Pelikula

Normally, I would skip the ever crappy Playboy Philippines in the magazine stalls (okay, I only made the mistake of buying the damn thing once, a year ago and I swore never to buy one again). Last month they did a feature on the young upstarts of the Philippine writing scene (which, if I remember correctly, included Carljoe Javier) but I never got around buying the damn issue (its P199, I could buy better things than this rag).

So I took a double take when I spotted this chick and Peque Gallaga on this month’s cover. It’s their Philippine Cinema portfolio (dammit, Rogue you guys better bring that portfolio back this year) and because of my current involvement in Pelikula, I thought I’d give Playboy another chance. (hell, they published a story by the always amazing Mia Tijam so I guess that means these guys have taste).

I browsed through the issue and so far, the contents are good. The usual suspects of the Philippine Cinema are there: Ricky Lee, Brillante Mendoza, Jeffrey Jeturian and Bb. Joyce Bernal.

On another news, make damn sure you check out Francis Cabal’s(howdowemakeitdie), the latest addition to the awesome guys of Pelikula, post on John Hillcoat. Check in later to see the little Bjork special that Jansen and I made.

Still showing is my post on my current guilty-pleasure queen, Hilary Duff and Aldrin’s review of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

Also, many thanks to James Gabrillo (Inquirer, Rogue Magazine) for expressing his Pelikula love.

BLEARY EYED ZOMBIE

As usual, I am bummed from too much work. I feel like a zombie all the time. But today, I didn't feel that productive. Mostly because I spend too much time lounging in Twitter and Facebook (just because I was uploading photos). I'm still in the office, finishing dinner, then I'm going to go back to work.

I was supposed to be on leave tomorrow since I desperately need a long break. I'm still sorta smashed from last night's party and a long rest will do wonders for my mental health. I also need the time to solidify my submission for Demons of the New Year because I don't even have a strong structure to begin with. I haven't written a story for a long time, a horror story at that. I guess I'll just dig up shit by watching The Last Broadcast or Suspria tonight. I've downloaded them ages ago but because of my fucked up schedule, I still haven't watched them. Also, I just downloaded Where the Wild Things Are! Can you say "Happiness"? HA!

On friday, I'll probably be at the Status Magazine Photo Issue release party-- me at a soshal party, what the hell right? I don't even know who I am these days.

On book related news, I'm still reading Philippine Speculative Fiction vol. 4. Like I said, I've been busy with a lot of work-related stuff that I don't usually find time to sit down and read (what I do is lie down and sleep). I'm excited to read Twisted 8 1/2, though. I get all riled up when I read Jessica Zafra. Her passion is infectious, its crazy!

The Weekender

It's a damn long weekend once again. This is terrible: I've too much time in my hands already but I'm not doing anything productive.

Last night, I was able to finish downloading the complete Hellboy graphic novels (so far), a cause for celebration. I was planning on finishing watching the [amazing] documentary, Helvetica but I was too sleepy to finish it.

As for my [promised] reviews, I'll probably post the reviews for PGS: Horror Issue and the Summit Media Graphic Antho Underpass, I'll TRY to post them tomorrow.

PLANS. PLANS. PLANS. This is what happens when you have the attention span of a...oooh, pandas!

15 Books

Here's another repost from my Tumblr blog. This one's a response to a friends note/post asking me about my 15 favorite books (so far).

1. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel – Sussana Clarke
2. Smokes and Mirrors – Neil Gaiman
3. V for Vendetta – Alan Moore + Dave Gibbons
4. Henry’s List of Wrongs – Jason Scott Shepard
5. The Elephant Vanishes – Haruki Maurakami
6. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
7. Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera
8. The Player of Games – Iain M. Banks
9. Stories of Eva Luna – Isabel Allende
10. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Luis Zafon
11. The Great Railway Bazaar – Paul Theroux
12. Twisted 6 – Jessica Zafra
13. Necronomicon – H.P. Lovecraft
14. Einstein’s Dreams – Alan Lightman
15. The School of Night – Alan Wall

Strike Whilst The Iron is Hot

Here's another link. This time its my last film essay for juice.ph. It's called 'Cityscapes in Cinema'


Excerpt:


Tokyo, one of the quirkiest and haunting cities in the world, is rabidly deconstructed in the anthology Tokyo! Filmmakers Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Bong Joon-Ho carve a distinct and mind-shaking depiction of Japan’s capital city. The shorts are often unconventional—particularly Carax’s segment ‘Merde’, where the character is a mysterious figure that suddenly materializes to the shock of everyone. He’s an enigma—effectively portrayed by Dennis Lavant—and probably one of cinema’s most original and distinct characters to date. 

Sofia Coppola captures the Murakami-ness of Tokyo in her film Lost in Translation. Like her [debut film] The Virgin Suicides, the film is often ethereal, distilling the cultural disconnect experienced by her characters, who struggle their way out of the fine mess they find themselves in. Despite the colorful and the sometimes hysterical universe of Tokyo, Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) pass through the stasis of their souls, transcending it bit by bit until the film’s slow-burning conclusion.   


I think the article will be removed one of these days so read it NAO!

Phil Spec Fic V TOC

Here's, what probably is a tentative Table of Contents of the fifth Philippine Speculative Fiction anthology. This time, it's edited by Nikki Alfar and Vin Simbulan. Nicked this from Kyu:


Philippine Speculative Fiction V

‘A Game of Quam’ by Andrew Drilon
‘A New Hospital’ by Raymond G. Falgui
‘A Yellow Brick Road Valentine’ by Charles Tan
‘Carbon’ by Paolo Gabriel V. Chikiamco
‘Death and Noy’ by Fidelis Angela C. Tan
‘Embedding’ by Aileen Familara
‘Eyes as Wide as the Sky’ by Gabriela Lee
‘Heart in the Flesh’ by Mia Tijam
‘If We Catch Fire’ by Marla Cabanban
‘Just Man’ by Rica Bolipata-Santos
‘Keeper of My Sky’ by Timothy James Dimacali
‘Leg Men’ by Dominique Gerald Cimafranca
‘Monsters’ by Eliza Victoria
‘New Toy’ by Joseph Anthony Montecillo
‘Rogelio Batle and the Curse of the Crimson Court’ by Alexander Osias
‘Sink’ by Isabel Yap
‘Strange Weather’ by Dean Francis Alfar
‘The Autochthonic War’ by Joseph F. Nacino
‘The Creature’ by Christine V. Lao
‘The Goodlyf’ by Kate Aton-Osias
‘The Left-Behind Girl’ by Veronica Montes
‘The Sparrows of Climaco Avenue’ by Kenneth Yu
‘There’s a Waterfall in Your Rainbow’ by Ejay Domingo
‘Three Stories’ by Angelo R. Lacuesta
‘Very Short Fairy Tales’ by Apol Lejano-Massebieau

Shortlisted
‘A Novel Escape’ by Celine Roque
‘Bio Notes’ by Monique Francisco
‘Beyond Flight’ by Kristine Draei Dimalanta
‘Carnivale’ by Sarah Catherine Ureta
‘Moving Houses’ by Oscar Bryan Alvarez
‘Robots, Eyeballs, and a Slice of Pizza’ by Raydon L. Reyes
‘The Beloved Servant’ by Elyss Punsalan
‘The Void’ by Spencer Simbulan
‘Under a Mound of Earth’ by Celestine Trinidad
‘Upstaged’ by Gerard dela Cruz
‘Watchmen and Puppetmaster’ by Erica Gonzales
‘Wolf Man’ by John Philip Corpuz

That SpecFic Thing

Thought I'd just share with you guys my answer to a formspring question I received a couple of weeks ago:

If there was one spec-fic work by anyone in the world that you wish you’d written, which would it be and why?

Heh, well I was actually surprised someone would ask me a spekpek related question here. The first thing that came into my mind was Neil Gaiman’s October in the Chair or his poem Instructions. I’d give anything just to write like Neil Gaiman does. His ideas are always brilliant and I love how he manages to make his stories squeaky clean without being too fluffy.

I loved the idea of The Months gathering together to tell stories. Although Neil has used this concept too many times already (that is, the 'storytelling machine'; see The Sandman: World’s End and Parliament of Rooks in The Sandman: Fables and Reflections), I liked the way he personified each of The Months.

As for ‘Instructions’, well, it’s basically everything you need to remember all through your life, whether you’re in a fairy tale or not.

Another would be China Mieville’s Bas-Lag novels. I really like building cities. My first story was heavily influenced by Mieville’s New Crobuzon and Jeff Vandermeer’s Veniss Underground. But I like New Crobuzon more because its dripping with dark stuff and things that you could only encounter in your nightmares.

