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Prior to
his return to the Philippines in April after cutting
short a trip to the US to undergo medical treatment, the
actor and his wife, Lorna Tolentino, had made several
trips abroad in the hope of finding the best treatment
available for the cancer, which, according to the web
site of the National Cancer Institute, “forms near the
ampulla of Vater [an enlargement of the ducts from the
liver and pancreas where they join and enter the small
intestine].” A few weeks ago, the actor requested that
he be discharged from the hospital and brought home.
According to reports, at his bedside at the time of his
passing were Lorna and their children, along with the
family’s closest friends in and outside of show
business.
Our
condolences to the loved ones left behind by this
beloved figure of the Philippine entertainment
industry.
****
IT’S
been four years since the girls of groundbreaking TV
series Sex and The City (SATC) waved their
perfectly manicured hands good-bye to fans. Not a few
despaired over not getting anymore their regular fix of
this generation’s cosmopolitan-swilling Fab Four whose
addiction to designer shoes, knockout clothes, sexual
hijinks, romantic travails and, more important, enduring
friendship a global audience religiously followed.
Of
course, if none of the elements above is your cup of
tea, then Sex and the City: The Movie isn’t for
you.
Four
years on, the SATC girls are still in vogue and totally
fabulous.
The film
is set four years after the show ended. While it feels
like a prolonged (and—shockers!—simplified) episode of
the series, who cares? Sex and the City’s magic
was never visual or structural storytelling. It was
largely emotional since the show captured romantic
dilemmas and image problems that practically everyone
can relate to.
The
movie definitely has its moments. The series ended with
Mr. Big (Chris Noth) declaring his undying love to
Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) in Paris, and the
movie opens with the two finding themselves in a
whirlwind of wedding plans after the big question is
popped—but in a fashion that isn’t the stuff of great
love stories. Moreover, he wants to buy them a
penthouse, but Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), ever the
pragmatic—even cynical—lawyer, instructs Carrie not to
sell her current apartment without some kind of equity
in the new one.
What was
initially planned as a simple, quiet ceremony is
quickly—albeit fabulously—transformed into a major
social event with the editor of Vogue insisting on doing
a story on it, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) jumping in on
all the wedding-preparation action, and Samantha (Kim
Cattrall) freaking out and hopping on the next plane to
New York from Los Angeles without the slightest thought
to carbon emissions.
Actually, all this happens in the film’s first hour
only—and the next hour-plus is highlighted with even
more wit and fabulousness by our City girls. Kim still
portrays Samantha as the nympho who remains in command
and is as sharp and funny as ever. SJP is still our
favorite romantic-comedy princess trapped in the
unromantic-but-full-of-comedy vicinity of Manhattan.
Cynthia Nixon as Miranda is still the bearer of ugly
truths but somehow strikes a fine balance and doesn’t
come away looking as if she’s drowned in bitterness.
Actually, if anyone got drowned in the movie, for me it
would be Candice Bergen, Jennifer Hudson and Kristin
Davis. But, hey, they all look fabulous notwithstanding!
The
movie is light and relaxing. Don’t expect anything
groundbreaking from the movie. See it with your
girlfriends, like I did during the premiere sponsored by
Coke Light, and thank God we drank cups and cups of it
before and after the event because it invigorated us
that evening after a crappy day at the office.
Seen at
the event were Katrina Holigores of Metro, Patrice Ramos
Diaz, Jing Monis, Victor Basa, Enchong Dee, Cass Ponti,
Rikka Dy-Lim and many more.
The
cinema lobby of
Greenbelt 3 was turned into modern-day, New York-style cocktail party.
With the film about to start, smartly outfitted
usherettes escorted us into the cinema. The lights
dimmed, and then suddenly the upbeat tempo of Sex and
the City’s title-credits theme boomed from the
speakers.
To the
surprise of the guests, a host of performers rushed onto
the stage and began reenacting the pulse of
New York
activity from dawn ‘til dusk. Various colorful backdrops
and props were rolled out and a theater show was on. The
signature styles of Sex and the City’s Fab Four
were then brought to life with quasi-fashion show
featuring the clothes of Patrice Ramos-Diaz.
The
program culminated with one of the models, playing
Carrie, taking a sip from a Coke Light in her hand and
floating elegantly in apparent delight. Thereafter, the
newest Coke Light TVC featuring Sarah Jessica Parker was
shown.
Anyway,
to conclude this column, I’m posing a question that may
end up in one of Carrie’s columns: “Can Sex and the
City pull off a big-screen version four years after
it ended?” (OK, hers would’ve been more wittily put.)
As one
of my girlfriends who saw the movie with us said, “Of
course, yes!” |
