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Neil Tan rises from the coffins

Author: Edgar Cruz
Column: BuzzStation

The Cinema Evaluation Board describes the A-rated movie Ataul (For Rent) by Neil Buboy Tan with three B words: bleak, black, beautiful.

The wake of the son of Tita Swarding gave the director/scriptwriter the inspiration for Ataul (For Rent), which is produced by Anthony Gedang of Artiste Management. Swarding used a rented coffin as his family planned to cremate his sons remains. Having just released Barang, which enjoyed moderate success at the box-office, Neil wanted to come up with a different kind of horror movie. He came up with the story of a small-time funeral parlor operator, who rents coffins for a living. The bigger picture, of course, is the horrible poverty of squatters and how they remain victims even in death.

The A rating came as a surprise for Neil. Although he takes his craft seriously, film industry people seem to regard him as a B-movie director. This was because he injected sex elements in his past movies for commercial appeal. Even if they were well-made movies, the reputation seems to stick. In Kalabit, for instance, the story about a woman (Ara Mina) who has a different lover by day and by night, reviews failed to notice its intrinsic quality as Neil is not in the loop of critically praised directors. The CEB affirmation of Ataul (For Rent) comes as a validation of his directorial and scriptwriting talents. Now hes confident he has a cinematic work of which he could be proud.

In Ataul (For Rent), he found the black comedyan uncompromising look into the harsh realities operating in our lives and, in doing so, exposing hidden truths without the histrionics on the premise of life as horror. Baklas (Human Organs For Sale), his next movie which starts principal production in December, is about desperate slum dwellers selling their body organs. Ronnie Lazaro is the returning OFW who resorts to selling his organs to survive. Being considered for the lead actress role is Nora Aunor, Rosanna Roces, Ai Ai delas Alas and Lorna Tolentino. Notice the similarity in the titles structure with Ataul (For Rent) and the depressing narrative by which the satire goes around.

Neil is creative. Hes proud to have created Vic Sottos Lastikman costume in the original cinematic revival of the Mars Ravelo superhero. When hes not shooting movies, which he says comes in a two-year cycle, he uses the down time for cash-producing undertakings such as tailoring and buy-and-sell ventures. This makes him one of the original indie movie-makers whose spirit is never smashed whether or not theres a movie to shoot. He knows the next movie is coming up so he writes scripts. They are pre-production-ready. Sabado de Gloria, for example, is another mystery/drama, a satire about a prisoners wife that takes place on Holy Week.

By replacing the sexy stars of his previous films with to-die-for (word play intended) actors, Neil started making fully realized movies.

Originally set for release on Halloween, the screening of Ataul (For Rent) has been reset to Nov. 7 due to the long weekend before perceived to be a dead period because moviegoers are occupied by the barangay elections and All Souls Day activities.

Breaking buzz: Ataul (for Rent) has been selected for the competition section of the 12th International Film Festival of Kerala on Dec. 7 to 14 at Trivandrum, Kerala, India where only 14 films were shortlisted from over 215 entries. The Chennai International Film Festival of India, which will take place immediately after Kerala, has also invited the movie.

World Music Rooms Halloween treat

Get a chance to meet and greet three ultra hot and super sexy Maxim girls at World Music Room on Oct. 30, Tuesday. No pre-announcements as to who the girls are going to be to make the surprise even more shocking! You want an adrenaline rush on the night of bloodsuckers and ghouls, right? Theyll be available for photo ops too! World Music Room is also launching For Da Boys, its mens night out promo It is which gives 50 percent discount on room rates to all men starting Oct. 30 and every Tuesday for November. Get a chance to win prizes from Remy Martin and Frenzy condom. World Music Room is at Greenhills Shopping Centers Promenade, besides Teatrino.

Bea and John Lloyds honesty

Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz have a new Star Cinema movie, One More Chance, set to open nationwide for Nov. 14. Each year, they do a feel-good full-length feature and each time they do this, they produce a certified blockbuster. Why do they pull this feat each time? One word: honesty. Even if they are not in a real romantic relationship, they dont fool the public into thinking otherwise. This is the same strength of the Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon love as pointed out by Manay Ethel Ramos. They look good together so that without the thrill of a romantic relationship, moviegoers are able suspend disbelief. They are also such good actors that they convince viewers without the publicity push. They also know how to phase their careers, proving to be a long-lasting creative collaboration.

Janelles first US show soldout

Janelle Jamers show with Vhong Navarro and Rey Kilay at the Cultural Arts Center in California last Oct. 27 was sold out! Her American ambition was postponed because she did not have the management to back her up. Now that she is Cacai Velasquezs contract star, her local and global careers have tremendously picked up. She is set to do shows at the Chabot College Performing Arts in San Francisco on Nov. 1 and Gateway Theater in Chicago on Nov. 2. Her comeback salvo took place in Jordan where she had a show with Piolo Pascual and Vhong Navarro, the first time local stars went there to do a show. After the show, they went to Petra to see the sights. She is appearing in the Nov. 2 episode of Charo Santos Concios Malaala Mo Kaya where she falls in love with a gay as played by Mark Bautista. This will Janelles first drama appearance in television.

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Source: The Daily Tribune