Topic: PINOY BLONDE

[Noel_Vera]

Its SUGATANG PUSO the Joey Reyes flick wherein you could actually smell her performance brewing on the screen. Very brief but remarkable role!

Thanks.

Her performance smells great, I suppose, but she personally, smelled very very nice. 

[keating]

Thanks.

Her performance smells great, I suppose, but she personally, smelled very very nice. 

LOL! 

All the artists who did the cameo in the movie didn't ask for a fee, its their labor of love for Peque. 

[tonedeaf]

2 good reviews!  I'm watching this twice, this weekend and on Monday (and I'm dragging friends along both times.  My own contribution to pinoy cinema).  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that  enough people watch it the next few days para it doesn't get pulled out of the few moviehouses it is showing in.

as of wednesday, it wasn't showing in shang, rockwell, greenbelt and even robinson's pioneer in mandaluyong.

[keating]

What is Gallaga's opinion on piracy?

I know he will get a lot of flak about this one but if it will help Philippine Cinema from its comatose state....maybe this will be one of the solution.

He certainly approves dvd piracy of Western movies but definitely not for Filipino movies. He complained regarding the exorbitant fee of the original ones compared to the bootlegged ones. Its a kind of imperialism western are forcing on us, he said.

This is exactly what he said, indie boi:

" I have two points about piracy. One is that I don't think we should steal from ourselves because we are a poor country. But its because we are a poor country that we are forced to steal. Because if we don't we won't have western input which we must have or else we'll be so left behind we're gonna end up beating drums in order to communicate."

" It costs 20 pesos to buy and burn a cd, right? So why are they charging so much for the original DVDs? Its a kind of imperialism that the Western people are forcing on us. Its a way of keeping Third World countries Third World, to keep us in our place. So we must steal. I'm all for Western piracy."

sometimes Peque has really crazy ideas!!!!!!!

[keating]

2 good reviews!  I'm watching this twice, this weekend and on Monday (and I'm dragging friends along both times.  My own contribution to pinoy cinema).  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that  enough people watch it the next few days para it doesn't get pulled out of the few moviehouses it is showing in.

as of wednesday, it wasn't showing in shang, rockwell, greenbelt and even robinson's pioneer in mandaluyong.

I'm dragging also some of my colleagues from the office tonight, with a free coffee after the screening. I'm gonna blackmail them for the sake of this movie. Pmd also some of my friends in this community.

Good thing its being shown in Sm cinemas.

[marty_mcfly]

this movie is indeed not a "typical" one!
it's generally an entertaining film, with a "down-to-earth" script and excellent acting from the leads, particularly Epi Quizon, and also from the cameo actors... 'though the plot is very simple, the screenplay is more character-driven... good visuals, too... 

as much as I would not want to spoil the hopes of everyone who had high expectations on the box-office appeal of this film, sad to say that during the 5:20PM screening at SM South Mall yesterday, there weren't even 10 people (myself included) who were watching the movie... a really sad reality... I just hope that it fares better in other "more accessible" theaters visited by a more appreciative audience... 

[keating]

Just finished watching the movie second time around with my colleagues from the office. I can't help but to admire again the highly-visual technique of the movie, the wittyness of the script and the excellent performances of Epy & Boy2 Quizon.

Sad to say as marty_mcfly said don't hope for the box-office return of this movie but I was still keeping my fingers crossed based on the tremendous accolades it gained from the preem last Tuesday.

While FANTASTIC CRAP is still full house, we were only less than 30 among the audience. Too bad for the first day showing.

[Astroantiquity]

I know he will get a lot of flak about this one but if it will help Philippine Cinema from its comatose state....maybe this will be one of the solution.

He certainly approves dvd piracy of Western movies but definitely not for Filipino movies. He complained regarding the exorbitant fee of the original ones compared to the bootlegged ones. Its a kind of imperialism western are forcing on us, he said.

This is exactly what he said, indie boi:

" I have two points about piracy. One is that I don't think we should steal from ourselves because we are a poor country. But its because we are a poor country that we are forced to steal. Because if we don't we won't have western input which we must have or else we'll be so left behind we're gonna end up beating drums in order to communicate."

" It costs 20 pesos to buy and burn a cd, right? So why are they charging so much for the original DVDs? Its a kind of imperialism that the Western people are forcing on us. Its a way of keeping Third World countries Third World, to keep us in our place. So we must steal. I'm all for Western piracy."

sometimes Peque has really crazy ideas!!!!!!!

But, shouldn't we agree with this?  Doesn't Joey Reyes also approve of piracy?  I mean, I think Joey Reyes has pointed out that he could get World Cinema somewhere in Manila (we know where), and that he doesn't have to pay an exorbitant amount.  As for me, I only pay for the original for cult flicks I like.  For hollywood fluff, well, you can take it from there. 

[talisman30]

can't wait to see this film bro palabas na this wed here in the province. good reviews naman sya dito sa province bro. hope it'll break even here. puro ka na lang inggit Ron. hehehe...

[keating]

can't wait to see this film bro palabas na this wed here in the province. good reviews naman sya dito sa province bro. hope it'll break even here. puro ka na lang inggit Ron. hehehe...

For a small budget of P500,000 to 1M it can really break even, but where are the audience? I hope this weekend the box-office will heat up.

[voj]

watched it last night at SM Sucat 7pm showing - there were exactly four of us in the theater.  Sayang, it's quite enjoyable pero para siyang commercial ng Unitel/Tony Gloria on what they can do.  It's a step (na naman) to the right direction but I'm still undecided whether it's right to make me pay for one long promo reel

[X44]

I agree with vojdiaz on that point. Most of the time I felt like watching a demo reel for Unitel's tech capabilities.

It's uneven.  I saw Mario Cornejo's(sp?)  Big Time the other night at Cinemalaya and it had roughly the same thematic backbone (and two of Blonde's cast - - -Michael deMesa and Ryan Eigenmann not to mention a scene where a popular gay comedian is the subject of a vicious mob killing and overt refrences to one Hollywood movie that Blonde refered to, as well) - - -a reflection on pop culture through the eyes of two lowlifes enmenshed in a crime- - -and I think it was superior (funnier,at least, better jokes)  to Blonde.

Big Time was a pop culture spitball , too , except it refred almost exclusively to Pinoy pop culture. The few times Blonde did that (Fabregas intoducing his gang of "directors", the Fabregas/Garcia duet, Epi's last movie quote) were the bits I liked. But the Bernal Vs. Brocka argument was an interesting idea but it went nowhere, couldn't find its mooring in the narrative.  Then you have Ricky Davao's Bladerunner quote  - - -  cringeworthy. (Ugh!)

Nice try, all told. A step in the right direction definitely. The acting was uniformly OK - - -the two leads, specially when they do the full-on Dolphy/Panchito bit, Davao ("Kala mo, direk?" ) and Joey Marquez ,in his brief scene,  had presence, I thought. And some of the scenes packed a visual punch.

But Tarantino rips just don't do it for me, I guess.

[keating]

There were some scenes I think that was left on the cutting room floor that's why the argument of the two leads between Brocka & Bernal was not totally fleshed out, X. The flashy visuals took care of that. If you noticed also, the running time is  short, 1 1/2 hours.

It was Gallaga's homage to Reservoir Dogs & Pulp Fiction, two Tarantino flicks that he really liked. I still have to see BIG TIME, X, much better than Pinoy Blonde?

[oggsmoggs]

I have yet to see any of the Cinemalaya films but will do so next week when they screen at the UP Film Center.

Pinoy Blonde does indeed like a huge demo reel for Unitel. However, I especially liked the absurdist quality to the film. As in my capsule review, I compared the film to Mamoru Oshii's Talking Head where the director's cinephilia transforms into some sort of absurdist noirish hodgepodge tale. Gallaga achieves the same results and with or without Unitel's graphics, the film will feel the same. While Oshii's film feels distant and impersonal, Pinoy Blonde hits the Filipino youth market spot on, while discussing to a certain limited degree, societal issues. The pop culture throwbacks, the animation sequences, the dream and daydream sequences - all those I add to the fact that Pinoy Blonde is a film within a film. It is mature Gallaga imagining himself in the shoes of a twenty something cinephile in the present Philippine environment. That's why it works for me, because the film feels true to that spirit Gallaga tries to invoke.

[X44]

The pop culture throwbacks, the animation sequences, the dream and daydream sequences - all those I add to the fact that Pinoy Blonde is a film within a film. It is mature Gallaga imagining himself in the shoes of a twenty something cinephile in the present Philippine environment. That's why it works for me, because the film feels true to that spirit Gallaga tries to invoke.

Nice insight, oggs. And I do sort of admire the aesthetic Gallage adopts. It isn't new. But it has energy. It's what he dresses up with his fancy tricks that I have problems with.

I still wish he had used Pinoy movies for his pop cultural references (and there's a wealth of that ) or more ,um, "cinephilic"(sp?) referents. (Scorpion King , Spiderman and Matrix aren't exactly that, they're more the don't-want-to-think-so-I'll-leave-my-brain-at-the-door kind of movies and besides, a lot of them's pretty much overdone and rather dated). If I were to be a tad cruel, I'd say Gallaga has to watch more movies.

I think Big Time goes for the same effect, keating, except it doesn't confine itself to movies, but covers a broader spectrum. And I  think it achieves what Pinoy aims for with more flair and coherence.

A for effort and a little bit more. Hopefully this snowballs.

[oggsmoggs]

Nice insight, oggs. And I do sort of admire the aesthetic Gallage adopts. It isn't new. But it has energy. It's what he dresses up with his fancy tricks that I have problems with.

I still wish he had used Pinoy movies for his pop cultural references (and there's a wealth of that ) or more ,um, "cinephilic"(sp?) referents. (Scorpion King , Spiderman and Matrix aren't exactly that, they're more the don't-want-to-think-so-I'll-leave-my-brain-at-the-door kind of movies and besides, a lot of them's pretty much overdone and rather dated). If I were to be a tad cruel, I'd say Gallaga has to watch more movies.

I think the reason why there are more Hollywood trash references is the fact that that is what we're being fed. I mean, the characters of Boy2 and Epi are just self-proclaimed film geeks, their film knowledge limited to the works of their director idols, and the Hollywood film that are showing in cinemas. I wouldn't be surprised if Pinoy Blonde was conceptualized any later, the characters would eb quoting "It's clobbering time" right before an action scene. Pitiful state, but true. I mean, just look at the final film the two have come up with, botches of Woo, Wachowski, Bay, some very miniscule representations of Brocka and Bernal, maybe a little bit of Gosiengiao.

Oh... also, just to add. I think Gallaga pretty much knows what the average wanna be filmmaker likes since he teaches film in La Salle Bacolod, so I guess he got insights as to what the prototypes of the Cunanan cousins are watching, nowadays.

[X44]

I think the reason why there are more Hollywood trash references is the fact that that is what we're being fed. I mean, the characters of Boy2 and Epi are just self-proclaimed film geeks, their film knowledge limited to the works of their director idols, and the Hollywood film that are showing in cinemas. I wouldn't be surprised if Pinoy Blonde was conceptualized any later, the characters would eb quoting "It's clobbering time" right before an action scene. Pitiful state, but true. I mean, just look at the final film the two have come up with, botches of Woo, Wachowski, Bay, some very miniscule representations of Brocka and Bernal, maybe a little bit of Gosiengiao.

Oh... also, just to add. I think Gallaga pretty much knows what the average wanna be filmmaker likes since he teaches film in La Salle Bacolod, so I guess he got insights as to what the prototypes of the Cunanan cousins are watching, nowadays.

You have a point , oggs.

To most so-called "movie buffs", Hollywood movies are the end all and be-all . I agree with you, it is a damn shame.

[keating]

Nice, nice inputs of oggs. This is the first time that he gave a Pinoy flick 5 stars. I was surprised that PINOY BLONDE was not the typical Gallaga film. Here is the movie intended for the twenty something with references to pop culture sponge. The script was sleeping for more than 10 years and to think that he just updated it, instead of pagers, he used mobile phone that Epy used in the movie. His two sons, Wanggo & Datu have great influence to Gallaga while doing the movie.

Noticed the character of Noel Trinidad as Salonpas, that was too dated already with reference to that politician.

And X, we need more films like this, indie flicks are ushering now although its appeal is not to mainstream audience, a sad, sad,  thing really.

To all people reading this thread, I humbly ask your time and a little money to watch PINOY BLONDE, baka hindi na ho abutin ng Monday and Sm Cinemas will kill it for sure and  replace it with FANTASTIC CRAP.

[oggsmoggs]

Nice, nice inputs of oggs. This is the first time that he gave a Pinoy flick 5 stars.

Actually, I've rated Kisapmata 5 stars but stars be damned, since I've rated Crying Ladies 5 stars too, and seeing now, it would probably be just a three. I just put the stars as a mnemonic device, when I make my list of top films. I'll need to see Pinoy Blonde again as my ratings might change coz at hindsight, the film does really look like Unitel showing off its capabilities. We'll see...

[keating]

Actually, I've rated Kisapmata 5 stars but stars be d**ned, since I've rated Crying Ladies 5 stars too, and seeing now, it would probably be just a three. I just put the stars as a mnemonic device, when I make my list of top films. I'll need to see Pinoy Blonde again as my ratings might change coz at hindsight, the film does really look like Unitel showing off its capabilities. We'll see...

Oh, I didn't know that oggs. Our lists of top films will always change depends on your mood and the matter of time when you watch it.

[tonedeaf]

watched Pinoy Blonde yesterday. 

the good news, maybe around 100 others watched it with me, sa first screening sa megamall.

the bad news, i didn't like it as much as i thought i would, especially the first part.  the movie picks up in the mid to latter parts. i hoped that it would have less loose ends and the story told a little better.  i agree that the peque could have used more pinoy movie references (but maybe it would have sounded like the Ai-ai movie where almost all the dialogues are based on recent pinoy movies?).  on the whole, it was refreshing to see the kind of effort from a pinoy movie. 

[Dan]

I almost walked out of the theater when the Globe ad came on.

It didn't help that the first 2 hours of the movie were spent on a hospital bed with two aspiring filmmakers debating on which director was better.

Waitaminute... did that scene last 2 hours? Felt like it. it just dragged on and on and on and it didn't help that the dialouge was all muddied with no direction.

Then the animation started. Then Globe. How many Unitel pictures have been blatant promo reels? I never saw Santa Santita so could anyone enlighten me what major sponsor they had on that movie?

They arrive at the meetup with one blatant continuity mistake. Is it a spoiler if I say that in the animation they were riding in a red convertible and on the live action it was a white taxi? Oh well.

Then more dragging scenes which lasted 4 hours.

It only began to pick up when Eddie Garcia/Jaime Fabregas and company arrived on the scene.Now we have a movie!

Most of the animated parts were good. But were they as effective? No. not by a long shot. Although, what saved it was the highly creative way the director showed these two characters minds at work.

Don't get me wrong. The film is great, compared to the turds most Western cinema dumps out. The acting was superb. And the way it was done was different to say the least. Hey, it's from the guy who did that Oro, Plata, Mata thing.

What killed this movie for me was the bad bad bad editing, dragging scenes, some dialouge that had no direction, and blatant product endorsement.

Maybe I just had high hopes coming into the theater. Maybe I was just too impressed with Unitel's Crying Ladies and said, "At least sa DVD, pwede ko i-skip 'yung McDonalds na promo..." Too bad fast forwarding in Pinoy Blonde would leave me with a film 30 minutes long.

At some point one has to question whether all of these bad elements were done on purpose just to screw with the minds of the average Pinoy moviegoer. Then mali pala ako. That's art for you.

Of course, I would expect film buffs to think Pinoy Blonde is god's gift to Pinoy cinema. Or better yet, a 2 or so hour commercial for Globe Telecomms.

[oggsmoggs]

Although I wouldn't like to be called a rabid fan of Pinoy Blonde, I would like to just comment on the points that do not touch on opinion. Opinions are good, and I respect people's views. The fact that you watched a Pinoy film and gave it a chance, even though in the end it might've disappointed you, is a good sign. Anyway, I don't think that the red convertible to taxi mix-up is a continuity mistake. It plays for laughs, and when I saw it in Gateway, it did get laughs. Although I also thought it was done in bad taste, the Globe commercials, I think were also done for humor.

[keating]

Its not the best but I would say one of the best movies to come out this year. Sure it has flaws, you wouldn't expect a movie to be perfect, a hundred percent praise from the cast down to cinematography, editing, sound and direction. Its worth the effort. If you are not really keen on watching Filipino movies, then sorry, this movie is not for you.

[Dan]

Although I wouldn't like to be called a rabid fan of Pinoy Blonde, I would like to just comment on the points that do not touch on opinion. Opinions are good, and I respect people's views. The fact that you watched a Pinoy film and gave it a chance, even though in the end it might've disappointed you, is a good sign. Anyway, I don't think that the red convertible to taxi mix-up is a continuity mistake. It plays for laughs, and when I saw it in Gateway, it did get laughs. Although I also thought it was done in bad taste, the Globe commercials, I think were also done for humor.

I'm actually wondering which parts of my post you didn't consider an opinion  I count one, though. Are there any more?

I laughed at the convertible/taxi mix up, too at first. Not because it seemed like a mix up, but just because. Then someone pointed out that it could have been a continuity thing. Something to think about.

And ever since Keka came out a few years ago, I've stopped categorizing watching Pinoy films as "giving it a chance". Because Keka just made it obvious that Pinoy movies have broken the stereotype. And it was that "Not so typical movie" that got me hooked.

I really don't mean to disrespect what you said and I hope you don't take this the wrong way but, thinking that to watch Pinoy movies just to give it a chance is underestimating the industry a bit. Pinoy movies have gotten better in the past few years. Just because everything seems good, doesn't mean everything's good.

And hey, search around. You'll see that I'm one of Unitel's biggest fans in here  and I'm not even being sarcastic, dude. I've started buying Pinoy movie DVDs precisely because of Unitel (and of course, Quark's Keka).

If direk Peque did the Globe ad that blatantly just for laughs, then good for him. History will be the judge.

And don't you just hate it when this happens?:

You have a negative opinion about a movie.
You post it.
Then suddenly, someone declares that "If you are not really keen on watching Filipino movies, then sorry, this movie is not for you."

Like you're suddenly not keen on Filipino movies. "What the f**k!?", right? I've criticized many American movies in the past, how come no one has accused me of "Not being keen on American movies"!?

There's some stereotyping going on in here and it's not coming from me, is all I want to say...

Then again, that comment may not have been directed at me pala. Mwehehehe! Pahiya na lang ako, if ever, hehe...

And didn't I just praise the cast? Said that the "acting was superb"? Said it was "highly creative"? Doesn't anything count anymore?

[Ice Storm]

Is it better than your average Tagalog movie? Does it have a good & fresh story?

[Ice Storm]

I know he will get a lot of flak about this one but if it will help Philippine Cinema from its comatose state....maybe this will be one of the solution.

He certainly approves dvd piracy of Western movies but definitely not for Filipino movies. He complained regarding the exorbitant fee of the original ones compared to the bootlegged ones. Its a kind of imperialism western are forcing on us, he said.

This is exactly what he said, indie boi:

" I have two points about piracy. One is that I don't think we should steal from ourselves because we are a poor country. But its because we are a poor country that we are forced to steal. Because if we don't we won't have western input which we must have or else we'll be so left behind we're gonna end up beating drums in order to communicate."

" It costs 20 pesos to buy and burn a cd, right? So why are they charging so much for the original DVDs? Its a kind of imperialism that the Western people are forcing on us. Its a way of keeping Third World countries Third World, to keep us in our place. So we must steal. I'm all for Western piracy."

sometimes Peque has really crazy ideas!!!!!!!

Peque is taking his name literally. The cost of making Hollywood blockbusters are astronomical. People not only want good stories these days they also demand high production value which local films lack. Also the typical pirated CD or DVD wouldnt stand muster to quality control hence the higher price of originals.

If you want to kill the local content industry just pirate away.

[tonedeaf]

Is it better than your average Tagalog movie? Does it have a good & fresh story?

it has a fresh take on what i am hesitant to call a "story", as it is not fleshed out. it is certainly far from the average tagalog movie.

[bumblebee]

Peque is taking his name literally. The cost of making Hollywood blockbusters are astronomical. People not only want good stories these days they also demand high production value which local films lack. Also the typical pirated CD or DVD wouldnt stand muster to quality control hence the higher price of originals.

If you want to kill the local content industry just pirate away.

OT:
Producers should earn from the proceeds from the theaters, first and foremost. Dapat additional profit na lang yung dvd's. And I agree w/ Peque about dvd's being so expensive. If they can give them away for 299 each, then sell them for 299.

[keating]

it has a fresh take on what i am hesitant to call a "story", as it is not fleshed out. it is certainly far from the average tagalog movie.

That's what I call honest opinion, not a sarcastic remark coming from a "genius" moviegoer. As far as I would like to be open-minded on this community, I'm really, really trying and I don't want to put the law into my own hands,
we all have  different views regarding a particular film and i'm open to that. Still I try to count my blessings and the good reviews this movie got.

Its nice that tonedeaf got the message of the movie.