Why does it always have to be the next thing?
Posted: November 11, 2010 Filed under: Arkeofilms | Tags: are clouds blue?, Arkeofilms, art, documentaries, films, happy thoughts, Life Change, sick books, www.arecloudsblue.wordpress.com Leave a comment »One night over frozen margaritas and oily food, I was with the Dude who directs, Beef who’s a photographer, and Seeds who is a painter and pole dance artist. And the conversation started on a cheerful note. And how it’s so much fun to push the boundaries, give it all you got and then ahhh…an exhibit, a premiere, a performance. But then after the ahhhh…moment comes the now what??? moment. And it happens all over again. And then comes Nor, who is a wonderful wonderful actor. And he talks about enjoying the moment where everything is just PERFECT. And don’t we all look for it? Like heroin? That very very rare moment when you know you did a good thing. And you just keep doing what you do to be in that moment again.
I’ve been thinking about that with documentaries and I’m not sure THE MOMENT applies. Perhaps there is this absolutely profound and reflective scene that you just so happen to capture…NOT. Well maybe. I haven’t done enough to know if it’s true.
Unfortunately, the cheerful note turned to anxious as we all went into self-absorption required of all who need to be ahh-tist. Shmah-tist.
But on that note…I’m so excited to do my next film! The progress is a crawl but perhaps because i have not found this seemingly impossible MOMENT that they keep talking about. No a-ha! for me yet but I know this is going to be good.
And because I am a fool for procrastinating, I have resorted to stupid time eating activities so as to avoid the hard work of actual editing. But might as well publish my first amateur study of the poster. I’m sure my more talented graphic artist friends will do a better job.
www.arecloudsblue.wordpress.com
Writing about writers / Films about filmmakers
Posted: October 8, 2009 Filed under: movies | Tags: filmmakers, filmmaking, films, ishmael bernal, movies, nick hornby, pagdating sa dulo, writers Leave a comment »
Dalhin mo lolo mo, kaya ko syang gawing artista.
Nick Hornby has had it with novels about writers. It’s so pa-bida I guess. But the thing is Mr. Hornby, hee hee…I actually like movies about movies. Which reveals a suspicion of too much self-importance…but what can I do? I love Day For Night. I love Living in Oblivion. And now that I just saw Bernal’s first film, Pagdating Sa Dulo, I love it too!
But yes Mr. Hornby, I have to agree, novels about writers have reached their quota.
Classic vs. Now
Posted: September 9, 2008 Filed under: movies | Tags: documentaries, films, Jesus Camp, Maysles, movies, Salesman Leave a comment »I’ve been watching all these documentaries lately, and I still don’t see why it’s so hard to take off here. TV Patrol was once the top rating show of all shows right? We love the travesty of life right? Then you go see these movies because it’s nothing like TV Patrol. 
Two movies. One made before I was born, and one that just took off last year.
Salesman (Maysles Brothers), 1969
There’s a little bit of magic in this movie. Somehow, following a bunch of salesmen selling their overpriced bible to poor towns just proved to be compelling fare.
It looks like he just followed the camera and acted like a fly on the wall. Well well well…it’s hard to be a “fly” when you have a gigantic film camera moving around, and a boom mic that just hovered where you went. Maysles really knew what he was doing. He is amazing!
To reveal personalities without straight-out interviews requires a deft hand and a bottomless pit of patience.
Jesus Camp (Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady), 2007
This made me squirm
As much as it is compelling movie, it wasn’t my kind of movie. I thought it was very one-sided. I like the fact that it made me squirm as you see the kids getting brainwashed; but that’s all there was to it really. But I still like it…I am writing about it. The disapproving tone of the filmmakers were way too obvious throughout the movie. It didn’t give these poor Evangelicals a chance to show why they’re doing this in the first place.
We know it’s a bad thing…why simply rub it in? The best thing about it though is the contagious passion of the kids. On the downside, it was unable to go beyond the “look at them, they’re so gullible” stage. Hmmm…maybe it’s about time to take a look at our own local devouts.
The crazy truth about non-fiction
Posted: June 9, 2008 Filed under: Arkeofilms, Kano, movies | Tags: Arkeofilms, documentaries, errol morris, films, independent movies, Kano, movies, werner herzog 1 Comment »If everything was planned, it would be dreadful. If everything was unplanned, it would be equally dreadful. Cinema exists because there are elements of both in everything…Despite all of our efforts to control something, the world is much, much more powerful than us, and more deranged even than us.
-Errol Morris in conversation with Werner Herzog
It’s what I always remind myself when I want to make the work more exciting: Just let it all hang. The world’s already crazy as it is. We are all crazy as it is.
Haaay…life.
