Stories from Critic After Dark
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J. Edgar (Clint Eastwood, 2011)
Critic After Dark &bull Feb 4, 2012
Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, his biopic about the legendary director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, turns out to be his most tender and fully realized love story. It doesn't quite start out that well. First time we see J. Edgar as played by Leonardo DiCaprio, he's wheezing along under pounds of prosthetic makeup, meant to make him look old. The makeup is a horrific mess; DiCaprio looks like a half-melted… Full Story »
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Poetry (Lee Chang Dong, 2010)
Critic After Dark &bull Jan 28, 2012
Lee Chang Dong's Poetry basically follows two storylines: a grandmother's late-life quest to write a proper poem, and her equally belated attempt to deal with her grandson Wook's (Lee Da-wit) involvement in a schoolmate's apparent suicide. I can recall two scenes that seem to encapsulate Lee's distinct flavor. The grandmother Mija (Yun Jeong-hie) on a sidewalk bench, trying to force inspiration by sitting under a tree, looking up, and swaying. An elderly neighbor, squat and topped with curly white hair,… Full Story »
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Certified Copy (Abbas Kiarostami, 2010)
Critic After Dark &bull Jan 22, 2012
An unnamed woman (the gorgeous Juliette Binoche) attends a lecture by author James Miller (British baritone William Shimell), with her son as unwilling companion. Mr. Miller talks of his book Certified Copy, which deals with the nature of reproduced artworks and their originals (you can guess his attitude towards the whole issue by the subtitle: "Forget the Original, Just Get a Good Copy"); the woman brings six copies of his work which she plans to ask him to sign… Full Story »
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Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Werner Herzog 2010)
Critic After Dark &bull Jan 7, 2012
Open, O Sesame Werner Herzog's first ever 3-D feature begins with the camera gliding down a row of what look like vines; it lifts up in the air to take in the limestone cliffs looming over the Ardeche River, in Southern France. We see Herzog accompanying an expedition of mostly scientists ascending a narrow trail up the face of that cliff, to arrive at a metal door "as massive as a bank vault." Inside are treasures as fabulous as anything Aladdin might find--cave paintings of various sizes and subjects, on differing kinds of surfaces, employing many colors and techniques. Some… Full Story »
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Get real, Get Real Philippines
Critic After Dark &bull Jan 2, 2012
Before anything, a caveat: as of today, have not yet seen any of the films at the 2011 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF)--would like to, but am having a time trying to arrange a viewing. So, yes, I'm putting that out for the record, up front. Reason for this cobbled-together post, though, is a budding website called Get Real Philippines, a series of articles written mostly by the webmaster, with a handful of fellow writers (well, one other, apparently). For the most part the articles seem well-written, lively, reasonably well informed, generally progressive--until this article by someone named 'Ilda,' on… Full Story »
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Best of 2011
Critic After Dark &bull Dec 30, 2011
Was the year so bad? It had its moments. Film availability was so erratic you never knew what would be suddenly available, or what needed a wait of weeks or months. Foreign and Filipino films continued to be hard to obtain and slow in coming, and for the first time I found myself going online regularly to watch what I needed to see. Frustrating and fascinating, sometimes both at the same time; at least a few heroes (O'Hara, Hellman, Carpenter) managed to work. The Adventures of Tintin - Steven Spielberg's gaudy Christmas ornament of a picture, a breathlessly paced action-adventure… Full Story »
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All I want for Christmas is the Director's Cut
Critic After Dark &bull Dec 25, 2011
Everybody pauses and stares at me The Director's Cut is gone as you can see I don't know just who to blame for this catastrophe! But my one wish on Christmas Eve is as plain as it can be! All… Full Story »
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Have yourself an 'Inasiong' Christmas
Critic After Dark &bull Dec 24, 2011
Aguiluz had managed to file a court case against the producers of Asiong Salonga. A TRO (Temporary Restraining Order) was issued against the film's December 25 screening. It looked as if Aguiluz's complaints were finally to be taken seriously. And they were,… Full Story »
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Asiong Salonga--the Director's Version
Critic After Dark &bull Dec 23, 2011
A film was shot based on the story of Asiong Salonga, a notorious Filipino gangster who ruled Tondo in the late '40s and early '50s. The film was directed by Tikoy Aguiluz, and starred Jorge 'ER' Ejercito, Governor of Laguna, who was also the film's producer. There were disagreements between director and producer as to the direction the film should take. The producer--naturally--wanted a commercial product; Aguiluz wanted something that would meet the criteria of good storytelling, with a minimum of cliches and an… Full Story »
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E.R. Ejercito tries to defend his interference in 'Asiong Salonga'
Critic After Dark &bull Dec 18, 2011
Difficult to respond because I haven't seen the film, but we're talking here of Tikoy Aguiluz and his long time collaborator and editor Mirana Medina. She has edited his films since his first feature, Boatman in 1984 and as far as I can see they have never varied their editing style or philosophy when it comes to… Full Story »
