March Madness 2011--WIN FREE PRIZES!

No, I don't mean this March Madness:

I mean this March Madness:

Well, except we aren't really going to make such a mess. Unless you want to, but then you will be responsible for cleaning it up. I'm not going to do it for you.

My writing friend Denise Jaden (we met through Verla Kay's blueboards, though we are also MSFV Success Stories as well) hosts her own writing version of March Madness each year. And this year is no exception.

In her own words:

"If you’ve been looking for a challenge to get your writing in gear, you’ve come to the right place! Through the month of March we will be cheering each other on to meet challenging goals with our writing."

This year she is opening it up to readers, bloggers, and illustrators as well. So, if you have writing, reading, or illustrating goals you'd like to achieve this month, head on over to her blog and sign up.

Did I mention there are PRIZES?

To keep you motivated, Denise and her March Madness cohorts will be giving prizes away throughout the month. You get an entry each time to check in, so the more you participate the better your chances of winning.

And, as added encouragement, I'm going to add my own prize(s). Each of my followers who sign up on Denise's blog and leave a comment here letting me know they've joined the madness will be entered in my own March Madness contest. The winner will get to choose one of the following books:

• OTHER by Karen Kincy (ARC)
• CREEPERS by Joanne Dahme (Hardcover)
• SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK by Sydney Salter (Paperback)

If I get five of my followers to join March Madness, I'll pick TWO winners. And if I get ten followers to join, I'll pick THREE WINNERS. And if I get fifteen followers to join, I'll rummage around and find some other books to give away! (I've got them around here somewhere...) That means you have a one-in-five chance of winning. And those are pretty good odds, I dare say. I'll draw the winner(s) on March 31st.

What if you aren't one of my followers, you say? Can you still enter? Well, that's easy enough. Just follow my blog on Blogger (or add me as a friend on LJ), and you're in. Easy peasy. So you are welcome to invite your friends, neighbors, co-workers, family members, random strangers off the street, etc., to join the March Madness here and on the "official" site (aka, at Denise's blog).

Now get thee hence and sign yourself up for March Madness. Then come back here for more chances to win!

Major FCC complaint launched against homophobic Spanish-language TV talk show

TAKE ACTION: To support this effort, please click here and sign!

In July of last year, I wrote about the outrageous homophobia, transphobia and misogyny that ran rampant on a daytime Spanish-language television show called "José Luis Sin Censura" (Appropriately, I titled the post "Sickening").

I wasn't the first or the last one to notice. In my case, an anonymous reader sent me a number of clips from the show which I translated and posted on YouTube. Jeremy Hooper at GoodAsYou had also written about the show a month earlier than I did. And the guys at Queerty also followed up on my post.

Most importantly, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) also released a call to action which means the show's producers were put on notice.

Eight months later, though, and they continue to pull the same offensive stuff...

The result? Today, it was just announced that GLAAD is joining forces with the National Hispanic Media Coalition to launch an FCC complaint against Liberman Broadcasting who own the show.  An excerpt from the press release:

Los Angeles, CA, February 28, 2011 – The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) today filed a joint complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against Liberman Broadcasting, Inc. and KRCA, a broadcast television station serving the Los Angeles area. The complaint is in response to a string of broadcasts of the Spanish-language television talk show "José Luis Sin Censura," which often contains indecent, profane, and obscene material, offensive language, nudity, and on-air verbal and physical attacks against women as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The organizations also launched an online action with the Women's Media Center (WMC) where concerned community members and allies can send e-mails to the FCC supporting the complaint or file their own complaints based on episodes they have witnessed.

GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios and NHMC President Alex Nogales will discuss the FCC complaint during an online press conference on February 28, 2011 at 1PM EST / 10AM PST. To access the streaming footage, please visit www.glaad.org/jlsc.

