Flick Pick: Rurouni Kenshin Live Action Film

or "When There's Really Not Much To Expect At All From A Scarred Swordsman"

When it comes to adapting a famous literary piece or a classic film or TV series, the products of such efforts can only be divided into three: those who are faithful, those who are awful, and, in rare cases, those who create a different movie altogether that merely borrows names, settings, and perhaps some events from the original.

But are in-betweens allowed? Sure, and this live action adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin is, but unfortunately, such way of standing in between "awful" and "different" made the movie more terrible that it should be.

But one should note that as an adaptation of a long series, in fact long enough to generate a number of fans that would certainly have high expectations once any live-action movie of their favorite is out, can be seen in two different perspectives.

One can see the movie as a hardcore fan of the Rurouni Kenshin manga and anime, looking for the different details from start to finish, from the largest to the smallest detail, and seeing if it really is a near-perfect copy of what you have watched for more than a season or two (in this case, the live action movie covered the first 15 or so episodes of the anime. Apparently, this movie failed to do so, transforming Kenshin the man of many words and principles into a non-killing killing machine (yep) with foils coming out of nowhere, without any regard to the history that shaped them. While Kaoru and Megumi would be the closest to the anime version, Sano and Yahiko were empty personalities that seemed to be there for comic reasons, and Saito became nothing more than a police officer that has got all means to be cruel and relentless without that grit found in the anime.

Moreover, the antagonists of the film (which could perhaps been made by drawing lots or putting Kenshin's first villains in a blender) were the major disappointments, actually causing confusion about the storylines and plot elements that were derived from the manga & anime. Fine, it is clear that Kanryu the merchant is the villain of the movie, but in place of Aoshi's awesome gang, we have Jinei/Kurosaga, the former Shinsengumi, who impersonates the Battousai (which, of course, such event happens in the first episode of the series). And with Jinei, there are random henchmen, with one of those looking like Aoshi's gun-toting rip off of some sorts. Much of Saito's issues on Kenshin were reduced to nothing save for a swordfight in the rain, and we didn't really get to see much of what he can do (but wait, isn't Saito supposed to be not there in the first place yet?)

If anything at all, the live action movie's adaptation fails, and if taken as an original story loosely derived from the series, it wouldn't be that good at all. Characters have popped out of nowhere and lacked development, save for everything concerned with the Kanryu arc (in fact, just Megumi and Kanryu). The plot was messy and there were a few scenes that distorted the continuity of everything (the flashbacks didn't help). And in fact, without the association with the movie, everything is just like a bad kung-fu Hong Kong movie (no disrespect meant to martial arts greats Bruce Lee, (the early) Jackie Chan, and the great Chow Yun-Fat) that only featured a scarred samurai with a random adventure.

There are bright points, though, and the most important of all of them is the pure fulfillment of the fantasy of Rurouni Kenshin in live action, something that has become a reality in the most recent films and series that we have not just in the West but also in the East (think Great Teacher Onizuka or Hana Yori Dango). The fight scenes from the War to Kenshin and Kurosaga's confrontation are fantastic, and one can just be amazed by seeing how the Hitern Mitsurugi style works in the flesh (actually, I can go so far to say that what made this film are the very fight scenes themselves and not anything else). A bit of the comedy is preserved, with Munetaka Aoki's character Sanosuke taking much of the load. If there's something that has been kept by this live action movie that had moviegoers screaming for more (I heard that it will have a sequel which will feature all the other story arcs of the anime), those were these two very bright spots in a not-so-fantastic adaptation.

But then, I'd rather have Beat Takeshi's Zatoichi or Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai if I want good Samurai movies. I am not saying, however, that I'm eager to see whatever improvement they will have for Rurouni Kenshin 2.

Grade: C-

Tracks: Playlist For Jogging/Running

This morning, after jogging, I thought of making 100 good songs suitable for running. This playlist is a mix of various genres, mostly rock, with a dose of Rap/R&B, power pop, J-Rock, and some old songs. I picked up a significant few from my Rock playlist and got the rest from top selections in jog.fm. Most of these have pretty good intros that are consistent throughout, running at 16-175 bpm.

