The trigger of the story: My film class

“Writing is personal, it has to be.” Those words came from my notable lecturer Clodualdo Del Mundo, a scriptwriter.

I always have been a fan of the movies and being in his class exposed me more to beautiful movies here in the Philippines and abroad. I was inspired even more to write stories and become more detailed in explaining the scenes I have in mind.

Trigger. You must have a trigger to write a good story. What story do you want to tell? From there, you’ll know where you could get your stories. The trigger starts it all.

Did you know the 6-word story made by Ernest Hemmingway? Yes, it took him only six words to tell a story. He said, ” FOR SALE: BABY’S SHOES. NEVER WORN.” Filling the gaps, you could tell that there has been an anticipation for a baby but perhaps due to some unfortunate events, the baby did not make it out... alive.

I am very much excited with all the stuffs I am going to learn from my classes in the coming days.

Tonight, he gave us an assignment. We must write ideas for our Short Film and Full-Length Film. This is a productive day, I could say!

We watched 9 Films today and did two screenplays in 50 words!

1. Blue Angel

2. Baraka

3. The Bicycle Thief

4. Biyaheng Edsa

5. Ten Minutes Older

6. Story of the Water

7, The Color of Paradise

8. Touch of Evil

9. The Virgin Spring

If you would like to know the stories, search it on the net. Haha!

Had fuuuuun today!

Inglorious Basterds

Written and Directed by the legend himself, Quentin Tarantino.
The man responsible for Pulp Fiction as well.

I thought this movie features a comic flow of events. Like, I know the spelling of Bastards, if Quentin meant that, so I wondered why the A was replaced by an E. Haha! So I guess that has nothing to do with the movie. LOL!

Five chapters rolled in one to tell a story of Jewish vengeance. This was all fictional but nonetheless told a story that revealed how cruel fighting and killing people were before. I admire how Quentin put together all the stories. He touched a very sensitive subject in world’s history, particularly that of Jews’ and Germans’. The first chapter was really significant and I thought the story in chapter one wasn’t that relevant not until Emmanuel showed up in a cinema house in Paris. The second chapter, an introduction of the Inglorious Basterds, is where the handsome hot Brad Pitt appeared. He is still sexy even in military uniform but I was bothered by the way he spoke in the movie. He sounded like a cowboy-turned-into-a-Nazi-hater. Seriously! Can somebody comment about this? Lol! Here, the plot was somehow tragic because the soldiers tend to ‘unscalp’ the Nazis they were able to kill in an encounter. Unhumane. The third chapter, The German Night in Paris, where the only survivor in the Jewish family that was murdered in chapter one appeared. Soshana Dreyfus, appeared German-like woman. She now owns a cinema where lots of German movies were shown and she is hiding her true Jewish identity. Her fancy meeting with a soldier led to her biggest plot of revenge to all the Nazis. In chapter four, the Operation Kino was proposed and everything led to a bloody encounter of fake Nazis and the original ones. In this chapter I could say, I was totally stunned by the actress’ beauty and was totally confused by all the accents. Last but not the least, Chapter five, The Revenge of the Big Face, was the best part! It showed the vengeance plot Soshana and her partner Marcel have been planning. Imagine a big revenge being shown in a big screen where people from different parts of the world watch. Must be outstanding! LOL! It was successful and Aldo’s masterpiece on The Jew Hunter was really rewarding!

Quentin already amazed me with Pulp Fiction but this movie… this movie… amazed me more! I wonder where he gets all the amazing plots. I have watched Valkyrie, another movie with Hitler in it, but this one is different especially how the chain of events led the people involved from chapter one get a very significant and outstanding evening. I love how Emmanuel said her part… “I have a message for Germany… that you are all going to die. And I want you to look deep into the face of the Jew who’s going to do it! Marcel, burn it down. My name is Soshana Dreyfus, and this is the face of Jewish vengeance!” Nice, nice, nice!

The setting, the plot, the shots, the characters… everything! Superb!

A Perfect Getaway

Strangers. Killers. Paradise Island.
Plus Milla Jovovich.

I remember the same sexy woman who starred in the .45 movie. Bad, rebellious and hot. I thought this movie was different but it all came down to my senses that Milla is a very flexible actress.

This movie went beyond my expectations! I do not normally read the summary on the back cover or on the internet because every movie is a story to anticipate. For me the title and the poster says a part of the story already and upon seeing the cover photo and the title of this movie, I already thought of struggles, fighting, lots of killing and chasing. I have watched the movie Touristas and I expected this movie to be something like that but as the movie goes, I saw different.

The story told the lives of different couples who go trekking and wandering on their honeymoon days. Set in a very nice part of Hawaii: trails, rain, rainbows, hunting, waterfalls, mountains… all the beautiful natural resources that a perfect paradise island could have. The couples were enjoying the time of their lives without any hint of worries and just like any other couples who were in their honeymoon, I expected Milla and her partner in this movie to be lovey-dovey in the plot. They never failed me with their actions and words not until the last 30 minutes or so of the movie. The transition and the twist of the movie really left me aghast. Outstanding! Plus, the sweet proposal that came after was really sweet.

As for the shots, all that panning really told a part of the story: Chasing. Lots of chasing! I wonder how they do all the running in the forest. Must be tiring… but it’s all worth it! The chasing and all the struggles the couple faced in the movie really contributed to the beautiful ending.

I find trekking very exciting but upon seeing this movie, I’ll probably won’t go trekking on my honeymoon! Hahaha! However, having a sweet proposal on a sunset, by the aerial view of the beach during a trekking would be very sweet. Awww…

Speak now or forever hold your piece.

Shutter Island

Perhaps the most mind-boggling movie I have ever watched!

The film was based on the novel “Shutter Island” by Dennis Lebane. I haven’t read the novel yet but I can say that Dennis must have had lost of imagination and connecting plots in mind when he made the story. Outsanding! This psychological thriller really made my day.

Set in Ashcliffe, an asylum for delusional criminals, this movie boasts a 1950’s setting. The cars, the clothes, manner of speaking, decorations, interiors, etc. I wonder where they got all the water to make an artificial rain, or should I ask, was it real? Also, the huge waves that crush against the shore, all those rocks and tall trees… for real, existed?

Leonardo DiCarpio portrayed a role of a delusional mad man who was in denial that he had indeed killed his wife in 1952. I could say that the plot was made not to confuse but rather make the viewers think of the possible ways the story can progress. I salute the people responsible for the screenplay! This movie was really a heart-pounding and mind-boggling suspense thriller!

I am a fan of suspense and mind-boggling movies or television series just like Prison Break and this movie reminded me also of the codes and similarities of events shown in Prison Break. The linkages and flow of events really affected everyone in the movie and it was really evident that all the hard work put into it really paid off. The scenes, the thrills, the portrayal, the story, and all the effects were really made to create a connection between the story and the viewer.

However, the effects used in the movie also reminded me of the movie The Lovely Bones. The apparition of Teddy’s wife and children, all the symbolic figures they used in the scenes, really added up some shiver along the movie. Nice job, directors!

I have to rerun the movie with a friend, I guess, to fully criticize some linkages and stories injected in the story because I was expecting someone, not Leonardo, to be the culprit. I already had that mindset not until the twist happened that somehow contributed to the dramatic and symbolic ending.

It is really a nice movie, go and get a copy.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

At first I thought my 4-year old nephew should be the one watching this movie but it turned out that I was the one who enjoyed the movie even more than my nephew.

I was never a fan of Greek Mythology. Sure, I did a part in our High school literature class but I swear nothing got stuck in my mind after that module. (Hahaha! Sorry Ms. English Teacher!) but after watching this movie, I was gradually oriented to the usual stuffs of Greek Mythology: Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. The official brotherhood! Hahaha! Chiron, the trainor. Medusa, that sexy body Uma Thurman has (don’t forget the deceitful eyes and wiggley hair). Athena, the one with the sexy gorgeous shiny hair. Hermes, the messenger… I have lots to talk about but I’m saving my ass to be corrected if I say something wrong in this blog. LOL! I admire how they put together the real world we live in and the world the gods live in.

The movie was really good and I admire how the screenplay, all the characters, were compared to the modern day people. I don’t know if I should believe what Chiron said in the movie… that gods interact with normal people once in awhile and somehow produce babies that become Demigods: you know, half-god, half-human. Creepy! But nonetheless, the story was very unique and I loved it.

The main character, Percy Jackson, really reminded me of Zac Efron. Uma Thurman, Medusa in the movie, really boasted her never-fading beauty and good acting! The actors, when put together, assemble a very nice movie. The effects shown in Hades’ kingdom were awesome! All the fires, the magic, the screaming, the struggles of people being burned in hell… everything! Although the effects shown in Percy’s revenge, like the waters coming out of the water tanks, were disturbing. Did not seem real but the actors coming out of it wet was somehow average. It was good.

I learned so much in this movie. Giving values to your gifts and using it for the common good is really rewarding. We might not be gods who have power over events but we always have choices to choose from… we just have to make sure that it’s for the better.

The Hurt Locker

The only movie that made my dad glued on the couch like a statue all throughout the movie.

Bombs. Bombs. Guns. They were everywhere.

I was once intrigued by this movie because I heard that Kathryn Bigelow, the movie’s director, won an Oscar so I hurriedly got a copy and watched it. At first, I thought it was boring and all I will see is war freak military men shooting at terrorists.

I did not know that things like these happen in real setting. I know that bombs do exist and wars are never-ending in the Middle East but this movie made me realize that “Hey! They do exist and this is what happens.”

How could someone risk his own life wearing only a piece of heavy jacket while cutting the wires of a suspected bomb? “Disarming” bombs would be a nice term and it might explode any minute. How could someone have the guts to do that nerve-shredding job. And how could someone love a job description that entails 365 days of discovering bombs, cutting off bomb wires, running away from exploding bombs? What is the image that gets into his head? A human turned into a bomb sniffing dog who sits on bombs that he detects? Well, someone in the movie did. He even risked the joy of having his family just to save lives and to make a name in history. Staff Sergeant James, for him, war is a drug. He survived the war with his body and soul intact.

I also saw in the movie how the military men deal with their day-to-day lives during a war. I saw the struggles of people who want to have a normal life but because they were faced with instances like these, they can’t even take a hold of a normal life… even just a touch. Did you know that there were actually human bombs? Terrorists make people wear bombs like vests and they could explode any minute… even while praying. Sad, isn’t it? This movie also reminded me of Valkyrie, only that it wasn’t Hitler on the big screen but bombs that need to be put off.

Who wants to get hurt or to die while doing their job?
Powerfully realistic, action-packed, unrelenting and intense.

The title says it all: The Hurt Locker.

The Blind Side

Based on the extraordinary true story.

Here, I saw the real impact of discrimination and racism in a colored man. An African-American teenager struggled to find his own identity and he found it by the help of someone not of his color. Sandra Bullock played a very interesting role in this movie. She was powerful and realistic. She and her family drove the African-American to discover and hone his own potentials. She helped him find confidence and gain new friends like a normal person in the neighborhood.

This movie showed how a family should be. Loving, thoughtful and understanding. One thing more I have realized is that in Rugby, you could think that your team is your family and you’d do everything to protect them. Back them up, save them, and look after them. The movie touched my heart and I am very happy that one ordinary man was helped to discover his real purpose and his real potentials.

Big Mike, I salute you!

Precious

Life is Hard. Life is Short. Life is Painful. Life is Rich. Life is… Precious.

Precious Jones will steal your heart because of the hardships she experienced in her life. I was deeply saddened by the movie. I cannot bear seeing Precious being abused by the people who are supposed to take care of him: her parents. I saw in the movie how Precious lived a not-so-ordinary life. At an early age she experienced abusive acts from her mother and she was even raped by her father. Where is CARE here? The people who are expected to take care of her, nurture her, support her, were the ones who destroy the beautiful life that awaits her. She grew up poor, illiterate, angry and unloved.

What’s more devastating is that Precious have a hard time trusting people that surround her and it’s even harder for her to accept her parents’ apology.

The Longest Journey begins with a Single Step.

A Switch to A New Vibe!

Hi, Bloggers!

I am on to a new vibe! I still write my thoughts and my realizations on this site but I added up some spice that could interest you also.

Long ago, I fell in love with the movies and everything in between. I have a wide collection of contemporary movies in our rack and I am proud to say that I watch them all- from local and foreign films, comedy, action, suspense, romance, etc. I sometimes spend a day watching four movies in a row. I love their stories and their revelations. They add-up realizations in my day-to-day life experience. I could sometimes feel that I can relate to the people involved in the movie- their story, their situation, their battle. I love the vibe movies give me!

About the new spice, I am into this routine called One Movie A Day in which I watch one movie a day and write my little thoughts about it. I write whether I liked the plot or not, if the actor’s hot, the setting was good, musical scoring, and the like. I criticize and I also ask. So I am inviting you to comment on my blogs as soon as I post them online. We could interact and exchange thoughts regarding the movie I have watched.

This could be a good practice for me to continually live my passion. I am currently enrolled in a film class and it would surely help me if I watch movies and write my thoughts about it. I write about almost everything and in the future I wish to share with you also some Pinoy Indie Films. It’s hard to find in the market due to private screening in micro cinemas, however, if I get the chance to watch one, I’ll surely post it online. Help me become a good filmmaker. Read my blogs, my thoughts, my insights… who knows you could be the one who’ll get the chance to star in my future screenplay. Hahaha! Dream big, some would say!

The longest journey starts with a single step.

Thanks!
Jonah