Good times for a change*: England in the 80s/ Thatcher’s England

Apat sa mga naging paborito kong pelikula sa mga nakalipas na buwan—This is England, The History Boys, Control at Starter for 10—ay pawang tungkol buhay sa England noong dekada 80. At ginawa at ipinalabas lamang ang mga ito sa nakalipas na dalawang taon. Sa yugtong ito ng UK cinema, mistulang inaatake ng nostalgia ang bagong henerasyon ng English filmmakers. Sa paglaganap ng pelikulang Hollywood maging sa mga lokal na sinehan sa Inglatera, hindi katakatakang nagbaliktanaw ang mga batang filmmaker sa dekada 80 bilang panahong kanilang kinagisnan.

SINEWAYA: Contemporary Media Criticism

FIDEL!

galing kay eleyn ang post sa ibaba, rebyu ng dokyumentaryong Fidel! (brightightsfilm.com)

kay tagal na hinintay ng US ang pagkakataong ito. ilang beses na ring pinagtangkaan ng US/CIA ang buhay ni castro. sa kanyang pagreretiro, hindi raw siya namamaalam at manaatiling mabangis na kritiko ng imperyalismong US.

Estela Bravo’s documentary offers an affectionate,
in-depth portrait of the enduring world leader
who stood up to the U.S.

By Joanne Bealy

Over the course of the last 40 years, the CIA has tried to murder Fidel Castro with such frat boy antics as exploding cigars, poison pens, and arsenic-laced milkshakes.

pag-ibig, masdan mo ang ginawa mo

* halaw sa Love in the Time of Depression ni VJ Rubio
(sampung pelikula ng pag-ibig at pagpapakasakit sa linggo ng mga puso)

Pagbilang mo ng sampu, hubad na ang mga hanger sa nakabukas na cabinet. Nauna nang kumaripas ang anino palabas ng ibinagsak na pinto. At ang langitngit ng kalawanging gate ang tumapos sa usapan. At ikaw? Iniwan kang nagmumukmok ng kasawian sa iyong kwarto. “Not again,” sambit mo sa sarili. Sinu ba kasing nagsabi na ang pag-ibig na wagas ay katubusan sa mga nanampalataya dito? Pag-ibig ang marahang dampi ng balahibo sa pisngi. Ngunit pag-ibig din ang labahang susugat sa iyong leeg.

At bilang pakonsolasyon, nagluto ka ng paborito mong pasta. Nilabas mo ang pinakamahal na alak mula sa pantry. Sumalampak ka sa sopa. Inabot ang remote. Humarap sa telebisyon, at humanap ng karamay at kasalo sa pighati at kasawian sa mga tauhan ng masikip, mumunti at kwadrado mong mundo.

mga manunulat ng kanilang panahon

“Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
-Dylan Thomas, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

kina Sir Nick at Sir Rene, maraming salamat.

walang isinukong laban

“Whenever death may surprise us, let it be welcome if our battle cry has reached even one receptive ear and another hand reaches out to take up our arms.”

- Che Guevara

Magpapasko rin noong nakaraang taon nang humahangos kaming sumugod ni B sa PGH para dalawin siya. Kahahatid pa lang ng ambulansya kay Sir Nick galing sa unang ospital na pinagdalhan sa kanya. Hindi pa siya naaadmit sa ospital kaya hindi pa siya nakakabitan ng aparato. Salit-salit ang mga dumalaw sa kanyang unyonista, guro at estudyante sa pagbomba ng hangin sa kanyang baga para makatulong sa paghinga niya. Sa oras na iyon, kahit bisperas ng pasko, hindi ko magawang magsaya. Umuwi ako sa aming iniisip pa rin siya. Pakiramdam ko kasi hindi na magtatagal si Sir Nick.

Pero lumipas ang mga araw, linggo at buwan, tila ba mahigpit pa rin ang kapit ni Sir Nick sa buhay. Tila ba itong huling laban niya ay hindi rin niya magawang isuko katulad ng marami pang laban na kanyang sinuong. Hindi siya yumukod sa gitna ng Sigwa ng Unang Kwarto. Hindi siya natinag ng diktadura ni Marcos. Hindi siya naigupo ng tortyur at pagkakakulong. Hindi siya napatumba ng ambush.

Pero mahirap kalabanin ang panahon. Pero nagawa ni Sir Nick. Pero hanggang saan lang ba kayang ilaban ng mortal ang kanyang buhay? Lumisan siyang hindi isinusuko ang anumang laban. Hindi malilimot ang mga alaala, aral at labang iniwan ninyo sa amin.

Salamat Sir Monico Atienza. Propesor. Manunulat. Aktibista. Rebolusyonaryo.

—

Lifewatch
by Edel Garcellano

(for Monico Atienza)

I

A day before Christmas
& he lies comatose
at Mary Chiles.
Is it a way of forgetting
how long he has waged
war against the empire,
or the body now refuses
what the mind perseveres?
He doesn’t even know
he’s taking a long nap -
Something probably
he has dreamed of
after all those exhausting years.
His friends keep vigil.
That’s all they can do.
If only the gates of the universe
will open & disgorge
angels to tell them
the real score.
But his circle is used to waiting:
A revolution is a handiwork
of patience.
It will go on without Nick.
But it’s impossible to imagine
the future without him.

II

He is not your kind of poet.
His language smells
of the elemental earth,
wind & fire
& harvest of fruit trees
by men & women huddled
at the edge of the land
talking of the coming of the rain.
He knows the city
like the palm of his hands
but he wouldn’t text
of the dark alleys
& the secret meetings
of angry hearts
who defy the state holocaust…
He doesn’t have to write his poems,
really.
He lives them anyway.
He is not your kind of poet.

III

Too light is the crown
on the heads
of young bucks
who croon about their secret pains;
too cheap is the applause
of state lackeys that grates their ears;
& too brittle
are the plaques that adorn their walls.
Poetry takes a long, long time.
Like life itself.
A neat lesson for those
who claim the title
so quickly, so easily.

IV

He has an eye for beauty,
of course
but he would quip about it
in a low voice
as if such were a difficult struggle…
He would laugh,
as though to rub an aching bone
of impossible desires.
Does he know the limits
of his passion?
But his persistence
to change the order of things
envelopes all.

V

The prognosis is grim:
The damage is extensive;
he’ll be a vegetable
if he survives.
She assures that a fund drive
would be initiated by comrades & friends…
Yes, it’s flailing at the moon.
If God is history
there must be something about it
that escapes our mortal reasoning.

VI

The rememberers
who turn tears into guns
& words into a hand
over our hearts
dare not utter
a word of comfort nor pain:
Silence is all
before so much grief.

VII

How does one weigh a life?
“As heavy as a mountain,
as light as a feather?”
The state will not honor him.
The imperialists & fascists
will shrug their shoulders.
The academe will sigh in relief.
His friends will huddle in a corner
thinking among themselves
how brief is life
when nights are long
& sleep does not come.

VIII

He stirs from his deep sleep,
as though the waves
that carry him floating on the river Lethe
inside his head
have tickled his ears.
But he’s not listening.
The Gods are merciful.

IX

(Nexus)

He explains,
as though before a jury,
why he couldn’t make it
to Mary Chiles:
“It is not,” he avers,”so much
the fear of setting foot
at the hospital
where he would smell the strange
eucalyptus fragrance
of death
as the terror that he couldn’t handle
seeing him
at his most vulnerable:”
O Schodenfreude!

He missed his father’s
death throes by a few hours.
But probably it was by some crazy design:
He sees him still very much alive
in his mind.
The illusion must persist.

infernal affairs

sa loob ng 2 araw, tinapos kong panoorin ang infernal affairs trilogy. swerteng nakakuha ako ng kopya sa community pirata sa highway (to boot, kasama pa sa 22 in 1 dvd ang the godfather trilogy, american history x, traffic atbp., ansaya!). adapted sa istorya ng unang infernal affairs ang 2007 oscars best picture na the departed (na kasama din sa nabili kong dvd). pero personal kong paborito ang infernal affairs 2 na prequel ng naunanng pelikula kahit na hindi it tumabo sa takilya at ng awards.

