Cinemalaya 2011: Eugene Domingo no longer a second best

by Nickie Wang

A comedy about misguided ambitions, the art of making art and the romantisizing of poverty, that is what Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank ia all about and these are the same reasons why the jurors at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival chose the comedy feature as this year’s best full-length film, a misnomner, since it’s only a video.

Ang Babae sa Septic Tank was also the big winner in the annual indie film event that took place at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater on July 24. And the brightest star of the night was Eugene Domingo who won her first Best Actress award for the title role in the comedy feature.

CINEMALAYA 2011: A fact hidden behind Laurice Guillen’s Maskara

Seasoned actor Roberto (Tirso Cruz III) and acting instructor Ellen (Sharmaine Buencamino) were married for a long time. They had a teenage daughter. But how come the wife did not learn of anything about the husband’s past, that he had a child prior to their marriage? That’s fiction, of course.

John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo movie part 3

Any positive report about Sarah Geronimo is a beautiful music to the ears of Popsters, the official name of her fans club. And if the news that Sarah and John Lloyd Cruz movie were a song, it would have been a fast track ditty that calls for a celebration.

The dying industry’s elusive dream

by Nickie Wang

Filipino audiences have become much more discerning today than they were in the previous decades. No wonder, our local multiplexes are teeming with foreign films, mostly from Hollywood, because they are the only moving pictures that can, so far, match what audiences look for in a film.

Sarah and Gerald’s Catch Me…I’m in Love earns P15M on its 1st day

Sarah Geronimo and Gerald Anderson’s first movie team-up earned a whooping P15 million when it opened in more than 100 theaters yesterday. This was confirmed by Star Cinema Booking and Distribution earlier this afternoon.

Catch Me…I’m in Love revolves around a simple girl named Roxanne (Sarah), who was assigned to look after the president’s stubborn and troublemaker son played by Gerald.

And the Oscar goes to…The King’s Speech

Low-budgeted The King’s Speech was the clear winner at the 83rd Academy Awards. The film directed by Tom Hooper nabbed four wins out of 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Colin Firth, and Best Director. It successfully repelled the challenge of its nearest rivals, True Grit, Inception and The Social Network.

The British drama, which follows King George VI’s efforts to overcome a stutter, had already proved the year’s surprise success story, earning upwards of $200m at the global box office.

After impressing Gaga, Maria Aragon meets DeGeneres

The local music circuit is full of activity and every concert venue, big and small, is being flocked by music aficionados. But this is not the biggest news on the music scene.

Our apologies to Sam Concepcion who opened the sold out concert of Taylor Swift last Saturday and to Christian Bautista whose Romance Revisited album has just been bestowed with a quadruple platinum award.

Yet, a 10-year-old kid tops all these buzz from the local showbiz circle. Lady Gaga personally invited her to be with her on stage in a concert in March in Toronto.

127 Hours: A perfect misadventure movie

by Nickie Wang

The film 127 Hours was made with a measly $18 million-budget. That is actually equivalent to the talent fee of a single Hollywood A-lister. Yet, the independently produced film (take note that is not a digital movie) is nominated for six Academy awards including Best Picture and Best Actor and its box-office gross in the United States alone doubled the amount of its production cost.

Talk of the town: Rhian Ramos goes topless

People

…are talking about

Rhian Ramos

How to stand out among four leading ladies, how is she supposed to leave an unforgettable impression while being compared to the likes of Solenn Heussaf, Lovi Poe, and Eugene Domingo? Rhian is among the four leading ladies of Richard Gutierrez in a Valentine movie and she promises that everyone most especially men would leave the movie houses mesmerized by her. How? A little teaser – she’s going topless in one scene. Is the thought of it already sweltering hot? Indeed, it will make cold February feels like summer.

Ang Tanging Ina 3 to replicate the success of Ang Tanging Ina 1 and 2

As of Jan. 9, the third installment of Ang Tanging Ina movie series has grossed P171 million according to Roxy Liquigan, director Star AdProm during the screeing of Marilou Diza Abaya film, Ikaw ang Iibigin. This means that AiAi delas Alas starrer film is set to replicate the box office gross of the previous two films that earned P178.82 M (Ang Tanging Ina) and P229.96 (Ang Tanging Ina Nyong Lahat).

Movies you loved but snubbed

by Nickie Wang

A swarm of local films hit all movie theaters last month due to the annual Metro Manila Film Festival. That gave us an additional eight mainstream movies and five additional independent films to the 74 full-length features previously released in 2010. Twelve of these 87 movie titles now are from Star Cinema and 58 of them are independently-produced.

10 highest-grossing movies for 2010

Based on the box office estimates of  Box Office Mojo and the National Cinemas Association of the Philippines, here are the top-grossing local films in 2010:

1. Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To! – P171 million (Star Cinema)

2. Si Agimat at Si Enteng Kabisote – P160 million
(GMA Films, MZet Productions, OctoArts Films, Imus Productions, APT Entertainment)

3. My Amnesia Girl – P144.8 million (Star Cinema)

4. Miss You Like Crazy – P143.25 million (Star Cinema)

5. Here Comes the Bride – P116 million (Star Cinema, OctoArts Films, Quantum Films)

6. Petrang Kabayo – P115.5 million (Viva Films)

7. Dalaw – P103 million (Star Cinema, CineMedia)

8. You to Me Are Everything – P102.42 million (GMA Films, Regal Films)

9. Babe, I Love You – P96.34 million (Star Cinema, Viva Films)

10. Paano Na Kaya – P82.25 million (Star Cinema)

People are talking about

Christian Bautista

There are only three local music artists whose record has sold more than 40,000 units (equivalent to double platinum) this year and he is one of them. His Jose Marie Chan tribute album enjoys warm reception from music enthusiasts like the albums of Richard Poon and Sarah Geronimo (hers is 3x platinum). Amid the record’s success here and abroad, Christian plans to explore other genres that he could incorporate in a follow up album. Not everyone became successful in testing a new formula but his brave intention will make him different from our singers who are generally cover artists.

Perennial baddie bags a lead role

by Nickie Wang

American character actor and film director Steve Buscemi has lived his entire career in Hollywood playing supporting roles. Nevertheless, that’s how he became popular, he gives life to the characters most of us took for granted when we saw films Miller’s Crossing, Reservoir Dogs, Desperado, Fargo, Con Air, The Big Lebowski, to name a few.

‘Till My Heartaches End’ Common plot, cliché situations

by Nickie Wang

Till My Heartaches End is the fifth movie with Gerald Anderson and Kim Chiu. It affirms their status onscreen as a love team to beat. As the third movie featuring the Kimerald tandem, it is so far the tandem’s best project. The movie marks the love team’s transition from teenybops to mature individuals. With their separate goals as actors, will it mean that it is going to be their last team up?

Till My Heartaches End rules local box office

Romantic drama Till My Heartaches End, topbilled by Gerald Anderson and Kim Chiu, bested four Hollywood films (The Social Network, Paranormal Activity 2, My Soul To Take, and Buried) last weekend notching 33.02 million pesos on over 70 screens nationwide.

Petrang Kabayo is enjoying the second spot with an additional P14.06M. According to Box Office Mojo, the fantasy-comedy finally breached the 100-million mark with P100.92M, its three-week cumulative ticket sales.

Meanwhile, Regal Films’ White House suffered ticket sales decline earning just over P5 M last weekend. After two weeks, the horror flick only grossed P17.75M, which is still good enough to claim the fifth spot.

Other movies that opened last week are The Social Network at no. 3, and Paranormal Activity 2 at no.4.

The Social Network: An intriguing intelligent drama

by Nickie Wang

“Drop the ‘the,’ just Facebook,” says Justin Timberlake who plays Sean Parker, the creator of Napster, in the film The Social Network. Is not the most powerful line in the motion picture but it led the audience on how Facebook got its name, which is now a brand worth multibillion dollars.

Petrang Kabayo is a certified blockbuster

It’s already difficult for local films to earn more than 100 million pesos but Petrang Kabayo starring Vice Ganda, and a remake of a fantasy-comedy 1988 film topbilled by Roderick Paulate, is already on its way to breaching it. After two weeks of commercial release, the movie produced by Viva Films has grossed over 81 million pesos.

Other films that earned more than 100 million pesos this year are Miss You Like Crazy (P143.25 M) Here Comes the Bride (P116 M) and You to Me Are Everything earned (P102.42 M). Meanwhile, Star Cinema offering entitled I Do, and stars onscreen sweethearts Erich Gonzales and Enchong Dee, has grossed 42.39 million pesos after four weeks at the box office.

Contemporary film on infidelity

by Nickie Wang

Giovanni and Lucia live in Rome and work in the world of creativity, he as a struggling actor, and she as a film editor. But the married couple breaks up while a documentary is being made about them. Giovanni walks out on Lucia and their baby right before the cameras.

Documentarian Eros and buddy Giorgio relentlessly continue filming the couple (a la Pinoy Big Brother assault) despite the unexpected real life domestic crisis.

Will you buy discounted movie ticket?

by Nickie Wang

Last week I visited an ice cream shop in SM North Edsa and passed by the busy area where the cinemas are. While finding my way in a crowded place, I noticed some Sa ‘Yo Lamang movie posters hanging on the ceiling. These posters were plastered with a short message: “P100 only.” I inquired and was told that the movie ticket is being sold almost half the original price.

That strategy, which appeared to be more of a bait if not a desperate move to lure moviegoers, instantly gave me the impression that Star Cinema’s family-oriented flick already failed at the box office. The message couldn’t have been more attractive if there was a catchphrase like win a date with one of the cast members, Enchong Dee or Shaina Magdayao perhaps.