KUBRADOR : MAKE YOUR BET ~ by: Uel Ceballos

The Pinoy Indie movie Kubrador was the embodiment of a crudely conspicuous film that was both courageous and shamelessly frank on its portrayal of the Jueteng issue in the country. Extremely firm on its conviction, Kubrador had brazenly explored the anomalies of those persons in rank positions who should be helping out to eradicate the illegal betting but were taking part instead in the entire scheme. 

The film covered all the aspects of the social and economic borders that were reached by this gambling activity. The movie showed as well the impoverished condition in the country that was pushing the majority of the poor to rely their luck on making a bet to the illegal number games while the rich people were even more lured to bet on the game for the promised of greater and quicker gain of riches.

Kubrador centered to the story of Amy, an old woman (Gina Pareño) who provided for her family from the small earnings that she was getting as bet collector. Her life was set in a monotonous reality – roaming around their place from early morn to late evening encouraging her neighbors to place their bet – until certain events came up (concerning her livelihood as bet collector and the unforeseen experiences which involved the mystical presence of her late son’s spirit) that eventually transformed her life.

The authority then had become stricter in their operation to get rid of the illegal number games due to the jueteng issue involved by the two consecutive Philippine presidents. The first one was on the year 2000, wherein President Estrada was impeached after being proven guilty of receiving millions on illegal pay offs. The next one was President Macapagal wherein there were allegations that her relatives were receiving payouts from the jueteng operators.

Kubrador had clearly depicted how the crippled society had fallen to the pit of Jueteng world just to survive their daily needs. The setting in the film was all too crystal-clear, showing the poverty-stricken squatter that actually defined the Philippine society in a larger picture. As Amy was shown walking around the area, all the details that characterized the destitute state of the poor were given away in this film – slum, unemployment, overpopulation, subsistence living, barely making ends meet – Kubrador had also shown here some ways of the Filipinos to escape poverty such as finding a foreigner husband and working overseas for a greater source of income.

But what really made this film aggressively daring was its presentation of the corrupted system which in one way or another had quite illustrated the involvement of political, military and police branches. The film had also showed the Church’s connection on this Jueteng matter though it was demonstrated here in a subdued manner.  

The effect of the film to me was quiet heartbreaking to the sense that it was trying to

impress the hopelessness of the Philippine system due to the despoiled persons who are in the positions. And what extremely highlighted to the movie were the sad facts that while the poor keep on struggling in their lives to the point that they are involving their selves to illegal jobs, the rich ones also keep on gaining benefits from the schemes where the poors were set in the frontiers like the pawns in a board game.  

Many subordinate issues also were presented in this film, all chained from the main header of the subject – poverty. I noticed that there were several times that Amy was shown buying a bottled mineral water from a sari-sari store and there was an instance where she expressed her dismay over the expensiveness of the distilled water. It dawned on me then how the poor are so deprived of clean water to drink, which in turn, causing them several water-related diseases and other sorts of malady.

However, the presence of unnatural element here had somehow balanced the movie between the desperate conditions and the optimism that each new day brings. The spirit of Amy’s late son Eric, was seen at numerous parts of the film watching and guarding his mother. There were highlighted parts that emphasized the significance of Eric’s spirit, subtly pacifying the mood and bringing lights not only to Amy and her family but to the audiences as well.

Technicality-wise, there were lacks of lighting in the movie which gave it the most appropriate effect – the dimness of setting and the rawness of shots were next to the perfect depiction of the lower class society. The texture was so perfect that its effects will really include and immerse you to the film’s setting and depressing situation.

For this Pinoy Indie that received numbers of awards and nominations from both local and abroad, I will give it a rate of 10 Espresso Shots!

"Hilary and Jackie" and the effect of biographical film by: Uel Ceballos

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Whenever I’m thinking back of the time I first watched the movie “Hilary and Jackie”, I remember as well the emotional effects that it had on me. Deeply moving, this 1998 British biographical film told the life of two sisters Hilary and Jackie Du Pré as based on Hilary Du Pré’s memoir A Genius in the Family. 

The movie was luxuriously poignant and emotionally disturbing that it even reaped criticisms from Jackie’s colleagues, giving various reactions on how the film over-sensationalized the private life of the once celebrated British cellist.

Hilary and Jackie left its viewers heavy-hearted, the after-effect lingered for some time and the surge of emotional reaction was quite impossible to resist. With the film’s exceptional cinematography, brilliant post-production, excellent actors and well-written screenplay, the director Anand Tucker and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce had brought us a refined film that gratified not only one's appreciation of the classical music but one's emotional lewd and admiration of the virtuosi as well. 

Hilary and Jackie, growing up together with their mother teaching them music – Hilary on flute and Jackie on cello – gave the film an engrossing start-up while showing the two sisters improved and grown on their talents. Along the headway of the movie, the rivalry’s started to build up, but as they reached their adulthood it was Jackie who pursued international stardom while Hilary settled  peacefully as a married woman and a mother to four children. The conflict eventually showed up when Jackie suffered from emotional breakdown, and her elder sister Hilary helped to ease her nervous crash-down by giving her (Jackie) consents to have an affair with her (Hilary) husband. This is one of the most disturbing parts of the story, with Hilary’s approval on such thing that she was even the one who convinced her own husband to do it for the sake of Jackie’s therapy. The entire story alone is already effortless in gaining controversies, much more if demonstrated into film and shown worldwide thus we couldn’t really blame those who protested against it, particularly Jackie Du Pre’s husband, Daniel Barenboim.

Hilary and Jackie was shown in split points of view, the first half was of Jackie’s and the second half was of Hilary’s.  The treatment used has highlighted both the perspectives of the two sisters – making the viewers sympathized on both the sisters’ emotional struggles. The actresses Rachel Griffith (Hilary) and Emily Watson (Jackie)indeed provided us a knockout acts, making the film a historical hit which earned it awards and criticisms.

As much as I wanted to narrate the entire chronicle, to give the complete account of the sisters’ lives, I do still have the sense of control to not divulge the whole story. I don’t want to deprive you of the same unforgettable feeling I had when I saw the movie in progress, with the twists unfolding and the conflicts arising. 

Thus, I will now leave the rest of the details for you to see, you may want to watch it as soon as now.

For Hilary and Jackie, I will give the movie a rating of 7 shots of espresso.  

 

MAGNIFICO -- one of the best top Filipino movies by: Uel Ceballos

Movie poster from Wikipedia

One of the best top Filipino films, Magnifico is truly a masterpiece that brought its viewers to excessive tears. However, this acclaimed tear-jerker movie didn’t overdo the sentimentality just for the drama’s sake but it let the whole story and the emotions build itself naturally until to such moment that you just couldn’t resist the effect any longer.

Director Maryo J.Delos Reyes and writer Michiko Yamamoto created the film with naturalistic approach. Demonstrating the harsh realities of life and the way a young boy like Ikoy viewed and interpreted it. Magnifico not only showed the life conditions of Ikoy’s family but the entire film also painted the bigger picture of the impoverished lives that were common in the major areas of the country, including the town where Ikoy’s family lived, a town that lived in average and simplicity.

The film told the story of a family with a son who losses his scholarships, a daughter with cerebral palsy and a son, name Ikoy who may not have a good scholastic record like his elder brother but blessed with a good heart that made almost all the people drawn towards him. The story went on how Ikoy, being still a child, already bothered himself about helping to ease his parents’ burdens.  With Ikoy seeing his sick Lola and hearing his mother ranted about the costly burial for the old woman’s expected death, he sought ways to resolve the problem. Together with his bestfriend, Carlo, they worked their ways to the preparations of all things that would be needed for his Lola’s anticipated goodbye.

photo clips from the movie "Magnifico"

Magnifico is amiable on its natural flow and effortless humor, but it became much more remarkable due to its unpredictability. The sudden gush of emotions that the viewers haven’t surely expected is one of the film’s best surprises. Ikoy didn’t just enliven the hopeless town with his positive spirit but he cheered the viewers as well on whatever it is that they may be going through. Through the good hearted character of Magnifico, the film leaves us the lessons that we can deal with any of the life’s hardships as long as we stop looking at things in too much complicated ways.  

For this magnificent multi-awarded Filipino film, let’s drink to it with 8 shots of espresso!!!