Other Wishlist!

Aside from my book & DVD wishlist, here are other things I wish to have this Christmas.

1. flip flops (9 & 1/2 shoe size)
2. cross trainer rubber shoes (9 & 1/2 shoe size)
3. laptop earphones
4. gym shirt
5. spa gift certificate
6. casual shorts (32 waistline)
7. belt for jeans
8. black back pack
9. black sneakers (9 & 1/2 shoe size)
10. board shorts (32 waistline)
11. external hard disk (250 GB or higher)
12. Japanese slippers
13. laptop cleaner
14. big 4r photo album

DVD Wishlist

1. Tokyo Story (Director: Yasujiro Ozu)
2. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Director: Milos Forman)
3. Annie Hall (Director: Woody Allen)
4. Osama (Director: Siddiq Barmak)
5. Rear Window (Director: Alfred Hitchcock)
6. Blade Runner (Director: Ridley Scott)
7. Bonnie and Clyde (Director: Arthur Penn)
8. Double Indemnity (Director: Billy Wilder)
9. Drunken Master II (Directors: Chia-Liang Lu and Jackie Chan)
10. 8 ½ (Director: Federico Fellini)
11. The Fly (Director: David Cronenberg)
12. The Godfather 2 (Director: Francis Ford Coppola)
13. Goodfellas (Director: Martin Scorcese)
14. It’s A Wonderful Life (Director: Frank Capra)
15. Miller’s Crossing (Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen)
16. The Purple Rose of Cairo (Director: Woody Allen)
17. Raging Bull (Director: Martin Scorcese)
18. The Searchers (Director: John Ford)
19. Singin’ In The Rain (Director: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly)
20. Some Like It Hot (Director: Billy Wilder)
21. Seven Samurai (Director: Akira Kurosawa)
22. Tsotsi (Director: Gavin Hood)
23. The Sea Inside/Mar Adentro (Director: Alejandro Amenabar)
24. The Barbarian Invasions/Les Invasions Barbares (Director: Denys Arcand)
25. All About My Mother/Todo Sobre Mi Madre (Director: Pedro Almodovar)
26. Cinema Paradiso (Director: Guissepe Tornatore)
27. Fanny and Alexander (Director: Ingmar Bergman)
28. Rosetta (Directors: Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne)
29. The Sweet Hereafter (Director: Atom Egoyan)
30. Million Dollar Baby (Director: Clint Eastwood)
31. Letters From Iwo Jima (Director: Clint Eastwood)
32. Whale Rider (Director: Niki Caro)
33. Closely Watched Trains (Director: Jiri Menzel)
34. The Crime of Monsieur Lange (Director: Jean Renoir)
35. The Discreet Charm of Bourgeoisie (Director: Luis Bunuel)
36. Nowhere in Africa/Nirgendwo in Afrika (Director: Caroline Link)
37. The Child/L’enfant (Directors: Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne)
38. The Son’s Room/La Stanza del Figlio (Director: Nanni Moretti)
39. Eternity and A Day (Director: Theo Angelopolous)
40. The Eel (Director: Shohei Imamura)
41. Taste of Cherry (Director: Abbas Kiarostami)
42. The Mourning Forest (Director: Naomi Kawase)
43. Flanders (Director: Bruno Dumont)
44. Oldboy (Director: Park Chan-Wook)
45. Uzak (Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
46. Devils On The Doorstep (Director: Jiang Wen)
47. Humanite (Director: Bruno Dumont)
48. Paradise Now (Director: Hany Abu-Assad)
49. Eastern Promises (Director: David Cronenberg)
50. Bella (Director: Alejandro Gomez Monteverde)
51. Hotel Rwanda (Director: Terry George)
52. The Hanging Garden (Director: Thom Fitzgerald)
53. Sanxia Haoren (Director: Zhang Ke Jia)
54. The Return/Vozrashcheniye (Director: Andrei Zvyagintzev)
55. Monsoon Wedding (Director: Mira Nair)
56. The Circle (Director: Jafar Panahi)
57. Not One Less (Director: Zhang Yimou)
58. Cosi Ridevano (Director: Gianni Amelio)
59. Fireworks/Hana-bi (Director: Takeshi Kitano)
60. Gomorra (Director: Matteo Garrone)
61. II Divo (Director: Paolo Sorrentino)
62. Lorna’s Silene/Le Silence de Lorna (Director: Dardenne Brothers)
63. A Room With A View (Director: James Ivory)
64. Do The Right Thing (Director: Spike Lee)
65. This Is Spinal Tap (Director: Rob Reiner)
66. The Silence of the Lambs (Director: Jonathan Demme)
67. Hannah and her Sisters (Director: Woody Allen)
68. Toy Story (Director: John Lasseter)
69. Tell No One (Director: Guillaume Canet)
70. Man On Wire (Director: James Marsh)
71. Happy-Go-Lucky (Director: Mike Leigh)
72. Burn After Reading (Director: Coen Brothers)
73. Wendy and Lucy (Director: Kelly Reichardt)
74. The Edge of Heaven (Director: Fatih Akin)
75. Ghost Town (Director: David Koepp)
76. The Bands Visit/Bikur Ha-Tizmoret (Director: Eran Kolirin)
77. Afghan Star (Director: Havana Marking)
78. You, The Living (Director: Roy Andersson)
79. Still Walking (Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda)
80. The Hurt Locker (Director: Kathryn Bigelow)
81. The Song of Sparrows (Director: Majid Majidi)
82. Sin Nombre (Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga)
83. Precious (Director: Lee Daniels)
84. The Last Station (Director: Michael Hoffman)
85. Amreeka (Director: Cherien Dabis)
86. 35 Shots of Rum (Director: Claire Denis)
87. An Education (Director: Lone Scherfig)
88. The Damned United (Director: Tom Hooper)
89. Goodbye Solo (Director: Rahmin Bahrani)
90. Revanche (Director: Gotz Spielmann)
91. The Maid (Director: Sebastian Silva)
92. Up In The Air (Director: Jason Reitman)
93. Inglorious Basterds (Director: Quentin Tarantino)
94. Invictus (Director: Clint Eastwood)
95. The Messenger (Director: Oren Moverman)
96. A Serious Man (Director: Joel and Ethan Coen)
97. The Prophet/Un Prophete (Director: Jacques Audiard)
98. Three Monkeys/Uc Maymun (Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
99. White Ribbon/Das Weisse Band (Director: Michael Haneke)
100. Where The Wild Things Are (Director: Spike Jonze)

Books Wishlist

1. What Happened to Anna K. by Irina Reyn
2. American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
3. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
4. Disquiet by Julia Leigh
5. The House On Fortune Street by Margot Livesey
6. Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw
7. Lush Life by Richard Price
8. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
9. The Book of Dahlia by Elisa Albert
10. Say You’re One Of Them by Uwem Akpan
11. Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
12. Snow by Orphan Pamuk
13. Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

14. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)

15. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)

16. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)

17. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)

18. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)

19. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)

20. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)

21. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)

22. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)

23. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)

24. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)

25. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)

26. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)

27. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)

28. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)

29. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)

30. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)

31. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)

32. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)

33. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)

34. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)

35. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)

36. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)

37. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)

38. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)

39. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)

40. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)

41. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)

42. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)

43. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)

44. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)

45. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)

46. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)

47. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)

48. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)

49. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)

50. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)

51. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)

52. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)

53. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)

54. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)

55. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)

56. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)

57. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)

58. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)

59. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)

60. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)

61. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)

62. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)

63. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)

64. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)

65. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)

66. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)

67. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)

68. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)

69. Money, Martin Amis (1985)

70. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)

71. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)

72. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)

73. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)

74. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)

75. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)

76. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)

77. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)

78. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)

79. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)

80. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)

81. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)

82. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)

83. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)

84. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)

85. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)

86. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)

87. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)

88. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)

89. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)

90. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)

91. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)

92. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)

93. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)

94. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)

95. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)

96. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)

97. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)

98. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)

99. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)

100. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)

101. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)

102. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)

103. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)

104. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)

105. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
     
     

The Amazing Race 15

I was finally able to see TAR 15's first episode. Is it already too late to make a prediction? :) Anyway, I predict dating couple Meghan and Cheyne to win The Amazing Race. Poker players Maria & Tiffany, gay brothers Sam & Dan, and best friends Justin & Zev (who has an Asperger Syndrome) make good reality TV as well.

