Review of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2025): The Dilemma with Dragons

June 16, 2025

Hiccup (Mason Thames) was the son of Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), the heroic chieftain of their Viking village of Berk. Unlike other villages, the big pest problem of Berk did not ordinary bugs. Instead, they are dragons who fly into their fields grabbing their sheep and burning down their homes. Hiccup was told that his mother had died because of a dragon. He grew up wanting to be able to kill dragons. However, he was physically incapable of doing so. 

In 2010, Dreamworks released "How to Train Your Dragon," an animated feature about the friendship between a Viking boy and a Night Fury dragon, based on the 2003 novel and book series of the same title by Cressida Cowell. A commercial and critical success, this film launched its own franchise, including two sequels (2014 and 2019). This year, Dreamworks followed Disney's lead and produced its own live action remake of this modern classic.

The first film was written and directed by Chris Sanders and Will Deblois. Deblois alone wrote and directed this remake. (Meanwhile, Sanders worked on and released the live-action remake of his 2002 animated film "Lilo and Stitch" for Disney.)  Also back from the original films was Gerald Butler. He once voiced the character of Stoick the Vast, an important source of dramatic conflict in the story. Now, we see Butler himself perform on the big screen. 

Having live actors led to more emotional engagement between characters. Scenes of dorky Hiccup (Thames in a winsome performance) and his stern father had a lot more depth, especially in the third act. Astrid (a pretty, badass Nico Parker) was given more screen action, including a scene in a dragon's mouth. Snoutlout (Gabriel Howell) even had a subplot with his father not in the original. A mystic Elder Gothi (Naomi Wirthner) was prominently featured. 

This live action remake followed the animated original loyally -- practically scene for scene and line for line. This new version ran for 125 minutes, while the original ran for only 98 minutes. The major difference that caused this difference in running time was that the human versus dragon action sequences were much more prolonged. All the 3D CGI dragons now look a lot larger, more menacing, less cartoonish-looking than the original animated dragons. 8/10

Review of ONLY WE KNOW: Finding a Fulfilling Friendship

June 14, 2025

Betty (Charo Santos) had been married to her husband William (Al Tantay) for 33 years when they separated 12 years ago. They did not have any children.  Betty dedicated all her time to being a college professor since then. When time came for her to retire from teaching, Betty had more free time to pursue her passion for painting still life, and working on her gardening. Betty's best friends were couple Cora (Shamaine Buencamino) and Bert (Joel Saracho).

Living across the street from Betty's house in the same private village was Ryan (Dingdong Dantes). He is a structural engineer whose life had been dealt with a cruel blow with the sudden death of his wife Sofia (Max Collins). It has now been one year since Sofia passed away, but Ryan is still haunted by her memory. One day, Ryan saw Betty struggling with her heavy shopping bags. He promptly went over to offer her assistance. 

And from there, a fulfilling friendship would develop between these two neighbors, who did not know yet at that time that they were lonely. Based on her past work like "Meet Me in St. Gallen" (2018), "Sid and Aya: Not a Love Story" (2018), "On Vodka, Beers and Regrets" (2020), and "Five Breakups and a Romance" (2023), writer-director Irene Villamor is truly a master of bittersweet romance films.  She weaves her magic again here. 

Ever since the beginning of her career with "Itim" (1976), Ms. Charo Santos possessed that unmistakably radiant screen presence that illuminated any scene that she was in. She can effortlessly draw us to Betty's side and root for her to get through any challenge she faced. Santos was always classy in her portrayal of Betty, no sleazy cougar vibes at all despite Dingdong Dantes being 25 years younger than her.    

Dantes yielded centerstage to Santos for most of the film. But as he was helping Betty, Ryan was being healed as well without him realizing it.  Dantes was given an intense acting moment in that scene when Ryan read Betty's lab results. This sent him reeling on a prolonged anxiety attack haunted by the day of Sofia's death.  Villamor, with Pao Orendain's camera, worked dizzying wonders in that scene, bringing us all inside Ryan's traumatic experience. 

Villamor kept the relationship between Betty and Ryan very subtle. We were kept guessing whether there was indeed a romance brewing between them or not. We all felt like Cora when she first saw Betty and Ryan together -- intrigued by the mystery, yet there was an breathtaking thrill about them. It was sheer directorial skill how Villaflor kept this uncertainty going for the whole final act, and still keep us guessing all the way up to the ending. 9/10

Review of BALLERINA: Fighting as a Female

June 5. 2025

When Eve was still a little girl (Victoria Comte), their house was attacked by a band of assassins attempting to kill her father Javier (David Castaneda). The killers were led by the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), who was angry with Javier because he went rogue against their organization. The Chancellor gave Javier a pistol with a single bullet and offered him the choice to shoot himself so his daughter lives, or to shoot him and both of them will die.

12 years later, Eve (Ana de Armas) was training as a ballerina under the Director (Anjelica Huston). The Director was also the head of the Roma Ruska, an underground organization of assassins, and Eve was also training in their deadly trade. Eve was taught by her trainer Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) to "fight like a girl," meaning to take advantage of her femaleness in order to get the upper hand over her bigger, stronger opponents. 

The title "Ballerina" is preceded by "From the World of John Wick," as it is the fifth film of that franchise. In "John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum," when Wick first met the Director (also played by Huston),  a ballerina named Rooney was on the stage failing her pirouettes. Rooney was played by Unity Phelan before, but now, she is named Eve and played by de Armas. Scenes of Wick walking down the stairs and being branded at the back in that film were revisited here.

Willowy Ana de Armas may seem like an unlikely assassin of deadly skill. But, as this is the John Wick universe, so we need to suspend our disbelief big time in order to enjoy watching her plow through one horde of pro assassins after another. In the third act, all the residents of an entire town were all after her, and still she prevailed. The way Eve survived being bodily hurled and slammed here, she might as well be made of steel. Her fighting style did not really reflect her ballet training though, not sure why she had to be one. 

Aside from the non-stop bone-crushing fights, fans of the John Wick franchise will enjoy seeing the New York Continental Hotel again, along with its owner Winston Scott (Ian McShane) and concierge Charon (the late Lance Reddick in his final movie appearance). Of course, the highlight was seeing the baba yaga John Wick himself in a fight in the final fiery half-hour, though ever the gentleman, Reeves never stole de Armas's thunder. There are three more John Wick films in production after this, and yes, we are excited about them! 7/10

Review of KARATE KID: LEGENDS: Synergistic Styles

June 1, 2025

Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) ran a big kung fu school in Beijing. One of his best students was his grand-nephew Li (Ben Wang), a young man troubled by memories of his elder brother's death. One day, Li's physician mother Dr. Fong (Ming-Na Wen) brought a reluctant Li to New York City where she had been accepted to work. One of Li's first friends was Mia (Sadie Stanley), daughter of Victor Lipani (Joshua Jackson), a former boxer who now owned a pizza parlor. 

