Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Sheron Dayoc's Halaw (Ways of the Sea) - Once Again, The Diaspora




Bongao, Tawi Tawi - a town at the edge of nowhere. It is the southern backdoor of a country inept of providing employment to a good number of its population. And human nature allows the hungry soul to seek greener pastures. In the far flung island of Tawi Tawi (this includes the Turtle Islands just 20 kilometers north of Sabah) are irresolute people who wish to impetuously seek fortunes in the Malaysian territory. After all, an empty stomach would lead to a land perceived as bountiful.

Jahid (Aljimar Hajijol), an illiterate Badjao father of 9-year-old Daying (Arnalyn Ismael), is taking his daughter across the tempestuous, albeit illegal sea border to find his missing wife. Problem is, they don’t have enough to cover the fare of P2,500 per person. Fortunately, illegal trafficker Hernand (John Arcilla) gets desperate enough to take them in when a couple of Hernand’s recruits from Basilan back out at the last minute. Mercedes (Ma. Isabel Lopez), an oft-returning hooker, joins the admiring group, occasionally flashing her lucrative “gifts” – the contentious fruits of her 8-year gruntwork. This has so bedazzled the gullible young Lydia (Ross-Ann Daklis) who dreams of a plethora of wealth. Each one dreams a life away from the incessant barrage of tactical violence and abject poverty that delineate the region. On a balmy evening, Hernan takes his “customers” on a leaky outrigger boat to the tumultuous shores of Malaysia.

While on board the banca, they passengers hear each other’s stories and dream of better lives en route the turbulent waters, seemingly oblivious to the precariousness of their impending arrival to an unwelcoming terrain. At a refueling station, young and naïve Lydia gets a dose of her future when she gets raped by a man Hernand owes money to.  What awaits our fortune seekers on the dark and treacherous shores of Sabah?






Director Sheron Dayoc tells his stories straight and without much narrative ruse that even the music employed to coat the story never overwhelms. In fact, "Halaw" (Ways of the Sea) is almost documentary in form. There is a lesson to be learned here: when there is a story worth telling, you don’t need any other diverting gimmicks like loud foreboding music, expensive special effects, distracting side stories, gratuitous sex, etc. You don’t even require melodramatic contrivances (indisputable in Star Cinema dramas about migration like “Milan”, “In My Life”, “Love Me Again”, “Caregiver”, “Dubai”) to engage your viewers or impart a didactic dispatch. You only necessitate a valid story, the knack of telling them (artistically, of course), a decent cast and a more than competent cinematographer (after all, cinema is a visual medium – and you should not tell your stories on a blurry, dizzying, nebulous canvas).

John Arcilla appears in one of his career’s best performances. Bereft of his vocal crutches and, more significantly, cloaked in comfortable scenario, Arcilla imbues his character with enough pathos to be encompassingly desperate, sympathetic, compelling and scary (the scene where he tries to convince the young teachers to pursue the trip was particularly spine-tingling because you knew there was nothing that awaits the girls in Sabah). More than anything, this is a successful ensemble work, carefully and impressively admixing veteran and amateur actors. You hardly feel awkward moments intermittently found in independent films such as this. Moreover, the amateurish proclivity of regional cinema is hardly noticeable here. One of its advantages is its brisk story telling – the film clocks at 78 minutes – and really underlines the fact that you don’t need an indulgent 2 hours to tell a good story!







Halaw” is Malaysian Bahasa for “driven away” or its Tagalog translation, “Itinaboy”. The film won its well deserved award at the Berlin Film Festival in 2011; several awards at the Cinemalaya in Manila and other international festivals. It is thus such a pleasure to finally catch this film (May 21, 2012) at the recent Asia As Our Society Film Festival at the Shang Cineplex. “Halaw” (released in 2010) seems low brow and unfamiliar. Not a lot of people is aware it even exists, regardless of its winning awards here and abroad. Isn’t that simply undeserved?




Ma. Isabel Lopez plays Mercedes who's been around and has been doing the  journey for 8 years.

Arnalyn Ismael is 9 year old Daying. The Badjao child is braving the Sulu Seas to find her mother in Sabah.



