Stop the press!

I think I may have to change my choice for best movie of 2010... I only saw it this January but it is indeed my top choice of 2010 and maybe 2011!
Mojacko recommends...RPG Metanoia! It's the first 3D animated film  from the Philippines and it is amazing! Sure, the animation is not as fluid as Pixar's but it got the most important part right--the story!

RPG (Role Playing Game) Metanoia is about a kid who is awful at sports but a champ at online gaming where he is a hero who can slay monsters in an imaginary world which the creators have imbued with very Pinoy details like calesas, moriones helmets and cobble stone streets.. Circumstances lead him and his friends to give up gaming and discover Pinoy street games like patintero and piko. Meanwhile the gaming world is in turmoil as an evil player is turning everyone into zombies even in the real world! And now, only Nico and friends can save the world!

I love how proudly Pinoy it is (daing na bangus! owner type jeeps! sari-sari stores!) and how the creators have meshed their love for gaming with their fondness for the games of their youth without hitting the audience on the head with a moral lesson.

Mojacko recommends: Last Supper # 3

Just watched Last Supper No.3, an indie film that won Best Film at the Cinemalaya fest. It's a dark comedy that doesn't resort to slapstick like Kimmy Dora but it's still funny just the same. A critic said something about Schadenfreude, delight in someone else's misery... and this was definitely the case with poor Wilson, a naive assistant in a TV ad who went through 3 years of suffering because he lost a tapestry of the Last Supper and the owners sue him. He goes through his own Calvary as he deals with the slow machinations of the justice system , from corruption, red tape and even the death of a judge! What' s truly shocking is that this was based on a true story! I do hope more people get to watch this so they don't have to go through anything similar.

Mojacko recommends:Kimmy Dora

You'd be crazy to miss Kimmy Dora, starring the very talented Eugene Domingo in the dual role of Kimmy and Dora! Eugene is not a comedian. She is an actress! Ariel Ureta is pitch-perfect as the twins' father.And of course, Joyce Bernal is back in her element in a rip-roaring comedy with heart. I was expecting laughs but was suprised by tears, too. Eugene masterfully portrays Kimmy's pain and vulnerability so effortlessly that the audience couldn't help but sympathize with the bitchy character!

I hear the movie's a hit even if it's a small film and this is great news for Pinoys looking for good movies. Go and watch it, now na! It's the ultimate stress-buster!

my top films of 2008

A little late and definitely not academy awards material, just my own personal favorite movies or ,ehem, dvds from the past year

Favorite family movie: Mamma Mia! I watched this on dvd with my family and I now regret that I didn't let my ma and pa watch this on the big screen...just pure unadulterated fun all the way. I had the songs playing in my head for a month!

Favorite comic bookmovie: Iron Man. Sorry Batman, I hate dark, depressing movies and while everyone hailed it as the best comic book movie ever, I enjoyed Robert Downey Jr.'s playboy millionaire more. Favorite animated movie: Kung Fu Panda. Again maybe it was because of all the hype, but Wall-E just didn't affect me as much as the other Pixar films like Nemo or The incredibles...Po and the gang took themselves less seriously and the result is genuine mirth and movie magic.Favorite comedy : Tropic Thunder. Robert Downey again saves the day as 'that dude playing anothuh dude' and true to his word, he's still in character in the audio commentary! Plus, my family could not believe that was Tom Cruise!

Favorite Filipino film: Endo

What? Nope, it's not a Star Cinema rom-com. It's a small indie film that very few people outside of Cinemanila saw...which is a pity because this charming tale of contractual ('end of contract') employees who fall in love sans the histrionics or 'acting' moments one usually sees in Filipino movies is poignant and so moving in its simplicity. Too bad it's still not available on DVD.

Honorable mention: Hellboy 2 for its arresting visuals like this. Those are eyes on her wings! The dvd I got is chock-full of special features detailing the creative process behind this movie.Wow! Wonder what del Toro's dreams look like.

I still don't have any picks for Drama. I've seen Slumdog millionaire, Benjamin Button,etc. on the bangketa but I'll wait for the true dvd copy. Any suggestions or know any other films I might have missed?

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edited to add:

Favorite Horror/Thriller movie: The Orphanage

Spanish language film that provided the thrills and chills without big budget special effects. Hello, Shake rattle and roll franchise of Mother Lily, it can be done! I never thought a game of "uno,dos, tres, toca la pared"(Spanish version of pepsi/7-up) could be so hair-raising!

Mojacko recommends: Minsan Pa

I saw a glowing review of Jeffrey Jeturian's "Minsan Pa" starring Ara Mina and Jomari Yllana a few years ago but I didn't see the movie because I'd been burnt before by a few Filipino movies that had rave reviews only to come away disappointed. And the controversial break-up of the lead stars prior to the movie's opening felt like a cheap promo that made me resolve to stay away from it entirely. Now, it turns out the break-up wasn't a gimmick and the movie was indeed deserving of the praises heaped upon it.

I rented the Vcd copy on a whim to view with my sis and mom one lazy Sunday and I was so blown away by this 'simple' unconventional love story. And having Cebu as the setting had me running to the computer to recommend this gem to my Cebuano uncle. Armando Lao crafted a lovely story and the direction of Jeffrey Jeturian brought out a sensitive protrayal from Ara Mina who appears almost without any make up and has never looked so beautiful. The movie comes with subtitles so my Fil-Am and Fil-Canadian relatives can watch it without having to ask "what's going on?" every other scene.

The only bad news is that it flopped at the box office and it's almost impossible to get a DVD in the video stores. I actually had to contact its producer, my email friend Joji Alonso, and buy it from her law office.

Some of my officemates saw it being aired on cable but got bored because it does start kinda slow and soem of the dialogue is in Bisaya so they got tired of reading the subtitles. I told them next time, keep watching because the payback is so worth it.