List of Last Things 2

Last Movie Watched - The Fantastic Four. Highly enjoyable, if you don't expect too much from it. As a comics-based movie with an ensemble cast, it's not a bad origin tale. It does well enough as a springboard for an entire franchise. Granted, Spiderman had a better human interest story, but Ben Grimm's development from muscleman to The Thing is compelling enough drama. As for Reed Richards, I guess what really makes him a superhero is his native high intelligence and not his elasticity as Mr. Fantastic. If you didn't realize this early enough, you'd think he was the wimpiest in the group. There are some scenes that made me laugh out loud: Johnny Storm bursting into flames while skiing, and ending up naked, melting enough snow to make a hot tub for him and his "hot" nurse; and Sue Storm having to strip down in public (twice!) and run away, invisible. The story and the action are equally engaging and fast-paced. It's definitely worth its ticket price, as long as you aren't seated next to annoying kids and people who haven't turned off their cell phones.

Last DVD's Watched - Asterix and Obelix Take On Caesar, and Six-Stringed Samurai.

My friends Dondi and Esmi invited me to their place for a sandwich-bar dinner while watching DVD's newly added to Dondi's collection. Asterix and Obelix Take on Caesar (1999) features Gerard Depardieu as Obelix, with Roberto Benigni (Life Is Beautiful) as the villain Lucius Detritus and Laetitia Casta as Obelix's love Panacea. Most of us had read the comic books by Goscinny and Uderzo as children, so we were pleased to discover that the movie had an English dub translation by Terry Jones. The film is funny, although not as funny as, say, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (still my standard for rib-tickling humor). The dog that plays Dogmatix is adorable. As for Laetitia Casta (who is currently Marianne, or the Face of France), she is easy on the eyes, for as long as you pay no attention to her distracting teeth.

If you enjoy Kurosawa samurai movies, plus Mad Max, Kill Bill, El Mariachi, music and all, you'll enjoy Six-Stringed Samurai (1998). This campy low-budget film features Buddy, our bespectacled hero with a katana sheathed behind his 1957 guitar. He ventures across a wasteland to get to his gig in Lost Vegas, pursued by Death and his minions, and along the way picks up a little boy who later becomes his sidekick. It's like a long music video with a surreal script full of allusions to the death of rock and roll. If you're the kind of person who gets peeved because you can't find a plot in this movie, skip it. But if you watched Kill Bill over and over just for The Bride vs. Crazy 88 samurai sword-frenzy with rockabilly music in the background, this would be more your thing. I enjoyed it, but I guess not enough to buy me a copy.

Last MP3 Downloaded - Gavin DeGraw's "Chariot". Great song, the kind you want to listen to on a rainy day when you're stuck indoors.

Last Book Read - Haruki Murakami's "Norwegian Wood" (English translation by Jay Rubin). Murakami's protagonist Watanabe hears his first love Naoko's favorite Beatles song and goes twenty years back down memory's highway to hip 1960s Tokyo. Along the way a girl named Midori comes into his life and makes him choose between the past and the future. Rather good read.

Last Restaurant Visited - Cafe Mediterranean Podium, last Sunday. Had a Kofta Kebab with buttered rice. Kofta are little meatballs made of ground lamb and beef (I think) mixed with chopped onions and herbs, slid on a kebab and grilled. Kofta are good with their yoghurt-based sauce. They also serve really good Kofta Burger, if you're bored with the usual patty-on-a-bun. Their food is on the healthy side, grilled rather than fried, with South Beach Diet versions of most popular dishes. They also have a very good Lamb Stew and Lamb Kebabs. Service is quick and everything is reasonably priced.

List of Last Things

Last Book Read - The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood. The story of two sisters, one of whom becomes a novelist and leaves clues about her anarchist lover. Highly recommended.

Last Fine Dining Restaurant Visited - The Museum Cafe at the Ayala Museum, Ayala Center, Makati. It was my dad's birthday last Sunday (Independence Day). We had a good South African white wine with various Asian fusion style dishes. Everyone else's orders were good, although the short ribs in tamarind sauce I ordered were over-marinated and and became too salty. They have an interesting salad that includes fresh leaves of alugbati (very good). The dessert, a caramelized banana tart topped with pastillas de leche ice cream, was divine. Price-wise, it costs much less to dine there for the style and quality, as compared to dining at a hotel restaurant. Recommended attire: smart casual.

Last Fastfood Visited - (I'm only including this for the novelty.) Pizza Hut Bistro, on the second floor of Gateway, in Araneta Center (Cubao). This place fills up quickly. The salads are quite good, ranging in price from P115 to P140, and a grilled chicken sandwich order (two fist-sized sandwiches topped with melted cheese) was to be had for P99!

Last MP3 Downloaded - When I See You Smile, by Bic Runga. This Kiwi singer gave us the hit Sway. Check out her albums Drive and Beautiful Collision. Highly recommended if you enjoy an angelic voice accompanied by acoustic guitar. Comparable to artists Sarah McLachlan, Dido,and Jewel.

Last Movie Watched - Frank Miller's Sin City (last Tuesday, at the Powerplant in Rockwell). Directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, with guest director Quentin Tarantino, based on Frank Miller's graphic novel. Actually, I've only read the volume about Marv and Goldie, but it's enough to acquaint yourself with the style of the movie - very noir, with coloration. That part they did rather well. There are three volumes of the graphic novel that were incorporated into the movie. I enjoyed the movie; I think I'll get it on dvd. The only thing that bothered me was the excessive prosthetic makeup on Mickey Rourke (to make him look as craggy as Marv), which made him look like a plastic action figure in comparison to the other leads Bruce Willis (good role here) and Clive Owen (in a two-dimensional role for such a good actor, unfortunately). In a milieu where the leads are reluctant heroes, the remaining men corrupt officials/criminals and all the women are prostitutes, it's impossible not to notice the women. Jessica Alba REALLY dances well. And Rosario Dawson has an interestingly feral quality about her, such that you'll wish she played Catwoman instead of Halle Berry.

Last Dream I Had - I dreamed that someone gave me a pale tabby kitten as a gift. One day I left for work, and returned home to find the kitten colored with bright orange stripes. I went around on a rampage looking for characters who might've spiked the cat food with neon dye. (As I read this I'm laughing at myself!)