Why Rurouni Kenshin matters to me and other 90s kids

When news broke that the Rurouni Kenshin cast and crew were going to Manila for film promotion, I did the most logical thing to do: stood from my swivel chair, covered my mouth, and jumped thrice in a carpeted office in the tallest building of corporate Makati. My colleagues looked on with mixed expressions, probably deciding […]

Nowhere dresses

You know how some dresses or shirt of yours would just disappear and you’re not sure if it got lost in the laundry shop or the last house you stayed in and you remember them just because you’re in the mood for browsing photos of yesteryears and you feel nostalgic about those times you wore […]

Calabarzon Film Festival 2014: call for entries

[photo: I was invited to the press con and Manila Gala Premiere of  Singaporean Anthony Chen’s award-winning film Ilo Ilo at Resorts World Manila, but Mike and I had to attend his friend’s wedding, so I channeled my frustrations to goofing around with wedding photographers and videographers] *** Calling filmmakers from Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon […]

Something poptastik for your taste

[poptastic: a state of happiness] One can’t be quite sure how Urban Dictionary, or humans (so to speak), come up with new words, which is probably as often as babies are popped into this planet, but this word here, poptastic, has sure captured the promise of the event below: that something good is going to happen. […]

How not to be scared watching horror films

Horror films don’t scare me now as much as they did before. I wouldn’t say it’s because I’ve grown up or that horror films have become less effective, but it’s probably because in the past three years, I encountered so much horror and corporate stress that could equal the terror of horror films, to the […]

Being a monster is not easy

There’s a scene in Monsters University where Mike Wazowski was sitting by a lake, looking at the moon, contemplating his failure in being a monster. He’s a monster alright but the dean and other monsters think he lacks the scare factor, an essential element in one’s monstrosity. He’s not scary enough, they said, and ought […]

Cinemalaya 2013: 25 films and some posters of art

Vilma Santos is the lead star of Jeffrey Jeturian’s Ekstra; Eugene Domingo of Leo Abaya’s Instant Mommy; Gretchen Barretto of Christopher Ad. Castillo’s The Diplomat Hotel, and Alessandra De Rossi of Gil M. Portes’ Liars.

CJ

Let’s talk about CJ.  Another filmmaker from the South. At the end of these questions, see some awards CJ bagged in 2012. 1. What’s the last movie you saw in cinema and with whom? The Hobbit, with my sisters 2. What’s the next movie you’re going to watch on big screen? Life of Pi

Dempster

Let’s talk about Dempster. Another filmmaker with laurel leaves. Dempster directed the documentary Taguri: The Kites of Sulu, a full-length feature on the Taosug people. His replies here sound like half-jokes, but they sure are telling. 1. What’s the last movie you saw in cinema and with whom? Ruruoni Kenshin, with the wife 2. What’s the […]

Aedrian

Let’s talk about Aedrian. He’s an advocate of children’s rights as well as the rights of the LGBT group. He wants to make films that can “break the wall of oppression,” he said, to help the marginalized. 1. What’s the last movie you saw in cinema and with whom? The last movie I saw was […]

Teng

Let’s talk about Teng. He’s Cinema Rehiyon 5’s curator for Mindanao. Born in Cotabato City and living in Davao City, Teng is also a filmmaker and writer from Maguindanao. He has directed and produced more than a dozen short documentaries and experimental works. His debut feature Limbunan (Bridal Quarter) has been screened in more than fifteen international […]

Bagane

Let’s talk about Bagane.  1. What’s the last movie you saw in cinema and with whom? The Hobbit! With other hobbits. I was so glad I’m still alive and was able to watch it. 2. What’s the next movie you’re going to watch on big screen? I’m definitely going to watch The Hobbit again, before […]

Carson

Let’s talk about Cinema Rehiyon 5. The film festival for Philippine independent cinema outside the country’s capital is called Cinema Rehiyon, and the first two festivals were held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila. After that, Davao and Bacolod hosted the next ones. In 2013, it will be in Maria Makiling’s paradise […]

Auraeus

Let’s talk about Auraeus. Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros) and Pisay are among his known films. And like a kickass rockstar, he did the the MTV of Huling El Bimbo. Busong, the first part of his trilogy that tackles issues in Palawan, went to the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. What inspired the works of […]

Pol

Let’s talk about filmmakers. Many people love watching movies and some–like Pol here–make films. The power of independent filmmaking is in its freedom to tell stories dripping with the aspirations and perspective of the common people or voices that could have been censored by movie-producing cash cows or government censor bodies. 1. What’s the last […]

Kei

Let’s talk about films. Many people love watching movies, some make films… and a few crazy ones, like Kei here, study them and head a cool film festival. 1. What’s the last movie you saw in cinema and with whom? Rurouni Kenshin with, uhm, you! 2. What’s the next movie you’re going to watch on the big […]

Laurence

Let’s talk about movies. Many people love watching movies, some make films… and a few crazy ones, like Laurence here, help organize festivals of regional films, or stories of people outside the centers of politico-economic zones, captured in moving pictures. 1. What’s the last movie you saw in cinema and with whom? Last film I […]

Mario Maurer, watching movies in Bangkok/Manila, and Thai films

Scarcity of love in Love of Siam* (2007)   The first time I watched Thai actor Mario Maurer was a few years ago, when a dear friend passed to me a copy of Love of Siam, which some dubbed the “national gay film.” He was ecstatic when he handed me the CD, looking as if he could die […]

Because we love free art: Italian Cinema now returns at Greenbelt Cinemas

   Fresh from the success of last year’s festival, Moviemov: Italian Cinema Now is back in Manila. The International Italian Film Festival returns anew on December 4-9, 2012 at Greenbelt 3 Cinemas, Makati City.

Departures (A Weekend of Harry Potter, some TV series and films)

This weekend’s film marathon in our friends’ house and in a 3D theater was a trip down the memory lane. We started with Eiga Sai featured film Departures, then relaxed with 10 Things I Hate About You, then saw two episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and watched Harry Potter in 3D. When did you watch these […]

Japanese. Film Festival. Singapore. 2011.

Ohhh Sad Movies. Always. Make Me. Cry.

Hollywood, Chika

My housemates and I slept late last night after watching short bio features (about 20 mins each) on E! channel. Starting with Nicole Kidman, the program went on telling the famous lives of top-selling Hollywood stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, and Jennifer Aniston.

a voyeur’s notes on “Good Morning Heartache”

My first Italian Film Festival experience started with the lovely Good Morning Heartache. I so love this film because I’ve experienced waking up every morning, saying, Good morning heartache.

a voyeur's notes on the Pelicula (9th Spanish Film Festival)

A friend treated me to an all-night film marathon at Greenbelt 3 this month. That was the PELICULA sponsored by Instituto Cervantes. First film is a sober story about a death in the family. Like in other Pinoy films where there’s death in the family, secrets are spilled and relationships make or break. It’s fascinating […]

a voyeur's notes on "Orz Boyz" and "Chocolate Rap" (from Shang's Taiwanese Film Festival)

Too bad. I only chanced upon two films from the Taiwanese Film Festival: Chocolate Rap (Qiao ke li zhong ji, Chi Y. Lee, 2006) and Orz Boyz (Jiong nan hai, Yang Ya-che, 2008) The first one is drama, but I hardly cried. The second one is comedy, but my eyes were red, swelling after

a voyeur's notes on cine europa

Watching film is so much like voyeurism. You get pleasure out of watching (if not eavesdropping) people and their short lives on the silver screen. Orgasmic is the ending of every good film and frustrating are those that don’t give you climax. And those films that give you multiple orgasms, oh man, they’re gonna be […]

CRACKER RECOMMENDS: New York, I Love You

This is a film of short films by different writers and directors and actors, who will all make you feel that in a city of strangers such as New York, you may find yourself enjoying every moment of experimenting with life. After watching this film I asked a friend who majors in film, if she […]

Cracker recommends "Here Comes the Bride"

Chris Martinez wrote and directed this comedy. And as my friends and I decided after seeing this film, he is one genius who is worth viewing and reviewing. The film does not bank on slapstick, which Pinoy comedy movies are known for, infamously. It plays with funny impossibilities of character switch and all the actors […]

How to watch Watchmen

  WHY does Rorschach have to die? Why does the movie end with a depressing note and a funny tone? Why show an 80s story in the year two thousand and nine? Why the interest on this film adaptation of another DC comic book about heroes and end of the world and the great American […]