TELL ME ABOUT THE FOREST YOU ONCE CALLED HOME

Pinoy sci-fi fans watch out for the soon to be released film LUMANG KAHOY.

This is internationally acclaimed, writer/director, PAMELA MIRAS' homage to futurism, environmental apocalypse, the dangers of technological fascism and the last tree on earth.

Direk Miras also happens to be an old college buddy, ex-bandmate, hipag and all around good friend and therefore available to me as just Pam. That's her in full action mode giving directorial advice to, uhm, a living, ambulatory tree.

Uber-nice body cast, that, ala Mystique.

Seriously, though, from the photos and the meticulous journal she keeps to document the "making of LK" (you can check it out at http://lumangkahoy.blogspot.com/) it looks like the bomb with the gorgeously lit and designed sets, the cool costumes and even cooler conceptual/visual metaphors.

The synopsis gives us more on LK: "In the year 4439, the Earth is colonized by an alien superpower. All of nature was eradicated and replaced by alien matter and elements. Humans are the only living creatures on the planet and they live in domed cities run by the alien “Overlords”. . .But change is coming. . .a loyal Captain, a thousand-year-old humanoid in a 12-year old body, and a girl half-human, half-soil, all play a part in the advent of the Earth’s first tree after a thousand years."

Alien Overlords?! Domes?! Astig. I can't feckin' wait. Go, Pamster, go.

Though the film is in the final stages of production we can enjoy the wasak trailer below while we wait. PS Yep, it stars Jao Mapa.

Check out more about Pam and her films here: http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamiras

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

Cribbed from Dave H's blog (http://fiveleggediguana.blogspot.com/) this is likely one of the most art-house leaning, subtly disturbing vampire movies ever. More so since the blood sucker in question is a 12-year old girl.

Despite its pacing and slow build-up, the reward of the slowly tightening narrative and its stellar conclusion will be more than enough for hardcore horror ghouls and weekend fang bangers alike.

So seek out and watch the Swedish film Let the Right One In (Lat Den Ratte Komma In). Haven't read the book yet but they say it's the bomb too.

CRISIS REPORT

One of the best death metal, hardcore, thrash and White Zombie style weirdness mash-ups that actually predated System of a Down and sounds on the verge of excellent horrorcore with a side dish of left field politics. Karyn Crisis (who looks like a female version of Shadows Falls' Brian Fair) looks like an avatar of Shiva with her four foot long dreadlocks. Uber-asteg!

Too bad they've split up.

Since there's no embedding on "Different Ways to Decay" (likely the best vid), enjoy it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F2FYBmSVhA

"Bridging the gap between Faith no More, Killing Joke and Slayer, New York art-metal troupe Crisis is fronted by charismatic and eccentric vocalist Karyn Crisis, whose schizophrenic vocal stylings (including everything from melodic singing to death-grunts to impulsive squeaks and squawks) simply defied description. Formed in the early 90's, Crisis was also a multi-cultural stew, throwing Pakistani guitarist Afzaal Nasiruddeen, Taiwanese bassist Gia Chuan Wang and American drummer Fred Waring into a musical melting pot of frightening proportions."

BETTER LIVING THROUGH FIREARMS

This is my bedside at night since I started living alone (or almost alone) at a renovated pad. When you step out the gate a major road greets you with all the traffic both human and vehicular something like that entails. The noise and the hum of the city is just so close that it took some getting used to the first few months I started sleeping there.

The trouble with sleep eventually went away but not the sense of danger. Hence, sleeping with a .45 near at hand with my nighttime reading and a container of water. Especially since, recently, a roving band of ghetto kids have been terrorizing the neighborhood, trying to break into houses for general theft, mischief and anarchy. When I say kids I mean mostly young boys aged nine through twelve.

The police (who are stationed at the intersection of our street and another major thoroughfare, for the frequent trouble and crimes in the area, I suppose) have probably broken up fights and/or picked up somebody four times in the past two months for stuff related to these gang kids. The ones, I've noticed, at the least.

"Parang City of God!" exclaims my lawyer, the time she and her husband drove me home, spotting a congregation gathered round a police car several houses down.

While I'm no great advocate of firearms I feel better with the darned thing beside vulnerable, sleeping me. Like the redneck says: "It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it." Dreams of killer children leaning over me while am tied up and gagged, notwithstanding.

While the gun IS licensed, it ain't mine. Which will explain its rusted condition and lack of general upkeep Also, having hollow-point bullets as ammo increases one's sense of security exponentially (look up any number of military/cop movies/TV shows to see the effects of hollow-points on flesh). The fact that there are also several airsoft guns in the pad that look just like the real ones (and are heavier, in some cases) is also a great thing.

So am (we are) equally prepared for a home invasion or a plague of zombies. The undead will find us ready to lock and load -- say hello to our little friends!

Still, the gun has caused some consternation with my girlfriend when, coming into the room, as quietly as she could one night, caused me to wake up and instantly think of a home invasion. You take a woman seriously when she tells you not to point the gun at her again or booty will forever be revoked. Okay. Sorry. Putting the gun away now. When I sleep alone though I prep the gun after brushing and before fluffing my pillows. The gun stays because the kids are NOT alright. I resist giving it a name, though.

Oh, and if you haven't watched the Brazilian film City of God, I suggest you check it out. It is, hands down next to Trainspotting, the shit.







~ 30

A NEW BEAST or FLY ASWANG'S DEVIANT ART SITE

FLY ASWANG, or that BESWANG SERIES PROJECT I co-wrote with local animation stalwart Ate Mina Caliguia (may the dearly departed RIP), has a deviant art page now, made by animation director Mark Galvez which features some of the gorgeous concept and marketing art used for the series.

Needless to say, it looks great. Especially the posters. Dig the "Pray After Meals" one above and the main series poster below.



Asteg di ba? Below is Mark's introduction, but please do check out the site over here: http://flyaswang.deviantart.com/

* * *
hi and hello

We are Creative Media and Film Society of the Philippines(CreaM for short). We are pleased to present you the artworks from our very first project entitled FlyAswang.

Fly Aswang is a story about an Aswang Family from the Philippines that migrated in the states. Against their mother's(Bessie Badilla) warning not to go to the Philippines, the three filipina-american daughters travel to manila for a cousin's wedding. Instead they are trapped in an Aswang ritual and their family's history of supernatural power until Bessie comes to save them.

This year we have finished a half hour pilot animation and a 120 pages manga/comic book for Fly Aswang.

CreaM is spearheaded by Ms. Imee Marcos [link]

Fly Aswang original concept by Bessie Badilla [link]

Written by Mina Caliguia of Artfarm Asia and Karl De Mesa [link]

Animation Directed by Mark Galvez
Supervising animator Juvy Amistoso
Manga penciled, inked and toned by :iconjurak: , :iconryuuen: and Julius Sanchez
pin up posters and backgrounds for animation by noel ferraris, Cheyenne Quintana :iconshaiyan: , Joana Pauline Ampayo :iconolei: and Joel Chua :iconjoelchua:
Technical director :iconjunotenbatsu:
Sound and music arranged at BlueSonic studios Ann Angala

GHOSTS OF THE HINTERLAND

Or, in this case, just one ghost.

Biscochong Halimaw has a song titled "Ghosts of the Hinterland" where an army of headless wraiths wander the lonely mountain paths accosting people and trying to ask them where the heck their heads are and get them to help in the search. Of course since they can't communicate, this just scares the shit out of people. Its both terrifying and funny. And if you've ever actually walked at night on an open mountain road with just an emergency lantern or a flashlight you'll understand the terror part quite well.

And so, apropos of nothing, I found a news item on PDI (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20090120-184497/White-Lady-appears-on-cops-video) that had this White Lady accidentally shot on-cam while the police were conducting a mapping operation off some hills (yep, the hills have eyes and some hot girls in nothing but white see, through gowns).

Stop the video at around 0:05 and voila! There she is, mon freres. The cops said there wasn't nobody there at all. Creepy eh?

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON NATALIE

TYBS returns to its regular programming after a mountain-load of work that just had to be decimated.

To get us moving again please dig the video below of gorgeous, amazing, direct to your viscera Natalie Portman in an SNL short, rapping (yes, rapping) about what she does on a regular day. Trust me, you'll enjoy it. Fo' shizzle.

Oh, yeah, happy yuletide ; )