No Other Woman

5/5

Sizzles with passion and, full of heart and soul, fall for the temptation of 2011’s biggest movie event of the year. No Other Woman is a must watch movie that explores the guilty pleasures of infidelity.

Ram (Derek) is a handsome furniture supplier who through his charisma and undeniable looks has charmed many of his clients. He is married to Charmaine (Christine), a pretty, doting housewife who learns of her husband’s infidelity with the gorgeous temptress, the other woman…Kara (Anne). Ram soon finds himself caught between his marriage to Cha, and his passionate relationship with the alluring Kara as the two ladies gives the fight of their lives for his love.

Upon seeing the trailer I knew right there and then that this movie is something. This intuition was cemented when the Grade A of the Cinema Evaluation Board came out. It was polished dry when I was captivated by the script and acting in the comfort of a sold-out, last full show screening.

We are now living in a time when more than delivering a movie or a story per se that’ll become a classic when the time comes, producers more than ever are just interested in generating profits that when a movie like this comes we really need to stop and celebrate the event. I say this because this movie is not your typical rom-com or passable comedy movies they say is what the market now is looking for. No Other Woman actually somehow takes you back to the 70s and 80s, which for me is the golden age of Philippine Cinema. This movie is like the modern day version of the 1982 classic “Gaano Kadalas Ang Minsan”.

It delights me to analyze now that this movie actually has its very good story to tell. The plot is nothing new. We’ve all heard about a beautiful happy couple whose marriage is suddenly shaken by the arrival of another woman to complete a triangle. But what sets this movie far above the movies of today is how brilliant the execution of modern day infidelity in the story. It took a lot of realism from our society today bearing it upon the backbone of its sole plot and into the beings of its main protagonists and antagonist. With this, the movie so much so veered away from the expected predictability of a rehashed story. A note of praise goes to the Director, Ruel Bayani for his fine treatment and execution.

This movie takes great pride from its brilliant, masterful script. It gave the movie so much soul with its heartfelt dialogues interspersed with clever wit in a language relatable to everyone. BRAVO! Marvellous marvellous script! Also what I love about it that it didn’t go overboard. It’s generous at times and keeps silent when the emotion of the scene calls for it.  Great thumbs up to screenplay writers Kris Gazmen and Jay Fernando for this incredible script. You’ll know that a movie is a hit when its script and much of its remarkable lines stay to movie goers and eventually become quotable quotes copied in street conversations, in text messages, in social networking sites, etc. and I’m sure most of this movie’s quotable quotes and confrontation scenes will be indulgently remembered. The script alone will make this movie a classic for generations to come.

Much to this movies delight, the clever script is matched with notable acting from its lead cast. Anne Curtis is fabulous in a role almost tailored fit for her. I believe by this time she’s already established herself as an actress and this movie proves it all. She has almost done every role yet still gives justice to all of them.  One thing about Anne Curtis as an actress is that she’s fierce! She’s not afraid to do whatever the role or the story asks for. This is very evident in all her past works and most especially in this movie. This is her best role portrayal to date! And my goodness she wears any fashion with unmatchable “fabulousity”! Derek Ramsay is the perfect leading man of today who’s not just all looks and body; he is an actor of great calibre! He is the complete package perfect for a leading man. He has that awesome- to-die-for hunk body which goes along with that handsome-angelic face, and to top it all up that genuine and sincere acting. His eyes are his greatest acting asset that at times when words can’t contain the emotions already, his eyes alone says it all. Christine Reyes on the other hand shows tremendous improvement with her acting in this movie. Yes, there are still a lot of times that she can’t match the acting given by Anne and Derek but I have to say she’s gone a long way from her Eva Fonda days, in fairness to her.

This movie is one of the best modern day dramas I’ve seen since 2009’s “And I Love You So”. No Other Woman is a must watch movie; a story to reckon, characters to love and hate, and dialogues to ponder on. This is the kind of big screen spectacle that’ll stay in you and you’ll remember even as the years pass by. The story of No Other Woman is a quick-witted reminder of how dangerous it is to play with fire because you might be captivated by it that you don’t know when to hold back and let go, you’re already burned. Finally, No Other Woman reminds us of the fact that this whole world is a big love battle field. Love drives us all mad and we damn right fight for it especially when ours is being threatened and I say we really should because amidst all its complexities, LOVE is always worth it all. We can choose for all we want, we can even succumb to temptations once in awhile but always do remember that hearts gets broken along the way for in a love story of two, there can be no other one! All is fair in love and a triangle sure as hell isn’t fair. Fidelity is the soul of relationships! 

Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi!

3/5

A good laugh that’s smart and makes a lot of sense!

This latest Star Cinema offering, Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi! is a story of two cousins who are on different crossroads of their lives but together, they lamented the different facets of love, relationships, marriage, and annulment. Precy (Eugene Domingo) has left her husband and two kids and is filing for annulment to nullify her marriage. Belay (Toni Gonzaga) is a japayuki who returns to Manila to marry her childhood friend, Oca, who proposed to her three years ago before she left for Japan. As their personal lives are on totally opposing sides of the spectrum, the two try to convince each other of their different views about love in a hope to salvage each other from a life of misery.

There is nothing remarkably new in this movie. Same plot, same predictability, but what sets this apart and makes it a must watch movie is the genius of Director Jose Javier Reyes who also wrote the screenplay. Like all his other masterpieces this movie showcased a very witty yet insightful script. This is what I love most about Joey Reyes’ movies, the script alone is a spectacle to behold.There is always an attempt to be real and genuine with the emotions and the choice of words. It’s always good to watch characters on the big screen say things as it is, as any normal human being in a dialogue would do. This treatment on a material that’s already so predictable and a plot that’s nothing but ordinary really makes movies like this entertaining and enjoyable.

Yet, the greatest downside of this movie is the very evident poor editing and almost rushed scenes perhaps to meet a scheduled play date. I understand that it’s mainstream comedy yet everyone who knows me know that I hate endings where all the characters just magically get all their happy endings. So cliche! Up to the last 10 minutes of the movie I really thought it will have a big twist at the end just so the movie won’t be typecast. But too bad, of course producers need their money back so just give the ending that majority of the Filipino viewing public would want. Thankfully, the brilliance of Joey Reyes made it bearable by finishing up every subplots and plotlines neatly concluded.

Much to this movies’ delight, the quick-witted script by Direk Joey Reyes is complemented with superb acting from two of the country’s best female comediennes of today. Eugene Domingo I believe is already a legend when comedy is concerned. She is theatre trained and undeniably an actress in her own right. She knows what she’s doing and she’s always on target, whether it be comedy or drama.You can always see the authenticity of her acting. In terms of spontaneity, Toni Gonzaga is a pro. This is her forte--street wise comedy is what she does best. She is a revelation in this movie. Her brand of comedy is just so natural. Just imagine how real and genuine the dialogues of these two when they share the same scene, it’s so believable. It’s almost not acting at all. Their spontaneous exchanges of dialogues are always a laugh fest spectacular. Zanjoe Marudo gave an equally outstanding performance and is really a good actor who’s just waiting for the biggest break of her career. Zanjoe can really act.

This movie is not something I will say superb in all aspect. Yes, it’s hilarious and makes a lot of good points to ponder on, yet it’s not the kind of story or movie for that matter that you’ll remember or will be a classic as the years pass by. It could have been so much more what with a very rich story backbone but it just didn’t exhaust its potential. What’s really admirable about this movie is that it gives what the audience wants…fun and entertainment but with a sense. Yes, I do recommend this movie if you want to laugh and be entertained because in all fairness this movie delivers and you won’t be disappointed. Its type of comedy is really smart and rightfully works. It also instils in its viewers that at the end of the day, after everything that’s been said and done it all boils down to the question of whether you still love the person you’re with or not anymore. As simple as that.