John Arcilla plays Hernand , the illegal trafficker. He won Cinemalaya's Best Actor in 2010.

Beauty, dearth and danger in Bongao, Tawi Tawi.

At the southern tip of the Philippine archipelago is Tawi Tawi which includes the Turtle Islands, 20 kilometers from Sabah.

"Halaw (Ways of the Sea)" is relatively popular in the international festival circuit, but almost unheard of in the Philippines.




Sunday, May 27, 2012

Cornucopia of Derivative Stories - Serial Killing, Time Travels, Safe Combinations & Sexy Moves


Okay, I admit I had several spins of the soundtrack CD before paying P300 for a 3D "experience". I reckon it would be a more pleasurable experience if I were more familiar with the music when the dancers start shaking their booty. I needed to optimize the exorbitant admission price. But listening to the collection was a mediocre experience at best. It wasn't as exhilarating as I thought it would be. Most of the new tracks sounded the same except for a few gems - Jessie J's "Domino" (had me doing a Beyonce'), Drake's ultra sexy "The Motto", Taio Cruz's "Troublemaker", Wretch32's "Unorthodox". And I have always loved the introductory beats of Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache".

Now it's imperative not to expect too much from a dance movie. After all, most of them have story telling skills that have inconveniently plateaud. You can plot the narrative progression in specific stages - with deft precision. We dislike the opprobrious predictability of the genre. But I always watch them to enjoy the unearthly choreography.

Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini's "Street Dance 2" tries a bit harder by doing a "So You Think You Can Dance" - by mixing B-Boys and Ballroom Dancers to create a terpsichorean wonder that's too hard to resist. In the movie, Ash (Falk Hentschel) and hiphop dancer Eddie (George Sampson) gather Europe's greatest "independent" street dancers to form a winning posse that shall challenge the defending champions - "The Invincibles" in a Parisian Street Dance Match. This time though, they recruit salsa dancer Eva (Sofia Boutella) to put some spice in their hiphop groove. The idea is a drastic move that would either make them winners - or get them laughed at! What's a dance crew to do?

Romantic interlude is thrown into the scenario, but it all seemed perfunctory and trite, not to mention passionless; but the rest of the dance scenes are a feast for sore eyes! And that's all that mattered! If I were to say that it was nothing but one pedestrian entertainment, I'd be lying! Was 3D technology warranted here? While I hate to admit this, the stereoscopic technology has actually imbued the scenes a sense of urgency and even of audience kinship. You experience their pillow fights, their shimmies and somersaults, and the sway of a tango backside in a more visceral milieu! When movements are made organic by way of an expensive cinematic stunt - like those of 3D glasses - then you realize why it was worth P300!

P.S. Watching Falk Hentschel dance his solitary dance, bare breasted, felt like guilty pleasure. I had to cover my eyes and peep through parted fingers! Oohlala, indeed!

Ash and Eva dance the tango!




In Boaz Yakin's "Safe", young Chinese girl (Catherine Chan) was tasked to memorize a long numerical code believed to contain the combination of a safe containing millions of dollar. This will soon have the Chinese Triad, the Russian mob and a corrupt group of NYC cops running after her... until a down-on-his-luck former cop Luke Wright (Jason Statham) makes it his mission to protect the girl!

While Statham is always a compelling watch ( who could resist his oohlala-masculine swagger and lopsided smile?) you would wonder why any dimwit would place a valuable information "inside the head" of a helpless (but exceedingly bright) Chinese girl? Wouldn't it be easier to use flash drive or a USB? A laptop computer maybe? Or even a simple hand-written note or photo copy? After all, any of the aforementioned items are way easier to carry around than a truculent child who sticks out like a sore thumb (she's very Chinese, she's a girl, she's 4 feet tall). Her presence alone is a quandary in itself.

But then we would have no story, would we? :)





Agent J (Will Smith) travels back in time to alter the past - that's 1969 - and stop an alien from killing Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). Little did he know that the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) is an even tougher cookie to break. Moreover, he discovers more about his own past and how his partner prominently figures into his own salvation.

Colorful and snappy, the updated story in Barry Sonnenfeld's "Men in Black III" seems a bit detached from its predecessors in terms of irreverence or narrative ingenuity. It rudely interjects into the accepted tenet of time travel, i.e. that you are not allowed to alter any portion of the past because it would drastically change the future. This means, while J may opt for a status quo (by preventing the death of his partner), the result of his intercession may delete even his own presence. But then this is sci-fi comedy, thus we may dismiss that thought?




I was more than pleased to learn that Director James McTeigue's "The Raven" was finally getting its commercial exhibition. The story is a fictionalized allusion to a chapter in the life of American author Edgar Allan Poe - and if you've been reading "Blush", you should be familiar with the term "tintinnabulation" which we readily employ in several of our dissertations. This we found in Poe's "The Bells", an onomatopoeic poem that Poe wrote a few months before his death in 1849. Poe was paid a measly $9 for a work that didn't see publication until after his mysterious death.

Poe lived a hard life. His mother died right after his father abandoned them when he was still a child. The Allans took him in, but never officially adopted the young Poe. Even in college, he encountered dire financial hurdles, thus he wasn't able to finish his college degree. His work started with poetry (thus the emergence of the romantic poem "Annabel Lee" - who would have though this came from the king of the macabre, right?) then shifted to prose. From a literary critic, he turned to writing dark stories with recurring themes of death, bodily decomposition, premature burial and mourning. Even his marital life reflected this preoccupation - his wife died of tuberculosis. He turned to alcohol. Though his "The Raven" was a huge success, he never quite got the financial remuneration due its popularity.

The film itself weaves the grisly tale of a madman who kills people based on Poe's popular stories of mystery and the macabre. With the help of Detective Fields (Luke Evans), Poe (the brilliant John Cusack) had to find clues from his own body of work to halt these serial killings and, ultimately, save the life of Emily (Alice Eve), the girl who once again taught him affection after the death of his wife Virginia (Poe's cousin whom he married while she was merely 13).

Though the inherent narrative feels derivative, I find the juxtaposition of fact and the intended fiction quite impressive. Like hands in glove, indeed. In the process, it even attempts to answer questions surrounding the author's mysterious death - he was found delirious on the streets of Baltimore, whispering "Reynolds". Who is Reynolds? Or was it just "Lord, help my poor soul"?

Not to be missed!

Poe and his lady love Emily at the masquerade ball!



Edgar Allan Poe - Sad life!




Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Darry dela Cruz's Frontal - Fraudulent Titling


Diego and Thelma (Jeremy Ian and Bambi Martinez) are an impulsive couple who plunge into marital bliss without deliberating on the economics of such union. In fact, Thelma traded a burgeoning clientele as a hooker for Diego's embrace. The latter meanwhile tends to a vegetable farm and does odd jobs for a piggery. But his friend Nestor (Miko Madrid) helps out whenever Diego is in a bind. 

Sadder thing is, love and kisses don't suffice when the stomach churns with hunger pains. Soon, the couple is left with nothing but hollow diatribes. "Maghanap ka ng paraan. Obligasyon mo na buhayin ako," points Thelma. Diego can only turn to the libidinous fag (Ike Sadiasa) who's more than willing to shell out whatever he has to get the strapping lad in bed. Soon, it isn't only the scenic Mayon Volcano spewing incalescence. "Dapat mag porno ka," suggested the old fag, as he showers Diego with platitudes in honor of his gargantuan endowments. "Ngayon ko nga lang uli to nagawa," relates Diego who once surrendered himself to a high school teacher in exchange of a passing grade. Isn't it inspiring how some people resort to the industry of the gradually growing inches to get their way? Hmm.

Meanwhile, Nestor tries convincing his friend Diego to try the porn industry in Manila. While Diego is conflicted, Thelma doesn't think twice. She wants in on the ruse. After all, P20,000 isn't a bad deal in exchange of shagging on cam. "'Di ka ba nahihiya? Nasisiraan ka na ba ng bait?" charged Diego, but Thelma replies with: "Mas nakakahiya ang mamatay sa gutom!" Of course they had to repeat this argument twice to lay on the theatrics (as though the writer had a bad case of mental block).

The couple eventually finds their way to Manila. They shoot the film then head back home. While Thelma seems remorseless. Diego, the reluctant porn actor, is cloaked with attrition. He would talk to the swine he's tending: "Pareho na tayong baboy. Sa ginawa ko, mas bida pa ang tarugo ko. Kulang na lang kakain ako ng darak." How Shakespearean, right? But while he grieves over spilled milk, their "fortune" is once again briskly depleting. What happens to Thelma and Diego?  

Bambi Martinez and Jeremy Ian play wife and husband.


Director Darry dela Cruz is probably on his 4th feature film this year so it is a wonder why he never seems to evince growth as a film maker. His narratives are always half baked and his skills are likewise as insipid as his previous efforts. Haven't you learned anything from experience, 'te

WHISPERING WONDERS

The bad habits of several indies a couple of years ago has resurfaced: loud dictation of lines to actors who come unprepared. After sex with Diego, the gay elderly is heard delivering lines dictated to him (by someone off cam): "Isa pa please. Pero dun tayo sa bahay n'yo para maiba ang ambiance." Huh? How moronic and just plain lazy not to even rehearse your amateur actors' lines. 

Isn't this Ike Sadiasa's 12th film in 6 months? Sadiasa is a constant "character" fixture where third-rate, fly-by-night productions are concerned. He is wrinkly, hammy, balding, effete - and is in desperate need of coaching. He is neither funny nor sympathetic so his presence in these cinematic equations is baffling. Why do half wit directors insist on hiring gag-inducing characters for a genre that's purported to titillate its audience? Seriously, would you rather inspire vomiting than stroke up your paying audience's libido? Isn't the answer a no-brainer?

Lester Herrera's music is nothing but half a dozen musical bars that are incessantly repeated ad nauseam. If it doesn't irritate, I don't know what would. Sure, they've gotten rid of canned music which constitutes copyright infringements, but the production is indubitably left with close to nothing. They had to re-cue the same melodic strain again and again... like a bad musical nightmare. 

Camera work left nothing to be desired. In the scene where Thelma and Diego are supposedly taking the bus to Manila, the camera pans on the scenery from outside the window - and as hard as they tried, they could not even get a good view of majestic Mayon Volcano, I almost peed on the floor with hilarity. Poor cinematographer. My Grade 3 niece holds a steadier camera. Parkinson's? Tsk tsk tsk!


Jeremy Ian and Miko Madrid play friends Diego and Nestor respectively.

Are there "frontals" as the title promises? Bambi Martinez, that toothsome nymphet from "Kasalo", returns with her now-familiar "exasperated" form of acting. Though eternally huffy, Martinez is nevertheless generous to display her pigmented nipples all throughout the film. There are a lot of mammarian peekaboos here. Jeremy Ian, who is on his umpteenth appearance this year, displays his backside a couple of times (not much else). He delivers with zombified ennui which is a wonder because he didn't do so badly in his first starrer, "Lihim ni Adonis". 

Miko Madrid suffers a similar dilemma. He displays his humdrum delivery. Does he show anything in matters of, errr inches? Inches are, in fact, a figment of imagination in this flick... so try elsewhere if you're after that. The more appropriate title should be "The Behinds" or "Backside of Poverty" (I am such a brilliant titlist, don't you think?) Madrid should also practice his elocution because he tends to emphasize his words with comic punctuations: "Bitin ako sa 'yo, Tilma!" Jeremy counters this with an endearing: "Di nahiya na pumatol sa akin dahil sa pira." To be honest about it, I wasn't too sure if Jeremy's character was really named Diego or Jigo (you can only get so much information from a flawed sound and the thickest accents this corner of the globe), but for the sake of discussion, let me settle with "Diego". At least, Darry dela Cruz's flick has become interactive! Ain't this fun?

And surely, it's more pun in the Pilifin!


