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Entertainment => Film & TV Talk => Pinoy Entertainment => Topic started by: acyl_halide on Aug 30, 2003 at 11:17 AM
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Unconventional role
for Sharon Cuneta
Posted: 10:40 PM (Manila Time) | Aug. 29, 2003
By Rica Arevalo
Inquirer News Service
WATCH out for Unitel Pictures' "Crying Ladies" before the year ends. Mark Meily directs from a screenplay (originally titled "Bayan Luha") that won third prize at the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature two years ago.
I met Meily, a successful TV commercial director, about a decade ago when he became my professor in cinematography. He would bring our class to his shoots and assign us to be clappers or video assistants. For our finals, he let us shoot scenes using a 35mm Panaflex or a Mitchell film camera. Although we never saw the rushes (the magazine could have been empty), he made us experience "real" shooting.
Surprisingly, after not seeing each other for years, he invited me to see the rough cut of "Crying Ladies." He wanted to hear what the youth has to say about his first feature film. Jokingly, he wanted me to grade him. Our roles were reversed.
The term "crying ladies" refers to women being hired to shed tears at funeral wakes. But this film is more than just that. Sharon Cuneta deviates from her traditional wife-y roles. Cunetas' character has served a term in prison for estafa and is struggling to gain custody of her son from her ex-husband (Ricky Davao). She is a gambler, liar and dreamer. From the beginning, the image of the stereotypical Filipino mother is forgotten.
Eric Quizon plays the eldest son of a Chinese father who has just passed away. Upon the request of his mother, he hires Sharon to cry at his father's wake and funeral. Cuneta, desperate for money, accepts the job and contacts her friends Angel Aquino and Hilda Koronel.
Aquino works for a religious foundation and keeps making the same mistake in her life, much to the dismay of the priest played by Johnny Delgado. Koronel's character, on the other hand, is a has-been actress whose biggest triumph was her having been part of the movie, "Darna and The Giants."
The film is witty, upbeat and unpredictable. We see a different Sharon Cuneta and we are glad she accepted the role. And as for Meily, we give him high mark for a job well done.
Let's hope "Crying Ladies" survives the box office competition in the December filmfest, so that more films like this will be produced.
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Will watch this tomorrow. Hope it lives up to its hype. So far, everyone whose opinion I consider has liked it.
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RE: Sharon Cuneta's casting in Crying Ladies
Unlike the majority of people, I thought the casting of Sharon was pretty subversive. I think the movie's strongest suits was the way it sort of f**ked around with this perception we all obviously seem to have of Sharon and of all the movie personas/cliches she has made famous - - - the aspirational singer wannabe , the harassed mother , the melodramatic "crying lady" of her many melodramas , even her real-life weight problem - - -Ricky Davao to his new wife refering to Sharon's character : "Malakas kumain yan." ) - - - is given a dig.
(The movie revels in such stuff. Eric Quizon's throaway line :"Babaero kasi Tatay ko eh". That's an in-joke if there ever was one. Even if you can't be bothered to watch Tagalog movies or listen to gossip, that's something we all know.)
Hell, even the casual plugs of all the products she endorsed - - -a caveat that might've been glaringly commercial - - -was put to good satiric effect.
I think one of the funniest jokes in the movie was the part where Sharon finds her ironic new "career" (trying to avoid spoilers here), just look at her on the job - - -it's a send-up of every pose and inflection Sharon has put on since she became a star and the closing montage where her new "career " has bought her to the consciousness level of the masses is a send-up of her megastar status.
The movie works at face value. But another actress, even another more competent actress, might have made it more competent but also more conventional, something the conventional majority possibly prefers. But I also think the movie works , in subtext probably but not that buried, as a Sharon Cuneta satire.
I'd be more impressed if she still agreed to do the film, knowing fully that they were satirizing her.
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just saw this with Justine. we enjoyed it a lot. not only did it poke fun at Sharon's celebrity, even Eric Quizon's dad, Dolphy wasn't spared (as earlier posted here).
I finally got my wish from last year's filmfest, that I expect better movies about the Filipino-Chinese community after Mano Po. Mark Meily's directorial debut not only delivered better; I agree that it was a refreshing output from our local industry. not only did it comment about the said community, it was also a snapshot of our culture.
As noticed in another thread, the movie was able to make three losers (whom in real life, we wouldn't even give the time of day) endear themselves to our hearts. Personally, I prefer this movie over Magnifico. The De Los Reyes film was still trapped in melodrama but Meily's work makes sure that after our tear ducts were stimulated, we'll find ourselves laughing with the characters.
The trailer did justice to the movie, it really lived up to the hype. I still have to see Jeturian's entry to judge which of the two is best. 'Though I noticed in the credits that Jeff seemed to have helped in this work.
Also loved the animation short Siopawman!
I gotta have the soundtrack too!
Hilda Koronel was hilarious! Eric Quizon deserved that lead award. It compares to Vilma's understated work in Dekada '70 and Fernanda Montenegro's in Central Station.
Kudos to the filmfest for not heaping praise on melodramas and citing the less flashier perfs!
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Saw it finally, its refreshing dramedy at its best! I agree with Reuven Malter's review...
Hilda Koronel was hilarious! Perfect for replacement for the late Nida Blanca!
I dont know if any other actress could pull that part so much....
Sharon Cuneta is miscast in this movie...glad that the MMFF juror didnt get her nod.
I do hope that the dvd release will feature its trailer, cast & crew interviews and much more features....
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The movie is good but Sharon Cuneta does not fit the role she played. She's too pretty and her face is too flawless. And for some reason, local movies can't seem to come up with satisfying endings.
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I wouldn't know about pretty, she's about as attractive as a sack of potatoes. But yeah, I can see her as being too soft and spoiled to be cast in a lower-class role...
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This film has got to be one of the best pinoy films ever made.They really did research on the chinese burial custom.The script was great and the acting laudable.I like just a handful of pinoy films and this flick is one
of them.Didn't even wanted to watch it at first but still liked it.It's a film not to be missed.
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Minsan lang ako makapanood ng filipino comedy na hindi slapstick at isa na ito at enjoy pa ako.
Sobrang nakakatuwa si Hilda Koronel!
Nagulat ako na isang advertising production company ang gumawa. Sana may sumunod pa sa kanila (sa paggawa ng pelikulang de-kalidad kahit di siguradong papatok sa takilya) dahil sigurado namang malaki kinikita ng mga kumpanyang ito.
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I really liked this film. For me, It was the best Filipino film for the year. Pulido yung trabaho.
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watched it, loved it. hilda stole the whole movie, and yes, sharon was miscast. but on the whole, i enjoyed it.
i'm not sure if anyone else noticed, but johnny delgado, who plays a priest, was wearing a wedding ring in the confessional. deliberate?
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i liked the movie and i thought Ate Shawie was pretty good. i just couldn't stand angel aquino and eric quizon's subplot. great opening though... at least they didn't do the whole landscape/driving montage with yellow or pink font for opening credits thing.
saw the ring too. i distinctly remember from religion class that priests and nuns wear "wedding rings" on their fingers to signify their commitment to God. correct me if i'm wrong someone.
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I'm from Unitel, saw this thread, then wow! :oI felt really proud about our very first full feature offering (although we also did American Adobo ahead of this but it was a co-production with Star Cinema :-\) upon reading your comments. Thanks for watching! Please buy the OST and also the DVD soon! ;)
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Loved the opening sequence.
ACIDRAIN I heard that Ate Shawie agreed to a pay cut just so the movie can afford her. Is this the reason for the integration of a lot of Sharon's commercials in the screenplay?
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Loved the opening sequence.
ACIDRAIN I heard that Ate Shawie agreed to a pay cut just so the movie can afford her. Is this the reason for the integration of a lot of Sharon's commercials in the screenplay?
The opening sequence was done by our sister company, Optima Digital. Personally, I liked it too.
Phobos, I'm not privy to the financial aspects of the production but I heard rumors like that spreading around, so funny :D.
You know, I don't think that's the reason behind it. And it's not only her that gave talent fee "discounts", we, the staff as well agreed to do the film on a minimal fee and some even free and some x-deal, just to be able to do the film while sharing the same passion.
Unitel is a small production house. We don't have the same budget as the big ones. In my take, those brands that you see in the film may have, in many different ways, helped Unitel produce the film. It's unavoidable that sharon herself will always be associated with those brands.
I myself is quite amused how those brands were integrated in the script. For me, it fit in. For example, the Alaska jingle contest, I can't imagine using other jingle for that scene.
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I can't imagine also not having Sharon in the film. She's the only one who can deliver those lines, and the idea of her, wanting to be a "singer" but turned out to become a videoke "megastar". ;D
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i guess that's why i didn't really mind the blatant product placements in the movie... it was for the greater good.
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Gotta watch this.
I'll try to squeeze this into my sked this saturday. That is, if it's still showing by then.
Sigh. I think 2003 was the year when I watched the least number of movies. Pathetic.
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Medyo pa-humble effect pa si ACIDRAIN. I heard na ang company ninyo (at yung mga sister companies) ang pinakamalaking ad production and post production company sa bansa.
Puwede bang bigyan mo naman kami ng info tungkol sa DVD edition ng Crying Ladies? Interesado kasi akong kumuha ng kopya.
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I'm not a big fan of Sharon and I've lobbed a few insults her way but I have liked some of her performances in the past (in the Brocka movies and when she's handled by Joyce Bernal) and I have liked Tanging Ina so I'll definitely try watch this when I can.
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it's one of the best tagalog movies i've seen.
meron lang one major flaw...sharon cuneta!
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Medyo pa-humble effect pa si ACIDRAIN. I heard na ang company ninyo (at yung mga sister companies) ang pinakamalaking ad production and post production company sa bansa.
Puwede bang bigyan mo naman kami ng info tungkol sa DVD edition ng Crying Ladies? Interesado kasi akong kumuha ng kopya.
hahaha :D...sa ad industry pwede pero iba ang industriya ng pelikula. sa ad industry, may bayad kada trabaho, sa pelikula, mamumuhunan ka muna :-\
anyways, about the DVD edition, still don't know the final contents but definitely there will be lots of BTS (behind-the-scenes)...just wait a few months ;)
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I think Sharon was just right for this movie.All those sponsored insert was just hilarious.Sharon showed that she could be multi-faceted.She can be dramatic, serious,funny,etc.Not like most of the other local actors that have only one way of acting.Just watch Filipinas and Mano Po2.Some of the actors there act that way in their ordinary lives.
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Yeah, Sharon wasn’t bad.
She’s central to the movie, almost like tendon. So if you liked the movie, chances are you actually liked her here. You only thought you didn’t. :)
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Yeah, Sharon wasn’t bad.
She’s central to the movie, almost like tendon. So if you liked the movie, chances are you actually liked her here. You only thought you didn’t. :)
siguro lang maricel could have pulled it off better
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a review in the Inquirer found the film anti-Filipino. well, it's a satire for crying out loud. we really have to be told what's wrong with us culturally to get out of our rut. we tend to choose to do what's wrong out of the need to survive. this is not to condone our pitfalls but as human beings, one doesn't have to be confrontational or punitive to correct another person. if it's in done with a good sense of humor, we could cajole the other party to reform. this is how I deal with my students and it always works. this is why I was able to relate to what Crying Ladies was trying to impart. I believe it deserves the Gatpuno Villegas award more than Filipinas.
kudos to Unitel! welcome to the board, acidrain!
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you're right about that. totoo naman kasing nangyayari yung mga yun eh sa totoong buhay.
deisel,
maricel could have. but in some ways probaby the judges aren't ready to give recognition to a comic role, don't you think? I can't remember a comic-role actor having won the best actor/actress award in any award -giving body here in the Philippines. hmm just an opinion.
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you're right about that. totoo naman kasing nangyayari yung mga yun eh sa totoong buhay.
x44,
maricel could have. but in some ways probaby the judges aren't ready to give recognition to a comic role, don't you think? I can't remember a comic-role actor having won the best actor/actress award in any award -giving body here in the Philippines. hmm just an opinion.
I think Gloria Romero won a Best Actress award for Manang Biday.
I can't remember if Dolphy won anything for Facifica Falayfay or his other "gay" role in that Brocka flick -- Ang Tatay kong Nanay(?).
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you're right about that. totoo naman kasing nangyayari yung mga yun eh sa totoong buhay.
x44,
maricel could have. but in some ways probaby the judges aren't ready to give recognition to a comic role, don't you think? I can't remember a comic-role actor having won the best actor/actress award in any award -giving body here in the Philippines. hmm just an opinion.
sharon is still making pa-cute in most scenes. mark meilly should have squeezed more acting juices from her.
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siguro lang maricel could have pulled it off better
Maybe. But it would've been a different movie. A more conventional movie at that.
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x44,
maricel could have. but in some ways probaby the judges aren't ready to give recognition to a comic role, don't you think? I can't remember a comic-role actor having won the best actor/actress award in any award -giving body here in the Philippines. hmm just an opinion.
The judges were wack. It wasn't me pimping for Maricel, though, ACIDRAIN, that was diesel. ;) Maricel in Filipinas, you could see the seams. Maricel in Filipinas, she acted like someone acting, not like someone in real life. Sharon , though, was spot-on. Very spot-on.
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sharon is still making pa-cute in most scenes. mark meilly should have squeezed more acting juices from her.
And this makes her a lousy actress . . .how?
Don't want to be soapboxing for Sharon. Am not even a fan. Her commercials blow. But I wish you would elaborate why she was "miscast" , diesel. She's 80% of the movie. If she sucked, 80% of the movie sucked. Just surprises me how Crying Ladies could be good but Sharon be a major flaw. ???
Just asking, of course. :)
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It seems to me most people refuse to admit that Sharon was quite good in this movie.
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And this makes her a lousy actress . . .how?
Don't want to be soapboxing for Sharon. Am not even a fan. Her commercials blow. But I wish you would elaborate why she was "miscast" , diesel. She's 80% of the movie. If she sucked, 80% of the movie sucked. Just surprises me how Crying Ladies could be good but Sharon be a major flaw. ???
Just asking, of course. :)
i don't remember using the word "miscast".
she was the movies' major flaw. after all , she was the lead character. but being the lead character doesn't necessarily make her 80% of the movie. i don't think mark meilly would even agree.
i love this movie. i think this is the best tagalog movie of 2003. and i can think of a lot of great things about this movie--the story, the supporting cast, etc.
but nothing's perfect. and in this movie, i see it's imperfection in sharon's acting. in spite of more than two decades in the business, sharon lacked the depth.
i don't hate sharon. what i'm trying to say is that, this movie could have been better kung hindi sya nagpapa-cute. at talaga namang nagpapacute sya.
nasabi ko na maricel could have pulled it off better. mas linya ni marya ang comedy and drama.
peace :)
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Yeah, you're right, diesel, that was someone else,sorry. :)
I've elaborated at great length why Sharon is integral to how the movie worked. With all due respect, Maricel's probably competent but she's not an icon. Sharon is. And her iconicity - - -including all her pa-cute mannerisms , which I'm willing to bet were intentional, as in what the director wanted - - -is what makes the satiric undercurrents of the movie rich and funny.
And she holds the movie together. Tendon, like I said. The spine of the movie is her story - - - her kid issues, her popstar dreams, her fragile bond with the Eric Quizon character - - - all the others were subplots. So, 80%. More or less give or take. :)
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The judges were wack. It wasn't me pimping for Maricel, though, ACIDRAIN, that was diesel. ;) Maricel in Filipinas, you could see the seams. Maricel in Filipinas, she acted like someone acting, not like someone in real life. Sharon , though, was spot-on. Very spot-on.
sorry, my bad ;)
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I think Sharon fitted her role quite well. True, she may not be perfect but I don't see her as a distraction to take away the movie's other merits. I completely agree with X44 that Sharon is ideal for the part, that the movie is a total deconstruction of Sharon's legacy in showbusiness. That her undecided role (whether she is an entertainer, singer, actress or mother) is similar to Sharon's almost confused role in showbusiness.
On the side, I read in a magazine article that Mark Meily is a Zhang Yimou fan (ranking Red Sorghum, Not One Less and another Yimou movie as his top three)... Star Magazine (Philippine Star's Sunday Magazin)
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Yeah, you're right, diesel, that was someone else,sorry. :)
I've elaborated at great length why Sharon is integral to how the movie worked. With all due respect, Maricel's probably competent but she's not an icon. Sharon is. And her iconicity - - -including all her pa-cute mannerisms , which I'm willing to bet were intentional, as in what the director wanted - - -is what makes the satiric undercurrents of the movie rich and funny.
And she holds the movie together. Tendon, like I said. The spine of the movie is her story - - - her kid issues, her popstar dreams, her fragile bond with the Eric Quizon character - - - all the others were subplots. So, 80%. More or less give or take. :)
if she was the spine of the movie, why is it that Hilda almost or even surpassed her?
just asking, guys... ???
And Maricel IMO richly deserved that award, its about time people recognize her real talent or "depth" acting as pointed out by diesel.
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if she was the spine of the movie, why is it that Hilda almost or even surpassed her?
Narratively, keating, iI meant narratively. Hilda Koronel stole scenes from her, yeah. But Sharon's story's the motor/spine/catalyst of the movie just as the quest to destroy the ring was the motor/spine/catalyst of LOTR but then you have Faramir's subplot, Aragorn's subplot, Gollum's subplot, etc.etc.etc. Without the quest, all the subplots are just episodes. Without Sharon's story, all the subplots - - - sex with a friend's husband, delusions of stardom , siege mentality between dead father and son - - - are just episodes.
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Got your point X44. Yeah she was really the focus of the story, but what I meant was her performance was not her best...her acting was just like the style of Julia Roberts and not really getting the depth of her character.
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Yeah, you're right, diesel, that was someone else,sorry. :)
I've elaborated at great length why Sharon is integral to how the movie worked. With all due respect, Maricel's probably competent but she's not an icon. Sharon is. And her iconicity - - -including all her pa-cute mannerisms , which I'm willing to bet were intentional, as in what the director wanted - - -is what makes the satiric undercurrents of the movie rich and funny.
And she holds the movie together. Tendon, like I said. The spine of the movie is her story - - - her kid issues, her popstar dreams, her fragile bond with the Eric Quizon character - - - all the others were subplots. So, 80%. More or less give or take. :)
i guess sharon's integral contribution to this movie, more than her performance, was her mere presence which worked like magic in the box office. in fairness to sharon, hindi tatabo yung movie sa takilya kung ibang artista yan.
now that you've mentioned sharon's iconicity, it only justifies that her participation in the movie is more of a marketing strategy--not because she can act, but because she has already proven her box-office appeal.
once again, i have nothing personal against sharon. if i were a director, i'd also get her in my movie because nakaka-challenge to give her something fresh, original and different from her pa-cutie roles.
but if you were doing a critically acclaimed movie, would you actually choose the acting of sharon cuneta? (acting lang ha?)
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I am a Maricel Soriano fan kaya sa tingin ko mas maganda ang magiging interpretasyon ni Maria dito kaysa kay Sharon. Sa komedi di ba sumikat si Maricel?
Pero totoo: baka hindi nga gaano kumita ang pelikulang ito kung hindi si Sharon ang artista.
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Got your point X44. Yeah she was really the focus of the story, but what I meant was her performance was not her best...her acting was just like the style of Julia Roberts and not really getting the depth of her character.
Maybe because her character didn't have much depth?
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but if you were doing a critically acclaimed movie, would you actually choose the acting of sharon cuneta? (acting lang ha?)
Isn't it impossible to consciously set out to make a critically-acclaimed movie, diesel? Doesn't the critical acclaim come after you've made the movie?
now that you've mentioned sharon's iconicity, it only justifies that her participation in the movie is more of a marketing strategy--not because she can act, but because she has already proven her box-office appeal.
OK, diesel. I give up. This is not what I meant but rather than go another round of this Sharon defense thing, which is getting a bit tiring, I'll just clam up. I've elaborated at length about how her iconcity was used as satiric grist but apparently no one seems interested in it . I liked how Sharon's presence was a springboard for poking fun at her persona/celebrity/image . It enhanced the movie for me. Sort of like the old fart jokes played at Clint Eastwood's expense in In the Line of Fire. An ordinary (more competent) actress wouldn't have that persona, that kind of celebrity, that image , that iconicty to poke fun at, thus making the movie (probably) almost flat and two-dimensional to me. All I'm saying. Shutting up now. Peace. :)
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Isn't it impossible to consciously set out to make a critically-acclaimed movie, diesel? Doesn't the critical acclaim come after you've made the movie?
pwede. if you're doing a movie based on, let's say a palanca-awardee.
huling hirit na lang sir. peace din po. :D
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THis movie now ranks as one of the best of 2003 tying with MAGNIFICO. :)
Future classic comedy in the tradition of MIke De Leon's Kakabakaba Ka Ba?
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review from the New York Times
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Mourners for Hire
By A. O. SCOTT
Published: February 20, 2004
A hit in the Philippines, where it won six awards at the 2003 Manila Metro Film Festival, Mark Meily's "Crying Ladies" is a loose and genial soap opera about three working-class Manila women who are hired as mourners for a funeral in the city's Chinese community.
According to the movie, the Chinese practice of employing women to wail for the dead, once common, is on the wane, but the Chua family nonetheless insists on a traditional send-off for its patriarch, a philanderer and possible gangster named Washington. His son, Wilson (Eric Quizon), hires Stella (Sharon Cuneta), a sometime petty thief who has lost custody of her young son after serving a year in prison, as a crier.
Stella, a second-generation crier, recruits two of her friends: Choleng (Angel Aquino), a pious Roman Catholic who is nonetheless having a guilty affair with another woman's husband, and Aling (Hilda Koronel), a shopkeeper who clings to the fading memory of her movie career, whose high point was a bit part in a picture called "Darna and the Giants."
In the easygoing, unembarrassed world of "Crying Ladies," it seems perfectly natural that a stranger should recognize Aling from her decades-old role as a villager crushed by a marauding monster. This may also be a sly joke by Mr. Meily, since Ms. Koronel, like Ms. Cuneta, is a major Philippine movie star. With a refreshing lack of vanity or pretension, these actresses play their ordinary, hard-luck characters with generosity and grace.
Mr. Meily, who directed the film from his own screenplay, gives the audience quite a few plot lines to keep track of. Some, especially those involving Choleng and Aling, are handled in a fairly perfunctory manner, yielding little emotional payoff.
The main axis of the film is Stella's relationship with her son, Bong, who is staying with her for a few weeks before moving to a faraway city with his father and stepmother. His presence causes her, not unpredictably, to shed some of her irresponsibility. Meanwhile, Wilson, who had been estranged from his father, trudges toward an equally predictable therapeutic denouement of "closure," healing and reconciliation.
The movie wears its many clichés lightly and without embarrassment. If it were more tightly constructed, "Crying Ladies" would probably also be more relentlessly melodramatic.
But a movie about people who cry fake tears for money, and for complete strangers, would be ill advised to indulge in displays of overwrought emotion. Its most winning attribute is a kind of sloppy, unassuming friendliness, a likability aptly reflected in its characters.
"Crying Ladies" opens today in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Honolulu.
Directed by Mark Meily
In Filipino, with English subtitles
Not rated, 110 minutes
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Here are some other quotes from American critics. I always thought Crying Ladies had some international flavor going for it. For the regular pinoy audience, many felt it was dull and boring simply because it did not conform to the usual notion of a feel-good movie. Nonethless, it went on to win awards and even made it as second in the boxoffice (perhaps due to the awards and Cuneta's drawing power). Not so surprisingly, Sharon got very good reviews for her performance from foreign viewers more than pinoys care to admit. Maybe because we are overwhelmed more by her personality rather than by her talent we can't be very objective about her performances.
"There are comic and poignant moments throughout."
-- Sheri Linden, BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE
"There's a refreshing optimism fueling his take on working-class life, as if Meily views friendship and neighborly generosity as currencies equal to cold, hard cash."
-- Chuck Wilson, L.A. WEEKLY
"As the weepy days go by, transgressions are forgiven, priorities reassessed and hearts healed."
-- Maitland McDonagh, TV GUIDE'S MOVIE GUIDE
"Succeeds as first-rate melodrama."
-- Mark Holcomb, VILLAGE VOICE
"It has the potential to build a word-of-mouth audience through its sweet nature and lack of pretense, two qualities that are a rarity in both multiplexes and arthouses."
-- Lisa Rose, NEWARK STAR-LEDGER
"An endearing comedy that deftly blends sentiment and grit and features a clutch of top Filipino stars."
-- Kevin Thomas, LOS ANGELES TIMES
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I think Gloria Romero won a Best Actress award for Manang Biday.
I can't remember if Dolphy won anything for Facifica Falayfay or his other "gay" role in that Brocka flick -- Ang Tatay kong Nanay(?).
Dolphy won the FAMAS for Omeng Satanasia;he had multi roles in the movie.
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There's a difference between a filipino movie, and a movie about filipinos. Meily hit both aspects. How about a commentary on the DVD?
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Crying Ladies is my favorite pinoy films of 2003. The concept is different. And a never seen before role of Sharon Cuneta. Neophyte Film maker Mark Meily does a great shots using the clock.
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I think Gloria Romero won the FAMAS Best Actress award for DALAGANG ILOCANA.
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Here are some other quotes from American critics. I always thought Crying Ladies had some international flavor going for it. For the regular pinoy audience, many felt it was dull and boring simply because it did not conform to the usual notion of a feel-good movie. Nonethless, it went on to win awards and even made it as second in the boxoffice (perhaps due to the awards and Cuneta's drawing power). Not so surprisingly, Sharon got very good reviews for her performance from foreign viewers more than pinoys care to admit. Maybe because we are overwhelmed more by her personality rather than by her talent we can't be very objective about her performances.
That was really brave of Sharon to take on that role. Even foreign audiences have to remind us how wonderful Magnifico is. I guess it's true that we tend to nitpick, focus on the negative instead of appreciating the little good we could do. This is not the same as pwede na yan mentality but give credit where it is due. Humility, as Paco Sandejas reminded in an e-mail, is based on truth. Why can't we praise when it's appropriate? Crab mentality talaga.
The movie's soundtrack is also refreshing. I listen to South Border's Rainbow to inspire me a lot. As Paco also asserts, we need to have more 'pump-up-the-spirit' songs like Queen's We Will Rock You or We Are the Champions instead of pa-martir songs of unrequited love.
Crying Ladies is egging us to get over our melodrama and DO something! Joel Lamangan and his fellow wannabe Brockas mustn't only show that life is hell here but they must contribut to what we can do about it. Tapos na ang Martial Law, we are already part of nation-building. Yes, government officials crap up but what are we doing to make sure they don't do it again aside from whining and lamenting. Crying Ladies kiddingly offers that after the drama, let's get back to business.
The success of this film makes me very hopeful for this nation no matter who wins in May. The future of this country doesn't only rest on who is in power. WE have the power if we choose to accept it. Indeed, it's Mission Impossible but nothing is impossible for people working together.
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I liked it. My only criticism is that the character's other than Sharon lacked development, closure even.
Other than that, it restored my faith in the industry.
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I wouldn't know about pretty, she's about as attractive as a sack of potatoes. But yeah, I can see her as being too soft and spoiled to be cast in a lower-class role...
CRYING LADIES
By V.A. MUSETTO
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Rating:
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February 20, 2004 -- THE title of Mark Meily's Philippine soaper refers to three down-on-their-luck women who sign on as professional mourners at a Chinese funeral in Manila.
Seems paying for tears is a Filipino-Chinese tradition, so the gods, seeing a lot of sob sisters, will think the dearly departed had led a good life.
Anyway, each of the gal pals has her own woes.
Stella, who dreams of a showbiz career, wants to get her young son back from her ex-hubby and his new wife; Doray lives in the past, when she was a B-movie queen; and Choleng is the other woman in a love triangle.
There aren't many surprises as the story unfolds in soap-opera fashion, with a happy ending for all concerned.
Fortunately, Sharon Cuneta, the Philippine superstar who engagingly plays Stella, helps take your mind off the film's generic quality.
CRYING LADIES
In Filipino, with English subtitles. Running time: 110 minutes. Not rated (nothing objectionable). At the Village East, Second Avenue and 12th Street.
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it's one of the best tagalog movies i've seen.
meron lang one major flaw...sharon cuneta!
CRYING LADIES
L.A. Times Weekly
In this gentle comedy, set in an unnamed Philippine city, three women are offered a job sobbing and wailing at the five-day wake of a Chinese bus-inessman — tradition says tears will assure his rise to heaven. The gig’s a much-needed financial boon, especially for Stella (an excellent Sharon Cuneta), a reformed con artist whose ex-husband has granted her three weeks with their little boy, Bong (Julio Pacheco). The boy is so thrilled to be with his mother that he doesn’t seem to notice her rundown apartment and hardscrabble life, and it’s this unsentimental mother-child sweetness that anchors writer-director Mark Meily’s disjointed film. Ambitiously, the filmmaker attempts to cover five days in the life of not only Stella but also her fellow criers, as well as the grieving Chinese family, whose magnanimous eldest son is beautifully played by Eric Quizon. While Meily’s point may be that each of these lives is worthy of a film of its own, the nonstop jumping around undercuts his momentum, especially in the film’s overly languorous final third. Still, there’s a refreshing optimism fueling his take on working-class life, as if Meily views friendship and neighborly generosity as currencies equal to cold, hard cash. (Chuck Wilson)
Kudos to Sharon!
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Saw it finally, its refreshing dramedy at its best! I agree with Reuven Malter's review...
Hilda Koronel was hilarious! Perfect for replacement for the late Nida Blanca!
I dont know if any other actress could pull that part so much....
Sharon Cuneta is miscast in this movie...glad that the MMFF juror didnt get her nod.
I do hope that the dvd release will feature its trailer, cast & crew interviews and much more features....
Sharon miscast? are you crazy or what? Si Sharon ang may pinaka magandang review dito sa U.S. at take note, hindi mga nag mamarunong na mga pinoy critics ang nag bigay kay sharon review sa mahusay nyang paganap, kahit nga sina Nora ay hindi nabigyan ng ganitong pansin from N.Y Times, L.A. Times, Hollywood Reporter at T.V. guide no!. nagbabasa ka ba? o hanggang Abante tonight ka lang? ha,ha, ha ;-)
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curious na ko sa pelikulang to ang gaganda ng review sa ibang bansa
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I think that Sharon is very good in the movie, but is miscast. Maybe because she doesn't look poor at all. Her skin is so flawless and her hair so straight and shiny. They should have made her look the part, dirtied her up a bit. The other cast are all good, and Hilda Koronel, stands out in a suprisingly comedic role.
I've seen the movie in the theater last year and I like it. I also bought the DVD. It's in widescreen and it's one of the best Filipino DVD transfers I've ever seen. The sound is Dolby digital but I think it's only two-channel and not full 5.1. It has some special features but not very special.
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Ano ba? di ba''t wagi si ate Shawie sa International Film festival? Ibig sabihin ba if you are mahirap dapat ba ay nanlilimahid ka sa libag? at madumi ang balat mo na mistulang may pugad ka ng Buni at tinea flava? at kulot ang buhok mo na parang Ita?
Most of us still cannot face the truth na Shawie is now one of our finest actors in the Philippines di nga ba't mas lumutang ang performace nya kesa kina Angel at Hilda at yan ay ayon na rin sa mga critics sa ibang bansa O0.
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Ano ba? di ba''t wagi si ate Shawie sa International Film festival? Ibig sabihin ba if you are mahirap dapat ba ay nanlilimahid ka sa libag? at madumi ang balat mo na mistulang may pugad ka ng Buni at tinea flava? at kulot ang buhok mo na parang Ita?
Most of us still cannot face the truth na Shawie is now one of our finest actors in the Philippines di nga ba't mas lumutang ang performace nya kesa kina Angel at Hilda at yan ay ayon na rin sa mga critics sa ibang bansa O0.
I’m not arguing that Sharon is a fine actress especially given the right role. My problem with her in Crying Ladies is technical. Her character owns a living by making paper houses for Chinese funerals; she can’t even pay for a jeepney ride. I don’t think her character can afford to go to the salon for her “beauty rituals”. You can’t achieve that complexion and hair with plain soap and shampoo. What I saw in Crying Ladies is Sharon acting as Stella Mate. I want to see Stella Mate. This is my personal opinion; I don’t care what the critics say may it be local or international. ;D
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I know some people na they don't really care much about their looks, but still have great skin and buhok. Meron talagang likas na maga-ganda ang balat at hair like Stella's character in Crying Ladies. So kung yong lang ang batayan mo about the movie ay napakababaw naman dont you think? And also those critics local man or international does really matters, lalo na yong sa Hollywood Variety at L.A times, mas bias sila kasi they don't know kung sino ang mga actors na ito, mas fair ang bininigay nilang reviews di ba? ;)
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Stella Mate may have been patterned after Stella Dallas (the martyr mother from Hollywood essayed by Barbra Stanwyck and Bette Midler). She was more a swindler than an impoverished mom. More like the gypsies in Europe or akin to trailer moms/white trash women (e.g. Kim Basinger in 8 Mile). If I may vouch for some misperceived squatters, some of them do have fair complexion and as vain as the matrons of high society.
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It's decently done; some of it was actually funny. Yes, Sharon works as an icon 'satirizing' her own onscreen persona, yes you see her doing the same plugs of products that she does in real life, but that's satire in quotes: Joe Dante and Alfred Hitchcock knew how to really bite the hand that fed them.
And it seems to be pulled in two directions at once: on one hand you have the plight of women scrabbling for a living (Tanging Ina redux), on the other you have this solemn National Geographic doc about Filipino Chinese funerals, with maybe five jokes thrown in.
As for Sharon herself--she didn't embarass herself, but I liked her better when Joyce Bernal handled her (then the fat jokes really flew), but I don't think she qualifies as 'finest actress in the Philippines' just yet. Let me put a whole host of actresses plus Irma Adlawan on the line before her.
Incidentally, Hilda Koronel's character, a comic variation of Anita Linda's character actress in Babae sa Bubungang Lata (a superior multiple-story, multiple-character film, I think), is the best thing in the movie--she gets the funniest lines, the best story resolution, and she's moving to boot, under all her faded illusions.
It's decently done, it's fitfully funny, but it doesn't have much teeth. Fine and good for Philippine cinema that it made a little money and garnered a few reviews abroad. Now let's go on and watch something else.
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Sharon also bares her heart & soul
FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo
The Philippine Star 10/12/2005
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On her movie role closest to the real Sharon Cuneta: Crying Ladies is one of them. According to my friends, my real-life mannerisms came out in that movie. Another is Kung Ako Na Lang Sana (with Aga Muhlach). A lot of my character was me – workaholic, etc. The only difference between my character and me is that, because she’s busy, hindi na siya na-in love after her first relationship ended.