adventures in neverland

one thing great about the just concluded two thousand and thirteen cinemalaya film festival is that it allowed us -- lovers of philippine cinema who are long deprived of something worthy of our two-hour time -- to exercise our divine right to choose what movie to watch. rediscovering it is glorious. it's like dying a thousand deaths and going straight to cinema heaven. no exaggeration there. imagine quality movie after quality movie competing for our attention. the only downside to this is of course, the weeklong festival is short. we need more time to watch each movie considering that most screenings, whether at the ccp or at the ayala-owned cineplexes, are almost always sold out already. &&&&&&&&&& of the dozen or so movies that were interesting, i was only able to catch seven : debosyon , ekstra , instant mommy , purok syete , amor y muerte , porno and the terribly awful diplomat hote l. i missed babagwa , quick change , transit ...

two movies at the ongoing two thousand and thirteen cinemalaya film festival -- porno and debosyon -- are using sex to expound their themes, as well as to eventually win the attention of picky cineastes. one is a long, tedious exposition on the culture of peeping into the most intimate acts between two people in a private room, as well as a critique on the society that condones such behavior; while the other is a glorious meditation on love, life and faith. &&&&&&&& porno, as the brave title suggests, is all about sex and is being marketed using sex as the main selling point. no surprise there. the minds behind the movie released photos of erstwhile bold stars rosanna roces and yul servo, both naked in bed, to newspapers and online media to lure moviegoers.  the two actors, unfortunately, had very small exposure in the movie that did not only dwell on the culture of pornography but a lot more. the marketing people even issue...