Gerardo Calagui's Marcie - Squalor Inspiration

There isn't much Marcie (Rain Javier) wouldn't do for his friends: Lolita (Savannah Lamsen), who operates a small parlor, and the closeted Benson (Kurt Lander), the barangay captain’s effete son. Marcie seems contented with his life in the slums. At sundown, he moonlights as a cross dressing street walker who peddles sexual services to the passing vehicles of a tenebrous alley.

One night, he gets caught by miscreant police officers who then took turns to sexually assault him. Like a heaven sent, Makoy (Eugene Tejada), a police asset and, more importantly, Lolita’s sexually ravenous boyfriend, rescues Marcie inside the precinct. After Makoy’s intervention, Marcie is set free. Grateful to the taciturn gentleman, Marcie vows to repay for Makoy’s help. As fate would have it, Makoy becomes the convenient fall guy for the lost stash of drugs retrieved from a drug bust operation. The asset suddenly becomes the prey.

Marcie steps forward by taking Makoy to a safe place, a “tambakan” (repository) of used cars in an otherwise abandoned lot; a valid option before running off to distant Sorsogon. “Walang pumupunta dito,” Marcie offers. Makoy is holed in an empty bus that quickly becomes his half way house. When Lolita’s at work, Marcie attends to Makoy’s needs. But Makoy's confinement soon turns into desperation. He needs a companion. Life of a pursued fugitive isn’t a walk in the park – and it gets lonely.

Makoy gradually falls for the attentive Marcie – and they eventually share the concupiscent bed. The accidental couple turns serious. In fact, Makoy turns green whenever Marcie leaves for work. What becomes of Lolita who’s clueless of her boyfriend’s burgeoning relationship with Marcie? Elsewhere, Benson’s dilemma is escalating. His abusive father (Brylle Mondejar) gets so frustrated with his son’s “wayward” sexuality, he employs the iron fist whenever Benson acts up. Can Makoy hide in the dump site forever?

Benson and Marcie

Marcie dolls up for work.

Erroneously marketed as a Pink Film by virtue of a transvestite protagonist, Director Gerardo Calagui’s tale boasts of a valid story replete with well defined characters from a script by Mark Duane Angos. On cursory glance, despondent characters sweep the narrative tableau as they ride their apathetic lives. As we follow their journey, we realize there's more to Calagui's tale. In E.M. Forster's book “Aspects of the Novel”, he deftly defines the proper nature of these individuals, dispatching them as “round characters” because they’re “complex and undergo development”. Marcie maybe a benevolent soul, but he isn't immune to attraction and seduction. He laments about his choices, but is powerless over them. He is a flawed individual yet he regrets about his inability to overcome his weakness. Rain Javier (first seen in Cleo Paglinawan’s “S.R.O.”) is a revelation as the cross dressing hooker. In "Marcie", you find his emotional investment.

Eugene Tejada is likewise a natural. He moves without a hint of cloddishness. This is good news considering this is just his second feature film. He was in Paul Singh Cudail’s elementary effort “Kubli”. Tejada is gifted with an inherent charm that grabs your attention as his image saunters through the silver screen. And it helps that he's easy on the eyes. Savannah Lamsen’ Lolita is underwritten. In fact, for a good part of the story, you wonder what happened to her. But the former “Fear Factor” contestant and FHM model could do well in character roles.

The movie doesn't exactly conform to the mold of a Pink Film as we know it: there is no unnecessary shower scenes requisite in these exploitation flicks and the plot is far from being thread-bare. Sure, Tejada figures in a pumping scene with Lamsen, but this is integral to defining his relationship with Lolita. Moreover, the scene isn't unnecessarily amplified to provide extended exposure of the actor’s bits and pieces. Even Tejada’s moments with Javier – or Javier’s fellating scenes with Mark Gonzalez, playing the sexually frustrated Albert whose wife fools around because he is incapable of fathering a child, are duly clipped.  

"Marcie: Ang Pag Ibig Ba ay Short Time?" maybe viewed as a defeatist's fare, but there's something inspiring about the recalcitrant human spirit. What else is left to do when we've tried everything yet we still fail. Life goes on.       

Benson (Kurt Lander) hides from his father.

Dustin Jose plays one of the police officers who sexually assaults Marcie.

After  a harrowing first meeting, Albert (Mark Gonzalez) becomes Marcie's regular customer.

Jeffrey Santos plays the police chief in pursuit of the lost loot of shabu.

Friends share a meal together.

Intimate moment with Lolita and Makoy.

Marcie joins lonely Makoy.

The barangay captain (Brylle Mondejar)

Eugene Tejada as police asset-turned-fugitive Makoy

Savannah Lamsen plays Lolita.

Kubli - An Impressionable Romance

As children, Raffy and Marco were inseparable, living their facile existence in the backroads of Masbate. Marco was there when Raffy’s mother passed away, and Raffy saved Marco from drowning. They share an irrefutable bond way beyond kinship. But when they turned 14, Marco (whose family owns the resort grounds where Raffy’s impoverished family dwells) had to move to Manila to pursue his education. As a token of their friendship, Marco left his friend a pair of pigeons and a ring.

Years later, we find a grown up Raffy (Johnron Tanada) working as a “magkakawayan” (bamboo cutter) earning a paltry P5 a bamboo stick. Unfortunately, bamboo sticks are dwindling. He’s trying to save some money for a Manila education that he plans to pursue unaware that Marco (Eugene Tejada) has finally come home. The latter doesn’t have plans of staying though. The family resort has fallen to neglect and isn’t earning anymore. Selling the place seems the better option. When they finally meet, their camaraderie is rekindled. They make up for lost time by spending all their time together. That’s when the ugly head of idle chatter starts churning out rumors? Sebastian (Dustin Jose), Raffy’s older brother, isn’t amused. Are Raffy and Marco an item? The whole town seems to think so. What happens when Marco departs?

Saving a friend the second time around.

Director Paul Singh Cudail’s sophomore effort rambles with a good number of incipient narrative strains that are mostly left hanging once executed, making rudiments of stories that are never fully realized or completed. To name a few: the loss of Raffy’s piggy bank; Sebastian’s seeming interest for Joyce (Marco’s erstwhile childhood sweetheart); Sebastian’s gay lover (who’s migrating to the US). Cudail fills his narrative palette with so much unnecessary details leaving an inchoate story that’s disorganized, random and confused. In short, Cudail is too perplexed, he’s simply lost in his own gibberish (yup, he wrote the screenplay).

A lot of things don’t make sense. When Marco finally arrives, he was too lazy to seek his friend out, you’d have to surmise his indifference. Yes, he did ask Raffy’s brother to inform Marco, but he couldn’t even visit Raffy home when the latter fails to show up? He knew where he lives. What kept him from springing a surprise?

In the course of the story, the character of Joyce (Jenaira Chu, “Anton Tubero”) shows up. She’s supposedly Marco’s girl friend. Yet Marco wouldn’t even visit her. You’d wonder if Marco was suffering from a form of disability. Their relationship is tenuous since Marco’s Manila sojourn seemed to have rendered him incommunicado for 5 years or so. When Marco finally reunites with Joyce, she cries her crocodile tears; offers her brownish nipples, before proceeding to cry again, thereby brushing off further sexual activity. That's the gist of their coupling. But why was she crying? It didn’t even seem real. What’s clear to me is the fact that they weren’t able to pursue a relationship the whole time Marco was away – and 5 years is a long time to pine for someone who doesn’t even lift a finger to correspond! Even a married person could already legally file for abandonment. Is Masbate too remote for a phone signal? Too desolate for a mailman to deliver letters to? There are a million excuses when you don't want to, right? Maybe we’re back in the 60’s when SMS wasn’t even a figment of the imagination. Such recondite endeavor! LOL

Brothers Raffy (Johnron Tanada) and Sebastian (Dustin Jose).


Dustin Jose (as Sebastian) cries, Jeremy Ian (as Joey) enjoys the falls.

When tongues started wagging about Raffy and Marco’s relationship, Sebastian was livid! He roared at Raffy, as though the latter just ingested a semen-tinged coffee: “Bakla ka ba?” (Are you gay?) Why was he so aversed to the idea. But early in the film, a scene had Sebastian bidding a gay lover goodbye. Is this a case of the thief despising the other thief? He wanted to join his benefactor so much he even stole his brother’s piggy bank - and he kept it for the next five years! In another scene where Joyce once again sheds tears, he runs after her. In another, he gazes at the heart broken Joyce who, once again, exercises her lachrymal capability to the hilt. And when she cried, he did so too! What the heck is happening here? This is getting too ominous. Is he suddenly in love with Joyce? This wasn’t even an issue until Marco’s homecoming, was it? Sebastian never had a relationship with Joyce, but with a gay benefactor! What makes him think he can start one upon Marco's return? Pieces don't fit!

To fulfill the raison d’etre of the film, Cudail had to pepper his work with a whole dash of frontal nudity. He even employed two anonymous guys bathing together (time it: it's close to 2 minutes), soaping away their privates in wild abandon. They were so good at it you’d think there was grime and sludge that needed scruffing off their penises. The main question should be: Who the heck were they? They didn’t figure into the story at all. Cudail’s acute sense of storytelling just suffered a low bat mentality, is all.

A completely unrelated character named Joey (Jeremy Ian) was roped in to perform yet another full frontal bathing scene. More than once, you’re thrown into rabid disorientation because these were characters absolutely unrelated to the story at hand! Did I blink and miss a scene that ushered these unknown characters to the fore? Cudail, in his consummate ineptness couldn't even write anything in his script to make these bathing guys’ presence be of legible consequence to the story. Basta. They were there to soap away their peckers. Period. What’s even funnier is, Jeremy Ian (in a 3 minute bathing scene) had to take off his undersized briefs then use it as body sponge. Inspired, right? I was tempted to head home and donate my unused loofa for the poor guy. But then he might ignore me. He was so intent on cleaning himself, he was almost levitating while scrubbing.

You would think Cudail would learn a thing or two after “Sulot” (his directorial debut). Instead, he is so helpless he can’t even gouge out and maneuver a semblance of emotion from his borderline actors. In the scene where Sebastian’s gay benefactor was saying goodbye, Cudail assigns this poor guy with a two kilometer monologue: “Dadalhin kita sa America. Doon, tayo’y magsasama. Lahat gagawin ko kasi mahal kita. Hintayin mo lang ako babalikan kita.” If it felt like poetry, the delivery was even more so - sans any hint of emotion. With his face on cam, you’d notice his stiff and restless pauses as though there were lines he couldn’t read from an idiot board (how appropriate) pasted on the walls. Watching a toadstool grow flowers is probably a more gratifying option than watching this guy dig himself a hole. What’s curious is, he didn’t even need to say all those things because his character was so disposable. He’s gone after the scene and never to be seen again, thank heavens.

CRYING GAME

Johnron Tanada once again delivers a one-note performance that awkwardly verges on the woe-is-me school of acting. He mopes around like the biggest loser in all of Masbate, and he even weeps like a girl. This is probably not his entire fault, but this experience is a testament that unguided actors are ultimately brought down by a bad script, poor direction and absence of that salient ingredient called talent. Do you know how many times Tanada had to weep for his scenes? He’d outcry the girls in “Mara Clara” that’s for sure. Ditto Eugene Tejada. Even Dustin Jose had to weep twice, and Jenaira Chu in all but one scene! It’s a behemoth crying festival, and in not a single scene was I brought to tears. The emotions on show were as hollow and insubstantial as Kris Aquino’s crying scenes from last December’s “Dalaw”. Opps, sorry, I meant her frightened look which seemed like she’s about to cry. Her “scared look” had been haunting me for years now. I could swear I’d wake up in the middle of the night with a tiyanak suddenly mumbling, “What’s shu-lit, mama? What’s shik-shik, mama!” I am just petrified.

Eugene Tejada, in his very first movie after winning that Bikini Contest, needs lessons in elocution, delivery and emotional urgency. He spoke his lines like a 12 year old boy, about to be circumcised: “Bawiin mo ang sinabi mo. Mabibigo ka lang!” It was inexplicable. I expected better from him. He has a strong register on camera, but comes off with a tentative affect every time he opens his mouth. But there’s hope, I’m sure. This is just his first full length feature. Did he flash his perky wand? He did (though it wasn't so errr "perky"), in a peek-a-boo sideway scene shot behind the cracks on the wall. But don’t wink, you might miss his mushroom. LOL

Johnron Tanada

Spoilers

A 5-years later epilogue closes the story. Raffy and Marco are seen arriving in their barrio, fully decked in white. They’re now nurses joining a medical mission. This scenario allows them the closure the narrative requires. Raffy reunites with brother Sebastian - who looks exactly the same. In fact, he hasn’t removed his earing for half a decade, I was sure it had grown roots! How could Raffy end up as a nurse when it was never shown that he even finished elementary or high school? All he did in his earlier scenes was cut bamboo. Nothing else! Am I being asked again a “degree of imagination”? Even leaps of faith have to be deserved!

BURDEN OF THE STORY

The humdinger in Cudail’s “Kubli” (Hidden) really lies in how the structure of the story leads us to our protagonists’ burdens. Thing is, it felt like they weren’t even attracted with each other until the rumors eventually got to them. The suppositions were mere inventions of the idle mind, yet these suggestions were too vigorous, they’re left with no option but to believe them. "Ay, bakla pala kami" because the whole barrio said so! How else would you explicate the fact that Marco wasn’t even all that interested to see his old friend upon his arrival?

If you were harboring affection for someone you haven’t seen in five years, wouldn’t you even seek him out? Is it probably reticence? Or mere disinterest? But of course, Marco and Raffy had to be gullible. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a second Paul Singh Cudail film which has so far shown his genius in other masterpieces like “Tiyo Pablo” and the soon released “Maligalig”. How can such dubious aptitude proliferate into more projects? Neil Tan (who has had a face-saving rechristening, he’s now a Vince Tan directing “Private Nights”) and Joven Tan come to mind. And there’s the king of mediocre, Crisaldo Pablo, a living proof that proudly defies the adage, “Experience is the best teacher.”

Fact is, “Moron Cinema” breeds like wild insects because there’s a market for them. This is the cinema that willingly foregoes reasonable narrative in exchange of penile showcases! There are plenty of patrons who love moronic clutter; it’s a simple equation really. People believe their own amour-propre even when it’s as clear as day that the only artistry they patronize is the artistry of seeing flashes of male genitalia. Now, there’s probably pleasure to be had in that, but let’s not deceive ourselves and say a film deserves a 5/5 rating simply because it had 5 guys generously flashing 5 genitalias. Then we rationalize in the most florid, sophisticated English the false virtues of these films (“Kape Barako”, “Tarima”, “Santuaryo”, “Pulupot”, “Bayaw”, “Quicktrip”, etc.) It’s like believing that the well loved Anne Curtis is a great singer because she owns a CD (“Annebisyosa”) that tops the best selling list! Let’s not be hypocrites and let’s call a spade a spade. If you are disinclined doing so, then allow others the freedom to do so.

Eugene Tejada


Dustin Jose


Jeremy Ian

Bikini Boys - Consented Exploitation and Seedy Confessions

WARNING!

This feature contains sexual content, direct quotations from the its "documentary" subjects (pageant contestants). DO NOT PROCEED TO READ IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY SEXUAL MATERIAL. This, like most of the local films featured in this blog, is a "review" of a film we saw at a commercial cinema. The details have been painstakingly included to provide an objective description of the movie's contents.

UNNERVING EXPERIENCE

It's a bit unnerving finding myself in a cinema showing well sculpted, albeit half naked men constantly threatening to pull down their skimpy bikini briefs - moreover, they seem to have mastered sliding down their hands underneath their briefs to check out if the family jewels were still there. Are they detachable? And every time they do, I felt like slouching down my seat - then wear a Venetian mask as I'd eventually make my way out of the theater hall. Is paying for an admission fee a form of condoning the obvious exploitation? This is what I get for this obstinate desire to watch all local commercial releases.

BIKINI PAGEANT DOCUMENTARY

Styled like a pageant and documentary, director Rad Francisco's "Bikini Boys" features 10 physically fit men who join a bikini contest. The criteria for winning is never mentioned, but I was sure it included the propensity to caress oneself in front of a camera. Each contestant is presented in an interview. After which, he is highlighted in an erotic solo scene where he ends up languidly breaking the 4th wall as he slides his hands down his crotch. This is obviously the art of masturbating with briefs on. LOL. To cap a scene, the contestant is then shown by the poolside, taking some laps before getting out of the water on his wet bikini.

LITTLE STORIES AND SEEDY CONFESSIONS

It is interesting how these men are lured into such an endeavor, as they superficially get to unravel in their individual interview portions (yes, they're still in bikinis while getting interviewed).

Eugene Tejada, the 21 year old runaway winner, did it for the "exposure". This, he hoped, would open opportunities and maybe allow him the chance to follow Dingdong Dantes' footsteps (his "idol"). One of three siblings in a middle class family, Eugene took Food Technology at the Bulacan State University. He admits to having had several girl friends in the past. It's his second time to join a male pageant and he "liked the experience". "Feeling ko, artista ako," he enthuses on the attention showered on him. Even his first sexual experience is asked: "First time ko, 16." Prodded about sexual encounters with gay men, he says he had one when he was 18. "70% naman ng mga artistang lalaki, meron eh," he rationalizes. Wherever did he get his figure? Favorite food: "Cake... because it's sweet." Tejada, blessed with boyish charm, is a natural interviewee; he is candid and speaks with confidence despite the relative sensitivity of some intrusive questions. I guess he knew what he was getting into. Did he deserve to win? This 5'10" looker obviously has the best chance to crossover to mainstream cinema, in my opinion.

Some interviews get too abrasively intrusive, short and disinterested. DJ, for example, gets asked about his sexual stamina. "I've done 7x in a day," he replies, and considers "doggy style" his favorite position. The only other thing we learn from him: he grew up with a single mom, and he is currently single.

Jethro Sanchez is a male pageant fixture. He's been in contests held in San Juan, Novaliches and Fairview. His best finish: 1st runner up. How does he prepare for a contest: diet and gym. He admits to not having any gay experience yet. How often does he pleasure himself? "Dati nung nasa apartment pa ako, araw araw," he declares matter of factly. Which does make me blush. Favorite position: missionary and dog style.

Jerome, 21, is in his 2nd contest. He previously won "Darling of the Crowd" (you'd wonder what he actually did to please the crowd) and "Mr. Placenta". Life hasn't been easy for Jerome. He grew up not having the constant presence of his dad. "Second family kami, at dalawa ang kapatid ko," he says. He's had two girl friends in the past. He hails from Floridablanca, Pampanga.

It is Carlo Serrano's second time to join a contest. This 5'11" Ilocano, currently residing in Quezon City, is taking Tourism in Trinity College. His dad works at the Customs while mom stays home. Though he's currently unattached, this 20 year old chinito has had 3 girl friends in the past, and works in a bar. His first sexual awareness was at age 7 when he inadvertently watched an X-rated film. Says he has no sexual experience with gay men. Favorite sport: Volleyball. When he pulls down his undergear's lining, we see a couple of tattoos of huge stars peeping from under. Who knows there could be a whole gamut of constellations if he pulled his bikini further. A moon maybe? LOL

Jay Viernes, with his sexy chinky eyes and 5'11" frame, asserts a magnetic presence in front of the camera. He should be Tejada's main competition. This 19 year old looker took HRM in Lyceum and is currently working as a waiter. He lost his virginity in 3rd year high school to his second girl friend.

Jed Rivera's only entry during the interview was losing his virginity at 14 to his then girl friend during the JS Prom. Rommel Rabida is better seen than heard, but he is also one of the more provocative and less inhibited in the bunch. He admits to having lost virginity at 15 to his girl friend, but soon thereafter, he got his first time with a gay man. He joins these contests to help support the studies of his siblings. In one scene, he is shown changing his briefs in front of the cam (while cupping his endowments). But of course, something has to peep through.

Dandy Yap is a curiosity. He is a Korean model who wants to experience joining a male pageant. His skin is luminescent and his accent is noticeable. He would say "I rearned my Tagarog" (learned my Tagalog) - and "You nevel know who wir win", which sounded sexy. LOL. He then pleads to the audience to "Vote for me. If i win, I can stay longer (in the Philippines)". Then adds, "If you see me in a club, tell me you voted for me. I will buy you a drink." It is rather unusual to find foreigners join such contests because this isn't exactly Body Shots which has spawned several big names!

Clyde Cruz works at a call center, but I find his enunciation a bit troubling. His rolls his words together, they sound incomprehensible at times. He has won a couple of male pageants in Alabang before, thus he carries himself with confidence. He is a bathroom denizen, taking at least 45 minutes to shower, then 1 hour and 30 minutes to "fix" himself up. Asked about his bedroom jaunts, he boasts, "Ang pinaka-wild ko, 8 to 10 rounds in 12 hours." Are we talking about food? Or online games? Or musical chairs? Then he adds, "Karamihan sa kuwarto." LOL

There was absolutely nothing about DJ Lopez so he must have lost a few points without an interview - or the makers weren't interested in one. But of course, he still has to do the requisite "caressing of the crotch" then jumping into the pool. That's the main objective of the contest: to get them wearing a bikini then parade them wet!

Jethro Sanchez and Jed Rivera

To be honest about it, I was surprised to find such flagrant display of masculinity (constant mashing of crotch) sans the customary pretense of a story because this, after all, is a documentary and reality TV-styled bikini contest. Rommel Rabida is even seen thumbing his genitals as he prepares to face the camera for his swimming pool shots. (That way, it doesn't "shrink" when he jumps into the pool, perhaps?) Another guy is highlighted showering for the requisite peekaboos. There is no doubt about it, "Bikini Boys" is made to titillate and display the masculine form.

DVD FIRST, COMMERCIAL EXHIBITION LATER

I am, of course, of the idea that such cinematic project seems misplaced in a public cinema. I feel this should only be made available in the privacy of someone's bedroom. There is something quite seedy having it shown in a commercial cinema. My friend Kyle told me that a DVD of this film was actually released last year, which commenced an online contest through the all-male site www.rddantes.com. This means that the DVD version doesn't have Eugene Tejada as the winner yet, right? But what intrigues me is the "amount" of frontal nudity possibly available in the DVD version. The commercial film offers a couple of fleeting frontals. Does the DVD offer more?

CENSORSHIP, OPPRESSION & THE ARCHAIC SYSTEM

The question above is a valid one because we are curious of the new MTRCB's permissiveness and liberal sensibilities. Ms. Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares, the new Chairman, seems like a smart executive who hails from a more liberal new generation. Though I am not too pleased that a movie like "Bikini Boys" gets shown commercially, I am also more concerned with the continued presence of "censorship" in this country (Check out Nicholas Cage's latest actioner, "Drive Angry" and tell me you aren't jarred by its numerous cuts.). We should adopt a more acceptable Ratings System where the artistic freedom of expression in films is upheld - no cuts, no censorship. Censorship, after all, is oppressive! Haven't we learned anything from the despotic Marcos Regime? Let the public choose what they want to watch, according to a well appointed ratings system (i.e. G, PG, R, NC-17 and X). Cutting provocative or sexual scenes is archaic and belongs to small minds and socially repressed societies.

Are we a backward society? "Censorship" still exists in the Philippines. Maybe we are.

Carlo Serrano and Clyde Cruz

DJ Lopez and JayViernes

Korean model Dandy Yap

Rommel Rabida, one of the braver contestants (with Dandy behind him).

Please read our post about Cinema Bravo (featured post) and why we sometimes feel nginig about Web Criticism:
- http://makemeblush2.blogspot.com/2016/10/cinema-bravo-film-criticisms-execrable.html