RUSHES: PELIKULA! 2008 SCHEDULE

Date/Time

1 Wed 4:30 pm 7 mesas de billar francés
7:00 pm La torre de Suso
9:30 pm Mataharis

2 Thu 4:30 pm La caja
7:00 pm Concursante
9:30 pm Lo mejor de mí

3 Fri 4:30 pm El pollo, el pez y el cangrejo real
7:00 pm Fados
9:30 pm Los crímenes de Oxford
12:00 pm Yo soy la Juani

4 Sat 2:00 pm Miguel y William
4:30 pm La torre de Suso
7:00 pm Mataharis
9:30 pm 7 mesas de billar francés
12:00 pm Fuera de carta

5 Sun 4:30 pm Nocturna
7:00 pm Fados
9:30 pm Fuera de carta
12:00 pm El orfanato

6 Mon 4:30 pm Concursante
7:00 pm La caja
9:30 pm Bajo las estrellas

7 Tue 4:30 pm Miguel y William
MEXICAN CINEMA NIGHT: Luz silenciosa (By invitation only)
9:30 pm El violín

8 Wed 4:30 pm Lo mejor de mí
7:00 pm 7 mesas de billar francés
9:30 pm Los crímenes de Oxford

9 Thu 4:30 pm Fados
7:00 pm El orfanato
9:30 pm El pollo, el pez y el cangrejo real

10 Fri 4:30 pm Bajo las estrellas
7:00 pm El violín
9:30 pm Concursante
12:00 pm La torre de Suso

11 Sat 2:00 pm Nocturna
4:30 pm Luz silenciosa
7:00 pm Fuera de carta
9:30 pm El orfanato
12:00 pm Los crímenes de Oxford

12 Sun 2:00 pm El violín
4:30 pm Mataharis
7:00 pm Todos estamos invitados
9:30 pm Winner, Audience Choice Award/Premio del Público

RUSHES: PELIKULA! 2008 LINE-UP

BAJO LAS ESTRELLAS UNDER THE STARS
[en] Benito learns that his brother Lalo willsoon marry. Knowing the bride-to-be, he decides to step in, but finds himselfup against Nines’s daughter, Ainara, with whom he ends up forging a peculiarfriendship. When things take a turn for the worst in this peculiar family,Benito decides for the first time in his life to take control.
• Director: Félix Viscarret
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 108 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: AlbertoSan Juan, Emma Suárez, Julián Villagrán
•
• Best Lead Actor (Alberto San Juan); Best Screenplay,Adapted
• Goya Awards, 2008
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

CONCURSANTE • THE CONTESTANT
[en] Martin’s life is turned upside down when he wins almost 4 million dollars in prizes from a quiz show. But his life becomes a roller-coaster ride when his girlfriend starts spending the cash value of the prizes at the same rate he is frantically trying to sell them.
• Director: Rodrigo Cortés
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 88 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Leonardo Sbaraglia, Cheta Lera, Miyam Gallego, Fernado Cayo, Myriam de Maetzu

• Critics Award, Silver Biznaga
• Nominated Golden Biznaga
• Málaga Spanish Film Festival, 2008
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

EL ORFANATO THE ORPHANAGE
[en] Laura returns to the orphanage where shespent the best years of her childhood to discover that it has acquired ahaunted, unhappy air. She then sets out to learn what happened at the orphanageafter she left, plunging headlong into a netherworld where the dead reach outto the living.
• Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
• Producción • Production: Spain, Mexico; 2007
• Duración • Duration: 105 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: BelénRueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep, Mabel Rivera, Montserrat Carulla
•
• Best Screenplay,Best New Director, five other awards and seven nominations (including BestFilm)
• Goya Awards, 2008
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

EL POLLO, EL PEZ Y EL CANGREJO REAL • THE CHICKEN, THE FISH AND THE KING CRAB
[en] Jesús Almagro was a happy man when he won Spain’s National Award for Best Cook 2007. His next challenge was to compete for the World Championship, the Bocuse d’Or. He thought he was up to the challenge, that preparing was just a matter of time and skills. But he was definitively not ready for what lay ahead
• Director: José Luis López-Linares
• Producción • Production: Spain; 2008
• Duración • Duration: 86 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Jesús Almagro, Juan María Arzak, Alberto Chicote, Felix
Guerrero, Padero Larumbe
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

EL VIOLÍN
[en] Don Plutarco, his son Genaro and grandson Lucio make a humble living as traveling musicians. They also collect supplies and ammunition for the guerrilla movement that has arisen in response to the tyrannical regime.
• Director: Francisco Vargas
• Producción • Production: Mexico, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 98 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Ángel Tavira, Gerardo Taracena, Dagoberto Gama, Mario
• Garibaldo, Fermín Martínez
Best Actor (Ángel Tavira)
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

FADOS
[en] After more than two years research on the Fado, Carlos Saura makes an important change in his approach to musical films. In Fados, the plot and the images work to reflect the origins of this organic port music in a unique, original way.
• Director: Carlos Saura
• Producción • Production: Spain, Portugal; 2007
• Duración • Duration: 90 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Camané, Carlos do Carmo, Lila Downs, Cesária Évora, Toni Garrido

• Best Documentary - Cinema Writers Circle Awards, 2008
• Nominated Best Documentary - Goya Awards, 2008
•
• En portugués con subtítulos en inglés • In Portuguese with English subtitle

FUERA DE CARTA CHEF’S SPECIAL
[en] Maxi thinks his life is perfect. Then,unexpectedly, the children from his sham marriage turn up on his doorstep and ahandsome ex-football player from Argentina moves in next door, making himreevaluate his own morals and values.
• Director: Nacho G. Velilla
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2008
• Duración • Duration: 111 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: JavierCámara, Lola Dueñas, Fernando Tejero, Benjamín Vicuña
•
• Audience Award:Best Film, Best Actor (Javier Cámara)
• Málaga SpanishFilm Festival, 2008
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

LA CAJA • THE WOODEN BOX
[en] In a fishing village in the Canary Islands, the hated don Lucio dies and his wife has asks her neighbor Isabel to keep vigil over the body. All the neighbors visit him to settle old scores. Rest in peace, Don Lucio... if you can.
• Director: Juan Carlos Falcón
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2006
• Duración • Duration: 96 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Ángela Molina, Elvira Mínguez, Antonia San Juan, Vladimir Cruz, María Galiana
•
• Audience Award
• Las Palmas Film Festival, 2007
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

LA TORRE DE SUSO • SUSO'S TOWER
[en] Cundo returns home after a ten-year absence, on the news of the death of his best friend, Suso. He pretends that everything in his life is hunky-dory, planning to leave the scene as quickly as he had come. But Cundo actually isn’t doing so well and Suso won’t be content with a simple toast to his life.
• Director: Tom Fernández
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 95 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Javier Cámara, Gonzalo de Castro, César Vea, José Luis Alcobendas, Malena Alterio
•
• Nominated Best New Director (Tom Fernández) and two other nominations
• Goya Awards, 2008
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitle

LO MEJOR DE MÍ THE BEST OF ME
[en] When Raquel was a little girl, she couldnot understand why everyone talked constantly about love. When Raquel moves inwith Tomas, she will have to ask herself what she could be willing to do forlove, discovering how beautiful, and at the same how difficult, it is to trulylove someone.
• Director: Roser Aguilar
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2008
• Duración • Duration: 85 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: MariánÁlvarez, Juan Sanz, Lluís Homar, Alberto Jiménez, Marieta Orozco
•
• Best Actress(Marián Álvarez)
• Locarno International Film Festival, 2007
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

