Movies: April 2010 Archives

Ebertfest: Day 1

Michael Mirasol

on April 22, 2010 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Like the day before, I couldn't sleep much this morning. I had slept at 11pm last night and woke up around 3am thinking about what I should blog. After posting "A Campus Tour and a Pizza Party," I freshened up for an interview for the local radio program "Penny For Your Thoughts" at the NewsTalk 1400 WDWS-AM station. Nate Kohn invited me to come along and assist him in filling him for Walter Hirsch, the sound & film editor of APOCALYPSE NOW who couldn't make it to the festival due to being stranded in Europe (Volcanic Ash).

It was there that Nate and I were met and interviewed by Jim Turpin who has hosted the program for over 30 years. Nate and I supplied info about ourselves and Ebertfest to help promote it. It was my first ever radio interview and Jim really eased us into it. He makes it look effortless. What a real pleasure talking to him.

After the interview Nate was kind enough to suggest we drive through the town where he and Roger Ebert grew up (pretty close!). He took me through my idealized notions of the Midwest middle class neighborhood, were it looked as if nobody locked their doors. I walked up to Roger's house and was amazed how small it is. All I can say is that I grew up in a poor household, and Roger's place was smaller than ours. I don't think anyone can accuse roger of being rich and out of touch after seeing his childhood home.

After driving back to The Union, I rested up for a bit and waited for lunchtime, where the Foreign Correspondents who were present agreed that we'd have lunch at Steak N' Shake. Our excitement was palpable.

It was here I met Ali Arikan in person for the first time. I expected someone physically larger due to Roger's claims of Ali's prodigious consumption capabilities. Don't let his size fool you. He has an unshakeable confidence that is by no means cocky. His presence is respected and felt. I also think it's cool that he looks like Steve Nash.

So Seongyong, Gerardo, Mrs. (Monica) Gerardo, Ali and me were picked up by my "host" Spencer Turkin, who for some reason was the only one available at the time to take us out for lunch (a guy you can depend on). We got to Steak N' Shake and made our orders.

It was the best burger I've ever had. Not too soft, not tough, not too big, not just simply beef. It had a rich and varied flavor with a size I can only describe as perfect. I have been on a successful diet for the last month and half and have lost 7kg in that time, so I did not order a "Chocolate Fudge Milkshake" that would decimate my efforts. It was so good that I had one to go. Ali liked it so much he had another one right there and then (but he's a runner, so his metabolism takes care of it).

And as if our trip wasn't amazing enough, Spencer noticed that a camera crew from the local ABC News Channel 15 had staked us out. Apparently, they must've picked up on Roger's tweet of us heading to Steak N' Shake. Reporter Ryann Monahan asked to interview several of us and film us conversing over lunch. I found it surreal and was stunned (I still don't know how I should have reacted). Ali was a pro and took care of it. You can see the results.

Never before have I been asked for a broadcast interview, let alone twice in one day. Even Spencer thought it was a blast. Thanks Rog! :)

We headed back to the Union for some rest, to get ready for the Opening Night gala and film showings. I wanted to come off looking professional, but I think I came across more as a Secret Service Agent.

Too late to dress down, we proceeded to the University President's residence, which was elegant and picturesque. It was there I met the rest of the Correspondents: Grace Wang, Omer Mozaffar, and Omar Moore.

It was truly wonderful being in each other's company. Roger's patronage of our passion for movies didn't only move our hearts, but it also gave us a whole new set of friends, those I personally can talk to in the language of film which I am not able to share with even those dearest to me. I finally have these cinephiles I can relate to.

As the gala went on, the University President, his wife, and other dignitaries praised him, his festival, and those who helped make it happen. I thought that was that, and then mingle time (something I'm kind of dreadful at). But Roger, through Chaz, highlighted us correspondents once more, asking us to come up front, soak the applause, and sit near him (I don't think I've ever received that kind of reception in my entire life). He then introduced the rest of the festival guests who were present, with the great film writers/directors Charlie Kaufman and Michael Tolkin, amount others. His introduction of Claire Sardina, was especially touching.

Time flew, and before you knew it, everyone was headed towards the Virginia Theater. I used my VIP pass, an object I am totally unfamiliar with, and headed into the theater. Its rustic ruby-lit atmosphere, along with its large size (for 35-70mm projections) was beautiful. The tireless Chaz Ebert once again addressed the audience. And though I thought my bouts of shyness would be over, she highlighted us again, one by one, to an even larger, warmer applause. That's twice in one day, that I've experienced something surreal and immensely special, twice more.

After Roger was honored by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn with today being honored as "Ebertfest Day," the first film showd was Pink Floyd's THE WALL. I had heard about the film before as a child, but nothing could have prepared me for its power, its creativity, its grotesqueness, its music, and its unbridled passion. Roger is right when he considers it a "Great" Movie.

Ali Arikan takes the stage as a panelist, conversing with the splendid AP film critic Christy Lemire and musician Tom Dark, and he is absolutely in his element, bringing up interesting points of view and analysis. Yes I sound like a play-by-play announcer, but I can't help but root for my fellow FC! We have to represent! Ok I'll stop.

The next showing was that of DU LEVANDE (YOU, THE LIVING), A Swedish film that can be both depressing and joyful, and definitely unforgettable. The film was moderated by Michael Phillips, co-host of Roger's former show "At The Movies," the great film critic Elvis Mitchell, a professor from the University of Georgia whose name I have forgotten, fellow correspondent Gerardo Valero, and Roger Ebert. I found it wonderful to listen to Elvis once again (I just had to), as I miss his reviews at the New York Times, and was lucky and honored to interact with both he and Mr. Phillips. If only we could do it once more at length.

Who knows there are 4 more days to go. The night ended with tired movie lovers, but replenished souls. Here's to Day 2.

A Campus Tour and a Pizza Party

Michael Mirasol

on April 21, 2010 8:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

The day before Ebertfest was fairly uneventful, with the whole morning spent touring the campus grounds, which was quite something for me since I haven't walked that much since my previous University days (has it really been 15 years?).

For those new to the festival, it is held at Urbana, Illinois, right on the outskirts of the campus of the University of Illinois in neighboring Champaign. I've been to large campus grounds before, but UIUC is in a league of its own. Spanning over 3 zip codes and holding 40,000 students, it's a virtual city of youth with sprinklings of small town flavor and historic America. I don't think I've ever been in a city with such dominant and varied shades of rustic brown and mahogany. Even new buildings are purposely built to fit in with the old.

My campus guide is Spencer Turkin, who does play-by-play announcing for major sporting events. I find it remarkable that despite being an out-of-state sophomore, he knows more about his campus than most University seniors I have known all my life. He tells me he just has a real love for his school, and that it helps him a lot during his broadcasts when he has to "fill in" lulls with information.

We walked and we walked and we walked. Over two zip codes I believe. There were fascinating science and research buildings (first time I've ever been to one doing Nuclear Engineering), including a facility that houses Blue Water, which might be the most powerful supercomputer in the world (HAL!). And old style campus buildings with glorious green scenery (the main quadrangle is a student's dream).

But the highlight of my tour was being able to visit Memorial Stadium, my only experience to step into a real life football field (Yes, I had my RUDY moment walking out into the stands). It's a unique thing stepping into a facility that can house over 60,000 people, which is still considered small compared to its rivals.

I walked to the field across to the 50-yard line on the 'I' of the Illini initial, the first time I grasped the vastness of the playing field, and further appreciated the speed which football players are able to traverse what I wouldn't even be able to sprint full length. Spencer said I was lucky that the facility wasn't locked as it usually is (Heavens be praised!).

And what an honor to see the World War 2 tributes outside the stadium, and especially see Grange Rock, a huge slab of Indiana quarry used to build the stadium dedicated to Red Grange, one of American football's icons.

I've been to the US many times before, on both coasts and around the Midwest, but visiting these campus landmarks was really special; definitely unique.

I headed back to my quarters to prepare for last night's Pizza Party at Cowboy Monkey, which was held for the Festival's volunteers. I met Clare Margiotta, a teacher who said she had been volunteering for years now. I met Nate Kohn the Festival director who was with there with Roger Ebert from its inception. Nate asked me to participate in a radio interview the next morning, which will be a first for me. I also met Mary Susan Britt, who is Nate's right hand in getting the festival to fruition.

I happily was able to meet Seongyong Cho (South Korea) and Gerardo Valero with his lovely wife Monica (Mexico). We recognized each other immediately from seeing our video reviews. Their love of films was clearly evident, as we talked about it often through the night. We kept asking how did we get here, and they were interesting stories with a lot in common, Roger of course.

Speaking of which, Roger Ebert, his wife Chaz, and their assistant Carol arrived later that evening as they had driven into town that very day. Though you wouldn't call the Bar crowd a throng, it certainly did gravitate his way. It was the first time I got to see him in person (Seongyong that lucky devil got to meet them while he was sightseeing in Chicago), and the moment I spotted him, something knotted up in me. It wasn't the pizza.

Call it a mix of disbelief, immense gratitude, deep realization, and just a plain case of being starstruck, My eyes welled up. Seongyong, Gerardo, Monica and I were at the end of the bar, and the night's couple were making their way in our direction. My eyes met Roger's and we knew each other right away. He reached out to hug me, patted me on the back. I patted my left hand on my heart, showing him it was a very special moment. He knew.

Inner voice to self: Too many cameras! No crying! Must maintain dignity!

Chaz then took the mic and took the time to thank everyone who had attended, Including Vincent P. Falk, the subject of the documentary VINCENT: A LIFE IN COLOR. Names were mentioned, gratitude was sincerely given, and if you've never seen anybody smile with their eyes, you should've seen Roger that night. His peepers lit up with joy seeing everyone's efforts bear fruit. Personally I wanted to pull him aside take a picture, but hell, everybody there wanted to. So did Entertainment Tonight (which was there to interview him and Chaz).

But he did take our picture in a group photo. He sent us a copy when the night was over (the man never rests!). By the way, I gave the flowers!

Roger and Me

Michael Mirasol

on April 20, 2010 8:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

I rarely mark down memorable dates on my email inbox. But Jan 13, 2010 is one I'll never forget. It's when I received this email from Roger Ebert:

Dear Michael,

Do you think it would be possible for you to come to Urbana-Champaign to attend Ebertfest 2010? ...

We would like you to appear on a panel discussion, "Film lovers in the age of the internet," on the morning of April 23. ...

I hope you can accept. Your writing on films and other subjects has greatly impressed me. ...

Here was my panicked reply:

My jaw dropped. My heart stopped. I'll have to think about this very carefully. But if I am given the go signal, I'll go in a heartbeat. ...

I was living at the time in Saudi Arabia. In the first quarter of 2009 my company in Malaysia let me go because of the global economic crisis (it's not just Americans who have a beef with the buffoons of Wall Street). My wife became the breadwinner at that point, but our income was not the same, and our savings were at risk of being hit. After looking for two months, every scarce job opening was fought for tooth and nail, and opportunities for expats were next to nil. An opportunity opened up in Saudi Arabia, one of the few places not affected by the financial crisis.

I would have been a fool not to accept. I did and off I went by myself.

Being in Saudi Arabia was... interesting (that's another blog entry). It pays incredibly well, but if money's all you want, that's all you'll get. I dealt with a culture and norms that went against my very principles, but you do what have to do to survive.

Living there was a blow to my movie-going habits. The only film I saw in my time there was AVATAR (and I had to go all the way to Bahrain to see it). My film awareness was on life support, and Roger's film reviews and commentary were my IV. I came to know Roger a bit better after he mentioned my blog among "The blogs of his blogs", which stunned me. I'm a regular on his, and never did I think he would take the time to really delve into my interests. It shows how open-minded and generous he really is.

Then came my traffic accident (which I blogged about here and here), one of the worst experiences of my life. It took me about a month to fully recuperate. When Roger learned of it, I was touched by his concern.

So imagine my succeeding astonishment when he asked me to be one of his foreign correspondents:

December 21, 2009

By the way, what do you think about the Foreign Correspondents? Do you want to be in or out?

As usual, my scaredy cat reply:

O man, I would love to be in, But if I need to be on video, I think I'd crap all over myself.

What would I need to be in that doesn't involve my double chin?

And then came my "What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy?" reply:

On 2nd thought. I'll give it a shot. I'm just nervous, but what the hell. :)

So far I've done 6 pieces for the Foreign Correspondents page, all of which I put a lot of work in and am very proud of (rehearsal is king). Because of Roger's belief in me, I've rediscovered my passion for movies again (the classics especially). I hadn't written about film for what seemed to be the longest time, because it wasn't what put food on the table. I found my voice again, which I thought I had lost for good. Though it's not my day job, I'm trying to bring back film criticism back into my life again. I understand now fully what A.O. Scott told me: Criticism is a way of life. Without it, I'm not whole.

As for Roger's invitation to attend Ebertfest, as of now, I have been writing this piece since 3am in the morning at The Illini Union where I will be staying until the festival ends, too giddy to sleep, with too many thoughts running through me. I have left my job in Saudi Arabia, and will be working again in Malaysia next month. I'll be serving as a panelist and getting a chance to discuss a film with the great film critic David Bordwell (Yes, I'm OMG-ing in anticipation and mostly fright). I'll also be blogging about Roger Ebert's Film Festival from here on.

This is the first time I've written an entry like this. I was immensely concerned that this would come across as arrogant, "tooting" my horn so to speak. It's not my style to be write so much about myself, as I like to keep low key.

Asking for advice, fellow Filipino film critic Francis "Oggs" Cruz (among others) told me to just do it, and not to be too modest. "You worked hard for it."

In my own way, yes I did. But I'll never forget Roger's kindness in helping me get here. From a near-death event, I'm now seeing my dream come true. He has become in his own way, a dear friend to me.

Roger wrote me after my accident:

December 10, 2009

Heal. Calm. Rededicate your life which has been given back to you.

Thanks to you Roger, I will.

HIMALA (***)

Michael Mirasol

on April 3, 2010 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This review is for Roger Ebert's Foreign Correspondents page.

This week is Holy Week, a time when Christians around the world are encouraged to be introspective and repentant in observation of Jesus Christ's self-sacrifice for the sins of man. In light of this, the most important period of the Catholic calendar, are the Church's controversies. The most recent of which are the child abuse sex scandals in Europe and America.

Regardless of how one feels about the Vatican and its handling of its recent crises, one cannot help but doubt how much we feel let down. Religion of any sort has long been regarded as our moral authority. Some today will think it is outdated, others still necessary. Everyone should be able to believe what they want to, but there is no doubt that when it comes to belief, there is nothing quite as dangerous as blind faith.

If there was ever a film about the evils of blind faith, it is Ishmael Bernal's Filipino film HIMALA (meaning "miracle" in Tagalog). And among films involving religion, it is unique in its brave stand against it, long before the last 25 years or so, where it has become fashionable enough to do so.

The film is set in a provincial town, beset by poverty, disease, and harsh climate. Elsa (Nora Aunor), one of its residents, claims to have seen the Blessed Virgin Mary atop a barren hill at the town's outskirts. Soon she is associated with healing the sick. Several visitors become dozens, dozens become hundreds, and before you can say hallelujah, she becomes a news sensation.

Good publicity brings good business. Her fame even brings tourists. Orly (Spanky Manikan), an out-of-town filmmaker, comes to film Elsa's exploits, more skeptical than curious. Another significant arrival is Nimia (Gigi Dueñas), Elsa's close childhood friend, who has returned from the big city (Manila) where she fled prostitution. With the number of people visiting the town, she puts up a cabaret, which surely serves more than song and dance.

Then something befalls Elsa and her confidante Chayong (Laura Centeno) which portends the end of their good fortune. It is followed by a cholera outbreak which Elsa cannot heal. The deaths that result elicit the town's blame. Tourists stop coming, a wealthy patron is murdered, a cherished friend commits suicide. Elsa blames herself for everything. And that's not the end of it.

Many essays that have cited the film note Elsa's healings, but is there really anyone in the film who is directly healed as a result of her? We are told of her miracles, we see her devotees, we even see her go through the motions. But there is not one scene where an ailment disappears or where a suffering is lifted. It cannot be coincidental. Bernal emphasizes that seeing is believing, at least to himself.

The film likes to focus at the seemingly illogical decisions impoverished people make for the sake of being devout. The town is almost desperately poor. Makeshift hostels are put up to cater for foreigners and their indiscretions, but personal fortunes are sacrificed to stay holy. Nimia gets criticized for putting up what is essentially a strip joint, but in a desolate area where nothing seems to grow, it puts food on the table for those who work there.

Though the film may seem against religion, it doesn't take pot shots at the Church. Remarkably, one of the film's most sane characters is the town's priest (Joel Lamangan who is today a successful Filipino director), who is also skeptical of Elsa's gifts. Whatever his reasons are for doing so, the words he imparts to his flock are restrained and thoughtful.

Nora Aunor is an actress of legendary proportions in the Philippines, whose reputation was most likely canonized by this film. Though she can act with the best of them, what draws Philippines audiences to her is her commonality. She truly looks like an ordinary Filipina, but her acting instincts are at par with the best in knowing how to draw mass sympathy. Here she is, as Filipino film critic Noel Vera best puts it, Bernal's "enigma," dousing any suspicions or presumptions we have of her. Whatever Elma's reasons are, they remain her own, right down to the end.

The film is has many weaknesses. For Filipinos, the dialogue though smartly written is far from genuine. With characters always speaking sequentially, at times it feels like a radio drama play. (but compared to mainstream Philippine cinema, it will feel like a breath of fresh air). Apart from Nora Aunor, the acting is almost completely restrained, with hardly any emotional exclamations of any kind, until the end that is (perhaps it is meant that way to serve a genuine horror at the film's climax). Several events serve no genuine purpose than plot points (Why did Elsa do what she did at the beginning? Why did Orly not act? How could the outrage at Elsa towards the end happen so quickly?), and the explanations behind them, if any, are unbelievable.

Yet these failings fail to derail Ishmael Bernal's mission, which is to show how we disgrace ourselves once we fail to question our most cherished beliefs. We are shown people sacrificing their livelihood, families, and futures, all for the belief that God will help those who do not help themselves. We hear about this in industrialized nations such as the US, but it happens all too often in third world countries as well. And the films mass gatherings, especially in the film's final sequence, are more horrifying than any mass zombie attack. The desperate hope these people display hold a mesmerizing power of hopelessness.

The Philippines is a country where the Catholic Church rules. Divorce and abortion are illegal. Clergymen interfere in politics routinely. Sex education is labelled as a work of the devil. Forgiveness is as easy as sin (Wiki "Imelda" and "Erap"). Ishmael Bernal's HIMALA truly was our cinematic miracle. It confronted our diseased culture of blind faith and asks us to question what is right, and not to be one of the mindless zombies crawling up a hill on its knees.

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