Cinemalaya X

The first Cinemalaya weekend just passed and I was able to watch 7 films in total.  Dyown and I were extremely happy with our picks because every movie we saw was well worth our time.

We were also able to catch the gala of Nora Aunor's Hustisya and the theater was filled to capacity.  I was told that there were a lot of fans that had tickets but still weren't able to get in.

It is really a great experience to be at the CCP this time of the year.  I was able to catch up with my first boss, Ricky Lee.

I was also able to get my photo taken with Francis Xavier Pasion who directed Bwaya.

And since I'm not over Purok 7 yet, I had to have my photo taken with Julian Trono before he was mobbed by all the high school girls.

Hogi also dropped by that night to catch up with us.

As I said, I immensely enjoyed every film that I watched but if I were to rank them, it would look like this:

1. The Janitor - thoroughly enjoyable movie, could very well be a commercial film.
2. Bwaya - beautiful shots, Angeli was superb.  I also couldn't get my mind off the scene where the real Divina was hugging the actress playing her daughter.
3. 1st Ko Si 3rd - funny and sad, I left the theater thinking if I would end up living with regret.
4. Ronda - Carlos Morales must be ad-libbing but it sure is funny. I felt depressed when I saw Ai-ai's character finally smile knowing that her happiness is short-lived.
5. Kasal - Arnold's portrayal is very believable and we are drawn to him.
6. Hustisya - Nora Aunor and Rosanna Roces are both a joy to watch. Beautiful script.
7. Hari ng Tondo - A fun movie but this is Tondo beneath pink colored candy clouds.

I'm not a cinephile but I do enjoy a good movie.  Thank you to Cinemalaya for great movies year after year.

My All Time Favorite Filipino Movies

Jessica Zafra posted an all time favorite Filipino movies poll here and it got me thinking about my own ten. I actually have a little more and I thought of sharing it here as well, in no particular order:

Pisay - This was one of the movies that generated a lot of buzz during 2007's Cinemalaya and with good reason. Honestly, before watching this film, I didn't know what Pisay was. 

100 - I became a fan of Chris Martinez after watching this movie. I was able to catch one of the last few screenings during 2008's Cinemalaya at CCP's conference room, I think. Even if the seats were uncomfortable, I didn't mind because I was having the time of my life. 

Endo - Beautiful romantic movie, I immediately urged Clarice to watch this film after seeing this. 

Azucena

Sidhi

Tuhog - In the height of TF films, Jeffrey Jeturian came out with this film about sensationalism and how sex sells in cinema. 

Jay - Well deserved award for Baron Geisler. It's a jarring look at how "real" news docus are.

Kakabakaba Ka Ba? - I remember watching this movie on TV with my cousin, Shobe and just having fun. Every time we'd find this on, we'd end up watching it again.

Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin - If only for the scene in the kitchen. Oliver and I both love this movie.

Kimmy Dora

Mano Po 2 - This movie came out at the time of my lolo's passing, almost 20 of us trooped to the cinema to watch this and we were all able to relate to it. It helps that Zsazsa sings my favorite Teresa Teng song. 

Sa Aking Mga Kamay - This was the first Filipino suspense film that made me jump out of my seat and I remember feeling very proud that we are capable of delivering a suspenseful film.

Magnifico - I still cry, up to now, when watching this film.

Zombadings, Patayin sa Shokot si Remington

Kinatay - This film I wouldn't watch again because I found this to be scary and disturbing because of how very real everything felt.

Bulaklak ng Maynila - I was surprised that I actually liked this film.

One More Chance - Popoy and Basha.

My Amnesia Girl

Here Comes the Bride

Titanic in 3D

I'm one of those who never tire of watching a good movie over and over and say what you want but Titanic isn't just a good movie, it's a great movie in my book. I loved it when it was first released and I still do.

However, while I love the movie, I'm not a die hard fanatic so I don't have the special edition DVDs and I haven't downloaded the movie and stored it in my hard disk and I haven't seen it in such a long time.

When I saw the trailer for the first time in the theater a week back, I got all excited. I had a whiff of nostalgia and I remembered watching it with my family and having a really great cinematic experience.

Having the chance to watch it on the big screen again is something that I wouldn't pass up. Frankly, I don't care much for 3D but if there's one movie that deserves to be 3D-ified, it's this. I can just imagine how majestic Titanic will look.

