A Girl and A Gun: A Cinematic Blog

Weekly Round-Up (1/22/12 - 1/28/12)

2012-01-29T03:47:00.000-08:00

The Purple Rose of Cairo (Woody Allen) ***1/2 - A fictional character from a movie steps out into the "real world" to charm the pants off a woman with an unhappy marriage during the Great Depression. It is a wonderful, charming, funny film that's essentially about the magic of the movies. It's not Woody's funniest film but I had a smile plastered throughout a huge chunk of it. Jeff Daniels is terrific in a dual role and Woody Allen's muse, Mia Farrow, is also as strong as she's ever been. The final shot of the film is absolute perfection, IMO.

Manhattan (Woody Allen) **** - It's one of the handful of canon films/all-time/top classics I haven't seen and by God, why did I wait so long? This is an amazing film and without a doubt it's one of Woody Allen's masterpieces. The script is funny and nuanced. Although Woody's films are often not praised for their visuals, this one contains some really jaw-dropping cinematography courtesy of Gordon Willis. Despite clearly made and set in the 1970's, it does not feel dated at all. It's a true classic, one of the greats.

Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen) **** - The worst thing I can say about this film is that it isn't quite as great as Woody Allen's masterpieces from the '70s and '80s. But it is very much a highlight on his current contemporary European phase of his films. It's a funny, joyful infectious romp about writer who longs for the past and suddenly getting his wish come true at the stroke of midnight. Owen Wilson manages to make the "Woody Allen"-type lead character without doing an overt impression. I'm watching this right after a marathon that consisted of The Purple Rose of Cairo and Manhattan and this film has plenty of elements that strongly reminds me of both films.

We Bought a Zoo (Cameron Crowe) **1/2 - The highest praise I can give this film is that it's fine and it could have been a hell of a lot worse. It's a highly unremarkable film that somehow managed to entertain thanks to the charm of Matt Damon and the cast. The script dials down the potential for silly sap and annoying cute moments. It's an interesting enough story that could have been a bit better as a TV pilot, I think. Still, it's just....fine.

Deconstructing Harry (Woody Allen) *** - It's 8 1/2 meets Wild Strawberries with F-words, C-words and sex jokes. That's the best way I can describe writer-director Woody Allen's probably most vulgar, explicit film. There are some good laughs in it and the supporting cast is terrific (Kirstie Alley especially). It's not quite as great as Allen's finest works but it's overall, a solid, respectable and fascinating film. It's a wilder, wackier Stardust Memories in a way, if I think about it.

J. Edgar (Clint Eastwood) ** - I usually really like Clint Eastwood's films. This one is probably the weakest I've seen from him in a long time. Granted his last few films were far from masterpieces, I really struggled with this one. The film is full of potential. Somewhere in there is a great film waiting to be made especially since the subject of this film is such a fascinating, complex character. It seemed to want to be so many things that it lost me. Leonardo DiCaprio is a bit miscast though he has moments of greatness, I can't help but feel a LOOK AT ME!!!! I'M AAAAACTINNNG!!! vibe from him from time to time. Armie Hammer was really good but I agree that his old age makeup was horrendous.

The Great Scenes # 21: The Tree of Life (2011)

2012-01-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

Directed by Terrence Malick

The Oscar nominations have just been announced this week. And one of the most pleasant (sort of) surprises were the nominations for The Tree of Life in the Best Picture and Best Director categories. I personally think it's one of the classiest, most amazing things the Academy has ever done and I've criticized and disagreed with many, many, many Oscar choices over the years. This is not really a "scene" per se but rather an excerpt from the controversial "creation of the universe" sequence. Many people have walked out of the film during this sequence. For me, it's a visually jaw-dropping sequence and very emotional as well. The visual effects here (which was very wrongly ignored in the Visual Effects category) was supervised by Douglas Trumbull who did the effects for 2001 and it was created largely old-school but very little, if any, CGI. I think it's still amazing that a divisive experimental art-house flick would get a huge mainstream recognition like this. Bravo to the Academy.

Weekly Round-Up (1/15/12 - 1/21/11)

2012-01-22T19:38:00.001-08:00

A Separation (Asghar Farhadi) **** - Wow. What an intense, devastating drama. A husband and his wife separate. But an incident involving a miscarriage of a pregnant female caretaker of the husband's father opens up a whole new can of worms. This is one of the reasons why I love cinema. This is an eye-opening look into what goes on in Iranian society. This story can only be told in Iran yet its humanity is universal. The cast is amazing. I also absolutely love the fact that you really sympathize with all the characters involved, which makes this film all the more heartbreaking. It is one of the best films of the year.

Jane Eyre (Cary Fukunaga) ***1/2 - I haven't read the Charlotte Bronte book it's based on but I've found out that it's actually a Gothic novel with supernatural/spooky undertones. This film adaptation actually brings out some of that. So in that way, the film kind of reminds of Twilight, however, this story has a far more well-written, stronger female character. And that character is brought to life beautifully by Mia Wasikowska, who's well on her way to becoming a major actress. (And supported by a great supporting cast too). Speaking of that, the young director of this film, Cary Fukunaga is also likewise on his way to becoming a major director. Despite being a period romance, the film is totally absorbing and never feels stuffy, this is all due to his direction. A solid piece of work.

Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes) *** - This is yet another modernized adaptations of one of Shakespeare's plays and this is one of his more obscure ones. For good reason, it isn't quite as great as Hamlet or Romeo & Juliet or Macbeth but it's still an interesting, compelling story anyway. As for the film adaptation, Ralph Fiennes acquits himself well both as a lead actor and first-time director with the help of a great supporting cast. It's very good but far from great.

Listology # 4: Top 10 Best Best Picture Oscar Winners

2012-01-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

Oscar nominations will be unveiled next week. Cinephiles like me have often criticized and bash the Oscars for mediocre, middlebrow choices and often missing the mark on what are considered truly great films. The list of great films not even NOMINATED for an Oscar is frankly embarrassing to say the least. But the Academy Awards have been around for 84 years and they do occasionally get it right. Here are 10 films, based on what I've seen among the Best Picture winners, I feel are the Best Best Picture Oscar winners of all time in chronological order.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927, F.W. Murnau)

During the first Academy Awards, there were actually two Best Picture winners. Although Wings is often credited as the first Best Picture winner, this one is technically a co-winner because Wings is Best Production while this won as Best Artistic Achievement. It is indeed one of German director Murnau's masterpieces. It's a rather melodramatic story about the love story between a couple but so stunningly made, it really is an artistic achievement in cinema.

Rebecca (1940, Alfred Hitchcock)

One of the most retarded things the Academy has ever done is not give a Best Director Oscar to the Master himself, Alfred Hitchcock but one of his films did manage to win Best Picture and that's Rebecca. It may not be the best Alfred Hitchcock film but it's definitely in the Top 8, easily. Mrs. Danvers is probably one of the best Hitchcock villains of all time.

Casablanca (1942, Michael Curtiz)

Quite a few films that win Best Picture often become only remembered for doing just that: winning the Best Picture Oscar. But not this film. This film is still fondly remembered and widely regarded as it was when it was first released, perhaps even more so. Extremely quotable, superbly acted and frankly one of the most romantic movies ever made. It's a real classic.

The Apartment (1960, Billy Wilder)

Speaking of romantic movies, this is another one of them. Billy Wilder has been known to create sardonic and often funny films. It's wonderful that a contemporary comedy like this would manage to win Best Picture, It's sharply written and wonderfully acted. It is one of those rare comedies that manage to win.

The Godfather (1972, Francis Ford Coppola)

Yet another Best Picture winner that the Academy got right. Until now, it's still revered as a classic and it's one of my favorites. The sequel is about as good as also won Best Picture.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991, Jonathan Demme)

Like comedy, horror is another genre that's sorely underrepresented at the Oscars. So it's kind of amazing that this gruesome but absolutely gripping, superbly acted horror-thriller manage not only to win Best Picture but sweep the top awards: Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Screenplay. It instantly made Hannibal Lecter played by Anthony Hopkins one of the most iconic big-screen characters of all time.

Unforgiven (1992, Clint Eastwood)

Only three Westerns have won Best Picture Oscar and this is the best among them (Cimarron and Dances with Wolves are the other two). Clint Eastwood has made a name for himself as one of the great American filmmakers and this film is one of his masterpieces. One of the more exemplary choices made by the Academy.

Schindler's List (1993, Steven Spielberg)

The Academy was in a hot streak during the early '90s, no? After so many years, director Steven Spielberg finally earned respect and plaudits for turning a dead serious Holocaust drama. It may not be the best Holocaust movie ever made but it's certainly the one that opened my eyes to it. It's an incredible, mature piece of work and worthy of being called the best of the year.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003, Peter Jackson)

Fantasy is another genre that gets very little respect from the Oscars. But not this year. Peter Jackson's monumental achievement of filming J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece swept the Oscars that year and in my opinion, deservedly.

No Country for Old Men (2007, Joel Coen & Ethan Coen)

Though I may slightly prefer There Will Be Blood that year, the Coen Brothers are among my favorite filmmakers and I have trouble deciding between this and Fargo as my favorite Coen Brothers film. I've seen this three times and it never ceases to amaze me. It's bleak and methodically paced but it's such a great film and will probably hold up for years to come.

Honorable mentions: All About Eve (1950, Joseph L. Mankiewicz), Lawrence of Arabia (1962, David Lean), The French Connection (1971, William Friedkin), The Godfather Part II (1974, Francis Ford Coppola), Annie Hall (1977, Woody Allen),.

Weekly Round-Up (1/8/12 - 1/14/12)

2012-01-15T04:29:00.001-08:00

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Guy Ritchie) **1/2 - I wasn't a huge fan of the first movie though I did find it entertaining. I did like this one a bit better but not by much. It seems it has everything going for it. The cast is very good, there are some thrills and laughs along the way and Guy Ritchie does some cool things with the visuals and all but everything adds up to it being entertaining but ultimately disposable and forgettable.

Diary of a Lost Girl (G.W. Pabst) ***1/2 - This is director G.W. Pabst's and Louise Brooks' second and last movie together (news to me too, I thought they worked together a lot!). It's about a young girl who descends into a tumultuous, troubled life. The film has tons of soapy and melodramatic elements to it but the direction and the acting keeps it quite compelling. Louise Brooks was incredible in this one. It's no Pandora's Box but it's respectably close.

Melancholia (Lars Von Trier) ***1/2 - Ah, Lars Von Trier. He's a filmmaker whose films contain things that I find fascinating and downright brilliant but at the same time, he has elements which bug and irritate me and this film is no exception. This is his rather unique take on sci-fi apocalyptic genre about depression and a huge planet that's about to incinerate the Earth, ending life as we know it. Yes, it's very much downer and rather bleak but beautifully so. Lots of hoopla have been made about Kirsten Dunst, though I do think she's strong here, I thought Charlotte Gainsbourg was a bit better.

Certified Copy (Abbas Kiarostami) **** - What a magnificent film! This is probably my favorite Abbas Kiarostami film so far (along with A Taste of Cherry, which is due for a rewatch). This is a film about a couple. That's about the only thing I can say without giving way too much away but the film's appeal is finding out the direction where it is headed as it does a rather strange but wonderful narrative shift midway which reflects the title of the film. The two lead performers are magical onscreen together. I'd love to see this again. One of my favorites of the year so far.

The Great Scenes # 20: Eternity and a Day (1998)

2012-01-12T05:44:00.000-08:00

Directed by Theo Angelopolous

This is probably the most obscure film featured in this series. It's a marvelous, hypnotic piece of work so it shouldn't be. This film is from renowned Greek director Theo Angelopolous and it's about a poet who finds out he is dying (played by Bruno Ganz) and he befriends a little boy who's an illegal immigrant from Albania trying to escape the atrocities of his country and avoid being deported. He ironically gets invigorated with life in this special bond he forms with the boy. This is an absolutely wonderful film since it manages to be moving and life-affirming without being the least bit sappy. It's slow for some but rewarding. This is the climactic scene in the film. In this scene, the poet and the little boy decide, out of a whim, to take a little round trip in a bus before the boy stows away in a ship and they encounter various eccentrics and peoples of different colors. It's so Felliniesque in a way (which is appropriate since one of the writers co-wrote 8 1/2, haha). This is a truly excellent film. So check it out.

Weekly Round-Up (1/1/12 - 1/7/12)

2012-01-09T08:10:00.001-08:00

I'm late again. Oh, well.

Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock) **** - This is a second viewing of one of Hitchcock's major films. For those of you who don't know, it's about a young girl (Teresa Wright) who starts to suspect her beloved uncle (Joseph Cotten) could be a wanted serial killer. It's said to be Hitchcock's favorite among his films and it's a thrilling, compelling piece of work.

Women in Love (Ken Russell) *** - Director Ken Russell passed away relatively recently and it occurred to me I have yet to see a film of his. This is the film I chose to lose my Ken Russell virginity to. It's an adaptation of a DH Lawrence novel about two sisters during the 1920's who have affairs with two upper-class men who are close friends with some complications of course. Overall, I thought it was a very good film. Ken Russell manages to make what's essentially a period romantic drama into something that feels quite contemporary and not stuffy at all. Glenda Jackson was very, very good in her Oscar-winning role but I find it a bit strange that she won while Oliver Reed, who for me had the most compelling, complicated role and was the standout of the piece, wasn't even nominated. Oh, well. I look forward to more films from Russell.

The Great Scenes # 19: Jaws (1975)

2012-01-07T07:41:00.000-08:00

Directed by Steven Spielberg

I'd like to think that it's this scene that made Steven Spielberg a household name and pretty sealed his place in film history as one of the greats (or one of the overrateds, depends on who you talk to). Mechanical problems with the robot shark turned out to be blessing in disguise for him since it allowed Spielberg to be more Hitchcockian with his approach, which makes it more horrifying. The editing, cinematography and John Williams' iconic score made the opening death to the first true summer blockbuster Jaws a memorable one. The actress in the scene was great but says that the rig they had her in was actually quite painful and violent that much of her screaming in pain and fear was not really acting.

Top 10 Films Seen in 2011

2012-01-05T01:10:00.000-08:00

I've done this several times in the past already. A lot of critics at this time of year have been releasing their Top 10 lists. Since there are still tons of late-releasing major 2011 releases I still need to see, I can't do a conventional Top 10 of 2011 list yet so instead, I'm going to release a Top 10 films SEEN in 2011, regardless of release date. I've well over a hundred new films last year and I've liked, even loved, a huge chunk of them. Here's the 10 of the best of the best arranged according to the order I've seen them along with my initial review:

BLACK SWAN (2010)

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

The best way I can describe this film is "pretentious camp" but I personally don't mean it in a negative way at all. Quite the contrary. This absolutely thrilling and intriguing blending of highbrow (classical ballet) and lowbrow (psychosexual horror) and the beautiful and grotesque to depict a young ballerina's descent into madness. I can see how some people would hate this. The film blends many recognizable elements from filmmakers like Powell/Pressburger, Polanski and Dario Argento and throws them all onscreen in a way that will probably turn some people off. But as for me, I was on board with this from the first scene onwards. But then again, I'm a bit of an Aronofksy fan boy (I even liked The Fountain). This is best I've seen from Natalie Portman since The Professional.

VIOLENT SUMMER (1959)

Directed by Valerio Zurlini

I have not heard of this film until it was strongly recommended to me and I've only vaguely heard of the director. It's about a love affair between a draft-dodging son of a fascist and an older, recent widow of a respected navy officer. It at times feels like a Douglas Sirk film transplanted into an Italian World War II drama and that's a compliment. It features excellent performances between the two leads and contains some brilliantly directed scenes which made me wonder why director Valerio Zurlini isn't quite as well-known as other Italian directors Fellini, de Sica, Rossellini, etc.

A STAR IS BORN (1954)

Directed by George Cukor

I was totally blown away by this film. This is Judy Garland at her absolute very best. She sings, she dances, she acts, it's absolute showcase and it completely and totally works. What really puts this film over the top is that she is complemented by the great James Mason and the stunning direction of George Cukor (I daresay this is probably my favor Cukor film I've seen so far). Beautiful technicolor cinematography where the colors really pop and the subtle changes in the devastating last 20 or so minutes. The queer in me (which all film buffs have anyway) was crying and applauding. This definitely has a place on my all-time favorites and it's truly an enthralling cinematic experience.

WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN (1988)

Directed by Pedro Almodovar

I'm a huge fan of director Pedro Almodovar and that's why it's frustrating for me that it took THIS long to see one of the films that's considered his most major works. Better late than never, I say. This a great film that deftly combines broad farce with soap operatic melodrama, in other words, CLASSIC Almodovar. Add to that the fantastic cast led by Carmen Maura and the beautiful cinematography where every color just pops. It's one of those films that I'd love to see again and again. This was recently made into a Broadway musical but honestly, I can't imagine it being one.

WEEK END (1967)

Directed by Jean Luc Godard

This film will bore and infuriate some and thrill and fascinate others. This is a difficult film to describe. The plot (if you can call it that) concerns a couple driving cross-country to receive inheritance from a dying relative. From there, it's almost literally anything goes on the road, where people wax poetics on philosophy, politics, literature, music, pop culture and film, often breaking the fourth wall deconstructing film form in a series of vignettes (including an impressive tracking shot of a traffic jam). The film is quite unpredictable and absurdly hilarious at times. This is often cited as a very significant film in Godard's filmography because it bridges the distinctive phases in Godard's career. His films were never the same after this film. This is a film definitely not for everybody.

THE TREE OF LIFE (2011)

Directed by Terrence Malick

This film did to me what 99 out of 100 Masses and other religious ceremonies try but fail to do: Move me spiritually. It is not EXACTLY a religious film by any means but it does contain many religious themes and imagery. It is one of the major themes tackled in this film both very intimate and personal yet also wildly ambitious and epic, along with love and the nature of existence. Lots of heady themes as it places the intimate drama of what really is an average suburban family with a mother, father and three boys living in Texas in the context from the creation and the evolution of the universe and the planet to the present day. It contains beautiful, stunning visuals and cinematography and remarkable performances from the cast including Brad Pitt, giving his one of his career-best performances. The real star of this film is writer-director Terrence Malick who masterfully and poetically essays all these big, bold themes in ways that will take paragraphs to tackle, describe and dissect. This film move me and got me misty-eyed in some parts in a way I really can't begin to describe in this paragraph. It's not only the best film of 2011 so far, it's probably also the best film of this century so far, if I'm so bold to declare it. Be forewarned: It is not a film for everybody. I can see somebody hating it. But it is definitely NOT a film to be dismissed.

PARIS, TEXAS (1984)

Directed by Wim Wenders

A man resurfaces after disappearing for four years in order to put things right with his estranged son and wife. This is a film whose concept could have easily have been played for either cheap laughs or cheap sentiment. But script by Sam Shepard and the direction by Wim Wenders gives us a film that's genuinely moving and even sweet at parts but never feeling the least bit manipulative or phony. Harry Dean Stanton and Natassja Kinski both deliver great performances especially at that climactic scene in the end. Extra points for Robby Muller's great cinematography.

WOODSTOCK (1970)

Directed by Michael Wadleigh

I got this as a present for my dad because he loves classic rock music. Since I've only seen parts of it, I might as well catch up on my classic documentaries (one of the few genres of film which I'm dreadfully behind) and my music at the same time. This is an extraordinary documentary. The breathtaking editing and cinematography are matched only by the amazing musical performances captured forever, thankfully, on celluloid. The historic event has very much a "it's-as-if-you-were-there" feel to it.

KISAPMATA (In the Blink of An Eye) (1981)

Directed by Mike de Leon

When a young man and a young woman get married, the woman's super-overprotective father meddles in their relationship. But family secrets underneath are much more sinister than what it seems. Now, I know why it's considered a landmark in Filipino cinema. Vic Silayan is absolutely terrifying as the "overprotective" father. I love that he never plays him as a one-dimensional monster but a full human being which makes him even MORE frightening. The film is extremely well-shot and features some stunning direction which produces an aura of uncomfortable tension althroughout. It's definitely in the running in my Top 5 best Filipino films of all time.

Z (1969)

Directed by Costa-Gavras

Someone recommended that I blind-buy this during the Barnes & Noble Criterion DVD sale. I'm glad I did. It's an amazing film. It's intended to be a bold-faced indictment on the situation of the Greek government at that time but it's still very much relevant today. This film will thrill you, intrigue you and also has the power to get you mad, no matter what your politics are. Great performances by the cast, amazing editing and cinematography.

Runners-up: Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington (2011) directed by Jade Castro; Django (1966) directed by Sergio Corbucci; F for Fake (1972) directed by Orson Welles; Young Frankenstein (1971) directed by Mel Brooks; They Were Expendable (1945) directed by John Ford.

Weekly Round-Up (12/25/11 - 12/31/11)

2012-01-02T03:58:00.000-08:00

First post of the year. Sorry for the delay.

Das Boot (Wolfgang Petersen) ***1/2 - This is one of those films which I never seem to get around seeing due to the length (almost 3.5 hours). As it turns out, it's a remarkable piece of filmmaking, The film is epic in its scope but also very often claustrophobic. The intense action scenes is even made more intense by the fact that a lot of the men are allowed to become characters and we get to know them. The cinematography and film editing here are both wondrous. A bit overhyped sure but still a very solid, highly recommended film despite the length

Divorce American Style (Budd Yorkin) *** - This is a funny case. It's clearly dated. It's got a few good chuckles but never laugh out loud funny. It's kind of a shallow little trifle that tries to say something important but never really takes flight. Despite of that, I still liked it because this is the case where the actors really take flight with the material. Dick Van Dyke, Debbie Reynolds, Jason Robards, Jean Simmons, etc. give it their all and I really had fun watching them.

Army of Shadows (Jean Pierre Melville) ***1/2 - I've seen tons of World War II movies. This one focuses on the French Resistance and it's a pretty damn good one. The film's slow and methodical and violence is minimal (but startling when it happens onscreen) but filled with tension and suspense all throughout. The cast is great especially Simone Signoret. I think the film would've been totally outstanding if they had focused on her character a bit more. But as it is, it's still a pretty excellent film though La Samourai still remains my favorite Jean Pierre Melville film.

Playtime (Jacques Tati) **** - (see below)

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T03:16:00.000-08:00

I'm writing this at the final hours of 2011. Let me greet you all a very happy and safe New Year!

I actually have a movie-related New Year's tradition which I've been practicing for a few years now. I make the last film I watch (or the first depending on how you see it) for the year be Jacques Tati's classic epic comedy Playtime. Why? Because it's one of my favorite films of all time and for good reason, it's a wonderful, warm, funny look at modernity and a celebration and triumph and joy of humanity. Such a wonderful, life-affirming message for the new year. Each time I see it I discover something new. These clips don't do justice to the visuals of the film so I highly recommend that you see it on the big screen or a good quality TV screen at least!

The Great Scenes # 18: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

2011-12-28T20:32:00.000-08:00

Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

I featured a great movie monologue last week so here's another one. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, otherwise known as the Archers. It follows the life of an accomplished British military officer named Clive Wynne-Candy from World War I to World War II. This scene is an unforgettable and truly heartbreaking scene featuring an old friend of his, who happened to be a German officer during World War I who rejects Nazism. He is played by Anton Walbrook and probably features one of the top 5 greatest acting scenes ever captured on film.

Weekly Round-Up (12/18/11 - 12/24/11)

2011-12-26T03:08:00.000-08:00

Little Sister (Robert Jan Westdijk) **1/2 - This is an interesting little Dutch film made around 1995, and it definitely shows. It was one of those films with the characters filming themselves. Once you get past the already tired gimmick, there are some good stuff in there. It's about a guy who tries to reconnect with his estranged sister with whom he has shared a traumatic incident in childhood. The film goes to all sorts of directions, some of which could render one queasy. But the performances are pretty good and the way it handled its subject matter is tasteful. This film strongly reminds me of Chuck & Buck in a way. I wonder if the latter film took inspiration from the former film.

Calle Mayor (Juan Antonio Bardem) ***1/2 - It's always nice to discover hidden gems. This is one of them. It's a Spanish film about a spinster (only in her mid-30's but considered an old maid in this particular time and place) who is a target of a very cruel prank by a group of bored middle-aged men. They get a guy to court her and propose marriage to her. The guy tries to back out when she falls in love with him for real. American actress Betsy Blair plays the woman and her dialogue was dubbed into Spanish but still her great performance shone through. It's a wonderful little-known film.

Merry Christmas! (...a bonus listology)

2011-12-23T19:45:00.000-08:00

First of all, I'd like to greet all my readers a very Merry Christmas (or whatever other holiday you celebrate). This is a bonus listology where I present my Top 5 favorite Christmas movies. No, I did not forget It's a Wonderful Life, even though that may be a perennial Christmas staple. To be honest, I find that film a tad overrated (maybe it's because it's been overhyped for me when I saw it). But I do have an alternative Christmas feel-good film as a worthy substitute, along with four others. Here they are:

05. A Christmas Tale (2008, Arnaud Desplechin)

For arthouse film lovers and people who are a little less than enthused about the holidays than most people (or both), this is the film for you. It's about a dysfunctional family who gather together for the Christmas celebration as one of their members (Catherine Deneuve, wonderful as always) gets a cancer diagnosis and is looking for a bone marrow match. Make no mistake: This is no manipulative tear-jerker of a film. It does go into all sorts of unpredictable, at times even dark and sometimes rather funny directions. It's a wonderful little film that can be viewed any day of the year.

04. Scrooged (1988, Richard Donner)

Not all critics and film buffs agree with this one but this is a personal favorite of mine. It also reminds me that Bill Murray is such a wonderful actor. It's basically the retelling of the classic A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens story in the modern setting and this time Scrooge is a TV executive. It's not a perfect film but it's got plenty of good holiday cheer coupled with Bill Murray's brand of humor.

03. The Shop Around The Corner (1940, Ernst Lubitsch)

Bickering co-workers fall in love with people they correspond with via mail, not knowing they're actually writing to each other. This is a classic Hollywood romantic comedy from its Golden Age. It features a strong ensemble cast led by Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan. Christmas does not actually figure into it until the third act but I still consider it a Christmas movie anyway. Beware the inferior 1998 remake, You've Got Mail.

02. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, Henry Selick)

There are lots of Christmas animated films from all sorts: Hand-drawn, stop-motion, CGI. But out of those which I've seen over the years, few have equaled but none have topped Henry Selick's and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. From Danny Elfman's great score to the astounding visuals which ingeniously blends dark, creepy images with holiday cheer with equal glee.

01. The Bells of St. Mary's (1945, Leo McCarey)

Like The Shop Around The Corner, Christmas does not actually figure into this film in its entirety but it's one of the major plot arcs in it. Nevertheless, I say that's good enough for me to qualify it as a Christmas film. This is actually a sequel to the Best Picture Oscar winner Going My Way however, I consider this film superior in every respect. It's about a priest who helps out a group of nuns run a parochial school. It's a sweet, humane, heartfelt film. It's A Wonderful Life is often credited as the feel-good holiday movie of all time. However, I felt that more strongly in this film than in that film. If any of you are sick of It's a Wonderful Life, I strongly suggest this as an alternative. You won't regret it.

Well, that's it. Just five since it's a "bonus" one. And again, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The Great Scenes # 17: Network (1976)

2011-12-22T05:18:00.000-08:00

Directed by Sidney Lumet

In many ways, Network is very much chillingly ahead of its time. No other scene illustrates this more than this scene where an executive, Arthur Jensen, brilliantly (if a bit over the top) played by Ned Beatty vents his rage on Howard Beale (Peter Finch). If you closely follow recent events from the financial disasters and the news of bought politicians in Washington, the words here are quite prophetic. This scene though relatively brief earned Ned Beatty a well-deserved Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.

Weekly Round-Up (12/11/11 - 12/17/11)

2011-12-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

Oops. Sorry for the delay.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Brad Bird) ***1/2 - When I heard that Brad Bird, one of my favorite animated feature directors who directed three winning animated features in a row, is going into live-action, I was thrilled and curious to see what he would bring to the table. When I found out his first foray into live-action would be the fourth Mission: Impossible movie, i was WAAAAHHHH?!?!? But my fears were unfounded because this is without a doubt the BEST Mission: Impossible movie to date. It took the good elements of the last one, built on it and Bird injected his humor (with the help of Simon Pegg) and gift for characterization. He creates a strong, solid escapist action adventure that at long last actually FEELS like an actual Mission: Impossible movie rather than a glossy vehicle for Tom Cruise to show how masculine and awesome he is at stunts.

Blade Runner (Ridley Scott) **** - This is actually my third or fourth time watching this in as many years. It's still a visually sumptuous breathtaking and very intriguing sci-fi epic. Probably one of Ridley Scott's very best works.

Awards Season

2011-12-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. The weather's getting cooler. People are all abuzz, getting up early in the morning to see if they've gotten what they wanted. Yes, it's movie awards season. It's both my second favorite and my least favorite time of the year. As a film lover, I've learned that awards, in general, mean next to nothing. But it's still fun to predict them. Every year around this time, guilds, awards groups and critics groups gather around to celebrate the year in film by handing out awards. All of it in anticipation for the biggest movie award of them all: The Oscars. Sometimes, there's a very clear front-runner. Other times, there's not. Thankfully, this year is the latter which makes for a crazy and surprising awards season. The Golden Globe nominations have just been announced so I'd like to take this opportunity to give a rundown on the front-runners and dark horses for the Oscar.

BEST PICTURE

Sure Bets: The Artist, The Descendants, Hugo.
Very Likely: The Help, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, War Horse.
Dark Horses: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, The Tree of Life.

The rules for Best Picture has changed this year. The rules are way too complicated to explain but there could be anywhere from 5 to 10 nominees this year. There could 6, there could be 8. This is due to a new way of counting ballots.

BEST DIRECTOR

Sure Bets: Michael Hazanavicius, Alexander Payne, Martin Scorsese.
Very Likely: Steven Spielberg.
Fighting For the Last Spot: Woody Allen, Bennett Miller, Terrence Malick.
Dark Horses: George Clooney, Stephen Daldry, Tate Taylor.

BEST ACTOR

Sure Bets: George Clooney, Jean Dujardin, Brad Pitt.
Fighting for the Last Spots: Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Fassbender, Gary Oldman.
Dark Horses: Demian Bechir, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ryan Gosling, Thomas Horn.

BEST ACTRESS

Sure Bets: Viola Davis, Meryl Streep.
Very Likely: Michelle Williams.
Fighting for the Last Spots: Glenn Close, Tilda Swinton, Charlize Theron.
Dark Horses: Felicity Jones, Rooney Mara, Elizabeth Olsen.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Sure Bets: Christopher Plummer
Very Likely: Kenneth Branagh, Albert Brooks.
Fighting for the Last Spots: Jonah Hill, Ben Kingsley, Nick Nolte, Patton Oswalt, Max Von Sydow.
Dark Horses: Armie Hammer, Ezra Miller, Viggo Mortensen, Brad Pitt.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Sure Bets: Berenice Bejo, Octavia Spencer.
Very Likely: Jessica Chastain, Shaleine Woodley.
Fighting for the Last Spots: Melissa McCarthy, Janet McTeer, Vanessa Redgrave.
Dark Horses: Sandra Bullock, Marion Cotillard, Anjelica Huston.

Weekly Round-up (12/4/11 - 12/10/11)

2011-12-11T07:52:00.001-08:00

Arthur Christmas (Sarah Smith) *** - There have been a lot of films on the Santa Claus legend. Some are better than others. This is one of the better ones. I was genuinely surprised by this one. I wasn't expecting much since we've all been here before but there's enough charm, wit, humor and visual delights that it makes it all seem fresh, probably due to the fact that it infused a certain British sensibility to the proceedings. I like it better than The Santa Clause and Elf.

The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman) **** - This is actually the second time I've seen this film so this is a rewatch since I own it on DVD. Yes, it's every bit as haunting and occasionally disturbing as when I first saw it but I also took note at how darkly humorous it is at times. It's a doom, gloom landmark film. It's not my favorite Bergman film but it's in the Top 5.

The Great Scenes # 16: The Gold Rush (1925)

2011-12-08T09:23:00.001-08:00

Directed by Charles Chaplin

Few film icons are more recognizable than Charlie Chaplin's the Little Tramp. The Gold Rush is one of the most famous films featuring the character. It contains many, many memorable scenes from the shoe eating scene to the fork and rolls dance. But my personal favorite scene is this one, a film which utilizes Chaplin's gift for physical comedy and at the same time adding a little bit of suspense.

Weekly Round-Up (11/27/11 - 12/3/11)

2011-12-04T07:21:00.001-08:00

The Adventures of Tintin (Steven Spielberg) *** - The pedigree behind this film seems like a can't-miss: Directed by the guy who made Raiders of the Lost Ark, produced by the guy who made The Lord of the Rings and written by the guys who made Doctor Who and Shaun of the Dead. By all accounts, it *should* mind-blowingly awesome. Unfortunately, it falls short of that. But that's not to say that it's a bad film. It's actually a very, very good escapist eye candy flick which felt like the film the fourth Indiana Jones movie SHOULD have been. I'm only vaguely familiar with the source material so I can't really say how faithful it is, but as a movie, I had a great time and I was entertained. It flirts with greatness (one particular action scene near the end was pretty spectacular) but overall, it's just a very good escapist B-movie. No more, no less. I saw it in 3D. Very good 3D but I didn't feel like I would've missed anything had I seen it in 2D though.

Satan Met a Lady (William Dieterle) ** - This was Hollywood's second attempt to adapt Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, just right before John Huston's version. The plot is the same except for the fact that instead of a falcon, it's a horn filled with jewels and it's all played for laughs. This attempt at blending film noir and comedy has some good lines here and there and features an interesting performance by a young Bette Davis but it's ultimately a failure. An interesting failure but still a failure.

Listology # 3: 10 Best LGBT Films

2011-12-01T08:04:00.001-08:00

LGBT. For those who don't know, it stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered. They have been depicted one way or another since, well, the beginning of film, believe it or not. (Carl Theodore Dreyer's silent film Michael) either explicitly or implicitly. I've seen a good number of them over the years. Here's a list. I define an LGBT film where the CENTRAL lead character is an LGBT person or has an LGBT relationship or something that involves the LGBT community is in the front and center of it. (And by coincidence I'm posting this on World AIDS Day which makes this post kind of relevant).

10. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1976, Jim Sharman)

When a virginal heterosexual couple stumbles upon the castle of crossdressing pansexual Dr. Frankenfurter, all sorts of chaos ensue. This is a legendary cult film where people would attend midnight screenings, dress in costumes and throw things at the screen. It's simply a celebration of the freakish and the different. Tim Curry is simply iconic as Frankenfurter. This is one of the few things that would get a heterosexual male to crossdress.

09. Lianna (1983, John Sayles)

This is one of writer-director John Sayles' more obscure films but it's also one of the earliest films that explicitly dealt with lesbianism head on in an honest, straightforward manner. It's about a housewife who realizes she's a lesbian and falls in love with her college professor. It features excellent acting and neither sensationalizes nor judges the affair.

08. Angels in America (2003, Mike Nichols)

Some people may see this as cheating as this is an HBO miniseries but I don't care, it's my list. LOL. This is HBO's award-winning adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer and Tony-winning epic play on the AIDS crisis. Robert Altman tried to adapt it as a film years before but felt a 3-hour film wasn't sufficient to capture the essence and spirit of the very long play. I would've loved to have seen what Altman would've done with the material but what we got is pretty great, mostly due to the strong source material.

07. Dog Day Afternoon (1975, Sidney Lumet)

Many people don't think of Dog Day Afternoon as an LGBT film. But the plot is that of a bisexual man who robs a bank in order to fund the sex change operation of his male lover. So I'm thinking it totally qualifies. Surprisingly enough, it's based on a true story. Al Pacino gives one of his many great performances during the 1970's in this one.

06. Suddenly Last Summer (1959, Joseph L. Mankiewicz)

This is a superb screen adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play about a troubled young woman being evaluated by a psychiatrist after witnessing the death of her cousin Sebastian. I was hesitant to put this film on the list because the plot point which qualifies it is actually the big secret. But no matter, this is still a great film (even though the LGBT character isn't exactly a role model) and features Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine Hepburn giving some of their very best performances of their careers. It's very gutsy of Hollywood to have done this film in the late '50s.

05. Mulholland Drive (2001, David Lynch)

Just like Dog Day Afternoon, most people don't really think of Mulholland Drive as an LGBT film per se despite the fact that one of its pivotal elements is a lesbian relationship. This is classic David Lynch. It's one of his most puzzling, beautiful and mad works in his filmography. Though it doesn't advance gay rights, it's still one hell of a film.

04. Brokeback Mountain (2005, Ang Lee)

Many people may be surprised this isnt' number 1. Well, I don't think it's the best but it's close. Ang Lee's film about a love affair between two cowboys spawned tons of controversy, jokes and parodies but I do believe one of its achievements is that it's really most people's first mainstream gay film and in its own way made the world a little less homophobic. On top of that, it features a memorable score and fantastic performances by the cast especially the late Heath Ledger.

03. Milk (2008, Gus Van Sant)

This is actually my favorite Gus Van Sant film and it's pretty much a straightforward biopic about the life of America's first openly gay elected public official, Harvey Milk. Despite it being fairly conventional (especially for a Gus Van Sant flick), the film is fascinating and absorbing. Sean Penn is great as Harvey Milk. I'm still torn between him and Mickey Rourke on the Best Actor Oscar that year.

02. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001, John Cameron Mitchell)

This film is based on the famous off-Broadway rock musical about the life of a glam rock singer who's an East German refugee and botched transsexual. Apart from the fantastic songs, you'd be surprised by how much you could relate to him/her despite his/her bizarre background. You're guaranteed to wanna purchase the soundtrack of this.

01. Bad Education (2004, Pedro Almodovar)

A movie director meets up with his childhood sweetheart/friend who has a bone to pick with the priest who molested him during his time in Catholic boarding school. Explaining further would be very convoluted and would give away the film's many twists and turns. Suffice to say that the best way to describe this film is it's a gay film noir. This is Almodovar at his very best.

RUNNERS-UP: Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington (2011, Jade Castro); Happy Together (1997, Wong Kar-Wai); My Own Private Idaho (1991, Gus Van Sant); Tropical Malady (2004, Apichatpong Weerasethkatul); Wild Reeds (1994, Andre Techine); The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (2005, Aureus Solito); Mysterious Skin (2004, Gregg Araki); For a Lost Soldier (1992, Roeland Kerboesch); Heavenly Creatures (1994, Peter Jackson); The Birdcage (1996, Mike Nichols).

Weekly Round-Up (11/20/11 - 11/26/11)

2011-11-27T10:15:00.001-08:00

A Propos De Nice (Jean Vigo) ***1/2 - This film reminds me of Dziga Vertov's The Man With a Movie Camera in that it's simply a montage of images of the everyday and the mundane but shot and edited together to form something beautiful. Only instead of the Russian industrial complex, the setting this time around is a leisurely coastal town. Though I personally prefer the Vertov film, Vigo's film has more humor, playfulness and naughtiness to go with the beauty.

Taris (Jean Vigo) *** - I saw this in conjunction with A Propos De Nice. This is a film Jean Vigo was paid to do and it's basically an instructional/demo film with champion French swimmer Jean Taris. Despite that, it's quite fascinating because Vigo's playfulness, humor and adventurous spirit still shines through. Both films show the promise he would fulfill in his next (and sadly last) two films which are both his masterpieces.

Bellflower (Evan Glodell) ** - Two best friends decide to build themselves a badass car with a huge-ass flamethrower emulating the car from Mad Max as they deal with their personal demons. It's a messy mish-mash of a film that is more of a turn-off more than anything. The film's very dark third act felt out-of-place and very jarring and left a bad taste in my mouth, so to speak. It feels like the filmmaker wanted to make three different films and he just did it all in the same script. It's promising for a first-time filmmaker but the script definitely needed a rewrite.

Two for the Road (Stanley Donen) ***1/2 - A romantic dramedy which follows a couple in the different stages of their relationship in a uniquely non-linear narrative, predominantly set in a stretch of road in the European countryside. Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn are both magnificent as the couple and it's their show all the way. The non-linear structure of the film allows us, the audience, to fully understand all the reasons why they fell in love, why they fell out of love, the ups, the downs and everything in between. Though it at times gets repetitive and their characters can be frustrating and irritating at times, the film still grips you because through Finney and Hepburn, you're along for the ride. I thought this would be a bit bleaker but I'm surprised at the amount of humor in it and how it ends in a hopeful note.

The Great Scenes # 15: All That Jazz (1979)

2011-11-23T08:25:00.001-08:00

Directed by Bob Fosse

No, I did not forget this regular feature of mine. What more appropriate way to restart than with probably one of the greatest song & dance numbers ever filmed, at least in my opinion. In this semi-autobiographical film, Roy Scheider plays Joe Gideon, a chain-smoking, pill-popping, womanizing hotshot theater and film director who is both staging his next big Broadway musical and editing his next film while trying to spend time with his ex-wife, daughter, girlfriend and various other women trying to compete for his attention. This is one of the highlights of the film where Joe Gideon presents a number to his producers/investors and this is what he came up with: An erotic, almost orgy like very racy yet beautiful dance sequence that both shows that Fosse is a master in making his stunning choreography look great on film through cinematography and editing.

Weekly Round-up (11/13/11 - 11/19/11)

2011-11-20T03:44:00.001-08:00

Kinatay (Brillante Mendoza) ***1/2 - A shocking, horrifying film about a young criminology student/rookie cop/new father/new husband who takes an extra job for much needed extra pay but gets more than what he bargained for as he joins a group of corrupt cops doing unspeakable things to a hooker. I can see how Mendoza won Best Director at Cannes. It's a tense film. It singlehandedly turned familiar sights and sounds around Manila into a surreal nightmare of sorts as it builds to its inevitable conclusion. A bit heavyhanded here and there but nevertheless quite compelling and appropriately shattering.

A Matter of Size (Sharon Maymon/Erez Tadmor) ** - A group of overweight Jewish men in a town in Israel find their confidence and self-worth through sumo wrestling. After the novelty of seeing a different side of Israel (like who knew there were Japanese people there, much less Japanese people who know Hebrew!), this film is pretty much feels like a Full Monty knock-off (replace stripping with sumo wrestling) and I'm not a huge Full Monty fan. There are some amusing moments here and there but all in all, it's mediocre stuff.

I Saw The Devil (Kim Jee-woon) ***1/2 - (See review below)

Red State (Kevin Smith) **1/2 - (See review below)

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Nuri Bilge Ceylan) *** - (See review below)

Nightfishing (Chan-wook Park/Chan-kyong Park) *** - (See review below)

This Is Not A Film (Jafar Panahi/Mojtaba Mirtahmasb) *** - (See review below)

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong Weerasethkathul) ***1/2 - (See review below)

Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (Joann Sfar) **1/2 - (See review below)

Cinemanila Film Festival Reviews # 5

2011-11-17T18:44:00.001-08:00

(This is the final installment of the series as the festival ended today. In past years, some films have enjoyed special extended screenings at certain times but with the upcoming release of Breaking Dawn Part 1 this week, that is highly unlikely to happen this year)

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong Weerasethkathul) ***1/2 - A dying man gather together his loved ones including the ghost of his dead wife and his son who returns to him as a large ape with glowing red eyes as he recalls his different past lives. A strange, quirky film to be sure but oddly mesmerizing just like the second half of the only other film I've seen of "Joe's", Tropical Malady. It's not for everybody but a fascinating entry into the pantheon of world cinema.

Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (Joann Sfar) **1/2 - This is actually a biopic of French musician Serge Gainsbourg. I actually know next to nothing of him apart from the fact that he's some sort of musician and the dad of Charlotte Gainsbourg. It actually starts out very promisingly with quirky tidbits that seem to promise an unconventional, quirky and unique biopic but alas, such things don't happen often enough and it quickly falls into the conventions of a typical music biopic. But the performances are topnotch and it did hold my attention althroughout (extra points for finding an actress who really does look like a Brigitte Bardot).

Cinemanila Film Festival Reviews # 4

2011-11-16T09:24:00.001-08:00

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Nuri Bilge Ceylan) *** - A group of men including police, prosecutor, a doctor and the murderers drive through the Turkish countryside in search of a dead body. This is Turkey's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category this year and I don't think it's gonna make it in (but then again, I said that about Milk of Sorrow). Not because it's not any good but its lumbering pace may be a trial for a lot of people to sit through. It was a little trying at times for me but the film's hypnotic and GORGEOUS photography of the exotic locale and the fascinating character bits of the ensemble made the film well worth it.

Nightfishing (Chan-wook Park/Chan-kyong Park) *** - I'm not a fan of Old Boy but Chan-wook Park is an intriguing filmmaker whose films I'd wanna see more of. This is a film shot entirely on an iPhone 4 and it looks pretty darn good. But beyond the gimmick, the film tells the story of a fisherman who catches something and there's an intriguing twist. It's only half an hour long but it's a solid piece of work.

This Is Not A Film (Jafar Panahi/Mojtaba Mirtahmasb) *** - A little background for those not in the know: Controversial Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was arrested, tried and sentenced to six years in prison and a ban on writing and directing films and travelling abroad for 20 years by the oppressive Iranian government. This documentary is sort of slyly giving the middle finger to the government as Panahi and Mirtahmasb document one day of Panahi's house arrest as he awaits for his appeal. Nothing particularly earth-shattering happens but it is an intriguing look into the private life and career of one of the world's most important filmmakers and the importance of artistic freedom.

Cinemanila Film Festival Reviews # 3

2011-11-15T06:39:00.001-08:00

I Saw The Devil (Kim Jee-woon) ***1/2 - When a sadistic serial killer murders the fiance of a trained secret agent, the latter goes on a violent revenge plot. It's part-horror film, part-revenge action thriller and it works very, very well together. The film takes you for a largely unpredictable ride and shifts genres and tones with ease and without being jarring. The violence is shocking and cringe-inducing but mostly quite effective and justified. The actor from Old Boy plays the serial killer and quite effective too. I think I like this better than the other film.

Red State (Kevin Smith) **1/2 - There are lots of things to like about Smith's thinly veiled assault on Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church. But there are also a lot of flaws. It's clear that Kevin Smith has a lot to say about the subject but none of it really deep and penetrating. One thing I do love about this film is Michael Parks' performance as the fire-and-brimstone preacher Abin Cooper. It's worth seeing the film just for his 15-minute sermon right in the middle of it.

Weekly Round-Up (11/6/11 - 11/12/11)

2011-11-13T08:22:00.001-08:00

Tower Heist (Brett Ratner) **1/2 - Like any self-respecting cinephile, I'm not much of a fan of Brett Ratner but I will say this is probably Brett Ratner's best work to date. This is thanks to a very solid script from Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson, two screenwriters who know how to make the heist formula work and the strong supporting cast. My biggest complaint is actually the lead Ben Stiller who's only barely competent in the lead role. He isn't horrible but a better actor could've made that role sing. Still, this is slickly made entertaining inoffensive Hollywood fluff.

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (Rodman Flender) *** - Upfront, I will say that I am definitely Team CoCo all the way! I'm a fan of Conan O'Brien, one of the funniest late night comics around. This documentary is actually a behind-the-scenes look at his music/comedy tour he did in between late-night hosting jobs. It's pretty standard and your enjoyment of this truly depends on how much you love Conan O'Brien. It is however well-made and offers a fascinating look into Conan behind-the-scenes. It isn't always flattering, suprisingly but for me, it did nothing to tarnish his reputation in my eyes.

Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn) **** - This is a near-perfect stylish neo-noir film that is quite reminiscent of thrillers from the 1970's when filmmakers actually took the time to build character and tell a story rather than trying to dazzle us with eye candy and stunts. There are some car chases here but they take a backseat to the tense story of a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a crime getaway car. The film's slow pace actually makes the sudden burst of shocking violence even more intense and effective. Ryan Gosling does what he does best and makes you feel for a man who barely speaks and doesn't even have a name. Albert Brooks is chilling as the villain. Why isn't he in more character roles like this? This is one of the best of the year.

Pina (Wim Wenders) **** - (See review below)

Nanga Parbat (Joseph Vilsmaer) **1/2 - (See review below)

13 Assassins (Takashi Miike) **** - (See review below)

Cinemanila Film Festival Reviews # 2

2011-11-12T09:59:00.001-08:00

Nanga Parbat (Joseph Vilsmaer) **1/2 - This film is based on the true story Reinhold Messner and his brother Gunther's tragic ascent to the titular mountain. I didn't know much about the film going in and what follows is a fairly straightforward story about man vs. nature and trying to survive. It's not a bad film. It features some stunning cinematography and on-location work plus Gustavo Santaollala's score is superb. But I've seen it done better (Touching the Void, for example).

13 Assassins (Takashi Miike) **** - Now THIS is a movie! Few things could make my cinephile heart pitter-patter more than a great samurai flick. And this is it. I'm not much of a fan of Takashi Miike based on just a few works I've seen of his but man, color me converted. The plot is pretty much straightforward: A group of samurai decide that they have to kill a psychotic lord aiming to bring back the age of war and does cruel, unspeakable things to his subjects. What follows is probably the best action movie of the year. Great performances by a fine ensemble. Intense action and visuals. What more could you ask for? This would've made Kurosawa proud!

Cinemanila Film Festival Reviews # 1

2011-11-11T09:21:00.001-08:00

(The following will be a series of posts reviewing films for the 2011 Cinemanila Film Festival that just opened today, 11-11-11. There will still be round-up's however).

This is the opening film of the film festival. I was fortunate enough to win passes to see it for free at an invitation-only screening which also served as the opening ceremony for the festival. Here's my review:

Pina (Wim Wenders) **** - Hands down, this film is the strongest justification of the existence of 3D technology in film and this is coming from someone who really liked "Avatar". This film is about the late great dancer/choreographer Pina Bausch who I was only vaguely familiar with before I've heard of this film. But you need not be a longtime Pina Bausch fan or a fan of modern dance in general in order to be enthralled and captivated by this documentary which served as a loving tribute to the woman. This is definitely a film which simply *must* be seen in 3D if not a really great high-def video screen because I can't imagine watching some sequences in this film without the 3D without losing something really significant. Wenders utilizes in such a way that it enhances the dance sequences and made you feel like you were watching an actual dance live in front of you and get every sophisticated movement and you can even sense the movements of the background dancers. This is a definitely a must-see, a stunning piece of filmmaking.

The Muppets SHOULD host the Oscars!

2011-11-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

Following the Brett Ratner brouhaha and his resignation and exit, host Eddie Murphy soon followed. With the host spot vacant, I think the Muppets should host the Oscars. They will be very funny and biting yet also very classy and very wholesome. Quite a brilliant combo in an Oscar host.

Join the campaign:

https://twitter.com/#!/MuppetOscars
http://muppetoscars.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/MuppetOscars

Weekly Round-Up (10/30/11 - 11/5/11)

2011-11-06T22:22:00.000-08:00

Poetry (Lee Chang-dong) ***1/2 - An elderly woman takes a poetry class at around the same time she learns that her teenage grandson is involved in a shocking, tragic death of a young girl. This is a lovely film. It's dark and absolutely heartbreaking yet at same time oddly life-affirming as well. It's anchored by the simply outstanding performance of Yun Jeong-hie as the grandmother. This is my first taste of director Lee Chang-dong's work. I can't wait to see more.

Dracula (Tod Browning) **** - This is one of my chosen Halloween movies. This is my second or third time watching it. Yes, the effects are cheesy (you can see the strings on the phony bat!) and the scares are somewhat dated. But still, the film still has a spooky atmosphere and Bela Lugosi is still the best Dracula there is.

Repulsion (Roman Polanski) **** - This is my other Halloween film. My second time. Catherine Deneuve is a marvel as a beautiful young sexually repressed woman who slowly but surely goes batshit crazy while left alone in her London flat she shares with her sister. A magnificent piece of horror filmmaking.

The Thing (Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.) **1/2 - I came in with low expectations. This is not a remake but rather a prequel to the original John Carpenter classic 1982 shocker sci-fi horror film. Although it's nowhere near as great as the original, for what it is, it is pretty darn entertaining. Despite the fact that it borrows way too much from the John Carpenter version, we know too much about and see too much of the Thing (one of the reasons why the 1982 version is great is that we never know what the Thing actually looks like) and of course the CGI, despite the fact they tried to minimize its usage. All in all, not bad, not great but it does make me wanna watch the original again.

The Great Scenes # 14: Blow-Up (1966)

2011-11-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

Mime Tennis Finale

Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni

Blow-Up is a puzzle wrapped in an enigma. A fashion photographer (David Hemmings) captures an intriguing photo of what he believes may be a murder taking place. Then he goes into a strange journey which raises more questions than it answers. The film's intriguing tone is captured very beautifully by its final scene where the lead character watches a group of mimes "play" tennis. It's strange, somewhat surreal and probably one of the most brilliant, famous scenes shot by one of world cinema's masters, Michelangelo Antonioni.

2011 Cinemanila International Film Festival

2011-11-02T02:50:00.000-07:00

Back in 2002, I was fresh out of college and didn't have a job yet. My mom suggested that I go and find work in the Cinemanila Film Festival at the time was only five years old. After finding out that volunteers and participants get free access to all the movies, I jumped at the chance. I'm very glad I did. It contributed hugely to my cinephilia since I got exposed to a lot of films from all around the world. Every year, even after I have found steadier employment, I always look forward to Cinemanila because it means I get to see films that normally would not get wide commercial releases in my country. The past few years have found the festival gaining prominence since famous film people have graced the festival: Quentin Tarantino, Lou Diamond Phillips, Paul Schrader, Fernando Meirelles have visited and promoted their films in the festival. This year, Italian horror maestro Dario Argento will be receiving the Lifetime Achievement award and one can only assume he'll be on hand to grace the proceedings.

Films scheduled to be screened this year include: Pina, German director Wim Wenders' 3D dance documentary/cinematic tribute to the late dancer Pina Bausch; 13 Assassins, prolific Japanese director Takashi Miike's samurai epic and I Saw the Devil, a South Korean horror film, just to name a few. I will be seeing these films and more and will be reviewing them as I see them, in addition to my weekly round-ups. If you're in Manila in between November 11th and November 17th, you can catch these films and more at the Market! Market! Cinemas. I for one can't freakin' wait.

Weekly Round-Up (10/23/11 - 10/29/11)

2011-10-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

Z (Costa-Gavras) **** - Someone recommended that I blind-buy this during the Barnes & Noble Criterion DVD sale. I'm glad I did. It's an amazing film. It's intended to be a bold-faced indictment on the situation of the Greek government at that time but it's still very much relevant today. This film will thrill you, intrigue you and also has the power to get you mad, no matter what your politics are. Great performances by the cast, amazing editing and cinematography.

Itim (Mike de Leon) **** - The title literally means "black" but the English language title is "Rites of May". This is yet another great film from director Mike de Leon, who's already one of my favorite directors EVER. This one's about a magazine photographer who visits his invalid dad in his rural hometown and he connects with this young woman whose older sister disappeared and thought dead years before. It's actually a horror film of sorts, well, more like a drama with supernatural overtones. This is his first feature and already a master at pulling off great performances and taking time to build his story in a masterful way that pays off in the end (the big reveal of what really connects the photographer and the young woman).

Puss in Boots (Chris Miller) *** - It's no secret that I'm not a fan of the Shrek franchise but admittedly I do love the Puss in Boots character and is the best part of Shrek 2. His spin-off movie proves to be the best Shrek related thing I've ever seen so far (or at least among those I bothered seeing). It's not a masterpiece, far from it in fact, but it is very entertaining and the pandering snark which pretty much ruins the Shrek franchise as well as most of Dreamworks' early animated films is at a minimum.

The Great Scenes # 13: Scream (1996)

2011-10-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

Directed by Wes Craven

The 13th Great Scene blogpost just in time for Halloween? What a wonderful coincidence! Yes, since it's Halloween weekend, thought I might do a horror movie this week. But which horror movie scene? There are so many. I finally settled on the opening of Scream, a film I saw in my mid-teens when it first came out. I used to be scared of horror films but slowly but surely I've come around and this movie sealed the deal. The opening scene was terrifying yet such a thrill ride and pretty much revived the slasher film genre.

Listology # 2: 10 Best Horror Films

2011-10-26T03:06:00.000-07:00

It's the last week full week of October and that means Halloween is this coming weekend. Now is a good a time as any to present my 10 best horror films at least in my opinion. This should give you guys some idea of what to rent or watch this weekend.

10. The Sixth Sense (1999, M. Night Shyamalan)

Before writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's ego inflated and started creating crap movie after crap movie, he created this horror classic which became a cultural phenomenon. It still holds up very well today. Bruce Willis plays a scarred child psychologist trying to help a young boy (played to perfection by Haley Joel Osment) who claims to "see dead people". The now famous twist ending shocked and amazed people at the time but it holds up well to repeat viewings and it's still quite spooky. It also makes me sad that an obvious talent like Shyamalan has fallen from grace.

09. Ringu (1998, Hideo Nakata)

The night after I saw this film, I slept with the lights open. It is quite terrifying. The film is from Japan and it's about a cursed videotape. It is said that anyone who watches it dies in a week unless he or she passes the videotape to someone else. The story behind the video that involves a creepy young girl named Sadako adds more to the mystique of the film. This was remade in the U.S. a few years later starring Naomi Watts and directed by Gore Verbinski and although it wasn't terrible or insulting, it still doesn't hold a candle to the original Japanese version which is a must-see.

08. Eyes Without a Face (1960, Georges Franju)

A once brilliant doctor gets into a car accident that horribly disfigures his once beautiful daughter. So he and an assistant hunt down young girls to surgically remove their faces and graft them onto the face of his daughter in hopes of restoring her beauty. Don't let the fact that it's French, black & white and from the 1960's fool you. This is a not a film for the squeamish. This contains a rather graphic and gory surgery scene that can satisfy gorehounds. But it's just one scene. The film itself is a beautiful gothic tragic piece of film that is definitely a must-see for anybody.

07. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974, Tobe Hooper)

Among all the teen slasher films of the 1970's and 1980's, this is by far my favorite. Leatherface scares me more than Freddy, Jason and the rest. The first original film is simply an astounding low-budget B-movie achievement and pretty much wrote all the cliches of these types of films. A group of young people lose their way and find themselves at the mercy of a chainsaw-wielding maniac and most of them meet horrible deaths. It's straightforward and simple. Lots of imitators, but seldom equaled and almost always fall short. This film surprisingly has very little actual on-screen gore which makes it even more effective, in my opinion.

06. Suspiria (1977, Dario Argento)

I featured this in one of my past The Great Scenes blogpost and for good reason. This is widely considered the masterpiece of the giallo subgenre of horror (Italian horror films known for their both their gore and beauty). It's about a young American ballet dancer who goes to a dance school in Europe with a horrific secret. The cinematography and art direction of this film is simply breathtaking that you almost can't take your eyes off of it despite the horrible violence going on. The film is further along helped by the great score of the group Goblin.

05. The Night of the Living Dead (1968, George Romero)

I have to say that of all the horror subgenres out there, the one that is my favorite has got to be the zombies. The zombie is the one movie monster that actually frightens me for some reason because this type of undead state is so horrifying to think about. Few horror directors have done zombie movies better than George Romero. Although I only listed the first one, Night of the Living Dead in this list but it's just for formality's sake, I'd like to think this also goes for Dawn of the Dead (1975) and Day of the Dead (1983). Hell, even Land of the Dead though not as great as his earlier works still has greatness in it. Suffice to say that yes, I am watching The Walking Dead now.

04. Nosferatu (1922, F.W. Murnau)

With all due respect to Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee, I happen to consider Max Schreck as Count Orlok in F.W. Murnau's silent horror classic Nosferatu to be the best cinematic vampire in history. His startling and frightening appearance can still put a chill in one's spine even today. The film basically follows the Dracula story but since they couldn't actually do a direct adaptation of the novel due to copyright issues, they just changed the title and the names but it's still obviously Dracula.

03. Frankenstein (1931, James Whale)

What else can I say? It's still a freakin' classic. This is probably the most universally loved adaptation of the Mary Shelley classic. Although it's not really technically scary (although the scene where the Monster first emerges still gives me the willies) and more tragic, it's still one of the greats because it's a story well-told. Boris Karloff though only grunts gives the Monster depth and pathos with just his eyes and his movements. It's followed by a sequel, Bride of Frankenstein that's just as great (some say even better).

02. Psycho (1960, Alfred Hitchcock)

This is one of those "grey area" films. Is it more horror or thriller? I would say it qualifies as horror. It is, in fact, one of the earliest slasher films. Everyone and their mom knows the story and of course is aware of its famous second act kills where the apparent protagonist meets her end in the shower. It's such a shocking, ballsy move for a film which pretty much cements its status as a classic and one of director Alfred Hitchcock's very best films.

01. The Exorcist (1973, William Friedkin)

I'm a Catholic (semi-lapsed but I still believe in God) so growing up, this movie terrified me more than the average other person because I grew up believing in the Devil. This film about a little girl possessed by a malevolent demon allegedly based on a true story has lots of shocking and truly scary and disturbing and gross-out moments but what makes it a classic and a masterpiece is that it's also one of the most insightful and moving films about religious faith ever made. It gives it that extra oomph which makes me come back again and again and again.

RUNNERS-UP & HONORABLE MENTIONS: Dracula (1931, Tod Browning), Halloween (1978, John Carpenter), The Omen (1976, Richard Donner), Don't Look Now (1972, Nicolas Roeg), Rosemary's Baby (1967, Roman Polanski), Scream (1996, Wes Craven), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007, Tim Burton), The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick), Onibaba (1964, Kaneto Shindo), The Birds (1963, Alfred Hitchcock), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962, Robert Aldrich).

Weekly Round-Up (10/16/11 - 10/22/11)

2011-10-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

Chico y Rita (Fernando Trueba/Tono Errando/Javier Mariscal) ***1/2 - This is a Spanish-language animated film about an elderly Cuban jazz pianist reminicse about his love affair with a singer during that period after World War II and before the Cuban revolution. The plot is pretty much been-there-done-that but the heart and the intent behind it, a beautiful love letter to jazz and Latino music as well as the nostalgia behind it lifts it up to new heights. The handdrawn animation is also similarly gorgeous. A really great, near-perfect film.

Kisapmata (Mike de Leon) **** -When a young man and a young woman get married, the woman's super-overprotective father meddles in their relationship. But family secrets underneath are much more sinister than what it seems. Now, I know why it's considered a landmark in Filipino cinema. Vic Silayan is absolutely terrifying as the "overprotective" father. I love that he never plays him as a one-dimensional monster but a full human being which makes him even MORE frightening. The film is extremely well-shot and features some stunning direction which produces an aura of uncomfortable tension althroughout. It's definitely in the running in my Top 5 best Filipino films of all time.

Paranormal Activity 3 (Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman) **1/2 - I can't believe I actually went and saw this. But I kind of liked the first two since admittedly I'm a sucker for "true ghost stories"/documentaries and this series gives the feeling of one. Well, they managed to squeeze yet another pretty solid film out of the basic premise although it's showing signs of getting tired. Still, it does manage to have some decent scares. If you liked the first two films, there's no reason for you to not like this one.

Winnie The Pooh (Stephen J. Anderson/Don Hall) *** - I grew up watching the original Winnie the Pooh films repeatedly. The TV series and the subsequent films are nowhere up to par with the originals so this back-to-the-basics reboot, so to speak is something I was looking forward. The results are pretty darn close. The childlike whimsy and quirkiness that one comes to associate with these loveable characters are mostly there. The 2D animation is likewise also superb. It's a pity this didn't do well theatrically.

The Great Scenes # 12: Notorious (1946)

2011-10-23T08:08:00.000-07:00

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Director Alfred Hitchcock is often referred to as "The Master" for the simple reason that he is. He has made tons of great scenes, some very famous and iconic. I do absolutely love a lot of his films, my personal favorite would have to be Notorious. It's a very tense thriller but also one of the most romantic films ever made. It's about a government agent (Cary Grant) who falls in love with a recruit (Ingrid Bergman) tasked to seduce and marry a Nazi (Claude Rains). If you haven't seen this film, I strongly suggest avoiding playing the video above so you won't be spoiled. This is the climax of the film, the famous stairway sequence.

Listology #1: 10 Best Filipino Films

2011-10-21T00:19:00.000-07:00

This is a first in a series of blogposts (much like my "great scenes" one) where I simply list down my different favorite types of films. I can't think of a better way to kick it off than tackle the cinema of my home country, the Philippines. Philippine cinema has always been a blind spot for even the most hardcore of film buffs (who are not Filipinos, at least). Unlike many other countries, events in our history has not treated the preservation of Filipino films very kindly. With a few exceptions, practically all of our films, even the ones considered to be classics, before the 1960's and the 1950's are lost. Plus the ones we do have are mostly in bad shape. A few directors have made some dents and waves internationally, most notably Lino Brocka, Eddie Romero, Gerry de Leon, Ishmael Bernal, Manuel Conde and Lamberto Avellana but they're nowhere near as famous as Akira Kurosawa, Federico Fellini or Francois Truffaut.

More recently though, Philippine cinema has found its niche, in a way, in world cinema thanks to our new wave of sorts of independent filmmakers such as Aureus Solito, Raya Martin, Lav Diaz, Jeffrey Jeturian, Khavn de la Cruz and Brillante Mendoza, who won the Best Director prize at Cannes for his controversial film Kinatay.

In an effort to raise more awareness and appreciation of Filipino cinema, here's a list of, in my opinions based on what I've seen so far, the 10 best Filipino films:

10. The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (2005, Aureus Solito)

This is a sweet coming of age dramedy about a 12 year old gay boy, Maximo, who comes from a family of petty thieves who falls in love with a rookie policeman next door. It's more sweet and moving than in any way, shape or form racy or leery, this is probably the film that hearken the new wave of Filipino independent films that are currently making waves in film festivals around the world. It's also our biggest international hit. This film currently available on DVD on Amazon and Netflix.

09. Kakabakaba Ka Ba? ("Does Your Heart Beat Faster?") (1980, Mike de Leon)

This is quite simply one of the most bizarre and most giddily original films I've ever seen. This is a musical/comedy film about four friends (two pairs of couples) who go on a really strange journey which I will not reveal here but it does culminate in the image you see above. It's probably the lightest film on this list, certainly one of the best Filipino comedies ever made. This is the first film on this list by one of my favorite directors ever, Filipino or otherwise, Mike de Leon.

08. Oro, Plata, Mata (1982, Peque Gallaga)

I once read an article claiming that Robert Duvall saw this film and remarked that he felt it was better than Apocalypse Now. I'm not sure about that though but this is a great film. Set during World War II in the Philippines, this tells the tale of an affluent Filipino family in the rural area and their harrowing experience during the war. This is a three-hour epic featuring scenes of both breathtaking beauty and absolutely disturbing violence. The DVD is already hard to come by, even locally.

07. Scorpio Nights (1985, Peque Gallaga)

This comes from the same director of Oro Plata Mata, Peque Gallaga. It's a far more intimate film but it's no less harrowing, gripping and disturbing. It's about a young man who spies on the beautiful wife of a nightwatchman in the apartment underneath his room. His voyeurism eventually leads into an extremely torrid affair with the woman. The sex scenes are notorious for being one of the most explicit ever filmed in Philippine cinema. I would compare this to the Japanese film In the Realm of the Senses although it's just a smidgen less "real" than that. The ending is pretty f-ed up.

06. Maynila Sa Kuko Ng Liwanag ("Manila in the Claws of Brightness") (1975, Lino Brocka)

This is probably the most famous Filipino film. It's often cited as the best Filipino film ever made. I sort of disagree with that since there are at least five I like better. But it's still a great one. It's about a young man from the rural area of the country who goes to the big city in search of his childhood sweetheart whose name "Ligaya Paraiso" means Happiness Paradise. Owing a lot to Italian neo-realism, the film is a rather bleak look of the rural poor searching for prosperity in the city.

05. Himala (1982, Ishmael Bernal)

This film was recently voted as the "Best Asia-Pacific Film" of all time, according to a CNN poll. I may not agree with that and I attribute its success to mouse-click happy Filipinos who like to see anything Filipino as "best" at something. But it is still a great film. Plus I have to admit there is a bit of bias going on here because I happen to personally know the screenwriter of this film, Ricky Lee, who is a friend and mentor of mine. Well, what's this film about? The word himala means "miracle" and this is about a woman named Elsa (played by Nora Aunor who delivers one of her most iconic and famous roles in Filipino film history) who claims to have seen visions from God and starts healing people from miles around. It's one of the most intelligent films about religion and faith that's still compelling and relevant today as it ever was. The DVD may also be available in Netflix.

04. Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos ("Three Godless Years") (1976, Mario O'Hara)

This is an excellent companion piece to Oro, Plata, Mata in that it also tackles World War II in the Philippines. This time, it's about a family in a rural village whose daughter (played again, by Nora Aunor) is raped and impregnated by a Japanese-Filipino soldier who is fighting for the Japanese side. He aims to make amends by courting her and eventually marrying her. Her family is branded and scorned as traitors by most of the village. My fellow Filipino film critic Noel Vera says *this* is the best Filipino movie ever made. I disagree with him slightly but it's still in the Top 5.

03. Batch '81 (1982, Mike de Leon)

This is yet another Mike de Leon film. This time around, it revolves around a group of college guys who wish to join a college fraternity. But it involves a series of brutal, painful, humiliating and often extremely violent hazing rituals. Although it is at times funny, the violent sadism can pretty much rival the stuff in Quentin Tarantino films. (Man, lots of bleak films on this list!)

02. Kisapmata ("In the Blink of an Eye") (1981, Mike de Leon)

Oh, man. I just saw this movie yesterday (it will be featured again in my "Weekly-Round-Up" series). It has jumped into my favorites of all time list fast. This is yet another superb masterpiece from director Mike de Leon. It concerns a young woman who gets married to her boyfriend but her "overprotective", authoritarian father lingers over them causing friction in their respective relationships but the "overprotectivness" of the father masks a deeper, darker secret. I would describe this film as a totally f-ed up version of Father of the Bride (I think some of you may already guess what it is). It features fantastic performance from Vic Silayan who plays the father. He is downright scary but all-too human which makes him even more terrifying. This film is actually available for viewing on Youtube but unfortunately it has no English subtitles.

01. Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang ("Weighed but Found Wanting") (1974, Lino Brocka)

The number one film is actually quite close to the number two film. Anytime they can switch but for now, let's keep the order. This is probably my favorite and what I personally consider the best Filipino film. This one is about a young man from an upper-middle class family in a town. He befriends a mentally-ill woman and a horribly disfigured man (played by Mario O'Hara who directed Three Godless Years) who are the village outcasts. His involvement with these two characters would open his eyes to the buried secrets of his town and the utter cruelty and hypocrisy of the more "civilized" people in his town. Director Lino Brocka has made a lot of social commentary films but this one is his best and basically personifies all his unique strengths as a director. This one is also available on DVD but you have to really look for it.

I sincerely hope that you guys try and give Filipino films a chance. These are five great films to start with!

Weekly Round-up (10/9/11 - 10/15/11)

2011-10-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Bad Day to Go Fishing (Alvaro Brechner) ** - This is a strange little Uruguayan film about a con artist and a washed up body-builder/wrestler who go around small towns in South America for shows and fights. For a film about a wrestler, there's surprisingly very little wrestling. The film is well-made and the performances are good but the tone is all over the place resulting in a film that's kind of a headscratcher for me.

The Rebound (Bart Freundlich) *1/2 - This romantic-comedy, despite starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Justin Bartha, never really got a wide U.S. release. You can definitely see why. It's about a newly-divorced 40-year-old mom who has an affair with her 25-year-old babysitter. The film, despite the valiant efforts of its cast, fall mostly flat. Bartha and Zeta-Jones have zero chemistry and fails to be about anything about anyone.

The Great Scenes # 11: Stalker (1979)

2011-10-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky

This is the final scene from the cerebral science-fiction film Stalker but it's not really spoiler-y because you have to have seen the entire film to even have a smidgen of a chance to fully and completely understand the implications of this scene. (Hell, some people will still not get this scene even after seeing the entire film). As it is, it's a strange haunting scene which features very unsettling use of music and sound that depicts a little girl using telekinesis. The film itself is a masterful work but not for the most casual movie goers.

Another Blog?

2011-10-14T02:58:00.000-07:00

Cinema is not the only thing I'm interested in, believe it or not. It's my greatest passion, of course but it's not the only thing I'm excited about or the only thing I'm interested in writing about. I also enjoy television, music, books, theater (especially musical theater), stand-up comedy, a little bit of history, science, philosophy, travel, etc. So I've been seriously considering making another blog for anything and everything else I may want to write about: a TV show, a book I'm reading, my personal opinions on world issues, an amusing anecdote from my life, random rants about random things, etc.

So I'd like to ask if you guys would be interested in reading that and do you think a second blog is a good idea? Or do you not mind if I write about non-cinematic things on *this* blog? I'd like to hear from you on the comments below. Thanks.

Weekly Round Up (10/2/11 - 10/8/11)

2011-10-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

Warrior (Gavin O'Connor) ***1/2 - I've said it once and I'll say it again: I'm not a sports fan. That's why I'm always kind of wary when it comes to sports movies. Thankfully, this is one of the good ones. The sport this time around is mixed martial arts but apart from that, the plot is pretty generic and the script is deeply flawed. However, the outstanding performances of Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy and ESPECIALLY Nick Nolte lifts up the flawed material and turns it into a truly compelling drama.

Bridesmaids (Paul Feig) *** - Like some Judd Apatow productions, this movie is a bit overlong for a comedy at a little over two hours. Though that is a flaw, the film still has a very healthy dose of laughs. The cast is good (give or take Rose Byrne) especially Melissa McCarthy. Kristen Wiig's character gets irritating every now and then but I guess that's intentional. This movie has been called the female Hangover. I disagree. I think it's somewhat better (though I consider it good, not great).

Friends with Benefits (Will Gluck) **1/2 - If this was better than No Strings Attached, I probably wouldn't wanna see No Strings Attached. Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis are both suitably charming and the supporting cast is pretty strong (especially Patricia Clarkson and Woody Harrelson) but the film itself, despite being pretty slickly made, is pretty meh in the plot department. It's kind of ironic that the characters make fun of rom-com tropes early in the movie, only to fall into it later on. It's an entertaining enough time-killer but nothing more than that.

The Great Scenes # 10: Rome, Open City (1945)

2011-10-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

Pina's Death

Directed by Roberto Rossellini

Yes, this is spoiling the film a bit but it's more emotional and shocking if you see the context of this scene in the film. Rome, Open City was made at the tail end of World War II. It focuses on resistance fighters standing up against the Nazis. The Italian neorealist film, directed by Roberto Rossellini is one of the best films made on the subject. In this scene, Anna Magnani plays Pina, one of the said resistance fighters as she chases after her husband who was captured but is gunned down in front of her son and her priest. It's a brief scene but it's shocking and emotional all at once.

Top 5 Film Songs

2011-10-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

Now, it's my long-awaited part 2 to my movie music posts. This time around, it's film SONGS and that means music with both melody and lyrics. In order to qualify for this list, the film has to be just as good (if not better) than the song plus it has to be specifically written for the film so unfortunately, "As Time Goes By" from Casablanca will not be eligible.Also not eligible are a lot of great songs from film adaptations of Broadway musicals. (Of course like the previous, I had to have seen the film as well.)

5. "I'm Easy" from Nashville

Written and performed by Keith Carradine

Nashville is one of the masterpieces of the great American director Robert Altman. It follows 25 characters in the course of a day or two in, where else, Nashville, each one involved in country or gospel music. There are lots of original songs in this film, some of which were actually written by the actors themselves, including this one written by Keith Carradine which probably is the most popular of the bunch (and, IMO, at least, the best and probably the most memorable). It won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

4. "Beauty and the Beast" from Beauty and the Beast

Written by Alan Menken (music) & Howard Ashman (lyrics)

Performed by Angela Lansbury

Disney has given us a lot of great, memorable movie songs from "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" to "When You Wish Upon a Star" to "A Whole New World" and tons and tons of others but this one is probably my favorite. Such a simple, beautiful song that perfectly, perfectly captures the spirit of the great animated musical it was written for. It deservedly won the Best Original Song Oscar as well. I know there's a pop version performed by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson but I think Angela Lansbury's version is the best.

3. "Mrs. Robinson" from The Graduate

Written by Paul Simon

Performed by Simon & Garfunkel

The Graduate is one of the most groundbreaking and definitive films of the 1960s and one of the things that helped it achieve its classic status is its fantastic soundtrack which deftly captured both the film and the era in which it was released. "Mrs. Robinson" is a classic movie song. However, it was not even nominated for an Oscar. Why? Because Paul Simon forgot to submit the proper paperwork. Oh, drugs.

2. "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's

Written by Henry Mancini (music) & Johnny Mercer (lyrics)

Performed by Audrey Hepburn

Breakfast at Tiffany's is director Blake Edwards' romantic-dramedy that's an adaptation of a work by Truman Capote. It stars Audrey Hepburn in one of her most famous roles. It's also where the song "Moon River" came from. It's a simple yet beautiful and moving song. It has been covered tons of times most famously by Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams. Audrey Hepburn sings it in the film and although she doesn't have the most perfect voice, she captures the song's moving simplicity and sweetness better than a lot of the singers that covered it subsequently.

1. "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz

Written by Harold Arlen (music) & E.Y. Harburg (lyrics)

Performed by Judy Garland

You shouldn't be surprised. Personally, I don't think a Top 5 Movie Songs list has any credibility if this particular is not in there somewhere. It's probably one of the most beautiful songs ever written period. Yes, I'll say it and I'm not ashamed. Like "Moon River", tons and tons of singers have covered it but I think the best version is still Judy Garland's from the film itself. And to think, the studio heads almost cut this song out because they felt it slowed the movie down! That would've been tragic.

Weekly Round-Up (9/25/11 - 10/1/11)

2011-10-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

The Anchorite (Juan Estelrich) *** - This is a quirky little dramedy from Spain. It's about a man who for some vague reason has chosen to live in his large bathroom for the past 11 years. That is until the little notes he's been flushing down the toilet was found by a beautiful young woman. The film is set entirely in the bathroom but avoids feeling stage-y or even claustrophobic. The performances are quite excellent. The film's quirky concept doesn't get too pretentious and self-satisfied for its own good. Overall, a fine film.

Body of War (Phil Donahue/Ellen Spiro) **1/2 - This is an anti-Iraq War documentary that focuses on one soldier, Tomas Young, who was rendered paralyzed while serving his country. The film touches upon many familiar grounds that we've all seen from documentaries of this kind. Yes, it is definitely biased. It will make you angry for different reasons no matter what side of the political you belong to. It's not bad but I've seen better.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (Nagisa Oshima) *** - This film is about British soldiers at a Japanese POW camp during World War II. But it's not Bridge on the River Kwai. This one's more of a study on cultural clashes between two very different groups of people as well as a character study. I was fairly surprised that Nagisa Oshima didn't let his own people off the hook by portraying the Japanese soldiers in a negative light at times. The film's imperfect but the performances are great (David Bowie should really act more) and the humane ending makes it worthwhile.

Hanna (Joe Wright) ***1/2 - If there was such a thing as an "arthouse action film", this is it. The film is stylish, intense, lyrical, brutal and beautifully made almost to a fault. The film is anchored on a truly great performance by Saoirse Ronan who is on her way to becoming one of the best young actresses out there. Extra points for that now pretty famous tracking shot that leads up to an impressive and intense subway fight scene and of course the Chemical Brothers' great score.

The Great Scenes # 9: Sherlock Jr. (1924)

2011-10-01T04:15:00.000-07:00

Directed by Buster Keaton

Much like music lovers have long debated on The Beatles vs. Elvis Presley, movie lovers also have debated on Charlie Chaplin vs. Buster Keaton (SMART-ASS FILM SNOB: "Neither! Harold Lloyd!"). I've always thought that I feel Buster Keaton is a better filmmaker but I found Charlie Chaplin, overall funnier. But since watching and rewatching their respective films, I think I'm leaning towards the Keaton camp. Sherlock Jr. is probably one of my favorite silent films of all time and though it's only about 45 minutes long, it's filled with amazing stunts, laughs and great filmmaking. One example of which is featured here. In it, Keaton plays a movie projectionist who falls asleep while on the job and dreams of going in and out of the movie screen. It's funny and an impressive feat of photographic effects and editing.

Top 5 Film Scores

2011-09-28T02:33:00.000-07:00

The Angry Lurker asked me the other week what were my favorite pieces of film music and songs. Well, I'd answer him by posting a two-part blog on film music. This first part focuses solely on film score. Music has always been an integral part of film even before sound. Film score composers may not have the same cache as, say, classical composers but they have created some of the most indelible tunes in pop culture over the years. I'm going to reveal some of my favorite film scores from my favorite films:

HONORABLE MENTION:

Chariots of Fire

Composed by Vangelis

Why is this just an "honorable mention"? Because shamefully, I have not seen this film in its entirety. Although I do believe nearly everyone knows this because it's often played during sporting events including the Olympics. This theme is far more iconic than the film itself, despite the fact that it won the Best Picture Oscar. Most people know this theme but not everyone know it is from a movie.

5. "Flying Theme" from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Composed by John Williams

John Williams has composed many, many, MANY iconic and memorable film scores throughout the decades from extremely popular films. From Superman to Harry Potter, he is a blockbuster composer. Everyone knows his themes. He's won 5 Oscars and was nominated numerous times. His collaborations with director Steven Spielberg has produced some of his best work (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jurassic Park, etc. etc.) so it was tough to decide which one to include in a Top 5. But I decided on this, it represents everything that's wonderful about the two of them.

4. "Lux Aeterna" from Requiem for a Dream

Composed by Clint Mansell

Requiem for a Dream is a very haunting and rather bleak film on drug addiction. One of the reasons, I believe, it worked the way it did is Clint Mansell's beautiful score, highlighted of course by the now iconic theme entitled "Lux Aeterna" (It was so awesome that an orchestral arrangement was used in the trailer of the second Lord of the Rings movie). If the theme from E.T. can uplift you, "Lux Aeterna" can bring you down, in the most beautiful way possible.

3. "Tara's Theme" from Gone With The Wind

Composed by Max Steiner

I'll admit that I think Gone With The Wind is a tad overrated as a film. It is an admirable, ambitious effort but it's too much like a bloated soap opera for my taste. One of the things I do love about it is Max Steiner's score, specifically the famous "Tara's Theme" which opens the film as the large title card flashes through the screen.

2. Main Theme from Psycho

Composed by Bernard Herrmann

The collaboration of director Alfred Hitchcock and composer Bernard Hermann is one of the best in film history. There's no better example than the score for Psycho, the film that pretty much started the slasher horror genre. The decision to only use strings for the score is a brilliant one since it helps bring the chill down one's spine. From the main titles theme to the all-too-familiar shower score that helped increase the shock and shrieks from the audience, this score is one of the all-time masterpieces.

1. Main Theme from Once Upon a Time in the West

Composed by Ennio Morricone

I've listened to this piece of music so many times and it does not fail to give me goosebumps or occasionally even move me. Ennio Morricone has done so many great scores both in Italy and in Hollywood. He has done great scores with Sergio Leone and his spaghetti Westerns but this is probably my all-time favorite. You don't even need to see the film to appreciate it. I defy anyone to not have goosebumps once the soprano voice kicks in. The film was in and of itself. The music made it a flatout masterpiece of the genre.

Weekly Roundup (9/18/11 - 9/24/11)

2011-09-25T21:56:00.000-07:00

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford) **** - One of the true Western classics of all time and one of director John Ford's flatout masterpieces. This is actually my second time watching this and upon a second viewing, I realize how beautiful and masterful this film is. James Stewart stars as a legendary senator who was "the man who shot Liberty Valance", a notoriously evil and cruel outlaw of the West. The film is about how he came to be known as that. Also starring John Wayne, this film can be called one of the first anti-Westerns as it dissects the legend of the West. An absolute must-see.

Horrible Bosses (Seth Gordon) **1/2 - The film's concept is quite strong: Three guys with three horrible bosses and they decide to off them. Unfortunately, the resulting film is rather uneven. It would've been a much more intriguing had it been a tad more darker and tad less broader. The ensemble cast is strong though and elevates the material especially the bosses (Colin Farrell in particular). There are some good laughs in it but overall, merely okay.

