tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29207958081627118872024-02-07T13:00:45.721+08:00The Asian FlicksRM Bulsecohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08235853928526428222noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920795808162711887.post-73251860600864648572012-02-22T03:32:00.002+08:002012-02-22T03:32:16.572+08:00Windstruck (Korean, 2004)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Original Title:</b> <i>Nae yeojachingureul sogae habnida</i><br />
<b>Directed and Written by</b> Jae-young Kwak<br />
<b>Starring</b> Gianna Jun, Hyuk Jang and Su-ro Kim<br />
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Whether you like it or not, one of the most highly revered South Korean movie was 2001's <i>My Sassy Girl</i> (Yeopgijeogin). The movie's director Jae-young Kwak, as well as actor Tae-hyeon Cha and South Korea's 'It Girl' Ji-hyun Jeon's fame skyrocketed. Before 2001, romcom (romantic comedy) movies were nowhere to be found in the South Korean film industry. Through My Sassy Girl's success, South Koreans started to appreciated this kind of genre.</div>
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Thus it was not surprising that people expected a <b>LOT</b> from <i>Windstruck </i>(Nae yeojachingureul sogae habnida), after learning that it was the reunion of My Sassy Girl's director and lead actress. Surprisingly, despite being one of South Korea's highly successful movies, it hardly became a runaway success that its backers had been expecting.</div>
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<i>Windstruck</i> starts with Gyeong-jin (Ji-hyun Jeon), a hardworking and tough police officer who takes no mercy to criminals. One day as she was chasing a purse snatcher, he ended up with a wrong man, a highly revered high school Physics teacher named Myung-woo (Hyuk Jang). Everything cleared up but because of Myung-woo's chagrin, he decided to take part of Gyeong-jin's patrol program. After being handcuffed to Gyeong-jin, he found himself helplessly smitten by the young and beautiful police officer.</div>
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<a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/06/06/windstruck001_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/06/06/windstruck001_1.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
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The following events happened so fast. The next thing you know, they were doing those cutie-patootie stuff, like what ordinary couples do. Video stills of the rural Korean landscapes were featured, partnered with old Motown songs. They even engaged in some 'exclusive-for-couples' activities such as decorating their homes, dancing in the rain and cooking dinner. Like any other Korean romantic melodrama, those happy scenes were suddenly drenched with sadness as Gyeong-jin's police work collides with Myung-woo's penchant for chivalry. Oh-so <i>cliche</i>.</div>
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The first half of Windstruck was good. The second half was the otherwise. It was clearly evident that Director Kwak's running out of ideas. Mood swings have been prevalent in the movie (no, I am not referring to the characters). The film starts off with a bubbly and light mood as the boy meets the girl, complete with all those slapping and sweet moments. Then all of the sudden, the mood transformed into a weepy melodrama.</div>
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It was truly disappointing to some movie junkies, including me. The story line somehow failed to catch the attention because it was mixed with every possible genres - comedy, melodrama, action and even the inclusion of supernatural elements. It was not surprising how the moviegoers would react to this flick.</div>
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But I would like to commend Jeon's acting prowess. She had the capabilities of reducing grown men to cry babies in <i>My Sassy Girl</i>. But one thing's for sure: too much of something is not a good thing. <i>Windstruck </i>had stretched its actors too much. Jeon's weeping skills went overkill as her character breaks out in tears almost every minute or two. Eventually it became meaningless (and useless).</div>
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I may have cried buckets, especially the last part of the movie but this Korean movie didn't impress me at all. Windstruck has a promising plot, but with a scatterbrained script and other inconsistencies, it failed in numerous ways. But who cares? This movie wasn't really a flop, <i>monetarily speaking.</i></div>
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I'd like to commend the movie's soundtrack though. At least it didn't suck.</div>
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<b>RATING: 6.4 / 10</b></div>RM Bulsecohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08235853928526428222noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920795808162711887.post-5370212911303609632012-02-10T23:04:00.001+08:002012-02-10T23:20:26.010+08:00Grave of the Fireflies (Japanese, 1988)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Original Title: </b>Hotaru no haka</div>
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<b>Directed and written by</b> Isao Takahata</div>
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<b>Base from the novel of</b> Akiyuki Nosaka</div>
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<b>Starring</b> Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi and Akemi Yamaguchi</div>
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Movies are usually described as "moving", "powerful" and "nice", but <i>Grave of the Fireflies</i> is just one of the highly revered movies that perfectly fit those three aforementioned adjectives.</div>
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The sight of the two children caught in the peripheral effects of war makes <i>Grave of the Fireflies</i> a painful yet beautiful movie at the same time. It is indeed an allegory of the two children who struggled for survival after their parents got killed in the war. Produced in the late 80s, the animated one gave simple actions and focused on scenes that portrays beauty and innocence, enhancing the big differences from the harsh realities of life experienced by the two main characters.</div>
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The movie can be also interpreted as a condemnation of pride. <i>Grave of the Fireflies</i> is wholly based from a novel written by Akiyuki Nosaka who survived the war but whose younger sister died of starvation under his care. Those scenes depict Seita's unwillingness to seek help thus resorting to theft just to feed his sister, and penultimately, allowing his grief to consume and punish him - something that won't happen in real life - for that particular decision. The enemy in the movie is actually human weaknesses that come from war.</div>
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Despite being themed as a war movie, one will never see an actual war. It focuses more on the victims particularly on the two children. <i>Grave of the Fireflies</i> places a facet of the civilians that were totally affected by the war. Moreover, it was an effective movie as it pulled its painful and realistic themes but still remained in an understated manner. Likewise, it is too painful to watch, but equally difficult to take your eyes off.<br />
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With regards to the animation, it may seemed ordinary but it was surprisingly realistic. The acting was also extremely good. Setsuko's character is one of the most convincing pieces of acting for a child. The character was believable according to her age - neither too articulate nor too cute. The musical score provides more drama to some scenes as well.</div>
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<i>Grave of the Fireflies</i> is a touching and an extremely painful film to watch; I even cried a river after watching this movie! It is indeed an honest, direct, though provoking and worth watching by anyone. Prepare loads of tissue before you watch it!</div>
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<b>RATING: 9.5 / 10</b></div>RM Bulsecohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08235853928526428222noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920795808162711887.post-73462643421997651282012-02-01T00:09:00.002+08:002012-02-01T00:12:42.787+08:00Bangkok Traffic Love Story (Thai, 2009)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Directed and written by</b> Adisorn Trisirikasem<br />
<b>Starring </b>Sirin Horwang, Theeradeej Wongpuapan and Unsumalin Sirasakpatharamaetha<br />
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One can find love on any place at any given time. Take this Thai movie as an example. Who would have thought that one would found her one and only in a seemingly odd place - right inside Bangkok's sky train?</div>
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<i>Bangkok Traffic Love Story </i>is just a simple love story. </div>
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In this movie, we have <b>Muei Li </b>(Sirin Horwang), a 30-year old Thai-Chinese who is so desperate of finding the man of her dreams. Because of peer and family pressure, she had no choice but to force herself to find her ideal man. Societal pressures are hard to ignore and Muey Li is about to set foot on a brand new adventure in search of her true love.</div>
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One late night, after her usual drinking session, she gets into an accident and meets <b>Mr. Hot </b>(Theeradeej Wongpuapan as Lung) who works as a night-shift engineer at BTS (Bangkok Transit System or Skytrain). Lung would have been just a passing 'dream' for Muey Li if he had not showed up at her house a few days later - as 'uncle' to the boyfriend of Muei Li's family maid.</div>
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She meets Lung again at the Skytrain every night but decided not to make a move... until her pretty neighbor <b>Plern</b> (Unsumalin Sirasakpatharamaetha) starts hitting on him. That made Muei Li furious. She made almost everything just to be with him. It turned out that after celebrating Songkran (Thai New Year celebration) with him, she discovers a heartbreaking news.</div>
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Acting was okay. Although I would like to commend Wongpuapan because he has the ability to charm his female audience without pulling an extra effort. Horwang, on the other hand lacks facial expression, maybe brought about her role, who is so shy, reserved and a pampered girl who lives with her parents and her Chinese-speaking grand mother. Co-star Unsumalin Sirasakpatharamaetha (as Plern) provides comic relief and a little tension to the plot.</div>
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The script and the film overall is a bit dragging but tolerable. The story could've been presented better and it shouldn't be THAT long. The running time of the movie is more than 2 hours. The odd thing about this movie is this: <i>it didn't have any kissing scenes. </i>Not even a single one. I mean, seriously? The writers however want to emphasize the nightmares on one of Bangkok's infamous mode of transportations- stressing on smelly armpits and others - and doing infantile gags involving Muey Li's boss and his solar-energy bras and other silly things.</div>
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Despite the flaws, the movie remained as one Thailand's highest grossing movies.</div>
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<b>RATING: 6.1 / 10</b></div>RM Bulsecohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08235853928526428222noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920795808162711887.post-1842444371034354142012-01-30T21:45:00.001+08:002012-02-01T00:12:33.064+08:00The Classic (Korean, 2003)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Keulraesik </span>(original title)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Directed and written by </b>Jae-young Kwak</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Starring</b> Ye-jin So, In-seong Jo and Seong-woo Cho</span><br />
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Most romantic movies that I have watched have lousy story lines. Such stories were already taken from other movies resulting to a predictable ending. But <i>The Classic</i> is different.</div>
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Directed by Kwak Jae-young, <i>The Classic</i> was a long-awaited follow-up to his 2001 smash hit <i>My Sassy Girl </i>(Yeopgijeogin geunyeo). <i>My Sassy Girl</i> became a smash hit, making the careers of actors Jeon Ji-hyun and Cha Tae-hyeon rose into the world of stardom. It wasn't really surprising that a lot of people tagged <i>The Classic</i> as <i>My Sassy Girl 2.</i></div>
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But unlike its predecessor, <i>The Classic,</i> as the movie title suggests, is a classic Korean romantic melodrama. It is totally different with <i>My Sassy Girl</i> in every angle.</div>
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The movie begins when Chi-hye (Son Yeh-jin) stumbled across a box while cleaning her room. The box contained an old diary and some love letters all of which belonged to hermother. Though some of the letters came from her late father, letters written by a man named Chun-ha caught her attention. Then, the movie jumps back about forty years ago to detail the love triangle formed between her mother (also played by Son) and her future father, Tae-su (Lee Gi-wu) and her father's best friend, Chun-ha (Cho Seung-woo). Her mother fell in love with Chun-ha after meeting him in the countryside, she was already betrothed to Tae-su in an arranged marriage.</div>
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As the film progressed, the movie goes back to the present time. Chi-hye, like her mother is also experiencing a similar predicament. She is in love with Sang-min (Jo In-seong), the boyfriend of her vain best friend, Su-kyeong (Lee Sang-in). She finds herself unable to express her true feelings for she fears that she'll lose her best friend and might hurt her. The movie continues to move from past to present and back again, forming a parallelism of heartbreak, adventures and lessons learned between the mother and the daughter, whose fates and destinies are amazingly interconnected.</div>
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Outstanding cinematography paired with with an equally impressive soundtrack matches the scenes showing the beautiful Korean countryside. This had enhanced the generally poignant and nostalgic mood of <i>The Classic</i>. Story-wise, <i>The Classic</i> is a constant shift between the past and present, detailing the on-and-off relationship between Chu-hui and Chun-ha. Their particular scenes are the source of the film's emotional weight and is no doubt supported by the strong performances of Son and Cho who are earnest and affecting in their portrayals of the star-crossed lovers.</div>
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One of the most interesting aspects of <i>The Classic</i> is how the director compares and contrasts South Korea of the 60s and present. The mother and daughter inhabit a seemingly opposite world. Her mother grew up during the time of military dictatorship. People during her time were still practicing Confucian norms, such as arranged marriages). The daughter, on the other hand, lives in a democratic type of government with social reforms, with the will and latitude to chart her own future. Despite the fleeting times, some things remain the same, like the internal and social pressures that prevent Chu-hui (the mother) and Chi-hye (the daughter) to express their feelings.</div>
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<i>The Classic</i> truly conveys the 'love across time' theme. It explores the need to look up with the past in order to fully understand the present. What the movie tries to convey with us is how parents wished their sons and daughters to accomplish something in their lives in which they couldn't. Thus, on a bigger scale, <i>The Classic</i> tells to how the unfulfilled aspirations of past generations, whether they are democratic reforms or gender equality, are being realized in today's South Korea, as witnessed by the contrast made between the worlds that mother and daughter inhabit.</div>
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<i>The Classic</i> may not be as quirky as Kwak's breakthrough hit <i>My Sassy Girl. </i>Nonetheless it is still a good movie. <i>The Classic</i> is a romantic melodrama movie armed with the strong and effective showings from lead actors Cho and Son. Director Kwak had also penetrated the movie to a deeper level, which he poingnantly showed the dreams and aspirations of parents for their children, as well as South Korea's achievement of being a nation.</div>
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The movie may not be truly a classic one for some, but it comes pretty close.<br />
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<b>RATING: 8.1 / 10</b></div>
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</div>RM Bulsecohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08235853928526428222noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920795808162711887.post-77833346312048915162012-01-25T00:25:00.001+08:002012-02-01T00:12:23.394+08:00The Love of Siam (Thai, 2007)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Thai Title: </b>Rak haeng Siam<br />
<b>Written and Directed by</b> Chukiat Sakveerakul<br />
<b>Starring</b> Laila Boonyasak, Mario Maurer and Witwisit Hiranyawongkul<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Love of Siam</td></tr>
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To label <i>The Love of Siam</i> as just a homosexual teen romance flick is to misconstrue its intention and power to the viewers. Director <i>Sakveerakul</i> wants to show something deeper in one of his most successful movies. Aside from the strong attraction between the two young lead stars, the road towards to accepting a long-delayed reality was truly slow, painful and hard.<i> The Love of Siam</i> likewise makes us realize that to love and being loved by someone required sacrifice, which would lead to pain and a flow of emotions.</div>
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The movie starts with young Tong (Jirayu La-ongmanee) and Mew (Arthit Niyomkul), who are both schoolmates and neighbors. The two of them instantly bonded and formed a very close friendship. It quickly ended after Tong’s family had to move out of the neighborhood. Tong’s older sister, Tang (Laila Boonyasuk) went missing on her trip to Chiang Mai and this had caused Tong’s family to become unstable. Tong’s father (Songsit Rungnopakunsri) became an alcoholic while her mother (Sinjai Plengpanich) became more authoritarian than ever. Years later, Mew (Witwisit Hirunwongkul) who is now a composer and a lead singer of an upcoming boy bad in Bangkok crosses path with his long lost friend, Tong (Mario Maurer) at Siam Square. Eventually, the two of them reunited, rebuilt their friendship and even brought it to the next level.</div>
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To make things more interesting and complicated, Mew’s cute Chinese neighbor Ying (Kanya Rattanapetch) is secretly in love with him. Apparently she didn’t know about Mew’s homosexual tendencies. She would do all the things in the world just to grab Mew's attention. On the other hand, Tong is currently dating Donut (Aticha Pongsilpipat) and like Ying, she also has no idea about Tong’s homosexual tendencies. Meanwhile, to appease Tong’s dad who became a drunkard due to the sudden loss of his daughter, June (also played by Boonyasuk), Mew’s band manager who really looks like his sister posed as their long lost daughter.</div>
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<b>Siam Square</b> plays a critical role on this Asian flick. Aside from referring to the movie's title, it is a place in Bangkok where most teens dine, shop, date and bond with their friends. In the eyes of Bangkok teens, Siam Square has been a place for <i>hellos</i> and <i>goodbyes</i>. This is the place where they profess their love, break-up their relationship and meet with their friends. In the movie, this is the place where Tong and Mew met after a few years of not seeing each other. Siam Square has become a network of different relationships, as portrayed in the movie. Nevertheless, <i>The Love of Siam</i> shows that love isn’t a straight path that leads to a blissful ending. It’s a star-like network which promises hope if one can take a correct move.</div>
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Unlike any traditional love stories, <i>The Love of Siam</i> did not conclude in a happy way. It ended with a mere spark of hope.<i> There is indeed hope for everyone. </i>That hope opens billions of possibilities for its characters, as numerous as the innumerable accidental encounters or meet-ups in Siam Square. Director Sakveerakul indeed made a bittersweet ode about the complexities of loving, in which the other mainstream cinema failed to accomplish such. What he calls in <i>The Love of Siam</i> is that audaciously crossing outside the common simplicities of love is far more rewarding than safely assuming the basic formula of it.</div>
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Tong and Mew’s relationship is a perfect example of the struggles of loving a person in the middle of socio-political crises. Love survives notwithstanding the dilemmas that pervade the world. As Ying translates from a Chinese song, “as long as there is love, there is love”.</div>
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There is indeed <b>hope</b> in this seemingly <b>hopeless place.</b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjPRZ2hMKWQ">Watch the full trailer here</a></b></div>
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<b>RATING: 8.0 / 10</b></div>
</div>RM Bulsecohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08235853928526428222noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920795808162711887.post-10447238133991036052012-01-22T00:25:00.001+08:002012-01-23T19:16:49.061+08:00Top 10 Most Titillating Pinoy Movies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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These are the movies that cannot help but make you hot. Alternatively classified as <i>bomba</i>, ST (sex trip), or TF (titillating…) films, these movies usually generated a lot of controversy in and out of the movie industry, and especially in the MTRCB. Although castigated for their sexual content, several of these movies did tackle Philippine issues relevant to their time. Of course, it IS the sexy parts that people will remember more. So, if you can’t wait any longer, turn down the aircon’s thermostat, prepare to be heated up, and read on to find our list of <b>Top 10 Most Titillating Philippine Movies.</b></div>
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1) <a href="http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Scorpio_Nights"><b><i>Scorpio Nights</i></b></a> (1985) - This 1985 steamy sensation of Peque Gallaga was actually based on a doctoral thesis entitled “The Sexuality of the Filipino Male and Female.” Who knew that academe could be translated so sexily? The story revolves around a young voyeur who has an obsessive lust for, and eventually an affair with, the wife of his neighbor. This movie has one lengthy love scene between the two extra-marital lovers.</div>
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2) <a href="http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Live_Show"><b><i>Live Show</i></b></a> (Toro) (2001) - originally banned by the MTRCB, this film is about the workers in the live sex industry. Apart from the sex, it was also considered a moving view of people who have to sacrifice their self-respect in order to give pleasure to others.
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3) <a href="http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Ang_Bangkero_%28Toro%29"><b><i>The Boatman</i></b></a> (1984) - this film was also originally titled “Toro” and is also a film about a male live sex worker (or toro). It features a simple boatman who finds his way in Manila as a toro and makes the mistake of falling in love, with tragic consequences. Its ending is one of the most disturbing finales in Philippine cinema.
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4) <a href="http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Virgin_People"><b><i>Virgin People</i></b></a> (1983) - the first of the series of movies with the same title, it features three virgins in a local village who discover the pleasures of the flesh with a handsome stranger and a lecherous uncle.
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5) <b><i><a href="http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Burlesk_Queen">Burlesk Queen</a> </i></b>(1977) - apart from being a highly sensual film, this movie swept all nine artistic awards in the 1977 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). Unfortunately, public uproar caused the MMFF to withdraw all awards a few days later. This is the film where Vilma Santos bumps and grinds as a burlesque performer, shedding her usual innocent image.
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6) <a href="http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Tatarin"><b><i>Tatarin</i></b> </a>(2001) - another film by Tikoy Aguiluz (director of The Boatman), this movie is based on the famous Nick Joaquin short story “The Summer Solstice,” featuring a liberating ritual where women dance wildly around a tree, supposedly to ask for fertility.
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7) <b><i><a href="http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Tatsulok">Tatsulok</a> </i></b>(1998) - another directorial foray by Tikoy Aguiluz, the film is about an older married woman who has an affair with a much younger man. Things become more interesting when the married woman’s long-lost daughter turns up and gains the interest of the woman’s lover.
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8) <a href="http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Twilight_Dancers"><b><i>Twilight Dancers</i></b></a> (2006) - this is another macho dancer story where the dancer becomes an object of lust for men and women alike. Given an X rating by the MTRCB, it is also taken as a social commentary on themes such as globalization.
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9) <i><b>Pila Balde</b> </i>(1999) - this movie starring Ana Capri is slice of daily slum life in Metro Manila. Capri plays a poor but honest girl who desires a handsome flirt but is ignorant of the love of young water boy. The film, again, is a commentary on the cruelties of poverty.
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10) <a href="http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Sibak:_Midnight_Dancers"><b><i>Sibak: Midnight Dancers</i></b></a> (1994) - a touching movie about three brothers, all of whom work as strippers in a gay bar, and all of whom have homosexual lovers.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(originally published last 09 December 2009 from my Tumblr <a href="http://thecyberniche.tumblr.com/post/266417336/top-10-most-titillating-philippine-movies">blog</a>, shared from this <a href="http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Top_10_Most_Titillating_Philippine_Movies">site</a>.)</span></div>
</div>RM Bulsecohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08235853928526428222noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920795808162711887.post-10433539125807174552012-01-21T03:31:00.003+08:002012-02-01T00:11:51.862+08:00Spirited Away (Japanese, 2001)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>Written and Directed by:</b> Hayao Miyazaki</i></span></div>
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Spirited Away is one of the impeccable movies I have ever seen. The plot was fantastic and full-bodied. Each character was given so much personality, even the little soot spiders weren’t treated as two-dimensional!</div>
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This box-office hit Japanese animated movie reflects the culture and beliefs of the Japanese people. Even at modern times, there are still who believed in <i>kami</i>, a Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Even here in the Philippines, Filipinos also have this similar beliefs about spirits dwelling around the surroundings. Some them guard those century-old trees or even inhabit those long abandoned houses or buildings.
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There are several significant themes presented in the movie.</div>
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In <b>Spirited Away</b>, every character is a mix of good and bad qualities and actions. </div>
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Even those who seem good at first, such as Haku and No-Face, have their own share of evil qualities. By the same token, those who seem bad in the beginning, such as Zeniba, Kamaji, and Lin, become instruments to Chihiro’s escape. Chihiro herself is extremely unpleasant at first, and she reveals her better nature only after she becomes Sen. Spirited Away’s blurred line between good and evil is a much more accurate reflection of the real world outside the film. In the end, evil is not vanquished but pushed aside as characters make choices that weaken bad influences.</div>
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Entering the adult world is a substantial and shocking transition for some of the characters in <i>Spirited Away</i>. Idleness is a luxury of childhood—Chihiro lies in the backseat while her parents drive, and Boh lolls among soft pillows while his mother goes about her daily business. Neither Chihiro nor Boh is capable of doing anything independently, nor does either know how to effectively ask for what they want. Whining and complaining are the methods they know best, but, for Chihiro at least, these have no place in the spirit world. </div>
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Though hard work is not the only element of the spirit world that transforms Sen into a stronger, more capable person, it certainly helps her learn to deal with problems maturely. The shock of entering the working world is a theme rarely dealt with at this age level, which gives <i>Spirited Away</i> one more mark of distinction. </div>
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Food has enormous power in <i>Spirited Away</i>, and it can be a force of either good or evil. At the beginning of the movie, food sets Chihiro’s entire adventure in motion. When Chihiro’s mother and father gorge themselves on the food they find in the abandoned amusement park, they turn into pigs, and Chihiro must save them. In the spirit world, gluttonous No-Face can’t fill himself up no matter how much he eats. Food and greed are always a bad combination, but food is also a source of comfort and community.
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cOuTGTXHjq0/TZuLgNqR16I/AAAAAAAAAc0/xYI6qb216AU/s1600/spirited-away-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cOuTGTXHjq0/TZuLgNqR16I/AAAAAAAAAc0/xYI6qb216AU/s1600/spirited-away-1.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
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Lastly, this examines the consequences of actions that alter the natural world in destructive ways. Haku and the ancient river spirit represent these consequences most dramatically. Haku lost his home because his river was paved over to build an apartment complex, and the ancient river spirit at first seemed to be a stink spirit because it’s so polluted. The abandoned amusement park at the beginning of the movie is linked to the issue of land management. Chihiro’s father notes that many theme parks were built in Japan during the boom times, and they were abandoned when the economy slumped. As a result, unsightly, false landscapes dot the countryside. Self-pollution, a more personal aspect of environmentalism, occurs through No-Face’s and Chihiro’s parents’ over-consumption of food. Haku, too, is polluted by Yubaba’s slug. Environmentalism is a familiar motif in Miyazaki’s films, and critiquing the consequences of development and pollution through animated characters sheds new and unusual light to these issues.
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<i>Spirited Away</i> is simply a modern masterpiece, easily one of the Top 10 films of the new millennium. It works on a multitude of levels; a social commentary on Japan, a homage to ancient Japanese rituals and mythology and a moral film for both children and adults.<br />
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<b>RATING: 9.3 / 10</b></div>
</div>RM Bulsecohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08235853928526428222noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920795808162711887.post-90881793769427484392012-01-20T04:32:00.000+08:002012-02-01T00:12:12.229+08:00Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Thai, 2010)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>A Crazy Little Thing Called Love / First Love (สิ่งเล็กเล็ก ที่เรียกว่า..รัก)</b></div>
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<b>Directed by: </b>Puttipong Pormsaka Na-Sakonnakorn and Wasin Pokpong</div>
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Date: </b>August 12, 2010 (Thailand)</div>
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<b>Runtime: </b>118 min.</div>
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<b>Cast:</b> Mario Maurer / Pimchanok "Baifern"Leuwisedpaiboon / Sudarat Budtporm / Acharanat Ariyaritwikol
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I first heard this movie from Juan and I got curious since he had written a good review about it. This Thai movie was released last August 2010 and I just watched it on YouTube.
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The movie is all about puppy love. Nam (Pimchanok Lerwisetpibol), a young and ugly girl had a huge crush with Chon (Mario Maurer), the school’s heartthrob since her freshmen year. With the help of her supportive friends, she somehow got the chance to have some brief, close encounters with her knight in shining armor. It was not an easy road for Nam, though. Some girls were more beautiful and more talented than her. She thought that she will have no chance to be with Chon. Eventually, she grew up and became beautiful and discovered something more about Chon.</div>
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The plot of the movie is simple. It’s all about infatuation and the struggles of Nam. Despite its simplicity, viewers will get touched by it. Like Nam, we will do whatever we can just to get noticed by our crush. Nam had tried her best just to be on top of the class, or be the lead cast of a play or be the leader of the drum band. Innocence, as a theme, also played a vital role in this movie. By just merely seeing our crush walking along the hallway or hearing their voice over the telephone will definitely make our day complete.<br />
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<a href="http://www.starmometer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Crazy-Little-Thing-Called-Love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.starmometer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Crazy-Little-Thing-Called-Love.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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The movie is a great combination of laughter and tears. I definitely had a good laugh on the first half of the movie but as the movie progressed, especially on the 7th part of the movie, I shed a tear because the scenes were really heartbreaking. I thought Windstruck, A Moment to Remember and Hachiko were the only three movies made me cry. I was wrong. Even if the plot formula is similar to some romantic movies, like the I-should-have-told-him/her-I-love-her style, it will definitely leave a mark to the audience, regardless of the age.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTRrLM-Y1h8FLsUKq2x8tI8cRVydqrk7nQG8WusyQpYOi7f3mBfFmNjCRojXLJvvJUvrGDLCGM_gZMh2-Lpdkie3pao3IJUOl6wMUMdgpYM15e8qEuTriwJHiYImFG4if2qQ6yFMEFG0/s1600/clt.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTRrLM-Y1h8FLsUKq2x8tI8cRVydqrk7nQG8WusyQpYOi7f3mBfFmNjCRojXLJvvJUvrGDLCGM_gZMh2-Lpdkie3pao3IJUOl6wMUMdgpYM15e8qEuTriwJHiYImFG4if2qQ6yFMEFG0/s1600/clt.jpeg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Indeed, as what the movie trailer claims, it’s everyone’s story.
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High school may not be my favorite part of my life, but I will always treasure those days when I look forward to see my crush in school. By just seeing her will already make my day complete.<br />
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<b>RATING: 7.1 / 10</b></div>
</div>RM Bulsecohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08235853928526428222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920795808162711887.post-28553239849349702652012-01-20T03:56:00.000+08:002012-01-20T04:33:25.075+08:00Ni hao!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hey guys, I know a lot of people love to watch Asian films and series. Even Americans and Europeans are now starting to watch some of Asia's best movies and TV series. In fact, Hollywood had made several remakes of Asian movies like Ring (Japan), Lakehouse (Korea) and Sigaw (Philippines). More so, Asian films have already conquered the international film festivals and even bagged numerous awards.</div>
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Asian movies are quite different to American and European flicks. One of the reasons is the main cultural differences between the two. But either way, it is the script and the storyline that matter the most.</div>
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This blog aims to promote Asian films and TV series. Although, I won't be providing download links since it's illegal. LOL. But yeah, I will try my best to update this blog as often as possible.</div>
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Cheers and have fun!</div>
</div>RM Bulsecohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08235853928526428222noreply@blogger.com0