November 16th, 2005 |
After much confusion in the schedule of Cinemanila, I was at last able to view great movies when it had its showing at the Greenbelt 1 in Ayala, Makati after the festival itself. These are the movies that I was able to watch.
Kakushi Ken Oni no Tsume (Hidden Blade) - Yoji Yamada
Don’t think that this is another samurai movie with lots of blood and gore. Tom’ Cruise’s Last Samurai comes to mind here but as told from the point of a Japanese samurai from a lower caste (I’ve never thought that in old Japan, the caste system is widely practiced until I saw this movie). Both films are set during the time of Japan embracing western ideas of war both in tactics, materiel and concept.
Its all about keeping one’s honor, love, obedience and change. And in the end, its following one’s heart.
Clean - Olivier Assayas
Maggie Cheung has always captivated me especially in her roles under Wong Kar-Wai’s 2046 and In the Mood for Love. Here, she’s again showing off that talent as a trilingual has been rockstar. A deftly played role deserving of the Best Actress accolade in Cannes of 2004. The movie is not about drugs, but the change of one woman from an egotistical musician to one who, losing custody of her only son come clean and prove that she’s worthy and capable of taking back her child.
Its a wonderful movie.
The President’s Last Bang - Im Sang-soo
Hmm, a Korean movie. The first time I’ve watched one was, I admit, a bit cheesy, Sassy Girl when a friend brought a copy. This was followed by a horror film (I forgot the title) but the cinematography was just good. Then came Arahan that, while it is fascinating, it was just like those hi-tech, hi-flying with lots of computer effects Chinese movies.
Now comes this one. Its a bit gory especially the murder scenes but its a bit of a refresher to watch something different from the commercial Korean flicks. A black satire depicting the assassination of president Park Chung-hee in 1979, it was said to have been very controversial in Korea when it was shown there. However, the detailness of recounting the events on that dark night seemed to have higly contrasted to the turn of events after.
Whale Rider - Niki Caro
Based from the novel of Witi Ihimaera, this film by Niki Caro is bound to delight film enthusiasts as well as feminists alike. In a patriarchal society wherein the men are always considered to lead the community, its not often that a strong-willed, capable girl, relegated by her grandpa will become the anointed one. A powerful and mystical movie that is not only carried high by great acting and an exciting storyline but the mere fact that its about the Maori, their traditions, beliefs and identity, which is not often depicted is a also a come-on. While I’m no stranger to the Maoris, my idea of them, however is a bit hazy. This movie shows off their rich culture.
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Cinemalaya 2007, The Philippine Independent Film Festival opened last Friday night at the CCP with Dante Mendoza’s Foster Child. While we were not able to be there, we did manage to view one screening last Saturday and 4 last Sunday including 5 short films. This year, 9 full feature digital films and 10 shorts are in competition:
