04 September 2009

Yanggaw (2008)


Yanggaw is a horror/suspense/drama film written and directed by Richard Somes. The dramatic storyline of this film is simply prolonged by the struggle of one family trying to defend a member of their kin who became a problem, prodigal and worse, a monster. I have seen a lot of movies like this, the aswang themes but this one is way different. This movie projects a point of view revolving on the drastic events upon the monster's own family. We used to see aswang movies and we would always conclude that they're harmful monsters and they should be feared, and we should get rid of them if one is immersing in our community. But this film was able to bring out the picture wherein we can instantly alter our perception about these monsters.  It shows how the monster suffer from this kind of infection. How she felt sick about it. How she wished she never became a monster who feed on human innards and blood and whatsoever. How she begged for death until her father has to decide to slaughter her for the sake of the town that has been piled up with corpses. This is not an aswang movie that you can see a monster transforming into a fiery animal. This one simply shows a monster with a hair in warlike disarray and fangs drenched in blood.




Yanggaw is a comparison to our society. The Filipino family has remained intact amidst problems. This one is a good example to that. The story is actually a metaphor to a family member having an addiction that affects the whole family making that member unwanted already. And the natural familial reaction takes place, whatever happens to a member there is still acceptance from the whole family.
 Yanggaw is definitely a new take on our local films. It has made me realize how shameful and rotten are Shake Rattle and Roll movies. Most horror films we have are inspired by The Ring. This film is extraordinary even if it is obviously low budgeted. The film hasn't used any computer generated visual effects. Richard Somes has succeeded to use the eerie atmosphere and it is effectively creepy. The twilight scenes gave me goosebumps-- frightening movements of leaves and the growl of the monster.

Multi-awarded stars like Ronnie Lazaro, Joel Torre, Tetchie Agbayani and breakthrough performance of Aleera Montalla tongue-tied me for having been so at ease with the hiligaynon dialect. The soft-spoken quality of the dialect has made the movie more genuine.

Im just hoping that our local film-makers can make more movies like this, a film that succeeds to define a myth not influenced by the Western flicks like vampires or zombies. This is originally a Filipino myth. Yes, this is a myth that is so bothersome when i was a kid. My granny used to tell me stories like this just to threaten me not to leave the house when twilight arrives. Yanggaw is what i proudly believe one of the finest breakthrough in the changing picture of the contemporary Philippine cinema.
Fonzi Christ Web Developer

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02 September 2009

Change for the Better


I’ve always thought that I could trust one specific individual…
hell, a group of individuals…
Today, I discovered that I am completely wrong.
Elimination is the only possible scenario.
Basically- expect a shit ton of changes around here.
Some of them are hard, most of them are harder than that.
I think that's life.

So, I’m hanging on, and doing all I can to push through.
I can look back on 1,000,000 instances in which I believed that nothing worse could happen.
This too shall pass- I have brilliant ideas, a great personality, and I will move on.
Soon, I’ll look back and this will be a non issue.

This is growing up.
Fonzi Christ Web Developer

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