My Yearend Roundup: The BEST FOREIGN FILMS of 2025 That I Have Seen

December 25, 2025

Here are the best foreign films I had seen and written about in the year 2025. Thanks to QCinema for bringing in Oscar hopefuls "Hamnet," "Sirat" and "The Things You Kill." However, too bad I had to miss other gems like "The Voice of Hind Rajab" or "Rental Family." 

Not included in this countdown were the 2024 films only shown locally in 2025, like "A Complete Unknown" or "Flow." Also not included here were outstanding Oscar-primed 2025 films, but have not yet been released in the country, either in cinemas or streaming sites (no VPN), like "Sentimental Value," "It Was Only an Accident," or "The Secret Agent."

Like previous years, I divided my yearend best-of-films list into two: foreign films (both in English and other foreign languages) in this post, and Filipino films in a separate post (LINK). 

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

30. THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS by Matt Shakman (My Full Review)

29. GOOD BOY by Ben Leonberg (My Full Review)

28. THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by Chris Columbus (My Full Review)

27. ELIO by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina (My Full Review)

26. BRING HER BACK by Danny and Michael Philippou  (My Full Review)

25. THE LONG WALK by Francis Lawrence (My Full Review)

24. BLACK BAG by Stephen Soderbergh (My Full Review)

23. WAKE UP DEAD MAN by Rian Johnson (My Full Review)

22. NO OTHER CHOICE by Park Chan-wook (My Full Review)

21. HOUSE OF DYNAMITE by Kathryn Bigelow  (My Full Review)

20. CAUGHT STEALING by Darren Aronofsky (My Full Review)

19. JAY KELLY by Noah Baumbach (My Full Review)

18. MICKEY 17 by Bong Joon-ho (My Full Review)

17. CELLS AT WORK by  Hideki Takeuchi (My Full Review)

16. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON by Dean DeBlois (My Full Review)

15. F1 by Joseph Kosinski (My Full Review)

14. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FINAL RECKONING by Christopher McQuarrie (My Full Review)

13. BUGONIA by Yorgos Lanthimos (My Full Review)

12. WICKED: FOR GOOD by Jon Chu (My Full Review)

11. ZOOTOPIA 2 by Jared Bush, Byron Howard (My Full Review)

MY TOP TEN ARE:

10. THUNDERBOLTS* by Jake Schrier (My Full Review)

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. This is director Jack Schreier's 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. 

9. WEAPONS by Zach Cregger (My Full Review)

Instead of the typical linear style, Cregger told his story from the points of view of different people -- from Justine, Archer, police officer Paul (Alden Ehrenreich), drug junkie James (Austin Abrams), Marcus, and finally Alex. Therefore, we get the finer details of the story served in small installments, allowing the audience to just piece and solve the whole mystery together in our heads, leading up to one ultra-violent, yet very satisfying, climax.

8. TRAIN DREAMS by Chris Bentley (My Full Review)

Joel Edgerton gave a sensitive performance here, as Robert lived up to 80, An Oscar nom is not unlikely. He spoke very little in the film, but his sad weathered face said it all. Director Clint Bentley evoked Terence Mallick here. With his cinematographer Adolfo Veloso, editor Patrick Laramie and narrator Will Patton, he had created a poetic portrait of a man and the difficult life he went through. We are moved. 

7. KPOP DEMON HUNTERS by Maggie Kang (My Full Review)

K-pop is so ubiquitous nowadays, every song in the film is so catchy. Huntr/x had songs like "How It's Done," "Golden" and "What It Sounds Like." They even had a song Rumi did not like called "Takedown," but it wasn't any less poppy. The Saja Boys were winsomeright off the bat with the irresistibly sing-along-able fiest hit, "Soda Pop." Their second song "Your Idol" could  be a metaphor of how the public can easily be brainwashed by their hypnotically powerful music.

6. HAMNET by Chloe Zhao (My Full Review)

The pace of the storytelling may be slow (in true Chloe Zhao style), and things do get quite overwrought at one point, which may make some wonder where the critical acclaim was coming from. It did feel like a typical family melodrama about a housewife dealing with three kids, spousal abandonment and an insidious plague. However, the real magic began in the last 15 minutes at the premiere staging of "Hamlet" (Noah Jupe in the title role). It was here that we feel the true heart of this film and finally get what the buzz was all about.

5. ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER by Paul Thomas Anderson (My Full Review)

Anderson was able to mix character study, social commentary, political satire, family drama, crime action all together in in perfect harmony. The comedic elements were more prominent, while the dramatic elements were decidedly more subtle. After giving us so much chaos in the first two hours, Anderson saved the best sequence in the closing minutes, executing what could be one of the best shot, most heart-stopping car chases that I've seen.

  

4. NE ZHA 2 by Yu Yang (My Full Review)

The most amazing part of this 2-1/2 hour epic was its spectacular animation style. Everything in the first film was given a major glow up -- from the action, to the funny, to the magical. Every character, major or minor or even background extras, were all given meticulous attention to detail in their face, bodies and costumes. The last three winners of the Oscar Best Animated Feature had not been Disney films, looks like this one may follow suit next year. 

3. FRANKENSTEIN by Guillermo del Toro (My Full Review)

Those familiar with Del Toro's work knows his penchant for all things macabre and monstrous. While the whole film dripped with these dark and disturbing elements, the highlight will have to be that sequence of scenes of Victor carving out various body parts from different dead soldiers, then connecting them together to build his 3-D jigsaw puzzle of a Creature. It would take a strong stomach to sit through this fascinating process of anatomical construction. 

2. SUPERMAN by James Gunn  (My Full Review)

Overall, Gunn's vision of Superman was old-fashioned and sentimental, but updated with complex science fiction with innovative technology. How Lois Lane can pilot a new-fangled air craft or how Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) could be an irresistible ladies' man may seem silly, but chalk those up to Gunn's campy sense of comedy. I have high hopes this film could give the struggling DC film universe the boost it needs to reach new heights it deserves.

1. SINNERS by Ryan Coogler (My Full Review)

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.

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My list for 2024 is posted HERE.

My list for 2023 is posted HERE. 

My list for 2022 is posted HERE. 

My list for 2021 is posted HERE. 

My list for 2020 is posted HERE. 

My list for 2019 is posted HERE. 

My list for 2018 is posted HERE.

My list for 2017 is posted HERE.

My list for 2016 is posted HERE.

My list for 2015 is posted HERE.

My list for 2014 is posted HERE.

My list for 2013 is posted HERE. 

My Yearend Roundup: The BEST FILIPINO FILMS of 2025 That I Have Seen

December 25, 2025

In 2025, there were 189 Filipino films released. 105 were commercially in cinemas or as entries in film festivals (62 normal releases + 43 film festival releases). The rest were released streaming in online apps. So far, I've seen 77 of them. This is a marked decrease from the 149 I watched in 2024, because since April 2025, I have decided not to watch the output of a certain prolific app anymore. 

Of the film festivals, I able to watch 5/8 of the Cinepanalo films in March. 2/5 of the Sine Maynila films in September, 7/10 of the Cinemalaya films and 1/5 of the Sinesilip films in October. I was not able to watch any Filipino feature film in the offerings of QCinema this year.  So far I had been able to watch 5/8 entries of the Metro Manila Film Festival this December, thanks to their red carpet premieres. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS: 

30. SINAGTALA by Mike E. Sandejas (My Full Review)

29. FLEETING by Catsi Catalan (My Full Review)

28. THE CARETAKERS by Shugo Praico  (My Full Review)

27. IN THY NAME by Rommel Ruiz, Ceasar Soriano (My Full Review)

26. MADAWAG ANG LANDAS PATUNGONG PAG-ASA by Joel Lamangan (My Full Review)

25. REPUBLIKA NG PILOLIPINAS by Renei Dimla (My Full Review)

24. 100 AWIT PARA KAY STELLA by Jason Paul Laxamana (My Full Review)

23. RAGING by Ryan Machado (My Full Review)

22. THE RIDE by Thop Nazareno (My Full Review)

21. OUTSIDE DE FAMILIA by Joven Tan (My Full Review)

20. KONTRABIDA ACADEMY by Chris Martinez (My Full Review)

19. EVERYONE KNOWS EVERY JUAN by Alessandra de Rossi  (My Full Review)

18. TAGKIWILI by Tara Illenberger (My Full Review)

17. CHILD NO. 82  by Tim Rone Villanueva (My Full Review)

16. CALL ME MOTHER by Jun Lana (My Full Review)

15. SONG OF THE FIREFLIES by King Palisoc (My Full Review)

14. UNMARRY by Jeffrey Jeturian  (My Full Review)

13. SALUM by T.M. Malones  (My Full Review)

12. REKONEK by Jade Castro (My Full Review)

11. EX EX LOVERS by JP Habac (My Full Review)

10. SUNSHINE by Antonette Jadaone (My Full Review)

It all boils down to a woman's right to have agency over her own body, not anyone else. And as long as abortion remained illegal, women with unwanted pregnancies have to resort to medically-unsafe ways of getting rid of the fetus, putting their lives in danger. However, no matter how this film ends, abortion will always be a contentious issue that will probably not gain much traction in ultra-conservative, predominantly Catholic Philippine society any time soon. It certainly took chutzpah for these filmmakers to produce a film like this. 

9. MANILA'S FINEST by Raymond Red (My Full Review)

Director Raymond Red took on the story written by Michiko Yamamoto, Moira Lang and Sherad Sanchez, and told it with a realistic period vibe. The pace of storytelling was deliberately slow but engaging. The production design, costume design, and hair and makeup teams were very meticulous with the details.  Piolo Pascual's Magtibay was not a perfect man or policeman, but he had his head squarely in the right place, remaining loyal to his profession and his organization. Enrique Gil played Ojeda with the impulsiveness of youth which led him to trouble later. 

8. JOURNEYMAN by Christian Paolo Lat (My Full Review)

JC Santos gave his 100% in his gritty, sweaty portrayal of Angelo as failed boxer and family man, in a realistically painful physical and emotional performance. His siomai-eating scene at the end (reminiscent of Jaclyn Jose's iconic fishball scene in "Ma Rosa") was absolutely heart-crushing. Santos' Angelo also bared his soul when his long-suffering wife Sunshine broke down and expressed her "what-ifs" at the hospital, and in those conversations with Nay Rosario (Ruby Ruiz), his adopted mother at the fishport.

7. CINEMARTYRS  by Sari Dalena (My Full Review)

The highlight of the whole film was Shirin's shoot in Patikul, Sulu with an all-Tausug cast led by Laila Urao as the bride Karsum. In obedience to Islamic rules, Shirin had to designate the imam's son Medzfar (Bong Cabrera) to bark out her orders. It started smoothly enough, with a reenactment of a Moslem wedding feast that ended in tragedy. As a famous photograph of the resulting carnage was recreated, a terrifying mystical experience engulfed the whole crew. This was a most mesmerizing sequence, especially since this eerie episode of possession really happened in real life. 

6. I'MPERFECT by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo (My Full Review)

This unique film written and directed by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo dealt with Down's Syndrome (DS). Most people think of them as children because of how they look, and treat them as children even when they are of adult age. Bernardo tells us that persons with DS are actually capable of feeling romantic love and all the complicated thoughts, acts and emotions that come along with it. This is very first Filipino film with actual persons with DS as lead actors. Go and Amaba shone brightly, holding their own beside their veteran co-actors in challenging bittersweet scenes. 

5. BAR BOYS: AFTER SCHOOL by Kip Oebanda (My Full Review)

79 year-old Ms. Odette Khan, who had won multiple Best Supporting Awards for the first film, is billed as lead this time. All her scenes were particularly well-written, with several quotable quotes about life and the law. Her words about lawyers being "invisible by design" and how integrity was "the courage to be disliked" stuck to me.  Her iconic Justice Hernandez may have mellowed down with her age and health, but Ms. Khan's performance still hits very hard. The best scenes of each actor in the cast were those they shared with her. Ms. Khan knew that this is the role she is going to be best remembered for, and she gave it her all.

4. ONE HIT WONDER by Marla Ancheta  (My Full Review)

This film was so easy to like and enjoy because of the charismatic lead actors, Khalil Ramos and Sue Ramirez. They are both bona fide talented singers, so their characters felt real and relatable.  Their romantic chemistry was also off the charts, so we root for their relationship all the way, even as tough decisions had to be made. That sidewalk scene ran the gamut of painful conflicting emotions, but both stars, especially Ramos, played it with great restraint. 

3. ONLY WE KNOW by Irene Emma Villamor  (My Full Review)

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.

2. HABANG NILALAMON NG HALIMAW ANG KASAYSAYAN by Dustin Celestino  (My Full Review)

Like his previous "Duyan ng Magiting," the true star is Celestino's screenplay. The story was also divided into chapters, this one had eight, each named for a memorable line within that chapter. Each chapter contained astutely-written dialog about political disinformation and injustice that challenge our own convictions. Aside from the titular Hydra, four other characters of Greek myth -- Sisyphus, Cassandra, Pandora and Tantalus -- were utilized as universal metaphors.

1. QUEZON  by Jerrold Tarog (My Full Review)

Jericho Rosales was an inspired choice to play the charismatic president, who spoke, argued and cursed with oratorical flair and passion. This film was certainly not romanticized nor haigographic.  Rosales played him as domineering, devious, dishonest to achieve his noble goal of independence. In so doing, he inadvertently promoted a toxic political culture that still pervades even almost century hence. 

With this final installment, Tarog continues the high technical, production and entertainment value, signature of the whole trilogy. Cinematography, production design, hair and make-up, and musical scoring were all top-notch.  As before, there were lots to learn about the less well-known details about the country's political scene during that time.

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My List of Best Filipino Films of 2024 is posted HERE.

My List of Best Filipino Films of 2023 is posted HERE. 

My List for Best Filipino Films of 2022 is posted HERE.

My List for Best Filipino Films of 2021 is posted HERE.

My List for Best Filipino Films of 2020 is posted HERE.

My List for Best Filipino Films of 2019 is posted HERE.

My List for Best Filipino Films of 2018 is posted HERE.

My List for Best Filipino Films of 2017 is posted HERE.

My List for Best Filipino Films of 2016 is posted HERE.

My List for Best Filipino Films of 2015 is posted HERE.

My List for Best Filipino Films of 2014 is posted HERE.

MMFF 2025: Review of CALL ME MOTHER: The Meaning of Motherhood

December 25, 2025

Twinkle de Guzman (Vice Ganda) was a topnotch pageant coach. When his mother suddenly passed away, she left him with an infant baby boy whom she just informally adopted. Twinkle's career floundered as he raised the boy Angelo (Lucas Andalio) to be a smart student and a talented artist. One day, Twinkle was offered an opportunity to work in Hong Kong Disneyland. He can bring Angelo, but adoption papers need to be legalized. 

Popular model Mara de Jesus (Nadine Lustre) just announced on TV that she was engaged to be married to Anton (River Joseph), a son of wealthy parents (Jennifer Sevilla and Robert Ortega). However, their wedding will still be held next year because Mara wanted to first win an elusive beauty title Ms. Uniworld, which she lost 10 years ago because she fainted during the final question (about which she would prioritize between her child or her crown). 

This is the second film collaboration of star Vice Ganda and writer-director Jun Lana after last year's "... And the Breadwinner Is," which was also an entry in the MMFF last year. Vice was nominated for Best Actor, but won a Special Jury Prize given "To a performer who has broken the ground and gone out of the familiar comfort zone to prove his growth as an artist and tackle issues relevant to the contemporary society." He does so again this year.

The story had already been told in Filipino films at least two times before. In "Ang Tatay Kong Nanay" (1978, Lino Brocka), Dolphy played a gay beautician who raised the child abandoned by his boyfriend's girlfriend (Marissa Delgado) who later wanted the child back. In "Maalaala Mo Kaya: The Movie" (1994, Olivia Lamasan), Aiko Melendez played a UP student who raised the child abandoned by her cousin (Chin-Chin Gutierrez) who later wanted the child back. 

This new film has its own innovations to distinguish it from its predecessors. Unlike the first two, it did not see the need to identify Angelo's father. It also had the cleanest (most idealistic?) final resolution of the three. The documents for legal adoption were given a bigger emphasis here, with social worker Mutya Isidro (Chanda Romero) guiding Twinkle along. We see that a signature of consent from the real mother was required to get the process to proceed. We see that a child at 10 years old is expected to write a statement in his own hand as to which parent he wanted to go with.  

Of all three films, it was this current version of the story that gave the child a prolonged harrowing scene of barangay officials trying to violently wrest him away from Twinkle's possession when he refused to give Angelo up. While this was a major acting moment for both Vice and Andalio, I felt it went way off-the-rails over-the-top for what's supposed to be a family film, especially when it ended up with Twinkle brandishing a kitchen knife. 

Real-life beauty queens like Chelsea Manalo and Carlene Aguilar cameoed at the very start talking about Twinkle's strict methods to ensure victory. There were scenes where Twinkle challenged Mara to strut the runway while balancing anything from an aquarium to a steaming pan of chop suey. While Dolphy's Coring had his gang of gay friends, Vice's Twinkle had transwomen as her foster family -- Mama M (John Lapus) and younger brother Vince (Esnyr). Twinkle's former rival Ms. J (Iyah Mina) is now Mara's manager and bodyguard. 

Nadine Lustre was very good with her dramatic confrontations, but her Mara was not made too sympathetic for us to like her enough. Her answer to the Ms. Uniworld pageant's Q&A portion was quite a twist, albeit too improbable and melodramatic. A group of PBB alumni (Shuvee Entrata, Brent Manalo, Mika Salamanca, Klarisse de Guzman) played minor roles as young people in Twinkle's house. They're mostly there to make more noise in the background to fulfill the dictum that "louder is funnier" in Pinoy comedy. 

The crazy comedy gags expected of Vice were only inserted as fantasy sequences showing what he really wanted to do in his head but cannot. This story gave Vice plenty of opportunity to stretch his dramatic acting skills -- a perfect vehicle for him to prove that his citations last year was no fluke. Lucas Andalio (a nephew of Loisa Andalio) makes an impressive impression as the confused child caught in between two mothers, as Nino Muhlach did before. The chemistry between Vice and Andalio make them the team we want to root for. 7/10. 

MMFF 2025: Review of BAR BOYS: AFTER SCHOOL: Lasting Lessons in Law and Life

December 22, 2025

Atty. Torran Garcia (Rocco Nacino) married a singer Jazz (Glaiza de Castro), and was now a law professor at his alma mater.  Atty. Christian Carlson (Enzo Pineda) was a big time lawyer in New York City, but whose marriage was on the rocks. Atty. Erik Vicencio (Carlo Aquino) was a lawyer of a NGO helping farmers who just narrowly escaped being shot. Joshua Zuniga (Kean Cipriano) got disillusioned with his showbiz career, and returned to law school. 

Torran took over a class in political law in the absence of Justice Hernandez (Odette Khan). Among the groupmates of Josh in that class were Arvin Asuncion (Will Ashley), who had to balance his studies with a menial job; CJ David (Therese Malvar), whose goal was to fight against a quarrying company destroying their remote village; and Trisha Perez (Sassa Gurl), a brilliant transwoman student who was on her way to becoming their class valedictorian. 

The events of this sequel happened 10 years after the events of the first film, "Bar Boys" (2017, MY REVIEW), also written, directed and co-produced by Kip Oebanda.  This time around, Oebanda had the help of fellow writer-directors Carlo Catu and Zig Dulay in writing the script. Like the original, this sequel also contained classroom recitations, legal discussions and current issues. We see ruthless tactics of expensive wily lawyers to get their clients off the hook, as exemplified by Atty. Rhodina Banal (a formidable turn by Sheila Francisco). 

The four main actors have grown up in outlook and in look. Even if he is the eldest of them at age 40, Carlo Aquino still looked as youthful and vulnerable as he did in the first film. Rocco Nacino looked respectable and professorial with his glasses and premature greys. Enzo Pineda looked very inch the prideful rich guy whose guts you'd hate. His Chris was being such an insensitive pain when he complained about his wife, you'd cheer Jazz on when she told him off big time. We can see how much Kean Cipriano had matured from his old photos in the collection of his big fan Mae (a scene-stealing film debut by Klarisse de Guzman). 

The three younger actors who played the aspiring lawyers also had their respective moments to shine. Therese Malvar is known to be an intense actress since she was a child, so it was no surprise how she made the most of her limited screen time.  On the other hand, trans comedian Sassa Gurl surprised me as she spouted legalese in a smart and serious performance as Trisha. Will Ashley got to show off his drama skills as his Arvin was the most challenging role of the three. Emilio Daez, as Arvin's stoic but sympathetic boss Chef Ziggy, was also given a memorable moment as he urged his employee to pursue his passion. 

79 year-old Ms. Odette Khan, who had won multiple Best Supporting Awards for the first film, is billed as lead this time. All her scenes were particularly well-written, with several quotable quotes about life and the law. Her words about lawyers being "invisible by design" and how integrity was "the courage to be disliked" stuck to me.  Her iconic Justice Hernandez may have mellowed down with her age and health, but Ms. Khan's performance still hits very hard. The best scenes of each actor in the cast were those they shared with her. Ms. Khan knew that this is the role she is going to be best remembered for, and she gave it her all. 8/10

MMFF 2025: Review of UNMARRY: Advice About Annulment

December 20, 2025

Celine Santos (Angelica Panganiban) was filing an annulment case against her wealthy husband Stephen Alcaraz (a maddening Tom Rodriguez). She wanted custody of their two daughters, Chloe (Andy Cortez) and Zoe (Britney Romero). She also wanted all of their successful pastry shop named after her. However, Stephen believed she did not deserve any percentage of this business because he paid for everything about it.

Ivan Buencamino (Zanjoe Marudo) wanted to file a case opposing the petition of his wife, prominent TV news anchor Maya Castro (Solenn Heusaff) to annul their marriage. Ivan was an art prodigy when he was much younger, but was now at a low point in his career, a situation made worse by him indulging in a destructive vice. Caught in between the conflict between Ivan and Maya was their young son Elio (a very promising Zac Sibug). 

One afternoon, Celine and Ivan both showed up at the office of Atty. Jacqueline "Jackie" Lombridas (the inimitable Eugene Domingo), located on the 12th floor of a building with a frequently faulty elevator. Atty. Jackie became popular because of her viral videos recounting her controversial cases. The current entry in her vlog "Walang Butas ang Batas" ("No Flaw in the Law") was about the legal process involved in cases of marriage annulment.

It is incredible to learn that the last full-length film of veteran director Jeffrey Jeturian had been "Ekstra" (2013). "UnMarry" is actually only his tenth film in his 27 year career. He had been concentrating on numerous television series like "Please Be Careful With My Heart" and "Maalala Mo Kaya" since then until now. ("Lakambini" was started by Jeturian in 2015, but only finished by another director earlier this year.) 

It had been 20 years since Jeturian had collaborated with writer Chris Martinez twice in "Bridal Shower" (2004) and "Bikini Open" (2005). While those two were overtly sexy comedies, this latest partnership of theirs tackles a much more serious topic. While the trailer suggested heavy dramatics in store for us, the actual film still packed more than a dash of signature Chris Martinez wit and humor, with Eugene Domingo delivering the goods as only she can. 

Shamaine Buencamino and Adrienne Vergara play Celine's mom and sister respectively, ever reliable and supportive. Mari Kaimo and Angel Aquino play the lawyers of Stephen and Maya respectively, and whoa, how intimidating they were! Nico Antonio and Donna Cariaga play Atty. Jackie's staff, mostly for laughs. Kaladkaren and Brian Sy play the best friends and character witnesses of Celine and Ivan respectively, but too bad, we never hear them testify. 

This is Angelica Panganiban's first movie since "Love or Money" (2021), and her performance as vulnerable Celine proves that she has certainly not lost her touch for both drama or comedy at all. Zanjoe Marudo has proven to be a strong, reliable leading man over the years, and his performance as flawed Ivan was sensitive and affecting. Panganiban and Marudo have good chemistry, and their drunken night at the bar was their best scene together, giving similar vibes as Panganiban's past classic "That Thing Called Tadhana" (2014).

**** SPOILER ALERT

I personally felt that it would have been better for the film if the script just had the relationship of Celine and Ivan strictly platonic. This development went against Ivan's character arc, since he wanted to keep his marriage with Maya intact in the first place. This also gives an uncomfortable dimension to that climactic tearful scene when the two hug each other saying "It's over." Were their tears happy ones because their cases were resolved, or were they sad ones because their affair could not proceed?  7/10

MMFF 2025: Review of I'MPERFECT: Discerning Down's

December 21, 2025

Jessica (Krystel Go) is a 28-year old lady with Down's syndrome. She lived with her mother Norma (Sylvia Sanchez), a seamstress who raised Jessica single-handedly since her father Arman (Joey Marquez) left them behind when she was born. She enjoyed keeping herself pretty and had won several awards in beauty pageants. She was quite independent as she rode the tricycle on her own, worked as a waitress at a cafe and cooked a mean sinigang. 

Jiro (Earl Amaba) is a 29 year old young man with Down's syndrome. He lived with his parents, Lizel (Lorna Tolentino) and Dan (Tonton Gutierrez), who were both physicians. He had a younger brother Ryan (Zaijian Jaranilla) who was taking up pre-med, but would rather be a musician. Jiro was an excellent swimmer and he made windchimes as a hobby. Because he was homeschooled, Jiro was shy and aloof, so others thought he was grumpy. 

This unique film written and directed by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo dealt with Down's Syndrome (DS), a condition which many people recognize, but really do not know much about. Most people think of them as children because of how they look, and treat them as children even when they are of adult age. Bernardo tells us that persons with DS are actually capable of feeling romantic love and all the complicated thoughts, acts and emotions that come along with it. 

Watching this film is an eye-opening experience. It was heartening and educational to learn about DS from the point of view of people who have it. It is normal for us to feel protective about them, but they would rather that we put more trust in them, that they can be independent and think for themselves. Seeing and marveling at how Go and Amaba was able to portray Jessica and Jiro so well is the first step to this process of understanding them better. 

While this film celebrates what persons with DS are able to do, there are also scenes in this film that also show how vulnerable they can be when they attempt to do activities regular people do and take for granted. While Jiro and Jessica were somehow able to do it, it can be too idealistic to think that everyone they encounter along the way would be kind, helpful or accommodating to them, especially there was no family or friend around to defend them. 

That a film like this was even produced and filmed at all was already a very remarkable feat -- the very first Filipino film where the lead actors were persons with DS. It was inclusive, supportive and all sorts of positive for the most part. Go and Amaba shone brightly, holding their own beside their veteran co-actors in challenging bittersweet scenes. That is why I must admit it was difficult for me to process why the ending had to happen that way. 8/10

Review of AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH: Rehashing a Rehash

December 18, 2025

Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri's (Zoe Saldana) family have settled with the Metkayina clan led Tonowari (Chris Curtis) and his now pregnant wife Ronal (Kate Winslet) in their seaside community. Lo'ak (Britain Dalton) was still feeling very guilty about his brother's death, and was advocating for an exiled young tulkun (whale). Neytiri was unhappy that Spider (Alex Champion) was staying with her family, and wanted him to live with "his own kind." 

One day, while the Wind Traders were visiting Metkayina, the war-like Mangkwan clan (or Ash People), led by their cruel leader Varang (Oona Chaplin), launched a destructive attack against them. Jake's nemesis Quaritch (Stephen Lang) introduced firearms to Varang, and became her consort of sorts. Their respective troops merged together to form an even more formidable army to capture Jake, who was considered a traitor against humankind. 

This new film in the Avatar franchise is 3 hours and 17 minutes long, 5 minutes longer than the second film, "Way of Water." Since these were shot together, they basically looked very much the same, sharing the same animated-looking CGI designs of the backgrounds and characters. In fact, for me, it felt like it just retread the main plot of the second film, with only two significant story points that distinguished one from the other. 

The addition of the Varang and her Mangkawan clan was merely to double the menace and danger against Jake and his family, by giving Quaritch a similarly heartless war-freak of a partner, especially after she learned how to operate automatic weapons and flamethrowers. However, with all these various Navi clans fighting each other on their flying animals, the battle scenes did get confusing to follow who was who and who was winning. 

The only other innovation to the plot involved Spider, who had developed something very significant to his respiratory physiology which had scientists racing the clock to find out how this happened. Whatever this was could be the key for all humans to be able to move to and further exploit Pandora.  This detail led to a intense scene with Jake and Spider that called to mind a similar walk taken by Abraham and Isaac in the book of Genesis.

I read that there will still be an Avatar 4 and 5 coming up. However, even at this point with Avatar 3, we already feel that James Cameron had literally been telling the same story of colonization and exploitation over and over again, just with different settings and different Navi clans. Despite being great to look at, this third film really felt very long because of the repetitiveness of its message, which had been already been tackled from the first film.  6/10

MMFF 2025: Review of REKONEK: Internet Interruption Impasse

December 17, 2025

One day, a solar flare shot out from the sun and hit Earth resulting in a loss of internet connection all over the world. As would be expected, since practically every human activity was now connected and dependent on a great degree to the internet, everybody's daily routines were all thrown into a big mess by the shutdown of the world wide web. Without the option of virtual meetings and streaming entertainment, people were now compelled to interact face to face. 

Wes (Gerald Anderson) worked in IT with Bennie (Raf Pineda) and Markus (Dom Corilla). He just sent his wife Kate (Charlie Dizon) an email but was not sure if it went through. The family vlog of Bridget (Carmina Villaroel) and Jordan (Zoren Legaspi) and their twins Eve (Cassy Legaspi) and Derrick (Mavy Legaspi) was put on hold. The planned meet-up of musician Jasper (Kokoy de Santos) and his fan Cheska (Angel Guardian) was deferred. 

OFWs in Bangkok Trisha (Bela Padilla) and Gigi (Andrea Brillantes) were planning to go home for the Christmas holidays, but their flights were cancelled, so they had to find another way home. Artist Onyx (Kelvin Miranda) was falsely arrested as a murder suspect, but there was no way to contact his family. Paula (Alexa Miro) used to run a number of online scams from catfishing women or defrauding merchants, but the shutdown made her rethink her ways. 

However, there was one woman in Batangas who did not seem to mind the loss of the internet. This was the elderly widow Cory (Gloria Diaz), who lived without family, only with her helper Peks (Donna Cariaga). She steadfastly stuck to the old ways of doing thing, resisting the use of any modern gadgets, so she had a landline, encyclopedias and cold cash. However, she was known among her neighbors as a grumpy old lady who did not like people bothering her.

The screenplay was a complex interweaving of multiple stories written by writers Jericho Aguado ("Third World Romance," "Gospel of the Beast") and Leovic Arceta ("A Girl and a Guy," "Rabid"), with Kat Naval. This is director Jade Castro's first film since "LSS" (2019), and he clearly never lost control in telling this web of disparate stories of seemingly unrelated people, and came up with something so engaging, bittersweet and heartwarming. If there was a weakness in this, it would be that scene on how the internet ecosystem was restored.

All the actors understood their assignments, they worked as an ensemble. They kept everything light in tone, yet also knew how to tug at our heartstrings in tear-jerking moments. Ms. Diaz stood out with her delightfully deadpan delivery of her funny lines that had me laughing out loud in glee. This film proudly declared itself the only Christmas movie for this year's MMFF. I have a feeling this, like its inspiration "Love Actually" (2003), may become a classic Christmas movie for Filipinos to enjoy for the years to come as well. 8/10

MMFF 2025: Review of MANILA'S FINEST: A Policeman's Pride

December 16, 2025

The year was 1969. Four policemen from the Manila Police District Station 4 were roaming the streets in their squad car #014. At the wheel was Lt. Billy Ojeda (Enrique Gil), and beside him was Capt. Homer Magtibay (Piolo Pascual). Seated at the back were Liwanag (Joey Marquez) and Meneses (Romnick Sarmenta). As news about Gloria Diaz and the moon landing were being reported over the car radio, they encountered a squad car of Philippine Constabulary Metropolitan Command officers, led by Lt. Danilo Abad (Cedrick Juan).

This set the tense mood for the whole film, as the PC Metrocom were encroaching into the operations of the local police units -- from the rumbles of the Sputnik vs. the Bahala Na gangs to the rallies by university student activists. Magtibay was not ready to give up his turf, even as there was a change in their station leadership, from his friend Maj. Conrado Belarmino (Ariel Rivera) to the new, more abrasive chief Epifanio Javier (Rico Blanco). Meanwhile, his junior partner Ojeda was showing signs of rebellion and may be turning to the darker side. 

On a personal side, Magtibay also had potential conflicts brewing. He was a dutiful husband to his second wife Yolly (Rica Peralejo), but he also had a secret girl on the side, Janette (Jasmine Curtis Smith), who was seemingly the mistress of his whole station. He was also a doting father to Agnes (Ashtine Oliviga), his daughter from his first wife, now a freshman in UP Los Banos. She and her friends had started to join street protest rallies, the very activities which her father was dutybound to keep in check. 

Piolo Pascual's Magtibay was not a perfect man or policeman, but he had his head squarely in the right place, remaining loyal to his profession and his organization. Enrique Gil played Ojeda with the impulsiveness of youth which led him to trouble later. Joey Marquez and Roomnick Sarmenta delivered the witty one-liners. Ariel Rivera's chief was dignified, while Rico Blanco's chief was dubious. The nature of Cedrick Juan's Abad and his Metrocom group was kept ambivalent. Also making a strong impression were Soliman Cruz as a photographer with inside scoops, and Dawit Tabonares as a curly-haired Visayan gang leader.  

If the fan response at the premiere night was to be gauge of a star's popularity, Ashtine Olviga topped them all. Her fans were screaming every time she was onscreen, no matter what she was doing. These girls would also scream during scenes featuring Ethan David (as Agnes's not-yet-boyfriend Cecilio), Dylan Menor (as a rookie cop Efren Taguyonon), Paulo Angeles (as a mustachioed gang leader Remen), or Kiko Estrada (as rabble-rouser Carmelo de Leon). Pascual need not feel insecure about these young guys though, as the girls were also screaming their heads off when he bared his torso in a bed scene. 

The production design, costume design, and hair and makeup teams were very meticulous with the details. The interiors of the MPD station should look familiar to boomers, especially those hand-painted letterings on the glass panels. Very interesting were those round shields seemingly made of woven rattan that were used by Magtibay and his men to ward off students. I have never seen them used like that before, except as patio tabletops. There were a few compromises, notably that Mendiola rally obviously shot in Liwasang Bonifacio. Curiously, song choices in the soundtrack were dirge-like kundimans instead of 60s rock and roll. 

Director Raymond Red took on the story written by Michiko Yamamoto, Moira Lang and Sherad Sanchez, and told it with a realistic period vibe. The issues the students were fighting for then are still what those we hear up to now. The pace was deliberately slow but engaging, but with only a few action scenes than would be expected from a police movie. Just when the film might start feeling kind of long, something major suddenly happens abruptly with no buildup. This startling scene will surely have you straighten up in your seat wondering if you missed anything. 8/10

Netflix: Review of WAKE UP DEAD MAN: Riveting Resurrection

December 12, 2025

When he was still a young boxer, Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor) mortally injured one of his opponents. He turned his back on boxing and trained to become a Catholic priest. After being involved in a fight with a deacon, Rev. Jud was reassigned to be the assistant pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude in Chimney Rock, New York. The parish priest there was the charismatic but controversial Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin).

Wicks had a loyal group of supporters around him led by his loyal assistant Martha (Glenn Close), groundskeeper Samson (Thomas Haden Church), doctor Nat (Jeremy Renner), lawyer Vera (Kerry Washington) and her adopted son wannabe politician and influencer Cy (Daryl McCormack), sci-fi author Lee (Andrew Scott), retired cello player Simone (Cailee Spaeny). One Good Friday, a murder was committed in a small enclosed room beside the altar. 

As with the first two Agatha Christie-inspired "Knives Out" murder mysteries whipped up by writer-director Rian Johnson, every character had a motive to kill the victim. This is a job for the ever- flamboyant private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), who had been invited to assist by local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis). Aside from Christie, Johnson outright cited "The Hollow Man" by John Dickson Carr for his mechanics of a perfect murder.

Johnson had really woven in a lot of intricate twists and turns into this case to involve even a beloved former pastor, a destructive "harlot whore" and a mysterious heirloom. Johnson also made his crimes so complex such that no one in his audience can likely get every little detail correctly. The whodunnit part may be guessed at, but how everything fell into place, especially the part about an apparent "miracle," can still surprise the most jaded couch detectives. 

What an impressive cast Johnson has gathered together! Craig's Blanc was as over-the-top as ever and was fun to watch his histrionics. Glenn Close, of course, won't be ignored, and she stole the scene whenever she's on. Josh O'Connor was riveting as the sincere but conflicted Rev. Jud, torn between his violent past and his present vocation, between wanting to solve the case and wanting to serve his flock. O'Connor's had this quiet scene of epiphany with a distraught woman on the phone (Bridget Everett) which was just so good.

Rev. Jud had some very well-written lines about his concept of Catholic priesthood. On the other hand, Catholicism also took some blows here, with distorted beliefs in scandalously confrontational homilies, or the destructive desecration of the church tabernacle and icons, including the taking down and shattering of the main crucifix. There was also a disturbingly irreverent depiction of the Sacrament of Reconciliation where the icky contents of a priest's confession will make you regret you watched this with your parents. 7/10

Netflix: Review of SANA SINABI MO: A Sensitive Secret

December 11, 2025

Pastor Joseph "Otep" Mariano (Bodjie Pascua) just passed away from cancer. His son Joseph "Seph" (Juan Karlos) and wife (Lotlot De Leon) were hosting a service at church, attended by their Head Pastor Leopoldo Marquez (Nonie Buencamino) of the Church of the Holy Lord. In the middle of Joseph's eulogy, a foul-mouthed woman named Cecil (Rosanna Roces) went up to his coffin and started scandalously exposing the pastor's sordid past as a gay man. 

Director and co-writer Shaira Advincula alternated the present events to flashbacks of Otep's youth. During the 1970s, young Otep (JC Santos) and young Cecil (Yesh Burce) went out to discos at night, at the risk of being caught by policemen during the curfew. At that time, Otep also had a penpal from Cordoba, Spain, Rafael "Rum" Pena (Jaime Garcia), who was a gardener in an olive garden there, with whom he exchanged passionate love letters. 

This film was a not-so-subtle shade against organized Christian religion and their aversion against homosexuals (and I suppose, all LGBTQIA +). In this ultra-conservative cultish Church of the Holy Lord, no matter how good a person is, his name is automatically besmirched, and he is shunned socially once he is found to be gay. Lest you think this his film is set in the past, no. This is present day, mind you -- Otep only passed away in 2024. 

Somehow complicating things was a subplot about the powerful Pastor Leo Marquez and his own iniquities among the young girls in his flock, ugly wig notwithstanding. This side story did not even involve Otep nor Joseph directly, so it could have been completely dropped without consequence. I am guessing this was only a direct stab/reference to a recent news about a locally-based cultish religious sect and its notorious founder/leader. 

The penpal reference should connect with the Boomer or Gen X segment of the audience who could wax nostalgic about their own penpals from other countries, as well as their hope to actually meet their penpals in person.  This Cordoba part would have been good, if not only for the awkward writing of the scenes when Seph first spoke to Rum. All those "sir, sir, sir" and "are you gay?" were irritating, any person would have also shut the door on his face. 

While the script had some good things going for it, like the Medenilla magnifica seeds, there were also a number of problematic parts. The finding of Otep's old suitcase buried in the garden was such a random coincidence. There was a lot of uncalled-for profanity for a film going for the heartstrings like this, even good-boy Seph cursed. Cecil was not only sexually vulgar, it was not clear why she scandalized her old friend in the first place.  4/10

Review of ETERNITY: A Difficult Dilemma

December 10, 2025

After he died, Larry Cutler (Miles Teller) found himself in a train station-like place called the "Junction." With the help of his Afterlife Coordinator named Anna (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), Larry had to decide where he wanted to spend his eternity. A few days later, Larry's wife of 65 years, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen), also passed away, and the two were reunited at the Junction, expecting to spend the rest of their afterlife together. 

To her surprise, her first husband Luke (Callum Turner), who died 67 years ago in the Korean War and waited for her ever since, also showed up to claim her as well. Now Joan was faced with a very difficult decision to make. Will she spend her eternity with her first love and husband, whom she barely spent any life with? Or will it be with a man she spent 65 long years filled with both happy and problematic memories?

Director and co-writer David Freyne wisely tackled this rather heavy topic with a light rom-com touch. His version of the afterlife is clearly not based on any religious dogma, hence it was open to his own original ideas with regards to its rules (once a soul chose his eternity, there is no turning back or else Eternity Cops will throw him into the Void), or features (for the price of a ticket, you can take a stroll into an "Archives" of your cherished moments in life). 

His three main actors knew their assignments well, and kept their performances also breezy for the most part, while knowing when to go a bit serious as the story required. Both Teller and Turner played their roles with their own brands of earnest charm, to make Joan's (and the audience's) dilemma that much more difficult who to choose. The suspense of the close contest will make you want to stay for Joan's final decision.

The premise of the film was actually very simple, but Joan's big dilemma will make audiences also reflect about their own romantic relationships in life. At the start, a marriage between two young people in its first year is quite idealistic as it basked in a honeymoon glow. In contrast, a marriage of over 50 years is a dizzying roller-coaster ride as it went through many wringers along the way.  You, which partner would be your choice be for your eternity? 7/10

Netflix: Review of JAY KELLY: Consequences of Career Choices

December 8, 2025

Movie star Jay Kelly (George Clooney) wanted to spend time with his daughter Daisy (Grace Edwards) before she leaves for college. However, she had booked already booked a tour in Europe with her friends. Jay ordered his loyal manager Ron (Adam Sandler) and publicist Liz (Laura Dern) to get him on the same train bound for Italy with her, so he can invite her to join him to attend a career tribute organized for him in Tuscany. 

Feeling pensive at this turning point of his career, Jay did plenty of reminiscing about people he encountered along the way when he was younger (Charlie Rowe as young Jay). There was Peter Schneider (Jim Broadbent), the director who gave him his big break. There was Timothy Galligan (Billy Crudup), his old friend from acting school to lost a big role to him. There was Daphne (Eve Hewson), a female co-star with whom he had an affair.  

However, it was with his own family that Jay had the most conflict with because he had always prioritized his movie career over all of them. Aside from Daisy who would rather travel with her friends than with him, there was elder daughter Jessica (Riley Keough), who was seeing a therapist  (Josh Hamilton) to sort through her father issues. Like his girls, Jay also had trouble connecting with his own father (Stacy Keach). 

At this senior statesman stage in his real life career, George Clooney was perfectly cast as Jay Kelly. His portrayal felt so effortlessly natural, you'd believe that these things were happening in actuality. Clooney's Jay was a suave and cool superstar, but when each and every important person in his life was turning him down, you can clearly see his ego collapsing even without a word being said. That climactic film montage tribute for Jay Kelly was a tribute for George Clooney himself, and those mixed emotions on his face say it all. 

Also gaining much critical attention now is Adam Sandler, as Jay's hard-working, street-smart manager, which fit so well with his personality. When Ron finally realized that Jay was purely business and never a friend, he also realized that he had been prioritizing Jay too much, over his wife Lois (Greta Gerwig) and other clients, like Ben Alcock (Patrick Wilson). This scene, plus that perfectly timed tear when Jay held his hand, may well just win him the Oscar.  

Three Best Picture Oscar hopefuls -- "Hamnet," "Sentimental Value," and now this "Jay Kelly" share a plot point in common. They were all about male artists who had once abandoned their families for their careers, and were hence having difficulty reconnecting with them. Mescal, Skarsgard and Clooney all gave moving performances, but Clooney is the only one gunning for Best Actor, while the other two had been relegated (unfairly) as Supporting. 

Noah Baumbach directed and co-wrote (with Emily Mortimer) this reflective inside-look into a senior actor's life, and those of the people around him. Having been a filmmaker since the mid-1990s had provided Baumbach with so much behind-the-scene stories to work into not only Jay Kelly's story, but also Ron's, Liz's and his daughters. These interpersonal conflicts were brought to life with wit and sensitivity in Baumbach's signature dialog-driven style.    8/10