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Autohystoria (2007)
Autohystoria (2007) was released at a time when earlier forms of digital feature filmmaking are gaining attention and, at the same time, getting more suspicion. Part of the suspicion came from exactly what Autohystoria’s filmmaking stands for: “long-takes” and “contemplative shots” are often conflated to “lazy” filmmaking. But it was admittedly a very novel take…
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On Darryl Yap’s “Sarap Mong Patayin”, Philippine Cinema, and Violence: Fragments
I What may be lacking in contemporary Philippine cinema is an interrogation of violence. Save for one documentary, the Philippine Cinema scene seems to actively avoid the topic or the theme. The avoidance is so apparent that even attempts to make an action film compelling to watch fails. It is in this context that Darryl…
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Ano’ng nangyari…?
Bale itong post na ito ay tugon sa isang tanong mula sa curiouscat account ko ng isang anonymous. Ito yung tanong nya: “ano nangyari sa PH cinema? bakit nung 2nd golden age naman may maayos naman na lumabas na mga pelikula? ano sa tingin mo yung major factor bat nag regress yung quality after that…
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The Many Deaths of Lino Brocka
This year marks the 30th death anniversary of the nationalist filmmaker, Lino Brocka. Even after May 21, 1991, he’s been dying multiple deaths. Some may recall how Patrick Flores’ polemic against Brocka, incidentally published day after Brocka died sparked controversy as one which provoked later the extent of political criticism. Flores’ mistake however is merely…
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Genus Pan (Philippines, 2020) [SDAFF 2020]
Genus Pan is in the minority of Lav Diaz’ narratives. Diaz’ narratives are once infested by an enlightened intellectual, intruders or visitors like in Pasolini’s Teorema (1968), often talking down to people or spouting sophistries. What Genus Pan does is not to provide a platform for these intruders to speak further, but to give a suspicious look against these enlightened…
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Kalat-kalat na Tala tungkol sa Piratahang Pilipino
Intended tong Blogpost na to sa pag-sagot ng partikular question sa CuriousCat: “ako lang ba o parang ang shit ng scene group dito sa pilipinas? kung di puro webrip, puro camrip. di rin nagrerelease ng raw release. walang 0-day. meron bang social implications bakit ganun?” Siguro magandang okasyon to para i-address ko na yung limitadong…
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The Aesthetics of Confinement
The title is misleading, or perhaps tautological. Essentially, aesthetics has always been dependent on a certain sense of confinement. Sensual experiences depend more on the space that surrounds us, not the ones we occupy. What we see in front of us, what our ears capture, what can be smelled from meters away, etc. Cinema, if…
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Smaller and Smaller Circles (Philippines, 2017)
Watching Smaller and Smaller Circles can be fruitful once you get past its formal lapses. Inconsistencies in tone are the first thing one notices from the film. At first, it feels like a dark, edgy thriller, then, later will seem to become an episode of an afternoon telenovela. Perhaps these lapses can actually be helpful in understanding…
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Marginal Notes on Cinema and Nation
As our Film 240 class wrapped-up earlier, I’m still trying to come into terms of how should I approach the topic of both Cinema and Nation. Prof. Deocampo said to me that the way I wanted to approach my topic, which is Cinema under the Aquino Administration, is something most students (if I heard him…
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Jesus is Dead (Philippines, 2016) [Reel Asian 2017]
When her former husband, Hesus, dies, Iyay (Jaclyn Jose) assembles her children Jude (Chai Fonacier), Jay (Melde Montanez), and Bert (Paul Vincent Viado) for a trip to their previous home in Dumaguete. The misadventures of the family on their way from Cebu follows, with every conflict of each character unfolding as the trip goes by…