lost in all these are the sports scenes. I admit I am not a rugby fan, scratch that, I have not even watched a rugby match nonetheless, I was half heartedly expecting to learn a bit or two or the least be able to follow the rugby scenes. Instead, I am constantly relying on a simple glimpse at the score, or the two bodyguards' reaction to the game. Did they win or not??? This simple absence of sports narrative (hell, even a commentator wasn't even there!) can be concluded as Eastwood's style to differentiate it from a Jerry Maguire, or an Invincible movie, which tries and goes for the dramatic and slow motion last second victory effect. However, in this case less is not more, that is my only gripe.

Overall, Eastwood has the ability to take a predictable story look understated yet still cleanly crafted. Not to mention that Freeman and Damon, as expected, give out solid perfomances. Invictus in this premise, delivers the points, err goals, see?!

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It is tough to lose a friend who is on his way to his prime years. It is tougher to never get the chance to experience your friendship reach its prime years.

Nald has always been a familiar person dating back to my childhood days. Him, his Kuya Ryan, and his cousins KC and Karl are fixtures in every summer days in Lagonoy. Their afternoons are usually spent on mountain bikes and to the untrained eye may come as a showcase of both their bikes and their Spanish looks. This most probably was the main cause of the aloofness and awkwardness that has wrapped our childhood links, even for the fact that we were related in blood. (He is my uncle)

Fast forward to several years ago, I chanced upon an adult version of this mountain bike riding kid. He's expectantly taller yet surprisingly sharing the same interests I have for years, books, music, tv series and specially movies. Nald's passion for movies transgresses that of any person I know. If you need to know which film is worth your money, ask Nald and he will have a ready answer.

Conversely, I do not even have a ready answer when pressed with the question of how well did I really know Nald. Honestly, I did not know him much but I did know him enough. Enough to say that he could make corny jokes tolerable. Enough to absorb that his movie and series insights can ruin your budget. Enough to conclude that a guy with no girlfriend who is not even a playah can make a lots of gals cry. Enough to once again affirm that life is really so short.

Sabi ngani ninda plastikan naman daa pag mayo ka na, na ika na ang pinakamaboot na tao. Totoo man gayud, pero sa kaso mo gayud dikit ang ang maisip kan kabaliktaran. Padi, pakikumusta na sana kay Jack, Kate, John, Sawyer asin sa gabus na losties sa island!

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I used to like the One Tree Hill series, before their stories become protracted and their music went downhill. One of the things I picked up was to create at start of the year a list of predictions you think will come true for that year.
I wonder if any of Robredo's wish list came true cause 2009 was a big year for Naga. BicolMail got its sense back. Casureco is still saddled with conflicts and corruption - though it effectively broke away from the grasp of the Archdiocese and the city government proved it had balls - hopefully one that won't wither away come September 2010.
However on a personal note - on my list, only one came true. That was to do something impulsive - this wasn't just buying things but really do something really big, something I didn't have to think twice.
So that is my thing for 2010, to make at least half of the things I will write down today come true before 2010 ends.
So cheers to 2010. A year that I hope will be rollercoaster both for Naga and me.

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You've got to hand it to Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes. She took the job without having to heave a heavy sigh first, or without having to mull over the consequences last. She did so, and for a woman her...

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You've got to hand it to Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes. She took the job without having to heave a heavy sigh first, or without having to mull over the consequences last. She did so, and for a woman her...

More to read at the Blog. Read comments, or publish your own. Comment on the post, or comment on other readers' comments. Please follow the Title Link.

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The BICOL AUTONOMY MOVEMENT! Draft Charter is being prepared.
So why aren't Bicolanos jumping for joy? Because we don't want it.
Granted that there used to be a time when the idea of autonomy for Bicol seemed alluring, the proposal today feels more like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.
Back then imperious Manila was the battle cry now it ranges from independent growth to just plain lust for power. That is to say, the same families who rule over Bicol now will likely still lord over once Bicol becomes autonomous - only that their control will be widened and the likelihood of change even more unlikely.
The centralized government we have know is imperfect, but this is something we can work around - only if our leaders show political will and sense of service they had promised the electorate in the first place.
Autonomy is not a panacea - we need to only look at Maguindanao as a case study.
And before we even contemplate handing even more power to our current crop of politicians, we implore them to first do the job they have now. Serve.
Hell, if they can't do that how can they handle an autonomous region? Hopefully not with backhoes.
When we see a real statesman step up to lead Bicol and not a trapo, we will look forward returning the draft charter into the table but right now it's just paperweight.

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I've been there several times. The last time I saw it, it looked much different. It was very different from what it was the first time I stood before it. I was a couple of miles from its foot and yet...

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Cruel things have happened lately. It is not enough to say that the bloodbath in Maguindanao has stirred a cauldron of emotions here and elsewhere. Certainly, neither is it enough to proclaim that we...

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Didn't we tell you the season's comin'. So what do you do if you find yourself alone - without a hugging companion because you're unlovable and cheap. Well fret no more, we know a great escort service...or you might just want to entertain yourself with these suggestions:

Red Ribbon's Grilled Cinnamon
There was a time when you could only enjoy Red Ribbon's Grilled Cinnamon in Manila then a few months back we rejoiced when they opened a branch in Centro though after a while they closed shop err.. [started] renovating. Sad, huh! You could still buy packed buns at their other shop but you have to grill/reheat it yourself (as well as add choco syrup, powdered sugar and butter) and warm/reconstitute the choco - cheaper but a bit of a hassle


Hunt for a scarf
Ever since Mega and Garage Magazine editors saw Janjalani, they saw what we did not - a fashion forward terrorist. Yes, since the hey day of the Abu Sayyaf they have been photographed wearing scarves while terrorizing Mindanao (take that André Leon Talley, who only terrorizes young models while drowning in LV); past forward four years and everyone seems to be wearing one.
You could swag one of these babies for less than 80 bucks, under 60 if you haggle really, really hard.

Hmmn.., who's scarier?



Feel like a million bucks at Avenue Plaza
So, you're as broke as a joke - that doesn't mean you should feel like one. Granted that Avenue Square is an expensive place to hang out and the crowd has become well slim pickin' you can impress your friends by bragging that you've hanged out at the Avenue Plaza Hotel (just leave the 100-peso budget out in the sideline)
There is a 24-hour cafe past the lobby where you can hang out by the pool. No need to take a dip though just look like you wanna kill time..chill. The best place to hang out is the side of the pool - after the afternoon heat. All the umm... young-at-heart stay inside and the yuppies stay by the pool. Now for the 100 bucks, first you need to load up on something before you come there - that amount is going to get you squat. What you can have is a can of soda or fruit juice, so just stretch it out and enjoy the music (they love soul & instrumental) while waiting for the sun to set. Smile occasionally and look like you're bored even though who's who of Naga is passing you by.


What are the top two ways to do in Naga just wait...our can of soda is here.

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Here's a short list of what keeps my week sane:

1. An episode of How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Top Chef and Californication, in that order.

2. A good PS3 NBA 2k9 match up with my cousin or brother.

3. One SM movie, this week its Ninja Assasin!

4. Three hours non-stop of 5 on 5 DOTA.

5. One bucket of Red Horse.

6. A hug from Acacia.

7. A kiss from Akello.

8. And one from Mommy. :D

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To say that I have lived my life without any regrets is hypocrisy. Regrets are a part of life, and as we look back, there are some timestamps where we could have done things differently or taken the other fork in the road. So whenever I hear a beauty pageant contestant without hesitation proclaim that "I would not change a thing in my life," I really find it hypocritical.

I am a fallen eagle. Not was, but am. I remember that night I was on the bus back to Naga for the break and in my head I was already computing if my grades would add up to the required QPI (quality point index) of 1.8 to stay in Admu. I knew it would come short (I got 1.2). My Calculus and English classes eerily my best and favorite subjects were going to be my doom. So the day I went back to Manila to enroll, I knew doomsday was coming. I even brought bigger bags (two of them).

So when my gay roommate (there were three of them, all sexually confused, this was the one who on a daily basis pestered me with Himig Handog songs) mouthed the words, "you are getting kicked out, same with Idunnowhathisnamewasbuthewasalwaysdrunk," hit me, it no longer had its numbing effect. I packed my bags. Left some of my smelly unwashed briefs and headed home.