ETA (01/01/10): I was right! They won! :)

PBB Double Up!

PBB Double Up premieres tonight, 7:30pm, on ABS-CBN! Please WATCH! :)

Here are my pictures with some housemates entering tonight. (PLEASE don't post these in the forums!!! :D)


Paul Jake Castillo


Princess Lieza Manson


Yuri Okawa

PBB Double Up will air everyday after Dahil May Isang Ikaw. There's also PBB Uber airing before Precious Hearts Romances and PBB Uplate airing before sign-off. NOOD KAYO HA! :)

Survivor Samoa!

There are 20 castaways this season so there are less chances of correctly predicting the winner, but if the main arch of the season is whether Russel H succeeds in his diabolical plans as seen in Episode 1, then I predict him OR the one who silently distrusts him (Betsy) to win the game.

Season 19 Picks to win


Russel H


Betsy

As for the pilot, okay lang. I wasn't expecting that much since the two previous seasons were pretty lackluster. I'm more excited for the next All Star season that's currently filming in Samoa.:)

ETA (01/01/10): I got it wrong. Betsy was the 2nd castaway voted out and Russel only came in 2nd. Not to take anything away from Natalie but I think Russel deserved the title, though. :)

Coron TV

I did some random video blogging during our 2-day Coron getaway. LOL! :D

This is the first video of the series.



Just go to my You Tube account for the rest of the videos. Haha!

First!

I have to document this for my sense memory. I did a lot of things for the first time this year.


I went to Boracay for the first time. Fellow netizen Rev treated his friends to a Bora getaway during his birthday. I'm a lucky one! I had so much fun in Boracay, I will definitely return! Thanks Rev! :D


I went para-sailing for the first time. It happened in Boracay too. I'm scared of heights but I did it! I don't think I will do it again though, unless I'm in the Amazing Race. It was scary kind of fun! :D


I went to Coron, Palawan for the first time. College friend Gen celebrated her 30th in the island. Coron is simply breathtaking! Feeling ko nasa video ako ni Jason Mraz ng I'm Yours the whole time. Coron has that feel! :)


I went kayaking for the first time. Wala nga lang picture at sorry kung ito pa talaga ang picture (HAHA!) but this is Capo beach in Coron where we did kayaking. :D


I dipped in a hot spring for the first time. This was in Maquinit Hot Spring in Coron. Grabe, it was sooo hot indeed, but very relaxing. Siguro mas okay kung malamig ang weather satin.


I snorkeled and swam in deep ocean and lake water for the first time. May life jacket nga lang but still, you have to give me credit for it! Haha! It was one of the most memorable experiences I had! First time ko rin yatang maligo sa lake. Hehe.

I hope I can still experience a lot of good firsts before the year ends. I also realized that despite some hardships, I'm still fortunate and blessed. Awwww. Thank you Jesus! :)

If you're on Facebook, click on the location for the web address of the rest of the getaway photos:
BORACAY
CORON

It's a wrap!

