Hindi ito remake ng 1990's bold movie kundi ito ang isa sa mga plano ng Star Cinema for the year 2012 na movie.

Tuhog ang title kasi gay-themed daw ito na may halong comedy. Napatunayan na ng Star Cinema sa kanilang movie na "In My Life" starring John Lloyd Cruz, Luis Manzano at Vilma Santos na kinakagat din ng mga tao ang genre na ito.

Sina Enchong Dee, Luis Manzano, Erich Gonzales at Pokwang ang balitang nasa lead ng pelikulang ito.

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Milby said if he will do a gay role, he will make sure it won’t be like the late Heath Ledger's film "Brokeback Mountain."

“I never watched the movie and it was very [much] talked about. I heard medyo torrid ang kissing scenes nila. I don’t know if I can go to that extent. But I guess it depends on the script and the role, if it's an acting piece,” Milby said.

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MANILA - Star Cinema's "In My Life," the ABS-CBN movie outfit’s grandest film offering for 2009, earned a record P20 million in ticket sales on its first day of screening on Wednesday.

This was according to the data released by Star Cinema's Booking and Distribution Department, “SNN: Showbiz News Ngayon” reported.

Under the direction of well-acclaimed director Olivia Lamasan, “In My Live” is posing to surpass the total earnings of Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos' 2002 Star Cinema film, "Dekada '70."

"Dekada '70" was Santos last film project before she agreed to do "In My Life."

"In My Life" lead stars Luis Manzano, John Lloyd Cruz and Santos were grateful to all moviegoers who supported their film.

"Maraming salamat po sa inyo. It's a happy movie. Medyo may kurot sa puso. Buhay niyo po ito, iyong nanay niyo at kung paano magmahal nang unconditional," Santos said.

Cruz added: "Sa totoo lang hindi ako makapaniwala na natapos ko itong movie at naka-trabaho ko si Ate Vi, si inang (Lamasan). I will be forever grateful sa naabot kong ito."

Manzano also thanked all those who commended him for his genuine portrayal of a gay man.

"Hindi po biro ang pinanggalingan naming lahat. So the fact na masabi iyon na I gave justice to Mark's role, napakalaking bagay na po noon para sa akin. Thank you very much," Manzano said.

Check out the full trailer of the highly-anticipated drama “In My Life” starring the box-office king John Lloyd Cruz, Luis Manzano and the star for all seasons, Vilma Santos.

In My Life is helmed by Olivia Lamasan, director of such hits as Got 2 Believe and Milan. It will mark the comeback of Vilma Santos in the silver screen since the 2004 film Mano Po 3: My Love. It’s also the first time that Vilma is working with his son Luis Manzano.

In My Life also marks as first major gay-themed film from Star Cinema since “Ang Lalake sa Buhay ni Selya” in 1998 starring Rosanna Roces. John Lloyd Cruz and Luis Manzano will play a gay couple in the movie, their first role as such. And one of the higlights of the film is the controversial “kissing scene” between the two actors.

In My Life is set to hit theaters nationwide on September 16, 2009. Watch the full trailer on the link below:

In My Life is the final title of John Lloyd Cruz, Luis Manzano and Gov. Vilma Santos‘ upcoming movie from Star Cinema.

Formerly known with the working title “A Mother’s Story”, the movie highlights the comeback of the Star for all Seasons in the silver screen. Even before they started shooting the film, it has been controversial because of the report that there will be a lips-to-lips “kissing scene” between John Lloyd Cruz and Luis Manzano who will portray a gay couple.

Vilma plays the overweight Shirley who owns a pet cat named Kiki in “In My Life.” Luis Manzano and Dimples Romana play her son and daughter. John Lloyd Cruz is Luis’ gay lover. She wears a fat suit in the movie, giving her a totally different look from all the movies she had done.

Aside from the movie, ABS-CBN will air a one month television special called “In My Life” prior to the premiere of “In My Life the Movie.” It will feature Vima’s career as a multi-awarded actress, a showbiz icon, a well-loved politician and a loving mother.

The fourth week will feature behind-the-scenes exclusive features on the making of the film and the three-week shoot in New York. It will be the final episode culminating in a live press conference to be held at the Dolphy Theatre.

In My Life is directed by Olive Lamasan and co-written by Raymond Lee and Senedy Que. No playdate is announced as of yet.

Noel inherits the pedicab vehicle after the sudden death of his father, a pedicab driver. Unable to pursue his dream of going to college, he takes up the job his father left. Everything and everyday then become a cycle of routine with people he knows and the perfect strangers he takes into his vehicle to pedal them to their destinations.

In the middle of Noel’s story come three other vignettes that are totally unrelated to him. Or so it seems. A maid has an affair with her employer’s lover and is caught. A child wants to throw his father a birthday bash. A law graduate literally encounters another side of himself tempting him to do something.

A series of tragedy takes Noel’s life into its own spin. A beautiful woman he befriends was found dead, his best friend Baste is killed, there’s the tragedy of the woman he loves, Nadia, falling into the claws of prostitution, and lastly, his own mother succumbing into a diabetic coma. Noel is left questioning his own existence… Does his life really matter? Will the world be a different place without a pedicab driver like him?

With the introduction of digital filmmaking in the country, it is now less costly to produce movies. Filipinos are warming up to the idea of indie films as more and more of these digital full-length features are produced each year. Not all makes it to our theatres though. Even the movies that have received accolades from the international film festival circuit are finding it hard to land distribution deals locally. Why? Because they don’t make enough money. A huge chunk of indie films that get the chance to be shown on cinemas are sexy movies. Could this be the renaissance of bold movies? Enamored by the belief that “sex sells”, some filmmakers exploit the digital medium to make a killing in the box office, thus giving indie films a bad name.

It is easy to classify “Butas (Loophole)” under the bold movie category. But unlike the bomba movies of the ‘90s, this film attempts to tell a multi-faceted story and employ an experimental narrative technique that veers away from mainstream norms.

The Gist

Directed by Alejandro “Bong” Ramos (of the award-winning “Haw-Ang”), “Butas” introduces us to three characters whose lives are interlocked in a muddle of lust, treachery, and passion. Jake (Allen Dizon) finds out that his wife, Maya (Gwen Garci), is having an illicit affair with their neighbor, Virgo (Marco Morales). Jake secretly follows them in their rendezvous, seeing for himself how Virgo and Maya satiate each other’s carnal desire. A deafening shot is heard, thus sending Virgo to the floor to bathe in his own blood. According to Jake, he is responsible for the death of Virgo as he has planned to do so. However, a video footage retrieved from the crime scene provides infallible evidence that contradicts some details on Jake’s testimonial. Which version of the events can be trusted? The testimony of the suspected killer or the fragmented video footage?

The Verdict

The first act, Jake’s version of the events, feels like an extended monologue. We see him stalking Maya and Virgo, eavesdropping in their conversation, watching their erotic encounter by peeping through a hole from the ceiling, and crying incessantly on his own. For the entire time, we hear his voice-over narration as he verbalize in excruciating detail his angst and grief. This could have worked for the film’s benefit, but the first act was stretched heedlessly as the monologue went on and on, refusing to end. Moreover, the score made the scenes feel too staged. “Butas” could have opted for a more realist approach employing minimal score and relying on au naturel sound to build dramatic tension at the subliminal level.

Things get interesting in the second act. After the revelation that the first act is merely Jake’s side of the story as confided to his attorney, the latter shows him a video footage of the events leading to the crime. Employing a dizzying Blair Witch-esque cinematography, we participate in Maya and Virgo’s sexual deed as obsessive observers watching them through a peephole. It’s basically the same story as Jake’s but this version is grittier and more graphic. The video does not reveal the identity of Virgo’s killer, but it exposes a new angle to the mystery. A seemingly run-off-the-mill story of infidelity suddenly shifts gear to tackle something more alarming – sex voyeurism.

Aside from full frontal nudity, Gwen and Marco did not really offer much for the film. Gwen is consistently sloppy in her acting. She throws lines as if she is reciting poetry. The role demands her to be happy, angry, high, conscientious, and regretful at different circumstances, but Gwen doesn’t have the capacity to exhibit the inner conflicts of her character. She ends up wearing the same face all throughout the film. Meanwhile, Allen was left nothing to do but peep, walk aimlessly, and cry during the first act. But he soon redeemed himself by showing a range of emotions through his effective facial expressions that we never thought he is capable of showing before.

The Bottomline

“Butas” stretches the fabric of truth to produce three versions of a single incident. Its efforts are generally paid off but with a little more editing on the first act and casting a more capable actress for the role of Maya, this material could have serious potential.

Last December, PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) reported that the Cinemalaya 2008 entry Jay and two other short films—God Only Knows and Ambulancia—were competing in the 2nd Asian Hotshots Berlin.

Earlier today, PEP received confirmation that Jay and God Only Knows both won First Prize in the Asian Hotshots Berlin - Festival for Film and Video Art. These two Filipino films bested entries in from Japan, China, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and India.

In the Best Feature film category, the indie film starring Baron Geisler and Coco Martin shared the First Prize with the Singaporean film titled Salawati. Jay, directed by Francis Xavier Pasion, is about the brutal murder of a gay school teacher and the background of this case.

The description of the movie according to Asian Hotshots Berlin goes: "Told as a grim, incisive satire and textbook of the corruptive and manipulative mechanisms of mass media. In the same way it is a mediation on the ways in which the third world is produced everyday as a spectavle and audiences who prefer their entertainment to be as crazy as their lived reality. What is
reality? How is it constructed? And in whose interest?"

In the short film category, God Only Knows (starring Angel Aquino) bagged the First Prize as well. Directed by Mark Reyes, this Cinemalaya 2008 entry is "a heart-gripping story from the slums: forced by economic circumstances a mother has to look for foster parents or her infant son. However, paradise expected in the first world can easily mean hell too."

The short film, which runs for only 17 minutes, is about single mother Maria (Angel Aquino) who is about to give up her 10-year-old son Santiago (Robbie Felongco) for adoption. But what starts out as an innocent journey to the market quickly turns into a devastating loss for both mother and son.

The 2009 Asian Hot Shots Berlin took place in Germany from January 13-18, 2009. According to its official website, the Asian Hot Shots Berlin is "a platform for young Asian film in its artistic and political relevance. It aims give insights that are not shown in the mass media and mainstream film. It further aims to create a cultural exchange between German and Asian filmmakers."

International award-winning movie “Serbis” (Service) by Brillante Mendoza (Slingshot, The Masseur, Summer Heat, Foster Child) is showing in selected theaters in the US on January 16, 2009. Check out the US poster and trailer of Serbis after the jump.

Rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America, Serbis is being distributed in the US by Regent Releasing.

SYNOPSIS

Filipino director Brillante Mendoza brings a frank, gritty immediacy to SERBIS, a multi-character, day-in-the-life portrait of a family-run movie house in the Philippines. Only this isn’t your… Filipino director Brillante Mendoza brings a frank, gritty immediacy to SERBIS, a multi-character, day-in-the-life portrait of a family-run movie house in the Philippines. Only this isn’t your typical movie house. It’s actually a downtrodden venue that shows graphic double features and allows the clientele to make their own sexual connections in the dark shadows.

Today is a very important day, for Nanay For, the family matriarch, is going to discover if she won a years-in-the-making bigamy case against her husband. Meanwhile, her children are involved in dramatic situations of their own. Alan has just learned troubling news about his girlfriend, and Nayda is married but attracted to her cousin Ronald. As the day develops and the verdict comes down, the Pinedas struggle to focus on the daily tasks associated with the theater, even as their own personal conflicts threaten to overwhelm them.

Shot on video, SERBIS recalls films from the Dogme 95 movement. Mendoza and screenwriter Armando Lao have clearly constructed these dramatic situations, yet they are shot on consumer video with such energy that the film often feels like a documentary. Mendoza pulls no punches, showing multiple scenes of behind-the-scenes sexuality that are even more graphic than the X-rated behavior unfolding on the cavernous theater’s silver screen. SERBIS provides a realistic, unflinching glimpse into this hyper-sexualized world.

Serbis (Service) stars Coco Martin (The Masseur), Jacklyn Jose (Consol), Kristoffer King, Julio Diaz, Dan Alvaro and Gina Pareño (The Collector).

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY ABOUT SERBIS:

“Slightly more evolved from a narrative perspective than his previous feature Tirador (Slingshot), Serbis (Service) is another overwhelmingly tactile experience that should further cement the prolific filmmaker’s reputation.” - John P. McCarthy (Boxoffice Magazine)

“Raw and Uncompromising.” - New York Film Festival

“Bristling Sexuality, both gay and straight.” - The Hollywood Reported

This is the trailer of the movie courtesy by hatakpl

There's no nudity, and a "penetration" consummates only towards the end, but Dose is a decidedly sexual journey. It's the story of a boy's coming of age, yet the genius of the movie is that it acknowledges the boy's sexuality as something to be anticipated and inevitable, a thing of the future, but also a tactile presence, already happening.

Edy (Fritz Chavez) likes to watch movies and imitate his favorite actresses. Snippets of screen gems from the 80's -- most of them from great works of camp like Temptation Island and Waikiki -- are interspersed, and it's a wonderful device. What we're made to feel is not merely nostalgia, but more urgently, the hidden allure and danger of Edy's moment-to-moment discoveries. It's an occuring force within him, whether or not there's an explanation for it.

It's the same natural tendency at work when he finds somebody's old dolls and begins to play with them, and also, especially, during an ever-evolving friendship with the house gardener Danny (Yul Servo). Under the steady hand of Writer-Director Senedy Que, the scenes between the boy and the older man are lovely and tender, but also increasingly tense. He frames his shots to suggest sex -- a carefully gripped garden hose here, two bodies on a pendulum swing there, Servo's half-naked body, so near yet so far, in ultra-short denims that expose the underwear bulges -- and it's done with as much wry humor as malicious suspense. What Que has constructed, brilliantly, is the period in a gay boy's life when he doesn't quite know if he should hold back or dive forward, because the world ahead is too unknown but also too mighty to ignore. Servo plays Danny smashingly. Almost innocent in the embrace of his own charisma, but also somewhat calculating, Danny is light and dark, a devil that's also the only guardian angel around. Symbolically, he's the forbidden fruit, a glimpse of both heaven and hell. If some audiences find the movie an uncomfortable viewing, it's because Que has allowed the mixed emotions to curdle all at the same time, resulting in an original blend of calm, almost deadpan, sexy fury. And, for a controversially themed drama, it's surprisingly free of moralistic judgment. I found it touching, funny, sad, and exhilarating. This is a gay coming of age that's deeper, braver, edgier than Ang Pagdadalaga Ni Maximo Oliveros (The Blossing of Maximo Oliveros) or Ang Lihim Ni Antonio (Antonio's Secret).

Que, a multi-awarded writer making his directorial debut, bills Dose "a personal film", and whatever the factual details behind the story, it does have the power of a traumatic reminiscence. Every character is touched with a graceful humanity, including the aunt who wishes to cast away Edy's gay demons, played beautifully by Irma Adlawan, and Emilio Garcia as the older Edy, a filmmaker who makes a movie about when he was twelve and finds catharsis. The film also makes room for the boy's loneliness and familial alienation. The images are burnished like a disintegrating home video, long lost and rewatched. Dose is a memory of a present turning into the future -- a near-perfect encapsulation of the precise instance when there was no turning back.

Trailer of Shelter courtesy by johnc1138

SYNOPSIS

Official Trailer for the film "Shelter" featuring actors Brad Rowe, Trevor Wright, and Tina Holmes. Released by here! Films. Coming to theaters March 2008, followed by an exclusive run on here! Networks April 2008.

Forced to give up his dreams of art school, Zach spends his days working a dead-end job and helping his needy sister care for her son. In his free time he surfs, draws and hangs out with his best friend, Gabe, who lives on the wealthy side of town. When Gabe's older brother, Shaun, returns home, he is drawn to Zach's selflessness and talent. Zach falls in love with Shaun while struggling to reconcile his own desires with the needs of his family.

"Shelter" is the most celebrated gay film this film festival season. It is being heralded by critics everywhere as the next landmark film in gay cinema.

For more information about the film, visit www.heretv.com/sheltermovie

DIRECTED BY: Jonah Markowitz

CAST: Trevor Wright, Brad Rowe, Tina Holmes

WRITTEN BY: Jonah Markowitz

MUSIC BY: J. Peter Robinson

PRODUCED BY: J.D. DiSalvatore, Anne Clements (exec)Paul Colichman (exec) Stephen P. Jarchow (exec) Jeffrey Schenck (co-prod) Meredith Kadlec (co-exec)

Napanood ko ang pelikulang ito with a classmate last 2nd Semester 2006. Niyaya lang ako na panoorin ang pelikulang ito at libre ako kaya naman game ako.

