Hi, RenxKyoko here ! ( waves)
Well, there’s so much stuff swirling inside my head that I don’t know how and where to start . …but, start I must… or else, hiatus, eh? … that’s how it is with me nowadays.
OK, I’ll start with Philippine movies. .
I’ve been watching Philippine movies on Netflix ( to learn the language ) .. I think I’m getting better, but I still need to watch them with English subtitles. The last one that I watched was “That Thing Called Tadhana. ” Tadhana means Fate. It’s about a girl who’s heartbroken, and meets the male lead at the airport in Italy and both are flying back to the Philippines. The story is slow, but it fits the mood. Acting is very natural, and dialogue is mundane but very humorous. The male lead’s acting is Napoleon Dynamite-ish, but I’m sure it’s intentional. It makes their bonding and kinship funnier. All I can say is WOW ! Loved it !
I highly recommend this to lovers of romantic comedies. It’s such a refreshing change from cringe-worthy over-acting , unrealistic ( with really stupid plotlines ) Korean romcoms. So, if you’re a Filipino lover of Kdramas, please note that you have gems in your own backyard. <—– This is a social commentary.
The other movie that I watched was BuyBust … this is about big time drug dealing gone wrong. It’s extremely gritty, and the mood and atmosphere don’t feel Asian at all… for some reason. It feels like I’m watching a confrontation between cops and Latino gangsters somewhere in New York or east LA. ( forgive me for being politically incorrect and for stereotyping, but the actors do all look like Latinos, both the drug dealers and PDEA ( Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) agents.
Back to BuyBust ….. I watched the movie with my parents. They say it’s a bit Hollywoodish, because nothing of this sort will ever happen in the Philippines. Bad men, when trapped, just surrender like innocent sheep, and never fight back. This movie ,however, looks like an apocalyptic massacre. There’s a free-for-all fight between the cops and drug dealers’ sympathizers. I mean , the whole squatters’ area’s residents are the drug dealer’s army. Wtf ! It’s unrealistic, and implausible in the Philipppines. Overall, though, the acting is good. Highly recommended. Also… ahem… *cough*… all my Filipino friends say I resemble Anne Curtis, the female lead in BuyBust. They’ve sworn by this this since long ago, and it’s only in this movie that I’ve finally taken a good look at her. Hmmm…. Yeah, I can see a resemblance. He he… Oh, wait, I’m being politically incorrect again, haha. In the Philippines, people don’t call them slums or squatters areas anymore. They are now called ” depressed areas” and the residents are not called squatters, but “illegal settlers”. Illegal settlers, hmmm…. I don’t know if that makes their situation better.
Anyway, if you have Netflix, ( I assume everybody has Netflix, right ? ) , I highly recommend these two movies.
Alright, this is all for now. Bye bye, see you later. Muaaah !
Am a Molecular Microbiology student, love to read books, and I play the violin. 
dreamsending
renxkyoko
renxkyoko's space 
Posted by aysabaw on March 11, 2019 at 12:51 pm
I haven’t seen both HAHAHA. I tried to watch That Thing…..long time back when it was so trending but as you said, the start was quite slow and I just stopped watching.
Buy Bust also, they said is good for a Pinoy movie. HAHA And Anne is surprisingly good in this movie, they said.
Posted by renxkyoko on March 11, 2019 at 1:41 pm
It’s actually the “slowness” that I find very charming.. Angelica Panganiban is fantastic here, and so is de Guzman. Watch it again, Aysabaw. No wonder so many Filipinos appreciated the movie when it first came out. ( Psst, tell me if they get together at the end of the story.. I’m a bit confused and unsure of the ending… okay? Ha ha )
About Anne Curtis… BuyBust is my 3rd Anne Curtis movie . Her acting is also very good in those movies. I think she’s really a good actress, Aysabaw.. *whisper* Do I really resemble her ? So many have told me that ( friends and relatives living in the Philippines and a Filipino friend here in the US) . I don’t think so, but it’s only in BuyBust that I finally notice the resemblance. The problem is, Anne Curtis is dirty here, her face is so messed up… in other words, I look like the dirty, ugly Anne Curtis…hahahahaha !
Posted by aysabaw on March 11, 2019 at 2:05 pm
I will try to watch it again…
Anne Curtis, some angles shows resemblance. But you look more like Mariel Rodriguez to me HAHAHA
Posted by renxkyoko on March 11, 2019 at 2:19 pm
First time to hear that name * googled*… uhm… I don’t think so.. I do see a bit of resemblance when’s she’s fully made-up…. opposite of anne Curtis, he he.
Posted by aysabaw on March 11, 2019 at 3:07 pm
Hahaha I still feel you look like someone else but I can’t figure out
Posted by renxkyoko on March 12, 2019 at 2:42 am
He he Don’t sweat it.. we all look alike. Ha ha !
Posted by No_Juan_Is_An_Island on March 11, 2019 at 3:40 pm
That Thing Called Tadhana is probably my personal favorite romcom. Brings back so much joy, love, and pain. Hahaha.
Posted by renxkyoko on March 12, 2019 at 2:41 am
I know, right? My favorite, too. I watched it 2x. The humor is so subtle.
Posted by Ste J on March 13, 2019 at 12:28 am
I enjoyed That Thing Called Tadhana, the characters were likeable but I was disappointed by Buy Bust. It felt like it was trying to be The Raid but nowhere near as successful, the political subtlety was laughable too. Metro Manila is a really good film, not sure if Netflix is regional or not but it worth checking out.
Posted by renxkyoko on March 13, 2019 at 5:51 am
BuyBust is a bit Hollywoodish, in my opinion. I also watched Birdshot, which I think is better than BuyBust. They say On the Job is good too… I watched and read some reviews of MetroManila, and they were all very positive. I’m not going to watch it though after watching Birdshot and BuyBust. It’s too much for me to take in. By the way, Birdshot won the Tokyo International Film Festival… it was also the country’s entry to Cannes festival, didn’t win , also submitted it to Oscar’s international film category, didn’t make it, either. . ( Or was it On the Job, not sure. ) Instead of watching MetroManila, I opted to watch some stupid Filipino romantic comedies, ha ha ha… Bride for Rent, one of those loveteam movies, and another one, No Other Woman. …. all in one week.
Posted by MarkyMe on October 30, 2019 at 6:05 am
Dear Ms. Iglesias please have a change of heart,Birdshot the ending explains it all and BuyBust is trying to be Raid very true. But please watch Metro Manila, if you are familiar with Maynila,Sa Kuku ng Liwanag. Both of them have some identical elements. For me it is like an adventure type movie that tells the story of what a responsible father will do to provide for his family. Sorry for my not so well crafted English though. Pasenxia, but please give it a shot.
Posted by renxkyoko on October 31, 2019 at 11:43 am
Raid fights are too choreagraphed in my opinion… BuyBust ‘s is raw and chaotic , but that’s actually what happens. At first, I thought the plotline and “scenery were made -up….. then I saw “Baseco Compund on YouTube…. It looks almost exactly like the shanty colony in BuyBust. ……After watching BuyBust, I couldn’t watch Birdshot and Metro-Manila anymore. It’s just to depressing to me.
Birdshot was second in a row of F
Posted by renxkyoko on March 13, 2019 at 5:55 am
Ste J, did the main leads in That Thing Called Tadhana get together at the end????? It looks like they did???
Posted by Ste J on March 14, 2019 at 2:02 am
I have no idea but I do hear rumour of a sequel which could be interesting. Crissy always puts PBO on and I watch stuff like Bridesmaids and such, she finds it funny how I guess at the dialogue. I enjoy watching them as cheesy B-movies. I will check out Birdshot definitely. Goyo was a really enjoyable sequel to Heneral Luna, need to mention that whilst I remember.
Posted by renxkyoko on March 14, 2019 at 6:45 am
I didn’t like Heneral Luna. Tons of scenes are very silly , and inappropriate. It’s a serious movie interspersed with comedic scenes. I dropped it.
Posted by Ste J on March 14, 2019 at 10:25 pm
It was a strange mixture, the sequel Goyo is a different affair, it keeps it serious but still has the heart. It is an big improvement.
Posted by renxkyoko on March 14, 2019 at 6:49 am
I rewatched the ending of That Thing…. I’m now 99% sure they got together, or if not, it’s a foregone conclusion.
Posted by equinoxio21 on March 13, 2019 at 11:57 pm
Having seen Philippine movies yet. One day. (When I want to learn Tagalog)
Cheers.
Posted by equinoxio21 on March 13, 2019 at 11:57 pm
Haven’t. Seen.
Posted by renxkyoko on March 18, 2019 at 1:45 pm
Check it out, equinoxio.
Posted by equinoxio21 on March 19, 2019 at 12:02 am
I will, Mercedes, I will. 😉
Posted by renxkyoko on March 19, 2019 at 3:33 am
Ahahaha ! I thought I was Socorro . He he…
Posted by equinoxio21 on March 19, 2019 at 3:49 pm
Or is it Refugio?
Be good my friend.
Posted by Doing the Universe of Good – Book to the Future on March 14, 2019 at 1:47 am
[…] couple of things of late have reminded me about Catriona Gray, firstly Ren’s post on Filipino films, especially Buy Bust which is set in Tondo, and secondly, the below music video, […]
Posted by loujen haxm'Yor on March 17, 2019 at 3:58 am
“Buy Bust.” Sounds like my kind of movie. I’ll have to check my Netflix. Have a wonderful day, Renxkyoko.
Posted by renxkyoko on March 18, 2019 at 1:47 pm
I recommend another one, Birdshot. It was the Philippines’ entry to Cannes and Oscars , didn’t make it, but won the Tokyo Film Festival. I like it better than BuyBust.
Posted by loujen haxm'Yor on March 24, 2019 at 2:31 am
I’ll check that one out too. Thanx.
Posted by Peter Wells aka Countingducks on March 18, 2019 at 8:05 pm
I do have Netflix and I have watched Korean dramas. “Love in the Moonlight” springs to mind as I really enjoyed it, and some of the characters were richly comical. However I will try and look at these as , what I call “World cinema” is one of my keen interests apart from staring our of the window and worrying about the world we live in. Always lovely to read your posts 🙂
Posted by Becky on April 1, 2019 at 10:05 pm
I was watching My Love From the Star. The Filipino version and it took me two episodes to realize that!!😂
I was wondering why Cheon song -yi (Korean character)was speaking such great English and why she was now being called Steffi Chavez! Wow did I have my dunce cap on!!!
I love Filipino dramas!
I began watching Wild flower. I also watched Legal Wife!
I started to notice a pattern with the tv shows. A lot of mistresses
Posted by renxkyoko on April 1, 2019 at 10:25 pm
I notice that , too. Filipino dramas tackle cheating … Rebecca, do you have Netflix ? Also, from where the heck do you watch these Filipino dramas ?
Posted by Becky on April 1, 2019 at 10:30 pm
Yes I have Netflix.
I watch on YouTube. KissAsian. Putlocker. Tfc tv app
Since my laptop crashed thanks to an antivirus update I can only watch shows on my iPad mini lol
Posted by renxkyoko on April 2, 2019 at 3:15 am
So you have Netflix now. That’s great. Well, That Thing Called Tadhana is on Netflix. There are some cute ” idol” movies, like The Ex and Whys. I also like The Unmarried Wife and a horror movie titled Sukob.
Where I can I find KissAsian ?
Posted by Becky on April 2, 2019 at 3:17 am
Asian horror movies freak me out so bad. I can’t handle them! I love horror movies but I’m a big baby when it comes to that 😂😂
Posted by renxkyoko on April 2, 2019 at 3:40 am
Oh, same here ! I’m always scared , but for some reason….. Rebecca, I sleeps with lights on . Ha ha !
Posted by Becky on April 2, 2019 at 3:45 am
The only time I slept with the lights on was after I watched the Grudge! For 3 days I slept with them on!
I had been sleeping in the living room because it had been comfiest but after the Grudge I had to move back into my room, sleep with lights on. 😂😂
Posted by renxkyoko on April 2, 2019 at 5:43 am
The Japanese original is 3x scarier.
Posted by renxkyoko on April 1, 2019 at 10:25 pm
By the way, yo can watch That Thing Called Tadhana on YouTube.
Posted by simplymesmc on June 9, 2019 at 11:19 am
Wow..good to know you are learning Tagalog.
I heard ‘ Maria’ of Christine Reyes is good too. I think its if the same genre at Buybust’s. It’s on Netflix too
Tama, medyo hawig mo si Anne. A little.
Posted by renxkyoko on June 11, 2019 at 10:42 am
My vocabulary is still limited, though, but it’s so much better now than 10years ago ( and I still need to watch the movies with subtitles. Ha ha.. ”
I ‘d watched Maria and it was good… but for some reason , I like BuyBust more… Though good, Maria is too cliché … I mean , what’s with the women’s outfits, ha ha.. They’re like Bond girls. I don’t know why they need to look gorgeous and sexy to kill people, and in high heels, too. Ha ha
Posted by simplymesmc on June 11, 2019 at 11:58 pm
Im just about to watch maria. I Ill check on that 🙂
Practice lang ng practice. gagaling ka din mag tagalog.