SPECIAL FEATURE

by: Carla Andaya

Philippines is known to be one of the countries who makes good and high class movies. That’s why some of the Filipinos are very fanatic and willing to pay for it. But due to the fact that it’s expensive and most of them cannot afford it by these days, they’ll just buy pirated CD’s and DVD’s.

To stop the increasing pirated CD’s and DVD’s who kills our movie industry, The OMB or the Optical Media Board takes charge of it. Formerly known as VRB, The OMB was created under the Presidential Degree No. 1987 last July 28, 1993.

OMB shall cover the entire territory of the Republic of the Philippines. It is composed of (4) ex officio members: The Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, The Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, The Secretary of the Department of Finance, Director-General of the Intellectual Property Office or their duly representatives. Aside from those, OMB is composed of (5) regular members to be appointed by the President. Three of them should be from the private sector, one from the consumer and the other one from the academe. From these five regular members, one will be chosen by the President as the Chairman of the Board.

OMB is responsible for regulating the manufacture, mastering, replication, importation and exportation of Optical Media. They are also responsible in formulating and implementing policies and programs, evaluating classifications of individual and establishments in manufacturing Optical Media, licensing and registration, suspension of licenses and giving penalties for offenses in manufacturing and distributing pirated CD’s and DVD’s.

Heroes in our midst

by:Jemelyn Ambrosio

National Heroes Day is being celebrated every last Sunday of august in the Philippines. The Filipino people have a lot of heroes to be proud of and one of them is Jose P. Rizal, our national hero.

Being a hero you must be able to demonstrate heroic acts such as offering your life for the betterment of your fellow citizen and your country. Most of our famous heroes did this, they died for our independence, they died fighting for what they believe is right and just.

But in a deeper sense being a hero is more than just offering your life, It's being able to touch other people's lives and being able to stand as someone else light, inspiration and guidance. A hero is someone who is able to leave a mark worth remembering.

In this modern times, are their still heroes in our midst? Crimes, violence, corruption...these are the factors that are quite visible in our society today. An ordinary spectator would fail to find a hero in it but as you look deeper in this chaotic world you will discover characters that are worth to be called a "hero".

A hero in this modern times can be an OFW who strives to work hard abroad just to give their love once here in the Philippines a better future or he can also be a soldier who defends civilians against the terroristic attacks of the MILF or perhaps the hero you are seeking for is just inside you waiting to be tap.

Each of us has that heroic personality inside and some of it has been captured by the lenses of the cameras that are presented in the movies.

"JOSE RIZAL--- A TIMELESS HERO"

By: Marian Carpo

Considered as our national hero, Rizal has been a subject in every aspect of our life including art, and film making is no exception to that. The life of Rizal was definitely interesting and extraordinary that is why filmmakers did not hesitate to make it into a movie, among of these are: Jose Rizal (1998), Rizal sa Dapitan (1997) and Bayaning 3rd World (2000).

“Jose Rizal” was a film by the U.P. Graduate and London trained director Marilou Diaz-Abaya. Among the three movies this is the most famous and critically acclaimed depiction of Rizal’s life on the big screen. If you want to see our hero during childhood growing to a man up to the moment of his death, this is something that you should watch. It focuses chiefly on Rizal’s life as a child, a student, a lover, a propagandist, a writer, a doctor, a son, a brother and an inspiration to every Filipino during the Spanish regime. Excerpts from his novel, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo was displayed on a black and white color styled format which separates the audience from the real world that Rizal was living in. What’s amazing in the exhibition of the novel within the film was that it’s as if those scenes were actually taken out very effectively from the books and feels so real.

The different life stage of Rizal was not thoroughly delivered consequently, that is why there’s a lot of flashbacks and instantaneous jumping of scene from this year to that year. It’s a little confusing but if you really delve into the movie there is a “present period” scenes where all the flashbacks and excerpts of novel were inserted. It’s the time when Rizal was imprisoned in Manila during 1896 where he had a lawyer by the name of Taviel and had a trial up to his execution day. The insertion of flashbacks and other notable scenes (added period) outside the present period was justifiably executed. They give way for the “added period” with a reason which has a connection with what Rizal was saying or thinking at particular time in the movie.

Before the so-called present period came upon the screen the director did a good introduction to the major characters and the world (real and novel) that the audience will about to see in the film. She introduced Rizal, next is the novel world, the Katipuneros, The Spaniards (Government and Church), and Rizal’s Family. The main starting point of the story was when Rizal was arrested and was marching with soldiers in Intramuros.

Technically, the cinematic aspect of this movie was excellently magnified in every scene. It offers a well-defined music and a superb script which makes every line vital and supportive with each other. The only problem is the fighting scenes of the Katipuneros with the Spanish soldiers. The intention was to illustrate how the Filipino courageously fought for their freedom and make it appear that they are winning but what’s odd with these scenes is that Filipinos with itak overpowered the guns of the enemy easily. Some Spanish soldiers seem to wait for them to be slashed to death well in fact you could see that they could have the ample time to pull the trigger, I don’t know if it’s the acting of the soldier that has a problem or what, it somehow lacked realistic fights though it was supported with the right costumes and props. Putting aside that trivial fighting flaw, “Jose Rizal” was considered as the biggest blockbuster film ever made in the history of Philippine cinema bagging over 70 local and international film awards.

In the movie “Rizal sa Dapitan”, it centered however on the life of our hero during his 4-year stay in the remote area of Dapitan as exiled by the Spanish government. Its director Tikoy Aquiluz emphasized Rizal not as a hero but as a well-educated and talented man: an engineer, a doctor, a teacher, a sculptor, a scientist and many more. Here, we could see Rizal living a simple life as a normal yet a detained person who had a love affair with an Irish woman by the name of Josephine Bracken. The interpretation of his exile in Dapitan here was good and something new for the audience to see since most of people only knew Rizal as a hero. The lighting condition and framing was notable but it won’t give you the same technical quality that “Jose Rizal” had since this film was not highly budgeted. There were a few instances where the quality of the video changes into something dark and unclear then goes back to its original state after a while.

In Mike De Leon’s “Bayaning 3rd World”, he made an entirely different movie about Rizal. It is not a biopic film that tells the story of Rizal but more of like a documentary film on a total black and white scale that investigates the mysteries of our hero’s life. Based on modern times, the protagonists here are two filmmakers that are obsessed with doing a film about him. What’s exceptional about this movie is that the unnamed filmmakers has scenes where they actually interviewed Rizal’s mother, brother, sisters and other characters who in reality are already dead. It projects an exaggerating yet a dramatic way on how the filmmakers were able to acquire information regarding the different controversies in the life of our hero. This is another way on delving into Rizal’s life in an investigator’s perspective where a different cinematic element was incorporated. It is a complex film that talks about how Rizal became part of our culture and how we see him more as a famous icon rather than something much deeper than that.

The actors who played Jose Rizal in the films mentioned above all won an acting award: Cesar Montano (Jose Rizal), Albert Martinez (Rizal sa Dapitan) and Joel Torre (Bayaning 3rd World).These movies truly deserve to be viewed since it gives a diverse perspective of who Rizal is. He may already be dead but he will continuously live within the hearts every Filipino as a timeless man we all consider as our National Hero.

THE FIRST FILIPINO HERO

LAPU LAPU(2002)

BY:Maricar Dizon

Awarded as 2002 FAP Best Picture, Lapu lapu depicts not only the life of the first Filipino hero but as well as the culture and tradition of the early inhabitants of this land. The film also grabbed the Best Director for Direk William Mayo and a Best Actor for Lito Lapid who played the role of Raha Lapu lapu.

Set in the 16th Century, the film showed the life of the most courageous ruler of Mactan and head of the confederation of seven villagers. He's just and follows traditions but still the rulers of other villages, Raha Humabon(Vic Vargas) and Datu Zula(Roi Vinzon) envy him. In between fights, early Filipinos' culture and tradition were shown; how they worship their anitos, how they give sanctions to those who break rules, how to ask for a woman's hand to marriage-as what lapu lapu did to Bulakna(Joyce Jimenez), their wedding and many more. Lapu lapu also showed how courage and intelligence can win over powerful weapons when he killed Magellan (Dante Rivero) and his army.

It was very obvious why this film had grabbed such an award. It was done magnificently . It was realistic and technically exellent. The fight scenes were wonderfully executed and the set was properly placed.

However, the transitions and flow of the story were slow. Some of the characters were very passive and there are more dialogues than actions. The film will definitely challege anyone's patience and concentration.

Either way, Lapu lapu is surely one of William Mayo's masterpiece. He was able to answer the question every Filipino have been asking ever since time immemorial, Who killed Lapu lapu?

OFWs, THE MODERNIZED HEROES

by:Carla Andaya

Rory B. Quintos’ "Anak" is a heart warming mother-daughter movie by the Star Cinema showed last 2000. This is a story of an OFW mother who went in Hong Kong to work as a domestic helper. Portrayed by the Star of All Seasons, Vilma Santos, this OFW mother had a hard time getting the love back from her rebellious daughter played by Claudine Barretto. .

The highlight of the story is when Josie(Vilma) and Carla(Claudine) had a confrontation. She told her daughter the reason why she missed the burial of her husband, why she didn't call that time and why she was not always there when her family needs her the most. That moment, Carla realized all the sacrifices of her mother just to give them a better life.

The good thing with the film is that there's no antagonist. We might look Claudine as a hot tempered daughter but we will not hate her for that, because she had the reason why she hated her mother.

But this movie gave us an insight that there's no other way to give our family a good life but to go abroad and be far from them. And most of the time, they become domestic helpers.

Yes, Filipinos are known to be domestic helpers but there's nothing wrong with that. Because of their sacrifices and determination, because of their help in our economy, they are considered not just their families' heroes but also our country's modernized heroes.

MILA- A TRIBUTE TO ALL THE TEACHERS

By:Anna Mikhaella D. San Andres
A movie of a true modern hero!

A true to life story of Anita Pamintuan,directed by Joel Lamangan and written be Ricardo Lee. Maricel Soriano really did a good job here!

A story of a public school teacher, Maricel Soriano (Mila Cabangon) teaches grade three students in a public school. A witty diligent, patient zealous and an animated elementary teacher, she has a genuine concern for all her student. She patiently tries to understand what her students undergo, their woes, their problems, and is always ready to lend a listening ear for them. She’s always ready to give help to anyone, anytime, anywhere. She’s kind and approachable and is a friend to almost everyone, including those people you can’t expect to be her friend.

But behind all these is a person that has lot of problems; Mila has so many struggles in her life. Yet, she’s a strong woman who manages to overcome these. Her mom is a battered wife and her dad (Noni Buencamino) is a drunkard. She lost her job due to the teacher's strike. Worst of all, she discovered that her young lover, Primo (Piolo Pascual), was a drug addict and tried to extort their possessions in order to finance his vice.

After losing her job, she found herself in the streets of Ermita. First, she doesn’t know why she’s there. But as days went by, she find herself teaching the street children of Ermita, and also those,prostitutes who live there. There, she found the meaning of her life. She became contented on her life in Ermita though it’s a lot different in her life when she’s still teaching in the public school. She died in the streets of Ermita after some time, since she doesn’t have anyone to stay there in Ermita, she sleep in the streets of Ermita with only a mat and a blanket as her things. In the end, she died because of poverty.

Still, after she died, the government still didn’t give the wage increase the teachers fought for. They didn’t listen to the needs of the teachers, but continued to suppress them.

Mila did show us the reality our teachers are facing against the government, there are suppressed and their needs are not given by the government. Still, even though these problems arise, they still do their jobs with all of their hearts. They sacrifice, they experienced downfalls but these didn’t become hindrances for them to do impart us their knowledge, their experiences and the lessons they have learned in their life, that will serve as our guide in living out the life we dreamed of and fulfilling our goals.

SPECIAL FEATURE

BY: Maricar Dizon

Many producers create movies and television program. But not all their finished products are shown to the viewing public. This is when MTRCB( Movie, Television Regulatory and Censorship Board) enters the scene. MTRCB has gidelines on whether a film will be shown or not and to only what kind of audience it can be shown. This portion will cater the Movie Classifications and Guidelines as provided on Section 8 of MTRCB's rules and regulation.

A.GENERAL PATRONAGE

Movies classified General Patronage are for all ages. These films shall not, whether in theme and language, depict nudity, contain sex or violent scenes which would be offensive to parents whose minor children are to view the film. These films shall be guided under the following criteria

1.THEME- the theme shall be wholesome, reinforcing positive values

2.LANGUAGE- Obscene, profane or blasphemous language and cuss words shall not be allowed

3.NUDITY&SEX- scenes of nudity and sex shall not be allowed.

4.VIOLENCE- depiction of violence and the use of threatening language, weapons and special effect shall not tend to cause alarm, distress or stress and/or anxiety to children. Suicide scenes shall not be allowed.

5.DRUGS- no drugs and/or alcohol shall be allowed.

B.PARENTAL GUIDANCE 7

For ages 7 and above provided that the child between ages of 7 and 12 shall be accompanied by a responsible adult. Films classified "PG-7" shall be guided under the following criteria:

1.LANGUAGE- obscene and profane language shall not be allowed. Language beyond polite conversation may be allowed provided they are common everyday expression.

2.NUDITY&SEX- discreet indication or references to sensuality in the context of a normal and healthy family life may be allowed.

3.VIOLENCE- inexplicit forms of violence maybe allowed if appropriate to the story line. only discreet reference to suicide maybe allowed.

4.DRUGS- no depiction of actual intake or use of prohibited drugs or other illegal substance or alcohol nor the pleasurable effects thereof shall be allowed.

C.PARENTAL GUIDANCE 13

For ages 13 and above. Film classified PG-13 shall be guided by the following criteria.

1.LANGUAGE- use of intermittent cuss words but not in a sexual content shall be allowed. obscene and profane language shall not be allowed.

2.NUDITY&SEX-some nudity that's relevant to the storyline but not sensually oriented shall be allowed. Portrayal of nudity shall be inexplicit and may only be allowed when the story line or program content so necessitate.

3.VIOLENCE-depiction of violence shall be inexplicit and appropriate to the story line and thematic context. Suicide scenes shall not be explicit.

4.DRUGS- no depiction of actual intake or use of prohibited drugs or other illegal substance nor the pleasurable effects thereof shall be allowed in all instances, the depiction of drug use shall carry a redeeming value.

D. FOR ADULTS ONLY R-18

R-18 For persons 18 years of age and above. films classified R-18 shall be here in guided accordingly
1. LANGUAGE- Obscene language may be allowed but not consistently prevident.

2.NUDITY&SEX- brief nudity with sensual scenes may be allowed if relevant to the storyline. Explicit sex scenes shall not be allowed.

3.VIOLENCE- no excessive violence nor explicit scenes of suicide shall be allowed.

4.DRUGS- Inexplicit use of actual intake and preparation thereof, as well as the pleasures that are shown to be derived there from, maybe shown only in so far relevant to the thematic content of the movie.

E. NOT FOR PUBLIC VIEWING

X-RATED Films classified as X are films that are immoral, indecent, contrary to law and/or good customs and/to the best interest of the public in general, or any other legitimate public interest such as, but not limited to those stated in sections 6 & 7 of Chapter III.

LOCAL ROMANCE - COMEDY

A VERY SPECIAL LOVE (2008)
by:Marian Carpo

This is definitely a very special movie for you to watch!

Star Cinema and Viva Films undoubtedly made a remarkable box office hit out of Direk Cathy Garci-Molina's film "A Very Special Love" featuring two of the most in demand stars of today's generation: John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo.

The story was very light which is just right since it's the first time John Lloyd and Sarah's team up was brought on a big screen and a love-comedy film suits them very well. The script was good and had a smooth flow of lines from one character to another. The reason behind Miguel's (John Lloyd) attitude of wanting to be number one on everything was justified accordingly and excellently.

John Lloyd has proven himself as a great actor in this movie. He has this expressive eyes that coincide with what his character actually feels at a particular scene. His gaze are like unwritten dialogues conveying the right amount of emotions whenever the camera starts rolling.

Sarah's acting skill was surprisingly good here. She delivered her drama parts well enough to be complimented and was able to stand head on head with John Lloyd's acting. Aside from that, you will also remember her comical role in this movie where she effectively became not only a drama actress but a comedianne as well! The only little problem is her voice. She has this monotonous tone when she throws her line (as if she's doing a hosting job) which was natural to her but in some way it bothers to hear the same intonation again and again. It somehow distracted (well just a little) the mood of a particular drama scene she had with John Lloyd, but her acting was good enough to cover up for it.

In terms of music, there were only few songs (lyrical music) used and mostly minor scenes were supported by instrumentals. As expected, the theme song were the one used to highlight the major scenes. But there was this specific situation where Miguel got sick and Laida (Sarah) took care of him on which the background song does not fit with the scene.

Technically speaking, the director did a wonderful job in incorporating the best cinematic aspect that conformed to the story. So in the end, I trully recommend this movie to those who wants to feel simple love at it's deepest and delightful way you will surely remember. This movie deserves a two thumbs up!

ROMANCE

THE CLASSIC (2003)
by: Maricar Dizon
The Classic is a Korean movie starring Son Ye-Jin, Cho Seung-woo and Cho In-sung. It is a romantic story set on two different time.

It began when Ji-hae, a college student went back to their old house to fix the things that were left by her parents. There she saw a treasure box of her mother filled with love letters and a diary. As the story goes, the life of her mother (Joo Hee) as a young woman was told especially her first love. As the troubles and heartache of Joo Hee's love affair was revealed, Ji Hae also suffers the pain of her love to Sang-min, a theatre actor and the greatest love of her friend Soo-gyung. The story of her mother as well as hers were slowly ended differently.

The film has a strong impact not just because of the romantic element but as well as the setting, musical score and shots. It was presented just as what it should be, very classic.

Though it was beautifully written, there are characters that are not necessary to the story and some of the scenes are slow paced.

Any how, "The Classic" is still one of the movies that will make a mark to any viewer's heart. It's title speaks for itself, it is indeed a classic.

ANIMATION

URDUJA (2008)
by: Jemelyn Ambrosio
Urduja, a Filipino animation is a result of APt productions ' 11 years of hard work with stars like Cesar Montano as Limhang and Regine Velasquez as Urduja.

The technicality of the film was quite good, being amature in animation the film was able to bring the characters into life and to capture the Filipinos love for music. The plot of the movie was wonderfully presented as well.

Urduja's story is similar to Pocahontas, the scenes were predictable that's why it cannot trigger a viewers excitement. There are no one-liners that caught the attention of its viewers.

The movie was surely a winner for the children's heart but to the critic's eye it needs some improvement.