Si Harry Laurel ang bida sa pelikulang ito. It was a nice movie naman at talagang naka relate ako ng maigi sa Lalaki sa Parola. Maganda kasi ang story niya at nakarelate talaga ako. At least may isang bagay akong natutunan at hindi ko makalimutan na linya sa movie na ito : "Alam ko na ang diwata!"

The lead character is Mateo (Harry Laurel), a young man from Bicol who goes to Lobo, Batangas to look for his long lost father who turns out to be an OFW in Dubai. He stays in Lobo and works as caretaker of its lighthouse (which is a character in itself in the movie). He has a steamy affair with a horny schoolteacher, Suzette (Jennifer Lee), who he says was the one who wooed him.

A stranger from the city, Jerome (Justin de Leon), takes a vacation in their place and Mateo acts as a tour guide for him. Jerome is gay and seduces Mateo, who proves to be a willing victim. Jerome soon returns to the city. Mateo’s dad arrives from abroad and ignores him. Rejected, he follows Jerome to Manila and lives in his pad. But when Jerome forces Mateo to do oral sex on him, Mateo refuses saying “Hindi ako bakla.” Jerome insists he is one, he just won’t accept it. They break up and Mateo returns to Lobo where he meets Tisyo (Crispin Pineda), an old man whose story is actually the framework of Mateo’s own story, which is just told in flashbacks.

You may or may not agree about the film’s premise on homosexuality, but there’s no doubt that Altarejos (who co-wrote the story with Lex Bonife) has come up with an engaging story about forbidden love and the choices one makes. Justin de Leon understands the challenges of his role well and comes up with a touching, heartfelt performance.

Jennifer Lee is also engaging as the teacher who can’t understand why her lover left her. Harry Laurel suits the role of Mateo physically, but emotionally, he is so much of a neophyte that he fails to be convincing. To begin with, the role is really so demanding that a more seasoned actor should have been cast in it. Technical credits are better than average, particularly the musical score and the production design.

Despite the "B" rating from the Film Development Council's Cinema Evaluation Board (which entitled the film to 65-percent rebate on its amusement taxes), "Ang Lalake sa Parola" was a commercial success at the exclusive IndieSine of the Robinsons Galleria Mall. The digital film, starring Harry Chua and Justin de Leon, also got mixed reviews from film critics, after surpassing the initial "X" rating from the MTRCB. The DVD version of the movie will be out soon, and, with fingers crossed, it will be in its uncut version.

At first kasi medyo hindi pa ako nakakarelate sa kovie pero noong nagstart na lumabas si Jerome, nalaman ko na kung ano ba talaga ang diwatang tinutukoy noong Mama na kausap ni Mateo. Hehe... Have you ate?

Actually, I have no idea about this film HUGOT at talagang nagulat pa ako sa itinext ng friend ko na ililibre raw niya ako sa panonood nito. Dahil sa talagang walang pasok at Manila Day, sumama na ako kasi ayaw ko siyang manood ng mag-isa. Sa Cinema 8 of Robinsons Movieworld - Galleria kami nanood. Pagpasok ko ng cinehan, akala ko ay premiere dahil standing ovation talaga sa entrance pa lang ng Cinema hanggang sa likod ng mga upuan ng cinehan. Nang malampasan ko sila, nakita ko na wala naman pala halos na nakaupo sa mga upuan. Hindi ko lang maintindihan kung ano ang mga pinaggagagawa nila at lahat sila ay nakatayo. Lolz! Parang hindi ko pa alam ang lahat... Hehe! :)

Actually, magulo ang story. Sorry sa mga nakapanood at nagustuhan ang story nito pero talagang nawindang ako sa storyline. Naintindihan ko lang ang story nang magbrowse ako ng internet. Hayz! Naiintindihan ko na common talaga ang mga nangyaring iyon na ipinalabas sa movie pero hindi ko pa rin maintindihan ang lahat-lahat.

Sayang pa si Ana Capri na talagang napahanga ako sa maraming movies na nagawa na niya.

Naaasar nga 'yung friend ko kasi 1st time niya this year manood ng movie na ito kasi hectic ang schedule ng isang boss ng isang oil company tapos ganito pa ang mapapanood niya. Ang nasabi lang niya sa akin, "Sana natulog na lang ako sa bahay!"

