Elements Bits: Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol

 

Cast:

 

Tom Cruise - Ethan Hunt

Jeremy Renner – William Brandt

Michael Nyqvist - Kurt Hendricks

Paula Patton - Jane Carter

Lea Seydoux - Sabine Moreau

 

A plan to bolt out Ethan from a Russian jail only means that things are worse outside prison, and the IMF needs him badly to complete a mission.

 

When an IMF agent was assassinated while intercepting a classified file from a courier, its now Ethan’s mission to retrieve the file and locate an extremist named Cobalt, as this is considered a top priority, since the file contains Russian nuclear launch codes. But to find Cobalt they need his personal file which is stored inside the Kremlin. But when the mission suspiciously failed and the Kremlin is devasted by a bomb, the US president initiated Ghost Protocol and has disavowed the whole IMF Team.

 

It is now Ethan’s mission to travel the world and find out who set them up and ensure that the launch codes are not used to start a nuclear war.

 

-----------------------

 

Elements Bits number 1:

 

Not all things are what they seem to be. More often than not, intentions have hidden agendas or coincidentally a blessing in disguise. I’m a very gullible person, and I tend to give my trust too much and too often. When faced with a situation, we must remind ourselves of Murphy’s Law, which we must anticipate that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Either you’re prepared for it, or you have an effective recovery plan. (When Things Go Wrong - Blame Murphy’s Law)

 

----------------------

 

Memorable Quotes:

 

Ethan: "You mind telling me why you broke me out?"

Jane: "This wasn't a rescue mission?"

Ethan: "Let me put it this way. If the Secretary wanted me out of there, it must be pretty bad out here."

 

---------------------

 

Sabine: "How good is your backup?"

William: "The best."
Sabine: "I've killed the best."

 

 

Babe Battle

 

Lea Seydoux vs Paula Patton

Elements Bits: The Divide

Cast:

Mickey - Michael Biehn
Eva – Lauren German

New York City has been struck by several nuclear missiles, and nine strangers were able to seek refuge in a basement of an apartment building. Days have passed and what they thought was a rescue team, turns out to be a retrieval unit that took into custody a little girl from the group.

The group then manages to fight of the remaining soldiers, and was able to intercept a radio message about completing the sweep of the city. They then decide to use one of the hazard suits of the soldiers to find out what’s happening on the surface. What you would expect in a holocaust are friendly soldiers helping out, but in retaliation, the soldiers kept them in solitary and welded shut the basement entrance.

Now the group has nowhere else to go and the worst that can happen now is that they turn against each other and it has now become a survival of the fittest.

---------------------------

Elements Bits number 1:

Reaching our breaking point. What do we do when we suddenly snap? When one reaches its threshold, some actions tend to be reckless, ill-advised or generally evil. One who is not prepared for the worst normally breaks and is unable to maintain its composure. Of course I will not say that when the end of days would come, I will be able to cope with it easily. I will surely panic; but the crucial thing would be how I will manage to recover and make a just decision with a clear conscience moving forward.

Elements Bits number 2:

Taking from the context of the movie Batman the Dark Knight, would you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain? If we are talking survival, would you sacrifice yourself for the others to survive? Doesn’t necessarily mean that you will sacrifice your life, but are you willing to do whatever it takes if it meant saving others.

-----------------------------

Psychopathy Checklist

To determine if one is a psychopath, a checklist is used to rate an individual in several facets and factors that may contribute to this behaviour. These are scored on a rating of zero to 2. Zero being not evident, 1 being if there are partial symptoms, and 2 if it perfectly matches the individual. Out of the 20 items, if the individual scores 30 to 40, they may be already considers as psychopaths. Dare to take the test?

Below are the 20 items that are in the checklist,

according to the Hare Psychopathy Checklist – Revised. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_Psychopathy_Checklist)

 

Interpersonal:

Glibness/superficial charm

Grandiose sense of self-worth

Pathological lying

Cunning/manipulative

 

Affective:

Lack of remorse or guilt

Emotionally shallow

Callous/lack of empathy

Failure to accept responsibility for own actions

 

Lifestyle:

Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom

Parasitic lifestyle

Lack of realistic, long-term goals

Impulsiveness

Irresponsibility

 

Anti-Social:

Poor behavioral controls

Early behavioral problems

Juvenile delinquency

Revocation of conditional release

Criminal versatility

 

Others:

Many short-term marital relationships

Promiscuous sexual behavior

Elements Bits: Super 8

Cast:

Joel Courtney – Joe Lamb
Ella Fanning – Alice Dainard

In a small and peaceful town in Ohio, Joe and his friends were filming a movie at the train station one evening, then suddenly the train went head on with a pick-up truck driven by Dr. Woodward, who was a professor from the university. When they approach the wreckage, they notice several rubix-cube like objects all over, and before they could get any information from the professor, the army arrives.

The next morning, everything is cleaned up as if nothing happened at the train station. But then a gas station was attacked by what seems to be a huge beast. Stranger things would happen after that; car engines are missing, dogs are missing, generators and microwaves inside houses were missing.

Joe and his friends decide to investigate further on what Dr. Woodward was supposed to tell them, and when they got the film developed from their video camera, they were in for the shock of their lives.

Elements Bits number 1:

Are we better off not knowing if there is really any intelligent life other than humans? Is it something that we are prepared for? Curiosity levels vary. And for some it reaches to a point that they have this undying quest to seek answers to their celestial questions. They spend their whole lives searching for E.T.

Although I have a belief that we are not alone, but to a certain curiosity level, I don’t go beyond to seek further validation. Because I would rather spend this lifetime on something else and I just tease my belief with conspiracy theories and UFO TV shows such as Roswell.

Memorable Quote:

Alice: "What is this?? What are you doing here?"
Joe: "I'm just doing the best I can to save you."

Elements Bits: Puncture

 

Cast:

 

Chris Evans– Mike Weiss

Mark Kassen– Paul Danziger

Brett Cullen – Nathaniel Price

 

Mike Weiss and Paul Danziger have a small time firm and yet are considered very good lawyers. The challenge is that Mike needs his fix of drugs and women, which in his defense actually help him break a case. After having won a case recently, they are scheduled to handle another one that involves a nurse that acquired AIDS by accidentally pricking herself with a needle when they were trying to inject a sedative from a patient three years ago.

 

What the nurse wants to happen is that the hospitals acquire a syringe with a safety needle that was invented by another nurse, but the hospitals wouldn’t take it into consideration. Suppliers had to go through GPOs, group purchasing organizations, so that they can bring in their products into the hospitals. GPOs then take commissions from these medical providers.

 

Mike and Paul are now facing a case that pits them against 300 attorneys and over two dozen anti trust experts in the US. How do you win against that? They try to get the support of a senator from Washington, but the senator has issue with Mike’s cocaine addiction, and does not want to get involved.

 

With their firm’s funds dwindling down the drain, they have to come up with something to keep the fight on.

 

(Based on a true story)

 

-----------------------

 

Elements Bits number 1:

 

David and Goliath. It is very difficult to go up against a very formidable opponent, the battle usually is lopsided. When we are faced with an insurmountable task, we also tend to just give up and say that we are but just human and one person can only do so much. Sometimes the smallest and simplest solution that is acted upon swiftly is the best option.

 

Elements Bits number 2:

 

Is it really all about winning? Whether you win or lose its how you play it? Isn't that you have to lose some time in order for you to learn how to better succeed? Or failure is never an option? As much as we want to become perfectionists or make claims that we never lost in anything we did, losing actually helps build character and works the mind to conceptualize alternatives or contingencies that would ensure we never make the same mistake again and improves our winning streak.

------------------------

Memorable Quotes:

Nurse: “Sometimes the brightest light comes from the darkest places.”

Paul: “You just wanna win, that is all you’ve ever cared about.”
Mike: “At least I have the courage to lose for what’s right.”

