RacsO Awards 2009: Wrap Up

Picture: Bright Star
Director: Warwick Thornton (Samson and Delilah)
Actor: Coco Martin (Kinatay)
Actress: Anita Linda (Adela) and Rustica Carpio (Lola)
Supporting Actor: Michael Fassbender (Fish Tank)
Supporting Actress: Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds)
Adapted Screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki (Ponyo)
Original Screenplay: Warwick Thornton (Samson and Delilah)
Cinematography: Greig Fraser (Bright Star)
Film Editing: Kats Serraon (Kinatay)
Art Direction: Henry Selick et al (Coraline)
Make Up: District 9
Visual Effects: Avatar
Sound Effects Editing: Avatar
Sound Mixing: Hunger
Costume Design: Bright Star
Song: "When You Find Me" (Adam)
Score: Where the Wild Things Are

Next week, Decade in Review. Bests of the Decade, RacsO Awards of the Decade.

RacsO Awards 2009: Picture

10
Mangatyanan
Directed by Jerrold Tarog

"Mangatyanan" is the best film shown in last year's Cinemalaya, and the more I think about the movie, the more I grew fond and in love with it. Basically the premise is simple, it is about this young woman named Laya who was molested as a child and now she is being haunted again by her father who is now sick and dying. The movie was (for me) about forgiveness, well, she did not forgive her father but she did forgive her mother. And I love how the movie was didactic yet it did not feel forced. We are going to see more wonders from Tarog, I just know it.

9
(500) Days of Summer
Directed by Marc Webb

If there is a movie that came out last year that I could watch over and over again and yet still feel happy with it (other than my number 1), it has got to be "(500) Days of Summer". It was a love story about a boy meets girl, boy fell in love with girl, girl doesn't, girl fell in love with another boy. On paper, there was nothing really unique with the story, but what was most admirable about it was that the story telling was impeccable and quite unique. Plus Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt were tops in this movie, giving what could be the best of their careers.

8
Summer Hours
Directed by Olivier Assayas

Halfway through the year, "Summer Hours" was my favorite film, and it remains as one of my favorites up to now, just not on top. But that said, I am still very much in love with this film and it I can still say that it is a special little film. What made the movie very special was that it has its own unique voice of telling what could be a rather unconventional story to tell. I loved the mini tensions in the film, there were no biggie conflicts on the surface but you feel that there was. Plus, I will say this again, Edith Scob's performance is still in my head.

7
Mary and Max
Directed by Adam Elliot

This has been a banner year for animated film because there are four in my top twenty and this one I have seen three times in two days, I am addicted to it. And the more I see it, the more I love it. To count, I have seen this movie seven times already and it never fails to mesmerize me. I love the unconventional pairing of the two protagonists. Who would have thought that a pen pal story of a mentally ill New Yorker and an introverted, frequently bullied young Aussie girl would have clicked the way it clicked in the movie? Now that I am writing about it I can't wait to see it again.

6
Adela
Directed by Adolf Alix Jr.

This is Adolf Alix's second appearance in my list. Why wouldn't he? He keeps on giving one great movie after another, and there seems to be no signs of him slowing down. More for me then. "Adela" was about a 80 something year old woman who is celebrating her 80-ish birthday. She expected that her sons and daughters would come, but they did not, instead she had to celebrate her birthday alone. Saddening with simple beauty. Small yet it packs a big emotional whallop. "Adela" might possibly be Alix's best work to date and I have never seen Anita Linda be this perfect.

5
Mother
Directed by Bong Joon-Ho

Crime procedural drama could not get any better than this (and if it were then it is a welcome surprise) and Bong Joon-Ho does this type of movie effortlessly. "Mother" tells the story of one mother's drive to go to all the lengths to defend the innocence of her retarded son. It is poised with superb ensemble cast headlined by the great great great Kim Hye Ja and the I-did-not-know-he-could-act Won Bin.

4
Ponyo
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

In a banner year of movies, Miyazaki has proved himself that he is indeed a modern day Walt Disney. A re-imagination and re-interpretation of a well beloved story, "The Little Mermaid". Like I said previously, I love how it felt that all the kid characters were written by kids. It is a marvel for me to see how Miyazaki could tap into his inner kid and bring forth art.

3
Kinatay
Directed by Brillante Mendoza

Brillante may have made his best work to date with "Kinatay". There I said it. I know many would disagree because as you may all have known and witnessed, Brillante Mendoza's "Kinatay" got really bad reviews in Cannes. But I still do not see what I saw that they did not see. It was like Haneke, for me, Mendoza has created a movie that will scare the living wits out of viewers. For me, "Kinatay" was not the story of a woman's butchering, but the butchering of the one's innocence. Scary shit, Mendoza's best.

2
Samson and Delilah
Directed by Warwick Thornton

I love when a unconventional stories work, they are the kind of movies that really makes me jealous and want to make my own movie but I just can't, yet. "Samson and Delilah" was an unconventional love story, about love (like in Moulin Rouge) overcoming all obstacles. I know I have this like many times before, but what's really special about this movie for me, was that the movie did not even need the dialogue, I hear the message loud and clear. Stunning work, really really superb movie.

1
Bright Star
Directed by Jane Campion

"The Piano" has got to be in the top three films ever created and to see Jane Campion create another masterpiece, I am forever enthralled. She is great at period dramas, not so much for contemporary, and what she did with "Bright Star" was like Martin Scorsese doing "The Departed". Romantic dramas sometimes go overboard trying to win the romantic inside the viewers, but this movie never really did that, it was effortlessly romantic. It told its story pure and fluid, I love it. "Bright Star", best picture of the year.

American Idol Season 9: Top 10

Top 3

1. Lee Dewyze - THE BEST performance this season bar none.
2. Crystal Bowersox - Kinda a little disappointed because she was perfect last week. The standing was a little awkward but superb nonetheless. Another great performance
3. Michael Lynche - finally took notice of him

Bottom 3

1. Siobhan Magnus - she gets cocky and she messed up. Screechy pitchy.
   
2. Tim Urban - what the frack is he still doing in this competition?
3. Didi Benami - Girl, get it together! I am rooting for you but not this week. The performance was dreadful, she never got the right key.
   

RacsO Awards 2009: Actress

In the Running: Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia), Ellen Page (Whip It)

I am so sorry: Tilda Swinton (Julia)

OK. I am cheating again, I usually don't like it when an award giving body extends their nominations to more than five, but now I am following that because, this has just been a really good year for actresses, at least for me.

Finalists

Rustica Carpio
Lola

I heard that Rustica Carpio was just second choice for this role. But I think Carpio just proved that she deserves the role. She was heartbreaking-ly real and I fell so hard for her performance, I was crying with her. She did all she can to earn a big sum of money just so she can make amends. I think her role was hard to like, because she is after all protecting a criminal. But I fell hard for her, really hard.

Abbie Cornish
Bright Star

I was really happy that early on in the year that she is getting noticed for her work in "Bright Star", she should because she was phenomenal in it. But then as the year ends the buzz died. And it got me saying: "What the fuck?". She was perfect as Fanny Brawne, and she should have raked in heap of awards for her performance, and she did not and it got me saying again: "What the fuck?". She should have gotten a spot in the best actress nod because she was way better than anyone nominated in that category.

Kim Hye-Ja
Mother

From the first weird dance opening to the heartbreaking ending, the performance given by Kim Hye Ja was monumental and beyond perfection. Like Rustica Carpio in "Lola", Hye-Ja in "Mother" did all she can to find out who really did who. And when she found out what really happened, she did what she had to do to cover things up. Foreign actresses sometime get noticed by the Academy, and it is a shame that she did not get any awards traction for her performance other than the Asian Film Awards.

Anita Linda
Adela

Even if Anita Linda did not speak a word in "Adela" the performance would be groundbreaking as it is. Whenever I speak of her performance in this movie, I run out of adjectives to say in superlative admiration and praise of her work. Linda is 80ish years old and is appearing in one movie after another, she should be, especially when she is giving one helluva performance after another.

Kelly O'Neill
Kisses

Young actors and actresses barely get noticed nowadays, but if they actually have seen "Kisses", it is hard not to be impressed and be a fan of Kelly O'Neill. Watching her felt like I am seeing a major talent that needs another performance like this, kinda what I felt when I was watching Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement". If Max Records gets the award for best young actor of the year, Kelly O'Neill wins best young actress of the year.

