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Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor

 

(Source: free-your-mind)

pelikula: Created Monstrositiesby Jansen Musico Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang (2012)D: Richard SomesS: Erich Gonzales, Derek Ramsay, Epi Quizon, Mark Gil What makes a monster? Is it the fangs that are sharp enough to rip through human flesh, or is it the claws whose grip can snap limbs and bones? Is it the carnal longing for the taste of blood, or is it vengeful madness driven by sorrow and fear? Richard Somes’ Corazon tries to answer just that as he tells the story of a married couple torn apart by their circumstances. The movie’s namesake, Corazon (Erich Gonzales), is a woman cloaked with intrigue. Her reputation is marred by the image of her prostitute mother who had disappeared after the Japanese war. The women of the hacienda gossip behind her back, while the men throw her suspicious looks. To aggravate all this, Corazon cannot conceive a child although she and her husband (Derek Ramsay) have been working on it for years. As an act of desperation, Corazon resorts to religious fanaticism, something that does bear fruit but with catastrophic results. The movie, released under Star Cinema’s indie film division Skylight Films, is a welcome change from the big studio’s typical oeuvre. The cinematography and scoring are the most evident improvements. Hermann Claravall’s camera work is crisp. The colors masking each shot make the rural setting both sleepy and hostile, covered with brush but drowning in the vastness of space. Von de Guzman’s contrapuntal music fills in that void and sets the mood for each sequence. A mix of independent actors and ABS-CBN talents comprise the cast; though it is interesting to note that the lines of that division have blurred, since most of them have treaded it back and forth. For supporting characters, Epi Quizon, Tetchie Agbayani, and Mark Gil bring their A-game. Conversely, indie favorites Sue Prado and “Kuya” Bodjie Pascua (whose role was unnecessary) lack subtlety in their performances. Gonzales and Ramsay make a believable couple, though the former made for better viewing than the latter. (I bet the women would disagree.) Ramsay’s acting, compared to his previous works, has improved, but the material proves too much for his prowess. Gonzales, on the other hand, gives a strong start, but squanders it all as her character loses herself to the monster she becomes. To their credit, it isn’t completely their fault. The poor editing decisions not only slighted their performances, it also crippled the entire film. Corazon is just as much as a horror than it is a romantic movie. But the nuances of cutting make several moments of the film laughable. One can only take jump and shock cuts for so long, once it goes beyond the limit, the horror gets fatigued and eventually becomes embarrassingly uncomfortable. The same goes with romance. Star Cinema reared its ugly cheese ball head via a faux intercourse montage. The film could have been better, but I cannot discredit it for trying. It’s an undeniable step forward for Philippine horror cinema. Once you peel off several layers of the movie’s faults and dispensable details, you get to see its heart: Monsters are not born; they’re created. They are propagated by the minds of men who fear what they do not know and pervert what they do not like.

pelikula:

Created Monstrosities
by Jansen Musico

Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang (2012)
D: Richard Somes
S: Erich Gonzales, Derek Ramsay, Epi Quizon, Mark Gil

What makes a monster? Is it the fangs that are sharp enough to rip through human flesh, or is it the claws whose grip can snap limbs and bones? Is it the carnal longing for the taste of blood, or is it vengeful madness driven by sorrow and fear? Richard Somes’ Corazon tries to answer just that as he tells the story of a married couple torn apart by their circumstances.

The movie’s namesake, Corazon (Erich Gonzales), is a woman cloaked with intrigue. Her reputation is marred by the image of her prostitute mother who had disappeared after the Japanese war. The women of the hacienda gossip behind her back, while the men throw her suspicious looks. To aggravate all this, Corazon cannot conceive a child although she and her husband (Derek Ramsay) have been working on it for years. As an act of desperation, Corazon resorts to religious fanaticism, something that does bear fruit but with catastrophic results.

The movie, released under Star Cinema’s indie film division Skylight Films, is a welcome change from the big studio’s typical oeuvre. The cinematography and scoring are the most evident improvements. Hermann Claravall’s camera work is crisp. The colors masking each shot make the rural setting both sleepy and hostile, covered with brush but drowning in the vastness of space. Von de Guzman’s contrapuntal music fills in that void and sets the mood for each sequence.

A mix of independent actors and ABS-CBN talents comprise the cast; though it is interesting to note that the lines of that division have blurred, since most of them have treaded it back and forth. For supporting characters, Epi Quizon, Tetchie Agbayani, and Mark Gil bring their A-game. Conversely, indie favorites Sue Prado and “Kuya” Bodjie Pascua (whose role was unnecessary) lack subtlety in their performances.

Gonzales and Ramsay make a believable couple, though the former made for better viewing than the latter. (I bet the women would disagree.) Ramsay’s acting, compared to his previous works, has improved, but the material proves too much for his prowess. Gonzales, on the other hand, gives a strong start, but squanders it all as her character loses herself to the monster she becomes. To their credit, it isn’t completely their fault. The poor editing decisions not only slighted their performances, it also crippled the entire film.

Corazon is just as much as a horror than it is a romantic movie. But the nuances of cutting make several moments of the film laughable. One can only take jump and shock cuts for so long, once it goes beyond the limit, the horror gets fatigued and eventually becomes embarrassingly uncomfortable. The same goes with romance. Star Cinema reared its ugly cheese ball head via a faux intercourse montage.

The film could have been better, but I cannot discredit it for trying. It’s an undeniable step forward for Philippine horror cinema. Once you peel off several layers of the movie’s faults and dispensable details, you get to see its heart: Monsters are not born; they’re created. They are propagated by the minds of men who fear what they do not know and pervert what they do not like.

(Source: runawaytrain)

(Source: lovenhonor)

salientfindings: SHET.

salientfindings:

SHET.

gvillagracia:

Known Personalities Speak for Los Baños

Isang pamilya lang tayo… GET WELL SOON UPLB. 

From My Treasure Box part 2

College is the best time of our lives. I won’t argue with that. I’m actually having the most memorable years of my life now. 




For the past few months, there were some changes in the landscape of my life. I’ve been very busy and all I had were books and handouts. The last sentence was exaggerated, i know you didnt believe it. But basically, I changed. A hedge of new perspective confined the neurons in my brain and some school of thoughts were gradually balled out by some external factors. (I’m glad i was able to integrate some landscaping terms.)

Surprisingly, the friends that I made during college are the ones who make it more memorable. The experience of entering into adulthood with a great group of friends is something that will remain as a fantastic memory. The times that I share with my college friends are very exciting, fun, adventurous, inspiring and memorable. 

Meet the Fockers. 


Three names remained intact in my shoot system after a period of development. Some elongated, some differentiated. Clarisse, Justin, Edz, and Johnrell.


We are crazy and stupid and pathetic. Our grammars crash sometimes. (What did you just said? Hahaha) Some of our jokes don’t seem really funny at all but we laugh as loud as you can imagine.(abot sa Siniloan lol) Oftentimes we talk about senseless things. There are times when our wallets run out of cash. We laugh at each other’s ‘katangahan’ (Mostly, Justin’s). But these things make us who we are. And those things do not inhibit the transport of happiness in each other’s heart.

You can easily distinguish these bitches even from afar. Let me describe them. (hahahaha *evil laugh*)


Even from bird’s eye view, you can easily know that it’s Justin with conviction. Red hair! Do not be confused with Johnrell’s hair color.
Justin’s head is a lot bigger. Justin is the thinnest. He doesnt eat sometimes because he’s poor. Haha. He doesnt have any muscles. He’s malnourished. Should you know any feeding program, please let us know. He’s a walking skeleton with a big skull. See his toe fingers, and you’ll agree with me that he’s a reptile. (Justin: Ang Unang Butiki)
He also loves Chemistry. (Justin, dont get me wrong haha). Since he loves Chemistry, he even made a mnemonic device on his face. 1Molar is equal to 1mole/L. Hahaha. 


Johnrell is also thin. His red hair made him look like a dancer in Showtime. (I also dyed my hair before because we’re so bored haha). From afar, you’ll first notice his cap (Ako Budoy!), sometimes his colorful bonnet and his back pack. I dont want to talk about his nose, but to be fair, hahaha, okay ill do it. His nose must be rich in cytokinin that promotes callus formation. Its like a mass of undifferentiated cells. (peace! Lol). He’s a Horticulture major specializing in post-harvest technology of callus formation. Summa cum laude in the making! *slow clap*

Edz is the most primitive of all. Hahaha. You wont see him in shorts. His back pack and ID is a whole package. He is major in Animal Science specializing in boobs formation. Hahaha it’s a secret but he has Kleinfelter’s syndrome. (That’s sad.) 

Edz really loves science. Actually he likes Taxonomy. Its very obvious in his face where you can see the Kingdom Monera. A lot of Monerans thrive in his face. It must be a very favorable environment for the growth of some species and those are very close to his heart. (Very inspiring!)


Clarisse is also an Animal Science major specializing in boobs maintenance. Lmfao. She looks like Charice Pempengco for crying out loud! Some Monerans also thrive on her face but its not as favorable as Edz’s. But some Protists survived in her armpit despite the very extreme environmental condition. Yeah she loves science too.

Those are my bestfriends. They aren’t perfect but so do I. 

The Turtleshits


If there’s an award for the craziest group of people, the turtle shits will be the winner. Why do we call ourselves turtleshits by the way?


It all started one night of workshop for our exhibit. The old handouts and trashes inside our org’s student room witnessed how the concentration of laughters increased with time. 

“Para kang bulaklak, ang paa mo’y maugat.” this induced the turtle shit night. I became the auxin carrier that promoted the growth of laughters. I really didnt get quotation! Everyone started to explain but it seemed that my response was blocked by an agar block. 

“Ay puta, turtle, shit!” everyone laughed! 

Since I became a member of UP HortSoc, I felt the warm welcome of the residents. But I cannot blame them for loving me too much because I’m too hot. (Bawal tumanggi. Blog ko to.)  When I joined this org, I didn’t make friends. I made a family. 

The turtle shits make my days happy. Sometimes when I feel down, I’ll just go to SR (Student Room) and hang out with them. It’s more than just an academic organization. During the times when we’re doing org things, it feels to good to work with them because I know I’m not required to meet any expectations. No pressure. Just enjoy what you’re doing. That’s what I love about my org.

 

People come and go. But more than anything else, we should always thank God for giving us the people who we can count on when things do not go the way we want them to be. Treasure every moment with your friends, appreciate all the tears and cherish every laughter. I quote “When it hurts to look back and your scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your friends will be there”