AWEFULL

This movie tells the story of Toto/Salvatore, a successful film maker who returns to his hometown after 30 years when he learned that his good friend, Alfredo, passed away. The night before he came back, he had a recollection of his past life in his small town where he developed this profound friendship with Alfredo, Cinema Paradiso’s (the theater in his town that Toto frequented when he was just a boy) projectionist.

For some movie critics, this movie talks about a lot of things such as movies per se, the Italian culture, love and relationships, etc. but what moved me is the film’s lesson on friendship, enthusiasm and dreaming. I am a people person and I love gaining friends, not the superficial type wherein you just enjoy being with each other.. but more of the Alfredo-Toto kind of friendship. It’s about learning from each other, and standing by each other even when worse comes to worst. It was a friendship bounded to last even if they haven’t seen each other for years.. and not the typical kind wherein people won’t let go of someone dear to them even if it means pursuing his/her dreams. Sometimes we just have to let go of our loved ones for them to find what will truly make them happy.. as I believe that what would make him/her happy would also mean fulfillment on my part.

Talk about dreams.. when I was little, like Toto, I had my share of aiming for something. I would often make paper dolls and paper outfit for my friends’ paper dolls; draw my dream house; compete in poster making contests; keep a sketch pad and coloring books… I thought I was going to be an Architect, an Interior Designer or a Fashion Designer, but this dream of getting into Arts didn’t materialize. I guess I was just afraid of making an initial step in turning my dreams into reality. I’m not only speaking for myself, I know for a fact that a lot of people don’t really get to fulfill their dreams due to fears, lack of means or lack of support from their loved ones. And I admire Toto because of his consistency when it comes to his ambition — that is to get into something that involves movies, thus, after much trials he was able to make it as a well-known film maker.

I am deeply touched by how an old man developed affection for a little rascal like Toto. It made me realize that friendship knows no age bracket. Also, it is touching how it shows that “fatherhood” isn’t always about “blood”.. it’s a relationship that goes beyond being of the same kin. It’s a wonderful feeling of being accepted, supported and loved.

This movie may be a bit sentimental, but it’s not like those where you’d see yourself crying all throughout the film. I think I just shed a tear twice — when Alfredo came in to see Toto in Cinema Paradiso after he met an accident (when the theater caught on fire and Alfredo was burned). I felt the old man’s gratitude to Toto for saving his life. Another part that made me teary eyed was the last part wherein Toto watched a film that contained all the kisses that were removed from the movies shown at the Paradiso over the years (kissing scenes were edited out from movies, as imposed by the church/priest). It was assembled by Alfredo as a gift to Toto. The film was beautiful that as Salvatore watches it, tears came running from his eyes.

Cinema Paradiso also involved stories about falling in love, trying out, fighting for your love, disappointments, getting hurt and moving on.. but it didn’t get into me as much as what stories on friendship and dreaming did to me. I guess it’s because the tale of love in this film isn’t the same as what we’re going through in present time everytime we fall in love. I don’t know, or perhaps I was just keen on friendship and the type of culture that Italian people depicted in this film rather than focus on Elena, Toto’s one true love. But you know, even in Toto’s love life, Alfredo’s thoughts also mattered and it always boils down to: going after what your heart says.

And here’s the proof:

Alfredo: Once upon a time, a king gave a feast. And there came the most beautiful princesses of the realm. Now, a soldier, who was standing guard, saw the king’s daughter go by. She was the most beautiful one, and he immediately fell in love with her. But what could a poor soldier do when it came to the daughter of the king? Well, finally, one day, he managed to meet her, and he told her that he could no longer live without her. The princess was so impressed by his strong feelings that she said to the soldier: “If you can wait 100 days and 100 nights under my balcony, then at the end of it, I shall be yours.” Damn! The soldier immediately went there and waited one day. And two days. And ten. And then twenty. And every evening, the princess looked out of her window, but he never moved. During rain, during wind, during snow, he was always there. The bird shat on his head, and the bees stung him, but he didn’t budge. After ninety nights, he had become all dried up, all white, and the tears streamed from his eyes. He couldn’t hold them back. He no longer had the strength to sleep. All that time, the princess watched him. And on the 99th night, the soldier stood up, took his chair, and went away.

Salvatore: … In one more night, the princess would have been his. But she also could not possibly have kept her promise. And it would have been terrible. He would have died. This way, however, at least for 99 days, he was living under the illusion that she was there, waiting for him.

Not crying while watching this film doesn’t mean it’s not poignant, believe me, I’m so moved I even told my friend Duchess I’m gonna lend her the disc next time we meet.

Since this is a great film, I’m leaving you some heartwarming lines from the characters.. hope you’ll like them!

Alfredo: Living here day by day, you think it’s the center of the world. You believe nothing will ever change. Then you leave: a year, two years. When you come back, everything’s changed. The thread’s broken. What you came to find isn’t there. What was yours is gone. You have to go away for a long time… many years… before you can come back and find your people. The land where you were born. But now, no. It’s not possible. Right now you’re blinder than I am.

Salvatore: Who said that? Gary Cooper? James Stewart? Henry Fonda? Eh?

Alfredo: No, Toto. Nobody said it. This time it’s all me. Life isn’t like in the movies. Life… is much harder.

Yes, Alfredo, LIFE IS MUCH MUCH HARDER…

Shit happens… and you just have to deal with it.

Since I’m not in the mood and tired to write something sensible (but I like to update my blog, btw ), I’m just posting some quotes from “He’s Just Not That Into You”, a film that my friends and I watched a few days ago. Just a feel good movie.. you should see this one fellow bloggers, a breather from the corporate world… and an escape from those serious people.. haha! 

“A girl will never forget the first boy she ever likes.”

“We are all programmed to believe that if a guy acts like a total jerk that means he likes you.”

“If a guy treats you like he doesn’t give a s— it’s because he doesn’t give a s—.”

“An excuse is a polite rejection. Men are not afraid of “ruining the friendship.”

“Don’t get tricked into asking him out. If he likes you, he’ll do the asking.”

“If you can find him, then he can find you. If he wants to find you, he will.”

“Just because you like to lead doesn’t mean he wants to dance. Some traditions are born of nature and last through time for a reason.”

“I just need you to stop being nice to me unless you’re gonna marry me.”

“I had this guy leave me a voice mail at work, so I called him at home, and then he emailed me to my BlackBerry, and so I texted to his cell, and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It’s exhausting.”

“Girls are taught a lot of stuff growing up. If a guy punches you he likes you. Never try to trim your own bangs and someday you will meet a wonderful guy and get your very own happy ending. Every movie we see, Every story we’re told implores us to wait for it, the third act twist, the unexpected declaration of love, the exception to the rule. But sometimes we’re so focused on finding our happy ending we don’t learn how to read the signs. How to tell from the ones who want us and the ones who don’t, the ones who will stay and the ones who will leave. And maybe a happy ending doesn’t include a guy, maybe… it’s you, on your own, picking up the pieces and starting over, freeing yourself up for something better in the future. Maybe the happy ending is… just… moving on. Or maybe the happy ending is this, knowing after all the unreturned phone calls, broken-hearts, through the blunders and misread signals, through all the pain and embarrassment you never gave up hope.”

“I may dissect each little thing and put myself out there so much but at least that means that I still care. Oh! You’ve think you won because women are expendable to you. You may not get hurt or make an ass of yourself that way but you don’t fall in love that way either. You have not won. You’re alone. I may do a lot of stupid shit but I’m still a lot closer to love than you are”

“What if you meet the love of your life, are you supposed to let them pass you by?”

Enjoy!

Sorry naman po ha di ko lang mapigilan ang bugso ng damdamin ko. Napanood ko na full trailer ng You Changed My Life at talaga naman kinilig ang tumbong ko. At hinayang na hinayang ako dahil di natuloy sa opis ang shooting.. aaaarrrggghh! Pinagalitan ko talaga si manong guard dahil sa pagback out ng shooting dun.. kase naman hindi marunong ipaglaban ang kanyang kakayahan na magkontrol ng mga tao. Haha! Pagkakataon ko na sana oh.. chingkit din naman ako tulad ni Liz ah.. diba Papa Lloydy? (hala.. nabaliw na po ako.. )

Weeeeeeeee!!!!!!! Ang tagal-tagal pa ng February 25.. excited na ko. Oooops! Bawal mangialam, kanya-kanyang trip lang yan. Ang cute eh. Kilig kilig.

“Siguro mahilig ka talaga sa puzzle. Kase kakasimula pa lang ng araw ko nabuo mo na agad.”

Yahooooooooo!!!!!! Nag-uumapaw naman talaga sa kilig ang puso ko.

“Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night. very dark, but there were stars- points of light and reason… And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. when you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everythign went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn’t see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything.”

“It’s not only your company I crave! Never forget that. Never forget I am more dangerous to you than I am to anyone else.”

“To me, it was like you were some kind of demon, summoned straight from my own personal hell to ruin me.”

“In that one hour, I thought of a hundred different ways to lure you from the room with me, to get you alone. And I fought them each back, thinking of my family, what I could do to them. I had to run out, to get away before I could speak the words that would make you follow…”

“Bella, I couldn’t live with myself if I ever hurt you. You don’t know how it’s tortured me. The thought of you, still, white, cold… to never see you blush scarlet again, to never see that flash of intuition in your eyes when you see through my pretenses… it would be unendurable. You are the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me ever.”

“Look after my heart—I’ve left it with you.”

“And so the lion fell in love with the lamb…”

“I may not be a human, but I am a man.”

“You are my life now.”

“There are no accidents”

Kaya kung may mga bagay kayo na pinagsisisihan o mga pangyayari sa buhay nyo na hindi nyo ginusto.. don’t be. Let’s all charge them to experience. At magpasalamat. Because sabi nga ni Master Oogway, wala daw aksidente. Lahat ng bagay ay dumadating at nangyayari because they have a purpose in our life, at yun ang nakatakda sa ating mangyari.

This is called DESTINY.