“Answer the question, Claire.”

John Hughes

1950-2009

To the king of American teen movies, may you rest in peace.

My top John Hughes films:

1. The Breakfast Club

When I first saw this in the eighties (I was a pre-teen) I thought, wow this movie is DEEP. Hughes wrote this in two days and shot in sequence, and the actors ad-libbed many of the scenes; which is why the movie feels so real. Sure, this is America and not third-world Manila, but we all could relate.

There are so many good scenes in the movie but the ending left a long, lingering impression.

2. She’s Having a Baby

This one’s not a teen movie but this scene below killed me when I first saw it.

3. Sixteen Candles

Molly Ringwald. Anthony Michael Hall. And of course, Gedde Watanabe as Long Duk Dong.

Again lots of good scenes, like Molly’s grandparents feeling her up, but this scene between Molly and Anthony was sincere, touching and damn funny.

4. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Just way too much fun.

Awards

Congratulations to all the winners at Cinemalaya! Every one of them won. Did awards distribution occur? It’s bizarre, for example, that Best Picture winner Last Supper No. 3 didn’t win anything else, nor did Jury Prize winners Colorum and Fe. Did these films write and direct themselves?!

Best Film: “Last Supper No. 3”

Special Jury Award: “Colorum” and “Ang Panggagahasa kay Fe”

NETPAC Award: “Baseco Bakal Boy”

National Council for Children’s Television Award: “Dinig Sana Kita”

Audience Choice (Full Length): “Dinig Sana Kita”

Best Director: GB Sampedro (“Astig”)

Best Actress: Ina Feleo (“Sanglaan”)

Best Actor: Lou Veloso (“Colorum”)

Best Supporting Actress: Tessie Tomas (“Sanglaan”)

Best Supporting Actor: Arnold Reyes (“Astig”)

Best Screenplay: “Ang Nerseri”

Best Cinematography: “24K”

Best Production Design: “Mangatyanan”

Best Editing: “Astig”

Best Musical Score: “Dinig Sana Kita”

Best Sound Recording: “Astig”

Best Short Film: “Bonsai”

Special Jury Award (Shorts): “Blogog”

Audience Choice (Shorts): “Tatang”

Best Director (Shorts): Dexter B. Cayanes (“Musa”)

Best Screenplay (Shorts): “Behind Closed Doors”

—

Pepe Diokno (of Engkwentro) only came up with a “Special Mention” but had the last laugh: his film is invited to the Venice Film Festival, becoming the first of this batch to get invited to one of the major international festivals. Sweet!

Two days at Cinemalaya

Work kept me away for most of Cinemalaya week and I was only able to watch Thursday night and all of Friday. Disappointed to have seen just three competing films, but it was great being back, the atmosphere was wonderful. It was great seeing filmmakers of all sizes, programmers, students, friends.

Thursday

The plan was to watch Ana Agabin’s 24K. We all had Monster buy the tickets and we arrived late, so we pretty much just went in without looking. So we’re sitting there and Dennis Trillo is mumbling something about term papers, and I’m wondering where is Jojit Lorenzo (the reason we’re watching) and all the mining? When we realize with a start, it’s not 24K, it’s Astig by GB Sampedro, or if we were to base it on all the press, by Boy Abunda.

Sampedro is good. Boy (lead in story #2) and Timmy Eigenmann (lead in story #4… go Timmy!) were very, very good. Though, in the middle of the show I found myself drifting to the exhibit of the 13 Artists exhibit just outside, where my friends Christina Dy and Raya Martin had installations. CD’s was badly lit and the mounting was awful though, I was pretty pissed that you can see the other works through her doorways and I wasn’t able to experience the space she created.

Spoke briefly with critic Gibbs Cadiz, who had seen all the films. I asked which films I should watch and he said, “For you? Nerseri, Engkwentro and Panggagahasa ni Fe.” I wonder what he meant.

Friday

Did a Jerrold Tarog mini-festival as I saw Confessional (co-directed with Ruel Dahis Antipuesto) and Mangatyanan back-to-back. Watching the two together was a treat. Confessional was fun and gimmicky (in a good way) and the performances were on point, especially Publio Briones as the mayor and Owee Salva as the girlfriend. I met Publio afterwards and gushed a little bit, hehe. Mangatyanan was a lot more introspective with Che Ramos capably carrying the film on her newbie shoulders. She has such a watchable face, and is quite pretty when she smiles, which unfortunately happens only a couple of times in the film. Although I felt the treatment of abuse, its effects and recovering from it, was a little simplistic, I still thought that the film was excellent and was clearly in a different league.

What to watch for the 9 PM show was between Vic Acedillo’s Nerseri and Pepe Diokno’s Engkwentro. Engkwentro won out because it was playing at the Main Theater, a much better venue. Engkwentro is clocks in at just under an hour, which suits its style best, as it is shot in a series of real-time long takes. Zyrus Desamparado as Tomas, leader of a rival gang, was AMAZING. Very present and spot-on; villainous and menacing without even trying. Daniel Madrana as the young boy was also terrific; Felix Roco as the lead was in and out for me, but he was mostly good as well. Diokno did a fantastic job with them. That said, I couldn’t help but feel like I was watching something I’ve seen before. Also I made the mistake of going to the bathroom and missing the big ending; oops.

Saturday

Had work, unfortunately. Damn.

Really want to see the other movies, especially Ang Panggagahasa kay Fe and Nerseri. People (actually, other filmmakers I’ve spoken to) seem to be falling over themselves with these two, along with Engkwentro and Mangatyanan. The audience favorites seem to be Dinig Sana Kita and Last Supper No. 3. Hopefully I can catch some of them in UP.

Or not. Ang layo e.

Cinemalaya Cinco!

We always say it’s the best week of the year for Philippine Cinema. Unfortunately cause of work I can only watch for the last three days. The buzz as I hear it is with Jerrold Tarog’s Mangatyanan and Veronica Velasco’s Last Supper No. 3, will definitely watch those; but I’m also looking for those gems that don’t have the hype yet. Any recommendations?

The official website here.

It is not my place to be curious about such matters.

-James Stevens, The Remains of the Day

TOP 100 FILMS OF ALL TIME

No. 24: THE REMAINS OF THE DAY

(James Ivory, 1993)

Anthony Hopkins gives one of the best performances of the 90s with his portrayal of James Stevens, cinema’s most restrained, repressed character.

Remains is one of the much-derided Ivory Merchant canon, but for me, it’s one of the best, most moving love stories ever told. Stevens is a butler to the weakest rich man in England, Emma Thompson plays Miss Kenton, the housekeeper. Their love is palpable but never expressed, and they only touch twice. The last being the moment they say goodbye.

There is a scene in particular, where Miss Kenton insists on knowing what book Stevens is reading, that burns in my mind as one of the sexiest scenes in recent cinema.

In the DVD commentary Emma Thompson says that every time, after shooting this scene, she doesn’t know why but she feels like fainting. Apparently just feeling Anthony Hopkins’ gaze on her caused her to literally stop breathing.

—

Remains is also the punchlines in one of the funniest lines in a movie ever: “Kids don’t like eating at school. But if they’ve got a Remains of the Day lunchbox, they’re a lot happier.” From Waiting for Guffman. If you haven’t seen it, you’re stupid.

Stupidity is the universal language.

-Leslie (Lili Taylor) in Casa de los Babys

TOP 100 FILMS OF ALL TIME

No. 89: CASA DE LOS BABYS

(John Sayles, 2003)

I’m a big fan of the fiercely independent American director John Sayles, my favorite being Lone Star. Managed to find a copy of the terrific Casa de los Babys. In a Latin American country, six American women seeking to adopt a child, wait a long time for their paperwork to go through. That’s the simple line of it.

But it’s not just about these mothers. There’s the owner of the hotel, her activist son, there’s a housekeeper, the lawyer taking care of the paperwork, a street urchin, an unemployed man, all part of the story. And John Sayles lays out these stories of motherhood, of a superior power taking advantage of a weaker country, of poverty, of longing; all of this with no judgment, no sentimentality, and it rings of truth.

In this scene, Eileen, a British woman, talks to Asuncion the housekeeper, as Asuncion cleans her room in the motel Casa de los Babys. Eileen is in the middle of telling her fantasies of having a daughter. Asuncion doesn’t speak a word of English. Eileen knows only basic Spanish words. Neither woman really understand each others words, but they communicate on a deeper level.

==

Eileen: …And then later, when I take her to Shakey’s or Ground Round, whatever seems like a big treat to her, and I let her order french fries, as long as she has some of my soup too, and she tells me stories about her classmates, or she tells me stories that she’s made up, or whatever. We sit and we talk in the booth. And we’re surrounded by other mothers and their kids. And I am just one of them, you know? And then later when we walk home from wherever I can park the car, there is the sound of our feet on the new snow, her taking two steps to my one. Then maybe if they haven’t shoveled the walk, like they usually don’t, I go in front, to break the way for her. This is ignoring the fact that I am supposed to be at work, right? I’m the one with the job.

Asuncion listens. She sits on the edge of the bed, nodding. She speaks in Spanish.

Asuncion: I have a little girl up North. I named her Esmeralda. She’ll be four years old on the ninth of April. Maybe she lives where it snows, who knows? I was so young. I had to take care of my brother and sister. I had to work. The nuns, they came to see me. They said that it would be best to give her up.

Sometimes  when a new group of mothers comes, I pick one. A good one. I try to imagine her face, her voice. When I think of Esmeralda with her other mother up there in the North, I hope that my little girl has found a mother like you.

Asuncion stands and leaves. Eileen looks at her.

Eileen: I didn’t get any of it, I’m sorry.

Asuncion: Excuse me.

We’re in Rotterdam!!!

Our two-minute short film, Mga Pusong Gala (Stray Hearts) originally a TVC for Cinemalaya ‘08 directed by our frequent colleague Mario Cornejo, is selected for the Rotterdam Film Festival.

Check out screening schedules here.

Not bad for a film that took half a day to make, no money (okay fine, 4 thousand bucks), and a lot of heart.

BABY ANGELO and ANG IBANG MGA PAMILYA at Cinemalaya 2008!

Finally, I’m DONE!!!

BABY ANGELO

The OFFICIAL SITE: www.arkeofilms.com/babyangelo

TRAILER:

And our screening times and venues:

12 July / Sat / 6:15PM / Tanghalang Huseng Batute
13 July / Sun / 3:30PM / Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
15 July / Tue / 9:00PM / Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
17 July / Thu / 9:00PM / Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre) – GALA SCREENING!
18 July / Fri / 12:45PM / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)
18 July / Fri / 6:15PM / Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)

Come to the gala! Drop me a line to reserve tickets. With appearances by the cast and crew of Baby Angelo.

ANG IBANG MGA PAMILYA

Let’s not forget my other film which is also in competition, the short film “Ang Ibang Mga Pamilya”:

The OFFICIAL SITE: www.arkeofilms.com/connie

TRAILER:

And screening times:

12 July / Sat / 3:30PM / Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
13 July / Sun / 6:15PM / Tanghalang Huseng Batute
16 July / Wed / 9:00PM / Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
17 July / Thu / 6:15PM / Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
17 July / Thu / 12:45PM / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)
20 July / Sun / 12:45PM / Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)

See you there!!

Arkeo in the news

James Gabrillo does a 1.5-page spread on Arkeofilms at today’s Super! in Inquirer. Check it out!