Friday, August 31, 2007 Serna: Vina, Ikon’s top soloist By Roger Serna Sounds and images
IS it really true that the days in the months ending with the suffix “ber” pass by faster than those of the other months of the year?
Being on the eve of the so-called “ber” season, the thought just popped from out of the blue. Is there a scientific explanation to that? Or is it merely psychological? Whatever, the start of the month of September signals the fast arrival of December and the many exciting things that it brings.
Advance greeting of a merry Christmas! Too fast to the draw?
***
I must have been looking the other way when my colleagues and fellow Sugbuanons greeted paisana Vina Morales with a resounding congratulations.
She ended up as the Southeast Asian grand prize winner in the soloist category in the recently concluded Asian Ikon Music Competition held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia just a couple of weeks or so ago.
Whatever, I won’t let this opportunity pass without me greeting not only a fellow Sugbuanon, but also a good personal. Congratulations, Vina! You make me proud.
***
I can still remember the time when Charlene Gonzales took over the slot vacated by Dayanara Torres as host of a TV dance show that earned for the latter the title of Dancing Queen.
A Manila-based columnist, however, refused to grant that informal title because he considers Vina more deserving. Anyway, the confidence and the stage presence that accompany Vina’s every performance was credited by the latter as the “aces up her sleeve” when she competed with fellow performers from Malaysia and Indonesia and eventually emerged as champion.
The same attributes were very visible when I caught the television special of Vina’s concert, Showgirl, the same one she had been bringing and will still be bringing to many cities in the US.
Will it ever be brought to Cebu for her paisanos to patronize and appreciate in person? Hopefully.
***
So as not to appear clueless (among other reasons, he-he!) in discussions on the latest Star Cinema treat A Love Story, last weekend I inserted into my hectic schedule some time to watch it.
It has been a long time since I saw Aga Muhlach and Maricel Soriano act on the wide screen and it was interesting to see if the inactivity of two acting stalwarts had adversely affected their craft, or had it increased their enthusiasm and intensity.
Having missed Angelica Panganiban in Santa Santita and in her other acting vehicles both on TV and in the movies, I also looked forward to see what makes her one of the sought-after young stars.
The movie proved to be very satisfactory. Of course, Maryo J. de los Reyes was the man at the helm. Who can question direk Mario’s competence as a director?
I was glad I came to the movie house just in time when the trailers were still being shown; and thus, I was able to see the film right from the very start. Had viewing started in the middle or anywhere after its official start, impact would have been different or worse, diminished.
There were twists and welcome surprises along the way. direk Mario staged the scenes so cunningly that there were parallelisms in the lives of the two female characters as far as their connections to the life of the male lead was concerned.
No one suspects that along the way, one’s expectation is actually the opposite of what was to unravel. Very clever.
Needless to say, I did not regret having chopped off some precious time from my hectic schedule (that phrase again).
However, there were questions that bugged me after.
Why was the film (just like other films before that) given a simple title and in English at that? What happened to the poetic titles that Tagalog films used to pride itself with in the past?
Has it something to do with global competitiveness and the prospect of penetrating the international market? Why not give it an English title when the time comes?
Whatever, I still long for Tagalog titles, like Gaano Kadalas Ang Minsan, Bukas Luluhod Ang Mga Tala and many others.
If the Tagalogs now find it hard to come up with beautiful titles, by all means they can give it a Cebuano title or any of the regional languages we have.
Who cares if they sound Greek to others as long as the finished product can speak for itself?
