The throngs of moviegoers who supported the recently concluded Metro Manila Film Festival gave Pinoy cinema a shot in the arm — a bullish feel and vibe that our filmmakers and producers still know how to make movies that audiences will love, and that Pinoy films are still alive and kicking.
What we learned from the MMFF is that Filipinos with purchasing power will support our very own provided the movies scream quality. Discerning moviegoers are conscious of what they deserve and want well-written, engaging and fresh narratives, actors who are emotionally committed and truthful to their characters and showcase their talents to the hilt and topnotch production values (hindi tinipid ang movie).
Also, promotions that will make you want to watch the movies because they’re an epic watch or an event that must not be missed and is best experienced inside the cinema. There’s word of mouth, too, most important for convincing and enticing the public. The power of perception is real!
Thus, I cannot help but wonder: The movies coming after the MMFF, how will they fare after the billion-peso earnings of the festival?
The first big movie casualty of the year was My Zombabe, which starred Empoy Marquez and Kim Molina. With the movie’s wham-bam kind of promotion, the buying audiences chose to watch imported offerings and the still-showing MMFF films instead.
Bigla na lang isinalang was the common perception about the Marquez-Molina film, banking obviously on the stellar powers of the duo who has had their fair share of box office successes. But disastrous is the word for this gone-in-60-seconds movie offering.
Reports have it that its first-day gross did not even reach a million mark.
Winsome cast
Coming up is Road Trip, whose lead stars are sisters Janice de Belen and Gelli de Belen and their friends in real life, Carmina Villaroel and Candy Pangilinan.
This might not be a Thelma and Louise or a To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar, but for sure the movie will have all the requisites of an adventure-travelogue among women, capitalizing on female bonding and sisterhood, guffaw-inducing and cry-me-a-river moments and fine performances delivered by its winsome cast.
The question is, however: Is this movie worth the trip to the cinemas, or will the public choose to rather play Trip to Jerusalem in the comfort of their homes?
Electric youth and their bewilderment and fascination with online games is the pull of Good Game, topbilled by Donny Pangilinan. But can he pull it off without a Belle Mariano in the movie?
If the movie does not bring in the expected curious crowd and the online gaming people, this means young master Pangilinan is not yet ready for his solo and badly needs the pretty young Miss Mariano to lend ballast to his career.
The last film of the great Ronaldo Valdez, Itutumba Ka Ng Tatay Ko, is the directorial debut of his son Janno Gibbs.
This might pull the heartstrings and become a sentimental choice given the sudden demise of the Gibbs patriarch. Many are hoping this is not the 90’s kind of inane comedy flick that made Janno a major star.
My Sassy Girl is the Filipino adaptation of the Korean hit, with the odd pairing of Pepe Herrera and Toni Gonzaga-Soriano. The movie, without a doubt, is a make-or-break venture for the woman dubbed by her husband Paul Soriano as “the most powerful” in the — and for Herrera as well, whose last box office hurrah, if there ever was, escapes our mind at this time.
Big gamble
The biggest upcoming movie gamble is Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Pipiliin Ko, with Julia Barretto and Aga Muhlach as its major draws.
Barretto plays a music student, with Muhlach as her professor. It’s the usual student falls in love with professor trope. Since its trailer dropped a few days ago, it has racked up more than 100,000 views. Is that an encouraging sign, or too slow in fact for a movie that represents an Aga Muhlach comeback plus Julia Barretto’s ascension to leading-lady status?
Barretto still has no hit to her credit after making public her relationship with Gerald Anderson.
Aside from the movies enumerated here, there are still more than 70 finished Pinoy motion pictures waiting to be promoted and given a playdate.
It’s good to note that there are new producers bankrolling and investing in movies that are deemed stamped with quality.
But no one is certain what makes or break a movie. The list above looks like a formidable line-up that will not only arouse curiosity, but ultimately lure audiences to once again head to moviehouses. Will they? Well, hope springs eternal for Pinoy movies.