it's like war of the worlds
written: 9:51 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 08, 2002

I'm back from Signs. It is awesome. It was so suspenseful that I wanted to puke. And they eased the tension at all the right places with, of course, my darling Joaquin.

Joaquin was hilarious. He entered the movie in a comical manner; he fell off his bed! And he said the words 'ass', 'bitch' and 'crap'. Haha. Okay I am being really lame but man, did he look good in those jeans or what! And in the scene in the basement when he stacked those bags of rice against the coal ventilator or whatever, and he threw up a can of Coke, his shirt flew up and oh, his skin is glorious! So very glorious!

The Joaquin craze is back in full force, and it is not my fault as he is so brilliant and he makes all the right moves and chooses all the right films. Signs is wonderful. M. Night Shyamalan's cameos were some of my favourite moments. I don't know what everyone's gripe with ending is. Because they keep saying it's anti-climatic, I expected it to be anti-climatic, but it wasn't. So there wasn't a twist. So what. When the bloody alien re-appeared again I had a shock, all right. Oh, and guess who killed the monster? Joaquin! 's character! Yeah, he used his baseball bat and beat the hell out of the thing, and god, I tell you, when he gripped the bat, it was like, woah, you belong with a baseball bat, my man! Honestly, his hands looked so snug around that bat. Or maybe it's just me.

My only problem with this movie is its religious theme. Now, there is nothing wrong with religion, but I am a firm believer that one should not push religion and preach it through mass media, like film. Mel Gibson's character lost his faith in the beginning and gained it back again at the end, and it basically says, "God is great, we should all believe in God." But you know I don't, so I had no choice but to roll my eyes at that.

I think more horror movies should be made like "Signs". It basically revolved around 4 characters, and the only things that break are window panes and floorboards, and a baseball bat. Film-makers need to understand that psychological fear is so much more effective than blood and gore. Signs went back to the basics, and it is not a movie about special effects or dead people or dead aliens. It is driven more by its characters than plot, and I think what makes it work is how the suspense is sustained throughout the entire movie, right up til the last minute. And of course, the acting is wonderful, especially from Joaquin but you expected that from me.

Seriously, pass on shit like Austin Powers and the likes of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, and watch Signs right now. It is truly fantastic, and for those who say M. Night Shyamalan is in danger of becoming a one-hit wonder, all I can say is, you have no idea what you're talking about. Unbreakable's twist was brilliant. Signs is brilliant without being gory or obnoxious. The Sixth Sense is not his best vehicle; Signs is.

And that is not because Joaquin is in it.

**Spoilers end here, if anyone cares**

When I was watching it though the theatre was packed, and the guy beside me had a huge tub of popcorn. He and his girlfriend were chomping away loudly and it annoyed me. A reason why mobile phones suck: their users never fail to forget to switch it off during a goddamn movie. The mobile phones rang at least three times, and it was so distracting. Also, whoever sat behind me surely had the attention span of a fucking slug. He or she could not sit still and for some reason, found it absolutely necessary to shift his or her goddamn plastic bag all over the fucking place, and damn, it was noisy. Oh, and the woman in front of me was doing some shit on her stupid handphone, and she held it up so that I could see the blue light. I don't know why people simply cannot switch off their insipid handphones for two hours. I mean, for crying out loud, you're watching a goddamn movie that costs you $8.50! If you're so attached to your stupid phone, then get the hell out of the theatre!

I swear, people really get on my nerves. I totally understand Joaquin now when he said he did not like going to the movies because the audience always spoils it for him. I hate watching movies with a lot of people. I like to be able to concentrate. Otherwise, what's the point?

before sunrise // before sunset

Previously:
- - Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017
I'm moving. - Sunday, Jul. 11, 2010
In all honesty - Tuesday, Jul. 06, 2010
What I want for my birthday... - Sunday, Jul. 04, 2010
On Roger's behalf. - Friday, Jul. 02, 2010