You say what happened my friend?

What happened to me as Barney would say it is legen... wait for it... dary! Yes I was a legend but in a terrible way. Lower classmen in my former high school would point at me as the guy who flunked due to too much computer games. May I correct that it was a totally inaccurate conclusion. It was not computer games but computer games and movies, actually. In my short stint in Metro Manila and the lovely dorm of Ateneo, I was acquainted with Warcraft, Doom, and a whole lot of Sta. Lucia, Megamall, SM North and even Ever Gotesco Grand Central in Caloocan.

Well as the cliche goes, when they close a door, a new door opens, well what I got was a small window but a lot of windows. Now I have two wonderful kids, a stable job, free access to internet, a whole lot of movies (this gives away my numerous posts on movies), and your unending supply of computer games (I don't even play that much anymore). Still, I can't help but wonder what would have ever happened if my Ateneo thing had panned out?

Could I have had a financially statisfying life, relocating to the States, being discovered as a funny Asian and appearing in the Hangover naked instead of that Korean dude?

Could I have turned gay as influenced by my three Himig Handog singing sisters in the Ateneo dorms and be the next Bebeng Walangari?

Could I have been Chris Tiu's buddy and made the Greenwich cheesy hugging commercial?

See, the possibilities are endless which just justifies my regret. So right now forgive me if it crossed my kind if I hadn't been a fallen eagle for I had flown to the possibilities and there must have been a long list, if you think positively about it.

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NAGA CITY—Drawing more than 12 million viewers as of Saturday, a short film about hunger shot here by a Bicolano filmmaker has pricked the conscience of people around the world, who said it made them cry.

“Chicken a la Carte” by Ferdinand Dimadura, shot in 2005, beat some 3,600 entries when it won the 56th Berlin Film Festival award for short films in 2006. Its biting commentary has drawn viewers to the website www.cultureunplugged.com and YouTube.

The film is “about hunger and poverty brought about by globalization,” the synopsis says.

“There are 10,000 people dying every day due to hunger and malnutrition. This short film shows a forgotten portion of society … What is inspiring is the hope and spirituality that never left this people.”

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While many people are still engrossed in Pacquiao mania, Efren Peñaflorida single-highhandedly showed the greatness within the Filipino. We're more than proud to say, we helped/voted for him - cue in Susan Roces -"...not once, but twice..." and that's just in a single week. The works of the finalists for the CNN Hero of the Year award were all great - each making a tremendous difference in their own little way. On the other hand, there could only be one winner of the award so our allegiance, of course, went to the man who valued education and espoused belief that everyone has the capability to rise above and beyond what is presented to them.
However, we would like to highlight the works of an equally admirable man, Jorge Munoz(left). He started the program Angel in Queens. In it his whole family pitches in to feed homeless people around New York; selfless, wouldn't you say? He is not rich, he just does it - just because it is the right thing to do.
So why don't we see this kind of people in Naga City. Is everyone busier than Peñaflorida and Munoz that they can't do anything else than write cheques for the church. And wouldn't it be nice if priests and nuns went around the city directly helping the needy? Just to show the way - cause somehow prayers don't quell hunger.
Anyway, congratulations to all of them! If only we have leaders who could walk in their shadows.

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One of the movie genres I truly enjoy are war films. Schindler's List started it for me then it was on to Band of Brothers, Windtalkers, the cheesy Pearl Harbor, We Were Soldiers, Courage under Fire and several notables trying to piece together any human interest story in the backdrop of a war laced setting.

As I have said before, watching a movie with zero pre-conceived knowledge is a plus. The Hurt Locker has the distinct feature for me. Another plus is that this is the first modern day film which effectively paints a picture of what the new war is about.

The thing about modern war movies is that it loses the cheap thrill of hand to hand combat, it has lesser avenues for tactical assaults, and features less and less of the camaraderie of the men in war. Most of the time it is a show of technological force. The biggest missiles, the largest tanks, the longest guns on display are front and center in a modern day war.

While what I said ahead is true, in this movie, the uniformed men are front and center. In fact the movie borders on the psychological aspect of what a man in war goes through. The opening lines say it best, "The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug."

