As you all may probably know, they already announced the nominations for the 77th Academy Awards last Tuesday. As expected, The Aviator- Martin Scorsese's brilliant epic about the life of eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes and his travails with Hollywood and the aviation industry- leads with 11 nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), and Best Director (Scorsese). Joining the film in Best Picture is Clint Eastwood's boxing drama Million Dollar Baby, Finding Neverland, Sideways, and Ray. The nominations also had its share of surprises like Kinsey getting only one nomination (for best supporting actress), House of Flying Daggers getting snubbed for foreign language film (though it got nominated for cinematography), The Phantom of the Opera getting nominated for art direction but not for the costumes, Paul Giamatti & Jim Carrey (again!) getting shafted in Best Actor, Vera Drake managing 2 more nominations aside from the assured Best Actress nod, Sky Captain gets no love in the visual effects category, Michael Giacchino's The Incredibles score (his first film score) getting ignored, and Shark Tale beating The Polar Express for the other slot in Best Animated Feature alongside The Incredibles and Shrek 2 (Heck, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie was even much better than Shark Tale!). Here are my predictions for some of the categories (which might be subject to change). Those in asterisks denote nominations which were among my personal picks (** meaning honorary mention), while those in "+" denote nominations that I assumed the Academy will eventually nominate.

Best Picture

The Aviator*+
Finding Neverland**+
Million Dollar Baby+
Ray
Sideways**+

Will/should win: The Aviator

Best Actor

Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda
Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland*+
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator**+
Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
Jamie Foxx, Ray*+

Will win: Jamie Foxx, Ray
Should win: Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland
Honorary mention: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator

Best Actress

Annette Bening, Being Julia+
Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace+
Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake*+
Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby+
Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind*+

Will win: Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
Should win: Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Alda, The Aviator+
Thomas Haden Church, Sideways*+
Jamie Foxx, Collateral*
Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby+
Clive Owen, Closer+

Will/should win: Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby

Best Supporting Actress

Cate Blanchett, The Aviator+
Laura Linney, Kinsey*+
Virginia Madsen, Sideways*+
Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda
Natalie Portman, Closer*+

Will/should win: Natalie Portman, Closer
Honorary mention: Cate Blanchett, The Aviator

Best Director

Martin Scorsese, The Aviator*+
Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby+
Taylor Hackford, Ray
Alexander Payne, Sideways+
Mike Leigh, Vera Drake

Will/should win: Martin Scorsese, The Aviator

Best Original Screenplay

The Aviator*+
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind*+
Hotel Rwanda+
The Incredibles**+
Vera Drake

Will/should win: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Honorary mention: The Aviator

Best Adapted Screenplay

Before Sunset**+
Finding Neverland*+
Million Dollar Baby+
The Motorcycle Diaries (this was one of my original predictions of which film will eventually be nominated in the category, but I changed it in the last minute to Million Dollar Baby)
Sideways*+

Will win: Sideways
Should win: Finding Neverland
Honorary mention: Before Sunset

Best Foreign Language Film

As It Is in Heaven, Sweden
The Chorus, France**+
Downfall, Germany**+
The Sea Inside, Spain*+
Yesterday, South Africa

Will/should win: The Sea Inside, Spain

Best Animated Feature

The Incredibles*+
Shark Tale
Shrek 2*+

Will/should win: The Incredibles

Best Original Score

Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, Finding Neverland**+
John Williams, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*+
Thomas Newman, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events**+
John Debney, The Passion of the Christ*
James Newton Howard, The Village

Will win: Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, Finding Neverland
Should win: Thomas Newman, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Honorary mention: John Debney, The Passion of the Christ

Best Original Song

"Accidentally In Love", Shrek 2*+
"Al Otro Lado Del Rio", The Motorcycle Diaries
"Believe", The Polar Express*+
"Learn To Be Lonely", The Phantom of the Opera+
"Look To Your Path", The Chorus

Will win: "Accidentally In Love", Shrek 2
Should win: "Learn To Be Lonely", The Phantom of the Opera
Honorary mention: "Believe", The Polar Express

Best Cinematography

The Aviator*+
House of Flying Daggers*+
The Passion of the Christ*+
The Phantom of the Opera
A Very Long Engagement*

Will win: The Aviator
Should win: The Passion of the Christ
Honorary mention: House of Flying Daggers

Best Film Editing

The Aviator*+
Collateral+
Finding Neverland**
Million Dollar Baby
Ray

Will/should win: The Aviator
Honorary mention: Collateral

Best Sound Mixing

The Aviator*+
The Incredibles**+
The Polar Express**
Ray+
Spider-Man 2*

Will win: The Aviator
Should win: The Polar Express
Honorary mention: Spider-Man 2

Best Sound Editing

The Incredibles*+
The Polar Express**
Spider-Man 2*+

Will win: Spider-Man 2
Should win: The Polar Express

Best Art Direction

The Aviator*+
Finding Neverland+
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events+
The Phantom of the Opera**+
A Very Long Engagement*+

Will win: The Phantom of the Opera
Should win: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Honorary mention: The Aviator

Best Costume Design

The Aviator*+
Finding Neverland**+
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events*
Ray
Troy

Will win: The Aviator
Should win: Finding Neverland
Honorary mention: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Best Makeup

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events*+
The Passion of the Christ*+
The Sea Inside

Will win: The Passion of the Christ
Should win: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Best Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban**
I, Robot
Spider-Man 2*+

Will/should win: Spider-Man 2

Best Documentary Feature

Born into Brothels*
The Story of the Weeping Camel+
Super Size Me*+
Tupac: Resurrection*
Twist of Faith

Will/should win: Super Size Me

And that concludes my fearless Oscar forecast!

They're gonna announce the Oscar nominations tomorrow morning at 5:30 am PST. Here are my choices for who will/should be considered:

BEST PICTURE:
My 5 personal picks:
Fahrenheit 9/11
The Aviator
The Passion of the Christ
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
A Very Long Engagement

Honorary mention to Finding Neverland and Sideways

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
The Aviator
Finding Neverland
Million Dollar Baby
Closer
Sideways

BEST ACTOR:
My 5 personal picks:
Tom Hanks, The Terminal
Jim Carrey, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Jamie Foxx, Ray
Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland
James Caviezel, The Passion of the Christ

Honorable mention goes to Bill Murray (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), Gael Garcia Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries or Bad Education), Jude Law (Closer) & Leonardo DiCaprio (The Aviator)

The 5 performances that I think will be eventually nominated:
Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland
Jamie Foxx, Ray
Paul Giamatti, Sideways
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator
Liam Neeson, Kinsey

BEST ACTRESS:
My 5 personal picks:
Audrey Tautou, A Very Long Engagement
Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake
Uma Thurman, Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Zhang Ziyi, House of Flying Daggers
Kate Winslet, Finding Neverland (or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)

Honorable mention goes to Julie Delpy (Before Sunset)

Those who will eventually be nominated:
Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake
Annette Bening, Being Julia
Kate Winslet, Finding Neverland (or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace
Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby

BEST SUPP. ACTOR:
My 5 personal picks:
Freddie Highmore, Finding Neverland
Jamie Foxx, Collateral
Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
Peter Sarsgaard, Garden State (or Kinsey)
David Carradine, Kill Bill: Vol. 2

Honorable mention to Peter O' Toole (Troy), Topher Grace (In Good Company), and Rodrigo dela Serna (The Motorcycle Diaries)

Those who will eventually be nominated:
Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
Clive Owen, Closer
Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby
Alan Alda, The Aviator
Freddie Highmore, Finding Neverland

BEST SUPP. ACTRESS:
My 5 personal picks:
Cloris Leachman, Spanglish
Natalie Portman, Closer (or Garden State)
Maia Morgenstern, The Passion of the Christ
Virginia Madsen, Sideways
Laura Linney, Kinsey

Honorary mention to Lauren Bacall (Dogville or Birth) and Julie Christie (Finding Neverland)

Those who will eventually be nominated:
Laura Linney, Kinsey
Julie Christie, Finding Neverland
Virginia Madsen, Sideways
Natalie Portman, Closer (or Garden State)
Cate Blanchett, The Aviator (or The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou)

BEST DIRECTOR:
My 5 personal picks:
Michael Moore, Fahrenheit 9/11
Martin Scorsese, The Aviator
Michel Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Mel Gibson, The Passion of the Christ
Jean-Pierre Jeunet, A Very Long Engagement

Honorary mention to Marc Forster (Finding Neverland), Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries), and Bill Condon (Kinsey)

Who the Academy will eventually nominate:
Mike Nichols, Closer
Marc Forster, Finding Neverland
Martin Scorsese, The Aviator
Alexander Payne, Sideways
Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby

BEST ORIG. SCREENPLAY:
My 5 personal picks:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Garden State
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Aviator
I Heart Huckabees

Honorary mention to The Incredibles, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Ray, In Good Company, and Team America: World Police

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
The Aviator
The Incredibles
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Hotel Rwanda
Kinsey

BEST ADAP. SCREENPLAY:
My 5 personal picks:
The Passion of the Christ
Sideways
The Motorcycle Diaries
A Very Long Engagement
Finding Neverland

Honorary mention to Before Sunset, Mean Girls, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Spider-Man 2

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
Sideways
Before Sunset
Million Dollar Baby
Finding Neverland
Closer

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
My 5 personal picks:
Crying Ladies, Philippines
House of Flying Daggers, China
The Sea Inside, Spain
The Five Obstructions, Denmark
Tae Guk Gi, Korea

Honorary mention to Downfall (Germany) and The Chorus (France)

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
The Chorus, France
The Sea Inside, Spain
Campfire, Israel
Downfall, Germany
House of Flying Daggers, China

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
My 3 personal picks:
Shrek 2
The Incredibles
The Polar Express

Honorary mention to The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
Shrek 2
The Incredibles
The Polar Express

BEST ORIG. SCORE:
My 5 personal picks:
John Williams, The Terminal
Edward Shearmur, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
John Debney, The Passion of the Christ
John Williams, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Vangelis, Alexander

Honorary mention to Jan A.P. Kaczmarek (Finding Neverland), Michael Giacchino (The Incredibles), Angelo Badalamenti (A Very Long Engagement), Jon Brion (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or I Heart Huckabees), Mark Mothersbaugh (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), Alan Silvestri (The Polar Express), and Thomas Newman (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events)

Who the Academy will eventually nominate:
Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, Finding Neverland
Thomas Newman, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Alan Silvestri, The Polar Express
Michael Giacchino, The Incredibles

The 5th slot is reserved for John Williams

BEST ORIG. SONG:
My 5 personal picks:
"I'm So Ronery", Team America: World Police
"Old Habits Die Hard", Alfie
"Vindicated", Spider-Man 2
"Believe", The Polar Express
"Accidentally in Love", Shrek 2

Honorary mention: "A Waltz for a Night" (Before Sunset), "Loverly Spring" (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events), "Remember" (Troy), and the rest of the Team America/SpongeBob songs

Songs the Academy will eventually nominate:
"Learn to be Lonely", The Phantom of the Opera
"Million Voices", Hotel Rwanda
"Believe", The Polar Express
"Accidentally in Love", Shrek 2
"Old Habits Die Hard", Alfie

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
My 5 personal picks:
Collateral
The Aviator
House of Flying Daggers
A Very Long Engagement
The Passion of the Christ

Honorary mention to Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Finding Neverland, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and Spider-Man 2

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
The Aviator
The Passion of the Christ
House of Flying Daggers
The Motorcycle Diaries
Collateral

BEST FILM EDITING:
My 5 personal picks:
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
The Aviator
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
Spider-Man 2

Honorary mention to Finding Neverland, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, The Passion of the Christ, and A Very Long Engagement

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
The Aviator
House of Flying Daggers
Collateral
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Motorcycle Diaries

BEST SOUND MIXING:
My 5 personal picks:
Spider-Man 2
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
The Aviator
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
A Very Long Engagement

Honorary mention to The Incredibles, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Polar Express, and Collateral

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
The Phantom of the Opera
Ray
Collateral
The Aviator
The Incredibles

BEST SOUND EDITING:
My 3 personal picks:
The Aviator
The Incredibles
Spider-Man 2

Honorary mention to Ray and The Polar Express

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
The Aviator
The Incredibles
Spider-Man 2

BEST ART-SET DIRECTION:
My 5 personal picks:
The Terminal
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Aviator
Team America: World Police
A Very Long Engagement

Honorary mention to The Phantom of the Opera, House of Flying Daggers, Ray, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Vanity Fair, and The Passion of the Christ

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
The Phantom of the Opera
The Aviator
Finding Neverland
A Very Long Engagement
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
My 5 personal picks:
The Passion of the Christ
A Very Long Engagement
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
House of Flying Daggers
The Aviator

Honorary mention to The Phantom of the Opera, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Vanity Fair, and Finding Neverland

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
Finding Neverland
The Phantom of the Opera
House of Flying Daggers
The Aviator
Stage Beauty

BEST MAKEUP:
My 3 personal picks:
Hellboy
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Passion of the Christ

Honorary mention to The Aviator

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Aviator
The Passion of the Christ

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
My 3 personal picks:
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Spider-Man 2

Honorary mention to Harry Potter 3 and The Aviator

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
The Day After Tomorrow
Spider-Man 2
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
My 5 personal picks:
Super Size Me
Riding Giants
Touching the Void
Born into Brothels
Tupac: Resurrection

Films the Academy will eventually nominate:
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Super Size Me
Riding Giants
In The Realms of the Unreal
Touching the Void

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Man, I had a great holiday season here in the US (my first time here!), I watched the LA production of Les Miserables on the Pantages Theater with my sister on Christmas Day (the very first musical I saw if you don't count the school presentations as well as the "Disney on Ice" show I saw at the Araneta Coliseum way back in 1994) and after that, me and my family (with my aunt in tow) spent most of the week in Las Vegas (during that time, I learned of the tragic tsunami disaster that hit southern Asia). We watched a Cirque de Soleil show and I spent most of the time sightseeing and watching recently released films on the nearby theater as they try their luck at the casinos. And a day after we arrived back in Long Beach, we went to visit the family of my sister's boyfriend and I still had a great time in their company. Ironically enough, while this is my first holiday experience in America, I still have yet to see or feel snow (heck, even my dad hasn't seen it yet, and he's been here for more than 7 years!).

The very first film I saw for this year (exactly on New Year's Day) was The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, starring Bill Murray and directed by Wes Anderson. While the film wasn't as good as Anderson's previous film The Royal Tenenbaums and it has garnered lots of mixed reviews, I definitely enjoyed it. From the ensemble cast (including Anderson's frequent collaborator Owen Wilson), the sets, the raw documentary-style cinematography, the make-believe fish specimens (including the infamous "jaguar shark") done by Henry Selick (Tim Burton's collaborator on The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, and the upcoming The Corpse Bride), the music, to the dialogue (Here's a sample- Scientist: [regarding the shark Zissou is hunting] "What would be the scientific purpose of killing it?" Steve Zissou: "Revenge.") . There's even a funny scene involving Filipino sea pirates (actually played by OFWs based in Italy who were cast while shooting in the legendary Cinecitta studios) who take over Zissou's ship as the "bond company stooge" (played by Bud Cort of Harold & Maude fame) tries to translate for them before he is eventually taken as hostage. Other highlights include a Brazilian crew member who spends most of the time singing David Bowie songs in his language, Team Zissou looting the supplies and equipment of a research station belonging to Zissou's rival (played by Jeff Goldblum), and a daring rescue operation on an abandoned island resort with hilarious results.

