WE watched two films starring John Lloyd Cruz in less than a month. First was Erik Matti’s Honor Thy Father when it served as the opening film of the Cinema One Orignals Film Festival earlier this November. Then we made sure we found time to catch Cathy Molina’s A Second Chance. Both films showcased his range and affirmed our belief that he is one of the few really excellent actors of his generation.
John Lloyd and Bea Alonzo worked together in 2007 for One More Chance, also directed by Molina, and after eight years we see how much he has improved as an actor. We liked the film and we reckon that John Lloyd has truly become a very competent actor.
He effectively uses his eyes and body to create nuances in order to give his characters layers. He delivers his lines with utmost precision and his timing is faultless. He can even navigate his silences to stir up complicated emotions. A few months ago, we were also fortunate to witness how John Lloyd works on a film set. We were on location with multiawarded filmmaker, Lav Diaz, in Bataan where John Lloyd was shooting his scenes with Sid Lucero and Piolo Pascual.
John Lloyd Cruz need not worry about being not a matinee idol anymore. His choice of projects speaks a lot about who he is now and what he wants as an actor, and how much he has grown in a field that is abundant with mediocrity and compromise.
We wouldn’t be surprised if A Second Chance breaks box-office records and Honor Thy Father, which has been retitled Conman for the year end Metro Manila Film Festival, brings honor to John Lloyd Cruz.
DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
Expect a major transformation for Cyrus Villanueva, the big winner of The X Factor Australia. Only 19, the Australian of Filipino lineage singing sensation will surely make it big after this major achievement in his young musical career.
When he performed Labrinth’s “Jealous,” we already had a hunch that he would be proclaimed the winner. No doubt, it was the season’s most spectacular performance. Aside from his musical skills, Cyrus has a beautiful face and a winsome smile, a combination that can only mean huge success if he plays his cards right.
Australian discoveries do not always successfully crossover to the international music scene, but Cyrus might just be an exception.
We heard a local network has already sent feelers for Cyrus to visit Manila soon, and we know many are eagerly looking forward to see him live on stage.
CELEBRITIES TAKE PART IN ‘TRANSFORM’
Some celebrities are taking part in a special exhibit of Project Headshot Clinic to commemorate World AIDS Day. Billed as Transform, the event is Project Headshot Clinic’s Eighth World AIDS Day collaboration with UNAIDS (United Nations Joint Program on HIV and AIDS) and SHIP Foundation. The exhibit will be launched on December 3 at the Pineapple Lab and will run through December 19.
This year’s exhibit promises a new multimedia experience that will combine photography, video and performance, which will require a free augmented reality mobile app called iSmartPhoto. The photos featured will transform into a video with the use of this free mobile app. Some of the celebrity collaborators for the project include actors Anthony Falcon, Alex Medina, Irma Adlawan; A-list model and host Joey Mead; model Marina Benipayo; and maverick film director Pepe Diokno.
Also for this year, top fashion designers Francis Libiran, Albert Andrada, Nat Manilag, John Herrera and Norman San Diego are lending their time, expertise and support for a one-of-a-kind fashion/art installation that will spice up the exhibit.
The show aims to highlight the importance of collaboration, and that transformation of a society can be achieved through partnership and commitment. While government action and support are important, the actions of individuals and their communities are essential for behavior change that can make a dent in the HIV epidemic. And social media can bring together individuals, communities and government leaders in a transformative discussion on addressing the challenge of HIV. Project Headshot Clinic is a digital-media platform that merges stylized profile photos and advocacies. Created in 2007 by award-winning photographer Niccolo Cosme, it has supported advocacy campaigns on HIV awareness, climate change, lesbian, gays, bisexual and transgender rights and youth empowerment.
We learned that the first Project Headshot Clinic series on HIV started in 2008, when writer Wanggo Gallaga came out to founder Niccolo Cosme about his HIV status. Gallaga then had been recently diagnosed, and Niccolo asked him if he wanted to collaborate and do the first-ever Headshot Clinic series on HIV for World AIDS Day 2008.
It has since then become an annual advocacy project with a strong partnership with UNAIDS.
Our readers are invited to experience this innovative and transformative exhibit. For more information, visit www.headshotclinic.com.