This song is dedicated to... me.
from the Phantom Of The Opera OST
Child of the wilderness
Born into emptiness
Learn to be lonely
Learn to find your way in darkness
Who will be there for you
Comfort and care for you
Learn to be lonely
Learn to be your one companion
Never dreamed that out in the world
There are arms to hold you
You've always known
Your heart was on it's own
So laugh in your loneliness
Child of the wilderness
Learn to be lonely
Learn to love life that is lived alone
Learn to be lonely
Learn to be your one companion
Never dreamed that out in the world
There are arms to hold you
You've always known
Your heart was on it's own
So laugh in your loneliness
Child of the wilderness
Learn to be lonely
Learn how to love life that is lived alone
.:A Walk To Remember?:.
Grace and I had a very lovely date yesterday, as we went all the way to Cubao just so we could try out this halo-halo with cheese she heard about. I forgot the name of the store, but at 49 pesos, I think that dessert was definitely a winner. I loved it, and I was glad I went all the way with Grace for it.
Grace will always hold a special place in my heart. That much is clear.
.:Film Review: Shall We Dance:.
Grace and I went to my house to watch a DVD of the American remake of “Shall We Dance”, starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez. I think the both of us really loved the movie, to say the least.
In any case, I'm going to review the film (I probably will review the films with Cholo IF I watch them again... but both films were nice.). As usual, SPOILERS AHEAD!
Truth be told, this film was a film I came to with low expectations, mainly because of one actress: Jennifer Lopez. She was never really a good actress to begin with, but when she starred in “Gigli”, she just really raised the bar for horrible acting.
Shall We Dance?
Put your best shoes on, because we shall.
That being said, she wasn't so horrible in this film, and the rest of the cast was top-notch, anyways.
“Shall We Dance” is the story of Mr. John Clark, an attorney who feels something's missing in his life despite his wonderful wife and children. While going home each day on the train, he sees a beautiful face (I use the term loosely.) by the window: Paulina, a dance instructor. Enchanted by her, John impulsively sings up for dance lessons and keeps it a secret from his family, who suspect he is having an affair.
While there, John runs into an assortment of people: Vern, an overweight but enthusiastic dancer; Chic, a guy who decided to dance to seduce girls (Or so we are led to believe.); Julie, a splendid dancer who never seems to get along with anyone due to her brutal honesty; Miss Mitzi, the owner of the dance studio; and Link, his co-worker who, like him, keeps his dancing a secret.
At first, it seems that Paulina was the one reason John wanted to learn to dance. However, the moment John was rebuffed after his gesture to have dinner with Paulina, he decided to prove her wrong by showing up and just learning how to dance. It all comes to a head when Julie and John become partners in a dance competition, only for their moment of glory to fall apart the moment John gets distracted upon finding his daughter and wife in the audience.
Some scenes were changed from the original Japanese film that made this version have endearing qualities unique to itself, such as the part where Richard Gere passes by Susan Sarandon before going to the party, with a rose in hand. It was simply brilliant, really. I loved how things worked out for them, and how the dancing has simply brought them together even more. While ballroom dancing is not as taboo in the States as it is in Japan, I liked how the film addressed the issue, and how Stanley Tucci showed up his co-workers by giving one of the females a pretty nifty dance routine, and then giving them all a huge “eff you” before walking back into his office.
In the end, it turns out Vern does have a fiancee, Chic is gay, Julie and Link become an item, and Paulina finally goes back to Europe to continue studying dance again. While Jennifer Lopez cannot do dramatic acting to save her life, most of her scenes were handled well enough, and I especially liked the way they underplayed the attraction between Gere and Lopez that was hinted at in the original Japanese film. I think this really made the movie just a little better than it would've been, and Richard Gere definitely carried himself well here, and did justice to his role, as did Stanley Tucci, which felt like a complete 180-degree turn from his stint in The Terminal.
I loved this film. I had very few complaints about it, but that's mostly because I'm biased against Jennifer Lopez. I'd recommend people to watch it, and although I honestly feel the Japanese version was strictly superior, if you can't find it, this is as close to it as you can get from Hollywood.
“Fun” Evaluation: A+
“Critical” Evaluation: B+
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