Tutti-Truthy: JAY
JAY, Francis X. Pasion’s very funny movie about factual truth, manufactured truth, and truth truth, opens on Wednesday, February 4 at the SM Cinemas (Megasmall, North Edsa, Maul of Asia, Sta. Mesa, Manila, San Lazaro, Southmall, Farview, Bacoor, Cebu, Davao, Pampanga and Clark). Everyone named Jay gets into the theatre for free (Show some form of identification).
Baron Geisler stars as Jay, a TV reporter doing an investigative report on a murdered gay man, also named Jay. Reporter Jay decides that the plain truth isn’t riveting enough for TV, so he tweaks it a little. A lot. Coco Martin co-stars as the dead man’s ex. JAY won Best Picture at the 2008 Cinemalaya festival, was in competition at the Venice filmfest, and has won prizes on the international festival circuit.
We’re giving away limited edition JAY T-shirts and posters signed by the cast. To join the contest, just name your all-time favorite Filipino movie and post it in Comments below. All entries qualify for the raffles to be held next week. If you don’t trust in randomness, post a short review of Jay and we’ll give you a prize pronto.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
February 3rd, 2009 at 15:46
Hi Jessica,
This is Jay Abalos.
Gusto ko ng T-sert!
Jay kasi name ko.
My all-time favourite Filipino Films.
Batch 81
Kisapmata
Tinimbang ka ngunit kulang
Maynila sa kuko ng liwanag
Bomba Star
Temptation Island
February 3rd, 2009 at 23:02
Dolphy’s Silveria!
Sharon’s Bukas Luluhad and mga Tala!
February 4th, 2009 at 00:10
syempre Temptation Island!
February 4th, 2009 at 02:59
kisapmata
watched “jay” in cinemalaya. fantastic first feature by mr. passion. for me the best cinemalaya film, even better than maximo. one of the few digital films that will loose its power if shot on celluloid.
February 4th, 2009 at 14:36
Mostly everyone will acknowledge that the late 70s, early 80s were one of the best times for Filipino movies. But if I were asked to choose which one I liked the best, I will go with the image nuclear blasted into my memory–Philip Salvador chopping Vic Silayan’s head off. I keep telling everyone that this scene in Karnal is my favorite decapitation scene ever.
But more than that, Karnal tells the story of the every Pinoy small town. The son returns with a wife who suspiciously looks like his mother. The father notices this and makes a pass at the wife. The neighbors make chismis. A really young and handsomely fresh Joel Torre stars as a deaf-mute who gathers coals–the town’s orphan. A Freudian love triangle.
What more can you ask for?
February 4th, 2009 at 23:55
Magnifico
i’ve seen “jay” and i love it. i’ll be posting a review in my multiply site. http://www.rieziel07.multiply.com
February 5th, 2009 at 01:00
sort of a review:
http://thebaklareview.blogspot.com/2009/01/best-pinoy-movies-of-2008.html
February 5th, 2009 at 06:02
bagets! i love the 80s
February 5th, 2009 at 20:19
Biyaya ng Lupa by Manuel Silos. Best film I’ve seen so far. Made in the late 1950s topbilled by Rosa Rosal.
February 5th, 2009 at 20:27
“Jay,” Francis Xavier Pasion’s beautifully written, acidly truthful and engaging movie featuring a convincing performance from Baron Geisler as a gay reporter, begins with a docu-drama episode that follows the brutal killing of Jay, a gay teacher slain inside his own apartment. Geisler plays the living Jay who was assigned to cover the news on the murder of the teacher Jay. As part of the news coverage, he unravels his subject’s hidden life, and secret love, accidentally, later on. Squeezing information from the victim’s family who appears reluctant at first is a tough job but with Jay’s persistence, it eventually becomes a piece of cake for him.
“Jay,” which won the Cinemanila Scriptwriting contest a couple of years ago, wryly attempts to unwrap the disguised reality in documentary shows on TV and it succeeds in showing a new perspective of viewing news that is bent, crooked and wicked without being didactic. Jay represents the media that desperately seek interesting feeds for the public’s viewing pleasure. Like a charismatic director, Jay gives instructions to his cast and crew ultimately pulling the strings.
The way he commands blocking and acting to make everything look natural on TV is pathetic, absurd and irritating, yet very funny. Jay is unsympathetic, selfish and falsely concerned but he can convince his victims easily to fall into his trap by stewing their confidence and sympathy with small dosage of assurance and feigned affection.
Take, for instance, the wrenchingly ridiculous scene that shows the victim’s mother, weeping hysterically over her dead son’s body in the morgue. It’s a re-take, the body covered in white cloth isn’t her son’s, her tears made-up, as well as her monologue. She halts unwarningly, apologizes to Jay that she’s distracted, and requests for another take. Before the camera rolls, she fixes her make up to make sure she looks okay on camera. When she resumes his acting/sobbing, Jay watches in the background with an unperturbed reaction. This is among the most desolate and bitingly moving moments I can remember seeing on screen.
Pasion really knows his passion and he’s good at keeping the audience on tenterhooks. The docu style helps suspend anticipation and off-screen moments provide drama and more truths.
There are three perspectives of reality cleverly layered in each part – the documentary that features the life of the murdered teacher, the process of making the documentary and the film itself. It would have created more impact and resonance if the director’s name is Jay.
The ending doesn’t feel contrived because the narrative doesn’t make room for such mistake.
Originally posted at http://erosjourneys.blogspot.com
February 6th, 2009 at 10:23
Here’s my short review of Jay:
The movie is worth watching if not only for the spot-on acting by Baron Geisler for which he truly deserves the accolades he has already been given but you get much more. The supporting cast notably Flor Salanga performs believably and evokes both pity then later on disgust. The visuals are appropriate for the subject matter: dark, bleak and foreboding. Lesson learned: don’t believe everything you see. It may be the edited, sanitized, manipulated version of reality you are watching.
February 7th, 2009 at 02:29
Hi Jessica, here’s my review of Jay.
While we all know that the media tend to sensationalize for entertainment purposes, the film depicts this in a smart and refreshing manner. Funny and honest, Jay is definitely one of the better gay films produced in 2008. Showing gay characters that are both noble and vile.
February 8th, 2009 at 15:42
At present, I like “100” by Chris Martinez. Though I haven’t watched too many Filipino movies (indie or otherwise) to judge those or compare it with.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:04
Excerpt from my blog – http://selenakyle.blogspot.com/2008/08/cold-chick.html
This movie much deserved its accolades and rave reviews. It’s out of the mold of the usual heart-tugging fare that I enjoy, but I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek parody about the entertainment-slash-journalism world, sans preachiness or attempts at being critical. The TV show-within-film style was a great device to illustrate the difference between truth and pseudo-truth, as was the clever parallelism from the fact that apart from the TV show footages, the main characters of the “documentary†(Nanay Luz and the rest of the family, Edward, the co-teachers) were never shot close-up. Flawless acting. You’d think at first that there’s a lot of cliché crying/mourning going on, but at the end of the movie, it all ties up together. Kudos to Francis Pasion and team and to Baron Geisler who bagged the Best Actor award.
I hope, though they gave the pink chick a special citation for its sacrifice. It surely added to the movies’ many comedic moments, but not among those that made me laugh.
February 20th, 2009 at 21:44
THANK YOU VERY MUCH to Ms. ZAFRA for sponsoring a contest about JAY.
THANK YOU TO ALL who have watched and reviewed the film.
I visited some SM CINEMAS and their projection is not really top-of-the-line, especially the ones in SM MANILA and MEGAMALL. But I still have to thank you for your kind words for the film.
For the winners, you can claim your TSHIRTS and posters at this address:
84 JEM BUILDING SCOUT FERNANDEZ ST. QC. UNIT 304
Its at the back of CHILIS RESTAURANT, TOMAS MORATO
(at the BODY WELLNESS CENTER building).
Email me at fxepasion@yahoo.com
when and what time you are going to claim it because I am usually not home and I go out of the country (like from Feb. 24 to Mar 1).
Thank you very much.