REVIEW: MMFF entry Pedro Calungsod:Batang Martir

'Pedro Calungsod: Batang Martir:' A sermon best saved for church

BY ZIG MARASIGAN
POSTED ON 12/26/2013 4:12 PM  | UPDATED 12/26/2013 5:49 PM

WIDE EYED, DUMBFOUNDED. The film's Calungsod is more caricature than character. Screen grab from the trailer

MANILA, Philippines – There is a fine line between devotion and obsession. Unfortunately for Pedro Calungsod: Batang Martir, it sadly mistakes the former for the latter.

Written, directed and produced by Francis Villacorta, Pedro Calungsod brings to the screen the short yet meaningful life of the young Visayan saint whose recent canonization by Pope Benedict XVI had made him the second Filipino saint to follow after San Lorenzo Ruiz.

While Calungsod’s importance in our country’s history is indisputable, his significance as a compelling subject for a feature length film is an entirely different matter. If the film’s narrative is anything to go on, Calungsod’s life is nothing more than a series of drudging sermons that ultimately lead to an untimely death on the beach.

The film itself does its best to remain faithful to the historical events surrounding Calungsod’s missionary work, focusing on his life in the Marianas in an effort to baptize the local Chamorro natives. But the end result feels more like a dispassionate history lesson than a compelling cinematic experience.

A problem of portrayal

Throughout the film, Pedro Calungsod (Rocco Nacino) remains largely inactive. As the personal assistant to Jesuit Father Diego Luis de San Vitores (Christian Vasquez), Pedro spends most of his time doing things of someone else’s accord. While the well-meaning Father Diego is undoubtedly a major influence in Calungsod’s life, it often feels like Father Diego is the star of the film.

This robs Calungsod of any sense of conviction. Most of the time, Pedro is depicted blissfully reminiscing about his childhood year, or preaching the good news to children who seem too young to understand his often hifalutin lectures. In contrast to the larger conflict between the native Chamorro and the Spanish missionaries, Calungsod’s concerns feel petty and inconsequential.

It’s worth noting that the lead role of Pedro Calungsod was originally been given to actor J. M. De Guzman, whose credibility as a performer accompanied by his boyish looks made him a plausible pick for the eighteen year old saint.

But after De Guzman backed out from the role, it was ultimately given to Rocco Nacino, whose role in Alvin Yapan’s Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa provided proof of his prowess as a dramatic actor.

But despite Nacino's best efforts, his mostly masculine features betrays his age. His overly naïve and wide-eyed portrayal of the Visayan saint ends up looking more dumbfounded than devoted. Mixed with a wig that is as distracting as it is ridiculous and we have saint that is more caricature than character.

The case isn’t helped by Calungsod’s characterization. Although life as a missionary is indisputably difficult, the film provides Calungsod with very few challenges of faith. Nowhere in the film is Calungsod’s own deovotion to Christ put to the test. His blind acceptance of the church’s teachings may have been typical of a saint, but unfortunately, the unwillingness of Villacorta to challenge his main character leaves him regrettably unrelatable.

A failure of faith

Regardless of the film’s many shortcomings, it’s regrettable to see how a story so steeped in Christianity has such a superficial notion of faith. Church doctrine is repeated ad nauseam and provides little context for Calungsod’s own love for Christ. In the end, it’s hard to see Calungsod as little more than a subservient fool than a devout follower of faith.

Despite the usual festivities surrounding the Metro Manila Film Festival, Pedro Calungsod: Batang Martirmay be the only film that reminds us of the Christ in Christmas. While the film is paved with good intentions, it is ultimately marred by an unwillingness to dig past the usual clichés of church doctrine and colonial history. Natives are portrayed as thoughtless barbarians, Spanish colonialists are depicted as righteous totalitarians, and missionaries are represented as soft-spoken messiahs.

The challenge of cinematic adaptation is to breathe warm life into cold text. Admittedly, that is a challenge that easier written than executed. Unfortunately for Pedro Calungsod, this attempt turned out to be an emotionless sermon best heard in church.

Watch the trailer here:

– Rappler.com

Zig Marasigan is a freelance screenwriter and director who believes that cinema is the cure for cancer. Follow him on Twitter at @zigmarasigan.

http://www.rappler.com/entertainment/movies/46694-mmff-pedro-calungsod-batang-martir-review

REVIEW: MMFF entry 10,000 Hours

'10,000 Hours': A higher standard of politics

BY ZIG MARASIGAN
POSTED ON 12/29/2013 4:55 PM  | UPDATED 12/30/2013 1:30 AM

GABRIEL ALCARAZ. The film is a telling reminder that the we may be holding our politicians to such low standards. Screen grab from the trailer

MANILA, Philippines – To simply describe 10,000 Hours as an action film would be to lump it among the many other films of Robin Padilla’s career. But despite the film's many imperfections, it’s difficult not to commend it for the message it hopes to convey.

Directed by Joyce Bernal, 10,000 Hours is an ambitious action drama that is more often the latter than the former. While it spreads itself too thin at times, it is a film that is not often seen in mainstream cinema.

Senator Gabriel Alcaraz (Robin Padilla) is a man of principle. But when he threatens to go public with a conspiracy that aims to topple the country’s administration, he is framed for murder by the very government he serves. Alcaraz is forced to leave his family and escape abroad. But as he is hunted down by his old friend Dante Cristobal (Michael de Mesa), Alcaraz realizes that his only means of clearing his name is by exposing the truth.

A matter of truth

Though admittedly inspired by the life of former Senator Panfilo Lacson, 10,000 Hours is a film best seen without assuming a Lacson agenda. The characters and events are works of fiction and have been fabricated to serve the story’s unraveling and often heightened drama.

As Alcaraz relentlessly pursues the truth, he does so at the expense of his family. While the film is marred by regular slips into melodrama, it is the story’s subtler moments that take center stage. In a small yet powerfully poignant moment with his family, Alcaraz learns that he has been framed for murder. He knows that escape is his only option, and instead of saying goodbye to his family, he reminds them of their duties.

There are no tears. No speeches. Just decisive, affirmative action.

It’s the kind of action that supercedes whatever fists and bullets the film can hope to provide. It’s also the kind of action our own country desperately needs.

It’s initially off-putting to see action star Robin Padilla as a well-meaning senator. It’s a remarkable contrast from his usual thuggish roles and often proves to be a distraction whenever Padilla slips back into his action-hero persona.

But the real suspension of disbelief here isn’t with Padilla. It’s the film’s unbelievable proposition that senators can be physically fit, disarmingly good-looking, and also flawlessly righteous. While it would be easy to criticize the film for holding our politicians to such high standard, it’s also a telling reminder that we may be holding our politicians to such low ones.

10,000 Hours admittedly suffers from a glaring amount of escapism, but it’s also a disheartening reminder that the only kind of politician fighting for truth is the kind born from fiction.

Finding focus

It is the film’s ambition that is ultimately its greatest strength and most evident weakness. Despite its many uneccesary complexities, the film tells an incredibly simple story about a fugitive forced to choose between the truth and his family. Unfortunately, the film tends to meander as its many side stories take over it’s main plot.

While the overall film is provided richness by these side stories, it’s inability to focus on just one or two eventually rob the story of any lasting emotional impact. This isn’t helped by the fact that Alcaraz spends most of the film in hiding. For a man obsessed with exposing the truth, it’s surprising to see him waiting for the truth to expose itself.

10,000 Hours often stumbles with its pacing simply because it focuses on too much. But the many threads woven into 10,000 Hours are admittedly enough to create a half-dozen more films well on their own.

10,000 Hours is more of a reminder than a message. Though the film is often too idealistic to be believed, it ends with a heavy-handed wake-up call for its audience. Our government doesn’t give its citizens a happy ending. The truth is still covered-up, and despite our country’s many heroes, it’s still the villains that hold power.

But maybe it’s about time that we hold our politicians to a higher standard. While it would be remiss to think that Robin Padilla deserves a place in the Senate, his character, Senator Alcaraz, would do well to serve our country.

“Masyado tayong magaling magsinungaling para malaman ang katotohanan.” (We are too skilled in lying to know the truth.)

Watch the trailer here:

– Rappler.com

Zig Marasigan is a freelance screenwriter and director who believes that cinema is the cure for cancer. Follow him on Twitter at @zigmarasigan.

http://www.rappler.com/entertainment/movies/46845-mmff-10000-hours-review

REVIEW: MMFF entry Boy Golden

'Boy Golden': Violent, colorful, and masterful fun

BY ZIG MARASIGAN
POSTED ON 12/30/2013 1:30 PM  | UPDATED 12/31/2013 12:52 PM

BOY GOLDEN. It definitely wouldn’t be Ejercito’s first time as an action star, but this would arguably be his finest. Screen grab from the trailer

MANILA, Philippines – ER Ejercito’s relationship with the movie industry has always been tenuous at best. His willingness to fund the most audacious of productions has only been exacerbated by his need to star in them.

But while his previous Metro Manila Film Festival entries such as El Presidente and Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story have been lackluster, Ejercito has finally produced a gem of a film that is worthy of the time, labor, and budget he has afforded it.

Boy Golden is a cartoonishly violent retelling of one of the most notorious gangsters of the 1960s: Arturo “Boy Golden” Procuna. While Procuna’s name has since slipped into relative obscurity over the years, Boy Golden still holds the title as one of the most feared and violent criminals to walk the streets of Manila.

The story throws us into the thick of the action, with Boy Golden (Ejercito) in hot pursuit of his nemesis Tony Razon (John Estrada). When Golden allies himself with the seductive but deceptively headstrong Marlady (KC Concepcion), they find themselves on a mission to take Razon down or die trying.

The art of action

Boy Golden is a wild mix of Dick Tracy with a heavy serving of Quentin Tarantino. This may sound like ridiculously high praise for an action comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s the film’s unpretentious take on crime and violence that gives the film its unique flavor.

Although the film is based on real-world individuals, director Chito Roño takes creative liberties with the film’s historical accuracies. But anyone looking to Boy Golden for a history lesson is seriously misled.

While it definitely wouldn’t be Ejercito’s first time as an action star, this would arguably be his finest. Boy Golden’s intentionally campy and over-the-top action sequences are easily one of the best in recent years (already considering the release of the much celebrated On the Job earlier this year). And leading lady KC Concepcion isn’t afraid to drop her own gauntlet when the need calls for it.

In one particularly astounding action scene, Concepcion goes mano-a-mano with a feisty, cheongsam-wearing prostitute. The results, as you may have guessed, are as entertaining as they are flat out ridiculous.

The color and the characters

While action and humor are definitely one of the film’s many highlights, Roño and cinematographer Carlo Mendoza gamble on an aesthetic that pays off in spades. The film’s overtly flamboyant colors are as alarming as the violence on screen, and only help with the film’s cartoon-like appeal.

The characters themselves also carry their own kind of color, not only in their wardrobe and make-up but in their personality and characterization. Eddie Garcia, Gloria Sevilla, Leo Martinez, and Baron Geisler just make a few of the many characters that populate the world of Boy Golden, and every single one of them provide a performance worthy of their reputation, regardless of their screen time.

But Concepcion is easily the film’s ace in the hole. Often typecast as the rich girl with attitude, she plays to wonderful perfection the role of a ball-breaking, gun-toting Marlady. It’s a much-needed refresh for Concepcion’s career as an actor, and proof that sometimes an artist need only the right role and the right director to truly shine.

Going out with a bang

Boy Golden admittedly suffers from an exhaustingly long running time, with a final act that feels more gratuitous than satisfying. And while the film does provide a satisfying amount of action scenes and clever punch lines, it’s hard to dismiss the fact that Boy Golden feels far above the pay grade of the usual MMFF fanfare. Even then, viewers who appreciate the film’s humor and action will undoubtedly be hungry for more.

The jury is still out on whether Boy Golden will finally break Ejercito’s box-office curse. Though the film isn’t likely to have the mass appeal it requires, it’s a sobering fact that some of our country’s best films are those that slip under the public’s radar.

Boy Golden doesn’t carry with it the commentary and insight that most of our nation’s more notable films so openly flaunt; but it does have something better.

It has fun. And it has a violent, colorful, and masterful way of showing it.

Watch the trailer here:

– Rappler.com

Zig Marasigan is a freelance screenwriter and director who believes that cinema is the cure for cancer. Follow him on Twitter at @zigmarasigan.

http://www.rappler.com/entertainment/movies/46891-mmff-boy-golden-review-marasigan

REVIEW: MMFF entry My Little Bossings

‘My Little Bossings’: The horrible business of show business

BY ZIG MARASIGAN
POSTED ON 01/01/2014 8:28 AM  | UPDATED 01/01/2014 4:28 PM

MY LITTLE BOSSINGS. The move makes no apologies for banking on its big name stars. Curious movie-goers will most likely be lured by the novelty of Bimby Aquino and Ryzza Mae Dizon. Screengrabs from trailer.

MANILA, Philippines – My Little Bossings is a family-oriented comedy with a cleverly simple premise: When the wealthy Baba Atienza (Kris Aquino) is wrongly accused of fraud, her bookkeeper Torky (Vic Sotto) becomes the trusted guardian of her son Justin (Bimby Aquino). But when Torky moves Justin in with his niece Ice (Aiza Seguerra) and the orphan Ching (Ryzza Mae Dizon), he quickly discovers that a household of clashing personalities is more than he can handle.

While it has every opportunity to entertain, My Little Bossings squanders the chance by failing to try. Instead, it is a train wreck of a film that uses its screen time to steal its audience’s money and peddle its advertisers. The result is the worst kind of show business that’s more preoccupied with product placement than story.

Stars over story

My Little Bossings makes no apologies for banking on its big name stars. Curious moviegoers will most likely be lured by the novelty of Bimby Aquino and Ryzza Mae Dizon; but outside of the film’s unsurprising amount of star power, the film offers absolutely nothing else. Dizon provides most of the film’s much-needed charm, but even that feels wasted as the rest of the cast feels uninterested in making an effort to entertain.

The film meanders through a labyrinth of disjointed scenes, each desperately trying to pull out a laugh from its intended audience. Unfortunately, the film assumes that its audience will be so stupefied by novelty that very little regard is given to anything else. Since the production itself feels blatantly amateur, it’s hard to believe that there was a guided effort to make My Little Bossings anything more than an excuse to pilfer the pockets of the Filipino audience.

My Little Bossings suffers from an atrocious lack of quality, alongside an obvious neglect for story. Despite its crystal clear premise, the narrative has trouble keeping itself together as it swings blindly from one sequence to the next. There’s no escaping the feeling that the production feels rushed. From the script to the final edit, each component of My Little Bossings feels like one crammed deadline after the next.

The agency of advertising

It’s hard not to mistake My Little Bossings as a long advertisement masquerading as a film. Products are paraded in some of the most distasteful examples of local product placement while no effort is made to weave them into the narrative. Whether it’s through detergent or instant noodles, the film bludgeons its audience with one product intrusion after another.

But what makes this particularly damning is that audiences are expected to pay for this kind of entertainment, not the other way around.

Half way through the film, Bimby and Ryzza Mae begin to look like products themselves, dangled in front of the audience in a desperate effort to have you buy into their performance. But while the same can be said about any form of escapist entertainment, it’s appalling how My Little Bossings makes absolutely no effort to hide it.

It’s hard to believe that director Marlon Rivera had started his directing career making fun of such tacky advertising. In his debut feature, Babae Sa Septic Tank, Rivera showcases a known brand of soap in a scene that is both intentionally absurd and obviously satirical. But in My Little Bossings, there’s not a hint of humor in any of its product placements. Hopefully, the irony isn’t lost on Rivera.

Tedious, wasteful...successful

My Little Bossings is a good representation of everything wrong with the commercial movie industry. It’s tedious, wasteful and, unfortunately, a resounding success. The Metro Manila Film Festival has long been criticized for its lack of quality, and it’s hard to defend it against examples like My Little Bossings. While other film failures have at least their noble intentions, My Little Bossings has nothing but its box-office receipts.

Unfortunately, that’s all that seems to matter. My Little Bossings is a manufactured attempt to steal its audience’s money by convincing them that blatant advertising is a form of entertainment as long as there are big name stars attached to make the endorsements.

My Little Bossings is the kind of film that has come to define the Metro Manila Film Festival. Audiences who have long given up on the local movie industry need only cite My Little Bossings as a clear example on why they continue to do so.

It’s all part of the business, unfortunately, and it’s the audience that has to pay. – Rappler.com

Zig Marasigan is a freelance screenwriter and director who believes that cinema is the cure for cancer. Follow him on Twitter at @zigmarasigan.

http://www.rappler.com/entertainment/movies/46989-mmff-my-little-bossings-review-marasigan