Still the undisputed Pantasya ng Bayan

Joyce Jimenez continues to sizzle on and off the silver screen. She has emerged as one of today’s hottest stars, more so now with the upcoming release of her latest movie, Masikip, Mainit, Paraisong Parisukat. This movie will again prove that the Pantasya ng Bayan still reigns supreme in bold, hot tinseltown.

"Half-consciously, the media and the industry itself made her the Pantasya ng Bayan," says Joey Reyes, Joyce’s director in Masikip Mainit. "Every new star who came along after she made it big has been built up as a contender to her throne. In the beginning, people just branded her as the Pantasya ng Bayan but long after she did all those films and proved herself at the box-office over and over again, she became the formula packaging. Sexy, inglesera, sosyal, maganda at marami pang iba."

It will be remembered that Joyce took the public by storm as a voluptuous sexpot in Scorpio Nights 2. Then came Warat and a slew of other movies that were certified box office hits. For a time, she did "wholesome" movies like Narinig Mo Ba Ang Latest (also directed by Joey Reyes) and I Think I’m In Love, but according to her, "Even if I did GP romance-comedy movies, people still saw me as a sexy star and I can do nothing that will ever make the public see me in a different image. I can’t complain and I’m not blaming anyone either, I have no reason to. I’m just stating a fact."

In Masikip, Mainit, Joyce stars with her ex-boyfriend Jay Manalo. The two had a tempestuous past but Joyce reveals this is already part of history," she says. "We have remained good friends. We were much younger and immature then. At the end of the day, we realized we had careers to take care of and our personal life was not helping me and vice versa. The only option, was to go separate ways. And I think, it worked well for both of us. We became better friends and better people, hopefully."

Jay, in the meantime, says he still has a "soft spot for Joyce." "Ganun lang talaga yun," he says. "We make our choices and we hope we don’t regret having made them. Ang maganda at mahalaga sa lahat, yung mga ginawa naming choices, naging tama naman."

Did sparks fly during the shoot? Joey Reyes replies, "If one were to judge from their chemistry onscreen, no doubt about it, nandun pa rin talaga yun. Nothing beats two estranged lovers in real life crossing paths again in a film like this. The sexual tension comes naturally and effortlessly. Instinctive na ang lahat pagdating sa scenes which require a lot of sensual and physical contact!"

Masikip, Mainit, a remake of Paraisong Parisukat (which starred Alma Moreno and Christopher de Leon in the ’70s from the one-act play of Orlando Nadres) was recently approved without cuts. Released by Regal Entertainment, Masikip, Mainit opens in Metro Manila Theaters today.

9 Mornings

Another movie opening today is 9 Mornings, also directed by Joey Reyes and released by Star Cinema.

9 Mornings stars Piolo Pascual, Donita Rose, Belinda Panelo and Dominic Ochoa. In the movie, Piolo plays Gene, a worldly young man who is the main beneficiary of his lola’s wealth. But there’s a catch – he has to complete the nine early morning Christmas Masses to get his big inheritance. In the process, Gene meets Elise (Donita), a pre-school teacher who is at the point of her life where she has too many questions about her worth, destiny etc. They fall in love and they discover there is more to life than just making money.

Meanwhile, Belinda and Dominic play Tara and Hernan, respectively. Tara is a kooky feminist painter while Dominic is the typical yuppie. They are Gene’s fiercely loyal friends who help him towards self-discovery.

"The movie is about faith and how it affects different kinds of people," says Piolo. "It evokes a positive message. This is also an exciting way to start Christmas! I hope everyone watch the movie because I’m quite sure you’ve come across this story somewhere, sometime in your life."

9 Mornings, released by Star Cinema, is written by Ton Sison. Other stars of the movie are Armida Siguion-Reyna, Khryss Adalia, Stain Vasquez, JM Rodriguez and Ynez Veneracion.