LOS CRÍMENES DE OXFORD THE OXFORD MURDERS
[en] The murdered corpse of an old lady is discovered by two men who meet for the first time, on the site of the first in a series of murders, all announced by the perpetrator by strange symbols. Professor and student join forces to try and crack the code, revealing an elaborate puzzle where nothing is as it seems
• Director: Álex de la Iglesia
• Producción • Production: Spain, France; 2008
• Duración • Duration: 107 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Elijah Wood, John Hurt, Leonor Watling, Julie Cox, Burn Gorman
•
• En inglés con subtítulos en español • In English with Spanish subtitles

LUZ SILENCIOSA • SILENT LIGHT (pictured, above)
[en] Johan, married to Esther, with seven sons from her, has been having a passionate love affair with Marianne for 2 years. He confesses to his friend, Zacaris and to his father, a preacher, who sees it as the devil’s work. Nevertheless, both of them support him, pity him. And envy him.
• Director: Carlos Reygadas
• Producción • Production: Mexico, France, Netherlands, Germany; 2007
• Duración • Duration: 127 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Cornelio Wall, Maria Pankratz, Miriam Toews, Peter Wall, Jacobo Klassen, Elizabeth Fehr
•
• Jury Prize
• Cannes Film Festival, 2007
•
• En alemán con subtítulos en Inglés • In German with English subtitles

MATAHARIS
[en] Private detectives Inés, Eva and Carmen find that they have to cross the thin line between public and private matters, bringing their own issues to light in order to solve more than just their professional cases.
• Director: Iciar Bollain
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 95 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Najwa Nimri, Tristán Ulloa, María Vázquez, Diego Martín, Nuria González
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

MIGUEL Y WILLIAM • MIGUEL & WILLIAM
[en] Leonor leaves London to marry a rich, widowed duke in Castile, also leaving her lover, William Shakespeare, a promising playwright. In Spain, she meets Miguel de Cervantes, a man of letters who has lost faith in his talent. Shakespeare arrives to prevent the marriage between his beloved and the duke and so Leonor sees the chance to bring together the talents of the two writers to create a unique work.
• Director: Inés París
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 102 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Elena Ayana, Juan Luis Galiardo, Will Kemp, Geraldine Chaplin
•
• Audience Award
• Peñíscola Comedy Film Festival, 2007
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

NOCTURNA
[en] Tim leaves the orphanage he calls home to find out why the stars have disappeared from the sky. He embarks on an exciting journey where he encounters the denizens of Nocturna, a parallel world that comes to life as we lie asleep, with a mission to find Moka, keeper of the night, to plead him to return the stars to the night sky.
• Director: Adriá García, Víctor Maldonado
• Producción • Production: Spain; 2007
• Duración • Duration: 80 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Imanol Arias, Natalia Rodríguez, Carlos Sobera
•
• Best Animation Film
• Goya Awards, 2008
•
• En inglés con subtítulos en español • In English with Spanish subtitles

SIETE MESAS DE BILLARFRANCÉS SEVEN BILLIARD TABLES
[en] Angela is faced with what’s left of the family business, a hall with seven billiard tables: Despite this, the death ofher father, and the sudden and mysterious disappearance of her husband, she resolves to get on and rebuild her life and to get the seven tables back ontheir feet.
• Director: Gracia Querejeta
• Producción • Production: Spain, 2007
• Duración • Duration: 116 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Maribel Verdú, Blanca Portillo, Jesús Repartoejón, Víctor Valdivia, Enrique Villén
•
• Best Film; Best Actress (Maribel Verdú); 7 other nominations Cinema Writers Circle, Spain, 2008
• Best Lead Actress; Best Supporting Actress (Amparo Baró); 8 other nominations, Goya Awards
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

TODOS ESTAMOS INVITADOS
[en] Josu Jon is injured in a clash with the Civil Guard, losing his memory. He is treated in a prison hospital, where he awaits judgment. The inmates help him remember that he is actually a gudari, and that he will soon return to the struggle if he manages to get out of prison.
• Director: Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón
• Producción • Production: Spain;2007
• Duración • Duration: 95 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Óscar Jaenada, José Coronado, Vanessa Incontrada, Iñaki Miramón
•
• Silver Biznaga,Best Supporting Actor (Óscar Jaenada)
• Málaga Spanish Film Festival, 2008
•
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

YO SOY LA JUANI • MY NAME IS JUANI
[en] Juani leaves her boyfriend to do what she couldn’t have done while she was with him. Sick of having to take it all in, she decides to go on with her life and to find success. She’s going to be an actress and no one can stop her. After all, she’s Juani and Juani is number one.
• Director: Bigas Luna
• Producción • Production: Spain; 2006
• Duración • Duration: 100 minutes
• Reparto • Cast: Verónica Echegui, Dani Martín, Laya Martí, Gorka Lasaosa, José Chaves
•
• Best Actress (Verónica Echegui)
• Barcelona Film Award , 2006
• En español con subtítulos en inglés • In Spanish with English subtitles

RUSHES: THE 7th SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL

(Taken from the official press release)

The PELIKULA 7th Spanish Film Festival unveils this October 1-12 at Greenbelt 3, Cinema 1. Catch the Philippine premiere of 18 movies from Spain and Latin America and mingle with two film directors (Fuera de carta’s Nacho G. Velilla and Ángeles González Sinde of Todos estamos invitados.) Complementing activities of mime theatre, photo exhibits and special guests make sure there’s something for everyone. The most important Spanish film festival in Asia, the 7th edition of PELIKULA is a not-to-be-missed event!

REEL REVIEWS 2008: MORE RECENT SCREENINGS

MAMMA MIA
A kitschy yet enjoyable adaptation of the Broadway hit, with the immortal songs of ABBA as the thin plot of this romance drama. Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, and Amanda Seyfried are impressive, while the guys (Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Colin Firth, Dominic Cooper) are (sadly) bland and overshadowed by the gals. Mamma Mia indeed!

THE CHASER (pictured, above)
Hong-jin Na has crafted a fast paced, highly involving suspense thriller about a handsome serial killer (Ha Jeong-Woo) who is chased by a corrupt ex-police/pimp (the great Kim Yeon-Seok. The plot unfolds in an assured pace as the characters outwit and come together in unexpected ways. The acting was strong, the script was dramatically urgent, and the direction was focused especially in the final chase scenes.

THE DEVIL'S ISLAND
Life in the outskirts of Reyjavik circa 1950s is the setting of Fridrik Thor Fridiksson's (Oscar nominee Children of Nature, 1991) tart social commentary/satire. Performances (particularly that of actor-director Baltazar Kormakur, The Sea) are strong, characters were varied yet well developed, the plot structure was fast paced, the direction assured, but the themes (Western imperialism, decaying family values) were overly familiar.

THE BEST MAN
Italian director Pupi Avati (A Heart Elsewhere, The Story Of Girls and Boys) has crafted an intriguing period drama about a complicated woman's (Ines Sastre, in a weak performance) struggle to break free from family tradition, especially when she experiences "love at first sight" with her best man. The intelligent written script evokes extensive period detail, and the plot progressed unpredictably.

LE TEMPS DE LOUP (TIME OF THE WOLF)
The director and lead actress of The Piano Teacher team up in this intriguing yet dramatically staid apocalyptic thriller. The reliable Isabelle Huppert plays a mother whose husband was killed by unidentified cave people/tribes (the characters were vague, except that they look like the latter) upon arriving at their vacation house. From then on, the journey becomes a survival of the fittest as she attempts to save her son from the assailants. Michael Haneke does not know where to focus: is it about the decaying social structure, inexistent family values, or the impact of organized socio-political system? His intentions were fascinating, but the results were pretentious, hokey, and emotionally blank.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: FOREIGN LANGUAGE JITTERS

Since 1999, I have seen the five Oscar nominated Best Foreign Language Films. As history will tell, it would be hard to blame the typically staid Academy voters for preferring audience-friendly genres (family drama, epic films) and plots (children at war, historical dramas set in Europe, stories about elderly citizens) over movies with ingenious, unconventional narrative.

On January 15, a lot of eyebrows were raised and gasps were heard when high-profile, critically acclaimed entries from Romania, Korea, Mexico, Germany, and Spain were excluded from the shortlist of nine highest rated films from the 63 national submissions. How on earth can the Foreign Language Film board reject 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (Palme d'Or, 60th Cannes), Secret Sunshine (Best Actress, 60th Cannes), Silent Light (pictured, second from top) (Jury Prize co-winner, 60th Cannes), The Edge of Heaven (Best Screenplay, 60th Cannes), and The Orphanage is beyond me, really.

Here are the nine shortlisted films in contention for Best Foreign Language Film: (Boldfaced titles are the nominated five.)

Austria — The Counterfeiters — Stefan Ruzowitzky, director
Brazil — The Year My Parents Went On Vacation (pictured, top)— Cao Hamburger, director
Canada — Days of Darkness — Denys Arcand, director
Israel — Beaufort — Joseph Cedar, director
Italy — La Sconosciuta (The Unknown Woman) — Giuseppe Tornatore, director
Kazakhstan — Mongol — Sergei Bodrov, director
Poland — Katyń — Andrzej Wajda, director
Russia — 12 — Nikita Mikhalkov, director
Serbia — The Trap — Srdjan Golubovic, director

Other high profile submissions include:

XXY, Argentina
The Silly Age, Cuba
I Served The King Of England, Czech Republic
I Just Didn't Do It, Japan
Caramel, Lebanon
You The Living, Sweden

Though France's official entry Persepolis was not included in the shortlist, it was nominated for Best Animated Feature (though it lost to the much hyped, Paris set Ratatouille).

LET THE GAMES BEGIN: 81ST OSCARS BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM ENTRIES

Proving that the "early bird catches the worm," 43 countries so far have submitted their respective films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category of the 81st Annual Academy Awards.

Among the high profile entries include:
1. ENTRE LES MURS (THE CLASS), Laurent Cantet, France
Winner, Palme d'Or, 61st Cannes FF
2. GOMORRAH (pictured, above), Matteo Garrone, Italy
Winner, Grand Prize of the Jury, 61st Cannes FF
3. THREE MONKEYS, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey
Winner, Best Director, 61st Cannes FF
4. WALTZ WITH BASHIR, Ari Folman, Israel
In Competition, 61st Cannes FF
Official Selection, 46th New York FF
5. TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, Aamir Khan, India

The Philippines has submitted the Judy Ann Santos starrer Ploning, directed by Dante Nico Garcia. Let's see if the country will break through with its first Oscar nod in this category.

The list is incomplete as other countries have yet to submit their respective entries. Deadline is on October 1, 2008.

A record 96 countries were invited by the Academy for Best Foreign Language Film. Nominations will be announced on January 22, 2009, and the winner will be revealed during the 81st Awards ceremony on February 22.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: THE BEST OF CINEMANILA

As a long-time patron and former programmer of Philippine short films (2002) of Cinemanila International Film Festival, it would be an opportune time to reminisce the many treasures that were unfolded during its first nine years:

1999
CENTRAL STATION, Walter Salles
BIRTH OF A BUTTERFLY, Mojtaba Raie (Co-winner, NETPAC Award)
LEAF ON A PILLOW, Garin Nugroho (Winner, Grand Prize)
PILA-BALDE (FETCH A PAIL OF WATER), Jeffrey Jeturian (Co-winner, NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film)

2000
COLOR OF PARADISE (pictured, above), Majid Majidi (Winner, Grand Prize; Best Actor for Mohsen Ramezani)
YANA'S FRIENDS, Arik Kaplun (Winner, Best Actress for Evelyn Kaplun)
UN LIAISON PORNOGRAPHIQUE, Frederic Fontayne
AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE, Jane Campion
ROSETTA, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

2001
BATANG WEST SIDE, Lav Diaz (Winner, Grand Prize; Ensemble Best Actor award)
THE ISLE, Kim Ki-duk (Winner, Best Actress)
CLOUDS OF MAY, Nuri Bilge Ceylan
6IXTY9INE, Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Audience Choice)
UNDER THE SAND, Francois Ozon (Winner, Lifetime Achievement Award for actress Charlotte Rampling)

2002
WHAT TIME IS IT THERE, Tsai Ming-liang (Co-winner, Grand Prize)
ATANARJUAT: THE FAST RUNNER, Zacharias Kunuk (Co-winner, Grand Prize)
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, Wong Kar-wai (Audience Choice)
WHISPERING SANDS, Garin Nagruho
RINGU, Hideo Nakata (Audience Choice)

2003
DISTANT, Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winner, Grand Prize)
CITY OF GOD, Fernando Meirelles (Co-winner, Jury Grand Prize)
DIVINE INTERVENTION, Elia Suleiman (Co-winner, Best Screenplay)
WHALE RIDER, Niki Caro (Winner, Jury Special Prize)
DOGVILLE, Lars Von Trier

2004
CRIMSON GOLD, Jafar Panahi
OSAMA, Siddiq Barmak (Co-winner, Best Actress for Marina Golbahari)
RECONSTRUCTION, Christofer Boe (Co-winner, Best Actor for Nikolaj Lie Kaas)
ZATOICHI, Takeshi Kitano (Winner, Audience Award)
THE MOTHER, Roger Mitchell

2005
MOOLAADE, Ousmane Sembene (Winner, Best Actress for Fatoumata Coulibaly)
THE PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG, Sang-soo Im (Winner, Grand Prize)
LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE, Pen-ek Ratanaruang
LILJA 4-EVER, Lukas Moodysson
KEKEXILI: MOUNTAIN PATROL, Chuan Lu

2006
KUBRADOR, Jeffrey Jeturian (Winner, Grand Prize; Best Actress for Gina Pareno)
EVERLASTING REGRET, Stanley Kwan
BLACK, Sanjay Leela Bhansali

2007
4 MOIS, 3 SEMAINES, 2 JOURS, Cristian Mongiu
PERSEPOLIS, Marjane Satrapi and Jonathan Parronaud (Winner, Jury Special Prize)
THE EDGE OF HEAVEN, Fatih Akin (Winner, Grand Prize)

RUSHES: DEKADA CINEMANILA

Next month, the country will once again open its doors to independent world cinema and Filipino films as Cinemanila International Film Festival celebrates its 10th year.

Dubbed as "Dekada Cinemanila," the country's premier festival of independent films will run on October 19-29 at Gateway Cineplex 10 of Gateway Mall, Araneta Center. One million pesos await for the best foreign and local Grand Prize winners.

With the support of Independent Cinema Association of the Philippines (ICAP), Araneta Center, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Dekada Cinemanila continues the fine tradition of screening critically acclaimed movies around the world. In 1999, it hosted the Philippine theatrical premiere of Walter Salles' Oscar nominated Central Station (pictured, above), and last year Oscar winning writer-director (and indie film pioneer) Quentin Tarantino was on hand to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award and to present his latest feature Death Proof.

Among the highlights of this year's event is the Asian premiere of Director's Fortnight selections in last May's Cannes Film Festival.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: 'DOUBT,' 'MILK' TRAILERS

Two words to describe the trailers of these 2008 film awards contenders: the great MERYL STREEP (a sure bet for her 15th Oscar nod) and the amazing SEAN PENN.

