Film Icons: Celso Ad Castillo

Image Shack

For the older folks, the name Celso Ad. Castillo will definitely ring a bell. If you watch local cinema, you will have encountered the name before. Not so much for the younger folk, though. These kids might be asking, "What the hell kind of name is 'Ad'?" Is it short for Adelantado, or Adarna? Or is it Latin, like Celso Ad Nauseam? Also, some articles spell it as "Ad." with a period, while others don't. So which is it really?

Looper

If you want to talk action, then Bruce Willis is always in the mix. After all, he's the only person who can play John McClane of the Die Hard series. And he isn't in The Expendables just because he's being pretty.

Not the very best hairstyle, admittedly.

Joseph Gordon Levitt isn't a newbie too, since 10 Things I Hate About You and just recently with 500 Days of Summer. And then Inception; now he's Robin. And he sings and plays the guitar. Swoon.

Don't mind his prosthetic nose.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

(FanArt.TV)

Two words: Ewan McGregor... Emily Blunt... Wait, that's four words.

Look at them, so happy at the premiere somewhere.  (LAtmes.com)

Yes, I'm name-dropping two of the best non-American actors—not to mention, very beautiful people—today. And they've earned their iconic moments and characters.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

20th Century Fox

This film is based on a novel of the same title, except for the punctuation mark. The novel is called Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. With a comma. The movie is called Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. With a colon.

20th Century Fox

"All that fuss over punctuation? Tsk tsk."

Elementary. Episode 7: "One Way to Get Off"

CBS via DCT

And finally, an episode that gives us some back story on a character who isn't named Holmes or Watson. I'm talking about Captain Gregson, played by Aidan Quinn.

CBS

"Seven episodes before you give me a back story?"

Elementary. Episode 6: "Flight Risk"

CBS via DCT

Viewers are in for a treat this episode, as we see Sherlock investigate a plane crash, and a brief glimpse of Lucy Liu's legs.

CBS

Not that great, though.

Total Recall (2012)

(Comicbook.com)

I don't remember much of the original Schwarzenegger film. I've always liked Colin Farrell in action movies, whether he's the good guy or the bad guy, but my expectations for remakes is always a tad lower.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

Just like the Chosen One's final book that was split into two movies, this second installment of Breaking Dawn feels shorter and rushed compared to the slower-paced Breaking Dawn - Part 1. The movie was mostly truthful to the book, so that's not a good sign since it was the worst of the four.

Skyfall

Modified from Blogger

Skyfall is probably the only James Bond film with a title that doesn't sound like a Bond film. It sounds more like the title of a BBC documentary, possibly narrated by Daniel Craig.

Picture Nose

"Make sure to get a clear shot of his watch.
This film relies on product placement."

Anyway, here are some of the highlights of this film:

The Vampire Diaries. Season 4. Episode 6: "We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes"

Nice to see Katherine! She really owns being a vampire
in a way Elena will probably never embrace.

I wonder how Klaus handled five hunters tormenting him for 52+ years. Professor Cutie says the only time the hallucinations will stop is if another hunter is made. So Jeremy is to become the full-fledged hunter to complete the tattoo and find the cure—breeding one who might just be the end of all of them.

The Vampire Diaries. Season 4. Episode 5: "The Killer"

Please remember to wipe your bloody mouth after a feed or a kill.

Whoa! Elena's first kill is the very person with the tattoo that can help her dear Salvatore brothers find a cure for her. If only Jeremy would find out what his new invisible tat is, then he could volunteer to help. I'm not sure who would win the votes on the brothers' respective stands: Stephan doing his best to change Elena back to who she was (a human) or Damon accepting who she was and who she is now (a vampire). But it's very big-brotherly of Damon to help Stephan anyway.

EXCLUSIVE: How the Sting vs. SM Row Really Went Down

Find Your Way in SG

People who know me know that I am a huge Sting fan. People who don't know me that well probably think the same thing, as the name I go by online is Sting Lacson.

So when I learned that Sting was coming to Manila, I bought my tickets early, like a true Sting fan.

From my Facebook (add me!)

To make up for the fact that I missed the Fields of Gold tour in '94.

But then news came that the venue for Sting's December 9 Manila concert had been moved. It was originally set at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, but it had been changed to the Smart Araneta Coliseum. I will never get used to having the brand name Smart in there, so henceforth I shall be referring to the venue as the Big Dome.

Elementary. Episode 5: "Lesser Evils"

CBS via DCT

This episode begins with some classic Sherlock Holmes taken straight out of the canon. I'm talking about the part where he works with cadavers, hitting them to study post-mortem bruising behavior.

CBS

Yes, it's not what it looks like.

Elementary. Episode 4: "The Rat Race"

CBS via DCT

As Sherlock Holmes investigates a corporate murder where we have a company COO overdosed on heroin (or so it seems), we begin to ask the question: just how deep does Sherlock Holmes's drug use go?

CBS

Is the truth as horrifying as this image?

The Vampire Diaries. Season 4. Episode 4: "The Five"

The tat being a map is a nice touch.

A cure for vampirism? Now, that's more interesting than the greater-evil-coming arc. Stephan and Rebekah already weighed in on whether they'd want to be cured of their thirst for blood and also lose their heightened senses and immortality, kind of like in one of the X-Men movies. Up for some thought, too, is if they could live with and live past their vampire deeds, which most definitely involved hurting and/or killing someone or something. I would very much like it if Elena refuses the cure just so Klaus couldn't make any more hybrids. That would be some sacrifice.