Girl Next Cubicle: romance

Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts

Ongoing teleserye: Pangako Sa 'Yo

At nangyari na nga. After months of nonstop promotion, pinapalabas na ang Pangako Sa ‘Yo ng ABS-CBN, a remake of one of the most popular local teleseryes of all time.

photo from Wikipedia

Two things: I didn’t see the first (and original) TV series, and I do wonder why, considering the wealth of talent they have in that network, do they have to do a remake and not an original? Then again, I didn’t factor in the enduring appeal of the extreme storyline (na super fave nating mga Pinoy, aminin), and the massive appeal of KathNiel (that’s Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla to you, in case you’ve been living under a rock all this time) as Yna Macaspac and Angelo Buenavista. Kaya naman, eto, I’ve been hooked since episode one.

Partly because I had no idea how the original story went, partly because of over-hype, and partly because of curiosity, I found myself eagerly awaiting every installment. So much so that I’ve become an avid viewer of this show’s pre-programming, Nathaniel (hindi ako masyadong mahilig sa ganung theme, sorry naman). Plus ang cute nung bata. Na crush daw pala ni Lyca Gairanod ng The Voice Kids Season One.

Anyway, nakikita ko naman kung bakit andaming fans ng Kathniel. Over sa charisma ang dalawang ‘to, lalo na si DJ. Surprisingly, medyo may maturity na sila sa pag-arte, which I see during Angelo’s (Daniel) scenes with his father, Eduardo (the still so pogi Ian Veneracion), and some of Yna’s (Kathryn) scenes na din. But really, I watch the show because I can’t wait to see the scenes of Claudia Buenavista (Angelica Panganiban) and Amor Powers (Jodi Sta. Maria), like many viewers. So far, okay naman acting ni Angelica (si Amor/Jodi is still going through her transformation), but I think she could make it less Banana Split and more One More Try.

Sa support characters, medyo nagsa-standout sa ‘kin si Diego Loyzaga (and not just because he’s cute), but because he’s showing more acting versatility here. Of course, you can’t beat Amy Austria, Ronnie Lazaro, and Joem Bascon in the acting game.

Right now, I’m all about seeing Amor Powers in action, and see what’s all the fuss about Bea Bianca—I’ve been seeing posts warning the actress (Sarah Carlos) of the wrath of KathNiel fane (apparently pala magkaka-moments sila ni Angelo). I’m going to sit back and relax, and just wait.

Ongoing teleserye: Pure Love

I'm not (yet) a big fan of Koreanovelas, so I had no clue what Pure Love was all about. But I've heard that it's a good show. So, I did what I had to do--nanood ako ng Pure Love, starring Alex Gonzaga (as Diane), Matt Evans (as Scheduler), Joseph Marco (as Dave), and Yen Santos (as Ysabel).

photo from www.viki.com

I'm glad I did. I didn't like Alex too much before, but now she's become one of my faves. Matt Evans has always been talented, so I expected that. Plus Yen Santos is such a refreshing face, and OK din naman umarte. Joseph Marco, of course, is a sight for sore eyes. :-D What a fun show! Even if the topics are actually serious and even goes deep into faith, values, and beliefs.

At nakakainis naman talaga itong si Arjo Atayde (as Raymond). That means he's a really good actor. He's probably the best one in the group, and no wonder, he's the son of Sylvia Sanchez, who's also there as his mentally-challenged mom. OK din si Yam Concepcion (as Kayla). John Arcilla and Sunshine Cruz (as Diane's parents) are just, as expected, super credible and magaling.

But when I googled the title and found a Wikipedia article, I saw the roles assigned to Yen Santos--and discovered that she's supposed to be the missing ate of Diane! I found this out months ago, and now pa lang ire-reveal sa show since last two weeks na. Sana lang hindi agad nailagay sa Wikipedia!

Two weeks to go and I hope it won't end the way it did sa Koreanovela (of course na-research ko na din). Since we Pinoys love happy endings, I'm a bit hopeful na it won't be a sad conclusion. :-D

Chick Lit Review #13: I Love You Number Eight by Lianne Gonzales

Twenty-five-year-old Sutton fears she will become an old maid, because of a myth that claims you will be if you have had seven boyfriends by age twenty-five. She then meets next-door neighbor, ladies' man Onyx, who, in the end, becomes the right guy for her. A Precious Hearts Romances title published by Precious Pages, 2013.

Hmm, medyo naguluhan ako sa myth na ito, only because I've never heard it before. But sige, let's take it as it is. The story had Sutton, with the help of Onyx, looking for her ex-boyfriends in the hopes of rekindling whatever they had just so hindi siya mag-25 na nagka-seven boyfriends which means magiging old maid siya. To me the entire search was not the highlight, but the developing romance between Sutton and Onyx. In fairness, nakakakilig naman ang dalawang ito, without being OA, unlike in other stories. Maganda ang back stories nila (Sutton seeks independence from her comfortable life, and Onyx clearly separates his business life as a real estate mogul and his personal life as a player), kaya mas maiintindihan kung bakit nila ginawa or sinabi ang ganito o ganoon. May one issue lang ako: si Sutton kasi is shown as masungit, may pagka-mataray, and focused; medyo hindi nag-fit sa idea ng girl na nagka-seven boyfriends na at that age. I'd imagine pwede siyang either super street-smart or knowledgeable pagdating sa love and boys, or sobrang romantic na tao na lives for the idea of love. Hindi masyado believable si Sutton sa akin na nagka-seven na jowa na, sorry. Otherwise, it was a fun read--I felt pati yung warmth ng barkada ni Sutton, how tight they all were.

Read it on a lazy afternoon when it's raining outside, like I did. :)

Chick Flick Review #3: Bride for Rent (Star Cinema, 2014)

Before I get into my review of the movie, I'd just like to briefly mention why I just stopped blogging about Dormitoryo. One reason: it turned into crap. As in. Talo ang palit-baby and kidnapan moments sa ABS-CBN teleseryes. Feeling ko tinamad na ang writers and prod heads to make the ending bearable man lang--sayang, promising pa naman ang start. Sigh.

So last week naman I decided to watch Bride For Rent, starring Kim Chiu and Xian Lim. I must admit, super crush ko si Xian Lim for a long time but I hadn't seen him in a movie, puro lang sa TV in their teleseryes. More about Xian later.

Natawa ako kay Kim. I wasn't expecting na may Toni Gonzaga-level of comic timing siya but she does. Iznt it amaaaziiing??? LOL. Plus she looked so pretty onscreen, like a Barbie doll. Si Xian, well, he looked good, but that's about it. Everything else about his acting was so OTT. Somebody should tell this guy to tone it down a bit, he always sounds like he's nanggigigil. But he did have a few moments, like yung towards the end na the whole setup of his Lala (Pilita Corrales) and Rocky (Kim) was revealed to him, plus yung reconciliation moment nila ng father niya (Tirso Cruz III), na believable siya. Pero overall, more work, Xian.

It was a fun movie, but for me the most laughs were brought on by Empoy Marquez as Javier, one of Rocco's (Xian) sidekicks. Super funny siya! Hope he makes more films.
Oh, and I learned Bride for Rent is the third highest-grossing local film of all time, following It Takes a Man and a Woman and Praybeyt Benjamin. Good job!

Directed by Mae Cruz for Star Cinema.

Chick Flick Review #2: One More Chance (Star Cinema, 2007)

I’ve seen this film six, maybe seven times, and I still haven’t gotten tired of it. Though the plot can be summed up as ‘boy and girl break up, miss each other, and get back together’, the storytelling goes way beyond it.

First, it’s not told against the standard Star Cinema drama template. No unnecessary theatrics, no unbelievable characters, no unrealistic turns and twists. Most importantly, it’s a surprisingly real portrayal of a relationship and the struggle to keep one’s sense of self and identity.

Image from Wikipedia

Popoy (John Lloyd Cruz) and Basha (Bea Alonzo) are probably some of the most memorable local film characters to date, especially since most of One More Chance’s target viewers, both male and female, completely relate to them. Overprotective and often suffocating, Popoy is the kind of guy who thinks of himself as the proverbial knight in shining armor, who should sweep his girl off her feet all the time—even if she has expressly stated not to. On the other hand, Basha is your typical girl who had spent her life following orders—from her parents, her teachers, her friends, and, in this case, her boyfriend. Looking at this scenario can bring one to think that, hey, they’re made for each other, but actually the fact that people are capable of changing and reach their saturation point is played out here convincingly. So Basha decides to leave Popoy, leaving him in a dazed and confused state, and tries to start her life anew by making her own decisions. Popoy, losing the love of his life and the one person on whom he had complete influence, went on a downward spiral to alcohol and sleepless nights. One of the most memorable scenes in the movie (for me at least) was when Popoy accidentally sees Basha at their usual group dinner (they were part of a group that would have dinner regularly in this one restaurant—I think it’s Bellini’s in Cubao X) with her co-worker Derek Ramsey (forgot his character’s name, but, whatever). John Lloyd was awesome in his portrayal of the devastated guy who finally realized that his girl had indeed moved on; his dramatic reaction was not over the top nor was it too subtle. And that scene marked the end of what I thought of as the ‘conflict’ part of the story.

The ‘resolution’ part turned out to be ok (but not as riveting as the other one) and saw the appearance of Maja Salvador’s character as Popoy’s new girlfriend. She had Basha’s new short-hair style, which I thought suited her small, pretty face more, and which was obviously why Popoy was attracted to her. She seemed more sure of herself, made her own decisions, and basically had a better sense of herself—not exactly what Popoy wanted. Of course, we all expected how later—after Popoy and Basha started spending time together on a project—Popoy would break up with her. Maja was luminous in this scene, capturing the pain of a woman scorned to a T. Fabulous actress! Among young actresses today, she’s one of my favorites.

All’s well that ends well as Popoy and Basha reconnect after Popoy spends a year or so working abroad, which really meant that he had time to change and shift his take on things like love. As he surprises Basha at her construction site, we all know that this would be the start of something more permanent.

Feel-good movie. Not exactly romantic, but not cynical, either. Just right, believable, realistic. No wonder so many people—like me—never get tired of watching it over and over.