worlds apart

indie comic creators invade Sputnik tomorrow, November 14

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:46:20 GMT

SO. AWESOME.

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:11:17 GMT

THANK YOU YOUTUBE!

I think they would want us to start smiling

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:37:19 GMT

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:27:04 GMT

EPIC TROUNCING

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:09:39 GMT

pre-game, post-burrito jitters.

Seated at the border between the blues and the greens. It was hard resisting the urge to flip out on my seatmates.

Wow, Canon, you make nice zoom lenses. 'Sup Coach?

Douchebag McAsswipe.

Is this even legal?

How. Sweet. It. Is.

One Big Fight!

ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:24:38 GMT

AMC and Darabont are Adapting The Walking Dead!
Source:Variety
August 12, 2009

AMC is close to finalizing one of the richest development deals ever with Frank Darabont to write and direct a series adaptation of the Image Comics graphic novel series "The Walking Dead," written by Robert Kirkman.

Variety says that Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Motion Pictures and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion are also on board to executive produce.

The story is set among a group of zombie survivors of an apocalypse who are led by a police officer, Rick Grimes, in search of a safe place to live.

AMC Senior Vice President of Programming Joel Stillerman said the series will stay faithful to the tone of the original novels. "This is not about zombies popping out of closets. This is a story about survival, and the dynamics of what happens when a group is forced to survive under these circumstances. The world (in 'Walking Dead') is portrayed in a smart, sophisticated way."

MANILA COMIC CON!

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:51:15 GMT

The 1st Manila Virgins United Convention floor.

I actually took this picture for the "Kalayaan" poster in the background. That is one seriously under appreciated work of art right there.

Beauty and the Geek.

2 parts Chinese 1 part Filipino 1 part 1rish

2 parts AWESOME.

THE CUTEST THING ON THE PLANET. BUMBLEBEE IS A 6 YEAR OLD KID.

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:55:49 GMT

Daredevils!

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:14:18 GMT

I was staring outside my window looking at the building being constructed across the street (totally obscuring my view of the beautiful billboards and streamers hawking feminine wash and pain relievers) when I noticed something odd.

see it yet?
No?
Let's use that fancy zoom lens.

Easy on the doughnuts, there, Spiderman!

Aww. Peter Porker has a friend.

These two guys spent the entire afternoon crossing back and forth that thing, with seemingly no regard for human life. It was quite terrfying, actually.

TERRIFYINGLY AWESOME, THAT IS!

HELP

Sat, 23 May 2009 05:17:43 GMT

I need an Afghan hound for a project. Please drop me a line if you know where I can find one. It's very important. Help a brother out, guys!

This one's for the comic nerds.

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:12:20 GMT

quesada is pwned.

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:15:07 GMT

Ah yes, 2007 has come and gone. I've probably seen more films this year than the last two combined. Quantity did not necessarily mean quality this year though, I waded through a lot of crap to get to the good stuff. Now for further disclaimers: I don't fancy myself a film critic, so don't attack me if I hated Ghost Rider (I'm looking at you, Joey Fernandez), but rather a film enthusiast. This is not a "BEST OF" list, but a "FAVORITE" LIST, so put down those rotten eggs, Alexis Tioseco. Lastly, this is a list of everything I have SEEN in 2007, not necessarily films released this year.

_______________________

10. 28 Weeks Later
A worthy, passable sequel to Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s 28 Days Later, yet a great thriller in it’s own right. Retaining the grainy, realistic tone and visual style of the first film, but upping its carnage and gore, 28 Weeks Later dares you, no double dares you, not to flinch.

9. Gone Baby Gone
Ben Affleck directed this. And it was actually pretty damn good. Based on the first in a series of Dennis Lehane (Mystic River) books about Patrick Kenzie and Angie Genarro, two private eyes who operate in seedy Boston while juggling an on and off relationship.

8. Sicko
Michael Moore strikes again, this time against the U.S’ health insurance system. As over the top as it was, it had me glued to my seat. You may not agree with his politics, but you can’t deny his genius, nor his skill at provoking intelligent debate.

7. Ratatouille
It always amazes me whenever animated movies have the ability to evoke real, human emotions, even when it comes from cartoon rats. It’s of no surprise then that this one is done by Brad Bird (who made my favorite animated film of all time—The Iron Giant), who is a master at telling an exciting adventure story but fusing it with just the right amount of heart and sweetness.

6. Eastern Promises
David Cronenberg’s last team up with Viggo Mortensen (A History Of Violence) was one of my favorite films from last year, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that their follow up is equally, if not slightly more, thought provoking. The violence is explosive, and the lead stars are amazing.

5. Superbad/Knocked Up
I know it’s cheating to lump both movies together, but the total impact of both was greater than the sum of its parts. Superbad was 1 part sweet/ 1 part raunchfest/100% comedy gold; while Knocked Up was like a sitcom high on crack. And I mean that in the best way possible. Team Apatow saved comedy in 2007.

4. The Host (Gwoemul)
No one does good monster movies anymore, especially not Hollywood (prove me wrong, Cloverfield!). Out of nowhere comes The Host, a Korean thriller about one of the most dysfunctional families ever filmed, banding together to save their youngest member after she is snatched away from them by a gigantic lizard mutated by expired Formaldehyde. It sounds ludicrous, but the result is nothing short of a masterpiece.

3. The Lives Of Others
Set in 1984, in Cold War Germany, where privacy is rare; a stoic, emotionless Stasi captain bugs a playwright’s house due to his questionable loyalty to the regime. He is drawn into the playwright’s world, and eventually starts to identify with his beliefs. It’s a gripping, heart breaking film. The ending is unexpected, but perfect.

2. No Country for Old Men
It’s bleak, brutal, horrifying; just like any Cormac McCarthy novel. If taken in small doses, it’s also a Coen Bros. staple. This is arguably their darkest, most violent film yet, and it. Just. Might. Be. Their. Best. Wow, I hear a million film nerds everywhere simultaneously gnash their teeth in outrage.

1. Once
At the tail end of the year, I chanced upon a low budget Irish romance that knocked my socks off, and shot to the top of my favorites list by being everything most romance movies aren’t: realistic, inspiring, bittersweet. An Irish street musician meets a Czech flower vendor and falls head over heels in love with her, inspiring him to elevate his musical creativity beyond what he ever thought possible.

_______________________

Here's a second list, but I won't defend my choices. It's a strange mix, I know, but everything on it is fantastic.

Music

10. Arctic Monkeys/Favorite Worst Nightmare
9. Foo Fighters/Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
8. The White Stripes/Icky Thump
7. Lupe Fiasco/The Cool
6. Iron & Wine/The Sheperd’s Dog
5. Bloc Party/ A Weekend In The City
4. Amy Winehouse/ Back To Black
3. The Shins/Wincing The Night Away
2. Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova/“Once” OST
1. Radiohead/In Rainbows

_______________________

Wow, this must be my longest journal entry in 2 years.

yet another wes anderson post

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 13:17:31 GMT

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 05:06:10 GMT

Ah yes, my favorite filmmaker returns.

Mon, 28 May 2007 15:43:31 GMT

It is widely known that a firm handshake shows strength and confidence. The handshake communicates your personality and intent. It speaks volumes about who you really are and what you actually think. The perfect handshake usually leads to a favorable first impression.

Two events collided a few weeks ago. I hurt my right hand quite viciously in Boracay (resulting in it swelling to roughly the size of a baseball) and I met up with Jen's parents. Now everyone knows that firm handshake= strength of character, and having a weak one shows insecurity. Well, try as I could, I shook Jen's dad's hand as firmly as I could, and I felt it crumble under his his strong grip. Forget about the pain (white hot stabbing needles), I just wanted to leave a good impression, dammit.

It's been 4 weeks since I hurt it, and it still throbs like it happened yesterday. I met up with Jen's friend Ian 2 weeks ago, another firm gripper, and I felt it worsen after he shook my hand. So great, Jen's friends and her father think I'm a little pussy boy.

Damn.

I stole this one from clockworkthug

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 08:44:31 GMT

1. One book that changed your life.
You Shall Know Our Velocity!, Dave Eggers

He’s just one of my favorite writers, period. He’s more commonly known for A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (which I love), but I hear more of myself in this book. Yes, because everyone knows that I am a Midwestern twenty-something who stumbled upon a large amount of cash and convinced a friend to travel the world with me in the course of a week, disposing of the money while still reeling from the tragic death of my best friend Jack.

