tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30305862011-11-27T15:24:54.447-08:00Five Legged IguanaThe scribblings of Alamat Comics' resident Luddite, David Hontiveros.Budjettenoreply@blogger.comBlogger671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-41224507832410685612007-03-03T08:17:00.000-08:002007-03-03T08:24:15.349-08:00Okay.Long story short, I'm moving blog.So, as I'm going through the motions of replicating all the 2007 posts over in the new blog, there may be a slight delay with the newer reviews.Anyway, here's the new Five-Legged Iguana.Thanks for stopping by.Now get over there.Carpe noctem and all that Latin jazz,Davespace monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-70930945362928522212007-03-01T08:22:00.000-08:002007-03-01T08:36:58.211-08:00HELLBOY ANIMATED: SWORD OF STORMS (Review)Mike Mignola’s Hellboy is one of those comic titles that seems tailor-made for the animation treatment, and true enough, Sword of Storms is quite possibly the best of the recent crop of animated adaptations of comic book heroes.Taking Japanese myth and folklore, Mignola, Phil Weinstein (director), Tad Stones (on story), and Matt Wayne (on the script) space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-39823287579119139542007-02-28T08:58:00.000-08:002007-02-28T09:09:19.706-08:00HEROES Season 1 Episode 17 (WARNING: SPOILERS)“Company Man”Though I’ll probably be accused of bias, I’m going on the record as saying “Company Man” is one of the best episodes of Heroes since the pilot landed us all firmly in the middle of this brave new chapter of serialized television.Ted and a hesitant Matt taking the Bennets hostage sets the stage for us to witness HRG’s past, and an space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-88497781409449631712007-02-28T08:10:00.000-08:002007-02-28T08:18:31.107-08:00LOST Season 3 Episode 9 (WARNING: SPOILERS)“Stranger in a Strange Land”So last week was Desmond, this week it’s Jack.Now, I’m not necessarily against spotlight episodes. (And, by Lost’s nature—with each episode having flashbacks centering on one character—each episode is, in a manner of speaking, a spotlight episode.) It’s just that we seem to be losing sight of all the other characters, not to space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-21971388805860690602007-02-26T00:10:00.000-08:002007-02-26T00:17:57.839-08:00OSCAR Reactions 2007So I’m writing this in the glow of my annual post-Oscar watching labors, and if this is how I feel year in year out on the big night, the thought of what the nominees go through is mind-boggling.And speaking of nominees, the opening sequence with the nominee interviews was great, the first of several excellent montages seen throughout the night.Like all Oscar nights, it was a space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-4380474764156065922007-02-24T09:17:00.000-08:002007-02-24T09:42:05.137-08:00BLACK CHRISTMAS (Review)I’ve said this before.Having never seen the original, I can come at this with a clean slate. And on that clean slate, I write…Glen Morgan is a name I’ve kept an eye on since his days as an X-Files alum. From Mulder and Scully, he went on (along with his collaborative partner James Wong) to Millennium in its sophomore year, giving the show its best season in its three-year space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-25436152601090984132007-02-23T07:08:00.000-08:002007-02-23T07:17:28.702-08:00EL LABERINTO DEL FAUNO (PAN’S LABYRINTH) (Review)Ever since I saw Guillermo Del Toro’s strange little vampire film Cronos, I knew this was a filmmaker I needed to keep my eyes on. And over the years, he has not disappointed.After Cronos, the director had his first brush with Hollywood with Mimic. A flawed creature feature marred by studio interference, Mimic was still nonetheless recognizable as space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-21583356420878593932007-02-22T08:06:00.000-08:002007-02-22T08:17:12.893-08:00SMALLVILLE Season 6 Episode 15“Freak”It’s that time of Smallville again, the time when for one reason or another, I make it a point to watch a particular episode.This time out, it’s because this is the directorial debut of Lex himself, Michael Rosenbaum.Just 5 episodes after Welling’s “Hydro” (as if this is Lex’s delayed punch in the Never-Ending Battle, in answer to Supes’ two opening