FILM JUNKIE NOSTALGIA (Article)

By Reymundo Salao

I sometimes miss life during childhood when me and my brothers would just stay home, lie in bed, lazy around, play games with friends, and watch TV all day. Having grown in an urban neighborhood, television and home movies played a big role in my childhood. When I was in Elementary school, it was the Betamax which is the ancestor of the VHS cassette format that was the tool for children like us to behave, just sit back and enjoy the movies that made our childhood memories. I remember how we would rent the entire STAR WARS trilogy and just watch the damn three movies over and over again until it made a geek out of me, especially during the long Christmas holiday vacation, the STAR WARS trilogy has seemingly become our Christmas movies. I also remember the classic Jacky Chan movies like “Snake & the Eagle’s Shadow”, “Fearless Hyena”, and “Drunken Master” that defined the childhood of many kids my age back then. Much to a point that whenever kids at my school broke out into a fight, they would make Snake kung-fu or Dragon Kung-fu stances, instead of just clenching their fists. Many of the old classic Jacky Chan kung-fu flicks have been restored into VCD and DVD format, but some like “Drunken Master” have been re-dubbed or re-edited because some of its film stocks have been lost in time. I personally would prefer the original classic version with the silly dubbings though.

Aside from the occasional “Clash of the Titans” or “Rambo; First Blood part 2” there also was the Pinoy classic “Ang Panday” and its sequels. Back when I still liked Fernando Poe Jr. as an action hero, he was the blacksmith who fought the forces of evil and a sinister and taunting Max Alvarado as Lizardo. I am, however gravely disappointed with the current rehash of the “Panday” saga. Jericho Rosales may have been a great Panday, it is the overall production, from storyline to special effects, and even to the costume designs that, for me, makes the new “Panday” series such a failure. There also was the action fantasy which stars Michael De Mesa entitled “Salamangkero” which I have not seen since then. I guess there’s also another Pinoy flick lost in time. I still am searching for some of the classic Tito-Vic-&-Joey flicks like “Fly Me To The Moon” and “Super One-Two-Three” to add to my collection of film nostalgia.

Back in my childhood, television was so different. Long before the era of Cable TV, there was network TV that showed programs from Manila a week late. An episode of TODAS or PINOY THRILLER would only be shown an entire week late and not live via satellite. I remember how so much of a big deal live network telecast from Manila is: News Watch was a big deal. At the time, no Network TV channel could contest to the popularity of IBC Channel 12 back then. Not only was it popular because of its being the pioneer in giving coverage to our city’s Dinagyang Festival, it also was the TV channel that conveniently showed the coolest filler films, the best cartoon shows, and the classics from which many of us learned how to be film critics in our own right. From the “Killing Fields” to “Ten Commandments”, from “Sesame Street” to the tagalong-dubbed “Voltes Five”, Network TV was our day-today urban life home entertainment system. We always knew we had to turn off the Nintendo Family Computer if we knew that “Diehard” was being shown.

So much for reminiscing, now, the appreciation of films is something that can now be done with ease. Many of the film classics that were then considered to be “hard-to-find” can now be found in your nearest home video stores. Some of the HARDER-to-find ones can be found in the pirated video shops. These days, there’s also the internet that can easily guide one to research about their favorite films and filmmakers. One can easily search what are the other films of Akira Kurasawa or what Pinoy films have become popular internationally. It’s certainly interesting tracing our own little history of film appreciation.

Screening Schedules This Week (11-30-05)

ROBINSONS MOVIEWORLD
The Myth
11:45 AM, 2:15 PM, 4:45, 7:15 PM
Chicken Little
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
Four Brothers
12:15 PM, 2:35, 4:55, 7:15 PM
My Sassy Girl
12:15 PM, 2:35, 4:55, 7:15 PM
Hari ng Sablay
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
1:15 PM, 4:15, 7:15 PM

SM CITY CINEMA
Hari ng Sablay
11:50 AM, 1:40 PM. 3:30, 5:20, 7:10, 9 PM
The Myth
12 PM, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9 PM
Four Brothers
12:20 PM, 2:30, 4:40, 6:50, 9 PM
Chicken Little
11:30 AM, 1:05 PM, 2:40, 4:15, 5:50, 7:25, 9 PM
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
12 pm, 3, 6, 9 PM
My Sassy Girl
11:40 AM, 2 PM, 4:20, 6:40, 9 PM

The CORPSE BRIDE

The CORPSE BRIDE: Wonderfully Macabre
By Reymundo Salao

I have been a long time fan of Tim Burton’s movies. His style of work is greatly defined by its wonderfully macabre gothic features. Much like his work in Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, and the Batman movie of 1989 and its sequel Batman Returns, (his only “bad” film that I could think of was his remake of The Planet of the Apes) his latest movie The Corpse Bride is a testament to his brand of goth film that has the capacity to appeal to the pop crowd.

Made in the exact consistency in terms of its stop-motion animation style and its definitive “Tim Burton atmosphere” of gothic wonderland with that of “Nightmare Before Christmas”, “The Corpse Bride” is a tale about a love triangle between a man torn between his love for his living fiancée and the love of the corpse bride that he meets. His story begins with an arranged marriage. Nouveau rich Fish-merchant tycoons the Van Dorts (voiced by Tracey Ullman and Paul Whitehouse) want their introverted son, Victor (Johnny Depp), to marry Victoria (Emily Watson), the winsome daughter of impoverished aristocrats, the Everglots (Albert Finney and Joanna Lumley). It's a crass cash-for-class transaction, unexpectedly turned romantic when the shy couple fall in love at first sight.

But at the rehearsal, Victor keeps flubbing his lines and flees to the nearby woods to steady himself. While practicing the vows, he inadvertently places the wedding ring on what appears to be a dead twig which turns out to be the very dead hand of the Corpse Bride (Helena Bonham Carter).

She takes him underground to the Land of the Dead, which is ironically a livelier, more colorful and festive place than the monochromatic world of the living, above. Developing a sense of love for the Corpse Bride, Victor has become torn between the choice of falling for either of the two brides that await him.


A powerhouse of morbid beauty and melodic macabre, Corpse Bride is filled with characters that seem to come out of horror flicks, stylized to fit in its cartoonish world, making them bizarre but adorable creatures of jazz and utter coolness. From the polite corpse that was sliced in two, to the decapitated head that is aided by companion cockroaches, to the singing black widows and the conscience maggot that his mere facial make-up is a combination of grotesque and cute, the world of Corpse Bride is lovely and wicked to the last drop.

The only shortcoming of Corpse Bride is if you compare it with “Nightmare Before Christmas” especially in terms of its musical scores, regardless that both were under the masterful musical instrumentations of Master Musical Scorer Danny Elfman. Elfman, who is formerly a member of the 80’s geek rock group Devo (Whip It!) has time and again made his mark in history of movie and television music having helmed the musical scores for almost all the Tim Burton movies, the Simpsons’ theme, the Addam’s Family movies, and countless more scores. Elfman’s work on this film is beautiful, but never as catchy as his previous work in Nightmare.

Regardless of some miniscule shortcomings and regardless of the very short film length which makes it so “bitin”, The CORPSE BRIDE is superb and highly recommended for all ages that can stand to enjoy pure weird fun.

