The Metro Manila Film Festival - My Thoughts About It

Its this time of the year again when Filipino Film Makers, producers, actors, directors and the movie goers are all excited to watch the entries of the said star studded Festival in the country. Millions of movie goers line up in different malls to either watch their favorite actors and actresses or to watch all of the entry.

I wont be saying one movie is better than the other. This is not what the article is all about. I would be talking much more on what I thought in general about the movies presented for this years Metro Manila Film Festival 2013.

In general, today's Metro Manila Film Festival runs smoothly and definitely a success. Families spend a portion of their money to support the said festival. I like the idea that at least once a year they closed all cinemas across the archipelago to give way to all entries to be shown nationwide starting December 25 until somehow first week of January.

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For the opening day last December 25, My Little Bossing definitely rocked the ticket gross sales and topped the chart. Even before the opening I already think that My Little Bossing would be the highest grossing film for this years Metro Manila Film Festival. As I watched the movie, I think Ryza Mae "Aling Maliit" Dizon definitely is the sailor of the show. She definitely outshine her partner James "Bimby" Aquino (as expected, because this is Bimby's first appearance in movie). Bimby and Ryzza Mae will now hold the highest gross film for Day 1 outshining last years highest gross film Sisterakas.This proves that Kris Aquino (starrer of My Little Bossing) still is the Queen of All Media and Blockbuster Queen as I always say she can sell even the stone in Metro Manila and Vic Sotto still is the king of highest grossing films of Metro Manila as he never fails to be part of the TOP 3 Highest Grossing Film and don't underestimate Ryzza Mae "Aling Maliit" because she continues to prove that she can sell a movie and a talk show. My final verdict for the movie is definitely a comedy of good taste and class. Aling Maliit Ryzza Mae Dizon and Aiza Seguera is the flag bearer of the said  movie. The chemistry of all the actors and actresses of the movie in deed shines all throughout. I truly recommend this movie for children and or for the whole family.

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Second highest grossing film for today's Metro Manila Film Festival is as I expect is Vice Ganda's Girl Boy Bakla Tomboy. Vice Ganda is fully supported by the grass roots because of the kind of joke he uses which is very visible in the movie. Maricel Soriano still proves that she is still on the limelight after she takes home the Best Actress Award. I truly recommend this movie to moviegoers above 18 years old because of the kind of joke it has transpired in the movie.

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Horor movie still has some spot to Filipino movie goers as transpired by the Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla tandem in Pagpag: Siyam na Buhay as they still holds the number 3 spot in top grossing films. I watched the movie because I am very interested in Filipino culture. It is believe that after visiting a burial or wake one should go somewhere and "shake off"  and clean himself or herself to ward off the spirit of the the dead and will not follow him or her before heading home. I don't know why Horror movies are shown during Christmas season.

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Again Eugene Dominggo paves her way with her comedy stint and amazed her audience and fans in her Metro Manila Film Festival Entry Kimmy Dora and Kiyemeng Prequel. Her comedy styles never fails her audience and proves that Kimmy Dora can still sell as she is part of the Top 4 highest grossing films.

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No Doubt, Robin Padilla's 10,000 Hours definitely rocks the Festival as it bags almost all the awards. Robin Padilla then and again paves his way to the BEST ACTOR awards. It is a movie that will definitely revotionalize the action drama stints. I would say that this is so far the best of Robin Padilla's action-drama movie he ever starred into. One thing that turns me off is the idea that it is again based on a political figure. It could be used as again political advertisement to the politician they support. It doesn't wave product endorsement but it has shown a definite political advertisement which I am not fan of. The cinematography, acting, and directing is what I think that makes it really good.

So far, for most of the movies I've watched I believe that there are entries that is not supposed to be there but the winner definitely deserves their award (though Pedro Calungsod movie should have an award as well). Another thing that I have observed, most of the movies contains commercial product thus I call it a commercial movies or advertisement drama or product placement. It is evident to most movies that they always definitely made sure to add the products that they are endorsing at some point it became part of the movie attraction. I am not a big fan of such movie and I discourage such product endorsing on movies and should focus more on quality. Movie goers watch the movie because they wanted to be entertained and not watched the product the actors and actresses they endorsed.

Again, the Metro Manila Film Festival should showcase the best of the best Filipino Movies and not just a local flare. I am expecting that entries should way better or at par to their New Wave counterparts. The Metro Manila Film Festival should stands in their vision to promote the best of Filipino talents and not an avenue to promote political personalities, mobile applications, bath soap, pancit canton, laundry detergents among others. This should be an avenue of businessmen to flaunt their products and sell it to their audience. Films should be an avenue to entertain while ingesting values and characters and or very good story line, plot and acting.

Here is the complete list of winners for the 2013 MMFF:

FOR NEW WAVE CATEGORY:

New Wave Most Gender-Sensitive Film: Island Dreams Directed by Aloy Adlawan and Gino Santos
Animation Jury Prize: Ang Lalong Ni Kulakog
New Wave Special Jury Prize: Mga Anino ng Kahapon
New Wave Short Film Best Picture: Ang Paglisan
New Wave Best Picture: Dukit
Best New Wave Film: Dukit by Armando Lao
Best New Wave Film Director: Armando Lao for Dukit
New Wave Best Actress: Agot Isidro
New Wave Best Actors: Wilfredo Layug, Bor Ocampo, Bambalito Lacap for "Dukit"

Main Category

10,00 Hours

Best Festival Sound Recording: 10,000 Hours
Best Visual Effects: 10,000 Hours
Best Musical Score: 10,000 Hours
Best Production Design: 10,000 Hours
Best Editor: Maria Ignacio, 10,000 Hours
Best Cinematography: 10,000 Hours
Best Original Story: 10,000 Hours
Best Screenplay: 10,000 Hours
Best Director: Joyce Bernal (10,000 Hours)
Best Supporting Actor: Pen Medina, 10,000 Hours
Gat Puno Antonio Villegas Cultural Award: 10,000 Hours
1st Best Picture: 10,000 Hours
FPJ Memorial Award for Excellence winner: 10,000 Hours
Best Actor: Robin Padilla, 10,000 Hours

My Little Bossing

Best Child Performer: Ryzza Mae Dizon, My Little Bossings
Best Original Theme Song: My Little Bossings
Best Supporting Actress: Aiza Seguerra, My Little Bossings
3rd Best Picture: My Little Bossings

PAGPAG: Siyam na Buhay

Youth Choice Award: Pagpag
Male Star of the Night: Daniel Padilla
Best Make-up: Pagpag Siyam na Buhay

Girl Boy Bakla Tomboy

Best Actress: Maricel Soriano, Girl Boy Bakla Tomboy
2nd Best Picture: Girl, Boy, Bakla. Tomboy
Most Gender-Sensitive Film: Girl Boy Bakla Tomboy directed by Wenn Deramas

Kimmy Dora: Ang Kiyemeng Prequel

Female Star of the Night: Eugene Domingo

Boy Golden

Best Float Award: Boy Golden

Other Awards:

Special Recognition Award: Ronnie Ricketts, Optical Media Board Chairperson

List of Official Entries to Metro Manila Film Festival

10,000 Hours
Girl, Boy, Bakla, Tomboy
Kimmy Dora: Ang Kiyemeng Prequel
Pagpag: Siyam na Buhay
My Little Bossings
Kaleidoscope World
Pedro Calungsod: Batang Martir

Planning for Retirement will be My New Years Resolution

I am not financial expert nor a financial literate. However, over the past few days I have been thinking what happens to me when I retire. Then suddenly I came to realize that this would be my greatest failure. I should have been saving for my retirement the moment I started working.

There'd be so many ways and tips written about how to plan for your retirement. Financial experts will always have to say something about for to plan for a retirement. The thoughts actually that has been bugging me is AM I READY TO RETIRE when it is about time to RETIRE?

