Vivamax: Review of FOURSOME: Quadratic Quandary

December 23, 2023

Ad agency CEO Gina (Robb Guinto) and architect Dino Santos (Mark Dionisio) were celebrating their first wedding anniversary. However, while they were still on their foreplay, Dino's member suddenly went limp and unable to continue. Apparently, this had already been going on for the past six months, and it was already driving Gina crazy. 

Gina was so sexually-frustrated that she would reluctantly entertain sleazy advances from her partner at work, brazenly named Ms. Kiki (Armina Alegre). After receiving a clean bill of health from his doctor, Dino was referred to a psychologist Dr. Chris Ramos (Nico Locco). The first time he saw Chris's handsome face, Dino could not help but stare. 

This was another one of those Vivamax films which do not really have any other reason to exist but to showcase variations of sex scenes involving its four stars in various combinations. Kiki also kept going at it with her live-in girlfriend Debra (Dyessa Garcia). There was even a puzzling out-of-place scene of a homeless couple (Arya Salvador and Jomar Valerio) doing it under Jones Bridge, in full view of an autistic homeless guy (Ardy Raymundo).

As Gina was a wealthy powerful woman who knew exactly what she wants and needs, Robb Guinto was right in her element. It was unfortunate that she was given more challenges with sex acrobatics she had to do with her three partners, than in her dramatic moments. Armina Alegre is only on her second Vivamax film, still quite the neophyte. She was trying, but her acting as the two-timing lesbian Kiki was understandably still quite stiff. 

Nico Locco's Dr. Ramos was obviously a quack (haha!). First, the nameplate on his desk had an MD after his name, but he was only a psychologist, who is not an medical doctor. If he really had an MD degree, then he would call himself a psychiatrist. Next, he was guilty of malpractice, using his profession to take advantage of vulnerable patients with intimate secret concerns about their sex lives, and seduce them (female and male) with his Caucasian wiles. 

Bald-headed actor Mark Dionisio had been in a few Vivamax films since last year, but this was his first lead role, and what a daring one it was. This was not only because he had fully nude sex scenes, but his Dino had also had erectile dysfunction, and latent sexual identity issue as well. This meant he had to have kissing scenes with guys (that was as far as it went). His denial scene (Hindi ako B....!) was unintentionally (or may be intentional) hilarious. 2/10. 

Netflix: Review of MAESTRO: Bradley Becomes Bernstein

December 23, 2023

Leonard Bernstein was the first American-born conductor of an American orchestra, the first American conductor to receive international fame. For most people nowadays, his name is remembered for the operas he ahs composed (like "Candide") and Broadway musicals ("West Side Story") he has composed. This biographical film dealt with Bernstein's tempestuous relationship with his one and only wife, actress Felicia.

From an introductory segment with Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) at 70 years old being interviewed, the film shifted to black-and-white mode to 1943, when 25-year old Lenny Bernstein was called to substitute for Bruno Walter to conduct the New York City Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, an auspicious debut which was met with immediate acclaim. He was then living with a clarinet-player named David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer).  

At one party with his sister Shirley (Sarah Silverman), Lenny met aspiring actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn (Carey Mulligan) who came from Chile to New York City to study piano and acting. After hitting it off great that night, the two of them became a couple as both their careers were taking off very nicely. They got married and had three children together and had a happy family life, until Lenny's alternate lifestyle got into the way.

Lovers of classical music and show tunes will love the musical score, which is credited to Leonard Bernstein himself. Cooper incorporated excerpts of various memorable Bernstein works, among them: "I Get Carried Away," "New York, New York" from "On the Town," the "Prologue" from "West Side Story," the grand "Overture" from "Candide," and the utterly sublime "Secret Songs" from "Mass." Cooper also made sure we saw his piano playing.

The acting performances of Cooper and Mulligan were impeccable. Their scenes together were magnetizing, from that sweet first night on the stage of an empty auditorium, to that amazing sequence from a garden party to the stage of "On the Town" to an intimate cuddle in bed, to that intense argument as Thanksgiving Day as the parade was passing by. Oscar nominations for acting are definitely in the cards for both of them. 

