SEX-DRAMA GENRE IS BACK WITH "JUST A STRANGER" (Review)

After 5 box-office flops in a row, Viva Films hit it right this time with its latest offering “Just a Stranger”  grossing over Php 12M on its opening day.  I  watched the movie yesterday at Mega Mall, and the 6:45 pm screening in Cinema 2 was well attended with more than half of the seats occupied and it was also shown in another theater in the same mall.

The May-December affair of Mae (Anne Curtis) and Jekjek (Marco Gumabao) may be a cliché but it's treated with a different narrative twist and is interesting enough plus the fact that it stars Anne Curtis, one of the best actresses of her generation and of course the new sex symbol in town Marco Gumabao.  Apparently it was Marco himself who suggested to the director to show his butt onscreen.  

The film starts with Mae confessing to a priest about her dark past and that she had an affair with a young man twice her age).  Mae is married to a rich businessman (played by Edu Manzano) who's more focused with his business interests and leaves Mae bored.  The middle part of the movie is a bit "slow paced," in contrast to its catchy trailer and aggressive promotional gimmick, capitalizing the steamy hot love scenes of the two lead stars.  The movie came up with a good start showing scenes shot in Lisbon, Portugal (where the two protagonists first met) but things gets a bit slow and dragging during the middle part of the story that stretched nearly 2 hours of screen time.

Nagkabuhay buhay na lang when Anne started going crazy, got drunk in the bar and confronted Jekjek who prefered to hide their relationship from his parents and his girlfriend. Karamihan ng mga nanood ay mga galing sa work, some came in groups at ang dami rin mga kalalakihan for obvious reasons.  Excited sila manood pero parang kulang ng energy specially sa kalagitnaan.  Even the scene wherein Marco was beaten by 3  gangsters walang kabuhay buhay. 

Marco Gumabao  has all the potentials of becoming the next important leading man however he needs to work on his voice to add depth in his acting.  The sexy love scenes are provocative enough to stir moviegoer's interest and there' a lot of "F" words and swearing in the movie, thus it merited a R-16 rating by MRTCB. If I am not mistaken there has not been sex-drama movies for quite sometime now.  Things could have been dynamic without the minor flaws and  inappropriate musical score, however the soundtrack played at the end of the movie paid off and adds flair and angst to the movie. 

Anne Curtis  did a monologue towards the end of the movie, freaking out, blaming Jekjek’s parents and swearing right inside the church that stunned the priest and Jekjek's relatives  The movie ends with quite a cinematic scene with Mae (Anne) slowly walking out of the church being followed by Jekjek’s girlfriend asking Mae's identity.  Mae simply replied "I am just a stranger."  On this note, it is safe to say that Anne’s stellar performance saves the movie.  

HELLO, LOVE, GOODBYE - ANOTHER MONSTER HIT FROM STAR CINEMA (Review)

They're saying the local movie industry is a dying industry and so far this year, only four local films crossed the P100 million benchmark and all but produced by Star Cinema and it's subsidiary film outfits.  Viva and Regal Films are still active but more often than not, only a few of their films do well at the box-office and likewise independent filmmakers continue to suffer with limited theater runs due to poor ticket sales.

Given the scenario, Star Cinema manages to beat the odds and comes up with a blockbuster film after another and the latest is a monster hit "Hello, Love, Goodbye." The Alden Richards and Kathryn Bernardo starrer grossed P603,015,830  in less than three weeks and the movie also premiered in various key cities in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and some Asian countries and is doing very well as expected and posted $2,132,000 to date.

Back to HLG, the movie received decent reviews citing the feel good vibes and charisma it brings to the moviegoers.  Long queues filled ticket booths despite the bad weather when it opened three weeks ago and it even beat Hollywood big budget movie "Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw." 

HLG, set in Hong Kong,  is the story of Joy and Ethan,   Joy works as a domestic helper and has only a few months to stay in Hong Kong legally. Her employer planned to terminate her as she could no longer afford to pay her but Joy bargained and agreed to be paid just half of her salary as she needs to stay in Hongkong to facilitate her plans to move to Canada.  To bolster her earnings she works part time illegally and hides from police authorities and it was Ethan who saved her when was on the run.  The romantic angle is cute and all and the story thickens when it was time for Joy to move to Canada.  Ethan asks "kung mahal mo ako bakit hindi ako ang piliin mo?"  Joy replied with "Kung mahal mo ako, bakit pinapapili mo ako?" This "hugot" line has become so popular and various memes have surfaced online.  

HLG is not just about the story of Ethan and Joy but it also captures the struggles of OFW, working abroad to support their families back home.  The director succeeded in all aspects, capturing the feel good vibes and both Richards and Bernardo gave decent performances, ably supported by competent ensemble cast.  Another factor that contributes to the movie's success is the unusual team up of Richards and Bernard, who both comes from two perennial rival networks in the country.

The movie, now on its third week, continues to draw crowds beating other local films that opened last week including Hollywood movies.  Viva Films "Indak" starring Nadine Lustre suffered miserably at the box-office and some says it's outdated and wrong project as  "dance movies" don't sell to local audience. "Just A Stranger" starring Anne Curtis and Marco Gumabao is due for release next week and receives positive feedbacks and  it looks like Viva Films will hit it right this time.  

With the current technological change and the coming of digital age, people are face with so many options.  There are digital platforms where one can watch movies at home and do not have to go out and endure heavy traffic.  Filmmakers should carefully set their goals and target their market and not make a movie that is just as good as a TV episode wheren one can watch for free.

JIN MACAPAGAL IS BRAND NEW KAPAMILYA LEADING MAN AND WINS ULTIMATE BIDAMAN BIG BREAK

24 year  old  Cebuano  model Jin Macapagal bagged  the  first  Ultimate  Bidaman  title, held last night at the  New Frontier Theater.  Dubbed as "The Big Break," Bidaman is a reality talent search contest segment of ABS-CBN noontime show "It's Showtime."  The show began with each contestant introducing themselves ala-Miss Universe shouting their name, age and province of origin before an enthusiastic crowd and screaming fans.

Jin’s showbiz journey started 3 years ago when he joined “Pinoy Boy Band Superstar,” the local franchise of “La Banda," and athough he failed to make it to the Top 12, it did not stop him from pursuing his showbiz dream. 

Jin easily made his presence felt during the early round of competition and wowed the audience as he displayed high energy and confidence dancing to a Justine Timberlake song. For the final round, each top 3 finalist was asked to deliver a monologue they had written themselves. Macapagal narrated how he struggled and overcome his problems involving his family and delivered it with depth which came out naturally. 

Part of Jin's prizes includes a management contract, a house and lot, a brand new pick up vehicle,  and a cool One Million Pesos cash prize.  In addition, he will also get the chance to be included in the cast of  Vice Ganda's entry to 2019 MMFF.

2nd to Jin Macapagal is Eris Aragoza, 23, from Binangonan Rizal and third place is Jiro Custodio, 22, from Gapan, Nueva Ecija.  Both Eris and Jiro were crowd favorites with a bunch of supporters in the audience.

The criteria for judging includes looks and personality, acting ability and Bidaman should have  the complete package spotted with potentials in the entertainment field.

Some says the inclusion of  Dan Delgado and Yuki Sakamoto in the Top 6 were quite a surprise as there were other strong contenders particularly Nathan Garcia and Miko Gallardo.

Top 6:

Jin Macapagal, Eris Aragoza, Jiro Custodio

Yuki Sakamoto,  Dan Delgado and Ron Macapagal

Special Awards:

Bida Smile:  Wize Estabilo

Bida Bod:  Jervy de los Reyes

BidaBilidad  – Jay Dizon

Bida Bro:  Johannes Rissler

Top 12

Nathan Garcia (Cavite), Ron Macapagal (Malate, Manila), Polo Laurel (Pasay), Dan Delgado (Mandaluyong),  Eris Aragoza (Rizal), Jiro Custodio (Nueva Ecija), Wize Estabilo (Tarlac),  Yuki Sakamoto (Taguig),  Jervy de los Reyes (Plaridel, Bulacan),  Jin Macapagal (Cebu), Miko Gallardo (Palawan) andJohn Padilla (Olongapo).