Hada, the digital movie
Hada* is a Filipino digital movie, and sad to say, no, I’m not proud.
I learned that it was showing in Robinson’s Galleria, a stone’s throw away from my place, so I decided to watch it today. Before zooming out of my apartment, I checked ClickTheCity.com for the movie sched, and guess what I found out? Only 6 moviehouses in Metro Manila are showing the movie. Hmmm… I gave it an excuse, “maybe because it’s a digital film… maybe because it is an indie movie… because it was made by a new outfit, not like Star Cinema, or Viva Films, or Regal…”
The movie started with only a handful in the audience; and I swear, it was an all-male audience! The Robinson’s Galleria Cinema 7 probably can hold no more than 250 people… maybe only 30 seats were occupied.
Now, how good/bad is the movie?
Let me tell you this: halfway through the movie, I left. Some comments:
- Washed out images — from start till right before I left, most images I saw on screen were washed out. It’s an issue with digital technology, yes, but there are ways to avoid it. You see, with digital technology (both photography and video) when an object is too bright, the CCD of the camera registers a “0″ which means whatever you do in the post-processing, no detail can come out from that pixel, it’s a zero, nada. The director and cinematographers should know this, but apparently they do not.
- Editing was a joke — more than half of the scenes were either unnecessarily long, or outright unnecessary. Imagine sitting through an absurd number of scenes showing macho dancers strutting their flabby bodies on screen — all throughout what seemed like full songs. If the dancers had wow bodies, I could have forgiven that, but it was lamentably not the case. The jumping music and the awful mono dubbing did not help, they distracted me totally, and I was like disappointed to the point of just laughing about it.
- Acting, etcetera — given that most, if not all, actors in the movie were newcomers, I kind of give them this. I totally understand why the lead actor’s lines were mostly monotone, and that the facial expressions can be said as digital (choose zero or one, choose happy or sad, nothing in between). Having said that, let me comment that they should have at least run a workshop prior to shooting. And one more thing, one of the female characters, the aunt of Beejay (the 15-year-old lead actor) wore too much make up, with scintillating colors and all, while playing a provinciana (translated: from the province) character. Add how realistic is provincial Beejay greeting her aunt with a beso-beso (cheek-to-cheek) rather than the traditional mano (kiss in the hand, or forehead-to-hand gesture)?
Now, is there something good in the movie? Actually that’s a very difficult question, my dear. Had I continued watching the movie, maybe I would find one or two. But the hour I sat through was just too much for me to take the next 45 minutes or so of Hada.
My recommendation: two sore thumbs down. Save your money, and maybe watch Devil Wears Prada instead when it opens on Wednesday. Or, Jupit, another gay-themes Filipino digital movie with Ate Gay in the lead. Maybe I’ll watch that one next. Will definitely let you know my thoughts.
Post-script: from an article by showbiz columnist Billy Balbastro:
I got inside info that the parents of the 15-year-old lead actor of Hada, Beejay Morales (real name: Joey Louie Vierneza) want to complain against the director Lau de Jesus and the producer Ernito Baldeo.
Earlier, it was agreed that in all his scene in the movie, there would be no nudity. Not even scenes with mere briefs. At 15, he is still a child.
But in violation of this agreement, a scene in Hada shows Beejay asleep in briefs with “his harapan na talagang pinatigas”. The boy’s mom, Lea Vierneza now wants that scene cut.
I agree with the mom when she recommended to cut that scene — I would even say cut the whole movie. Lol!
(In the picture, Beejay Morales the 15-year-old lead actor of Hada. He is a graduating senior student at the San Pedro Relocation Center National High School.)
* The word hada is originally a sward-speak or gay lingo for fellatio, or blow job. It has since evolved to mean man-to-man action, or even an adventurous search for gay sex.
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- Jupit, the gay digital movie
- Metlogs, Metrosexual Jologs
- Cinema One Originals Awards 2006
- Pink Saturdays in UP Diliman
- The Queer Cinema of Cris Pablo
- Big Borat
- Let’s Start the Zaturnnah Fe-vah!
- Troika, sizzling new indie movie
August 30th, 2006 at 11:07 am
I was one of the CURIOUS ones who went to see the first screening (thinking there might be some scenes that the MTRCB jurors might later decide to cut, or might change their minds and altogether ban the movie, etc.)
Well, was I sorry I went!!! In fact, I think I should write to MTRCB and request them to prosecute the producers and the director of the movie…for undermining our intelligence.
The acting was despicable, there’s no cinematography to speak of, the female lead would have been better off as an aging prostitute dying of AIDS in her province rather the goody-two-shoes aunt of the teenager. Worse, those flabby, ugly macho dancers have got to be the dregs of the gay community—I’d probably puke…even if they offered themselves to me for free!
I’m now 50 years old and this has got to be the worse movie I have ever seen, since my childhood! Not a single element of the movie has any entertainment value.
Although the advent of digital movies has been expected to be the much-needed “shot in the arm” for our local film industry, movies like HADA prove why some sectors think digital movies could also bring the industry down.
Al
August 30th, 2006 at 11:42 am
Hello Tito Al - you said it so eloquently! Idol kita!
August 31st, 2006 at 10:59 am
Salamat, Manila Gay Guy. I was just verbalizing my “inis” at the gall of the movie’s producer and director to ever think that the Filipino gay audience would be so stupid to appreciate a horrible video footage like that!
September 1st, 2006 at 10:35 pm
[…] I watched Jupit today at SM Megamall (it’s showing only in SM digital cinemas). I was so looking forward to it, after that last digital movie I watched, the disastrous Hada. Here’s what I can share about the movie. […]
September 11th, 2006 at 9:06 am
enough said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 11th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
korek-chiwa!
September 22nd, 2006 at 5:35 pm
I have a bias in favor of digital movies. I have the impression that independent film makers produce good films out of fresh materials and style vis-a-vis the recycled plots of the big studios. That was the reason why I skipped gym class just to catch HADA on the first day, fearful that it might not merit a 2nd day showing (following the fate of other “artistic” films).
15 minutes into the movie, I was already throwing invectives on the director, producer and everyone involved in making such a trash film. I even wished that it should have been given an “X” rating by the MTRCB to save the others from watching it.
I fully agree with all your observations/comments. HADA is an insult to the viewers’ intelligence.
September 22nd, 2006 at 7:07 pm
totally agree with you joey — digital films is the way to go for resource-strapped but talented filmmakers. sad thing is films like “Hada” get produced alongside the good ones (”Maxi,” among others). napo-pollute tuloy ang filmdom. i hope you can share your views on more digital films.
February 22nd, 2007 at 7:14 pm
hi all!
in fairness sa mga bumubuo ng HADA and according to Theater Owners/Checkers, pumalo sa takilya ang HADA compared to the other movies the kasabay nito. Meaning to say many of our movie goers doesn’t look intoconsideration kung paano ginawa and isang Film, they really after yong mga makikita nilang eksena na makaka relate sila. That’s one thing na mas madami ang interisadong manood no matter what the movie is, kaysa sa mag educated na katulad ng iba sa atin na nahihimay ang mga maling ekesena sa isang movie. Some says nga here, ang Jupit is better than HADA, I agree, but if you look into consideration, madaming maling shots ang Jupit (Angle Shots)kaysa HADA na almost perfect. (im not a Pro-HADA or JUPIT or any other MOVIES)Ito sometimes ang problema.Lets wait for the next movie of these persons (kung gagawa pa sila…) na kung masuportahan natin baka sumigla ang Pilikulang Pilipino sa mga Digital Movie. Siguro naman they’ve learned lessons from this.Sometime, if you noticed, kahit gaano kaganda ang movie multi-million peso budget, pero nilalangaw sa takilya. You will see the difference. Sometimes naman, we hate the scenes in the movie, pero this is the reality…see? I watched the movie HADA sa first day nito, the scene there are almost conceptualized based on real life (reality) na hindi maitatago. May nag comment nga na katabi ko sa sinehan, parang nasa totoong gay bar daw sya. Unlike sa ibang gay movie (opinion ko ito ha, wag magalit…)upgraded na ang mga eksena, na minsan di ko nakita ang mga eksena na iyon sa totoong gay bar dito sa ka maynilaan.(i don’t know if you know atleast one..hehe..)so, see the difference?
Yon lang…sorry ha, na google ko lang itong website nyo recently….