Film | Star Trek Into Darkness

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the Star Trek reboot when it was released in 2009; that movie eventually became my best movie of 2009, and it also became the first Blu-ray title that I bought when I decided to go HD with my movie collection.

So my expectations were high when the sequel was announced, and nearly four years later, Star Trek Into Darkness is here at last. The first movie established the status quo of the characters, and the sequel opens with them as explorers who pretty much bungle up their intended mission, heh.

Things happen fast, and the Enterprise crew find themselves right in the center of a brewing storm created by someone named John Harrison, played by Sherlock Holmes himself, the awesome Benedict Cumberbatch.

As bland as Harrison's name is, it turns out that he's no other than Khan Noonien Singh, who is easily one of the most iconic villains in the Star Trek universe. The original film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, is considered the best of all the Star Trek films, and while I haven't watched that movie, there's no doubt that Star Trek Into Darkness is some kind of remake of that film.

Khan's reveal in the movie was supposed to be a big deal, but I wasn't that surprised...maybe because the production kept denying it every time press releases of this movie came up? But Cumberbatch was truly excellent in the role and made it his own, as much as Ricardo Montalban did in the original film.

What's really great about the new Star Trek movies is the cast--just like the original, they're all so different yet mesh perfectly as one crew, and this younger version is more dynamic; you don't see them just sitting down on their stations and press buttons, most of them run around a lot and do stuff, LOL. My favorites Scotty and Dr. McCoy get their share of the best bitchy lines ever, and their performances were spot on.

Star Trek Into Darkness is more action-packed than the first film, and there aren't any prolonged quiet moments--once the action starts, it doesn't seem to let up until the end. While the 3D was converted in post-production, the 3D effects were actually quite good, and added some overall vibrant depth to the film.

Since this is a J.J. Abrams movie, his trademark lens flares are back as well, but they're no longer all over the place unlike the first movie. Was there anything I didn't like about this movie? Yup, there was: when they called on Older Spock for some tips on how to defeat Khan. That was cheating, and I sure hope they don't keep doing this in the successive movies.

Despite the dissing and bashing this movie has received, I truly enjoyed Star Trek Into Darkness, and consider it as one of this year's best. You don't have to be a Trekkie to appreciate this movie, and it's highly accessible even to Star Trek newbies. Highly recommended.

Guilty Pleasures | Teresita's Special Halo-halo

In this really hot weather, I usually can't help but look for ways to cool down, which include eating refreshing desserts like Halo-halo, a renowned Filipino dessert that's basically glazed fruits topped with shaved ice and milk.

Teresita's Special Halo-halo

Most Pinoys like ice cream, but I prefer Halo-halo because it's more ice and water than cream, and besides, too much cream makes me ill. Also, fruits are the main ingredients of Halo-halo and best of all, there's not a single ounce of chocolate, which I detest.

There are lots of eating places here that serve Halo-halo, but I like the version that Teresita's serve the best. Teresita's is an off-shoot franchise of the well-known Razon's chain of restaurants in the Luzon area, and their version of Halo-halo is one of the reasons people flock to their restaurants. While there's no Razon's near our place, there's a Teresita's branch located along Tomas Morato, which has their famous Halo-halo.

The Special Halo-halo of Teresita's looks rather unassuming at first, with two small slices of leche flan on top. I really don't like leche flan or even ice cream on Halo-halo, as they are separate desserts that end up changing the overall taste of the Halo-halo, so I end up quickly eating the flan first, heh.

One thing I'm picky about when eating Halo-halo is the quality of the shaved ice; most times you're bound to find ice in Halo-halo that end up as huge pellets that will most certainly shatter your teeth, so I tend to favor the ones that use finely shaved ice that melts in your mouth and ensures that nothing will remain. The Halo-halo served at Teresita's fulfills this requirement, which is why it's among my favorites.

Anyway, you're bound to forget how simple Teresita's Special Halo-halo looks like the moment you start eating it. One thing you'll notice is that the milk seems to have been infused into the shaved ice itself, rather than being dribbled on the top like most other Halo-halos, and once you hit the layer of fruits at the bottom, you'll forget about everything else--just the cool, refreshing, icy, fruity flavors, LOL.