Review of ORPHAN: FIRST KILL: Esther's Emergence

July 30, 2022

"Orphan: First Kill" (William Brent Bell, 2022)

The film which introduced us to the despicable and evil 9 year-old girl named Esther was "Orphan" (2009) directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by David Leslie Johnson, from a story by Alex Mace. Esther (Isabelle Fuhrmann) was a talented little Russian orphan who was adopted by Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard) Coleman. Not long after, Esther began to wreak havoc on her poor adoptive family. 

The whole film was so unsettling, I could not help but flinch during scenes where Esther puts a child in mortal danger, and this happened multiple times. A rather preposterous medical condition revealed to explain her physical appearance and sexual vulgarity, aside from the more apparent psychiatric issues accounting for her murderous sociopathic behavior. Esther had certainly become one of the most hateful cinematic characters ever.

Since the end of the film did not really open itself for a sequel, it was quite a surprise when it was announced earlier this year that there would be a second "Orphan" movie. The bigger surprise was that this new film would be a prequel, and it would still star the same actress Isabelle Fuhrmann as Esther. Fuhrmann was only 12 years old in the first film, so that would make her 25 years old this year playing Esther at a younger age! 

Orphan (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2009)

In this prequel, a ruthless psychotic killer Leena Klammer was able to escape from the institution where she was confined in Estonia. She took advantage of her delicate child-like appearance to pretend to be Esther, the missing daughter of a wealthy American couple, Allen and Tricia Albright (Julia Stiles and Rossif Sutherland). Even if her subterfuge was not always perfect, Esther easily got close with Allen because of their common love for painting.

At first, you'd think that Esther will do exactly the same thing to the Albrights as she did to the Colemans in the first film. It was the mom who was wary of Esther first as was their eldest son Gunnar (Matthew Filan), but the father remained oblivious. There was a scene where husband and wife were having sex, but was interrupted by a jealous Esther. However, the filmmakers had a big surprise twist midway in the story that made this prequel totally different.

Even if it seems this prequel can be watched without watching the first film, it is advised to see the first film first to "enjoy" the franchise better. The big revelatory twist of the first film was already spoiled early in the prequel since they assume you already watched the first film. In medium shots, director William Brent Bell used younger body doubles to maintain the illusion of Esther as a child, but closeups of Fuhrmann's face can't really deny her present age. 

*****

"Orphan" (2009): 7/10.

"Orphan: First Kill" (2022): 6/10. 

Netflix: Review of ENTITLED: Tasteless and Tawdry

July 31, 2022

Belinda (Alex Gonzaga) was young woman with a foul mouth and crude uncouth behavior who hailed from the poor village of Nalapok. She was suddenly thrust into the social high life when she was found and accepted by her long-lost biological father, billionaire hotel magnate Don Enrico Buenavista (Johnny Revilla). 

While his wife Matilda (Ara Mina) welcomed Belinda warmly, their haughty younger daughter Caitlyn (Andi Abaya) played cruel pranks on her. Dashing attorney Jacob (JC de Vera) oriented Belinda with the hotel business, while homely Yaya Monina (Melai Cantiveros) was assigned to be her personal assistant. 

You can already predict how this movie was going to proceed right from the very beginning. You can already see that Belinda will be an awkward fish out of water and she will be a source of embarrassment for her father. You can see who is the real villain of the story from the get-go, there was not much surprise about the ulterior motives. 

You can see how, despite their initial animosity about Belinda's terribly crass ways, Jacob will fall in love with her, Monina will be a good friend, and Caitlyn will change her ways -- no matter unlikely those things would happen. Don Enrico is too good to be true, but you knew something bad will happen to break his trust and she'd eventually win it back. 

Alex Gonzaga goes all out slapstick as Belinda, and frankly, it was tough to watch her without cringing. All her over-the-top facial expressions looked like she was going to barf anytime, not funny at all. Those indecent words coming out of her mouth were excessively vulgar. This tawdry shameless character was an insult to girls who come from poor neighborhoods. 

For the transformation of uncultured Belay of Nalapok to sophisticated Belinda Buenavista, we did not get the usual make-over scenes we see in other films like this, but unfortunately we were not spared a gross Brazilian waxing scene. That a crude film like this became Netflix #1 movie overnight says a lot about the current state of Filipino film appreciation. 1/10.

Review of MAID IN MALACAÑANG: Stating Sides

July 29, 2022

It is rare for one film to stir up a lot of public attention, both positive and negative. Ever since writer-director Darryl Yap announced that he was going to make this film about the last 72 hours of the Marcos family in Malacanang Palace in February 1986, it caused a whirlwind of opinion from both sides of the political spectrum of our country. Social media immediately exploded with panic, speculations and accusations of historical revisionism. Whatever side of the fence you are on, you will feel curious to go see what the fuss is all about.

The most attention-catching names in the opening credits (set to the tune of Marion Aunor's haunting version of Sampaguita's "Nosi Ba Lasi") was that of Senator Imee Marcos as Creative Producer, whose job was to guide the whole creative process to turn the idea into a reality. Senator Imee was right there when Yap first pitched the idea of this movie. Their collaboration may have started as fun and games, but Senator Imee soon recognized how this movie can be seriously instrumental in telling their side of the story.

The snap election of February 1986 was over and both sides were claiming victory. Manong Johnny Ponce Enrile and Gen. Fidel Ramos had already announced their revolutionary coup. The Marcos family was reeling from an unsuccessful attempt of Imelda's trusted umbrella holder Rick Morales to usurp control of the Palace and assassinate the first family. The morale in the Palace was already running low, as was their food supply in the pantry. The Marcos kids were concerned that their parents were not doing anything to gain control back.

Darryl Yap chose to tell his story in 10 short episodes or chapters, treating his subject matter seriously. There was not much of the irreverent comedy he was known for in his past output. The dramatic scenes can be heavy and occasionally emotionally overwrought, but there were moments of comedy care of the yayas to offset the mood. The actors gave their best efforts, but they don't really look like their famous characters, which take you out of the story. There were unexpected revelations before the closing credits which were quite surprising.  

Chapter 1 "Rebelde" was a report of the situation outside by Yaya Biday (Beverly Salviejo). Chapter 2 "Ilocos o Leyte" was about paranoia of Imee (Cristine Reyes) about staff loyalty. Chapter 3 "Tigre" was a heart-to-heart talk between FM and Bongbong (Cesar Montano and Diego Loyzaga) in the library. Chapter 4 "Awit at Ahas" showed a pensive Madame Imelda (Ruffa Gutierrez) going through her gowns and shoes to the tune of "Dahil sa Yo." Chapter 5 "Bunso" was about Irene (Ella Cruz) pleading her father to go with their plans. 

Chapter 6 "Oyayi" was about Bongbong assuring his mother that they will get the Palace back. Chapter 7 "Palamunin" was about the concerns of the Malacanang staff, as addressed by Yaya Santa (Karla Estrada) and Manang Lucy (Elizabeth Oropesa). Chapter 8 "Maid in Malacanang" was a talk between Imee and her father. Chapter 9 "Ang Huling SONA" showed FM thanking his staff for their service and loyalty. Chapter 10 "Retaso" was about Imee's final idea to help the staff just as the mob outside was about to storm the Palace. 

Senator Imee Marcos's role as Creative Producer was clearly felt all throughout this film. She meant to tell their inside point of view during those fateful last three days and this film did just that. All those teary conversations between the worried children and their embattled parents enabled the Marcoses to state their family's messages to their public. Bongbong promised his mother that the family will be back in the Palace, and now they are. Imee promised her father that his legacy will not be expunged and now here's this film. 

The film made sure people would see that the Marcoses were not the sadists they were made out to be. They believed that they were simple provincial folk, not from elite families, hence Filipinos love them. They were the reason why the EDSA Revolution was peaceful.  This was all about how the Marcos family would like to remember their last days in the Palace. The ruckus in social media was more rabid than in the film itself. 

This was self-serving haigography probably; an appeal for public sympathy possibly; and it did not actually feel confrontational for the most part. That is, until that rumor-based (as Yaya Biday mentioned in Chapter 1) dig at Cory Aquino (Giselle Sanchez) and her mahjong habits with the nuns in Cebu. This one final typically provoking Darryl Yap move in the last two minutes alone is likely to ruffle more feathers than the whole film could. 

Vivamax: Review of SCORPIO NIGHTS 3: Undone by Unsubtlety

July 29, 2022

Pinay (Christine Bermas) and her husband Drake (Mark Anthony Fernandez) just movied into a room on the ground floor of an old boarding house owned by Mang Dwight (Lou Veloso). Along with two other guys (Nor Domingo and Raffy Tejada), Drake worked as a bodyguard to a prominent Attorney (Julio Diaz), who was currently being involved with a number of controversial cases regarding the narcotics trade.

Boarding on the second floor was Matt (Gold Aceron), an engineering student who was also a member of a band in school. He was a sexually-preoccupied young man who knew his way around the holes on the wooden floor for him to be able to get the best vantage point to spy on the nightly activities of the couple living below his room. One night, while Matt was enjoying the live show below, Pinay looked up, and saw him looking in on them. 

This third iteration of "Scorpio Nights" was a reimagination of the classic 1985 film directed by Peque Gallaga and written by Uro de la Cruz. The plot was essentially the same, but there had been notable changes made to make it fit into the current urban landscape. There was a prominent mention of extrajudicial killings related to the drug trade, in which Drake was involved. There was always a news report about drugs heard blaring in the background.

In order to fill out the Vivamax quota for more sex scenes, director Law Fajardo decided to turn Pinay into an online sex worker, a camgirl who catered to the fantasies of her virtual clientele. She was also made to wear very skimpy lingerie while walking around their squalid compound, very unrealistic. There was also the extraneous character of Helen (Allison Smith), a voluptuous club manager who had an inexplicable attraction to the barely legal Matt. 

Christine Bermas is still the best natural actress among the current crop of sexy leading ladies of Vivamax, but this role of Pinay did not really give her much emotions to explore. As Drake, Mark Anthony Fernandez is getting stereotyped into these seedy characters with a streak of violence. Gold Aceron was a revelatory talent in his first film "Metamorphosis" (2019) where he played an intersex. However, he felt oddly miscast here as Matt. 

The total lack of subtlety in this version of "Scorpio Nights" was its undoing. Everything was clearly visible -- no dim diffused lighting, no mosquito net, nothing left to the imagination anymore. Fernandez and Aceron both showed off prosthetic members, the latter even inserted an erection through a hole on the floor to be fellated from below. Mac Alejandre's recent "Scorpio Nights"-inspired "Silip sa Apoy" had more erotic tension in its execution.  2/10. 

Review of DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS: Positive Partnerships

July 28, 2022

Krypto had been Kal-el's pet and companion since he was an infant launched into space by his parents during the destruction of their home planet Krypton. As Kal-el eventually became Superman, Krypto had always been his mission partner and only friend. However, time came when Superman was spending more time with Lois Lane and planned to marry her. When Clark brought him to an animal shelter to find a new friend for him, Krypto felt very depressed.

The unadopted pets in the animal shelter include boxer dog Ace, pot-bellied pig PB, blind turtle Merton, red squirrel Chip, and Lex Luthor's hairless guinea pig Lulu. One day, evil Lulu got herself a piece of orange kryptonite which gave her superpowers to fulfill her dreams of world domination. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League were abducted, the other shelter pets with their newly-acquired powers help Krypto to rescue them.

Watching the closing credits reveal who the voice actors were behind the various characters was very enjoyable. It was surprising to see a lot of A-list actors on the list, including Dwayne Johnson (as Krypto), Kevin Hart (as Ace), John Krasinski (as Superman), Natasha Lyonne (as Merton), Diego Luna (as Chip), SNL stars Kate McKinnon (as Lulu) and Vanessa Bayer (as PB), and my personal favorite -- Keanu Reeves (as Batman).

This actually turned out to be one of the best DC films ever released, live or animated. Writer-director Jared Stern was also behind "Lego Batman Movie" (2017) and his sense of humor was fun and  familiar. It was very rich in Superman (with echoes of the 1976 Richard Donner film) and Justice League lore sure to entertain serious and casual DC superhero fans. There were even a few sly Marvel references (Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic and others) to boot.

This is also a most delightful film for pet-lovers of all ages. The relationships of various pets and their masters were very well-explored here. Dog owners, especially, would be able to identify with the stories of Krypto and Ace. As would be expected from a movie about pets, there would be a lot of emotional moments throughout with sentimental scenes of man-animal interactions which would surely warm even the hardest of hearts. 8/10.

KTX: Review of CONNECTED: Zesty Zoomers

July 23, 2022

Sandy Toledo (Amanda Zamora) is the heiress of the Toledo Group of Companies. She had a crush on architect Sky (Richard Juan) now based abroad, who called her Kasuy. For her mother Mira's (Che Ramos-Cosio) coming birthday, her no-nonsense father Lorenz (Justin Cuyugan) assigned her to work with the school's football team captain Rocky Avila (Chico Alicaya) to plan a special event to raise fund for her mom's pet charity project.

Rocky's grandmother, whom everyone called Yayay (Peewee O'Hara), owned Cafe 95. It was their ancestral home built in 1919 which is now also a restaurant known for its buko pie and hot chocolate. It is a favorite hangout for the students, like math genius Gabbie (Andi Abaya) who had a big crush on football player Topher (Kobie Brown), and rom-com nut Genesis (Ralph Malibunas) who has a crush on purple-haired musician Fin (Gail Banawis). 

The significance of this particular film is that is is the maiden film project produced by Star Magic Studios, the film production arm of ABS-CBN's talent division Star Magic. All six main young actors had been housemates of "Pinoy Big Brother: Connect" (Dec. 6, 2020 to March 14, 2021), including the two top teen finalists Andi Abaya and Kobie Brown. Richard Juan was also a housemate back in 2015, before he became one of the PBB hosts in 2020. 

Writer Mary Rose Colindres wove three stories of young love into the mix: rich girl who thinks poor boy is sucking up to her dad, nerdy girl who wanted to noticed by the jock athlete, hopeless romantic guy pursuing a girl who was still healing from a previous love. Colindres was also able to weave in a little detail about a lost pin with a motivational message which worked its magic with everyone, and this was very ingenious. 

And just when you think the story was over, there was an bigger story which emerged with twenty more minutes to go, giving this film more emotional heft. This new angle of the story in fact also brought more suspense and complications to one of the main love stories. As this was a very feel-good film, you can say that you may predict how things are going to end. However, this was for me a serious twist that I liked.

The young actors were still in their first film so we may need to cut them some slack when it comes to acting expectations. They were still rather tentative and self-conscious in front of the camera, and tended to still smile a lot and look cute for their fans. Despite some serious themes, director Theodore Borobol kept things light and breezy so the newcomers did not need to emote too deeply. Of the six, Abaya and Alicaya show the most promise so far. 7/10. 

Netflix: Review of THE GRAY MAN: A-list Ambuscades

July 22, 2022

Courtland Gentry (Ryan Gosling) had been a convicted murderer since 1995. In 2003, he received a visit from CIA Operative Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton) at the Florida State Prison. Fitzroy offered to commute his sentence in exchange for working with him in the Sierra program, to be deployed by the CIA in secret assassination missions. Now known as Six, Gentry quickly became one of the most efficient of these men who lived "in the gray."

One New Years Eve, Six was assigned on a hit in Bangkok. Before his mark died, he gave Six a chain with a flash drive containing incriminating evidence. When his CIA bosses Denny Carmichael (Regé-Jean Page) discovered this, he knew he would be in big trouble. So, against better judgement, he desperately hired mercenary ex-CIA agent Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans) to go get Six and retrieve the drive.

Coming from a four-year hiatus since "First Man" (2018), Ryan Gosling transforms into an all-out action hero here as he got to do superhuman stunts here as Six, who always got himself into and out of the tightest of scraps.  However, despite all the cold merciless killing he did left and right, Gosling's Six still had a beating heart in him, especially when it came to young Claire (Julia Butters), Fitzroy's niece whose safety had been compromised.

Ana de Armas played CIA agent Dani Miranda, Six's backup in the Bangkok mission and partner for the rest of the film. Her Bond girl action stint in "No Time to Die" was certainly no fluke, as she engaged in even more intense stunts here. Veteran actors Billy Bob Thornton (as Six's mentor Fitzroy) and Alfre Woodard (as retired CIA chief Cahill) both contribute their experience and expertise as senior agents on Six's side. 

As the psychotic Lloyd Hansen, mustachioed Chris Evans was clearly having fun. He did not see action at first, as he was just ordering his men around, but eventually got himself dirty in the third act already. Regé-Jean Page was shallow, petty and unconvincing as the unscrupulous new CIA head Denny Carmichael. Jessica Henwick could have done more as the conflicted Suzanne Brewer, instead of just making snide side comments. 

The $200M budget was very evident as the settings shifted city to city, and the explosive stunts got bigger and wilder. The Russo brothers effectively built up action scenes, starting them small before blowing up into city-wide mayhem.  There were no superheroes here, but wow, they demolished downtown Prague. It did feel a bit too long in the middle, but Evan's torture scenes and off-the-cuff humor (including a Ken Doll joke) kept us alert. 6/10. 

TV5: Review of SUNTOK SA BUWAN: A Burgeoning Boxer

July 19, 2022

When he was younger, Jimmy Boy Laurente (Aga Muhlach) was a well-known boxing champ in Baguio City, known especially for his signature move -- the Jimmy Boy Hitman Punch. Because of desperate choices he had made in his life, he has fallen into tough financial times. Even if he could now only support his family by driving his FX taxi, he remains a popular figure in his community. His son Jaime Laurente II (Elijah Canlas), nicknamed Dos, has decided to forego college for a boxing career himself, much to Jimmy Boy's dismay.

Dos accidentally bumped into Trina (Maris Racal) at the souvenir center and was smitten by her beauty. However, she turned out to be the new salesgirl of the shop beside Dos's, so the two would compete for customers. Dos's best friend Barok (Paulo Angeles) seemed to have a crush on Trina, even stocking their carinderia with her favorite yogurt drink. Meanwhile, goons were running after and harassing Jimmy Boy, saying they were sent by his former boss Magnum (Rez Cortez), to settle an old outstanding debt.

"Suntok sa Buwan" is the new teleserye of TV5 which premiered July 18, and airs Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at 7:15pm. They call it a movie-serye, likely because production work involved was cinematic in quality. It is co-produced by Antoinette Jadaone (who also wrote episodes) along with Dan Villegas (who also co-directs). Project 8 script supervisor Geo Lomuntad steps up as the director, with DP Kara Moreno, editor Benjo Ferrer, production designer Eero Francisco, music Emerzon Texon. The head writer is Tonio M. Rodulfo.

Aga Muhlach (still with his pretty-boy movie-star looks at age 52) and Elijah Canlas (with his "Gameboys" BL persona Cairo still fresh in mind) are not exactly the first actors you'd think of for a series about boxers. They have the dramatic and comedy parts down pat as expected. They would have to work harder to be convincing in the boxing action parts. A major fight between Canlas and the jerk bully played by Albie Casino is inevitable. Matet de Leon's guesting as National Team scout Coach Nesthy suggests bigger things are ahead for Dos.

The first meeting of Trina and Dos at the colorful and financially-troubled souvenir center was reminiscent of how Chichay met Joaquin at the similarly colorful and financially-troubled amusement park in the mega-hit 2013 teleserye "Got to Believe." Not unlike other teleseryes, the two do not exactly hit it off right away and get on each other's nerves at first. Aside from a possible love triangle scenario, they also had a cute little romantic twist about an anonymous rooftop "affair" going on. Trina's issues with her dad will surely come into play later.

The first episode already introduced the main characters and laid out the main story and conflict very well. It depicted a great father and son relationship (they hug, kiss and say "I love you" to each other in public). However, it also already hinted on Jimmy Boy's shady past and failing health which he is keeping secret from his son. By the third episode, we already get more details about these issues which will serve as the main sources of family melodrama to sustain the ongoing series in the weeks to come. 

Vivamax: Review of TAHAN: Maternal Machinations

 July 22, 2022

Elise (Cloe Barretto) is the kept woman of prominent businessman Christian Lopez (Karl Medina). She still had to work as a high-class escort on the side to sustain her high lifestyle. Her mother Nora (Jaclyn Jose) introduced her to the skin trade at age 11 and had been living off Elise's efforts since then to support her own gambling habits.

Elise's comfortable routine began to unravel when Christian found out about her daily affairs and confronted her about it. What began as a desperate move for self-preservation set off a series of violent events that began to spiral out of control. Elise desperately sought the help of old high school boyfriend Marcus (JC Santos), but things may already be too late. 

With its sad story of a masochistic prostitute and her predatory mother, Bobby Bonifacio Jr.'s "Tahan" joined the long list of lurid Vivamax tales of sex and violence. The script was written by Quinn Carillo, who also appeared onscreen as Elise's friend Michelle. I commend her ironic choice of title ("tahan" being a word a mother lovingly used to calm her crying baby) and her gumption to draw inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock himself, as it had "Psycho" all over it.

To fulfill the film's sex quota, it opens with a sequence of Elise romancing a society matron (Mercedes Cabral). She also had a leery scene with an old pervert customer (Francis Mata). To unwind, Elise picked up different men every night, including a random young man Dennis (Jet Delgado) and a macho dancer Neil (AJ Oteyza). Through all this, Cloe Barretto felt like she was lifelessly going through empty motions, no energy at all on her face or body. 

Once the violence took over, it went totally off the rails as the screen became a veritable blood bath. When mother told the junk shop to "chop-chop" a car to unrecognizable pieces, she also had her own "chop-chopping" to do. In one particularly messy scene, a bag of internal organs spill on the ground, mother was there to pick up the bloody slop. Truly, only a Ms. Jaclyn Jose can pull off such sleaze and still come out with class. 3/10.

HBO Go: Review of BLUE BAYOU: Adoption Altercations

July 21, 2022

Antonio Leblanc (Justin Chon) was a Korean boy put up for adoption by his impoverished mother. He was adopted by an American couple and brought to the US at age three, but things did not go very well for the young boy growing up in Lousiana. He had a couple of run-ins with the law stealing motorcycles, a record which made it difficult for him to find a good job. He could barely make ends meet working as a tattoo artist. 

Antonio is now married to physical therapist Kathy (Alicia Vikander) and are now expecting a new baby. Antonio is also very close to Kathy's spunky daughter Jessie (Sydney Kowalske), who hated her real father Ace (Mark O'Brien) who abandoned her as a baby. One day, an altercation with Ace's fellow policeman Denny (Emory Cohen) unearthed previously unresolved issues about Antonio's citizenship which could lead to his deportation.

This film deals with an issue that apparently affected several children adopted by American families who later face deportation as adults because their parents never processed their citizenship properly. These children grew up as Americans practically their whole lives, yet faced the prospect of being sent back to a home country they knew nothing about. It was a very interesting subject matter and full of dramatic possibilities. 

Oscar winner Alicia Vikander played Antonio's supportive wife Kathy, whose patience (and singing chops) will challenged along the way. A major scene-stealer was the adorable child actress Sydney Kowalske as Jessie, whose scene at the airport was a major emotional highlight of the whole film. There was also an interesting side plot about Parker (Linh-Dan Pham), a Vietnamese woman who helped the lost Antonio gain proper perspective.

But this movie was all about the man who wrote, directed and acted in the lead role in this film -- Justin Chon. After breaking out in the Disney Channel movie "Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior" and the "Twilight" films, this Korean-American actor eventually turned to writing and directing his own films, making a big splash at Sundance in 2017 with "Gook," which won for him the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature Film and Best Director.

His performance of Antonio here in "Blue Bayou" was very sincere and nuanced. This man had a difficult life, he had a history for crime and violence, but you can still feel his inner goodness as a person. You can feel a tendency towards hard-sell melodrama in certain scenes, but you will get touched, or even shed a tear. Chon packed in a lot of heavy details which did bog the film down somewhat, but his passion to his mission was very clear.  8/10. 

Netflix: Review of PERSUASION: Altered Austen

 July 16, 2022

Anne (Dakota Johnson) was the second daughter of vain and pompous Sir Walter Elliot (Richard E. Grant). She was supposed to have married Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), but he had no title or wealth to speak of. Anne was persuaded by Lady Russell (Nikki Amuka-Bird), her godmother whom she considered her second mother, to give him up. This was a difficult decision from which Anne could never really move on since then. 

Eight years later, Wentworth came back home an accomplished Captain of the British Navy, while Anne was staying with her younger sister Mary (a perfectly petulant Mia McKenna-Bruce) and her family. Anne and Wentworth were reunited, but there was still much tension between them. Each of them both get involved with others, Wentworth to Mary's sister-in-law Louisa (Nia Towle) and Anne to wealthy cousin Mr. William Elliot (Henry Golding).

Jane Austen told such irresistible stories in her books which made for great adaptation into films. Her popular novels that have been made into films or TV mini-series were: "Pride and Prejudice" (17 adaptations, with the 1940 and 1995 versions cited for Oscars), "Emma" (12 adaptations, with "Clueless" as a notable modern-day retelling) and "Sense and Sensibility" (5 adaptations, with the Oscar-winning Emma Thompson version being the most famous).

Not to be left behind, "Persuasion" had been told 6 times before on television, the most beloved of which had been the 1995 version with Amanda Root as Anne and Ciaran Hinds as Wentworth, and the 2005 version with Sally Hawkins as Anne and Rupert Penry-Jones as Wentworth. There had also been five theatrical adaptations of this same novel, all staged within the second decade of this new millennium. 

Dakota Johnson as Anne broke the fourth wall by talking to the camera as she told us her thoughts. Her Anne was easily the prettiest among the Elliot daughters, so it was difficult to understand why she was considered the least eligible. However to make her hip, she was made to say millennial lingo like "we're exes" and "he's a ten," and do boorish behavior like drinking wine from a bottle and peeing behind a tree, which was definitely un-Austen. 

This Netflix version also took a cue from one of Netflix's biggest hit series "Bridgerton," by casting black actors to play Lady Russell, the Musgroves, and Capt. Benwick, and an Asian actor to play William Elliot. There were also lines which espoused feminist ideals, very frequently observed in recent films. Nevertheless, the charm of Austen's story still managed to shine through all the inclusive alteration for the current woke generation. 6/10. 

Vivamax: Review of ANG BABAENG NAWAWALA SA SARILI: A Punishing Possession

July 15, 2022

This film is billed as a reimagining of Eddie Rodriguez’s “Ang Babaeng Nawawala sa Sarili” (1989) starring Dina Bonnevie in the lead role of Albina. The original film is also being streamed on Vivamax and also posted on YouTube (on this LINK), if you want to check it out for comparison.

Pretty Albina Tamayo (Ayanna Misola) was an aspiring fashion model. She lived with her well-to-do parents Fidel and Evelyn (Alan Paule and Carlene Aguilar). She had just broken up with her jerk boyfriend of 6 years Wendell (Adrian Alandy), and soon hooked up with a smooth-talking pro photographer Lawrence (Diego Loyzaga). She was just accepted into the prestigious fashion house of haute couture designer Greg Manos (Mon Confiado)

One night, Albina found an old necklace in their house. When she wore it, she began having nightmares about a mysterious woman (Ava Mendez) who seemed to be trying to gain possession of her body. She began hearing voices, and soon became paranoid about her co-workers talking about her, or her boyfriend cheating on her. Meanwhile, there were men who were found dead after they had sex with a mysterious woman in black.

Writer John Carlo Pacala wrote the character of Albina to be a very challenging role who went through various degrees of physical, emotional and psychological distress -- surely a plum role for a more seasoned actress. Unfortunately, it was way more than what newcomer Ayanna Misola could handle at this stage of her career. This could've been the perfect opportunity for her to prove her acting mettle, but alas her inexperience showed.  

42 year-old Alandy looked old enough to be 20 year-old Misola's father. Loyzaga was the same loverboy character of his other Vivamax films. Confiado portrayed his character with over-the-top sleazy camp. Like Misola, the other girls (Azi Acosta, Micaella Raz, Andrea Garcia, Angela Morena, and Chesca Paredes) were not shy in baring their bodies, but all still need more acting workshops. Phoebe Walker was outstandingly bland as the Psychiatrist. 

This film by Roman Perez Jr. went from psychological drama to crime thriller to "Exorcist"-style horror, while still following the gratuitous sex and violence Vivamax formula. However, there was this one remarkable sequence where the entire backstory of the ghost was told in a lengthy exposition scene which had the actors turning front to side towards two cameras while the story was being told by voice-overs and flashback scenes to Albina's childhood. 4/10. 

Vivamax: Review of PATHIRSTY: Lessons in LGBTQ Love

July 13, 2022

Pearl (Adrianna So) and her vlogger friends Achilles (Kych Minemoto), Bunny (Chad Kinis), Sean (Bob Jbeili) and Faith (Kate Alejandrino) had been invited by Ali (Alex Diaz), the young attractive CEO of Sebastian's Beach Resort, to visit and feature his resort on their vlogs for promotional purposes before the big launch. 

Ali had just confessed online that he was bisexual, so Pearl thought he would be a great match for her best friend Achilles. However, upon meeting him in person, Pearl also got attracted to Ali herself. When Achilles mentioned that he and Ali were better off as friends, Pearl did not have second thoughts when Ali made a move on her.

This new Vivamax film is a spin-off of the successful pandemic BL series "Gameboys" (2020) created by Jun Lana. Pearl Gatdula and Achilles de Dios had been characters from the original series. Ivan Andrew Payawal (writer of "Born Beautiful" and "The Panti Sisters") had been the director of "Gameboys" since the first episode, and for the projects that spun off from it, like "Pearl Next Door" (2020), "Gameboys:The Movie" (2021) and now, "PaThirsty". 

This film still used the same bright and cheerful aesthetics and social media savvy that made the previous projects in its franchise very easy on the eyes, especially for the Gen Z and Millennial viewers. Because of Pearl and Achilles's colorful friends, there is representation here of practically all the stripes in the LGBTQ rainbow. There was inevitable opposition from the older generation, this time in the person of Ali's dad Roger (Rey PJ Abellana).

Ever since the first "Gameboys" series, Adrianna So's perky and lovable Pearl had been a fan favorite character, and her generous character deserves her share of happiness. Kych Minemoto's Achilles had an annoying wishy-washiness which caused the whole mess in the first place, certainly not Pearl. Fil-Canadian actor Alex Diaz's Ali exuded a confident manly appeal which made the rivalry between the two best friends understandable. 

The story of two best friends vying for the love of one man is not a exactly a new story, except of course, for the LGBTQ dynamics underlying it all, as written by Payawal and Ash M. Malanum. The cinematography of Kara Moreno was so vibrant, confirming that her good work in "Kitty K7" was no fluke. While the Vivamax-signature sex scenes were done with a touch of comedy, I felt like they should not have gone that far or that messy. 6/10. 

Netflix: Mini-Reviews of NICE VIEW and INCANTATION: Challenging Childcare

July 12, 2022

Two Chinese-language films have debuted on Netflix this month, both about a 6 year-old girl who needed special care and their loved one who went against all odds to provide it. 

"Nice View" has earned a whopping US$211M since its Chinese New Year release last February, is now among the biggest box-office hits of 2022 worldwide. "Incantation" has earned a more modest US$5.7M since its release in March, but this was enough to make it the highest grossing film in Taiwan so far this year. 

*****

NICE VIEW

Country: China

Director: Wen Muye

When their mother passed away, 20-year-old Jing Hao swore that he would take care of his young sister. Tongtong (Chen Halin) had congenital heart disease, and for the past six years, her doctor had been advising Jing Hao that she needed to have corrective surgery done before she reached eight years old, or else her condition will be more difficult for her.

However, between his cellphone repair shop and various other odd jobs, Jing Hao simply could not earn the needed money. He needed to think outside the box, gambling on crazy ideas that no one had tried before. He relied on his meticulous technical skill, never say die attitude and good relations with his neighbors to make his bold plan materialize. 

Lead actor Jackson Yee is a multimedia superstar in Taiwan. His first big international movie break happened in 2019 when his film "Better Days" was nominated for an Oscar award. This year, he starred in two of the biggest box-office hits in China, "The Battle at Lake Changjin II" (currently #5 in the worldwide list) and "Nice View". Yee's portrayal of Jing Hao is sincere and earnest, inspirational to watch without being melodramatic. 8/10. 

*****

INCANTATION

Country: Taiwan

Director: Kevin Ko

Ronan (Tsai Hsuan-yen) had spent time recovering in a mental institution and was now ready to be reunited with her daughter Dodo (Huang Sin-ting), who had been raised in a foster house run by Ming (Kao Ying-hsuan). However, when Dodo was with Ronan, she began to act bizarrely and "see" invisible entities called "baddies". 

Ronan realized that these paranormal phenomena were related to events six years ago. She tagged along with her boyfriend Dom (Sean Lin) and his cousin Yuan (RQ) when the two returned to their village for some mystic family rituals. They began filming the proceedings for their YouTube channel, thus violating religious taboos.

Director Kevin Ko used the "found footage" style (mainly home videos and security cameras) to tell his unsettling story, going back and forth in time. The involvement of a cute child in mortal danger makes things more stressful. Ronan breaking the fourth wall to involve her audience to join her to chant "Hou-ho-xiu-yi, si-sei-wu-ma" added more creeps. The cursed video taken within cursed tomb made for a grand finale. 7/10. 

Netflix: Review of THE SEA BEAST: Concluding Conflicts

June 9, 2022

There was a certain kingdom who long waged wars against sea monsters that lived in the seas around it, and many lives have been lost on both sides over the years. The King (Jim Carter) and Queen (Doon Mackichan) funded the expedition of the ship called Inevitable, under its famed Captain Crow (Jared Harris) and his ward Jacob Holland (Keith Urban), to capture the most notorious monster of all called the Red Bluster. 

A precocious girl named Maisie Brumble (Zaris Angel Hator) had been left an orphan when both her parents perished serving on the ill-fated ship Monarch while on a monster-hunting mission. Maisie loved the book about Crow, Jacob and their various encounters with the sea monsters, and decided that she wanted to be a monster hunter too. One day, with dreams of big adventures ahead, Maisie stowed away on the Inevitable.

This computer-animated film written and directed by Chris Williams ("Bolt," "Moana" and the Oscar-winning "Big Hero 6") was produced by Netflix Animation. The animation work was done by Sony Pictures Imageworks ("Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," "The Smurfs," "Hotel Transylvania," "The Mitchells and the Machines," and the Oscar-winning "Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse"). 

However, the design of the Red Bluster resembled that of Toothless in "How to Train Your Dragon" which was not done by Sony, but by Dreamworks. In fact come to think of it, the very story line of "The Sea Beast" about the legendary history of violent conflicts between humans and monsters was actually also very reminiscent of "How to Train Your Dragon," only bringing the battle action from the skies down into the sea. 

There were a number of famous names in the voice cast. Keith Urban's heroic Jacob Holland sounded nothing like his Butcher in "The Boys." Dan Stevens (Beast in the live-action "Beauty and the Beast") had a much smaller role as the haughty Admiral Hornagold, whose fancy new gold-plated ship the Imperator rivaled the old Inevitable. Too bad also that Jim Carter (Mr. Carson in "Downton Abbey) did not have too much to say as the King.

Aside from the swashbuckling pirate action and a cute little monster named Blue, "Sea Beast" also had a very timely message against reinventing history for political greed and gains. Viewers from the Philippines should check out the Filipino dub for the excellent voice portrayals of the local cast interpreting the well-transcribed script. Hearing little Maisie deliver her impassioned final speech in Filipino (voiced by Ericka Peralejo) had quite a stronger impact as a call for action.  7/10

Vivamax: Review of KITTY K7: Camgirl Chronicles

July 9, 2022

Graphic illustrator Hana (Rose Van Ginkel) had a lousy boss Sir JV (Kier Legaspi) and a cheating boyfriend Charles (Miggy Jimenez). She realized that she had been letting herself go, so she decided to improve how she looked and dressed. One night, her best friend Tosha (Jean Kiley Manguera) introduced Hana to photographer Krishna (Marco Gallo). This meeting led to a late night photoshoot and an awakening of her kinky side.

When Krishna went on a foreign assignment and ghosted her, Hana decided to post her sexy artworks online. This then led her to set up her own video channel where she interacted with paying strangers with her naughty live shows as Kitty K7. Her camgirl career was an instant hit, earning her enough cash to move to a swankier apartment and buy a car. Soon enough, Hana's popular online persona soon began to affect her real life.

Rose Van Ginkel's career on Vivamax started with smaller roles in a number of Darryl Yap works like "Pornstar," "Gluta," "Revirginized," before she got to play co-lead in "69+1." With "Kitty K7," Van Ginkel finally got a solo lead role and an acting showcase starlets longed for, and she nailed it. The character of Hana went through quite an arc, and Van Ginkel made you care about her even if you do not really agree with her bold decisions in life.

Marco Gallo gave a fine restrained performance as Krishna, a man who shunned feelings in his relationships. Jean Kiley Manguera played it more serious this time as Hana's concerned friend Tosha. Toast of Cannes 2022 Dolly de Leon also had a featured role here as Hana's mother who was still in the dark on how her daughter leveled up her lifestyle.

It may sound ironic, but this Vivamax film actually delivers a strong female empowerment message. A woman should be able to love herself first, before worrying about how others think. It was no wonder that the creative team behind this well-made film is also confidently female, led by director Joy Aquino, writer Pam Miras, DP Kara Moreno, editor Chrisel Desuasido, and production designers Rochelle Jan Crisostomo and Carmela Danao. 6/10. 

Review of THE BLACK PHONE: Afterlife Advice

July 7, 2022

In 1978, there had been a series of disappearances of young boys in North Denver perpetrated by a mysterious man called "The Grabber." One day, while walking home from school, Finney Blake (Mason Thames) encountered a middle-aged man (Ethan Hawke) dressed in black standing outside his black van, inviting Finney if he'd like to see some magic. When Finney asked about the black balloons in the van, he was pushed in and abducted. 

Writer-director Scott Derrickson ("The Exorcism of Emily Rose," "Doctor Strange") adapted the story from a 2004 short story of the same title by Joe Hill. He effectively recreated the suburban atmosphere of small town America in the late 1970s with meticulous production design, costume design, hair and makeup, and classic rock musical soundtrack. Cinematographer Brett Jutkiewicz shot the action with a filter that gave the colors a faded look, as old films from those years look like now. 

The crime angle involving serial kidnappings and murders of teenage boys was an already unsettling enough subject matter. The reality aspect was intensified further by scenes of brutal bullying in schools and abusive violence at home. However, this story added more creepiness and scare factor by invoking the supernatural. Finney had a precocious little sister Gwen (a delightful Madeleine McGraw) who possessed extra-sensory abilities of precognitive dreams. 

The title referred to a black rotatory telephone unit mounted on the wall beside the bed in the room where Finney was being held captive. This wires of this telephone had been cut, much to Finney's dismay, yet one day, it began to ring. When Finney picked up the receiver from its cradle, he would hear various disembodied voices, all trying to advise him about possible ways to escape his prison and his crazy masked captor. 

Child actors Thames (age 14) and McGraw (age 13) are both very spunky and likable for us to root them on. Ethan Hawke (star of Derrickson's 2012 film "Sinister") was all sorts of deranged and scary as the unpredictable masked Grabber though there wasn't more background about him.  James Ransone (also from "Sinister" and its 2015 sequel) was amusing as Grabber's brother Max. Jeremy Davies gave sinister feels as Finney and Gwen's father.

This film shared vibes with Stephen King's "It" and Netflix's "Stranger Things", with its throwback mix of kids, crime, supernatural phenomenon and popular culture, yet it manages to come up with its own brand of chilling tension. Although you may raise an occasional eyebrow as to why the Grabber left so many items in the room which the boys could use as materials to use for their escape attempts. 7/10. 

Review of THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER: Heroic Humor

July 5, 2022

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) had recovered from his post-depression obesity and said farewell to the Guardians of the Galaxy. Just when he returned to New Asgard, the town was attacked by shadowy creatures who were abducting the children. Thor led the fight against the intruder with his axe Stormbreaker. He was surprised to see his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) also there in thick of the fight, wielding his old hammer Mjolnir. 

The entity behind the abduction of the Asgardian children was Gorr (Christian Bale), the so-called God-Butcher because of his quest to kill all gods with his special sword called All-Black, the Necrosword. Thor, Jane, New Asgard king Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and stone gladiator Korg (Taika Waititi) hied off to ask Olympian god Zeus (Russell Crowe) for assistance, before they set off on their dangerous rescue mission.

This is the fourth MCU film with Thor as the featured hero, and the second one with Taika Waititi at the helm. With Waititi comes his irreverent sense of humor, so again comedy was a major part of this installment, despite the serious subject matters of cancer, murder and kidnapping at hand. Some comic touches do go overboard for me, especially with Russell Crowe caricaturish portrayal of Zeus, which was quite evident in the trailer. 

Practically everyone was portraying their characters tongue-in-cheek, even Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson. The main narration was done by Korg in a light-hearted manner, as if telling a bedtime story to kids. After their short cameo in "Ragnarok," Sam Neill, Liam Hemsworth and Matt Damon are back with their silly theater actor roles, with a new guest star. The post-credits scene was so awkwardly shot, it looked like a lame comedy skit.

The only actor totally serious here was Christian Bale in the role of Gorr. The first five minutes of the film were devoted to telling his back story, how he became the God-Butcher. As expected of Bale, he was totally committed to this tragic character, with his pale scarred skin and wiry physique. (I've never noted it before, but there was a distracting mole between his right eye and nasal bridge which he may need to pay medical attention to). 

80s hard rock band Guns N' Roses dominated the musical soundtrack of this film. We already heard "Sweet Child of Mine" in the trailer. It turns out that there would be three more GNR songs in the mix, including "Paradise City," "Welcome to the Jungle" and "November Rain." This GNR fixation was even incorporated into the script, with Heimdall's son preferring to be called Axl (like the GNR frontman) rather than by his Asgardian name. 7/10. 

*****

My review of THOR is posted HERE.  

My review of THOR: THE DARK WORLD is posted HERE.

My review of THOR: RAGNAROK is posted HERE. 

Netflix: Recap and Review of STRANGER THINGS Seasons 1-4: Harrowing Horror in Hawkins

July 1, 2022

In Season 1 (2016), strange phenomena ruled the town of Hawkins when Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) went missing. His loyal friends, namely Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Materrazo), and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb Laughlin), launch their own search for him. Will's frantic mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) believed that she can hear Will from the walls of their house and tried finding ways to communicate with him with lights. 

Will's elder brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) was skeptical at first but later supported his mother's desperate efforts. Hawkins' cynical police chief Jim Hopper soon also took Joyce's claims seriously when he did his own observations and investigations. Mike's elder sister Nancy (Natalia Dyer) also became involved when her best friend Barbara also went missing at the house of Nancy's boyfriend, school jock Steve Harrington (Joe Keery). 

The boys encountered a girl with telepathic abilities named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in the woods. She had escaped from a laboratory run by a scientist she called Papa, Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) which honed her powers. Eleven (or El for short) had opened a gate which released a monster the kids called the Demogorgon originating from an alternative dimension of existence called the Upside-Down, into the world above. 

In Season 2 (2017), Will was still under the control of another shadowy entity from the Upside-Down called the Mind-Flayer and his mother and friends strive to release him. There were new kids in Hawkins, spunky redhead Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) and her half-brother Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery). El ran away from her new home with Hopper, found her mother Terry Ives (Aimee Mullins) and met a fellow escapee #8 Kali (Linnea Berthelsen).

In Season 3 (2019), there was a new big mall in Hawkins called Starcourt. Steve worked there in the ice cream shop with a quirky new girl Robin (Maya Hawke). Lucas' precocious little sister Erica (Priah Ferguson) frequently annoyed them for free samples. They helped Dustin decode a coded message he intercepted on his radio, and was able to discover and infiltrate a Russian lab under the mall seeking to reopen the Under-Ground gate. 

Hopper was very concerned over El's romantic relationship with Mike, and sought advice from Joyce. Joyce sought the help of science teacher Scott Clarke (Randy Havens) to explain why her ref magnets were losing magnetism. Nancy and Jonathan working as interns at a local newspaper go investigating a rat infestation at a house of an old widow. Meanwhile, the Mind-Flayer had possessed Billy to collect more souls for its army. 

In Season 4 (2022), Joyce and her sons brought El with them when they moved to Lenora, California. When Mike visited them during spring break, El was abducted and brought to a secret lab in the desert by Dr. Sam Owens (Paul Reiser) and reunited her with Dr. Brenner. At that same time, Joyce had gone on a mission of her own with Russian-speaking conspiracy theorist Murray (Brett Gelman) to try to recover Hopper held in a Russian prison.

Back in Hawkins, cheerleader Chrissy (Grace Van Dien) had a gruesome death, and Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), president of the Hellfire Club D&D gamers group was the main suspect. Chrissy's boyfriend Jason Carver (Mason Dye) led the hunt, while Dustin gathered up the gang to help Eddie. Max narrowly escaped being the next victim of the powerful entity called Vecna, but was willing to put herself up as bait to put an end to the curse.  

A major factor in its success was also the 80s nostalgia it had, in terms of the trends, fashion, technology, movies and of course, the music. Several 80s hit songs make the soundtrack irresistible for the Boomer audience, from "Africa," "Waiting for a Girl Like You," "Hazy Shade of Winter," "Whip It," "Girls on Film," "The Ghost in You," "Never Surrender," "My Bologna," "Material Girl," "Neutron Dance," "Tarzan Boy," and "Pass the Dutchie."

Some songs had significant roles in the story, like "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash in Season 1, "Neverending Story" by Limahl in Season 3 and "Dream a Little Dream" by Ella Fitzgerald in Season 4. Most notably, "Running Down That Hill" by Kate Bush, which stalled at #30 in its first run up the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985, went back up the chart all the way to a new peak of #4 because of its prominent use in Season 4 as Max's favorite song.

Why this series by the Duffer Brothers is still going strong four seasons after it debuted in 2016 is quite clear. Despite all the creepy creatures and the bloody violence in their wake, we root for the underdog kids and their families who are caught up in all of this messy business. Season after season, we watched all of the kids grow up in front of our eyes. We also root for Winona Ryder and David Harbour who were so good playing the two main adult characters 

Of course, the whole premise of a motley bunch of nerdy kids going up against mad scientists and malevolent monsters and ruthless Russians can really be a crazy and contrived. Their hunches are usually correct and their gambles usually pay off, so we sort of knew that no one among the main gang was going to get seriously hurt or die. When they do get trapped to the brink of death, there is usually a last minute save. 

The gambit of interrupting Season 4 at Episode 7 for a whole month before releasing the last two episodes on July 1 was an inspired one. These two episodes were longer than usual, the finale being a whopping 2 hours and 30 minutes long, practically a epic multi-genre feature film, full of action, humor, horror, disaster and drama. There were plenty of references and callbacks from all the prior seasons throughout Season 4 that fans will recognize.

Vivamax: Review of BIYAK: Adopted and Abused (Again)

July 1, 2022

When she was told she was adopted, Violet Abrogar (Angelica Cervantes) went to look for her birth mother. Together with her boyfriend William (Vance Larena), Violet went to Novoleta, Cavite to meet Nanay Tess (Maureen Mauricio) who earned a living by drying fish. Violet also got to meet her elder sister Samantha (Quinn Carillo), who worked as a police asset under officer Erwin de Leon (Albie Casino). 

Violet had been adopted by wealthy childless couple Antonio (Jim Pebanco) and Dina (Melissa Mendez) Abrogar when she was still an infant. As the years went by, Antonio turned out to be a cruel and violent husband and father, physically abusing his wife and sexually abusing his daughter. He gained his wealth by dealing in illegal drugs, protecting his business by paying off police chief Salinas (Tom Olivar).

The provocative title was just there for shock value, but did not refer to anything in the plot at all. The plot was just a mishmash of various melodramatic tropes of adoption and domestic abuse. The crime aspect involving drug dealing and crooked cops was already a very tired, done to death angle in many Filipino films, especially recently. Of course, being a Vivamax film, there were randomly-inserted, gratuitous sex scenes.

Angelica Cervantes's Violet may have been a hapless victim of sexual abuse, but her sex drive has not at all abated. Dusky Quinn Carillo's Sam was the tomboyish sister with the ugly Mohawk hairdo, skanky clothes and fearless guts. Albie Casino has done roles like his Erwin before, there was nothing new nor surprising about it. Vance Larena was totally wasted as Violet's escort and lover, doing nothing consequential, even forgotten at the end.

Jim Pebanco was always over-the-top as a one-dimensional monster Antonio. Good thing that we are spared to see how he abused Violet in the bedroom. Melissa Mendez had such a weak lifeless screen presence, which made her pathetic lines sound worse than they are. Director Joel Lamangan made the Abrogar family pray the rosary together, another trite and predictable detail that did not help the film in any way. 1/10.