An Unlikely Pairing That Works: MEG & RYAN

Seeing the trailer a couple months back had me asking if these two actors would actually work. I could identify JC Santos in more indie looking romcoms and drams while Rhian Ramos would fall into either action, sultry contrabida roles, drama and fantasy genres.

Watching the movie through a red carpet advance screening (a few days ago) however proved that putting these actors in a box would be a big mistake especially since the material of Meg & Ryan needed specific personas shown on screen. JC had to make Ryan as nerdy, ultra conservative and virginal at times while Rhian does the opposite, flawed, game for anything and had no bottle left unturned. She also gets egged to do things by friends, persuaded by a drop of wine and fun it brings. 

Lots of stars went to the event and supported them. Mind you it was raining and traffic was bad, but they all went there to support Director Catherine Camarillo and the other stars of the film. In a way this is a huge gamble because it's pretty slow at cinemas these days. But they're pretty confident about this story and its execution.

JC took his character to heart. With his boyish charm and soft delivery, he makes the easy work out of being the Mama's boy he needed to portray. Rhian on the other hand remained pretty mysterious despite her being the rocker chick she exudes. Both characters situations get intertwined, call it fate, call it something something that happened for one night, but they both loved each other eventually.

Some real good highlights are the appearances of Steven Bansil and the super funny POCA. If you love them on their internet skits, you would love them even more in their first movie.

We all thought it was not going to work, but folks in the cinema were gushing about the pair, even cried too. I guess we all fell for the trap that is MEG & RYAN. And they hope you get to experience it too.  It's an interesting and cute story, the pairing works! It comes out on August 6th, in cinemas nationwide! This is under POCKET MEDIA Films.

RHIAN RAMOS, JC SANTOS Take On Complex Characters in PM Productions "MEG & RYAN"

A word was uttered around the venue when we were interviewing the cast of "Meg & Ryan", it was UNDERRATED, which we felt was certainly an apt one after meeting the stars of the movie under Pocket Media Films. 

Lead stars Rhian Ramos and JC Santos will be doing this romantic comedy film together with the cast award winning actor Cedrick Juan, Ces Quesada, Cris Villanueva, Jef Gaitan, JMee Katanyag, and social media stars Steven Bansil and Poca Osinaga, plus beauty queen Alison Black.   

While isn't first film to be directed by Direk Catherine O. Camarillo, this is somehow her first foray in the love story-romcom genre. "This is another masterpiece that I want to share with you, which I hope you would be able to give awareness to the audience, give them a fair chance to watch this in cinemas this coming August 5, 2025. (watched trailer, she became very emotional and said)  I am just overwhelmed seeing them on screen because they really look good together. Doing this was quite easy because I had some of the best actors to work with. It was quite to put them in what I envisioned in the film. I've done so many projects in the past that made me do compromises, I didn't have to do that here. I gave it my all, and got the ones I wanted to have in this project. I'm so happy I was able to do that in Meg & Ryan. I also felt the support of my cast, they respected the material, they loved this film as much as I did."

Rhian says "I haven't had drunk episodes where I wasn't aware of what I was doing. Either that, or may I just couldn't remember it. I really enjoyed the whole experience because JC is such a generous actor. If there's something he could do to help in the execution of a scene, he will. He will go farther than what is expected of him. It's not just the acting part that he's going to do, he contributes in the lines, change it to what feels more natural in the scenes. He really envibes what would Ryan do or say. It really helped me and made my job super easy! I really love complex characters, those with flaws, to make sense of people. Meg is an @lcoh0lic, opposites attract, I've seen Direk Catherine's previous films and wanted to work with JC which is why I wanted to do this. This is how I view love also, we have our own journey, when you find someone who understand that about you, it needs to be watched and told." 

JC Santos added "Actually everybody here was easy to work with. This is what's great about a collaboration because you can feel if you match. We enjoyed the process even the challenges, Rhian Ramos is a part of my bucket list and I'm seeing it now. I see how she gives the truth in her scenes. Even Tita Ces, Direk Catherine gives us freedom so we get our personalities in the mix. I also really wanted to work with Direk Catherine, and seeing the script, it's a different kind of love. It's something new, puberty at 35, he is complex, a bit difficult to do but I think we succeeded in creating this character."

Here's the press conference in full:

Aside from being shown in the Philippines, this will also have a theater run in Australia and New Zealand on August 14th. Please support Filipino films as these don't come cheap in production. They're taking a huge risk because they want to help the industry. The love story between Meg & Ryan was created by prolific writer Gina Marissa Tagasa. The soundtrack is also a fun version of Torete, which will make you feel a bit of nostalgia. This took a while before it was released, but from the looks of it, it has all the ingredients to make you connect with the story of Meg and Ryan. Go watch it on theaters, and see the trailers on their social channels because they already have 2 out!

SAM VERZOSA Pronounces RHIAN RAMOS as His Dream Girl

Just got the chance to see Sam Verzosa today at the Kamuning Bakery Cafe. They were supposed to be guests at a conference set by its owner Wilson Lee Flores which mostly hosts political events, but this time, it's for entertainment. Unfortunately Rhian had to attend to some commitments because she's hosting a show "Where in Manila" in lieu of Sam's previous one "SV Cares" (in the same time slot). We saw a very giddy Sam and he was excited to share his recent successes including the increase in recent surveys at 38 percent.

"I already talked to a lot of people, and there's a lot of international film festivals and the Manila Film Festival is something that I'd want to do. Whatever experience I have in sales and marketing, I'll do it in Manila. As you know, foreigners only pass by the city and go to other places. I also want to do events in Intramuros, have press conferences like these inside the walls. There are restaurants, know some obstructions are there, we need to develop it and should be enjoyed by people. It's a combination of everything, cleanliness, renovation, even the Metropolitan Theater should be better promoted. We need to move events where we can maximize it. We work with what we have, it's not just selling properties, we need to use them too."

He adds "After receiving multiple philanthropist of the year, we just received the GUSI Peace Prize too. Manila properties need to be promoted right, we need to help local businesses because there's an opportunity for food, additional livelihood for Manileños so they have work."

He told us "Rhian isn't my ideal woman, she's my dream. She's so intelligent and have a huge heart. We plan to put up communities that has everything sustainable. We have the same goals, I thought I should do it elsewhere but I know we can do it in Manila. I've been a devotee of the Black Nazarene for over 16 years. I think I'd want a wedding in Quiapo Church. I want an even better looking Plaza Miranda, they've done it in Europe, why couldn't we do it here."

As for Holy Week activities he says "I hope you pray for the love, peace and prosperity. We'll be spending it by doing Visita Iglesia, 14 churches in Manila. We have been doing that with my Father ever since we were kids."

"I hope Rhian can help me promote Manila, not just the beauty of the place but promote businesses. She's my partner in life, I ask her often for decisions. For people, for SME's, it's easy to do Siomai carts (which was her idea). We'd want to have SIOMAYNILA in more places because right now, it's over 500 already. People are really becoming successful with it."

Sam hopes people see his sincerity and would want to participate in debates if organizations would invite him. He sees it as a platform where people could see that he's more action than just lip service.