Eagle Awards 2008

Eagle Awards is an annual documentary film competition held by Metro TV.
Targeting amateur to semi-pro documentary filmmakers, I find the program interesting as it aims to bring up the unseen lives of Indonesia and its residents.
Each year selected projects were chosen to be developed under guidance of professional documentary/feature filmmakers, and the projects, usually the chosen ones are up to 10 or sometimes less, will then be screened on Metro TV.

A panel of judges will choose the winner, while audiences at home can choose the winner of the most favorite film. A rule of thumb these days: you cannot make any event without our involvement with text messages.

In its early years, it was co-organized by In-Docs, a documentary film community aims to provide documentary film-making coach, documentary film public screening and distribution to film communities throughout Indonesia. It happens that In-Docs is a sister organization of my present workplace, JIFFest, which allows me gaining easy access to the outputs of what In-Docs has made in the past few years.

The year 2008 marked the last year of partnership with Metro TV. It remains to be seen how the films will turn out this year.

Even at the last year of the joined forces, I was a little disappointed with the select projects. Perhaps I was riding on a very high expectations after successive winning films for the past two years: Suster Apung (The Floating Nurse), about a nurse facing the high seas everyday on a small boat while serving her patients in remote areas of Sulawesi, and Kepala Sekolahku Pemulung (My Headmaster The Waste-Taker), a slap-on-the-face look at the failure of education system in Jakarta.

The finalists of 2008 were either walking on a safe, comfortable side, or simply digging the research materials with less efforts. The eventual winner is Prahara Tsunami Bertabur Bakau (Raising Mangroves After the Tsunami), the most compelling of the lot.

Read the full article here, while queries about watching the films can be directed to In-Docs.

The photo was taken during the public preview of the 2008 Eagle Awards finalists at Erasmus Huis, Jakarta, September 16, 2008.

Is Big Screen Equal to Big Ads?

Earlier last week, I wrote a piece on the excessive product placement in local cinema.

One particular film, Best Friend?, irked me greatly for going where no (local) film has gone before: displaying full-fledged sponsored products as the essential part of the film's main poster!

Now how desperate can a production company be in allowing such to happen? How aggressive a company does its negotiation to gain maximum benefits from a film? What or how much is the value of doing such? And in a much more ambiguous question that everyone would like to avoid: is it ethical?

As much as I am trying to decipher the logic behind the action, which clearly there isn't any, and as I kept wondering to find the answers to above questions that I am yet to find, I decided to trace back a little to past Indonesian films doing blatant product placements. The similarities, as you can read in the article, are the presence of the products in the film, not in the poster which easily goes to the subsequent derivatives, i.e. merchandise and DVD/VCD. Imagine the exposure, in which the film also includes the products in the storyline.
Or perhaps you won't, not when I tell you that a drinking game from instant-tea is possible.

My curiosity of the aforementioned invention made the cut. However, a particular editing made me as if I embrace the equally forceful product insertion in both Sex and the City: The Movie and Quantum of Solace. One of my interviewees actually said that, which I had not asked further as I wanted to give balance views from every possible angles: the filmmakers, audiences, and those working in marketing department of a company.

There goes my constantly-absent credibility.

Alas, I believe on what I write here, and I shall continue questioning and being intrigued with such practice.

(courtesy of Detikhot.com, and in case you're wondering, those are the sponsored products of instant-tea drinks on the background. All of them. And this is the final artwork.)

Read the full article here.

This is OSCAR! He is 80!

Dear Grandpa,

How are you? Enjoying yourself being polished and showered in gold? Has the cold weather been good to you? I'm sure you can handle the weather, considering how much you like to show up in your birthday suit all the time.

Bad weather aside, I can only be amazed at your endurance in surviving assassination attempts, wars, and so many historical events throughout decades. You've always managed to show up with a dignified pride, not at once giving a hint of aging. Guess your stark and everlasting beauty is what makes people admiring you go crazy and rush off to have their natural handsomeness Botoxed. You've never said "no" for all those maddening antics.

But this year, the time when you are supposed to be celebrated with a big bang, you've shown signs of, I'm not sure how I put it, lack of self-confidence? Suddenly you're not sure if you're able to throw a big bash again, the way you've always done for the past eight decades?

Grandpa, I know how your heart is undergoing major surgery right now, and at any given moment, the outcome may determine your well-being. But no matter what the results may be, they can tell you one thing: you are not going to die. You will be forever celebrated, cheered, and championed.

After all, there's no reason of backing off from celebration.

Look at how your admirers behave for the past year.

Remember how once you favor literature adaptation? It comes back in a very graceful manner this year. Watching it makes me feel like having an Atonement of all the bad sins in bad films I've watched in a year.

And remember the epic scale of Giant or any dramatic films in 1950s? Look no further than Paul Thomas Anderson's majestic There Will Be Blood, Grandpa.

I bet you can also recall the heydays of paranoia drama, the way The China Syndrome or ... And Justice For All were built. Michael Clayton does it with an equally impressive result, Grandpa, and I'm sure you will marvel about the film's director, Tony Gilroy, considering that the film is his directorial debut.

And Grandpa, maybe it is the time you reward one of your overlooked hopefuls, the Coen brothers, as they bring their most intense work to date, i.e. No Country for Old Men. It may not be your cup of tea, but if you could look beyond the film's bleak look, you will see nothing but brilliance of filmmaking, Grandpa.

Your cute little grandchildren, Juno, sneaks in, because she (yes, Grandpa, we've got a film with first-name leading lady character as its title!) and her acerbic wits will tell you that smartness is still highly regarded in the present world of mindless films.

Beyond those five, you have every reason to be proud of your future aspirants.

You thought action is dead? Paul Greengrass and his The Bourne Ultimatum inject a dose of unbelievable energy to restore our faith in the genre.
You thought animation merely circles around kidlet's fantasy? Persepolis challenges my perception towards what happened in Iran during Islamic Revolution in 1978, and Ratatouille cements Brad Bird's status as a pioneer (aka a brat with a brain) of animated flick. Oh, Grandpa, don't get me heartbroken again with curiosity of how The Simpsons Movie fails to crack in. Too brash?
Never mind. At least you can also be proud of how Tim Burton never loses his magic in Sweeney Todd and his barbaric yet menacing acts, and both 3:10 to Yuma and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford generate excitement to root for Western all over again.

See, Grandpa, how you should be proud of cinematic achievement in 2007?

Thus, Grandpa, this major surgery at your heart, at your core of living, is something I'm sure you can pass off easily. You've survived bigger events than this, and you will live on.

So will film.

Love,

XOXO.

the key is 'assumption'

i thought, i knew what i had to do.
i thought, since i've been here before, i knew what would lie ahead.
i thought, everything would repeat.
i thought, everything worked out fine.
i thought, i could manage everything.

but i kept saying "i thought", because the idea stayed on this tiny little brain of mine.

and for once, i've never been this greatly worried before.

pray us luck.
wish us well.

for once, the end seems terrifyingly distant.

i am scared :(

On the Road with Riri Riza

My interview with Riri Riza to promote his latest film 3 Hari Untuk Selamanya (3 Days to Forever).

We did the interview in a cafe in Menara Imperium. I did the arrangement with Miles Films' publicist, Imelda Achsaningtias. The film's producer, Mira Lesmana, was also present, although she left the two of us engaging in quite a lengthy conversation about road trip, film, his own life journey, and women. 
A little more than an hour of a very focused interview for less than a thousand words, so I guess I didn't do too bad, did I?

One thing that draws me to Riri's works is his consistency in portraying strong female characters. These could not be more apparent in Petualangan Sherina, Eliana, Eliana, and Untuk Rena.

While he hardly works in the vein of George Cukor as women-themed director, albeit I mentioned the name in the conversation, Riri just smiled without wanting to elaborate further.

Instead, he told me a very interesting statement:

"I find the sexy appeals in male actors and characters, too."

I was intrigued to probe, yet, being an amateurish freelance journalist, I was only stunned. It was indeed the last statement I expected from him.

Of course, later he elaborated on Nicholas Saputra, the object of the above compliment, and Gie, which clearly marked his departure of the above said strong women persona, and the start of the actor and the director's fruitful collaboration in 3 Days.

The above quote did not make to the final submission.

Still, I did not mind the editing, pretty much the printed article kept the essence of what I had aimed on the first place: a profile of an emerging prolific director.

Read the full article here.

Photo is courtesy of Miles Films, although what appeared in the printed paper was taken from the paper's archive. 

Obviously it was taken during the making of the film.

Somewhere.

Nothing quite prepares you of feelings experienced in every trip, no mater howw often you've taken similar trips before. Each trip is something new, and each trip has its own memory one should not attempt to compare.

But have you taken a trip where your imagination is best left intact, even after you've completed a trip?

Have you ever taken a trip where your mind still lingers, playing what-if situation even after a stamp in your passport states that you have departed the place?

Have you ever taken a trip where your feet rule over your conscience?

Have you ever taken a trip where you busily arrange your feeling all the time?

Have you ever taken a trip where a lof of thinking dominates your days?

I don't know if I have done all of the above, actually. But if those describe my present state of mind, then let's just be it.



















And yes, maybe, some wishful thinking is best left intact or untouched.


"... and i know / when i am going / no more doubt / no more fear / i've found my way / so let's leave / today / anywhere / change me / change me / change me / once again ... " (nina simone - just in time - ost. before sunset)

How do we react to changes that we undertake?

There are many ways, and all of them lead into two big classification: either we accept them, or we reject them.

Looking back, I can say that I have no regret at all.

Post-Oscar Toothache.

Reflecting any pains that Leonardo DiCaprio (might) endure(d) while filming The Departed, particularly in the scene where Jack Nicholson punches Leo's gripped arm, it is politically incorrect that I almost shared the same pains upon knowing that the film in the spotlight won this year's Oscar for Best Picture.

While the film is a highly watchable flick, I wonder if this signals the decline of American cinema.
Has the land become extinct due to the drought of fresh ideas and compelling stories?
Has the land been busily sharpening its sophisticated look with the help of CGI, without at once feeding the brains?

And all that deserving winners (Alan Arkin, Helen Mirren, Marie Antoinette's Costume Design) do not make up the fact that this year's Best Picture is a remake of a Hong Kong instant classic film. Isn't it ironic that one land suffers from dry-spell of stories is conquering other land suffers from dry-spell of box-office takings, yet still abundant with interesting ideas?

Try to read between the lines of what IndieWire (as taken from Associated Press) reports below:

"The Hong Kong director of the gritty gangster flick that Martin Scorsese adapted as his Oscar-winning hit "The Departed" heaped praise on the man he said inspired him to make films. "It is an honour to have been able to help Martin win his first and long overdue Oscar," said Andrew Lau, whose 2002 film "Infernal Affairs" provided the story for Scorsese's movie set among the gangs of Boston. "He has always been my hero, his films were why I got into making films." AFP

What does this mean?

With all due respect to Scorsese, whose "The Age of Innocence" is a very personal favorite of mine, and whose "Taxi Driver", "Raging Bull", "Mean Streets", "Casino" and "Good Fellas" are, IMHO, considered works of art, I can only wonder whether he has entered his swansong years.

If yes, then let him bask in his belated glory, while we, appreciative audience, will continue wondering and searching a very few good, compelling, original films that make us proud to watch them.

Writing the above sentence gave me a bump. For a few seconds, I completely forgot about my tootache. Darn my teeth!

Let's Bet! (for Oscar, that is) -- Part 3

Not much time left, so here's a continuous quickie:

BEST DIRECTOR

I thought The Departed is an exceptional film, something like an oasis for Martin Scorsese after his successive dry spells in "The Aviator" and "Gangs of New York". But look at his classics, "Mean Streets", "Taxi Driver", "Raging Bull", and even "The Age of Innocence" (the latter being my personal favorite). As refreshing as an oasis can be, The Departed still falls short behind those classics, but way better than his previous two films in this century. Add that with the fact that the film is a remake of "Infernal Affairs", I doubt if it is greatly rewarding to award someone for his cover-version effort. Still, sentimentality plays a major part here, and I doubt if Clint Eastwood can pull off his fame this time.

Will win: Martin Scorsese for The Departed.
Should win: Paul Greengrass for United 93. His direction is a fine example of an exquisite, tender approach to otherwise a highly sensitive issue.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

I can't shake off my disbelief on how meticulous the details are presented in The Queen. Peter Morgan did an extremely fine job here, balancing emotional and factual sides nicely in a work that elevates itself above an average TV-movie.
On the other hand, Guillermo del Toro churns out one of the richest fairy tales that linger on our minds long after we walk out of his Pan's Labyrinth.
However, the Scriptwriter Guilds Association chose a crowd-pleasing Little Miss Sunshine as their annual awards' winner in this category. I agree that the film has a handful of one-liners ("Go hug Mom", anyone?), but I am not sure if it is strong enough to fight a gigantic presence of a faun and a stature of a queen.

Will win: Michael Arndt for Little Miss Sunshine.
Should win: Peter Morgan for The Queen.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

I may not really fall head over heels into it, but I still applaud William Monahan's skillful approach to transfer Asian graceful-action shootings to American exploitive style. The one I'm rooting for here is Patrick Marber, who was previously denied for his daring take on "Closer", one of the most intriguing dramas on adult relationships. Penning a screenplay entirely told from its antagonist? Now that's something.

Will win: William Monahan for The Departed.
Should win: Patrick Marber for Notes on a Scandal.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

One of the strongest line-ups in years. How I wish to see "Volver", "Blackbook", "Cafe Transit", "Curse of the Golden Flower", "Love for Share", "Farewell, Falkenberg", "White Palms", or "Something Like Happpines" were nominated. But still, none of these can beat Guillermo del Toro's creatures.

Will win: Pan's Labyrinth, directed by Guillermo del Toro.
Should win: Pan's Labyrinth, directed by Guillermo del Toro.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Hey! "Ice Age 2" is not that bad!

Will win: Cars.
Should win: Happy Feet. The film really pushes the envelope of what computer-graphic animation should be, i.e. putting audience in anxiety over roller-coasting camera works.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Will win: Emmanuel Lubezki for Children of Men.
Should win: Dick Pope for The Illusionist. Love its other-worldly look.

BEST EDITING

Not really a fan of editing styles in both Babel and The Departed, both Editor Guilds' (ACE) winners. But if I really have to choose between the two, I guess I'll settle for Thelma's The Departed.

Will win: Thelma Schoonmaker for The Departed.
Should win: Clare Douglas, Richard Pearson, Christopher Rouse for United 93.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

I did my thorough observation. Hope it gets published, or if it doesn't, I'll publish it here.

Will win: Alexandre Desplat for The Queen. However, I'd like him win for "The Painted Veil" instead, which was not nominated despite winning Golden Globe earlier.
Should win: Philip Glass for Notes on a Scandal. It'll be a make-up for his previous losses, especially for his haunting works on "The Hours".

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

C'mon, at least Dreamgirls should win something.

Will win: "Listen" from Dreamgirls.
Should win: "Listen" from Dreamgirls.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Girls and gays, I know how Patricia Field should be getting some recognition for both her clever picks among those designers' galore, but against both king and queens of China and England? Nah.

Will win: (I can't believe this) Consolata Boyle for The Queen.
Should win: Chung Man Yee for Curse of the Golden Flower. A 40-kg crown? That's something.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

Like you need to ask.

Will win: An Inconvenient Truth.
Should win: An Inconvenient Truth.

BEST MAKE-UP

Will win: Pan's Labyrinth. That guy is sitting for hours to be made-up as a faun!
Should win: Pan's Labyrinth. Oh, there's a vomitting giant toad, too.

BEST SOUND

My take: Dreamgirls.

BEST SOUND EDITING

My take: Letters From Iwo Jima. A perfect show-off for war films. Remember, "Pearl Harbor" won in this category five years ago.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

My take: Superman Returns. Digitizing Brandon Routh's rumoured bulging asset? That's something.

BEST ART DIRECTION

"Moulin Rouge!" won this category five years before, so I'll go the same.

Will win: Dreamgirls.
Should win: Pan's Labyrinth.

BEST SHORT FILM, ANIMATED

Again, I did my thorough observation on this. Let's hope it gets published.

Will win: The Little Matchgirl. Yes, it's that HCA classic.
Should win: Lifted. Coming soon this summer.

BEST DOCUMENTARY, SHORT SUBJECTS

My take: Recycled Life. A nice unintended publicity that came right after the nominations were announced. But don't ask me what sort of publicity it created. Look for it yourself, ok?!

BEST SHORT FILM, LIVE ACTION

Will win: West Bank Story. Yes, it's "West Side Story" being moved to the Middle East.
Should win: Binta and the Great Idea. Love it.



(And I just notice the bigger letters for "Rosebud" than anything else. Nice gesture of AMPAS who denied "Citizen Kane" from winning the Best Picture 66 years ago!)

Let's Bet! (for Oscar, that is) -- Part 2

Interesting line-ups of thespians in equally attractive roles. And I couldn't help but shouting "Hallelujah!" for strong roles in women fields, both leading and supporting categories. Quite a reminiscence of 2002's leading actress category, when Salma Hayek, Nicole Kidman, Diane Lane, Julianne Moore and Renee Zellwegger competed. (Darn the prosthetic nose!)

Nominees for BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE are:
- Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond
- Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson
- Peter O'Toole in Venus
- Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness
- Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland.

A lock, eh?! Unless AMPAS members were busy watching "Lawrence of Arabia", "My Favorite Year", "Becket", "The Lion in Winter", and many others for the past few weeks, while regretting their past mistakes. In another note, where's the old Leo who gripped us to a shocking effect in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?", "The Basketball Diaries" and "Marvin's Room"?

Will win: Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland.
Should win: Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland.

Nominees for BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE are:
- Penelope Cruz in Volver
- Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal
- Helen Mirren in The Queen
- Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada
- Kate Winslet in Little Children.

Wow. A total of 29 Oscar acting nominations among them. What a company! Again, who can defy Her Majesty?

Will win: Helen Mirren in The Queen.
Should win: Helen Mirren in The Queen.

Nominees for BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE are:
- Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine
- Jackie Earle Haley in Little Children
- Djimon Hounsou in Blood Diamond
- Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls
- Mark Wahlberg in The Departed.

In a highly subjective way, I can't shake off the ruggedly gorgeous look of Mark Wahlberg ever since I finished my write-up on him here.
But again, looking at the nominees, I seem to rely more on Alan Arkin, for his brief-yet-nuanced performance in Little Miss Sunshine. If Academy wants to play sentimental vote, this is the perfect category to do so, since he is the most veteran actor here.
The only obstacle? The recent award-showering to Eddie Murphy.

Will win: Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls.
Should win: Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine.

Nominees for BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE are:
- Adriana Barraza in Babel
- Cate Blanchett in Notes on a Scandal
- Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine
- Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls
- Rinko Kikuchi in Babel.

As much as I try not to follow what others have said, Jennifer Hudson's soulful belt in "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going" is proved to be unstoppable.

Will win: Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls.
Should win/should have been nominated: Maribel Verdu in "Pan's Labyrinth".

Let's Bet! (for Oscar, that is) -- Part 1

This is my entry that loudly speaks: You ask for it!

And no matter how hard I have persuaded printed media to release my Oscar predictions (i love you, guys! hahaha!), they lean more towards what news agencies provide. Let's see if my predictions match:

Nominees for BEST PICTURE are:

- Babel
- The Departed
- Letters from Iwo Jima
- Little Miss Sunshine
- The Queen

Earlier this week, I discussed with my colleague, who traveled regularly to film festivals in the world, over why it is so hard for Indonesia and many other countries to score a nomination, at least for Best Foreign Language film. His answer is simple: "Most of AMPAS members who vote for this event reside in the US, so, it's easier for them to vote for films they are familiar with. By familiar, it can be by getting a release in LA/NY, or media coverage, or any medium of promotions. Like everything else, it's all about connection."

Add that with "getting close to them, the voters".

Four of five Best Picture winners in this century are films with stories originally concepted in America, set in the USA and directed by American directors (the exception being "The Return of the King" by New Zealander Peter Jackson). From "A Beautiful Mind" to "Crash", they all have the Star Spangled Banner notes embedded within.

So, what does this tell us? Easy. The only very American film is Little Miss Sunshine.

If one would like to push The Departed, it is quick to note that the film is an adaptation of much superior "Infernal Affairs" from Hong Kong. The Queen and Letters from Iwo Jima are out of question, and Babel does babble in multiple languages in several continents.

The fact that Little comes with a dose of good-hearted humor is a bonus, and in a time of disheartening events around the world, I guess most of right-wing, liberal voters would like to light up the world with one thing they know best: entertaining.


Will win: Little Miss Sunshine
Should win: Letters from Iwo Jima (hasn't it been some time that we see a war film winning Best Picture? The last time a war drama won Best Picture was, believe it or not, "Platoon" in 1986!)