Rock of a Lifetime: Rock of Ages

"Take me down to the paradise city, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty, 
TAKE ME HOME, yeah"

After watching Rock of Ages last year, July, 2012, I vowed that I'm going to watch it again.  On our way to dinner, with a "suntok sa buwan" hope that by 2013, ROA will be rockin' Carlos P. Romulo Theatre again-- a year after, it did!

This year's Rock of Ages still supersedes my last year's expectation.  I was able to really feel how hard it is to be in a play.  The cast just pulled it off like it's a part of a daily routine.  Perfect, I should say! Being in 3rd row has a great difference than sitting back at top, watching them from afar.  They interact with audiences and the last song just really made me want to purchase another ticket for the last day's show-- but I didn't.  I just shouted "Encore". Couldn't help it. V^^V


"I can't fight this feeling any longer.  And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow.  What started out as friendship, Has grown stronger.  I only wish I had the strength to let it show."
                                       

I started admiring Jett Pangan when he took the role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I was amazed on how easily he turned himself into the characters of those guys one after the other.  He was a musician not an actor, but it was an amazing transformation.  One big reason I enjoyed this show was because of Jett's performance as Lonny. He is one hilarious guy/narrator. OMG.  His tandem with Mr. Jaime Wilson as Dennis Dupree while singing "I can't fight this feeling anymore".  First time watching, I cursed like "@*)!#*)(*!, shit!" while during the second time, I was whispering to my sister (who was a first timer) "Don't turn your attention to anybody else, watch Jett, watch Jett!" Then when they started singing, I lost control and laughed so hard I was afraid I'd be my seatmate's annoying-laughing-lady-seated-next-to-me.  They're both oh so gay!


"Say you don't know me or recognize my face  Say you don't care who goes to that kind of place 
Knee deep in the hoopla sinking in your fight  Too many runaways eating up the night"

Aiza Seguerra was just one good artist.  She pulled it off with her one-piece scenes.  People were really amazed and shouting "whooohooo" whenever she wears her sexy piece.  Apart from the sexy piece, the voice box was just oh-so-to-die-for.  She loves singing acoustics and it really gave me goosebumps when she hit the high notes during "We Built This City".  What is notable with Aiza's performance was that she was able to leave out her own personality and immensely dived into Regina's (pronounced as: re-jai-na) groove.  


"I'm gonna harden my heart I'm gonna swallow my tears I'm gonna harden my heart I'm gonna swallow my tears I'm gonna turn and leave you here..."

Miss Rachel Alejandro's hair is so prim and proper I kept thinking it's almost not like a wig.  Her dress is oh-so-sexy! Love the pink-black lace combi. mwahugs!

"In my life there's been heartache and pain I don't know if I can face it again Can't stop now, I've traveled so far To change this lonely life"

                                   

One thing remarkable with Miss Vina Morales apart from her amazing voice is her toned abs and the sexy tattoo she has when she took off her dress to portray a stripper.  It wasn't easy to wear such two-piece with live audience just too near the stage-- or maybe she's used to it.  I super love the scene between her and Drew (Nyoy Volante) when they dated with the car ride and flashy car lights singing "Waiting for a Girl Like You". 

"Maybe I'm wrong, won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong This heart of mine has been hurt before, this time I wanna be sure, I've been waiting for a girl like you to come into my life I've been waiting for a girl like you, and a love that will survive"

Nyoy Volante as Drew surprised me again with his high-hit notes plus the denim jacket he wore in the play, he looked "aspiring".  In a way, you won't see the rocker in him until you hear him sing, agree? He caught me at: "My manager made me wear this!" I died laughing.  

"The bitch is hungry  She needs to tell  So give her inches  And feed her well "

Mig Ayesa, with his hair and all, I mistook him before as part of the Guns & Roses, though I had a second thought coz I just paid 700php (during the 2012 show) for my balcony seat, it doesn't make sense they're getting someone foreign.  Now I was up close, I can't believe how perfect his abs were, I mean I was wondering while he was performing if those were prosthetic and make-up! Sorry! v^^v I mean well, he looks awesome.  His performance? SUPER AWESOME. Rock on~

The rest of the cast especially Mr. Dupree and effeminate Franz, two thumbs up!!!

Facepalm moment: It was when Drew & Sherrie were just starting to like each other and both were singing "More than words", then came the disco-wardrobed choir consisting of the rest of the cast who sang "Heaven isn't too far away". Way too hilarious, direk pwede take 2? 

"I don't need to be the king of the world As long as I'm the hero of this little girl Heaven isn't too far away.  Closer to it every day No matter what your friends might say... More than words, is all you have to do to make it real, then you wouldn't have to say that you love me, coz I'd already know"

Last but not the least, the end of first act.  It was amusing. The palm shake.  It's a funny end to Act 1.  Jett really cracks me up.

"An' here I go again on my own Goin' down the only road I've ever known, Like a drifter I was born to walk alone An' I've made up my mind  I ain't wasting no more time "

Can't believe I've just watched this twice... but Don't Stop Believin'!!! Next year-- keepin' 4 sets of fingers/toes crossed! I'm counting on you, Atlantis Productions!

The final scene was just entertaining as they sang their closing song.  Front audience started clapping and some of us rose from our seats, and the whole cast signaled for everyone to dance with them, I can feel the "concert rush" under my skin, that's why I can't help but shout Encore in the end.

"Strangers, waiting, up and down the boulevard, Their shadows searching in the night

Streetlights people, living just to find emotion, Hiding, somewhere in the night..."

After show bonus!

'til my next Jett Pangan adventure!!!

P.S. I do not have claims to these pictures except for the "After Show Bonus" and the "4 show tickets". Credits to Atlantis Productions for the pics and from blog owners.  

Rooftop: Where there's heaven above, and a rooftop below

                  

 Disclaimer: I don't encourage fans to watch pirated copy of this movie.  I would like to apologize for downloading it as I cannot contain myself as the torrent is already flashing in front of my screen.  This movie won't be shown in our country so just to be able to keep up with the discussion of the movie, I watched a downloaded unclear copy.  As proof of my unintentional use of piracy, I will not share the downloaded copy and will post my original DVD of this movie when it releases.

The Poster

 Almost six years after "Secret", Jay's second directorial movie came out last July 11, 2013.  I was hoping to catch it in Macau but unfortunately, the movie won't be showing until August 1, 2013.  Instead, I searched every small street just to find a record store to buy the OST. It's hard to find a record store in Macau, all you can see are casino establishments everywhere!  I haven't listened to the OST 'coz Jay wanted us fans to watch the movie first before listening to the OST. So that's what I did. :)  

The movie is obviously marked with the "Jay Chou Style" in it.  The story line is quite simple, your ordinary chick flick movie plus the well-choreographed "concert" style musical which has a real touch of Jay's choreographer and his music.  There are also some out of the blue added scene like the "Swan Lake" song which had me thinking that he wanted to insert that scene just because.  Another trademark of his is that paparazzi scene which rooted from his hate with the reporters.  The dialogue between his back-up buddies (Alan Ke, Huang Jun Lang and Devon) are quite the normal conversational lines Jay uses with his buddies everyday, which has a touch of his own quirkiness and slapstick punchlines.  The leading lady Jay chose is just perfect for the role as she looks like an ordinary girl without any pretenses while getting into the mainstream and acting beside a Heavenly King-- Jay.  If some other well-known artist was paired with Jay,  it might not come out as natural as this one.








                   
                    The rooftop.  This place looks familiar to me. Remember Kungfu Hustle?  It looks so the same yet different.  The difference is that there's no "Grouchy Landlady" who turns off the faucet when rent is not paid.  Instead of fighting and brawling, the rooftop portrays a peaceful ambiance and folks who love music rather than kung-fu.  But I know Jay would've inspired himself with a touch of Stephen Chow movie resemblance.  Just a thought while watching this movie, it's because we were born of the same year and probably watched the same bunch of movies during our teens-- HK Movies. These movies had a great impact on Chinese entertainment industry during the 90s and are already called "classic" nowadays.  With the age group growing up, having their own careers, the influence from it will never be gone.  I believe some bits and pieces of those HK movies are present in this movie as well.  
  

            The car chase was another nail biter. I was almost at the edge of my seat, he was able to shoot something similar with Kato's Black Beauty but with a touch of another HK movie that I've watched before due to the 2nd to the last scene where he asked Xin Ai to get off the car.  It was so much like "War of the Underworld" (洪興仔之江湖大風暴) starring Carman Lee & Tony Leung but with a different ending that got me soooo teary-eyed that I forgot I was watching in our pantry.                     




There was a scene that I felt awkward after watching, I thought Lang Zi Gao (Jay Chou) could've thought of a better line before starting to sing and swing his arms hitting the people inside the bath house.  The punchlines were really crazy 'coz it was blurted out naturally, but there are some scenes I cannot connect with each other and some which lacks character development like the villains.  Maybe because the Director himself said that he cut some of them just to be able to fit and not drag the movie.  

Lastly, as one of my fave musical is Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge, it came into my mind when I saw this poster, minus the violence and the "red light district" feel of the set.

All in all, I commend this movie to those who just want to watch a typical love story which doesn't have much twists in it.  It's not as complicated as Romeo & Juliet, as dark as Moulin Rouge, nor as drastic as Les Miserables.  There's a touch of Jay Chou Style in it, as I've said earlier, and if you're used to watching his MVs, you'll know what I mean.  

I enjoyed the movie but will surely enjoy it when I watch it again in clear copy.  

P.S. The walking in the rain part with the song "You're there everywhere I go" (哪里都是你) is really good ^^