I AM not a fan of horror movies, like the local franchise The Aswang Chronicles. But I’m a fan of Dingdong Dantes.
Dingdong is the quintessential leading man: good-looking and talented. He is also educated, gracious and dedicated to helping others. He’s always been vocal about his support for various advocacies, for which he has volunteered to lend his star power.
Dingdong is also very respectful, which might explain why he can easily move with ease from GMA to Star Cinema, the film production arm of rival ABS-CBN, and back.
He is a prized Kapuso but once in a while gets to do projects with the Kapamlya film outfit because he respects both media entities and properly asks permission. That’s why people love working with him.
It is easy to say that as an actor, Dingdong is on top. That’s why it comes as no surprise that 2012’s The Aswang Chornicles has spawned a sequel. Titled Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles, the movie picks up where the first movie ended—a harrowing massacre which had the protagonists abandoning the place confident that all’s well that ends well. That is, until they were ambushed on their way to Manila.
The sequel happens two years after that tragedy and is set in Manila. Macoy, the main character played by Dingdong (who is also one of the film’s producers), just wants peace and quiet, not realizing that problem is brewing among the aswang clans. This time, Macoy will be fighting Doms, the character interestingly played by KC Montero. The film introduces a new aswang character, the kubot, giving viewers another fresh take on local folklore. Kubot is a clan of long-haired female aswang married to the Tiktik of Pulupandan, whose abilities are limited to morphing their hair into a tentacle-like mass that they use to squeeze their victim’s innards out like jello.
Another man I admire is Elmo Magalona. Typing “man” and “Elmo” in the same sentence is a little too weird for me, as I first met Elmo when his mom Pia was changing his diapers in a shoot. At that early age, Elmo was already exposed to the fun world that is showbiz, and that’s why when opportunity came knocking for him to become part of this world, he grabbed the chance. Now, he is making his mark as one of the most in-demand young actors. Elmo now stars in a popular prime-time show on GMA (More Than Words) and has a number of endorsements, along with his first foray into indie cinema, #Y (directed by Gino Santos and written by Jeff Santos). The film was picked up by Star Cinema for distirbution and will now be screened nationwide starting December 10.
The Cinemalaya entry chronicles the adventures of a generation that is greatly influenced and unified by social media and the Internet, as well as the “you only live once”, or YOLO, ideology that young people subscribe to these days.
Anyway, in the movie Elmo plays Miles, a troubled youngster who has suicidal tendencies. While Miles may have everything in the world such as loving parents and a very comfortable lifestyle, he still feels a void in his life and is always detached from his family and friends.
I watched #Y during its Cinemalaya run and I was pleasantly surprised by Elmo. He was a revelation in the movie. Elmo lights up the screen. His performance was magnetic and complemented well with the performances of the other cast members (Sophie Albert, Kit Thompson, Slater Young, Chynna Ortaleza and Coleen Garcia).
In fact, the cast won as Best Ensemble at the 10th Cinemalaya Awards.
Incidentally, #Y is one of the many films that Star Cinema has released and will release as part of its ongoing 20th anniversary.