DEATH OF TRADITIONAL CINEMA

Like any other mockumentary, Antoinette Jadaone's SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION FROM LILIA CUNTAPAY intends to flesh out a bitter truth out of its subject matter, in this case the role of bit players in local cinema, as represented by one particular bit player, whose presence in film and on TV for about 30 years is extremely underrated. However, unlike any other mockumentaries (Christopher Guest and Jerrold Tarog conveniently come into mind), SIX DEGREES breathes striking vigor to the film medium because the actor is actually playing herself! And not just as a means for comedy, but rather as an echo for her own life story. Jadaone and her crew made a research on Cuntapay's life, located where she lives, and out of it she wrote a performance art that is to become Cuntapay's crowning glory, sort of a retrospective cum tribute to her "non-existent" presence in the movies. In its ultimate, SIX DEGREES is able to achieve a sense of recognition for Cuntapay that she righ...

At the center of BIG BOY, Shireen Seno's dazzling feature debut is the story of a young boy facing the pains and pressures of growing up, circa 1945 in post- war Mindoro. Amidst all the symbolism, surrealism, and variation of experimental techniques,  Seno achieves to recreate a memory of her father's stories with enough tenderness for her subject.  Seno makes good use of literary devices to mirror her story's theme: the young boy, Julio is forced to drink a concoction of cod liver oil devised by his parents, in order to force him to grow taller; his limbs are then pulled in opposite direction, and made to stand under the sun. These are done so his parents can sell the concoction, and have him as a success story. Metaphorically speaking, this visual image of Julio being forced to grow taller, is a way of saying that Julio is also forced to grow up, emotionally.  His parents has six children, and two of his siblings are given to his aunts because of poverty. His father ...

Corruption is a term Filipinos are very much familiar with. Hailed as one of the most corrupt countries in Asia, and even the world, the Philippines has a very rich historical documentation of tyranny, theft and yes, red tape. So when a filmmaker like Dennis Marasigan, who's already proven he can make a compelling and realistic political film via "Vox Populi," decides to adapt Malou Jacob's play to the screen, he's more than welcome.  ANATOMIYA NG KORUPSYON is set during the Marcos era, when corruption in the country is as its peak (or I could be mistaken or inaccurate, depending on who you ask, say Imelda Marcos); at first I didn't notice the period in which the story takes place. My friends readily saw the Marcos picture hanging by the office (the setting is in a Family Court). For me, the black vintage telephone and the trendy dresses worn by Che Ramos and Bea Garcia (who play office clerks) gave the milieu away.  At the center of the story...

There are not many lesbian local films around. Gay, yes but lesbian, no. However, ROME AND JULIET can hardly be called a lesbian film; Connie Macatuno staged her scenes so well that any notion of homosexuality is set aside, rendering the story as a normal love story involving humans fighting for their relationship. In fact, ROME AND JULIET neither condemns nor condones homosexual relationship. We are shown that being a lesbian isn't something that you planned on becoming for a long period of time- the thing is, it just happens. Maybe, because of the environment, or repressed feelings.  Opposing characters headline the story of the film. Juliet (Andrea Del Rosario) is the prim and proper school teacher who is set to be married to a politician (Rafael Rossell). Rome (Mylene Dizon) is the independent and  dominant florist who eats men's bones for breakfast. When they meet, an uncontrollable attraction ensues, and neither of them don't know what it is. It's romantic and...