“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
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
In February 2006, then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in her pursuit of a "Strong Republic", proclaimed a State of Emergency through Presidential Proclamation 1017 to give her government Martial Law powers. Malacanang produced a documentary titled Paglaban sa Kataksilan: 1017 (1017: To Fight Treason). The Philippine Journalism Reports' (PJR's) editor asked me to write a review of… Continue reading SEEING TREASON: Justifying a State of Emergency in a documentary
I was browsing the 'net and found an old article I wrote for the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility's (CMFR) Philippine Journalism Reports. It was an analysis of the BBC and CNN coverage of the Lebanon-Israel War of 2006. As a teacher of Media Studies / Mass Communication, I know that my students and… Continue reading Demonizing the ‘enemy’
I'm uploading this critique for my Film Theory and Criticism classes to read. by ©Jamal Ashley Abbas STORYLINE (The movie is based on the life of Anita Pamintuan, a schoolteacher who was found dead in the street during the height of the Public School Teachers’ strike) The film opens with credits and close-ups of… Continue reading Mila (2001) -The Invisible Hand of Hegemony
Postprandial Musings, 2.0 