Now that her soap, “My Love From the Star,” has ended, Jennylyn Mercado can now devote her full attention to the shooting of her new movie with Derek Ramsay, which is tentatively titled “Almost Is Not Enough” and meant to be an entry in the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).
Jennylyn and Dennis were first paired three years ago in “English Only, Please,” a blockbuster hit that gave them the best actress and best actor awards at the 2014 MMFF. Also in the cast of their new movie are Solenn Heussaff and Kean Cipriano, and it is once again under the helm of Dan Villegas, who also directed them in “English Only, Please.”
Jen is one actress who can proudly claim that both her career and love life are doing very well. It’s obvious her love affair with Dennis Trillo is doing great, as seen in their mutual postings of their photos together. She also has a better relationship with her ex, Patrick Garcia, the dad of their love son, Jazz.
“It’s really like that when you’re happy,” she said. “Good vibes lang ang lahat para always positive.”
“Almost Is Not Enough” is once again produced by Quantum Films of Atty. Joji Alonzo, who is pretty busy with showbiz work these days as she has gone into film directing with a short film and is also co-producing the comeback movie of Judy Ann Santos with Angelica Panganiban, “Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes.” Someone quipped that it must be taken from GMA’s “Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real” then with Dingdong Dantes.
“Ay, hindi, ibang-iba siya!” said Atty. Joji. “To begin with, comedy itong amin. The story was conceptualized by writer-director Jun Lana a long time ago, bago pa ‘yung ‘Dalawang Mrs. Real,’ kaya we’re keeping the title kasi it’s so apt for the material.”
Playing the husband of Judy Ann in the movie is Joross Gamboa in his biggest movie break so far, while Angelica’s leading man is JC de Vera. This is definitely not the usual other woman movie because, in the story, Juday and Angelica will discover that it is their husbands who are having an affair.
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Ella Cruz is very grateful to Viva for all the good things happening to her career lately. “Grabe talaga ang pasasalamat ko kasi nung dumating ako sa Viva, I felt like parang nagsisimula uli ako nang maganda at nakahanap ako ng isang tunay na pamilya,” she said.
“I really want to thank them for making more of my dreams come true. Words would not be enough to show my gratitude to them sa dami ng blessings ko. All I can promise is hinding-hindi ako magbabago.”
Her most fervent wish now for her launching movie with Julian Trono to be a big blockbuster at the box office, “Fangirl/ Fanboy,” that opens tomorrow, Wednesday. “Siempre, pareho kaming sobrang kinakabahan ni Julian sa pagbubukas nito sa mga sinehan kaya dinodoble namin ang pagdarasal at pakiusap sa publiko na sana suportahan nila ito
. Hindi naman kami mapapahiya kasi our producer, Joyce Bernal, and our director, Barry Gonzalez, lahat kami, nagtulong-tulong to make sure that we will come up with a very good movie that will really please all kinds of audiences, bata man o matanda.”
In the movie, Ella plays Aimee, a fan of a struggling actor, Julian as Ollie. “Sa tulong ko, nakuha si Ollie na maging artista sa isang teleseryeng based on a hit Koreanovela kung saan ako ang nagda-dub sa Tagalog lines ng lead Korean actress. Nagsilbi akong acting coach niya, pero later on, ide-deny niya ako kaya sobrang masasaktan ako.”
Supporting them are Shy Carlos as the leading lady of Julian in the teleserye, Andrea del Rosario as the show’s director, Kim Molina as the show’s production manager, Yayo Aguila and Christopher Roxas as Ella’s parents, Candiva Lacofrasia as Julian’s balikbayan mother, Ronnie Liang and Yam Concepcion as Korean actors in the Koreanovela titled “Program for Love” that is being remade by Julian, plus Cholo Barretto and Garrie Concepcion. Both Ella and Julian insist that they’re just good friends, as of now. But is Julian “boyfriend material”?
“Opo naman,” she replied. “Kaya lang, hindi pa naman siya nanliligaw.”
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Mother Lily Monteverde is the only local producer now who gives a thanksgiving party to the press for the box office victory of her movies. Regal’s latest movie, “Woke Up Like This,” raked in a lot of money so she gave a party at District 8 Bar in Greenhills, attended by stars Vhong Navarro, Cora Waddell, Yana Asistio, Raikko Mateo and director Joel Ferrer.
“Thank you sa inyong lahat, bawing-bawi na kami,” she says. “I’m super rich again. Ha ha ha! Hindi ako nakakalimot magpasalamat sa press kasi sila lang naman talaga ang malaki ang tulong sa’kin dahil wala namang TV ads ang Regal. Hanggang ngayon, extended pa ang ‘Woke Up Like This’ sa maraming theaters, kaya watch na kayo. So now, it’s time to produce more movies dahil maraming pelikulang Tagalog ang kumikita these days.”
After this, Regal’s next release is a youth-oriented horror flick, “Debutantes,” produced by IdeaFirst Company for Regal and directed by Prime Cruz of “Manananggal sa Unit 23B” and starring several young actresses including Sue Ramirez, Michelle Vito, Chanel Morales, Cora Wadell and Miles Ocampo.
Vhong wants to thank all the moviegoers who flocked to his new movie, “Woke Up Like This.” “Salamat din sa lahat ng co-stars kong tumulong sa’kin sa ‘Woke Up Like This,’ sina Billy Crawford and Vice Ganda na may cameo at prinomote pa ang movie on TV.”
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Writer-director Antoinette Jadaone dazzled us with her captivating indie love story, “That Thing Called Tadhana,” which was a surprise hit. Since then, most of her works were not as impressive but she now bounces back to top form in “Love You to the Stars and Back,” a young adult romance with three-dimensional characters and top-notch, heartfelt performances by the two leads, Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto, who both have winning, endearing screen personalities.
This is their reunion after the MMFF surprise hit, “Vince and Kath and James,” and they’re even better here than in their first movie together.
Joshua’s appealing man-boy charisma really holds the screen and works so well for his role as Caloy, a Batangueno who is suffering from leukemia but continues to have an upbeat, cheerful outlook in life even if he’s well aware of the fragility of his existence. He lives in the present because he may have no future and it helps that he is not afraid of making fun of himself, like when he is self-deprecatingly counting his non-existent abs.
Julia’s veneer of vulnerability also works in her favor as Mika, a young woman grieving for the untimely passing of her mom (Carmina Villaroel) and resentful of her dad’s (Ariel Rivera) new relationship with her very considerate stepmom (Maricar Reyes), who is trying hard to win her confidence. Julia handles her sensitive scenes with persuasive emotional depth.
