FILM REVIEW: SERBIS

In my craft or sullen art
Exercised in the still night
When only the moon rages
And the lovers lie abed
With all their griefs in their arms,
I labour by singing light
Not for ambition or bread
Or the strut and trade of charms
On the ivory stages
But for the common wages
Of their most secret heart.

Not for the proud man apart
From the raging moon I write
On these spindrift pages
Nor for the towering dead
With their nightingales and psalms
But for the lovers, their arms
Round the griefs of the ages,
Who pay no praise or wages
Nor heed my craft or art.

In my craft or sullen art, Dylan Thomas

IT'S THE STORY, STUPID.
by DYG


By now the staff and crew of SERBIS are already past caring what anyone thinks of their work, but as SERBIS opened in its home country for the first time yesterday (I saw it on July 2), it opened the film – and people behind it – to critique by the local audience of both the pandering and the venomous kind. After all, not all the reviews that came out of Cannes were nice to read (or watch, as it were). I admit I was pushed to watch SERBIS because of the quite interesting trailer. I like the color green and there was this overall greenish – or rather, mocha – patina all over the film which I loved so much. Plus, being an amateur photographer, I like shots with drama and SERBIS was quite liberal in this department (among other things, but that’s getting there too early).

Mendoza’s penchant for realism find resonance in the works of Filipino film masters – Brocka, Bernal, etc., but then I recall writer Rita de la Cruz reminding a group of younger, bright-eyed writers during a workshop, ”Napaka-boring ng katotohanan.”and SERBIS has everything – guts, grit, gumption. It also has all the clichés one can possibly think of in films of this genre (they are too difficult to resist). Not only does it have the kitchen sink, it also threw in the toilet bowl for good measure.

Because of this, SERBIS’ narrative suffered terribly in the light of its turtle-paced progression. The story was sacrificed on the altar of details. Because of too many things happening on the screen at the same time (too much energy was spent on establishing the setting, for example), the writers didn’t even have the chance to develop the characters. Everyone acted on their own accord; we couldn’t even figure out who was the son, the mother, and the grandmother of who (see? We were too distracted).

Lingering shots (method acting) did not help nor did they make an impact. This makes me wonder if Mendoza has friends in the film industry who could criticize his work honestly without being afraid of losing their jobs in the increasingly contracting local film business. It is in the interest of Mendoza to surpass his more brilliant works (i.e. Kaleldo). It is useless to keep on experimenting in styles if the story does not progress. The latter should come as a surprise since the writers of SERBIS had super track records (Pila Balde & Tuhog for Amando Lao; Kaleldo for Boots Pastor). Was the material too complex to put together in a 1.5-hour film? Maybe. I recall watching a play of a similar story at last year’s Virgin Labfest and I thought it was the worse of the lot.

Anyway, the film is a visual feast (and I do not mean the gratuitous nudity which was said to have driven a wedge between the director and lead actor). Priceless were the scenes where Coco Martin was unplugging a stuck floor drain, the escaped goat against the screen, an aggrieved Gina Pareño on the toilet floor clutching her new but wet pair of shoes, Julio Diaz and that perpetual stupid look on his face, water coming out of the faucet during Gina’s bath scene (I loved the tiles!). The opening scene; what the hell was that all about? Ugh. At any rate, Gina Pareño shines in this film (but not as much as she did in Kubrador). Coco Martin and Jacklyn Jose are hopelessly trapped in mono-dimensional characters. Everyone else was forgettable.


Filipino Director Brilliante Mendoza poses in Cannes during the photocall (May 18, 2008). Photo credit: Getty Images

If it wouldn’t be too imposing, I wish to offer four alternate endings to SERBIS:

First, there was a scene where it showed the theatre in its most serene – silent and lighted. For once, there was a respite from the ambient noise that so many reviewers were complaining about (I think I liked it, actually). There was a top shot of a man sitting all alone on a bench below with the light from the afternoon sun flooding the area around him. There were lovely shots of empty halls and stairwells that were fantastic and worthy of a coffee table book. Slow music. Fade.

Second was when Gina Pareño, after taking a bath and changing into mourning clothes again (but bejeweled, as if to show pride in whatever was left of her former fortunes) manning the ticketron, her head held up high. The camera actually panned out, but didn’t fade as expected. Tsk tsk. It could have ended the film on a more positive note. I mean, after all the sad, depressing scenes earlier, perhaps there could be some form of justice in the end? Nada. None for this film. It’s too Lars von Trier for crying out loud (he did once say, “A film should be like a rock in a shoe”).

Third was when Coco Martin packed his bags and walked out of the theatre and got swallowed up in a huge religious procession. Pan out, fade, music, credits.

The fourth was a beautiful and dramatic night shot of the theatre’s façade with the huge signage that reads FAMILY (the theatre’s name; how truly imaginative. Onli in da Pilipins.) The theatre looked glorious, it’s 70’s-era architecture a stark contrast to the shabbiness around – and inside – it. Fade, music, credits.

All of the above endings are thematic and aim for positive endings, but Mendoza’s style is obviously – and continuously – changing; there are no more rules, and that creates a lot of problems. I think I also had a quick Maslow moment during the screening. “It is tempting,” says Abe Maslow, “if the only tool you have is a hammer, you treat everything as if it were a nail.” Truly, when one has high-grade cameras and great writers at one’s disposal, so many things can be done with them; otherwise, what are you a filmmaker for? To quote von Trier, “When there's nobody to enforce discipline upon you, then you have to enforce it from within. That, in return, has made me incredibly disciplined at my work today—I work all the time. But at the same time it's a tremendous source of anxiety that everything is your decision. Of course this has given me great faith in my own creativity—almost like a christening gift.”

I, too, have great faith that Mendoza will continue to improve his craft.


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Anyway, after mentioning all these to a friend, he SMSed back,” Who cares about the technicalities? How was the sex?” I rest my case.

JUST SHOOT ME.

KATORSE SHORTS is a project of The Katorse Writers’ Group, a group of young writer-filmmakers who were part of Ricky Lee’s 14th Scriptwriting Workshop (hence 'Katorse'). I saw their ad on Philippine Star last Sunday and decided to go watch the series even if Robinson's Galleria was so way out of my usual route. Thanks to BC for giving me a tip on how to get there from Manila (if you're anywhere near the Metropolitan Theatre area, wait for a bus that goes to Taytay or Cainta).

I am a huge fan of short films. I always get DVDs of foreign shorts whenever I have the chance to come across some. Anyhoo, here's the list of shorts featured. These came from their 4th-year anniversary DVD.

Ang Kapalaran ni Virgin Mario by Ogi Sugatan
Ambulancia by Richard Legaspi
Manyika by John Wong
Puwang by Anna Isabelle Matutina
Dead Letter by Grace Orbon
Lababo by Seymour Barros-Sanchez
Walong Linggo by Anna Isabelle Matutina

Truth be told, the only film I didn't enjoy was Lababo. Paciencia, pero I really have no patience for anything that has a leftist bent. Each to his own.


Ang Kapalaran started the series on a humorous mood. This is a take on the Virgin Mary's Immaculate Concepcion (hence Virgin Mario). The story opened with two men on a bed; lovers, obviously, named Jose and Mario. One of them (Mario; Yul Servo) woke up one day to find himself pregnant. What followed next was too hilarious to even write about. The attempt to abort the child took the most part of the film: Jose (Ricky Orellana?) tried making sungkit the fetus using a wire hanger from all the possible body orifices but to no avail, until a man suddenly appeared in the room telling them to stop and announcing that the second coming was at hand. A joyful mystery indeed.


Ambulancia stars Alan Paule and Nor Domingo. Alan is an ambulance driver and Nor is a medic. The story takes a dig on the belief of ambulance drivers that animals get themselves run over by ambulances to save the dying patient being ferried to hospitals except that on this particular day, Alan didn't run over a dog but his own daughter (who eventually died to "save" the life of a tetanus patient, a friend of Nor). Coincidences can indeed be chilling.

The story could use a little tightening. Parang hindi alam ng writer kung kelan niya tatapusin ang pelicula. Short films should have the ability to leave the audience jarred, shocked or somewhere in between (think Pam Miras' Blood Bank or Raz de la Torre's Labada or Jeanne Lim-Pepe Diokno's No Passport Needed; may ooomph ang ending, gets?). Lingering shots can kill the emotional buildup and ends the film on a flat note. Nasasayang ang effort.

