Film Viewing Schedule

Take note of recent Film Viewing schedule:


1. Departures 2008 (June 13) - 130 mins
Daigo Kobayashi is a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved and now finds himself without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad entitled "Departures" thinking it is an advertisement for a travel agency only to discover that the job is actually for a "Nokanshi" or "encoffineer," a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life. While his wife and others despise the job, Daigo takes a certain pride in his work and begins to perfect the art of "Nokanshi," acting as a gentle gatekeeper between life and death, between the departed and the family of the departed. The film follows his profound and sometimes comical journey with death as he uncovers the wonder, joy and meaning of life and living. 


2. The Road Home 1999 (June 20) - 89 mins



City businessman Luo Yusheng returns to his home village in North China for the funeral of his father, the village teacher. He finds his elderly mother insisting that all the traditional burial customs be observed, despite the fact that times have changed so much, and that it involves many people carrying his father's body back to the village - the road home.

As Yusheng debates the complications involved in organising such a big feat, he remembers the magical story of how his father and mother first met and got together.









3. The Piano 1993 (June 27) - 121 mins
It is the mid-nineteenth century. Ada is a mute who has a young daughter, Flora. In an arranged marriage she leaves her native Scotland accompanied by her daughter and her beloved piano. Life in the rugged forests of New Zealand's North Island is not all she may have imagined and nor is her relationship with her new husband Stewart.

 She suffers torment and loss when Stewart sells her piano to a neighbour, George. Ada learns from George that she may earn back her piano by giving him piano lessons, but only with certain other conditions attached. At first Ada despises George but slowly their relationship is transformed and this propels them into a dire situation.


4. Malena 2000 (July 4) - 109 mins
On the day in 1940 that Italy enters the war, two things happen to the 12-year-old Renato: he gets his first bike, and he gets his first look at Malèna. She is a beautiful, silent outsider who's moved to this Sicilian town to be with her husband, Nino. 

He promptly goes off to war, leaving her to the lustful eyes of the men and the sharp tongues of the women. During the next few years, as Renato grows toward manhood, he watches Malèna suffer and prove her mettle. He sees her loneliness, then grief when Nino is reported dead, the effects of slander on her relationship with her father, her poverty and search for work, and final humiliations. Will Renato learn courage from Malèna and stand up for her?



5. Juana La Loca 2001 (July 11) - 115 mins

Juana is married off by her pious parents, the Catholic kings Ferndinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille, to ally Spain, united by their marriage, to the Burgundian and other Habsburg heritage of archduke Maximilian's son Philip. 

When they meet, it's love at first sight, for her all-consuming, for him one of many happy bed partnerships as she later discovers. Deaths in her family soon make Juana Isabella's heir, but Ferdinand suggests she inherited her grandmother's madness and supports Philip's ambition to rule instead, which becomes the stakes of political maneuvering in the Cortes (nobility-dominated parliament). Combined with Philip's incurable infidelity, which includes a Moorish whore-princess, multiple drama is inevitable, and worse follows.







6. La Vita e Bella 1997 (July 18) - 116 mins [Prelim Examinations]

In 1930s Italy, a carefree Jewish book keeper named Guido starts a fairy tale life by courting and marrying a lovely woman from a nearby city. 

Guido and his wife have a son and live happily together until the occupation of Italy by German forces. In an attempt to hold his family together and help his son survive the horrors of a Jewish Concentration Camp, Guido imagines that the Holocaust is a game and that the grand prize for winning is a tank.










7. Cinema Paradio 1988 (July 25) - 155 mins

A famous film director remembers his childhood at the Cinema Paradiso where Alfredo, the projectionist, first brought about his love of films. He returns home to his Sicilian village for the first time after almost 30 years and is reminded of his first love, Elena, who disappeared from his life before he left for Rome. Written by Graeme Roy















8. Schindler's List 1993 (August 1) - 195 mins



Oskar Schindler is a vainglorious and greedy German businessman who becomes an unlikely humanitarian amid the barbaric Nazi reign when he feels compelled to turn his factory into a refuge for Jews.

Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler who managed to save about 1100 Jews from being gassed at the Auschwitz concentration camp, it is a testament for the good in all of us. Written by Harald Mayr

9.  Hotel Rwanda 2004 (August 8) - 121 mins

During the 1990s, some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda--and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, one million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages.Written by Sujit R. Varma


10. (August 15) - Feast of our Lady of Assumption (Holiday)

11. (August 22) - Free Day (Kadayawan Festival)

12. (August 29) - Midterm Examinations - Swimming Pool (2003) - 102 mins
Sarah Morton is a famous British mystery author. Tired of London and seeking inspiration for her new novel, she accepts an offer from her publisher John Bosload to stay at his home in Luberon, in the South of France. It is the off-season, and Sarah finds that the beautiful country locale and unhurried pace is just the tonic for her--until late one night, when John's indolent and insouciant French daughter Julie unexpectedly arrives. Sarah's prim and steely English reserve is jarred by Julie's reckless, sexually charged lifestyle. Their interactions set off an increasingly unsettling series of events, as Sarah's creative process and a possible real-life murder begin to blend dangerously together. Written by Sujit R. Varma

13. (September 5) - Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) - 106 mins

The film combines straightforward storytelling with periodic interruptions of the soundtrack, during which the action continues, but a narrator provides additional out-of-context information about the characters, events, or setting depicted. In addition to expanding on the narrative, these "footnotes" sometimes draw attention to economic/political issues in Mexico, especially the situation of the poor in rural areas of the country.

The story itself focuses on two boys at the threshold of adulthood: Julio (Gael García Bernal), from a leftist middle-class family, and Tenoch (Diego Luna), whose father is a high-ranking political official. The film opens with scenes of each boy having sex with his girlfriend one last time before the girls leave on a trip to Italy. Without their girlfriends around, the boys quickly become bored.

At a wedding, they meet Luisa (Maribel Verdú), the Spanish wife of Tenoch's cousin Jano, and attempt to impress the older woman with talk of an invented secluded beach called la Boca del Cielo ("Heaven's Mouth"). She initially declines their invitation to go there with them, but changes her mind following a phone call in which Jano tearfully confesses cheating on her.

Although Julio and Tenoch have little idea where to find the promised beach, the three set off for it, driving through poor, rural Mexico. They pass the time by talking about their relationships and sexual experiences, with the boys largely boasting about their modest exploits, and Luisa speaking in more measured terms about Jano and wistfully of her first teenage love, who died in an accident.

On an overnight stop she telephones Jano, leaving a "goodbye note" on his answering machine. Tenoch goes to her motel room looking for shampoo, but finds her crying. She seduces him, and he awkwardly but enthusiastically has sex with her. Julio sees this from the open doorway, and angrily tells Tenoch that he's had sex with his girlfriend. The next day Luisa tries to even the score by having (equally awkward) sex with Julio; Tenoch then reveals he had sex with Julio's girlfriend. The boys begin to fight, until Luisa threatens to leave them.

By chance they find an isolated beach which coincidentally is called Boca del Cielo. They gradually relax and enjoy the beach and the company of a local family. In the nearby village, Luisa makes a final phone call to Jano, bidding him an affectionate but final farewell.

That evening, the three drink excessively and joke recklessly about their sexual transgressions, revealing that the two boys have frequently had sex with the same women (their girlfriends, as well as Luisa). "Y tu mamá también," Julio jests to Tenoch. The three dance together sensually, then retire to their room. They begin to undress and grope drunkenly, both boys focusing their attentions on Luisa. As she kneels and stimulates them both, they gasp and kiss each other passionately.

The next morning, Luisa rises early, leaving the boys to wake up together, naked. They immediately turn away from each other, and are eager to return home. The narrator explains that they did so quietly and uneventfully, but Luisa stayed behind to explore the beaches. He further relates that the boys' girlfriends broke up with them, they started dating other girls, and they stopped seeing each other.

The final scene follows a chance encounter a year later, in 2000, the year that the Institutional Revolutionary Party lost the first election in 71 years. They are having a perfunctory cup of coffee together, catching up on each other's lives and news of their friends. Tenoch informs Julio that Luisa died of cancer a month after their trip, and that she knew she was ill the whole time that the three were together. Tenoch excuses himself, and they never see each other again.

14. (September 12) - Lucia Y Sexo (2001) - 128 mins
Lucía is a young waitress in a restaurant in the centre of Madrid. After the loss of her long-time boyfriend, a writer, she seeks refuge on a quiet, secluded Mediterranean island. There, bathed in an atmosphere of fresh air and dazzling sun, Lucía begins to discover the dark corners of her past relationship, as if they were forbidden passages of a novel which the author now, from afar, allows her to read. Written by Julio Medem

Lucia, a young waitress in Madrid, falls completely in love with a writer. After a period of blissful togetherness, something from his past pulls him in two directions. We are caught up in his moral dilemma, of not wanting to lose the wonderful gift he has found and yet not wanting to be untrue to himself. The semi-autobiographical novel he is writing pulls together the story and the emotions and hopes of the characters and introduces ideas that enable them to heal some of their hurt. A central idea is that of finding a hole (symbolically on the sandy beach) where, after reaching the end of the story, you can jump back into the middle. That way you can try an make things turn out better ("If you give me time", says Lorenzo, Lucia's boyfriend.) A more mature and rounded work than the Director's earlier "Lovers of the Arctic Circle", Sex and Lucia combines wonderful acting, a great story, innovative cinema and spine-tingly beautiful photography. (Chris Docker)

15. (September 19) - Heneral Luna (2015) -

Joven (Arron Villaflor), a young journalist interviews General Antonio Luna (John Arcilla) as he prepares for battle. The newly formed cabinet of President Emilio Aguinaldo (Mon Confiado) is divided on the issue of American presence in Manila. Felipe Buencamino (Nonie Buencamino) and Pedro Paterno (Leo Martinez) harbor pro-American sentiments while Apolinario Mabini (Epy Quizon) and General Luna take a militant stand and advocate nothing less than independence. General Luna urges the cabinet to authorize a pre-emptive strike on the Americans while their land forces have not yet arrived. President Aguinaldo tells the cabinet that there is nothing to worry about because the Americans promised him that their sole purpose in going to the Philippines is to help the revolutionaries win freedom from their Spanish overlords. As politics divide the Filipino leaders, the Americans take Intramuros after a mock battle with the Spaniards.

General Luna and his trusted comrades – General Jose Alejandrino (Alvin Anson), Colonel Francisco “Paco” Roman (Joem Bascon), Captain Eduardo Rusca (Archie Alemania), Captain Jose Bernal (Alex Medina), and Colonel Manuel Bernal (Art Acuña) embark on an arduous campaign against the wellequipped, well-trained and more experienced American troops that are terrorizing the local population.

Despite the disadvantages, General Luna rallies his troops to fight in the trenches in defense of freedom. American military officials recognize General Luna as a most worthy adversary. In the middle of an intense battle, General Luna asks for reinforcements from the Kawit Brigade but Captain Pedro Janolino (Ketchup Eusebio) refuses to obey because the order did not come from President Aguinaldo. Angered by the stubbornness of the Kawit soldiers, General Luna reprimands Captain Janolino and humiliates him in front of them. Luna declares his infamous Article One, which states that all men who refuse to follow orders shall be shot without the benefit of a trial in a military court. Captain Pedro Janolino and General Tomas Mascardo (Lorenz Martinez) approaches President Aguinaldo to complain about General Luna’s brusqueness. This complaint notwithstanding, Apolinario Mabini counsels President Aguinaldo to support General Luna’s war plan that involves digging trenches in strategic locations and drawing the American forces to the North.

In the midst of war, the cabinet members continue to argue on the official stand of the government. General Luna flares up as Felipe Buencamino discusses the autonomy proposal of the Americans. He orders the arrest of pro-autonomy cabinet members. President Aguinaldo is torn: he is aware that politicians and businessmen want to get rid of the fiery general but the execution of the Bonifacio brothers still bothers him. General Luna’s campaign is undermined by cabinet members who are willing to strike a deal with the Americans, officials who receive orders only from President Aguinaldo, and the general lack of discipline of soldiers. General Mascardo blatantly opposes General Luna’s order for reinforcements. While the two generals clash, the American forces continue to advance steadily as the other Filipino generals like Gregorio del Pilar (Paulo Avelino) lose strength.

General Luna is advised by the women in his life to take care. Isabel (Mylene Dizon) loves him but knows that their responsibilities in the war are more important than their feelings. Doña Laureana Luna y Novicio (Bing Pimentel), his mother, remind him of better days and warns her son about the alleged plot on his life. General Luna is summoned by telegram to the President’s headquarters in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. He discovers upon arrival that President Aguinaldo had already left. Only Felipe Buencamino is in the office and they exchange heated words. When General Luna investigates a single shot fired outside, he encounters soldiers from the Kawit Brigade who attack him. General Luna suffered more than thirty wounds and was valiant until his bloody end (http://henerallunathemovie.com/).


16. (September 26) - The Dreamers (2003) - 115 mins
Paris, spring 1968. While most students take the lead in the May 'revolution', a French poet's twin son Theo and daughter Isabelle enjoy the good life in his grand Paris home. As film buffs they meet and 'adopt' modest, conservatively educated Californian student Matthew. With their parents away for a month, they drag him into an orgy of indulgence of all senses, losing all of his and the last of their innocence. A sexual threesome shakes their rapport, yet only the outside reality will break it up. Written by KGF Vissers




17. (October 3) - What Dreams May Come (1998) - 113 minutes

Based on a metaphysical 1978 novel by science fiction and horror author Richard Matheson, this romantic fantasy-drama won an Oscar for its expensive and impressive visual vistas depicting an imaginative afterlife. Robin Williams stars as Chris Nielsen, a doctor who has suffered with his artist wife Annie (Annabella Sciorra) through the devastating loss of their children, Marie and Ian, who were killed in a car accident. Although Annie's all-consuming depression nearly destroyed their marriage, the couple rebuilt their relationship and are now living out a comfortable middle age. Stopping one night to help a motorist in a wreck, Chris is struck by a car and killed. At first confused about where he is, Chris meets Albert (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a spiritual guide who helps him to realize he's passed away and that he must move on to the next world. After trying with only limited success to communicate with the devastated Annie, Chris moves on and discovers an afterlife that can become whatever one envisions, where even his pet dog awaits him. What Chris envisions as paradise are the paintings of his wife, and he happily takes up residence there, awaiting the far-off day when Annie will eventually join him. He also meets his children, although they have chosen different appearances than the ones they had in life. Then tragedy strikes when Annie, inconsolable, commits suicide and goes to Hell. Although it is rarely done, Chris insists on traveling there, risking his eternal soul to save the woman he loves. Accompanied part of the way by Albert and a wizened guide called The Tracker (Max von Sydow), Chris finally reaches Annie in Hell, and must convince her of the truth in order to release her from her dark prison. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi