La Visa Loca - Kakaloka talaga
If you want to know why Filipino main stream cinema is such a bore in recent years then observe the latest movie from Unitel Pictures, La Visa Loca. Mainstream directors like Joel Lamangan, Gil Portes, Marilou Diaz Abaya, Laurice Guillen, Jose Javier Reyes and now Mark Meily are most probably trained as writers and not as filmmakers. They are acustomed to tell stories wherein fim should be used in showing stories. There is a huge difference between the two. In La visa Loca, Meily simply tell his story by letting his characters talk and talk and talk about scenarios. As an effect his film looks like a theater play and not a movie. In addition his humor often times fell flat on the floor because he makes his actors tell jokes as if they are stand-up comics. Movies are not and should not be like that. The best thing about cinema is that it lets the audience experience the story by showing them emotions or feelings that could change their lives… not by preaching to them about it. Meily and those old school filmmakers should just stick to writing (or go on directing plays) because they are the ones who are killing the movie industry by directing such boring and unimaginative films.
If you want to see true Filipino cinema now, don’t fail to catch Bikini Open from Jeffrey Jeturian and Boso from Jon Red. The 2 filmmakers just mentioned are part of a very elite group of directors who know how to show stories. They are the ones who properly use film as a language. Moreover, they are the ones who do movie magic that could elevate Filipino cinema.
May 26th, 2005 at 6:45 am
“Movies are not and should not be like that.”
I do not know much about film making so i’m just simply going to comment on your comment per se. By saying this (your quote above) you are in fact saying there is a “one road” to film making. And this is followed by your statement that “movies should not be preachy” which contradicts the very purpose of your critique on the film. The fact that you provide a “what should and what should not be” implies that you have a normative criteria, of what is to follow in a film making process. You are in fact “preachy”,and falling into the same trap as the movie you are talking about. Finally, by saying that “movies should change the viewer’s life” means that art SHOULD have a purpose beyond art itself. Whatever happened to art for art’s sake? Functionalism in art is ONE movement, but NOT the only movement.