Thoughts on Sound of Music from a girl named “Gretel”

source: imdb.com

Nope, Gretel isn’t my real name. Yet, at age 3, I convinced my entire family to call me by that name because I was such a fan
of the movie. I watched the movie so many times when I was little I practically do a monologue of some of the scenes.

Now, of course, I don’t watch it as often, but when I do it’s always a joy! The songs are so much fun to listen to, partly because
of nostalgia; and partly because I get to sing along when I want to.

What makes Sound of Music of appealing? Celebrities like Christina Aguilera are quite vocal about it being a big part of their
childhood. And I’m sure, like me, there millions who never get tired of hearing these inspiring words:

“When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.” 

This, I think, is one of the reasons why I love The Sound of Music so much- it never fails to inspire.

Here are more inspiring quotes from the movie:

“Climb every mountain. Ford every stream. Follow every rainbow. Till you find your dream.”

“I have confidence in sunshine, I have confidence in rain, I have confidence that spring will come again.”

“To find out what is the will of God, and to do it wholeheartedly.”

“These walls were not meant to shut out problems…”

I’m sure there are a lot more.

*What makes this movie so great is that in spite of it not being a heavy drama, you get a lot from it. You get romance, action,
music (musical score, songs) , beautiful cinematography, and humor.

* It’s just the right amount of “inspiration”that can change a bad mood to a good mood and lift your spirits, but not so much
that you end up living in fairytale land.

* It’s not tiring to watch, in fact, every time I watch it, it still entertains.

Congratulations Robert Wise, you have created a masterpiece!

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ON THE SIDE: Let’s not forget about fashion:

Who could forget Liesl’s dress during that night at the gazebo? My cousins and I have been buying formal wear with similar designs. It’s just
so “princess-y” and ladylike.

source: http://www.perioddramas.com/articles/the-sound-of-music-film-costumes.php

Baroness Elsa’s evening gown is quite stunning as well!

source: http://www.pinterest.com/englishmajor89/the-sound-of-music-costumes-and-sets/

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SCENERY MAGIC

Fairytales and I

I grew up watching Disney (so did most of my friends, and a whole lot of other people- I would imagine)   I still memorize some of the songs, heck, I even re-watch the classic Disney Animated Films . Growing up, my favorite was The Little Mermaid (as I kid, I always had this fascination about underwater kingdoms I actually dreamt of travelling into one). When Mulan came out though, it immediately became my favorite.

Last night, I made myself a Disney playlist, actually it was more like a animated feature film playlist because I included songs from Thumbelina, The Swan Princess, and Anastasia.  Anastasia is actually my favorite non-Disney cartoon. As a kid, my sister and I memorized the songs and even some of the lines- by heart.

Anyway, just thought I’d share my Top Favorite Animated Feature Film Songs. I love them because despite their childlike quality, they touch me. 🙂

These main things can make me fall in love with a song:

1. melody and lyrics
2. magic quality
3. inspiring quality
4. cuteness factor
5. just the fact that I don’t get tired of listening to it.

Probably my most favorite Disney Song- EVER

This wasn’t included in the movie itself, but I also like the radio version that they did use.

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SIDE NOTE:

I also love songs from Tangled and Frozen, but I guess since I watched them as an adult, the impact that they had on me was not the same.

Surprisingly, even though I love Let it Go as much as the next person, I have to say that I find Love is an Open Door and Fixer Upper with more airtime in my player. I find the songs extremely cute.

I’m really glad that Disney has reconnected with fairy tale cartoons! The magic has returned. ❤

image source: lovequotesplus.com

LIAM NEESON: The dark horse of the action genre (contains a small amount of spoilers)

image from: imdb.com

Since Taken (still not over how good Taken was!) was shown, Liam Neeson has attracted a cult following. Movies like Taken, The Next 3 Days, and Unknown are reminiscent of
the type of action movies that made actors like Harrison Ford and Bruise Willis famous (adapted to more modern times).

In his resent film, Non-Stop, Neeson does not fail to get the attention of the viewers. The tempo of the movie was fast backed by a highly engaging plot.  (See summary
at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024469/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_10). These types of movies aren’t blockbusters…and thank God. It’s nice to see good acting take the front
seat in an action film. Though Neeson’s films never make it to the top most of the film money bank,  I believe that they will continue to earn WELL. Why?

Because aside from being engaging, his films make people think. And will continue to want to think or else God bless the planet.

Random thoughts on the film:

• It reminded it a little bit of Executive Decision (starring Kurt Russell and Halle Berry), though twists in the plot make Non-stop unique enough to keep you guessing until
  the end.
  Side note: If you haven’t watched Executive Decision, I suggest you check it out, it never gets old.

souce: imdb.com

• It was nice to see Michelle Dockery outside the Downton Abbey set.  She was able to pull off her role much more that I expected her too. (Good job! )
• Jen (Julian Moore’s character) never really revealed what she did for a living, I wish it was revealed in the movie.
• Okay, was anyone able to predict who the mystery caller was? I did predict one of them, but the other one? Nope, I didn’t see that one coming.
• Dear Liam Neeson, pls. continue doing awesome action movies! You rock.

