I have never been successful at getting my hubby to watch chick flicks with me. If we do watch movies, it would have to be either comedy, epic, kung fu, sci-fi, or action-filled. I do not mind really as I do watch anything as long as I can be entertained. So it was surprising that he downloaded Made of Honor so we could watch it. More baffling is the fact that he actually liked it. Nothing more romantic than watching a chick flick with your man so into it.

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I didn’t go to the recently concluded San Diego Comic-Con, but thanks to the magic of the Internets, I got all the news and ridiculous photos of ridiculous people in ridiculous costumes from the event that I needed. And then some. It took me a couple of days to rummage through my bookmarks and feeds, but I eventually singled out 10 news items that made my balls sweaty with geeky anticipation. Here be the list:

1. Agents of Atlas Ongoing Series! My mancrush on Jeff Parker began when I was awesomed deeply by the Agents of Atlas mini-series back in 2006. My love for AoA has been well documented (Love & War, 2006 Awesome List, Lantern of Doom!, Agents of Atlas, Top 5 Lists #9 of 10: Graphic Fiction, and Giant-Size Rockery), so it goes without saying that I am extremely happy to learn that I’ll be getting my dose of AoA monthly starting early 2009.

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I took this blog quiz to find out the film rating of my blog. Here’s the result:

Please continue here …

The Dark Knight is the bomb!

Truth be told, Im not a Batman fan (although Ive seen the other movies), having decided to see The Dark Knight only because of papa Heath, and the whole Joker hype that was created. But man, I was transformed, and there was never a superhero, comic book film ever created, that’s as realistic as this one. Nolan succeeds in transforming fiction to non-fiction, in a sense that Batman and Joker now look more “real” than ever. The Dark Knight screams as a metaphor to our society, where criminals know no morals, who would kill just for the fun of it.

It maybe Gotham City in the movie, but it could be just about wherever in our “real” world… (click here for the rest of the story)

China. Ten years ago, it was one of those Bermuda Triangles in the world economy. Even if they are known as one of the most populous nations on earth, it was known then as one of the depressed and poorest countries in the world.

Today, it is different.

You could sense it in Hollywood itself. Kung Fu Panda, The Warriors, Forbidden Kingdom, and now, The Mummy III. Read more…

A few months ago, I found a nice work-around for playing Video CDs in my Ubuntu using VLC. The work-around was as simple as removing the x from the MRL in Disc Advanced Options and checking “Play Locally” in the Stream/Save settings to get the audio. It worked for a time, but when I upgraded to Hardy Heron and re-installed VLC, the audio solution no longer worked. So, as a last resort, I now rip my VCDs into MPEGs in order to watch my movies; and here’s how I do it:

1. Insert the VCD in to the CD-ROM drive and fire-up VLC.
2. In VLC, go to File > Wizard. The Streaming/Transcoding Wizard dialogue will pop-up.
3. Select Transcode/Save to file, then click “Next”.
4. Select “Select a stream” then click the “Choose” button, which calls the Open… dialogue.
5. Under “Disc”, select VCD and remove the x from the MRL under Advanced Options, turning it to vcd:///dev/scd0 from vcdx:///dev/scd0.
6. Click “OK” to return to the wizard. And click “Next”.
7. Check “Transcode video” and “Transcode audio”, then click “Next”.
8. Select “MPEG 1″ as the Encapsulation format, then again, “Next”.
9. Provide a file name, or select an old file to overwrite on.
10. Click “Finish”, then let VLC do its thing.

From experience, it takes around fifteen minutes to rip a sixty-minute disc. But that’s ripping at a 1024KB bitrate. I’m assuming that the higher the bitrate selected in “Transcode video”, the longer it takes to rip the movie; conversely, lower bitrates will mean a faster rip.

Ah! And let me assure the Optical Media Board that the VCDs I’m ripping are legitimate copies, most of them I bought from Odessey. The above is just a process that I need go through so that I can watch my movies in my Ubuntu box.

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Me and a close friend went to see MAMA MIA after we dined for our team mates’ treat for pizzas! We’ve long been waiting for this movie. The trailer shows that it’s a very entertaining movie but still clueless on what it has to offer. Fortunately, it’s our last day of work and we ought to give ourselves some eye-candies after a busy week! All I can say for the movie as a whole, very IMPRESSIVE! And Meryl Streep (Donna), is one diva. She deserves another OSCAR for this!

More after the jump at http://www.obnoxiousqueer.com

excerpts from Jim Libiran’s speech that he gave after winning Le Pari de L’Avenir (The Youth Jury Prize) in Paris Cinema Festival:

“I come from a country where, for decades, people have been leaving for greener pastures. It’s heartbreaking, but we didn’t know that by doings so, we were slowly exporting love and care. Now we are exporting culture and arts. In front of me and behind me is a whole army of Filipino talents. And not only that, as you have experienced here in the Festival Paris Cinema, Filipinos can fill your movie houses. We are a potent, profitable force. Let us continue appreciating and supporting each others’ culture, and we will give you 81 million more moviegoers…. because through this recognition, through this award, THE FILIPINOS ARE INVISIBLE NO MORE.“

Jim Libiran’s short speech was translated by festival president/French Superstar Charlotte Rampling while he was wearing a black barong designed by his cousin Francis Libiran paired by stonewashed jeans and leather shoes. The Youth Jury Prize, Le Pari de L’Avenir (Bet for the Future); was given at the MK2 Cinema, Bibliotheque National Francois Mitterand, 13th arrondisement, Paris. Stephen Walker’s Young@Heart won BOTH Le Pari du Public/Metrobus  and Le Pari du Jury in the full-length (long métrage) film competition.

just got this from Jim Libiran:

“Mga Kapatid… Ikinagagalak ko pong ibalita sa inyo na ang Tribu ay nagwagi ng Youth Jury Prize (distribution in France) dito sa Paris Cinema Festival. Mamya po ang awarding” Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!”

translation:

“Brothers and sisters … I am joyful conveying the news that Tribu won the Youth Jury Prize here in Paris Cinema Festival. The awarding will happen in a  little while. Mabuhay Philippines!”

Jim texted more:

“a lot of people prayed hard for this. The Lord heard all of our prayers. the Tondo kid yearn for respect: the indie musicians, rappers, rock singers, theater actors and talented Tondo residents who joined d cast of Tribu, they all yearn for respect and recognition of their talents. The young and very talented indie film crew who shared their talent and time, they yearn to show the world how talented we are. To all of them, I say, the young culture-loving people of Paris, France, all respect, recognize, reaffirm that, yes, the music making, the film making, acting talents of Filipinos are kick-ass worldclass!”

I bumped into Jim Libiran and Mitch Moreno just before they left for Paris in Robinson’s Galleria 2 Sundays ago and I got to pray with them and I got to pray for this Film – the world needs to see what God is doing in the Philippines right now – He’s raising up a new generation of film-makers, the Libirans, the Joaquin Valdeses, the Dante Nico Garcias of this generation; that will re-interpret reality in a way that will challenge Filipinos and the world.

Tribu was the ONLY Filipino entry that competed in the full-length film category. The award is very special because the Jurors are composed of young people and also representatives from the film magazine, Positif. This year’s Paris Cinema Festival honored 40 Filipino films and it was just fitting that a Filipino film on the youth rap culture in Tondo would win the Youth Jury Prize.

Here’s the review of a juror, Raphaël Clairefond, of Tribu (it’s in French btw hehehe):

“Une guerre des gangs dans un bidonville, vous pensiez avoir déjà vu ça souvent au cinéma. C’était récemment La Cité de Dieu de Fernando Meirelles, et si vous n’en aviez pas eu assez les producteurs en ont pondu une suite (La Cité des Hommes). Oubliez tout ce que vous connaissez, le vrai film « coup de poing » (expression ô combien galvaudée) sur le sujet s’appelle Tribu et il nous vient des Philippines.

