Philippine Sex Melodrama

This blog entry outlines my reaction to, as what this blog title says, Philippine Sex Melodrama based on the article written by our very own Cinema101 Professor Jamal Ashley Abbas. That article, just like how it claims and I quote, "reviews some films that show the power of sex workers, especially female sex workers, one of the most maligned people in Philippine society. It discusses Philippine sex melodramas as a film genre and the power discourse depicted in these films."

I'm not to discuss any sex film in this entry. Not even to give any review about any sex film. All I'll ever write in this particular entry is my pure reaction on Philippine Sex Melodrama.

Yes. This is Philippine setting so I will not include Marilyn Monroe, the so-called sex symbol, in this discussion. I will not also highlight the feminist side of me as that could be really biased. But I will just express my stand on this type of genre.

For me, the evolution of Philippine Cinema to include sex scenes in its melodramatic films is just but natural. I mean, it's human nature. We don't expect everyone to be always wholesome. Green jokes are part of our comic relief. And there would always be that one person to write, imagine or create a scene of naked woman, kissing scenes, bed scenes and what-have-you because those are part of our daily lives. Whether one uses surrealistic approach, being neo-realistic, symbolic, or expressionistic way of showing it, there would always be the best way to show it in a creative way.

So yes, I mentioned "creative way." I believe that there is the best, creative possible way to educate and show people the reality behind sex workers, woman's body power, and social sex revolution especially if this  is going to be shown on big screen. For me, hard core sex isn't something that should be tolerated especially for us Filipinos. Don't get me wrong. But as traditional Filipinos, we have our core values that dictate us to act in such a way that we should treat sex as a sacred union between married couple. And that showing it publicly should include responsible censorship for its audience. Although, not all people will appreciate that.

Just like what Sir Abbas mentioned in his article, the Sex Melodrama genre in the Philippines deserved to be categorized as a separate genre because of some instantly-recognizable patterns and techniques in terms of setting, content, themes, plot, motifs, styles, structures, situation, characters and stars. Below are some points about this genre that I got from Sir Abbas's article:

• STAR. A director who would want to make a comedy or horror movie with a sex star could not hope to attract all the public who normally patronize that particular star in sex melodrama films.
• Or, put it in another way, a director of sex melodrama cannot just turn the film into a comedy or horror film without antagonizing its viewing public.
• The director is constrained by the limitations of this genre.
• THEMES. Rites of passage, rape stories, domestic relationships, and AIDS are among of those several themes in sex melodrama.
• Sex-worker themed sex melodramas highlight the three dimensions of difference, according to Max Weber - class, status and power.
• Use of Mulvey's "male gaze" in which during the process, the male creates thoughts of desire to a woman.

Now, let me tell you something...

Honesly, I haven't watched those Tagalog sex films mentioned in this article such as Burlesk Queen, Red Diaries, Toro or Boatman among others. No. Sorry, I haven't watched any of those. And I'm not apologizing for not watching these films that include sex scenes, but I guess I'm apologizing because I didn't know that these films do exist. And because of that, I have very limited grasp of the subject. But I laid out my point and I hope that would leave you, somehow, contemplated.

So to end this entry-slash-reaction paper about Philippine Sex Melodrama, let me quote Patrick Flores (2000):

"Sex in Philippine cinema has to be seen as always enmeshed in power: the power to suffer pleasure, the power to address desire, the power of agents to resist both craving and conscription as sexual labor and capital."

Here's a video clip courtesy of Youtube. This is Ina Raymundo's Burlesk Queen, Ngayon. Enjoy!

No movies. No life.

It's been weeks now.

I'm being deprived of watching movies.

Not because of money, but because of time.

Due to time constraint brought about by projects and requisites for Finals (in school), I have no choice but to set aside my hobby for movie-marathon. And it's hard. It's like an addiction that I can't resist.

My movie-download client just kept on downloading my choice of movie day by day.
Movie theaters just kept on showing movies that I've been missing for weeks now. Sad.

I hope that after all of these, everything will just go smoothly so I could get extra time to watch movies. :)

 

A visit to MOWELFUND

On September 27, 2013, that was Friday, a certain cluster of junior Mass Communication students of our university, Far Eastern University - Manila, had the chance to visit Pambansang Museo ng Pelikula c/o MOWELFUND.

By the time our professor announced in class the so-called "field trip" to MOWELFUND, I felt excited. Why not? It will be my first time. And I know that there will be lots of things to learn there about Philippine Cinema.

Located in Rosario Drive, Cubao, Quezon City, MOWELFUND isn't that hard to find. From Betty-Go Belmonte LRT Station, you may take a short distance tricycle ride or you take a walk to reach the place. Promise, it is just walking distance from the train station. Plus, I have the impression that it is safe to walk around there because primarily the community looks clean and well-maintained. Maybe because it is somewhere in the residence area of those families that are somehow well-off. Although I thought at first, and for some reason, that I might get lost in Cubao so I had to utilize my GPS tracker just to be sure that I still know where in the Philippines I am going. But okay fine, that's another story. :)

GOING BACK TO MOWELFUND.

To make the long story short and so much for an introduction, we started the "field trip" with a short but sweet talk from Ms. Boots Anson-Roa. Ms. Anson-Roa herself is an actress and is concurrently the President of MOWELFUND Management Committee. It was an honor to hear Ms. Anson-Roa sharing her thoughts and knowledge about how Philippine Cinema is doing. She made us informed what MOWELFUND really is. As I said, it was only a short talk but an enough one for an introduction to our "trip." And oh yes, I was inspired by this. :)

Ms. Boots Anson-Roa when she did her talk
infront of FEU's juniors in MOWELFUND
lobby area.

By 10:45 AM, we started our tour around the museum. Since MOWELFUND is a non-profit organization, I didn't expect much on its facilities. What I'm after is its content. True enough, it has a lot to offer especially to us, Mass Comm students, who are in the midst of deciding of whether or not we'll go towards the course of Movie Industry.

I admire the fact that MOWELFUND holds and keeps lots and lots of Philippine Cinema memorabilia from way, way back. Most of the information that we learned in our Cinema class about Philippine Cinema history is there. From the time of Cinematografo Walgraph, rise of the Philippine films in the early 1930's, the movies during the Japanese era, and up until the produced films of the present times - these pieces of information can be found in the museum. Just minus the 3D and other digitized movie production. I don't remember them having this. But nevertheless, if what you're after is a firsthand experience of Philippine Cinema history, then I recommend this place.

The three or four-storey building (Honestly, I lost count. I was just so into the tour that I forgot which floor I was in.) was divided into rooms. I failed to notice the name of first room division that we first entered which basically contained introduction on how films reached the Philippines back in the time of Spaniards. But the rest of the rooms there are: World War II Room, Studio Room, Star Room, Genre Room, 70's Room, and Horror Room (a gift from Mr. German "Kuya Germs" Moreno) among others. And if Hollywood has its "Walk of Fame" MOWELFUND has its "Movie Stairs."

Movie Stairs

These rooms display actual props and costumes, posters, photos, magazines, actual sound dubber and editing machine, actual old TV and radio, actual old moviola (a device that allows film editor to view film while editing. It was the first machine for motion picture editing), plaques, awards, trophies and all other collectibles. It was a great feeling every time I enter from one room to another. I dunno. There was this feeling of hunger and thirst for film history that was gradually satisfied every time I exit one room then enter another. Well, not completely satisfied yet because the more that I learn things like this, the more that I crave for knowledge. But somehow, the dipper of knowledge in that field of interest started to be filled with important substances.

My favorites are the 70's Room and the one I called the "FPJ Space Area" (I forgot how they call it but this is the one at the lobby area where it holds lots of FPJ stuff and memorabilia). For one, I like the 70's Room because I was amazed by the photos on the wall of then stars of the 70's. I was amazed simply because most of the actors and actresses in that wall are familiar to me. I mean, by name, IF I would read the caption. But by face, most of them looked differently compared to how they appear now on screen (of course due to age and time). The actors that I find really stunning and special, based on the wall photos, are Charo Santos, Boots Anson-Roa, Christopher De Leon, Edgar Mortiz, Pilar Pilapil and Vilma Santos among others.

The one I called the "FPJ Space Area" (sounds dramatic and special, eh?) is also remarkable to me simply because it houses FPJ stuff. A lot of interesting and informative bits and pieces that would lead us to know more about FPJ's reel life. (Note: FPJ stands for Fernando Poe Jr. who's also colloquially known as "Da King," He was a Filipino actor, director and producer. He died in 2004 due to, according to what his doctors described as, cerebral thrombosis with multiple organ failure. He was also hailed as the King of Philippine Movies.)

A Selfie-pic with Da King

Overall, the MOWELFUND experience was great and informative. Because of the tour, I became more appreciative of Philippine movies. Yeah, I'm guilty when it comes to not patronizing Filipino films. I love watching movies, but I mostly watch the foreign films. So after all of these, I recognized that I must start watching and re-discovering the films of our own".

I can't remember how long it took us to complete the entire tour, including our stroll to the Paradise of Stars (this can be found in the garden area where you can see life-size standees of actors). All I can remember is the feeling of gratefulness that there are people who initiated to preserve our country's film history. I just hope that more people will support MOWELFUND to keep it going and to survive its operation. Then it suddenly occurred to me that in time, I will do my best to help MOWELFUND. I dunno how will I do that but I know that time will come in God's grace. You might be wondering why. Well, through Ms. Anson-Roa's talk and I also did further research, I realized that MOWELFUND is something more than a museum and a film institute. Here's why:

According to their website, MOWELFUND stands for MOVIE WORKERS WELFARE FOUNDATION, INC., a non-stock, non-profit social welfare, educational, and industry development foundation organized and established in 1974.

It was founded by then San Juan Mayor and President of the Philippine Motion Picture Producers Association (PMPPA) Joseph E. Estrada for the welfare of workers in the 

Philippine motion picture industry.

It has expanded the Manila Film Festival to become the now-popular Metro Manila Film Festival Philippines (MMFFP). It also helped rationalize the movie industry with its contributions in creating agencies like the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) and reorganizing the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). Mowelfund has also initiated the campaign against film and video piracy.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

The Institute is a response to the need to raise consciousness among filmmakers and audiences for a better film culture in the country. It adheres to the following objectives:

▪ Develop a wider base of filmmakers

▪ Develop alternative film venues

▪ Develop wider film usage

The MOWELFUND FILM INSTITUTE (MFI) is the educational arm of the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation, Inc. (MOWELFUND). It is a unique film training center in Southeast Asia that caters to the needs of the mainstream film industry and independent cinema.

Since its inception in 1979, MFI is proud of its dedication to film education, its willingness to innovate, and its passion for film, not only as a medium of 

entertainment, but as a very powerful visual and communication art form always in evolution. Distinguished local and foreign lecturers are invited to conduct 

workshops and seminars, which attract students from top universities, 

professionals from the film industry and film enthusiasts.

Mowelfund Film Institute (MFI) is proud of its students who overcome limitations and make films that are short but full of independent visions and newfound voices. In educating the young artists, it approaches the fulfillment of this dream. Within its embrace, a new movement in Philippine Cinema is born – the Cinema of the Young.

Its alumni have won awards for their innovative works in local and international short film festivals. A number have figured prominently in mainstream cinema and independent cinema, among others, Cannes Film Festival awardees 

Raymond Red, Brillante Mendoza, and other headliners Nick Deocampo, Lav Diaz, Yam Laranas, Mark Meily, Joey Agbayani, Armando “Bing” Lao, Jon Red, Rox Lee, Topel Lee, Neil Daza, Robert Quebral, Mel Bacani, Ellen Ramos, Paolo Villaluna, Ricky Orellana, Auraeus Solito, Cesar Hernando, Larry Manda, Odyssey Flores, Sari Dalena, Kiri Dalena, Ogie Sugatan, Mike Alcazaren, Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil, Ditsi Carolino, Jo Atienza, Regiben Romana, Albert Banzon, Shane Sarte and Rica Arevalo.

