Superman Returns : Love Story?

I watched the new Superman movie last night. It was a good one. It’s not just because I’m a Superman fan but because it is a fine movie. I particularly liked the new custume used. It is made of new materials and cape is no longer like a piece of cloth draped on his back. It’s now more like a leather or spandex or something that makes its form steady. And thanks to the new technologies available to our movie makers today, the ’save-the-earth’ sequences are justified. They made it believable.

And yes, they had a great cast. Brandon Routh has done well in portraying Superman. Actually, he looks like Christoper Reeves. I didn’t expect that because about two or three years ago when it was announced that he’ll do the job, I can’t find the similarity between him and Reeves except for the clef chin. Kevin Spacey, on the otherhand is of course always at his best. Kate Bosworth is a bomb. She’s beautiful, sexy and all. She has done a very fine job in playing the role of Lois Lane. All the other supporting charaters did their part very well, too.

However, I feel that the movie lacks action sequences. Actually, it focused more on the love story of Lois and Superman. Though it has always been like that in the old Superman movies, I still didn’t expect that a good percentage of the movie is focused on their love story. I felt like I’m watching a ‘date movie’ or something. And with Lex Luthor, I thought he was an intelligent man. This time, he acts like a moron, a lunatic. Not exactly an intellectual person I got used to with Smallville. The prison sentence may have screwed his mind.

But there’s one interesting item that I liked in this movie. It’s something that you have to find out later when you watch it. Hmnnn… I didn’t know they did that!

Overall, it was a great movie though it wasn’t really what I expected. That’s a bad on my part since I always tell myself not to connect movies with its comic or TV series. That’s what I do when I watch XMEN movies and I really enjoyed them so much! I felt that this movie is a new beginning of a series. It’s more of a teaser for something big that will come later. So if you haven’t seen the movie yet, just go enter the movie house without expectations. At the end, I still recommend watching SUPERMAN RETURNS.

Cellphone Can Destroy Gas Stations?

I was able to catch one of my favorite shows in Discovery Channels called MythBusters. Originally it was only Adam and Jamie but lately, they already added equally intelligent and wacky assistants that help the in carrying out investigations on various urband legends. The purpose always is to prove or disprove a myth scientifically.
Interestingly, the team decided to investigate on whether a cellphone can really cause an explosion when used while filling on a gas station or when you are in an immediate vicinity of a gas station. I guess all netizens have received at least one email about it and the story has been around for almost a decade already. Actually, a lot of people thought that it was really true. The story (or myth) has been very compelling that the Philippine legislators passed a law against using cellphone on gas stations. Though the law is largely ignored, it still shows how easy our legislators be fooled. Actually, some of them jumped on the idea just to get extra media mileage even if the story is just a hoax!
So let’s go back to the Mythbusters. As always, the group tested the myth using the exact scenario described in the story.As expected, nothing blew up when the cellphone was called. Since the team are true men of science, they didn’t stop on that but instead experimented on various combinations all with calling the cellphone which is at the center of a closed plexiglass chamber. Realizing that they won’t be able to replicate the supposed explosion, they finally decided to install an electrical device that creates sparks. Well, it really did the trick because as soon as Adam clicked the switch, an explosion occured and the chamber was cut in half.
Though the myth is technically busted as cellphone does not produce electrical sparks, the experiments proved that gasoline is flammable. We should always be careful whenever we deal with gasoline. On one of the interviews, Adam said that it took them 4 days to complete the experiment. That’s all for the name of science.
And as always, the duo finished the show by telling their fans not to try this experiment at home, or for that matter any other that they so brilliantly perform before the cameras.

You can catch them in Discovery channel and in their website.

His Needs, Her Needs

I am very thankful to my friend, Marjz, for giving me and my wife a great book on our wedding. The book is all about how to build an ‘affair-proof marriage’ and is authored
by Dr. Williard F. Harley, Jr. The book discusses things(small and big) that we tend to ignore but may affect our relationship. I particularly liked the way Harley presented each topic especially the real-life examples presented that he got from his years (or decades) marriage-counselling. It made the book an easy read.

The basic idea that the book tries to present is that each person has a set of needs that must be met in order for them to feel satisfied and happy in a relationship. A person must be aware of the needs of his/her partner to make their relationship much happier. This book will help you guide and direct in meeting those needs.

I’m quite surprised how sex and affection play a great role in maintaining a happy and fulfilling marriage. You’ll find in the first few chapters that sex(for men) and affection(for women) are two of the things that keep the warmth of the relationship and the lack of it contributes to animosity and bitterness.

This book is highly recommended for newlyweds and for everbody who are in a relationship. I’m not a bookworm but I can assure you, this is an excellent book.

Dr. Harley summarizes five basic needs of a husband and a wife as follows:

Hers

• Affection
• Conversation
• Honesty and Openness
• Financial Support
• Family Commitment

His

• Sexual Fulfillment
• Recreational Compansionship
• Attractive Spouse
• Domestic Support
• Admiration

You can visit Dr. Harvey’s website here.