I understand na low ludgeted movie lang ito pero hindi reason para makagawa ng ganito kacrappy na Idie Film. Marami na akong napanood na Indie Films na mura rin lang ang production budget pero worth it naman ang pagpunta sa mga Robinsons Malls (kasi wala namang ganito sa SM e!) pati ang time na supposed to be ay natutulog ka or nag-eenjoy ay maaasar ka lang dahil nag-aksaya ka pa ng panahaon. Hayz! Pwede naman sana

Pasalamat na lang kayo kasi may isang line akong nagustuhan sa movie at talagang natuwa ako: "Wala kang karapatang bumili kung hindi ka naman marunong gumamit." 'Yun lang! Hindi ko pa natandaan kung sino ang nagsabi at kung anong part kasi inis ang nangibabaw sa akin.

Hindi lang ako ang nagcomment ng mga ganito: (marami sila sa Youtube.com)

jaeWALK : maybe stop making "indie films" and just make hardcore porn.
mervdmer : After MORENO...and DAY BREAK........all i can say is...Fool me one shame on youFool me twice shame on meWatching this crappy movie says it all...Third time is a charm.
darrk77 : anong climax ang pinagsasabi mo? wala namang direksyon yung trailer... montage lang naman 'to.
lukalyks : Nakakalurky!!!!!! Nagkatulo ang isa sa mga yan!! Mag-ingat ang mga taong nabigyan ng cell no nya na nakasulat sa isang maliit na papel na ipinamimigay nya sa mga bars! CS
ferdiemac : -anong istorya nyan? - ang pangit ng setting. low budget.-ang lalaki ng bilbil.-ang pok pok ni ana capri.- pero gusto ko mapanood

Hugot Movie Trailer : Thanks to indieskarte

Written and Directed by: Jonison FontanosCasts: Ms. Ana Capri, Jerome Ebreo, Christopher Canizares, Cris Castillo, and Alvin Espinosa

Itaas natin ang QUALITY ng mga INDIE FILMS!

I saw the trailer of this movie so many times and I am so much delighted with the trailer. As in, trailer pa lang, mukhang worth it na talagang panoorin. This time kasi ay tumitingin na muna ako sa mga trailer ng movie bago ako manood para hindi ako magsisi sa huli.

"Kambyo"Cast: Harold Macasero, Ray An Dulay, Johnron Tañada, Gabz del Rosario and Kenjie Garcia Director: Joselito Altarejos Executive Producer: Vic del Rosario Jr. Producer: Vicente G. del Rosario III Supervising Producers: Valerie S. del Rosario & Jonathan Ling-Aligada Associate Producer: Hermie Go Creative Consultant: Cel Santiago Screenwriter: Lex Bonife Story: Joselito Altarejos & Lex Bonife Cinematography: Arvin Viola Editor: Ricardo Gonzales Jr. Production Design: Lester Jacinto Production: Digital Viva and BeyondtheBox

Thanks to lexbonife for the upload

I was with Sebastian kahapon watching this movie at Robinsons Galleria, Cinema 9. Syempre ay libre as usual ako sa movie treat na ito kasi sa pagkakaalam ko ay movie nila ito.

Music : Ang ganda ng opening music ng movie na ito hanggang sa huli. Hindi ko siya maicompare ang movie na ito sa iba kasi iba ang atake nito sa audience.

Story : Two thumbs up! Nagustuhan ko ang story nilang apat na magkakaibigan. May kani-kaniya silang mga istorya na common at talagang madaling makarelate. Na shocked nga ako sa revelation nung isa na may HIV tapos 'yung pagtatapat ng "I love you" nung isa. Well, something na nakakarelate ako ng husto sa story nito kahit papaano. Hehe!

Location : Actually, mukhang pinag-isipan talaga when it comesto location. Ang ganda ng place. Very refreshing sa mata ang mga scenes. Ang natatandaan ko lang naplace dun ay 'yung sa parte ng Vigan sa may simbahan. Tama ba? Hehe!

Actors / Characters : Actually, hindi ko talaga sila lahat kilala pero nagustuhan ko 'yung acting nila. Tamang-tama lang ang timpla sa mga scenes. Huh!?

Sex scenes : Very passionate! Very sexy... All I can say is... MapapaKambyo ka talaga! (Like it?)

SYNOPSIS

Masseur” in various film festival abroad and i was proud that although it’s only a digital film, it was able to accomplish an artistic take on a very interesting topic.

Masahista is a story about a young masseur named Iliac (played by Coco Martin) who caters to gay clientele. In here, sex is an immediate consequence of massage. One ordinary night, a gay writer (Alan Paule) becomes Iliac’s first customer of the day. But once outside the parlor, his current gf (Katherine Luna), a bar girl who works in Japan, asserts her sexual dominion over him.

Back home, his estranged father died and as Iliac makes the trip to the province, he is faced with the reality of death, love, life and survival. The masseur then carries out his defined duties and roles–to his father and family, to his gf, to his trade and to the one customer who has made him a favorite and seems to return for more.

Aside from some loopholes in the plot, Masahista was able to convey a simple story of poverty which is very common in Filipino artfilms. For me, it’s the second best digital movie of 2005 (Maximo Oliveros is the best by far). I heard it was nominated in various local award-giving bodies aside from being officially selected in more than 10 international film festivals around the world and even winning the prestigious Golden Leopard Award in Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland.

This is the trailer of Masseur / Masahista courtesy by webhop

Mula sa Sinehan Digitales (dating Grupong Sinehan), a group known for starting local queer indies, comes another personal film from indie filmmaker, Cris Pablo.

Karaniwan nang tema ng mga pelikula ni Direk Cris ang tungkol sa mga bading na sadlak sa kahirapan, pero ang Quicktrip na nakatakdang mapanood sa IndieSine Robinsons Galleria simula sa September 3 ay kakaiba sa pagiging personal, dahil may pagka-autobiographical nga ito kung buhay ng nabanggit na direktor ang pag-uusapan.

"'Yun nga lang, ang main character dito ay ginawa kong mas bata, bading na hindi halata," kuwento ni Direk Cris nang makausap namin siya.

"Isa siyang waiter na typical breadwinner, na ibinibigay ang suweldo sa kayang pamilya, na nagkakasya na lang siya sa katiting na matitira sa kinikita niya."

The conflict arises when the lead character's boyfriend, who's working as a call center agent and earning much more, wants to settle with him in a live-in arrangement.

"Hindi niya ma-afford ang ganoong set-up, so in a funny way, sinundan ng pelikula ang nangyari sa kanya in a particular day-off.

"Naghintay na siya ng buong maghapon para ma-solve 'yung conflict nila ng partner niya, pero wala pa rin. So, he decided to watch a movie," kuwento pa ni Direk Cris.

Ipinakita pa sa pelikula ang kung anu-anong nakatutuwang situwasyon ng panghahalay sa loob ng sinehan.

"Naaala pa rin niya ang lover niya, pero sa paglabas niya ng sinehan, makakakilala siya ng isang guwapong lalaki. At doon na iikot ang kanyang mundo," sabi pa ni Direk.

Lahat ng tungkol dito ay batay rin naman sa mga kuwento rin ng iba pang mga kakilalang bading ni Direk Cris sa tunay na buhay, na gaya niya, breadwinner din, na ang puntong ito ay laging sumasagabal sa kanilang pakikipagrelasyon.

Doon na masusundan ang mga kaganapan sa buhay nina Cris (as played by Topher Barretto) at Andro (Andro Morgan), dalawang typical bisexuals sa paghahanap kung paano at saan sila magsi-sex.

Isa sa isyung lumalaganap ngayon sa indie cinema na may kaugnayan sa Quicktrip ay ang pagkakaroon nito ng controversial masturbation scene.

Ipinaliwanag ni Direk Cris kung ano ang significance ng puntong ito na hindi lalabas na pang-e-exploit lamang.

"Wala namang masturbation scene actually," paglilinaw ni Direk. "Kailangan lang kasing maramdaman ng audience, sa buong maghapon at magdamag nilang paghahanap, kung paano maga-gratify ng central character ang sarili niya sexually and emotionally, in a quick manner.

"'Yun ang intention ng pelikula. May twist kasi ang pelikula na hindi puwedeng i-reveal. Pero, ang point ko lang, kapag nilalabasan ang isang lalaki, roon natin siya higit na nakikilala, katulad din ng sandaling namamatay na siya. Roon madalas na makikilala ang pagkatao niya," pahayag pa ng direktor.

Mapapanood ang Quicktrip simula September 3, 2008 sa IndieSine, Robinsons Galleria.