Showing posts with label films. Show all posts
Showing posts with label films. Show all posts

Thursday, August 19, 2010

FEMME-atay! Strong Femmes in Films on Cine Chichirya

They kiss, they kill and they kick macho ass. They are the femmes fatales and strong femmes in films.
This Friday, 20 August 2010, Cine Chichirya will name, analyze and celebrate the women who bow to no one, and won't submit to any man. They are the ones who give night terrrors to people who think men are the stronger sex.

Cine Chichirya is part of dzUP 1602's Radyo isKool programming. It tackles anything and everything about film-- trends, technology, trivia, genres, film reviews, etc. It airs every Friday, 6-7pm, on dzUP 1602 [AM band]. It's also available on live streaming over the internet on UP Diliman Interactive website [click this link to connect].

You may join the chikahan and chicha-an on http://www.cinechichirya.wordpress.com/ and cine.chichirya@gmail.com.

Kagat na!

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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Brazilian Film Festival 2009 @ The UP Film Institute


This November, the UP Film Institute and the Embassy of Brazil bring you Brazilian Film Festival 2009 which guarantees a panoramic view of everything Brasil.

Four charming titles of contemporary Brazilian cinema, celebrated by local and international film festivals, will have complimentary and exclusive screenings at the UPFI Videotheque.

The festival starts November 13, screening a different film every Friday, 4PM until December 4, 2009.
Brazilian Film Festival 2009 @ The UP Film Institute
November 13 - December 4, 2009
Fridays, 4PM
UPFI Videotheque, Cine Adarna, UP Diliman, QC

***FREE ADMISSION***
BOSSA NOVA
Nov. 13, Friday, 4pm

O OUTRO LADO DA RUA
[The Other Side of the Street]
Nov. 20, Friday, 4pm

A DONA DA HISTORIA
Nov. 27, Friday, 4pm

ABRIL DESPEDECADO
[Behind the Sun]
Dec. 4, Friday, 4pm

Full synopsis after the jump.
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Saturday, October 24, 2009

TV Premiere of *My Fake American Accent*

Onnah Valera and Ned Trespeces' second full-length digital film will have its TV premiere on October 28, 2009, Wednesday, 9PM, on TV5.

Following the lives of several call-center agents, this film is one of the finalists in Cinemalaya 2008. This comedy is from the same makers of *Trabaho*, and the writer of *Jologs.*

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Wanted: LINE PRODUCER for a Full-Length Digital Film [to be shot in France and the Philippines]

we are looking for a line producer for a full-length digital film to be shot in france and the philippines.

this light drama is about the friendship between two women who meet and become good friends in paris, france. but tragedy strikes and they will be forced to go to the philippines.

most of the film will be shot here in the philippines. in that regard, we will need somebody who can line produce it.

the producer, director and scriptwriter are all french nationals who are based in paris [except for the producer, who is based in new york]. we want to make all the necessary arrangements first before they come here in time for the pre-prod and the shoot.

the tentative dates of pre-prod is early feb 2010. and we'll start the 6-week location shoot by april 2010.

these are all the details i'm allowed to divulge right now. if you have any queries, you may email me at the email address below.

anyway, if you are interested, please email your:
-
resume /curriculum vitae
-
filmography
- [and if you are representing a production company / group, please email me the
company profile, too]

to: copalomares@gmail.com

on or before
march 25 / wednesday, 5pm.

please forward this message to anyone who may be interested.

thank you very much.



[banawe rice terraces pic from http://simplykate25.blogspot.com/2008/06/beautiful-philippines.html
eiffel tower pic from http://arttriptoeurope.blogspot.com/]


Original post after the jump.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Nominees for the 81st Academy Awards

Finally, the nominees for the 81st Academy awards were announced yesterday.

Most of those who made it sa list were kind of expected already--like Mickey Rourke, whose performance in his comeback film *The Wrestler* had already earned him a Golden Globe, and 'yung iba naman na-nominate lang for a different category [Philip Seymor Hoffman, who had already won Best Actor for *Capote*]. But most of the names are familiar. No tongue-twisters this time.

What if manalo is Brad Pitt [*The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*] and Angelina Jolie [*Changeling*]? Eh 'di lalong umikot ang pw*t ni Jennifer Aniston. Hehehe.

Or, what if si Heath Ledger [*The Dark Knight*] ang manalo as Best Actor in a Supporting Role? If that happens, Heath would be the 2nd actor to win posthumously. [The first one was Peter Finch for *Network.*]

Sayang, hindi nakapasok ang *Ploning.* I mean... Ploooooniiinnnnng... Wala pa akong napanood sa mga na-nominate for Best Foreign Language Film, so I wouldn't really know kung alin talaga ang mas maganda. Pero... wala lang... it would've been nice if we [nakiki-*we*?!] had made it to the top 5.

Sigh. I need to catch up on my film viewing.

Sigh ulit. So many films to watch, so little time.

Performance by an actor in a leading role
* Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
* Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
* Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
* Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
* Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
* Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
* Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
* Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
* Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
* Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
* Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
* Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
* Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
* Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
* Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
* Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
* Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
* Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Best animated feature film of the year
* “Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard
* “Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
* “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton
Achievement in art direction
* “Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
* “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
* “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
* “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt
Achievement in cinematography
* “Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda
* “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister
* “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
* “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle
Achievement in costume design
* “Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West
* “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor
* “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker
* “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky
Achievement in directing
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher
* “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard
* “Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
* “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry
* “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle
Best documentary feature
* “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
* “Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
* “The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
* “Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
* “Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
Best documentary short subject
* “The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki
* “The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
* “Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
* “The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde
Achievement in film editing
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
* “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith
* “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
* “Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham
* “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens
Best foreign language film of the year
* “The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany
* “The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France
* “Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan
* “Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria
* “Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel
Achievement in makeup
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom
* “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
* “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Alexandre Desplat
* “Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard
* “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman
* “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
* “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
* “Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel
* “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar
* “O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam
Best motion picture of the year
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
* “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
* “Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
* “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined
* “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, Producer
Best animated short film
* “La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato
* “Lavatory - Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit
* “Oktapodi” (Talantis Films), A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
* “Presto” (Walt Disney), A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland
* “This Way Up” A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes
Best live action short film
* “Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi
* “Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
* “New Boy” (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
* “The Pig” An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
* “Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank
Achievement in sound editing
* “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King
* “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
* “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Glenn Freemantle and Tom Sayers
* “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
* “Wanted” (Universal), Wylie Stateman
Achievement in sound mixing
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
* “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
* “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
* “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
* “Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt
Achievement in visual effects
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
* “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
* “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan
Adapted screenplay
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
* “Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley
* “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan
* “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare
* “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
Original screenplay
* “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt
* “Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh
* “In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh
* “Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black
* “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter
Original post after the jump.
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Saturday, July 12, 2008

27 Thoughts on 27 Dresses

I wasn't feeling okay yesterday. I missed my class, and I could hardly get out of bed. So I had to find something to bitch about. And I picked (drumroll) 27 Dresses.

1. GOOD: Katherine Heigl (Jane) is very pretty. Eye-candy. Kinda looks like Ashley Judd in some of the scenes. But...

2. BAD: ...she is too pretty to be believable. I mean, nobody can be that hot and charming and still be unattached. And no one in the film seems to have noticed that.

3. GOOD: Some of the scenes are genuinely funny (e.g., when Jane's bestfriend Casey--Judy Greer--slaps her when she looks longingly at George--Edward Burns--and whispers *I love you, too.*). But...

4. BAD: ...most just plain suck. The comedic timing is terrible. It's like the characters just give out punchlines whenever they feel like it. (E.g., when the bartender tells Jane and Kevin/Malcolm--James Marsden--they are good like the guys on CSI because they have figured out that the phone is not working. What the...?! Smart-alecks are not funny. As in, never.)

5. GOOD: It's a satyre on the whole getting-married-thing some people are so obssessed about. In the same vein as My Bestfriend's Wedding (good), Runaway Bride (not so good), and our very own Got To Believe (some people are saying it's good; I haven't seen it yet). But...

6. BAD: ...it's just one of those movies about wedding. There's absolutely nothing new in the story, in the treatment, and the characters.

7. GOOD: It's not just about weddings. But...

8. BAD: ...it's about a lot of other things at the same time. Is it about being a perennial bridesmaid and never the bride? Or, is it about opening one's eyes and discovering that the person meant for you is standing right beside you all along? Or, about finding the courage to stand up for oneself and saying *no* sometimes? Or, a story about sisters? It can't be all. The writer should've picked just one, and made the rest subplots.

9. GOOD: Most of the characters change in the end. But...

10. BAD: ...the character changes are fake. (E.g., during the confrontation between sisters Jane and Tess--Malin Ackerman. Tess throws things at Jane, all the while accusing her of being jealous of her all along. Then, without proper segue, they sit together on the counter and Tess tells Jane that she shouldn't be taking care of her because she's a big girl already. What?! She ruined her wedding, and now she's telling her to stop taking care of her because she's grown?!)

11. GOOD: The protagonist finally learns to stand up for herself. But...

12. BAD: ...how she does it is unforgivable. Spilling the beans on her younger sister via the (usually tacky) powerpoint tribute, in front of everyone (family, friends and extras) is uncalled for. She could've talked to George in private, instead. Fine...

13. GOOD: ...it's more dramatic that way. Well, at least that's the obvious intention. To make it more dramatic. But...

14. BAD: ...it failed. There is no build up, and no follow up. No tension, ergo, no drama. We should've seen Jane pressuring Tess to tell George the truth, etc. The point is that the audience should feel that there's no better time and no better way than this to tell George the truth about Tess.

15. GOOD: Casey pointed it out to Jane--that she's venting out her 20 years of repressed anger, or something. But...

16. BAD: ...she still introduces Pedro whom she knows very well will only spill more beans. Is she the conscience or an accomplice?

17. GOOD: All protagonists have to go through dark times to give way to character change. But...

18. BAD: ...they must empathetic. I am rooting more for Tess (the *villainess* and the manifestation of conflict) than for Jane (the protagonist). I actually think Jane is a bitch (not in a good way) and Tess is the victim. And that is very dangerous. It creates dissonance. The viewers don't know with whom to empathize.

19. GOOD: This is a romantic-comedy. And I love romantic-comedies: When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, Don't Give up on Us, etc. But...

20. BAD: ...wait, this is romantic-comedy, right? Actually, I'm confused. It looks like it's romantic-comedy, but somehow it lacks the key elements of a romantic-comedy. I don't root for the protagonist, I honestly don't give a damn whether the protagonist and her object-of-desire end up together or not, and the whole film is hardly, well, romantic.

21. GOOD: The storytelling is not usual, not formula. But...

22. BAD: ...I don't think it's intentional. Somehow, I have the feeling that the absence of *formula* is actually brought about by the writer's and the director's lack of awareness of what makes a good romantic-comedy: That whether the protagonist knows about it or not, the audience must know whom he/she is destined for. And they must hate him/her for not knowing it, but all the while anticipating his/her realization. The audience must wait for the first real kiss between the protagonist and his/her object-of-desire.

23. GOOD: The characters are not clearcut. They're neither good or bad. But...

24. BAD: ...it makes them lukewarm. Until the end of the movie, we don't know how they really feel towards anything. Does Jane hate or love Tess? George and Tess seem to have easily moved on from the foiled dinner rehearsal, really? Just like that? Does Kevin/Malcolm really love Jane? When does he realize this? And Jane--after discovering that Kevin/Malcolm actually cries at weddings, too--falls immediately in love with him? Come on.

25: GOOD: The protagonist is not a scheming bitch. But...

26. BAD: ...this is actually detrimental to the story. She says she wants something, but she doesn't act on it. Ergo, she's just whining. Actually, even in real life, when someone says he/she wants something but doesn't do anything to get it, that person mustn't be trusted. Anyway, I can't emphasize it enought, passive protagonists are not worth watching.

27. Verdict: 27 Dresses = Bad. In a scale of 1 to 50 (1 being the lowest, and 50 the highest) I'll give it a, well, 27. I'm not sure I'd want to watch it again.

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Saturday, July 05, 2008

My Fake American Gala and Trailer


My Fake American Accent
one of the ten finalists in this year's Cinemalaya, will be having its gala on
July 13, 2008 / Sunday, 9pm
at the CCP.


Early BTS photos after the jump.

-


Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Sinead O'Connor's *One More Day* From The Cate Blanchett Starrer *Veronica Guerin*

This is the theme song of the film *Veronica Guerin*, starring Cate Blanchett. This song plays during the funeral of the protagonist, and segues to the CBB of the film, if I'm not mistaken.

Never mind the video though, the uploader used clips from *The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King.*


Thanks to Neboola for uploading this video on YouTube. The source after the jump.
Amazon page on the film after the jump.
Amazon page on the soundtrack after the jump.


--

Sunday, April 06, 2008

I Love U, Torrent: Summer Lovers Review

WARNING: SPOILERS
I finally caved in and watched Randal Kleiser's Summer Lovers a couple of days ago. I'd say I had fun watching it.

It is about a young couple (Daryl Hannah and Peter Gallagher) who go to Greece for a vacation. They meet a French paleontologist (Valerie Quennessen). There is instant attraction. Then, after the obligatory moral debates, the menage-a-trois.

The actors were young, beautiful, and most importantly, uninhibited. Daryl Hannah--who later Splash-ed with Tom Hanks and much later turned down the role of Vivian in Pretty Woman, the role that made Julia Roberts a star (because she thought it was degrading to women)--was a real-life Barbie. Peter Gallagher was an eye-candy, too. Never mind the caterpillars above his eyes. It was the eightees, man. Bushy brows were to the 80s what internet is to Y2K. And Vallerie Quennessen looked like the late Princess Diana. Again, it's the 80s. The People's Princess had just hooked up with UK's heir-to-the-throne-then-and-still-is, and everybody loved her and wanted to look like her. But I'm not saying that Vallerie was trying to look like Lady Di. I must admit I have no basis for that claim, except that they, well, looked freakishly identical.

The story is very simple. But like what a review on amazon.com says, it's a vacation movie; who wants to think while on vacation?

It's a litle overscored. But it's not that much of a problem, especially if you love 80s music and you're a fan of Chicago, Elton John, and Blondie, and other 80s icons.

Then, the nudity. The beautiful trio love going to exotic Greek beaches. And for some reason, everyone in those beaches don't feel the need to wear skimpy bikinis and tight Speedos. You get the drift.

I understand that Summer Lovers was not intended to equal From Here To Eternity, but I think it's still worth slicing a bit. The story, while it's charming for being simple, borders on being flimsy. The characters have no objective and hardly have any character change in the end. Cathy Feathersome (Daryl Hannah) learns to be more open-minded and Lina (no last name--just Lina, Valerie Quennessen) allows herself to fall in love, but that's about it. While those are valid objectives, they only come out in the end. They are hardly discussed / shown in act II. And when I saw Cathy and Lina getting confused about their setup and their feelings toward each other, I knew the film was going to end soon.

And again, the nudity. This film is the result of the success of The Blue Lagoon, made by the same filmmaker, Randal Kleiser, two years earlier. Stripping teeners in The Blue Lagoon worked miracles at the box-office, so they wanted to replicate its success. In that film, the excuse for the nudity was being trapped and coming of age in an exotic island. In Summer Lovers, it was going to and self-discovery in an exotic country.

In the 60s and the early 70s, sex was an important tool for cultural revolution. Sex was political. In this film--released in 1980--had no statement whatsoever. And it borders on being exploitative.

It's a no-brainer film. And has no pretensions of being otherwise. But I must admit I had fun watching it. Partly because I was finally able to quench my twenty-or-so-year thirst for this film. And partly because it has naked beautiful young people having a fun summer. You kow, it's that kind of summer that changes a person--now, who can't identify with that? I'm not sure, though, if I would watch it again. Maybe I would after five years.

This is from the same director of Flight of the Navigator, Grease and Honey, I Blew Up The Kids. It may not be in AFI's Top 100 Films Of All Time, but it still a very interesting piece of work.

Recommended to: those who grew up in the 80s, those who saw the trailer of this film and noticed the scenes in the nudist beach, those who want to see naked beautiful young people especially Daryl Hannah, and those whose little minds were warped by the candle-wax clip on the trailer (attn: Ned), and those who just want to watch a fun film.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

I Love U, Torrent: Summer Lovers Preview

I finished downloading Summer Lovers this morning. I don't want to watch it just yet. I want the moment to be perfect. I mean, I waited for this film for about twenty years, now's not the time to be reckless and impatient.

So I just previewed it a bit. I'd say it isn't very difficult to scan the parts where there are naked bodies. It seems they hardly wore anything in the whole film. Now I understand why I didn't see it when I was young.

Oh no, wait, if there was nudity in this film then why DIDN'T I see it when I was young?

Sunday, March 23, 2008

I Love U, Torrent

I love Torrent. It makes rare films and music readily available.

I don't feel guilty downloading them because I only download those that:
1. I already own in other formats. Like, if I have the tape already, I feel it's okay to download the mp3.
2. are hard to find. I've been looking for Neil Jordan's The Butcher Boy since it was released in 1997, but I can't find it. So I had to resort to downloading it.
3. I had the cd / dvd of, but lost it.

So with those in mind, I downloaded:
1. Pretty in Pink - I was too young when it was released. And none of my older sisters wanted to being me along.
2. Sixteen Candles - Another John Hughes - Molly Ringwald teamup. A landmark in the teenybopper genre.
3. The Black Album - fan-compiled collection of Sinead O'Connor's little-known recordings.
4. Just Because I'm a Woman - tribute album for Dolly Parton. Select Dolly Parton originals sung by younger artists including Norah Jones, Alison Krauss and Sinead O'Connor.
5. Sunset Boulevard - the BW original. Who can ever forget, "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup"?
6. Carne Tremula - damn! It must be karma. I downloaded the version with no English subtitle. Bueno, comprendo Espanol.
7. Flight of the Navigator - I watched it over and over on TV when I was small. Now I can't wait to watch it again for the first time in, well, almost twenty years. I hope the magic is still there.
8. The Butcher Boy - directed by Neil Jordan, with Stephen Rea as the lead. Here, Sinead O'Connor plays the foul-mouthed Virgin Mary. I think it was banned when word got around that it was violent, and it attacked the Catholic Church.

And I'm presently downloading:
1. Summer Lovers - with Daryl Hannah. I don't know why I feel the need to watch it. I was very young when I saw the trailer on TV. I don't remember much of it anymore, but twenty or so years later, it still haunts me. Weird.
2. Fast Times at Ridgemont High - It stars Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Phoebe Cates. This is the film where Phoebe Cates took her top off--nerd boys's ultimate fantasy.
3. Clan of the Cave Bear - a movie based on a Jean M. Auel novel. The film stars Daryl Hannah. I saw it in one of those rundown movie houses in Quiapo. And I thought it was good. I want to see it again.

I wish Mga Mata ni Angelita and Rocco - Ang Batang Bato were also available for download.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

My Fake American Accent

Click the photo or this link for the rest of the album.

Ned's and Onnah's *My Fake American Accent* started shooting this week. It's Dirty Kitchen Productions's entry to this year's Cinemalaya. They wrote it together. Now, Ned is the director and Onnah is the producer.