HEINTJI MOVIE REVIEW

ORO, PLATA, MATA

HEINTJI S. SORIANO, BBRC 3-3

Hindi siya bastos no!

Ang pelikula ay tungkol sa pagbagsak ng dalawang aristokratikong pamilya sa Negros sa kapanahunan ng Digmaang Pasipiko, nagsimula ito sa dibu ni Maggie Ojeda (Andolong). Sa hardin, nagkaroon si Trining (Gil) ng kanyang unang halik mula sa kanyang kasintahan mula pagkabata na si Miguel (Torre). Si Don Claudio Ojeda (Ojeda) at ang kanyang kapwa asindero ay nagtalakayan sa digmaan. Ang di-pagsama ni Miguel sa hukbo ay nabanggit at tinutuya siya sa pagiging isang “Mama’s boy.” Ang balita sa pagbagsak ng Corregidor ay nagpatigil sa pagdiriwang. Medyo malalim yung mga salita ng mga artista dito kaya hindi ko rin maintindihan yung iba, isa pa dahil maingay sa room nung pinapanuod naming to. Nanahimik lang ng konti nung may mga nakahubad na sa lawa na lalaking naliligo.

Nang sumapit ang digmaan sa lungsod, ang mga Ojeda ay nagpasiya na tanggapin ang kanlungan sa mga Lorenzo, ang kanilang kaibigang angkan sa mahabang panahon, sa kanilang panlalawigang hacienda. Ang mga matriyarka ng dalawang pamilyang ito ay nagpatuloy sa kanilang aristrokratikong istilo ng pamumuhay. Ang kanilang mahinay na pagtanggi sa pagtanggap na ang digmaan ay naiga ng mga madalas na malubay na sasal ni Maggie na naghihimatong para sa kanyang katipan, at ang mga pagbabago nina Miguel at Trining mula sa mapaglarong bata sa mapagsapalarang balubata.

Ang dalawang kaibigan, Jo Russell (Valdez) at Viring (Villanueva), ay sumanib sa mga Ojeda at mga Lorenzo. Nang sumasapit ang mga kaaway, nagpasiya ang mga angkan na lumipat nang higit na malayo sa bahay-pahingaan sa kagubatan ng mga Lorenzo. Ang pangkamag-anak na kapayapaan ay nabasag nang dumating ang pangkat na madambong na gerilya. Hinilom ni Jo ang kanilang mga sugat. Naiwan ang isa sa mga sugatan, si Mercurio (Lazaro). Tinuya muli ng pamilya si Miguel ukol sa kanyang pananabang at karuwagan; sinabi ni Trining kay Miguel na walang ginawa nang ang sundalong Hapones ay pumapatay ng isang babaeng naliligo sa tabing-ilog. Si Mercurio ang pumatay sa Hapones. Inaliw ni Maggie si Miguel, at nagpasiya ang binata na mag-aral sa pamamaril mula kay Mercurio.

Pagkatapos ninakaw ni Melchor (De la Cruz) ang mga alahas ni Viring, nagbibigay-dahilan ng pagnanakaw bilang kabayaran para sa kanyang paglilingkod. Nagtangka siya na basagin na ang katapatan ng mga iba pang alila at tumaboy. Kinabukasan, tinutop ni Melchor ang paghihiganti nang bumalik siya sa kubo kasama ang mga tulisan. Kinuha ang mga pangangailangan, ginahasa si Inday (Asensio), iniwa ang daliri ni Viring nang tumanggi siyang isuko ang kanyang singsing. Sa kabila ng pinsala na ginawa sa kanyang pamilya, sumama si Trining sa mga tulisan.

Ang karanasan ay nakabuo ng isang bigkis sa pagitan nina Maggie at Miguel; ang mga naulila ay nakaraos sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatuloy ng kanilang mga pulong sa madyong. Nagpasiya si Miguel na tugisin ang mga tulisan at manumbalik si Trining. Nahanap niya ang mga tulisan, nguni’t ang kanyang bagong-hanap na giting ay pinalitan ng isang kaululang lunggati na pumatay. Ang madugong karurukan ay sumunod sa isang epilogo. Ang mga tagpo ay magkatulad, subali’t ang panahon ay katatapos lamang ng digmaan. Nagpahayag sina Maggie at Miguel ang kanilang tipanan. Ang mga naulila ay nagsumikap na ipagpatuloy ang kanilang lumang istilo ng pamumuhay sa kabila ng kanilang mga pilat mula sa digmaan. Nakuha ko tong buod na ito sa Wikipedia kasi hindi ko rin masyado nalaman yung gusting ipahatid ng storya dahil hindi ata naming natapos o hindi ko namalayan na tapos na. ang alam ko lang ay nagkaroon ng maraming parangal tong pelikulang ito at isa ito sa maraming pelikulang Pilipino na maipagmamalaki natin.

Jan Dara

HEINTJI S. SORIANO, BBRC 3-3

            A great deal of understanding and scrutiny is of great importance when you watch this splendid Thai movie, Jan Dara.

            The story is one-of-a-kind. The struggles and conflicts in the movie were familiar but because of the different approach with the unfolding of the story, it’s as if everything stood out and gave an indelible mark. This movie was based on a very controversial novel that was deeply challenged and considered ‘unfilmable’ by the Thai community due to its steamy sex passages. The film tells the story of one young man’s growth into the mirror image of the father he despises and uses sex as its primary window into its character’s thoughts and emotions.

There is skin in this film, lots of it, and this is a major issue for a film coming out of Thailand, a country which to this day has strict rules against nudity on screen. Thus in making Jan Dara, maybe Nonzee Nimibutr picked himself one massive fight with Thai censors, a fight that acquired his film a sight-unseen international reputation as an on-the-edge erotic skin flick, a reputation that is somewhat deserved but, I think, entirely misses the point of what Nonzee Nimibutr is trying to do.

The film follows the lines of a typical coming of age story, but with a much darker edge. Most films of that type treat sex as a positive but, though the skin is present here in large quantity, sex is not particularly a positive force in Jan Dara’s life. At first, one may be drawn into the idea that this film is a Thai erotic film but I can surely say that sex here is all vaguely distasteful; the director used it to show how hollow these people are, how damaged, how unable to connect on any sort of meaningful level. The sexual content is used to show how Jan follows inevitably in Luang’s footsteps; the film does have an awful lot to say about the damage one generation can do to the next.

The film itself is absolutely gorgeous. The period detail is flawless and the entire production is bathed in warm amber light that gives everything a quiet glow. Every shot was bathed in a golden, sepia tone and a dreamy mood served as a foil to the story’s more sordid happenings. It moves at a measured pace and the literary roots come through clearly in a structure heavily dependent on voice over to move things from one event to another, from one era to the next.

Though none of the performers stand out as truly exceptional they are all perfectly solid, turning in good work from start to finish. But apart from that, I can say that Khun Boonleuang (Christy Chung) had a great performance. There were neither extraordinary shots nor transitions but the simplicity brought the film at its best. Nimibutr came through with some truly breath taking and shocking imagery in the final act.

The continuity is exceptional and the sequence gives you a chance to think of what is to happen and arouses one’s expectations, paving the way for one to delve deeply into the real message a certain part of the film. Audio per se, it’s all good. It heightened the predominance of whatever mood is prominent in a scene which is a positive aspect for the film.

Jan Dara, judging its narrative and stylistic approaches, is not a bright and cheery piece of entertainment but the film is stunningly beautiful with something to say about human nature and certainly worth a look.

FAME

HEINTJI S. SORIANO, BBRC 3-3

Dream It - Earn It - Live It! Well honestly, when I first saw the ad of Fame in the movie house, I just ignore it and put my attention into much interesting movie ads. The movie was ‘OKAY’ not as good as Step Up 1&2. Maybe because the ‘climaxes’ (yes, the many climax) of the movie are subdivide into four which is quite irritating.

According to the history, the movie was based upon the 1980 film which follows NYC talent attending the New York City High School for the Performing Arts, students get specialized training that often leads to success as actors, singers, etc. obviously that’s why in the first day of audition there are a huge number of aspiring artists. What I do recognize in the movie was the way they put-up the climax was quite weak and slightly irritating. Because it was like they made each year a separate story which made it hard to cope-up with (for me). I don’t any further comments like the movie Jan Dara which I find it interesting.ü just like what I observed, the movie was not too good nor bad, it was just “OKAY”.

Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo

HEINTJI S. SORIANO, BBRC 3-3

Dahil ang pelikulang ito ay gawa ng pinoy, minabuti kong ilahad ang aking sarili sa natural na paraan. Ang Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo ay isang pelikula mula sa Pilipinas na pinagbidahan ni Nora Aunor bilang Corazon de la Cruz at ipinalabas noong 1976. Ito ang unang komersyal na pelikula na may elementong pagbatikos sa pamamalagi ng mga base militar ng Estados Unidos sa Pilipinas. Naisip ng mga prodyuser na hindi pahihintulutan ng Pangulo noon na si Ferdinand Marcos ang pagpapalabas ng isang pelikulang hindi sumasang-ayon sa base militar ng Estados Unidos. Kaya sa kadahilanang ito, pinili nila si Nora Aunor bilang pangunahing artista dahil naniniwala sila na may koneksyon si Aunor sa Pangulo at sa Unang Ginang Imelda Marcos.

Sa abot ng aking makakaya, sa kabila ng maiingay kong kapatid at madaldal kong nanay, pinanuod ko ito ng mataimtim at may hinahon. Maganda ang pelikula dahil ito’y sumasalamin sa buhay ng mga Pilipino ng panahon ng rehimeng Marcos. Ang pagkakaisip ng manunulat kung ano ang mangyayari sa kapatid ni Corazon ay nakakbigla dahil sa kadahilanang paalis na ng bansa si Corazon at nangyari ang mga bagay na iyon.

Ang pelikulang ito ay nasa direksyon ni Lupita A. Concio, panulat ni Marina Feleo-Gonzales, at pinagbibidahan nina Nora Aunor, Jay Ilagan, Perla Bautista, Gloria Sevilla, Eddie Villamayor, Paquito Salcedo, atbp. Kilala ang pelikulang ito sa linya “My brother is not a pig…” (Ang kapatid ko’y hindi baboy) na sinambit ng karakter ni Aunor na si Corazon de la Cruz. Madalas itong banggitin ng mga nanggagaya kay Aunor katulad nina Teri Onor at Ate Gay. Para naring nagging trademark na ni Nora itong linyang ito dahil sa paraan ng pagkakabigkas niya dito ay tunay nga na kakila-kilala.

ENDO

HEINTJI S. SORIANO, BBRC 3-3

            It is definitely more than a love story! The story of was primarily focused on the life of the main character(I forgot) played by the newbie Jayson Abalos. The struggles and the journey that he went through from his family, to his love life and down to himself. Endo was easily one of the best films of last year. It told a love story set in the world of contractual labor, where people are trained to accept that everything is temporary. It’s a heartbreaking little tale that says so much with so little. It’s the antithesis of the modern Filipino romantic film, which has degenerated into absurd stories about absurd people falling in love in absurd ways, all in service of promoting the latest flavor-of-the-month love team. Endo attempts to stick to what’s real, and the honesty is refreshing.        

            As far as I researched, the writer began to relate this to his own experience working without permanent status at ABS-CBN. These elements eventually came together as the spark of an idea. There wasn’t any solid story yet, but Jade knew that the experience was something to be shared. These observations told a much richer story about the state of the nation, of the worldview that everything is temporary. It began as a character study of contractual workers, but as it was pitched to Cinemalaya, it became a love story.

Jade wanted the film to stick to the truth as much as it could, since he sees the film as a loving tribute to the young contractual workers of today. His goal was just accurately depict the situation without being patronizing or condescending. “I don’t believe that movies change things,” he says. Critics of Endo has bashed the film for not being political enough, saying that the film should have just said everything outwardly. But Jade sees it another way. “It all starts with a genuine observation, with describing the problem.” People don’t like being preached to, and they are smart enough to come to their own conclusions. Jade trusts his audience to start reflecting on their own, without the film having to yell rhetoric in their ears. It’s a refreshing sentiment; people often underestimate the power of realism over social realism.

One thing I don’t like a bout this film is the unrelated live scenes which made the movie ‘OA’. And that the leading lady in the film was not good in acting. I don’t like her. But the whole package was interesting but with shallow story but is still a love story. It is primarily a love story; a well crafted one at that. It is the kind of independent film that one can really get behind and fall in love with.