The movies they’re making
WALLIS. Racially blind casting for “Annie” reboot.
These days, many moviegoers are looking forward to finally watching the latest “Hunger Games” film, “Mockingjay Part 1,” as well as “Batman V Superman.” For our part, we can hardly wait to catch the new movie version of the hit musical, “Annie,” because it fields a black title character (played by the phenomenal Quvenzhané Wallis) instead of the “generic” W.A.S.P. redhead!
We’re hoping that viewers will accept and not reject this experiment in “racially blind” casting, because it’s a big step forward in enabling actors of all colors to play a much wider range of roles.
Another new production that film buffs are eagerly awaiting is “This Is Where I Leave You.” What makes it so special, in their view?
CHIU AND LIM. Reunite in “Past Tense.”
Droll combination
It fields a droll combination of the old (Jane Fonda) and the new (Tina Fey, Jason Bateman) in terms of thespic talent. So, it’ll be both interesting and instructive to see the “generations” acting in a copacetic fusion of styles in one production.
Fonda shares that she’s learned a lot about the risky but rewarding craft of improvisations from Fey, while the younger star is amazed at Fonda’s ability to keep her performance fresh and vital, even after many decades of work on literally scores of productions.
On the local film scene, the “maindie” industry is fielding new productions like “Past Tense” with Kim Chiu, Ai Ai delas Alas and Xian Lim, as well as eight other generally “commercial” movies in next month’s year-ender Metro Manila Film Festival.
Bigger waves
But, in terms of quality and daring, the bigger waves are being made by the much smaller “C1 Originals” film festival in diverse screening venues at Glorietta, Trinoma, Promenade and Fairview Terraces.
Last Tuesday, we caught Dodo Dayao’s “Violator” at Glorietta, with lead roles played by Joel Lamangan, Andy Bais andVictor Neri, and found it an often confounding but occasionally compelling study of rape, suicide, terminal illness, demonic possession, lawlessness even among law enforcers, and other “dark” and even nihilistic topics and themes.
