About

 

This is the official website for Michael Edillor – Writer, Filmmaker, Philippine Cinema Advocate and Cinephile.

I was born in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines. I love movies and I like discussing movies with other people. I am what you would call a “cinephile” – a person who loves everything about cinema.

Overall I’m just a guy who is striving to follow his dreams and live life to the fullest. And hopefully do some good along the way.

 

Favorite Music:

Nothing in particular. I can like any type of music from classical to rock to pop and everything in between. 

Favorite TV Shows:

Any show that makes me stop and watch the TV. 

Favorite Movies:

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Wages of Fear, Linda Linda Linda, Baadasssss!, Desperado, City of God, The Matrix, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Old Boy, About A Boy, El Mariachi, Almost Famous, The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Most if not all the films of directors

Stanley Kubrick, Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Wong Kar Wai, Clint Eastwood, Sergio Leone, Quentin Tarantino, David Lean, Pedro Almodovar, Paul Thomas Anderson, John Ford, Anthony Mann, James Cameron, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujiro Ozu, Steven Spielberg, Billy Wilder, John Huston, David Fincher, Park Chanwook, Joon-ho Bong, Wes Anderson, Danny Boyle, Hayao Miyazaki, Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron

and the cinematography of

Christopher Doyle, Conrad L. Hall, Sven Nykvist, Gordon Willis, Rodrigo Prieto, Emmanuel Lubezki, and Roger Deakins.

Favorite Books:

Any kind of book as long as it grabs my interest.

Favorite Quotations:

Don’t be afraid of failure, be afraid of the chances you will miss when you don’t even try.” – From my mother

“Where ever your heart is, that is where you’ll find your treasure. Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we move toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. Every search begins with beginners luck. And every search ends with the victor’s severely tested.” – An excerpt from the book The Alchemist

“Everyone is always unsure of their fighting abilities. When that happens, just train more! When you are afraid, just train! When something doesn’t feel right, just train! When you don’t believe in yourself anymore, just train! The only thing that won’t betray you is your training.”

“At the same time without courage, you cannot calmly observe your enemy’s weaknesses. Without courage, your strength is meaningless. Without courage you will never be able to use those techniques you learned! If you don’t have any courage, then go and gain some through training! All things are gained through training.”

– Hayato Furinji, a character from the manga History’s Strongest Disciple: Kenichi (I think it can also apply not only in fighting but also in the different abilities that one wants to improve on in life.)

Our life is the result of the consequences to our choices.

Regrets are a waste of time. They are your past crippling you in the present.

Excerpt of an email that I received a long time ago that I think it is good to remember.
“I know some friends that don’t dare to have that kind of dream. When I mentioned Robert Rodriguez’s story, they always say “yeah that kind of thing only happens to like…1 in 10,000 people”. I mean, why must we position ourselves as the ones within the 10,000, and not the 1? Maybe they’re just trying to be “realistic”. But for me, too much of that “realistic” paradigm kills young filmmakers because being realistic may any time gradually become pessimistic.”

“I hate cynicism, It’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.” – Conan O’Brien