Philippine Showbiz Today 21
November 22 - December 7 , 2017
MMFF completes its ‘ Magic 8 ’
It ’ s true that it is difficult to reconcile artistic integrity and commercial success . But a wellmade film shouldn ’ t have to think about its box office performance because the audience would recognize right away if the film was good or trash .
The Metro Manila Film Festival has been underestimating the audience for years thinking that Filipinos are not ready for intelligent and well-crafted movie . That ’ s why when MMFF Execom released the first four films joining the annual MMFF , the agency drew flaks which also led to the resignation of four of its members ( Ricky Lee , Roland Tolentino , Ed Lejano and Kara Alikpala ). They noted that they were not seeing the reforms that they tried to implement in 2016 .
Now , four films from T-Rex Entertainment , Ten17 Productions , Regal Entertainment , and Culturtain Musicat Productions have been named official entries to this year ’ s MMFF completing the so-called “ Magic 8 ,” which will all be screened beginning Dec . 23 .
According to MMFF Executive Committee Chairman Tim Orbos , the Rules Committee applied a new vetting scheme for this year ’ s festival to assure that there is no discrimination among commercial and independent film entries . Hence , from big commercial movies like Coco Martin ’ s Ang Panday , Vice Ganda ’ s The Revengers Squad , Vic Sotto and Dawn Zulueta ’ s Meant To Beh and Derek Ramsay and Jennylyn Mercado ’ s All of You , MMFF 2017 selected a new roster of films that gives the festival a more diverse lineup .
The four films are : Deadma Walking from T-Rex Entertainment , directed by Julius Alfonso and starring Joross Gamboa and Edgar Allan Guzman ; Siargao by TEN17 Productions , directed by Paul Soriano and starring Jericho Rosales and Erich Gonzales ; Haunted Forest by Regal Entertainment , directed by Ian Loreños and starring Jameson Blake and Jane Oineza ; and Ang Larawan by Culturtrain Musicat Productions , directed by Loy Arcenas and starring Rachel Alejandro and Joanna Ampil .
The comedy Deadma Walking is a film adaptation of a Palanca-winning screenplay which story revolves around two gay best friends ( Gamboa and Guzman ) whose friendship is put to the test when one of them is diagnosed with cancer and asks the other to help him stage his fake death , wake , and funeral as his dying wish
Ṡiargao is Soriano ’ s first foray into the romance genre after directing a few award-winning movies . The film , which is filled
with gorgeous shots from the country ’ s surfing capital , is billed as a romantic adventure that promotes the province as a tourist destination . The story is about a man who returns to his hometown where he meets a young woman who , on the other hand , trying to reconnects with her childhood friend . According to Soriano , the film is about finding home and realizing the simple things can bring life happiness .
The lone horror film in the festival is Haunted Forrest . The film is set in a small town where a few women suddenly went missing and their bodies are found dead in the forest . Locals believe that the incident is linked to a mythical night creature “ sitsit ,” which serves as the essential horror of the entire film .
And the fourth entry is the musical Ang Larawan . The movie adaptation of the beloved Filipino musical of the same name features a star-studded cast . It centers on two siblings , who are both struggling and surviving . They are caught between succumbing to modernity or leaving behind their beliefs and traditions . According to Ampil , during previous interviews , the musical is also a story of a father who faces numerous struggles after experiencing artistic drought .
Unlike the first four films that were picked from the pool of submitted scripts , which list was announced in July , these entries were chosen from finished film submissions . ●
- N . Wang , TMS
Philippine Showbiz Today 21
Chemistry in friendship fuels rom-com movie
Friends Jerald Napoles and Valeen Montenegro star in the rom-com “ The Write Moment ” and both think they pulled it off without any awkwardness between them .
“ I can feel the chemistry po eh . Reading ( ng script ) pa lang , naramdaman ko na may magic ( kami ) eh ,” she said at a recent press conference .
They even did love scenes and all went well as she felt “ secured ” around him .
“ Hindi ako nahirapan kasi andu ’ n ’ yung trust ko sa kanya eh ,” she shared . “ Actually puro tawanan na nga lang kami eh … bago kami mag-eksena , kahit pagkatapos kasi wala eh , masaya lang talaga .”
The actress admitted it crossed her mind while shooting , albeit briefly , that Jerald could be boyfriend material .
“ The Write Moment ” is about heartbroken writer Dave ( Jerald ) who tries to get back with an ex , Joyce ( Valeen ), through his romantic-comedy “ hugot ”
script but fails and instead finds himself magically living-out the scenes he has written . He ’ s now forced to follow everything verbatim – or else face being stuck in an existential loop of scenes that repeat ad nauseam .
The actor , who gained popularity through the hit musical “ Rak Of Aegis ,” is an in-demand actor these days , paired with the likes of Marian Rivera (“ Super Ma ’ am ) and now Valeen . ●
- Regina Mae Parungao , MB