Brokeback Mountain

The movie is about two cowboys who met while guarding some sheep on Brokeback Mountain develop deep affection for each other; the love that cannot be named. The film was adapted from a short story by E. Annie Proulx who also wrote the Shippin News.

It is a love story. Between two cowboys guarding sheep. Imagine the Marlboro Man falling in love with the other Marlboro Man. I its something new. This not your typical tragic love story. No Capulets and Montressors to muck things up, only society and its present morality. It is an interesting story you keep asking where is it going to take me. You have an idea of how it will end, but you ask how will it end? If that makes any sense.

I received a copy of the short story a couple of weeks before the film came to Metro Manila. Again an interesting story. How about the film?

Ang Lee’s treatment was superb. The panoramic shots were magnificent and subdued. Heath Ledger’s acting was great, without a minimum amount of words and a great amount of internalization he was able to bring to life the melancholic cowboy, while Jake Gyllenhaal managed to bring forth the inner frustration of his character. Watching the movie, you get to see the characters transform and remain the same through the years. The sexual interplay between the characters is essential but was not overdone. It was not only Eros. And I guess that is what is satisfying about the movie, you come in expecting an Eros-laden film and leave with a realization that like all good relations it ends up with Philia.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Directed by Ang Lee. Short story written by E. Annie Proulx. Screenplay written by Larry McMurtry. Actors in the film includes: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Randy Quaid, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, Valerie Planche, Graham Beckel et al.

Wiki and peanutbutter

Anyone interested in setting up a wiki?

For me its a fun way to keep notes and keep a database on-line. One of the e-groups I belong use it to compile a file of everyone in the group and some random notes. Its fun. And a handy thing to have, I set-up one and use it to keep notes and arrange stuff. I have been meaning to write about it for sometime then they came up with a promo to promote them in exchange you get to double space. There are nice things about marketing campaigns.

Anyway you might the able to use their services, I did … no kidding.

By the way their tagline is:

“PBwiki makes creating a wiki as easy as making a peanut butter sandwich”

And it takes only ten seconds to set-up the wiki.

Here are the links to PBwiki

Check out the PBwiki tour!

Get a free wiki at PBwiki.com.

Blank books

This is I guess a fancy word for a notebook, a diary and a journal. A number of them can be a bit pricey, especially the notebooks they sell at Fullybooked. Some are so beautifully made that it seems to be a waste just to write on them.

But it still a notebook.

What is the use of a notebook if not used?

Nothing.

A blankbook or a notebook is probably one of my favorite type of books. It is the tabula rasa on which one jots down one’s idea , a reminder, a note or a curse. For in some cases the notebook becomes the repository of our knowledge and intent. The proverbial hole in the ground where we can shout our inner thoughts. The scapegoat that becomes the recipitory of our sins. And in some cases the coliseum where we deal with our inner demons and enemies. Also a place to store notes.

There is a restaurant in China that serves an authentic and multiple course Imperial Feast. Wealthy patrons go to this restaurant to feast on dishes that were prepared for the Emperor of China and served only in Forbidden City. The proprietor of the said restaurant was a descendant of one of the minor court officials who was in charge of preparing the food. And this court official was taking down notes of what dishes were served, how they were cooked and what were the ingredients. Probably to ensure that the Emperor and his Court will always get the right and consistent meal they were used to.

Another blank book became the diary of a Jewish girl, who for a time hid with her family in an attic. They were hiding from the Nazis. Unfortunately, they were discovered, separated and sent to different concentration camps. The diary remained in the attic and after the war it was published. In its pages survived the thoughts and interactions of the people inside that attic from the point of view of the girl, Anne Frank.

Its useful to write things down in a notebook. The act itself purges us of ill-thoughts and records our opinion and musings. And in retrospect it allows us to judge more fairly our thoughts of the moment. Similar to a blog.

Except, a notebook, diary or journal allows us to be more candid, a great deal more candid.

About Practical Cats

I am not really an avid poem reader. One of the few poems I remember, rather a few lines I remember comes Emerson’s poem about a tree and Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios. I do know the complete lines of a lot of nursery rhymes and JRR Tolkien’s poem found in nearly all the books of the Lord of the Rings- The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King.

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,/span
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all,
One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
–J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

I even memorized the parts that were written in the One Ring.

