Bad Life Choices: ALAPAAP Now Out on VIVAMAX App

Today is a good time to head on to your VIVAMAX app to watch ALAPAAP. It's a pretty disturbing film, probably would ruffle a lot of feathers as it's a little unconventional; yet very interesting. This is directed by Fredrich Macapagal Cortez, a protege of legendary Brillante MA Mendoza (as he's worked under a different capacity for 7 years) who's also producing this film.  

It delves into the lives of college friends, some who are into film making. To finish their studies, had to make a documentary as requirement. They decided to do a documentary, a tribe from a remote province. It wouldn't be that easy as they're no ordinary bunch of guys and gals. Let's just say it's all about bad parenting, vices, urges and alcohol ultimately taking over their usual lives. They're a pretty rough bunch and it won't be too long til they meet mishaps along the way. 

You'll get to see the role of Josef Elizalde who plays Erik Bengzon being a lot problematic. He's in his own world, pretty much feeling invincible but later on receives the ugly truth of his actions. Aside from that, Ali Asistio who plays Orius Plana will make you think if he's a good friend or a a bad influence. He looks like a goody two shoes at first, then an evil doer, and makes matters worse. Katrina Dovey, Andrea Garcia, Chesca Paredes, Alona Navarro provide chameleon like characters wherein the audience begin to see horrid changes as they take in intoxicating drinks or substances. They even took it to the mountains (visiting natives) and lived to regret every second of it. The lone London based guy Luke Selby had some of the press screening the movie at the edge of their seats as he contributed what he could do in the acting department. Albeit foreign, he fit right in like a glove. He was in conversation, yet clueless, you'll have to fish out reasons how he ended up in group sessions as with the other cast members. 

 

I asked how this would be different from a Brillante Mendoza directorial work, and Fredrich Macapagal Cortez told us about his cinematography background that would take this into more of his style. This is quite easy to understand once you get to see the closeup shots (especially the eye, skin and sunlight scenes) which you'll see if you stream this project. This is also exclusively going to be released through the VIVAMAX app so download it if you want to see the movie. Subscription fees are also affordable, so you have a chance to see it all. Aside from that, the cast also told us about how detractors shouldn't look at their work differently. Listen in to what we talked about after the screening, I love how frank Andrea Garcia answers questions:

If this piqued your interest and want to know how it ends, go watch ALAPAAP scheduled to be released today November 18 on the VIVAMAX app.

Get Obsessed with "The Influencer" on VIVAMAX

In this day and age, you’ve probably seen an influencer strut their stuff on social media channels. It’s a shortcut to stardom for some, while others use it for other things.

Yexel is an influencer, one that has a dysfunctional family, living quite a fake life. He goes out with friends, some to spend the night with. But in one of these parties, he meets Nina... one that would change his life.

Yexel becomes a kid in a candy store initially. When he’s with her, he takes on Nina like a ravaging hungry testosterone filled maniac who doesn’t want to be far from her... that's til she mentions how she wants to become more serious, but Yexel obviously wasn’t into that.

Unbeknownst to Yexel, Nina has her own secrets. Yes, the film will be really packed with lots of scenes that VIVAMAX is known for (almost half of the scenes will be like that). It’ll get really really overboard once Nina starts taking out her real personality and all hell breaks loose.

This script is interestingly written, at the helm of Quinn Carillo I'd liken her style to be of Quentin Tarantino, she doesn't mind how much shock factor her story is and it's something that you'll look forward with her work. Albeit this is the first time Direk Louie Ignacio is tackling this genre, it was well executed and done realistically, researched well.

You will be a little exhausted at the end of this movie, feel how they'll be trying to connect what's happening in some of the darkest sides of the influencers they got these stories from; because Direk Louie says, this is something that they wanted to show, something so real that they wouldn't be defending much on the story line of "The Influencer" which comes out on August 12th.

We've seen Sean De Guzman in his other projects, but this by far will impress you even more. Cloe Barreto sits even crazier, when you think she's done that in her past films, this will put her in an even higher form. You'll take her as the woman who's going to be seriously insane, and it'll be a good thing.

You can download VIVAMAX on the App Store, Google Play or the Huawei App Store too. They have subscription plans that you can save a lot from if you get the longer subscription time. See how you too can become OBSESSED with it and other shows on the platform. This is produced by 3:16 Media Network, Mentorque Productions and is exclusively shown on the VIVAMAX app.

Not for the faint of heart, not for kids either!

Feisty Femme Scenes Seen on Brillante Mendoza's PALITAN

Man meets woman, fall in love, get married, have children, that seems to be the norm. A few nights ago, we had the chance to see Cannes Best Director Brillante Mendoza's latest film "PALITAN" under Viva Films, meant to be shown on their platform VIVAMAX.

The film stars GMA's Luis Hontiveros, Rash Flores, Cara Gonzales and Jela Cuenca. It talks about marriage, its intricacies, and why one should know the one you're marrying. Brillante did this Girls Love themed film with subtlety, you can feel the need for shock value at first then give you reasons why you would root for the ladies that wanted to be together. It fits on the premise that it'll never work because of societal issues you would face, including religion, and their own existing relationships.

The ladies Cara Gonzales and Jela Cuenca did not hold back on their scenes as they needed to to fill a void of not seeing each other for years. They kept the feelings, understood the hunger which is why I called this film pretty feisty. Luis and Rash on the other hand are your hetero male dose that don't even need to over act machismo, they're ones that could convey confusion, friendship, lust and disappointment in several acts. You will be taken to their place, understand why they would react that way and in some instances, feel what they feel in the movie. 

A Brillante Mendoza work of course had a sense of reality. Think of it as something that Filipinos won't be talking about on a regular day as it also showed hetero, femme, and group scenes that tells their gender, social construct, no matter what their biological assignment tells them to do. As you may probably know, this would be for a matured audience. They're already thinking of putting this as an entry into LGBT themed festivals as it's pretty late to do so for some of the festivals Brillante Mendoza has joined already. It's also a really nice place to showcase the caliber of Viva artists who are part of this film, at a very international and artsy caliber. Needless to say, I'm impressed with this latest Brillante Mendoza masterpiece and he's slated to do three this year and a couple more next year (a lot in the pipeline) but they're generally mum about it til it happens.

This film will start streaming on the VIVAMAX app come December 10 so make sure you download it off Google Play or the App Store and subscribe to watch a lot of other movies from their library and this film called PALITAN. Here's part of the presscon we had with them prior to screening.

 Congratulations to Direk Brillante MA Mendoza, Viva Films and VivaMax because you've got a really bravely depicted movie in your hands with this one!