Advance Warning: Best Actor/Actress Contenders

We're all guilty of Oscar-watching. We anticipate the end-of-the-year releases so we'll know where to put our money on. Since most of the films vying for the golden statue have already released their trailers, it's easier for us to judge the films. Two of my most anticipated categories are Best Actor and Best Actress. Judging by the trailers alone, here are my top five contenders from each category.

Best Actor Contenders:

Michael Fassbender, Shame

Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar

Woody Harrelson, Rampart

Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Best Actress Contenders:

Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene

Meryll Streep, The Iron Lady

Charlize Theron, Young Adult

Michelle Yeoh, The Lady

I ♥ Cinema. I ♥ Cinemanila.

Remember the date: 11.11.11. As with every year, not much info has been released yet. So what do we know so far?

Cinemanila is back in Taguig City. Screenings will be in held in Market! Market!, Fully Booked, and outdoor lawn of Bonifacio High Street.

The festival will run for only 7 days. Mark your calendars. It's November 11-17, 2011.

Italian director Dario Argento and actress Nora Aunor will receive lifetime achievement awards.

The best news so far is that Wim Wenders' Pina will be the opening film. Pina is Germany's submission to the Best Foreign Language category of the Academy Awards. The film is a documentary about the great German choreographer Pina Bausch. What's laudable about this film is its impressive use of 3D technology. So for the first time ever, Cinemanila will have the opening film in glorious 3D.

I'll let you know once Cinemanila releases the official lineup. For the meantime, here is the trailer of Pina.

Advance Warning: We Need To Talk About Kevin

It is but right that I feature my most anticipated film in Advance Warning. When I heard about We Need To Talk About Kevin during this year's Cannes Film Festival, I was immediately hooked. It doesn't hurt that it stars my most favorite actress, Tilda Swinton. Everyone is buzzing about her performance in Lynne Ramsay's adaption of a novel about a fictional school massacre told through the perspective of the killer's mother. The mother, of course, is played by the versatile Tilda Swinton. We Need To Talk About Kevin joins the long list of films about school murders like Elephant, Bowling for Columbine, Polytechnique, and Beautiful Boy. What separates We Need To Talk About Kevin from the rest of the pack is that it is played out like a thriller, a cautionary tale, a horror film.

Aside from the chilling trailer above, the promotional posters of this film are probably some of the best I've seen this year. See below.

Advance Warning: We Need To Talk About Kevin

Director: Lynne Ramsay

Starring: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller

Now Showing: Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa

Taking inspiration from feminist poetry, Alvin Yapan (the critically acclaimed director of Ang Panggagahasa Kay Fe) combines dance and literature to tell a story of love and longing. I haven't seen any other Filipino film this year that is as well written and well crafted. Don't miss Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa. Now showing in Glorietta, Trinoma, and selected SM cinemas. Stop whining that we don't have enough good movies in our cinemas. Do your part. Watch good movies so good directors can continue making them.

Must-See: Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa

Director: Alvin Yapan

Starring: Jean Garcia, Rocco Nacino, Paulo Avelino

Do you miss our friends from 100 Aker Wood? Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, Owl, and Christopher Robin return to the silverscreen with a brand new adventure that is nothing short of magical. Winnie the Pooh proves that old-school, hand-drawn animation is here to stay. My bet for best animated film of the year.

Another Must-See: Winnie the Pooh

Director: Stephen Anderson, Don Hall

The third installment of the found footage franchise shows us how the activity began. Creator Oren Peli relinquishes the directing duties to the duo who gave us the Facebook docu, Catfish. I hated the first. I didn't bother to see the second. But people are saying that this is the best out of the three. What do you think?

Curious to See: Paranormal Activity 3

Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman

Rihanna & Calvin Harris Found Love

A little reminder that David Guetta is not the only DJ making waves in the mainstream. Rihanna and Calvin Harris collaborate for this amazing track. Watch the video above. Which film does it remind you of?

Blog Hiatus

It's been two months since my last blog post. I know I've been neglecting this blog the last few months. I have a bad case of writer's block. In fact, I didn't accept any writing assignment from PEP after Zombadings because of this problem. Despite this, I still religiously update the sidebar with the latest films that I've seen. Anyway, I'm back now and I hope I'm back for good.

To shake things up, I'm introducing new sections in this blog.

Advance Warning I did a list last year featuring my most anticipated movies. Read the last part here. Instead of doing another list for 2011, I will just post trailers and promotional materials one movie at a time.

Now Showing As the name suggests, I'll write about films that are currently playing in our theaters.

Soundbytes for album reviews, music videos, news, and anything about music. Aside from being a film enthusiast, I'm fond of music as well.

Couch Potato I'm not a big TV fan, but I have my fair share of reality shows and mini series. I'll share my current boob tube addictions in this section.

Click Here where I will post links to articles that I think will interest you.

Aside from the aforementioned sections, I will continue posting my PEP Reviews, Film Logs, and Lists. In fact, I'm already preparing my year-end lists as early as now. Color me excited!

Zombadings is the breakout comedy of the year

Night of the Living Dead, the George Romero classic, served as the template for modern zombie fiction. Since then, the formula has been modified and rewritten countless of times. Dawn of the Dead and 28 Days Later opted for blood and gore, while Shaun of the Dead tempered the violence with satire. Since the zombie genre refuses to die, Filipino filmmakers take a stab at tweaking the formula with Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington – a horror-comedy about gay zombies. Although it features minimal gore, the comedy unfolds with enough flair and pizzazz to make up for it.

Remington (Martin Escudero), as a naughty youngster, is fond of teasing and making fun of gays. A grieving homosexual (Roderick Paulate), who happens to be a witch, cursed him that he’ll turn gay when he grows up. Fifteen years later, the curse starts to take effect on Remington. In his dreams, he is hunted down by a creepy macho man. Every time he wakes up, he starts to notice changes in his physical appearance, his actions, and his manner of talking.

Remington suddenly becomes fluent in gayspeak. (Don’t worry if you don’t speak gay lingo, the filmmakers were kind enough to provide subtitles.) His sense of style also changed. He prefers tight-fit blouses and skimpy shorts over t-shirts and jersey shorts. To make matters worse, he develops a crush on his male best friend (Kerbie Zamora). Needless to say, Remington succumbs to the curse. The homophobe is now a full-pledged homosexual.

In the midst of Remington’s metamorphosis, a serial killer is on the loose in their town. His victims are parloristas – all gays. Remington, his best friend, and his lady love (Lauren Young) must break the curse before the serial killer gets to him.

Zombadings is the third feature from Jade Castro who is responsible for Endo, a romantic film set against the backdrop of terminable contracts starring Ina Feleo and Jason Abalos, and My Big Love, another romantic film about an overweight guy looking for love starring Sam Milby and Toni Gonzaga. Taking over the screenwriting duties are Raymond Lee and Michiko Yamamoto. The same duo that brought us the critically acclaimed Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros.

When I first saw the trailer of Zombadings, I wonder why the filmmakers cast Martin Escudero in the lead role. He is a relatively unknown actor. The filmmakers could have opted for a more popular actor or someone with more credibility in doing comedies. But Martin is a stunning discovery. His comic talent is impeccable. He speaks, sashays, and acts like a real gay man! He is the crowning glory of Zombadings, in the same manner that Angelica Panganiban and Eugene Domingo are the scene-stealers in Here Comes the Bride and Kimmy Dora respectively.

That’s saying much given the impressive supporting cast led by Roderick Paulate, Eugene Domingo, Janice de Belen, Angelina Kanapi, John Regala, and Odette Khan. If you think Roderick is hilarious in Ded Na Si Lolo, expect no less in this film. Despite his brief exposure, he shows us how to do gay the funny way. He is theatrical, over-the-top, and immensely funny. We all know how good Eugene is. She lets the gays do the outrageous antics, but it doesn’t mean that she held back her guns. Meanwhile, indie favorite Angelina Kanapi (formerly known as Mailes Kanapi) shows us that she can do comedy as well. She embraces her bat-shit crazy character with gusto.

Good comedies do not come often. A lot of filmmakers substitute humor with slapstick, camp with mere exaggeration, and comic delivery with “elevator acting” (see Ang Babae sa Septic Tank). It’s a good thing that a comedy like Zombadings comes along. A film that knows what constitutes a good comedy.

The effective mix of absurdist humor, risqué jokes, mischievous fun, and pure camp will make Zombadings the breakout comedy of the year. Of all the comedies I’ve seen in the last couple of years, I laughed the hardest and cheered the loudest while watching Zombadings. It's an instant favorite!

Zombadings was one of the two closing films in the recently concluded 7th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. The gay zombies are coming to a theatre near you on August 31.

Notice the number 1 on the title? I wonder if the filmmakers are planning to do a trilogy. If they are, sign me up. I’m ready for more zombadings!

*published on PEP

Cinemalaya 7, Ranked

Bouncing back from a lackluster 2010, the 7th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival offered a number of upgrades this year: an additional venue (Cinemalaya goes to Greenbelt 3); a new section called Focus Asia; not one, but two closing films; and most importantly, better films. Hence, the attendance is better than ever. It's good to see that these indies were received warmly this year.

In 2010, I was able to watch 20 full-length and one short. I thought I can beat that record this year. But due to limited time and limited budget (the price of the festival pass increased more than two-fold), I have to settle with 15 features and 10 short films. Not too shabby, but I swear I could have done better.

Allow me to rank the films I've seen from best to worst.


FULL LENGTH
1. Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa
2. Isda
3. Busong
4. Nino
5. Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington
6. Amok
7. Cuchera
8. Ang Babae sa Septic Tank
9. Bahay-Bata
10. Gayuma
11. Ligo Na U, Lapit Na Me
12. Bisperas
13. Patikul
14. Liberacion
15. Paglipad ng Anghel

SHORTS
1. Immanuel
2. Walang Katapusang Kwarto
3. Hanapbuhay
4. Hazard
5. Nino Bonito
6. Samarito
7. Oliver's Apartment
8. Debut
9. Un Diutay Mundo
10. Every Other Time

PERSONAL PICKS

Best Direction: Alvin Yapan (Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa)
Runners-up: Auraeus Solito (Busong), Lawrence Fajardo (Amok)

Best Actress: Cherry Pie Picache (Isda)
Runners-up: Raquel Villavicencio & Shamaine Buencamino (Nino), Jean Garcia (Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa)

Best Actor: Martin Escudero (Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington)
Runners-up: Garry Lim & Dido dela Paz (Amok)

Best Screenplay: Rody Vera (Nino)
Runners-up: Jerry Gracio (Isda), Alvin Yapan (Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa)

Best Cinematography: Louie Quirino (Busong)
Runners-up: Louie Quirino (Amok), Arvin Viola (Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa)

I'll try to write some more soon. That is, if my writer's block goes away.

Film Logs:April-June

63. The Last Exorcism

Rating: 4/5

64. Shaun of the Dead

Rating: 3/5

65. I Saw the Devil

Rating: 4/5

66. A Single Man

Rating: 3/5

67. Brick

Rating: 2/5

68. The Sleeping Beauty

Rating: 1/5

69. Latter Days

Rating: 1/5

70. Sucker Punch

Rating: 3/5

71. Pinoy Sunday

Rating: 1/5

72. We Are What We Are

Rating: 4/5

73. High Tension

Rating: 1/5

74. Whip It

Rating: 4/5

75. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Rating: 5/5

76. Deadline

Rating: 3/5

77. Triangle

Rating: 3/5

78. Heartbeats

Rating: 4/5

79. Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Rating: 4/5

80. Pulp Fiction

Rating: 3.5/5

81. Once

Rating: 3/5

82. Sunshine

Rating: 4/5

83. The Crush

Rating: 3.5/5

84. Plastic Bag

Rating: 3/5

85. Bedevilled

Rating: 2/5

86. The Troll Hunter

Rating: 3/5

87. 4 3 2 1

Rating: 2/5

88. Volver

Rating: 3.5/5

89. Rubber

Rating: 2/5

90. Clovefield

Rating: 4/5

91. Smiley Face

Rating: 3.5/5

92. Keka

Rating: 3.5/5

93. Selda

Rating: 3.5/5

94. Everyone Says I Love You

Rating: 2/5

95. Circuit

Rating: 3/5

96. Rain Town

Rating: 3/5

97: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

Rating: 3.5/5

98. Let the Love Begin

Rating: 1/5

99. The Loved Ones

Rating: 4/5

100. Tropic Thunder

Rating: 3.5/5

101. Magnifico

Rating: 4.5/5

102. Millions

Rating: 3.5/5

103. Psycho

Rating: 3/5

104. The Roommate

Rating: 2/5

105. Strapped

Rating: 3.5/5

106. All Good Things

Rating: 2/5

107. Ang Ninanais

Rating: 1/5

108. Dark City

Rating: 3/5

109. Bully

Rating: 1/5

110. Vertigo

Rating: 3.5/5

111. Cube

Rating: 3/5

112. Thor

Rating: 3/5

113. What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

Rating: 3/5

114. Who's that Girl?

Rating: 1/5

115. The Hours

Rating: 3.5/5

116. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

Rating: 3/5

117. The Thing

Rating: 3.5/5

118. Martyrs

Rating: 4/5

119. Grease

Rating: 3/5

120. Funny Games (US Version)

Rating: 2/5

121. Leaving Las Vegas

Rating: 3/5

122. Trick 'r Treat

Rating: 3/5

123. Dazed and Confused

Rating: 3/5

124. Pisay

Rating: 3/5

125. The Class

Rating: 4/5

126. Kinse

Rating: 3.5/5

127. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Rating: 3/5

128. The Prestige

Rating: 3.5/5

129. Julia's Eyes

Rating: 4/5

130. Paalam Aking Bulalakaw

Rating: 3.5/5

131. Hobo With a Shotgun

Rating: 3/5

132. Elephant

Rating: 3.5/5

133. Billy Elliot

Rating: 3/5

134. Confessions

Rating: 4/5

135. Kasambuhay, Habambuhay

Rating: 3/5

136. Super 8

Rating: 2/5

137. X-Men: First Class

Rating: 3.5/5

138. The Lost Thing

Rating: 3/5

139. Paul

Rating: 3.5/5

140. The Tunnel

Rating: 3/5

141. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Rating: 3/5

142. The Tree of Life

Rating: 2/5

143. Hanna

Rating: 4/5

144. Source Code

Rating: 4/5

145. Kooky

Rating: 4/5

146. Quarantine 2: The Terminal

Rating: 1/5

147. An American Crime

Rating: 4/5