New look. New attitude. New experiences.
Honestly, I had been neglecting this blog the past few weeks because of my awfully hectic schedule. Work had Read more
Heaven is where the cooks are French, the police are British, the mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian and everything is organized by Read more
It’s that time of the year again when the fleeting euphoria brought about by the Miss Universe pageant sweeps the nation. I’m not a big fan of beauty pageants but when I woke up this morning, the first thought that popped up in my head was: Miss Universe telecast, live, today. Thanks to the constant TV reminders the night before.
Still, I resisted the temptation to turn the TV on, went on with my morning rituals, and headed straight to work. When I opened my laptop, Miss Universe updates flooded my News Feed — to my delight. When Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup was announced 3rd Runner-up, I felt a little bit disappointed that she didn’t get the crown but I was very proud of her. It was a tricky question but she was able to give a sincere and strong answer. Congrats, Shamcey!
And then, suddenly, I was reminded of the 1994 Miss Universe pageant, which the Philippines hosted. I was very young then. And I remember this junk food sold at sari-sari stores near our school at the time. Each pack came with a free Miss Universe sticker with a photo of a candidate and the name of the country she was representing.
I’m not sure whether it was an indication that I’d turn out to be gay later on but I collected as many as I could. And then I would arrange the stickers and randomly select the Top 10. And then Top 5. And then pick the 4th Runner-Up to the Miss Universe. Repeat from the top.
Wahahahaha.
Sometimes, whenever I wonder why I’m gay I can’t help but blame Charlene Gonzales. And Sushmita Sen. And Dayanara Torres, who turned over the crown that year.
I had never seen Miss Universe since then. Well, until Theresa Licaros competed a few years back. Not again after that.
Showbiz Then
Last Sunday, Aiko Melendez and Jomari Yllana made a guest appearance at Gandang Gabi Vice. I was expecting to be entertained but I wasn’t expecting to be entertained like that. I never thought Aiko Melendez and Jomari Yllana would make me feel something many young stars of today fail to bring — kilig.
Watch their interview here:
Seeing Aiko and Jomari together, seated next to each other brought back so many childhood memories. Aiko Melendez. Gelli De Belen, and Prinsesa ng Brownout. Carmina Villaroel. Vina Morales. Manilyn Reynes. Ruffa Gutierrez. MMFF Scandal. I have previously announced my undying love for Donna Cruz on a separate post.
Jomari Yllana. Mark Anthony Fernandez. Eric Fructuoso. Gwapings. Palibhasa Lalake. Cynthia Patag. Mark Anthony, Claudine Barretto and the Tweety tattoo. Rico Yan. Gimik. Judy Ann Santos. Juday-Jolina rivalry. TGIS.
Here’s a video of the Promil Kid, my nephew, narrating what he had just seen on Animal Planet. He found the show compelling and entertaining enough that he was so excited to share with me the whole story. It was about a bull and hmmm… Actually, that’s all I understood. All I heard was bull, bull, bull! I can only take so much bulls in a conversation.
Somebody transcribe this thing and tell me what actually happened to the bull! Wahaha
I remember back in college I was a Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival volunteer. I was part of the group of volunteers who organized the many events and gatherings leading to the launch of the film fest as an usher, editor, and more. After graduation, I had been completely out of the film loop as I turned into a corporate slave. Sad to say that the last time I saw a Cinemalaya film was when I was still a volunteer. I had not seen that many independent films since then. Shame on me, indeed.
I guess much of the reason I had not seen any indie film in a while was because I felt frustrated. After all, I loved filmmaking but it had been years since the last time I was a part of it.
This time is different, though. This year, I am going to see Cinemalaya films with a brand new attitude. I am ecstatic that many of my friends back in college are now part of Cinemalaya not as volunteers but as participants, as filmmakers. That makes Cinemalaya this year a lot more exciting for me.
One of the films participating in this year’s NETPAC is The Natural Phenomenon of Madness, directed by my Parmesan friend Charliebebs Gohetia, or simply Bebs. (Check out the reason why I call him Parmesan friend here.) And of course, I shall be watching his film FIRST. The Natural Phenomenon of Madness tells a story that is not just interesting but completely mind-blowing.
Two years after she was raped, a woman agrees to meet with her rapist in the beautiful ruins of Intramuros. As they have the same blood type, her rapist asks her to donate blood for his operation claiming this will lengthen his life and will give him ample time to seek redemption. The woman refuses to do so as she rediscovers she is still a victim of unrequited love towards her rapist.
Told in two separate perspectives, the story revolves around how the woman and man pick the pieces of their broken lives after the rape, meeting every so often at places that remind them of their past. They are confronted by the fact that they are both victims of each other: THE WOMAN struggles with loving no one but the man; THE MAN, struggles with his guilt knowing he can’t love the woman the way she wants him to.
If you’re going to watch Cinemalaya films, please support this film and put it on your list. Here’s the screening schedule of this film: July 21 CCP Little Theater 9pm & July 23 Greenbelt 3, Cinema 5 9pm
The Natural Phenomenon of Madness stars Jess Mendoza, Opaline Santos, Ces Aldaba, Regina Valenzuela, Patrick Esteban, Kimmy Buquia, Anthony Sarabia Torres, Xian Khou, Rjames Villaran. Directed by the one, the only (char) Charliebebs Gohetia!
This morning, ABS-CBN launched their new Lupang Hinirang video. As usual, Kapamilya stars participated in this effort. The video was produced by Star Cinema.
To be honest, I love it. I’m not sure whether I love it better than the previous version but this one was well-shot, well-executed. I also liked that it’s short and simple.
The only comment I have is this: On the map of the Philippines shown at the end, where the hell is the Negros Island? I’m sure it was just an oversight but I hope that they fix it asap. After all, Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental are major players in Philippine history.
Anyway, here’s the full video. Lookie here. No Negros on the map.
Just this morning, when I opened up my laptop and launched iTunes, it randomly played Leigh Nash’s Need to Be Next to You. And in an instant, I was reminded of this list and that I had not posted a follow up since August last year. So here it is.
This is the sixth installment of my list of 100 love songs that I am completely in love with. This batch includes singles from number 21-30. Again, this is a personal list — songs that have touched me in many ways. (Click on the title of the song to listen to it.)
I still haven’t seen the movie Bounce, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck, for which this song was written. But I don’t have to see it for me to love this song. Leigh Nash’s soft, sweet voice fits the melody and the lyrics of the song perfectly. The song is simple, talking about how she needs to always be with the person she’s in love with. But its simplicity makes the song more adorable.
I need to know I can see you smile this morning
Look into your eyes each night for the rest of my life
Here with you, near with you, oh I
I need to be next to you
TAGOS! When I first heard this song, I was left speechless and before I knew it, I had set this track on loop. It’s just so honest and straightforward, it’s hard not to feel for the singer. The lyrics are brutal and the melody is catchy. So here’s for all who have patiently loved someone so numb, so insensitive and so thick.
Nagtapos ang lahat sa di inaasahang pahanon
At ngayon ako’y iyong iniwan
Luhaan, sugatan, ‘di mapakinabangan
Sana’y nagtanong ka lang
Kung ‘di mo lang alam
Sana’y nagtanong ka lang
Kung ‘di mo lang alam
Ako’y iyong nasaktan
Baka sakali lang maisip mo naman
Hindi mo lang alam
Kay tagal na panahon
Ako’y nandirito pa rin hanggang ngayon para sa’yo
I also love the “Sana nakinig na lang ako sa nanay ko” line. Teehee.
Genre: Drama
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Stars: James Franco
127 Hours is about mountain climber Aron Ralston (James Franco) who goes on a journey to a remote Utah canyon but finds himself trapped in a lonely crevasse after a boulder falls and pins his arm. What happens next is 127 hours of trying to survive and get out of the earthy prison.
So wait, wait, wait a minute, does that mean you’re gonna have to watch a man struggle to set himself free through the duration of the movie?
Well, yes. But thanks to Danny Boyle’s filmmaking precision and James Franco’s brilliant performance, what could have been a stagnant material becomes a journey to the soul of an individual who had been imprisoned in his solitary ways far longer than 127 hours — most of his life — and we see him break free and realize he has reasons to reach out to life, albeit with one arm.
James Franco‘s performance is central in the storytelling because there’s not much of a story. He is almost in every scene and without going anywhere, he has to win the audience over by creating a character that is distant and carefree but adorable enough for us to want him to get out of that solid rock predicament. And the Academy-nominated actor did not disappoint. He gives the performance of his life in this film, giving life to a brave character in the brink of desperation. His Ralston is real and believable as he delivers a performance overflowing with power and rawness. His face radiates the strength, the terror and the despair — all at the same time.
