Eight films have been selected for this year's Metro Manila Film Festival, held under the auspices of the Metro Manila Development Authority and co-produced by the Manila Broadcasting Co. The films will be shown in participating theaters nationwide from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7. The Film Festival Awards Night is slated for Dec. 29 at the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex. Below is a short summary of each of the movies.
Taken from Business World On-line
Ai$hite Imasu 1941
(Basifilm Productions)
[img]http://www.bworld.com.ph/weekender/cinema/ai$hite_poster.jpg[/img]
This period drama takes place in the quiet town of San Nicolas in December 1941. A young woman named Inya has just married her childhood sweetheart Edilberto. But the arrival of the Japanese throws the town into chaos. In the midst of it, a high-ranking Japanese officer named Ichiru is drawn to the cross-dressing Ignacio, Inya's best friend. Edilberto, a guerilla whom Ignacio loves, convinces the latter to continue pretending to be a girl to have a relationship with Ichiru and pass information about the Japanese on to the Filipino rebels. But Inya is alarmed that Edilberto would put Ignacio in danger, and worried that her husband has been consumed by war and bloodlust. Starring Judy Ann Santos, Raymart Santiago, Dennis Trillo, Jay Manalo, Anita Linda, Jacklyn Jose, Angelu De Leon, Tony Mabesa, TJ Trinidad, lya Villania, Marco Alcaraz, and Yasmien Kurdi. Directed by Joel C. Lamangan.
Enteng Kabisote (Okay Ka, Fairy Ko... The Legend!)
(Octoarts Films)
The popular 1980s fantasy TV series takes to the big screen again as the Kabisote family returns to the magical world of fairies and witches. In the midst of the battle between good and evil, Enteng and his fairy wife Faye are continuously nagged by the imperious fairy queen Ina Magenta. Starring Vic Sotto, Kristine Hermosa, G Toengi, and Oyo Boy Sotto. Directed by Tony Y. Reyes
Happy Together
(Regal Entertainment, Inc.)
This dramatic comedy centers on the lives of two best friends looking for love: Lianne, a fast-talking businesswoman who can sell anyone anything, and Osmond, a gay copywriter who dreams of writing a best-selling novel. Osmond is attracted to handsome working-class men who treat him like an ATM. Lianne, on the other hand, finally meets the man of her dreams, marries, and has two daughters. But her husband leaves her eventually. The film sees the two best friends go through life, love, and troubles in love from the time they are in their 20s until they are in their 60s. Starring Kris Aquino, Eric Quizon, Jay-R, Nova Villa, Gloria Diaz, Cogie Domingo, Carlo Maceda, Mark Herras, Jennylyn Mercado, Yasmien Kurdi, Rainier Castillo, Paolo Paraiso. Directed by Joel C. Lamangan.
Lastikman
(Viva Productions, Inc.)
Lanky Adrian Rosales is the unlikely hero of this film adaptation of Mars Ravelo's popular comic book. After being beaten up by a group of illegal loggers, Adrian collapses against a rubber tree. The tree gives off a strange fluid that heals Adrian's wounds and causes his body to become elastic like rubber. With his newfound powers, Adrian vows to protect the people as the hero Lastikman. Starring Mark Bautista, Sarah Geronimo, Cherie Gil, John Estrada, Danilo Barrios, Elizabeth Oropesa, Joel Torre, Tuesday Vargas, Bearwin Meilly, and Mark Gil. Directed by Mac Alejandre.
Mano Po 3 (My Love)
(MAQ Productions, Inc.)
Best friends Lilia, Paul and Michael were student activists in the late 1970s. Michael, Lilia's fiance, was captured by the government, forcing his family to give up their properties and businesses for his freedom. The family migrates to the US, leaving Lilia, who eventually marries Paul. Fast-forward to the present: Lilia is now an anti-crime crusader helping Chinoy hulidap victims. A person she once helped sends her on a trip abroad to thank her, and it is here that she meets Michael again. He follows her to the Philippines, scandalizing her children. Soon, Lilia's fidelity to her husband and clan is questioned. Starring Vilma Santos, Christopher De Leon, Jay Manalo, Eddie Garcia, Boots Anson Roa, Jean Garcia, Karylle, Angel Locsin, Patrick Garcia, Dennis Trillo, Angelica Panganiban, John Prats, Carlo Aquino. Directed by Joel C. Lamangan.
Panaghoy sa Suba
(CM Films, Inc.)
This film, told mainly in Cebuano, takes place in a remote village in Central Visayas during the Japanese occupation. Duroy is attracted to Iset, who, on account of her materialistic parents, draws suitors who might lift her out of poverty. One is her American employer, Smith; the other is Fumio Okohara, a Japanese officer who leads the Occupation troops in that area. Duroy joins a band of guerrillas and becomes their leader. Iset, appalled by the brutality of the Japanese, also joins the guerillas. She is tasked to help her comrades lay a trap for the Japanese and rescue villagers from a river prison. Starring Cesar Montano, Juliana Palermo, Ronnie Lazaro, Daria Ramirez, Reiven Bolado, Jacky Woo, Rebecca Lusterio, Caridad Sanchez, Joel Torre, Rommel Montano, Ramon Villanueva, and Suzette Rallio. Directed by Cesar D. Montano.
Sigaw
(Megavision Films)
A battered wife and her jealous husband draw the concern and curiosity of their neighbor Marvin, who keeps hearing strange noises down the hall where the couple lives. As Marvin investigates, he uncovers a secret that changes his life and that of his girlfriend Pinky. A series of hauntings follows Marvin and Pinky wherever they go, even after Marvin moves out of the apartment. Finally, he decides to confront the problem. Starring Richard Gutierrez, Jomari Yllana, Angel Locsin, Iza Calzado, James Blanco, Janella Denise Guevarra, and Ronnie Lazaro. Directed by Yam Laranas.
Spirit of the Glass
(Canary Films)
An aborted trip to Boracay forces Kelly and her friends to spend the Lenten break in her ancestral house in the province. There, Kelly's younger brother Aries and his friend TJ play Spirit of the Glass against the warning of the old caretaker. They awaken a spirit who begs for help. The group tries to banish the spirit, to no avail, and the spirit haunts them. Finally, a medium tells Kelly to return to the old house, confront the spirit there, and help it so it will return to its rest. Starring Rica Peralejo, Marvin Agustin, Alessandra De Rossi, Dingdong Dantes, Paolo Contis, Drew Arellano, Ana Capri, and Clara Sotto. Directed by Jose Javier Reyes.
Movie moron-athon: MMFF post-reviews
Updated 08:12pm (Mla time) Dec 24, 2004
By James Gabrillo
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page D1 of the December 25, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
JAMES Gabrillo says the reason why one should watch "Sigaw" is because of its director, Yam Laranas, who shows more vision than the Hubble Space Telescope.
This guy just knows how to put up a good show. He delivers to the audience a tremendously twisted film with a tremendously twisted plot set on a tremendously twisted building manned by the tremendously twisted Ronnie Lazaro.
I can put this film side by side with Christopher Nolan's "Memento" and Quark Henares' "Keka." These films are just so demented, they actually work and one ends up to be a slave to the manipulations of the genius director.
"Sigaw" also heightens with its remarkable cinematography, also done by Laranas. His camera work tells the narrative in a method where the audience can feel what the characters are going through.
For instance, there's a great ten-second shot of Marvin's (Richard Gutierrez) face as a lady ghost slowly approaches him from the back. One just suffers the fear and terror that
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is present on the scene.
That vista actually transports us to the slip-ups of "Sigaw." The film could have gone to an exceptional passageway if it had preferred to stay independent from its silly dialogue and instead invested on its actors' expressions combined with the dazzling cinematography.
The setback that resonates through the entire film is that it just spoon-feeds everything to the audience. The reason why Nolan's "Memento" is a big pleaser is because it would take one to watch it over and over to actually grasp what it is trying to say. "Sigaw" just doesn't make the audience think.
Also, I think that if nameless actors were made to play the lead roles, it would have been twice as creepier. Seeing Richard and Angel Locsin flutter in primetime and then witness them mingle with ghosts feel really tongue-tied.
And that takes us to the film's major howler -- Richard and Angel are in this month's cover of Annoying Characters From Horror Flicks magazine. Richard's character, Marvin, is just so dim-witted and naive, it's implausible.
Imagine, he has seen creepy ghosts, a creepy sketch of a lady in the ceiling, and creepy neighbors who slay each other every five seconds, and he still thinks his apartment is "okay."
His girlfriend, Pinky (Locsin), doesn't fail to make the audience cringe with her inanity too. In the latter part of the film, Pinky suffers from a pounding by a ghost inside a mysterious room -- she is thrown on the wall, heaved on the floor while lying down, and almost boxed and slapped to death. She does all she can to escape from the room and we all hold our breaths. She eventually does get out and this eases the audience. But after five seconds, she hears a noise coming from the room and she decides to come in yet again. Wow. Maybe she takes pleasure in being hurt.
In the end though, Richard's Marvin turns out to be the sillier character because amid all the crazy demented happenings around him, he still remains composed and poised in his Bench wardrobe. I therefore conclude he is a psycho.
"Sigaw" is eerie, notable and original, and amid all its blunders, may just be the most important film of the festival. But I don't know. I mean, I have yet to see "Enteng Kabisote." Three and a half Beard-Papa cream puffs out of four.
Meanwhile, Pepe Diokno says you just can't go wrong with blood, more blood, and a little girl. This movie was freaky, pare, freaky! At some points in the movie, you actually catch yourself screaming, "Run! Run!" and five seconds later going, "Fly, Mulawin, fly!"
I haven't been scared by a movie in a looong time (the last one was probably a '90s movie "Hocus Pocus" -- remember that? -- oh wait, there was "Imelda,"... freaky, pare, freaky.)
Director Yam Laranas is great. But the acting is lukewarm (save for Ronnie Lazaro, Iza Calzado and Jomari Yllana-oh look, that's the whole cast minus the two lead roles). Writing is just okay -- there isn't much dialogue anyway. It's cool that they added comic relief (Wow, sensible comic relief) after the scary scenes.
Okay, the whole movie came down to sound and how it was shot and both were excellent, more than excellent. What's super is the fact that there were no special effects at all-nada, nothing. It's all organic (Smell it, mmm...).
Look, you won't get the "Hmmmmm's" a movie like "The Others" gave you, but you'll definitely get the "Aaaaahhh!'s" and the "Anak ng Yachang!'s" And isn't that what it all comes down to? Isn't that... dandy?
See, considering how good this film is, it's a miracle it's even in the MMFF. Bayani Fernando must've been hit by a bright pink light. Or he actually took time to watch it. Either way's a miracle.
"Sigaw" tells me Filipino films are actually going somewhere. But does the awards committee (or what I like to call the Lily pond) see that too? Um... no, of course not. All the awards are going to "Mano Po 3" and "Lastikman."
Anyway, I have started the Iza Calzado for best supporting actress campaign. Anyone who wants to join is free to do so. Our first function is a massive bake sale in front of the Edsa Shrine to fund our campaign. Then, we will talk to Lucio Tan to add about P50 gazillion to the P20 we will earn in the said bake sale.
Decaying house. Spousal abuse. Drunkenness. Blood. Blood. Freaky little girl. (Sponsored by Bench, halata). 231,284,323 stars for this movie -and a trip to an actual decaying house especially for Richard Gutierrez and Angel Locsin (Which they can enjoy after their show is canceled.)
