How Smith got under Ali’s skin

It is at around this time of the year that we would hear sectors of the Afro-American society in the US raising their protests on the Oscar nominees. They always cite that colored actors are being left out in the Oscar race. I don’t know but I still have to see the day when Caucasians stage protests on the NBA for having too many blacks.

Anyway, those protesters will probably be quiet this year because in the Best Actress competition, Halle Berry for Monster’s Ball is on a roll. In the Best Actor category, Denzel Washington for Training Day isn’t raining on anyone’s day while Will Smith is creating a lot of buzz for his portrayal of the man many consider as the century’s greatest athlete, Muhammad Ali.

And why not? Smith brings justice to his portrayal of Ali in the movie Ali, an accurate reenactment of the boxer’s most colorful decade (1964 to 1974) when many of The Champ’s struggles were fought outside the ring, not with gloves but with pure strength of spirit.

Smith’s transformation into Muhammad Ali required more than a physical change from a 185-pound actor to a 220-pound athlete. Director Michael Mann expected not only the personification of Ali onscreen but also the internalization of his entire being – a metamorphosis of the soul. Nearly a year before the cameras started to roll, Smith began the arduous process of absorbing Ali’s speech patterns, mannerisms and idiosyncrasies. More difficult than climbing the ring, Smith had to enter Ali’s head. He had to take on a myriad of personas – troublemaker, diplomat, loudmouth braggart, original rapper and a champion.

Smith’s emotional transformation was paralleled by the very physical act of becoming a boxer, including taking shots from professional pugilists. "Will does not have a stunt double in this film," reveals Mann. "He has taken the hits, he has taken the punches. And he can hit, too."

Among the real fighters Smith face in the movie are former cruiserweight champion Al Cole, former middleweight champ James Toney, former WBO heavyweight titleholder Michael Bentt and current world-ranked heavweight Charles Shufford. According to Smith, "Beyond looking like a fighter, my goal was to think like a fighter. To do that, I had to eat like a fighter, sleep like a fighter, assess situations like a fighter… become a fighter."

Smith was last seen starring with Matt Damon in The Legend of Bagger Vance. He is currently doing the sequel to Men In Black with Tommy Lee Jones and director Barry Sonnenfeld. His other films include Independence Day, Enemy of the State, Bad Boys and Six Degrees of Separation. Will Smith also raps and has recorded three solo albums namely, Big Willie Tyle, Willennium and Will2K.

Ali, Sky Films release, is now showing in theaters nationwide.

A docu on projectionist

Aparista, a five-minute video documentary aired on untv UHF 37, won second place in the recentlyconcluded Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video. Conceptualized and directed by untv segment producer and Mowelfund Film Institute graduate Jun Sabayton, Aparista depicts the life and views of a film projectionist.

The award-winning team of Aparista includes researcher Lai Crisostomo, assistant director Dix Buhay, videographer Genesis Gutierrez and editor Etta Medina.

The Gawad CCP is an annual event that recognizes the creativity and limitless artistic potentials of the Filipino film artists, untv’s pool of producers is composed of filmmakers that are Gawad CCP awardees: R.A. Rivera, Ramon Bautista, Lyndon Gutierrez, Edsel Abesames and untv Creative Director Lyle Sacris.

untv is a television station owned and operated by the Progressive Broadcasting Corp. (PBC), the same company behind NU 107. NU 107 is the station responsible for the rebirth of the Filipino rock scene. With untv, PBC aims to champion the Filipino visual artist, both in video and in film.

untv is on UHF Channel 37, 59 on Home and Destiny Cable and Channel 13 on Dream Broadcasting System.