they hated it, but i don’t care

Have seen Serbis (Service)- a Filipino film by Brillante Mendoza, and which was luckily selected to be a contender for Palme d’Or in this year’s Cannes Film Festival- today. This is the third time a Filipino film had been considered in the festival, and Mendoza is the second Filipino director to ever make it in the said competition. At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked it but after the second viewing, I realized how beautiful it was. It wasn’t pleasing to watch, especially with all the noises you could hear in some of the scenes. But it has something in it that would make you watch it (and I’m not talking about the porn stuff here). Most critics didn’t like the film, and most of them had written that the film shouldn’t have been considered in Cannes. But, really, what do they know? The movie is beautiful not because it’s artsy, but because it’s realistic and honest (But it’s artsy for me). The ending is beautiful too. This film makes me proud of Filipino talent.

it reminds me of matrix, and i love it.

Kung Fu Panda is awesome. I’m glad we, me and a friend, watched it. It was not planned, I mean us seeing the movie. But since my friend paid for our lunch, I invited him to go see a movie. I know he wanted to see the said film. I remembered him inviting me to see it weeks prior to the movie’s release date.

 There were so many fine moments in the movie. I cried [secretly, since I'm with Nelmar] a few times, especially during the scene when Po was seen by Master Oogway eating the peaches from the peach tree of wisdom. It was funny but when the two started talking, there were so much wisdom in there than one would expect from an animated film. And it was touching.

This is one of the lines, by Master Oogway, in the movie that really hit me: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.

 

fear her, madonna

Last night, my “housemates” were watching the Pinoy version of The Singing Bee. I was watching with them but after a few minutes I went inside my room to read All the Pretty Horses [I love McCarthy and his writings. God has really given him the imagination and the hands of a master. And I love God for that. Hehehe] Then I just felt the urge to wash my hands so I went to the other washroom of the apartment, near the kitchen. I noticed that the song being sang by the contestant on the TV was a bit groovy. I forgot the title. Lea, our helper, was cooking in the kitchen. And there, ladies and germs, I caught her dancing. It was horrifying in a not horrifying way. Yes, it was that confusing. I just stood there for a few seconds and watched her do her thing. When she noticed my presence she stopped. We were silent for three seconds then burst out laughing. Now everytime I see her I can’t stop myself from laughing and she would laugh as well.

If that happened to me- I mean someone caught me dancing- I’d disappear. No matter what it takes. It’s either that or I’ll die.

but look who’s talking now

Nights ago, I was able to catch The Breakup- a movie which starred Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn and which was about, well, the break up- on HBO. I had seen this movie, for the first time, on DVD years back. It’s not my favorite. I like it though in an unconventional way.

In the movie, Aniston broke up with Vince because she felt neglected by him. She thought that after the break up, Vince would miss her and in a way change his attitude towards her. Basically, she just wanted to teach the guy a lesson. Unfortunately, Vince misunderstood [or misinterpreted] the whole thing [and we can't blame him for that]. Since they were living in the same house, it was difficult for both not to argue at times. So they decided to just sell the house [or was it just an apartment?]. The problem was that it’s quite obvious that they still love each other. For hopeless romantics out there, sorry but they didn’t get back together, which is pretty stupid.

Communication is very important in a relationship. Charades aint gonna work. If you have problems with your partner, find the time to talk about it. Discuss things. See the other side. Understand. Try. Don’t wait until it’s impossible to fix things because I tell you, there are things that are irreparable. Stories don’t always have a happy ending. No “and they lived happily ever after”.

So the two met again after I-dont-know-if-it-was-just-months-or-years and both were happy to see each other. And you can tell that the love is still there. They talked a bit and then went on and separated ways. Both of them looked back to take a glimpse of each other and smiled. That, for me, was the finest scene in the entire movie. And I’m glad it ended that way. Vague but hopeful. After all, I’m still, I think and believe, a hopeless romantic.

ang sabi ko sa’yo

I received a Filipino poem from a friend through SMS before. I loved it right away after reading it. I love its depth. But above all, I love it because it is written in Filipino. It’s my all time favorite poem, though I am not really into poems. I asked a friend, my ex-roommate, Ner to translate it in English. I wanted to share how great this poem is. She is, according to her, not that satisfied with the translation. But, really, it’s beautiful. Of course I still prefer the Filipino version. Everything written in Filipino this way is great. If I could just write with it [Filipino] I would. But I suck at it, no matter how much I try. Anyway, I’ll post both the Filipino and its English translation. And thanks Ner for this. hehehe

Ang Sabi Ko Sa’Yo

Bumalong ang dagta
sa hiniwang kaymito.
Namuo sa talim
ng kutsilyo ang ilang patak.

Diyan ako naiwan, mahal,
at hindi sa laman.

- B.S. Santos

Here’s the English translation:

I Tell You

Sap sprung forth
from the wounded fruit.
On the knife’s blade,
a few drops congealed.

There I remained, my love,
not in the flesh.

news flash

Jonathan P. Francisco is getting tired. But suprisingly, he finds comfort in Him. He isn’t sure until when, though. Darn.

something in the way he laugh

I saw Al Pacino at The Late Night Show with David Letterman [and I love the show] on ETC today and I said to myself: I love this man. I have always loved his movies, especially Donnie Brasco and Scent of a Woman. Funny how you love and respect someone you haven’t even seen in person yet.

The man is aging but he hasn’t lost his sense of humor and charm. I wish I can be like him, but I think it’s a bit late already. I’m losing myself.

it is not as good, or maybe it is, but what the heck

Yesterday afternoon, I, together with a long time friend Nelmar, watched Sex and the City. I would have just waited for the movie’s DVD release. I didn’t intend of watching it on the big screen. But Nelmar, who watched it the night before, said that it’s a good film and that he wanted to see it again. He hadn’t seen the series so he couldn’t compare the movie to it. Since I have been a fan of the series, and since my friend loved it [he used to be a movie addict like me], I suggested that we watch it.

As said, I loved the series. I loved the writing. I loved the cinematography. I loved the music. The writing in the series is better, or should I say more solid, than that in the movie. But what the heck. The movie offers a lot that you’d consider it, and that you wouldn’t feel betrayed by it [there're others who felt betrayed though]. The movie is ultimately about friendship, as it is also about fashion, sex, relationship, women and men. And just in that, the writer/director, for me, had done his job very well.

My favorite scene is when Carrie hugged Charlotte, as if asking to protect her, after the confrontation with Big and Big tried to get near Carrie and Charlotte screamed “No!” to him. It was perfect. I felt that scene, and secretly cried for it. And I could love the movie just by that particular scene.

Then I miss my friends.