Feelms

For Acads

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Overthrowing the Dictator (Orchestrator of Terror part 2)

The first part of Danas, a Martial Law commemorative event, features the “two sides” of the people’s sentiments on the leadership of Marcos. On one hand, some people are blinded by the smokescreen of Marcos’ infrastructure-building, the cost of which is still being paid by the Filipinos. On the other hand, several human rights violations were committed.  This goes to show that we should have empathy and open our eyes on the injustices and atrocities that transpired.

On the latter part of the program, performances of songs during the Martial Law period graced the stage. Individuals who have experienced what it felt like during the Marcos’ regime sang songs of hope and struggle - like “Bayan Ko”, a song for the women, and a song for the farmers.  

Ferdinand Marcos may have ruled with coercive power, but the fire in the hearts of the Filipino people that ignited the revolution burns stronger. The revolution was not a work of a single person, but of the Filipino people’s collective bawl and aching for a new beginning.  This victory shows that the citizens still hold the power. Through collective action, we can make a change.

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Orchestrator of Terror

On September 19, the Palma Hall lobby was permeated with cries of sorrow, anger, and hope – reliving that of the atmosphere during the Martial Law period.

The Marcos regime prided itself of building numerous infrastructures and facilities. However, these are only facades on the increasing poverty and atrocities made during the Marcos regime – and the cost of building these overpriced establishments is, and will be shouldered by the Philippine generations to come. This was surfaced on the opening act of Danas, an activity to remember Martial law and the events that transpired during the era. There was said to be violations of human rights, including arbitrary killings, mysterious disappearances, tortures, and arbitrary arrests.

Marcos was an orchestrator of terror. He ruled with fear. No number of infrastructures or buildings can remunerate the injustices that took place. As such, I believe that Ferdinand Marcos is no hero and that him, being a dictator and oppressor, must be remembered and made known to all. We should never let this happen again. We should never forget.

(selfie during the event)

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Respect

Film Rating: 7/10

“Do the Right Thing” is a cultural site rich with issue vis-a-vis race and violence. It tells the story of a small community and the issues they are facing. It has a just treatment about the matter on hand, getting the story from both sides of the coin. You will not know who is to blame and who to sympathize for – it all boils down to perspectives.

This film depicts the concept of “othering” in which a certain group of people treats someone who does not belong to them as an alien. The actors in the movie portrayed their roles well, that you can feel the racial tensions as they surface on the screen. For me, the main highlight is how the dialogue was constructed, as it is full of wit.

The main take away from the movie is respecting diversity brings serenity. We must learn how to treat other people with reverence to avoid conflict and maintain peace and order in our community.

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A fight song

Film Rating: 9/10

If you ask me what type of movies I really love, I wouldn’t hesitate and say, “MUSICALS!!!!” in a heartbeat. I just love to hear the world sing and let the music fill the atmosphere. Seasons of Love in Rent (2005) is definitely one of my favorites. The music grasps the story and acts like an agent of adhesion that makes the film complete and more fulfilling.

Rent (2015) tackles numerous matters concerning society. It encapsulates stories of love, AIDS, and sorrow. The real circumstances of life creeps out of the big screen. This movie is very brave in amalgamating sensitive issues into one piece of art. The actors and actresses also gave justice to their characters, as they share and make us feel their tales.

What this movie has taught me is the value of love, hope, acceptance, and standing up for what you believe in. Love is a powerful thing that ,as cliche at it may sound, makes the world go round. Hope gives you an inspiration for tomorrow. Acceptance comes not only for other people but also for yourself, and moving on from the things of the past. And lastly, expressing your own self and leaving a mark in the world.  

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As the body aches for pleasure

Film Rating: 8/10

Ang Lihim ni Antonio (2008) is a story of a young boy exploring his sexuality, as he quenches the thirst of his hankering body for pleasure. The film exhibits how a normal boy metamorphoses into a butterfly – only whose wings are cut off by his uncle Jonbert.

Gender and sexuality’s fluidity is also one of the ideologies the film delves into. The performativity of gender and sexuality does not translate to our sexual cravings. Not because a person looks and acts as a masculine figure, he is destined to chase after girls. The dichotomy of the normative heterosexual/homosexual is quenched by this film.

The movie employs a daring and raw use of camera angles and shots as it narrates a story of friendship, of acceptance, of trust, and desire. In the end, it is not the vessel that we are born with that will dictate how we live our lives. We are the authors of our own destiny and we make our own choices, but we must be always ready to face the music.

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What’s new?

Film rating: 5/10

Upon having multitudinous of sequels, one would have an impression that the film Mano Po (2002) is an exceptional film. In my opinion, however, the film was not well-thought-out. This just reinforces the stereotyped “Chinese” in our society and perpetuates racism. Furthermore, this film romanticizes kidnapping. On the success of the movie – famous actors and actresses maybe?

The tale of these rich Chinese-Filipinos is sugar coated with lots of grandeur and pizzazz. Everyone should have chinky eyes, the motif should all be red, families should always eat in Chinese restaurants, and money is just in the heads of everyone.

The film just lacks depth and representation on the part of the Filipino and the Filipino-Chinese communities. Are all their lives like this, as portrayed in the film? How do you define being Chinese – From the physical appearance? The language you speak? The amount of money you have?

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The Paradox of Happiness

Film Rating: 9/10

Charles Foster Kane plied his last breath and uttered his dying word, which gives birth to the biggest mystery of the century. The enigma of who or what “Rosebud” keeps the buoyancy in the movie “Citizen Kane” (1941). Through flashbacks, the movie unfolds the story of this newspaper tycoon before our own eyes.

In the midst of the distinctive way of narration that the film employed, we are instituted to the harsh realities of life – lust, greed, and clinging for power to name a few. Different facets of Charles Kane are unraveled in the movie. He was a husband, a friend, a colleague, and most importantly, a human being.

In the end, this movie will help us discern that how “well” you live you life cannot be gauged by your personal belongings or the wealth you accumulated. Nothing is paramount compared to fulfilling your heart’s greatest desire and listening to the little voice inside your head that resembles the key to happiness.

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Looking Beyond the Facade

Film Rating : 9/10

Some films allow us to discern moments of beauty and ugliness, implicit in our own experiences. Cinema has this ability to let the actualities of life – whether cruel or not, crawl onto the surface of the big screen. “The Rules of the Game”, a 1939 French film directed by Jean Renoir, showcases candor regarding the social facts and realities during this period.

At one point, we might be under the impression of the film just revolving around stories of love, infidelity, and coquetry. However, if you look beyond this “facade”, you will see different kinds of symbolism used by the director. In one instance, the rabbit hunt scene can be seen as killing the lives of innocent individuals – which mirrors that of the atmosphere at this point in time, when a war was starting to brew.

The movie shows us that not everything is white and black, that there are reasons for everyone’s actions. Groups of people have this kind of “rule” imposed on them willingly or unwillingly. The society has a say in how one behaves, speaks, or dresses, depending on one’s social class. The upper class has this game to play wherein they show the world how well-off and civilized they are. On the other hand, they can still be guilty of treachery and viciousness.  

For the technical aspect, continuity is maintained in the editing and the camera techniques of the film. It feels like you are also part of the movie, watching the different events unfold. The camera perpetually follows the characters wherever they move and that gives me a different kind of film experience, which I am fond of. Overall, I believe that every film student should watch this as this is considered to be one of the greatest films of all time.

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A Silent Film and Its Deafening Impact

Film Rating: 9/10

Impeccable editing, a cogent utilization of visuals, a film which aims to elucidate rather than to entertain --- if you want to watch something possessing any of those characteristics, then Battleship Potemkin is the film for you.

Watching Battleship Potemkin is an experience. It does not embrace a typical element which makes a movie a “box office hit”. No popular actors or actresses that secure multitudes of audiences, no cheesy love stories, no tear-jerking dramas. In fact, it even opted not to cast well-known actors for the viewers to focus more on the collective action and the adept visual display.

This film anchors on the beauty of its editing – giving a new form of energy to the past films with the use of montage by juxtaposing a series of shots, proliferating tension, and emotion. The quintessential manifestation of which is the “Odessa Step Sequence” showcasing a mass assassination in an artsy manner.

All in all, I recommend this film for the sake of the techniques and editing rather than the story. Furthermore, it is interesting to see with our own eyes a film which inspired numerous films and filmmakers and paved the way for the present films.