MOV(ING PICTURE) + -IE(S).

Movies.

We all love them, alright. Who doesn't?

DISCLAIMER: the pictures/banners of movies were all Googled - no copyright infringement intended. The movie tickets were all watermarked and claimed to be my ownership.

          I was looking at the piling movie tickets on my 2012 Starbucks planner's pocket then I decided I'll write about them. I just love collections - books, scents, shirts, shoes, cards - and yes, movie tickets, to name a few. Guess I'll have these movie tickets on a separate scrap book and start from 2011 onwards to track all the films we watched together.

          I'll start with...

2011.

          I only kept 7 tickets. So I'm guessing Mino and I had only 7 movies on 2011.

 

     

1. In the name of Love      May 18        SM Calamba

We seldom watch Tagalog movies, probably  because there are more international movies than our own. But when we opt to watch one, we make sure that the storyline is good. And we never regret watching it afterwards. Really. :) Plus Aga Mulach seems to be not aging, he's still on my list of crushable actors. Okay, add Angel Locsin (I used to like her when she's still a Kapuso star).

2. Kung Fu Panda 2 (3D)       June 7       SM Calamba

So we've put those 3D glasses on and watched Po fly. This second installment of Kung Fu Panda was memorable for me. Mino took away the bad memories of my first Kung Fu Panda experience.

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 (3D)        July 23                     SM Mall of Asia

     

I want the last movie of the HP series to be somehow memorable so we decided to watch it on MOA - hoping for an IMAX experience. But unfortunately all tickets for IMAX that time were sold out so we ended up in 3D. We still managed to enjoy it anyway.

   

4. Captain America (3D)          August 6          SM Calamba

          We missed watching Thor on the big screen, so we decided we shouldn't miss Captain America. Avengers, yes. Though I am not a big fan of Avengers when I was a kid, I got to appreciate them now. They're fun to watch and we are always excited for the next installment after the movie credits. It's expected - Marvel.

5. Cars 2            September 3               SM Calamba

          We love cars. All of them. So when this part 2 of Cars came, we made sure we see it on big screen. Though my favorite Sally (the Porsche) played only a small part in the movie, I still love this flick.


                                                      

 

6. Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part 1                  November 18                  SM Calamba

          Every one who read the Twilight series will definitely watch the movies, so I guess. As one semi-hard core fan here, I can't help myself from comparing the movie from the book. And as always, there are a lot of differences. But who cares? I don't. You may hate the movie but love the book or vice versa. But we enjoyed the movie as much as I enjoyed the book. They were two different worlds, still the same story. So why not appreciate them both? I did.   





                        

7. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol                 December 17                  SM Megamall

                   It's almost Christmas and all of us were excited to celebrate it with our families, friends or whoever special. Mino and I went to SM Megamall to see the annual ToyCon. I found this Virgo necklace inspired from our favorite anime - Fairy tail. After our meals we decided to hit the cinema and watch Tom Cruise again for another Mission Impossible movie. We enjoyed it, as usual. Plus the   fact that I have a new crush - Jeremy Renner. :) I think this started his sequence of movies the next year.

                                             

          That year marked the start of our movie trips. Whenever we felt like watching, as long as monetary status allows us to go, we grab that popcorn and head to the nearest mall to watch. From then on, I made our list of target movies to watch the following year. So from seven movies in 2011, we had 21 this year (2012).

               Back in January, I made a list of Movie Plan. Some were successfully watched, others not. They are as follows:
January   -   Underworld: Awakening
February   -   The Woman in Black
March   -   The Hunger Games
April   -   Titanic
May   -   The Avengers
June   -   Snow White and the Huntsman
July   -   Ice Age: Continental Drift
             Step Up 4
August   -   The Bourne Legacy
September   -   Finding Nemo
October   -   Taken 2
November   -   The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part 2
December   -   The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey


2012.

 
 1. Underworld 4: the Awakening              January 23                  SM Calamba

          It was Kung Hei Fat Choi that day. After I met my father in SM Lucena, I headed straight to SM Calamba, met Mino and watched this film. Our first movie for 2012. It was on my list of "movies-to-watch-this-year". Though Mino doesn't followed the series, he still went with me and enjoyed the film. With all the vampire-lycan/werewolves thing around movies now, you get to see patterns and comparisons. Not bad.

          

2. The Vow          February 11          Robinsons Pioneer

          Okay, so we don't have our cinema tickets here. We went to Rob Pioneer to fetch Mino's cellphone on one of the repair shops there. Guess it's the nearest so he chose to go there. So I prepared our lunch (fried porkchop in gravy topped with fried potatoes), tried some milk teas on the third floor just near the cinemas and went to watch The Vow afterwards. It was our first time here so I didn't know I can't keep the tickets. So much for my collection. Anyway, I super loved this film. I feel for them, especially Channing. I guess when you're inlove you'll really appreciate this one. I cried buckets of tears, literally. Mino was all smiles, telling me he loves to see me cry over movies or simple things like this. This film will be one of those films that I will never get tired of watching. Promise!

