Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008)

Other than this movie not catching so much attention at first, its best-picture winning award status speaks for itself. This film is good, not so much to debate about it because some film analysts consider it to be in the top 200 films of America’s all time list.

Being a fan of film, I only have one negative for this film. I can see the editing not seemingly best for its picture and content. The choice of transitions makes me a little bit dizzy, and the different usage of color palettes are unpleasing to the eyes. But otherwise than that, I cannot see any negatives towards the film. Starting off with the positives, the director is phenomenal and I’m glad that he won best picture. The movie centered around where he plays the game and he already know the answers to it. It’s a really compelling way to narrate a story, but if it wasn’t well directed, the movie would have gone flat. Also, the cinematography, wherein unique shots in India were portrayed in the best possible shot. The score, with Jai Ho winning the best original song. And the visuals really made the visions come to life. The actors really did a fantastic job in portraying their respective roles which gave the movie a real boost of quality in terms of overall efficiency. These characters were also vital to the story to show their real status of the gameshow or whatever. The love story of the characters really played a big part and carry the film into a good positive once again.

Slumdog Millionaire really gave my satisfaction of being a film fanatic and I enjoyed it overall. From the start to the end, it really catches my attention and that’s something to do in a certain film. I have to give this movie an above average score and I highly recommend if it you guys haven’t seen it yet.

Paper Dolls (Tomer Heymann, 2006)

From the beginning until the end, Paper Dolls is naturally entertaining, yet dramatic documentary filled with a lot of contradictions, provocative imagery, and characters to stan for. The production of the cinematic quality speaks for its award-winning documentary by Tomer Heymann.

There are a lot of gender sensitive movies about the LGBTQ community, but Tomer Heymann explicitly used Filipino cross-dressers residing in Israel to show the struggles of being a foreign worker oversea and being considered as the “other” gender in the cruel society. In a community of religious people, these Filipinos took their chances to work overseas because of the near closing of the Israel-Palestine border. The main characters in the film are earning as a caregiver for elderly Israelis. All of the members in this Filipino group are also part part of the “Paper Dolls”, a group of transvestite performers who sing and dance to stages mostly a Filipino Club. Their biggest dream as a group is to perform on the biggest stage In Israel where they could be recognized as a big asset to make more money and fame. The moment foreign workers in Israel lose their jobs they also lose their visas and can be immediately deported; Thus, their status as a “legal” versus an “illegal” immigrant depends entirely on the whims of their employers. Give the director some due credits as he follows the Filipino group through all their worse and struggles in searching for their biggest dream and maintaining a profile in working properly as an immigrant.

Despite of the Paper Doll’s gay presence, their group shows to the world that no matter what the people throw and say to you, nobody can stop you from reaching your biggest dream in life. This movie is not only for the LGBTQ community but is for everyone who experience also almost as the same to their situation. Paper Dolls breaks the barrier of gender, and suggest to live life accordingly on their purpose, not their identification.

Batch 81 (Mike De Leon, 1982)

Batch 81 is a film about fraternity in the Philippines. It is definitely one of the good classic movies in the entire history of the Philippine Cinema.

The acting is very good, it is on a high caliber starring Mark Gil. Mike De Leon uses fraternity as a symbol of fascism. The hazing, demoralization, torture, and the indefinite system of a brotherhood exploits the lack of individual rights of the hapless ones. The violent scene in the end where the fight between two fraternities show a powerful, strong, sign of fanaticism of the subjects of great political understanding. What makes this film so interesting and powerful, because the director produced this movie in the times of Martial Law, wherein the media has very less control to the power of freedom. It is a bold move by Mike De Leon because he surpassed his great fear of being caught by the military of the dictatorship of the government bringing a great uplift of spirit into many Filipinos during that time and even in today’s community. The recruits also symbolize that none of them looks like tough guys but can still managed to handle the struggles of the initiation. The systematic indignity proves that the neophytes fins themselves in a humiliating system of the hazing initiation. This film is openly hostile to the world it depicts, presenting fraternities as campus-style fascism.

After the final scene, one of the members died in a most tragic and saddest way. But still, all the remaining recruits have finished their trails and surpassed of being an alipin and finally on their way of becoming a master. This scene is full of symbolism. The chanting alone resembles a fascist anthem and echoes the New Society theme of the Marcos dictatorship Despite the film’s overall brutality, the movie is a very good film to watch.

Maynila sa mga kuko ng liwanag (Lino Brocka, 1975)

Maynila sa Kuko ng mga liwanag is one of the most influential films in the history of Filipino Cinemas. If you want to explore more about the history of our own timeline of cinema, you just want to see this movie.

This movie is based on a book by Edgardo M. Reyes and was beautifully translated into the film literature by the great Lino Brocka. Julio Madiaga goes to the city from the province to search for his long-lost love Ligaya Paraiso. The plot of the movie depicts a situation wherein you’re put up in a matter between keeping the fight or to surrender unto the madness of the City. If not the greatest, Maynila sa mga kuko ng liwanag is considered as one of the best films in Filipino of all time. Most of the Filipino movies today don’t really represent the classes of Filipinos like Lino Brocka’s said film. The mainstream filmmakers today really use idealistic way of giving narration in the films like romance and etc. It really shows how you are convinced in living in the movie itself and its setting. The great thing about its cinematography is the great contrast of the grime of the city and the neon lights at night. The camera movements also move for a reason like the concept of good and misery of someone’s perception around the city. The sound of the movie was not that quite good, but I think it’s designed to represent that the whole city is watching you. The dialogue also feels extremely natural. There are so many points in this movie that they seem to be improvising that gives us a perception of what they think about the life in the city. Even on their names, the characters were meant to represent things. Julio Madiaga suppose to suggest patience. Ligaya Paraiso is close to Joy and Paradise. But in my opinion, the City is the main character of the movie.

This movie really exploits the social problem of the country even from before and in today’s generation. I think that this film is really a great move by the director to break down stereotypes in the roles of the characters. In general, this movie is a great influence to know more about the history of the Filipino Cinema. Good movie!

The Jazz Singer (Richard Fleischer & Sidney J. Furie, 1980)

The Jazz singer is the first film that uses talkies. It is a film suitable for all aspiring people who wants to pursue their biggest dream despite of all the hindrances given by the circumstances in life.

Jackie Rabinowitz, the youngest in the bloodline of the Jewish Cantores, is expected to replace his father’s spotlight when his father passes away. However, he is not interested in being a cantore, rather, he wants to pursue his dream of being a Jazz singer despite of his father’s shame for him. Later on, he ran away from home and pursued his singing in the big stage. After coming back home, he had to fulfill his commitments to his clan and had to choose between his dreams as Jack. In an era of silent films, The Jazz Singer showed to the world the first talkie film wherein the audio and video is in sync for some dialogue sequences. Jazz singer is one of the most influential films in the history of cinema. Most films in the silent era had to solely rely on visuals to narrate a particular story, but The Jazz Singer put an end to it with a mark. The story is not bad either to fit perfectly for a silent film. The movie is like reconciling the past from the future, because it has changed Jack Rabinowitz choice to still choose his family over his dream. One of the best things in silent films is, you can actually embrace the character’s expression of emotions with their body language. The use of the black face is also a representation of the duality between Jackie and Jack, the boy of tradition and the man of looking ahead into the future.

This movie is about change, and it changes the whole point of cinema. This was the beginning of the end since everyone started to latch into this new technology. It’s a good movie, and I hope people won’t describe this film as an obsolete, because it contributed a lot into the evolution of the style of the cinemas used today in respective manner.

Hugo (Martin Scorsese, 2011)

This film is associated with one of the best and profound filmmakers of all time. This movie is a must watch and is highly recommended that’s suitable for all ages. Hugo can serve as an enormous gateway in the evolution of three-dimensional cinema.

There are a lot to talk about this movie. First thing that everyone should take notice of the details is its story. Hugo is a unique kid who lives in a train station and likes to look down to people. He has a robot that’s founded by his father on a museum that can revolutionize how important science is in the matter of lives of the people. At a young age, was been forced to work hard due to his father’s passing and his uncle’s misbehavior. Aside from working at the station’s clock, his more important duty is to protect the broken automaton and the notebook drawn by his father. The automaton is very essential to him because it is the only memory that’s left by his father to him along together with his notebook. He’s very desperate to repair the broken machine to gain a tribute to his father so he forced his way into the Toy Merchant’s shop to steal some parts that could possibly be a key in his success of rebuilding the automaton. This film is incredibly amazing, its Oscar-winning cinematography in 2012 speaks for the movie itself. Hugo together with most of Scorsese’s film has his famous trademark of a tracking shot where the camera is placed on a camera dolly mounted on a rail to follow the subjects being recorded at a single take. Give some proper recognition and credits as well to editor Thelma Schoonmaker as she and Scorsese produced an excellently edited movie. It paved a way to the future by using new technology.

Hugo is one of the best films that utilize 3D technology to its full potential. It is never too late to watch Hugo in case someone haven’t seen it yet, because this movie can bring a lot of emotions and motivations to channel a wild and creative imagination for the viewers. Overall, 9/10 Film or an A movie for Hugo. This is the perfect movie for everyone who likes to explode their youthful bliss inside them and discover what it feels like to have a wonderful creativeness again. The entire term of “movie magic” is certainly meant for films like Hugo that serves as a love letter to cinema.

A Trip to the Moon (Georges Méliès, 1902)

This film is considered as one of the most impactful and one the biggest influences in the cinematic timeline. This is the first sci-fi and colorized movie, and one of my list as the best sci-fi movie of all time. The director is one of the pioneer in cinema history, and this film is one his most precious masterpiece in his artworks.

The movie introduces a platoon of astronomers who wants to travel to the moon places inside a capsule from a giant rocket launcher. Without any ideas, there were some creatures living in the moon. When the astronomers landed in the moon, the moon men captured them. And then they try everything in their power to escape and flee back to earth. A trip to the Moon is a revolutionary film and innovative for its excellent special effects that’s capable by that time. The blockings and the set are astonishing, the painted backdrops are chronological to the sequence and the props forming places with depth in worlds that looks so surreal and vivid to imagine. Also, A trip to the Moon was released in both black and white, and colored versions. Digging deeper into the past, there is no digital editing, it’s always the hardest possible way. And come to think of it, George Melies done it by hand to hand and frame by frame for it to become alive with its colors. There were 16 frames per second, and this movie lasts for over 10 minutes. Mind-blowing isn’t it? There are some frames that were discovered and digitally restored today that premiered in the Cannes Film Festival on May 11th in 2011. One of the most enjoyable scene in this movie is when they land on the moon’s eye. The moon’s facial expression is visibly funny. At this very point it instantly became one of the most popular and iconic images in the whole world and in the history of cinema.

In my opinion, it’s of the greatest films of all time, and one of the most biggest influences of a filmmaker in present. Without any doubt, it’s really enjoyable and interesting in its own unique ways. If you are looking for something that has to do with your imagination and creativity, then you should look up to A Trip to the Moon.

Birth of a Nation (D.W. Griffith, 1915)

Movies have the power to narrate history into existence. They can recreate certain significant events from the past too. We can do a lot of methods to know about history, but if you want to know History and want to be part of that history, you should watch Birth of a Nation.

It became the first ever blockbuster movie in 1915 and inspired a lot of filmmakers today to use D.W. Griffith’s methods and technicalities in making a film as an inspiration. This movie is about the infamous racism ruled by the Ku Klux Clan oppressing the African-American. The film certainly brings up a big debate on how the movies were represented in the past, and how movies can represent someone by their races. The movies was a battle of North Versus South, union versus confederacy, peace versus war, and most specially, black versus white. The director applied the technique called parallel editing; wherein it uses several cuts back and forth between to scenes depicting simultaneously. By using this method, Birth of a Nation also added some length into the duration of most shots to make it even more intensified; this is evident in the movie’s final part. The Ku Klux Klan rescues the besieged town that shows two scenes with different locations and it is scored to vogner’s ride of the valkyries. Birth of a Nation is without a doubt a racist movie, and some viewers may not be fond of it, and I don’t also encourage some of you to watch if you do not want to get offended by the movie. African-Americas are viewed as a violent, animal-like beings whose likely to be most of the villains. While the whites are the ones who are profound and the heroes. The twist of the movie is non of these actors are black, all of them are whites who only wears makeup for portrayal. Most of the scenes depict the raging acts of the black people, like the African-American who tries to rape a white woman who apparently commits suicide instead of having sex with a Black man. Griffith’s view as the greatest sin of America is not slavery, rather than the racist approach of mixing other races with the whites. The major conflict of the movie is centered around the civil war, a point wherein the future ethnic makeup of America is huge than slavery. The Birth of a Nation can be considered as one of the most important films in the history for its portrayal of races, with all due respect to all ethnics. It also brought the Ku Klux Klan into existence after so many decades of being a dormant.

If you are devoted to your race, you should not watch this film because of its racial portrayal of Blacks against Whites. But if you want to know more about the history of Civil War, and can disregard the racial abuse in terms of imagery used in this film, then this Birth of A Nation is a must watch for you.

Pink Floyd: The Wall (Alan Parker, 1982)

The Wall is about understanding someone’s perspective in analyzing their outburst through their own minds. If you’re looking for something that can move your alter-ego, this is certainly one of the must-watch films. It is a cult film wherein film scholars acknowledge Alan Parker’s movie as a dark, innovative, and rock music propaganda. This movie was inspired during the wartimes and inspired by the 1980 Pink Floyd album; centered about a fictional musician named Pink.

He’s a young boy growing up in London who searches for his father who died in World War II. The tragical moments he has faced from the hands of his sadistic school teachers and his overly protective mother will be the cause of his isolation and the number one reason to form his metaphorical wall that separates him from the rest of the world. The narration of the film chooses to delusion the audience into a highly symbolic world driven imagery and sound; rock music and surreal visuals. Pink Floyd’s the Wall does not use a common three-act plot, the essence of music and visuals are being portrayed in the film’s usage of astonishing animations. For example the bombing of London and the end of Pink’s childhood innocence reshapes a cartoon turned into a nightmare. This film can be viewed into many different perspective as it depends on to viewers to put a sequence into their own minds to unlock the meanings of the film’s imagery and representations through sounds and visuals by the cutting of dreams and realities to the past and present. The lack of dialogues can bore out the viewers, but i think it’a a brave choice by the producers to set out a film that does not only let you watch there and not think about it’s true meaning unlike the other musical films. If you participate through the film’s rhythm, the story will speak for you. Pink Floyd’s hard music can be a cause of chaos such as the Riot in the streets of London or the battles in the World War II. But music contemplates with itself, being a chaos or being an order, wherein Pink contradicts with his music as a chaos in his mind and as a temple for his control over the fans. One of the most iconic scenes are the one where the students march up in unison syncing with the song A brick into the wall. The hammers in the scene metaphorically create an idealization of the students in the society but at the same time destroying their individualities. As the film goes on, Pink transformed himself from a musician to a fascist cult leader who uses music to control his fans.

Rock Music has been always a source for social rebellions because of it hard rhythm and symbolisms. It can be a force for liberation but it can also be a cult of religious fascination for the artist’s fame and complete guilt pleasure of the control. The wall is a unique and memorable musical film that deserves a lot of appreciation and acknowledgement.

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May mga bagay nga talaga na minsan mapapaisip nalang tayo kung bakit pa natin ginagawa at pinagtutuusan ng pansin ang mga ‘to kahit sinasaktan na nito ang ating nga damdamin. Akala natin madali, akala natin ganun ganun nalang pero sa totoo lang nilalamon na tayo ng ating mga “akala ko lang naman.” Nakakainis diba? Dahil kahit na alam na natin na wala tayong laban eh pilit parin natin pinagpipilitan ang ating mga gusto sa buhay pero sa huli, wala ih tayo padin ang lugi. Naisip mo na rin ba o minsan natanong sa iyong sarili na may kapupuntahan kaya ang buhay mo? Ako, oo. Lagi kong sumbat sa sarili ko kung bakit lagi nalang ang hirap mabuhay para sa isang araw. Shet, ang hirap. Ang hirap sumabay sa agos ng iyong mga nararamdaman, mahirap talaga na wala ka ng inaasahan sa lahat ng bagay sa mundong ito kundi ang iyong sarili na lamang. Ang hirap maging komplikadong tao, napakahirap na lagi kang dinidiktahan ng kung sino-sino lang, hirap maging ikaw, ang hirap talaga na wala ka ng kakampi at kahit yung tipong yung mga kilala mong akala mo nakakakilala talaga sayo ay alam na nila lahat ng ganap sa buhay mo, pero hindi pala. Ang hirap lang maging mahirap noh. Pareng Erap nakakatawa ka naman eh, sabi mo kasi pre “Forward Ever, Backward Never” pero ba’t parang ang dating samin ay walang forever? Charut lang guys millennials tayo eh x. Pero ayan nananaman eh, hugot nanaman tayo, hayx kabataan nga naman oh. Lagi nalang nila iniisip kung pano sila mabubuhay ng isang linggo kung wala silang nakakalandian sa chat. Lagi nalang ako may naririnig na “Pre, tara 1 buck lang tamang chill lang”, “Uys tol tara sinde”, “Tara pre wag na tayo pumasok”, “Bro, tignan mo yun oh”, “Men sarap ni ano”, “Nag-ano kami ni ano kagabi”. At oo tama yan wag natin kalimutan na bata palang ang mga yan. Mga menor de edad na ganyan na umasta na parang lahat ng karanasan sa buhay ay napagdaanan na. Nakakatakot isipin na paano sila sa kanilang paglaki kasabay sa pagtahak ng kanilang mga bagong istorya sa buhay. Oo inaamin ko naman eh parte ako ng henerasyon na ito at minsan narin akong nasangkot sa iilan sa mga ganyan, hindi ako magmamalinis. Nasubukan ko na lahat ang mga nakasama sakin at minsan ko ng nakaharap ang kamatayan. Hindi ko pinagsisihan ang mga iyon kasi kung baka ngayon ko palang nasisimulan masubukan ang mga iba’t ibang klase ng bisyo, ay malamang sa presinto ang aking diretso. Madami diyan na gusto lamang nila mga pasarap sa buhay, tambay sa bahay, inom sa gabi, sindi hanggang umaga, aral sa wala, pero sigurado ako hindi man nila naiisip kung ano ang mga lagay sa kanilang mga paligid. Siguro di parin nila mailagay… Kung may mga pasasalamatan man tayo ngayon eh yun dapat ang mga magulang natin na buong suporta at tiyaga na inaalalayan at pinapatawad tayo sa lahat ng mga kamaliang nagagawa natin sa buhay natin. Sila ang tunay na nagsasakripisyo upang makamit natin ang mga gusto natin mahangad kahit mabuti man ito o panlibangan lang. Sila talaga ang tunay na lodi, naiintindihan niyo ba yun? Kung sa tingin niyo ngayon ay nasasangkot na kayo sa mga pausok ng buhay na nalululong kayo sa kasamaan, eh hindi pa huli ang lahat. Lagi niyong tatandaan na kailangan niyo lamang na mapagsasabihan sa buhay, yung lagi mong mapagkukwentuhan, yung lagi mong maaasahan sa lahat ng bagay. Samahan mo yung mga taong hinahangaan ang mga kabutihan sa sarili mo, wag yung mga taong sinusuportahan ang mga baho mo. Sila ang dapat kinakaibigan at hindi iniiwan dahil hindi mo sila nakakasama sa inuman. Maghanap ka ng mga taong totoo di lamang sayo kundi pati narin sakanilang mga sarili. Magmahal ka ng isang tao ng tapat at totoo wag yung pang one-night stand lang. At para sa mga may lovelife diyan, kapag ginawa niyong centro sa inyong relasyon si God, pramis lahat ng tatahakin niyo ay naaayon sa inyong mga plano. At kung single ka man o hindi, lagi niyong tatandaan na walang problema ang hindi nasosolusyunan kasi hindi ka ilalagay ng Diyos sa sitwasyon na hindi mo kayang malagpasan. Walang sukuan mga tropa. Pano ko nagawa na bumawi at makita ang kasiyahan sa buhay? Simple lang, binaba ko ang sarili ko at nilagay ko ang aking buong pagtitiwala sa Diyos. Isa-isa kong tinanggal ang mga nakakasama sa aking pagkatao at pinalitan ito ng paga’appreciate at pagmamahal. Wala naman masama kung tayo ay magbabago diba, wala naman mawawala kung susubukan mong maging masaya. Tanong ko sayo ngayon, sa lahat ba ng mga hithit at tungga mo eh masasabi mo na masaya ka talaga? O di naman kaya na iniisip mo lang na masaya ka diyan kasi lasing ka? Pagisipan mo lang nang mabuti erp, makakarating ka rin diyan sa gusto mong pangarap. Oo naman wala naman masama sa pag-inom at pagsigarilyo eh, buhay mo yan eh desisyon mo yan pero sana lang eh alam mo ang limitasyon mo, kontrolin mo ang sarili mo orb habang di mo pagsisihan ang lahat. Mahalin mo lang ang sarili mo at mamahalin ka rin ng mga tao sa paligid mo. Maging totoo ka at wag kang gumaya sa iba. Walang susuko sa laban, may oras ka pang bumawi sa iyong mga pagkukulang at itama ang mga mali. Mahal tayo ni Lord, kailanman hindi niya tayo sinukuan kahit anong sakit sa buhay ay tiniis niya tayo. Kung kaya ko, kaya mo rin! Ikaw pa! Lodi kita eh. Ayiieee hi crush muna diyan sana mabasa mo to para pogi points beng! Peace out, heads up! All the best x

-Anon lang sa CC