Disney+: Review of PETER PAN & WENDY: Defined by Diversity

April 30, 2023

Wendy Moira Angela Darling (Ever Anderson) was the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George and Mary Darling (Alan Tudyk and Mollie Parker). She was the older sister to her brothers John (Joshua Pickering) and Michael (Jacobi Jupe), with whom she still enjoyed playing pirate sword fight games. She was unhappy that she was going to boarding school already the next day and told her mother that she wished she would not grow up. 

That night, Peter Pan (Alexander Molony), a favorite character from their mom's bedtime stories, flew into their nursery together with his tiny fairy friend Tinker Bell (Yara Shahidi). He taught the three Darling children how to fly by thinking of happy thoughts, and then invited them to fly along with him following the second star to the right and straight on till morning all the way to Neverland, where children did not have to grow up.

Film versions of J.M. Barrie's classic play have been done since 1924 when there was a silent version by Herbert Brenon, that is still considered the best film adaptation up to now. It casted a female actor, Betty Bronson, as Peter Pan, something that has been done for stage productions of the story since 1904 (Nina Boucicault, Maud Adams, Pauline Chase, etc...) and would be done well into the future (Mary Martin, Cathy Rigby, Sandy Duncan, etc...)

The most iconic film version would be the 1953 animated adaptation by Walt Disney, and its images remain the way most people would envision Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Capt. Hook and the Darling children. Live action films have also been done to update the material for modern audiences, most of whom fall a bit short of expectations when compared to this animated classic, including "Peter Pan" (2003) and Steven Spielberg's "Hook" (1991). 

In this latest live action adaptation by Disney, diversity casting was done as is the current norm. That the pirates and the Lost Boys were a mixture of races is already no surprise. Tinker Bell is played by an actress of mixed race, Yara Shahidi, the most stunning looker in this new cast. However, the addition of girls among the Lost Boys was notable, especially since Barrie himself originally wrote that girls were too clever to get lost. It is remarkable for finally casting a Native American actress (Alyssa Wapanatâhk) as Tiger Lily. 

There was not much joy or fun in this version, matched by its dull color palette. The mood turned very dark by the end of the first hour with the scene of a terrifying fall and landing (!), so scary for young viewers. Not much camp in Jude Law's Capt. Hook, especially as we get his sad back story. This also broke tradition of casting a different actor for Mr. Darling, of whom Hook was symbolic. Despite the order of their names in the title, Wendy played the central role here, not Peter. 6/10.

Review of TO CATCH A KILLER: Mind of a Mass Murderer

April 29, 2023

One New Year's Eve, when the skies of Baltimore were lit up with fireworks, 29 unrelated people were randomly hit and killed one after the other, by a single bullet each. A quick investigation determined that all the bullets came from a single location in one building, which also exploded that same night. This meant there was only one shooter. The FBI assigned senior investigator Geoffrey Lammarck (Ben Mendelsohn) to take over the case. 

Of all the policemen in the Baltimore PD, Lammarck specifically noted Officer Eleanor Falco (Shailene Woodley) as to her astute analysis of the gunman's personality. Lammarck believed that Falco's checkered damaged history may help her get into the mind of the killer. However, the two of them faced tremendous pressure from the politicians of the city who wanted a quick shortcut to the crime's resolution. 

This film co-written and directed by Argentinian filmmaker Damián Szifron, writer-director of 2014 Oscar Best Foreign Language Film nominee and BAFTA Best Foreign Language film winner,  "Relatos Salvajes" ("Wild Tales"). It unexpectedly began with a shocking killing spree of 29 victims all happening within the first five minutes. For the perpetrator of such crime to be simply be called a "killer" in the unmemorable title was a wasted opportunity for more impact.

The plot of getting into the mind of a mass murder to try to find him may sound a lot like the plot of "The Silence of the Lambs." However, the approach of storytelling is not the same. There was a lot more time devoted to talking scenes between Eleanor and Lammarck which lacked tension and urgency. Szifron even had to revive the lagging momentum with another mass killing in a mall lest he lost the attention of the viewers. 

The ending sequence was very disappointing because again of the interminable talking between Eleanor and the killer. We already knew at that point that we are dealing with a mentally-disturbed man, but their conversation did not really add more insight to his deeper motivations that led him to kill so many random people. Shailene Woodley's Eleanor was too low-key and dour to get audiences to root for her. 5/10. 

Vivamax: Review of SEX GAMES: Exploit for Entertainment

April 28, 2023

The relationship sexy movie actress Debbie (Sheree Bautista) and her second husband, businessman Bobby (Josef Elizalde) began with an instant sexual attraction at first sight. From the start, sex had been the primary force that kept their relationship going. Now ten years in their wedding, the couple now found regular sex boring, and needed to spice things up with sex games, ranging from role playing to multiple partners.

Wanting more to engage in a challenging scenario to their games, Debbie introduced Bobby to Shiela (Azi Acosta) and her boyfriend Alvin (Benz Sangalang). They were a young couple of limited financial means. Seeing that the virtue of the couple would be hard to break (both of them once aspired a religious vocation), Debbie proposed a competition to Bobby as to who would be able to lure them for a voluntary romp in bed. 

Most of National Artist for Film and Broadcast Ricky Lee's recent output had been sexy films streamed on the Vivamax app. After the first one, "Nerisa" (Law Fajardo, 2021), all his subsequent Vivamax films were directed by Mac Alejandre: "My Husband, My Lover" (2021), "Silip sa Apoy" (2022), "Bela Luna" (2023) and now this new one "Sex Games." Lee and Alejandre also had a film released in cinemas -- "May-December-January" (2022). 

The name of Ricky Lee can add more respectability to a Vivamax film, even if its main purpose was still to serve prurient motivations. His stories mostly involved complicated characters with complicated problems. In all of his Vivamax films, director Mac Alejandre always had an assuredly lush visual style and carefully choreographed bed scenes. Here, electric neon lights were a distinct part of his production design. 

Sheree Bautista was among the original lineup of the Viva Hot Babes formed in 2001, along with Maui Taylor, Katya Santos, Gwen Garci, Andrea del Rosario (who was also in the cast of this film as a therapist). While the other Sex Bomb girls now mainly play clothed supporting roles on Vivamax, seasoned veteran Sheree showed that she can still bare her body as boldly as any one of those young starlets out there. 

Since the story was about sex games, this of course opened the floodgates for director Alejandre to portray all kinds of sexual situations which Debbie and Bobby engaged in. One daring scene depicted foreplay with a transwoman (Francine Garcia). Another scene practically depicted a rape of a teenage girl (Joharah Alonzo), which was very disgusting. Scenes of teasing felt more erotic than those graphic ones, less can indeed be more. 4/10. 

Review of SA MULI: Reincarnated Reunions

April 27, 2023

Pep (Xian Lim) was a popular novelist who had written two best-selling romance books, both of which had a sad ending where the leading lady would die. At a book signing at an Art Fair, he caught a glimpse of a young lady Elly (Ryza Cenon), who was in a rush to leave after she shoplifted a book from a stall. When Pep saw Elly's face clearly for the first time when they sat across each other, tears uncontrollably fell from his eyes. 

Pep befriended Elly and convinced her to go along for a road trip. In an old house in Taal, Batangas, he told her the ill-fated love story between Aurora and Victor from the year 1900. In an old church in Tayabas, Quezon, he told her the ill-fated love story between Belen and Nicolas in the year 1950. Pep intimated that he was the reincarnation of Victor and Nicolas, while Elly was the reincarnation of Aurora and Belen. 

Writer-director Fifth Solomon brought us along to two Southern Tagalog  towns plus Manila, as well as to two years in the past plus the present. This varied time frame of this story gave Solomon's camera, production design, costume, hair and makeup crews golden opportunities to recreate those periods realistically to draw the audience in. Later, there would even be an epilogue that would propel the story 40 more years into the future. 

There is no doubting the dramatic chops of both Xian Lim and Ryza Cenon.  They looked good together, especially in the two past time periods they appeared in, and pretty much nailed their period styling and romantic scenes. The present day scenes tended to more awkward because of some comedy had been forced in to liven things up. While Cenon is more at ease with quips, Lim had to resort to distractingly cheesy, out-of-place gimmicks.

The script can sometimes feel over-wrought especially in the over-long third act, which felt like Solomon was at a loss on how to end it. Furthermore, he used a staring contest to bookend the story did not feel realistic at all. Was this ever a thing? What was the point of this activity anyway? How could it supposedly "inspire" someone? This was a major plot element yet so contrived. Solomon could have elaborated on it more to make it more relatable. 6/10.

Review of RENFIELD: Cult of Co-dependency

April 25, 2023

Count Dracula (Nicolas Cage) conscripted the services of lawyer R.M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) to be his assistant in luring victims for him to feed on. In return, Dracula conjured that Renfield be immortal and was able to gain explosive super-strength whenever he ate a bug. After countless years of indentured abusive servitude, Renfield wanted out and joined a support group for people in co-dependent relationships.

Renfield met New Orleans policewoman Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina) who was frustrated for being stuck with thankless traffic beats. She would rather get involved in important crimes like the drug crime family of the Lobos, led by Teddy Lobo (Ben Schwartz) and his mother Bellafrancesca (Shohreh Aghdashloo). As Renfield and Rebecca get together to nab the Lobos, the Lobos sought an alliance with Count Dracula himself. 

Having played a zombie in "Warm Bodies" (2013), it was not new for Nicholas Hoult to play a character who was a living dead. The droll way he played Renfield, we will sympathize with his wanting to get out of his miserable afterlife. Having Awkwafina as his love interest here was an out-of-the-box casting choice, it actually worked very well. From her beginnings as a rapper and comedian, Awkwafina continues to expand her range and she is doing well. 

Nicolas Cage may not have as much screen time as his fans would want. However, he chewed up all his scenes as the legendary Count Dracula. We all know Cage was always wont to overact and as hammy as he was here, his fans will love him in this role. It was good to see classy Iranian-American actress Shohreh Aghdashloo in a fun role, 20 years since her Academy Award nomination for Vadim Perelman's "House of Sand and Fog" (2003).

The whole premise of this quirky film was quite original and outrageous, so if you get into its weird drift, you will find it darkly entertaining and fun. The blood and gore factor is cartoonishly high as human bodies literally blow up into bloody blobs of limbs and flesh when super-Renfield wielded his powerful punch on them. Dealing with the psychological issues about co-dependent relationships was a novel touch for a horror-comedy film. 7/10.  

Apple TV+: Review of GHOSTED: Clumsy Captain

April 23, 2023

While recovering from the death of a co-worker, art curator Sadie Rhodes (Ana de Armas) took a long drive into the countryside. Upon stopping over at a farmer's market, she met a farmer Cole Turner (Chris Evans) who was tending to his friend's house plant stall. The two did not hit it off too well at first, but his friend convinced Cole to ask for Sadie's number. This led to a spontaneous date which led to a romp in the sack.

The next few days, Cole impatiently waited for Sadie to answer his multiple text messages to her phone, but received nothing. He suddenly remembered that he had left an item with a tracking device in Sadie's purse which placed the lost item in London, England,  However, upon reaching the location indicated, instead of finding Sadie, Cole was swept up in an unexpected adventure to another part of the globe.

The screen partnership of Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, two of Hollywood's most good-looking A-list stars, made this a hotly-anticipated film. However, when it first came out, critics unanimously gave it very bad reviews. It made me lower my expectations, for sure, but I really had to watch it to judge it for myself. Sure enough, I actually found it quite engaging and entertaining, definitely not as bad as those critics said it was.

Sure, it had familiar elements of "True Lies" (1994) or "Knight and Day" (2010). However, unlike those two, here the tables were turned and it was the male partner who was unwittingly thrown into a deadly situation involving spies. That male partner being Chris Evans (who can't really shake his perfect Captain America persona even if he wanted to) made his awkward klutzy scenes all the more humorous, and quite fun to watch.

Ana de Armas had already proven before that she can be an action star with her roles in "No Time to Die" (2021) and "The Gray Man" (2022). Here, she had fistfights and gunfights galore, raced up the "Exorcist" (1970) stairs, and even drove an old festively-decorated Pakistani bus on reverse through the Khyber Pass while being chased and shot at by bad guys. She is as bad-ass as she is sexy, the perfect female action star for this generation. 

Evans and De Armas looked good together, either in their romantic scenes as well as their action-comedy scenes, so I do not see a problem with their chemistry. Admittedly, there were repetitive lines about their sexual tension, or that they should "get a room," but I still found them quite amusing. Adrien Brody played antagonist Leveque a bit too cartoonishly. The guest star cameos (4 of them!) were quite delightful surprises. 6/10. 

Review of THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE: Plucky Plumbers

April 23, 2023

Brothers Mario and Luigi have recently launched their plumbing business in Brooklyn, which their father did not look too favorably upon. Responding to a nearby flooding crisis which they saw on the news, Mario and Luigi go down into the manhole to try to fix the major leak. However, they were instead sucked into a Warp Pipe and were transported into an alternate universe where they get separated.

While Mario landed in the brightly-lit Mushroom Kingdom ruled by Princess Peach, Luigi landed in the dismal Dark Lands ruled by King Bowser. As he had just acquired the Super Star by attacking the Snow Kingdom of the Penguin King, Bowser now planned to force Princess Peach to get married to rule the universe together. However, he saw Mario there and considered him a rival for the Princess's affection. 

The character of Mario first appeared in Nintendo's 1981 Donkey Kong arcade game. From 1983's Mario Bros. and 1985's Super Mario, Mario had developed into a giant franchise that spun-off into different types of games. Mario is now the best-selling video game franchise of all time. The wealth of characters and genres of the Mario universe over 40 years made it perfect material for a rich, colorful full-length animated film for all ages. 

The voices were provided by an A-list cast led by Chris Platt (as Mario), Charlie Day (as Luigi), Anya Taylor-Joy (as Princess Peach), Seth Rogen (as Donkey Kong). Jack Black stole his scenes as the growly voice of King Bowser, especially for his musical number "Peaches" dedicated to his lady-love while playing the piano. The actor who gave Mario and Luigi their voices in the games, Charles Martinet, voiced the brothers' father. 

As of now, this film joins Universal's recent animated films "Croods 2" (2020), "Sing 2" (2021) and "Minions 2" (2022) as the top animated films of their respective years. Different viewers would be familiar with different storylines and game designs of various Mario games. As with other movies where nostalgia is a main selling point, the more Mario games you have played, the more you will enjoy this movie. My sons rated this film higher than I did. 7/10. 

Vivamax: Review of SAPUL: Empty Episodes

April 21, 2023

One morning, police officer Leandro Acuba (Jeric Raval) rushed his young son Francis (Apollo Arag)  to the hospital because he had a very high fever. He called his wife Melissa (Ina Alegre) who was working in a corporate job in the city. She gets out of the board election they were conducting at that moment and rushed back to see her son.

That same morning, suspended police officer Isidro Ticson (Kiko Estrada) was hanging around the house of his estranged wife Shiela (Christine Bermas). He desperately wanted to talk to her about the possibility of getting back together. However, Shiela was already very burnt by Isid's alcoholism and other serious faults. She never wanted to see him again. 

That very same morning, police officer Ryan Villa (Richard Solano) just had a romantic rendezvous with his fiancee Ava (Ada Hermosa). The two were excitedly preparing for their wedding which was set in a week. At 35, Ryan was very close to his mother Lyn (Suzette Ranillo) who owned the pharmacy where Shiela worked as a salesgirl. 

The stories of these three cops, who just so happened to work in one precinct in a small town in Oriental Mindoro, under chief of police Philip Mijares (Simon Ibarra), were barely connected with each other. These mundane episodes took unnecessarily too long to tell, the emptiness of the script is severely felt. Of course, being Vivamax, sex scenes had to be randomly included, either present day or flashbacks, to further pad the running time.

Director Reynold Giba was a writing protege of Brillante Mendoza who now wrote and directed his second film after "Bata Pa si Sabel" (2022). "Sapul" is Giba's first film without his mentor's name in the credits with him. Not sure what story the director was trying to tell here, even the so-called twist came from out of nowhere and went nowhere. The violence towards the end was very predictable, again part of the typical Vivamax formula. 

Christine Bermas had already proven her worth as an actress so more challenging roles should be given her, not this waste of her time. Kiko Estrada had already played an alcoholic bum before, this is nothing new for him. Jeric Raval gets to have a sex scene with an actress less than half his current age of 47, yet his character was so undercooked. Richard Solano gets to play a good boy for a change this time, but you can see his fate from the get-go. 1/10.

Review of VOLTES V: LEGACY: Realized Reminiscences

April 20, 2023

Three brothers, Steve Armstrong (Miguel Tanfelix), Big Bert (Matt Lozano), and engineering whiz Little Jon Armstrong (Raphael Landicho), sons of Drs. Ned (Dennis Trillo) and Mary Anne (Carla Abellana) Armstrong, had teamed up with their friends Jamie Robinson (Ysabel Ortega) and Mark Gordon (Radson Flores) to train under Dr. Richard Smith (Albert Martinez) at Camp Big Falcon for a still undisclosed mission.

One day, humanoid alien invaders known as Boazanians arrived in their skull-shaped space craft to launch an aggressive attack all over the world. Their leader in their mission to subdue Earth (or Terra Ertu in their language) was Prince Zardoz (Martin del Rosario), with his trusted lieutenants --  The only thing left for Earth to fight the Boazanian beast-fighter was to launch Voltes V with the Armstrong boys and their friends as the pilots. 

Since its initial Philippine broadcast on May 5, 1978, "Voltes V" was arguably the most popular among the Japanese robot anime series broadcast Monday to Friday in the late afternoon time slot back in the late 1970s (alongside "Daimos," "Mazinger Z" and "UFO Grendaizer"). Kids back then got their first real taste of Martial Law when it was suddenly pulled off the air in August 27, 1979 for its "harmful effects on children," possibly for its themes of rebellion. 

That did not diminish the appeal of "Voltes V" among Filipino children from that generation, and apparently even for children of this current generation. Since it was first pitched by director Mark Reyes eight years ago, GMA embarked on this huge project to revive "Voltes V" as a live-action TV series with proudly 100% Filipino special visual effects. The full trailer released January 5, 2023 which teased these special effects made everyone very excited.

As the May 8, 2023 series premiere drew near, it was announced that there will be a special edit of the first three episodes to be screened in SM cinemas starting April 19, 2023.  Unfortunately yesterday, there was a technical glitch which prevented the movie version to be screened in some branches (including Megamall). I am guessing this had something to do with the age and quality of the screen and projector in these older SM cinemas.

It was worth paying to see these proudly all-Filipino mecha-robot visual effects on the big screen. They were confident that the images were of very high-resolution, and will not pixilate when expanded several-fold. The awesomely executed Volting-In sequence alone was worth the price of admission. The Ultramagnetic Whip and Tops looked awesome in action. Voltes's Laser Sword cutting a V through the Beast Fighter was such an exhilarating sight. 

However robots aside, the quality of other supposedly simpler green-screen special effects were not that impressive yet. Missiles exploding, guns firing, jet fighters flying, Mark's horse galloping, Little Jon's dolphins flipping, among many other examples, were not cleanly done. The Filipino dialogue can sound stilted and awkward in some scenes, especially during those chaotic battle operations among the personnel in Camp Big Falcon. 

The opening theme song "Voltes V no Uta" never lost its iconic appeal all these years, especially hearing the new version by Julie Anne San Jose during the Volting-in scenes.  Children of the late 70s can sing this song by heart, wrong lyrics notwithstanding. The musical score incorporated updated versions of the dramatic and battle themes of the original. Did not hear it in the cinematic version, but there will also be a new version of the sentimental closing theme "Chichi Wo Motomete" ("I Want My Father") by Zephanie. 

The five young actors chosen for the main roles look fine for their characters so far. Tanfelix, Lozano and Landicho were already given major dramatic moments and they proved up to the task, recreating the tearful mood of the original anime to a T. Albert Martinez looked perfectly cast as Dr. Smith, as well as Martin del Rosario as Zardoz (except for his ugly wig and coat collar design. However, Gabby Eigenmann as Cmdr. Robinson, Liezel Lopez as Zandra and Epi Quizon as Zuhl looked rather miscast, and may need more time to get used to. 

The initial scenes showing Mary Anne Collins giving Ned Armstrong his new name (with a cringe-y explanation) may have already inadvertently revealed some key plot revelations which the original anime series reserved in its final episodes. The scenes set in planet Boazan seen in the trailer makes the subsequent series worth following, aside from more spectacular mecha battles to come. Nostalgia definitely plays a big role in the final overall assessment. My sons both gave it a lower score than I did. 7/10. 

Review of AIR: Groundbreaking Gambit

April 20, 2023

In 1984, Nike was a poor third place in the world of basketball shoes in terms of sales, behind Converse and Adidas.  Current CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) and Marketing VP Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) were pressuring their basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) to find the best upcoming basketball star to be the new image model and spokesperson for Nike basketball shoes, lest they be forced to close their basketball line.

Vacarro recommended to Knight that Nike should channel their entire marketing budget of $250,000, originally meant for three athletes, to just one person -- Michael Jordan. However, 1984 NBA draft third pick Jordan had already expressed his preference to Adidas. Behind his bosses' backs, Vaccaro went to the Jordan's home in Wilmington, North Carolina to talk to Michael's mother Deloris (Viola Davis) to give Nike a chance to pitch.

Michael Jordan is one of the NBA's greatest basketball players of all time, if not THE greatest. Even those who have limited knowledge about the NBA or basketball in general would be familiar with Michael Jordan's name, his superhuman skills on the basketball court, and his association with the Nike company and the shoes which bore his name, Air Jordan. This was a historic business deal which changed the landscape of professional sports.

This film tells the behind-the-scenes story on how Nike persuaded Jordan to sign an exclusive contract with them.  Since we already know the ending, it was director Ben Affleck's unenviable task to make this mundane process business process exciting for the big screen. His Oscar-caliber tech crew -- cinematographer Robert Richardson ("JFK," "The Aviator," "Hugo") and editor William Goldenberg ("Argo") -- definitely helped achieve Afleck's vision.

Even if Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker and Ben Affleck himself never really disappeared in their roles, their humorous camaraderie was infectious and made you root for them. Viola Davis may be subdued here but she was still quite intimidating. As Jordan's manager David Falk, Chris Messina was very amusing in that expletive-laden tirade of his. Matthew Maher was lovable as Peter Moore, designer of the iconic shoe and logo. 

There was so much 1980s nostalgia all throughout the running time of this film. The musical soundtrack was a collection of the decade's catchiest songs -- "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits, " All I Need is a Miracle" by Mike and the Mechanics, "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper, "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen, plus "Tempted" by Squeeze for good measure. These side elements made the ride all the more engaging. 8/10. 

Review of THE POPE'S EXORCIST: Mocking Minister

April 19, 2023

An American woman Julia (Alex Essoe) went to Spain with her two children, a rebellious teenage daughter Amy (Laurel Marsden) and younger son Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney). Julia's husband had died in a car accident and bequeathed to his family an old abbey in Spain. Julia was trying to restore the abbey, but the work was suspended when a fiery accident occurred. Suddenly, Henry became stricken with bizarre behavior.

Fr. Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe) was the personal exorcist of the Pope (Franco Nero). A committee was reviewing his exorcism activities, and the American cardinal Sullivan (Ryan o'Grady) in particular was very antagonistic against him. To diffuse the tension, the Pope sends Amorth to help in the case of Henry in Spain. A local priest Fr. Tomas Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto) who had no exorcism experience before, was there to assist Amorth. 

For sure, this film has all the tropes commonly seen in all demonic possession films that preceded it -- the possessed person is an innocent child, his medical tests all come out normal, the possessed child speaks in a deep distorted voice and in different languages, the body of the possessed gets tortured and assumes unnatural positions, a local priest and a higher expert are called in to perform the actual exorcism and ask the demon its name.

However, this new film also expanded on the psychological torment inflicted by the demon on the two priests, Amorth and Esquibel. It kept on taunting them about their own sins in their past or present, coincidentally both involved women. Another remarkable difference about Crowe's exorcist was his penchant to do jokes even when dealing with the demon. Lest we find this humor corny, Amorth warns us that "the devil hates jokes."

We have already seen way too many exorcism films to find all this very scary, but some images were still very disturbing, like that of a demented young woman putting a live red cardinal bird into her mouth. Like "The Da Vinci Code'" (2006), the history of the Catholic Church itself was also drawn into the plot as the brutal Spanish Inquisition was brought up. Interesting too that a promise of a franchise was even suggested at the very end. 6/10. 

Summer MMFF: Review of HERE COMES THE GROOM: Soul-Swap Stakes

 April 18, 2023

En route to San Rafael town where his beach wedding with his excited fiancee Yumi (Miles Ocampo) would be held, the groom Junior (Enchong Dee) rode together with his mother Salve (Gladys Reyes) and sister Blesilda (Maris Racal) in a car driven by his father Rodrigo (Keempee de Leon). They were a devout Roman Catholic family, very conservative in mindset. Blesilda, in particular, cited Bible verses and wanted to be nun. 

When passing by a mysterious area called Magnetic Hill, at the precise moment of a solar eclipse, their car collided with a van driven by a tipsy Mama Wendy (Iyah Mina). She was bringing her bevy of drag queens -- Winona (Nico Antonio), Wanda (Xilhouete), Wilhelmina (Kaladkaren) and Whitney (Awra Briguela) -- who were joining a beauty contest also in San Rafael, as organized by the barangay captain Joy Gising (Eugene Domingo).

When they wake up from the accident, the spirit of straight-laced Junior had swapped places with the spirit of scientifically-enhanced transwoman Wilhelmina, the spirit of old-fashioned bigot Rodrigo Sr. had swapped with the spirit of outspoken hothead Wanda, and that of hyper-religious Blesilda had swapped with young acrobatic dancer Whitney. With the wedding the next day already, this topsy-turvy situation had to be straightened out, and soon!

This was a sequel of writer-director Chris Martinez's 2010 box-office hit "Here Comes the Bride" with Angelica Pangalinan, Eugene Domingo, Tuesday Vargas, Jaime Fabregas and John Lapuz as the characters who swapped souls. The main story elements -- out-of-town wedding party, Magnetic Hill, solar eclipse, car crash, Kuya Kim -- all originated from the first film. This variety of characters in the first film gave Martinez the opportunity play around with gags about disparities between gender, sexual orientation, wealth, age, and health. 

In this new film, the swapping was mainly between two distinct groups only -- conservative Catholics and free-spirited drag queens. A main source of comedy was how the straight male characters will turn flamboyantly gay, a scenario did not happen in the first movie. While Enchong's Junior avoiding the aggressive sexual advances of his bride Yumi in the bedroom has been commonly done before, his swimming pool scene with Tony Labrusca (as Junior's best man Hans) was a more unique situation with sensitively-written dialog. 

While Best Supporting Actor winner Keempee de Leon was very good, he had already done gay roles many times before, so his florid portrayal was nothing new anymore. Co-nominee Xilhouete, suppressing his drag queen tendencies as stuffy Rodrigo Sr., seemed to have nailed a more difficult role. Transwoman Kaladkaren (in the physically- and emotionally- exhausting role of Wilhelmina) winning over her cis-woman co-star Racal was a very progressive development in the LGBTQIA front, and a most deserving win. 7/10. 

 

Summer MMFF: Review of APAG: Retributive Repast

April 16, 2023

The Tuazons were a wealthy family who owned a luxurious restaurant often used as a venue for big events. One day, the patriarch Alfredo (Lito Lapid) and his son Rafael (Coco Martin) were doing some last minute shopping for crabs at the market. At home, Alfredo's second wife Elise (Jaclyn Jose) was waiting for them to arrive as the crabs were an essential ingredient to the menu of the feast they were preparing that day. 

The Balagtas family lived a humble existence with their small sari-sari store. One day, father Matias (Carlos Canlas) went to the market with daughter Katkat (Franzen Tolentino) to buy food items for his wife Nita (Gladys Reyes), and a cake for his sister Chedeng (Mercedes Cabral). On the way home, Katkat realized that they had forgotten to buy eggs, so Matias turned his tricycle back. They crashed into the Tuazon's blue pick-up truck behind them.  

Brillante Ma. Mendoza directed this Kampangan-language film from a script written by Arianna Martinez, with a star-studded cast, led by Mendoza's first protege Coco Martin. This film is their reunion project, since they last worked together in "Kinatay" (2009), the film that won Mendoza the Best Director award at the Cannes Filmfest. Martin was not the original choice for the role of Rafael, but stars aligned for director and star to work together again.

"Apag" refers to the dining table. Since the Tuazon's business was a restaurant, the cuisine of Pampanga was prominently featured throughout the film. Whenever a local dish was served and its name was mentioned in the dialog, the subtitle would have a parenthetical definition of what the dish was, like "buro" was "fermented rice" or "tibok-tibok" was "carabao milk pudding." The setting of film's climax was a lavish family dinner of gastronomic excess.

This was an ensemble piece with no clear lead actor. As the grieving wife Nita, Gladys Reyes was nominated and won as Best Actress of this first Summer MMFF, but her screen time here was considerably less than her fellow nominees Bela Padilla and Kylie Padilla. Reyes only had two standout scenes -- one bidding Matias a tearful goodbye in the ICU, and another as a recipient of a tearful confession in the kitchen -- both played with remarkable restraint.

Even with his shaky camera and a disorienting time-jump, Mendoza was able to imbue this film with a palpable discomfort and a feeling of dread as required by the story, with scenes of ominous foreboding. There were just this subplot about Rafael and his ex-wife Sherry (Shaina Magdayao) that had no back story to reveal more of Rafael's personality or make us care about their relationship, and was thus just a useless distraction from the main story. 6/10. 

Summer MMFF: Review of LOVE YOU LONG TIME: Parallel Presents

April 15, 2023

Movie writer Ikay (Eisel Serrano) had written a script with a romance story which she wanted to tell a specific way. However, her producer was demanding rewrites but she could not seem to compromise. To clear her mind, she decided to drive up to Baguio City to resume her writing at the house of her free- spirited aunt Tita Menchu (Ana Abad Santos). Among her old stuff, her aunt had a long-unused two-way radio unit which suddenly began to sputter to life.

Uly (Carlo Aquino) was an young man who lived in Atok, Benguet who would rather stay in his house and try to repair old gadgets than go out. One day, he was able to make an old two-way radio unit to work and tried to call out to anyone who would answer him. One night, Ikay answered his call and after her initial hesitation, they got to talking and got along. However, every time they try to meet up at a specific place, they do not see each other.

Director JP Habac had already told us thoughtful romance stories in the past in films like "I'm Drunk, I Love You" (2017), "Sakaling Maging Tayo" (2019), and "Here and There" (2021). This time he took on a script written by Gena Tejana which seemed to be inspired by Korean film "Il Mare" (2000) which had already been remade in Hollywood as "The Lake House" (2006), with a push-to-talk phone connecting the two protagonists instead of a magic mailbox. 

In his recent romantic films, Carlo Aquino had been paired with leading ladies of all ages -- Bela Padilla in "Meet Me in St. Gallen" (2017), Angelica Panganiban in "Exes Baggage" (2018), Nadine Lustre in "Ulan" (2019), Maine Mendoza in "Isa Pa with Feelings" (2019), Julia Barretto in "Expensive Candy" (2022) and Barbie Imperial in "I Love Lizzy" (2023). Aquino may be 37 now, but with his ageless boyish charm and veteran acting skills, he was still able to create sweet romantic chemistry with a 24-year old leading lady.

Eisel Serrano started her career in 2019 alongside Charlie Dizon and Belle Mariano who had already made names for themselves earlier on. Like her two Star Magic batchmates, Serrano also had a bubbly personality and strong screen presence, aside from her pretty face. She confidently held her own alongside Aquino, as well as her theater actresses Ana Abad Santos and Meann Espinosa (as comic relief sidekick Sis Bituin). 

As dictated by the story's premise, the interactions between Ikay and Uly had been effectively shown via side by side split screens. The big twist reveal set at the gazebo of picturesque Wright Park was very well-executed. Towards the end when fantasy and reality merge, the flow of things did admittedly get a little confusing. These scenes may need some post-viewing reflecting to try and piece the story together logically. 7/10. 

 

Apple TV+: Review of TETRIS: Contractual Cliffhanger

April 10, 2023

During a consumer electronics show in Las Vegas in 1988, gave developer Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton) of Bullet-Proof Software discovered and was fascinated by the new video game Tetris, invented by Russian Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov). At that time, Robert Stein (Toby Jones) held the worldwide licensing rights to Tetris and had a contract with Mirrorsoft, under tycoon Robert Maxwell (Roger Allam) and his son and CEO Kevin (Anthony Boyle).  

When he learned that Nintendo was coming out with a handheld game gadget called the Gameboy by Christmas 1989, Henk proposed that Tetris be the packaged game in it. Rogers flew to Moscow to negotiate with Nikolai Belikov (Oleg Shtefanko) of ELORG, the office in charge of computer technology, obtain the handheld rights to Tetris. Unknown to Henk, Robert and Kevin were waiting for their respective turns in the other rooms.

"Tetris" was a very popular video game back when I was younger. It was addicting to move and drop those falling pieces (each made of four squares each to try to complete and clear entire rows. Little did I suspect that an entire full-length movie could be made out of its origin story. Despite the Russian architecture-themed designs and the Russian folk tune-sounding theme song, I did not know that it really originated in Russia, or that there was an international hullabaloo about its distribution rights to PCs, arcades and gaming consoles. 

The story of how a Russian video game was made available to players all over the world during the Cold War in the 1980s may seem like a very interesting plot on paper, but not easy to translate onto the big screen. Fortunately, Scottish direction Jon S. Baird had crafted a very exciting movie, despite largely being about contract negotiations and underhanded dealings. I doubt that there was really a car chase going to the Moscow airport or that Mikhail Gorbachev himself was actually involved, but that is the Hollywood fun of it. 

It boasted of an international cast. Taron Egerton did not really have the look of someone with a quarter Indonesian blood, but his perky performance kept the energy level always up. Japanese actors played his wife Akemi (Ayame Nagabuchi) and Nintendo boss Minoru Arakawa (Ken Yamamura). The main Russian actors, Efremov, Shtefanko, Igor Grabuzov (as politician Trifonov) and Sofia Lebedeva (as his translator Sasha) played their respective characters with requisite mystery and suspense to keep things nerve-wracking. 8/10. 

Summer MMFF: Review of YUNG LIBRO SA NAPANUOD KO: Seeking a Safe Space

 April 11, 2023

Lisa Villamor (Bela Padilla) is a 20-something young woman, who was a loner and an introvert. She would rather curl up at home to watch the latest K-dramas streaming online than go out with her officemates. She was very obsessed with the last K-drama she finished, "To Room Nineteen," watching it while at work and crying her heart out the whole time. Her biggest frustration was that she could not get hands on a hard copy of the book. 

Not long after, Lisa wrote her own novel inspired by this elusive book, which she entitled "Yung Libro sa Napanuod Ko" ("The Book in the Show I Watched"). To promote the book, she made the rounds of talk shows, one hosted by Boy Abunda. She also had book signings in various bookstores. A Korean man named Kim Gun-hoo (Yoo Min-gon) asked for Lisa's autograph on his copy of her book and dedicated it to a woman named Mary.

With this new film, Bela Padilla proved that "366" (2022), her first attempt as a triple-threat filmmaker (director, writer and actor), was no fluke. This time, she even levelled up, adding producer to her credits, and embarking on an international project set in South Korea with Korean actors in the cast. She just starred in "Ultimate Oppa" (2022), a film with two Korean leading men and a Korean director. This time, she's crafted her very own K-movie.

Bela's story and screenplay was quite unusual, both in concept and in execution. Even if the story used a trope very commonly seen in melodramas throughout history of film, the way it was used here was still novel, especially the way the director finally revealed her gambit unexpectedly after the first hour. An emotionally surprising twist as remarkable as this is rare among recent Filipino films, which sadly had become quite predictable.

As an actress, Bela Padilla is expectedly very adept in challenging offbeat dramatic roles like this. Her Korean lines were delivered like a native. Her Korean leading man Yoo Min-gon may be 34 years old, but his filmography is still quite sparse, hence coming off a bit rough around the edges in some of his awkward scenes. The romantic chemistry between them was not instant. However by the climactic reveal down to the ending, he's got us on his side. 7/10.  

Summer MMFF: Review of KAHIT MAPUTI NA ANG BUHOK KO: Fated for Fame

April 10, 2023

Reynaldo Guardiano (Carlo Mendoza) and his brother Nelson (Caden Hann) grew up in a broken family, shuttling between their father (Ariel Rivera) and mother (Gelli de Belen). The two boys had no real friends at school because they kept on moving around. Reynaldo was a plain-looking kid, but he had a talent in singing. As a young man (RK Bagatsing), he learned how to play the guitar and later, to compose his own songs.

His song "Ako si Superman" caught the attention of a Vicor Records executive (Lloyd Samartino), and let Rey record it himself. Rey composed songs by observing people around him and told their stories in songs that had popular appeal. At first, his songs went to singers like Sharon Cuneta ("Mr. DJ") or Rico J. Puno ("Sorry, Puede Ba?"). After his marriage to Ditas (Meg Imperial), their wedding song "Pangako sa 'Yo" revived his solo career.

Rey Valera was one of the most prolific Filipino pop music composers of the late 1970s to the 1990s. It seemed so natural and inevitable that a jukebox musical was going to be written built around his rich discography.  Writer-director Joven M. Tan took a stab at this bright idea and came up with this biopic which told about Rey Valera's difficult childhood, his rise to fame as a singer-songwriter and the process by which he wrote his most immortal songs. 

Tan had Rey Valera himself narrate his life story, complete with his personal insights about the events in his life and career. Valera did not hide his unpleasant experiences as a child growing up in abject poverty, nor that notorious 1983 gossip column news item about an imposter using Valera's name to commit various crimes, including rape. Knowing these painful episodes of his life made how his rise to fame and the beauty of his songs more impressive.

For each hit song, Tan had Valera in various places (in the cemetery or at the jeepney stop) observing couples and giving them stories. For "Maging Sino Ka Man," it was the story of a cemetery cleaner (Dennis Padilla) in love with a prostitute (Rosanna Roces) who had an invalid husband (Ronnie Lazaro). For "Kung Tayo'y Magkakalayo," it was the story of a man (Pekto Nacua) and a woman (Janine Desiderio) saying goodbye to their illicit affair. 

For "Walang Kapalit," it was the story of a gay talent manager (Gardo Versoza) and his unrequited love with his stud neophyte actor (Aljur Abrenica). For "Kung Kailangan Mo Ako," it was the story of a very despondent man (Epy Quizon), and how he moved on after an aborted suicide attempt. In all these little stories, Tan made the various characters lipsynch to Rey Valera's singing to signify that he took their words right out of their mouths. 

I had only seen two Joven M. Tan films, both also biopics, namely "Suarez" (2020) and "Yorme" (2021).  This new one basically hewed to his earnest style of straightforward storytelling, soaked in melodrama (almost everyone was crying) and unintentional comedy (ugly wigs, cheesy lines, inconsistent mole under Rey's left nostril). Rey Valera fans will still want to watch this, if only to hear his songs and stories that inspired their creation. 5/10. 

Vivamax: Review of BALIK-TAYA: Betting on a Breast Birthmark

April 9, 2023

Pip (Kiko Estrada) went to Bangkok, Thailand to work. Unfortunately, he was scammed and found himself jobless. What's worse, he was held up by crooks, beaten up and left for dead on the street. A fellow OFW Jessy (Azi Acosta) helped Pip back on his feet, nursed his wounds. She showed him the sights and helped him get a job as a janitor at the muay thai gym out of town. One day, Jessy just disappeared. 

Much of the promotion about this film was about its exotic Thai location shoot. However, it would turn out that the Thailand part of this film only lasted about the first 30 minutes, sort of like an extended prologue. The rest of the film would be set back in Caloocan City where Pip would move in with his uncle Tito Gani (Lou Veloso). It was Gani who would introduce Pip to the world of online gambling, where Pip would resume his search for Jessy.

"Taya" by writer-director Roman Perez Jr. was one of the better Vivamax films back in 2021 (My Review). There, lead character Sixto wanted to save online gambling model Nanette from the underground organization abusing her. In this new variation of the story, the story gets a little more complicated. Pip wanted to save girlfriend Jessy from an online gambling operation, but found Kate (Angeli Khang) and underground fighting instead. 

Angeli Khang was only a new starlet in the original "Taya" movie, and had since rose through the ranks to become a bonafide Vivamax star herself. The role of Kate actually seemed too small for a star of Khang's lead star stature.  Another aspiring nymphet from "Taya" was Jela Cuenca. She is back to play Kate's tough manager who spoke with a contrived Chinese accent (similar to Soliman Cruz's boss character in "Taya"). 

Azi Acosta and Kiko Estrada did chemistry with each other as the star-crossed lovers Jessy and Pip and the Thai locations were indeed exotic. However, it did not really need to be shot in Thailand at all, and a random province would have sufficed. Ultimately, the only tiny detail that connected the Thailand and the Philippine parts of the story was a birthmark Jessy and Kate both had on their left breast. Now go figure that one out. 4/10.

Summer MMFF: Review of UNRAVEL: Ironic Inspiration

April 9, 2023

Construction firm CEO Lucy Espinosa (Kylie Padilla) got her wedding annulled, and flew off to Switzerland without telling her mother or her daughter. She had emailed her best friend Belle (Megan Campbell) all her instructions to be done in her absence. The main purpose of Lucy's visit to enroll herself into a facility called Vivere Diu that conducted assisted voluntary death (or AVD), a morbid activity that was legal in Switzerland. 

Noah Brocker (Gerald Anderson) was a half-Swiss, half-Filipino young man who was currently in between jobs. He and Lucy kept on seeing each other a number of times, so when he saw her again at the cemetery, in front of Charlie Chaplin's grave, he introduced himself to her. Soon enough after getting to know each other, Lucy got comfortable with Noah, and eventually shared her secret plan with him.

At first glance, "Unravel" looked like another one of those local romantic films which had been filmed in a foreign country. However, its main topic turned out to be so much darker -- that of assisted voluntary death. The pun in its subtitle "A Swiss Side Love Story" already gave that a clear hint. The trailer pretty much gave the whole plot away. What was left to discover by watching the whole film was why she wanted to do it, and how the film would end.

The rest of the film was a virtual tourism video promoting the picturesque natural beauty of Switzerland, which also served to buffer the depressing nature of the plot and to fluff up the running time. From the Canyon Swing at Glacier Canyon in Grindelwald to an aerial closeup view of the Matterhorn, down to the dock and pier on Lake Brienz in Iseltwald (made famous in the K-drama "Crash Landing on You"), the audience is taken on a virtual tour. 

Padilla and Anderson do their best to convincingly portray their characters, one so hopelessly negative, and the other so hopefully positive. The dialog between them, as written by Senedy Que, do occasionally sound contrived, not the way you'd hear real people talk. Some lines were so patronizingly sweet, they can be cringe-y. However, the chemistry between the two actors save the film from these criticisms about the script.

How the whole story would turn out at the end can be triggering for certain audiences who may have encountered such tragedies in their lives. Mental health issues can make people do things you would not expect them to do, even if you think you already know them very well. Bad things can still happen without any obvious warning signs. Given what happened, the film's ending could have completely gone the opposite way from the way it did. 6/10. 

Vivamax: Review of PAUPAHAN: Tempting Tenant

April 8, 2023

Nico Catapang (Jiad Arroyo) was an aspiring model. He made the rounds of auditions but was not getting any gigs. To save on funds, he rented a room in the house of Analyn Salvacion (Tiffany Grey), a mousy young woman who cared for her paraplegic grandmother Esther (Odette Khan). Analyn had a crush on Nico, and went beyond her duty as landlady to willingly do various chores for him.

However, the promiscuous Nico brought home different women each night, the infatuated Analyn watched his intimate encounters through a one-way mirror. One day, Nico's fiancee Katherine (Robb Guinto) came home from Canada where she worked as a nurse, and stayed with him in his rented room as well. As Analyn realized how much the rascal Nico had been lying and taking her for a ride, she snapped. 

With his caddish look on his face, Jiad Arroyo had long been relegated to playing naughty supporting characters, usually antagonists. This film is his first lead role, and it was clear that he was not yet ready for it. He was ostensibly game for all the fully nude sex scenes he had to do with various partners, and he did them with gusto. However, when it came to the scenes which required real acting, he could not really deliver. 

Tiffany Grey already had a Best Supporting Actress nomination under her belt for her role in the MMFF 2022 film "My Father, Myself." She has pretty eyes and an innocent-looking face, and she could connect emotionally with her subtle facial expressions. She threw all inhibitions to the wind in her hysterical breakdown scene in the film's climax. She does not really need to go through the bold star route, and hopefully this is her last time. 

Writer Quinn Carrillo came up with another psycho-dramatic mix of sex and violence. Director Louie Ignacio's treatment created an atmosphere of suspense, almost horror in the red-filtered scenes. It was remarkable in that it was a woman who was the peeping tom and the man was the sex object being furtively admired.  However in the end, everything went back to the same old story of sexual abuse and its effect on the victim's fragile mental health. 2/10. 

Summer MMFF: Review of ABOUT US BUT NOT ABOUT US: Honoring Honesty

April 8, 2023

Eric (Romnick Sarmenta) was a gay 40-something English Literature professor in UP. One day, he went to his favorite restaurant in BGC to meet up with his 22-year old student Lance (Elijah Canlas). Lance had once showed up during online classes with his face all bruised-up after being physically abused by his stepfather. To get away from harm, Eric had let Lance stay in his vacant condominium unit -- a kind act which had been the subject of unkind rumors.

Their lunch meeting started out pleasantly enough. However, when the conversation turned to matters pertaining to the recent death of Eric's partner Marcus, things began to turn tense. At the age of 45, Marcus was already hailed the "Nick Joaquin of his generation" for writing several excellent English-language novels, like "Song of a Burning Boy". His sudden demise from a drug overdose, presumably non-accidental, became the subject of speculations. 

Jun Robles Lana is responsible for the story, script and direction of this impressively crafty piece of cinema -- deceptively simple at the start, but increasingly complex as the layers are peeled apart. Since 1998, Lana had been the playwright, then later, the director of several modern classics. This new one joins the list of those he had both written and directed, including "Bwakaw" (2012), "Barbers Tales" (2013), and "Anino sa Likod ng Buwan" (2015).

This film was basically a two-hander affair, two actors sitting across each other at a single table, except for the occasional waiter serving food. Like an hour and a half-long one-act play, we only see and hear Eric and Lance talking to each other. However, the topics of discussion became increasingly uncomfortable as major secrets were divulged one by one. As the final piece of the intricate plot fell into place, a chilling checkmate scenario is revealed.   

Current indie it-boy Elijah Canlas smoothly took us along the ride as his Lance slowly transitioned from being respectful to ruthless. Romnick Sarmenta had not been in a meaty lead role like this for so long, and he fearlessly took his Eric by the horns, coming up with a rich portrayal of remarkable restraint. Both actors had a showcase of nuanced acting as they each transformed into the mysterious Marcus, scenes which both of them nailed solidly. 9/10. 

Amazon Prime: Review of WALANG KAPARIS: Daring Destiny

April 6, 2023

Jojo (Empoy Marquez) was working in Paris as a roadside mime. He also offered to draw watercolor portraits using coffee as his medium. One day, he met a fellow Filipina named Marie (Alessandra da Rossi), who had just arrived in Paris a few weeks ago.  They became very good friends, as Marie joined Jojo in his mime performances. Soon enough, Marie confessed to Jojo that she liked him, even if he had some initial hesitation.

Spring Films (founded by actor Piolo Pascual, director Bb. Joyce Bernal and executive Erickson Raymundo) took a very big gamble in 2017 when it pushed the pairing of Alessandra da Rossi and comedian Empoy Marquez in a romance film set in Saporro, Japan. Unlikely as it may have been on paper, "Kita Kita" defied the odds and became a major box office hit, eventually reaching the top spot on the list of top-earning Filipino indie films. 

This year, Spring Films brings back the odd couple in another love story, premiering not in cinemas, but streaming on Amazon Prime Video. There is likely a bigger budget involved as it was set in Paris, France. We already know that the "Alempoy" love team has chemistry and actually works. Writer-director Sigrid Andrea Bernardo waxed philosophical here as, she reflected on time, destiny and unconditional love. 

The atmosphere of this film was serious and melancholy. It begins with a tearful reunion in a Paris cafe, and the story was told in flashbacks. The first half of the film recounted their affair in Paris, as told by Jojo. The second half of the film recounted an earlier story set in Baguio City five years earlier, as told by Marie. What seemed to be an unusual disjointed Paris story will eventually make perfect, emotionally resonant sense as the Baguio story unfolded. 

The work of cinematographer Boy Yniguez was exceptional, as he captured several beautiful and iconic locations of Paris in various innovative angles. Ray Valera's "Walang Kapalit" as the recurring theme song helped achieve emotional connection. De Rossi was effortless in portraying the depth of Marie's love. With hardly any humor as crutch, Marquez had to dig deep inside himself to portray Jojo's troubled psyche with impressive restraint. 7/10. 

Netflix: Review of MURDER MYSTERY 2: Sluggish Sequel

April 6, 2023

After their first case, Nick and Audrey Spitz (Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston) are now working as full-time private detectives. However lately, their detective business had not been doing as well as they were expecting. Audrey wanted to take an examination in order to gain professional credibility for their detective work, but Nick thought she was just wasting her time. Because of this, they were also feeling a strain on their marriage. 

One day, their old friend, Vikram "The Maharajah" Govindan (Adeel Akhtar) invited them to his private island to attend his wedding with Parisian salesgirl Claudette (Melanie Laurent). There, they met Vikram's bodyguard Col. Ulenga (John Kani), his business partner Francisco (Enrique Arce), and his ex-girlfriend Countess Sekou (Jodie Turner-Smith). At the start of the elaborate wedding ceremony, a murder and a kidnapping had been committed. 

All the cliched elements of a typical Agatha Christie-style murder mystery are here again -- isolated remote location, a host of suspicious characters all with a strong motive for the crime, and a detective who was invited on the last minute. The same ingredients were in the first "Murder Mystery" movie in 2019, whose success inspired producer Adam Sandler to hire Jennifer Aniston again for this quickie sequel.

Aside from Sandler and Aniston, three more actors from the first movie came back to reprise their old characters. These were Adeel Akhtar, John Kani (whose Col. Ulenga had now lost his left arm) and Dany Boon (as police Inspector Delacroix). Mark Strong guest stars as a former MI6 agent Connor Miller, who also wrote the book Audrey was reviewing for her detective licensure examination. Laurent, Arce and Turner-Smith were hardly funny at all.

The lavish Indian wedding theme provided ample opportunity for the art director and costume designer to go to town, but that was about it. The story was certainly no "Glass Onion" or even the first "Murder Mystery," even when they shared the same basic formula. There was not much of Jennifer Aniston's' delightful naive antics which made the first film special.  The only memorable death scene was that one that involved a helicopter, nothing else. 4/10. 

Review of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES: Fortuitous Fantasy

April 6, 2023

Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) was a lute-playing bard who also became a Harper, who engaged in fighting against tyranny and corruption. After a Red Wizard killed his wife and he struggled to raise his daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman), Edgin turned to a life of thievery along with his friends, the barbarian fighter Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), the half-elf sorcerer-in-training Simon (Justice Smith) and elder con artist Forge (Hugh Grant). 

For attempting to steal the Tablet of Reanimation to bring his wife back to life, Edgin was arrested along with Holga, and they were thrown into prison. After two years, they stage a daring escape only for Edgin to find that Kira had been turned against him by the guardian under whose care whom she had been endorsed.  Edgin and Holga set off on a magical adventure to turn the tables on their traitorous old friend and win Kira back. 

At first, I thought that this film would not click with me. I knew about this role-playing game called "Dungeons & Dragons" which was very popular in the 1980s (the kids on "Stranger Things" were hooked on it). Despite this, I never got to play the game, nor watched the animated series. I thought I could not get into the lore of this film's characters. In addition, the trailer of this film was not too promising, with corny jokes and unpolished CG effects. 

However, given the positive word of mouth (and my son's persistent coaxing to watch this with him), I eventually relented, reluctantly. It turned out that I did not really need to know the D&D game to enjoy this fantasy.  As written and directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, as well as the likable performances of its main cast, particularly Chris Pine, the movie was actually funny, engaging and entertaining. 

Part of this film's charms was that it never took itself too seriously. The asides of Edgin and Holga were so witty, especially those in their encounter with the perfect paladin Xenk Yendar (Rege-Jean Page). Druid Doric (Sofia Lillis) shape-shifting into various animals was thrilling. Edgin's interviews with the corpses were ghoulishly hilarious. Bradley Cooper's cameo and that unconventional red dragon Themberchaud made for surprising visual comedy. 7/10. 

Review of JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4: Complex Chaotic Carnage

April 5, 2023

After the bloody events of the third film, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) resumes his fight against the powerful consortium of notorious crime lords called the High Table. At the very start of this new installment, John went to the deserts of Morocco to seek out and assassinate The Elder (George Georgiou) who sat above the Table. Of course, this bold action would spur the whole High Table on retaliatory mode. 

For failing to contain Wick, high-ranking High Table member Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) declared Winston (Ian McShane) "excommunicado" and even demolished the New York Continental Hotel. Meanwhile, Wick sought asylum in the Osaka Continental Hotel, managed by his old friend Shimazu Koji (Hiroyuki Sanada), and the Marquis dispatched the deadly blind assassin Caine (Donnie Yen) to go exterminate him. 

Fans will of course be expecting that all the fantastically violent stunts and gun, sword and fist fights that held us breathless in the first three films will still be there and certainly, this new film did not disappoint. Despite the intimidating 169-minute running time, director and fight choreographer Chad Stahelski was skillfully able to sustain audience attention and excitement with all his complex chaotic fights captured with his glossy and stylish cinematography.  

The production, lighting and sound design were undeniably top-notch in its two most memorable fight scenes. The first one was Wick and Caine's first encounter in the Osaka Continental with its colorful glass paneling. The second one was Wick going after German Table head Killa Harkan (Scott Adkins) at the behest of Katia of the Ruska Roma syndicate, on a dancefloor full of unmindful gyrating clubgoers in Berlin. 

The climax was supposed to have been a pistol duel at daybreak in Paris. However before that, Stahel still managed to stage two more spectacular, exhilarating action sequences in the final half hour. One was a counter-flow car chase around the rotunda around the Arc d'Triomphe, which must have been a nightmare to shoot. The second was a wild painful free-for-all fight up and down the 222 steps going up to the Sacre-Couer in Montmartre. 

One may groan about Keanu Reeves mumbling, or the over-the-top acting (save for the exceptional Donnie Yen and the always elegant Hiroyuki Sanada). However, "John Wick" delivered the bloody entertainment its fans expected and way more. John Wick may have been beaten up, shot down, stabbed through, hit by speeding cars, hurled down flights of stone steps, yet he just kept on fighting to the end. That's how we like it. 8/10.