Bradley Liew's "Singing in Graveyards" - Life Under Scrutiny

Scene opens. Sixty eight year old Pepe stands in front of a mirror naked. He's wrinkly all over, a roadkill of life lived as a silhouette of somebody else's greatness. As the story unravels, we realize that director Bradley Liew has a metaphor to tell. Pepe has been working as an impersonator of legendary rock star Joey Smith for 30 years. And his life goes under scrutiny as he struggles to make ends meet. He navigates his solitary existence playing gigs in clubs with an audience that mostly ignores him. His occasional visits to his married son (Ely Buendia) endures similar fate. He even pays struggling starlet Mercedes (Mercedes Cabral) to sleep "beside" him, but she refuses to be touched. Forget the cash; no way is she allowing him to touch her flesh. This scenario left me with a strange feeling of desolation. I couldn't help it.

"Singing in Graveyards" is an existential exposition that examines the value and dignity of life in the twilight years of a man's existence. When we're reduced to a pitiful and unwanted state, do we surrender to despair? It is admirable how the protagonist doesn't easily give up despite the overwhelming odds. Are we mere reflections of the greatness of others? Louisa May Alcott ("Little Women") once wrote that some people seemed to get all sunshine, and some all shadow. Surely, Pepe has monopoly of the latter. In fact, Pepe's existence is a personification of Alcott's statement.

The film has several scenes that left me breathless, not the least of which was Pepe's visit to the graves of the rock star's former band mates (Sheron, Paolo and Eric of "The Jeeps"), as he implored on their souls to help him compose a love song. But even the dead have no answers for him. When Pepe is offered to open for the comeback concert of rock icon Joey Smith, he suddenly finds his deliverance, one that shall sum up how much his life is worth, 30 years later. 

In a scene that offered a slice of magic realism, the "real" rock star is set aflame inside his van while Pepe looks around the singer's posh house. It was the perfect time for Pepe to claim the life he deserved. He takes a chair by the roadside and sits contentedly, watching from the periphery.   

"Singing in Graveyards" is one of the year's best.   

Edward Zwick's "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" - Bone Crackin' Adrenaline Yarn

There are modern day nomads and there's Jack Reacher.

Culled from the imagination of author Lee Child, Jack Reacher, 50's, is once again resurrected in the author's 18th novel where the former major in the U.S. military police corps finds himself a fugitive of the law. Upon his return to Washington DC, he learns that his friend Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) has been apprehended for sharing privileged information.

Heusinger hunts.

Before long, Jack uncovers a plot involving private contractor Parasource that sells used US military weapons (rocket launchers, etc.) to militants in war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan. He must follow the trail to exonerate himself and Susan Turner. Caught in the middle is 15 year old Samantha (Danika Yarosh) who is being pursued by an assassin called The Hunter (Patrick Heusinger). The latter is out to get Sam to get to Jack who must fly to New Orleans to follow the trail.

Unlike other Tom Cruise potboilers, "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" has a grounded narrative. The protagonist doesn't hang on mid-air planes nor is he performing seemingly insurmountable odds. Just ordinary stuff that extraordinary humans do. Reacher’s demeanor is occasionally too staged; even his supposed similarity to Samantha too orchestrated. The scenes are driven by formula but this isn't saying that it's is a bore. What we see instead are bare-knuckle fist fights and fast reflexes you can hear bones cracking. You don’t wonder. Lee Child "designed" his action hero as one proficient in the martial arts technique called Keysi Fighting Method, utilized even by the eternally brooding Dark Knight in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins”. 

It isn't a stretch to root for a guy who always fights for the underprivileged, particularly if he can predict the succeeding events... like clockwork. Phone rings in 10 seconds; handcuffs in 15 minutes; jail in 30. How convenient. If he could only count those forehead lines he'll be wearing in the next five years, he might do something about it.

Edward Zwick returns to helm the sequel.  

When Tom was more beautiful than the rest of humanity. 

#jackreacher

Rasto Boros' "Stanko" - Road to Perdition

Deadbeat and unreliable Stanko (Peter Kocan) gets another chance to fulfill a task - to find and deliver a girl (Ivana Kanalosova) from Slovakia to Italy where she will unknowingly live the life of a prostitute. The teener agrees to join Stanko's road trip believing he would take her to France where her mother works. Short on cash and trying to avoid local authorities, the odd couple navigate the briskly changing Eastern European landscape, occasionally hustling and plotting together to earn enough for petrol and food. Along the way, they forge a friendship that would put Stanko in a complicated, albeit moral dilemma: would he deliver the girl to the brothel or would he drive her to France? 

Kocan wants to complete his task.

The story starts out slow, but it eventually draws and compels you to take the protagonists' journey with them. Throughout the ride, there's a lingering mood of threat and impending doom, despite occasional glimpses of amusement as Stanko and the unnamed girl forge a bond in their beat-up car. But the more urgent issue is human trafficking, a pervasive practice of coercive exploitation of vulnerable sectors of society. This mirrors the early practice of slavery and reminds its viewers that somehow, ordinary people have roles to play to end this prevalent phenomenon. 

In Louise Shelley's "Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective", she points out that, "The conditions of the transitional societies created the ideal conditions conducive to trade in human beings. Now, years after initial transition, all forms of human trafficking are endemic in the region, a result of poverty, ineffective counter-measures, the frequent collusion of government officials in this trade, and the rise of criminal entrepreneurship." Particularly, trafficking of women from Slovakia is continuously growing. The country lacks job opportunities. Poor economic condition and labor migration have been on the rise especially among young people. This makes Rasto Boros' film a relevant piece of cinema that bravely tackles contemporary issues. 

The strength of the film lies in the unexpected chemistry between Kocan and Kanalosova. While Kocan appears middle-aged, gaunt, unkempt and tawdry, Kanalosova flaunts youthfulness, hope and innocence. If these characteristics don't make strange, but ultimately provocative cinematic bedfellows, I don't know what would. 

Forget the tentative conclusion. This, as Aristotle would remind us, is a case of the whole better than the sum of its parts. 

"Stanko" was screened at the 19th Cine Europa in Shangrila, and is among the festival's best features in an otherwise lackluster, head-scratching line-up. Alain Cavalier's "Pater" (Father), anyone? That Pater was nominated for Cannes' Palme d'Or is the pinnacle of lunacy.

Ivana Kanalosova wants to go to France.

Wataru Takahashi's "Crayon Shin-chan: Fast Asleep! Dreaming World Big Assault" - Anime Fever!

When new girl Saki arrives in town, 5-year-old Shinnosuke and his kindergarten friends are sent into a tizzy. But beautiful as she is, the girl is also a hopeless snob. 

Back home, Hiroshi and Misapyon, Shinnosuke’s parents, realize that both of their dreams last night concluded with the invasion of a giant fish. In fact, even Shinnosuke, toddler Himawari, their pooch Shiro, and the entire Kasukabe neighbourhood had the same dream. What is happening here?

The synchronized mass nightmares may have something to do with Saki whose father works as a scientist in a creepy dilapidated warehouse. 

Is there a connection between Sayuri, Saki’s dead mother, and the simultaneous nightmares afflicting the prefecture? 

Is a maternal grudge haunting Saki? The answers could be found in a tattered Tapir doll given to Saki by his mother.

“Fast Asleep!” is the 24th film of the popular comedy manga and anime series Crayon Shin-chan created by author Yoshito Usui. 

The Shin-chan series began in 1992 and is being syndicated worldwide. It has been translated to 30 languages, including Tagalog where it was aired in IBC-13 and RPN 9 in the 90’s. Comedian-rapper Andrew E (left) dubbed the voice of Shin-chan. 

This 2016 film version is a trippy and adventure-filled affair that navigates the Yumemi world of kaleidoscopic dreams and nebulous wastelands. I initially had reservations watching the film, but the adorable characters eventually grew on me. Moreover, the palette is a feast to the senses as it gradually overloads the screen with a profusion of hues, party images and technicolor dreams.

Like many Shin-chan stories, "Fast Asleep!" resonates with strong familial ties and puts a premium on the value of friendship. More importantly, the film makes an argument that dreaming is an insuppressible, unrestrainable concept. And no murky past has power over it.

Dan Villegas' "Always Be My Maybe" - Defining Relationships in Contemporary Society

In what could be one of the year’s most adorable cinematic turns, Arci Munoz plays Tintin, a makeup artist-cum-beauty vlogger who wears her heart on her sleeve. In online videos, she shares beauty tips and laces them with no-holds-barred stories about her heartache. But after getting spurned by her occasional lover (Victor Silayan) for another girl, Tintin breaks down in a video episode that went viral. Six months later, she meets a kindred soul Jake (Gerald Anderson) who himself is heartbroken. Their awkward meet-up turns into an engaging overnight gabfest that eventually settles into comfortable companionship. Have they conveniently friend-zoned their relationship? After all, they admit to not being attracted with each other. Or aren’t they?

Dan Villegas’s “Always Be My Maybe” delves into the mechanics of contemporary couplings through the unlikely friendship of two characters who are trying to pick up the pieces of their broken hearts after their respective relationships have failed. What’s instructive is the conflicting points of view on the different stages of hooking up. I am reminded of the situational dilemma in Cathy Garcia-Molina’s insightful “Unofficially Yours”. This could be its companion piece.

More than anything, the narrative is a precarious reflection of the current sexual mores that pervade in modern-day romance. While intercourse used to pretty much define a relationship (i.e. “definitions” are made before consummation), these days, such emotional scrutiny is taken into consideration post-coitally: did he cuddle, did she stay longer than necessary, was there discussion on the state of affairs? Permissive society has become the norm, instead of being the exception. I do have qualms about a few of the scenes. When Jake shows his studio to Tintin, asking her to pose for him, she offers to show her tattoo – and more, and in the process ends up shedding off all her clothes. So much for sensible and pragmatic cinematic heroines, right? As Jake would rationalize it, “sex is different from making love”, but such is the excuse of cads who just want their concupiscent catharsis.

Interestingly, the character of Jake seems too comfortably close to home for Gerald Anderson. Was the character written with him in mind? One would suspect because Anderson essays his role with sincerity and charm. Moreover, you could sense a morsel of danger in his dealings with Tintin. Is it the nature of “man” as the sexual creature that’s coming into the picture? Anderson is easily “pa-fall” without doing much. His ability to transcend this beyond the celluloid is impeccable. He would be remembered for this role. It doesn’t hurt that he has this easy, albeit complementary chemistry with Arci Munoz.

Munoz, on the other hand, hits the cinematic jackpot. She has triumphantly tempered her depiction of an acerbic heroine with just the right emotive concoction. I keep laughing every time I hear her complain about Valentines Day: “Sino bang nag-imbento nun… ipapatumba ko talaga!” 

If there ever was perfect characterization, hers would be the new gold standard. By this, I am saying that, after watching the film, it would be hard to picture another actress playing Tintin. Munoz absolutely disarms, you can’t help but root for her despite occasionally embarrassing choices. Munoz owned Tintin’s every candor, manner and style. She’s the modern-day Filipina who loves wholeheartedly - body, mind and soul. In her moments of belated epiphany, she laments, “Di ko alam, naibigay ko na pala ang lahat.” Sometimes, loving isn’t counting how much you’ve shared of yourself. We sometimes throw caution to the wind so we can love without restriction, beyond fences and borders. But in this dilemma, there is a cautionary tale. Emotional investments, like finances, don’t always make great returns. When they do, we’d all be in the moon for it. Thus I am tempted to submit this as specimen for any sociological study concerning norms of contemporary relationship. It isn't exhaustive but it is a valid physiognomy of the subject.  

Director Dan Villegas succeeds to spin a discerning yarn that more than entertains. The script bristles with fresh and astute observations about life and relationships in modern society. The pace is brisk and snappy; the cinematic palette clean, the music unobtrusive. The supporting characters (Jane Oineza, Ricci Chan, Cacai Bautista, Victor Silayan) are a delightful coterie of meme-spewing souls you’d want them on your side when life begrudges you of a few smiles. The movie is funny, provocative, sexy, and current. If cinema makes you re-examine your relationships, then it would be the worthy medium for your time and patronage. “Always Be My Baby” is solid entertainment and should not be missed.       

2015 Movie Honor Roll: "Honor", John Lloyd, Nora and Tirso Lead Year's Top Achievers

2015 – It wasn’t exactly an exemplary year in Philippine cinema. Nevertheless, some left a few indelible images in my mind. Let’s call them celluloid magic.

Nora Aunor is a wandering mother in search of her missing child, seemingly oblivious to the inscrutable grief in post-Yolanda Tacloban in “Taklub”. Tessie Tomas struggles to relearn her 3 R’s as she dreams of finishing 6^th grade at the age of 70 in “Old Skool”. LJ Reyes seeks to rescue her rebel father from the clutches of Marcos-era soldiers though her romantic liaisons with soldier Luis Alandy in “Anino sa Likod ng Buwan”. 

Coco Martin’s brother Ronwaldo (see bottom poster) drives around in his motorbike with an aging Kapampangan poet in a sparsely vegetated, dusty sitio in “Ari: My Life with a King”. Bea Alonzo comes to grips with the failure of her overbearing husband John Lloyd Cruz whose ineptitude has put a toll on their marital lives in "A Second Chance”. 

Andi Eigenmann sorely pretends she’s being possessed by the restless spirits of a notoriously haunted theatre hall in “Tragic Theatre”, the first local film to open 2015. 

Mercedes Cabral refuses to leave her shanty by the bamboo groove despite her boyfriend’s constant pleadings in “An Kubo sa Kawayanan”. A gay teenager gets bafflingly pregnant and soon becomes object of the town’s attention, derision and devotion in “Miss Bulalacao”. 

John Arcilla navigates the revolutionary trenches of the Katipunan with acid tongue and impassioned demeanor in the runaway hit, “Heneral Luna”. Piolo Pascual rescues beautiful damsel Rhian Ramos from her abusive husband in “Silong”. Meryll Soriano parries the wrath of her customers when her financial scheme goes belly up, leaving hundreds of her friends in financial ruin in “Honor Thy Father”. Angeli Bayani endures the ridicule of her co-rebels when she was found to have run off with the group’s money in “Iisa”. 

Toni Gonzaga travels to Batanes and falls in love with her good-looking assistant in “You’re My Boss”. Ricky Davao is the chilling crime boss who abducts young women and caters to canine culinary while operating his small town crime syndicate in “Dayang Asu”. 

Raymond Bagatsing recreates a delectable Nick Joaquin persona that’s compellingly watchable and unforgettable in “Dahling Nick”. Bimby Aquino Yap embarrassingly fumbles his five-line poem in "All You Need is Pag-Ibig”, proving once and for all that there’s no such thing as “dugong artista”. Ditto those ridiculously vapid Concio sisters. 

Liza Soberano becomes a reluctant TV host for a provincial travel show while boyfriend Gerald Anderson lies in a coma in “Everyday I Love You”. Teri Malvar finds redemption in another hellhole when she’s taken in by a kind-hearted taxi driver in “Hamog . 

Vice Ganda singularly redeems the asinine narrative clutter of another Wenn Deramas flick in “Beauty and the Bestie”. Cherry Pie Picache adoringly searches for her real mother despite the elaborate show meant to mislead her in “Manang Biring”. This last scene in Carl Joseph Papa’s rotoscopic experiment still lingers and haunts my reveries two months after I’ve seen it. If that isn’t the palpable power of cinema, I don’t know what is.   

What are your unforgettable cinematic moments? "Honor Thy Father" leads the pack with lead actor John Lloyd Cruz turning in his career best performance. Superstar Nora Aunor, meanwhile, disregards theatrical pretenses and those fancy ocular spotlights in Mendoza's antithesis to the typical Pinoy melodrama.  Here are the year’s best films and performances.

BEST FILMS of 2015 (in descending order)

1. Erik Matti's "Honor Thy Father"

2. Brillante Mendoza's "Taklub"

3. Joel Ferrer's "Baka Siguro Yata"

4. Ara Chawdhury's "Miss Bulalacao"

5. Ralston Jover's "Da Dog Show"

6. Jerrold Tarog's "Heneral Luna"

7. Lawrence Fajardo's "Imbisibol"

8. Carl Joseph Papa's "Manang Biring"

9. Alvin Yapan's "An Kubo sa Kawayanan"

10. Jun Robles Lana's "Anino sa Likod ng Buwan"

Best Performances by Male Actors in Lead Roles (in descending order)

1. John Lloyd Cruz in “Honor Thy Father”

2. Raymond Bagatsing in “Dahling Nick”

3. John Lloyd Cruz in “A Second Chance”

4. John Arcilla in “Heneral Luna”

5. Allen Dizon in “Imbisibol”

6. Piolo Pascual in “The Breakup Playlist”

7. Jericho Rosales in “#Walang Forever”

8. Dino Pastrano in “Baka Siguro Yata”

9. Jun-jun Quintana in “Water Lemon”

10. JM de Guzman in “Tandem”

1. Nora Aunor in “Taklub”

2. Bea Alonzo in “A Second Chance”

3. Claudine Barretto in “Etiquette for Mistresses”

4. Teri Malvar as in “Hamog”

5. Jennylyn Mercado in “#Walang Forever”

6. Alessandra De Rossi in “Bambanti”

7. Angeli Bayani for Chuck Gutierrez’s “Iisa”

8. Tessie Tomas in “Old Skool”

9. LJ Reyes in “Anino sa Likod ng Buwan”

10. Mercedes Cabral in “An Kubo sa Kawayanan”

1. Tirso Cruz III in “ Honor Thy Father”

2. Lou Veloso in “Water Lemon”

3. Ricky Davao in “Dayang Asu”

4. OJ Mariano in “Hamog”

5. JM de Guzman in “Imbisibol”

6. Anthony Falcon in “ Anino sa Likod ng Buwan” 

        1.  Meryll Soriano in “ Honor Thy Father”

    2. Annicka Dolonius in “Apocalypse Child”

    3. Anna Luna as in “Hamog”

    4. Mercedes Cabral in “Da Dog Show”

    5. Nova Villa in “ All You Need is Pag-ibig” 

FIRST FEATURES

I love first features because they're baptisms of fire for the film makers. Tension associated with such works usually ignite a degree of creativity that's fresh or original. First time directors are usually on a quest to tell stories that, in their mind, could make a difference. In some instances, these stories become masterpieces because these become carefully told tales in exquisitely calibrated yarn-spinning. 

