tsimshotsui Reviews

Rigodon (2005)

Great

[12 June 2018]

Rigodon as a film, and Sari Dalena and Keith Sicat as filmmakers, may exactly be what and who I've been waiting for (but only found now). From the moment the film opens with a quote from Kidlat Tahimik's Perfumed Nightmare, I knew I could expect something great. The film is told in separate segments about its 3 characters: Dante, Amado and Salome, Filipinos in New York for different reasons, and in different situations, but are connected to each other. The film, in its brief length, manages to describe the terror of immigration laws, the loneliness and helplessness of being away from home, and a dream becoming a curse and a trap. I love the atmosphere and the non-extravagant but beautiful production design.

I definitely picked the right film to watch this Independence Day, and am very excited to explore more of Sari Dalena's works, should I be fortunate enough to find them!

Citizen Xenos (2018)

Poignant and succinct

[17 March 2018]

A beautiful, well-shot piece on how refugees in Greece are treated and a couple of citizens who are doing what they can to help. A very engaging documentary that loses me a little on a certain section, perhaps because of the order a certain person's section coming in feeling off. The director may have a difficulty concluding the film, though the film obviously(from the runtime) never overstays its welcome. Plus, we are informed of each subject's fate and latest status by the end, and we are thankfully back to connecting and caring for the people involved. My thoughts are with Fade.

The Beginning of Time (2014)

A very engaging film with a minor flaw (an abrupt ending)

[9 October 2017]

Though the film definitely has an abrupt non-ending, every minute before it was a delight. This is a film about a senior couple losing their pension because their government reallocated pensions towards debt-paying. The first part of the film lets us into the lives of Antonio and Bertha, relationship ever so strong, the couple still intimate and very pleasant towards each other. We spend time out to meet Antonio's 3 friends. What I love about the film is how it endears every character to its audience. I realized halfway how much I truly cared for everyone, and enjoyed spending time with them. While the film initially reminded me of Brillante Mendoza's Lola, this film is a much better experience in that while our characters are going through a hard time, it finds many beautiful things to laugh and smile about. It's a more realistic, more human approach to find things to laugh about so we can continue to live, I think. The second part introduces us to a member of a much younger generation, their grandson Paco. He enters this much older world, in some ways he fits right in, and being of an age closer to me, I appreciated being with the rest of the characters through him. Again the film finds a lot of comedy, nothing harsh or rude or mean, a gentle, teasing humor that I personally love. To reiterate, the film ends suddenly, it caught everyone in the audience off-guard, though personally it wasn't that big a deal to me. It's the kind of film that never needed this strong, sure ending anyway, and I do believe I prefer that over a shock ending.

Machuca (2004)

could have been great

[4 September 2017]

Could have been truly great with that fantastic setting and point in Chilean history, with younger characters and a school as a great stand-in for a whole society, overflowing with material to explore…. could have.

A pet peeve of mine is when a film is named after a character but it ends up not being about them most at all, especially when a name could hint at better representation and more interesting perspectives. Usually these said perspectives that are deemed unrelatable so they just /have/ to be seen through what is seen as a default, relatable pov: a white man. This film was an example of that.

I hate that the girl's role was basically the film shouting "NO HOMO" about the two friends (and then afterwards killed for emotional impact and the end of the boys' relationship). And I'm quite convinced the filmmakers can't write women, since they're either just extremely disagreeable or flat and barely explored.

The sendoff to the Principal was pushing believability but then we find out this was dedicated to this character's rl inspiration by the end so, okay, I guess.

The film is strong when it is confronting race and class differences, the damages of being neutral, and when it grounds itself in its history. The final moments with the lead is great and a big statement on privilege. Tighter focus, well-rounded women, trimming of unnecessary scenes, and consistent tone would have made this film reach its potential.

Dukhtar (2014)

gorgeous but with a disappointing ending

[11 July 2017]

Gorgeously shot film of a mother and daughter going around the stunning Pakistani scenery and landscapes after they escape an arranged marriage to an overaged groom. They do get very lucky (and maybe too lucky) by meeting someone who turns out to be an amazing person along the way and helps them for the rest of the film. I would have praised how the filmmakers chose not to go the heavy, violent, tragic route which is the more usual with these narratives, but the undeserved ending takes those compliments away. Nevertheless, the film is brilliantly acted, and a pleasure to watch for most of its runtime.

Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay (2011)

beautiful portrait and tribute

[27 June 2017]

The mockumentary by Director Antoinette Jadaone is a loving and beautiful tribute to Philippine horror film icon Lilia Cuntapay, who finally is given the well overdue credit. It also becomes a tribute to all character actors, bit players and dedicated extras who are definitely undervalued and mostly go through their professional lives under-appreciated. I applaud the director's wonderful choice of subject matter and her engaging, heartfelt and funny method.

Jerichow (2008)

Familiar but well-crafted

[19 June 2017]

Christian Petzold's Jerichow tells a familiar tale but is well-crafted and involves refreshing elements that make it distinct from the others. Personally I am not a fan of affair stories and there was a point in the film where it was slowly losing my attention but masterful Petzold hooked me back and held me until the end. To say it is a complicated situation is also nothing new, but this involves people who, unlike similar films of the same nature, are not well-off or privileged in their country. I loved the character Ali and the very 3-dimensional construction of his character, never forgetting the struggles of an immigrant in their new country (among other aspects).

The Lure (2015)

fun but uneven

[6 June 2017]

The Lure is about two mermaids who come work at the cabaret. The film is never shy about female nudity but also thankfully doesn't feel too exploitative (though that imbalance is definitely worth noting). The film has fun rock numbers interspersed with falling in love and, well, murders. It ultimately boils down to the non- Disney version of The Little Mermaid. The leads were good, with Michalina being the more magnetic and confident actress. The film has some story leaps I didn't particularly care for and The Little Mermaid similarities made it too predictable for me, but plus points for originality, that fantastic tail design, and for Agnieszka Smoczynska just going for it all the way.

Table 19 (2017)

could have been fun

[4 June 2017]

the film with that cast - Anna Kendrick, Lisa Kudrow, Craig Robinson, Toni Revolori being some of my favorites - could really have been fun and truly enjoyable. But a good cast doesn't make a good script. I wonder how tailored each role is for the cast, I'm guessing apart from Anna's role not so much? Not sold on the bulk of the film / the main pairing much so that was particularly not enjoyable for me. However, June Squibb was lovely and Stephen Merchant was a welcome oddball (though the humor overall of the film doesn't really land). Conclusions for other story lines were not really satisfying and there was cheesiness all through out.

Play (I) (2011)

an absorbing, engaging look at the cycle of bullying

[31 May 2017]

Reading the description of the film made me very anxious about how it will be - only very few directors will be able to handle it the right way. Thankfully, Ruben Ostlund did.

It is a very dangerous subject that I think Ostlund was very, very smart and sensitive about. I applaud his approach of static cameras and un-zoomed faces, successfully and interestingly avoiding certain biases and avoiding exposing his own preconceived notions of whatever's happening on screen. It is then up to the audience to fill in the gaps and question their own prejudices.

Based on real cases, this young group of North African boys never use violence. They do a certain skit and prolong it with intimidation and a tougher form of peer pressure. This is important to note because when we do see violence from older men 'defending' their relative it is shocking and a different level of disturbing.

I particularly love the nuance he adds with the boy who decides to go home early, and the brief but absolutely necessary peek at one of the boys' home. Fantastic were the funny interjections about the cradle also.

I'm not sure what to feel about the two white women being knights in shining armors at the end though. It feels a leap from the realism we've been shown all the time previous but of course not impossible either.

Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King (2017 TV Special)

hilarious and soul-baring

[29 May 2017]

Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King is an hour and fourteen minutes well worth spending. One second you're laughing so hard — the kind of laugh that's from your gut — and the next he hits you with stuff that will make your chest and/or eyes hurt. Certain truths are laid out and laid bare, a lot of which I suspect not everyone would be comfortable with but that's exactly the point. He shares a good portion of his life in such hilarious and engaging ways. You might find yourself trying to look for someone on facebook right after. My only criticisms are *spoilers* I don't quite buy that a certain person is completely OK (I need some sort of history), interracial marriage does not fix racism just like that, and can Hasan say that word?

War Machine (2017)

can't make up its own mind

[27 May 2017]

War Machine is a film that starts out as a promising satire, but quickly tone-shifts and tries to be something else. These shifts keep happening several times as the film progresses. It wants to criticize the US government's counterinsurgent efforts in Afghanistan through Brad Pitt's General Glen McMahon, but then wants to keep him sympathetic and wants the audience to care when he's sad or feeling hopeless. Those bits certainly don't work with Brad Pitt's performance, who is great as the General only if satirical, but just for that. David Michôd certainly has the right intentions and grasp on his subject matter, but couldn't quite translate those into a consistent film.

