Tuesday, December 25, 2012

MMFF Reviews 2012 : Student Shorts


1.) Kinse - Philbert Dy of Click The City is right; more a showreel of what      
            the filmmakers will do, and where Filipino action could lead, in
            terms of the actual action. Story is a retreat to familiar
            territory. The goons look pretty badass, though. 2.5/5

2.) Tagad - Good flick about skateboarding. Slick production values and
             cinematography. Use of mounted cameras helped the
             storytelling, and wasn't a stunt. It just didn't lead into much of
             anything. Third act is missing, though the ending's
             abruptness maybe the point of the whole thing. 3/5 

3.) Ritwal -  Use of activist iconography is well...nice. Needs a rewatch,
              but felt pleasant enough for a 3/5.

4.) Rolyo - Urian-Award Nominated 'Liyab'. Crappy version. 1/5 

5.) Obsesyon - Okay crime flick that was hampered by iffy acting and the
                   old ways. Could have edited out some parts, so it stuck
                   with the provocation of its premise. But the filmmakers
                   don't seem to be concerned with challenging perceptions
                   or changing  minds, much as reducing everything to
                   police blotter. Though the procedural mindset is most
                   welcome, a clean break in this current era of 'ahrt'.

                  So, more of an interesting artifact of where the Mowelfund
                  of Roxlee is now at, and that is sheltering the former
                  'mainstream' its alums ousted. That's a paradigm shift
                   there. 2.75/5 

6.) Sonata - Drama that was actually served by its technical
              inadequacies, giving grit and unease to its pathos. 3.5/5

7.) Tsansa – Bad sound. 2/5

8.) Manibela - MNL 143 on drugs. Not sure if that's a compliment. But
                 Good God is this movie fucked up. 3/5

9.) Pukpok - Highly recommended. 4.5/5 

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