Movie Review: When In Rome

Have you ever wished for something in a wishing well or fountain before? Did you get what you wished for afterwards or did nothing happen then? We all want to believe in the power of wishes and how strongly they can change our lives forever. They say in Rome, Italy, there is a fountain called a Fountain of Love. It is a place where people can throw their coins in after thinking of a wish that their hearts truly desire. Nobody knows if there is any truth in this but people still keep on believing it.

***CAUTION: SPOILER ALERT!***

In the movie, When In Rome, Kristen Bell stars as Beth, a young but successful workaholic curator who can't seem to find time for love. Her life changes when she takes a trip to Rome, Italy for her younger sister's wedding. There she meets Nick played by Josh Duhamel, her brother in law's college friend and best man, who helps her through difficult situations while in the wedding. Beth thinks that maybe Nick is interested in her but when she tries to meet him outside the church, she realizes that he was seeing someone else. Feeling betrayed, she decides to drink some wine while wadding into the Fountain of Love. Out of bitterness, she decides to take 5 different coins from the fountain to prove her theory that whoever wishes in that fountain will never truly find love. She goes back to America the next day not knowing what she had done.

Back in America, she goes back to work and suddenly realizes that 4 strange men seem to know her when she has no idea who they are and where they came from. She also receives calls from Nick who was interested in seeing her again some other time. Not yet realizing what she had done, she decides to call her younger sister, who was living in Italy. She then explains to her that she needs to return the coins back to the Fountain of Love in order for the spell to be broken. She tries to avoid them all after that. Nick decides to ask her out again on a date but things don't go well on their planned date, they decide to just go back to the museum and talk. After an intimate moment together, they head back to Nick's place, only for her to find out that Nick plays poker and that perhaps he is also one of the men charmed by her spell. She decides to leave him without explaining, leaving Nick wondering why.

On the day of the gala, her younger sister calls her and tells her of another way to break the spell. All she has to do is to simply return the coins to their respective owners and she will be rid of them forever. She calls on her unwanted suitors and as she was about to give the coins, she realizes that her assistant had taken them to the gala. She decides to bring the four men with her to the gala and give them their coins there. Upon returning their coins, their memories returned to them and they too realized what had happened. With the love spell gone, Beth only has one coin left to return. It was Nick's chip but as she was about to do so, one of her unwanted suitors, the magician, decides to use it as a prop for his disappearing magic trick. As she tries to get it from him, it rolls to the ground only to find Nick. With the chip returned to Nick and with him still in love with her, she realizes that its all for real.

However on their wedding day in Rome, her unwanted magician suitor reveals to her that he accidentally gave her the wrong chip that day and that he still had the original piece that he wanted to return to her. Right there and then, Beth started to doubt Nick's love for her once again. As they were about to say their "I do's", Beth decides to say no and leave Nick hanging at the altar. She revisits the Fountain of Love where she originally picked up the coins and climbs in like before. Nick appears and climbs into the fountain. He claims that he didn't throw a chip into the fountain at all. He drops the poker chip in the water and in the background, you can see and hear the priest yelling "Free of temptation!". From that moment, Beth finally believes Nick and kisses him.

We all can find true love somehow. One way or another. We don't need to wish on a wishing well or on a fountain of love. All we have to do is to keep on believing. This movie definitely had funny moments. The unwanted suitors definitely were entertaining. Kristen Bell was a vision in this film and while Josh Duhamel may have been a bit forgettable, he is still had his moments. This wasn't exactly a perfect movie to watch however it was still entertaining.

 What is it with these European cities and their tales of love and passion? Clearly, I have never been to Europe so I can never attest to it's authenticity however majority says it's true. I guess Europe is a place to find love, passion and inspiration...

Finally, they seal their love with a kiss. What's even more romantic was they did it while standing in the Fountain of Love, never minding what others would say and that others would look. *SIGH* Isn't that just dreamy?

Movie Review: The Back Up Plan

Planning - Most people love planning so much that everything in their lives are totally scheduled. Some people have a list of things to do, when to do them, what to buy, where to go, everything! I wonder how you would feel if one day you realize that you already have everything figured out and then something unexpected comes along and totally screws up with your plan? Wouldn't that just drive you crazy? 

***CAUTION: SPOILER ALERT!***

Well, in the movie, The Back Up Plan, Jennifer Lopez stars as Zoe, a single woman who owns a pet shop, who just can't seem to find a good man to be with her forever. Since she's an orphan and the only family that she has is her grandmother, she realizes that she needs to have a family of her own soon but with her standards, it was tougher than she thought. After thinking it through, she realizes that she doesn't need a man to give her a family, she just needs a sperm donor to give her a baby. She decides to be artificially inseminated. That rainy day while waiting for a cab outside the hospital, she accidentally meets Stan, a businessman who has a farm and they argue over who gets to stay in the cab. In the end, nobody won and they both ended up riding on the subway train instead. They thought they'd never see each other again but they did after Zoe sees him selling cheese at a nearby food bazaar. Stan then introduces himself to the mysterious Zoe but despite his advances, Zoe seems adamant not to let her guards down. Through a friend named Mona, Stan got her number and kept calling her eversince. He was persistent and didn't know when to quit so Zoe decided to give him a chance. 


She decided that since she isn't sure if the artifical insemination actually worked, she figured while waiting, she should date Stan for a while. That night before going on a date, she takes a pregnancy test just to make sure of what's to come. Sadly, she wasn't able to see the results until later since her dog, Nats, decided to keep the test all to himself. So, they went on a date which turned into a disaster but they ended up kissing each other in front of her New York apartment which didn't sound so bad. When she gets home, she finds out she's been knocked up. She panics after realizing that things are going way too fast and it seems that her back up plan is starting to fall apart. What's more complicated is the fact that she has let Stan get through her heart. As she now thinks of a way how to make things work, Zoe decides to tell Stan the truth.


On their next date, Stan invites Zoe to his farm and as they spent some time with each other there, they had a steamy moment which lead them to having sex. Zoe never really planned on that but it happened and now, she has to tell him the truth which she did. Naturally, Stan didn't take it seriously. Zoe decided to take off at the crack of dawn to cool off. They don't see each other for a couple of days but still ended up being together. More pressure goes to Stan as he realizes that Zoe is carrying twins. He realizes how much he should work harder now and that his plans for his life have to change too. He decides to quit night school and just get another job while Zoe still tends to the pet store. Apparently, things get way out of hand and they end up breaking it off with each other. But when Zoe's grandmother decides to get married to her long time fiance, Zoe decides that Stan is the one. On her day of labor, she gets to him and tells him how she feels. He was infuriated at first because he never really planned on leaving, he just hated that fact that Zoe always thought that he would abandon them somehow. 


Like in all good stories, there was a happy ending for almost everyone in this movie. It wasn't exactly one of the best movies of Jennifer Lopez but it definitely was an eye-opener. It just shows that sometimes no matter how hard you plan your life, sometimes fate has a few little things that it has on it's sleeve and sometimes you may not like these things but in the end, you will learn to accept all of them. Not everything needs to be planned. I guess sometimes it's more fun to be spontaneous. Just like what they always say, life is too short to waste on worries and regrets. Take risks and be more adventurous. That's the only way you can say that you lived an enjoyable life. Always playing safe is boring. I have learned that lesson a long time ago and I am still applying that lesson to my life now. Everything might not be planned in my life now but I know that things will fall into place in the future somehow. I just need to learn to adapt and simply have faith.

How would you feel if your girlfriend was artificially inseminated and was pregnant before you guys met? How would you feel if you knew exactly what you wanted to do with your life and suddenly fate throws something unexpected in front of you? Would you learn to adapt and accept the changes or would you just walk away and start all over again?

Movie Review: Letters To Juliet

Do you believe in true love? How far would you go to find your first true love? Would you know if it was him or her right there then or would you wait for 50 years just to realize that he or she was the one that got away? We all want to believe that true love exists out there. In fact, we all want to have one that we don't end up losing. We all end up denying it in the end because we think that true love is just a word of mouth or a cliche that's definitely overrated. However, there are still many hopeless romantics out there that feel the same way that I do. I may be a skeptic when it comes to love at first sight or even destiny but I still want to believe that true love exists. I am hanging on to my faith despite the signs around me that tell me it doesn't. 

***CAUTION: SPOILER ALERT!***

In the movie, Letters To Juliet, Amanda Seyfried plays the role of Sophie who works as a fact checker for a New Yorker magazine. She is engaged to her workaholic chef boyfriend named Victor who invites her to go on a pre-honeymoon trip to Verona, Italy for a week. But as her boyfriend quickly turns their supposed to be pre-honeymoon trip into a business trip by spending his time researching about things related to his soon to open restaurant, Sophie decides to just do things on her own. The first place that she goes to is Casa La Guilleta (Juliet's House) which to her surprise was a popular tourist spot especially for men and women who want to write to Juliet to seek love advice. She later finds out that a group of women collects the love letters addressed to Juliet and writes back to all the people who wrote to her. At first, Sophie thinks of simply writing about the situation and thus, not really getting involved with the process but eventually, destiny stirs her elsewhere. After another day with the so called secretaries of Juliet, she finds herself drawn to a single letter that was written 50 years ago by an English woman named Claire. She wrote a letter asking whether she should have stayed with her first true love, Lorenzo or not. Sohpie felt compelled to write back to Claire even if she knew that she might not be able to get it anyway. Luckily, she did and so, Claire decides to travel to Verona, Italy with her grandson, Charlie, to find her long lost Lorenzo. 


Arriving in Verona, Charlie seeks the secretaries of Juliet to confront the person who made his grandmother go on a wild goose chase. Charlie then finds out that Sophie wrote the letter to his grandmother and they immediately dislike each other after that. Charlie disapproves of her grandmother looking for Lorenzo because he is a realist and he doesn't believe in true love. To him trying to find his grandmother's first true love is simply absurd and a total waste of their time. As Charlie is about to leave with Claire, Sophie decides to make her presence known and introduces herself. She then invites them to dinner so that Claire could meet the rest of the secretaries of Juliet. After that, Claire decides to rest and start looking for Lorenzo the next day. Curious, Sophie decides to tag along. Claire didn't seem to mind her being around but Charlie did and it both made her and him uneasy. As the movie progressed, the three of them scour the different places in Verona where supposedly different Lorenzo Bartollinis live. Only Claire knew who he was and what he looked like but Charlie and Sophie still did their best to keep up. Many things happened in their journeys and as Sophie continued to spend more time with Claire and Charlie, she realizes how much she doesn't miss Victor. Victor, on the hand, seems to be enjoying himself while attending some wine auctions in a different place in Italy, without even bothering to send a message or call his beloved. Sophie realizes that's something wrong and things get even more complicated as she gets involved with Charlie. 


On the last day of their search, Claire decides to visit the vineyard that she and Lorenzo went to 50 years ago. She then sees a young man there who looked exactly like her Lorenzo. She asks Charlie to stop the car and as they all descended from the car, they asked him if he knew Lorenzo Bartollini. Claire knew she has found the one but at the last moment, gets scared and decides to go back inside the car but as she hears a horse approaching, she turns around and sees a dashing old man approaching to meet her. She knew it was him. He knew it was her. After long moments of staring at each other and saying sweet things to each other, they decide to embrace. Charlie and Sophie smile as Claire has finally found her long lost love. Sadly, it also meant that Sophie had to go. She says goodbye to Claire, Charlie and Lorenzo and goes back to her hotel in Verona where Victor is waiting for her. After she left, Charlie felt like she needed to tell her how he felt and decides to follow her to Verona only to see her locked in an embrace with Victor. He turns his back and leaves. As they say, love moves in mysterious ways and so it did for Sophie and Charlie. I guess it just never really moved fast enough for them to realize that they were destined for each other. 


I cried as I watched this movie for I felt something powerful for Claire and Lorenzo. I can't imagine them holding on to something that has been there for 50 years without even knowing what the future holds for them. How can they have had such strong blind faith in what they felt? The idea of finding your first love after 50 years seems unrealistic, yes, but what's even more unbelievable is the fact that in the end, no matter how long they've been apart, their love has stayed strong. Honestly, even I don't know if I can have a love that can last that long. I am not perfect and I am uncertain about the things that might happen in the future. All I know is what I feel now. I hope that it will stay that way forever. Sophie is right though. What If may only be a question but such powerful words can definitely haunt you forever. I would recommend this movie to anybody who enjoys watching romantic movies whether together with their partner or not. May this movie become an inspiration to us all. I am not be Juliet and my partner may not actually be my Romeo but it doesn't always have to work that way. We must always bear in mind that to the heart, nothing else matters. As long as it beats for the one, it will beat only him or for her alone. Love knows no boundaries. It is a powerful ageless feeling that we all feel with everyone but we only strongly feel for the right one. So, if you haven't found the right one yet then don't come looking for him or for her. As they say, true love waits and if you are willing to do so then it will come to you somehow...

 It was sad that I never got to watch this movie in a theater but that's okay. It would have been embarrassing to have cried many times while watching the film there. Besides, my partner wouldn't have enjoyed it anyway.

 Now, I am curious if there truly is a place where all those people post letters addressed to Juliet and I wonder if the secretaries of Juliet are real. What an interesting thought!

If Claire found her Lorenzo after 50 years and Sophie found her Charlie through destiny then it's possible for anybody to find their one true love. Just wait and see. You will find him or her somehow. Hang in there!~

Is Poverty Just Another Excuse That Some People Use In Their Daily Lives?

We live in a third world country which is why I understand why it is common to see people building houses under bridges, near rivers, near railroad tracks and even on lands that do not belong to them. Street children are also common everywhere. Beggars and other homeless people roam the streets too in any time of the day. It's just normal to see people lying on the pavement with a small cup in front of them as if encouraging people to give them something as they pass them by. We see signs of poverty everywhere in this country and it's sad to think that it wasn't always like this. 


I've seen some people selling things on the sidewalk while others keep on riding different buses merely because they want to sell anything inside their food baskets. These people do their best to earn an honest living despite the fact that some of them are disabled, old or even uneducated. They may not be earning a lot or even enough but at least, they are doing something to make a living. I wish all people who suffer poverty do not dwell on what's obvious too much. Yes, we all know that you are poor so why keep on drawing emphasis to it? Will that help you improve your way of living somehow? I think not.


Sometimes when you watch the news, all that you can see are people on rallies defending their rights and their beliefs but some of them don't even know what rights and beliefs they are fighting for. Most of them are just there to participate so that they can get paid. Other people though, know what's going on but don't realize that rallying all day won't change a thing. Sure it will cause a lot of noise and attention for a while but what comes after that? It will just be like nothing happened and they will all go back to their poor lives. What a shame!


I've seen and heard people complain about how sad and poor their lives are. They complain about almost everything without even realizing that there are other people who have suffered or who are suffering more than them. If only they will stop complaining and start doing something about their lives instead? There are plenty of jobs everywhere. You just have to do your best to find one and get one. If you know that it's tough for you to even get a job then don't be choosy. As long as it's an honest way of earning money and your salary will be enough to keep food on the table then go for it. Lower your expectations and your standards. You are not exactly the cream of the crop here.


Live your life accordingly. You are not a rich person so why pretend to be one? If you can't afford something then don't buy it. It's as simple as that. Do not push yourself too far by pretending to be something that you are not. Be contented with what you have. Aspire for more but work hard for it. That way nobody can ever tell you that you're just another loser thinking about silly things that you will never have. I wish poor people will stop playing the blame game so that they can have an escape goat for almost anything and everything. The government isn't the reason why you guys are poor, you made yourself that way and you will stay that way forever if you keep on blabbering about everything without even thinking about stepping up and doing what it is you have to do accordingly. The government is not responsible for every single person in the country. It merely does it's best to be responsible for everyone but the fact remains that we should all help out so that we can help ourselves.


I'm sick of everybody using poverty as just another lame reason as to why their lives are so crappy. Stop being cowards and do what you have to do. You are all capable of doing more than what you are doing right now. Do not waste your time, your energy and your opportunities. We can all fight poverty but only if we will all do our best to stop being conquered by it. Poverty only happens to those who let it happen to them. Let's stop poverty by doing it is that we have to do. Let's stop being dependent on other people and let's start becoming more independent. Let's stop whining and start working. We all have the power to chance our destinies and we all have the power to change how we live our lives. Why not wield that power and use it? So that poverty will be crushed and will be heard of no more. Let's all stand up against poverty. Do more, think more, talk less, complain less. 

You are not as poor as you think. Fight your laziness and stop complaining. Help yourself so that you can help others end poverty. Poverty is not a joke. It is not fictional. It is real and it happens to many people everyday. You may not be one of them. You just believe you are...

Beware! Deceit Comes In Many Shapes, Forms And Sizes

I saw a kid trying to beg some food and money while on the mall today. The kid didn't look dirty, poor, malnourished or even sickly. In fact, the kid looked like just another regular kid with a home. I wasn't able to take a photo of her because I was too busy minding my own business. I noticed her going inside different restaurants and fast food chains while handing out an envelope with some writings on it. Only God knows what was written there and only he knows if this child was actually really poor, was just pretending or was just being used by her parents or by her guardians to beg and get something from others. The kid wanted to approach me to ask for money but then backed out. Clearly the kid somehow knew the people who would somehow fall for her puppy dog eyes and innocent looks. Two old ladies who were seated in a table in front of me was nearly done with their meal when this kid approached them. Obviously, one of the old ladies, got a bit nosey and asked the kid where her parents her and who went to the mall with her. The kid looked surprised and I felt like she panicked a little. She didn't look like she knew what she was doing. It was more like she was forced to do it. The old lady's companion decided to give her some coins though. The kid immediately left after seeing one of the service crew looking at her inside the restaurant. She went out without even saying thank you or looking back. I thought I have seen the last of her but after a few minutes when the restaurant started to become full and busy again, new customers sat on the tables. Looks like she's moving on to her next victims now. Surely enough, I saw the kid lurking outside the same restaurant again. She boldly went inside pretending to be one of the customers' kids and was able to blend in perfectly. One group of people even gave her some money and some left overs while the other group even wanted to order something for her. Clearly this kid was now becoming used to getting what her parents want. Do I pity her? Yes, I do but that doesn't mean that I would go about helping her just like that. It's so hard to trust people these days. Who knows if she's not really telling the truth and is just scamming people. I don't want to be fooled. I'd rather observe and stay in the sidelines. I'll only act accordingly once I have proven her to be the real deal. What angers me the most is the thought that her parents or her guardians are even using her to beg to other people that she doesn't even know? Asking for help and begging may be okay if you are truly in dire need but I didn't see that in that kid's eyes. I just hope to God that she wasn't lying...

Yeah right! I care but that doesn't mean that I will tolerate beggars from just getting what they want for free through the expense of other people's money. It's so easy to convince people that you are poor and that you need help for some people are just born compassionate but why not try to work instead of just begging for money and food for a living, wouldn't that be more convenient? Besides, I think it's more honest to live that kind of life than to live a life filled with deceit because you tell everyone the exact opposite of what's going on with your life.

I hate the people responsible for making these kids live on the streets and making them beg for food, money and supplies. They are kids after all and they deserve a life free of these responsibilities. Let's all stop people from doing these things to their kids or to other people's children. It infuriates me. It's just not right. What is this world becoming into?

Here, Have A Slice Of Humble Pie!

I don't understand as to why some people think they are better than everybody else when in fact we are all equal. Okay, let's face it. Maybe we aren't exactly equal in terms of different factors involved however, nobody can really say that he/she is better than anybody else. For example, at work, you can't judge another person for not getting promoted only because you think that he is a slacker, that he doesn't deserve it, that he is incapable and that the only way for him to ever get promoted is for him to becoming a brown noser at work. Sure, that would get him far but have you ever thought of giving the person a chance, of thinking that maybe you have misjudged him or that maybe you thought of yourself too highly and that you've set humility aside? Seriously, I hate arrogant people who only think about themselves. The sad thing about these people is that they are insensitive to other people only because the only thing that matters to them is themselves. I pity these people for ever thinking of them that way. Sure, it's nice to have a little slef confidence but don't you think too much is just going overboard? How can anybody belittle anyone without even getting to know that person first hand? Yes, I am guilty of judging other people too but I only do after I get to know them better. That way nobody can tell me that I wasn't being fair and that I need to eat a slice of humble pie. I have met a lot of people who all need to eat their slices of humility pie. Some don't just need a slice but rather need to eat a whole pie for they have forgotten what it is like to consider others and what it's like to lower down their pride. All I know is that a person's pride can only lead to his/her demise. Those people may not know it now but eventually they will. If only they had listened sooner then perhaps a little change of heart would have made things right. Is it so bad to become humble and consider others every once in a while? Why can't some people just be considerate and nice to others sometimes? Are their hearts only filled with darkness that all they can ever feel for is themselves? I think not. I still haven't lost faith in some people. I just hope that I don't end up doing so in the future especially if all I see in this changing world is negativity and hate. Why can't we all just get along?

Here's how a humble pie looks like. Doesn't look familiar to you huh? That's because never in a day in your life have you ever had a slice of it. Try getting some now.

Try to think more about others instead of just yourself, you self-centered, cocky person! Try it! It's not like it's going to kill you or anything. What have you got to lose eh?

 News Flash! The world doesn't just revolve around you but on other people as well so stop thinking that you are the only one that matters when other people matter too.

How can you change overnight? All you need is a little attitude adjustment and a whole lot of humble pie!