With 2004 already over, I thought it would be nice to share everyone my top films of 2004. To begin, let's start with the 2004 releases that I didn't saw on theaters but eventually saw on DVD which I definitely enjoy. The top 10 are:

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. Garden State
3. Kill Bill: Vol. 2
4. The Passion of the Christ
5. Before Sunset
6. Mean Girls
7. Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle
8. 50 First Dates
9. Hellboy
10. Napoleon Dynamite

Now to review my fall/winter season must-see checklist:

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - seen it
Shaun of the Dead - seen it
The Last Shot - haven't seen it
Shark Tale - seen it
I Heart Huckabees - saw part of it
Team America: World Police - seen it
Sideways - haven't seen it
Ray - seen it (though I didn't catch the first few minutes)
Beyond the Sea - haven't seen it
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - haven't seen it
Finding Neverland - seen it
The Incredibles - seen it
The Polar Express - seen it
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie - seen it
Meet the Fockers - seen it
Ocean's Twelve - only seen it starting from the middle part
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - seen it
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - seen it
The Phantom of the Opera - seen it
Spanglish - seen it
The Aviator - seen it
A Very Long Engagement - haven't seen it
In Good Company - seen it

And to rank my top 10 out those I've seen:

1. Team America: World Police - to this day, I still don't know why this film flopped even though lots of people were all looking forward to watching this. Nevertheless, its a great satirical one-two punch on US politics and Jerry Bruckheimer films.
2. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - too bad it flopped in the box office despite opening at #1, this has got to be one of the most ambitious action-adventure/sci-fi films ever conceived (Interesting note: Both Sky Captain and Team America were released by Paramount).
3. The Incredibles - Once again, Pixar delivers another consecutive hit! Need I say more?
4. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - see above
5. Finding Neverland - Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet (as well as young Freddie Highmore) give marvelous performances in this film about the creation of Peter Pan.
6. The Aviator - Leo shines, and Marty too! He deserves to win best director this year.
7. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - dark, depressing, and absolutely marvelous! The best Tim Burton film Tim Burton was never involved with whatsoever, and also the most gloomiest children's film since The City of Lost Children.
8. Shaun of the Dead - Nice comedic homage to zombie movies of then and now, talk about fried gold.
9. Meet the Fockers - in the original, I felt sorry for Ben Stiller's character. In this sequel, I felt MUCH MORE sorry for his character, as well as De Niro's.
10. The Phantom of the Opera - One of the best modern musical adaptations I've seen, and better than Chicago too.


Others worth mentioning: Ray, In Good Company, Spanglish (I didn't like the ending though), The Polar Express, and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

Overall, my top 25 of 2004:

1. Spider-Man 2
2. Team America: World Police
3. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
4. The Incredibles
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6. Garden State
7. Hero
8. Kill Bill: Vol. 2
9. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
10. The Terminal
11. Shrek 2
12. The Passion of the Christ
13. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
14. Finding Neverland
15. Fahrenheit 9/11
16. The Aviator
17. Before Sunset
18. Imelda
19. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
20. Shaun of the Dead
21. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
22. Meet the Fockers
23. The Phantom of the Opera
24. Ray
25. In Good Company

And now, my most eagerly-anticipated films of 2005 (subject to change):

1. Corpse Bride
2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
3. King Kong
4. War of the Worlds
5. Batman Begins
6. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
7. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
8. Sin City
9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
10. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

Others to look forward: Southland Tales, Be Cool, Madagascar, Chicken Little, The Fantastic Four, The Producers: The Movie Musical, The Brothers Grimm, Robots, Howl's Moving Castle, Melinda and Melinda, Bewitched, Kung Fu Hustle, Kingdom of Heaven, an untitled new comedy from Mike Judge, The Longest Yard, Mirrormask, and Oliver Twist.

I also can't wait for the return of all-new episodes of the cult cartoon Family Guy on May 1st, alongside a new cartoon from FG creator Seth MacFarlane called American Dad (judging from the pilot I saw online, I think it has some potential). Now if they can only revive Futurama...

As for my script, I have decided to take a new direction and instead of writing a satire of the animation industry as I originally intended, I'm instead currently attempting to do a full-length screenplay under the title of "Makiling's Treasure". It's an adventure story set in 19th-century Philippines under Spanish rule, and I can also describe it as a "picaresque historical fantasy". So far, I have done the 30 pages of the first draft, and hopefully some more in the future, as I'm currently preparing for my spring semester. Wish me luck!