Everyone's a hero in their own way...

It's August 29 and here in the Philippines, it's National Heroes Day.

Well, no disrespect to Bonifacio, Rizal, and company... but whenever this time of year comes around, I always end up watching this video.

It's a snippet from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog which was created by one of the people I use the "I'm not worthy" bow move to - Joss Whedon. If you haven't watched the whole series, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? DO IT RIGHT NOW! I swear, you won't regret it. It's classic.

Back to the video... it's performed by Nathan Fillion who you usually see in the awesome TV show Castle nowadays. His character's a pretty smarmy guy, but once you get past the insulting words, you'll find there's an honest to goodness message in the song. It's freaking fun. I think I'm going to watch it again now.

Check out the lyrics below and feel free to sing-along.

Everyone's A Hero

It may not feel too classy

Begging just to eat

But you know who does that? Lassie

And she always gets a treat

So you wonder what your part is

Because you’re homeless and depressed

But home is where the heart is

So your real home’s in your chest

Everyone’s a hero in their own way

Everyone’s got villains they must face

They’re not as cool as mine

But folks you know it’s fine to know your place

Everyone’s a hero in their own way

In their own not-that-heroic way

So I thank my girlfriend Penny

Yeah, we totally had sex

She showed me there’s so many

Different muscles I can flex

There’s the deltoids of compassion

There’s the abs of being kind

It’s not enough to bash in heads

You’ve got to bash in minds

Everyone’s a hero in their own way

Everyone’s got something they can do

Get up go out and fly

Especially that guy he smells like poo

Everyone’s a hero in their own way

you and you and mostly me and you

I’m poverty’s new sherrif

And I’m bashing in the slums

A hero doesn’t care if you’re a bunch of scary

alcoholic bums

(everybody!)

Everyone’s a hero in their own way

Everyone can blaze a hero’s trail

Don’t worry if it’s hard,

if you’re not a friggin ‘tard you will prevail

Everyone’s a hero in their own way

Everyone a hero in their –

Must Watch! Cinemalaya 2011: Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank

So... the title didn't sound like this movie was something I was going to enjoy when I first read about it, but, boy, was I wrong.

I love this film!

In this hilarious take on the world of indie film making, we go through a day in the life of a trio of film makers (played by JM De Guzman, Kean Cipriano, and Cai Cortez) as they try to put together their film which they are sure will bring them all the way to the Oscars. Over "expressos", they discuss and argue about the casting, the editing, and the treatment - resulting in different versions of basically the same scene. In all of these scenes, Eugene Domingo shines as she plays herself and as Mila, the character in the film within the film. She'll get you laughing uproariously and also be drawn to the drama at the same time. She definitely deserves a Best Actress award for this. I became a fan!

I have to say that this is one of the best Filipino films I've watched. It's been a long time since I've watched a movie that so entertained me that I want to see it again after watching it. Laughing, clapping, and even sniffling a little bit - I did all that as I watched the movie. The audience I was with also felt the same and we clapped as the credits rolled. (Though stay a little bit longer after the credits because there's an additional scene.)

I definitely recommend this movie to everyone and, like the film makers in the movie, hope that this film makes it to mainstream cinema or even outside our shores. Filipinos would enjoy the film for the comedy and film makers - amateur or not - will definitely learn a few lessons from this.

Must Watch! EF - Live The Language - Paris

EF - Live The Language - Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

I've been to Paris when I was young with my mother as part of a tour group. Even though I enjoyed the trip, I don't think I fully appreciated it. Now that I'm older, I'd love to go there again someday and explore the city on my own... especially after watching this lovely short film.

The storyline, images, the use of typography... everything is just perfect.

The video is part of a series of commercials for EF International Language Centers. They've got one for Beijing, London, and Barcelona too.

Check out the rest of them at the EF International Language Centers campaign site.

Must Watch! Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Ah~ First Love.

Isn't there anything sweeter?

First Love (Crazy Little Thing Called Love) is a Thai movie set in high school where an ugly duckling named Nam falls in love with campus heartthrob Shone. With the help of her loyal friends, Nam tries her best to become a beautiful swan hoping to capture his heart and have her happy ending.

It may sound a little cliche and overdone, but the charm of this movie is the chemistry of the whole cast. The two leads played by Pimchanok Luewisetpaibon and Mario Maurer are absolutely lovable and you'll find yourself getting all tingly about their every interaction. Nam's character is also relatable to us girls who experienced that awkward teenage stage with bad hair and braces. And who didn't have a crush on the cutest guy in school? Mario Maurer's character is simply a dreamboat (yes, I said it) that if we were in the same school, I'll probably be trying to get his attention too. Heck, even now! After watching the movie, I challenge you not to develop a little crush on this Thai cutie.

One of the things I also liked in this movie was the supporting cast. The friendship between Nam and her friends was wonderful to watch and reminded me of my own set of high school girl friends. Yes, we also helped each other out with stalking our crushes. We had our internal spats but got each other's backs when one of us was being bullied. Though it makes us cringe to remember some of the things we've done, we could only laugh now and shake our heads as we see the girls do the same mistakes.

I think this is one of the best Asian romantic comedies out there. I definitely recommend this to all the romantics out there, both to the young and the young at heart. <3