CINEMA ONE ORIGINALS 2015 FESTIVAL REPORT

Congratulations to the winners of this year's Cinema One Originals Festival! 

MANANG BIRING - Best Film, Champion Bughaw Awardee & Best Music

HAMOG - Jury Prize, Best Actress (Therese Malvar), Supporting Actor (Bor Lentejas) & Editing

DAYANG ASU - Best Director (Bor Ocampo) & Cinematography

BAKA SIGURO YATA - Best Actor (Dino Pastrano) & Audience Choice Awardee

MISS BULALACAO - Best Supporting Actress (Chai Fonacier) & Screenplay

BUKOD KANG PINAGPALA - Best Sound & Production Design

Read more for my reviews on the seven entries I've seen last week.

Cinema One Originals Festival is still exhibiting these kakaibang films up to November 17, 2015.
Click for their screening schedules and please like The Movie Bud for more updates.

MGA REBELDENG MAY KASO (Raymond Red): ★★☆☆☆

- A rushed film about a rushed film, Mga Rebeldeng Mga Kaso is heartbreaking to watch. You know that there's an inspiring story within it, but the film is seriously flawed and obviously hurried. That might be passable for some, but for a movie about the origins of independent alternative cinema, quality is a must.

DAYANG ASU (Bor Ocampo): ★★½☆☆

- An interesting set-up that went to a predictable and tiring conclusion. Dayang Asu spent most of its time introducing this noir-ish world that we're so aware of. We get it. Everything is gritty. Everything is unfair. Humans are eating one other. This nihilist film could've been plausible if only it had something new, controversial or exciting in it like what happened in Badil. On the other hand, Ricky Davao and that dog-eating-dog scene were great.

MISS BULALACAO (Ara Chawdhury): ★★★☆☆

- Glimmering with expositions to answer an overheard pageant question, Miss Bulalacao is an interesting yet unrealistic examination on how a small superstitious town responds to a phenomenal event.

The film always reminds me of Jet Leyco's Matangtubig. My problem is that this thing remained in this small town and never got big. An event like this can either get a slapstick or straight-face treatment, and the film was not committed between the two so it became unconvincing in the end.

MANANG BIRING (Carl Joseph E. Papa): ★★★½☆

- One can't help but be amazed by its cinematic achievement. There's no doubt that Manang Biring is a glorious film that levels up the Philippine cinema. A lot of substance and style were put to this rotoscope masterpiece. It's just that I can't connect and feel some sympathy for a drug-pushing, fake medicine-selling grandma even if they're her only means to survive. It could've been something better if they developed Biring and Terence's relationship than making them collaborators to an illegal act. Nevertheless, its last moments were enough to carry the entire mystery.

Plus points for giving me a black and white hangover. Nakaka-high. Para kang nasa music video ng Take On Me pagkatapos mo lumabas ng sinehan.

THE COMEBACK (Ivan Andrew Payawal): ★★★½☆

- Beneath its loud and hysterical appearance lies some good, heartfelt moments that makes the journey worthwhile. The film is at its best when it's quiet, focusing on the goodness around the main star's life than revealing the identity of Kiko Ortega. Kaye Abad carries the movie and some annoying side characters in it with her commanding presence. She is THE Angela Velasco.

The Comeback is comparable to Mga Mumunting Lihim. There's also a scene where they played kill-marry-f*ck, but they are different stories that tackle the same theme. I'm loving this film up until it did the anticipated confrontation scene, which lead to a disappointing third act that I'll discuss in the spoilers section. The last scene should've been in the post-credits.As much as I enjoyed it, there are people who will walk-out within the first 30 minutes because of its noise and crude humor, and their points are understandable. Just be prepared that this is one loud movie with a heart.

[SPOILERS] I strongly feel that a character's death is unnecessary to make the film work. It could've been better if they only separated the two and make them live independently until they meet and make-up like what happened in the last scene of Judd Apatow's Funny People. I wanna see Angela Velasco start from auditioning in small films and rise. Yan ang comeback!

