My 2016 in Books, Films, and Theater

2016 edition of my annual recap:

BOOKS

1. "Before Sunrise & Before Sunset' - screenplays
2. "A Raisin in the Sun" - screenplay
3. "To Kill A Mockingbird" - novel
4. "Kill Your Darlings" - screenplay
5. "10 Short Plays" - plays
6. "Write Here. Write Now." - autobiography/memoir
7. "Steal Like An Artist" - autobiography/memoir
8. "Gagamba" - novel
9. "Humans of New York" - photography, anthology
10. "Of God and Men" - memoir
11. "Brokeback Mountain" - short stories
12. "Princess Maryam" - screenplay
13. "Waiting for Godot" - play
14. "Biography of Mother Theresa" 
15. "Martin Luther King Jr.: History Maker" - biography
16. "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" - novel, self-help
17. "The Vagina Monologues" - play
18. "Dear Distance" - short stories
19. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" - novel
20. "Humans of New York Stories" - photography
21. "Letters from Father Christmas" - letters

MOVIES

Foreign

1. The Revenant - drama
2. Sisters - comedy
3. 50 First Dates - rom-com
4. Macbeth - drama
5. Room - drama
6. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - action, comedy
7. Trumbo - drama
8. Diary of a Teenage Girl - drama
9. The Danish Girl - drama
10. Steve Jobs - drama
11. Kung Fu Panda 3 (because of my job!) - action, comedy, animation
12. Big Hero 6 - drama, comedy, animation
13. Eat. Pray. Love. - drama
14. Midnight in Paris - drama
15. Angry Birds (twice!) (because of my job!) - comedy, animation
16. X-Men:Apocalypse - action
17. Captain America: Civil War - action
18. Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice - action 
19. Families (from French Film Fest) - comedy
20. The Very Private Life of Mr. Sim (from French Film Fest) - drama, comedy
21. Dead Pool - action, comedy
22. Ant-Man - action
23. Kingsman: The Secret Service - action
24. Alice Through The Looking Glass - drama, fantasy
25. Guardians of the Galaxy - action, animation
26. Ghostbusters - comedy
27. Looking: The Movie - drama
28. Nerve - drama, suspense
29. Suicide Squad - action
30. Don't Think Twice - drama, comedy
31. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - fantasy
32. Sausage Party - comedy
33. Dr. Strange - action
34. Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - fantasy
35. Miss Saigon: 25th Anniversary Concert in cinemas - drama, musical
36. Across the Universe - drama, musical
37. Moana - animation, adventure, comedy
38. AMY - documentary

Local

1. Buy Now, Die Later - horror, suspense
2. Walang Forever - rom-com 
3. Just the 3 of Us - rom-com
4. Imbisibol (from French Film Fest) - drama
5. Imagine You and Me (because of my job!) - romance, drama
6. Lando at Bugoy (from Cinemalaya 12) - drama
7. Ang Babaeng Humayo - drama
8. Apocalypse Child - drama 
9. Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa - romance, drama
10. Toto - comedy
11. Kabisera - drama (#MMFF2016)
12. Saving Sally - animation, romance (#MMFF2016)
13. Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2 - comedy (#MMFF2016)
14. Sunday Beauty Queen - documentary (#MMFF2016)

THEATER

1. Tanghalang Pilipino's "Prinispe Munti" - musical, puppetry, drama
2. "Open The Door" - political satire, comedy
3. Red Turnip Theater's "Constellations" - play
4. Tanghalang Pilipino's "Tito Vanya" - play
5. Virgin Labfest sets A-D
6. Tanghalang Pilipino's "Sandosenang Sapatos" - musical, drama
7. Tanghalang Pilipino's "Pangarap sa Isang Gabi sa Gitnang Tag-Araw" - play, tragedy-comedy
8. Ballet Manila's "Cinderella" - ballet

TV SERIES

1. How To Get Away With Murder (season 2, season 3 fall finale)
2. Empire (season 2, season 3 fall finale)
3. Mozart in the Jungle (seasons 1 and 2)
4. Looking (seasons 1 and 2)
5. Stranger Things (season 1)

Gratitude List (part 2)

Never take for granted simple blessings and pleasant surprises. You never know when will they come back to you (if they will, at all.)

Here is my gratitude list (part 2)

• Free chocolate in the fridge - Do I need to explain how chocolates make our day? :)

• Cheap, quality cinema - Together with some college friends, I recently watched "Ang Babaeng Humayo" (The Woman Who Left), the four-hour epic of internationally acclaimed Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz. The movie won the Golden Lion award (Best Picture) at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. Ticket cost is P100 only when you watch it at the government funded Cinematheque Centre Manila.

My millennial friend, Hsam

It was my first Lav movie and I could say that he has a magical approach to cinema.The duration is extremely challenging for even seasoned moviegoers but he knows when to insert light parts to avoid crossing the lines of monotony and drag. 

When I watched it, I became prouder of our identity as storytellers but proudest for finishing it in one sitting! #ShowTheLav #ForTheLavOfCinema 

• Power Rangers 2017 movie trailer -  Yap, I belong to the millions of '90s kids who still dream of becoming a Power Ranger so to see the sneak peak of the new generation Rangers is beyond exciting. It's the next best thing to making my power induced dream come true. I bet it's safe to say that little girls dream of being a Disney princess while little boys aspire to be assigned one powerful color in the pack (mine is negotiable)!

• Agot Isidro - I thought nothing could beat the Power Rangers trailer until local actress Agot Isidro trended on social media because of her strong and unapologetic criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte. The rest of the country was like, "I never thought Agot can say those things" so she became the subject of thousands of smart-shaming and personal tirade from Duterte supporters. Way to go, Agot! As it is with democracy, everyone is entitled to their opinion. The unbearable noise in social media resulting from opposition with the current administration is the price that we, unsurprisingly, have to pay.

• Successful encore event for a client - After countless of preparatory meetings, and back-and-forths of plans and articles, I finally sealed one of my accounts at work and my clients were happy with our performance. Yaaassss!

• Volunteer experience at Ayala Museum - After what felt like an endless cycle of (cue Rihanna) work-work-work-work-work, I signed up to be an Ayala Museum volunteer so I can recharge on weekends and be surrounded with arts and culture--two things that make me happy most. My first task was to be an usher in Ambeth Ocampo's talk on Food in Philippine History. I gladly found out that Ayala Museum takes care of its volunteers and treat them--us--with food and freebies. Not to mention free entrance to the events we volunteered for :)

(From left) My co-volunteers Val, Arvee, and Sam. The cool Ambeth Ocampo does the peace sign.

I can keep going on with this list but I have to manage my time. 

More to come!

Let's Talk About Melodrama

Last week, I attended the talk "Iyakan at Sampalan: Melodrama in Philippine Cinema" by film historian and professor Nick Deocampo.

It was a 2-hour entertaining and informative talk made more engaging by the generous sharing and animated movements of Prof. Nick. 

Here are some of the most salient points from the lecture:

DEFINITION

Melodrama comes from the Greek Melos (song) and it denoted a stage play accompanied by music. It evolved to "drama with music (melos)," although in modern melodramas, music ceased to be an integral part.

Melodramas have stock characters (heroes, villains). Characters that are simply drawn, 1-dimensional or stereotyped.

Melodrama came to signify "a form of drama characterized by sensationalism, emotional intensity, hyperbole, strong action, violence, rhetorical excesses, moral polarities, brutal villainy, and its ultimate elimination, and the triumph of good." (Dissanayake)

POPULAR CHARACTERISTICS
-Woman's film
-Iyakan, Pang-aapi, Sampalan, Sabunutan, Tarayan, Higanti, Patayan, Ubusan ng lahi, Patawaran
-Pejoratively called tear-jerker
-Low form of entertainment drama

THREE ASPECTS TO FILM AND MELODRAMA

1. Melodrama gives prominence to the experiences, emotions, and activities of women. It provides a platform for women's voice.

2. Melodrama gives attention to fundamental issues of representation, role of ideology, and cultural construction.

3. Melodrama provides ways to illuminate the deeper structures of diverse cultures.

POPULAR EXAMPLES OF MELODRAMATIC FILMS
-Himala
-Bituing Walang Ningning
-Atsay
-Anak
-Brutal
-Hellow Soldier (Political Melodrama)
-Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon
-Bata, Bata, Paano Ka Ginawa
-The Flor Contemplacion Story
-Burlesque Queen
and a lot more (esp.from the 80s and 90s)

Visit this LINK to learn more about the upcoming talk of Prof. Nick in Ayala Museum. Trust me, listening to him is worth your while! :)