Strictly Bollocks

Growing up in the Backstreet Boys era, it was a bit hard for me to backtrack and appreciate true music. When I was about 11, everyone was dancing and singing to “Quit Playin’ Games” like boneless retards.

Luckily, my two brothers – biological and in-law – both grew up in the early 90s. That was when New Wave was dying and alternative rock was on a roll. It was also the time when grunge went mainstream.

It was then that I stumbled upon a Nirvana CD (yes, you know, as in compact disc). It was out of sheer curiosity that I picked up that album, probably also because of the awesome cover art: it was a photograph of a baby submerged in a swimming pool, trying to catch a dollar bill attached on a fishing hook. That album was called – you guessed it – Nevermind, and little did I know then that it's one of the best selling albums – in any genre – of all time.

And there's good reason why it was so groundbreaking.

Come As You Are. Lithium. In Bloom. Polly. And of course, Smells Like Teen Spirit.

It was my baptism into the church of rock. I had heard these songs on the radio beforehand, but I never really got to appreciate them until I had played that CD. If I hadn’t (re)discovered Nirvana on that day, I might have ended up a Westlife fan going into high school.

Kurt Cobain was the last true rock star. A lot of artists today claim that that they hate being popular and would like to get away from it all if they had the chance, but Kurt was one of the few who really made it stick. He would almost puke every time someone expressed worship or admiration for him. He deflected praises as if they were poisonous substances.

And ultimately, it also became the reason why he put a shotgun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

Read his suicide note here.

He was getting too popular. He didn’t want to write songs just to please the fans - he did it for self expression. He couldn’t handle the media attention and the pressures of his label. He just wanted to be an underground grunge band in Seattle. He was a musician, not a poster child.

When he ended his life, people must have thought, “Wow, this guy was the real deal.”

Happy birthday Kurt Cobain. Thanks for the music and the inspiration.

PS: A month before Kurt committed suicide, Justin Bieber was born, which makes 1994 the worst year in music history. Thank you very much.

Photo Credits: TechDigest.tv | Theseus.info | PSSL.com

[caption id="attachment_596" align="aligncenter" width="640"] McAdams, Gleeson[/caption]

I’d be a hypocrite if I were to say I don't enjoy romantic comedies. For one, I honestly believe that no one really “hates” this genre – I mean, c’mon, how could you? They're made specifically to warm our hearts. Maybe people (especially guys) just don't wanna admit they like it. On account of some misplaced sense of masculinity, I guess.

I enjoy rom-coms, or chick-flicks, if you will, but I have to admit, I can't blame people for puking over the really sucky ones: basically anything that has Mandy Moore, Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson or Katherine Heigl in it. Or Channing Tatum.

I wouldn’t have categorized About Time [2013] as a chick-flick if not for the poster that shows Rachel McAdams laughing in the rain. But the thing that really made me watch it was this stipulation: From the creator of Notting Hill, Love, Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Having those films on your portfolio isn’t it all bad, especially Notting Hill [1999]. It turns out, the guy responsible (Richard Curtis) also wrote Bean [1997]. Yes, as in Mr. Bean.

I didn’t expect how shockingly good About Time was. There was something about it that transcends the typical romantic comedy formula, and that ‘something’ was the element of time travel. Sure, there have been flicks that tackled time travel before, but they haven’t really fused this concept into a love story as good as About Time did. The last one I could recall was The Time Traveler’s Wife [2009], which doesn’t really qualify as a rom-com, but more of a drama. Interestingly, it also starred McAdams.

On Gleeson and British humor

[caption id="attachment_599" align="aligncenter" width="615"] Domnhall Gleeson[/caption]

I think what really carried the film was Domhnall Gleeson and his natural Brit sense of humor. He emulated a bit of Hugh Grant but less subtle and vocally clearer (Grant mumbles a lot). I couldn’t stop laughing at his intelligent quips throughout the movie. I like to believe that he’s channeling his true demeanor and wasn’t acting at all, which makes me like him more – in a movie fan kind of way, of course.

British humor is purely words-based. The comedy of a scene roots from the situation and the characters’ ability to express their thoughts in a way no one could predict. None of the lines in this film is predictable – or at least previously used.

And it’s also in the way he delivers his lines. Just seeing him say “This is such a weird joke” made me laugh my eyeballs out.

[caption id="attachment_601" align="aligncenter" width="460"] Gleeson, Nighy[/caption]

Of course, the dad (played by Bill Nighy) was also as awesome as his cinematic son. He might as well be the older version of Gleeson in the way they speak (or think). Nighy has just the right amount of wit and charm to make audiences love him. Coolest dad imaginable. Perfect casting choice in my opinion.

The awesome soundtrack

[caption id="attachment_603" align="alignleft" width="251"] OST[/caption]

The movie itself featured cool tracks from a decade ago, including t.A.T.u.’s “All The Things She Said” and The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside”. It also has The Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love” to pump up the nostalgia.

I liked Jimmy Fontana’s “Il Mondo”, which was Bill Nighy’s character’s favorite track. Great for sleepless nights and funerals. And Spanish telenovelas.

Other artists in the album: Amy Winehouse, Paul Buchanan and Ben Folds.

Check it out on iTunes.

Obsession with time travel

Although About Time had its share of plot holes (the premise of the film itself is a bit complicated to begin with), it didn’t mess up the overall impact of the story. Because it was beautifully scripted and acted, you as a viewer wouldn't care if common logic didn't agree with what’s happening.

Hollywood and its millions of minions have been obsessed with time travel for quite some time. However, this concept is more frequently seen in sci-fi or action films, and seldom in romantic films. Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris [2010] was one of the recent (and successful) ones that were able to merge time travel (sort of) and romance.

According to that movie, one’s obsession with another era or time is rooted from his or her displeasure with current life. To think that another point in time is better than the one you're living in right now only shows that you're not living your life to the fullest.

Perhaps that is why the concept of time travel really clicks with most audiences. It gives them a glimpse of how things could have been if the past was corrected, or what would it be like to escape the present and fast-forward to the future.

Great Scott!

[caption id="attachment_606" align="aligncenter" width="450"] (from Back To The Future Part III)[/caption]

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