read a lot of comments going on and on about…

read a lot of comments going on and on about the "...Cinematography, The flavor of being associated to Indigenous people and cultural manifestation..." which is all good and well - but also explains that they avoiding the main topic, the ability to act or rather, the lack there off... don't wanna be harsh and considering the age's of both main-actors i guess u should take that into consideration. but as they the main focus, hard not to notice the "elephant in the room" (that's glaring to the eye) the rest not fairing better, but as their parts r small - in the grand scheme of things, it becomes insignificant - not the same with the mains. plot wise i kinda get the general idea, but again badly executed - back to acting lol. who every character's is (other then the father and fiancée) isn't even hinted at - like the dude with the snake - he a shaman?!? just the village weirdo/idiot?!? the other dude with the bob - he a bad-guy? why the grandmother not living in that village with her family?!? why her granddaughter a bitter biatch?!? would get her not being welcoming towards a stranger - but she mean even towards Caloy, her cousin. and the last scene -that attraction came out of nowhere. scene's should flow from one to the other - make sense oh well, hope this gets better

Read More

Lakan (2020) Episode 1: Takasang Tagpo/Itinakdang Tagpo

Based on Episode 1: Takasang Tagpo (Chance Meeting)/Itinakdang Tagpo (Fated Meeting), Lakan's plot/storyline looked promising with two guys (one from the city and another one from an ethnic group) escaping their worlds to find themselves and in the process found each other. Although promising, one can argue that it suffered from essentialist and nativist tendencies. While the ethnic group Libulan was fictitious, it would have been better if Libulan's representation was closer to contemporary indigenous groups in the Philippines. None of the indigenous groups in the country look like Libulan. All indigenous groups in the Philippines have appropriated modern ways albeit in different degrees. It would have been best if Lakan had an anthropological or cultural studies consultant that could have guided them on how to properly represent an indigenous group in the country. These essentialist and nativist tendencies were also reflected on this series' use of awkward old Tagalog language that no one uses anymore. Screenplay could have been made more contemporary and natural. Acting needs a lot of improvement. The leads, real-life partners John Kennedy and Paul, who are both good-looking and sexy, were acting as if they're performing on stage for a traditional play. Stage acting's different from screen acting and I hope they make the necessary adjustments. Set designs were also crippled by these essentialist and nativist tendencies. Bulan's homeland doesn't look like any of the communities of indigenous groups in the Philippines at present. The rural area where Caloy and John were staying was realistic though. While cinematography was quite good, lighting for the first part was just too dark. The second part was a bit better. Sound engineering and musical scoring were largely ok even with a few issues. And the OST "Magkaibang Mundo" (Different Worlds) by Spencer Geronimo was good. Overall, while plot/storyline was promising, acting performance was inappropriate and production value was uneven. I hope this series improves in succeeding episodes

Read More