Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story

I really don't know much about Philippine gangsters but I thought "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story" will be able to provide a more accurate depiction of our country's past criminal underworld. Asiong Salonga was touted as the Filipino Robin Hood raising hell in post World War 2 Tondo Manila, his gang acting as his brave knights and Asiong being hailed as "King of Tondo" is the stuff of legends.

There were in my estimate 3 previous Asiong Salonga films, perhaps the most well known before this was Former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada's portrayal in the 60''s (if I'm not mistaken since my father was a big fan of that film). In Manila Kingpin the producers tried to reimagine the Asiong Salonga myth by making him more than a martyr, just like what the trailer showed the film tried to make him more human showing his love for his family, friends and his wife (like the tagline in the trailer kapatid, asawa, kaibigan).

What I can say about the movie was it tried to show all of this but it failed miserably and this is an understatement, the scenes were disjointed to the point where the audience is left wondering what  was going on. Some scenes were incomplete that it made transitions to next scenes difficult to understand and would oftentimes be just confusing. The beginning of the film where Asiong was  being tortured was enough of an explanation to know who he is, the problem for the rest of the movie was the narrative.

It failed to show what was Asiong's real purpose in Tondo, yes poverty was eminent in those days but the Robin Hood gimmick was played to death. Asiong was shown as a tough guy with a heart  but where was he getting the money? Protection rackets and smuggling alone can't buy you cars and make you look like a millionaire while in jail in postwar Phillipines. 

Also certain elements of his dark personality was ommitted, Asiong in his time was linked to armed robbery, murder and homicide charges. Other underworld crime figures like Golem, Toothpick and Zapanta were made to look like caricatures of gangsters in previous films. They sneered and schemed as we expect from antagonists but they were not given much screentime aside from John Regala's Golem who wasn't really that scary, I thought Roi Vinson in the beginning was better and should have been the actor who played Golem. The" Main Man" ER Estregan was decent in his portrayal and I believe this was his 2nd time playing Asiong but a younger actor should have been cast since Asiong was supposedly in his 20's at that time.

Other actors who were miscast was Asiong's wife Fidela played by Carla Abellana, I cringed over their love scenes because of the age difference and an older actress should have been cast at least to complement the leading man's age. Dennis Padilla who played one of Asiong's "bataan" was also miscast, I couldn't help but laugh at his scenes, I don't know why they would cast a known comedian in a serious film. My praises go first to Baron Geisler, playing the man who betrayed Asiong suited his image and acting style, I believe being typecast as a villain will work wonders for the rest of his career. Jay Manalo playing the "Mayor" who looked after Asiong while in jail was crucial, he was able to portray his role effectively without being eclipsed by ER in every scene they shared.

Last but not the least thank God for Phillip Salvador, I know that he's not as big as he once was in the 90's but he was strong enough to carry the  film until the end without ER's presence. Phillip Salvador stood out in the final shootout and that for me saved the film from being completely mediocre. I know some people will argue that the film had it's good merits ( I thought the political subplot NP vs. LP was pretty interesting but it wasn't expanded) and I believe the cinematography and the film's set pieces played a key role in it, the black and white backdrop though was interrupted by certain scenes suddenly showing color, I don't know if that was intentional but I understood it's purpose. The score and music was mediocre as well and I thought it would have been more appropriate for music in the 40's-50's to be played instead I heard rap metal beats in the shadowboxing scene and an 80's song in the shootout, although Ely Buendia's "La Paloma" was quite good some of the score used was more of a distraction that disrupts the timeline that the film was trying to portray. My friends laughed when they heard "Mad World" being played while Dennis Padilla was getting shot, there were a lot of unintentionally funny moments one most notable was Ketchup Eusebio appearing all of a sudden riding a bike in the final shootout which really ruined it for me and for the rest of the audience who just laughed their asses off.

I can point out numerous faults in the film but to be fair to the entire crew and cast I'm sure tried their best to make the film a masterpiece, yes it looked like one in the trailer but it's not a very good film. I was hoping that this will be the movie that will breath life to Philippine Cinema which have been languishing in mediocrity since the late 90's, alas it's not meant to be and for cinephiles like myself we'll probably wait another decade for a film that will finally bring our brand of cinema to international attention.

Side Note: Release the Director's Cut just to be fair to Tikoy Aguiluz.


Grade: C-

All About My Mother (Todo Sobre Mi Madre)

A film that strikes a bit odd for my taste but nevertheless a great film and certainly worth seeing, "All About My Mother (Todo Sobre Mi Madre)" is a masterpiece worthy of Fellini by the spanish director  Pedro Almodóvar.

The film centers around Manuela (Cecilia Roth), a single mother and nurse who works as a transplant coordinator in a hospital in Madrid. She goes out with her son Esteban (Eloy Azorin) on his 17th birthday to watch a play of Tennesee William's "A Streetcar Named Desire", they wait for the actress Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes) for an autograph but Esteban is hit by a car while he was chasing the cab she was riding in for an autograph.

Manuela eventhough full of grief agrees to have her son's heart be transplanted to another man, she tracks him down but this doesn't satisfy her. She quits her job and returns to Barcelona to find his son's father Lola (Toni Canto), it was not implied what kind of person Lola was until we see Manuela visit a square full of prostitutes and transvestites.

She gets out of the cab and helps an old friend named Agrado (Antonia San Juan) who was being assaulted. We find out that they are old friends before Manuela left for Madrid, we also meet Rosa (Penelope Cruz) a nun who works in a shelter for battered prostitutes. We also find out there are connections between the characters and the main protagonist, Rosa turns out to be Huma's daughter and at the same time pregnant with Lola's baby.

The story seemed preposterous and absurd but we've come to believe it more as it unravels, Rosa is also infected with the AIDS virus that he got from Lola. The film is shown more as a soap opera with a cast of characters you would not believe that can be portrayed on screen, Huma the actress turns out to be a lesbian who is also involved with her co-star Nina (Candela Pena) who has a drug problem. Nevertheless we learn to symphatize with most of the characters, in my opinion it was Antonia San Juan playing a man trying to be a woman who stole the show. She looked horrendous playing a transvestite but you can't take your eyes off her/him, Agrado's presence is magnetic and draws you in with her light hearted humor. But no matter how funny certain situations can get each of the characters show the hurt and misery they are in, the director brilliantly blends the dark and lighter side of their lives as they go through their everyday drama especially the heroine Manuela.

We see the heartbreaking meeting between Manuela and Lola as the film progresses, she reveals to him that he also had a son with her showing him his son's picture and the letter that Esteban wrote before he died. Esteban wanted to meet his father no matter what he has become to make himself whole as a person, Manuela made Esteban's wish come true after his death as she and Lola find closure in the tragedy they share.

The director was able to let us see the characters for what they are no matter how ridiculuous the plot maybe, we've come to symphatize Agrado and Lola and even laugh at the some of the minor characters like Nina and the guy who was playing Kowalski. No matter how scandalous or trashy the story and the subject matter might be Almodovar made it look okay to deal with it with care and sympathy, he makes us look at the positive side and showed a glimmer of hope in the ending when Rosa's son Esteban whom Manuela took away did not inherit the AIDS virus.

This makes us believe that you can find love in places you did not expect, we just need to search for it to be content with ourselves like Manuela. 



Almodóvar dedicates his film "To all actresses who have played actresses. To all women who act. To men who act and become women. To all the people who want to be mothers. To my mother."

Grade: A

Man on Wire

One of the coolest feats ever made was done by a man some considered in his day a poster boy for psychiatric evaluation, "Man on Wire" is by far one of the most unique documentaries done in cinema mixing with reenacments as told by the participants with the atmosphere of a heist film. 

It tells the story French high wire artist Philippe Petit who in August 7, 1974 performed his highwire act on top of the World Trade Center Towers, the film is narrated by an older Petit decribing his obesssion of conquering the soon to be constructed towers. He never thought one day that he would, Petit an accomplished high wire artist would first cross the 2 bell towers of Notre Dame, then the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia.

With his incredible acrobatic skills, experience and his confidence growing he sets his sights on the magnificent towers and makes his plans of crossing it by any means necessary even if it means the cost of his own life. He does painstaking research with the help of his accomplices using fake ID's and a helicopter trip just to survey the towers and devises a plan on how he would smuggle his equipment inside and hang the wires he will need to perform his daredevil act.

He goes so far as to even disguise himself as a French reporter to get more photos and information of the towers, his ambition is not an easy one as there is resistance even in his own camp. His most trusted friend and supporter Jean-Louis Blondea and his then girlfriend Annie Allix fears for his safety but they will not get on his way of accomplishing his dream. For Petit this is the ultimate and turning back is not an option, his will to do it at this very moment in his life is a clear testament of his hunger to accomplish the impossible. The director James Marsh was also able show that the objective is not that impossible, but it will take an extraordinary man to do it.There is no doubt Petit is one of those brave and possibly insane enough to do this feat infusing the film with an essence of a thriller, the first hand accounts of the people involved is told explicitly to show the atmosphere of fear and paranoia for the participants involved and Petit's obsession.

  Petit's exhuberance also shows in the moment especially in certain scenes like where he tells of the time when they were almost caught by the policeman hiding under a cloth and staying still for a long time. Also the hide and seek under the shadows which was reenacted to highten the tension for the big moment when history will be made. Through all of this we see and understand Petit's obsession and we find out it is not just one man's ambition that needs to be fulfilled. This is an artist dedicated in conquering what most ordinary people think will be an impossible task and his destiny awaits him. Petit's then girlfriend Annie breaks into tears as she remembers Petit on the wire kneeling, for her it is just not an ordinary high wire act but an artist reaching his goal and enlightening other people spiritually. 

The policeman in the scene who arrested Petit and interviewed was not only in awe but understood what this moment meant to other people, this is something that may never happen again which came true after the 9/11 attack. The inspiration for the movie is also not just a man overcoming his obstacles but a tribute and testament of an era gone by. I only wish that someday a real movie could be made about Petit's exploits but with the World Trade Center gone this may never be happen but for now this documentary will do.

Grade: A-

Memento

 I once asked myself how a film genre like film noir is categorized: mysterious narration, crime, sex, murder, drugs, confusing plot twists, suspense, booze, femme fatales, detectives, shadows, lies, deceit, death. etc.

All of these elements can be found in certain crime films but it takes clever writing and brilliant film making to pull off a great film noir. Back in 2000 an up and coming British filmmaker directed a critically acclaimed cult film titled "Memento", an offbeat psychological crime film with noirish atmosphere.

The film starts with a man getting shot in the back of the head in a black and white sequence, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) is in a hotel room talking to a mysterious stranger. It is revealed that Leonard has anterograde amnesia, impairing his ability to remember recent events that has taken place. He is haunted by the memory of his dead wife who was raped and strangled to death by 2 men, he kills the first culprit but the 2nd managed to escape and injures Leonard giving him the disorder.

The 2nd man who escaped he has now identified only as John G, his mission is to avenge his wife by killing the suspect, but with his predicament he uses polaroids, notes and clues in his tatooed riddled body. He puts the pieces together and tries to figure out what is happening in his current situation, the tricky part of this is the cast of characters that he meets along the way. We are introduced to the 2 main supporting cast, Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) acts as the sort of guide that helps Leonard in his quest. Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss) is a bartender that he helps along the way, although both seemed to provide the balance that Leonard needs we find out later on that both cannot be trusted.

I find that the film injectes a certain amount of uneasiness and mystery, I couldn't wait for the next scene to happen because the story is told backwards. The truth they say is hard to accept but as each scene unravels we find out that Leonard is merely a pawn in everybody's game, a game of deceit that turned deadly for some but Leonard's quest continues as the ending shows. The film is cleverly told in Leonard's point of view making him aware of his predicament but helpless to find a way to solve it due to his amnesia, Nolan cleverly masks every situation with brilliant deceipt and revelations up until the ending. Films like "Rashomon", "Citizen Kane" and "Pulp Fiction" offered brilliant storytelling and Jonathan Nolan's script is certainly compelling.

What I liked about it is the fact that the story was so simple, the plot became more interesting as it progressed because we already knew what happened in the end. The black and white sequences explains all that's happened before the colored sequences, the colored sequences is told in reverse and the climax makes us understand what we were all missing. I think the credit goes to the Nolan brothers making an original film and pulling it off brilliantly, the biggest hole in the story for me is Leonard's amnesia. If Leonard's last memory was his wife dying, then how does he know that he has a short term memory?

Certainly a man of his condition should not be able to function like a detective trailing clues and being able to function on his own, film noirs has it shares of confusion but I think what is compelling about them is not the finding of the truth but how the process works and the unraveling of the situation. Sometimes we don't need to push for the truth, certain things work out for themselves like in Leonard's case he made a hell of a progression without remembering most of the things he knows. In any case brilliant film making is made and we cannot argue that Christopher Nolan has directed a film we will remember for ages.

 Teddy: So you lie to yourself to be happy. There's nothing wrong with that. We all do it.



Grade: A