After.Life - Denying Death in Transition

I had goose bumps all throughout “After.Life”.

The movie is a modern noir that follows the life of a funeral director (Liam Neeson) who possesses a special gift that allows him to see and hear people transitioning between life and death. We also follow Anna (Christina Ricci), an unhappy woman who, on the night her boyfriend Paul (Justin Long) was going to propose to her, picks a fight with him – and then tragically figures in an accident. The next scenes involve Anna waking up from her gurney, ready to be embalmed, but refusing to believe that she’s dead. How else was she able to talk to Eliot Deacon, the funeral director, if she were otherwise? In the next 3 days, it is Mr. Deacon’s task to convince Anna that she indeed has died, to “prepare her” to cross to the other side.

Meanwhile, in the midst of Anna’s ambivalence, she sends signals to her bereaved boyfriend. I found myself all creeped out! Director Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo’s debut movie is a weird, albeit enthralling piece that’s not for everyone. Child actor Chandler Canterbury helped in laying on the willies, as his character Jack keeps reminding Paul that he “saw her standing by the window”. And was the child’s mother dead too? The film will keep you guessing! Production design is top notch, with an interplay of colors, set pieces and location that contributes to a general unsettling atmosphere.

Ricci's nude shots are aplenty, but they are elegantly framed and executed, sensuous to some degree, but never gratuitous.

There were questions that begged answers: When Anna looked at her reflection, we would find her fogging the mirror, which would mean, she is breathing. Is she? Is she alive? Did she have a chance of coming back to life had Eliot allow her to? And why was the funeral director (Neeson) so reluctant on letting her go if it was indeed his intention to help?

Ricci gives perfect pathos to a difficult role, and we have to salute her for a brave performance that required her to be naked during most of her “dead” scenes. That must have been difficult. But with a body as flawlessly beautiful like she has, why wouldn’t she?

Fogging the mirror.

Modern noir from a debuting director.

"Indie Boys" - On Gaudy Satires and Eye Candies

From the poster alone, the intentions of the movie is rather incontrovertible, which is sad since the story could have been a compelling satire on the present state of the Pink Film-churning independent movie industry.

Capsule

It has been 10 years since director Leonardo David’s (Paolo Rivero) last movie, and the famed director is close to getting down on his knees for a chance to work again. But luck is smiling on our protagonist. Liwayway Films' producer (Anita Linda) is forking out P400,000 for a trend-chasing film believed to turn in huge profits for the flagging company (Remember Viva Films' post-80's/90's glory when all they could produce were sex films?) The subculture community is suddenly on a whopper.

But the fun is really just starting for Direk Leo who still has to name his cast and more importantly, write his script! Publicity mill starts its wonders and soon, a riveting line-up of characters are buzzing around Leo: the effete publicist (Shalala) and his underage boytoy (Charles Delgado); the duplicitous newcomer Ryan Delfin (Guio Munoz); the despondent actor-wanna-be Raymond Sanchez (Andrew Miguel) who deliberately throws himself to Leo for a lead role; and Leo's ex-lover Lando (Kristoffer King) who once starred in each of Leo's projects, but eventually fled when the director's luck ran out! This takes Leo on a roller coaster ride that allows him to wield his wand - and will - on people.

Satire

But the anticipated arc of story telling foreshadows an eventual downfall - or tragedy. In the film, vices and abuses of industry people are boldly held up to ridicule; shortcomings of desperate souls are underlined - and we have a gaudy satire that dispenses precarious social commentary on this high-riding system that churns out gay-flavored eroticas! But - "Kailangan may girl na maghuhubad," suggests the excited publicist - to give the closeted guys an excuse to watch the film, without calling attention on their sexual preference. I couldn't say it better! ;->

However, wit is an imperative element of satire, something that is a bit wanting in the script. In fact, some situations driving the characters' motivation wallow in maudlin predictability. Let's take for example the case of newcomer Ryan who's able to snatch the lead role away from Raymond. When it was high time to do his "full frontal" shots, he balked - at the behest of his manager! I thought director Leonardo David is a seasoned pro in the business? Why does he seem too naive and too tentative to wield his authority? Logic doesn't pan out.

