Chito Rono's "The Trial" - Riveting Cinema

Ronald Jimenez (John Lloyd Cruz) is 27 going 13; mentally that is. But he is about to graduate seventh grade. Helping him catch up with school work is Bessy Buenaventura (Jessy Mendiola), his kind-hearted teacher and the school president’s niece.

Though Ronald is “developmentally delayed”, his functionality approaches “borderline normal”. Still slower than most, he is able to perform tasks and function like most people. In fact, he's a brilliant gardener in school where he works part-time in exchange of his admission. Back home, he lives with lesbian “father” Santi (Sylvia Sanchez) and cross-dressing “mother” Nando (Vince de Jesus), his biological parents. He is surrounded by the oddball horde who populates the comedy bar where his parents work.

Meanwhile, grief palpably percolates in the Bien household still reeling from the death of son Martin (Enrique Gil) who perished in a vehicular accident. It has been a year since but Amanda (Gretchen Barretto) is still wrapped in her own guilt and loss that she is unable to move on.

Hubby Julian (Richard Gomez) just wants to start anew so he wants their marriage annulled. To facilitate this, he has decided to sell their house, an idea that Amanda resists, “Ayokong makalimutan si Martin.” But a sensational rape case sweeps the Biens out of their own misery.

When a rape video involving Ronald and his teacher Bessy goes viral, Amanda gets asked by her friend Lallie Laperal (Vivian Velez) to help out. Amanda is, after all, Bessy’s godmother. Meanwhile, Santi and Nando pursue Julian to handle Ronald’s case. Unknown to the grieving couple, Ronald was Martin’s good friend when he was still hosting his Payatas feeding program. Ronald is even privy to some of the Bien’s internal dispute, not the least of which is Julian’s past infidelity.

To honor the memory of her son, Amanda convinces Julian to the take the case in exchange of her signing the annulment paper. Julian can only acquiesce. What happens to Bessy?  Did Ronald, who regularly watches porn videos borrowed from a friend, force himself on the only lady who’s shown him affection? Did he have violent streaks? The video (which shows Bessy parrying Ronalds’ advances) doesn't lie, does it? How can Bessy’s shouts (“Tama na, Ronald!”) be indicative of anything but rape?

As legal dramas go, Chito Rono's "The Trial" examines a world of flawed characters and dysfunctional families navigating a consciously litigious and supercilious society. It isn't easy to second guess its narrative trail. The story telling, from Enrico Santos and Kriz Gazmen’s script, is quite fluid. The build up towards the climax engages the viewer into one resolute viewing. As audience, you’re transfixed on your seat, with bated breath, while the plot gradually unravels into one suspenseful denouement.  Mainstream drama has never been this riveting.  

“The Trial”, inspired by a script originally written by Ricky Lee, is a pondering on intents and actions, of causes and effects, and how perception of truth is easily carved by man’s idea of what normal or abnormal is. In so many ways, our existence is defined by these scruples. Moreover, we’re made to scrutinize how some people face bereavement, palpably depicted in extreme contrast by Amanda and Julian’s behavior towards each other.

Grief is dealt with in different ways; some more destructive than others. The past, just like history, has its own relevance, as when Julian watches random videos of his family prior to the accident – quite wistfully gripping in its laidback demeanour. Looking back allows us to see how far we’ve strayed from our intended paths. I realize that there are situations far more devastating than the actual tragedy.

The movie romps away with superlative performances. Gretchen Barretto unexpectedly scintillates with devastating sincerity. In a role that’s conveniently a claptrap for overzealous sentimentality, Barretto is an enthralling study of thespic authority. You could feel her pain in every scene. When she finally runs after Ronald and remembers a similar incident involving her son, it becomes one of the most heart breaking scenes I've had to endure at the cinema this year. Suddenly you realize that it was Amanda’s moment of closure. If cinema were meant to move people like that, then you know it has served its purpose well.

