melikesart

Trip to Davao!

2012-03-05T21:36:00.002+08:00

I mentioned a week ago that Iwas highly looking forward to make 2012 the year I’d start going out of Manilaand into different places around the country. What better way to authenticatesuch promise by flying hundreds of miles to Davao down south? It was my firsttime setting foot on Mindanao that the thought of having to travel (read:soul-search) all by myself was emotionally and physically exhilarating. Parangnag-Eat, Pray, Love lang? One thingwas for sure, though: I had to spend the least amount of money possible withoutsacrificing the overall experience, which is why I relied on tips from a fewtravel bloggers when it came to building my itinerary.

That night...

That morning...

The adventure began—adventure talaga?—withme finding a place to stay. I chose this inn where I rented a cheap room fortwo days. It was already evening when the plane landed so I had to sleep assoon I checked in. Napagod ang lolo niyo.

Emo si manong.

The next day, I went to Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort,which is already a part of Samal, the island southeast of Davao City. The boatride, which costs 20 pesos, only takes less than thirty minutes. Now, a beachresort quite close to the city might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but lo andbehold! For one with an entrance fee of 150 pesos, the place looksamazing.

My third beach since the year began. Accomplishment? Haha.

What’s more, if you swim evenon the shallow parts of the water, you’d find yourself swimming with smallfish, so don’t forget to bring your snorkeling gear. You might even see the stray starfish I almost stepped on.

The resort also has a park anda mini-zoo. It’s quite impressive as to how the staff managed to keep theentire place uber-clean, thereby giving us visitors a sense of tranquility aswe walk down the paths and watch the birds and animals inside their cages.

Peacock tries to impress partner. Deadma si partner.

After spending the first halfof the afternoon swimming and taking pictures of strangers, I rode the boatback to the city and took a jeepney to Abreeza. Call it petty, but this mallwas at the top of my to-go list. See, I’ve always wanted to visit all of theAyala malls in the country, knowing how completing SM malls can be quite a challenge.

I was to fly back to Manila atfour in the afternoon the next day, so I immediately slept upon arriving in myroom. Naligo’t nagtoothbrush muna ako, syempre.

~~Araneta Coliseum~~. People's Park.

I woke up the next morning andvisited People’s Park, which, on that day, opened at one in the afternoon. Since I had only a few hours left beforemy flight, I snuck in and took pictures. The entire place is too clean to betrue and there were only a few people making tambay, so I couldn’t help butcompare the park to the others back home.

Walang people sa People's Park.

I flew back to Manila withlots of memories, not to mention lots of snapshots from my handy-dandy4-megapixel camera. Three days in the city and I’ve already experienced a lotof things for the first time: swam with fish, drank durian coffee, slept onthe foodcourt for an hour, and lots more. I’ll definitely return here someday.

My last shot of Davao.

So, where’s my next stop? Idon’t know yet. Got any suggestions? Somewhere cheap. Kuripot kasi ako, e.

The Wormworld Saga, a cool webcomic for readers of all ages.

2012-03-04T11:19:00.001+08:00

You might want to check out Daniel Lieske's The Wormworld Saga when you have the time. It's a webcomic featuring astonishing art and a promising story about a young boy who enters (or imagines) a world that, as the fan arts on the credits show, might appear to be a cross between a child's fantasy locale and a madman's Narnia.

The webcomic only has two chapters as of now (the third coming this April), and from what we can read so far, the story is shaping up to resemble dark children's fantasy a la Pan's Labyrinth. Strong attention is given to the characters, with the father-son subplot playing an important role in the scenario.

Of course, youth is not the only weakness the main character Jonas has. His mom died in a fire, and the mere sight of a fireplace is enough to send him crying. I find it exciting as to how his phobia will play a role in the upcoming chapters since the second one only ends with him entering the fantasy world for the first time.

Its format is one of the reasons this webcomic is highly readable. Instead of clicking arrows to see the next image, you simply scroll down, adding a sense of urgency as one reads. Make sure your mouse has smooth scrolling function for you to enjoy the transitions from one image to another.

What are you waiting for? Basahin niyo na ang The Wormworld Saga. Click here. Now na!

First Time in Puerto Galera

2012-02-27T10:26:00.000+08:00

I look forward to do a lot oftraveling for the next ten months. I spent most of my 2011 suffocating withinthe confines of NCR that I promised myself to make 2012 my travel year—soyeah, I’m looking for travel buddies.

I started January with a trip to Nasugbu with my college friends. This month alone, I managed to get out ofManila twice, with the other trip I’ll be blogging about within this week. Whatbetter way to start by going to Puerto Galera? I admit I hadn’t been therebefore, but it was such a fun experience to know what the entire fuss is allabout with regards to this municipality in Oriental Mindoro.

First night with Yet and Deng.

I came with two of my friendsfrom high school, Yet and Deng. From Taft, we had a two-hour bus ride to the portin Batangas City. From there, we took a boat to Mindoro, the trip lasting foran hour-and-a-half. Upon arriving, we realized that the shuttle that wassupposed to take us to the beach proper had already left. Good thing there werea couple of motorcycle drivers who were willing to escort us there. Talk aboutan adrenaline-pumping 20-minute motorcycle ride through dark, deserted roads. Wearrived near White Beach Hotel safe and sound.

Of course, the experiencewouldn’t be complete if we hadn’t gone island-hopping, which is exactly what wedid. The snorkeling activity was similar to that of other places such asBoracay, but it was fun, nonetheless.

After snorkeling, the boatmentook us to an island that we can have for ourselves. It felt amazing to sit onthe beach and simply enjoy the waves tickling your feet. There’s even a cavewhere people can enter for that obligatory photoshoot—I won’t show the picshere, though. Ayoko, e. Haha.

Kweba ng kaligayahan. (Anu raw?)

Now here’s where the problemstarted. The minute we returned to the boat, the bangkeros told us we werealready going back, much to our surprise. See, we booked our boating packagewhile we were still on the port, where the itinerary—the list of beaches to bevisited—was laid out to us. Even though we told the boatmen it wasn’t part ofthe plan, we had no choice but to go back since we were aware that they stillhadn’t eaten their lunch yet. I guess the next time we return to Puerto Galerawe’ll be settling the island-hopping package on the beach itself and not in theBatangas Port.

Picture-picture bago umalis.

Despite the minor problem withour island-hopping, I can still say I had plenty of fun in Puerto Galera. Ikind of regret not going there as early as when my friends started to raveabout it. A lot of firsts happened while I was there. It was the first time Ihad a massage right on the beach, under the moonlight, by a kind lady who’sbeen doing her job for 22 years. It was also the first time I had a drunkperson argue with me in a bar (muntikan nang basagan ni Yet ng bote sa ulo). Itwas also my first time tasting the famous Mindoro Sling (konting sip lang, goodboy ako e, haha).

Puerto Galera is one of the mostaccessible vacation spots if you live in Manila. I’ll certainly be returning therewhen I have the time and money. Have you been there? Any memorable experiences?Share them in the comments section below.

Last shot as we leave.

Next travel blog post: my firsttime in Mindanao.

Battalia Royale: Can You Kill a Classmate?

2012-02-25T19:18:00.001+08:00

If you know me well, chancesare you’re highly aware I’m very vocal about my love for the Japanese film Battle Royale. In fact, I consider themovie, being the only one I’ve watched more than 20 frickin times, as one of mymost favorite. I even have the book it was based on, for Pete’s sake.

To those unfamiliar with themovie, simply imagine the Japanese government regulating the rebelliousness ofthe youth against adults, resulting in an educational reform act requiring highschool students to kill each other until one is left standing. The film followsone of the classes unfortunate enough to have been brought on a deserted islandwhere the so-called “battle royale” will take place.

One can only imagine mycuriosity when I heard Sipat Lawin Ensemble staging the material, convenientlyre-titled Battalia Royale, right infront of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Being an admirer of Pragres, I was excited to see how thecompany would be able to handle the entire thing. No seats were given to theaudience here. Instead, it was our task to run around the premises while fightingfor a good spot to see the characters talk to and kill each other. The firsttime I heard this technique being employed was when I read about the New Yorkproduction Sleep No More, andremembering such made me more excited to see Battalia Royale.

I watched the third and finalCCP run (February 23^rd). It started out with the students, druggedand unconscious at first, slowly waking up and realizing the predicament theygot into. Bodjie Pascua, teacher and facilitator of the “game,” entered andintroduced himself. He wasn’t teaching ABC’s in Batibot now. Instead, he began explaining the rules of Battalia Royale. He even shot one of them to verify he wasn’t joking—a jaw-droppingfountain of fake blood spurted out the poor girl’s neck, to which the crowdcheered and howled.

The students were soon releasedand it was up to the audience to choose which scene they want to see. It becamea matter of running around the CCP ramp while rubbing elbows and touchingbuttocks with a huge crowd in order to get a get a good view of the production.

It got too crowded that itbecame impossible to see some of the scenes. I heard there were only a few people duringits first run, but word got out, you know. If you were lucky to besitting on the right spot, you would’ve seen brilliant moments such as a dialogue between two good actors, a well-choreographed sword(?)-fight,erotic girl-on-girl kiss, and much more. Yes, there was blood. Lots of it. Inone particularly disturbing scene, a group of girls ganged up on their classmate,who apparently had the delusion of being a messiah. So they tied her arms andcrucified her. What a messiah she had become.

It was during the end of theproduction’s first half when Kuya Bodjie gathered the audience. A male studentwas brought in the middle and it was up to us to vote if a classmate, who wasstanding nearby, should kill him or let him live. The poor student was giventime to convince us to allow him to survive. I couldn’t exactly hear what hewas saying, but amidst his crying and stuttering I could pick out that his momwas sick and that his dad was arriving in the country to see him graduate. The audienceshouted, “Kill! Kill!” Pretty soon, he was a goner.

I couldn’t help but feelsurprised at the elation and enthusiasm the crowd showed whenever a student diedin front of them. Was it really because the audience, comprisedmostly of young people, actually like to see violence enacted in front of them?Or was it simply a result of a sense of oneness with the crowd, with eachindividual response garnered by the intensity of the reaction of others? Ifound myself screaming and cheering along, to be honest, as if watching a cockfight—twounwilling chickens peck each other to death. It is probably during thesemoments wherein one sees what BattaliaRoyale is actually about. By exposing gore and violence rightin front of our faces, we are revealed as voyeurs who are highly aware of the enjoymentfound within the brutality of man. In the end, Battalia Royale is more of a commentary on society’s assessmenttowards violence rather than a story of students trying to kill each other.

Yes, I admit I like goryfilms. I can even watch a Saw movie withoutcontorting any part of my face. I’d be lying if I say that the violence isn’tthe reason Battle Royale is myfavorite movie, because truth is otherwise. Only time will tell if Sipat Lawin's production will cause controversy. Let's just hope something similar to the Sasebo slashing will not happen due to its success.

The crowd’s excitementincreased the moment the final showdown between the last two remaining studentswas happening. I think Sipat Lawin changed the winners every show to preventspoilers. In my set, a girl won (pictured above). Kuya Bodjie stood with her in front of thecrowd. As he formally announced the winner of Battalia Royale, the audiencetook out their cameras to take pictures of the poor girl, who wasapparently shocked and bewildered after what she had gone through.

The production ended as hauntingly as possible: the dead students “rose from the dead” and dancedas their alma mater song was being sung.

That wasn't the last we'll see of Battalia Royale, though. Sipat Lawin's going to restage the production on March 9-11 in an abandoned school in Cubao. If the location's not enough to get you all excited, I don't know what will. Tickets can be reserved as early as now. Make sure you bring extra clothes, though, as you can get a bit sweaty chasing after the actors (not to mention the blood can get on your clothes). For more information, you can add Sipat Lawin Ensemble and check out Battalia Royale's offical Facebook page as well.

A Dream I Had (brought to you by KFC)

2012-02-09T18:58:00.002+08:00

I had this dream two weeks ago. Been a long time since I last had one that caused me to wake up with my heart pounding so strongly.

It starts with me in the office. Boss has just announced free lunch: a box of tacos. My workmates start to gather around the large box placed on the floor for some reason. They begin eating the tacos on the floor at such rapid pace that I feel a bit intimidated to join. I am still in front of my computer, see, and one of my workmates, Mhanie, asks if I'm still going to eat, to which I request if she can save me a piece of taco.

The moment I look back at them, all eating on the floor, I see they are now surrounding a box of nothing but air. No more tacos for me. I remember feeling a bit offended that at least one piece wasn't saved for me, yet I still manage to smile at my workmates and tell them that I am still feeling a bit full.

As expected to happen in dreams, the scene suddenly shifts, without warning, outside in a dark narrow road. That particular area doesn't provide any good source of light, but I can see in the distance a well-lit part that consists of shops and cars. I remember Mhanie walking beside me, and after a few steps down the road she disappears without warning.

I am now alone in the middle of that dark road which after my friend's disappearance suddenly resembles an alleyway. A few steps in front me stands a taong grasa (at least, that's what I think he is). At that point I do not get a good look at him nor do I even pay him any attention. I just walk by as if he's just a light post. Dreams can be so weird to a point that such have the power to force you to control what you think as one happens. That guy, who is still a blur to me, can be anyone. He must have been a man going home from work, but at that moment in my mind, he is a taong grasa.

A KFC branch greets me as I take a few steps forward. I enter and fall in line in front of the cashier. When my turn comes I order a 1-piece chicken meal with regular iced tea. I pay the woman behind the cashier and wait for her to give me my order. The food is already in her hands, yet she suddenly turns busy chatting with her co-worker to my right. For some reason I lose it, my temper.

I'm having trouble remembering what I'm saying at this part. All I know is that I start cursing at the lady for not giving me my order right away. I remember looking around to find every customer in the establishment staring at me. I can even remember the janitor standing near the entrance. I turn back to the lady behind the cashier and grab my order. That is when I head back outside into the dark.

With my takeout safe in my hands, I continue walking along the road until the lights ahead draw nearer. All of a sudden, the taong grasa appear on my right. Just like that. He just pops from nowhere, his hand shoots forward. He runs toward me. Toward my KFC takeout. That is when I finally see his face, grease-covered and drooling.

I woke up kicking my legs. I never knew what happened to my KFC takeout. Was it taken by the man? Did I manage to save it? I'll never know.

Mababaw ba? Ewan ko ba. For some reason I woke up with my heart pounding like drums and my head aching terribly. It wasn't necessarily a bad dream, but the scenario was one of those that one probably dreams about kapag gutom or pagod.

The weird thing about this dream is that I can still remember it two weeks after I had it. Normally I would've forgotten about some details, but in this case, the entire thing's still crystal clear to me. Pati order ko natatandaan ko. Weird, no? So, is anyone out there skilled in dream interpretation who can tell what my dream means? Not that I believe dreams have something to do with our future, though...

It reminds me of this Korean comic one of my friends showed me a few months ago. Take note that if you have heart problems or if you are pregnant, do not read it!

Beach-ing Again: From Nasugbu to Tagaytay

2012-01-24T21:52:00.000+08:00

Been a while since I last wrote a travel-related post. I figured I should focus every now and then on the me of melikesart. Now if you've been reading my blog since last year, you might have come across a post about a trip I had to San Juan, Batangas with me and my friends from college. At the end of the post I mentioned that I was chosen as the project head for this year's trip. After some planning, we all decided to head onto a different part of Batangas this year, and who hasn't heard of Nasugbu?

We stayed in the Forest Cove Beach House. Reservation was entirely hassle-free since January falls in the off-peak season. Frankly, if you want to have a vacation where you can live the life of the wealthy, then book the beach house for a couple of days. It looks amazing.

Forest Cove Beach House

Arrived a few minutes past noon.

It has a kitchen, a dining area, two bathrooms, and three bedrooms, one of which is on the balcony (not a good place for a quickie). Panalo rin ang porch sa harap ng bahay. It has a couple of electric fans, but if you open the air conditioner inside the room on the balcony, you can make the entire place feel cold within minutes. People who can't leave their online lives will be relieved to know that the beach house also has Wi-Fi.

Bedroom for four on the balcony.

Simply put, the entire place allowed our group not just to bond with each other but also to relax and unwind from the usual stress of city life.

Feeling mayaman lang.

And if you've read my post from last year, you probably know that one of us got injured while playing beach volleyball with the locals. That girl? She's pregnant now.

She got hit by a volleyball last year. Now, she's carrying one.

A few hours after we settled down in the house, we decided to head onto the beach, which is only a few steps away. Once we arrived we—ano pa ba, edi nag-swimming!

A snowy mountain.

Find a cat in the picture. There is none.

The next day, our group left the house and drove straight to Cavite where we went to Summit Ridge Promenade in Tagaytay. What started out as a plan to grab a cup of coffee turned into something else. We stopped by Jeepney and availed their promo of unlimited cakes and coffee. Basta eat-all-you-can, panalo tayong mga Pinoy.

My hands felt frozen when I took this pic.

One of them was busy playing the iPhone. Guess who.

Of course, our Tagaytay trip wouldn't have been complete if we hadn't eaten bulalo. Where else can you find the best-tasting ones? Molave Market, that's where.

We had a minor complaint, though. We ate at Alegre's Canteen, where a serving of bulalo costs 300 pesos each. Imagine our surprise when one of the servings we ordered only consisted of a large piece of bone. Walang laman. Not all of us are fans of sucking bone marrow, you know.

Extra rice, please.

Based on the crowd, it was a miracle we managed to find seats.

I mentioned in my post last year that the reunion will be held annually, so as early as now I'm already looking forward to our trip next January. Mayaman yung project head na napili namin, so we expect na wala nang ambagan next year. Joke lang, Nash!

On a final note, if you and your friends are looking for a stress-free vacation away from the city, you might want to stay in Forest Cove Beach House in Nasugbu. I don't personally know the owner, but staying in the place for a couple of days is enough for me to recommend it to everyone. More details here.

A panoramic view of the place. O ha! O ha!

Two Vids for the Weekend

2012-01-20T18:48:00.000+08:00

I'll be out on a trip for a couple of days. I'll just leave these Youtube videos for you guys to enjoy.

Gerald Anderson Fanatic in Sinulog 2012. Watch it here.

Epic Dance Battle with Jollibee. Watch it here.

Have a happy weekend! Kung Hei Fat Choi!

5 Types of People You Do Not Want to Meet in a Bookstore

2012-01-17T01:00:00.000+08:00

Who doesn’t love bookstores? WheneverI go to a mall, I enter at least one more often than not. Kahit na walangbibilhin. I’m sure I’m not the only one who loves entering these stores,getting surrounded by books, looking for random titles to be added to yourto-read list.

Of course, not all that occursinside is pleasant. There are some people who tend to make your window shoppingexperience crash down the mud, forcing you to lose your cool and run out of thestore as fast as possible. This isn’t some rant, mind you, and I know perfectlywell that people aren’t perfect. Join the fun in enumerating some of theobnoxious types of people you have most likely encountered in a bookstore, starting with…

People who find it alright to standin front of a specific part of the shelf with their feet rooted to the floor.Playing patintero with these people can be difficult. Once while exploringNational Bookstore I encountered a girl in front of the section of books I plannedto browse. I showed her enough hints that I wanted her to move because she wasblocking the way, yet a statue like her can only do so much but to continuestanding there while reading a book. I crouched down to get a better look atthe portion of the shelf she was blocking and guess what? Her eyes gave me acold stare before travelling towards her legs. Akala niya sinisilipan ko siya?Just move out of the way, lady, and your legs will be safe from our eyes.

People in bookstores who seemto think that others around them have no ears to hear what they are saying.They’re the ones who believe it perfectly okay to tell a book’s ending to theirfriends while broadcasting it up to three aisles beyond. Happened to me in thesame bookstore almost a decade ago. Dan Brown was still getting the controversyhe deserved that time. I hadn’t read the TheDa Vinci Code yet, so I picked one up from the shelf. A couple of girlswere nearby talking to each other. As I passed them, one girl looked at thebook I was holding and asked her friend, “Maganda ba yung Da Vinci Code?” Theother girl, who probably thought I had a strong case of earwax, answered, withouthesitation, “Oo, pero nahulaan ko na sa simula pa lang na traydor yung teacher.”

Thank you so much, random girl.Helpful piece of information.

I’m being liberal when I saychildren shouldn’t be allowed in churches or restaurants. The same goes forbookstores, unless, of course, there's a kiddie section where they can play. Leave a couple of three-year-olds running around, treating theentire place like a playground and congratulations, proud parent, for havingthem under control. In a bookstore in Paranaque, I encountered a boy, aboutfive, treating the aisles like a track and field stadium. Pretty soon hemanaged to topple a huge pyramid of Rick Riordan books. Aware of what he haddone, he started doing the usual puppy dog stare kids with offenses usually do.The manager of the bookstore rushed to fix the mess while muttering, “Naku,nalaglag. Hala.” Soon the mother of the young boy was shouting at the managerfor scaring the kid and for placing the pyramid of books at that specificlocation. Manager was apologetic. Mother was angry. Quite a turnaround, if youask me.

Mababaw lang to, pero theseare people who take a book from the shelf, look at it for a few seconds, andthen place it somewhere else. One of my pet peeves include seeing books that areplaced horizontally atop other books when there are still spaces for them to bewedged vertically. Wala lang.

Nothing’s wrong with this typeof bookstore customers—as long as no one gets bothered by their forgetfulness. Casein point: I was lining up at the cashier of National Bookstore (oo na, LakingNational ako). The line was considerably long as the other cash registers wereclosed. I was quite near the cashier. An old man stood before me. In front ofhim were a mother and her young daughter. When it was the mother’s turn to payfor her items, she casually told her daughter to run back to the aisles to getsomething she had forgotten to take. Her daughter did, baby steps and all. Theline remained frozen. We stood there waiting. Having scanned the woman’sinitial items, the cashier was incapable of letting other customers cut theline.

The daughter returned a minutelater carrying, guess what, a pencil. The old man before me whispered, “Susginoo.”

* * * *

Again, don't take this post too seriously. Huwag dibdibin. I'm not one of those bloggers from Get Real Philippines.

Now it's your turn to share your experiences with other people in bookstores. What happened and how did you deal with them? Shout out in the comments section below.

In which I rise from a week-long blogging hiatus.

2012-01-14T18:48:00.001+08:00

Insert super random caption for this super random pic.

I haven’t posted a single entry forthe past seven days, one of my longest hiatuses yet. No use complaining on thefact that I’m having a difficult time juggling between blogger and full-time worker. I’vealmost done three months in the company I write for, and good to realize I’mnow getting the hang of everything. Now I force myself to stick to a habit of writingentries during the weekends in order for me to schedules blog posts duringweekdays.

What’s new for me this 2012? Not so much.

1/11/12 - Vanity strikes while resting in bed.

I’ve been sick since Monday, which Ithink is a perfect excuse for the week-long reprieve. I started sniffing badlyon the afternoon of the 9^th of January—an uh-oh moment for me. Had aterrible fever last Wednesday, which forced me to skip a day’s worth of work.Pumuputok na ubo: masarap pakinggan, mahirap pagdaanan. Now I sit here and type, still dumbfounded as to how I managed to work for fourdays as a walking heat source. I was still sick when I woke up this morning yeta few hours of afternoon rest made me a lot better.

In other news, I got held up in the FX on the way towork a couple of months ago, and the big bad smelly hold-upper took my oldphone. Bought a new one last week, my first major purchase since I beganreceiving full-time pay. I waited weeks for new stocks of Samsung Galaxy Y tocome, but the phone seems to be a huge bestseller in stores, so I opted for anAlcatel OT-918N (the one I hold above). Although a couple hundred pesos cheaper than theGalaxy Y, the 918N already runs on Gingerbread and sports a 3MP camera. A greatdeal, if you ask me. Buy it while it’s still on its promo price.

There's dead mice here somewhere. I just can't find it.

I present to you my mega-messy bedside desk. See that huge backlog of books? The sight of it haunts me. Some of the books were still the ones I startedreading since last year, while some were ones I bought last Christmas. Titlesare The Wind-up Bird Chronicle byHaruki Murakami, The Shadow of the Windby Carlos Ruiz Zafón, TheAngel’s Command by Brian Jacques, and SiAmapola sa 65 na Kabanata by Ricky Lee.

Thanks to everyone who took thetime to view my year-ender movie list. If you still haven’t done so, clickhere.

Has anyone seen the new SherlockHolmes movie? Is it good? If my body prevails and I feel stronger tomorrow I mightgo see it.

Wala lang. Nagparamdam lang. NowI’m off to rest (again). Hopefully I’d be able to write more tomorrow.

Top 20 Favorite Films of 2011

2012-01-07T00:23:00.000+08:00

After almost a week of delay,my 2011 year-ender movie list is finally here. Nowadays, the use of the term “best”is almost too dangerous, so I chose to stick with “favorite” in order to emphasizehow personal the list is. Itconsists of films released in the Philippines within the year 2011 via legalscreenings (theatrical releases, film festivals, etc.) Click here for my guidelines.

The countdown begins after the jump.

Funny as hell, Septic Tank has earnest intentions forthe Filipino indie film. Though its screenplay could’ve squeezed out moresubstance, it still features a notable performance from the ever-reliableEugene Domingo. Review here.

This film about a superhero-slash-godbalances humor and drama so well that the unbeliever will think twice abouthating future comic book screen adaptations. Where else can you find an Asianliving in Asgard?

Wu Xia’s not for those with short attention spans. What’s amazingis that it actually takes its time to establish itself as a detective story,then Donnie Yen begins to show us why he's awesome, and everything turns kick-assfrom there.

Featuring a jaw-dropping trainscene before the twenty-minute mark, Super8 doesn’t hold anything back until the credits roll. J.J. Abrams is surelyone of those guys who can combine a coming-of-age tale with a modern-day sci-fistory and get away with it.

This third installment isindeed one of the year’s biggest surprises. Just when we thought that no more couldbe squeezed out from the found footage genre Paranormal Activity 3 comes and scares the bejesus out of us.Review here.

Sure, it may have a rathersleep-inducing first hour, but Spielberg’s first animated title manages to pullthrough with a second half highlighting what the director is perfectly capableof. The one-take chase scene near the end is already enough for this film tomake it in my list.

Haunting and depressing, Bleak Night portrays teenage life with evidentpessimism. It’s a commentary on the emotional volume of juvenile patriarchy andhow far it is willing to endure adversity until it snaps. Review here.

The Philippines didn’t get itsfair share of good animated films. Either that or 2011 just lacks the sameamount of brilliant animated titles the previous years have. Good thing there’sthis chameleon to say otherwise.

Drive teaches us that thrillers are as effective when focusing moreon the tension-building rather than the thrill itself. And once it’s done withtension-building, it moves on to show gratuitous violence that still avoidsoutbalancing its well-thought pace.

Contagion packs plenty of scares in a way that everything that unfoldsonscreen can actually happen in real life. If it tells certain truth about us humans, it is that we are still helpless creatures no matter how muchtechnology has shaped our lives. Now I know I won’t be shaking hands with that chef next time I eat in his place.

Not since Inception has there been a film that has created more bandwagons ofoverraters and underraters, both screaming at each other regarding The Tree of Life’s worth. Sorry for the overraters,but I liked The Tree of Life.

Duncan Jones has directed onlytwo feature length films. Moon mademe a fan. Source Code made me abeliever. With a pace so swift and a story so thought-provoking, it isdefinitely one of those science fiction titles I can recommend to everyone.

Intolerant people can screechand howl. Sayaw is solid proof that Philippinecinema still boasts intellectually provocative titles. It tells withoutshowing. It shows without telling. Using dance and poetry like no other filmhas done before, it is also an exploration of the Body as the Artist’s mediumto convey emotions and thoughts. Review here.

Your mission, should youchoose to accept it, is to watch Ethan Hunt’s latest globetrotting espionage adventureas he scales the world’s tallest building, fights in a multi-level car park,and stalks his wife from a distance. He bumps his head lots of times here, absoluteevidence of his age, which makes it all more exciting.

Well-developed characters and incongruouscomedy don’t exactly mix. But here comes Bridesmaids with a cast of a bunch of talented women in Westernshowbiz portraying real yet out-of-this-world characters. It won’t be the lasttime we almost died laughing due to a Kristen Wiig-starrer.

Only those born with purehatred in their hearts will not smile as they watch Mart Escudero’s performance.With a cast of capable of actors and scenes so funny to remain legal, Zombadings raises a finger to all thecomedy films major studios have released this year. Review here.

The Boy Who Lived battles withHe-Who-Must-Not-Be-Nosed. The second part of the movie adaptation of theseventh and final Harry Potter book ends an entire franchise with a bang. Eventhe Killing Curse couldn’t stop this movie from becoming an instant classic.Review here.

Screened last Cinemanila Film Festival,Pina is a dance documentary, atribute to one of Germany’s most prolific dancer and choreographer. TanztheaterWuppertal, the group which the late Pina had taught for, gives justice to theirteacher’s works by showcasing eccentric and oftentimes intricate dance piecesthat they have grown accustomed to for so long.

Niño explores the dichotomies of the young and the old and of the rich and the poor. Director Loy Arcenas and writer Rody Vera teamed up to create afilm with characters most of us can relate to—characters who breathe, characterswith genuine emotions. My most favorite Filipino film I have watched this year.

Warrior proves that good acting and unhurriedcharacter development canstill produce somethinggreat out of clichés. One of the most undervalued titles released this year, it proves two other things: one, that there is nothing wrong withcatharsis, and two, that MMA fighters, no matter how tough they look, are stillhuman beings. It’s an epic drama film that explores the boundaries betweenbrotherhood and rivalry, and it does so with sincerity.

So what do you guys think of the list? I'd love to hear your thoughts. And while you're at it, perhaps you can also share your most favorite films last 2011. To view my list last 2010, click here.

Pre-2012 Giveaway Winner

2012-01-01T11:36:00.000+08:00

My blog starts 2012 by announcing the winner of my New Year giveaway. I thought I'd only receive less than 10 entries, but imagine my surprise when a total of 19 people joined the contest. A huge thanks to everyone who joined.

Here is the list of those who took the time to answer the question: if you could be a supernaturalcreature for a day, what would you be and why?

I took the liberty of giving them aliases based on their answers (just for the fun of it).

In order to choose the winner I had to rely on random.org, a website most bloggers rely on when it comes to giveaways such as this. I simply copy-pasted the names to the site's list randomizer and let it automatically choose the winner.

The result:

Congratulations, Floyd the Tikbalang! You just won a signed copy of Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo's Trese: Last Seen After Midnight. Please reply to my message within the next 48 hours or else the price will be given to the second placer, Precious Elf.

Again, thank you so much for joining my giveaway. Expect bigger ones in the future. Happy New Year!

Closing the Year With My Most Favorite Books for 2011

2011-12-31T19:45:00.002+08:00

Iam writing this post amidst the cacophony of fireworks blasting in the coldpolluted air outside. As the year 2011 ends with the usual bang and boom I sitdown to type this year-ender post listing down the most unforgettable books Ihave had the privilege to read for the past three hundred sixty-five days.

Assomeone who has taken into liking various forms of entertainment—though some deem“entertainment” a disgraceful word—such as movies, videogames and, yes, books,I look back with dissatisfaction for my sedentary excursion to the path of thebookworm. I have read only a few books this 2011, but that won’t hinder me fromfinishing this post. Unlike my upcoming year-ender movie list, the titles I amabout to mention below need not be released in 2011. These are books I do notexactly consider to be the best. Let’sjust agree that the titles below are the ones I found most pleasurable to readand absorb.

Andthus, here are my Top 5 favorite books read this 2011 in order of preference.

Trese:Last Seen After Midnight

Tanand Baldisimo, 2011

Thoughfailing to match the brilliance of the third book, Mass Murders, this latest offering from Kajo Baldisimo and BudjetteTan still offers enough moments of oohs and aahs in order to be consideredanother laudable adventure from everyone’s favorite supernatural fighter,Alexandra. The last story in this four-part volume alone is enough for thefirst-timer to get hooked. Review here.

TheHunger Games

SuzanneCollins, 2008

Withthe intention to jump into the bandwagon before the movie comes out, I began readingit with zero expectations. What I managed to read was not a superficial BattleRoyale clone as most claimed it to be. It’s quite easy to breeze through itsattention-grabbing chapters until the very end, where you begin to realize thatgrimmer things are yet to happen.

TheEyre Affair

JasperFforde, 2001

Readingmy second Jasper Fforde novel only certifies my increasing adoration with thewriter himself. A book chock-full of great ideas such as this one deserving tobe read by literary sages and casual readers alike. With a cast of eccentricyet lovable characters, The Eyre Affairis certainly not my last Thursday Next novel. Review here.

LumayoKa Nga Sa Akin

BobOng, 2011

Notmany will get it. Not many will like it. Reading its pages you know that itwill offend people, particularly those in the movie or the television industry,which makes the experience all more exciting. And props to Ong for ending the entirething not with the obligatory dance scene on the beach, but with an act of acknowledgingreaders as those with the power to change the faulty and oftentimes suckysystem in Philippine entertainment.

Elmer

GerryAlanguilan, 2010

Atale of morality and forgiveness, Elmermight be one of the most important graphic novels released for quite a while.Boasting simple yet stunning art and character designs by Alanguilan, it is atestament to man’s capability to adjust to drastic changes the world couldbring. Talking chickens require readers to suspend their disbeliefs, and oncethey do, they are presented with a story that is powerful andemotionally-moving. Read it.

And with that, I officially close the year 2011 for Me Likes Art. Tomorrow sees the day someone will win my giveaway. Expect my year-ender movie list to be posted some time next week as well. Here's to more posts and a stronger passion for art, film, literature, and theater among everyone. May you all have a happy new year! On to 2012.

Pre-2012 Giveaway - Trese: Last Seen After Midnight

2011-12-26T10:26:00.000+08:00

I announced a few weeks agothat I’ll be hosting a giveaway. Here goes.

Chances are you’ve read atleast a sentence from my review of Trese:Last Seen After Midnight. Now, as a celebration of the coming New Year or,for doomsday believers, the coming of our last year ever, I am hosting agiveaway that will last until the end of December 2011. A lucky reader will get (1) copy of Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo’s Trese: Last Seen After Midnight. I bought two copies back in Komikon and had them signed—although Kajo was still kind enough to write my name on this second copy, harhar.

Now here’s some good news. Youguys don’t need to spread the word via Twitter or any social networking sitesas I’ll do the word-spreading myself. You don’t even need to rely on the problematicmechanic of collecting Likes and +1’s. All you need to do is to become a fan of myblog’s Facebook page and comment on the post that announces this giveaway.Simply answer the question:

If you could be a supernaturalcreature for a day,

what would you be and why?

I repeat. You will need to becomea member/liker/whatever of my blog’s Facebook account (click Like on the leftside of this page), and then comment on the FB thread that talks about thisgiveaway with the answer to the question above. Do not post your answers here.

I’ll be accepting entriesuntil the 31^st of December, 11:59PM GMT +8. The winner will bechosen via random.org and will be announced on the 1^st of January2012. You will need to be a current resident of the Philippines in order tojoin. People who have never read a single issue of Trese are highly encouraged to join.

What are you waiting for? Salina!

Best Movie Scenes of 2011

2011-12-25T13:27:00.000+08:00

Whileit is difficult to determine if it is indeed one of the best years for cinema,there is still no denying the generous amount of good titles shown for the pastthree hundred-plus days.

Aheart-stopping action sequence. Thought-provoking dialogue between characters.A death scene. In a good movie, there’s always that one sceneyou can’t seem to forget as you walk out of the theater. Heck, suchcan even stand on its own. It’s the type which moviegoers are most likely to discuss whenever the film is being brought up in conversations. This postlists down a few notable scenes that have truly left marks among moviegoersthis 2011. You might want to read my guidelines first to know how I went about decidingwhich films to include in this list.

Shallwe begin? Here are the list of 2011's most memorable scenes (based on personal preference) in no particular order.

Bridesmaids

Getting Officer Rhodes’ Attention

Whatmust you do to get one snobby policeman’s attention? Break the law, of course.Kristen Wiig’s character Annie does whatever it takes to make Nathan notice herafter a slight falling-out. With Helen (Rose Byrne) sitting uncomfortably onthe passenger’s seat, Annie keeps driving by the officer’s car while passingthe speed limit, drinking beer, playing loud music, and, yes, topless. Bestfreeze frame shot ever.

HarryPotter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Protecting Hogwarts

Asa fan of the books, I find the entire film to be extremely unforgettable, butit’s the Hogwarts oldies casting Protego Maxima that gets me the most. The scenewhere the camera pans over the school as the shield begins to surround it,combined with the urgent musical score, is enough to send chills down everyviewer’s spine. Whether or not you’re a Potterhead, it gives you thenasty feeling that things are about to get ugly.

Mission:Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Burj Khalifa

We’veseen Ethan Hunt climb a freakin’ canyon in the second installment, but heoutdoes himself here by scaling the world’s tallest building in sandy Dubai. Forcedto climb a few floors above theirs in order to infiltrate a server room, Hunt(Tom Cruise) is forced to rely on high-tech suction gloves. Of course, this won’tbe Mission: Impossible if nothing badhappens. While Ethan’s halfway there, one of the gloves loses power, and then…

Niño

Dining Room Argument

Boastinga provocative Rody Vera screenplay and a top-notch ensemble of actorsand actresses, Niño is certainly not your typical family drama. Deep, if not restrained personalconflicts are embedded within each character, and the family’s conversation inthe dining room unleashes not just demons, but line after line of intense squabblehandled effortlessly by the cast. The script, the timing, the editing. Allcoalesce to make this scene stand out.

Riseof the Planet of the Apes

Journey to the Redwood Forest

Caesaris undoubtedly one of the most badass CGI characters to grace the big screen.Leading a pack of angry, Einstein-ish apes across one of the world’s mostfamous bridges is no laughing matter. The Golden Gate Bridge might be the mostoverused location to shoot a movie on, but we’ll never look at it the same way afterwitnessing an entire shrewdness stomp through it while dodging bullets andoutsmarting law enforcers.

AngBabae sa Septic Tank

That Scene

Agood movie moment is one that takes everyone by surprise. An abrupt andanti-climactic ending for the lead characters might turn audiences off, but isthe film really over? Stick around a few seconds once the credits start and you’llget to see that scene, the one thatsends audiences laughing their asses off—the one that makes us want to bow downin front of Eugene Domingo herself. The shitpool is fake, mind you, but it stilllooks convincing enough for us to feel grossed out.

Super8

Train Wreck

Thisminute-long scene involves a truck crashing onto an oncoming train and kidsrunning for their lives as everything flies and explodes around them. If you’veseen this in the cinema and you were probably covering your ears each time atrain cargo lands on the ground with a massive thud. It borders on wreck porn,and unfortunately, the ensuing events in the film fail to measure up to thisscene.

Zombadings1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington

Staircase Romance

Yes,that scene where Remington tries hisdarn hardest to resist temptation while his best pal Jigs "does things" to him. It doesn’tmatter if you’re a boy, girl, bakla, tomboy, butiki, baboy. There are plenty ofmemorable moments found in Zombadings,but this one gets the entire cinema screaming in a festival of emotions: kiligfor the women and bekis, astonishment for the unenlightened ones, even disgustfor the close-minded homophobes.

TheTree of Life

The Creation

Thefilm is not for everybody. One camp calls the other dimwitted, while the other brandsthem pretentious. Still, no matter how you receive the film during its first twentyminutes, you’ll find Terrence Malick’s creation scene to be one of the most surrealyet visually-stunning half-hour in cinema. And who could resist those dinosaurs?

TheAdventures of Tintin

Bagghar Chase Scene

Lotsfind the first half unforgivingly boring, but the film sure knows how to makeup for it with a scene that involves Tintin and Captain Haddock chasing aflying hawk from a hilltop castle down a harbor. What makes it stand out isthat it is a “one take” scene—no cuts involved. The camera simply follows thecharacters as they try to grab the scroll the bird is holding. Lots arehappening onscreen, but leave it to Spielberg to make everything still decipherablefor the average moviegoer.

Now it's your turn to share which scenes from 2011 films you find memorable. Hit us in the comments section below.

Obligatory Year-Ender Movie Lists... Coming Right Up!

2011-12-24T19:48:00.001+08:00

I haven’t posted anything for quite a while, andhere I return to start a series of year-ender lists for movies released this 2011. Here are the guidelines Ifollowed in order to decide which films to choose.

1. The lists shall only include films that were (or will be) shown here in the Philippines viatheatrical releases, film festivals, screenings, and the likes. Moviegoersshould have been provided equal opportunities to see (and pay for) each movie. You won’t findMelancholia, The Artist, or Moneyballhere.

2. I’ll be strict this time when it comes to release dates. If a certain movie has been released in the early part of 2010, it will be ignored. Same goes for films that have been part of last year's awards season.

3. My lists will be entirely based on personal preference, and I highlyencourage every reader to share their thoughts on the comments section below.

The first list, my most favorite movie scenes of 2011, will be posted tomorrow on the 25th of December. Happy holidays to all!

Sendong

2011-12-18T21:34:00.001+08:00

What exactly do we get from posting pictures of the bodies of those who died during the storm? More importantly, what exactly do their families get when such pictures are spread on social networks? Think before you click that Share button.

Review: The Road (Laranas, 2011)

2011-12-11T12:14:00.001+08:00

The audience who watched thisin the cinema with me was composed of some of the most opinionated moviegoers ever.Imagine a group of college friends sitting behind you making snide commentsabout how, for example, one character undergoes the usual mishap of bumpingonto an object while silently creeping away from a nearby psychopath. While I donot normally tolerate undisciplined behaviors such as this, I couldn’t help butagree with what some of them were saying. I appreciate theearnest intentions of Yam Laranas’ TheRoad, but I still can’t shake off the fact that it could have been greater,tighter, if it wasn’t for the faulty script, predictable storyline, and slapdashediting.

Patient X tries to do so many things at once, therebyresulting in a film that is as sloppy as my dorm room. The Road, on the other hand, downplays things a bit. It’s a slightlylonger movie, but its focus is clearer.

Divided into three parts, thefilm begins with three teenagers driving down the titular road only to bepursued by a driverless vehicle. The next twenty minutes goes on with a lot ofseat-switching before these kids are finally assailed with the apparition of ablood-covered, plastic-wrapped woman. Frankly, the scares become too repetitivethat one is bound to think that the entire movie will fall victim to the undesirableoverexposure of the supernatural. As it continues, however, we get to realizethat there is more to The Road thanmeets first impression. Only when we get to the second and third parts do we understandthat it digs more through psychological thriller territory rather than horror,which explains Laranas’ excessive onscreen display of the ghost at thebeginning.

The second part, set ten yearsprior to the first, revolves around two female siblings, played by Louise delosReyes and Rhian Ramos. It doesn’t take long before they are captured by a youngman (Alden Richards) who ties them up inside his derelict house along the road.Showing much promise, the segment alone stands testament to the film’swillingness to go beyond the usual range shown by most Philippine mainstreamhorror titles. How rare is it for our movie to tackle psychopaths a la AnnieWilkes and Norman Bates? Not only that, this is the segment where Laranas showsoff his chops as a cinematographer, though the outdoor color correction can bea bit distracting for the eyes. There was one particular scene I still can’tshake out of my head: a physically battered Ramos crawling on the road,with Richards approaching from behind, carrying a plastic bag, goingfor the kill. It was eerily done in slow motion under unnerving silence, andthat disturbing scene alone warrants the film’s R-13 rating.

Yet not all is perfect forthis part. The minute Ramos’ character breaks free from her chains, she staresat the door and mutters, “Lalabas ako,”and one person beside me in the cinema goes, “Ay hindi, diyan ka lang, iha.” Instances like this happen more thanonce throughout the movie. With a script so damaging, there are times when thethrill drops down the floor with a splat to make way for a giggle or two, andone has to go back from the start to recuperate what was wasted.

‘Twas alright is all I can sayabout the third part. It probes through ten more years in the past, telling thenerve-wracking childhood of the psychopath in the second segment. Blame parentsfor some of the the most gruesome killers out there, it seems to tell us. With anauthoritative mother (brilliantly played by Carmina Villaroel) and a religionnut for a father (Marvin Agustin), what more can you ask for? It’s probablyonly me, but execution fails in presenting the segment to what it should havebecome. The butterflies fluttering around the ridiculously beautiful laundrywoman? The casually preposterous religious teachings that the father preachesto the boy? These aren’t to be viewed vis-à-vis reality. Perhaps theseinstances show the third part’s objective to present a bizarre environment thathas contributed to the development of the psychopathic tendencies of the child.The overall attack reminds me of how Korean director Yim Pil-Sung attempts to squeezeall of the irrationality out of the protagonist’s world in his film Hansel and Gretel. In a nutshell, thethird segment could have been the best among the three. Shame how the pacingand the acting could’ve used a minor overhaul in order to achieve the rightstyle. It’s still watchable, but its overall stability tends to teeter at onepoint or another.

Yes, something’s up with TJTrinidad’s character right from the beginning. The main problem of the film isthat you can already see the twist miles away despite the obvious attempt touse Allan Paule as a red herring—this review doesn’t help much either. When theanswers are given, we might just sit back and applaud at how great we are infiguring things out, but it isn’t our ability to deduce the script that allowsus to resolve everything even before the movie does. Truth is, the screenplayfails to do a good job molding this police officer, which is a shame, consideringhow his childhood incarnations are presented with opportunities to becomeequally memorable, and once the big reveal happens, we simply do not care.

You can say that the stylesare unbalanced or that the editing could have been more polished. Most of all,you are free to spread the word that the storyline is predictable. Yet in spiteof its noticeable flaws, I can’t help but defend the film for what it’s worth. Notsince Radyo has Yam Laranas directeda film that explores the intricacies of the mind. The Road isn’t exactly a horror flick that has ghosts randomlyappearing here and there. It’s a biography, a story of a man victim to atwisted domestic life. The Road isviolent, unflinching, and I applaud it for that. Is it better than Patient X? Ten times better. Scarierthan Sigaw? Not really. Comparisonsaside, one cannot deny the film’s intention to sacrifice the overusedjump-out-of-your-seat moments in exchange for that crawling-in-your-skin typeof fear. Now if only the screenplay is a bit better.

This is me expressing my gratitude... and announcing a giveaway.

2011-12-07T21:17:00.001+08:00

Quick post before I go to bed.

The last week of October up until now has brought nothing but good things. Thanks to everyone behind each and every one of them. If Lady Luck does exists, I'd like to thank her as well.

So many good stuffs happening lately. So many things to be thankful for. Guess I have to give back. Feed some homeless children somewhere perhaps?

One thing's for sure, though. A giveaway is in order. I haven't hosted one in ages, but there are plenty of reasons for me to give something to one (or more) of my readers:

1. Got accepted in my first ever full-timejob. Work is awesome, pay is great, boss is super duper cool, and workmates aretoo kalog to be true.

2. Won an original Harry potter and theDeahtly Hallows Part 2 DVD fromClickthecity's Twitter contest.

3. Me Likes Art got nominatedfor the Culture and Arts Category in the recently-concluded Philippine BlogAwards 2011. A huge thank you to everyone who has been supporting this blogsince day one.

4. Celebrated my birthday last November10th, all the more reason for me to host a giveaway.

Keep posted this week for any news. Good night for now!

Film Review: Secret Sunshine (2007)

2011-12-04T20:10:00.001+08:00

Had another review posted by Japan Cinema the other day. Secret Sunshine is my first ever Lee Chang-dong title, and it certainly won't be the last. It's a devastating movie, which Cannes-winner Jeon Do-yeon effortlessly handles. After seeing the director's flair in character and emotional depth, I am looking forward to see more of his works.

A short excerpt from the review:

The film’s title is debatable, yet most will equate sunshine with Shin-ae’s desire to elevate herself from the state she finds herself in. The film, after all, begins with the shot of the sky, a shot which is constantly repeated for the sake of emphasis. Director Chang-dong has a knack of portraying the deterioration of an individual as seen in Peppermint Candy and, more recently, in Poetry. Secret Sunshine is not any different.

Please check out Japan Cinema to read the rest of the review.

Review - Trese: Last Seen After Midnight

2011-12-01T07:39:00.001+08:00

It was a few years ago whenMaximo Ramos’ book entitled Creatures ofPhilippine Lower Mythology caught my attention in the school library. Iborrowed it and finished its entirety within the day. A year later saw the release of the first book of Trese, which I grabbed a copy of after spotting its eye-catching cover. And just like that, I got hooked. It was unputdownable. EverythingI read from that library book seemed to come alive right before my very eyes.Maximo Ramos would have been proud.

Supernatural noir, as I likeit call it.

The four stories contained within Trese's fourth book, Last Seen After Midnight, revolve around loss and greed. In Cadena de Amor, a plant elemental wreaks havoc in Rizal Park aftera female gardener’s sudden disappearance. The chaos is brought to theconsciousness of mere mortals, yet the scenario is not given much exploration.It is worth mentioning, however, that this first story contains one memorable part wherein the "gardener" saves the day by presenting herself in frontof the rebellious plant. Together they sing an iconic Eraserheads song, and that part alone provides a haunting yetserene moment amid all the destruction—a breather, if you can call it that.

The next story, A Private Collection, shows much potential for subplots. It can beconsidered the weakest out of an otherwise robust foursome. The threat of war between manananggal and aswang looms near, and it is up to Trese and the Kambal to stop itbefore Manila turns into a battlefield of monstrosity. Only then do we find out that the war is only a redherring to make way for a much stronger threat. As of now, I am still a bit reservedregarding the unexpected use of Santelmo. Jay Gerson—who I find a cross betweenRoronoa Zoro and Fullmetal Alchemist’s Scar—would have made a great archenemy.

Any college student who hadspent time in a dormitory will be able to relate to Wanted:Bedspacer. The story in the collection that involves the littlest amount ofsupernatural aspects, it reads like an episode of CSI with Trese investigatingthe mysterious deaths that have occurred inside a dormitory. There is arather notable part here where she delves into a sort of argument with adoctor—a rare instance where science and the supernatural intermingles in Trese. The episode actually has mystery-solving involved. Quite refreshing to see a story that does not involve Trese and the Kambal chasing monsters from one place to another while asking for help from supernatural creatures along the way.

Tan and Baldisimo haveundoubtedly saved the best for last. Fightof the Year is a treat that every boxing fan needs to read. What if the greatest boxer in the world secretly fights demons in order to protect his hometown? After selling his soul to the creatures of the underworld, he is required to fight in a top-secret arena once every year. The creators surely outdid themselves with this semi-political episode. The presentation appears as rash as possible by allowing the boxer's design to actually resemble the Man himself. It just goes to show how prepared Tan and Baldisimo are when it comes to keeping up with the times. You can read this story if you check out comixtrips.com.

Last Seen After Midnight may not prove superior to the overall brilliance of its predecessor, Mass Murders, but it certainly packs plenty of punch to be considered another worthy installment.

Frankly, Trese is a series of graphic novels revolving around ideas. Much of its success can be credited to the way its creators try their hardest to include as much brilliant ideas as they can within its pages, but ideas can only get you far enough without proper execution. This is exactly what sets Trese apart from the rest: Budjette Tan’s story and Kajo Baldisimo’s art unifying to show Alexandra’s exploits within Manila’s otherworlds.

Now, can someone turn this thing into a black-and-white movie? Right now? Please?

Komikon 2011

2011-11-28T09:34:00.001+08:00

In case you need to be reminded, Komikon 2011 was held last November 19, 2011 at Pasig City's Bayanihan Center. It was fairly easy going there. My good friend/ex-roommate Nikki and I thought we were a bit early riding a tricycle that would take us to the venue, only to find out that there was already a long line of comic devotees waiting for the doors to open. Once we went inside, it didn't take too long for the entire place to become utterly crowded (see pic above).

Freedom wall.

This was my first ever Komikon. I wasn't very sociable back in college, and I did prefer buying my graphic novels straight from bookstores, yet there was something fascinating with the thought of having to rub elbows and buttocks with other people who share your interests. I've read that Bayanihan Center is Komikon's largest venue so far, yet we still couldn't help but smell each others' breaths. It was that crowded.

Tan (left); Badisimo (right)

Of course, the presence of some of the most renowned local artists was enough to make us feel less stressed about the crowd. I immediately went to Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo's booth to have my Trese graphic novels signed.

Manix Abrera of Kiko Machine fame, meanwhile, probably had a tough time dealing with the long line of people wanting to have his books signed. Poor guy, he was signing stuffs from morning til afternoon. I have a pic of him somewhere, but I still have to pester Nikki into giving me a copy of it.

Vergara (left); Fabregas (right)

There was also Carlo Vergara, from whom I bought One Night in Purgatory and Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Sa Kalakhang Maynila. Got them signed, of course. Also present was Paolo Fabregas, responsible for the creation of The Filipino Heroes League, which I reviewed here.

Alanguilan

The Komikon experience wouldn't be complete if I hadn't fallen in line to get an autograph from Gerry Alanguilan, creator of the Prix Asie-ACBD-winning graphic novel Elmer (and the guy behind the viral Hey Baby video).

See that trophy next to him? Seemed like the excited fanboy beside me got too excited after seeing the Prix Asie. He grabbed it and tore it from its black stand. Gerry simply gave him "the eye."

The Indie Komiks Tiangge occupied the majority of the booths. It stood testament to the fact that there are tons of talented yet undiscovered local comic artists out there. Most of their works cost less than a hundred pesos per copy. It was fun scanning the booths to see any worthy purchases.

Pinoy DC artist Tony DeZuniga, creator of Jonah Hex comic books, was kind enough to fly from the States just to attend the event. When a fan asked him for comments regarding the 2010 film adaptation of Jonah Hex, all he had to say was, "Dapat ako na lang yung kinuha nilang director nun," to which everyone applauded.

If you have read at least one graphic novel or comic book in your entire life, make it a point to visit Komikon. Take it from a first-timer. The crowd can make you feel physically harassed at times, but there is still no denying the amount of talent you are breathing in the moment you step inside the venue.


Trese action figures; Andrew Villar's Komikon drawing; Elmer and the trophy

Review - The Filipino Heroes League, Book One: Sticks and Stones

2011-11-24T08:12:00.001+08:00

Sticks and stones

May break my bones

But words will never hurt me.

- Children's rhyme

The Filipino Heroes League is set in a world where men in capes are regarded with casualness and where supervillains are able to serve as dictators of a nation. Specifically, the story finds itself set in a Philippines quite close to our own, yet something is different, far different. In this version of our poverty-stricken archipelago, superhero-ism is a profession that is not venerated and crime fighting groups are not idolized by many.

In the middle of this absurd scenario lies the Filipino Heroes League (FHL). First impression tells that the artist might have lacked some imagination when it comes to character designs. It is not Fabregas’ fault, however, but the fault of the country’s lack of support for these fictional crime fighters. During these times when people would choose to support overseas talents such as Maria Aragon and Thia Megia (neither of which fluent in our language), our local talents often find themselves plastered in the background, branded with the tiresome impressionistic labels such as jologs or baduy. The comic begins with the news overlooking the FHL’s courageous feat of saving thousands of people from a fire in exchange for a full coverage of an Overseas Filipino Hero (OFH) becoming the sidekick of a famous superhero abroad. It is a promising premise that is not actually given much exploration, yet it is perfectly understandable why, as the story finds itself with only a few pages dealing with getting to know each character and knowing more about the threats. Hopefully the next book will delve more on our infamous crab mentality.

The comic focuses more on Hero vs. Society rather than Hero vs. Evil. It employs themes which made Watchmen a huge success, but it does so with a certain sensibility. For starters, it never forces its "Filipino-ness." Most of the FHL’s actions all throughout the comic are heavily influenced by what the entire country has imposed upon them. Halfway through they find themselves on the run from the law after a nasty frame-up, proving how susceptible the group is right from the start.

Overall, this is an incomplete yet satisfying first book, though the word “incomplete” is something more of a compliment rather than a stab. It is incomplete because the average reader yearns for more. The lack of answers and the huge amount of questions presented by this first book make us beg for the next.

And you might have already heard of the part where the heroes ride a pedicab to pursue some bad guys. It recently won the Komikon 2011 Award for the Best Comic Scene. That part alone is already an indication that someone needs to turn The Filipino Heroes League into a movie as soon as possible.

You can read the preview here.

Defining Badass: Trailer for "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"

2011-11-19T18:22:00.000+08:00

So here's something that's getting me all giddy and excited. The trailer for Tikoy Aguiluz's next film Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story was released a couple of weeks ago. Things are looking great so far. In fact, this one seems to be the only title among this year's Metro Manila Film Festival entries that I'm positively looking forward to.

You gotta hand it down to Governor E. R. Ejercito for deciding to portray the infamous gang leader. Reportedly involved is Seng Kawee, stunt director for Rambo, Bangkok Dangerous, and Ong-bak. It has been years since an Aguiluz title last joined MMFF, so here's a film that might just reintroduce the director to the massive festival audience. Of course, as we have learned from last year's Rosario, we should never judge a movie no matter how awesome its trailer is, so let's just wait and see if Kingpin is, indeed, a worthy watch. When was the last time we got to see a good Pinoy action film?

Check out the badass teaser below. I love how Asiong blasting his guns in the rain appears to be a possible homage to Wong Kar-Wai's upcoming film The Grandmasters.

Now you can go and watch the full trailer here. If you've already done so, watch it again. Everyone loves a good calesa chase scene.

Komikon 2011 this Saturday at the Bayanihan Center, Pasig City

2011-11-14T18:30:00.000+08:00

The 7th Philippine Annual Komiks Convention is happening this Saturday, November 19, 2011.

You know the drill. Go to Bayanihan Center, Pasig City (directions here). Buy stuffs. Support the local comics industry. DC artist Tony DeZuniga will be there. Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah creator Carlo Vergara will be there. So will Gerry Alanguilan, who recently won the Quai des Bulles - Ouest France 2011 for his comic book Elmer.

Aside from the 3rd Komikon Readers’ Choice Awards, this year sees the first ever Komikalye wherein fans can take home sketches from 5 renowned Filipino artists. For only P300 or P500, you can take home sketches made by Carlo Pagulayan, Stephen Segovia, Heubert Khan Michael, Edgar Tadeo, and Wilson Tortosa.

I am personally excited with the Independent Comics Tiangge, which features 42 indie comic creators. It would be really nice to scan the tiangge for some worthy finds. Of course, if I have the money I'd buy from all these artists, but sadly, this is not the case (insert sad emoticon here).

The event will happen from 10am to 7pm. Entrance fee is P100. For more information, check out Komikon 2011's official website here or its Facebook page here. See you this Saturday.

Junot Diaz Book Signing at Greenbelt 4 Tomorrow

2011-11-13T15:24:00.000+08:00

Might be good news for you. Junot Diaz, the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, will be having a book signing event on the evening of the 4th of November 2011 at Powerbooks, Greenbelt 4.

According to the Facebook page of Powerbooks, only copies that are bought from Powerbooks and National Bookstore can be signed. I'm a bit confused about this policy. What if you scratched the price tag at the back of your copy?

Still, fans better head on over to Greenbelt 4 tomorrow to meet the man himself.

Five Filipino Movie Poster "Trends"

2011-11-12T15:25:00.000+08:00

Surely you've seen websites showing the so-called movie poster trends, but most of these sites do not actually give credit to the original creator of these potpourris of posters (repeat after me, potpourris of posters). The credit, as far as my research has taken me, goes to French blogger Christophe Courtois.

Now let's try to be second-rate copycats here. How can one examine similarities found in Filipino movie posters? I managed to gather a few ones, though the term trend can be highly debatable at this point, hence the quotation marks. Frankly, I had a hard time collecting images since there is so little to work with when it's the Internet we're talking about, but I'm sure there's more out there that I missed.

Here are a few "trends" found in Filipino movie posters.

I - Shadowy Faces

The next time you see a poster that has the characters' faces enshrouded in shadow, chances are you're looking at a poster for a horror film (or one that has a serious subject matter). Perfectly understandable, as it's difficult to market a horror film if its poster has rainbows all over it. Plus points if there's a closeup of the lead actor's face. Double points if the title contains only one word.

II - Touchy-Feely

We all want our posters intimate. You know the drill. With the exception of one poster above (go figure), these tell us that women find solace in the arms of a reliable leading man. If they're both smiling, chances point to a romantic comedy. If they're expressionless, a dramatic one.

III - Prelude to a Kiss

Yes, we want them intimate, but we're not exactly willing to go too far. The element of thrill, not to mention the will-they-be-together question, is never underestimated. These posters show the two leads either moving their heads forward for a kiss or simply smelling each others' breath mints. To emphasize such intimacy even further, they place the text of the title at the bottom. There's also a huge chance that it's the title of the theme song as well. Expect more in the future.

IV - Overpopulated

Filipino movie posters are pretty generous. With huge tendencies to include every single character who appear in the movie, things can get a bit cluttered for the average attention span. Even the gardener present in a fifty-second scene can be included. We can't blame anyone, though, as this move is done to cater to whatever fanbase a certain actor or actress has. Chances are the movie involves too many characters its own storyline can't handle.

V - Family Portrait

Only a few Filipino film posters have done family portraits. It is a variant of the last category above, but this one actually has a more reasonable motive for including the entire cast. These are, after all, family dramas. We can tell who the oldest person is if he or she sits at the front, with the son most likely standing behind him or her.

* * * *

This year alone has witnessed a slew of creatively designed Filipino movie posters, but allow me to make some things clear. I am not in any way finding fault in these so-called "trends." Nothing wrong with these, actually. There's simply something fun in pointing out various similarities our own movie posters have.

Are there any more similarities you notice in Filipino movie posters?

Review: In Time (2011)

2011-11-07T22:01:00.000+08:00

In Time reminds me a lot of TheAdjustment Bureau. Not that both films have more running than your average100-meter dash in the Olympics. The AdjustmentBureau was “loosely” based on a Philip K. Dick short story, and what makes In Time special is that its entire idearevolves around something that can make storytellers go, “Why didn’t we thinkof that before?” I was underwhelmed with the overall execution of The Adjustment Bureau, and sad to say, Ifelt the same thing with In Time.

Let’s make this quick. In Time is set in a dystopian futurewhere every person is genetically modified to stop aging by the time he or shereaches 25. After that, a glowing green timer appears on everyone’s arm. Thetimer ticks down to zero, after which the person immediately dies. At this point,the individual must work (read: do manual labor or steal) in order to “earn” additional time. Seconds, minutes,hours, etcetera, all of these have become money. Time is the new currency (sexwith a prostitute costs one hour).

Tattoo trend-setter for 2012?

I’m sure I’m not the only onewho feels this way. The entire premise is one frickin’ brilliant idea. It’s justthat it doesn’t hold on for too long. The first half proved to be a greatexercise in world-building, with the audience becoming familiarized with therich-poor division of this grim future. Rich men have centuries in store forthem, while it is easy to know if someone is poor by the way he or she doesthings in a hurry due to lack of time. The second half, on the other hand, hascompletely abandoned such exploration. It all goes downhill the minute we see aBonnie and Clyde-ish pairing of Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried stealingtime here and there while acting as the poor man’s Robin Hood by providing thefinancially-deprived with enough minutes to make them last through the day.

Not that I don’t have anyproblems with Timberlake. He tries his darn hardest here (and he has some moments) but I find somethingwrong whenever I keep on seeing ‘N Sync. Let this be a lesson to popstars. Don’tmake yourself too famous in the music industry if you want a career in film.Seyfried is Seyfried here. She’s a capable actress, as Dear John showed us, but blame InTime’s screenplay for simply plastering her beside Timberlake and givingher nothing but opportunities to kiss Sexy Back each time they’re alonetogether in a hotel room. Cillian Murphy, meanwhile, proves that he can make arather terrible film look good. He’slike the female version of Anna Faris. Get it?

You should see In Time only if you love somethingoriginal—at least, something that you thinkis original, because surely the entire concept of time as currency has mostlikely been written by sci-fi magazines before; however, if you think youshould only spend money on a film that manages to sustain its premise rightuntil the end, then it is best to sit back and wait until HBO airs this.

2011 Cinemanila International Film Festival

2011-11-03T17:57:00.000+08:00

Much is yet to be revealed, but I'm already dead excited for the 2011 Cinemanila International Film Festival.

For starters, there's the bestowing of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Italian filmmaker Dario Argento and Filipino superstar Nora Aunor on the 11th of November, 2011 (11-11-11).

There's also the promising lineup that is still within anyone's reach - a lineup which, as far as most people know, is spearheaded by Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins (pic above) and Wim Wenders' Pina, for which I won free tickets (har har).

More films to look forward to are Kim Ji-woon's I Saw the Devil and Carlo Ledesma's The Tunnel, which I reviewed last August.

Let's not forget the Cinemanila Young Cinema Shorts Program.

SHORTS IN COMPETITION

123 by Carlo Obispo
Ang Gugma ni Olivia (Olivia’s Love) by Christian Linaban
Canto III by Keith Sicat
Inosensya (Innocence) by Mikhail Red
Kapatid (Brothers) by Steven Flor
Saranghae My Tutor by Victor Villanueva
Sirip (Glimpse) by Kim Camelo

SHORT IN EXHIBITION

Agos (Waves) by Samantha Lee
Bleached by Jess dela Merced
Dadi by Ilsa Malsi
Huling Araw ng Pagsisilbi (Last Day of Service) by Bienvenido O. Ferrer III
Leaving Home by Epoy Deyto
Manenaya (Waiting) by Richard Legaspi
Pangako (Promise) by Sari Raissa Lluch Dalena
Sydney-Manila Express by Bor Ocampo

The 2011 Cinemanila International Film Festival will run from the 11th to the 17th of November 2011 at the Market! Market! Cinemas in Taguig City. To be in touch with the latest news regarding this festival, join its official Facebook group here or follow Cinemanila on Twitter here.

Re-posting: 'Couch Matters' Chapter 5: Halloween Special

2011-11-01T00:01:00.000+08:00

Some months ago, I used to have this sort of online fiction series called Couch Matters, which is about five people living in a boarding house doing whatevers. It just so happened that the new Community episode that aired last week (screenshot above) reminded me of a chapter I wrote for Couch Matters wherein the characters tell each other ghost stories for the fun of it. It's my most favorite chapter, and this day marks its first year. I'm re-posting the entire chapter for Halloween's sake. If you happen to have the time, you can read all chapters of Couch Matters here.

* * * * *

Ikalimang Kabanata

“Matalino man ang matsing, minumulto rin.”

Isang malamig na Lunes, alas doce ng madaling araw. Unang araw ng Nobyembre.

Hindi makatulog si Ton dahil nahihirapan siyang timplahin ang temperatura ng kanyang kwarto. Minabuti niyang pag-experimentuhan ang pagbubukas-sara ng electric fan at ng aircon. Sa huli, napagdesisyunan na lang niyang buksan ang pinto pati na rin ang bintana upang maging sakto ang lamig. Pahiga na sana siya sa kama nang biglang dumungaw mula sa labas ng kuwarto si Berto na may dalang kumot at unan. Iba ang itsura niya kapag wala siyang suot na salamin. Nagmukha siyang Intsik.

Berto: Dude, sorry, nakita ko bukas yung kwarto mo. Pwedeng makitulog?

(papasok si Berto kahit hindi pa pinapayagan ni Ton at uupo sa kama niya)

Berto: Dude, wag kang tatawa ha. Pero kasi (mapapaisip), may nararamdaman ako sa kuwarto ko. Parang may naririnig ako sa labas ng bintana.

Ton: Hala, baka—hangin.

Berto: Ton, hindi. I think it’s Sister Fonthessa, yung teacher ko nung highschool.

Ton: Albert, highschool was years ago. First, ba’t ka naman niya mumultuhin? Second, naniniwala ka pa sa multo?

Berto: (sisimangot) Catholic school kasi ako noon. Itong si Sister Fonthessa, napaka-strict. Actually, parang hindi siya madre, kasi nagpapa-stand-in-the-corner siya. You see, for my final project, I wrote this ten-page paper explaining the logic of tsamba and its relationship to the masculine and the feminine population. Guess what? She gave me a 99. I repeat, 99.

Ton: (faking surprise) Talaga? Wow. Kriminal siya.

Berto: Sinabi mo pa! I asked her why she gave me a 99 instead of the usual 100. Alam mo sinabi niya? Nagkamali raw ako sa spelling ng ma’am. Ang spelling daw ay mam. Wala yung isang “a” at yung apostrophe! She told me (ginagaya ang boses babae), “No, Mr. Felipe. MA’AM is wrong. It’s MAM”. The next day I brought her printed pages from different articles showing her the correct spelling. Sinabi niya na mali ang mga authors at siya raw ang tama! Preposterous, diba? Kelan naging mali si Edward Sagarin at si Robert Kelly? Never! So the next day I wrote an article for the school newspaper explaining the history of the word ma’am and also the history of the apostrophe in the English language. The following week, narinig namin na nagresign na pala siya because of shame. And the next month, narinig na lang namin na uminom siya ng Baygon. Ngayon, tuwing pupunta ka sa banyo ng boys sa highschool, there’s a huge chance na makita mo ang kaluluwa ni Sister Fonthessa na lumilipad, nakapikit at bumubula ang bibig. Sabi nila, para raw umalis ang kaluluwa, sumigaw ka lang ng, “Ma’am! Ma’am!”

Ton: (indifferent pa rin ang expression) Scary.

Berto: Dude, talagang scary. Ano, dito ako matutulog ha?

(bago pa man sumagot si Ton ay tumakbo papasok si Lyn na wala ngayong dalang tasa ng kape)

Lyn: Ton! Ton! Patulog naman. (mapapatingin kay Berto) Ano ginagawa mo rito?

Ton: Etong si Berto, ang tanda-tanda na, naniniwala pa rin sa multo.

Lyn: (mamumula)

Berto: Minumulto ka rin?

(tatakbo si Lyn at tatalunin ang kama ni Ton habang tumitili)

Lyn: Syet talaga! Nakatulog nako kanina pero pagkagising ko, merong kamay na nakahawak sa paa ko. Sigurado ako, yun yung ex ko! Syet, Maurice, wag mo ko multuhin.

Ton: Alam mo, marami akong pwedeng ibigay na explanation regarding sleep hallucinations—

Lyn: —naaalala ko pa. First gig namin sa isang bar, five years ago, twenty-two pa ako. Etong si Maurice, gitarista siya ng banda, pero marunong din siyang magpiano. Nagkataon noon na absent yung pianist ng banda namin kasi nagtae. So ayun, palipat-lipat si Maurice ng instruments depende sa kanta. Tapos, may dalawang customer ng bar na nagrequest. Yung isa nagrequest ng I Will Always Love You ni Whitney Houston. Yung isa naman, Ooops I Did it Again ni Britney Spears. Gusto ni Maurice ng Britney, pero ako, since gusto ko magpa-impress sa may-ari ng bar, pinili ko yung Whitney. Muntikan na nga kaming mag-away sa stage kasi di kami magkasundo. Pero in the end, ako yung nasunod. So ayun, kumakanta ako ng Whitney, at nung part na mataas na, yung birit? Alam niyo yun? Parang ganito.. ehem..

Ton: Yes, Lyn, alam na namin.

Lyn: Sure? Anyway, nung part na bumibirit nako, masyadong napalakas sa sound system, kaya nanginig yung buong stage. Ayun, bumagsak yung isang malaking halogen light sa ulo ni Maurice. Wasak yung bungo, luwa yung mata—

Berto: Fuck!

Lyn: Ngayon, tuwing iniisip ko, dapat yung Britney na lang yung pinili ko, kasi pwede naman akong magpa-impress sa may-ari ng bar kahit yun yung kantahin ko. Kung hindi dahil sakin, dapat naggigitara siya at wala sa piano area. Kasalanan ko tong lahat. At ngayon, sa bar na yun, pag pupunta ka sa CR ng babae, makikita mo sya sa salamin, duguan, wala nang balat sa ulo. Para raw mapaalis mo sya, kumanta ka ng I Will Always Love You.

Berto: Wow, freaky!

Lyn: I know, right?

Ton: Lyn, I don’t mean to be rude. Pero pareho kayo ni Berto, turning stories of the supernatural into highly illogical tales. And, honestly, bakit palaging sa banyo sila nagmumulto?

(sasagot sana si Lyn ngunit papasok bigla si Vicky na nagyoyosi)

Vicky: Mga iho, iha. Pwede makitulog dito?

Ton: Nanay, wag niyo pong sabihing minumulto rin kayo?

(biglang napasigaw si Vicky at tumakbo papunta sa kama)

Vicky: Dyos por santo, tama! Minumulto ako ng sikand boypren ko! Si Pancho!

Lyn: Talaga po?

Berto: Nagka-boyfriend kayo?

Vicky: Lintik kang bata ka. Syempre! Ganito kasi, etong sikand boypren ko, leyder siya ng isang resistance mowbment noong panahon ng Martial Lu. Dahil dito, naging wanted siya ng mga sundalo. Kaya itong si Pancho, agad na tumawag sa kin at sinabi na magtanan na raw kami bago siya mahanap. Ang usapan namin ay 3:00 ng hapon sa Baclaran. Ako, sobrang excited, binalot ko kaagad mga damit ko, lahat-lahat na. Pero nagkaproblema nang biglang sumakit yung puson ko. Aba’y akalain mong wala akong napkin! Sa sobrang sakit ng puson ko, hindi ako masyado nakalakad, at inabot ako ng alas tres.

Lyn: Ano pong nangyari kay Pancho?

Vicky: (napayuko sa lungkot) Ayun, nahuli siya ng mga sundalo. Dinala sa isang abandonadong hotel, nilublob sa dram ng tubig, tinanggalan ng mga kuko, pinutol yung putotoy. Nakita na lang siya kinaumagahan na lumulutang sa Manila Bay. Sobrang lungkot ko, kundi dahil sa regla ko, edi dapat magkikita kami ni Pancho at marami na kaming anak ngayon.

Berto: At minumulto ka ngayon ni Pancho?

Vicky: Aba, oo. Yung hotel kung saan siya pinatay? Isa na siyang sikat na McDonald’s. Sabi nila, kapag pupunta ka sa CR nito—

Ton: What the hell?

Vicky: —makikita mo raw yung kaluluwa ni Pancho. At para raw mapaalis mo siya, sisigaw ka ng, “May regla ako! May regla ako!”

Berto: Medyo kinilabutan ako, Nay. Grabe pala.

Lyn: Syet, ang scary!

(wala pa man sa Neri ay rinig na ang malalakas niyang tili sa hallway, at pagkarating niya sa kuwarto ni Ton ay hingal na hingal ito)

Neri: Ohmaygad, swear! (papasok at uupo rin sa kama ni Ton) Kelangan ko nang mag-exercise, kahit hallway lang ang may-I-run ko, pagod na.

Ton: (tatayo) Okay, Neri. Bilis-bilisan natin. So lahat kayo ngayon ay minumulto. Go ahead, magkuwento ka na’t lahat-lahat para matapos na.

Neri: Ikaw na. Ikaw na ang bitch. Hmph, hawakan ko betlog mo, e. Oo na, minulto ako. Ganito kasi yun. Nung high-school ako, member ako ng cheering squad namin—

Lyn: Ikaw? Sa laki mong bakla ka? Nakakatumbling ka?

Neri: Leche, manahimik you. As I was saying, meron akong best friend, name niya ay Mara. Si Mara, masyado siyang feelers na maganda siya. Isang oras maligo, isang oras din magmake-up. There was a time na we were making practice for our routine. At itong si Mara, win na win sa sobrang tagal magmakeup! Hello, it’s practice nga, malulusaw din yan, duhbuh? Edi ayun, uminit ang ulo ng lola niyo. Nung nagpractice na kami, nagkataon na ibabato ko siya sa ere. Sa sobrang init ng ulo ko, imbes na ibato ko siya pataas, nabato ko siya to the right! Pakshit, diba? Win na win! Shoot ang ulo sa butas ng monobloc chair. Ayun, deds.

Berto: Fuck!

Neri: Kaya sa tuwing pupunta ka sa CR ng gymnasium ng school—

Ton: Ayoko nang magsalita...

Neri: —ay makikita mo raw ang kaluluwa ni Mara, nagmamakeup sa harap ng salamin. Para raw mapaalis ang kaluluwa ay kailangan mo raw i-chant, with full energy, “U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi, you ugly, yeah, yeah, you ugly.”

Berto: Hindi na talaga ako makakatulog.

Lyn: Nakakatakot!

Vicky: Tinayuan ako ng balahibo.

Ton: Oh, come on, guys! Seryoso? You believe in these things?

Lyn: Ton, ano ba! Kung hindi mo napapansin, we all have something in common: lahat tayo ay merong napatay. Mga kriminal tayo.

Berto: Dude, don’t tell me wala kang similar na karanasan.

Ton: Of course, meron. Pero I don’t believe na—

Vicky: Ano yung nangyari, iho?

Neri: Make kwento naman!

Ton: Come on. Wala lang to. My ex-girlfriend nung college, when we broke up, she committed suicide by jumping off a building.

Lyn: Gutay-gutay ang katawan?

Ton: Duh.

Vicky: Duguan?

Ton: Of course, but still, we should know that there are no such things as—

Psst. Psst.

Pag talikod ng limang tenants ay nakita nila sa bukas na bintana ang isang babaeng mahaba ang buhok, duguan, at bali-bali ang buto. Luwa ang dila, wasak ang tiyan, nakalabas ang lamangloob. Lumalakad ito papunta sa kanila.

Nilamon ng kanilang mga sigaw ang katahimikan ng madaling-araw.

Isang malamig na Lunes, alas ocho ng umaga. Unang araw ng Nobyembre.

Ang limang tenants ay nakahiga sa sahig ng sala sa ibaba. Lahat ay dilat na dilat ang mga mata, balut na balot ng kumot, at nanginginig sa takot.

Survivor Philippines Celebrity Doubles Showdown: How many of them do you actually know?

2011-10-31T09:00:00.000+08:00

Celebrity, n.

Merriam Webster:
- a famous or celebrated person

Oxford Dictionaries:
- a famous person, especially in entertainment or sports

Wikipedia:
- a person who has a prominent profile in the media implied with stardom, great popular appeal, widely known, prominent or successful in some field, and is easily recognized by the general public

Lord Byron:
- one who is known to many persons he is glad he doesn't know

Twenty castaways, ten pairs, one show. Now, take the test. How many of these people do you actually know before the show unveiled them?

Start counting:

I only scored 10 out of 20. I rarely watch TV nowadays. What's your score? And will they still use the term Sole Survivor, since the word 'sole,' you know, practically means 'the only one?'

Survivor Philippines 4 begins soon. Pictures are taken from the show's official Facebook page.

Longlist for the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize Announced

2011-10-30T10:51:00.000+08:00

The longlist for the 2011 Man AsianLiterary Prize sees writers from Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Japan,Pakistan, and South Korea vying for Asia's most coveted literary award.

The Man Asian Literary Prizeis given to a novel written by an Asian writer. The novel can bewritten in English or translated into English from the writer’sown language.

The Philippines has its ownshare of triumphs when it comes to the Man Asian. Criselda Yabes made it to thelonglist last year with her novel Belowthe Crying Mountain. Eric Gamalinda (TheDescartes Highlands), Alfred Yuson (TheMusic Child) and Jose Dalisay Jr. (Soledad’sSister) have all made it to the shortlist in 2009, 2008 and 2007,respectively, while Miguel Syjuco is known as the only Filipino writer (so far)to win the award back in 2008 with his novel Ilustrado.

This is the first time sincethe award’s inception five years ago that a work of a Filipino writer is notincluded in the longlist. As predicted, Murakami’s 1Q84 made it.

The 2011 longlist is asfollows:

- The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad

- The Good Muslim by Tahmima Anam

- Rebirth by Jahnavi Barua

- The Sly Company of People Who Care by Rahul Bhattacharya

- The Colonel by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi

- River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh

- 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

- The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy

- Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin

- The Valley of Masks by Tarun J Tejpal

- Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke

- The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto

The official shortlist will beannounced on the 10^th of January 2012 with the prize dinnerhappening on the 15^th of March 2012. For more info, check out Man Asian's official website.

Weekend Ponders: Do you keep your movie ticket stubs?

2011-10-29T11:31:00.000+08:00

It was in the year 2006 when I started keeping tickets. The film was 300, andI remember being so impressed with it that I decided not to throw away theripped ticket stub I bought to enter the cinema. After that, I often find myselfholding on to each ticket I buy. Not that I’m a sentimental person,because I certainly can live without having a large stack of ripped stubs lyingat the top of my bookshelf. So why, then, do I make it a point to keep thesepieces of paper? That question, I cannot answer.

I remember watching Horsemen back in 2009 in Robinsons Place Manila. I gave mythen newly-bought ticket to the guard, watched him rip it into two, and waited forhim to give me the other half of the stub. Imagine my surprise when hetold me he could not give me the other half because it was “againstregulations.” Really, man? Ganito ba talaga sa Robinsons Place Manila? I arguedthat most cinemas give the other half of the stubs back to the customers. Isaid so in a way that truly expressed my shock to the mall’s so-calledregulations.

The guard sounded very apologetic, so I decidedto let the entire thing pass. They can have all the stubs they want, I thought,so I started to walk inside the cinema, but the guard quickly handed me theripped stub.

“Wag na lang po tayo maingay, sir (Don’t tellanyone, sir),” the guard said.

So there. He had to break “regulations” just tosatisfy my immense craving for stubs. Of course, if I had known in advance thatHorsemen was such an awful film, Iwouldn’t have to fight for the tickets to begin with.

So to answer this week’s question: yes, I keepmovie ticket stubs, but I still don't know why I do so. Maybe it's because Iwant to have something to brag about, that I’ve watched this and that in thecinema. Or maybe it was just instinct acting up—man’s instinct to collect things. Of course, I know the stubs I've kept will be gone sooner orlater, but as long as I still can, I’ll make it a point to collect more in thefuture.

How about you? Do you collect movie ticket stubs? If so, why? Sound off in the comments section below.

Review of Resorts World Manila's The Sound of Music: Solving Marias since 1959.

2011-10-27T10:50:00.000+08:00

Talk about timeless. Before The Jackson 5, therewere the Von Trapps. Unless you’ve been locked in a soundproof room during thelast fifty years you have most likely heard at least one song from thisclassic.

ResortsWorld Manila’s The Sound of Musicruns for a reasonable three hours. Directed by Roxanne Lapus, it opened lastweek to serve audiences with delectable and heartwarming Rodgers andHammerstein music—this time, under the helm of The Manila PhilharmonicOrchestra. Despite a few minor setbacks with visuals and tension mounting, thisis still a romp through Austria that deserves respect and, more importantly, an audience.

Devotees ofthe 1965 film adaptation will notice how the orchestra sounds laidback whileMaria sings her first song, or how “The Lonely Goatherd” replaces “My FavoriteThings” during the bedroom scene. These are, after all, what people were usedto before the movie came. Of course, a couple of instances show theproduction’s intent to cater to those who grew up watching Julie Andrews. Thesongs “I Have Confidence” and “Something Good,” for example, were especiallywritten for the movie version, but how wise a decision it is for Lapus toinclude both here.

After thepress conference last September, I expressed a slight apprehension regardingResorts World Manila’s LED screen and how dependent the entire production wouldbe around it. The good news is that most scenes will not be half as memorablewithout the moving backgrounds designed by Paul Soriano. There is excitementwhen the trees part to give us a view of the hills on which we first see Maria,and imagine how the audience feels when the screen takes us through colorful streetsfrom outside the abbey to the Von Trapp mansion. What is missing is a pair of3D glasses.

NewportPerforming Arts Theater’s revolving and elevating platforms are put to good usehere. Not to mention that the sets are visually absorbing. Mio Infante’s visionallows the entire production to be situated in a whimsical, cartoonish world asanimated as a Disney movie. Large enough to fill the entire stage, each piecegracefully slides into place—some are raised by battens; but big sets call forlengthier scene transitions, and a few may take too long as stagehands haulcolossal pieces. During these moments, nonetheless, the orchestra makes it apoint to play familiar tunes for our sake.

At somepoint, Infante’s bright hues can distract audiences from whatever transpiresonstage—even the occasional flock of birds on the LED screen is perfectlycapable of diverting our attention. That’s the thing here. The sets are soeye-catching that we tend to disregard the actors as they throw dialogue duringcrucial parts.

And suchdesign can prove difficult for one Audie Gemora, who is certainly no strangerto The Sound of Music. At this pointit is almost customary for us to expect a lot from the actor. But the Captainis no masked phantom—certainly not the type of character most male performerswould kill for. Portraying him involves downplaying nuances, allowing thespotlight to shine on fellow actors as a result. Gemora still has his moments,but with a role that does not permit one to stand out and a vibrant set thatsuppresses its shady personality, we often find him smacked against thebackground most of the time to make way for the other characters. Then again, Ibase my prattle on my initial screening, and alternates Ed Feist and Jon Jovencan prove me wrong anytime.

It’s abouttime Joanna Ampil does Maria. Her range has always been every ear’s pleasure,and Richard Rodgers’ notes suit hers to the bones. She has grasped thecharacter well with a presence that makes us love her all throughout, butappearance-wise, her plaited hair, to be specific, causes her to pass off as awoman of decorum. Although the style may be an indication of her deviance fromthe nuns in the abbey, I feel that it occasionally nullifies Maria’shappy-go-lucky and nature-loving demeanor. Either I am being very nitpicky or Ijust love my Maria with flowing hair which she can sway like a shampoo model. Isay both.

Onstagerapport of Maria and the Von Trapp kids can make or break a production.Thankfully, the seven young actors are consistently good in handling thepressure, doing whatever they can to accomplish what their respective rolesrequire from them. Tanya Manalang’s Liesl radiates grace and innocence,prominent during “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” in which she engages in amemorable frolic with Marvin Ong’s Rolfe. While there is room for improvementfor the individual vocals of some of the children, together they soundpriceless. They sound good—too good, in fact, that I will make it a point nexttime to see how reliant they are on backup vocals.

The musicalwastes no time in raising the bar the moment the nuns enter to sing theimmaculate-sounding opening hymn. The latter part of the second act, on theother hand, has its own share of tedium, with scenes of the family getting caught in German intrigue devoid of tension. This is quickly vindicated by theKaltzberg Festival, though, an immersive pre-WWII moment even Newport Theater’s ushersare part off—either that or it was just coincidence they had to stand in thecorner like Nazis. To say that the musical is pretty good might be anunderstatement. It is a technical marvel, a product of passion and skills, offaith in the numerous admirers of the 1965 film.

One thing Ilove about theatre is how dynamic it is compared to most art forms. Asmentioned earlier, I simply center the aforementioned opinions on my firstviewing, and with the numerous alternates taking the role of these iconiccharacters, only a second one would guarantee a deeper, more vividunderstanding of this production’s overall worth.

At the end,the Von Trapp family escapes the Germans and hikes over the Alps. The stagerises, elevating them to a certain altitude. As the nuns sing the closing song,we see the family waving at us, not to say goodbye, but to say hello. No amountof farewells can waver whatever furor surrounds The Sound of Music, and that, my friends, is a sign of a trueclassic.

Special thanks to Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet for letting me borrow his pictures. More of his pics here.

Book Talk: Dean Alfar's The Kite of Stars and Other Stories

2011-10-25T10:00:00.000+08:00

For reasons I still couldn’t grasp I decided topick up my copy of Dean Alfar’s The Kiteof Stars and Other Stories the other day and reread a few of its stories.

Not only is Alfar one of the most inventiveFilipino writers out there, he is also one of the boldest. Some stories withinthe collection are products of exploration with his craft. There are aremarkable number of stories that stand out if merely for the structure andexperimentation involved. “The Maiden and the Crocodile,” for example, chronicleslove and betrayal using a reversed narrative arrangement a la Irreversible. If one thing is to belearned with the use of the technique, it is that there is something dark andominous found within happy endings. “Four-Letter Words” uses simpleletter-substitutions to narrate the story of Anton. Time becomes Tile, Tilebecomes File, File becomes Fine and so on, with each word relating to aspecific aspect of Anton’s life story. The formidably titled “AnExcerpt from Princess of the Sultanate (Ghazali 1902), annotated by OmarJamad Maududi, MLS, HOL, JMS,” meanwhile, narrates an epic, with the disparityfound on the footnotes longer than the actual text itself and which, whiletaking up a considerable amount of pages, serve as a commentary to the overallreliability of recorded history.

Of course, there are afew straight-forward stories people of all ages will like. “How Rosang Taba Wona Race” illustrates the author’s ability to write a children’s story that stillcaters to the adult sensibility, and yes, how Rosang Taba managed to beat Ser Pietradoin a footrace is simply too enjoyable to read over and over again. Alfar’sflair with language can also be seen in “The Middle Prince.” Sure enough, theanthology is not limited to otherworlds. “Six From Downtown,” for instance, relatesa Gaiman-like story set in our own world, and how the magical effortlessly coalesceswith this world is something to look forward to.

There are a couple of stories here that willsurely displace the casual reader—“(push)” and “MaMachine” come to mind. But wecannot deny the overall allure of most of the titles here. “Saturdays with FrayVillalobos,” my most favorite in the collection, ingeniously combines historicalfact, magical intrigue, and food. Lastly, “"L'Aquilone du Estrellas (TheKite of Stars),” will surely go down in history as one of the most emotionally movingFilipino fantasy stories. It can be read here.

The Kite ofStars and Other Stories reads straight out of a man’s imaginative foray. Fans ofspeculative fiction will surely find many things to like about this anthology.Each tale is set to mesmerize even the most insipid reader.

Finally, a "Paranormal Activity" movie that is actually scary.

2011-10-23T12:42:00.000+08:00

This was a pleasant surprise. Paranormal Activity 3 is a nice, effective horror movie,better than the first two combined.

And some of you are probably saying, “But Will,the first Paranormal Activity wasrevolutionary. It was a great exercise in mounting tension for a good hour anda half and so on and all that jazz…” I agree. While the first PA almost verged on experimental, it stillworked for most audiences, yet there are a couple of things the first one didn’thave that the third one does: likeable characters and capable actors. Raiseyour hand if you’re one of those who got so annoyed with the boyfriend from thefirst movie. Raise your other hand if you got irked by Katie Featherston’smechanical acting. In Paranormal Activity3, the characters are human beings we can actually root for.

Guess which one has evil in her blood.

What I also like about this third installment isthat the lead character actually has a reason to own a lot of cameras. Dennisshoots wedding videos for a living. In the house he has his own office in whichhe keeps all his tapes and recording equipment. It is also a great help thatthe actor portraying him exhibits a sort of happy-go-lucky demeanor, all themore reason for us to become convinced when he suddenly goes about installingcameras around the house.

Since this film, a prequel to the first two titles, is set during the late 1980’s, thetime of the Betamax, Dennis still has to make do with the simple technologyavailable to him. You’ll be hearing a lot about how he uses an oscillating fanas a moving tripod. Not only is it a way for us to say, “Hey, that’s a great idea,”it is also a good opportunity for the directors to scare our wits when thecamera slowly turns toward the left and captures a ghost inside a sheet.

Of course, it’s not a perfect film. The endingstill leaves much to our imagination, which is a shame, considering how thestory is nicely built up only to end that way. There are still parts where wewish Dennis would drop the camera and run for his life, but in the end, we areleft with no choice but to suspend our disbelief and simply enjoy the ride. Yes, PA3 actually has a good amount of scares.

Final note: Don't be fooled by the trailer. Almost everything it shows is not included in the movie.

Weekend Ponders: Which area do you prefer to sit when you watch movies?

2011-10-16T14:37:00.000+08:00

Back in ye olden days, William Shakespeare’sGlobe Theatre accommodated the “groundlings,” people who were too poor to pay forthe higher seats, forcing them to stand within the pit or the area nearest the stage. The wealthy, on the other hand, had all theprivilege to enjoy watching plays within the confines of the balconies. Fastforward a couple of centuries later and we find the same system still being incorporatedwith specially designed balconies on each side of the proscenium to accommodatethose binocular-wielding rich people. Even now, high-profile individuals findthemselves reserving the highest and most expensive seats during a baseballgame to avoid the media and their fans disturbing their viewing experience.

But we are not celebrities.

Nowadays, it seems as if a reversal of routinehas occurred. Our proximity to the stage indicates what our wallets can afford. Theatergoers now pay higher fees to be able to sit in front whilethe frugal ones may opt to procure balcony seats for much cheaper prices.

On the other hand, movie houses have differentcases. Most of the time people would pay the same fee to be able to sitwherever they want. Now here’s the thing: I recall the time I watched Zombadings in Robinsons Galleria. Incase you haven’t been inside its cinemas, just imagine the balcony seats locatedfarther away from the screen compared to those of SM malls. When I went insidethe cinema I saw that the balcony was already full. Honestly, I could notfathom the reason why people would choose that area. From there, the screenlooked to be as small as a laptop screen.

I personally prefer to sit on the central part of thelower floor. I pay to watch a movie inside a cinema to become engrossed withits sound and visuals. Once I tried watching Alice in Wonderland from the balcony and found myself dozinghalfway. Part of the reason is that the film is boring, but others lie in thefact that the screen was located too far and the sound was a bit underwhelming.

Think of how much money you waste when you watcha movie for the sake of only watching it. We pay almost a couple hundredpesos because of the big screen. Because of Dolby. Seize the opportunity toenjoy what the cinema has to offer. Of course, there are newer ones outthere that employ seats slanting upward, and here I always prefer to sit rightat the very middle.

Too near is bad for the eyes. Too far is bad forthe attention span. How about you, guys? Which place do you prefer to sit whenyou watch movies? Shout out in the comments section below.

PSICOM's Ghost Story Writing Contest

2011-10-12T23:38:00.000+08:00

Click to enlarge.

Todos los Santos is fast approaching. A few more weeks to go as well before PSICOM Publishing Inc.'s Ghost Story Writing Contest ends. Admit it. We've all read at least one issue of True Philippine Ghost Stories and, with over a million copies sold nationwide, there is no denying how the series, apart from Bob Ong's books, influenced a lot of Filipinos to discover the joy of reading.

At least a couple thousand pesos for telling one of your true freak-out tales. Why not give the contest a shot? Pera rin iyan. And that 700-peso compensation doesn't sound too bad either.

For more information, check out PSICOM Publishing Inc.'s Facebook page.

Film Review: Tokyo Sonata (2008)

2011-10-10T12:05:00.001+08:00

The latest review I wrote for Japan Cinema tackles Tokyo Sonata. Kiyoshi Kurosawa (not to be confused with the director of Rashomon and Seven Samurai) directs a film that is both gripping and emotionally captivating. Japanese film fans would know that the director is best known for his array of horror films Cure, Kairo, and Retribution.

There are no ghosts in Tokyo Sonata yet Kurosawa's horror background still resonates all throughout. The film is scary not because it tells of supernatural entities but because it hits closer to home. It details how a family's relationship and collective sanity dwindle down until there is nothing left but hopelessness.

Here's an excerpt from the review:

Tokyo Sonata finds itself burdened with domestic deception. Almost every member of the family has something to hide, which adds further anxiety to certain scenes when big reveals are made and their relationship is put to test. And the fact that there is anxiety only demonstrates Kurosawa’s capacity to establish characters. Close-ups are rare in each scene, and by having the shots focus on the entire family during crucial parts, we are forced to witness each member’s reactions, required to see how such an unassuming group of people turn into civilized savages, doing anything and everything for the sake of their own happiness. And how painful it is when we find out they have no other choice.

To read the rest of my take on the film, check out Japan Cinema.

The Kitchen Musical: Episode 1 Review

2011-10-09T00:31:00.000+08:00

The KitchenMusical staggerswith a rather fragile first episode, but with the show’s mouthwatering premiseand strong potential, it is impossible not to become obliged to check out whatits menu will offer next week.

The Pan Asian series stars a racially diverse cast of actorsand actresses, all singing and dancing their way through the cut-throat worldof food and wine. After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu, rich girl Maddie Avilon(Karylle) finds herself working as the sous chef in her father’s restaurant. Workingunder the strict executive chef Alex Marcus, she soon finds out that her questionablyspoiled attitude will not work within the walls of The Avilon. Together withher fellow food connoisseurs, Maddie must survive not just her ego but alsofood critics who’d do anything to pinpoint even the smallest mistakes in theirdishes.

Let’s get one thing straight. I was not a huge fanof Karylle and her singing voice, but I can’t deny the fact that the rolesomewhat fits her. Though the entire episode is nothing more but continuousbickering between Maddie and the chef, Karylle maintains a likeable stancedespite the script’s weaknesses. Standouts here are Stephen Rahman Hughes andRosemary Vandenbroucke (Chef Marcus and Selena Argon, respectively), both managingto make their characters become more noticeable through effective units andobjectives. Generally, it is good to say that the rest of the cast do well inportraying their roles.

It might be a tad inappropriate to compare The Kitchen Musical to Glee, but let me do so to make a few points.One of the reasons I decided to stop watching Glee is its problematic inclusion of musical numbers. Its secondseason is littered with singing for the sake of singing that everything feelsforced at some point. Unfortunately, TheKitchen Musical’s first episode commits this once.

Whoever thought of using BEP’s “Boom Boom Pow” as theopening number is a genius. Along with the immersive steadicam shots, the sceneprovides a nice way to introduce the characters and their respective vocalroles. I have a few problems, though, with the next number, Nelly Furtado’s “Maneater.”The production succeeds with stylish execution and lighting (not to mentionfloating ooh and aah texts), but you have to ask why the entire number is actuallyhappening. I’ve always believed that musicals, no matter how absurd, mustalways come up with an excuse as to why everyone sings spontaneously. It couldtake place within the mind, could be a result of LSD or some hallucinatorydrug, could even be due to the characters’ love of music. But someone just hadto mention Selena Argon’s ability to “eat men,” and it’s off to a sudden setand costume change for “Maneater.” We are not told whose fantasy we arewitnessing or why the kitchen has undergone a major overhaul, unless, ofcourse, the series will go all Lostand introduce an alternate reality the characters must deal with. This is highlyunlikely, though.

As we have learned from Glee, if you want a musical number to work, turn rock intoacoustics. Karylle’s rendition of “Unwell” near the end showcases what the showhas to offer musically. Judging from that number it seems as if the series willbe providing us with highly interesting interpretations of hit songs from thepast. But halfway through Arthur Acuña interferes and sings withKarylle, crashing the scene down the rocks. We do not even know why he issinging a song called “Unwell” as it is not clearly established that he has anysigns of being unwell.

Felt like trying out this new diner down the block,tasting its specialty, noticing its lack of flavor, and deciding to return nextweek to give the same dish another chance. That’s the case with The Kitchen Musical. It’s one of thoseshows I really like to like. Where else can you find a show that has a foodcritic who compares dishes to films like Inception, Rashomon, and 8 1/2? I have high hopes for this one, but I stillreserve judgment. Not yet, I say. Not yet. Maybe next week.

Tomas Tranströmer Wins Nobel Literature Prize

2011-10-06T21:10:00.003+08:00

Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer has just won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature (and $1,500,000).

Now I'll be bold and admit that I'm really not much into poetry. Taking up my degree was not highly spent on enjoying whatever these great poets had cooked up. We took Dickinson, Yates, Whitman, and more, but I never really got into it the same way poetry never got into me. Even my dog is more likely to become a fan (a hyperbole, of course). Tranströmer? Yes, I have heard of him before, and I recall remembering those awful Michael Bay films upon reading the name.

And so the Swedish Academy has continued its Eurocentric streak by awarding the prize to someone from Europe. Not that I'm trying to imply something here. It's just that most of the previous winners from the last ten years are from Europe, but let's not dwell more on that. According to the Swedish Academy, the 80-year-old Tranströmer is recognized "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality." (That quoted phrase can be seen in almost all news concerning him.)

I was secretly rooting for Haruki Murakami to take home the award, but that would be too obvious, wouldn't it? What I like about the Nobel Prize is that it sees no need to cater to what the majority wants. Upon hearing Tranströmer's win, I immediately Googled the poet and checked out some of his works. I have to admit, excerpts from his pieces jive with my taste. Morbid but not macabre. Atmospheric yet not mentally overwhelming.

You have to give him proper respect for continuing to do what he does despite suffering a stroke in 1990, which left him mute and half-paralyzed. And him winning the Nobel Prize will surely increase sales of his poetry collections, so no one's crying now.

Congratulations, Tomas Tranströmer!

Platonic Love in Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice"

2011-10-05T18:17:00.001+08:00

Seductions proliferate in Thomas Mann’s 1912 novella Deathin Venice, though not the intimate sort upon noticing the main character’sassociation with youth. In the beginning, readers find Gustav von Aschenbachinspired or, in the novella’s sense, seduced to the idea of travel, tothe idea of escaping life’s demands—seen as a response to a “strange expansionof his inner space, a rambling unrest, a youthful thirst for faraway places(Mann 1841).” Clearly the stranger in the church is nothing more than aninstrument for the character’s wanderlust, serving two roles, first as a majorcatalyst for the events that will take place in Venice, second as preparationfor Aschenbach’s future seductions.

The main character soon meets—or rather, catches aglimpse of—the young Tadzio, the novella’s epitome of beauty, who personifies Aschenbachthe Artist’s dignified approval of Platonic idealism. A problem exists,however, in times when Aschenbach uses his knowledge on Greek ideas to justifyhis feeling towards the young boy. He is aware of his desire to form some sortof a relationship with Tadzio yet he drives himself into thinking that what hewants is a pederastic relationship—the Greek idea of love between an older manand a younger boy. It is only normal for older Greek men to fall in love withyounger ones, and if Plato is to be asked, beauty, not lust, should be thesource of such affection. Certainly Aschenbach is aware of this, thus as anartist he maintains a Platonic viewpoint in his pursuit for the boy.

First and foremost, one must look at the maincharacter’s excursion from his artistic state. How, then, does Aschenbach’sfirst journey bares similarities to that of a Greek philosopher? Perhaps it ispossible that both Aschenbach and Socrates share the same desire to traveloutside of their respective realms. A difference, however, exists in the formof awareness. Aschenbach realizes too late what Socrates has known for so long asshown in the philosopher’s trek along the Ilissus. It is to be noted thatSocrates values giving speeches and captivating one’s intellect with arguments.Having only the comfort of one’s self enables the achievement of the utmostunderstanding between the mind and the soul. In doing so, the speech is transcribednot only in memory, but also in being. It renders the individual prepared toface assemblies. In a sense, after seeing the stranger, Aschenbach becomesSocrates by wanting to abandon momentarily his work in order to transcribe newexperiences into his own being.

Although Aschenbach does not fully achieve Platonic love not only because of thecomplete lack of physical contact in their relationship but also because of thelack of spiritual and intellectual connection with each other, he still deemshis desire for Tadzio (or Tadzio the Ideal) a desire worth pursuing due to theartist's appreciation of Platonic ideals.

From the 1971 film version.

7 Interesting Moments on Live Philippine TV

2011-10-04T20:13:00.000+08:00

Nothing beats live TV. In the blink of an eye, anything can happen. There is no one to shout "cut," no one to tell you what to do in case you mess up. You're on your own. In front of the cameras. Watched by millions of people. Immortalized by Youtube.

Here are a few interesting moments that happened during live Philippine television. As a sign of respect to a few people involved in these clips, I refrained from using the words "funniest" and "craziest." Yes, KJ na kung KJ.

1. That "Other" Michael Fajatin Report

Fajatin must be feeling absolutely overwhelmed right now. Surely you've already seen his infamous gibberish report on Saksi, but have you seen this bit where he forgets the name of the place as he gives the floor back to Arnold Clavio?

2. Tawa, Mel. Tawa!

I've always liked how Mel Tiangco and Mike Enriquez remain to be two of Philippine TV's most emotionally accessible newscasters. In this video, Tiangco loses it to the point where she couldn't even say her final lines. No, she wasn't laughing at the video clip of the Venus Raj fans at the end, but at what Melanie Marquez said before the camera cuts to them.

3. Claudine's "Slip-up"

I remember doing homework when I heard my tita screaming in the living room. I ran to see what was up only to find her laughing hard, pointing at the television. She kept on saying, "Nadulas si Claudine! Nadulas si Claudine!" A big duh. Claudine even did more than slipping.

4. Dancing Henyo

You know something was up the minute the contestant started channeling his inner comedian with the way he says "hindeeee." Just look at the way he slumped on the chair and looked as if hope had left him for good. Pretty soon his partner got the answer and he had no other choice but to perform a sort of victory dance like it was part of Eat Bulaga's rules. I don't know which is funnier, his dancing or Vic and Joey's stiff reactions.

5. It's Raining Men.

You have to feel sorry for the guy. All he had to do was take a few steps on the stage but the heat got the better of him. He's Pinoy Dream Academy's Hansel Nichols, by the way, who some of you may know has been branded as "The Cancer Survivor" while that show was still being aired. Odd how his fellow models simply looked at each other as if saying, "so, um, do we help him or not?"

6. Vice Vs. Tado

Showtime has got to be one of the funnest shows out there that its biggest controversy, aside from Osang's comments about teachers, is nothing more but a squabble between two judges. Known to be very opinionated regarding the issue of homosexuality, Vice pours thunder and lightning over Tado's comment. Tado, on the other hand, has activist blood in his veins, so I expected him to be more than willing to engage Vice in a minor debate. Sadly, that didn't happen.

7. Bawal Iyan. Bawal Iyan. Toinks!

Not exactly live TV, but I figured I should still include this. What could be worse: finding yourself caught by the long arm of the law or having your dentures exposed for everyone to see? Poor girl couldn't do anything, no? It's one of those instances where we find out how powerful the media is. Never taunt them, not even the cameramen. They are bound to show the things you do not want the whole world to see. These include your dentures.

* * * *

Been a while since I made a list post. More to come!