"Distance", "Kuya Wes", "ML" and "Pan de Salawal" - The Best of Cinemalaya 2018

Cinemalaya's main features this year are inhabited by damaged souls with crushed spirits. In this post alone, there's a variety of them. A woman grieves for the death of her lover. A devastatingly lonely man finds amusement and enchantment in a married woman. A spooky old man entertains a young student for an interview about his checkered past. A solitary baker suffering from a debilitating kidney disease gets a modicum of affection from an eccentric child with healing powers. We've earlier written about Kip Oebanda's "Liway". To round up Cinemalaya's best films this year, here are the 4 other entries we loved.

In Perci Intalan's "Distance", five years after abandoning her family, estranged wife Liza (Iza Calzado) gets an invitation from husband Anton (Nonie Buencamino) to return to their family but without the knowledge of daughters Karla (Therese Malvar) and Therese (Alessandra Malonzo). 

Without any precondition, explanation or apology, Liza resumes her place in the household: cooking their favorite dish, driving the girls to school, attending school events, and taking them out to shop. But this doesn't sit well with daughter Karla who struggles to understand their situation. Is Liza staying for good? It doesn't help that Karla is attempting to ignore her feelings for her young teacher Adi (Adrianna So). Karla's ambivalence is more deeply rooted. She knew why her mother left - to be with their Tita Jen (Max Eigenmann).

"Distance" was my early favorite because it deftly captured the brass tacks of fixing a broken relationship that initially seemed irreparable. How does one offer forgiveness when an apology isn't even offered? Is being true to oneself worse than emotional pretense? 

The story fields questions about "loving" and they are something to chew on: Is there a limit to loving someone? Would you love a person even when you know it will turn to a personal tragedy?

The movie is Intalan's finest work to date. It also shows his evolving acumen for a compelling story telling, too far removed from the director's "My Fairy Tale Love Story" (2018), "Flight 666" (Shake, Rattle and Roll XV) and "Dementia" (2014). If I didn't know this was his masterwork, I wouldn't have guessed. 

Scenes rankle with tension from the opening shot that escalates and ultimately leads to a satisfying confrontation. Watching Karla's accusatory spiel felt cathartic. I have to take my hats off to Therese Malvar's thespic grit.

"Distance" delivers a focused story with a narrative progression that's constantly thought provoking. Credit also goes to the consistently even performances of the ensemble. It's hard to pick a standout though Calzado enveigles a lot of empathy. How I have missed watching this stellar actress tackle a character on screen worthy of her exemplary talent.

To be honest, we didn't expect much from James Robin Mayo's "Kuya Wes". But such was my surprise when the movie turned out more than watchable.

In the story, a perpetually joyless cash remittance clerk Wes (Ogie Alcasid) is captivated by regular customer Ericka (Ina Raymundo), a married woman with two children. So he eagerly waits for the woman every 16th of the month to claim remittance from her husband who works overseas. 

Meanwhile, Wes comes home to his younger brother's (Alex Medina) family where he is ignored, but for the occasional interaction when he gets asked to pay for the household bills - or wash his pamangkin's uniforms. Though mostly, he acquiesces, Wes' loneliness turns interesting when Ericka starts acknowledging his presence. One day, Ericka arrives but learns that no money was sent. So Wes hands money from his pocket. Will this take their relationship to the next level? With the prodding of co-worker Joy (Moi Bien), would Ericka agree if he asked her out for a 'friendly" date? 

"Kuya Wes" is told in a light manner with deceptively comic relishes; a character study that tackles loneliness and the length people are willing to do to snag happiness. The story includes an adorable lineup of quirky characters that graces Wes' little world. But what drew me to the story was his moments of utter desolation - when he comes home and no one minds the candies he brings for his niece and nephew; when he's left at home while his brother takes his family out; when people constantly "forgets" that he's allergic to chicken; and when he gradually retreats to the confines of his small room. 

I was reminded of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" where many of the characters struggle with loneliness. Different people cope different ways, but Wes decided to literally put his money where his heart is. What followed was an unsettling chapter that would make people evaluate their relationship with others. Kindness doesn't always beget kindness. It pays to be pragmatic when material objects are the ones bridging relationships. Despite Wes' unfortunate situation, we ultimately felt catharsis. 

Needless to say, Ogie Alcasid inhabits his character like hands to a glove as though it was written for him. We cannot think of another actor to portray this protagonist. Moi Bien returns to Cinemalaya after last year's hilarious turn in "Ang Pamilyang Hindi Lumuluha". She plays the adorable co-worker who provides a shoulder to cry on when everyone else has turned their backs on him. Sniff sniff.

In Benedict Mique's "ML", when a history teacher (Jojit Lorenzo) discusses the topic of Marcos-era monstrosities, school jock Carlo (Tony Labrusca) and friends contradict him. For them, it was a time of opulence and discipline. So the teacher assigns his class to interview personalities who lived through the Martial Law years.

Carlo then invites himself to his neighbor's home where a retired colonel lives alone. Little did he realize that this will give him first hand experience of the horrors of Martial Law as Colonel Jose Zabala dela Cruz (Eddie Garcia) takes him in. 