Planning for a retirement for sure is always the best way to go about it. Planning is definitely tedious and mind bugging. In my own idea, in order for you to plan for a retirement is you'd have to come up with a process on how you could achieve a successful and easy retirement. Part of which is definitely forecasting your future needs. Forecasting is the first step to a successful Retirement Plan.

Forecasting could be as simple as listing down all your possible expenses in a given point of your life. Of course FORECASTING is too technical to most of us including me. But, I am referring to the easier one which is the Qualitative Forecasting where it is really subjective and it is purely based on your own judgement. Though it is based on your judgement and subjective in nature you would have to put in mind that you would have to be most factual. In my case, I would forecast that the moment I will retire, I will be spending at least Php 3500 to Php 6500 per month on medicine and maintenance, Php 1500 on electricity and Php 500 on water bill. Since I am alone, I would be spending at least Php 1800 on food and beverage per week Php 4000 per month for phone, cable tv, and internet services and the list goes on. After making the list of the most possible expenses I would have to multiply it for 20 years granting that is if I will retire on the age of 55. Oh by the way if you plan of travelling after you retire, then you would have to add that on your forecast.

After forecasting, then we have to think of all our expenses. Of course, we don't just forecast our future expenses, we have also have to plan on how we could reach our goal.

So here's what I will be doing for me to achieve my Retirement Plan.

1. Its been said many times in many articles about retirement that the best way to fund your retirement is by cutting down your expenses to ramp up savings. I find it logically correct. Well though it is true that one of the many reason why we strive to look for a better job offering a higher compensation is because we wanted to live the life we dreamed to have. I am not saying that I wont be buying new clothes for the next 10 years or not going to a movie house for the rest of year. What I am trying to say here is I will be cutting my expenses on a so called extravaganza expenses.
2. Saving Saving Saving and more Saving. I am guilty on this part. At age 30, I still don't have financial savings. For me I am already at the verge of what I call financial suicide. I have a 30 year mortgage which means, I can only rest from paying off my mortgage at the age of 60. With the expenses I listed above I should now start saving a portion of my earnings. However, with the economic situation of the Philippines and the fluctuation of prices of common goods then it would mean that I would need to triple my effort in saving. Bottom line here is for me to save as much money as I can while I am working and while there are companies who would like to hire me.One goal is by the end of 2014 I should be able to secure a different Bank Account number as my retirement savings. It is always best that this should not be withdrawn by any chance. It is always a good idea as well to add more every time I have an achievement whether my personal, business, and or professional life.
3. Invest. I personally think that investing would be the perfect avenue for me to save more for my retirement. However, I think the best way to invest my money is through mutual funds. However, dont just invest on any mutual funds but rather it should be to a reputable and stable companies offering such investment terms. Here's a good read about mutual funds: Grow Your Money In Mutual Funds
4. NEVER RELY ON SOCIAL SECURITY SERVICES. I had been talking to most people in their 40's to 50's from taxi driver, construction worker, office workers and to some managers. One thing I found in common is most (but not all) are dependent on their SSS contribution as part of their retirement plan. For me, it is retirement suicide if we depend on SSS to cover for all our needs when we retire. Though we should be expecting that from the government, I think it will only cover a very minimal part of our expenses when we retire. I knew some people who receives Php 2500 every month from SSS as a retirement benefits and I think that will only cover either electric bill.
5. STAY AWAY FROM DEBTS. I think this would be the hardest on my par but I will try my best not to incur more debts. As they always say, I should learn more to stay within my means and not over spending.
6. Company Retirement Saving Plan. One of the many reason why I am staying with my current employer is because of the fact that they offer a company retirement saving plan. So I will urge everyone to ask your Human Relation Officer about a possible retirement saving plan sponsored by the company. Know their terms and condition and always make sure to get the highest percentage cut from your salary normally that's approximately 3% to 7% cut.