“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
For the past few weeks, the Filipino public has been bombarded with a barrage of propaganda on the side of the President's men about the alleged violations of ABS-CBN radio-TV network. On the other hand, ABS-CBN's cable channels have been bombarding the viewers with interviews and testimonials of people claiming that their lives would not… Continue reading PRESS FREEDOM: The crux of the ABS-CBN franchise denial
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?
It's the time of the year when children, teenagers and young adults graduate from elementary, high school and college. In the Philippines, nowadays, so many parents are elated and extremely proud of their children who graduate with honors, as cum laudes or with various awards such as the Most Diligent Pupil or the Most Creative… Continue reading Transmutation Tables et al
The Palestine - Israel issue is a global issue and is being debated in the United Nations and elsewhere even as of this moment. If you are a bit unclear about the issue, this movie, Paradise Now (2005), might give you some insights into the conflict, which started in 1948 upon the creation of the… Continue reading DVD Pick: Paradise Now
A couple of months ago, I was quite amazed when two friends, husband and wife, were singing praises on the TV series The Tudors. This was a TV series by Showtime Productions more than ten years ago. It is now being re-shown on cable TV. My friends were so impressed by the series and thought everything in… Continue reading Historical Fiction on TV: Tudors & ROME
Marxism has profoundly affected Film Studies and even film-making. Some of the earliest film theorists and filmmakers like Sergei Eisenstein were Communists. The Russian formalists like Dziga Vertov and Vsevolod Pudovkin pushed for “innovative forms matching revolutionary content”. The rise of mass society coupled with advances in technology gave thinkers like Kracauer, Benjamin and Brecht… Continue reading Film Studies Notes: MARXISM and FILM
Postprandial Musings, 2.0 