deebeedee

Coke ko ‘to, hindi
ang Bangungot ng Bayan,
kahit love ko ‘to.

(Some silliness to post on this rarest of days.)

I tuned in to KALW on my way home yesterday when I caught a young girl singing the last few stanzas of the Philippine national anthem. She sang them flawlessly. I thought, “Hey, it must be the Asian hour or something.” Then she spoke with an American accent. Then I thought, “Wow, that’s rare for a Fil-Am kid to know the Philippine National Anthem by heart.” She was then urged by someone who turned out to be her father to sing a Cantonese song. She proceeded to sing it. I thought, “Wow, this kid’s talented.” When the segment ended, I found out who the girl was: a young Sofia Coppola. A 1977 NPR interview with her and Francis Ford Coppola was being re-aired.

Charlize ‘Monster’ Theron may play the assassin in the film adaptation of the MTV cartoon series Aeon Flux. Hmmm, I don’t know. Just Shoot Me’s Wendie Malick resembles the character more closely I think. But I don’t really see Wendie jumping off towers and doing triple somersaults onto moving trains. (Hey, is Angelina Jolie available for the role?)

I always thought the Natasha role in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle should’ve gone to Ms. Malick instead of Rene Russo.

There really is no spoiler to “the greatest story ever told.” But discussing my thoughts on Mel Gibson’s adaptation of the gospel story here may spoil the movie for some. So proceed with caution.

I’d say Mel Gibson directed a masterful representation of the gospel story. It is a powerful and intense film. I was moved. Some violent scenes, however, were unbearable to watch. There’s no sugarcoating here, that’s for sure. Although the bloody suffering of Christ is central to the film, Gibson artfully used a series of flashbacks to show relevant points in Jesus’ life. I feel they balanced the brutality so far portrayed (they also accentuated it, I suppose).

The decision to use the original languages of the day, Aramaic and Latin, is brilliant. The speech inflections and body language that are distinctly middle eastern lend the movie an air of authenticity. To see the local people of Jerusalem represented in the crowds and among the major actors is refreshing.

Having said that, I feel Gibson may have played up some characterizations that border on caricature. The people of Herod’s court were vile depictions of debauchery. Some Roman soldiers came off as cruel and heartless. But perhaps it was a fair portrayal. Ruthless men have existed throughout history. Caligula, Stalin and Hitler are but a few that come to mind. I think it’s important to note that many Christians suffered and died, shortly after the death and resurrection of their Saviour, at the hand of the Roman empire as they were burned at the stake, crucified or fed to the lions.

As for the portrayal of the Jews? I feel it was even-handed. Even as the Sanhedrin were falsely accusing Jesus, many chief priests walked out, calling the illegal trial a “travesty.” During the flogging scene, several chief priests again walked out, visibly troubled by the brutality. In addition, as Jesus Christ was carrying his cross through the city, many local people sympathized with his predicament and several came to his aid.

Out of curiousity, I reread the passages in the bible that were portrayed in Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ to see if the movie jibed with the Gospels. Although some brief passages were drawn out in the movie for artistic purposes, I have to agree with the pope and say, “It is as it was.”

Update: mere minutes after writing this post I come across this review (via P&F) that makes me want to retract my agreement with the pope’s statement.

We were here over the weekend. It was the kids’ first time on the rink. It’s been years since I’ve last ice skated. I’m glad to say I didn’t fall at all.

The zamboni goes by…