Taklub Trailer Impressions: Brillante Menoza - Nora Aunor 68th Cannes Film Festival Entry Capturing the Tragedy of Typhoon Yolanda

Taklub is a Center Stage Productions drama film under the Direction of Brilliante Mendoza and written by Honeylyn Joy Alipio starring Nora Aunor, Julio Diaz, and Aaron Rivera. Taklub was first screened on 19 May 2015 (competing) in the Un Certain Regard section at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. Taklub won a special award at the Cannes Film Festival 2015, the Ecumenical Jury Prize-Special Mention.Let's take a sneak peak at the official international trailer and what Taklub is all about here.


Taklub
Plot / Synopsis

“Taklub” is a film that captures the reality of post-Haiyan situation in the city of Tacloban, Philippines back in 2013, treating it like a documentary that capture actors blending-in with real people coping-up with the outcome of the devastation.


Taklub (Trap) is a story of three major characters - Bebeth (Nora Aunor), Larry (Julio Diaz), and Erwin (Aaron Rivera), whose lives intertwined after Super-typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Typhoon Yolanda) hit the city of Tacloban (Eastern Visayas) leaving the breathing figures in search of their dead ones, of keeping their sanity intact, and protecting what little faith there may be.

Watch Taklub Official trailer here:


Taklub Official Trailer Impression
Taklub Film Trailer Review

Here are some additional information and production notes about Taklub for your information...

After Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in 2013, director Brillante Mendoza was asked by others if he would make a film about the disaster, to which he thought could be insensitive for him to exploit the tragedies that have occurred for the victims' lives. Some months later, he was asked by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to create a documentary film about climate change. For it to have a better impact towards audiences, Mendoza suggested to make a narrative film instead.

Source: Wikipedia

What is there to say about Brillante Mendoza's Taklub? His credentials alone is more than enough to give you an idea to what the quality of the film is. The trailer itself shows well-shot tidbits of a drama-heavy film that attempts to capture the tragedy that was Typhoon Yolanda when hit the country back in 2013. With excellent cast of actors, a compelling tragic premise, cinematography, and film direction (as far as the trailer has shown,) Taklub can already be considered one of the better "quality" Filipino films. Many local film critics and quality film afficionado in the country is already interested to see Taklub. Let's hope that it hits local theaters soon.


How about you guys? What do you think about this 68th Cannes Film Festival entry by Brillante Mendoza? Have you seen any of his prior works? If you have seen them, how does this compare to his previous films? What do you think about the film's premise focusing on the tragedy of Yolanda? Share your thoughts about Brillante Mendoza's Taklub (Trap) in the comments section below:

El Presidente Trailer Impressions: MMFF 2012 Biographical Film About the First President of the Republic of the Philippines, Emilio Aguinaldo

El Presidente, an official entry to the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival (38th Metro Manila Film Festival) is Scenema Concept International and Viva Films historical bio-epic film written and directed by Mark Meily starring E.R. Ejercito, Cesar Montano, Christopher de Leon, Nora Aunor, and Christine Reyes. El Presidente is slated for a December 25, 2012 nationwide theatrical release. Let's check out the official trailer of this quality MMFF 2012 entry here.

El Presidente
Plot / Synopsis

True Story of General Emilio Aguinaldo and the First Democratic Republic in Asia

El Presidente, the first true-to-life full-length film of General Emilio Famy Aguinaldo (1869-1964), tells the story of the man behind the legend, from the time he led the resistance against two superpowers: the first against Spain, that led to the inauguration of the first democratic republic in Asia; and the second against the United States of America, which changed the destiny of a nation.

The story not only touches on the political in-fighting and intrigues that took place during the revolution, it also explores the inner struggles of Emilio Aguinaldo as husband and father, as well as the agonizing moments of making life-or-death decisions in the interest of security and national unity.

Source: Official FB Page

Watch El Presidente Official trailer here:


El Presidente Official Trailer Impression
El Presidente Film Trailer Review

The Filipino movie going audience will be in for a treat this coming 38th Metro Manila Film Festival (2012 Metro Manila Film Festival) with El Presidente. The upcoming bioepic film that dabbles in the life, struggles, and controversy of the first president of the Republic of the Philippines, Emilio Aguinaldo. El Presidente has a very impressive and star-studded cast who will all bring and flesh out the life of one of Philippine's historical figure. The film is created by the same people who brought us the 2011 MMFF entry Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story and the reason why we have Mr. Estrada (currently 49 years of age) portraying as the youngest and first Filipino president General Emilio Aguinaldo (28 years old).

The contrast of the lead star's age against the historical figure he portrays can probably be set aside if you look at the how beautiful the film looks on the film. It is a no-brainer that this film could very well be on the top list of the candidate for best picture this coming Metro Manila Film Festival. Hopefully the film won't excessively depend of CGI effects like what is seen on the canon ball view as it plunged through unknowing soldiers. I also have some issue with the slow-down and speed-up moments when they are going all out in the war. I hope that this is just some effects on the trailer and that the film doesn't also excessively use such "stylistic" film effects. An issue that the film could raise is the controversy between the relationship between Emilio Aguinaldo and Andres Bonifacio. Well of course the film is highly dramatized to an epic scale, but will it actually be historically accurate? If it does, will it be lenient to the story as told by the Aguinaldo clan? Then it might do an injustice to the Bonifacio clan? Will the film feature what has been kept in the historical books and show the evil of Philippine politics? That is what we can look forward to in this biopic of Emilio Aguinaldo this Metro Manila Film Festival.

How about you guys, what do you think of this historical and epic film adaptation of the live of the Philippine's first president. Can you still remember your history lessons about him? Are you aware of the controversies surrounding General Emilio aguinaldo and Andres Bonifacio? Share your thoughts on El Presidente official trailer in the comments section below:

Thy Womb (Sinapupunan) Trailer Impressions: Brillante Mendoza's International Film Fest Entry Thy Womb Starring Philippine's Superstar Nora Aunor

Thy Womb with an alternative Filipino title of Sinapupunan is a 2012 drama film written by Henry Burgos and directed by Brillante Mendoza which stars Nora Aunor, Bembol Roco, Lovi Poe, and Mercedes Cabral. Thy Womb is produced by the Center Stage Productions and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and will make an international film debut to compete for the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival. Mendoza's Thy Womb has also been invited to the Toronto International Film Festival in September and the Busan International Film Festival in October. There is no exact date as to when will the film be released on nationwide theaters, but hopefully a news will soon be available for it. Let's check out this latest film featuring the superstar, Miss Nora Aunor.

Thy Womb
Plot / Synopsis

The film is about a Badjao midwife coping with the irony of her own infertility amid the deprivations of her gypsy community in Tawi-Tawi. A saga of island life stuck between the devil of passion and the deep blue sea of tradition.

Source: Wikipedia

Watch Thy Womb Official trailer here:


Thy Womb Official Trailer Impression
Sinapupunan Film Trailer Review

Thy Womb looks and feels like it is the ideal film for intelligent movie goers, film critics, and alike. When you attached the name of 2009's Cannes Film Festival Best Director Brillante Mendoza and a theme contrary to what most Filipino films studios have been spewing and force feeding us through out the years, there might be this initial hostility or alien reception towards this film from the average Filipino film goer. Hopefully it transcends my seemingly ridiculous analysis. Well in any case, this is one movie I personally would want to see. The theme is very much fresh. I've always wondered how would other cultural groups would handle the everyday struggled or special challenges of a Christian Filipino, and so here is one. In an industry that is overly saturated with horror, comedy, and countless romantic films, a drama film like Thy Womb which features the lives of Filipinos who live under a different culture is a welcome thing on my book.

I believe that this trailer is just to inform the Filipinos that Thy Womb is competing for an international Film Festival, so we have to cheer for them, okay? Well that might be effective, but the trailer would be more nicer if they just dropped the voice-over or simply focus on what the film will mostly tackle. Well, this was also included in the trailer, but the introduction of the some of the artists involved in the film is not really that necessary... not unless the movie goers are really oblivious of who Lovi Poe is. Hopefully the trailer would be updated once they've decide to release the film locally. The cinematography looks superb! Tawi-Tawi looks stunning and picturesque in this trailer alone, what more on the actual film. There is also no doubt that the actors lead by Miss Aunor will be on their best feet to lead the film into bagging home the Golden Lion, and they should. This is not just some local December film festival that they want to win over, but some thing on a much higher level and caliber. With organizations like the Center Stage Productions and the Film Development Council of the Philippines backing it up, there is really this high expectation from this film. Hopefully we can soon see Thy Womb on the local big screen.

How about you guys, what do you think of the film's main theme? How about the plot and the actors in it? Share your thoughts about Thy Womb's official trailer in the comments section below: