Manny against Jinkee joining showbiz

Author: Mario E. Bautista
Column: Dream Factory

Jinkee Pacquiao is the newest endorser of Dr. Vicki Belo’s Belo Medical Clinic. She appears with husband Manny in Belo’s newest billboard saying "Only a body by Belo can knock out Manny." Last Sunday, she was the special guest of DJ Mo in his "Gimme Mo" portion in "Showbiz Central."

Is it true hindi magaan ang loob sa iyo ni Mommy Dionisia?

"Hindi naman sa hindi magaan. Iniisip ko lang noon kung magugustuhan din kaya niya ako kasi marami rin siyang naririnig sa ibang tao. Ganun naman siguro talaga sa umpisa. Pero okay na kami ngayon," replied Jinky.

Can you now give fashion tips to Mommy Dionisia?

"Ngayon, puede ko na siyang turuan."

It’s not easy to be the wife of Manny Pacquiao, what’s your biggest fear about Manny?

"’Yung kapag may laban siya, natamaan at may dugo na, baka biglang mag-collapse."

And what’s Manny’s biggest fear about you? "Kung matapang siya, mas matapang ako, knock out siya sa’kin."

Weren’t you affected by the intrigues about Manny?

"Naapektuhan din ako, pero ngayon, hindi na."

At this point, DJ Mo called a surprise and it’s Manny himself. Manny thanked Jinky for all her support then called all their three kids to join them. DJ Mo later asked Manny if he’d sit in John Lapus’ "Don’t Lie to Me" portion and he readily agreed.

He was asked: Don’t you like Jinkee to be an artista?

"Yes. Problema lang yun kasi maraming parehong artista, naintriga lang tapos naghiwalay sila."

Mommy Dionisia doesn’t want you to fight again. So is your fight with Cotto your last one? Yes or no?

"Dun ako sa or. Hindi pa sigurado. Pag-uusapan pa ng family namin."

Mas seloso ka raw kaysa kay Jinkee?

"Yes. Seloso talaga ako. Ang pagkaseloso ko, ayokong ibulgar. It’s just between her and me. Pangit naman kasing ipakita sa ibang tao. Natural lang yun, pag hindi mo mahal, hindi ka magseselos."

***

In "Astig," what Piolo Pascual’s two directors are trying to achieve in "Manila" but failed to do, neophyte filmmaker GB Sampedro succeeds in doing: painting a portrait of Manila as an urban jungle, a city of many faces where everyday is a matter of survival for its denizens living in squalor and urban blight, so you really have to be tough or "astig." The film offers revealing slices of life of four young men.

Ariel is a con man who sells fake documents in Recto and doesn’t hesitate to dupe women who are attracted to his handsome looks. One of them is teen student Elgine (Glaiza de Castro), who pays dearly for surrendering her virginity to him. Boy (Edgar Allan Guzman) is a young man whose teenage wife is about to deliver their first baby. He loses all his savings meant for hospitalization bills when his mom (Chanda Romero) is caught for shoplifting and he has to bail her out. With no other means to earn money, he is forced to give in to the advances of an old gay (Arman Reyes) who’s long been trying to seduce him.

Ronald (Arnold Reyes) is a promdi from Zamboanga who comes to Chinatown to sell a rundown house he inherited from his late Chinese father. Rushed by his mom to sell it, he gives in to the advances of a prospective gay client (Gardo Versoza) then loses all the money to a prostitute (Keanna Reeves) who robs him while they’re in a cheap hotel. He loses his sanity and wanders around the city in his briefs.

Baste (Sid Lucero) is the elder brother of Elgine. He’s in college but is not so bright so he’s having a hard time passing his course. He’s very protective of his two sisters and tries his best to help their mom but he nevertheless fails to stop Elgine when she commits suicide after she got venereal disease.

Since this is produced by Boy Abunda, most of his talents and friends are here in cameo roles: Ai Ai de las Alas, Mariel Rodriguez, Bianca Gonzales, Sitti Navarro, Kim Atienza, Emilio Garcia, Pooh, Paolo Paraiso, and many more. Sampedro’s main achievement in this movie is shooting so many scenes in actual locations, like Arranque Market, Recto Avenue, and the Quiapo Underpass, so you’d marvel at how they shot key scenes in these busy areas. It must have been quite a demanding job for the crowd control people.

Much of the acting is fine. Dennis’ role as an unscrupulous swindler is different from the lead roles he does in his soaps and he acquits himself quite well. Edgar Allan is also totally believable as the innocent young man who’s pushed against the wall and has no choice but to prostitute himself. The most affecting moment in the film is his wordless scene with Chanda when she bails him out of jail. Only their eyes talk.

Arnold deserves his best supporting actor award as the Chabacano who wants to make a connection with his half-brother (Emilio Garcia) but gets rejected and is later exploited and gets victimized by harsh city life. Sid does fine in his kuya role but we honestly cannot see the point of his episode. Arman Reyes gives excellent support as Tanda, the old gay who hangs around in a sleazy porn theater seducing needy young men.

Aside from the best supporting actor award, "Astig" also won the best director plum for GB Sampedro, plus the best sound and best editing awards.

***

"Mangatyanan" is the second film of Jerrold Tarog, whose first one, "Confessional", won best film in the 2007 Cinema One filmfest. He says this is the second of a trilogy about the camera. In "Confessional," the hero is a documentarist. This time, the lead character, Himalaya or Laya, is a female photographer whose father is a much respected photographer himself.

Laya (Che Ramos, the model in the EQ diaper TV commercial) has a big chip on her shoulder. She’s quiet, cautious in relating with people, refuses to see her estranged mom (Irma Adlawan) and when her dad has a heart attack, also refuses to visit him in the hospital. She is assigned by her boss (Mailes Kanapi) to work with another photographer (Neil Ryan Sese) and cover the ritual called "Mangatyanan" (rebirth) of a dying tribe called Labwanan in a coastal town in Isabela for an international travel magazine.

In Isabela, they meet the remaining members of the tribe led by the father (Publio Briones, the corrupt mayor in "Confessional") who is unreasonably strict with his only son that the boy later rebels and runs away, failing to finish the ritual. While in Isabela, Laya learns that her dad has died. She’s the one who finishes the ritual for the tribe and, in the process, gets reborn when she meets her dead father after drinking the hallucinatory drink that caps the ritual. In the end, her rebirth leads her to forgive both of her erring parents so she can start life anew.

Tarog confirms his gifts as a filmmaker. Just like "Confessional," he shows he really knows how to use the camera to tell a story even if he uses an unconventional structure. We just wish he’d shorten the movie and we feel that there’s no need for him anymore to show the dead father in Laya’s dream (played by Pen Medina). The sequence is too long and they exchange such long lines that the whole scene loses its sense of whimsy and magic. We were more affected by the final reconciliation between Laya and her mom.

What holds the film together is Che Ramos’ brilliantly underplayed performance as Laya. She may not be a big-name star but she certainly knows to delineate her complicated role effectively without any frills. We wouldn’t complain at all if she winsthe best actress award. Giving her great support are Irma Adlawan as her mom, Mailes Kanapi as her loud boss and Julia Enriquez as her supportive flatmate.

***

"Ang Panggagahasa Kay Fe " (which they translate as "The Rapture of Fe") is the full-length film debut of Alvin Yapan, who won the 2007 Cinemalaya best short film for his "Rolyo."

Fe (Irma Adlawan) returns to their hometown after working for some years in Singapore as a domestic helper. It seems she didn’t earn much there as they’re financially strapped. Her husband, Dante (Nonie Buencamino), mortgaged their land just for her to be able to work abroad and now, they cannot even get it back. Dante is the jealous type who doesn’t hesitate to hit or slap Fe, even if he’s also carrying on an affair with another woman, Gie (Mercedes Cabral). Fe herself continues her liaison with Arturo (TJ Trinidad), her first boyfriend.

Fe wakes up one night with a strange man standing inside their room. She asks him "Sino ka?" but the man vanishes when Dante comes in. Soon, she starts receiving baskets of fruits from an unknown donor. At first, she thinks they come from Dante but he only gets jealous again, accusing her of having a lover who gives her the fruits. She suspects Arturo to be the donor but he denies it, so she asks around and is told she might have a "kapre" (ogre) for a suitor. Disgusted by both her husband and her lover, she decides to join the "kapre" in his own world.

When we saw the movie, viewers really got scared in some scenes where they anticipate the appearance of the "kapre," but Yapan obviously doesn’t mean this to be a horror flick as the "kapre" here is not the usual giant who smokes a big cigar as portrayed in local films. He looks like an ordinary man, not scary at all, only his body is covered with tattoos that makes him look more like an inmate.

The movie seems to be trying to impart other things about Pinays who are battered wives and who go abroad for their families (although Fe is childless here and we can’t understand the need for her to go to work as a DH abroad), but it’s not all properly articulated. What the film actually succeeded in doing is to bore us and, once again, we’re wishing we’re watching it on DVD so we can press the forward button, particularly in that interminable scene where Fe is shown digging to bury the basket of fruits she got again from her secret admirer. It’s one long take and the camera just stands there from the time she started digging up to the time she covered up the whole again. Ho-hum. When you watch the movie, you can take a nap during this portion as you won’t miss anything.

Irma serves her role well but we think she’s quite old for it. We imagine the "kapre" will find someone young and luscious, more tempting than a woman who must be in her mid-40s. Well, of course, unless the "kapre" really prefers matrons than spring chicken.

Source: Malaya

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