It is written... and re-written?

All along, I was expecting The Adjustment Bureau to be a political drama. While promoting the film, I believe, Matt Damon was also very vocal

about his disappointment in US President Barack Obama’s administration. It took me a good fifteen minutes into the film before I realized I was watching a love story... and more.

Matt Damon stars as David Norris, a young politician who’s all set to make waves in the US political scene. After a media boo-boo, David prepares for a crucial speech to get his lead back in the 2010 senatorial race. While rehearsing in the men’s room, he meets ballerina Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt), who’s hiding in one of the cubicles after crashing a wedding party in the same hotel. She advises him to be more sincere in his speech and they kiss.

While the attraction is almost immediate, they fail to get each other’s contact information. David is whisked away by his people to make the speech, and Elise has to evade the hotel staff looking for her.

Inspired by Elise, however, David makes an unforgettable speech that not only salvages his reputation, but also hands him the early lead in the 2010 race. It is only 2006, and things are looking up for the young politician. The next few years look rosy—that is, if everything goes as planned.

But what really is the plan and The Plan? The Adjustment Bureau, which is based on a story by Philip K. Dick, explores the idea of a grand plan and a team of caseworkers working hard to make sure the grand plan is followed and how this works with the notion of choice.

In theological terms, there’s predestination, God’s angels are doing everything they can to make sure the divine plan is followed, and this may sometimes appear to go against man’s free will.

So, yes, it’s not your typical love story.

David meets Elise again on a bus he’s not supposed to be on. The caseworker who’s supposed to disrupt David’s schedule and make him miss the bus had fallen asleep and failed to execute his mission to cause coffee to spill on David’s shirt at 7:05am. Overjoyed that he has again “serendipitously” bumped into the girl of his dreams, David gets Elise’s phone number this time.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t in the plan.

When David enters his office, strange men chase him and tell him about the Adjustment Bureau and what it does to make sure people follow the story that has already been written for them. He was only supposed to meet Elise once, to help him with the speech, and nothing more. They take her phone number, much to David’s anguish.

Oh, but love, when given enough reason, finds ways. For the next three years, David rides the same bus, hoping to bump into Elise again. And because this is a movie, I will tell you that he does. And they fall in love. And create a lot of problems for the Adjustment Bureau.

To cut to the chase: David and Elise have beautiful stories written for them. David may become US President; Elise may become a famous ballerina. But these stories don’t include each other. Are they willing to live great lives, even if it meant they were to live without each other?

I’ll leave it up to you to think of predetermination vs. free will and wonder if God, indeed, when given enough cause, will change his mind to give you what you truly, truly desire.

What was on my mind, after this film, was a lingering question about a handful of people I met who touched my life and never saw again—and the answer to this question. Could I trust their purpose will be clear to me somewhere down the road, or should I get on the bus, even if it take me three years, and find that person so I can find out for myself? It doesn’t seem like I’ve met anyone who’s given me a reason to give chase.

Maybe things are going according to plan.

Party Pilipinas vs ASAP Rocks in Cebu

GMA 7’s Party Pilipinas and ABS-CBN’s Asap Rocks will both invade Cebu this Sunday.

It’s bound to be an exciting face-off this March 27 as the Kapamilya and Kapuso Sunday variety shows will be flying in their top stars to lead the explosive production numbers.

After Iloilo last January and Davao last February, ASAP will rock Cebu City with the powerhouse cast of Piolo Pascual, Gary Valenciano, Vina Morales, ZsaZsa Padilla, Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, Jed Madela, Maja Salvador, Shaina Magdayao, Anne Curtis, Bea Alonzo, Jericho Rosales, Jake Cuenca, Rafael Rosell, Enchong Dee and Sarah Geronimo, among others.

“ASAP rocks Cebu” will take place in Sugbo Road, South Road Properties (SRP). Admission is free.

Meanwhile, the “Party Buong Pilipinas” shindig will be happening in Cebu’s Fuente Osmeña; and it will be simultaneously held at the GMA Network Center, Baguio City, and Davao City.

Apart from the grand birthday bash, Cebuanos will be treated to the comeback of primetime television’s Pinoy superhero, Captain Barbell.

No less than Captain Barbell himself, Richard Gutierrez, will lead the arresting stellar line-up of Kapuso Stars in this Sunday’s big event, which also includes Solenn Huesaff, Lovi Poe, Rhian Ramos, Sam Pinto, Frencheska Farr, Bianca King and Jillian Ward.

Expect mega doses of supreme performances from Jay-R, Kyla, Kris Lawrence, Jaya, Janno Gibbs, Krista Kleiner, and the Sexbomb Dancers as together with Raymond Gutierrez, they will all party hard in Cebu for Party Pilipinas’ first anniversary.

Britney Spears’ “Femme Fatale” shows spark

Even when Britney Spears was in the midst of her Charlie Sheen-esque breakdown, she was putting out grooves to wear out the dance floor; 2007’s “Blackout” is the best album she ever made, though the drama of that time overshadowed it.

Since then, she’s continued to pump out taut jams that have kept her musically relevant, even if she’s turned into sort of a Howard Hughes in private. The larger-than-life persona that morphed from jailbait to sex kitten to wild child has been rendered bland, perhaps the most dangerous thing that can happen to a pop star. The mother of two, whose personal and financial affairs are controlled by her father, is rarely heard from, and when she is, every move seems to be calculated by an army of handlers instead of determined by her own will: Any edge or personality she demonstrated seems to have been permanently dulled.

Thankfully, there is one place where she still shows her spark — in her music. On “Femme Fatale,” the follow-up to 2008’s “Circus,” Spears — with plenty of help from megaproducers like Dr. Luke, will.i.am, and longtime collaborator Max Martin — shows that she can still give the Lady Gagas and Rihannas of the pop world a serious challenge on the dance floor.

“Femme Fatale” is a nonstop party, starting off with a fun flourish with the poppy “Till the World Ends” and winding down with the dark, downbeat “Criminal.” There’s nothing especially original on the tracks in between, but Spears’ vocals give already catchy tracks even more appeal. While she’s never been on the vocal level of Beyonce or even Gaga, her voice, though thin and occasionally nasally, does have a pouty charm. On the throbbing “Inside Out,” she sounds like a sexy cougar; “Trip to Your Heart,” with its electronic synths, has a dreamy disco feel.

The driving “Hold It Against Me” is one of the album’s better tracks, though it suffered from the nonsensical, product-placement video that accompanies it. In it, Spears looks listless and off her game, and it’s a reminder that she’s not the Brit who wowed us just a few years ago.

But when you block out the visuals and focus on the songs, Spears once again sizzles, and her flame burns as bright as ever.