RacsOview: "Agaton and Mindy" (2009)

Hmmmmm. This is a very interesting write for me because, I was really looking forward to seeing it and I had like A-high expectations for it. Why? Because Peque Gallaga made the film, and it was is story. Second, I am a sucker for this kinds for Pinoy indie films. Third, because I really want it to be good. I am desperately searching for that first very good Pinoy movie.

I just got out off from a screening of the movie. All I can say is that, I am really disappointed. The story is convoluted and was trying to cover too many grounds. I know that it was trying to be Romeo and Juliet ish, but I think that the plot had more fun making the story for Juliet, for our case Mindy, the troubled, rich, whiny, high maintenance bitchy teen ager. The main downfall of the movie was it took a lot of detour, swerving away from the main story line. Adding scenes that were not really relevant to how the story transpired.
I could go on for a very long write up thinking of how the movie had disappointed me but I would just point out two more, because I have already discussed the very lackadaisical story. The acting of Louise del los Reyes was boring at best. She was at times verging on annoying. I guess it was really not her fault because her character arch was not properly constructed. Ditto her circle of friends, ANNOYING. Do rich people have them slur tongues and high pitch voices?

The most annoying thing about the movie was its overbearing and weirdly put score. It was all over the place. The score could have elevated their dance, which I dearly loved. But for rappers to appear midway to the song and bombastic drum beats to linger around the score was just too much. They could have settled for a more subtle score a grungy one.

But it was not all hate, the movie experience that is. I really think that Chase Vega was surprisingly good. There were moments of bad acting, but all in all it was a very solid breakthrough and I would definitely be looking out for his next outing. But the best in show for me was Mailes Kanapi (who I would give best actress award last year if the movie had been released). She was the only one in the cast who knows how to deliver her line naturally. I love her to bits. I met her in person once and she was very sweet. Kudos to you girl, I wish more projects to you. The same could be said to the rest of the supporting cast besides the young ones, who seem very amateur. Plus plus points to the dance sequence. It was beautifully choreographed. However to have them dance the damn routine more than once after they had just completely performed it was really a downer. When Agaton solely danced the routine as an expression of deep love, in the end part of the movie, it gave chills to me. Putting sequences in the right order would have made the movie more effective.
Mailes Kanapi's character said something in the movie about expecting and hoping, and their difference. If I had hoped that the movie would be great then I would not have been disappointed too much. What happened was that I expected too much from it that all I can say after watching it was that I am really disappointed. I was expecting a return to form by Gallaga but it turned out the it looked amateur and not masterful at all.

B(Start)/F(Middle)/A-(Near Ending) = C/C+