Maybe you're all wondering what happened to this. After what seemed like eternity (okay, 3 months exactly), I finally had my last shooting day yesterday and it's a wrap! :) I'm bangenge while writing this, actually. We shot for 24 hours and I still haven't gotten a decent sleep. I just need to thank everyone who supported me financially, spiritually, morally or by simply just working under me for free. :) In the end it was all worth it. I not only learned the art of film-making (living set!), but also the value of friendship. Yeah, that's so beauty-pageant statement. :D


Walang hanggang salamat, Team Nikulet! (picture c/o Jairus)

On a side note, I was dead tired after the shoot that I decided to check in Sogo Marikina rather than risk my safety by driving from Antipolo (the shooting location) to Quezon City. It was a weird experience checking in alone. :) I woke up from my half-sleep 3 hours later because of car coding and an after-lunch meeting. Then, I dozed off again at home. I would have wanted to sleep until tomorrow but my empty stomach woke me up. Now, I have runny nose and not feeling very well. I think I'm getting sick. :(

I'm sorry of this entry is so walang kwenta. Haha! But this is what happens when #twitterwasdown.

Cinemalaya 2009!

Cinemalaya 2009 starts this Friday and ends on the 26th at the CCP. I'm supporting these movies...


Last Supper No. 3
Co-written and Directed by my film school classmate Veronica Velasco


Mangatyanan
Scored, Written, Directed and more by Jerrold Tarog
(We're not friends but I LOOOOVE CONFESSIONAL!)

I will also support Sanglaan, the Cinemalaya comeback movie of my film school classmate and former Best Actress Ina Feleo. This one's also co-written by my film schoolmate Audie Gonzales.

Adolf Alix's trilogy - Karera, Aurora & Manila - will also premiere outside of competition. (Am I right, Adolf? :D) I will support all three.

How about you, guys? :)

Michael Jackson Memorial

Your music had been part of my growing up years! Thank you for the memories, Michael!

Twitter!

You can already follow me on Twitter. :) I regularly post there. See you!

Literal Video!

This made my day! ROTFFL! :))

3

They say it comes in 3's. Hopefully the next 1 will be the "one". :(

2-1

The "reality" season has just ended and so, how's my scorecard? :)

1. THE AMAZING RACE 14 - CHECK!

I purely based this on gut feel and I was right! The Asian siblings won! I'd love Mel and Mike to come back for the the All Star Season though. Heck, even deaf Luke and Mom, hot-tempered cheerleaders Kara and Jaime and my African American sistahs Kisha and Jen! Overall, the season's far better than last season's yawnfest.

2. SURVIVOR TOCANTINS - X!

I haven't correctly predicted the Survivor winner two seasons in a row. That sucks! JT did deserve to win although for a while there, I was rooting for Erinn just to bring some unpredictability to an otherwise predictable season. I hope next season will be better.

3. AMERICAN IDOL 8 - CHECK!

Kris was purely a gut choice and he won! I'm so happy. In fact my 3 picks to win were part of the TOP 4, woohoo! Wow, this is the first time since Kelly Clarkson that the eventual winner was not featured in the Audition and Hollywood rounds. Kudos to Kris! I think Kris will fare more like Jordin Sparks. If Danny won, he'll fare like Taylor Hicks. (Peace, Danny fans) Adam will be more like Fantasia, great GREAT performer but I'm not sure if his albums will sell. I'm just happy because Kris' winning is a big STFU to TPTB! Kala n'yo ma-manipulate n'yo ang mga tao with your pre-ordained Final 2 ha! Hehe :)

Goodluck winners! See you next season, reality freaks! :)

My short is short

It fell short of budget, that is. It's just a student film and the amount I need is only small but I haven't been exactly earning much after I resigned from regular work to study in film school. I hope you can help me out, fellow netizens! :)

Here are some of the pictures from the shoots so far.


Indie actor Arnold Reyes, former Ang TV star Farrah Florer, and Cinemanila Best Actress Angeli Bayani play parents of the lead child actors


Acclaimed scriptwriter Michiko Yamamoto wrote the script.


Cinemalaya Best Actress Ina Feleo plays a special role


Talented child actors Jairus Aquino (Super Inggo) and Mica dela Cruz (T2) portray the lead characters

Sayang naman kung di ko matapos. :(

Ang Asawa Kong Si Nikulet Day 1

Here are some of the pictures taken by my PM Yam Lacaba and her team during the first shooting day of my student short film. Whew! :)







The rest of the pictures are in My Multiply.

2 more shooting days to go! Wish me luck and pray for me please. :)

Bud Brothers

I co-wrote this episode. :) Kindly tell your kasambahays to watch. May 4 na sa ABS-CBN Hapontastic after Kambal sa Uma. Hehe :P

Paper Heart

Michael Cera, this better not disappoint like Nick and Norah's coz I'm already excited. :)

Weezer - The Greatest Man That Ever Lived

Weezer really makes the coolest music videos ever. This is taken from renowned filmmaker Warren Miller's latest ski film "Children of Winter." :)



Here's also a bonus video for Rivers Cuomo fans. Click to find out which TV star is he jamming with and what classic 90's ditty is he singing.

Whatever happened to Sandara Park?

I saw this first on Perez Hilton. It's the first music video of Sandara Park's girl band in Korea. Way to go, Sandy! Hehe :)



Other Sandara videos:
Making of the music video
LG Cyon commercial
A brewing controversy
Koreanovela guest spot
Leading role in another music video
Subject of a Korean talk show

Where The Wild Things Are

OMFG Spike Jonze, I'm excited already!

Anya Marina - Whatever You Like

I confess I like T.I.'s Whatever You Like and this cover by Anya Marina is dope. :)

American Idol 8 Predictions!

Must be the live band or the bigger stage, or maybe because I didn't read the recap blogs beforehand but for the first time in what I would have considered an underwhelming season, I was actually impressed with the show! I'm referring to the final 13 performance episode where majority of the contestants gave solid numbers. Compared to previous seasons wherein you can already predict by this time the 2 or 3 singers who would surely go all the way to finals, I say this season has an even playing field. That's a good thing because it means unpredictability and who doesn't love that on reality TV?

Having said that, I predict that this season will be a battle between The Pimped and The Underdogs. For the sake of fair play, I wouldn't want The Pimped to win but I also know that the judges (and producers and story editors) have major influence on the voting public and since this is a prediction game, I gotta be objective. :)

BRAIN

VERSUS

Both are pimped, thus very popular with the public. I like Danny Gokey's tone but the pimping just turned me off. No thanks to the producers, I find it hard to objectively judge his performances now. I'm not a fan of high-pitch voices (even if I have one, haha) but Adam is more current, consistent and original in his interpretations.

BRAIN PICK: Adam Lambert

HEART

VERSUS

Both started as underdogs and relied on their vocal prowess to enter the Final 13. Of the two, Allison is more underdog since Alexis was featured in the audition rounds and Ryan always reminds us that she's a single mother. I like both because they give unpredictably original (yet predictably good) performances. But I've always been into pop-rock and so Dial Idol be damned...

HEART PICK: Allison Iraheta


GUT

VERSUS

Lil has been pimped since Day 1 while Kris was invisible until the semifinal rounds. What works against Lil is that an African American woman just won two seasons ago and she also pales in comparison (methinks) to the first female African American Idol. But there's just something about her personality that makes her shine in her performances. I have a gut feeling that she can still surprise. Kris, on the other hand, doesn't have the best voice but is very good-looking and very passionate in every performance. Is that what you call "it"? To borrow Kara, he's a package artist. However, Idol hasn't been really kind to non-"birit" singers but there's always a first time.

GUT PICK: Kris Allen

There you go, I predict Adam, Allison or Kris to win American Idol Season 8.

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Can I just add that for sheer entertainment value, I enjoy Megan and Anoop? :)

And I'm sorry, I don't get Matt Giraud YET. He sings in tune but I find him bland and his voice, generic. He's a poor man's Timberlake. Sorry, fans!

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Curious about my past predictions?
American Idol 7 - FAIL. I chose Johns over Cook as my Heart pick. This was before Hello
American Idol 6 - FAIL. I was rooting for Blake. Didn't even have Jordin on my radar.
American Idol 5 - WIN. Though I was not really strongly rooting for anyone.
American Idol 4 - WIN. Duh.
American Idol 3 - WIN. From the start, it was purely Fantasia!