Wow, 2021 came and we thought we’d finally be rid of the pandemic by Christmas, but here we are! I got covid, we all started working from home and I wonder how all the extroverts are doing because even I felt cabin fever from being stuck at home all year, with only 2 ventures that weren’t for vaccination or dental work.
So, stuck at home, my main accomplishment was watching tv at home and here are my favorites and not-so-likeys.
Best Film: Emma.
I loved this version of a jane austen classic that i saw on HBO. It’s just so light and funny, like a palate cleanser from all the ugliness on the news. It helps that i like anna taylor joy from “ queen’s gambit” and co-star johnny flynn from “lovesick”
I also liked “The green knight” which felt like a waking dream, with stunning visuals. Everybody raved about “ the power of the dog” but it was a little low-key for me. “ The French dispatch” is cute and quirky but also a little sad because it’s like a eulogy for the printed word, a world i still live in. “ Nocturama” is a haunting film about teens in Paris who bomb the city then hide in a mall, but no one knows why. Disturbing but stylish. “Spiderman: No way home” was the best commercial movie that mixed fan service with an actual good story.
*Worst :No time to die
was a letdown because they tried and failed to make all the previous films seem like they were all connected. Plus the villain didn’t seem like much of a threat, so the stakes didn’t feel high enough.
Also hated Matrix Resurrection. It felt like a retread or worse, a money grab. I mean in the first one they had bullet time and now, they have “ hadouken”?
Musical: Come from away. ( Apple tv)
I was so surprised about this musical. I didn’t know anything about this small town that welcomed thousands of stranded passengers after 9/11. And what an economic use of actors! With just a change of vest, they were a different character.
*No me likey: Rak of Aegis.
This was disappointing. I heard nothing but praises for this but when we watched it, it was a chore. They tried too hard to give each character a back story with a matching song, but maybe they should just have edited them out.
TV series: Ghosts.
I only heard about this online but am i glad i was able to see the BBC original as well as the US remake. Funny and touching, as well as throwaway comments that had me laughing out loud, i looked forward to every episode. I was also a fan of Family business, Sex education , Trying, Ted Lasso. So proud of Trese on Netflix, though we wished the main villain’s fate hewed closer to the book’s inspired ending.
* And just like that…
is the next phase of Sex and the city but without my fave Samantha, it feels boring and less fun and an overcorrecting of its whiteness.
After suzette doctolero’s tiff with pol medina on voltes 5, we watched her show “ Legal wives” and we wondered why the muslim community wasn’t complaining about how it put their culture in such a bad light. I would’ve gotten dead drunk if i had a shot every time Dennis Trillo’s character would say “ I don’t have a choice”
Song: Dulo, by the Juans
just hit me hard with its beautiful sadness while Bruno Mars and company’s “Leave the door open” was just the perfect sexy, retro vibe to perk me up
Meanwhile, that * pepsi ad with daniel padilla singing the high part of “ Total eclipse of the heart” sounded like “ pinupunit na yero” or shredding a galvanized steel roof.
Comics: Paul at home by Michel rabagliati
is his saddest book yet as he deals with divorce, death and learning to be alone. Don’t know if this is his last one but i hope he’s ok.
Adrian Tomine’s Loneliness of the long distance cartoonist is a hilarious insight into the huge ego and even huger insecurities of artists. How comforting to know I am not alone.
Gadget: ipad with pencil.
Thank god i bought this after reading sooooo many reviews and just before i got covid. Otherwise, i wouldn’t have been able to make editorial cartoons or crazy jhenny from home. My wacom couldn’t work with the anydesk.
Tp link deco m5 wifi mesh was a lifesaver for my WFH problems. With our village unable to upgrade to pldt fiber, I was able to use my sister’s globe fiber next door without the messy wires or loss of signal strength.
Worst: BDO online security.
Not only did lots of clients suddenly lose their money to a Mr. Nagoyo, they tried to blame it on the victims!
