PEP REVIEW: "Kulam" sure to cast screaming spell on moviegoers
Karen A. Pagsolingan
Friday, October 3, 2008
09:11 AM
Are you scared of kulam?
Such Filipino folklore has been part of Pinoy culture for several centuries now, and there are probably thousands and thousands of kulam-related stories which circulated. But they are not as vivid and uncanny as Regal Entertainment's Mag-ingat ka sa...Kulam.
I got the chance to watch the premiere of this horror flick top billed by Judy Ann Santos, and believe me, I seldom blinked.
The story began with a car accident involving the main character, Mira (Judy Ann). When she regained her consciousness, she was never the same. She suffered from post-traumatic amnesia, so everything was hazy to her.
The moment she and husband Paul (Dennis Trillo) returned to their house, Mira began undraping some details about her old self. She was a busy real estate broker. She was not a nurturing mom to her blind daughter Sophie (Sharlene San Pedro). She was unhappy with her marriage, and Dennis had another woman. She also had an affair with a colleague Dave (TJ Trinidad).
She didn't like what she found out, so she became resolute in rectifying things, especially her marriage and relationship with daughter, and in getting her memory back.
But in the process, she unearthed a secret about her past: She belonged to a family of mangkukulam. From here, unimaginable things happened.
THINGS TO NOTE:
1. One thing about the movie is that it successfully sustained the momentum from end to finish. Most scenes are thought-provoking, if not spine-chilling. Why does she keep on dreaming or imagining blood with strands of hair on the wall?
Of course, the title already implied that the visual cues had something to do with kulam, but how?
2. The twists to the story defy the convention. It is quite hard to predict what will happen next. Story telling is not faultless, but it is definitely gripping and hair-rising.
It was such a great coincidence that Mira's video would be spotted by Dennis at such an opportune moment. It was too cliché to use a Sadako look-alike ghost emerging from water-filled bath tub, or giving the insinuation that she's lurking somewhere in the aparador. It was quite unbelievable that the characters would face the ghost, instead of run away from her.
But the store room scene of Juday was really scary. Dennis's webcam encounter with the ghost had nearly everyone in the theater screaming. The kid's video grab was blood curling. So if a moviegoer would claim, "Muntik na akong atakehin," it would not be an exaggeration.
3. The sound effect is really good and usually on-cue. It has effectively set the mood for each crucial scene, and scared the crowd.
4. The movie also has several "first-seen" visual and animation effects that have not been done in any Pinoy horror film.
Most notable of which was the way the ghost vanished (or dissolved into ashes). The treatment could rival Storm's ascension in X-men or any Pinoy fantaserye.
5. Juday, is of course, the biggest asset of the movie. She has effortlessly given distinction to the two characters she played. This film reaffirms her versatility as an actress—she can do comedy, drama, and horror. Her wardrobe is also commendable.
Dennis is also good. His role is not much of a challenge, but he portrays it with depth.
The revelation in the movie: TJ Trinidad. His few scenes require him to assimilate a disturbed character, and his delivery is impressive. (CONGRATS TO OUR VERY OWN TJ!! )
VERDICT. The overall impact of Kulam is more than satisfactory. It has remarkably delievered its intent: To scare the viewers. It's the movie to beat in Pinoy horror film genre.
And if somebody asks me, are you afraid of kulam? I will have a ready answer with matching scream: Yes.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR VERY OWN TJ TRINIDAD. Ngayon eh talagang lumalabas na ang acting powers ni TJ. Kahit saan mo siya ilagay, he does justice to his role. He is such a humble person, kahit maliit ang role minsan, he still gives it his best!
WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU MR. TJ TRINIDAD. IT IS YOUR TIME TO SHINE!!!!!
Tj Trinidad indeed is more than a handsome face...he is indeed Extra Special! Extra Talented! Extra lovable!Extra good hearted! extra ordinary...extra etcetera..
bravo Tj!!we are proud of you!
Tj now that you have passed the extra challenges - we believe it's about time for you to take the center stage! You are now ready to be the leading man of a big budgetted movie! so we hope you'll get that reard soon!
I remember a saying that goes like this "those who are faithful in little will be faithful in much..."
so sa mga taong humble na tulad mo...who don't mind being an extra and always manages to show their best..is deserving to be given more!
Tj now that you have passed the extra challenges - we believe that it's about time for you to take the center stage! You are now ready to be the leading man of a big budgetted movie! we hope that you will get that much deserved reward soon! we will be here supporting you all the way!!!
I remember a saying that goes like this "those who are faithful in little will be faithful in much..."
so sa mga taong humble na tulad mo...who don't mind being an extra and always manages to show their best..is deserving to be given more!
This is your time to shine TJ. With the positive review of Kulam, I am sure na mano-notice na nila na TJ is not just a pretty face. ABS should by now know how loyal TJ is to their station. We all hope that this loyalty will not be taken for granted. Alam ninyo kung ano ang gustong ibigay sa kabila...but nandiyan pa rin si TJ...yun ang tinatawag na loyalty. Sana alam ng ABS ang salitang loyalty.
Just keep on doing what you do best TJ. yun eh doing justice to each and every role given to you. Thanks to Juday and company, dahil sa Kulam eh napansin ang acting ni TJ. go TJ....we love you.
wow good thing na napansin si tj dito. aba appropriate naman pala ang role nya - kaya sya obsessed lover kasi mejo mentally deranged sya. eh kasi kung matino pag iisip nya eh di sya ma oobsessed sa isang girl di ba? dahl sa gwapo nyang yan..ung girl ang ma oobsessed sa kanya - nakakabaliw ang kagwapuhan ni papa tj! lol!!
i saw the movie already.. pasado na.. it was good in a creepy way..
juday was really good.. cya talaga ang favorite ko among her contemporaries.. very effective cya especially her role as maria..
and tj was really really good!! i got what i want.. to see him as an obssessed lover.. though im not satisfied .. not in his performance but the .. ay.. naku.. panoorin nyo na lang!! hahahahaha!!
but the movie is good.. ok na for a tagalog movie..it was a hair raising flick..
vera - buti ka pa napanood mo na....hihintayin pa namin ang dvd dito. at sigurado tangahaling tapat ko panonoorin. medyo matatakutin ako eh...lalo na pag suspense thriller.
hello po tl! 3 days lang akong na MIA but then ang dami ko ng dapat ibackpage dito at sa thmb.. hope everybody is ok.. nice sunday evening to all.. good morning naman dito sa pinas!!
well, ako kasi im so meticulous pag dating sa movies lalo na pag horror at tagalog.. ive seen a lot of horror movies na rin kaya di na mejo nakakatakot sa akin ang kulam.. pero ok na rin.. their performances were good.. lalo na si tj and judy ann..
naku po tl-- beware po.. madaming gulat factor ang pelikula! hahhahaha!! mejo di na bago ang momo dito.. if youve seen the ring.. you will recognize sadako look alike..
if im going to don my critic hat.. madaming loopholes din, some are visuals nga.. pero you can brush it aside.. but i think the production must have done something about it..
ay naku.. madaldal na ko.. enjoy the movie na lang..
vera - talagang i never watch nga scary movie. here's a kuwento na nangyari...i have teenagers one weekend sa bahay. so i prepared hotdogs, chips, dips and all the junkfood you can think of. we were going to do a video watching marathon. so sabi nila, mom, lets watch the ring. so ako naman, i got into my pajamas, so when i went to the den, the movie just started. so i was just watching, eh maya maya iba na ang istorya. sabi ko bakit parang nakakatakot naman ang LORD OF THE RINGS. ang mga damuho, nagtawanan. Hay naku, THE RING pala iyong pinapanood namin. i did sit down through the whole movie, pero mas madami ang takip ko sa mata ko ng kumot....di ko talaga makaya ang mga thriller na yan. PERO FOR TJ, PIPILITIN KONG MAGING MATAPANG....manonood ako ng KULAM.
Good job TJ. congrats to you, and the Kulam stars and crew.
TL - ako din, hindi nanonood ng mga scary movie. wag-du kasi ako eh. Pero para kay TJ, oorderin ko yang video once it is out. dapat siguro when I watch this movie, i'll sandwich it sa dalawang super comedy movie para ma-neutralize ang fear factor.
hi g2 - how are things on your end of the world.....dito, you can tell fall is just around the corner...malamig lamig na and the leaves are turning golden brown. dami na namang raking na gagawin. it must be getting cold in chicago na ano?
hahaha!! yung ibang comment nga na nabasa ko.. feeling nila sinundan sila ni maria after the movie.. hahahaha! nakakagulat nga lang talaga pero ako naman tawa ako ng tawa sa mga katabi ko e.. gulat na gulat! hahaha!
sana mapanood na din namin dito ang kulam,excited na kahit maliit lang ang role ni tj, he made a mark. it's about time someone started to notice his acting ability, hope, he'll get more movies in the future,coz aside from his handsome looks, he can surely act...i love scary movies, kaya nandoon pa si tj ,magiging love story movie ang paningin ko sa kulam...you're too cool, keep it up, tj....
Regal Films¡¯ ¡°Mag-ingat Ka sa Kulam¡± starring Judy Ann Santos and Dennis Trillo is now a certified box-office hit as it raked P40 million on its first week run.
The approximate figure came from Noel Ferrer, the Public Relations Officer of Regal Films. The producer, Mother Lily Monteverde, is holding a thanksgiving lunch party on October 8, Wednesday at the Imperial Palace Suites to celebrate the success of their horror flick.
Kulam is not only a hit among movie-goers, it¡¯s also highly acclaimed by the critics. It¡¯s the fifth movie this year to receive the highest grade of ¡°A¡± from Cinema Evaluation Board after Caregiver, Urduja, A Very Special Love and Ploning.
Also starring in the Jun Lana movie are Sharlene San Pedro, Ces Quesada, Irma Adlawan and TJ Trinidad.
SINIPAG na uli si Jun Lana na magsulat na kanyang Internet blog at may kinalaman siguro rito ang magandang resulta sa takilya ng Mag-Ingat Ka Sa... Kulam.
Sa kuwento ni Jun, pitong taon na ang script ng Kulam na isinulat niya dahil sa request ng direktor na si Mel Chionglo.
Nagplano si Mel na gumawa ng isang horror movie na pagbibidahan ni Maricel Soriano. Ito ang kuwento ni Jun tungkol sa horror movie na may original title na Mariang Hatinggabi:
“Gusto niya (Mel) na gumawa ng horror movie at si Maricel Soriano daw ang bida. Kaya kahit horror, dapat daw acting piece.
“Naisip kong gawin siyang kambal. ‘Yung isa, baliw. Kung di pa naman acting piece ‘yun, ewan ko na lang.
“Kaso, walang nangyari sa project. Nu’ng maging direktor ako, at hinihingan ako ni Mother Lily ng concept, isa ito sa ipinadala ko sa kanya.
“Grateful ako na kahit nagsisimula pa lang akong magdirek, hindi nagdalawang-isip si Judy Ann Santos na tanggapin ang pelikula. Malay ba niya kung ano ang kakayahan ko?
“In fairness, napakagaling niyang artista. At alam kong sandamakmak ang fans niya. Eh dalawang beses papatayin si Juday sa pelikula. Baka awayin ako ng fans!
“Nangyari na ‘yan sa kaibigan kong writer nu’ng awayin siya ng fans ng Marimar dahil hindi natuwa sa itinakbo ng kwento. Kaya naman tinutukan ko ang project.
“Nung panahong ito, may offer sa akin ang GMA na magdirek ng soap. Malaking opportunity sana ‘yun pero tinanggihan ko.
“Wrong move. Dahil halos isa’t kalahating taon ko palang pagdudusahan ang Kulam. Sa dami ng aberya, pakiramdam ko, ako ang kinukulam.
“Minsan, dumating ako sa set, walang production designer dahil nakatampuhan daw ni Mother, kaya walang kalaman-lamang props ‘yung opisina.
“Para lang matuloy ang shooting, umuwi ako sa bahay at hinakot ko lahat ng gamit ko para ‘yun ang gamiting props. ‘Yung climax na originally dalawang araw ko dapat kukunan, nauwi sa kalahating araw dahil nagkabuhul-buhol na ang schedule ng mga artista.
“Sa dami ng problema, kahit kami ng co-writer kong si Elmer Gatchalian, naging superstitious na. Sinisisi namin ‘yung title ng pelikula sa dami ng kamalasang sinapit ng project.
“Actually, nahawa lang kami kay Mother. Sobra siyang worried na baka may bad vibes ang title. Weeks bago ipalabas ang pelikula, ilang beses niya akong tinawagan, nagtatanong ng iba pang title.
“Eh nu’ng time na ‘to, yamot na yamot na talaga ako sa pelikula. Sabi ko kay Mother, para talagang safe, ‘wag na lang kaming mag-title. Hahaha.
“Nabwisit ata sa akin si Mother, hindi na ako tinawagan. Tapos, nalaman ko na lang, ang bagong title na pala ng Kulam ay Mag-ingat Ka Sa… Kulam. Huwaw.
“Dumating ako sa point na gusto kong sabihin kay Mother na ‘wag nang i-release ang pelikula at gawing straight-to-video na lang.
“Ang rason: isang beses habang nag-e-edit kami, napansin ko, may mga nawawalang eksena sa pelikula. Nalaman-laman ko, may naburang 45 minutes worth of footage.
“45 minutes! Katumbas niyan, halos dalawang araw ng shooting. Ang daming nawawalang shots.
“Halos panay master shots ang natira. At ‘yung iba, buong eksena ang nabura. Kasama ‘yung dalawang crucial scenes sa ospital na hindi na kami pinayagang i-reshoot sa original location dahil sobrang mahal.
“Ending, sa lumang bahay kami ni Mother nag-reshoot. Buti na lang mukhang ospital ang bahay ni Mother.
“Yung ibang missing shots, di ko na rin nakunan, dahil nagbago na ang hitsura ng mga artista. In fact, kalagitnaan ng shoot ng Kulam, sinimulan ni Juday ang Ploning. “Natapos, naipalabas, at napiling Philippine entry sa Oscars ang Ploning, hindi pa rin tapos ang Kulam.
“Sa totoo lang, sa panahong ito, hindi praktikal para sa isang direktor ang gumawa ng pelikula. Mapa-indie o mainstream, hindi ka kikita. Lalo na siguro kung isa’t kalahating taon mong ginagawa ang pelikula. Sasama lang ang loob mo.
“Pero sa tinagal-tagal ko sa industriya, kahit gaano pa kalaki ang kinikita ko sa telebisyon, para sa akin, iba pa rin ang paggawa ng pelikula.
“Ke nagsusulat ako o nagdidirek, ke mag-flop o lait-laitin ang mga gawa ko, pelikula talaga ang buhay ko.
“Graded ‘A’ ng Cinema Evaluation Board ang Kulam. At may victory party sa Regal dahil kumita siya. Pero sa totoo lang, mas ipinagpapasalamat ko na natapos din siya. Finally. Pwede na uli akong humugot sa baul ko ng ibang script na pagkakaabalahan.”
TW LW Movie Weekend Gross Change Screens Change / Avg. Gross-to-Date Week Production
Country
1 N Mag-ingat Ka Sa... Kulam $917,512 - 68 - $13,493 $917,512 1 Unknown
2 1 Eagle Eye $159,562 -32.5% 34 - $4,693 $575,688 2 Germany, USA
3 N Mirrors $122,790 - 36 - $3,411 $122,790 1 Roman, USA
4 2 Bangkok Dangerous (2008) $100,181 -2.1% 35 -11 $2,862 $457,840 3 USA
5 8 Hellboy II: The Golden Army $65,052 +39.0% 25 -2 $2,602 $450,959 4 Germany, USA
6 N The Mutant Chronicles $58,617 - 19 - $3,085 $58,617 1 Unknown
7 N Make It Happen $53,288 - 20 - $2,664 $53,288 1 USA
8 4 Disaster Movie $34,104 -46.0% 20 - $1,705 $114,462 2 USA
9 3 I.T.A.L.Y. (I Trust and Love You) $30,704 -59.4% 22 -13 $1,396 $429,214 3 Unknown
10 N Saam gwok dzi gin lung se gap (Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon) $23,590 - 12 - $1,966 $23,590 1 China, HK, S Kor
11 6 Babylon A.D. $21,205 -57.0% 20 -16 $1,060 $570,315 5 France, USA
12 7 My Best Friend's Girl $12,642 -74.1% 9 -11 $1,405 $72,365 2 USA
13 5 For the First Time (2008) $12,000 -78.0% 20 -20 $600 $2,850,133 6 Unknown
14 9 The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 $10,896 -75.7% 7 -8 $1,557 $64,681 2 Unknown
15 - Death Race $2,102 -87.1% 5 -25 $420 $626,187 7 USA
16 - The Dark Knight $1,074 -32.9% 1 - $1,074 $3,260,933 12 USA
17 - The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor $299 -78.9% 1 -3 $299 $2,622,772 10 Canada, Germany, USA
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