Cinema One Originals Film Festival 2008

Yanggaw dominated the 2008 Cinema One Originals Film Festival, winning the Audience Choice Award, Best Director (Richard Somes), Best Actor (Ronnie Lazaro), Best Supporting Actor (Joel Torre), Best Supporting Actress (Tetchie Agbayani), Best Editing (Borgy Torre), and Best Sound (Joey Santos and Eduardo Velasquez).

Alon, a brooding love story shot in Zambales, won three awards. It took home Best Actor (Mark Gil tied with Lazaro), Best Actress (Charee Pineda), and Best Musical Score (Leujim Martinez).

Kolorete (a period drama written by Sherad Sanchez) was left pecking at scraps; it won Best Production Design (Wilfredo Calderon).

Sanchez, nevertheless, had the last laugh. Although his film, Imburnal—a cinematic tour de force set in Matina Aplaya, Davao—didn’t exceed the number of awards won by Yanggaw, it took home the festival’s most coveted prize: Best Picture. It also won Best Screenplay (for Sanchez) and Best Cinematography (John Torres, Joel Geolamen, Mark Limbaga).

This year’s nominees—Yanggaw, Imburnal, Alon, Kolorete, Dose, MotorCYCLE, and UPCAT—surpassed last year's entries in terms of scope and quality.
Grace Alfonso of U.P., Lito Zulueta of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, filmmaker Brillante Mendoza (Serbis), actress Eugene Domingo, and director Jeffrey Jeturian (Kubrador) are this year's jury.

_______________
Cinema One Originals will be screening at Robinsons Galleria
from December 3-16, 2008

Burn After Reading (2008)

What happens when an alcoholic CIA analyst collides with two blondes from Washington DC? Mayhem ensues, the unthinkable happens, and everything spins in a grizzly, riotous uproar.

In Burn After Reading, Frances McDormand plays Linda Litzke, a ditzy woman obsessed with vanity and cosmetic surgery. When a friend comes across a mysterious CD containing vital CIA information, Linda suggests he “put a note in the ladies’ locker room.”

“Put up a note?” Chad (Brad Pitt) asks incredulously. “ ‘Hello, did anybody lose her secret CIA shit?’ I don’t think so.”

Pitt’s Chad Feldheimer provides the perfect foil to McDormand’s Linda Litzke. Manic and combustible, Pitt brings the house down with his harried, frenzied style of acting.

With Pitt lighting up every scene, Burn After Reading starts off well. However, the film tries too hard to be funny that it eventually chokes, falling flat on the floor gasping for air.

It didn't take long before I realize that the joke's on me. Feeling shortchanged, I initially thought of approaching the ticket booth and asking for a refund.

DVD: Imoral (2008)

Adolfo Alix's Imoral was made available in DVD four months after it debuted in Cinemalaya. Although the disc's speedy release is greatly appreciated, its noticeable bungle in the features department is a big letdown.

No subtitles, no theatrical trailers, no scene selection.

Surprisingly, an extensive gallery of the cast and a nice video of the film's theme song were included. Sang by actor Arnold Reyes, "Kung Ako Ba S'ya" makes this DVD, somehow, worth it.

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997)

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion has something polished, muted high school flicks like Heathers can only dream of: blunt, straight up humor.

“We don't care if you like us ’cause we don't like you! You’re a bad person with an ugly heart, and we don’t give a flying fuck what you think!”

That’s Romy (Mira Sorvino) by the way.

“I hope your babies look like monkeys!”

Now that’s Michele (Lisa Kudrow), acting all bitter.

Here’s more for posterity's sake. Gobble up.

ROMY: Swear to God, sometimes I wish I was a lesbian.

MICHELE: Do you want to try to see if we are?
ROMY: What? Yeah right, Michelle. Just the idea of having sex with another woman creeps me out. But if we're still single at 30, ask me again.
MICHELE: Okay.

MICHELE: I'm the Mary and you're the Rhoda!
ROMY: You’re the Rhoda, you're the Jewish one!

ROMY: You have absolutely no proof that you're cuter!
MICHELE: Oh, proof. You want proof? Okay, fine. Who lost their virginity first?
ROMY: Oh big wow, with your cousin Barry! I wouldn't brag about it!