News Roundup of Articles About or Related to Ploning the Movie

First "full" week of May, and Ploning the Movie has caused quite a stir, Ladies and Gents.

Earlier today, in a certain part of the blogosphere, a fire was ignited as Rom, den mistress of The Smoking Room cast her fiery opinions regarding the movie... And my bubbly “hard-sell” passion for the movie.

In other news, there are still quite a few people who have watched, and were touched by the movie.

Take Yves, for example, a great friend and dear sister, watched and loved Ploning the Movie. She loved it not just because she watched it in support of executive producer Jourdan Sebastian, not just because I was raving about it, but because it touched her heart too. Clickie to read her review.

Wanie Jane, who’s interviewed the core Panoramanila Pictures team and has watched the movie, seems to understand the movie and what it’s worth. Thank you, for agreeing with me. :)

Rock Photographer Mari Arquiza may have written little about the movie, but you can feel her enthusiasm and her unequivocal appreciation of the movie, which seemed to have sealed her lips in effect, in her blog. <Clickie> for Mari’s take on Ploning the Movie.

Paul has a different take on the movie, however, as he sees it as a way to preserve Philippine languages.

But the capper of all the reviews of Ploning is a friend of Executive Producer Jourdan Sebastian, who posted on a Russian website. Clickie to see much love for Ploning the Movie.

Frankly I initially got discouraged by Rom’s lynching of the movie. I did not expect everyone to love the movie, but I did hope that people would at least be fair enough to write objectively.

To the callous eye, Rom’s verbal pronouncements were normal, respectable even. For me, I did find those words rather crass, despite being honeyed with intellectualism.

I did not expect everyone to love the movie, but I did hope that it would be given a chance.

So clickie on other people’s reviews, or go to Google’s Blogsearch and type in “Ploning.” Let’s see what everyone else thinks. :)

Coffee Table Book Launch and Details
(Filched from Publicist Oliver Oliveros' Blog)

Real-life sweethearts Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos formally launched “Ploning: The Making,” a coffee-table book featuring black and white photographs of Agoncillo, at M Café, Ayala Museum on Sunday night.

With foreword by Tony Mabesa, and main text by film director Dante Nico Garcia, the book is a perfect companion to the Graded A film “Ploning,” which will be shown in more cineplexes this week, including those of Robinsons and Ayala Cinemas.

The book includes 200 photographs taken during the film’s principal photography on Cuyo Island, Palawan, “Ploning: The Making” is one of Agoncillo’s many gifts to his girlfriend who’s turning 30 on May 11.

The book is available in the flower shop of Roberto Antonio at Sgt. Esguerra Street, Quezon City with telephone numbers (632)4260119 and 9270332. More sales outlets will be announced on the film’s web site at www.ploningthemovie.com.

Just to Answer A Critic, and Future Critics...

Yay! Our first rotten tomato (so far)!

Earlier, a little dazed from dehydration and the fact that I got out of bed and went straight to checking my mail, I got wind of this critical review of Ploning.

Frankly, it was little more than bashing. But as far as Philippine culture is concerned, bashing is quite commonplace, even respectable in some circles.

The thing is, I have no energies to spare for bashing the critics back, but here is what I’ll say, to defend my writing and to defend the movie I went through a lot for:

1. This is the first attempt at a full-length movie, for Panoramanila Pictures Co., so I hope critics will keep that in mind.
2. I did get a lot of exposure to hard-sell techniques, working for an Internet Marketing website.
3. Juday was NOT miscast. Her innate generosity and her good heart made her perfect for the role. If you stuck Ann Curtis there, I think she’d lend a more kikay, less mature streak to the role that Ploning required. There was a reason that Direk Dante Garcia had woven this story around Juday, and when you watch the movie with an open heart and open mind, you’ll see why.

I think that it’s about time that we support each other as a people. I believe that this movie will put the Philippines on the map and dispel crazy notions of how we are a dismal den of Abu Sayyaf creatures and NPA’s. Hey, you can walk through Megamall and enjoy a Krispy Kreme on some afternoons without being bombed, right?

I had been holding back my full critical review of Ploning the movie, showcasing the positive and negative aspects of the film. It will be released on the last week of May, and I intend to keep it that way.

For the critics, thank you for your honesty. We appreciate the flaws of Ploning the Movie being pointed out, for Panoramanila Pictures Co.’s future use as artistic direction for their future projects.

But I hope that the next “critical review” would be more substantial and objective than just bashing Juday’s, Ms. Gina Pareño’s, Ms. Tessie Tomas’, and the other actors’ performance, and just basically debunking every bubbly comment I blurted out.

And FYI, I use “Ms.” as a form of respect. I am a blogger, I do not hobnob with the stars, but I do know how to give respect where respect is due.

Maybe that’s the only thing we all need.

And the reason why I’m defending this movie with all the fight inside me?


This.

And all I scars I went through for this movie. I know this movie is important to Someone I love. I just wish people would have enough respect as to be more objective when they criticize.

Peace, y'all.