The silver screen experience, part 1
In this day and age of online video streaming and torrent websites, the movie-going wisdom "Films are made to be seen inside the theater" has become inconsequential and optional more than ever. I won't attempt to posture myself as a holier-than-thou cineaste, for watching films online (like at YouTube or at movie2k) or having them downloaded is something that I also find myself doing a hundred times (and without a guilty conscience to boot!). This piece, however, isn't about elucidating the reasons why many of us would rather watch films in our private little niche than bother to pay a ticket to experience viewing them inside the cold and dark theater. I'd leave that to the social or behavioral psychologists. Rather, the slant of this piece would be more subjective and personal, that is, it concerns something that I found out in myself in regards my film-watching habit and inclination this past year.
For 2014, I found myself visiting the movie-houses considerably more than I'd spend the time watching a newly-acquired DVD on my portable player or a recently-downloaded film on my laptop in the comfort of my room. So much so that during the last four months of the past year, I practically saw not a single film either on the player or on the laptop. This isn't to say though that in the months before that, I was able to watch a whole lot of movies through those mediums. On the contrary, the most that I could watch in a month was five or even less, unlike in the previous years where I could "devour" as much as twenty movies on DVD in a month. Trite as this may sound, during the past year, I once again discovered the inimitable joy and pleasure of watching films inside the theater, of frequenting the metropolitan cineplex on an almost-weekly basis to catch the latest release. Modesty aside, the cost of the ticket isn't exactly much of an issue, because, as it has come to be, an addiction knows no cost.
There's really this unparalleled magic one feels when one is watching a film inside the cinema, that unique sense of being completely "shut off" from the outside world (even for just a few hours) and being totally enveloped by the moving image on the big screen as one savors the picture inside the cold and dark atmosphere of the movie-house. Never mind if there are still some annoying jerks who just don't have basic decency and consideration to observe basic movie-house rules (like no texting or talking over the phone). As far as I'm concerned, I still have the patience of Job for these beings. Plus, it may happen that mitigating the "situation" could be more like dousing gasoline over a fire;I just don't want to ruin further my cinematic experience. I'll be content in praying for their souls for now.
This time of "re-discovery" couldn't have been more opportune. One of the most remarkable things that happened in our cinemas in 2014 was that it saw the release of a number of arthouse or festival-circuit or even "obscure" films, those works that, under "normal" circumstances, wouldn't really be given a chance to have a regular screening in our theaters. There may be a number of reasons involved in such a sudden "stroke of luck", but I'd still like to think that (no matter how naive this may be) it was primarily because of the producer, distributor and theater-owner having finally found that moment of eureka. Thanks to the much sought-after wisdom from above, we were finally able to see the following films on the big screen:
Another noteworthy aspect of last year's movie-house experience is that we got to see a good number of Hollywood blockbuster fare that managed to be more than just popcorn entertainment. Some of them had intelligence, sense and sincere cinematic affections which greatly enhanced their entertainment value. To wit: Gareth Edward's "Godzilla", a reverential remake;Bryan Singer's "X-Men: Days of Future Past", refreshingly imbued with the director's distinct filmmaking sensibility;Doug Liman's "The Edge of Tomorrow", a wild and wacky ride featuring a much-battered hero in Tom Cruise;James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy", Marvel's high-risk gamble that paid off in high doses of absolute fun and spectacle;Luc Besson's "Lucy", which signals the filmmaker's return to the tradition of cinéma du look;David Ayer's "Fury", a vigorous portrait of war as a losing battle;Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies", in which an hour-long depiction of a battle is pure Jackson idiosyncrasy. This is probably too much to ask, but are we in for another phase of Hollywood Renaissance?
(Next: The film festivals.)
For 2014, I found myself visiting the movie-houses considerably more than I'd spend the time watching a newly-acquired DVD on my portable player or a recently-downloaded film on my laptop in the comfort of my room. So much so that during the last four months of the past year, I practically saw not a single film either on the player or on the laptop. This isn't to say though that in the months before that, I was able to watch a whole lot of movies through those mediums. On the contrary, the most that I could watch in a month was five or even less, unlike in the previous years where I could "devour" as much as twenty movies on DVD in a month. Trite as this may sound, during the past year, I once again discovered the inimitable joy and pleasure of watching films inside the theater, of frequenting the metropolitan cineplex on an almost-weekly basis to catch the latest release. Modesty aside, the cost of the ticket isn't exactly much of an issue, because, as it has come to be, an addiction knows no cost.
There's really this unparalleled magic one feels when one is watching a film inside the cinema, that unique sense of being completely "shut off" from the outside world (even for just a few hours) and being totally enveloped by the moving image on the big screen as one savors the picture inside the cold and dark atmosphere of the movie-house. Never mind if there are still some annoying jerks who just don't have basic decency and consideration to observe basic movie-house rules (like no texting or talking over the phone). As far as I'm concerned, I still have the patience of Job for these beings. Plus, it may happen that mitigating the "situation" could be more like dousing gasoline over a fire;I just don't want to ruin further my cinematic experience. I'll be content in praying for their souls for now.
This time of "re-discovery" couldn't have been more opportune. One of the most remarkable things that happened in our cinemas in 2014 was that it saw the release of a number of arthouse or festival-circuit or even "obscure" films, those works that, under "normal" circumstances, wouldn't really be given a chance to have a regular screening in our theaters. There may be a number of reasons involved in such a sudden "stroke of luck", but I'd still like to think that (no matter how naive this may be) it was primarily because of the producer, distributor and theater-owner having finally found that moment of eureka. Thanks to the much sought-after wisdom from above, we were finally able to see the following films on the big screen:
- "Snowpiercer": Maverick Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's provocative and intelligent apocalyptic sci-fi may have met its cruel fate in the hands of the Weinsteins, but there's certainly no stopping his - or, in effect, Korean cinema's - gonzo sensibility from being transplanted in Hollywoodland.
- "The Grand Budapest Hotel": Wes Anderson, precocious as ever, gives us a whimsical farce that's visually delightful and inventive as it's intellectually satisfying and emotionally charming.
- "The Raid 2: Berandal": Gareth Evans is, without a doubt, the best action director of this generation. With "The Raid 2", he outdoes what he has set in the first part and seriously raises the bar several notches higher for all the other action films to follow (that is, if ever they'd be able to). This one packs a visceral wallop that's truly unforgettable - and bruising.
- "Life After Beth": Jeff Baena's zombie rom-com may not exactly make sense, but it can't be denied that it's audacious and it still knows where its heart is.
- "The Canyons": Yeah, I know. Had Paul Schrader and Bret Easton Ellis given more thought and skill in this film (and we know fully well that they're capable of that), it wouldn't have become a shameful wreck. But the intent of portraying the dark side of Hollywood stardom is still there and we may come to realize after all that Lindsay Lohan actually showed guts in making a parody of herself.
- "Under the Skin": Jonathan Glazer's sci-fi parable is unlike anything we've seen before. It provides us with a wholly unique and otherworldly cinematic experience. This film makes me clamor for Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" to be finally released, in its full widescreen glory, in our time.
- "The Babadook": Jennifer Kent's horror gem is absolutely creepy and unsettling. Making excellent use of sound design, it mines on fear and anxiety that may come, not from seeing a nocturnal ghoul, but from our own selves.
- "Whiplash": This Sundance and Cannes little gem from Damien Chazelle is completely stunning in all respects. The blood and sweat that drip from the film are invested with so much emotional wallop that by the time it ends, our souls are altogether bruised, yet triumphant. If the two wonderful actors here, Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons, would largely go unnoticed in next year's award-giving bodies, then there's really no justice in the world.
- "Boyhood": The past year couldn't have ended better than with Richard Linklater's ambitious, yet unassuming, portrait of growing up and family life. The 12-year-in-the-making conceit really pays off in spades, as we see life unfolding as it is right before our own eyes. The film just touches our humanity to the core. Without a doubt, this is the talented American filmmaker's crowning achievement. All he needs now is to surpass himself.
Another noteworthy aspect of last year's movie-house experience is that we got to see a good number of Hollywood blockbuster fare that managed to be more than just popcorn entertainment. Some of them had intelligence, sense and sincere cinematic affections which greatly enhanced their entertainment value. To wit: Gareth Edward's "Godzilla", a reverential remake;Bryan Singer's "X-Men: Days of Future Past", refreshingly imbued with the director's distinct filmmaking sensibility;Doug Liman's "The Edge of Tomorrow", a wild and wacky ride featuring a much-battered hero in Tom Cruise;James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy", Marvel's high-risk gamble that paid off in high doses of absolute fun and spectacle;Luc Besson's "Lucy", which signals the filmmaker's return to the tradition of cinéma du look;David Ayer's "Fury", a vigorous portrait of war as a losing battle;Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies", in which an hour-long depiction of a battle is pure Jackson idiosyncrasy. This is probably too much to ask, but are we in for another phase of Hollywood Renaissance?
(Next: The film festivals.)
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