Lucky Bastard

Are my eyes big?

Pitik Bulag (Blind Luck) is a film by Gil Portes, the helmer of the wholesome and socio-political film Mga Munting Tinig (Small Voices). The only aspect of the film that could be a trademark of Portes is its technicality. It is almost mostly dull, could be best described as a stagnant pond infested by dengue plagued mosquitoes. But the story is quite interesting, well-maneuvered and has freaking logic. If I would gauge a film’s superiority choosing from the writing and style, I would definitely go with the writing. It is the hardest of all in film creation. But don’t get me misquoted for this. Pitik Bulag is just quite efficient and adhered to its genre without loosing its common sense.

Angelo works as an extra in film productions. He idolizes Fernando Poe Jr. like a mentor. He believes that he will be a good action star someday. This self-promise convinced him that he will go far and thus he marries his girlfriend (Paloma). Years have passed, they still live in a bungalow house and Angelo has no stable job. His wife works as a ticket clerk in one of the dilapidated movie houses in Carriedo, Manila. One day, Angelo travels to a friend’s house to borrow money. But in a surprising twist of fate, he was almost rundown by two fast vehicles and discovers a loot bag full of money that fell from the owner type jeepney. Shaken by the incident, he transfers all the money into his bag and runs off, leaving his wallet behind as a clue to his identity for the robbers to track down.

The screenplay by Eric Ramos is said to be inspired by a bank robbery incident that happened recently. It’s good that the inspiration they got has been pumped-up with a well concocted narrative. The incidents happening to Marco and the succeeding chases have logic and the stretch it made to the inspiration does not deliberately look half-baked. This is the problem with most films that gets inspiration from real-life. They just stop from that inspiration without compounding on the story with story devices. The craft of writing will always be admired as this is the foundation of any movie making. Writing for films is way too different with literary writing. It is already established and what the filmmaker can do is to play with it.

Portes previous films are unyieldingly wholesome; he could have explored the darker arena of humanity. Sex will always be relevant but that is not the entire point of the film and the film is not in anyway pornographic. The human condition in this film is translated just like how other films represent our country. Angelo happens to get a big amount of money and does what his idol would do. Of course not with the guidance of his leading lady which is his wife. They provide some amount to the families of the victims of the bank robbery shoot-out; obviously we could not trust our police. The gangs of bank robbers relayed in the film have police backups. That could be quite feverish since we see two sides of the authority. The hope we get is with another police inspector who is quite smart to know the misrepresentations and obscure principles of police officers.

True to its genre, Pitik Bulag does not end well. But the story has woven every bit of its inspiration to a good form without questioning the logic of the entire narrative. Angelo’s wife is the hope for redemption of the film. As long as you do well, you will be admired. In Angelo’s lifetime, it is true what his wife told us about him. He could have not been a film hero like Flavio in Ang Panday, in real life; he is the superhero. Portes did not give us an artistic approach or the vigorous inclination some filmmakers have in terms of being a technician. But the story approach he has made in Pitik Bulag deserves its merits.

Charlie Koon's Rating:

The Curious Case of the Hippest Job on the Planet

The Devil has an Accent

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I remember in one of the interviews of Andrei Tarkovsky where he gives advice to young filmmakers. He said that nowadays, anyone could make a film. But he stated that if you are beginning to be serious about the craft, you must not separate the work, the film, from the life they live. Assuming Ned Trespeces has heard or have read about this interview, he could be be at ease for what he did with My Fake American Accent. But there is a follow-up to Tarkovsky’s sage advice; that cinema is a very difficult and serious art.

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To be cool about it, My Fake American Accent is not a bad film. I actually enjoyed it. Am I bluffing all along with all the lenient ratings I gave to most ‘entertainment’ films? But with this film, which I happened to enjoy on a purely subjective basis, will not be praised even for its sanguinity of the lives of our beloved business process outsourcing practitioners. Its enjoyment is too cautious to be self-indulgent.

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My Fake American Accent comprises of different episodes into the lives of technical support representatives. Seva (Mailes Kanapi) is the strict team lead. Her team comprises of her goth and rebellious daughter Samp (Cherry Mae Canton), the military dropout Buster (Miro Valera), the nerdy but chic ex-Palanca award winning writer Astrid (Tracy Abad), the laid-back Meryl (Martin dela Paz) and the newbie Eric (Jonathan Neri). I just noticed that when I watched last year’s call center film Loving You, their names are really cool. Is this part of the culture of having fashionable names? Eric is still a newbie so he has yet to conceive a spectacular moniker. It’s not only with the names that they are so hip, but they also represent the trendsetters of our generation from the branded shoes and gizmos to the apparel.

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The episodes give limelight to each of the characters. I noticed that at some point, their life in the industry has something to do with a failure or perhaps a frustration. Astrid for example is a failed writer (so she says so). She re-ignites the passion in the craft and submits a draft of her work to a bitchy TV writer. The same with Meryl (not his real name) where he gives up bartending for a job that he has no passion but is incredibly excelling. Despite the terrible attitude of Seva, there is an instance wherein the indifference her daughter Samp has for her subsides. Eric is a newbie from beginning until the end. The episode on Buster gives us an idea of the crimes happening at night. Despite the warnings, these people are really fond of dressing up and looking their best. It’s quite funny because they are not really being seen.

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My Fake American Accent has something to say about the director’s job before he shifted career to filmmaking. The call center type of job has obtained too much hype and it reflects on film. The opportunity it gives though is somewhat questionable. It’s like a drop-off workplace for people who endure frustrations and failures. Just like what I have said, the film is more of an exercise and it could be enjoyed for casual appreciation. If they could have pumped up the story more or even incorporate film styles that would elevate it into a film that could still be a more pleasing viewing experience and still be honest with your own chronicles as an agent.

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Charlie Koon's Rating:

Brutus

Brutus is a film directed by Tara Illenberger about two kids smuggling logs from the mountains. It is a journey that opens their eyes to a world that is ruled by greed and torn by political conflicts.
Brutus will be shown at Indiesine starting July 15, 2009.

Muted Atmosphere

Brownout Fever

Baby Angelo is an interesting film that represents real life situations. It’s deliberately restrained, making the entire tableau a reflection of the ordinary lives of middle-class Filipinos. The setting is nearly dark and hazy; a palette that could equal anything that is uncertain. And these are the lives that we are bound to see. Monotonous daily activities do not alarm these people and why should they; monotony has no cause for alarm. Thanks to the unborn fetus found in the nearby dump area; they are now warranted to ember the long dimmed lights of their lives.

Baby Angelo is directed by Joel Ruiz with his co-writer Abigail Aquino. The film is not entirely about Baby Angelo, who is already dead at the start of the film. Baby Angelo is the fetus found nearby the Genevieve Homes owned by the pious and extremely organized Mrs. Nora de Guzman (Ces Quesada). There are certain police protocols where they should submit affidavits and Mrs. Nora asks the help of her nephew Bong (Jojit Lorenzo) to interview all the tenants. Bong is a happy-go-lucky guy who is married to Lisa (Katherine Luna), who is glued to their apartment for unexplained reasons.

Well, they are the focal characters in this film. There is a tendency wherein you might get confused as to where the film is heading. Since the apartment is nearly full, there’s a bunch of intertwining stories within the narrative. It’s a clear indication that one way or another, people we are living with has an influence in our lives. Its not only limited to our relatives or immediate families but also to our neighbors. Given the chance to engage with others, there is a tendency to digress with the warmth of a connection.

The entire ensemble is mostly natural in their acting approach. It’s easy to notice that despite the fragmented scenarios, we could still feel the authenticity of the characters’ humanity. Bong and Apple (Diana Malahay) are the only two who could babble their longings and aspirations. Lisa on the other hand deals with Bong’s irresponsiveness with restrained annoyance. We have another character that has delicately painted a personality that has deeper manifestations of the yearning to be of being appreciated. This is Nora, a religious mother whose claws control ownership of the apartment and yet she gets a cold shoulder from his rebellious son Ike (Cedrick Lamberte). Her relationship also with his prim and suave husband Noel (Mark Gil) has this insinuation of a wrinkled situation. With a positive outlook in life, she starts to have a modest confidence in herself and fixes her elderly look into a lovely and sophisticated demeanor.

Baby Angelo is courageous to show these ordinary people’s lives and how they fulfill their routine obligations. Their days are occupied in cleaning the streets like the senile Mr. Chiu (Dante Baloi). Karaoke filled nights for the ladies residing at Unit 1-F. And these we see into lifeless color without any glamour. We are bound to see life without thrill and are quite disjointed without a predictable intention. Could we really exist without feeling that we are living? Questions will always be raised and somehow in the end, our existence, no matter how fruitful our lives become, will always appear ordinary. But we struggle to make our lives vibrant. This could be possible if we find true happiness within our midst. The death of the innocent serves as an insighting stimulus and through this, the characters realize the banality of their lives.

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Charlie Koon's Rating:

Drowned in Cholesterol

Funny Bread?

I am quite sure that Litsonero is a film that drowns in its own grease. The grease is the filmmaker whose prime purpose is to indulge himself in his pledge that this type of film would be really remarkable. If there is a time wherein eating is just for the sake of eating, this is the best film that could lead to that. Like food that has no flavor, not even a pinch of pepper, Litsonero bored me to death.

Since the film is talking about food, we could easily relate even with our own dining experience. Imagine a time wherein you are so hungry. Hence, you will munch unto anything that looks edible. The only food offered is your grandmother’s bland porridge with flavorless crackers on the side. This is the entire taste of the film. Well, its still food. But we need to acknowledge that the food is not great and has no taste. It even counters the conflict of the film in terms of cuisine ingenuity.

Fidel (Paolo Contis) is a fashionable and hunky chef who works in Macau. He receives a letter from his grumpy and distressing mother Viring (Maricel Laxa) forcing him to go back in the province for the death anniversary of his father. He was convinced and soon arrives in the province. One night, they had the usual beer drinking with his whiny uncle Pinoy (Michael de Mesa). Pinoy belittles Fidel’s cooking abilities to the extent wherein they had a bet that Fidel would not be able to cook the demanding and extremely mouth-watering lechon. Fidel takes the bet with a consequence that if he loses, he will not go back to Macau and be an assistant in Pinoy’s bakery.

Litsonero is not all stale. Lore Reyes infused some romantic spices to this nearly bland film. Fidel is rearing to win the bet and convinces Mang Carding (Jun Urbano), a semi-retired litsonero expert, to train him in the cooking of the lechon. Through his apprenticeship, he had a glimpse of the shy and poised daughter Carmen, (Karylle) which will be his love interest along the story. Their love chemistry is quite engaging. They hang-out in the farm and lie on the grass for their rendezvous. Fidel has a sophisticated approach towards food. He is more westernized just like the sight of champagne, fruits and bread.

Mother and son interactions are also tackled in the film. Thoughts could be more pondered with the obligations of sons to their parents. They are somewhat touching this topic but backs off. Fidel could have slated his points but Viring retorts in the cliché way of dealing with this deep thoughts. Isn’t she also a daughter? They are nearly synthesizing some important thoughts; they could have expounded for better insights. Tiyo Pinoy is the typical Filipino who is impulsive, cynical and has claustrophobic views of living life in general. And mind you, he could get away with everything with the use of sneer humor.

Litsonero is too self-indulgent. You might like it just like eating for the sake of living. But the art of food has come a long way. There are even shallow sentiments that have been tackled without too much significance to make the story look well-developed. It remains in between two poles; middle is the sign of tastelessness. Anyway, they appear to have enjoyed making the film. Going back to the main objective of Sine Direk, this is to show their artistic side without dwelling much on the profit and all for a good cause (charity event). I think by now they know that the film itself lacks the artistic worth they ought to really have. If they just want to improve, a little pump up could be done as this film looks stale.

Charlie Koon's Rating:

Villa Estrella

Villa Estrella is a suspense horror film directed by Rico Maria Ilarde. It stars Geoff Eigenmann, Maja Salvador, Jake Cuenca, Shaina Magdayao, Ronnie Lazaro, John Estrada and Liza Lorena.
It will be shown in theaters nationwide starting July 1, 2009.

Dose

Dose is a film written and directed by Senedy Que. It stars Yul Servo, Fritz Chaved and Irma Adlawan. It is about the unlikely closeness between a curious 12-year-old boy named Edy and a lonely gardener Danny, the line that defines love and friendship, passion and trust inevitably intersects.
It will be shown in Robinsons Indiesine starting July 1, 2009.

Charlie Koon Film Review: Dose
Charlie Koon's Rating:

My Fake American Accent

My Fake American Accent is directed by Onnah Valera and Ned Trespeces. It is a slice-of-life workplace comedy following the lives of technical support call center agents in the span of six months. Speaking with a fake American accent is a prerequisite for the job. This ensemble comedy is an inside look into the maddening, sleep-deprived, caffeine-fuelled lives of those who ply their trade in the call center industry.
My Fake American Accent will be shown at Robinsons Galleria Indie Sine starting June 17, 2009.

Reel Freedom

Trio Mio

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And so the night came when all the free peoples of our beautiful home-metropolis detached themselves from the substrate of their functional particularities in order to hark to another form of substantiated simulacrum which the philistines refer to as ‘indie culture’. There they were, the milk-lipped movie enthusiasts pseudo-mingling with the culturati of the blogosphere, all in their cat-eyed, long-haired, vitriolic glory. The air was rife with the colors of freedom, and so it should, as Raya Martin’s much anticipated and grant-bestowed Independencia puts the waiting crowd in a rare thirst, that which can only be quenched by a decent independent movie or as a matter of fact, a free movie, the latter being immune to any scruples of public decency and choosiness.

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But as it turns out the audience did make a choice. Perhaps palled by Hollywood’s asphyxiating tinsel truck or the flesh parade of the quotidian Filipino indie film, they are starting to realize that maybe it’s time the directors stop fucking up and start making real movies. Whether Martin is the bearer of good things to come has yet to be seen but at least the good tidings are at hand. His film scintillates in a stylistic sense. The studio scenes are both innocuously attractive and deliberately nostalgic, trying to evoke no doubt the irony of the Philippine-American war set in an extinct aesthetic of a made-up American movie reminiscent of Hollywood’s early, in-studio period. Succinctly, the whole movie feels like a perambulating diorama. The claustrophobic forest with its synthetic weather and painted backdrop introduces Martin to an international audience as well as to his own countrymen as a technically proficient twenty-something colt with a flare for sepia tones and Lutgardo Labad’s classical music. Certainly the soundtrack is eerily gorgeous and the scenes maintaining a static loveliness thanks to the unmoving camera (again part of the aesthetic irony) but the film in general lacked the sensual violence that could catapult Martin’s work into the realm of masterpiece.

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But the movie itself is not a failure; it is in fact direct evidence of Martin’s increasing maturity. He opted for a more conventional plot, quite peculiar since the movie was intended for Canne’s Un Certain Regard which tends to be more experimental. The scenes were less sprawling, less Antonionian, and certainly followed a clear and accessible trajectory. The subject matter also lacks the self-indulgence of a lot of Filipino indie films. The merits are still rather closeted but ineluctably undeniable. It has always been the opinion of this blog that the public has been yearning for stories to be told. Never mind art, never mind the idiotic prettiness that flowers in the breasts of dead rats and subtle angles. The days of the art films are over, should be over. If a director wants to find true art, he should look for it through the eyes of his tangible audience, not in the limpid pools of his own abstractions.

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And such palpable forces Martin’s characters find themselves in. Confronted by the encroaching realities of war, a mother and her son are forced by their own volition to live in the forest, left with their human devices in an inhuman wilderness. They are typical Filipinos, moved by a typical hunger and a typical lust. It was intriguing to watch Sid Lucero, a young and obedient naïf, masturbating on the riverside, not a staple scene for most period films. The acting was itself like that of a 19^th century play with de Rossi shining as the most natural despite the classical dialogue. Characterization in general is presented in two layers, the one seen by the outside world and the other intrinsic landscape conveyed through dreams and taciturn stares. Though the ending required a little prestidigitation, overall the characters are moved by the hackneyed and powerful hand of nature, to which they respond as the plot does, with a very Filipino sense of dignity and equanimity. Women are raped, seniors expire, children, like sylvestrian ghouls, come and go like the blinding dusk-edge, but the banana leaves must still be laid, the twig floor swept with the good ol’ broom. It is always a difficulty to live despite of your freedom. Before sidling towards the movie house I noticed Anita Linda entering the restroom, it was probably a sign telling me that though the movie I was going to watch free of charge, some things cost more than we expect.

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Written by: Alex Milla (Guest Critic)

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Notes:

Independencia is shown in the recently concluded 14th French Film Festival held in Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong during the Philippine Independence Day (June 12).

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Independencia also competed in the Un Certain Regard section of the recently concluded The 62nd annual Cannes Film Festival held from May 13 to May 24, 2009.

Faux Blood Almighty

Promise, I'll visit you.

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I am actually covering my face in some scenes in the film Dalaw. For that, I have to apologize. To be honest, I am not really fond of watching scary films because I palpitate right away. It’s not because I am scared but more with the calculated horrifying apparitions that come up every now and then. Dalaw has a lot of it and most of it has no freaking logic. I think it’s not entirely new to Asian Horror film-maniacs since they are used to the careless shock approach. But if we will look carefully, it really has no congruency to the story.

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The story starts with Laarni (Katrina Halili) visiting an abandoned house. She is trying to make a fabulous documentary for the TV show ‘Ikatlong Mata’. After a few negotiations with the spirit to show up, she screams endlessly. After a few days, she is now in a state of shock and is in her sister’s (Matet de Leon) care. Her sister views the video footage and we are now introduced to the life of the ghost who is known as Estella. She shows some erratic behaviors and somewhat has a dual personality. She cares for his father like a husband. One day, her mother (Glydel Mercado) died after being slapped by his father (Tonton Gutierrez). A fatal slap, how scary is that. Guilty of the incident, his father locked Estella in the room before hanging himself.

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There are hints when Estella appears or when something gruesome might happen. When she is still alive, while having a severe pain in her menstruation, someone dies. There are local hearsays that ladies having menstruation will be visited by Estella. But the film incorporated this haphazardly. The ghost has really no purpose with all her emergence, whose prime aim is to scare the audience without solid connection to the scenarios. It appears to me that the particular ghost can appear to almost anyone as long as it is being recorded by the camera. She is just shocking but not really scary. The ghost is wearing a white gown wearing a pale make-up and semi-long wavy hair. And why is her mouth and eyes wide open by the way? Maybe they just want to scare without entirely conscious if the script is seamless or not.

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I have noticed in Joven Tan’s film that the cinematography is quite superior, helmed by Romy Vitug. This is also the case in his film Tutok. But both stories are sickening. Dalaw is too impulsive to shock. Even if they try to establish the scenes with the use of flashbacks, it lacks a sophisticated approach to make even the illogical things acceptable to the viewers. They have already tackled tell-tales and ghost legends so it’s really on their hands to infuse the story with more convincing contraptions. The character of Estella as a ghost has really lost a better purpose. Why is she appearing in awkward ways? Is she making revenge through scaring people? Oh please, we are not kids to be tricked. They have to dig to the core of her apparitions.

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Just like in the film, Laarni is inspired to create the documentary that she read from a tabloid. Writers also do the same thing. We get inspirations from headlines, shocking events and tragedies. We fuse more devices and create impossible scenarios and give logic to each scenario and character for it to appear as wholly credible. Dalaw lacks polishing and even its inspiration has no substance to make it more compelling.

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Charlie Koon's Rating: