Till My Heartaches End

I rarely watch Filipino Movies these days. I found the plots too cheesy for my taste. But I got interested in watching this film when I saw the full trailer in YouTube. I’m not really a Kimerald fan but I appreciate talented actors and actresses. And with this movie, I can say that Kim and Gerald are now one of the best actors and actresses of their generation.

This is a Filipino Romantic Drama Film about a relationship of two individuals whose life, personalities and aspirations are different from each other.

Till My Heartaches End

Star Cinema, 110 Minutes
Released on October 27, 2010
Drama, Romance

Watched in August 2011

Every relationship starts with a beautiful beginning. A woman who never knew love until he met him. A man who found love when she believed in him. But when his dreams became more than what she could take, she wanted love more than he could give. When a relationship is bound to end, will you fight for it and stay? Or will you choose to walk away?

Paolo “Powie” Barredo (Gerald Anderson) is out to prove to the world that he is not just a son out-of-wedlock, but that he can succeed in life independently. Though he started out roughly, he soon picked up pace and climbed the ladder of success. But as things started falling into place, other important things in his life had to take a backseat as he experienced the thrill of finally achieving his goal.

Agnes Garcia (Kim Chiu) has always longed for the time when her family will finally be complete again. At the young age of 6, her parents left the country to work abroad – her mother was a medical technician in America, while her father worked as an engineer in Riyadh. Despite the distance, Agnes held tight to the inevitability that she will reunite with her parents once again when she passes the nursing exam and applies to work in the States.

The moment these two saw each other at the café, they couldn’t take their eyes off each other. Their attraction was apparent and it seemed that destiny brought them together. As they got to know the other better, they found solace and comfort in each other’s company. But the security they found in each other soon started to shake when their different life paths take them to different directions. Despite the love they both still have for each other, one must choose to decide when to let go, even if the other is still holding on.

Director & Writer: Jose Javier Reyes

Stars: Kim Chui, Gerald Anderson and Boots Anson-Roa

+++

Kudos to Jose Javier Reyes for writing a realistic love story that everyone who’d been in a relationship can relate to. I like the way he started the film by making Agnes and Powie’s friends tell their story. It makes you feel that it’s as if you’re just hearing one of your office mate talk about the love struggles of his/her distant cousin. It makes you feel at home and relate to the characters easily since you know it can happen in real life.

Seeing Gerald play a poor character in a movie is something new to me. I always see him as a cool, collected, rich, spoiled brat dude. I have to give him credit for portraying the role very well. He was very mature in this film and very dashing too. It’s as if this role was tailored fit for Gerald Anderson. It showed a different side of him.

Kim Chiu was very impressive in this film too. Being a docile, fragile, helpless little girl was like a second skin to her. Her eyes show her emotions. She’s no longer the teeny, sweet, chinita we saw in PBB. Kim really had gone a long way.

This movie made me remember my own kagagahan when my relationship with my boyfriend is still new. I was somehow a little like Agnes but not too much. I know when to say no and when to stop hurting myself. Agnes has to be hurled and hurt a couple of times before waking up from her own nightmare.

But I really can’t blame Agnes for being what she is. Since her parents left her at a very young age to work abroad, she’d been in a constant search for love and security. She’s a woman who doesn’t know what love is until she met Powie. He is the first guy who made a connection with her and promised her that he’ll never leave her unlike what her parents did.

Powie, on the other hand, was a guy who has a troubled relationship with his parents. He feels as if his Dad doesn’t really see him as his son. He lives an independent life and he is set to prove that he can achieve his goals. He is already like that even before Agnes came to his life.

We all know that every relationship starts with a beautiful beginning. Agnes was a woman who never knew love until he met him. And Powie is a man who found love when she believed in him. But when his dreams became more than what she could take, she asked for love more than what he could give.

Their situation raised a lot of questions from me.

When a relationship is bound to end, will you fight for it and stay? Or will you choose to walk away?
When will you say stop? Until when will you allow yourself to be hurt?
Is love enough to make a relationship go on?
Will you choose love over your dreams?
Will there still be second chance if you let this great love go?

The only thing I didn’t like in this movie is the ending. Yes, they met again and probably are still in love with each other. It just left too many possibilities of what will happen to them. But I guess that’s what Jose Javier Reyes is aiming for, right? For the audience to decide of how they want to end Agnes and Powie’s love story.

4 Kiss Marks

Amazing: I’m mesmerized.

5 Drama Awards

Superb! I’m speechless!

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What’s Up, Friday? (2)

Updates of what’s keeping me busy and what’s in store for the month.

Hi guys! It’s been a while since my last update. I started my night shift three weeks ago and all I do is sleep whenever I have the chance to. I know this segment should come out on a Friday as what the title says but then it’s Sunday today. You’re probably thinking I’m crazy and it should be What’s up Sunday. Blame it on my laziness this past few days and my bed for constantly winning over my laptop.

Okay. I’m back to business! (Finally. Yehey!) Since we are celebrating the Buwan ng Wika, I decided to watch Filipino Films this August to pay tribute to our national language. So that means my film reviews would be mostly for Filipino movies though I’m still thinking if I’ll only read and review Philippine Literary as well. That’s a bit difficult since I’m not into books written by Filipino Authors but I’ll try. Anyway, here are the stuff I’m busy for the week and upcoming weeks.

Watchpad
Series: City Hunter & 49 Days

 
I’ve started watching both a few weeks ago and I’m hoping I get to finish them ASAP.

Movies: Gerald Anderson Marathon

 
I know. You don’t have to say it out loud. So what? I just feel like watching his movies.

Book Corner: Currently Reading

Last 94 pages! As to when I’ll finish this, I don’t know yet.

Julie James Novels

This is the result of my Contemporary & Chick-Lit Syndrome these past days.

Upcoming
I still have lots to finish so… Let’s see…

Blog Updates
I know I mentioned in my first WUF that I’ll be creating a separate YA Book Review. I changed my mind. I’ll stick with my Off The Wall blog and post everything here but I’ll arrange everything to make it organized and easier to navigate.

WUF (1) Completion Report
Watchpad
CHUCK Series:
I finished watching it last month but I heard there would be season 5. I want to finish everything first before making a review.

100 Days with Mr. Arrogant:
Hmmm… This movie is still included in my to watch list.

Book Corner
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Piccoult:
Half way through it. I stopped reading this since a friend borrowed it. I’ll resume reading once it’s returned.

The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta:
I’m done reading the novel and I so love it! Review coming up!

Beautiful Disaster

I don’t usually do book reviews but because of a persistent friend I’ll give it a damn try. Goodness, I can’t imagine myself making this review after spending 10 hours in the office with no sleep at all so Kwesi you better read this or else… 

Just a disclaimer before you read this, it’s more of my rants and blab of the book and not a review. Okay.

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful, #1
Kindle Edition, 319 pages
New Adult, Contemporary

Read on August 15, 2011

INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

What got me into reading this book was the cover (the thumbnail looks like a girl’s V*, don’t you think?) and the synopsis. Now stop looking at the book cover. I swear, it’s really the synopsis that made me read this.*winks*

Abby Abernathy wants to start a new life and forget her past so she decided to study across the country thousands of miles away from her hometown. She’s your typical good girl. She doesn’t smoke. She doesn’t drink. And she doesn’t date boys with reputations. Then she met Travis Maddox. A hot, irresistible guy who has everything Abby wants to avoid.

This was a novel that started pretty well, then slowed down in the middle and ended not so okay. That’s why I gave it a 2 Kiss Mark rating.

I like Abby and Travis characters at first but because of the choices they made as the story progress, I lost interest in them. I know how important character development is in a novel. But most of the time the character changes for the better. I’m not saying that they didn’t. I just find the development unnatural.

**Spoiler Alert**

I first thought that Abby is a smart-level-headed girl. But she turns out to be an undecided-two-timing-bitch. I hate it when she couldn’t decide if she likes dating Parker or she loves Travis. I never imagined her to be that clueless and stupid. It was very obvious that she likes Travis but she keeps on denying it because she can’t get pass her drama in life. And when she finally ended up with Travis, she can’t decide if she wants to stay with him or not. She perfectly perfected the art of fickle mindedness.

Travis, on the other hand, is your typical charming frat bad boy. I don’t like guys covered in tattoos but Travis carried it sexily. He is so yummy. Then he fell in love. That changes everything. Don’t get me wrong, I love it when a womanizing-oozing-with-sex-appeal-guy falls in love and becomes a one-woman-man; however, I don’t like it when he becomes too cheesy and dependent with the girl he loves as if his world revolves around her. It’s annoyingly unnatural.

There was even a scene in which Travis was singing “Satisfaction” in the cafeteria and all the people there joined him as if it’s a remake of a scene from High School Musical. It serves as the last cue for his macho image to be thrown out of the window. That was definitely not awesome.

The ending was not the way I expected it or I probably expected too much. Either way, I still don’t like it. It was not a smart choice. They got married at the age of nineteen! (Abby was 19 and Travis was a little older) They haven’t even finished college yet! Get married at nineteen in Vegas?! Ugh. Not a smart choice for me. It’s more proper if it ended with a solid commitment or a proposal that they’ll get married when the right time comes.

Okay I can’t think of anything anymore and I need to sleep now. Ha-ha.

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