Mundane Magic

Hide and Seek

Bala bala: Maniwala ka is about the mysteries happening in the province. of Batangas. It soon happens upon the arrival of a city veterinarian named Frederick (Micah Munoz). He was summoned by the village officials in order to cure the disease of their livestock. He is befriended by a mute albeit adorable boy named Amiel (Rold Marn Salamat). Soon enough, Frederick is asked to cure a sick child without him knowing that Amiel is the one who performs the miraculous healing. The panicky Frederick decides to leave the place but is thwarted by Amiel who starts to reveal a plan that will soon take place.

After watching Bala bala: Maniwala ka, Jao Mapa has now a collection of performances that adds damage to his skill as an actor. He plays as a supporting character in the film as a vagrant, combining it with his annoying effeminate character in Dreamguyz plus his role as an anti-porn delusional politician in 69 ½ (although the film as a whole is much better than his actual efforts) and we will have the incineration of mankind. Anyway, the film itself is not the worse that Philippine Cinema has produced. Melvin Brito’s debut semi-soft porn film Sumpa might be the one in the lead on that regard. It is the only one that has made its way to be shown in the sacrosanct theaters of our country. Holy water might help cleanse the SM management’s overall lackluster taste and inconsistencies.

So after watching the film, what did it make me feel? Not to know what to do about it? Magic realism is a literary genre that has been here for years thanks to Saramago and Murakami to name a few that lifted its status and made its way to be accessible. Michel Gondry (The Science of Sleep), Spike Jonze (Adaptation) and Fernando Meirelles (Blindness) are a few in the film arena who have explored the genre and their local counterparts like Paolo Herras (Ang Manghuhula) and Alvin Yapan (Ang Panggagahasa kay Fe) to cite a few. I think the problem with the film was its adaptation. You will notice the ambiguities it has that are mostly present in novels, a solid proof that it is better written. Visually it could entice but what is the point of roaming for its peculiar propositions? Soon enough, it will take its toll in the end.

I did not expect the film to be somewhat Disney-like having all those fireworks and transformations. But it did, prompting me to construe what magic realism bestowed to us. Haven’t they forgotten to make an elegant horse-carriage out of pumpkin? I may be hypothecating but I think it is more of a puff out of fantasy. Even Frederick seems to have a Jiminy Cricket by his side, tattling without anyone on sight. But at least he did not toss himself during his stay in the hut. It would be creepy having a mass gathering of fireflies in his pecker. Remedy might come from Amiel who was also the saving grace of the film.

Even if it is not true, the point of it is to be more open to what they have offered. It is the downside of magic realism so if it is not written, they have to be extra cautious for people not to be baffled. Nonetheless, Brito has constrained his self indulgences and obliterates from his patchy soft-porn earlier flick. It is indeed a process. A realistic process and you cannot be jaded even for a minute to make it look credible for its magic and cohesive for its story.
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Charlie Koon's Rating:

Z for Zloppy

Fabulouzzz

I too could emphasize my dizappointment with how Joel Lamangan could actually make a film that is roughly run-of-the-mill. It amazes me how his mediocrity can still surprise people. I Love Dreamguyz has queasy visualz to begin with, followed through with a grubby story progression. The film is like choking during orgazm ‘in reverse’ while in a coma. Someone should wake them up az they are likely having a dizorder called sleep apnea. They might drown in their own saliva. If this is what the audience might have dreamed for, then so be it. And if you snooze midway, there is still the Z factor offered as a bargain.

I Love Dreamguyz is about a group of young guys who aspires to be dancers in Japan. The group is composed of five cheeky gym buff guys, having different life stories to tell - in snippets. The group leader is Rico (Marco Morales) which I could remember has no character backbone. His presence only intensifies when Jake (Jay-L Dizon) becomes close to him. Jake has a live-in partner Jenny (Niña Jose). Alvin (Sherwin Ordonez) is the beloved of the flamboyant gay talent manager Didi (Jao Mapa). Even if the story segues to Didi’s intolerable gayness and networking scam sub-conflicts, Jake is the heart of the story. He is likened by Rico who has no story to tell but has a wang to show. The other two guys are like opposing magnets. Benjo (Miggy Valdez) is the battered son while Michael (Mhyco Aquino) is the hotheaded gigolo.

I could not question the lust factor between Rico and Jake after the premise has been laid (no pun intended). Just like the concept in the product life cycle, Lamangan is quite deliberate in hauling out all possible carnality without further notice. It has been a franchise all along and the two young guys having sex with each other, not once but a couple times do matter for his vision. The sequence is not anymore relevant and substantial. The insistence might be somewhere in the decline point and so Lamangan might be avoiding any possible risk. Its shoddy production is the unyielding proof that it is near to extinction and for now, he could only milk the cow.

If this could be a trend, then what could have I Love Dreamguyz instilled in the present state of Philippine Cinema? The truth is that, a prolific director like Joel Lamangan will always embark on catering the sweet hot-dogged spaghetti the majority would delightfully consume. Would anyone have a problem with that? There will be hecklers for that matter and I assume it is no two-way channel. Lamangan has static visions and it appears in the film. But at least the film has someone who could still be honed in the dramatic genre. She could fake decency and might as well get well-rounded roles if the franchise turns obsolete. She is none other than Niña Jose.

I Love Dreamguyz could be the expected downfall of a mainstream veteran director. The film appears to be an extremely poor mise-en-scene home-made video like production. Despite the negativity, Joel Lamangan still makes films and makes even more. He might have an easy rapport with the majority perceived in the commercial success of Walang Kawala and Heavenly Touch. But for people having exotic tastes and bigotry, he will always be a failure. But he has strengths which I could affirm; he is an actor’s director. But I have issues with the tawdriness and smudgy qualities he has for now. He is expected to come up with a better output. I hope a good sleep could do the fixing – no nightmares, hopefully.

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Charlie Koon's Rating:

Time to Teach

In her despair

How can I be cruel with this film? Even I had a hard time finding this little twitty creature in cinemas. Most of the theatres have stopped running the film reel after the first screening – the poor thing. Ay Ayeng is a film directed by Eduardo Palmos which he also wrote the screenplay in collaboration with Liza Lazaro. It was adopted from the novel “Maestra Ester” by Abdon Noviza. The mere presence of the film’s star Heart Evangelista might have helped redeem its flop status locally. Honestly, the film is not entirely a disappointment despite the fact that there is a perceptible limp of flaws in it.

The film premiered in Hawaii and gained a good reception among fellow Filipinos. Now with its screening in Manila, I’m lock, stock and barrel bemused with its promotion. Where are Heart’s solid fanatics? I interviewed the sales lady in the cinema asking her why it was panned out that early. Translated in English, she said: “Sir, no one watched, although the film was good. What's more, Heart was raped in the film!” She admitted having a glimpse of the film and liked it.

Karen (Sheena Joy) returns from Hawaii to her hometown in Mountain Province in the northern part of Luzon. She traces back her roots and wishes to meet her childhood friend Ayeng (Heart Evangelista). Consequently, Ayeng is compelled to comeback to the mountain due to lack of resources for her studies in the city. The entire village supports her dreams to become a teacher but with the arrival of the soldiers headed by Gallo (John Arcilla), the villagers are prohibited to send money. Ayeng is determined to render her acquired skills by teaching the children and women. But the soldiers are bothered with her whereabouts, provoking her to leave the mountain.

The film Ay Ayeng was adopted from a novel, which I may say is powerful in written form. Surely, the novel wants to expose social problems in a certain demography such as lack of education, land grabbing, military abuses and violence against women and children. But, the film had trouble translating the novel within film perspectives and boundaries. I am certain that this literary piece might be provocative at the time it was made. Exposing it decades later will not induce an effect that it fervently wants to convey. Is it just the timing? Although their issues might still exist in present date, but they are mostly tackled in television documentaries, having a higher likelihood of exposure amongst the public.

I admire Evangelista’s courage to play an offbeat character. Although she is conscious most of the time, part of it was dedicated on fixing her hair; still she manages to convince me she is indeed Ayeng. Her exotic eyes and filipina looking appeal may really pass for a mountain lass. She is indeed the star of this film. Jao Mapa as Sadek has minor scenes. Nevertheless, he effectively delivers the true nature of his character. Maria Isabel Lopez as Umay is likewise in her finest form to show her range as a trained actress. Sheena Joy might look awkward in the entire film, but she is supposed to be an outsider. Her first acting foray as Karen might not be her best, but at least, she might have made Fil-Ams in Hawaii laud her for her engagement in the film. But the other non-actors are a real pain in the ass. Most of the villagers are not motivated to act well. Which actually shows the importance of extra’s in the success of the film.

Ay Ayeng is provocative in its own little way. The film is bound to expose something more relevant and contemporary, but it had difficulty doing so. Perhaps it is us who might also not comprehend. In reality, we are bound to live in a land of futility. We are aware of problems that we strongly take no notice of. Ay Ayeng tries to raise people’s consciousness on social problems and to take pride of our Filipino identity. The film agrees that the film itself could not address the predicaments we Filipinos are mostly aware of. But with Ayeng's plight, I certainly understand.

Charlie Koon's Rating: