'Hollywood' (2020)

Genre: Drama

Netflix’s ‘Hollywood’ mirrors the decadence of Philippine film and television culture

By Joey Ting

The premiered Netflix’s ‘Hollywood’ this May 1, 2020 has become one of the nicest things I’ve watched so far under an enhanced community quarantine in Manila. Well, I’ve watched it two days after its release and at first, I thought this would be an interesting interpretation of a ‘Hollywoodized’ scenarios for two hypothetical reasons: One, Netflix, I presumed, is known to be helping out a lot of independent film, theater and television artists all over the world which provides courageous attempts in excellent digital web craftsmanship along with compelling storytelling ideologies and of course, a platform for ‘well thought-of’ screenplay structures both catered for film and film for television productions; Two, content is exceptionally attention-getting and subliminally catchy since the day Netflix has produced contextually-driven pieces of digitally-produced works. Netflix has given us equally excellent-produced and distributed films and series through the web such as ‘Freud’ (2020), originally-produced Korean series ‘Kingdom’ (2020), ‘The Two Popes’ (2019), ‘Marriage Story’ (2019), ‘The Witcher’ (2019), ‘The King’ (2019), ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ (2019), ‘Beasts of No Nation’ (2019), and ‘Dead Kids’ (2019) - which actually gave Filipino filmmaker Mikhail Red his cinematic platform and a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase his filmmaking mastery and skill. While early on, ‘Stranger Things’ (2016) has been one of the longest running hit web series with its ongoing season 4 in the making this 2020. Creators of outstanding American series Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan thought ‘Hollywood’ to be added feature on the list of films and series to watch for on Netflix in the time of CoViD-19 outbreak across the world.

‘Hollywood’

The basic premise of story touches on the different individual lives of aspiring ‘wannabe’ stars in Hollywood, may it be on camera actors, writers, filmmakers and even producers. The series is basically set in a post-World War 2 where aspiring group led by the ‘everyman’ characters as follows: military good looking veteran Jack Castello (played by dashing David Corenswet), an aspiring Half-Filipino, yes specifically mentioned, filmmaker Raymond Ainsley (Darren Criss), talented black woman, also Raymond’s girlfriend Camille Washington (Laura Harrier), Ace Studios executive-in-charge of production and closeted gay Richard Samuels aka Dick (Joe Mantello), retired military turned businessman-pimp Ernest West aka Ernie (Dylan McDermott), naïve Roy Fitzgerald aka screenname Rock Hudson (Jake Picking), talented screenwriter Archie Coleman, also Roy’s boyfriend (Jeremy Pope), acting coach-mentor, studio executive Ellen Kincaid (Holland Taylor), beautiful Claire Wood (Samara Weaving), also only daughter of Ace Studios owners Ace and Avis Amberg, talent agent, also a self-proclaimed Ace producer Henry Willson (Jim Parsons), wife of Ace Amberg, also took charge of the Ace Studios Avis Amberg (played beautifully by Patti LuPone), Head of the Ace Studios, also Avis’s husband Ace Amberg (filmmaker Rob Reiner) to complete the principal cast. Exceptional performances come from actress Mira Sorvino (played the actress Jeanne Crandall character, also the mistress of Ace), actress Michelle Krusiec (played the underdog Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong, also helped by Raymond to win an Academy award), and finally, actress Queen Latifah (played the black actress character Hattie McDaniel, also the alter-ego and adviser of Camille). These three women actors have played so well and stood-out in the series. There are seven episodes so far completing the first season on Netflix. The series is, of course, not for minors since it has displayed consistently and explicitly contents on sex, nudity and strong language on the episodes. Recurring themes of sexuality, gender, power and race have been the major issues of this very relevant and timely production practices of entertainment particularly of the film and broadcast studio system and the pervading culture of decadence.

Dissipating Power, Energy and Money

After the rise of democratic people power in the original EDSA 1, film and television production studios in Manila have continued in the mid-80s. This continuum has made these studios overwhelmingly acquired a lot of power, energy and money BUT has failed continuously to provide excellent, high-quality and well-planned productions of various mixed-up genres patterned from the world class studios of the Hollywood in the United States. In the long years of film and television studios servicing the Philippine public as referred to the ‘poor mass’ who, almost all of these millions of societal victims, have become continuously ignorant due to the opportunity to be educated, parasitically-driven to the wealth and power of the false gods, hypocritical to its social-economic conditions, are pervasively indoctrinating what Power, Energy and Money can do to twist the continuous fate of our decadent Philippine culture. The culture of the studios in Manila should be put to a halt and to postpone the political empowerment of the abusive(s) and excessive(s) to the innocence of the poor and the fragility of the mass. The conscience of the intellects, as in the academe, provides the soul and wisdom of the nation which many of these academics have witnessed how studio system has thrived to embrace Power, Energy and Money.

Power is not absolute

Loyalty is synonymous to the empires of the Roman emperors. In the Philippine context, loyalty is not objective but more of seeing it as ‘utang na loob at binigyan ako ng break sa pag-arte o pag-direk o pag-prodyus’ (gives false loyalty for the chance of acting or directing or producing) or otherwise, to perform the hypocritical ‘pakikisama’ (conjoining friendships) originated from the Spanish-American confluence. The studios have this kind of a culture, a wronged one. Those who have been offered to sign a contract with them intermittently are those who have submitted themselves to the decadence of this nation. The contract is a pact between the sinners and the sinned which eventually would evolve into a huge networking recruits of more sinners and sinned, a never-ending culture of false worshipping. These television executives who run the studios perform power as absolute regardless of the kind of creative identity and vision produced by the submissive and subordinating followers of power.

Energy for worthless pieces of shits

The publicists or marketing personnel connive unfortunately as these people have signed smaller contracts as well with the false gods, the purveyors of mediocrity in the film and television studios. Hour after hour, one would see, in exchange of the true abilities and creativities of these follower-victims, how each has succumbed to the ideologies of these brainless studio executives whom they think they have acquired the absolute power and authority through their enormous amount of creative energies. Hour after hour, one would see in localized programs, the senseless, almost absurd, decadence of entertainment where it ultimately mirrors the littlest of hopes and ambitions to rise above the manipulative society. Hence, the energies spent to enforce the lowest quality of ideas and concepts in Philippine entertainment are too oblivious. The energies of those who have become part of the studio system through their contracts are the same energies that promote mediocrity, substandard creative juices throughout the period of decadence.

Money makes the world go crazy

Money is the root of all evil and this quote truly makes sense. Every single species who has become part of the studio system wants the pleasure of acquiring the huge amount of money. With money, one can have both the power and the energy. Money makes everyone so powerful yet so vulnerable. Money in the studios comes from the trickery of this materialistic world, the advertisements, the image pronouncements BUT materialistic items are brought to life by those selected few. Still, only a fraction of percentage happens to be those few who have contracts with the system. Studio culture likes and is attractive to money, a lot and so goes with the film and television executives vibrantly amused by the pea brains of those who just nod and follow what pleases them most. Each star devotes their whole time, effort and brainless chores in exchange of huge mansions, luxurious automobiles, expensive jewelries, high-end clothing and accessories because they all thought to establish imagery, symbol like saints and icons to the poor masses. In shows where action scenes take place, actors and actresses should still look good looking and beautiful with make-ups, blushes and lip glosses so they can continue to endorse the decadence of this nation.

Philippine film and television culture is ‘Hollywood’

The system of the studios must change. The culture of studios must change. The people of the studios must be changed. Change is what the Philippine film and television need today. At the turn of the 21^st century and after three decades of impoverished progress, we see the same people running the studios. We see the same film and television executives until we really see them dead, then change might happen. Philippine culture is ‘Hollywood’ culture in a bad way. The influx of interests of the younger generation in appreciating Philippine film and television is definitely an outsider’s view. As you enter the studio gates, an outsider’s view would see the shining, shimmering, splendid things with celebrity stars walking the hallways, producers with their mobile phones, directors puffing their last few fires in their cigarettes and the wannabes continue to bewildered with luxury cars getting of the compound, fans unwavering their support to their idols, some closeted gay film executives sucking the amateurs’ dicks one after another in their well-lit and conducive offices, promising endlessly hopes, dreams and ambitions in this absurdly decaying world of entertainment and the culture of such in this supposedly changed, improved, enhanced realm of world-class Philippine film and television industries.

While the insider continues to produce, to direct, to act even when there seems to be nothing new to offer, receives the pay check because of this five-year contract. Philippine film and television industries lack ‘real’ visionary filmmakers, producers, actors and actresses, those with ‘real’ societal goals and those who can actually change the culture of this nation. The studios must look for them and this is the right time to look for the new ones, principled and still carries ideologies. The existing ones should be replaced and should end their contracts. The culture of ‘utang na loob’ and ‘pakikisama’ must be stopped. This must change so that wider chances to build new concepts and ideas for the ‘poor mass’ to be educated. Those whom they think they are indispensable and those who have acquired material assets and huge amount of money because of the studios, you must be eradicated from this lifetime since the gluttony of everything has given to you - the power, the energy, the money.

The series ‘Hollywood’ provokes one to think, to reflect, to be critical and to be smart. Our country is given another chance, like the Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, this is the period where Filipinos must sense the care and selflessness of the world. We have a lot of stories to tell. The challenge is how each Filipino filmmaker or television producer will make the story a potent force to the world.