The goal being: "Now I would get rid of it, or most of it, and believed purging would provide clarity, and that doing this in a quick global flurry would make it — I actually don't know why."

It’s hysterical/sad/inspiring/depressing and all those other contradictions crammed into around 300 pages.

2. One book you have read more than once.
The entire PREACHER series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon

Oh, come on, stop sneering. How can you not get alcoholic priests with the power of God, assassin ex-girlfriends, pop singers with faces resembling asses, religious conspiracies, regular imaginary conversations with John Wayne, psychotic grandmothers, abrupt and shocking violence, romance and love triangles involving vampire best-friends?

Barring all the blasphemy, of course.

3. One book you would want on a desert island.
The Beach, Alex Garland

It would just be fitting, wouldn’t it? Then again, I’d probably start craving marijuana stalks, fantasize about killing sharks, and pine for exotic French girls with thick accents.

Oh yeah, and fuck the movie.

4. One book that made you laugh
Microserfs, Douglas Coupland

I admit, I was a late bloomer. Pre-Microserfs, I used to read a lot of popular fiction; not because I was shallow, but largely because I was just hesitant to experiment. I was into a lot of (early) Crichton, Grisham and the like. Then one day, my friend forced a withered copy of Microserfs into my hands way back during my first year in Ateneo, all of 17, and I was floored. G33k! Hum()r! 1$! H1lar1()u$!

5. One book that made you cry

Here’s two:

Bridge To Terabithia, Katherine Paterson

A book I closely associate with childhood.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon.

A book I closely associate with being absurdly fantastic.

6. One book you wish had been written
The one that’s in my head.

7. One book you wish had never been written.
The Dark Knight Strikes Back!, Frank Miller

He’s brilliant, really. But this book is just fucking offensive.
“Here’s the sequel to one of the bestselling and most critically acclaimed books in your library, DC! Aren’t you excited? Now hold it for me while a take a humongous dump on my once amazing career.”

8. One book you are currently reading.
Black Powder War, Naomi Novik.

I’ve been on a recent Sci-Fi/Fantasy kick, and the Temeraire series has certainly been the best of what I’ve been reading recently. What a premise! It’s the Napoleonic wars, and everyone is fighting. With dragons.

Hellz yeah.

9. One book you have been meaning to read.
Children of God, Maria Doria Russel.

It’s the sequel to The Sparrow, a harrowing Philosophical study masquerading itself as a sci-fi novel; about contact with an alien race and its inevitable effects on personal faith.

Fin.

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 08:10:12 GMT

Invalid video URL.

photos from my trusty W900

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 07:31:50 GMT

Questions by Ala, answers by awesome.

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 10:20:02 GMT

1) If they were doing an episode of Maalala Mo Kaya, on the life of Chris Costello, which Pinoy actor would you cast as you? Why?
Hmmm. That’s hard. I don’t know that many. I think I’m gonna have to go with TJ Trinidad. Because 1) he looks like he can play equal parts geek and cool, delusion and confidence, 2) he’s my friend, and 3) I think he’s almost as hot as I am.

2) Are you comfortable with yourself? When I’m sober and not crying my eyes out like a little girl

3) You're a really good artist. Who was your greatest influence early on in life, during the formative stages?
Hmm. That’s hard. I think that I first started tracing drawings of Superman by legendary comic artist Dick Giordano. And much thanks for the compliment.

4) What is the best compliment you have gotten about your art, and from whom?
My girlfriend said I should put up an exhibit. I had never thought about it before, and she seemed really confident in me, so I did.

5) In a few words/ phrases/ sentences, describe yourself without using any adjective whatsoever (writing exercise ba? :-p )

elloutsay orkday arcasticsay reamerday eelerfay eeseballchay unnyfay to imselfhay

Finally, a little closure.