I’ll end this entry by posting a quotes from the father of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Have a good day everyone!

souce: saucesforlife.blogspot.com

souce: http://www.pinterest.com/dcagulada/alfred-hitchcock/

Old School Romantic Comedies of Hollywood (..or movies in general)

I am a sucker for romantic comedies. They’re light, funny and make me feel good.  Not that I limit my viewing to this genre, “but on the real”,  I’ve watched A LOT. My favorites are: While You Were Sleeping, When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, 13 Going on 30, Just Like Heaven, and The Proposal.

I wish Hollywood would release more of these types of movies. Lately, it’s been a slew of special effects and CGI cartoons over and over again.For some movies at least, the importance given to production has overtaken two very important aspects of a good film- good screenplay and good dialogue.

On the young adult side of things, it seems like no one wants to be with a human anymore. You have Twilight, Beautiful Creatures, Warm Bodies, and The Host. Not that I wasn’t intrigued with Twilight first came out. Bottom line, however, we’re all still human. I want to see things that I can relate to or at least things closer to planet Earth.

In case some of you are looking for cute romantic comedies to fill in a Sunday night or a stay-in Friday; the Philippines (the country where I live) has been producing some pretty good romantic comedies. I just felt like sharing since I like
these movies so much. Sometimes, I think they release it internationally with English subtitles.

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1.) My Best Friends Girl Friend

Summary from imdb: After an awkward yet memorable encounter at a stag party, Evo (Richard Gutierrez) and Grace (Marian Rivera) thought they would never see each other again. Little did they know that Grace is actually the girlfriend of Evo’s best friend, Mark (‘JC de Vera’). As the arrogant player that he is, Evo takes advantage of what happened at the party to make Grace agree to his demands. He forces Grace to pretend as his girlfriend to make Akiko (Ehra Madrigal), his ex, jealous. – Written by iGMA.tv

2.) A Very Special Love

Summary from imdb: Laida Magtalas is a modern-day Belle. “Miggy” is the youngest member of the Montenegro clan a well established family in the business world. She applies as an Editorial Assistant at Miggy’s newly launched men’s magazine, “Bachelor”. Laida revels working in such close proximity with the man of her dreams – Written by ledster

3.) Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo? ((Why doesn’t your crush have a crush on you?)

A quirky but kind-hearted girl develops an unlikely friendship with her new boss. Can their friendship blossom to love?

4. Starting Over Again

Summary from imdb: A pair of exes run into each other again years after a breakup that left them with plenty of unresolved questions.

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Given that these plots have been used and re-used, the story itself is pretty engaging, funny and entertaining.

By the way, if you happen to be reading this, can you share some old school movies that I can watch?
It doesn’t have to be a romantic comedy. Family-oriented movies are nice too.

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The Book Thief: Some thoughts on it (contains spoilers)

souce: imdb.com

I can hardly sit through movies which are anti-climatic. Melowdramas and documentaries always leave me sleeping or doing something else besides watching.

I watched The Book Thief, because it was the only movie in the theatre besides LEGO MOVIE that had an an above average rating in imdb, and also because the book was a New York Times Bestseller .

I was utterly surprised to find myself hanging on to every scene- even crying in one of them. The movie humanized Hitler’s rule. It made the suffering people of that era come to life. I could feel myself empathizing with characters’ sadness, frustrations, joys and fears.  Given, that the story is a work of fiction, the emotions felt so genuine. Sophie Nelisse, the actress who plays Liesel (the heroine), has promising future ahead of her. Her acting is calm and understated but the underlying emotions are strong and well portrayed. Emily Watson (adoptive mother) and Geoffrey Rush (adoptive father) delivered very touching performances as well.

Movies often make me think and ponder about various things related (or semi-related to it).  Just wanted to share some of the things that crossed my mind
post-viewing:

• It made me reflect how events in history (or people in history) are sometimes  objectified to facts in history references. The only thing that separates the past from the present is time. 100 years from now, people might be looking at my laptop and smartphone as primitive artifacts of the past. But that’s just how the world works. The past 100 years ago is as real as the “now”.
• In the end, we’re all just people- living and breathing. So people who feel like they’re superior for one reason or the other should give themselves a big slap on the cheek and remind themselves to be grounded.
• I suddenly feel nostalgic for all people who have experienced the wars of the past.  My grandmother experienced the Japanese-Filipino war. When she was alive, she often told me stories about her experiences. Back then, what she told me didn’t sink in as actual events but as stories. Something that was far away. Something I couldn’t relate
  to. It must have been REALLY, REALLY scary living during those times.
• I really, really hope the Philippines can come up with something like this. I know we can. Maybe someday we will.
• The power of words has amazed me once again.

” Words are life, Liesel. All those pages, they’re for you to fill.”, Max Vadenburg, The Book Thief

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