The Plight of the Flying Ipis

Discoveries. Hopes & Disappointments. Adventures.

[yeyehizon]

A Letter I Wish You Could Read I’ve always been bad at communicating my feelings. I’ve said a million times over, to different people – partners, that I’m working on it.

[yeyehizon]

Salamat at Paalam

It has been a common thing to vent out our feelings on social media. We post on facebook, twitter, or instagram every single milestone in our lives. Birthdays, graduations, weddings… even death of our loved ones. I’m not particularly a fan of the last one but I guess it’s the easiest and fastest way of letting your friends and relatives know. And maybe it’s also because I haven’t really lost…

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[yeyehizon]

On Street Harassment: Do Something

I was scrolling down my newsfeed and I came across a video of a guy molesting a young girl, who (seems to me) is a minor. His/her caption that says “Tinignan ko sya at inilingan” followed by “hinihintay ko na lang magreact yung babae dahil gusto ko nang sapakin yung lalake”. The girl, understandably, did not react (more on that later) and the video ended with the “videographer” doing nothing and the pervert continues to molest the girl. I will not glorify it by sharing the video again.

That has happened to me before. The first time it happened, I was terrified. I couldn’t do anything. I felt trapped and ashamed at the same time. I froze up, my hands went cold and my knees were shaking. I tried to move away but the jeepney was too packed. My last resort was to go down even before I arrived at my destination. Even then, I thought he would follow me and do something worse. Fortunately, he did not. I’m sure that was how the girl was feeling and she is way younger than me when I first experienced that.

It wasn’t the last time. The second time it happened to me, I was still terrified but at the very least I am finally able to ‘somehow defend’ myself by crossing my arms so I can block his hands. But that’s the best I could do for myself. It happened a third time, a fourth, and so on that I stopped counting. I just started bringing a pair of scissors, changing seats when I feel like the guy is beginning to act creepy, crossing my arms whenever a guy sits beside me on the bus, the train, the jeepney. Fuck it, I even learned to jump from a moving tricycle. Somehow, they get even worse, I’ve had a guy sitting beside me (inside a jeepney and a movie house, on separate occasions) whip out his penis beside me and started jacking off.

I started to ask why I’m being targeted. Is it the way I dress? So I tried dressing a little more “decently” according to “social norms”. Do I look naïve? So I started smiling a little less. Do I look weak in their eyes? So I started changing my appearance to look a bit more like a “fighter”. But one day, I realized, fuck this. I am not at fault here. So I started taking the offensive side. I started speaking out. I call them out, OUT LOUD, making sure everyone else can hear. I’ve even punched a couple of guys who just wouldn’t quit. All of these happened in public. NO ONE stood up for me but myself. I’ve even had a bus conductor tell me after the altercation “masyado ka kasing maganda” to which I replied with “so dapat ba kong magpasalamat kuya?!”

Now, I do not like sharing these experiences, I’ve only told these to few friends. It saddens and infuriates me that I feel like there is a need to share it now. All these catcalling and actual forms of molestation and harassment to women and men, they seem to go unnoticed. As if that is normal. PLEASE, do not tell me that that is normal. PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME that it is normal for men to call me whatever names they please. PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME that it is normal for men to touch my body whenever, wherever they please. PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME that it is normal for me to live in fear for my safety. AND ALSO, DO NOT TELL ME that MEN WILL BE MEN. We, women, have always been asked to modify our behaviours while men, our molesters, the ones who’ve wronged us, are justified by biological technicality. FUCK THAT MENTALITY. I fucking hate that argument. I refuse to believe that men are SIMPLY like that. I have a brother, I have a father, uncles and grandfathers who are NOT LIKE THAT. They respect women. They teach the men AND women in our family to respect other people. It’s all about RESPECT.

So I ask you, why is it easier to ask a woman to change how she dresses, who she goes out with, where she goes, what time she goes home than to teach others RESPECT? Please, enlighten me.

To the few good men left, please teach your friends, your sons, your nephews to be respectful to women.

To women who have similar experiences, please, do not be afraid. STAND UP. SHOUT if you have to. FIGHT BACK. Make them realize that it is wrong.

To all of you, us, please do not be like that guy who took the video and did NOTHING.

‪#‎stopstreetharassment‬ ‪#‎freefromfear‬ ‪#‎SafeCities‬

P.S. No I am not angry, I am furious. Because it should not be like this. IT COULD STOP BEING LIKE THIS.

[yeyehizon]

Struggling Through Film School It has been six years since I graduated from film school. It doesn't seem so long ago every time I look back - yes, I always look back.

[yeyehizon]

#14. I Spit on Your Grave (1978)

Fourteenth in http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/25-movies-that-will-destroy-your-faith-in-humanity

I Spit on Your Grave (1978) by Meir Zarchi

  A story of a woman brutally raped by four men and then takes her revenge by brutally killing each one of them.

Huh. Well, it questions the law and the people’s faith in it. It also questions your morals, are you any better than those rapists if you brutally torture and kill them? It raises the long-standing question of why women get raped, is it the way she acts? dress? 

Those questions aside, I didn’t really like the film. The cinematography could have been better. The acting, definitely, could have been better. If you’re looking for some bloodbath, revenge themed film, I’d suggest you watch the remake (2010) instead – better cinematography, better acting. The story is still the same though.

[yeyehizon]

#13. House of Sand and Fog (2003)

Lucky 13 from:  http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/25-movies-that-will-destroy-your-faith-in-humanity

House of Sand and Fog (2003) by Vadim Perelman

  I had to watch this film in two parts - a week apart. It was too depressing for me.

Everything started when Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly) was wrongfully evicted by the state then an Iranian family bought and moved in to her house. I thought this would be a courtroom drama but I was wrong. In the beginning, I was rooting for Kathy. She made a tiny mistake that led to her eviction but I thought that maybe it would be fixed towards the end. But as the story unfolds, I found myself hating her character. She became overly needy and helpless that the sight of her crying and moping annoys me. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not but that’s how her character made me feel.

Then there’s Massoud Amir Behrani (played wonderfully by Ben Kingsley), the Iranian father and retired colonel who bought Kathy's house from the state auction. He had hopes of selling the house for a higher profit to provide a better future for his son and wife. I thought he would be the merciless antagonist and again, I stand corrected. I started rooting for him and respecting him. Being a military man and an immigrant, he was always respectful of the law.

I’m not sure what to feel after watching the film actually. I know it was a good film though. I guess I just can’t quite get over Kathy’s character, so weak and desperate – I mean c’mon, pull yourself together and move on… then again, if she did, the film would have been 10 minutes only.

Now it’s me who needs moving on from her character.

[yeyehizon]

#12. The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)

I'm halfway done with http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/25-movies-that-will-destroy-your-faith-in-humanity. This is 12th! The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976) by Nicolas Gessner

“The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane” is no little girl. Jodie Foster (I love her) gave an awesome performance as Rynn, the 13 year old girl who... well, lives down the lane.

Rynn is what some people call an “old soul”. She knows how to survive, has her own beliefs and stands by them. In the beginning of the film, I was actually worried that this is going to be another torture film and that Rynn was the one to be tortured or raped. I was relieved that I was wrong. It’s a psychological thriller – it’s doesn’t have that much excitement in it but it’ll make you think. It reminded me of Terry Guilliam’s “Tideland” minus the macabre part. It has that cute and creepy element in it that you don’t really know whether to sympathize for the character, root for her or call child services right away.

She is a 13 year old girl who plans to discover life on her own but acknowledges later in the film that she cannot do it without help. The film is pretty simple, she lives a simple life.. playing “house” with her boyfriend Mario (Scott Jacoby) while evading the town’s paedophile Frank Hallet (Martin Sheen). It’s pretty simple minus the dead bodies she hides in the cellar. Oh, did I mention she killed 2 people? Whatevs, life must go on, she must do anything to survive – as advised by her father.

It’s quite interesting but I wasn’t hooked that much. The musical scoring was awful… I guess that’s what threw me off. It was the deal-breaker. It was so cheesy and in-your-face that it just ruins the mood and the atmosphere of the film. It’s pretty much like playing “Eye of the Tiger” in a deathbed scene… bad example but you get the idea.

If it wasn’t for Jodie Foster’s performance (and this stupid idea of self-imposed challenge) I wouldn’t have finished watching the film.

[yeyehizon]

Stranger Danger interview on FilAm Jams.

[yeyehizon]

Taken by Cars Interview & "Shapeshifter" music video on FilAm Jams Indie Manila segment.

[yeyehizon]

Pedicab Interview & "Otomatik" music video on FilAm Jams Indie Manila Segment.

[yeyehizon]

#11. Irreversible (2002)

Eleventh in: http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/25-movies-that-will-destroy-your-faith-in-humanity

Irreversible (2002) by Gaspar Noe

If you happen to sit through the first 18 minutes of this film, you probably think it is very violent. Well, things are just about to get worse.

“Irreversible” as obvious as its title suggests, the film will show events that we can no longer change no matter what - and it tells that story backwards. First you’ll see an outcome then an explanation of that in the next few minutes and so on. You’ll be bombarded with violence and brutal rape as the an event explains its precedent until finally in the last third of the film you’ll see serenity and peace… yet be reminded of all the violence you just saw which are all going to happen to them. It’s an interesting story telling technique actually. You won’t know who to sympathize for in the beginning as we see men beating each other to death. What did he do to deserve that? Or does he deserve that? And so you continue watching to find out.

The camera work may not be for everyone’s taste, it looks like as if the cameraman downed a bottle of tequila before the shoot and he just can’t seem to focus on anything. BUT it is exactly the film’s charm – at least for me. Nothing seems to be in focus and that only gets you closer to the character’ state of mind in the beginning when you have no idea who he is. The violence is so ‘in-your-face’ and unforgiving you’ll forget this is set in Paris.

The whole film is overflowing with testosterone that it would seem homophobic and overly misogynistic to some people but I think it’s more of a statement AGAINST men. At least that’s how I saw the film. Pierre (Albert Dupontel) is a thinker. He is the kind that thinks more than he does. He is Alex’s (Monica Belluci) ex-boyfriend. Marcus (Vincent Cassel) is a doer, more ‘natural’, opposite of Pierre and he is Alex’s current boyfriend. In one particular scene, Alex said he wanted a man who ‘acts’ and not talk too much which is why he preferred Marcus over Pierre. Meeting her cruel fate in the tunnel, she meets a man who truly acts before he thinks, she gets raped. Man is his most natural being is savage.

[yeyehizon]

#10. The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) (2011)

Number 10: http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/25-movies-that-will-destroy-your-faith-in-humanity

The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) by Tom Six

Watching the first Human Centipede, directed by Tom Six, wasn’t as hard as watching its sequel, also written and directed by Tom Six.

The mouth-to-rectum surgery to make one long digestive tract to create a pseudo-organism, “Human Centipede”, concept is taken seriously by an abused-as-a-child, 5’2, mentally challenged parking attendant Martin (Laurence Harvey). He watches the first film over and over and even keeps a scrapbook about it. He proceeds to imitate his ‘idol’ and top his three-people human centipede by aiming to make a 12-people human centipede with the actress, Ashlynn Yennie, in the previous film as the head of the centipede (who has the worst manager ever for getting her the first project and this sequel).

Everything is in crisp black and white which makes it a little bearable to watch considering you wouldn’t be able to see what kind of bodily fluid his victims were covered with. On the other hand, it makes it even more realistic. The film shows how a violent film can trigger a violent tendency in a person. In the lead character’s case, Martin, had all the necessary ingredients to make a serial killer: sexually abused by his father, abusive mother, violent neighbor, a sexually abusive therapist and a solitary job – his obsession with a violent film was like a lit match thrown in a gasoline container. And so he went abducting and mutilating a dozen people eventually turning into a killing spree after his ‘surgery’ failed. It’s just ironic how the film seems to aim for condemnation of violent film by being violent in itself.

If the first Human Centipede was not graphic enough for some people, this sequel is definitely not. This sequel was actually exploitative in terms of violence – a new born baby’s head crushed between the gas pedal and the car’s floor, feces splashed on camera, being raped with barbed-wire-wrapped p*nis. I thought it was too much even for a mentally challenged character with a bad past. Then again, there were worse real-life serial killers.

If you’re really into gore movies, I think you’d like this movie. But don’t try to look for depth in the story.

[yeyehizon]

Planned-turned-Unplanned Birthday Vacation

(A break from the depressing movie marathon)

I'm a birthday person, always was and always will be. I love giving the people special to me the best birthday they've ever had then try to top that the following year. And of course, I'd love that for me too.

For this year, my 22nd birthday, after all of last year's work, I wanted to have a five-day long vacation, out of town. So I searched the internet for seat sales - Bohol for only 199php! (not including tax). Grabbed the chance, booked for July 1-5.

A week before our departure, I finished as much work as I can so I wouldn't come home to a lot of back-log. Pulled an all-nighter to finish everything, packed my bag a few hours before flight, and finally made it at the airport on time. TADAA. Flight was delayed for an hour... and another... and pushed to a five-hour delay. And finally, it was cancelled. The airline offered to re-book our flight but the available date was July 3 only, and no matter how angry I get I know that wouldn't change anything about our cancelled flight. So we had it transferred to Cebu instead (which was also delayed for another 5 hours).

Arriving at Cebu around 1:00am, we had no idea what to do. We checked in at Sugbutel to get some good sleep after 48hours of working. The hotel have a cheap but really nice and clean rooms. They have dorm type rooms that are 250php (without linens) per head and 350php (with linens) and private rooms that starts 1,200php. The following day, again with the research, we decided to go to a nearby island, Camotes Island.

Off we went to the North Bus Terminal, a few blocks away from Sugbutel. For 40php/head, we headed for Danao Port going to Consuelo Port (180php) in Camotes Island. We got there and a guy with a single motorcycle was waiting to take us to Santiago Bay & Gardens Resort. We left the port at 5:30pm and got to Camotes around 7:30pm which again left us no time to explore the place, we just had dinner and slept.

We took an island tour the following day (500php) riding a single motorcycle.

There’s Danao Lake where you can rent a boat, go horse-back riding and they have a pool too.

Next stop was Timubo Cave, a few steps down from the entrance you’ll see a crystal clear pool of water!

We also took a stop at Santiago Bay’s sister resort, Mangodlong Beach Resort where they put up cottages on awesome rock formations.

Then we just relaxed at Santiago Bay’s pool and went jetskiing after.

The following day we headed back to Cebu City to catch a gig at Handuraw. An awesome bar with awesome pizza and awesome music!

  For our last day, we went to Crown Regency Hotel for an exhilarating Sky Experience Adventures. On top of the 38-storey building 400+feet, we tried their 4D Theatre, Edge Coaster, Sky Walk, Tower Zip and Cliff Hanger (wall climbing). Their amenities are pricey though. (http://www.skyexperienceadventure.com/)

  But before we leave Cebu, we just had to try their specialty Sutukil (Sugba-Tula-Kilaw), different types of cooking seafood and other delicacies.

All in all, for an impromptu vacation in Cebu, we had so much fun! We’d go back and explore the southern islands in Cebu for some whale shark watching next time!

[yeyehizon]

The Blob #tryinginstavid #notmylavalamp

[yeyehizon]

#9. Deliverance (1972)

Number 9: http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/25-movies-that-will-destroy-your-faith-in-humanity

Deliverance (1972) by John Boorman

Man versus man set the arena of Mother Nature. I would say it was full of testosterone but towards the reveal of conflict, it was more than a survival of the fittest – it would also test your morality and existential being.

Four friends Ed (John Voight), Lewis (Burt Reynolds), Bobby (Ned Beatty) & Drew (Ronny Cox) go out for a rafting trip on a river before the government turns it into a dam. It was supposed to be all fun and adventure until two men from the rural area decided to have a little “fun” with the group. It’s not as grisly and gore-y like “Wrong Turn” and its sequels, it only has a few protruding-arrow-in-the-chest scenes but other than that you won’t cringe that much. It’s a stand-off between the urban and rural people who pretty much look and treat each other with condescension all the time.

At one point, the group had to kill one of the rural guys out of self-defence. Naturally, there were arguments within the group about burying the body or turning it over to the police. I was surprised at how I got attached to the group’s decision-making when I agreed with their decision to bury the body instead (what’s happening to me??). There will be more moral arguments and decisions to be made for their survival as they finish the rapids – you may find yourself arguing or agreeing with them too.

Some might find the film a bit boring. It actually was a bit dragging in the beginning. But then I got hooked the establishing scenes, particularly the part where Drew was playing a guitar and a child with special needs imitates him with his banjo. They had a musical conversation, some of the rural people even danced along and at that moment condescension from both sides disappeared for a while. After the whole musical scene, the kid got quiet again and didn’t respond to Drew anymore. I was just amazed how the director made that single scene magical – how people can communicate better without using words, cut to: people trying to kill each other.

It’s a survival film with subtle emotional and moral punches.

[yeyehizon]

#8. Oldboy (2003)

The only film I've looked forward to in this list, number 8: http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/25-movies-that-will-destroy-your-faith-in-humanity

Oldboy (2003) by Park Chan-wook

Watching this film will leave you staring at the screen as the credit rolls at the end. It’s so awesome I’ve ran out of words to describe its awesomeness.

As I’ve noticed with almost most of Korean revenge-themed films I’ve watched, they have mind blowing twists and turns – Oldboy stays true to that. It starts out with a drunk, Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik), in a police precinct. His friend bails him out. While making a phone call, he disappears and wakes up in a room where he will spend 15 years of his life. During his stay, he trains himself physically and mentally and vows to get his revenge to whoever abducted him and stole 15 years of his life.

The moment he gets out, he starts to investigate and track down whoever abducted him. We discover things at the same time he does. That alone will get you invested in his character as he learns more and more about what happened to him. You’ll ask the questions he does and will leave you saying “Huh?.. Hmmm. Ahh! WTF?!” – in a good way. The moment you think you’ve got the whole thing figured out, you’ll find out that your wrong… well, that moment wouldn’t exist because you wouldn’t figure it out at all until it is revealed to you, to him. You wouldn’t have time to try and figure things out anyway because of the overflowing badassery of Oh Dae-Su’s fight scenes. I particularly love the scene where he beats up more than 15 men. It’s not like in other movies where the attackers attack one by one. He does get beaten up, the attackers do gang up on him as what would happen in real life but he’s driven by his anger that he takes them all down – then faints on the street out of exhaustion (and oh, did I mention he was stabbed in the process?)

Unfortunately, as it is included in this list, things wouldn’t really go well with him in the end. He wouldn’t get his revenge instead he would have to live with a secret for the rest of life – he remains in a prison, only bigger this time. The ending leaves an existential question to him and to the audience as a woman hypnotizes her. The woman asks him, during the hypnosis, to split himself in two, the other one knows the secret, the monster and the other one is innocent about what happened. She told her that the monster should walk away and die while the other one lives in ignorant bliss. We, the audience, wouldn’t really know which one walked away with his somewhat pained smile at the end.

Oldboy. It’s just so awesome.

[yeyehizon]

#7. The Woman (2011)

Seventh from: http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/25-movies-that-will-destroy-your-faith-in-humanity.

The Woman (2011) by Lucky McKee

The only thing that got my interest in this film is ‘the woman’, she looks like the wildling that takes care of Bran in ‘Games of Thrones’. Other than that, it’s just another film with heavy symbolism for feminism and humanity in the guise of the horror genre.

The first few scenes introduce us to a “wildling” (or fine, feral). She baths, sleeps and hunts in the woods for food. At one point she stabs a fish from the river is currently bathing on and eats the fish right off of the knife. I’ve no idea where she got the knife (or the clothes she’s wearing). Then comes Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers), a lawyer, a hunter and a father of three, he spots the woman and decides to capture her and take her home to try and domesticate her. He also makes his whole family participate in ‘teaching’ her.

At first look, the highly patriarchal family seems normal yet creepy at the same time. The situation in their household makes a perfect breeding ground for a future serial killer which is exactly what you feel with Chris’ son Brian (Zach Rand) with his creepy demeanor and his enjoyment of inflicting pain to women. Chris’ wife Belle (Angela Bettis) is highly submissive and obeys all of his husband’s orders. At one point, she did stood up for herself and her daughters but only to get three punches thrown at her. Peggy (Lauren Carter), the oldest daughter has this suppressed anger and grief while the youngest daughter Darlin (Shyla Molhusen) is simply sweet and innocent.

All the characters play a vital role in symbolizing the fight and struggle of feminism. How? (Spoiler Alert), when Belle, symbolizing the old fashioned way of women being submissive to their male partner, had enough and stood up she gets beaten up. Peggy’s teacher who happens to visit to voice out an issue concerning Peggy, she gets beaten up and fed to the dogs. All of these happens as Peggy watches and while the woman is chained in the cellar – the woman hears all of the ruckus and starts to growl in anger. Peggy thought that the only way to stop all of these is to release the woman in the cellar – symbolically releasing her suppressed anger and fighting back. The woman goes out of the cellar, finds Belle in the way and throws away like a rag (after chewing her face off) – symbolically overthrowing the gender roles set by the society. After killing her father and brother – symbolically overpowering patriarchy – the woman then sets Peggy and her sister free (also symbolically freeing women of all the constraints set by the a patriarchal society).

Symbolisms. Symbolisms everywhere! It’s so “in your face” that I don’t know whether to appreciate it or not. Yes, each scenes and characters were built perfectly to fit and convey the intended message. Aside from a scene where Chris declares that he wants to ‘civilize’ the woman when he himself is not acting civilized by chaining, raping and treating her like a dog that needs training. It doesn’t really make its audience think because of all the spoon feeding. It would’ve been more effective if it were a little subtler.