Cinema Defined

My earliest memory of watching a film at a theater is Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. I only learned many years later how bad a film it was, but seven-year-old me was too enamoured of seeing a “live-action” Scooby-Doo facing off against adversaries like the Black Knight and Miner 49er.

I’ve been to the movie house dozens of times since then and, to date, my favourite theater moment was earlier this year when I watched Avengers: Endgame. I did not feel for an instance that the movie was three hours long given how epic it was. For the first time I could hear collective gasps and sobs during the movie’s most tear-jerking moments, enormous cheers when Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers became worthy to hold Thor’s hammer and finally say “Avengers assemble!” right down until the credits rolled to give Robert Downey Jr. a big round of applause.

Unfortunately there are some who believe that films like Avengers: Endgame, and the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, shouldn’t be considered “cinema.” It doesn’t help that these include the likes of award-winning directors Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, who each has produced such iconic films as Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, and Hugo (Scorsese), and The Godfather and Apocalypse Now (Coppola).

Purns Tries To Oscars 2024

I’d like to believe that 2023 was year of growth for me, professionally and definitely on a personal level. I felt a little disappointed during the last cycle of films because I only saw 71 films when I used to close in on a hundred. I just managed to match my 2022 movie count, but I’ve realized I’m somewhat conservative about the movies I see now. A majority of my visits to the theater are opportunities I get through work, which I’m grateful for, but on my own I carefully select now what I want to see.

It’s a daunting thought but one I’ve accepted for quite a while. Yes I want to see as much films as I possibly can, but life is making me realize there are things just as important that they are worth sacrificing for. Still, the Oscars may be turning heads for different reasons across the years, it’s still the huge gathering for cinephiles — me included. Work may be where all my writing goes on a daily basis, getting to continue this series is my annual therapy session now. To just repeat what I said last year, “All I’ve ever wanted was to share my love of cinema in the hopes that others will discover it themselves through my words, and I will do my best to continue that.”

Purns Tries To Oscars 2023

2022 was a very tough year. My country experienced highs and lows in the first half, with mostly latter carrying in the second. I did have personal victories — I went back to writing full-time as a career, got my own place near work and have been living alone for nearly a year, met new friends and rekindled with old ones, and most importantly (for this write-up at least) I got to return to the cinemas “regularly” again.

I put the quotation marks because most of my theater visits were mostly for work, which is what I enjoy the most about my profession, but I do miss the times where I could have time for myself to be in a cinema alone. Going back to writing full-time meant going back to the life I once had pre-pandemic where coverage took a lot of my time, and I guess because I’m more experienced now I’ve been going out a lot more. As a result I didn’t have enough free time, at least to myself because I would always try to be with friends and colleagues when possible — the pandemic eliminated a lot of my social life and I wanted to recharge it — and my 2022 film count stood at 71, a far cry from the 98 I saw from 2021.

I accepted that I wouldn’t be able to keep up as much because I was growing as a person, and I’m content in knowing I won’t be able to watch all the films I wanted to see if it meant becoming a better individual and a better friend. That sacrifice also meant missing predicting the Oscar nominees for the first time in quite a while; that took some time to settle in my mind, but I accepted that too as long as I would make sure I wouldn’t miss the write-up proper. For some time now “Purns Tries To Oscars” has been my only outlet to write freely, scattered through the articles and Letterboxd reviews I’ve done, so it’s another form of therapy for me beyond actually seeing a film. Several people have told me in the last couple of months how much they like hearing and reading the way I talk about films, and it’s very validating as an aspiring critic (I’m still aspiring, right?). All I’ve ever wanted was to share my love of cinema in the hopes that others will discover it themselves through my words, and I will do my best to continue that.

Purns Tries To Oscars 2022

Ninety-eight. I was able to see 98 movies, documentaries, and shorts released to the public in 2021—and I’m lowkey wishing I made it to 100. Nevertheless I am so happy to have made a new mark in my annual watchlist, missing just one Oscar nominee (Ala Kachuu – Take and Run).

Still, I am also quite happy that towards the end of 2021 (and late releases in 2022), I was able to watch several of these movies in the cinema. Many of these filmmakers intended their works to be seen on the biggest screen possible, accompanied by stellar sound systems to match the “oohs” and “ahhs” of audiences. With another year of films down, it’s time for the Academy to take center stage and award who they feel is deserving of its most prestigious honours.

Purns Tries To Oscars Noms 2022

Another year has passed and for me personally it has been quite a ride. I can confidently say I feel I’m in a better place than I was the year before, and films continued to be a constant presence in my life which has been scattered for the most part.

The previous year has been hard for film lovers like me who enjoy being in cinemas and getting the full theatrical experience—comfortable seats, delicious snacks, great company—which is why I nearly burst into tears when I watched “Dune” last November. I was back in the theater after almost two years, and there I was again feeling the booming speakers and gazing upon the majestic screen. Since cinemas reopened here in the Philippines, I took every opportunity I could to watch the select films chosen to premiere—and if I was unlucky or the surges got in the way, I could always watch in the safety of my own home like I did for many months.

Whether I was in the theater or on my laptop, the feeling remains the same—film has this extraordinary power to entertain, educate, and endure, and we must count ourselves fortunate to be able to experience that. I have really missed frequently writing about films—work has recently reopened opportunities for me—and now we have come to that time of the year where we acknowledge the “best” of them.

My 2021 watches are not yet done, but I’m already close to finishing it off this early which makes this quite a remarkable year for me personally—I have a feeling I may surpass last year’s count. But with the Oscar nominations announcement coming soon, it’s time to reignite the writer in me as I predict who the Academy will be setting their eyes on.

Tchaikovsky’s Twilight Trance

Violins set the scene. As the oboe begins to play, one is instantly transported to a fictional forest somewhere in Germany, beside a still and clear lake reflecting the white shining moon—one can even feel the water begin to ripple as the harp’s notes dance around. Suddenly the French horns bellow, and one isn’t just by the lake but flying over it, seeing the water glisten in all its glory, with no company in the sky but a whisper of clouds and the bright moon.

Don’t Blame The Kids

Young Filipino director Mikhail Red is slowly carving a name for himself in the film industry by tying local issues to his quite enthralling films. Though he took a step away in Eerie earlier this year, his other films like Rekorder, Neomanila, and arguably his best one Birdshot have each incorporated subjects of social interest—controversial to a point, but not short of thrills.

Mikhail continues his momentum in newest film Dead Kids, the first ever Filipino Netflix original film. Inspired by real events, Dead Kids follows a couple teenagers who kidnap their bully schoolmate and ask for a ransom of P30 million from the victim’s father, a wealthy drug lord.

Papal Conversations

In February 2013, the whole world was caught by surprise when Pope Benedict XVI announced that he was going to resign from his position as the Holy Father. In the days that followed, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio from Argentina was voted by a conclave of fellow cardinals to become the current Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis.

Benedict XVI’s, born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany, resignation was unexpected, causing a lot of conversations as to why he would choose to become pope emeritus rather than continue in the Catholic Church’s highest position—furthermore the man who succeeded him seemed his complete opposite, a simply priest who spent most of his time with the poor, holding public mass, and rode the bus daily.

Such turn of events became the inspiration for Anthony McCarten’s (The Theory of Everything, Bohemian Rhapsody) play The Pope, now also the feature film The Two Popes directed by Fernando Meirelles (City of God) with McCarten himself writing the screenplay. With veteran actors Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce as Benedict XVI and then-Cardinal Bergoglio, The Two Popes dives into a series of conversations between the two holy men as they bat out their stances and ideologies about faith, what it takes to be a truly good person, and ultimately about a decision that changed the Church forever.

Purns Tries To Oscars 2021

If my count is correct, I think this is the year I’ve watched the most Oscar-nominated films—including documentaries and shorts—at 52. And that is just over half of the total number of new films I’ve seen in 2020, 91. Unfortunately, I only saw one of those at the cinema, and that was Birds of Prey. I am grateful to have seen the other 90 because each have their own merits in some way, but there really is nothing compared to enjoying a film in the theater.

And I think this experience away from the cinema in some way has shaped the way we have perceived films, and to further appreciate its creativity and those of film makers. Not even a global pandemic was going to stop these storytellers from sharing their visions to the world. And in return, a number of them will be recognized by the Academy because they what they have given us also filled us with emotions, hope, admiration, and support.

This Oscars series of mine is starting to feel old, but being able to write again about a medium that has fuelled me with passion is something I really needed after the whirlwind that was 2020.  I will list down who I think the Academy will award, who I think deserves to win, and my personal predictions among the given nominees. Afterwards I’ll discuss my thoughts in each category for why I chose them as such for each section, starting with the major awards leading to the technical awards. Those underlined are what I haven’t seen (which is a few left, hooray!), and will update those categories if I grab a chance to see them. I’ve missed this—lights, camera, action.

Purns Tries To Oscars Noms 2021

Well, 2020 was quite a year. Much has been said about it, and it has greatly affected everyone’s lives. Personally, I was going through some big changes when suddenly 2020 decided to become the year that it was. One thing that has kept me sane throughout the year was my love for films. I would look forward to seeing a new movie after a long day at work, it almost didn’t matter to me if the movie was great or not.

Almost an entire year watching films on a computer or television has really got me missing cinemas. As grateful I am for Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and all the streamers that are on the rise, nothing really compares to being inside the theater. There’s something about the experience, to be in your own seat holding a tub of popcorn, surrounded by people you don’t know who are about to share in the same two hours of cinematic wonder. Truly 2020 has become a test for the movie industry, many having to shift to VOD or streaming platforms. While I do appreciate more access to films, I hope we all get back into theaters because some movies are best seen that way, in all their glory.

I am so happy that I somehow get to write about films again, even to just share my predictions about Oscar nominations. Updating my blog about the film pieces I made in the past has only kept my love for films alive. I am amazed at how much movies I saw this year, to the point I was only waiting for new releases. Like before, I will save my final thoughts and predictions when the nominations are final and the very-delayed show finally approaches.

Dead ringer of “Dead Kids”

Last 2018, news spread of two college students being kidnapped and held for a ransom worth P30 million. Not long after, one of the students confessed to being the mastermind behind the whole ordeal, and was helped by fellow schoolmates of the sole victim as well as students from other schools.

The incident serves as the inspiration for Mikhail Red’s newest film Dead Kids, the first Filipino film to be produced by Netflix. Mikhail’s other film Birdshot, which was submitted to the Academy Awards as the Philippines’ entry for the Foreign Language Film category in 2016, also happened to be the first Filipino film to be included in the giant streaming service’s catalogue.