JessicaRulestheUniverse.com

Shot on an iPhone by Butch Perez at a furniture store in Makati.

Tree of Life opens in Metro Manila theatres today. Go watch it as soon as you can because we don’t expect a long commercial run. It probably wouldn’t even have a commercial run if Brad Pitt weren’t in it.

Tips for People who plan to watch Tree of Life

1. Don’t read any reviews. Form your own opinion After you’ve seen the movie.
2. Don’t eat before going to the movie. It will make you sleepy.
3. Drink coffee 30 minutes before the movie. (Go to the WC before taking your seat.)
4. Don’t be so attached to plot. Does it help the Twilight flicks?

5. Remember that there are levels of “Boring”.

a. There’s “Boring because it’s supposed to be eventful and action-packed but is lethargic and dull.” Example: Green Lantern. (True, it could be just stupid.)

b. There’s “Boring because it is 12 hours long, there are no explosions and car chases, and you go to the movies specifically to escape social reality.” Example: the films of Lav Diaz.

c. There’s “Boring because there’s nothing happening.”
c.1. There really is nothing happening.
c.2. It’s supposed to happen inside your head; unfortunately there’s nothing there.

d. There’s “Boring because you can’t relate”.

e. There’s mislabeled “Boring”. You don’t like it but you can’t explain why you don’t like it, so you say it’s boring. Ergo it’s not boring; you’re just inarticulate.

f. Finally there’s “Boring” in the sense of “Self-indulgent self-important drivel”, also known as Boring.

It’s the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. A good time to start reading our chosen novel, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.

When Blood Meridian was first published it sold only 2,500 copies. Since then it has been called the greatest novel by a living American author, and one of the greatest books of the 20th century. McCarthy was a recluse for most of his literary career until his novel The Road was published in 2006 and suddenly he was appearing on Oprah. Her endorsement made The Road the fastest-selling Pulitzer winner ever.

These are not the reasons we are reading Blood Meridian. It’s nice to be agreed with (though it depends on who’s agreeing), but we have our own reasons.
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Your assignment should you choose to accept it is to build a story around this random sequence of photographs. Think of it as one of those nonverbal IQ tests where you have to figure out which image is next (except that you have to describe the visual).

Let’s give it a little Blue Velvet hommage: a pair of human ears cast by Leo Abaya

A grave in the old cemetery, Bristol, England

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales

A tree in Kew Gardens, London

Maximum word count: 1,000.
Deadline: Sunday, 26 June 2011 at 11.59pm.
The prize: This stack of books.

One of John Burdett’s Bangkok thrillers, a Ruth Rendell mystery, a WWII spy novel by Alan Furst, stories by Roddy Doyle, stories about libraries, novels about chess and Russia and art and Paris.

And. . .go.

The Weekly LitWit Challenge is brought to you by our friends at National Bookstore.

ziggy! Who sent in the only entry, but we like it.

Congratulations, ziggy. You can pick up your books starting Thursday, 22 June 2011 at the Customer Service counter, National Bookstore at Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati. Just give them your full name. Their number is (02)8974562.

Was the photo sequence too easy for you? Here it is in a few sentences.

The last thing I remember is that chandelier. “It looks like a porno chandelier,” Ren remarked. I laughed and had another soju.

Then there was a sound between a whoosh and a roar, like thousands of people at a boarding gate trying to cram into a plane.

When I opened my eyes I saw a strangely familiar face observing me through dark glasses.

At least my wallet wasn’t stolen this time.

The Weekly LitWit Challenge is brought to you by our friends at National Bookstore.

The next LitWit Challenge is coming up.

Meanwhile here is Jhumpa Lahiri on how she became a writer.

The Malick was the closing film of the French film festival at Shangri-La Mall. I expected it would be a test of fortitude so I skipped dinner and had a tub of coffee before the movie. And made jokes about bringing a neck pillow. Well I was wide awake throughout the 2 hours, 18 minutes (shorter than I’d thought). First I was pulled in by the stunning visuals then I just had to stick around. Brad Pitt and Sean Penn are fine, Jessica Chastain is wonderful, and Hunter McCracken as the young Sean Penn character acts rings around everyone.

So I love the movie, and now I have to figure out why.
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Has life tasted a little stale and flat to you lately? Have the books you’ve read and the films you’ve seen recently left you cold? Are you afraid that you’re becoming boring and predictable?

You could jump out of a plane or start a fight club. Or you could read this book.

It is horrifically violent.
It is apocalyptic. It is genius. It is insane.
It’s a goddam masterpiece.

If Blood Meridian doesn’t slap you out of your stupor nothing will.

If it were easy we wouldn’t need a support group. Are you in or not?

How it works.
1. Sign up in comments.
2. If you don’t have a copy, get one.
3. Wait for further notice.

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Per Momelia’s suggestion, the culminating activity for this reader support group is a live discussion with drinks. Trust me, we’ll need alcohol.