Author Topic: QCinema 2022  (Read 598 times)

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Offline Klaus Weasley

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QCinema 2022
« on: Nov 03, 2022 at 05:45 PM »
The lineup and venues.

Can't wait. I'll be posting all my reviews of all the films here. There are at least a dozen films I wanna see in this.

Offline Noel_Vera

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Re: QCinema 2022
« Reply #1 on: Nov 17, 2022 at 04:41 PM »


Showing on Wed. 11/23 1 PM at Trinoma 1 and Sat 11/26 1 PM at Gateway 1: Lav Diaz's take on The Count of Monte Cristo -- Kung Wala Na Ang Mga Alon (When The Waves are Gone)

Offline Klaus Weasley

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Re: QCinema 2022
« Reply #2 on: Nov 20, 2022 at 12:06 AM »
QCinema Day 1:


Corsage (Marie Kreutzer) *** - This is a fictionalized biopic of Empress Elizabeth of Austria. The film follows her as she turns 40 and is now considered "old" by society's standards. She seeks to get more out of her privileged but still stifling life. I have to admit, I was kind of disappointed because I was expecting this to be something like The Favourite and while this film does have some elements of that, this is a different beast entirely. It is a period drama that uses its anachronistic elements to highlight that things have changed little in society in their treatment of women in general. I'm not sure if it was entirely successful. But one thing that makes this film a must-see is Vicky Krieps who is simply outstanding here. She's the one that holds the film together. All in all, I'll put this on the "like and admired" but didn't love column.

Offline Klaus Weasley

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Re: QCinema 2022
« Reply #3 on: Nov 21, 2022 at 11:31 PM »
QCinema Day 2:

Ajoomma (He Shuming) ***1/2 - A middle-aged widow from Singapore decides to take a trip to South Korea in order to tour shooting locations of her favorite K-dramas. A series of complications happen of course. I have to admit I was not expecting much from this film. The premise felt a bit cheesy and formulaic road movie/fish-out-of-water comedy/coming-of-middle-age dramedy we've all seen before. And in a way, it's like that but the film has enough surprises and more than enough charm, warmth sweetness and poignancy to win me over. I found myself laughing, smiling, being moved and really falling in love with the lead character (who could have easily have been MY mom). It doesn't break new grounds artistically or narratively but it's a real charmer.

Elehiya (Loy Arcenas) *** - A woman is widowed and she returns to her husband's hometown to both scatter his ashes and get her share of the money as their family is being sold to developers. She discovers some family secrets. This film is veteran actress Cherie Gil's last film before sadly passing away just this year. Her performance really makes this film work because a lesser actress would have made easily have made her a bit too unlikeable and that would have tanked this film, I believe. She really makes it compelling even though in the end, the film becomes kind of a mess in both a narrative and thematic sense. All in all, this is just an okay film but Cherie Gil really makes it worth seeing.

Offline Klaus Weasley

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Re: QCinema 2022
« Reply #4 on: Nov 23, 2022 at 12:06 AM »
QCinema Day 3:

EO (Jerzy Skolimowski) ***- A donkey that worked in a circus escapes to find his owner and goes on a road trip that makes him a witness to various human characters and the nature of life and death. This is basically a modern-day riff on Robert Bresson's Au Hasard Balthazar. Even though the concept is identical, the way the story is told is almost the total opposite. The slow, austere style of the earlier film is exchanged for bold colors. There's also a bit more humor and light-hearted moments. There's also a bit more anthropomorphising of the central donkey. I know I should be able to judge the film on its own merits but I can't help but compare between this and the French masterwork. Suffice to say, it pales in comparison. There are some moments of brilliance here but they're scattered around. I found the overall film good but not great. It is still worth watching though.

Offline Klaus Weasley

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Re: QCinema 2022
« Reply #5 on: Nov 23, 2022 at 10:57 PM »
QCinema Day 4:

Saint Omer (Alice Diop) ***1/2 - In France, a Senegalese immigrant woman is put on trial for drowning her own 15-month-old daughter. We hear her story through her testimony and the testimonies of other people. This film mostly takes place in a courtroom with characters just talking in often long extended monologues. But it is riveting. It is best to go in knowing as little as possible so I will not spoil anything further than what I have already mentioned but this film really takes you for an unpredictable ride. The film never does what you may expect it to do and doesn't leave you with any easy answers which makes this film even better. It also leaves you a lot to chew on and think about. It is not quite perfect but it is a remarkable piece of work from a talented filmmaker. Highly recommended.

Offline Klaus Weasley

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Re: QCinema 2022
« Reply #6 on: Nov 25, 2022 at 12:00 AM »
QCinema Day 5:

Walk Up (Hong Sang-soo) *** - A middle-aged film director and the daughter he seldom sees visit an apartment building and explore it from one floor to the next. This is actually one of those auto-fiction films that have been very trendy with filmmakers recently (that is fictionalized semi-autobiographical films from famous directors). This is Hong Sang-soo's and it's the most minimalist and understated of the bunch. I have to admit Hong Sang-soo is a filmmaker I'm just starting to warm up on. I hated the first film of his I've seen but I liked the second one so I'm open to him. This one, well, I didn't hate it and I loved parts of it but as a whole, the film is just pretty good and nowhere near a masterpiece. The good performances make it enjoyable even though the script didn't seem to know exactly what it wants to do sometimes. Still an interesting watch.

Holy Spider (Ali Abbasi) **** - Based on a true story, this film is about a serial killer in Iran who targeted sex workers in order to get rid of the city of "corrupt women". A female journalist covering the story attempts to flush him out. I'm still not sure, but I have to say, when I got out of theater, I thought, this must be the best serial killer movie since Zodiac. I didn't remember if this was based on a true story when I went in but I was riveted from start to finish. The film is more than just a serial killer procedural. It is also a commentary and critique on the very patriarchal society which produced this monster. Indeed, in a film which already features some disturbing acts of violence, some of the most troublesome stuff actually doesn't involve killing but how people react to it. Plus as dark and disturbing this film is, it manages to sprinkle in moments of dark humor which adds yet another layer to the film. The performances of the two leads are outstanding. Overall, a great piece of work.

I also saw the restored version of Itim. It looks great.

Offline Klaus Weasley

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Re: QCinema 2022
« Reply #7 on: Nov 26, 2022 at 12:37 AM »
QCinema Day 6:

Close (Lukas Dhont) ****- Two 13-year-old boys have a close, affectionate friendship. When that closeness is questioned in school, this causes one of them to push away and this leads to some tragic consequences. One can say that this film is an elegant takedown of toxic masculinity and homophobia. And it is. But more importantly, it is a beautifully realized, beautifully acted coming-of-age film about growing up and all its sadness and pain. The two child actors playing the central characters are outstanding and will break your heart. Personally, I could imagine a world where Francois Truffaut would've made something like this. It's as great as anything he has done in this subject matter. It's one of the best films of the year, quite frankly.

Offline Klaus Weasley

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Re: QCinema 2022
« Reply #8 on: Nov 27, 2022 at 12:23 AM »
QCinema Day 7 (last day):


When the Waves Are Gone (Lav Diaz) **** - A police officer with a history of violent outbursts goes on leave due to severe psoriasis while a mysterious religious man is just let out of prison and is looking for him. This is the latest from director Lav Diaz and I must admit, while he's one of my favorite Filipino filmmakers (heck, one of my favorite filmmakers period), his past couple of films are diminishing returns for me. I'm like, "Oh, man. Is he starting to lose it?" Nope. He comes roaring back with this. It's probably one of his more accessible films since Norte, The End of History. It is a brisk three-hours (that's short for Lav Diaz) and it is such a gripping, compelling film throughout most of its run-time. It's one of the best films of the year.

This is the final film I've seen.