I sense an upsurge in May-December affair in local movies lately. This may have been roused by Glorious, a made-for-the-web movie streamed November last year on ABS-CBN’s digital platform iWant (it will now be available on free TV starting this month) about a 52-year-old woman and a young man 30 years her junior.
The film had made a buzz especially among the gay community that lauded Tony Labrusca for his audacious performance especially in the nearly explicit sex scenes with older actress Angel Aquino.
Just last week, Viva announced the release of the movie Just a Stranger, Jason Paul Laxamana’s take on a May-December affair with Anne Curtis playing the older woman, Mae Pimentel, and the new sweetheart of the showbiz gay community, Marco Gumabao, playing the young man.
The film according to its drumbeaters also features nearly graphic sex scenes between the two.
Now, another May-December affair will explode onscreen on Aug. 14. This the French-titled debut film of a lawyer-turned-producer-turned-director Joji Alonso.
The film, I heard, earned rave notices after it was screened as a competition entry at the 2019 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.
Now, Belle Douleur or Beautiful Pain is being touted to be the sexiest May-December love affair of the year.
And why? Well, it stars a competent actress, Mylene Dizon, and possibly today’s hottest young actor Kit Thompson, whom fans saw in the iWant movie Momol Nights and in the ABS-CBN series that recently ended Sino Ang Maysala. In the iWant version of that series, Thompson showed his uncovered butt in a lovemaking scene with Ivana Alawi.
Alonso has produced a string of movies for her own production company, Quantum Films.
Mylene plays Elizabeth, a self-made woman in her late 40s bent on living on her own for the rest of her days, despite societal pressures to settle down with someone.
After her mother passes away, she is convinced by her friends to do something “stupid, reckless, and irresponsible.” She then meets Josh (Kit), an antique collector 20 years her junior, who convinces her that love knows no age and that there are no limits to life’s beginnings.
They embark on a May-December affair that is very promising until Liz realizes that Josh has dreams she cannot be part of.
Can Belle Douleur upset the box-office potentials of Just a Stranger? Will know as they are being released in theaters just a week apart from each other. Then, we will know whom the butt-obsessed gay writers love more…is it Kit or is it Marco. As I always hear on TV, your guess is as good as mine.
Puyat, Moreno work together for Manila’s tourism circuit
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat joined Manila Mayor Isko Moreno last Tuesday for an ocular inspection of major areas of the city’s “tourism circuit.”
This developed as the Department of Tourism (DOT) chief embraced the City chief executive’s initiative to help revive Manila’s historical and cultural sites to bring back its old glory.
“We are grateful for Mayor Isko’s initiative to help the Duterte administration’s commitment to sustainable development. As far as DOT is concerned, that means preserving our heritage tourism sites, protecting and nurturing them for posterity,” says Sec. Puyat.
She assured full support for the redevelopment of the tourism industry in the capital city from the DOT National Capital Region and DOT’s attached agencies, namely: Intramuros Administration (IA), Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), and the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC).
She added that for the remaining three years of the President’s term, IA shall focus on the following: 1) Addressing the problem of informal settlers through the socialized housing program with Socialized Housing and Finance Corporation (SHFC); 2) Development of the Maestranza Creative Hub that will see a convergence of the creative economy, tourism and heritage that will principally benefit the City.
The NPDC on the other hand, along with TIEZA, shall be leading the redevelopment of Rizal Park, particularly the Esplanade and the Children’s Playground to attract people anew to visit Rizal Park.
“We see the City Government of Manila as an active partner and advocate in the promotion of sustainable tourism in the country. Sustainable Tourism isn’t limited to our beaches, but also in the urban area as well,” says Sec. Puyat.
“Being the capital city, we believe that Manila can be a template for sustainable tourism development in an urban setting. This can be done through Mayor Isko’s efforts of reclaiming public spaces, parks, resolving traffic, deployment of police, and provision of basic services. Going back to the basics to encourage visitors not to skip Manila in their itinerary,” the DOT Chief goes on to say.