Mowelfund – FILM TRIP!

As a third year Mass Communication student, I never thought that at this level we would be able to go on a tour. A film tour specifically happened last September 30, 2013, Monday, with MC1137, Professor Datu Jamal Ashley Abbas and with the Mowelfund Film Institute’s workers and staff, which let us enter Philippine Film History in person and see the equipments, crafts, posters used, pictures, and statues of people in line with film industry. The field trip also served as a relaxation and a bonding with friends, professor and classmates as we experience Final Term’s pressure. It was a fun-learning experience because we were able to personally see what our professor teaches us inside the classroom. Let me share the things I remember during the film trip and if possible, I will also post pictures taken inside the museum.

Meet me (upper picture: leftmost and lower picture: rightmost) with my Block 7 friends. 😉

First, we went to a room where Fernando Poe Jr.’s film posters, artifacts are placed. There is also a portion inside the room that tells something about Lino Brocka. We watched a cartoon as an introduction, it was made by a student or a work shopper of Mowelfund. According to our guide, the tuition for three months costs up to 40K in terms and negotiable. He invited us to join the workshop if we’re interested and planning to pursue film industry in the future. The guide explained the Mowelfund’s history, who founded it, the chairman, what it does, what is it for and where its fund comes from. After that, he gave us tickets and a pamphlet that has Philippine Theater’s History.

Once again, we met Antonio Ramos, the person who first introduced films into Philippines. There are also pictures of Dalagang Bukid and the Philippine’s first movie house, Cine Walgrah. Even though these were tackled inside the classroom, it’s more awesome and interesting to see pictures while introducing them together with the equipements used before. They are so cool. Some of my classmates took a photo of it.

During the tour, we’re also with our professor so he used to explain these and that including the four productions, and its superstars: LVN who’s known for musical starring Nida Blanca and Nestor de Villa; Sampaguita for Drama films with Gloria Romero and Luis Gonzales; Premiere for action films with Fernando Poe Jr. and Lebran’s english-language movies.

Then we move on to Philippine Horror films. Where stuffs like Tyanak, Tikbalang, Kapre, Aswamg, Dila ng tiktik and others are placed.

 

We also get to encounter some of of the dresses, accessories, swords, shoes and different props used by different Filipino artists. We saw Susan Roces’ dress, Darna’s costume, etc.

We also saw pictures of old and new pictures of artists and some of the posters used during showing of films in movie houses such as Enteng Kabisote, Magic Temple and Scorpio Nights.

I had fun and learned a lot from this tour. I am thankful for people who organized that museum and preserved such stuffs for the new generation who will benefit from it just like us. I hope that they will continue what Mowelfund has started and its legacy, and if possible, improve it and give more attention. Because as we’ve noticed, it was not improved and updated. Nevertheless, I enjoyed our film trip. 🙂

Mulholland Drive Official Trailer!

Mulholland Drive Official Trailer!

Mulholland Drive: It will surely drive you crazy!

Mulholland Drive written and directed by David Lynch was probably the most controversial and daring movie I’ve watched in my entire life! Why is that? Even though I’m used into watching films with kissing scenes, love scenes, sexual acts between a girl and a boy or a boy with another boy (started when I watched GMA 7’s My Husband’s Lover, although scenes between the bi-sexuals are not that intimate), this is my first time to watch a movie wherein the relationship is between two girls, lesbians. I don’t know why I’m reacting this way, maybe because I see myself 12 years ago. I was kinda boyish and admire girls but never wanted to end up loving the same sex because after all, I wanted to have my own family. Anyway, I do respect them. 🙂

Aside from the movies daring scenes between Dianne (Naomi Watts) and Rita (Laura Harring), the movie’s story and sequence made me find it hard to understand what happened and what’s already happening! In the beginning, I thought I was able to catch the story and was trying to predict what will happen next, what would be the next scenario and situation but as the movie go along the way, as different characters are inserted on the film, I was like… “Hala, anong nangyayari? Sino nanaman ‘tong bagong artista na pumasok?” And began asking questions to myself, to my seatmate, raising my voice because I can no longer understand it and I’m quite pressured because our professor told us that there will be an essay about the movie afterwards! *fudge* 

Second opinions and predictions withing the front row where I was seated that that are popping out while I was really trying it hard to understand who’s Rita? Who’s Betty? Who’s Dianne? What’s the connection between the cowboy and the director who will be saying, “This is the girl.” and the significance of keys, the grandparents, the diner where Dianne and the guy whom she asked (pala) to kill her ex-lover who apparently fell in love with another guy, the reason why she was motivated to kill her.

On the first scene, there is this car where Rita is placed until it crashed to another car which caused the people inside it’s death. But fortunately, Rita was able to survive and stayed on a house where Dianne resides. Rita lost her memory so Dianne helped Rita to recover until they fell in love with each other. Dianne helped Rita through going to significant places, one of it was the Silencio Theatre.

