Review | MOMOL Nights on iWant (+ Book Recommendations!)

I’ve been noticing how iWant has been producing new and original streaming content for the past year, but it’s only this year I’ve actually tried watching them because Bagman was really good. I’ve yet to try John en Martian too, but last week, I was able to watch their latest offering, MOMOL Nights, which starred Kim Molina and Kit Thompson.

Watch MOMOL Nights on iWant

(Be warned: The following review contains spoilers. Scroll down at your own risk.)

iWant didn’t have to work hard to sell me this because 1) I adore Kim, and; 2) the trailer had rom-com beats, which I really liked. <3 Did I want to watch it? HELL YES. But was it a romance? That remained to be seen.

In case you’re wondering why the second question was important, here’s a quick explanation: As a romance author, I am very particular about certain media (books, movies, etc) being branded as a romance when they are very clearly not. Romancelandia’s rule is simple: If it doesn’t have a happy ending, it’s NOT romance.

So is MOMOL Nights a romance? Yes. And here are some things I liked about it:

  1. Our leading lady, Peng. I’m just gonna go straight to the point: I love Peng. The way she was written and portrayed just worked for me. You can totally imagine having a friend like Peng—lovable and honest, still reeling from a recent heartbreak but willing to open herself up again for love. Or just sex. Kim Molina has always impressed me with her acting chops, and she didn’t disappoint me here. If it were another actress playing Peng, I’m not sure she would have come off as awkwardly cute…which was one of the things Marco (Kit Thompson) loved about her.
  2. It’s sex positive. In the year of our Lord 2019, a lot of people still frown upon casual sex like it’s something to be ashamed of. And it’s REALLY not. (I’m saying this with exceptions, though, because if you’re married or in an exclusive relationship and you’re still enjoying casual sex with someone else, you’re just downright trash.) Just like it says in the movie, “Sex is not dirty. It’s being human.” I like that MOMOL Nights was able to show a woman being comfortable with her sexuality and just going for what she wants without feeling guilty about it. (Although there were casual hints of slutshaming from her friends, which confused me a bit because hey, looking for someone to MOMOL was their idea.)
  3. It promotes safe sex! It’s only a small fraction of the entire movie, but I appreciated that the screenwriter/s put it there. Practice safe sex, kids.
  4. The MOMOL rules. There are a LOT, but one of my favorites is, essentially, Do not hook up with someone who’s spoken for. Simple, but ethical. I’m all for fulfilling a basic need, but not at the expense of someone else, please.

And now for the things that didn’t quite work for me:

  1. Our leading man, Marco. He’s easy on the eyes, yes. And I agreed with Peng when she said when Marco speaks, everything sounds so nice. But I felt Kit Thompson was underutilized in this movie, which resulted to an underdeveloped character. Him talking about his personal loss didn’t quite do it for me. I wanted to see him do more—for and with Peng—so that the ending feels well earned.
  2. Peng’s friends. I liked them in the beginning, when they were supportive of Peng’s forays into MOMOLand (oops, my fingers slipped). But somewhere in the middle, I found them quite mean, which confused me because they knew Peng and her tendency to look for something more than sex. Why then, would they berate her for having feelings toward the guy she hooked up with? They could have talked her out of it in a more…encouraging way, I think, not in a way that dismissed her feelings.
  3. Consent, or the lack thereof. Okay, listen. Just because someone agrees to have sex with you doesn’t mean they’ve given you explicit consent to take photos of them while sleeping. Just. No. Ever heard of those pick-up artists who have sex with random women and take photos and videos with them while having sex and after sex? Disgusting, right? I had that icky feeling when both Peng and Marco were shown taken pictures of their sleeping partners. Please, people. Don’t do that.

I think MOMOL Nights had a nice story to tell, but a limited time to actually flesh out certain elements of the narrative. (Like, I was actually surprised it escalated THAT fast and ended so soon! I wanted more!) Overall, the sex positivity in this movie is appreciated as well as the nod to practicing safe sex. Kim Molina is a star.

* * * * *

If you liked MOMOL Nights, you might like
these #romanceclass books, too!

Feels Like Summer / Six de los Reyes

At a happening music festival north of Manila, Miss No-Room-For-Love Jett is asked to play five-minute girlfriend to band leader Adrian, who recently had his heart broken.

No Two Ways / Chi Yu Rodriguez

AJ doesn’t know the name of the girl she last had a one-night stand with, but damn if the Universe wasn’t a prankster, bringing Jackie back into her life and throwing in AJ’s ex-boyfriend in the mix, too.

What You Wanted / Mina V. Esguerra

It was only supposed to be a one-night-stand between Andrea and Damon. So why are they still seeing each other again?

How She Likes It / Carla de Guzman

Isabel, a CEO-in-training and heiress to a cosmetics company, needs to hire an assistant, stat. What happens when the eligible applicant in front of her is the same man she was in bed with the night before?

Submission Moves / Camilla Sisco

MMA fighter Niccolo and snarky feminist Rose have nothing in common. Save maybe for that insanely hot night in Vegas.

All of the book recommendations may also be found on romanceclassbooks.com and are available for purchase in print during our events and straight from the authors. For questions on any of the books, feel free to leave a comment below.

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#BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy: What to read, see, and listen to

#BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy is the official hashtag for an online campaign spearheaded by author Edgar Calabia Samar (Janus Silang), who objective was to promote Filipino-authored pieces of literature. This happens in the month of August, which is also Buwan ng Wika or National Language Month. I was made aware of this campaign last year, and since then, I’ve been making a conscious effort to consume as many Filipino-authored books, movies, songs, and musicals/plays. If you’re looking for a #BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy-related media, here are some suggestions:

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Don’t Sleep On These Pinoy Flicks: Pista Ng Pelikulang Pilipino 2017

Remember that diverse Metro Manila Film Festival lineup we had last year? I personally wasn’t able to watch every single one of them (because I was stuck in Baguio City and they were showing like… just three of the eight official entries, even splitting one cinema for two films) but I thought it was a pretty solid lineup. There was an animated film (Saving Sally), a documentary (Sunday Beauty Queen), a feel-good rom-com (Vince and Kath and James), comedy and drama (Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2, Die Beautiful), and even a thriller (Seklusyon).

It doesn’t look like we’re going to see a repeat of that lineup this year, though, but you know what? That’s fine. Because this August, we get an entire week of what looks like some of the best new (and new-ish?) releases via Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino! Check out the 12 films that made it to this year’s list!

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Work & Play: Sleepless nights are made of these . . .

It’s finally happened: Work has officially slain my writing mojo. That doesn’t mean I can’t CPR the shit out of it, though. I’m just so tired to think of anything, even if I’m pressured to come up with a plot for my next class this coming August. Sigh.

Anyhoo~20150613_210140[1]

My first block screening event is finally over! There’s a lot to say about putting up this thing, but the place for that is on post-event reports and production meetings, so I’ll leave them there. What I can say, however, is that it was quite the experience. The last time I’ve been on my toes for about the same amount of time was when we produced the Koala’s March Grand Family Day event at SM Mall of Asia . . . and that was in November! It’s just too bad I didn’t lose weight over all the running I did, heh.

Also, I wish I could spazz over Jurassic World properly, but I only kind of saw 50% of the movie since I had to go in and out of the cinema to take care of business. I could tell you, however, that Chris Pratt was hot and I was just swooning inside every time his Henley-wearing ass was on-screen. <3 I also kind of freaked out a couple of times over some scenes involving the Indominus Rex, and thought the special effects were pretty darn neat.

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Movie lovers unite!

The Modworld Popcorn Club is inviting all movie enthusiasts to be part of our series of block screening events from June to August 2015! We are now selling tickets to Jurassic World in 3D (June 13), Minions in 3D (July 11), and Fantastic Four in 3D (August 8) with special early bird rates. To buy, simply click on THIS LINK and fill out the form on the page. Further instructions will be given to you via email.

Are you an interested block buyer or sponsor? You may contact our lovely Miss Liezel Bunao at 950 4782 / 0916 850 0007 or send her an email at modworld.zel@gmail.com. Or you may send me an email a modworld.tara@gmail.com.

The Early Bird Promo has been EXTENDED to May 31st! Hurry and buy your tickets now! ^_^

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