Elements Bits: Trespass

 

Cast:

 

Nicholas Cage – Kyle Miller

Nicole Kidman – Sarah Miller

Liana Liberato – Avery Miller

 

Wealthy business man Kyle Miller has things going for him, as one of the top diamond brokers in the business..The huge house and the flashy cars are but a simple taste of how life is for him. But when thieves break into his estate, he may lose everything he has including the lives of his family and of his own.

 

The thieves already know how much they are taking home from this heist. But to their surprise, there is nothing inside Kyle’s safe. No millions of dollars, no diamonds, nothing. What now seems to be owned may all be aesthetics? And how do they actually know how much was there?

 

The burglary now turns into a web of deceit as Kyle tries to negotiate his life and the lives of his family, and Avery and Sarah trying to manipulate the burglars so they could escape. Will the Millers be able to reclaim what was lost?

 

-------------------

 

Elements Bits number 1:

 

Material World. I will admit that I live in my world where I have this need for material things. From electronic gadgets to literature and comics, including collectibles, it’s like a part of me is not complete if I don’t get to satisfy my urge with these items. Of course I will not sacrifice the basic necessities for these, but you tend to spend beyond what the pay check can sustain. We have to understand that there is something greater than this. We don’t need the flashy cars or the mansions to be happy; we just have to learn the simpler joys of life. Besides, having so much money may pose bigger problems down the line.

 

--------------------

 

Memorable Quotes:

 

Sarah: “Open it so we can all die.”

--------------------

Elements Bits: Johnny English Reborn

Cast:

Rowan Atkinson – Johnny English

Rosamund Pike – Dr. Kate Sumner

Dominic West – Simon Ambrose

After being dismissed from MI7 for failing to protect the newly elected president of Mozambique, Johnny English has sought solace and refuge with the monks. But when MI7 encounters a mission where an MI7 asset claims that he will only speak to English about information regarding a plot to assassinate the Chinese premier, they track English down and MI7 has no choice but to reactivate him.

English finds out that a group named Vortex is behind all this, and they plan to use a mind control weapon that was disapproved 10 years ago by the CIA. According to the asset, the vault that holds the formula for this weapon requires three keys.

The plot thickens when English finds out that these three keys are being safe kept by agents of the CIA, KGB and MI7. English’s mission is to either retrieve all three keys or prevent the keys to fall into the wrong hands, at the same time prevent from falling in love with a colleague; nothing that English can’t definitely handle.

-----------------------

Elements Bits number 1:

Do you think it is true that governments are really run by private contractors? Whether they are there to preserve peace or to dominate, they can pull strings and make things happen to their bidding. Certain superpowers even have the capability to control governments in other countries; swing the tide to their favor. The worst case scenario would actually be to eliminate any threat or hindrance to achieving their goals. And this is where the “wet-works” come in.

-----------------------

Memorable Quote:

Dr. Sumner: “Why do you always think he is better than you?”

English: “Well, the man is a God.”

Dr. Sumner: “Well I prefer mortals. Pure, complicated, maddening mortals.”

 

------------------------

 

Featured Destination:

 

Le Bastion

 

Although the “Le Bastion” which is the base of MI7 in the movie is fictional, there stands a glorious structure atop the Aiguille-du-Midi mountain, which is simply breathtaking.

(Photos courtesy of the Internet)

Elements Bits: Moneyball

 

 

Cast:

 

Brad Pitt – Billy Beane

Jonah Hill – Peter Brand

Philip Seymour Hoffman – Art Howe

 

In the world of sports, the club with the most cash to spend gets to have all the good players. For some it may be about entertainment, but for Billy Beane, it’s all about winning.

 

Competing against the likes of the New York Yankees that have a salary cap of 140 million, all Billy has to work on is a player salary budget that is roughly 38 mil. So how do you come up with a team that can win championships without the right players? It’s all about the math. And when Billy hires Peter Brand, an economics graduate from Yale, they used this science to recruit the players they need to win.

 

But then their theory does not live up to its expectations, and the team is spiraling down to last place. So how will Billy turn things around?

 

(Film is based on a true story)

 

--------------------

 

Elements Bits number 1:

 

Best talents money can buy versus seasoned or experienced competitors. One good example is the ever famous NBA team, the Miami Heat. Two years ago they got two of the best players in the league to join their premier player to have the most formidable Big Three that year. Everyone thought that they would railroad themselves to the championship, which of course they did, but they did not expect to lose against a team that had oldies and veterans in their lineup.

 

The Miami Heat were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks. Experience seemed to trump the easy way out by getting the best players with all those cash. You see, it’s not all about the hype and the individual talents. It is years of hard work,leveraging on the role players and experience that really matters, and the numbers would speak for itself. The numbers can’t be denied. The law of averages shall prevail. (I guess the Miami Heat figured that out last season because they finally won their championship)

 

--------------------

 

Memorable Quotes:

 

Billy: “Let them make the mistakes. When your enemy’s making mistakes, don’t interrupt them.”

--------------------

 

Peter: “People are overlooked for a variety of biased reasons and perceived flaws.”

 

----------------------

 

Bill James

 

Bill is known to be a sportswriter and a statistician that focused on baseball. His work is about the scientific analysis of baseball statistics in finding out how a team can win or lose games. Efficiency ratings, percentages, range factors, all of these stats are analyzed to provide an answer on how this can affect a victory or defeat.

 

Bill is part of the 2006 Top 100 Most influential people in the world according to Time Magazine.

Elements Bits: The Double

Cast:

Richard Gere – Paul Sheperdson

Topher Grace – Ben Geary

Martin Sheen- Tom Highland

A U.S. Senator has been under the watch of the FBI ever since they got tipped off that the senator was dealing confidential information with Russia. One night, the senator was murdered and the FBI suspects a Russian agent who was part of the Cassius Seven. Cassius Seven was a group of Russian assassins sent on various missions around the globe during the Cold War.

But retired veteran CIA operative Paul Sheperdson is not convinced that it is Cassius. Sheperdson has been on the tail of Cassius Seven for 20 years. And why has Paul been on their tail? Because Paul is Cassius. And he has been tracking down the rest of the team to cut all loose ends that may lead to him.

Now since this is an FBI operation, they partner a rookie agent, Ben Geary, who seems to know so much about Cassius Seven, and is getting close into cracking the case wide open. But then the plot thickens. Is Cassius really out to cut loose ends? And how can a rookie agent know so much and so obsessed with Cassius?

---------------------

Elements Bits number 1:

Know the competition. Study your opponents. Even if you are not at war, whenever you are up against someone or something, you actually have to look for a weakness to overcome it. Just like in basketball, if you are faced with a really tough opponent, you have to study their plays, rotations and of course, their weak points. Then you capitalize by exploiting those weak points. You really have a better chance of winning or achieving your goal if you know what you are facing.

Elements Bits number 2:

Cleaning up the trail. Of course the intention must be established. Why would you want to cover your tracks? At work, is it for the intent that you wish others not to emulate you, so that you will be invaluable to the company? Or so that there are no evidences of ill actions or traces of malicious intent? It is very rare that you see an individual who wishes no trail to lead to them for the sake of anonymity on their good deeds or work.

---------------------

Memorable Quote:

Geary: “You know I always had this theory that Cassius would return to the scene of his crimes. Watch his investigators.”

Sheperdson: “You think he’s that vain?”

Geary: “Well I think that some of its vanity. Some of it is he wants to see what he’s up against.”

Elements Bits: Seeking Justice

Cast:

Nicholas Cage – Will Gerard

Guy Pearce – Simon

January Jones – Laura Gerard

After Will Gerard’s wife was brutally attacked, and he feels that the police are not doing everything they can to solve the case, Will hopes to find ways how to bring this man to justice. He is approached by Simon, who represents an organization that claims they can put to justice the man who did this to his wife, swiftly and quietly.

Apprehensive at first, Will thinks it’s a too good to be true offer since Simon claims the services will not cost him a dime. They would just ask for a favor from him later on. And what favor would this be?

Six months have passed, and Will and Laura are doing well, then suddenly, Simon would like to cash in on that favor. But Will refuses to follow Simon’s instructions, and this refusal is met with severe repercussions. Will Gerard may have underestimated the power of Simon’s organization.

---------------------

Elements Bits number 1:

Justice is blind. Unfortunately for some cases, this is a really bad thing. Because even if at plain sight it can already be proven that a crime has been committed, criminals get away with it because of technicalities. Whether it’s a violation of arrest protocols or mishandled tagging of the evidence, the slightest mistake can tip the scales of justice.

Elements Bits number 2:

Just like in the Godfather, I do this favor for you, and I will call upon your services later on. This gesture can go a long way. It can build trust more than friendship, since the other person now knows that they can rely on you in times of need. But like in the movie, some favors will only get you into more trouble. Evaluate the offers and understand the fine print; you may be selling your soul to the devil already.

------------------------------

How we wish that our justice system is served like how the Three Furies and Dike, the Goddess of Justice execute it.

CSI Lessons: The Three Furies

“It’s not what a lawyer tells me I may do. But it’s what humanity, reason and justice tell me I ought to do.” - Edmund Bruke

Elements Bits: Immortals

Cast:

Henry Cavill – Theseus

Mickey Rourke – King Hyperion

Stephen Dorff – Stavros

Frieda Pinto – Phaedra

Isabel Lucas – Athena

“All mens’ souls are immortal. But the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine.” – Socrates

Legend speaks of the powerful Epirus Bow, that the wielder of the bow can unleash the power of the titans. King Hyperion goes on a crusade to obtain the bow so he can release the titans and wage war with the Gods.

King Hyperion cursed the Gods for not answering his prayers when his family was stricken by a disease, and since the titans are the only entities that have the power to battle with the Gods, the bow would be the key to his revenge.

And to do this, he seeks the virgin oracle Phaedra who can lead him to the location of the bow. But one man stands in their way…Theseus. Trained by Zeus himself, Theseus vows to avenge her mother’s death by the hands of King Hyperion, at the same time protect the oracle and save humanity from the wrath of the titans.

----------------------

Elements Bits number 1:

Would you rather live forever yet not be remembered, or live one lifetime and achieve immortality through history books. (Or in some case, just live life to the fullest, knowing that you did fairly well.) They say that it takes years to build a reputation and just one act to destroy it. True, in a sense that the deeds of one person can justify the legacy he/she leaves behind. That’s why we need to be very careful when choosing the paths that are set before us. Before being tempted, we might want to ask ourselves, “Is this how I want to be remembered?”

----------------------

Memorable Quotes:

Old Man: “It’s not living as such that’s important, Theseus. It’s living rightly.”

-----------------------

King Hyperion: “This is what I offer you. Immortality.”

Thesues: “Deeds are eternal. Not the flesh. My death will make me a legend; my deeds will go down in history.”

Elements Bits: Hanna

Cast:

Saoirse Ronan - Hanna
Eric Bana - Erik Heller
Cate Blanchett - Marrisa Wiegler

A rogue asset of the US has been hiding for almost 2 decades, and he has been developing the perfect assassin...16-year old Hanna.

After Hanna insists that she is ready, Erik sends a signal to the US government, and the CIA is surprised that the GPS was activated since the assassin program was terminated a decade ago. So the CIA led by Marrisa Wiegler decides to capture Erik and Hanna. But Hanna manages to escape and is exposed to the world the first time, since she was only a year old and grew up living in the Arctic Forests. Everything seems new to her even a simple light bulb.

The CIA goes ballistic since they don't know who Hanna's target is and it could be any high ranking official of a different country. Eventhough they have a rogue agent and a 16-year old assassin on the lose, the CIA does not want to send a broadcast out that one of their creations has gone missing. So they hire someone underground to track her down. So it is really important to capture Hanna to find out what her mission was.
--------------------------

Elements Bits number 1:

How knowledge can be gained. What seems to be a more effective tool, old school educated by books or visually high-tech trained by this generation? Some medium such as the Internet can provide inaccurate information, so I guess we need to take into consideration the source as well. They say a baby must not be exposed to television until at a certain age and must only have human interaction for better brain development. For me, it can work both ways since there are educational films for children that supports their development.

Does being in a secluded place actually help or can you absorb just about anything while sitting inside a cafe? I actually prefer shutting out any distractions. It helps me focus on the things I need to learn. Though I admire those that can concentrate even with the crowded area of Starbucks.
--------------------------

Memorable Quotes:

Hanna: "Adapt or die. Think on your feet even when you're asleep."

Hanna: "Kissing requires a total of 24 facial muscles and 112 postural muscles. The most important muscle involved is the orbicularis oris muscle, because it is used to pucker the lips."

Elements Bits: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Cast:

Gary Oldman – George Smiley

John Hurt – Control

Colin Firth – Bill Haydon

Benedict Cumberbatch – Peter Guillam

During the Cold War, the Russians inserted a mole inside the British intelligence. When an attempt to flush it out leads to the death of a British operative, they reassign George Smiley to look into the matter.

It is not an easy task to actually investigate on the agency that George works for. And then find out that he is also the one suspected of being a traitor. Because of this, information from sources cannot be fully credible as it may be a way to set the investigation off track.

Plus there are double agents in play, so trust plays a very important role if George is to succeed in this spy vs. spy game.

---------------------

Elements Bits number 1:

A Tinker. Are you someone who always tries to fix things on your own? Who is actually approached by others if they need help on patching something up? It’s good to become a sort of jack-of-all-trades, that any type of problem in Life can be fixed. But sometimes, there are things that can’t really be reconditioned and must be completely replaced and forcing to repair it, it is actually best to know what we are trying to fix or who we are fixing it for. We want to avoid of course “tinkering” with a situation that eventually might end up exploding in our faces or making matters worse.

Elements Bits number 2:

A Tailor. Simply put, we are considered as a mastermind. We choose the pieces and make the moves on the chess board. The role sometimes entail in making decision on what sacrifices needs to be done in order to achieve a certain goal. It is not al that easy because sometimes it puts us in a situation where we have to choose from two lesser evils, with no remorse or regrets. Anything within our power to get the results we want.

Elements Bits number 3:

A Soldier. We are good in executing orders. We abide and live by a certain code and follow a chain of command. The downside to this is that we do not go beyond those parameters, meaning we more often than not will only do things if told to do so. If you deviate from the code on your own, it’s classified as serious misconduct, if you don’t follow orders, its willful disobedience. You have to go by the book on this one and just do as your told.

Elements Bits number 4:

A Spy. A master of manipulation. You weave webs of deceit and use your persuasive skills to obtain certain pieces of information. Nowadays, information is so powerful that it can even topple governments. Being a spy is so risky that information that you may have can put you in a very tight situation where you could make enemies from both ends. Sometimes it’s better to be ignorant and declare plausible deniability.

--------------------------

So who are the worlds’ known Tinker, Tailor, Soldier and Spy?

Tinker: Mahatma Gandhi

Tailor: Sun Tzu

Soldier: Simo Hayha a.k.a “White Death”

Spy: Mata Hari

Why settle for one, when you can call the aid of four:

A-Team

Elements Bits: Drive

Cast:

Ryan Gosling – Driver

Driver seems to be a simple individual who works hard as a mechanic in a garage, and has a part time job as a stunt driver. Trying to make a living in the land of opportunity, little does everybody know that he moonlights as a wheelman for thieves.

Driver has never been caught because he lives by strictly following a few rules. But the moment he bends them, things get way out of hand. To make matters worse, he unconsciously stole money from the Mafia. And it is considered a death wish if you ever crossed paths with the mob.

No longer does his life stay out of the spotlight, but now he is being hunted by a ruthless mob that is not after the money anymore but the violation of the principle of not stealing from them. And now the mob has set their sights on Driver’s loved one, and now he has no choice but the face the mob head on.

----------------------

Elements Bits number 1:

Making an honest living. Why is it that that doing things right is more challenging? One strives hard to put food on the table by working legitimately, and yet there are those who break the law and earn hundreds of millions. Of course there is that huge risk of getting caught and you can spend the rest of your life including your family, in jail. Indeed, taking the temptation road is much easier and may reap more rewards, but you have to ask yourself, at what cost?

----------------------

Memorable Quote:

Ryan: “From now on, every word out of your mouth is the truth. Or I’m gonna hurt you.”

Elements Bits: Failure to Launch

Cast:

Matthew McConaughey - Tripp

Sarah Jessica Parker - Paula

Bradley Cooper - Demo

Tripp is suave, a happy go lucky woman’s man, has an exotic car and a huge house, but is 35 years old and the house is actually his parents’ and he still lives with them. After he gets the women in bed, the next morning he uses his parents to scare them away.

Now his parents want him to move out without having to hurt Tripp's feelings. So they hire Paula who claims that she can mold Tripp into an independent adult and move out in a month.

How does she do it? By making Tripp fall in love with her, making him realize that there is nothing more important in this world than falling in love…and of course moving out of his parents house. But then Tripp finds out about the scheme and he is out to test if Paula’s plan will succeed or as the title says, will it fail to launch.

---------------------

Elements Bits number 1:

It really happens…you get manipulated into falling in love and your world crumbles when the truth comes out. Some relationships are purely aesthetics, to put it simply, just for show. The problem is, the other party may not be aware of this. May it be for the purpose of social status, or simply looking for “companionship”, I still believe it’s a form of manipulation. You are coerced into getting involved with something that has a hidden agenda.

Now I am not saying that companionship is a bad thing, but having a relationship that has a set boundary and that you know it will not go any further, thus the other party is being controlled. (Unless you yourself have the same agenda, then I will sarcastically say, you are meant for each other.)

Elements Bits number 2:

Living with the parents. I don’t really see any harm in this, it has its Pros and Cons. What if the family really values its closeness? But also, who then manages the house? Being independent does not necessarily mean you have to move out of your parents’ house. For me, being the bigger person in this scenario is actually taking over the house and managing everything down to its utilities expenses and taking care of all those living under that roof.

----------------------

Memorable Quotes:

Demo: “I have a theory. This isn’t the first time that nature’s lashed out at you like this. I believe it’s because your life is fundamentally at odds with the natural world. Therefore, nature rejects you.”

----------------------

Tripp: “So what do we do now?”

Paula: “Actually it’s quite simple. You just have to decide. Do you want to spend the rest of your life having fun, or do you want to spend it with me?”

Elements Bits: Apollo 18

Cast:

Warren Christie - Ben Anderson
Lloyd Owen - Nate Walker
Ryan Robbins - John Grey

-------------------

In 1969, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon.

In 1970, Apollo 18, 19 and 20 were cancelled due to budgetary concerns. So it was Apollo 17 as the last official mission to the moon. But there is a reason why the Apollo 18 mission was never officially documented.

The film claims that some parts of the movie are actual footage of the Apollo 18 expedition. The mission was to setup an advance tracking system that serves as an early warning device that can detect if Russia would release any missiles against the United States.

During the mission, some strange noise interferences can be heard over the radio. Later on, they find tracks on the moon surface, foot prints that don’t belong to them. They eventually find a Russian space pod which seems to be out of place at that time, since they were not aware that Russians made it to the moon without their knowledge.

And then there’s more to the mission than what was briefed to them. It seems that the Russians are not the only ones there. No wonder they no longer have missions to land on the moon.

------------------

Elements Bits number 1:

Transparency. Taking on the movie plot and applying it to real life, of course you don’t really expect the government to be that transparent. Even if they try to be, there is always that thought that a couple of things might be left out. Information may be treated as on a need to know basis, sometimes not knowing the real intention can be best for the recipient, because we know that the truth sometimes hurt.

-------------------

I love conspiracy theories. Most especially if it involves extra-terrestrial life. The movie promotes a website, Lunartruth.com , where information can be found about the lunar landings.

http://www.lunatruth.com/