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Monday, August 15, 2016

Movie Review: That Thing Called Tanga Na


Main Cast: Billy Crawford, Angeline Quinto, Eric Quizon, Kean Cipriano, Martin Escudero
Director: Joel Lamangan
MTRCB Rating: PG
Released By: Regal Entertainment Inc.

Gays in the Philippines are said to comprise about 10% of the country’s population. Far from their status of decades ago when they used to be frowned at, gays or ‘bekis’ of today enjoy far greater freedom and acceptance in the community. Most of them are creative, financially independent and lead colorful lives - yet in reality, they are often wanting of real love.

“That Thing Called Tanga Na” is a movie about love and friendship among gays. Four gay men and a woman comprise this group of friends who are engaged in various professions. The movie revolves around their heartbreaks on finding true love.

A regular viewer may have a fairly good expectation of this movie owing to the fact that director Joel Lamangan was at the helm. Unfortunately, to be in for a major letdown is totally unexpected.

First of all, one will get lost with such a big number of characters, with everyone actively involved in each others’ lives – including its every twist and turn. It would have been ideal had the characters been allowed to develop for better appreciation.

Among others, the flow of the story is flawed. With such a cast, each scene becomes a confusion of the many issues of each character. Names and situations are lumped up in each fast-paced dialogue making it hard for the viewer to catch up what was actually happening, thus missing the point in the process. There are just so many things going on – literally.

Another thing, it is a struggle to appreciate a movie whose screenplay leaves much to be desired – ie, old, overused gay jokes that had seen better days, in short corny and ridiculous. In street language, ‘bumenta na’.  And I bet you, there are a lot of those. Top that with loud and OA acting, and you get the picture.

Ron or papa Tiu (Eric Quizon) plays a rich gay businessman, separated from wife, and is lover to a two-timing Albie. Fashion designer Sissy (Kean Cipriano) suffers a similar fate, along with his girl Friday, Shirley (Angeline Quinto) who has a ‘gifted’ cheating partner, too. It’s only closeted gay Baldo (Billy Crawford), who marries his one true love in an unlikely scenario and salon owner Georgette (Martin Escudero) who seem to be the only characters whose love issues are not as absurd.

Furthermore, the film could have been treated with a fresher take on some gay issues that the public are not familiar with. Unfortunately, it is bombarded with scenes and dialogues that are glaringly old. It doesn’t project gays in a favorable manner the way the movie presented them. Those gay-loving young men who will do anything in exchange for a big bonanza from their rich benefactors, isn’t that as old as the hills?    

Perhaps, the only saving grace of the movie are the happy testimonies of celebrity gay couples who have struggled to be accepted for their love and won it in the end.

Others in the movie are Albie Casino, Ken Alfonso, Lawrence Yap, Luke Conde, Nikki Valdez, Gerard Napoles, Paolo Gumabao, Shine Kuk and Vangie Labalan. Now showing in cinemas.

41 comments:

  1. Ambait naman ni FP. For me, it is even worse than this review.Nagsisi ako after ko mapanood, it's a rubbish movie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kung Roderick Paulate starrer lang ito....Bongga!

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    2. I agree 10:56pm - I've never even seen the girl in the film ever - in anything. How come she is a star? The film was a mess

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    3. Sa trailer pa lang nito waley na....kita naman nagpupumilit kahit di naman bagay na....

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  2. That thing called OA na.

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  3. ang luma na nung malaysia joke! hindi na nakakatawa.

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  4. Trailer pa lang, halatang sobrang messy na nung film.

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  5. Nako pag martial law na matigil na sana mga ganyang klase na pelikula walang katuturan at walang aral saka di nakakakilig

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    Replies
    1. Misinformed spotted, mga shunga ang ganyan mentalidad

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    2. This one is LOL. Ang gobyerno sana iinform or ieducate ang mga mamayan. Sana may website where people can read about our country, news, laws, our rights, etc.

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  6. masayang movie itetch kung pinalabas cya nung year 2000

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  7. Kean and Billy...YUCK

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  8. Well what can you say, blame it on the producer. Pag sinabi ni producer ganito lang ang budget, pipilipitin ang leeg ni directed by para pulbusin ang artista to the pulp, so kwiki kwiki lang, pera na.

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    Replies
    1. Oh yeah, sinabi mo pa!

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    2. agree. saka mga movie ngayon 7days lang tpos shooting. ano asahan nating quality.

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  9. You expect a Lamangan film to be good? Don't make me laugh.

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    Replies
    1. Grabe ka naman maka lait. FYI, siya ang director ng record-breaking movie na Felix Manalo.

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    2. Record-breaking, saan banda?

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    3. required kc sa kanila panoorin yon hahaha

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  10. Bakit pa kasi nagsasayang sa mga ganitong klaseng pelikula? Haynako.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Searching for next WennDeramas

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  12. One flop from another flop

    Anyare sa Bituin?

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    Replies
    1. Please educate yourself, this isn't a Star Cinema film. It's a Regal Films production.

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  13. Anyone who will watch this is stupid

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    Replies
    1. Ikaw ang stupid! Hindi lahat ng nanonood ng movie do it for pleasure. Others do it bec it's part of their job.

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  14. In the 80's ang slogan ng Seiko Films: If it's from Seiko, it must be good!

    Now from Regal Prod: If it's from Regal, it must be trash!

    Kalerqui! Consistent!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. meron pa

      if it is from Viva, it must be so so so

      Delete
  15. THAT THING CALLED ONE WEEK LANG PULL OUT NATO SA MGA CINEMAS! WHAT A JOKE!

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  16. What do you expect with Angeline Quinto and Billy Crawford in the movie? These 2 should stick to singing. Billy Crawford can't act, although he is a very good singer/performer. Angeline Quinto should stop her cosmetic surgeries and start improving her brain instead. With the inclusion of Jona and Jaya in the ABS-CBB's roster of singers, Angeline's birit is starting to sound irritating.

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    Replies
    1. She's the Regine V of ABS hello?!

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    2. Feeling Regine kamo! Lahat na lang kinopya kay regine , pati mannerisms!!! Pwe!!! Kajirits!!

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    3. Hello walang fan base yang 2 J na yan. Meron bang titili sa kanila pag kumakanta. Kahit gaanong kagaling ang singer pag walang fan based bokya. Ang daming magagaling na singer na nasa background lang, dahil di kinakagat ng fans. Dami ng nanalo sa mga pakontes, bumandera ba. It's all about fans, getz mo? Kasi gaya rin ng artista, merong mas maganda, mas magaling umarte at mas smart pero dahil walang fan base, forever sidekick lang ng bida.

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    4. Wala talagang ka appeal appeal si girl. Aminin nyo na

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  17. MALAYsia joke is very very old joke! I grew up hearing it and yet ginamit pa sa trailer! paano nmn papatok. trailer plang kita ng wlang pasikat scene! tsk tsk. sayang bongga pa nmn cast

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  18. Walang kwentang movie,batuhan pa lng nla ng mga jokes nakakawalang gana na,hay naku!

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  19. This movie is actually not worth reviewing.

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  20. There were about 7 people inside the cinema and no one is laughing at any of the trying-hard scenes. Garbage film.

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  21. As a Gay person minsan nakakainis makita ang mga straight actor na nagpupumilit mag acting beki...there are some na magaling like si Dennis Trillo sa My Husbands Lover na kuhang kuha ang mga malalambot na bekis in gestures and movement...

    for this movie, super trying hard na minsan to the point na parang nakaka insulto...for the story, medyo waley, sabog sabog, patchi patchi...jokes are old and some are only reserved between gay friends, babaeng bakla or within the barkada kaya parang di na relay ng maayos sa audiences///

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  22. Joel Lamangan film eh. Old-fashioned thinking about gays. Mas okay siguro kung mas bago at batang director like Chris Martinez.

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