This is interesting. A gay man meets with an accident and becomes amnesiac. He forgets he is gay and falls for a pretty young woman like any straight guy. The woman is clueless the guy is gay. Will the relationship last? What if the guy wakes up from his amnesiac state and remembers he is gay?
That’s the premise of Viva Film’s new feature opening in theaters tomorrow. It’s aptly titled Amnesia Love. And who could better play the role of the amnesiac guy than MMFF 2016 Best Actor (Die Beautiful) Paolo Ballesteros?
This is how it goes in the film. The character Ballesteros plays is found unconscious on the beach on a remote island in Zambales. A kind couple (Lander Vera-Perez and Maricel Morales) takes him and took care of him until he wakes up. But he cannot remember his name or anything else. The couple’s daughter (Yam Concepcion) is skeptical about this guy’s condition, but is left with no choice but to let him stay in their house.
Romance starts to brew between the two, but this amnesiac displays some behavioral modes that are not exactly manly, and finds himself distracted by the sight of attractive men.
Ballesteros said in an interview that he wants to keep making movies that will make people think.
The film’s director Albert Langitan shares Ballesteros thoughts. A scriptwriter who became a TV director (Impostora and Super Ma’am) It would be interesting to see how Langitan’s creative eye and Ballesteros’ passion for his craft could work together to bring viewers a laugh-out-loud movie.
Adding spice to the film is VIVA’s versatile actress, Yam Concepcion who was first launched to stardom via Erik Matti’s adult drama Rigodon Amnesia Love is Paolo and Yam’s reunion film. They worked together in the 2016 blockbuster movie, Bakit Lahat ng Gwapo May Boyfriend?! with Dennis Trillo and Anne Curtis.
Joining Paolo, Yam, Lander and Maricel in the cast are Polo Ravales, Vandolph Quizon, Geleen Eugenio, and Sinon Loresca.
If you’re the die-hard Kapuso kind, you must have seen The Stepdaughters in the network’s Afternoon Prime. This is the soap that took over the overwrought and over-the-top Kris Bernal double-exposure melodrama Impostora.
This new series that premiered on Valentine week (Feb. 12) is about two women destined to be rivals.
Miss World 2013 Megan Young and Katrina Halili play the rival women, the stepdaughters, and the man in between is Megan’s off-screen beau, Mikael Daez.
Megan Young is Mayumi de la Rosa whose dream is to have her own makeup line.
Katrina Halili is Isabelle Salvador who manages her family’s makeup line, Coco Bella.
Mikael Daez is Francis Almeda, the head product engineer at Coco Bella. He will be, as is usual in any Kapuso afternoon series, will be the bone of contention between Mayumi and Isabelle.
Mayumi and Isabelle never really liked each other, even more so when Mayumi’s mother, Luisa, and Isabelle’s father, Hernan, get married, thus legally making them stepsisters.
But no secret ever stays a secret, especially ones that are rooted within families. When Isabelle finds out what Hernan had done, she will do everything to keep everything they have, even if it means taking down Mayumi. But Mayumi will never let anyone hurt her or her loved ones. Now both Mayumi and Isabelle will fight for what is rightfully theirs—family, honor, and love.
If you liked Impostora, with its meandering plot, I suppose you will also like The Stepdaughters.
* * *
Martial arts superstar Jackie Chan heats up the big screen again in his latest action / sci-fi movie, Bleeding Steel, in theaters now.
Directed by Leo Zhang, the movie tells the story of Special Agent Lin Dong (Chan) who gets torn between his family and his duty. He gets a phone call from the hospital informing him that his daughter who’s suffering from Leukemia is in critical condition. He rushes to the hospital, but on the way gets another phone call this time from a co-worker, informing him of an immediate and dangerous mission.
Lin’s co-worker informs him that Dr. James, a critical witness to a crime is in danger and needs protection from the police. But before the police can reach him, Dr. James injects himself with a chemical substance stored with a mechanical heart. And when the police arrive to escort him, they were ambushed by unknown men and almost all members of Lin’s team were killed.
Fast forward to 13 years, what happened to Agent Lin Dong, his daughter, and to the mysterious witness Dr. James who might be the key to an advanced but destructive technology?
Bleeding Steel is filled with zesty fights and goofy scenes that are trademarks of a Jackie Chan movie. He also mixes his well-known martial arts moves with new fighting styles that are suitable for a sci-fi action movie.
The film was shot in Taipei, Beijing and Australia and Jackie Chan’s intense fight scene on top of the Sydney Opera House is a definitely a must-see.
Bleeding Steel is presented by VIVA International Pictures and MVP Entertainment.
* * *
ABS-CBN, the country’s leading media and entertainment company, emerged as the top winner after bagging the Best TV Station for the second year running, as part of its 25-award haul at the Mindanao-based Young Educators’ Summit 2108’s Aral-Parangal Awards.
Meanwhile, TV Patrol, the country’s leading news broadcast program, won Best National News Program, while its anchors won awards for their work as Best Male National TV/News Anchor (Ted Failon), and Best Male National Radio News Anchor (Noli de Castro). ABS-CBN News anchor Karen Davila also won Best Female National TV/News Anchor.
The network’s music radio station MOR and news/ralk radio station DZMM were awarded as Best FM Radio Station and Best AM Station respectively.
Failon Ngayon won Best TV Documentary Program while science-environmental educational program Matanglawin won Best Educational TV Program.
MMK, the longest-running drama anthology in Asia, won Best TV Drama Anthology, while the country’s most-watched TV program FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano took home the award for Best Primetime Teleserye.
The network’s top-rating variety programs also prevailed in their respective categories. Top-rating noontime show It’s Showtime won Best Noontime Show for the second consecutive year while Sunday variety show ASAP Best TV Variety Show.
Comedy and reality TV were also recognized. Home Sweety Home, and comedy gag show Banana Split won best Comedy Drama and Best TV Comedy, respectively.
Reality TV singing competition The Voice won best TV Reality Show, while singing game show I Can See Your Voice won best TV Game Show.
Four of the network’s game show hosts also won awards: Luis Manzano (Best Male Game Show Host for I Can See Your Voice), Judy Ann Santos (Best Female Game Show Host for Bet on Your Baby), Robi Domingo (Best Male Reality TV Host for Pinoy Big Brother), and Toni Gonzaga (Best Female Reality TV host for Pinoy Big Brother).
Other Kapamilya winners include actors Joshua Garcia (Movie Actor of the Year), Julia Barretto (Movie Actress of the Year), and Awra Briguela (Child Actor of the Year), while hit romantic movie Vince, Kath and James won Movie of the Year.
The Aral Parangal Awards “aims to recognize media programs and personalities who embody the ideals of educating young minds, promoting peace and unity and preserving indigenous people’s cultures.”
