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(Docu) Films to Watch Out For, Part II

I wrote about Joel Engardio's documentary film Knocking in a post from last year. For those living in the US, it's finally going to have its PBS premiere this summer after being screened in several festivals and picking up a number of 'best documentary' awards. (If you use AOL, you've probably seen it on some of the their pages since it's being featured this month on their True Stories page.) In most places, it's going to be broadcast on May 22, Sunday, at 10 p.m. but do check your local schedule since a lot of PBS stations decided to show it at a later date and, worse, at an unholy hour, probably thinking that there will not be a lot of interest on the film. But it is a very interesting and engaging film, informative, and very touching. It provides a very honest portrayal of Jehovah's Witnesses by presenting us with two men, each from a different generation, and sharing with us their very personal and intimate stories--one, a liver transplant patient who would not accept blood transfusion, which makes the procedure riskier, because his faith forbids it, and the other, a Holocaust survivor who converted to the faith because of what he witnessed as a camp prisoner.

Joel wrote an essay about the documentary and it appears on the Opinion page of today's edition (Monday) of USA Today so flip over to that section of you have it. If not, you can read online by clicking here. And here's a link to the documentary's website. The film is also out on DVD, which contains lots of additional materials.

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Okay, the part two of the post came 10 months later. (Noticed that this was titled part one?) I was intending to write about another documentary film titled For the Bible Tells Me So, an official selection at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Just like Knocking, this one also looks at religious conservatives but from a different angle. While Engardio's film examines the experiences of Jehovah's Witnesses and how their beliefs, as conservative as they are, actually expanded the definition and application of some laws and rights, For the Bible Tells Me So looks at the intersection of religion and homosexuality and how the Bible is used to alienate LGBTs from the Christian faith. It presents the stories of five families along with interviews of religious authorities, which includes Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who openly denounce the use of the Bible as a divisive tool to stir up hatred against gays.

I have not seen the film myself (and would very much want to see it) but know of it because my cousin worked on it as a co-producer. I was visiting her and her family in South Pasadena back in 2003 when Gene Robinson was consecrated as the first openly gay bishop of the Episcopalian Church. My cousin was in California but was in touch with Dan Karslake, the director, writer, and producer, and the film crew. It was an important event and is an important part of the film. Robinson and his family were one of the five families featured in film.

I don't know where For the Bible Tells Me So will be screened next but be sure to check it out if you come across it. Here is the website.

[T-Train] by any other name

I had been called 'Iris' again at Starbucks.

I understand why cafes, especially popular one like Starbucks, "name" their coffee cups--it's a good way to keep track of orders particularly during busy periods. I try to make it easier for the cashier and attending barista by giving a truncated form of my name. It's hard enough for some people to hear or understand it under normal circumstances, what more in an environment full chattering customers, hissing espresso machines, and piped in cafe music? So, when they ask for my name, I say "Tris. T-R-I-S." Yes, I do spell it out for them. How hard can it be? Four lettters, one syllable. But that's no assurance that I, or rather, the cup, wouldn't be called 'Iris,' like this morning. (The cup's carton sleeve was covering the lower half of the scribbled name and I guess the barista assumed that there was a bar under what was supposed to be the letter 'T.') More than a few times, careless cashiers had spelled my name as 'Tirs,' as if I was Ate Vi's onetime on-screen partner.

I've learned to keep an extra sharp ear whenever I'm visiting Starbucks. I would correct them if they ever got it wrong and then give them a quick smile to indicate that, really, it's no big deal. I've half a mind to start using 'Joe' as my 'cup name' but I have a feeling they'll find a way to mess that up too.

By the way, I watched Spider-Man 3 today too but it wasn't as funny or exciting as going to Starbucks. And that's my review of Spider-Man.

Pinoy Relationships (circa 1970s)

Could you imagine what a film by David Mamet, Woody Allen, and Oscar Wilde would have been like had they collaborated together on a Filipino screenplay? It would have been something like Salawahan, a film directed by Ishmael Bernal and written by Jose Carreon that came out in 1979 . I was channel surfing yesterday afternoon and chanced upon this film that was being shown on Cinema One. It's a kind of film you don't see these days anymore, one that is witty, well-acted, and well thought out. It's a comedy about relationships in the very liberated 1970s and ponders the question of whether one's romantic sensibilities change over time and how much one would tolerate when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex.

The movie stars Matt Ranillo III as a playboy who, despite his refusal to acknowledge it, suddenly finds himself pursuing and falling for just one girl, and Jay Ilagan as a probinsyano with matching probinsyano values who suddenly finds himself enjoying being involved with and being pursued by two women. A very young Rio Locsin, the "traditional" Filipina, plays Matt's main love interest, while Sandy Andolong, the liberated swinger, and Rita Gomez, the older woman, simultaneously vie for Jay Ilagan's attention.

It's a film that tackles love, sex, and relationships very much like Woody Allen would have in his early films, and with as much comedic flair. (I also bring up Mamet because Jay and Matt's characters reminds me of the two male characters in Sexual Perversity in Chicago... the play, not the film. Actually, the film was titled About Last Night. Because of a steamy love scene--or is it several love scenes?--between Demi Moore and Rob Lowe, my sister refused to let me it watch when she borrowed a Betamax copy when we were much, much, much younger. I saw the stage version in London in 2003, which a star-studded cast that included Minnie Driver, Hank Azaria and Matthew Perry.) If dialogues like the one excerpted below do not make you laugh out loud, then you're taking yourself too seriously:

After a big mix-up at Matt and Jay's pad, Rio Locsin slices a piece of Rita Gomez's birthday cake and hands it to her as a kind peace offering.

Rio Locsin: Komedia, 'no? (It's like a comedy, isn't it?)

Rita Gomez: Kanina pa kita inaawat. (I was trying to restrain you the whole time.)

Rio Locsin: I'm so impulsive. I'm only 18.

Sandy Andolong: Pareho pala tayo. (We're similar.) I'm 20.

Pause. They look at Rita Gomez, who's obviously older than the two other women.

Rita Gomez: I'm hungry.

I want a copy of this film!!! The 1970s really is the Golden Age of Philippine cinema. Temptation Island, anyone? No, seriously, I really do think this is a brilliant film--for its wit, its insight, its execution. I just can't imagine why we've strayed so far from excellent film-making. 

(Docu) Films to Watch Out For, Part I

I recently became acquainted and briefly exchanged emails with a San Francisco-based writer and first-time documentary filmmaker, JE. His film Knocking is currently being screened in various film festivals and is scheduled to be shown on PBS in the fall. The clever title immediately makes sense once you know what the film is about. Knocking looks at how "Jehovah's Witnesses are relevant to the issues of today." From the website:

How though, some critics may ask, can a morally conservative religion have any role in defending liberal freedom of choice? Wouldn't Jehovah's Witnesses be considered an enemy to a woman who seeks full reproductive rights over her body or a gay man who seeks the right to marry? Witnesses don't let women hold leadership positions. They strongly believe abortion and gay marriage are wrong. Within the congregation, Witnesses shun their own baptized friends and family who exercise individual freedoms that violate their interpretation of the Bible's moral code. Yet Witnesses acknowledge their legal victories have helped outside groups with whom they don't agree. Jehovah's Witnesses do not try to influence the political process by legislating their beliefs, imposing them on their non-Witness neighbors. Jehovah's Witnesses are staunchly apolitical and have no connection to what is commonly known as the "religious right." Jehovah's Witnesses would not protest an abortion clinic or lobby against the legalization of gay marriage. They are moral conservatives who refuse to fight in the Culture War.

