Cine Europa 2006

Last night was Rach's and my final shot on having a social life right before class starts... After our registration and sort of dinner with Ces and Carlo @ Goodearth, we headed to Shangrila to reward ourselves by watching two entries at the 2006 Cine Europa.

images from IMDB

Our first film was "One Way Ticket to Mombasa" [Menolippu Mombasaan from Finland] directed by Hannu Tuomainen and written byAtro Lahtela and Hannu Tuomainen. When I read the synopsis for the flick, I dismissed it as another "Someone's dying so let's get out of here" plot. What made me appreciate it was its disturbingly laidback way of showing Jusa's journey towards his death, Pete's struggle to find a real life and the friendship that was formed in between living and dying. It was depressing because both characters were at PEACE amidst their own struggles. The flick brings out FEEL GOOD DEPRESSION, if it that exists.

Of course it didnt hurt that Pete [played by Antti Tarvainen] is a total hottie.

We psyched ourselves for the next film by going to Starbucks for a quick "drink". A few topics downed, we went back to the cinema excited and intrigued at what effect our second film for the night will have on us.

from IMDB

Our second film was "Simon" [Directed and written by Eddy Terstall from Nethelands]. "Simon" was a consolidation of a lot of things that are "DUTCH". It successfully demonstrated the synergy of these idiosyncrasies into a compact and solid whole that is the Dutch Culture. It tackled socially relevant issues like gay marriages, euthanasia, inter-cultural marriages, hash etc.

My favorite line would be, "Time does not exist." which I sort of connected to the circuity and continuity manifested through flashbacks. Simon, in my opinion, is more depressing than "One Way Ticket to Mombasa" because the pain, grief and fear of the characters are masked by the humour and color of the plot.

Eddy Terstall successfully presented the film not as something which gives rise to arguments, nor as a film hinting on what is right or what is wrong but as a film which plays with the emotions of the audience without dictating what should and should not be felt. It is in this film that you can independently decide as to whether you would want to dwell on the perfection that Camiel Vrolijk [brilliantly portrayed by Marcel Hensem] found in his homosexuality or on Simon's [played by equally wonderful actor Cees Geel] "seemingly" nonchalant acceptance of the oddities in his life. It can be described as "looking at the stars, appreciating different constellations without having to decide which constellation is most mystifying".

In the end, I felt bittersweet contentment at the same moment that Simon jumped towards his decided death.

There was an open forum right after the movie.. I sort of managed to ask two questions because I am a true blue "pa-star". haha...

camwhoring w/ Eddy Testall [director of Dutch film SIMON]

What better way to evidence my satisfaction than to strike a pose with the director who found a new fan in me.. That's after a short chat about his country, Netherlands.

IT WAS A GREAT, GREAT WAY TO END MY SEMBREAK WITH A BANG THANKS.
RACH for coming up with the idea of checking Cine Europa out. Let's do this again next week.

Come South, Cam Sur.

I was BLOG-HOPPING at Multiply when I came across Karmina's blog. She was raving about Camarines Sur.... Read her entry here.

According to her, "It's better than Boracay coz you get the whole package in one place, the beach, the caves, the waterfalls and people there know how to party!"

Tidbits from Karmina's blog:

I was assigned to cover an event in Camarines Sur and the result was piles and piles of work when I got back. ALL WORTH IT. Stop saving your allowance for Boracay since a bus trip to CamSur in a luxury bus to boot (RSL Bus Lines) is only worth P760 (papunta pa lang). But a regular air conditioned bus is only around P500+. Lodgings I have no idea how much it costs but Pili, Camarines Sur is a pretty small and affordable town. If you wanna try wakeboarding at the CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC) it's surprisingly affordable. You can rent equipment and wakeboard the whole day for P250. You might not have personal instructors but there will always be people there to look after you and teach you. They also have a clubhouse and a nice swimming pool where you can sunbathe with a breathtaking view of mountains and clouds... hayyy.. I wanna go back. Wait until the town goes full blasts on the CWC complete with villas, ATV's. more challenging ramps and gamicng center and whatnots. The governor has pretty big plans on CWC so drop by while it's still cheap.

So, I googled Camarines Sur for pics... this is the province's official website

Guys, let's go?

Announcements.

I am happy to announce that I have started to read the book. I am not gonna comment on it because I am afraid that I dont deserve to comment on it yet. Paulo Coelho is a writer that captures the beauty in life's idiosyncrasies. And I should stop talking because I might not be able to contain my excitement. The only reason why I'm posting this is because I'm just so happy that I'm not reading anything that's law school related. At least for the next two days. Then I shall start to review for the midterms. Unlike last sem, i refuse to cram.

Also, I am overwhelmed by my discovery that a lot of people watched Love Actually during the break. [duh, it's in Star Movies Euns!] I know I talked about the flick gazillions of times already but I will never get tired of writing about how it never fails to make my heart go, "All I want for christmas is you..." all the time. I am now predicting that in the next years, there will be a proliferation of Love Actually fanatics and it will eventually be immortalized and will rise to the level that was achieved by let's say... My Bestfriend's Wedding or Sleepless in Seattle or Somewhere in Time or uhmm... Casablanca. But I am also predicting that it will be the official love story of the Christmas season. Unlike the movies that I mentioned in the preceding sentence, (eww, it sounded like i was reciting an article in the civil code, haha) Love Actually will be watched not by singles and couples or any lovestruck person during Valentine's Day but during the Holidays. What did I accomplish in making such a prediction? Nothing. So?

Also, Bob Ong has a new book, Stainless Longganisa. Havent bought one but I'm quite sure that it's as hilarious if not more than hilarious than his past books. Let us support Philippine Literature. I'll write something about it in the near future. I got into a conversation with Ana about how unfortunate it is that not a lot of people support our local writers. The books are way cheaper (think UP Press) but never less brilliant.

Yeah, here's to our "wasted hearts"-- indeed, all of us have our crazy moments. But thankfully, like that character from Love, Actually, we also learn to say: "Enough." -Peej B.

To end my entry, let make one last announcement. I found another blog that's worth linking to. It's Somewhere I Have Never Travelled by Peej Bernardo. So if you guys aren't doin anything and you're tired of reading the exploits of your favorite budding anorexic, I recommend that you go to his blog. He's a better writer. Haha.

Just Like Heaven (It's a Wonderful Afterlife!)

I liked it. It's not super chick flick. Highly coincidental but pleasant. Pepe's and Kiboy's "Awww.." will forever haunt me. What did I love about it? Its humor and its way of making a predictable plot tolerable. Plus the fact that the "garden" that Jack created (because he's a landscape artist) was literally JUST LIKE HEAVEN that it took my breath away.

FAVE QUOTES:

• God made alcohol as a social lubricant. To make men brave, and to make women loose.
• I know what my unfinished business is... YOU.
• I was dead and YOU saved me.
• Unclassy and predatory... two characteristics that men love.
  

The Constant Gardener

Watched a flick with my family again... wala parin un Flight Plan so we settled for the Ralph Fiennes / Rachel Weisz movie The Constant Gardener. I loved it. I'm really a sucker for weep-worthy movies.

I will never forget this conversation...
Guy: (blah blah threats threats) Forget about it. Go home.
Justin: Rachel was my home.

Awww. Pero di ako dun naiyak. Di na ko iiyak dahil sa pag-ibig. (nahahawa na ko kay Pepe) At the end of the flick, two african kids were running around, smiling amidst the trash, the misery that's surrounding 'em. I was touched by how they still manage to be happy with their lives. Nakaka-guilty na nagrereklamo ako. Ako na nag-aaral, na nasa Rockwell lang lagi, na wala naman talagang masyadong malaking problema as compared to 'em.

On the other hand, I remembered talking to Joseph about us, as individuals, having the capacity to suffer a certain quantity of pain. About the relativity of our strength sa persons. That it's really hard and inappropriate to compare your life to other people because what may seem easy for 'em is hard for you and vise versa. That's a good way of looking at it, it's a more "tolerant" perspective... still i feel like i dont deserve to whine and be bratty about my being in law school. How many people would wanna trade places with me right?

I remember myself saying last Saturday, "Mababaw lang naman kaligayahan ko eh." Totoo naman, madali ako mapasaya. Pero ang nakakalungkot, madali rin ako malungkot. Ika nga sa Crim, nao-offset lang ng mga aggravating ang mga mitigating circumstances. Here we go again.

Set the Date! Set the Date!

A lot of things happened today because my day started really early. I was in Makati 'round 8am already for a "Tour" around the Makati City Hall. T'was fun.

I wanna say sorry to you whom we have hurt through our insensitive remarks. T'was an unintentional felony, alam kong may liability pero sana mabigyan mo kami ng "pardon".

I got to talk to Mr. Hotness No More no.1 today. Wala lang. We finally got to tour our Library. We saw Rocker Dude and we all made a big fuss out of it. Maliit nga lang sya. Kawawa naman magiging anak namin, "vertically-challenged". He looked good in Red.

Melo and Ceia came up with their songs for me. They feel like these 2 songs embody my "situation" as of the moment.... "Torpe" at "Tell Me How You Feel". I love the 2nd song. Pero uhmm, nananatiling "walang progress" ang istoryang ito. Come on, ask me out. Ika nga ni Charlotte sa Sex and the City ... "Set the date! Set the date!" But he's rarely online and i dont think he ever tried reading my blog, so he wont get this hint. Nananatili kang nangunguna sa aking listahan kahit na bata ka pa at di mo ko tinext. Hahahaha.

Ito ang gabi na naglakad ako mag-isa sa dilim upang maghanap ng cab. Keri lang, "sanay ako". The non-perk of NOT HAVING A GUY. Minsan lang ako magpaka-damsel in distress ngunit wala naman akong knight in shining armour. I'm dead beat. I wanted to stay in Starbs but i feel sooooo exhausted. Thanks Jots for looking at me in the eye and for saying, "Eunice, magpahinga ka na." Sometimes i have to be reminded. Ika nga ni Jay habang nakangiti, "Mukha kang bangag." THanks for pointing that out. Thanks Yumi for the "concerned look" you gave me when i told you about my going home dilemma. Sa totoo lang kinabahan ako, but a girl's gotta do whatta girl's gotta do. Sanay naman ako mag-isa. Iskolar ng bayan eh. Hehe.

My friend Japh pressured me into going to the Premiere night of Perfect Catch. Buti na lang game si Shem at Ana, i hold myself responsible pag nagkalat kami sa recits namin tomorrow. In fairness, i appreciated the flick's humor and i was sighing the whole time because it's a certified "Kilig movie". I wish someday i can also say this line...

"Everything you feel about that thing you're passionate about.. I also feel...
FOR YOU

------------
Tulugan na.

Red Eye

isang malaking.. Ngii! I'm 100% sure that i get attracted to DANGEROUS-LOOKING, Assassin kinda guys. Isang hot na lalaki un antagonist sa Red Eye. I wanna be lost in his eyes. (hyperventilates) Creepy sya pero TYPE ko sya.

I (almost) spent my Friday night in the hippest, trendiest and most exciting place in the whole wide world...Starbucks. But since we're all spontaneous people, just when we thought we were all going home, we decided to watch a flick in Powerplant. Ayun na, Red Eye. Isa syang laughtrip. At di kami nilubayan ng mga traces ng lawschool, on our way to the Cinema we bumped into (my fave) our Criminal Law professor, Sir Vallente. He was with his wife. Yihee. Ngii. While watchin the flick, we couldnt help but think of the aggravating, justifiying circumstances and their requisites. Sick man!

Brothers Grimm..

We had no choice, my family wanted to watch that flick by Jodie Foster or Russel Crowe's and Renee Zellweger's Cinderella Man but both apparently arent in the cinemas yet. So, my family decided to watch The Brothers Grimm. My friend recommended it this morning, and he was raving about how t'was a fun movie to watch. My family's fantasy days ended the day Okay Ka Fairy Ko ended (hehe), but since we already are set to watch a flick, we gave it a shot.

The movie was witty, a conglomeration of all the fairy tales associated to the Grimm brothers with a twist. It was kind of dragging in the beginning. A "confused film"... is it a comedy, a thriller or did i miss the humor of the whole thing? The latter part of the film was far better, i like the suspense, the exposition of the now whole picture.

Monica Belucci is just gorgeous! I'm biased, I love her. I love it that amidst all the jokes which are most of the time slapstick by nature, it maintained its dim sort of gloomy feel. I'm a sucker for sad endings. I was hoping that Will won't wake up, and the 12 girls will forever be in their "coffins" preserved with the elegance of death. Oh well, i guess i'm too much of a pessimist these days.

