RacsO Ledger

From their Official Website

Find out what being a “certified treasure hunter” is all about. Julio Diaz plays a middle-class treasure hunter who has been digging for Japanese treasure for years. He and his companions are in the final stage of their current site in the mountains of Suyo, Ilocos Sur, an area reputed as a Japanese stronghold during World War II. All the signs at their site indicate that they are certain to find treasure.

Sounds boring to me, but I am always in this festival hoping for the best. It looks like a contender to be, being somewhat historical in a way. I think that they do like this kind of movie, like last year's "Concerto". Though I yawned most of the times, I find it baffling that it got rave reviews. But something tells me that this movie might really be a surprise. We'll see.

From Wiki

The film tells the story of Cocoy, a 12-year-old boy who is given a monumental task of responsibility of taking care of his older siblings while his mother, Mai, goes to the remote province to get financial assistance to pay the expensive hospital bills of her three mentally sick children. His mother is gone for two weeks and Cocoy’s struggle in managing his personal, school and home life is a nerve-racking challenge. In the end he faces truth and life head-on as he fights for his own sanity.

Intriguing! I think that Filipino's have a soft spot for heart tugging movies and this movie might be it. Might be this year's "Boses". I am really a sucker for films that centers on children, and child actors who deliver outstanding performances (but I am addicted to movies about old people).

The film evolves the character of Fe, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who is forced to come home due to the effects of the global financial crisis. She returns to her rural town only to find that her husband has grown to be hostile towards her. His unpredictable mood often leads to physical violence but Fe turns the other cheek. Fe later on finds out that his husband's attitude toward her is because of an affair with another woman. As this happened, Fe tries to break away from the abusive relationship and finds refuge in the arms of another man, Arturo, who happens to be her former suitor. But Arturo is also married and due to his obligations to his own family, he cannot elope and with Fe. When the men in her real life cannot live up to her needs, she turns to a mysterious suitor who offers her the fantasy of an escape. The term panggagahasa used in the title does not only refer to the sexual kind but also other acts that takes away her social dignity, making her consider fixes no matter how unlikely they may seem.

This is the movie that really got me interested. Not just because of the title but because Irma Adlawan is in it, and I go wherever she goes just like what I do with Mailes Kanapi. I think that the story might not be entirely THAT original but I think that it has a shot of becoming exceptional. The performance might carry this movie. But I really have high hopes for this movie.

Astig's story revolves around the life of four young men whose life stories "parallel and contrast with the landmarks and various images of Manila." It tells the story of Ariel, a conman who has to leave his girlfriend upon learning that she is in love with him; Boy, an expectant young father who has to sell his body to pay his wife's hospital bill; Ronald, a Chinese mestizo who is coming to grips with his identity; and Baste, an overly protective son of an OFW who has to avenge his sister. The film tells the stories of the tough guys of Manila and their resolve to survive the dirt and filth of the "Distinguished and Ever Loyal City."

Of all the movies, this one I think has the real shot of becoming the audience's favorite. It is packed with realatively known and famous actors top billed by Dennis Trillo. But I will see this because I am curious how Sid Lucero will folow up his perfect performance in "Selda".

From Wiki

I am seeing this because this is the type of movie that I really like. This is a rare kind of movie here in the Philippines where they put the "veteran" actor/actress as the lead of their movie and the movie centers on him/her.

Dinig Sana Kita is a story of love between Kiko, a deaf young man who loves to dance, with Nina, a troubled rocker girl who has engrossed her self in the world of rock music and abuses her hearing by listening to blaring basses and heavy metal tunes. They meet in a Baguio camp's deaf seminar that mixes deaf and normal-hearing teens in team building activities. This experience help them discover that they have a lot more in common with each other than with their own kind. They find an understanding about music and learn that their lives are not so different. The eventually realize that they understand each other better and more than anyone else despite the gap in communication.

Now here's my bet for audience pick if the movie is any good. The creators of "Tulad ng Dati" (one of my fave Filipino films of the decade) backed this movie up and I hope that the conjure the same magic the did and bring it to this movie. This has the potential to be a commercial success because this is a love story of teeny agers. I hope this is good, I really do, please let it not be "Agaton and Mindy". Plus, me loves the poster.

Richard (Felix Roco) and Raymond (Daniel Medrana) are two teenage brothers. Richard is the leader of his gang, "Bagong Buwan," while Raymond is just being inducted into rival gang, "Batang Dilim." Complications at a deadly midnight engkwentro (square-off), when Raymond is given the task of killing his older brother.

Meanwhile, the City Death Squad lurks the streets. This real-life vigilante group is allegedly backed by the city mayor (Celso Ad Castillo) and responsible for many unsolved murders of teen gangsters. Today, they are hunting down Richard. Will they take the younger brother, too?

Curious about this because, the roster includes two gangster, the slums movie. And it will not go without one being compared to the other. I think that this will get less attention because the stars are not that well known but I am waiting for it to topple Astig.

Based on a true story, Last Supper No. 3 is a humorous look at the circuitous path our legal system takes to justice. Assistant Production Designer Wilson Nañawa is tasked to look for a Last Supper to use as a prop for a TV commercial. He finds three, but loses the one owned by Gareth Pugeda. What happens next changes Wilson forever as he spends the next two years entangled in bureaucracy and red tape facing estafa and serious physical injury charges. How will this ordinary man fare against a system he knows nothing about? Will justice prevail for Wilson? Or will he be imprisoned for the loss of Last Supper No. 3?

Cinemalaya does not really go with big small movies, usually they award small films. Of the films in the roster, I have a feeling that this movie might be the critics fave. Last year, I predicted that "Jay" will win over "100", and it did. But then again, we'll just wait and see. Mailes Kanapi is in this movie, so expect me to be in the gala showing!

Mangatyanan tells about the story of Laya or Himalaya Marquez, a girl who has never had a complete dream since she was 12. Although her dreams are interrupted not by her waking up but because of his father. Danilo Marquez, his father who is a famous photographer, has constantly abused her sexually as a child and eventually tore her family apart.

At present, Laya is 27 years old and has developed a cold attitude to hide the pain of her terrible childhood. She works as a photographer for travel books and was sent to Isabela to capture a rare harvest ritual called Mangatyanan by the dying tribe of Labwanan. What she finds there, however, is a group held together by their desperate leader Mang Renato. Soon, Laya senses a connection between the tribe's problems and her own predicaments.

Events happen and go out of control as the tribe crumbles and Laya is forced to flee but something happens that brings her face-to-face with the past she tried to run away from. The story leaves you wanting to know if she will confront her past or if she will keep on running away.

This movie, if not properly made could easily bomb. I don't have that much interest seeing it. The trailer looks, rather blah and not intriguing at all. Will the movie suck or not?

Sanglaan looks at seemingly simple relationships and uncomplicated events happening in a very mundane institution. A religious and single-minded businesswoman with a losing proposition, afraid of old age. A timid, vulnerable girl hopelessly in love with a high school crush. A security guard whose wife has a fragile heart. A charming and mysterious seaman just passing through. And a loan shark who won’t take “no” for an answer. These are some of the characters that populate the milieu of Sanglaan, a light, funny, poignant and very Pinoy story about hope and redemption..

Could this be the little little film that could? I think that the concept of many stories intertwining into one, is banal and commonplace. I just hope that they spun something golden.

Sorry guys! I was not able to blog for the past two weeks. I got really caught up at work. I have not slept well for days! It was only last night that I was able to catch up on normal eight hours of sleep. Though things are getting awry at work, expect me to be blogging a whole lot again. PLUS! Cinemalaya is just days away so I will be blogging every movie I see in that festival.

It is so nice to be back.

OK now, I am very very excited to go and be in Cinemalaya Film Festival whole week. I see myself watching at least three movies a day. Hmmm the view is very clear and I can't wait any longer! Give it to me, baby! (come on Toshi!)

There are times I wonder why I even watch movies even though I know that they are gonna suck anyways. This is no exception at all. "BFF: Best Friends Forever" is your typical, nonsensical comedic slosh. Apparently, director Wenn Deramas really got stuck making the same movies over and over and what she does is change the story a little and change the cast and you got another movie.

There were really funny parts in it, and those were the parts that were not forced to be funny. It was endless non sense slapstick, patched together to come up with what is a pitiful movie. It did not even feel true nor was it able to tug any emotion (at least for me).

Corny and blah. I feel cheated.

D

And the crapfest continues. I think I am just lucky that when I saw this I was still high on "Spelling Bee", so the crapiness did not hurt that much.

So I finally got the chance to see a real theater musical out of school. This is what happened. I kinda hesitated to but tickets for this show because they cost so much and would take up money for my clothes and DVD expenditures, but I am glad that I still bought tickets from my good friend Katz. I was seated at the very first row, I could literally see the innards of the larynx while they are singing and I could see the specks of spit overspraying from the mouths of the actors. But I must say, I AM REALLY IMPRESSED, in fact, more than impressed really. I really really had a great time and now, I am craving for more.

By now I just realize that you guys do not know what the frack I am talking about, well, I am talking about the theater musical play "Spelling Bee" which is currently in run here in the Philippines, in Makati. I just got back from the screening, I am so hyped, jilted and still ecstatic from the experience that I decided to do a review of it right ahead.

Basically the musical is about a story of five main characters and their quest to win the 25th Putnam Spelling Bee. There were also four guest/celebrity spellers that were preselected before the show. In the screening that I attended, there was this one girl guest speller who was actually good at spelling that they had to give her an ultra hard word to spell so that they can boot her out of the competition. She was about to sit after she pelled a difficult word and was asked to go on he stand again to spell a more difficult word. Then she got the boot. In the end of the show, she was asked again to come on stage, then there was this guest spelling master, turns out it was her boyfriend, who then proposed to her on stage! I was kinda like surprised with what happening and kept on asking my friend "Totoo ba yan? (Is this true?)". The girl teared up tears of joy and agreed to marry the guy. By the way, the guy asked the girl to spell the word "marry", and said his proposal when he was asked for the definition of the word.

So now, back to the show. I must say, all the actors sung, acted and danced perfectly. The choreography was spot on. The songs were infectious, catchy and really contemporary. I really liked how they infused current news, songs and dances on the show. There was this one really smart girl speller named Marcy Park who performed her song and then she danced "Single Ladies" a la Beyonce, which really got the audience clapping hard. It was really baffling for me to see her tumblng on stage and yet her voice was still perfect. How the frack does she do that? Sometimes on stage when I am performing whenever I walk around sometimes my voice wobbles too. Her performance of "I Speak Six Languages" was my favorite of the night.

There was also another speller Logainne Schwarshwashwa (errrr I do not know how to spell it) who was also a gay and lesbian advocate who made a commentary on Adam Lambert on losing American Idol (something I strongly have feelings on). People in the audience started to laugh and clapped furiously.

I realy can't pinpoint who gave the best in show performance because they all delivered their parts so well. The Vice Principal Douglas Panch character was hella fun too and had scene stealing moments of his own. He is the one who is giving the definition of words to spelled and he uses the words in a sentence and his comic timing is genius. He asked a celebrity speller to spell "DOG" and gave the definition "A DOG" and used dog in a sentence as "PLEASE SPELL DOG". He even used lines from famous songs such as J. Lo's "Love Don't Cost a Thing". I met Joel Trinidad once, and got the rare chance to speaking with him, in the gym where I work out, and apparently where he works out too. He really is a bonafide theather master, I daresay.

My favorite characters were Marcy, Chip Tolentino, Douglas, and (My favorite If I were to choose one) Leaf. Chip was last year's winner and is the returning champ, he got distracted with Leaf's sister and let his erection got on his way when he was asked to spell "TITTUP". He knew how to spell it but failed to spell it correctly the first time and he had to re spell it but he was not given the chance. His performance on "Pandemonium" and "My Unfortunate Erection" were probably two of my favorite songs in the whole show. He really has a good voice and I envy him a lot. Give me your talent. Please. Pretty Please.

But my favorite was Leaf. And I liked his backstory too. He is that kid who did not have the support of his family and he somewhat gets possessed when spelling a word, which I find very funny. He seems so natural and his voice was perfect. We were his family during the show, and he acknowledged that when we were able to talk to him post show. My favorite song he sung was "I'm Not that Smart".

I really can not express how much I enjoyed this show. I loved this show to bits, and if given the time (and money) I would want to watch it over and over again. Filipino talents are really world class, and it is a shame that shows as good as this do not get that much attention compared to the suckfest that is so popular today. I am proud of the whole production team for bringing this show upfront and accessible. I just wish that more people get to see it, and I wish that more people would want to invest in making the Philippine Theater community grow. Though I only know how to sing, (dance nevermind) I wish I am a part of it, but I can't so let us all support those who are out there giving out one helluva show after another. Then maybe one day, we will have our own Tony's and the Philippines may be in due time be recognized also for its great Theater Shows. Now that indie movies are getting lotsa light, let us now focus on theater. I know I will be watching more soon. I will.

A+

P.S. I will be posting pictures tomorrow when my good friend Jhun uploads our pictures. I was not able to bring my camera. Stupid me. SO thanks Jhun...

Finally Merlin got the boot in "The Fashion Show". I think that his works are hoochie mama. By the way, I am rooting for Daniella.

2009, the year has been great so far. I have tried so much to avoid them crap movies but they were still, in their own weird ways, able to reach my eyes (Hello Wolverine!). But I managed to scavenge for hard to find gems and the end product was very much worth it. So for now, here is a list of my favorite movies and performances, so far...

Runners Up: Julia, Two Lovers, Up, Ponyo, Star Trek
These five are very different from each other and I really love the diversity of these movies. Julia makes the list predominantly because of Tilda Swinton's greatness. Two Lovers I loved because of the superb ensemble casting and superb performances by Gwyneth and Joaquin. Up and Ponyo are 2 superb imaginative animated features. Star Trek is one of those rare blockbuster treats that you will not feel ashamed of putting in your top ten.

Steve McQueen's freshman effort was all sorts of wonderful. It is a tough chew but it is a very superb technical achievement.

Francis Xavier Pasion's story of the exploitation of media was shown last year in Philippine's Cinemalaya and won best film of the festival and it was my bet too. It finally got commercial release this year, and it is one of the year's bests so far.

Sam Raimi is back after giving us the crap Spider-Man 3. His return to the horror/comedy genre was truly his calling, and I loved every minute of it. I have seen it thrice already and still I am loving it.


People easily call "Up" as the year's best animated movie so far, but me thinks "Coraline" is the best animated movie so far. It was creepy as hell and highly artsy. Totally entertaining and nightmare inducing.

Olivier Assayas' minimalistic story about keeping memories is truly a small gem that deserves to be seen. It was simple yet it was piercing, truly wonderful.

Best Actor: Robert Pattinson (How to Be)
Runners Up: Joaquin Phoenix (Two Lovers), Michael Fassbender (Hunger)
Robert Pattinson proves that he is not just a pretty face in this movie, and he did just that. But then again, even if he deglammed himself to portray a loser twenty something in guy who is suffering quarter life crisis.

Best Actress: Tilda Swinton (Julia)
Runners Up: Mailes Kanapi (My Fake American Accent), Julia Roberts (Duplicity)
Tilda Swinton continues to challenge herself. This time she portrays a very unlikeable character, as the woman with no direction in her life whatsoever and found one when she kidnapped a kid.

Best Supporting Actor: Coco Martin (Jay)
Runner Up: Jacki Earle Haley (Watchmen)
Coco Martin IS one of the best actors of his generation here in the Philippines. His role as the ex gay boyfriend of the now deceased Jay, may not have that many emotionally heavy scenes but his naturalistic approach was really the fact that made this performance special.

Best Supporting Actress: Edith Scob (Summer Hours)
Runners Up: Gwyneth Paltrow (Two Lovers), Flor Salanga (Jay)
Edith Scob still haunts me up to today. There was something really special with this performance, I loved every minute she was in. Love love love her.

Note that these picks are still subject to change depending on my ever changing mood.

Personally I think that there has been a rut in comedic shows this year, since "Pushing Daisies" left the tube, which for me was like the best thing that happened in TV for the past years. So after Daisies got canceled, I haven't been seeing that much comedic shows. Well I got the usual suspects: Weeds, Ugly Betty and 30 Rock but other than those I have been seeing scant greatness in comedict TV.

During this time of the year there are those usual rom com movies tat come your way. Most of them stink, and some are OK and seldom do we get those perfectly fun rom com movies. Sandra Bullock's latest rom com movie alongside Ryan Reynolds falls in the OK category of rom com movies.

I think I am in the minority when I say that Robert Pattinson is a good actor. Heck I even thought that he was good in Twilight. So to see him give a performance outside Twilight is a treat for me especially if he gives a great performance. So I saw "How To Be" about a guy named Art (played by Pattinson) who moved back to his parent's place to find what would make him happy, that would eventually lead to finding his meaning of life. Art asked the help of an old guy whose book, Art read religiously.

Condolences to their family.

They will be forever be remembered for gracing our lives with their endless talents. One for TV and movies and the other for being one of our generations most influential music icons. They I am really out of words... Life is too frail. Sad day.

I would just like to share this story with you guys about my good friend who is currently sick. She thinks she may have Swine flu because there is someone sick with Swine flu in their condominium. So what she did was that she went to the nearest hospital, in our case MAKATI MEDICAL CENTER. We have our MediCard, so we can get consultation for free. She requested that she undergoes swab testing for AH1N1 virus. So guess what the flying fuck the nurse said? The nurse said "You better be ready with 8000-10000 PESOS". TEN FUCKING THOUSAND PESOS. That could buy like 30 DVDs already. That is also equivalent to my pay! That costs hella lot here in the Philippines. No wonder a lot of people are getting sick because no one (in our stature) can afford them damn tests. If they want this virus to stop spreading, make the testing more available to anyone. That's why a lot of people resort to self medication because they can not afford the services of hospitals. Do I need to have a lot of symptoms before they even notice that I am sick? Fuck it.

I think by now most of us know that James Cameron is back, and his latest sci fi movie "Avatar" will hit cinemas later this year. But honestly I am not that much eager to see this. It might tank a whole lot and he can kiss his comeback goodbye. But actually this is not the "Avatar" I am dying to see. It is M. Night Shyamalan's take on a live action version of Nickelodeon's hit (and also one of my favorite animated series ever, ranks in top five, I think.) "Avatar: The Last Airbender". But for his movie he dropped the Avatar and stuck with just "The Last Airbender".

I'll just try to keep this short. Because I really can't say that much about the movie. Why would I want to spend that much time about a movie that I did not like at all.