Are You Ready to Be Extraordinary?

See my upcoming essay on the success of writing.

Who said writing is just for individuals with college degrees? Well, these days writing is everywhere and on everything. I, myself, am an aspiring screenwriter, novelist and blog writer.

I wrote my first story at the age of twelve, but it wasn't until I was fourteen when I wrote my first full length short story of fifty- three pages called "Hide and Seek."

So, here is a rule to writing absolutely anything you want, take this as a stepping stone.

Rule # 1: Buy a journal, a reasonable size so it's easier to carrier when your on the go.

Years ago, I read a short story in the acclaimed book, "Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul," and this rule literally blew me away:

Write one page, everyday, for 365 days and you will have your first of many autobiographies.

Take it into consideration. Don't forget to look for my Writing to Success Essay coming soon.

Javier

My Blueberry Nights (2008).

China’s most acclaimed film director Wong Kar Wai gets the opportunity to direct his first feature film in English. I must say, his direction was absolutely near perfection for his first American feature. However, I fear not many people will enjoy this film because the film is too predicable. Don’t get me wrong, a film has to sell to its performances to the audience. If you simply could feel for their performances, than the actor did not do their job to persuade you.
Norah Jones, eight times Grammy® award winner, makes her acting debut as Elizabeth. Ironically, Wai chose Jones for the leading role as Lizzie because he felt that she had acting capabilities, but was aware of her lack of prior acting experiences.


The film begins with Jeremy, played by Academy Award® nominee Jude Law, who runs a café in New York City. Lizzie, played by Jones, recently discovers that her boyfriend has been dinning at Jeremy’s café with another girl. Lizzie becomes obsessed with the fact of being dumped by her boyfriend. Broken hearted, Lizzie finds her way back to Jeremy’s café seeking for answers about her failed relationship. For several weeks, Lizzie returns to Jeremy’s café exchanging conversations about life, love and friendship.


Their friendship blossoms, but Lizzie leaves New York City suddenly without explaining her decision to Jeremy of her departure, she relocates in Memphis, Tennessee in her search of her identity. She takes up two jobs, in a café and at a bar, to save money to buy a car. She sends Jeremy postcards of her whereabouts not revealing her where she lives or work. One night at the bar a local police officer Arnie, played by Academy Award® nominee David Strathaim, is over coming his grieving about the fact that his wife Sue Lynn, played Academy Award® winner Rachel Weisz, left him. Lizzie learns from Arnie that love is unpredictable, who is overcoming alcohol abuse alone.


Soul searching is the plot of the film. The film is not perfect, but Norah Jones performed brilliantly having no acting experiences.

Grade: A -

The Many faces of Me

There are some days when I feel inspired, ambitious, audacious; and there are some days when I just want the world to stop. Unfortunately, the world and life does not work that way because if it did then expect the world and life to collide instantly. Honestly, life would be much in chaos and besides our lives are accounted for, what I mean by that is we are here on this so called planet Earth for a reason. The reason is, well, there is no answer for it, but we can choose our journey to the unknown. And that's what life is about: to live the possibilities, and, of course, there are going to be millions who will sacrifice their lives for ours.

I am blessed to live the life that I am leading, thus far. I am only twenty-four years old, but I am much mature for my age, which helps me in the long run because I am person of pure of heart. Most importantly, I want to give my life's work to three important individuals in my life: my mother, sister and partner for their inspiration, their hard work and their dedication in supporting me with every step I pursue.

I hope with this blog I can communicate my passion for cinema to you. I am a man of great values and I am a person that loves to write down goals that are achievable. So, my first goal is to write daily, hopefully, to inspire you and to express creativity the world of cinema. So, here goes, to you my savior.

Javier Serrano

Show Down in Vegas

This film is fun, enjoyable and could be educational. 21 (2008) directed by acclaimed American film director Robert Luketic, who directed 2001, Legally Blonde. Jim Sturgess plays Ben Campbell, an ambitious and intellectual student with the grade point average of 4.0 to show for it at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). His dream prevails when he is accepted into the graduate program at Harvard Medical School. Brilliant with numbers but lacks the financial stability, his tuition fees for Harvard Medical School cumulates to $300,000.

Mickey Rosa, played by Kevin Spacey, is a Professor at MIT a rookie of counting cards in his days. Rosa’s challenges Ben in class through mathematics theories which Rosa finds his ability truly gifted.

One night, Ben is summoned and taken into the pits of MIT where five students and Rosa await for his arrival. Rosa introduces Ben to the world of “counting cards” also known as blackjack. Ben, first, must take the initiative test to be accepted into Rosa’s blackjack group: to be terrorized under pressure.

Eventually Ben is accepted into Professor Rosa’s anonymous blackjack club, which every weekend the group of five brilliant MIT’s mathematics whizzes travels to Vegas for weekends of clubbing, drinking, shopping and counting.

Ben promises himself to win what’s reasonable: to pay Harvard Medical School’s tuition of $300,000. However, when jealousy and temptation begin to crackle in the inner circle of co-workers rather than friends, Ben is obsessed and addicted to “counting cards” winnings. Ben has simply gone too far with his winning streaks which have alerted visually under Casinos surveillance, but can Ben count his way out of this one when he’s caught.

Grade: B -

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

J. K. Rowling did a magnificent job by alluring our imagination into the world of wizardry and magical powers in her multi-billion franchise of Harry Potter. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is my absolute favorite, thus far, and honestly, I have to come clean and admit admirably that I was not fond and early rejected the entire Harry Potter, but what changed my mind completely was how well the books were selling globally. This one-time welfare mother turned billionaire writer from London, England changed the way kids read today, and one book critic raved Ms. Rowling’s dedication in bringing Harry to life which has been an extraordinary journey for everyone alike.

This is the fourth film in the popular Harry Potter series, directed by Mike Newell. The film is gorgeously acted, the music is haunting and inspiring and the special effects are simply perfected. From the beginning of the film to the ending credits, this film “the Goblet of Fire” is definitely entertaining.

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley enter their fourth year at Hogwarts School. The school has been selected to host the Triwizard Tournament, a legendary event in which one wizard each from two rival schools and Hogwarts compete in three dangerous tasks. Dumbledore, head of Hogwarts, reveals The Goblet of Fire, a magical cup which acts the judgment by selecting the candidates. Three students from each school will participate under restricted age requirement of the age of seventeen. But, when all three names are selected an additional fourth name is thrown out of the cup of the Goblet of Fire revealing the name of Harry Potter.

Frida: Seven Years in the Making

The first time I’d seen “Frida” starring Salma Hayek, also served as one of two Producers of the film, was when I was a student in A.P. Art History. My professor was deeply fascinated in the subject of art and once he took the entire class, combined students of thirteen, to the cinema and watched the film as a class. It was an amazing experience because we were permitted off school campus and we had the privilege of watching a film entirely on the subject of art history and the biography of Frida Kahlo.

Unfortunately, Salma Hayek failed to win the Oscar for Best Actress at the 2003, Academy Awards®; Nicole Kidman won for her performance in The Hours. I felt Salma Hayek’s performance was much more convincing, artistic, and simply ravishing. Salma was Frida and why not? Salma embarked on a seven years journey to buy the rights to the publication, funding, and the director. Salma did not want to put her entire dedication into the wrong hands; luckily, Julie Taymor, the first woman to win the prestigious Tony® award for Best Direction for her Broadway hit The Lion King®, was hired as the film’s director. Together, as women, they both collaborated brilliantly, and the film’s crew was conducted by many elite and acclaimed filmmakers in Mexico, they include: writer, Gregory Nava, directed Jennifer Lopez in Selena; Academy Award® winner composer Elliot Goldenthal, notably for Neil Jordan’s Interview with the Vampire; and lastly, Director of Photography Rodrigo Preito, worked with Ang Lee in the Academy Award® winning film Brokeback Mountain. Also, many well-known film stars like Alfred Molina, Antonio Banderas, Mia Maestro, Edward Rush, Ashley Judd, and Edward Norton, all to whom are dearest friends of Salma Hayek, all agreed to work for low wages for their performances.

Oscar Win or just Sympathy?

I simply can not argue that Heath Ledger performaned brilliantly as The Joker in the 2008, The Dark Knight. Few film critics assumed Ledger was wrongfuly robbed an Oscar for his memesmerizing performance as Ennis Del Mar in the ill-fated Academy Award winning film Brokeback Mountain, which Ledger won his first Oscar nomination in the Best Actor category. Know one expected Ledger to come off with an Oscar nomination, and, of course, not win, to star in one of Hollywood’s greatest box-office hits in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Unfortunately, we will never know what potential lied in Ledger’s future because his career was just launching with successful commercial films. A decade ago, Ledger was known in several teen films, including: the 1999 film 10 things I hate about you, co- starring with Julia Stiles, and the 2002, A Knight’s Tale, which garnered rave reviews and launched him into the public eye. But, can Ledger actually win the Oscar for his performance as The Joker. Hollywood loves villains, but can the Academy members acknowledge Ledger performance? Or “Box-office Champ” is enough?

Gorgeous, Smart and Oscar, Too!

You may recognize Rachel Weisz in the 1999 and 2002 box-office hits The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, as Evy or Evelyn O’Connell. Rachel Weisz was born in London, England in 1971. It was not until her college years at the respected prestigious Cambridge University in England, where she pursued interest in acting. She had co- founded a student drama club called Cambridge Talking Tongues, which received critical acclaims for many successful theatre productions. After graduating Cambridge with a degree in English, she further more pursued her acting career. She has appeared in many notable films, which includes: 1996, Stealing Beauty; 1999, Sunshine; 2002, About a Boy; 2002, Confidence; 2003, The Shape of Things; 2005, Constantine; 2006, The Fountain. Having all ready establishing a leading lady, she had several box-office hits to her credit, but it was not until 2005 when Fernando Meirelles, the director of The Constant Gardner, gave Weisz the opportunity of a lifetime to portray Tessa Quayle, a doomed activist in pursuit in alerting publicly of the pharmaceutical industries targeting the African illness. The role brought her an Academy Award ® for Best Supporting Actress.

(2007). La Vie en Rose

Film critic Richard Nilsen of the Arizona Republic, wrote, “"Don't bother voting. Just give the Oscar to Marion Cotillard now.” And I must agree with Richard Nilsen because Marion Cotillard’s performance as the French – singer Edith Piaf was captivating and, by far, the greatest film performance to date, and I mean that literally. This was the only performance in 2007 for which I had given it a standing ovation. I must warn you, the film is a mess, and by mess; first, the film is spoken in French, and you the French, they intend to speak French quickly and aggressively. Secondly, every minute of screen time means years past of Edith Piaf’s life which the film transition into flash back sequences, for most, a handful of people do not enjoy. If you enjoyed Reese Witherspoon in the 2005, Walk the line, for which she won the coveted Best Actress, then you’ll like La a Mome in French, but in the United States La Vie En Rose.

(2005). Downfall

Exquisitely brilliant and a great ensemble cast. 2005, Downfall was directed by German acclaimed director Oliver Hirschbiegel. The film is based on the accounts of the last days of Adolf Hitler through the eyes of his private secretary Traudl Junge, which is loosely based on her memoir Until the Final Hour, portrayed superbly by German actress Alexandra Maria Lara. The film, like I said is great, but the film received harsh criticisms around the world because the film shows the accounts of Adolf Hitler sensitivity under the events of World War II, and assumingly, film critics and audiences were demanding the film to explain one major subject that was simply left out: the Holocaust.

The Forgotten

First things first, I must apologize for my act of disciplinary because I haven't been posting anything new since the month of June. For the past month and so, I have completed my summer courses at San Diego City College. Now, I am preparing for the fall semester at San Diego City College, where I will be pursuing a second Associate's degree; and at National University, where I will be pursuing my family's first Bachelor's degree. So, I promise to work onwards and discipline myself in my writing. To you I bequeath my history, Javier Serrano