To get me out of my disgusting and morbidly depressing state, I decided to look for downloadable copies of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. I completed the entire series in two days. Tonight, if my stamina lasts long, I'll probably finish Worlds' End and will start on the longest collection, The Kindly Ones. I've also started downloading copies of Hellboy and I've got the first three so far (Seed of Destruction, Wake the Devil and The Chained Coffin and Others).

See, I'm too poor to collect all these books in a short span of time. Don't worry, I'll still be buying them. It's just that right now, I've more priorities and I just want to know the entire story.

And while we're talking about horror/dark fantasy stuff, I would like to greet Sir Andrew a happy birthday!

It's been actually a while since I heard from him. And the last time I saw him was in Pelicola TV's Fully Booked Dialogues channel discussing, *gasp* Stephanie Meyer's Twilight!

FOUND! : THE PGS HORROR ISSUE

I found a copy of the Philippine Genre Stories: Horror Issue (guest edited by Yvette Tan) here in National Book Store Olongapo! Since last year, I've been seeing copies of PGS4 here and in NBS Subic. So when Kyu said that the PGS Horror Issue is already available, I thought it was only a matter of time before copies arrived here. And lo and behold!

So far, I've read 'An Unusual Treatment' (Dom Cimafranca) and 'Tech Support' (Sean Uy) and they've been enjoyable. They're interesting because they bring a new perspective to the concept of what horror is. Sure, both of the stories have holes but, heck, they're both fun to read.

I'll try to post a review tomorrow (as soon as I finish reading it) as well as a review of Philippine Spec Fic IV. After that, I'll start reading The Farthest Shore, A Time for Dragons and Usok 1.

How Do You Survive A Break-Up?

Well, you don't.

It's a slugfest. Unless you jump to another warm body hurled in your way by the cosmos, you don't get a chance to emerge from this unscathed.

I have no idea how I did it the last time. When you've invested so much time and, gah, emotions to that person (and will eventually take them all away into the pits of lovelessness and nonexistence), you've nothing left for youself. i know, it's wrong to do that, given the volatile nature of our relationship (not to mention its, uh, unconventionality) but you're there and it's all you've got.

With all the mixtapes, book swapping, and movie marathons, no amount of Death-Cab-Emoness of epic proportions can take it away, all you'd have to do is cope with that dark, deep chasm called LONELINESS.

It's that or you'll want to disappear completely.

Feasts for October

The first time I saw this book at NBS Trinoma, I fell in love. Back then, I was a big H.P. Lovecraft geek. I've been a horror geek since I was a kid (trivia: my first 'book' was Stephen King's Christine) but I was in college when I discovered H.P. Lovecraft (flirted with scifi and secondary worlds during my HS years, when I was in elementary, I dug John Saul and Michael Crichton).

I remeber Joey Nacino's Insomnia being a Lovecraftian yarn set in the PI. I remember my first short story in years, which had a heavy Lovecraftian texture. I remember Boodie and I swimming in low-tech goo during our Lovecraft movies marathon (Evil Dead included!).

But then I focused on my work, on Pao. I barely had time to read. My interest in Lovecraft diminished, eclipsed.

October. The Call of Cthulu's beckoning. Keep the doors shut and grab a flashlight. Find a safe spot, open The Book and prepare yourself.

The Great Flood

 

 My deepest sympathies go out to the families affected by the recent flood caused by that fucking asshole called 'Ondoy'. After I got home from Manila (yes, I was in Manila with Pao when the disaster struck, we were stranded for 15 hours at the NLEX on the way home), I immediately logged on to my Tumblr and Twitter and helped monitor news regarding the victims.

Tomorrow, Pao's going to help out by volunteering at the ABSCBN Foundation (heard GMA Kapuso Foundtation's undermanned) and will be helping out his clasmates who were affected by the flood.

If I didn't have a regular job here, I owuld also like to volunteer and help out, after all, I'm an underemployed RN so I should put my already vanishing nursing skillz to good use, eh? But I can't. I can't file for a leave because I have too much work to do. I'll probably find a way to help.

While we were stranded on the bus, watching the news coverage about the typhoon, I considered ourselves lucky. Sure we were tired and exhausted but that was nothing compared to the horror of being marooned in 10ft floods while clinging to your life on rooftops. It was unbelievable.

 

Olongapo, too was struck by floods recently. I spent the entire night with my officemates for the typhoon watch. It was harrowing; the first time since 1997 that the city was submerged in floods.

So, if you guys can help, please do so. A lot of our countrymen are still in need of relief goods and other basic commodities. Donate, Volunteer (Red Cross!), Help.