GOMBURZA

I saw this movie, GomBurZa, yesterday, an All Day Bargain Tuesday, February 27th, 2024, at the Century 14 Vallejo, here in Vallejo, CA. The price of admission was $6.50. 

Synopsis: Three innocent native priests are charged with inciting an insurrection based on false testimony. And are then condemned to death.

PG, 1h & 52m

Auditorium 4, B-7

Scene Commentaries:

Here's my personal observation of the christian Proselytization Movement. It's wrong in a number of ways! It goes against the teachings of Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, Himself. He only sent His Apostles & Disciples to spread the Word of God! Spreading God's Word is achieved in only either of 2 ways: Through preaching and through procreating to "plant the seeds of Faith" in the mind and in the body of the believer! What better way to account for John 10:16, then? And The Word Becomes flesh in this procreative way, too. ( John 1: 14 )

Believers should be allowed and encouraged to read the Bible for themselves instead of having to irresponsibly rely on someone else's interpretation of The Word! When you appoint someone over you, even though we are all made equal in the Eyes of God, then "the blind will lead the blind astray" ( Matthew 15:14 ). But always pray to God for Wisdom and Discernment. God doesn't reward solely based on achievements but more importantly on COMMENSURATE Sincere Efforts! ( St. John, the Revelator's Book Of The Apocalypse 12:17 ) And another Apostle, St. James, the brother of Yeshua, who knew Him for up to 30 years prior to His Ministry and was with Him in His last 3 years, opposed the notion that "faith without works" ( salvation through faith ) will earn one a rightful place in Heaven. ( Book of James 2:17-26 )

Who would you rather believe, a 👉Divinely Ordained👈 by the Holy Spirit Apostle and blood brother of Yeshua Ha'Mashiach ... 

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or the rabbis' secret agent of Operation Disinformation, the self-appointed ( false witness is one of the 10 Commandments ) wolf-in-sheep's-clothing, paul? 

To have an image of paul juxtaposed with that of the Church's 👉TRUE👈 Founder, the Apostle St. Peter, Is A Cultic, IDOLATROUS ( one of the 10 Commandments ) and Sacrilegious form of BLASPHEMY ❗❗❗ Remember, The One Unpardonable Sin IS BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT!!! ( Matthew 12:31 )

What happens when you go around proselytizing others to your way of thinking? Your Faith In God Diminishes proportionately! Because you had little Faith in God to begin with! Your so-called "faith" rests in the sense of "security in numbers"! Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, and The Prophets before Him, Each Stood Alone Against The Whole World---THAT IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF COURAGEOUS FAITH❗❗❗( Matthew 10:22, John 15:18-25 )

That's why I find it very amusing for a believer of one denomination, like the mormons and the jehovah's witnesses, to try to convert the members of another denomination❗ "Misery loves Company", perhaps. 😕 And, as I've said it previously in my blog on THE CHOSEN: SEASON 4, you have paul to "thank" for dividing God's Kingdom into over 32,000 denominations ❗👎❗ 👉Remember, only ONE denomination is the Right One👈❗❗❗

Lastly, if your marriage proposal is refused by the parents of the one that you're interested in marrying UNLESS You Convert To Their Own religion, just remember that they're guilty of PROSTITUTING their own daughter to you❗( Leviticus 19:29 )

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When the natives saw the Europeans arrive in technological resplendence, they 👉COVETED👈 ( one of the 10 Commandments ) what the foreigners displayed before their very own eyes! From then on, it was a simple task for the missionaries to convert the wannabe "ELITIST christian believers" who craved and hungered for the "carrot-on-a-stick" dangled before the mesmerized natives' mouths!

What the crest-fallen Indio native priest, Fr. Pelaez, soon realized was that the white Spanish friars Never Intended To Share The "White Man's Mojo"  with the Indio native priests ❗Even though the natives would be more receptive to the teachings of someone who identified with them. The mendicant friars simply never wanted to share their wealth, power, influence, prestige and position with the Indio or even the mestizo priests ❗❗Fr. Pelaez decided to form his own pseudo christian church. That act was enough for the friars to condem him to death for heresy❗❗❗But this progenitor had already sown the seeds of rebellion amongst the Indios.

A sense of nationalism, Los Filipinos, was starting to simmer as the Spanish friars' abusive rulership was gradually coming to a boil! An Indio was asked how he would describe himself as. Innocently enough, he said that he was a Tagalog. Yeah, I have no problem with that because I, myself, prefer to be called a Bisaya---"To each his own."

But I don't know why the Indios and even the Mestizos didn't propose to give the Philippine Archipelago its former name:

This empire was ruled over

from Tondo, Manila. 

This summary is the backdrop for the GomBurZa movement. The mestizo priests Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were framed for a crime that they never committed! The failed insurrection only sealed their fate!! The garrote's creaking sound as it was turned tighter and tighter against each of its victims' necks was very unpleasant for me to hear!!! 

The priest giving the condemned priests their last rites tried to console them with, "Even Christ, Himself, was innocent." Gee, thanks, padre, for your words of DIScouragement! Here, have a seat!!🪑 Come join us!!! 😒  Sit your innocent ass down❗🙄❗

I didn't know that Dr. Jose Rizal, as a young boy, witnessed the GomBurZa execution. Which influenced his novel, El Filibusterismo.

Whites and Blacks would be shocked to see the battle flag of the Kagalang-galangan, Kataas-taasang Katipunan.  😁 😁 😁

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TIDBITS:

I was in 6th Grade when I learned about the GomBurZa. And if I recall correctly, the images of the 3 priests were drawn to make them look more native instead of the mestizos that they were! The subject was all just introductory material, though. I'm glad that I got to see this movie and learned more about the subject. And I appreciate the fact that the film production really made every effort to make this movie a better quality one!  It deserves its 2nd place win at the MMFF ( Metro Manila Film Festival ). 🤓👍 A lot of people were very much involved in the making of this movie. 

It is strange how I still remember a lot of the Spanish words used in this movie; I could say the same thing about the Tagalog words used, too. Mind you, these are all words that I neither used nor heard in DECADES ❗ And I couldn't help but ask myself a number of times what some of the Tagalog words' Bisayan equivalents are!

My father, on the other hand, spoke Bisaya, Moros, Tagalog, Spanish, Japanese, Latin and English. And my mother spoke Bicol, Tagalog, Bisaya and English.

I would love to learn to speak other languages, too, God willing. 🤞🏽 If only to keep my mind healthy and active in my senior years. 👨🏽‍🦳

Today, a form of Creole Spanish is spoken in Luzon's Cavite, a combination of Tagalog and Castilian Spanish. In Mindanao's Zamboanga, a slightly different form of Creole Spanish is also spoken, a combination of Bisaya and Mexican Spanish. Either Philippine creole Spanish languages is called, Chavacano or Tsabakano--if you want to go native on it. 😒 

By the way, we call Spanish people, Castilla. 

Today, a day after watching these 2 movies, I went to Kaiser Permanente Hospital for my Opthalmology appointment. The tech put Tropicamide eye drops in each eye for the Retinal Scan. After it was all over, I was given a slip-on sunshade for my eyeglasses because the eye drops really dilated my irises. I got to my car in the parking garage and thought that there was something wrong with my car's cabin lights and headlights because I could barely see anything in the dark. Then, it dawned on me that I had the slip-on sunshade attached to my eyeglasses! 🤦‍♂️

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Then, I went to BofA to withdraw some money. As I walked outside the bank branch, one of the tellers chased me down because I left my wallet on the counter! 👴🏼 Speaking of chase, I went to Chase Bank, too! 😀

I got $8.00 worth of gas ⛽ , which is only 2.0 gallons/7.6 liters ( no thanks to the occupier of the White House 😒 ) at J&R Mini Mart. Then, I went to India Bazaar to buy my favorite herbal toothpaste, Dant Kanti. And my eyes were still too dilated for me to focus on distant objects! 😶

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I asked the proprietor's son if he speaks Punjabi. He said that he does. I told him that I saw a Punjabi romance movie recently, JEE VE SOHNEYA JEE. He laughed and said that Punjabi movies usually are about romance. Now that I think about it, he is right! 👍🏼 Then, I asked him to translate the title into English. He said that it says, "Live Long, Handsome." Did he just flatter me?  😏

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And, now, for the winners of the recent 24-Hour Le Cine-Man's Race. Drumroll 🥁 please ....

Singapore, congratulations on

your 1st place win!

🎉🎇🏆🎆🎊

🇸🇬🥇🇸🇬

❗❗

🍾

China, congratulations on

your 2nd place win!

🇨🇳🥈🇨🇳

❗❗

Australia and the USA

tie for 3rd place!

🇦🇺🥉🇺🇸

❗❗

And Germany and Israel

tie for 4th place.

🇩🇪🏅🇮🇱

❗❗

❗

Thanks to all of the countries that participated in the latest 24-Hour Le Cine-Man's Race to the Finish Line! 🏁 🛣️ 🏎️

*

VALENTINE'S DAY, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 57 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
show: 3:00 p.m.
costs: $7.25 Ticket + $3.75 small Diet/Zero ( w/ Barq's & Cherry flavors ) Coke + $1.00 Jack Link's Beef & Cheese combo + $0.74 Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts ( 2.50 oz. ) + $9.26 all-you-can-eat pizza & salad Wednesday Night Dinner Buffet at Mountain Mike's Pizza Restaurant = $22.00
auditorium: 2
seat: 4th row, 8th column

synopsis: Has LOVE, for you, ever been yet a vignette?

A florist named, Reed ( Ashton Kutcher ), delivers bouquets in the downtown Los Angeles area on Valentine's Day to people who are in one way or another connected to each other.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Yes! 2.) Angry driver; 3.) Tap dancer; 4.) Downtown Flower Mart; 5.) Wind-up toy; 6.) Former gymnast; 7.) 'Phone call; 8.) Elevator; 9.) Daddy juggles well; 10.) Airplane; 11.) One empty hand; 12.) Pretty girl talk; 13.) Receipt; 14.) Bi-Polar Paula ( Queen Latifah ); 15.) Sex plan; 16.) Reading me; 17.) Discretion; 18.) Rehearsing; 19.) Dosvidanya; 20.) Rear-ended; 21.) Boisterous brats; 22.) Not ready; 23.) Inkling; 24.) Low-rider; 25.) Airport; 26.) Televised tour guide; 27.) Blackberry relationship; 28.) Track field; 29.) Grandparents; 30.) Confession; 31.) Pretzel bet; 32.) S. F. hospital; 33.) News conference; 34.) The "Today's Special"; 35.) Golden Kadahi Restaurant; 36.) Chauffeured ride; 37.) "Entertainer"; 38.) Hollywood Forever Cemetery; 39.) Pinata; 40.) Tri-fecta; 41.) Burn, baby, burn; 42.) Reconciliation; 43.) Sing-along; 44.) Revelation; 45.) Dance; 46.) African queen; 47.) Late-night arrival; 48.) Simple; 49.) Flower flotilla; 50.) Awkward; 51.) Candid camera; 52.) Out-takes; and 53.) Bonus scene after the ending credits.

I think that this is the most number of scenes that I've ever noted on any one movie that I blogged about--and I purposely left-out 3 or 4 more scenes! This is how convoluted the movie is. And for its subject matter, Love on Valentine's Day, I don't think that it was even well worth it at all. Of course, I'm not speaking from a female's commercialized point-of-view.

audience reaction: There were some funny scenes that the audience seemed to like.

recommendation: I liked it enough to give it a fair recommendation.

spoiler alert! The Los Angeles demographics was inadequately represented. I mean, where were all the Asians hiding on this particular day? In study groups, in laboratories, and in libraries ...? Come on, now, even Asians are vulnerable to Cupid's arrows. Heck, if they want Asian men represented, they can come and get me, Cine-Man, anytime! What about the gangs called the "Bloods" and the "Crips", huh? They're from Los Angeles, too! They could have had a love story centered around this gang rivalry, a la Romeo & Juliet, right? But, then again, cute pretty-boy whitey, Reed, might have reservations about delivering red roses to the Crips! And Alphonso ( George Lopez ), the sidekick, got enough street-smarts in him to know better than to mess with either gang. Valentine's Day falls on a Monday for these years: 2000, 2005, 2011 & 2022. This movie was probably scheduled for release next year but, as with LEAP YEAR, they bumped-up the release date perhaps for fear of what December, 2012 may have in store for Hollywood. They're raking-in their profits now for just-in-case. After all, if you can't take it with you .... Two pairs of attractive teenagers with raging hormones practicing abstinence! ... today! ... in Los Angeles! ... hello ...? Wake up! What are the improbable odds of that being actually true? Zilch, nothing, zero, nada, zip! Why didn't they show Reed getting on the freeway in that low-rider? Simple, low-rider tires are for street cruising only; they are not speed-rated for freeway use. But, oh, how I wanted to see Reed speeding on the freeway on such a set of tires because I wanted to see how soon the tires would blow out! Unfortunately, no such luck--damn! There were too many stories going on which actually made for less content. If these people invest too much of themselves on just this one particular day, what will they do for the next 364 days of the year when, ideally, Love should be nurtured and Passion should be spontaneous?

fyi: I had this crush once when I was in first year high school at Ateneo De Davao in Matina, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines. ( For the record, there's no junior high school in the Philippines, so students go from grade six elementary [ 6th grade ] to first year high school [ high school freshman ] ). There was a beautiful fair-skinned, light-brown haired Castilla ( Spanish ) Filipina in grade six in the school's elementary department right next to the high school department on the same campus. One day, when the school let-out early, I proceeded to the school bus terminal at the back of the campus and seated myself in my designated bus. Although she was supposed to wait in another bus, she came in my bus and sat on the bench in front of mine. She talked to some guy ( there were just the three of us in the bus ) but soon turned her attention to me and started a conversation with me. I panicked, gulped, and, at the earliest opportunity, bolted out the door. I think that I walked home that day.

Anyway, the guy she talked to was my classmate who was just a friend and neighbor of hers. This poor guy, who we nicknamed Aguila because of his facial deformity which made him look like an eagle, knew that I had a crush on J. V. So, he told me to give her something on Valentine's Day. I walked to downtown Davao City after school one day with my scrimped and saved ba-on ( lunch money ) to find something to buy at a shop or bazaar. I settled on a beautiful and cute hairbrush--Yes! Hey, I was young, so don't give me a hard time about it. Anyway, I gift-wrapped it as best I could and waited with 'bated breath for the special day to arrive.

Finally, it was Valentine's Day. I saw her out on the field as if waiting for someone. I started walking up to her from behind with the special gift in my hands. But a bunch of other guys appeared as if out of nowhere and ran up to her with Valentine's cards in hand. I froze on the spot! Why didn't I just get her a Valentine's card, I thought. Afraid that she would turn around and see me, I walked away quietly. It was just as well because had she turned around and seen me, I would have peed in my khaki pants ( high school students wore khaki pants and elementary school pupils wore navy blue pants )! And I don't have to tell you guys what happens if you get a pair of khaki pants wet.

One day, I saw a picture of a model in a magazine who looked like her. And being that I'm a talented artist , I drew it and colored it with pastel crayons so that I would have a "picture" of her to keep. ( Cue in Paul Anka's song, "Puppy Love." )

Ahh ... young love, how funny!

I wonder how she is these days ....

Something happened this Sunday, Valentine's Day, which I am at present not at liberty to divulge--too many gossip-mongers. And, no, nobody kissed my radioactive lips or tongued my radioactive mouth on Valentine's Day ( if you don't know what I'm talking about here, refer back to my tidbit on my blog for PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS ).

word of advice: "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." Lord Alfred Tennyson

"Truth makes everything else a lie." Edgar ( Hector Elizondo )

"Too much of a good thing is bad." Shakespeare ( ? )

"Life imitates Art."

Love should be nurtured and Passion should be spontaneous. Cine-Man

newsflash: FriendsEat.com posted my blog for THE WOLFMAN at the # 1 spot on their Empire King Buffet blog list. They moved my WHEN IN ROME blog down to # 6. Those guys must like me a whole lot! Thanks, guys, and Happy Belated Valentine's Day to all of you. I bet that this blog will make it on their list, too! 'Gotta love their search engine. Now, I feel obligated to travel to Brooklyn, New York, to check out this particular restaurant, the Empire King Buffet. So, wish me luck on the California Lottery 'cause I plan on celebrating my win in Brooklyn, New York, via dinner and a movie ( Well, what else did you expect from Cine-Man? ).

I did go to the Empire Buffet here in Vallejo, CA for dinner on Valentine's Day. If only so that I could cast admiring glances at the owner's beautiful china-doll daughter. Wow, she's quite a dish! Anyway, back to the food .... They had Peking Duck, one of my favorite Chinese buffet staples, which is quite good ( the way they make it ) but which they rarely have except for that night. There must have been something special going on since the place was packed. Of course, I just kept to myself with my Peking Duck on rice. Oh, how yum-yummy it was for my hungry tummy. ( P. S. Don't get me wrong. I ate a bunch of other dishes, as well. I'm all for getting my money's worth! )

tidbits: On my way to the theatre, I swung by the CVS store, first, to buy the snacks to nibble on during the show since I hadn't had anything, yet, to eat all day.

Once at the theatre, I gave one of my Cine-Man business cards to the assistant supervisor after I told him that I'm the unofficial movie reviewer at work. I had asked him what new movies will be coming out on Friday, to which he answered, "SHUTTER ISLAND." Great, only one movie for me to review.

And since it's Wednesday Night All-You-Can-Eat Pizza and Salad Dinner Buffet at Mountain Mike's Pizza Restaurant, I decided to take advantage of it. But some of the slices that I ate had a funny, somewhat bitter, aftertaste. It was as if they used too much yeast or the crusts were undercooked or both. If I get seriously sick within the next 24 hours, you, my blog readers, are my witnesses.

After dinner, I went to the Dollar Tree Store across the parking lot at the Target Shopping Center to buy a 2-pack of popcorn tubs, a pair of barber shears, a 4-pack of AAA batteries, a bottle of Silkience shampoo, and a 3-pairs pack of shoelaces ( No, I'm not planning on doing a "David Carradine", iykwim [ wink, wink ] ).