Talking movies

As predicted, the list of winners for acting honors at the Oscars hewed to the lineup cited by news organizations.

Matthew McConaughey, Cate Blanchett, Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong’o all romped away with the acting citations, while “12 Years a Slave,” though missing out on most technical nods, ended the night by copping Best Picture; no surprise, really.

Even Robert Lopez, the Fil-Am nominee (with his wife) for Best Original Song, the increasingly popular—and oft-parodied—“Let It Go,” was no surprise. The song has a growing army of fans and supporters, after all, and the movie “Frozen” in which it was featured might soon turn out to be the biggest grossing animated film of all time.

Of all the nominees for Best Picture, I had seen only a few: “Gravity,” “American Hustle,” and “Blue Jasmine.” “Jasmine,” written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Blanchett, I saw while on a flight from Austria last year. Even on the itsy-bitsy screen, the film held me in a thrall. Blanchett delivered a skittish performance, at times I wanted to reach out to her and give her a hug, tell her she had nothing to fear and to stop pretending to be what she (no longer) was not.

I was actually rooting for “Gravity,” which won Best Director for Alfonso Cuaron and a slew of technical nods. I remember hardly breathing while following the saga of an astronaut stranded in space. The feeling, it seems, was shared by many who saw the movie, with Blanchett commenting that she would not forget “Gravity” in her lifetime, adding that while she was watching it, “it certainly felt (like a lifetime).” At the end of the film, I was exhausted, and had to un-clench my muscles, one by one, which I hadn’t noticed had been in that condition almost from the moment the camera first zoomed in on Sandra Bullock’s and George Clooney’s craft.

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But I am glad “12 Years a Slave” won Best Picture honors. I certainly hope it will draw audiences to theaters (it is already showing locally), audiences that would otherwise give it a wide berth because the story—of a free African-American before the Civil War, who was kidnapped by slave traders and forced to work as a slave on a cotton plantation—hardly resonates with Filipinos.

As I had earlier observed, Filipino filmgoers don’t seem especially enamored of movies with black or mostly-black casts, unless the black actors are action or comedy superstars. But given the stamp of approval and artistic worth given by the Oscars, perhaps “12 Years a Slave” will appeal to more members of the audience.

I don’t know if or when “Dallas Buyers Club” will be shown locally. I suspect film distributors fear the movie is too “edgy” or “controversial” to appeal to Filipino audiences. But maybe

McConaughey and Leto’s win will make them change their minds. “Her,” which appears to me as a complex and confounding story is already showing, so there’s still hope. But isn’t it annoying how our movie exposure is dictated by marketers who judge films not for their quality but for their perceived acceptability and popularity?

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These days, of course, you no longer need to troop to theaters to watch the films that capture your fancy. My children simply download the movies they want to see, but since my filmic taste and theirs differ sharply, and I can’t download a movie to save my life, there is little I can do save maybe visit my DVD suki at a nearby mall. (And even then, I might be caught by camera-phone sleuths and shamed into admitting my bad habits.)

Sometimes, though, even an old DVD may hold out an unexpected pleasure.

For last Christmas, Viva Films, which also distributes DVDs (legally, I might add) gifted me with a few DVDs and one of them happened to be “I Do Bidoo-Bidoo,” a semi-indie musical based on the songs of the group APO. (To those who don’t remember, the group’s name was originally Apolinario Mabini Hiking Society, which they shortened because it tended to cast fun at the “Sublime Paralytic.”)

Anyway, I had planned to catch the movie when it was first shown, but for one reason or another, it had disappeared from theaters before I could find the time and a willing companion to watch it with in a theater.

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Anyway, “I Do Bidoo-Bidoo” is a little gem, a light-hearted romp that explores young romance, the class divide and mature love, interspersed with selected songs from the APO oeuvre.

The performers were a delight, especially the uhmm, mature performers such as Ogie

Alcasid, Eugene Domingo, Zsa-zsa Padilla and Gary Valenciano. If you can, score a DVD of the movie and catch the sizzling love scene between Alcasid and Domingo, which will make laugh out loud.

Most importantly, “I Do” makes the Filipino public appreciate all over again the music of the APO, which it turns out had something important and perceptive to say not just about Filipino society, but about the human condition as well.

Chris Martinez, writer (and later director) of the comic franchise “Kimmy Dora” handles matters with a deft and gentle touch, with the transitions from spoken dialogue to song and dance executed smoothly and beguilingly.

Let me add a special mention for Sweet Plantado and Frenchie Dy who portray Domingo’s best friends, sympathetic and enabling plotters to let her overcome her insecurity, being the poorer of the feuding families, and regain her respect for Alcasid, her struggling musician husband. They add verve and energy to a movie filled with whimsy and joy, earning the goodwill of everyone who takes time to watch the movie.