Review of MARTYR OR MURDERER: Frankly Forward and Fighting

February 27, 2023

In 1989, Imee Marcos (Cristine Reyes) had left Hawaii to go to Morocco with her husband and son to avoid being coerced by subpoena to testify against her father. She was visited there by her cousin Maricar (Rose Van Ginkel) who began to ask her some pointed questions about her parents and the events preceding Ninoy Aquino's assassination at the MIA tarmac. From there, their conversation went through various years of intimate stories of Imee's family which happened away from the public eye. 

In 1954, a young Ferdinand Marcos (Marco Gumabao) publicly proposed to a young Imelda Romualdez (Cindy Miranda), in front of a crestfallen young Ninoy Aquino (Jerome Ponce). In 1968, Ferdinand Marcos (Cesar Montano) snapped at Sen. Ninoy Aquino (Isko Moreno) for erroneously implicating him in the Jabidah massacre. In May 1983, Imelda Marcos (Ruffa Gutierrez) visited Ninoy in the US to warn him against coming back home, to which an arrogant Ninoy shot back "If I do not come home, how can I be President?"

While Vince Tanada's recent "Ako si Ninoy" extolled Ninoy Aquino as a hero to be emulated. "MoM" concentrated on the less favorable aspects of the idolized Senator. Director Darryl Yap cherry-picked video clips of Ninoy Aquino talking about the New People's Army as if he admired them, and the Plaza Miranda bombing as if he was behind them. Yap also directly quoted magazine articles from various publications from "Time" to "Panorama" about Cory Aquino herself calling Ninoy "a first-class chauvinist" to throw more personal shade.  

Using the maids Lucy (Elizabeth Oropesa) and Biday (Beverly Salviejo), Yap dared to make controversial statements, in the guise of comedy. Theories about the true perpetrators of the Ninoy Aquino assassination were brought up, even including a bold suggestion of a "staged suicide" (derived from Aquino's interviews before he came home). The maids' kneejerk response to Ninoy being compared to Jesus Christ (practically done in the agonized "Buwan" song number in "Ako si Ninoy") most probably reflected Yap's own violent objections.    

Like in "Maid in Malacanang," Pres. Marcos Sr. was always shown in a positive light. In 1983, he was a loving father who was reluctant to give his youngest daughter Irene Marcos (Ella Cruz) away to be married. Also in 1983, after Ninoy was assassinated, Pres. Marcos Sr. was portrayed as a martyr of noble principles who would not speak ill of the dead even if it could clear his name. His kids, particularly Imee, were very distraught about him being accused as the mastermind behind the murder, but their magnanimous father stood his ground.

There was an interesting inclusion of a small detail of Ferdinand Jr.'s past love life -- his glamorous high-society ex-girlfriend Claudia Bermudez (Franki Russell), who was his date during Irene and Greggy Araneta's royal wedding. Ferdinand Sr. praised Claudia effusively on her beauty, height and class, wishing that Bongbong would marry her as soon as possible. One would wonder why this long-forgotten relationship was even brought up. Naughty minds may conjure a sly dig at someone who has yet to be mentioned. 

Darryl Yap is in a more aggressive, more confrontational, more iconoclastic mode here in "MoM" than he was in "MiM." Based on his past output, Yap is known for coming up with the most provocative ideas, although the comic execution could be hit or miss. He knew how to end things on a controversial way to create a strong final impression. We already saw Eula Valdez's cameo in the trailer, but the film proper had another surprise cameo at the very last scene. Believe him or not, people will want to watch the third and final episode of this trilogy "MaM" ("Mabuhay Aloha Mabuhay") to see what hornet's nest he'll stir up next.

Whether what Darryl Yap did here was revising history or rectifying history, that would depend on which side of the political fence one sat on. Those who liked "MiM" will still like "MoM." Those who did not like "MiM" will find more things to hate on in "MoM."  Like it was for "MiM," a numerical rating cannot be interpreted objectively without bias for these controversial films.

 

*****

** This was my review of "MAID IN MALACANANG" (2022): LINK

Vivamax: Review of SUKI: Propositioning a Prostitute

February 27, 2023

Eba (Azi Acosta) is the new, exciting dancer of her strip club Kalaguyo, the most popular among the customers. The club manager Mommy Girlie (Gwen Garci) announces that Eba is the new queen, much to the annoyance of Marga (Alona Navarro), who was the former star when she started four years ago. Eba had a regular customer, the wealthy vlogger Max (Jiad Arroyo), who always reserved her for the VIP room to receive her special "services." 

Adan (John Flores) is the new, exciting star dancer of his strip club Machismo, the most popular among the customers. His club manager Mama Chandra (Chad Kinis) pushes Adan's services to the club patrons, especially the rich OFW gays. Adan was a generous person to others in the club and even outside. He took it upon himself to help three street boy beggars by giving them food and money, because they were orphans like himself.

Azi Acosta proved that she certainly knew how to turn on the waterworks in her dramatic scenes. However with her sad eyes, she did not exactly project confidence and stage presence befitting a new "queen of the club." With his chinito looks, John Flores looked like an actor you'd see in a Korean drama, setting him apart from other Vivamax studs. He had a confident and easygoing natural acting style, despite this being his lead role.

Stories about strip dancers and prostitutes, both female and male, have already been common subjects in various films, especially on Vivamax. However, the prostitutes of Alexander Langitan's "Suki" broke the usual norm of other film prostitutes, because they seemed to be less tight with their cash. 

Something new here that I had not seen before was that there were prostitutes who still have the time, money and energy to actually hire the services of another prostitute. Here, Eba would often visit his club and reserve Adan for his VIP room talents. Even Marga would go to that club and try to book Adan to get back at Eba for stealing her spotlight.

Also, instead of squeezing in makeshift shacks in squatter areas, the prostitutes of "Suki" lived comfortably. Eba and her roommate rented a two-story house where they had separate rooms. When Eba agreed to  Adan's proposal to live together with him, he brought her to live in an posh-looking house in a nice-looking neighborhood. 

However, the other issues tackled here were hackneyed and rehashed. Aside from supporting her younger siblings, Eba also supported her mother Susan (Yda Manzano), a prostitute past her prime, who was also a drug addict. The rivalry issue between the new star Eba and the old star Marga is very old hat, and the film knew it. It even dared to recreate that classic "copycat" scene from "Bituing Walang Ningning" to prove it. 3/10. 

 

Review of WOMEN TALKING: To Languish or To Leave

January 25, 2023

After one of the men was caught, the women of a Mennonite colony realized that the sexual assaults among their ranks had been perpetrated by some men in their community. These men used cow tranquilizers to drug their victims to sleep before raping them. Angered, one of the victims, Salome (Claire Foy), threatened to kill the men with a scythe. The accused men were taken to prison, but they were soon coming back. 

While the men were away, Salome, her wise mother Agata (Judith Ivey), her pregnant spinster sister Ona (Rooney Mara) discussed their options with domestic abused victim Mariche (Jessie Buckley), her defiant young daughter Autje (Kate Hallett), her forgiving mother Greta (Sheila McCarthy), her chainsmoking sister Mejal (Michelle McLeod). Will they should do nothing, stay and fight, or just leave the colony?

It is shocking that this story was based on real-life incidents that happened from 2003 to 2009, when the illiterate womenfolk of an isolated Mennonite colony in Bolivia were being raped in their sleep by their very own men. Canadian writer Miriam Toews made this story into a novel about 48 hours when the women discussed their options, recorded by male schoolteacher August Epp, whose notes composed the main body of the novel.

Writer-director Sarah Polley retained the character of August Epp (Ben Whishaw) to take down the minutes of the women's meeting. However, she decided to make the child witness Autje the narrator relating their story to the child of Ona and to the audience, probably in response to criticisms on why the novel was told from a man's point of view. Keeping with the times, Polley added transgender man character Melvin (non-binary actor August Winter). 

The ensemble of actresses effectively portrayed the various views of the victimized women from three generations. The angry mothers played by Claire Foy and Jessie Buckley had the most passionate lines. The lines of older ladies played by Judith Ivey and Sheila McLeod were tempered by their age and wisdom. Rooney Mara's Ona had more grounded views, and was given a romantic angle with a good male character, Ben Whishaw's August. 

The color palette was washed-out. The main set was confined to a barn loft. The topic was how women should respond to toxic masculinity. With these elements, writer-director Sarah Polley was able to craft a very thought-provoking film that felt like an intimate and riveting theater piece. Her pacing was just right and the script was eloquent. You'd want to rewind or pause some scenes to better hear and reflect on Polley's pithy and sobering lines. 8/10. 

Review of TÁR : Conduct of a Conductor

January 25, 2023

Accomplished musician Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) was the first female chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. Already an EGOT, she was now working on a live recording of Mahler's Fifth Symphony, as well as a new book about herself. Lydia was a lesbian, married to her concertmaster Sharon (Nina Hoss). Her PA Francesca (Noémie Merlant) was also an ex-lover. During the cello audition, she had her eye on pretty Russian applicant Olga (Sophie Kauer). 

While Lydia seemed to be on top of her world professionally, a salacious scandal involving one of her previous musicians Krista Taylor, who had recently committed suicide. A maliciously-edited video of her seemingly humiliating a student at Julliard was also going viral. She was also having problems with her staff and family. She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, experiencing nightmares, psychogenic pain and auditory hypersensitivity. 

From the very beginning, you knew this film experience was going to be different. After a puzzling prologue scene of a mobile phone screen with a text thread gossiping about a sleeping Tar on a train, the film opened with the very long technical credits usually seen during the close of most films, presented in reverse order from the dedication and acknowledgements until it reached "Written, Produced and Directed by Todd Field." 

The initial exposition of who Lydia Tár was done via a very realistic public interview at The New Yorker Festival conducted by Adam Gopnik as himself. This lengthy, talky but amazingly riveting scene showcased Cate Blanchett's virtuosity of transforming into Lydia Tar. The passionate way she was discussing the art and history of conducting -- ego, jargon and all -- Blanchett never felt like she was acting at all. Cate Blanchett WAS Lydia Tár.

Blanchett's Tár felt so much like a real person, the audience will get personal and despise her overbearing attitude and power-tripping ways of dealing with people who are closest to her, those with whom she shared her confidences. Despite, as Tár's personal life and career careened into a downward spiral, Blanchett still held us all in the palm of her hand through every dark and uncomfortable moment of personal hell she went through. 8/10. 

Review of ORAS DE PELIGRO: Crucial Crisis

 February 23, 2023

It was February 22, 1986, Dario Marianas (Allen Dizon) was a jeepney driver. When his wife Beatriz (Cherry Pie Picache) learned that he was joining a transport strike to support Cory Aquino's call for civil disobedience, she advised her husband against being too involved in these political things. They have two children, Jimmy (Dave Bornea), who was looking for a job, and Nerissa (Therese Malvar) who was a student. 

An unforeseen horrific incident befell the Marianas' family that day no thanks to two crooked policemen Sgt. Gallido (Apollo Abraham) and Cpl. Cardema (Jim Pebanco). As the family were at their wits end about how to go about things, Dario's father Ka Elyong (Nanding Josef), found a way to go to Manila to lend his support. Meanwhile, Enrile and Ramos declared their coup against Malacanang, and Cardinal Sin issued a call for his flock to defend EDSA. 

This new film directed by Joel Lamangan, written by Bonifacio Ilagan ("Flor Contemplacion Story") and Eric Ramos "Rainbow's Sunset"), told the story of the Marianas family as they go through a very dark time of oppression by powerful enemies in authority, while also telling about the days building up to the EDSA Revolution in February 1986.  The EDSA scenes were all from vintage video clips we have seen on the TV news back then, grounding the film in events that actually happened, words which were actually said, not hearsay. 

Since Lamangan's latest output in the past two years were sleazy Vivamax duds, there was apprehension that this new film may just be another one of his campy quickies, a hasty retaliation to another film supported by the opposite side of the political fence. Thankfully, it is not. "Oras" was well-made, serious and sober, a return to form for Lamangan as a director, missed since he won the Urian for directing "The Flor Contemplacion Story" way back 1995.

That said, there were still some curious story and directorial decisions. Why Dario was plying his usual jeepney route right after meeting with his operator Ka Lito (Edru Abraham) agreeing to join the strike? Why did they have to mention looking for human rights lawyer Atty. Capistrano (Topper Fabregas) on EDSA but never showing him again?  Why were the benevolent Doña Jessa (Mae Paner) and her yellow JAJA posse made to act so over-the-top, especially in that "Mambo Magsaysay" scene? Can a Metrocom policeman really sport a beard, like Sgt. Bernabe (Rico Barrera)? 

Picache, Malvar, Bornea and Josef were natural and on point, hitting a peak of melodramatic excellence in that climactic confrontation scene with the crooked cops. Timothy Castillo (as Jimmy's friend Yix), Kiti Lopez (as Beatriz's BFF Toyang) and Elora Espano (as the witness Rita) give notable supporting turns. Abraham and Pebanco will make your blood boil as the corrupt cops, but Alvi Siongco (as Lt. Ruiz) and Dorothy Gilmore (as Dr. Yumul) provided a good counterpoint.

The retro-filtered cinematography by TM Malones looked very clean and crisp. It generally had careful period details, with box-type Mitsubishi Lancers, rotary dial telephones. The editing transitions by Gilbert Obispo between the grainy historical news reel videos and the scenes with the Marianas family were smooth and logical.  While watching this film, the tension and confusion of those days will come back for those who lived through that time in history. This should remind Filipinos, especially the younger generation, why February 25 is a holiday. 

Vivamax: Review of LAGASLAS: Leaking and Lacking

February 19, 2023

Edmar (VR Relosa) was the lazy, good-for-nothing son of hardworking market vendor Aling Loleng (Rubi Rubi). One day, while investigating a water leak, he saw and peeked into a makeshift enclosure and saw a pretty young woman taking a bath inside. In the following days, he stalked her to find out her name was Karisma (Manang Medina) and that she was living with an older man Vicencio (Julio Diaz) with whom she had intimate relations. 

Aling Loleng and the other vendors in the market were facing eviction after being scammed by their agent who never remitted their rent to the owner. However, instead of helping his mother out, the more Edmar pursued his risky obsession with Karisma. Their relationship progressed to a consensual sexual one, even as Vicencio already amended his will to leave everything to the adopted daughter he lusted after and loved.

VR Relosa's Edmar was one sexually-preoccupied dude who must have had more than five scenes of pleasuring himself either in an erotic fantasy world of his own or while peeping into an unsuspecting woman's private room. It was either that or he was having sex with Karisma or with his mother's manicurist Divine (Pow Pai). The rest of the time, he was just being a lazy useless lout, not really doing anything promising for a debut. 

Manang Medina does not have a particularly memorable or star-quality screen name.  She was either taking a bath or engaging in a sexual act, no substantial acting moment to shine in throughout the film. Come to think of it, that final moment of hers sitting in the car of Atty. Acosta (Arnold Reyes) was more promising than everything else she did before that point. Sky Alvarez as the promiscuous market vendor Betbet even made a stronger impression

Whether Relosa or Medina can reach the level of Sean Guzman or Angeli Khang in the Vivamax stable still remains to be seen. But hopefully they can be given more substantial material than the thin dreadful story told here, their debut feature. A proficient performance of character actress Rubi Rubi as Edmar's patient mother and an estafa case to justify the extra time beyond the unstimulating sex scenes are not enough. 2/10. 

Amazon Prime: Review of TEN LITTLE MISTRESSES: Crazy Concubines Convene

February 19, 2023

Some time after the death of his long-suffering wife Charo (Cherry Pie Picache), Don Valentin Esposo (John Arcilla) invited all ten of his mistresses to his palatial mansion. Aside from celebrating his birthday, he also wanted to bid them farewell and announce his upcoming marriage to the new woman in his life. His head housekeeper Lilith (Eugene Domingo) and her platoon of maids have been tasked to keep everyone pampered and happy. 

They were: the first one Magenta (Carmi Martin), the pawnshop owner Babet (Pokwang), the beauty doctor Helga (Agot Isidro), her former assistant Diva (Kris Bernal), the fortune teller Aura (Arci Munoz), the online meme celebrity Because (Adrianna So), the perpetual beauty contestant Sparkle (Kate Alejandrino), the K-drama fan Moon Young (Sharlene San Pedro), the mysterious Lady G (Christian Bables), and the latest one Coco (Iana Bernardez).

However when the grand party that night abruptly ended because of a sudden death that looked like murder, everyone in the house is considered a suspect. 

Writer-director Jun Lana was inspired by Agatha Christie when concocting this comedic murder-mystery. Many of Dame Agatha's classic elements were there -- a gathering of people in a fancy remote location, all of whom all have an axe to grind with the person who gets murdered, making all of them possible suspects as the perpetrator of the crime. However, I thought that he might have bitten off more than he could chew for this one.

When I got news about this latest Jun Lana project, I had just seen an Italian movie called "Seven Women and a Murder" (Alessandro Genovesi, 2022) on Netflix, which in itself was based on a French movie called "8 Women" (François Ozon, 2002). Basically the same scenario, eight women gathered in one big house when the patriarch was found murdered, and the women try to figure out among themselves who the killer was.

Lana had the boldness to go further and set the number of disgruntled mistresses at an ambitious ten. This meant that he would have to give each one a good backstory to make them viable as suspects. He was not able to, he had no time. Aside from Magenta, Babet, Helga and Lady G, none of the other mistresses even mattered at all. Lilith and her murder-mystery-fan maid Chiclet (Donna Cariaga) had more significance. 

Lana was also unable to have all the mistresses engage among themselves equally. Mostly, one mistress would only engage in catty arguments specifically with one other rival mistress -- Magenta vs. Babet, Helga vs. Diva, Because vs. Sparkle. Lady G always played it dark, cool and nonchalant. Aura's wacky weirdness was simply all over the place. The youngest ones, Moon Young and Coco would always stick together, but are drowned out in all the hubbub. 

I wished the actual execution of the crime could have been developed more carefully and logically. Can one person actually do all of those things by herself? Instead, we had to sit through several useless minutes of the mistresses bitching among themselves and screaming over expensive gifts. In contrast with the rest of the film, the final act became far too serious with a rather self-serving and self-exculpating message.

This film held the distinction of the being the first Filipino original movie produced by Amazon Prime Video. With all the hype, I guess expectations can run too high, and hence may disappoint discriminating murder-mystery fans. However, easily the best aspect of this film would have to be the visual spectacle created by the lavish, colorful, and  outlandish haute couture of the mistresses designed by costume designer Jaylo Conanan. 5/10. 

Review of AKO SI NINOY: Idealistic Inspiration

February 18, 2023

This film was not exactly a straight-up biopic about Ninoy Aquino as you may be expecting. Yes, we are told about and shown scenes recounting the important events in his life story. However, as conceived and executed by writer-director Vincent Tanada, these events served as the framework upon which stories of common people of the present time who were inspired by Ninoy Aquino's life and words are weaved in and told. 

Based on Tanada's first stage musical in 2009, "Ako si Ninoy" the film told its stories through original songs (lyrics by Tanada and music by Pipo Cifra) interspersed in the narrative. Like in Tanada's previous film "Katips" and his other musicals, the centerpiece song was a beautiful love song with a complex vocal arrangement. In this case, of course, this song was led by Ninoy and Cory, later to be joined several other characters who were also in love.

The film opened grimly with a recreation of that famous grainy video of Ninoy Aquino (Juan Karlos) being escorted out of the plane by soldiers and shot to death on the tarmac, as witnessed by "Crying Lady" Rebecca Quijano (Sarah Javier). From there, Aquino himself narrated his own life story, from his birth, to his journalist stint in the Korean War, his courtship of Cory, his prodigious political career, his days as political prisoner and in exile in Boston. 

Making cameos in these historical flashback scenes were: Jim Paredes as Benigno Aquino, Sr., Lovely Rivero as Aurora Aquino, Azenith Briones as Mrs. Kalaw, who encouraged Ninoy to pursue his dream to be a journalist. Tanada's own son Peter Parker Tanada played 10-year old Vince Tanada who got lost in the crowd during Ninoy's massive funeral parade -- a little anecdote that Tanada's father would often tell during family reunions. 

Intersecting with these historical flashbacks were stories set in the present day about regular people. At first, these characters were introduced as as individual people, but later we will see how their lives were somehow interconnected. It was odd how they were being enumerated in a specific order, and not based on their relationships as one would logically do. However, this mystery would all be cleared out before the final frame.   

Noli (Johnrey Rivas) was an OFW working in Saudi to support his wife Ivy (Vean Olmedo) and son Osborne (Brae Luke Quirante). Ms. Nunez (Nicole Laurel Asensio) was a dedicated school teacher who supported students' rights. Oscar (JM Yosures) was a fearless news reporter who made a daring expose of a politician's corruption. Yosef (Joaquin Domagoso) was a popular teen actor who wanted to go back to school. 

Andeng (Adelle Ibarrientos) was a labor leader who led a strike to protest unjust retrenchment. Quentin (Mario Mortel) was an activist who rallied along with farmers seeking justice. Dr. Ungria (Jomar Bautista) was a compassionate physician who stood up for his patients' rights. Ingrid (Cassy Legaspi, in her film debut) was a student troubled with a big problem. War veteran Nanding (Bodjie Pascua) was a US Citizen who longed for home. 

Making cameos in these modern day stories were: Tuesday Vargas as Yosef's demanding manager Miss Sugar, Donita Nose as her nosy assistant Tanya, Carla Lim as an annoying aspiring actress Jessa, Brylle Mondejar as Mang Simeon whose cause Andeng was fighting for, and Pinky Amador as Dean Esmeralda Argos, a thinly-veiled caricature of a certain well-coiffed advocate for the true, the good and the beautiful.  

The film may have its cheesy moments or overly sentimental melodrama, but the point of this film was to inspire its audience that Ninoy Aquino was not an unreachable hero. His heroism can be achieved by being the best of ourselves in whatever we do in our daily lives. Juan Karlos did not only play Ninoy Aquino here, but also various people we meet in our neighborhood everyday, like a cab driver, janitor, photographer and many more.

In the trailer, we already hear the strains of Juan Karlos's big breakthough 2018 hit song "Buwan" in the musical score. In this film, one of the highlights was a full-on, powerful rendition of "Buwan," in a deliberately deeper and darker version, sung hyper-dramatically by Juan Karlos himself as the desperate, helpless Ninoy Aquino detained in prison, where he was forcibly separated from his greatest love, Cory. 

Vince Tanada's directorial vision and technique carries over from his stage work to his films. Bad wigs and rough CG effects aside, Tanada knew how to speak to the younger audience, how to tickle their sense of humor, how to pull at heart strings, how to elicit "kilig." Juan Karlos knew the importance of this role to his filmography, and gave this performance his all.  Nicole Asensio, Joaquin Domagoso and Adelle Ibarrientos gave the most notable supporting turns. 

Aside from the inevitable mention of Martial Law and that one classic joke about the Japanese man talking about the president who "robs" you, Tanada kept political matters only at surface level. There were no actually no deep dives into dirty details of the Aquino v. Marcos rivalry here. Even so, one's opinion on this film's merits would still depend on where one sat on the political fence that divides this country even to this day, 40 years after Ninoy's assassination. 

Review of THE WHALE: Overweight, Overburdened, Overwhelmed

February 16, 2023

Charlie (Brendan Fraser) was a morbidly obese middle-aged homosexual man who lived alone, still mourning the death of his partner Alan. He taught online college-level writing courses, but kept his webcam off so his students could not see what he looked like. Despite his massive body frame, impaired mobility, high blood pressure and impending congestive heart failure, Charlie still could not control his eating binges on chicken or pizza.

Liz (Hong Chau) was a nurse who visited frequently to check up on Charlie. She was Charlie's only real friend and cared for him genuinely. Dropping in occasionally was Thomas (Ty Simpkins), a young man who introduced himself as a missionary of the New Life Church, who expressed a desire to save Charlie from hell. Charlie wanted to reconnect with Ellie (Sadie Sink), his rude and rebellious teenage daughter by his ex-wife Mary (Samantha Morton). 

This dark and depressing film by Darren Aronofsky was about the final days of a physically and emotionally trapped man. The screenplay was written by Samuel D. Hunter adapted from his own 2012 play. One can feel the theatrical origin and pace of the storytelling. There were welcome touches of humor once in a while, but the overall mood was heavy and sad. Delving into religious hypocrisy and LGBT discrimination, this film is definitely not for everybody. 

Hong Chau's Liz was a no-nonsense, frank but loyal friend. Her performance may not be so flashy, but her performance was nevertheless gritty and hit hard, hence rewarded with an Oscar nomination. Sadie Sink, fresh from her breakthrough in "Stranger Things" Season 4, had a strong impact as the very angry and very broken Ellie. Samantha Morton may only have one scene, but Mary's moment with Charlie was bittersweet and touching. 

However, the best reason for most people to watch this film is really to see the screen comeback of much-missed Brendan Fraser. His performance as Charlie had consistently been topping the Oscar predictions list for Best Actor from the start of the awards race last year, and now he's actually poised to win it. If at first it may have just been a sentimental vote, actually watching Fraser's performance confirmed that he IS the worthiest winner.

Fraser had been covered in a heavy, unwieldy, grotesquely deformed fat suit here, making this a most physically-exhausting role to play. However, this role was also as much a psychologically-harrowing and emotionally-taxing one as well. Yet beyond Charlie's checkered past and lonely existence, Fraser still managed to project a likable nature that shone through on his kind face. As Charlie knew his end neared, Fraser made us weep along with him. 8/10. 

Review of WITHOUT YOU: Onerous and Open

February 15, 2023

Axel (David Licauco) worked as a DJ in a club. Ria (Shaira Diaz) worked as a call center agent for a medical services company. The two met in college, quickly became sweethearts and decided to live together against the wishes of their families. The first two years had been smooth sailing and happy. However lately, they had been getting into arguments for being remiss with assigned chores and bills to be paid.

Despite reminders from his best friend Chester (Mark Rivera), Axel still willfully entertained these girls, like the pretty, carefree Jiana (Cassie Banks), who throw themselves at him in the bar. Aside from her BFFs Howie (Luis Hontiveros) and Clara (Dindi Pajares), Ria's concerned manager Jacob (JB Saliba) also went out of his way to hear Ria her personal frustrations, which were negatively interfering with her performance at work. 

Like the generic title, the story did not really have anything innovative about it. Axel and Ria were just another one of those young adult couples in local romance dramas who go through a very rough patch in their relationships. There was nothing particularly memorable about these two people -- their adulting problems, their relationship issues, or even the bold compromise solution they agreed on -- these had been all done before in other local films.

There are parts in the continuity of the storytelling that did not seem too logical. In one scene they seemed to be making up already, then the very next scene they were at each other's throat again. This was especially evident in the climax and ending, which did not seem to flow smoothly from the scene immediately before it. Not sure if it was a problem with Lawrence Nicodemus's screenplay or RC delos Reyes's direction. 

I had seen David Licauco and Shaira Diaz in their first film together -- "Because I Love You" (Joel Lamangan, 2019). Even back then, the two had a good chemistry with each other and were convincing as a couple. That first film was a romcom with wacky characters (he was a billionaire playboy and she's a fireman). That winsome quality also reflected in this more dramatic love story, with more realistic characters which end up at odds with each other. Their sensitive performances elevated the overall quality the film. 6/10. 

Review of ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA: A Conqueror's Chaos

February 15, 2023

After the blip, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) retired from crime-fighting and would rather enjoy being a local celebrity and reading the book he wrote about his Avengers adventures to kids. In contrast, his 18-year old daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) was actively worked for social change. She was also working with her mother Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and her grandfather Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to make a AI tracker into the Quantum Realm. 

However, her grandmother Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfieffer) panicked when learned that they were sending a signal into the Quantum Realm. She had just returned after being trapped in the Quantum Realm for several years and since then, she had never told them what she knew about dangers lay within that place. Just as soon as the signal was sent, a strong magnetic force sucked all five of them into the Quantum Realm. 

This was essentially a family adventure as all five get into the action. Scott and Cassie get separated from the others and get acquainted with freedom fighters Jentorra (Katie O'Brian), Quaz (William Jackson Harper) and the delightful red blob Veb (a recast David Dastmalchian). Hank, Janet and Hope meet up with the quantum denizens Janet never mentioned before, like Krylar (Bill Murray) and later, the main scar-faced antagonist Kang (Jonathan Majors). 

Paul Rudd is effortlessly likable as Scott Lang. Kathryn Newton's Cassie was sassy and foolhardy, but her passion is admirable. Evangeline Lilly's Wasp had a less central role, but glad she was able to do make up for this towards the end. The roles of Michael Douglas, and especially Michelle Pfeiffer,were much expanded and we get to see them in action scenes. Corey Stoll's role as the mechanized giant head M.O.D.O.K. was quite amusing.

Since the majority of this film was set in the quantum realm, computer-generated imagery dominates the screen. The eclectic scenery and creatures were reminiscent of (a.k.a. practically similar to) the confusing chaos of the Multiverse in the last Doctor Strange movie. In fact, Janet used the word "Multiverse" when Hank and Hope were asking her to describe the mysterious underground place where she was trapped for the past thirty years.  

Whether or not you connect with this new character of Kang the Conqueror will determine whether you will enjoy the rest of Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jonathan Majors gives him the charm that can earn someone's sympathy, yet at the same time, an intimidating, menacing presence which makes him an effectively terrifying adversary. Clues are aplenty here that we will be seeing Kang many times in this current MCU phase 5. This film is just his introduction. 6/10

Review of MAGIC MIKE'S LAST DANCE: Gyrating for Gain

February 13, 2023

Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) has retired from the male stripper business and was now working as a bartender. He was recommended to lonely separated multi-millionaire Maxandra "Max" Mendoza (Selma Hayek) for a private meeting. After experiencing a mind-blowing lap dance from Mike that ended in a romp in the sheets, Max offered him $60,000 to go with her to London for a mysterious mission she had in mind. 

In London, Max revealed that she was now the owner of a vintage theater called the Ratigan, which was now playing a misogynistic play entitled "Isabel Ascendant," where the pregnant female lead had to choose between two men she did not fancy. Max instead wanted to make her own feminist version of the play featuring talented male dancers to play strippers, to be choreographed and directed by Mike Lane himself. 

This was the third installment of an unlikely trilogy which spun off from a film about male strippers called "Magic Mike" (Steven Soderberg, 2012), which turned out to be a big cult success. There was a sequel called "Magic Mike XXL" (Gregory Jacobs, 2015) which was also a box-office hit. So they thought of doing another sequel 8 years later with Soderberg back to direct, and only Channing Tatum left dancing from the original cast.  

More than 10 years after the original film, the athletic Tatum can still grind with the best of them, albeit bordering on cringy. Mike's story with Max was too over-the-top, quite unlike the down-to-earth tone of the first two films. Hayek's Max was too bossy and unpredictable to be likable. Tatum and Hayek had chemistry brewing in their first lap dance, but nothing much after that. Mike even danced with another girl for the wet and wild climactic number. 

We only see cameos of Mike's gang (Matt Bomer, Joe Magnaniello, Kevin Nash and Adam Rodriguez) during a short Zoom call. There were 10 talented new male dancers with ripped torsos, but we do not know anything about them. The second act about the show rehearsals sagged in momentum (save for that fun dance on the bus for bureaucrat Edna). The highlight was the well-executed full show in the final half hour, but the ending did not stick. 5/10. 

Review of EMPIRE OF LIGHT: Lonely in Light and Love

February 13, 2023

Hilary Small (Olivia Colman) worked as a manager at a vintage movie house called Empire Cinema located in a seaside town in England. She mostly kept quietly to herself, but was well-liked, nevertheless, among her co-employees. Her married boss Donald Ellis (Colin Firth) would occasionally call her into his office for sexual favors. She had maintenance pills to keep her delicate psychiatric condition under control. 

One day, there was a new employee who started work at the Empire named Stephen (Micheal Ward), who was a young black man. Because of the bond they shared caring for an injured bird, Hilary and Stephen get close and eventually fell in love with each other. However, this was the early 1980s, and Stephen still experienced a good deal of racism from white people, which also affected their secret romance. 

The creative team had impressive Oscar pedigrees. The director is Sam Mendes (winner for "American Beauty" 2000) on his first solo writing credit. The musical score is by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (winners for "The Social Network" 2010 and "Soul" 2020). The editor is Lee Smith (winner for "Dunkirk" 2018). The cinematographer is Roger Deakins (winner for "Blade Runner 2049" and "1917" 2020), nominated again for his work here. 

Two Oscar winners are in the cast. Olivia Colman (winner for "The Favourite" 2018) played Hilary, an odd sort with mental health issues. However when her meds fail her, she had a very public breakdown scene which will keep you at the edge of your seat. Her sensitive performance here deserves award consideration. Colin Firth (winner for "The King's Speech" 2011) played it offbeat as a mild-mannered employer yet lecherous adulterer.  

Like "The Fabelmans" and "Babylon" also released in 2022, "Empire of Light" was also about movies. But unlike the other two which were about the people making movies, this one is more about two misfits who worked and found love in a movie theater. The Empire Cinema was very much a character of its own here, as its secret abandoned rooms served as the backdrop to the development of Hilary and Stephen's relationship. 

Sam Mendes gave cinephiles some interesting and nostalgic sidelights to enjoy. Toby Jones's character Norman brought Stephen inside the projectionist's room to show him (and us) what happens behind the beam of light we see at the back of the movie house. One key scene was set during the premiere screening of Oscar Best Picture-winning film "Chariots of Fire" at the Empire. Most importantly, it also showed how cinema could be valuable therapy. 7/10. 

Vivamax: Review of LA QUERIDA: Connections and Connotations

February 10, 2023

Joel (Arron Villaflor) was a Chinoy young man whose mother wanted him to marry a Chinese girl. One day, in front of the Rizal Monument in Luneta Park, he met and fell in love with Maria (Angela Morena), a history major who was working on her thesis. They decided to live together, but Joel was annoyed that Maria was always meeting with her ex-lover Javy (Josef Elizalde) who just so happened to be her thesis advisor.

Wealthy shipping magnate Leo (Jay Manalo) was married to Grace (Yda Manzano) and had a daughter Aira. Leo kept a mistress on the side, Connie (Mercedes Cabral), while Grace had sessions with her boxing coach Donnie (Jiad Arroyo). One day, while on a secret tryst with Connie in a beach resort, Leo had to make a hasty trip back to Manila because of a family emergency. Left on her own, Connie reevaluated what she had been doing with her life. 

The casting of the actors were done very well for the believable execution of the plot. Villaflor, Manalo, Cabral all did very well in their roles, as did Irma Adlawan (as Leo's mother Daisy) and Aurora Sevilla (as Connie's mother Amelia). Angela Morena's best scene had to be that confrontation between Maria and Joel, where even her teardrops were on point. This should be one of her best work in Vivamax, save for some awkward delivery of Spanish lines.

The setting of several scenes in Rizal Park and Intramuros, and the inclusion of Rizal lore in the lines were interesting touches. Maria's father Eduardo (Rey PJ Abellana) was supposed to be born in Spain, which required him to deliver his lines in Spanish.  This inclusion of Spanish lines was also done in order to accommodate the differing connotations of Spanish word "querida" and the Filipino word "kerida" which the script highlighted and played with.  

Writer Eric Ramos and director GB Sampedro told these two parallel stories of forbidden love, with no clear connection at first. Only in the last thirty minutes was it eventually revealed how the they were related, but some smart viewers will likely be able to figure the link out before this. This storytelling style makes for a thought-provoking viewing experience, with those notorious Vivamax-signature sex scenes taking a back seat for once. 6/10. 

Review of LATAY: Marital Manhandling

February 9, 2023

Olan (Allen Dizon) and Lorena (Lovi Poe) have been married for two years. They lived in a hovel in the town of Minalin in Pampanga province. The past two years had not been easy for the couple, both financially (they do odd jobs to make ends meet) and emotionally (Lo suffered a miscarriage and could not conceive again).  Things became worse when Olan's ex-girlfriend Cherry (Mariel de Leon) came back to town and got in touch with him.

Their frequent squabbling over the stresses of married life eventually turn to violence. However, instead of Olan beating Lo up, it was the other way around. Every time they fight it was Olan who ended up getting scratches and bruises all over his body. There was a fight where his hand was injured by a knife that Lo wielded. Olan's injuries would go beyond the physical, as her verbal and psychological abuse could also be just as painful. 

We see Olan suffer physical injuries, but he was certainly no saint. It was his misbehavior which triggered Lo's fiery temper. His frustration against his wife's abuse was to turn his violence against other people around them. Their respective parents were no role models as well. Olan's drunkard father (Soliman Cruz) was abandoned by his wife. Lo's loudmouth mother (a very different Snooky Serna) was left by her husband for another woman. 

Aside from telling a story of challenged manhood, writer-director Ralston Jover also introduced Minalin, the town.  The serenity and scenery of the Pampanga River were highlighted, as it played a big role in the story. Like Olan, many poor Minalin residents made a meager living by raising tilapia for their respective bosses in fish ponds. The film exposed what they do when there are fish kills, especially following earthquakes.

Minalin is also well-known for its "Aguman Sanduk" festival, of which Olan was an active participant. With a name that literally meant "Fellowship of the Ladle," this was a festival that featured heterosexual men (gays not allowed) wearing female dresses, wigs and makeup. This was meant to be a tribute to their womenfolk for the New Year. The first few minutes of this film was practically a short documentary about the festival. 

The juxtaposition of this colorful gender-bending local festival with the gender politics and spousal abuses was a brilliant idea by Jover. Even if they play characters against their usual type, Allen Dizon and Lovi Poe both give strong performances. Dizon was a natural in Olan's milieu, as if  he is not acting.  Her striking beauty may not fit the her character's poverty nor the friends she kept, Poe still believably portrayed the mean, violent streak in Lo. 

The movie is not a comfortable watch because of the extreme situations where Jover took his plot and characters. The severe husband-wife conflict between Olan and Lo may feel familiar to many married couples even if they never actually reached that level of violence yet. Some lines may hit hard for those guilty. This film serves as a cautionary tale for partners on the pressures marriage life may exert. Violence is never the good way. 6/10. 

Review of SPELLBOUND: Ghosts and Giggles

February 4, 2023

Magician Victor (Marco Gumabao) performed to sold-out audiences with his unique magic show which incorporated horror elements. One of his employees was Yuri (Bela Padilla), a glum girl who kept to herself and never joined in any of their company dinners. One day, when Victor went to check on Yuri in her house after an interrupted phone call, he realized that she can see ghosts who follow her around, either to ask for her help or to simply harass her.

After the commercial success of Filipino versions of hit Korean films like "Miracle in Cell No. 7," "Miss Granny," and "A Hard Day," Viva films goes on to adapt yet another one. The original "Spellbound" was released in 2011 written and directed by Hwang In-ho (his directorial debut), one of the Top 10 box office hits that year. The female lead star was no less than Son Ye-jin, best known to Filipino k-drama fans as heiress Yoon Se-ri in "Crash Landing on You."

If the role called for a quirky rom-com heroine with a dark side, chances are Bela Padilla will fit the bill perfectly. Padilla's portrayal of the miserable Yuri was likable and delightful, someone whom you'd want to help out. Yet, she can smoothly shift to heavy drama mode when the story called for copious tears. That serio-comic scene when Yuri was on the phone with her friends Anne (Sarah Brakensiek) and Vanessa (Moi Bien) asking advice was just so good.

Marco Gumabao played up his leading man charm and drama chops as Victor. The role also gave him a lot of room to flex his comedy skills, which he had. Some of his gags were repeated, like how Yuri ripped apart Victor's shirt at the front (the second one was not as funny as the first). His funniest scene for me was that when a very nervous Victor was hiding behind Yuri, holding on to her arm while they were investigating a ghost with a flashlight.

Rhen Escano was a vengeful ghost in her first film "Untrue" (2019). This time around, she was again playing a vengeful ghost, but with a very different motivation. Escano's "Adan" partner and classy Vivamax beauty Cindy Miranda played Victor's girlfriend Trisha, a part we hoped would have been more substantial. Pop singer Ronnie Liang had a small role as Tony, a guy Victor set up for Yuri. His horror scene in the elevator was the scariest of all.

The combination of a rom-com and horror is not very common so this plot was interesting, especially the backstory of why she became very aloof and withdrawn. However, as this is an adaptation, this remarkable plot is not originally Filipino. While we acknowledge that Korean writers can really whip up the best plots, we wish that Filipino filmmakers can also come up with imaginative and innovative original material worthy of our local talents.  5/10. 

Vivamax: Review of BOSO DOS: Undercut Undercover

February 3, 2023

Police officers Mario (Gold Aceron) and Ara (Micaela Raz) were assigned by Chief Inspector Katya Torre (Katya Santos) to be partners in a surveillance mission. They were supposed to watch a 24/7 video feed taken from the hideout of drug lord and smuggler Badong (Vince Rillon) and his gang to gather solid evidence against them. They were Team Dos, alternating with fellow cops Wally (Bombi Plate) and Ramir (Jun Ureta) who were Team Uno. 

One night, Ara intervened when she saw Badong being harassed by a crazy person in a convenience store. When Badong made a move to befriend her, Ara took this chance for her to infiltrate their lair. Seeing how Badong was getting closer with Ara made his girlfriend Georgia (Amor Lapuz) green with envy. Mario, who had a crush on Ara since they first met, decided to stop keeping things between them on the professional level.

The original film "Boso" was a 2005 sex-comedy film by Jon Red, who also wrote and directed this new version (not a sequel). The first film about Jake (Epy Quizon), a caretaker of a boarding house, who enjoyed snooping into the rooms of the tenants, like Cecilia (Katya Santos) and her husband Ding (Allen Dizon). Only Katya Santos, soft porn scenes, cringy comic lines and the voyeurism element connect the two films. 

The lead actor Gold Aceron had already played a peeping tom recently, in the Law Fajardo's 2022 version of "Scorpio Nights." This time around, his peeping activity was being done in the line of his job as a police officer via via live video feeds. However, the film also had flashbacks of Mario's peeping as a younger boy (Aceron can still pass for a teenager), how he peeped on the nurse (Stephanie Raz) next door who undressed near her open window.

The place being monitored was a drug lord's headquarters, but it was practically just a sex den -- more snuggling than smuggling going on. We only see various sexual engagements going down in there -- between Georgia and Badong, Georgia and Badong's henchman Enteng (Alvaro Oteyza), and an all-out birthday orgy. Soliman Cruz had a featured scene as a slimy Councilor Cadhit, which had no significance to the story whatsoever.

The acting of the cast was all hammy and tongue-in-cheek, but the humor was very corny. Aceron's talents were again wasted by the shallow material, which had him quoting cheesy sayings. He had unnecessary sex scenes with an older girlfriend (Chloe Jenna), and another one with Micaela Raz, which, while not exactly unexpected, just happened so randomly. The so-called plot was not as important as the brazen sex scenes. 2/10. 

Review of KNOCK AT THE CABIN: Supreme Selfless Sacrifice

February 1, 2023

Gay couple Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge), along with their adopted little girl Wen (Kristen Cui), were staying in a cabin in a remote part of the woods somewhere in Pennsylvania. One day, there was an insistent knock on the door of their cabin. A big man who introduced himself as Leonard (Dave Bautista) asked that he and his group be allowed in because of something important that had to be done.

Pressed for time, Leonard and his pals, nurse Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), cook Adriane (Abby Quinn) and ruffian Redmond (Rupert Grint), broke into the house anyway and held the family hostage, tying the two men down in chairs. Leonard told them that the four of them were there because they had been having visions of the end of the world. The only way to save the world was if the family that was staying in the cabin had to sacrifice one of their members.

M. Night Shyamalan knocked it out of the park in his breakthrough film "The Sixth Sense" (1999), which had people looking forward for every one of his films. However, aside from the "Unbreakable" trilogy (with "Split" and "Glass"), his other films were disasters (notably "Lady in the Water" and "After Earth"). This adaptation of Paul Tremblay's 2018 novel, "A Cabin at the End of the World" has got to be one of Shyamalan's better works.

The acting of the main actors in the cast were on point. Dave Bautista continues his streak of good roles outside the MCU ("Blade Runner 2049," "Army of the Dead," "Glass Onion"). Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge projected the extreme stress hanging over Eric and Andrew in those crucial moments, as well as societal rejection they experienced in flashbacks. As precocious future zoologist Wen, cute little Kristin Cui makes a delightful feature film debut. 

The apocalypse premise is over the top. It was not elaborated about how or where Leonard and company's visions were coming from, or the mechanics of their elaborate ritual. It was not explained why or how this particular cabin was where the potential savior family of the world would be located. However, Shyamalan was able to spin and sustain a gripping atmosphere of psychological terror for everyone in the cabin, and for us in the audience. 7/10. 

Review of BABYLON: Bombastic Bacchanalia

February 1, 2023

It was 1926 in Los Angeles. A Mexican man named Manny Torres (Diego Calva) was driving the truck that was delivering an elephant to a grand, wild party thrown by Kinoscope Studios.  There he met the pretty aspiring actress Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie) and snorted cocaine with her as they shared their Hollywood dreams with each other. Manny drove home film star Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), who then helped Manny get a foot into film production. 

Writer-director Damien Chazelle had already shared with us his fascination with Hollywood in his acclaimed 2016 film "La La Land" following a jazz pianist and an aspiring actress who find love while they chase their Hollywood dream.  With his new film "Babylon," he went over-the-top manic as he showed us the Hollywood journey of Manny and Nellie, with excessive, elaborate scenes of glamorous grandeur, as well as disgusting debauchery.

However, Chazelle went further to include the stories of four other Hollywood denizens -- the veteran leading man Jack Conrad whose career was on the wane, an Asian saloon singer Lady Fay Zhu (Li Jun LI) who happened to be lesbian, African-American jazz trumpet player Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo) who could not understand why he still had to wear darkening makeup, and writer Elinor St. John (Jean Smart) whose articles can make or break careers.

All these stories stretched "Babylon" into a busy sprawling three-hour affair. The bacchanalian party scenes were very eye-catching with its Oscar-nominated glittering production design (by Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino) and interesting costume designs (Mary Zophres on her fourth Oscar nomination). The grand jazzy musical score by Justin Hurwitz, who already won 2 Oscars for "La La Land" was nominated again, and may actually win it. 

The scenes about film shooting were the best ones for me. The first showed how cameras were destroyed during battle scenes, and the perfect daylight had to be caught for the perfect kiss. The frenetic editing (by Tom Cross) of that long exasperating scene of repeated takes of one simple scene for Nellie's first sound film alone deserved an award. The most bizarre scene would have to be that of Nellie, her father (Eric Roberts) and a rattlesnake. 

Even as Chazelle seemed to have bit off more than this movie can chew, the performances of the main actors were commendable, especially Robbie (whose fierce portrayal jumped out of the screen) and Pitt (who played a film star as only a true film star could). Calva tried hard to keep up as Manny, but still came up rather short. Toby Maguire only came out in the final stretch, but his quirky characterization as gangster James McKay will stay with you. 

In the epilogue, "Singin' in the Rain" (1952) was referenced to recount the challenging transition of silent to sound films, which was depicted in both film. Chazelle then laid his cinephile heart bare with a montage of film clips from Muybridge's Running Horse to "Wizard of Oz" to "Ben Hur" to "Avatar." However genteel Chazelle's style was in "La La Land", his style for chaotic "Babylon" went the furthest extreme in the opposite direction. 7/10.