Kimmy Dora, Sequels and Movie Viewing Ethics 101

(Rappler.com published a 'sanitized' version- click here)

By now every regular moviegoer must have memorized the ‘Jose and Wally’ anti-piracy skit being shown before every movie in almost every theatre.

That campaign would have been more effective had PNOY, the head of the daang matuwid campaign, removed his kabarilan, kaklase and kaibigan Ronald Llamas the day he was reported shopping for pirated DVD at a mall in QC.

But those who are with the ‘tuwid na daan’ are infallible and that remains to be the case so long as you attend the shooting range sessions every weekend and you curse the previous administration for everything and anything that is happening in the country.  

Now back to regular programming.

There is a constant reminder before a movie is shown to ‘switch off all mobile devices and turn it into silent mode’, I hope that in the future it also includes the phrase ‘please shut your mouth and refrain from discussing the movie, the actors and what would happen next if you happen to have watched it already or read the book where it was adapted.’

Movie Viewing Ethics 101 should also include a clause that would specifically state: ’If you happen to bring a kid that you can’t control and the kid screams at a certain decibel affecting the moviegoers you would be evicted from the theatre and is not eligible for a ticket refund’.

That same clause should be integrated in the guidelines for Basic Parenting 101.

Now to Kimmy Dora and The Temple of Kiyeme

There are many reasons why the second installment of Kimmy Dora is much anticipated. The most compelling of them is its predecessor which created waves of laughter and attention and made a lot of money when it was shown catapulting Eugene Domingo into full-blown stardom.

But the sequel received lukewarm reaction both from reviewers and ordinary moviegoers. To be completely generous, crisp laughter and applause were like rain showers in Kimmy Dora 2 compared to the thunderous claps and mirth enjoyed by the first Kimmy Dora like storm.

There is no need to critique the film, a movie like Kimmy Dora does NOT require an eloquent plot, in fact this is where I think it went kaput.

By introducing a slightly complicated plot- it lost its charm. Instead of riding into waves of well-constructed situations where Uge can completely wow us with her magic, the latest installment chose to give us a back-story, some flashes of foreign sceneries and a dust of scare factor here and there.

180 pesos (the price of movie tickets today) is hard-earned money regardless of which lifestyle yardstick you use, this reality is multiplied several times whenever you tag along a member of the family going to the cinema- cost of popcorn and transportation not included.

The fact that people weathered the storm last weekend to catch Kimmy Dora is an indication that they want to be entertained.

It’s not a surprise that it has some big shoes to fill in and a bigger expectation to slay.  Props to Uge and the makers of the film for even daring to face this challenge.

My verdict? First 15 minutes of the film was hilarious! The middle can be skipped and the end credits where it showed the bloopers should have made the final edit!

I hope the producers and creators of Kimmy Dora would take serious caution in extending the series more than it should and squeeze it with every single peso it can churn out- the same fate that happened to the ‘Tanging Ina’ franchise which was brilliant when it first came out only to be completely undistinguished after the plot has been dehydrated and bastardized all in the name of profitability and MMFF.

Restraint is a hard lesson to learn. More so, if you are talking about millions of pesos, for the producers and millions of ideas, for the creators and director.

Meanwhile, despite and in spite of constant reminders to switch off the mobile phones or turn it into silent mode there would always be at least one among the audience whose phone would ring at the middle of the movie.

These kinds of species should forever be prohibited from going to the cinema. Unless of course, they are part of the yellow army and is PNOY’s kabarilan, kamaganak, kaibigan, kaklase at ka-wavelength!