The D Spot

Oh wow! I promised myself to make a review of the Star Cinema movie, Miss You Like Crazy, starring John Lloyd Cruz (as Alan Alvarez) and Bea Alonzo (as Mia Samonte) and directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina. I watched the movie on its second day at Trinoma. The movie house was full.

But this time, my review will have to wait for at least a week after I watched the movie. This idea was toying in my mind for a while–how about reviewing a movie not immediately after watching it.

And true enough, the few days have made much of a difference. This was what I had “IN MY DRAFT” (IMD) for a while. IMD would have meant a lot of things–to remain IMD forever, to be revived and used for whatever purpose it was meant to be,  to be junked later and banished forever, etc., that is, depending on the circumstances.

If you want a 2-hour “emo” session, then Miss You Like Crazy is it. It’s not only “emo” as a good unashamed cry, but it is also a good laugh, an “oh so good feeling” not only in the end, but in the beginning, in the in-betweens and the unexpected twists and turns.

MYLC is a love story–with a little bit of twists here and there.

It is about almost everything. It is about choices, priorities, commitments, selflessness, selfishness, unselfishness.

It’s about first chances, second chances, foregone chances…

It is about time…it’s about faith…it’s about fate.

It is about hope, hopelessness and hopefulness. It’s about promises, betrayals, hurts…

I don’t mind if it has borrowed or copied scenes, quotes and ideas from popular Hollywood movies–this is what Filipino movies are made of, don’t you agree?

It is a simple love story, made great by the right choice of actors and actresses, the script/dialogues, the technical factors, the lightning, etc.  You will see the typical OFW who has to take care of family…taking on the responsibility of head of the family–in lieu of an ill father who earlier chose another woman over his family. It is about aspirations for an improved life, a career, relationships–it is really about many things. You will see a young man at the peak of his career (and in a relationship with the daughter of the CEO) who could not make a firm decision.

It doesn’t have a loud message to say, it does not have rain dances, nor the breathtaking view of a Greek island, but it has the good looking John Lloyd (oh yes, he is really good looking, I could swoon) and the equally beautiful Bea (her hair and make up are done so well, I could hear some whispers in front of me and at the back to this effect) as leading stars. And yes, the kilig factor.  I could not relate the title “Missing You Like Crazy” with the turn of events. It was not really missing like crazy, but more of falling in love in so short a time (but not in the right time),  timing, or moving on, or the universe conspiring, but then, of course the title of the movie carries a lot for its commercial value.

Overall, I will give the movie, Missing You Like Crazy, a 4 (out of 5 stars).

Now, more than a week after–I can’t remember a lot of things. Yes, I can remember the pebbles, how beautiful Kuala Lumpur is, and a few quotes here and there only because I asked one of my daughters to take notes (“Time is meaningless when you are in love.”, “If you have faith in your love, let fate take its course.”, “Bakit ba tayo may second chance? Maybe because this is not for us to have happy ending… But to end things right.”). Now, the movie, to me, is just history–another of those formula that Filipino movies are made of. Another of the statistics.

I have watched a lot of Hollywood movies, and even after many days, weeks, or months (even years), they still linger in my mind, at least my favorites, the likes of Sleepless in Seattle, Nottinghill, The Notebook, Bridges Over Madison County, Serendipity, Pretty Woman, My Best Friend’s Wedding, You’ve Got Mail, Titanic, Shrek, Transformers, and a lot more. I would not mind watching them over and over again.

Not that I am stereotyping Filipino movies–they have no recall as far as storyline is concerned. It’s kinda difficult for my brain to recall, even at least the significant moments.  What do I remember of the past Filipino movies I watched, except the breathtaking view of a Greek Island of the Richard Gutierrez and KC Concepcion movie, the rain dance of Sara Geronimo and what else? My brain won’t work. Is it just senior moments? I am not sure.

But in fairness–they make you feel good (and emo)–that is, feel good (and emo) at the moment, and maybe a few days after that. But that’s just that–entertainment “on real time”, but not after a while. Entertainment for the P190 you pay for a movie in a decent movie house. Multiply that with the number of kids, parent, or spouse joining you in the movie is a lot of money–I could have just waited for the DVD version to come out. It’s easy renting them at Video City, and far cheaper, watching in the convenience of home, snacks and all.

But then, maybe this is the formula that our local movie industry has come up with–no need to make unforgettable ones, only commercial ones to earn a lot of money. Times are indeed hard, and nowadays, spending between P150 to P190 a piece for a movie is a lot of investment. Sad…

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