Kita Kita

Sa direksyon ni Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, ang Kita Kita ay isa na namang pelikula tungkol sa pag-ibig. At tulad nang lahat ng kwentong pag-ibig, may saya at lungkot, may tawanan at iyakan, may kilig at pait.

Set in Sapporo ang kwento. So expect na makasulyap sa iba't ibang tanawin sa Hokkaido, Japan. Pinagbibidahan nina Alessandra De Rossi bilang Lea at Empoy Marquez bilang Tonyo, ang pelikula ay mayroon lamang dalawang pangunahing tauhan. Wala masyadong may ekstrang role ng nanay, tatay, bespren, o barkada na pampahaba lang minsan ng airtime.

Gusto ko ang pamamaraan ng pagtalakay ng kwento. Gamit ang bilang isa hanggang sampu, naibahagi nito ang naramdaman ng tauhan, pisikal man o emosyonal. Minsan ay hugot, madalas ay pagmumulan ng halakhak.

Love is blind, ika nga. Pero alam na natin yan. Gasgas na nga yan. Kung iniisip mong komedya ito ng katagang iyan dahil bulag si Lea na nagkagusto kay Tonyo, tama ka. Pero mali ka rin.

Ayoko ng spoiler kaya't di ko sasabihin ang mga rebelasyon (na ang iba ay medyo may give away naman sa una kung mahusay na manonood pero ang ilan ay wala) pero let me just quote Tonyo,

"Ang labo mo. Nung nakakakita ka pa, hindi mo ako nakikita. Nung nabulag ka, tsaka mo ako nakita."

IMHO, this movie is so much better than the hyped Tadhana movie of Angelica Panganiban and JM De Guzman.

Fly away to LA LA Land

I rarely watch musical movies because I find it hard to follow the lyrics, while enjoying the melody and at the same time appreciate the story, cinematography and of course the acting. But this is the first musical movie I really loved and would have wanted to repeat watching.

The song "City of Stars" has been my LSS for almost two weeks. Give me the tune and the LSS will surely start again.

I haven't watched the movies of the other nominees but for me, both Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone do deserve to win the best actor/best actress awards with what they have shown. The sadness in their eyes says it all. They did not even need to shed tears, exchange deep quotable quotes, or show devastation in their acting. It was simple, it was true, it was heartfelt.

A number of the places featured in the film were the places I visited just a few months ago during my first visit in the US. So somehow, this may have added to how I felt for the movie. I couldn't help myself from shouting the names of the places as we were watching in the movie house! It was a subtle way to feature wonderful spots in LA.

The movie is light, with a touch of heaviness in some parts. Much like the real life of dreamers and lovers.

The Mistress (Just because I'm still not over it 7 days after)

The movie presented nothing very spectacular, except for the fact that it's not your typical love triangle. The movie introduced a four sided love story (baka mauso naman ang love square :p), but the story is quite simple actually, except for the twist on the relationship of the Benefactor and the Lover. I didn't like the ending though. It's very Star Cinema typical - someone dying and quite open-ended.

But what made me cry, and what probably touched lots of people is how we can relate to the characters - their situation, their feelings and emotions, and of course the lines....

"Ang kunwari ba pwedeng magkatotoo?"
"Siguro sa kunwari na lang natin pwede mahalin ang isa't-isa."
"Hindi mo malalamang may kulang hangga't may dumating na magpupuno."
"Ang daming dahilan para hindi kita mahalin, pero may isang dahilan kung bakit hindi ko magawa ‘yun. Mahal kita,yun lang ‘yon."
"Walang babaeng pinangarap maging kabit."
"'Di dahil gusto mo, makukuha mo."
"This is not about what you can or cannot do. It's about what you should do. Kayanin mo."
"I'm working hard not to be a perfect man but a good man like the way my father was."

Those were the lines that hit me the most, but of course there are others that may hit others more such as: "As long as I'm alive, you will never be promoted to wife."   More quotes can be found here: http://www.iamthecoffeechic.com/2012/09/the-mistress-movie-quotes.html

Tayong Dalawa

SUMMARY:
The teleserye is a story about two men who’ve become friends after a basketball match: JR, who lived in a poverish area, almost living on a day-to-day survival basis and Dave who’s lived on the safety of the confines of his family’s own mansion for all his life.

The two became close and soon finds out that they are both named David Garcia Jr. Later on, as they went off to study in the PMA, they find out their birthday is celebrated successively one day after the other. Things were going quite well until they find out that they both have the same father, David Garcia Sr., and that the two are actually twin brothers, with JR being the son to Marlene Dionisio, the real legal wife by paper and Dave as his son to Ingrid Gracia, the known legal wife.

Things got more twisted though as they fall for the same woman, Audrey, and thereafter finds out about a past…a past when the three of them have already met as young children.

The story continues to have its twists and turns, as illegal selling of firearms enter the life of Marlene’s other son, JR’s brother, Ramon. Rivalry between the two families and between the two brothers ensues, along with the role of Audrey’s father and grandmother in Dave’s family.

REFLECTION:
It’s a story about money, power, caste, crime, friendship and our all time favorite….LOVE.

It has a wonderful portrayal of love. Unlike the many movies that has been played, often focusing on romantic, lustful love, the story was able to show love in different states, with its different faces, under different angles, in different circumstances. The story depicts a relativist’s idea of love. Each of it is love, no matter how contradictory, each of it is true. There’s no saying one’s idea of love is wrong as the story shows down to the very depth of each character’s feelings.

It doesn’tmean that one of them had not loved. Or that one loved less than the other. They just have different perspectives about love as they reflect each face of this wondrous thing. A love that’s possessive (Ingrid), a love that shares (Marlene), a love that sets free (JR), a love for one’s sibling, a love that’s paternal or maternal, a love for a friend, a love purely on the surface, a love that creates, a love that kills and destroys.

The series was also able to tackle some of the questions that other literary pieces have already raised:
Will love justify going against the law? Is blood thicker than water?
Will you die for love? Will you kill for love?
Would you be willing to sacrifice your everything to save the one you love?
Will you against your morals for love?

A masterpiece indeed, it was beautifully crafted. Last time I saw something as good was with Mara Clara teleseries.

It was a bit disappointing though to find out that there was another son in the end, a possibility of a Book Two, which doesn’t really render most series as interesting since viewers would expect the same or something better than the standard that was set by the first book. Good luck to the writers then! :)