The protagonist while not typically your male chiseled hero comes in the form of Sgt. Williams James, a replacement bomb disposal expert. At first, he may come off as an aloof, distant, quiet hero and you may mistake him as the antagonist causing friction in the group. As the story unfolds, the viewer will be amazed at how he relishes at the role, showing unpredictability, inner strength, similar to a bomb that can explode at any time. This is best showcased in one scene when all civilians are evacuated yet he chooses to disarm the bomb at the cost of endangering his and his crew's life. Apart from this, Sgt. James favorite past time is to drink brandy and engage in a who hits the hardest games with his oft perplexed team members.

Overall it is refreshing to watch a movie that takes on how the thrill of war like a drug can keep men hooked. Even with the impending dangers, they keep coming back to the battlefield like moths to a flame. This movie ranks up there with the best of 2009.

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To say that Quentin Tarantino makes eccentric films is an understatement. There's the stylish 80s looking film Pulp Fiction and the ninjaeqsue violence ridden Kill Bill volumes 1 and 2.

Inglorious Basterds was an ambitious project which supposedly had to star Leo di Caprio, Brad Pritt, Adam Sandler, and Nastassja Kinski. Unfortunately due to major scheduling conflicts we are only left with Mr. Jolie himself. This des not turn out that bad mainly because the smorgasbord of well knwon stars could have turned the attention from the story telling and the style oft he film.

The movie despite being set in World War II depicts more of a 60s western movie - a band of bandits (the Allies) unite on a common mission (to scalp as many Nazis as they can) and carry them out in a grotesque and at the same time weirdly funny way. The scalping of the heads reminded me of Legends of the Fall. The bat weilding Nazi hater who pummelled a guy to the ground brought back memories of Danny de Vitos death in Casino. And the marking of the schwastika on the head of freed captives (to tell the story of the basterds and spread fear) well had no flashbacking effect but still had the effect.

This movie has Tarantino's stamp all over. There were no intentionally funny lines but I had some grins here and there specially with the film within a film film, the guns under the table stand-off and the way Brad Pitt cooly addressed his men in the film early on, mainly due to too many Fight Club rewatchings. Even Hitler himself is sort of a caricature, world's apart from the Hitler in Valkyrie whom I found near accurate, but still this movie's Hitler makes me grin (maybe mostly due to the failed resemblance other than the stache).

The movie suceeds in creating a movie that transposts you to another time, and ask was this really made in 2009? And that is a good question by the way.

General

To say that Quentin Tarantino makes eccentric films is an understatement. There's the stylish 80s looking film Pulp Fiction and the ninjaeqsue violence ridden Kill Bill volumes 1 and 2.

Inglorious Basterds was an ambitious project which supposedly had to star Leo di Caprio, Brad Pritt, Adam Sandler, and Nastassja Kinski. Unfortunately due to major scheduling conflicts we are only left with Mr. Jolie himself. This des not turn out that bad mainly because the smorgasbord of well knwon stars could have turned the attention from the story telling and the style oft he film.

The movie despite being set in World War II depicts more of a 60s western movie - a band of bandits (the Allies) unite on a common mission (to scalp as many Nazis as they can) and carry them out in a grotesque and at the same time weirdly funny way. The scalping of the heads reminded me of Legends of the Fall. The bat weilding Nazi hater who pummelled a guy to the ground brought back memories of Danny de Vitos death in Casino. And the marking of the schwastika on the head of freed captives (to tell the story of the basterds and spread fear) well had no flashbacking effect but still had the effect.

This movie has Tarantino's stamp all over. There were no intentionally funny lines but I had some grins here and there specially with the film within a film film, the guns under the table stand-off and the way Brad Pitt cooly addressed his men in the film early on, mainly due to too many Fight Club rewatchings. Even Hitler himself is sort of a caricature, world's apart from the Hitler in Valkyrie whom I found near accurate, but still this movie's Hitler makes me grin (maybe mostly due to the failed resemblance other than the stache).

The movie suceeds in creating a movie that transposts you to another time, and ask was this really made in 2009? And that is a good question by the way.

General