Noel profile picture

Noel

About Me

From my introduction to Critic After Dark: A Review of Philippine Cinema :
Philippine cinema has its share of gold and manure, artists and poseurs; because the average Filipino film costs a little over US$250,000 (in 2004 currency) and is usually shot on a stretch of about twenty shooting days (or less), the manure is often more odious than what passes for commercial filmmaking in Hollywood nowadays; on the other hand, because budget and schedule are often so small and tight, the rare gold nugget found seems all the more impressive, bordering perhaps on the miraculous. Thanks to those nuggets, I still believe in miracles.
They, incidentally, are under-appreciated nuggets. Filipino films are held in low esteem by most middle-to-upper class Filipinos who prefer Hollywood films, especially the recent hundred-million-dollar action blockbusters, crammed full of digital effects and released worldwide simultaneously to discourage piracy. One can't quite blame them, considering the kind of firepower Hollywood can bring to bear on the big screen; at the same time, one can't help but pity them for missing out on the classic films of Gerardo de Leon, Lamberto Avellana, Manuel Silos, Manuel Conde, Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Celso Ad. Castillo; or such recent Filipino treasures as Tikoy Aguiluz's "Segurista" (Dead Sure) and "Bagong Bayani" (The Last Wish); Mike de Leon's "Bayaning Third World" (Third World Hero); Lav Diaz's "Batang West Side" (West Side Avenue); Mario O'Hara's "Babae sa Bubungang Lata" (Woman on a Tin Roof), "Sisa," and "Pangarap ng Puso" (Demons), among many others. They're missing out on works of art and imagination that are truly theirs ("sariling atin"--"our own," in effect), the way no Hollywood film could ever be; they're missing out on heroic efforts at filmmaking that, despite all obstacles (or perhaps because of them), manage somehow to become art, perhaps great art.
I think I can count myself lucky to have seen these films, and to have put my thoughts on them on paper. I'd like to share some of these thoughts with you.

My Interests

I'd like to meet:

Ritwik Ghatak, to ask to screen his Vietnam War movie set entirely in New Delhi (I'm not kidding, he was actually thinking of doing one). Anthony Burgess, to ask him what he really thought of Kubrick's big screen perversion--er, version of his novel, A Clockwork Orange. Anne Catherine Emmerich, to find out if the German pervert--sorry, poet--Clemens Brentano had partly or entirely ghostwritten her writings on Christ, and what she really thought about Jews.
Jose Nepumoceno, to pump him on what he knew about the Philippine cinema in the 1910s to 1940s, and to see his very first film Dalagang Bukid (Country Maiden, 1919) and his horror film Tiyanak (Changeling, 1932)--both lost today. Mike de Leon, to ask him how autobiographical Kisapmata (Blink of an Eye, 1981) really is. Jose Rizal, to ask him if he really recanted, what he thinks of Marilou Diaz Abaya's film on his life--and what he thinks of Mike De Leon and Mario O'Hara's versions. George W. Bush, to kick him in the balls.

My Blog

Alexis Tioseco, Up, District 9, Bruno, Public Enemies, more

Alexis Tioseco, 1981 - 2009  Tributes to Alexis and Nika Up (Peter Doctor, Bob Peterson) District 9 (Neill Blomkamp) Bruno (Larry Charles) Public Enemies (Michael Mann) Hawak Ko, Buhay Mo (Your ...
Posted by on Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:30:00 GMT

Cory Aquino, Carlos J. Caparas, Spring in a Small Town

Corazon Aquino: sinner or saint?Carlos J. Caparas for National ArtistSpring in a Small Town (Mu Fei, 1948)
Posted by on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:49:00 GMT

Last Supper No. 3; Year One; Bruno, Let the Right One In; The Sky Crawlers, and more

Last Supper No. 3 (Veronica Velasco, 2009) Tony Takitani (Jun Ichikawa, 2004) Bruno (Larry Charles, 2009); Catch Me if You Can (Steven Spielberg, 2002) Andrew Sarris profile on The New York Times ...
Posted by on Sat, 18 Jul 2009 21:25:00 GMT

Brillante Mendoza wins Best Director in Cannes; alternative Star Trek directors

Brillante Mendoza wins Best Director in Cannes; Henry Selik's  Coraline; Max Ophuls Le Plaisir; Alfred Hitchcock's Rear WindowAlternative directors for the next Star Trek movie
Posted by on Mon, 25 May 2009 14:54:00 GMT

Star Trek; Philippine Customs still blocking book imports

Article about a new release, and the mass taxation of books imported into the Philippines:Star Trek (J.J. Abrams, 2009)Philippine Customs continues to block books; responds to criticism; is responded ...
Posted by on Mon, 11 May 2009 18:40:00 GMT

Brocka films all month in May!

Lino Brocka films all month in May Imburnal wins two awards in Jeonju Philippine Customs blocking imported books Two Lovers (James Gray, 2009), Sansho the Bailiff, Come Drink with Me J. G.Ballard, Phi...
Posted by on Sat, 09 May 2009 03:35:00 GMT

Fr. Reuter; Watchmen; Knowing; Robert Bresson films; more

Let Fr. Reuter stay in Xavier House!WatchmenThey WaitKnowingLancelot du LacTakenSister Stella L (25th anniversary)L'ArgentAu hasard BalthazarThe Hottie and the Nottie
Posted by on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:05:00 GMT

Best pig ever,Gran Torino, hungry ghosts in Rotterdam

Best pig ever (Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations: Philippines)Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood, 2008)Hungry ghosts in Rotterdam
Posted by on Sat, 21 Feb 2009 22:42:00 GMT

Brillante Mendoza in NY; Dardos award; Asian horror in Rotterdam; Milk; Australia; more

Brillante Mendoza in New YorkThe Dardos Award, Asian horror in RotterdamThe OscarsMilk (Gus Van Sant, 2008)Australia (Baz Luhrmann, 2008)Fly Me to the Moon (Ben Stassen, 2008) 
Posted by on Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:02:00 GMT

Best films 2008 (including Sight and Sound), Benjamin Button

The Best and the Rest of 2008 (includes link to Sight and Sound's Film Year 2008) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (David Fincher, 2008)  Recent viewings (Once, Twilight Samurai, Shop Around ...
Posted by on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:40:00 GMT