Jeremy Ian





Saturday, May 19, 2012

Every Breath You Take - Into Disparate Paths



After a visit with her obstetrician, Majoy (Angelica Panganiban) realizes that she needs to fast track her romantic proclivities. Her only viable ovary is nearing expiration and needs to fulfill its physiologic raison d’etre. How urgent? “As in now na!” asserts the doctor. That is, if she wanted a child of her own. But sweet and gullible Majoy is hopelessly single. She, in fact, is a virgin who believes that a man out there is meant for her, and he will come with a few serendipitous signs – there would be roses; and rain; there would be bells ringing and angels singing. But Majoy’s only ardent suitor is the exceedingly enthusiastic Ji Soon (Ryan Bang). Unfortunately, Ji Soon doesn’t come with signs. Moreover, the Korean lothario doesn’t captivate her.

One day, she meets Leo (Piolo Pascual). And like a twist of fate, the signs come dashing like a clamorous parade. Leo, a cavalier realtor, is Majoy’s ultimate contradiction. He abhors rules, fawns over no ladies, and scoffs at emotional devoir. He parties hard, but works even harder. But little does Majoy know that her Casanova is a scarred soul who vowed never to be manipulated by the Machiavellian wiles of deceitful women – the way his father (Lito Legaspi) was deserted by his mother who left the family for another man. This doesn’t keep Leo from casual hook ups with frisky girls who couldn’t resist his boyish, devilish charm.

When Majoy sets her sights on Leo, she knew he was the one – and it isn’t beyond her to pursue him. Wouldn’t you if you believed he was “the one”? Wouldn’t you if, more importantly, he looked like Piolo Pascual? Duh! Let’s kick the self preservation bucket out of the window and lasso this abs-riddled gentleman – pronto! Majoy follows him to his gym, befriends his secretary, leaves him pastillas, tracks him to his favorite restaurants; heck, she even answers his secretary’s phone! Unfortunately, getting his attention isn’t as easy as dogging him around. Majoy’s romantic reconnaissance is hampered by several road blocks: Leo is at the brink of a promotion and his rival Mario (Ryan Eigenmann) is pulling all the stops to outdo our protagonist; Leo is being pursued by the relatives of a love-crazy fling Dianne (Wendy Valdez) who wants him standing before the altar beside her – by hook or by crook! Then there’s the salient detail of a familial history of heartbreak. What’s a girl to do?






Angelica Panganiban stars in her first romantic lead, a reliable indicator that a mainstream actor has “arrived”. After all, what is a “bida” who doesn’t fall in and out of love right before the eyes of a thrilled audience? Panganiban’s Majoy is deftly and richly limned into a full character: naïve but determined; shy but generous. Though these adjectives dispute each other, thanks to Panganiban’s nuanced interpretation, she makes Majoy fly with utter sincerity and pizzazz. It is hard not to empathize with her – even when (at times) the writing gets too manic.

Angelica enjoys several showcases like when she asks Leo, “Ano ba ang ibig sabihin ng gullible?”- or the scene at the police station when she tries to relay the events at the park with the masked gunman.  

Piolo Pascual effectively pulls out his charm offensive. He reminds us how he once won us as Vince in Joyce Bernal’sDon’t Give Up On Us” (opposite the equally adorable Judy Anne Santos). He is made of masculine beauty that others can only dream of, regardless of his sexual preference. The sad thing is, Leo Dimalanta isn’t as intricately threshed out a character as Majoy’s. In fact, if he shunned women from the get-go, why does he date so many? He went out with loopy Dianne (Wendy Valdez) several times, yet he kept forgetting her name. Surely, you would remember that particularly clingy, obsessive girl, wouldn’t you? Or was he immune to her John Hinckley tendencies? (She threatened to jump off the roof, etc.)  

Ryan Bang plays Majoy’s passionate Korean suitor Ji Soon who wouldn’t give up his love for the willful Majoy who had set her sight on Leo; a proverbial “Mahal Kita, Mahal Mo Siya, Mahal Nya ay Iba” scenario (except that Leo more befittingly loved himself). Bang gets a more than decent screen time, thus he was able to showcase an unexpected knack for comedy. What’s with the Korean “Krung Krung  Syndrome” that has audiences fall for the likes of Sandara Park and, this time, Ryan Bang? Ryan successfully translates his small screen humor with dry wit, a precise comic timing and tongue in cheek delivery that had me laughing in stitches even as I write this. Like when he complained about Smokey Manaloto’s car (“Ang bagal ng kotse mo eh.”) – and then again when he calls the police for help (“Hello, pulis? Punta kayo kay Majoy. May papatay kay Leo!”) The lines don’t even tickle the funny bone when you think about it. It’s Ryan’s delivery that’s spot on. Maybe he got his comic cadence from his turns in “It’s Showtime” and “Banana Split”. Surely, he wasn’t this funny in “PBB Teen Edition”.  







While the first third of the movie is a compelling build up of characters (Majoy especially), the second third sluggishly meanders into contrived theatricals. At its last third, the movie shifts gears and turns into a protracted gag show. It’s easy to see they suddenly wanted a Wenn Deramas-finish. The situations arch over different players: jealous rival Mario (Ryan Eigenmann) chases after the wrong guy (Ketchup Eusebio); Dianne’s father (Manaloto) and her brothers (Carlos Agassi and Joross Gamboa) go berserk and hound Leo to get him to marry their hysterical sister Dianne at gunpoint; Majoy discerns her follies and gets her little heart broken. The uneasy divergent pathways lead into a muddled narrative whole that doesn’t quite sweep us off our feet as a romantic drama nor take us rolling down the floor with laughter. It’s a middling vehicle that has laid the ground work for a particular genre - romance - but inconveniently ended with a different one – comedy!

While this isn’t as bad as the last 6 Wenn Deramas films, Director Mae Czarina Cruz's vehicle isn’t all that good either. It hangs in mid-air acceptability and doesn’t quite land on its feet to provide solid entertainment.




Ryan Bang: Unexpectedly hilarious!

Angelica Panganiban and Piolo Pascual as Majoy and Leo

Angelica Panganiban: Easily shifts from drama to comedy!

Piolo Pascual as Leo

Piolo Pascual

Angelica Panganiban

Wendy Valdez

Ryan Bang and the Krung Krung Syndrome


Thursday, May 17, 2012

Like Getting Raped! - Blush Gets Violated



Last night, while burning the midnight oil, writing a long delayed review of another Pink Film, I was googling for some of my past reviews as reference to Lucas Mercado's "Imahinasyon" when I inadvertently came across a link that had extensive use of "Make Be Blush".

The blog - Pinoy Indie Cinema!



I don't mind Film Blogs. In fact I have links of similar blogs. I love discourses about films, and I encourage people to write about their own "subjective" experience while watching films. But this particular blog  - Pinoy Indie Cinema - had something peculiar! In its 10 most read posts are 3 films with curiously very similar synopsis. When I clicked on one, I realized that the whole synopsis was mine! And it was made out as though the blog owner wrote them because there was no attribution to speak of! I eventually found 10 other movies with synopsis all plagiarized from "Make Me Blush" - featured as stand alone pages. Since these posts DO NOT have personal criticisms of their own, these synopses constitute 99% of each post. I couldn't help but get infuriated.

Writing these reviews aren't a walk in the park. I had to sometimes brave some of the most execrable movie houses (along with my dear friend Kyle) just to see them - then be able to write about them! And writing isn't easy when you don't like what you are watching, which is most of the case where Pink Films are concerned. But since this blog "tries" to document every Filipino Movie that gets shown commercially, I persist!

SAME PROBLEM

Last year, I had the same problem when another film blog did the same idiotic deed. I left him a note - and he apologized, saying: "I thought these were synopses from publicities." Of course he was trying to get off easy because if he had half a brain, he would know that these synopses have criticisms in themselves. And who is he fooling? Simply put, I wasn't born yesterday. He removed what wasn't his... and life went on as it should. But why am I fodder to these copyright infringements? I do not mind being referenced and quoted, but having my text-work copy pasted and taken as theirs is beyond tolerance

Why does it always happen to me? I am not the only one with film blogs!

WHAT IDIOT

Let's take for example the page post for "Dulas" in "Pinoy Indie Cinema". There was actually acknowledgment. After having the 3 paragraphs of summary, this was erroneously attributed to "Philbert Dy of Click the City"! What the... indeed! What idiot cannot copy paste and attribute properly?

Seeing my synopses in other blogs is not an issue, but when they are treated as anything but mine or Blush's, it becomes a grievous violation; like getting used and abused without my consent. It's not the most pleasant feeling. I left messages to the blog owner for the removal of my works. From here on, he is NOT welcome to any of my text works, acknowledged or not! I've so far gotten no reply. Blogger advises to click the "Flag" button, but the owner has conveniently hidden this. So I am left with the more inconvenient recourse.

How can people sleep soundly making blogs out of other people's hard work? More importantly, how can they own up something that is not theirs? Some people could be so "shameless", and it's better emphasized in its vernacular: "Walang hiya!"  

I was restless most of last night, I kept turning in my bed. But there are measures to be done. People have to respect intellectual property because there are repercussions when you don't!

To those who helped share this on Twitter and Facebook, to disseminate the misdeed, I don't know who you are, guys, but thank you! :)

Lastly, I would like to sincerely thank the Google Team for extending their help on this matter. When I faced a blank wall, you paid attention swiftly! Talk about competence. I could kiss you, guys! Thank you, thank you. Mwah!


I was able to screencap these pages as proof. Posted below are screen caps to the pages plagiarized from my reviews:




Here are some of the infringements I found:

FILM No. 1 - "Laro" - A review which I posted November 15, 2011

His blog used the full text of my synopsis without even asking for permission nor give attribution - posted March 3, 2012 Saturday


FILM No. 2 - "Salo (Share)" - A review I posted February 2, 2012

His blog used my text 2 weeks after and posted it February 16, 2012

FILM No. 3 - "Dulas (Slippery)" - a review I posted on July 24, 2011

His blog used my text work and published it February 23, 2012
http://pinoyindiecinema.blogspot.com/2012/02/dulas.html  - He even attributed it to a "Philbert Dy of Click the City" when it is clearly mine!

FILM No. 4 - "Balang Araw (Bullet Day" - a review I posted February 4, 2012

His blog used my text 12 days later on February 16, 2012
Even his trivia used my text verbatim, straight out from my article. He even used the screencaps I personally captured from the trailer. While the film isn't mine, this is putting emphasis that he blatantly uses other people's work.

FILM No. 5 - "Dyagwar" - A review I posted December 20, 2011

He used my text 2 months later on February 23, 2012

FILM No. 6 - "HIV" - A review I posted December 21, 2011

He used my text and even a couple of the photos I screencapped myself straight from the trailer of the film. He posted this 5 weeks later on February 13, 2012

FILM No. 7 - "Bingwit (Hook)" - I posted a review on September 16, 2011

He used my text on December 28, 2011 without my permission though he finally acknowledged that it indeed came from my blog. Still I did not allow this.





As though copy pasting my synopsis wasn't enough, he even quotes lines from  Click the City and Make Me Blush!

Even his trivia was copied verbatim from my review! Without attribution, of course!


Now he includes a critique for "Dulas", where does he lift it from? Make a good guess. Maybe it's his because once again, there was no acknowledgment!


These were 2 photos included in Pinoy Indie Cinema's movie stills, now  observe the pages from "Make Me Blush" below!


Check the text and the screen cap of Jake Cuenca! While I don't own the rights of the movie, these photos were personally screencapped by me for the article (the two featured above)!

Here is another copy pasted synopsis that's part of MY review. Guess where he got the photo? This is the only one with proper attribution. Stepped on crap that day?




Synopsis as part of my review gets plagiarized once again and made out like it's his! The first paragraph was tweaked differently... "figuratively playing the snake in paradise"? Haha. Ohgawd. But the rest of the article was mine, including description of the "hopelessly homely Lorraine Lopez". 

Verbatim copy pasting of MY synopsis with no attribution and taken like it's his own! 

Portion of the review of "Bahid" from "Make Me Blush". Spot the difference?