On le doit à Jim Libiran, personnage multifacettes (documentariste, essayiste, journaliste…) qui, pour son premier film de fiction, immerge le spectateur dans la vie quotidienne de jeunes membres de gangs à Tondo, bidonville de Manille. Le mode de narration se rapproche de la chronique, en donnant à voir la vie de la population du quartier dans ce qu’elle a de plus banal : parents travailleurs et préoccupés par le sort de leurs enfants, scènes de ménage, amourettes de jeunesse etc. Mais qu’on ne s’y trompe pas, en filmant les câbles électriques enchevêtrés entre les bâtiments, surplombant les ruelles, le cinéaste nous rappelle clairement que Tondo est, une immense toile d’araignée dans laquelle chacun se débat comme il peut. Plus qu’ailleurs, la vie y est bien souvent une question de survie.

Toutefois, laissons-là les métaphores car la puissance viscérale de sa fiction repose avant tout sur l’effet de réel, le style documentaire « embedded »*, qui confère au film une tension et une violence aussi sèches qu’angoissantes. Son dispositif de mise en scène produit une image sale et tremblante, plongée dans une lumière sombre et jaunâtre. Elle restitue efficacement le sentiment de peur et de danger permanent qui semble imprégner le quartier. Le choix d’un tournage économique en vidéo et en lumière naturelle produit cette impression que les scènes sont saisies sur le vif. Par ailleurs les acteurs non-professionnels ont tous fait partie de gangs à Tondo. Le réalisateur part donc, comme d’autres avant lui, d’une matière documentaire pour construire une fiction qui met en forme un réel inaccessible par d’autres moyens que la reconstitution.

Le témoin du récit, un jeune garçon de 10 ans, fait écho à la divinité du quartier, tout en permettant l’identification du spectateur à son regard innocent. Innocence toute relative cependant au regard de la dernière séquence et des autres scènes qui voient les gamins se chamailler avec des armes en plastique. De l’enfance bagarreuse à l’adolescence terrible, il n’y a qu’un pas aisément franchi : celui de la simulation au passage à l’acte. L’enfant constitue également une astuce narrative habile, en ce qu’il offre un contrepoint à la violence et à la haine des jeunes lors de leurs réunions.

Musique et haine de l’autre
Loin d’adoucir les moeurs, la musique (hip hop et slams enragés) n’est que le vecteurs de déclaration de guerre à un ennemi vague mais incontestablement en sursis, à en croire les paroles. Les séquences musicales et spontanées entre potes préparent rites initiatiques et vengeances meurtrières. La musique est toujours un prélude à la violence, de même que certains gangs n’étaient à l’origine que des groupes de rap. Tribu met à mal la croyance dans les vertus pacificatrices et apaisantes de la musique. La prose scandée qui vient se poser sur les « beats » (rythmiques vocales) est loin d’apaiser la haine. Pire, elle l’attise.

La démarche du réalisateur prend tout son sens quand on comprend que l’expérience du film propose avant tout un constat pessimiste, plus qu’une critique virulente. En effet, le film et son budget ont permis de lancer plusieurs projets sociaux parmi lesquels la création d’un studio professionnel d’enregistrement à Tondo. Ce hors-champ qui fait aussi partie de l’expérience cinématographique témoigne de l’intelligence et de l’ambition d’un cinéaste qui préfère mêler fiction et documentaire en mettant l’un au service de l’autre, plutôt que de chercher à tirer profit d’un réel sordide.

Pour ceux que l’expérience aura convaincu, rendez-vous peut-être dans un an ou deux puisque Jim Libiran a un documentaire en projet sur ce que sont devenus les acteurs du film.

Il compare le mode de tournage à un reportage de guerre. Les caméramen ne savaient pas comment allaient se comporter les acteurs à chaque scène.”

I love the last sentence. You could translate it thus:

“He (Libiran) compared the method of directing to a story of war. The cameramen didn’t know how to frame the actors in each scene.”

Here’s a short teaser clip of GMA7’s Signos, a localized documentary on climate change and its impacts in the Philippines. It won the Best Foreign Film Award for the 1st Lone Star International Film Festival in Texas, USA, according to GMA News.

More here…

I never thought of blogging about movies. But, when Zen of SM Cinemas called me up and invited me to the launch of SM Digital Cinema and screening of “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, I gladly accepted the invitation.

NO SPOILERS. Just my two cents about “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D.

Continue reading here…

For ABBA fans and fans of the film alike, MAMMA MIA! is a Soundtrack must-have!

Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast in the feature-film adaptation of the beloved musical that has been seen by more than 30 million people in 170 cities and eight languages around the world. Bringing the timeless lyrics and melodies of iconic super group ABBA to movie audiences, summer 2008 is the season for Mamma Mia! The star-studded soundtrack is the ultimate souvenir to the movie, set for a release on MCA Music.

More about Mamma Mia! The Movie and its Soundtrack at Music Picks blog!

An exciting adventure based on the classic Jules Verne novel “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D stars Brendan Fraser (Crash, The Mummy) as a science professor whose nontraditional hypotheses have made him the laughing stock of the academic community.

More about the movie at this LINK!

here’s the link

the other films competing with Jim Libiran’s Tribu are:

Dernier maquis by Rabah Ameur-Zaimeche
Dorothy (Dorothy Mills) by Agnès Merlet
Kabei – Our Mother (Kabei) by Yoji Yamada
Lake Tahoe by Fernando Eimbcke
Mange, ceci est mon corps by Michelange Quay
Milky Way (Tejút- Ambient Movie) by Benedek Fliegauf
Une famille chinoise (Zuo You) by Wang Xiaoshuai
Versailles by Pierre Schoeller
Young@Heart by Stephen Walker

I’m hoping and praying that TRIBU will win!

Rough Translation of the French blurb to English:

International competition

Feature-Length Films

10 feature-length films shown in the presence of their directors. All compete for three prizes, intended to help their distributors at the time of the exit into the room of the films’ prizes winner.

- The Choice of the Public is decreed by the spectators and awarded with 10.000€ by the Festival Paris Cinema.

- The Choice of the Jury is allotted by cinema and the audio-visual professionals, awarded by Metrobus with a campaign with posting offered in the Parisian subway.

- The Choice of the Future is given by a jury of students, awarded by imagines R and with Positive communication campaigns.

Joaquin usually jokes around that I blogged more about Ploning than his short film, “Bulong”. Well for one thing, it would be good if he had a trailer so that people would at least “buzz” about it. Well, we don’t need it now. Now that “Bulong” has been screened in Cannes and has won in China, I’m sure there will more interest about it. So here’s some blog love for Bulong. Leave a comment in Joaquin’s Multiply

I love this song strangely because it quaintly brings me back to the simple things of life. It reminds me of the importance of appreciating the stops of life and the need to be thankful. Not at all celebrating the ordinary (which I often remember whenever I think of Neruda’s Ode to Simple Things), but it is simply being thankful for the things that we often take for granted and relegate to ordinariness. Read more…

Just a short tribute to a fine actor since it’s sickening how the media has already squeezed out all it can about his death. Read it here …

The Sex and the City tv series takes you through the lives of four not so young but still desirable New York City bachelorettes. The show though focuses mostly on Carrie Bradshaw, columnist and writer about sex, love and relationships. She is hopeful and ever-searching for Mr. Right but always seem to go back to Mr. Big.

Read more…

Languages have been part of the human experience.

Consider for one moment that we Filipinos have 154 recorded dialects and languages. For such a small part of the world as the Philippines, listen in on the radio with all 90 million Filipinos speaking all of their languages at the same time and you’d wish the radio would just go static. Read more…

Yesterday, I was left alone at a friend’s house and I decided to watch this movie called “Facing the Giants”. The movie is about a high school football team that has grown accustomed to losing. Parents blame head coach Grant Taylor. Taylor blames his apathetic players. And the players blame former star players who transferred to other teams to escape the vicious cycle in hopes of being noticed by college scouts. With Taylor’s job on the line, and his personal life in chaos (he’s growing tired of not being able to provide a nice car and home for his wife, and he’s just discovered that he’s the reason his wife can’t get pregnant), he turns to God in a deep and moving way. Read the rest of this entry