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Thursday, June 26, 2003
Serna: Huling Birhen stirs interest in local films
By Roger Serna
Sounds & Images
Education officials and other concerned sectors are pleased at the reported brisk sales of the latest installment to the Harry Potter series (the book, not the movie) entitled Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling.
People have reportedly endured queuing up for several hours (as early as 4:30 a.m.) before store opening time just to be among the first ones to get hold of a copy of the book, which commands a selling price a little over P1,000.
The above parties are in no way connected with the author or the publisher who, apparently, are laughing their way to the bank these days. Their delight and pleasure stem from the fact that, at least people, both young and old, have again directed their attention to reading.
It cannot be denied that modern technology has virtually snatched people from the habit or hobby of reading. With the latest craze created by the Harry Potter book, people, especially the young ones, have again appreciated the value of reading.
Haven’t we heard of the line, “read to lead” many times before? There is still a lot of hope for this generation and the coming ones afterall.
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Speaking of hope, the box-office success of the film Ang Tanging Ina is hailed by local film industry insiders and sympathizers as a good indication, that there is still hope that local cinema can avoid its eventual demise.
This should encourage producers to churn out products that not only serve their purpose, interests, caprices and whims, but also have the movie-viewing public in mind. There is always a market for Filipino films out there, only if these projects are well-thought of, well-crafted, timely, relevant, tackle a variety of subjects, with plots that have not been bruised through repeated use and abuse.
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So, what are you waiting for? Give us what we want.
At first, Ang Huling Birhen sa Lupa struck me as just another one of those sex flicks, dished out during the filmfest, that caters to warm blooded movie-goers and with nothing to brag about except the flawless skin and curvaceous bodies of its female leads and the toned, well-carved physiques of the male actors, not to mention the bravery and daring of these stars to bare everything down to their birthday suits, in front of the cameras.
That notion however changed when I chanced upon a write-up of a respected movie writer who described the film as “perhaps director Joel Lamangan’s best caper so far.” Oh, really? Mapanood nga.
As you may have known by now, the movie raked in most of the awards including best picture, best director, best actress (Ara Mina), best actor (Jay Manalo) and best supporting actress (Elizabeth Oropesa) in the recently concluded Manila Film Festival.
Lamangan has the ability to meg big scenes beautifully and even the simplest scene with clarity and to pay attention even to the minutest details. There were even those who went to the extent of comparing the megman’s latest baby to that of the late Ishmael Bernal’s classic Himala, starred by superstar Nora Aunor, because of the similarity of subject.
As to which one is better, that’s up for discussion and debate. The fact remains that Ang Huling Berhin sa Lupa has created a stir and has aroused interest in local films.
Don’t you think that’s another good sign?
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Writer, college professor, program host and entertainer Jude Bacalso was at his best comic element again during the presscon (given by Epson as it launched its latest line-up of quality and low-priced stylus photo printers, ink jet printers specifically the C43SX model and scanners, in an uptown café earlier this month).
The Epson exec who was the target of Jude’s jokes (and attention, who knows?) could only blush and laugh them off.
By the way, with that launching comes an Epson promo of giving away jackets containing colorful images of The Hulk and similar memorabilia, in keeping wit its record of tying up with Hollywood blockbuster productions in the tradition of Spiderman and Daredevil, among others.
Check it out. The promo might still be in force.
(June 26, 2003 issue)
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