8 Parasyte Part 1 (Live Action Film)

Last Feb. 2015, I read the review of the Japanese movie, Parasyte by Philbert Ortiz in clickthecity.com. When he gave it a rating of  4.5/5, I decided to catch it at SM Megamall cinema. Since then, it has become one of my favorite movies. Take note, I am not a fan of the genre (science fiction/horror film) so for me, the fact that I liked this movie meant it had an appeal beyond its manga fans.  It is really pretty good considering that it sets up what will happen in Part 2.

I have always felt bad that it was not given a wider release in cinemas in Metro Manila. I  love Hollywood movies (Bridge of Spies is one recent movie with the strong team of director Steven Speilberg and Tom Hanks), but it is nice to discover a movie worth watching that is not from Hollywood.

Another popular anime live action movie from Japan is the three part Rurouni Kenshin which has a big fan base and enjoyed more screen time in the Philippines. The visit of charismatic lead star Takeru Satoh to promote the film in Manila gave the trilogy more exposure. Original dvds are available which make it more accessible to film buffs.    

Now with my very own original DVD copy of the movie courtesy of my sister Eileen who brought it to Manila from the States on October 20, I now have a chance to share this excellent movie with my EEP students.

I loved that the movie is both gross and cool and the charming leads Shatomi Sometani (Shinichi) and Ai Hashimoto (Satomi Murano) and Migi (voiced by Sadao Abe) made me an instant fan.

MOVIE TIME!!!

7 My Son's Wedding

If I were to pick one special event in 2015, I already know which one I would choose even if the year is not over yet.

The main event of the year is my son's wedding last June 12, 2015.

Here is the message I wrote for my son and his bride on their wedding day

Every parent wants his child to have a happy ending. Casildo and I are no exception and I am sure Corazon feels the same way too. Today we are here to celebrate the first day of Jonan and Janette's love story as a 
married couple.

To be honest, the past couple of days I have been experiencing separation anxiety because no matter how old our kids get, they never grow up in our eyes. So I am feeling sentimental that Jonan is moving out of the 
house. Separation anxiety aside, today is about Jonan and Janette and our wish for them is simple, that from this day forward, they start building a life together that is based on mutual trust, lots of faith and most of all, love.

I know that together you will be able to write your happy ending. After all Jonan is a creative writing major who takes after his parents who are both writers. If you were listening to their wedding vows this morning, you will know that they are both capable of writing their love story. 

Before I close, you should know where Jonan and Janette are moving. Kids, see you at the back house on Monday. 

6 PELICULA, Spanish Film Festival

From October 8 to 18, 2015, all roads lead to Greenbelt 3 cinemas for the annual Spanish Film Festival. I always look forward to this festival as my kids are half Spanish and I remind them that this is a good time to embrace their roots.

I always try to watch at least five films from the lineup of 18 because of the raffle stub which qualifies me to join the raffle where the grand prize is a trip to Spain. One can always hope.

Last Friday, I watched Felices 140 which was kind of special because the lead actor Maribel Verdu was in town for the Q and A after the film's screening. It was nice to see in person the star of Y Tu Mama Tambien and Pan's Labryrinth.

Last Sunday, back to back movies, La Isla Minima and Tres Bodas de Mas were my movies of choice. The first, a contemporary crime thriller projected a moody dark tale of a serial killer on the loose. In contrast, the second movie was a light romantic comedy set in Barcelona. Although I love detective novels, I was more in the mood for a happy ending and enjoyed watching Tres Bodas de Mas.

Today I am going to watch Relatos Salvajes, an Argentinian movie that is the country's entry to Best Foreign Language film to the Oscars. In other words, it will compete against Philippine bet, Heneral Luna. I am looking forward to this movie. My movie companion is Jaffy who I watched Heneral Luna with just last week.

The fifth film which will entitle me to that raffle stub is Milagro en Praga, a comedy romance from the Czech Republic.

One of the pluses for me of the Spanish Film Festival as opposed to the French Film Festival or the Japanese Film Festival, is I don't have to read the subtitles.

See you at the movies!

5 Ang Tatay mong Kalbo

As the long time adviser of Teatre Phileo in APC, I required my EEP students to watch the play, Ang Tatay mong Kalbo by Isagani R. Cruz, PhD. It is an adaptation of the French play, The Bald Soprano by Eugene Ionesco.

This latest staging of the play was held last October 9 and 10 at MPH1 of APC. I invited the playwright Isagani R. Cruz (photo below shows him with the ERC faculty during his seminar at APC, READ or DIE) but unfortunately, he was in the US and could not watch the play.

