A lot has already been said and written about the historical inaccuracies of Mark Meily's El Presidente, how the glamour project dastardly re-portrayed historical figures to suit enlarged egos and their enlarged pockets. Andres Bonifacio (played with a notable lack of charm by Cesar Montano), the founder of the Philippine revolution who was tragically killed by his fellow men, is depicted as a severely sore loser. Antonio Luna (played, complete with gritting teeth, by Christopher de Leon), a top-ranking general of the revolutionary government who was murdered, is shown to be cruel, despotic and deserving of his embarrassing death as a matter of narrative logic. Emilio Aguinaldo (played with uncharacteristic and unbelievable nobility by Jorge Estregan), the titular president, reaps all the rewards of Meily's...
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- 1/28/2013
- Screen Anarchy
There is no doubt that Mark Meily is a proficient observer of the absurdities of Philippine society. His first two films, Crying Ladies (2003) and La Visa Loca (2005), eschew the phenomena of women being paid to mourn for a recently deceased Chinese businessman and a man getting nailed to a cross to get a U.S. Visa of any serious implications for drama and comedy. Baler (2008), a period piece set during the war for independence where several Spanish soldiers are trapped inside a church as Filipino revolutionaries surround the church, is sadly an unsuccessful turn for Meily, who replaces his gift for finding humor in the deepest darkest recesses of society with trite and unconvincing romance. Fortunately, free from the restrictive clutches of a commercial studio, Meily returns to form with Donor, a hard-hitting black comedy that ostensibly tackles the kidney trade and the ridiculousness of the statutes that attempt to...
- 8/16/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Oscar 2005: Best Foreign-Language Film Entries (Afghanistan to China) Oscar 2005: Best Foreign-Language Film Entries (Croatia to Malaysia) Mexico, Innocent Voices, Luis Mandoki, director; The Netherlands, Simon, Eddy Terstall, director; Norway, Hawaii, Oslo, Erik Poppe, director; Palestine, The Olive Harvest, Hanna Elias, director; Philippines, Crying Ladies, Mark Meily, director; Poland, The Welts, Magdalena Piekorz, director; Portugal, The Miracle According to Salomé, Mário Barroso, director; Romania, Orient-Express, Sergiu Nicolaescu, director; Russia, Night Watch, Timolir Bekmambetov, director; Serbia and Montenegro, Goose Feather, Ljubiša Samardic, director; Slovenia, Beneath Her Window, Metod Pevec, director; South Africa, Yesterday, Darrell Roodt, director; Spain, The Sea Inside, Alejandro Amenabar, director; Sweden, As in Heaven, Kay Pollak, director; Switzerland, Mein Name Ist Bach, Dominique de Rivaz, director; Taiwan, 20 : 30 : 40, Sylvia Chang, director; Thailand, The Overture, Itthisoontorn Vichailak, director; Uruguay, Whisky, Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll, directors; Venezuela, [...]...
- 4/19/2009
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Unitel Pictures
NEW YORK -- A critical success and huge commercial hit in its native Philippines, this debut feature from Mark Meily chronicles the misadventures of its title characters, a trio of women who serve as designated mourners for Manila's Chinese community. A soap opera-style melodrama tinged with elements of dark comedy, "Crying Ladies" is playing in a number of U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Honolulu.
The trio in question are Stella (played by Philippine superstar actress-singer Sharon Cuneta), a divorcee and petty thief just out of prison who is desperate to earn enough money to regain custody of her young son; Aling (Hilda Koronel), a former B-movie actress desperately reliving her better career days as the star of epics like "Darna and the Giants"; and young Cholent (Angel Aquino), whose strong religious convictions don't prevent her from engaging in an affair with her best friend's husband.
In order to make money, the women take advantage of Filipino-Chinese tradition, in which women are hired as professional weepers at funerals, to convince the observing gods that the deceased were truly good and worthy of entry into heaven.
That sociological element is the most interesting aspect of the film, which won six awards, including best picture, at the recent Metro Manila Film Festival. Otherwise, it depicts the complicated personal travails of its leading characters in overlong and pedestrian fashion. "Crying Ladies" is best appreciated for the winning performances of its trio of stars, who convey their characters' desperation with humor and poignancy.
NEW YORK -- A critical success and huge commercial hit in its native Philippines, this debut feature from Mark Meily chronicles the misadventures of its title characters, a trio of women who serve as designated mourners for Manila's Chinese community. A soap opera-style melodrama tinged with elements of dark comedy, "Crying Ladies" is playing in a number of U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Honolulu.
The trio in question are Stella (played by Philippine superstar actress-singer Sharon Cuneta), a divorcee and petty thief just out of prison who is desperate to earn enough money to regain custody of her young son; Aling (Hilda Koronel), a former B-movie actress desperately reliving her better career days as the star of epics like "Darna and the Giants"; and young Cholent (Angel Aquino), whose strong religious convictions don't prevent her from engaging in an affair with her best friend's husband.
In order to make money, the women take advantage of Filipino-Chinese tradition, in which women are hired as professional weepers at funerals, to convince the observing gods that the deceased were truly good and worthy of entry into heaven.
That sociological element is the most interesting aspect of the film, which won six awards, including best picture, at the recent Metro Manila Film Festival. Otherwise, it depicts the complicated personal travails of its leading characters in overlong and pedestrian fashion. "Crying Ladies" is best appreciated for the winning performances of its trio of stars, who convey their characters' desperation with humor and poignancy.
Unitel Pictures
NEW YORK -- A critical success and huge commercial hit in its native Philippines, this debut feature from Mark Meily chronicles the misadventures of its title characters, a trio of women who serve as designated mourners for Manila's Chinese community. A soap opera-style melodrama tinged with elements of dark comedy, "Crying Ladies" is playing in a number of U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Honolulu.
The trio in question are Stella (played by Philippine superstar actress-singer Sharon Cuneta), a divorcee and petty thief just out of prison who is desperate to earn enough money to regain custody of her young son; Aling (Hilda Koronel), a former B-movie actress desperately reliving her better career days as the star of epics like "Darna and the Giants"; and young Cholent (Angel Aquino), whose strong religious convictions don't prevent her from engaging in an affair with her best friend's husband.
In order to make money, the women take advantage of Filipino-Chinese tradition, in which women are hired as professional weepers at funerals, to convince the observing gods that the deceased were truly good and worthy of entry into heaven.
That sociological element is the most interesting aspect of the film, which won six awards, including best picture, at the recent Metro Manila Film Festival. Otherwise, it depicts the complicated personal travails of its leading characters in overlong and pedestrian fashion. "Crying Ladies" is best appreciated for the winning performances of its trio of stars, who convey their characters' desperation with humor and poignancy.
NEW YORK -- A critical success and huge commercial hit in its native Philippines, this debut feature from Mark Meily chronicles the misadventures of its title characters, a trio of women who serve as designated mourners for Manila's Chinese community. A soap opera-style melodrama tinged with elements of dark comedy, "Crying Ladies" is playing in a number of U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Honolulu.
The trio in question are Stella (played by Philippine superstar actress-singer Sharon Cuneta), a divorcee and petty thief just out of prison who is desperate to earn enough money to regain custody of her young son; Aling (Hilda Koronel), a former B-movie actress desperately reliving her better career days as the star of epics like "Darna and the Giants"; and young Cholent (Angel Aquino), whose strong religious convictions don't prevent her from engaging in an affair with her best friend's husband.
In order to make money, the women take advantage of Filipino-Chinese tradition, in which women are hired as professional weepers at funerals, to convince the observing gods that the deceased were truly good and worthy of entry into heaven.
That sociological element is the most interesting aspect of the film, which won six awards, including best picture, at the recent Metro Manila Film Festival. Otherwise, it depicts the complicated personal travails of its leading characters in overlong and pedestrian fashion. "Crying Ladies" is best appreciated for the winning performances of its trio of stars, who convey their characters' desperation with humor and poignancy.
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