MOVIE REVIEW: Tar Shows the Folly of Arrogance

 

For ordinary mortals like us, we are so used to giving concessions to celebrities and famous people when they commit human weaknesses like adultery, sexual harassment, and ego-tripping, because in our eyes, they have become godlike figures to be worshipped and adored, that's why we often look the other way when they do shitty things and gasp at all the mayhem that happens after, when all their shit hits the fan.

Todd Field, the director of Tar, also directed Little Children, which starred Kate Winslet, Jackie Earle Haley, and Patrick Wilson - with the latter, being one of my favorite movies in 2006.  We wait almost two decades before Field returns back to the cinema with a movie that is so timely, witty, and done with such Biblical relish, I could feel God's whip being lashed in this riches to rags story.

Cate Blanchett plays Lydia Tar, a world-famous female conductor and in this movie - she is the lead conductor for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.  Blanchett's performance is so commanding, she appears huge and masterful and we the viewers forgive her arrogance and haughtiness because we are in awe of her talent and achievements - a towering woman in the male-dominated world of orchestra conductors.

Aside from Blanchett's performance, I love the script and how it attacks 'being woke' and the canceling of accomplished people and their achievements.  I once told my mother that if we had a moral compass to apply on all the achievers in this world, we would all be hunter-gatherers right now - since most geniuses are assholes and have very poor social skills - almost zero empathy even.  That's why they are geniuses and we are just ordinary folks.

This lack of moral compass on the lead characters eventually leads to her downfall, which was not swift, mind you, the movie took its time in fleshing our Tar's life and family, setting her up so high, we could just shake our heads when the last scene is played out.

How the mighty have fallen.

I highly recommend this movie if you are like me lol someone who loves arthouse movies with witty dialogue - and it would help a lot if you have a bit of IQ about the classical world, because the name-dropping here is relentless, and unless you know those people Blanchett rattles off in her monologues, you'd be totally lost in context.

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Smile' - Interesting Premise but Disjointed Editing Spoils the Momentum of Horror

 

Many scenes in the horror movie 'Smile' have the antagonists sport that eerie smile which in this movie, is a portal for a something bad happening to the character present.  

This entity controls the victim and makes that person commit suicide, and then proceeds to the next victim and continues the process.  This then leads to a string of deaths which go back a long time because no one really notices that there is connection between all these deaths.

It's an interesting premise and execution-wise, the first 30 minutes of the movie are the most engaging because I am invested in finding out how this strange 'smile' can cause these otherwise sane people to go over the edge.

However, as the movie progresses, and the lead actress played by Sosie Bacon with the help of her ex played by Kyle Gallner, begin to slowly uncover why all of these are happening, the movie's director, Parker Finn, fails to enlist the help of the movie editor as I noticed two very key and scary scenes pan out to a totally unrelated next scene.  Kung sa Tagalog pa, "Anyare?" (What happened?)

This lack of editing cohesiveness kind of destroys the momentum of terror the movie was trying to build and causes a mumbo jumbo of disjointedness in the moviegoers memory and reaction.

The ending is even more bizarre in my opinion so my brother and I left the theater wondering what kind of entity was that and why did it act like that.  I think even horror entities should have motivations on why they are doing these things, don't you think?

Abstract Art: Profound Beauty in Emptiness and Reflection

I don't know why I am drawn more to abstract work rather than true renditions of objects and humans. For me, they are more exciting to watch.

And I thought I've seen all types of abstract work.

However, these paintings done by some of our best local painters are amazing! They are almost devoid of color, and even if they do, the colouring is so minute that when you step away from the painting, the colors subsume themselves to the general hue that the painter decides.

My favorite among this set is this almost plain white rendition of empty white space with only a big circle as the shape. Talk about having to reflect on a blank white circular space.

"Abstract art is not meant to reveal perfect renditions of objects and people. Instead, much abstract art is meant to set the scene for reflection."

There is an ongoing exhibition of 70s and 80s abstract art at the CCP entitled "You Are Here" featuring some of the top Filipino abstract art painters during that time including Arturo Luz.

These works though are antitheses of the abstract work that I love - the chaotic work of Pollock, the misshapen figures of Miro, Dali and Picasso - and the deliberate boldness of colour in Rothko's works.

However, these paintings are almost antiseptic and as the exhibit says, it borders on emptiness.

"Emptiness in art does not stop at how the work looks, but continues by helping you think about what kind of feeling it invokes in you".

Gay Homophobes Are the Worst Kind

I've always felt that the worst homophobes are the gay homophobes, the ones who are usually in the closet or the ones who get married to hide their true sexuality, since they cannot fully accept na bakla sila.

By not being able to fully accept their sexuality, I've always thought that these people are capable of doing something very despicable against their own kabaro.

And nangyari na nga. The Orlando shooting proves what I thought all along. The more this guy suppressed his true nature, the more tragic the consequences became - it could either lead to his own suicide or in this case, venting his anger at his own 'sisters' callously shooting them one by one.

I think it was worsened by the fact that a gay nightclub is a veritable meat market and people are rejected there cruelly especially if they do not fit a certain perfect gay aesthetic (i.e. you have abs, you look like James Reid, you have a handsome face, etc.).

And believe me, the worst 'rejectors' are the gay people, mas malupit pa sila mag-reject sa kapwa nila bakla kesa sa heterosexual world. Why do you think there are soooo many gay men in the gym?

I have a feeling that this guy was rejected so many times that he finally got fed up and said "die bitches die" to 'everyone' he felt did not make him feel that he belonged.

TONY'S MOVIE REVIEW: 'Hereditary' Shows the Devil is Someone You Love

Another great horror movie comes to Manila this week, and Hereditary is really just fresh off the boat, having just screened at Sundance earlier this year, to rave reviews.

The critics love it but most people don't like it because there's a puzzle you have to figure out as the movie progresses. I even thought it was a ghost movie, so for a full hour, I was waiting for an apparition to happen! Tanga!

I warn you, this is a very slow burn movie. For the first hour, I though I was watching a family drama since the events happening to the family were just bizarre and unworldly!

Everything though falls into place as the movie climaxes and if you were listening closely and watching intently the 'signs' in the movie, you'd understand why some people say it's the 'Exorcist' for this generation.

The Oscars are still a long way off but it would be interesting to see Toni Collette get nominated (for Best Actress) in yet, another horror movie. Her work here parallels that of her mother in distress role in that "I see dead people" ghost movie, "The Sixth Sense".

Here though, her character plows even into deeper territory, delving into demonology and mental illness and seances and incredibly bad things your grandma wants you to do!

No one prepared me to see how each family member takes his and her place in the scheme of things. This is not a pretty tale.

Well, nothing good ever comes when Satan and the devil are in it.

Concert Review: Celine Dion's Masterful Performance in Her Manila Shows

It used to be that we had to go abroad just to watch our favorite performers but times are a-changing as many top acts now see Manila as a viable stop during their concert tours.

Ten years ago, during her Taking Chances tour, Celine did a show at the Venetian Macau and it was the first time we saw her live - and although the largely Chinese audience was very polite and not very outwardly demonstrative - Celine gave a show-stopping performance.

It was also surreal watching the mainland Chinese audience dressed to the nines, with women wearing mink fur coats and top to bottom branded clothes, kulang na lang pati panty nakalagay Gucci.

Oh well, it was also a well-heeled crowd last night, the second of her two shows here in Manila. You never get tired of watching Celine because she's such a seasoned performer, she knows how to talk to the audience and segue into songs with such ease.

And there's her voice! While many of her contemporaries have let go - and did not really take care of their gift - Celine has certainly taken care of hers!

Even in her less famous songs like 'Falling Into You' and 'Think Twice' the way she sang it is like you're in her own recording studio and not in a huge concert arena!

Some new singers now I can barely hear them from the din of their bands, but with Celine, no problem!

There were so many highlights from last night's show. She even danced a bit to 'Falling Into You'. I'm sure Laura liked 'Beauty and the Beast' and her version is far more superior to the one Ariana did, live or otherwise.

She did all her big hits - "It's All Coming Back to Me', 'To Love You More', 'Because You Loved Me', but there are still many other good songs of hers which I hope she would do during her Las Vegas residency because her discography is so deep.

Songs like 'Water from the Moon', 'Where Does My Heart Beat Now'. 'Nothing's Broken But My Heart', 'The Last to Know', her duet with Barbra Streisand, 'Only One Road', 'If You Asked Me To', she can do another show with an entirely different setlist! But that's for the future and maybe a few tweets to her would make her consider performing those songs.

MY TEN FAVORITE SONGS IN 2022 BY INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS

 1.  Till You Love Somebody

      Kylie Minogue

2.  Break the Man

      Tears for Fears

3.  Biutyful

      Coldplay 

4. People Break

     Eric Church

5. The Waiter

      Scotty McReery

6.  Why you Gotta Be Like That

      Scotty McReery

7. Anti-Hero

     Taylor Swift

8.  Titi Me Pregunto

     Bad Bunny

9.  Booyah

      Showtek

10. House on Fire

      Mimi Webb