The Masseur (Masahista)

Reprinted courtesy of Sean C. At the Movies

I had been losing faith in Filipino cinema in recent years, mostly due to the work of Crisaldo Pablo. He has given the cinematic world such gems as Doubt (Duda), Bathhouse and Circles (Bilog). These films remind me of a Filipino versions of Richard Anthony Films projects Traveling to Olympia, Revenge in Olympia and Slice of Terror. All of these films are pseudo soft-core porn/erotica with very weak stories and very uneven acting. But The Masseur is different.

The story is of a young man who works in a massage parlor to earn money for his family who live in a suburb. The day before his father dies, he has a client who crosses his professional boundaries and make him re-examine his entire life.

This film was both sensual and engaging. The physical intimacy between the characters was not gratuitous, but instead realistic. It provided a framework of strangers in the night looking for a moment of human connection. This connection is in sharp contrast the the distance that exists between the protagonist and his father. A distance that is ironically shortened since death.

I want to thank director Brillante Mendoza for restoring my faith in modern Filipino queer cinema. I am looking forward to his future projects to serve as a counter balance to the works of Crisaldo Pablo.

The Ten

A 2007 selection from SIFF, The Ten is a series of interconnected shorts related to the Christian Ten Commandments, framed through a single narrator on a blank stage with two giant tables of the Ten Commandments behind him. Far from being religious and preachy, The Ten is funny, witty and at times borderline sacrilegious in its interpretation of the Commandments.

Each story builds upon the prior through the use of the same characters. at the same time as the narrator has his own back story playing out in between the Commandment stories with the story characters playing additional cameos.

The majority of the stories are not literal interpretations of the Commandments intent, except perhaps for the story on "Thou Shall Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Goods" in which two neighbors engage in a modern day keeping up with the Joneses over who can have the most CAT Scan machines.

The Ten is a testament to independent filmmaking taking a traditionally held concept and making it something wholly new and entertaining for a modern audience. Definitely needs to be experienced first hand since no review can ever properly describe this rich film which has something for everyone.

2009 Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival

The Filmfreak Mafia's Godfather picks for the 2009 Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival opening on Friday, October 16, 2009 and running through Sunday, October 25, 2009 (in alphabetical order):

The Big Gay Musical

Boys Shorts

City of Borders

College Boys Live

Dancing Queens: Shorts

Dangerous Desires: Shorts

Eating Out 3: All You Can Eat

An Englishman in New York

Gay TV Dinner: Set to Stun

Getting Off

The Good American

Homo Emo: Shorts

Hollywood, je t'aime

Lokas

Looking for Romeo

Make the Yuletide Gay

The Man Who Loved Yngve

Misconceptions

Mr. Right

Prayers for Bobby

Shank

Soundless Wind Chime

Talk Dirty to Me: Shorts

Westside Story Sing-a-long

Hiatus

Due to a variety of things going on, the Filmfreak Mafia will be on hiatus. Watch for our return in time for the 14th Annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Fest in October 2009.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Reprinted courtesy of Sean C. At the Movies

Sweeney Todd marks the 6th collaboration between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp (see Edwad Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Based on a Stephen Sondheim musical, Burton's version is dark and brooding. The songs amplify this mood and make the bloody imagery even more unsettling.

Sweeney Todd's quest for revenge against those who wronged him and his family is understandable and the final irony (you need to watch this Romeo & Julietesque moment for yourself) leaves you speechless. This serves as a ying to the yang of the love story between Anthony and Johanna. This formula creates a film that leaves you cheering for both the lovers and the murderer.

In this modern age of vigilante justice, Sweeney Todd can serve as a warning to others, that while perceived justice may be served, but karma is a bitch.

Annie Hall

Love him or hate him, Woody Allen is an institution of the American cinema. His 1978 Academy Award winning film Annie Hall is among the most influential of all his works. This very simple film about a middle age New York comedian recounting the failure of his relationship with Annie Hall solidified the many now commonly used narrative device, most notably characters directly addressing the viewer mid-scene.

During the course of the movie we see its protagonist Alvy Singer, played by Woody Allen, exemplify the stereotypical neurotic New Yorker, who engages in continuous comical self-reflection and categorical summarizing of people he meets and sees. This narrative technique is one that would later be used extensively by the television hit Seinfeld.

At the end of the day, and after trying a number of times, Alvy and Annie could not make their relationship work no matter how much they loved each other. This is a powerful message that will always resonate with viewers that love is not enough to keep two people together. But the memories will always make for a wonderful story.

Julie & Julia

Have you ever had a hero who inspired you to make a major change in your life? If so, then Julie & Julia is your story as much as it is of Julie Powell and Julia Child. Julie & Julia is an innovative film which follows the lives of both women as they discover the that the joy of cooking has surpassed simply a hobby and has become a means for defining their lives.

Through its very well balanced 50/50 division of time, Julie & Julia effectively conveys both Julia Child's training and rise to fame and Julie Powell's progressing through Mastering the Art of French Cooking, one recipe at a time.

The film offers a very subtle, but significant message: that our heroes can and very likely will disappoint, for their inability to live up to our expectations. This proves very true for Julie Powell when she learns that Julia Child is not supportive of The Julie/Julia Project and on fact has a very strong and negative opinion about it.

Amy Adams portrays Julie Powell's devastation in a most empathetic fashion that you cannot help but remember your own individual experiences in the same situation. It this moment in the film which gives the film its authenticity and reason enough for it to be watched by everyone.