Ash nazg durbataluk
Ash nazg gimbatul
Ash nazg thrakatuluk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
–J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

The Dark Tongue was easier to retain than any of the Elvish tongue. Although, I had friends who studied it and acquired enough knowledge to converse in it. This was before the Jackson’s film came out. Even before Bakshi’s film came out as well. The Orc version of the rhyme did play a small part in a couple of friends belief that I was possessed several years ago. Never mix alcohol and works by JRR Tolkien.

So these were the only set of poems I had continually read through the years. Then several months ago I found myself in a book store, drifting from aisle to aisle. Glancing at books, books and books. Until, I saw this small book, almost a pamphlet really. It was mocha colored and had an odd cartoon of a cat with a bowler hat. It was sofbound and the book was written by TS Eliot. The book was titled,Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

The book caught my eye because I was familiar with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats, which was a musical adaptation of Eliot’s works. So I browsed it and soon enough left the store. I had bought the book.

The book, which is a compilation of TS Eliot’s cat poems, is and interesting read. In it he describeds the different types of cats. It is one of those books that you can take out and read in the park or inside a coffee house. Guaranteed to bring a smile to your lips.

Here is one of the poems –

The Naming of Cats

The naming of cats is a difficult matter,
It isn’t just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I’m mad as a hatter
When I tell you a cat must have three
different names.

First of all, there’s the name
that the family use daily,
Such as Victor, or Jonathan,
George or Bill Bailey–
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names
if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen,
some for the dames;
Such as Plato, Admetus,
Electra, Demeter–
But all of them sensible everyday names.

But I tell you,
a cat needs a name that’s particular,
A name that is peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he
keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers,
or cherish his pride?

Of names of this kind,
I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quazo or Coripat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellyrum–
Names that never belong
to more than one cat.

But above and beyond
there’s still one name left over,
And that is the name that you will never guess;
The name
that no human research can discover–
But The Cat Himself Knows,
and will never confess.

When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought,
of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.
The Naming of Cats by TS Eliot,Possum’s Book of Practical Cats

By the way, This book is a nice buy.

Watching Musicals

I. CHRISTMAS & MUSICALS

During last 2005’s Christmas Holiday we were able to get a lost of VCDs and DVDs. Two reasons led to this consumption of DVDs:

1. The 13th month pay and the Christmas bonus
2. 2005 Metro Manila Film Festival

We were able to watch the following films:

• The Sound of Music
• Fiddler on the Roof
• Oliver!
• My Fair Lady

II. WHY I LIKE MUSICALS AND MOST FILM ADAPTATIONS OF MUSICALS

These film adaptations of Broadyway and West End Musicals are a delight to watch. The sets were grand and the choreography was great. The musicals themselves had more layers than an onion.

The first film musical I ever watched was the Sound of Music. Our parents took us to the Abelardo Hall at the University of the Philippines to watch the film. The hall was filled with children trucked in by their families to watch Julie Andrews sing on a mountain in Austria. Interesting film/musical it combined music, family life, Austria and the Nazis.

I like musicals because they are multifaceted medium. Aside from the story line and the acting it uses different techniques to bring up a point. The songs and their rendition give depth to a character and delineates the purpose of this character. In Jesus Christ Superstar, one watch and understands at once the character of Herod, Caiphas, Annas, Pontius Pilate, Judas, the Apostles, Jesus and the people through their songs. The chorus for each musical defines for us the mood of a particular crowd. And in Les Miserables, the song Stars of Javert effectively wraps around him the mystique of self-righteous anger he holds against nearly everyone. In West Side Story, Rita Moreno’s song I want to be in America encapsulates the reason why they are in the United States.

Clearly the marriage of acting, dance and song is a powerful tool. Similar to the Opera, for what is Opera but the ancestor of the musical. In form and in manner the musical is opera. Except that the musical can be understood nearly all over the world, because it is in the lingua franca of our generation – English.

It is not hard to appreciate and learn things from the musical. Love, betrayal, politics, murder and the mundane are subjects of the musical. Lessons in religion and politics can be taken from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Time Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar. We can learn a lot in politics and the human relations from Stephen Schwartz’s Pippin and Webber and Rice’s Evita. Or enjoy the poems of TS Eliot in the musical adaptation of his collection of poems about Cats, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

III. UNAVAILABILITY & AVAILABILITY OF MUSICALS

The only draw back with Musicals that was also inherent for Opera during its heyday was its inaccessability from mere mortals like us. Not everyone can afford to watch a West End or a Broadway Musical; much less have the money to go to London or New York. Often times we have to wait for local versions of the musicals. And often at a steep price, although today the price of a seat in the local cinemas can be as pricey.

There are two things that have enabled us to enjoy these musicals:

1. Film adaptations
2. Mass produced copies, video tape and video discs, of the film adaptations.

Now we can watch them at home. Interesting thing about the old Musicals, from the sixties downwards, is that they also have intermissions, scheduled breaks within the acts.

IV. A FILIPINO ROCK OPERA/MUSICAL WORTH WATCHING AND FAVOURITE MUSICALS

Several years ago, I heard the tape recording of A Filipino Rock Opera based on the comic characters of Nonoy Marcelo and it was entitled Ikabod Dagang Sosyal. It had a couple of lively songs and one tha became a hit. As far as I know it was only played in London at West End. I wonder if any of our local theatre groups, PETA or Repertory Philippines or the CCP Theatre Group and other similar groups will stage this Rock Opera.

As for my nephews –

One liked Oliver! while the other seemed to like My Fair Lady! As for me I still like Pippin and Evita, the movie adaptation of Maddona was horrid. Although I do not mind whistling or humming the song of Alfred Doolitle entitled With A Little Bit O’ Luck.

Rome and Roman-themed films

The latest mini-series about Rome has finally ended. What was described in one British daily as a sandal and sex mini-series has waved good bye with the assasination of Julius Ceasar. As any good mini-series it had left everything in a cliff-hanger.

Despite its faults I like the mini-series Rome. The story was more focused on the people in Rome and took great liberties in omitting or embellishing the historical facts. Missing were the battle scenes that made Julius Ceasar great. It would have been great to see the decisive battle of Julius Ceasar in Gaul or in Pharsalus – where he fought against Pompei. What a sight it would have been, The army of Pompey and the Senate clashing againts Ceasar’s army. Things would have been peachy if they remained true to the character of Augustus. The character has a lot to catch up on in season two of Rome.

Still it was good romp. Although, the series suffered from the HBO censors – who trimmed certain parts of it.

The things I noticed about Roman films/mini-series.

Romans, especially the patricians speak with an English accent. The only time I noticed a Roman spoke with a non English accent was in Caligula and perhaps in Titus Adronicus.

The best battle scenes were probably in Spartacus.

The best coliseum scene would be the Gladiator.

Personal favourite from childhood watching the films during Holy Week would be The Robe, Demetrius and the Gladiators, 500 Spartans (?). Ok the last one was not about the Romans, but I thought the movie deserved to be mentioned.

Books and Films

Never judge a book by its movie. – JW Eagan

In a few weeks the movie Brokeback Mountain will have its commercial run in Metro Manila. Ang Lee’s Cowboy-Shepherd Love Story will be a hit in Metro Manila. The range of interest for the movie cuts across personal sexual preferences.

There are two things general about movie adaptations.

First, Always note the word/caveat “adapted from”, this means that the Director, Writer and Producer may have tampered with the story, for the sake of expediency and to hype up the story.

Second, The resulting movie story is not as good as the original story. Rarely, the only film that seems to improve with the movie adaptation was Pierre Boulle’s “Le pont de la rivière Kwai” and the movie was David Lean’s The Bridge on the River Kwai. And probably, the film “Spartacus”, which was adapted from Howard Fast’s novel of the same title. Then again Bridge on the River Kwai and Spartacus are good examples of ensemble work at are finest.

However, despite this I like movie adaptations and I do not mind queuing up to watch them. Partly because to see their treatment of book and more importantly the interest it generates ushers in new batch of readers. Not to mention new and better editions of the story.

So for that I like movie adaptations. Movie adaptations that have ushered in a renewed interest in books include:

Please note, the books mentioned in this post are books that I like and I am quite aware there are more books and film adaptations out there worthy of praise and attention.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

I like the Fellowship of the Ring, but not its subsequent adaptations. It did, however, bring in new editions of JRR Tolkien works. The Lord of the Ring Trilogy is a good buy, but a better buy would be “The Hobbit”, “Farmer Giles of Ham”, and “The Tolkien Reader” – which include “The Leaf by Niggle”.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

The movie adaptation has brought about a new set of editions of CS Lewis’ works. I would disregard the derivative works. Concentrate on the original works. Collect the whole Chronicles of Narnia, the Silent Planet Trilogy, “The Screwtape Letters” and for those serious readers the rest of Lewis’ works. For movie it wont hurt to check out the movie “Shadowlands”.

Animal Farm

George Orwell’s fable has been done twice and both adaptations to put mildly were not good. In both occasions somebody thought of improving the story, bad idea. One does not improve a story on an excellent story.

Anyway, Excellent movie adaptations of books include:

Godfather I and II, Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather” includes the story of Michael Corleone and Vito Corleone. The ending though was a more powerful in the book.

“The Princess Bride”, this is an odd-one. It seems to be more of a book adapted from the movie. The movie is nice and the book is a nice read. It pays that the screenwriter and writer of the book are the same, William Goldman.

James Ivory’s film adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s “The Remains of the Day” is a gem. The book more so.

A book and film are two mediums to express a story. Movies are dynamic and visually overwhelming. However, it is limited by time (there is a human limitation to the amount we can watch) and by the caprices or tastes of all its creators. A book or written word can be dynamic but works on the individual level, it uses word to describe action and it uses phrases to impart subtle and not-subtle meaning to these actions. It may not be visually overwhelming but it works effectively in imprinting an image in our conscience. More effectively than any film can.

By the way, I am now reading Annie Proulux’s “Broke Back Mountain” it should be an interesting read.

The Vampire, The Crooks and the Boardgame

Last week, I was able to watch three films consecutively. I was able to watch the Underworld: Evolution, the sequel to Underworld, the vampire film last Friday. Then on Saturday, I was able to watch the Tagalog indie film “Big Time”. And finally, along with my nephews I was able to watch a film that my nephew described as “from the makers of Jumanji Zathura: A Space Adventure”.

UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION

The sequel to Underworld nearly breaches the suspension of disbelief agreement between thee filmgoers and the filmmakers. The sequel start where the old movie left except now instead of a generic Western City, with a sub-population of Vampires and Lycanthropes tearing each under in covert-war that has spanned the centuries, our protagonists find themselves travelling in an unspecified Eastern European country. Our protagonists, Selene still clad in leather body suit and Michael Corbin – vampire-werewolf hybrid, can be seen struggling against vampires, uncovering old plots and generally trying to survive in this movie and have a love scene, which accordingly cut for the local viewing. The movie is composed of fights, flashbacks, meetings with characters placed there to aid protagonists and explain the story. This leads to the final scenes of the movie where Selene and Michael face their antagonists. This is a film for vampire film lovers and fantasy-action lovers. The bloodline on this film is thinner than its predecessor, a lesser image of its original.

BIG TIME

The Tagalog indie film for this month. It has been heavily marked across the Internet, at least Filipino cineaste circles. The movie is exclusively shown at the cinemas of SM. Big Time is about how serendipity has brought four people together and how they try to extort money from a Philippine crime lord Michael De Mesa. The cast did a wonderful job of portraying the different characters in the movie. No complaints about the directing all the scenes were professionally done. Plus, the movie had a nice soundtrack from the group Itchy Worms. It was a good film, but not a spectacular and extremely funny film. And this is because it tried to be a lot of things, a Guy Ritchie film for one, but ended up none. First, a big time gangster involved in the protection racket? With his right-hand man collecting tong and using an expensive car? If it is used for comedy, it’s not funny at all. It would have been more credible if the crime lord was into jueteng, drugs or smuggling. Second, story seems to shift from tongue in cheek dark comedy to straight-out social commentary. It loses its bite as it shifts from one to the other. Not considering the story-development confusion, the movie is worthwhile watch; given the playful exchange between the characters and at times ironic situations they find themselves in. It is several degrees better than a lot of the films forced down the public’s oesophagus during the Metro Manila Film Festival but not as good or funny as proclaimed. The film “Ang Pagdadalaga Ni Maximo Oliveros is still much better.

ZATHURA

The film marketed as a space adventure film from the makers of Jumanji. I had certain apprehensions in watching a film from the creators of Jumanji. The Robin Williams film about a magical board game was an OK film, flash and nothing outstanding. The images I remember from the film were the stampeding jungle animals and the drums of doom. It was ok to watch once but not really for repeat viewings. Even the cartoon series spin-off was a ho-hum.

There were of course good reviews about it. And it seemed better than the sequel to Steve Martin’s movie “Cheaper by the Dozen”. So we went to watch.

As we sat down to watch the movie I was thinking of what to do afterwards. Adopting the “I have seen this before how thrilling” attitude then the film began. The movie was a pleasant surprise. Maybe because the flash and special effects was at a pleasant level. Or maybe because the actors were not acting over the top. Or maybe the story was consistent and had pleasant twists and turns to tell. As in all tales of journey or quests this movie had a moral tale to tell. And it told in a subtle way, opting to show it rather than state it out loud.

This movie maybe from the makers of Jumanji but it is a much better movie than Jumanji.

The Prestige: A Story Told in Many Forms

It is the 1878, two illusionists meet at fraudulent séance. The results are less than ideal; in fact the fraudulent séance has gone awry for one illusionist and a negative self-realization of the other. Unfortunately, this event has sparked a feud between the two stage magicians. A feud that will cause fatal consequences and the problem that their children and children’s attempt to resolve.

Enter the world stage magic and fantasy.

I saw this book last Friday as I passed by a different bookstore in Cubao. And they were having their post-Christmas sale. There were a number of books about. Not as many as the Ancient Library of Alexandria nor the English village that claimed to have all the books in the world nor the books stored in the different great libraries around the world, but it had many.

While I was quietly browsing the book and making the rounds inside the bookshop then I saw this book. I hesitate to specifically state the genre of the book, only that it is a fantasy book.

The book was in softbound format and it was printed on a form of paper, newsprint. According to information found at the back of the book this was the first edition of the book printed in paperback. And that it had won the World Fantasy Award and Britain’s James Tait Black Memorial Prize.

I bought the book.

It is an interesting read it is one of the books that I have come across that have used the different forms of story telling in one tale. The use of different storytelling devices is quite effective in bringing together, contrasting, and developing the story and the views of the different characters in the book.

Its hard to put down the book once you have started to read it. Do I think it is a good book? Yes! Without a doubt, it is a good book. Will it become a classic, maybe only time will tell.

The Book was awarded the World Fantasy Award and Britain’s James Tait Black Memorial Prize.

A worthwhile read.

King Kong & Aslan Tombstone the MMFF

The Metro Manila Film Festival is over in its wakes it has left a trail of puwede na, so-so and what in heaven’s name were they thinking of movies. It, the MMFF, has spawned a series of controversies and personalities acting out a tragic comedy before the public’s eye. It would seem that only Behn Cervantes is talking sense when he said that if only two movies were to qualify as movie entries then only have two entries do not allow mediocre and awful Tagalog films to enter the contest. I still believe movie industry has to adapt with the times and improve its craft. No amount of subsidy will revitalised not so worthy pieces of work. Work and craft should be enough to revitalize the industry of film making just look at Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (The Blooming of Maximo Oliveros) and the other films from non-mainstream film producers. It would be interesting to see the movie Big Time, which will be opening this week.

Movies that made a comeback after the retreat of the MMFF:

King Kong

The movie stays true to the orginal story of the movie. Its a miracle Jackson did not change the story that much. He did, however, extend a part of the movie from 15 minutes to an hour. If it weren’t for the shots of New York during the 1930s it would have been a sleepfest. Fortunately, things get going once they reach the island and end up again in New York. Unfortunately, there was that interlude Jackson provided designed to establish the rapport between Kong and the woman in New York. It was totally not needed. They had already established on the island. Still it is a minor thing.The last two parts of the movie was exciting and thrilling. Overall it was not a bad remake of the original King Kong movie from the 1930s. It might be worthwhile to get a DVD of the movie, If you get one remember to skip the first part and proceed to the island.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

CS Lewis’ fantasy classic has been re-adapted to film. At last Narnia has come to bigscreen. The adaptation stays more or less loyal to story with some minor changes and no embellishments. This take on Narnia is somewhat more brighter in mood than the Lord of the Rings. It is a deal more brighter and the creatures though fantastic do not seem to be more visceral or “rough” than the creatures of Middle-Earth. In this sense it suffers from comparison to the LOTR movies. This is an unfair comparision. Narnia is more similar or related in theme to the Hobbit than to LOTR. There was one particular scene that seems to have been toned down and in the process robbed the film of becoming a spectacular movie. The scene between Aslan and the White Queen before the battle was subdued. It is not a powerful scene. One just has to back to the original chapter in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Read the chapter again and imagine the passage of this article faithfully brought to life on the silver screen. It would have been a powerful scene! The film though was nice, it could have been spectacular, but it was just nice.