With invites from Omy, we headed to Plaza Singapura last night for the special preview.

Both a critical and commercial success, the hype surrounding it and it's very famous theme song had a bit of a negative effect. People started to feel that need to distance themselves from the hype. Up to now, check your Twitter timeline once it's finally re-released and you're sure to see a lot of negative jabs at the movie but I refused to be sucked in. As soon as the lights dimmed, I sat back and allowed myself to experience the wonderful journey that it truly is again.

I suggest everyone go to the theaters on April 5, leave your inhibitions out the door and see the movie again as if you're seeing it for the first time.

Scream 4

Being a fan of the Scream franchise, I was beyond excited when I found out about Scream 4 last year. I was doubly glad when I found out that it opens here when it officially opens in the U.S. Yey!



In my excitement, I was actually checking for tickets online since about a month ago but since it's not as popular as the Harry Potter franchise, I had no luck.

I was able to finally book tickets last Wednesday and I insisted on watching it the first day, April 15.





My movie mates (8 of us) all met up at Golden Village in time for the midnight screening and it was one scary, thrilling and funny ride. The opening sequence of the film was brilliant and one-upped the very famous Drew Barrymore opening sequence and although watching the last part of the film feels as if you're watching another film altogether, I still enjoyed the movie all in all. (click here for Screenrant's review).

If you're not familiar with the Scream franchise, click here for the Primer. If you have no plans of watching the film but is curious as to who the new Ghostface is, click here.

I actually had apprehensions when I read that they brought in another writer to do some rewrites. I've been a fan of Kevin Williamson (@kevwilliamson) since Dawson's Creek and Teaching Mrs. Tingle and I would've preferred that his original vision and material for the film be untouched but I'm glad the movie still turned out great. Now, I'm all the more convinced to finally start watching The Vampire Diaries.

The Wait is Almost Over

Almost one year ago, the teaser poster for Scream 4 was released (see entry here).

I'm excited that the film will be opening in just 4 days.



Entertainment Weekly also came up with a Scream Returns article. Must get a copy also.

Shaw Theatres Premiere

Yesterday, omy invited several bloggers to experience Shaw's Premiere theatre at Nex before it officially opens to the public. I was psyched because one, it's my first blogger's event and two, I love watching movies and it's not just any theatre, it's a Premiere theatre.

So what makes a Premiere theatre different from just your regular theatres? I'm pretty sure most of you here in Singapore are familiar with GV's Gold Class, well, this is Shaw's answer to that. Em-J has been bugging us to try it so it makes perfect sense for me to invite him when I found out that we can bring a friend along.


The Premiere experience actually starts from the moment you queue for your tickets because they have a special dedicated counter so you can avoid the hassle of waiting. (For the event, we didn't have to use this special queue since we got our tickets from Alvin of omy).


Their tickets also look a bit more special.


We then headed up to the theatre's actual entrance. I was a bit surprised cause it's like a restaurant entrance complete with a menu by the door.


We were warmly greeted by their staff and led to one of the comfortable chairs in the lounge. Let me just say that I love that they have a special lounge because there are hardly any good waiting areas in most theatres. (I favored Cineleisure before because they also have a lounge but it was already closed when I last went there.)

Food is also reasonably priced. I was half expecting that the price of popcorn and drinks to be off the roof but they're not. A big bowl of popcorn is $6 and a can of soda is $3.50.


I liked how they take your orders. What can I say, I'm easily impressed by technology, however dated.

Em-J decided on the fried dory while I chose the truffle fries.


The best news is that the food is actually good. The fried dory was not greasy at all and the fries is quite tasty. Em-J and I gobbled it all up in no time. We'd actually go back and watch a movie here if only to have the fries again.

The theatre itself sits roughly around just 50 people so it is quite intimate. The seats are quite far apart from each other and the considerable distance between the seats means that you don't have to worry about reclining your seat all the way and bothering the person behind you. Seating is raked so you don't have to worry about looking at the head of the person in front of you.

I also love how comfortable the seats are and the reclining buttons worked seamlessly. There's also a table for you to enjoy your food with an on-call button that works like a charm. Assistance is there when you need it without bothering the other patrons. The best part of it all, the blanket! I left my jacket and was worried about feeling cold but this little gesture sold it for me. I will be back for sure.




I do have the following notes so you can totally enjoy your Premiere experience:

1. Settle your bill before the movie starts so you don't get bothered mid-way through. We were approached with the bill during one of the film's dramatic moments and I had to look for my wallet in my big bag in the dark.

2. Avoid seating way up front. We were unfortunately seated there and I find that it's still a bit too near, even with the seats reclined, it still take some time before you get used to it and start enjoying the movie.

Ticket prices are also reasonable, off-peak price is $20, peak price at $25. (off-peak days are Monday - Thursday, except for opening titles). Premiere 3D prices at $25 for off peak and $30 for peak.

Just for comparison GV Gold Class tickets are about $28 during off-peak and $36 during peak periods. I can't really say what GV offers since I have yet to watch a movie there.

Book your tickets or read more about the theatre here. 

Scream 4 Trailer

I'm very excited!

source: http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/10/18/scream-4-trailer/

The Experiment

Last Saturday, on our regular movie night, Abby suggested we watch "The Experiment" which I knew nothing about. After seeing the trailer, I realized that the film is based on the Stanford Experiment which I once read about in college.

The Stanford Experiment was a study conducted that to observe human responses to captivity. Originally planned to be a 24-day experiment, it lasted for only 6 days. The individuals selected to play the guards including the psychologist who was leading it began to treat the prisoners abusively. 

A book was later written about the experiment which was then adapated to the big screen "Das Experiement" by a German director. This film is the American remake written and directed by Prison Break's Paul Scheuring. 

The film stars Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker, both were equally good which helped make the film more moving. Whitaker's character is so hateful that it leaves you wondering how someone who starts out a good guy can turn that way in just a few days. The police torture video comes to mind, those in power exploit their position. 

The film goes straight to DVD which is a bit sad. I would want as many people to watch this very powerful movie if only to realize that however unimaginable this happens in real life. All is not lost, however, as news also came out that another film "The Stanford Experiment" is in production starring Channing Tatum, Benjamin McKenzie and Kieran Culkin.

Salt Trivia

I just got back from watching Salt and I have to say that I enjoyed it immensely. It's one of the best movies I've seen this year. (I have yet to see Inception).

After seeing the trailer for the first time, a few months back, I can't help but feel all excited for this film. I eagerly awaited it's opening.

I purposely refused to read anything about Salt prior to watching the film and now that I have seen it, I discovered an interesting trivia. Tom Cruise was supposed to be Salt. The main character was originally named Edwin A. Salt. Here's the excerpt from Wikipedia:

In 2007, Tom Cruise had been approached by Noyce to play Edwin A. Salt from the script written by Kurt Wimmer. Cruise was unable to commit to the script because of other commitments to projects and feared that the character was too close to his Mission Impossible character Ethan Hunt. The filmmakers tried to differentiate the character from Hunt, but eventually came to accept they were too similar and decided not to change the characteristics of Salt. Noyce said "But, you know, he had a valid point. It was kind of returning to an offshoot of a character that he’d already played. It’s like playing the brother, or the cousin, of somebody that you played in another movie"


I have to agree that the character was a lot like Ethan Hunt and was I glad that they turned it around by offering the role to Angelina Jolie.

Some Peace and Quiet

So after all the pasalubong shopping and my Manila trip, my resources have been depleted that there's nothing left for me to do but stay home...at least until after the next pay day. :p I was just at home the entire weekend catching up on movies that I've already downloaded. I watched Precious and was blown away by Mo'Nique's performance. I had to search for her best supporting actress acceptance speech right after her bawling scene at Mariah's office.

I also watched Russel Crowe and Ben Affleck's State of Play adapted from an original BBC series which I didn't quite like. I felt that the movie's ending was a bit rushed. I was still trying to fully digest what was happening in the background and I'm already seeing the credits roll. 

I also tried to watch The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but was a bit disoriented. Instead of having English subtitles, they dubbed the English dialogues and they didn't do such a good job. After watching a few frames, I decided to stop and just look for another copy. Incidentally, Monica sent me an FB message asking me to read the novels first. This got me all excited since I miss reading and was in bad need of a good recommendation. I actually haven't found the time to read the past few months so yesterday before heading home, I passed by Popular and found the first two books in the series on sale. Combined I got 300pesos off which was a real good deal.