“The words are not good for the secret meaning, everything always becomes a bit different, as soon as it is put into words, gets distorted a bit, a bit silly—yes, and this is also very good, and I like it a lot, I also very much agree with this, that this what is one man’s treasure and wisdom always sounds like foolishness to another person.” ― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
The 2026 film The Odyssey is quite controversial for some reasons -- mostly the director Christopher Nolan's insistence on his own personal interpretation of the classical mythological story of Odysseus or Ulysses and the Trojan War. I have my own misgivings about his interpretation.TROJAN HORSEFirst off, the iconic Trojan Horse as depicted in the film… Continue reading The Odyssey: The Disconnect Between the Myth and the Movie
The Gawad Tsanselor Para sa Nakakatanging Lingkod Komunidad is one of the highest awards of the University of the Philippines Diliman awarded to individuals, groups, or organizations that improve communities through meaningful community service Winning the Gawad Tsanselor Award is the greatest milestone, if not the culmination of Prof. Khrysta Imperial Rara's fight for the… Continue reading FOCA’s Gawad Tsanselor Award
Just saw Magellan (2025). I have never been a fan of Lav Diaz. Once, I had to sit in a theater to watch a 7-hour Diaz film. It was required watching for one of my film studies graduate courses. It was one of the worst films I had seen. Magellan (2025) was a re-imagining of… Continue reading Magellan (2025): Filipino Self-Bashing
The seat of the Apostle (Peter) sits vacant The Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the Vatican City State, and Servant of the Servants of God, better known as… Continue reading The Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church Francis I is dead
Is there a connection between the Battle of Bayang in Lanao, Bangsa Moro in 1902 and the Battle of Karbala in Iraq in 680 CE? A distance of 7900 kilometers and a period of 1222 years separate them.In May 1902, some 1,200 American soldiers attacked two Mranao cottas in the pangampong (state or principality) of… Continue reading Battle of Bayang in Moroland, Battle of Karbala in Iraq and my great-grandfather
Not everybody can READ a film. That takes tons of reading materials, thousands of hours watching films of all kinds, understanding Film theories, Communication theories, Cultural Studies theories, and Media Literacy theories. Knowledge of world history, world mythologies, symbolisms, semiotics, and philosophy will come in handy, too. And of course, the skills to "read" media… Continue reading Films, Media Representation and Reality: Inclusion or Misrepresentation?
