Bagong New Stuff Week 3

Sorry hindi ako nakapag blog nag matino these past few days. I have been very busy with the holidays and all. Plus one really sobering experience came my way while I was shopping for my spoils in Quiapo. I was just paying for my "It's All About Love" with a P100 bill when suddenly, I heard the loud chatter of the steel doors sutting down simulaneously. Everyone was frantically saving what was left of their wares from THAT morning's raid when they heard of the 'second wave' at around 6:00pm that same day. boxes started coming out, I was lost in a sea of 'Muslim' words, and possibly, expletives. children were running back and forth crying to their parents. I still didnt get my change. I gave up and just walked briskly the opposite direction with my DVD in hand and no change in my pocket.

Nakakaasar na nakakatuwa. I know I frequent the place and am shelling out really serious cash for something that is in many ways illegal. But I dont think that these raids are doing anyone,( merchant, buyer, government) any good. I like the idea of a really proactive government taskfore for once. I really didn't expect that VRB would be so vigilant in their efforts. But I'm afraid that they are barking on the wrong tree. Getting rid of video piracy through regular raids in Quapo, Divisoria, Greenhills and Makati Square is like pouring water into a pail with a hole.


Anyways here are some new titles to try out.




FACE- Another slow burn scarefest about a forensics reconstruction artist.

MY TUTOR FRIEND- Mala 'Sassy Girl' na story between a rich guy and the poor girl who has to tutor him. Many Korean Film enthusiasts claim that this is the best in it's genre (Korean Romantic Comedy or "romcom")next to "My Sassy Girl".

THE POLAR EXPRESS-Dream Team Bob Zemeckis and Tom Hanks in their first animated feature. I dont know pero di ma-appeal sa akin tong movi'ng to.

THE MACHINIST-I have been dying to see this film but I cant get a good copy yet. Magpapakabait ako sa Pasko para maka score ako ng DVD copy nito. Puro copy sa sine pa lang ang nasa Quaipo

THE CLEARING- Hostage drama flick starring Robert Redford.

Gera na 'to!

Taken from INQ7. net , Jul. 21, 2004:

The VRB (Videogram Regulatory Board) citation notwithstanding, the Philippines was still included in the IIPA's 2004 "priority watch list" of the world's worst violators of intellectual property rights.

Aside from the Philippines, 16 other nations made it to the list: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Poland, Russian Federation, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

Pirated products in many formats are available virtually everywhere," including the video piracy "hotspots" (Quiapo in Manila, Greenhills in San Juan, ABC Mall in Makati City, and Cubao in Quezon City), it said.

From abs-cbnnews.com November 23, 2004:

OMB chairman Eduardo Manzano said in a press conference on Monday that, “Delisting is a tall order. Our priority right now is to remove the country from the priority watchlist of the United States.”

She added that the video sector such as VCDs and DVDs are expected to post the biggest losses with estimates of P4.9 billion; followed by the movie industry with P3 billion in losses; and the music industry with P1.9 billion.


The Philippines ranked fifth in terms of piracy rates last year, or at 89 percent after the 100 percent of Vietnam, 95 percent of Pakistan, 95 percent of China and 92 percent of Indonesia.


To show the impact of piracy in the industry, executive director Eduardo Sazon of the Association of Video Distributors of the Philippines said the number of movies went down to 50 from as many as 200 movies per year, and the price of movie tickets almost quadrupled to P75 from P20 in 1997

New Stuff Week 2

Medyo kakaunti lang ang bago this week, so I will include others that have been there for quite some time but are either in new packaging or are note worthy. Malapit na ang Pasko, make sure you get your stuff while hindi pa nag sisiksikan kina Amir...

.Fighter in the Wind- a film based son the life of Choi Bae-dal. Dubbed the "Toughest man in the World" because of his extraordinary skills in the martial arts.nice DVD copy. Good subs.
Alfie- Starring Jude law. A remake of the 1966 movie starring Michael Caine. Tunkol s babaero at kung anong nangyayari sa kanila kapag nabisto. Probably Promo copy pa lang. Look for the original among the the classics (the flat ones with cardboard cover) I think I saw one somewhere.
Birth- with Nicole Kidman and that controversial bathtub scene with 10 year old co-star Cameron Bright. About a widow who believes her husband has come back in the form of a young boy. Probably Promo copy pa lang.
One Missed Call-Takashi Miike's take on the horror genre. It may not be one of his best, but definitely worth the buck. I personally want to watch this in the theaters first before deciding t get my own copy.
FarenHYPE 9/11- A documentary that disputes the factuality and filmmaking ethics of whistle blower Michael Moore. Haven't seen it. Intersting. Sabagay, dami ngang fabricated na kwento na isiningit sa kanyang mga documentaries.
Fight Club-Iknow this is an old one. But heck, this is one of my favorite movies of all time, now it comes with very good packaging. The cover art is the logo printed over paper packaging tied with strings, you know like a custom made bar of soap. Just like the original discs. Plus there are no silly blurbs in the back, just a brief synopsis. If your'e looking to get rid of your silly, obviously fake cover, get this one. It will, most likely, not have the special features.
Macross Zero- I saw a preview fro this one in one stall. Wow, the animation was pretty tight. Parang pinagandang Macross na TV series. Parang 'motion captured' yung mga planes. I don't know much about the story though, but worth checking out.
New Police Story- Jackie Chan's latest action bonanza. Watch him at his best, fighting 3 bad guys at once, scaling buildings, getting his ribs broken, you know, fun stuff like that. DVD na yung quality. Warning though subs are still very roughly translated
Feng Shui-Kris Aquino. Chito Rono. Horror. Bleh. The DVD copy is available na. The subtitles are actually good.

Stay Away from "Alexander"!

I haven't seen the movie myself, but oh my! I haven't heard a single good review on this movie! Kung sanang mayroon kahit magandang review about the epic battle scenes or the riveting drama o kung anong ka-ek ekan ang nagpaganda at least sa napaka intriguing na buhay ni Alexander the Great...pero wala.

I learned about the lackluster performance of this movies from the critics standpoint early on pa lang sa internet. Actually screenshots pa lang nawalan na ako ng gana. Parang costume piece siya na mala Monty Python. One very important task a period movie must accomplish forst is that it must make the viewer "believe" that its a movie about the era, not a movie 'pretending' to be about that era with costumes and props. Sayang si Ollie Stone. Comback movie pa sana niya to after an almost 10 year hiatus. Balik na lang siya sa butas na pinanggalingan niya. At least we'll always have Platoon.
Hay nako, wait for the stalls to be filled with this trash. Personally kahit umabot lang ng P30 ang DVD di ko pa rin bibilhin yan!