action! (???)

MANO MANO 3: ARNIS, THE LOST ART
Starring: Ronnie Ricketts, Bruce Ricketts, Leila Kuzma, Gwen
Garci, Mandy Ochoa, Ricardo Cepeda, Dick Israel,
Monsour del Rosario
Writer/Director: "Ronn-Rick"
-----------------------------------------------------

This has nothing to do with the other Mano Mano movies (what
Mano Mano movies?). The subtitle should read: THE LOST ART
OF FILMMAKING. This, ladies and gentlemen is a new Tagalog
movie genre: it's an INACTION FILM.

MONSOUR DEL ROSARIO: I'm the SPO4 who dies at the beginning
of the movie to motivate my brother and son to seek revenge. I
die a gruesome death at the hands of a Japanese named Tanaka.
He beheads me but then Direk says we have no budget for
prosthetics so my head is attached even if I'm supposed to be
headless.

BRUCE RICKETTS: I'm the son of SPO4 Aragon (and the brother of
the writer, director, stunt coordinator, bida). I know arnis but I
don't know acting. I beat the crap out of the bad guy in the end.

GWEN GARCI: I am a Viva Hot Babe going solo. I wear skimpy
clothes and gyrate for a few seconds. I may be an extra here, but
let's face it, I'm more sikat than anyone in the cast.

RONNIE RICKETTS: I'm the bida, the writer, the director, the stunt
coordinator, and this movie is a labor of love. I did most
everything for this movie, it's made me look so old and tired.
Still, I beat the bad guys...and when I couldn't, Bruce took over. I
want to promote arnis even if I don't know how to make a movie.
It's a revenge movie. My SPO4 brother gets killed so we seek
revenge, Bruce and I. My name here is Nato Aragon. Along the
way, I fall in love with a reporter. Bruce says we look bagay
together, but if you see us on screen, we look like father and
son, but ok lang. It's a tricky movie. It's hard to make an action
movie now, so this is the first action movie WITHOUT any
action...instead we found a way around it, we made it a drama
movie...but since no one in the cast can really act, it's not a
drama...it's INACTION.

Here is the most dramatic scene:
: Nato, bakit ka nandito? Bukas ka na ang laban niyo sa
arnis, hindi ka pa nag-eensayo. [Hey, loverdude who can be my
father, why are we here in the city of Manila when we're
supposed to be showing many action sequences of you training?
Why is most of the movie shot like a tourism documentary for
Manila? Is Lito Atienza our producer?]

: Hindi. Ayoko na. Susuko na ako. Akala ko magaling
na ako, hindi pala. Ang dami ko pa palang dapat matutunan.
[No, I don't want to go on. Why did I even bother doing this
movie? I should have made an arnis documentary instead. Mas
matipid pa!]

: Huwag kang ganyan. Oo, pinutol nga ni Tanaka ang
arnis mo, pero ang gamit niya samurai...bakal iyon, kahoy lang
ang iyo. Pero huwag kang mawalan ng pag-asa. [So your
Japanese xenophobia stems from castration anxiety, so what? I
still love you.]

: Tama kuya. Saka may tinago ang itay para sa iyo dahil
alam niyang aabot sa ganito ito bago siya namatay...narito
ang...BAKAL NA ARNIS...nis nis nis!

The movie is so good it's rumored that Regal Films has bought
the sequel rights for this December's Regal entry to the Metro
Manila Film Festival, casting Ronnie Ricketts with FPJ's wife
Susan Roces: MANO MANO 4/MANO PO 3: EDSA 4 -- the Mother
of all sequels.

Kulimlim vs. Spiderman 2

(no poster available on the net)

What I've seen so far: KULIMLIM
Directed by Maryo J. de los Reyes
Starring: Robin Padilla, Tanya Garcia, Jiro Manio, some girl
Viva Films' official entry to the Manila Film Festival
----------------------

When Robin gets psychotic he turns comical. The movie poster should read: "Kung sa trailer mukhang nakakatakot, sa dilim ng sinehan nakakabagot." ("If the trailer looks scary, watch the full movie and you will laugh.") "Kulimlim" is another reason why the movie industry in this country is veeeery far from reaching Hollywood status.

"Babarurutin kita," Robin says to Tanya. This freaks her out. The audience cracks up. In the final scene Tanya tries to flee from her psychcomic husband slash rapist, but he overpowers her, and uses the "barurot" word twice like it was something from a Terrence Gil-Bud Spencer movie ("I want to balanga you with my bonnie jonnie...") then gets down and dirty with her.

Tanya resists and manages to pick up the cross that she dropped earlier with her tussle with her psychcomic son slash rapist (Jiro). Then she utters that killer line which will haunt her acting career forever: "Makukuha mo ang aking katawan, pero hindi ang aking kaluluwa..." ("You may take my body, but not my soul-soul-soul-soul...") [Hello, Roy Iglesias...is that you?]

In her struggle to survive she impales possessed Robin with the cross.

ROBIN: Auuuugh!!!! [readies to die]

AUDIENCE: [laughter at Robin's slow-fast psychcomic death.]

KID IN AUDIENCE: Ay, nanay, natatanggal yung prostetik ni Robin. ("Look ma, no tiyan!")

Then when the police, the priest and the townsfolk arrive (with full knowledge of what transpired though they were not privy to the inner workings of the supernatural forces around) Tanya regrets and calls out to her dead husband: "Jake! Jake! [Robin's character] Patawarin mo ako..." ("Forgive me for I have impaled you on the mystery cross that was given to me by a good priest at the start of this movie lest I come into contact with the forces of the devil! but then you were dead anyway...")

AUDIENCE: [more laughter]

CREDITS. [Hay, salamat.]

While exiting the cinema I hear some co-ed students fooling around. One guy says to a girl: "Babarurutin kita!"

And the girl says: "Gusto mong saksakin kita ng krus?"

I hear a kid asking her mother: "Mama, bakit sa gitna ng movie nagkabraces si Tanya Garcia, eh di ba stranded nga sila doon sa haunted house?"

"Oo, anak...matakot ka."



Next: Spiderman 2
Directed by Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina
----------------------

This sequel to the first Spiderman movie is yet to hit theatres on June 30. Supposed plot: Peter Parker is beset with numerous personal problems while Spider-Man confronts the brilliant Dr. Otto Octavius, who has been transformed into "Doctor Octopus" (aka, "Doc Ock"), a multi-tentacled menace. Oozing with another fabulous plot adorned by wonderful special effects. I can't wait.

Anyway,... and the winner is: SPIDERMAN 2!

Dying

Here's a song that's been in my head for days now. This is Elmo's current favorite song, and I don't know why this song hits me whenever I think of leaving my loved ones again (not for good, though, cuz I'd be home again after work's finished). This just proves I can't ever get over having difficult goodbyes...

Dying
Artist: Five For Fighting

I'm Dying, Dying to wake up without you, without you in my head again
I'm Dying, Dying to forget about you, that you ever lived
There's a shade come over this heart that's coping with laying down to rest
I'm Dying to live without you again

I'm Dying, Dying to find a distraction, get you away from me
I'm Dying, Dying to reach a conclusion, so that the world can see
It's the same old story of love and glory that broke before it bent
I'm Dying to live without you again

The first time you left I said goodbye
Now there's not a prayer that can survive

Dying, Dying to die just to come back so we can meet again
Dying, Dying to say what I always should have said
It's a strange emotion this but there's still hope in this
As long as there's a breath...
I'm Dying and I can't live without you again

It's a strange emotion this but there's still hope in this
As long as there's a breath...

I'm Dying and I can't live without you
I'm Dying and I can't live without you again

post-election trauma

(Here's another insightful entry from our regular contributor, Ahmad. Take it away! -Katie)

For the longest time, I haven't watched too many local shows, because local showbiz is just full of Bulls**t. Its like reading a book that is so bad, it makes you stupid rather than smart. Talk is cheap on talk talk shows, Reality and comedy shows insult our intellegence, and of course soap operas makes us loose our intellegence, can someone tell me what is there left for us to watch on TV? Ah of course! the six or eleven o'clock news, after all its always good to know what's goin on in your country right? But you know what? Sometimes I would rather watch MTV 24-7 than subject myself to one hour of torture watching the local news. Ok so lets get down to bussiness then!

With the way everything is going it seems that we might not have a president by june 30. Guess what FPJPM people said that it is OK at least we have the Senate president to become an acting president or the chief justice (yes the chief justice), there is nothing wrong with that. Well acually if that happens there is something terribly wrong with it! it means congress has failed to uphold their duty, and finish on the schedule that has been given to them which should have been enough had they not wasted time on POLITICS AND USELESS DEBATES!!!!!!! AAAARRRRRGGGG! DAMN What will it take for this monkeys to do their jobs right! maybe someone should bomb the batasan or something!... OK breathe in breathe out... I just had to let it out.... forget what I said about the bombing thing.

The problem here as I see it is that no one actually wants be objective. One one side we have the administration who believes that they already won this election and just want's to get it over and done with the proclamation, even if it means overlooking some important details in the canvassing procedure. On the other side we have the opposition, whom as we all know was not ready to accept defeat even before this election actually begun! And now they will never accept any result that would dissapoint their expectations even if it meant causing temporary anarchy. I understand that all of us wants our bet to win this election, but we have to accept the result as it is and minimize our biases if we want to fairly proclaim a winner here. It will be easier for someone to find evidences of massive fraud if both administration and opposition people will try to be objective as much as possible.

But lets scratch the surface deeper and look at the core of this problem here. What is it that they are fighting about? Political Beliefs? Truth? Justice? Bullsh**t! All this is about is political alliances, that is it folks and it originated way back during the EDSA 2 event. Somehow it always has something to do with Erap doesn't it? In fact he has everything to do with it. It all makes sense the opposition is still pissed of not only with the administration, but with all of us whom they belived grabed the power from Erap. So they are taking thier fight to every forum possible, to seek retribution to a once fallen ruler. And if this things are happening even before a president is actually proclaimed, what do you think will happen once proclamation is final? It does not matter whether FPJ or GMA gets the proclamation, like the fools they are they will keep on fighting, regardless of what issue, forum, and time.

So my appeal to them would be this. Public office is not really about public service, its a career. And just like any other Job it pays to have it, and that I can accept. But what I can never accept is them refusing to be professionals. Some of them used to great law makers (Angarra for one), and what happened to them now? They say it is about principles that they are fighting for. Then what would be a better political principle than the belief that one must sacrifice his political differences if it meant being a better leader for this country. If setting aside political differences and working hand in hand with the people they have treated as opponents (even enemies) for the longest time, would mean he end of a long famine that has been plauging this nation, wouldn't that be the greatest sacrifice that someone could make. The cause of Erap, is nothing more but of his own, to regain honor if not power, it can never be and should not be used as an excuse for all of them to find faults and go on retaliating on each other in every way possible. Everytime they do the nation suffers, and it will not be able to endure long anymore. There is nothing wrong with supporting a fallen ruler, and they don't even need to stop supporting him. But at least they could focus more on the problem of this nation, without him being in the picture. The greatest sacrifice our politicians could make, is not really their SUV's or lavish lifestyles, it is their alliances. Both the Administration and Opposition must work hand in hand or like the fools they are they can keep on fighing and watch this country go down in flames.

Ahmad

Apl.de.Ap

"I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' our wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema
Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down
There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under
Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found..."

This is the part of that Black Eyed Peas song sung by Apl.de.Ap , a very proud Filipino. You see, I've never spoken of any hiphop band before, simply because I'm not into that genre of music. Yet this song, "Where is the Love", is very different from the rest. While other songs speak of cheesy lovemakin or feelings of rage and hate, this song talks about peace. It's the modern "We are the World"- a song that addresses the main issue of our era. Whenever I hear this song, it gets me inspired to write in this blog you're reading right now. It's been a long time since I last heard of a song with a heart.

And the more inspired I became when I got the news a couple of months back that one of the members who sang "Where is the love" is actually Filipino. I realized this part of the song he co-wrote must have come from his own life- that these are words coming from a Filipino who got frustrated on what's going on in this "world that we're livin' in." Here's a man who came from a simple town in Angeles City, a poor family shattered by poverty, and made it big in a foreign land. If he's some other guy, he might have forgotten his roots instead and enjoyed life and fame in the land of milk and honey. Yet Apl returned to his homeland, proud as a Filipino, despite knowing the disappointing events happening here (not to mention threats to foreigners due to terrorism).

I bought five "Elephunk" albums that month- and gave em to my friends as gifts. There are very few people like the members of Black Eyed Peas. I think we ought to give em support and enjoy their music as well.

independence my @$$!

We should not celebrate Independence day. I know it's a crucial part of Philippine history, and we've been dealing with it eversince our first day in History class, but I really do believe being happy with it is not the apporpriate way to commemorate the event. I'd say we remember that day in mourning. Mourning presupposes death, yes. And death- the loss of the lives of worthy people- was actually the precursor to what transpired in Cavite a century ago. We see those people we call heroes who are involved in the proclamation of independence honorable. Sadly, it is only propaganda that says these people should be remembered and honored. And I have great historians, i.e. Teodoro Agoncillo and Renato Constantino, to back me up on these through their accounts throughout the years of their extensive research.

To begin with, Jose Rizal, the greatest Filipino thinker ever, disapproves of this "independence." History would tell us we were still unprepared for such a great priviledge. We, Filipinos, had no idea yet of the responsibilities attached to this priviledge. Yet, "atat" as the most appropriate word in Filipino, these people in the higher ranks, hungry of power and prestige, managed to disillusion the ordinary people to revolt and claim their freedom prematurely. Thus, what we have until now is what I consider a "mishandled democracy." The presence of people as Cong. Dilangalen et al. is enough evidence that people in the higher ranks, with no care about their people, would jeopardize the country's economy with bickerings to satisfy their cloaked dark intentions.

People's lives were put at stake just for this "independence". General Luna died in the hands of Aguinaldo's PSG, after ordering his arrest and brutal execution because he allegedly posed as threat to the yet Aguinaldo regime. This happened after rendering truthful and loyal service in his command. There were even rumors that while stabbing poor Luna to death in front of Aguinaldo's house, the president's mother was laughing like some theatrical sinister in the balcony. Those were indeed dark times in history, as Aguinaldo extinguished "threats" one by one for the sake of his presidency. Remember how Andres Bonifacio, Katipunan's supremo, was killed? He was inhumanely executed like animals being hunted down in the forests of Mt. Buntis. Who knows how many more righteous people were killed for the proclamation of his presidency? Now, we celebrate Independence day partly to honor this first president. Bah!

Even the infamous handicap Apolinario Mabini was shoved away from the scene after actually giving an advice to the most eager Aguinaldo that declaring independence was far too dangerous at that time when the Americans was building a front somewhere in the Philippines. But no. Aguinaldo was far too convinced by the Americans that they were here to help. I must say Aguinaldo was, indeed, the first "tuta ng mga Amerikano." And to our dismay, he was proud of that until the day he died. And the archives can prove it in the interviews conducted before he died in the 1960s. Good thing he was already senile then, he had no means to care anymore on what people say after learning his dark secrets. Too bad, this still do not appear on history books. The misconception that children might not develop nationalism if they know the truth is still iminent in the educational system. I just became lucky when I became acquainted with the whole truth when I was studying in UP. You know how it is there.

I don't celebrate Independence day. Actually, I spit on it. For me, it's the day when politics in the Philippines, as we know and experience it now, was born. It is when the Filipino's life was sealed to a long time of hardships and sufferings for the benefit of the few. But we wouldn't learn until the time people would accept the whole story of our history, even the darkest parts of it.