MMFF REVIEW: Sosy Problems

Title: Sosy Problems

Director: Andoy Ranay

Producer: GMA Films

Distribution: GMA Films

Date of premiere: December 25, 2012

Sosy Problems is almost impossible to sit through. It has a horrible story, an unlikable set of characters, and comes off insulting to viewers of all classes.

The intro says this much. Here, a monologue defines the different people in the country's social strata by using narrow and insensitive descriptors: the poor can't buy food, the working class struggles to eat at minimum wage, the middle class can eat three meals but can't buy a snack. Oh, and they all cannot buy cars--the upper middle class can buy cars but only second-hand.

If that monologue is not gratingly insulting, your skin must be too thick. Or you may be too apathetic.

Of course, the people behind Sosy Problems can put up the it-is-only-satire defense as an excuse to all this tripe. But what is it satirizing, exactly? The upper echelons of society, you say, those creatures who do nothing but shop for expensive luxuries and brag about those stuff.

But this movie does nothing of that.

Sosy Problems tells the story of four friends: Lizzie Consunji (Rhian Ramos) is an heir of a hotel franchise, Claudia Ortega (Heart Evangelista) is the daughter of a beauty queen, Margaux Bertrand (Solenn Heussaff) is the daughter of another beauty queen, and Danielle Alvarez (Bianca King), who is the daughter of a politician who has been charged with graft and corruption.

The narrative is all over the place. Lizzie is a disrespectful brat, so her father sends her to the province so she can wise up. Claudia and Margaux are best friends, but they are fighting for the affection of one valet boy. Danielle is aware of her disappearing riches, so she plots to attract a rich boy whom she could marry. 

There's also an overarching plot of the four girls trying to save a polo club from demolition. Of all the narrative threads, this one is the worst.

First off, the four girls initially try to save the polo club because it is the only place where they can hang out exclusively. Second, they show that they don't want the demolition to happen because they despise the new owner, a former yaya or caretaker who married a rich man.

The yaya (brilliantly played by Mylene Dizon) wants to demolish the polo club so she can create a mall for yayas like her, and the elite four is having none of it.

If that doesn't look like blatant classism to you, then you might want to have your heart checked.

The other narrative threads are just as icky, most of all Danielle's. The girl thinks the only way out of her predicament is to marry a rich guy. In the end, she snags one, who pledges to help her corrupt father to get out of jail.

Advocating using riches to get corrupt politicians out of culpability... does this still look like satire to you?

The main problem with this movie, then, is that the characters are just plain unlikable. They do get infused with a worthy cause at the end--that is, to save the polo club for its employees who are losing their jobs--but at that point it already feels artificial.

Watching Sosy Problems makes me remember the infamous line by social party animal Tim Yap, who is also in the movie. In 1997, he gave us this gem: 

"There is this mind-set, which I think is so passe, that says: `The country is in shambles and the country is having a hard time and you are out there partying.' But this generation is guiltless when it comes to that."

This quote best describes Sosy Problems. It encourages an uncaring attitude to the country's ills.

Sosy Problems could have been better if it gave a touch of realism. These are the apathetic sosyal, the people we gossiped about in Chikatime, so where are the juicy scandals and the drug use?

Perhaps GMA Films should have decided to distribute Gino Santos's The Animals instead of producing this crap.

RATING: 0.5 star out of 5
SUMMARY: Unrealistic and awful, insulting, and too apathetic. No wonder it lags at the box office.

REVIEW: Flames of Love

Title: Flames of Love

Director: Gigi Alfonso and Baby Nebrida

Producer: Gold Barn Media International

Distribution: Solar Films

Date of premiere: December 12, 2012

Flames of Love came like a thief in the night. This movie has a famous cast and a distinguished distributor, but we barely have heard any promotion for it. It's already showing, but there seems to be no effort to convince viewers that it is worth seeing.

But is it worth seeing? Perhaps. If you like watching daily dramas on local television, those terrible shows that trumpet the same plots again and again, then this may be for you. It's two-hour-and-30-minutes run is an indication of that.

This film exists to push an advocacy, namely for the pro-life side in the RH Bill debates. Included in the film are some snatches of dialogue that promote this view, like how the condom is absolutely not 100% effective, or how promiscuity is not a good trait.

But taking down this film just because of this agenda, when you don't agree with the message, is completely unfair. Similarly, overpraising a film and ignoring its faults just because you agree with its agenda is wrong, too.

I think a movie must be judged on its artistic merit alone.

For instance, I found The Human Centipede 2 to be absolutely disgusting. But director Tom Six claims it is his movie's agenda to be the most revolting horror film that he can ever do. And in the context of exploitation films, The Human Centipede 2 hits all the right notes. I give it a 3.5/5.

So how is Flames of Love, artistically?

Well, it is horrible.

Again, it imitates the awful daily drama shows on local television, and the stories presented seem all too familiar. 

Dina Bonnevie plays a single mother who raises two children away from her adulterous husband (Ricky Davao). Valerie Concepcion tries to lead a normal life despite working as a prostitute to Ricky Davao and Allen Dizon. Allen has a sickly wife who has a hard time bearing a child. Christopher de Leon and Lani Mercado have a happy marriage, until Lani thinks of reconnecting with her old sweetheart.

These many stories lead to the long running time. It's all unnecessary--since some of these stories are treated with less significance anyway, I don't see the point of it.

(One story that should have been chopped is Allen Dizon's family life. It was even given no resolution.)

Characters aren't also well-written. Many of them are supposedly godly, but pepper their dialogue with swear words. Dina Bonnevie had an adulterous husband, but then chooses to egg on her bestfriend (Lani Mercado) to betray her marriage. Valerie Concepcion's boyfriend boasts of being the ultimate playboy, but is really just a one-woman man.

All of these inconsistencies lead to a head-scratching ending: Lani Mercado chooses drive away with her old flame to Subic, while Christopher de Leon chases them. Suddenly, the usually-reserved Lani becomes a slut, saying slutty things to the guy she wants to go to bed with. And when the car goes off a cliff, Lani crawls up the cliff to beg Christopher for forgiveness. Then they kiss under the setting sun, completely forgetting that a guy is burning to death a few meters away from them.

If that isn't the year's most ridiculous car chase scene, I don't know what anything is anymore.

RATING: 2 star out of 5
SUMMARY: Over-long and inconsistent. It makes sense why the mainstream distributor does not seem to want to promote it.

NOTE:

1. I did not take notes so I don't know the character names.

EXPLAINER: CinemaOne. Cinemanila.

I missed every local movie in this year's CinemaOne and Cinemanila international film festivals, although I covered them for PEP.ph.*

My priorities have changed.

I am a completist. Given time, I would have watched the 13 entries in CinemaOne, and the other entries in Cinemanila, just like how I saw all the Cinemalaya 2012 entries by spending whole days in CCP.

But I chose to spend time elsewhere.

I returned to training at the gym last October. I go to Maic's in Marikina, and I have my own trainer, who is available in the afternoons.

I go to the gym because it makes me happy to see progress. Plus I live alone (and work alone most of the time) so the gym is the only place where I connect with other beings.

In short, my priority now is this:

WORK > GYM > FAMILY > MOVIES > EVERYTHING ELSE.

Anyway, this blog was created to review local mainstream movies, and I guess I haven't left anything out yet.

The next MMFF is also just around the corner, and I won't miss any of those films. They would run for two to three weeks, so there's plenty of time to see all of them.

My reviews of MMFF movies will be posted here as soon as I see them.

* I covered CinemaOne's awards night, and Cinemanila's press briefings, opening ceremony, and awards night.

REVIEW: D' Kilabots Pogi Brothers... Weh!?

