ALL ABOUT DUBAI......THE MOVIE

[ELEAU]

Philippine Premiere Night:

27 September 2005
Cinema 3, SM Megamall

International Screenings:

12 & 14 October 2005
Dubai

13 October, 2005
Abu Dhabi

15 & 16 October 2005
London

TBA
San Francisco

29 October 2005
Vancouver, Canada

TBA
Agana, Guam

TBA
Saipan

TBA
Hawaii

TBA
Vienna, Austria

TBA
Milan, Italy


***

[mhie]

Script ng Dubai, ipinabago ni Aga

RATED A Ni Aster Amoyo
Ang Pilipino STAR Ngayon 09/16/2005



Muling paalis sa araw na ito ng Biyernes patungong Dubai ang cast ng pelikulang Dubai na pinangungunahan nina Aga Muhlach, Claudine Barretto at JOHN LLOYD Cruz para mag-shoot ng isang karagdagan ngunit mahalagang eksena. Ipinagmamalaki ni Aga ang Dubai na dinirek ni Rory Quintos dahil kakaiba umano ito sa mga pelikulang nagawa na niya in the past.

Ayon kay Aga, hindi umano niya nagustuhan ang script ng Dubai nang una itong i-present sa kanya. Nagkaroon ng maraming revisions na umabot sa 12 bago nila finally nasimulan ang pelikula na umabot ng limang buwan dahil binusisi umano ito ni Direk Rory. Dalawang buwan din ang ginugol para ma-revise ang script ng pelikula.

Nahinto pa nga sila ng dalawang buwan sa shooting para lamang lalong mapaganda.

Pinabulaanan ni Aga na meron siyang creative control sa istorya ng pelikula. Ang sa kanya lamang ay suggestion para lalong mapaganda ang istorya.

Since one movie a year lamang kung gumawa ngayon si Aga ng pelikula, he makes it a point na maganda talaga ang proyekto na kanyang ginagawa at itong Dubai ay isang pelikulang maipagmamalaki niya.

[mhie]

E-TALK
Beth Gelena
People's Tonight


KUNG noong una'y kinakarga-karga at kandung-kandong lang ni Aga Muhlach si Claudine Barretto, ngayo'y hindi na.

Aba sa Dubai ay kahalikan na niya ito. At 'di lang basta kissing scene, huh. Sabagay, 'di lang naman dito sa bagong pelikula nila nangyari ang halikan nina Aga at Claudine. Nauna na rito ang kanilang first team-up, ang Kailangan Kita.

Sa bagong movie ng dalawa under Star Cinema, kakaibang Aga at Claudine ang mapapanood ng mga tagahanga. Parehong nagtatrabaho sa Dubai para sa kinabukasan ng kani-kanilang
pamilya ang karakters nila.

Ang istorya nito'y iikot sa magkapatid na Raffy at Andrew (Aga at JOHN LLOYD Cruz). Nagtrabaho si Raffy sa Dubai, pero nang makaipon ay permanente nang nanirahan doon. Kaya naman pinapunta niya ang kapatid na si Andrew para doon na rin magtrabaho.

Si Faye (Claudine), isa sa mga girlfriend ni Raffy, ay nakilala ni Andrew at naging lover niya. Nalaman ni Andrew na mahal pa rin ni Raffy si Faye at dito na nagkaroon
ng conflict ang kanilang samahan.

Binusising mabuti ni direk Rory Quintos ang kuwento na base sa screenplay nina Ricky Lee at Shaira Salvador.

[mhie]

Malou Santos doesn’t believe local movie industry is dying

The Philippine Star 09/16/2005

Prophets of doom have been saying since time immemorial that the local movie industry is "dying," if not already dead or in coma. They must have overlooked the reality that the movie industry in the country as well as those in other countries is part and parcel of the whole economic scenario, so if the country’s economy is in bad shape, naturally the movie industry is also affected especially since the movie industry uses dollars in buying raw materials and post-production work, not to mention the onerous taxes slapped on it.

But Malou Santos, managing director for Star Cinema, is optimistic about the whole thing, adopting a positive attitude in assessing the situation.

"I don’t believe the industry is dying," stressed Malou. "It only needs a good shot-in-the-arm." Malou has proven herself right in many instances, which should include her upbeat forecast for Star Cinema’s latest project, Dubai, directed by Rory Quintos from a screenplay by Ricky Lee and Shaira Mella Salvador and starring Aga Muhlach, Claudine Barretto and JOHN LLOYD Cruz, which was shot mostly in Dubai.

"I have high hopes for Dubai," said Malou. "I have the same good vibes for the movie I had for Milan (starring Claudine Barretto and Piolo Pascual) which turned out to be one of our company’s biggest money makers."

Malou recalled that when she presented the project (Milan), she was met with some objections but she had a good gut feel for the movie and went as far as putting her job at stake, saying she would quit if it didn’t make money.

"They were worried that there wasn’t any chemistry between Claudine and Piolo," recalled Malou. "But then, I knew I had a good story, a good cast and a good director (Olive Lamasan), and I knew I had a winner. The rest is history. Malou is using the same formula for Dubai: a good director, a good cast and, also just as important, shooting it where it should be – in Dubai where hundreds of OFWs are happily and gainly employed.

In the story, Aga and JOHN LLOYD play brothers. Aga goes to Dubai first and as soon as he finds a good-paying job, asks JOHN LLOYD to follow. Claudine enters the picture and it’s never the same again for the brothers.

"Filipinos here and abroad are eager to find out about each other," said Malou, "and when you dramatize the plight of Filipinos in foreign countries, Filipinos back home can identify with them."

Like Anak (shot in Hong Kong starring Vilma Santos and Claudine Barretto) and Milan, Dubai will have its world premieres in several cities around the world, simultaneous with hundreds of theaters nationwide in the Philippines. (The movie’s theme song, Ikaw Lamang, composed by Ogie Alcasid, is sung by Gary Valenciano.)

"Anak and Milan made money and I have a strong feeling, so will Dubai," said Malou. "That’s why I don’t believe the local movie industry is dying. Make a good movie and they will come. If everybody will only have an upbeat attitude and stop being pessimistic, the local movie industry can recover again

[mhie]

Aga Muhlach nawala sa sarili, humiwalay muna kay Charlene


TARAY
Pacita M.
Taliba
Sept. 17, 2005

Umalis na naman si Aga Muhlach patungong Dubai noong Miyerkules after a brief chat with Taray.

Ni-request niya kay Charlene (Gonzales) na pagdating niya for a one day additional shoot for the movie Dubai ay paba-yaan muna siyang magba-kasyon sa Batangas for a few days.

"Ang hirap ko kasing bumitaw sa character ko bilang Raffy. It happens everytime I do a movie. Nai-involve ako sa role na ginagampanan ko at ayokong maapektuhan sino man. I am just too lucky to have Charlene for a wife at ito ang advantage sa asawang mula din sa showbiz, because she perfectly understands," pagtatapat niya.

Puwede namang daya-in na lang ang isang ekse-nang iyon, lalo't tumata-ginting ding PlM ang magagastos ng Star Cinema. Pero, hindi sila magiging maligaya kung hindi babalikan ang eksenang iyon nila ni JOHN LLOYD Cruz.

"Hindi magiging fulfil-ling at forever naming da-ramdamin iyon," katwiran niya.

Actually, habang pinapanood ni Aga ang full trai-ler ng movie, nawala na na-man siya sa sarili. Naging misty-eyed siya lalo't na-meet niya pala sa personal ang tunay na si Raffy.

"Hindi siya product of the imagination. Totoong tao siya at totoong mga pangyayari sa buhay niya ang mapapanood dito. Hindi fling ang reaksyon ni-ya sa character ni Claudine (Barretto) dito.

"Girlfriend ko na siya mula pa sa 'Pinas. Hindi rin ako happy go lucky dito. Sumusundut-sundot lagi ang past and the thought na ikaw na nga ang tumutulong, eh, ikaw pa lagi ang nasisisi."

* * * * * * * * *

Itinanggi din ni Aga ang blind items na naging cause of delay si Claudine sa shooting nila kung kaya't umabot ng 4 hanggang 5 buwan para mabuo ang movie.

"No! Never!" aniya. "Kung mayron man, 'yung sked niya siguro na may iba pang ginagawa (Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin teleserye) bukod sa movie namin. While ako, I give everyting to a project kasi nga once a year na lang akong guma-gawa ng movie ngayon."

Nakikiisa rin si Aga sa paniniwala ni Ma'am Ma-lou Santos that the industry is definitely not dying!

"This is part and parcel of the whole economic scenario and its worldwide. 'Pag bad ang econo-my, affected ang lahat, pati movie industry dahil gumagamit tayo ng dollars in buying raw materials, post production work at ang taxes siempre."

[anajasdel]

[anajasdel]

[mhie]

FREEHAND
Mario Bautista
People's Journal

AGA MUHLACH left last Friday for Dubai to shoot the final scene of their movie, "Dubai." "It'll just be me, JOHN LLOYD Cruz, Direk Rory Quintos and the cinematographer," he says. "We've already shot an ending for it the first time we went there, but I thought of a better ending and told Direk Rory about it. Nagandahan siya, so we're now returning there to shoot this scene involving John and I. Maiiyak ang viewers dito."

For this scene alone, Star Cinema is spending an additional P1 million. "I do a film just once a year so I want it to be really good. Before we shot this, the script had 12 revisions. We even meet sa bahay ko para ayusin ang script at mas gumanda ang flow ng story. My character is based on a real guy Ricky Lee met when they made a research in Dubai. Gusto niya, lahat ng tao sa paligid niya masaya. Takbuhan siya ng lahat for help at hindi marunong tumanggi. In the process, his own life suffers. This is a different kind of OFW movie na pinoproblema ang naiwang pamilya sa Pilipinas. This one shows exactly what happens to them sa life nila in Dubai."

The film will be premiered in various cities in Europe and the U.S. "I will go to the Dubai, Abu Dhabi and London premieres. First time for Star Cinema to premiere a movie in so many venues abroad, kasi kasama rin ang San Francisco, Vancouver, Vienna and Milan."

He's been married to Charlene Gonzales for four years now. What's Charlene's best qualities as a wife?

"Si Charlene ang suwerte sa buhay ko. I can feel her love for me is so real and she never changes. She always thinks of me before making any move or decision. She's very supportive of my career. When I'm shooting a movie, I usually don't want to break the mood so when I get home, ayokong magsalita. Sometimes, I'd sleep in another room but she'll just let me alone, no questions asked. Sometimes nga, I'd check in sa hotel and okay lang sa kanya. She trusts me completely and just visits me the next day with our kids to ask if I'm okay. Other wives would suspect agad na may ginagawa kang kalokohan. But not my wife, sobrang bait niya. The truth is, I'll have second thoughts bago ako gumawa ng kalokohan kasi hindi ko ipagpapalit ang asawa ko kahit kanino and I'll never do anything na mababastos siya."

[mhie]

Tiyempo
by Chit Ramos
Sept. 19, 2005

Casmot, bansag ni Aga kay Lloyd


HINDI pala kilala ni Aga Muhlach si Casmot, ang komedyanteng sulimpat ang mga mata noong panahon nina Pugo at Tugo.



It was Aga’s word of endearment for JOHN LLOYD Cruz who plays his younger brother in the movie "Dubai." It should have been Camote pero nakatuwaan ni Aga na gawing Casmot, without knowing na may ganoon ngang pangalan ng isang komedyan-teng sumikat noon.

Natutulala pa rin si Aga tu-wing pinapanood ang trailer ng bago niyang pelikula. Sulit para sa kanya ang l2 revisions ng script para lalong pumasa ito sa panlasa ng movie-going public.

"I appreciate the cooperation and patience of our script-writers Shaira (Salvador) and Ricky (Lee) and our director Rory (Quintos), who like me, were all for giving the public a movie they have long been waiting for. ’Yung passion nasa aming lahat and I felt so fulfilled talaga. Gusto kong maghintay ng critics’ review of this particular project. Totoo ’yan," an’ya bago siya tumulak patungong Dubai with JOHN LLOYD Cruz noong Miyerkules.

Isang eksena doon ay ginastusan ng R1 M. Puede naman sanang dayain pero napagpasya-hang ng Star Cinema na talagang kunan doon.

[mhie]

MANILA BULLETIN
By WALDEN SADIRI
Sept. 20, 2005

‘Dubai:’ A whole new experience for Aga Muhlach!





"No, I’m not that person."


This was awarded actor Aga Muhlach’s reply when asked if he was the actor in a blind-item who’s very discontented about a film he was making.

If anything, Aga Muhlach is thrilled about his latest flick under Star Cinema entitled "Dubai." He is proud of the days and hours that he and co-actors Claudine Barretto and JOHN LLOYD Cruz have invested to make it a very good film. In fact, Aga and JOHN LLOYD with the director and a film crew were scheduled to fly to Dubai to shoot a remaining scene.

Costing Star Cinema a cool R1 million for the said trip and shooting according to his manager, Ethel Ramos, the scene is said to be vital to the film.

"Puwedeng dayain pero siyempre nanghimasok na naman ako. Sinabi ko na sayang. It’s a very important scene at kung dadayain, it’s the same thing, bibiyahe rin kami ng malayo dito like Ilocos," Aga confessed. "Since we’re showing on Spet. 28, bitin sa time kasi it’s unfortunate really that we won’t be able to preview it in its entirety before the premiere and showing. Mas maganda kasi kapag napanuod mo ng buo kasi makikita mo yung timpla, feel ng istorya, yung flow."

Doing just one movie a year, Aga has always involved himself personally in every film project he accepts. Like with "Dubai," from the time he read the script, his creative juices started churning. And one of the things he first discussed with the director Rory Quintos and its scriptwriter Ricky Lee was "Dubai’s" script. And the script took in 12 revisions!

"I’m proud of our script. When it was first given to me, parang hindi ako mapakali. Kumukulo lagi ang tiyan ko parang hindi ko gusto. I was expecting another love story, tapos ang sinasabi sa akin na story ng two brothers, pero still mas malakas yung sa focus sa amin ni Claudine. Hindi ko nakikita so we revised and revised…we even stopped shooting for two months to revise the script. Ricky Lee, Rory Quintos and the creative people of Star Cinema regularly went to my house to talk about it. Inayos talaga namin per sequence," shared Aga.

