Film review: Juana C., The Movie Election-stress reliever

MANILA, Philippines - If last month’s election was some form of public stress, seeing the sex-comedy Juana C., The Movie is a way to detoxify, with all its comical turns best represented by the plus-size charm of its main character.

The film as expected is a political satire that embraces the openness of today’s world when it comes to sex, being gay and anything political in nature worth-lambasting. What is not a given is the ability of Juana Change, Mae Paner’s now famous stage name, in making her attention-grabbing presence fit just enough for the big screen.

With her good timing and naturally funny looks that pay homage to old-school comic stars, safe to say she passes the test.

In the movie directed by Jade Castro of Zombadings fame, Juana leaves her indigenous roots to study as a scholar in a university in Metro Manila. Trying to keep up with the culture shock of city life, she transforms herself into a bar-hopping girl and much later, a high-class escort service — a punchline that helps keep the laughs coming.

With a support cast seemingly aware of the need for Juana C. to shine, the movie befits as the crowning glory of Juana Change Movement which began in 2008 as a multi-media advocacy “for an increased socio-political awareness and love of country.” Whoever decided to make Paner, a Psychology graduate from UST and former PETA actress, the face of the movement must have foreseen the value of having someone as charismatic as her if ever a movie to voice out its concerns is made.

A debut movie product for Laganap Productions, Juana C., The Movie also stars John James Uy, Niño Muhlach, Joel Torre, Ronnie Lazaro, Soxy Topacio, and Joel Lamangan.

Since the public had already been served with a heavy course of intriguing politics in the past months leading to last month’s newsworthy conclusion, it’s time to take off the bitter taste with a sweet dessert in the form of this movie.

Released by Solar Entertainment Corporation, Juana C., The Movie is now showing in theaters.

Meanwhile, a foreign movie now serving the Filipino public’s hunger for heavy intake of action and star power is Fast & Furious 6, which premiered in the country in style, with Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez appearing in flesh to the delight of countless fans.

Fast Six sees the family of professional criminal gang, led by Dominic Toretto (Diesel), springing back to action after US Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) offers to clear their criminal records for as long as they assist him in hunting a “skilled mercenary organization” headed by one Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) and Letty Ortiz (Rodriguez), a character actually presumed dead.

The sequences in the latest installment are heavily-packed, though sometimes it comes to a point it is almost unbelievable. The no-let up thrust of the action scenes certainly meets fan expectations, with a couple of surprising turns making it extra juicy for thrill-seekers.

The speedy action of the climactic scene is once again another of those hard-to-top acts future Fast & Furious movies will have to surpass, in definitely no-easy task. Good thing that box-office tickets continuously come in for the series, and it is likely that more and more famous faces will join the well-followed chase in the next few years.

If ever it is, the casting director will just have to make sure any actor invited to appear has that personality to keep up with the angst-charged one liners that come common in the film’s furious world.