Villainy Fun Pinoy Movie: Kontrabida Academy

 

Kagabi, I watched Kontrabida Academy on Netflix with my wife. Honestly, hesitant pa ako nung una kasi hindi ko naman kilala yung ibang cast. Medyo na-judge ko pa nga kasi karamihan galing GMA. Pero mali ako—kasi once Eugene Domingo entered the picture, ibang level agad. She carried the film with her wit and timing.

Ang ganda rin kasi nadala niya si Barbie Forteza. Their dynamic was perfect—nakakatawa, nakakabwisit in the best way possible, at super natural. Ang lakas ng chemistry nila, and for Barbie’s first kontrabida role, she nailed it!

Tapos may Jameson Blake pa as the bida-bida. Grabe, ang galing ng portrayal niya—nakakainis in a funny way, pero swak na swak sa story. Ang sarap panoorin kasi hindi siya yung tipong pilit or basta-basta nanglalait lang. This kind of comedy has connect at pinagaralan. May sense, may hugot, at witty yung banat.

What makes this film stand out is not just the comedy, but also the lesson behind it. Minsan sa sobrang kabaitan natin, we resort to being kontrabida in some ways—para lang maprotektahan yung sarili natin. Pero pinakita ni Barbie na being kontrabida can also mean being a bida. Gustong-gusto ko rin yung healing moments and the presence of apologies in the film. Hindi lang puro laugh trip, may puso rin.

At syempre, ang saya kasi kompleto ang tropa dito—may bida, kontrabida, at siyempre may mga extra din na dagdag-kulay sa kwento. 
The movie is full of kontrabida icons we grew up watching, and the humor is fresh and unique. Yung mga linya tulad ng double dutch na sampal at “mama mo” insults (may maths pa pala, haha!) had me laughing so hard.

Overall: Maganda, kakaiba, at sulit panoorin. Eugene Domingo once again proved why she’s one of the best, Barbie Forteza showed depth in her kontrabida role, and Jameson Blake made “bida-bida” hilariously annoying in the best way. This is my type of comedy—smart, funny, healing, and definitely a must-watch. Kudos to the director and all the cast of this movie for bringing something so fresh and entertaining to Filipino cinema. 

Internet come na, dina ko galet.

Last weekend was… different. No internet. No scrolling. No streaming. Just me, my thoughts, and a house that suddenly looked like it needed deep cleaning.

It all started Saturday morning. I woke up expecting the usual — coffee, phone, doomscrolling. But surprise! Our internet was cut off. Thanks to an ongoing dispute with Du (na hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin resolved 😤). I was furious. I felt like they were exploiting customers. Walang warning, walang proper resolution. Just silence and no connection.

So, what now?

I ended up cleaning the house. Like, really cleaning. Yung tipong I discovered things I forgot existed. My partner was busy on her laptop preparing for an online interview scheduled for Sunday. I was hoping Du would fix the issue by then. Spoiler alert: they didn’t.

Sunday came. Still no internet. We went to the mall to distract ourselves. Her interview got rescheduled to Monday. Another twist. It was peaceful, yes — but also incomplete. Parang may kulang. You know that feeling?

Back in the day, we didn’t need the internet. A landline was enough. But now, being disconnected feels like losing a limb. Yet, there was something oddly calming about not holding my phone. Less noise. Less pressure. More presence.

I found myself thinking: What if we don’t really need constant connection? What if this forced solitude is actually a blessing?

But then again… you’re in Dubai. Everything runs online. From bills to work to social life. So yeah, I’m still hoping the internet comes back today. I need it. But I also kinda don’t.

Mixed emotions. Frustrated, yet relaxed. Disconnected, yet blessed.