Bradley Cooper was not only lead star, but also director, producer (together with Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg), and co-writer (with Josh Singer, Oscar-winning writer of "Spotlight"). In only his second feature film after "A Star is Born" (2019), Cooper displayed remarkable artistic growth in his directorial style. Together with cinematographer Matthew Libatique and editor Michelle Tesoro (Fil-Ams both!), his scene transitions were seamlessly poetic. 8/10

MMFF2023: Review of REWIND: A Divine Deal

December 22, 2023

Liquor firm executive John Nunez (Dingdong Dantes) and his wife Mary (Marian Rivera) had been childhood sweethearts. When their son Austin was born, Mary gave up her promising career as a chef to become a full-time housewife. As the stresses at work increased, John became very busy, always on his phone, hardly having any spare time to spend with his family. He also became irritable and hot-headed, so people are tense around him.

One night, the retirement announcement of John's boss and godfather Sir Hermie (Ariel Ureta) totally did not go as John wanted. A drunk John angrily confronted the old man, and arrogantly declared that he wanted to quit his job. The next day was a big event for Austin (Jordan Lim) -- the presentation of a play which he wrote and composed songs for. As John and Mary were arguing in the car along the way to school, the unthinkable happened.

When I saw the trailer, it felt like one of those Korean time-travel dramas or Hollywood "Groundhog Day" time-loop type of films. "Rewind" was not exactly like those, but the story was still familiar -- a character will get to re-live one critical day all over again --  as the title suggested. How that miraculous phenomenon would come to pass was as Filipino as it gets, although it would depend on a viewer's religion if they would buy it, or not.

The fact that Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera were a real-life married couple made their onscreen love and chemistry effortless. It also made the marital troubles John and Mary were experiencing much tougher and more heartbreaking to watch.  The way they played their heavy tragic scenes felt so intensely real, acting citations are forthcoming. It was their affecting performances that gave this film its special radiance beyond its familiar plot. 

This was still a Pinoy melodrama at heart, with several familiar ingredients in the mix -- an estranged father (Lito Pimentel), a well-meaning mother-in-law (Coney Reyes), a sexy temptress at work (Sue Ramirez), a "maritess" employee (Pamu Pamorada), and an over-eager sidekick (Joross Gamboa). And then, there is the mysterious school electrician Jess (Pepe Herrera), whom kids called "Lods" (a nickname I am not exactly a fan of). 

Writer Enrico Santos wrote both "Rewind" and "Mallari" for this MMFF, both vying to top the festival box-office. The way he wrote husband-wife arguments can hit hard with married viewers. Director Mae Cruz-Alviar skillfully built up scenes to generate maximal emotional impact at their climax. The character of Lods can be very tricky (and may even feel irreverent for conservative Christians), but Cruz-Alviar handled this aspect with sensitivity. 7/10.  

Review of AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM: Fraught with Foolishness

December 21, 2023

Aside from his duties as King of Atlantis, Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) also lived on land in the lighthouse of his father Tom (Temuera Morrison). His wife Mera (Amber Heard) had just given birth to their son, and he was still getting the hang of being a father himself. As King, Arthur wanted to enhance the political relationship of Atlantis with the surface world, something the Atlantean council was not agreeable to. 

Scientist Stephen Shin (Randall Park) was on an expedition searching for Atlantis and its artifacts. Tagging along with Shin was pirate David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who was intent to avenge his father's death at the hands of Aquaman. Kane found a broken black trident which glowed to life when he put the two pieces together, causing him to be possessed by Kordax (Pilou Asbæk), the evil brother of the first Atlantean king Atlan. 

Jason Momoa seemed to be acting like his goofy self a lot here, giving the sense that he was treating this role as a joke. He had wacky scenes (getting hit by pee while changing the diaper of the baby) and wacky lines (discussing how delicious burgers and pizza were with his brother), which were more distracting than funny, taking us out of the film completely. Just like "Thor: Love and Thunder," this misguided type of "humor" simply went too far. 

To help him fight the supernaturally-powered Black Manta, Arthur broke his half-brother Orm out of the prison where he spent his time after being usurped as King of Atlantis (by Arthur himself). While he was taking his role seriously, Patrick Wilson was too much of a pale contrast side by side with Momoa, his screen presence felt lacking. If your most memorable scene is the one where you chomped on a live cockroach, that is not too good. 

Likely as a reaction to her infamous court case against Johnny Depp, Amber Heard was barely present, and when she was, she was distant from Momoa. You may even get the idea that Arthur was raising the baby on his own, with his father Tom. Lacking his usual screen charisma, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II did not make much of an impression as David Kane. As Stephen Shin, Randall Park only felt like a comic relief all the way through. 

