Bed Sins starred Sarsi Emmanuelle and Liza Lorena, among others, directed by Mario O'Hara.  The porn was inserted without O'Hara's consent by Robbie Tan.  O'Hara pretty much disowns the film.

Out of lurid curiousity, who was in that oral sex scene?

This reminds me of Roño's Private Show and the infamous "banderitas" scene.

Sarsi was being eaten, and there's a shot of her swallowing Patrick de la Rosa.

Actually, it's body doubles, but the inserts are cleverly done.

I remember a Maryo de los Reyes movie about four sisters called APAT NA MARIA in the early 80's produced by Agrix Films.

Wenn V. Deramas' "Tanging Ina" is a surprisingly supple, surprisingly well-made, comedy that turns on the acting and comedy talents of the decidedly unglamorous Ai-Ai de Las Alas. Ai-Ai is an odd combination: generous bosom and glamour-girl legs attached to cartoon face and horsey jaw; you can see why men would find her attractive enough to make their wife, the same time God would find her funny-looking enough to act as butt to some of his less kindly jokes.

The first twenty minutes are the film's high point. Deramas uses the standard tropes of Filipino comedy: speeded-up slapstick, absurdist imagery, semaphoring silent acting; what distinguishes her use of these devices from the usual Filipino comedy director's is that it's all in the service of creating a genuinely complex and fairly original comic character: the mother as hapless creature of fate, doing her best to keep her sizable chin above the water as she marries one husband after another, is widowed in a number of rather ingenious ways (one drops dead from a heart attack; another falls from the balcony of a movie theater during a stampede; yet another is electrocuted at their wedding reception), each leaving her with a number of children. Along the way Deramas (using a script from Mel Mendoza del Rosario--one of the better comedy writers working in the industry today--and Keiko Aquino) scores a few satiric points: the tendency of Filipinos to produce unbelievably large families (Ai-Ai eventually ends up with an even dozen kids), the mad scramble for decent jobs in an increasingly indecent economy; the value put on displayable material wealth and "face," or surface respectability. Some of the better jokes include Ai-Ai naming her children after numbers (Juan (Marvin Agustin), after "one;" Portia (Heart Evangelista) shortened from "por" or "four"); Dennis Padilla as her latest suitor, a taxi driver with an appealingly maniacal twinkle in his eye and a penchant for showing up in his knight-errand taxi at the right place and the right time; and, of course, the film's title, which literally means "true Mother," the same time it's a pun on an obscenity that means: "whore mother."

The film doesn't sustain the comic momentum: about two-thirds of the way the picture seriously sags from all the tearjerking drama, meant to underline Ai-Ai's plight and suffering (they could have underlined it and still made it funny). Some of the satire isn't as pointed as it could be--Heart Evengelista could have really gone to town on her materialistic Portia, who expects her mother to fork out enough cash for her swanky debut birthday party, but other than some deft slapstick she does little else; no connection is made between Ai-Ai's troubles and the Catholic Church's medieval policies on birth control; and an incident involving a terrorist bomber seems to come out of left field if one isn't familiar with the turmoil that embroiled Manila at the time the film was made (some political context would have been welcome). Still, this is a film with serious targets that it manages to skillfully skewer at least half the time (most Filipino satires nowadays seem too broad, or miss their targets entirely); and in terms of general quality it stands head and shoulders above the standard-issue "toilet humor" or "tits-and-ass" slapstick.

Celso Ad. Castillo's "Asedillo" is perhaps the quintessential Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ) film; it was the picture that established FPJ's image as expert gunslinger and defender of the poor. The film tells the story of Teodoro Asedillo, a schoolteacher turned rebel hunted by the Police Constabulary in the Sierra Madre mountains in the 1920s, at the time of the American Occupation.

By this time Celso had been directing for some five years (his first film was "Misyong Mapanganib" (Dangerous Mission) in 1966), and his best works were yet to come ("Burlesk Queen" (1977); "Pagputi ng Uwak, Pagitim ng Tagak" (When the Crow Turns White, When the Heron Turns Black, 1978)) yet even this early on you could see his mastery of film language. FPJ's actioners are almost always well-produced, but this is the rare picture of his that shows touches of genuine visual poetry--deep orange sunsets; elderly villagers expressively lit and photographed; iconic shots of FPJ on his horse climbing the steep terrain, his body leaning to one side as if to keep from falling off the mountainside. At one point FPJ reads a crucial letter from the Constabulary chief, offering parley: Ad. Castillo cuts to the people outside, waiting for the results of the fateful letter, and as they chat, Castillo cuts out all sound except the wind blowing; the effect is remarkably ominous.

FPJ had been acting since 1950 (his is perhaps one of the longest careers of any Asian actor, and he's still going on strong), and in many if not all of his films the acting has been consistent: the people speak a kind of declamatory rhetoric, with long pauses between sentences, a florid vocabulary, and solemn pacing. Ad. Castillo (who also wrote the screenplay) emulates this '50s performance style, but the fluid editing and camerawork (Sergio Lobo was DP) undercuts the heaviness, giving the film tension and energy. What's more, because editing and camerawork also emphasize the larger-than-life qualities of the characters, the declamatory dialogue becomes less a liability--a time-warped holdover from the '50s--than part of the film's overall style, indicating the gravity and seriousness of the characters' purpose.

Where can I get a copy of the movie Takaw-Tukso?  BTW, I do think Private Show is far better than this Rossana Roces starrer ( I forgot the title), both films were directed by Chito Rono? Any update on Anna Marie G?  Of course Skorpio Nights still tops them all.

Here's the latest buzz on Mario O'HAra's Breakwater:

A young whore at Manila’s breakwater
11/11/2003 2:06:00 PM
The Journal Group

Newcomer Katherine Luna, 18, is multi-awarded director Mario O’Hara’s personal choice for the role of Paquita, a young whore at Manila’s breakwater, in his latest directorial job, "Babae sa Breakwater."

Direk Mario shared, "Di kami makakita ng tamang gaganap sa role niya for more than two years. Hanap kami nang hanap. Ilang beses kaming nagpa-audition. Until dumating si Katherine. She’s a raw beauty. Bagay siya sa role. She underwent workshop and that’s when we knew our search had ended.

"Sabi ko, finally, magagawa na rin ang `Breakwater’ nang hindi na kailangan pang kumuha ng isang datihang artistang pipilitin pang bumagay sa character ni Paquita. The bigger revelation came by the time na nagshu-shoot na kami. Katherine has the makings of a compelling screen performer."

Direk Mario developed "Breakwater" while walking along Roxas Boulevard in Manila in 1996. He offered the story to major film outfits (excluding Regal Films), but none of them bit the project. He also tried fielding the story to the Palanca, but it was rejected just the same.

Until direk Mario met businesswoman Arlene Aguas, who generously agreed to produce the P15-M vehicle under the Entertainment Warehouse, Inc. banner.

"It took seven years," direk Mario noted, "but it’s well worth the wait.

Also in the cast of "Babae sa Breakwater" are Amy Austria, Gardo Versoza, Daniel Fernando, Dick Israel, Rez Cortez, Odette Khan, and Lou Veloso, among others. It opens soon in Metro Manila theaters.


By IAN FARIÑAS

Kainis...dapat Magnifico na lang ang ipinadala sa Oscars...

MAGNIFICO
3 1/2 stars

Starring Jiro Manio, Albert Martinez. Written by Michiko Yamamoto. Directed by Maryo J De Los Reys. (STC) 122 min. Opens Nov 14.

Some movies wear their heart on their sleeve: the Filipino drama Magnifico puts it in the audience's hands. How, it asks, can you resist the story of a saintly martyr-child whose energetic and selfless do-gooding brings redemption to weary souls of his impoverished village? And whose tireless efforts in this vein are rewarded not with a well-deserved happy ending, but rather a cruel twist of the heartless fates? Well, you can't, which is why in Magnifico, the crudity of its emotional assault works shamelessly as a melodrama.

Times are tough for Magnifico (the decidedly adorable Jiro Manio) and his family. His parents are grappling with debt; his sister, Helen, has cerebral palsy and cannot speak; his brother, Miong, has flunked out of university. But it's not until his beloved grandmother falls off the roof and is subsequently diagnosed with cancer that Magnifico decides to take action. Noting that money -- or a lack thereof -- is at the root of these problems, he throws himself into a series of entrepreneurial ventures. "Just because they're adults," he explains to a friend, "doesn't mean we can't help them."

From collecting scrap wood to fashioning a homemade coffin for his rapidly failing grandma to carting his sister to the local carnival on his frail back, Magnifico is a one-kid crusade for all that's good in the world. In an American film, such explicitly pandering incidents -- and their accompanying swells of bathetic violin music -- would be easy and justified critical targets. That I bought into this transparent exercise in tear-jerking (the rough Hollywood equivalent would probably be the execrable Pay it Forward) has as much to do with my own curious tolerance for subtitled excess as it does its own virtues of performance, scripting and direction. ADAM NAYMAN : Eye Weekly Toronto

Hey, guys, am trying to do an article on the state of the industry 2003, and I need help.  I'm seeing some of the films shown this year--Tanging Ina, Magnifico, am going to see Huling Birhen soon, but obviously I can't see everything (HEY QUARK, HOW BOUT THAT COPY OF KEKA YOU PROMISED?!), so I'm asking all of youse:

1. So what was the Filipino film industry like this year?

2. What were the worse Filipino films this year?  WHY?

3. What were the best Filipino films this year, WHY?

4. Anything else you'd like to add, about the industry this year?

RitchieNolasco, RMN, edsa77, yeah, I'm talking to YOU--now's your chance to tell me what went down, how it went, and why.

Thanks, y'all.

Thanks RMN.

Any other responses out there?

crap, December 3.  That's the dead zone.  It's not expected to make money, is it?

Chesus, Caparas...shall we say Chavit got the filmmaker that he deserved?  What do you guys think?

Thanks, acyl.  But didn't you catch anything you liked?

BAUNINAM!

caught the trailer of Crying Ladies during the screening of Intolerable Cruelty. looks interesting! the only odd-woman out is the Megastar but she might surprise me. I'm looking forward to see Hilda and Angel's perfs.

Probably Ed Cabagnot.  Why, have you heard anything new about them?