For the first time in a long time, I was the first one to arrive at a meet up point. And because I have an intimate understanding of what it is like to be late these days, I figured that I’d kill the time with a movie. What better way to spend the day away in Glorietta, right? After a quick scroll through ClickTheCity’s movie page, I decided to see Miko Livelo’s Blue Bustamante.

So here’s the round up (Please note that there may be spoilers. Read at your own risk.):

THE GOOD:

1. The Epic Bigote’s. Of course, this being a film that stars Jun Sabayton (of TV5’s Word of the Lourd fame), one expects to see some awesome mustaches. I just didn’t realize that Joem Bascon (playing the lead George Bustamante) had it in him to ride that particular fancy. He was so committed to rocking that fierce mustache!

2. The Epic Humor. This was a movie that was obviously written by a nerd, written especially for nerds. I don’t think there’s a bad gag in this film – from classy to crude, I felt that the timing and the delivery were spot on. It had me laughing waaaay to loudly considering that I was a solo movie goer. This is one of the very (very, very, very) few indie movies that’s humorous (think Cinemalaya’s Andeng). That, I think, is reason enough to see it.

3. The nod to the 90’s. From sentai’s to old school family computers- you won’t be able to help yourself from being the tiniest bit nostalgic. The time period wasn’t established (or maybe it was, I dunno; I missed the first few minutes) but going by the fact that there were no smart phones or email, the setting was what we oldies like to call “back in the day”.

THE BAD:

1. The repetitiveness. I’m not sure of there was a script or if they allowed the actors to have a go at it on the spot, but there were times when I felt like rolling my eyes at Joem Bascon because he kept on yakking about the same things over and over again (me: alright, I get it; you said this five scenes ago). I’m sure they were just “reiterating a point” but perhaps there was some other way to get it across. A less annoying way, perhaps?

2. I felt that the ending was rushed. George Bustamante was against his new job ever since he first put on the suit. Surely he couldn’t have gotten over it that quickly? Also I wanted to see some sort of confirmation that George’s relationship with Kiko (his son, played by Jhiz Deocareza) would turn out okay. It was never established that they had a good relationship in the first place and given the fact that it was one of the main reasons that he (George) was struggling, I wanted to see some sort of payoff. And whatever happened to that bully? I was half-expecting to see him beaten up to a pulp or at least have those Yan-Yans shoved up his nose.

3. There may have been too many plot arcs. Sure, they made the film funnier (i.e. the Saito and the Ayumi plot lines) but if one is trimming the proverbial fat, these arcs could’ve been foregone for the leaner scenes that would’ve made the emotional ending more cohesive and have more of an impact.

THE UGLY:
None.

I liked Blue Bustamante a lot because it’s a funny movie that also happens to include robots and masks and cheesy fight scenes. It differs from your normal run-of-the-mill indie movie in the way that the treatment is light and (dare I say it) fluffy. Sure, there are still the staples of every Pinoy indie film – the struggle against poverty, strained family relationships, etc, etc – but instead of fixating on these things, they served more as highlighters and plot movers. You know that George and his family are poor; that’s the reason why he went to Japan in the first place. But the film doesn’t allow him to wallow and whine about his situation; instead it documents his adventures as he struggles to make the best out of what he’s been dealt with. You know, just like every Pinoy out there does it.

Verdict: 9.7/10. Must watch. I hope they sell dvd copies, I want one.

P.S.
I ended up making my friends wait for me because I stayed behind for the Q&A. Yes, somehow I stumbled into a premier showing where the CinemaOne organizers had the cast and crew stand up front to talk about the movie. Then I got more than I paid for when Gerard Go (the dude who played Saito, quick do a Google search!) walked over and shook my hand. Apparently he wasn’t Japanese. *fangirl squeal*