All the computer-generated underwater world and creatures felt very excessive, it did not exactly wow (except for the seahorse). The action felt so cold, there was a sense of distance and fakeness about it. You cannot feel much for any of the characters, including Arthur, especially since Momoa himself was having too much out-of-place "fun".  It begged the question, why did director James Wan allow too much foolishness in this sorry sequel? 4/10. 

MMFF2023: Review of MALLARI: Doctor, Director, Demon

 December 20, 2023

Dr. Jonathan de Dios (Piolo Pascual) has just proposed marriage to his girlfriend Dr. Agnes Salvador (Janella Salvador). However, he had nightmares that she would fall seriously ill. He made a trip to his ancestral house in Magalang, Pampanga, with his friend, now deacon Lucas (JC Santos). Jonathan wanted to look for a hidden room which held a secret that gave his great-great grandmother Dona Facunda Mallari (Gloria Diaz) a very long life. 

After they arrived, murders began happening in Magalang -- first involving a sex worker, then an online scammer. These chilling events brought back memories of the town's notorious former parish priest Fr. Severino Mallari, son of Dona Facunda, who was convicted on charges of 57 murders back in 1812. Meanwhile, Jonathan found film footage shot by his grand-uncle Johnrey Mallari in 1948 about their family's dark secret. 

Writer Enrico Santos' previous horror output for story and screenplay included "Amorosa: The Revenge" (2014) and "Bloody Crayons" (2017). With "Mallari," he outdid himself with a twisted inter-generational premise that ran from the 19th century to the present and back -- so complex and wickedly good.  The plot points were laid out and woven together with meticulous care, with a strong ending that was not hastily done (unlike most Pinoy horror films). 

Director Derick Cabrido also had his share of horror films recently -- "Clarita" (2019) and "U-Turn" (2020) -- before this one. Here, the richness of Santos' epic story was a much bigger challenge to tell cinematically, but Cabrido more than pulled it off here in "Mallari." He was able to tell his story very clearly, even if he had one actor in three roles, astral-travelling in and out of three separate time periods, with scenarios crossing over from nightmares into reality. 

Piolo Pascual was playing three distinct characters from three different centuries here, so this likely the most challenging role of his career, and the most difficult acting feat for any actor in this entire MMFF. Having successfully portraying the nuances of each persona here, Pascual is bound to win Best Actor of the festival, capping this milestone year when he just also won an Aliw Award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical for his stage debut in "Ibarra."

JC Santos, as the young insecure deacon assisting Pascual's doctor, stands a good chance to nab supporting actor citations for his efforts. Janella Salvador registered well especially with the Gen Z viewers in her scenes with Pascual, from the sweet to the thrilling.  Elisse Joson played the role of Felicity, the Fil-Am wife of Johnrey, who would figure in a life and death situation. Tommy Alejandrino was transformed into Didi, a lusty transgender teenager. Ms. Gloria Diaz was a standout in an offbeat role she rarely tackled (though her aging makeup couldve been better done). 

Its dark high-concept story, glossy production values, startling jump scare moments, and creepy edgy atmosphere, prime "Mallari" for both box-office success and critical acclaim. Fearless forecasts put this film on course for Best Picture, Director, Story, Actor, Supporting Actor, and probably all the technicals (cinematography, film editing, Gregorian-chant-heavy musical score, production design, costumes, sound).  9/10. 

Vivamax: Review of HIGOP: Slurpy Sensuality

 December 16, 2023

Chicken wings businessman Rex (Lester Llansang) was getting concerned over his best friend and business partner Noah (Josef Elizalde), who still could not get over the sudden mysterious disappearance of his girlfriend Ysa (Angelica Hart) for two years now. Rex and his fiancee wanted to help Noah find a new girl. They set Noah up with horoscope enthusiast Julie (Zsara Laxamana) as a possible good match, but to no avail. 

One day, Noah unexpectedly saw a girl who looked like Ysa working in a milk tea place called Sip & Sit, who went by the name Okinawa. When he talked to her, she denied that she knew him. The milk tea shop turned out to be a front for a night club owned by Mond (Fabio Ide). His waitresses -- Cocoa (Aila Cruz), Wintermelon (Chloe Mendoza), Cookies and Cream (Joanna David), Matcha (Princess Zian) and Okinawa -- doubled as GROs.  

Angelica Hart gets a solo lead role in only her second Vivamax film (after a minor role in "Bisyo"). Winner of Pantaxa Laiya sexy reality show also on Vivamax, Hart is pretty, perky, with a strong screen presence, though her acting still needs further honing. Josef Elizalde has already been in 15 Vivamax films, several of them in lead roles, a relative veteran already. However, his Noah still felt one-note, even the role should be more conflicted. 

Brazilian model Fabio Ide's only other Vivamax film was "Purificacion" (2022), in a small role.  Here, as 1/2 of the lead love triangle, Ide went all out in his bold portrayal of the unscrupulous maniac Mond. Not only did he cavort with Hart (and Cruz and Zian), he even had a wild scene with four starlets all at once in one perverted group session.  It looks like recurrent Vivamax bad guy Mark Anthony Fernandez already has a taller, younger alternative. 

The story is old hat Vivamax, how poverty and extreme financial need can force young women to turn to a life of prostitution. To his credit, writer Cyril Ramos tried hard to make the story more complex, weaving in discussions of dream interpretation, zodiac analysis, mental health issues, business buy-outs, and workplace envy. Director Topel Lee, of course, was expected to insert as many gratuitous sex scenes of all sorts, and he did a variety of them. 4/10

Netflix: Review of LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND: Approaching An Apocalypse

December 14, 2023

Amanda Sanford (Julia Roberts) was the wife of college professor Clay (Ethan Hawke). They had two children, teenage boy Archie (Charlie Evans) and a pre-teen girl Rose (Farrah Mackenzie). One day, fed up with the stress in their home and careers, Amanda booked a house in Long Island on Airbnb for their family to spend the weekend together. When they got there, the house was big, stylish and beautiful, but their phones had no signal. 

That afternoon, the whole family went to the nearby beach to relax. However, their seaside visit was marred by the strange and alarming incident of an oil tanker heading straight onto the short and running aground on the sand in front of them. That night, a man and his daughter, both dressed to the nines, appeared at their door introducing themselves as George H. "GH" (Mahershala Ali) and Ruth (Myha'la), the owners of the house they rented. 

This tense psychological drama film was produced, written and directed by Egyptian-American filmmaker Sam Esmail, adapted from a 2020 novel of the same name by Bangladeshi-American author Rumaan Alam. It had a riveting premise centering on the uncertain scenario of an impending apocalyptic event. It started with information being held scarce and not trustworthy, leaving everyone groping in the dark with what's going on in the world.

The cinematography with atypical unnerving camera angles worked very well with the chilling sound effects mixing and stark musical score to create that unsettling atmosphere that let the viewers marinate in the same dilemma as the protagonists. The most unexpected things, from gentle creatures like deer, to  technological wonders like self-driving cars, were involved in the most eerie scenes which kept us wondering as much as the characters were.

Whatever limitations there may be in the script, the veteran actors in the cast (Roberts, Hawke, Ali, plus Kevin Bacon) certainly pulled off the tough challenge of selling this thriller where the horror is more felt than seen. Conversations dealing with all aspects of human society and behavior -- from misanthropy to racism to terrorism -- kept us so intensely riveted to the building mystery. Then that abrupt ending came and blew our mind (not). 7/10.      

MMFF2023: Review of FIREFLY: A Book's Bittersweet Backstory

December 13, 2023

Tonton (Euwenn Mikaell) was a 10-year old boy who had the reputation as a coward, always running away from bullies. Through all that, his mother Elay (Alessandra De Rossi) always made things okay at the end of the day, comforting him with her encouraging words and bedtime stories. His favorite story from her was about a butterfly and a firefly who escaped to an island with a cave full of other fireflies. 

From a script written by Angeli Atienza, director Zig Dulay beautifully tells the story of a little boy's quest to find the island of fireflies in his mother's stories. Dulay used animation to execute the fantasy elements of the story, like the red-eyed wild dog of Tonton's nightmares and the guardians he met along the way on his road-trip across Bicol -- the fairy with the green skirt, the sleeping giant who sneezed, and the stone man with a big mouth. 

Alessandra De Rossi is among the most hardworking actresses in local showbiz in the last decade. However, I only recall seeing her play a mother role three previous times: as the mother of an accused thief in "Bambanti" (2015), as the young Dionisia Pacquiao in "Kid Kulafu" (2015) and as an EJK widow and mother of three in "Watch List" (2020). Here, she played Elay elegantly, with her signature grit, restraint and internalized pain.  

The people Tonton met on the bus -- Mang Luis (Epy Quizon), Kuya Billy (Miguel Tanfelix) and Ate Erica (Ysabel Ortega) added their own stories of drama and comedy. Later, Tonton also met Luis's family -- his wife Aling Carmen (Yayo Aguila) and son Romnick (Kokoy Dos Santos).  When Tonton's grand-aunt Linda (Cherrie Pie Picache) came into the picture looking for him, further adding suspense and tension into the mix. 

These nostalgic stories of Tonton and his adventures were bookended by present-day scenes of an author Anthony Alvaro (Dingdong Dantes) being interviewed by a reporter (Max Collins) before he was going to be awarded the National Children's Book Prize for his book entitled "Firefly." It was using this device that Alvaro told her, and us, the real story behind the whimsical and emotional story of his award-winning book.

Dulay knew very well how to best stage dramatic situations in order to maximize bittersweet emotions to move viewers to tears, especially with the sensitive way he directed child actor Euwenn Mikaell, who was such a natural actor for his age. That scene with the snatcher at the ferry pier was so masterfully staged that it elicited an audible collective gasp from the audience, creating a tearful moment with major emotional impact. 9/10. 

Vivamax: Review of HASLERS: Fractured Friendships

December 11, 2023

Four young women were very close friends during their college days. They all had to work in side hustles (hence the title) to pay for their tuition fees. Hazel (Quinn Carrillo) pushed drugs on campus. Thea (Hershie de Leon) worked as an escort / prostitute. Class topnotcher Cheska (Angelica Cervantes) secretly worked as a topless maid. Sofia (Denise Esteban) had the most low-paying job among them, so she desperately needed another job. 

Five years later, one of the four friends committed suicide. The three remaining women are doing much better in life -- one has become an attorney, another became the wife of a rising politician. while the third now owned a mansion. However, they had apparently gone their separate ways in less than favorable conditions. They were all holding deep grudges against each other because of the events of one unfortunate night.

This was another Vivamax film written by Quinn Carrillo, already her 7th. Like the previous ones, she also played one of the characters here, but this time, her role was not as minor as before, since Hazel was somehow the glue that held her group together. Her story that followed four college girlfriends over five years actually had potential. One can say it was reminiscent of "Moral" (1982), but alas director Jose Abdel Langit was no Marilou Diaz Abaya.

Carrillo lacked subtlety in her acting style. Her delivery of lines was always brash and loud, as were her gesticulations and eye. Awkward in her dramatic scenes, Cervantes needed more workshops to act without a constantly pained-looking face. De Leon was more relaxed in style than the others, but it was too relaxed to have any substance. Esteban was good in her drama scenes, but the lines she was delivering could have been better written. 

The male characters were not any better. Marco Gomez was the relative veteran in the cast and had already played lead roles before, but his Alex was a predictably one-note bully and villain. Newcomer Calvin Reyes was given a big break here as Gabby, the "good boy" in Alex's gang who befriends the girls. However, his facial affect and line delivery were hopelessly flat and bored even in his most intense scenes, or his even his sex scenes. 3/10. 

Review of WONKA: A Chocolatier's Chronicles

December 9, 2023

A young man named Willy Wonka (Timothee Chalamet) rode a boat into the city and went directly to the elegant Galeries Gourmet where he dreamed of building his own chocolate store. He lost all his money on that very first night, so he went stranger named Bleacher (Tom Davis) who brought him to the inn of his partner Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Colman). Willy signed Scrubbit's contract with small print that he did not read, and spent the night there.

The next day, Wonka went back to the Galeries to hock a special chocolate that could make the eater float in the air. Three neighboring chocolatiers named Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Prodnose (Matt Lucas), and Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton) called the Chief of Police (Keegan-Michael Key) to stop Willy. Since he had no money to pay his bill, Scrubbit threw Willy into her basement laundry where he met other people working to pay off their debts. 

Roald Dahl's 1964 book "Charlie and Chocolate Factory" had already been made into two films. The first one was "Willy Wonka and & the Chocolate Factory" (1971) starring Gene Wilder as the eccentric chocolatier.  This was remade in 2005 in the original title "Charlie and Chocolate Factory" starring Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. This new incarnation of Willy Wonka is a prequel, how he started his career in the chocolate business.

Timothee Chalamet's big cinematic breakthrough was in "Call Me By Your Name" (2017), and since then he has been in other Oscar Best Picture nominees, from "Lady Bird" (2017) to "Dune" (2021). Right from the very first scene, Chalamet surprised us with his talent in singing and dancing in elaborate musical numbers throughout the film (the trailer did not give a hint that this was a musical!). He was convincing in portraying Wonka's delightful genius and idealism.

Wonka's main sidekick here was Scubbit's servant girl Noodle (Calah Lane). His friends in the laundry included an accountant Abacus Crunch (Jim Carter from "Downton Abbey"). We also get flashbacks about his mother (Sally Hawkins), who taught him the craft of chocolates. No Wonka story would be complete without an Oompa Loompa (Hugh Grant), an orange-skinned little man with green hair, here introduced with the iconic theme song from the first film. 

Like the first two films, there were moments when the story could turn dark and scary for younger kids. The way that gloriously colorful "A World of Your Own" number where Wonka's candy shop had its grand opening, concluded was a prime example. However, the villains here only played it cartoonishly evil (with a weakness for chocolate), including a surprise guest appearance of always funny Rowan Atkinson as a crooked priest. 8/10.

Review of NEXT GOAL WINS: Coaching the Coach

December 8, 2023

At the 2011 World Cup qualifying round, the football team of American Samoa lost terribly to Australia for an unprecedented 31-0 rout. Because of this humiliating loss, they've gained the snarky reputation as the worst football team in the world. Since then, they have never even converted a single goal in any international match with any team ever.

10 years later, American professional football coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) was fired because he had been on a losing streak with his old team. This left him no other option but to accept the impossible assignment of flying over to American Samoa to coach their football team and get it ready for the 2021 World Cup qualifying round.  

There had already been several comedy films made about underdog sports teams and their quest for redemption with a coach who has seen better days, from "The Bad News Bears" (1972) to "The Mighty Ducks" (1992) to "The Longest Yard" (2005).  "Next Goal Wins" also followed that same familiar formula, so we already have a general idea how things will go. This reminds you of "Cool Runnings" (1993), being based in facts with a laidback island vibe. 

Michael Fassbender is more known for seriously intense roles, from "Hunger" (2008) to "Shame" (2011) to "The Killer" (2023), or even as Magneto in the X-Men movies. As the scrawny hothead loser coach Thomas Rongen, this was a Fassbender you've never seen before, both physically and attitudinally. Comedy is clearly not exactly his comfort zone, and he can look quite awkward in several scenes, but he still pulled it off overall.  

This film gave ample positive exposure to several Polynesian actors. Oscar Kightly (as fatherly FFAS president Tavita), Beulah Koale (as his son Daru Taumua) and David Fane (as their kind former coach Ace) are of Samoan descent. Uli Latukefu (as the goalie Nicky Salapu) is of Tongan descent. Very prominent in the story was American Samoan non-binary actor Kaimana as Jaiyah Saelua, the first transgender player ever in a World Cup qualifier. 

The screenplay by director Taika Waititi was adapted from the 2014 documentary of the same title by Mike Brett and Steve Jamison. That self-proclaimed Polynesian Jew Waititi was at the helm somehow assured us that all the comedy made at the expense of the American Samoan people (from their clumsy haka to their silly welcome dance) was handled properly.  The beautiful rendition of traditional folk songs with harmony added a very nice touch. 7/10. 

Review of IKAW AT AKO: Innovative Integration

December 7, 2023

An elderly husband (Ronaldo Valdez) was becoming concerned that his wife (Boots Anson-Roa) had been acting oddly recently. One day, she claimed to have bought goods in the market but had nothing in her hand. One night, she woke up suddenly in the middle of the night and began angrily throwing things at him. He brought her to see their family doctor (Madeleine Nicolas), who diagnosed her to have early-onset Alzheimer's Disease.

PR manager Marga (Rhian Ramos) wanted to file a divorce from her long-estranged architect husband Anton (Paolo Contis) whom she had married the US. When she met Anton to have him sign the documents, he announced that he was terminally ill and only had a couple of months to live. As a final favor, he asked if she would go with for one last vacation. After discussing this with their common friend Rhea (Andrew Gan), Marga agreed. 

Pre-teen kids Miggy (James Ignacio) and Tin-tin (Fatima Mislang) met at summer camp, and became instant friends. Their closeness annoyed bully kid Roy (Cloud Ugayan), who also had a crush on Tin-tin. During the nights, the two kids would sneak out of camp and hide behind a big rock, sitting together while admiring the night sky. One time, Roy caught Miggy and Tin-tin in a moment of puppy love sweetness, and told on them to the camp master.

