Quick Synopsis: Max is a lonely little boy who runs away after biting his mom to a land where a family of wild creatures is living. He then becomes their king and gets to do "wild" things with them. But things aren't always fun and play. There are moments when people (or creatures) should face their fears and let go of sadness.
Quick Review: The movie is based on a children's book written by Maurice Sendak, which I haven't read yet, FYI. To be honest, I had put off watching this film because it didn't look promising at first. But damn was I wrong!
The movie is very heart-warming. You get annoyed with Max at first, but then you get to see what he really is -- just a lonely little boy. And in our deepest, we are just like Max. Yes, it sounds very cliche but I mean it. We all feel misunderstood at times. We all get lonely. And we all just want to be loved.
And Carol is just one big adorable thing. Don't know what the hell he is, but he's a very relate-able character. He might look scary and strong on the outside (he can even threaten to eat you), but he's just like Max. And he just wants to be kept from being sad.
I'll remember to watch this with my family when I get home.
I am very fond of art. And before you ask, no, I'm not very familiar with art history. And when I go to museum and art spaces, I don't comment on how an art piece transcends spirituality or give one of those hipster comments. In fact, I don't even understand what those mean.
But I do appreciate art. I appreciate it very much. Probably because it distracts me from the monotony of what I see through my eyes and get a chance to see something else. A beauty in a tree, or probably a stone. Why not?
I have been a member of Deviant Art for 2 years now. I frequented the site before that as I am also in a circle of friends who appreciate art and visit the site often. It's a treasure trove of talent! Just hit the main page and you'll see loads of amazing works of art -- some by professionals and some by regular people like you and me.
One of the people I first met at the site was "mloyangdrawlo". This is her first work that met my eye.
There's warmth in the photo. Pretty much like drinking red wine. And on top of that, the caption is a snippet from Wonderwall by Oasis. It just fits perfectly. I looked at her other works and I really like a lot of the photos she take. Soon enough I discovered her drawing and paintings, and I was like "Holy crap! That is amazing!" (*I'd fall off a chair if I had one*)
Now again, I don't know much about art. But many of her artworks just make me feel like a child. And the cuddly, sweet feeling that you only get to feel when you're a 5-year-old and haven't been exposed to the cruelties of the world. And if not a child, then a dreamer. Or a taste of memory in the tongue.
And really, really good art are those that can communicate through space, through time, through spirituality. Whoah! Just became a hipster right there.
Just found out from her Deviant Art profile that she got accepted for Bachelor in Fine Arts at Canterbury, United Kingdom. So to those who happen to pass by this blog, what the heck are you doing still loitering around here? Go ahead and see more of her works! :p Here's a direct link to her gallery if you want.
Who would've thought I'd go to one of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) movies. Not that I'm a snotty, snobbish film critic.
"I don't like it. It's not boring enough."
But the MMFF movies have the tendency to be bad -- really bad. Imagine Scary Movie 3 or The Epic Movie and add maybe a little drama to that, then you'll have the usual MMFF movies. Panday, Enteng Kabisote, Shake Rattle & Roll ( I wasn't even born the first time they made Shake Rattle & Roll -- though I did enjoy the first SRR movies), Ang Tanging Ina Mo. And they keep adding sequels to these movies, trying to spin-off every possible story they could squeeze from their brains. Panday meets Enteng. Enteng meets Tanging Ina Mo. I'm still wondering why they never thought of putting aliens in Panday -- now that would be interesting. Maybe not original, but originality rarely matters in MMFF.
But Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story is different. I thought it's interesting the first time I saw the posters but wasn't really thinking of watching it until my friends invited me to the movies. And I thank them for that.
In a gist, the movie is about the life of Asiong Salonga (well, duh?!) as the leader of a gang in Tondo (the most notorious district in Metro Manila). He was a young fella but was able to control parts of Tondo and kept other gangsters at bay, thus protecting the oppressed people of Tondo. Yep! Like Robin Hood!
Now MMFF is not the Oscars, as I told you. But Manila Kingpin is definitely a step up from the usual kitsch movies in mainstream media we have nowadays. Mind you, the movie is not utterly perfect and the flow of the story can be painfully all over the place at times. Then again, this is just the Producer's Cut (in which case, we have to see the Director's cut).
But the film has a lot of merits. One is the cinematography. There are a lot of beautiful stills and shots in the movie, which is worth an Academy Award if I may say so. The action scenes are just amazing to behold. Anyone would fall in love with them. I could rant about beautiful scenes in the movie, but then I'd just give away the whole story. My favorite is the shooting scene with the calesa (sorry I can't help myself, I just really love that scene).
The setting is also well-chosen. Cobble-stoned roads, old churches, old houses. It makes me want to visit Tondo for a while. For a moment, I forgot that Tondo is the kind of place where I can get stabbed the moment I step in there.
There are also good performances from the supporting characters. Okay, I don't really like Jeorge Estregan for the role. Let's see. He's not very likable for me. I hated watching him, especially his love scenes with the beautiful girls in the movie. They made me cringe really. They reminded me a lot of Danny Trejo kissing Lindsay Lohan/Jessica Alba/Michelle Rodriguez in Machete or Tommy Wiseau's sex scene in The Room .
"Eeek! My conscience wouldn't let me show the still for the sex scene"*
Other than that, it's kinda weird when it's revealed at the end that Asiong died at 27 as Jeorge Estregan doesn't look 27 at all.
Back to the supporting characters. Phillip Salvador's performance is really good in this movie, especially towards the end. Baron Geisler and Jay Manalo also carried out their roles really well. At one point in time, I wished Jay Manalo took the role of Asiong. As for the lead female role, we actually thought that Carla Abenally would be painfully awful. But, to our surprise, she did an amazing job!
However, my friends and I are still of the opinion that the film shows or maybe even venerates some nasty things. Misogyny, bending of laws, adultery, the its-ok-if-he-kills-people-as-long-as-he-gives-me-benefits-kind of mentality -- Asiong, then, seems like our typical politician. But then again, maybe that's how people think back in the 40s. Here's to people like me who are hoping to have stronger female characters in the Philippine mainstream cinema in the future.
In general, Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story is a Filipino movie worth seeing. I actually hope they would release the Director's Cut as all the crappy aspects (except for Jeorge Estregan), such as annoying and awkward scenes, would have probably been removed from the movie. So instead of being a movie for campy entertainment (which is usually what the mainstream is), this would actually be a great film. And hopefully, more directors and filmmakers would follow suit.
Anyway, this is also a call. WE WANT THE DIRECTOR'S CUT!
Remember the douchebag named Rick Scott? If not, let me remind you of him here. Okay, so he said sorry after his daughter give him a tut-tut in public. Then why does he come up again?
It's because my country's Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is going to do the the same thing here in the Philippines.
A memorandum issued by the commission in September 2010 said that starting school year 2011-2012, there would be a moratorium on the offering of five programs: nursing, teacher education, information technology, business administration and hotel and restaurant management (HRM).
(Martin 2011, Manila Times; Read the whole article here).
So why bully these courses? Because CHED says the sheer number of graduates is too much for them to handle. Too many grads, not enough jobs. But you see, I'm in the opinion that they're missing the point here.
Not enough jobs? So we pop the balloon of these courses, another balloon will grow and then we pop that one too? Last time I heard, some schools don't even have enough teachers. And if they cut down students taking education, then where will the government get their teachers? And how about the long run? They put a moratorium now, and the next thing we know no one's going to attend to our mutilated legs and life and death crises in the hospitals.
Education, it's a business prospect for these people. College is a factory line. We are nothing but supplies that must fill the current demands.
They make life sound like a boot camp. And I thought they wanted to fight off communism (at least the communism used in China, North Korea and past USSR). Next thing we know they'll be deciding which food to eat, which brands to use, which things to like or which things to hate. Or wait, didn't they start doing that already to the general public?
*"Don't be scared. I'm just gonna hold your breasts. No big deal."*
This is hopefully my final semester in college. It's been a struggle lately. I'm anxious when thinking about graduation. All sorts of worries, doubts, etc come creeping into my head when I think about it. But I only have to deal with two Physical Education (PE) classes this semester (and that one academic subject I need to complete before the semester ends).
The problem is I'm not a very big fan of sports. Academics I can more or less deal with, even at times when I'm just dragging my feet. But PE -- that's a different story.
One of my issues (that I have to solve) is that I hate doing things that I find senseless. I don't like going to lectures where I know the teacher's just messing with the class because I won't get anything from the experience anyway (kinda the reason why I got an incomplete for one subject). I'd rather stay at home than endure a painful lecture then bang my head on the wall after listening to crap.
Well PE is not crap, but I don't see the whole point of it being required in the college level. Who are they kidding anyway? Requiring students to take 4 PE classes each doesn't make us any healthier. It just makes us more stressed because a.) it's difficult to get any PE subject when every person in the university has to take four, and b.) it just adds to the strain we have to endure when we are already mentally and physically stressed from the academic work (try having just 15 min of sleep in 48 hours just to finish a term paper -- and do that repeatedly).
Add this dilemma to the mix of doubts on the whole graduation/getting-a-job-after-work affair, then everything just becomes a train wreck.
Part II:
To escape the chaos of university life, I took two part-time jobs. One is home-based and the other is an office job. This proved to be a bad idea.
What I do in the office job is reviewing documents and digitizing them. I spend the entire day inside a freezing cold office, my butt on the same seat the entire day, flipping through the files then scanning them. It pays well, but it requires much more of my emotional confidence.
It's a very significant project, I can say that. I don't doubt the importance of the work I have to do. It's just the mind-numbing drag that is the whole thing. And then I feel insignificant. In a place like that, there is no room for learning or creativity. You write what you read, you scan. That's it. You succumb to your boss (and accept whatever annoying little comment he has to make that may degrade your entire soul). I hate it.
The whole place suffocates me. I feel caged every time I'm in the office.
And then I become more anxious than I already was. Is this the kind of life waiting for me after I graduate? Is this what I have to do to earn? Then money, for me, becomes undesirable -- hateful even -- if I have to be thrown in a cage like that.
Part III
Pathetic. And so this is what I'm going to be. And this is how people will look at me because I refuse to go with the herd -- like Will the Krill. Or maybe, like that ridiculous crustacean, I'm just trying to bite off more than I can chew.
When a meme hits you, it hits you bad. You can't sleep, you can't think of anything else, you can't eat (there's some contention about that). It fills your head until you say to yourself, "Ah crap! I'm going to join the bandwagon otherwise I won't have anything done". Look at how 9gag has taken many souls -- it must be the devil itself (some Christian church in Southern USA might've already thought it is, or maybe not). And yeah, I "browse" through 9gag every now and then (like maybe 8 hours a day, not bad).
So here's a meme I found. It's actually a Top 100 favorite songs, but I don't think I'm already Asian level (if you're on 9gag, you'll get that) in music to have something like that.
So I whip up a Top 10. Not in chronological order, by the way. I'm not like Rob Gordon of High Fidelity that makes list in a particular order (chronological, ascending, autobiographical).
Here goes.
1.) Lisztomania (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix) by Phoenix
Phoenix started back in the mid-90s, but released their first album in 2000. Their songs had been played in two movies, Shallow Hal (with Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow) and Lost in Translation (with Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson; watched this film back in high school and never really got it). They won a Grammy in 2010 for Best Alternative Rock Music.
The song feels pretty much like being on acid trip just because listening to it gives off the feeling of floating on air. I guess it has something to do with Thomas Mars's voice. I like his voice and the beat of the song is really great. The first few lines go like this: "So sentimental. Not sentimental, no. Romantic, not disgusting yet".
AWOLNATION is a pretty recent band. They began in 2009 after the vocalist, Aaron Bruno, was here and there with the major labels. The song is pretty much about not properly dealing with the "normal" flow of life. Something I can very pretty much relate with. "Maybe I should cry for help/Maybe I should kill myself...Maybe I'm a different breed/Maybe I'm not listening." Bruno's voice is also filled with force and beauty -- another reason to like the song.
Very obvious answer, maybe. Most people like (or maybe should like) this song. Lou Reed's voice is just so chill, makes you feel chill too. "And that, y'know, children are the only ones who blush. And that, life is just to die."
The song comes from SNoW's debut album. It is featured (as well as another one of her songs called Nightmare) in an anime called Jigoku Shoujo or Hell Girl (watched it and I love the first two seasons; the last season was a drag and forced). She's a Japanese singer, but she has a few songs in English (On and On; I'm No). I'm not sure if she's still in the Japanese music scene as it is difficult to stay well-known in their music industry (save for Arashi and Utada Hikaru, and maybe Morning Musume).
SNoW has a very soulful voice that transcends to the heart. Her voice is just amazing. I can't remember the exact translation of the song but the title means "Inverted Butterfly". I love the video too!
5. Solanin (Magic Disk) by Asian Kung Fu Generation
The lyrics of the song came from the manga of the same name written by Inio Asano, which was later made into a movie. Both the manga and the movie are really good. I adore Asano's What a Wonderful World manga (a collection of one-shot mangas). Asian Kung Fu Generation was commissioned to make the lyrics written in the manga into an actual song as the actors (who are in a band) have to sing it in the movie. And they did a pretty good job.
The song (and the film) is about leaving your past and moving on. Rough translation of a part of the song (from here): "Even if that frail happiness had somehow lingered on/A bad seed would've surely sprouted/So, I guess this is goodbye."
I found out they're Canadians a few months ago and was excited. I like Canada! Well because my mother had been there before (when I was 8) and she told me a lot of nice things about Canada. Plus another one of my fave band, Tegan and Sara, are from Canada as well!
I have another one of their album (Fantasies) but I like this one better because it's more melodic -- especially this song. "If this is the life why does it feel so good to die today/ Blue to gray/ Grow up and blow away." Emily Haines has a really sweet voice. And she's really sexy!
Linkin Park is the first band I ever liked and got me out of the ditsy world of pop (I was 12!)into the awesome realm of rock. Chester Bennington has a really powerful voice and the emotions there just run deep.
I love this album (their 2nd). The fusion of Eastern instruments, electronica (go DJ Hahn!) and nu rock is just wonderful. I read somewhere that Breaking the Habit is about Chester's victory over drug addiction. The lyrics are very powerful and Chester puts in his whole heart in singing it. I remember screaming my lungs out while singing along to this song. "I don't know what's worth fighting for/ Or why I have to scream/ I don't know why I instigate and say what I don't mean/ I don't know how I got this way/ I know it's not alright/ So I'm breaking the habit tonight".
8. Under Pressure (Greatest Hits) by Queen and David Bowie
I love Queen. I adore Freddie Mercury. He has one of the most amazing vocals in the history of music. This is one of my favorite Queen songs, but I chose this for the list because there is so much truth in it. "Pressure pushing down on me/Pressing down on you no man ask for/ Under pressure, that burns a building down/ Splits a family in two/ Puts people on streets."
This is the song that got me following Tegan and Sara. They're Canadian identical twins doing indie music since they were in school and released their first album in 1999 when they were 19. They're thin, high-pitched voice is very unique and makes them very distinct.
I was in high school when I first heard this song and I instantly liked it. It has a right blend of funkiness and bad-ass video. I was taken by Gorillaz and fell in love with their other works - Clint Eastwood, Demon Days, Feel Good, Inc.. I even bought a tape of Demon Days when I was in high school (lost it somewhere, though). I just got a CD of The Fall a day or two ago and I like what I've heard so far. My brother loves them too so I got him their 3rd album, Plastic Beach, for Christmas.
I had the chance to attend the Anatomy of a Massacre talk, which is in accordance to the International Day to End Impunity. The speakers were Ed Lingao from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) and Cristina Palabay from End Impunity Alliance. I was very much interested to go to this talk (sometimes talks are more interesting than university courses) and hear what they have to say on the Maguindanao Massacre. I am a child of Mindanao, and every inch of my being is deeply connected to it. And in many ways, the Maguindanao Massacre has affected me so much.
For a backgrounder on the Maguindanao Massacre, click here.
Ed Lingao started with a video that showed how powerful the Ampatuans are even after the Maguindanao Massacre was publicized. Many of the Ampatuans related to the massacre are now in jail waiting to be convicted. But while they are resting their butts inside the prison, 10 of them still managed to run during the last elections in 2010 and 8 of them actually won. 42 Ampatuans were elected around the Philippines — most of which ran for positions in Shariff Agwak, the fort of the Ampatuans.
The Ampatuan is a politically and economically powerful family with properties all over the country, money stashed everywhere (they’re not very fond of banks, so go look for moolah in their vaults) and a firm grip on Maguindanao. Their lawyer, Fortun, says otherwise. He said he didn’t ASK the exact monetary value of the Ampatuans under his care so he’s not so sure how rich they are, but I just think he was too afraid to ask.
