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Showing posts from May, 2005
La Visa Loca I don’t usually watch the last full show, but I was only able to leave work at 8pm last Friday (completing my first week at Summit Publishing), so the 10pm showing of Mark Meily’s La Visa Loca was the only option. Based on Meily’s Palanca Award-winning screenplay Penitensya Nation , this follow up to his acclaimed Crying Ladies allows Robin Padilla and Rufa Mae Quinto performances that most Filipinos may not appreciate. He’s not the action hero who saves the day, and she’s not the hilarious boob-tube vixen. In fact, Meily makes sure that we rid ourselves of all previous impressions surrounding these two crowd-pleasers by placing them in shoes worn out by a life of vulnerability. Their resulting performances, though awkward at times, are refreshing and sincere. Padilla plays Jesse, a hotel driver who yearns to go to the United States. Beyond his desire to join his girlfriend who works in the West Coast, he’s clearly enchanted by the mere idea of rubbing elbows with Uncle
As expected, Carrie Underwood bags the American Idol plum. But for sure, Bo's gonna have an album out sooner than you can say "Vehicle." (In my book, the hottest performance of the season.) Carrot-topped John Stevens already has a CD single, while bouncing George Huff already has a Christmas collection. Diana deGarmo has a full album to her name, too. I was recently told how big country music is in the US, with Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney selling tickets as fast as pop stars. So congratulations, Carrie! You're sure to soar in your career, even if you won't sell millions on this side of the world.
Last week, Thursday night, I got some access to some dough of the higher denomination thanks to a little birdie who gave me a sideline project. What joy, what joy! Must reward myself, I thought, so I skip-hopped into Bibliarch with a smile in my heart and laughter in my malnourished wallet. I perused the graphic novel section’s indie shelf for a prize. It’s been soooo long since I had one of those babies in my hands. The purchase turned out to be a bad one. It wasn’t a graphic novel, but something written by a comics writer. No pictures, just words. I blame the publishers of that book for their back-cover deception, and I also blame the shrink-wrapped packaging for preventing me from checking the contents. Anyway, that’s not the point of this post. I called up Bibliarch on Saturday as the receipt mentioned an exchange policy. “Three days from the day of purchase,” it said. That meant Sunday, right? But as it turned out, quite logically if you’re from planet Hello, “three days from purc
Movie Meme Passed on by Oliver . Now's my turn to answer... Total number of films I own on DVD/video: Mostly VCDs (no DVD player). Less than 20. The last film I bought: Guy Ritchie's Swept Away , out of curiosity. I haven't seen it yet. I'm scared. The last film I watched: Jeffrey Jeturian's Bikini Open. Films that I watch a lot or mean a lot to me: Hmmm....it's a good mix of a lot of things. It really depends on my emotional state at the time. Here's a list of some that have made a huge impact on me. Farewell My Concubine (by Chen Kaige). I watched this, like, three times. Twice in its original form, once in its 'international version.' Oh, the tragedy of it all! Sense and Sensibility (by Ang Lee). Three viewings, too. Twice in the theater, once on cable. I just couldn't get enough of Emma Thompson's wonderful screenplay. True Lies (by James Cameron). Action comedy with Jamie Lee Curtis. Wow. Inagaw Mo Ang Lahat Sa Akin (by Carlitos S
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Billy Crawford and Stellan Skarsgard Cheche: Father, I look horrible! What have I done to deserve this?! Father Merrin: "That's Entertainment." Still from Dominion: A Prequel to the Exorcist . Lifted from Yahoo! Movies .
Deception Darn, I was close to tears while watching George Lucas’ Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith . It’s true what they say, that it’s a great movie despite its flaws. I’m compelled to say, though, that the nostalgia factor figured in largely, especially as Lucas nicely set the transitions between episodes three and four. So what if Darth Vader sounded mechanical after hearing of Padme’s death? So what if we get an overdose of 3D-generated cityscapes? So what if some of the dialogue was as campy as camp queen Jar Jar? And so what if the entire production design suddenly went retro towards the end of the film?... SCENE: Sith Lord and Darth Vader looking at the Death Star being constructed. Sith Lord (thinking): The Death Star! Lovely, lovely thing! Darth Vader (thinking): Pucharagis! Ibig sabihin diyan pumunta ang budget natin?? ‘Yung mga control panels dito sa bridge, parang may mga light bulb sa ilalim! I loved the saber fights involving the Jedi with Dooku and Palpatine. There’s s
Olfactory Gaydar When a gay man says, "May naaamoy akong malansa," it's in reference to someone in the immediate area who's probably gay, too. It's one of those classic gay one-liners. Then there's this report from the Hindustan Times... Philadelphia scientists collected samples of underarm sweat from 24 donors of "varied gender and sexual orientation" and then asked 82 heterosexual and homosexual men and women to test these for any potential appealing qualities. According to the researchers quoted in the Guardian Unlimited, homosexual men and women showed preferences that were not those of heterosexual people of either sex. Gay men preferred the scent of gay men and heterosexual women, they said. But the scent of gay men was the least preferred by heterosexual men and women and by lesbian women. "Our findings support the contention that gender preference has a biological component that is reflected in both the production of different body odour
On Neil Gaiman: Totoo ba ang balita na July 9-11 ang Neil Gaiman event sa Pilipinas?
