Journey of Eros

October 3-7, 2007 at the Shangrila Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong.

Have a chance to win a free trip for two to Australia. Every movie ticket is equivalent to one raffle entry. Which means the more entry you send, the more chances of winning.

October 3-4 at the UP Film Center.  

Tanghalang Pilipino, in cooperation with Bright Eyed Boys Events&Ideas, Inc., brings back the ALIW Awards Best Play for 2003 “Insiang”.  The stage production also bagged the Best Stage Actor, Best Stage Actress, Best Director and nominations for the Best Supporting Actor. From October 5 to 7 and 12 to 14, INSIANG will have a limited run at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute (CCP Studio Theater) with matinees at 3:00 P.M. (Saturdays / Sundays) and evening shows at 8:00 P.M. (Fridays / Saturdays / Sundays).
 
Award-winning writer, director and actor, Mario O’Hara’s masterpiece was originally written for radio then developed as a teleplay for the TV series “Hilda” directed by Lino Brocka.  It was adapted by O’Hara into a screenplay for the 1976 Manila Film Festival, starring Hilda Koronel in the title role, with Mona Lisa, Ruel Vernal and Rez Cortez playing key roles. The movie version became the first Filipino film to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to win plum awards for its director and leading actress Hilda Koronel.
 
Nearly thirty years after, Tanghalang Pilipino mounted the stage version in 2002 as part of its 16th Theater season. Directed by Chris Milado, the “live” theater version attracted full houses and became the box office hit of the season. 
 
Sheenly Vee Gener (Insiang), Ricky Davao (Dado), and Mae Paner (Toyang) and the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company reprise their award winning performances.  Mailes Kanapi joins the production as Pacing, the mother of Insiang.
 
Director Chris Millado leads the creative team in recreating the riveting 2002 production from the ensemble acting down to the highly detailed “hyper-real” staging.   Hesus Bobot Lota designs the wrap-around set, with Joey Nombres and Jethro Joaquin doing lighting design and soundscape respectively. The production also includes fight scenes skillfully choreographed by Jack Yabut.
 
INSIANG is a stirring drama about the transformation of a teenage girl from innocence to malevolence as she finds herself trapped by a life of poverty in the slums. Abused by the very people she trusts, Insiang rises from destitution and takes revenge against her abusers.
Due to strong language, adult themes and brief nudity, parental discretion is advised.

On each performance a limited number of seats are available which offer an exciting and unique way to experience the performance with the action of the show taking place all around the viewer.   A Q&A session with select members of the cast and creatives can be arranged specially for class, community or company groups regarding themes in INSIANG i.e. gender, women, poverty, “soap opera” and advertising, design, stage fight, and corruption.
 
For tickets, reservations, group bookings and special discounts, please call the Bright Eyed Boys at 521-0412 or 0922-8712007. Tickets are also available at all Ticketworld outlets.

I’ve been there quite a few times, at least in the past. When we spent our summer vacation here in Manila, we always had time to visit their house. It served as a drop-off point (for padala) and trysts for fellow kababayans who would meet their relatives. Theirs was a place which never failed to offer genuine hospitability. A bottle of Coca-cola and fresh bread from the nearest paniderya were always ready for everyone. In cases where the visitor didn’t have a place to stay, they would offer their house as a temporary hotel, free of charge.

Finding their house was the most arduous task I’ve encountered for the month. I was confident I could find it with the help of the landmark I tried to memorize the last time I visited there with my sister. It wasn’t helpful. Even people with photographic memory would find it hard to find the house located between a busy street and a railroad. I had to call somebody who knows the place by heart.

I’ve been told by the owner, Mang Roger, a big man who previously worked as a guard until he suffered from a stroke, that the place is being demolished. Spaces in between barung-barong explained it. He said they will migrate in a compound in Bulacan in the next few months. The new house, he added, is decent enough for the whole family to start life anew. "It’s not that far," he noted while I gazed at the interior of their place. Nothing has changed, except that it became cramped with boxes, rugs and old technical parts scattered in the corner.

I’ll never find their house again.

