Zaturnnah Zow-zow

I was finally able to catch Zsazsa Zaturnnah zee Moveeh last night with a group of friends and my maid (who was celebrating her birthday, so I decided to tag her along). How was it?

Unmistakably written and created by mostly gay folks, the movie successfully presented some really touching scenes that speak about some of the fundamental issues among gay folks (acceptance by family, having straight boyfriends, etc.) — all without becoming overly melodramatic, and many times in a funny way. If there is a victoria (winner) among the film’s elements - ito na yun - this is really is it!

Unfortunately, two bloggers I have so much respect for — Gibbs Cadiz and Jun Lana — wrote how they dislike Zaturnnah zee moveeh. My feeling is that one’s satisfaction over something is always dependent on prior expectations. For Cadiz and Lana, theirs were definitely higher than what the movie delivered. I would opine that it is because they have seen the musical version of the material, and I haven’t.

For me though, maybe because I have not seen the musical, and because I normally have a kind heart (while Cadiz and Lana do not?! hahaha!) the movie is passable, medyo zow-zow nga lang, but passable.

I love Rustom as Ada — one friend commented how Rustom has this natural sadness in his look, maybe in his eyes, very apt for the character of Ada. Ada is so pretty, thanks to Rustom! And Chokoleit is also perfect as Didi! These two are super - and let me borrow Ada’s expression - nakakalokah!

The Amazonistas were a complete disappointment though. They did not have their moment, and their characters were not leveraged to add value. Zsazsa is okay as Zaturnnah, and in fairness she did have funny moments. For Pops? Ay she was there pala?!

I really am excited to see the musical this January. Those who have watched both the movie and musical can’t stop raving about the musical. So see you in the CCP then!

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 4th, 2007 at 12:11 pm and is filed under Movies & Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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12 Responses to “Zaturnnah Zow-zow”

ciana Says:
January 4th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
omg!!! i also love ze movie… and like you i didn’t see the musical., nandito kasi me sa cebu… i also heard na marami talaga ang hindi nagkagusto sa movie lalo na sa mga nakakita ng musical which from what i’ve heard na bongga nga talaga… Para sa akin maganda ang material, hindi lang nag divulge ng mabuti si lamangan ng ginawa niya ang movie., sabi nga ng friend ko para daw minadali… Yup, the amazonistas are disappointing… parang hindi ko nga sila naramdaman sa movie… oh well, ganyan naman talaga ang nangyayari sa mga musical na ginawang movie, kadalasan hindi fab…
but i love the songs though… thanks for mr.vince… maglalabas ba ng soundtrack ng movie? o ng musical?…
basta kahit hindi masyado maganda ang reviews o low man ang kita ng film., hindi pa rin natin maitatanggi na ang zzz ay parang beacon of hope nating mga third sex., and that alone is a cause for celebration…. shagashingshing!
jonat Says:
January 4th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
hi

Was fortunate enough to see the musical in its initial run last year and thought it was hilarious! AS in worth every penny, considering we paid student rate (shame, shame!)

I have not seen the movie and i guess to each his own but i think the movie didnt capture the CAMPINESS of the play (which was TF’s biggest play to date)… like barbie dolls and he-man action figures being chased by the giant toad and wilma doesnt’s wobbly singing.

What also made the whole production work (aside from snotty agot and fab-aliw award notable eula valdez was the billion and one one-liners ricci chan would hurl at anyone and everyone, even the audience(cant do that on film)

oh well to each his own…
do catch its limited run this jan.
homie Says:
January 4th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Wish I had seen the musical so I have a benchmark with which to assess ze movie. I didn’t like it as much as my friend with whom I watched the movie because I found the comic book funnier, wittier - the movie captured the essence of the book but only barely (the addition of the pa-tweetums love team didn’t really help the plot).

In it’s favor, I must say that casting Rustom in the role of Ada was great - I liked the first number which my friend told me was lifted from the musical.

Pops was miscast, I think - the role she played could have been better portrayed by someone with the class of Elvira Manahan/Rita Gomez and the slapstick of Ai-ai Dela Alas.
inday_garalgal Says:
January 4th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
hey hav u noticed ang imbiernang acent ng lola pops hay naku sa sobrang emote di mo na maintindihan!.. i love the musical scene of Joy Viado, rustom, ZsaZsa & Alfred!
Radioactive Adobo Says:
January 5th, 2007 at 1:55 am
Unfortunately, if you have read the comic book as well, the Amazonistas don’t really have their moments. They are not supposed to have any except perhaps during the transmorphication which Zsa Zsa called a “production number” because if they did, there would be too many characters slugging it out for your attention. The star of the show is Zsa Zsa and her alone (and well, yeah, Didi and Dodong too).

You cannot blame Cadiz and Lana for expecting too much. After all, the theatre production was truly - and phenomenally - outstanding.

First, because it arose from a fan base that started with 2 comic books (later merged into one).

The film version was created obviously to cater to a wider audience (theater tickets are just too expensive and actors were chosen for their mass appeal, not necessarily for the talent). But siempre, as most movie giers haven’t read the comic book or seen the play (plus the marketing people assuming most Pinoys already know who ZZZ is), this ultimately led to low sales. Question: if there are really a lot of gay people out there, why didn’t this translate to significant receipts? Perhaps the theme isn’t universal after all? This we have yet to investigate.

Second, the theatre version allowed the audience to particpitate in the screaming, etc. It’s an experience like no other. I strongly suggest you catch it in CCP this January.

Cheers! I love coming here. This blog is fun, fun, fun.
peterpic Says:
January 5th, 2007 at 11:50 pm
the musical was a fabulous step forward coming from the book. the director took the material and gave it a spin that made the whole musical an even better experience than the book itself. there was something new to look forward to.

that, i think is the fault of the move. it didn’t do anything new. in fact, it felt like they just told the actors to do the musical, pointed a cam and rolled the film. walang bagong nadagdag except for a few new songs yata kaya disappointed yung mga nakapanood ng musical.

pero agree ako kay migs, it isn’t all that bad. could have been better. may mga comedic moments naman.
ian Says:
January 6th, 2007 at 1:10 am
the thing was, joel lamangan had an outstanding chance to do a great movie. the original comicbook by carlo vergara was great, the musical adaptation was great … pero, as usual, joel lamangan — overrated director that he is — binaboy nya ang chance. this is another movie to convince anyone what a lousy director he really is.
faghagdominatrix Says:
January 6th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
I read the comic and haven’t seen ze muzikal rin, kaya medyo nakaka-disappoint yung movie in a sense na parang sobrang haba at kulang ng charm. i agree about rustom, pero for the amazonistas, medyo na-off ako sa kanila kasi nag-tatagalog sila. i guess para mabenta yung mga characters pero as a whole, the movie was below par talaga.
bananachoked Says:
January 7th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
The two main characters–Rustom for Ada and Zsa Zsa for ZZZ–failed to give justice to the characters introduced to me by the comic book.

Another character, which was a scene stealer in the book, was Aling Britney. Sadly, I barely felt her in the movie.

I went out of the movie house frustrated. Thanks to Kasal, Kasalo, Kasali.

The only character I saw in the movie which really impressed me (which did not in the comic book) was the giant frog.
Paul Says:
January 11th, 2007 at 12:50 am
hi! where can i buy tickets for the zsazsa zaturnnah ze musical?? and how much?? thanks in advance!
br0wn_c0w Says:
January 15th, 2007 at 10:04 am
You should watch the musical, Migs. Don’t miss it! Walang sinabi ang movie.
sire lee Says:
January 23rd, 2007 at 12:12 am
well just the same. una kong nakita ung movie b4 the musical… though adaptation lang naman ung movie sa comic book eh obvious maxado ung mga drastric changes, twisted timelines and some disappointing characters. at nagdagdag pa. sana they sticked na lang with the book or with the musical. better ung musical. although masarap na dodong si alfred vargas, pero mas masarap si janvier daily… but joey paras is a better didi than chokoleit. as for the adas, i was really impressed with rustom, and all thumbs up ako kay tux, galing nya. for the role zsazsa zsaturnnah, eula is the better one, pero kahit papano binigyang hustisya ni zsazsa padilla ung role(ksi kapangalan nya, heehee). but to sum it up basta suportahan natin ang lahat ng magiging merchandise ng zsazsa zaturnnah. hehe. tuloy pb ung part 2, ung zsazsa zaturnnah in manila…

manila gay guy