John Lloyd a shoo-in for MMFF 2015 Best Actor

“Honor Thy Father” is the first Metro Manila Film Festival entry of John Lloyd Cruz, and this early, many are predicting that he is the actor to beat come awards night.

We’ve already watched “Honor Thy Father” when it was shown as the opening film at the Cinema One Originals and we marveled at the performance of John Lloyd as a husband whose family became a victim of an investment scam. It was a very different John Lloyd that you will see in the movie directed by Erik Matti and produced by Reality Entertainment. He faced a different kind of challenge as he was tasked to play a role that veers away from his rom-com matinee idol mode.

Part of the challenge was John Lloyd shaving his own head in one important scene in the movie. “I knew that there was such scene since I’ve read the script and I fell in love with the character of Edgar. I knew that scene was really essential,” said the actor who is still savouring the box-office success of “A Second Chance,” now the highest grossing local film with earnings of more than P550 million and still counting.

According to Direk Matti, the lead role in “Honor Thy Father” fits John Lloyd to a tee and he could not think of any other actor who could have imbued the role with so much pathos and realism. John Lloyd’s acting in “Honor Thy Father” even drew praise when it was first shown at the Toronto International Film Festival.

“It’s a rare opportunity to be offered a role as good as this. It is a role that I can be proud of. I did this movie because I liked the concept. When this was offered to me, I told myself I should concentrate on this movie alone so I did not accept any other film offer. I am very pleased with the movie’s outcome,” the ABS-CBN star said.

John Lloyd is very proud of “Honor Thy Father” and he is hoping that the Filipino audience will like his movie and make it a big hit during its festival run. “We will then be happy,” he said.

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“English, Only Please” was the dark horse in the awards race and at the box-office when it competed at MMFF 2014. It became the surprise hit and won the major awards at the Gabi ng Parangal, including Best Director honors for Dan Villegas and the top acting honors for its lead stars Jennylyn Mercado and Derek Ramsay.

Since Direk Dan is once again competing in the 2015 MMFF together with Jennylyn and new leading man Jericho Rosales in the Quantum Films offering “Walang Forever,” people are saying it has a good chance of winning awards as well.

But Direk Dan and Jennylyn don’t want to pressure themselves that “Walang Forever” also do good at the box-office and will also be a strong contender for the awards. They said that if we liked and enjoy “English Only, Please,” chances are, we will also enjoy “Walang Forever.”

We are keeping our fingers crossed that “Walang Forever” will also be a winner.

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It will only be two more days of waiting before “My Bebe Love #Kilig Pa More,” the reunion movie of Vic Sotto and Ai Ai delas Alas hits moviehouses nationwide.

This also marks the first team up of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, more popularly known as AlDub. We dropped by the premiere night of  “My Bebe Love” on Monday at SM Megamall Cinema 10 and we saw the multitude of fans patiently waiting for Bossing Vic, Ai Ai, Alden and Maine to walk the red carpet.

For five months now, we saw the amazing run of AlDub on TV as a tandem and as product endorsers. Everything they touched turned into gold. Their first movie together is an acid test of their box-office potential. How solid is their fan base? Can their fans make “My Bebe Love” a blockbuster?

Of course, Bossing Vic and Ai Ai are also known for their strong box-office magic and are expected to carry the load for “My Bebe Love #Kilig Pa More.” But we cannot ignore the immense popularity of AlDub when they appeared in Eat Bulaga’s Kalyeserye.