Netflix: Review of A JOURNEY: A Therapeutic Trip to Tasmania

 April 15, 2024

Shane (Kaye Abad), Bryan (Paolo Contis) and Kristoff (Patrick Garcia) had been the best of friends since their childhood. Kristoff became a famous film matinee idol and a playboy bachelor. Shane married Bryan and the two were very happy together, until she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After an arduous treatment regiment, she eventually recovered, but this toxic and stressful experience had caused them to be childless. 

Five years later, it was discovered that the cancer had metastasized to her lung. Afraid to undergo the same ordeal, she decided that she did not want to undergo chemotherapy all over again. Instead, she listed down a number of things she wanted to do with the remaining time in her life, calling it her "Magic List." While sad that Shane seemed to have surrendered, Bryan and Kristoff go all the way helped her check each item off her bucket list.

The pacing of director RC delos Reyes was quite fast in the first act, and kept the atmospehre light despite the serious topic. Within the first ten minutes of the film, Shane was seen coughing blood out, clearly indicating a seriously ill protagonist. At this point, I dreaded that this would just go the usual lugubrious of most dramas about terminal illness. However, screen writer Onay Sales-Camero sprung several surprises on us along the way. 

By the 30 minute mark, the three friends were already driving along the streets of Tasmania on their healing road trip. It was in this exotic island that the film took its time to let the drama simmer and overflow. It was delightful to see a Tasmanian devil, baby penguins, and a heartwarming surprise comeback by Jimmy Santos (as Shane's estranged father Mr. T). That beautiful scene set inside the church was the melodramatic highlight of the whole film.  

Abad, Contis and Garcia were all graduates of the 90s teen series "Tabing Ilog" and that would explain their easy natural chemistry with each other that made this film work perfectly. Abad has not been onscreen for five years already, but she has not lost her touch for drama. Contis was able to show off the range of his talents in playing the distraught husband Bryan. As Kristoff (or "Tupe"), Garcia was still his old charming self with his easy smile.

To further remind us of this "Tabing Ilog" connection, there were actually scenes of the three hanging around and having fun on a riverside dock. There was a surprise cameo of another "Tabing Ilog" actress in the epilogue. The song playing over the closing credits was the theme of "Tabing Ilog" originally written and sung by Barbie Almalbis as Barbie's Cradle, but this version is a cover by Vanessa Garcia.  

This film talks about cancer and who decides on what to do about it -- patient or family? In the midst of all the tearful declarations of love, there were uncomfortable statements made about selfishness. Is a patient selfish for choosing not to undergo any treatment? Is a significant other selfish for wanting the patient to undergo the painful surgery, radiation and chemo that he does not like? Surely, these are difficult decisions no one wants to have to make. 7/10

Review of CIVIL WAR: Photojournalistic Processes

April 14, 2024

The United States is embroiled in a violent war where the federal government was going against a strong secessionist movement from the states of California and Texas. The lame duck President (Nick Offerman) was still making statements on television that he had things under control, even as violent bombings and civil unrest beset major cities.

Veteran war photographer Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst), her colleague Joel (Wagner Moura) and mentor Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) drive from New York to Washington DC to interview the embattled US President. Along with them on this ride was Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), an aspiring photojournalist who idolized Lee. 

This epic war drama film was written and directed by Alex Garland. Before his directorial debut with sci-fi film about AI "Ex-Machina" (2014) that earned for him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, Garland was first known as the writer of the apocalyptic zombie film that made Cillian Murphy a star -- "28 Days Later" (Danny Boyle, 2002). 

Stars Dunst, Moura, Henderson and Spaeny make a tight ensemble as we joined their perilous road trip and the various stops they made. Dunst played Lee as a grizzled veteran who has reached the point of saturation about war violence. While Henderson's Sammy had the calmness of experience, Spaeny's Jessie had the annoying brashness of youth.  The most chilling moment was care of an uncredited cameo by Jesse Plemons as a right-wing fanatic. 

It depicts a fictional situation set in the near future, something which still seems unlikely to happen at this point in time.  We join the story with the civil war already ongoing. Despite the title, the film did not really tell us what led to the secession movement that led to this civil war. While the war was there as the setting of the story, it was not about the war. Garland still made this war look and sound horrific just to push the advocacy that war is needless violence. 

The film only concentrated about telling the story of the road trip taken by four photojournalists to the heart of the war zone to get the scoop they want. Their dedication to their dangerous job may be seen as sheer recklessness and fool-hardiness by regular folk. However, without them, how would the world see the drama and atrocities of these wars? These intrepid souls provide humanity a precious service to document and warn against the stupidity of war.  8/10

Review of YOUR MOTHER'S SON: Vile Venereal Venom

April 12, 2024

During the pandemic, attractive middle-aged woman Sarah (Sue Prado) earned a living mainly by cooking native desserts and tutoring students online. She lived with a slacker young man Emman (Kokoy Dos Santos), whom she introduced as her son. In the afternoon, Emman would to the house of Amy (Elora Espano), the girl who helped Sarah with her food business. They would do drugs, which would invariably lead to rounds of sex. 

One day, Sarah brought home a younger lad Oliver (Miggy Jimenez), whom she introduced to be the son of her eldest brother. Oliver was being physically abused by his father, and Sarah thought it best to take the boy away from his home and bring him home with her. Ever since Oliver moved in, the insecure Emman could not help but feel paranoid that Sarah was getting closer to the new boy, while he was being pushed aside and taken for granted.

"Your Mother's Son" was one of four films written and directed by Jun Robles Lana released 2023, along with "About Us But Not About Us," "Ten Little Mistresses," and "Becky and Badette." It was first shown in Toronto, and a couple more foreign venues, before finally premiering in the Philippines tonight as the opening film of the IdeaFirst filmfest, launched to celebrate their 10th anniversary in the local film landscape.  

Indie film goddess Sue Prado always had this sensual screen presence, and she played it to the hilt here as earthy mama Sarah. With roles like Amy, Elora Espano seems to follow the same career path Prado took. With his tousled curls and big round eyes, Kokoy Dos Santos projects crazy and recklessness in all his roles. Often shrouded in clouds of his vape, Dos Santos captured the precarious imbalance of Emman's psyche. Miggy Jimenez has that air of innocence about him, which made his turn as Oliver feel more corrupted.

Lana's original cut of this foray into the erotic film genre first got an X-rating from the MTRCB. He was able to somehow make judicious cuts to make it R-18 for a commercial release. The story about perverted sex and its link to violence was the stuff of Vivamax erotica. However, Lana showed here how a such a sick sordid tale could be richly spun with layers of simmering steam and danger before its inevitable conclusion. 7/10. 

   

Review of GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE: Cold Continuation

April 9, 2024

Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon), her boyfriend Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), her children Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (McKenna Grace) were now running the Ghostbusters operations in New York City. Their missions were so destructive such that their nemesis, now NYC Mayor Walter Peck (William Atherton) wanted to close them down. Peck also found out that Phoebe was only 15, so they were forced to sideline her. 

Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Podcast (Logan Kim) now run a business dealing with cursed objects. One day, a guy named Nadeem Razmaadi (Kumail Nanjiani) brought them a brass ball that he found among his late grandmother's things. Their messing with the item set off paranormal energies that damaged of the Ghostbusters' 40-year old ecto-containment unit and released the giant ice monster Garraka confined within it. 

This new film is a sequel of the reboot film "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" (2022) which introduced us to the family left behind by original Ghostbuster Egon Spengler. In this one, the Spenglers, together with Gary, have moved to NYC to be the  new Ghostbusters. I admit I felt Callie Coon was very boring, Finn Wolfhard was quite annoying, Mckenna Grace was so angry -- these new Spenglers were not really that fun here than in "Afterlife."  

Of course, it was always great to see the original Ghostbusters -- Stantz, Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) and Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) -- back together on the big screen, even if it felt like they were only playing for laughs. However, their parts were longer than the cameos they had in "Afterlife," but they were still basically there to make fans happy. They did not even factor in significantly in defeating the enemy at the end.

Kumail Nanjiani was funny as Nadeem, but it felt so random and contrived how he could have a hidden superpower which of course would be instrumental against Garraka. Emily Alyn Lind had an interesting role as Melody, the teenage ghost Phoebe "met" while playing chess at the park. As for those classic all-time fan-favorite ghosts, Slimer and the cute little Stay Puft Marshmallow Men, they still got a lot of scenes to delight their fans.  6/10.

Review of THE FIRST OMEN: Delivering Damian

April 7, 2024

It was 1971 when American novice Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) went to Italy to take her vows as a nun. Upon recommendation of her mentor Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy), she was assigned to go to a convent led by Abbess Sister Silvia (Sonia Braga), that was also an orphanage for exclusively female children. A priest there, Fr. Brennan (Ralph Ineson), warned Margaret to stay away from an orphan named Carlita Scianna (Nicole Sorace).

This new film is a prequel to a classic horror film from the 1970s -- "The Omen" (1976). In that first film, the newborn son of politician-diplomat Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) passed away right after he was born. Hoping to spare his wife Katherine (Lee Remick) from this trauma, Thorn agreed to replace his dead son with another baby boy also born on the same day, June 6 at 6 am, whose mother died giving birth to him. They named him Damien.  

This original film, directed by Richard Donner from a script by David Seltzer, was remarkable for its suspenseful storytelling and diabolical twists and turns. It was a solid 10/10 in my book, even upon repeat viewing now. It won an Oscar for its eerily atmospheric yet propulsive musical score by Jerry Goldsmith. Its theme song "Ave Satani" was a left-field nominee for Best Original Song. It had memorably ghastly death scenes, two of which were actually remade in this prequel, but not as scary.  

Being a prequel, it goes without saying that we already know that a baby boy was going to survive at the end of this film -- the baby boy who will be offered to Robert Thorn in the 1976 film, who turns out to be the Antichrist. It is the mysterious identity of the mother which will keep you guessing. There was also a controversial side plot about a faction within the Church which wanted Antichrist to exist in the world for misguided reasons.

This film was released right after Michael Mohan's film "Immaculate," with which it uncannily shared a lot of common elements. Both start with an American novice nun sent to a convent in Italy to take her vows, and end with a difficult birth scene. There would also be a mentor priest, a suicide scene, a bad-influence fellow nun, even a climactic fire. But while "Immaculate" used a science fiction device, "The First Omen" stuck with the good old supernatural route. 7/10.  

Vivamax: Mini-Reviews of KASALO, TL and CHEATERS

April 4, 2024

KASALO

Directed by HF Yambao

Writer: Nigel Santos

Head writer: John Carlo Pacala

Lanna (Vern Kaye) was constantly having tense arguments with her husband Joaquin (Rash Flores). Rudy (Albie Casino) just broke up with his girlfriend Tricia (Mia Cruz). One day, both of them wound up booking the same car on the online app Kasalo. When the car they were sharing had a flat tire, the two of them decided to go into a nearby bar to drown out their respective relationship problems. From the bar, the two ended up in a motel. 

Both original pairs here -- Kaye and Flores, and especially Casino and Cruz -- had absolutely no chemistry. They were so mismatched, you can easily see why their characters were not compatible at all.  Try as she may, Kaye cannot do much to salvage her inherently problematic character. Casino does not seem to take his acting seriously here (or in any of his Vivamax films), coming across as lousy as ever. 1/10. 

TL

Directed by Jay Castillo

Written by Rijel Reyes

Head writer John Carlo Pacala

Brenda (Jenn Rosa) was the most productive agent in her team. When she was bypassed for a promotion to the SME position, her OM Joem (Manu Respall) recommended her to vie for the same position in the team led by TL Carl (Nico Locco), known to be a loyal family man with an environmental advocacy. While she still had daily trysts with her boyfriend Phil (Armani Hector), Brenda decided to butter up her TL to earn her promotion. 

Since its inception, Vivamax has certainly made a point of telling its audience that anyone, especially women, could always use their bodies to get a leg up in their careers. From real estate agents and cosplayers before, "TL" now brings us into the world of call center agents. Aside from Brenda, there were two other girls who were being rumored to be sleeping with their TLs, so this film does not exactly enhance their moral reputation of this profession.

As the lead actress, Jenn Rosa is a pretty girl, but she clearly still a neophyte actress. The unnaturally affected way Rosa spoke English to her American clients went against Brenda's supposed commendations for eloquence and speaking skills. These are nothing that a good acting workshop could improve. Nico Locco's Filipino language skills were much better, he looked ill at ease as TL Carl. His acting here was painfully mediocre. 2/10. 

CHEATERS

Directed by Dustin Celestino

Written by JC Pacala

April (Angeline Aril) was architect working in the firm of her boyfriend Mark (Jhon Mark Marcia), the son of the owner. In her desperation for a promotion, she thought she had to use her feminine wiles to land clients, with disastrous results. Meanwhile, Jonie (Aerol Carmelo) was the head chef of a restaurant owned by the company of his rich girlfriend Mae (Kara Fernandez). One day, April and Jonie met each other in a bar, and got along too well.

Since they were written by the same writer JC Pacala, "Cheaters" was practically a reworking of "Kasalo." Two individuals having problems with their significant others hook up for a secret affair, and then they contemplate whether they are doing the right thing or not. As before, Carmelo had a natural easygoing vibe in his acting. Aril is quite attractive, but her playing April as a dumb bimbo a bit too well may give viewers the wrong impression about her. Fernandez did not look like the type who'd bare in a Vivamax film.

Director Dustin Celestino had just proved his excellence as a director with "Sa Duyan ng Magiting," my #1 best Filipino film of 2023.  However, this new project of his was a disappointing follow-up. There wasn't much he could do with this lame story and script. During their few dramatic scenes (in between the numerous sex scenes), the limited acting skills of his neophyte cast here cannot save the pretentiousness of the script. 4/10

Review of EXHUMA: Ghouls from the Gravesite

April 4, 2024

Rich Korean-American Park Ji-yong's newly-born male son was suffering from a mysterious malady which Western medicine could not figure out. He hired Korean shaman Lee Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun) and her assistant Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun) to intervene. Hwa-rim diagnosed the situation as a case of  "Grave's Call," where an enraged spirit of an ancestor vented his vengeance on the eldest son of every generation after him. 

Upon their return to South Korea, Hwa-rim called on geomancer Kim Sang-duk (Choi Min-sik) and mortician Ko Yeong-geun (Yoo Hae-jin) to help her with her mission. They found the unmarked gravesite of Mr. Park's grandfather to be located on top of a mountain. They exhumed the ornately-carved coffin out of the ground, and Mr. Park wanted it cremated. However, they had to defer this because it was raining very hard.

The two feature films which Jang Jae-hyun had both written and directed, namely "The Priests" (2015) and "Svaha: The Sixth Finger" (2019), are in the mystery-horror genre with elements of religion. This new one is along the same vein, but more concentrated on Korean traditional beliefs and practices that deal with death and the afterlife. This one also touched on the deeply-rooted historical conflict between Korea and Japan.

To be completely frank, I went to watch this film mainly because of the presence of veteran actor Choi Min-sik, the star of such iconic films like "Oldboy" (2003), "I Saw the Devil" (2010) and "The Admiral: The Roaring Currents" (2015). I must say, that even if he is now in his 60's, his magnetic screen presence has not diminished at all. Choi's portrayal of Mr. Kim Sang-duk was convincing and authoritative. When his Mr. Kim spoke of feng-shui, we'd believe him.

It actually took me completely by surprise to see other familiar Korean actors in the cast.  I knew Yoo Hae-jin from his films "Luck Key" (2016) and "Confidential Assignment" (2017). The others I knew from K-dramas -- Kim Go-eun from "The King: Eternal Monarch" (2020), "Yumi's Cells (2021) and "Little Women" (2022); Lee Dong-yeun from "Sweet Home" (2020) and "The Glory" (2022); and Kim Sun-young (who was a senior shaman here) from "Reply 1988" (2015), "When the Camellia Blooms" (2019) and "Crash Landing on You" (2019). 

It is not hard to imagine why this is currently the top-grossing film of South Korea for 2024 so far. Even in local cinemas, "Exhuma" is still going quite strong even at one month in its run, likely due to good word of mouth. Surely, the all-star cast was a factor. Hearing Kim and Lee chanting spells was quite memorable. The eerie atmosphere and ghostly effects had us at the edge of our seats. That giant wire-bound coffin was terrifying sight in itself, but more so when we see the samurai creature inside rise up to its full towering height.  8/10. 

Review of DEARLY BELOVED: Frustrated Formalities

April 2, 2024

Subic Bay Yacht Club acting front manager Deo (Baron Geisler) and band singer Shel (Cristine Reyes) were living together with their two sons. Gelo (Tyro Gabriel Daylusan) was their biological child, while junior high student Nathan (Charles Law) was Shel's son from her ex Keith (Felix Roco). On some weekends, they are joined by two more kids -- Levi (Robbie Wachtel) and Trixie (Althea Ruedas), Deo's kids from his ex Rhoan (Phoebe Walker).

This complicated family drama by co-written and directed by Marla Ancheta. She had an auspicious directorial debut in 2020, when her "Finding Agnes" premiered on Netflix, and was actually my #1 Filipino film of that year (MY LIST). Her third film "Doll House" (MY REVIEW) became very popular when it premiered on Netflix in 2022, starring a newly-reformed Baron Geisler and child actress Althea Ruedas, both of whom are also here in "Dearly Beloved." 

Geisler's Deo was a proud man, loyal and dedicated at work, mild-mannered and sweet to his wife, and a responsible father to his children. It was very easy for audiences to side with him when life started to deal him bad cards and things started to fall apart. Geisler was very natural in his performance, playing Deo with dignified restraint. That one scene when Deo finally released the emotions he had been holding back will get Geisler cited for awards.

Cristine Reyes's mettle as a dramatic actress had already been proven before many times, and her turn here as Shel was no different. Her singing scenes were also a pleasant surprise. At one critical point, Shel declared what she wanted from Deo, and stood by her tough decision. This act of empowerment may come across as unreasonable and may be difficult for some audiences to understand why Shel's demand was that important for her

Ancheta set up the intricacies of the inter-personal relationships very well at the start. Everyone was supportive and got along very well, at least most of the time. The main conflicts lay in Deo and Shel's past baggage, and the effects brought about how they procrastinated to close those open doors. The only real villain in the story was Zach, a crass, ill-mannered, finger-snapping nepo-baby, played with annoying consistency by Benj Manalo. 

However, like many melodramatic films in the past, the main problem of this film was borne out of a lapse in communication. It could have just taken Deo a few seconds to mention what happened at work that day so that Shel would know where he was coming from. Instead, it was only mentioned much later only as a desperate plea for understanding, when the relationship was already handling by a thread. It did not have to reach that point at all. 6/10. 

Mini-Reviews of IMMACULATE and IMAGINARY: Twisted Terror Tropes

March 31. 2024

IMMACULATE

Directed by Michael Mohan

Sister Cecilia (Sidney Sweeney) accepted an invitation from Fr. Sal Tedeschi (Alvaro Morte) to join a convent in Italy which offered hospice services to sick and dying nuns. One day, she was called in by the Mother Superior (Dora Romano), the Cardinal (Giorgio Colangeli) to answer accusations of impropriety with men. An ultrasound examination revealed that Cecilia was with child, but she claimed to be a virgin. 

Sidney Sweeney first gained prominence in HBO series "Euphoria" and "White Lotus," which earned her Emmy nominations for her acting work. For this 2024 alone, we've seen her in "Anyone But You," "Madame Web," and now this one, playing very different characters and genres.  At age 26, she worked as producer in two of her latest films, so it looks like this young lady is well on her way to becoming a serious filmmaker.  

Some of the most intense horror films have been Catholic-themed, most notably "The Exorcist" and "The Omen," in which Catholic rites and beliefs were played up to provide a creepy atmosphere and plot points. In this film, the mystery of the Virgin Birth (not the Immaculate Conception, mind you) was given a modern, pseudo-scientific spin, ultimately giving the whole film a sacrilegious overall vibe. Sweeney gave her all to that brutal, bloody, single-take childbirth finale until its abrupt fade-out. 6/10. 

  

IMAGINARY

Directed by Jeff Wadlow

Jessica (DeWanda Wise) married a musician Max (Tom Payne) with two daughters: bitter teenager Taylor (Taegen Burns) and sweet curious Alice (Pyper Braun). Aside from problems getting along with the girls, Jessica was also troubled by nightmares about her mentally-ill father Ben (Samuel Salary). When they moved into Jessica's childhood home, Alice found an old teddy bear in the basement who became her imaginary friend Chauncey.

The imaginary friend of a child character has been a common trope in several famous horror films in the past, like "The Exorcist," "Poltergeist" to "Annabelle." The evil entity would possess an innocuous toy to get closer to a child, which it would then use to gain control of the family living in its house.  This vibe was very familiar here in "Imaginary" as well, although there some surprises along the way as the characters find themselves in a surreal maze of childhood horror.

Wise as Jess and child actress Braun as Alice both did well to maintain the likability of their respective characters. However Burns, as petulant eldest daughter Taylor, was certainly a very annoying character, as she kept fighting Jess and all her efforts to connect with her. It was very good to see Betty Buckley (70s "Eight is Enough" star and 80s Tony-winning original Grizabella) back on the big screen again as nosy neighbor Gloria. 5/10. 

Review of GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE: Kickass and Kinetic Kaijus!

March 29, 2024

Kong was thriving well in Hollow Earth, able to fight off his enemies. However, he was lonely, longing for contact with his own kind. An ongoing infection of his left upper canine tooth was not helping the situation.  Meanwhile, Godzilla was "helping" humans control the havoc wreaked by other irradiated Titans on the surface. His latest "mission" was subduing the crab monster terrorizing Rome. After his victory, Godzilla took a victory nap in the Coliseum. 

While Kong was on the surface seeking dental help from his human friends, Godzilla was awakened by signals originating from Hollow Earth. These same signals were also perceived by Jia (Kaylee Hottle), adopted daughter of lead scientist Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall). She led an expedition into Hollow Earth, together with her veterinarian friend Trapper (Dan Stevens) and podcast host Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) to seek out the source. 

The first Godzilla - Kong collaboration project "Godzilla Vs. Kong" (2021) was released during the pandemic, streaming on HBO Go (MY REVIEW). Because of this, most people were not able to appreciate the full expanse of Hollow Earth and the gigantic Titans as designed and executed when they watched it on small gadgets. Now for this sequel -- do watch this on the biggest screens, in 3D IMAX if possible, for best possible viewing experience.

With a predictable story to tell, the film came to life only when Godzilla and Kong were on the screen. The annoyingly whiny human characters were mainly there for comic effect and to up the fear factor. We also meet new gigantic creatures discovered in a deeper subterranean world, including a mythic insect kaiju in an extended cameo. I am not exactly a fan of the design of the brown-furred baby ape at first, but he grew on me as the film went on.

Like the first film, it was still shown how Kong was very much dependent on the help of his human friends, like the extraction and instant implantation of a replacement, and their miraculous management of severe frostbite injury. Basic medical principles were ignored (you can't implant on infected tissue, among others), but then again, I guess no one really cares about these things in a popcorn adventure film like this, as long as it delivers the thrills. 7/10.   

Vivamax: Review of RITA: Messed-up Melodrama

March 23, 2024

Former bar girl Rita (Christine Bermas) just married Ariel (Victor Relosa), but he immediately had to fly to work abroad in Saudi Arabia. Ariel worked as a driver for a rich Arab man (Sahil Khan), who began to make a move on him. Rita began to entertain Ariel's best friend Royce (Josh Ivan Morales) when he made his move on her. Rita's gay younger brother Marlon (Gold Aceron) was angry because she was cheating on Ariel, on whom he had a crush.

Things became difficult when Ariel came home prematurely. Rita knew that she had to end her affair with Royce, but she could not. Ariel had to come to terms with a newly-discovered sexual preference, but she could not. Marlon had to decide whether he should reveal to Ariel what he knew was brewing between the two people he loved, but he could not.  Royce found a way to earn the money he needed to settle his gambling debts, so he went for it. 

No less than National Artist Ricky Lee wrote this screenplay, so it was not surprising that there were so many complexities in this film's plot, certainly more than the typical Vivamax film. However, Mac Alejandre, who directed Lee's previous Vivamax projects, was only creative producer in this new one. The director was veteran teen film and TV drama series director Jerry Lopez Sineneng taking on his very first Vivamax feature film.

There were still a good number of typical Vivamax heterosexual coupling scenes -- Rita and Ariel, Royce and girlfriend Shirley (Amabella de Leon), Rita and Royce. This must be the first Vivamax film with frankly homosexual sex scenes between two men -- Ariel and Arab boss, Ariel and callboy (Mhack Morales), Ariel and Royce. The film's climax was a nude menage-a-trois which would, predictably, take a turn to violence, in true Vivamax formula.

In the title role, Christine Bermas gave it her all, especially in those crazy, never-before-seen bedroom acrobatics. Tougher acting challenges went to Victor Relosa (with all the gay scenes he had to do for the first time) and Gold Aceron (who had to portray a teenage closeted gay with subtlety). This was also the first Vivamax appearance of Josh Ivan Morales, best known as the predatory uncle in "Ang Lihim ni Antonio" (2008), still as depraved and beastly as ever. 5/10.