Vampire Weekend

I downed two films last night, No Country For Old Men and Tulad ng Dati. I also managed to finish about 30 minutes of There Will Be Blood before finally dozing off in my lounge chair at past 3 in the morning.

I didn’t really like No Country. The first one-fourth of the movie was slow-paced. But it was ok, considering that it was the build up to the middle half of the movie, which I really enjoyed. The last one-fourth was kinda silly for me though, and I didn’t get to see the genius that everyone is raving about. I just felt that there were so many non-resolutions in the entire screenplay.

Or perhaps, my beat brain cells were the culprit, which just refused to cooperate last night. Maybe, in a future re-viewing, I’d get it. But I have to say, Javier Bardem as Chigurh was really incredible. Menacing, out-of-this-world and totally shady as his character was meant out to be. He should get the nod for the best supporting actor in this year’s Academy.

Tulad ng Dati, is a film that I’ve been wanting to watch for a long time. So there was no hesitation on my part when I saw the DVD for sale, even though it was severely overpriced at 450 pesos.

The film plays out like a giant homage to The Dawn, arguably one of the greatest rock and roll bands in Philippine history. I liked the picture and sound quality of the movie, which isn’t typical of most Pinoy films, especially an indie one at that. Jett Pangan seems like a natural on screen (which can’t be said for his other bandmates, though Buddy Zabala and Francis Reyes do provide the film’s most comical moments), and Ping Medina’s resemblance to Teddy Diaz was eerily uncanny.

One thing that semi-bothered me though, was how the movie concluded. Did Jett Pangan not recover from his amnesia? Well, at least, he did find comfort and acceptance that the way things are is the reality that exists.

I love how the songs from The Dawn’s discography seemed to channel every last bit of passion in each and every scene. Of how, old favorites like Saling Pusa and Salamat were well suited with the film’s sentiments, even if these songs were written years before the film was even conceptualized.

Tonight, I’d go and finish the rest of There Will Be Blood, and am excited as well to watch The Darjeeling Limited, a film I’ve been meaning to watch since viewing the short film prequel, Hotel Chevalier. If time permits, I’ll probably take in either The Diving Bell and the Butterfly or Away From Her, the film where Julie Christie received strong critical acclaim. Although I must say, my money still goes to Ellen Page, and when she surprises everyone with her best actress win for her performance in Juno, I’ll come out and say ‘I told you so’.

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The snob that I am, I wanted to dislike Vampire Weekend. It’s just that with the hype, they seem to be everywhere and I’m sure they will be 2008’s indie rock darlings, similar to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s debut two years ago.

So it comes as a pleasant surprise that amidst the initial non-rational hate, I loved their self-titled debut. I like how the African tribal vibe pulsates nonchalance, and that presents tons of head-bob inducing moments. There also seems to be an absence of self-importance in the band and appears like these guys are really out there just to have fun instead of being full-time rockstar assholes.