Lalaki sa Parola at Apat Dapat Dapat Apat Movie Review

This week ay napanood kong dalawang movie na ito sa Robinson's Place Manila with friends. Ang Lalaki sa Parola ay napanood kong una last Monday at ang Apat Dapat Dapat Apat ay this Wednesday lang.

Lalaki sa Parola

Napanood ko ang pelikulang ito with a classmate last 2nd Semester 2006. Niyaya lang ako na panoorin ang pelikulang ito at libre ako kaya naman game ako.

Si Harry Laurel ang bida sa pelikulang ito. It was a nice movie naman at talagang naka relate ako ng maigi sa Lalaki sa Parola. Maganda kasi ang story niya at nakarelate talaga ako. At least may isang bagay akong natutunan at hindi ko makalimutan na linya sa movie na ito : "Alam ko na ang diwata!"

The lead character is Mateo (Harry Laurel), a young man from Bicol who goes to Lobo, Batangas to look for his long lost father who turns out to be an OFW in Dubai. He stays in Lobo and works as caretaker of its lighthouse (which is a character in itself in the movie). He has a steamy affair with a horny schoolteacher, Suzette (Jennifer Lee), who he says was the one who wooed him.

A stranger from the city, Jerome (Justin de Leon), takes a vacation in their place and Mateo acts as a tour guide for him. Jerome is gay and seduces Mateo, who proves to be a willing victim. Jerome soon returns to the city. Mateo’s dad arrives from abroad and ignores him. Rejected, he follows Jerome to Manila and lives in his pad. But when Jerome forces Mateo to do oral sex on him, Mateo refuses saying “Hindi ako bakla.” Jerome insists he is one, he just won’t accept it. They break up and Mateo returns to Lobo where he meets Tisyo (Crispin Pineda), an old man whose story is actually the framework of Mateo’s own story, which is just told in flashbacks.

You may or may not agree about the film’s premise on homosexuality, but there’s no doubt that Altarejos (who co-wrote the story with Lex Bonife) has come up with an engaging story about forbidden love and the choices one makes. Justin de Leon understands the challenges of his role well and comes up with a touching, heartfelt performance.

Jennifer Lee is also engaging as the teacher who can’t understand why her lover left her. Harry Laurel suits the role of Mateo physically, but emotionally, he is so much of a neophyte that he fails to be convincing. To begin with, the role is really so demanding that a more seasoned actor should have been cast in it. Technical credits are better than average, particularly the musical score and the production design.



Despite the "B" rating from the Film Development Council's Cinema Evaluation Board (which entitled the film to 65-percent rebate on its amusement taxes), "Ang Lalake sa Parola" was a commercial success at the exclusive IndieSine of the Robinsons Galleria Mall. The digital film, starring Harry Chua and Justin de Leon, also got mixed reviews from film critics, after surpassing the initial "X" rating from the MTRCB. The DVD version of the movie will be out soon, and, with fingers crossed, it will be in its uncut version.

At first kasi medyo hindi pa ako nakakarelate sa kovie pero noong nagstart na lumabas si Jerome, nalaman ko na kung ano ba talaga ang diwatang tinutukoy noong Mama na kausap ni Mateo. Hehe... Have you ate?

Apat Dapat, Dapat Apat

WE saw the preview of “Apat Dapat, Dapat Apat” and the question asked by most writers after seeing it is: so who’s the best comedienne among Rufa Mae Quinto, Candy Pangilinan, Eugene Domingo and Pokwang?
Sobrang tumawa talaga ako nito sa Cinehan. Actually, may malaki akong problema kaya ako nanood ng movie na ito with a friend again. Dapat ang papanoorin namin ay isang movie na medyo thriller pero pinili ko na lang ang isang comedy movie para naman kahit papaano mawala ang problema ko.
Naging matagumpay naman ako kasi kahit papaano ay nakalimot at sumaya ako despite sa mga problemang dumating sa buhay ko.
The prologue showing the four comediennes spoofing various scenes from history, from the time of Cleopatra and Gabriela Silang to Evita and Hitler, is done with wit and verve (including the death scene of Gabriela that’s a parody of “300”). The scene in Hong Kong where the four of them practice a dance number involving paper fans is also very funny. There are many other uproarious scenes but it’s a pity that some parts also drag and they cannot sustain the craziness all throughout the movie. The biggest joke is Candy being dead and her three friends try to pass her off as someone alive, ala-”Weekend at Bernie’s” that has previously been imitated by “Nasaan si Francis” with Epy Quizon as the dead man.

Personally, we think it’s Eugene and Pokwang as they really succeeded in making us laugh out loud. Eugene’s best scene was the spoof of “Bona” where she did a Nora Aunor as an adoring fan to Christian Vasquez. The climactic scene where she pours boiling water on Christian after seeing him romancing another woman is intentionally overextended. She ends up chasing the naked Christian in the highway and the water from the kettle she’s holding never seems to run out.

Pokwang’s most hilarious scene shows her as a dancing traffic enforcer at the corner of Timog Ave. and EDSA (which is GMA-7 territory as it’s full of ads of their shows while Pokwang and the film’s director, Wenn Deramas, is from ABS-CBN). While she’s performing her job, a man who’s passing by starts dancing with her and even does the split. We’re sure you’ll have a good time, too, when you watch this nutty sequence.

Maganda talaga ang Apat Dapat, Dapat Apat. Kung hindi nga naging comedy movie 'yun, ang movie na ito ang nagpaiyak sa lahat ng tao sa Pilipinas. Hayyzzz... Kahit papaano nawala ang sakit sa dibdib ko! Thanks sa napakaganda at napakasayang movie na ito.

Isa sa mga the best part ng panonood ko ng dalawang movie na ito ay dahil sa libre silang dalawa. Hehe :) Thanks sa friend ko na ayaw magpabanggit ng name na nanlibre sa akin. Hehe :) Salamt ng marami.
Sa mga nakapanood ng dalawang moies na ito, ano namang masasabi ninyo??? Okey ba?

13 comments:

Hello Richard, Thanks for the review of Robinson''s Place Manila. I hope that the movie comes to Little Rock so I can see it.

October 17, 2007 at 7:18 PM comment-delete

Hi, Richard!

Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog.

Cheers from Boston! :)

October 17, 2007 at 10:05 PM comment-delete

Korekok kok. joke. I was not able to watch both movies. Wala akong time ngayon to watch. medyo busy.

Salamat sa pagshare ng storya. Hmmm... diwata...

October 17, 2007 at 10:27 PM comment-delete

actually, it's eugene domingo who gives the chills in the movie. lalo na ung tanging ina nio with Ai Ai dati, tawa rin ako ng tawa. hahaha.

sana mapanood ko din to.

Anonymous
October 17, 2007 at 11:21 PM comment-delete

napanood ko na yung trailer ng lalaki sa parola. yung apat dapat this week ko pa lang papanoorin.

maganda yung lalaki sa parola. gusto ko siyang panoorin yung movie tlaga.

ei pag open na pala yung polls, vote for my blog sa Pinoy Blog of the Month. Salamat!

Anonymous
October 18, 2007 at 4:07 AM comment-delete

Nice blog. I added myself to your guestbook.

October 18, 2007 at 5:55 AM comment-delete

ehe.. i'm looking forward to watch those movies.. tc.

October 18, 2007 at 4:14 PM comment-delete

magandang umaga richard ;)

Anonymous
October 19, 2007 at 11:26 PM comment-delete

Napanood ko na yung ang lalake sa parola at I dont like it hahaha

e
October 19, 2007 at 11:42 PM comment-delete

ay papanoorin ko yan.. madami na din ako nabasa na review na maganda daw yan.. !

October 20, 2007 at 2:28 PM comment-delete

i find harry laurel's acting really really effective in such a way that he found his naiveness in portraying the role very effectively

October 24, 2007 at 12:59 AM comment-delete

napanood ko na rin ang apat dapat, dapat apat sa isang sinehan sa Balanga, Bataan.. hehehe nagbakasyon lang ako dun ng ilang araw kasama ng isang kaibigan. Ayun nakakatuwa talga yun! hahaha!!

http://hiraya.co.nr

October 24, 2007 at 1:41 AM comment-delete

the apat dapat dapat apat tandem is the best. i find these gals very funny.. i wish i have the time to watch this show.

harry laurel. is very yummy..
im waiting for the dvd to come out.. hummmmmmmm.

October 29, 2007 at 2:35 AM comment-delete