One of the hottest Hollywood couples back in the day, Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw used to be what Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are today. At the height of their real-life romance, McQueen and MacGraw starred in Sam Peckinpah's The Getaway, a 1972 heist film about a couple on the run from the bad dudes.
Eve has definitely come a long way since she was allegedly taken out of Adam's rib. She has long stepped out of his shadow, standing up for herself and speaking her mind. Eve doesn't need many Twitter followers or a thousand of Facebook likes just to prove her worth. She knows she's worth it.
Cinema has given the female species an opportunity to express themselves; and the opportunity isn't wasted. Although filmmaking is mostly a man's world, women have become the captain of their own cinematic ship.
In celebration of being a woman, I listed down some of my favorite films directed by women. (In alphabetical order.)
Rare is it in life when we have an instant attraction with a stranger. No such thing as love at first sight, just "like at first sight," which eventually leads to something deeper. That's exactly what happens in Todd Haynes' latest film, Carol.
Haynes' homage to old America (the 1950s in Far from Heaven and the 1930s in HBO's Mildred Pierce) continues in Carol.
Two women at a different point in their lives cross path, become friends, and have an affair in 1950s New York. Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett) is going through a rough patch with her soon-to-be-ex-husband (Kyle Chandler). Meanwhile, Therese Belivet (Patricia Rooney Mara) is a young woman with a brighter future: a marriage proposal from a clingy pseudo-boyfriend and a potential career in photography. Carol is a housewife. Therese is a shopgirl. Two women cloistered by society's sexist box.
We see most of the film from Therese's point of view. She's a young woman who initially evaded taking risks, avoiding taking photos of people because she has some affinity issues. And then she meets Carol. Therese finally opens up her heart for the very first time. And she's now taking photos of people, of Carol to be exact. (So she has Carol to thank for that.)
Ain't love such a lovely feeling? So lovely, like women. Love and women are basically synonymous with each other; they are both beautiful, fascinating, sweet, moody, and unpredictable. Love and women are a many-splendored thing, but most of all they can make you go insane.
When two females fall in love with each other, it's like a super-gay-lactic explosion of milk and honey, a pretty rainbow you can't take your eyes off. Ever since Blue is the Warmest Color was released... ever since Ellen Page came out... and ever since same-sex marriage was legalized in the US, lesbian and bisexual women are starting to be seen and recognized and, maybe, accepted. Heck, even Philippine TV had its very first lesbian-themed show.
"It seems strange that my life should end in such a terrible place, but for three years I had roses and apologized to no one."
My most fave part in V for Vendetta is the Valerie moment. The film deals with struggle for freedom in a totalitarian system, a government that objects "the different and the subversive."
Imprisoned, Evey (Natalie Portman) finds refuge in a series of letters "given" to her by "next-cell neighbor" Valerie (Natasha Wightman), an actress who was incarcerated for being homosexual.
One of the iconic and most creative movie posters of all time, The Silence of the Lambs' poster is a portrait of Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), whose mouth is concealed by a moth. A significant element in both the novel and the film, the moth is a Death's-head Hawkmoth — the kind that is known for the skull-like image on its thorax.
Blinded by her abusive mom (Shelley Winters) at the age of five, Selina D'Arcey (Elizabeth Hartman in her film debut) is off to meet her only friend, Gordon Ralfe (Sidney Poitier). She traverses the streets full of darkness and strangers, a fragile lady thrown into the world of blind noise and danger.
Ah. Monologues. Most actors probably crave them monologues. It's that one significant moment that can make or break an actor's performance. A good monologue is either wonderfully written or beautifully acted. Perhaps both.
There is an overwhelming profusion of soliloquy ever since cinema bid adieu to the silent era — but only few captivated yours truly. Here are some of them. (In chronological order.)
Charles Chaplin as A Jewish Barber The Great Dictator, 1940
We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.
After being mistaken for Adenoid Hynkel aka the great dictator, A Jewish Barber was compelled to give a speech in front of "his people." (Here's the speech's transcript.)
In this touching speech, the silent film icon laid bare both the good and bad side of humanity. A universal statement of the human existence, this monologue has the power to edify one's mind and soul.
All of you! You all killed him. And my brother. And Riff. Not with bullets and guns. With hate! Well, l can kill too, because now l have hate!
After her lover dies because of the street war between the Jets and the Sharks, Maria berates all those involved in the senseless fight. Maria's monologue defines the very idea of war: hate.
What would happen if the world is consumed with hate? World war!
"France is torn apart by the Wars of Religion. Catholics and Protestants have been fighting for years... To quench the hatred, Catherine sets up an alliance for peace: she marries her daughter Margot to Henri of Navarre, her Protestant cousin... Margot's wedding, a symbol of peace and reconciliation, will be used to set off the greatest massacre in the history of France."
Those are excerpts from La Reine Margot's prologue. The Catherine they're talking about is not Catherine Zeta-Jones. Not Catherine Deneuve. Not even Catherine the Great. It's Catherine de' Medici, the Adolf Hitler of 16th century. (Catherine was to Protestants as Hitler was to Jews.) Since the king in throne was reportedly a Mama's boy, Valois matriarch Catherine was practically the king and queen of France for quite a long time.
Millennials probably know Catherine from Reign, a CW series about Mary's life. The romanticized show portrays Catherine as a domineering yet sympathetic mommy with quite a good sense of humor — a glaring contradiction to the Catherine portrayed in La Reine Margot, which was marketed as Queen Margot in English-speaking countries.
One of the most hyped movies in the history of Philippine cinema, indie film Heneral Luna tells the story of General Antonio Luna, aka Juan Luna's younger brother, aka the man who led the Philippine Revolution Army during the Philippine-American War.
Despite the film's popularity, I've yet to see the film. (I know, right?) Will definitely do so.
Without further blah blah blah, the other thing that piqued my interest for Heneral Luna, aside from the positive reviews, is this poster:
