Malditang Librarian

I had written about last year's Avengers: Infinity War in this blog and other Marvel films as well such as  Thor: Ragnarok   and  Black Panther . I have also reviewed other superhero movies: Venom and Aquaman . In the end-credit scene of Infinity War , Nick Fury is disappearing into dust, but in a modified pager he left behind we see the logo of Captain Marvel. She will be in Avengers: End Game after the story of Infinity War. Captain Marvel is the first Marvel film with a female superhero as a protagonist. I was excited as I was for Wonder Woman , I loved that film too. I love Marvel and their past films have been great and I had great expectations for Captain Marvel. Story (without giving away too many spoilers) Vers is a member of the Starforce, a group of fighters from Kree, an alien race. She has been in the planet Hala for six years, and she has no memory of her life before that. She only knew that she had always been there but somehow lost her...

"When she had achieved almost everything she wanted in life, she had reached the conclusion that her existence had no meaning, because everyday is the same. And she had decided to die." Veronika seems to have a perfect life: she's young and beautiful, she has loving parents, she has a decent job in a library. One day, she decides to end her life. She found her life dreary and monotonous, there is nothing more to look forward to. She writes a last note and overdoses on pills. Though, she survives and wakes up in Villette, a mental hospital. The doctor tells her that the overdose has done irreparable damage to her heart and that she only has a week at most to live. She had expected a quick way out but has to prolong her agony for a few more days before dying. In her last days, though, she meets other people in Villette who are also similar to her: living a perfect life on the outside but has inner struggles that led them to the mental hospital. There's Zedka, who...

Outside the Museum of Philippine Economic History, Iloilo City It's an exciting time for arts and culture here in Iloilo City. Many museums and art galleries are opening and I can feel the enthusiasm and excitement of Ilonggos who are also visiting and supporting these new places. For me, Ilonggos have always been inclined to the arts and culture, and the blossoming of the art scene is something that has been waiting to happen. It just ripened at the right time and I hope it keeps on flourishing. I wrote about my visit to the new National Museum Western Visayas last time, and now here is one of the newest and best museums in the city: the new Museum of Philippine Economic History. It is in the former Ynchausti y Compañia building, which was later known as Elizalde Building, then it was bought by Commission on Audit before it was turned into a museum. It was opened to the public last February 11, 2019. It is accessible and easy to spot too, it is along the road, right acro...

I was about to write a review of a book on social media, but I went off topic... here are some thoughts on Facebook and blogging. The Malditang Librarian Facebook page has reached more than 1,000 likes and follows. Though I am grateful that this increases the chance of having more readers of the blog, I have some things to say about the platform. Before we get into that, the page has a story. By the way, I am giving away some of my zines to three random people, you can enter the contest by commenting on this Facebook post.   The giveaway contest closes this Friday (March 7) so I can send the zines by the weekend. Join! At first, I was reluctant to start a social media page for the blog. A page would need time, commitment, and engagement to maintain. It would just distract my already divided attention. I have other projects and writing aside from this blog. I started mine when I was in an event with some blogger friends and they asked, "Where's the Facebook page of yo...

Photo Credit: Panay News There are many new museums and art galleries popping up here and there in Iloilo City. It’s amazing to live in a time when more and more people are getting into culture and arts here. I have written about Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art a.k.a ILOMOCA in this blog, a private museum owned by Megaworld. There are also interesting places dedicated to art such as Book Latté  (featured several times here) and MAMUSA Art Bistro. Years ago, there were news that the old Prison of Iloilo in La Paz (built in 1911) will be renovated for a National Museum: Western Visayas Regional Museum. I was young when the building was used as an actual prison, but due to overpopulation of prisoners, they had to be transferred to a bigger place. The Old Prison was left abandoned for awhile, until it was fixed to make way for the Museum. The Museum officially opened last December 15, 2018. As of now, only one out of five galleries are open, the permanent exhibit ...

My planner is mostly full of important occasions and movie release dates. I have been wanting to watch Aquaman since DC's Wonderwoman was a hit and I liked that movie. As of this writing, Aquaman has surpassed $1 billion in the box office. But I put off watching it because an author I admired didn't recommend it. So there's a lesson here - just because the author I idolized didn't like it, doesn't mean I will also not. When I watched it I found that I didn't really share the same perspective of the said author. And just because I liked it, doesn't mean you will feel the same way. Each of us has our own preferences, likes and dislikes when it comes to movies, stories, and books. I'll admit I don't really know anything about Aquaman prior to watching this movie, but I'll watch or read anything sea-related. The story starts with the love story of his parents when Atlanna, queen of Atlantis, gets stranded near a lighthouse's shore. Tom, the li...

Aurora is directed by Yam Laranas, produced by Viva Films and Aliud Entertainment, starring Anne Curtis. My rating: 3/5 Every last week of December, movie theaters all over the country only plays Filipino movies, movie entries for the Metro Manila Film Festival. And also every year, there's the debate between "art and the market" when it comes to the movie selections. For sure, every year there is a Vic Sotto film, Vice Ganda film, or the 100th installment of Shake, Rattle, n Roll (I think there's none for this year), and there's the trend of more people flocking to these (usually comedy) movies with the big stars than the movies with more serious themes. For some, most MMFF movies may be a joke. There's really nothing wrong with these movies, a lot of people seem to enjoy them based on the box-office stats. I don't really go out of my way to watch MMFF movies unless there's something that looks really interesting. I want to see something new, a...