sa mga di pa nakakakapanood ng the departed, ang pelikula tungkol sa pagtatanim ng mga espiya ng mga puwersa ng kapulisan at triad sa grupo ng isa’t isa. higit akong nagandahan sa infernal;l afffairs kaysa the departed dahil sa mas malalaim nitong tinalakay ang saloobin ng mga tauahan at ang konsepto ng “inferno” o hell. ipinakita sa pelikula na walang tao conscious na nagnanais na malubog sa kumunoy ng impyerno. ngunit ang mga pinili nating panig ang nagtatakda ng lugar natin sa kasaysayan. naisip ni ming (andy lau) na sana siya na lang ang good cop (tony leung).

isa lang naman siguro ang puna ko sa infernal affairs series: sa huli, denial ito ng katotohanang sistematiko at entrenched sa isang colonial gov’t (ipinakita pa nito ang hong kong handover nung 1997) na nagpapanatili subservience ng mga nasa gubyerno sa colonial masters. na iilan lang ang bugok sa pamahalaan at maari silang alisin. pero ang totoo ay systemic at systematic ang violenece and corruption sa pamahalaan sa isang kapitalistang lipunan (perfect example ang hk bilang isa sa mga tampok na globalization centers sa timog silangang asya).

malinaw ang tema ng pelikula, kapag tinahak mo ang landas patungong impyernmo, there’s no turning back. point of no return sabi nga ni carina lau. at literal ngang translation ng mandarin title ay “the non-stop path.”

—

katatapos ko lang manood ng babae sa breakwater. malagim at nakaririmarim ang ipinintang hitsura ng maynila sa pelikulangito ni mario o’hara. hindi miminsan na inihalintulad sa impyerno ang kamaynilaan dahil sa lumalalang kahirapan, gayundin ang karahasang inihahasik sa kanayunan.

—

hindi man ako sang-ayon sa military take over, lehitimo ang panawagan nina trillanes at lim sa makati seige na naganap kanina. hindi matitigil ang mga agnitong uri ng pagkilos at sitwasyon hangga’t nakaluklok si gloria arroyo sa malakanyang. lalung lumalala ang mga ksalanan ni gloria habang tumatagal siya sa pusisyon at habang desperado niyang pinuprotektahan ito. long overdue na ang resignation.( putcha, naunahan ko pa siya.) matagal nang hinusgahan ng kasaysayan at ng taumbayan si arroyo.

—

silent night.

ipinatupad ni arroyo ang curfew sa gabing ito. higit pa lang mas madilim ang gabi kapag tahimik ito. hindi ako makatulog.

there’s shit in the meat…

…eto siguro ang bersyon ng mga kritiko ng fast food industry ng slogan na “there’s blood in your coffee.”

Bukod sa literal na pakahulugan ng “shit,” higit na nakaririmarim ang ibang napalalaman sa mga sandwich bukod sa hamburger patties. Illegal migrants, unfair labor practices, sexual harassment, corporate accountability, improper nutrition at iba pa ay ilan lamang sa mga isyung tinalakay ng pelikulang Fast Food Nation ni Richard Linklater. Naging katuwang ni Linklater sa proyektong ito si Eric Schlosser, ang sumulat ng librong Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal.

Maraming nag-aakusa na dahil fictionalized ang pelikula, nalalabusaw daw ang talim at talas nang libro ni Schlosser. Pero hindi naman naging ganito ang tingin ko. Sa tingin ko, nabigyan ng pelikula (oopppsss, wala palang point of comparison kasi di ko pa nababasa ang libro) ng human (at animal) face ang mga isyung inilantad ni Schlosser sa libro.

Naging malinaw sa akin kung bakit big deal ang usapin ng fast food industry hindi lang sa US, maging sa mga third world countries tulad ng Pilipinas. Ang industriyang ito, tulad ng iba pang industriya, ay manipestasyon ng krisis ng global capitalism. Tulad ng iba pang basic necessities ng tao, kapag nilangkapan ng kapitalismo at konsumerismo ang pagkain, higit itong nakasasama sa human race kaysa nakatutulong ito.

Isa pang bagay na na nagustuhan ko sa pelikula ay ang recurring theme ni Linklater na suburban life. Tampok sa pelikula niyang subUrbia ang pagusbong ng komersyo sa suburban communities sa porma ng mga mall (parang marikina ito ah!) at fast food chain habang napag-iiwanan ang kalagayan mga mismong mamamayan ng komunidad. Ipinakikita ni Linklater ang animo’y “trapped” o walang patutunguhang mga buhay ng mga kabataan sa suburbia. Ito ang kakatwa sa isang “borderless world” at may ilusyon ng mobility dahil sa na rin sa pag-unlad ng teknolohiya. Mukhang usapin pa rin ng FOP (forces of production) at ROP (relations of production) ang kahahantungan ng usaping ito.

Ngayon lang din ako nakapanood ng isang mainstream na pelikula na may call to action. Pinakita rin nito ang tila defeatism sa disorganisadong mga aksyon sa pagsusulong ng adbokasya. Bahagya ring pinahagingan ng pagkutya ng pelikula ang Patriot Act bilang represibo at di makatuwirang batas.

Isa rin sa kinatuwa ko sa pelikula ay ang pagtatahi ng isyu ng human rights at animal rights. Madalas kasing pagbanggain ang mga isyung ito. Pero ang malinaw ay sa age ng late capitalism, dispensable ang rights ninuman, hayop man o tao, para sa ganansya at tubo.

Tama nga ang catchphrase ng pelikula, “the truth is hard to swallow.”

Injustice

mula sa blog ng isa sa mga pinakarerespeto kong tao, naks!. ‘pag ganitong usapin talaga, nakikita ang tunay na kulay ng mga tao, ang ubod, ika nga. naaala ko tuloy ang yung gasgas na metapora ng mga tibak sa keso de bola– pula sa labas, dilawan sa loob. pero siyempre, pana-panahon pa rin naman sumasapul si de quiros, huwag lang sa usaping ideyolohiya at paraan kung paano babaguhin ang lipunang ito.

Injustice (by kr guda)

De Quiros, in his new column, joins the chorus of applause for the Dutch government’s arrest of Jose Maria Sison. He says this: “If it is true that Sison has committed these crimes—and there are witnesses aplenty, not the least of them the widows of the dead, to testify so—then his arrest is indeed a giant step toward peace, a victory for justice and the rule of law. Then there is indeed every reason, from the perspective of freedom, human rights, and all that democracy holds sacred, to be very excited about it.”

What’s wrong with this statement?

De Quiros apparently is not even sure that Sison commited the crimes – if they were indeed crimes – imputed upon him. My previous entry argues that the accusation goes against reason, and that people who only give credence to such accusations either: (1) dislike Sison and the national democratic movement, like De Quiros and the Inquirer; (2) or is politically-motivated to prosecute Sison, like the Dutch, US and Philippine governments.

How on earth can prosecuting Sison for really, really flimsy charges ever be a “giant step toward peace and the rule of law”? How can De Quiros conscientiously approve of the arrest when he is not even sure of Sison’s guilt?

The question that should be asked is: Given the military record of both Tabara and Kintanar, is the killing of Kintanar and Tabara a crime at all? As legitimate combatants (i.e. engaged in armed confrontations) in the civil war between the Philippine government and the CPP-NPA-NDFP, they should have very well known that they were legitimate targets by their enemies.

The problem with this state – whose ideological framework De Quiros embraces – is that when its armed agents kill enemy combatants (i.e. NPA, MILF, MNLF), there is no crime, only casualties. But when enemy combatants kill soldiers (i.e. killing of 12 Marines in Basilan, and killing of Kintanar and Tabara), they cry out to the heavens for justice, demanding and enforcing the arrest of those enemy combatants.

Joma is not even a combatant. Yes, he is the chief political consultant (not in quotation marks, as De Quiros so maliciously writes) of the NDFP, representing the revolutionary organizations, including the NPA, that are directly engaged in combat. But precisely because he is a consultant to a party to peace negotiations that we must make the distinction. This is precisely the rationale behind the Joint Safety and Immunity Guarantees that both the Philippine government and the NDFP signed: negotiators cannot be targetted in the armed conflict. They are there precisely to end the armed conflict.

Let us grant for a moment, though, that Joma, is indeed a combatant, and that he did order the killing of Kintanar and Tabara. If the widows of Kintanar and Tabara indeed feel that they have been wronged and that their spouses were unjustly killed by the NPA – who in turn declared they did so to punish them – the first thing that they should have done is to file a complaint in the Joint Monitoring Committee for the implementation of Carhrihl (Comprehensive Agreement for the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law). This is the organ, composed of representatives of both the Philippine government and the NDFP, which monitors violations of the agreement signed by both parties declaring their respect for internationally-recognized human rights laws and standards.

Filing a complaint in either the Philippine or Dutch courts goes against the very spirit of this landmark agreement. The NDFP, which claims to have its own judicial system, does not recognize Philippine or Dutch laws. But it declares commitment to Carhrihl. How can the widows make the NDFP accountable under a system that the latter does not recognize? The right thing to do is to make the NDFP accountable under this agreement that it committed itself to.

This is precisely why the NDFP says arresting Joma virtually kills the peace talks. The Carhrihl was signed by both parties as a step towards eventual cessation of hostilities. In assisting in the arrest of Joma, the Philippine government flouts the agreement.

“Frankly, I don’t understand what people are doing marching in the streets, banging heads with fully shielded and truncheon-wielding cops, to protest Sison’s arrest,” writes De Quiros. But of course, the militants have every reason to march in the streets to protest the arrest. Joma is a patriot, someone who spent his entire life for a revolutionary cause. He is innocent of the charges. He is being politically persecuted. The question is why De Quiros is not out there with the ralliers.

A quote from Pastor Martin Niemoller after the Second World War that De Quiros might have used before might be of use to him now: “First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Social Democrats, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Social Democrat. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew, Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.”

Avid readers of De Quiros’ column know by now his distrust of Jose Maria Sison, and by extension, the national democratic movement. He is entitled to his opinions. But to applaud the arrest and trampling of the rights of a man whom he is not sure is guilty in the first place but nevertheless dislikes is a betrayal of the very thing he claims to fight for:

Justice.

Springfield

si guilly, alter ego ko sa springfield

pag nakakapanood ako ng the simpsons, hindi pwedeng hindi ko maalala ‘yung isang byernes na bumaha sa amin nung grade 2 ako. tumirik yung kakaragkarag na kotseng minamaneho ng nanay ko kaya pinasundo niya ako sa pinsan ko. at bilang malilimutin, nasa bahay na kami nung napansin kong naiwan ko pala sa parking lot yung bag ko. kaya bukod sa pag-tow sa kotse, na-hassle din ang mga magulang ko para balikan ang naiwan kong bag sa school. at habang nagaganap ang patung-patong na kamalasan na iyun, prenteng-prente akong nanonood ng mga noo’y isa sa mga unang episode ng the simpsons. lampas 15 taon na palang nung nangyari yun. ngayon ko lang din na-realize na antagal pala bago nagkaroon ng movie version ang paborito kong cartoon–17 years. pero magkagayunman, hindi pa rin tumatanda sina bart at lisa, hindi pa rin nagdidivorce sina marge at homer, at di pa rin nakakapagsalita si maggie ( at may subo pa ring pacifier si maggie. pero antabayanan ang first word niya sa history ng the simpsons).

di naman nasayang ang paglalakad ko sa ulan papunta sa community cinema (hehehe) sa may amin para manood ng the simpsons movie. wala pa ring nagbago, andun pa rin yung biting sarcasm at pagtalakay sa mga nagbabagang isyu sa amerika (nagawa ko pa ngang i-connect sa anti-terror bill ang pakahulugan sa pelikula, hehehe). and i must say, i really love it. at mabuti na nga lang mag-isa lang ako sa row, kasi iyak lang ako nang iyak sa kakatawa at sa nostalgia.

eto, ang isang glowing review ni peter bradshaw ng the guardian. at eto naman ang isa pang blogentry tungkol sa pelikula.