   

3. The Hunger Games        March 21         SM Megamall

          I've been waiting for almost a year (I think) for this movie. I've completed the book set (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay) and excited for their movie counterparts. As expected, some parts are gone, edited or totally different. But we still enjoyed the movie anyway. Actually, Mino purchased a ticket online. Unfortunately, he only got one ticket because he only used his PayPal points so I had to buy my own ticket. The sad part is, the cinema for that purchased ticket is exclusive for them so my (the regular ticket) cinema was different. Meaning we can't watch the movie together. To make the story short, I bought another regular ticket so that we can watch it together. Another memorable experience during the film was the Captain-Obvious at the back of our seat who kept on blabbing about the details on the book. >_< I almost offered my hanky for his mouth to keep it shut. Good thing I prevented to loose my temper. :)

4. Wrath of the Titans       March 31       SM Fairview

          Every movie that we watched has a history. This one, the Wrath of the Titans is super related to that day, March 31. It was a Saturday. Me and my beau, Mino, decided to go to Manila Zoo. We have this unusual habit of going wherever we feel like going. We did enjoyed the zoo, our packed lunch (all thanks to tita Myrna) and of course, our quality time. Then suddenly the sun hid behind the dark clouds. Even though it's just an hour after 12 noon, it seemed to be almost dawn. We hurried out and caught the jeepney outside the zoo and went to LRT. Thank God we were inside the jeepney when the rain poured its heart out together with thunder and some lightnings. And because we were in Manila, hello flood in an instant! My doll shoes was soaked to death when we descended the jeep. LRT was jam packed so we decided to take the bus. To our frustration we decided to watch a movie, because the bus was bound to SM Fairview (and to buy me some slippers). The movie was very timely. Seems the gods are rumbling themselves up there.

 

5. Battleship         April 14           SM Mall of Asia

          This is our 22nd monthsary (cheesy right? yes, I know) so we went to MOA to celebrate. We  picked Battleship because we are Transformers fans and we guess this is a great movie also (and we were right). Not only that my crush Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård) of True Blood is here, but because the trailer of the film is really promising.

  

6. The Avengers (3D)       May 12             TriNoma

         
For our 23rd monthsary, we celebrated it in advance because 14th fall on a Monday. So finally - Thor, Ironman, the Hulk, Captain America, even Halkeye and Black Widow - got together in one film, how awesome is that? Sorry. I became a huge fan of Avengers because of Ironman (and all of their post-movie clips). I enjoyed this movie so much, not only because of Jeremy Renner (again) but because of Scarlett's character. Super-Soldier Femme Fatale! Way to go girl!

7. Snow White & the Huntsman      June 2         SM Calamba

          We all know Snow White (and the evil witch, of course) straight from our childhood days. But when crazy people thought of turning it into a not-for-children movie, one gets curious. The first time I heard, or rather, watched the trailer of this film, I said to Mino: "We have to watch this one!". Both of us were mesmerized by Charlize! The movie plot was okay (for us). They're (Charlize and Kristen) just so pretty as their characters so cool.

    

8. Madagascar 3 (3D)         June 2      SM Calamba

We just can't get enough of these guys so we made sure we are up for the third installment. Who says cartoons are just for kids? Guess only for the term (ha ha). Animated movies for the kids-at-heart.


               
   

9. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter           July 7            TriNoma

Can't get enough of this Vampires thing. At least now, they are the villains. With a handsome hunter over there and his cool ax, together with some crazy vampires wandering around US, we enjoyed this action-fantasy-horror film inspired from the late president. This film makes me want to buy the book and see what's more to the story. You understand the book-turned-to-movie dilemma right?


         

10. Ice Age: Continental Drift           July 21          SM Lucena

So we went to Lucena (Quezon) for Mino's reservation in QPSTA in preparation for his Agriculture Licensure Examination. After the reservation and running some errands at the grocery, we headed straight to the cinema and checked for some good watch. This day I got my e-Plus card from SM Cinemas. I love collecting cards! And this one's very handy. I don't need to wait for long lines just to get my tickets (except for reserved seating), plus I have my free popcorn and drinks everytime I reload my card.
                             



         

11. Step Up 4            August 9         Gateway

When your partner dances (very well) and you also love dancing, this film shouldn't be left out of the list. Part 4 of the Step Up series, I say this one rocked it hard. For me all the Step Ups are good, this one's better. My butt's still dancing when I remember watching this.

          

12. The Bourne Legacy            August 11                  Robinsons Pioneer

After a relaxing spa at Pampered Nails & Body Spa at Robinsons Pioneer, we went up to see Aaron Cross. Given that we know there were lots of shooting of the film here in the Philippines, we were excited to check them out ourselves. The plot was great BUT for us it's bitin! This film made me love Jeremy Renner more. From William Brandt (MI:4) to Hawkeye (Avengers) then Aaron Cross, next please?

 

13. Total Recall         September 14          SM North Edsa

Another monthsary celebration ~ 27th! I say among the movies that week, this one's the most acceptable (for us). At first I thought it was not Kate Beckinsale, but when I had a good look and confirmed it was her, I started to feel I am going to like the movie. And I did. Even she's not a vampire here, she still rocks! I rated 2 of 5 stars for the plot.


                  

14. Perks of Being a  Wallflower               September 28                   SM North Edsa

This day was a very tiring and frustrating day yet a relief and "finally-said-that" day. Fresh from my last business trip in Cagayan De Oro, I headed straight to SM North to meet Mino. Not minding the tired feeling from the flight and it's annoying side stories, I promised myself I will enjoy that day. So after trying out the dishes from Tokyo Cafe, we watched this film. I am excited for Hermione's, I mean, Emma's new role. The movie's plot was good also. The dilemmas were unexpected. I say 4 of 5 stars.

  

15. Taken 2            October 6             SM Sta. Rosa

How to enjoy watching a great movie like Taken 2? Bring your family and grab that popcorn! Me and Mino went to SM Sta. Rosa to meet his family then decided to watch this film. So we got 6 tickets for tito Jack, tita Myrna, Gian, (the twins) Vito and Mino and me. Liam a.k.a. Zeus is really great. Touching. Intellectual. Skillful.



                  

16. A Secret Affair             October 27            SM Calamba

Sounds like: The Other Woman ver. 2.0. With Anne Curtis and Derek Ramsay and another someone's-cheating-with-someone story, this seems to be trending. Because I watched this with my beau, we can't help but just laugh and give our side comments. We know this will never happen to us (though Andi's character is familiar during the early days of our relationship), but we still checked out the movie because of the funny lines from Jacklyn Jose. It's not so bad after all.


   

17. Suddenly It's Magic              November 4          SM Calamba

Post-birthday celebration of Mino, of course we headed to the nearest cinema. I pushed watching this film because we saw the trailer during The Secret Affair and from then I had my newest crush. Plus the fact that he endorses my favorite line: Penshoppe. Mario Maurer is so gorgeous, really! Erich is a lucky girl (ha ha). There is that certain kilig in this film. Well, if you're inlove like me, you know what I mean.

18. Skyfall           November 8               SM Calamba

Let's say we have this concept of sweldate: a date on a sweldo day. We met Agent 007 right after dinner. Though I am not so much of a fan for action movies, I say this is also a good watch. Sadly for  M, this will be the last time we will see her. I have seen James Bond movies from the past (with ooh lala Halle Berry of course) and they're all good. I still want that invisible car. Oops, I almost forgot Adele's participation in this film. The song is very appropriate. I love it.

19. Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part 2         November 16 & 24            SM Calamba

Clap, clap, clap. We've reached the final installment of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part 2. I'd say I'm so excited to watch the film. I actually planned to watch the earlier screenings but unfortunately time forbid me. So I just settled myself with the regular screenings. All throughout the film I can't help myself but smile, yes I enjoyed the film. Nevermind the edits from the book, it's given right? Why fuss over the book-turned-to-movie-dilemma when you are enjoying. When I read the book, I wondered how will they make the movie exciting when there is no battle scene. And this movie served that wonder right. Kudos Stephenie! All in all I love this film. Obvious right? I watched it twice. Oh well, given that I have more time and resources, I guess I won't settle with just two.

20. Stolen                       December 8                        SM Calamba

Who's lucky? Mino as always. Way back he won a laptop. So he got us two tickets from SM Cinemas Free Movie Day last Saturday. We went to see Stolen by Nicolas Cage. At first I said maybe it was like Taken. A father wanting to save his daughter from kidnappers who wants revenge. But seeing the film of course it was different. I had tears in my eyes during the rescuing part of Nicholas from his crazy old friend. Not bad for a free movie.

21. Rise of the Guardians                        December 9                        SM Calamba

I won't say this will be our final movie for this year but given all the busy schedule (yes, even weekends), I still hope we can watch The Hobbit before going home to Alabat. What was really scheduled for this movie day was Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X). Unfortunately, ate Jhen from LayBare enjoyed waxing my legs and we were late for the 2:20 pm sched. See, we should be home for the 7pm mass and travel time from Calamba to Los Baños is almost 30minutes (plus traffic). So we can't go with Samurai X. I don't want to watch it at 10 minutes late so we decided to watch other film. Since Rise of the Guardians  is on our list also, we chose it. And we had fun afterwards. Merry Christmas it is! I really wish I can take my younger brothers and sisters to watch this film.

That was a blast! 21 movies for 2012! I say SM Cinema should give us a Loyalty Award (ha ha). If you could sum up all our expenses for all the 21 movies, maybe you'll say we just wasted money or maybe we should just buy our own television, but I don't care. You can never buy the moments shared together; the laughter and tears; the lessons and I-can-relate-to-that moments and the wonderful time we had.

This is an outlet. A simple celebration.

And this is only the start. More movies to come!

2013.

Soon.