tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post994375955024874894..comments2024-01-26T00:54:19.338+08:00Comments on Lessons From the School of Inattention: Batang West Side (2001)Oggs Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03041599863258946384noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-44408962423144603932011-08-06T08:24:50.221+08:002011-08-06T08:24:50.221+08:00Sir, where were you able to view this film? Can th...Sir, where were you able to view this film? Can this film be bought? Thank you. This film is needed for a school requirement so I would relaly appreciate any information on how to get my hands on it.Thanks again!Andy Riverahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14569436839599600315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-55441112893727755812009-08-14T14:05:27.894+08:002009-08-14T14:05:27.894+08:00Hi Dr. Light Bearer,
I believe there are festival...Hi Dr. Light Bearer,<br /><br />I believe there are festival screener copies around. This is actually a very sad story since the reel is being kept by the producer of the film. Even Lav doesn't have a clear copy of his own film.Oggs Cruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03041599863258946384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-45431820153971982862009-08-09T22:08:18.832+08:002009-08-09T22:08:18.832+08:00mr. cruz... how could i watch this film? been sear...mr. cruz... how could i watch this film? been searching it for ages (a year is equal to an age for me...) thanks...Dr. Light Bearerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17770837172713359616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-84623237936732122652009-03-02T01:13:00.000+08:002009-03-02T01:13:00.000+08:00I haven't seen the film. :-) I think it's gonna be...I haven't seen the film. :-) <BR/><BR/>I think it's gonna be exciting experience, contemplative cinema with a brush of Filipino eclecticism.Adrian Mendizabalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02627346620368062069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-52212113861203451112009-03-02T01:08:00.000+08:002009-03-02T01:08:00.000+08:00hi mr. Oggs! Is Batang West Side a type of contemp...hi mr. Oggs! <BR/><BR/>Is Batang West Side a type of contemplative film? <BR/><BR/>Is Lav Diaz the first Philippine director to explore this cinematic tradition?<BR/><BR/>Long shots? <BR/><BR/>A 'Tarrian' cinematic eye? <BR/><BR/>has it been internationally released? <BR/><BR/>kamusta yung reception?<BR/><BR/>has this been featured in Unspoken Cinema???<BR/><BR/>Just a thought! hehe!Adrian Mendizabalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02627346620368062069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-14503624223952300832008-09-29T09:49:00.000+08:002008-09-29T09:49:00.000+08:00Art Acuna is filthy evil in Batang West Side. I'm ...Art Acuna is filthy evil in Batang West Side. I'm glad to know that he's the exact opposite in real life.Oggs Cruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03041599863258946384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-39664387586585889062008-09-29T08:29:00.000+08:002008-09-29T08:29:00.000+08:00I remember walking up and talking to Art Acuna mys...I remember walking up and talking to Art Acuna myself. And surprise surprise, he's the nicest guy you can possibly meet. <BR/><BR/>I think great art is uncomfortable; it jangles on the nerves and never goes down smoothly. It's an emetic and diuretic--flushes you of poisons, same time it's nourishing, giving you tough material to chew on and exercise your little gray cells. If Batang West Side is easily the most accessible of Lav's late work, that's deceptive in itself; there's much in there that's innovative and uncompromising, the first of which is getting past that surface accessibility and realizing there's more below...Noel Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-12151179660120332022008-09-27T23:08:00.000+08:002008-09-27T23:08:00.000+08:00Very well said, Chard..."It is something you eat t...Very well said, Chard...<BR/><BR/>"It is something you eat that makes you wonder why you have eaten it all, while in fact there are other food in the menu. It stays with you and you wouldn't want it to go away from your stomach or intestines, you don't want to flush it out"<BR/><BR/>Just like vitamins... makes you think why most of our countrymen are malnourished. They feed on junkfood when there are vitamain-rich food out there...Oggs Cruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03041599863258946384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-75295976581306934672008-09-27T11:30:00.000+08:002008-09-27T11:30:00.000+08:00Would love to, Alexis. Thanks!I believe Diaz is "m...Would love to, Alexis. Thanks!