Combining action & sex comedy

MANILA, Philippines – Director Chris Martinez admits Extra Service is his first time to combine comedy with action — not with sturdy male action stars — but with three beautiful women whose characters are caught with only one choice — survival.

While he is happy that he is working with the beautiful faces, he has to do something with his homework to make sure the leading ladies look credible.

 Says direk Chris: “First, they have to take rigid martial arts lessons and on top of that, they have to take apprentice lessons from true-to-life masahistas. They have to be ready when doing tough action sequences and they have to look real inside a massage cubicle. Tracking down the criminals is not just the main menu of this movie. This is also about friendship between three women who had brushes with the law and are bent on starting a new life — even if the conditions involved are virtual threats on their life and limb.”

Indeed, the setting is a massage house and the lead stars will double as masseuse and secret agents.

The femme fatale roles naturally appealed to the leading ladies namely Arci Muñoz, Coleen Garcia and Jessy Mendiola.

Says Arci: “The story is something new and a good respite from my drama assignments. It actually looks like scenes from Charlie’s Angels with an unlikely setting — the massage parlor. We all have to focus and do our best because we are dealing with a consummate director known not just for good entertainment but with his good taste as well.”

Action and comedy involves hard work and a lot of collaboration. For this reason, direk Chris makes sure the set is conducive to working. “First, I have to produce good vibes on the set. Next, I have to get to know the actors and not just their characters but their real lives as well. It pays to know your actors really well because that will give you an idea on how far the collaboration can go. Luckily, I didn’t even have to ask how far they can go in some sensitive scenes. The men have no qualms about going naked and running around with just towels if it is necessary in the scene. I must say I got the same level of cooperation from the ladies who took their martial arts lessons seriously.”

Paired with the leading ladies are actors Ejay Falcon, Vin Abrenica and Enzo Pineda.

As an answer to a question, direk Chris assures his public no animals were harmed in the making of Extra Service.

On the other hand, he is determined to offer something other than the standard comedy and action. “I didn’t follow any formula for doing this film. I suppose I was hired to contribute some kind of sensibility in this movie. To my relief, this movie is up to my alley. This is a sexy comedy, quite naughty actually in many parts but I insisted that they be executed with flair and good taste.”

As earlier noted, there is no way the director can go wrong.

First of all, he is a playwright who can dissect characters inside and out and second, he is familiar with stories with unusual variations and third, he is a screenwriter who knows what will work on screen or not.

He is clear about the dual hats he wore in previous projects: “Directing and writing are two different animals. As a writer, I try to be very concise and detailed about the script. Everything has to be there. When I direct, I try to separate myself from being a writer. As a director, you aim for a more visual result rather than too many dialogues. As a director, I go beyond the output of the writer. You are concerned with how to make the film more interesting and how to make it visually appealing as well. It’s like having two persons in one human being.”

What was the extra service, nay, effort that he exerted to make this movie memorable to action and comedy fans?

“In a nutshell, I had to muster extra patience, extra late night work and extra editing work to make sure the movie has something for everyone. I’d like to ask our moviegoers to give extra service for Filipino films by patronizing our opening night.”

Extra Service is now showing in cinemas.