Archive for the ‘Movies’ Category

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Let’s bring “Morning Fall” to Sundance!

January 10, 2008

 A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Edward McGinty, the director of the short film “Morning Fall.” Synopsis: (running time is approx. 9 minutes) a motorcycle rider wakes up on the side of the road, injured and confused. Where will he end up when he can’t find his way home?

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Anyway, Edward shared with me the good news that the film is one of five finalists in the Delta Fly-In Movies competition and it needs as many five star ratings as it can muster to win. All of the finalist filmmakers will be flown to the 2008 Sundance Film Festival for a special celebration where the winning film will be revealed. COOL! 8)

You may vote for the film on this page (mouse over the five stars by marking them red then hit ’submit’). Please note that voting ends next Tuesday, January 15. If you’re a rider or someone who simply dig the film, you may post the link in your blog or forums so your friends can vote for it too. :)

I know some of you have yet to see the film, so with Edward’s permission, here it is again.

Here my previous review about the film. Read the rest of this entry ?

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Vespa Spotting: Guess the Movie (Part II)

November 6, 2007

Here’s another series of movie screencaps with Vespas in it. This is actually the long-overdue, second installment of the Guess the Movie (Easy Round) I posted last April. I think this will be just as easy since all the movies where the scenes below were taken are mainstream and quite known.

Let’s start:

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1. ___________________________

 

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2. ___________________________

 

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3. ___________________________

 

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4. ___________________________

 

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5. ___________________________

How are you doing so far? There are five more items in this quiz. Read the rest of this entry ?

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Art Vespa: My Simpsonized family (…and the voices behind the show)

August 4, 2007

As I mentioned before, simpsonizeme.com is a site that coverts your own photo to look like a 2D Simpsons character. A couple of my riding buddies tried it out and posted their simpsonized caricatures in the Vespinoy forum.

Here are the ones I’ve done for my family. Of course, I had to sit me down on a Vespa to make the image go with my blog’s main topic. ;)

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Try it with your own picture and see how things turn up. :D The sad white bunny by my daughter’s foot is her pet Robby whom she got as a gift out of the magician’s hat during her 7th birthday party exactly a year ago. It is with a heavy heart that we are giving the pet up for adoption to find her a more suitable home. The above art is lovingly dedicated to her. :)

Anyway, to go back on the Simpsons topic: I have always thought it’s common knowledge that the voice of Bart Simpson is done by a grown woman. Then I’d realize that only die hard fans of the show would care to know of such detail. I was even more amazed when my wife & daughter got very interested watching a clip I was viewing in YouTube where the main voice talents behind The Simpsons guested in Inside the Actor’s Studio and were interviewed as the characters they portray. Watch the entertaining clip here. Read the rest of this entry ?

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Rider’s Profile: Chloe (Skyler Shaye) of “Bratz: The Movie”

August 3, 2007

Let’s start off this entry by playing the trailer for this teen/tween movie

Yes, the movie’s based on the popular doll line of the same name. Now that you have an idea what’s the movie about, don’t go rushing to the cinema just yet. I’ve read reviews about this movie and they all say it’s really BAD! But hey, it’s another chance to profile a rider, so what the heck? Read the rest of this entry ?

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Homer rides a Vespa?

July 26, 2007

I watch The Simpsons Movie yesterday as it opens here in Manila. I am a big fan of the show and a collector of everything Simpsons so understandably, this movie is something I’ve waited for for more than 15 years!

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Don’t get the wrong idea. Homer didn’t ride a Vespa in the movie. The image above is just something I did based on this Simpsons artwork. Posting it here is just an excuse so that this blog entry would have some semblance of not straying from my usual blog topic. But Homer did ride a motorcycle in the movie which was crucial to the plot, but it wasn’t a Vespa.

Like what I said in this other blog I maintain, the film is entertaining not in the big Hollywood blockbuster kinda way, but it’s clear that the creators had fun making the movie with the intention to mess up with the audience. It’s a fun watch that I recommend to anyone who appreciates the TV show.

What makes me more amazed is how they marketed this movie. Consider these…. Read the rest of this entry ?

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Vespa Spotting: Riding soon to a theater near you!

June 19, 2007

There has been a lot of movies in the past where the Vespa scooter figured prominently in the storyline. Some of these flicks you’ll see in my previous post here. And now, on its way to the cinemas are are a couple of upcoming Hollywood releases which got big stars & lead characters riding on Vespas. Watching the trailer and reading the plot summaries, these three films seem to be an interesting watch. See for yourself.

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First of the list is Michael Bay’s (Armageddon) much-anticipated, summer blockbuster movie — Transformers. The image above is actually a collateral for the tie-up between Vespa USA and DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures where the former will be giving away a brand-new Vespa in their Vespaweeps promo. But don’t get too excited. There would be no transforming scooter joining Optimus Prime and the Autobots nor will there be one joining the evil forces of the Decepticons.

So what’s the Transformers-Vespa connection then? Here’s what Paolo Timoni, president/CEO of Piaggio Group Americas, has to say…

[from mediapost.com] In the movie, the hero — played by Shia LaBeouf — escapes from one of the protean mechanical horrors on a Vespa, which turns out to be the perfect escape vehicle because it is able to weave in and out of the apocalyptic wreckage of burning cars and rubble. The scooter’s role in “Transformers” will be about Vespa as an American brand. It’s not about Italian good living.

Sounds exciting. I’m actually curious to see how does that translate in the actual movie. Guess we all have to wait for this year’s 4th of July to find out. In the mean time, you can visit the official site at www.transformersmovie.com and see the trailer.

The next two movies are topbilled by Reese Witherspoon; and the other one, by Brad Pitt. Check them out riding their Vespas here. Read the rest of this entry ?

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Short Film: “Morning Fall” (a must-see!)

June 13, 2007

I was browsing the previous posts in our private forum at Motorcycle Bloggers International when I encountered a post by Steve Williams of Scooter in the Sticks (a well-known and award-winning Vespa blog) about a short film called “Morning Fall.” I, personally, am not a fan of short films unless they came before a full-length Pixar animations. ;) But the film below struck a nerve in me. It’s about a rider who crashed hitting a deer and was left unconscious for a while. When he woke up, it wasn’t clear to him what has transpired until he saw the pieces of the puzzle.

It was specially poignant to me since in my recent long ride to Quezon Province, it was my first time to see a canine roadkill while scootering. Further in the course of the trip, as I was coming from a bend, I was surprised to see a stray dog about to cross the mountain road. But upon seeing my scoot, it had second thoughts midway and decided to turn back. I almost run it over but thank God, I didn’t! And finally, during a stop in a sari-sari store, the locals decided to chat with me just when my riding buddies were already out of earshot and gearing up for the rest of the journey. They asked me where we’re from and where we’ve been to. Then they wished us a well-meant safe trip, but it wasn’t comforting for me at all. Why? They told me that just three days ago, an out-of-town rider hit a dog just down that road. The dog and the backrider died on the spot. These all happened within a day. Needless to say, these has gotten me so paranoid the rest of the ride that I was overly-anticipating a dog would suddenly run from the side of the road. The ride day ended without any further dog-related encounter.

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Binggoy, Boo, me, Bimbo & Tonton at Lamon Bay Pier (pic courtesy of Boo)

Back to the film. The short is very well-made in a level that could affect even non-riders. It’s directed by Edward McGinty and it has actually won the “Best Live Action Short Film” in the 2007 Malibu Film Festival. Though I don’t agree that a fallen rider would first look for a cigarette to light up before looking for his bike; I do understand that the cigarette scene is essential to add to the “frustration” of the character. As the movie was about to end, I blurted out an “OH SHIT!” with what I saw. All these story build-up for ONE GREAT ENDING! Disturbing… yes, but great nonetheless.

There isn’t much dialogue but that didn’t diminish the message it tried to convey. Note that the movie starts with hardly any sound (except for some chirping birds) for almost a full minute. I have to add here that this isn’t a feel-good and entertaining film. It’s actually a downer and downright depressing. So if you’re in a ‘happy-happy, joy-joy’ state right now, better forgo watching at this time. This short will only take about 9 minutes of your time. Sorry for my constant blabbering. Here’s the movie now. :) Read the rest of this entry ?

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Vespa Spotting: Guess the Movie (Easy Round)

April 10, 2007

Instead of simply listing down the Hollywood movies which featured a Vespa in them, I decided to have a little fun ala FilmWise. I will be presenting screencaps from movies and you try to guess the title of the movie.

I made this round quite easy by presenting ‘character-driven’ images. There are only ten items. Look closely at the screencaps and you’ll see the lead or supporting character(s) from each movie which will serve as the clue. Try to post your answers in the comment section. :)

Ready? Let’s start!

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1. title: ______________________________

 

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2. title: ______________________________

 

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3. title: ______________________________

 

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4. title: ______________________________

 

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5. title: ______________________________

Don’t relax yet. There are five more screencaps to identify. Let’s go!

Read the rest of this entry ?