“The words are not good for the secret meaning, everything always becomes a bit different, as soon as it is put into words, gets distorted a bit, a bit silly—yes, and this is also very good, and I like it a lot, I also very much agree with this, that this what is one man’s treasure and wisdom always sounds like foolishness to another person.” ― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
Looking for something to watch that is out of the ordinary? Something fantastic, something surreal and something romantic? A film with handsome and beautiful stars who can act? A film that can encourage you to ponder upon life's mystery? Aronofsky's cult film The Fountain could be just the film you are looking for.… Continue reading The Fountain: Of Love, Life, Death and Immortality
Peter Greenaway is one of my favorite directors. But in this film, I guess he missed the mark. His best films were done in the 1980s and 1990s. I liked very much his films The Draughtsman's Contract (1982), A Zed & Two Noughts (1985), Drowning by Numbers (1988), The Cook, the Thief, His Wife &… Continue reading Peter Greenaway’s Eisenstein in Guanajuato
FILM AS ART OR AS SOCIAL PRACTICE When I was in graduate film school, I had a long-running discussion with the dean on whether Film should be viewed as Art or as Social Practice. In that college, the “politically correct” view was the Film-As-Social-Practice school of thought. I, on the other hand, stuck… Continue reading Parasite (2019): Film as Art or Social Practice?
While the new Magdalos are being accused of plotting to oust the President, and Magdalo leader, former naval Ltsg, now Senator, Trillanes is facing suits from the government, the original Magdalos - Generals Emilio Aguinaldo and Gregorio del Pilar are being attacked as anti-heroes, if not outright villains, in the movie, GOYO (2018). I thought… Continue reading Debunking Heroes: the Magdalos then and now
Yesterday, with typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut) wrecking havoc in the northern parts of the island (Luzon), and after a 12-hour blackout, I just turned on the TV and looked for a nice movie to watch on cable TV. One channel was showing Stardust (2007) and I decided it was just the right film to watch --… Continue reading DVD Pick: Stardust (2007), a pocketful of starlight
I wrote this piece in 1998/1999. The low-budget film Slums of Beverly Hills (1998) is now considered a cult film. Although the film is 20 years old, the message of the film still rings true. It's a very refreshing film to watch, and is highly recommended. The "Rotten Tomatoes" critics gave the film a… Continue reading DVD Pick: Slums of Beverly Hills, a Sundance cult film
Postprandial Musings, 2.0 