Bid Time Return/Somewhere in Time

One film that started as a box-office disappointment  and is now a certified cult classic with a large following among cable and TV viewers is Somewhere in Time. It owes its genesis in a science fiction novel, Bid Time Return, by one of my favorite sci-fi authors, Richard Matheson who also wrote Stir of Echoes, What Dreams May Come, and I am Legend which were also filmed. The novel was inspired by an incident in Matheson's life. He was attracted by a portrait of American actress Maude Adams (not Maud Adams, James Bond's Octopussy) in an opera house in Nevada. He asked himself: What if some guy falls in love with a woman in a portrait and goes back in time to meet her? Thus the germ for the novel. Published in 1975, Bid Time Returns was given the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1976. 

Five years after its publication, the novel was filmed as Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour in the lead. It was an ideal date movie and is now shown on cable and TV during Valentine's Day. It also influenced local teleseryes in ABS-CBN and GMA-7. 

What made the film memorable to me was the original soundtrack composed by John Barry. Two musical pieces became my personal favorites: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninoff and the movie theme. 

In the mid-80s, to my delight, Pat Castillo recorded the Theme from Somewhere in Time. The lyrics echo the film's sentiments (sentimentality?). The same song was also recorded by a favorite singer, Nonoy Zuniga whom I personally met while he was a resident doctor at Cardinal Santos Medical Center.

Just because it is, doesn't mean it should be

Running at 165 minutes, Australia by Baz Luhrmann at turns surprises, amuses, thrills, mystifies, and makes the viewer ponder about race, culture, love and family. As I've learned from watching Lurhmann's Moulin Rouge, expect the unexpected. And so with such visual artistry, Luhrmann's Australia is entertaining as it shifts from the comedic beginning (the barroom brawl and underwear suitcase fiasco) to the thrilling middle (driving 1500 heads of "fat cheeky bulls through Neverland and into that big bloody metal ship," love develops between Lady Ashley & Drover) up to the dramatic ending (WWII bombing, rescue of kids, reunion).

On the treatment of women, aborigines and half-castes, the film never pontificates. From the mouths of Lady Sarah Ashley and Drover, we hear their firm conviction that, Just because it is, doesn't mean it should be when confronted by discrimination.

The last time I gasped and held my breath as I saw the cinematographic artistry onscreen was while watching Barry Lyndon. Watching Australia made me gasped again after a long while. The panoramic shots of the outback and Faraway Downs, the dusty arid landcape, the nightsky just make me want to eat the scenery.

Focus: Richard Matheson

Richard Matheson, who turned 83 February 20 this year, is one of my favorite sci-fiction and horror novelists (together with Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Philip K. Dick, Peter Straub, Dean Koontz and Stephen King). I first became aware of him when I saw Duel, the first film directed by Steven Speilberg. Matheson wrote the book and screenplay which greatly impressed Spielberg that the latter decided to meg it.
Last year, the film version of his book, I am Legend, raised a ruckus because it was quite different from the novel like the film The Running Man (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) is several miles away from the novella by Stephen King. This blogpost is prompted by the thread in Plurk where Slumdog Millionaire was discussed. I said Slumdog was based on a novel titled Q and A by Vikas Swarup and this was met by a collective gasp from those plurking with me. One plurker said most films are based on novels. If not, they're based on screenplays. I added, if a film becomes a hit, usually a novelization of the screenplay is released. If one has read the novel, has seen the film version and is delighted by the latter, then that doubles the appreciation. If not, then one can always say the book is better. A non-reader then has nothing to fall back on if one has only seen the film (and is disappointed) and has not read the book.

Some would argue that reading the book and seeing the film version raises comparisons. True. But in the case of Robert James Waller's novel The Bridges of Madison County, the film version enhanced appreciation for the book. Same is true with Matheson's Bid Time Return and its film version Somewhere in Time. Raise your hands, those of you who have seen these films and were enticed to read the novels later.
In true Hollywood fashion, book titles deemed not commercial enough are renamed. When I saw Somewhere in Time (starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour), I was wondering throughout the movie why the storyline was familiar to me. Years later, after watching the opening credits of the DVD version, I realized it was based on Matheson's Bid Time Return (which was retitled to sync with the film title) which I had read years before it was filmed. The film though was in general faithful to the plot and theme of the book.

Other Matheson books turned into movies include Stir of Echoes, What Dreams May Come, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Hell House, among others.
(Photos culled from the internet)

Inkheart: book vs. movie

First off, the book is much better than the movie version.

Second, the burning of books scene in the movie like that in Fahrenheit 451 and the Day after Tomorrow is simply sickening to bibliophiles like me. This scene is not in the book.

Third, Mo and Dustfinger are not that antagonistic to each other in the book, the swapping of the Inkheart book with another and other changes. I hate it when changes like these are made in movie versions as they tend to change the motivations expressed in the book. Directors/screenplay writers think nothing of these, but remember the changing geography (example: Hagrid's hut) in the Harry Potter movies?

Fourth, Elinor, whose book collection is described in the book's chapter A House Full of Books, doesn't look too distraught over the destruction and burning of her precious books in the movie. Is it a case of too-subtle acting on Helen Mirren's part? I was cringing in my seat watching pages fly all around in her small library (in the book, even the guest rooms are filled with stacks of books) while Mirren socks one of Capricorn's men in the face onscreen. Why, I even shed tears everytime I had to burn the remains of my books attacked by termites at home.

Fifth, admirably the movie follows through the book's intention of promoting reading and respect for the word.

A Filipino vampire myth in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight

Twilight, the international bestseller by Stephenie Meyer (now a blockbuster film), contains a reference to a Filipino vampire myth named Danag. The main character Bella Swan was intrigued by vampire Edward Cullen's revelations and decided to search online for more information about vampires and this is what she found:

"The rest of the site was an alphabetized listing of all the different myths of vampires held throughout the world. The first I clicked on, the Danag, was a Filipino vampire supposedly responsible for planting taro on the islands long ago. The myth continued that the Danag worked with humans for many years, but the partnership ended one day when a woman cut her finger and a Danag sucked her wound, enjoying the taste so much that it drained her body completely of blood."*

The website referred to in Twilight is Enchanted Doorway which features World Vampire Myths.

* Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, pages 184-185 (page 116 in hardbound copy)

My fave library scenes in films/books

As a bookworm, I have always considered the school library as my sanctuary and haven. It is at the library that I learned about the birds and the bees (notwithstanding that the references were scanty and withheld from general circulation) - starting with looking up the definitions of sexual terms in the gargantuan Webster's Dictionary up to finding (to my raging hormones' delight) sexy passages in R-rated books by Harold Robbins, et al.Not surprisingly while reading Atonement by Ian McEwan, the scene that got my pulse racing was the pivotal library encounter between the two lovers which was misinterpreted by the young Briony. I still have to see the movie version of this novel to find out how this scene was interpreted by the director. At the UP Main Library, one of my pet peeves was finding lovers making a lovenest in between library shelves where I needed to find a book for my research. I'm sure that if these lovers ever saw the film, they might have ended up necking and petting inside the cinema! The good ole days indeed! :D
While other movie viewers noticed clothes and shoes among other things, I salivated at the sight of the extensive (wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling) library in Lex Luthor's yacht in Superman Returns. Never mind if someone told me it was just a SFX. How Luthor can have that library and still be a villain is beyond me! One of my favorite Ray Bradbury books, Something Wicked This Way Comes, has a library scene where Mr. Dark confronts Mr. Halloway. I just couldn't put this book down and I revisit it like an old friend. My teenaged imagination was fired up by this book.
Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, finds herself in bookworm heaven in the Beast's library. Never mind if this library is just a product of animation!I l-o-v-e both Yentl the Yeshiva Boy, a short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer and Yentl, the movie starred in and directed by Barbra Streisand! Orphaned, Yentl had to disguise herself as a boy to enter a school where/when women were not allowed to study the Torah. Yentl spends her time with tomes until love comes her way.
The library scene in The Mummy with Rachel Weisz as the librarian amidst the mayhem and the harassment of her boss made me remember all the school librarians I have met and befriended who served as my guides in the labyrinth of books under their care.
While others were turned off by a suspense thriller set in a medieval library in a monastery, The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco presented itself as a challenging read to me because of the pidgin English, Latin and French sentences in it. I had my Latin and French dictionaries on hand while reading it. In the end, it was a satisfying read. So satisfying that, when I finally saved up enough to buy a DVD player, the film version was one of the first three videos I bought and watched.

What Scene in "Day After Tomorrow" Frightens Me

No, it is not the global warming/ice age plot of The Day After Tomorrow that frightens me the most. It is this scene:

Snow/icebound with others (including some whiz kids) in the New York Public Library, the character played by Jake Gyllenhaal suggests that they burn library books to keep them warm. Never mind that they are in a room with wooden walls and wooden bookshelves (and wood gives off more warmth than books when burned!). Then some whiz kids engage in a debate on which works by whose authors to burn!

The horror! The terror I felt as I watched those precious being burned! Up to now, I still remind myself - It's ONLY a movie!

St. Francis Feast Day

All around the world today, Catholic churches celebrate the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi by blessing animals and their owners.

St. Francis, born Giovanni Francesco Bernardone in Assisi, Italy, is the patron saint of animals and the environment.

After spending his early years as a wayward youth, St. Francis became a soldier and was a prisoner of war. After his release, he became sick for a long time. He began having visions and heard God's voice in a church in San Damiano telling him to go and repair His house which going to ruins. He also rebelled against the riches that surrounded him and refused to join his friends' carousing ways.

At Mass, he listened to Matthew's gospel (10:7-10): And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. It was then that he decided to live a life of poverty.

Leading a life of penance and prayer, he began to preach about peace with God, peace with others and peace with oneself. He treated God's creations as his brothers and sisters. In 1210, he was given permission to start a new religious order named Friars Minor by Pope Innocent III.

The life of St. Francis was filled with hardships and challenges. He had to turn his back to his parents and family members. In 1219, he and his band of brothers went on a pilgrimage of peace to Egypt where he was allowed by the sultan (after much debate) to preach his message of peace.

One of his first recruits was St. Clare who would later found the Poor Clares and be declared by Pope Pius XII as the patron saint of television.

Two years before his death in 1226, he received the stigmata (five wounds of Jesus Christ).

His life has been written about in several books; the latest two were written by Donald Spoto and Robert Kennedy Jr. Also several films were made: Brother Sun, Sister Moon directed by Franco Zeffirelli and the TV film version of Spoto's book.

With the world in the grip of global warming and terrorism, St. Francis' intercession and examples are much needed to help us get through these times.

Book: Romeo & Juliet by Shakespeare based on the film

Yes, you read it right! That's one item up for sale at the Ebay Philippines website. :)

No, this is not a discussion of the "what came first - the chicken or the egg?" kind.

Yes, many books have been made into films. Some books are difficult to translate into the screen; just ask Stephen King how he feels about his books being made into films. Some books like those of Michael Crichton and John Grisham are so cinematic, scriptwriters can do them with their eyes close. These are the books on which the films are based.

Yes, many films, specially the top grossing ones, were also novelized after they were shown in cinemas and their DVD and VHS versions are put on sale. These books were written based on the films.

What I've Read and Watching Now

Based on the book Freedom Writers Diary. The true story of an English class handled by Erin Gruwell.

GILBERT

Caveat Lector (let the reader beware): This is an Ego-boosting blogpost.

This blogpost is prompted by the message of Gibbs Cadiz asking for a link-up and telling me he's also Gilbert. I hope this blogpost will serve as a clarion call to the Gilberts of the world in uniting to make ourselves felt and known.

Gilbert is of French-Germanic origin which means bright promise or pledge. Variations: Guilbert, Gilberto, Hilbert.

First, a little history of how I got to be named so. When it came time for me to be baptized, a little discussion ensued. Mama: I want this baby named Leo or Leon after his father, Napoleon. (Lola's voice-over: The parish priest won't allow animal names for baptism!) Papa (thinking to himself): I want him to be my junior! Some relative (probably my religious aunt): According to the almanaque, the baby was born on the feast day of St. Martin of Tours so his name should be Martin! (imagine me now if named Martin Tan) Mama (2nd attempt): Since I was born in Luzon, Napoleon in Visayas, and the baby in Mindanao, let's call him Luzvimindo! (Again, imagine me now if named Luzvimindo Tan) Lola: He looks like a Gilbert to me! And that's final! And so with Gilbert, baptized I was. Was I glad I wasn't born in 1982 otherwise, I would have been named Rambo (Rambo Tan!) by starstruck parents.

I first became aware of the first of my many tukayo (namesake) at age 6 while exploring the plastic globe given to me by an aunt. I found Gilbert Islands in the Pacific.

In high school, I discovered the priest- detective Father Brown books written by Gilbert Keith Chesterton. This tukayo's wit was enviable: "My country, right or wrong," is a thing that no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying, "My mother, drunk or sober." I think this tukayo was my first inspiration to become a writer-journalist.
Then in college, I read to smithereens the small book of Gilbert Highet, The Art of Teaching. "These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves. By taking down one of these volumes and opening it, one can call into range the voice of a man far distant in time and space, and hear him speaking to us, mind to mind, heart to heart." His book planted the teaching seed in my heart.

In the 80s, a tukayo, Gilbert O'Sullivan topped the worldwide charts with his Alone Again Naturally. This song remains one of my personal faves:

In a little while from now
If I’m not feeling any less sour
I promise myself to treat myself
And visit a nearby tower
And climbing to the top will throw myself off
In an effort to make it clear to who
Ever what it’s like when you’re shattered
Left standing in the lurch at a church
Where people saying: "My God, that’s tough
She's stood him up"
No point in us remaining
We may as well go home as I did on my own
Alone again, naturally

To think that only yesterday
I was cheerful, bright and gay
Looking forward to well wouldn’t do
The role I was about to play
But as if to knock me down, reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch
Cut me into little pieces, leaving me to doubt
Talk about God and His mercy or if He really does exist
Why did He desert me in my hour of need
I truly am indeed Alone again, naturally

It seems to me that there are more hearts
broken in the world that can’t be mended left unattended
What do we do? What do we do?

Alone again, naturally
Now looking back over the years and whatever else that appears
I remember I cried when my father died
Never wishing to hide the tears
And at sixty-five years old, my mother, God rest her soul,
Couldn’t understand why the only man she had ever loved had been taken
Leaving her to start with a heart so badly broken
Despite encouragement from me, no words were ever spoken
And when she passed away I cried and cried all day
Alone again, naturally, Alone again, naturally.

If you've read somewhere that if all the issues of National Geographic Magazine are stacked in one place on earth, that would tilt/change the Earth's axis, then you have Gilbert Grosvenor, its editor in chief to blame. :-)

Of course, let's not forget the devastating Hurricane Gilbert, recorded in history as the second most intense Atlantic hurricane next to Hurricane Wilma.
Then there's Gilbert the Great, a children's book by Jane Clarke about a smiling shark that looks like a cartoon character in Nemo/Shark's Tale.
And the early film of Johnny Depp, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
And lastly, a Hollywood hotel named Gilbert: