‘Coming Soon’ cast happy with feedback

CEBU, Philippines - His first film venture co-produced with a group of friends isn’t exactly killing it at the tills or racking up the best reviews, but expect Ronald Singson to produce more movies, saying this is his way of supporting the local entertainment industry.

Singson, who is behind Fearless Productions, teamed up with Neil Arce and Boy2 Quizon of Brownsugar Entertainment to hatch the recently released mainstream-indie film “Coming Soon.” It was starred in by talents coming from different networks – Andi Eigenmann, Glaiza de Castro, Boy2, Dominic Roco, Carla Humphries and Cholo Barretto – and picked up for distribution by Viva Films. “This has been a learning experience for us producers, as this was our first movie. I do have something in mind already for a next film. It will be a thriller, a remake or sequel of a previous box-office hit which I can’t divulge for now. My partners are also working on two movies next,” Singson told The FREEMAN after a promotional show for “Coming Soon” at the Ayala Activity Centre during their April 17 opening day.

The former Ilocos congressman started out producing mixed martial arts events, then dipped his hands into concert production featuring mostly international acts. As everyone knows by now, his Hong Kong detention happened and the above-mentioned ventures had to take a backseat.

“When I came back from Hong Kong, it got me thinking that we had been spending too much on international talents, so why don’t we give something back to the local movie industry this time,” Singson said. Originally titled “Bucket List,” the adventure-comedy is a reflection of the experiences of a new generation barkada, Singson said. The project is titled “Coming Soon” because the six main characters were brainwashed that the world was indeed about to end, similar to the prediction of a December 2012 doomsday according to the Mayan calendar. Misadventures ensue and long-kept inhibitions explode when the gang decides to embark on a soul-searching road trip.

While the businessman in him always aims for a return in investment, Singson maintained his only hope for this maiden project “is for the Filipino people to appreciate what we did. We purposefully veered away from the traditional slapstick comedy. If we hear moviegoers laughing and see them enjoying, we’ll be happy with that already.”

Andi, unarguably the biggest name in the cast, said the best feedback she heard about their film so far was it being hilarious.

“They understood where we lacked and were able to pinpoint the technical flaws. These people know what they’re talking about in terms of critiques, but they still managed to say that it was hilarious. That means for them it didn’t matter if the film wasn’t perfect in the other aspects or didn’t have a deep message, so long as we were able to entertain, which was really our goal from the very start,” said Andi, who played an introverted social heiress with mother issues.

Carla, delightful in her role as a frustrated superstar but to her chagrin is often mistaken as a homosexual, agrees with Andi that inducing laughs was their number one mission and for achieving that alone, they feel overwhelmingly rewarded.

“Someone gave a comment that we made a dent in the movie industry and that we were making waves. In a comedy, it’s important that the audiences laugh. Best compliment would be the sound of their laughter, which is something you cannot force. Our premiere drew a mixed crowd of people from the fashion industry, from politics to showbiz veterans and young, even directors that are well-respected in the film industry — and all of them enjoyed the film,” Carla shared.

Unlike other friendship-themed films, Andi said they don’t pretend to offer up deep life lessons or socially-relevant messages.

The actress said, “For me, the message we wanted to convey is not within the film. We have gotten used to watching and being spoon-fed the same things over and over again. Especially when a trend comes up, people tend to focus on that. I think our goal in making the film sends a message that we can achieve something that has never been done before.”

Directed by Martin Aviles, “Coming Soon” was marked by a generous amount of star cameos namely, Ricky Davao, Alice Dixson, Mark Herras, Vice Ganda, Solenn Heusaff, Michelle Madrigal, John Estrada, Lilia Cuntapay, Bela Padilla, Bubbles Paraiso, Antonia Aquitania, Fabio Ide, Chito Miranda, Callum David, Liz Uy, Ornussa Cadness, Tessa Prieto-Valdez, Cristalle Henares, Divine Lee, Tim Yap and Rajo Laurel. (FREEMAN)