1.Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal
2.Angels & Airwaves - Everything's Magic
3.Avenged Sevenfold - Almost Easy
4.Avenged Sevenfold - Brompton Cocktail
5.Avenged Sevenfold - Girl I Know
6.B.o.B ft. Rivers Cuomo - Magic
7.The Black Keys - Lonely Boy
8.Blink 182 - All The Small Things
9.Blink 182 - Ghost On The Dance Floor
10.Blink 182 - Up All Night
11.Bloc Party - Helicopter
12.Blur - Song #2
13.Bowling For Soup - 1985
14.Breaking Benjamin - Unknown Soldier
15.Bring Me The Horizon - Suicide Season
16.Coheed & Cambria - Goodnight, Lady
17.Coheed & Cambria - Ten Speed (Of God's Blood And Burial)
18.Coheed & Cambria - A Favor House Atlantic
19.Counting Crows - Mr. Jones
20.The Darkness - I Believe In A Thing Called Love
21.A Day To Remember - I'm Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?
22.A Day To Remember - Another Song For The Weekend
23.A Day To Remember - Out Of Time
24.Disturbed - Down With The Sickness
25.Do As Infinity - Meramera
26.The Donnas - Dancing With Myself
27.Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed
28.Fall Out Boy - Dance, Dance
29.Fall Out Boy - Sophomore Slump or Comeback Of The Year
30.Foo Fighters - Everlong
31.Foo Fighters - Learn To Fly
32.Foo Fighters - 2 Rope
33.Foo Fighters - A Matter Of Time
34.Foxboro Hot Tubs - The Pedestrian
35.Good Charlotte - Dance Floor Anthem
36.Gorillaz - Feel Good, Inc.
37.Incubus - Pardon Me
38.Incubus - Anna Molly
39.Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills
40.Jay-z & Linkin Park - Numb/Encore
41.Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl
42.Jimmy Eat World - The Middle
43.Judas Priest - Breaking The Law
44.Judy & Mary - Sobakasu
45.The Juliana Theory - We're At The Top of the World
46.Kanye West - Power
47.L'Arc-En-Ciel - READY STEADY GO
48.La Roux - In For The Kill
49.Led Zeppelin - Kashmir
50.Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away
51.Limp Bizkit - My Generation
52.Limp Bizkit - Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)
53.Limp Bizkit - Shotgun
54.Linkin Park - Papercut
55.Linkin Park - A Place For My Head
56.Linkin Park - Faint
57.Maroon Five - One More Night
58.Maroon Five - Harder To Breathe
59.Matchbox Twenty - She's So Mean
60.Matchbox Twenty - How Far We've Come
61.Metallica - Enter Sandman
62.Mew - Apocalypso
63.Michael Jackson - They Don't Care About Us
64.Motion City Soundtrack - This Is For Real
65.My Chemical Romance - Na Na NA
66.My Chemical Romance - I'm Not Okay (I Promise)
67.Neon Trees - Animal
68.Neon Trees - Everybody Talks
69.Of Monsters and Men - Mountain Sound
70.Paramore - Playing God
71.Rage Against The Machine - Guerilla Radio
72.Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name Of
73.Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop
74.Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Face Down
75.Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - You Better Pray
76.Rev Theory - Hell Yeah
77.Rise Against - Help Is On The Way
78.Rise Against - Prayer Of The Refugee
79.Rob Zombie - Dragula
80.SCANDAL - Shunkan Sentimental
81.The Rocket Summer - Break It Out
82.Shinedown - Heroes
83.Skillet - Monster
84.Skillet - Hero
85.Slipknot - Before I Forget
86.The Strokes - Alone, Together
87.Switchfoot - Redemption
88.Switchfoot - We Are One Tonight
89.Switchfoot - Dark Horses
90.Sum 41 - Underclass Hero
91.System Of A Down - Chop Suey
92.t.A.T.u. - All The Things She Said
93.Tenacious D - Master Exploder
94.The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
95.Tokio Hotel - Ready Set Go!
96.Veruca Salt - Seether
97.The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
98.Motorhead - The Game
99.Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
100.Yellowcard - Breathing

Arranged alphabetically by artist

Ponder Points: The God of Surprises

Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.