Set in Luneta, Manyika has a promising premise: two young meet and become a couple. Every day, the girl receives a stuffed toy from the boyfriend until her room is filled with them. She becomes inis because the boy can't seem to say that he loves her. Instead, he gives her more stuffed toys. One day, he decided to give her the largest stuffed toy ever and she throws it on the street out of sheer desperation. Boy retrieves it and gets run over. After the internment, girl comes home crying and accidentaly squeezes a toy and it says, "I love you". Turns out, all the toys will say the same thing when squeezed and the largest of them gives her the boy's final message: that he did plan to finally say it on the day he gives her this toy. Sigh. Ano ba ito?! So heartbreaking naman. I wish it could have been shot with a better camera though; plus all that ambient noise! Haay.


Puwang is too long to discuss here (they translated the word 'puwang' to "space between"; "Space" was enough na sana because the title didn't mean it to be a literal physical space. Emotional space ito, eh), but I loved the tension brought about by the confluence of events - a dying father, a son who wouldn't visit, a daughter giving birth, and another daughter who's torn between giving up and taking care of the father. Kudos to the actors and to the writer. Shots were good, never mind that the father's poop was (quite literally) in-your-face. Because of this hindi ko na tuloy matandaan ang ending (I swear!).


May ganda naman ang Dead Letter. Medyo nakakainis na nakakalungkot. I think it is pure poetry in motion. It really captured the situation of many struggling writers (the young writer's script as pambalot ng tinapa was cliche-ish but still the best way to depict things given the circumstances). A little tightening, okay na siya. Definitely not for all audiences dahil sa heavy drama. Anyway, kudos to writer and director Grace Orbon! (Was this part of the Cinemalaya Shorts A last year? Because that was what I didn't get to watch.)


Lababo. An advise to the UM Film Society: keep writing, keep watching, keep observing, keep making films.

I liked Walong Linggo because it's a fine, smooth ending to the series akin to a mug of hot coffee and chocolate cookies after a long day. I guess the official synopsis describes it best: A young man who sits alone in a café every Sunday morning suddenly finds himself strangely falling in love with a girl he doesn’t know. As he tries to get to know her, he is hindered by insecurity and fear of rejection, thus prolonging the much-awaited introduction. Cute concept by writer-director Anne Matutina. Actors Joey Santos and Jaymee Joaquin were very, very good. Mababaw ba ako to like this story? Maybe the simplest can actually be the most likeable.

A better review of the series can be found here.

In the net, the Katorse Writers' Group lives here.

MOVIES I'VE SEEN LATELY

When I saw this film, I vowed never to have kids even if they are as cute and lovable as Anton Ganzelius. I probably would have chucked him out the window before he could say Super Trooper. Anyway, My Life As A Dog started a series of depressing films which pretty much occupied me during my recent days off. At the end of the day, I was sobbing like hell. Filmed in Sweden in 1985, it won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film in 1987. I like it for its sensitivity, its succint capturing of life in rural Sweden and of the pained existence of its characters. I like the way how Ingemar, the main character, philosophizes things by comparing his own existence with that of several others' - it's almost like schadenfreude but without the happiness (which in that case isn't schadenfreude, nitwit!) but he does it to alleviate his own condition, to affirm that his life is better than others'. At the very least, better than Laika, the poor dog sent by the Soviets into space aboard Sputnik 2. My Life As A Dog has a very simple plot but had enough drama to send you howling to the moon.

Roger Ebert describes this film as one of 1993's best. I agree. Map of the Human Heart is a heavy drama with lost of soft spots (I call them "Awww... moments" for the lack of a better term). I think that the characters were so much better as children than they were adults during which they seemed to have lost the magic altogether. Jason Scot Lee, who played the adult Avik, doesn't register well on camera. At the very least, his face doesn't lend itself to many expressions. He looks like a seal taken out of water. Robert Joamie, as the young Avik, was more likable, more expressive. John Cusack, who was unusually handome here, is wasted as he did practically nothing in the film. Besides, what is is about people who wouldn't fight for their love when they're still able and then later lead lives of misery and regret? Life shouldn't be this complicated. Anyway, the film is still very romantic, however, and is suggested viewing fare for those whose relationships need things like war or famine for affirmation.

From Australia comes this powerful drama of a woman (Cate Blanchett) who wants to change her life and get away from her checkered past. The problem, however, is that circumstances just won't let her. Her bank loan just wouldn't get approved, her former boyfriend returned home to work supposedly as a stockbroker (but later turned out to be a drug dealer instead and has involved her brother), and her father - a former soccer star - is experiencing terrible withdrawal symptoms from years of drug use. It's terribly depressing. It's not helping that there's a general sense of - what else? - helplessness. This film pretty much stresses that every one should be given a second chance.

Based on the book by Philippa Gregory, The Other Boleyn Girl is a look into the depressing world of Henry VIII's court where the aim to produce a male heir was as desperate as families' dreams of hitting the jackpot by whoring their daughters to the king. Of course this is a coarse way of putting it, but if I had a gun I would have shot the stupid Duke of Norfolk to death. Anyway, just like other movies on royalty, this film also serves to show the precariousness of one's position in court, how one may be favored today and disgraced the next. The seeming contest to get appointed is something that still exists in our current settings most especially in our own little democratic space. Despite the fact that the film actually deviated from actual historical events, it's a good movie to show to people jockeying for positions in government. Oh, we might as well show them the ax afterwards. Natalie Portman shines as Anne Boleyn while Scarlett Johansson is perfect for the role of the hapless Mary Boleyn. Watch out for winning one-liners from Mrs. Boleyn and of course, Reina Catalina (Queen Catherine; Katharine) herself. I was told this flopped in the States but who gives a fig. I hope they film all the rest of Philippa's books. And as a side note, please work on the accents this time.

2007's BEST FILMS (THE NEW YORK TIMES)

For the year-end issue of Arts & Leisure, the New York Times film critics wrote about their favorite films of 2007. At left is an image from "Colossal Youth," Pedro Costa's film about a man in Lisbon whose wife kicks him onto the streets. Manohla Dargis chose the film, which still doesn't have distribution in the United States, after seeing it at the Cannes Film Festival. She writes, "Shot in digital video, it is a cryptic, arresting work that reveals its mysteries slowly." (Photo: (Pedro Costa/Luso)


A. O. Scott, Manohla Dargis and Stephen Holden all include "There Will Be Blood" in their list of favorites. The film is a psychological study following several years in the life of an oil baron, played by Daniel Day-Lewis. In reference to the movie's themes, Mr. Scott writes, "Genuine, rigorous pessimism about human nature still has the power to shock." (Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Paramount Vantage)


Remy and Emile are brothers in Brad Bird's "Ratatouille," about a rat with a desire to be a chef. A. O. Scott writes that the animated movie "demonstrates a bracing integrity in its commitment to the highest ideals of art." (Photo: Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios)


Viggo Mortensen, far left, stars in "Eastern Promises." The movie, set in London’s expatriate Russian underworld, is one of Ms. Dargis's top choices for the year. (Photo: Peter Mountain/Focus Features)


Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse in "Superbad," a comedy about a night in the life of three high school kids who try to procure alcohol for a party. In her review of the movie, Ms. Dargis writes, "The young male actors in 'Superbad' look as pleasantly, sympathetically real as they behave. They’re at a total and happy remove from the musclebound cartoons of prime-time and action-flick reveries." (Photo: Melissa Moseley/Columbia Pictures)


Marcus Carl Franklin stars as Woody, a young musician riding the rails in Todd Haynes's experimental biopic "I'm Not There." The movie tells the story of Bob Dylan's life and career using six different actors to play aspects of his persona. "I'm Not There" was a favorite of both Mr. Scott's and Ms. Dargis's. Mr. Scott writes, "Though there’s a lot of Bob Dylan’s music in 'I’m Not There,' Mr. Haynes is not simply compiling golden oldies. You hear familiar songs, but what you see is the imagination unleashed — the chimes of freedom flashing." (Photo: Jonathan Wenk/Weinstein Company)

A scene from "Persepolis," Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's animated film based on Ms. Satrapi's graphic novel about growing up in Iran. The film is one of Stephen Holden's top picks. He writes, "This French animated film offers an autobiographical account of Iran’s troubled history from the days of the shah through the Islamist revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. The same history translated into a live-action drama could never be depicted with the clarity and forceful drive that bold, simple animation encourages." (Photo: Sony Pictures Classics)


Frank Langella stars in "Starting Out in the Evening," about a retired teacher who develops a relationship with a younger woman. The film is one of Mr. Holden's top picks. Regarding Mr. Langella's performance, he writes, "Resignation and an embattled nobility vie for precedence in his sad-eyed visage." (Photo: Annabel Clarke/Roadside Attractions)


Josh Brolin stars in "No Country for Old Men," chosen as a top pick by both Mr. Scott and Mr. Holden. The film, based on Cormac McCarthy's novel, tells the story of a man in a small Texas town who finds a suitcase of cash and is hunted by a vicious killer. Mr. Scott calls it "a densely woven crime story made more effective by a certain controlled stylistic perversity." (Photo: Richard Foreman/Paramount Classics)


Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman star in "The Savages," a top pick from Ms. Dargis about a brother and sister who must reunite to take care of their ailing father. Ms. Dargis writes, "There isn’t a single moment of emotional guff or sentimentality in 'The Savages,' a film that caused me to periodically wince, but also left me with a sense of acute pleasure, even joy." (Photo: Andrew Schwartz/Fox Searchlight Pictures)

HAY AMORES!

"51 years, 9 months, 4 days. That's how long I have loved you."

OMG. Gabrial Gacria Marquez's 1985 novel LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA is already a movie featuring Benjamin Bratt, Javier Bardem and Giovanna Mezzogiorno under the direction of Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Mona Lisa Smile, Donnie Brasco, Four Weddings and A Funeral). Shakira sings the theme song, Hay Amores!

I can't wait.

DANGER: LOVE CAN KILL YOU

Had a chance to see this film before BC left for Singapore/Malaysia. No pretentious reviews for you today, but this one was just painful to watch. It reeked of danger at every point but nothing prepared us for the far more dangerous thing called LOVE.

Keeping your enemies closer does have its risks.

WHAT ARE ITS CHANCES AT MAKING GOOD AT THE TILLS?

I like the poster. Very clean and balanced. Wish Ken had a better shot though.

By the way, I just saw HAIRSPRAY on DVD. I got bored (with apologies to the colored community). Maybe I just wasn't impressed with the songs. Story is okay though.

TIME TO COME HOME, TOO

I was shocked to see the queue to Cinema 6 where the last screening of Volver was to be held. Never realized that so many people would want to watch it! I mean, there’s always Bourne Ultimatum in Cinema 1, hello! (Snobbish bitch, me.) At any rate, my only aim was to make sure we get seats far away from the screen which we did. The film has already started, drat.

Aldomovar never disappoints. All the elements that make up an Aldomovar work are all present: mothers, witty one liners (the line “Ghosts don’t cry.” is its most memorable line; it is both kitschy yet has loads of implications), a slice of Spanish life, a stab at the national psyche, female and male character games, and irony. Add to that the elements of rape (or near rape), shots focused uncomfortably on bosoms and cleavages, murder, a sad song and you have a classic. Honestly though, I still will choose Todo Sobre Mi Madre over this. A critic that I came across wrote that one can’t be an enfant terrible for so long. I believe him. If we are already able to dissect Aldomovar and his work then has already repeated himself too much. Time for a new tactic, I guess.

Anyway, the acting is so – as expected - natural, realistic, and effortless. I always admire Spanish films for their clarity and sharpness and their ability to portray characters with so much depth. It’s just like being part of the whole thing! Also, the scenery shots almost always show the kind of life people in Spain live yet all is so effortless, unstaged, un-prop-ed. It’s actually very…provincial. It was said that Aldomovar was born in the same village where the film was shot. One can then say that like the title he, too, has come home.

TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE

At Gateway, my officemates and I caught two Cinemanila entries. It’s the Festival’s last day, and still reeling from my experience last Friday, I made sure we picked the right movies this time. Mantra: We have a choice. We have a choice. We have a choice. Repeat 20X.

On the last minute, I dumped the Best ASEAN film winner, MUKSHIN, in favor of Japan’s The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (released as Tokikake in 2006). I had no regrets. Gut feel told me that I can never go wrong with Japanese animation.

TGWLTT is a story of a schoolgirl, Makoto Konno, who realized that she can travel through time when she was about to meet a train accident. At first puzzled by her newfound powers, she eventually used this liberally to miss coming late to school, beat her younger sister to her favorite pudding, and many more. Soon enough, with a little help from her older sister who claimed to have done something similar in the past, Makoto was made to realize that her actions had adverse reactions on people around her. When she finally runs out of chances to leap through time (one is limited only to 90 jumps), it dawned on her that she should have used the power to do better things – like saying yes to love when it was first offered to her.

The film’s premise is not new, but the way it was applied here gave it its universal appeal. There is humor that connects with the audience and just the right amount of drama – oftentimes amusing in the manner only manga can do it – to arouse sympathy with the character. The only problem is that they didn’t end it when it should already have. We all know the feeling of having to go through many potential endings. It’s like missing your bus stop. There are missed opportunities to make a more remarkable ending by going on and on.

At any rate, it’d be nice to get a copy of this one if only to put it beside my copies of animation icons Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, although the animation doesn’t compare to the latter two.