Nakapagtrabaho na ako sa ad agency, noong 1992, nguni't tatlong buwan lamang ang itinagal ko doon. 'Di pa ako gaanong marunong makipag-usap sa mga tao dahil inuunahan ako parati ng hiya, at siguro'y inakala ng mga kaempleyado ko na antipatiko ako. Umalis ako sa ahensya dahil nagasgas ang aking mga birheng tainga. Biro n'yo, ang isa sa mga unang sinabi sa akin ng bos ko no'n ay, "Nabinyagan ka na ba?" Nakakaiskandalo pa 'yon noon, lalu pa't bigkas ito ng bos mo sa unang araw ng 'yong pagtatrabaho. Nabigla ako't 'di nakasagot. Fast-forawrd sa kasalukuyan. Katatapos lang ng unang linggo ng aking munting kontrata sa ahensyang pinagtatrabahuan ni Budjette, at ang masasabi ko lamang ay pinapawisan na ako. Que dugo, plema, pawis, laway... lahat na siguro ng likido ng katawa'y nadamay na. Sa tagal ng walang pang-araw-araw na hanapbuhay, tila 'di na ako sanay. Alas-diyes na ako nakaalis sa opisina kagabi. Kanina nama'y alas-diyes y m
I've actually finished the first six pages of Zsazsa in Manila, but I had to stop. There's a lot about the story that needs serious tweaking (or shredding, depending on how heavy I bury my face into it). I've got the plot points down pat, complete with all the highs and lows, kick-butt action scenes, angst-ridden drama, and a few punch lines I personally found funny. But when I step back and look at the whole thing, there's something not quite right. Didi tells me, "Pinag-iisipan mo kase nang todo. Tignan mo 'yan. Nagkukunwari ka pang kinakausap kita, pero ikaw rin lang ang nagbibigay sa akin ng script." I respond, "Sa tingin mo ba, madali kang isulat? Kaya nga kita inilagay sa chapter five..." "Chapter six. Habang nakikipagwarlah si Zsazsa sa may Lawton." I sink in my chair. "Para kasing andaming characters." "Ang problema sa 'yo, ambisyoso ka masyado," says Didi, sitting beside me. "Hindi ka pa komiks diva
Dependence A good chunk of my life almost went down the drain Friday night. My computer wouldn't boot. Against a bright blue background, the words "Unmountable Boot Sector" or other glowed white. I fiddled with the CMOS settings, as what the glowing white text recommended, but I didn't get the results I hoped for. After numerous attempts my life flashed before my eyes. At least, that span of life covered by the dates on the files I had in the hard drive. Pictures, colored art, documents, scripts, workout videos, research material, plans -- all teetering at the edge to limbo. Yes, I do back-up files on a regular basis, but that disn't change the fact that I had files left over. So I called computer-savvy brother, who explained to me the entire concept of "Unmountable Boot Sector," and how I couldn't possibly retrieve my files even if my hard drive was placed on slave mode. If my had my personal files in a separate partition, he explained, then I could
Belated Happy Free Comic Book Day! Mabuhay ang mga mukhang komiks!
Go Go Stop Maybe it just ain’t my thing. Last week, I went to the launch of Icon’s third issue (with no other than Borgy Manotoc on the cover) at Government Bar along Makati Avenue. As expected, the place was slowly filling up with gaggles of gay guys and a sprinkling of other orientations, but the proceedings hadn’t started yet. I was bored out of my wits. So I took off for an hour, visiting the nearby Music 21 and braved the string of high notes in Sheryn Regis’ Come In Out of the Rain . With vocal chords stretched, I went back to Government and was informed that the party had started. I stepped into the smoky interiors and was greeted by the thump-thump of techno and shifting beams of green laser light. The place was packed, but it was still easy to move around. The dance floor was boiling with stylish partyphiles, and up on the ledges were some nicely-built and scantily-clad go-go boys showing off their terpsichorean skills on the ledges. I stood just at the edge of the dance floor