RUSHES: The 60th EMMY AWARDS WINNERS

Here's a rundown on this year's Emmy Award winners as they take center stage in the press room (thanks to mon amour Jay for the updates... je t'aime!):

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES - Mad Men (posted, above)(favorite)
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES - 30 Rock (favorite)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR, DRAMA - Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle), Breaking Bad (upset win over Jon Hamm of Mad Men)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS, DRAMA - Glenn Close, Damages (yey!!!)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR, COMEDY - Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (great!)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS, COMEDY - Tina Fey (posted above, right), 30 Rock (also for OUTSTANDING WRITING, COMEDY SERIES) (or as Alec Baldwin called her during his acceptance speech, the "Elaine May" of her generation, referring to America's prolific writer of comedy features)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA - Zeljko Ivanek, Damages (surprise win)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA - two time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest, In Treatment (upset win)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY - three-time consecutive Emmy winner Jeremy Piven, Entourage
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY - Jean Smart, Samantha Who? (upset win)

OTHER WINNERS
OUTSTANDING MINISERIES - HBO's John Adams (favorite, given the highly political year)
OUTSTANDING MADE FOR TV MOVIE - the controversial HBO feature Recount (about the 2000 Presidential Election/Bush-Gore recount of Florida votes)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR, MINISERIES/TV MOVIE - Paul Giamatti, John Adams
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS, MINISERIES/TV MOVIE - the great Laura Linney, John Adams
OUTSTANDING SUP. ACTOR - one of Britain's prolific actors Tom Wilkinson, Recount
OUTSTANDING SUP. ACTRESS - the underrated character actress Eileen Atkins (Gosford Park, Evening), BBC Films' Cranford
OUTSTANDING REALITY SERIES - The Amazing Race (sixth consecutive win, besting American Idol)
OUTSTANDING REALITY SERIES HOST - Jeff Probst, Survivor

THE 46TH NYFF: FILM CRITICISM TODAY and TOMORROW

Among the highlights of this year's New York Film Festival is a panel discussion entitled "Film Criticism in Crisis?" on September 27, 2008. The activity, which is organized by Film Society of Lincoln Center's Film Comment, will bring together critics from both sides of the world to discuss the current and future state of film criticism.

On September 28, HBO Films will host "HBO Films Dialogues," a symposium featuring four of world cinema's accomplished filmmakers. Jia Zhangke, Wong Kar-wai, Darren Aronofsky, and Arnaud Desplechin will grace the event and discuss their body of work and filmmaking process, coinciding with the American premiere of their latest features (24 City, Ashes of Time Redux, The Wrestler, and A Christmas Tale, respectively).

RANDOM THOUGHTS: FIRST THE TRAILER, THEN THE BUZZ

With the upcoming U.S. awards season shaping up as a battle of much anticipated films, big budgeted and high profile casted pictures, and festival favorites, five films whose trailers were recently posted in the web are slowly gaining critical and popular favor:

AUSTRALIA, Baz Luhrmann
TRAILER: Good
BUZZ: Very Good (esp. for Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman)

FROST/NIXON, Ron Howard
TRAILER: Very Good
BUZZ: Excellent (esp. for co-leads Frank Langella, reprising his Tony Award winning role, and The Queen's Tony Blair Michael Sheen)

CHANGELING, Clint Eastwood
TRAILER: Good
BUZZ: Good (esp. for Angelina Jolie)

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, Sam Mendes
TRAILER: Very Good
BUZZ: Good (Kate Winslet's other 2008 film, The Reader, may confuse Oscar voters and thus kill her sixth Best Actress nod chances this year.)

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, Danny Boyle
TRAILER: Good
BUZZ: Excellent (with Fox Searchlight handling its North American release, the film is shaping up as a Best Picture contender ala Juno, Lost in Translation, and Little Miss Sunshine or "the little films that could")

RANDOM THOUGHTS: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, HERE I COME!

With the 46th New York Film Festival opening on Sunday (Sept. 26), pelikulacinema blog correspondent Jay Sevilla (mon amour) will provide interesting daily coverage for blog readers, film enthusiasts, and web onlookers. Here are some of the noteworthy (and much anticipated) entries this year:

CHANGELING, Clint Eastwood
The Angelina Jolie real-life story of Christine Collins, a single mother whose child was lost and found (with disastrous results), received immense critical approbation at Cannes last summer. Clint Eastwood's first film of 2008 (to be followed by the December release Gran Torino) is shaping up as a potential Oscar contender for the helmer, the actress, and the strong ensemble cast (John Malkovich, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Amy Ryan), not to mention the Centerpiece Selection it will receive during the fest.

THE WRESTLER, Darren Aronofsky
So much has been said about this Venice Filmfest Best Picture winner, with the plaudits thrown in to Mickey Rourke's career-resuscitating (and Oscar baiting) performance in the title role. Boxing dramas are a sure bait for the golden boy, and Marisa Tomei's fine acting also a shoo-in for an acting Oscar (her third, if she is nominated).

UN CONTE DE NOEL, Arnaud Desplechin
This critically lauded Cannes entry from the director of well acted character studies My Sex Life... and Kings and Queen will only strengthen its positive reception during its American premiere.

GOMORRAH, Matteo Garrone
Garrone's Cannes Grand Prix winner was well loved by international critics. With a strong buzz after its American premiere, the politically charged film may end up as Italy's official Best Foreign Film entry this year.

WALTZ WITH BASHIR, Ari Folman
Though the unconventional film left Cannes empty handed, Sony Pictures Classics (its American distributor) should market this critically hailed animated feature like what they did with previous filmfest favorites (and eventual Oscar nominees) Persepolis (2007) and Belleville Rendezvous (2003).

To Jay, may your Big Apple and red carpet trip be as classy and fascinating as this year's entries are...

REEL REVIEWS 2008: RECENT SCREENINGS

Though I was in Bangkok last week for a close friend's wedding, distance doesn't matter when it comes to film viewing (and criticism). Here are some notable films that I've seen recently:

BEAUTY IN TROUBLE
From the director of the Oscar nominated Divided We Fall (2000) comes this loosely-plotted and potent social commentary on contemporary Czech life. This time, frequent collaborators Jan Hrebejk and writer Peter Jarkovsky set their sights on the ever-complicated women-in-distress sub-genre. A young mother has recently divorced her carnapping business owner husband in favor of maintaining a "normal" life for her kids. Though her nagging mom and crazy adoptive dad only makes domestic life worse, good fortune comes in the presence of a rich Czech man who goes back to her native land. As the famous adage says, "misery loves company," and with many catchy lines and interesting dialogue and confrontations in the script, viewers should prepare themselves for trouble in keeping themselves quiet in this perfectly crafted socio-political family comedy. Strong performances are another asset of this Cine Europa 2008 entry, the best among the rest of the line-up this year.

HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
Sally Hawkins (who won Best Actress honors at Berlin last spring) is the highlight of Mike Leigh's well acted character study (with touches of his patented socio-political commentary). With her natural gifts and perfect dramatic and comic timing, the young actress is a contender for next year's Oscars. Though Leigh's script falls wayward at times (especially after the climax), strong performances by the supporting cast enliven the viewing experience. At this time wherein there's so much bad news in the world, Happy-Go-Lucky should at least provide an interesting diversion amidst the pessimism of the film and the real world.

ART MUSEUM BY THE ZOO
Jeong-Hyang Lee (Barking Dogs Never Bite, 2001) wrote and directed this intriguing variation on the movie-within-a-movie sub-genre. This time, the movie is actually an entry for a scriptwriting contest by an ambitious videographer. With a recently-dumped flatmate on her room, sparks fly between the two. Though the plot is conventional, fine performances from the two leads and Lee's perfect attention to the narrative make this a notable departure from the typical cutesy romantic comedy genre.

UPCOMING QUICK TAKES
1. Sukiyaki Western Django, Takashi Miike (2007)
2. Les Chansons d'Amour, Christophe Honore (2007)
3. Mad Detective, Johnnie To (2007)
4. Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna), Patricia Haggens (2007)
5. Bashing, Masahiro Kobayashi (2005)
6. Night Run, Dana Nechushtan (2006)
7. And When Did You Last See Your Father, Anand Tucker (2007)
8. In This World, Michael Winterbottom (2002)

MUST-SEE FILMS AT THIS YEAR'S CINE-EUROPA

On its 11th year, The European Union's Cine-Europa Film Festivalcontinues to dazzle and delight the film cognascenti with its commitment to bring European cinema to the masses. 2008's line-up is certainly one of the most interesting and varied, both in narrative, production values, performances, thespians, and awards/film festivals' credentials.

Here are the seven films that are highly recommended (based on critical and popular reception during their domestic and international release):

BEAUTY IN TROUBLE
From the director of the Oscar-nominated 2000 dark comedy Divided We Fall comes another slice-of-life on contemporary Czech society. This time, the narrative is female-centric.

AFTER THE WEDDING
Fresh from playing the Bond villain in 2006's Casino Royale, Mads Mikkelsen plays a different type of hero in Susanne Bier's Oscar nominated drama. In a crowded year for foreign language features, her acclaimed family tale lost to a politically charged (and well acted) European film, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's The Lives of Others.

AND WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER?
A cast of well respected British thespians (Oscar winner Jim Broadbent, Mamma Mia's Colin Firth, and Juliet Stevenson) star in Anand Tucker's (1998's Hilary and Jackie) adaptation of an autobiographical novel about a son's bittersweet memories of his father.

VITUS
Germany's greatest living actor, Bruno Ganz (Oscar nominated Downfall, 2004), plays the father of the title character in Switzerland's official Oscar Best Foreign Language Film entry of 2006. The film tackles the familiar but heart-rending tale of a young piano prodigy's struggles to win his father's attention and affection.

LOVE SONGS (LES CHANSONS D'AMOUR)(pictured, above)
One of contemporary French cinema's uncompromising filmmakers, Christophe Honore, has crafted a change-of-pace story about love and relationships in contemporary Paris. A who's who cast of actors (Louis Garrel, Ludivine Sagnier, Chiara Mastroianni) star in this Cannes 2007 musical-comedy-drama.

THE PAPER WILL BE BLUE
With the ascendance of contemporary Romanian cinema toward critical and popular renown, another entry to the theme of revisiting its politically-challenged past is The Paper Will Be Blue.

UN FRANCO, 14 PESETAS
Also known as Crossing the Border, actor-director Carlos Iglesias' satire on Spanish immigration of labor in the 40s was one of the country's critically adored features of 2006.

Cine Europa: The Line-up

BEAUTY IN TROUBLE (pictured, left)
2006-Czech
Comedy
Director: Jan Hrebejk (Oscar nominated Divided We Fall; Up and Down)

The film is a love story about a woman called Marcela and about two men: Jarda (Marcela’s husband) and rich Evzen Benes. Marcela and Jarda live in a small, smelly and ugly house with their two children Kuba and Lucie. Jarda steals Evzen’s car and he must go to prison. Evzen offers Marcela help (she can live in his empty house) and he lends her money. Marcela falls in love with Evzen and his money and they move to Italy. Marcela’s mother dies and Marcela comes to her funeral. Marcela has never liked her mother’s boyfriend but now they forget their struggle. Marcela sees her husband again and she finds out that she doesn’t want to live with him any more. She returns to Italy and takes her mother’s boyfriend Richard with her. At the end of the film Marcela lives in Italy but still thinks about her husband.

Winner, Special Jury Prize, Karlovy Vary Film Festival 2006
Official Czech entry, 79th Annual Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film Category

THE PAPER WILL BE BLUE
2006-Romanian
Action/Drama
Director: Radu Muntean

Out of enthusiasm, a Militia soldier abandons his platoon and decides to fight for the cause of the Revolution. His Lieutenant and the rest of the crew look for him during the confused night of 22-23 December 1989. (Taken from www.imdb.com)

LES CHANSONS D’AMOUR (LOVE SONGS)
2007-French
Musical-Comedy-Drama
Director: Christophe Honore (Ma Mere; Dans Paris; 17 Fois Cecile Cassard)
Starring Louis Garrel, Ludivine Sagnier, Chiara Mastroianni, Clotilde Hesme, and Brigitte Rouan

Julie's boyfriend Ismaël lives with her; rather than worry about the time he spends with his colleague Alice, Julie invites Alice to join them. The three walk the streets of Paris, party, read, and sleep together. Sometimes it's lighthearted, sometimes there are jealousies. Then death strikes. In various ways, those left come to terms with the departure and absence of a loved one: showing concern, eating together, attempting new relationships, trying to "be there" for the other. Then, the spirit returns and new commitments are possible. The romantic elements of musical comedy play in contrast to the ambivalence of the lyrics and the story. (Taken from www.imdb.com)

Official Selection (in competition), 60th Cannes Film Festival
Winner, Cesar Awards, Best Music Written for a Film (Alex Beaupain)

I CENTO PASSI (ONE HUNDRED STEPS)
2000-Italian
Political Drama-Thriller
Director: Marco Tullio Giordana (The Best of Youth)

I Cento Passi is an Italian film about the life of Giuseppe “Peppino” Impastato, a political activist who opposed the Mafia in Sicily. The story takes place in the small town of Cinisi in the province of Palermo, the home town of the Impastato family. One hundred steps was the number of steps it took to get from the Impastato house to the house of the Mafia boss Tano Badalamenti. (Taken from www.wikipedia.com)

Nominee, Best Foreign Language Film, Golden Globe Awards 2001
Winner, CinemAvvenire Award for Best Film; Best Screenplay; Pasinetti Award, Venice Film Festival 2000
Official Italian entry, 73rd Annual Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film category

AND WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER?
2007-British
Drama
Director: Anand Tucker (Hilary and Jackie)
Starring Jim Broadbent, Colin Firth, and Juliet Stevenson

When Did You Last See Your Father? is an unflinching exploration of a father/son relationship, as Blake Morrison deals with his father Arthur’s terminal illness and imminent death. Blake’s memories of everything funny, embarrassing and upsetting about his childhood and teens are interspersed with tender and heartrending scenes in the present, as he struggles to come to terms with his father, and their history of conflict, and learns to accept that one’s parents are not always accountable to their children. (Taken from www.sonyclassics.com)

VITUS
2006-Swiss
Musical-Drama
Director: Fredi M. Murer
Starring Bruno Ganz (Oscar nominated Downfall; The Manchurian Candidate remake)and Theo Gheorghiu

The film tells the story of a highly-gifted boy whose parents have demanding and ambitious plans for him - they want him to become a pianist. However, one day the boy, Vitus, is no longer willing to comply with his parents' plans and ambitions because he wants to follow his own star. (Taken from www.imdb.com)

Winner, Swiss Film Prize for Best Film (2007)

AFTER THE WEDDING
2006-Danish
Suspense-Drama
Director: Susanne Bier (Open Hearts; Things We Lost in the Fire; Brothers)
Starring Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale; Adam’s Apple; Valhalla Rising)

Jacob Petersen has dedicated his life to helping street children in India. When the orphanage he heads is threatened by closure, he receives an unusual offer. A Danish businessman, Jørgen, offers him a donation of $4 million dollars. There are, however, certain conditions... Not only must Jacob return to Denmark, he must also take part in the wedding of Jørgen's daughter. The wedding proves to be a critical juncture between past and future and catapults Jacob into the most intense dilemma of his life. (Taken from www.imdb.com)

Nominee, Best Foreign Language Film, 79th Annual Academy Awards
Nominee, Best Actor; Best Director, European Film Awards 2006

CHILDREN OF THE MOON
2006-German
Drama
Director: Manuela Stacke

Astronaut Paul flies to the moon. Lisa, a scientist, accompanies him. Every afternoon, the 12-year-old has an appointment with her brother Paul (6). He is suffering the incurable "Disease of the Moon" and has to stay inside the house. As a pastime, Lisa has invented a fantasy game, and in their imagination Paul is a spaceship captain and traveling around, lost in space. But when Lisa falls in love for the first time, another appointment is getting in the way, and becoming more and more important. Brother and sister have to learn to adapt with the new reality.

UN FRANCO, 14 PESETAS (CROSSING THE BORDER)
2006-Spanish
Comedy/Drama
Director: Carlos Iglesias

This is a film about the emigration of Spanish workers during the decade of the 1960s to developed Europe. Over two million people, mostly men, emigrate in the post war Spain during the dictatorship of Franco, mainly to Germany, Switzerland (as is the case in this movie), France, Belgium or Scandinavia. Those emigrants were mainly from rural locations, and as the workers demanded in Europe were mainly industrial, they had many problems, firstly with idioms, as they spoke and wrote badly his own maternal Spanish, and in adapting to big cities as Hamburg, Paris, Dusseldorf, and finally with the own industrial work and of course, familiar disturbances as they were sometimes yet married in Spain and many times must separate. (Taken from www.amazon.com.uk)

MOZART IN CHINA
2006-German
Family Comedy-Drama
Director: Bernd Neuburger and Nadja Seelich

Danny and Li Wei, two ten-year-old boys from Salzburg, spend an adventurous summer on the southern Chinese island of Hainan. With the help of Mozart and a Chinese shadow princess they manage to save an old shadow theatre from a greedy hotel chain.

A PERFECT MATCH
2006-Flemish
Director: M. Van Hoggenbemt

On the day of his forced retirement, a grumpy school principal decides to look for a wife on the Internet. It’s not love he is after. Merely companionship. He meets scores of women but can’t seem to make up his mind. Until his new housekeeper arrives. She is almost 40 years younger than him and a total disaster at housekeeping. For the first time in what seems a lifetime, he falls totally and desperately in love.

WHEN THE TIDE COMES IN…
2006-Flemish-French
Comedy/Drama/Romance
Directors: Yolande Moreau and Gilles Porte

Irène is a 45 year old actress: married and mother of a child, she is on tour at the Belgo-French boundary with her one woman show, Sale Affaire. On stage, her character had just killed her lover but still dreams about Love. She therefore decides to choose someone amongst the public; an innocent prey (her ‘Poussin’) to fill that gap. One night, she sets her heart on Dries, a 30- year- old man who sells vegetables at markets and giant fanfare porter.

Mixing fiction with reality, Dries becomes Irène’s ’Poussin’ on stage and in real life. A passionate love affair that will last a few days, a love affair that has incredible similarities to the show Irène is playing on stage.

COLORADO AVENUE
2006-Finnish
Drama
Director: Claes Olsson

Colorado Avenue tells the story of Hanna, a young woman who emigrates to America determined to make money in the Great West and later returns to her home country to face civil war, alcohol smuggling and humiliation. With her American dollars she buys a parcel of rocky land and opens a country store. The store becomes the village centre and the local people begin to respect the industrious Hanna (or “Dollar-Hanna”) as they choose to call her. The film deals with humiliation, shame, respect and making peace with one’s past and is set in the early years of Finland’s independence.

HANDS OFF MISSISSIPPI
2007-German
Comedy/Drama
Director: Detlef Buck

A young city girl is sent off by her busy parents to spend some time in the country with her grandmother, and the girl soon discovers strange events at the neighbouring farm, including a horse called Mississippi. The horse is likely to be sold unless other arrangements are made, and this is where the girl and her grandmother step in. The film develops into a broad comedy where all is not what it appears. The film also features veteran actress Katharina Thalbach who has appeared in many films including The Tin Drum and Sophie’s Choice. Make sure you stay for the closing credits as the film ends with a witty and cleverly animated sequence.

Winner, Best Children’s Film, German Film Awards (2007)

CHEMICAL HUNGER
2003-Italian
Drama
Directors: Antonio Bocola and Paolo Vari

With a backdrop set in a grim housing project of a Milan suburb teeming with social tension, three youngsters, Claudio, Manuel and Maja, face up to the passage from youth to adulthood.
Urban poverty, workers’ rights, and racial conflicts between Italians and Third World extra-comunitari (people from outside the European Union) represent one set of related issues; Claudio’s career and romantic uncertainties and interactions with his more illegal pal Manuel are another. Italian rapper, Zulù, leader of the "99 Posse," comments on the social situation in songs he sings like a Greek chorus.

LATE BLOOMERS
2006-Swiss
Comedy
Director: Bettina Oberli

Lisi encourages 80 year-old Martha to realize a long-held dream: to open a boutique with her own hand-made lingerie. This news turns the placid Swiss Emmental village upside down. When Martha’s son, the vicar, orders her to close the shop, she and her best friends decide it’s high time to show the village what they are made of!

NIGHT RUN
2006-Danish
Drama
Director: Dana Nechushtan

Dennis van der Horst is a kind-hearted young entrepreneur. He lives by the rules of the street. The only people he feels any responsibility for are his brother Marco and his family, who are not very well off. When Dennis gets the chance to obtain an extremely expensive but lucrative taxi-license, he seizes it. In the presence of the manager of MOTAX, the only taxi company in Amsterdam, Dennis borrows a very large sum of money. Dennis is beside himself with joy. The hustling is over. Soon however Dennis finds out that there was a reason why it was so easy for him to obtain such a scarce license. The law is being altered, allowing competition on the taxi market. The licenses of Dennis and many of his colleagues all at once become worthless. As of the moment there is a war going on in the streets of Amsterdam. Dennis gets deeper into trouble when he finds out that he has unwittingly become part of the criminal organization behind MOTAX. Even the police turn out to have secret ties with MOTAX and there is only one thing left for Dennis to do in order to free himself: confront the man who is pulling the strings.

RUSHES: THE 11TH CINE-EUROPA FILM FESTIVAL

PRESS RELEASE
September 11, 2008

Now on its 11th year, Cine Europa‘s tradition of bringing excellent European films to the Philippines continues as it opens in Manila on 11 September and will run until 21 September at the Shang Cineplex Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City.

Cine Europa 11 will be opened by French Ambasador Gerard Chesnel who represents the Presidency of the European Union, Ambassador Alistair MacDonald, Head of Delegation of the European Commission, Atty. Andy Bautista, Chairman and CEO of Shangri-La Plaza Corporation and Ms. Lala Fojas, Executive Vice-President and General Manager of Shangri-La Plaza Corporation. As the opening feature film, first up is France’s entry “Love Songs” by Christophe Honoré.

In the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, coinciding with the French Presidency of the European Council, Ciné Europa 11 goes beyond featuring quality European movies to the Filipino audience, to open a dialogue between our diverse cultures through the silver screen. While the entries, either box office hits or festival awardees, portray the cultural values of contemporary European societies, discussions with Filipino filmmakers and critics, shall highlight similarities, or differences with Philippine films and society, in general.

Certainly, this year’s edition of Ciné Europa is going to be another opportunity for Filipino film enthusiasts to rediscover the diversity, gaiety and drama of Europe’s various facets of life.

The film festival also opens its doors to European countries which are not members of the EU. The Embassy of Switzerland is joining Cine Europa for the first time.

Films about love, romance, hope, despair, laughter, struggles, survival and competition from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom will certainly endear Europe more to Cine Europa followers in Manila, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro.

Cine Europa, which started in 1998, remains to be a distinctive acknowledgement of the partnership of the European Community with the Philippines by way of sharing with the Filipino public the diversity and uniqueness of European film culture.

Admission to the screenings is free on a first-come, first-served basis.

REEL REVIEWS 2008: RECENTLY REVIEWED FILMS

Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh (U.K.)
Secret Sunshine, Chang-dong Lee (Korea)
The Chaser, Hong-jin Na (Korea)
Exiled, Johnnie To (Hongkong)
High School Circa '65, Maryo J. Delos Reyes (The Philippines)
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, Cristian Mongiu (Romania)
Juno (pictured, above), Jason Reitman (USA)
La Vie en Rose (La Mome), Olivier Dahan (France)
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi and Jonathan Parronaud (France-USA)
The Counterfeiters, Stefan Ruzowitsky (Austria-Netherlands-Germany)
Katyn, Andrzej Wajda (Poland)
Mongol, Sergei Bodrov (Kazakhstan-Russia)
Sex and the City, Michael Patrick King (USA)
The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan (USA-UK)
WALL-E, Andrew Stanton (USA)
Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad), Jose Padilho (Brazil)
Devil's Island, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson (Iceland)
Time of the Wolf, Michael Haneke (France-Austria)
Strayed, Andre Techine (France)
Climates, Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Turkey-France)


Reviews will be posted on Thursday (Sept. 11).

The second batch of recently reviewed movies will be posted on Sept. 17.

RUSHES: 2007-2008 AWARDS SEASON RECAP

Here is a recap of American awards season's winners:

80TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS
BEST PICTURE - No Country for Old Men
BEST DIRECTORS - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (pictured, above), No Country for Old Men
BEST ACTOR, LEADING ROLE - Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
BEST ACTRESS, LEADING ROLE - Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
(the third performer to win a lead acting Oscar for a foreign language picture)
BEST ACTOR, SUPPORTING ROLE - Javier Bardem, No Country...
BEST ACTRESS, SUPPORTING ROLE - Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
BEST SCREENPLAY, ORIGINAL - Diablo Cody, Juno
BEST SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED - Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, No Country...
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE - Ratatouille
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - The Counterfeiters, Stefan Ruzowitsky (Austria)
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - Taxi on the Dark Side, Alex Gibney

GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS
BEST PICTURE, DRAMA - Atonement
BEST PICTURE, MUSICAL or COMEDY - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
BEST ACTOR, DRAMA - Daniel Day-Lewis
BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA - Julie Christie, Away from Her
BEST ACTOR, MUSICAL OR COMEDY - Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
BEST ACTRESS, MUSICAL OR COMEDY - Marion Cotillard
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Javier Bardem
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
BEST DIRECTOR - Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
BEST SCREENPLAY - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
BEST ANIMATED FILM - Ratatouille
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (USA-France)

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD
BEST MALE ACTOR, LEAD - Daniel Day-Lewis
BEST FEMALE ACTOR, LEAD - Julie Christie
BEST MALE ACTOR, SUPPORTING - Javier Bardem
BEST FEMALE ACTOR, SUPPORTING - Ruby Dee, American Gangster
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST PERFORMANCE, THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURE - The cast of No Country for Old Men

INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS
BEST FILM - Juno
BEST FIRST FILM - The Lookout, Scott Frank
BEST MALE LEAD - Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Savages
BEST FEMALE LEAD - Ellen Page, Juno
BEST MALE, SUPPORTING - Chiwetel Ejiofor, Talk to Me
BEST FEMALE, SUPPORTING - Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
BEST DIRECTOR - Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell...
BEST SCREENPLAY - Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY - Diablo Cody
BEST FOREIGN FILM - Once, John Carney (Ireland)
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD - I'm Not There, Todd Haynes

BRITISH ACADEMY AWARDS (BAFTA)
BEST FILM - Atonement
BEST BRITISH FILM - This is England, Shane Meadows
BEST LEADING ACTOR - Daniel Day-Lewis
BEST LEADING ACTRESS - Marion Cotillard
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Javier Bardem
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Tilda Swinton
BEST DIRECTOR - Julian Schnabel
BEST SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED - The Coen Brothers
BEST SCREENPLAY, ORIGINAL - Diablo Cody
BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE - The Diving Bell...

CRITICS' GROUP TRIFECTA (Los Angeles Film Critics Association; New York Film Critics Circle; National Society of Film Critics)

BEST FILM-
- LAFCA, NSFC: There Will Be Blood
- NYFCC: No Country...

BEST ACTOR
- LAFCA, NYFCC, NSFC: Daniel Day-Lewis

BEST ACTRESS
- NYFCC, NSFC: Julie Christie
- LAFCA: Marion Cotillard

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- LAFCA: Vlad Ivanov, 4 Mois, 3 Semaines, 2 Jours (4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days), Cristian Mongiu (Romania)
- NYFCC: Javier Bardem
- NSFC: Casey Affleck, The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- LAFCA, NYFCC: Amy Ryan, I'm Not There
- NSFC: Cate Blanchett

BEST DIRECTOR
- LAFCA, NSFC: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
- NYFCC: The Coen brothers

BEST FOREIGN FILM
- LAFCA: 4 Mois, 3 Semaines, 2 Jours
- NYFCC: The Lives of Others, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Oscar winner, Best Foreign Film - 2006)
- NSFC: 4 Mois...

BEST SCREENPLAY
- LAFCA, NYFCC, NSFC: Tamara Jenkins

For the record, Daniel Day-Lewis becomes the 11th thespian in film history to win the Oscar, Golden Globe, Screen Actors' Guild, BAFTA, and the three U.S. critics' trifecta in a year. Last year, Dame Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker won grand slam honors for The Queen and The Last King of Scotland respectively. The others are
Sally Field for Norma Rae (1979), including Best Actress at Cannes
Sissy Spacek for The Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Meryl Streep for Sophie's Choice (1982)
Jack Nicholson for Terms of Endearment (1983)
Emma Thompson for Howards End (1992)
Holly Hunter for The Piano (1993), including Best Actress at Cannes
Martin Landau for Ed Wood (1994)
Dianne Wiest for Bullets Over Broadway (1994)

RANDOM THOUGHTS: A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER YEAR FOR INDIE FILIPINO FILMS

With the recent Orizzonti Best Film award for Lav Diaz's (pictured, left) Melancholia in Venice, the independent Philippine cinema is thriving and is getting renown in the global film circuit.

Last May, Brillante Mendoza's Serbis becomes the third Filipino picture to be included in the official competition section of Cannes. Despite its divisive critical reception, the Filipino-French co-production is being featured in major filmfests like Toronto and New York (the first official selection entry for the Philippines). Didier Couzet, the French producer who shepherded Serbis, is optimistic about the controversial movie's market potential (despite its graphic nudity and sex scenes, shaky camerawork, and little-known cast of Pinoys).

Aside from Diaz, another young filmmaker, Francis Xavier Pasion was the toast of the Orizzonti Section in Venice. His latest effort, the digital-shot drama Jay, opened the festival, while Diaz' Melancholia was the closing film. Though the latter was shocked when the Chantal Akerman-led jury opted to have a break into between the 9-hour screening, it was sweet victory after all. (The Mindanao-born helmer has established good cred in the fest, with his last feature, the 536-minute docudrama Death in the Land of Encantos winning the Golden Lion Special Mention award last year.)

And with the enthusiastic reception for Filipino films in Toronto this year, it is enough to say that the country is experiencing a cinematic rebirth. 2008 is a year like no other year for indie Philippine cinema. This will continue for as long as filmmakers come up with artistically and commercially sound features.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL

On the fourth day of the Toronto Film Festival, a few films have gained immense critical approbation and Oscar buzz (which usually starts here) even before it gets an appropriate North American release:

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (pictured, above)- Danny Boyle's (Trainspotting; The Beach; 28 Days) latest comedy (an illiterate Indian kid is suspected of cheating after winning the jackpot prize in Who Wants To Be A Millionaire) is being compared to Lost in Translation, Little Miss Sunshine, and Juno ("little films that could") both narratively and commercially. Word has it that the movie is a Best Picture contender, though at this point it's too early to tell. (See: Toronto 2006 stand-out and eventual Best Pic snubbee Dreamgirls)

THE WRESTLER - Talk about good timing: fresh from its successful Venice Filmfest run , Darren Aronofsky's boxing drama may continue its winning streak in Toronto. It is said to be the indie filmmaker's most commercial picture (compared with the dark Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain), and highlighted by strong performances by Best Actor contender Mickey Rourke, Oscar winner Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny), and Evan Rachel Wood (Toronto 2003 entry Thirteen). It is seen as an acting showcase, not as a Best Pic material.

BURN AFTER READING - The Coen brothers' follow-up to their four time Oscar winning No Country for Old Men has Brad Pitt in the leading role, but early reviews from Venice (where it premiered) were mixed. Think of it as a typical quirky Coen brothers movie.

Other much awaited North American premieres include:

CHE - Steven Soderbergh's four-hour drama about the Cuban revolutionary hero (featuring a Cannes winning performance by Benicio del Toro) will be shown in two parts. The movie is said to be a tough sell even for indie distributors.

SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK - After a disappointing European premiere at Cannes, Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut will get its fair share of critical reception in Toronto. Ironically, it wasn't included in the New York Filmfest.

ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO - Or the latest Kevin Smith anti-morality comedy. The brothers Weinstein (!) will handle its North American theatrical release on Oct. 31.

ME AND ORSON WELLES - After helming two features in 2006 (the Cannes contenders A Scanner Darkly and Fast Food, Fast Nation), Richard Linklater's latest film is an interesting take on the American cinema genius' early forays into cinema.

BOXING DRAMA WINS BEST FILM IN VENICE

(Taken from the official website of the festival)

Venice, 6th September 2008

The Venezia 65 Jury, chaired by Wim Wenders and comprised of Juriy Arabov, Valeria Golino, Douglas Gordon, Lucrecia Martel, John Landis, and Johnnie To, having viewed all twenty-one films in competition, has decided as follows:

GOLDEN LION for Best Film:
The Wrestler by Darren Aronofsky (USA)(pictured, above)

SILVER LION for Best Director to:
Aleksey German Jr. for Bumažnyj Soldat (Paper Soldier) (Russia)

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE to:
Teza by Haile Gerima (Ethiopia, Germany, France)

COPPA VOLPI for Best Actor:
Silvio Orlando for Il papà di Giovanna by Pupi Avati (Italy)

COPPA VOLPI for Best Actress:
Dominique Blanc for L’autre by Patrick Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic (France)

MARCELLO MASTROIANNI AWARD for Best Young Actor or Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence for The Burning Plain by Guillermo Arriaga (USA)

OSELLA for Best Cinematography to:
Alisher Khamidhodjaev and Maxim Drozdov for Bumažnyj Soldat (Paper Soldier) by Aleksey German Jr. (Russia)

OSELLA for Best Screenplay to:
Haile Gerima for Teza by Haile Gerima (Ethiopia, Germany, France)

SPECIAL LION for Overall Work to:
Werner Schroeter
The Jury decided to award a Special Lion for his uncompromising and relentlessly innovative work over a period of 40 years to Werner Schroeter.

“LUIGI DE LAURENTIIS” AWARD FOR A DEBUT FILM
The “Luigi De Laurentiis” Award for a Debut Film Jury at the 65th Venice Film Festival, comprised of Abdellatif Kechiche (President), Alice Braga, Gregory Jacobs, Donald Ranvaud, and Heidrun Schleef, has unanimously decided to award the

“LUIGI DE LAURENTIIS” AWARD FOR A DEBUT FILM to:
Pranzo Di Ferragosto by Gianni Di Gregorio (SIC - International Critics’ Week, Italy)
Aurelio De Laurentiis and Filmauro award a cash prize, of 100,000 USD, to the winning first film (50,000 to the director, 50,000 to the producer). To the director, an additional film voucher for 40,000 Euro will also be awarded, offered by Kodak.

FILIPINO FILM WINS TOP VENICE AWARD

Indie filmmaker Lav Diaz (Batang West Side; Ebolusyon ng Pamilyang Pilipino; Death in the Land of Encantos) becomes the first Filipino to win a major award in Venice.

His latest film, the genre bending opus MELANCHOLIA, was adjudged as Best Film in the HORIZONS SECTION (ORIZZONTI) of the 65th Venice Film Festival. Diaz received the Golden Lion Special Mention honor in the same section last year for the 538-minute docudrama Death in the Land of Encantos.

Another indie Filipino film, Francis Xavier Pasion's Jay, was the opening film of the Orizzonti section this year.

THE 'GOLD' BUZZ: 10 AWARDS-WORTHY FILMS TO WATCH IN 2008

THE DARK KNIGHT (Chris Nolan, 2008; U.S.A.)
Starring Christian Bale, Sir Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, and the late Heath Ledger

CHANGELING (Clint Eastwood, 2008; U.S.A.)
Winner, 61st Anniversary Prize (Clint Eastwood), Cannes Film Festival
Centerpiece Selection, New York Film Festival 2008

THE WRESTLER (pictured above)(Darren Aronofsky, 2008; U.S.A.)
Winner, Golden Lion for Best Film, Venice Film Festival
Closing Film, New York Film Festival 2008
Starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood

MILK (Gus Van Sant, 2008; USA)
From the eclectic filmmaker behind Good Will Hunting, Elephant, and Paranoid Park comes this intriguing take on the colorful life of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay congressman. Oscar winner Sean Penn stars as the seminal figure in American gay right movement.

UN CONTE DE NOEL (A CHRISTMAS TALE) (Arnaud Desplechin, 2008; France)
Winner, 61st Anniversary Prize (Catherine Deneuve), Cannes Film Festival

WALTZ WITH BASHIR (Ari Folman, 2008; Israel/France)
In Competition, 61st Cannes Film Festival

VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA (Woody Allen, 2008; U.S.A-Spain)
Starring Oscar winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men), Scarlett Johannson, Rebecca Hall, and Oscar nominee Penelope Cruz (Volver)

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (David Fincher, 2008; U.S.A.)
Starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett

AUSTRALIA (Baz Luhrmann, 2008; Australia/U.S.A.)
Starring Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (The Hours) and Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman (X-Men: The Movie)

FROST/NIXON (Ron Howard, 2008; U.S.A.)
A film adaptation of the hit Broadway play about the disgraced American President's revelatory interview with TV broadcast journalist Martin Frost. Tony Award winner Frank Langella (who immortalized the role on Broadway) and The Queen's Martin Sheen star as the sparring duo.

REEL REVIEWS 2008 FILM AWARDS: THE EARLY HEAT

BEST CONTEMPORARY FILM
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (2007; Cristian Mongiu, Romania/France)

BEST CLASSIC FILM
Mouchette (1967; Robert Bresson, France)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood (2007; Paul Thomas Anderson, USA)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky (2008; Mike Leigh, U.K.)

BEST DIRECTING OF A FILM
Cristian Mongiu, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days

BEST WRITING OF A FILM
Cristian Mongiu, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days

TEN BEST FILMS OF 2008 (SO FAR)
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
Happy-Go-Lucky
Secret Sunshine (2007; Chang-dong Lee, South Korea)
The Chaser (2008; Hong-jin Na, South Korea)
Shanghai Dreams (2005; Xiaoshuai Wang, People's Republic of China)
After This, Our Exile (2006; Patrick Tam, Hongkong/Malaysia)
Michael Clayton (2007; Tony Gilroy, U.S.A.)
WALL-E (2008; Andrew Stanton, U.S.A.)
Paranoid Park (2007; Gus Van Sant, U.S.A./France)
Elite Squad (2007; Jose Padilho, Brazil)