Fight myself to defend my mom.
Model: Januari Silva
Location: Mini Forest (outside the campus of Miriam College)
Date: Last year
Critic Review: Dinig Sana Kita(Filipino Film)
I think it is just right that I do a full review on this movie and will be seeing it again after recommending it to friends. I know that this movie will be released this year, and they should whilst the iron is hot. The movie has great word of mouth popularity and I think that they should not let the heat settle down, they should release it while every one is eager to see it. Almost every screening has been sold out and they have to open up another slot for another screening. IT IS that famous. Plus among the movies in competition this one got its first commercial release late this month.
"Dinig Sana Kita" is a story about a troubled rocker teenager who has issues with his parents and a deaf dancer who is looking for his mother. The two cross each others lives when they first met in a police station. They got to know each other more when both of them attended a sort of summer camp to bridge the differences of deaf/mute people with people with normal speech and hearing that lead to a budding friendship.
This movie proved that you do not have to go all out crying to be that dramatic. Filipino mainstream filmmakers nowadays feel the need to create a tearjerker movie that has lots of actual tears. Something that most poignant moments are those well executed scenes such as the after the dance recital scene. There were hardly tears in it but it was well played, well acted. Sincere and heartfelt.
What I liked most about the movie was the fact that it was a family/friendship/message movie disguising as a love story movie. The movie delved on the characters' personal issue more than building up the chemical romance between the two leads. Interesting to think that the story was not that original, nor groundbreaking, but it was epic in its execution and story telling. It too was exceptionally acted. Zoe Sandejas as the lead troubled rocker chick was a breakthrough and a revelation. But for me it was Romalito Mallari's whose star shone the most. I said it before and I will said it again., he gave one of those performance that they need not say anything to convey emotion despite that he was born deaf.
Mike Sandejas proved to us that after two movies, he can make movies about contemporary living worthwhile watching. Movies about love, family teen angst and all that thingmajigs are commonplace and banal. Sandejas made the typical story to a wonderfully spun gold, beautifully made wonder. Plus I admire his love for music.
This will be shown in Robinsons Galleria starting from August 26 to Sept. 1, 2009.
Critic Review: The Last Journey of Ninoy
“The Cojuangco-Aquino clan is our Kennedy … in wealth, power, influence, tragedies." Indeed, much like the colorful Kennedy clan in the US, no other family has captured the Philippines’ imagination in recent history than Ninoy and Cory’s extended relations, from the famous couple down to grandson Baby James who is fast gaining a fan base.
For the generation reared in the age of megabits and terabytes, the family’s saga is neatly encapsulated in the docu-drama “The Last Journey of Ninoy" that played on the television nationwide in ABS-CBN at 10:45pm. It is a film very much worth watching, not only as a visual reminder to youngsters who have only heard about Martial Law from their parents, but also for its excellent editing and story-telling styles.
Essentially, the film re-enacts the last few days of Ninoy’s life - from the time he said goodbye to his family in Boston to board the plane that would take him to Los Angeles, Singapore and across the border to Johore in Malaysia, then Hong Kong and Taipei, up to his arrival in Manila on August 21, 1983. The uncertainty on his face when military agents picked him up to escort him out of the plane will forever be etched in the minds of viewers, as we all know what happened when he reached the tarmac.
Interspersed in the day-to-day accounts are significant anecdotes from Ninoy Aquino’s life as a political whiz kid, his spiritual transformation in prison for seven years and seven months under Martial Law, the political enmity between him and the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, his exile in the US, and finally, martyrdom in the Philippines.
The film made good use of archival footage that were sometimes blurred and grainy, but still very effective in recalling historic events. For prison scenes, illustrations conveyed the anguish of Cory and her children, although some could have been rendered in a more compelling style. The re-enactment showed mercifully short takes of Bam Aquino in the role of his uncle, avoiding the melodramatic tendencies of many Filipino directors. Some of the highlights of the film are the candid interviews with Cory Aquino just a few months before she passed away, as she recalled not only the hardships but also the coping strategies of the family in dealing with their political enemy.
One particular tearjerker was Cory’s narration of their visit to Ninoy in a military camp in Laur, Nueva Ecija, when she saw her husband cry for the first time, his steely resolve nearly crumbling as he held up his pants and squinted through a mesh-wire fence to talk to his family (the soldiers had taken away his belt and eyeglasses). There was a bit of comic relief when Cory revealed that she had taken tranquilizers before the visit, making Ninoy wonder why she was so calm and composed while he was breaking down in front of the children.
Some of the scenes may revive half-forgotten memories from the recent past, such as Cory’s reference to Ninoy’s cell mate Jose “Pepe" Diokno, one of the leading anti-US bases activists who suffered greatly under the Marcos regime. There is also a dramatized excerpt of a dolled up Imelda Marcos fretting anxiously beside a bed where aides are attending to her unconscious husband, tubes and all. Unfortunately, the caricature diminishes the impact of the scene’s message: the persistent conspiracy theory that she and some generals may have known more about Ninoy’s assassination than Ferdinand Marcos, who was reportedly incapacitated at that time.
The snippets of Ninoy’s speeches juxtaposed with sound bites of Marcos showed both men at the peak of their form: one relishing his political power, the other recalling his ordeal in prison. The good versus evil conflict predictably puts the spotlight on the redemption of Ninoy; it is his film, after all – but unwittingly, it also shows the tragedy of Marcos as a Gollum-like character clinging desperately to Malacañang.
In the scene where Ninoy lashes out at Marcos’ plans to change the form of government from presidential to parliamentary so he could prolong his stay in the palace, one could almost hear the same thought running through the viewers’ minds: sounds like the current occupant of Malacañang, isn't it?
Next month, the country marks the 37th anniversary of Martial Law. It would be good if “The Last Journey of Ninoy" is shown at the House of Representatives, where the lessons from that bleak chapter in the nation’s history have yet to sink in. Better yet, it should be required viewing for all politicians who have a hard time letting go. Ultimately, they would have to confront the question: do they want to be remembered with fondness like Ninoy and Cory, or do they want to be vilified like Ferdinand and Imelda?
During their lifetime, Cory and Ninoy displayed leadership and nobility in serving both home and country. “The Last Journey of Ninoy" demonstrates the power of mass media in bringing such stories to life. In watching this film, Filipinos will not only remember the past, but more importantly, they may learn from the insights of those who have gone before them.
Undelivered Speech by Ninoy Aquino
(This is the entire statement as it appears (all-caps, italicized quote, and all) in “A Testimony by Ninoy,” a pamphlet published on September 1, 1983 by the Human Development Research and Documentation office of the La Ignaciana Apostolic Center as Human Society No. 21)
I have returned on my free will to join the ranks of those struggling to restore our rights and freedoms through nonviolence.
I seek no confrontation. I only pray and will strive for a genuine national reconciliation founded on justice.
I am prepared for the worst, and have decided against the advice of my mother, my spiritual adviser, many of my tested friends and a few of my most valued political mentors.
A death sentence awaits me. Two more subversion charges, both calling for death penalties, have been filed since I left three years ago and are now pending with the courts.
I could have opted to seek political asylum in America, but I feel it is my duty, as it is the duty of every Filipino, to suffer with his people especially in time of crisis.
I never sought nor have I been given assurances or promise of leniency by the regime. I return voluntarily armed only with a clear conscience and fortified in the faith that in the end justice will emerge triumphant.
According to Gandhi, the WILLING sacrifice of the innocent is the most powerful answer to insolent tyranny that has yet been conceived by God and man.
Three years ago when I left for an emergency heart bypass operation, I hoped and prayed that the rights and freedoms of our people would soon be restored, that living conditions would improve and that blood-letting would stop.
Rather than move forward, we have moved backward. The killings have increased, the economy has taken a turn for the worse and the human rights situation has deteriorated.
During the martial law period, the Supreme Court heard petitions for Habeas Corpus. It is most ironic, after martial law has allegedly been lifted, that the Supreme Court last April ruled it can no longer entertain petitions for Habeas Corpus for persons detained under a Presidential Commitment Order, which covers all so-called national security cases and which under present circumstances can cover almost anything.
The country is far advanced in her times of trouble. Economic, social and political problems bedevil the Filipino. These problems may be surmounted if we are united. But we can be united only if all the rights and freedoms enjoyed before September 21, 1972 are fully restored.
The Filipino asks for nothing more, but will surely accept nothing less, than all the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the 1935 Constitution — the most sacred legacies from the Founding Fathers.
Yes, the Filipino is patient, but there is a limit to his patience. Must we wait until that patience snaps?
The nation-wide rebellion is escalating and threatens to explode into a bloody revolution. There is a growing cadre of young Filipinos who have finally come to realize that freedom is never granted, it is taken. Must we relive the agonies and the blood-letting of the past that brought forth our Republic or can we sit down as brothers and sisters and discuss our differences with reason and goodwill?
I have often wondered how many disputes could have been settled easily had the disputants only dared to define their terms.
So as to leave no room for misunderstanding, I shall define my terms:
1. Six years ago, I was sentenced to die before a firing squad by a Military Tribunal whose jurisdiction I steadfastly refused to recognize. It is now time for the regime to decide. Order my IMMEDIATE EXECUTION OR SET ME FREE.
I was sentenced to die for allegedly being the leading communist leader. I am not a communist, never was and never will be.
2. National reconciliation and unity can be achieved but only with justice, including justice for our Muslim and Ifugao brothers. There can be no deal with a Dictator. No compromise with Dictatorship.
3. In a revolution there can really be no victors, only victims. We do not have to destroy in order to build.
4. Subversion stems from economic, social and political causes and will not be solved by purely military solutions; it can be curbed not with ever increasing repression but with a more equitable distribution of wealth, more democracy and more freedom, and
5. For the economy to get going once again, the workingman must be given his just and rightful share of his labor, and to the owners and managers must be restored the hope where there is so much uncertainty if not despair.
On one of the long corridors of Harvard University are carved in granite the words of Archibald Macleish:
“How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms; by truth when it is attacked by lies; by democratic faith when it is attacked by authoritarian dogma. Always, and in the final act, by determination and faith.”
I return from exile and to an uncertain future with only determination and faith to offer — faith in our people and faith in God.
***
Today, we commemorate the martyrdom of Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
Because 26 years ago, he chose to leave his peaceful life in America to return to his homeland, despite threats to his life.
He was supposed to deliver a speech upon his return but was unable to do so when he was killed on the tarmac of the then Manila International Airport.
His death sparked the Philippines’ shining moment in history, as millions of Filipinos joined his funeral march amid fear during former president Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship. Three years later, Aquino’s widow, Corazon, was catapulted to power through the world’s first bloodless, people-led revolt now known as the People Power/ EDSA Revolution.
Although several members of the military were convicted and have served several years in prison for supposedly killing Ninoy Aquino, the question remains: who was the mastermind?
What follows is dubbed as ‘The most famous undelivered speech in Philippine history,’ the alleged speech Ninoy was supposed to read before his supporters above the statements.
All I can say is that those are great speech if he was still alive, no matter what he did is to sacrifice for our country and the Filipinos are worth dying for is that our country needs be changed. Thank you, Ninoy for your great confident, faith in God and faith on us people.
Photoblog: Death of National Hero
We remembered Ninoy Aquino during the time that he was returned back from USA to help our country against Marcoses. That's what I made this photo for him.
Today is his death anniversary.
Photoblog: It's Raining
It was raining yesterday outside of the porch where I just came back from applying work near my place. I do hope that they might be available job positions. Anyway, wish me luck and hoping to find a job soon!!
I'm thinking of getting 365 days project. Probably soon hehe..
Critic Review: Blood The Last Vampire
I haven't seen the short (48 minutes) anime movie released in 2000 that BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE is a live-action remake of, so I can't make comparisons or comment on any differences between them.
I really liked BLOOD, but I should point out that it is very unoriginal - there's nothing here that hasn't been seen in other horror/action thrillers. However, this movie thankfully lacks all the supposedly 'cool' stylish posing of the BLADE and UNDERWORLD films (which grew increasingly tiresome as both those series progressed). There's also an unexpected and wonderfully subtle scene in which ancient half-vampire heroine Saya enters a classroom on her first day at the school, and it's clear from the look in her eyes as she glances over her classmates that she has absolutely nothing in common with these children.
The movie is set in 1970 (the events in the original anime apparently take place in 1946) but apart from the lack of mobile phones, it might as well be the present. I'm guessing that BLOOD is a UK co-production based on the number of British actors in the cast: apart from Salmon, there's also Larry Lamb (who normally gets cast as Cockney villains) and Liam Cunningham, all playing Americans.
The film's many action scenes are competent and well handled, without being anything truly special. The most impressive is a early skirmish in which a badly-outnumbered Saya battles against several dozen demon opponents in an alleyway during a rainstorm. However, a lengthy period swordfighting flashback not only occurs too late in the narrative to be effective, but actually slows the film down when it should be building up to it's finale. And it's unfortunate that the climatic action sequence borrows heavily from setpieces seen in the recent genre movies UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION and WANTED.
But despite these shortcomings, as stated earlier I enjoyed BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE and would recommend it, provided that you're prepared for it's lack of originality.
Intriguingly, the movie's basic premise - an immortal, demon-hunting female warrior, who still looks like a teenager despite being several centuries old, enrolling into a private school and posing as a student - is near identical to the second season of the British television series HEX, which was screened in 2005. Also, not only did Colin Salmon play one of the teachers in HEX, but that show and BLOOD both have scenes in which the villains attempt to kill the main character's sidekick during a private ken-do lesson, only to be foiled by the heroine's unexpected intervention. 8/10
Critic Review: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
This movie will leap and bound like a solider in an accelerator suit to the hearts of anyone who's ever owned an action figure. At one point, the bad guys' resident ninja assassin Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) is trying to escape the top-secret G.I. Joe underground training facility, and he runs over to an unidentified machine and climbs inside. I can't think of anything more fitting than what happens next: it turns into a jetpack and Storm Shadow flies across the room. While the darkening of the summer blockbuster has produced plenty of good movies, I don't know how anyone could claim to enjoy popcorn films or B-movies and not want to see a ninja flying a jetpack. Forget the overlong, extra-serious Transformers films; this is the finest brand of fun, big-budget schlock.After a prologue in the 1600s (this movie has a prologue in the 1600s!), we skip ahead to the near future, where a weapons manufacturing company run by James McCullen (Christopher Eccleston) has just finished their latest invention. Using nanobot technology, their missiles will literally consume their targets, whether that means tanks, planes, or entire cities. The first four are packaged and given to the U.S. Military, who sends an entire convoy to deliver them. En route, the deliverymen are attacked by a ship carrying Baroness (Sienna Miller), who attempts to kill everyone and steal the missiles. Soliders Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) fight back and are prepared to die protecting the payload when General Hawk (Dennis Quaid) and his elite team step in to save them. Duke and Ripcord are taken to the Joes' base, and they join to try and stop the missiles from being stolen again.
The movie's ludicrous imagination kicks in almost immediately. At first, Duke and Ripcord train on fairly standard, if unrealistically advanced courses, like a shooting gallery with holographic targets and in hand-to-hand combat using big, futuristic-looking sticks. Then the movie just cuts to a short clip of Duke piloting an underwater spaceship-looking thing in a miles-long tank filled with giant rings, and my brain was happy to shut off and enjoy the spectacle. Other critics will say it's just like a video game, but it's so unabashedly, gleefully, purposefully like a video game that I kind of think that's the idea. In the accelerator suit chase through the streets of Paris (seen in most of the trailers), Scarlett (Rachel Nichols) flies after Duke and Ripcord on a commandeered civilian motorcycle that magically moves about 300 miles an hour, and all I could think of was driving motorcycles like that in Grand Theft Auto.
Speaking of that chase sequence, it's a jaw-dropping tidal wave of awesomeness, with Duke, Ripcord and Scarlett aided by the silent good-guy ninja Snake Eyes (Ray Park), clinging to the underside of the villains' Hummer as the group causes untold amounts of damage. Cars fly through the air like they're made of paper and buildings are reduced to craters, all at a dizzying, breakneck speed. It even changes method of transport, switching from a car chase to a foot chase without missing a beat. I promise, at the very least, this fifteen minutes alone is worth your hard-earned matinee dollars.
The Joes are all well-cast. Personally, I liked Rachel Nichols and Marlon Wayans, who are both charismatic and have an entirely playful chemistry with each other. I didn't even mind Wayans' cheesy comic relief. His jokes aren't particularly funny, but he doesn't scream for attention the way he has in other movies, and all of his comedy bits put together couldn't take up more than ten minutes. My only complaint is that I'd have liked to see more of Dennis Quaid's General Hawk. There's a scene in the movie that briefly reminded me of Innerspace, and while it's totally not right for the character, I still would have liked to see him slip a bit of "the Tuck Pendleton machine" (zero defects!) into the role.
The good guys are complemented by a solid roster of villains. Christopher Eccleston, as far as I can tell, is supposed to be the main bad guy, and he's good at standing around in fine suits, sneering and being slimy (and when given the chance, he wisely refuses to reveal his evil plot), but for all intents and purposes, I'd say his evildoing in the movie is equal to that of Sienna Miller's Baroness. The shared history she has with Duke is worked in to varying degrees of success over the course of the film, but even without it, she's got more personality than any of the other action-movie villains I've seen this year (both the villains in Wolverine AND Terminator were silent!). Minor spoiler ahead. Skip to the next paragraph to avoid reading it. There's also a psychotic doctor (of course there is!), played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and he really dredges up some entertaining evil, covered with creepy makeup and practically cackling some of his lines. The only letdown is he spends most of the movie with his voice altered, which takes away from the experience of seeing him play the role.
It's all about tone, and director Stephen Sommers has it down. I haven't seen Deep Rising, which by several accounts is his most entertaining picture, but I've always thought he deserved a little more credit than he gets. If Sommers made slightly better movies, he'd be a genre favorite on par with Sam Raimi (certainly the directorial style of Van Helsing owes more than a little debt of gratitude to Army of Darkness). Despite rumors he was fired, this is his movie through and through, the kind of movie where a character calmly admires a military complex hidden under the polar ice caps because "It's the perfect hiding place. Undetectable and untraceable," and not because it's totally freaking ridiculous. Sommers even brings a few friends with him, including the reliably weaselly Kevin J. O'Connor, Arnold Vosloo, and another fun cameo I won't spoil. The Rise of Cobra is just like the Joes themselves: gets in, gets the job done, and gets out clean, all because Sommers knows what he's doing. And as they say, knowing. I give them 7/10
4 Honor Guards of Cory Aquino
photo credit by AFP
“I believe that during these times, we should not forget that many sacrificed to regain our democracy.” - Corazon Aquino
I later found out their names as Pfc. Antonio Cadiente, Airman 2nd Class Gener Laguindam, Petty Officer 3 Edgardo Rodriguez and Police Officer 1 Danilo Maalab. How they withstood it motionless for so long is their own way of sacrifice, selflessness and strength as tribute to the remains of a former president. I salute to you guys..
I will not forget the people who sacrificed their lives for democracy.
I will make sure that we, Filipinos are aware of the implications of the Constituent Assembly before the 2010 elections, and that we should oppose Charter Change perpetuating President Arroyo and her allies in power.
I will continue with the fight, to help maintain our democracy.
Proud to be Filipino
"L" the sign which means Laban (Fight)
We, Filipinos, eager to fight for freedom, democracy during the time of EDSA I Revolution. Cory is one of the First Female Philippine President to be able to stand on the ground to fight against Marcoses.
We also want to thank you for being our President and being loving mother to us. We know that you are in heaven to be reunited with Ninoy, your husband. We are proud to be a Filipino because of you, tita cory! We will be miss you so much!! God Bless You!
Two events: Baptismal and Movie Time
Derrick James Oliveros
He is the son of my highschool classmate back in Kostka. I am his Ninang(Godmother) and I didn't know why he(Jong) had to choose me just because of his mom and my mom were friends when we were studied in the same school. Jong is his nickname the dad of Derrick is one of my friend that he usually taking care of me the time I was studying. He's been a good friend of mine since I couldn't talk. Back then, I was super shy and couldn't approach anyone haha. Super nerd talaga ako haha.
All of my friends are married at the young age even I couldn't think of getting married. I am not ready for that. I just graduated with second course and I have to find a decent job. *prays harder*
****
After that, we went to Shangri-la to watch " The Proposal". My critic review in this movie:
This film was fab. I laughed when I watch the whole part and everybody was laughing. Sandra & Ryan worked really well together and the whole story was delightful. At first I wasn't so sure this pair would pull it off as she's much older than him but they did and it worked. Sandra looked great and I felt a great connection between them both. This is not just a chick flick this is a great film for everybody and is full of laughs!!!The plot is superb and there were a few funny twists a long the way. Ryan never fails to bring a sarcastic comedy to all his roles and he definitely dosn't let his fans down. We see Sandra in a more serious way at first compared to most of her other films but she also never lets us down. GREAT AND A MUST SEE.
The date supposed last night. Not today.
Philippines Mourn Ex- President
This yellow ribbon is a trademark of Auntie Cory.
She was headstrong and single-minded in one goal, and that was to remove all vestiges of an entrenched dictatorship against Marcos.
The uprising she led in 1986(I was born in 1984) ended the repressive 20-year regime of Ferdinand Marcos and inspired nonviolent protests across the globe, including those that ended Communist rule in eastern Europe.
But she struggled in office to meet high public expectations. Her land redistribution program fell short of ending economic domination by the landed elite, including her own family. Her leadership, especially in social and economic reform, was often indecisive, leaving many of her closest allies disillusioned by the end of her term.
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