Vince de Jesus, as gender-bending Nando, beautifully delivers a performance that shall define his acting career from here on. In fact, his scenes are high-wire acts, vacillating between comic and poignant (e.g. his valedictory scene with John Lloyd during their victory party). One of my favourite scenes involves Sylvia Sanchez as she recalls how Ronald was once bullied ("ang pula ng siopao"), ending up with blood on his forehead. This would be Sanchez’s most memorable, if uneven, turn as an actress. Unfortunately, her other scenes needed a bit of restraint because wrath or disappointment isn’t essentially realized by sheer auditory volume or nerve-popping histrionics. People don't always shout when hurt.

We’ve always thought of Jessy Mandiola as an adorable but bland pretty face. “Call Center Girl”, anyone? But not anymore. With this star turn, Mendiola is on her way to joining Star Cinema’s stellar league of A-list dramatic actresses (Bea Alonzo, Erich Gonzales, Angelica Panganiban, Iza Calzado, Maja Salvador) as she bowls us over with quiet power in "The Trial". 

Despite brevity of scenes (she is actually not seen in almost a third of the movie), her presence lingers in your head. 

There are several worth mentioning where she displays cinematic brilliance: her reaction after failing to answer a student’s question (about the difference between genetic drift and random mutation) while being observed by a CHED supervisor. Her deceptively “ordinary” scenes with her abusive boyfriend Benjamin Alves were likewise affecting. After all, what is there to fight for when someone you love has seen through your self-worth. Then there’s the scene when she tells Ronald, “Ikaw ang pinakamabait kong kaibigan sa buong mundo.” Mendiola, I suspect, is still evolving in her craft. Isn't that exciting for someone who’s a relative upstart in the business?

John Lloyd Cruz is a virtual force of nature. He inhabits Ronald Jimenez with fierce earnestness, it’s hard to presuppose his performance the way we can’t second guess persons with intellectual crutches. He is never predictable. Cruz, in attacking a character, combines intellect and intuition, and he’s quite consistent in it. His exquisite command of craft is evident in several scenes, like when he tells his teacher, “Ma’am Bessy, di ka naman okay, eh.” Or when he asks Gretchen how Martin’s younger brother isn’t Amanda’s son: "Paano nangyari yun?". Or when he realizes what Amanda’s asking, “Sikreto nga eh. Akala mo ha?” This list is long – and is thus proof of Cruz’s enviable commitment to his character.  

RESERVATION

We do have reservation about Vivian Velez’s character. She may have valid concerns, but she is compromised by a black-and-white characterization. “Punch line of the academic community?” Don't we just love hyperbole?

“The Trial” compels its viewers to sit back, if a tad uncomfortably, for an engaging narrative ride. It doesn’t allow passive spectatorship. You couldn’t help but dissect the motives presented by its characters – from Ronald to Bessy; from the grieving household of the Biens to the dysfunctional family of Santi and Nando Jimenez. You even find yourself examining Lallie Laperal’s motives – or her lawyer’s “too involved” attitude. With its mellifluous plot unraveling before your very eyes, you expect one perfect story, right? Or was it?

For the sake of discussion, allow me to nitpick. Bessy’s own intellectual inadequacy is so subtly suggested that we actually believe her predicament, i.e. that she’s also “slow”. Being that way, such individuals don’t briskly form conclusions or react with proficient problem-solving skill. In the scene where Ronald and Bessy engage in sex, when Bessy saw a phone filming their liaison, she immediately “concocts” a scenario that would make her look like the victim (thus her repeated cries, “Tama na, Ronald.”) This reaction seems incongruent to that of a slow mind. Lesser mortals would just scoot, skedaddle and hide, not engage in improvisational dramatics. Did she actually anticipate a litigious scenario to unravel as a result of their indiscretion? She isn’t all that slow, is she? 

In another scene where Julian discusses his strategy to save Ronald from imminent incarceration, Sylvia Sanchez’s undue wrath seemed too extreme – her vocal histrionics almost dug a hole in my tympanic membrane. After all, she was talking to an illustrious lawyer who’s had years of experience - and who had to be pursued to take the case. You’d think she’d be circumspect dealing with someone who agreed to help – instead she flew off the handle! Who cared if their family would look eccentric before the court? Eccentricity won’t send them to jail. Wasn’t their goal saving Ronald at all cost?  

