Angelica Panganiban (left) and Judy Ann Santos
To get the new 2018 film season off to a start, we’re clueing you in on the source of the coming movies for the first quarter of the year.
A fun and feisty season opener is “Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes,” with Judy Ann Santos and Angelica Panganiban topbilling.
They play loving and devoted wives who are suddenly slapped in the face by the rude realization that their husbands (JC de Vera and Joross Gamboa) have been unfaithful to them.
Even more shockingly, the guys turn out to be gay, and are hotly in love with each other!
Expect both Judy Ann and Angelica to take full advantage of the antic and frantic plot premise’s many comedic possibilities, as they join forces to teach their errant spouses a lesson in love betrayed and outraged—that they’ll never forget!
Also set for imminent opening is Erik Matti’s “Buy Bust,” an action thriller that’s made a special viewing treat by the stellar participation of Anne Curtis and Brandon Vera.
Anne hadn’t acted in an all-out actioner, so this is a feisty and furious first for her.
As for Vera, he’s a mixed martial arts star who happens to be Filipino-American, hence the special interest he expressed when the offer came for him to costar with Anne in “Buy Bust,” his first Filipino film.
As for Anne, she knows that she’s got a lot to prove in her first all-out actioner, so she’s been training for months to toughen herself up and make her fight scenes believable and truly exciting.
With Vera right beside her for obvious comparisons, how could she do anything less?
What’s the film about? It follows two teams deployed by an antidrug enforcement agency tasked with initiating a drug bust in the slums of Manila. How’s that for a film that’s “hot off the headlines”?
Finally, it has no definite playdate as of this writing, but we’re penciling in Mike de Leon’s comeback film, “Citizen Jake,” as a must-see production, whenever it’s shown.
De Leon is our “best and most logical” bet for the next National Artist for Film, due to the consistent excellence of his cinematic body of work. So, his comeback film, after 20 long years, deserves our collective support and patronage.
“Citizen Jake” stars Atom Araullo as an investigative journalist with a deep social conscience. The film’s plot and milieu have “reality” stamped all over them, with Atom’s character coming from a well-connected family that’s deeply involved and mired in politics.
The film’s events are set during the country’s elections, and Jake quickly finds himself in conflict (and contradiction) with some members of his family, who include a senator and a congressman.
The film also features acclaimed actors like Nonie Buencamino, Cherie Gil, Gabby Eigenmann, Lou Veloso, Dina Bonnevie, Nanding Josef and Max Collins. So, Atom will have to do his thespic best just to keep up with them!
But, the film’s best suit and motivation for being watched by all film lovers is the fact that it could be Mike de Leon’s last and finest film—so, how could we not give him his deserved due?