In My Life

I'm been a fan of Olivia Lamasan since she penned the Laurice Guillen Pinoy masterpiece, Ipagpatawad Mo (starring Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon). As a director, Lamasan did not disappoint either. She steered Sharon Cuneta towards a Grand Slam-winning performance via Madrasta. Sana Maulit Muli (Aga Muhlach, Lea Salonga) and Milan (Piolo Pascual, Claudine Barretto) are both surprisingly good.

In her latest offering, In My Life, Lamasan is reunited with Vilma Santos. The Batangas governor plays a school teacher who decides to migrate to New York to live with his son (Luis Manzano)... and his lover (John Lloyd Cruz). I'll keen on watching this film, not because of its gay theme, but because the trailer I've posted above shows a lot of promise. This might be a groundbreaking performance for Cruz, and Manzano seems poised to prove that acting chops he inherited from his parents.

I'm just not sure about Vilma doing comedy. I've seen her do comedy in the past, and I must say it's not her cup of tea. Corny talaga. Note to Ate Vi: you may be one of the greatest actors in Philippine cinema, but you are no Meryl Streep.

However, Mrs. Ralph Recto is funny when she's not trying to...

On peaceful departure

I had quite a week. My hubby and I started it with a battle against flu. Fearing it was the dreaded AH1N1, the two of us rushed to the nearest hospital for a check-up. While at Makati Med, the TV in the waiting area was airing news report about the rising number of Swine Flu cases in the metro. Fortunately, what we had was just a regular flu triggered by our always-inflamed tonsils (see, even our tonsils are interconnected. Scary.) Nevertheless, we chose to stay home. We can't be too careful.

As we recuperate, the week continued with the sad news of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson's untimely demise. The original Charlie's Angel succumbed to cancer, while the King of Pop had a cardiac arrest.

Ironically, over the weekend, we've decided to watch Okuribito (Departures), a movie about about death . We hadn't plan to cap the weekend to "celebrate" death after our swine flu scare and the news about Fawcett and Jackson's death. It was the only film available in my archive (read: hard drive) that we haven't watched yet. It's been sitting inside my computer for more than a month now; I hadn't had much time to watch this film since I leeched it via Torrent (calling Edu Manzano). The fact is, I had second thoughts of watching this film, with it's dark and morbid theme.

I decided to grab this Japanese film merely out of curiosity. When it was named Best Foreign Language film at the Oscars, beating the frontrunner Waltz with Bashir, it piqued my interest. But I wasn't that eager to watch it, until only last weekend.

And midway through the film, I got stumped. I should've watched this film sooner, I told myself. It's simply one of the most beautiful films I've seen this year.

The film tells a story about a cellist named Kobayashi Daigo (Motoki Masahiro) who was forced to find a job in the countryside after his Tokyo-based orchestra disbanded. For a generous pay, Daigo accepts a job as a nokanshi or "encoffiner," much to the chagrin of his wife Mika and other people around him. As he masters the job as a nokanshi, he also learns the art of acceptance and forgiveness.

Now I understand why the Academy loved this film. Its quiet and eloquent story-telling can melt even the hardest of hearts, much especially during these times of global uncertainty. Just like the Oscar 2009's biggest winner, Slumdog Millionaire, this is a movie that celebrates love and life. Motoki Masahiro, with his nuanced and heartfelt performance, leads an impeccable acting ensemble. Also commendable is Yôjirô Takita's clean and fuzz-free direction. Joe Hisaishi's lush soundtrack provided the emotional chutzpah, especially during the heart-wrenching final scene.

I rarely cry during movies. But this one left a huge lump in my already-swollen throat long after the closing credits have completely rolled-out.

Official trailer:


PS.
(oh, and did I mention that Masahiro Motoki is as cute as a Japanese button?)

Disney: Seeing double?

My hubby Bur shared a YouTube clip, where scenes from different Disney flicks were obviously recycled. An article from Slate.com ask whether this affects the way we view Disney.

While I find this YouTune clip amusing, it did not, in any way, diminish my respect and admiration for Disney. I grew up watching Disney films; I cried buckets when Bambi lost his mother, and I can still sing Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo verbatim. (I seriously believe that watching Sleeping Beauty's billowing skirt turn into pink, then blue, then green, then pink again, is one of the factors why I became queer. Seriously.)

A seven year-old kid immersed in wonder and fantasy created by Walt Disney couldn't care less if The Jungle Book and Robin Hood were drawn using the same template. Heck, we see samples of recycled shows over and over again on local TV, and people do not seem to care.

Visiting "Grey Gardens"

I love HBO biopics. Gia introduced me to this future Oscar winner named Angelina Jolie. Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino mesmerized me in Norma Jean and Marilyn. But those films failed to move me the same way Grey Gardens did. I loved this Drew Barrymore-Jessica Lange starrer so much that I had to re-open my dormant blog just to deliver my praises.

The film is based on the acclaimed documentary by Albert and David Maysles about the life of Big Edie and Little Edie Beales (aunt and cousin of Jackie Kennedy-Onnasis, respectively). While I haven't seen the entire documentary (apart from the YouTube clips), my hubby Bur told me that Barrymore's resemblance to Little Edie is uncanny. This piqued my interest, and I immediately leeched the biopic via torrent (yes, guilty as charged).

For me, Barrymore's performance transcends beyond mere impersonation. The famous scene wherere she's describing the "perfect costume for the day" was both hilarious and heartbreaking. If she will not win an Emmy for this, then there's no justice. Lange did not dissapoint either, delivering a nuanced performance as Big Edie. Unfortunately, both can cancel each other out in the Emmys. Nevertheless, I'm still rooting for Drew, who finally proved that she can be a serious actress given the right project.