salvoes), space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-5941707814577380502007-02-21T08:02:00.000-08:002007-02-21T08:16:31.423-08:00HEROES Season 1 Episode 16 (WARNING: SPOILERS)“Unexpected”Okay. I’m officially annoyed with Isaac now.As appropriate as this episode’s title is, it could very well have been called “The Three Noodges.”Noodge 1: Mohinder, who is currently doing a Julia Roberts and sleeping with the enemy, unwittingly leading Sylar right to his victims. C’mon, Mo! You’re a smart guy! You gotta see through the mask,space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-74648812767178919862007-02-21T07:49:00.000-08:002007-02-21T08:01:32.320-08:00LOST Season 3 Episode 8 (WARNING: SPOILERS)“Flashes Before Your Eyes”So this episode was a sudden change in pace, as the flashback section is presented as one unbroken sequence, ostensibly showing us what Desmond experienced after he turned the failsafe key in Season 2’s finale.Bam, back in the apparent past, only to learn the lesson that he cannot change what seems to be his destiny.Of course, space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-7525258305416791362007-02-18T07:49:00.000-08:002007-02-18T08:01:23.173-08:00SHEITAN (Review)As if to forewarn the audience of the wild ride that is about to begin, a DJ at the Styxx Club asks if I am ready. Ignorant of all that is to come, I say, “Hell, yeah!”Poor, stupid fool.With Christmas Eve right around the corner, a group of clubbers finds trouble at the Styxx, where Bart (Olivier Bartelemy) gets a bottle broken on his head. Leaving the club behind, they travel to space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-27643173916858772212007-02-17T07:48:00.000-08:002007-02-17T08:19:35.814-08:00THE MESSENGERS (Review)I’ve never been the biggest fan of Gin Gwai (The Eye). Though it does have its share of stand-out creepy moments, as a whole I felt it didn’t quite reach the high mark of the best horror films out there, Asian or otherwise.I did however think the Pang brothers were directors to watch out for. But when I saw Sei Mong Se Jun (Ab-Normal Beauty, directed by Oxide), I thought itspace monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-13723396108380137472007-02-15T08:45:00.000-08:002007-02-15T08:59:24.988-08:00HANNIBAL RISING (Review)This has to be said: After the Oscar grand slam win* of The Silence of the Lambs, there really wasn’t anywhere to go but down.Thus, Hannibal and Red Dragon** came nowhere near their predecessor. And neither does the prequel, Hannibal Rising.So the question is: Is Hannibal Rising at least a worthwhile film?This latest film adaptation of Thomas Harris’ work has, at the very space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-65931330253572454372007-02-14T09:24:00.000-08:002007-02-14T09:41:04.594-08:00HEROES Season 1 Episode 15 (WARNING: SPOILERS)“Run!”Man, all these adults messing up Claire…Nathan willing to take the low road and just shell out the cash; the effects of Mr. Bennet’s repeated use of the Haitian on poor Mrs. B finally manifesting (poor Mr. Muggles!); and Meredith shows her true scamming, money-grubbing colours.Claire, honey, you should’a thrown more than just a rock…Meanwhile, space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-76132383258728761992007-02-14T09:07:00.000-08:002007-02-14T09:21:49.504-08:00LOST Season 3 Episode 7 (WARNING: SPOILERS)“Not In Portland”The long wait is over and we’re back on the island (or, at least, the other island of the Others), and Ben’s still on the table and Kate and Sawyer are running for their lives.We also see Juliet’s pre-island life in Miami, where her efforts at getting her ill sister pregnant apparently bring her to the attention of the Dharma Initiative space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-17453414635288653212007-02-12T08:27:00.000-08:002007-02-11T08:18:12.798-08:00RUNNING WITH SCISSORS (Review)Being a Nip/Tuck viewer, I was naturally curious to see Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of Augusten Burroughs’ memoirs, Running with Scissors. How was I to know I’d be seeing one of the most singularly moving films of 2006?Running with Scissors follows the bizarrely improbable but true story of young Augusten (Joseph Cross), who is basically abandoned by his alcoholic space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-15098999386860080342007-02-11T08:09:00.000-08:002007-02-10T08:12:58.403-08:00ABOMINABLE (Review)Since I was anticipating a number of SCIFI Channel shows and mini-series currently in the works, I decided to check out one of their past offerings, Ryan Schifrin’s Abominable, to give me a better idea of how they handled their productions, and this is what it had to offer.After a brief prologue where a couple has their dog slaughtered by a shadowy creature which emerges from space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-17109535287806102142007-02-10T08:01:00.000-08:002007-02-08T09:39:15.881-08:00THE HITCHER (Review)Having never seen the original, I can come at this with a clean slate. And on that clean slate, I write…Horror movies being the home away from home for today’s teen TV show stars, One Tree Hill’s Sophia Bush (who also appeared in the lame horror-video-game-come-to-life film, Stay Alive) finds herself terrorized by Boromir himself, Sean Bean, in Dave Meyers’ remake of The space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-18284199070305946072007-02-08T09:28:00.000-08:002007-02-08T09:27:15.125-08:00THOUGHTS: On SuperheroesIt’s curious that news of the gear shifting on both The Flash and Wonder Woman film projects came nearly simultaneously.The writer/directors who had been steering both projects are now off them (David Goyer and Joss Whedon, respectively), and for pretty much the same reasons, director and studio did not see eye-to-eye on the treatment and approach to the character in space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-16863971368118962792007-02-08T09:19:00.000-08:002007-02-07T09:24:40.497-08:00MERCURY MAN (Review)My abiding interest in live action superheroics (which I’ve mentioned round these parts before) brought me to the Thai film Ma noot lhek lai (Mercury Man).And… well…Chan (newcomer Wasan Khantaau) is an impulsive firefighter who ends up getting stabbed with a mystical amulet that turns him into the eponymous, superpowered Mercury Man. This stabbing occurs during the jailbreak space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-49766747651151914622007-02-07T09:13:00.000-08:002007-02-07T09:24:41.422-08:00HEROES Season 1 Episode 14 (WARNING: SPOILERS)“Distractions”An excellent episode which happens to focus on parental bonds: Claire’s meeting with her biological mother; Hiro’s audience with his stern and disapproving father (George Takei on scowl mode); and the whiz-bang revelation of who exactly is Claire’s biological father (Nathan is such a bad boy!). Putting Mrs. Bennet in jeopardy (I just space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-53235698361030101282007-02-05T09:09:00.000-08:002007-02-05T09:17:56.182-08:00LOST Season 3 Episodes 1-6 RecapWith the impending return of Lost to the airwaves, I thought it prudent to take a look back at the first half dozen episodes of the season, to perhaps better prepare myself for all that is yet to come.As the third season opens, we get to see “the Others” from up close, as a number of them become pivotal characters to the long and winding thread that is Lost. After space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-80584950767055741442007-02-04T07:59:00.000-08:002007-02-04T08:06:47.787-08:00Stan Lee’s Lightspeed (REVIEW)I’ve never been the biggest fan of Stan Lee (and, by osmosis, Marvel). But I do have an abiding fascination with live-action superheroics, so checking out the SCIFI Channel TV movie, Stan Lee’s Lightspeed, was perhaps an inevitability.Now, before I get down to the dirty work, I should say that I have long contended that one of the main problems of live-action space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-68990390247075842612007-02-03T08:30:00.000-08:002007-02-03T08:39:14.581-08:00THE DRESDEN FILESOkay. A little something about me: my standards are high when it comes to the weird sh*t.So, when a show like The Dresden Files comes along, I kind of hold my breath just before I watch the pilot. You never know, right? A new show like this could be another Millennium, another X-Files.Sadly though, that isn’t the case here.Harry Dresden (Paul Blackthorne) is a wizard for hire, a space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-74716945918498215282007-01-31T08:49:00.000-08:002007-01-31T09:09:49.919-08:00HEROES Season 1 Episode 13 (WARNING: SPOILERS)“The Fix”Of the major plot strands running through the show at the moment, by far the most interesting for me is Claire’s search for her biological parents, which leads her to Nip/Tuck’s Jessalyn Gilsig, who is apparently her birth mother. (“Apparently,” as all we have to go on at this point is her word.) Not only am I happy to see Gilsig join the space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-23876738756146112122007-01-31T08:36:00.000-08:002007-01-31T08:47:31.342-08:00SMALLVILLE Season 6 Episode 12“Labyrinth”Immediately following the Justice League episode, we have the Martian Manhunter episode.This one though, was surprisingly far more watchable than “Justice.”The premise, though not original, is still effective: after a brief sequence where Clark is struck down by an invisible force in the barn, he awakens to find himself in a mental institute. It turns out space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-41220113956853673962007-01-28T20:56:00.000-08:002007-01-29T04:54:46.926-08:00SUNDANCE 2007Since Steven Soderbergh’s Sex, Lies, and Videotape put Sundance on the film lover’s map, I’ve naturally kept my eye on what’s emerged from the snowy slopes in the initial months of any given year, and 2007’s bringing an interesting batch.At the moment, some of the films that are really grabbing my attention are the ones from names we normally associate with in-front-of-the-camera space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-42866491686044780912007-01-28T20:46:00.000-08:002007-01-28T20:55:34.428-08:00DEXTER Season 1Dexter Morgan is a forensics expert who specializes in blood spatter analysis. He’s also a serial killer. And he is one of the most fascinating characters on television at the moment.Though I’ve not actually seen it thus described, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some critic out there labeled Dexter as “C.S.I. meets Silence of the Lambs.” And in a manner of speaking, I suppose itspace monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-15897604624619911062007-01-28T20:35:00.000-08:002007-01-28T20:41:58.125-08:00Heroes Season 1 Episode 12 “Godsend” (WARNING: SPOILERS)So the next chapter of Heroes has officially kicked off, and it kicks off in grand style.The confluence of characters continues, and as the tapestry gets more complex, not only does the main story become more involving, but some of the characters become even more interesting.Seeing Hiro’s reunion with Nathan was a kick, and it’s good to see space monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304734837068508044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-57181193775584764972007-01-23T07:04:00.000-08:002007-01-23T07:15:33.298-08:00Smallville Season 6 Episodes 10 & 11Review by David Hontiveros(WARNING: Contains Spoilers) Despite the fact that (or maybe precisely because) I’m such a big fan of Big Blue, I’ve never really followed Smallville with any solid regularity. Once again, live TV superheroics are marred by weak writing. I mean, how many times must Lana get stalked by the Freak of the Week? How many times Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-73184633183822312692007-01-22T06:22:00.000-08:002007-01-22T06:23:33.731-08:00Gwoemul (The Host)A review by David Hontiveros Having already made their presence known on the global cinema map with films like Ji-woon Kim‘s Janghwa, Hongryeon (A Tale of Two Sisters) and Chan-wook Park‘s Oldboy, Korea now gives us Joon-ho Bong‘s Gwoemul (The Host), a rollicking creature feature that puts to shame a whole gaggle of Hollywood’s most recent offerings in the genre. Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-55916187503079193622007-01-20T23:15:00.000-08:002007-01-20T07:32:43.792-08:00HEROES (a review by David Hontiveros)***WARNING : REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***It’s the Friday before Heroes’ return to the airwaves and I am stoked.What can I say? As a comic geek, it was only natural that I was gonna give Heroes a look-see when it popped up, and what I got from the pilot was a brilliant surprise.Here was a very human show about characters who were quite a bit more than human. Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1147164309552172502006-05-09T01:43:00.000-07:002006-05-09T01:45:09.556-07:00Of Fairies and the Ticking Crocodile (Being a Review of Finding Neverland, and Other Things Besides)By David HontiverosJohnny Depp’s come a long way from A Nightmare on Elm Street and 21 Jump Street. He’s one of that rare breed of working actor who’s not just a celebrity, he’s also a talented, respected thespian. He manages to star in derivative Hollywood dreck like The Astronaut’s Wife and Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1147164185441879582006-05-09T01:42:00.000-07:002006-05-09T01:43:05.443-07:00Welcome back to Stepfordby David Hontiveros Like Keanu in bullet time, Nicole Kidman is dodging bullets as fast as they come.An injury on the Moulin Rouge set forced her to bow out of David Fincher's Panic Room, which, along with The Game, turned out to be one of Fincher's least notable works. She was also supposed to star in Jane Campion's artily-shot but horribly flawed adaptation of In The CutBudjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1147164105398501092006-05-09T01:40:00.000-07:002006-05-09T01:41:45.413-07:00The wonderful(ly dark) world of SnicketBy David HontiverosLittle Red Riding Hood is eaten by the wolf. Sleeping Beauty is impregnated as she sleeps and wakes to discover she is the mother of twins.These are just some of the fairy tales (or marchen, as they were called in German) in their original forms, before the Age of Enlightenment dealt them a crippling blow, and Disney all but obliterated Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1146220805095802892006-04-28T03:39:00.000-07:002006-04-28T03:40:05.096-07:00(movie review: R-POINT)Point not takenBy David Hontiveros R-Point is Asian horror by way of Korea. Directed by Kong Soo-Chang from a screenplay he co-wrote with Phil Young-Woo, R-Point is set in 1972 during the Vietnam war and tells the story of 1st Lieutenant Choi Tae-In (Kam Woo-Seong), who must lead a group of eight men to uncover the fates of the missing soldiers from Battalion 53, their Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1146220629671212722006-04-28T03:35:00.000-07:002006-04-28T03:37:09.686-07:00Stale blood, rusty BladeBy David Hontiveros Okay. First, score card.Based on the adventures of the Marvel comic book vampire hunter, Blade was written by David Goyer and directed (using the term very loosely here) by Steve Norrington; for my money, the only saving graces of the film were Udo Kier and Stephen Dorff.Then, Blade II came along, and Goyer seemed to understand (as he didn’t seem to onBudjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1144695361605804532006-04-10T11:54:00.000-07:002006-04-10T11:56:01.616-07:00TAKOD, reviewed in Sunday Inquirer Magazinehttp://news.inq7.net/sunday/index.php?index=1&story_id=72181“Takod” by David Hontiveros, Visual Print EnterprisesSOMETHING’S rotten in what was once the little settlement of Mapayapa. And now, years later, Mike Lasombra returns to this place from his past with a curious pendant around his neck. After encountering a wizened old woman who knows more than Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1142599277261468042006-03-17T04:39:00.000-08:002006-03-17T04:41:17.263-08:00(movie review: Suspect Zero) A VIEW TO A KILL By David Hontiveros A few years back, E. Elias Merhige gave us Shadow of the Vampire, the canny exploration of creativity set against the backdrop of the filming of the classic German silent film Nosferatu. Now, Merhige returns with Suspect Zero. “A 50 foot shark. Ever see one?” “No.” “Doesn’t mean there aren’t Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1142599168526848802006-03-17T04:38:00.000-08:002006-03-17T04:39:28.530-08:00(movie review : Paul Abascal‘s Paparazzi)REALITY THROUGH A CRACKED LENS By David Hontiveros Mel Gibson returns to the secular world as one of the producers of Paul Abascal‘s Paparazzi, a revenge fantasy for those weighted down by the terrible burden of popularity. Bo Laramie (Cole Hauser) is the up-and-coming star of Adrenaline Force, whose sequel is even now being filmed. But Laramie and Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1142599015261103782006-03-17T04:35:00.000-08:002006-03-17T04:36:55.273-08:00(movie review : BIRTH)BORN AGAIN? by David Hontiveros You've been mourning for your spouse for the past ten years, and finally, you feel ready to move on. You have a fiancee who is devoted to you, and you've set the date for your wedding. Then a ten-year old child comes into your home and your life, claiming to be your dead spouse, asking you not to get married. What do you do? This isBudjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1133452445824461252005-12-01T07:52:00.000-08:002005-12-01T07:54:05.846-08:00Gift guide for the Goth at heartBy Ces Cabangon, 2bU! CorrespondentInquirer News Servicehttp://you.inq7.net/2bu/stories/11292005/sto2-1.htmGOTHS ARE STEREOTYPED often as depressed, angsty, gloom-and-doom sort of people. Usually they are depicted as people with heavy makeup, dominantly black clothes and pained facial expression.Unknown to many, there are different types of Goths: Romantic Goths, Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1132945316179378742005-11-25T10:52:00.000-08:002005-11-25T11:01:56.193-08:00Takodby David HontiverosChapter 1[1] 1972.She lies awake in bed, sweating, the house looming around her, like a crouching beast, oppressive. Summer has come early this year, the warmth like a herald for Semana Santa, an angel beating its wings, waves of heat radiating outwards from its divine being.This is the time of death, and resurrection, though for the little girl, it is only the former she Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1130940449508890692005-11-02T06:03:00.000-08:002005-11-02T06:09:35.936-08:00 Excerpts from Prologue 1 of "Parman"Eric Ramirez holds his bright, shining future in his hand. In a perfume bottle, actually.Estee-Lauder, he thinks. Or something like that.It isn’t perfume in it now, of course. Not anymore. The liquid that’s in it is primordial. Seething with divine, miraculous power. Eric had seen what it could do.He’d needed a demonstration, naturally. He wasn’t about to Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1130938605842178742005-11-02T05:32:00.000-08:002005-11-02T05:54:38.113-08:00David's DHAMPYR got featured in the Philippine Daily Inquirer today: http://news.inq7.net/lifestyle/index.php?index=1&story_id=55260Here's the excerpt:'Dhampyr' by David HontiverosThe gut: Nikolai is a dhampyr, born from a human mother and an undead father. In order to save his soul from restlessly wandering for eternity, he must find and slay his father. Nikolai’s personal journey leads him Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1130253523204275482005-10-25T08:15:00.000-07:002005-10-25T08:18:43.210-07:00What people are saying about David Hontiveros’ PENUMBRA novellas“After reading (TAKOD), you may want to pack an extra flashlight, holy water, crosses, garlic, amulets, oracions, power objects and tools of protection spells on your next road trip. Oh, and you’ll want to make sure there is nothing wrong with the ignition on your car.” –Karen Kunawicz (Editor-in-Chief / Writer, Mango Jam)“Dave came Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1130175655701525042005-10-24T10:38:00.000-07:002005-10-24T10:40:55.703-07:00Chapter 2 of David Hontiveros' CravingThe sun was just beginning to set, and Anne was on her way back to the house from her daily walk along the beach. Every other day of the week, Lester accompanied her, but today was Thursday, and Thursday was Clean-Up Day, so she went solo on Thursdays, careful to pack her cell phone in her canvas tote bag, in case of…Just in case.Anne sighed. She was so Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1129646263993160112005-10-18T07:37:00.000-07:002005-10-24T10:38:05.110-07:00A preview from David Hontiveros' CRAVINGChapter 1Lester awoke, and he could smell it.The sea.He smiled, stretching, positive the move was the right thing. And it wasn’t even like it was a permanent move, an uprooting of their lives in Manila. Just a vacation.A vacation by the sea, to ease the stress and tension of Anne’s pregnancy. On her seventh month now, and both of them wanted so much to be Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1129048884411715902005-10-11T09:39:00.000-07:002005-10-15T12:35:18.693-07:00Que Horror!By David HontiverosSo it’s October, and Halloween’s a few weeks away, and I thought, Why not compile a list of the Ten Best Horror Films of the Recent Past?The thing is, though there’s been a surplus of horror on the silver screen in the past few years, very few of these films are actually any good. Most are tired, formulaic retreads trundled out by Hollywood to provide instant (and Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1128780856261588972005-10-08T07:12:00.000-07:002005-10-08T07:14:16.263-07:00... and not a drop to drink(Diving Back into Dark Water)by David HontiverosHideo Nakata's Ringu opens with an image of the sea, waves moving in its ceaseless, eternal rhythm. His Hitchcockian psychosexual thriller Kaosu (Chaos) has its title card set against a shot of rain. Even his first Hollywood film, The Ring Two, opens with images of water. If opening images are anything to go by, Nakata Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1128780685836227282005-10-08T07:07:00.000-07:002005-10-08T07:11:25.843-07:00Seepage (Taking in Dark Water)by David HontiverosWalter Salles' English-language remake of Hideo Nakata's Honogurai mizu no soko kara, Dark Water, is finally upon us, and it turns out to be the most subtle horror film made since Fruit Chan's Dumplings last year.From a script by Rafael Yglesias (based on the Nakata/Takashige Ichise script, which was, in turn, based on the Koji Suzuki novel), Dark Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1128439698325236022005-10-04T08:18:00.000-07:002005-10-04T08:28:18.326-07:00An excerpt from David Hontiveros' NATAKDANOn the Friday that I see her at the town square, she is with Emma. Sweating, sticky, skeletal Emma, the ravaged crescent of a watermelon ring still in her hand.She is wearing dark glasses, the kind fashionable women in Hollywood pictures wear.Of course.Naturally, she would wear dark glasses on a Friday.She sees me and smiles, that quick flicker of ruby Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1128410559305461512005-10-04T00:18:00.000-07:002005-10-04T04:55:27.753-07:00Secrets, Mysteries, and Lies (Discovering Lost)By David HontiverosAn eye opens. A pupil contracts. A suited man, scratches on his face, awakens in a bamboo grove.Thus do the mysteries of Lost begin.Co-created by J.J. Abrams, creator of Felicity and Alias, Lost is the story of 48 survivors of a crashed airliner, who find themselves stranded on an island of menace and enigma. It’s been glibly Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1118680692609479962005-06-13T09:36:00.000-07:002005-10-04T05:14:59.286-07:00On the VergeKaren Kunawicz Mirror Weekly, June 3, 1996It’s been about a year a three months since the first time I featured anything that had to do with Alamat (“C For Yourself”, co-written by Budjette Tan). Alamat, for those who have just joined us, is the name of an “umbrella organization” of a group of local comic book outfits which include Memento Mori, Virtual Media, Cheap Thrills Comics, Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1118074208822423242005-06-06T09:07:00.000-07:002005-06-06T09:10:08.830-07:00written by David Hontiveros and illustrated by Lan MedinaRead the whole 8-page strip in True Philippine Ghost Stories book 11.Linked from: http://www.jupiterrising.blogspot.com/Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1103278360231949182004-12-17T02:07:00.000-08:002004-12-17T02:12:40.230-08:00Dave's movie reviews for Philippine Graphic
OPEN WATER
http://www.philippinegraphic.com/cover19/regular/regular_film.htm
EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING
http://www.philippinegraphic.com/cover17/regular/regular_film.htm
SUPER HERO FAN FILMS
http://www.philippinegraphic.com/cover27/regular/regular_film.htm
SAW
http://www.philippinegraphic.com/cover28/regular/regular_film.htm
Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1093363575630708602004-08-24T09:04:00.000-07:002004-08-24T09:07:44.506-07:00.
Kaming Mga Seroks
by David Hontiveros
You know me on the boards as “Jim Crack,” but my real name is Peque.
I’m a basurero. A garbage collector in a small south-east Asian
archipelago called the Philippines. You may recall my country with these key words: Ferdinand Marcos and People Power.
I’m also a seroks; what’s known in the West as a dupe.
Where to start?
Read the rest of the story at:Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-1093000442945683312004-08-20T04:12:00.000-07:002004-08-20T04:16:44.346-07:00
‘BERTO, ON THE CORNER OF AYALA AND MAKATI AVENUE (VERSION 2.0)
By David Hontiveros
June 23, 2050.
Thursday.
Makati. Gaudy neon tiara of the painted whore that is NeoManila. Despite the apparent anatomical discrepancy, the heart of HighTown.
‘Berto stands there, at the heart of this heart, the corner of Ayala and Makati Avenue. In his melanin-adjusted skin (an aesthetic pale pink now), a Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-805735912002-08-22T09:26:00.000-07:002002-08-22T09:26:25.156-07:00
A copy of a copy
I uploaded David's award-winning story in the Alamat e-groups FILES section. Read it and enjoy!
Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-799849672002-08-08T08:39:00.000-07:002002-08-08T08:39:37.940-07:00
David Hontiveros wins Palanca
David is the 2nd place winner of this year's Palanca Future Fiction (short story) category. His award-winning entry is entitled “Kaming Mga Seroks”, which tells the story of a future Philippines where human clones are illegally sold in the same way pirated CDs and VCDs are sold today.
David is one of the founding members of Alamat Comics and has written the Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-114146902002-04-03T06:37:00.000-08:002002-04-03T06:41:20.000-08:00
BOO (The Darker Saints of Cinema)
An Article in Eight Reels with Intermission
By Dave Hontiveros
Intro
Craven. Carpenter. Romero. Argento. Raimi. Cronenberg.
During the glorious, heady era of the 70’s and 80’s, these names were synonymous with horror, these were the auteurs of the gruesome and the macabre, and if you were inclined towards that end of the cinematic spectrum, these Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-45833312001-07-17T10:45:00.000-07:002001-07-17T10:45:16.750-07:00
MONA, TAKING IN WATER
David Hontiveros
Drowning Mona, ostensibly a black comedy, begins by bumping off one of its most recognizable cast members, Bette Midler (the titular Mona Dearly), and immediately kicks into gear as the apparent accident quickly proves to be anything but, and Chief Rash (Danny DeVito) plunges in to investigate.
The problem is, Mona was such a shrewish harridan, no one Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-40113582001-06-10T19:37:00.000-07:002001-06-10T19:37:52.066-07:00
DANCING WITH A FIVE LEGGED IGUANA
By David Hontiveros
Don’t blame me, this is Karen’s idea.
For some reason, Karen seems to think I can write an article similar to hers in last year’s December 25 issue of MIRROR. (Dave is a brilliant storyteller. I am not.—Karen)
Well, I’ll give it my best shot.
To make things easier, I’ll present the article in a barrage of tips, since writing is not anBudjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-39152612001-06-03T20:30:00.000-07:002001-06-03T20:30:29.526-07:00I met with Dave last Saturday at McDo, Greenbelt. Had to get some scripts and artwork from him. I showed him the art for HORUS #5, illustrated by Clint, a high school teacher from Batangas and an aspiring comic book artist. Well, for a newbie, his stuff looks great! Dave and Carl liked what he did for HORUS.
And after a long while, got to talk to Dave about comic books again. Said that he wasn’tBudjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-38305432001-05-28T09:15:00.000-07:002005-10-04T04:53:29.923-07:00I TEGO ARCANA DEI(Being an Overview of The Invisibles in Three Parts)by David HontiverosPart 3: “In The Darkness, We Are All Invisible”“Darling! They have tranny TV presenters here. I feel positively plain.”“You’ll never be plain, Fanny. The world’s getting more like us every day.It’s everything I ever hoped for. Everything is real.”“Except my tits. Fill me in, baby.”-- Lord Fanny to King MobThe Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-37254122001-05-21T01:41:00.000-07:002001-05-21T01:41:41.330-07:00I TEGO ARCANA DEI
(Being an Overview of The Invisibles in Three Parts)
by David Hontiveros
Part 2: “Which Side Are You On?”
IT happens on the morning of December 22, 2012. On that day all of history impacts with an unimaginable Apocalypse, an Event glimpsed and interpreted by the prophets of every culture – the biblical Armageddon, Norse Ragnarok, the Aztec Fifth Sun, the Hopi Fourth World, Budjettenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3030586.post-36566932001-05-16T08:08:00.000-07:002001-05-16T08:08:40.700-07:00I TEGO ARCANA DEI
(Being an Overview of The Invisibles in Three Parts)
by David Hontiveros
Part 1: “Are You Ready To Wear The Blank Badge?”
“… city’s full of magic, neither bad nor good, just there to be used by the people who know. Cities live and breathe magic. Did you know that if you get a map and join up the sites of all the McDonald’s restaurants in London, it makes the sigil of the DarkBudjettenoreply@blogger.com0