Star Film 527-533

This epic was the last in a series of silent sword ‘n sandal spectaculars starring former Genovese dockworker and aging hunk Bartolomeo Pagano. This homely stud spends half the film in a heavy woolen suit, looking more than a dimwitted butcher than a bodybuilder. Fortunately, true to the title, he does go to hell, where he’s assaulted by demons, propositioned by seminude demonettes, and finally stripped to his overample but still fetching flesh. He keeps busy during his sojourn leading a demon revolt and battling a dragon too large to move very much. Director Brignone pulled out all the stops for this comic-Boschian vision of hell, with what looks a cast of thousands of demon-extras spilling off the screen. Fellini claimed Maciste inspired him to become a filmmaker, and the air of amusing depravity, seen to full advantage in the rare restored print that occasionally circulates, would seem to confirm it.

This epic was the last in a series of silent sword ‘n sandal spectaculars starring former Genovese dockworker and aging hunk Bartolomeo Pagano. This homely stud spends half the film in a heavy woolen suit, looking more than a dimwitted butcher than a bodybuilder. Fortunately, true to the title, he does go to hell, where he’s assaulted by demons, propositioned by seminude demonettes, and finally stripped to his overample but still fetching flesh. He keeps busy during his sojourn leading a demon revolt and battling a dragon too large to move very much. Director Brignone pulled out all the stops for this comic-Boschian vision of hell, with what looks a cast of thousands of demon-extras spilling off the screen. Fellini claimed Maciste inspired him to become a filmmaker, and the air of amusing depravity, seen to full advantage in the rare restored print that occasionally circulates, would seem to confirm it.

塔克·麦克斯是个痞子，同时也是就读法学院的新科律师。他总是在最不恰当的时机喝得烂醉，无视社会规范，任性妄为，不在乎胡闹的后果，嘲弄白痴跟装腔作势的人，睡过的女人远超过安全合理的范围，大半时间表现得像个莽撞的猪头。...[

女大学生加穗子是一个“被保护过度的典型典范”。凡事都依靠父母解决，无忧无虑地长大，加穗子就像一个“在无菌环境下培养出来的神奇人类”。21岁的她，到了该找工作的年龄，但是别说是兼职了，她甚至从未给自己挑过衣服，或单独乘坐电车，只有别人为自己拍照，从不曾为别人按下过快门。这样的加穗子终于走出抗菌的温室，一头扎进这个满是细菌的世界。然后她才明白“自己跟别人不一样”。然而把女儿当成闺蜜的母亲，和过度依赖女儿的父亲无法维持内心平衡，导致家庭走上分崩离析的道路。此时，加穗子和周围的人发现了沉睡在“温室里的加穗子”心中的真正力量。她经历各种试炼与挣扎，最后成为了“家庭”这一小小王国的女王。

单纯可爱的根本加穗子（高畑充希 饰）虽然已经是一名即将毕业的22岁女大学生，但是她几乎是在父母过度的呵护下长大的。每天早上，她需要母亲（黑木瞳 饰）帮忙叫早、挑选衣服，母女俩几乎融为一体。与此同时，加穗子的父亲（时任三郎 饰）对此感到困扰，可当他看到女儿公主般甜美笑容之时，也不觉内心开始融化，宠溺起女儿来了。然而站在人生十字路口，加上周围人的劝导，加穗子似乎再也不能闷头待在自己的安乐窝中了。她尝试寻找工作，也尝试了解人们的所感所想。 　　对她来说，眼前是一个完全陌生、充满挑战而又极具吸引力的世界……

The story of a former opera star who must by the will of Fate work as a Crocodile in a styrofoam costume entertaining children in the children’s playroom of a shopping centre. This kind of life seems joyless and even disgusting to the former leading tenor, and he vents his frustration by behaving rudely. Until one day, into his life enters a fateful woman and… a crocodile.

The story of a former opera star who must by the will of Fate work as a Crocodile in a styrofoam costume entertaining children in the children’s playroom of a shopping centre. This kind of life seems joyless and even disgusting to the former leading tenor, and he vents his frustration by behaving rudely. Until one day, into his life enters a fateful woman and… a crocodile.

"Bathhouse" 　　The Gay Philippines 　　Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride 　　It seems that this month the Philippines is releasing a lot of gay movies. We have "Paper Dolls", "Circles" and now "Bathhouse". "Bathhouse" uses characters to tell the story of what gay life is in the Philippines. 　　Those of us that have experiences bathhouses know that they are places where we can go for sex with no inhibitions. You go in, take off your clothes, wrap a towel around your waist and indulge in hedonistic pleasure. The bathhouse is a world unto itself--a world of sex, sex and more sex. Words are seldom spoken and all it takes is a glance or a motion to initiate the most primal of our instincts. 　　While at the baths one night, Rico (Ray An Dulay), a young student and somewhat of a nerd, meets Chris (Jet Alcantara) and the chemistry between the two is like magic. Rico thinks he has found his Mr. Wonderful. Instead he finds himself on a path of cheating and envy with a little love thrown in for taste. Chris seems to love the baths more that he loves Rico. A bathhouse is not exactly the place one looks to find love. 　　"Bathhouse" shows the reality of what goes on in the gay underground known as "The Tubs". Rico, who looks like a youngish Jackie Chan, discovers that he is gay and joins the membership of the local bathhouse thinking that he will find both true love and himself there. The object of his admiration, Chris, is hunky and knows it and like most men that frequent bathhouses wants to share his body with as many men as he can. 　　I naturally assumed that a movie entitled "Bathhouse" would be about what goes on in a bathhouse but this movie was ore than that. Crisaldo Pablo, the director, goes a little further in depicting the gay scene of the Philippines. He also shows the real life of the people and the different ways that they meet--through the internet, at the public park, through ads, etc. It is an exciting picture of the islands and shows gay life there as we have not been privy to. 　　The acting and the cinematography are first rate but the story could have been developed a bit more. All in all, I liked the film a great deal and am glad that I got to see it and hope that all of you will watch it as well. It is always good to learn about gay life in other places and this movie gives an accurate picture of gay life in the Philippines. I did have one problem with the film and that is that after Rico left his parents, he did not go looking for a job but somehow he managed to have money to join the bathhouse and have a lot of sex without seemingly spending a penny. I just wonder if money is needed in the Philippines. AIDS was also not mentioned in the film and we do know that AIDS is a universal problem--bathhouses in the United States were closed because of AIDS but it seems to be not a problem in the Philippines.

"Bathhouse" 　　The Gay Philippines 　　Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride 　　It seems that this month the Philippines is releasing a lot of gay movies. We have "Paper Dolls", "Circles" and now "Bathhouse". "Bathhouse" uses characters to tell the story of what gay life is in the Philippines. 　　Those of us that have experiences bathhouses know that they are places where we can go for sex with no inhibitions. You go in, take off your clothes, wrap a towel around your waist and indulge in hedonistic pleasure. The bathhouse is a world unto itself--a world of sex, sex and more sex. Words are seldom spoken and all it takes is a glance or a motion to initiate the most primal of our instincts. 　　While at the baths one night, Rico (Ray An Dulay), a young student and somewhat of a nerd, meets Chris (Jet Alcantara) and the chemistry between the two is like magic. Rico thinks he has found his Mr. Wonderful. Instead he finds himself on a path of cheating and envy with a little love thrown in for taste. Chris seems to love the baths more that he loves Rico. A bathhouse is not exactly the place one looks to find love. 　　"Bathhouse" shows the reality of what goes on in the gay underground known as "The Tubs". Rico, who looks like a youngish Jackie Chan, discovers that he is gay and joins the membership of the local bathhouse thinking that he will find both true love and himself there. The object of his admiration, Chris, is hunky and knows it and like most men that frequent bathhouses wants to share his body with as many men as he can. 　　I naturally assumed that a movie entitled "Bathhouse" would be about what goes on in a bathhouse but this movie was ore than that. Crisaldo Pablo, the director, goes a little further in depicting the gay scene of the Philippines. He also shows the real life of the people and the different ways that they meet--through the internet, at the public park, through ads, etc. It is an exciting picture of the islands and shows gay life there as we have not been privy to. 　　The acting and the cinematography are first rate but the story could have been developed a bit more. All in all, I liked the film a great deal and am glad that I got to see it and hope that all of you will watch it as well. It is always good to learn about gay life in other places and this movie gives an accurate picture of gay life in the Philippines. I did have one problem with the film and that is that after Rico left his parents, he did not go looking for a job but somehow he managed to have money to join the bathhouse and have a lot of sex without seemingly spending a penny. I just wonder if money is needed in the Philippines. AIDS was also not mentioned in the film and we do know that AIDS is a universal problem--bathhouses in the United States were closed because of AIDS but it seems to be not a problem in the Philippines.