Setting aside the apocalyptic tone, another way of reading the Gospel is the way the coming of the Lord will shatter our common perceptions and judgments about this world, as well as our "ordinary way" of living where everything is patterned, organized, and calculated according to the natural order that we know of. He is telling us that his very coming is that which does not figure into this world. The Almighty will come to save and not to judge, to serve and not to be served, and to live instead of distance himself among us. He is, after all, the King with no Crown, the Lord with no Land, the God who walks as a human being.And what do we do while we wait? We are called to prepare, to let ourselves be filled with the grace of His eventual coming, to be ready as to how He will make Himself lovingly present among us. Simply put, this preparation is characterized by a radical openness to the God who makes Himself known and revealed.

Let ourselves be surprised. After all, our God is a God of surprises.

Pages: Trese 5 (Midnight Tribunal)

After a long long wait, Alexandra Trese is back roaming the streets of Metro Manila and making sure that the city runs as it should, making sure that the magical beasts and creatures that dwell in it are kept in check and is not bothering the normal course of human existence in harmful ways more than one. The first four books have been a success, and this fifth book indeed did not disappoint as it takes off from what has been started, but added something more that will keep Trese fans eager for another installment.

So what's new in the fifth installment? This somehow deviated from the format that the first four books thrived and became famous for, as it did away with showing brief episodes in the life of Trese for each chapter and instead sewing them along a bigger plot, making Trese 5 one big storyline that carries on from one chapter to the next. And in this issue, we see how Manila became the site of the clash between the Tikbalang and the Higante, with all-too familiar figures and a favorite item in the world of Pinoy Komiks. Plus, we'll get to see a lot of storylines that could emerge in the near future, like the growing working relationship between Trese and Maliksi, as well as the way the Madame will change the course of the whole city and its creatures, and eventually Trese's game.

Of course, everything that has been instrumental to the success of the first four books had been there: the Metro Manila of Trese, the different creatures of Filipino mythology as well as the re-imagined everyday things and brands that have become part of Filipino life which, in the Trese universe, are actually enchanged. And of course, the various pop culture and political references used to drive the point with much exclamation: the former first lady, celebrity politicians, and the most horrible massacre of our time which has been given a different "true" story, and of course, the mighty scales of Captain Barbell as a tribute to the great Mars Ravelo. All of these are meant to expose the realities of Philippine society that demands to be responded to, magic or no magic: the desire to take justice on one's own hands,

With all of these packed into the new edition of Trese, is there any more reason not to head to the stands and get a copy for yourself?

*Image from rocketkapre.com

Ponder Points: Overflowing

Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors to the treasury.
For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,
her whole livelihood.

The kind of giving that one is called to do goes outside of the economy of exchange, which considers giving as acceptable only if one can receive in exchange or what is given is in excess. Instead, one is asked to give wholly, without any reservation, without any expectation. Through the example of the old, poor widow, the Lord wants us to see that everything in one's life is not for one's own sake only, for everything is meant to be directed in the service of the Other, for one has been given not to keep it, but to let it radiate outside, beyond the self.

The Lord invites us here to enter the order of love, which goes over and outside the economy of exchange and equal worth. Because we have been given more than we ask for, we are called to give more than we can. And it is only when we empty ourselves of anything that we become ultimately ourselves.

To be, as given, is to give as well.

Ponder Points: Love As That Of Oneself

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

We sometimes treat the duty to love as a form of obligatory exchange, in which we love others on the basis of how much we love ourselves. And working within that frame, it seems that there is the tendency to impose a kind of limit or maximum on self-giving, making sure that they don't go outside or beyond the way we give ourselves. There is also the tendency for us to appropriate our own form of self-giving, that we expect others to act in the same way as we do, or to live in the way that we expect them to be.

But that, unfortunately, is not what the Lord meant when he said that we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves.

In saying this, the Lord points out two important things. First, he calls for a recognition of our own selves' being. He is called to recognize the mystery that we are, that our whole selves are full of meaning, that there is more to it than the particulars that we have used to define ourselves. In saying that we ought to love ourselves, the Lord calls us to view our whole selves with a new set of eyes, with a perspective that accounts for the richness of our being as created. We are called to see the "beyond" that is in us, that we cannot be pinned down to anything we can say about ourselves: our identities, our past, our problems, our crises.

And with this view of our own selves as a mystery is the very basis of our own self-giving. Because we cannot box ourselves, all the more are we called towards an openness and acceptance of another who is radically different, and in that difference, radically the same as we are. To love the other is precisely to recognize the mystery of the other, to know and respect that she is different from us. To love is to respond to the call to recognize and cherish the other that we cannot reduce to our own way of understanding or to our own selves, and always be unconditionally open to her as she is, in the same way that we are called to open to who we are. Simply put, the second thing that the Lord calls us is to approach the other simply and precisely as another, standing outside the self yet as rich and as meaningful as the self. Only in the recognition of such difference can one respond towards the call to love, a recognition which the Lord has first and foremost recognized and shown to humanity.

And that is why we are called to love with all our soul, mind, and heart, because it takes great effort to genuinely love. We have the tendency to love what is pleasing to us, to what conforms to our standards, our categories, and our notions of other people; however, in these circumstances, we somehow forgot what we are actually called to do, which is precisely to transcend our own self-defined notions and let the mystery and meaning of the other captivate us by being open and patient to the other which shows herself. This mystery is precisely what will draw us towards giving more than what is expected economically, more than we can actually bear. It is then that we put our lives at risk for the sake of the other, precisely because we have allowed ourselves to be captivated by her.

Thus, it is only in recognizing our own being that we become aware of our called to do regarding the being of others.

It consists in the very fact that, in God and with God, I love even the person whom I do not like or even know. This can only take place on the basis of an intimate encounter with God, an encounter which has become a communion of will, even affecting my feelings. Then I learn to look on this other person not simply with my eyes and my feelings, but from the perspective of Jesus Christ. His friend is my friend. Going beyond exterior appearances, I perceive in others an interior desire for a sign of love, of concern.

-Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est 18

Pages: Ligo Na U, Lapit Na Me

Kung hindi lang dahil sa isa sa mga mentor ko ang pumuri nang wagas sa pagsasapelikula nito, hindi ko talaga ito babasahin. Bago lumabas ang pelikula, hindi naman siya naging patok. Bukod pa rito, tunog jejemon ang mismong pamagat ng aklat, at para sa isang taong nagnanais magkaroon ng koleksyon ng mga mahuhusay na akda sa Filipino, parang aksaya lamang ito ng pera at panahon.

Sa pagbuklat ko ng nobelang ito, natuklasan kong tama pala talaga ako. Walang pa-deep, walang pilosopikal, walang pampakilig. Isa lamang itong karaniwang nobelang "coming of age," tungkol sa isang lalakeng ayaw umamin na siya'y in love, isang babaeng walang talagang pakialam sa love, at sa isang tila pag-iibigang walang pinangakong kasiyahan kundi ang pagtambay sa coffee shop at pagkakama ng isa't isa. Sa huli, isa itong nobela ng wagas na pag-ibig na nauwi sa kasawian, subalit isang kasawiang mananatili bilang isang bahagi ng buhay na kailangang magpatuloy at ipagpatuloy.

Subalit higit na mahalaga ba ang tanong ng pagiging kayo, kung ang pagmamahal ay nakikita sa bawat maliit na sandali?

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