Some get overwhelmed by the experience. Angelina Jolie, ("In the Land of Milk and Honey"), admitted to having a "meltdown" saying, "I felt very small and, who am I to take this on? What have I done?" Others tend to be more pragmatic about the artistic process. Sam Mendes (" American Beauty") remembered, "“I made a very conscious decision early on, if I didn’t understand something technically, to say, without embarrassment, ‘I don’t understand what you’re talking about, please explain it.’”  But while there are masterful works (Katski Flores' " Still Life", for example), execrable films also turn up, like former sexy actor Carlos Morales' "Piring" which was screened during last year's ill-organized "World Premiere Festival" (FDCP). 

I've a minor quibble with the casting of Kapampangan Poetry King Francisco Guinto in "Ari: My Life with a King" (who won "Best Actor" for the festival), but there's no denying that Catu's first feature is solid film making that deserves a bigger audience. For this list, I've decided to include the short film, "Lisyun qng Geografia", directed by Petersen Vargas though the film strictly belongs with the 2014 releases. But I don't care. I feel it deserves special mention because in my book, it is a complete film. If it were longer, it would have been a legitimate and valid first feature from the talented director. So here's the list.

BEST FIRST FEATURE FILMS 2015

1. Ara Chawdhury's "Miss Bulalacao"    
2. Chuck Gutierrez's "Iisa"   
3. Cia Jorge's "Old Skool"    
4. Carlo Enciso Catu's "Ari My Life with a King"    
5. Mihk Vergara's "Patintero Ang Alamat ni Meng Patalo"   

Ronwaldo Martin is this year's breakthrough artist in "Ari: My Life with a King". Coco Martin's younger brother commands attention.

Earlier this year, I was bestowed relative, albeit cringe-worthy immortality when a starlet named "Katy Pena" came into being and topbilled one of those gag-inducing Pink Films called "Huling Hininga". I had nightmares that night, of course. I thought it was going to be my last breath :)

While we're on the subject of overachievers, let's not forget foul-mouthed director Cathy Garcia-Molina who romps off with the year's biggest non-MMFF box office winner, "A Second Chance". Let's hope she learns romcom-style jargons that befit her supposedly respectable stature instead of curses directed only towards lowly bit players. Otherwise,troglodytes with such attitude don't deserve the public's patronage. Photoshoots as light and breezy as the one above seem inappropriate for her flowery vocabulary. Angelina Jolie would be very glad to lend her head piece, don't you think? A change of name is in order? Cathy Garcia-Maleficent?

Gino Santos' Ex With Benefits - Nasty Piece of S----t!

Ohmygod! 

I had to vent out my frustration watching this execrably offensive movie that's based on the wild imagination of someone who seems to live on the orbits of space - or the netherworld, not to mention that his consciousness is probably soaked on acid. The only thing vaguely "human" in this cringe-worthy cinematic carcass is Coleen's character who would rather sleep with a wrinkly dean than get her affairs in order. Med reps are pictured as a whoring bunch of desperate souls who peddle their products as much as they peddle their flesh for endorsement. Doctors - yes, doctors! - prey on flirty med reps (dressed up like night club GROs) who, in turn, talk about the doctors they cover like hyenas in heat: "Siguro magaling yun sa kama!" Seriously?

A few thinktanks involved with the story development ought to get their heads zapped with 10,000 joules of electric convulsive therapy to exorcise their gag-worthy inventions. No character in this abysmal cinematic garbage is spared from bad behavior, as though the world lives in a very amoral, albeit immoral society - the physicians, the med reps, the best friends, their classmates, the company bosses, the deans, the waiters pouring wine, and even the parents of an underperforming girl. Each one has his sharpened claws ready for the kill! Yes, every one is a wretched soul!

And you wonder which terribly impressive minds have decided that this was a Grade-A film? Typo error? Maybe it was a joke? Ah yes, those bunch of swiveling m's again from the CEB. My maid probably knows more about what a good movie is (or should be) than those hilariously clueless bunch from the Cinema Evaluations Board. 

This film is apparently inspired by my would-be vomitus had I not purchased Plasil in time. Star Cinema, thank you for getting me out of hibernation! You must be very proud of yourselves. Bravo!