Da King and I

Hello again! After a month full of work.. All work and no play.. only plates, I have finally rested in my chair and got back the momentum i've been trying to hold on to since last summer. Today, I will be posting an overdue painting that I did a month ago, right after I sketched Da King.

Da King and I

Medium: Acrylic on 18x24 in. canvas

We were given an open theme composition so i've thought off my biggest influence on Cinema. I was supposed to paint my grandpa but to make it more meaningful, I painted none other than the King of Philippine Cinema himself, FPJ. 

Let me share a little trivia:

I remembered the first movie I watched was with my Grandpa and it was this movie of FPJ with leading lady, Anjanette Abayari. As soon as I finished this painting and had it checked, I went home and switched the channel to PBO (Pinoy Blockbuster Office) wherein to my surprise was none other than the movie itself. What a coincidence! :) 

Anyway, I tried a different style on Da King. Instead of painting realistic, for the first time I ventured into the world of POP art. To be honest, I think i'll be sticking to this style for a while. Its so much fun! :) 

And since this is getting a bit embarassing.. i'll be ending this entry. I just wanted to share this tiny info to everyone who reads my movie blog. :) Hope you enjoyed that.. (hehe)

Til my next! :)

P.S. I would like to acknowledge Sir Simon of Video 48 for sending me this rare photo of FPJ. Thank you so much sir! Your photo was the exact image I had in mind. :) 

Sketching Da King

First semester is at its peak and right now we're starting to propose ideas for our creatives. And with more demands from other subjects, I could say our plate is pretty full.

Amidst this busy month, I saw a picture of FPJ (Fernando Poe Jr.) in a rare postcard posted on flickr.com, posing for his famous 'holding the gun' gesture in his movie 'Aguila'. Instead of sleeping, I got my sketchpad, a pencil and myself doodling his face to see if I could still draw. :p


I know it's not that good, I didn't have the time to refine this. As soon as I sketched da King, I immediately fell asleep.. along with my sketchpad and pencil. hehe

Wait till you see my next attempt. :) Til next! :D

A Day with Mr. Shooli

At long last! After weeks of school work, I was able to finish transcribing the recorded video of our interview with Mr. Jun Urbano. I won't be posting the video for copyright purposes but will paste our conversation below. Sorry for the overdue entry. 

This interview was held last August 18, 2008 at Starbucks Matalino St.. 

Have fun reading.. :p

"Ikaw Manong Wag Ka Kotong" :p

JG (Justine Galvez): How would you gauge the success of the recent tribute to your father, Mr. Manuel Conde in terms of attendees?

JU (Jun Urbano): Well, puno yung theatre. Actually, it was a group of people. Some of them were writers, movie critics, etc. headed by a professor from U.P., Nick Tiongson. He teaches masscomm and some other independent filmmakers, writers and producers who pushed for writing a book about my dad because they say my dad should have been made a National artist long before. The unfortunate thing is that there were no films in existence in spite of the fact that he did about 40 or more films, only one or two were preserved… and one of them were Genghis Khan. Tapos the movie was shown in 1950s and it was acclaimed in Cannes festival in Italy. That was the first time a Filipino movie was honored in a venue like that. So sabi nila dapat mga movie na ginagawa ng tatay ko, all showed Filipino culture, Philippine tradition, etc, very nationalistic si daddy. Like when he did ‘Ikaw kasi’, I think it was about the mining industry and he did ‘Bahala Na’. It was the wood-carving people in Paete. And then he did ‘Molave’ which was about the denudation of our forests. So ganun siya.

So back to the honors, kami na lang ang nagcecelebrate niyan kasi my dad never knew he was a great director e. He was just doing film in fact, he was not even a businessman. Pag sinabing showbiz, it’s show and then it’s business. Ang tatay ko halimbawa, artista ka, bibigyan ka niya ng favor, susuklian ka niya, tataasan pa niya talent fee mo. That’s how he is, he works with his heart. Basta gumawa lang siya ng pelikula, happy siya enjoy siya. And he was one of the first independent yung indie ngayon. By indie means it doesn’t go with the usual… yung business because there are big motion picture producers.. the mainstream. Siya yung lumabas doon. On his own he made his own movie.

JG: What is the most memorable part of the tribute to your father?

JU: Maganda lahat eh. Well it’s the.. hindi naman nakakaiyak. Ang nakakaiyak doon ay naiyak yung mga tao nung nagsalita ako. Kasi hindi nila inaasahan na magsasalita ako. I had to come out as Mr. Shooli kasi they featured ‘Genghis Khan’, the movie of my dad, kaya sabi nila, “Come out as Mr. Shooli.” Nandun si Eddie Garcia, Perla Bautista, Delia Razon, mga contemporaries.

JG: Do you think it was successful on the basis of educating the youth about your father’s works?

JU: Well, they wrote a book. I don’t think it’s educating the youth. That was not the intention. The intention was to recognize Manuel Conde as the one of the pillars that time of the movie industry. Educating the youth, I doubt, maybe to know something about him, maybe they can be inspired by what he went through, through the book. He is actually bringing to the attention, the persona of Manuel Conde. He is a director, an actor, producer, maybe they can pick something from that.

JG: Who among the new breed of directors would you say could be a modern-day Manuel Conde and why?

JU: Magagaling sila naman eh. Each director has its own mark. Each director has its own way of doing things. So it is difficult for anybody to compare. Kanya kanya yan e. So hindi pwedeng i-compare.

JG: How about artists today that can serve as inspiration for the quality of movies in Philippine Cinema?

JU: Magagaling naman silang lahat. You know, everybody can act. All of us are actors and actresses. Actually, sa totoo lang, hindi ako nanunuod ng t.v. sa Tagalog channels. Ang pinapanuod ko, Discovery, National Geographic, educating channels because I learn. Kapag nanuod ka kay ‘Wowowee’ or sa ‘Eat Bulaga’, ano matutunan mo? Ang natututunan ko sa mga programang iyon, mga contest-contest nila, eh.. napakatanga ng Pilipino. Nalulungkot ako.. hindi ko pinagtatawanan. Pero Makita mo dun mga masa karamihan. They ask simple questions in the process of elimination, eventually the winner will have a chance to win the jackpot. Pero yung mga simple questions hindi masagot. Kaya sabi ko “Ganito na 

ba kababaw mga Pilipino?” na simple things, no brainer talaga, hindi nila alam. Kaya nung minsan nakausap ko kaibigan ko, may-ari ng istasyon at sabi ko “Alam mo, hindi ako nanunuod ng local program kasi lalo ako nabobobo. Bakit ganoon ang mga programa natin?” Sabi niya, “Tito Jun, wala ako magawa negosyo yan e.” So yun, hindi ako nanunuod ng local programs kasi sayang (para sa akin).. sayang ang panahon.

JG: There is an attempt to create awareness and appreciation of Filipino Classic movies like the 2007 Kool Pinoy Klassiks by Cinema One, Juan Tamad goes Indie and a Tribute to Dolphy held last July. Do you think that a tribute to the Golden Age of Philippine Cinema would be patronized particularly the youth? What do you think could be a communications strategy for such event?

JU: Alam mo, by the youth in general, hindi. By some youth who wanted to know how movies were before, maybe. Pero, as a popular medium, hindi kasi ako rin e h

indi ko rin naeenjoy e. I’ve been directing commercials for almost 40 years and I’ve done about 2000+ commercials in my career. And if I look at the very first few commercials I did when I was starting, comparing them to the commercials I did now, technically... ang layo. The way I make movies before… ang layo. Kaya sabi ko, maybe I can go back and say “Ganoon pala noon.” But I will not be able to learn. Kasi ang proseso nandiyan naman na. Computer-Generated Images na nung araw di namen makuha yan. Curiosity is the word.

JG: What do you think should be the motif of the said event? Classic and Elegant or Young and Vibrant?

JU: How was it then, how was it now. Ico-compare mo e.It will be interesting if you show what it used to be without comparing to what is now. You have to compare para may interest. Kung ipapakita mo lang yung noong araw ang dating niyan ay.. “Oh, ano yan?”

JG: What decade do you consider the Golden Age of Philippine Cinema and why? What are your favorite movies from this era?

JU: Nung mga 50’s. Magagaling ang mga director nun. At tsaka ang mga tema nila noon about the Philippines. Kasi alam mo tayo, gaya-gaya tayo eh. If I do mga movies na maraming effects, etc., hindi ko tatalunin Hollywood diyan., paramihan ng extra… libu-libo ang extra. May pera sila e at ang market nila worldwide so they can afford to spend so much because they can get them back. Pero marami ring nalulugi dyan. Ngayon, kung kakayanin ko iyon, unang-una, copycat na ko, hindi pa maganda pagkakagaya ko. We don’t have the vans, the machine to do these things kaya siguro maappreciate nila l

alo if I did something really Filipino that they have nothing to compare it with. Yun ang mga movies ng 50’s. Mga ‘Badjao, ‘Anak Dalita’… pinoy na pinoy talaga. Eh ngayon sa tuwing may festival, ano bang mga nakikita mo ngayon? Mga gaya-gaya.

