And the band certainly didn’t disappoint with an epic concert just yesterday, May 27, 2010, at Trinoma! I wasn’t able to reach the opening act (local group Franco), but Dashboard Confessional lead singer Chris Carraba’s repeated praise makes me think they did one heck of a job.

Dashboard Confessional played a lot of old songs, which was really great for a long-time fan like me, but had some great stuff from their newer albums as well, especially from the latest, Alter The Ending. “Belle of the Boulevard” was especially the crowd favorite.

Here’s the setlist (since I’m OC that way and was noting them down as the concert went on):

1. Don’t Wait
2. The Good Fight
3. Saints and Sailors
4. The Places You Have Come to Fear The Most
5. Carry This Picture
6. Everybody Learns from Disaster
7. Belle of the Boulevard
8. El Scorcho (Weezer cover)
9. Screaming Infidelities
10. Swiss Army Romance
11. As Lovers Go
12. Rooftops and Invitations
13. Remember to Breathe
14. Get Me Right
15. Vindicated
16. Stolen
17. (encore) Hands Down

Chris Carraba adlibbed the last part of “Remember to Breathe” into something totally different, but which was really fun to listen to, and covered a Weezer song (he mentioned in his intro to the song that in their concerts, they always cover a song of a band they toured with).

His personalization of a couple of songs (aside from the adlib on “Remember to Breathe,” he also sang “The Philippines will draw the crowds” instead of “College night will draw the crowds” in the first part of “Swiss Army Romance”) and the letting-the-audience-sing-entire-verses is a staple in their gigs, and I thought it was pretty amazing to be a part of that experience that I’d previously only seen/heard on the MTV Unplugged album and on YouTube clips.

Also, imagine the crowd’s reaction when the band went back on stage after “Stolen,” and Chris introduced their encore song as “about the best day in my life.” EPIC!

As my friend put it, aside from a stellar performance from the band, Chris’ voice really is great live - almost like it’s jumping out at you straight from a recording. The sound system the concert used was really great (JBL, according to an audiophile friend), and even though we only got Bronze tickets, we got very clear, very crisp sound (though the size of the venue may have played a part, the Paramore gig last March in MoA had poor acoustics). I think the quality is evident in the videos I took, where I could still clearly hear the band’s voice and music. In the Paramore videos I took, I could hear my own voice much louder than Hayley’s, haha.

Being able to attend a Dashboard Confessional gig means that I’ve got one thing on my bucket list half struck out (since they didn’t play The Best Deceptions haha).

Thanks for an epic performance, Dashboard Confessional!

Line of the Night:

Chris (adlibbing “Remember to Breathe”): “This one time, I kissed a girl from Manila…”

Audience: a combination of *cheers* *lulz* and *Whut?*

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Watch this clip of Artie dancing alone and ending up with a flash mob dance:

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Here’s a quick view of what’s in store in Manila Ocean Park and how to get there.

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So hurry and get your tickets now: any TicketWorld outlet at P4,500 for VIP, P3,000 for Gold, P1,500 for Silver and P 300 for Bronze plus service charge! Contact TicketWorld at 891-9999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph. For more information, log-on to www.u92.fm.

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- Ignorance
- Crushcrushcrush
- That’s What You Get
- Looking Up
- Careful
- Let The Flames Begin
- Never Let This Go
- The Only Exception
- Pressure
- For A Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic
- Where The Lines Overlap
- Decode
- Misery Business
- Brick By Boring Brick

They didn’t play “My Heart,” which was the third song on the setlist floating around on other sites, which was, if I recall correctly, the officially released list on their site (or was it a forum?).

My friends and I noted the songs down while enjoying the concert, and the ones I’m sure of the most are the order of “Pressure” and “For A Pessimist…,” because they were the only ones on the same clip on all the videos I took on my mobile phone. XD

I was a bit saddened by them not playing “My Heart,” one of my favorite songs, but seeing them perform live (and trust me, they were awesome!) was enough. And I was really

I’d still watch them again, and I’m hoping for “My Heart” and “Here We Go Again” (maybe even the acoustic version!) the next time.

Line of the Night:
Hayley: “There’s a McDonald’s at our show… That’s intense!”

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Alice In Wonderland (2010)

You can afford to see more movies after you get a big win at online casino games like baccarat and craps online, all at CasinoBellini.com!

Alice in Wonderland, the much-hyped collaboration between director Tim Burton and the Disney company, is a live-action version of Lewis Carroll’s beloved classic. While not a direct sequel to the 1951 Disney animated feature film of the same name, this version uses the animated film as a springboard of sorts.

In this version of Alice, the titular character is now a young woman in her late teens, who returns to Wonderland to escape from an arranged (and surprise, for her at least) engagement party in Victorian London. Pressured, and totally not ready to answer the marriage proposal of a snobbish aristocrat, Alice runs away to follow the White Rabbit, who leads her down through the rabbit hole (viewers of the 3D version – this part was one of highlights of the 3D visual effects!), and into a whole new adventure in Wonderland.

When word first got out of Burton working on Alice for Disney, and Johnny Depp being involved in the project, expectations ran high. Burton is known for crafting dark and twisting universes, and Wonderland, the story where most of Alice takes place, seemed like a fitting candidate to be transformed by Burton’s vision. And Depp, known for inhabiting the zaniest of roles, would make the perfect Mad Hatter – no one else would seem to be able to fit in!

However, this movie’s Wonderland may not be what some might expect. This film’s setting is a bit darker, yes, but not a Burton-esque dark. Wonderland, or Underland as it is referred to by the characters in the film, is suffering due to the rule of the Red Queen (Bonham-Carter), hence the dilapidated, decaying look of some of the locales. However, it is not all gloomy – if anything, it just seems like a dreamier but less psychedelic version of the old animated film’s Wonderland. Burton still manages to create a fantastic universe, that I think, 3D or not, is quite beautiful.

The rest of the effects were nicely done, not too realistic as to lose the “magic” and dream-like state of Wonderland, but not too cartoony either, creating a fantastic world that feels “just right.”

Mia Wasikowska as Alice in Alice in Wonderland (2010).

Johnny Depp plays another weird role as the Mad Hatter, evoking Madonna with his gap-toothed smile, and channeling Edward Scissorhands and his version of Willy Wonka at the same time. It’s a more subdued, subtler Hatter, and not quite what I expected (but in a good way). He is less manic and more introspective, though still prone to bursts of zaniness, and I think it works for the character.

The actress who stole the show has to be Mia Wasikowska, a 19-year-old revelation from Australia, who was astounding as Alice. She portrays Alice magnificently. Screenwriter Linda Woolverton (known for writing Beauty and the Beast and co-wrote The Lion King) wrote Alice as the young girl growing up pressured to conform to Victorian norms, but who has grown into a bit of a rebel and is a strong-willed young woman looking to find her own path. Wasikowska portrays the character amazingly, as Alice journeys through Wonderland and becomes an empowered heroine.

The supporting cast was solid too. Helena Bonham-Carter steals the show as the big-headed (literally) Red Queen, with deadpan lines that can’t help but make you laugh. George McFly Crispin Glover is thoroughly creepy as the Knave of Hearts, spindly and quite manipulative. (Quite the opposite of the guy who used to get beat up by Biff Tannen.)

Helena Bonham-Carter as the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland (2010).

Anne Hathaway was a bit of a weak link, as her White Queen evokes a dreamy, kind-of-hippie noble – a bit too…airheaded, for lack of a better term. I got that she was the noble, gentle queen, but her channeling Luna Lovegood of the Harry Potter franchise didn’t suit Hathaway too well, I think. The voice acting was superb, with Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar and Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat taking the cake. Others of note were Matt Lucas as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, who served as great comic relief, and Christopher Lee as the dreaded Jabberwocky, who was rightfully menacing.

One of the things I liked best about the film is the recurring theme is how Alice firmly believes that she is in but a dream, proclaiming that “this is my dream, you’re all just figments of my imagination!” A poignant scene with her and The Hatter occur, in which the realism of dreams is called into question, adding to the depth of meaning in the film. The payoff at the end was worth it, and while younger audiences will enjoy the visuals and the basic plot, the film offers adult viewers with something to digest as they leave the theatre.

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A lot of people (me included) thought that The Hurt Locker and Avatar would split the awards, with Bigelow taking home the Best Director plum, and Avatar winning Best Picture.

Bigelow is the first woman in the 82-year history of the Oscars to earn the Best Director award.

The Hurt Locker and Avatar came in with 9 nominations each. Avatar won the Oscars for Visual Effects, Art Direction, and Cinematography. In addition to the Best Picture and Best Director awards, The Hurt Locker took home the Film editing, Sound editing, Sound mixing, and Best Original Screenplay.

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Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief (2010)

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief tells the story of Percy Jackson (Lerman), a regular kid struggling with dyslexia and ADHD. Soon enough, though, Percy discovers that his “disabilities” are really because he isn’t a regular kid – he is a demigod, borne of Poseidon, Greek god of the sea, and a mortal woman. And never mind that he just found out that he is the son of a god – Percy is also being hunted, accused of stealing Zeus’ lightning, the most powerful weapon in the world. If not returned, this could lead to a war between the Greek gods and the end of the world as we know it.

In the tradition of the old Greek stories, Percy is accompanied by his guardian satyr/best friend Grover (Jackson), and the demigoddess Annabeth (Daddario) in his quest to not only save the world by appeasing the angry Zeus and finding “the lightning thief,” but also to save his human mother from the clutches of Hades, god of the underworld.

Percy Jackson is a fun, modern take on the myths of old. I’m a sucker for Greek mythology, and it was fun to see how the filmmakers transplanted some of the tales into modern day America, including some lesser known myths. Of course, it’s not only the gods that are present – creatures and other characters of the myths make appearances, including a harpy, a minotaur, the wise centaur Chiron, and the gorgon Medusa (played splendidly by Uma Thurman, channeling her inner Poison Ivy), among others.

Director Chris Columbus, the director of various kids’ classics such as Gremlins and Home Alone, brings his experience in directing the first two Harry Potter films into this new book-based fantasy franchise. Unfortunately, Percy Jackson also suffers a bit from his pacing, which, like on his work in Potters 1 and 2, can be a little off. The transitions between scenes could have used some better fine-tuning too.

The movie is saved because aside from excellent visual effects, it sports decent acting from the young leads, despite the direction and sometimes-forced script. Most impressive were Logan Lerman (who also impressed me as Christian Bale’s son in the 2007 remake of 3:10 To Yuma) and Brandon T. Jackson, as Percy and Grover, whose onscreen chemistry is great. Jake Abel and Alexandra Daddario, as the other main demigods, were decent, but not “wow.” The adult actors, on the other hand, seemed to have a ton of fun with their roles and scripts (sometimes a little too much fun – “I dated your daddy!” – Medusa), and while there were some initial shocks regarding the casting (in a good way), they played out nicely enough.

Percy Jackson is far from perfect, but is an enjoyable film for kids, and will probably make enough to merit a sequel (and yes, I’m looking forward to it). It’s not as good as the Potter films (and those aren’t even the best fantasy sagas), but will certainly get some more people to brush up on their Greek mythology in anticipation for the sequel, and most probably in anticipation to read the novels. A lot of other franchises could certainly do worse.

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