Mano Po 3: My Love
James Gabrillo: "Mano Po 3: My Love" is one film that ought to be stamped: "Return to sender." It has a great cast, a great budget and dare I say it, great cheongsams. But it doesn't even come close to becoming a great film. Hrrmm... let's do a run-down, shall we?
Christopher de Leon: He appears to feel so gauche about his role, perhaps because his character is so flat, but nevertheless he was just okay.
Jean Garcia: She suddenly appears out of nowhere in the stratagem, but was just okay.
Angelica Panganiban: This lass can bawl like there's no tomorrow so she's just okay.
Karylle: She sings so well, right? She's just okay.
Well, to cut it short, let's just say most of the cast have the JUST OKAY seal pasted on their foreheads.
This is already being kind considering its script is just bad, you'd be better off watching the trailer: a more believable piece of storytelling. Ever since, the dilemma of each of the past "Mano Po" movies is that is seems like an eighteen-week run of a telenovela constricted into two hours of melodrama. This third, and hopefully the last one, verifies that point.
With no apparent basis, things just suddenly happen in the plot, things you see when you turn on the tube between 7 and 10 p.m. Boy is the childhood sweetheart of Girl. Father doesn't approve of Boy so Girl leaves home. Boy and Girl meet again decades after. Some Kid isn't the real child of some Father. Some Siblings don't look like each other and yadda yadda yadda.
This film also suffers from the most vexing narration I've ever witnessed in any motion picture-one that is too much I wanted to stand up and screech "Overkill! Overkill!" inside the movie house.
As with other Lamangan-Iglesias pieces, the film ends with a realization that comes out of nowhere and leaves the audience more dehydrated than being stuck in a desert for 40 days.
I mean, I have nothing against a cheerful ending with family members unifying and embracing with each other as if there were no wicked subplots that occurred in the story. Sugary activities are great, but that is if this was an episode in "The Brady Bunch" or the much-awaited sequel to "Hope for the Flowers."
Frankly, the best thing about this movie is its theme song.
Watch this film for the unparalleled Vilma Santos, the sidesplitting Sheryl Cruz and Amy Austria's split-second routine. Other than that, I find no other grounds. "Mano Po 3: My Love" is not a very fine movie. Two French-fries out of, umm, thirty.
Pepe Diokno: "Baby, you're awake pa?" That's Ate V to unsuspecting kid audience member after the premiere of this movie. We're like, exactly, are we still awake? I swear I had to pinch myself in the butt 50 times for any feeling to enter my body.
Crap. Crap, crap, crap. "Mano Po 3" is one whole bilao of crap. I would have honestly preferred a night at home eating McDo, watching Cinema One-'cause that's what it is, just like any other movie in Cinema One. Yeah, great for the Filipino masa's penchant for rollercoaster-kilig-melodramas-with-the-star-for-all-seasons movies. Great for the ailing film industry? No.
And why not? Because-and I'll say it again-it's so... ordinary, so run-of-the-mill, so... so... (And forgive me for this:) so typical Filipino movie-ish.
See, if we want to revive our movie industry, what we'll need is a surge of new ideas, new styles, and new stories. We'll have to make our films more interesting, more edgy and fresher. This film is neither of the three.
What's to blame? Bad writing? Yes. Bad direction? Yes. Bad casting? Well, Sheryl Cruz is so funny. (Oh wait, she isn't supposed to be.) But I won't say the acting's crap-the thing is there isn't enough material for the actors to work on anyway.
Good points? Yes, there are some. First, it's good that the movie centered on just one central story, and didn't stray into the depths of what-the-heck subplots like the other Mano Po's. And second, it's good the movie allows you an hour and a half of shut-eye, and you still won't miss a thing.
Okay, okay, I may sound too harsh. But are my expectations too high? I don't think so. They shot scenes in China and Thailand for Super!'s sake. They call themselves the most celebrated movie of the year!
All-in-all, consider: Typical love triangle. Lots of iyakan. Forced Chinese accents. Cheongsams. Someone dies. A Chinese wake scene. Song and dance numbers. Do you still want to see this movie?
Mano Po 3 is a letdown. Waste of resources, waste of talent, waste of time. Why? Because it's not something we haven't seen before.
0.099 stars for this one.
Ai$hite Imasu 1941
James Gabrillo: Watching this film is like dry swallowing a big pill. Look! Here we have a great script by Ricky Lee. And look, Joel Lamangan messed it all up.
This film stars Anita Linda who plays the old Rose from "Titanic," Angelu de Leon as Evita Peron and Judy Ann Santos as Lucy Lawless aka Xena: The Warrior Princess. Oh, and there's also VJ Iya from MYX who has, like, umm, let me try to remember, oh right, one line in the entire film. And it goes, "Pakisabi sa kanya na buntis ako." (Subtitle: "Please tell him I have a baby inside my stomach. Yes, I know I look like I have no stomach but there is surely a baby inside. How did it happen? How in Bjork's name did I get pregnant amidst all the wars and havoc around the village? I don't know. But the script told me, so, so, so... I have a baby in my stomach.")
Aside from its all-star cast, this film takes pride in its being very sexual. Not only do the characters change sexualities every five seconds (In the second half of the film, Juday's character changes her name to Kumander Berto) but everyone in the movie seems to have intercourse with each other.
Watching this film also seems like you're watching an episode of that historical children's show "Bayani," only this time the guys look like they came straight out of the fitting rooms of Celio.
Oh, and here are the three most important insights I got from watching "Ai$hite Imasu 1941": One, a movie can have so many Papa-Banana-Catsup-sponsored death scenes and still not be amusing. Two, Juday's cool-she can cry with only one tear falling from her left eye. Wow, that's...that's... HBO's "Carnivale" material. And three, the aerial scenes where there were planes bombing the villages-those were lifted from another frustrating period film called "Yama$hita: I Forgot The Remaining Words In The Title."
How to pronounce "Ai$hite Imasu" is worth knowing because it will enter the lexis as words meaning "forced and unnatural; a crash caused by its chaotic direction and dire cinematography."
"Ai$hite Imasu 1941" runs for 179 years, 76 months, 47 days, 8,798 hours and 17 minutes. One Krispy Kreme donut out of a dozen.
Pepe Diokno: I dunno... but I actually didn't cringe at this movie. Okay, it isn't bad, and the story is actually good. The writing is a little less than excellent, and I think the acting is, well, as great as a vanilla shake.
The good thing is that JJJJamby didn't pop out at all.
Props to Jay Manalo. For some reason, he's one of the very few actors in local cinema who I actually have respect for. He picks his roles well. You know, he was also in "Mano Po 3," so he had to learn to speak both Chinese and Japanese with all the accents and everything. Cool.
Props to Dennis Trillo, too, for having all his body hair waxed off for the role. So, like if at any point in the movie you feel like standing up, sit down and think of what Trillo had to do for the movie, and be ashamed-be very, very ashamed.
And props to Angelu de Leon, she's such a woman b!tch it's funny.
The only bad thing about it is that it's an uber-drama. I mean, if you don't wanna sit there and see people cry and die, like you'd rather watch wrestling on the USA channel, stay home. (I had to fight that urge too). Or you can snuggle up with a big box of popcorn and wait for the Juday-Raymart Santiago love scenes. (Okay, that was... perverted.)
... And there's actually queer sex. (Cover your eyes, sonny, cover!) Um... the queer sex doesn't involve Juday.
Period drama. Lots of blood and tears. People being raped and tortured and killed. Japanese people. Makapili's. Harakiki's. Kikikikiki's. And Anita Linda.
204,974.004 stars for this one. Minus 100 for the popcorn.
So Happy Together
James Gabrillo: This first part of my review is dedicated only for those who appreciate recycling.
Look! Here we have a great script by Ricky Lee. And look, Joel Lamangan messed it all up.
End of recycling.
Is "So Happy Together" a comedy? A romance? A thriller? A cartoon? A portion in "Master Showman"?
I mean, first of all, why are people so evil towards Kris Aquino's acting? I mean, she was so excellent in this film. The way she delivered her lines was so compelling. And she wasn't one bit annoying. I didn't even have to hold my hands over my ears because her pitch was very controlled. Overall, Kris was very restrained.
Just kidding.
Kris played herself so there's really nothing new. Eric Quizon plays the gay part so well, I'm thinking... hmmm... you know what I'm thinking. Nova Villa is without a doubt the funniest mother in any Lamangan film I've seen (mother roles in his movies are usually either of the two: rich nonchalant mom who loves to play bingo with her amigas or poor booze-loving mom who loves to sell her young daughters to foreigners). She's so funny and she didn't even speak a single line. Now that was enjoyable watching.
Anyway, I know you're all just waiting for my review of the Starstruck boppers Jennylyn Mercado, Mark Herras, Rainier Castillo and Yasmien Kurdi so, here it is.
Jenny was cute, Mark looked like a drug addict, Rainier and Yasmien sounded alike-actually, all four of them sound alike-exactly like L.A. Lopez from the illustrious "Eh Kasi Bata." Okay, I've got a crazy idea. Since it's holiday season, these four should put up a show called "The Chipmunks X-Mas Special" hosted by, umm, L.A. Lopez, Aiza Seguerra, R.R. Herrera and Kathleen Go-Quieng. Plus, it's going to be sponsored by none other than Chunkee corned beef-that canister that squeezes itself into the frame of the movie every chance possible.
"So Happy Together" is just so-so. One can of Chunkee out of an entire supermarket.
Pepe Diokno: I can't believe I got out of the theater alive. Two hours of Kris Aquino makes you realize how annoying her voice really is. I almost couldn't take it-it was like a fog horn, a dog call, a baby cry, a car crash, and a maya bird all rolled into one. Kris Aquino should be locked up forever in TV land, where we're free to turn the volume down.
Anyhoo yahoo -- So Happy Together could've been a good film. I mean, you have the onset of a quirky comedy, brief animated interludes, Eric Quizon and Nova Villa, and a Ricky Lee script.
The downfall could've come from the fact that, a) It stars the Starstruck stars, b) The Krister (that's what I call her) is in it, and c) It's a Joel Lamangan film.
I mean, I saw what Ricky Lee had in mind with the script. The movie could've been a cross between, um... Bridget Jones, About a Boy, and Sex and the City. All good, but Joel Lamangan just didn't get it. He didn't capitalize. There were no new, experimental camera angles or anything. He didn't add any edge or freshness or um... newness to the story. The way it was shot was so lackluster, so normal that it ceased to be funny when everyone started dying.
Sayang. If the big 'ol Mother Lily would've given this to another director, it would've been my pick. She could've gotten Mark Meily, or, or... Mark Meily.
Yeah, the film is funny. It's funny because of Eric Quizon, and Nova Villa, and Rainier Castillo's weird voice.
Kris Aquino is so devoid of timing and delivery, the only reason you laugh through the film is because you're laughing at her. Yes, Kris plays herself in this movie. Something tells me Eric Quizon's character is supposed to be Boy Abunda.
Kris screaming. Kris crying. The Starstruck stars trying to act. Jay-R in a lip lock with the Krister. Gay love. Gay... things. A scene where Kris and Gloria Diaz talk simultaneously for like, an hour. Family problems. And the perennial death scene at the end-which, I concede was well written. Oh yeah, and awards ceremonies in the actual film. (What a blatant *hint hint*).
Okidoki, 25 stars for this movie -- out of 23,097,823.