Michael Jordan Ulili was the son of Earvin, a black basketball player from Los Angeles, and Carmen, a Filipina who believed in black magic. She sacrificed all that she had to ensure that Michael would grow up into a basketball superstar. However, when he was in college, Michael still could not seem to achieve the path to glory for which he had been destined. In his desperation, Michael turned to his godfather Luis for guidance, but instead he was led down a path of uncertainty and misdirection.
Yves Bagadiong played the lead role of Michael. There are certain roles where physical appearance of the actor cast is important and this was one of them. The whole story was focused around Michael so his casting was of vital importance for the film to work. While Bagadiong had the correct skin color, he was not tall nor athletic enough to look like the next great basketball star. His form and moves with a basketball looked unconvincing.
The script really made him do a lot of bizarre scenes throughout the film. The most extreme was that sick scene where Michael was seen stuffing bloody stuff into an envelope. As a relative newcomer, Bagadiong still needed to develop more acting skills to be able to rise above whatever the absurdity level of the scene given for him to play. But to be fair to him, I think no actor can really come out unscathed from a scene as far-out as the one where Michael met and spoke with his father in a brook.
Bagadiong should get his acting cues from his co-star Marcus Adoro, who played Carmen's best friend Luis. Despite being a new actor himself, Adoro was able to create a focused character from a thankless role of a hippie with mad guitar skills (after all, he was the lead guitarist of the Eraserheads), drug-addled mind and outlandish superstitious beliefs. Throughout the film, we feel the depth of his loyalty despite unrequited love.
Adrienne Vergara played Michael's guardian Rochelle. Every time she was onscreen, she would steal the scene with her florid, over-the-top acting of an alcoholic loudmouth nagger. She gave audiences a welcome respite to laugh out loud occasionally. It was too bad that Rochelle dropped out of the story in the second half of the film, until a random eleventh hour reappearance from out of nowhere.
Barbara Ruaro played Michael's passionate and supportive girlfriend Maureen. They had some very daring intimate scenes together, with Ruaro trying her best to act like Maureen was in love with Michael. Unfortunately, they did not have any believable romantic chemistry together. On Maureen alone though, the committed Ruaro held her own against the crazy things her character was made to do in the film.
In the first half of this film written and directed by Timmy Harn, I thought I understood where the film was going. However, when crystal meth got into the picture midway through, the film became more and more insane as it went off into various bewildering directions. It just went on and on and on, interminably, until that totally off-the-wall ending. It felt as if the whole script was written and the whole film was shot while drunk or under the influence of a powerful hallucinogenic -- a nightmare come to life.
This film actually won the Netpac Jury Prize for the circle competition. The jury saw something award worthy in it. I did not. 2/10.
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Screening Schedule for "Dog Days":
OCT 22 (Monday)
9:00 PM -- UP Town Center
OCT 23 (Tuesday)
3:30 PM -- Gateway Cinema 6
OCT 24 (Wednesday)
1:00 PM -- Robinsons Galleria
4:00 PM -- UP Town Center
6:00 PM – Robinsons Galleria (Gala Screening)
OCT 25 (Thursday)
6:00 PM -- Gateway Cinema 6
OCT 26 (Friday)
4:00 PM -- Trinoma
6:00 PM -- Gateway Cinema 6
OCT 27 (Saturday)
4:00 PM -- Trinoma
OCT 28 (Sunday)
1:30 PM -- UP Town Center
8:30 PM -- Gateway Cinema 6
OCT 29 (Monday)
3:30 PM -- Gateway Cinema 6
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