THE SLAPPING LAWYER

Now let’s discuss my "favorite" part. Attorney Patricia Celis, portrayed by the usually brilliant Isay Alvarez, meets Amanda for the first time. The lawyer carries undue vitriol, regarding Amanda with absolute acrimony. She's haughty and morose. You would think that Atty. Celis has a personal stake on the case. You’d likewise mistake her as the aggrieved party. As counsellor, wasn’t she supposed to approach the case with sobriety and rational savvy? Which lawyer involves herself in a slapping incident with a would-be witness? Talk about misplaced theatrics. But then Alvarez is a luminary in Philippine theater. How very apropos.

As for the scene where Ronald finally takes the witness stand, was Bessy’s admission from the audience gallery even admissible in court? (She was asked if Ronald’s confessions were true.) Shouldn’t she take an oath first – that she’s telling the truth and nothing but – before anything she divulges would actually amount to much under the court of law? What’s the judge doing while this drama was happening? Cogitating on her morning bowel movement? Was she dozing off? You see, more credible admissions have been deemed inadmissible under the wrong platform. How different is this?

The film boasts of a hundred and one messages that make us think. That misunderstandings don’t exactly define a bad relationship. That a person could be worth our affection despite his inadequacies. And so on. This much is true – “The Trial” deserves to be seen by anyone who claims to love good movies.

John Lloyd Cruz

Jessy Mendiola

Benjamin Alvez joining his Tito Piolo in ABS-CBN?

Enrique Gil

Sari Lluch Dalena & Keith Sicat's Himala Ngayon - What Makes an Epic

What makes a great movie? More importantly, what constitutes a memorable film?

Sari Lluch Dalena and Keith Sicat’s documentary, “Himala Ngayon” offers a glimpse of what went on behind the making of the iconic Ishmael Bernal film that would have CNN declaring it as the “Best Asia-Pacific Movie of All Time”, outclassing even Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurais”.

It all started at a time of strife when the land was ruled by the repressive Martial Law. Writer Ricky Lee came across a news article about a girl named Belinda Cabra from Mindoro who, in 1966, had visions of the Virgin Mary. Her story provided the incipient idea that eventually became Elsa, an orphan girl from the arid and long suffering village of Cupang, who claims to have seen the Virgin Mary. When Lee peddled his script to film producers, no one would touch it with a ten-foot pole. It was considered “undoable” and just too ambitious. Enter Imee Marcos who, in 1982, spearheaded the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines (ECP) – a brain child of the then-First Lady Imelda Marcos.  Among ECP’s realm was to provide financial assistance to a select number of motion pictures through a film fund. The production company eventually produced some of the country’s best films: Peque Gallaga’s “Oro, Plata, Mata”, Pio de Castro’s “Soltero”, Abbo de la Cruz’s “Misteryo sa Tuwa”, Celso Ad. Castillo’s “Isla” and Ishmael Bernal’s “Himala”.  

Lee considered several names to direct his script: Mike de Leon (with whom he’s done 3 films in the past) and Lino Brocka (who directed his “Jaguar” script). De Leon was, however, in hiatus, and Lee wanted a megman with a different take: “isang sensibilidad na nakaangat nang konti”. Brocka was a down-to-earth realist. Religion, after all, requires faith, a rather abstract concept that’s far removed from realism, but nevertheless permeates the Filipino psyche. For his story, Lee wanted “Himala” tackled with the temperament of the European film masters like Godard, Bergman and Truffaut. Lee, at that time, adored the aforementioned masters. In fact, he managed a shop (“Shop and Lift”) in Greenhills that offered such films. Getting into the production was a different matter as well: Lee was among those thrown in jail for his thoughts against the Marcos dictatorship.

The narrative that Ricky Lee pitched to ECP was a 12-page storyline where “ang bida na assassinate”. Moreover, it included a “stampede” to conclude it. Not very commercial, wasn’t it? While most production outfits balked at the idea, ECP embraced it. But there were more stumbling blocks: Nora Aunor, picked to play Elsa, was embroiled in a legal mess; and Assistant Director Joel Lamangan was in jail. Imee Marcos pulled some strings and called Fabian Ver (then AFP Chief of Staff) for Lamangan’s release. (The latter denied this, saying he was already out of jail when production started. Lamangan would then move on to head crowd control, a salient matter in the production.) “It was my 145^th film,” La Aunor mentioned. That year, she completed commercial films like Arman Reyes’ “Palengke Queen”, Pablo Santiago’s “Annie Sabungera”, Joey Gosiengfiao’s “No Other Love”, Romy Suzara’s “Mga Uod at Rosas”, and Danny Zialcita’s “T-Bird at Ako” pairing her off with erstwhile screen rival Vilma Santos who, that year, was a thespic thunder appearing in box-office dramas like "Relasyon", "Karma", "Haplos" and "Sinasamba Kita".  

Clockwise from top left: Nora Aunor, Ricky Lee, Pen Medina, Ishmael Bernal

The documentary then lurches into the different aspects of the film making.

Location: The story required a place ravaged by drought. It was the story of a cursed town. As anecdote would have it, the Virgin Mary, dressed as a beggar, was turned away by the town’s folk, and the sprawl of the land has since been devoid of rainfall and the bounties of the land. “Si Papa ang location manager ko,” remarked an amused Imee Marcos. The province of Ilocos was then chosen as the setting. It was easier for the production because Marcos could conveniently ask the help of the army to transport people and stuff. Upon reaching Paoay, all they saw was how lush and green the place was, which became a dilemma. Good thing  they found Suba Beach which was blessed with undulating sand dunes and a look that mimicked drought-ravaged lands.

Budget: P2.5 million was initially allocated for “Himala”. This ballooned to P2.7 million during mid-production. In 1982, this was a staggering amount for any film project and had producers, Charo Santos-Concio included, shivering in their pants. Would they be able to complete it? Absolutely – and to the tune of more than P3 million. While this seemed sacrilegious in the context of social ills and poverty for the thousands of dispossessed Pinoys, high art doesn’t conform with a budget, or does it?   

Script: There were constant revisions during the filming. Lee would find himself constantly commuting between Manila and Paoay, enduring 7 to 8 hours of bus ride. “Naguluhan ako,” Lee would complain due to the endless revisions. This also highlights the importance of artistic collaboration and dynamism in film making. Though hailed as brilliant work these days, Lee remembered how the film got mixed reviews from critics: “Though it won 9 out of the 10 awards at the MMFF, they raved everything about it, but the script.” Some would even say, “Wala naming ginawang iba (si Nora) kundi magdidipa,” which is really a succinct way of showing ignorance of the medium. Lee would then offer this: “Maganda lang ang karanasan mo bilang writer kung nahirapan ka.”

There were preeminent moments in the documentary that highlight film logistics and attitude: Actor Pen Medina, who played Pilo, the barrio lothario and boyfriend of Elsa’s confidant Chayong (Laura Centeno), moaned about Ishmael Bernal’s demeanor and gargantuan temper. He pointed out a scene where he was made to roll down a pig sty as he made out with his girlfriend. “It was unnecessary,” he said. Joel Lamangan, who was production manager for crowds, was made to secure pigs to join Medina and actress Laura Centeno for the love-making scene. “Hinihila namin ang bayag ng baboy para mag react kasi gusto ni direk na mag react ang dalawang baboy habang gumulong gulong sa lupa ang mag boyfriend,” recalled Lamangan. Medina also lamented about Bernal’s disposition towards his cast and crew. There was a subclass he could dress down, embarrass, and curse at. In fact, at the height of Bernal’s tantrum, he would throw stuff around, destroying sets in the process. Lamangan fell victim: “Mag reresign na nga sana ako kasi binato ako ng silya.” Bernal would later cajole Lamangan: “I wasn’t mad at you. Ikaw lang ang tinamaan,” which is a funny way of rationalizing an irascible tantrum. Fast forward to the present, Lamangan is known for his volatile deportment.  

The final scene was close to impossible to field. It had a crowd of 3,000 that had to depict pandemonium when Elsa was finally shot. Nora’s spiel would go unrehearsed. "Pakiramdam ko talaga, ako si Elsa," La Aunor said. That scene was going to be one long take: “tinuhog” using 4 cameras all over the place. There wasn't going to be a retake because it would require sets to be reconstructed and the film was already morbidly over-budget at P3.2 million. When the cameras rolled, it was simply a scene of fluid pandemonium and breathtaking proportions. The rest, as they say, is as the cliché goes.

There were behemoth problems during the film making, not the least of which was La Aunor’s accident: Off the set, during one of the cast’s down time, La Aunor joined the cast and crew's drinking spree. Aunor’s assistant was forewarned not to allow a drop of alcohol for the Superstar. “Pag nalasing yan, gustong mag drive.” She got drunk. Drove to the wrong lane and hit a jeep that carried a pregnant woman. Aunor lay unconscious for 45 minutes, her shoes thrown out in mid-air. “Ang Gemini (car), parang accordion,” remembered the Superstar who suffered concussion. “Buti na lang walang nangyari sa buntis na babae at ‘di nag demanda,” recalled Aunor. The pregnant lady was a Noranian. Once again, this is a cautionary tale told without hint of amusement. There are lessons to be learned from such anecdotes.

The documentary has more priceless stories that entertain (like when Bernal had to instruct Aunor to cry with a single drop of tear “sa kaliwang mata”, and they needed a single take because the sun was setting fast; or how Lamangan was able to gather hundreds of physically deformed individuals for the crowd scene given only 8 hours to scour the population of Vigan).

BEAUTIFUL

Nora Aunor was 29 years old when "Himala" came about. I have never thought of her as "beautiful" until I saw the remastered version of the film. "Himala" to me was a film I saw (several times) in my video player, and its grandeur was clearly diminished by the medium. Watching "Himala" on the big screen was an astonishing experience, a new technology brought about by a new age gadget called 35 mm millennium scanner that allows color correction and picture restoration to old film reels, imbuing new life into old images. Nora Aunor, as Elsa, offered this, "Kung kalansay na tayo, ang matitira na lamang ay ang tinatawag na sining (art)". Old films allow us to rediscover what came before us. This restored version showed how truly beautiful Nora Aunor was in her prime. I couldn't take my eyes off her face! When she peeked into her window or glanced at photographer Orly (Spanky Manikan) with the slightest hint of a smile, you understand why mestizos and the prettiest of men were drawn to the magic of La Aunor. It wasn't just fame or fortune or even those legendary eyes, but real beauty. 

PASSING OF TIME

A favorite part of the document was how directors Dalena and Sicat were able to scout some of the extras from the film: a breast feeding mother (the child is now a nurse); a son and a father sitting by the roadside holding a rooster; old ladies; children made to blow air on used condoms. When their scenes were re-enacted and played alongside the original, it created a memorable experiment depicting the passage of time: the son, now wrinkly, sitting alone because his father had long passed away.

Drawing on interviews, alongside archival period footage, conducted with Nora Aunor, Ricky Lee, Imee Marcos, Charo Santos-Concio, Spanky Manikan, Pen Medina, Vangie Labalan, Gigi Duenas, Raquel Villavicencio, a number of the extras and the cast and crew, “Himala Ngayon” reflects on the film making choices of an epoch of great artistry; the mechanics of putting up a behemoth production 30 years ago, and the sumptuous trivias related to the iconic film, creating a time bubble fraught with nostalgia. It also provides a source of inspiration for a slew of film makers who carry on despite the odds. “Himala Ngayon” is a diligent work that’s as informative as it is entertaining.  

The faceless crowd employed no prosthetics. They were physically deformed individuals who braved the location which didn't have shelter to speak of. They were paid an "exploitation rate" of P100. Many of them were housed by the "northern sector" fans of Nora Aunor who opened their doors to help make one of the country's greatest films.

Mamarazzi - When Laughter is But A Dismissive Flatus

Prior to a hysterectomy (an operation that removes a diseased uterus) due to a tumor, Violeta Langit (Eugene Domingo) wants to bear a child. But being a hopeless virgin, finding the willing sperm donor becomes an impossible task. Her best friend, barangay captain Mandy (John Lapus) – who’s as gay as every Liza Minelli impersonator – consents to sleep with her. But the deal proved too ghastly to consummate. So, Mandy offers his boytoy forward – the eternally cash-strapped Carlo (played by delectable Diether Ocampo) for the baby-making job. But Carlo instead flies off with a chunk of Violy’s fortunes.

Sixteen years later, Violy is enjoying a thriving business as an encoffineer a la Yojiro Takita’s “Departure” – she prepares deceased people for burial by making them look “beautiful”. Violy is now mother to triplets: Peachy and Strawberry (both played by Andi Eigenmann) and Dingdong (played by AJ Perez). Trouble appears when the children insist on knowing their father's identity! And much like fabricated fantasies, Carlo miraculously returns for his belated apologies, and to correct his past grievances.

As a matter of spicing up the broth, we have side stories about the impossibly effete Mandy fathering a child Greg (Aaron Villaflor) from one night of drunken indiscretion (with Sheree); Andi Eigenmann doing an “Agua Bendita” with the hammy Carl Guevarra; the handsome and belligerent AJ Perez carrying a torch for Carla Abellana (as the aspiring actress Mimi).

"Mamarazzi" is a busy film with too much irrelevant narrative strains, and characters – like Greg and Oscar’s (Aaron Villaflor and Xian Lim) closeted, budding love affair. But then what do we expect from a Joel Lamangan comedy?

Director Lamangan can’t muster anything but tawdry, tasteless caricatures to delineate gay characters outside of his political dramas, and though he may think of them as homage to the 3^rd kind, Lamangan actually does a disservice to the pink community by painting them less human; depicting them as oddball characters. Mere laughing stock! In Lamangan comedies, gay people are reduced to eccentric oddities of society. For someone who’s actually gay like Lamangan, this underscores the extent of his directorial insight – a vision as hollow as a fortune teller’s “bolang kristal”.

Eugene Domingo makes the most of her scenes, but something in the script feels tired. She has always been a reliable comic actress, and her verbal tussle with John Lapus is on perfect show in “Mamarazzi”. We weren't pleased with Lapus in “Here Comes the Bride” but he does a lot better here where he isn’t tasked to portray a straight horny geriatric (which was excruciating to watch). When Lapus and Domingo share the screen, they lighten up the otherwise banal scenes, conjured from the resplendent imagination of (hold your breath) Ricky Lee!

Some punch lines were too tacky, even from Ms. Domingo’s gargantuan talent: “Gusto mo ng kadugo, tawagan ko si Rosa Rosal!” - or - “Puro punebre ang cassette ko sa bahay.” – or “Habang may patay, may pag-asa.” Even her Nora Aunor impersonation (when she finds a returning Diether) were gratingly gag-inducing.

When Diether asks John Lapus for money, the latter replies, “Ano bang tingin mo sa akin, dyowa or ATM?” Diether shots back with, “Di ba pwedeng pagsabayin?” Humirit pa.

When Diether excuses himself for the toilet in mid-foreplay, the latter quips, “Nakakaihi talaga ang beauty ko.”

While conversing with Lapus at a restaurant, she places her order to a waiter, “Ako coffee, s’ya mouthwash!” You see, some of these gags are too hackneyed to be appreciated.

Finally, something has to be said about Carl Guevarra’s horrible performance here. Though it’s doubtful anyone would complain about his screen presence, his vocal delivery belies any promise of an acting future. It isn’t too expensive to enroll him at a speech and elocution class, is it? He needs to modulate his voice and summon an assertive delivery, as he comes off like a 9 year old girl! He was supposed to play the part of a brainy paramour to Andi Eigenmann’s encyclopedic countenance. He was made to spout scientific names of stuff, like roses - down to their taxonomic nomenclature, but he couldn’t even mouth the words coherently. It was painful to watch him. Joel Lamangan, being a seasoned director, was supposed to remedy such explicit inadequacy, but he didn’t. Was he blind? Deaf? Or just plain dense?

“Mamarazzi” educates us on how talented comediennes gradually succumb to mediocrity.

Andi Eigenmann and Carla Abellana

Aaron Villaflor and Xian Lim as the young gay lovers.

Elocute and modulate, Carl!

Carl Guevarra - Better seen than heard!

JC Tiuseco - the perfect kanto boy

And what's with that Globe G-Cash commercial, Ms. Domingo: Shame on you for peddling a TV commercial within a movie! I just spit on artists who abuse the privilege of gracing the silver screen by peddling TV commercials in a movie where people pay hard earned money! Cheap huh!

Mahiya naman kayo! Or are local actors too kapal mukha to understand that the cinema is not a venue to endorse products? Do your own peddling on your television shows where people don't pay anything! Not in a movie where people fork out their hard earned P150 - 180 for a relaxing time at the movies!

Here is a comment from a certain "Zare" on the Hating Kapatid review at Clickthecity.com: (July 21, 2010)

"Sarah Geronimo, the ultimate pawnshop camwhore! i still remember how funny it was when it was done well in Wayne's World... Doesn't work here though. It is horrible. What a cheap way to mock movie audiences. Didnt also like the part where they came dangerously close to making fun of the pain of a poor bereaved family at a funeral. It had intention, but to me it was tasteless..."

http://www.clickthecity.com/movies/?p=8454#disqus_thread

Who farted?

Cinematic Recess - Predictability in "Kamoteng Kahoy" Consumption

It's a big suprise how the movies coming out from the Sine Direk project are faring. Except for Soxie Topacio, who I don't exactly remember directing a high profile or critically acclaimed movie from the past, most of the directors in this series are big names - Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes, Maryo J. de los Reyes, and Joel Lamangan. Mel Chionglo, who last came out with a mediocre exploitation gay movie, was supposed to come up with an interesting film called "Bente" - but Maryo de los Reyes' "Kamoteng Kahoy" was released first! I was expecting a surplus of great cinematic satiety but for some reason, the best of the lot has to come from a relatively "inexperienced" Soxy Topacio - in terms of film output. His "Ded na si Lolo" was an unexpected critical as well as commercial success. In fact, "Ded..." enjoyed a longer shelf life in most of the SM cinemas all over the country than say, Sharon Cuneta's BFF. There's no doubt in my mind that "Ded" was a more successful piece than any other entries from Sine Direk.

Unless, the still to be shown "Bente" turns out great...

The latest to come out from this series is another Gloria Romero starrer called "Kamoteng Kahoy", graded A by the Cinema Evaluations Board (CEB), a really funny set of individuals with the credibility and believability of a bad harvest of peanut.

Lola Idang( or was it Edad), played by the lovely Gloria Romero is a kind hearted ambulant vendor at San Isidro Elementary School. She is such an endearing character that she even gives out her free kamoteng kamoy merienda to half the school's population who doesn't have the money. Unfortunately, after such philatrophic inspiration, the kids started vomiting blood, just minutes after consuming the kamote. Some 75 children were downed by the kamote, and 27 of them eventually died. It was apparent that Lola had accidentally mixed a caustic chemical while she was cooking her "paninda". I was inclined to retitle it - "Na Ded ni Lola". LOL

The aforementioned events set a melodramatic turn of events that involved a lot of pathos, of grief, of annoying wails and hysteria. Who wouldn't if your child died from a mere kamoteng kahoy, right? Unfortunately for its audience, everything falls into some tediously predictable conclusion that seemed to highlight out-of-work actors - Yul Servo, Tofee Calma, Anton Bernardo, et.al.

Nash Aguas is a breath of fresh air. This child actor has always been watchable. Gloria Romero does adequately although the way her character was written (by the venerable Ricky Lee, I was surprised!) could be a little less annoying - a little less mawkish!

It is a curiosity why these Sine Direk works come up with mostly "passable" works, especially if these were supposed to elevate the quality of "Pinoy Cinema". I couldn't help but expect better works from these cinematic greats. More importantly, except for Joel Lamangan, these works have been helmed by semi-retired "master directors" of the 80's and 90's. Could be a contributing factor? Budgetary constraints could be a factor too, but then several indies have succeeded with much less. I can only guess.

"Baka minadali," a friend offered. After all, these works come out every week.

Maybe.