They have a firm hold of the entire Maguindanao province — one of the most impoverished provinces in the country, with most residents not having enough to eat or enough means to support themselves. But take note that this is one of the areas which is heavily funded by our government. Last 2010, 3.42 Billion from the Filipinos’ hard-earned taxes were allotted to Maguindanao. And yet, there is no slight development in the situation of the people. They are still hungry, children can’t afford to go to school, not enough social services. Hey! Some of their employees don’t even get paid for a time! Imagine working almost for free.
And as the people go hungry, the Ampatuans are able to expand their properties, acquire high-tech guns and ammunition, and fund a private army composed of vigilantes hired by the government. Hey! They are even rich enough to hire Fortun (and maybe Fortun should consider that). And they even have a mosque inside one of their houses! Regular people, eh Fortun?
So what drives these horrific people to still be in power?
First and foremost, our own government. They are kept in power because they keep the higher-ups in power. 1.3 Million voters — that is really something to think about when you’re running for president.
As Sir Ed Lingao said, the Filipino citizens are also responsible for people such as the Ampatuans to stay in power. They are there because we voted for them to be there. They are there because we forget that their purpose is to serve our communities — and this service is not a charity-work or privilege for them to give. They are there because we turn a blind eye to the horrendous things they do — or we accept their actions as if to say, “It’s okay that he killed my neighbor. He gave me money so he should be a good guy and I’ll vote for him” or “Ms. so and so is so great because she gave us a TV and so I’ll forget that she got my brother stabbed”. We don’t hold them accountable for their actions. So my fellow countrymen, the next time you vote please consider this: your vote, your politician, your responsibility. And since s/he is your responsibility, you must hold her accountable for every crap s/he does.
Ms. Cristina Palabay commented that many of the massacres around the Philippines are state-perpetuated. Many of them are supported or even initiated by the government officials. In the Jabidah Massacre, 200 soldiers from Sulu were killed as instructed by Marcos for abandoning their mission to capture Sabah. 7 farmers were killed and 27 had gun shots in the Hacienda Luisita Massacre in 2004 because they were fighting (with stones and sticks against the heavy armaments of the police and the military) for their right to own the lands that they have tilled across the years — which is, by the way, is rightfully theirs because Hacienda Luisita was bought by the Cojuangcos (related to the Aquinos) using government money with the promise to give these lands to the farmers after several years. As the Cojuangcos stay in the economic echelons of the country, and the Aquinos stay in their political seats, they keep an iron hand on these lands. So hard is their grip that they’d cast the first shot at the bare farmers.
To know more about the crap of the Aquino-Cojuangcos, click here.
When the most revered mother-hen Aquino — Cory Aquino — was in power, 13 unarmed farmers were shot in Mendiola during a rally. In the regime of Cory’s son — Noynoy Aquino — there are already 65 victims of extrajudicial killings. So that’s what he was been busy with for the past year. Instead of doing true and good reforms, he gets people killed. Oh, but he also awarded the tree in front of his house! What an action man he is (*sarcasm*).
The political situation in the Philippines sounds like a shogunate (not exactly, but I’m trying to do an allegory here) with warlords, private armies and enslaved people. A lot of innocent people have been killed since the American colonization because they were fighting for their rights — rights that clash with the greediness of rich people. Conflict of interest, as Marx said (oh shit! I’m gonna be marked as a communist *sarcasm*). In Arroyo’s term alone, around 1,200 were victims of extrajudicial killings — and she even hunted down, with her pet Jovito Palparan, students, farmers, ordinary people.
The military gets top one in the National Budget and still they get the people killed . Lest they forget, their salaries and benefits come from the people who work and pay taxes which go to the National Budget. And these hounds don’t really protect the people (which should be their job), but put them in danger instead. And by the way, with the tons of massacres in the country, none of those responsible have been convicted. Makes you feel safe, doesn’t it? (*sarcasm*)
For my last call: End Impunity! Do not let these people kill more people.
And a few quotes from Sir Ed Lingao:
“Journalism is about change”.
“Filipinos have fallen in love with revolutions. But real change comes from one’s self”.
