AUGUST 2013: Movies I've Watched for the First Time

Last year, I've decided to list down all the movies I've watched for the first time. It doesn't have to be a 2012 movie as long as I reach my goal of seeing 100 films before the year ends. I almost failed at it but thanks to the Christmas vacation, I was able to fulfill my goal.

Then, early this year, I've decided to rank all those movies. 3 Idiots, Argo, Clue, The Hurt Locker and A Separation made my top 5 with A Separation being my favorite of all the films I've watched in 2012. Looking forward to doing this again at the end of the year.

This year, I continued this tradition hoping that I'd maintain this for many years to come. As of the end of August, I've already watched 117 movies. Pretty impressive compared to last year.

This August, I've decided to make an archive of the films I've watched every month through this blog. Thanks to Cinemalaya 2013, it gave me an idea to restore my blogspot account which I've disregarded for years.

AUGUST 2013: Movies I've watched for the first time

Transit

Amor Y Muerte

Only God Forgives

The Purge

Crumb

American History X

The Queen

Philadelphia

The Conjuring

The Town

On The Job

Jobs

The Butler

Cinemalaya's Amor Y Muerte

Amor Y Muerte showed the life of an "india" namely Amor who married a Spaniard and had to live the life according to her husband's desires. An erotic 16th Century period film showing Spanish colonizers' influence on our ancestors-- from love, to religion, to how some of them changed their names, to lust and how they caused the natives to rebel. It's a reminder of the huge influence of the Spanish colony in the present time. Whether good or bad, be the judge. It somewhat reminded me of a topic in Sibika at Kultura because the film tackled the dynamics of Filipinos and Spaniards during this period and I recalled that the Spaniards were here for 300 years!! O_O

This film is something that one MIGHT not enjoy. The theme is about the old times, it played with moral implications of religion-- particularly Christianity and idolatry, it involves infidelity and for the conservative, it also has a lot of nudity and wild sex scenes. But these themes are actually the reasons why I was thoroughly entertained by the film. The film sometimes got ridiculous yet amusing. The words used were hilarious!! It actually made me laugh several times throughout the film.

There is one scene that I consider as one of the scariest footage I've seen in a movie which also shocked the audience (one screamed Oh my God!!! lol). It was when Diego, the Spanish husband of Amor hired Apitong, an indio who's an ex-lover of Amor, provided a python to get rid of the rats living under their nipa hut. There's a close up footage of the snake devouring a rat and how the snake clamped it with its teeth and consume it was horrifying and beautiful at the same time (snakes are my biggest fear). This is not a horror film but it achieved to scare its audience (something a horror film is supposed to accomplish, and something The Diplomat Hotel, another Cinemalaya Entry, failed to produce).

The primary actors were committed into making the movie true to its 16th century setting. This is the first film I've seen starring Althea Vega and from start to finish, I admired her qualities as an actress. She has the perfect face of a Filipina beauty. Her facial features are very distinct, her eyebrows are shaped so well that intensifies her emotions. She carried the whole film with her charming ways of portraying an "india". Another standout for me is Kuya Manzano's portrayal of an old time Spanish Padre who teaches "the good news of salvation" to the natives. He's very playful with his character and I truly enjoyed the way he spoke the Filipino and Spanish languages. He's very believable. I came into watching this film knowing Amable Quiambao's still alive but it's saddening when I found out just right after it that she just passed away last month. As usual, her portrayal of an old, calm and mysterious Filipina was superb. I've always known her for portraying the lola of Anna and Noli in the educational TV show Bayani and it sucks to know that she has passed away. Her performance in this film is a good swan song though and I wish she's more recognized for her work before she died, even if Cinamalaya's the last. I would probably be more haunted by her character if I knew coming into the theater that she's already dead. Adrian Sebastian was hysterical as Apitong! His voice and facial reactions suit the indio archetype. He played his naive character effectively and authentically. Let's just not talk about Markki Stroem's performance as Amor's husband Diego, as he's apparently the weakest of the bunch. But kudos to him for going frontal. Who knows? This could be a way for him to follow the lead of Coco Martin from his performance in Serbis. I guess we'll have to see.

To me, Amor Y Muerte is kind of poetic in a sense. It showed a lot of differences between the natives and the Spaniards and it also demonstrated how Filipinas live before. We've been taught that women during those times were powerless but I think it's only something the Spaniards enforced to our ancestors. Amor is an example of a native that did not follow through the desires of Spaniards and even if she showed qualities that people nowadays would disagree, it's something that during those times is probably not as bad or immoral but now, because of religion, it is considered a mortal sin. Amor symbolizes the flowers in this film. It blossoms when she fulfill her earthly desires and it wilts whenever she's deprived of it. Diego's sword personifies his power and dignity in Amor's life when he used it to kill the rat for Amor but it was really Apitong's python that appeased Amor's fear. It showed which one she preferred even if it lead to a tragic end.

To an extent, this film is not only a story about love, death and tragedy, it also pitched that religion is implied. But every person has the freedom, which was disinherited to the indios during those times, to accept the beliefs that one chooses to acclaim. It was kind of troublesome that the film showed how ridiculous it would be like when someone lascivious who does not believe in anything originally, gets consumed by Christianity. What made it more painful is that the audience seem to parodize the Christian awakening showed in the film. But still, it's an entertaining take of a period film which probably showed what we already know, but it's the story of Amor, the underlying meanings and the realizations you get from the film are the reasons why I commend it.

Take on Cinemalaya entry: Transit

If you haven't seen Transit yet, go Tran-see-it :p! Yes, it's heavy and kind of depressing but it is beautifully made and is definitely not Transhit (sorry for the cheesiness -_-, I love word plays)

It is another film about OFWs and the hardships they battle to live for money and for their family. But what I like about Transit is that it explored more outside its main subject. It presented more adversities of being an OFW while focusing on a single setting. In this film, it's Israel. I got a glimpse of life in Israel because of Transit.

I also love its narration. It focused on one Filipino family and was able to show the stories of each member dramatically. The screenplay is really good and the editing was commendable. It's very realistic and the Hebrew parts were impressive. All of their efforts created a great film.

Speaking of Hebrew, the actors were able to convince the viewers that they really speak the language. They sound so legit and it helped on making the film more authentic. Irma Adlawan was fantastic as a mother with a daughter (played by Jasmine Curtis-Smith) whose father is an Israeli. Jasmine Curtis-Smith is a revelation and a legit talent. Her character cannot understand nor speak Filipino and she's very convincing in her acting and the way she spoke Hebrew. I cannot judge them if they spoke the Hebrew language well or if it is right, but they sure sound like they know the language. These 2 actresses have several heavy scenes that for sure touched many of its viewers. Other actors such as Ping Medina, Mercedes Cabral and the kid, Marc Justine Alvares also showed brilliant performances. The cast definitely delivered and it added to the reasons why Transit did not disappoint. That's 150 pesos and 2 hours of my life well spent. Jasmine Curtis-Smith is my favorite though. Not only her acting, but her character is also a standout in the film. Oh and by the way, Toni Gonzaga randomly appeared in the film. :)

I cannot end this review without recognizing its cinematography. Israel is sublime! and it was photographed amazingly in several still shots throughout the film. Well, there are a few (very few) motion shots that are headache inducing but still, they're beautifully filmed. I love when they showed the Bar Mitsvah, I've always wanted to see something like that. They managed to show the beautiful sides of Israel without concentrating on the place, but because it is needed to the story. I also have to add that I really like the title logo :3

As a film, it's not the most exciting of the Cinemalaya entries that I've seen but it's definitely on top of the list in terms of its technical specs.

My thoughts on Cinemalaya's Purok 7

Finally saw Purok 7 last night! Caught the 9:00 PM show in Alabang Town Center after work. I disregarded the chances of puyat for it. LOL. I was that desperate to see it especially after reading numerous good reactions about the film. It probably didn't help because I expected too much and I ended up underwhelmed :/. My friend said that it's just like another episode of MMK and I agreed. It's  simple, heartwarming and bittersweet at the same time. It also didn't help that the film's sound in some of the scenes are inconsistent and uneven. It's definitely not bad though.

I think everyone would agree that its strongest aspect are the lead characters, Diana and Julian. Their sibling relationship is displayed quite well as they effectively showed a warm display of love and care for each other and their hopeful longing for a family. Scenes where they're the only characters on screen are my favorite part of the film as I thought most of the supporting characters are TOO comical and exaggerated particularly Diana's best friend who has cerebral palsy (Isabella de Leon in Magnifico did cerebral palsy way better). The quietest scenes of Diana and Julian together in their little home is both heartbreaking and inspiring.

I also appreciate the direction and screenplay. There is that one scene where Julian was lying on Diana's lap, holding a cellphone their father gave to him, hoping and waiting for a call from their mother in China who's in death row. No dialogue whatsoever yet I think it's the most touching part of the film aside from the last scene. As I've mentioned earlier, the film's most quiet scenes are the most potent parts of it.

The message is so subtle but powerful at the same time. I would have liked it more though if their relationship with their mother was furhter emphasized. I understand that other scenes already showed how much they're longing for their mother but I still feel like it's not enough that's why I wasn't that affected on the inevitable bad news these kids were about to receive while they're enjoying their precious moments together in the carnival.

In the end, despite its imperfections, the film effectively showed a light and loving relationship of two siblings regardless of their complicated condition. It's truly the most uplifting and redeeming part of Purok 7.