Director Rechie del Carmen and writers Lawrence Nicodemus and Charrie Avendano all had more experience on television series, so the quality of the storytelling of the individual stories rather felt like it was for television. However, they tried to connect each of these stories with one other to create one whole tapestry of a story. They were careful in slowly revealing little clues, so as not to spoil the connection prematurely. This innovative effort to integrate raised the overall level of the film, but I wished the title could have been less generic. 

They could have been more careful with some details.  Anson-Roa is obviously already well into her 70s, why call her condition "early-onset" Alzheimer's, which is applied to patients less than 65 years old? Why was there a need for that very long phone call of Anton's boss telling him how important his current project was, when in the next scene, he would invite Marga for an out-of-town trip leaving ASAP? How could Miggy and Tin-tin lose their way in the morning, when they can easily find their secret spot in the dark of midnight?

As it had already been tackled repeatedly from "Tanging Yaman" (2000) to "Litrato" (2023), I wish stories involving elderly characters would have other plots aside from Alzheimer's. That said, Anson-Roa and Valdez both give moving, tear-jerking performances, as expected from them. Ramos and Contis do their melodramatic best with the wishy-washy script they're given here. The segment involving the children was most unpredictable, and can be uncomfortable with their daring escapades. Child actors Ignacio and Mislang were cute together. 6/10. 

Vivamax: Review of GANTI-GANTI: Tetrahedron of Treachery

December 5, 2023

Vicky (Angeli Khang) was an ambitious real-estate salesperson who left her beau Vincent (Chad Solano) behind in order to marry one of her wealthy customers -- businessman Arthur (Mark Anthony Fernandez). Bella got the high society lifestyle she longed for. However, Arthur turned out to be a sadistic sex pervert and maniac who raped every woman he encountered. Bella wanted out of this marriage as soon as possible. 

Georgia (Yen Durano) was the trusted personal assistant and secretary of Arthur.  She reluctantly accepted Arthur's offer for a job after her mother Sonia (Lally Buendia) was killed in a car accident. Ted (Sean de Guzman) was the only child of a poor couple who wanted him to be a soldier. However, he was kicked out of the military by a jealous senior officer, and he wound up being hired as a hitman of a mayor. 

The scriptwriter of this brazenly convoluted web of sleazy characters was no less than National Artist Ricky Lee. The first part was a common story as a disgruntled wife hiring a killer to murder her rotten husband -- hardly anything Lee could be proud of. However, from there the story would go back and forth in time to interconnect everybody with each other with everyone else's motives.  Looked like Lee had fun writing this.

However, despite the fact that he had been working with Lee for several Vivamax films, director Mac Alejandre's style of storytelling did not flow too well with this one. The requisite sex scenes were plentiful here, tiresomely gratuitous. Arthur's numerous rapes among the most disgusting Vivamax scenes ever, with that tied-up girl scene going too far. Then, there was climactic final 4-way gun-pointing confrontation and fight scene which was unintentionally funny.

It was good to see Angeli Khang expand her range, playing against her usual pathetic victim type here. Yen Durano is consistent with her acting skills which she had shown since her debut in "Litsoneras." Sean de Guzman's restrained performance kept his character interesting. Mark Anthony Fernandez furthers his typecasting in rapist roles. Chad Solano finally gets to deliver longer lines, but he had a bland, blank screen presence. 4/10.

 

Review of NAPOLEON: Technical Triumphs, Embellished Events

December 4, 2023

From an ordinary soldier who witnessed the beheading of Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) rose the ranks of the French revolutionary army after he led troops to victory at the Siege of Toulon and 13 Vendémiaire. After his marriage to widow Joséphine de Beauharnais (Vanessa Kirby), Napoleon continued his winning streak at the Battle of the Pyramids, until he got word that Josephine was having an affair. 

Thus began this biopic about the life of French military commander and later Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Director Ridley Scott chose not to limit the scope of this film to only one memorable battle in Napoleon's bloody career, but instead tried to summarize all the key events in one 157-minute long film, based on a script written by David Scarpa.  This caused the storytelling to feel disjointed, difficult to follow  and disappointingly boring. 

This was unfortunate because the visual aspects of this film looked amazing on the big screen. Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski had worked with Scott eight times before, while Oscar-winning (for "Platoon") film editor Claire Simpson had worked with Scott three times before, and their efficient working chemistry with Scott was very evident throughout the film, especially in those spectacular battle scenes in Austerlitz and Waterloo.  