Now Showing this Week (11-23-05)

ROBINSONS MOVIEWORLD
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
1:15 PM, 4:15, 7:15 PM
AB-Normal Beauty
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
The Descent
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
The Corpse Bride
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
Undiscovered
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM

SM CITY CINEMA
Undiscovered
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
12 pm, 3, 6, 9 PM
Flightplan (2005)
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM
ABNormal Beauty
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
11 AM, 2 PM, 5, 8 PM
The Corpse Bride
12 PM, 1:30, 3, 4:30, 6, 7:30, 9 PM

TEN REASONS to WATCH HARRY POTTER & THE GOBLET OF FIRE (Junkie Article)

I'm not a Harry Potter fan, but still, I considered the film to be in that "two-thumbs-up" level. WHY, you may ask? Perhaps because I didnt like the first two Potter movies (despite the expected angry outrage of Potter geeks that will protest with statements that the first two Potter movies were the best). Anyhoom to those who hasnt watched the latest Harry Potter movie, here's my

TEN REASONS to WATCH HARRY POTTER & THE GOBLET OF FIRE

-Harry Potter always has his hair all messed up & just like he hasn’t taken a bath; a coolness we monster nerds can relate to

-the soldiers of Lizardo make several appearances

-Gandalf wears a new hat


-there is NO Legolas in this movie

-Hermione is barely legal

-Finally, some serious violence

-it's gonna freak out old-fashioned parents who think their children is going to watch something that resembles the Walt Disney cuteness of Harry Potter 1 & 2, only to find a movie that has some violence & some gore on it. SEE Parents fumbling in pointless explanation to their children as they are rendered clueless of what is transpiring, because the film starts off assuming that one has watched the first three movies.

-The Dragon from Dragonheart makes an appearance


-Dobey DIES! Just kidding. At least he's Not there

-Harry & Ron gets rejected by the chicks they love; again, something that us nerds can relate to

Now Showing this Week (11-16-05)

ROBINSONS MOVIEWORLD
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
1:15 PM, 4:15, 7:15 PM
Waiting
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
Flightplan (2005)
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
1:15 PM, 4:15, 7:15 PM
Masahista
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
12:15 PM, 3:15, 6:15, 9:15 PM

SM CITY CINEMA
Doom
11:50 AM, 1:40 PM. 3:30, 5:20
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
12:40 PM, 3:40, 6:40 PM
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
12 pm, 3, 6, 9 PM
Flightplan (2005)
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5:20 PM, 8:20 PM
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
10:20 AM, 1:20 PM, 4:20, 7:20 PM

Pinoy Films Triumphant in Brussels, San Francisco, and Hollywood (Junkie News)

PANAGHOY SA SUBA gets BEST PICTURE & BEST DIRECTOR in Brussels, KAIBIGAN gets Best Foreign Film in San Francisco, and SIGAW makes Hollywood scream at Screamfest 2005


“Panaghoy sa Suba” (Cry of the River) won Best Picture at the International Festival of Independent Film in Brussels, Belgium. Its director Cesar Montano was also named Best Director.

Meanwhile, a low-budget independent film made by a professor at Silliman University in Dumaguete was named Best Foreign Film at the What You See Is What You Get Film Festival in San Francisco, California, last month. The movie, “Kaibigan,” was directed by Jona Lim and featured students in the cast.

Source: inq7.net
http://news.inq7.net/entertainment/index.php?index=1&story_id=55923

Meanwhile, Yam Laranas' instant horror classic SIGAW got a loud scream from American viewers and critics as it made its Hollywood debut last Wednesday at the fifth annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival, the world’s biggest genre festival. The movie is one of the top contenders for the major award in tomorrow’s culmination night, facing entries from other countries.

Sources:
http://www.inq7.net/globalnation/sec_fea/2005/oct/20-02.htm
http://dchsbatch88.blogspot.com/2005/10/davao-boy-film-gets-loud-scream-in.html

Now Showing this Week (11-09-05)

SM CITY CINEMA
My Sassy Girl
12 PM, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9 PM
Doom
11:50 AM, 1:40 PM. 3:30, 5:20, 7:10, 9 PM
Ispiritista: Itay May Moomoo
12:20 PM, 2:30, 4:40, 6:50, 9 PM
The Legend of Zorro
12 PM, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9 PM
Flightplan (2005)
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM