In any contest, there are winners and there are losers, although there are also consolation prizes or simply called "consuelo de bobo" or "pakonsuwelo."
In the ongoing 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), there are reps of these kinds.
But what stands out in the competition is the winning of Vilma Santos as Best Actress for the film "When I Met You in Tokyo" in the recently concluded awards night or the Gabi ng Parangal of the fest held at the New Frontier Theater in Cubao.
Another controversy that "When I Met You in Tokyo" that cropped up was its scoring the 4th Best Picture slot in the derby.
Here are just some of the comments from critics as ordinary moviegoers whether they are professionals or not.
Entertainment writer Alwyn Ignacio has this to say from his Facebook wall: "Kung si Eugene Domingo at Marietta Subong ang pinagtabla niyo sa best actress para sa Becky and Badette, eh di walang cooking ina show kontrobersiya Kasi naman (If only you made a tie between them--Marietta Subong is Pokwang--for their movie, there wouldn't be alleged rigging in the controversial results It's because)......
"Yung first, second at third best pictures, ang FIREFLY, GomBurZa at Mallari, super deserving.. Naman (Oh)! Sa (It's only) true!
"Eh yung bagong pausong fourth? Look na lang ako sa sky! Hahahahaha (How about the newly created fad of a fourth spot? I just look at the sky! Laughter/Guffaw)."
Noranian netizen Marie Cusi shared an insight from the wall of the Nora Aunor National Artist Facebook: "WALANG KATOTOHANAN at di mapapanindigan ng isang artista ang katawagang ‘Star For All Seasons’ at ang tanging basehan ay kikita palagi ang pelikula. Walang ganun sa reyalidad. Darating ang araw na hindi ka na papanoorin sa telon. Lahat ng artista, gaano ka man kasikat ay bababa at bababa sa kanyang pedestal. NGUNIT kung ang kasikatan mo ay ginamit mo upang paunlarin ang iyong SINING na nagsilbing kayamanang ambag mo sa industriya, diyan ka kikilalanin, at paparangalan. At panghabang panahon na iuukit sa aklat ng pinakamahuhusay at maipagmamalaki ng mga Pilipino sa buong mundo at pag-aaralan ng bawat henerasyon. Napanindigan ng isang Nora Aunor ang titulong SUPERSTAR at hinigitan pa. At NATIONAL ARTIST na siya ngayon (THERE'S NO TRUTH and it cannot be justified that an actress to be called 'Star For All Seasons' that her basis is to make a killing at the tills of her movie. It is not realistic. Time will come that she won't be watched anymore. All stars however brightly shining will diminish it glimmer. BUT if she uses her popularity to advance the arts, that is where she will be recognized and awarded. And her name will be eternally etched in the annals of excellence and pride of the Filipinos worldwide to be studied by the next generations. Nora Aunor is able to prove her SUPERSTAR title and goes beyond it. She is already a NATIONAL ARTIST)."
What is good acting?
Academician Augusto Antonio A. Aguila commented: "Ok. Let’s put it this way, Vilma Santos’ performance in “When I Met You in Tokyo” is very nuanced, which many moviegoers do not know and understand. This is precisely the reason why she deserves to win Best Actress in this year’s MMFF.
“There is a popular notion that good acting is simply having the sheer capacity to make film audiences cry buckets of tears or being able to shed tears easily. But good acting is more than that. Even the most intense emotions can be presented in a very subtle way, and Vilma Santos Recto (and Christopher De Leon) didn’t resort to histrionics (meaning akting na akting) to make the audience feel what their characters are going through.
“Actually, I thought 'When I Met You in Tokyo' would be a corny movie about two people in their twilight years falling in love, but the film exceeded my expectations. Vilma’s performance is very finely measured. Boyet’s performance too. Vilma and Boyet’s chemistry is undeniable and unmatched even after forty years. We’ve seen them in unforgettable movies like 'Relasyon,' 'Broken Marriage,' 'Haplos,' 'Minsan Pa Nating Hagkan ang Nakaraan,' 'Ipagpatawad Mo,' 'Dekada 70,' 'Imortal,' and 'Tag-ulan sa Tag-araw,' the latter brought Vilma and Boyet together on the big screen for the first time.
“And in all of these films, they have proven that they are thespians of the highest caliber. They are peerless in their game. There are very very few actors, then and now, whose names can be mentioned in the same sentence with Vilma Santos and Christopher De Leon. That is why it’s a travesty (or maybe even an atrocity) to compare them with just anyone, particularly those who just crawled out of the woodwork.”
Film’s true meaning
Actor John Lloyd Cruz while driving his car said, more or less: "Itong pelikulang 'When I Met You in Tokyo' ang kailangan natin. Napakasimple, napakapayak. Pero wala kang lusot. Mauunawaan agad.
“Ang ibig sabihin ng pelikula, kailangang mahalin mo ang kapwa mo, ang kapatid mo, ang nanay mo, ang tatay mo, ang lahat. Ito ang ibig sabihin ng pelikula. Kaya gusto kong magpasalamat kay Ate Vi. Hanga ako sa kanya, kay Kuya Bo, mga senior sila sa akin pero hindi sila nagsasawang gumawa ng pelikula (This is the kind of movie. Very simple. You cannot escape from it. It is easily understood.
“What the movie is telling us is the need to love one another, our siblings, our moms, our dads, all. That's why I want to thank Ate--a term of endearment to an older woman by birth or by affinity--Vi. I admire her and Kuya--a term of endearment to an older man by birth or by affinity. They are more senior than me but they don't get tired of making movies)."
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