Cinemalaya's Ekstra, Instant Mommy, The Diplomat Hotel and Babagwa

Watched 4 Cinemalaya entries yesterday: Ekstra, Instant Mommy, The Diplomat Hotel and Babagwa


My ranking:

1. Ekstra
2. Babagwa
3. Instant Mommy
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4. The Diplomat Hotel

I feel like I still haven't watched the best of this year's entries as I've heard and read a lot of good things about Purok 7 and Transit. But I must say, The Diplomat Hotel is probably the worst this year because it just turned out to be one of the worst films I've ever watched. I read here that The Diplomat Hotel file was corrupted in the cinema where I watched it, (apparently the subtitles are so fukced up). But despite that, with or without the subtitles I think it's plain garbage. Sorry! But it really is. The first 10 to 20 minutes had so much promise but then it turned out to be a ridiculous film. While watching, I noticed many viewers leaving the theater and I totally understand because it's really hideous. Too bad because I thought Gretchen Barreto was great in this but her performance is such a waste because the screenplay is pointless. You can tell that it had a lot of post-production issues - from editing, to sound mixing and scoring. I'm not good at pointing out those flaws (probably because I've never watched a film so bad like this before) but those flaws can easile be spotted in The Diplomat Hotel.
For those who are waiting for reviews to watch the Cinemalaya entries, I can't even tell you to see it for yourself to prove what I'm talking about because doing it would be a waste of money, and waste of time. Trust me, don't bother. The movie is like full of that one scene from Ekstra where they had to change the script because of lack of props, time and budget.
Which leads me to this gem, Ekstra. I recommend this to everyone and suggest to put it on top of their must-see Cinemalaya entries because it's hysterical, eye opener, funny, dark and touching. I love how its fast paced as the time setting of the movie revolves around a 48-hour life in Philippine TV production. Everyone was laughing almost throughout the movie but the silence was deafening during its climax. There's a 180 degrees turn of emotion after that climax! And there's nothing more I could say about Vilma Santos' performance (I consider her the Meryl Streep of the Philippines) You'll laugh with her, ROOT SO MUCH for her especially with that one line that lead to the climax, and then you'll also feel bad for her. Its screenplay was great, I enjoyed every line, I enjoyed its creativity. Although very dark, it's also very pleasant that I'm sure everyone would appreciate it.

Instant Mommy is my second Cinemalaya film. Watching the trailer, I must say that it didn't excite me but I had to watch it because one of my friends was excited about it. Plus, it stars Eugene Domingo which never fails to make me laugh. After watching her in Ang Babae sa Septic tank, I think every film she stars from that point is a must-watch. Instant Mommy is her latest film just right after Tuhog. It's a Cinemalaya entry and a comedy so I had high expectations for this. Although watching this after Ekstra didn't help my opinions about Instant Mommy. They have a lot of similarities despite having a very different story. But Instant Mommy is obviously the inferior movie. I felt like it was rushed. There are lots of continuity issues, the Holiday Inn to Intercon Hotel scene, in my opinion, is lazy on their part. It had a lot of moments but even Eugene Domingo can't save it. It's really not that BAD, but it's just really far from being good. It's below average for me and I must say, it's a disappointment. I like that Eugene portrays a different kind of role here though. More real, despite those ridiculous ideas her character did in the film. This is probably one of the weaker entries this year.
Lastly, Babagwa. After watching this, I tweeted "Parang gugustuhin mong maligo pagkatapos ng Babagwa". Kasi ang dumi dumi ng mga tao at lugar kahit saan mo tignan sa film. They're effective in setting up the mood of the film. Nakakapanglagkit yung movie. But I must say that out of the 4 films I watched so far, this one is the most engaging. It would make you wonder, it would make you cringe, it would make you laugh and it would also impress you. The characters here are iconic to an extent, they're real CHARACTERS especially Joey Paras' (I could compare him to Jacki Weaver's Smurf in Animal Kingdom or heck, even Marlon Brando's Godfather solely for creating this character so huge, you'd despise him at first but you'd root for him and you'd love to talk about him after it). I had no idea who he was before but now I have huge respect for him as an actor. He's stunning to watch utter those profane words. He's easily the best in this film but other performances were also great! From Alex Medina to Alma Concepcion, ang galing galing nila! Their performances really helped the screenplay to shine which is also not bad. Not bad at all, it's actually very good as I think every scene matters for the totality of the film. I also like that almost half of the script is Kapampangan. Thank goodness, subtitles were in-sync. The trailer for this film really irked me (how dare them for using The Social Network's score) as I thought it would be the usual show-some-flesh-poverty-cliche film. Funny thing is it's not really part of my plan to watch this, but my friend and I still had some time to burn before the weekend's done so we watched it and I'm so happy that we did. I think the only reason why this is behind Ekstra for me is because the last 20 minutes, while thrilling, it's also predictable. Just think of Argo's airport scene, you know that they'll succeed but you're still on the edge of your seat.