Goyo and Batang Heneral

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  goyongtrash:

  Remember who you are

  I don’t usually go to the cinema. But when I do, it means I am really interested in the film I’m about to watch.

  Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral is another film we can devour to feed our minds and quench our thirst for quality films.

  After watching this film, you will see how flawed Gen. Goyo was—not something our Hekasi or History teachers taught us. We only grew up knowing that Goyo was the youngest general and that he was brave when he fought the Americans. But that’s it. I didn’t know he was Aguinaldo's favorite. He was a womanizer. He ordered the torture of the Bernal brothers (the security escorts of Gen. Luna), and he was immature. Even his bravery is called into question: did he die for the country, or just for one man?

  However, the most outstanding and unforgettable scene has to be the one between Goyo and Manuel Bernal.

  
  

  

  
  

  When Manuel told Goyo “Gagawin mo ba talaga ang lahat ng inutos ng pangulo? Hindi ka sundalo, isa kang aso. Tahol goyo Tahol!”

  It felt so real and we can still use these lines until today.

  A lot of people compare it to General Luna and say Goyo is not as good as the former. Maybe because General Luna has a shock value, cursing endlessly, and he was very hot headed, opinionated and intense character while Goyo was very soft spoken and quiet. But I beg to differ, Goyo is as good as general Luna. The shock value is still there not with curse words but with the lines the characters tell. We hear Apolinario Mabini’s words that we can ponder and analyze.

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I'm drunk I love you

So, okay. I seldom watch Filipino movies. It’s not about being an elitist or whatever—you'll catch my interest when a movie is political or historical. I also love it when a film has a great soundtrack. I loved Ang Nawawala, and I watched The Breakup Playlist simply because so many real musicians were in it.

Then there’s I'm Drunk, I Love You. They used "Burnout" in it, which is one of my all-time favorite songs. That alone was enough advertising for me. They used it because it truly summarizes the entire movie:

“O, kay tagal din kitang minahal...”

Well, seven years to be exact. Carson has been in love with her best friend, Dio, for seven years. But it's an unrequited love.

The story is so simple yet so good—well, maybe that's just for me. The acting is so natural. Plus, the actor who played Gibson in Ang Nawawala [Dominic Roco] plays Jason Ty, Carson's gay best friend. He’s the one who always says “time check” to snap Carson out of her stupidity when it comes to love.

They go to La Union for a music festival. I love the simple, relatable moments that make it feel so realistic—like when they arrive, and Carson and Jason Ty go out for a drink while Dio stays in the hotel room to sleep because he drove for hours. Or when Carson lists all the foolish things she did each year starting from 2008. But the next morning, she sees Dio with "Pathy with an H." Pathy is his ex, and they are trying to rekindle their relationship.

I'm Drunk, I Love You is a tale of two best friends where one falls in love and the other just can’t feel the same way. My favorite scene is when Carson finally tells Dio she loves him. She bargains with herself, wishing Pathy would just stay in the restroom for five minutes so she can look at him and cherish those final moments, knowing that everything will change after that night.

In the end, they visit the bar where they usually hang out, but it’s closed because it’s a Sunday. There is a long silence between them. But when Carson starts to laugh, they begin talking again, and "Burnout" starts playing—drowning out their dialogue so we can't hear what they're saying.

Well, here is their actual conversation according to the creator of the movie:

In the end, I thought there might still be a chance between the two of them. I was confused by the final scene where they were in the car, just being sweet to each other. I wasn't sure if it was a video recorded before or after Carson said "I love you."

But it seems to be a video of their sweet moments from when they were first starting out as friends—especially now that I know what was said during that inaudible conversation.

Carson will move on. Dio doesn’t love her.

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The noise of Citizen Jake

Before watching Citizen Jake, I told myself I needed to see other works by Mike De Leon. Batch '81 is one of the best films I’ve ever seen. I had already seen Sister Stella L., and then, a few hours before watching CJ, I stumbled upon Kisapmata and understood why it’s such an iconic film. Released in the '80s, it introduced us to new ideas and concepts that were never tackled in mainstream cinema back then.

Fueled by enthusiasm and eager to see another great Mike De Leon film, I watched Citizen Jake alone at Glorietta. Well, I wasn't entirely alone, since I saw a few familiar faces. I saw the St. Scho nuns, led by Sister Mary John Mananzan—a famous activist nun.

I’m quite sad that the theater wasn't that full. If I'm not mistaken, I was one of the youngest people inside the cinema, and I'm already 28. So, that wasn't a great sign for the film's turnout.

Another thing is that there seems to be a rift between Mike and Atom Araullo. You can check Citizen Jake’s official Facebook page to know more about Mike’s rants.

People should watch this film. This is Mike’s bravest and most political movie yet. He still has that signature "shock value." He lambasted the Marcoses, Duterte, and almost everyone in politics with iconic lines like “election na naman, new set of assholes.” That kind of bold commentary is a rare thing to see in movies nowadays.

Though there are things that I don’t quite get. There are too many things happening around Jake Herrera and his family: a corrupt and violent father and brother, the disappearance of his mother, and too many family secrets. Plus, his relationship with his girlfriend, Mandy; a murdered prostitute; a local election; and his career.

Atom’s portrayal of Jake is hit-or-miss. His dialogue and some of his argument scenes seem a bit too rehearsed (mostly when he is with his father and brother). They also look and sound unnatural.

But in the very intense and dramatic scenes—like (spoilers ahead!) when he learns that Jonie (Adrian Alandy), his best friend, has been working with his brother by feeding him secrets—he is deeply enraged, and Atom's performance becomes really convincing. Another scene is when he discovers that his caretakers, Jonie’s parents, knew about his mother's disappearance all along; you can really see the emotion in his eyes.

The rest of the cast members are really commendable. I never thought Max Collins would be this good in the film. I’d only ever known her from her comedic roles on Bubble Gang—you know, the usual hot girl belittling the likes of Diego. You get my point.

I’d even say that, at times, she completely overshadows Atom. Take the scene where Mandy finds her mentee, Grace, dead: she’s standing right beside Atom, but you won’t even notice him. Your eyes go straight to Max, and you get completely carried away by her acting. Max brings out the raw emotion that Atom can't quite deliver when a scene begs for it—though, in one of his final scenes, Atom does manage a single tear falling from his left eye.

Gabby Eigenmann and Atom’s scenes together are hilarious. I couldn't help but laugh whenever Gabby brought up The Godfather. He has truly mastered the art of playing an antagonist—I get irritated just seeing his face.

Like Gabby, another antagonist you'll love to hate is Cherie Gil, who brings her signature Lavinia Arguelles attitude to the role. She plays a former mistress of Ferdinand Marcos who now acts as a pimp for various politicians.

The supporting cast—including Adrian Alandy, Dina Bonnevie, Teroy Guzman, and Lou Veloso—also adds great depth to the movie.

As people usually say, Filipinos tend to forget the past. Citizen Jake reminds us of what happened when we were under strongman rule. Well, we are beginning to experience it again: the Marcoses finding ways to return, Duterte’s dictator-like tendencies, and the collateral damage from the fight against drugs.

You may not agree with everything the movie tells you, but as Teroy Guzman said, “It’s dangerous to be outspoken, but it’s more dangerous to stay quiet.”

Citizen Jake is the noise Mike De Leon and his team are making. Let’s listen. Let’s think. Let's try to prevent history from repeating itself.

Photos grabbed from Citizen Jake facebook account.

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Ang Nawawalang movie review

For several days, I've been thinking of getting myself a turntable. It's quite an expensive purchase—even vinyl records are expensive. Then I watched Ang Nawawala. I saw how Gibson (the lead character) gets "high" when he listens to his favorite tunes on a turntable, and now I need one ASAP.

Anyway, I've been wanting to watch Ang Nawawala for a while. I already had the movie’s soundtrack, and I liked the songs before, but watching the film gave me a completely different perspective. The story revolves around Gibson, who stopped speaking when he was 10 after an accident occurred that killed his twin brother right before his eyes. Years later, he meets Enid, the cool girl at a local rock show. Imagine dating a guy who doesn't speak, deeply enjoys music, and has a heavy, serious outlook on life.

I wrote here before that I loved the scene in Starting Over Again (or The Breakup Playlist) where Piolo Pascual and Sarah Geronimo talked using album titles while at a CD store. I used to wonder where they got that idea, or which film did it first. It seems Ang Nawawala did it first—well, maybe not first, but whatever! Hehe. I especially love the scene where Gibson and Enid just quietly listen to old music together. Silence can really mean a lot of things.

Just when things are getting better between Enid and Gibson, Enid realizes that she still loves her ex-boyfriend. When asked why she’s going back to him, she says something like, "because he's there." We always search for what isn't there and sometimes forget what's right in front of us. Enid really pulled a Summer Finn on Gibson—that's so sad, right? Yep, it ended on a very sad note, but at least he spoke in the end, so I guess it's still a happy ending.

Can I just say good job to Bogs Jugo! Haha, I really miss him in the local music scene. He was the former drummer of Pupil, and I never knew he could act! I was pleasantly surprised. Another one of my favorite scenes is when Declan (Bogs' character) sings a song to Enid. In that scene, you get the picture—or it at least drops a major hint—that they still love each other. He sang "No End in Sight." The way Declan looked at Enid... I felt so much kilig!

I also loved the cemetery scene where Gibson and the ghost of his dead brother are smoking and crying. It gives you such a somber, heavy feeling.

I only hate that they didn't show Gibson talking to his dad—his dad, who was trying so hard to stay jolly in spite of everything.

Ang Nawawala is easily one of my favorite movies of all time. A simple love story with complicated characters who love indie music.

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The Break-up Playlist

While using Spotify, I came across The Breakup Playlist OST. There was a cover of "With a Smile" by Piolo Pascual. Of course I didn’t love it, but label anything with the Eraserheads or just mention them in a movie or TV show, and it will immediately catch my attention.

So, I watched it with low expectations since I heard it was a rip-off of the music-centered movie Begin Again.

Like Begin Again, the first few scenes show the protagonist in a bar singing with a guitar, right after a heartbreak. Then it shows Sarah (Trixie) and Piolo (Gino) breaking up inside a car with the line, "Do me a favor, umalis ka na rin sa buhay ko." Later, they are reunited years after their breakup and are offered a reunion concert alongside the latest "IT" love team. Leave it to a Pinoy film to infuse the story with our local obsession with love teams! After that, the movie shifts to the backstory of Trixie and Gino’s romance.

They first meet at a music camp, which immediately held my interest. I’ve always daydreamed about attending the Elements Music Camp, where respected vocalists, guitarists, bassists, and songwriters gather to mentor aspiring artists. Gabby Alipe of Urbandub even makes a cameo as one of the mentors.

One of the best parts of the movie takes place in a record store, where the main characters answer each other's questions using album covers. I don't know if this was an original concept or if other movies have done it before, but I loved the idea. When Trixie asks Gino how he's currently feeling, he picks the Eraserheads' Sticker Happy, covering the "Sticker" part. When Trixie answers the same question, she picks Cynthia Alexander's Insomnia and Lullabies and points to "Comfort in Your Strangeness." It was awesome seeing these classic and underground albums highlighted in a mainstream film.

During a party scene, several familiar faces from the local music scene pop up: Yael Yuzon, Ebe Dancel, Tedmark Cruz, Quark Henares, and Pochoy Labog. I literally said, "OMG, is this for real?" when Pochoy appeared, and said it again when Basti Artardi sang with Sarah Geronimo! In another moment while they were just hanging out, I think only a few people in the theater caught the joke when Quark called her "Tracy" instead of Trixie—a fun nod to his real-life partner, radio jock Tracy Abad.

Looking at more comparisons: Much like Mark Ruffalo’s character in Begin Again, Gino is arrogant and aggressive. Keira's and Sarah’s hairstyles are also pretty similar, and both feature unusual pairings where the male lead pushes the female lead to form a band and write music together.

Sarah’s acting feels very natural, though she tends to get typecast as the shy, good-natured non-drinker. Piolo, on the other hand, is a bit hard to buy as a rockstar—his polished good looks just clash with the typical rock aesthetic, even when he tries hard to act maangas or astig.

I didn't like their song interpretations of my former favorite songs, "With a Smile" and "Huwag na Huwag mong Sasabihin". Unlike Begin Again were the theme song "Lost Stars"is really catchy and LSS worthy, I didn't like the original songs of The Break-Up Playlist.

In the end, I think I liked it. Not the best, but they infused it with elements that I really like, rockstars and music. The scenes in movie are the exact scenes that goes in my head when I day dream, just take out  the heart break part.

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A Movie Suggestion from a Movie Idiot

I have a bad habit of sleeping at movie theaters. I slept while watching Dark Night and the last one is Transformers II. But I really enjoyed the effects of the latter. It is also peculiar that I’m writing about movies right now.

I am a fan of comedy or romantic comedy type of films. The last movie I’ve seen is Hangover which is the no.1 rated R comedy film. I also like Adam Sandler movies. I have a dream movie. Gusto ko sana magkaroon ng movie ang Pugad Baboy. Yes, you read it right. The comic strip by Pol Medina Jr. I started reading it when I am starting to learn how to read. I think it is not that impossible since the characters of Pugad Baboy already appeared on a music video and commercial. They appeared on Sugarfree’s “Pugad” video. The video revolves about… what else but FOOD!!... They also appeared on a Quaker (tama ba?) commercial basta about food pa rin. The plot of the movie? Kahit ano… siguro pwede nilang gamitin yung mga nagawa na ni Pol like yung mga adventures sa ibang lugar like Palawan, Baguio… o kung saan man. Or kahit ano. Kahit mala the Simpsons the movie…


Since uso yung mga libro na gingawang movie sa Holywood bakit hindi natin yung try. Why not make Bob Ong’s books a movie? Mas maganda sana kung yung ABBNKKBSNPLAko! Since parang biography iyon ng buhay ng author. Gusto ko din sanang masapelikula ang Rant by Chuck Palanhuik. Ang astig ng storya at sa tingin ko mahirap yon gawing movie.

Siguro kulang na kulang ako sa panood ng movies para malaman kung ano maganda at hindi. Last month manood sana ako ng “Kinatay” kaso tapos na nung pumunta ako sa Rob Manila. Indie movies are overrated I think. And that’s good since Phil. Cinema needs movie that has more substance. The first and the last indie movie I’ve seen is “Kubrador” starring Gina Pareno. I am really impressed with the whole story plus characters. You will never see a movie like that in mainstream. I really like to watch lots of indie movies like “Ang Pagdadalaga…”, “Masahista”, “My Fake American Accent”, atbp.

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Munting movie review

Kubrador

Produksyon: MLR films Jogii Alonzo

Mga Artistang Tampok: Gina Pareño, Fons Deza

Direksyon: Jeffrey Jeturian

Ang Kubrador ay isang pelikula kung saan ay magbubukas sa ating puso at isipan sa tunay na kalagayan ng ating ibang mga kababayan kung saan ay inaasa ang ika bubuhay sa pamamagitan ng sugal at ibang paraan na mabilis ngunit iligal o ang pagkapit sa patalim.

Ang Kubrador ay isang “indie film” o independent film, kung saan ay konti lang ang budget sa pagawa ng pelikula. Dahil dito kitang kita sa Kubrador ang pagkakaroon nito, katulad ng halos isa lang ang sikat na artista at ito ay si Gina Pareño. Mapapansin din na isa lang ang kanilang tagpuan at ito ay sa isang squatter’s area. Puro mga baguhan, di kilala o ekstra lamang ang umaakting, ngunit pinakita nila na may ibubuga sila pagdating sa pag akting. Kung tutuusin ay mas mahusay pa sila kaysa mga ibang mga sikat na artista ngayon. Siguro dahil ang istorya ay totoong nagyayari sa kanilang buhay.

Si Gina Pareño (Amy) ay napakahusay dito. Parang totoong istorya niya ang Kubrador. Ang mga ginagamit na salita ay talagang naangkop sa ating panahon at madaling unuwain dahil sa paggamit ng mga balabal na wika. Ang kanyang asawa naman sa Kubrador na si Fons Daza (Eli) ay hindi nagpahuli. Hindi siya nakain sa pag akting ni Gina. Simple at natural pero tamang tama lang dahil ang istorya ay isang “documentary” tungkol sa buhay ng isang kubrador.

Napaka tipikal lang ang tema ng pelikula. Si Amy ay isang kubrador ng huweteng, samantala ang kanyang asawa na si Eli ay tumatao sa kanilang tindahan. Meron silang mga anak. Kakatapos lang ng kanyang anak na lalaki at ito’y binawian ng buhay. Ang kanyang anak na babae naman ay maagang nag-asawa. Ang napangasawa niya naman ay walang silbi kaya sa kanya parin naka asa. Sa kanilang lugar makikitang talamak ang huweteng. Kahit sino ay tumataya bata, matanda, pati mga pulis na dapat ay hinuhuli sila dahil sa gawaing ito. Napapakita dito ang iba’t ibang katangian ng isang Pilipino. Isa dito ang pagiging masipag ni Amy kahit na siya ay may edad na. Sa ating mga Pilipino hanggang kaya pang gumalaw ay mag tratrabaho parin para sa kanyang pamilya. Makikita din dito ang pagiging relihiyoso. Isa pa ang “bahala na” na kaugalian. Makikita din dito ang pagiging matalungin sa ibang tao. At ang laging pagkakaroon ng pag-asa sa ating puso at isipan.

Sa panonood nito ay kailangan matinding pagtutok at pag intindi dahil may mga eksena mahirap intindihin dahil ito ay ang mga term na ginagamit sa huwetengan.

Ang Kubrador ay “eye opener” sa ating mga Pilipino na walang pakielam sa kapwa na pinagsasawalang bahala ang mga biyaya na binigay sa kanya ng Panginoon. Ito din ay isang paraan upang malaman natin ang totoong nangyayari sa likod ng huwetengan. Ang pag-aayos ng numerong patatamain sa bolahan; ang pangungurakot ng ilang nasa kapangyarihan upang kumita mula sa mga taya sa huweteng; ang pakikinabang ng ilang simbahan sa grasyang abuloy ng nagpapahuweteng; ang tapat bagama't naliligaw na pag-asa sa "suwerte" ng mga tumataya at mga kubrador. Masakit mang aminin pero ito ang katotohanan. Ito ay isa lamang sa mga iba pa nating problema. Ngunit kung tutuusin ay napaka hirap puksain. Hangga’t may kahirapan hindi matatangal ang huweteng sa ating bansa. Ito ang napakita ng pelikula.

Maganda, mahusay ang pelikula kahit na ito ay isang “indie film” ngunit ito ay magdudulot sa iyo ng kalungkutan dahil sa mga tagpo at pangyayari. Ito ay nirerekumenda ko na dapat mapanood ng lahat ng tao upang malaman at magising sa katotohanan na nangyayari sa ating bansa.

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Simpson’s The Movie 2D

Simpson’s The Movie 2D
Yehey!! Malapit na!! samahan ninyo ako manood… hehehe

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Nasaan Si Francis?

When I’m was at the record store, I saw this vcd of “Nasaan Si Francis?”. I was about to buy Silent Sanctuary’s Fuchsiang Pag-ibig. I can’t decide what to buy so nag lakad lakad muna ako. Then about an hour, bumalik ako and decided to buy them both. As I said, I never had a chance to watch “Nasaan Si Francis?” when it’s still showing in Cinemas. I’m not fond of watching Filipino Films pero dahil nandito si Rico Blanco, why not try watching it.

This is an independent film. I understand the lack of budget. Like the setting is just at the house of Francis (Epy Quizon). Meron namang iba pero I mean dominant yung bahay ni Francis. I think they just shot the whole movie for 1 day, because yung attire ng main characters are the same from the start till the end. The movie is great and funny.

The story is basically about how Sonny (Rico) and Boy (Paolo Contis) fsearching for the ecstasy that can make them earn 30,000. Boy needs money to save his girl friend (Tanya Garcia) from a powerful Mamasan. Sonny and Boy thought Francis, their child hood friend alongside Marmar (Karl Roy). Boy and sonny had a debt to Francis na 5 grams of shabu. So they have 2nd thoughts of going to Francis, but they have no other choice. so they went to Francis. They want to loan 30,000 from Francis. He said that they should sell 50 tablets of ecstasy. They could double the price. He invited the 2 to smoke up to seal the deal. Francis goes into cardiac arrest and dies. The 2 try to revive him but eventually give-up. Instead of telling it to the police or his family they decided to keep him instead while they are searching for the ecstasy. So they search for it in the whole house. It’s not easy because they should hide or make them believe that Francis is still alive. There’s a lot of twist and turns so find yourself na lang.

Rico’s performance is mind blowing. His role is parang stupid and believes in superstition. He gives justice to his role kasi ibang iba talaga siya in that movie and how he performs in stage. Rico is so talented talaga.

Karl Roy of Kapatid was also there. He just sleeps from the start till the end. Well meron din naman siyang lines pero its parang normal lang. pwede na din.

Monti of Mayonnaise was also there. He played as the driver of Christopher de Leon. Konti lang ang lines pero ayos na din.

I like the movie. Its not only searching for Francis, it is also about searching yourself (dahil si Francis ay isang adik he is quite lost), searching for your family (because nag-iba yung relationship nilang magkakapatid when theire parents died and when nagging adik si Francis), searching for a friend. Like in Sonny and Boy’s relationship dinamayan ni Sonny si Francis with his problem kahit na ayaw niya talagang pumunta kina Francis. So its 4 out of 5 rock stars…

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Catching up with movies

Nov. 30
We have no class today because of the typhoon that looks like Milenyo Part II.
I think of something to do and I came up with an idea to watch a movie. (Because I heard the song “Movie” by sponge cola) We have lots of movies some are pirated and original that were just displayed in our living room. I’m sure that they didn’t buy it just for display pero ganun nga ang nangyayari. As I ‘m searching for a movie to watch I saw “Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind” . I remember reading my seventeen mag, Kitchie was asked about her all time favorite movie and yes, she said that movie because it was too familiar daw. So I decide to pick the movie instead of “Somewhere in Time” and other old movies because I was intrigued why Kitchie said it was too familiar I watched it in my laptop. I munch on some Clover chips and Dingdong. I think the movie should be entitled “Eraserheads” because it is about getting rid of a memory of someone you love (di ko maalis na di ma connect sa music). I love the notion of the movie. Now I’m confused why Kitchie said it was too familiar for her. Nagpabura nab a din siya ng memory? Hahaha. The movie is ok but it wouldn’t be my all time favorite.

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