Movie Rant: Pan's Labyrinth

How unfortunate that this film, heralded as among the best of 2006 is belatedly shown here in the Philippines. I was really curious as to what the film is really about.

After watching the film, my only reaction is -- WOW.

That is how I was really blown away by this magnificent film. To think that it draws some parallelism about what our country has gotten into in terms of what we really want and how we want things to unfold.

A superb review is found in Rebel Without A Clue, a weekly column by Patricia Evangelista appearing in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Click here to view her full article.

For those who want to watch an intellectually and visually stimulating movie, go, watch this film either in cinemas or DVD.



Overview courtesy of imdb.com:

In 1944 fascist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again. Written by Tim

This is the story about a young girl... and the fantasy world she created, to survive the harsh reality... This movie teaches us how children survive the real world, which they are not prepared for, and how adults forgotten this ability, disregard it as nothing, missing its "power"... Written by John

"Pan's Labyrinth" is the story of a young girl who travels with her pregnant mother to live with her mother's new husband in a rural area up North in Spain, 1944, after Franco's victory. The girl lives in an imaginary world of her own creation and faces the real world with much chagrin. Fascist repression during the first years of Franco's dictatorship is at its height in rural Spain and the girl must come to terms with that through a fable of her own. Written by Ben McIntosh

For casts and credits, click here.

Movie Rant 3: Breaking and Entering

I was able to catch two films during the last day of the special screenings of arthouse films in Greenbelt Cinema 1. The second movie that I watched was Breaking and Entering.

In the movie, Will Francis (Jude Law) is asked by Amira (Juliette Binoche), Are you happy?
To which Will Francis answered, Happy enough.
Like Will Francis' answer, I am 'happy enough' with the film but was never totally engrossed or even thrilled by it. The problem starts during the second half of the film wherein the plot gets too muddled with a lot of things -- pace, character development/relevance, a lot of metaphors, etc. -- that makes the ending rather unconvincing and unrealistic.

However, whatever the shortcomings were, the movie still provides good insights on complex human emotions and relationships ---
how we try to be (unconsciously) looking out for love even if we adamantly reject/deny it;
how we try to protect members of our families;
how we try not to face realities by succumbing to metaphoric bullshit just to mask realities ---
these things can make us contemplate about our own angsts regarding our relations and how we try to deal with it.

So, for those who want to become contemplative and ruminative about your own relationships, go, watch this film either in cinemas or DVD.



For the plot summary, click here.

For casts and credits, click here.

Movie Rant 2: The Last King of Scotland

I was able to catch two films during the last day of the special screenings of arthouse films in Greenbelt Cinema 1. The first movie that I watched was The Last King of Scotland.

Power is really seductive. Just ask Nicholas Gerrigan (James McAvoy), the Scottish doctor who became the personal physician of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). The film is an actual/fictional biography of the rise to despotism of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin told through the eyes of a young Scottish doctor (Nicholas Gerrigan).

Power is really seductive. One would wonder why Nicholas Gerrigan, amid the horror stories about the dictator, would willingly embrace the charms of Idi Amin without a second thought that it borders naivety (or stupidity?). Or is it just because Idi Amin is very smart, too charming and very persuasive? Whatever the possibility is, the idea of power is too mesmerizing that everyone try to grab it at whatever cost. Just look at the many candidates that the Philippines has for its incoming senatorial and local elections (May 14th). Or read the local dailies and one would read about a politician's assassination (again).

Through the eyes of Nicholas Gerrigan, the film's director, Kevin Macdonald was able to convey the many facets of Idi Amin: charismatic and magnetic but at the same time unpredictable, paranoid and brutal. Through Nicholas Gerrigan, viewers are able to see what Idi Amin is really capable of, and that spelled out fear and terror throughout Uganda between 1971-1979.

The film is engaging enough because you never know how it ends, and the powerful performances of the main protagonists would keep you glued to the screen. Go catch this film either in cinemas or DVD.


For the plot summary, click here.

For casts and credits, click here.

Movie Rant 1: Letters from Iwo Jima

Greenbelt Cinema 1 is currently showing some arthouse films this week (April 9-15). So for those who missed out some good films during the latter part of 2006 and the first two months of 2007, now is the good time to catch those movies.

I was able to catch the screening of Letters from Iwo Jima (with English subtitles) directed by Clint Eastwood. This is the Japanese perspective of the Iwo Jima battle, one of the bloodiest battles during WW II. The other film made was from an American perspective, Flags of Our Fathers, also made by Eastwood (I was not able to watch the American perspective).

Though the film talks about the horrors of the war, it is more or less tamed down. The primary focus of the film revolves around the psyche of the main protagonists. Clearly, the film is about strength, honor and courage, and trying to break away from rigid traditional Japanese culture as expressed by the main protagonists. The nature of the film may be depressing, but towards its end, it more or less offers hope. There are a lot of snippets worth remembering in the film, since most of them are true, and thus can serve as reflections with our realities. For these alone, the film is worth one's time and money. Go catch this film either in cinemas or DVD.



Plot Summary: Letters From Iwo Jima is a recreation of the events that transpired during the American invasion of Iwo Jima during World War II, as told from the Japanese perspective. The island of Iwo Jima stands between the American military force and the home islands of Japan. Therefore, the Imperial Japanese Army is desperate to prevent it from falling into American hands and providing a launching point for an invasion of Japan. In February of 1945, some 22,000 Japanese troops defended the island against the overwhelming American forces that overwhelmingly outnumbered them. Like a memoir, the film follows the personal story of a young soldier, Saigo, a poor baker in civilian life, strives with his friends to survive the harsh regime of the Japanese army itself, as they fight for survival throughout the battles and are forced to watch helplessly as their closest comrades succumb to unavoidable deaths. The story also revolves around real-life Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, who was given command of the forces on the island and sets out to prepare for the imminent attack. General Kuribayashi continued to defend the island with his forces even as the fighting drew close to its inevitable conclusion.

For casts and credits, click here.