HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Man, I had a great holiday season here in the US (my first time here!), I watched the LA production of Les Miserables on the Pantages Theater with my sister on Christmas Day (the very first musical I saw if you don't count the school presentations as well as the "Disney on Ice" show I saw at the Araneta Coliseum way back in 1994) and after that, me and my family (with my aunt in tow) spent most of the week in Las Vegas (during that time, I learned of the tragic tsunami disaster that hit southern Asia). We watched a Cirque de Soleil show and I spent most of the time sightseeing and watching recently released films on the nearby theater as they try their luck at the casinos. And a day after we arrived back in Long Beach, we went to visit the family of my sister's boyfriend and I still had a great time in their company. Ironically enough, while this is my first holiday experience in America, I still have yet to see or feel snow (heck, even my dad hasn't seen it yet, and he's been here for more than 7 years!).

The very first film I saw for this year (exactly on New Year's Day) was The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, starring Bill Murray and directed by Wes Anderson. While the film wasn't as good as Anderson's previous film The Royal Tenenbaums and it has garnered lots of mixed reviews, I definitely enjoyed it. From the ensemble cast (including Anderson's frequent collaborator Owen Wilson), the sets, the raw documentary-style cinematography, the make-believe fish specimens (including the infamous "jaguar shark") done by Henry Selick (Tim Burton's collaborator on The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, and the upcoming The Corpse Bride), the music, to the dialogue (Here's a sample- Scientist: [regarding the shark Zissou is hunting] "What would be the scientific purpose of killing it?" Steve Zissou: "Revenge.") . There's even a funny scene involving Filipino sea pirates (actually played by OFWs based in Italy who were cast while shooting in the legendary Cinecitta studios) who take over Zissou's ship as the "bond company stooge" (played by Bud Cort of Harold & Maude fame) tries to translate for them before he is eventually taken as hostage. Other highlights include a Brazilian crew member who spends most of the time singing David Bowie songs in his language, Team Zissou looting the supplies and equipment of a research station belonging to Zissou's rival (played by Jeff Goldblum), and a daring rescue operation on an abandoned island resort with hilarious results.

With 2004 already over, I thought it would be nice to share everyone my top films of 2004. To begin, let's start with the 2004 releases that I didn't saw on theaters but eventually saw on DVD which I definitely enjoy. The top 10 are:

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. Garden State
3. Kill Bill: Vol. 2
4. The Passion of the Christ
5. Before Sunset
6. Mean Girls
7. Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle
8. 50 First Dates
9. Hellboy
10. Napoleon Dynamite

Now to review my fall/winter season must-see checklist:

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - seen it
Shaun of the Dead - seen it
The Last Shot - haven't seen it
Shark Tale - seen it
I Heart Huckabees - saw part of it
Team America: World Police - seen it
Sideways - haven't seen it
Ray - seen it (though I didn't catch the first few minutes)
Beyond the Sea - haven't seen it
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - haven't seen it
Finding Neverland - seen it
The Incredibles - seen it
The Polar Express - seen it
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie - seen it
Meet the Fockers - seen it
Ocean's Twelve - only seen it starting from the middle part
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - seen it
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - seen it
The Phantom of the Opera - seen it
Spanglish - seen it
The Aviator - seen it
A Very Long Engagement - haven't seen it
In Good Company - seen it

And to rank my top 10 out those I've seen:

1. Team America: World Police - to this day, I still don't know why this film flopped even though lots of people were all looking forward to watching this. Nevertheless, its a great satirical one-two punch on US politics and Jerry Bruckheimer films.
2. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - too bad it flopped in the box office despite opening at #1, this has got to be one of the most ambitious action-adventure/sci-fi films ever conceived (Interesting note: Both Sky Captain and Team America were released by Paramount).
3. The Incredibles - Once again, Pixar delivers another consecutive hit! Need I say more?
4. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - see above
5. Finding Neverland - Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet (as well as young Freddie Highmore) give marvelous performances in this film about the creation of Peter Pan.
6. The Aviator - Leo shines, and Marty too! He deserves to win best director this year.
7. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - dark, depressing, and absolutely marvelous! The best Tim Burton film Tim Burton was never involved with whatsoever, and also the most gloomiest children's film since The City of Lost Children.
8. Shaun of the Dead - Nice comedic homage to zombie movies of then and now, talk about fried gold.
9. Meet the Fockers - in the original, I felt sorry for Ben Stiller's character. In this sequel, I felt MUCH MORE sorry for his character, as well as De Niro's.
10. The Phantom of the Opera - One of the best modern musical adaptations I've seen, and better than Chicago too.


Others worth mentioning: Ray, In Good Company, Spanglish (I didn't like the ending though), The Polar Express, and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

Overall, my top 25 of 2004:

1. Spider-Man 2
2. Team America: World Police
3. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
4. The Incredibles
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6. Garden State
7. Hero
8. Kill Bill: Vol. 2
9. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
10. The Terminal
11. Shrek 2
12. The Passion of the Christ
13. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
14. Finding Neverland
15. Fahrenheit 9/11
16. The Aviator
17. Before Sunset
18. Imelda
19. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
20. Shaun of the Dead
21. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
22. Meet the Fockers
23. The Phantom of the Opera
24. Ray
25. In Good Company

And now, my most eagerly-anticipated films of 2005 (subject to change):

1. Corpse Bride
2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
3. King Kong
4. War of the Worlds
5. Batman Begins
6. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
7. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
8. Sin City
9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
10. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

Others to look forward: Southland Tales, Be Cool, Madagascar, Chicken Little, The Fantastic Four, The Producers: The Movie Musical, The Brothers Grimm, Robots, Howl's Moving Castle, Melinda and Melinda, Bewitched, Kung Fu Hustle, Kingdom of Heaven, an untitled new comedy from Mike Judge, The Longest Yard, Mirrormask, and Oliver Twist.

I also can't wait for the return of all-new episodes of the cult cartoon Family Guy on May 1st, alongside a new cartoon from FG creator Seth MacFarlane called American Dad (judging from the pilot I saw online, I think it has some potential). Now if they can only revive Futurama...

As for my script, I have decided to take a new direction and instead of writing a satire of the animation industry as I originally intended, I'm instead currently attempting to do a full-length screenplay under the title of "Makiling's Treasure". It's an adventure story set in 19th-century Philippines under Spanish rule, and I can also describe it as a "picaresque historical fantasy". So far, I have done the 30 pages of the first draft, and hopefully some more in the future, as I'm currently preparing for my spring semester. Wish me luck!