Posts tagged as "pinoy"
Agawan Base
Peryodiko
Sakaling magpalit anyo ang ngayon
Magagamot ba ang pait ng kahapon
Pagsisisi’y nakaukit sa nag-uumpugang bato
Eto na kaya ang bagong laro?
23 November 2009 · Comments · Permalink · http://aldr.in/253593281
Now A Major Motion Picture
A fortnight after I experienced the ire of a most destructive tropical storm here in Metro Manila, it was my friends and family’s turn to take a pounding from another pernicious weather disturbance in Northern Luzon. And just like the destruction that Ondoy caused, the aftermath of Pepeng is nothing short of heartbreaking. The torrential downpour caused massive flooding that wiped out homes and sudden landslides that claimed the lives of unsuspecting victims. Like Metro Manila a couple of weeks back, Pangasinan and Baguio suddenly looked like somber aerial scenes from a big-budget Hollywood production. What do you know? The three places I call home, now a major motion picture. Directed by Roland Emmerich. 2009.
Great! But who’s at the lead? Who’s the hero? Oh, right. Cue hit T-shirt design here.
11 October 2009 · Comments · Permalink · http://aldr.in/209796550
Wag Ka Nang Umiyak by Sugarfree
Wag ka nang umiyak, sa mundong pabago-bago
Pag-ibig ko ay totoo
Ako ang iyong bangka, kung magalit man
Ang alon ng panahon, sabay tayong aahon
Far more than being ironic, it’s a tribute to the sublimity of this song and the brilliance of this band that when one listens to it, one almost always does exactly what the title asks one not to do.
31 August 2009 · Comments · Permalink · http://aldr.in/176257699
LOL
I came home from work tonight and turned on the TV immediately after settling in a monoblock chair. The TV was initially tuned to HBO, showing a hospital scene with Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron. I’d seen that movie before, so I proceeded to my nightly channel-surfing. A couple of blocks down from my favorite movie channel, I stopped at another movie channel whose designation differed from the former’s by only a letter. It’s called PBO.
PBO, or Pinoy Box Office, is a cable TV channel that, as its name suggests, primarily shows Filipino movies. If I’m not mistaken, it served as replacement for Viva Cinema, another movie channel that exclusively showed programs from major production company, Viva, some years back. These days, again if I’m not mistaken, PBO practically plays second fiddle to the better-equipped, ABS-CBN-owned CinemaOne in providing cable subscribers 24 hours of Pinoy movie entertainment.
Now I’m neither a fan nor a detractor of either channel. I’m not particularly fond of watching Filipino movies, what with the quality, or lack thereof, of a huge percentage of them, but I admit to checking out what’s on PBO (CinemaOne’s not on our cable TV provider’s lineup) once in a while just in case I chance upon a rare cinematic gem, even if it’s just a Tagalized version of a critically acclaimed foreign language film. Tonight was one of those once-in-a-whiles.
The movie began with frames showing what were unmistakably the surrounding mountains of one of the access roads to Baguio City, over which the words, Viva Films proudly presents, were superimposed. So this clearly wasn’t going to be a Tagalized version of a decent foreign film. OK, I gave it a try nonetheless; I have a rather soft spot towards movies featuring my favorite place in the world. Then… Herbert Bautista. Jimmy Santos. Story and Screenplay by Jose Javier Reyes. Directed by Leroy Salvador. M&M: The Incredible Twins. Alright. Jimmy played the role of a father and Herbert played that of his wife, who just gave birth to an odd pair of twins. One was big, the other one small. Their names were Marcelo and Marcelino.
Fifteen minutes into the film, I witnessed the accident along Kennon Road that killed their parents then a montage showing the twins growing up to be (surprise, surprise) Jimmy and Herbert. Fifteen minutes into the film, I finally pressed a button on the remote. PWR.
24 August 2009 · Comments · Permalink · http://aldr.in/170464117
I escaped from the office early yesterday afternoon to catch the last run of Yanggaw, a Cinema One Original that came out on limited release at a nearby mall. Dani reminded me to make sure to catch the movie when she posted the movie poster last weekend and added,
What if your daughter turned into an aswang? It’s a movie that might’ve started out with one of those ‘What if’ questions; the kind of questions that can make or break a movie, but in the case of Yanggaw it was the former. Catch Yanggaw at Robinsons Galleria till August 4.
The girlfriend was busy with a ton of schoolwork and my friends who I was sure were available yesterday couldn’t be bothered with seeing a movie that’s not about fighting robots or accelerating soldiers, so I just had to go watch it alone. I don’t usually go to the movies by my lonesome, but for a local horror film that’s been getting a lot of hype, I was willing to make an exception and take the risk of getting scared out of my wits without a companion to snap me back to reality and laugh with or at me once it’s all over.
So, I went. I have to say I got genuinely scared by the fascinatingly raw and eerie scenes. I admired the Ilonggo dialect for its effectiveness in helping the characters express their emotions, whether strong or subtle. (The title, by the way, is Ilonggo for infection.) I witnessed an awesome cast play out an equally awesome script. I regarded with utmost approval the people who worked behind the scenes on a tight budget but managed to come up with this gem of a truly Pinoy horror film I was lucky enough to behold. And then when this little film was finally over, I couldn’t help but think how, for once, there was truth in all the hype.
Salamat gid, Yanggaw.
5 August 2009 · Comments · Permalink · http://aldr.in/156182770
© 2009-2010
Written by Aldrin Calimlim
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