MANILA, Philippines ? First, the good news: This year?s entries to the Metro Manila Film Festival are better than last year?s batch, when ?festival-quality? translated to movies that were as shallow as they were thematically sterile.
This year, even the usually predictable action (Tony Reyes? ingeniously concocted ?Si Agimat At Si Enteng Kabisote?), comedy (Wenn Deramas? ?Ang Tanging Ina Mo?) and horror (Jerrold Tarog?s ?Punerarya? in ?Shake, Rattle and Roll 12?) franchises manage to go beyond formulaic triteness.
?Rosario? and ?RPG: Metanoia? are a cut above the rest. But, while they have their merits, their flaws keep them from being truly memorable.
After last year?s lackluster lineup, the festival signified its intention to bring artistic merit back to the top of its priorities. But, this year?s list of winners and nominees hardly reflects that?regardless of how the committee justifies its choices.
Evil stepmom
In Michael Tuviera?s ?Super Inday And The Magic Bibe,? the lovely Marian Rivera is charmingly competent as a barrio lass-turned-superheroine?but, it?s hard it fathom how Rivera?s portrayal can merit a citation over Jennylyn Mercado?s mutedly complex characterization in Albert Martinez?s melodramatically convoluted ?Rosario,? a sweeping and visually succulent period piece that also features memorable turns from Sid Lucero, Yul Servo, Ricky Davao and Dolphy, who deserves his Best Supporting Actor win.
Unfortunately, the comedy king?s confounding triumph as Best Actor for Frank Gray Jr.?s well-meaning but bromidic ?Father Jejemon? dilutes the impact of Dolphy?s twin win?especially since viewers spend half their time suspending disbelief that the endearing but painfully sluggish Dolphy is up to his character?s task of spearheading his parish?s moral renewal. As they say, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
We had high hopes for Dondon Santos? glossy ?Dalaw.? Sadly, Kris Aquino?s latest chiller is more funny than scary?and we?re not just talking about the portrayal of Aquino, whose look of constant dread zaps the thrill and chill out of supposedly hair-raising scenes.
In Wenn Deramas? ?last? ?Tanging Ina? comedy, AiAi de las Alas largely benefits from her time-honed chemistry with the adorably flaky Eugene Domingo. But, even for a parody, it?s hard to accept the preposterous implausibilities of the movie?s exposition?most notably the sequence involving Uno (Marvin Agustin), who falls victim to the global economic recession and comes home a pauper. ?A former presidential son getting retrenched and rummaging for ?scraps? without anybody knowing about it? Highly unlikely.
Cautionary tale
There?s a lot of shaking, rattling and rolling in ?Shake, Rattle and Roll 12?s? first two episodes?Zoren Legaspi?s ?Mamanyika? and Topel Lee?s ?Isla??but, it?s Jerrold Tarog?s cautionary ?Punerarya? and its cast?s performances that elevate the horror anthology beyond its sordid, nature-versus-nurture tale about vengeful creatures.
If you?re looking for technological innovation, you can?t go wrong with Luis Suarez?s visually engaging 3D animation, ?RPG: Metanoia,? about a group of kids who encounter a different kind of adventure when they attempt to lash back at the kanto boys who bully them?through online games!
While dragging at times, Suarez?s movie scores with its eye-candy gloss, as well as its simple but compelling story about friendship and family. But, the irony isn?t lost on us that one of the MMFF?s best and most polished entries is?an animated feature film!