He added that it’s not only his character that they work on. "I just don’t think about my character. I think of the film as a whole. I always think of the viewers kasi," he remarked.

His working relationship though with Star Cinema is not an indication that he has power to control over Star Cinema. It was more of a creative collaboration for the betterment of their movie, he said.

"I don’t have control over Star Cinema pero siguro pinagbibigyan lang nila ako kasi may point lang ang mga sinasabi ko. I don’t want to say that I have that power of control. It’s just that hinihiling ko, binibigay naman sa akin. Tapos nang nakita nila when we started filming again, ayos na ayos yung flow ng story namin. Sa akin, pati yung music, maganda!"

Unlike other films done by other producers, "Dubai" was a 30-day film that spanned five months because of the actors’ schedules. He also called news stories about Claudine Barretto being the cause of delay as purely "tsismis" or rumors. Aga never even noticed that his leading lady’s acting was affected by intrigues facing her. He pointed out that she worked well and everything was flowing smoothly in their shooting.

Star Cinema nowadays spend an average of four months in making a movie because of their actors’ schedules. Often their actors would be working in soap operas and Star Cinema would have to work around their taping schedules.

In "Dubai" Aga plays Raffy, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who’s an air freight employee. After spending a decade in Dubai, he brings his younger brother Andrew to Dubai to live with him and find his fortune in Dubai. But Andrew also gets in between him and his girlfriend Faye which is played by Claudine Barretto.

"My role is very interesting and tahimik lang siya. It is based on a real person living in Dubai for 15 years already. He’s the type who always wants everyone to be happy. Hindi siya makatanggi sa mga humihingi ng tulong sa kanya kasi galing din siya sa hirap," related Aga.

Raffy, he describes, is different from the past characters he has played in different films.

"Ito mag-aantay ako ng kritiko na magsabi sa akin pagkatapos niyang panuurin ito. I just don’t want the movie to make money. But for it to make money in a sense na sana panuurin ng mga tao. I know that they will just expect this to be a love triangle or a love story."

Aga illustrated that it takes time for him to get into his character because he breathes and lives his character whenever he does a movie.

"Kapag lumalabas ang pagiging artista mo, lumalabas ang pagkatakam mo. It gets into you because you work everyday. I even warned my wife, Charlene, na maninibago na naman sila sa akin at magkakaroon na naman ako ng topak kasi may ginagawa akong pelikula. Sabi ko tatapusin ko lang ito then I’ll be back to normal!"

"Dubai" opens in Metro Manila theaters on Sept. 28. It will also have its worldwide premiere in Dubai, Abu Dabi, London, San Francisco and Vancouver.

Aga, all praise for JOHN LLOYD

A revelation to Aga Muhlach while doing "Dubai" is 20-something actor JOHN LLOYD Cruz. Working with him, he saw how big a potential JOHN LLOYD has as an actor.

"Ang pinaliwanag ko kay JOHN LLOYD, pakiramdaman niya ang pelikulang ito. Husayan niya ito. Sabi ko, galingan mo ito. Mag-concentrate ka rito. Kapag nagpromote tayo ng pelikula, mararamdaman mo kung ano ang pelikula talaga compared sa TV. I think nararamdaman niya ngayon sa pag-promote niya na iba pa rin ang pelikula," he said.

Aga also shared that John sort of became his brother while they were working in Dubai. And he believes that JOHN LLOYD would reach new heights as an actor.

"He is a really good actor. He is also a very nice guy. You’ll see in him his passion for acting. He always asks direk Rory if what he did was right or asks her kung ano pa dapat ang gagawin…sinasabi ko na dapat lahat ng bagong artsita tularan siya. Hindi porke’t nasigawan lang ng marami eh lumalaki na ang ulo," commented Aga.

Called the leading romantic actor of Philippine Cinema, Aga stressed though that JOHN LLOYD’s career path is different from his. In praising JOHN LLOYD, he is not saying that he’s someone to replace him or be like him.

"I will always be Aga Muhlach when I turn 50 or grow old. Yung dinaanan ko, dinaanan ko lang yun. Path ko lang yun. Yung path ni JOHN LLOYD, path lang niya yun. And for me malayo ang mararating niya compared to other actors kasi this guy has a quiet soul and he is serious with his craft!"

Given the same situation as Raffy, will Aga give up his love for his girlfriend for his brother’s happiness?

"Yes. Talagang mapagbigay ako. Girlfriend lang naman yan. Itatanong ko pa kung ilang girlfriends ang gusto niyang ibigay ko sa kanya," smiled Aga