Title: D' Kilabots Pogi Brothers... Weh!?

Director: Soxie Topacio

Producer: APT Entertainment and M-ZET TV Production, Inc.

Distribution: Regal Films

Date of premiere: November 28, 2012

This movie tries too hard to be liked. It takes itself very seriously, and it loses its humor as a result.

D' Kilabots Pogi Brothers... Weh!? feels bipolar as a whole. There are two stories in the movie, and each is treated differently.

Bruno (Wally Bayola) and Justine (Jose Manalo) are brothers who don't exactly like each other. The two are business rivals--Bruno sells lugaw (rice porridge), while Justine sells BBQ. 

The rivalry started when Bruno married Kitty (Pokwang), who was Justine's first love. As a result of the heartbreak, Justine grew a weird allergy to women.

When a pretty balikbayan named Lulu (Solenn Heussaff) comes to the brothers' community, Justine is immediately smitten. Fortunately, Lulu also falls for him. Will this cure Justine's allergy?

The story above already sounds complete, and should result in some hilarious sequences. And yet...

This is where the movie falls apart: Lulu's dad Donald (Tirso Cruz III) is trying to settle a large debt with bigshot Mr. Lucio (Michael de Mesa). Desperate, Donald agrees to give Mr. Lucio his property. The problem is that the land has been paid for by its occupants, one of which is Justine's family.

This second plot point is treated too seriously, and it does not fit the movie. In this narrative thread, the comedic tone the movie employs whenever Justine and Bruno are on screen is abandoned. Instead, we get a pseudo tragic treatment, as if we are watching an advocacy film about the injustices faced by informal settlers.

I watched this movie in a half-packed theater, and I only heard a few laughs. The convoluted plot surely helped in watering down the comedy, but it's not the only reason.

This movie was made after Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola hit it big with a sold-out concert. The two are now some of the country's largest comedians, and it is easy to see why when you watch them in Eat Bulaga!

Yet, they never feel as good in D' Kilabots Pogi Brothers... Weh!?. This is because they were not given a lot of legroom to work their magic. In Eat Bulaga!, they are funny because they are spontaneous and command their jokes. Why were they then forced to act around a lousy script?

If the land-grabbing scenario was abandoned, perhaps the two could have much space to inject their kind of humor.

Fortunately, a few bright spots exist to brighten the picture. Paolo Ballesteros is surprisingly marvelous as a gay character named Tweety, and he steals each scene he's in. Solenn Heussaff also has funny moments as well.

Still, these bright spots are not enough to mask how awful D' Kilabots Pogi Brothers... Weh!? really is.

RATING: 1 star out of 5
SUMMARY: A lousy script takes out all the joy from this movie. 

REVIEW: Rigodon

Title: Rigodon

Director: Erik Matti

Producer: Viva Films and Reality Entertainment

Distribution: Viva Films and Reality Entertainment

Date of premiere: November 21, 2012

[Note: This is a review of the R-18 version. There are spoilers.]

Erik Matti's Rigodon is nearly flawless. In a landscape of stale mainstream movies relying on tried-and-tested box office cliches, Rigodon's approach to storytelling is as fresh as it is shocking. A breath of fresh air, so to speak.

The Viva-Reality* picture promises to show the raw truth about affairs, when the same is the current trend in Philippine entertainment.

While movies and TV shows like A Secret Affair and A Beautiful Affair treat affairs like carnival--that is, something to be viewed and enjoyed--Rigodon is messy and controversial, like how affairs could be in real life.

Rigodon's story reads like a cross between juicy gossip and a police brief: Riki Torres (John James Uy), an aging actor wannabe, dreams of making it big. Yet the only work he can find is to be a live model for a TV shopping network, where he shows off his buff physique to sell comical products like personal saunas and barely-working exercise machines.

One night, Riki meets a young woman named Sarah, who recognizes his celebrity status. The two spark a connection, and they start a fiery and passionate relationship.

The problem is that Riki is married to Regine, a housewife who dreams of putting up her own cupcake business. They have a kid, who is in elementary school.

What's refreshing about Rigodon is how it lays out the motivations of the characters. There's an honesty to it that lends credibility to the shocking turn of events that follows them.

Riki is already married at 31 years old, but he still dreams of being a young man who can achieve all his dreams of fame, wealth, and social status. Buhay binata, as old folks say.

It is solely due to this why he starts an affair with Sarah. The woman is young, and was the only person in the movie who treated him like he's famous, or once was.

Besides, Sarah is a welcome change to his wife, who's always occupied with household chores and taking care of their daughter. Regine also has insecurities that clash with Riki's self-worth. When Riki makes love to her, she keeps her clothes on. Perhaps her body issues make Riki feel trapped in an imperfect relationship.

With Sarah, however, Riki can feel young and carefree. Their trysts are adventurous and wild. Sarah is willing to do anything for him.

Yet Riki cannot commit to a relationship, for obvious reasons. Sarah is needy, though, and she only gives in once convinced the guy is the marrying type.

The movie would have been simpler if only the affair is focused. There are many more layers to the story though, and they tend to get confusing.

There's a mob loan shark out to get Riki. Regine delivers cupcakes and stumbles into a secret hitman-for-hire service in the slums. Sarah has a domineering father and a conceited ex-boyfriend.

What makes Rigodon relevant is that it may bring about the resurgence of bold movies in Philippine cinemas. The genre was last prevalent in the 90s to the early 00s, but was singlehandedly killed when SM stopped carrying them.

[Another bold movie will follow Rigodon soon: Ato Bautista's Palitan, an entry in this years CinemaOne Originals filmfest.]

Director Erik Matti is not a stranger to the genre. His directorial debut, in fact, was the critically-lauded Scorpio Nights 2 in 1999. But unlike Scorpio Nights 2, Rigodon feels like it will not resonate.

The ending of the movie tells us this. Riki and Regine move on to a new life to presumably forget the tragedy that befell them. The viewers move on with them.

RATING: 4.5 stars out of 5
SUMMARY: Mostly flawless, but the ending could have been better.

*Earlier press releases indicated that Rigodon will be produced by Viva and Regal.

REVIEW: 24/7 In Love

Title: 24/7 In Love

Director: John D. Lazatin, Mae Czarina Cruz, Frasco Santos Mortiz and Dado Lumibao

Producer: Star Cinema

Distribution: Star Cinema

Date of premiere: November 21, 2012

Star Cinema's ensemble piece 24/7 In Love is pretty uneven, but the tone is generally light and fluffy that it is a joy to watch.

24/7 In Love presents seven stories starring some of Star Magic's largest stars, in celebration of the talent agency's 20th year. And as the title suggests, all the segments deal with romance. Romance is Star Cinema's specialty nowadays, so I guess that's a safe bet for them.

Four directors got together to helm the movie:

John D. Lazatin directed three segments: Zanjoe Marudo and Bea Alonzo, John Lloyd Cruz and Angelica Panganiban, and Diether Ocampo and Maja Salvador.

Mae Czarina Cruz directed two: Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo, and Gerald Anderson and Kim Chiu.

Dado Lumibao directed one: Piolo Pascual, Zaijian Jaranilla, and Xyriel Manabat

Lastly, newcomer Frasco Mortiz directed one: Sam Milby and Pokwang.

The seven segments are uneven in execution. Some are solid, while some are forgettable.

Of all the segments, the one featuring real-life couple Zanjoe Marudo and Bea Alonzo is easily the most solid. It tells the story of a tomboy named Belle (Bea) who tries to spark a connection with her best friend and roommate Butch (Zanjoe), who is openly gay.

When Butch announces his plan to move to Europe to be with his boyfriend while pursuing a career in fashion, Bea uses everything, even seduction, to attract Butch and convince him not to go. But Butch immediately realizes what's up, making him questions his identity.

This gender-bending tale is so well-executed that I think it is the most gender sensitive portrayal of homosexuality in Philippine mainstream cinema this year. The ending even nails it.

Zanjoe is very believable as an openly gay man in this segment, that it gives the story it's due weight. Zanjoe has had a good year in the movie, with his notable role in Adolf Alix Jr.'s Kalayaan, and his role here.

Two other solid segments are Dado Lumibao's Piolo-Zaijian-Xyriel story, and Frasco Mortiz's Sam-Pokwang starrer.

Lumibao's segment puts a new approach to the love triangle: use kids, and add a mentally-disabled third wheel. Piolo's portrayal of a grown-up with the mind of a kid is so on-point, the triangle is not at all creepy. It's funny how MTRCB's ratings form informs viewers that this may be disturbing to the kids.

Again, what keeps this segment afloat is Piolo's praise-worthy acting abilities. What can't this guy do?

Seriously?

Mortiz's segment, on the other hand, is notable for serving the right mix of humor and romance. Pokwang and Sam may not be a good match visually, but Pokwang's acting talents makes it all credible. Pokwang has had a good year with A Mother's Story, The Healing, and the TV series Aryana. 

We watched Mortiz debut in the too-ambitious The Reunion. With his segment in 24/7 In Love, Mortiz finds his footing and keeps at it. His montage of several motel rooms is good to see. Perhaps the short format helped him. (Technically, his first mainstream movie was a segment in the horror compilation Cinco.

Somewhat solid is Mae Czarina Cruz's Gerald-Kim segment. It's full of kilig moments, but a few inconsistencies mar the finished product. One is how Gerald's character can enter a burning building that's not barricaded by firemen, and why he had to remove his pants to save a woman from a fire when he would just use a broom to put it out. 

There's also the ending, where he and Kim spill all their feelings in front of the executives of an ad agency. How awkward could that be?

Also, Maricar Reyes, who plays the nemesis to Kim Chiu's happiness, steals the scenes where she's in.

Maricar the scene-stealer.

Forgettable are John D. Lazatin's John Lloyd-Angelica and Diether-Maja segments, and Mae Czarina Cruz's Daniel-Kathryn segment.

John Lloyd and Angelica's segment is the one that followed Star Cinema's generic romantic movie formula. 

Diether Ocampo and Maja Salvador's segment was the most illogical. 

Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo's story was used as the framing device, and so it felt choppy and irregular. One part, for instance, had Kathryn's character worrying about tickets to a concert. Later on, she holds the VIP tickets in her hand. How they got there is a mystery.

The best element of 24/7 In Love, though, is the soundtrack. Musical director Jessie Lasaten should be lauded for choosing OPM songs that carry viewers onto a nostalgic trip. I loved hearing Juan de la Cruz Band's No Touch, Carol Banawa's Bakit Di Totohanin, Didith Reyes's Bakit Ako Mahihiya, and other songs.

The music and the equally smart scoring is worth the price of the ticket.

RATING: 3.5 stars out of 5
SUMMARY: It may be uneven, but it's sweet and good-natured. The music is good, and you'll find it hard not to sing along.

Cinemanila 2012: Young Cinema Shorts in Competition

This year, Cinemanila has four short film entries.

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Aurora, my aurora by Janus Victoria

In a city where encounters are anonymous, impersonal, and unsatisfying, sometimes the most human connections are born out of the most random collisions. Rhythms can create discord and cacophony or blend into sad sweet harmony, as a lonely taxi driver and a young showbiz aspirant discover. A fare seeking love, an audition gone awry: pulsing through the veins and arteries of the city is the relentless rhythm of time passing with equal regard for those who are swept along and those who are swept away by the beat.