According to the host of the theater, there is no band or an orchestra inside the theater. Everything that they will hear are just recorded. Same thing with everything happened right after Rita’s car accident. Right after Dianne knew that Rita cheated on her and fell in love with another guy, she asked someone to kill her and every moment she was with Rita from the car accident are just fantasy. It was all recorded in her mind. It’s actually just in her mind. She created a world where she and Rita’s love continues. Dianne hallucinated and her dream with her ex-lover, Rita, were all recorded.

 

Eastern Promises

‘My name is Tatiana. My father died in the mines in my village, so he was already buried when he died. We were all buried there, buried under the soil of Russia. That is why I left…to find a better life.’

Those were the last lines uttered by the voice over at the end of the movie. However, was she able to find the better life she chose to live or drowned her being to the Russia’s underworld?
Eastern Promises is a 2007 British^[3] crime thriller film directed by David Cronenberg, from a screenplay written by Steven Knight.

There is this 14-year-old pregnant girl named Tatiana. She is begging for help at a convenient store as she severely bleeds. After she collapsed, she was sent to the hospital to deliver the baby. However, during the operation, she was not able to make it and died.

The hospital’s midwife, AnnaKhitrova (Naomi Watts) took care of the baby since the family was not yet traced. The only thing left for her to find the baby’s family was a diary and a card leading to the Trans-Siberian restaurant, which is owned by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), an old vor in the Russian Mafia. Anna asked for her uncle Stepan’s (Jerzy Skolimowski), help in translating the diary’s texts but he urged caution.

Along Anna’s search for the baby’s father, she found out that it was Semyon. He and his son, Kirill (Vincent Cassel) forced Tatiana to prostitution, addicted her to heroin and raped the minor girl. So what Semyon did, he ordered Nikolai, the family’s driver and trusted worker to have a deal with anna. He will tell everything about the baby’s relatives if only Anna will hand them the diary.

Nikolai Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen) is a FSB agent and senior police officer under duty. Before Semyon got the diary and burned it, he was able to read everything written on it so he was able to have a plan for Semyon’s arrest with the statutory rape case, with a paternity test of Tatiana’s baby as evidence.

In fear of imprisonment, Kirill tried to kill the baby but Nikolai and anna were able to stop him and calm him down. In the end, Semyon flew somewhere, Kirill and Nikolai worked together on the restaurant and the baby was left under Anna’s custody and named her Cristine.

The story is very interesting. It contains violent scenes. For example is the scenario on the barbershop I guess, where guns beheaded the man, bursting his blood all around; the other one is when the boy is peeing and same thing, he was beheaded, showing that his head was being detached from his neck, gross. The other one is Nikolai’s bathroom, hot and violent scene, guns tried to kill him. He was naked while doing the fight scene, striking the enemy’s eyes, stomach, head, etc.

The movie is also thrilling. It came to point that the whole class was tensed and assuming what will happen next. We were asking questions with our seat mates when there is a scene where we cant understand.

Life is mysterious. You have to expect the unexpected. If ever you have the chance to change destiny, choose the better direction. And If fortunate enough, the best one.

 TRIVIA:

What do Nikolai’s tattoos mean?

• Three Cupolas (Towers) on back: Three terms in prison;

• Virgin Mary with Child on abdomen: I am true to my friends / My conscience is clear (could also mean “prison is my home”);

• Raven on shoulder: Death, I am not yours;

• Starburst on finger: I became a criminal because of poverty and a broken home;

 

• Cross on finger: I was in the Crosses (a prison in St. Petersburg);

• Black-and-white diamond on finger: I deny official authority / I disobeyed rules while in prison;

• Grim Reaper on abdomen: Death is always waiting for me;

• Sun and sea with Cyrillic”CEBEP” (north) on back of hand: I was in prison in the CEBEP, (pronounced ‘sever’)

• Crucifix on chest: Professional Thief / I will not betray you;

• Skull on shoulder: Stay away from me / Murderer;

• Tattoos around ankles: “Where are you going?” and “What do you care?” written in Russian.

       (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765443/faq?ref_=tt_faq_3#.2.1.12)

Cinemalaya 2013: Babagwa

Babagwa or Spider’s Lair is a 2013 Filipino drama film written and directed by Jason Laxamana. The film stars Alex Medina as Greg, an internet scammer falls in love with a wealthy old maid while trying to swindle her using a fake Facebook profile. The film competed under the New Breed section of Cinemalaya 2013 together with Ekstra, Sana Dati, Instant Mommy, Porno, etc.

We watched this film at Cultural Center of the Philippines with some of my blockmates at around 6:15 pm. It lasted for one and half an hour. The mood of the movie is quite comedic. Because the supporting actor is a gay. It somehow carries the movie. They used harsh words even back and frontal nudity and sex scenes.

It is about a man who fools people mostly, guys through facebook. He makes friend and sometimes fling with them and ask to deposit a requested money because he can’t withdraw, he lies and says that he is out of town or whatever and could not reach his relative who is sick and needed money. So the fool guy being used follows and lends the user a money as requested.

