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Reviews
Seklusyon (2016)
An Ultra-Realistic Backdrop Can't Seclude this Film's Flaws
Due to its unique premise, I have very high expectations for Seklusyon... and rightfully so. The premise of its story is one of the more inventive in recent Filipino horror film history. I don't know if that priesthood ritual is true, regardless, it seems very convincing to me. The setting and atmosphere are wonderful as well; using the 1940's locale to boost its enchanting yet creepy mood. Similarly are the outfits. I love them so much especially Anghela's attire during the monastery mass. It really looks badass that I wanted to wear it during Halloween.
Another aspect that I like about the film is how it presented the lives of the 4 deacons. Their backstories are weaved carefully and it was showcased well on different scenarios happened during their seclusion. I admire the character presentation that is not over the top and the 4 deacons are the best example of this subtle but concrete identifiable character flesh-outs. Another beautiful subtlety is the film's open-ended denouement. It puts viewers in a position to ponder the themes of the film to decide who the true victors are. With that, Seklusyon sticks to our minds long after we finished watching it.
Despite of this, the film has a ton of flaws that in my opinion counterbalances the positives. First off, the dull acting. Don't get me wrong, the expressions and body language of the casts are nice; but the tone of their voices is really awful. It sounds unnatural. The intonations are hit and miss... sometimes they nailed the 1940's tone, sometimes they don't. The only decent actors on the film was Neil Ryan Sese and Lou Veloso.
Another big issue is the revelation of Madre Cecilia and Anghela's true nature. It's too convenient for my liking. It shouts the importance of the doctrine: "Show, don't tell." But in this case, they didn't even tell it! They just flashed the aforementioned characters' exposition on the screen. If they could just replicate what they did to the 4 deacons' exposition...
This writing laziness trickled down to another revelation: that Anghela is allegedly the daughter of Miguel. It's too cliché to be taken seriously, as if the writers just wanted to tie a loose end without no apparent reason.
Lastly, there are some minor observations I wanted to point out. The color grading is too sepia that it strains the eye. I also wanted to commend the filmmakers for not using special effects but sometimes to their own detriment; such as the blue-skinned Virgin Mary ghost that looks like a giant smurf.
So to sum up this long review, Seklusyon looks like a true magnum opus film from the outside as it really nailed the "realism" part of the equation. Yet, this ultra-realistic backdrop won't hide the ghosts of flaws that could potentially haunt viewers if they peeked inside the theatre's curtain.
Steel Tempest (2000)
This Dull Steel Needs to be Tempered
In a film that boasts its realism, almost everything looks unauthentic. Literally the cover of the VCD copy of this film has a quote: "The most realistic war movie ever made". My question is... in what aspect?
Is it in the weapons, vehicles, uniforms and equipment that although legit doesn't suit the time period of the film? Is it in the effects: badly-made explosions, unrealistic smoke and amateurish CGI. Or is it in the mid acting that looks like the cast comes from your local drama club?
Is the realism coming from the mechanism of the rifles that did not recoil in every shot? Or is it from the editing team that abusively overlays a bunch of soldiers to make a crowd?
The only thing that looks real to me is the film's atmosphere, specifically its music. The actual film's music breathes despair which encapsulates the grim fate of the German soldiers. It is further juxtaposed by the jolly music during the black-and-white news reports that desperately clings to propaganda in order to boost the morale of the populace. Well, that is the only realism that the film imbued, at least in my opinion.
So all in all, I still wonder why Steel Tempest shouts "realism" in its front cover. It just sets them up for failure when the audience finally realized that this film is less than authentic compared to majority of low-budget war films out there.
Spartacus (1960)
"Go Now, and Make Your Joy Complete"
Spartacus, although far from the best Stanley Kubrick film, can still hold its grandeur compared to the average films released during this era. The most prominent aspect of the film that I love is its often successful use of practical effects. Practical effects involving crowds really captures the vastness expanse of the environment and sometimes the stakes of the situation, as being shown during Spartacus' final speech and the combatant's march before the final battle.
In terms of writing, the flow of the film is perfect for me. The runtime is technically long but there are no noticeable dragging sequences in its duration. The march before the final battle might look dragging to some, but for me, its tediousness adds a significant tension to the ensuing encounter. Another good facet of the film's writing is the Spartacus-Antoninus dynamic. The 2 character's personality fits perfectly, one being a rigid battle-tested brawn while the other being a calculated artist-scholar brain. This type of character dynamic is not new to films but in Spartacus' case, it is very natural and subtle, unlike other films that forcefully shove their characters' inter-personal mechanisms to viewer's throats.
When it comes to acting, Peter Ustinov being Batiatus brings home the bacon for me. There are no bad performances across the casts but Ustinov is the greatest among them by a wide margin. He manages to masterfully convey a very complicated character that hosts several range of motives and emotions throughout the film.
But in my opinion, there are still some aspects of the film that drags it down beneath perfection. The most evident for me is the lack of internal conflict inside the rebel army. During their march through Italy, after Spartacus takes charge, all the rebels seem to always agree with one another. No one opposed their leader, which looks unrealistic to me. Or if there's no internal opposition, at least show to the viewers the hardships the rebel army endured during the expedition such as their scavenging of food, battling with the harsh climate or even exhaustion or lack of morale to some slaves. Without these internal conflicts, the rebellion seems like it's all sunshine and rainbows, which is far from the truth.
This first concern springboards to my second issue which is the lack of characterization among Spartacus' generals. If only the writers fleshed out Spartacus' rebel comrades a bit more, it could at least create internal subplots inside the rebel camps.
My last concern, albeit minor, is a potential plot-hole during the Spartacus-Antoninus duel. Why did the 2 slaves didn't just slit their throats instantly? Both of them will die on the spot so none would be crucified. It's probably due to gladiator honor or whatever.
So with all things considered, I think that this film is more than your average money-grabbing product. Baring a few weak characterizations and unfulfilled potential conflicts that could make the story better, Spartacus is still a joyful spectacle that can be recommended to anyone if they could spare approximately 3 hours of their lives watching it.
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
We've done it! Send the Message in
Tora! Tora! Tora! Is a long film that could be boring or exciting depending on the viewer's perspective. I could understand the woes that the movie could be a snooze fest to someone especially during the first few minutes. But in my opinion, the conversations and happenings, at least in the middle part, is a necessity to set-up the action-packed climax.
The story is mainly driven by unpredictable circumstances about the US-Japanese relations. This diplomatic battle together with the war preparations from both sides are enough for me to make the movie bearable to watch. There is also an added bonus subplots from the film that could be rewarding to the most attentive viewers. My favorite subplot is the debate of Admiral Yamamoto's officers regarding the old-school vs new-school type of naval battle. Another exciting subplot is the Americans quest on deciphering whether or not the Japanese will attack, and if they will, where and when will they do it. These subplots are very successful because the movie decided to realistically portray the events in the Japanese and American perspective without any considerable bias.
The acting is decent for the Americans, James Whitmore being the most polarizing among them. But the Japanese actors really took the spotlight. Sô Yamamura, Tatsuya Mihashi and Takahiro Tamura all displayed magnificent acting skills especially in conveying their emotions.
But the blatantly best part about the film is the climax and its realism. Those 30 minutes of non-stop action is a breath-taking experience and leaves a positive shock value the first time I saw it. My favorite parts in this 30-minute scene are the American bomber emergency landing, the direct hit and explosion of Arizona and the American fighter planes exploding at the airfield while being launched in the runway.
Despite these positive remarks, I still have some issues in Tora! Tora! Tora! The most evident is the abruptness of some moments in the film, specifically the 1-week time skip at the middle of the movie from November 29 - December 6. This abrupt skip did not accomplish anything except for creating an unreadiness shock for the viewers because they think they will still detour the events of another week before the bombing. Another abrupt moment, albeit not that severe, is the scenes after the climax. The conclusion part seems rushed and I felt like after watching the 30-minute action-packed climax, the denouement did not successfully instill a strong emotion to the viewers, except probably to the "We Awakened the Giant" part.
The last minor thing that turns me off in the technical side is the "bay background" that unashamedly looks fake at the window view of Admiral Kimmel's office. The background looks like a painting more than an authentic bay, as if the technical staff just discovered chroma key for the first time.
So, to round it all off, Tora! Tora! Tora! Is not a perfect film as attentive viewers can still spot some flaws in its time discrepancy and technical aspects. But because of the way the film presents its multifaceted narrative on both sides and its excellent orchestration of the legendary climax, Tora! Tora! Tora! Can still be considered as one of the better war movies of all time.
Castle Keep (1969)
I warned you about watching, Beckman!
A Castle Keep is a semi-surrealist film and we all know that surrealist films are not for everyone. Because of that, despite the actors's wonderful almost perfect acting, Castle Keep became a weird film to watch especially to the casual viewers who is not familiar with surrealist films.
When it comes to the film's narrative, it has a potential to be a good one as different character has an individuality with each other (ex. Pvt. Benjamin is a writer, Major Falconer is an old-head chivalrous person, etc.). The overall conflict was also imposed beautifully as Beckman battled his conscience in the midst of his superior officer's insistence of holding the castle.
The irony is, the film falls in its flow, at least in my opinion. There are individual moments that are very iconic such as the floating Volkswagen scene and the flute scene, but it just comes randomly unorganized and did not help to align the film's plot cohesively. Except for the shallow "Germans are coming" narrative, there are no extraneous factors that pushes the film forward that makes the audience thrilled to their seats. The atmosphere and background music also doesn't help as it enchants the viewers to be relaxed and soon be put to sleep. Because of that, the audiences always wonder: "When will I finally see some action?"
Meanwhile, the film's climax, albeit not bad, left something to be desired. The action at the city to steal an enemy tank feels senseless because the tank the Americans stole did not even appear during the defense of the castle. There is also a part in the final battle where the props, specifically the gas nozzles, are very visible, not properly concealed, thus ruining the scene's atmosphere. This simple carelessness and plot inconsistencies add fuel to the already burning Castle Keep.
So, to sum up, Castle Keep is a film not made for everyone. If you are not familiar with this type of writing approach, you could easily catch boredom and become uninterested. But even though you love war and surrealism, you might still find the film lacking some sparks because of its squandered storyline, that if written and executed carefully could at least elevate the film in a decent way. So, I'm warning you to reconsider watching this film.
Barabbas (1961)
You Won't Find Me Failing This Time
Barabbas could be a good film as I see the efforts of its artists and production. First off, the effort to film the crucifixion during a solar eclipse is one of the most ingenious acts I have ever seen in the film industry. The sincere, almost spotless acting of Anthony Quinn is another great asset for this film, complimenting it is the.underrated performance of Vittorio Gassman as Sahak.
Some scenes positively stuns me to this day such as the gladiator scenes, mainly when Barabbas fights Torvald, the scary fire of Rome and the sulfur mine collapse which greatly depicts the claustrophobic atmosphere of the place. I also like that the ending calls out a specific part in the beginning of the film wherein Peter proves to Barabbas that he is truly became a fisher of men once they met for the third time in Rome.
Unfortunately, I still have issues in the pace of the story, specifically during the middle (the sulfur mine part). Unlike the Jerusalem part (where Barabbas seeks to find what happened to Jesus) and the Rome part (where Barabbas tries to win the gladiator match), the sulfur mine part loses any driving force that could naturally put an excitement in pushing the film forward, because Barabbas did not plan any escapes to the mine, not until he met Sahak.
But more concerning to the plot's pacing is post-production's subpar performance. The most laughable mediocrity of post-production is allowing the sound of whipping to be like a waving magic wand during the scourging of Jesus. In many parts of the film, the artists' voices are not synchronized with their mouths and it really turns me off.
In the beginning of my review, I commend the effort of waiting for the solar eclipse to reincarnate the crucifixion, yet, it will not diminish the fact that the crosses during this scene, in my opinion, looks like lame cardboard cutouts. Not to mention that during the second Pilate encounter of Barabbas, there is a brick wall that looks like a wooden plank painted without care. Lastly, the color grade of some of the parts of the film is too gloomy and muted that it looks so unnatural.
So to sum up, Barabbas has a potential to be a good film if only the post-production team had put great effort to make it more sensually satisfying.
Ang manananggal sa unit 23B (2016)
It Serves Its Purpose
Initially, I am not expecting that much in this independent film but I could easily say that it slightly exceeds my expectation. The crown-jewel in this film, in my opinion is its cinematography, in which my favorite shots are the first bed scene and the wild transformation scene. The acting of Cenon and del Rosario is also good, considering that their characters are very introverted, resulting into some intentionally awkward, yet splendid scenes. But the.artist that truly shine acting-wise is Vangie Lablaban, which despite limited air-time, managed to greatly portray her character's personality and attitude.
Yet, there are aspects of the film that left something to be desired. The most spotable concern is the lack of detail regarding Jewel's background story, we all know that she's somewhat anti-social but there is no indication how and why she became a manananggal. Another inconsistency is the ending scene wherein, Nico goes with Jewel to leave the city, forgetting that her mother has recently died so who the heck will manage her funeral? Not to mention, how did these two easily escaped the apartment without does nosy people ever noticing them?
So to sum up, Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B is a passable film with some good acting but with flawed and shaky background storytelling to boost up its main character. It is far from the best independent film out there, but given its low budget, it certainly serves its purpose.