Watchlist

People are fond of making lists. Shopping lists, guest lists, blah, blah, and blah! And as a year draws to a close, people make a special kind of list. A list of things people want to change—for the better, that is— in the coming year. A new year’s resolution.

Rather than making a list of promises which will be broken by me eventually—I opt to write down my own special list—my 2009 movie watchlist. A list of would-be favorites, may be, that I intend—no, that I must watch next year.

1. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

The prequel of the Underworld film series is the first film on my list. The film will trace the origin of the feud between vampires and werewolves. Set in the Dark Ages, it follows a young Lucian’s rise to power as he rallies the werewolves to stand up against the vampires who have enslaved them. Sadly, Kate Beckinsale is not in the movie.

2. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is an origin movie about the Street Fighter character Chun-Li. The movie will focus Chun-Li’s quest to uncover the truth behind her father’s murder.  The title character will be portrayed by Smallville star Kristin Kreuk. The film co-stars Neal McDonough as M. Bison, Chris Klein as Charlie Nash, Michael Clark Duncan as Balrog, and Taboo as Vega. The film also stars Robin Shou as Gen—Shou portrayed Liu Kang in the Mortal Kombat films. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is scheduled for release on February 27, 2009.

3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

The adamantium-clawed Wolverine will be returning to the big screen this 2009 in the upcoming movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The prequel to the X-men trilogy will be out on May 1st next year. The film is about—well, Wolverine’s origins. The Weapon X program, Wolverine’s initial encounters with William Stryker and the future X-Man Gambit as well as his relationship with his half brother Sabretooth will be featured in the film. Joining Hugh Jackman in the cast are Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Taylor Kitsch as Gambit and the The Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am as Kestrel. Daniel Henney, of Seducing Mr. Perfect and Spring Waltz fame, is also tied to the film.

4. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

The sequel to 2007’s Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be out on June 2009. In the film, Sam Witwicky is a college student studying astronomy, Megatron is resurrected as a Cybertronian tank and an international task force has been created to battle Decepticons. T2 will be introducing more robots including my favorite Autobots, Jetfire and Arcee. The female Autobot Arcee was supposed to be on the first film. She was later dropped off because the writers found it hard to explain her gender. In T2, Arcee will transform into a motorcycle while Jetfire will have a SR-71 Blackbird vehicle mode. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen teaser trailer will be released in February 2009.

5. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

The 4th origin movie in my watch list is G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The live-action film of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy line will focus on Duke and Ripcord’s induction into the G.I. Joe Team and the rise of the Cobra Organization. The cast include Channing Tatum as Duke, Dennis Quaid as Hawk, Sienna Miller as the Baronness, Christopher Eccleston as Destro, Ray Park as Snake Eyes, Rachel Nichols as Scarlett, Marlon Wayans as Ripcord and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the Cobra Commander.

6. Sherlock Holmes

Lastly, there’s my favorite detective Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes is set for release on October 2009 in the UK while a November release is set for the US. Though film will focus mainly around Sherlock and Watson stopping a conspiracy to destroy Britain, Sherlock Holmes’s story is a collection of several Holmes adventures in one film. The film is also said to feature Holmes’ baritsu and fencing skills. The film will star Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson respectively.

Other notable movies to watch next year are live-action adaptations of Dragonball and DC Comics’ Watchmen and the Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures computer-animated film Up. Also showing next year is Fast & Furious, the sequel to 2 Fast 2 Furious and prequel to The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Escape to the Hills

The book's title page.

I found Escape to the Hills when part of our clan’s ancestral house was demolished to make way for the construction of a new house—it was, rather, a renovation of the other half of the house. The old house stood in two lots. The other lot was sold so they had to cut the house in two. While constructions were going on, I found the book among the rubble—dirty, moldy and dank-smelling. I was intrigued by the book’s title and I also thought that the book was an antique. I slowly picked it up and hid it under my shirt like a thief.

The book has long been in my possession but just recently was I able to finish reading it, after several futile attempts. The past years I tried reading it ‘til the end but I always succumb to the book’s smell that, until now, lingers within its pages though not as strong as it was before.

Last month the boredom of being jobless has finally got me. Tired of playing a routine game of Defense of the Ancients, a custom scenario for the real-time strategy video game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne—I searched through my books looking for my favorite English classics when I saw the book wrapped inside a bag of plastic from some well-known bookstore. Untouched and in the same state of wrapping that I did years ago. The nth time I picked up and read Escape to the Hills—the first time I read it through.

What really is this book and what is it about? Escape to the Hills is a book written by James and Ethel Chapman. The Chapmans were teachers in the Silliman Institute when the Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1941. Regarded as enemy nationals—US Citizens—the Chapmans sought refuge in the mountains of Negros. The first few months they lived free, as fugitives, until eventually the Japanese captured them on November 27, 1942 and interned them in the University of Santo Tomas.

In 1947, Dr. and Mrs. Chapman published Escape to the Hills. The book’s 247 pages depict the life they led as free people in the mountains and as prisoners in the Santo Tomas Internment Camp.

Up until now I really don’t know who owns or owned this copy of Escape to the Hills. Nobody asked about it. Maybe a deceased relative used to own it. Then again, who cares?! Finders, keepers!