Such a heartwarming campaign from Coca-Cola. Filipino Christmas at its best and most meaningful <3
Couldn’t help but tear up a little. Sniff, sniff.
by coypatalagsa
”Why couldn’t God make me Elvis?”
“Because he was saving you for John Lennon.”
Above: from the 2009 John Lennon biopic, ‘Nowhere Boy’.
by crazyfeel
This Time For Lilia Cuntapay
My childhood years belong to an era where watching Filipino movies in the movie houses are something to look forward to. I can still remember how my Father and I would watch local movies at the then-famous Agrix movie house here in Los Banos (the site where Anthony Genuino’s Los Banos Centro Mall is being built). No torrents. No downloads. No pirated dibidis. And if one missed the movies on the theaters, there is always our suking VHS rental houses to the rescue. (Man, I can still remember how to clean the VHS head with a clean bond paper. Ah, the little wonders of those days.)
The movie industry of the nineties is rich with Carlo J. Caparas’ insert-the-name-of-the-place-and-add-the-word-massacre movies, comedy films by Viva Films (Kuwadro De Jack and Pusoy Dos will always be my favorite), the last glorious days of Pinoy action movies, titillating flicks by Seiko Films (oh yeah!), and the thriller/haunted/shocker movies by Regal Films.
Let me focus on the last one - Regal Films. The movie outlet who taught us that haunted refrigerators and toilet bowls (Undin!) do exist; who coined the term “Anak ni Janice” which is synonymous to tiyanak (I wonder how Janice De Belen’s children from John Estrada and Aga Muhlach would react to this.); and who gave us a lesson on Aswang survival (Thank you Manilyn Reynes and Ana Roces).
Regal Films played an important role in shaping the contemporary Philippine cinema, thanks to the efforts of Mother Lily Monteverde. But in my opinion, there is another two-word term synonymous to Regal Films’ success aside from Mother Lily and horror movies.
Lilia Cuntapay.
If there is one person who scared me when I was as a child aside from the creepy kid on the TV commercial of pediafortan and Mr. Shooli (Jun Urbano), that would be the most famous extra of Filipino movies - Lilia Cuntapay. Her long white hair, her toothless scare face, and the way she stares at her victims was enough for me to run to my parents in tears. Or hide under my pillow.
And of course, aside from her roles as white lady, aswang, and mangkukulam in the movies, there is always her appearance on the Halloween specials ofMagandang Gabi Bayan. I can still remember her creepy face as a white lady on theCeres bus haunted stories (where the camera caught a real image of a white lady on a highway somewhere up north).
Lilia Cuntapay. The country’s most famous extra. Even if you are not really into Filipino movies, I know that her face is familiar to you (though I bet that not all of you know her real name, like my favorite Professor in College.). And it is but proper for the movie industry to recognize her talent by making a movie starring her on her very first lead role.
A few weeks ago, the trailer of her movie 6 Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay spread on the internet. The movie tells the story of “dakilang extra” Lilia Cuntapay through the days leading up to a fictionalized awards night where she is nominated as a Best Supporting Actress for the very first time. The movie is one of the entries of this year’s Cinema One Originals.
Last night, November 13, the awarding ceremony for the said movie festival was held at the RCBC Theater. And the movie bagged six (6) awards including Best Actress for Lilia Cuntapay (other awards are Special Jury Prize, Best Supporting Actress for Geraldine Villamil, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, and Audience Choice Awards).
At last, Lilia’s talent is now being recognized by the industry. I hope this is not the last movie with Lilia Cuntapay. Today’s generation still need to know more of this brilliant, talented, and famous extra. I also hope that this movie be released commercially or if not, be more available for more viewers and movie goers to see.
It’s time for this industry to recognize talented extras (and sidekicks). Who knows?We might see Mang Andres (AKA Bangkay) and Bubble Gang’s Diego Lorico and Myka Flores on their first-ever movie in a starring role in the near future.
The Philippine movie industry needs more talented and creative minds to resurrect. And with the recent emergence of quality independent and mainstream movies, we may be slowly achieving that goal.
And I am sure that Lilia Cuntapay played her part on this movement.
Mabuhay si Lilia Cuntapay!
Elsewhere:
- Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay Facebook Page
- Lilia Cuntapay Facebook Page (More Lilia Cunatapay-turned-classic-portraits photos)
- Capsule reviews for Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay
- Cinema One Originals Awards 2011 list of winners
by juanrepublic
It’s not going to turn out the way you thought.
It will happen later. His best friend will ask you out instead. You’ll be kissed in the movies instead of on a beach. You’ll end up going to a different school because the one you thought you’d get into didn’t work out.
She’ll move away. Someone else will move in next door. She’ll be a little weird at first, a little more shy, but ultimately really good at riding bikes and playing dolls.
That part you always wanted will go to that other girl instead. And you’ll rock it out in the chorus like your life depended on it. Because on some level it does.
The road you were going to take will be flooded and closed. The inn where you were going to stay will be under renovations. He’ll be taller than you thought. And have a funny accent. But will be a good kisser nonetheless.
You’ll get a flat tire on the way to that crucial meeting and end up peeing your pants laughing with the gas station attendant over a copy of Us Magazine. And someone else will fill in for you because they always do.
You won’t get that dream job like you thought you would. It will go to someone else with far less creative drive and vision than you. Someone far better suited for a cubicle than you.
You’ll be put in groups with people who put your panties in a wrinkle. You’ll sit next to someone on the plane who you’d never talk to except that they won’t shut up…and you’ll end up staying in touch for years and taking family vacations together.
Five years after you graduate life won’t look anything like you would have imagined. You’ll be single when you thought you’d be married. You’ll have kids when you thought you’d be in the Peace Corps. That trip to Laos will get delayed because you’ve got to stay home and take care of your grandmother. Laos will be there. You’re grandmother won’t always.
He’ll move over seas and oddly the Atlantic Ocean between you will bring you closer than you ever dreamed possible. You won’t get engaged, married, or pregnant when you thought. You’ll miss the bus/train/plane/ferry that you thought you just HAD to be on.
You’ll fall off the turnip truck. You’ll jump on a different bandwagon than you intended. You’ll get fired when you thought you ought to be getting hired.
You’ll realize you forgot the outfit you had planned to wear and that the shoes are all wrong now that you have a full-length mirror to see the whole outfit. Your shirt will be wrinkled and you’ll spill red wine on your white jeans.
Your dog will eat your five-year plan. You’ll drop your Blackberry in the toilet (at least once.) Your computer will crash and you’ll delete the first draft of your magnum opus. You’ll accidentally delete your hard drive and end up with a clean slate.
You’ll show up late to the date with the guy you were sure was going to fit into your husband suit and realize he’s less than graceful under stress and not so flexible. (Better to know now than later.)
When you thought you’d be baking pie and living behind your very own white picket fence you’ll find yourself doing something so entirely different you couldn’t have even imagined it a year before. There will be moments when you’ll look around and not even recognize your own life…in a good way.
You’ll take a wrong turn and end up in an entirely different city than you intended. You’ll dial the wrong number and end up in love with an entirely different person than you intended.
You’ll flunk out and end up taking five years instead of four to graduate. You’ll have your heart broken when you were sure you were with the one and then meet the other one a month later. You’ll move to a new city to start a new business with those perfect new business partners and then it will all go to shit. And you’ll move across the country again only to realize that that’s where you belonged the whole time.
You’ll drive as far away from home as possible thinking that it will make you feel free. Then you’ll get homesick and drive back four months later because you suddenly feel trapped.
You’ll imagine the open road, country music playing loud, you signing at the top of your lungs, and flirting with a new man in every town. And then you’ll invite someone to come with you on a whim and realize driving around the country by yourself was a terrible idea anyway…and that its way more fun when you’re traveling with someone you love.
You won’t do it at the right time.
You’ll be late.
You’ll be early.
You’ll get re-routed.
You’ll get delayed.
You’ll change your mind.
You’ll change your heart.
It’s not going to turn out the way you thought it would.
