Iskul Bukol 20 Years After (Ungasis and Escaleras Adventure)
Encyclopedia
Iskul Bukol 20 Years After (Ungasis and Escaleras Adventure) is a Philippine comedy movie starring actors Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon
Joey de Leon
José María Ramos de León, better known as Joey de Leon is a Filipino comedian, actor, and television presenter. He hosts the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga!. He is a member of the comedy trio Tito, Vic and Joey that has made several comedy movies and TV shows...

. It is part of the Iskul Bukol
Iskul Bukol
Iskul Bukol was a Philippine situational comedy show that aired on the IBC 13 network from 1977 to 1988. It starred Filipino comedians Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon. The show centered on their lives as students of the fictional Wanbol University, parodying it's real life counterpart,...

 franchise, depicting its characters 20 years after the end of the original TV series. It is also the fourth Iskul Bukol film (after 1977's Iskul Bukol the Movie, 1980's Iskul Bukol Freshmen, and 1987's The Best of Iskul Bukol: The Movie).

The movie, which was a joint collaboration of APT Entertainment, MZET Films, and OctoArts Films, was one of the movies exhibited at the 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival.

Premise

Vic Ungasis (Sotto) is an archaeologist who has recovered the Kali of Humabon
Rajah Humabon
Rajah Humabon was the Rajah of Cebu at the time of Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan's arrival in the Philippines in 1521. There is no official record of his existence before the Spanish arrival, but extensive narration by Italian historian Antonio Pigafetta was made on Humabon and the...

 and is looking for a partner sword, the Kampilan of Lapu-Lapu
Lapu-Lapu
Lapu-Lapu was the ruler of Mactan, an island in the Visayas, Philippines, who is known as the first native of the archipelago to have resisted the Spanish colonization...

, plus the Peseta, one of Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...

's 30 pieces of silver
Thirty pieces of silver
Thirty pieces of silver was the price for which Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, according to the Gospel of Matthew 26:15 in the Christian New Testament. Before the Last Supper, Judas went to the chief priests and agreed to hand over Jesus in exchange for 30 silver coins...

 which reportedly gives the bearer immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...

. Upon returning home, he reunites with the Escalera brothers, who have become successful real-estate developers. However, a Yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...

 who has acquired the Kampilan wants the Peseta so it could be merged with the sword for unmatched power.

Cast

  • Tito Sotto - Tito Escalera
  • Vic Sotto - Victorio Ungasis
  • Joey de Leon
    Joey de Leon
    José María Ramos de León, better known as Joey de Leon is a Filipino comedian, actor, and television presenter. He hosts the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga!. He is a member of the comedy trio Tito, Vic and Joey that has made several comedy movies and TV shows...

     - Joey Escalera
  • Gian Sotto - Gianni Escalera
  • Oyo Boy Sotto
    Oyo Boy Sotto
    Oyo Boy Sotto is a Filipino actor also known as "Oyo Boy" or "Oyo Sotto". He is the son of comedian Vic Sotto and actress Dina Bonnevie, nephew of former Senator Tito Sotto, and younger brother of actress Danica Sotto...

     - Yoyo Ungasis
  • Keempee de Leon
    Keempee de Leon
    Joseph Joachim de Leon or known as Keempee de Leon is a Filipino actor, comedian and TV host...

     - Wympy Escalera
  • Jose Manalo
    Jose Manalo
    Jose Manalo is a Filipino actor, comedian working for GMA Network and stars in noon-time variety show Eat Bulaga!.-Biography and Career:...

     - Jude
  • Carlene Aguilar - Alice John
  • Bianca King
    Bianca King
    Bianca Charlotte King is a Filipina-Canadian actress. She is known in her role as Noemi Manansala in the thriller drama series Sinner or Saint aired on GMA, replacing Nita Negrita. She went to San Beda College Alabang during her grade school and high school years. She proceeded to take up AB...

     - Girlie, Ungasis' secretary
  • Jimmy Santos - Big J, the Escalera brothers' driver
  • Benjie Paras
    Benjie Paras
    Venancio Johnson Paras, Jr. , better known as Benjie Paras, is a Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association turned actor. He is the only PBA player to win both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors, in a single season...

     - Genie, one of Ungasis' colleagues in the university's history department
  • Robert Villar
    Robert Villar
    Robert Villar, Jr. August 16, 1999, better known simply as Robert "Buboy" Villar, is a Philippine actor. His first Television appearance is when he auditioned in ABS-CBN'S Little Big Star,He is also a member of the youngest boy band in the Philippines, the Mak and the Dudes. Villar's breakthrough...

     - Oohn, a Filipino-Cambodian child.
  • Jacky Woo - Shimata
  • Francine Prieto
    Francine Prieto
    Francine Prieto born Anna Marie Falcon is a former award-winning child star, a fashion model and movie actress from the Philippines. She is of Filipino and Norwegian descent.-Education:Francine studied B.S...

     - Brenda, Shimata's moll
  • Pauleen Luna
    Pauleen Luna
    Marie Pauleen J. Luna is a Filipina actress and television personality. She appears on the GMA Network, particularly as one of the regular hosts of the long-running Philippine variety show Eat Bulaga! where she portrays the humorous child-woman character Baby Poleng.-Career:Luna began her show...

     - Patty
  • Krista Ranillo
    Krista Ranillo
    Cristalle Lauren Tupaz Ranillo , also known as Krista Ranillo, is a Filipina actress. She comes from a "showbiz family" and earned her degree in 2007. In 2010 she married businessman Nino Jefferson Lim in a Jewish-interfaith ceremony...

     - Faye
  • Nicole Uysiuseng
    Nicole Uysiuseng
    Nicole Kim Uysiuseng , is an actress, model, and was the third runner-up of the reality television show Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Plus. She is currently a member of ABS-CBN's Star Magic...

     - Tessa
  • Redford White
    Redford White
    Cipriano "Dodoy" Cermeño II , better known as Redford White, was a Filipino actor and comedian who was active from the late 1970s until the late 2000s.-Early life and career:...

     - Redford
  • Jhong Hilario
    Jhong Hilario
    Virgilio Hilario, Jr. , better known by his stage name Jhong Hilario, is a Filipino actor and dancer. He is part of the dance group Streetboys in the Philippines....

     - Fernando, Oohn's Filipino father
  • Ryan Agoncillo
    Ryan Agoncillo
    Kristoffer Lou Ryan Agoncillo , popularly known as Ryan Agoncillo, is a Filipino Film and Television actor, model, singer, photographer, and TV host.-Early life:Agoncillo was born on April 10, 1978...

     - Samnang, Oohn's stepfather

Original cast

Many members of the show's original cast appear in the movie, aside from the three leads. They include Anthony Roquel (Tonette Macho), Mely Tagasa (Miss Tapia), Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan, better known as Sharon Cuneta, is a popular and multi-awarded Filipino singer, actress and TV host dubbed as Megastar of Philippine Entertainment, fondly called Mega by fans and people from the entertainment industry....

 (Sharon Escalera), Redford White (Redford), Ariel Villasanta (Pekto), scriptwriter Bibeth Orteza (Bibeth), Kaye Torres (Kaye Flores), and Richard Reyes, otherwise known as Ritchie D'Horsie.

Vic Sotto said the decision to get Ritchie on the film was hard to make, considering that he, Tito Sotto, and Joey de Leon have bailed him out several times over the years on drug charges but did not change his ways. The trio stressed that the latest bailout, where they paid PHP 120,000, will be Reyes' last chance to reform. Ritchie eventually appeared on set during the last shooting day on November 11, 2008.

The role of Mang Temi was retired as a tribute to cast member Bing Angeles who died in 2001. The movie was eventually dedicated to him and series director Emmanuel "Boy" Gatus, who died in October 2008.

At the same time, certain characters were introduced as an homage to past series characters. Joey de Leon's real-life son, Keempee, plays Wympy, Joey Escalera's son by series character Patty Pulupot, a dancer at the Agogo Banana strip club
Strip club
A strip club is an adult entertainment venue in which striptease or other erotic or exotic dance is regularly performed. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, but can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style....

. Gian Sotto, Tito Sotto's real-life son, plays Gianni, Tito Escalera's son by Pulupot's colleague, Mercy Taga. Bubble Gang
Bubble Gang
Bubble Gang is a sketch comedy television show in the Philippines. It airs every Friday evenings by GMA Network. The show is part of the network's GMA KiliTV block. Currently, it is now the longest-running gag show in Philippine television. The TV program is known for their parodies of TV...

 mainstay Mykah appears in a short scene as Mang Temi's daughter Temita.

Development

Vic Sotto first revealed during a 2007 episode of the GMA documentary show I-Witness
I-Witness
i-Witness, originally i-Witness: The GMA Documentaries, is an award-winning documentary news and public affairs television show in the Philippines aired every Monday evenings by GMA Network.-Hosts:-2008:*January Episodes...

 that he wished to do a reunion movie with the surviving cast members of Iskul Bukol, particularly his co-hosts, Tito Sotto and Joey de Leon
Joey de Leon
José María Ramos de León, better known as Joey de Leon is a Filipino comedian, actor, and television presenter. He hosts the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga!. He is a member of the comedy trio Tito, Vic and Joey that has made several comedy movies and TV shows...

. He later said that after four straight Enteng Kabisote movies, it was high time that the comic trio got back together on the big screen. On July 2, 2008, Vic's film production company, M-ZET Films, submitted a script written by fellow cast member Bibeth Orteza, intended for the 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival
2008 Metro Manila Film Festival
The 34th Annual 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival is considered quite historical because it included for the first time an animated film as one of its official entries...

 (MMFF). The entry entitled "Vic Ungasis en the Escaleras" was immediately approved by the MMFF jurors. The title was changed to "Escalera and Ungasis: 20 Years After," which reunited the main characters for the first time since the original TV series.

The movie's title was changed again to "Iskul Bukol 20 Years After: Ungasis and Escaleras Adventure" in order to gain strong audience recall, owing its large fanbase to people who grew up in the '70s and '80s watching the TV show.

Filming started in late September 2008. Vic Sotto, Ryan Agoncillo, and Jose Manalo joined the crew in shooting the foreign scenes in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

 from October 7 to October 14. The crew wrapped up production on November 11, 2008, when the movie's reunion scene was shot at the Sta. Catalina College in Manila.

Critical reception

The film gathered mixed reviews. On the positive side, Phillip Cu-Unjieng of the Philippine Star said the film appealed to young viewers because of the action-adventure element, while older fans of the show can relate to the characters that come back after a long time. On the negative side, Manila Times
Manila Times
The Manila Times is the oldest existing English language newspaper in the Philippines. It is published daily by The Manila Times Publishing Corp. with editorial and administrative offices at 371 A...

 contributor Joey Ting said the film's comedic elements were rehashed staples of Tito, Vic, and Joey's usual skits. The review by Judith Juntilla of Business World criticized the film's concentration on action-adventure as an Iskul Bukol-oriented version of Enteng Kabisote's plots over the years, instead of focusing on what has happened to other Iskul Bukol characters in the past two decades beyond the film's reunion scene.

The film eventually earned PHP 107 million in earnings for the Metro Manila Film Festival and earned its Third Best Picture award, behind Ang Tanging Ina Nyong Lahat and top awardee Baler
Baler (film)
Baler is a 2008 drama film and the official entry of VIVA Films in the 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival, starring Anne Curtis and Jericho Rosales...

.

External links

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