DAHLING NICK (Sari Lluch Dalena):  ★★★★½

- One can't simply say the word "Darling" without sounding like Raymond Bagatsing in his most sensational performance. Dahling Nick is a fitting tribute to a larger-than-life figure, showing how his contribution to literature, journalism and his colleagues' lives make him an artist to be inspired of.

Reviews are not enough to describe its marvel. Although, the film has some editing issues where it took too long to dramatize Nick's masterpieces instead of showing a simple teaser for everyone to read and visualize the ending themselves. The film is a certified classic if only they trimmed those scenes, especially the unnecessary Kisapmata ending.

One awesome thing about it is how it portrayed Nick as a complex genius but still a human who has his limits, faced the harsh reality of his time and remained as a homosexual devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the end of the day, the film has a message worth telling. The Filipino culture will live for as long as there are people who will share and fight for it. As one of his characters once said, "To remember and to sing: that is my vocation."

BAKA SIGURO YATA (Joel Ferrer): ★★★★½

- Easily comparable to Judd Apatow's Knocked Up, mixed with a couple of traditional Filipino values on love and family that the film tries to conserve as this country is slowly heading to modern liberalism. Most of the subplots worked yet some ended abruptly, but the movie is so much fun! This is what I've been wanting to see in Hello, World. Memorable lines, sincerity and a lot of hard laughs. It is bliss. Nakakainis.

Like Dahling Nick, the movie has some missed opportunities, but they're my personal favorites simply because they're both entertaining and with a message worth sharing. I either giggled, laughed or clapped at each scene. The cast's enjoyment and infectious humor got into me more than the technical aspects of the film. It's not as awesome nor as heartfelt as Blue Bustamante and That Thing Called Tadhana, but Baka Siguro Yata is something worth watching repeatedly.

[SPOILERS] The last act felt a bit rushed, relying on one simple montage to describe how one guy grew up and changed himself. Punch Kick Productions is a little "manly" with its humor. If you're into that and you don't feel oppressed within its first 20 minutes, you'll definitely enjoy it. At least, the gay characters in here weren't for the sake of fun or plot twist anymore. Those Ghost Fighter posters and the Force Five masks are nostalgic.

This year's theme is uniqueness and I believe that Manang Biring won because of its distinction among the other contenders. Cinephiles will love Miss Bulalacao and Dayang Asu's narrative style while Baka Siguro Yata and The Comeback are fun for those who can jive with their brand of humor. Dahling Nick and Mga Rebeldeng May Kaso can work to those who are into their subjects. Even if I wasn't able to see Hamog and Bukod Kang Pinagpala, don't count them out 'cause they have also won awards. Even if the film fest is not as intense as before, Cinema One proved that they can still cater kakaibang films at its 11th year.

A special citation to Dino Pastrano for winning out of nowhere.

That was one kakaibang awards night!

If it matters, here's my Cinema One Originals 2015 Awards Night forecast...
Audience Choice & Best Screenplay: Baka Siguro Yata
Best Sound & Editing: Manang Biring
Best Music & Production Design: The Comeback
Best Cinematography: Dayang Asu
Best Supporting Actress: Chai Fonacier (Miss Bulalacao)
Best Supporting Actor: Junjun Quintana (Dayang Asu)
Best Actress: Kaye Abad (The Comeback)
Best Actor: Raymond Bagatsing (Dahling Nick)
Best Director: Carl Joseph Papa (Manang Biring)
Best Picture: Dahling Nick

After a long and tiring week, (Believe me. It's exhausting to travel from TriNoma to Glorietta within one hour.) I was lucky enough to finish my Cinema One Originals marathon with a classic film by Ishmael Bernal, starring Nora Aunor, Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon. I've seen Hustisya with the Noranians. I've also watched Ekstra with the Vilmanians. But those experiences can't compare to what I've witnessed in Ikaw ay Akin. What more if the actors were present in the event?

Some people call them rude, but that's the life that we've been missing inside the cinema: People cheering for their idol because of their talent and not because of their kilig / libog factor. Ikaw ay Akin treats infidelity seriously by carefully examining its subject and doesn't simply rely on sampalan and/or quotable quotes. Like what the presenter said before the screening, "Ishmael Bernal is a director that's ahead of his time."