I find the subject of this film interesting on several levels. First, here in the the United States, the religious right has, in the last few years, become increasingly vocal about certain issues such as gay rights, abortion and contraception, right to life, stem cell research, evolution, etc. Their agenda are pushed further by having several high level positions in the government (heads of agencies, members of the court, etc.), appointed by the current administration, filled with people holding very conservative views and who use their office to enforce regressive policies or reinterpret current laws. This is in sharp contrast to how the Jehovah's Witness form of fundamentalism. JE points this out by saying, "They only try to persuade their beliefs by knocking on doors (pure speech) but do not attempt to impose their beliefs by protesting abortion clinics or campaigning against gay marriage. So when you close the door and say 'no thanks' you don't have to worry about them going behind your back and amending the Constitution to suit their worldview. I use them as a case study in how two Constitutionally protected concepts in the US (religion and personal liberty) can peacefully co-exist even if they disagree with each other." The religious right think and work in absolutes--an absolute ban on this or on that. It's a dangerous way to see the world.

Second, those of us from the Peens (the Philippines, that is) have encountered a few Jehovah's Witnesses. Who has, at the very least, not glimpsed a copy of The Watchtower? And how much do we actually know about their faith and belief? I've talked briefly to about a few Witnesses during their door to door visits, and mostly it's me saying, "No thanks, I'm happy with my Church." I had been too embarrassed to ask questions and afraid that, if prodded, it would only encourage them. We probably all have an opinion about them and their religion but we don't really know anything.

The third is sort of related to the second. I was raised a Methodist in a predominantly Catholic nation. People sometimes immediately assume that we are not any different from Catholics. Either that or they think that we're aligned with the charismatic movement. (Hey, we Methodists love to sing, don't we?) But I was educated in Catholic schools all the way from elementary to grad school. This unique situation, I would like to believe, gave me the sensitivity  and an insight to people of different faiths and beliefs. (During Mass at school, my other non-Catholic classmates were allowed to stay in the classroom--a band of Others.) So, yes, I also belong to a minority religion. I would have to admit though that Methodists fly under the radar and hardly get any attention--we're a pretty innocuous bunch--and I have never felt persecuted because of my religion. (I've gotten a few strange and quizzical looks but that's the extent of it as far as I can tell.)

And fourth, again, the point that the Peens is a predominantly Catholic nation. There is sometimes an overlap between Church and State, with both good and not so good results, but we hardly question or pay much attention to it since we now passively accept it as normal.  We don't know how much religious belief and background influence public policy. And it's not just the Catholic Church that's trying to influence the government but other religious groups as well such as the Iglesia ni Kristo and El Shaddai, to the point that they can  take any election hostage if they want to. (That is if they can really persuade, as they claim, their large membership to vote as a block, which is possible especially if the people are told that the welfare of their soul is on the line.)

Last I heard, an extended version of the documentary is coming out on DVD and JE's been busilly working on 3 hours worth of extras. JE's 'day job' is just as interesting. He has also been consulting for the  ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) on marriage equality, which takes him all over the country to interview and select people "with the most compelling stories to represent the issue." The task, as he declares, is tantamount to finding another Rosa Parks. "There is an art and a science to it. None of these historical characters happened by accident. They symbolize an issue because they were picked to do so." (I hope he doesn't mind that I'm posting quotes from his emails.)

The film will be screened at the Long Island International Film Expo. In the years I've lived in New York I've never been on the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road). There's probably no better excuse to get on the train than to see the film. I'll try to see Knocking if and when I go New York this month.

(And points to JE for knowing what a turo-turo is. He lived in New York's East Village before moving to California and I believe that Elvie's was the turo-turo he referred to in one email.)

Part Deux will follow...

More Than Meets the, uhm, Force

I almost wet my pants when I saw this. Seriously. I mean it combines two of my favorite things from childhood. No, that's not quite accurate. I still love them as an adult. And this toy talks. It blinks. And it transforms! It's simply awesome! (Can you identify the two figures it transforms into? One says the line "I have a very bad feeling about this," and the other, well, just grunts and roars. And they co-pilot the Millenium Falcon.) Unsurprisingly, it appears to be popular. It was availalbe when I first saw it early yesterday afternoon, and by late evening it was out of stock. (Fresh stock was brought in just a couple of days before.)

Also,  I'm so stoked about the live action Transformers movie (not to be confused with the animated Transformers: The Movie), coming to a theater near you a year from now. (July 4, 2007, if you want to start lining up for it.)