In over twenty episodes that aired between June 18 and December 7, 2010, the program contained images and language of the nature that is never displayed or is bleeped out of pre-taped English-language programs of the same nature, including the words "pinche" ("f*cking" in English) and "culero" ("assf*cker"), anti-gay language, including epithets such as "maricón," "joto" and "puñal" (or "f*ggot"), and anti-Latino slurs, such as "mojado" ("wetback"). The program frequently featured blatant nudity and female guests have been shown in violent fights. Hypersexualized images of women's bodies while stripping for male guests and audience members also make up routine offerings. Guests and audience members were often incited to engage in verbal and even physical attacks, especially against people perceived to be LGBT. Many episodes showed the audience standing and shouting anti-gay epithets and profanity at guests.

The Woman's Media Center, founded in 1995 by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem "to positively impact the visibility of women in the media, amplify women's voices on key issues in the national dialogue, fight sexism and bias against women in the media, and increase professional opportunities for women across all forms of media" is also supporting the action.

The organizations have also created an easy way to join them and take action. To do so, please click here and sign your name!

Some will say that the show, for those who do not understand Spanish, looks like a Spanish language version of "The Jerry Springer Show" and a lot of it certainly seems staged. But Jerry Springer nor his show's producers would ever have allowed and encouraged audience members to shout "faggot" at a host as someone beat him up as one of these clips show.

Spanish language media often gets an easy pass when it comes to this type of obscene content on television that clearly violates FCC regulations because they are low on the FCC's radar. Please take some time to click on the action link and make sure that the producers of "José Luis Sin Censura" know that this sort of homophobic content won't be tolerated.

Related:

• "José Luis Sin Censura" webiste here
• "José Luis Sin Censura" Facebook page here

Reactions (you might want to check reader's comments on these blogs as well):

• GLAAD filing FCC complaint against "José Luis Sin Censura" (AfterElton)
• At last! A call against 'José Luis Sin Censura (Mi Blog Es Tu Blog)
• GLAAD files FCC complaint against anti-gay Spanish language show (Rod2.0)
• GLAAD, National Hispanic Coalition file FCC complaint over homophobic Spanish-language show'José Luis Sin Censura' (Towleroad)
  GLAAD files FCC complaint against anti-gay Spanisg language TV show (Joe.My.God.)
• Will this mean talk show heed GLAAD's warning about calling everyone a 'maricón'? (Queerty) 
• While GLAAD goes after one homophobic Spanish TV personality, another goes unchecked (ngBLOG) 
• Homophobia in Spanish-language media: GLAAD files FCC complaint against TV show "José Luis Sin Censura" (Carlos in DC)

Remembering EDSA - 25 years after

This week has been tiring so far but it also has inspired me to move forward. This week is quite special because we will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution this Friday! 

If you're still new to the EDSA thing and if I were explain to someone new, EDSA has been a symbol of freedom in the Philippines. After a 20 year dictatorship, the Filipino People went out to the streets to rally against the Marcos Regime. The EDSA People Power Revolution was a peaceful revolution. There was no bloodshed. Millions of Filipinos were united in prayer and they were able to overthrow the dictator peacefully. It was also the beginning of bringing back democracy in the country. Basicaly, the revolution gave us back our freedom of speech! That's why I can blog! :)

This is something we can all be proud of because other countries have somewhat used this as a model. The Philippines was probably one of the first countries to have done this. (I'm assuming) 

EDSA is quite significant for me because my Lola Cory was one of the people who led this event. I've been watching the documentaries on TV this past week and I can't help but be proud of her. I was also in tears because I saw this part wherein she was speaking to the crowd and said that she was offering her self to the Filipino People. It made me miss her even more. She never wanted to be President but she made the sacrifice. I was months old when EDSA happened. I asked my Mom how it was then and she told me that it was UNCERTAIN. They didn't know what was going to happen. It was a dangerous time for the family. But I have to tell you that my Lola Cory showed no sign of anxiety or fear. A leader should show no sign of fear and that's what she displayed. I'm very proud of her. 

Yes we displayed People Power, but my Lola would also add that PRAYER POWER was present and she was an advocate of prayer. Nowadays, I believe we take a lot of things for granted and prayer is one of those things. If my Lola were here, she'd keep on saying that to me, the family, and the nation. I have to pass it on to the reader of this post. We need to pray for the Philippines.  It's something we have to do as one nation. The Pinoys did it back then 25 years ago. What makes our generation any different? 

 

Other than that, we shouldn't take freedom of speech for granted. We can blog, we can update our Facebook status, we can Tweet! Back then, you couldn't express freedom of speech... 

Our generation is blessed. Very blessed. Let's not forget that. 

If you're a parent, can I ask a favor? :) Kindly talk about the People Power Revolution to your children. To the Ates and Kuyas, tell your younger siblings/cousins if they don't know about it. We can't let this significant event just die in history. We need to keep talking about it!

If you want to read something inspirational, Wilfrido Villacorta, the Ambassador to ASEAN  revisits the spirit of EDSA and launched a book this week. It's all about the triumph of a people's campaign. It's about a recent people power in the country but more importantly, his goal is to reinforce the Filipino's trust in our own ability to help rebuild a nation and recommut ourselve to achieving excellence and development. "Noynoy: Triumph of a People's Campaign" is available at Powerbooks. 

There are many ways to celebrate EDSA this week. Watch a documentary on TV, read a book, ask your parents/relatives. But the important thing is that we talk about it and remember that the Philippines gained freedom without violence. That's no ordinary feat!!! We need to keep the conversations going!!!

"Handog ng Pilipino sa mundo, mapayapang paraang pagbabago. Katotohanan, Kalayaan, Katarungan ay kayang makamit ng walang dahas. Basta't magkaisa tayong lahat."

Blog Break

picutre from Google

Yes, the blog owner will go for a holiday, won't be back till next week.

Thanks for those who dropping by here and "check" on me. :)

During this time, there won't be any update on this blog and also blog hopping .

Here, wishing everyone have a happy week ahead!!

Graduation 2011

It's that time of the year again. My brother's finishing up school and I feel that I should reiterate what I mentioned before. To the graduating class of 2011, what I can share to you are the following.

1. Don't take a long vacation. Stay ahead of the pack. Apply. Apply. Apply.  The early bird catches the worm right? While you have the momentum, go for it! If you take a long vacation, laziness might get to you. Don't get me wrong. You can have a vacation! Just don't relax too much. Getting a job after school is hard so be ahead :) That's what my Lola told me and I pass it on again.

2. Keep your friends close. Your friends are treasures. They will always be there for as long as you're there for them. Never forget them. You'll be needing them a lot after school life.

3. Never forget the teachers good to you because you owe it to them. I keep in touch with the teachers who gave an impact in my life. Believe me on this one. They can still teach you some more now you're in the real world.

Congratulations to all the graduates! Make your family proud, your school proud, your teachers proud, your friends proud, and your country proud! :)

In the Middle of It All

I was going to let today quietly glide past. I certainly didn't want to bring attention to it, because I hate reminders about how I'm not getting any younger.

Yes, today is my birthday.

But it's not just any birthday. It's the birthday that puts me smack dab in the middle of my 30s. My 20-something friends and family love that I'm getting so old, but my 40-something friends and family still think of me as just a baby. I've found a few hairs on my head that aren't as brown as they should be, but I've still got a long ways to go before I need a box of Nice 'n Easy. I certainly don't feel as young as I used to, but I don't feel old, either.

You see, I'm right there. In. The. Middle.

And that is the reason I'm speaking up today. Because I realized that by not celebrating where I am--Right Now--I'm missing out.

This goes for my writing, too.

I'm in The Middle of my journey to publication. And too often I find myself complaining about not celebrating where I am. I'm too focused on the end product (in this case, a published book in my hands) and not enough on the journey.

And it's the journey that matters.

Sure, I know this, but sometimes I forget. Luckily for me, I woke up this morning to my kids fighting over how old I really am (my 7yo stared intently at my face and declared that I didn't look any older, bless his heart). And I realized that I'd rather be here, in The Middle, than anywhere else.

And that goes for my journey to publication, too. Right here, in The Middle, is a pretty good place to be.

Sweet Surprise

Three days ago, early morning i received an sms, asking am i working on that day, i said "yes" and "why"? Answer was, someone is deliver something to you. I said "Oh, someone want to sent belated valentine's gift to me?"

When i reached office, i saw this beautiful flower cookies bouquet on my table. My first impression was "Wow! This is so beautiful!!" I took the card and read, it's my belated birthday gift from this lovely mummy! It is really a sweet surprise and it bright up my day too! The whole day i can smell the cookies smell, but it is too pretty to be eaten.


Nice and pretty..


closer view, the bumble bee is the card and there is another small container with cookies under the card.


another closer view...


now you can see another container with cookies.

Want to order this unique and something different for your loved one, friends, relatives or baby full moon gift, hop over to kindred kookies to look at the beautiful creation.



Actually till today, i still don't have "heart" to eat those pretty cookies, but i have to "clear" it before i go for holidays next week. Otherwise those "small friends" will eat on behalf of me. Kids at home, they just can't wait to finish for me, everyday eyeing on it, today when i ask them what color they would like to have, they happily tell me, i want big purple color, pink small one, bla bla bla.....

Once again, thanks so much Paik Ling for your thoughtfulness and also Chakle from kindred kookies for the beautiful bouquet.

Legolas - LOTR - Watercolour

It Rains on Our Love (1946)

You and Me Against the World

by Francis Joseph A. Cruz

They meet by chance in a train station. Maggi (Barbro Kollberg) is a woman who wishes to go home upon learning that she is pregnant with the child of a man she does not know. David (Birger Malmsten), without a penny to his name, has just been released from prison. After spending a night together in a hotel room, they fall in love and vow to build their future together. The two end up breaking into a cottage, leading to a series of events that will test their love.

Slandered, suspected of theft and swindled, the couple insist on starting their new life together in a rural community that obviously does not want them and their scandalous relationship in its midst. Thus, the couple’s attempt to legitimise their love through the formality of marriage is hindered by moral and bureaucratic mechanisms that are at play. Their dreams of getting their own home are spoiled by their greedy landlord’s dastardly manoeuvrings.

Only Ingmar Bergman’s second film, It Rains on Our Love (1946), screening as part of the Berlinale Retrospective of the famed Swedish master, showcases a director who has the gift for both storytelling and characterisation. Humour plays a vital part in the film, providing much-needed levity in a story that mines the misfortunes of a couple trying to exist in a village that thrives in narrow-mindedness. The film plays very much like an amiable Hollywood melodrama, something that might surprise Bergman enthusiasts who have gotten used to the harsh ascetic of films like Cries and Whispers (1972) and Scenes from a Marriage (1973).

It Rains on Our Love may not have the complexity and gravity that is usually associated with Bergman. What it does have is an optimism that, at first, might seem strange and out-of-place. But in reality, it is very much a part of the human condition that Bergman has tirelessly worked to portray in his cinema.

In a filmography that includes great films like Fanny and Alexander (1982), Persona (1966) and The Seventh Seal (1957), minor works like It Rains on Our Love are easily forgotten. Thankfully, retrospectives that not only concentrate on widely-accepted masterpieces but also on lesser-known gems, give us a chance to rediscover these films, and for them to reach audiences that may welcome them with new eyes.

(First published here. Read more in the Berlinale Talent Press website)

My Chinese New Year and Lion Dance

Today is the last day of chinese new year, so i better get this post done, before it get long overdue again.

Like i mention previous, this chinese new year is a quiet Chinese New Year for us. Actually, every year also a quiet one, unless i go back to my hometown then that will be another different story. :)

Before chinese new year, i don't have any yee sang, once start on reunion lunch, till today i cannot count how many i have already. This whole week had been eating since Monday, chinese new year gathering with friends, family dinner, company chinese new year dinner, then today chap goh meh dinner.

Overall my chinese new year not too bad, we had some friends come over to our house for visiting, although we don't really celebrate it, since no one at home, but it is more like once a year to catch up with friends and gathering more than chinese new year things.

Now, let the pictures do the wrap up for my chinese new year this year.


We had a mini steamboat late lunch at home on the forth day of chinese new year, while Esther Law, my aunty come and visit us.



First day chinese new year, we want to do some shopping, but too bad, the shop that we want to go was not open, so end up we were at Pavillion, and this is MY very FIRST trip to Pavillion. hahahah, so no more "suaku" ya?


got picture to prove, finally this "kampung girl" had been to Pavillion. :D


my three boys at the Pavillion entrance, to beat the drum and hope to get more "luck"

On the second day of chinese new year, we are invited to my good old friend house for the chinese new year open house. Blur me, i mixed up the date, i thought it will be on the third day, till one of them called me and remind me.


me and my two good old friends from college! Jackie and Irene.

Cruz, the social bee, met some new friends there, he is so happy, can you see he is full of sweat? He so adore his new found friend, he keep asking me to bring him to Irene's house, he thought this boy is staying at Irene's house.

This year, my boys didn't have a chance to see lion dance, i checked most shopping mall, they hardly have show during chinese new year or those have one, we missed the timing. My boys disappoint, then i told them, just wait the one at daddy's market. Some of you, if you read, you sure know every year there will be lion dance at TTDI market and without fail i will blog about it once a year. LOL

This year also no exceptional, there was one on last Sunday, before chinese new year, some mummies already sms me ask me is there any Lion Dance this year. Last year, Elaine was there, and this year, Elaine, Barb and Patsy came and one of my friend join us too and i was surprise to bump into Zara's mama there too! Just like a mini gathering !

It's a long lion dance this year, we spent about 4 hours there. This time, beside the normal lion dance, they have acrobatic lion dance outside the market.

Now...let the pictures do the talking again. ~ pictures from Elaine's camera, blur me again, too excited till i forgot to bring my own camera!!!!!~ Thanks Danny for the lovely pictures.

setting up the stilts...

lion standing up high...

look fierce?

jump.........

After the lion finish his "stunts", time to light up some fire crackers!!

eight long strings of fire crackers....light and RUN RUN RUN!!!!!

pi plak pi plak pi plak....

Now back to the market, another round lion dance.....

Rabbit in chinese character..

Fearles with the lion head...

Cruz with the lion head..

finally a group picture of the mummies and the kids, too bad Agnes left early, and we didn't take a picture with her.

The last round lion dance at hub's stall.....another 4 strings of fire crackers setting up.

Cruz, Tessa and Fearles...looking at the lion dance...

look at Amber and Ashley, two of them really enjoy themselve, dance together with the lion!

father and sons with the confetti

lion "jumping" up high to eat the "vege"


light up the firecrackers, they light up too early without give us "warning and make all of us run-for-life. LOL!

Look at the aftermath, everyone choke by the smoke!!

Everyone of us are tired and with hunger, we spent too much time to wait for the lion to come down to the stall. But everyone of us had a fun time and all of us went for a very late lunch at nearby coffeeshop. It's a fun fun day!

Here i would like to wish everyone a very Happy Chap Goh Meh and Happy Chinese Valentine's Day!!!

small chat during breakfast..

Last Sunday, me and the two boys went to "mamak stall" for breakfast, before we went to TTDI market to see lion dance.

While enjoying my roti canai and nescafe tarik, my boys were having their roti tissue, we saw some men are standing on the crane, and doing some renovation and painting on one of the coffeeshop opposite.

My boys were curious, they looking and see how one of the man inside and monitor the crane moving up and down, left and right.

F & C: Oh, they know how to move the thing?

mummy: yea

F & C: How they know? They learn?

mummy: ya, they learn how to operator the machine, that's why i said you have to study hard, so you know how to read and you can read the instruction on the paper or book so you will know how to operate it.

F & C: Oh, if i want to become police i also have to study hard?

* They want to become police, because they want to hold the gun, they think it is cool to hold a gun, and my house got tons of toy guns, from big to small, and they still never get sick, still tell me they want to buy more guns!*

mummy: Yes, if you want to become anyone, you have to study hard, so you know how to read and understand.

Cruz: OH! So i just WRITE STUDY HARD, then i can become police??

mummy: *speechless*

Aragorn - LOTR - Watercolour

The Actors and the Alchemist

The Actors and the Alchemist

by Francis Joseph A. Cruz

Beatrice Kruger, casting director for Tom Tykwer’s The International (2009) and Anton Corbijn’s The American (2010), sat among actors from countries like Belgium, Iran and Nigeria. She looked at everybody’s faces with very curious eyes. “When you are a casting director, you are fixed on a face.”

“Casting is a lot like alchemy. You not only find the right actor for the right role, but you also have to find the right actor for the right director,” she aptly defined her profession. Asked how it is working with both directors and actors, she mentioned that “most directors, I would say, have not been to an acting school. If they haven’t, they don’t know what actors are like. If they don’t know that, they don’t know how to stimulate the actor to get into the role.”

Regarding working with directors who require non-actors, she cautioned that “while it is very exciting, what people tend to forget is that there is natural talent, but it is one in a thousand. If one wants to work with non-actors, one has to be prepared to spend time, and therefore money, to find them. Someone from the street who is great fun and perfect there, can freeze the minute he or she is in front of the camera.”

She then intimated that she was very much involved with discovering young talent. “I always was. And of course, there is a big satisfaction when you discover somebody. It’s no big deal to recommend to a director or producer a famous actor. You can always do that. You don’t need a casting director.”

Whether or not her sympathies are with the actors since she was previously an actress, she answered, “Well, I feel with them. But I am on the other side of the table. My analysis is with the director, is for the picture, is for the product. I sympathise with the actors, of course, since I was also an actress before. But also with their laziness, their wrong egos.”

Asked if there is any difference between working as an actress and a casting director, she recounted her experience working in Krzyzstof Zanussi’s Black Sun (2007), where she was forced to play a minor role when the actress chosen suddenly backed out. She then imparted that “if I would’ve fucked up that part, my ego would have been broken for five minutes … but not seriously, since I had a profession as a casting director which I am very happy about. But for an actor who does nothing else, he can die. His career depends on it.”

Kruger, to most viewers, remains just a name in the credits. But to directors and hundreds of aspiring actors and actresses, she is an indispensible alchemist.

(First published here. Read more in the Berlinale Talent Press website)

A Woman in This World of Men

A Woman in this World of Men

by Francis Joseph A. Cruz

In his scathing review of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986), Roger Ebert laments that Isabella Rossellini is “degraded, slapped around, humiliated, and undressed in front of the camera.” Ebert, of course, had the image of Rossellini, her arms outstretched to reveal a naked body dirtied by stains of blood and tears, in mind.

Interestingly, in the documentary My Wild Life (2010), which preceded the discussion between critic and historian Peter Cowie and Rossellini, the esteemed model, actress and director pointed out her great affection towards Blue Velvet and how she collaborated with Lynch in making the now iconic scene one of the most evocative images of a woman in absolute resignation.

Rossellini, donning an elegant black dress and an enthusiastic smile, finally appeared after the film in front of an audience composed of fans, admirers and attendees of the Berlinale Talent Campus. Cowie began with a series of questions concentrating on Rossellini’s career in film, from acting to directing. Rossellini, in astute statements that were laced with subtle but effective humour, sensibly answered every question, revealing bits and pieces of her perceptions on acting, working with Lynch, Guy Maddin, and other filmmakers who influenced her. Replying to Cowie’s query regarding an observation that almost all of her characters are enigmatic, she said that “I am attracted to original minds,” revealing her to be a woman of very eclectic taste.