But Franco does not single-handedly carry this film. Danny Boyle was able to put the audience in Ralston’s shoes and see the world through his eyes. Although it is not always comfortable (or even bearable), the film encourages us to ask ourselves what we would do had we been in that situation. This kind of first-person approach works magically. Moreover, the guy sure knows how to tell a story, breaking the “trap tedium” with beautiful shots of the landscape every now and then and injecting enough humor to keep us entertained. The cinematography and editing make up for the absence of movement.
Genre: Drama
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest
Directed by: John Cameron Mitchell
A couple struggle to go on with their lives eight months after their young son was killed in a tragic road accident. Cliche? Maybe. But that’s what is beautiful about Rabbit Hole. It tells the tired story of loss and grief in the most unusual yet true-to-life manner — silent, devoid of histrionics, and occasionally humorous. It’s a simple story made complex by the characters’ emotions.
Rabbit Hole revolves around Becca and Howie Corbett, played by Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, and their difficult, almost impossible battle with grief, brought about by the death of their son after he chased his dog onto the street and get ran over by a speeding car.
While Howie comforts himself with memories of his son by watching old videos on his iPhone, Becca seems to be dealing with the loss differently. Becca seems to be determined to banish anything that reminds her of her child one step at a time, while being annoyingly critical of anyone that offers her a shoulder to cry on. She dreads support groups and refuses to talk about her feelings.
In one of the support group sessions they join, a couple try to console themselves by saying that the reason their child died is that God needed another angel. Becca, totally disgusted, spoils the moment by raising the question, “If he needed another angel, why didn’t he just make one. He’s God, after all. Why didn’t he just make another angel?”
Becca is seemingly strong. Seemingly, the operative word. And these differences between them are starting to take a toll on their marriage.
Genre: Suspense, Thriller Director: Darren Aronofsky Stars: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel
The moment she broke her toe nail, it was on.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky (the same man who gave us The Wrestler and Requiem for a Dream), Black Swan is a passionate, tension-filled suspense drama about a ballerina named Nina (Natalie Portman) who is chosen to play the much coveted lead in New York Ballet Company’s production, Swan Lake.
The role calls for not just a perfect portrayal of the innocent White Swan, but also the much more difficult Black Swan. Although Nina performs the White Swan part faultlessly, she needs more time to perfect the more demanding role — the Black Swan. But as she struggled to get lost in this dark character and receives unsolicited help from the sexually charged Lily (Mila Kunis), she discovers more about her own dark side.
Without a doubt, Natalie Portman nailed the role as if the film was made so she could have her first Academy Award. She was convincing as the innocent Nina, wanting to meet her mother’s expectations and proving she deserves the part. She was also able to successfully transition to the rebellious woman, who would do everything to keep the role.
The Holiday season is over. And if there’s one thing I’m really thankful for, that’s a chance to finally watch daytime TV. You see, I only get to watch weekday morning and afternoon shows during Christmas break and it’s something I enjoy immensely. However, I couldn’t help noticing how local morning programming had changed through the years.
Today, Ben 10, Spongebob Squarepants, Mr. Bean and anime heroes lead the kiddie programs broadscast in the morning. As much as I love Spongebob and Ben 10, I am saddened by how locally produced educational TV shows have gone extinct from free TV. Lucky are we who belong to the generation growing up seeingBatibot and ATBP. Lucky are we who had that chance of singing along to this song every morning of our childhood:
Gusto kong abutin ang tayog ng ulap.
Gusto kong sisirin ang lalim ng dagat.
Gusto kong akyatin ang tuktok ng bundok.
Tuklasin ang hiwaga sa puso ko’y bumabalot...
It’s a shame Hiraya Manawari is not being shown on a major TV channel today. It would have helped my Promil Kid niece and nephew develop a good sense of right and wrong. It would have helped them appreciate lessons about respect, love, discipline, honesty and other values — things they will hardly learn from Mr. Bean and company.
On May 31, 1985, tragedy struck when 41 tornadoes hit Canada and the US, leaving 76 people dead. At the same time, a doomed couple in the Philippines were having the best orgasms of their lives. Nine months (280 days) later, a healthy baby boy was brought into this world by normal delivery. That was exactly a week before Microsoft had its initial public offering.
Today, Yoshke Dimen resides independently in Mandaluyong City. He got a degree in Film from a university in Diliman but is now pursuing a career in Social Media.
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You can reach the author by sending an email to yoshke (at) philippinebeaches.org