JG: How do you think the stars from the Golden Era would feel about such event? Would you think they would give their support by being present at the said event?

JU: Oo, they will be present. Because they associate with that and they will relate to what you will be doing. 
Actually, yung mga movies naman natin ngayon magaganda naman eh. Gaya nung kay Aga, setting niya sa Bicol. Maganda ang pagkakagawa.

JG: In your opinion, what could such tribute contribute to the betterment of the Filipino film industry?

JU: Tingin ko wala. Kasi wala nang industriya ngayon eh. Per se, as an industry. The movie industry is now confined to the two television stations. They are the ones who have the stars and they are the ones who have the means to advertise. Kasi kapag gumawa ka ng commercial ngayon whether it’s a movie or what, ang charge nila mga 250,000 per 30

 seconds. Ganoon kamahal. Eh para naman kumita ang pelikula mo dapat may advertising ka. Kapag sila naman ang gumagawa, hindi naman nila sinisingil sarili nila. I-wwrite off nila yun to something else. So nakakapag-advertise na nga sila, kumikita pa sila. Eh kung outsider, where will you get that money to advertise my film?

JG: How about if ABS-CBN or a giant network would back up the event?

JU: Hmm.. Maybe. Yung kay Dolphy kasi, artista nila si Dolphy eh kumbaga self-serving ginawa nila. Yung kay Rudy Fernandez, sila kumikita noon, binayaran nila iyon eh. Negosyo lahat iyan.

Signing his father's book for us. :)

Thank you sir Jun, your words are truly inspiring. This would be of great help for my thesis. :)

Sneak Peek in Mongolian Barbeque Land

Another month has passed and I haven't been updating my blog. Unfortunately, Reyna Rosal: Tribute to Ms. Rosa Rosal was replaced by an independent movie in Robinsons Galleria on the said date. But, I do have some fresh news..

I was able to interview Manuel Conde's son, Jun Urbano. Here is a glimpse of our thesis class with the one and only Mr. Shooli.

(L-R: Joy, Jesy, Elain, Mr. Jun Urbano, Juz, Ains, Ging, Jamie)
Click to enlarge image

I will be posting our interview as soon as I transcribe his words from the video. Or probably upload the video myself on my next entry.

Oh by the way, thank you so much thesismates for the support. :)

Keep you posted! :)

Enjoying the Past: Tribute to Manuel Conde

Sorry for the late post. It has been a week or more since my last entry. Today, I won't be posting trivias. Instead, i'll be sharing this fun experience I had for the past few days.

As you all know, the recent Cinemalaya had just ended. Along with the films produced by some of the industry's young & fine moviemakers, a tribute event was also made for the person who introduced Independent cinema. He is none other than:

Manuel Urbano a.k.a. Manuel Conde

He is well-known for portraying the satirical comedy "Juan Tamad" series as it targets the social and political issues of our country. Other than that, he is the first Filipino whose 1950 film 'Genghis Khan' was screened in international film festivals. He directed movies in LVN, Lebran and his very own MC productions until his retirement in the early 80s. Some of the movies he directed are:

LVN:

Sawing Gantimpala (1940)

Maginoong Takas (1940)

Hiyas ng Dagat (1941)

Binatillo (1941)

Villa Hermosa (1941)

Ararong Ginto (1941)

Ibong Adarna (1941)

Caviteno (1942)

Prinsipe Tenoso (1942)

Orasang Ginto (1946)

Ala-ala Kita (1946)

Principeng Hindi Tumatawa (1946)

Apat na Alas (1950)

Senorito (1953)

Ang Ibong Adarna (1955)

Pilipino Kostum - No Touch (1955)

Ikaw Kasi! (1955)

Handang Matodas (1956)

Krus Na Kawayan (1956)

Bahala Na (1956)

El Robo (1957)

Basta Ikaw (1957)

Tingnan Natin (1957)

Casa Grande (1958)

Venganza (1958)

Bayanihan (1959)

Juan Tamad Goes to Society (1960)

MC (Manuel Conde) Productions:

Doon Po sa Amin (1946)

Nabasag ang Banga (1947)

Si Juan Tamad (1947)

Si Juan Daldal (Anak ni Juan Tamad) (1948)

Vende Cristo (1948)

Prinsipe Paris (1949)

Siete Infantes De Lara (1950)

Genghis Khan (1950)

Juan Tamad Goes to Congress (1959)

Molave (1961)

Lebran Productions:

Sigfredo (1951)

Zultana International:

Si Juan Tamad at si Juan Masipag sa Pulitikang Walang Hanggan (1963)

I didn't post his other works though he was fond of creating documentaries. Special thanks to my mom and grandpa for buying me this:

My source on everything that is posted in this entry

I really felt bad for missing the opening night of Conde's film festival. Big stars were there.. Imagine, if typhoon Helen did not come, I could have shaken hands with Ms. Delia Razon, Mr. Eddie Garcia, Well-known director Mike De Leon, Director Joel Lamangan and many more. Oh well, there is always a next time. I hope..

Anyway, I was checking out some articles on the family's newspaper Star, and found out that there will be another film showing in tribute to one of the stars from the Golden era. She is none other than Ms. Rosa Rosal. I checked out the details on the net but there was still no announcement. But whatever happens, rest assured, I will be there. :)

Oh by the way, here are the photos my fellow v.angel and friend Jesy took after watching the movie:

  

With my buddy Manuel

Posing with his works

The manuscripts and his family photos

Taking a photo of the movie we watched

Title of the movie is Krus na Kawayan under LVN Pictures, directed by Mr. Conde himself. :) Special thanks to Ms. Jesy Lourish Javier for coming with me all the way from UST to CCP. :)

To be honest, despite of the crude lights and sounds quality of the film, I really appreciated the story and how good the actors and actresses were. I even saved the ticket and stored in my everyday planner :)

I only spent 50 pesos for a timeless classic. Not bad right? :)

Even if I wasn't able to attend the main event, I am still happy to see and experience the product itself. I am happy to know that the industry is aware and still appreciates Filipino Classic movies. Through these events, I am once again inspired, fueled and reminded to make the best out of what I can for this project.

Oil price increase? Heck. I am driven to go miles for this. Til next! :)

Who am I? Trivia#3

I'm back! and we're up for another game of 'Who am I?'. Last time, Sir Simon of Video48 got the correct answer for two straight entries. :) Answer to last entry is Gines Soriano also known as Nestor de Villa. Anyway, for the next trivia, here goes:

I was finding a job and been hired as a receptionist in the office of a movie magazine. One day, I was asked to go to LVN to get publicity stills for the latest film of Nida Blanca. The Old Lady saw me and referred as Ilocana Mestiza. She told me I can join showbiz only if I can brush my Tagalog. From then on, I was given a contract and later became a full-fledged star.

I am known as Miss Alembong. It was my first role in the movie 'Alembong' in 1958 which everyone considers a box-office hit. I also appeared in the show 'Tayo’y Magsaya' with Nida Blanca, Pancho Magalona, Guy Donato and Bentot under the direction of Felicing Constantino.

My other movies are Ganyan Ka Pala and Medalyong Perlas (with Nida Blanca, Nestor de Villa and Willie Sotedo) and Teenage Crush (with Tessie Quintana Eddie Rodriguez, Manding Claro and Luz Valdez, directed by Tony Santos).

My time came last January 10, 2002, in the beautiful Huntington Beach, California, USA.

FYI: I am the aunt of today's actress Chin-Chin Gutierrez. Who am I?

(Photo and Content Source: Dona Sisang and Filipino Movies (1977), http://movie-industry.blogspot.com/ and the Wikipedia)

Answer to be posted on my next entry. Til next! :)

Who am I? Trivia#2

We're back for another game of 'Who Am I?'. The answer to my last entry is Jose Revilla also known as "Armando Goyena". For trivia #2, here goes.. :)

I am the son of a hacendero from Gapan, Nueva Ecija and practicing pre-med. One day, I decided to watch the shooting of a friend's film right in my home. From then on, I was discovered by Director Susana C. De Guzman and Nemesio B. Caravana as they encouraged me to join showbiz.

My first movie was Amor-Mio or My Love under LVN. Later on, I was paired with Nida Blanca in "Bahala Na". When LVN discontinued making films, I transferred to Sampaguita pictures where I made my debut with Ms. Gloria Romero in "Tugtuging Bukid".

In the 1980's I made a comeback with my good old friend Nida Blanca as we played for two movies with Ms. Sharon Cuneta's Forgive and Forget, and Ms. Maricel Soriano's Saan Darating ang umaga.

I remained active in films then until my time came in 2004, wherein I was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

FYI: I was also known as the "Fred Astaire of the Philippines". Who Am I? :)

(Photo and Content Source: Dona Sisang and Filipino Movies, 1977 and the Wikipedia)

Answer will be posted on my next entry. Til next! :)