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LOCAL entertainment likes to focus on young female talent — usually fair skinned, with long hair, pretty. However, one can’t deny the power and presence of women above 40. Take Cherie Gil (57), Angel Aquino (47), Alice Dixon (51) and Agot Isidro (54), they’ve made the covers Metro, Rogue, and Esquire not too long ago.
The series “Call Me Tita” focuses on the lives and intertwined friendships of five Filipina women in their 40s and 50s. Ruth (Cherry Pie Picache), Celine (Agot Isidro), Maya (Joanna Ampil), Frida (Mylene Dizon) and Josa (Lorna Tolentino) all have to deal with things like loneliness, desire and desirability, more changes to the body, trauma, issues with long term partners, children on the verge of adulthood and acceptance of their strengths, failings and flaws.
Joining the cast is Angelica Panganiban as Josa’s daughter Gabbi. Gabbi is such an interesting character. She may stumble but she always tries to do the right thing and be responsible despite having such painful past.
Andoy Ranay adeptly directs his talented cast. Screenplay is by Patricia Valenzuela-Kent and Noreen Capili. It’s great to have this kind of material for these local actresses. It’s a fairly easy watch with a first season of eight episodes about half an hour long. It ends with a set up for a second season, but none has been announced.
A phrase I keep hearing lately is “Never meet your heroes.” What happens when a musician, author, actor or celebrity you admire turns out to be sleazy, rude or a fake?
When we watch a superhero film, we sort of give in to the fantasy of it all. The world of “The Boys” seems very real, where superheroes like Homelander (a Captain America, Superman mix), The Deep (an Aquaman rip off) and Queen Maeve ( Wonder Woman) are practically “owned” by a corporation called Vought International. Vought has a signature stable of elite heroes called “The Seven” ( hello Justice League); it also “rents out” other heroes to cities to help maintain peace and order for fees running into the hundreds of millions. It handles the presentation, marketing, management and