The first time I saw Shia Lebeouf was in the movie "A Guide to Recognizing Your saints" in which he played as the young Dito Montiel (Robert Downey Jr.). Inding-indie ang acting at hitsura. I wished I could see him again in other films.

And I did. In Transformers and most recently, in Disturbia. I heard he’s in Indiana Jones too.

He seems to be almost everywhere now.

Blame it to his acting prowess. The kid really acts well. Though a friend noticed his acting in Disturbia is almost similar in Transformers. I see the similarities too but I still believe he’s a good actor.

I like it when he acts as if he’s retarted. He’s good at talking to himself.

We were required in our Humanities class in college to watch any film included in Cine Europa. It was 2003. I can no longer remember the title of the movie we were supposed to watch; it’s the festival when Malena was shown. It was a Rated-18 film and students were required to show their birth certificate. The guards wouldn’t accept spiels like "Don’t I look mature to you?" nor "My mind is mature enough to see the film" nor "Hell, I can watch porno at home." We knew we couldn’t make it inside because they were strict but we nevertheless tried our chance.

I didn’t dare join in the debate. I just listened intently as both parties (my classmates and the guards) exchanged reasons.

My classmates gave up when one of the guards asked, "Do you sure (you’re 18)?"

It was as if we all fell off from the chair.

Hopefully, the guards won’t be that strict to scrutinize my age when I watch this year’s Cine Europa happening on October 18-31 at Shang-rila.
 

Jessica Zafra’s short story entitled "The Wide Open Eyes of Madness" reminds me of Gerry Alanguilan’s "Wasted." The protagonists in both stories have this ‘wasted-like’ behavior due to a love lost. They’re both mad.

Is love that really powerful? I don’t know. I haven’t fallen in love yet.

Normal people don’t laugh when there’s nothing to be amused about. Normal performances don’t start late. Normal actors deliver normal acting. Normal  blogger doesn’t talk about being normal in one paragraph.

There are two main reasons why I didn’t like watching the play "Art." But I liked the play itself. The form and content, that is. But not really the performance. I’m not sure if the reaction is valid.

I thought the lady who sat beside our seat was harmless so I shook my head when she asked if the seat was taken. My nightmare started when Jett Pangan delivered his first line. After that, she would laugh at every dialogue. The first giggles were tolerable since other people also found the scene quite funny so I assumed it was normal. I could only looked at her in disbelief. I was sure she couldn’t see me.

The play was supposed to start at 8pm. The audience might have noticed the delay so some clapped their hands to get the attention of the production people. I could have been more satisfied if there were cat-calls. Oh, I really hate delays. Sir Dennis Marasigan told us the show would start at 9pm. He added that only CCP does follow schedules. I agree. It’s unfair for those people who came early. 

Allan, a Palanca winner, gave me his extra, free ticket. He asked if it’s okay to write negative review about the play if the ticket’s free. I said, I couldn’t say for sure.  

The play, written by Yasmina Reza, is about three long-time friends, Serge, Marc, and June. Serge (Michael de Mesa), indulging his penchant for modern art, buys a large, expensive (PhP200,000), completely white painting. Marc (Jett Pangan) is horrified, and their relationship suffers considerable strain as a result of their differing opinions about what constitutes "art." June (Ricky Davao), caught in the middle of the conflict, tries to please and mollify both of them.

Davao was the most applauded actor in the cast. De Mesa was always De Mesa. Pangan was kinda flat, especially in monologues. They all deserved a pat or a hug or a bouquet.

Critic Edward Copeland has posted the result of  the 100 Best American Films poll which he started earlier by sending out requests to filmmakers and critics to list their favorite films. Out of 100 films, I only got 11. Long way to go. Some on the list are familiar (both the titles and the directors). I’m sure I might have seen them during one of my DVD hunting sprees. Viridiana by Luis Bunuel for one is one of those films I frequently see at my favorite “DVD store.”  

13. Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa)
26. City of God (Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund)
27. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-Wai)
32. Belle de Jour (Luis Bunuel)
43. The Decalogue (Krysztof Kieslowski)
53. Y Tu Mama Tambien (Alfonso Cuaron)
55. Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore)
58. Talk To Her (Pedro Almodovar)
69. Amarcord (Federico Fellini)
76. All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar)
86. Amores Perros (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

You can get the complete list here.

ng pakikipaglaban ng bata sa buhay.

Mga nagwaging sanaysay sa Palanca ang naging libangan ko ngayon araw. Mga salaysay na nagpapakita ng musmos na paghihirap, kung paano nila hinarap ang buhay at kamatayan.

Sa sanaysay ni Luis Gatmaitan na may pamagat na Tapok at Banlik, nakakaantig ang dinanas ng mga paslit sa trahedyang kumitil ng maraming buhay sa Quezon province mahigit dalawang taon na ang nakakaraan.

"Hindi rin nakaligtas sa drowing ng mga bata ang buwan, ulan, at kidlat. Napansin ko agad ang kakaibang hitsura ng buwan. Nilagyan nila ito ng mukha. Nakalabi ang buwan!"

Tungkol naman sa bulol pang musmos na may cancer ang sanaysay ni Ferdinan Jarin, ang "Anim na Sabado ng Beyblade."

"At bilang isang nagnanais maging mabuting ama, nang alam kong di na kaya pang lumaban ng aking anak, pinabaunan ko siya ng halik at hinayaan ko na siyang lumisan. “ Sige na ‘Bo. Salamat sa apat na taon. Mahal ka namin. Paalam.” At saka ako umiyak  nang umiyak."

Ito yung klase ng pagsasalaysay na gayong maaaring ipadala kay Charo Santos sa MKK, lumilitaw ang kahusayan ng manunulat sa paghahabi ng mga salita at paglalarawan na nagdudulot ng kaaya-ayang kabuuan. Hindi hard-sell. Suwabe lang. Kung marupok ang luha mo, malayang umiyak. Ang higit na nag-iiwan ng marka ay ang mga imaheng nakapaloob sa sanaysay.

Siguro nga mas makapangyarihan ang literatura kumpara sa sining-biswal kagaya ng pelikula na sumungkit ng emosyon.

Naiisip ko minsan, minsan madalas, kung tama ba ang desisyon ko na mag-MA. Baka ‘kako naburyong lang ako sa buhay kaya’t kailangan ko ng libangan. Pero hindi rin. Dati ko pang gustong magpatuloy sa pag-aaral. Hindi upang mangolekta ng diploma o degree kundi upang dagdagan ang kaalaman at mapahusay kung ano mang talento ako mayroon.

Ang tanong - meron nga ba?

Hinalungkat ko noong Sabado ang mga dati kong files - mga akdang nakasave sa email at blog, mga vignette na hindi tapos. Sa sarili kong estetika, masasabi kong "promising." Sayang kung iiwanang nakalutang sa kawalan. Binasa ko mula sa simula, nanariwa ang mga lumang ideya, bumilis ang pagtipa ng mga daliri sa keyboard, nagsanga-sanga ang kuwento.

Sabi ni Sir Vim (Nadera), kung alam mo na ang back story ng bawat tauhan, ang proseso ng pagsulat ay parang sipon o lugang tuloy-tuloy na tatagas. Ang sa aki’y nakabara. Baka kailangan ko ng Solmux.   

"A strange thing happened the night I called Lynda from my hotel room in Manila. She woke up in my Bangkok apartment and picked up the phone from the bedside table. She didn’t say a word. "It’s okay, Lynda," I assured her. "It’s me." And then I heard her horrified scream. I almost dropped the phone. As it turned out, she had woken up in the dark, disoriented, and was startled by something floating above her, glowing luminously. And then she started laughing. I thought she’d gone crazy. She couldn’t stop laughing and the only word I could make out were “stars…"

“The stars,” she kept saying “the stars…” It dawned on me that she had never seen them before. I was a member of the Thai Astronomical Society and I had glued glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling to memorize the constellations like seafarers did in ancient times.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. “The stars… They’re really beautiful.”

- from Wilfredo Pascual Jr.’s essay entitled Lost in Childrensville, this year’s first prize in Palanca.

1. Since I saw it on Ian Casocot’s blog, I’ve been visiting it almost everyday hoping it has been updated even though Ian clearly stated in his entry that it would not be launched until today, Friday Sep 06 - the Palanca Literatura No. 13 which features winning entries of last year’s award.

The site often encounters traffic so I immediately opened the stories, poems and essays that are available and saved it in my note pad. (Just for personal use)

Reading Michael Co’s poems which won first prize for the English division was a sumptuous breakfast.

2. Gibbs Cadiz gave me an early Christmas surprise. His latest post about the return of Insiang this coming October in CCP made me palpitate with joy. I need to inform Anna about the news so we can make early plans and reservation.

What a nice Friday!

So far, the following titles have been taken:
-Belle de Jour
-Amarcord
-Secrets and Lies
-My Own Private Idaho
-All About my Mother
-Pulp Fiction
-In the Mood for Love
-Ken Park

-Ghetto
-Irreversible

Keep posted for additional titles. Thanks!

There’s a story from one of Nietzchie’s (I hope I got the spelling right) books about a girl who wonders if God sees everything, He must be "bastos." Sorry, I couldn’t think of its English translation. Pervent is a harsh word to use in this context.

Such idea became the springboard of Kuliti, a collection of short stories by budding writers, two of whom are my classmates in creative writing. I scanned the anthology while riding in a jeepney going home, after learning that the class was cancelled without any prior notice. A passenger across where I sat was throwing some furtive glances at the book. Good thing, the texts were small enough, it’s impossible for her to read the first story I was skimming. About a middle age man who recounts his first experience in a local bathhouse.  

Most stories in the anthology have the same theme.

I’m sure I looked like a haggard shopper that night when I got off from the cab, with plastic bags full of books on both hands. But I’m also sure I looked proud with those bags.

As usual, going inside the CCP premises was a breath of fresh air – whatever that means. My friend Anna says her artistry is revived every time she comes inside CCP. I guess I share the same feeling too. Mine is more of nostalgia and inspiration though. The building’s interior has this familiar feel of calmness.

And the foods in the canteen always give delight to us. Eating with artists and performers is never intimidating. It’s, in fact, exciting. One time, a friend related to us Regine Velasquez was beside the table he was occupying and he couldn’t concentrate. I said I wouldn’t care much if I was there that time. I easily get “starstruck” with thespians but not with movie stars.

Anyway, prior to meeting Anna, I spent one fourth of my salary buying books at the International Book Fair at the Word Trade Center. Being an obsessive compulsive buyer that I am, I ended up buying titles by Jack Kerouac (On the Road), Ian McEwan (Atonement), Henry James (What Massie Knows), Roy (The God of Small Things) and local ones by Tony Perez, Jessica Zafra, Carlos Bulosan and an anthology of Palanca winning one act plays. Anna helped me calculate the total amount I spent for those books – me, somewhat regretful and she, beaming.

While I was busy looking at the receipts to sum up my loss and Anna browsing some of the books, we overheard from an adjacent table remarks about the play we’re about to watch. It sounded as though they didn’t like the play because of the director. I made a meaningful glance at Anna but she missed it. 
 
Pilipinas Circa 1907 is a landmark sarswela by Nicanor Tiongson revived by Tanghalang Pilipino. The first play of the season, the production, set prior to the national election in 1907, tells about political  conflict and family relations getting in the way of two pairs of star-crossed lovers when America was more in the heart.

I admit I was not that excited to watch the play because the subject is not at all interesting. I guess I was not the only soul in the audience who felt like sleeping when the characters turned into divas and singers. I understand perfectly that it’s a musical so those scenes were inevitable: they’re just boring or not outstanding.

As usual, Dido de La Paz, who played Pardo, was exceptional. He was great in Ang Mga Huwad too. Roeder Camanag, the American lad, was believable. His American accent and twang would make him a great call center agent. Nazer Salcedo whose powerful voice brought the audience to life deserves a standing ovation.

I’m not sure what’s wrong with the play but it didn’t work too well.