Cast: CLAUDINE DAGANDAN, ROLANDO INOCENCIO, EDWIN SERRANO, HAKIM MANDIA, CHERISH BRILLON, VINCE GROYON

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Ang Prinsesa, ang Prinsipe at si Marlborita (The Princess, the Prince and Marlborita) by Carl Papa

Lonely and stuck inside a tall tower all her life, a princess with long magical hair was given a mysterious gift by strange fairy as she waits for the prince whom she long waited for.

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Kabilang Dulo (The Other End) by Bienvenido Ferrer III

Leo wants to live his life the way he wants it to be, different from what his mother wants for him. The pros and cons of aiming for freedom, as Leo escapes his mother’s “love”.

Cast: NICCO MANALO, BEVERLY SALVIEJO, DIONNE MONSANTO, JUNJUN QUINTANA, VIC ROMANO, OLIVE NIETO, BABY JOSHUA

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Unawa (Sympathy) by Pamela Llanes Reyes

A young girl who works in a fishing village in the province tries to reconnect with her deranged mother in the city however her estranged father convinces her that she has gravely mistaken her mother’s identity.

Cast: MARISSE APOSTOL, KU AQUINO, ANGELI BAYANI, CHERYL HAPALLA, TONY DELA ROSA, LIA TORRALBA

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For Young Cinema Shorts in Competition, please click here.

Cinemanila 2012: Digital Lokal

The entries for this year's Cinemanila have been announced, and they're a diverse lot. Here are the entries for Digital Lokal.

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Colossal by Whammy Alcazaren

Colossal explores the complexities of grief and the process of grieving as understood through the myth of a Man as he ventures through shifting landscapes ruminating, “… Of men who do not die, of spirits caught in the hollows of trees, of love sheltered in the embrace of truth.”

Cast: ACEY AGUILAR, MERCEDES CABRAL and LAV DIAZ

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The Obscured Histories and Silent Longings of Daguluan’s Children by Teng Mangansakan

Like the seasonal drying and the flooding of the river, the constant rhythm of arrival, departure and waiting characterizes the lives of the people of a remote fishing village in Southern Philippines amidst the foreboding of an armed conflict.

Cast: JELIETA MARIVELES, JUNE SANCHEZ, REYMARK BENDISULA, ROY CABONILAS, REY CABONILAS, JOEL GEOLAMEN, JOHN BARREDO, ELREEN BENDISULA, MARWILA SUPETRAN, HONEY GRACE ANOVA

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Ang Paglalakbay ng mga Bituin sa Gabing Madilim by Arnel Mardoquio

Set in Mindanao, Philippines, it tells of a boy’s (Faidal) journey to safety after his parents are killed in a gun battle. On his way, overwhelming discoveries are made in his journey.

Cast: FE VIRTUDAZO-HYDE, GLORYPEARL DY, IRISH KARL MONSANTO, ROGER GONZALES, PERRY DIZON and KRISTY LIM

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Supremo by Richard Somes

Manila, year 1896. The cry for independence from the tyranny of Spain peals louder than ever. Andres Bonifacio, leader of the rebel movement the Katipunan, leads his men to war. Though ill-equipped and untried in the field of battle, the Katipuneros launch an offensive against a vastly superior Spanish military.

What follows is a series of events that will test the nation’s brave sons, and an aftermath that will separate the genuine patriots from mere participants.

Cast: ALFRED VARGAS, MON CONFIADO, NICCO MANALO, ALEX VINCENT MEDINA, EDMON ROMAWAC, SHIELBERT MANUEL, LEHNER MENDOZA, MANU RESPALL, JEFF FERNANDEZ, BANJO ROMERO, ALEX CABODIL, NICA NAVAL and HERMIE CONCEPCION

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Taglish by Gym Lumbera

Taglish is about infidelity between two languages: Tagalog and English.

Cast: DADO JAVIER and LOLENG HERNANDEZ-JAVIER

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For Young Cinema Shorts in Competition, please click here.