Art as a persuasive device
Posted: December 15, 2010 Filed under: movies | Tags: documentaries, for the bible tells me so, movies, the most dangerous man in america Leave a comment »I just saw two documentaries that kept me away from actual work. One was very good and one was just plain bad.
The good film is called “The Most Dangerous Man In America / Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” by Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith. It’s like a great accompanying film to Errol Morris’ “Fog of War”. I love Daniel Ellsberg and his sharp and unflinching insight but I didn’t like so much the clever devices like animation and too much use of films. I felt that it was trying to be more commercial or more entertaining when the gravity of the topic was already so riveting. Nonetheless, that is but a small niggle. I really like this film and deserves all the attention it’s been getting.
The not-so-nice one is called “For the Bible Tells me So” is by Daniel Karslake. I seem to be in the minority in thinking this is not a nice film because rottentomatoes.com actually gives it a 98%. But I think it’s one of those films that kind of shove people into liking it. Perhaps people think that if they don’t like it then then agree with what these bible-thumping homophobes are saying but I don’t think so. The film is about homosexuality at odds with christianity. I think people acknowledge the courage of the topic but the documentary in terms of style and pacing is a little long winded and redundant.
It is clear though that it’s an important film to push the cause of the LGBT. And so perhaps its relevance has earned for it the metals and the glowing reviews. But it doesn’t really go beyond that or go deeper into the issue. It felt a little too much like Dateline without the voice over.
The reason why I love documentaries, whether they’re good or bad, is that no matter what happens, I’m invited to think a certain way or look at something few people have noticed before. Isn’t that amazing?
Let’s just Obama it
Posted: December 8, 2010 Filed under: Arkeofilms, movies | Tags: Arkeofilms, documentaries, editing, filmmaking, movies Leave a comment »She said: Bravo. You make such vantastic vilm! Is brilliant!
Monster: {Heeh} Thank you.
She said: You make one-hour version!
Monster: {Eyes pop, a teeny hopefully unnoticeable jaw drop} Uhhhh…you mean cut it by almost 30 minutes???
She said: You muz maximize the vilm!
Monster: I didn’t maximize it by making it?
She said: You arteests. Always kidding. Nobody iz going to zee your vilm except a handful of people in tiny festivals. All you want is to make your babies and not share it with the world. {She looks at my producer instead}
She said to producer: You tell her to make the cut. She make it one hour or vat a peeti! One time artist say no to me, he regret it. You do not make vilm for yourself, you know.
Producer to Monster: You can make that cut, yes?
{Are you people telling me that this is not going to stop happening until all my hair is gone? I really have to do this? But but I just want to save my…}
Monster: Yes I can!
Give it a chance
Posted: April 24, 2010 Filed under: movies | Tags: documentaries, movies Leave a comment »It’s always a struggle in the beginning, to think of watching a film that probably won’t look as good as your basic hollywood fare. The plot is probably going to meander to places you’re not used to. The characters are probably even uglier than you. But there really is something magical about documentaries.
So you’re bootlegging already and thinking of what movies to download, give some of these d’s a chance.
It is usually about ordinary lives but the good ones are not mundane. Look for:
51 Birch Street (by Doug Block)
It’s a first person account of a son who gets to know more about his parents. Nothing really much to it until he discovers that his parents were unhappy in this marriage the whole time. It’s completely dysfunctional and reminds me of “Capturing the Friedmans” (by Andrew Jarecki) and yet we all know (hopefully not in one) of couples in unhappy states.
Old Partner (Chung-ryoul Lee)
It’s about an old man and his ox. And again, not much to it but it’s really a compelling watch.
And there are documentaries that actually go well with popcorn.
Hoop Dreams
Man on Wire
The Cove
Helvetica
March of the Penguins
most of Errol Morris films
Gimme Shelter
Anvil
And there are documentaries that will require you to sit somewhere that won’t tempt you to fall asleep…but if you get into it rest assured it’s worth your time.
The Corporation
Objectified
The Betrayal (a triple espresso for this one)
Salesman
Grey Gardens
American Movie
i will not go to heaven when i die
Posted: October 20, 2009 Filed under: movies | Tags: after life, brief history of time, death, happy thoughts, Life Change, movies, Reading list, robert heinlein, stephen hawking, stranger in a strange land 1 Comment »
Sometimes it just happens and something articulates for you. And in this case the AFTERLIFE. This has something to do with the story of a human raised as a Martian who returns to Earth, together with the blackhole theory.
Thank you to Robert Heinlein for ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’. And Stephen Hawking for ‘Brief History of Time’ (also Errol Morris who made a great doc on it).
I believe in the afterlife. I believe there is a higher being. But suddenly heaven and hell is no longer a clear cut division, they’re levels. In the same way that the black hole is not exactly black our spirits are not exactly spirits.
When we die we get absorbed into the collective energy of those who have gone before us. Dead Monster is no longer Monster because she does not exist.
There is a dimension in the universe that we don’t see because we’re limited by our bodies. Hawking kept on investigating the blackhole because he couldn’t believe that if you drop an astronaut in the blackhole it will just disappear. He just couldn’t. And that’s how he figured out that the astronaut as we know it DID disappear but it comes back…as radiation.
The consciousness that we so hold in high regard is the one thing that every religion promises will remain after death. I’m not discounting the fact that there might be consciousness…but not of spirit or soul or anything individual. It’s impossible. Consciousness is still coming from the brain…which dies with us.
I think it’s more like particles moving together like the blackhole that collapses, sucking in that astronaut and eventually nuking it.
Am i going to be excommunicated now?
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.
Pie in your face or more like frontal nudity
Posted: July 26, 2009 Filed under: movies | Tags: art, artists, happy thoughts, Life Change, movies Leave a comment »
I suppose that artists are the luckiest bastards in the world. It’s something to do but is not work. The problem is you’re all exposed for the world to hate it to love it to lambast it to put context to it.
Your art is like a porn star–glorious and dirty both.
You can kick me in the face when i take this back but i’m pretty sure of this:
Posted: July 22, 2009 Filed under: movies | Tags: movies Leave a comment »Nothing will thrill me more than to get a box-office indie hit than a chance to walk the red carpet at the Oscars/Cannes/Anywhere.
I must be crazy but I think it’s true. Movies are meant to be watched not necessarily rewarded.
She is not done
Posted: July 18, 2009 Filed under: Kano | Tags: documentaries, Kano, movies 1 Comment »She thought it was almost over. She’s been doing it forever. Well not forever. Let’s say she’s been doing it since 2005. Had we been talking about a baby then that baby would’ve been in Nursery right now, learning the alphabet…C you’re so cute and full of charm, D you’re a darling, E you’re exciting…why is it that most of us still have to sing the alphabet to know what comes after K. So anyway, it is not a baby. It is however novel-like in breadth and she is therefore doing only one thing, because it is the only thing she’d be patient enough to do that long a time. It is of course the epic movie. The movie that some generous Korean is waiting for and the same movie zat ze Swedish perzons are waiting for.
So she makes a call to an American consultant, who hopefully knows what he’s talking about. Because as he gives his 2 cents on the never ending movie in the making…the world comes crashing down on her. The American tells her: It’s still very rough at the moment, I will be able to give you finer points when you’re done.
She did not have the heart to remind the American that she already mentioned that she was just about done. The American assures her that it’s very strong and she must keep on going. But she is too disheartened to tell him…that there seems to be nowhere to go. Because she thought it was almost over.
But it’s not over. More hairfall on the floor. More second guessing. She needs that second wind to get to the finish line which apparently is still far far far away.
Tag me an Indie
Posted: June 7, 2009 Filed under: Arkeofilms, movies | Tags: Arkeofilms, Danny Boyle, indie, indie films, movies Leave a comment »Shiver the thought, this label. Somehow, it sounds like bad porn. It’s shaky cameras and b-list actors. It’s dark lighting and self-conscious stories. I think it’s unfair–to automatically connect this combination as a bad movie. I mean, what about 28 days Later? It was by far Boyle’s better movie over Slumdog Millionaire. But it is understandable to connect this combination as an Indie.
I guess we just need a little more time to show you the breadth and depth local indies can take you. I ask for your patience as I summon some power to find the money. And also, we just needto get better, too.
