“Las Chicas del Cable”
(First of two parts)
We are all forced to stay at home for a month. And yes, after more than two weeks into the Luzon-wide community quarantine imposed by the government to help curb the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we are already bored as heck.This is why Inquirer Entertainment has come up with suggestions on what you can watch to entertain yourself while stuck at home. What we did was ask some of our most awarded Filipino filmmakers to help fill up our list by making them share with us their personal favorites. We reminded them to choose only those that we could access online since we won’t be able to go out to buy copies of their suggested titles.
What we discovered was that while they are all fine directors, they’re also avid cinephiles who get super excited when they see great performances, moving visuals and original concepts. Read on! Documentarist Baby Ruth Villarama said she hasn’t watched a lot of movies lately, “since I’m mostly out joining community efforts to send help to our frontliners, and closely monitoring the news.”
However, Villarama said she has seen “a mixture of interesting documentaries, web TV series and Filipino films” of late.
The following are the docus that she enjoyed recently: “The Lockdown (1 Month in Wuhan),” “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez” and “American Factory;” while her picks for the locally produced films are: “Iisa (As One)” and the 1977 classic “Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising.”As for the web TV series that piqued her curiosity, they are “Crash Landing on You,” “Narcos,” “Better Call Saul” and “Big Bang Theory.”
“The Last Man on Earth”
“Sometimes, when I can’t sleep, I watch ‘Big Bang Theory,’ which is about four socially awkward friends—Leonard, Sheldon, Howard and Raj—and how their lives take a wild turn when they meet the beautiful and free-spirited Penny,” Villarama said.
“A childhood friend introduced the show to me in 2008 and I like to binge-watch on it from time-to-time. The show produced so many episodes in a span of 12 years, so I’m pretty much covered with nerdy stories from the science rockstars. My 11-year-old nephew watches it, too,” she declared.“Talking About Trees” is Ed Lejano’s current favorite. It can be viewed right now on Mubi, a video-on-demand platform for genuine film lovers, he said.
According to Lejano, the film is “a nostalgic documentary about a group of Sudanese men talking about cinema and the theaters that have closed down in their country, which has gone through civil war.”
In October 2019, “Talking About Trees” premiered at the QCinema film festival, in which Lejano is festival director. “I hope our local cinephiles can catch it on Mubi. Free trial can be availed for 30 days,” he said.
Getting the first mention in Crisanto Aquino’s list of faves is the psychological thriller “Gone Girl” because, he said, he is a fan of American director-producer David Fincher. He then spoke of “I Am Legend,” because “Will Smith is one of my favorite actors, and I find futuristic concepts interesting.”
Ben Affleck (left) and Rosamund Pike in “Gone “Las Chicas del Cable” Girl”
Aquino added “Dunkirk,” “Inception” and “The Dark Night,” all by Christopher Nolan, because “he is known for doing epic movies, and I love these particular movies of his,” Aquino explained. “Of course, ‘The Last Samurai,’ starring Tom Cruise, is also an epic, and I like culture-driven movies, too.”
He also cited Ron Howard’s “Angels and Demons,” because the “ideas of Dan Brown (author of the book the movie is based on) are intriguing.”
Aquino also said “Gravity” is another favorite because he is a fan of its director Alfonso Cuaron and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. He also considers “Sicario” as one of Denis Villeneuve’s “masterpieces.” He added: “I also like Villeneuve’s ‘Arrival,’ ‘Incendies,’ ‘Polythechnique’ and ‘Blade Runner 2049.’”
While Sigrid Andrea Bernardo would recommend Academy Award-winning South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s movies—“The Host,” “Okja” and “Snowpiercer”—all of which are seen on Netflix, she said her favorite is the Japanese semibiographical web TV series, “The Naked Director.”
She explained: “It’s a funny take on the porn industry. It is also very brave and unapologetic.”
As for Bong Joon-ho’s films, Bernardo said they’re “a mix of adventure, drama and comedy. Most of his films are unpredictable. The stories are light, simple and heartwarming, but they have out-of-the-box characters and scenes that seem to come out from your dreams, yet his movies still teach you the deeper meaning of life.”
And oh, she made us promise to tell you that her romantic films, “Kita Kita” and “Mr. and Mrs. Cruz,” are still on Netflix.
Claire Danes in “Homeland”
Joel Lamangan has admitted to being guilty of bingeing on Netflix films.
“I enjoyed watching a documentary on the life of Frank Sinatra and then that of Whitney Houston. Now, I am watching a docu on the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution,” Lamangan shared with Inquirer Entertainment.
As for feature stories, Lamangan said the American drama series “Homeland,” starring Claire Danes, “is an exciting one… I finished the entire seven seasons in two sittings! I’m eagerly waiting for the eighth season,” he declared.
Lamangan has also seen “Kingdom,” a Korean series set in the Joseon period (between 1592 and 1598), about a disease that comes from what is called the “resurrection plant” that turns humans into zombies. When asked to describe it, he said: “It’s OK.”
“I also enjoyed watching (the Spanish period drama) ‘Las Chicas del Cable,’ a melodrama on the lives of five telephone operators during the early days of the telephone. It’s a beautiful friendship story,” he declared.
The Big Bang Theory”
If you are a fan of Raymond Red, (who’s known as one of the pioneers of modern independent and alternative cinema in the country), then you would be scouring the world-wide web for files of these classics films he recommended.“I like going back to classics. If you check my Facebook feed and stories, you will see quite a few,” he told Inquirer Entertainment.
Red has already seen these films before, but he recently “revisited” them since he is stuck at home: Charlie Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush” (1925); Ubaldo Ragona and Sydney Salkow’s “The Last Man on Earth” (1964), starring Vincent Price; and Boris Sagal’s “The Omega Man” (1971), starring Charlton Heston.
“Call it morbid and absurd, but it’s a way of looking into one’s core being when dwelling on themes of isolation, alienation, desolation and survival,” he said. INQ
(Conclusion tomorrow)