<BR/><BR/>I believe Diaz is "more considerate" to his audience in Batang Westside than in Ebolusyon, not only because of its length but also in terms of treatment. In a way the former has mainstream sensibilities (narrative devices, first to third acts) without sacrificing his style (breaking the fourth wall, experimental sequences, etc.) and the latter is more revelatory of his mastery of form. Not that I enjoyed sitting through Ebolusyon, in fact I haven't finished it because the technical problems in UP Film Center then were really outrageous, but after several years thinking about it, I realize I have learned to appreciate it nevertheless. Still, Batang Westside is not easy to digest. It is something you eat that makes you wonder why you have eaten it all, while in fact there are other food in the menu. It stays with you and you wouldn't want it to go away from your stomach or intestines, you don't want to flush it out - - you refuse to take it away from your system because it had already become part of yourself. There's a universe to learn in that film, something that even words cannot fully describe, because even descriptions submit to insufficiency. After the screening I felt the need to walk toward Joel Torre and shake his hands, just to release my overwhelmed emotions. Without exaggerating, it has able to map out the Filipino fate. Quite sad that in order to create a work that defines us, a filmmaker has to set his story outside the Philippines. Are we defined by our diaspora? Are we defined by our need to move out, to yearn for a better life? I guess our great heroes have to do their masterpieces outside the country - - and by the time they're dead their works will only by studied by witless students inside the classroom.digitalburyonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13564519967089293558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-92052176617592037992008-09-26T00:15:00.000+08:002008-09-26T00:15:00.000+08:00Thanks Alexis, I'd love to have a copy. I'll get i...Thanks Alexis, I'd love to have a copy. I'll get in touch. Salamat!Oggs Cruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03041599863258946384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-24257688293030732332008-09-25T22:32:00.000+08:002008-09-25T22:32:00.000+08:00Oggs (and Chard if you're interested), I think I h...Oggs (and Chard if you're interested), I think I have extra copies of that issue of Ekran. At the very least, I can lend you mine to photocopy. Just get in touch.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-67824764333514515742008-09-25T11:37:00.000+08:002008-09-25T11:37:00.000+08:00Something like that, Noel. It's easy because it so...Something like that, Noel. It's easy because it somewhat works within a genre (the police investigation, Rashomon-like versions of the truth), but from there, it creeps into different directions. <BR/><BR/>Is Diaz's cinema the heart of the Philippine sensibility? I'd love to think that way, especially since he is the new wave of Philippine cinema's poster boy. But of course, that's only true to those who have experienced his films, and have become "more" Filipino as a result of watching and contemplating his declarations. Brocka is on an entirely different plane. Some people would say his brand of filmmaking is outdated (the Philippines as a member of the third world, etc.) but that's essentially how our cinema is: a lamentation on our fate as a nation, and Brocka has summarized that through his films, Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang (our moral depletion), Insiang (our social maladies), Orapronobis (our political incapacities), etc. These can't be outdated when many of our present filmmakers are still treading that path (Lamangan, Jeturian, Brillante Mendoza, even Diaz, although on a totally different method, touches on that core driving force). <BR/><BR/>It is a difficult question. I'd like to say that Brocka owns a crucial bit of that spiritual real estate, housing many of our filmmakers while Diaz is a next door neighbor with instant access to Brocka's mansion.Oggs Cruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03041599863258946384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-37554245039264212642008-09-25T10:56:00.000+08:002008-09-25T10:56:00.000+08:00So you say Batang West Side is only deceptively ea...So you say Batang West Side is only deceptively easy? That it has an ostensible story, but with layers underneath? I agree, actually. I love Ebolusyon for the beautiful black and white 16 mm footage, the radio interludes (which are hilarious), the Brocka interviews. I love Heremias for its eight hours of Lazaro, wandering. I love Enkanto for the loquacious characters and the roundabout dialogue that disappeared since Batang West Side (I think Diaz is wonderful when loquacious). <BR/><BR/>Here's a tough one, I think: is Diaz's cinema the heart of the Philippine sensibility? When it seems that Brocka owns that crucial bit of spiritual real estate?Noel Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-31594054861789637912008-09-23T12:27:00.000+08:002008-09-23T12:27:00.000+08:00Is Ekran available online, Noel?Difficult question...Is Ekran available online, Noel?<BR/><BR/>Difficult questions you got there, Noel, and it's going to take an entire night and a few bottles of beer to get somewhere. I'm inclined to say that Batang West Side is most uniquely Lav, because as I've said in my write-up, it's the turning point of everything. It's the prototype, the mold after which all his later films would be fashioned after. His later films, although different in nature and mood, are reimaginings of the same premise that Diaz attacked in Batang West Side. <BR/><BR/>Is Batang West Side appealing because it's the most easy to digest? Definitely, Batang West Side is appealing because it's easy to digest. However, is it really the easiest to digest? I'd give that to Heremias with its straightforward narrative and its universal themes.<BR/><BR/>Should we love the others for their unusual, even monstrous, features? Heck, yeah.Oggs Cruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03041599863258946384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-49249536650906697222008-09-23T12:12:00.000+08:002008-09-23T12:12:00.000+08:00There'a an issue of Ekran magazine with skads of a...There'a an issue of Ekran magazine with skads of articles on Batang West Side and Ebolusyon. <BR/><BR/>I'd throw in more difficult questions: which is most uniquely Lav? Is Batang West Side appealing because it's the most easy to digest? Should we love the others for their unusual, even monstrous, features?Noel Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-9587966752380627442008-09-23T11:07:00.000+08:002008-09-23T11:07:00.000+08:00I agree, Batang West Side has better performances ...I agree, Batang West Side has better performances than his later films. Right now, I'd tend to say that this is his tightest work, where the editing, the acting, the visuals, the music (Diaz forgoes music in his later films, quite understandable because music might jar the meditative mood of his nine-to-eleven hour features) mix into something unforgettable, something that speaks directly to your Filipino soul (I'd love to read an analytic review of a non-Filipino of this film). You're correct, his later films have their virtues, but Ebolusyon is a bit scattered, Heremias a tad too straightforward and parable-like, with Death in the Land of Encantos, coming close to Batang West Side's power. All great films though... It's a difficult choice, next week, I might tend to lean towards Heremias for its mythical disposition, or Ebolusyon (which I have to see again), or Death for its accurate portraiture of loneliness mixed with the sensuality of its locale... Difficult question Noel...Oggs Cruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03041599863258946384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-63544395978350885852008-09-23T10:37:00.000+08:002008-09-23T10:37:00.000+08:00So how do you think it compare with his later work...So how do you think it compare with his later works? Frankly, though the latter have their considerable virtues, for me this one has the strongest performances and delivered the strongest impact. He's only started to return to the density and dark humor of this with Enkantos. <BR/><BR/>Of course, we need to see the second half of Heremias.Noel Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-29209149250556071572008-09-22T20:41:00.000+08:002008-09-22T20:41:00.000+08:00Thanks Chard, It's also the most important film af...Thanks Chard, It's also the most important film after the millennium. It's quite sad it's not getting the attention it deserves. When I was interviewed for QTV, it wasn't even part of the shortlist. So I suggested that it be included (although it's not really an OFW movie)... that's how lists should function, to put attention to things that normally won't get any.Oggs Cruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03041599863258946384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-2328075672511893342008-09-22T18:42:00.000+08:002008-09-22T18:42:00.000+08:00Quite easily the best film after the millennium. R...Quite easily the best film after the millennium. Rare treat to see it for five marvelous hours inside the cinema. Still--my memories of it after two years are clear, and really really inspiring.digitalburyonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13564519967089293558noreply@blogger.com