The Errors of Comedy

Movie Review: Kimmy Dora: Ang Kambal sa Kiyeme

I hate to be a Grinch but there is something about Kimmy Dora: Kambal sa Kiyeme that leaves me grumbling despite somehow enjoying the movie.

First, my observations:

• The comedic prowess of lead star Eugene Domingo is undeniable.
• The plot is quite interesting.
• The funny scenes make the audience laugh out loud on their seats.
• Everyone exits the cinema happy.
• The film board and media reviews gave the movie a positive rating.
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What could possibly be wrong then?

The thing is: Kimmy Dora employs the same comic formula that time and again has been the trademark of Filipino movies – full of slapsticks, spoofs, and unintelligent humor. The film offered nothing really new and yet was successful in eliciting guffaws among the audience.

What could be funny, for instance, about reciting “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pekpek” or the mannerisms of a mentally-challenged adult? Sadly, a lot of people enjoyed those scenes in the movie. No wonder the Filipinos are top in the list of happiest people in the planet – because we laugh at the most shallow display of humor.

While this kind of movie is beneficial to the industry because of its commercial success, its negative impact is that it contributes to the degradation of the Filipino’s understanding and appreciation of film as an art and media form. Fact is most Filipinos only see film for its entertainment value. Proof is that the top-grossing Filipino film of all time is Ang Tanging Ina Nyo and not Rizal or any of the Lino Brocka masterpieces.

There is a lot that a movie can actually offer. It can educate. It can inspire. It can be critical. It can be smart. It can be deceiving. A comedy should not just be comic, just like dramas need not always be a love story.

The challenge is for the creative segment of the local film industry to offer something that tickles not just our funny bones but also our curiosity; something that would make us laugh and think at the same time; something not insulting to our intelligence.

It is about time we upgrade our humor and take comedy seriously. And I mean seriously.

Who's afraid of Ate Koring?

Korina Sanchez rails at Roxas’ detractor

This lady should not tell the news.

Being a wife-to-be of a politician, she cannot help but show her bias. More so, she lets her emotion affect her expressions. Whether she speaks as a commentator or a guest, she should be extra cautious in her remarks as she is perceived by the public more as a news personality than anything else.

As the "bearer of news," she should be impartial and impervious to the point of being stoic so as to lend credibility to her reports. This is the Walter Cronkite standard that news anchors should strive hard to practice. If she cannot try to do this, she should rather resign as TV Patrol/Bandila anchor in order to protect the news program's integrity.

She should also respect the views of her colleagues in the media. Conrado de Quiros certainly did not need to apologize for whatever he has written about Mar Roxas just because it has offended someone. Ate Koring knows this all too well as she herself has pehaps offended many individuals with her fiery brand of broadcast journalism.

There is truth to the saying that whatever you throw comes right back at you.

"Ang pikon ay laging talo." Hindi po ba Ate Koring.

Winnability does not make a "winner"

Roxas gives way to Aquino

No, it's not good prevailing over evil.

No, it's not country before self.

No, it's not leading to unity, rather than division.

It's plain and simple the oldest and cheapest trick in politics - fielding a "winnable" candidate.

All the pseudo drama and proclaimed self-sacrifice will not reap the Liberal Party any pogi points at all to win the 2010 elections - that is if everyone would just look above and beyond the surface of this event. LP is just riding on the Aquino legacy and feeding the Filipinos with false hopes.

What makes Noynoy Aquino a Presidentiable is a question begging for serious answers. He has been a politician all his life, but he has yet to prove himself worthy of a public office. He has displayed none of his father's eloquence and intellectual brilliance. He has barely the shadow of his mother's sense of leadership and charisma. His surname surely cannot be his only passport to greatness.

The Liberal Party, for the sake of its glorious leaders in the past, should not have succumbed to popular politics. A party standard bearer should be a tested character with unquestionable qualifications, not one who can only serve to tickle the public's fancy.

Noynoy Aquino may be a winnable candidate now, but he can never be a winner in every sense of the word.