Critic Review: In My Life[Filipino Film]

Went to Robinsons Galleria with three ladies(laxa clan) to watch the new Vilma Santos-starrer "In My Life". After that ordeal, we could only hope the movie is worth it. And thank God it's that good!

Veteran director Olivia Lamasan and screenwriters Raymond Lee and Senedy Que brings us a gem in Philippine drama: less tears but an absolute tearjerker; close to real life but richly plotted and unpredictable.

Vilma Santos plays the role of Shierly Templo, a sourly librarian suffering from empty nest syndrome, with her daughter Dang (Dimples Romana) planning to move to Australia with her family, and her estranged gay son Mark (Luis Manzano) living in New York. After a fight with Dang, she decides to visit Mark, only to be surprised that he is already living with another man named Noel (John Lloyd Cruz), an illegal immigrant.

In an attempt to win Shirley's approval and affection, Noel patiently chaperones her around the city and attends to her needs. After spending more time with her son's lover, Shirley realizes that she has become emotionally distant from her son and soon becomes jealous of Noel who seems to know Mark better now than her. This gap deepened when Mark, despite Noel's coaxing, refused to tell his mother about his serious medical condition. As he is recovering from his illness, Shirley attempts to repair their relationship and the history of their mother and son relationship unfolds. But a dark cloud looms over them all and things will never be the same again.

For its exceptional casting alone, In My Life is amazing. Vilma aside, my heart goes out to John Lloyd, that rare dramatic actor who can make you cry just by seeing his eyes well up with tears. He portrays a lover quietly suffering Shirley's tantrums with restraint and grace, but at the same time, he makes it heartfelt and sincere.

I was surprised by John Lloyd and Luis' screen dynamic as a gay couple. They call each other as Babe, display very romantic photos in their apartment and as the movie ends, they share a tender kiss on Brooklyn Bridge. Onscreen, their love is sweet, hushed and terribly romantic; even more effective and memorable than most hetero screen pairings. As for John Llyod and Luis being typecast in gay roles or catching social stigma, I have serious doubts about that, for onscreen, they are still as masculine and virile.

As for Vilma, she portrayed a multi-dimensional mother who learns to get off her high horse and deal with displaced motherly pride. Later in the movie, Shirley realizes that that even if she's done everything for her children, she failed to know them as persons. Unlike other mother roles she has done in the past, the Star for All Seasons depicts a flawed mother who eventually finds peace with herself and her past mistakes.

Not to be missed is Shirley and Noel's confrontation wherein the traditional sampalan was reinvented and Noel throws in the lines: "Anak mo lang siya, hindi mo siya pag-aari. Kung ano ang naging siya, dahil 'yon sa mga taong pumaligid sa kanya, at isa ka lang doon." Another highlight of the movie is the dance sequence of Luis with his mother. Currently the Governor of Batangas, Ate Vi has been very vocal in saying that she is passionate about dancing and apparently her son inherited this love as well. The audience is also treated to the amazing sights and landmarks of New York City. With Mark, Shirley, and Noel, the audience experiences a slice of middle class life in the city that never sleeps. In My Life also has witty one-liners and refreshing comic relief in between dramatic moments, effectively delivered by Vice Ganda. We wish he had more exposure in the film.

I give this 5 stars..

Critic Review: Dinig Sana Kita(Filipino Film)

I think it is just right that I do a full review on this movie and will be seeing it again after recommending it to friends. I know that this movie will be released this year, and they should whilst the iron is hot. The movie has great word of mouth popularity and I think that they should not let the heat settle down, they should release it while every one is eager to see it. Almost every screening has been sold out and they have to open up another slot for another screening. IT IS that famous. Plus among the movies in competition this one got its first commercial release late this month. "Dinig Sana Kita" is a story about a troubled rocker teenager who has issues with his parents and a deaf dancer who is looking for his mother. The two cross each others lives when they first met in a police station. They got to know each other more when both of them attended a sort of summer camp to bridge the differences of deaf/mute people with people with normal speech and hearing that lead to a budding friendship. This movie proved that you do not have to go all out crying to be that dramatic. Filipino mainstream filmmakers nowadays feel the need to create a tearjerker movie that has lots of actual tears. Something that most poignant moments are those well executed scenes such as the after the dance recital scene. There were hardly tears in it but it was well played, well acted. Sincere and heartfelt. What I liked most about the movie was the fact that it was a family/friendship/message movie disguising as a love story movie. The movie delved on the characters' personal issue more than building up the chemical romance between the two leads. Interesting to think that the story was not that original, nor groundbreaking, but it was epic in its execution and story telling. It too was exceptionally acted. Zoe Sandejas as the lead troubled rocker chick was a breakthrough and a revelation. But for me it was Romalito Mallari's whose star shone the most. I said it before and I will said it again., he gave one of those performance that they need not say anything to convey emotion despite that he was born deaf. Mike Sandejas proved to us that after two movies, he can make movies about contemporary living worthwhile watching. Movies about love, family teen angst and all that thingmajigs are commonplace and banal. Sandejas made the typical story to a wonderfully spun gold, beautifully made wonder. Plus I admire his love for music. This will be shown in Robinsons Galleria starting from August 26 to Sept. 1, 2009.

Critic Review: The Last Journey of Ninoy

“The Cojuangco-Aquino clan is our Kennedy … in wealth, power, influence, tragedies." Indeed, much like the colorful Kennedy clan in the US, no other family has captured the Philippines’ imagination in recent history than Ninoy and Cory’s extended relations, from the famous couple down to grandson Baby James who is fast gaining a fan base. For the generation reared in the age of megabits and terabytes, the family’s saga is neatly encapsulated in the docu-drama “The Last Journey of Ninoy" that played on the television nationwide in ABS-CBN at 10:45pm. It is a film very much worth watching, not only as a visual reminder to youngsters who have only heard about Martial Law from their parents, but also for its excellent editing and story-telling styles.

Essentially, the film re-enacts the last few days of Ninoy’s life - from the time he said goodbye to his family in Boston to board the plane that would take him to Los Angeles, Singapore and across the border to Johore in Malaysia, then Hong Kong and Taipei, up to his arrival in Manila on August 21, 1983. The uncertainty on his face when military agents picked him up to escort him out of the plane will forever be etched in the minds of viewers, as we all know what happened when he reached the tarmac. Interspersed in the day-to-day accounts are significant anecdotes from Ninoy Aquino’s life as a political whiz kid, his spiritual transformation in prison for seven years and seven months under Martial Law, the political enmity between him and the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, his exile in the US, and finally, martyrdom in the Philippines. The film made good use of archival footage that were sometimes blurred and grainy, but still very effective in recalling historic events. For prison scenes, illustrations conveyed the anguish of Cory and her children, although some could have been rendered in a more compelling style. The re-enactment showed mercifully short takes of Bam Aquino in the role of his uncle, avoiding the melodramatic tendencies of many Filipino directors. Some of the highlights of the film are the candid interviews with Cory Aquino just a few months before she passed away, as she recalled not only the hardships but also the coping strategies of the family in dealing with their political enemy. One particular tearjerker was Cory’s narration of their visit to Ninoy in a military camp in Laur, Nueva Ecija, when she saw her husband cry for the first time, his steely resolve nearly crumbling as he held up his pants and squinted through a mesh-wire fence to talk to his family (the soldiers had taken away his belt and eyeglasses). There was a bit of comic relief when Cory revealed that she had taken tranquilizers before the visit, making Ninoy wonder why she was so calm and composed while he was breaking down in front of the children. Some of the scenes may revive half-forgotten memories from the recent past, such as Cory’s reference to Ninoy’s cell mate Jose “Pepe" Diokno, one of the leading anti-US bases activists who suffered greatly under the Marcos regime. There is also a dramatized excerpt of a dolled up Imelda Marcos fretting anxiously beside a bed where aides are attending to her unconscious husband, tubes and all. Unfortunately, the caricature diminishes the impact of the scene’s message: the persistent conspiracy theory that she and some generals may have known more about Ninoy’s assassination than Ferdinand Marcos, who was reportedly incapacitated at that time. The snippets of Ninoy’s speeches juxtaposed with sound bites of Marcos showed both men at the peak of their form: one relishing his political power, the other recalling his ordeal in prison. The good versus evil conflict predictably puts the spotlight on the redemption of Ninoy; it is his film, after all – but unwittingly, it also shows the tragedy of Marcos as a Gollum-like character clinging desperately to Malacañang. In the scene where Ninoy lashes out at Marcos’ plans to change the form of government from presidential to parliamentary so he could prolong his stay in the palace, one could almost hear the same thought running through the viewers’ minds: sounds like the current occupant of Malacañang, isn't it? Next month, the country marks the 37th anniversary of Martial Law. It would be good if “The Last Journey of Ninoy" is shown at the House of Representatives, where the lessons from that bleak chapter in the nation’s history have yet to sink in. Better yet, it should be required viewing for all politicians who have a hard time letting go. Ultimately, they would have to confront the question: do they want to be remembered with fondness like Ninoy and Cory, or do they want to be vilified like Ferdinand and Imelda? During their lifetime, Cory and Ninoy displayed leadership and nobility in serving both home and country. “The Last Journey of Ninoy" demonstrates the power of mass media in bringing such stories to life. In watching this film, Filipinos will not only remember the past, but more importantly, they may learn from the insights of those who have gone before them.