Sabado, Agosto 9, 2014

CINEMALAYA 2014 - Sundalong Kanin (Rice Soldiers) Review: Extra Rice Please!



Japanese occupation in the Philippines in a film (“Oro, Plata, Mata”, “Tatlong Taong Walang DIyos”, “Aishite Itmasu”, “Markova: Comfort Gay”, “Yamashita: The Tiger’s Treasure”) is not new but Sundalong Kanin gave it a different flavor that is not only scrumptious but also epic.
The movie narrates the story of four children who aspired to become soldiers and tried to find ways in retaliating against the Japanese colonizers. But as they faced the realities of war, their world was turned upside down.

Janice O’ Hara’s courageous efforts in showcasing the loss of child innocence during war times is remarkable as the Philippine cinema rarely tackled it. She magnificently presented the harsh times during that era (with a limited budget!) which was told through the eyes of the children but she made sure that it was not your-ordinary-period-film-used-in-history-class as she focused rather on the friendship of the four characters that underwent into a drastic change.

Her lens perfectly captured a downward trajectory of emotions – from joyful, carefree, and heart-warming to depressing, pitiful, and suspenseful. She was able to lift the audience’s spirits as she demonstrated the children’s heroic efforts and innocent antics then pulled them down instantaneously as she depicted how childish bravery is no match compared to the unforgiving war situation. In which, the latter could transform the former from adorable and folly to disheartening. I literally felt the earth’s weight on my shoulders as the film progressed and I was in distraught when it ended. It just shows how brilliant O’Hara is in radiating the film’s emotions to the audience. 

Moreover, her narration was very fluid as it is plot-driven. Every scene contributed to its awesomeness as it perfectly grasped the development of the storyline and the characters. I am not against the comicality of one of the extras as the head of the guerilla front after it was presented in the middle of the film. I believe it was a nice way of trying to put back one’s sanity after being handed so much negative vibes without deviating from the narrative. More so, the characterization was effective as it was very accurate: “Americanized” Filipinos. Indeed, it was a job well done and Mario O’Hara would be very proud of what his daughter had become! 




Kudos also to the great cast most especially to the four main characters (Nitoy, played by Nathaniel Britt, Benny played by Isaac Aguirre, Carding, played by Akira Morishita and Badong, played by Elijah Canlas) for their flawless portrayal! These kids brought innocence when needed but pulled out a superb outflow of emotions in engaging scenes. Hats off as well to Marc Abaya for he made sure that aside from singing, acting is also his forte. Also, Enzo Pineda’s addition in the film was worthy. Art Acuña was very convincing on his Japanese accent while Paolo O’Hara was amazing in his take as a filthy barrio chief. Lastly, I would also like to commend Rania Delamar as Alice because her “dead stare in the abyss” still haunt me
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I still can’t get over with the film’s incredible emotional upsurge. I am still astounded on how talented the production team and the cast are in presenting a period film even with limited resources. Indeed, the films that depict children as their main characters in this year’s festival are the frontrunners of the competition. I wouldn’t be surprised if this would win as O’Hara did give the audience a buffet to feast on. Kanin pa nga!

Rating: 10/10
Photo credits: Cinemalaya

   

Biyernes, Agosto 8, 2014

CINEMALAYA 2014 - Briefly Judging SHORTS

I have high expectations on short films because I cordially believe that it is really difficult yet remarkable to tell a very good story in a limited amount of time. Sadly, there were still misses and meh's for me. Below are my brief critics on every flick. 

Shorts A  


Asan si Lolo Mê?  - 4/5 - Acting was on the spot. Storytelling was witty as it presented a different kind of conflict with the usage of a goat and magic realism.
 

Mga Ligaw na Paruparo - 2.5/5 - The film had nice editing but it became predictable as it progressed. The acting, nonetheless, was also good. 


Tiya Bening - 2/5 - The acting was just OK. The story was OK. The black and white appeal of the film was the only saving grace.


The Ordinary Things We Do - 5/5 - A film that made a great impression on me as it presented itself intelligently. Even without dialogues, it left a strong message to its viewers and discussed many things. Bravo!


Padulong sa Pinuy-Anan (Going Home) - 4/5 - The foreign actor was excellent. A film that would touch the hearts of the audience despite being presented in a brief period of time. The story was nice and the cinematography was on the spot. 

Shorts B  


Indayog ng Nayatamak - 4.5/5 - Another home run as it is delivered emotions and tensions without having dialogues. The only interaction was the choreography amongst the actors that foretold a nice story. More so, the editing was amazing.


Lola - 1/5 - Walking dead meets Warm Bodies. That pretty much summarizes it. Not a fan.


Nakabibinging Kadiliman (Deafening Darkness) - 3/5 - The material was good but the conflict it presented was quite disappointing. The actress pretending to be blind was not believable. Perhaps, it just did not meet the expectations I have set since it delivered a promising trailer.



  
Ina-Tay - 1/5 - Another big disappointment. I have set high expectations as the material is similar to the one tackled already by the great Lino Brocka in "Ang Tatay kong Nanay". I remember how a filmmaker told us in a lecture that a short film is not a summarized version of a full length film. Sadly, the film committed that mistake. It presented a lot of conflicts and the storyline was a 'meh'. The saving grace was its entertainment value because it was fun to watch (Comedy eh!)


Eyeball - 5/5 - Two words: NICO ANTONIO. His acting was superb that it contributed to the brilliance of the storyline. Even if it was the shortest among the entries, it delivered a very solid narrative.

Miyerkules, Agosto 6, 2014

CINEMALAYA 2014 - 1st ko si 3rd Review: A Different Kind of Rom-Com


If you need your spirits to be uplifted and perfumed by the aroma of love and comedy, this film was tailored for you.

1st ko si 3rd offers a different attack on the usual romantic comedy flicks by discussing an unusual topic: a rekindled feeling despite age bracket. More so, it was able to inject some elements that would make the readers think and it did not end in the usual wedding scene as viewed in mainstream films.

I was quite happy to witness this after a series of dark themes and heart-wreckers. I thought I was going to lose my sanity until I have watched this. Honestly, I have set low expectations for this film as I believe rom-com’s do not have places in this festival but I was wrong to think that way.

It tells a story of Corazon, played by Nova Villa, whose feelings for her past love, Third, played by Freddie Webb, were reawakened upon seeing the latter despite being married to Alejandro, played by Dante Rivero, for many years. But as she tried to reminisce on what she believed as her great love, she was able to discover something even greater.





The film was intelligently crafted as it vividly depicts the lives of older people who failed to conceive children. It presents their usual habits and dilemma. The narrative is very fluid that all scenes contributed to the development of the plot and the characters, most especially, of Corazon.

Even if it presented a conflict that is a cliché, the artistic execution of the film catapults it to a different level. Kudos to the director, Real Florido! The most defining moment was the climax (I won’t describe it that much, just watch it!) as it literally summarized the upturn of Corazon’s character. Another thing that I loved the most is the symbolic usage of the car which pretty sums up the story – a love that has been overlooked because it was thought to never work.

Further, Florido’s talent in screenwriting is also outstanding. He knows when to insert the humor and the profoundness in dialogues of the characters. There were notable lines that would make the audience love or laugh their hearts out.


 

Villa is fun to watch as she was so much in character. She was able to capture the hearts of the audience. Her acting might actually win her the Best Actress for this year’s festival. Rivero gave a notable performance that you would love the character as much as you love Villa. And who could ever forget Ruby Ruiz’ acting? She was as effective as Villa. 

Newbies Ken Chan and Coleen Borgonia pumped out the pituitary glands of the audience to massively release oxytocin. Their chemistry and charm was promising. Moreover, supporting roles of Lara Morena and RJ Agustin helped the establishment of Villa’s character.

Will I watch it again? I’m still lukewarm about this decision because even if its artistry is in a different level, it is STILL rom-com. Filipinos have a dose of too much rom-com’s from the mainstream already. Will I recommend it? I'd say give it a try. 

Rating: 8/10


Martes, Agosto 5, 2014

CINEMALAYA 2014 - Asintado (Between the Eyes) Review: Missed the Target


The material was good but Asintado just missed the bull's eye.

The first thing that attracted me to this film is its inclusion of the Taong Putik Festival held in Nueva Ecija. The last time I saw this was in the film "Sukob" where it was used to jump scare moviegoers. It made me happy that alas, it would be used in a different approach, but it turned out to be disappointing. 

The story gave a lot of promise since it attached a beautiful synopsis. However, as it developed, I have counted five yawns from my seatmate before the real score began. It tried to capture the beautiful preparation for a fiesta and included many elements that would solidify the backstory. Sadly, some of them were too much and could have been edited out. A perfect example is the opening scene which presented the “courtship” of Jake Vargas, the male protagonist, and Rita de Guzman. It felt very teenybopper-romance that did not contribute excellence to the film. Another one is when Vargas’ best friend (Jak Roberto) performed in the fiesta’s amateur competition. He sang a few lines but the film did not even give the audience a montage nor other scenes intensifying the development of the plot. Instead, it gave us a cute boy performing all smiles (the only consolation is the scene where his grandfather (the former barangay) kept on looking at the villain).


The narrative became lame as the dilemma of Vargas was not brought realistically. (I don’t want to spill the beans, just watch it at your own risk to find out). I was on the verge of liking the build-up as Vargas fulfills his job as a runner but everything went kaput. There were also anticlimactic moments such as when the conflict has arisen but the in-and-out of the characters in the frame were not quintessential.  

Moving forward, when the cameras started to roll, it caught me off to hear Vargas trying so hard to sound like Nueva Ecijan. It was very apparent that it came to a point when he was not able to sustain the accent. However, he has decent skills in acting. 

Aiko Melendez’s comeback is the real deal. Her defining moment was her tight shot that is currently being shown in the film’s teaser. Also sharing the limelight with her is the very talented Miggs Cuaderno as he portrays a mentally-challenged kid who has excellent skills in using a slingshot. I couldn’t believe that this kid was featured in two Cinemalaya films yet he was able to bring different characters. I heard some murmurs at the back as I watched the film (which is irritating, comments can be done after the film, duh. Dinig kaya kayo.) arguing whether he is also the kid in Children’s Show. It just demonstrates how good he is at his craft (at his young age, malupit!).

More, Gabby Eigenmann was obviously good in portraying the antagonist. Isn’t that his forte? On the other hand, Rochelle Pangilinan’s unimportant character was a waste of talent. Again, it did not put any seasoning in the movie’s stale taste.

The good thing about the film is that the musical scoring was superb (Well, it should be. The director is a musical genius.) It surely intensified the emotions that the characters would like to convey. The closing song was my LSS for that day. Cinematography was just good, nothing special.

I would no longer bother fitting in a rerun of this film in my schedule. #sorrynotsorry 

Rating: 5/10
Photo credits: Cinemalaya