Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank: Movie Review By Joanna Claire Miguel

Watching Philippine Films is something that I dislike. Not that I hated the films made by our Filipino Directors, but the impression left in me that Filipino Films are not worth  a penny. Dislike but not hated. So, I’d rather pay 185 pesos to watch Transformers III than watching any Philippine film with the same price to pay but ended up disappointed because of the ka-kornihan of our very own Philippine film. The End.

No, that doesn’t stop there. It’s supposed to stop there since I still have no interest in watching Philippine films... BUT! As a Mass Communication majors, we were required to watch at least one Indie film from the Cinemalaya Film Festival which leads to a change in my point of view of the Philippine Film Industry.

Cinemalaya Film Festival is an event in the Philippines which showcases Indie films and is held annually at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines. As I mentioned earlier, we were required to watch at least 1 Indie Film. I read the synopsis of every film entry in the said event before buying for a ticket and one movie synopsis catches my attention... Ang Babae sa Septic Tank.

Ang Babae sa Septic Tank is an Indie film by Marlon Rivera and an entry in the New Breed category in Cinemalaya 2011. The film shows how Indie Film Maker Rainier (Kean Cipriano) and Producer Bingbong ( JM De Guzman) try to reach their dream of making it big to the international film and that their film, “Walang wala” would be their ticket. It also shows how the passion of the Indie film makers helped them a lot to finish a movie despite of the limited budget they have or even the competitors you’ll meet along the way. Every detail behind making a film was revealed here in Ang Babae sa Septic Tank, which I think every aspiring film makers should take it as a lesson.

Ang Sayaw Ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa: Movie Review By Myra Burgos

“Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa explores the intersection and divergence between feminist and gay concerns in the third world context.  When Marlon, a college student, stalks Karen, his literature professor, he finds out that she moonlights as a choreographer and dance teacher in a dance studio.  Frustrated over his performance in her literature class, he plans to impress her instead by learning to poeticize his body movements and enroll in her dance class.  He hires his classmate to teach him the basics of dancing.  As Dennis, his tutor, teaches him how his body should move, Marlon begins to understand the intersections between the art of poetry and dance.“

"Ang Sayaw Ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa" is a film by Alvin Yapan under Vim Yapan/Alem Chua Production in Cooperation with BIGTOP Media Productions, Inc. and Far Eastern University.

"Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa" is one of the official entries in the upcoming Cinemalaya 2011 Film Festival which will be held on the month of July at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.


This movie is directed by Alvin Yapan which stars Paulo Avelino, Rocco Nacino and Ms. Jean Garcia.

This movie for me was a very inspiring and beautiful one. It tells about how a person can express ones feelings through dancing and saying no words. Watching this movie, i had a difficult time understanding some scenes but after a while, it came to a point that i understood it well. The movie was about a student, Marlon, that  fell i love with his literature professor, Karen,  and decided to enroll on her dance class. Before his attempt to enter his professor's dance class, he hired his classmate, Dennis,  to teach him how to dance so that he can impress Karen. Eventually, Dennis fell in love with Marlon not knowing that he would leave once he reached his goal of impressing her professor. In the end, the movie will lead you to a question of what happened to Marlon Karen and Dennis' relationship with each other.

What's good about the movie is the thing that it does not have  "mahalay" or  "manyak" scenes like what gay movies used to be here in the Philippines. They used poetic dance instead of the actual intercourse of 2 gay people. I really appreciated that part because it changes the perspective of people of what gay movies are.

In my opinion this movie is worth watching :)

Ligo Na U Lapit Na Me: Review By Abbie Irigon

Ligo na U, Lapit na Me is a story of a guy who is secretly in love with his friend. They are Karl Vladimir Lennon Villalobos and Jenny. The film started when Karl was on his way to school. And there, she met a transferee named Jenny who was kicked out from her previous school to avoid scandals because it affects the image of the school especially that the one running it are sisters. At that part, I already knew what kind of girl is Jenny. The opening scene already emphasizes what kind of person the main characters are. It gives a brief introduction about the characters and the story. Jenny was the dream girl type. Not because she is intelligent but because she has the looks and the body language that men could go crazy for. And she is not the demure type. She is more like someone who always shows off what she has; wearing sexy clothes and 5inches high heels, which I think, is not appropriate as school attires. While on the other hand, Karl is a simple boy who was living a simple life with his parents; both are living the Christian life through their preaches at home. Karl was playing hard to get at first. He lets Jenny follow him around. But deep inside, he considers himself lucky because despite all the boys running after Jenny, he was the one chosen. And that same day they met, Jenny asks Karl to make out with her. Karl was hesitant at first but he gave up to temptation afterwards, which ended up in a Motel with Jenny paying all the expenses. It was then followed by several perks and privileges, mostly during their break time. There is nothing between them. Maybe they can be called friends with benefits. They do not want to commit on anything. But Karl secretly loved her. He tried to tell her several times. But when the time came that he already got the guts, she confessed that she is pregnant and that Karl is not the father of her child. It was like a first heartbreak for Karl. But he had no rights to complain or expect anything because there is nothing between them. All he can do is hear what Jenny has to say and then do nothing to change what happened. Jenny vanished from school. She did not show up until graduation day. Karl tried to forget Jenny through doing what they usually do but this time, with a new girl. But still, he was not satisfied and was longing for Jenny’s touch. Graduation day came and soon he needs to apply for a job when he saw someone who looks like Jenny. He stopped near the girl and that ends the film.

The film was an adult film. It was not intended for kids. It has mature scenes. But it teaches us a different story of love, a different perspective about girls and guys nowadays. It is not always the guy who initiates such actions. It can be an inverse process. For me, a film like this is something I would be having a hard time coping with. I would feel uncomfortable with the bed scenes at times. So I am amaze by the cinematographers of doing a good job on capturing such scenes. 
The setting of the film is the typical school type and typical Motel, then a simple residence of the guy. Jenny’s background was not showed in the film. It was Karl’s that was emphasized. The only thing about Jenny was that she has a backup story, which contributes, to her present character. The characters reflected some truths about teenagers in our society nowadays. Everything between the characters was going fine until Karl fell in love with Jenny that he knows is not right. And I think it is the rising action, it is where conflicts are starting already. And then when they both find out the truth about Jenny being pregnant, that would be the climax of the story. Things became more complicated for them. Things are turning uneasy. Then when Jenny disappeared and Karl started a new beginning, it would now be the falling action of the problem. The story left us, watchers hanging. But I can really say that it was worth it. Characters are good as well as the story and the director, Erick Salud. Especially because it was the first ever independent film that I have watched. I am hoping for same good films for next year’s competition.

Patikul: Movie Review By Carla Basa

Patikul is a film by Joel Lamangan which tells us that education is after all an issue that can never be overemphasized. Patikul tells the story of Kan-Ague Elementary School in Patikul, Sulu. Two best students in Kan-Ague were chosen to compete in the region's quiz bee. They were eager to grab the top prize, they prepared for the quiz bee with the help of their school principal and the teachers. One of the teacher's brother was killed so they decided to go there and extend their condolences. On their way home they were blocked by the military and the school principal was hostages. They were asking for ransom but his family cannot give that amount of money they were asking for. The school principal was beheaded so they had to stop the children from schooling. The parents were not infavor of it so they planned to bring the teachers to school everyday. The children goes to school everyday and until now the parents would escort the teachers for the sake of their childrens education.

This film is inspiring because many children really want to go to school but do not get a chance to study. This film shows us how education is important to us. We are lucky because we go to school everyday safely unlike in Patikul wherein everyday they get afraid. Education is something that we can treasure from our parents. I was inspired when the parents escorted he teachers to school and they bring them home everyday. You will see how concerned they were for their childrens education. This teaches us that no matter how hard life is, you should never give up. There will always be a solution to every problem.