Drool at the Virile Boat Men in 'Sagwan'

Sagwan is yet another Filipino independent film made for the gay audiences and it offers a view into the seedy underbelly of an otherwise thriving tourist haven amidst the lush forests and this meandering river in the province of Quezon.




All the elements of titillation geared towards its captive gay audience is in this movie. Tall, virile, moreno, handsome men - all of them new to me, meaning, I haven't seen them in previous films; the usual awakening of the senses to man-to-man sex from a supposedly heterosexual man; the token girlfriend; and a bunch of screaming beauty queen wannabe faggots for comedic effect.




You will like the men here since they are new and they do look quite macho. Otherwise, this is more of a A Newbie 101's Guide on how to find your next sexcapade. The denouement also is quite surprising since it really panders to the fantasy of a gay man where two supposedly straight men make out. Oh well, this is a movie after all, and in lala-land, things can happen without any consequences. In real life, that man pretending to be straight and macho and interested in the ladies, who kisses and fucks another man, is really a queer quietly screaming to get out of the closet.

Movie Review: The Sunny Splendor of Vicky Cristina Barcelona

I just saw Penelope Cruz graciously receive her Oscar award today, yet another actress in the Woody Allen pantheon of films to have received an Oscar, following Mira Sorvino, Dianne Weist and Diane Keaton. It wasn't surprising really, as this latest Woody Allen opus, which surprisingly enjoyed full cinema release here in Manila (quite rare for this director's movies), transported the neuroses of New Yorkers to sunny Spain, from Barcelona to it's other quaint towns featured in the movie, but whose names I won't mention lest I misspell them.

I love this movie for many reasons. The settings are just on fire with the golden glow of the Spanish sun. I have always liked Scarlett Johansson for her flirtatious style of acting, and she is again, wonderful here. Javier Bardem is as steady as always, but for me, it was Rebecca Hall who was very, very surprisingly good in this movie. You could really see the impact of that encounter she had with the character of Javier. Another surprising element here, is that Penelope actually speaks in Spanish in almost 80% of her scenes, and wonderfully too! I say it's surprising because by allowing her to do so, Woody allows her character to be - a beautiful yet volcanic Spanish spitfire on the verge of exploding.

I wonder where Mr. Allen takes us next time, as he has brought us to London in his past 3 movies, and now, he's in Barcelona. Maybe Paris or Rome next time?

Marco Morales and Gwen Garci Do A Show For Allen Dizon in "Butas"

In probably the first good local movie I saw this year, Butas started rather slow and meandering, but the tight editing makes it an interesting watch, with its twists and turns, as the director skillfully unravels the story of a love triangle gone wrong. Watch out for Marco Morales! He not only looks incredibly hot here, he plays a pivotal role which sets things into motion. This is my first time to see Gwen Garci act, and she's ok, not trying hard at all. Allen Dizon is "healthier" this time around, but with still enough sex appeal. He keeps getting better in each movie he is making. As the wronged spouse, he is also good here. I like the way the story was presented, thanks mainly to the editor who pieced everything really well. Some of the scenes can be irritating to the eyes since we are supposedly seeing some of the scenes through a digicam or a videocam, but otherwise, there's a lot of eye candy to see in both Morales and Garci. I was not expecting anything when I decided to watch this movie today over Ruffa Mae's but I left the cinema impressed at the way a tired formula of a love triangle is presented in a new light.

Below is a video of the movie showing one of the pivotal scenes -

Related articles

• Movie Review: 'Huling Halik' ng Isang Fling
• Movie Review: Five Reasons Why I Love 'War Horse'
• Reminiscing About Those Grand Standalone Theatres Around Metro Manila
• Movie Review: The Uneven and Sometimes Funny 'My Kontrabida Girl'