Buster's Mal Heart (2016)

too ambitious for its own good

[25 May 2017]

Director Sarah Adina Smith crammed at least 3 films here and she tries to make it work but fails. There was too much going on. If I could pick among the jumbled 3 separate films in there, the best would have been this man's slow but steady descent to paranoia. The Y2K element also felt too shaky a ground to stand on as all these events and twists take place.

I was curious to see Rami Malek in a different role and in some ways it was a pleasure, with his character being a dad and the segment with the couple in the cabin being my personal favorites. But his character is supposed to be Mexican (the film's script requiring him to speak a lot of Spanish even) and I hope I don't have to spell out why this is off-putting. I read that he was cast before Mr. Robot so opportunity-wise for Rami I get accepting this role before, however there's been some time to improve on this, and I'm disappointed at Malek but more on Smith for failing to do so. The element of wanting to see Rami Malek in a different film also gets mired by certain plot similarities to his other well-known work.

Bliss (2017)

spoonfeeds the audience

[18 May 2017]

Bliss is a film that treats it audience with kid gloves when it shouldn't. Aside from my figuring out everything way earlier than the film clearly wanted me to (because of the way too obvious and loud clues), it explains itself once or twice more than it needed to, thus the finale felt flat, and a bit redundant. Iza Calzado was good as the lead, but Adrienne Vergara is the breakout here.

Water Lilies (2007)

a sincere effort and great debut

[17 May 2017]

Water Lilies is a sincere debut from Celine Sciamma. She is one of the most interesting filmmakers to me because she makes great choices on subject matters to deal with, and actually makes an effort to explore areas of humanity that may not be as easily accessible to her (which doesn't seem hard but if you could just see the number of respected filmmakers who just stick to their limited perspectives again and again...). Water Lilies is not an exception to this. It tells the story of Marie and Anne, best friends, one a little too small a frame for synchronized swimming, the other a little bit the opposite. Marie and her storyline takes most of the screen time, and while I loved every bit of it, I also wanted equal screen time and focus with Anne. Marie finds herself getting attracted to Floriane, played by Adèle Haenel who is really magnetic here. Anne is attracted to this boy, but of course body image issues and society make that harder. Her storyline, though too short for my liking, gets an amazing ending. Louise Blachère is great in the role.

Heart of a Dog (2015)

intensely personal, meditative journal

[15 May 2017]

This is one of the cases where the film is intensely personal and completely unrestrained and unrestricted that it really is a matter of connecting with the filmmaker themselves or not. Unfortunately, I was the latter. There are moments of poignancy and relevance for me especially as a dog-lover — the film's highest point for me being the realizations after a certain death— however, the film's diary/journal format means that it delves into other related, and others sometimes random, subjects and thoughts that one might not be into exploring.

Invisible (2015)

carefully handled

[10 May 2017]

it is very hard to make a film about the topics that Director Lawrence Fajardo chose and do it right, but Imbisibol certainly accomplishes that. The film about undocumented Filipinos in Japan never demonizes them and understands their necessities, which is a treatment that makes the film for me. Exploring the 4 different characters with very varied situations that intersect every once in a while was such a pleasure. The scene compositions were perfect for the subject matter, the tone of the film is great in that it never becomes too melodramatic, and the director certainly knows that Ces Quesada is one of the best actors in his film and takes advantage of that. My only negative point is that I think it is necessary to leave a sparkle of hope for films like these and times likes these.

Clandestine Childhood (2011)

ends up doing the opposite of the director's intention

[9 May 2017]

Director Benjamín Ávila's acknowledgment and thanks at the end came as such a surprise because the film he just made showed the opposite of said intentions. The film, set in 1979 Argentina, is about a boy who's forced to use a different identity for his and his parents and Uncle's safety. These parents and his uncle are part of the resistance, whose one of the chants are "Perón or death", and really mean said words. The film is relentless, definitely in a bad way, and manages to be unnecessarily long, bogged down with story lines about first love and "girls are like chocolates" metaphors. A better movie would have committed to the child's POV, using cinematography to always see things from his point of view. But that was not the case here. The film tries to center other characters that in the end it doesn't quite serve any of them well enough. And back to my first sentence, instead of the film being a successful homage to the people of resistance back in that era, I found myself thinking they were really bad parents, too blind to the cause to make decisions that wouldn't endanger their children.

Loev (2015)

decent, but could have been amazing

[6 May 2017]

This is a case where the film's format and style do not quite match the complications of its narrative. It could either have been this immersive, intimate portrait of two people never quite getting on the same boat, all while having this roadtrip... but it was bogged down by messier elements. Sudhansu Saria made a decent debut though, and actors Dhruv Ganesh, Shiv Pandit and Siddharth Menon were fantastic and magnetic on screen.

Sidenote: I am very devastated to learn about Dhruv

El viento sabe que vuelvo a casa (2016)

fascinating film

[5 May 2017]

While the casting 'story line' could certainly have benefited well from some kind of climax or conclusion, this documentary by Jose Luis Torres Leiva is a beautiful exploration of the island of Chiloe. Its inhabitants' daily lives, the social divide and love stories, the island's history will keep you engaged throughout the film.

My personal favorite was this semi-metafictional flavor added with the film this 'director' says he's about to do and the auditions for this movie (that I still don't know for certain if it's real). There is something about the lead repeating the story that made me wonder whether it would turn out that it was about him. And that added mystery.

1898: Our Last Men in the Philippines (2016)

not all stories are worth telling

[1 May 2017]

Despite the high production quality (and the budget that comes with that), the satisfactory cinematography and selection of actors, the film's existence is still the most baffling thing about it. It's ultimately in bad form to praise and give the perpetrators of oppression this heroic treatment. Yes, they are flawed, yes, the film shows the bad and foolish choices, but the actual making of the film and spending all the time and effort on it is the bigger statement here.

A Monster with a Thousand Heads (2015)

concise, amazingly-paced and urgent

[30 April 2017]

Un monstruo de mil cabezas is a compact film that is thrilling from start to finish and where every minute counts. It is a perfect use of film as a movement without hammering down its goal. Sonia Bonet, played fantastically by Jana Raluy, is a woman desperate and left without choices and in a now-or-never kind of moment, she proceeds to accomplish her goal whatever it takes. And her reasons are impossible not to sympathise with. It is perfectly paced, going from one location to the other while holding one's breath, and the emotional impact is strong.

Dear White People (2017–2021)

fantastic characters shown with nuance, essential show

[30 April 2017]

the Dear White People series builds on the 2014 film and actually finds its perfect medium. The lead characters Sam, Lionel, Coco, Troy and Reggie are outstandingly acted and developed. None are the same and all have contradictions and complications, but you will root for them all. The same can be said for Joelle, Rashid, and Al, who all need their individual episodes next season. The knee-jerk reactions and ratings here mostly from the title only prove the show's necessity and importance. Justin Simien and team have created one of the most enjoyable, brilliantly-crafted, engaging and relevant shows in recent history. I absolutely cannot wait to see more.

So Long Enthusiasm (2017)

solid first effort

[28 April 2017]

Director Vladimir Durán's first feature has the beautiful oddity reminiscent of the Greek Weird Wave films (think Dogtooth), and its curiosity holds throughout the film.

A family of three sisters and a little brother lives in a house with their mother locked in a different room 24/7. We see them go through seemingly ordinary routines, and then this voice would just be heard through a wall. The details and the Whys and Hows are gradually revealed throughout the film.

The film is concise and doesn't overstay its welcome. For my taste, I think the dark humour could have been more pronounced, if it was intentional at all. I'm excited to see more from Durán, who definitely has a rare vision as a director.

The Wife Master (2012)

successful mockumentary

[26 April 2017]

Watching The Wife Master with just the provided description to go on can be confusing, at least that's what happened to me. The mockumentary style is so convincing , coupled with the lead (Bora Soth) who felt like a director more than an actor, in a sense that I maybe thought he was just filming his life (and/or he may not be as good an actor? In this case it helped with the intrigue anyway.) The lead character is the kind of despicable human being that no matter how much of a failure you feel, you will be so relieved and comforted to know you aren't as big of a mess or a j*rk as he is. It was nice and rare to have a Cambodian lead not play a stereotype though. The wheel of justice takes its course around the last act, if a bit abrupt and imperfect.