Che Ramos
Mangatyanan

How Che Ramos created the character of Laya in "Mangatyanan" was quite a remarkable feat. He had layers of barriers over layers of barriers ready to ward off people trying to get in. She was hurt, hurt as a child and grew a tough skin when she grew up. Che Ramos shows now sign of someone who is in her first movie. This is one of the breakthrough performances of the year and I can not wait to see what she does next.

*** OK I cheated again, TIE, I KNOW! Sue me! But if I were to pick, one winner it would be Carpio

RacsO Awards 2009: Actor

In the Running: Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Joaquin Phoenix (Two Lovers)

Finalists

Joseph Gordon Levitt
(500) Days of Summer

Joseph Gordon Levit has continued to shine in indie films for this past decade and he sealed of the decade with a career topping performance in "(500) Days of Summer". Everyone who has seen the movie sympathizes with him, and although we all know what was going to happen in the end, we are all kinda hoping that this hopeless romantic will get the love of his life. He was lovesick, love stricken, love slave, and you can't help but fall in love with him too.

Romalito Mallari
Dinig Sana Kita

Romalito Mallari's performance in "Dinig Sana Kita" probably is the best breakthrough performance in the Philippines. It is a rare find to see an actor, in his first movie, give such a great performance as what Mallari did. The added catch to that is that he really is deaf, like Kiko in the movie. I wish he'd be given more plum roles as this, I really do.

Coco Martin
Kinatay

Coco Martin is the Indie prince of the Philippines and his last Cannes indie offering, "Kinatay" is arguably his best performance to date. Although he was just a voyeur, and we are seeing things and events with him as our eyes, the intensity of the performance was just astonishing. We see him transform from an innocent young individual to being forced into being part of a gruesome crime. His eyes did most of the acting, and it was such a superb and perfect feat. Coco Martin should not stop doing movies such as this.

Christoph Waltz
Inglourious Basterds

We all know that Tarantino brings the best out of his actors and he eventually leads them to Oscar nominations. I think that Tarantino found probably is going to be one of the best actors of our time, and that is Christoph Waltz. Arguably a supporting performance, but I think that he lingered all throughout the movie. Even if the scene was not entirely about him, you still feel his presence, like a ghost. It was not the Basterds who brought fear to the movie, it was Hans Landa. Waltz was just pure genius playing this role. He was manic, scary, and uhm really scary.

Ben Whishaw
Bright Star

Watching Ben Whishaw in "I'm Not There" got me thinking that there is something with this actor that we should look out for, and yes indeed, there was really something. In "Bright Star" playing the in-love and dying young poet John Keats, Ben Whishaw was John Keats. he embodied the poet as though we are watching a clip from the past documenting his love for Fanny Brawne. There were hardly any oscar flashy moments of tears and anger or such, but it was such a very memorable performance. You just wanted him to get better. Dammit!


*** The win is a very very close call. I would switch the winners to Whishaw and Martin depending on the mood. If I could give a tie, the winners would be Whishaw and Martin.

RacsO Awards 2009: Top 11 - 15 Films

15
The White Ribbon
Directed by Michael Haneke

I must admit before anything is said that I overrated this movie when I first saw it, but after multiple viewings I have grown to love it less. But that said, I still love it (but not that much). I love how there were no clear answers given in the movie, I love how everything felt so natural yet I felt scared with it. Haneke never fails to amaze me.

14
Hunger
Directed by Steve McQueen

If there was a movie this year that was not horror yet it scared the wits out of me, it has got to be "Hunger". There was something freaky about that death scene, that hunger strike ugh. The pivotal scene for me was the long discussion with the priest. That part for was just perfect. I do not know if I can watch it again, but it sure was a great but horrifying experience.

13
Inglourious Basterds
Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Like Michael Haneke, Quentin Tarantino never fails to amaze me, more so, entertain me. I love that he never loses his style, his storytelling mastery. It was almost all talk, this movie, yet it never bored me, in fact I enjoy just hearing them talk. I wish I could be a part of the cast, the European cast that is. Oh and let us all thank Tarantino for introducing us to Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent.

12
Coraline
Directed by Henry Selick

Early this year, "Coraline" is one of my favorite films and the same feeling lingers up to now. I love how the imagination went crazy perfect with this movie. It was a treat for kids as it was also something that they could draw nightmares from. It was also a welcome treat for adults! Plus, I never knew Teri Hatcher had it in her play evil.

11
Jay
Directed by Francis Xavier Pasion

Even though I have seen this movie about 2 years ago now (it only got commercial release this year) the movie remains fresh in my mind, and how I had fun while watching the movie. It was about death, murder and media, yet all felt so light and told with a rather dark humor. Top notch performances from Baron Geisler, Coco Martin and Flor Salanga. I can not wait what Francis Xavier Pasion does next.

RacsO Awards 2009: Top 16 - 20 Films

20
In the Loop
Directed by Armando Iannucci

"In the Loop" has got the be the foulest mouthed movie of the year and one of the most enjoyable at that. The cast were top notch, especially Peter Capaldi. Even though sometimes I got lost with what was going on, I still mightily enjoyed it.

19
Aurora
Directed by Adolf Alix

"Aurora" went by in the Philippines almost virtually unseen because it got X'd by the local censors. Pity. The movie was a great story of what was happening in the Philippines and it was put to screen scarily stunning and detailed.

18
Where the Wild Things Are
Directed by Spike Jonze

"Where the Wild Things Are" has got to be one of the loneliest movies of the year, but that said it was able to tap in to my inner child. But that kid is depressed, that is how I am depressed right now! Not only was it a feat for story telling, it was also a technical achievement, it is one of the most visually stunning movies of the year.

17
The House of the Devil
Directed by Ti West

You could mistake this movie as a movie that was released decades ago, I think that it was successful in that sense, of bringing the retro horror film. Effective horror films rarely come today and this one, though may not be really that scary, but it was really well made. It was a horror gore nostalgia all at once.

16
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Directed by Wes Anderson

Quirkfest! "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" is a stop motion animated film that would make young people happy but adults happier. Sharp, entertaining and very funny, Wes Anderson is back in form.

10 Songs

1. Halfway Gone - Lifehouse
2. Lewis Takes Action - Owen Pallett
3. Telephone - Lady GaGa and Beyonce
4. Terrified - Kara DioGuardi
5. Bulletproof - La Roux
6. Where We Belong - Lostprophets
7. Heartbreak Warfare - John Mayer
8. Again - Flyleaf
   
9. Song Away - Hockey
10. Bittersweet - Sophie Ellis Bextor
    

RacsO Awards 2009: Director

In the Running: Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds), Adam Elliot (Mary and Max), Jerrold Tarog (Mangatyanan)

Almost Making It: Bong Hoon-Ho (Mother), Olivier Assayas (Summer Hours)

Finalists

Adolfo Alix Jr.
Adela

What is impressive about Alix's work in "Adela" was his decision to make Anita Linda be in the center and everything just revolves around her. What I also loved about what he made was that for a change it was about a poor old woman and you do not pity the old woman because she's poor, you pity her because she is lonely. He showed a whole new side to the impoverished Filipino.

Jane Campion
Bright Star

Going back to form, Jane Campion gained all the magic she lost post "The Piano". She is in top form, and everything reflected in her work in "Bright Star". I miss this kind of her work and what she made, this year, was a masterpiece.

Brillante Mendoza
Kinatay

Even though we have seen this work from him already, there is no denying that he stepped up from his previous work "Serbis". He had to risk, errrr driving people away, with his style of storytelling, but it paid off really well. And that win from Cannes, was very well deserved.

Hayao Miyazaki
Ponyo

What I admired the most about "Ponyo" was the character of Ponyo. Her character felt like it was made by a kid because what Ponyo did in the movie was really what a kid does. And everything in the movie felt like it was taken from an imagination of a kid and spun it into movie magic. Miyazaki continues to prove that there still is magic in 2D animation.

Warwick Thornton
Samson and Delilah

I think it was an arduous task, to tell the story of Samson and Delilah, for Warwick Thornton and he told the story very well and very effectively. It was deceptively simple but it really was not. I love the feel that I need not understand the words muttered in the movie, because the visuals alone made me understand and feel the movie very well.

RacsO Awards 2009: Supporting Actress

In the Running: Mo'Nique (Precious), Gwyneth Paltrow (Two Lovers), Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds)

Almost Making It: Juliette Lewis (Whip It)

Finalists

Marion Cotillard
Nine

Even if the movie was kind of a messed up dud, there is no denying the fact that Marion Cotillard was all aces in the movie. She sounded perfect, she looked perfect and everything about her performance was perfect. "My Husband Makes Movies" got me singing the damn song for days. And I think I am in the minority when I say that this is leaps and bound better than her Oscar winning performance.

Vera Farmiga
Up in the Air

Farmiga was the male equivalent of George Clooney's character in "Up in the Air". But when Clooney was doing her thing it was alright but when Farmiga fucked things up, she is like the devil incarnate. How could someone have a hard that cold. That bitch!

Mailes Kanapi
My Fake American Accent

The performance may verge on being a caricature (like Mo'Nique's performance) but her comedic timing is just impeccable. It is a rare treat here in the Philippines to see such a performance, it was funny as hell, bitchy and yet still human, and oddly enough, though she is playing a bitch, you want to see more of her.

Melanie Laurent
Inglourious Basterds

Arguably a lead performance, but methinks why people feel that she was lead was the fact that she stole the show from all the men. She was equivalent (for me) to Waltz groundbreaking performance. That restaurant scene was to die for, it was such a career turning performance and I want to see more of her.

Edith Scob
Summer Hours

Up to know I still do not know why Edit Scob's performance and voice still lingers in my head months after I have seen "Summer Hours". It may not be that flashy or does not have the big emotional scenes but you can not deny that it was her that you remember the most after watching the movie.

RacsO Awards 2009: Original Screenplay

In the Running: Michael Haneke (The White Ribbon), Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber ((500) Days of Summer), Jerrold Tarog (Mangatyanan), Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank)

Almost Making it: Olivier Assayas (Summer Hours)

Finalists

Jane Campion
Bright Star

This movie is poetry translated perfectly to screen and it was effortlessly. Many braved to do such but many fail but Jane Campion does it with ease. The words by John Keats were also utilized in such a way that you would feel raw emotion of longing and love.

Adam Elliot
Mary and Max

The story of pen pals, a young Australian girl and fat mentally ill American. I love how they talked with each other, it was like their characters actually wrote the stories and lines for themselves. This movie was way overlooked during the Oscar season when in fact it is way better than the animated films that they awarded. This is a very dear and special movie.

Park Eun-kyo and Bong Joon-ho
Mother

A part mother's drama story and part crime procedural drama. Bong Joon Ho seems to be a master of this type of movie and he does it wonderfully. But what really sets this movie apart was that it was infused with quirkiness that at first glanced did not add up but it worked wonders to add to the feel and mood of the film.

Quentin Tarantino
Inglourious Basterds

What Tarantino did in this movie was to prove how much he loved words and movies. It was almost all talk, not so much action but yet it has that action tension going on. I loved how the characters throw lines, and how with their words they can infuse anger, fear and worry.

Warwick Thornton
Samson and Delilah

Hardly do we get original love stories these days but this Australian import is just the very definition of originality. There is nothing quite like it, and you can't think of any movie that you could at least relate to it (at least for me). Like "Mary and Max" this movie was way way way overlooked, this movie is just a true valuable gem.

RacsO Awards 2009: Art Direction and Production Design

In the Running: Avatar, The Countess, Bright Star

Finalists

K.K. Barrett, Sonny Gerasimowicz, William Hawkins, Christopher Tandon, Lucinda Thomson, Jeffrey Thorp
Where the Wild Things Are

The fortress alone would get the movie nominated, sadly not good enough for the academy. It was so intricately designed, detailed and stunning.

Antxon Gomez, Victor Molero
Broken Embraces

I just love how the red pops in the movie. Red in a way that it is not angry in my eyes, in fact the feel so refreshing. Everything was elegantly beautiful

Nelson Lowry, Francesca Maxwell
The Fantastic Mr. Fox

This is a very detailed work. Everything seem to be meticulously placed. What I love was that it brought with it the Fall spirit. You will easily get drawn to the surrounding that they created.

Seong-hie Ryu
Thirst

What I really admire with the sets and production design of "Thirst" was that given the dark and gothic theme, I marvel how they played around with colors so that every set will pop.

Henry Selick, Phil Brotherton, Lee Bo Henry, Tom Proost
Coraline

Stunningly beautiful. It has layers of imagination over layers of imagination. You simply can't deny the fact that a lot of artistry was put into this. Just breathtakingly awesome.