On movies...

15 Scripts

A former businessman-officemate said Hollywood has only 15 scripts ---

Hmmm…so similarities are not coincidental; it is a product of recycling or reissue. And why 15 not 20 or more, or less?

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Alternate-endings

There are movies I wished had alternate endings, one is Message in a Bottle – a story of love lost and found and lost again, and Bridge to Terabithia- a movie about the power of imagination and friendship. Not that I didn’t liked these films, in fact I think both were awesome, except that it made me cry too much, that part I didn’t like. I have seen Message in a Bottle more than five times but finished it just once, and all four other times I watched it, I clicked stop on the remote control at the scene I wanted the movie to end.

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Memorized screen play

Call me whatever, but I am not the only one. I had a guy (?) officemate who loved Drew Barrymore’s Ever After like crazy. Like me, he had seen the movie more than a 100 times, like me, he has the VHS and the DVD, and like me, he memorized the lines of the characters in the film. What’s in this flick? A lot of things that reminded me of my childhood. The manor and the furniture, the way they did their laundry, the portable urinals and how they disposed of its waste, the wood-fuelled stove, I’ve seen it all before – the setting in the movie is like a picture of my treasured past, plus ---the romance, the prince most importantly.

Soon to memorize: The Phantom of the Opera, watched 20ish times, Enchanted viewed 10ish times.

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First week showing

The first ever movie we watched on first week showing ---The Dark Knight. The family is fan of the Knight's Tale - Heath Ledger. Other people in the long lines were just curious but definitely not disappointed after watching.

More on the Dark Knight --- Officemate #1 asked, "What's a good movie to see this weekend?" Officemate #2 replied, "The Dark Knight." Officemate #1 asked again, "Is it a Horror Film?"

:-)

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Migrant blooper

When I joined the company I thought our office building was showbiz enough because it is situated right in front of the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery were Marilyn Monroe and a list of many other actors, actresses, and musicians were entomb. But this was nothing compared to where our office was relocated, in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, where film making is very much alive. That time, I have been in the US only for 9 months and although I know English since grade school in the Philippines, I was not accustomed to how they call some things here.

Anytime of the day, it is common to witness actual filming and sometimes be included in the movie by accident, like when you’re crossing the street or standing by the ATM machine, like my boss did. In fact, a couple of popular movies were filmed right at our office building, Spiderman, The Italian Job, and Fast and the Furious.

One day, an Eddie Murphy movie was being shot downstairs. I got excited I called my officemates and our CFO, “there’s a shooting downstairs, come have a look!” They hurriedly went by the window, sneaked their heads out and asked, “Where’s the shooting? Were there cops?” I told them, “there are no cops; it’s a comedy, an Eddie Murphy movie.” To which they altogether replied, “Oh you meant a filming, not a shooting.” And they all went back to their station holding their laughs. No wonder they all looked anxious-scared instead of anxious-excited when I called them. Embarrassing situation ---priceless!