Shall I give a rundown of the last movies I’ve seen? Sure, why not? Well, tracking the movies I’ve watched is easier now since I started logging them on Letterboxd. And I’m also slowly transferring some of my movie ‘reviews’ in this blog to Letterboxd for whatever it’s worth. One thing I don’t like about Letterboxd though is that, it seems some people will follow you only so that you’ll follow them back. And then, they’ll unfollow you when you don’t do it within 24 hours. (Well, that’s social network for you, dumbass! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pornhub — that’s basically social networking site in default mode. Wait. Is Pornhub a social network?) So, I don’t know, maybe my Letterboxd account will soon be like the movie review section of this blog. But the fun part of it is that I can also log some jokey ‘reviews’ just for sake of it. I can make jokes about movies like Rurouni Kenshin and Black Widow, in addition to writing ‘actual reviews.’
The Eroticist (1972). Sexy hilarious nunsploitation comedy that satirizes “the separation of the state, the mafia, and the church,” and arguably darker than any Scorsese gangster flick.
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013). It’s a perfectly fine movie — in a mid-budget B-movie Sam Raimi-esque splatter-happy R-rated violence+nudity certified rotten but beloved by horror fans kind-of-way.
Dogwashers (2020). Looks like Guy Ritchie gangster movie. As bloody violent as the bloodiest Ritchie but not as fast flashy and funny.
Loki (2021). I thought two or three episodes were fun, especially the Loki-Mobius buddy comedy — promising but ditched too soon because, you know, the series goes back to being an MCU property. Means, it prioritizes the plot, the setup, the introduction for the next Thanos-level villain. And just when I thought that Sylvie was becoming an interesting character, she goes back to being what her character was ultimately written for — to serve the plot, the setup, the introduction for the next Thanos-level villain.
Black Widow (2021). Black Widow mixes Winter Soldier-action, GotG-drama about family, and the usual MCU-quippy comedy without actually being good at any of the three. Which means, yes, it is a movie.
Patient X (2009). Unsurprisingly bad acting from Richard Gutierrez, vampires who probably thought they’re in a better version of Twilight, DP shaking the camera like in Jason Bourne movies, and Christine Reyes almost convincing me to give this movie another half-star just for her being in the movie.
Rurouni Kenshin: The Final (2021). The story may be slim, the plot straightforward AF. But that’s why it works. It’s more focused than the last two Rurouni Kenshin movies. It has high-flying action and it’s a revenge story that tells deeper stuff about killing and revenge, more than, idk, the two volumes of Kill Bill?
Downsizing (2017). Billionaire-backed scientists found a way to save the environment by telling poor people to live within their means.
Superhero Movie (2008). Aside from being ahead of its time (literally), this is at least half-star better than the most bland DC & MCU movies. Also, that “All By Myself” song/sequence is just so frickin’ good!
The Swordsman (2020). A Korean Rurouni Kenshin, with a bit of Zatoichi that’s relatively more grounded than those Battousai movies (i.e., less anime-style swordfights). Joe Taslim was so pissed the semi-blind Swordsman cheated in the final battle.
Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam (2021). Solid s’ya. Nakakatawa/nakakaiyak. Parang gusto ko kumain ng moenmin pagkatapos.
Shall I give you a rundown of my recent favorite songs. Tracking my latest favorite songs has been easier since I started listening to music on YouTube. I just go to my History, and Voila Davis! There’s the last videos I watched and the last songs I played. So, without further ado…
Binibini, Zack Tabudlo. Discovered this song first via some parody (“Binubuni”) on Facebook. Then, I searched for it on YouTube and I thought I kinda liked it. Thought the chorus sounds like something else, but could put a finger on. Sometimes that’s a good thing.
Lagi, Aina Juarez (Skusta Clee cover). Found it used in one video on FB about EMI a.k.a. Bitukang Manok a.k.a the Zigzag Road in Atimonan, Quezon. Didn’t watch the whole thing but found the song interesting. So I decided that I’ll watch it later but it turns out, tracking your watched history on FB isn’t as easy as I thought. So, I spent maybe around an hour just searching, watching, re-watching anything Zigzag Road on FB until I found it.
How Was Your Day? beabadoobee. Haven’t really listened to the whole Fake It Flowers album. But this song and the other songs on YT are all watch-worthy.
Friend of Mine, Odette Quesada / To Love Again, Sharon Cuneta. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m on Odette-Quesada’s-version-of-Friendzone-mood lately.
Indak, Up Dharma Down (Tower Sessions). Yeah, Odette Quesada’s late husband Bodjie Dasig’s “Sana Dalawa Ang Puso Ko”, which probably was one of UDD’s inspiration for the song, reminded me of this.
How Did You Know? Chiqui Pineda. As I’ve also mentioned before, better than Gary V.
Ate Sandali, Maris Racal. Sarah Geronimo and her songwriters probably weren’t aiming for the same vibe with the song “Tala”, BUT that song just doesn’t do it for me. Sure, the dance moves were um, somewhat new but as a pop song to listen to (and not to bust some moves on TikTok) it just doesn’t cut it for me. But this song does. It’s catchy, dance-y, it’s actually refreshing without trying so much to break-out of the usual pop song mold.
Kinikilig, Hazel Faith. See above.
Ulan, Cueshe (Live on Wish107). This video has got a fucking gazilion views! Can’t say I’m a big fan but, take THAT haters!!! I hope that Wish107 would give some of these YouTube “royalties” to the band and none for band’s haters. Lols.
All By Myself, Gabriel Mann. It’s a shame that there’s no full version of this available on YT apart from what was used in the movie. In case you don’t know, it’s a parody of “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” sequence in Spider-Man 2. But this version of the song actually rocks, better than Eric Carmen’s or Celine Dion’s version.
superuselessf*ckingreviews 