SOCIAL WELFARE

MOWELFUND’s Social Welfare Program aims to help the indigent and 

underemployed movie workers who work on a per-picture basis such as stuntmen, bit players, technicians, checkers, make-up artists, cameramen, props men, and other film crew members who do not have private insurance coverages and SSS benefits.

For the past 37 years, MOWELFUND has extended medical aid to more than 4,400 members and death aid to more than 700 beneficiaries.

=======================================================================

BELOW ARE SOME OF THE PHOTOS I TOOK IN THE MOWELFUND.

With Charlie Chaplin.
"Whatcha lookin' at huh?"

Movie editing machine

Sound dubber machine

The Moviola. A device that allows film editor to view film
while editing. It was the first machine for motion picture editing

This trophy of FPJ is literally a BIG award.

Paradise of STARS.

Film Shoot for Finals

One of the requirements for Finals for our Cinema class is to come up with a 10-minute film. In that film, we should use different styles that we tackled in class such as French Impressionism and Surrealism, German Expressionism, or French New Wave.

So we formed our own group for Film Production and agreed to schedule October 1, Tuesday, for film shoot. Here's how it went:

Writer/ Director/ DOP- Eipril Anne Leonor "Yesh" A. Burce 

Assistant Director- Kaye Perez Paqueo

Executive Producer- Ivone Trabado

Production Manager -  Jalyn Gorgonia (yours truly)

Talent Coordinator- Laine Mendoza

Production Design- Klaryssen Ostoy Lea Andrea Espiritu

Sound Operator- Andrei Martin Cua

The title of the film is "I N A"

The preparation and the shooting itself are exhausting and at the same time fulfilling. There was even a time that Yesh and I felt really frustrated when the SD card used to record half of the movie was corrupted. At first, Ivone and I were very hopeful that everything will go smoothly after the data recovery but then Yesh informed us that the recovered video files weren't recognized by the laptop they're using to supposedly edit the movie. We also hired a video editor to do the editing for us since we're not really that tech-savvy for that matter.

And so, we had to reschedule for the re-shoot. And now, I hope that all is well when we submit our movie.

Okay.

I will not discuss our story line as that may spoil the entirety of the project. But I will share to you our set during the shoot. By the way, besides being a Production Manager, I also acted as a mom in this story. Haha. And see these two pretty girls? They're my daughters in the movie. :)

Then, that's it. I will not tell you much about the movie. Not until the it is officially released. Haha!

The set with our actress.

Direk Yesh and her camera.

Sound Operator Andrei with Production designer Klaryssen.

See you soon, Elysium!

Oh-em-gee!

I just learned today that "Elysium" is already showing in Philippine theaters. It opens on September 4, 2013.

Goodness gracious! How come I haven't heard of this earlier this week? I've been waiting for this movie to be available in movie houses because I got quite intrigued with the story plot, futuristic approach, gadgets and the totality of this movie. Besides, it is starred by Matt Damon, the actor behind the character of Jason Bourne of Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum, and that somehow adds up to my eagerness to watch the movie. And if I'm not mistaken, this is directed by the same director of District 9. Phew! If you've watched District 9, you'll understand why I'm really looking forward to watch this movie.

I first watched the trailer of Elysium (pronounced as \i-ˈli-zhē-əm, -zē-\) at a movie house during which movie trailers were shown before the actual showing of the scheduled movie. I just don't remember whether it was at the time of Jack Reacher, Man of Steel, or World War Z. All I know is that the moment the trailer ended, I've already decided that I'm gonna watch it. Had I known that it has been in theaters since Wednesday, I would've put this in my calendar and watch it today. Too bad, it's not on my schedule. And I cannot watch it today because I still have lots on my plates today. Oh well, I still have next weekend. Can't wait!

Anyway, on the side, I made some research about the term "Elysium." Of course, I'm not gonna watch a movie if I don't understand what the title means. So I looked into Webster online and here's what I found:

So an Elysium simply means paradise or "heaven" so to speak. Now, that explains the "beauty of Elysium" for not having sickness, war, nor poverty as shown on the trailer. For those who haven't watched the trailer yet, here it is. Courtesy of Youtube again. Enjoy! :)

Movie Review: EPIC (2013)

“Just because you haven’t seen something doesn’t mean it’s not there.” – Professor Bomba

The quoted dialogue above sounds like a line from a horror film. But it’s not, actually.

Several weeks ago, before the typhoon Maring hits the entire Philippines with its unlimited rainfall, I got the chance to watch a movie I downloaded online. This was done at the comfort of my own bedroom or so to speak. Alas, at the time when this movie was still making a fuss at the social media sites and the time it was still being shown at the theaters, I had no chance to watch it and so I just had to list it down to my “movie bucket-list” for future viewing. And to make the story short, I was able to finally watch it. It is entitled EPIC.

EPIC is a 3D animated film that is of adventure-comedy-ish type. It reveals a fantasy world that tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. Of course, the good forces are the ones who keep the natural world alive while those who wish to destroy it are the bad forces.

Personally, when I heard of the title EPIC, I was thinking of extremely large scale type of storylines such as Lord of the Rings, The Terminator, or The Matrix. Never did I think that it is an animated fantasy film until I watched the trailer on Youtube (see below). And besides, I think the use of the word “Epic” is somewhat strange for an animated film title. Nevertheless, I find it intriguing enough when I found out that this movie involves a group of small creatures living in the forest. And by the way, I have my own reasons why I use capital letters when mentioning the movie title. J

                                                                         

Anyhow, I mentioned earlier that this film involves small creatures in the forest. And when I say creature, I meant human-like creatures. Just tiny ones. Interesting, right? Suddenly reminds me of Thumbelina. J

(photo from Google.com)

Moving on, based on Wikipedia, this film is loosely based on William Joyce’s children’s book entitled “The Leaf Men and The Brave Good Bugs.” It was produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Chris Wedge, who happens to be the same director of Ice Age and Rio. This film stars the voices of Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Colin Farrell, Christoph Waltz, Aziz Ansari, Chris O'Dowd, Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis, with Steven Tyler and Beyoncé Knowles. The film was released on May 24, 2013.

The movie started with a long shot of the forest’s greenery and a voice over of a girl, saying:

“Somebody told me that if you stand still in the forest long enough, you’ll see signs of hidden struggle raging between the forces of life and decay. That the survival of the forest itself depends on the outcome. And that the good guys need all the help they can get. And that if you don’t believe it, take a close look. And if you still don’t, take a closer look.”

It was implied at the later part of the film that the owner of that voice over is actually MK (or Mary Katherine voiced by Amanda Seyfried), one of the main characters. In the film, she just moved to her father’s place since her mom just passed away. This father of her is an unconventional scientist named Professor Bomba whom she finds as a weirdo because he has been searching for tiny human soldiers eversince. Of course, MK does not believe in her father’s nonsense researches. She thought that all those were just out of her father’s oddity. Eventually, it was revealed that the very same oddity of her father was the same reason why her mom had to ditch him.

Chris Wedge
(photo from Google.com)

Meanwhile, it turned out that the Leafmen are actually real. They’re soldiers who protect the forest, where Bomba lives nearby, from ugly creatures called Boggans and their wicked leader named Mandrake.

The conflict begins when Queen Tara, queen of the forest (voiced by Beyonce Knowles), Leafmen leader Ronin, and her bodyguards were attacked by overwhelming number of Boggans while she’s still in the moment of choosing an heir for the forest. Unfortunately, at that encounter, the queen got fatally wounded when Mandrake shoots her with an arrow.

In the interim, MK decides to leave and left a note on one of her father’s computer monitors. It was indicated in the film that MK is annoyed at her father. But before she can leave, their three-legged dog made her run into the woods in which she finds herself magically transported into this secret world of Leafmen where she saw the dying Queen Tara falling from out of nowhere. And before Tara dies, she gives the smallest pod, the heir, to MK for safekeeping asking her to bring it Nim Galuu (voiced by Steven Styler) and the adventure of saving their world – and our world – starts.

I’ll leave the rest of the story on your imagination or better yet watch the film.

Out of the narration I made for this film’s plot, you might already have an idea of what this film is all about. Yep, I’m telling you that this film has a strong, fierce woman as a central character. Pretty much like the film Brave but with a different storyline, of course. And if you’re quite the feminist type, you might agree with me that the era of damsels-in-distress as the central theme in animated films sending the message “Someday, my Prince Charming will come and save me,” has taken the backseat. Thanks to films like this that feature heroine/s.

Movie-goers are excited to see inspiring female protagonists on-screen because it reflects our modern world where women have choices and our dreams can be limitless. As a woman myself, I can personally attest to this. Moreover, this film does not only give lessons about being a strong girl/woman but it can also make us realize the value of family. Most of all, this movie gives emphasis to the importance of nature – it’s composition, the balance in ecosystem, and all other stuff that mostly science can explain.

Just like any other animation, this film had to put some exaggeration in terms of computer-generated shots and angles to make it more lively and eye-stimulating. Well, that is needless to say. But my point is, it has some photo-realistic animation and some cool concepts. Take for example, the Leafmen riding hummingbirds like horses. Furthermore, the film was loaded with brilliantly colorful characters, fabulous voice cast and simply impressive animation especially that scene where giant figures in extreme close-up move in slow motion as the tiny heroes scatter about. That’s something fresh, unusual and innovative to my eyes altogether.

Overall, this film is full of fun, sweet-hearted kid-pleaser animation that can be watched together by parents and their kids. Basically, it has enough excitement and visual elegance to appeal movie-goers of any age. Indeed, a film I recommend to everyone. J

(Below are some screen shots I grabbed from the film to give you some visual ideas of those scenes I mentioned above. Movie was downloaded from Yify-torrents.)

Queen Tara and the pod-keepers while choosing her heir.

Boggans

When MK found Queen Tara falling from out of nowhere

The dying Queen and the Leafmen

Smaller MK and her father.

Fifty Shades of Grey Cast Revealed

Casting for the lead roles of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele of Fifty Shades of Grey have finally revealed!

(Brief background: Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It is the first installment in the Fifty Shades trilogy that traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a young business mogul, Christian Grey. It is noteworthy for its explicitly erotic scenes featuring elements of sexual practices involving BDSM. 

And ever since it was announced that there will be a film adaptation of the book, fans and readers started to pick names of their own choice of actors to play the role of the main characters, especially for the role of Christian Grey. Names such as Matt Bomer, Ian Somerhalder, Ryan Gosling, Henry Cavill, Alexis Bledel, and Emma Watson floated all over social media sites while fans started to come up with polls of who would be the best actor to portray the roles. Obviously, this fuss reached E. L. James’s party. But when asked who would be her actor of choice to play the character, she just kept mum about it. Not until when she finally announced to the whole world her decision.)

THE ANNOUNCEMENT. This news was announced early morning of Monday by E. L. James herself, the author of the steamy novel Fifty Shades of Grey, on her Twitter page telling fans: ‘I am delighted to let you know that the lovely Dakota Johnson has agreed to be our Anastasia in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey.’

Minutes later, she also revealed that Sons of Anarchy and Pacific Rim star Charlie Hunnam would be playing Anastasia’s kinky lover Christian Grey. She tweeted: ‘The gorgeous and talented Charlie Hunnam will be Christian Grey in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey.

THE REACTION. I know this may cause disappointment to a lot of fans and readers who have their own actors in mind to play the role of Grey and Steele. Personally, I would like Matt Bomer, star of the USA network series White Collar to portray Christian in the film adaptation of the novel. But of course, casting was finalized and it was the author herself (and maybe along with the producer and all others that would partake in the making of the film) who made the decision. 

Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson

screenshot of my post on FB

THE APPEAL. On Wednesday, September 3, the news reached my Facebook newsfeed. Out of my excitement and, alright, disappointment (that Matt Bomer was not chosen as Christian Grey), I posted on my FB wall the photo above (from eonline.com) with honest curiosity of how Charlie Hunnam would look like without the beard and mustache. So yes, I did seek assistance from Google with the hopes that he would look just like how I picture Christian Grey, if you know what I mean. And with photos that I saw without the mustache and beard, I think he looks just as good. So I guess, I will not join the differing fans who petitioned two days after the announcement, gathering more than 60,000 supporters who want Matt Bomer and Alexis Bledel as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. (Scroll down further below to see the collage of images I made. Photo credits belong to the original owners. I don't intend any copyright infringement.)

THE ACCEPTANCE. If there are opposing fans of the announcement, there are also those who were truly delighted and showed support for the casting. In fact, they are so impatient for Hunnam and Johnson's impending venture into the "Red Room" that they came up with their own posters and movie trailers. This was posted at ibtimes.com on September 6. Of course, these are unofficial but I just love their creativity. Click here for the unofficial movie trailer. And as for the unofficial poster, here it is:

THE DIRECTOR. From a list that included Angelina Jolie, Steven Soderbergh, Joe Wright and Gus Van Sant, it is Sam Taylor-Johnson – artist, filmmaker and happens to be the wife of Aaron Taylor-Johnson who directed "Kick-Ass” – who was chosen to direct the film adaptation of this erotic bestselling novel. Said film has been scheduled to be released in August 2014 by Universal Pictures and Focus Features.

Collage of Charlie Hunnam's photos

Sources:

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20730745,00.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Taylor-Wood

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifty_Shades_of_Grey

http://www.ibtimes.com/50-shades-grey-movie-poster-released-el-james-retweets-steamy-fan-made-photo-charlie-hunnam-dakota

The New Hollywood and Independent Filmmaking

From the e-book Film Art: An Introduction by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson
463-468

(What I’m about to share to you today is my notes and summarization on the topic: The New Hollywood. As a student who takes up Cinema class, I definitely respect others work of art and so let me tell you that I don’t take credit for mostly of the words used here, as they are mostly from the book mentioned above. History is history so it’s kind of hard to come up with something of my own.)

During the 1960s, the supposedly healthy industry of Hollywood filmmaking had to deal with dwindling audience due to competition, part of which is the television. American movies lose billion of tickets per year until the early 1990s.

With that as a challenge, producers thought that the strategy to produce counterculture-flavored films will entice younger audiences and so they started creating films for younger generation. The most popular and influential were Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider (1969) and Robert Altman's MASH (1970).

Eventually, these producers needed the help of independent film directors to come up with movies who can give the viewers larger-than-life experience. These and other directors became known as the "movie brats" who had gone to film schools. At New York University, the University of Southern California, and the University of California at Los Angeles, they had not only mastered the mechanics of production but also learned about film aesthetics and history which they learned from the earlier directors of the Old Hollywood. Remember my previous entry about The Film School Generation? They’re them. You may click here to read that entry.   

What lifted the industry's fortunes were films aimed squarely at broader audiences. The most successful were:

• William Friedkin's The Exorcist (1913)
• Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972)
• Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
• John Carpenter's Halloween (l9l8)
• George Lucas's American Graffiti (1913), Star Wars (1977), and The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Brian De Palma (Obsession, 1976)
• Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, 1976; Raging Bull, 1980)

As had been the case with the French New Wave, these film-buff directors produced some personal, highly self-conscious films. The movie brats worked in traditional genres, but they also tried to give them an autobiographical coloring. 

• American Graffiti was not only a teenage musical but also Lucas's reflection on growing up in California in the 1960s. 
• Martin Scorsese drew on his youth in New York's Little Italy for his crime drama Mean Streets (1973). 
• Coppola imbued both Godfather films with a vivacious and melancholy sense of the intense bonds within the Italian American family. 
•  Paul Schrader poured his own obsessions with violence and sexuality into his scripts for Taxi Driver and Raging Bull and the films he directed, such as Hard Core (1919).
•  At the same time, many directors admired the European tradition, with Scorsese drawn to the visual splendor of Luchino Visconti and British director Michael Powell. 
• Some directors dreamed of making complex art films in the European mold. 

More influential were their innovations on other fronts. Some directors revived American comedy of manners that displayed rough-edged performances, dense soundtracks, and a disrespectful approach to genre. Another plot was the casual encounters among two dozen characters, none of whom is singled out as the protagonist.

Many movie brats became continuously successful directors of the era. Lucas and Spielberg became powerful producers, working together on the Indiana Jones series and personifying Hollywood's new generation. Coppola failed to sustain his own studio, but he remained an important director. Scorsese's reputation rose steadily. By the end of the 1980s, he was the most critically acclaimed living American filmmaker.

During the 1980s, fresh talents won recognition, creating a New Hollywood. Many of the biggest hits of the decade continued to come from Lucas and Spielberg, but other, somewhat younger directors were successful such as James Cameron, Tim Burton and Robert Zemeckis among many other. This was also the era when more women filmmakers became commercially successful, such as Amy Heckerling, Martha Coolidge, and Penelope Spheeris.

 Many of the successful films of the 1990s came from directors from both these successive waves of the Hollywood renaissance: Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993), De Palma's Mission: Impossible (1996), and Lucas's The Phantom Empire (1999), as well as Zemeckis's Forrest Gump (1994), Cameron's Titanic (1991), and Burton's Sleepy Hollow (1999).

The New New Hollywood also absorbed some minority directors from independent film. Wayne Wang was the most success of Asian American filmmaker. Spike Lee led the way for young African American directors such as Reginald Hudlin.

Still other directors remained independent and more or less marginal to the studios.

Stylistically, no single coherent film movement emerged during the 1970s and 1980s. The most mainstream of the young directors continued the tradition of classical American cinema. Continuity editing remained the norm, with clear signals for time shifts and new plot developments. Some directors embellished Hollywood's traditional storytelling strategies with new or revived visual techniques.

In films from Jaws onward, Spielberg used deep-focus techniques reminiscent of Citizen Kane. Lucas developed motion-control techniques for filming miniatures for Star Wars, and his firm Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) became the leader in new special-effects technology. With the aid of ILM, Zemeckis astutely exploited digital imaging for Forrest Gump. Spielberg and Lucas also led the move toward digital sound and high-quality theater reproduction technology.

Less well funded Hollywood film making cultivated more flamboyant styles. The use of camera movement and slow motion helped to extend the emotional impact of a scene. De Palma has been an even more outrageous stylist; flaunting split-screen devices on his films. Coppola has experimented with fast motion black-and-white, phone conversations handled in the foreground and background of a single shot, and old- fashioned special effects to lend a period mood.

Several of the newer entrants into Hollywood enriched mainstream conventions of genre, narrative, and style. In presenting the women's lives, the film adheres to narrative principles that recall Citizen Kane. Flashbacks, creating sharp contrasts, voice over commentaries were used to intensify the emotional effect.

A similar effort to revise conventions pervades the work of other independent directors. Independent directors of the 1980s and 1990s have also experimented with narrative construction. So, while in the 1980s and 1990s younger studio directors adapted classical conventions to modern tastes, an energetic independent film tradition began pushing the envelope. 

By the end of the 1990s, the two trends were merging in surprising ways. As independent films began to win larger audiences, major studios eagerly acquired distribution companies such as Miramax and October Films. Much media journalism fostered the impression that Hollywood was becoming subverted by independent filmmaking but in fact, more and more major studios controlled audience's access to formerly independent productions. The Sundance Film Festival, founded as a forum for the off-Hollywood scene, came to be treated as a talent market by the studios, which often bought films in order to line up the filmmaker for more mainstream projects. 

At the start of the new century, many of the most thrilling Hollywood films were being created by a robust new generation, born in the 1960s and 1970s and brought up on videotape, video games, and the Internet. Like their predecessors, these directors were reshaping the formal and stylistic conventions of the classical cinema while also making their innovations accessible to a broad audience.

(credits: all photos courtesy of Google.com)