Cinemalaya 2013

Time for my annual Cinemalaya post. It's something I look forward every year. It's a tradition for me.

Liars by Gil Portes
The film tells the story of a journalist (Eloisa) whose expose’ of the truth results in life-changing consequences to a baseball team of poor boys. Inspired by a true story. 

This film reminded me of what I learned in my Ethics class with Prof. Montana. The climax of the film comes to the heart of utilitarian ethics.  The nation rejoicing over Smokey Mountain All-Stars team success. On the other hand, Eloisa, rationally believes that revealing the fraud schemes would be more honorable action. This can be understood if one grasps how much influence lying and manipulation have on our lives. The primary question asked in this movie is,  does she make the right choice? 

Debosyon by Alvin Yapan

Mando, a Bikolano devotee of Ina, Virgin of Peñafrancia, Patroness of Bikolandia, injures himself in the middle of the forest at the foot of the Mayon Volcano. He will be nursed back to health by a mysterious woman, Salome. They will eventually fall in love with each other. But when Mando invites her to come with him to the plains, Salome refuses, saying a curse prohibits her from leaving the forest. Salome holds a secret that will devastate Mando’s love for her. Meanwhile, Mando relies on his devotion to the Virgin of Peñafrancia to lift the curse, making him realize just how inextricably linked are the virtues of love and faith. 

Oh, where to begin. Dry, drab, a little dull and difficult to describe film. Fails to exploit the suspense of the spooky elements. It needed to be more gripping and cinematic. It’s hard to see why Mando fall for Saling. May hidden meaning ba tong movie na to? After watching the film all I could say was "Wait, what the hell just happened?"

Cinemalaya 2012

Bey and I managed to watch two film entries: Oros and Mga Dayo. In Oros, a funeral parlor owner sells an unidentified body to Makoy, a kasero in a saklaan, who, along with his reluctant brother, Abet, set the stage for a three-week long fake wake holding the illegal saklaan.  Abet, in dirty rags but sill charming. Btw, is Kristoffer Martin related to Coco Martin? they both have a striking resemblance. Irritating shaky-camera is excessive only to feel dizzy in this movie. Needs further editing. Looking at it as a whole, isn't a particularly memorable film, but it's not all that bad either. It didn’t give me the thrills that I expected. I was hoping for many unnerving and gruesome scenes. The ending, which is completely predictable.  

While Mga Dayo, as the island of Guam celebrates the classic American holiday, the lives of the three Filipina immigrants intersect and find themselves at a tug‐o‐war of sacrifice and significance on where they must find their home or must they find it somewhere else. I didn't like it. It was so flat, tedious, untwisted and woefully boring.  A bad movie can still make you cry, laugh, angry but this film did not give me the option, the freedom, of actually feeling anything. Obviously, this film lack effective techniques to naturally make the viewer feel the emotion that the director intentionally planned for them.  It didn't make me feel any sympathy for the characters. It just irks me. There is also a constant blurring in the film. The whole storyline leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and probably in most viewers'. I don’t think anyone can say that this ended well. If you want a well-developed story line, don't bother.  

why hast thou failed me? 

Cinemalaya 2011

As much as I want to see all the film entries but my extremely tight schedule does not allow me to do so. 

This week my friends and I managed to view one screening last wednesday in CCP and last friday in Greenbelt.

Besides watching works from the new breed of directors, cinematographers and scriptwriters, you get to see the actors, directors and their crew/production staff and sometimes seating beside or rubbing elbows with. 

We arrived at CCP around 3:00pm. We were supposed to watch Isda but it was already sold out. We suddenly find ourselves disappointed. We ended up buying tickets for Amok. Let me just start off by saying I didn't expect much from this movie. But it turned out to be the other way around. I was pleasantly surprised Amok was way better than I expected it to be. Lawrence Fajardo's Amok begins by unraveling a story of interconnected strangers bound together by fate. Amok grips you right from the start and keeps you hooked on till the last minute. All the casts were exceptionally good. Kudos! Few dialogues in the film. However, it's their body language, most precisely their facial expressions, that conveys everything to the audience. 

It was an unapologetic, overwrought, sobering and splatter flick. And while we’re on the topic of violence, this movie is so graphic I was overwhelmed. A heart-pounding thrill ride.  The movie contains violent action and brief, mild obscenity. " With tensions running high and a setting too real and too in-tune with the urban life of the Philippines, this film was a depiction of a reality shared by millions, and a reality that can be shattered at any moment."  I still think about it every now and then. Edsa-Taft, that location is part of my life since I pass by that intersection. After watching the film, I am now more observant of the place as I recall the various scenes depicted in the movie.

GRADE: A-

The second film entry I watched was Isda (Fable of the fish).

After seeing the trailer, it made me much more eager to see the movie. It's intriguing and peculiar,  woman  gave birth to a fish? Since I am a fan of outre, and unexplainable movies. I was really looking forward to seeing this. Sadly, this movie was beyond a disappointment. Being a disappointing film doesn’t necessarily mean bad just that it didn’t live up to its expectations. Not satisfying, I didn't like the way the plot unraveled, and questionable plot contrivances (biologically impossible) and Poor ending. Without the effective acting skills of  Cherry Pie Picache and  Bembol Roco. Isda would be a whimper of a movie, too awful to watch, but then again without Cherry Pie Picache, the movie probably would never have gotten made.

GRADE: F

Starting this year, Then and there, I vowed to myself not to miss the annual Cinemalaya. Perfect attendance that is.