Not for Edu...

If Edu Manzano were to drop by our apartment today he'd have a heart attack.

Ever since my sister and I bought that TV we have been hoarding DVDs… pirated DVDs of course (who can afford the original ones?). There's a DVD stand near our place and we are also conveniently near Makati Cinema Square (probably second to Quiapo as the epicenter of piracy), which I'm visiting so frequently.

Now that it's Oscar season, I've been focusing entirely on those films that have been receiving a bit of buzz. So what do I think about them?

• Blood Diamond: I watched it last night and I was totally disappointed. That black guy (I can't spell his name) is just hysterical. Does he need to shout all the bloody time? He badly needs some coaching from the queen of restraint… Nora Aunor herself. Movies about Africa are just so clichés and this one was no different.

• The Queen: lovely, just lovely. Helen Mirren is AMAZING. She simply captured the layers of her character saving the viewer from watching a caricature of the queen. The screenplay is a bit thin but I was just enthralled by her performance that I shall let it pass.

• Little Children: OMG, does Kate Winslet ever give a bad performance? And that Patrick Wilson guy, although not really a good actor, can give me a lifetime's worth of wet dreams. Enough said.

• Babel: argh, another movie from the Magnolia school of thought. I know Crash, which crashed in its total pretentiousness, also came from the same league. Babel however maintained a certain level of equanimity but it almost fell flat on its face if not for its haunting music, eye-popping cinematography, and impeccable cast. And yeah, I love every movie that has Cate Blanchett in it, I hardly noticed that Gael Garcia Bernal was there din pala.

• Thank You for Smoking: what a surprise, I actually loved this movie. It's witty, fast-paced, and unpretentious.

• Children of Men: god, this film made me feel so awful. I understood about three quarters of it but missed some of the details so I feel very stupid. I find this film very interesting though. The premise of zero birth rates globally is captivating enough, not to mention the wicked shots in some parts of the film.

• Pan's Labyrinth: oh, nice fable. Dazzling visuals. But it's quite unsettling because it has just too much violence and gore.

• The Departed: OMG, I loved, loved, loved this film. Acting, cinematography, screenplay were all excellent. Totally excellent. I did not expect too much from it so I was completely surprised ha. Winner! Wagi! Daog!
  

To be watched pa na meron na ako… Flags of Our Fathers, The Illusionist, The Good Shepherd, The Pursuit of Happyness.

Dying to see but not in DVD yet… Dreamgirls, Half Nelson, Volver, Letters from Iwo Jima, Notes of a Scandal, Last King of Scotland.

By the way, mother Meryl Streep won for Best Actress in a Comedy at the Golden Globes. That's all.