Ilang Thought mula sa Cinemanila 2008

(Meron lang akong susubukang estilo. Try kong mag-blog sa boses na parang kinakausap ko lang ang aking mga friendly friends. Isang eksperimento, isang challenge.)

‘Di ko na masyadong matandaan ‘yung date kung kelan nag-Cinemanila sa Gateway. Mas memorable pa yata ‘yung incident na nanapak si Tikoy Aguiluz ng isang press bago matapos ang festival. Pero medyo matagal ko na sanang ginawa ‘tong entry na ‘to. Nag-rely lang ako sa mga capsule reviews ni Philbert Ortiz Dy ng clickthecity.com at parang lahat naman ng gustong sabihin ay nasabi na n’ya.

Pero ayaw kong paawat:

NOISE – This sets the mood for the festival. ‘Di s’ya mainstream film at most likely, ‘di s’ya pleaser. Medyo nakakaantok ‘yung film at kailangan ng maraming tiyaga para ma-appreciate. Para kang nanonood ng mga talky part sa pelikula ni Tarantino. Tungkol ito sa isang pulis at isang krimen at kung paano sila pinagtagpo. Sa bigger perspective, tungkol talaga ‘to sa coincidences. Wala namang masyadong pangit sa pelikula maliban sa hindi kontroladong akting n’ung lead actor/character. Mas umaasa ako ng underacting sa mga ganung tema o materyal. ‘Di ko makakalimutan syempre ‘yung huling frame na parang parody yata sa nativity scene (ang finale ay naganap sa Pasko).

I’M A CYBORG BUT IT’S OK – Ikalawang movie ko ‘to for my first day at Cinemanila 2008. I came from an exhausting volunteer activity at La Mesa Ecopark and I kind of chose a second film that will energize me. Plano ko kasing i-push sa limit ang katawan ko and see kung invincible (pa rin) ako pagdating sa movies. So I picked a film na sa tingin ko ay di masyadong heavy. Since Korean film at si Rain ang bida sa film na ‘to, akala ko, usual rom-com. Pero nagkamali ako. ‘Di ko napansin na ang direktor pala ay ‘yung sa “Old Boy” (na nagustuhan ko naman kahit sobrang “creative” ng kuwento). Coming from “Noise”, struggle ‘tong panoorin. Tungkol pala s’ya sa mga pasyente sa isang mental hospital at kung paano posibleng mag-bloom ang love amidst the backdrop. It’s very visual (read: CGI-filled) and, a bit weird (which is good, hehehe) and artsy. If not for the resolution at the ending, baka di ko s’ya magustuhan. Maybe I shouldn’t underestimate Rain next time (and for crying out loud, he was not wearing black in the whole film).

NIGHT BUS – The first film that I found to be a fitting Cinemanila contender. Socially relevant s’ya. Tungkol ito sa isang bus na nagdala ng mga POW sa isang magiyerang bahagi ng Iran. Limited sa oras ang material, halos two days lang ang itinakbo n’ung movie. Which is a good thing dahil medyo “in” ang ganitong devise. Meron naman s’yang na-build up na kwento at suspense at ang last part tungkol sa pag-asa ng isang naghihintay na housewife ay medyo malalim at bittersweet.

SITA SINGS THE BLUES - Nagustuhan ko 'yung pelikula. Fresh kasi at may tama. Pero may nabasa akong review na mukha raw YouTube material lang 'yung film. I couldn't disagree more dahil sa iba't ibang tono n'ung film. Animation kasi 'to. Isa s'yang deconstruction ng pamosong epiko na "Ramayana". Obvious na babae ang sumulat at bumuo ng movie. Tinalakay nito, kung hindi man nagtanong, kung bakit parati na lang naghihintay si Sita sa kanyang Rama. N'ung napanood ko ang pelikulang ito, that's the only time I realize kung gaano ka-sexist 'yung material.

ADELA - The film isn't bad. Hindi s'ya ang pinakabulok sa ginawa ni Adolf Alix (na siguro ay pwede na nating pinaka-prolific na filmmaker sa Pinas sa dami ng kanyang mga ginawa at ginagawa). Anita Linda is also at her best. I particularly like the scene where she's mimicking a radio drama. It's just that hindi ako na-hook n'ung movie. Tungkol ito sa pagtanda nang nag-iisa, which I admit is very familiar to me (hehehe), pero hindi ako napag-isip.

LOVE OF SIAM - Perhaps this is this year's audience's choice as most of the screenings were either jampacked or sold-out. The film can be classified as teenage gay/coming of age movie. Think of "Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros" and the like. It tells a bittersweet story of two teenagers who are in the brink of sexuality, identity and the love that gets along the way. Simple lang actually ang pagkakagawa. At some point ay medyo glossy at melodramatic din (read: Star Cinematic). Pero if we're talking about angst and growing up, "Love of Siam" has all the fangs.

BAND’S VISIT - This year's best film! And I that's pretty much a deserving feat for this film from Israel. Tungkol naman ito sa isang banda from Egypt na magpe-perform sa isang bayan sa Israel. Dahil sa language barrier, naligaw sila at nawala (literally) sa ibang bayan. Dito na umikot ang movie na halos naganap lamang sa loob ng isang gabi. Great acting, stagey and deadpan.

MANORO - It's one of those rare films which I can watch along with my dad. Isa ito sa mga ginawa ni Brillante Mendoza at 'yung sumulat ng "Kubrador". The film tells a story about a day (or two) in the life of an Ita girl. Kung paano sila kumain, makisalamuha, etc. (which will get my dad's interest). It's well directed and not pretentious. Nawala lang ako sa technology na ginamit sa paggawa nito. Sa version na napanood ko sa digital cinema, medyo na-wash out nang masyado 'yung mga images.

TIRADOR - Dito ko na nakumpleto ang filmography ni Brillante Mendoza, again sa panulat ng sumulat ng "Kubrador". Kamukha ng iba pa n'yang pelikula, the film also tackles poverty set in a neighborhood somewhere in Manila. Ginawa 'tong microcosm ng society (ho-hum) pero maraming kick 'yung movie. Maganda 'yung openeing scene. Parang umpisa ng isang Greek play, nakaka-high ng adrenaline 'yung pagpapakilala ng mga tauhan. Walang bida at kontrabida, at mas lalong walang main story. This becomes the weakness of the film as it fails to hold the weight of those intertwining lives.

Movie Digest # 049

BODY OF LIES
Greenbelt 3, Cinema 2, October 12, 8:40pm

Russel Crowe and Leonardo Di Caprio, two of Hollywood’s better actors in one action film directed by Ridley Scott. That’s probably the film’s main come-on. On top of that is the technical part: crisp sound editing and heart-pumping camera work. Sad to say, there’s nothing to root when looking for a storyline. If only the script focuses more on the relationship between the two male chracters, that would be a treat.

Friends who might appreciate it: those who are craving for a truthful film on terrorism.

MAX PAYNE
Glorietta 4, Cinema 3, October 13, 7:30pm

No sarcasm whatsoever but I like the film. Maybe because it was pretty dragging for me for an action film. The dragging half helps the other half to pump my adrenaline. It's very predictable, yes, but the slow-mo and the visual are awesome. It has a "Sin City" feel but not close. I love the part where Max Payne turns into a hero, just like Hulk turning green. It's very campy and i simply love it. Plus of course, it's one of the rare films who subversively (or unintentionally) promotes drugs.

Friends who might appreciate it: those who haven’t played the video game.

TROPIC THUNDER
Glorietta 4, Cinema 2, October 28, 7:50pm

Before watching the film, I had a hint that it would remind me of commando comedy films that Redford White and the like had done. But it’s different. It’s supposed to be a satire to some themes like documentary filmmaking, Hollywood’s fat producers and overrated actors. Boasting of an A-list namely Ben Stiller (as actor/director), Robert Downey Jr. (in a mindblowing Russel Crowe-like character), Jack Black and Tom Cruise (in an unintentionally too serious take of a cameo role as a producer), the film is an enjoyable ride.

Friends who might appreciate it: those who haven’t seen an honest-to-goodness comedy for a while.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE
Greenbelt 3, Cinema 2, November 5, 10:00pm

James Bond is evolving, that’s my impression after watching the film. Thanks to the new era of “Bourne Identity” and “Transporter”. This second Daniel Craig starrer is more of a prolonged introduction of who James Bond is and what makes him as he is. No Q, no gadgets scene, just Daniel Craig’s superb rendition of the dashing British spy. More “pogi” points for the film: a fitting finale with fire (“Casino Royale” has water) and the use of Tosca as a devise to denote murder and running away.

Friends who might appreciate it: those who prefer martini, stirred.

MADAGASCAR 2
Glorietta 4, Cinema 1, November 6, 8:20pm

I haven’t seen an animated film for a long time and I can say that “Madagascar 2” did not disappoint me. It’s witty and decent for an eye-candy film. The only unappealing for me is the “Lion King”-ish subplot.

Friends who might appreciate it: those who like to move it, move it.

MY ONLY U
Glorietta 1, Cinema 4, November 8, 2:30pm

I like the film and I wouldn't mind recommending it to friends. It's very rare to see a Pinoy black comedy and "My Only U" is definitely a guilty pleasure. If this is an attempt for Star Cinema to show something new (for a mainstream film, that is), then the film is a success. Comparing this film to Bb. Joyce Bernal's "For the First Time" (or even Cathy Garcia-Molina's "A Very Special Love" or the Toni-Sam film ages ago), I would always prefer “My Only U". Toni's take of a Koreanovela female character is awesome. Scenes with her shedding of tears are necessary but not overwhelming. Vhong Navarro, on the other hand, is effective on his underacting. I can say that "My Only U" is the funniest mainstream film I've seen so far for this year.

Friends who might appreciate it: those who wish to see Ronnie Magsanoc in a cameo (and a funny outtake).

Weekend Kong Mahal

Bale itinuloy ko lang ‘yung paggising nang maaga n’ung Biyernes kinabukasan. Mas maaga pa nga nang konti dahil kinakailangang nasa harap na ako ng Net Square ng mga 6:30am. Dinibdib ko yata masyado ang pagiging bus marshal sa aming Global Volunteer Days program sa opisina. Tulad ng inaasahan, wala pang masyadong tao n’ung dumating ako. Pero di na rin naman kinailangang maghintay nang matagal at kahit pakonti-konti ay nagsulputan na ang mga volunteers. Sa La Mesa Ecopark kami pumunta para sa tree planting activity r’un.

Medyo madugo ang unang bahagi ng araw. Merong Ecorace na base sa pamosong Amazing Race. Sampung team ang binuo na merong average na sampung miyembro. Nakakulong ang buong team sa loob ng garter habang fini-figure out ang susunod na pit stop. Sa bawat hinto ay merong puzzle piece na kailangang ipunin matapos isagawa ang isang challenge. Nangatog ang tuhod ko sa karera na ‘yan, salamat sa kawalan ng ehersisyo. Mabuti na lang at mas magaan ang pagpupunla n’ung hapon (naglagay ng lupa sa itim na plastic at nagtanim ng halaman dito).

Pasadong ika-3 na ng hapon nang matapos ang activity. Masarap pa sanang matulog sa bus pauwi pero tinatawag na ako ng Cinemanila sa Gateway. Kailangan ko pang bunuin ang tatlong sine na hindi ko dapat mapalampas. Para na rin masagad ko ang aking sarili. Sa awa ng Diyos, napanood ko ang “Noise”, “I’m a Cyborg but it’s OK” and “Night Bus”. Nag-taxi na ako pabalik ng Makati.

Linggo. Maaga rin akong gumising para naman habulin ang misa ng 9am. Mula St. Andrew ay nag-jeep na ako papuntang Glorietta para sa isang pares ng itim na maong at para magpagupit kay Andy sa LuFu Salon sa Goldcrest. Inasikaso ko na rin ang Britney Spears perfume na pina-DHL ni kuya sa isang inaanak sa Ternate, Cavite. Nag-MRT na ako papuntang Gateway para ituloy ang pagsi-Cinemanila ko (“Sita Sings the Blues” at “Adela”). Umalis ako ng cinema area matapos makasalamuha sina Adolf Alix, Maxie Evangelista at ang aktor na si Joem Bascon. MRT ulit pabalik ng Glorietta.

Isang oras bago mag-umpisa ang “Music and Movement” (pictures dito) na free concert nina Billy Crawford, Joanna Ampil at Rowena Villar sa Activity Center ng Glorietta ay nakahanap na ako ng puwesto. Dahil mukhang maghihintay ako nang mas matagal, minabuti kong bumili muna ng Go Nuts Donuts (pastillas de leche siyempre) at back issue ng Esquire na si Mike Myers ang nasa cover para palipasin ang oras.

Masaya ‘yung buong show. Pinagsama ba naman ang tatlong world-class talent. Si Billy Crawford, kung hindi ako nagkakamali ay nag-guest sa isang morning TV show sa Paris n’ung nakadestino ako r’un circa 2003. Si Rowena Villar naman ay nakasama na si Hugh Jackman sa isang musical sa Australia. S’ya rin ang dinamita ng kakatapos lamang na “West Side Story” sa Meralco Theater. Si Joanna Ampil naman ay nakasalamuha ko na sa West End matapos ang isang pagtatanghal ng Les Miz. Nakuha ko na noon pa ang autograph n’ya. Sa ganitong klase ng kumbinasyon umandar ang “Music and “Movement” na ang repertoire ay mula kay Neyo hanggang sa Pussycat Dolls at Mariah Carey. Totoo na “the best things in life are free”.

Tinapos ko ang weekend sa isang oras at kalahati na foot at Swedish massage sa Nuat Thai sa Makati Ave.

How to Stop my World from Turning

I miss my “pamangkins”. Last Friday, I sent them to the airport. I had to leave the office at 4pm (yes, I was already working at 7am, beat that) to catch the guys at Perla Mansion in Palanca St. where my brother’s family was billeted. I rang a cab at 12 noon just to be sure that I will be in the said service apartment by 4:30pm. As expected, they were still doing some last minute shopping in Glorietta so I had to walk from Palanca to G1.

I caught my “pamangkins” and ate Bing at Time Zone in the open space leading to SM Makati. Kuya was in Goldcrest buying celfone units that time for their SIM cards in roaming (plural as in one each for Globe and Smart). I never imagined before that I would play dad to kids in the mini rides on that particular section of the mall where I usually pass by from work. It was fun.

Two weeks of blog silence means great family time. From the minute I met them at the airport last October 3 to Krista’s kiddie party (and a birthday cake surprise for kuya that left us both teary-eyed) in Shakey’s – Morato and another in Payatas, watching PETA’s “Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang” plus my three-day stay in Lopez with the whole bunch and pushing stroller and making a wish in High Street, my world simply stopped. There’s nothing more worthy of smiling than hearing my “pamangkins” laugh and cry and laugh again.

I had a grand time bonding with both Krista and Franco. I just have to single out though the moments I had with Franco. Last time I saw him was when he was still a baby. He likes Disney’s “Cars” a lot (while Krista knows the princesses by heart). Before their trip here (a surprise one), I sent them two lunch boxes (Wall-E and Cars), two pairs of Spongbob (Franco cannot pronounce the “S” yet so it’s just “Pongebob”) and shirts (Hannah Montana for Krista and Cars again for Franco) through DHL. Those made Franco look forward on seeing me in person (he’s too smart for a boy turning two this coming January). Of course, I had to keep that impression unfailing. I bought him a gift (Lightning McQueen toy car) that he opened the minute we arrived in the hotel. His reaction: priceless!

That probably sealed the best friendship between Franco and me. When we were in Lopez, the first thing he loved doing was to go to me and have morning chitchat (not about Anne Hathaway…yet but on toys, what else). We also had this little game wherein I have to call him something and he has to counter it with anything on the same category. I always start with “Franco, you’re a water”. Then he will reply with his favorite, “You’re a juice.” That goes on until I run out of a “drink”. Then we will do animals then house appliances and cartoon characters. Leaving Lopez one Wednesday was difficult for both of us. Kuya texted me one time that Franco cried while looking for me after having his daily siesta.

At the airport, we had a group hug. Franco was still holding my hand when he got in the entrance. He was actually pulling me. Kuya had to remind him that I couldn’t come with them. And he let go. I ended up waving them goodbye from a far. I was of course daydreaming that time that they’d return the next day. Until manong guard uttered something familiar. “Sir, bawal pong tumambay rito.”

Pics of Krista and Franco's trip to the Philippines here.

Movie Digest # 048

HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Greenbelt 3, Cinema 2, September 10, 9:05pm

Visually engaging. I was reminded of the good stuff from the old days (read: “Never Ending Story”) when CGI was not introduced yet. Story-wise, there’s nothing much to expect (read: “Fantastic Four”).

Friends who might appreciate it: an officemate named Josh Canlas.

RIGHTEOUS KILL
Glorietta 4, Cinema 3, September 12, 10:30pm

Call this my birthday film as I spent midnight inside the cinema. Well, the film is an honest-to-goodness cop story, complete with a twist that was revealed 10 minutes before the film ends. Nothing memorable except for the fact that the spotlight is shared, for the third time, by Hollywood’s two best actors, De Niro and Pacino.

Friends who might appreciate it: those who have seen “Heat”.

SERBIS
UP Diliman, UP Cine Adarna, October 1, 2:00pm

I missed this year’s Cinemalaya and given that, there are only two outstanding Pinoy films so far: “Ploning” and “Serbis”. The film is a dirty, noisy and dark story told in your face about a day in the life of a dysfunctional family and their moviehouse business. There are too many stories to tell, actually, but I won’t dissect everything. Most of the scenes are screaming filth: tight shot of a boil being squeezed, a toilet swamped with urine, clogged sink, plus the not so obvious ones like prostitution, lose of innocence and injustice. The film was made to be hated but the filmmaking is meant to be appreciated, to share pathos and release guilt.

Friends who might appreciate it: film lovers, period.

THREE KINGDOMS: RESSURECTION OF THE DRAGON
Glorietta 4, Cinema 5, October 1, 6:10pm

I can say that it’s not your usual “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” type of Chinese film. Not a Zhang Yimou either. It’s a big budgeted (bloody) film, adapted from a Chinese epic novel and stars Hongkong superstar Andy Lau (one of the Heavenly Kings, hehehe) and Sammo Hung. Nothing much, story-wise or style-wise, but I enjoyed the film the way I enjoyed any Jet Li film.

Friends who might appreciate it: those who prefer to avoid “Disaster Movie”.

MATAKOT KA SA… KULAM
Glorietta 4, Cinema 2, October 1, 8:30pm

I had high expectations for the film for the following reasons: Jun Lana’s “Roxxxanne” is impressive, Juday is a fine actress and it’s Regal’s 38th anniversary presentation. Sad to say, everything is not falling into place. There are consistency problems here and there, some executions are off and flat, excessive production design (yeah, “kulam” scene is still surrounded with candles and the works), CGI is distracting and acting is so-so. On the plus side, the twist is cool. The concept of the film being a “kulam” film is also good. It doesn’t conform to the usual and predictable plot of love, revenge and redemption.

Friends who might appreciate it: those who wish to see Juday essay a dual role.

EAGLE EYE
Glorietta 1, Cinema 2, October 2, 9:30pm

Nothing new or memorable, just a plain action film (less the wit) from Dreamworks, in the mold of “The Net” and the like.

Friends who might appreciate it: those who are waiting for the “Transformers” sequel.

Laughter is not Always the Best Medicine

Monday morning, I was attacked by a sore, sore throat (thanks to three servings of ice-cold Cerveza Negra from Akafellas night). I wasn’t feeling well the whole day. I even begged off not to join the lunchmates gimmick for that day but was discarded.

At 7pm past, Hubes and I were already leaving for Greenbelt 2’s Spicy Fingers. We met Anne, Hubes’ housewife, at National Bookstore in Greenbelt 1 and secured our reserved table in the restaurant. It was a Comedy Cartel night, a brand of stand-up comedy that showcases mostly on observational humor (well, anything that is not your usual The Library/Punchline type of kick). The rest of the guys, Pipe, Iam and Ge came right before the act began. It was a nice jumpstart when Hubes and Anne shared the good news that they are going to have a baby. I remember Hubes loving the scene from “Meet the Fockers” about the baby’s first word: a**hole.

The set for the night consisted of around seven acts from different Comedy Cartel members, both amateur and veteran. Some punchlines were good but I don’t remember everything. But surely they made me laugh. Tim Tayag, probably the most popular among the lot, delivered some “tabo” (dipper) stories and the different “psst” moments. Food was also good.

After the show, one of the members, Stanley Chi made some kind of a small talk with our group. We ended up having his calling card and a short “okray” moment for all the Fil-Chi (particularly Hubes). Photo session was called for the situation.

I reached home at around 10:30pm, not feeling any better. Maybe I should have followed my instinct on having rest instead. The rest of the night was a major bout on slight fever. I almost skipped work the next day. Thanks to my previous company’s jacket (more comfortable than the one provided by my current employer) and some fruit diet the following night, I managed to survive tonsilitis.

Birdwatching 101

Last Sunday, I jumped out of my comfort zone and joined a group of sosy peeps from Wild Bird Club of the Philippines. I got the email invite from Robert Alejandro (of Probe) through The Philippine Cinema Yahoogroup. Since I got nothing to do on that sleepy Sunday, so I gave it a go.

The group (plus the newbies) met at Chowking in Petron Station along Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard near SM Mall of Asia. We were roughly 50 – 60 all in all. At 4:30pm, we were already heading to a site near the tollgate to Cavite (just after Uniwide). It was a long rough road heading to a construction area and swamped by two lagoons. According to Mike Lu, the leader of the pack, the place is now declared by the government as a bird sanctuary and is therefore protected. That’s where the big telescopes were put up while listening to some birdwatching facts. Binoculars were rented for P50 each pair.

Nothing eventful on the occasion as I found it too time-consuming. Or maybe, that’s the joy of birdwatching wherein you can just while the day away watching for the birds to come and go. It could be an alternative way of relaxing and appreciating small things.

More pics here.

Triple Dare

Saturday, September 27, was a jampacked day.

First, got to visit Shakey’s in Tomas Morato to pay half of my pamangkin’s post-birthday party on October 4. Since Omakase is just adjacent to the pizza parlor, I had my lunch there with yummy makis.

Secondly, I had to go to UP for DUP’s “Ang Panaginip kong Fili” which was a sold-out show. Lots of students, mostly female species, were cheering on one of the actors named JC Santos who played Basilio (paging talent managers!). It was a nice experience watching a Floy Quintos play (and a Franco Laurel musical) for the first time. The opening sequence wherein all the characters of “El Filibusterismo” visited Jose Rizal in a dream was very haunting.

Third stop was a jologs fix. I watched “Triple Dare” (concert, charity and fun, as the ticket mentions) at the Music Museum, as suggested by the show’s director who happens to be a “kakilala”. It was Ronnie Liang’s concert with special guests Yeng Constantino, a certain Consuelo (a semi-finalist for PDA Season 2), Bodie Cruz and Nel Rapiz of PBB Season 2, Iya Ginez and Geoff Taylor of PDA Season 1 and Rox Puno (Rico J’s son and more). It was an evening of, err, entertainment and surprisingly good music. Highlights were Rox’s medley of his dad’s hit songs, Ronnie and Yeng’s duet and Geoff Taylor’s rendition of “Always be my Baby”.

More pics here.

A.K.A. Akafellas

Last September 26, I braved the rainy Friday night going back to the apartment. My plan was to change my shirt and head off to my usual solo flight. My landlady, ate Nadine, all by her lonesome, was about to leave the apartment to visit a mall. She said that her son’s at Star City with his cousins and the rest of the boarders were out. I invited her to Ricco Renzo to catch Akafellas perform live.

A backstory: Roughly four or five years ago, I was at Rockwell Tent when Stephen Speaks had a concert there. Akafellas along with Nina (a newcomer then) opened the show. It was just a set of two or three songs from the all-male a capella group but I got hooked. Since then, I was making it a point to catch them live but to no avail. Either gig bars are not biting their repertoire or just a bad schedule. Or art centers like CCP might be too formal for them.

Another backstory: I won a gift certificate from Ricco Renzo during a Reposo art fair two or three years ago. It was a whopping P400-worth of good food. I think I was with my apartment peeps then when I spent it. The owner of the restaurant even toured us to the second floor where most of the paintings were displayed (some were still under “construction”).

From the apartment, we took a tricycle to the restaurant (categorically Italian). Ate Nadine even made a skit by acting as if we’re rich kids and she was telling manong driver to hurry up ‘cause we’re getting late for the event. It was funny. From the ground floor, we got our tickets for P250 each and went straight to the second floor. It was now filled with mini-tables (as high as the knees) and paintings on superheroes were put up in an all-white wall. Lighting was perfect and the ambiance, fantastic (an accidental dating place, indeed). The show was already starting.

Akafellas, I just realized from the gig, is composed of mostly Atenistas. UAAP 2008 fever was still high then so imagine the guys singing their alma mater hymn after kicking out the lone La Sallista (poor guy, he’s outnumbered) and another from UP. They said that they were incomplete though they already looked crowded in the stage. I can say that most of the songs are a highlight to me but I particularly love their rendition of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity”, Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed”, Ne-yo’s “So Sick”, a Dingdong Avanzado song which I forgot the title and a medley of VST songs. Aside from singing, the guys were also good at "hiritan". They have nice rapport and the jokes were funny. At one point, they even said "We're not Chicosci".

I enjoyed the night. Good food, nice paintings and nice bonding moment with ate Nadine (who was doing “okray” to the rich-looking crowd). I celebrated my 32nd birthday last September 13 but it was only that night that I felt it. Got no cake from my lunchmates, massive greeting through email didn’t pick up and my birthday itself was stressful. Who says happiness can’t be delayed?

More pics here.

Six Films from Cine Europa 2008

Shangri-la Cineplexes does it again! Aside from the fact they hosted the event, the annoying procedure was still there. You can only queue for a film two hours before the screening. If you’re into film marathon, that means you’re still inside the cinema. The sick part, of course, is when a cinema crew suggests that you can just get out of the cinema to queue and just go back to continue the film. I wish they knew what they were saying. I have two suggestions here: (1) release the tickets when there’s no ongoing film screening and (2) limit the films that are being shown so that movie buffs (especially those who have 8-to-5 jobs) can enjoy the whole set.

Vitus - Switzerland

I made an effort to catch this film because a friend mentioned that there are only two films that he is going to watch in this year’s Cine Europa: “Vitus” and Denmark’s “After the Wedding”. The film tells a story of a child prodigy and how his parents (and a grandfather played by Bruno Ganz) raise him up. Nothing memorable or fresh about the plot but the script is well written and very visual.

And when was the Last Time you Saw your Father – United Kingdom

The film stars British actors Jim Broadbent and Collin Firth. It’s a true-to-life memoir of Blake Morrison, particularly about how he grew up with his father. As a memoir, it’s very effective. Thanks to the film’s fine editing and melodramatic approach. A tearjerker.

Children of the Moon - Germany

This well-made film tackles the relationship between two children. One is a teenager and an elder sister to her ailing brother who is suffering from “moon disease”, a rare condition wherein sunlight should be strictly avoided. I did not catch the first 15 minutes of the film, as I needed to queue for the next film that is “After the Wedding”.

After the Wedding - Denmark

This is probably the festival’s “star” film because it garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film last year (lost to Germany’s “Lives of Others”). It’s a plot-driven film, something that a lot of moviegoers would say with “it has a story”. Come to think of it, the film doesn’t have much social relevance. It’s more of an honest-to-goodness novel-like material, complete with crying scenes and twists. But it’s effective. It got me glued to root for the next turn of events. Others might find the plot (specifically with regard to one of the lead character’s over “generosity”) too good to be true but that’s acceptable for me. It’s also well acted (Mads Mikkelsen of “Casino Royale” fame essays one of the lead characters).

One Franc, 14 Pesetas - Spain

Perhaps, this is the closest to our OFW films (sans the romantic angle, of course). Two friends from Spain, circa 1950’s, tried their luck in Switzerland and succeeded. The price of it all is the challenge to keep their family in tact. The film is too mainstream and too glossy except for the last five minutes when the family decides whether to go back to Switzerland or not.

Chemical Hunger - Italy

This is my second favorite after “After the Wedding”. The devise used in this film is the “a day in the life of”-type of storytelling, similar to our very own award-winning films like “Kubrador”, “Foster Child” and just recently, “Serbis”. Subject in focus is a small community in rural Milan, nested by drug addicts, prostitutes and what-have-yous. A rapper will just pop out of the scene, delivering a phrase or two. A bit dragging but I love the style used.