Before long, Carlo finds himself tied and gagged in a basement. In the 74-year old colonel's demented confusion, Carlo is a rebel and subjects him to intense interrogation and torture. What's worse, the colonel even lures Carlo's friend Jaze (Henz Villaraiz) and girlfriend Pat (Lianne Valentino) to join him. 

The film takes its viewers to a harrowing descent into madness as the Marcos-worshiping Duterte-apologist subjects his "suspects" to the various methods of torture. The movie is disconcerting, exhausting and very visceral, you keep squirming in your seat as you watch the protagonists' helplessness. The film mirrors the twisted mind of authoritarian rulers whose noble idea of dealing with the "dregs of society" is one of annihilation than reformation. We're very aware of that kind. It likewise mirrors the dichotomous persona of Garcia's character: doting grandfather to his grandchildren yet a vicious, merciless murderous cow.

Mique's work reminds me of Eli Roth although this one's way scarier because its close to home. These atrocities were inflicted on thousands of Filipinos who lived during the Marcos rule. The movie is R-16 and rightfully so.

I went out of the cinema shivering.

Che Espiritu's "Pan de Salawal" is a delightful narrative stroll into the lives of ailing people who reside at a railway community in Manila. Their lives change when a strange multi-lingual street urchin, Aguy (the remarkable Miel Espinosa) comes into their lives.

Sal (Bodjie Pascua), the lonely baker, suffers from an impending kidney failure. In the same community, a barber (Ian Lomongo) has involuntary tremors of his hands. A handsome meat vendor (Felix Roco) refuses to pursue his affection to a beautiful neighbor (Anna Luna) because of his deformed leg. Mang Bruno (Soliman Cruz) is petrified of the growing lump on his breast. A former Carinosa dancer (Ruby Ruiz) sits on a wheel chair, debilitated by stroke. And little Aguy has an unusual method of healing them - she hurts them! Unfortunately, her magical powers don't seem to work for Sal who has taken Aguy out of homelessness. What to do.

The film presents a motley crew of quirky characters to populate this endearing dramedy. Mostly though, a touch of magic realism buoys this fantastical story of levity and hope. We dance on our seat as we watch the town celebrate life after Aguy heals them - all in one go. 

The performances are top notch. Miel Espinosa as Aguy is amazing. Bodjie Pascua has a commanding presence but could have depicted Mang Sal with a little less of his Batibot persona as we find his usual vocal affectations and fractured delivery occasionally awkward and discomfiting. Example: When he invites the child to his home for shelter, he would stutter as though embarrassed talking to a 7-year old child, which doesn't make sense to me. Why is an adult stuttering in front of a homeless child? 

Some people would wonder about the nature of Aguy's healing powers. But such is the wonder of magic realism where realistic narrative and naturalistic techniques are combined with surreal elements of fantasy. This works perfectly here. If you just sit and imbibe the struggles of each character, there's a lot to take in - and enjoy. 

"Pan de Salawal" is the kind that wins Audience Awards because it is a joy to watch.








#cinemalaya2018   #distance   #kuyawes    #ML   #pandesalawal   #moviereviews   #bestofcinemalaya   # liway

Olivia Lamasan's "Starting Over Again" - Delightful Grieving

Ginny’s (Toni Gonzaga) school girl crush on History professor Marco (Piolo Pascual) has turned relentless that she’s brazenly proposed to him at every opportunity she gets. But on the most unexpected time, when she’s been rejected to play the Virgin Mary for a school play, Marco finally accepts. Thus starts their unlikely love story. 

While Ginny dreams of bigger things, like taking her Master's degree in Barcelona (where her mother works and raises a new family), Marco seems content with his culinary hobby, refusing to even finish his special course. And like most romantic relationships, lovers start noticing the chipping off of gloss. Marco in fact reflects Ginny’s father’s passivity and lack of ambition, a few of the reasons that lead to the eventual separation of Ginny’s parents (Lito Pimentel and Yayo Aguila). When some ideals are tainted by brash realities, admiration quickly dissipates. Ginny learns to “unlove” Marco. So she flies to Barcelona effectively cutting off her relationship with Marco who's devastated by the absence of an acceptable explanation. How does one move on without much closure?

A few years later, Ginny unexpectedly receives a “letterlater” (a web-based mail pre-sent on a later date) from Marco three years from the past, fortuitously rekindling her affection to the heartbroken ex boyfriend. 

What’s more serendipitous? Ginny, now a successful architect specializing in restoration, gets an invitation to propose a design for a new restaurant owned by Marco, now a prosperous chef. Wasn't this the same ancestral house where their dreams of putting up a restaurant first started? What’s the catch? Is Marco the same guy who has hopelessly written the “letterlater” three years ago? Is Ginny really handed a second chance? Or was this a retaliatory ploy to get back at her? But life isn't a walk in the park. Marco, it turns out, has a new girl friend, the gorgeous pastry chef Patty (Iza Calzado) who “looks like the Virgin Mary” – a role that Ginny was once rejected for. And she is getting mixed signals from Marco. His longing is palpable when he gazes at her. What’s a girl to do? Should she pursue him again, like she once did? Has he moved on? Or was it time to start anew?

Director Olivia Lamasan presents a legitimate narrative dilemma that takes his audience on a compelling journey along with Ginny, Marco and Patty. It’s easy to get devoured by Lamasan's romantic maelstrom. While the film follows a template familiar in romantic comedies, the characters are deftly written. Moreover, each narrative element is masterfully pieced together.

Some narrative issues are in fact worth exploring and discussing, as when Ginny recognizes some of her father's loathsome traits in Marco. Once romance scratches the surface of reality, human frailties are revealed, exposing Marco's decrepitude. If a relationship is worth keeping, we eventually learn to accept the flaws. Otherwise, we leave.

The movie is told from the point of view of Ginny Tolentino that necessarily makes this vehicle Toni Ganzaga's who takes full advantage of the character's broad and livid gestures. In fact, some of the most delightful and slap-happy scenes involve her, i.e. Ginny and Marco's first concupiscent moment, a rollicking scene that shall be remembered with hilarity long after the movie has stopped screening in cinemas. Or when Marco gives her the run around from Taft to Alabang to San Juan to Tagaytay, braving through taxis, trains and traffic- on six-inch heels! Then there's the silly seduction scene by the ladder, and her falling into Marco's arms.

Unlike many Star Cinema romcoms, the quirky, albeit annoying extended families of our protagonists are featured minimally. There’s little exposition on Ginny’s separated parents or Marco’s folks and Lola (Liza Lorena). This allows the narrative to focus on its three central characters, allowing more flesh on their motivations and intentions. Let’s take the case of Ginny who possesses a consistent characterization. She’s the loud, unyielding, aggressive soul who finds ambition and talent sexy. When she detects a flicker of passivity in Marco, she loses interest. That, to me, is human nature. And what is cinema if not a character study blown up on celluloid. Even Marco and Patty are well sketched. This refulgent delineation of characters is tangible enough that when Patty refuses to be brazenfaced when verbally confronted by Ginny (the uncomfortable and climactic kitchen scene: "Palayain mo na si Marco"), we realized quite well that indeed some people carry such enviable dignity despite aggression - or grace under pressure.

Strong performances define this movie. Toni Gonzaga appears in her career’s best performance, thanks to a script that utilizes her thespic vulnerability, exquisitely infusing it with the flick’s comedic inclinations. Romantic comedies are her forte, and this is evident as she masterfully glides through with self deprecating charm. Piolo Pascual returns to form. He revives an easy deportment not seen in a while, but when it was time to pull out all the stops – as when Marco tries to stop Ginny’s taxi from taking her to the airport, he was brimming with empathy. When did we last see him this fetching? Eight long years ago in Joyce Bernal’s 2006 romcom, “Don’t Give Up On Us” (with Judy Anne Santos). Iza Calzado imbues Patty with adequate charisma that, at some point, we wished she would “get the boy”. Thanks mostly to a classy character excursion.

It is a curiosity though how Olivia Lamasan has outdone Cathy Garcia-Molina in the romcom genre. After all, Lamasan does dramas, not romcoms. If this were Molina’s film, there’s be sing-alongs at airports involving every living beings (including the ceiling repairmen); there'd be sun dances in the middle of a park or during a blustering rain; there'd be terpsichorean extravaganzas in gyms filled with fawning spectators, and all those cheesy, peanut-gallery tricks that may be amusing, but ultimately unrealistic. How did Lamasan outdo Molina? In what could be the decade’s most captivating epilogue, the film follows our crestfallen heroine as she rushes to a meeting: hailing a taxi, climbing a stair, meeting a new colleague, and shaking the hand of someone who could be her ticket to moving on! Genius!

Now tell me you're not inspired.

Piolo Pascual turns on the megawatt charm.

Toni Gonzaga: career best

When McDreamy becomes a local affair.

Iza Calzado as Patty: Killing with kindness.

Smiling their way to the bank.

Jose Javier Reyes' Mga Munting Lihim - Acrimony and the Ties That Bind

Mariel and Carly (Judy Ann Santos and Iza Calzado) have been inseparable since they were little girls; they might as well be sisters. As adults, their exclusive circle has grown when Sandy and Olive (Agot Isidro and Janice de Belen) decided to join them.

Carly (Calzado) is a prosperous, albeit ball-busting lady executive who gets whatever she sets her mind to. Despite her triumphs, Carly feels incomplete. Her view on most things is met with apprehension and she jadedly believes people have unflattering motives for the things they do. In fact, when a relative asks for help, her thoughts would meander: “May mga kamag-anak ako, pero walang pamilya.” More than anything, she’s envious of her friends for having started families of their own. Meanwhile, romance seems to keep its distance from her.

On the other hand, Mariel (Santos), with feet firmly planted on the ground, is happily married to Vince (Roeder Camanag) - with children to boot. Her life is so domestically chaotic, she frequently bemoans her hectic routine and the absence of personal space. She hasn't even been to nearby Hong Kong because more urgent priorities always supervene. Sandy (Isidro), who’s eternally and intentionally late for their soirees, is married to a filthy rich geriatric. She doesn’t waste time flaunting her designer wardrobe and her jetsetting lifestyle. Olive (de Belen) is married to a much younger guy whom she met from a chatroom. He now works in Dubai, so money is occasionally scant. Though the girls occasionally squabble and annoy each other, they all manage to thrive in their respective domestic anarchy.      

SPOILERS

One day, Mariel drops a bomb. She has pancreatic cancer, a proverbial death sentence in most cases. This brings the friends closer than ever. But when Mariel eventually dies, she leaves a box full of journals. And she has tasked Carly to peruse through her entries – entries that contain her deepest thoughts about each of her friends; entries that reveal specific moments in their lives, underlining the weakest links in their relationships: like when Mariel had to clandestinely sequester Eman (Gino dela Pena) from Carly, just to prove that Carly does not always get everything. Sometimes, these friends aren’t always emotionally supportive: they tell thirty-something Olive that her 21 year old chatmate (a former actor) is a “kabit ng bakla”; that she never pays what she owes - and even lies about them. Carly muses that Olive isn't the smartest girl. And they even conclude that Sandy’s marriage to an older guy was merely for convenience, inferring that Sandy’s an inveterate gold digger. What’s happening here? With friends like these, who needs enemies? More importantly, is this friendship even worth keeping?     

Mariel

Carly

Olive

Sandra

It is instructive how scriptwriter and director Reyes is able to delineate his characters with luminous contrast. Mostly, it’s thanks to the intuitive performances of Santos, Calzado, Isidro and de Belen. Iza Calzado confidently glides through the cinematic palette with persuasive charm. She reminds me of Bea Alonzo’s character in “Sa Yo Lamang” – the iron butterfly with an emotionally-charged back story. And why not? She lost “the one” who could have given her happiness – from her deceptive best friend. Judy Ann Santos’ role is surely a walk in the park for the effulgent Santos who doesn't succumb to the theatricality of Mariel’s situation. She displays adequate control of her emotions, avoiding mawkishness. Agot Isidro is venomous without being irritating, while Janice de Belen is compelling. And it is high time de Belen, one of our better actresses, graces our celluloid dreams once again. A regular date with the treadmill would have her in perfect form.

INABILITY TO CHOOSE

While it is true that the four actresses provide a variety of clamorous and symbiotic emotional landscape for this narrative, it is also clear that Calzado and Santos’ roles weigh more than their co-stars. It is thus ridiculous not to be able decide and pick a single “Best Lead Actress” from the four actresses. Iza Calzado stands out from this amazing ensemble. What I’m saying here is, giving the Best Actress and Supporting Actress plum to the four actresses is a cop out – and the product of lazy or inferior minds. It’s a matter of discussion among the Cinemalaya judges to peel through the individual aptitude and merits of each actress. Kaya nga contest para may isang mananalo... then we end up with FOUR winners for TWO categories! If this isn't ridiculous, then it’s hilarious!

IDIOCY vs GENEROSITY - CINEMALAYA'S INEPT JUDGES

The awarding ceremonies of Cinemalaya have always been sketchy. Jim Pebanco won "Best Supporting Actor for "Patikul", remember? Ina Feleo won Best Actress for whatever role she played in any Cinemalaya entry. Heavens, where has delicadeza gone, amigas y amigos? Next thing you know, sister Ana Feleo would headline another entry - and win an award! We then have one award-winning happy family, don't we?

Back to the topic at hand, we have 4 winners for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Does that make sense? Once upon a time, people used their cognitive functions to choose one that's best among the rest. After all, "best" usually denotes a singular presence or entity, NOT FOUR! People used to "boo" at contemptible ties during awards night. Remember Sharon Cuneta and Nora Aunor sharing the award? How do we react to an atrocious FOUR-WAY tie spread between two categories? More importantly, what's the need for judges if they can't even decide on a singular winner? The world is sometimes full of lazy minds, isn't it? Next year, they should open up the categories to Best Actresses, Best Actors, Best Pictures. We've opened the flood gates of generosity, anyway. Let's all be generous and give everyone awards. Para masaya, debah?

Back to the movie, the pacing of the story is brisk, and the editing (by Vanessa de Leon) is dynamic. The atmosphere is bright and breezy, unlike most movies that deal with mortality. Among the Cinemalaya entries, Reyes’ “Mga Munting Lihim” (Those Little Secrets) is the most accessible for mainstream viewers. In fact the sensibility of the film is too far removed from what we perceive as "indie" fodder.

I also have to mention the participation of former Survivor castaway Gino dela Pena who captivates with his short, but attention-catching cameo as Eman, the “man that got away”. Dela Pena maybe tentative at times (it's his film debut), but there’s no denying his strong screen presence. More of Gino, por favor!       

Director Jose Javier Reyes fills his plot disclosures with a hundred and one acrimony. Some issues leave you with mouth agape; others leave you laughing hard on the floor. Countless times, you weep like a baby. Such is this cinematic dilemma. The narrative is a roller coaster ride of emotions filled with insightful situations reflective on your own relations. You find situations that are easily identifiable among your own group of friends. This makes the viewing so much entertaining because of its "participatory" characteristic.

On point of logic, revealing the unpalatable details of Mariel’s diary seemed pointless. Intimate thoughts of a dearly departed friend should never create dissension among the living. The act itself is counter productive. People should never dwell on the negative aspects of their past. Besides, which friendship is free from altercation and disagreements? Moreover, isn’t it clear that despite their differences, they still end up lending hand whenever one of them needs it? You may not always agree with each other. You may scoff at their choices. You may cringe at their manner of deduction and call them simple-minded. But you will always pick them up when they stumble. That is the magic of friendship.  

The revelations

Iza Calzado, Judy Ann Santos, Agot Isidro and Janice de Belen.

Gino dela Pena invites you to his table. Where do I queue? :)

Gino dela Pena: Captivating!

I'd prefer this more apropos theatrical poster over the more commercial one they are using in cinema lobbies.

MMK's "Cross-Stitch" - Iza Calzado's Dramatic Milestone

Abby and Egay (Rica Peralejo and Zanjoe Marudo) are blissfully contented. They adore and relish each other’s company. They even dance and laugh together the way young lovers often do. Meanwhile, Abby’s friend, Liza (Iza Calzado) takes the sidelines, elated to be part of a congenial match made in heaven.

But some stories aren’t ordained with happy-ever-afters. One day, Abby starts getting unexplained lumps on her leg prompting consultation with a doctor who informs the couple that Abby is afflicted with cancer: Stage 2 Malignant Soft Tissue Sarcoma to be exact. This doesn’t bode well for chirpy and buoyant Abby, but she stays convinced that radiation would remedy the problem. In her mind, good things happen to good folks, right? But with an attentive husband and a subservient best friend, Abby’s six months gets further lease in life. She lives on as she gets rushed in and out of the hospital.

Lisa, meanwhile, decides to leave the bakery where she works to try her luck abroad. Her family is in financial discord and her siblings need her help. Despite Abby’s objections, Lisa flies to Saudi Arabia to work as a domestic helper. While Lisa was gone, it becomes clear to Abby that her life is gradually slipping away. She was distressing about Egay – the love of her life. Could she find someone who will take care of him? And isn’t it convenient that the her best friend Lisa is eternally single? In fact, her friend has come to terms with her uncompounded, relationship-free status.

Lisa didn’t finish her 2-year contract as she becomes statistics to employer abuse. She comes home and finds Abby weaker and sicker. Little did Lisa know that Abby has rolled the ball to maneuver an awkward kinship between her and Egay who was never her friend. When Abby finally expires, Egay is inconsolable - and dismissive! But Lisa has boundless patience for her dear friend’s husband. One day, the unexpected transpires between the grieving husband and the sympathetic friend. As though dictated by fate, Lisa gets pregnant! And it isn’t even a year since Abby’s death. What would people say?

When Egay learns of her pregnancy, he offers to take care of Lisa and their child. But living with a grieving widower is a contentious proposition. Lisa realizes that Abby is still a staunch competition for Egay’s devotion. In fact, Egay professes never to let go of Abby’s memory – or affection. At the home front, though Egay is the perfect father to their child, Lisa's presence becomes inconsequential where Egay is concerned. She is treated like a maid. When Egay's utter disdain becomes unbearable, Lisa troops to her friend’s tomb and swears she will do everything to win the cold and antagonistic man she has learned to love. “Aagawin ko si Egay sa ‘yo,” she swears. Will Lisa get her own happy-ever-after?

We feel compelled to write about this episode because MMK’s “Cross-Stitch” is, in itself, a milestone. This is Iza Calzado’s first foray in her new home network. Though GMA would understandably scoff at this suggestion, Iza Calzado was indeed the station’s Best Actress – bar none! – until her untimely departure. At GMA, Iza reigned like a queen without a crown, dispossessed like a cinematic Cinderella. Her entry into ABS CBN’s stable of competent actresses should create ripples. Here comes a great beauty and a spectacular actress who can hold a candle against Kapamilya’s very competent homegrown queens. We hope she gets treated better!

In “Cross-Stitch”, Calzado deftly displays her thespic dominion on an otherwise maudlin character such as Lisa – and I am referring to how the character was initially written. Director Nuel C. Naval occasionally succumbs to old school theatrics, but the amazing Iza never resorts to excesses expected from such material. Lisa’s scene at Abby’s tomb is instructive. She pours her heart out and bewails the injustice from her friend’s deception. Iza renders clarity and believability to her predicament. But we believe that Lisa’s character could have been expounded earlier. We hardly know anything about her even midway into the story. This somehow results to an uneven narrative structure, if a tad disconcerting. After all, Lisa is the protagonist - the story’s heroine.

Rica Peralejo's return to the screen is a welcome development. She imbues empathy to Abby and makes us understand why her husband is besotted with her. Zanjoe Marudo does wonderfully as the conflicted Egay. His monologue at Abby’s tomb is particularly heart breaking: “Hindi ko balak na sundin ang hiling mo, pero nangyari. Mahal ko si Lisa’t hindi ko kayang mawala sya sa akin.“ He then symbolically removes his wedding ring as Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” plays on piano. Some aspects of life are meant to endure mortality like the memory of a departed love one.

Circumstance may not always conform with our plans. Things happen, others don't. We learn to live with them. When Egay finally takes Lisa in his arms, whispering multitudes of “I love you’s”, he dances with the woman who has nurtured the hope of loving again. Maybe it’s pre-ordained.

Lisa cries on her friend's grave.

Panday 2 - Pedestrian Heroes in Oft Repeated Stories

After defeating an evil nemesis, Flavio (Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr.), the magic sword-bearing blacksmith, settles down with his would-be wife Maria (Iza Calzado), a fairy princess, in a small town where the former is hailed as a hero and demigod. But the prophetic Lolo Isko (Joonee Gamboa) foresees a troubling future for the hero: “Ang nakatakdang kadakilaan ay ipinapantay ng luha’t pighati.” Soon thereafter, they receive news that nearby towns are ravaged by fire and invasions. Could Lizardo (Philip Salvador) be alive?

SPOILERS!

The day before her wedding to Flavio, Maria gets kidnapped along with other women. Lizardo, who’s severely disfigured, is indeed alive, albeit with diminished powers. He requires the allure of an engkantada to regain his full strength and youthful vitality. That same night, Flavio gets his wish. While he gets rejuvenated, Maria transforms into an old woman (Rustica Carpio). Flavio, on the other hand, has organized his men to hoist a rescue. With the help of Bagwis, his pet dragon, Flavio charges recklessly, resulting in the death of most of his armada. His people turn against him. Meanwhile, he learns that Bagwis is female, and has morphed into a lovely warrior princess named Arlana (Marian Rivera), a prodigal daughter from the Ragona clan whose people could shift into dragons. Will the legendary blacksmith be able to defeat the energized Lizardo, and in the process, rescue his would-be wife?

In 2009, Rico Gutierrez and Mac Alejandre’s “Ang Panday” outgrossed all its competitors. Moreover, it won a stupendously generous stash of highly debatable awards including Best Actor (Bong Revilla), Best Supporting Actor (Phillip Salvador), Best Child Performer (Robert “Buboy” Villar), among others. It also bagged the Best Picture, a head-scratching feat for something of its artistic (de)merit. This year, it’s poised for bigger things.

Unfortunately, many seats at its second screening on opening day in Greenbelt 3 were vacant. Is this a barometer of the general public’s disappointment or disgust over the turn of events surrounding the death of Ramgen Revilla which highlighted the excesses of a political clan that people are supposed to emulate? Or are people just tired of this Carlo Caparas vehicle? Are people standing up against polygamy, murderous sibling rivalry, hired assassins, unregulated credit card use and clandestine domestic ministrations? Lovely way to paint the modern Filipino family, isn’t it?

But the numbers have surfaced (as of this writing) with “Enteng ng Ina Mo” grossing P91 million, while “Panday 2” churns up a measly P51 million; a far-cry from the first Panday’s box office finish. More than those unreliable figures, I was witness to the empty seats at the 2^nd screening of “Panday 2” while other titles enjoyed full house capacity on their pre-booked 2^nd to 5^th screenings (“Segunda Mano”). Either way, it is a cause for alarm for the senator and the Panday franchise.

Why are we harping on numbers? Because that's what this film is all about. Let’s face it, “Panday 2” isn’t in the realm of artistic and meritorious discourse, despite its coterie of gag-inducing awards in the past. Sometimes, the Filipino moviegoing public is happy with sugar-coated slop and kaning-baboy; thus the mainstream industry sees it fit to provide slop. Sinanay sa kaning baboy, then why else would people look for something else on their cinematic plate?

Now going back to the movie, writing a synopsis for “Panday 2” has got to be one of the hardest things I’d have to endure this season. It’s like painful abrasive scratches cutting through my sensibilities. Besides, isn't it clear that the film stands like a fan movie for GMA’s stable of talents? We see them don capes and body-hugging costumes where the most challenging endeavor they're tasked to do is look handsome or pretty; stand on the background with royal bearing, then get decimated by the advancing evil warriors. The story is peppered with needless characters that keep the narrative too busy to make a dent in the audience’s consciousness.

If Maria (Calzado) is an engkantada, why was she so helpless during her abduction? Couldn’t she summon her queen mother (Lucy Torres) for help? Did they actually forget that fairies are supposed to exhibit magical power? They should have asked Vic Sotto for tips about the fairyworld. And what was the loathsome witch Baruha’s (Lorna Tolentino) raison d’etre in the story? Did she do anything in the movie that merited her abominable presence? She would intermittently appear in her sinister meanderings, looking at a cauldron, and annotating as events unravel in Flavio’s life. She was expendable. If they took her out of the movie, it wouldn't have mattered. If she was Lizardo’s partner in crime, why were her inspired comments hurled against Lizardo (read and weep): “Ang laki mong pangit mo! Tanga kang Lizardo ka! Lagi kang nauutakan ni Flavio!” Yet Lizardo successfully ravaged the essence of the fairy princess. Should I underline this sense of disconnect?

Then there's Phillip Salvador returning as the opprobrious Lizardo, this time made up like a Joker wanna-be. He used to be one of the most competent actors in the business. He was a Brocka baby, an actor's actor. But in his advancing years, all that's left of his thespic gifts are his disproportionate and unfettered emotional dynamics. Remember "Baler" and KC Concepcion's "For The First Time"?

Benjie Paras (named Zanburo in the first Panday, then renamed Alulod in this chapter - make up your mind, guys) was given enough screen time to parlay his comic gifts but, let's face it, Paras' limited comic repertoire annoys more than amuses. Rhian Ramos returns as Emelita who has joined the "ambeks" - the "fish monsters". In her scene, she transforms into a sharp toothed ghoul, reminiscent of the tiyanaks. When most stars are given flattering parts (as princesses and valiant warriors), all they could bequeath to the embattled Ramos is that of a tiyanak-looking ogre? Such abortable star-making cameo, I should say. Poor girl. Mo Twister surely succeeded in his scorned-lover's vendetta.

Then there’s the Ragona Tribe headed by the illustrious King Daluyong and Queen Ibira (Eddie Garcia and Alice Dixson). This was a peace-loving race which could morph into fire-breathing dragons. Most of the GMA artists were hired to populate this tribe of dragons: Joshua Dionisio, Barbie Forteza, Bea Binene, Jake Vargas, Alden Richards and the lovely Kris Bernal who played Alira (Arlana’s sister). When they were invaded, they shifted to dragons yet were readily overwhelmed by Lizardo’s villains who were a third their size. I had to laugh in spite of myself. Defeat seems impossible when you have 1. Manpower, 2. The size (they’re dragons, for pete’s sake), 3. Flight, 4. Fire-breathing weapons, 5. Claws. Have you ever seen such helpless dragons? Only in the Philippines. They couldn’t even protect their queen and their princesses. What gives? Lizardo’s men only had swords. But this narrative strain may have been fabricated , regardless of how brainless it is, to make Flavio’s vengeance doubly sweeter, debah?

But when it was time for Flavio to face all these henchmen, all he had to do was swing his sword on air one single time, while popping gum balls from the sidelines; the sword was doing all the work, and that was that. Ho hum! Despite the “wisdom” of this sword to fight its own battle, we have a hero who lost his wife, and further lost the family of his Marimar-wanna be dancing dragonlady Arlana. How dependable can you get?

Envisioned as the local version of “The Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter”, its spectacle is lost in its vacuous drivel. Technology should help move a plot. Instead, the story takes the backseat to glorious computer-generated images. There was never a single moment of authentic emotion, thus it's a senseless endeavor to dispense empathy. In fact, Maria’s death felt uneventful. It came to pass without much fanfare when it should be one of its cinematic highlights.

Mac Alejandre’s “Panday 2” is supposed to deliver stuff of legends, yet all we have is a well choreographed passing of air. It has a middling storytelling acumen replete with vignettes of ideas not fully realized. It has a protagonist with legendary might, and an equally bulging tummy. It's a growing conundrum. What have our action heroes become? Heaven help us.

Marian Rivera is Arlana who was Flavio's dragon Bagwis before Maria bit the bullet. Heroes need dainty damsels too.









Lorna Tolentino plays evil witch Baruha who does nothing but laugh the whole movie through. Her nonsensical presence is impudently underlined by the blatant fact that there was nothing vaguely funny to merit her laughters. Schizophrenia, perhaps?





Impressive CGI's, vacuous drivel.

HIV: Si Heidi, Si Ivy at si V - A Mediocre Advocacy

Documentary film maker Gil Bustamante (Jake Cuenca) is commissioned by the Department of Health for a project about the people who tested positive for HIV. Bearing his video cam and an irascible assistant (Candy Pangilinan), Gil is held up by indecisive subjects who can’t make up their minds about sharing their stories. With a looming deadline, Gil diligently runs after his subjects.

Ivy (Iza Calzado) is a reluctant call center agent who’s discombobulated how she contracted the virus. Though she has feckless and easygoing boyfriend Arnel (Will Devaughn), Ivy is far from being irresponsible and promiscuous. Does it have anything to do with a recent party gone wild where she passed out? Heidi (Ma. Isabel Lopez) got her disease from a philandering former husband, an overseas contract worker who eventually died in Saudi Arabia. What’s worse, she gave birth to a child who likewise contracted the diseases. Vanessa (IC Mendoza) works as host of a comedy bar who’s been sexually active as early as 13 years old. Though cheerfully eager for the exposure, Vanessa is careless and still sleeps around with anonymous strangers. One day, he gets beaten by a band of thugs while cruising the streets.

Director Neal “Buboy” Tan, the purveyor of cringe-worthy titles like “Ang Babae sa Sementeryo”, “Tiltil”, “Pasang Krus”, and “Barang” (and let’s not forget his early efforts like “Pilya”, “Misteryosa”, “Shirley”, “Kalabit”, “Puri”, “Check-Inn” and the awards-worthy “Onyok Tigasin”) is back with a star studded cast, a messy script and a film making skill reminiscent of this year’s student shorts! Yes, he’s at it again!

