Moments of Love

Honestly, it was not as bad as I expected it to be. But you can't blame me for expecting it to be bad, what with my basis as Let the Love Begin for the quality of GMA Films, and let me tell you that film was an hour and a half of torture. Plus, the knowledge that the story was totally ripped off from other older Asian films, i.e. Il Mare, Sky of Love, and also an American TV movie that I only saw in Hallmark Channel, Love Letter, really was enough for me to roll my eyes and say "And they honestly think they can do better?"

Actually, it really bothers me as to how they literally copied the plot and some scenes and just adjusted it to fit the Philippine setting, but I guess, compared to something original but is totally sucky (Recall: Let the Love Begin (and this wasn't even that original)), it's passable. At least, they didn't ruin the films they based it on. Well, not completely.

Okay, taking all those things out of consideration, the movie was fine. It wasn't dragging at all, and though things are kind of too unbelievable (as they usually are, whenever you're playing with time), they were able to pull it off. It was not horrible or repulsive in any way. The screenplay was fine, though a bit boring, in my opinion. There weren't any quotable quotes at all, nor any really funny lines that made me laugh out loud.

So maybe I didn't like it that much, not just because it's a total rip-off, but also because it was a bit... blah. Nothing very special, nothing very notable (except maybe the costumes), and the way Iza Calsado talked was just irritating. I mean, sure, she's supposed to be from 1957, so she'd speak the language a little differently, but did she have to not use shortcuts (i.e. "Meron" was always "Mayroon")? If they really wanted it to be authentic, they should've just gotten her to speak in Spanish, or whatever dialect that particular province had. And what was the connection of the love story of Isabel Oli's character, and the one who played Ding Dong Dante's older brother? Even if they were there just as comic reliefs, or to add to the marketability of the film, the writers should've at least found a way to connect their stories to one another, even a little bit, or at least more than the fact that they were siblings and they were all in one province. Because it's such a waste to have supporting characters that don't actually support the lead ones. Well.

Consolation is that some parts were a little funny, Iza Calsado is way pretty, and I guess the music isn't too bad either, although by the time the movie ends, you've heard the theme song so much that even Walang Sabit by Sandara Park would sound like a good idea to listen to.

Oh, and I hope they never get Ding Dong Dantes to narrate a prologue/epilogue again.

Rent

So my friend told me that I just cannot miss this movie, right? Since he's a friend who knows me pretty well and wouldn't recommend things that he didn't think I would really like, I knew I really shouldn't miss it. So I ended up throwing a tantrum to persuade everyone in the family to watch it with me. Well, whatever. The end sometimes justifies the means, and, as of yesterday evening, mission accomplished! And as predicted by my friend (and sister), I did love it. A lot.

Maybe I have a bias for musicals/theater productions. But hey, I can still admit that some songs weren't that nice, even if the lyrics were funny and pretty cool. Nevermind that it's about AIDS and drugs and poverty and shattered dreams and stuff. It's just life.

I don't think I'll be able to give a fair review though, because I don't think I'm smart enough to be able to tap into the real messages the production/film has. And I don't think anything I say will convince anybody to watch a musical. Nor do I believe that as good as this musical was, it can get people to reconsider their opnions of theater and change their philosophies on life.

I guess I just want to say that although I liked the movie/production, I still don't think having AIDS is cool and not having a job is fine and all that. I hope that those who saw the movie will not take its messages out of context. Perhaps everything that happened in the story was fine--as long as they're in the Bohemian capital of New York City and they really don't have a choice and they're actually fictitious characters. But if put into the Philippine setting (or other settings too, probably), the Bohemian way of life is just a useless addition to the already overflowing poverty in the streets. Although, there was a line in the movie that I think is applicable to everyone (except for the bad people who kill):

Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.