Modest in a way that is surprising given her experience and stature within the international film community, Rossellini recommended that one of the regrets she has in her life is that she only decided to accept jury positions in film festivals very recently. She explained that being in juries had been exceptionally educational for her, considering that she is required to watch several films, all with varying styles and narratives, each day. Previously prevented from accepting jury duties because she was preoccupied with raising her children, she suggested that “women have integrated into a man’s world but it is the man’s world that has to integrate into the traditional woman’s world. That is the next step.” The audience, nearly half of which were women, cheered her on.

Rossellini is hardly the degraded, slapped around, humiliated and undressed woman of Ebert’s review. In fact, she, notwithstanding all the trials in her life and the arguably questionable women she portrayed in various films, proves herself to be a bastion of female integrity in a world where man, or at the very least that male-centric perspective that has persisted through the ages, is king.

(First published here. Read more in the Berlinale Talent Press website)

The result of growing up too fast...

Forgive me for being too "kiddie" but I mentioned a couple of posts ago on how I didn't get toys I wanted when I was younger. I mentioned I didn't get Optimus Prime and the Turtle Blimp.

I completely forgot to mention... I didn't get 3 Japanese robots when I was younger. I wasn't able to get 1. The BIOROBO 2. Voltes V and 3. Daimos...

Thank God, BAN DAI, released a line called "Soul of Chogokin". This line is made STRICTLY for adults and is the most detailed toy line for Japanese Robots. BAN DAI was genius because they made this for adults who never experienced having these robots. So I'm in the target market! Mazinger Z, Combattler V, and a whole bunch of other robots are included in the line with pinpoint accuracy. How accurate? Well, Daimos, seen below, I got last week. I tell you, it's REALLY accurate. I have to take better pictures though but Daimos can turn into Tranza, his chest opens to reveal the double blizzard. His freezer ray can be turned, he can pose with his signature Death Blow, and there's even a mini Richard included! But the most awesome part is that ALL HIS WEAPONS ARE COMPLETE!!!

The same goes for Voltes V. I like the Voltes V set better because it's frikkin Voltes V man!!! I'm being careful with it so I didn't take pics yet. But man, getting it gives this feeling of nostalgia and excitement. They say that adults who buy toys were the kids who grew up too fast or didn't experience having the awesome toys. I call it unfinished business! Getting these felt like getting the best Christmas Gift during Christmas morning. If you're like me, I suggest you get the toys you didn't get when you were younger. I got complete satisfaction upon acquiring Daimos and most especially Voltes V. I have one more robot to go but unfortunately, it's not available in the Soul of Chogokin line... But once the BIOROBO is available, I'll be the first in line to get it!

Tales of the Night (2011)

Colored Shadows

by Francis Joseph A. Cruz

Nightly collaborations by a boy, a girl, and a master technician give rise to tales that burst with magic in Michel Ocelot’s Tales of the Night. It is impossible even for the sternest of critics not to enjoy the film and be reminded of times when things were simpler and did not involve elaborate plotlines and super-sophisticated designs. Ocelot pits shadow puppets, whose details are reliant on the lines and curves dictated by costumes, against lush backgrounds, creating an otherworldy atmosphere in settings that are based in history. The six tales, all equally charming, explore these settings, whether it be modern Africa or medievel Europe.

As opposed to James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) and the dozens of other Hollywood productions that utilise 3D to create an illusion of depth in an otherwise flat space, Tales of the Night makes use of 3D only to further a crucial element of shadow puppetry, which is the separation of subject and background. Ocelot replicates the wonderment of the ancient craft onscreen, telling the six stories with refreshing clarity and a distinct look.

Compared to Lotte Reiniger’s The Adventures of Prince Achmed, which remains the pinnacle of this underepresented style, Tales of the Night lacks the unrestrained sensuality that Reiniger, even without the conveniences provided by modern film equipment and 3D technology, has so masterfully injected in her film. Perhaps, had Ocelot resisted romanticising love in a way that is similar to nearly all of the Disney studio’s many retellings of classic fairy tales, the film could have been less saccharine and more alluring about love and romance.

Despite that, Tales of the Night remains a fine piece of work. In a festival that puts a premium on the more serious aspects of life, Ocelot has conjured up tales that value fantasy and the allure of happy endings. This way he has created a film that is remarkably universal despite the myriad of cultures from which it liberally borrows. The film celebrates the power of stories and how, in both their creation and their consumption, they unite humanity.

(First published here. Read more in the Berlinale Talent Press website)

Day is Done (2010)

A View from a Room

by Francis Joseph A. Cruz

A plane passes through a passive sky that serves as background to an industrial chimney bellowing smoke that simmers in with clouds. The scene repeats four to five times, before an undrastic change in tempo, a hint of music, and then, an abrupt cut. The montage, impertinent in the way that it breaks traditional conventions in cinema by adamantly refusing to move forward, emphasises the film’s overt minimalism.

Thomas Imbach’s Day is Done, shot mostly from his Zurich apartment, forcibly transports its audience within a place of restricted span and scope, limiting its visuals to the sometimes banal but mostly hypnotic images that are ironically conjured from the filmmaker’s singular point of view. It is convenient to describe the film as simply a collage of everyday sights from the sleepy part of the filmmaker’s hometown. However, it seems that the film persists as a subtle, arguably to the point of frustrating, account of time and change.

The film partakes of a similar approach to Andy Warhol’s Empire (1964), without of course the celebrity of the famous New York City landmark, by inviting the viewer to gaze more than to watch in order to comprehend the minute details that signal the passage of time and the movement of change.

The film’s soundtrack, composed mainly of recorded messages from Imbach’s answering machine collected through time and various songs that accompany the images by either wit or circumstance, provides an inward view of the apartment as opposed to the outward view provided by the imagery. Almost like an autobiography, the soundtrack facilitates the images by detailing the stories that happen in Imbach’s life – like the birth of his son, him growing up, the blossoming of his career, the deterioration of his relationship with his son’s mother. Not unlike his Zurich neighbourhood, Imbach’s life takes the form of a document of time and change while in a seeming standstill.

Day is Done is hardly the type of film that rewards its viewers instantly. Like the planes that breeze through that distinct Zurich sky, the film is an object of mysterious charm whose pleasures are derived from the deliberate discovery of the profound from what is ostensibly a visual and aural barrage of the mundane.

(First published here. Read more in the Berlinale Talent Press website)

The Generation Gap

At work, some of the younger ones didn't grow up with some of the icons of yesteryear. I was surprised that people born in 1988 aren't even familiar with the greatest robot of all time...

I still try to live with the happy memories of my childhood and I thought I'd share with you what I acquired last week. I mentioned in my tweet that after 20+ years, I finally have Voltes V in my possession. Kids, it's not Voltes Vee ok? It's Voltes FIVE.

 (image courtesy of taclobanon.deviantart.com)

Who was Voltes V you ask? Even before the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers hit Philippine Television, there was a team consisted of 5 members who piloted 5 vehicles to form the greatest robot of all time, Voltes V! The Megazord has NOTHING on Voltes V. Believe me. 

 

  

Seen above is a screen cap of the Voltes Team. Clockwise from top, Steve, Big Bert and Little John Armstrong (They're Brothers), Jamie Robinson, and Mark Gordon. 

Why am I writing this post? As I said in previous blogs, cartoons when I was younger were way better. If you can find a copy of the DVDs of Voltes V, I STRONGLY URGE that you watch the entire series. Instead of watching the TV series of today, go watch this. You wont regret it! The story is frikkin awesome. Even if it's Japanese, it doesn't get any more Pinoy than this! Hahaha! Voltes V is more Pinoy than Japanese. Heck, I talked to Japanese people from work and they have no clue who Voltes V is... It's sad actually...

Here are some screen shots of Voltes V in action. Clockwise from top left, Voltes V posing after the transformation, Using the Electromagnetic Tops, the Voltes Bazooka, and LASER SWORD!

Bridge the gap people! Watch this cartoon!!! Trust me :)