Father Paul Nicholson: A traditionalist is one who venerates the anointed...

Father Paul Nicholson: A traditionalist is one who venerates the anointed...: Thirty thousand soliders were deployed on October 21, 1793 to hold back the seething mob of Paris that came to see the public execution o...

COPYRIGHT LAW: Is it criminal to import books, movie and music DVDs and CDs?

Last Friday, I was jolted by unpleasant news.  A friend told me over dinner that there is a new law that prohibits the importation of foreign books, movie and music DVDs and CDs, and those bringing in these articles can be held criminally liable, even if such importation is done for personal use. I told my friend that this is not possible since the Intellectual Property Code clearly allows importation for personal use under its fair use provisions.  I am not a lawyer but due to its relevance to my work, the copyright section of the Intellectual Property Code was explained to me by my sister who is an intellectual property practitioner.

Thus, I was greatly bothered when my friend told me that he read in a blog that the fair use provisions of the IP Code pertaining to personal use has been removed in the new law. My first question was, can I no longer ask relatives to buy art books, CDs and DVDs for me from abroad?  In my line of work, I have found it very helpful to keep abreast of modern trends in art and the latest books from abroad are great resources.  But, if there is indeed this new law, then I should no longer ask my relatives and friends to bring me these materials from abroad. 

As soon as I got home, I asked my sister about this new law which criminalizes importation of books, CDs and DVDs for personal use.  She was surprised by my question and told me that my friend must have misunderstood what he read.    She explained that there are in fact proposed amendments to the Intellectual Property Code, including the provisions on copyright law.  With regard to importation for personal use, Section 190.1 was deleted.  But this does not mean that importation of books, music and movie DVDs and CDs can no longer be done.  On the contrary, with the deletion of Section 190.1, the limit of allowable copyrighted material that can be brought into the country has been removed.  This means that instead of three copies of a book, I can ask my Tita to bring five even ten, not only for me but for my friends.  Such importation is allowed under the general fair use exceptions (Chapter VIII, Section 185, IP Code).

I was greatly relieved when this was explained to me. I have decided to share this in my blog so that all those who might have misunderstood the fair use amendments to the IP Code will learn what I have.

"The Royal Affair"

(Note: This movie is not suited for the young audience. Contains nudity. Viewer's discretion is advised.)

It may be too late in the day to make some commentaries about the movie, “The Royal Affair”, since it had been shown months ago (Actually, I only watched it recently). First of all I would like to comment on the costumes, they looked great and they looked like what you see in the paintings done in the 18^th century Europe. Second, I love the cinematography. Third, the acting and the actors are extraordinary, especially the actor who played King Christian VII of Denmark. He did an amazing job in his portrayal of the king. There’s some kind of innocence about the king that compels me to have compassion for him, even though he was far from being a “perfect husband” for his queen, Caroline Mathilde, and far from being a perfect king for his country. He’s obviously not ready for grown-up responsibilities, let alone a king’s responsibilities (At least, that's how he was portrayed in the movie).

Now, why do I feel sorry for the king?
I think it’s because when a friend, a trusted friend, someone you look up to, manipulates and betrays you, in every way possible, you experience a heart-wrenching pain caused by the sense of betrayal in the midst of confusing turbulence and overwhelming emotions surging inside you, after you found out about it, on top of the question as to why that person could have done that to you. No words can effectively describe to convey to another person the intensity of that pain. It hurts so much that it can bring the toughest of men to their knees and to a heartbreaking wail. The tears can serve as a salve to a heart’s deep wound, but it can never alleviate the pain completely. Not even time can erase the scar left by a loved one’s betrayal. The one who betrayed the king’s trust is his own personal physician, who became his most trusted friend, Johann Friedrich Struensee. He’s the king’s personal physician first before he became the queen’s. He’s also a man of the Enlightenment. He and the queen began having an affair not long after he was assigned by the king to be the queen’s personal doctor. He used his influence on the king to advance the Enlightenment’s agenda with the blessings and urgings of the queen.

The movie was actually from the queen’s perspective and it was narrated by her but I couldn’t make myself sympathize with her. Sure, she felt neglected and she can’t depend on the king as a man and as a husband, but I was expecting more from her. Then again, she admitted that she’s too young to understand what her husband is going through.

The king has so many flaws, too, and he never bothered to correct them (well, he was said to be mentally-ill, so...), he was self-indulgent, and he was not faithful to the queen as well but, since it was the king whose complete trust was betrayed, I feel more compassion for him. The person may be mentally-ill or not, I just can’t grasp how some people can betray a person who trusted them wholeheartedly. To me, when someone gives his childlike trust to you, no matter how bad that person is, you wouldn't want to see that person hurt let alone be the cause of that hurt, if you could help it. I think you owe it to that person to protect him from any form of harm.

Anyway, the king, the queen and the doctor, all paid the price for their actions. It’s a very tragic and sad ending for the three of them, and I felt sorry for all three of them in the end.

(Disclaimer: My opinion on this matter is based purely on the movie. I have no knowledge whatsoever about the real story of the historical characters mentioned.)

If you haven’t watched the movie yet and you have decided to, please share with me what you think about the characters and who’s the one that got your sympathy and why. I would appreciate it very much if you share your views about the characters. Thank you.

My Perfume

I did this when I was sick to make myself feel better.This was done in Adobe Illustrator CS3. Enjoy! 

Les Adieux à la Reine (Farewell, My Queen) Trailer

Finally, a trailer!!! I have been waiting for this since I read about this movie from Maria Elena Vidal’s Tea at Trianon blog.

Hmmm, watching the trailer, though, had made me every suspicious of the storyline "A look at the relationship between Marie Antoinette and one of her readers during the final days of the French Revolution". I hope my suspicion about this movie is incorrect because I want to watch everything about Marie Antoinette, as long as it's based faithfully and historically on reliable sources. There were false rumors spread about Marie Antoinette on tabloids to besmirch her character. One of them was that she engaged in lesbianism. I really hope the movie is not to besmirch her character further by repeating the same lies said about her during her life in France, especially since she can no longer defend her reputation. Hopefully, the movie-makers, who wish to make movies of her, will have the decency to portray her for what she was and not for what she was not just to make a controversial movie and gain viewers. Fact is, she was not a lesbian and never had engaged in lesbianism. If she was and she had, her lady in waiting, Madame Campan, would have mentioned it in her book (By the way, I read that book, "Memoirs of Marie Antoinette by Madame Campan"). Back to the movie, I guess I’ll have to wait until it’s shown and see if my suspicion is correct.

For now, here’s the trailer, you be the judge:

Flipped

Flipped is one of my most favorite movies. It’s based on the book “Flipped” by Wendelin Van Draanen. I watched the movie again, today, for the nth time. Honestly, I really lost count. It doesn’t matter how many times I watched it, I still find the movie cute. It’s very wholesome that I never grow tired of it. It’s directed by the same director who directed the movie “Stand by Me”. I don’t like “Stand by Me” even one bit, though, because it’s too morbid for my taste. I’m still wondering why “Flipped” didn’t make it to the big screen when it’s a very good movie to watch. It brings back memories of teenage years, when you have no other concern except school works and crushes. I liked that. Just to clarify, I wasn’t born in the 50s. How I wish I was but I was born more than 3 decades after but I like period films. I like light and, especially, wholesome movies. Unfortunately, nowadays, wholesome movies seem like a rare gem to find (except, of course, in kiddie movie animations).  Anyway, if you haven’t watched this movie yet, I recommend that you watch it. That is, if, like me, you’re a fan of wholesome movies. By the way, I give this movie 10/10. 

Here's the trailer. Enjoy!

I’m back!!!

I’ve been very, very busy for the past months that I couldn’t take time to write on my blogs, including my recipe blog, and to think I really like cooking as well as drawing. Gosh, I have been drawing and drawing from the moment I wake up to the time I go to sleep. Also have been very busy authoring textbooks. Yes, I’m authoring art textbooks now, yay, lol! Yeah, I really feel blessed. This project seemed like it just fell on my lap! Actually, my co-author is my sister who’s also an artist. She’s a good writer, too. Anyway, I’ll try to do my best to update this blog; especially now that I see so many visitors (I’m so surprised!). I really appreciate you all taking time to drop by my blog. If there’s anything you want me to tackle in this site, whether it’s a movie, or about art in general, please feel free to give your suggestions. I’d be more than willing to engage in a discussion. See ya! ;)