REYES. Screen eroticism stages a comeback.
Only a couple of years ago, the few mainstream local movies that were still being made despite the industry’s decade-long slump were flopping all over the place. Today, however, more films are being made, and some of them have turned out to be “monster” hits. —What’s going on?
One of the reasons for the resurgence is the rise of some new and newly bankable stars who’ve come to the “wrong” place at exactly the right time, giving moviegoers what they’ve been looking for (even if they themselves didn’t have a clue). Call these lucky, plucky few the bankable, new stars for a resurgent Filipino film industry:
The first “monster” hit of 2011, “No Other Woman,” fielded three of them—Anne Curtis, Cristine Reyes and Derek Ramsay. What do they have in common? They’re relatively young, sexy-looking and ready, able and antsy to dare and bare.
Graphic sex
Actually, when you compare these three stars to the really hot-to-trot screen ecdysiasts of the ’70s and ’80s, when graphic sex really sizzled on the local movie screen (and burned it to ashes!), today’s “sexy” stars are relatively prim and quite proper.
But, in their “breakthrough” movie, they dared and bared enough to make viewers sit up and realize that something “different” and trendy was taking place: Even if it was mostly suggestive, screen eroticism was staging a comeback—within clearly defined limits.
Namely, they wanted to tease—but not displease, so that their movie’s classification would not be severely restricted and it could appeal to many moviegoers, hence potentially becoming a big hit—which is precisely what it’s up and done.
The big test of the enduring level of the three stars’ success will come when they separately topbill their follow-up movies. Genuinely big stars are able to headline a new film on their own and by their lonesome, and make it a big hit. —That’s why producers regard them as “bankable,” because they’re uniquely reliable in their ability to draw crowds to any of their starrers.
Projects
So, we can bet that Anne, Derek and Cristine’s individual handlers and mentors are being very careful and clever in lining up their separate follow-up projects, to make doubly sure that “No Other Woman’s” huge success isn’t a one-time phenomenon.
The other huge hit of the season, “Praybeyt Benjamin,” is a solo starrer, with Vice Ganda reaping practically all of the rewards of that more recent film triumph. It was a calculated gamble for the gay star and his producers, but it hit the jackpot for them.
What made “Vice” click so slickly and quickly with moviegoers? First, he became a TV star via the daily noontime talent tilt, “Showtime.” But, other talents have daily TV shows and don’t end up at the top of the hit parade—so, why has Vice done so spectacularly well?
We believe that the key to his success is his refreshing honesty—and his winningly sassy way of expressing it. Viewers fed up with hollow and shallow show biz patter and platitudes get a kick out of the new comedian’s gift for terse, blunt and funny put-downs.
Truth to tell, this “comedy of insult” style has been done “to death” in many gay bars and karaoke joints in the metro, where the gay “hosts” insult each other and even their customers with comedic rage and relish. —So, why has Vice turned out to be more successful at it than his peers? Because his put-downs aren’t just harsh, they’re also wackily, wittily funny!