#Kren Yap

[adamwatchesmovies]

Pagpag: Siyam na Buhay (2013)

When I check out a foreign film, I’m looking for something different. Either show me a story Hollywood wouldn’t have the guts to or put your country’s customs and eccentricities on full display and use them to make something new. Pagpag: Siyam na Buhay (which translates roughly to Brush off: Nine Lives) is not a must-see horror film. The special effects are fine for what they are, the scares are ok, the plot is nothing extraordinary but it stands out. By basing a horror film around traditional Filipino beliefs and superstitions, it guarantees you’ve never seen anything quite like it in the mainstream.

Funeral director Leni (Kathryn Bernardo) has been to too many wakes to believe in the superstitions her uncle Dencio (Janus del Prado) and his drinking buddy Marcelo (Marvin Yap) fear. When she and a group of teenagers - Cedric (Daniel Padilla), Hannah (Michelle Vito), Ashley (Miles Ocampo), Justin (CJ Navato) and Rico (Dominic Roque) - accidentally disrupt the funeral of Roman (Paulo Avelino), his ghost begins stalking them. What does this supernatural attack have to do with his wife, Lucy (Shaina Magdayao) and Leni’s nephew, Mac-Mac (Clarence Delgado)?

Think of Pagpag as a ghost story with elements of Final Destination. All of the teens broke one of the many rules of proper funeral etiquette: don’t sweep the floor, don’t bring home any of the food, don’t let your tears fall on the coffin, make sure you stop somewhere before going home to “brush off” any evil spirits who might have followed you, etc. Whether you already know these rules or not, seeing them broken and then come back in the form of ironic deaths is the best part of this movie. Most are pretty cleverly done (though one is quite clumsy and though it works as a nice “ewww!” moment, feels forced). Seeing the teens scramble to figure out what they need to do to appease Roman’s vengeful spirit is fun and some of the deaths are pretty creepy. Not creepy all the way through, but enough to ensure gore hounds have a good time.

Where the film could have used more work is the romance. Leni bumps into Cedric early in the film and they have a meetcute, which is an odd choice for a ghost story. Even if they do have chemistry, wouldn’t their union be a little awkward considering their first date coincided with the deaths of their friends and families? Another element that doesn’t really work concerns Mac-Mac. He’s been mute ever since Leni’s family discovered him several years ago under a tree so he doesn’t have much of a personality. Mostly, he’s there to dispense crucial exposition and provide a way for the film to wrap up. Though the numerous coincidences during the conclusion may be important story elements for the people of the Philippines, they will feel clumsy to westerners. Couldn’t this just be a 90-minute horrror movie that explores superstitions we’re not familiar with (or alternatively, have known since we were kids and are finally seeing utilized in a film) instead of a 105-minute movie that explores the "Pagpag" superstitions, and then a whole bunch of other stuff too? It's good to be ambitious but this film winds up diluting its scares and premise.

Pagpag: Siyam na Buhay is more of a curiosity than a nightmare-generator. Mostly, I got a kick out of it from the deaths and the sneek peak at another culture. It’s something new, which counts for a lot. (November 1, 2020)

[teguhpambudi]

Yaaap… Selasa 20 juni 2017, Seperti biasa, saya harus melihat kalender terlebih dahulu untuk memastikan hari apa yang sedang saya lalui hari ini. Bukan apa2, semenjak masuk dunia kerja dengan segala kesibukkanya, saya nyaris sudah benar-benar lupa dengan hari (apalagi tanggal), bahkan beberapa kali saya diingatin “dia” kalo ini hari minggu dan umat pada umumnya libur 😂. Oke next, kembali kecerita awal, jauh-jauh hari sebelumnya saya sudah dapat undangan terbuka seminar hasil (kompre) oleh sahabat se-paper-an saya, Aurel (atau kami lebih sering manggilnya kurel, entah sejak kapan nama itu bermula 😅). Saat sahur saya coba memastikan jadwal presentasi kurel, “Rel, mu nampil pukul berapa?” “9 atau 10, Guh” balas kurel. “Oke, owe ke kampus pukul 8:30 yak” “Sip” tutup aurel. Dan selepas shalat subuh.., saya berbaring bentar, dan ketiduran… Yap tiba2 saya terbangun pukul 11:00. “WHAT A (FUCKING) IDIOT” JAM BERAPA INI, gumamku panik bercampur kesel, kucoba ambil handpon yang masih terhubung dgn charger lalu buka wa “rel, sorry telat, ketiduran 😂” untungnya aurel pemaaf banget orangnya wkwk. . Sampai kampus pukul 12:00, tepat langsung jumpai aurel (yang udah kelar presentasi) 😂😂. “Gimana Rel sidahnya tadi?” “alhamdulillah lancar” jawab aurel dgn gaya khasnya, ‘btw tdi pengujinya ada nanya2 tentang transmart gitu loh, tentang apa benefit untuk wilayah Pekanbaru dgn kehadiran transmart". wah kren juga ni penguji pikirku, “ya aku jawabnya, ada pak, Karna dgn adanya Transmart akan membuka lebih banyak lapangan pekerjaan, terkhusus area terdekat dari wilayah usaha mereka pak”.. sesi ngadiri undngan sidang Aurel pun diakhiri dgn foto2 depan kantor biro Fekon Universitas Riau.. “Sukses terus Rel, harus lebih sukses, dan sukses bareng-bareng, karna dunia ini terlalu sepi jika sukses sendiri-sendiri” kataku mengakhiri pertemuan siang ini.

back to reality of my life (pergi karajo uda lagi ni). Sampai di toko pukul 12:20, yap ini kepagian untuk shif siang yang normalnya jam 13:00, “ah takpela” kalo kata mbak Jessi “kerja itu bukan hanya jadi tempat cari nafkah, lebih itu, jadikan tempat kerja sebagai ladang amal/pahala bagi kita” eaaaa *benerin sorban habis beep absen saya langsung ke area untuk mengecek stock, refil dan cleaning sama sesekali mengoreksi displayan… Kurang lebih 3 jam di area saya balik ke ruang komersial untuk menarik sales barang2 departemen saya. Selagi asik nan serius, pak Taufik ngobrol2 santai dengan DM saya pak Awal , “jadikanlah hari ni buka bareng manajennya, Pak” pancing pak Awal agar ngefix kan buka bareng yang sempat terpending kemarin. “oke hari ini kita laksanakan, bagusnya dimana? Tanya pak Taufik . "Waroeng stik aja enak murah” timpal pak Awal. "boleh2 setuju". Serempak area komersial menjadi satu nada “setuju”. “Jadi siapa yang booking” tanya pak Abie dari apliance. “Kalo di WS ga bisa main booking pak, harus ada minimal satu orang yang stay dri jam 4 sore di area, pengalaman sih gitu” lanjut ku.

“Yaudah kamu PIC buka bareng manajemen hari ini ya Teguh,” kata Pak Taufik yang tumben bener manggil nama saya setelah berkali2 sebelumnya manggil saya Ramzi --"

Ampuuuuuun…. Kerjaan belum kelaaar malah ada tugas baru 😂😂😂😂😂 Yasudahlah langsung tancap gas ke WS nangka guna memastikan tersedianya tempat. Alhamdulillah.. Akhirnya dapat juga .. Dan finally… Walaupun lelah seharian, saya senang akhirnya bisa menyelesaikan kepercayaan pak Taufik dengan lancaar…

Terimakasih keluarga baru….. I know i'am not perfect, but i want to improve it.. All iz well….