Mowelfund Tour

Last September 27 we had our Mowelfund tour in cinema. I was with my friends Regine and Lance. We arrived at 8:30 in the morning. I thought we were late because the call time was 8 in the morning but luckily only a few students were there so we have to wait a little bit longer.

We waited for almost one hour and other block sections little by little came. The tour officially started at 10 am. I was surprised that we had a celebrity speaker in the person of Ms. Boots Anson-Roa. I learned that she was the president of the organization. I did not expect that she would be there. She talked about the history of Mowelfund and a lot more. After her talk, we went inside the museum.

Inside the museum were the memorabilia of different movie actors and actresses. There were pictures of them and different props they used on their movie. The history of Philippine cinema can be vividly seen on the portraits and paintings.

 

As we entered the museum, we saw different posters containing different sorts of film theaters on the past centuries. I haven't got to read all of the posters because there were too many students walking and taking pictures inside. I roamed around the first floor looking at every portrait display and as we went upstairs, there were another variety of props, costumes, sculptures, standees and etc. There were the replicas and the original stuffs that the movie actors used on their films.

 

 

 

The place was great in a sense that the things were preserved and kept for such a long time. I can just imagine the actors or actresses used to wear those clothes and other stuffs. The essence of the Philippine cinema was shared and taught.

 

 

 



I explored the whole 2nd floor. I don't remember what floor was the haunted/horror room was but I felt it was really creepy. The costumes of the horror films were shown in there. The monsters were in life size and they were huge. We made sure that we can take a photo with the monsters.

 

 

 

 

 After the horror room, we went upstairs again and we saw the wooden Machete. On that floor were the dresses and costumes worn by the super heroes and fantasy characters. There were also the portraits of the films about the heroic deeds of our National Hero.

 

 

 

 Outside the museum was another museum soloed by Da King, FPJ. Inside it was FPJ's awards, trophies, list of movies, his pictures and etc. There was a small sculpture of him on his famous character 'Panday'. There was a long painting of his different roles on the wall of the museum. It was cold inside and clean. I must say that FPJ's room was well maintained rather than the other rooms inside the previous museum.

 

 

Mowelfund preserved the treasures of the Philippine cinema and as much as I can say, it was really educational and very helpful for the people who needs support. I really enjoyed the tour because it was so much fun! I hope I can bring other friends here someday..

Stuck in Love

Stuck in Love is a romantic-drama film directed by Josh Boone. 

The Kings of Summer

The Kings of Summer is a comedy-drama film directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. It was about the friendship of three teenage kids.

PLOT/SUMMARY

Joe, a teenage kid had a problem with his father for controlling his life. He felt like he was suppressed by him. Joe found a solution to end this by running away from his father. He convinced his best friend Patrick, who also had some family problems. Patrick's parents were somewhat weird and they too, dictated Patrick on what to do what not and because of this, he agreed with Joe to run away and live in the woods. All along they met Biaggio, a strange kid. The three lived in the woods that Joe discovered. They built a small house and all that stuff needed for survival. Joe, Patrick and Biaggio became even closer together.

The conflict started when Joe invited Kelly, his ultimate crush to come over their house. From then, Kelly started to like Patrick and Joe got jealous and mad. Because of his anger, he blamed Kelly for ruining everything and he called her a bitch. Patrick on the other hand confronted him and they both yelled at each other. Because of Joe's anger, he stepped Patrick on his foot and told him to leave their house. Patrick got furious and wrecked the wall then walked out. Joe was left alone with Biaggio but later he then told Biaggio to leave him alone too. Patrick and Biaggio went home. Joe was alone in living the woods but then he still managed to live by himself.

Months had passed. After some days when Patrick went home, Joe still hasn't shown up yet. He still was reported missing. Because of this, Kelly reported where he live. Kelly went into the woods with Joe's father and Biaggio but they found an odd situation. They saw Joe cornered by a snake. They all got shocked but Joe kept calm. Kelly was about to be bitten by the snake but Joe saved him then Biaggio came to rescue but ended up bitten by the snake. He fall down and passed out. Kelly, Joe, and his father rushed him to the hospital. Biaggio soon recovered.

After Biaggio recovered, they all went home. Joe and his father where at peace. On their way home as Joe and Patrick saw each other through the cars, they gave a finger at each other jokingly. Then it was understood that they too had peace. The film ended up showing the house Joe, Patrick, and Biaggio built in the woods.

REACTION

I really love this. I love watching films about friendship and this one made a great impact on me. It was very touching, funny and sad at the same time  for me. All the things Joe, Patrick, and Biaggio have done were fun as long as they were together. It seems like they rule their own lives and that nothing and no one could stop them from doing what they want to do. I can see them living young, wild, and free.

As a teenager I feel like being young only happens for a short period of time. You can feel young but not totally young as in you have all the strength and time in the world. This made me feel and realize that I must live life while I still can. I can do crazy things if I want and nobody could stop me because this is my life but not to the extent that I'll hurt somebody or disobey the rules. The Kings if Summer has the sense of youth and I can relate to it very well. Sometimes I feel like I want to escape from real life and just walk away but then I have to face it and be brave to face the problems.

This happened in summer time. I can really feel the vibrant summer look in the movie. I felt the same way every summer where everything's bright and lively. The characters have given their roles justification. I love Biaggio. He was so funny and it was so natural for him to act so strange, weird and bizarre. Patrick's role was nice too. He was a kind and  good friend. Lastly, Joe, he was my favorite. His character was very spirited and he does whatever he thinks.

If you want to watch a feel good, funny, and a youthful movie, I recommend you to watch The Kings of Summer because you'll really enjoy this one. That's all! :)

What's the French New Wave?

We have discussed about The French New Wave of directors that emerged from the late 1950s to early 1960s. To be exact is from 1959 to 1964 according to David Bordwell and Kirsten Thompson's book Film Art.

The new generation of filmmakers at that time were mostly from Japan, Italy, Brazil, Canada, England, United States, and Spain. They were born before WWII and some of them were trained in film schools. Above these countries was France, where the most influential group appeared.

There was a film journal called Cahiers du cinema that contains the critics of the most respected French filmmakers like Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. Francois Truffaut noted "I consider an adaptation of value, only written by a man of the cinema. Aurenche and Bost are essentially literary men and I reproach them here by being contemptuous of the cinema by underestimating it." Aurenche and Bost, whom Truffaut was pertaining to were the leading scriptwriters at that time. While Jean-Luc Godard addressed 21 major directors and said, "Your camera movements are ugly because your subjects are bad, your casts act badly because your dialogue is worthless; in a word, you don't know how to create cinema because you no longer even know what it is." Like directors Truffaut and Godard, Claude Chabrol, Eric Rohmer, and Jacques Rivette were also one of the contributors in the journal. 

The Auteur Theory (authors) were also introduced. According to Film Art by Bordwell and Thompson, the auteur did not literally write scripts but they stamp their personality on studio products. 

Having the journal and writing their own criticisms didn't stop the young filmmakers. By 1959, Jacques Rivette filmed 'Paris Belongs to Us, Gordard made 'Breathless', Chabrol made 'Les Cousins', and April Truffaut filmed 'The 400 Blows' that won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Festival. 

Because of the unique styles of these directors, they were give the nickname la nouvelle vague or the New Wave. 

The casual look was the distinct quality of the New Wave films and the New Wave directors admired the Neorealists like Rossellini. 

Le Mepris (Reaction)

Le Mepris is a film by Jean-Luc Godard in 1963. It stars Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, and Jack Palance.

I haven't watched the beginning of the movie but I think I understand what it was about and what it wants to portray. It was about the married life and relationship of the two major characters Camille and Paul.

I watched the part where all the characters were in a small movie house (or whatever you call it). They characters were talking in four different languages which were French, Italian, English, and German and I found it amazing yet confusing at the same time because of the accents that made it hard for me to understand what language where they speaking at the moment because it were mixed up.

Paul was a playwright and was hired to write a script for Homer's Odyssey, a film directed by Fritz Lang (who played himself in the movie) and produced by Jeremy Prokosch. Jeremy was a rich playboy that  later becomes Camille's lover. Camille and Paul went under a tough time in working with their relationship. Camille feels that she was unloved and that Paul was taking her for granted. When Camille and Paul got home after meeting with Fritz Lang and Jeremy Prokosch, they went home. They had a long conversation about their relationship that led to Camille's confrontation with Paul. Camille told Paul that she doesn't love him anymore and that they should separate but I think Camille still loves Paul though. It's just that she can't feel and see it from him. They had several fights and to make the story short, Camille left Paul for Jeremy. She left a note for Paul that says she could't be with him anymore. As for Camille, she thought that Jeremy can make her happier even though she still loves Paul very much. In the end, when Jeremy and Camille were about to run away, they met an accident. They bumped into a truck and that caused their death.

Honestly, I didn't like the ending because I think Camille doesn't deserve to die soon. Sure she left her husband for another guy but I think that was because she feels unloved and left alone and that was painful. Camille wants to be happy and to start over with Jeremy. The ending for me was upsetting but I liked the movie.

I made some research about Le Mepris. I have read that the film was related to the Greek Gods Ulysses, Penelope, and Poseidon. Each character represents them. Camille, Paul, and Jeremy were the representation of the Gods in Homer's Odyssey. I noticed that the pacing in Classical films were slow unlike the modern films the pacing of the scenes and characters are fast. The scenes here in Le Mepris takes for about 15 minutes I guess, especially the part were Camille and Paul had a confrontation. But I think that was Jean-Luc Godard's way of innovation and it was his style. To end this reaction/opinion/review, I want to say that the story was great. It was not something I expected but it made me feel interested to watch more classical or old films more often.

The Film School Generation

          Steven Spielberg was known for his impressive films. He was recognized worldwide as the greatest filmmaker in our contemporary history. Spielberg was know for his films Jaws, Jurassic Park, E.T, Schindler's List, Lincoln, and many more. He has won countless awards for his films and as a filmmaker, he said that he likes taking people into a dark theater with a thousand strangers and giving them experiences they'll never forget. Next one is George Lucas, who broke all box office records and earned seven Academy Awards in his blockbuster film Star Wars. Third is John Milius, who then came to prominence in the 1970s, when he was associated with Francis Ford Coppola and the pre-Star Wars in 1977. In 1967, John MIlius won the first prize at USC School of Cinema for his student film Marcello, I'm Bored. Lastly, Jonathan Taplin, the producer of the mean streets that became a critical and box office success. Mean Streets was selected for The Cannes Film Festival. Between 1974 and 1996, he produced 26 hours of television documentaries (includig "The Prize" and the "Cadillac Desert" for PBS) and 12 feature films including The Last Waltz, Until the End of the World, Under Fire and To Die For. His films were nominated for Oscars and Golden Globe Awards and also chosen for The Cannes Film Festival seven times. His television work garnered three Emmy Nominations.

           Brian de Palma was one of the well-known directors who spear-headed the movement in Hollywood during the late 1970s. He's know for his films that go from violent pictures, to Hitchcock-like thrillers with his famous film Sisters, Femme Fatale, Mission to Mars, and his latest film, Passion. Next one is Gary Kurtz, a producer who produced several films and TV series. He produced the Star Wars: Episode V in 1980. Third is Walter Murch who was a sound designer. He has been editing sound in Hollywood. One of his project is The Godfather: Part II in 1974. He won his first Academy Award nomination for The Conversation in !974. He won his first Oscar for Apocalypse Now in 1979, and won a double record on Oscar for sound and film editing for his work on The English Patient in 1996. Walter coined the term "Sound Designer", to raise the art and impact of film sound to a new level. Paul Schrader who was a writer/director made several films. After a period as a film critic, he began writing screenplays, hitting the jackpot when he and his brother, Leonard Schrader (a Japanese expert) were paid the ten-record sum of 325,000 US Dollars, thus establishing his reputation as one of Hollywood's screenwriters, which was combined when Mmartin Scorsese filmed Schrader's script, Taxi Driver in 1976. The success if the film allowed Schrader to start directing his own films, which have been notable for their willingness to take stylistic and thematic risks while still working with the Hollywood system. The most original of his films (which he and many other regard as his best) was the Japanese co-production Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters in 1985. And lastly, Gary Frederickson, was the prooducer for all three famous Godfather films, as well as Apocalypse Now, also with Francis Coppola.

some information are based here http://www.imdb.com

New Hollywood and Independent Filmmaking

"I love the idea of not being an independent filmmaker. I've liked working within the system. And I've admired a lot of older directors who were sort of 'directors for hire.' Like Victor Flemming was in a contract all those years to metro and Selznick and Mayer . . . he made Captains courageous. And you know his most famous films: Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind." - Steven Spielberg, producer/director

The Hollywood film industry was prominent during the mid 1960s. Blockbusters such as The Sound of Music (1965) and Dr. Zhivago (1965) were providing huge profits. But then by 1969, Hollywood companies had a huge financial loss. The producers tried to recover and they centered on the youth but this strategy wasn't enough so it failed. 

In this time, the movie brats emerged because of their successful films. These movie brats were Francis Coppola, William Friedkin, Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, George Lucas, Brian de Palma, and Martin Scorsese. They helped uplift the the Hollywood film industry through their blockbuster films. Most of these movie brats had gone to film school to study how to master productions, and to learn the film aesthetics and history. They produced some personal and highly self-conscious films. The movie brats worked in traditional genres but also tried to give it a twist by adding some autobiographical coloring. Many films that the young directors make are inspired by the old Hollywood style. They were also inspired by European tradition. Because of this influence, Coppola made his best-known film inspired by the European tradition, The Conversation (1974) which is a mystery story.

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg became powerful producers when they worked together on the Indiana Jones series and personifying Hollywood's new generation. Fresh new talents were discovered during the 1980s such as James Cameron, Tim Burton, and Robert Zemeckis, On 1990s many successful films from both successive waves of directors of the Hollywood Renaissance came. These are Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993), De Plama's Mission Impposible (1996), and Lucas's The Phantom Empire (1999), as well as Zemeckis's Forrest Gump (1994), Cameron's Titanic (1997), and Burton's Sleepy Hallow (1999). Continuity editing continued and Hollywood's traditional storytelling strategies were added new techniques. 

Independent directors of the 1980s and 1990s with narrative construction and the younger studio directors adapted classical convention to modern tastes. And by the end of the 1990s, these trends were surprisingly rising. As the independent films began to rise and get large number of audience, major studios partnered with Miramax and October Films. 

At the start of the new century, the new generation created many thrilling Hollywood films. They also introduced the videotape, video games , and the Internet. Same with the new generation's film predecessors, they reshaped the formal and stylistic methods or practices of the classical cinema while making their own creations accessible to the broad audience.

HERE ARE SOME TRAILERS OF THE MOVIES I'VE ALREADY WATCHED :)

Mean Streets

Jurassic Park

Forrest Gump