ZZZ Movie Trailer

Here is the ZZZ movie trailer! To the words of Carver himself, the trailer "was a lengthy, colorful monster." Yes, Carver, it wasn't perfect. The truth is, it really could be better. Ala Spidey trailer sana. Pero suntok sa buwan na atang isiping 'yun! Anyway, on the right is the Making of ZZZ from Regal Multimedia.



Medyo nanibago lang ako not seeing Eula Valdes and Tuxqs Rutaquio as ZZZ and Ada, respectively. Imagine, I've seen them performed three times on stage!

Meanwhile, while searching for the trailer, I found this on You Tube! It was uploaded last June 2006. I have no idea how this person was able to sneak in his camera inside the theater. Nevertheless, the clip was a treat! Of all the performances that I've seen, I never saw a single Arnold Reyes act. I swear, come January, I'll see the play again with friends!

The Angelica Panganiban Scandal

In her 24 Oras interview, Angelica Panganiban denied the fitting shots. She said, "Ung ilalabas namin ay totoo lang. Pati ba naman katawan ko ay lolokohin ko pa?"

OK...

When Losing is Unexpected

Watch Faith Hill's reaction when Carrie Underwood was announced as the winner for "Female Vocalist of the Year" at the recently concluded Country Music Awards.


After the incident, Hill said that it was all a joke. Her manager, Gary Borman, added that: "I've worked with Faith for many years now and the idea that she would ever insult or undermine another artist, let alone another human being's success is absolutely preposterous. Those who know her know that she's incapable of such actions. She was being playful while the nominations were being read and playful after."

Anyway, if she is being "playful", these guys are being "playful" themselves. Great spoofs of the incident!


In another event, Kanye West also expressed his disappointment when he interrupted the winners at the MTV Europe Awards. He said that his video deserved to win.

In our country, remember when Cesar Montano bad-mouthed a certain award-giving body when Bagong Buwan did not win as Best Picture saying that trophies can be bought in Recto?

Oh well...

Cinemanila 2006: Numbalikdiwa

View the trailer
Numbalikdiwa (2006)
Maricel Soriano, Albert Martinez, Meryl Soriano, Ping Medina, Estrella Kuenzler
Bobby Bonifacio

Numabalikdiwa (n) - An ancient, macabre ritual where the dead assumes the body of a living person. Like cannibalism, it involves the ingestion of the deceased’s ground meat and bones as part of the ritual. With the help of the Sasigloho, an ancient tribal deity, the dead assumes the identity of the living and continues to live his/her life accordingly, granting near immortality to the one who practices it.

Numbalikdiwa follows the lives of adoptive siblings, Karissa (Meryl Soriano) and Anton (Ping Medina), and live-in partners, Carlos (Albert Martinez) and Portia (Maricel Soriano). The couple cross paths with the siblings because they are frequent buyers of the barbeque they sell.

One night, after an argument with Anton, Karissa runs away. Unaware of her surroundings, a car hits her. When she opens her eyes, she is in a different surroundings, in a different body. It is now up to her to continue the new life she has been given or live the life she once had.

Numbalikdiwa, as a horror film, is a breath of fresh air from the roster of horror films that have been coming out lately. For a new director, Bobby Bonifacio is very promising and someone to look forward to. The whole film has creepiness written all over it. Good acting from the whole cast. Lighting could be better, though.

Catch Numbalikdiwa this Cinemanila 2006! Check out Cinemanila's sked here.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Cinemanila 2006: Perhaps Love

Perhaps Love (HK, 2005)
Jackie Cheung. Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhou Xun, Ji Jin-Hee
Peter Chan Hoh-San

Perhaps Love is the title of a musical movie about to be made by the renowed director Nie Wen (Jacky Cheung). It brings together for the first time one of the famous actresses in HK, Sun Na (Zhou Xun) and one of the famous actors in Shanghai, Lin Jian Dong (Takeshi Kaneshiro). However, Sun Na seemed to be indifferent to Lin Jian Dong. The more he tries his best to get closer to her, the more she resist.

Enter Monty (Ji Jin-Hee), a muse. According to him, his job is to make people remember the deleted scenes in their lives. He brings back their inspiration to them. He gives them back the memories that deserve to be remembered as they go along with their lives.

As the camera rolls, they are able to relive their pasts in the movie that seemed to mirror their lives. It is the past that would help them bring out their acting best and would make them realize what they are missing out in their lives. The film would make them cross between what is for real and what is for reel.

I have wanted to see Perhaps Love when I first knew about it. Knowing that I couldn't see it on cinemas, I opted to buy it online on DVD. However, despite being a lover of musicals, I had my apprehensions. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to enjoy the film knowing that the songs were all in Chinese. How could I ever get the feel of it when most songs in a musical film tell a story? I decided not to buy it. But when I learned that it is part of the 8th Cinemanila Film Festival's line-up, I immediately took the chance of watching it.

Perhaps Love is Cinemanila's opening salvo for this 2006 (Nov. 3-15) festival. It is China's first musical film ala Moulin Rouge.

When the film opened its first musical number, all my apprehensions went down the drain. Music could be enjoyed no matter what language they're in. Mixed together with grand visuals and fantastic ambience, Perhaps Love is one cinematic feat!

Apart from the enthralling music and majestic visuals, it is the story that would leave one speechless and teary-eyed. The love triangle amongst the characters may not be something new anymore but it is the passion and heart-wrenching emotions that would capture the audience's attention and would make them grab a tissue or two.

Perhaps Love brings together some of Asia's best performers: HK's Jacky Cheung (best known here as Regine Velasquez's duet in "In Love with You") and Zhou Xun (The Banquet), Korea's Ji Jin-Hee (best known here as Kapitan in Jewel in the Palace), and Taiwan/Japan's Takeshi Kaneshiro (The House of Flying Daggers, Chung King Express). It is an ensemble of cast acting together in one spectacular film!

Not to be missed!

My Rating: 5 out of 5


Check out Cinemanila's sked here

6 Guys. 1 Plan. A Movie Review.

6 guys. 3 groups. 1 plan. And a huge screw-up to mess it all up.

Pinoy Blonde (2005). Cousins Andrew (Epy Quizon) and Conrad (Boy2 Quizon) Cunanan were sent on a no-questions-asked-mission: to deliver the package, retrieve the payment, and leave the vicinity. Delivering the package was easy. However, it was leaving the vicinity that became the problem. First, they witnessed several murders that were linked to the mission. Second, a bag full of money was in their possession. Third, Conrad met the collector (Jaime Fabregas) who had a foot fetish, Andrew had a long discussion with the assistant (Ricky Davao) about the Brocka-Bernal rivalry, and they'd seen the senator (Joey Marquez) who was one of the mission's protectors. How could they ever get out alive with all the knowledge they have learned?

Nasaan si Francis? (2006) Childhood friends Boy (Paolo Contis) and Sonny (Rico Blanco) wanted a better life. In order to achieve it, they needed some money to start over. 40k to be exact: 30k for Boy and his gf, Sophia (Tanya Garcia) and 10k for Sonny's tuition fee. Their solution was to borrow money from their drug-junkie friend, Francis (Epy Quizon). Francis offered them a better deal. Sell his 50 tabs of ectasy with his price of 1k each. They can double the amount and get whatever amount is left after he receives the other end of the bargain. However, before they could execute it, Francis died. How could the plan be pursued if people surrounding Francis learn that he's dead? So they hid Francis until they were caught in a web at the end with the drug dealer (Christopher de Leon) who wanted the money that Francis owed him, the mama san (Rio Locsin) who believed that she owns Sophia, Francis' gf (Angel Locsin) who wished to rekindle her relationship with him, a paranoid drug-junkie friend (Karl Roy) who thought that everyone is out to get him, and Francis' siblings (Ricky Davao & Rita Avila) who felt that he needs to clean up his act. How could they ever get out of the web with Francis dead and no E to sell for money?

Big Time (2005). Like Boy and Sonny, childhood friends Jonas (Nor Domingo) and Danny (Winston Elizalde) dreamed of a better life. But they wanted the big change in a snap. They couldn't wait any longer for success. They'd get it in any way they can.

No more petty crimes for them. Kidnap and ransom was their choice of crime this time. Only that when they were about to kidnap Melody (Joanne Miller), they met her bf, Wilson (Jamie Wilson). Wilson, who thought of turning the situation for him, decided to go along with them. He wanted to squeezed some money from his mob-boss dad (Michael de Mesa) so that he could start his own drug-dealing business. What seemed to be a perfect plan turned out their biggest nightmares because they had underestimated the power of his dad and his "alipores". How could Jonas and Danny ever hit the big time when they got themselves tangled with the mob?

Pinoy films seldom come up with movies with type of genre. i.e. dark comedies or simply, in my book, "kakulitan" films. The last good "makulit" film that I have seen was Kakabakaba Ka Ba? These three films seemed to go between the unconventional and the experimental way of Pinoy film-making. First, the story theme is not typically Pinoy. Topics about drugs and mobs are usually seen in action films. Second, the first two incorporated animation and comic-style of story-telling into the films.

Amongst the three, Big Time is a stand out when it comes to the story. It has a goal and it knows how to get there. It is hysterically funny with some witty dialogues to boot. Despite how bad the manner of achieving their desires, its lead characters were amiable with their simple and unapologetic ways. You'd get to love them that, in the end, you'd get to smile with them as they concoct another plan.

Another thing that I find appealing about the film is its injection of Pinoy pop culture. You'd easily discern that director Mario Cornejo is indeed a Pinoy film lover. Not some Pinoy film-snob and wannabe-director who wants to make Pinoy films for the sake of showing the world that it could be better when, in fact, he has no idea what is truly in the heart of a Pinoy film. Love your own first, dude! :-)

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Pinoy Blonde also infused the Pinoy pop culture in it with its who's-the-better-director-Brocka-or-Bernal issue in it. Andrew is pro-Brocka while Conrad is pro-Bernal. Mostly, though, it is, beyond doubt, a Peque Gallaga movie with all the bits and pieces of Gallaga movies jabbed into it. All the actors who played a part in this film are reminiscent of his other films: Liza Lorena in Oro, Plata, Mata, Manilyn Reynes in Shake, Rattle, & Roll episodes, Richard Gomez in Once Upon a Time, Cherry Pie Picache in Baby Love, Ian Veneracion in Unfaithful Wife 2, amongst others. In that aspect, it is really what it says it is: an all-star cast! You'd never know who would suddenly popped out in a scene.

The storyline, which sometimes becomes absurd, is simple. It isn't a laugh-out-loud comedy but still very entertaining. Peque makes up for it with his cinematic way of dealing with the script: the traditional way mixed with a couple of animation, dream sequences, and colorful background. It seemed like that the film is done fantastically with all the demented but interesting characters in it. In two words, I could say that Pinoy Blonde is an eye candy! It gives you a pleasing treat with an after taste.

Check out the Eddie Garcia with his hilarious song number!

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Out of the three, Nasaan si Francis? by Gabby Fernandez tried to be funny but failed miserably. It is reminiscent of the Hollywood film Weekend at Bernie's. Yet like that film, it is very much forgettable. The somewhat commedable acting of the cast (except for Rico Blanco who seemed to border on being retarded and stupid when it comes to his acting and characterization) couldn't make up for the inanity of its plot and its technical ineptitude (bad sound, poor editing, faulty lighting).

Christopher de Leon could've broke out of his acting shell in this film yet you couldn't miss out the fact that his character as the drug dealer is dim-witted. How could a drug dealer collect the payment by himself? Doesn't he have collectors for it?

This is a non-sensical film that would truly give you nothing in the end.

Check out Tanya and Julia Clarete's dance number. Though short, quite engaging! :-)

My Rating: 2 out of 5

The PLDT Incident Exclusive Video!

First it was heard. Now it can be seen!



You Tube video by Lithium478

Kayako's Curse

The Grudge 2 (2006)
Amber Tamblyn, Sarah Michelle Gellar
Takashi Shimizu

I could say that all characters that were created after Sadako Yamamura's likeness seemed to be just mere copycats and don't create much impact on movie goers. Kayako Saeki, being one of Sadako's descendants with her long hair, her "magic kamison", and her bone-breaking moves, is no different. However, Kayako has her own distinction. For one thing, she brings her son (Toshio, and his cat) along whenever they go curse-victim hunting. Plus, the cackling sound she makes adds to her katakot points.

In The Grudge 2, Kayako is back to terrorize people with her curse. She started by hunting Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) in a hospital. She'd never stop until she gets her. Hell forbids that someone will get away from her. That could never happen as long as she's in charge. Then came Aubrey (Amber Tamblyn) who goes to Japan to tend to her sick sister, Karen. After her death, she wishes to learn more about the curse that afflicted her sister. She did not know that Kayako has bigger plans for herself and her son. She wants to go grand. But like most egotistic and selfish ghost, she didn't want to leave her nest. Aubrey did not realize the she'd bear the curse herself in a rather most unexpected way. Most victims would be thankful that Kayako just took their lives away. Poor Aubrey.

Director Takashi Shimizu must have been feeling so lucky! I mean, how many directors could get to redo their work in a bigger scale, huge budget, and audience worldwide? With his reworking of the first two The Grudge trilogy, he gets to add details to his previous works. He is able to incorporate new ideas or additional storylines in his new outings. In that sense, the story becomes concise and clearer. Because he is redoing his original work, the intention and essence of the story are never lost.

Like its Japanese counterpart, The Grudge 2 was done in a non-linear fashion. It goes from one setting to the next to reveal the grand twist. Shimizu has high hopes for Kayako and Toshio. If he could realize his dreams in Hollywood, so should Kayako!

Prepare to be scared. But don't expect something that will last with you till the end of the film. Just remember, like in Pulse, this is what happens when ghosts and their trippings go hi-tech. Let's see what Kayako has up in her sleeves next in part 3!

My rating: 3 out of 5