I did like the ending, i mean, how could you not adore the sight of girls running towards a group of villagers who have been waiting for them since forever? How could you not like the sight of a happily-ever-after denoument? I even liked the "two-timing woman" who gave both the brothers a g'bye or perhaps an "im-flirting-with-you-come-and-get-me-boys" kiss (lucky bastard). Thought the beginning was sloooooooooooow, it sorta got my attention in the end.

The movie is a nice ending to my uber tiring week.

The Freedom of Expression

Some writers accuse other writers of being people who need ego-massages, [intellectual] masturbation, and of being senseless.

When did the world become so self-righteous? When did people become so indulgent in the supremacy of their own ideas that they forget how unthinkably differently we all live our lives? Why do people expect other people to abide by rules and standards that they have set for themselves?

 This doesnt only involve writing, this involves everything that we think we know and understand. How sure can we be that our self-declared purpose and ideals are what the world needs to make it a better place?  If the #freedom of expression's purpose is to initiate #change, then maybe by encouraging people to be more open and more expressive of their opinions and their emotions can actually initiate the change that we need.  The key is open discourse.

 Life is one big stock market. We exchange thoughts, we exchange feelings, in the end we can never be sure which thoughts and feelings are to be followed and which are just futile attempts to understand the complexity of our individual intellect and emotions. I isolate opinion and feelings because scientific facts aren't areas that need opinion. These are theories that have been proved by the scientific method and shouldn't even be part of any argument.

 Our opinions are our opinions alone. We can never expect people to abide with them. Who are we to decide which is senseless or not? No single person or group of people can claim monopoly over critical thinking. I must admit, I wrongly judge people. I criticize opinions, but I draw the line by respecting them, and not imposing my beliefs on them.

 I'd rather be a pajama writer than someone boxed in some hypocritical definition of what a writer should be. I'd rather be free. -@LegallyBlunt, "Freedom of Expression" Artwork: "Bandera Filipina" #JuanLuna y Novicio Souvenir design 1899  

The Family That Eats Soil

I had no idea a film can be as disturbing as what I experienced in this film. The experience totally blew me away in a positive and a negative kind of way. It was overwhelming, scary and out of this freaggin’ world if you know what I mean.

Last Friday, my day was as innocent as innocent can be, went to school, attended class and I was about to go home. It was my friend Gerald’s birthday so I needed to be in Taguig around 7pm. But as usual, the sucker for spontaneous thingies that I am, I gave in to self-imposed pressure. Annamitz waved at me while calling out my name to let me know that she was still there. Ok, maybe a coffee break won’t hurt, I thought. Then we thought of going to Gateway, a new mall in Araneta. I was ok with it, I mean, it’s ok to be late for a drinking session with my high school friends right? It’s kind of expected of me to be fashionably late. I called Atoy to tell him and Abby that we’re going to the mall, but they’re not in UP anymore and they’re going to the gym. Amitz and I didn’t feel disheartened, we still wanted to go somewhere else. Then JD, Rojo, Bebang, Ed and Donald came, a group of friends that I have, I love them coz they’re so different from me yet, we understand each other. Talk about unity in diversity. They told us about this film, The Family that Eats Soil. It sounded interesting so they convinced us to go with them.

Like the cliché, the rest was history. It was like the launching of a couple of short films and a full-length film [not] directed by Khavn. Who is Khavn? I have no idea, but I think he rocks! The first two short films were entertaining but profound. Its mystery lies in its lightness, in what is isn’t saying. Then the third short film starred Marvin Agustin. His performance was acceptable and the theme… it’s harsh reality. Blood, sweat, cussing and poetry are a bittersweet combination. It was emotionally draining, my heart was beating really fast because it felt like it’s how it should beat. I must admit, it’s good.

Then the full length film rolled without warning. The bittersweet combination was still there and more. I have no other word but DISTURBING. It makes you doubt, it makes you feel the uncertainty lurking and enveloping you. When is it time to laugh? To cry? To be serious? To be a mere observer? To participate? I guess it’ll take some time before I totally forget what I felt. Kudos Khavn, whoever you are. I’m looking forward to my nightmares, if their cinematography’ll be like yours.