Films for April

I failed (again) to reach 10 movies this month. Though I had some long weekends to catch up on pending movies on my hard drive, things got a little bit busier than usual.

Anyway, here are the films I was able to see this April:

1. Léon: The Professional by Luc Besson. 1994. 

I remember this tweet of mine: I have this certain weird fondness for Leon and Mathilda’s relationship as hitman and apprentice. #LeonTheProfessional

 

2. Premium Rush by David Koepp. 2012.

 

3. Anatomiya ng Korupsyon by Dennis Marasigan. 2011.

 

4. Bang Bang Alley by Ely Buendia | Zig Marasigan | Yan Yuzon. 2014.

 

5. American Hustle by David O. Russell. 2013.

 

6. My Paranormal Romance by Victor Villanueva. 2011.

 

7. Tuhog by Veronica Velasco. 2013.

 

The Unavoidable (Wedding) Playlist

At first, I really don’t want to tell the whole world that I actually have a wedding playlist. It’s tough for me to blatantly show to online people that I curated some of my favorite songs into a playlist which can only be used on that BIG DAY. But hell no, I decided to share it anyway. I always believe that music should be shared and be appreciated. I can be a little selfish but what the heck, it’s music and I’m not the only person who thought that Hey-This-Song-Is-Good-For-My-Wedding. In fact, when I blogged about it in Manillenials and shared it on Facebook, I instantly got answers like, “May parehas/pareho tayo“. You get what I mean, don’t you? One of my friends is really protective of her BIG DAY playlist and I really understand her. But I just did the opposite and gone public. I just want people to make happy. 🙂 Ang chos nung sagot ko!

You know what’s more tough curating all these good shit? It’s when you don’t have anyone who could appreciate these songs because you thought about them while happily and carefully choosing the best eargasm music. Not just anyone but someone you think is important and can be crazy as hell like you. What the fuck am I blabbering about? Shit. Sorry. Sugarfree’s saddest lines are creeping in since Holy Tuesday. That’s the magic of music – it makes you high, sane and insane at the same time. 😀

Yes, I’m sorry. But you know, you can always skip the blabbering part and check the list of songs. It has 50 songs and I’m still in the middle of adding more. There’s a lot of songs I want in the playlist. My friends and I are joking that instead of doing the BIG DAY, why not start a wedding music festival just like any various music festival we know these days (Coachella, 7107 Int’l Music Festival, Summer Siren). Sounds good, right?

Anyway, check the initial list of songs and you can hear them at my 8tracks profile:

 

 

For the last three songs, I’m serious about it. 😛

Thanks for listening! 🙂

 

Cinemalaya 2014 Finalists

Cinemalaya is now on its 10th year. Imagine 10 years! It’s a decade old now. I even remember watching the very first Cinemalaya entry during my college days – Saan Nagtatago si Happiness? – and from then on, I religiously attend the festival. The festival always happen on July but this year, they moved it on August. One thing I worry about the new schedule – the rainy season will surely hit the road around that time. But that’s fine as long as I’m able to see a film or two. 🙂

 

Now, let me share to you the Cinemalaya entries on its 10th year:

NEW BREED Category Official Finalists

1. DAYANG ASU (“In Pampanga, We Eat Dogs”)

Written and Directed by: BOR OCAMPO
GENRE: Coming of Age Action-Drama
LOGLINE: Amidst legalized corruption, a son struggles to prove to his father that he is fit to survive in a dog-eat-dog society.

2. 1ST KO SI 3RD

Written and Directed by: REAL FLORIDO
GENRE: Drama-Love Story
LOGLINE: A 65-year old woman gets reunited with her 1st love and finally the supposed 1st date happens four decades after they got separated.

3. SUNDALONG KANIN

Written and Directed by: JANICE O’HARA and DENISE O’HARA
GENRE: Drama
LOGLINE: Set during the Japanese Occupation, four friends (Nitoy, Benny, Carding, and Badong) aspire nothing more than to become soldiers fighting the Japanese… until they are confronted by the realities of war that threaten to destroy their families and their friendship.

4. K’NA, THE DREAMWEAVER

Written and Directed by: IDA ANITA DEL MUNDO
GENRE: Epic
LOGLINE: When Kana, a young T’boli woman, becomes a dreamweaver, she has the chance to weave together her village’s warring clans. But, will she give up true love to do so?

5. RONDA

Written and Directed by: NICK OLANKA
GENRE: Drama
LOGLINE: A policewoman who patrols Manila during the night arrests her teenage son for killing his lover.

6. BWAYA

Written and Directed by: FRANCIS XAVIER PASION
GENRE: Drama
LOGLINE: DIVINA is preparing for her daughter Rowena’s 13th birthday when she hears a shocking news: her daughter has been attacked by a crocodile, her body still missing. As Divina searches for the body of her daughter in the marshlands of Agusan del Sur, she learns a lesson more tragic than her fate: not all predators are underwater. Based on actual events.

7. MARIQUINA

Directed by: MILO SOGUECO
Written by: Jerrold Tarog
GENRE: Tragic Comedy
LOGLINE: Unlike the former Philippine First Lady, Imelda is indifferent towards shoes. To her, they are fraught with the bittersweet nostalgia of childhood, one that was marred by a difficult relationship with her shoe-maker father, Romeo. Growing up, all of hers were handmade by him. Now a mature woman, she takes a pivotal call from the morgue, spurring her search for the perfect pair of shoes for her dead father. The deeper she searches for the perfect shoes, the more she finds herself.

8. DAGITAB (SPARKS)

Written and Directed by: GIANCARLO ABRAHAN
Executive Producer: Paul Soriano
GENRE: Drama
LOGLINE: While the marriage of two professors is on the verge of falling apart, the woman is dragged into a scandal involving a young student. On the other hand, the man falls in love with his research — a deity (supernatural being) that appears to him as the ghost of an old flame.

9. #Y

Directed by: Gino Santos
Written by: Jeff Stelton
GENRE: Coming of Age / Teen Drama
LOGLINE: “# Y” (“Hashtag Y”) chronicles the adventures of the members of a generation made universal by the realms of social media, the internet, sex, drugs, and alcohol, and the occasional YOLO.

10. SEPARADOS

Directed by: GB Sampedro
Written by: Eric Ramos
GENRE: Romantic Comedy-Drama
LOGLINE: The mostly bittersweet, partly comic, partly tragic saga of six men who have separated from their wives. Based on true stories, their parallel and overlapping tales are framed by a church wedding to a second wife by one of them, who grabs another chance at matrimonial bliss.

DIRECTOR’S SHOWCASE Catergory Official Finalists

1. HUSTISYA (JUSTICE)

GENRE: Character Study of a Crime Drama
Written by: Ricky Lee
Directed by: JOEL LAMANGAN
LOGLINE: A foul-mouthed woman fights for her soul in the belly of the city. Working for a human trafficking agency controlled by a powerful syndicate, she sees no evil, hears no evil. In a society like ours, you have only two choices — to be a victim, or a victimizer. She makes her choice.

2. ASINTADO (BETWEEN THE EYES)

GENRE: Drama
Written by: Socorro Villanueva
Directed by: LOUIE IGNACIO
LOGLINE: In the middle of preparations for the Taong Putik Festival, a young man, penniless and in love, takes on a drug courier job that goes terribly wrong. To save him, his mother now makes the most difficult decision of her life.

3. HARI NG TONDO

GENRE: A-Slice-of-Life Depiction of a Family Drama
Written by: Bibeth Orteza
Directed by: CARLOS SIGIUON-REYNA
LOGLINE: A grandfather brings his grandchildren back to the community that made and shaped him, only to find out the place is no longer the same.

4. KASAL

GENRE: Adult Drama
Written and Directed by: JOSELITO ALTAREJOS
LOGLINE (Director’s Statement): “Kasal” is an examination on how a gay couple navigates through their own private space into a Filipino home, institutions and society as a whole.

5. THE JANITOR

GENRE: Crime Drama
Directed by: MICHAEL TUVIERA
LOGLINE: The story behind the bloodiest bank robbery in Philippine history… Crisanto Espina, an ex-cop, is tasked with liquidating the suspects who masterminded the robbery/massacre of July 16, 2013. As he diligently executes his orders while dealing with his own personal demons, he begins to realize that the whole circus of the investigation is going to eventually consume him and make him question his own faith in what he believes to be his brand of justice.

 

Based on the synopsis given, I’ve selected several favorites on the spot. New Breed: Mariquina, 1st ko si 3rd, K’Na the Dreamweaver, Dagitab and Separados. For Director’s Showcase: Hustisya, Hari ng Tondo and The Janitor. As for the short films, we still have to wait until April 15 for the announcement of official entries.

For more info and update on the said festival, visit Cinemalaya website here or follow them on Facebook.

I’m excited! 🙂

 

Clouded Mind

Aside from my love affair with the moon, I feel happy looking up the sky and scanning how the clouds make their way to brighten up my day. Sure, there are times that these clouds may look like an angry god because of its darkness but I still feel a combination of calmness and panic. It’s like seeing a beautiful things in between hallow spaces.

 

 

 

I am no good in photography but as much as possible I want to capture the beauty and calmness I see. These clouds can take away some weariness you have been hiding inside your little brain. These clouds can help you to look at the brighter side of everything. These clouds may help you to forget those weary nights, those times that you feel like giving up. It’s as if looking at something that make you say, “Everything will be fine” or just “I don’t give a fuck” statement.

 

 

For now, just smile 🙂