I was at last night’s Director’s Cut screening of Joel Lamangan’s Walang Kawala at the UP Film Institute. It was a mostly (~90%) gay men crowd, and as a friend said, “ansaya ng get together!” Another friend quipped, “ansarap ng feeling kapag nasa crowd ka na overpowered ng bading ang mga straight!”
Why was “Walang Kawala” such a hit? I think the promo photos did it. And the buzz about Marco Morales‘ two-time frontal exposure. The movie itself was palatable enough, in fact Emilio Garcia as the contravida had really funny scenes, such a welcome comic relief to the suspense/thriller that the film was suposed to be.
Overall, the movie is worth watching. What struck me the most was the openness with which the gay lover protagonists, Joaquin (Polo Ravales) and Waldo (Joseph Bitangcol), express their feelings to each other. “Mahal kita, mahal na mahal kita.” It was nothing lyrical, nothing poetic, really. But seeing two men express their love for each other onscreen, physically and verbally, somehow struck me, resonated with me. I was asking myself, maybe I have not seen such open verbal expression of gay love in any other movie I watched? Or it was such a familiar reality but it was my first time to see it shown in film? I’m not sure. What I’m sure of is that it was the most striking feature of the film for me — even more than Marco Morales’ dangling phallus (and it was alive! — sing with me now, “it’s alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic!” hehehe!) Lastly, I’d say Polo Ravales delivered quite a good performance. Too bad I couldn’t say the same for Joseph Bitangcol.
“Walang Kawala” opens on November 12 at the following theaters: Robinsons Galleria, Robinsons Ermita, Gateway Mall, Cinerama Isetann and New Cinema Theater (Cebu City).
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This thing has 30 Comments
aabangan ko to ang sarap panoorin nito
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darn!
missed it…could have been thrilled to see the alive dangling thingy…;)
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i was also at the movie premier last night and it was indeed very successful… never in my life i’ve seen so many gay men gathered at one venue. ang sarap pala ng feeling!
i went there at UP alone but the whole night i spent there (including more than 2 hours waiting time!) i almost forgot that i was alone… i was happy observing different sets of gay groups/barkadas… it’s like one big reunion! oh well, going back to the movie i’m impressed with the performance of polo. Surely, he has matured as an actor. Another favorite of mine is emilio garcia. His portrayal of his character is very impressive! I wouldn’t be surprised if he’ll get another best supporting actor nod from film crtics next year.
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The Movie is really challenge the actor Polo and Joseph is one depth hearts to hearts. Im admired of them why becasue they are well character person.
“Nothing to found love other guys” Wonderful the gay movie.
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grabe.. sugod ang mga bakla.. haha. makita sana ng mga tatay nilang militar para pasabugin ang sinehang yan. haha
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i was at the premiere last night too..it was like gay heaven last night..grabe!..about the movie, Marco Morales gyrating is a sight to behold. When he took off his hand to show his family jewels, I was in shocked, it is alive, kicking & it is sooo looong. my fave character was Paolo Rivero’s..he played his character very well.this guy can really act.speaking of acting, Joseph & the girl who played Polo’s wife in the movie seriously need acting lessons..Polo was a bit of a revelation, never thought he would go as far as he did for this movie. Emilio portrayed his character very well. Jean Garcia’s character was unnecessary for the film (i think). would i recommend it? probably, if you want to see the hotness of Marco Morales & how good Paolo Rivero in his character, but if you are looking for a great gay movie, i probably wouldn’t recommend it..the facing was too fast & there was a lot of boring scenes..& the flashbacks were too long..it became funny instead of dramatic…on the other, before the movie started last night, there was a trailer for another gay movie entitled 12 (DOSE), about a 12 yr old boy & his gardener (Yul Servo)..i think its gonna be another much-awaited gay movie..
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I was there too!:)
but I found Polo so melodramatic and still hiding in his shell. Some parts were ok but Polo as I’ve seen him acted on some teleseryes of GMA seemed to be just the same– the crying, sad effect, the monotonous tone of conversation. well, it’s just my opinion.
I love how manly Joseph acted on the movie but at the same time still showed his emotions and love for Polo. he really balanced his character.
Emilio Garcia was scary. haha..and Paolo Rivero’s character could have been developed more. sayang yung kaseksihan niya e. hehe
But as i was watching the whole film, I noticed that the story line was somewhat a recycled material from a Daniel Fernando movie I watched before. Well the story was, Daniel also went to Manila to search for his sister (I think?) Princess Punzalan, who also worked in a bar. Daniel also worked in the bar to gather information about his siter and he became attached to Jaklyn Jose. later, they found out that Princes was caught by a human traficking mogul. Same banana?
Anyway, I knew it! you, Migs would be there, I just don’t know who you are in the crowd. hehe.:)
Fun movie. (I just don’t know why Niña Jose was there. I waited for her appearance in the movie. Alas! she’s not there. haha)
last note: Althea Vega=Patrani? ahaha..:)
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the movie sucked bigtime. a poor rip-off of maynila sa kuko ng liwanag. a lot of excesses - from the acting to the way it was filmed. you’ll enjoy it if you only want to see the actors’ skin. other than that it’s another cheap flick capitalizing on the drawing power of naked men onscreen. show them that gay men are more than that and they demand good stories.
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Wow. Really? Paolo was good for you? I thought his character could and should have been handled better. The way he delivered his lines, I felt he was trying too hard that instead of being the soft-spoken gay man, he came out flat and monotonous instead. The acting of Emilio and Jean Garcia were the best in the movie. I also agree that the storyline wasn’t anything new and the ending left me somewhat unsatisfied. The movie’s ending seemed to have shifted its focus from the main protagonist/s to the main antagonist’s fate. Will it do well in the box office? Probably, sadly though not because of what the movie wanted to tell, but mainly for its gratuity (and don’t get me wrong, I loved those scenes! Come on, who doesn’t right?). Its an ok movie that definitely could have been a lot better with a few tweaks.
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i want MARCO MORALES…any screen captures?
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@ Tony: i liked Paolo’s acting becoz i have a serious crush on him..hehehe
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may crush naman pala si amparing.. haha. ang landi mo naman pati yong nasa screen pagnanasaan mo.. haha.. mabuti kung kapitbahay mo lang.. haha.. pwede mong gapangin. haha.
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@francis: Hahaha. Best. Reason. Ever!
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what started out as a potentially bittersweet story about the love between two male friends,
restrained by the society and realities they live in had to be muddled further by no less than the director and the writer.
they could have just focused on the choice to leave a pregnant wife to run after a scorned lover.
what was the director thinking? he had an impression that for a film to give impact, it had to be “loaded”?
tell ll you what he had to dump. he had to tackle issues about the law enforcers bending the law. he had to cover the abused wife of a sadist jeckyl and hyde cop/crook. to top it off, he had to inject the issues on human smuggling. oh, before i forget, he did tackle the fish in the aquarium (oh no, i don’t even wanna go there). all could have been well, if the direction and the style were lean and focused. ah, that actually takes restraint and discipline!
oh man, just too bad. at the end of the film, the smart audience would end up asking, “what happened there?”. some film guru better re orient the director and the scripwriter. in a masterpiece, less is actually more.
a clear example is the simple, concise and crisp trailer of dose (12) which got a surprisingly warm and loud applause, right before walang kawala started.
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I was there too! Thank god i’m not in the pictures.
Buti nalang walang nagpasabog ng UPFI, or else wala ng bading sa pinas. Hehe. Ang dami talaga. Too bad i went home right after the movie, i could have traded number. Oh well, next time, DOSE? hehe
Well, hindi ko nagustuhan ang movie, ang bilis ng pacing sa una, tpos bumagal. Quite no-brainer, walang challenge sa pagiisip. Also, its too tragic, which makes me like Maximo Oliveros more. If not for the sex scenes, nudity, “macho-dacing”, and few good humorous acting, hindi ko masasabing sulit ang 100 for the ticket (na hindi rin naman pinakita sa counter, darn).
Hello to the guy wearing white polo with black cuff! heheheh!
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cant wait to see this movie,but im still in dubai.were can i get this film in the philippines when i get home this december(directors cut)…for the inde films i was quite disappointed with Immoral and Kambyo.although a kambyo yung ending nalang quite ok pero yung immoral napaka lanky ng mga cast as in pati ending.
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Best line in the movie:
“Sorry… bakla lang. Lasing pa.”
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was there too!!!…nice to know Patani from Survivor Philippines already has a movie
Oh btw what’s her screen name?..althea vega 
:)
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yung linyang “mahal kita. mahal na mahal kita.” ayos na sakin yun. tapos na ang pelikula. nakabawi na sa lahat ng pagkukulang na teknikal.
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well some of the plot are sometimes being revised defending on the time frame or setting. The guy - Double MM nedds some exposure saan ba nagupisa nag lahat di ba si daniel fernando sa scorpion nights 1 - kailagnag din exposure and very remarkable. The film that they mentioned is the lino Brocka’s classic film “macho Dancer” which princess Punzalan is the victim of sextrafficking from the province. Siya iba rin ang approach ni Direct joel Lamangan- Watch mo iba niya film ! Kloka talaga iba’t ibang lvel ng kabaklaan ang atmosphere last screenung but - iisa lang objectives - to watch a very artistic approach of being GAY. Do you tihnk producers and directors will make a gay theme movie with out any market? Well Marketing- Chikahan, word of mouth, text and e-mail are one of the best marketing tools today. Ibig sabihin dumarami na talaga nag iba’t ibang uri ng antas nag kabaklaan sa Pilipinas- remember the John lapus story on Rainbow colors- a diffrent levels Of GAY.
Merci Beacoup Mes amies!!!!
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i was there too. it was jampacked. my first time to attend a director’s cut at the UPFI. my friend i was with said there were more people during the premier night of Ang Lihim Ni Antonio held at the venue. Whatever, i just hope that this film becomes a big hit come regular showing - just so that the filipino film industry will be alive again.
though the film is worth watching for several reasons, it is not a great film. in fact, i just realized that chino rono is a better film director than joel lamangan.
Emilio stood out as he delivered the best performance. It surely deserves another award. Polo was also good. at least in most of the scenes. I liked him best when he was cornered by Emilo inside the room of the latter’s apartment. Paolo Rivero was similarly good, though his role is short. It was underacting all throughtout. Marco’s role is likewise short, but he was also good for a first timer. Lakas pa nang loob at nag full frontal nudity.
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hayyyy……
kc nghi2nyang me di me nkpnuod ng premiere night…
kc sbi nila pg s movie houses eh my mga cut nh…
di n tuloy excitng 2 watch,,,
pero di me pi2gel…..pa2nuoren ko sxa khit my cut…..
i love JB kya….;D
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2day is d 1st regular showing of walang kawala, i watched it in isettan recto,…i thought ds movie is one of those digital films na walang kwenta…but i was amazed,the movie is AWESOME the best filipino digital gay themed movie i’ve ever seen…the story was superb,the cast was really fit 4 d roles they portrayed..i should say polo ravales,jean garcia & emilio garcia deserve an award for this as well as the scriptwriter and direk joel lamangan…panalo ang frontal nudity ni marco morales at bongang bonga ang dialogue ni joseph bitangcol “SALAMAT HINANAP MO AKO JOAQUIN” polo ravales “HINANAP KITA DAHIL MAHAL NA MAHAL KITA” joseph bitancol “MAHAL NA MAHAL DIN KITA….pati ung binaril na ni emilio garcia c polo nag halikan muna cla at mega bongang dialogue polo ravales “TANG NA UMALIS KANA,ANJAN NA C RUFO,UTANG NA LOOB UMALIS KANA WALDO MAHAL NA MAHAL KITA…joseph bitangcol “D KITA IIWAN JOQUIN MAHAL NA MAHAL DIN KITA MAHAL NA MAHAL…i hope dat ds movie will make it in the enternational competition..e2 talaga ang totoong pelikula makatotohanan,nakalahad lahat lang butas ang script..to the producers of walang kawala,casts & direk joel lamangan e2 masasabi ko PANALO PELIKULA NYO,i hope mag ka award at pumalo sa takilya
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GUYs,
ung isang extra na macho dancer RENZ CRUZ at ung manager sa bar na kamuka ni odetthe khan
taga club MAKISIG yan sa timog, ang planet xanadu naman sa potrero malabon dati akong nag work sa makisig
as GRO
sa totoong buhay mag syota ung manager at ung macho dancer na RENZ cruz
totoo yan walang halong chismis
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didn’t like the film.
i hate to be blunt about this but it was gay porn disguising itself as a sensible indie film.
whoever wrote the script or conceptualized the story should be hanged.
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check pictures ni marco morales here sa links na ito…friend ko sya sa facebook
ang hot!!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=988229&l=98a6f&id=754718656
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=965262&l=2e51d&id=754718656
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aside from the hottie polo ravales, the vintage hunk emilio garcia and the marco morales’ frontal nudity… i did not like the movie… it was way TOO gloomy… there’s nothing to it. just got the chance to watch it earlier in RP ermita. Kinda disappointed lng, although I was not expecting anything but just to see marco morales’ glory (that part i was satisfied). HAHAHA… pero, i don’t know… i just didn’t like it.
acting wise… ok yun acting… and nice kissing… grabe!!! you can feel the love… hate polo’s wife though…
that’s just my two cents… hope to know what you guys think…
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I also just saw it at Robinson’s Ermita. I agree with the comments of Newbie.
Polo was really hot. Marco really showed it all hanging. and Ernie Garcia was scary.
Pero parang nagustuhan ko dito si Paolo Rivero.
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Parang ang dalas dalas na yata na lumabas si Polo Ravales sa mga gay role.
(Manay Po 1 and 2, Walang Kawala, etc.)
Hindi naman ako nag-rereklamo. On the other hand, masaya nga ako.
Basta’t Polo and Piolo lang, masaya na ako. Pero kung nandiyan iyong iba, mas OK.
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eh ano naman kung magsyota yung extrang renz cruz at manager na kamukha ni odette khan?
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