Saturday, April 17, 2010

Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)

"Smiles of a Summer Night" is easily one of Ingmar Bergman's most entertaining films and is probably the best film to begin one's studying of Bergman 101. It was the film that introduced the now legendary Swedish auteur to the world, after winning a Grand Prix prize in the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. Indeed, the 1955 romantic comedy is definitely a standout piece of its time, as it has unexpected depth, which arguably lacks in a lot of movies of its kind.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2006)

Distinctly Korean with its stark humor and outrageous acting, director Park Chan-wook gives us a delightful romantic comedy in this queer tale of boy meets girl inside an insane asylum.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Silent Light (2007)

Johan (Cornelio Wall Fehr) has long been married to Esther (Miriam Toews). Along with their children, they live a life of faith as a Mennonite community in Mexico. However, underneath his conservative façade, Johan faces a moral dilemma in having an affair with another woman within their group, Marianne (Maria Pankratz). Johan does not deny his fault, as we witness his torment manifesting in his solitude.

Once (2007)

The premise is basic: the guy (Glen Hansard) tries to earn a living by playing his guitar and performing in the streets of Dublin; one night, the girl (Markéta Irglová) hears him sing and is instantly enchanted by his music; after finding out that he also repairs vacuum cleaners, she negotiates to make him fix her vacuum. They eat lunch together the next day; the girl catches the guy’s attention after she reveals that she too is a musician - she plays the piano. With the guy wanting to hear her play, the two visit a music store where she is allowed by the owner to use the instruments. The guy teaches the girl an original piece, which she is able to learn very quickly; the two then play and sing together, solidifying their connection with one another.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Blissfully Yours (2002)

Simply put, “Blissfully Yours” is basically about a boy taking his girlfriend to a scenic spot in the forest by the mountains, one sunny afternoon. The plot however, despite its simplicity, is actually multi-layered as director Apichatpong Weerasethakul masterfully conceals and reveals information throughout the film, as he fully develops his characters in this 125-minute slice-of-life, delicately unfolding. Extra attention is required to fully appreciate its intricate beauty but patience is sure to be rewarded.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Passing judgment onto a black and white silent film from the 20’s is quite very tricky for someone who has been used to the era of sound and color. The sensibilities of a silent film are definitely far from what we are watching now, as most of the time, the storyline is not even the core of the film at all. Being part of early cinema, it’s this concept of this so-called “cinema of attraction” that keeps the audience glued – not really the story nor the lines, not the characters, sometimes the stars but it's always the antics and the visual feats that entertain. It’s what made Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton famous and for F.W. Murnau's "Sunrise", it is no different. The level of sophistication however, is very high compared to the early silent films. Being made nearing the end of the decade, the incorporation of the narrative in film has already been developed and Murnau’s film was able to benefit from that.

Suzhou River (2000)

Lou Ye’s “Suzhou River” is a harrowing tale about one man's search for lost love. It begins with an anonymous videographer (Hua Zhongkai) serving as the film’s narrator and his encounters with Meimei (Zhou Xun), the girl he desires. From there we would be introduced to the character of Mardar (Jia Hongsheng), a courier who would do anything to find Moudan (also played by Zhou Xun), his most beloved girl. We follow their story from how they met, through their parting until Mardar’s return and sighting of Meimei, who needless to say, looks exactly like Moudan. All this results to the characters’ discovery of their true love, or at least the beginning for at least one of them.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

La Belle Noiseuse (1991)

"La Belle Noiseuse" (The Beautiful Troublemaker) is Jacques Rivette's exploration on an artist's frustration towards transcendence. Running for almost 4 hours, the film attempts to immerse us in the experience of an aging artist in his struggle to complete his masterpiece. Delicately weaved by Rivette, it is a poignant meandering on the limits of art.

Todo Todo Teros (2006)

I won’t pretend that I completely understand every piece that was placed in the bewildering puzzle that is John Torres’ “Todo Todo Teros”, but my inability to fully grasp this beguiling Filipino film doesn’t mean that I don’t have the right to say that I enjoyed it. Although I would have to admit that my mind was initially drifting as I was hypnotized by its melancholic voiceover and its mesmeric score, I know I loved every minute of it as I truly felt I was taken into its heart – and yes it is most notable that the film truly has one. Beyond comprehending its socio-political statements (which I’d rather not tap into, to avoid the risk of simply speaking bullshit), what I value most about this film is the emotional experience it gave me while seeing it. Accompanied by lyrical poetry and intriguing passages, the film is intimate as it is spellbinding. The raw lines and how they were delivered are so sincere and evocative, every spoken word lingers.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

A Prophet (2009)

After successfully combining the genres of crime and romance in his previous film “The Beat That My Heart Skipped” (2005), French director Jacques Audiard returns with an even stronger piece in his latest work, the Grand Prix winner of the 62nd Cannes film festival - “A Prophet”. This time, Audiard delicately balances the sensibilities of both arthouse cinema and genre filmmaking in this enthralling film that arguably rivals the best crime films in the history of world cinema.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

2 Days in Paris (2007)

Taking from her role in “Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset”, Julie Delpy returns to direct her own take on an intercultural relationship between an American man and a French woman. Using comedy to portray the relationship between the film’s leading couple, the movie is witty with its well-crafted script, written by Julie Delpy herself. In addition to writing and directing, the French actress who also plays the lead in the film together with Adam Goldberg, is also the producer, editor and the composer of the film’s musical score. Indeed the film is a celebration of all things Julie Delpy.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Climates (2006)

The opening scene is probably one of the most effortlessly gripping I’ve seen from contemporary cinema. Few words are exchanged but the intensity from Bahar’s (Ebru Ceylan) facial expression, which is unnerving as anything from the best silent film actors tells it all – there’s something wrong in their relationship. We wonder whether the fault is hers or her husband’s (played by director Nuri Blige Ceylan himself). We see her crying as we hear the sound of a fly. Awestruck, one is left anticipating.

Paris, Je T'aime (2006)

A two-hour film composed of eighteen five-minute shorts, “Paris, Je T’aime” boasts an astounding cast and an impressive collection of directors, which is enough reason for one to see this fantastic film. Set in the different arrondissements (districts) of Paris, we get to witness the stories ranging from the funny to the emotional, the obscure to the bizarre. Despite being made up of different independent stories, each segment is connected by their dealings with love. There’s probably a story for everyone to relate to, whether one is romantic or not, so long as one has experienced love at least once in his/her lifetime.

Segurista (1996)

Tikoy Aguiluz’s “Segurista” is about a woman who works as an insurance seller by day and a G.R.O by night. This double life ensures Karen (Michelle Aldana) securing deals for the day as she supposedly enjoys her night shifts. The interesting paradox of the insurance seller working for her own insurance, surfaces later when we discover the reason behind Karen’s hard work – she needed a sideline for the benefit of her family left in their lahar-flooded town in Pampanga.

Let the Right One In (2008)

Oskar is a twelve-year old boy often bullied by his classmates. The son of separated parents, he likes spending most of the time alone. One day he meets a girl named Eli, also twelve years old, who had just moved in next door to the compound where he lives. As they get to meet almost every night, the two end up liking each other until finally they realize that they’re in love. The conflict? Eli is a vampire.

Lost in Translation (2003)

I'd like to start off with something that got me into writing about film - an article I wrote that was published in the Philippine Star, March 25, 2006, almost four years ago. It was for their "My Favorite Movie" column and it's probably a bit too personal; then again, I was just a college freshman then, bursting way too much emotions. Haha.

Have you ever been lost? Have you ever tried escaping your life by going somewhere far and distant? And in that place, have you unexpectedly found that oh-so special someone you’ve been searching for all your life? If you answered yes to these questions, you and I have something in common with Bob Harris.

An Introduction

Someone said a true cinephile remembers his first film as one regards his/her first kiss. I'm disappointed to say that I don't have that kind of memory. Frankly, I'm just like most moviegoers who love watching films for the fun of it. I do however remember the picture that probably made me fall in love with film itself - Francois Truffaut's "Day for Night", which I got to watch through a VCD during my earlier days as a budding movie collector. I guess initially, I mostly liked the idea of being transported to another world, which is what I usually felt when I used to go to the cinema watching Hollywood blockbusters as a child. I remember watching "Titanic" in grade three and I can still recollect the emotions I felt as I left the theater - uneasy and indifferent to the world outside. It was only perhaps six or seven years ago when I started to actually fall in love with cinema with its history and heritage, brought about by curiosity and my refusal to be bound by what only Philippine movie houses can offer; it was only then when I learned to watch films regardless of their time and country of origin. My film education is mostly self-taught; I haven't really taken hardcore film theory courses, although I was privileged to have attended a few film seminar classes in college. Nevertheless, I am not a connoisseur who would claim expertise in the things that I will be babbling about in this blog; I'm just a dreamer who writes about film simply because I want to share my growing passion for cinema. I believe there really is another world out there, in film and as Truffaut used to say, "I have always preferred the reflection of the life to life itself."