Andrew Miguel, aka Mike Chavez in real life, cuts a dashing, albeit bland figure on screen. When he is transfixed and caught on photographs, his profile is arresting, you would take a second glance to stare. But whenever he moves, his facial expression looks clumsy and graceless, which may somehow work for his character - the gullible cad Raymond who would stop at nothing to get what he wants. But you get the feeling that he is holding back, despite being co-lead alongside Paolo Rivero who's commendable as the gay director Leo. In fact, the most that he gets to show is his backside when this is supposed to be his film showcase.

I'd say, good for him. He may have reservations since he dabbles these days as a part-time singer (with a hit to boot: Young Men's "Mas Mahal Na Kita Ngayon"). Besides, he seems a little on the heavy side here, with extra poundage evident around his waist. The other guys in the film aren't as lucky from keeping their genitalia off the screen (Guio Munoz in his after-shower scene, Kristoffer King in a blowjob scene, and a taunting, seducing Charles Delgado opening-and-closing the door while breaking the 4th wall to jeer at his audience - as the film comes to its conclusion).

Andrew Miguel

Aside from the aforementioned actors, Anita Linda gives a marvelous cameo as the revenue-hungry film producer. The scene where she "tutors" her actors how to promote their film (a really tacky, albeit side-splitting appeal for sympathy) is quite instructive and enthralling. Now that is what satire is all about in the hands of a veteran actress like Ms. Linda. Jaycee Parker is thrown in as an inconsequential straight-men's draw. She plays Andrew's invalid sister, dubiously written as an apocryphal character. And is it me or does Guio Munoz look untidy? Must be the hair - or his nail bed? The audition scenes range from crass to hilarious, men in briefs delivering common banal lines that bear words like, "Nadarang ako. Tao lang!" I get shivers every time they get repeated. This film isn't as bad as director Cleo Paglinawan's "S.R.O." but this, really, is like saying, maroon is better than fuchsia, or white is preferable from off-white. Get my drift?

Paolo Rivero and Charles Delgado

Guio Munoz

Andrew Miguel, Guio Munoz, Angelo Cruz and Jeremy Ian (the latter two are hardly seen in the film).

"Magdamag" - Rita Romances Edgar Allan in Fascinating Gabfest

Watching Joven Tan's "Magdamag" (The Tryst) is like watching a chamber play that only Monique Wilson's New Voice Company seems to be staging here. It's a rare form of film execution that slow burns a cinematic brew. And it requires patience and commitment from the audience, but the payback is gratifying.

As a theatrical piece, chamber play is a form performed in a minimum number of acts, played by a small cast with practically no set, no costumes, and small space. The form zeroes in on the didactic narrative rather than the foibles that characterize the fluff in stage musicals. This form produced the likes of Max Reinhardt and August Strindberg. And we are saying that "Magdamag" is presented similar to the intimacy of a chamber play.

Capsule

Like the recent "Two Funerals", the story takes place during the Holy Week when 37 year old Soledad (Rita Avila) meets 22 year old Joven (Edgar Allan Guzman) at a club in Boracay. They hook up and eventually end up in his pad, physically and emotionally disrobing each other between a series of intercourse.

Sol initially personifies the vulgar cougar, but in the course of their conversation, we learn more about her: she's a teacher, has 2 children, has endured several separations, and is married to a guy 15 years her senior. We also learn about Joven: a firedancer who hails from a religious town called New Washington (Aklan), is 15 years Sol's junior, and is engaged to an elder Swedish woman who plans to retire in Boracay. He cooks her post-coital omelet, while she offers him mallorca gin. Each word of disclosure brings them closer to each other, but by 4 AM, after another round of intercourse, it becomes clear that they are discontented souls who have disconsolate resignation to their fate. Will this tryst be their last? As Sol leaves Joven, copious tears are being shed. Joven writes down his mobile number. He hands his card to her. Then Sol walks back to the gentle shores as the sun gradually rises into Good Friday.

You have to simply listen to the words and watch Rita Avila at work as she confidently and deftly rides at the interplay of conversational paradoxes that come alive in Ms. Avila's verbal tussle with Edgar Allan Guzman, who suffers in terms of gravitas. When Sol offers to give him a blowjob, and he winces with embarrassment, she provokes him, "Di na titigas yan, ano?" "Bakla ba ang naka devirginize sa yo?" Then she continues, "Mga lalaki sa Pilipinas, lahat may karanasan sa bading!" Annoyed by her taunts, he pulls down his pants and forces his crotch on her mouth, which provoked a curiously contradictory reaction. She gags and turns to the sink to vomit.

Guzman needs to acquire a degree of pluckiness to counter Avila's delicious provocations. After all, despite his character's youth, Joven is a ripe 22. He isn't so innocent from the ways of the world - what with him marrying a foreigner for her house-buying inclination. Isn't that a naive case of pseudo-prostitution?

Writer Jerry Gracio turns in a smart script that gives director Joven Tan a substantial material far removed from the director's mediocre past. Unfortunately, the script at times becomes self-indulgent. Gracio sometimes forgets the logic within his verbal diarrhea: e.g. After another round of coitus, Sol turns to TV and watches porn, and complains, "Ano ba yan, wala man lang akong mapanood, kahit Wowowee." At 10:30PM she's expects to see Wowowee?

Despite the seemingly risky conversation pieces, there is nothing visually graphic for those expecting flesh and kink. Look elsewhere for your fix of genitalia (like the current pink film "Indie Boys") and graphic sex. Majority of the scenes happen inside a room, thus there is hardly a change of view. That, in itself, is a daunting task for the story teller who has to make his topics a little more florid to sustain attention.

It is a tall order to mention Reinhardt and Strindberg in the same breath as Joven Tan, the director of cringe-worthy films like "Tutok" and "Dalaw", but this film is without a doubt a decent work. It deserves my most gracious applause. It isn't for those whose idea of cinematic fun is a slap-happy scene, a rabid car chase, a naked pubescent hero, tech-savvy CG effects, or a finger-snapping terpsichorean swirl. "Magdamag" doesn't have any of those. It is simply a compelling piece of thought-provoking, neuron-inspiring character study.

Rita Avila: luminous and provocative.

Edgar Allan Guzman: "Mr. Pogi" winner shares stellar billing with Rita Avila.

Slovenian Cinema – Gut Wrenching Catharsis in “Soul at Peace”

I sympathize with the repentant souls, for there is nothing truly more impetuous than the authentic understanding of remorse and its rightful consequence. But there is something so disturbing about the kind of redemption that Tono, the protagonist in Vladimir Balko’s “Soul at Peace” needs.

Tono (Attila Mokos) just completed his 5 year stint in jail. He is bitter, suspicious of the child his wife says is his. He knows better. While in the slammer, he was diagnosed with Testicular Hypoplasia, a condition that prevents him from fathering a child. The local police constantly beats on his door. His friends have moved on, and life in a small town is a world of antipathy.

His friend Stefan (Roman Luknar) is badgering him back to the same scam that landed him in jail. But with adequate resolve to channel off his bitterness, he takes every challenge with assured stride: he takes the frowned-upon job of a gypsy’s assistant at the train station (which pays less than the unemployment dole outs); he borrows money to pay what he owes; he buys “his” child a dog; then teaches his cunning friend Stefan a lesson or two that needed teaching. But something is off. He is unable to pull the trigger for a deer he is hunting. It is a dilemma that glides along disturbingly with the calm in his soul.

It baffles me that his idea of salvation ends in something so tragic. Just when he has placed all the pieces together... It dawned on me that the idea of salvation is such a subjective concept.

“Soul at Peace” boasts of dazzling camera work where the forest community comes off like a piece of paradise, and the performance of the ensemble is topnotch. Attila Mokos particularly consummates his character with dexterous unpredictability. Luknar, who plays schemy Stefan, is a charming, but dangerous antagonist whose bark was worse than his bite. The film is a new work released last year (2009).

Slovenia is a newly democratized country – and the richest Slavic nation state in Central Europe. The country declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.

I was actually surprised to learn that the fantastic Mr. Mokos only made 3 films. After all, Slovenian film industry is almost non-existent, averaging just 2 films per year since 1995. Mokos earlier appeared in another Slovenian film called “Landscape” (2000), a film that I actually have somewhere in my room. If I can just find it. Darn.

When deer hunting becomes a dilemma.

In a hilarious scene in the movie, Tono, Marek and Peter share "communal pissing" upon Tono's release from prison. Now, where's MMDA when you need them? ;->

Roman Luknar and Attila Makos

Roman Luknar

Romance & the Swiss Cinema – A Rooster For Love in the Amorous “Marcello Marcello”

Once upon a time, in the island of Amatrello, just off the coast of Italy, not too long ago (1956), there lived a young man of 18 named Marcello, the son of a fisherman. He was smart, conscientious, and good looking, and never once considered joining the town’s silly courtship custom. When a girl turns 18, she is presented to the town’s young men who are then invited to bring her gifts; a gift intended for the girl’s father, and whoever gets chosen will enjoy the privilege of the girl’s first date.

One day, the mayor’s daughter comes home to celebrate her 18^th birthday. Elena has grown up into a lovely lady. And this time, Marcello isn’t just an amused spectator. Marcello is enchanted by her enigmatic smile. When Elena is presented for the gift-giving ceremony, Marcello vows to win! But he has to overcome the insurmountable odds by giving the mayor what he’s been wanting – the butcher’s rooster who keeps disturbing his sleep!

But the butcher refuses to part with his rooster – unless Marcello gets 2 bottles of limoncello, a rare wine owned by the reclusive Palmierri sisters who wouldn’t give him a bottle – unless Marcello gets a pair of wedding dress for them. Before he knew it, he’s been rounding half the town’s population for items in exchange of what the young man needs. But he is resolute. He will face every greedy soul to get to his Elena: his school principal, the stern priest, a shamed soprano, a rock & roll-loving barber, the town seamstress, and his cunning classmate Armando! Will he ever get to date Elena?

I'll give you a good guess.

This should be Cine Europa’s most fun and deliciously fizzy entry this year, a story told like a fairy tale. It has this feather-light narrative, and dispenses lessons on perseverance and the nature of greed, subtly grazing over moral issues amidst the backdrop of golden sunrise, turquoise sea and pastel homes. Francesco Mistichelli makes a star turn as the adorable Marcello, and Elena Cucci (as lovely Elena) is his perfect muse. I am curious as to this movie’s country of origin (Switzerland) when the story is set in an Italian town. The copy shown in Shangrila is grainy, but once you get over this, there is no doubt of its immense entertainment value. It will be screened again – for free - this Saturday (September 18) at 6 PM. Queue starts at 4:30, and tickets are distributed at 5.

Do yourself a favor and watch Denis Rabaglia’s “Marcello Marcello”.

Francesco Mistichelli as Marcello

Elena Cucci

Alfio Alessi is the town lothario, and Marcello's worthy adversary. Not only is he good looking, he is smart, rich and cunning.

Young men gather outside the girl's house for the announcement.

Francesco Mistichelli

Francesco Mistichelli today: more gorgeous than ever. Unfortunately, he hasn't done any films after "Marcello Marcello".

Phobia 2 - Goosebumps with Pleasure

Phobia 2 has 5 short disquieting stories. These unrelated stories are a well chosen hybrid of morality and folkloric tales. In the 1st segment, "Novice", Pey (Jirayu La-ongmanee) is a petulant young man who's being dropped off by his mother to serve his buddhist duties as a novice. Belligerent to his superiors, Pey is resistant to everything his temple offers, located in the bowels of a lush jungle. At the Feast of the Hungry Ghosts, where monks are supposed to fast, Pey pinches off the offerings, only to impetuously suffer from the wiles of a pissed off forest monster.

But this apologue originates from earlier misdeeds. Prior to this, Pey lives the life of a depraved juvenile, riding his motorcycle with an accomplice. They deliberately stone on-coming cars from deserted roads, then steal their stuff. One night, Pey unknowingly stones his father's car, killing the innocent prey in the process, thereby leaving Pey in a state of moral dilemma.

My other favorite segment is "Backpackers". It starts off light heartedly with 2 Japanese tourists hitching a ride on a cargo truck with a disturbed driver. While on the road, they hear shots coming from behind. When they checked it out, corpses of illegal migrants made carriers of illegal drugs pile up. But like "Resident Evil", the dead didn't stay dead! And soon, the surviving Japanese tourist and the driver's assistant (Charlie Trairat) had to run for their lives, as "zombies" pursue them. With enough gore on display - along with its eerie setting, this segment alone will give you the willies.

The other segments include: "In the End" - a remarkably witty satire on Thai horror movie making; "Salvage" - about a woman selling second hand cars with fatal past; and "Ward" - about a young man who bunks in with a comatose old man at a hospital room. Each one has an atmosphere thick with tension and uncertainty. This omnibus project deftly shows the cinematographic genius of the Thais. The pictures sparkle, and each scene piles up goosebumps, the way you want to be scared! My only issue with this film is its cinema copy. It displays 3 subtitles: English, Bahasa, and Chinese - and these subtitles encroach more than half the screen, providing a major distraction to the general viewing experience. In "Backpackers", the subtitles were a minimum of 4, since it involved Japanese tourists! All these distractions somehow lead you to believe that the film distributor actually bought the rights from a second-hand merchant. I could have lend them my DVD copy instead! ;->

Novice

Pey gets hungry.

Charlie Trairat's cargo of corpses in "Backpackers".

Charlie Trairat, of "Dorm" fame, grows up.

Charlie Trairat

Belgian Cinema - Getting Seriously Funny in Nabil Ben Yadir’s “The Barons”

"The Barons" is a curious piece of Belgian cinema. If I were to choose a single Belgian film to showcase the country, it wouldn’t be “The Barons”. However, its power rests on the masterful film making and a seamless narrative flow that spotlights a bunch of lazyheads who call themselves “The Barons”.

The movie is set in an Arab neighborhood in Brussels where “The Barons” live their lives in pleasant apathy. They stand with their philosophy believing that “Men’s longevity is dependent on the number of steps he takes. Once he reaches that quota, he croaks.” This is a great excuse to lounge around, doing absolutely nothing.

Hassan (Nader Boussandel), the gang’s struggling stand up comic, is in love with his mate’s sister Malika (who anchors the local TV news). Hassan gets cold feet whenever she’s near, so he makes up excuses by rationalizing that your friend’s sister is off limits. When Hassan’s father suffers a heart attack after their altercation, he feels guilty, then takes the job that his father wanted for him – as a city bus driver; a way to join society’s working class, and mainstream Belgium. Before he knew it, he’s following the pattern of every working class man – find a wife, raise a family, get old and be boring. But his gang is not happy. Moreover, what becomes of his attraction to Malika?

The film takes a stylized and tongue-in-cheek manner of story telling, a character would sometimes break the 4^th wall to directly address the audience. Color grading is experimented on, employing the subtlest of colors, which to my mind, isn’t really consistent with the ongoing screen humor. Besides, you somehow have that feeling of nostalgia even though our story is current! Despite these nitpickings, there is much fun to be had in this film’s subtle bursts of humor, polished photography and the unusual energy of the ensemble. For once, Arabs - Moroccans in particular- are portrayed in a more positive light.