It is always a pleasure to collaborate with esteemed writer and educator Dr. Isagani R. Cruz. Thank you for letting Teatro Phileo stage your play/adaptation of Ang Tatay mong Kalbo.

4 Love at First Sight

I think it is wonderful to discover a poem at the core of a beautiful film. The poem is Love at First Sight by Polish writer Wislawa Szymborska, recipient of the Nobel prize for literature in 1996.The English translation is by Walter Whipple. The movie is Turn Left, Turn Right.

Wislawa Szymborska

Love at First Sight

Both are convinced
that a sudden surge of emotion bound them together.
Beautiful is such a certainty,
but uncertainty is more beautiful.

Because they didn't know each other earlier, they suppose that
nothing was happening between them.
What of the streets, stairways and corridors
where they could have passed each other long ago?

I'd like to ask them
whether they remember-- perhaps in a revolving door
ever being face to face?
an "excuse me" in a crowd
or a voice "wrong number" in the receiver.
But I know their answer:
no, they don't remember.

They'd be greatly astonished
to learn that for a long time
chance had been playing with them.

Not yet wholly ready
to transform into fate for them
it approached them, then backed off,
stood in their way
and, suppressing a giggle,
jumped to the side.

There were signs, signals:
but what of it if they were illegible.
Perhaps three years ago,
or last Tuesday
did a certain leaflet fly
from shoulder to shoulder?
There was something lost and picked up.
Who knows but what it was a ball
in the bushes of childhood.

There were doorknobs and bells
on which earlier
touch piled on touch.
Bags beside each other in the luggage room.
Perhaps they had the same dream on a certain night,
suddenly erased after waking.

Every beginning
is but a continuation,
and the book of event
is never more than half open.

Even in translation, the message of the poem is captured beautifully and listening to it in the original Polish and in Chinese in the movie is quite a treat.

Watching the movie Turn Left, Turn Right with my students in EEP is such a fun activity. I hope they like the movie as much as I do.

3 HENERAL LUNA

Last August 14, 2015, the English Cluster and Teatre Phileo together with Dakila, the Philippine collective for modern heroism composed of a group of dedicated artists and activists, and Articulo Uno, the production team behind Heneral Luna, organized the forum on Bayani Ba To? Heroism for Millennials at Asia Pacific College.

While I have known about the movie Heneral Luna for a while, it was my first time to watch the trailer and the video clip on the original theme song, Hanggang May Bukas.

Before the forum, I researched a bit on General Luna who admittedly I hardly knew anything about. I learned that he was an Ilocano, a pharmacist and sibling to his equally famous brother, the painter Juan Luna.

My interest in Heneral Luna is because of Director Jerrold Tarog. I am a huge fan of his wonderful movie Sana Dati which I have seen five times on the big screen. Two of these screenings were with my sections AC132 and GD131 respectively.

John Arcilla during the Heroism for Millennials Forum at APC

Heneral Luna starring John Arcilla in the title role opened in cinemas nationwide on September 9, 2015. That was also the last day of final exams for 1^st term at APC. I required my three sections of Phillit and one section of Worllit to watch the movie on opening day.

Happily, the movie has generated enough interest that it is now on its 4^th week in the cinemas. I have seen it three and a half times, the first time at Power Plant Cinema the week it opened, the second time at Glorietta cinema in Ayala with my AC132 students, the third time at Waltermart cinema with my Phillit AC151 block section this term and finally back to Power Plant cinema with my daughter and good friend Jaffy from my CITEM days.

Of the three cinemas, Power Plant cinema is the only one where there are subtitles in English. I only watched half of the movie in Waltermart cinema because I was called back to APC to attend a Ched meeting. 
 

Director Jerrold Tarog during the Heroism for Millennials forum at APC

Director Jerrold told me during the forum that this movie is supposed to be part of a trilogy but the next two movies will depend on how well Heneral Luna is received by the public. Well, it looks like the second movie on Gregorio del Pilar with Paulo Avelino in the title role will materialize and hopefully the last of the trilogy on Manuel L. Quezon.

My friend Jaffy has already given me an early invite to watch the next two movies with him.

I was also happy to learn that Heneral Luna is the official entry of the Philippines to the foreign language film category of the Oscars. That is an honor indeed.

I read that despite the success of the movie (now on its 4^th week, it has already earned P172M), life goes on for Director Jerrold Tarog. In an interview in Inquirer last Sunday, he said he is still busy writing but now he has a lot more emails to reply to...

To my EEP students, please watch Heneral Luna in the cinema. This is the topic of your next blog post. 

Thanks, Ms Eliz