The guy’s gay manager is the one who taught him what to do, they borrowed an account from a friend and promised to give the 40% of the illegal transaction. That is their routine.

 

The guy has a girlfriend wherein their scenes are always in bed, nothing else. And they talk over things while making love. They’re so violent while they do that, in that way, character is also established. The girl always asks the guy if when he will take her to Palawan. That is always their conversation. Until one day, the guy met a girl via facebook, the girl is so hot, rich and beautiful. Since this guy uses other handsome guy’s face while he communicate, the pretty girl fell in love with him, so is he.

What happened next is his manager wants him to use the girl also and ask for money but since he loves the girl, he does not want it that way and ask to spare her. But the manager’s decision prevailed until the girl knew the truth, she got angry but still accepted the guy despite of his lies. The girl ask the guy if he wanted to just stay with her and leave his illegal work since the girl is pretty and rich based on Facebook. The guy is so happy and decided to be with the girl. The girl’s driver fetch him at the bus terminal and said that she will wait them in her house. But then, the girl he expected is not the way she used to be. The girl is so fat, not that pretty and just an ordinary woman.

I can say that it is the guy’s karma. Do not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you. What you sow, you shall reap.

 

 

Babagwa -Trailer

New Hollywood & Independent Film making

American film industry fluctuated. Different problems arose that it came to point that they are spending money more than what they get. Even Television networks refused to bid pictures. This is because the films produced have no longer an impact to the public. They find it irrelevant. What the people wanted is something they can relate to, something that happens in reality and they can apply with their lives or daily living.

However, the producers fought back. They raised more passionate, idealistic and did not only mastered the mechanics and techniques of production but its aesthetics and history. These directors are renowned as movie brats. They are Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Brian de Palma and Steven Spielberg. They studied at film schools such as New York University, University of Southern California, and the University of California Los Angeles.

They produced “B” or Blockbuster films where mass really patronized their works. Why is that? It is something that is new to the people’s taste. Something with heart and touch of personality. Most of the successful films produced by these movie brats have their own story behind it intertwined with the directors.

Then, New Hollywood is only a revision and more improved style like classical Hollywood. It is still their basis for establishing such. They even admired European movements and with how they produce films. Some of the directors set this as an example and inspiration as they build their own identity in the film industry.

Director during this time developed their own production. Especially when it comes to techniques, some of them established their own identity when it comes to filmmaking. De Palma’s films are known to be with touch of Hitchcock’s. Lucas developed motion-control, together with Spielberg they moved toward digital sound and high quality technology. Copolla for fast-motion black and white. They enriched the versions of genre, narrative and style.

Moreover, other independent filmmakers shifted on the mainstream, some did not and stayed on their line, which usually stocked to the urban problems. Other styles and movements even the classical Hollywood era were still used up to this age.

Independent directors developed their own production. As they stayed on their line, opportunity comes their way because they were also patronized by the public and earning big.

As this new style arrives, they try to improve and not do distort the previous techniques. At the same time, they make their own innovation in this industry.

 

Monster House – Trailer

Animated Film: Monster House

Monster House is a 2006 computer animated motion capture horror/comedy film directed by Gil Kenan, produced by ImageMovers and Amblin Entertainment, and distributed by Columbia Pictures.

The film is about an old house. It is known as a haunted house because the way it looks. The old man who lived in the house was known as Mr. Nebbercracker. He never smile, always mad and seldom go outside his house. He never accepted a visitor and never allowed someone to go near his house and even to step in his backyard.

A little girl rides her bike when suddenly she hits the lawn of Mr. Nebbercracker’s backyard.

Nebbercracker snaps and take away the bike and remove its wheel, then the girl goes away and cried. Nebbercracker did not know that his neighbor, DJ , always spies on him. When DJ’s parents leave the town, DJ called his best friend Charles to play but unfortunately loses his basketball on Nebbercracker’s backyard.

When they are trying to get the ball, Mr. Nebbercracker saw them but apparently suffered a heart attack and then rushed to the hospital. Then they discovered that the house is a monster itself. The next morning, Jenny is selling Halloween chocolates then DJ and Chowder – Charles’ nickname, saw her going to Nebbercracker’s house and they rush out to warn her catching her before she is eaten by the house.

The three explores the house while Nebbercracker is away and they discovered that Nebbercracker’s house is possessed by its wife Constance.

when they escaped the house suddenly Mr. Nebbercracker step out of the Ambulance and saw them.

DJ tells the old man to let Constance go, but the house overhears. The house becomes a monster and chases the group to the construction site. DJ and Jenny climb to the top of the crane, while Chowder distracts the house. DJ throws the dynamite to the chimney and the house got destroyed. The trio see Nebbercracker and Constance ghost hug each other. Nebbercracker thanked the three kids for freeing him and Constance.

 The children work together and learned that judging people through their appearance. The movie is great and has a twist-turning ending.