Just saw Ditsi Carolino’s latest documentary Lupang Hinarang (loosely translated as Obstructed Land or Barred Soil, a play on the National Anthem’s title Lupang Hinirang or Chosen Land). This is just an initial reaction, a few takes, as the film is yet to be released formally.

Before the screening, Ditsi made clear that it was a work in progress, but already the film looks like it will become another Filipino documentary classic, as the rest of her previous works (Riles, Bunso) are generally considered. I must reserve the right, though, to change my mind if the final veers from what was shown in the jampacked Ateneo screening last night.

The structure is pretty much there and the point already too clear. The first part, on the Sumilao farmers, feels more finished than the second part, on the Negros farmers, which clearly needed more work thematically in terms of emotional arch, and technically in color grading and sound.

However, I must say that screening a work in progress, an oft-used term among filmmakers and media people to stand for “unfinished,” has the danger of constricting the final output to stick to what has already been seen by many. But it seems Ditsi has already made up her mind on what the story is and how the docu is to be structured, meaning the final form won’t be too far from what has already been shown to many.

That said, it was very hard not to be emotionally affected with what she captured on cam.

In 2007, 55 farmers from Sumilao, Bukidnon in Mindanao walk 1700 kilometers to bring their petition to Malacañan in Manila to revoke a DAR order converting 144 hectares of prime agricultural land, previously awarded to them, into an agro-industrial estate, thereby excluding the land from agrarian reform law. It takes the farmers 60 days to reach the Palace gates. Ditsi accompanies them in the entire trek, essentially documenting the farmers’ long, sun-stroked (or rain-drenched), mutilating march on foot. Five minutes into the film and I was already wiping away a tear. So did my friend beside me.

In the second part, 22 farmers from Negros Occidental stage a hunger strike in front of the headquarters of the Department of Agrarian Reform, denouncing the slow implementation of their installment in the lands distributed to them 10 years before. It would take 29 days before the Palace would give in.

Lupang Hinarang presents hope – lots of it – from the bravery of these folk to struggle for what was rightfully theirs. It is a pointed documentary, an imbalanced tale, a singular message whose agenda is on the side of the disenfranchised. This is the film’s strength.

There are 1.3 million hectares of land still to be distributed to those who can till them, but, as of today, only 4 session days are left for Congress to pass the law that would make that distribution happen.

That part of the story is crystal clear.

Gerapatani
Rebyu ni Vives Anunciacion
Inquirer Libre January 16, 2009

Bride Wars
Directed by Gary Winick

Eto ang nangyayari when an old idea gets overworked. Every year, merong isa o dalawang comedy na targeted sa female viewers, pero dahil masyado na sigurong madalas kaya nauubos na ang mga ideas. Ok lang kung kakatawa talaga ang palabas. Sa pagkakataong ito, medyo lang.

BFF since childhood sina Liv (Kate Hudson) at Emma (Anne Hathaway), at pareho silang nangangarap ng magarbong June wedding sa sikat (at mahal) na The Plaza Hotel sa New York. Nang magkataong halos sabay mag-propose ang kanikanilang boyfriend, agad nilang kinuha ang services ng pinakasikat na wedding planner na si Marion St. Claire (Candice Bergen).

Magsisimula ang gera ng best friends nang dahil sa isang clerical error ng secretary ni Marion; sabay na mabu-book on the same day ang kasal ni Liv at Emma sa The Plaza. Siyempre hindi uurong ang power attorney na si Liv, at lalong hindi patatalo ang matagal nang nagtitimping schoolteacher na si Emma.

Ang labas, agawan ng bridesmaids, patalbugan ng presentation at pagandahan ng trahe.  Kung dati Best Friends Forever, ngayon para silang Hamas at Israel sa Gaza, at nasa crossfire ang fiancé ni Liv na si Daniel (Steve Howey), fiancé ni Emma na si Fletcher (Chris Platt) at ang younger brother ni Liv na si Nate (Bryan Greenberg). 

Kung napanood niyo ang trailer, yun na yun. Andun na lahat yung buong pelikula. As far as performance is concerned, Hudson is at ease doing comedy. She only needs to smile and the screen warms up, even if she has bad hair and make-up. Hudson gets all the funny lines because she can pull them off, di gaya ni Hathaway na parang hindi pa sanay kahit may ilang comedies na siya (Princess Diaries 1 & 2, Devil Wears Prada, Get Smart).  One joke in particular falls flat (yung kinukwento niya kay Fletcher tungkol sa mga cheerleaders).

Yung kakulangan ng comedy sa side ni Emma ang dahilan sa aking palagay kung bakit binigyan ng siya ng “sidekick” na dysfunctional co-worker played by a known comedienne (Kristen Johnston) at ng minor plot tungkol sa romantic inclinations ni Nate sa kaniya. But the story is really about the strength of relations between best friends Liv and Emma and not about Liv’s younger brother Nate, which is why I think the small plot about the brother is irrelevant.

I seriously think pwede sana si Fil-Am Alec Mapa (who appears in Ugly Betty as showbiz reporter Suzuki St. Pierre) sa role na wedding planner, baka naging nakakatawa pa yung character ni Marion. I found the reactions of the guys totally realistic, dahil na-experience ko na yung mamagitan sa away ng mag-best friend na babae. Pero kung bakit hindi na lang tinuloy na comedy ito ng isang double wedding, hindi ko alam. Lumalabas kasi na napakababaw ng dalawang matalinong babae na pag-awayan ang petsa ng kanilang kasal, lalu na kung tutoong mag-best friend sila.

Sabi ni Liv sa dulo ng movie, “This fight is ugly.” I almost said the same thing about Bride Wars, but it’s really not entirely terrible. Medyo lang. Sometimes it’s funny. But it’s better if women bring their girlfriends instead of their boyfriends to see this movie, kasi, the sight of bridezillas can be horrific to potential grooms.

From Variety.com:

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has unveiled the nine semifinalists for the foreign-language award, the first shortlist to reflect the new voting rules in the category:

These are the nine:

Austria, “Revanche” (Gotz Spielmann, director);
Canada, “The Necessities of Life” (Benoit Pilon);
France, “The Class” (Laurent Cantet);
Germany, “The Baader Meinhof Complex” (Uli Edel);
Israel, “Waltz With Bashir” (Ari Folman);
Japan, “Departures” (Yojiro Takita);
Mexico, “Tear This Heart Out” (Roberto Sneider);
Sweden, “Everlasting Moments” (Jan Troell);
Turkey, “3 Monkeys” (Nuri Bilge Ceylan).

The roster includes four from Europe and two from North America.

Under the new voting procedure, instituted after last year’s ceremony, the Phase I committee screened the 65 eligible films between mid-October and Jan. 10. That panel consists of several hundred Los Angeles-based members.

That group’s top six choices were augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s foreign-language film award executive committee — an innovation this year.

Every year, there are surprise inclusions and omissions. On Tuesday, few quarreled with the choices, but many were surprised that Italy’s “Gomorrah” (directed by Matteo Garrone) was not on the list. Less surprising, but still mentioned, were Chile’s “Tony Manero” (Pablo Larrain), Jordan’s first entry “Captain Abu Raed” (Amir Matalqa), Kazakhstan’s “Tulpan” (Sergey Dvortsevoy) and Norway’s “O’Horten” (Bent Hamer).

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the five 2008 nominees by specially selected committees in New York and Los Angeles. The committee members will spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday viewing three of the films each day.

The five nominees will be announced, along with those in other categories, on Jan. 22.

Ayan, ha. Walang Ploning. Wala ang Ploning sa radar. I have suggestions for the next Philippine entry. Pero sakin na lang muna. Let me just say at least, it was a valiant effort.

It’s surprising that Sweden opted for its official entry, Everlasting Moments, instead of the acclaimed Let the Right One In. Also surprising not to see Italy’s Gomorrah, which had early festival buzz. But the Oscar goes to… Waltz with Bashir.

Ageless & evergreen

Review by Vives Anunciacion
Inquirer Libre January 9, 2009
(Translated into English, revisions in red)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Directed by David Fincher
Based loosely on the short story by F. S. Fizgerald

Back in the mid-‘90s, there was a music video of Return to Innocence by German electronic group Enigma which showed the life of a man in reverse, beginning with his death from old age going backwards to his infancy.  YouTube it if you get the chance. In some ways, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is similar to that video’s visual poetry, narrative and sentimentalism.

“I was born under unusual circumstances,” narrates Benjamin (Brad Pitt) regarding his extraordinary birth.  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an unusual fairy tale about a man born as a baby in his 80s who ages backwards, and the moments which defined his lifetime. Benjamin’s story unfolds as Caroline (Julia Ormond) reads a diary for her bedridden mother Daisy (Cate Blanchett), aged and withering as Katrina batters Louisina outside the hospital. *paraphrased from the print

At the end of the First World War, Benjamin’s biological father abandons him in an old-persons retirement home (like Golden Acres) and a kindly woman, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) adopts and raises him as her own child. Just like Forrest Gump, Benjamin Button discovers life as he discovers himself, meeting many different people along the way, especially Daisy who becomes the love of his life. I can’t tell much of the story without giving away too much, so let’s just put it at that.  

It’s not surprising that Benjamin Button is similar to Forrest Gump because Eric Roth wrote the stories of both films. But they’re not the same. In Gump’s story, Gump became part of many incredible moments in history. For the old Benjamin, he was just happy to be alive.

If BB were to be described in terms of other films, it’s like the flashbacks of Big Fish mixed with Gump’s fables, plus the romance of Titanic and the emotional wonder of Amelie. Despite the heavy make-up and tons of incredible special effects to show Benjamin growing young, Brad Pitt gives a very restrained, subtle performance and a gentle voice-over that greatly heightens the emotional resonance of the events in Benjamin’s life, most of them poignant, but frequently punctuated with humor.

Taraji P. Henson, Jared Harris as the boisterous Capt. Mike and an understated cameo from Tilda Swinton (as Benjamin’s fling Elizabeth) all give powerful performances worthy of praise.

But no film is perfect, no matter how technically masterful or beautifully photographed Benjamin Button is (which it is, actually). From start to finish, director David Fincher’s (se7en, Fight Club) epic narrative is spoon-fed to the audience, as if saying, “here’s Benjamin, you will like him.” But that’s all I can complain about and nothing more, not even the 3-hour running time.

“Nothing lasts” is the main philosophy of this curious case, an elegiac meditation on the magic of each moment in our lives, even if it runs in reverse, even if it’s not perfect. 

Flawed and beautiful, just like life.

(Printed version ends here)

Again, I leave out things which are still worth mentioning, but have no place to put them in in the print version. POSSIBLE PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD – stop reading here if you don’t want to be spoiled. I think the review above has enough information, and reads as a positive recommendation to see the film even without writing it down.

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

BB’s conceit is that it’s easy to get hooked with Benjamin from the get go, soon after we see that wrinkled infant left on the front porch of the old house. Who wouldn’t pity the poor thing?

Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) and Ali (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali) are the African-American caretakers of the retirement home who take Benjamin in as their own, but it is Queenie’s motherly instincts that kick in instantly which saves baby Benjamin from being orphaned at birth. Or worse. From that point onwards as Benjamin grows… er, young, an exceptional bond is established between the young boy in an old man’s body and his adoptive mother Queenie. As I mentioned in the print version, Henson is praise-worthy here, even Awards-worthy, as she provides an uncanny warmth to Queenie, she might as well be anybody’s beloved mother.

Alas for the incomparable Cate Blanchett (and I am a huge fan of hers since she declared marriage to England in “Elizabeth”) her problem is not that she couldn’t portray Daisy in various stages of her life, it’s the character itself – underwritten and without much arch simply because it is through her that Benjamin’s story is told. BUT STILL, Blanchett is magnificent with what she was given, even DANCING gracefully, as her Daisy becomes a ballerina.

But as for Benjamin’s and Daisy’s romance, Pitt and Blanchett just have enough chemistry to make it believable, and the edit is pretty good enough that their bond resonates no matter how many times they are separated by time and circumstance, as the story sweeps from 1919 to 2004. That resonance is crucial, especially in the heartbreaking ending, nearly 80 years after they first meet.

Of particular curiosity is that, while watching the many incredible scenes laced with special effects, there is a constant feeling of being pulled out of the moment because one begins to wonder at the sheer movie magic displayed onscreen – especially each time Pitt’s face is onscreen even if it’s not his actual body. Except a scene or two.

I also mentioned the fact that the story is “punctuated” – intermittently by humor. One favorite is the Lightning Guy. “Did I ever tell you I was struck by lightning seven times?” and each situation he gives is a source of hearty laughter.

I’ve already said it’s a technical marvel, that it’s beautifully shot, etcetera, etcetera. The real magic of Benjamin Button is that, simple and stupendous its premise may be, it’s all about the moments – how each second of life is magical, and that these moments define us who we are, even those which our eyes miss.

Current thoughts on the 2009 Oscars race. (UPDATE)

The race for Hollywood’s most coveted prize this year is heating up for  good reason: there’s a lot of good movies in the running (most have yet to be shown here in Manila, Benjamin Button opens on Thursday, after the MMFF ban).

Today, the Producers Guild announced their nominees for Best Picture, and it came down to:

Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Milk
Frost/Nixon
The Dark Knight

Animated:
Wall-E
Bolt
Kung-Fu Panda

Documentary:
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water
Standard Operating Procedure

Based on current winning tallies and buzz, Wall E is locked to win Animation, while Man on Wire, the electrifying story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit’s attempt to walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center back in the ’70s, is likely to win Documentary. However, there is a curious hybrid film which has the potential of being nominated in three categories that it’s technically qualified in: Waltz with Bashir is a foreign-language (from Israel) Documentary presented in Animation. It will likely be nominated in Foreign Language, maybe even win it.

Of the potential Picture nominees, I have only seen TDK, Wall-E and last night Benjamin Button. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a movie in its pirated format even if dvds of Milk and Gran Torino are all over the Metro’s streets. I have a feeling Slumdog Millionaire is too. Next week I’m seeing The Changeling, from UIP, but it’s still up in the air if Angelina will get her acting nom, even if she deserves it at this point.

While I recognize TDK as one of 2008’s best, it is definitely not the best, and I would rather see another film included in the 5 nominees instead of TDK. It should be Wall-E but Disney seems to have quit its campaign. If it’s true that the PGA gets 4/5 against the Oscars, either Frost/Nixon or TDK is replaced by The Wrestler, Doubt or a surprise from Rachel Getting Married or Happy Go Lucky.

Three films will surely get the lion’s share of nominations. Milk, Slumdog Millionaire and Benjamin Button, with the last getting the most nominations, namely: 

Button is likely to win Makeup, and has a good chance of winning Cinematography, Costume, and Art Direction. If it wins either or both Direction and Editing apart from one more category mentioned above, it wins Picture.

Let’s see what the DGA and WGA will nominate when they make their announcements later this week. The Globes will be held on the 18th, and the Oscar noms announced on the 22nd.

UPDATE. I made the draconian mistake of forgetting to include Visual Effects as another possible category nomination for Benj Button. Today, the Academy just announced the shortlist for VFX noms:

The seven titles that will vie for one of three available nominations include year-end arrivals “Australia” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” as well as summer popcorn movies “Journey,” “The Dark Knight,” “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” “Iron Man” and “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.”

Also, the  USC Libraries 21st Annual Scripter Award includes BB and Slumdog Millionaire among the finalists.

This brings a total of 11 possible nominations for BB, give or take 2 (Support Acting and Sound). BB is a technical marvel, even if it doesn’t win Picture, it will likely win a number of technicals.