KAMIKAZE GIRLS
Shang Cineplex, Cinema 3, June 24, 2pm
Isang magandang pagtanggap ito ng pagbabalik ko sa Eiga Sai (naks!). Hindi sa iniwanan ko ‘yung festival, wala lang talagang time. This year’s edition of Japanese film fest showcases their best of contemporary teen flicks. And I love “Kamikaze Girls”. I was reminded of “Trainspotting” with the art direction but it’s totally different. Nago-overlap ang symbols and metaphors at andaming gustong sabihin n’ung film. But if you’re too lazy to digest everything, that’s fine. You can just view the film as a film about friendship and being our own selves. A must-see.
Friends who might appreciate it: film buffs and J-pop fans.
ANGELS
Glorietta 4, Cinema 4, June 24, 5:10pm
I don’t know about this film. Maybe I was expecting something like “Pay It Forward”. So-so but it’s not that annoying. OK, I’m biased but the Kapuso artists who were Kapamilya before shine the brightest in the film. Marvin Agustin even made an effort to try method acting, which was complemented by the support from Jaclyn Jose, Nash Aguas and Dominic Ochoa. Their episode, “Daddy’s Angel”, is directed by debuting director Dingdong Dantes (yeah, the actor). There’s this really unforgettable scene from the same episode. Habang inuubo si Marvin, dumura s’ya ng dugo. Ang kanyang alagang puting pusa ay lumapit sa sahig at dinilaan ito. Whoa!
Friends who might appreciate it: those who are too happy.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Biyernes, Sabado, Linggo
SCENE 1: Friday night. Went to Market! Market! to meet my celebrity friends/band. Hahaha. Da who! It’s been two years since I first met them in a mall (Glorietta). This time it is all about friendship. I had a nice heart-to-heart conversation with one of the band members while the rest were having a facial treatment at Mendez.
SCENE 2: Back to work from 8pm to midnight. Code review, code review, code review… code zzzzzz.
SCENE 3: Saturday morning. I was reading PDI while my roommate (expect a blog entry entitled “The Ultimate Roommate Checklist”) was playing Sudoku for the first time. He gave up. He said it has a Level 4 difficulty. Forgiven and understood.
SCENE 4: Double-deck shopping in Paco, Manila. We took a jeepney ride from JP Rizal to Pedro Gil. We just asked manong driver to kick us at Paco’s Furnitureland (there’s no such mall named after that, I just coined the word for that portion in Pedro Gil where you can buy furniture for a low, low price). We bought the bed, black-colored, (“top floor” is 36-inch wide while “ground floor” is 48) for P4500 at TS Trading (no relations to the author of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”). That’s a good deal inclusive of delivery and an ordinary cushion (I had no choice between a floral overload and Winnie, the Pooh in bloody red pattern). It should be P5k flat if we needed a pair of cushion and P1k more if we got Uratex (the options are ordinary or Uratex – there’s a monopoly over there!).
SCENE 5: A sweet and short visit at Mizuno shop in Magallanes. The weekend malling was cut off really short (last stop supposedly was bootleg shopping at Makati Cinema Square) because we got a text message that the double-deck was ready for delivery.
SCENE 6: Misery.
SCENE 7: Robinson’s Galleria to meet my officemates to watch a local stage adaptation of Disney’s “High School Musical”. I had a blast. The kids were cool and brimming with talent. They’re like boiling water.
SCENE 8: SMB Strong Ice stop at Petron Treats in Reposo corner JP Rizal. Sadness madness.
SCENE 9: Sunday morning, room alone. Got up early to clean the room. I moved the mini-shelf containing the books, CD’s and magazines to a more OC-friendly corner. I love my room.
SCENE 10: Mass.
SCENE 11: Off to Shang Cineplex for this year’s Eiga Sai. Saw a really nice film called “Kamikaze Girls”. Perfect 10! Solb-solb.
SCENE 12: There was a gentle commotion (naks!) in front of the ticket booth. There was a respectable-looking lady complaining to the cinema manager. This was all about Shang’s ticket distribution. As you see, the Eiga Sai tickets are for free but you have to queue two hours before the screening to get it. That’s fine but there’s a slight problem. The screenings were at 2pm, 5pm and 8pm. If you’re eager to watch two consecutive films, you have to leave the cinema in the middle of your first film to line up for the second film’s ticket. My favorite line for that day came from the lady. She said in a very passionate manner, “Kung buhay pa si Lino Brocka, malamang binato na kayo!”.
SCENE 13: I missed to get a ticket for Eiga Sai’s “Hotel Hibiscus” at 5pm. I watched “Angels” instead in Glorietta.
SCENE 14: Misery, the sequel.
SCENE 15: Right before midnight, my landlady, Nadine, her son, Khyke, and I went to a nearby 24-hour internet shop. Khyke had to do a research on diptonggo and klaster.
SCENE 2: Back to work from 8pm to midnight. Code review, code review, code review… code zzzzzz.
SCENE 3: Saturday morning. I was reading PDI while my roommate (expect a blog entry entitled “The Ultimate Roommate Checklist”) was playing Sudoku for the first time. He gave up. He said it has a Level 4 difficulty. Forgiven and understood.
SCENE 4: Double-deck shopping in Paco, Manila. We took a jeepney ride from JP Rizal to Pedro Gil. We just asked manong driver to kick us at Paco’s Furnitureland (there’s no such mall named after that, I just coined the word for that portion in Pedro Gil where you can buy furniture for a low, low price). We bought the bed, black-colored, (“top floor” is 36-inch wide while “ground floor” is 48) for P4500 at TS Trading (no relations to the author of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”). That’s a good deal inclusive of delivery and an ordinary cushion (I had no choice between a floral overload and Winnie, the Pooh in bloody red pattern). It should be P5k flat if we needed a pair of cushion and P1k more if we got Uratex (the options are ordinary or Uratex – there’s a monopoly over there!).
SCENE 5: A sweet and short visit at Mizuno shop in Magallanes. The weekend malling was cut off really short (last stop supposedly was bootleg shopping at Makati Cinema Square) because we got a text message that the double-deck was ready for delivery.
SCENE 6: Misery.
SCENE 7: Robinson’s Galleria to meet my officemates to watch a local stage adaptation of Disney’s “High School Musical”. I had a blast. The kids were cool and brimming with talent. They’re like boiling water.
SCENE 8: SMB Strong Ice stop at Petron Treats in Reposo corner JP Rizal. Sadness madness.
SCENE 9: Sunday morning, room alone. Got up early to clean the room. I moved the mini-shelf containing the books, CD’s and magazines to a more OC-friendly corner. I love my room.
SCENE 10: Mass.
SCENE 11: Off to Shang Cineplex for this year’s Eiga Sai. Saw a really nice film called “Kamikaze Girls”. Perfect 10! Solb-solb.
SCENE 12: There was a gentle commotion (naks!) in front of the ticket booth. There was a respectable-looking lady complaining to the cinema manager. This was all about Shang’s ticket distribution. As you see, the Eiga Sai tickets are for free but you have to queue two hours before the screening to get it. That’s fine but there’s a slight problem. The screenings were at 2pm, 5pm and 8pm. If you’re eager to watch two consecutive films, you have to leave the cinema in the middle of your first film to line up for the second film’s ticket. My favorite line for that day came from the lady. She said in a very passionate manner, “Kung buhay pa si Lino Brocka, malamang binato na kayo!”.
SCENE 13: I missed to get a ticket for Eiga Sai’s “Hotel Hibiscus” at 5pm. I watched “Angels” instead in Glorietta.
SCENE 14: Misery, the sequel.
SCENE 15: Right before midnight, my landlady, Nadine, her son, Khyke, and I went to a nearby 24-hour internet shop. Khyke had to do a research on diptonggo and klaster.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Movie Digest # 015
FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
Greenbelt 3, Cinema 2, June 14, 7:55pm
Close to a B movie. The script is not fantastic, the filmmaking is too old school and the CGI is not consistent (the dance sequence with Mr. Fantastic has a poor CGI while the one when Galactus is leaving the planet is awesome). If this one’s shown in the early 90’s, then that’s a different story.
Friends who might appreciate it: only those who enjoyed the first one.
BLACKOUT
SM Megamall, Cinema 7, June 17, 11:30am
First two-thumbs-up Pinoy film for 2007. Definitely a must-watch. This film should be given an A rating from Cinema Evaluation Board. I’m not a fan of Binoe (and after watching the film, I remain a non-fan) but this is an acting milestone for the Bad Boy of Philippine Cinema. Kailangan lang i-tone down ‘yung mga eksena n’ya na medyo pathetic dapat s’ya but he’s almost there. And the cinematography! Wala akong masabi. If I’m not mistaken, the film’s cinematographer is a “suki” of some Rivermaya music videos as director. “Naamoy” ko rin ang dumi ng mga apartments dahil sa mahusay na production design. Ato Bautista is definitely a filmmaker to watch out for. Hindi ako na-alienate sa pagkakadirek n’ya: not too artsy or too personal. I would also like to acknowledge Elmo Redrico’s “presence” (no pun intended) in the film. He played one of Binoe’s tenants. Sumalangit nawa ang kaluluwa n’ya. He died months ago and “Blackout” is his last film. Isa s’yang tunay na artist na ayon sa mga kuwento ay tumatanggap ng styling gel bilang talent fee. What “Blackout” did to Elmo is to occasionally remind us that an artist is as good as his last performance.
Friends who might appreciate it: those who are losing faith in Philippine cinema.
Greenbelt 3, Cinema 2, June 14, 7:55pm
Close to a B movie. The script is not fantastic, the filmmaking is too old school and the CGI is not consistent (the dance sequence with Mr. Fantastic has a poor CGI while the one when Galactus is leaving the planet is awesome). If this one’s shown in the early 90’s, then that’s a different story.
Friends who might appreciate it: only those who enjoyed the first one.
BLACKOUT
SM Megamall, Cinema 7, June 17, 11:30am
First two-thumbs-up Pinoy film for 2007. Definitely a must-watch. This film should be given an A rating from Cinema Evaluation Board. I’m not a fan of Binoe (and after watching the film, I remain a non-fan) but this is an acting milestone for the Bad Boy of Philippine Cinema. Kailangan lang i-tone down ‘yung mga eksena n’ya na medyo pathetic dapat s’ya but he’s almost there. And the cinematography! Wala akong masabi. If I’m not mistaken, the film’s cinematographer is a “suki” of some Rivermaya music videos as director. “Naamoy” ko rin ang dumi ng mga apartments dahil sa mahusay na production design. Ato Bautista is definitely a filmmaker to watch out for. Hindi ako na-alienate sa pagkakadirek n’ya: not too artsy or too personal. I would also like to acknowledge Elmo Redrico’s “presence” (no pun intended) in the film. He played one of Binoe’s tenants. Sumalangit nawa ang kaluluwa n’ya. He died months ago and “Blackout” is his last film. Isa s’yang tunay na artist na ayon sa mga kuwento ay tumatanggap ng styling gel bilang talent fee. What “Blackout” did to Elmo is to occasionally remind us that an artist is as good as his last performance.
Friends who might appreciate it: those who are losing faith in Philippine cinema.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Mga Ligayang Dulot ng Mabilisang Pag-uwi sa Bayan ng Lopez, Quezon*
*Todo-todong essay writing contest ito sa wikang Filipino. Hehehe.
Madalas akong tanungin kung tuwing kailan daw ako umuuwi ng probinsya. Ang mga inaasahang pagpipilian ko ay A) tuwing weekend, B) buwanan, C) tuwing may okasyon o D) hindi na nakakauwi dahil may bahay na rito sa Metro Manila. Madalas ko ring sinasagot, makalipas ang mga limang segundo, na umuuwi lang ako kung kailan ko lang gusto.
Gusto, sa paraang hindi mo matitiis ang bayan kung saan ka ipinanganak at hindi gusto, dahil wala lang o trip lang. Nitong nakaraang Sabado (June 9) ay muli kong pinatunayan ang kagustuhang ito.
Isini-set ko ang alarm clock sa ganap na ika-3 ng umaga pero nakakaligtaan ko ito at nakakaalis na ako ng apartment sa Makati makalipas ang dalawang oras. Pero pinagbigyan ko ang kasutilan ko dahil dumaan pa ako sa Hap Chan sa may Makati Avenue para ibili ng barbecue pork asado ang aking ermats n’ung pasado hatinggabi ng Biyernes (o Sabado na). Nanggaling pa ako sa isang hapunan sa National Sports Grille kasama sina Edrik at ilang nakababatang kaopisina (sige na nga: Mel, Kristine, Linel, Macy, Benjie, Jay B, Cat, Mitch, Erin at dumaan si Gian nang panandali). At hindi lang pala kami naghapunan, nag-apat na round din kami ng dark beer sa Grappa’s (ngayon ay kasama na sina Obet at Marian). Salamat na lang at 24 oras ang Hap Chan. Nakakaakit talaga ang gabi sa Makati.
Lulan ng JAM ay bumyahe na ako papuntang Lucena. Ito ang pagkakataon para humilik sa pagtulog. Wala na akong bitbit na alarm clock. Ang unang ligayang sumasalubong sa akin sa Quezon ay ang panggigising ng sikat ng araw. Ang ikalawang ligaya ay ang tanawin ng walang pattern na pagkakatabi-tabi ng mga puno ng niyog malapit sa boundary ng Laguna habang sa hindi kalayuan ay nakalugmok na parang si Ninoy sa P500 ang Mt. Banahaw. Ang ikatlong ligaya ay ang ideya na ang mga ganung eksena ay mas mainam na hindi maisalarawan sa film o JPEG kundi sa puso lamang.
Tamang tama para sa breakfast ang pinag-ong na itinitinda ni Manong Vendor pagpasok ng Sariaya. “Pinag-ong, mainit pa, P10 lang!”. Ingat lang sa paglunok ng ikaapat na ligaya dahil baka ikaw ay mabulunan.
Ang JAM ay hindi nakakapasok sa Grand Terminal sa Lucena. Bawas-ginhawa pero may kakaibang karisma ang paglalakad mula national highway papasok sa terminal. Ang ikaanim na ligaya ay ‘yung hindi mo na kailangang maglakad pa dahil meron nang mini-bus na susundo sa iyo sa kantong hinintuan ng JAM. Mula rito ay lalarga ang bus ng dalawa pang oras papasok sa Sang-Alikabukan. “Huwag kalimutang isuot ang shades para sa karagdagang pogi points”, ito ang aking mantra. Sa ikapitong ligaya ko hinuhubad ang shades upang titigan ang kakisigan ng Quezon National Park. At hindi ko lang basta tititigan, akin pa itong lalanghapin hanggang sumigaw ng “rape!” ang Inang Kalikasan. Kung sa diversion road naman dumaan ang mini-bus, inaabangan ko ang isang bahagi nito na masyadong magkadikit ang dalawang bundok na pinaghiwalay ng highway. Nakakarelaks na kahit ilang sandali lang ay merong pumapayong sa iyo na hindi mo kaanu-ano.
‘Sakto sa ikawalong ligaya ay ang aking ermats na sasalubong at pagbubuksan ako ng gate mula sa pagkakababa ko sa tricycle. Nasa Lopez, Quezon na ako niyan. Ang susunod ay maikli at matamis na kumustahan at paghalik sa pisngi sa aking mga magulang. Sa dalawang halik nakukumpleto ang aking sampung ligaya.
Mas naging espesyal ang araw na ‘yun dahil bumuhos ang ulan n’ung hapon. Wala akong sinayang na sandali. Sumugod ako at naligo sa ulan na parang bata. Maginaw pero napaka-therapeutic ng ika-labing-isang ligaya ko. Pakiramdam ko ay inanod lahat ng panlilimahid ko sa katawan, pisikal man o panloob.
Pagkatapos maligo at magbanlaw ay may suhol agad akong kape na tinimpla pa ng tatay ko. Labindalawa na ang ligaya ko habang hinihigop ito. Nakasalang na rin sa DVD player ang “Flags of our Fathers” na binabandera ng surround sound system (ang tatay ko ang nagdisenyo na ang nasa harapang speakers ay konektado ng kable na dumaan pa sa aming kisame). Labingtatlong ligaya na n’ung nasulyapan ko ang kopya ko ng “Temptation Island” ni Joey Gosiengfiao at “Jaguar” ni Lino Brocka. Iginawa ko sila ng cover para naman mas mukhang presentable at mas madaling makita.
Yanong sarap matulog na maliban sa labintatlong ligaya ay may pag-asa ka pa sa labi na paggising mo ay madadagdagan ito. Tila ayaw mo nang magising kapag ang una mong maiisip ay kailangan mong kaladkarin ang sarili mo pabalik sa Maynila upang muling mangarap at magising.
Things 002: Doritos – Sweet Chilli Pepper
If there’s a bag of chips that will make you forget your name, it must be the Sweet Chilli Pepper flavor of Doritos. I am not sure if this is exclusive to Schengen area but I get my fix for this from the Netherlands (through my hardworking, goodlooking and god-like officemates assigned in Utrecht). In UK, the flavor’s called “Chilli Heatwave”.
Movie Digest # 014
SILIP
Glorietta 1, Cinema 3, June 6, 8:30pm
Pwede. I am fan of “Diabolique” (the remake will do for me) and I was expecting a plot similar to that. But lo and behold, this one’s different. Ikinuwento ng pelikula ang isang mag-asawa kung saan ang babae ay naiwan sa isang liblib na lugar, walang kuryente, walang text, walang katsismisan. One day, she met another woman. Nagkaroon na s’ya ng katsismisan pero naging kumplikado n’ung bumalik ang asawa. I thought it was that predictable (Joel Lamangan made a similar material in the film “Sidhi”). Pero hindi pala. There’s a twist worthy of a bucket of popcorn. Pwede. The only drawback is the acting. Paging Assunta de Rossi, Ara Mina and Jay Manalo!
Friends who might appreciate it: those who believe that “If it’s from Seiko, it must be good”.
OCEAN’S 13
Glorietta 4, Cinema 3, June 11, 4:20pm
I prefer the first two installments. The second sequel is quite predictable and flat. Unang eksena pa lang ni Al Pacino, alam mo na ang mangyayari sa kanya sa ending. Ang kulang siguro ay mas maraming conflict sana. Parang masyadong naging madali para sa mga bida ang pagiging bida nila. Aside from having Kris Aquino and James Yap in the same moviehouse, I had fun (naman) watching the film.
Friends who might appreciate it: those whose middle name is “Cool”.
Glorietta 1, Cinema 3, June 6, 8:30pm
Pwede. I am fan of “Diabolique” (the remake will do for me) and I was expecting a plot similar to that. But lo and behold, this one’s different. Ikinuwento ng pelikula ang isang mag-asawa kung saan ang babae ay naiwan sa isang liblib na lugar, walang kuryente, walang text, walang katsismisan. One day, she met another woman. Nagkaroon na s’ya ng katsismisan pero naging kumplikado n’ung bumalik ang asawa. I thought it was that predictable (Joel Lamangan made a similar material in the film “Sidhi”). Pero hindi pala. There’s a twist worthy of a bucket of popcorn. Pwede. The only drawback is the acting. Paging Assunta de Rossi, Ara Mina and Jay Manalo!
Friends who might appreciate it: those who believe that “If it’s from Seiko, it must be good”.
OCEAN’S 13
Glorietta 4, Cinema 3, June 11, 4:20pm
I prefer the first two installments. The second sequel is quite predictable and flat. Unang eksena pa lang ni Al Pacino, alam mo na ang mangyayari sa kanya sa ending. Ang kulang siguro ay mas maraming conflict sana. Parang masyadong naging madali para sa mga bida ang pagiging bida nila. Aside from having Kris Aquino and James Yap in the same moviehouse, I had fun (naman) watching the film.
Friends who might appreciate it: those whose middle name is “Cool”.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Movie Digest # 013
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END
Greenbelt 3, Cinema 2, May 27, 8:30pm
I can describe the film while watching it as reading a nice adventure book. It’s a popcorn film, yes, but very intelligently done. Hindi nakakabobo. And it has Johnny Depp (probably this generation’s Marlon Brando)! For me, this sequel is the best among the three Pirates film. A must-see (naks, hahaha).
Friends who might appreciate it: all my savvy friends.
ZODIAC
Greenbelt 3, Cinema 5, May 30, 8:25pm
Pwedeng pang-Oscars, from Screen Adaptation to acting awards (Robert Downey, Jr., Mark Ruffalo, etc.) kaya lang parang merong kulang. If this film is like sex, parang kulang sa orgasm. But I love this film.
Friends who might appreciate it: movie buffs.
PAANO KITA IIBIGIN?
Power Plant, Cinema 4, June 3, 7:45pm
Yeah, it’s formula. The thing is, it’s not sugarcoated. It even has a dark undertone, confirmed by the suicidal character played by Piolo Pascual. Halos buong movie, suicidal s’ya. ‘Yung plot about raising money is for an airplane to be repaired to be later on used as deathbed. For me, that’s new for a production from Star Cinema (or Regal or GMA Films or….). The film’s not bad but definitely not good enough. Pwede na.
Friends who might appreciate it: Eugene Domingo fans.
Greenbelt 3, Cinema 2, May 27, 8:30pm
I can describe the film while watching it as reading a nice adventure book. It’s a popcorn film, yes, but very intelligently done. Hindi nakakabobo. And it has Johnny Depp (probably this generation’s Marlon Brando)! For me, this sequel is the best among the three Pirates film. A must-see (naks, hahaha).
Friends who might appreciate it: all my savvy friends.
ZODIAC
Greenbelt 3, Cinema 5, May 30, 8:25pm
Pwedeng pang-Oscars, from Screen Adaptation to acting awards (Robert Downey, Jr., Mark Ruffalo, etc.) kaya lang parang merong kulang. If this film is like sex, parang kulang sa orgasm. But I love this film.
Friends who might appreciate it: movie buffs.
PAANO KITA IIBIGIN?
Power Plant, Cinema 4, June 3, 7:45pm
Yeah, it’s formula. The thing is, it’s not sugarcoated. It even has a dark undertone, confirmed by the suicidal character played by Piolo Pascual. Halos buong movie, suicidal s’ya. ‘Yung plot about raising money is for an airplane to be repaired to be later on used as deathbed. For me, that’s new for a production from Star Cinema (or Regal or GMA Films or….). The film’s not bad but definitely not good enough. Pwede na.
Friends who might appreciate it: Eugene Domingo fans.
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