Mar
30

Watching out for “Serbis”

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Another gay-themed indie, but this time, with a humongous $0.5M budget — interesting to say the least. Besides, Coco Martin is in it, so why miss it diba? Hehehe!

“Serbis” (or “Service”), the story of boys who offer sexual services inside movie houses, features multi-awarded actress Gina Pareño and young actors Kristofer King and Coco Martin. It is written by Boots Agbayani Pastor (“Masahista, ” “Kaleldo”), with Bing Lao as creative consultant.

RP indie gets $500,000 deal
By Marinel Cruz
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: March 26, 2008

MANILA, Philippines—Award- winning indie filmmaker Dante Mendoza recently inked a co-production deal with the French outfit Swift Distribution to finance his latest film titled “Serbis,” Inquirer Entertainment learned on Monday.

The French sales company will pay a portion of the film’s $500,000 production cost, said Mendoza, who is also a co-producer under his CenterStage Production outfit. This is Swift’s first foray into movie production.

A third company, which the director refused to identify, will shoulder another part of the production cost.

“Serbis” (or “Service”), the story of boys who offer sexual services inside movie houses, features multi-awarded actress Gina Pareño and young actors Kristofer King and Coco Martin. It is written by Boots Agbayani Pastor (“Masahista, ” “Kaleldo”), with Bing Lao as creative consultant.

In an interview with ScreenDaily. com, Swift founder Didier Costet said he found the story “highly original.” Costet and Mendoza confirmed the deal at the recently concluded 6th Hong Kong Film Market.

Set in a run-down porn theater, the film about male prostitution will also feature real-life service boys. The 11-day shoot in Angeles City, Pampanga, began on March 21.

Swift is also the distributor of Mendoza’s “Masahista” and “Tirador” in France.

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48 Comments So Far

  1. yeah…yeah…

    NeverMind at Mar 30, 08 at 11:35 am

  2. sana naman mga indie ipalabas di2 sa iloilo city noh, huhu

    antoine at Mar 30, 08 at 11:59 am

  3. that’s interesting. something to look forward to. kudos to coco!

    liner at Mar 30, 08 at 12:00 pm

  4. any one knows when will ANG LIHIM NI ANTONIO be out on DVD? thanks

    joe at Mar 30, 08 at 2:17 pm

  5. Wow… Filmed in my hometown as well! Quite happy for the producers – heck, everyone involved! Too bad it will most likely not be shown here in Australia. :-(

    Marcus at Mar 30, 08 at 2:42 pm

  6. I CAN CONFIRM THAT THIS STORY HAPPENS IN REALITY.I WAS ONE OF THE SERVICE BOY FOUR YRS AGO…HOP TO WATCH THE MOVIE IF GIVN A CHANCE.

    jonas at Mar 30, 08 at 4:16 pm

  7. alright already with GAY/URBAN POOR themed movies…. is it like a prereq when they make indie films?? Na its gootta be about the poor, the gay, or the gay for pay?? alright already. Am I alone here?

    alright_already at Mar 30, 08 at 4:25 pm

  8. how do I get a copy!?!?! he’s hot

    http://www.mckhoii.com

    ^_^

    Mckhoii at Mar 30, 08 at 7:18 pm

  9. i’ve never seen masahista and well..hardly any indie film or any na nandun c coco martin..it’ll be interesting to watch this..if i’m gonna be watching it..

    Webster12 at Mar 30, 08 at 8:12 pm

  10. alright_already: looks like you’re not poor or gay. what are you doing here? are you rich and–god forbid!–straight? =)

    gay blogger in the closet at Mar 30, 08 at 8:21 pm

  11. I like Coco Martin, he’s so sexy, i watched Masahista and i’m sure he’ll give justice again to the role. I just wish that i can really get his “serbis” even in my dreams……lol can’t wait to see this film, this is the reality in todays’world guyz, i just don’t know who started it, is it the open gay or the closeted gay, its a bit sad but what can we do, we need to find ways on how to fulfill our sexual needs if we can’t find it in the open and in return we help them survive, just hope that everyone will give their share, be careful and to keep themselves clean and healthy so that everybody will be happy at the end…..cheers

    Zypher at Mar 30, 08 at 8:36 pm

  12. Do we REALLY NEED this? Will this be our ticket to the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language film next year? Hey I don’t mind seeing Coco strut his banana yet again, but if this wins (let’s all keep our fingers crossed now…) maganda bang image ito para sa ating mga Pilipino? Like we always say…bahala na si Batman!

    perfida limpin at Mar 30, 08 at 9:42 pm

  13. I say alright already to gay-themed films with zero budget and poor actors!!! But this is a Coco Martin film and I’ve heard rave reviews about him. And how can you resist that face! And that body!!! He’s improving a lot huh! I love Coco! Even if I haven’t seen any one of his films. Ha Ha Ha! I promise Coco! We’ll have a date, you and me, and the DVD!

    Cheers,

    Frankie von Krefeld
    Düsseldorf, Deutschland!

    Frank Ulrich C. von Krefeld at Mar 30, 08 at 10:04 pm

  14. @jonas What particular theater in angeles ang may mga serbis boys

    Sentosapark at Mar 30, 08 at 10:22 pm

  15. true to life talaga ito kas di ba famous yang si kristoffer king sa pagbibigay ng “serbis” & in fernez magaling sya magservice ha.

    victor at Mar 31, 08 at 2:56 am

  16. Good Morning,
    Just dropping by to let you know you have been linked at the LGBT Bloggers List Blog I am compiling.
    Thankyou and have a great week ahead.
    http://lgbtbloggers.blogspot.com

    shaney at Mar 31, 08 at 5:40 am

  17. I actually am part of the production of this film. No, this is not your typical gay, urban poor film.

    This film is about the story of the FAMILY who manages the “nalulugi” pitopito cinema in Angeles City, called Family Theater. The managing family happens to reside in the cinema building as well.

    The story is about them, and Coco is NOT a service boy here, albeit he has a love scene here.

    The film is in Kapampangan, Ilocano, and Tagalog.

    thuisna at Mar 31, 08 at 7:43 am

  18. im from laguna sta rosa in particular. ang hirap naman makahanap ng indie films movies CD/DVD dito? nakakuha lang me nga copya ng lalaki sa parola and the rest walang available., may particular store ba which sell those indie movies DVD? help naman pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee ayoko ng puro kwento lang., type korin panoorin. thanks in advance………………

    sheveree at Mar 31, 08 at 11:41 am

  19. try to email me at virgin_apple@yahoo.com waiting for your response kung sino man ang nakakaalam. thanks again.

    sheveree at Mar 31, 08 at 11:42 am

  20. thuisna, ur part of the production?
    Baka naman pwede ka na magleak out about the plot of the story, or kahit a short trailer man lang!

    Coco martin is one hot cutie!

    TRAILER po pleaseeee….

    fatboyslim at Mar 31, 08 at 12:26 pm

  21. na naman?

    matt at Mar 31, 08 at 12:30 pm

  22. has coco ever brandished his banana around?

    i really find it disturbing also that gay guys are protrayed to be poor. come on. i hardly know any poor gay guy. how can we be the ones driving the retail economy of our country if we are actually poor? how could gay guys be more cultured, well-traveled, classy, if you don’t have the money?

    can there be movie portraying gay guys as the professional, rich, educated, and well-mannered kind?

    XoXo at Mar 31, 08 at 8:40 pm

  23. gusto ko sana manood kaso wala ako kasama,,hihi :)

    makie_20 at Apr 1, 08 at 1:28 am

  24. “Kubrador” was really good so bakit puro na lang seks at kabaklaan? When you see a bunch of homos in a gay blog voting AGAINST seeing another lalakeng hubad in a gay film YOU KNOW it’s been done way too much. I’ve seen “Masahista”" so I’m sure Coco Martin, as luscious as he is, can do other kinds of films and is very much capable. I don’t mind the poor aspect of Pinoy indie films but it would be very interesting to see a film about the middle class. The rich? Ewan ko, it looks TH sa film, I guess ‘coz in real life andaming TH na rich (or pa-rich) sa Pinas. LOL

    rustcell at Apr 1, 08 at 7:47 am

  25. Actually, the movie portrays the boys as poor and the gays as richie rich giving money to the poor, dba ganyan naman usually nangyayari?

    fatboyslim at Apr 1, 08 at 8:58 am

  26. nakakaumay na ang gay-themed films. iba na lang. lagi nalang badet na malibog o kaya babaeng pinay ang nasa pelikulang pilipino. halos lahat naman ng pinoy gay-themed indie e soft porn. sige gawa tayu ng walang frontal or kahit anong nudity tingnan natin kung may manonood. sana ung mala-maximo na lang. gay-themed peru heart-warming. hinde puro shock cinema?

    Bryz at Apr 1, 08 at 9:50 am

  27. i mean babaeng pinay na pokpok…

    Bryz at Apr 1, 08 at 9:50 am

  28. coco martin says he’s straight, so why the fuck are all his films on gay themes? fantasy niya maging callboy, macho dancer, masahista? bakla yan

    jockbitch at Apr 1, 08 at 6:44 pm

  29. You’re rigth ! I’ve been wondering myself why coco martin’s films are all gay themes. Even if he gets paired with a girl like in “Condo”, you can feel na hindi maganda ang blending niya with girls. He’s really “bagay” with boys. I could see that in real life, he has a lot of boy to boy sexual experiences. Halatang halata na sa aura niya. Anyway, he’s still the most attractive male animal in philippine showbiz! And I’ll always adore him!

    Joey at Apr 2, 08 at 3:54 pm

  30. I appreciate the efforts of those film makers/writers who make gay theme stories. But why does it always have to be stories of a macho dancer/masseur/porn actors who offers sexual service in exchange of money? Why cant they make movies about a real guy who really fell in love with a same sex? Is it really that impossible? Like a basketball rookie fell in love with his team mate? classmates? bestfriends? roommates? coworkers? a chickboy who finds a basketball varsity player in his school as HOT! Yun di ba magandang gawin story un? One more thing, why cant they make them happy ending? Di ba talaga pede magkaron ng happy ending ang same sex relationship? Well… calling all film writers producers and directors!!! I can help you with plot stories lyk dis hehehe…

    Chris at Apr 2, 08 at 10:55 pm

  31. panay kabadingan yan mga indie films na yan! wala na bang iba! panay kase bading mga writers at directors!

    julian at Apr 3, 08 at 1:22 am

  32. Hypocrisy! Yan ang masabi ko sa baklang ayaw ng gay themed indie film, pero wag ka pag pinag usapan na pag showing na ay di magkanda ugaga sa pag fly sa moviehouse.Arte nyo!

    mightymikee at Apr 3, 08 at 11:23 am

  33. I agree with the comments above, Coco Martin has no chemistry with girls in movies. May dating kc sya na callboy/boytoy type of guy. He is kindda flawless kc kaya bagay sya ipartner sa mga lalaki.

    Chris,
    Tama ka! Dapat gumawa naman ng matino tinong gay movie ang pinas, nde puro callboy ang theme.

    Try checking out Bishonen, may mga clips na naka upload sa youtube, gay themed sya pero nde naman tungkol sa callboy. How about brokeback mountain?

    Bakit nde tayo makagawa ng isang movie, say starring Piolo Pascual as a young professional, falling in love with a fellow officemate, say portrayed by Sam Milby!

    Im sure kikita yang movie ng limpak limpak!

    And they can always deny it, saying they just did it for arts sake! O diba?

    fatboyslim at Apr 3, 08 at 3:48 pm

  34. yeyyy!!! me kakampi ako… thanks fatboyslim….

    i have a copy of bishonen… its a nice movie. been a fan of stephen fung since den…

    Chris at Apr 4, 08 at 9:17 pm

  35. Hello, I’m Bing Lao. Boots Pastor wrote the first drafts of Serbis but it’s my version that was finally used in the film. The film is not a gay film. The story focuses on the family that runs the movie house, with Gina Pareno as the matriarch, Jacklyn Jose as her daughter, Julio Diaz as her husband, Coco Martin as the billboard painter and Christofer King as the projectionist. Poverty, being a state of affairs, is a given but not the issue. The issue discussed in the film is about the relativity of what is legal and moral. The movie house and the monkey business going on inside it serve as the milieu.

    Armando Lao at Apr 15, 08 at 11:17 am

  36. It’s spelled Kristofer King. Sorry.

    Armando Lao at Apr 15, 08 at 11:21 am

  37. Here’s the newest development re Serbis.
    I’m happy to inform the readers that our film has been selected as an entry in the main competition of the 2008 Cannes International Film Festival.

    Armando Lao at Apr 24, 08 at 10:00 am

  38. Chris Says:
    i have a copy of bishonen… its a nice movie

    Chris,

    Can u send me a copy of Bishonen? Where did u get ur copy? Im having a hard time finding one

    fatboyslimden at Apr 24, 08 at 11:04 am

  39. To Bing Lao

    I hope you can provide us with a synopsis of the movie SERBIS. I think most of us (if not all) are looking forward to see the movie!

    When will it be shown in local theaters? Or will it be a direct to dvd movie?

    fatboyslimden at Apr 24, 08 at 11:05 am

  40. To Fatboyslimden.

    The plot is very simple really. The time frame is only one day, the day the court will hand down its decision regarding the bigamy case filed by Gina character against her husband and how the outcome affects the rest of the family.
    Yes, it will be shown locally, June 18 as planned. With cuts. The uncut version will most likely be shown in the UP Film Center.
    I enjoin all to watch it. Thank you for your interest and support.

    Armando Lao at Apr 25, 08 at 11:45 am

  41. To Bing Lao

    What can we look forward to in the “uncut” version of the movie? May pinakita ba si Coco na Coconut? :-)

    If ever the DVD will be released, uncut version din ba sa DVD?

    Fatboyslim at Apr 25, 08 at 12:11 pm

  42. i’m familiar with the Family Theatre in Angeles City, i used to watch movies there with my family when i was a child, especially watching Tito, Vic, & Joey films (that was almost 20 years ago). i saw the transformation of those cinemas, it’s really a pity. i think there were at least 8 cinemas in Angeles City then. then came the mall theatres that led other cinema house near to extinction. with “Serbis” i remember Piolo Pascual’s Lagarista. to the “Serbis” team, good luck on Cannes!

    ad at May 13, 08 at 3:58 pm

  43. Thank you, Ad!

    Armando Lao at May 15, 08 at 4:42 pm

  44. mr. lao, when it will be shown in the UP film center? I’m looking forward to watch this movie via the uncut version. Kudos to all the people behind this film especially to you and brilliante mendoza.

    blue22ph at May 29, 08 at 11:34 am

  45. He had a frontal nude in this movie, hadn’t he?

    Certified Yummy!

    Gelai at Jun 9, 08 at 4:14 pm

  46. Serbis will be one of the Featured Films sa 13th French Film Festival in the Shang-la cinema. It will only have one screening time. June 12, 4:30pm. This will be a free film watching celebrating the pinoy films nominated at the recently concluded Cannes Film Festival. Accoring to my sources, this will be the only time that the film be shown uncut before its commercial release. Please support also “Now Showing” after wards at 7pm.

    All films in the 13th French Film Festival are free so if you want to enjoy other films worth watching. Stop by at the Shang. the French Film Festrival will run from June 11 up to 22.

    jupiterboi at Jun 11, 08 at 8:14 am

  47. I’ve seen an ad from the Entertainment pages ng isang major daily na showing sya this coming 18th.

    I just don’t know (kasi di naman nilagay) kung saang sinehan.

    isko2 at Jun 16, 08 at 5:53 pm

  48. I was able to download a dvd rip copy of Serbis. Uncut iyong movie with the frontal scenes of Coco Martin and Kristofer King at mininova.org. Happy watching.

    marebro at Jun 11, 09 at 5:21 am

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