Ken Rudolph, a highly-experienced film critic and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1975, watched Mel Chionglo’s Twilight Dancers last September 11 in the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.

And he has this to say:

I had my doubts whether to spend an early morning with straight Filipino macho dancers dancing and selling themselves in gay clubs. I’d seen at least 3 of the previous versions of this film; and only the first, by a different director, was actually special. However the films have held my interest in the past, so I gave this one a try. I’m sorry I did.

There was nothing original in this story of a young guy who, along with his older, over-the-hill mentor in the twilight of his dancer-prostitute career, got involved with a ruthless lady “business woman”, whose business was drugs and corruption. The previous macho dancer film was about AIDS; but this one was all about political corruption.

Unlike the previous films, it looked terrible: shot with inferior digital camerawork. And even the macho dancing was perfunctory and only used as throwaway sequences to separate the story sections. Apparently the film has been rated X by the Manila authorities, which means it is banned for everyone. Why is a good question. Maybe because it steps on crooked local politician’s toes; certainly not for any sexual titillation.

Quote--Apparently the film has been rated X by the Manila authorities, which means it is banned for everyone. Why is a good question. Maybe because it steps on crooked local politician’s toes; certainly not for any sexual titillation--unquote.

Exactly why Ken Rudolph didn't like the film was because it did not titillate his sexually-scarced life. His ranting stemmed from his curbed expectations for dicks to shoot out from the tight undies of the dancers. He would have given the film a nice review had it shown more flesh.

Sick!

I have not seen the movie yet but I would like to give it a try. I think I would go out of the movie house happy than frustrated. Well, Masahista was another story. I didn’t like it. There was nothing spectacular about it that I have immediately forgotten everything I watched the moment I stepped out of the movie house.

But as I have said, I want to give this one a try.

If it mirrored the current political crisis in the country, then Twilight Dancers must be over the top. This Rudolph cannot understand nor appreciate the movie because he doesn’t have the slightest idea about what’s happening in the country today.

Unfortunate for Rudolf because he watched the wrong movie and made another wrong move—to review it. I bet my ass on it, mga kapatid, he was there because he was horny but had a problem with how to sustain his hardness. Too bad because he thought the movie is good enough to help him with his dysfunctional sexual life.

Good for me because I don't need to be titillated in order to explode.