Movie Review: A Second Chance

Image culled from ABS-CBN Film Productions Inc. (Star Cinema)

More than eight years ago, Star Cinema released a movie that had John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo exchanging powerful lines in heartbreaking and heartwarming scenes. That movie was "One More Chance" and it made a mark in Philippine history by becoming one of the most memorable Filipino movies of all time.

Fast forward to 2015 and some people still quote Popoy and Basha whenever they feel like making "hugot", which roughly translates into drawing out deep feelings -- a testament to the movie's legacy. Fortunately, Star Cinema decided to reunite Cruz and Alonzo to bring back Popoy and Basha to the big screen by way of "A Second Chance". 

Considering the legacy of the first film and curious about the hype surrounding its sequel, I decided to see the movie with my significant other at SM Megamall yesterday to check out how Popoy and Basha are doing after the events that took place in "One More Chance".

In "A Second Chance", we find Popoy and Basha married to each other and learn about the changes in the couple's relationship and their respective lives. The movie progresses like most films that celebrate marriage where we are first treated to Popoy's and Basha's honeymoon phase, followed by some problems that usually emerge after that stage of a marriage, the impact of their problems to the couple, and the solutions they came up with to solve their issues and conflicts.

In the tradition of "One More Chance", Cruz and Alonzo once again delivered lines worth remembering and portrayed their characters well enough to stir the audience's emotions for most of the movie. "A Second Chance" also features references to its predecessor to remind movie goers of "One More Chance" and how Popoy and Basha has changed from the first movie to its sequel.

One of my biggest complaints with most Filipino movies is predictability, and unfortunately, "A Second Chance" suffers from it. Throughout the course of the movie, I was able to predict what's going to happen next numerous times and was successful in guessing some of the lines a character was going to say before they were delivered. In comparison to "One More Chance", I think the script isn't as impressive this time around. In some cases, they were over the top to the point that I ended up saying 'nobody says shit like that in real life' to myself. Indeed, the way Popoy used the word "tae" (poop) in the movie was a little exaggerated for me and scenes like this made everything seem less natural.

Another beef I had with the script was that dialogues tend to drag on in scenes that weren't that important. What made "One More Chance" a success in my opinion was that it kept it simple for the not-so important parts and bombarded the audiences with cheesy and romantic lines when it mattered the most. There are times I found myself spacing out and feeling sleepy during some of Popoy's and Basha's conversations because it felt like it was going to last forever, but I guess that's how any discussion will go when the fate of a relationship rests on it.

In summary, "A Second Chance" isn't as good as its predecessor but it's still worth watching, especially if you saw "One More Chance". Although it doesn't offer anything new, the movie is your second and probably last chance of seeing Popoy and Basha again. In addition, despite the unnatural acting at times, the movie does a great job of presenting the reality that marriage isn't all rainbows and butterflies, and shows people what to do when things start turning ugly. It's like an entertaining lesson on marriage. Speaking of lessons, perhaps the biggest thing that I will take away from this movie is that things usually don't turn out as expected, and it's how you embrace and deal with the unexpected things that can make you happy. Lastly, "A Second Chance" made my significant other cry. If it stirs that kind of emotion from her, I assure you that the movie is worth seeing even if it isn't as good as I hoped for.

The Last Days Of The Black Mamba

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We all knew it was coming but I still can't believe it's happening this soon.

Kobe Bryant, one of the best shooting guards of all-time and perhaps the best player of his generation, has decided that this will be his last season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In addition to the announcement of his retirement a few hours ago, the Black Mamba expressed his feelings about his impending departure from the National Basketball Association as a professional basketball player through two letters entitled "When We First Met I Was Just A Kid" and "Dear Basketball",.

Although Kobe Bryant's fierce and competitive nature suggests that he'd continue playing until the day he dies, it seems that the injuries, losses and abysmal performances finally got to him, forcing him to hang it up after this season.

If it was 2004, I couldn't care less. I hated this guy back then. At the time, I thought this guy was selfish and an egomaniac who'd rather drive a dominant center out of town just so the Lakers can become his team. I also disliked the fact that he was being compared by the media to Michael Jordan.

But with the passing of time, I learned to appreciate what he brought to the table and what he meant to the game. He is without a doubt one of the best scorers we've ever seen. After all, he did score 81 points in an NBA game, and that's the closest we've gotten to a Wilt Chamberlain-like performance in years.

His intensity and work ethic is unmatched. Words can't describe just how dedicated and passionate Kobe Bryant is about basketball. His letters speak for themselves. That is how most people would feel after realizing the thing that they've poured their heart and soul into for years has been completed. You could admire the impact of your work, but you wouldn't be thrilled that the thing you enjoyed doing for most of your life is finally over. And let's not forget that prior to his injury, he was able to keep in step with younger superstars like Lebron James and Kevin Durant, despite having a lot of mileage on his body. At his age, the only way Bryant could've done that is by taking care of his body and practicing religiously.

I also learned that some of my previous sentiments about this weren't guy completely accurate. It's really hard to be unselfish when you're a great scorer. Besides, it has been explained in "Kobe Bryant's Muse" it wasn't just about getting all the glory but more about relying more on himself rather than expecting people to get him out of a bind.

In addition, Shaquille O'Neal has said on record that his departure from the Lakers had little to do with Bryant and more with money. Furthermore, Kobe disliked Shaq for reasons other than becoming the face of the franchise. The way the big fella' tried to slap him during rookie year, as Stephen A. Smith recalls, kinda' rubbed him the wrong way and got their relationship off the wrong foot from the get-go. Shaq's laziness, among other things, added insult to injury.

And lastly, I realized that comparing him to MJ was the right thing to do. In a league craving for its next big star in the post-Jordan era, Kobe stepped up and reminded us why we fell in love with Jordan. First, he was a winner. He may have not won as much as MJ but he does have a fist full of rings. He's a two-time gold medalist in the Olympics to boot. He also participated and won a dunk contest like MJ. Scoring in bunches is another thing they shared, and the way Kobe did it was hauntingly familiar to that of Chicago Bulls legend. In addition to his scoring prowess, Bryant played great defense. He also boosted the popularity of basketball around the world to an all-time high. Kobe may not be Michael Jordan, and probably isn't as good as him, but someone once said he is his generation's Jordan and I couldn't agree more.

Love him or hate him, Kobe Bryant has done a lot for the game of basketball. His presence will be sorely missed once he leaves the game forever so let's cherish the moments we see him lace it up and heave forced shots one last time. And for those who still dislike him, as the song goes, don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got till its gone?

Reaction: Captain America Civil War Trailer

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After leaving audiences begging for more at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel has finally released the trailer for one of the highly anticipated movies of 2016 on Jimmy Kimmel Live a few days ago.

In true Marvel fashion, the trailer for Captain America: Civil War treats viewers to well choreographed fight scenes, funny lines, explosions and iconic characters, including Black Panther, an important member of the Avengers in the comics and someone who has yet to star in his own movie, making his origins and role in future Marvel movies unknown.

Although it is a known fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn't completely faithful with its adaptations of Marvel comic books, I'm a little disappointed with what I've seen in Civil War's trailer. Granted that the sight of multiple superheroes in one movie never ceases to please me, there are still a number of things that bothered me with our first look at the sequel to Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

For starters, it appears that the conflict in the movie revolves around Captain America protecting his friend Bucky Barnes, also known as the Winter soldier and played by actor Sebastian Stan, from the authorities. Considering that Civil War is a Captain America movie and not an Avengers movie, it makes sense to tie up all the loose ends concerning Bucky from The Winter Soldier. However, it kind of makes Cap a douche, which is totally the opposite of what he stands for. Because from what I saw in the trailer, it looks like Steve Rogers is willing to sacrifice the lives of innocent law enforcers, his other friends and his country in order to protect Bucky, who did commit crimes and broke laws even though he was brainwashed at the time. From what I know, Cap stood for justice and what is right, and what is right is he figures out another way to protect Bucky without risking the lives of other people. 

In addition, the reason for the Civil War in the comic books revolved around an incident that led to the creation of the Superhuman Registration Act, which requires the registration of any person based in the United States with super powers. The comic books focused on the effects of the bill on not one, not two, but almost every superhero in the Marvel universe, as well as their reactions to the said bill. Although the bill was mentioned in the trailer, it seems to me that Bucky is a much bigger deal than the Superhuman Registration Act, which kinda dumbs down the whole Civil War thing. If war is going to break out in the MCU, shouldn't it be largely influenced by something more than an assassin with a cybernetic arm?

By the way, have you seen the rest of the Avengers? Vision made his debut in Age of Ultron, we've been promised Spider-Man and Ant-Man was confirmed for the movie but none of them were in sight even though the biggest draw of Civil War was it was going to be a superhero fest. I'm fully aware that you can't fit all the characters from the comics into one movie, but it wouldn't hurt to show superheroes that are supposed to be in Civil War in its trailer, unless they've been reduced to minor roles and cameos. If that's the case, then this movie is going to be a major letdown since Spider Man played a huge role in the Civil War comic books.

On the bright side, the trailer doesn't tell the entire story. So far, Marvel has done a great job of creating original stories for the movie versions of its iconic characters, so it won't be surprising if Captain America: Civil War turns out to be a blockbuster hit. Whether it meets expectations or not remains to be seen, but come May 2016 I'll see the movie in the nearest cinema once it comes out because I'd rather judge it on the big screen alongside other Marvel fans.    

Book Review: Pacific Rims

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More than a week has passed since Gilas Pilipinas lost to China in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championships and I am still salty about the defeat. Most people will point out that the height of the Chinese, poor outside shooting, missed opportunities from the charity stripe, pressure from fans, both Pinoys and Chinese, and the terrible officiating contributed to the loss. I, on the other hand, am left wondering why we keep dreaming of playing basketball in the Olympics, the grandest stage of them all, when the sport clearly favors tall people and height is something a lot of Filipinos are not blessed with. Wouldn’t we be enjoying more international success had the Gilas cagers started out as football players and ended up as members of the Azkals instead? Aren’t we better off had earlier generations discovered football before basketball? Isn’t it unreasonable for a country populated mostly by short people to be so in love with the game of basketball?

Although a basketball fan myself, I cannot explain the unlikely affair of Filipinos with basketball. Good thing I was finally able to get my hands on a copy of Pacific Rims, not to be confused with the movie about robots and monsters. Written by Rafe Bartholomew, the book shares the author’s experiences in the Philippines as he follows the Alaska Aces from 2005 to 2007 while uncovering the mystery behind the passion for basketball that Filipinos have.

Rich with insights, interviews and quotes from important figures in Philippine basketball, Pacific Rims has plenty of information on the history of the game in the country and how it transformed into the nation’s favorite pastime and beloved sport. It explains the role it plays in the lives of Filipinos from different walks of life as well as exploring its place in our society. The book also takes its readers behind the scenes of small-town leagues, better known as liga or paliga in Tagalog, and the Philippine Basketball Association, revealing some of the league’s secrets and shedding light on controversial issues like Fil-Ams, one-sided trades and ludicrous contracts. In addition, it takes a closer look at some of Alaska’s players and coaches during the team’s run to the championship in the 2007 PBA Fiesta Conference, giving readers a better understanding of what makes professional athletes tick and the pros and cons of being a pro baller.

Aside from the interesting information it contains, the book provides readers with entertainment in the form of the author's funny experiences in the Philippines and with the Alaska players. Reading stories about pro cagers farting, walking around naked and Bartholomew being mistaken for a popular PBA shooting guard should leave basketball aficionados laughing and shaking their heads.

To sum it up, Pacific Rims is a must read for any Filipino hoops fan. Not only does it explain why we love the game so much, but to some extent, it justifies our feelings and fuels our passion. In my eyes, Bartholomew is not only a basketball fanatic but a skilled wordsmith because the words he used in this book allowed him to speak to our culture and our soul with utmost sincerity. If you want to understand why you love basketball so much or are looking for a way to express your love for the game, other than making an acrobatic layup or creating a makeshift hoop, getting this book should do the trick.

Getting High On Filipino Comfort Food At High Ground, Los Baños, Laguna

Aside from hot spring resorts, wood carvings, the Pagsanjan Falls, Enchanted Kingdom and other tourist attractions, Laguna is also known for its delicious food. The province produces one of, if not, the best buko pies in the country, obligating a person to buy a few boxes for family and friends as pasalubong whenever taking a trip to the Resort Capital of the Philippines. And during my recent visit to Los Baños, I discovered a newly opened restaurant that will only increase Laguna’s reputation as a food blogger’s heaven – High Ground Gourmet Comfort Food.

As the name implies, High Ground specializes in Filipino comfort food with elements of different culinary traditions. It is located on the 2nd floor of the building that houses Fiorgelato-UPLB. Upon entering restaurant premises, one can get a warm feeling from High Ground’s classy wooden interior and cozy atmosphere, as if preparing you for the hearty meals and fine dining experience ahead. Need not to worry about getting all sweaty while waiting for your food since High Ground is packed with air-conditioners.

How I Met Your Mother, Pinoy Edition

Together with a select group of people, also known as my friends, I decided to please my palate with the best gourmet comfort food High Ground has to offer.

Eggplant Parmigiana
To the naked eye, High Ground’s Eggplant Parmigiana appears to be gigantic cheese sticks, when in reality, they are fresh eggplants wrapped in a special breading. Accompanied by a marinara and an aioli dip, these crispy and tasty bad boys can be enjoyed in three different ways: soaked in the marinara’s tanginess, drenched in the garlicky taste of the aioli, or a combination of the two dips for that flavorful High Ground experience.

HG Sisig
Unlike your run-of-the-mill sisig that has finely diced pig parts, High Ground’s take on the popular pulutan features a generous serving of pork loin strips and liver with sliced onions and ginger. In other words, it has bigger sisig bits for you to chew on. Furthermore, the establishment has done a great job of incorporating liver to its special pork sisig recipe. While you will hardly taste pork liver in numerous sisigs available in the market today, if ever there were pork liver in any of them, the restaurant’s pork sisig has delectable liver that is highly noticeable in a way that it complements the rest of its components and does not overpower the remainder of the HG Sisig’s ingredients.

Breaded Fish Fillet With Mango Salsa
Wrapped in crispy golden brown breading, High Ground’s Breaded Fish Fillet feels more fluffy, moist and tasty than the ones you will find in most popular fast food chains or seafood cafes. The batter used on the fish’s breading seems to be mildly seasoned, making it less salty compared to similar products, allowing diners to shift their attention towards the fish and not the breading in order for them appreciate the meat of the matter. The diced mangoes, tomatoes and basil leaves replaced traditional salty seasonings and sauces with fruity and luscious goodness. Paired with a single serving of rice, this dish makes for a truly satisfying and scrumptious meal.

Longganisa Lucban Sandwich
While a good number of people would like some fried rice to go along with their longganisa, High Ground thought it was a good idea to stuff some Lucban-style sausage between toasted focaccia bread together with tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, egg and onion. And the result… was… awesome. As one of my companions said, it tasted like Longganisa Lucban pizza. The same person added that it was one of the best sandwiches he has eaten lately and I could not agree more. And imagine that super sandwich being brought to you on a neat chopping block alongside some crispy potato chips. If that does not scream ginormous to you, I do not know what will. Here, see for yourself.

In summary, High Ground is a great place to dine with associates, family and friends. Situated near the entrance of UPLB, this restaurant offers budget-friendly fine dining for gourmands who are longing for sophisticated Filipino food. With a budget between Php 100 and 400, one will be able to indulge in a variety of palate-pleasing dishes in this establishment. In addition, the restaurant offers combo meals worth Php 119-159, each made up of a viand, a single serving of rice and a glass of High Ground’s house-blended iced tea. If ever you find yourself in Los Baños, Laguna and are looking for a place to dine and unwind, you cannot go wrong with High Ground Gourmet Comfort Food.

Photos courtesy of Chinen Aguña and Jed Ebardaloza.

Resurection

Back in 2008, after getting my Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Colegio de San Juan de Letran, I worked as an English instructor in a computer school along North Avenue, Quezon City. This is where I met a man known as Siopao Master, who later on introduced me to the world of blogging.

Equipped with my passion for writing, in addition to the training I got from my Alma Mater, I asked Siopao if I can contribute blog posts to Siopao Heaven since I don't have a blog of my own at the time and I didn't know how to create one for myself. Fortunately, he supported the idea and I was able to use Siopao Heaven as a freedom wall where I was able to express my thoughts and ideas on various issues and topics that capture my interest, including but not limited to video games and sports.

Thanks to Siopao Heaven, I got mentioned in The Week for an article I wrote about an all-white basketball league in January 2010. A few months later, I got bashed by people for giving my opinions on the candidates running for president during that time. After these experiences, my passion for blogging grew stronger and it led me to create my own blog, Lone Opinion.

For two years, I filled the archives of Lone Opinion with rants and reviews, among other things. But after October 2011, a lot of stuff happened and I couldn't find the time to write something on my digital freedom wall. Fast forward to 2015 and I realized that I miss blogging. And while I can't promise myself that I'll do this everyday, I feel like it's something I should do on a regular basis just so I have an outlet for all the ideas locked up in my head.

So after three years, Lone Opinion is active again. And I hope this time, it will be enjoyed by more people than ever.