The Carver's House

V for Victoria! What I really like about James McTeigue's V for Vendetta is how it veers away from the standard Hollywood formula of comic book adaptations, and offers a clear mirror of current events without sacrificing the overall spirit of the original material. Granted, Alan Moore's dark and verbose 1989 graphic novel is hardly superhero fare, it would have been easy for Hollywood to heighten the action and overdo the special effects to increase its commercial appeal. But V for Vendetta has only three action scenes that only pass muster, and none of the Matrix-level spectacle. In fact, it's a talkie movie. (I would watch it again to absorb all the dialogue.) The overall texture of this Wachowski brothers-produced film is desaturated and foggy, something you'd expect from artsy European films. That coupled with actors like Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Rupert Graves, and Stephen Fry makes the experience more satisfying if European films are your cup of tea. I must adm...

The musical made its final bow last March 5, and right now it's as if it had all been a dream. During the gap between matinee and evening shows, I took the chance to have my souvenir programme autographed by as many of the cast and crew as possible. We were at the small cafeteria directly connected to the backstage dressing room, and seeing everyone getting ready for the next show reminded me of those times when I was in theater, fidgeting over make-up and costumes and props. Because I didn't have a digicam anymore, I wasn't able to take any pictures, but the little notes scribbled all over my programme was enough to make everything memorable. The biggest surprise to me was meeting Bituin Escalante again, and discovering that she's the sister of Kalila Aguilos who alternated with Agot Isidro as Queen Femina. I couldn't hide my disbelief about their being sisters, but I guess Bituin was used to the reaction. We managed to do a little catch-up at the lobby before she ...

I loved Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice , which I saw two nights ago at the highway-robbery Greenbelt Cinemas. The issues about women and social status were given more prominence in this film than in Sense and Sensibility , and yet did so without sacrificing the swoon factor. Then there's Matthew Macfadyen. *sigh* While the lovely Keira Knightley was effective in her portrayal of the free-spirited Elizabeth Bennet, I'm not so convinced about her Oscar nomination. (I'd prefer Rosamund Pike getting a supporting actress nod for her performance here.) Then again, Knightley carries the film well and her presence cannot be ignored. She turns 21 late this month, and is one of the youngest to be nominated. (What was I doing when I was 21? Oh, I was a staff writer working for DLSU.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - In the ol' tagboard, Shiela asked what went into the creative process of bringing the comic book to the theater stage. I can proudly say, I don't know....

The original soundtrack of the Zaturnnah musical is now available through Tanghalang Pilipino. It has two versions--one with Arnold Reyes and Agot Isidro as Dodong and Queen Femina, respectively, and the other with Lauren Novero and Kalila Aguilos. It's P350 a pop. If you want to order a copy, you can call Tanghalang Pilipino through 8323661 for details. Music, lyrics and musical arrangement by Vincent A. de Jesus . Apart from 21 tracks from the musical, the colection contains two bonus minus-one tracks of Ada's Ayoko Nang Mabuhay Nang Ganito, and Dodong's Ikaw ang Superhiro na Buhay Ko . Plus Zaturnnah's "transformation" music. - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Philippine Daily Inquirer's Gibbs Cadiz reviews the musical here . Scroll down that page--it comes after reviews of Dulaang UP's Gabriela and PETA's Pinoy Wannabes .

I don't read novels much, much less those like Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha . But I love Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li, so I went to see the movie adaptation. I emerged from the Podium theater two and a half hours later feeling half-robbed. I've never seen a Rob Marshall film, not even his Oscar-winning Chicago , but I think many will agree that he's not the best choice to helm Memoirs . The best director should have been one who could dissect the Asian psyche and make it accessible. Then again, Memoirs could've benefited from a less flowery script, and even less two-dimensional motivations. In my book, there's hardly any weight in this film, and too much production design. On the lighter side, Gong Li is gooorrgeeoouusss. She made the ticket price worth my while. Too bad her first foray into Hollywood didn't turn out to be the masterpiece it's meant to be. She deserves the "I will make you believe that I understand what I'm saying" awa...

I skipped work today--wasn't feeling that well. Must've been that overnight stay at the office to meet deadlines. Working long hours alone at an office isn't new to me, but I could do without hearing fingers gliding across a keyboard from another cubicle at four in the morning. Went to the mall to get some medication. Decided to entertain myself with an Ang Lee fix. Bad idea. I left Brokeback Mountain with an anvil hanging inside my chest. Even if I wasn't able to get a lot out of the dialogue, particularly from Heath Ledger's Ennis Del Mar, the film had the emotional weight of a steamroller, running over the heart as Jake Gylenhaal's Jack Twist utters the soon-to-be-classic line, "I don't know how to quit you." Maybe I should try another film, like I Will Always Love You .

Graphic Classics: Rafael Sabatini I don't know if this will be available here, but it's got my name on the cover. (On the lower right, heheheh.) I did 40 pages worth of art for the Captain Blood origin. Gerry Alanguilan's got artwork in here too. I hope the editor likes my work enough to give me stuff to do in the future. Here's another sample page of my work for this anthology. (I had previously posted two pages in December.)