John Lloyd’s turn in ‘Honor Thy Father’ one of 2015’s best

Moviegoers should add on their must-watch list the performance of John Lloyd Cruz as the troubled family man in the Erik Matti film “Honor Thy Father,” the opening film of Cinema One Originals Festival 2015 which is now on its 11th year.

Lloydie plays Edgar, a man on the edge of his rope forced to save his family by going back to the past he has left behind. Direk Erik Matti said it right – it is a very different John Lloyd that you will see in the movie. He is not the John Lloyd we know as the matinee idol or the rom-com leading man. The character of Edgar is something offbeat and unorthodox for Lloydie who we love for being sweet. As Edgar, he is kind of brash, totally the opposite to the usual roles that he does.

But John Lloyd is such a brilliant actor that you can’t help but be drawn to his performance. He is certainly one of the best, if not the best, actor of his generation.

We certainly rank John Lloyd’s work in “Honor Thy Father” as one of the year’s best, together with that of John Arcilla in “Heneral Luna” and Dennis Trillo in “Felix Manalo.”

Providing ample support is underrated actress Meryll Soriano who gives an outstanding performance as Edgar’s wife and Tirso Cruz III as the religious leader whom the couple look up to with so much respect.

“Honor Thy Father” had a successful premiere held Sunday at Trinoma Cinema 7. The event was graced by other cast members like Ms. Perla Bautista, Dan Fernandez and Kahlil Ramos (who portrayed the brothers of John Lloyd), among others. Also present at the star-studded premiere was TV host Ms. Korina Sanchez-Roxas, Cinema One Channel Head Ronald Arguelles and other filmmakers who have entries in the ongoing Cinema One Originals Festival.

Nine original movies are in competition. Also to be shown on Saturday, November 14, is the digitally restored version of Ishmael Bernal’s “Ikaw Ay Akin,” starring Nora Aunor, Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon. The awards night will be held on Sunday at Dolphy Theatre in ABS-CBN.

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The 2015 death of Liezl Martinez, the daughter of Amalia Fuentes, caused so much pain to the children of Liezl and Albert Martinez and brought strain between the children and their Lola Amalia. But when Amalia got sick while vacationing abroad, her grandchildren expressed support for her. They issued a statement regarding their grandma’s state of health. We were given a copy of the said statement by talent manager Shirley Kuan, who manages Albert.

The official statement goes: “It is with deep sadness that we, the grandchildren of Amalia Fuentes, are confirming that she had suffered an ischemic stroke on October 9, while on vacation in South Korea. She was discovered by her friend in her hotel room and was immediately rushed to a hospital in Seoul where she was placed in an intensive care unit.”

“After a few weeks when she was finally stabilized, her Korean doctors allowed her to travel back to the Philippines. Upon her return on October 27, from the tarmac, she was brought straight to the hospital. We were informed by her doctors that she hopefully can be discharged within two weeks. She will continue her recuperation at home and will be undergoing extensive therapy soon after.”

“We, her grandchildren, and the rest of the Muhlach family, appeal to her friends, fans and the general public for prayers for her immediate and full recovery. We love and respect her deeply. – Alyanna, Alfonso, and Alissa Martinez”

In times of adversity, you can really count on your family for love and support.

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When news leaked that “Sa Ngalan ng Ama,” the movie that brings together for the first time Nora Aunor and Coco Martin, will no longer be released on theaters but will instead be shown on the Cinema One Cable Channel, the Noranians were up in arms. Said movie was produced by Coco and was one of the early indie films that Ate Guy finished two years ago.

We even heard that Ate Guy felt bad because Coco didn’t even had the courtesy to inform her that “Sa Ngalan ng Ama” will no longer be shown in theaters but will go directly to the cable channel.

According to a source, if Coco was ashamed to talk to Ate Guy regarding the fate of the movie, he could have told his manager Biboy Arboleda to reach out to Ate Guy via her manager Boy Palma. But the actor didn’t lift a finger.

We read a Facebook post a few weeks ago that the Nora-Coco film will be shown on a certain date at the Cinema One channel. So the Noranians waited but it was not aired. So we asked Ronald Arguelles of Cinema One if “Sa Ngalan ng Ama” had already aired. We probably missed it. According to Ronald, the movie will be shown via pay per view at the Cinema One channel this month.