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michiekopielago
Reviews
Omeng Satanasia (1977)
One of Dolphy's good movie
One of Dolphy's more critically acclaimed performances. He does have four roles in this comedy. Most stand-out-ish being the evil gay devil making life miserable for the old man wanting another shot at youth, also played by him. A young Babalu is also there for laughs, but not nearly enough as I had hoped.
The thing with a lot of these old features from the Philippines, the movies are long and they want to serve a little bit of everything. And more times than not it makes the experience feel disjointed, as you get your various sequences in sections. Like a drama portion, something sexy, slapstick, music, action, and so on, along with absolute random ideas they improvise along the way. It takes the story in all directions, making things feel absurd and boring at the same time because the composition isn't refined enough to make a connection. You just got to understand that's the way a lot of these films are like, and with that often comes a lot of charm in the rough.
Omeng Satanasia (1977) has a lot of that raunchy 70s feel with mockery down in hell and all kinds of hunt for sexy meat up above. Weird and inappropriate, which was what made the period so vibrant. Not that they manage to keep that vibrancy through-out, but enough to at least make it a bizarre one.
Tirador (2007)
Interesting to watch
Tirador is a good film in all aspects. The movie depicts the life of petty criminals and common folks in a colony in Manila who has immense faith in the local politicians. We see varied images of the colony from middle aged men, the youth and the teenage whose lives are intertwined with each other. What we see is not the jaded characters with exaggerated plot around them but realistic characters with ordinary problems surrounding them.
The film opens late into the night and a raid is ongoing in search of illegal products in the colony and sometimes we can only see through the light from the flashlight. The director has cleverly used this entire opening sequence to show the various kinds of people in the society and their lives. And what ensues in the film is about these people tackling the tensions and troubles in the colony.
Another thing I have to mention about this movie is the cinematography. Not even in a single shot is steady and that is not a bad thing. It suits the movie in all respective. It is as if we are glancing through the lives of these people in the colony. I think, that is brilliant way of communicating with the viewer. I have seen several movies shot in similar way but it suits this movie the most.
Himala (1982)
Greatest Movie
Frame for frame, Himala (1982) may be the most beautifully shot Philippine film I've ever seen. With a photographer's eye, director Ishmael Bernal (City After Dark, Relasyon) turns an arid, non-descript countryside Philippine town into a mystical place with real people. The Superstar of Philippine Cinema, Nora Aunor, playing the lead role, works with the visual setting as much as it works with her. She's the ever-sad Elsa, an illegitimate child who one day claims, like many of us Filipinos like to do, to have seen the Virgin Mary, who has endowed her with super healing powers. A battle between her and a doubtful, sometimes vengeful, Catholic church ensues, and she starts winning. Throngs of peasant folk travel from afar to get their miracle on, and the once-filled church dwindles to a measly ten people. Is she real, or is it a hoax? For a suffering people short on hope in the faith they were given, and seeking it elsewhere, anywhere - does it even matter? Acting with just her eyes for most of the film, Aunor is mesmerizing. She saves all that pent-up melodrama for the film's final scene, where she reveals herself as a dialectical materialist: "Walang himala! Ang himala ay nasa puso ng taoang himala ay nasa puso nating lahat!" (There is no miracle! The miracle is in the heart of a person the miracle is in all our hearts!). Himala makes a potent, poignant statement on Filipinos' faith, making a subtle connection between the colonial legacy of the church and the suffering that drives us toward and away from it.
Silip (1985)
Sexploitation
Story of ignorance very common in small isolated barrios in the Philippines. The movie however exaggerated the sexual orientation of the people.
Stars former Ms. Philippines, Ma. Isabel Lopez, including the soft-drink beauties of the late chief exploiter, Dr. Rey Dela Cruz who was murdered sometime in the '90s. It was so disappointing that Ms. Lopez, a UP graduate, used her beauty and brain to trash herself and the institution and country she used to represent.
This movie was produced during the era of the Experimental Cinema of the Philippine when some starlets in local show business were exploited to create sex-oriented movies. Marcos was still in power, and maybe this passed his approval to divert Filipinos from the worsening political and economic problems. Most of these experimental cinema allowed "pene" so don't be surprised if the there were actual "penetration" in this movie.
Produced by Elwood Perez and directed by Ricardo Lee. This experiment was definitely an on your face spit to the only Catholic nation in Asia.
This is a truly disturbing and beautifully made piece of cinema that definitely goes places where other films fear to tread.
Those wishing to gawp at another cheesy exploiter will probably not find much to enjoy here. There are exploitative elements aplenty, but they're not simply thrown in for cheap thrills. This is a film that delivers a powerful emotional punch if you're prepared to let it work its magic on you.
There was a cut and badly dubbed English version on the "gray market" a while back. Seeing this remastered, correctly framed version with the original soundtrack is like discovering the film for the first time.
Kung mangarap ka't magising (1977)
Touching yet Beautiful
There's only one word I can perfectly describe Mike de Leon's Kung Mangarap Ka't Magising: BEAUTIFUL.
Beautiful poster. Oh just look at that one. I fell inlove with this film before I even watched it because of that cute little poster alone. I would love to frame that one up in my room.
Beautiful leads. Linda Koronel (I love her and her pretty smile) and Christopher de Leon had such great chemistry. It's really impossible not to fall in love with them.
Beautiful music. Every beautiful romantic film deserves one in order to make it more magical and beautiful. This is one of those perfect examples. Plus, I love Joey's Theme.
Beautiful setting. This film took place in Baguio City. 'Nuff said.
Beautiful love story. A story of two people wishing for love, independence, and control in their own lives. A story of two people who both found and woke each other up. A story of two people in a sweetly romantic love affair, but must also face the fact that reality will soon catch up with them. A story of loving yourself and knowing your worth. A story of breaking free from your chains. A story of making the right choices. A story so simple, sweet and mature, it'll make you smile.
Beautiful ending. SPOILER ALERT As Dr. Seuss once said: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened".
Shake, Rattle & Roll (1984)
Horror Movie
The Good Stor(ies): Baso-Arriving at a friends' house, three friends decide to pass the time playing a game known as Spirit of the glass which puts them in contact with a trio of spirits. Realizing a doomed love triangle is repeating itself, they try to stop the actions that originally killed the group from harming each other. Overall, this was quite the enjoyable opener. The fact that it plays with familiar tropes here by featuring the localized version of the Ouija Board makes an identifiable connection to dive into the rest of the story.
Pridyider-Moving into a new house, a series of strange events and happenings around the central refrigerator causes a teen to believe the object is cursed. As the device starts haunting the family in increasingly deadly manners, they try to stop its evil influence from affecting the family. This was an absolutely spectacular entry. Although the premise might not really support it, there's some absolutely chilling atmosphere derived from the titular device which manages to include a host of shocking flash-jumps to the contents within. From bloodied appendages appearing on the shelves to raspy demonic growling emanating inside and even having the controls move around on their own, this segment generates a fine atmosphere that's all the more chilling once the events start picking up.
Manananggal-Traveling to his girlfriends' house, a young man hoping to win her over inadvertently stumbles onto the fact that she's a vicious, winged creature preying on the community. Getting back to the safety of his house, he and the rest of the family must fend off the creatures' attacks. Frankly, this was an enjoyable if slightly flawed finale. When this one works, it's due to the exploitation of the forest setting as there are some utterly chilling and creepy settings that really sell the isolation of their location. The forest around them is rife with thick, densely layered underbrush that's impossible to look deep, which means the scenes of the unearthly roaring and screeches throughout here are just utterly terrifying. Hearing those noises emanate from the deep recesses of the jungle is a truly terrifying setup and the reveal works nicely with that. The last half, which is a series of attacks by the deformed creature has some great moments as it's tearing into the house forcing them to defend themselves and there are some fine attacks here with that. The only real issue is the opening song he tries to sing to win her over, which is a real momentum-killer to start this off with a down-beat intro, but overall it ends this one on an incredibly high note.
Maynila sa mga kuko ng liwanag (1975)
Good Movie
Eventually, a chance meeting (a rather oddly conceived occasion wanting more context) reunites the star-crossed lovers, and Hilda Koronel recounts Ligaya's ordeal with palpable poignancy in the lengthy close-ups, only to be tritely weighed down by her inextricable maternal attachment, and spoils their final chance of a happier finale.