This film continues the story of the "Karate Kid" franchise -- a spin-off sequel. It started with a story which Mr. Miyagi told Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) back in 1986. Apparently, Miyagi's ancestor was a fisherman whose boat got washed away by a storm all the way to China. There, the Han family rescued him, and later taught him the Chinese martial art of kung-fu.  When Miyagi went back to his home in Okinawa, Japan, he developed the fighting techniques further and called it Karate.  

Ralph Macchio was Daniel in the first three films (1984, 1986 and 1989), but not in the 1994 "The Next Karate Kid" (with Hilary Swank) nor the 2010 reboot "The Karate Kid" (with Jaden Smith). In the last film, Jackie Chan played the kung-fu master of bullied boy Dre (played by an 11 year old Jaden Smith) in Beijing. Macchio would return to play Daniel vis-a-vis his old rival Johnny (William Zabka) in the series "Cobra Kai" streaming on Netflix from 2021 to 2025. 

Macchio is now a young-looking 63 year old, and playing Daniel LaRusso remains to be what he is best known for. Chan is still youthfully energetic now at 71 years old, and it had always been a pleasure watching him kung-fu fighting on the big screen. Mr. Han flew to L.A. to request LaRusso to teach his ward Li the Miyagi-style of karate, in order make Li ready to face the upcoming underground fight competition -- Five Borough's Tournament.  

The original story about a boy taught by his mentors to get ready for a big fight was still very much there. Ben Wang's Li was a capable kung-fu fighter who already had a spectacular dragon kick move from the start, but he had to learn new techniques from Han and LaRusso ("two branches, one tree") before he can face his big bully Conor Day (Aramis Knight). Even if the final outcome was obvious, the fight scenes were still very much worth the watch. 6/10. 

Review of LILO AND STITCH (2025): Accepting an Alien

May 23, 2025

The United Galactic Federation had convicted Dr. Jumba Jookiba for his illegal genetic experiments which had resulted in the creation of a violent, indestructible creature whom he called Experiment 626 (Chris Sanders). Sentenced for exile 626 carnapped a red police cruiser that brought him to planet Earth. However, instead of landing in water (which was fatal for him given his high molecular density), his cruiser landed on one island in Hawaii. 

When both their parents passed away one day, teenager Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong) had to forego her plans for going to the university to study marine biology. However, she had her hands full keeping her 6-year old sister Lilo (Maia Kealoha) in control, especially under the watchful eyes of social worker Mrs. Kekoa (Tia Carrere, the original voice of Nani). Motherly next-door neighbor Tutu (Any Hill) and her surfer son David (Kaipo Dudoit) tried their best to help her babysit. 

As the 2002 animated original film told us before, Lilo would adopt Stitch as her ugly pet dog leading to hilarious chaos, and heartwarming sentiment. Despite the unwieldy mixture of alien sci-fi and Hawaiian culture, it won critical acclaim and box-office success.  It famously taught us the Hawaiian concept of "ohana" that meant "family," that meant "nobody gets left behind or forgotten," a line of enduring appeal and impact, much like "Hakuna matata" before it.

Aside from giving David a mother, this reboot gave Nani a backstory out for more dramatic impact. The social worker Cobra Bubbles character had been split into two for this remake -- social worker Mrs. Kekoa and CIA agent Cobra (Courtney Vance). For them to be able to blend in better, the aliens going after 626, Dr. Jumba and bumbling "Earth expert" Agent Pleakley, were made to inhabit human forms of Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen.  Jason Scott Lee, the original voice of David, also has a cameo appearance.

This new 2025 version was again a live-action adaptation, following all the previous ones that Disney had been releasing recently. This one was rather uneven for me. The animatronic character design of Stitch was very cute, but the scenes of him and the aliens was being destructive felt scarier and more dangerous. I understand why they chose to scrap the whole Gantu spacecraft battle in the third act as its too violent for a live action kids film. However, having live actors trumped the animated version when it came to the emotionally-affecting family scenes. 7/10

Review of CONMOM: Forcing the Funny

May 22, 2025

Pinky (Kaye Abad) retired from being a theater actress when she got married to wealthy Anton Gonzales (Kit Thompson) and became a mother to Yana (Valerie Talion), now 7 years old. She still kept in touch with her theater colleagues Benok (Paolo Contis), Jetboy (Empoy Marquez) and her cousin director Oyet (Patrick Garcia), who all became Yana's godparents. They remained to be Pinky's best friends and shoulders for her to cry on. 

One day, Pinky saw Anton walking with his mistress Rachel (Kiel Canoza), who was even pregnant. When she confronted him and told him that she is tired of her chronic womanizing. Exasperatedly, she told him that she wants out of their marriage. Instead of being apologetic, Anton shocked her by throwing her out of the house and proceeded to cut off all contact with her daughter. Pinky had to resort to stealthy ploys (the titular "con") just to see Yana. 

This film was two hours long, but the plot about a marriage on the rocks and the child caught in between was a commonly-told tale in Filipino films. Director Noel Tonga just padded the main story core of the film with long, loving shots of picturesque Boljoon, Cebu (that magnificent old church just across the street from the wide open sea was so inviting, you'd want to go visit this place right away), and silly uneven comedy routines by Pinky's three friends (these lame attempts at "humor" felt forced than truly funny). 

The various "cons" Pinky and her friends did to see Yana -- supposedly the point of this movie -- were not planned or executed well, with terrible masks and ugly wigs. The one involving a "merman" on the beach was very corny. The part where their gang tried to recreate the film shoot rescue plot from Oscar Best Picture winner "Argo" (2012) during the girl's birthday in her school was wasted with that seemingly endless run to get from her classroom to the front gate. The climactic airport con was so clunky obvious, it surely could have been done better.  

While Kaye Abad really played Pinky in the most sympathetic way, one could not help but wonder why it felt as if this script had thrown all the progress of the women's movement over the years all out of the window. Pinky not only let abusive Anton walk all over her, and she had to resort to playing fools in order to talk to Yana. When her desperation reached her peak, she actually tearfully knelt on the floor before him, begging him to let her back into the house. Abad went all out for this scene, but honestly it was just so painful to watch. 2/10

Review of FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES: Deliverance from Death?

May 20, 2025

"Final Destination" is a horror film franchise that began in 2000. It was about a group of young people who cheated death by missing an airplane that exploded in mid-air, so Death went after them to kill them one by one in gruesome fashion. The story of this first film was actually a repurposing of an idea for the "X-Files" TV series, hence X-philes will recognize the names of director James Wong, and his writing partner Glen Morgan among the creatives behind it. 

Over the years, there had been four more sequels that followed the same story framework -- a premonition causing some people meant to die to avoid dying in a disaster, so a piqued Death came after these survivors. FD2 (2003) was about a massive vehicular pile-up on the expressway. FD3 (2006) was about a roller coaster crash. FD4 (2009) was about a race car crashing into the grandstand. FD5 (2011) was about a major bridge collapsing in a city. 

It was only 14 years later that a new sequel has been released, still following the same formula. In 1968, Iris Campbell (Brec Bassinger) had a premonition that the glass floor of a nightclub at the top of a new tower was breaking, and her warning saved everyone there. In the present time, Stefani Ramos (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) was having bad nightmares about that disaster, and surmised that Iris was her estranged grandmother (Gabrielle Rose).  

The big twist here was that Death was exacting revenge not only on the main clairvoyant, but also on her whole family. Stefani noted that Death may be going for her relatives in order of seniority, and this upped the sense of paranoia especially for the next one in line. The fact that this series of deaths were happening within a family also gives a different dynamic.  As it had been for the past films, the main draw of this film was the wild mechanisms of death and gore level of these kills -- the more over-the-top, the more gruesome, the better. 

For true fans of film horror, there was a sentimental moment in the middle of this new film because of a cameo from a horror film icon -- Tony Todd. While he was better known as "Candyman" (1992), Todd also appeared in FD 1, 2 and 5 as mortician William Bludworth. In his one scene, Todd already looked weak and cachectic from the stomach cancer he was suffering from. He delivered a line about the preciousness of life, reportedly unscripted, that will surely connect emotionally with viewers.  This was Todd's final screen appearance. 7/10

 

Review of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE: THE FINAL RECKONING: Eliminating the Entity

May 17, 2025

It has been two months since Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) acquired the two halves of a key which was needed to gain control of the Entity. The US President Erica Sloane (Angela Bassett) had personally reached out to Hunt to surrender the key to her government. However, Hunt believed that the Entity should be destroyed outright. This powerful artificial intelligence was now wreaking havoc, taking over the nuclear arsenals of the world.

The action picked up right from where "Dead Reckoning Part 1" left off. In the first act, POTUS Sloane is faced with tough decisions as the US nukes were fast becoming the next target of being controlled by the Entity. Meanwhile, Hunt was deep into planning with his group -- Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg) and the master thief Grace (Hayley Atwell) -- to rescue Paris (Pom Klementieff) from prison in order to get to Gabriel (Esai Morales).  

We already learned in the last film that the key will be used to access the source code of Entity in the doomed Russian submarine Sevastopol. The second act was dedicated to how Ethan was able to locate the sunken sub and the extreme perils he faced to do his mission. Cruise's 20-minute long underwater stunt scene, as the sub was precariously slipping off its ledge with the torpedoes inside all falling down, gave us all an intense experience of drowning panic. 

The third act told of how Ethan was going to insert Luther's Poison Pill (which was in Gabriel's possession) into the drive containing the Entity source code, while a countdown to global nuclear annihilation was fast winding down. To top the final stunt in the last film of train cars falling into a ravine, the finale here was a breathtaking "dogfight" of biplanes in the skies. Again, Cruise impressed with these spectacular, wild and crazy mid-air stunts.  

This is supposedly the final installment of a film franchise that started 29 years ago in 1996, the first film directed by suspense master Brian de Palma. Aside from Cruise and Rhames, it also featured Henry Czerny as IMF director, now CIA director Eugene Kittridge. This new film had several callbacks from the first film like Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), and IT William Donloe (Rolf Saxon) from the iconic Vault scene, including the knife that fell on the table. 

If he gave the last film had a rather humorous tone, director Christopher McQuarrie got lot more serious in this new one. The whole first hour was practically just a lot of talking. The first car chase scene was only seen in the last hour of this new one. Here, the fate of the whole world lay on the hands of a selected few, so the focus was on several decisions requiring intense moral discernment and judgement that needed to be made. 

Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt had certainly matured from that cocky young agent we first met in 1996. Compared to "Dead Reckoning" and "Top Gun Maverick," here Cruise himself looked like his age has finally caught up with his eternally youthful screen persona. However, you would not see that age from the elaborate stunts Cruise he gave his all for in this one. For these alone, "The Final Reckoning" deserves to be watched on the biggest screens. 8/10

 

Review of BLACK BAG: Flair to Fabricate

May 7, 2025

Agent George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) was given one week to identify the source of the leak of a top-secret software called Severus. The suspects were all his fellow agents within British Intelligence -- Freddie (Tom Burke), his girlfriend satellite specialist Clarissa (Marissa Abela), James (Rene Jean Page) and his girlfriend psychiatrist Dr. Zoe (Naomie Harris). The fifth suspect was George's own wife and fellow agent Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). 

The titular "black bag" in espionage parlance refers to a piece of classified information you cannot share with anyone. This film posits that the spy game is a game of lies and for agents, the skill of lying is a valuable asset. They made the six agents three romantically-involved couples, so there is an aspect of trusting a person who was supposed to by a professional liar. There are inevitably "black bags" which you cannot reveal to your significant other.

David Koepp was the writer behind big box-office hits like "Jurassic Park" (1993) and "Spider-Man" (2002). But in "Black Bag," Koepp came up with an intense psychological thriller about an investigation of a worldwide threat that was centered around a group of six people, one of whom was leaking vital info. Koepp's script was very wordy, complicated with spy jargon. The web-like plot seemed clear enough if you don't dwell on the details too much. 

Director Steven Soderbergh burst into the big time in 1989 when the first film he wrote and directed "Sex, Lies and Videotape" won the Palme D'Or at Cannes, making him the youngest winner of that prize at age 26. In 2001, he was nominated for Best Director Oscar for two films -- "Erin Brockovich" and "Traffic," and won for the latter. in He announced his retirement from film direction in 2013, but soon came back to work in 2016 with "Logan Lucky."

The way Soderbergh staged the confrontations of the film's characters made us feel like we were watching a play. That first dinner scene where George played a psychological game, challenging his colleagues to make a resolution, not for himself, but for the person on his right side. This, of course, led to hurtful revelations between the couples around the table. Interesting drama, yes, but these relationships were not really pertinent to the Severus plot. 

The first two acts, setting up the investigative scenario, which later made George an unwitting accomplice to a diversionary ruse of the enemy, were masterfully executed. Fassbender's dry methodical George and Blanchett's fiery Kathryn played off each other with such electric chemistry. The third act was made more complex with the involvement of their boss Stieglitz (Pierce Brosnan), but it did not exactly live up to the promise of the build-up. 7/10

Review of UNTOLD: Adulterated Ambition

May 1, 2025

Vivian Vera (Jodi Sta. Maria) was the only daughter of local cafeteria owner Monica (Gloria Diaz), who raised her solo after the death of her father Gerald (Gian Magdangal), an ace reporter whom Vivian idolized growing up. She achieved her dream when she overcame all odds to be chosen as the lead investigative reporter of the hit TV show "Untold," after she made public the secret ingredient of a restaurant's meat dishes. 

Vivian catapulted to even more fame after she exposed the heinous murder of informal settlers perpetrated by sadistic real-estate people, a grisly news story she did with her cameraman Benjie (Joem Bascon), dubbed as the "Cement Massacre." One day at the Quiapo Church, a mysterious woman (Ambrosia Taboneknek) slipped a crude charm bracelet on Vivian's wrist, telling her that she can now see the victims of her past sin.

Jodi Sta. Maria mettle as an actress needs no further proof, in any genre it seems. I've seen her as lead in two other fairly recent horror films, "Second Coming" (2019) as the stepmother of a possessed girl, and "Clarita" (2019) where her titular character herself was possessed. For this second one, she was also directed by Derick Cabrido, also her director here in "Untold." The chemistry between star and director was certainly palpable.

Cabrido also co-wrote the script together with Roselle Y. Monteverde and Noreen Capili. At first, it felt like the story was going to be just a one-dimensional one about avenging angry spirits. As it went on, there were more unpredictable layers to justify its two-hour running time. The violent crime scenes were not for the faint at heart, especially as they transgress into heartless and depraved territory. There should be a trigger warning for ailurophiles. 

The writers also squeezed in a cougar element, with Vivian's love-struck PA Jasper (a consistently engaging Juan Karlos). A very prominent subplot was about ambitious competitive female journalists who were vying for a single slot on the TV show, with rivals Elaine (Sarah Edwards) and Louise (a frustratingly anemic performance by Kaori Oinuma). A notable supporting role was Amanda (a standout performance by Lianne Valentin), daughter of a massacre victim Teresa (a haunting Ge Villamil in cement make-up). 7/10

Review of THUNDERBOLTS*: Unintended Union

April 29, 2025

CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) was being impeached by the US Congress. In order to eliminate all evidence of her shenanigans, she separately ordered her hired mercenaries -- Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Antonia Dreykov (Olga Kurilenko) -- to proceed to one place for a mission. It dawned on them that Valentina wanted them to kill each other. 

The characters of this film were anti-heroes. They were flawed entities all had super-abilities but were laden with sad backstories and heavy mental health issues. They were lonely loners who were ready to kill or be killed. They certainly did not consider themselves to be heroic. Yet here they are, thrown together by cruel circumstance and forced to work with each other, using each others' strengths in order to get out of a situation that meant sure death. 

Later, there were two more characters who share the same anti-hero storyline who will join them. Yelena's father figure Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) had been reduced to driving a limousine for a living, missing the action he once had as the Red Guardian. Former Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) was now a congressman of the United States, a political position he was able to gain despite his shady violent past brainwashed by Hydra. 

And then there was the mysterious Bob (Lewis Pullman). He just suddenly showed up at the same place with the others, dressed only in pajamas, seemingly just an ordinary chap. No one knew who he was, not even Valentina herself.  Who Bob was and how he gained the impressive superpowers was one of the major storylines of this film. He fit right into this misfit group with his innate negativity which would evolve into a terrifying Void. 

Except for Bob, the others had been side-characters in prior MCU films and series. Of course, Bucky Barnes was the most well-known, as Steve Rogers' best friend in "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011). Yelena, Alexei and Antonia were introduced in "Black Widow" (2021). Ghost was first seen in "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (2018). John Walker and Valentina Allegria de Fontaine debuted in Disney+ series "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" (2021). While not really that essential, your viewing would be better if you were familiar to you.

The overall mood was sad and dark, but writers Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo incorporate much wit and humor in the lines to balance things out. Director Jack Schreier's last feature film was "Paper Towns" (2015) and this is his first MCU project (and third film overall), but he felt like a seasoned veteran the way he handled the delicate subject matter of mental health and integrated this into the action-packed superhero genre.  There were fun energetic CGI-heavy sequences, but the emotional connection with broken characters remain felt and potent. 8/10

P.S. Stay to the end to see what that asterisk in the title is really all about. There is one mid-credits scene and another one at the very end of the closing credits. 

Review of SINNERS: Mesmerizing Musicality

 April 20, 2025

In 1932, Sammie (Miles Caton), nicknamed "Preacher Boy" because his father was the pastor of the local church, joined his older cousins, a pair of twin brothers nicknamed Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan). They had just come back to their Mississipi hometown with a stash of cash they gained after working for gangsters in Chicago. They wanted to open the best juke joint in their area, and Sammie was going to be their guitar-player and singer. 

They recruited liquor-loving Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) to play piano, Chinese shopkeepers Bo and Grace (Yao and Li Jun Li) for the supplies, and big guy Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) to be their doorman. Smoke's estranged wife Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) was the cook. Stack's ex-girlfriend Mary (Hailee Steinfeld) was still sore for being abandoned. Sammie met a sultry blues singer Pearline (Jaymie Lawson) on whom he had a big crush. 

Writer-director Ryan Coogler certainly took his time in telling his story. The entire first hour was spent on building this world of the Moore twins Smoke and Stack, introducing them and all the characters around them, so that we will care about what happens to them in the second half of the film.  At first, we needed clues to distinguish the twins -- Smoke wore a blue beret, while Stack wore a red fedora. Later, Jordan made sure we could tell which twin was who.

From the very beginning, we already knew that music was going to play an important role in this movie. The narrator tells us how cultures all over the world all believed that music could have supernatural powers. When Sammie told his pastor father that he was going to play blues music, he was warned how this music could bring him towards danger. Blues music is laden with sensual melancholy as derived from Afro-American work songs and spirituals.

The highlight of the second act was that auditory spectacle of hearing Sammie sing and play guitar in the juke joint. Hearing a preview of Miles Caton's rich singing voice for the first time in the car was already so great. However, his spellbinding performance on that stage on opening night, that was truly breathtaking. You simply need to hear it to believe how this music was able to summon spirits from the future and the past, and the supernatural.

Winmi Mosaku's Annie may not fit in the mold of a typical Michael B. Jordan leading lady, but she was way more woman than any other -- a strong and sultry earth mother. Hailee Steinfeld stood out not because of her light skin color, but likewise for the maturity of the Mary role, so far from how we knew her from "True Grit" (2010) or the "Hawkeye" Disney+ series (2021). Jayme Lawson was a sensually-charged Pearline, especially in her song "Pale Pale Moon." 

The third act began abruptly with a sudden appearance of an Irish guy named Remmick (Jack O'Connell) who had escaped from an Indian tribe. From that time on, the film took on a totally different atmosphere of dread and horror, a jarring turnaround from the socio-cultural flavor of the first two acts. These new monsters were deadly, but still retained their original personality before they turned. The mid-credit scene must definitely not be missed. 9/10  

Review of FATHERLAND: Finding a Father

April 22, 2025

After his mother Amparo (Max Eigenmann) passed away in San Francisco USA, Alex (Inigo Pascual) decided to come back to the Philippines to search for his long-estranged father Ipe (Allen Dizon). Bringing along his girlfriend Janet (Ara Davao), his first stop was their hometown in Arayat, Pampanga, where he met his father's brother Yoyong (Jim Pebanco), who suffered a stroke after being pressured by a real estate company to sell their farm.

Further clues brought Alex to the house of Yasmin (Angel Aquino) in Mindanao, who knew Ipe as Fayez, a man who converted to Islam to marry her. Fayez took a second wife Farida (Ara Mina). Thanks to his social media post, Alex's next destination was the town of San Sebastian, where an aide of the Vice Mayor Gwen Gueco (Mercedes Cabral) named Riza (Karel Kinouchi) recognized Ipe as Teban, a gay unstable vagrant-turned-janitor. 

With "Fatherland," director Joel Lamangan was attempting to do an epic film, with a story of a family that would span decades of time and the whole country. Despite budget limitations, it was very ambitious, aspiring to be another "Aguila" (Eddie Romero, 1980) or "Hindi Mo Ako Kayang Tapakan" (Maryo delos Reyes, 1984). Lamangan got Roy Iglesias (who also wrote his "Mano Po" films) and gathered a big cast of veterans and newcomers to bring his characters to life.

There was a major detour involving Mayor Rose Chen (Cherrie Pie Picache), who abetted illegal immigrants to settle and get work in San Sebastian by bribing police, the BIR and the Immigration. Picache played Chen with tongue-in-cheek campiness, obviously a parody of a certain mayor who was raised in a farm and homeschooled. Richard Yap and Rebecca Chuaunsu led Chinoy actors who had roles in this part of the film.

Allen Dizon played three characters, although the first two were both hotheaded guys. His highlight was this one scene where he would transition from one persona to another in close succession, with Ipe speaking Kapampangan, Fayez Arabic, and Teban swardspeak. Inigo Pascual's Alex was mostly a passive bystander, but he got his big emotional moment in the climax of the third act, which he pulled off well despite distracting medical inaccuracies.

A distinctive directorial decision was placing Alex right in thick of the flashbacks as a silent witness to the tumultuous events in his father's life, which may look awkward. Lamangan and Iglesia tried to tie it all up in the final act with a polarizing explanation, but tackling too many side topics like land grabbing, suicide bombing, Chinese mafia and even female genital mutilation, tended to make the whole movie feel overstuffed and unfocused. 6/10

Review of SAMAHAN NG MGA MAKASALAN: A Dedicated Deacon

April 19, 2025

Reverend Sam (David Licauco) was the new deacon assigned to the parish church of Santo Kristo. Before he was welcomed by parish priest Father Danny (Joel Torre) and his all-around assistant Pester (David Shouder), Sam already witnessed a husband and wife, philanderer Kanor (Jun Sabayton) and gossip Olive (Chariz Solomon) having a violent quarrel on the steps of the church. Sam immediately felt that there was something wrong with his parish. 

Sam visited the main street called Sinners' Alley. He met the corrupt Mayor Damonyo and his scammer twin (Betong Sumaya), prostitutes (Liezel Lopez, Jade Tecson), pimps (David "Abdul" Domanais, Christian "Marsy" Kimp-Atip), thieves (Buboy Villar, Jay Ortega), drug addicts (Yian Gabriel), rival gang leaders (Shernan Gaite, Jerome "Batmanunulat" Esguerra), underworld kingpin Boss Luis (Soliman Cruz), and "town mistress" Mila (Sanya Lopez). 

The film was shot in picturesque Ilocos Sur, with the stately Sta. Maria Church and historic Calle Crisologo prominently featured. The title refers to an organization formed by Rev Sam aiming to reform the wayward residents of Santo Kristo. He would help each one by diverting his talent into something good. His mantra (repeated over and over in the film) was: "As long as there is faith, there is hope. As long as one believes, he can start again." 

Being mainly a comedy, director and co-writer Benedict Mique kept things light, idealistic and optimistically positive. After the Boy Nakaw example, you can somehow foresee already what will happen to the lives of the others, based on their abilities. Of course, that these hard-core decadents could totally reform themselves seemingly overnight demanded a lot of suspension of disbelief. But given the film's overall Lenten theme, we could grant them that. 

There were a couple of more serious situations that challenged Rev Sam (and David Licauco as an actor) the most. One involved Boss Luis and a pistol, and another involved Mila and a decision (I wish we could've heard Sam's side first though). While almost everyone else around him was over-the-top, Licauco played Sam calmly and restrained (even in the rapping and dancing scenes, hehe), in line with Sam's nobility of intention.  6/10

Review of DROP: Dating Distress

April 19, 2025

Violet (Meghann Fahy) decided that she was ready to start dating again after the death of her husband Blake (Michael Shea). She set a blind dinner date with a photographer named Henry (Brandon Sklenar) whom she met on a dating app, at a fancy restaurant called Palate. located at the penthouse of a high-rise building. She left her young son Toby (Jacob Robinson) with her sister Jen (Violett Beane) who agreed to babysit. 

Henry and Violet were seated at a table beside the window with a grand bird's-eye view of the whole city. Violet began receiving a series of threatening "digi-drops" on her mobile phone from an unknown entity who seemed to be able to see everything she was doing. The mysterious sender ordered Violet to follow all his instructions, or else her son and sister will be terminated by a killer he sent to her home. 

Since Violet was being terrorized by an unseen tormentor only through messages on her phone, Meghann Fahy to act up a storm to portray Violet's increasing stress, panic and paranoia. She had to figure out how to do the risky illegal tasks in that very public place, while monitoring the condition of her family in her house. Through all of that, she should still be able to convince Henry that she was interested in their date. 

To make things more interesting, there were also a number of characters within Palate, anyone of whom could be potential suspects. There was the friendly bartender Cara (Gabrielle Ryan), the drunk pianist Phil (Ed Weeks), the hyper waiter Matt (Jeffery Self).  She also go to chat with other customers, like Connor (Travis Nelson) whom she bumped into coming in, and Richard (Reed Diamond), who was having his own blind date. 

With such a limited space for him to work with, it was up to director Christopher Landon had to create an effective atmosphere of suspense, with the help of his editor Ben Baudhuin and musical scorer Bear McCreary. Landon wrote all the "Paranormal Activity" films since #2 (2010) and directed #4 (2014), then wrote and directed the "Happy Death Day" films (2017, 2019), his skills for this genre has surely been sharpened with deadly precision. 7/10.   

Mini-Reviews of THE AMATEUR and A WORKING MAN: Vigilante Valor

April 10, 2025

THE AMATEUR

Director: James Hawes

Writer: Ken Nolan, Gary Spinelli 

Charlie Heller (Rami Malek) worked at the CIA in the Division of Decryption and Analysis. One day, his wife Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan) was killed in cold blood in a bloody terrorist situation in London. Using the tools at his disposal, Charlie was able to identify her killers as: Sean Schiller (Michael Stuhlbarg), Mishka Blazhic (Marc Rissmann) and Gretchen Frank (Barbara Probst). However, CIA Dep. Director Moore (Holt McCallany) won't budge. 

So far, it is a typical tale of corruption among the black-ops top brass of the CIA. These illegal operations were unknown to the new Director O'Brien (Julianne Nicholson), and apparently, tolerated by the previous directors before her. It was here that the story sprung its big surprise -- good ole computer-nerd Charlie wanted to kill the three terrorists by himself! So, Heller mustered enough bravado to blackmail his bosses to get him trained for the job, under Col. Henderson (Laurence Fishburne). 

The filmmakers ask us to suspend our disbelief, and boy, did they push it. Charlie was able to track his targets to an allergy clinic in Paris, a suspended swimming pool in Madrid, and a Russian boat in Primorsk. He was even able to track down his online source of intel, codenamed Inquiline (Caitriona Balfe) in Instanbul. Malek managed to hold my attention. Fishburne was as cool as ever.  However, the 123-minute running time did feel long. 7/10

A WORKING MAN

Director: David Ayer

Writers: Sylvester Stallone, David Ayer

Levon Cade (Jason Statham) is the leader of the construction workers hired by the company owned by Joe and Carla Garcia (Michael Pena and Neomi Gonzalez). One day, their daughter Jenny (Arianna Rivas) was kidnapped by goons while she was out partying with friends. Levon used his extraordinary skills as a former Royal Marine to infiltrate the organization run by Russian gangster Symon (Andrej Kaminsky) who had abducted her.

For additional emotional connection, Ayers also gave Levon family issues to worry about. He had to share custody of his daughter Meredith (Isla Gie) with his father-in-law Dr. Jordan Roth (Richard Heap) when his daughter, Meredith's mother, passed away. With 30 minutes of the film to go, we still meet Levon's blind old friend Gunny (David Harbour) who supplied him with his weapons and agreed to babysit Meredith while her dad went after the bad guys.

The rescue plot was actually quite simple, but to prolong the running time Ayer made Levon Cade jump through several hoops of Russian mafia sons and henchmen before he actually found Jenny. This is the second project in a row for writer-director Ayer with star Jason Statham after their box-office hit "The Beekeeper" released in January 2024. "Beekeeper" already has a sequel in the works, and "Working Man" looks like it is following suit. 6/10

Review of UN-EX YOU: Desperately Determined

April 9, 2025

Zuri Yolanda Soriano (Kim Molina) was now 35 years old but still single. She the owner of her own courier service called Movex, which she ran with her best friend Greg (Bob Jbelli) and her techie nephew Brian (Kyosu Guinto).  One day, her OB-GYN Dr. Josie Anne Pudayana (Marnie Lapus) discovered from her lab results that Zuri had a diminished ovarian reserve, so her biological clock to have a child of her own was fast winding down. 

She was not keen on adoption or in-vitro options, preferring to get pregnant by natural means. Zuri went to the remote town of Sitio Halupi to reconnect with her ex-boyfriend Andy (Jerald Napoles), who was living with his aunt Manang Mameng (Candy Pangilinan) and her daughter Baybeh (Vladia Disuanco). However, Andy had been suffering from amnesia for some time already, following a bad vehicular accident he had while working abroad.

Real-life couple Kim Molina and Jerald Napoles had three films together as loveteam in 2021 -- "Ang Babaing Walang Pakiramdam," "Ikaw at Ako at ang Ending," and "Sa Haba ng Gabi." (2021). These were followed by "Girlfriend Na Puwede Na" (2023), "Seoulmeyt" (2024), and now this new one. These two are very good in both comedy and drama, and are obviously very comfortable working together, even in rather naughty, suggestive scenes.

To emphasize Yuri's reproductive urgency, Candy Pangilinan's silly Manang Mameng was a midwife, so there was a noisy birthing scene in there. Her funniest scene though was a quiet one about a loose garter. They are building up a young love team with Kyosu Guinto and Vladia Disuanco, but they are still very raw in the acting department. Marnie Lapus stole her scenes as an over-the-top obstetrician who hated bushes, and channeled Maleficent. 

The premise of writer Danno Kristoffer Mariquit was sort of reminiscent of Kim Molina's breakout film "#Jowable" (2019), about a woman getting along in age who was desperate to get laid.  Director RC delos Reyes surprised us by building up the story with little cute comic moments between Zuri and Andy, only to climax with a peak moment of desperate confession and confrontation that was more serious than we imagined it to be. 6/10

 

Review of A MINECRAFT MOVIE: Cubic Creativity

April 6, 2025

One day, Steve (Jack Black) was tired of working in his dead-end desk job. He got his pick axe and went into a nearby mine as he always wanted to do since he was a child. Inside, he saw two "thingies" which turned out to be the Orb of Dominance and the Earth Crystal. When he put these two cubes together, Steve was swept through a portal that brought him to another dimension called the Overworld, where everything was built out of cubes. 

Discovering a new-found ability to build his own houses, Steve decided to stay in Overworld. He tamed a wolf with a discarded femur and named him Dennis. Steve stumbled upon some interesting ruins which he tried to restore. It turned out to be another portal that brought him into the Nether, a hell-like dimension where brutal pigs led by Malgosha ruled. Steve got caught, but he was able to send Dennis back to the real world with the "thingies." 

Such was the totally random and convenient shortcut backstory of "A Minecraft Movie," a fantasy-comedy film that integrated live actors into an animated world based on the 2011 video game called Minecraft, developed by Mojang Studios. If you are not aware of this video game at all, then you will probably not get it nor like it.  This film was directed by Jared Hess, creator of quirky films like "Napoleon Dynamite" (2004) and "Nacho Libre" (2006). Despite the shallowness of the plot, five writers were credited for its screenplay, quite a red flag.

Joining Steve in this silly topsy-turvy adventure were a group of other misfits from Chuglass, Idaho who also found their way into the Overworld. They were: has-been video game champ Garrett (Jason Momoa), orphan siblings Natalie and Henry (Emma Myers and Sebastian Hansen), and animal-loving real estate agent Dawn (Danielle Brooks). The humans needed to protect the blue Orb from the wicked Malgosha and her piglin minions. 

We know that Jack Black is at ease playing singing nerds like Steve, who could have been written with Black in mind. We had a blast laughing at a rollicking slapstick version of Jason Momoa who was doing one stupid pratfall after the other as muscle-bound doofus Garrett. This was a total departure from his Khal Drogo or his Aquaman personas, but Momoa did not hold back from the foolishness of his physical comedy, all in the name of juvenile fun. 

6/10 for me, but kids familiar with the video game and the Easter eggs in the film would probably rate it much higher. 

 

VMX: Mini-Reviews of DELUSYON, CELESTINA: BURLESK DANCER, HABAL

April 4, 2025

DELUSYON

Director: Carby Salvador

Headwriter: Maya Diaz

Writers: George Bryan Pablo, Zane Mendoza

Lovers Esme (Apple Dy) and Noli (Ardy Raymundo) were partners-in-crime. Esme distracted the victim, while Noli snatched their gadget or wallet. Noli was usually very loving to Esme, except when he was reminded of Esme's ex Francis (GBoy Pablo), who was now the captain of their barangay. One day, Noli was stabbed by his double-crossing friend Notnot (Mondi Lopez) and had to hospitalized. Out of cash, Esme reluctantly sought help from Kap Francis. 

It makes one wonder why it would take three writers to come up with this very common story of a desperate woman giving up her dignity to save the man she loved. Anyhow, they included a mental health thing into the mix which was supposed to have been an acting showcase for the actor who played Noli. Unfortunately, neophyte Ardy Raymundo was not yet up to the task, and resorted to bulging his eyes out to convey jealous Noli's descent into madness. 2/10

CELESTINA: BURLESK DANCER

Director: McArthur Alejandre

Writer: Ricky Lee, McArthur Alejandre

It was the Japanese occupation in the early 1940s. Celestina (Yen Durano) escaped from her abusive husband Cornelio (Sid Lucero), bringing with her their son Joaquin (Kian Co). Desperate for money, she accepted the job to be a burlesque dancer in the troupe of Estong (Allan Paule), trained by his ex-star Rosalinda (Christine Bermas). A young man Leandro (Arron Villaflor) wooed Celestina, but would later revealed his real intentions.   

Being the second VMX film released in cinemas, this had much better cinematography (by DP Daniel Toto Uy) and production design (by Ericson Navarro). The script by National Artist Ricky Lee held so much possibilities for tension and drama, but the needless sex scenes and the lackluster burlesque dancing distracted from a better telling of the story. Special mention to Angie Castrence for her portrayal of Ingga, Rosalinda's mom. 6/10

HABAL

Director: Bobby Bonifacio, Jr.

Writer: Jong Garcia

Danilo (JD Aguas) was a shy young man unexperienced in matters of sex, who lived in an apartment with his cousin Marco (Ivan Ponce) and two other lusty guys Tyrone (Jhon Mark Marcia) and Alvin (Basti Flores). He earned a living by accepting passengers on his motorcycle. One day, he had Erika (Athena Red) as a passenger, who took a liking to him, and introduced him to her friend and lover Lara (Karen Lopez). 

Like "Rita" (2024) and "Malagkit" (2025) before it, this film was another VMX feature that went beyond its usual fare of boy-girl and girl-on-girl action.  Why would VMX show scenes which are considered outright objectionable for their majority heterosexual male demographic? Could it be that VMX has noted an upswing of homosexual male viewers among their subscribers, hence the brazen inclusion of man-on-man scenes? 2/10

Review of SINAGTALA: Bandmates in a Bind

April 3, 2025

Back in 2012, Sinagtala was a very popular band on stage and on the radio. It had five members. Reggie (Rayver Cruz) was lead vocals. Paola (Glaiza de Castro), Carla (Arci Munoz) and Isko (Matt Lozano) were on guitars. June (Rhian Ramos) played the drums. When a serious misfortune befell Reggie, soon the whole band folded and the members barely had contact. One day in the present time, they all received an unexpected video message.

Last year, we had at least two local films which told a story about estranged friends who got together again when something happened to one of them. Similarly in this film, we see this very same scenario. The members of the band all experienced tough times when their band broke up. Writer-director Mike Sandejas used the device of a psychiatrist whom all the members consulted (not clear why), to tell us about what their respective problems were. 

Rayver Cruz's Reggie was an arrogant hothead and addict who later found himself behind bars and separated from his wife and daughter. Rhian Ramos's rebellious June was an adopted daughter of a Chinoy businessman Mr. Chua (Robert Sena) who was looking for her biological father, rock singer Primo Estrella (Ricky Davao). Cruz and Ramos had one memorable duet "Forever Blue" together which showcased their melodious blending skills. 

Arci Munoz's Carla was a heavy role and she gave it her all, even doing what looked like a very precarious scene. Carla could have chosen to change her red hair color prior to shooting their music video, which she could've been better lipsync-ed. Matt Lozano's closeted Isko wondered how to come out to his macho father (Benjie Paras). This comical stereotype treatment of this story may not sit well for those facing the same problem for real. 

From an early scene, Glaiza de Castro's Paola was already seen to be a religious person who led the prayers before their gigs. Throughout the film, it was through her scenes that the main messages about purpose in life and achieving one's destiny. Lest viewers only expect a musical concert film, maybe it's best to know going in that this film was built on a framework of Christian religion and inspiration -- a Lenten movie for millennials and Gen Z.  7/10 

P.S. When i watched this film yesterday afternoon, there were many small kids in the audience. The MTRCB rated this film a PG (for parental guidance) as there were several very mature themes in this film that parents should explain to their kids. There were scenes of smoking, vaping, drinking alcohol, allusions to drug intake, all the way to scenes about driving under the influence, sex work, pregnancies outside wedlock, and suicides.

Review of MY LOVE WILL MAKE YOU DISAPPEAR: To Curb a Curse

March 27, 2025

When Sari (Kim Chiu) was a little girl, she was a happy and fearless child. However, one day, she met an ugly witch who told her that all the men who would fall in love with her will disappear. Since then, she considered herself cursed, especially when the boys she had a crush on all vanished from her life. Even her favorite actor went missing when she planted a kiss on his image on her television. She has resigned herself to being single for life.

After his abruptly aborted wedding, Jolo (Paulo Avelino) was on the run from gangster loan sharks Boss Poyo (Bernard Palanca) and Madame Tala (Ruffa Mae Quinto). He went to hide out in a compound which he inherited from his grandmother called Tahanan Homes, which was coincidentally also where Sari lived. When he learned about Sari's curse, Jolo had the crazy idea of making Sari fall in love with him, so he could just disappear. 

This romance-comedy-drama film reunites Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino with director Chad Vidanes, who also directed the Philippine adaptation of K-drama "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?" where their Kim-Pau loveteam bloomed. The romantic chemistry between the two leads was very easy and relaxed. They were clearly comfortable working with each other, as the film went from scenes of slapstick comedy to emotional drama and vice versa.

That the basic premise of the film was based on a so-called curse did make the film feel quite whimsical. However, Kim Chiu was able to make us empathize with her Sari, who had long been socially crippled by cruel words. She maintained her good nature, even as her being single had long been a joking matter with her friends. Chiu carried over the goodwill of her public persona to make Sari likable, even if she tended to overdo her sweetness.

Paulo Avelino had a tougher time making his character Jolo likable. He started out as some sort of a walking red flag with his selfish personality and shady backstory. He had wanted to sell Tahanan Homes in order to get him out of a huge debt. His initial reason for courting Sari was to use her curse to solve his problem. Of course, this was a rom-com and Jolo just so happened to possess Avelino's natural charm, so everything gets smoothed out in the end.

To add to the fun and the chaos, Sari had a host of friends at work (Frenchie Dy, Charm Aranton), and at home (Peewee O'Hara, Wilma Doesnt, Nico Antonio, Lovely Abella-Manalo, Benj Manalo, Migs Almendras, Martin Escudero). Sari had a pet hamster named Cookie (voiced by Melai Cantiveros) who served as the narrator. There were also cameo appearances by Piolo Pascual, and PBB alumni Ashley Sofia "Fyang" Smith and JM Ibarra.

I had reservations about certain scenes of a sensitive nature. Sari's accidentally-pregnant teen sister (Karina Bautista) was very rude to Sari, as if her condition was something to be proud of. Also, Jolo seemingly took advantage of Sari's vulnerability on the day she finally gave in for her first kiss. Having that sweet moment go all the way to a romp in the bedroom on that very same night did not feel right. Sadly, this made Sari look too impulsive and desperate.  7/10. 

 

VMX: Mini-Reviews of KOLEKTOR, MALAGKIT, ELEVATOR LADY

March 21, 2025

KOLEKTOR

Director, Writer, DOP, Editor, Music, Sound: Carlo Alvarez

Jessie (Nico Locco) took the ladies he dates to the restaurant where his stepfather Bernard (Emil Sandoval) was the chef. He had failed dates with department store salesgirl Dawn (Candy Veloso) and the frankly aggressive Anika (Salome Salvi). However, when he dated Eula (Aiko Garcia), he felt something different about her. Was this love? However, like the previous girls, he still brought her to his house. Will she share the fate of the others?

Filmmaker Carlo Alvarez did a lot of work on this project as listed above, but it was in the sonic aspects -- sound and music -- that he excelled more. Nico Locco has improved in his portrayals of men with disturbed psyches. However, that over-the-top terrible tattoo of his mother's name around his neck should not have been used at all as it was so distractingly bad. Casting Emil Sandoval is already predictable that he was going to be bad news. 4/10 

MALAGKIT

Director: Bobby Bonifacio, Jr.

Writer: John Raphael Gonzaga

In preparation for marriage, rich kid Mindy (Ashley Lopez) convinced her fiance Renald (Ace Toledo) to join her on an immersion experience to live among the poor. She decided to stay at the countryside hut of her former nanny Che (Lea Bernabe), where she lived with her husband and Mindy's former driver Aldrus (VJ Vera). Mindy helped Che cook her native delicacies, Renald joined Aldrus to sell them to neighbors, and the discovery began. 

From the get-go, the immersion gimmick that served as the basis of this film was admittedly absurd. You can probably guess that there was going to be a swapping of partners, but the swap that transpired was quite surprising, and led to interesting character conflicts. However, as he did in his previous films, director Bobby Bonifacio Jr. took the absurdity of this premise and pushed it to its limits, all the while keeping his tongue-in-cheek. 6/10

ELEVATOR LADY

Director: Rodante Y. Pajemna, Jr.

Writer: Maya Diaz

18 year-old Kat (Aliya Raymundo) was a senior high school student who moonlighted as a elevator girl in a posh condominium building. As a side racket, she would engage some male residents with her sexual favors. New tenant Jay (Albie Casino) just moved into the penthouse unit, and not long after, he was also one of Kat's loyal customers. One day, a crippled lady confined to a wheelchair moved into the penthouse. She was Mimi (Vern Kaye), Jay's wife.

In the long list of occupations VMX has turned into prostitutes in the past three years, this has got to be one of the most unbelievable. They want us to believe that the elevator girl can just put her elevator on hold for an indefinite time enough to satisfy her customer.  The Mimi angle of the story was a good one, despite the acting limitations of the actresses. However, that red herring to involve fellow elevator girl Mariz (Zsazsa Zobel) was totally illogical. 5/10

Review of SNOW WHITE: A Progressive Princess

March 20, 2025

The newborn baby princess was named Snow White. After her mother the Queen died, the King remarried. His new Queen took control of the kingdom when the King failed to return after a battle. She was a vain woman who wanted her Magic Mirror to confirm that she was always the fairest one of all. One day, the Mirror declared that Snow White, who by now had turned from a child to a young lady, was the now the fairest. The Queen could not accept it.

This was how the story of Snow White began. It is a tale familiar to almost every child, particularly those who grew up under the spell of Disney animated films. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" (1937) was the very first full-length animated feature film by Walt Disney, the original innovator of adapting fairy tales into animation. With its box office take adjusted for inflation, it is still in the list of the Top Highest-Grossing Animated Films of All Time. 

This new live-action version of Snow White certainly had a very rough start. The controversy started when Latina singer-actress Rachel Zegler was cast in the title role. Purists insisted that Snow White got her name because her skin was "white as snow." It did not help that Zegler also tactlessly called the original film "extremely dated." Rude netizens also made fun of Zegler's appearance in comparison to Gal Gadot's regally beauteous Queen. 

Changes were evident from the very start. The new princess was named Snow White because she was born in a stranded carriage during a snow storm. There was no Prince here, instead we have Jonathan (Andrew Burnap) was a rebel who was "loyal to the King," who lived in the forest with his own band of seven cohorts. After she woke up from true love's kiss, this new Snow White proved to be a progressive princess who changed how the fairy tale ended. 

We hear reinterpretations of its old songs "Heigh-ho" and "Whistle While You Work" by the dwarves. However, there was no more "I'm Wishing," "One Note," and notably "Someday My Prince Will Come" here. Instead, there were a number of new songs all written by the song writing team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. So in case you think you are hearing strains from "The Greatest Showman" songs in them like I did, that is why.

This live-action version looked very good from a technical point of view, with award-worthy art direction, costume designs, and visual effects (generally). The CGI Seven Dwarves were not really as bad as originally imagined, but I can't help seeing familiar faces in them, like Tommy Lee Jones for Grumpy, or Alfred E. Neumann of MAD Magazine in Dopey. The forest animals were very cute furry furballs, as Disney had already perfected in their previous live-actions.

Far from being the biggest liability of this "Snow White," Rachel Zegler was actually one of its saving graces. Her singing voice was so strong and soaring, so breathtaking especially in her showstopping "Wishing on a Wish". Andrew Burnap may look like a more generic Jonathan Bailey, but his singing was also very good, particularly in his comical solo "Princess Problems." Their love duet "A Hand for a Hand" had good harmonic blending in its arrangement.

Now Gal Gadot is another matter. There is no arguing her beauty, as she was radiant from her introductory scene. Only very few can pull off the Evil Queen's iconic crown, gowns and cloak like she did. I can even forgive her campy approach to playing evil. However, when it came time for her first solo song number that had mediocre singing and even worse "dancing," if you can call it that. Gadot really betrayed the limits of her acting ability here. 

The word "fair" gets bandied about a lot throughout this film. Of course, the original context was in the Evil Queen's obsession to be the fairest (the most beautiful, or the whitest) of them all. She exemplified this in her solo song "All is Fair" where she declared that "Beauty is power." However, for this new progressive Snow White, fair means "equal sharing," and in her anthem "Snow White Returns," she aspired to be "someone fearless, someone fair." 6/10