Cesar Montano gears up for ‘Muro-Ami’ sequel

Cesar Montano

Cesar Montano’s bald look for “Muro-Ami 2”

BFF Buboy (Cesar Montano) is raring to do a sequel of his critically acclaimed 1999 film “Muro-Ami,” which was directed by the late great Marilou Diaz-Abaya. That’s why he is already sporting a bald look just like Fredo, the ruthless captain of divers that he portrayed in the movie. Buboy is all set to dive into the continuation of Fredo’s adventure.

Here’s my chat with Buboy:

What did you learn from Direk Marilou?

The value of sacrifice that you put into your passion when you portray a role. The dedication and commitment you give. Extra mile is an ordinary thing. Submission to your task is required.

Tell us a bit about the remake of Muro-Ami.

I will be directing the movie. Most of the scenes will be in the city, not in the ocean. It’s a combination of action, drama and comedy. It’s about the children again, but this time, the issue is how they were used in the distribution of illegal drugs to earn a living. And how my character, Fredo, will resurface from being infamous to save the children from the drug lords.

How are you preparing for the remake?

I will follow the same diet and do the same work out as I did when we shot Muro-Ami, because Fredo must be lean and fit.

Playtime question: If Sunshine Cruz would be game to play your ‘love interes’ in the remake, are you OK with it?

For art’s sake and for old times’ sake, game ako. But wala nang malisya syempre (laughs).

Heaven and Marco’s reunion

Marco Gallo (left) and Heaven Peralejo

“The Rain in España,” the first book in the trending Wattpad “University Series,” which has over 570 million reads, by Gwy Saludes comes to life on Viva One on May 1.

Directed by Theodore Boborol, the 10-part rom-com series is such a kilig provider. Heaven Peralejo and Marco Gallo, who lived in the “Pinoy Big Brother” (PBB) house, are the newest love team.

They play Luna and Kalix, ex-lovers who cross paths again as coworkers. Since they are still not over each other, will love be crazier the second time around?

Here are quotes from Heaven (H), Marco (M), Theodore (T) and Gwy (G):

H: If I was not paired off with Marco in our series, parang may kulang. Since we’ve been close since our PBB days, we complement each other.

M: I liked Heaven during our PBB days. We lost track of each other, but that “something” is still there. Now I’m seeing different sides of her that I am enjoying to discover.

T: We stayed true to the Wattpad material and kept the core of the story intact. We made sure to include the famous lines from the novel.

G: There’s a part of me in every character and many scenes are based on my experiences, so it’s more realistic.

M: Heaven is my happy pill. Working with her is such a breeze.

T: Our series is very real and very now. I don’t shout “Cut” right away after each scene. I let it linger because sometimes, there’s magic that happens.

G: It still has not sunk in that the novel I wrote out of boredom is now a series. As the creative consultant, I’m pleased with how my novel was translated into film.

Friendship vs duty in ‘Sapul’

Christine Bermas (left) and Kiko Estrada

Will you go over and beyond the call of duty even if it hurts the ones closest to you? That’s the conflict in the sexy action drama, “Sapul” (streaming on Vivamax). Directed by Reynold Giba, it stars Christine Bermas, Kiko Estrada and Jeric Raval.

It was supposed to be just another day at work for PO3 Leandro Acuba (Jeric), but it turns chaotic when his friend, PO1 Isidro Ticzon (Kiko), seeks his help, hostages a colleague and kills a fellow officer.

Will Leandro and Isidro let their friendship or justice prevail?

Here are quotes from Christine (C), Reynold (R) and Kiko (K):

C: I have this trauma of seeing someone die which haunted me in the scene where I witnessed a death.

R: The title of our movie is “Sapul” because literally, there are bull’s-eye sa barilan scenes and figuratively “tagos sa puso” the love between the characters played by Kiko and Christine.

K: My breakdown scene on top of a mountain was the toughest to shoot. I had to restrain my emotions as I climbed the mountain while it was raining.

C: This time, I showcased my being a dramatic actress more than being a sexy star.

R: Since my dad used to be a policeman, some parts of our movie are based on my dad’s stories. It’s sort of a love letter to my dad.

K: I’m a certified lover boy, so just like the character I played, I’ve been crazy in love too.

R: My takeaway from our film is that people are not evil by nature. They just become victims of circumstance but they will repent eventually.

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