Upholstered with a perturbing score from Jocson, MANILA IN THE CLAWS OF LIGHT is as harrowing a story as one could envision, but under Brocka's stylish execution, it brims with an urgency to provoke, to shock, to jolt viewers into condemnation, only if he could have curtailed his exasperating anti-China slant, viewed 40-odd years later.
Ang babaeng humayo (2016)
Cleanse your soul with truth
This beautiful black and white film provides a intriguing portrait of small town Philippine society. Ambient sounds of wind in tree branches, tires on pavement and bird songs, lend authenticity to the images. At nearly four hours, the fans of "slow film" will certainly be in for an enjoyable, albeit snail-paced ride. I really enjoyed exploring the theme of how holding onto the truth, to hopes in your heart and helping others, invites both vulnerability and vindication. Winner of the golden lion and top prize at the 2016 Venice film festival.
Revealing the truth cleanses the soul, yet carelessness in doing so will condemn it. The knife cuts both ways. After 30 years in a prison work camp for a crime she did not commit, Horacia makes revealing the truth a priority in her life. With righteous fire she begins a quest to expose the true culprit. Her mark is Rodrigo; an arrogant and privileged former lover. Unlike Rodrigo, Horacia has a heart and this sensitivity and sympathy for others makes her vulnerable to distraction, to being found out before she has a chance to strike, or to losing her resolve in some way. Yet her good heart is also her strength. As Horacia closes in on Rodrigo, unexpected circumstances intervene.
Honor Thy Father (2015)
Good Movie and attractive
The movie begins with its characters unable to escape from a serious trouble they put into themselves. We also see the ironies of this world where a person who came from a dirty past has more sense of generosity than some religious group that is supposed to be a representation of humility. But the big picture here is we live in a complex world, where you don't exactly know who is good or bad and what exactly is right or wrong. What matters is you survive. We explore these lives in total bleakness, where you felt that everything is under control by meaningless oppression, which makes you empathize these characters despite of their choices. This isn't quite a new story or lesson to tell, but its context and how the film puts these things together are what makes it brilliant. The pacing may be slower compared to director Matti's other crime thriller, OTJ, but the momentum is still felt, as the plot moves forward with a consistent slow burn.
One of the remarkable things around is the tension, like you can feel that bad things are meant to happen at every turn. It also helps that the score gets louder whenever things really get too far. The camera also shoots these moment by simply establishing the whole atmosphere of a particular sequence. But then, everything about the camera-work is strikingly terrific. The exterior shots are undeniably gorgeous, while everything else is just spot-on. The acting is no different from the quality of its filmmaking. Putting John Lloyd Cruz's talent outside from his romantic film mold proves that there is truly more to this actor than what we usually see from him. He presents whatever this role is feeling even at his quietest moments and what makes it remarkable is how natural he performs. No matter what situation he is facing, it makes the characters a lot easier to get inserted into.
There should be more local films like Honor Thy Father. I mean, the experience stands quite differently, even compared to many independent local films that you may usually encounter. How the story moves forward is expertly paced, the performances are authentic, the cinematography is obviously beautiful, the suspense is unpredictable and the themes and commentary are just powerfully represented. Yeah, the story is quite simple, but again, it just takes the advantage of true cinema and beyond, resulting a breathtaking gritty drama of which could have been just another crime thriller.
On the Job (2013)
A VERY GOOD MOVIE
The story and pacing smoothly complimented each other. I like how the intensity just builds up right from the get go during the first scene up until the last one. Wonderfully moody cinematography combines with an excellent soundtrack and some breathlessly tight editing to create a surprisingly dark and nihilistic film.
It's also great to see characters that were fleshed out especially that of the three main characters. We get to know them more instead of simply just following what they do. This is one of the things I like about the film in terms of characterization, we get a glimpse of their individual lives as opposed to just going right at the center of the conflict.
It Takes a Man and a Woman (2013)
Very Good movie
I must say, Sarah G. Is a good person and a good character. She knows how to stay focus in her goal and make Lloydie fall in love with her over and over again. This movie also tells us that if you want or love someone you need to pursue the person gou love and you need to make sacrifices for them to realize how much you love them. Unless, they will only realize the true meaning of love when that person was already gone and wil never come back in to our lives again. Not only sometimes, but all the time, we need to express and tell our feelings to our love once. So that when time comes you will never regret what you've done.