Who am I?

Mrs. Doubtfire??

I made a mistake. I just got into the mall when I suddenly remembered that I forgot my umbrella in the open parking lot. Upon reaching the lobby it rained right away wrathfully. I could have left my brain for a while in my car before seeing Oh My Girl!. But the weather became erratic, it gave me no choice. And I was right. The security could have placed a warning sign outside the theater similar to the one I see in the trailer of District 9. They could have warned the viewers that the film could prohibit future usage of human emotions, except of course a full-range of facial tweaks while vomiting (endlessly perhaps). Lacuna Incorporated could have been in the credits too by performing a free procedure of erasing one’s memory (selective) after watching.

I could have forgotten the film afterwards but here I am in front of my laptop, remembering such a gloomy experience in this supposedly bubbly comedic film. The ironic effect has been successful without really intending to do so. Oh my, I should not be thinking this way – it has crossed the borders of the film’s intentions. Okay, if you hope to really laugh hard, there’s really a ploy for your wish to come true – amnesia. But you may also skip it; you are not obliged towards self-infliction.

The start of the story shows a little flashback of the lives of our two lead characters. Darling (Judy Ann Santos) gets on the train hoping to travel for a future romance (very 2046). But instead, her recollection of the past always gets in the way. She remembers her childhood as a chubby girl with a raisin mole in her cheek. She is called “Opao”. Biboy is her best friend who is with her when they escaped the orphanage. But due to Opao’s hunger, Biboy is forced to go back. A sudden twist of fate happens when Opao is adopted by a semi-retired beauty queen named Inday Langging (Carmi Martin) and separates the two friends. Biboy runs away and is now taken care by Crisp Pops (Roderick Paulate).

Years have passed, Darling is a successful all-around artist. Biboy (Ogie Alcasid) has not yet reach the success of his long lost friend. It is totally understandable that Biboy is an underachiever since he dedicated his entire life searching for Opao. One day, Biboy heard their friendship song being sung by Darling in one of her television shows. Fast as lighting, his step-brother Bob (John Prats) helps him since he will be part of Darling’s latest commercial. Coincidentally, an old looking lady needs to be in the commercial and Biboy snatches the identity of Aling Sita (Nova Villa) and presents himself as Frida Akikla.

Well at least in here; Ogie’s female impersonation has more humanitarian bearing than his character in Desperadas 2 as Luga Luda. No wonder Darling admired her in an instant and chemistry ignites. But that’s only at the start when most of the succeeding scenarios fail on the aspect of being comical. It seems that before we point a sore finger at our actors, the spoiled script is by large the reason of the films’ downfall. If we also sift through with the actor’s execution, they seem half-dead or even confused with the purpose of their dialogues. So the timing suffers even with our country’s most gifted comedians.

Dante Nico Garcia’s move into mainstream is totally understandable and I think he wants to downplay his previous achievement in Ploning. He wants to get more in touch with an audience. Comedy genre is a great choice that could make a connection since most of us loves to laugh even for the simplest matters. But unintentionally, we laugh in the film for the mishaps of its entirety. It is a misery on their part. They might consider this as their failure to impart genuine comedy.

I enjoy dance sequences in films. Some might get really annoyed with this but I have grown with films that has more dancing and singing. It is important too that this should be done in a way that is not really disparaging to the aim of light comedies. Oh My Girl! has made a parody of the train dance sequence similar to Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire upon its closing credits. It could also be the tradition by Mother Lily Monteverde’s previous films in the 80’s and even in the 90’s era when dancing is also part of the credits. I think they just have to use this more often to humanize the characters instead of novel-length dramas happening without really basing the proper emotions. But if they dance, it reinvigorates. The aim gets to be larger than nearly one and a half hour long of sloppy shenanigans. Oh My Girl! has simple aims to make us laugh. Instead, it made me forget that laughing is a great quality of our existence.


Charlie Koon's Rating:

Scare Tactics

What a cute doll... :)

When a writer gradually tries a path in film directing, more so directing his own writing, I am certain that the director will deliver a well-written story over anything else. Jun Lana is nonetheless an acclaimed writer. I am not doubtful that his story has a good plot. There are inconceivable twists coalesced within the story. It is skillfully crafted with less abrupt contrivances. Mag-ingat ka sa... Kulam is an efficiently written horror film with a dash of dramatic overtones. This fine material fits well for a versatile actress like Judy Ann Santos. Despite the film’s adequacy in writing, good production value and favorable performances from Judy Ann Santos and Dennis Trillo; the film’s execution is unpromising. The film might be a success to most of the people who have seen it. On my part, I did not perceive any visionary schemes for it to appear exceptional.

Mira (Judy Ann Santos) remarkably survives a car accident. But she suffers the loss of memory. Strange things start to happen at their house. Even her husband Paul (Dennis Trillo) seems unwary with Mira’s intuition that something eerie is going on. He believes that it is a result of the traumatic accident. It is also revealed that Mira is not close with her blind daughter Sophie (Sharlene San Pedro). She makes an effort to be close to her daughter but she is constantly distracted with the mysterious things recurring upon her. One day, she was visited by her business partner Dave (TJ Trinidad). Dave admitted that they had an affair in the past. He confessed a secret only the two of them knew. With his assertion to uncover Mira’s past, she discovers more than she must not be aware of her true being.

Kulam is a result of malevolent incantations by witches and sorcerers alike. Its fusion in Philippine Culture is undoubtedly good material for film exploration, dissection and even exploitation. However, Mag-ingat ka sa... Kulam only scratches the surface of this fascinating world of witchcraft and sorcery. It resorted to familiar chants in gibberish dialect, maladroit representations of warlocks, and unflattering undertones of native myths, customs and rituals. Even the depiction of the evil spirit is not justified. I am certain that even in the point of view of a writer and director; he must have achieved a vision that accurately illustrates the evil spirit. It certainly makes an effort to use prosthetics so it’s deliberated that the spirit must look horrible, but why? Are there clues for us audience to understand even on the basic level why on earth she appears like that? She looks like a leper, or did she acquire any skin disease of some sort? Or is it just for the sake of making a horror scenario creepier? An obvious prognosis for this delineation will entirely make an audience jump from their seats. Okay, for a horror film to sell, the wicked spirit has to be frightening. Evil usually equals scary ugly. It’s an interesting point though. Mag-ingat ka sa... Kulam makes the mistake of jejune characterization, especially for the horror persona they have shown. But for a writer-director, the sin is twofold.

Another thing, there are spooky circumstances in the film that is terrifying but has not hinted any just rationalization. A tuft of hair in blood is found in the cabinet. Is a person’s head bumped on that sturdy piece of furniture? The water in the bathtub boils and the evil spirit emerged. Even her hair is falling apart, implying that the spirit had cancer. It is spine-chilling but it has no purpose. It leaves empty scares. Even the suppose to be promising story in its essential level is made to clutter with the film’s strive to bring about horror and a disturbing atmosphere without giving thoughts of its intention. Witchcraft is so vague and films have no purpose to conceal a story’s progression. The film could be indicted of contriving the plot if found not adequate in its motivation of the characters.

Santos still has the imperative charisma an actress must possess. It definitely shows in the jam-packed theatre, despite the fact that the ticket rates are costly (roughly two hundred bucks). She did very well in her portrayal even though some parts were inexcusably dubbed (Regal do it in their films on purpose). Trillo as her leading man is quite a relief and a surprise. They make a good pairing and I would love to see them again in future films, possibly in a drama feature. I have said it in the past that I am not a TV guy, but I am dumbfounded with Neil’s (Mart Escudero) role in the film. Is he the male evil spirit? Or is he the newest heartthrob sensation in showbiz? And yeah, I have been acquainted with Kris Bernal in her ‘tomboy’ role in Loving You. She might have done a delightful stint in that film so she had a role in this movie even though her character is uncalled for.

Mag-ingat ka sa... Kulam has been backed-up by a good production company that is why their output is nearly well-made technically. The film’s story is cleverly made on the very basic level. Its crucial element in fusing witchcraft rituals is delightful but it is clear that it only dwells on an atmosphere we are accustomed and supposed to believe in. Lana’s recent work has relied on sound cues to mangle our breath with scary enchantments. The story’s twists are quite fine; praising it exclusively on its own is well deserved by Lana. But I will not buy the evil spirit inspiration because it is merely a fixation for horrible things to look more horrible. The film also lacks good execution in elevating horror without being overshadowed by emotional cues from its musical scoring. Its subject matter on its own is creepy and only a clear vision is the tool to make this material work in a film’s standpoint.

Kulam is graded A by the Cinema Evaluation Board


Charlie Koon's Rating: