Crazy,Crazy Hollywood.

While I know you are all sick, sick, SICK of hearing about celebrities and their shenanigans...

Can you imagine what the stars have to put up with? Tom Cruise gets squirted in the face with water from a fake mic at the London premiere of his latest summer movie War of the Worlds by a prank TV crew.Surprised and offended (as anyone would be in the situation), he chastises the crew and as they were trying to leave the scene, Tom grabs one of them in the arm and says "Don't run away. That's incredibly rude, I'm here giving you an interview...and you do something nasty..Your'e a jerk". The guys get arrested but were released the same day. Tom went on with the interviews and signed autographs.

Leo DiCaprio on the other hand gets a bottle bashed on his cranium and gets 12 stitches. He doesn't press charges on the lady who did it and goes back to the set of The Departed the next day. Gosh, it's so hard to be a star these days.

A little personal observation: If you have seen The Beach,If you remember the climactic scene in the hut with the farmers, doesn't Leo's gash look eerily like the one he got when he got his head bashed with a gun by the Thai farmer?

Props to defamer.com for the pics and themovieblog for some info.

Our Official New York Asian Film Festival Entry is...

I'm sorry, I just have to make an entry about this.

If you are following the Asian Film scene, you probably know that the annual New York Asian Film Festival is going on right now. Asian Film afficionados from around the world have found a home in New York, being the melting pot of all cultures in itself, obviously. The NYAFF showcases the best of Asian Cinema to the rest of the world, and in turn, gives asian filmmakers the opportunity to show their best work to a global audience.

Here's where it gets interesting.

Countries like South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong and mainland China have been making great movies for years. It would be obvious that the would have the lion's share of entries at any given year. Countries like Thailand and Singapore have been showing promising movies lately and are slowly gaining recognition for their pursuit of cinematic excellence. In the case of the Philippines, we're not quite there yet (don't ask me why. It's not like we have a drought of talent, well, finances, maybe, but not talent) however we make some very notable small movies. Digital cinema has given our film industry a window to showcase what our filmmakers REALLY want to show without the resrictions and modifications of large film producers. So, naturally, we should showcase our local digital films so that we can firmly represent the Philippines and establish that we can cut it with the rest of Asia, right?

South Korea has Arahan, Samaritan Girl and Crying Fist. Japan has Princess Racoon and Vital. The Philippines has Gagamboy. India has My Brother Nik-..

GAGAMBOY?????



For crying out friggin' loud, there are tons of great fil-independent movies out there, why GAGAMBOY, you may ask? That's ok. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING.

Here's where it gets really interesting.

Gagamboy is screening June 17-26 at Anthology Film Archives (if you happen to be in NYC) to RAVE REVIEWS! Here are some actual quotes from some reputable film reviewers:

"A deliberately low-rent Filipino cousin to Spider-Man, GAGAMBOY manages to provide almost as much fun on little more than the burger check for Sam Raimi's Hollywood blockbuster."
- Derek Elley, Variety

"charmingly junky fantasy"
- Time Out New York

"...a mix of masked mania, screwball comedy and wild action as crazy as any comic book. With neat effects, clever tricks and lovable cast (including the handsome, hilarious young comedic actor Vhong Navarro hamming it up heroically in the title role), GAGAMBOY spins a wacky web of good ol' fashioned fun!"
- Rupert Bottenberg, Fantasia Film Festival


"Shot in the pulpy pop colors of cheap Filipino comic books and set in a studio-built ghetto that looks like the set from John Waters' Desparate Living"

Erik Matti must be proud of himself to have his movie (or the set, at least) compared to that of John Waters'.


"The whole point is to let brand new Filippino(sic) comic star, Vhong Navarro, show off his dead-on comic timing (he's like a young Stephen Chow)"

A young Steven Chow , huh?

Definitely this is a pleasant surprise. A little confusing, but pleasant. One may come to think that Gagamboy was an unintentional hit with the critics, kinda like young Anakin Skywalker 'accidentally' shooting and destroying the Trade Federation's Star Ship's main reactor that deactivated all the droids fighting in Naboo. On the other hand, It could be an intentional (and successful) attempt at 'camp cinema' excellence (since it WAS compared to John Waters' movies) disguised as another cheesy Filipino comedy. I have only seen parts of Gagamboy and I find Vhong peculiarly funny. I have seen many a good serious Filipino flick, but I have yet to see a satisfying Filipino comedy. Maybe we're just not paying attention to our stuff. What do you think?

You can find the page and the rest of the review here.

These Guys Rock

We need more artists like Chris Martin (Coldplay) and Bono (U2). Their contribution to music is paralleled by their commitment to different causes such as the elimination of unfair trade, poverty and AIDS. You have probably seen the One campaign ad on MTV ( yes, that one with Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks, uh huh). It's amazing how these artists have the time to create the great music that they sing (IMO, Coldplay and U2 are the best songwriters of their respective generations) and are still able to support their noble causes.

If you feel you have the social responsibility to join these causes (I'm in a helping mood today, gimme a break)go to their respective websites one.org and maketradefair.com

As an added bonus to the ladies, click here to see Gael Garcia Bernal get dumped...with cottonballs!

Guess Which Movie

Can you guess which movie this scene is from? Let me give you a hint. It was very popular in the '80's. It starred one of the most popular box office stars of all time. It's a movie not about war, but the effects of war. The main character suffers from a syndrome called PTS (Post Traumatic Stress).

Give up?

First it seems easy, then it starts to play tricks on you. If you think you've got the skillz to get a passing grade, or at least waste day away, it's time to Guess Which Movie.

This time, no clues.

Props to attuseesall

Movie Review: "Batman Begins" (2005)

I'll get to the point. Batman Begins is easily the best movie adaptation of the DC Comics character to date...by miles.
I won't waste your time with a cheesy synopsis and get to the good stuff.
Christian Bale is the perfect Batman, he is also the perfect Bruce Wayne. Michael Caine shines as the loyalbut quick-tongued butler Alfred. My personal British favorite Cillian Murphy was sublty eerie as Scarecrow. And we see Liam Neeson, in true Qui-Gonn/mentor fashion as Henri Ducard. I was especially pleased to see Rutger Hauer in a supporting role. Having seen him in 2 great movies straight (Sin City and Batman Begins) means his career is picking up a second time.

It's a pity we have to remember the four previous Batman movies because, if things were to be set right, we should get every copy and burn them (when I say burn, I don't mean digital copying, I mean set on fire!).

But major props go to Memento director Christopher Nolan. His unique non-linear storytelling technique was perfect for telling the origin story and his treatment of previously minor characters, like Bruce's father Tom Wayne provided depth and complexity to the origins of Bruce Wayne's fears and anger. I especially enjoy the fact that Batman was held out until halfway through and concentrated on the "whys" and the "hows" like the origin of the batcave, the black suit and the batmobile, rather than getting a flash of the black cape and eponymous logo in the beginning. Gary Oldman as a young Jim Gordon adds to the coolness factor and adding the future Comissioner as a major character definitely gets high points for the director for staying true to the original comic book storyline. Oh and Katie Homes was ok too (don't you get sick of hearing about her all the time?).

If you missed the Sith, I forgive you. If you miss Batman Begins. I will become the one you most fear.

Check out some of these reviews from retrocrush, Roger Ebert and Twitch.

Rocketboy's Rating: ***** (5 out of 5)

Preview: "The 40 Year Old Virgin"

Steve Carell is fast becoming one of my favorite comedians. This hilariously odd comic first got our attention in Bruce Almighty as Evan Baxter ('Baxtabber'), the ambitious co-anchor who gets publicly humiliated when Bruce 'controls' his speech and 'movements' live on air. That scene almost made me wet my pants (almost, okay). I was also able to catch him on a recent episode of Conan O'Brien where he did a few sketches that just made the audience roll with laughter.Carell is next slated to become the lead to the 2006 update of Get Smart. He is also in the american version of the british comedy, The Office. I just saw the trailer of his latest movie, The 40 Year Old Virgin. Man I cant get enough of this guy! Just check out the photo. Don't tell me it didn't even force a snicker out of you.

Here's the trailer. Props to the ever reliable movieblog.com

My All-Time Favorite Albums

I love music. Music has made me do stuff I wouldn't normally do unless otherwise influenced by a pretty girl or hunger for food. I wanted to to a favorite albums roundup for two reasons, one, I very seldomly make album reviews, and seeing that I am a heavy music fan, I should do such more often, two, I haven't done a decent countdown list in a long time. I'm pretty sure you can relate to some of the albums I have listed below, you may even want to add a special album of your own, or most likely, you won't give a crap and just look at the pictures amd click on the links. In any case, It would be an honor to present my My All-Time Favorite Albums.


The Best Of Chuck Mangione If I were to go to a shrink right now and he would ask me to lay on his couch for a session of regression therapy, I would hear "Feels So Good" in my mind's ear once he would ask me to reach my 4 year old subconscious. I could still remember my dad playing this great bugle player's albums as my mom fed me Cerelac and spanked my butt with her sandals for peeing on the floor.


Kenny G "Live" Okay, I probably get beaten, given a wedgie and shoved in a locker for this, but what can I say? Kenny G was the only music I cared to actively listen to when I was 8. I especially enjoy how he hits that high D in that one part of "Sillhouette" for an entire 2 minutes. I would try to hold my breath along with him to see if I could do it, in case I do learn the saxophone. One time I had to grab my nuts because I thought they dissapeared at one point.


Nirvana "Nevermind" I hate Kurt Cobain for what he did to me. He made me love loneliness and dissolusionment. I blame the apathetic outlook in life i developed so early in my life to this person. Its so sad it's not even funny. Undeniably though, Kurt and Nirvana make great music. That's why they were solely responsible for the explosion of the alternative movement and turned music upside down. Their gross disconcern for melodic perfection was what made them cool. It was like the punk era in the 80's all over again. When Kurt died, I wasn't sad. I just felt sorry for him. His songs in Nevermind were already begging for him to break out and "burn out, not fade away". I'm a Negative Creep, and it's all because of him, and we fed from his unhappiness.



Dream Theater "Images and Words" When I first heard the opening tracks of IAW, I thought I was listening to the soundtrack of The Transforemers Movie. This is what they called Progressive metal. A new type of music composed of 12 minute songs with odd time signatures and the fastest, most difficult guitar, drum and bass playing you can hear anywhere. I wasn't much of a guitar player back then, but I thought I was 'da man' cause I could play Skid Row and Metallica, then I heard these guys and everything just went out the window. I didn't even know how to begin to learn their songs, they were just too hard. So I ended up just listening and listening and listening...



Pearl Jam "Ten" When the so-called 'Seattle Grunge' movement came about, it produced a horde of very talented (and not so talented) musicians and the consuming public, hungry for something new, bought into the trend. Pearl Jam, an unsuspecting new Seattle band just barely got into the scene, got thrusted into the limelight as the poster boys for grunge. Just like ther fellow Seattlites Nirvana, they shunned their superstar image and retained their a greased down flannel-wearing slacker image, much to the delight of rock purists.
Ten, is simply, a breakout album. Something the boys iof PJ wanted to come out with to be accepted, making it, in essence, their most commercial album. Their following albums consisted of deliberate attempts to sound uncommercial or just plain crappy, but nonetheless, statements of independence and abhorrence to the music industry's corporate demands. Ten was PJ in its purest, most innocent stage. Although they didn't sell out after that, at least they weren't so freakin' pissy.


Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe This was my first trip album. Progressive rock was not a term i was familiar with when I was 11. I just knew that their songs were long and freaking beautiful! I get into a trance whenever I hear their songs and see places like the set of Labyrinth or The Never Ending Story. Only later, as a musician, did I learn that these songs were difficult to replicate. I would listen to this tape and lie dow in my bed giving myself dreams of unknown lands and strange creatures. And my mom thought I was just being lazy.


Joe Satriani "Surfing With the Alien" I learned about Joe Satriani years before I could play guitar. I was already familiar with his melodies even before I could play chords. I thought it would be cool to learn how to play, but I was so good with my air guitar that I didn't bother picking a real one up until I was 15. Then I learned how hard it was to do the solo for "Always With me, Always With You". With my fingers calloused and peeling, I had to listen to it one more time...


Craig David "Born With It" There was a point (believe it, or not) when I was sick of all the angst and heaviness of rock. I looking for something more upbeat and melodious (Translated: I wanted to impress chicks). Craig David was cool and relatively unknown when i bought his first album, and until now, I define him as what R&B should sound like. His ladie's man persona i one I always wanted to emulate. the bonnet and leather jacket deal was just too cool to be left to the videos, I had to get myself one of those. Until this day, I'm still baffled as to why they won't work on the ladies...I guess, I wasn't "born with it".


Daft Punk "Discovery" I wasn't into chillout or trance before I heard "One More Time" and saw the anime video series. Then I discovered Daft Punk, the enigmatic techno duo from England who never show their faces..How cool is That?
Their eclectic mix of disco beats and '80's Herbie Hancock-style tunes and odd time signatures make them a thinker's dance music group. Their album is one of the very few I listen to from beginning to end. The flow is just irresistable and it leaves you wanting for more all the time.


Beatles "Revolver" In my opinion, Revolver is probably the best album ever made...period. All elements of a good rock, pop and R&B album are in Revolver, There's the token dance track (Taxman), the depressing love song (Eleanor Rigby), The happy song (Got to Get you into my Life) and the weird, trippy song (Tommorrow Never Knows). I have reason to believe that all other pop albums henceforth, even if the artists themselves aren't aware, have elements taken or borrowed from Revolver. Those who have listened to it know what I mean. Give it a listen and bear in mind that this stuff was written in 1966. You'll be suprised how modern it sounds.

Happy Birthday Natalie Portman

Dear Natalie,


I hope you got the chocolates I sent you. I have been meaning to go tho the set of V for Vendetta just to see you, but you know, I get tied up with so much work I can't even get to callyou up to say 'hi'. I know you miss me. I wish I were with you in Cannes to walk you up the red carpet, but alas, the corporate machine has ways of getting you to break your own plans.

I've noticed that you shaved your head recently. I know you've been getting a lot of beef about that. But let me just say this, even if you shaved all of your hair you would still the most beautiful creature in the planet. No amount of makeup on anyone would stand a chance against you, even if you were covered in grease and had lice. But we know that's not gonna happen.

I hope things are not so stressful on the set. I've heard those Wachowski brothers can be a pain sometimes. I hope James McTeigue is ok. If he isn't treating you right, i'll be the first to take a plane and smash his puny little...ok, I need to calm down.

Anyways, Happy Birthday my beautiful Jewish darling.


Rocketboy


(To everyone reading this, please dont tell Z.)

Gig Review: "Nuno Bettencourt with Near Death Experience Guitar Clinic" (Yupangco Bldg. Makati, June 9 2005 6pm)

Nuno Bettencourt is definitely one of the best guitar heroes alive. When I first learned that he was going to Manila for a guitar clinic and promotional tour for Washburn for his new N5 and N6 series, I immediately signed up. Needless to say, as a guitarist myself, Nuno is a major influence. Anyone who's into rock in the 90's knows Extreme, the band that came up with the tremedously overplayed love ballad More Than Words. Nuno wrote that song, mmkay?
Anyways, he has since gone solo and has formed his own group named Population-1 also known as Near Death Experience and has been touring around the world and giving guitar clinics everywhere.
I was in line for my reserved seat at 4:00pm. The gig was to begin at around 6. There was a delay in the preparations in the Yupangco music hall as that the speakers seemed to be acting up, therefore delaying the admission of more than 800 eager Nuno fans. So while we were waiting in line to get in, I saw some very familiar faces like Karl Roy of Razorback who was standing right behind me in line. There were probably a bunch of new recording artists who are probably famous also that I just didn't really care about. There were sightings of Mike Villegas, Mark Escueta of RiverMaya and a very close encounter with Barbie Almabis, all of which made my day jump up a notch compared with the drab everyday callcenter life.
Finally after almost an hour's delay, we were finally let in to bask in the aircon and observe Nuno's guitar wizardry.
His sense of humor got his filipino audience pegged as he started off by chastising the audience for "being late" and telling them that he waited us them all afternoon. He played one of his originals to begin the show, then proceeded to some of his more popular Extreme songs like He Man Woman Hater,Cupid's Dead, and (Do You Want To) Play With Me.
There were two significant highlights in the show. One was his perfect rendering of his slammer acoustic piece Midnight Express (my personal favorite) and the random selection of a die hard fan to jam with him on stage for Get The Funk Out, the lucky dog. The guy was good, in all fairness. As he was being cheered on by the audience, I was sulking in the corner green with envy.
The night was also plagued with technical problems. The right speakers started stalling and caused a delay in many parts of the show. A this point Nuno starts to joke with the audience and poke fun at himself and some of the eccentricities of audience members, such as a guy up in front apparently videotaping him even though there were explicit instructions given before the show not to do so. Nuno's positive attitude despite the technical foibles was a refreshing contrast to John Myung's anal attitude and prissy demands during his past clinic. Nuno doesn't like lecturing or giving out lessons. He just wanted to play. The clinic actually turned out to become a full on club gig rather than a guitar seminar, to everyone's delight, musician or non-musician.
What I learned from this clinic? It doesn't matter if you know the terminologies, it doesn't matter if you have great technique. What matters is, when you're in the stage and the audience is listening, you MUST rock!
When pitched the question about what he recommends guitarists to use for guitar gear, he simply replied, "It's all in here", raising his left hand and wriggling his fingers.

One Year Ago This Week...

...I created this blog. After all the comments... The links I made...
After The Blog Awards... I still don't know what to write.

Set Pics from V for Vendetta

Here are some fresh pics for you and your mom fresh from the mean streets of totalitarian London. Looks like V for Vendetta is going to be a lot of fun. But there are no effects shots here, so they do look a little plain. Too bad there are not shots of Hugo Weaving or Natalie Portman. It would be cool to see the forehead from hell and the shaven goddess of beauty...

Here they are:

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Props to the movieblog.com

Clooney is Optimus Prime

Take this with a grain of salt, people. But it seems that Optimus Prime as found a voice in George Clooney. Michael Bay is set to direct (I'm still adjusting to the idea)and it seems like the star of ER and The Perfect Storm is going to lead the Autobots to face their battle to destroy the evil forces ooooof.....the Decepticooooons. (place guitar solo here).
I don't quite know what to think yet. It seems like the could do worse. Way worse. But I always thought of Prime to be more in the personality of Lance Henriksen. You may have seen him in Aliens as Bishop, the likeable android who scared the living crap out of Bill Paxton's character with the knife stabbing trick where he stabbed circles around Bill's fingers. Oh, and he was also the voice of the Silverback in Disney's Tarzan and, of course, profiler Frank Black in the defunct Chris Carter series Millenium, (my favorite TV series of all time, if I may add). Let's just say, when you listen to his voice, you would expect him to be 30 feet tall, made of steel and look like a giant robot made out of pieces of a red 16 wheeler truck.

Props to the movieblog.com

Here's the source.

Have Time? Why Not Go To The Theater?

Plugging ahead. My friend Allan wrote a new play and he wants you to watch it!

CULTURAL CENTER OF THE PHILIPPINES
TANGHALANG PILIPINO
WRITERS BLOC Present...





THE VIRGIN LABFEST
untried, untested, unpublished & unstaged works...

CORRUPTED MINDS
June 9 & 10 • 8:00 PM
featuring

Allan Lopez' ANATOMIYA NG PAG-IBIG
Directed by John Victor Villareal

Elmar Ingles' SERBIS
Directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio

Eugene Evasco and Chris Martinez' ARS POETICA
Directed by Arlo de Guzman

TEARING DOWN FENCES
June 11 • 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM
featuring

Debbie Tan's FATE'S LINE
Directed by Ana Valdes-Lim

Glenn Mas' RITE OF PASSAGE
Directed by J. William Herbert Sigmund Go

BENDING GENDERS
June 12 • 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM
featuring

Vincent de Jesus' ATENG
Directed by Phil Noble

Lani Montreal's SISTER-OUT-LAW
Directed by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo

J. Dennis Teodosio's SI GEEGEE AT SI WATERINA
Directed by Roobak Valle

Tanghalang Huseng Batute (CCP Studio Theater)

Tickets at P100. Call Tanghalang Pilipino at 832 3661, 832 1125 locals 1620 / 1621, 0928 7250691 or CCP Box Office at 832 3704.



http://www.culturalcenter.gov.ph/events-virgin.htm

Movie Review: "Unleashed" (2005)

Those who have been following my blog know how long I have been drooling for this movie. Unfortunately on opening day I was under a personal crisis and had to stay away from society and hide in the mountains to commune with my inner self and could not blog nor watch a movie. It sucks make a film review while your whole world is crashing in.
Anyway's I'm ok now and ready to go on with my digital life. But enough of my issues! lets geton to business.

Danny is a dog. Or at least he is treated like one by his owner Bart (Bob Hoskins). He is fed like one, kept like one and used for moneymaking (or grabbing) purposes as if he were a doberman on caffeine. He has on a collar that when taken off by his master serves as a stimulus indicator for him to 'unleash' his fury and kick major British tail. Then again, Danny is also a person--with fellings and dreams.
Danny's life takes an unexpected turn when his master gets into a 'run in' with his enemies and Danny is left to fend for himself. Like a dog without a master he is helpless and hungry, and like a hungry stray he is kept in by very unlikely but kind hearted Sam (Morgan Freeman), a blind piano tuner, and his pretty white stepdaughter Victoria (Kerry Condon), who treat him as family and help him unravel his past and unlearn his savage ways which are kept at bay by his eponymous collar. One day they ask him to remove the collar...

Nice huh? I like writing synopses like that. It relaxes me.

Needless to say, I do like the movie.

There are some things that Jet Li can do. Some we know, like making a triple flip kick land on a big burly guy's face and have time to spare to karate chop the other goon's shins. Some we don't, like actually doing some convincing acting. Apparently Li underwent serious acting coaching for Unleashed and even spent the night sleeping in a soundstudio to give him a feel of how it's like to be 'stored' instead of 'kept'. Li may not be a Sean Penn, but he does enough to do the job. Minimal speaking roles helps too since he is not a very good English speaker, and it kind of establishes him as an uneducated killing machine.
Bob Hoskins is particulary deliciously evil as Bart, the deceiving master of Danny. Thanks to him, the film has established a Snatch-type feel to it and fits perfectly in the same genre as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Layer Cake.
The fight scenes are particularly crude and primal compared to Yuen Wu-Ping 's usual fluid martial arts choreography. Here we see Li pounding on a goon like a mallet on meat Fight Club Style, pulling hair, and shattering shoulders with a sledge hammer. Not exactly Shaolin Kung Fu stuff. Since this is not, in the strictest sense of the word, a martial arts film,it works well in the vein of the british gangster flicks like Lock, Stock... and Layer Cake, only with cooler fighting sequences.
Luc Besson has written and directed some of the best action movies around like The Fifth Element, Le Femme Nikita, The Transporter and his masterpiece Leon: The Professional. Unleashed may not be a Leon, but it definitely keeps Besson up there a s one of the most creative action genre writers we have.

Dont miss this one. Its got more kicks than a mule being led to the slaughter, and its not just Jet Li.

I still prefer the European release title Danny the Dog. Apparently, American Movie executives think that the title sounded a little too "kiddy" and that parents might mistakenly take their precious little angels to an R13 gangster flick complete with bone-breaking and head smashing scenes. What do you think?

Click on the poster to access the original french website.

Rocketboy back in the house!!

Hello, World. I'm back.

Sorry for the unannounced hiatus. I had to do some backpacking and needed to stay away from my tech support job. This also means that I need to stay away from the computer and blogging. Getting 'jacked in' for a long period of time kinda coils you up like a spring and I just needed to unwind and commune with nature and the MacArthur Highway. Any roadtrippers out there? I'd like to hear from you. Sorry I wasn't able to produce any pictures, my celfone camera was not very friendly to the locals.

Anyways, it's nice to be back, refreshed and ready to be coiled up again.

By the way, cant wait to watch Danny the Dog (aka. Unleashed) sometime this week. Iknow It has been out for more than a week now and that I should be more excited about Sin City. Actually I am more excited about seeing Arahan on the big screen. Local distributors are pretty smart delaying the release as not to get in the way of the larger summer blockbusters like Batman Begins, Sin City and Revenge of the Sith, don't be deceived though, this movie has the makings of a summer action blockbuster itself.