Wanggo Gallaga, unofficial poster boy of the HIV-positive yuppies, manages a Pechsniffian, albeit didactic script that’s laboriously preachy and contrived, not to mention predictable. Midway into the story, we gleaned on the climactic comeuppance. Moreover, the narrative is too engrossed peppering its story with a hundred-and-one characters, it briskly loses focus. Precious Lara Quigaman’s character as Miles (Gil’s girl friend), for example, should have been down played further because her requisite narrative string muddles the already convoluted plot. Besides, why can’t a loving girl friend fathom the concept of a deadline? It’s beyond annoying!

Jake Cuenca, who never looked so handsome and fit, tries hard, but like JM de Guzman (“Pintakasi”), Cuenca’s idea of acting borders on being too indicative. He emotes way before events transpire. Hasn’t he been told that when annotating or hosting for a documentary, you need to divest yourself of emotions, at least when you’re just giving your introductions? Like news anchors, it is important not to show your emotional bias even before events unravel before your camera. It’s a “sin” to lead your viewers to a form of prejudice by way of your inclination to the story. Imagine a teary eyed host who starts his spiel with adequate sentimental fervor? Imagine what he’s capable of doing once the sad stories roll out! Is he gonna bawl out like a girl with hands flailing wildly and legs kicking away? It’s a scary thought.

Gil, our protagonist, sleepwalks with his head on the clouds. He knew he had ambivalent subjects. Anyone with a brain would sweet talk his interviewees to bolster their confidence. Yet in one scene, he goaded Ivy with a moronic question: “What if you can’t get answers to your questions?” And you wonder why he has problems keeping his subjects. :)

The performances here are characterized by overt sentimentalism. If they aren't on the verge of a nervous breakdown, they're dissimulating pity. Candy Pangilinan deserves mention for her noisy, staccato version of how acting should be. If you've seen her in "For The First Time", "Petrang Kabayo", "Who's That Girl", and all her other television work, it's the same thespic attack: she has, in fact, mastered the art of constipated delivery. She's always irritable, throws her lines like she's gonna drop dead if she couldn't finish a sentence in 2 seconds, and evinces the personification of the word "irascible". In one scene, out of desperate hurry, she referred to Gil as "a hot young shot director" - Ano daw? Of course, it should be "a young hotshot director". See what I mean? Which idiot gave her the idea that she could act? Her best friend, IC Mendoza, on the other hand needs more insight. He isn't playing Vanessa but himself. His superficial depiction of a badly wigged transvestite is so painful, it felt like a root canal sans anesthesia. Perfunctory doesn't equate to masterful.

Neal Tan’s idea of a confrontation is so generic, not to mention pedestrian, I almost fell off my seat when Iza Calzado and Will Devaughn started fighting in front of the camera. It was like watching a bad exercise in an acting class; the blocking was as awkward as the staging. And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s more of that similar blocking: when Precious confronts Jake for being a negligent boyfriend, the staging was transplanted from Iza and Will’s confrontation scene. It felt like déjà vu – with different actors taking the part. Check out the 2 screen caps of such confrontations below if you don’t believe me. Then we can all sing-along: “Alin, alin, alin ang naiba!”

The general concept of AIDS and HIV needs further dissemination. There are 4 new cases documented daily in the Philippines. Though the numbers in the U.S. are on the decline, it’s on a distressing upswing in the Philippines. What’s more alarming is, anti-retroviral drugs given free in San Lazaro won’t be free anymore in the coming year. If we want to educate people, giving them an overwrought story such as this one is not the answer. Otherwise, people will stay away in droves. A series of short videos called “Positivism” featuring Wanggo Gallaga is an easier watch than Neal Tan’s “HIV”, that’s for sure.

In Jade Castro’s “Positivism: Risky Business”, Gallaga (who penned "HIV") talks about his illness and compares his diagnosis as “like being shot”. Gallaga comes off as pansophical, sometimes downright smug: Rationalizing about his illness, he dispenses sweeping concepts like “That’s how you measure life.” Quite clever for someone who, before his diagnosis, dismissed the notion of a life-saving rubber protector called condom. But his story should resonate to some demographics who continue to deny and shun the reality of AIDS in the Philippines. There is life after (diagnosis of) AIDS.

Scene one: Iza and Will's confrontation. Now take note of the same blocking down below.


Scene two: Jake and Precious' confrontation. Deja vu?


Maria Isabel Lopez is Heidi. She got her illness from a philandering husband, then she passes it on to her son.


Comedy Bar host Vanessa (IC Mendoza) basks in the spotlight.


Candy Pangilinan - the most annoying being this side of Earth. I was tempted to throw darts at her - or - duct tape her mouth - now!


Scriptwriter Wanggo Gallaga - Unofficial poster boy of HIV(+) people

Check out “Risky Business” (Positivism) here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRUDU-iAzZc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0L4nolrMrM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMKomSRKBGI