RURU Madrid is so fortunate to be given an action-adventure project intended for primetime viewing as big as GMA’s “Lolong”, now taping on location in a rustic resort in Quezon Province. He plays a young man who befriends a big crocodile named Dakila. He has no less than two leading ladies: Shaira Diaz and Arra San Agustin.

They will be supported by a powerhouse cast led by award-winners like Christopher de Leon, Jean Garcia, and Bembol Roco, plus Malou de Guzman, Rochelle Pangilinan, Ian de Leon, Mikoy Morales, Paul Salas, DJ Durano, Marco Alcaraz, Maui Taylor, Leandro Baldemor and the comebacking Priscilla Almeda.

Ruru says the star-studded line up inspires him to give his best in all his scenes. “When I saw the list of actors in the cast, sabi ko, wow! Impressive kasama sina Tito Boyet de Leon and Bembol Roco who are both veteran actors. It’s really an honor na makatrabaho ko silang lahat. I just can’t wait na matapos na namin itong proyektong ito at mapapanood ng atin pong mga Kapuso. GMA really left no stone unturned to make sure it will be an adventure of a lifetime for Kapuso viewers.”

He got hurt in doing his own stunts for the various action scenes. “Grabe, mahihirap talaga ang mga eksena. Nagkasugat-sugat ako, nagkapasa-pasa, but for me okay lang kasi I truly feel so blessed na sa akin ipinagkatiwala ng GMA ang proyektong ito. Ang magagawa ko lang in return, is talagang ibubuhos ko po ang lahat dito para mapaganda ito nang husto. Ayokong dayain ang action scenes kaya ako mismo ang gumagawa.”

He’s also proud that “Lolong” carries a valid and timely message. “Ang maganda sa show, it’s not all exciting action kundi may tender love story rin and may maganda at mahalagang mensahe about environmental protection, kung paano natin dapat pangalagaan ang kalikasan at ang mga hayop sa paligid natin. Parehong magaling ang directors naming sina Rommel Penesa and Rado Peru even sa paggamit ng animatronics and graphics to show the crocodile in action. Parang gawa ng Disney ang dating ng mga eksena.”

Do you know that the idea for “Lolong” actually came from top broadcaster Jessica Soho of GMA Public Affairs? “The inspiration came from all the crocodile stories we featured in ‘Kasama Mo, Jessica Soho’, in far-away islands like Balabac in Palawan showing humans versus crocodiles,” she reveals. “I thought it would be interesting to weave reality with fiction and come up with a riveting adventure drama on primetime TV. I’m also hoping that the story would help educate our viewers about these fascinating but feared creatures with whom we share our many rivers, lakes, and seas.”

Dakila, Ruru’s crocodile friend in the story, is made of fiberglass body and silicone skin. He is fondly referred to as the “highest paid actor” in the series as Dakila needs to be manned by 14 people. Using pneumatic technology and an air compressor operated by a technician, Dakila’s tail can wag and his snout can open. Computer-generated imagery (CGI) will also be used to make the creature more frighteningly realistic.

Review of sci-fi fantasy flick ‘Infinite’ starring Mark Wahlberg

‘INFINITE’ is a sci-fi action flick directed by Antoine Fuqua, best known for the 2001 crime thriller “Training Day” for which Denzel Washington got an Oscar best actor award that actually should have gone to Russell Crowe for “A Beautiful Mind” if he didn’t antagonize the academy voters.

Based on the novel “The Reincarnation Papers”, it aims to build its own fantasy universe premised on the idea of reincarnation, so they try to explain to the viewer all the rules that govern their high-concept origin storyline at the start of the film with a narrator.

It starts in 1985 in Mexico City, Heinrich Treadway (Dylan O’Brien) stole a mysterious entity called “The Egg” from a man known as Bathurst (Rupert Friend), who is chasing him as The Egg is his own invention meant to demolish mankind. Bathurst gets to kill Treadway’s friends Abel and Leona, and we see Treadway in his car that jumps off a bridge, but we don’t know what happens to him.

Cut to the present, Evan McCauley (Mark Wahlberg) applies for a job but he’s rejected because he’s suffering from schizophrenia and violent behavior. He is not a blacksmith but when a gangster asks him to make a Japanese sword, he is able to forge a blade of superior craftsmanship.

When the gangster refuses to pay him with the illegal meds they’ve agreed upon, he kills him and his henchmen, but he gets arrested and Bathurst (now played by Chiwetel Eijofor) turns up to get him, saying he is the reincarnation of Treadwell and that they’ve actually known each other in past several lifetimes.

Bathurst aims to ask him where he hid The Egg but a girl, Nora Brightman (Sarah Cookson, “Kingsman”) appears and rescues Evan from Bathurst. Nora explains to Evan that he belongs to a group of persons known as the Infinites, who always get reincarnated and remember all their past lives. This reminds us of Charlize Theron and her friends who also get reincarnated in Netflix’ “The Old Guard”.

There are two rival groups among the Infinites. First is the Believers, the good guys who think that being reincarnated is a gift given to them to help the world. The other group is the Nihilists, the bad guys who believe that it’s not a gift but a curse. so their goal is to kill all people on earth with The Egg, a doomsday weapon that acts like a bomb aimed to end all human life.

Bathurst wants to get Evan to find out where he hid The Egg in his past life as Treadway. Nora is Leona’s reincarnation and she tells Evan that he is perceived as a schizophrenic because he confuses the past memories that haunt him from his multiple past lives with events in the present one.

Through a machine, his memory is fully unlocked. He recalls that as Treadway, he cut open his own self to hide The Egg inside his abdomen. Bathurst sees Evan revealing this and the deadly fight for The Egg begins in a series of spectacular and inventive action sequences. In one big scene, The Egg flies out of a plane.

Both Evan and Bathurst are shown jumping off the plane to pursue it, with them ending up fighting ferociously while in mid-air. If you don’t take the film too seriously, you might enjoy it’s fast paced action scenes, lots of high tech gadgetry and a sleek clandestine hideout called The Hub and with a genius craftsman called the Artisan who helps Evan and the believers in so many ways.
Mark Wahlberg fits the role of the perplexed action hero perfectly and there’s an incredible action sequence where he is shown on a motorcycle running after a plane. He makes the motorcycle jump off a cliff and he lands onto the wing of the airplane to apprehend the escaping Bathhurst. The big-budget globe-trotting locations showing Mexico City, London, Nepal, Cardiff, etc. are all lushly photographed and will please moviegoers who want to do some armchair travelling in this season of the pandemic.