The Great Scenes # 8: The Band Wagon (1953)

2011-09-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

Directed by Vincente Minelli

In the same time period that saw the release of big, splashy musicals An American In Paris and Singin' in the Rain, Vincente Minelli's The Band Wagon came out and is often overlooked by some film enthusiasts today. It has experienced a somewhat slight resurgence and rightfully so. It's a delightful musical. The plot is simple: A washed-up movie star (Fred Astaire) teams up with his songwriter buddies, a famous ballet dancer and a prominent stage actor to come up with a show for him for the stage. Much of the entire last half hour or so is simply the stage show (SPOILERS) they come up with, culminating in this clever musical spoof film noirs brought to life by the amazing choreography by Michael Kidd helped by the cinematography, sets and costumes (the reveal of the magnificent Cyd Charisse's red dress gave me goosebumps).

Answers to Questions!

2011-09-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

This is gonna be a relatively short post. Under the "My job" entry in my blogspot, I asked if you guys have any questions for me and I'll answer them. Well, here's my long-delayed reply. I only received a few questions and I'll answer them here:

1. The Angry Lurker asks: What is your favorite piece of film music/song and why?

This is an excellent question. So excellent in fact, I won't answer this question here. Within the week I shall devote two posts on my Top 5 favorite film scores and my Top 5 favorite film songs. Watch out for them!

2. Mark asks: What would you say is the most well-known movie you've worked with?

We've done a lot of famous movies. The most recent one is, I'm guessing, the Blu-Ray release of Sling Blade and the Region 2 release of 30 Minutes or Less and commentaries for Attack the Block.

3. My 2 Pesos asks: Does God exist?

I don't know but I believe He does.

4. Bersercules asks: What if you are proof reading a comedy's subtitle and one of the jokes in it is a play on words that doesn't translate to english and the subtitle that's there is a funny substitute but inacurate? Do you leave it in or do you go for a more acurate but unfunny subtitle?

Most of my work involves English-English subtitling/close captioning and very little translating, really. However, this issue would arrive if let's say the punchline or joke is too long for the required protocol. I would have to try and shorten it without losing the essence of the line and the funniness of the joke.

Although I did once work for a TV network where they had to have one of their comedy shows subtitled for submission for an international awards organization (The Asian TV Awards) so I had to translate the lines and try as much as I can to maintain the humor of it. I'm Filipino and oftentimes, Filipino humor is very untranslatable. But fortunately, I have a very Western sense of humor so I was able to translate whatever humor is there in the subtitling.

5. George Anderson asks: What is the purpose of you writing this post?

What is the purpose of you asking this question?

6. That Bastard from Bellingham asks: How did you come to learn English?

Filipinos are English speakers since the Americans colonized our country for nearly half the 20th Century. English is actually my FIRST language. My mom and dad thought it would be an academic advantage for me to have English as a first language.

That's all the questions. Feel free to ask me any questions on the comments below.

Weekly Round Up (9/11/11 - 9/17/11)

2011-09-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Tears of the Black Tiger (Wisit Sanantieng) *** - This is the second film I've seen from this Thai director and it's really something. An outlaw and governor's daughter meet as kids and grew to love each other but fate keeps them apart. This mixes an ultra-violent Sam Peckinpah-esque Western with a romantic soap operatic plot and for me, it didn't always quite gel but when it did, it was quite brilliant. The film is filled with bright colors (even the blood) in its cinematography and design.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (Troy Nixey) **1/2 - Guillermo Del Toro's fingerprints are all over this film but it's not quite as successful as most of his own films. The director, Troy Nixey, does a solid if not that outstanding job in creating a perfectly acceptable horror flick. But that's all it is. Acceptable. The premise is stretched a little thin for a 100-minute film. However, it's miles away from awful. There are some decent scares. It won't win any awards nor is it destined for cult classic status. But it's very entertaining and it does feature Katie Holmes not being godawful.

The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton) **** - This is my second or third time watching this classic film which I own on Criterion DVD. It's one of those really, really great films. So beautiful, terrifying and moving all at the same time. Robert Mitchum is astounding as one of the creepiest, and I must say one of the best on-screen villains, Rev. Harry Powell. If you haven't seen this, do yourself a favor and check it out!

The Great Scenes # 7: Persona (1966)

2011-09-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

Directed by Ingmar Bergman

Persona is one of my favorite films of all time. It has several great scenes in it. This is one of the less obvious choices (those who have seen the film will know the more obvious choice). I think this scene is one of the most erotic scenes in cinema history. Even more erotic than most on-screen sex scenes out there. This film about an actress (Liv Ullmann) who was rendered inexplicably mute is sent to the seaside with a psychiatric nurse (Bibi Andersson) as part of her therapy. And it just gets weird from there. Bibi Andersson basically speaks roughly 90% of all the spoken dialogue in the entire film so she has a lot of long monologues and this is one of them.

My job

2011-09-14T02:44:00.000-07:00

I've been active at this blog for a couple of months now. I guess some of you would want to know a little bit something about me apart from what I've written in my profile/bio. Well, let me tell you about what I do for a living. Whenever someone asks, what exactly do I do, I just tell them "writer" just as a shortcut. The more accurate answer is a little bit more complicated. It's pretty awesome job though. I work for a production company that does various media-related works (TV shows, documentaries, concerts, even films, commercials, etc.) but the department I belong in is the SUBTITLING department. Yes, subtitles, or more accurately, English language templates/close captioning for DVD, Blu-Ray, cable and satellite.

I'm in charge of quality control, that means I correct already subtitled works for any misheard subtitles, typos or mistakes in protocol. So basically, like movie critics, I actually get paid to watch movies. Not only movies though but also TV series, DVD/Blu-Ray featurettes and occasionally even business/corporate/instructional videos. We receive projects from UK and U.S. so most of my work is in English. We seldom get the big, big latest tent pole blockbusters though. We do get a lot of older movies though so I get to either rewatch old favorites or catch up on some classics, obscure and otherwise, that I may have missed.

Add to that the fact that I have relatively flexible work hours (I can theoretically go to work any time I want to provided I complete an 8 hour a day work week), the office is but a short commute from my work, and there are days where I have enough free time to blog and write side projects and dream passion projects (like screenplays, novels, etc.), it's a sweet deal. Plus I get weekends and holidays off.

There are drawbacks though. The salary though perfectly fine for where I am in my life right now could be higher. Though there are days where I have next to nothing to do, there are also days where I could get stuck doing overtime until 1 or 2 in the morning! The worst projects are audio commentaries. Yes, they need English language templates for audio commentaries too. They can be a bitch because we usually have to start from scratch from them and they can be a bitch to do especially if it's a multiple speaker type where talking is almost non-stop for 90 minutes to two hours. Another thing that pisses me off is having to do audio commentaries for films I wanted to see but haven't yet. Having to do the audio commentary spoils the movie for me way too much. For instance I had to the Attack the Block commentary and that hasn't been released in my country (yet). I tried to minimize the damage by watching the movie out of order (since the subtitles is broken up into files) and trying to avoid watching the movie itself as much as possible.

This was fun. I have an idea. To all those who have read this blogpost and follow my blog, post ONE question for me on the comments. Any question at all. I shall answer as truthfully as I can. The deadline is the moment I post the NEXT blog entry.

Weekly Round Up (9/4/11 - 9/10/11)

2011-09-11T03:29:00.000-07:00

Nosferatu The Vampyre (Werner Herzog) ***1/2 - Werner Herzog's remake of the 1922 classic German horror film Nosferatu, though heavily references the original film is such a unique and strange (in a way that could only be Herzog's) vampire horror film, it's almost insulting to call it a remake. Though the film calls the vampire "Dracula", the film goes to all sorts of directions, different from both the book and the original film (which will delight some and infuriate others) and it's at times quite surreal, lyrical, even sad and romantic at times. Klaus Kinski (with the help of the makeup which emulates the Max Schreck design) is appropriately creepy as the vampire. The cinematography, sets and soundtrack adds to the spooky atmosphere.

Contagion (Steven Soderbergh) *** - I would say this qualifies as a disaster movie (someone pointed out that the huge big-named ensemble cast is reminiscent of the Irwin Allen disaster movies of the '70s) only instead of an earthquake or a tornado, it's a super-virus. This falls in the good-but-not-great category, considering all the talent involved. Everything in the film is solid: The acting, the directing, etc. But the film doesn't quite manage to go up to the next level when it could have easily did. All in all the film is a somewhat better and more realistic and believable remake of Outbreak.

Fright Night (Craig Gillespie) *** - I have not seen the 1985 original film so I'm rating this purely as a standalone film without any comparisons to the original. As it is, it's a pretty darn good horror-comedy that's highly enjoyable. I have no idea how fans of the original will react but the film made me curious to check out the original so I guess that's good news. The cast is terrific. The film is no masterpiece but there are worse ways to kill your time.

The Great Scenes # 6: Hero (2002)

2011-09-09T04:08:00.000-07:00

Directed by Zhang Yimou

I mentioned Hero in an earlier post. It is one of my favorite films of the past decade and this is probably my favorite scene from the film in a film with A LOT of great scenes. This one actually got applause in the screening I went to, it was that beautiful. I personally think Hero is a better film than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The film is both visually fantastic and exciting and emotionally involving. I don't know why Miramax sat on this film for two years before releasing it to the States. All they had to do was say, "You liked Crouching Tiger? Check this out" then play a few seconds of this and it's sold. Try to see it on a high-quality DVD on the biggest screen you can find, if not in a theatrical screen. This youtube clip does the scene little justice.

DVD and Blu-Ray Collecting

2011-09-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

Does anyone out there still collect DVD's? I still do! It's starting to get weird since a lot of people simply download movies now -- both legally and illegally -- rather than buy the actual DVD. Personally, I still can't afford the equipment to directly download the film and put it on my TV. I'm still struggling to be able to upgrade to Blu-Ray. (NOTE: I don't plan on upgrading EVERY film I have to Blu-Ray. Only those I think will improve the viewing experience like films noted for their visual effects and cinematography)

What kinds of films do I collect on DVD (or, eventually, Blu-Ray)? Well, they're films I'd wanna see at least more than once or twice. Meaning, these are films that I not only like but LOVE. I like my DVD's to have lots of special features because they're like free film school lessons as well. I enjoy listening to commentaries and watching fun featurettes. I believe DVD is one of the best inventions ever for film lovers. Sure, lots of people prefer to download their films in great quality directly into their entertainment centers. But even then, still, I doubt DVD's are going away anytime soon. A lot of people still want something solid to hold on to, something you can just slip in the player to watch anytime you're in the mood.

Oh, here's my DVD collection: http://klaus-weasley.dvdaf.com/owned

Weekly Round Up (8/28/11 - 9/3/11)

2011-09-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Cars 2 (John Lasseter) **1/2 - The streak of PIXAR's animated masterpieces and near-masterpieces ends with this film. That's not to say this is a bad film. Far from it. It's a colorful, visually eye-popping and very entertaining and solid film but no more than that. I probably would've given this a slightly higher rating had this film been made by lesser animation studio but this is PIXAR. It's like your straight-A student showed up with his first "B" grade. It's still pretty good but a disappointment considering the high expectations. Young kids who are fans of the first film will find little to complain.

Dream (Kim Ki-Duk) *** - I'm actually a fan of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring so I was eager to check out more of Kim Ki-Duk's work. This is not as good as that film, IMO but still a very good one. A man discovers his dreaming is connected with a sleepwalking woman and unexpected consequences happen when they meet. I personally think if Takashi Miike directed an In the Mood For Love-type film, it would be similar to this. Despite the supernatural/thriller/horror elements, these take a backseat to the romance that develops between these two people. It doesn't always work but the film has great acting and is well-made.

Zombadings 1: Patayin Sa Shokot Si Remington (Jade Castro) **** - To put it quite simply: It's one of the best films of the year. This a Filipino film. The title roughly translates to Zombie Gays 1: Scare Remington to Death. It's about a guy who as a little boy liked to mock gays, finds himself mocking the wrong gay and finds himself cursed to turn homo when he grows up. This coincides with a serial killer targeting gays in his hometown. This film is a refreshingly original, infectious comedy-horror flick which is, and I'm not exaggerating here, destined to turn into a Filipino cult comedy classic. It's wonderfully demented, wickedly funny and campy in the best sense of the word with twists and turns that defy explanation. This is really a must-see. Though I hesitate to recommend this to non Filipinos (or those unfamiliar with Filipino society) because in order to fully get and appreciate the film's humor, one must have at least a little knowledge of the gay Filipino subculture.

The Great Scenes # 5: Band of Outsiders (1964)

2011-09-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

The Cafe Dance

Directed by Jean-Luc Godard

French New Wave cinema has produced a bunch of iconic films and made the names of quite a number of directors. One of them is Jean-Luc Godard. This is one of his most famous films. Band of Outsiders is about two crooks who manage to convince a beautiful young student to tag along in their different hijinks. The film goes to all sorts of different narrative directions with generous sprinklings of references in pop culture and literature. One of its most indelible scenes is the impromptu cafe dance by the three main characters. It is arguably one of the coolest scenes ever filmed and still holds up to this day. This scene and the movie itself is influential to this day. Quentin Tarantino, for instance, named his production company after the French title of the film (A Band Apart) and his famous dance sequence is partially inspired by the scene you see above. The film itself also inspired a currently famous clothing line.

Hollywood Imperialism

2011-08-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

I have a love-hate relationship with Hollywood. On the one hand, Hollywood has brought us many cinematic classics we all treasure and love and to this day, still continues to manage to thrill and excite us with quite a few new classics. On the other hand, Hollywood is also a corporate entity and with a few exceptions, a real creative and artistic black hole filled with remakes, reboots, sequels and rip-offs. Don't get me wrong. I'm not some elitist hoity-toity film snob who only likes obscure avant-garde films from Eastern Europe. I enjoy a great popcorn flick and geek out when a great genre film comes out.

But Hollywood isn't the only place where great popcorn flicks, great genre pieces or even great films in general are produced. Lots of filmmakers and film industries all around the world are making great films. But I'm not just talking about the big art-house, auteur-driven film festival favorites. They're also great popcorn flicks, genre pieces and totally accessible films in general but only a few make any significant impact in the U.S. box-office or even the world box-office. Hollywood executives will tell you that your average Americans generally do not like to have to read subtitles and are generally not open to seeing films made by other countries. Others will tell you Hollywood simply made films the most number of people want to watch or that Hollywood simply made better movies. *snorts*

Actually, the REAL reason is that Hollywood is one big corporation and they've set up a system that is almost a monopoly that dominates the multiplexes leaving very little room for anything else to succeed. Hollywood Inc. is very clever in fostering the mindset of subtitled films are boring and only for film snobs and intellectuals. But how does one explain Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? It's a subtitled film with female protagonists and made well over $100 million, unheard of for a foreign-language film! It's the exception, they will insist on saying. Yep, the "exception". Every time an unconventional, unexpected film succeeds, be it something quirky, a bit artsy, a bit cerebral or heaven forbid, a documentary or a subtitled/foreign-language film, the upper-echelons of the Hollywood elite will say "It's the exception!". To me, it's bullshit. I believe that they've really set up a system and a cultural mindset that dominates and favors the big mainstream studios to pretty much dominate. It's Hollywood imperialism.

Hollywood does this in two ways. First is what's called the buy-it-and-sit-on-it method. The Chinese epic wuxia film Hero almost fell victim to this. It was first released in China and the world on 2002. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is still fresh in the minds of many people. Here comes another martial arts epic from the East that has been a hit in several countries already and got an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. It should be a no-fucking-brainer, right? Wrong. Miramax bought it, they tried to "edit" it because they didn't feel it's "marketable" to Americans and postponed its U.S. theatrical release for two years. A similarly themed film just made a ton of money in the box-office just a couple of years before, how simple could it get? Clearly, there are people who will want to see this. It wasn't until a combination of a very vocal group of film buffs online and Quentin Tarantino who is a fan of the film said to just release it as "a Quentin Tarantino presents" film that Miramax broke down and released it. It opened at the Top 5 of the U.S. box-office. It would've made more had it been released sooner, I bet. How many films do people in Miramax have in their vaults?

The next one of course is the remake. Simply promoting and distributing potentially huge money-making breakout subtitled hits is not enough for the Hollywood studios. Remaking them will get them more money. That's not to say all remakes are pure cash-grabs devoid of creativity. Several Hollywood remakes of foreign films have turned out to be very good standalone films on their own, from The Magnificent Seven (the Western remake of Seven Samurai) to The Departed (remake of Infernal Affairs). The most offensive type of these are usually horror films. There's a Spanish horror film called [REC] which is a rather scary zombie thriller set almost entirely inside of an apartment building using the "found footage" technique. As it is, it could have been a hit State-side but the powers-that-be knew better. They remade it as Q uarantine and even stole the scary final shot of it.

During the '50s, '60s, and even the '70s, the films of Kurosawa, Bergman, Fellini and Truffaut were shown quite often side by side with the Hollywood films of Hitchcock, Ford, Wilder and Capra. What happened? I'm hypothesizing it's the combination of the invention of the blockbuster and the liberalization of film censorship laws. (Before that, Americans got their sex and nudity from foreign films so they flocked to it). Are Americans really that lazy to read subtitles? Perhaps. But I do believe that if Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon could make over $100 million, it's totally and completely possible that more foreign-language films a year could make that kind of money in the U.S. and the world as well. It's not an "exception". If it's a good film that is accessible to people, it will definitely have a market. A good film is a good film.

Weekly Round Up (8/21/11 - 8/27/11)

2011-08-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

The Love Parade (Ernst Lubitsch) **** - A womanizing military attache finds himself married to the Queen of his country and a battle of the sexes ensues. This is another classic pre-code musical courtesy of Ernst Lubitsch and Maurice Chevalier. The film will be viewed as rather sexist today and the songs are not that memorable but the wit, charm and filmmaking artistry will definitely win most people over (yours truly included). Oh, and it's also quite funny.

30 Minutes or Less (Ruben Fleischer) **1/2 - An unambitious pizza delivery boy finds himself forced to rob a bank after a couple of n'er-do-wells decide to off the rich dad of one of them so they can get their inheritance to fund their prostitution scheme. This film is from the makers of Zombieland. It's not quite as good as that movie. The film feels like a Coen Brothers script as directed by Judd Apatow and the result is a mix of good and meh. The cast is funny though Jesse Eisenberg, I feel, is just teeny-smudge miscast (though he's still great in it).

Pixote (Hector Babenco) **** - A young street urchin who after escaping from a brutal reform school with a bunch of young hoodlums enter a life of pretty crime involving robbery, drug dealing and prostitution in the streets of Brazil. This film predates City of God by more than 20 years. Although it has less violence and no flashy editing, it is somewhat more harrowing and disturbing even after all these years. The lead child actor in the film, Fernando Ramos da Silva, who plays the title character is a real-life street criminal whose brief fame with this film was shortlived due to his illiteracy and turned back into a life of crime, ending in a police shoot-out which killed him at age 19. Knowing this fact lends a bit of poignancy to certain scenes. It's often tough to watch but still a great film no less.

Woodstock (Michael Wadleigh) **** - I got this as a present for my dad because he loves classic rock music. Since I've only seen parts of it, I might as well catch up on my classic documentaries (one of the few genres of film which I'm dreadfully behind) and my music at the same time. This is an extraordinary documentary. The breathtaking editing and cinematography are matched only by the amazing musical performances captured forever, thankfully, on celluloid. The historic event has very much a "it's-as-if-you-were-there" feel to it.

The Great Scenes # 4: A Night at the Opera (1935)

2011-08-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Directed by Sam Wood

I love the Marx Brothers. They're comedy legends and geniuses. Their films contain some of the funniest scenes ever filmed, IMO. Despite the fact that they were made during the 1930's, most of the jokes are still quite funny and clever. One of the funniest among their already funny oeuvre is the famous crowded cabin scene in one of their best films A Night at the Opera. All you need to know is that the Brothers were given a ridiculously small room in a cruise ship. The absurd situation sprinkled with great physical comedy from Harpo Marx as well as the verbal quips of Groucho makes this scene one of the great and funniest scenes of all time.

Key Films

2011-08-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

I was having another conversation with a friend about how we've come to love film and I was thinking, you know, in every cinephile's life there are certain films that stand out. I'm not talking about in terms of films being a favorite or being the best but there are films which changed the way we viewed the world, our lives or hold special meaning to ourselves. For many cinephiles, there are films which made us love film or turn us to certain types of films or directors. Here's a key list of films which hold some special meaning to me as a cinephile growing up:

Dumbo (1941) - This is the first film I ever remember loving. I can distinctly remember when I was 3, 4, 5 years old of wearing out our then Betamax (yes, I'm old) player repeatedly playing the cassette copy we had until it was worn out every week. I now own the DVD and I recently saw it again and it holds up. If you don't get misty-eyed during the "Baby Mine" sequence, you better get that hole where your heart's supposed to be checked out.

Beauty and the Beast (1991) - I've liked and loved a lot of films in my childhood but I must say that Beauty and the Beast is a film that made me interested in the Oscars and the Academy Awards because I heard it's the first animated film nominated for Best Picture. That made me watch the Oscars and learn all about the categories awarded on the show and all the films nominated. Watching that Oscar show peaked my interest in the craft of making the film and of films in general.

Jurassic Park (1993) - I have seen a bunch of Steven Spielberg films before this: E.T., Jaws and the Indiana Jones movies, of course. But this is the first time I was actually paying attention and was aware of his work as a director. When I was watching the film, the audience was SCREAMING because it was so exciting. I, too, had my heart pounding on the excitement and amazing special effects. The fact that a director could manipulate the audience like that is what intrigued me in the art of directing and was made aware of the role the director has in film.

Pulp Fiction (1994) - This is quite frankly, the film that changed my life. Sure, I was very much interested in film before but I've never seen a film quite like this. I never knew film could be like this before I saw it. My mouth was wide open and amazed when I walked out. After the film cut to the credit: Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, I knew I wanted to work in this medium.

Fargo (1996) - If Pulp Fiction changed my life, this pretty much made it permanent that I'm gonna be a cinephile for life and working in film and the business. This film also made me appreciate the art of cinematography and of course the screenplay.

Throne of Blood (1958) - I have heard of the name Akira Kurosawa before but I never really took to seeing his films. I was quite hesitant to see subtitled films at this point in time. I've seen a few but nothing really blew me away. This one did. I saw it for a class in college. I've devoured Kurosawa since and of course this paved the way for me seeing more subtitled films.

Psycho (1960) - I don't know which film made me truly love watching older films. It's difficult to pinpoint. Was it Citizen Kane? Was it Casablanca? Was it Singin' in the Rain? Was it The Maltese Falcon? Maybe a combination of everything? Well, let's just say it's Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock's shocking horror thriller still holds up well today even in the age of gory slice-'em-and-dice-'em.

Play Time (1967) - This is the most recently seen film on this list. I blindbought it and saw it only a couple of years ago and since then, I made it my New Year's Eve/New Year's Day tradition to make this the first film I see during the New Year (or my last film I see on the old year, whatever). It's just that good. This is a film which, really, makes me, not only love film more but love life more. It's such a giddily, upbeat and positive film, in best sense of those words. It's a stunning piece of cinema yet also a very uplifting statement on the possibilities of life.

Sasha Grey: Porn Star & Film Buff

2011-08-23T22:14:00.000-07:00

This is the first and only time I shamelessly try to up my page views by posting about a porn star. (LOL). Well, for those of you who don't know who she is, Sasha Grey is (or is it WAS?) an adult film actress who recently is making a transition into being a more mainstream actress with roles in the Steven Soderbergh film The Girlfriend Experience and guest-starring in several episodes of Entourage. She's also known for being a rather intelligent young woman pursuing artistic projects on the side and she's very much a film buff as evidenced by these two clips.

These two surprisingly very different lists can only be made by a film buff, serious about film. Although I do find it interesting that she made two COMPLETELY different lists with different films only two years apart. I can understand, as someone who watches movies a lot, that your favorite films can change depending on your mood and what you see but personally, I would think at least one or two would be consistently on the top of your list. Perhaps it was intentional because she wanted to recommend more movies to people, maybe. But based on these lists however, it's evident that she is a Godard fan seeing that he's the only director to appear on both lists. I love Godard as well, but she picked my two LEAST favorite Godard films. That's kind of interesting.

Weekly Round Up (8/14/11 - 8/20/11)

2011-08-21T02:59:00.000-07:00

To Sleep with Anger (Charles Burnett) *** - This is my first foray into the cinema of Charles Burnett. In this one, an average middle-class African-American family gets paid a visit by an old friend who then proceeds to sow seeds of discontent among them. It takes a while to get into it but the film is neverthless extremely well-made and very well acted by an impressive ensemble of actors headed by Danny Glover, who gives one of his more interesting performances of his career. I'm guessing this is a very far cry from Tyler Perry movies.

Killing Me Softly (Chen Kaige) * - This is technically an erotic thriller but unfortunately it's neither erotic nor thrilling. Expat American in London (Heather Graham) dumps her longtime boyfriend to marry celebrity mountain climber (Joseph Fiennes) whom she falls into lust with. The sex scenes don't titillate. Graham and Fiennes have little to no on-screen sexual chemistry and the turns the story makes is ridiculous. It could've been campy, trashy fun but fails on the fun part. Usually good director Chen Kaige's first unfortunate foray into making an English film.

The Disappeared (Johnny Kevorkian) **1/2 - This is a low-budget indie British horror film about teenage boy just released from a mental institution following the disappearance of his little brother. He's haunted by dark, disturbing visions which will lead him to the truth. Strong performances are what makes this otherwise been-there-done-that ghost story very much watchable if not that big of a must-see.

Without Men (Gabriela Tagliavini) ** - All the men in a remote South American village get rounded up and forced to fight a revolutionary war leaving the women to fend for themselves. Lots of interesting concepts and ideas which would make for a fresh, interesting take on the battle of the sexes but instead mostly degenerates into clownish stereotypes and caricatures with a tacked on a tired "we're all equal-I am woman hear me roar" message in the end. Eva Longoria makes out with another woman. If you're into that.

Crazy, Stupid, Love (Glenn Ficarra/John Requa) *** - I had rather low expectations of this based on the synopsis/trailer of the film but the enthusiastic response of some people I know persuaded me to check it out and I have to say I, too, was pleasantly surprised. Most romantic comedies make me wanna run for the hills but when one turns out to be good, it's a pleasure to watch. Some flaws aside, the film works primarily because of the strong ensemble cast who turn on the laughs, charm and sweetness on just the right levels.

The Great Scenes # 3: Suspiria (1977)

2011-08-18T08:38:00.000-07:00

The First Murder

Directed by Dario Argento

Suspiria is widely considered to be Dario Argento's masterpiece and one of the must-see films in Italian horror cinema, or giallo. I consider myself pretty jaded when it comes to most horror films and am kind of annoyed by cheap jump scares. This scene, no matter how many times I watch it, still gives me chills. It's both shocking and horrifying yet oddly very beautiful as well, thanks to the brilliant set design and cinematography filled with vivid colors which both heighten both the beauty and horror at the same time. It will make you both wanna cover your eyes and watch it all at once The great score by the Italian progressive rock band Goblin adds an extra layer of scares. Watch it. If you dare.

A Marketing Department Film

2011-08-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

I have not seen The Smurfs and I have no intention on paying my money to see it either so this is not a review of it. But watching the clips and reading the reviews of this film got me to thinking: Why does it exist? Why do really bad films of this type exist? The Scooby Doo movies, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Garfield, etc. Why do they get made? And more importantly, how do they make so much money despite being critically reviled? The answer: Marketing.

Now, I believe no one actually sets out to make a bad film. I know the hard work and effort it takes to put together a single film. However, films made in mainstream Hollywood studios are an entirely different case. Studios like these are not run by creative types. It's reported many of them aren't even fond of films. They're businesspeople first and foremost, concerned primarily to make the maximum amount of profit. Therein lies one of the problems.

The entertainment business is a highly risky venture because unlike, say, a mechanical product or a food product, your product relies a lot on highly subjective factors rather than objective factors. You can measure the size, weight, length, width, etc. of let's say, a screw and you can create a satisfactory product for your customers. But film, music, video games, etc. all rely on lots of subjectivity which can't be easily be measured or weighed or quantified. This is why a lot of huge tentpole Hollywood blockbusters are adaptations of previous material like books, comics, previous franchises, etc. because they have built-in audiences for them already so money is all but guaranteed. So the Harry Potter's and Dark Knight's have little to no problem.

What about something midway like The Smurfs? That's where the marketing department comes in. The studio behind this wants to launch a kiddie franchise akin to the similarly positioned Alvin and the Chipmunks: Take something old that some older people will be nostalghic about and reintroduce them to a new generation. But instead of trying to do something creative and inventive with the material (which really could be done), they instead went to the easily marketable route of cheap laughs and forced hipness (Papa Smurf in shades? Please). It's the same for a lot of these types of films. These are films whose scripts is dictated by Q-ratings, focus groups and strictly lowest common denominator filmmaking, designed to create products and consumers out of the kids who will bug their parents to buy the tickets and the toys. This film and films like it are purely a product of marketing, made for the pure purpose of making money.

So the next time you see a movie like this, just think, that's a film by the marketing department.

Weekly Round Up (8/7/11 - 8/13/11)

2011-08-14T02:15:00.000-07:00

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down (Pedro Almodovar) ***1/2 - A young man newly released from a mental institution decides he wants a job and a family. What does he do? Kidnap the B-actress he fell in love with after a one night stand the year before! Only Almodovar can concoct such a bizarre love story with thriller, melodrama and black comedy elements. Victoria Abril and Antonio Banderas both do an excellent job of selling the outrageous and potentially dangerous premise. It manages to be actually sweet and romantic in its own sick, twisted way.

Fly Me to the Moon (Ben Stassen) ** - A trio of young flies decide to stowaway with Neil Armstrong and company to become the first flies on the moon. Somewhat unremarkable both story-wise and animation-wise but it's harmless entertainment for the wee ones.

God Said 'Ha!' (Julia Sweeney) *** - Actress-comedienne-former SNL cast member Julia Sweeney's filmed version of her one woman show about the time when her brother was diagnosed with cancer and her family moves in with her to what she planned to be her bachelorette pad post-divorce. She finds humor in what's supposed to be a dark, tragic and bleak time for her and her family. Although not always funny or moving as it should be, the film pretty much holds your attention for its duration.

Cowboys & Aliens (Jon Favreau) **1/2 - This film had the potential to be the great genre blockbuster of the summer: It's a straight up Western mashed up with straight up science fiction. Though this film has quite a number of great moments, the tone is all over the place and uneven and it doesn't quite mesh together as a whole. It's highly tricky concept to pull off and expectations for this were kind of high. So I can see why it's a disappointment for many. But the film is nevertheless entertaining and has many fun moments with the actors giving it their all.

The Great Scenes # 2: WALL-E (2008)

2011-08-12T09:43:00.000-07:00

Directed by Andrew Stanton

PIXAR has made a lot of great films (the Cars movies, an exception) and every one of them have great scenes. Probably the greatest, most artistically accomplished one is none other than WALL-E. A film about the sweet romance between two sentient robots, this scene encapsulates everything that's wonderful about this film. It's funny, it's visually spectacular and oddly moving. It's definitely a surprise that a film about robots could be also the most human.

The Internet and Cinephilia

2011-08-10T01:41:00.000-07:00

I started becoming interested in movies at around age 11. It was around the early 1990's then and the Internet was only specialized tool used by a select few. So I got most of my information on books and on TV. It wasn't until the mid-1990's during my college years when I *really* became serious, started voraciously watching Kurosawa, Truffaut, Godard, Fellini and all the Hollywood classics. What happened? A combination of growing up as a person and as a film buff and of course the Internet where I met and corresponded with people who recommended these films to me.

One of the reasons why cinephilia is so popular these days, as well as all other aspects of geekdom is the Internet. Never before in the history of society and film has information and access been this easy. I mean, from the time I started fiddling with the Internet and corresponding with people, downloading entire films and watching in your computer have become commonplace. Rarely seen films and very indie and very arthouse flicks can reach audiences easier than ever before. I also find that some young people are becoming serious cinephiles at rather young ages, discovering films that I haven't even heard of until college during their junior high years!

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Well, there are downsides to this, of course but I do believe that the good far outweigh the bad. It means films and the appreciation for films as art form will no longer be shared by a elite few but rather by a wider spectrum of people.

Weekly Round Up (7/31/11 - 8/6/11)

2011-08-07T03:05:00.000-07:00

The Smiling Lieutenant (Ernst Lubitsch) ***1/2 - Due to a series of lies and misunderstandings, a horny military officer finds himself unwillingly married to a sexually repressed, plain Jane princess but he's still in love with a sexy, liberal concert violinist. This film is, I believe, pre-Code so it's quite racy despite being a black & white '30s film. And it's quite funny too and despite some long stretches of silence at times, the dialogue scenes are very witty and crisp and the film is also more surprising than any sex comedy or rom-com of today. Maurice Chevalier, as the title character, is terrific so are the two women who's involved with him. Though it is technically a musical, most of the musical numbers are forgettable and extraneous but it's still an excellent film.

Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders) **** - A man resurfaces after disappearing for four years in order to put things right with his estranged son and wife. This is a film whose concept could have easily have been played for either cheap laughs or cheap sentiment. But script by Sam Shepard and the direction by Wim Wenders gives us a film that's genuinely moving and even sweet at parts but never feeling the least bit manipulative or phony. Harry Dean Stanton and Natassja Kinski both deliver great performances especially at that climactic scene in the end. Extra points for Robby Muller's great cinematography.

The Big One (Michael Moore) **1/2 - Probably the weakest I've seen from filmmaker Michael Moore. In this one, he uses his book tour to expose corporations downsizing their employees despite gaining record profits. His heart is definitely in the right place but the film is all over the place and lacks focus.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt) *** - I have quite a few problems with this prequel (underwritten characters, lack of depth, still dwarfs when compared to the original etc.) but they're few and far in between. Overall, the film does quite a damn good job of rebooting the franchise series after the cinematic abomination that was the Tim Burton "reimagining". The human characters are by and large merely serviceable (with the exception of John Lithgow who shines with his material, even in his relatively limited screentime). The real star here though is Caesar played by Andy Serkis, truly a remarkable marriage of great visual effects (the CGI mo-cap) and great acting. It features a very rousing climactic action scene as well.

The Great Scenes # 1: Touch of Evil (1958)

2011-08-05T22:29:00.000-07:00

(This is a first of a series of blogposts celebrating the great scenes, at least in my opinion, in the history of cinema.)

Directed by Orson Welles

Touch of Evil is considered the last of the true film noirs from Hollywood's Golden Age and the last film Orson Welles made for a Hollywood studio. It was mangled by executives in its release and only relatively recently was the version Welles wanted, as suggested through his now famous memo to the studio, released for the world to see. The opening scene, made in one continuous complicated shot, is a true example of bravura filmmaking. In it, we see a bomb being planted in a car in a town bordering Mexico and the U.S. and we are introduced to the central characters of American Janet Leigh and Mexican officer played by Charlton Heston. The scene only cuts when the bomb goes off so there's an atmosphere of tension throughout the uncut shot.

Film Podcasts

2011-08-03T22:52:00.000-07:00

In recent years, I've gotten into the habit of downloading podcasts, loading them up in my iPod and listening to them incessantly during long trips, daily commutes and even downtime at work. They can be very entertaining and occasionally even informative. I'm particularly fond of film-related (surprise!) or comedy podcasts. Here's a short list of the film podcasts I listen to:

01. Doug Loves Movies - Formerly known as I Love Movies with Doug Benson, it's hosted by comedian and professional pot smoker Doug Benson. Often taped in front of a live studio audience in the Upright Citizen's Brigade theater in LA, he along with two or three guests (or more), usually fellow stand-up comics or even actors and TV personalities, riff about movies and movie-related topics, often going on unrelated (and hilarious) tangents. At the last 20 minutes or so of the podcasts, him and the guests usually play the Leonard Maltin Game, a movie trivia game that uses Leonard Maltin's Video Movie Guide, where using a particular category and some vague clues lifted from Leonard Maltin's review, a player has to guess a movie by bidding how many names from the cast list (starting from the bottom going up) he or she can name the movie. It is pure joy from any film geek. Notable guests have included Patton Oswalt, Jon Hamm, John Lithgow, Edgar Wright, Elisabeth Shue, Anna Kendrick, Michael Cera, Ellen Page, Simon Pegg, Rainn Wilson, Amy Poehler, Samm Levine and Leonard Maltin himself!

02. Battleship Pretension - For those of you who want their film talk to be just a tad more serious, this is the podcast for you. Hosted by film enthusiasts David Bax and Tyler Smith, this is simply a podcast where they talk about film usually focusing on a particular topic like the career of an actor, director, writer, even behind-the-scenes artisan or a particular genre. They too would often have guests, usually an independent filmmaker, a fellow podcaster or also a stand-up comic (both David and Tyler are comedy nerds as well).

03. And the Nominees Are... - This is another fun film podcast. Three college film geeks namely Keith Jackson, Kenny Jones and someone I happen to know online, Austin Lugar decide that they want to watch each and every film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar from the beginning of the Academy Awards to the present and review them in a podcast. Each year is kicked off with a "history lesson" where they talk about the historical events that happen in that particular year and then they proceed to share their thoughts on all the Best Picture nominees alphabetically (Years with 10 or more Best Picture nominees are usually divided into two podcasts). It is of course a long-term project. Since they are college kids with lives, the podcast doesn't come in weekly doses. They've been doing this for over a year, only now have begun to review the films from the 1940's. It is a fascinating podcast, a must for any fan of film history.

04. The Criterion Cast - This is another film podcast which review films exclusively included in the Criterion Collection (see post below) hosted by Ryan Gallagher, Travis George, Rudie Obias and a revolving door of podcasters and contributors. Since they are part of the Criterion Collection, they're often older, foreign, landmark films of the history of cinema. It's probably one of the more highbrow film podcasts out there. But they're not all that stuffy. They have bonus miniepisodes where they review current films and other aspects of pop culture as well.

05. Comedy Film Nerds - This is not quite as wacky and irreverent as Doug Loves Movies, although also not quite as serious as The Criterion Cast or even Battleship Pretension. This is somewhere in between. This podcast is hosted by comedian Graham Elwood and Chris Mancini where they and a special guest, usually another comedian where they talk about movies coming out in the theaters and DVD, and riff on movies in general, at times concentrating on a particular topic the guest is interested in though there is often no fixed topic. It's basically equal parts funny and informative.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Comedy Bang-Bang (formerly Comedy Death Ray), not a film podcast but a comedy one and an often hilarious one at that. Hosted by Scott Aukerman, comedians and comedic actors are interviewed and often do characters, skits and improv games to hilarious results. WTF with Marc Maron, hosted by comedian Marc Maron is a great interview podcast. In it, Marc interviews different comedians, actors and writers in rather revealing interviews, far more revealing and informative than any TV interview could ever get. If your favorite comic or actor is in this show, it's a must-listen.

So, what's in your iPod?

Weekly Round Up (7/24/11 - 7/30/11)

2011-07-31T04:08:00.000-07:00

Amok (Lawrence Fajardo) ***1/2 -(See review below)

The Honeymoon Killers (Leonard Kastle) *** - This is a low-budget black comedy/thriller/love story based on the true story of the Lonely Hearts Killers who robbed and killed as many as 20 women during the 1940's. The tone is all over the place shifting from borderline campy dark comedy and straight-up thriller and it doesn't always work. In other words, the parts are better than the whole. However, the performances of the two leads, Shirley Stoler and Tony Lo Bianco, are pretty great and holds your attention althroughout and the film does contain lots of great moments.

Captain America: The First Avenger (Joe Johnston) *** - I always thought that a Captain America movie would be tricky to pull off. In the wrong hands, it would come off as overly jingoistic, red-state, flag-waving type of film. But placing the character in World War II is a good move that perfectly justifies the character in a very tasteful way. The result is a very entertaining, well-made Americana/World War II film with a superhero in it. In a way, it also feels like an Indiana Jones movie as well and it's a better Indiana Jones movie than The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Missing (Costa-Gavras) ***1/2 - The film is the true story of the search of the father and wife of an American journalist who disappeared during the U.S. government-sponsored Chilean coup in 1973. Jack Lemmon gives a simply magnificent performance as a father, who despite their differences, simply wants his son back. It's a very human and beautiful performance which trascends the political thriller/intrigue angle of the film which fades into the background but is always present. It's not a perfect film; but Lemmon's performance sells it for me.

Arthouse (?) Films

2011-07-28T04:14:00.000-07:00

Someone I chat with online has said that a friend of his referred to the 2011 Oscar Best Picture winner The King's Speech as "an arthouse film". My response? "In what Bizarro universe?". Now, I'm not saying The King's Speech is a bad film. It's a very well-made, extremely well-acted, independently produced, artistic film that's perfectly straightforward and very accessible. One thing it is not is an arthouse film, at least not the way I and all my fellow cinephile define an arthouse film.

Much like the political discourse in the U.S. has shifted radically to the right where people can actually get away with calling a moderate conservative like U.S. President Barack Obama a "radical socialist", the definition for "arthouse" films have also shifted. I place the blame squarely on the phenomenon of tentpole $100 million-plus dollar blockbusters which caters primarily to teenagers. I'm not saying this to be a snob or to impugn the entire concept of blockbusters (I enjoy them a lot; a few of them are even great films) but to point out a reality. With the proliferation of cable and satellite TV, the internet, video games, DVD's, Blu-Rays, etc., less and less people are actually going to the movies. For most Average Joe moviegoers out there, the only times they would get off their asses to pay and see a film in the movie theaters is if it's a big blockbuster with lots of eye candy and to a lesser extent, stars their favorite movie star. That's the reality.

This shift in moviegoing culture has also caused a shift in the definition of "arthouse". During the '60s and '70s, mainstream films like Bonnie & Clyde, Easy Rider, Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, Kramer vs. Kramer, Midnight Cowboy, M*A*S*H, etc. would be considered "arthouse films" today. Why, when adjusted for inflation, the 1979 Best Picture winner Kramer vs. Kramer, a courtroom drama about divorce from the point of view of the man would be a $200 million blockbuster. Today, it would be an indie drama which, if successful, would be considered an "arthouse" hit. But it's a perfectly accessible, mainstream film.

These days films that don't contain explosions, state-of-the-art visual effects, elaborate action sequences, snarky lines, juvenile gross-out humor or big named stars are, in most cases, already considered "arthouse". Jeffrey Wells, in a column, pointed out that Cannes Film Festival Best Director winner Drive is an action-thriller complete with guns and car chases and car crashes. Fast Five also is an action-thriller with guns and car chases and car crashes. One is a little more serious and substantive, the other is a fifth in a franchise with Vin Diesel and The Rock. Yet one is being released in "arthouses" while the other already raked in hundreds of millions of dollars in the box-office. Drive would just be a plain blockbuster if it was released in the '70s.

True arthouse films fall into one of three categories, at least in my opinion: a.) Films that dare to tackle subject matter or contains content that's either very difficult or very taboo or very provocative that will definitely turn off a lot of people; b.) Films that have a very non-conventional and/or highly unusual narrative or even NO narrative at all; c.) Films that do both. True arthouse films seldom become breakout box-office hits, get nominations at the Oscars or even seen by people who are not serious film buffs. I'm talking about films by filmmakers such as Peter Greenaway, John Sayles, Derek Jarman, Jim Jarmusch, Michael Haneke, Lars Von Trier, Lav Diaz, Guy Maddin, Bela Tarr, Maya Deren, Dusan Makavejev, etc. These filmmakers seldom have true breakout hits and they often work just in the fringe of the mainstream. I mean, Lav Diaz, a fellow Filipino, made an 11-hour black & white silent film. You can't get anymore less mainstream than that. That is REAL arthouse. The King's Speech? Slumdog Millionaire? Not arthouse.

A grown-up mainstream film without elaborate special effects, gross out humor or big-name stars does not an arthouse film make even if it has subtitles or even if it was released independently. I'm not saying that arthouse is necessarily superior to mainstream cinema. I've seen arthouse films that are crap like I've seen my share of mainstream films that are crap. This is just pointing out how the word "arthouse" has changed and bandied about to ghettoize grown-up non-franchise mainstream films who dare to not to cater to teenagers.

CineMalaya Film Festival Review: Amok

2011-07-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

This is my final blog entry on the recently concluded CineMalaya Film Festival here in the Philippines. I've seen four films from the festival which is a record for me since I only watch like one a year but since the festival has opened screenings at a theater where I frequent, I was able to catch 4 films. This is the final one.

Amok gets its title from an area in downtown Manila, an intersection where traffic is heavy and crowds of different people going about their business is always congested. The film contains multiple intersecting storylines from various people going about their day in that area. Opening with a group of teenage boys freestyle rapping in the streets, we meet: An old blind man trying cross the street; A father meets up and has a talk with his jock son; a female street food vendor reprimands her smartass daughter; a washed-up movie star has sex with a prostitute in his flat in a nearby building; an elderly lady talks to her junkie daughter as her younger brother chaffeurs her around; a gay man and his younger lover deals with an apparently homophobic cab driver; a dubious police officer pays off an old woman to commit arson to get rid of a squatters slum village; an uncle accuses his nephew of fraud and wasting his brother's money; and most importantly, a man beats an ex-cop with a homemade gun in a pool game. These storylines will be united by an explosion of violence that will not result very pleasantly for some of them.

The film itself is an amazing feat of filmmaking. The film was shot in broad daylight, on location, in the actual streets where the film takes place with a very low budget. The fact that they got the film made at all is a minor miracle. The editing is simply pulse pounding, the way co-writer and director Lawrence Fajardo juggles all the storylines into one narrative without losing or confusing the audience is amazing. It helps that it features a huge ensemble of actors who gamely bring to life their characters. It's also pretty tight and brisk at 90-plus minutes but the script and the acting allows most of the characters to make an impression to the audience enough to make them unforgettable and make an impact. It's a testament to a tight three-way marriage of direction, acting and writing.

Though the film would draw comparisons to the works of Paul Thomas Anderson and Robert Altman, I would argue that is more apt to compare it to Alejandro Gonzalez Inarittu. For me, this is the type of film Inarittu should be doing. Unlike Inarittu, the characters here are vivid and believable and oddly enough, it has a sense of humor and not relentlessly bleak. I would say it is definitely superior to most of his work. This film is wonderfully made, thought-provoking and enormously thrilling. It's probably my favorite of those that I've seen in the festival. (****)

Weekly Round Up (7/17/11 - 7/23/11)

2011-07-24T05:36:00.000-07:00

The Woman in the Septic Tank (Marlon Rivera) ***1/2 - See review below.

i-Libings (Rommel Andreo Sales) *** - See review below.

Bahay Bata (Eduardo Roy Jr.) ***1/2 - See review below.

Chungking Express (Wong Kar-Wai) **** - This is my second time watching this film. Still a great film after all these years.

CineMalaya Film Festival Review: i-Funerals & Baby Factory

2011-07-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

I saw two films today at the CineMalaya Film Festival and just by coincidence, they seem to have complimented each other well. One is about birth and the other is about death. I shall begin at the end with death. i-Libings or in English, i-Funerals is about a film/communications student who very reluctantly accepts an internship where they do video coverage of funerals for internet and DVD with the intent of it being viewed by relatives living abroad or relatives unable to attend them. The film starts out just being okay. The first two-thirds or so is a rather quirky generic dramedy, that's reminiscent of other Filipino indie dramedies particularly one called Crying Ladies (which also tackled the issue of funerals in the context of Filipino society). However, the film comes alive in the dramatic twist in the third act which I will not reveal here. But the film turns both into a really interesting depiction on how technologies the internet and video have ingrained themselves into modern everyday life (as well as everyday drama) and a nice coming-of-age story of a young woman in the cusp of adulthood. (***)

The film about birth is Bahay Bata or Baby Factory. I shall preface this review by saying that I happen to be friends with the director of this film, as well as the publicist. But I assure you that I am as unbiased and objective as I can be when I say that this is quite an exemplary film. This film is set -- and shot -- at a real-life maternity hospital in Manila that's government-run and are patronized by the urban poor during Christmas Eve. Its central character is a nurse (played by Diana Zubiri) who during the course of the day, finds out her boyfriend is married and that she's pregnant with his child. But that's just one story. We get various glimpses of little stories from the various patients and staff of the hospital itself. It has an almost documentary like feel and its got moments of raw honesty interspersed with surprisingly comic and inspiring moments. This film is rather relevant in Philippine society today due to something called the Reproductive Health Bill that's currently up in the air on Congress and the Senate. It's very controversial due to the strong opposition of the Catholic Church and conservative groups. So in the context of Philippine society, this could be seen as a political statement but it doesn't hit you over the head with it and also doesn't descend into melodrama. It's a really refreshing, honest-to-goodness slice of life film. (***1/2)

The Criterion Collection

2011-07-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

I would like to take this opportunity to say a few words of appreciation for the Criterion Collection. As any film buff worth his/her salt knows, the Criterion Collection is a wonderful company that started in the '80s releasing certain titles on LaserDiscs and one of the pioneers in including "special features" on home video releases. They have since segued into releasing DVD's as well Blu-Ray's but their commitment to quality still continues. Much of Criterion Collection's catalogue are composed of independent films, art films and foreign classics both famous and obscure. Many of them have tons of extra material: Commentaries, essays, documentaries, etc. They are like little film schools and are often the pride & joy of any serious DVD/Blu-Ray collectors. They even released Michael Bay movies like The Rock and Armageddon which helped subsidize their restoration of more obscure titles. They made Michael Bay not totally worthless.

Because of their attention to quality, they are pretty expensive, costing almost double the average DVD disc. However, sales happen all the time and film buffs like me go crazy over them. Barnes & Noble currently has a 50% off Criterion sale lasting until August 1st. Plus their catalogue is also now available on Hulu and Netflix.

Sure, they're not perfect. I mean, not every transfer of theirs are created equally. Masters of Cinema and Kino are also doing the same thing. Plus one thing that I dislike about them is their limited number of non-Japanese Asian films in their catalogue.

As a film lover, I must salute them for giving indie, foreign, obscure and art house films a wider audience that they deserve.

Cinemalaya Film Festival Review: The Woman in the Septic Tank

2011-07-18T23:12:00.001-07:00

(The following is the first of a series of reviews of films from the ongoing Cinemalaya Film Festival, a Filipino film festival which is a showcase for new, independent Filipino films.)

Filipino independent cinema has very recently become a regular staple in the international film festival circuit. Filmmakers like Lav Diaz, Aureus Solito, Jeffrey Jeturian and Brillante Mendoza have earned buzz, won awards and rave reviews for their work, and deservedly so. Usually made with digital cameras, using long takes, shooting on-location with obvious influence of French New Wave and Italian neorealism, the films often take an unflinching look into the lives of the poor and the downtrodden of the Philippines, far from the white-sand beaches and malls which the country often touts as their pride and joy. In fact, some of these films have been criticized for exoticizing poverty in the Philippines ("poverty porn" some call it) and have developed into a sort of subgenre of Philippine cinema.

This is one of the reasons The Woman in the Septic Tank (Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank) is such a breath of fresh air. The film starts off with shots of poverty, people living among the garbage, an all-too common sight in the urban metropolis. Then they focus on a woman named Mila who has seven children and is the poorest of their lot, splitting one packet of instant noodles among them. Then it's revealed that she's on her way to a motel where she will be selling one of her children for sex with a pedophile. Then instantly, it cuts to three would-be indie filmmakers (an ambitious director, his producer and their production assistant) discussing this film that they're making, on their way to meet with their lead actress, Eugene Domingo (she's a pretty famous TV and movie actress in the Philippines and she plays both Mila and herself here).

The Woman in the Septic Tank then becomes an often hilarious parody of the Filipino movie industry as well as independent Filipino cinema as each, already cliched aspects of both are skewered and parodied to high heavens. The actors are good but the real star here is Eugene Domingo, who wasn't afraid to mock herself and play, what I'm guessing is, an exaggerated caricature of herself as a commercially successful actress who wants to stretch her resume in an indie flick. The film likewise is also shot like an indie flick and the humor is biting but never really mean-spirited. Although one has to be familiar with the tropes of Filipino cinema and indie cinema circuit in order to fully appreciate some of the jokes.

I've seen tons of Filipino films of this kind. Some really good, some a tad too self-important. Satirical films like this are rare in Filipino cinema so I have to say, this is quite a breath of fresh air. It's marred only by a musical sequence that is just a couple of minutes too long. Otherwise, this is a must see and if you're in Manila this week, I strongly suggest you seek this film out. (***1/2)

Weekly Round Up (7/10/11 - 7/16/11)

2011-07-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

The Saragossa Manuscript (Wojciech Has) **** - This film starts off with two soldiers from opposing finding a book, then it opens up the story of one of their grandfathers, a Spanish captain of the guard trying to make his way to Madrid where he's plagued with evil spirits, the Inquisition and all sorts of mysterious events. Talk about going on a tangent. This very uncoventional film goes off to all sorts of directions. At one point, there is quite literally a flashback within a flashback within a flashback within a flashback within a flashback. Don't let the fact that it's a nearly-3-hour black & white period film from Poland fool you into thinking this is stuffy and boring. It's quite crazy, surreal, spooky and often quite funny.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (David Yates) **** - Yes, I'm a Harry Potter fan and an unapologetic one at that. I would say that this is absolutely the best Harry Potter film since The Prisoner of Azkaban. The second half of the film version of the seventh book of the series is a spectacular piece of pop entertainment that pretty much rivals, say, The Lord of the Rings in terms of sheer visual delights but more than that, it's also as emotionally involving as the books and I have to say the final showdown between Voldemort and Harry is better in the film than it was in the book. I'll stop comparing the books now. But all in all, one movie, Part 2 is pretty fantastic as a whole 5-hour film, I would have to say it absolutely works. It will definitely satisfy most fans. This is my 2nd favorite film of the year so far.

Harry Potter: An Critical Appreciation

2011-07-14T03:27:00.000-07:00

I'm a Harry Potter fan. I make no apologies about it. I've loved the books ever since I picked the first one on a whim last Christmas of 1999 after hearing a few good things about it. I've been hooked ever since. This week, the last installment of the film version of the series is released in theaters (I've already seen it. I'll post my review by the end of the week in my "Weekly Round-Up") pretty much marking an end of an era whose legacy I hope will continue for decades to come. I love this series of books. The film versions however, have been up and down (mostly up though). Let me run through them.

When Chris Columbus was announced as the director of the first movie version of the books, The Sorcerer's Stone, I was concerned. He's not exactly an auteur and is mostly known for his juvenile comedies. The film suffers from being a rather slavishly faithful film adaptation rather than an actual film, lifting whole scenes from the book rather than trying to turn them into something more cinematic. But the strength of Rowling's material still managed to make this film a pleasant experience. Columbus improved quite a bit with The Chamber of Secrets where you can see slivers of potential greatness of this series.

Things changed in 2004 when Alfonso Cuaron, coming off his success from Y tu mama tambien, was chosen to direct what many critics regard as the best book of series so far The Prisoner of Azkaban. I was really excited since this is going to give this series a much-need shot-in-the-arm and get it to be cinematically respected. It absolutely worked. Cuaron delivered a beautiful piece of dark fantasy that both fits in with his ouevre and pretty much laid the groundwork for the darker, more grown-up films to follow.

Mike Newell added his own touch in the fourth film, The Goblet of Fire. He gave it a more epic feel and polished up the comedic elements of the series. Then acclaimed veteran of BBC miniseries, David Yates, took over in The Order of Phoenix and pretty much never let go. He built on everything Cuaron and Newell had introduced and more.

The young unknown newcomers, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, have since blown up into big stars, forging their own respective careers and also vastly improved as actors. It probably also helps that the great supporting cast of A-list British actors are their co-stars from Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, etc. Each one clearly having a ball in their respective roles.

The series is by no means perfect but they do contain lots of moments of cinematic greatness. It is a testament to the strength of J.K. Rowling's writing that these movies work. I mean, how many films can have 8 movies with the same cast and work both critically and commercially? That's no easy feat.

Lights, Camera, Jackson: A minor rant

2011-07-11T02:31:00.000-07:00

(The following blog entry may be controversial since it MAY be construed by a few people as a grown man bullying a small child so I'll try to be as constructive and fair as I can, trying to avoid cheap shots and cruel words)

I first heard of Jackson Murphy through Roger Ebert's Twitter feed where he recommended him as a fine young budding movie critic more than a year ago. He's been maintaining his site and contributing on-air movie reviews for his local news program for a while now and thanks to Roger's endorsement, he's gained some fame, guesting on U.S. morning talk shows and even Jay Leno. He is undeniably a cute, appealing kid who is articulate, camera-friendly, precocious, poised and generally knows his stuff. He even won a local Emmy award for his work. You can definitely see why people love him.

But if you look past his on-air personality and actually read and examine his written reviews, his age and lack of film knowledge definitely shows. To his credit, he's very open and honest on areas of film where he lacks first-hand knowledge. For instance, he writes in his review that True Grit is his very first exposure to the work of the Coen Brothers and Midnight In Paris is his first Woody Allen film. These two are somewhat excusable since the Coens and the Woodman's works are fairly adult and most of them would be either inappropriate or boring for someone who hasn't reached puberty yet. But in his review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (which he gave a very generous B+), he says he has never seen an Indiana Jones movie before. I was like, "What?" Personally, if I was his dad, I would've sat him down for an Indiana Jones marathon before going to the fourth one because frankly, that's what a parent of a budding film geek would definitely do. As a film viewer, each movie you see, you take with you when you see your next film so since he has very little firsthand experience with Indiana Jones, OF COURSE he was going to like Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. He had no idea how inferior it is in the context of the first three vastly superior films.

Another review that gets my craw is his review of Super 8 (one of my personal favorite films of the year so far) which he gave a C. It's not that he didn't like it much that pissed me off (Hey, he's entitled to his opinion so whatevs) but reasoning behind it. He criticized it for being "unoriginal" and "stealing from Spielberg". I was like, "Really?" It's been known for a while now that Super 8 is writer-director JJ Abrams' tribute to Spielberg films of the late '70s, early '80s. Of course there will be scenes that will remind you of ET and Close Encounters. In fairness, some of the adult critics who panned the film or gave the film a mixed/lukewarm reviews said the same thing. (Personally, I think it's a wonderful tribute akin to Todd Haynes' cinematic tribute to Douglas Sirk in Far From Heaven.) However, most of them did not give good reviews to Unknown and Battle: Los Angeles. Lights, Camera, Jackson did. Unknown contains many elements lifted from the films of Alfred Hitchcock and various other thriller films of its kind. Battle: Los Angeles is a cliched war-film that just happens to have aliens in it, plagued with equally cliched dialogue lifted from many war films and imagery that combines elements from Black Hawk Down and Independence Day. Both films, unlike Super 8, are mediocre at best for various other reasons. In my opinion, I think a critic should be consistent and if you're not, you better back it up with a damn good reason. If you watched enough films, you will definitely know that films often lift stuff from other films. There's nothing wrong with that as long as the filmmakers do it creatively. For him to criticize Super 8 for being unoriginal while giving these two other unoriginal films a pass is just another example of his young age and inexperience showing.

Another bone of contention of mine is his review of The Social Network. Now he liked it, gave it a B. But he criticized the film for not having a "rootable" character. I'm like, what? There is no rule book that a film must have a "rootable" character. Hell, there is no rule in literature that a story or a play must have "rootable" character. Characters only need to be interesting and compelling. Lots of great films have unlikable, downright contemptable characters as their leads but we watch them, we love them because they're interesting and compelling. In fact, I would even argue that it's even more difficult to have a film with no "rootable" or likeable characters so the filmmakers would have to work double-time to get the audience interested in them. It's another symptom of his limited worldview of film. His habit of giving good reviews to "inspiring" true stories that were met with lukewarm reception in the critic/film geek community (films like Extraordinary Measures, Secretariat, The Blind Side) is also likewise symptomatic of it. It's a good thing he didn't review The Tree of Life, he probably doesn't also know that there's no rule that film should be beholden to a three-act narrative structure and that surrealistic, lyrical, philosophical, non-narrative films exist. He wouldn't have gotten it.

I know what you're thinking: Oh, Film Geek Bastard, he's only 12. Give him a break! I say, no. In this day and age when nearly limitless information is just few keystrokes away and all sorts of films are as accessible as ever through Netflix and online downloads, there is very little excuse for ignorance. His reviews show a lack of curiosity and passion for film beyond a certain genre. One of the reasons I can't give him a pass is the fact that there's another kid critic who is leagues better than him. His name is Ryan Michaels from Ann Arbor, Michigan. You can find his website here: http://ryanthemoviecritic.com/ He has written for local newspapers. He doesn't have the hype surrounding Lights, Camera, Jackson. Yes, I don't agree with him on all reviews. Yes, he hasn't seen everything. But at only 14, he does show a passion and curiosity for film I don't see with many so-called film buffs more than double his age. TWO YEARS seperate these two precocious teens but only one can be already called a critic.

This is where I sort of agree with Armond White. The word "film critic" is being used so liberally these days and there is definitely a difference between a CRITIC and a REVIEWER. Anyone can be a film reviewer since any Tom, Dick or Harry can write and say their opinion on a film they've seen. A critic is one that just not watches films but studies them seriously and is passionate about them. Not all reviewers can be called critics but all critics can be reviewers. Lights, Camera, Jackson, as charming and as nice and articulate as he is (frankly, I can't do what he does, public speaking is my Kryptonite), is a mere reviewer/entertainment reporter. There's nothing wrong with that but he's getting praise and attention for being a film critic. He's no film critic. He's an entertainment reporter who reviews movies very well on camera. He's barely different from an Entertainment Tonight correspondent (if that's his goal, more power to him) But substance-wise, he really falls terribly short of being a film critic. He still lacks that passion, curiosity, knowledge of the art of film. He's a great personality, no more, no less. Not really impressive as a critic. Hey, he may prove me wrong in a few years. He could be writing for Cahiers du Cinema by the time he's 18. But if not, worst case scenario, he can always have Ben Lyons' job whatever that is.

Weekly Round Up (7/3/11 - 7/9/11)

2011-07-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

Temptation Island (Joey Gosiengfiao) ***1/2 - This is considered a camp classic in Filipino cinema. Four beauty pageant contestants and their respective entourage get shipwrecked in a desert island. This film feels a bit like a Russ Meyer movie with generous sprinklings of Federico Fellini, Luis Bunuel and Alejandro Jodorowsky and it's quite terrific. There are plenty of twisted, over-the-top, surreal and hilarious moments (including an unforgettable sequence involving the song "Somewhere"). It's actually less racy than I thought it would be. Sure, there are naughty bits involving scantily clad women but they're relatively mild. But still, the beautiful photography coupled with the campy humor makes it fun to watch still. There are moments of bad acting but it adds to the camp quality of the piece.

Amigo (John Sayles) ***1/2 - This is John Sayles' latest film and it's about one of the more, little-known wars in both American AND Filipino history (I think we only mention this in passing during our history lessons). It's the turn of the century and after the Philippines was liberated from Spain, in comes the Americans. This is a fictitious story about a small rural Filipino village and head of village (Joel Torre) that find themselves in a crossfire between insurgents and the American troops wanting to introduce democracy to the country. Although Sayles often gets a bit preachy and more than a little heavy-handed, the extremely talented American and Filipino ensemble group of actors deliver great performances (especially Torre, Dillahunt, Locsin and DeHaan) and he does a great job of humanzing every side. It's not a perfect film but it's still a very worthy effort.

Top 10 Films SEEN in 2010 (Part 2 of 2)

2011-07-07T22:41:00.000-07:00

Vivre sa Vie (1962) Dir: Jean Luc Godard

Wow. This is most definitely in the running for my favorite Godard film, right up there with Band of Outsiders and Breathless. Anna Karina gives a great central performance as a young woman who gets into prostitution. The film is divided into chapters and filled with literary, philosophical and pop culture references, classic, classic Godard. Is it just me or did Godard do his best work when his still friends Truffaut?

A Face in the Crowd (1957) Dir: Elia Kazan

Andy Griffith delivers a stunning performance as a drunk ne'r-do-well plucked from obscurity by a small-town radio producer (Patricia Neal) and is turned into national media superstar. This film was quite a bit ahead of its time and was probably seen as exaggerated then but is strikingly relevant today. I can't believe the Andy Griffith I see here is the same one who's Matlock. Patricia Neal and Walter Matthau provide excellent support. Terrific direction and script too.

Tokyo Drifter (1966) Dir: Seijun Suzuki

A former gang boss and his young faithful henchman goes straight. Then a rival decides to take over their legit business, chaos ensues and the young henchman goes on a lam. Then crazy shit happens. That's basically the plot which is sometimes there and sometimes not there (hard to explain but see it and you'll know it). I've wanted to see another Suzuki film since Gate of Flesh. This one's just as wild. Suzuki's use of colors is amazing. It at times felt like a Japanese gangster film shot like an MGM musical (and to make matters even crazier, this can qualify as a musical). It's definitely a must-see.

Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) Dir: Leo McCarey

I've heard lots of critics and film buffs proclaiming this one of the best films ever made. It's really a wonder that it's only quite recently that this film has been made available for any type of video format courtesy of Criterion. Now that I've FINALLY seen it, I have to say those critics were not exaggerating. For what is essentially a very sad film, this film has a surprising amount of humor. The performances of Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi are absolutely exquisite. The scene in the hotel did to me what no film has ever done at least to my memory: Made me smile and get misty-eyed at the same time.

The Wrestler (2008) Dir: Darren Aronofsky

Director Darren Aronofsky's four-for-four so far (not counting Black Swan yet) in my book at least. The film about an ageing professional wrestler trying to get his personal and professional life back together is anchored by the truly beautiful, heartwrenching performance of Mickey Rourke (and he's ably supported by Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei). This film is at times tough to watch, not so much because of the violent, gory wrestling scenes but because of the powerful raw emotions of it all. It's a testament to the greatness of Rourke's performance. It's one of the best of its year.

Top 10 Films SEEN in 2010 (Part 1 of 2)

2011-07-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

It just occurred to me that I didn't do this. I know it's July but whatever. These are the 10 best films I've seen in 2010 regardless of release date. This is in chronological order of date seen.

Memories of Murder (2003) Dir: Bong Joon-ho

A group of detectives investigate a serial killer targeting young women in the countryside. The plot's kind of generic, for sure but the way the story unfolds is not considering it's coming from the context of another culture (and another decade). The film is gripping and totally unpredictable which includes some surprising bits of humor and an ending that the audience will either love or hate (depending on who they are). Time to see more from this Korean director.

Hoop Dreams (1994) Dir: Steve James

I am NOT a sports fan which is probably the reason I keep putting off this acclaimed documentary. I mean, an almost three-hour documentary on basketball doesn't really sound appealing to me. Now that I finally saw it and I have to say that it is not really about basketball at all (it could've been any sport or any activity really). It's a compelling portrait of a journey for two low-income inner-city boys trying to get a better life for themselves. This coupled with some great filmmaking makes this documentary superior to most (if not all) standard Hollywood-made sports movie.

Letter from an Unknown Woman (1946) Dir: Max Ophuls

Joan Fontaine gives an absolutely exquisite performance as a woman helplessly in love with a womanizing musician (Louis Jordan) who because of all his womanly conquests simply does not remember her and suffice to say it all ends in tragedy. It's gorgeously filmed and is absolutely heartbreaking. This film has zoomed to the top of my favorite films of all time list, I have to say.

Toy Story 3 (2010) Dir: Lee Unkrich

PIXAR has done it again. How do they do it? This movie is quite simply pure and utter joy and fits quite nicely with the previous two installments and is definitely another feather under PIXAR's cap. Face it, if your weakest film is Cars, you're doing something right. There are lots of clever gags in this one as well as lots of genuine heart. The ending is particularly very moving and beautiful. And great voice acting all-around too. Most of the voice performers were given a chance to shine. Very easily the best film released in 2010.

Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos ("Three Godless Years") (1976) Dir: Mario O'Hara

Filipino critic Noel Vera called this "arguably the best Filipino film ever made". I don't think I agree (there are several Filipino films I like better) but it is definitely in the Top 10. A young Filipino woman (Nora Aunor, in one of her best roles) is raped by a Filipino-born Japanese soldier (Christopher de Leon) during the start of the Japanese occupation of World War II. The two eventually fall in love and face the horrors and savagery of war first hand where no one (Japanese, American or Filipino) gets away without blood on their hands. Despite the poor quality of the print of the DVD, I can still tell that this is first-rate extraordinary filmmaking and certainly a great World War II film.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

2011-07-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

No, this is not a review. I have not seen this film. I refuse to pay to see this film because I've decided that I will not give a single cent of my hard-earned money to Michael Bay's pocket. Take note when I say I refuse to PAY to see this film, I would be happy to go to a free screening or if someone offers to pay for my ticket.

One of the things I do look forward to every time a Transformers movie comes out are the critics reviews. This one is my favorite. It's BBC critic Mark Kermode's review. Enjoy:

The Tree of Life

2011-07-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

This film is a masterpiece.

I do not use the word lightly. This film is a freakin' masterpiece. Terrence Malick is a revered auteur who has a rather scant filmography. This is only his fifth feature film in a career spanning 40 years. Each one is a deliberately paced, beautifully and masterfully photographed, poetic and introspective, one-of-a-kind piece of celluloid that enrage some and completely enrapture others and are considered widely influential pieces of American cinema. The Tree of Life is a culmination of what came before and dare I say, the highwater mark of what's to come after.

The plot, if you can call it that, is about a suburban Texas family from the 1950's composed of a stern father (Brad Pitt - embodying 'nature'), a loving mother (Jessica Chastain - embodying grace) and three boys (wonderfully played by newcomers Hunter McCracken, Laramie Eppler & Tye Sheridan). Sometime in the future one of them dies and the parents grieve and it seems to have affected the oldest son (played as an adult by Sean Penn) in his middle-age life in the modern day. Then it cuts into the film's most famous and controversial sequence, the Creation of the Universe. During my screening, this is where a group of people in front of me walked out. It is a beautiful sequence (made with very minimal CGI) but will test the patience of some people expecting something else. Malick tackles very heady themes with heavy symbolism that does not follow the linear three-act structure that most other films follow. It seems to be a vignette of memories cutting back and forth from past, present, future and into dream-like sequences.

Though I can understand why this will not appeal to some people, I can speak for myself when I say only a handful of films have moved me and affected me the way this film has. Yes, this film has great cinematography from Emmanuel Lubezki and much has been written by the wonderful performances of Pitt, Chastain and the boys. But deeper than that, by juxtaposing the joys and tragedies of this family into the context of the creation of existence, Malick created a film that's both very epic and intensely intimate in a way that I found poignant and it truly moved me spiritually and even religiously, in a way. People who are open-minded enough and can get past the slow pace and the unconventional narrative will take away different things from it, all of them equally valid. The film has so many complex layers, cinephiles, philosophers and theologians will be dissecting it for years to come. It is a deeply spiritual work from an intelligent man of faith who is gifted with the art of filmmaking.

Again, this film is a masterpiece.

I'm back

2011-07-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

After two years, I decided to reawaken a sleeping giant. Yes, I'll be posting more for the two of you who are eagerly awaiting a new post. I mean, it's no use wasting a really good name for a film blog.

My Final Oscar Winners Predictions

2009-02-20T07:32:00.000-08:00

BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight) Christian Coulson, producer.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING - ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black, Milk

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING - ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
WALL-E (Disney/PIXAR) Andrew Stanton

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Waltz with Bashir (Israel) Ari Folman, director.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
Donald Graham Burt (art direction) & Victor J. Solfo (set decoration), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
Chris Dickens, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SCORE
A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SONG
"Jai Ho", A.R. Rahman and Gulzar (music & lyrics)

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Michael O'Connor, The Duchess

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick, The Dark Knight

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood, WALL-E

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
Greg Cannom, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Man on Wire (Discovery Films/BBC Films) James Marsh and Simon Chinn.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306 (National Civil Rights Museum) Adam Petrofsky and Margaret Hyde.

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
Toyland (Mephisto Film) Jochen Alexander Freydanck (director)

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
La Maison en Petit Cubes (Robot Communications) Kunio Kato (director)

Another Apology

2009-02-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

I would like to apologize to my few readers out there for not updating my blog as much as I should. But I have something up my sleeve coming soon probably within next month which I think you guys will like.

In the meantime, stay tuned for my final Oscar predictions! :) Thanks.

My final Oscar predictions.

2009-01-19T01:42:00.001-08:00

BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Warner Bros./Paramount) Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Cean Chaffin, producers.

The Dark Knight (Warner Bros.) Charles Roven, Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, producers.

Frost/Nixon (Imagine Entertainment) Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, producers.

Milk (Focus Features) Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks and Michael London, producers.

Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight) Christian Colson, producer.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight

Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino

Gus Van Sant, Milk

Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino

Richard Jenkins, The Visitor

Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn, Milk

Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Cate Blanchett, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky

Meryl Streep, Doubt

Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Josh Brolin, Milk

Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt

Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Amy Adams, Doubt

Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Viola Davis, Doubt

Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING - ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Milk
Written by Dustin Lance Black

Rachel Getting Married
Written by Jenny Lumet

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Written by Woody Allen

WALL-E
Screenplay by Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon
Story by Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter

The Wrestler
Written by Robert D. Siegel

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING - ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Screenplay by Eric Roth
Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
Based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Dark Knight
Screenplay by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan
Screen story by Christopher, Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer
Based on the DC Comics created by Bob Kane

Frost/Nixon
Screenplay by Peter Morgan
Based on his play

The Reader
Screenplay by David Hare
Based on the novel by Bernard Schlink

Slumdog Millionaire
Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
Based on the novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Kung Fu Panda (Dreamworks) Mark Osborne and John Stevenson

WALL-E (Disney/PIXAR) Andrew Stanton

Waltz with Bashir (Sony Pictures Classics) Ari Folman

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

Claudio Miranda, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Wally Pfister, The Dark Knight

Chris Menges and Roger Deakins, The Reader

Roger Deakins, Revolutionary Road

Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING

Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Lee Smith, The Dark Knight

Mike Hill and Dan Hanley, Frost/Nixon

Elliot Graham, Milk

Chris Dickens, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION

Australia
Catherine Martin (art direction) & Beverley Dunn (set decoration)

Changeling
James J. Murakami (art direction) & Gary Fettis (set decoration)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Donald Graham Burt (art direction) & Victor J. Zolfo (set decoration)

The Dark Knight
Nathan Crowley (art direction) & Peter Lando (set decoration)

The Reader
Briggite Broch (art direction) & Eva Stiebler (set decoration)

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SCORE

Alexandre Desplat, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Hans Zimmer, Frost/Nixon

Danny Elfman, Milk

A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire

Thomas Newman, WALL-E

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SONG

"Barking at the Moon", Bolt
Music & lyrics by Jenny Lewis

"Down to Earth", WALL-E
Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
Lyrics by Peter Gabriel

"Jai Ho", Slumdog Millionaire
Music & lyrics by A.R. Rahman

"O Saya", Slumdog Millionaire
Music & lyrics by A.R. Rahman

"The Wrestler", The Wrestler
Music & lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

Catherine Martin, Australia

Deborah Hopper, Changeling

Jacqueline West, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Albert Wolsky, Revolutionary Road

Patricia Field, Sex and the City

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ren Klyce, David Parker and Michael Semanick.

The Dark Knight
Gary Rizzo, Lora Hirschberg and Ed Novick

Iron Man
Christopher Boyes, Lora Hirschberg and Michael Silvers.

Slumdog Millionaire
Richard Pryke, Ian Tapp and Resul Pookutty

WALL-E
Ben Burtt, Tom Myers and Michael Semanick

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING

The Dark Knight
Richard King

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Ben Burtt and Richard Hymns

Iron Man
Frank Eulner

Kung Fu Panda
Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van Der Ryn..

WALL-E
Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Eric Barba, Paul Griffin, Steve Preeg and Whei Zeng.

The Dark Knight
Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Angulo and Paul J. Franklin

Iron Man
John Nelson, Ben Snow, Hal Hickel and David Andrews

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Greg Cannom and Elaine L. Offers.

The Dark Knight
Conor O'Sullivan and Peter Robb-King

Tropic Thunder
Matthew W. Mungle and Michele Burke.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

The Baadof Meinhof Complex, Germany (Dune Films)
Uli Edel, director.

The Class, France (Sony Pictures Classics/Canal+)
Laurence Cantet, director.

Everlasting Moments, Sweden (IFC Films)
Jan Troell, director.

The Necessities of Life, Canada (Telefilm Canada)
Benoit Pilon, director.

Waltz with Bashir, Israel (Sony Pictures Classics)
Ari Folman, director.

Top 10 Films SEEN In 2008 (2 of 2 parts)

2009-01-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

Sansho the Bailiff (Kenji Mizoguchi)

This is yet another masterpiece from one of the masters of Japanese cinema, Kenji Mizoguchi. This emotionally heartwrenching tale of a family of a kind Japanese governor whose liberal policies have forced him out of power and tore his family apart is beautifully told through wonderful photography, acting and direction. It's one of the absolute must-sees of world cinema. Odd fact: The title character of this film is actually a supporting character with less than 10 minutes of screen time. (8/2)

Himala (Ishmael Bernal)

This is one of the major classics of Filipino cinema and now I know why. This is probably one of the best films about religion I have ever seen (And I'm not just saying this because I know the screenwriter personally). After a solar eclipse is seen in a drought-striken poor, rural Filipino town, a young woman claims to have witnessed a vision of the Virgin Mary and starts faith-healing and her alleged success is what turns the town into an overnight tourist attraction and media frenzy. Great performances, striking imagery and thought-provoking themes make this film truly one of director Bernal's masterpieces. Very Bunuelesque in certain aspects. It was recently voted as the BEST film of the Asia-Pacific region. (8/8)

WALL-E (Andrew Stanton)

PIXAR has done it yet again. This is further proof that it is above and beyond any animation studio in Hollywood today. Though the main characters are robots, this is probably one of the sweetest, most touching and most moving love stories ever captured on film. Add to that plenty of laughs, eye-popping visuals and thought-provoking anti-consumerist satire and the result is one of the best films of 2008, certainly the best 2008 film I've seen so far this year. (8/16)

Shoeshine (Vittorio DeSica)

Regarded as one of the greatest films in the Italian neo-realist movement and with good reason: It's a great film. It's an absolutely heartbreaking sad tale of two boys during post-war Italy whose friendship and lives are changed forever and definitely not for the better. I would rank this alongside Bicycle Thieves as among De Sica's masterpieces. (10/26)

Playtime (Jacques Tati)

The last film I've seen in the year 2008. And it's shaping up to be one of my all-time favorites. This film is partly a satire on the absurdity and complications of modern life, a cautionary tale on big corporations making the world a less real, dull place and part slapstick comedy. All brilliantly depicted through some truly bravura filmmaking. It's sweet, intelligent, funny, the kind of film that makes you love life. What a way to end the year. (12/31)

Top 10 Films SEEN In 2008 (1 of 2 parts)

2009-01-01T03:14:00.000-08:00

I'd like to apologize to any of my readers out there for not blogging more often. Don't worry. Blogging more often is in my list of New Year's resolutions.

Anyway, I thought I'd welcome 2009 by posting my Top 10 list. But unlike most other critics, I'm not going to post my Top 10 films of 2008 since I'm still way behind on 2008 releases. Instead I'm going to post my Top 10 films seen in 2008, regardless of when it was released. These are the top 10 best films I've seen for the first time on 2008. This is gonna be a two-parter and it will be in chronological order rather than order of preference.

There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)

This is the best film of 2008 and very easily writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson's best work and undeniably his first REAL masterpiece. Day-Lewis blew me away as the spiritually bankrupt Daniel Plainview. He's matched scene for scene by Dano and Freasier. Jonny Greenwood's score is SUPERB. I regard this as one of the best films of the decade so far. (2/14)

The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer)

My viewing of the Jonathan Demme remake beforehand did not in any way reduce my appreciation and enjoyment of the original which I've just seen for the first time. Though that film was interesting, this film is a freaking masterpiece, an intriguing thriller that is far from dated. Great acting work by Sinatra, Harvey and Lansbury. (4/1)

Closely Watched Trains (Jiri Menzel)

This is a comedy-drama about a young man's sexual awakening set against the backdrop of a Nazi occupation during World War II. It's one of the masterpieces that borne out of the Czech New Wave and it's easy to see why: The way it blends a quiet character comedy with the looming tragedy is nothing short of masterful. (5/12)

La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini)

AT LONG LAST! Watching Fellini's masterpiece for the first time is like biting into an extraordinarily rich dish and wondering why the hell you waited this long to see it. Gorgeously shot, fabulously acted and brilliantly directed, this alternately funny, sad and outright bizarre journey of a journalist through contemporary Italy is quite an experience to watch. One of the greats. (7/11)

The Exterminating Angel (Luis Bunuel)

This film has everything I love about Bunuel's cinema: It's funny, crazy, absurd, surreal, disturbing, creepy and thought-provoking. I loved it. It's about a group of people in a dinner party who couldn't seem to get out of the music room of their host's house. It would make an interesting double feature with The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeousie. (7/26)

Is there anybody still reading this?

2008-12-03T00:17:00.000-08:00

Seriously? Please comment below.

CineManila Film Festival Roundup

2008-10-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

The 10th Annual CineManila Film Festival concluded recently. Due to time and budget constraints, I was not able to catch more films in the festival but I managed to catch nearly all of my "first priority" films so to speak. Here's the rundown of all them:

Sparrow (Johnnie To) *** - This is the first Johnnie To film I've seen and based on what I've seen, most likely not the last. The lives and modus operandi of a quartet of pickpockets get turned upside-down when a mysterious woman infiltrates their ring. It's quite an engaging, thrilling and funny (but a bit thin) story features some really awe-inspiring filmmaking (an action scene with umbrellas? Holy crap).

The Band's Visit (Eran Kolirin) **** - I'm so glad I was able to catch this film. An Egyptian police orchestra in Israel gets lost and find themselves temporarily stranded in a small Israeli town. A simple yet funny and poignant film that reminds us how great it is to be alive and to be part of the human race. Features some great performances as well including Ronit Elkabetz (who was sensational in another Israeli film I've seen, Late Marriage)

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (Julian Schnabel) **** - Finally! One of the most highly regarded films of 2007 gets a screening. I can see why it's so highly regarded. This beautiful film about Jean Dominique Bauby editor of Elle Magazine who was on top of the world until it came crashing down on him when he gets a stroke and acquires "locked-in" syndrome. The tale is moving, inspiring and thought-provoking yet not one bit sappy or overtly manipulative like films of this sort tend to be. Great work by Janusz Kaminski giving the viewers a taste of Bauby's P.O.V.

Bayan Ko: Kapit Sa Patalim ("My Country: At Razor's Edge") (Lino Brocka) *** - I saw at an invitation-only screening at the CineManila Film Festival. It's from the 1980's and the most complete version of the film in existence. It was made during the Marcos regime and was banned (and for good reason since it's extremely critical of the government at the time). A tragic, very well-acted saga of a man who's simply trying to make ends meet for his wife and newborn baby. I strongly prefer Brocka's other works (Insiang and Maynila sa Kuko Ng Liwanag) but this one's still well-worth checking out.

R.I.P.

2008-10-19T22:49:00.000-07:00

I know it's a bit late. But hey, he's one of the greats.

Time to get a little political....

2008-09-16T23:36:00.000-07:00

What can I say? I laughed.

Top 10 Lists: 2007

2008-09-10T00:30:00.000-07:00

10. Zodiac (David Fincher)

09. Away from Her (Sarah Polley)

08. Persepolis (Marjan Satrapi & Vincent Parronaud)

07. Into the Wild (Sean Penn)

06. We Own The Night (James Grey)

05. Ratatouille (Brad Bird)

04. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Cristian Mingiu)

03. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tim Burton)

02. No Country for Old Men (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen)

01. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)

And that is it. Those are my Top 10 lists from 1993 all the way up to 2007 (Click on older posts for the rest). Now, 2008 is still not yet through and I usually don't finalize my Top 10 until I've seen all the year-end releases and smaller, more indie/foreign films don't usually come to my country until early on the following year. Please do comment on any strong agreements or disagreements with them.