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 05:42:44 GMT

A year ago, I found out that I couldnt open my old Yahoo! mail account due to a password change that I didn't authorize. I lost all the emails that I had saved since 1998. I was pretty heartbroken to say the least. What really pissed me off was that a few months after I lost my account, someone started going online using my account. Naturally, everyone who knows me by my ID started sending him messages but never got any replies.
I finally caught him online this morning and got to talk to him (I'm manitouraven):

c_headrush: why u add me
manitouraven: because i know someone with the same yahoo id
manitouraven: i thought you were him
manitouraven: who are you?
c_headrush: i becomming this is from friend
manitouraven: oh yeah?
manitouraven: who is your friend?
c_headrush: name by yahoo is snake
manitouraven: where are u located?
c_headrush: from germany berlin
manitouraven: do u have the same email account? c_headrush?
c_headrush: yes lol i think no
manitouraven: oh cause my friend had the same account but then he couldnt open it
manitouraven: one day
c_headrush: snake say to me he have traded id for another
manitouraven: so do u still have the old emails of my friend?
c_headrush: no i working with another alternative email
manitouraven: oh ok
c_headrush: another email is still
manitouraven: oh i always wondered about that
manitouraven: this is so wierd. ive nevr heard of this happening before
c_headrush: u owned self undys and more ?
manitouraven: what? sorry i didnt understand that
c_headrush: u cracking ids ?
manitouraven: no, of course not
c_headrush: i like it
c_headrush:
manitouraven: well, that sucks.
c_headrush: for me no is nice
manitouraven: well, my friend felt really bad
c_headrush: ahh understand
c_headrush: why ?
manitouraven: because many people tried to contact him with the old ID and they couldnt reach him
manitouraven: and he also lost his email account c_headrush, and lost all his old emails which he had saved
c_headrush: hmm he have traded this id not lost acount
manitouraven: no, he lost it.

Well, he stopped replying after this, and right before I could call him a mother*bleep*er.

A year later, I'm just as pissed as the day I found out, but at least I have some sort of closure now.

This is a love letter

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 05:28:19 GMT

Dear Quark,

What you did with Wag Kang Lilingon is awesome. I am so impressed at how you've grown as a filmmaker. You've got great things ahead of you, my friend.

Chris

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:29:27 GMT

Dear All,
I would like to invite each and everyone of you to my exhibit opening this Saturday, September 30, at Store For All Seasons, 605 Shaw Blvd. It starts at 5 pm. You can call 717-08814 for directions.
I will be exhibiting 10 pencil drawings, mostly portraits, that I have done in the past month. All drawings are up for sale, and I expect you to be the nice, generous, loving people that I have known for years and take a few of them off my hands.
Kidding. a little.
Seriously, please go to my exhibit, and pimp it out to everyone you know. It'd be much appreciated. My exhibit will run from Sep 30-Oct 21, but I'd love it if you could all go to the opening. COCKTAILS WILL BE SERVED*. That should be good enough an incentive. :)

Thank you all, and I hope to see you there! I will be taking pictures to note down those of you who didn't attend :P

Chris

p.s. Much thanks to Harvey Ong and Elbert Or who helped me out with the poster!

*yes, yes, including beer.

p.p.s please post this announcement on your pages, you loving, kind souls, you!

Tue, 23 May 2006 19:26:21 GMT

1.Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn't make sense. NO CHEATING!
4. Tag 10 people to play this game too.

How are you feeling today?
Set Yourself On Fire, Stars
Haha, That isn't true. Not suicidal today. Yesterday, maybe.

How do your friends see you?
The Predatory Wasp Of The Pali, Sufjan Stevens
Nigga what?

Will you get married?
Heart In A Cage, The Strokes
Does. Not. Bode. Well.

What is your best friend's theme song?
A Certain Romance, Arctic Monkeys

What is the story of your life?
The Sulphur Man, Doves

What was high school like?
In Your Eyes, Peter Gabriel

How can you get ahead in life?
Closing In, Imogen Heap

What is the best thing about your friends?
All I'm Thinkin' About, Bruce Springsteen

What is today going to be like?
Hands Open, Snow Patrol

What is in store for this weekend?
I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet), The White Stripes
AHAHAHAHAHA. That's just perfect.

What song describes you?
Sweetly, Andrew Bird
Shucks. My nano knows me too well.

To describe your grandparents?
Reason Is Treason, Kasabian

How is your life going?
Chicago, Sufjan Stevens
It's going great. And I AM going to Chicago in a month.

What song will they play at your funeral?
Just Lose It, Eminem
Yeah, that'd make quite the scene.

How does the world see you?
Time Can Never Kill The True Heart, Stars

Will you have a happy life?
You're All I Have, Snow Patrol

What do your friends really think of you?
Ordinary People, John Legend
Doubt that. It'd be more along the lines of Freaky. Or Paranoid. Or emotional. Or just plain sexy.

Do people secretly lust after you?
Over and Over Again (Lost and Found), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Ok, I admit, I cheated on this question. It was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

How can I make myself happy?
Stay With you, John Legend

What should you do with your life?
Fever Dream, Iron & Wine

Will you ever have children?
Oh So Insistent, Andrew Bird

Haha.
How I love wasting time.

CRITICINE

Fri, 19 May 2006 11:21:12 GMT

(please pass/post on your journal. thanks!)

The image Representation is a huge issue in Southeast Asia, and while it encompasses cultural diversity, it certainly isn't limited to it.

What guides our lines of sight? The politics that decide what we see, and the obstacles that block us from seeing more.

What gets represented and how? The honesty (or dishonesty) in the images we do see, and the sins of omission.

How to make visible corners that are blind? The dual challenge of re-shaping perspectives through works that matter, and seeking an audience for them.

Criticine 3 tackles a few of these issues.

The reviews section features three pieces you won't find in other places: Noel Vera is given space to continue his chronicling of the oeuvre of Filipino auteur Mario O'Hara, with his review of the forgotten classic Uhaw Na Pag Ibig (click). Short filmmakers never get any attention! Hassan Muthalib introduces you to the kinetic energy of the work of Aaron Chung, one of Malaysia's up and coming cinema artists (click). Khoo Gaik Cheng addresses some topics programmers and critics have brought up with regard to Ho Yuhang's 2004 Min, but never elaborate on (click).

Thailand is a country that has been severely underrepresented in this journal, and there's a reason for that. Thailand has never been colonized; a fact they are quite proud of. Perhaps because of this, they are far less bi-lingual than most other major SEA filmmaking countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam), and therefore a large part of good writing about Thai cinema by Thai authors appears only in Thai language. Meaning: we are deprived of insight into Thai cinema from a local perspective. We are taking steps to make correct this, one article at a time. For this issue, we have fresh translations of a trio of interviews by Thai filmmaker Thunska Pansittivorakul with leading figures in contemporary Thai cinema: the brilliant Apichatpong Weerasetheakul (click) critic and translator Kong Rithdee (click) and Suparp Rimtheparthip and Thida Plitpholkarnpim, editors of the Thai-language film magazine Bioscope (click).

While news broadcasts and political leaders continue to throw around the word "terrorism" with reckless abandon, constructing images of fear about the other, Philip Cheah reminds us of a different kind of horror: state-led terrorism. We reprint two articles produced for the catalogue of Spaces and Shadows, a two-month programme on contemporary Southeast Asian Art culture held at the House of World Cultures in Berlin. The first is Cheah's introduction to Whose Terror is it Anyway? (click) the programme he curated, the second Shaheen Merali's interview with him about it (click).

The topic of terrorism comes up again in the work of Filipino filmmaker John Torres, but in a completely different context. Where Cheah talked about state-led terrorism, Torres brings it to a much more intimate level: terrorism of the heart. In my interview with him, Torres opens up about the making of his first feature, Todo Todo Teros, and about the pain we inflict on the ones we love (click).

In another personal piece, Maguindanaon filmmaker Teng Mangansakan recounts how he fell into (and for) cinema, his first forays into filmmaking, and the challenge of re-shaping a Moro image that has been grossly misrepresented by popular media (click).

For the final journal entry of his residency in Cannes Cinefondation before returning to Manila, Raya Martin sends us a series of diary entries, scattered but no less engaging, touching on a number of topics, including how he was received in France (click)

Tan Pin Pin's Singapore GaGa, a brilliant 50-minute sketch of a Singapore often ignored, has audiences paying attention. Special films require special methods of distribution; Pin Pin generously outlines hers. Tracking the journey of GaGa across Singapore, her piece (click) serves as a testament to the resolve and fortitude independent fil mmakers need to adopt in order to ensure their works get seen. Your work isn't done when the final dub is finished.

music=life

Sun, 23 Apr 2006 08:12:15 GMT

Create your own Music List @ HotFreeLayouts!