Production designer Arthur Max had been nominated for Oscars three times before, and they had all been for Ridley Scott films -- "Gladiator," "American Gangster" and "The Martian." His meticulous work here recreating the look and feel of the French Revolution era was beautiful and deserves commendation. Costume designer Janty Yates had won an Oscar before for her work in "Gladiator," and her sartorial work here also looked very authentic.  

Phoenix and Kirby are undoubtedly talented actors, but they felt miscast in their roles here age-wise. At 49 now, Phoenix looked too old to be the 24 year-old Napoleon at the Marie Antoinette execution. Phoenix had a perpetual dour scowl on his face which did not make him charming or charismatic as Napoleon was supposed to be. Josephine was supposed to be 6 years older than Napoleon, but Kirby is 14 years younger than Phoenix.

It was disappointing to find out after watching that many of the film's best scenes were all only due to cinematic license. Eye-catching battle scenes, like Napoleon shooting at the pyramids in Egypt, or enemy soldiers falling through the ice in Austerlitz or Napoleon leading a cavalry charge in Waterloo, did not happen in real life. Napoleon slapping Josephine in public, and his escape from Elba to visit an ailing Josephine were likewise just fantasy as well.  6/10. 

MMFF2023: Review of GOMBURZA: Persecuted Priests

November 28, 2023

GOMBURZA stood for the surnames of the three priests who had been executed by Spain via the gruesome garrote on February 17, 1872 -- Fr. Mariano Gomez (Dante Rivero), Jose Burgos (Cedric Juan) and Jacinto Zamora (Enchong Dee). Real talk, we barely knew any much about them apart from their names and how they died. This movie focused on how they fought for the cause, and how their death had inspired no less than Jose Rizal himself.  

Director Pepe Diokno told his story in a ver straightforward manner. No grand plot was concocted to connect the three priests to the failed insurrection of La Madrid (Arnold Reyes), to which they were implicated. Burgos and Zamora were arrested from the house of an invalid priest Fr. De Laza (Nanding Josef). Later, Gomez was arrested from his school in front of his students. The three priests were confused as to what had happened, and so are we at the seeming randomness of it all. 

I wish there could have been more information about Fr. Burgos when he before he became a priest. A card at the end of the film showed that he was only 30 years old when he died by the garotte. Despite this very young age, Burgos was already a priest and a professor, plus he had already earned  a Master of Laws degree. Cedrick Juan looked and acted right for Burgos's age, yet he was also able to convey a confidence and maturity well beyond his age. 

Fr. Gomez was already 80 years old when he got involved in all this insurrection ruckus with the Spanish officials. Sir Dante Rivero imbued his senior character with calm and dignity as the role required. It was just too bad that we did not get more details about his involvement in the work of Fr. Pelaez for the secular priests. Why was Gomez specifically named in the subpoena, despite his advanced age? What had he done that they perceived him to be such a threat?

There was no effort to romanticize Fr. Zamora's story to make him more heroic than he really was. The unflattering detail that Zamora was not really involved with the advocacies of Burgos and Gomez was not disguised. The way Enchong Dee portrayed Fr. Zamora was very unexpected. His reaction and behavior was as far from what we would imagine a revered martyr or hero would display. Later, he would just turn into an empty shell of himself, all the way to the garrote.

Piolo Pascual played a vital character, Fr. Pedro Pelaez, who pioneered in the fight of secular priests, mostly Creoles or Spaniards born in the Philippines. They were being treated as second class citizens when compared to priests born in Spain belonging to powerful religious orders, who were easing them out of their parishes. While the fate of Pelaez was not exactly a surprise, the way he met his unexpected end was surprisingly not heroic nor glamorous.

Meticulous attention and generous budget had been spent to make sure that the production design and costumes looked realistic. Director Pepe Diokno and writer Rody Vera did not seem take much cinematic license to enhance any dramatic elements of the accounts on record. This storytelling felt very sincere and authentic. The message to promote patriotism was very eloquent. With the Jesuits as producer, I trust that historical details had been thoroughly researched and accurately depicted. 8/10

Review of SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL EXTREME: Goats, Gourmets and Ghouls

November 30, 2023

Episode 1: GLITCH

Directed by: Richard V. Somes

Ingrid Salazar (Iza Calzado) was a busy businesswoman with two children from different fathers -- rebellious teenager Patrick (Miggs Cuaderno) and spoiled 6 year-old Lyka (Jewel Milag). Their housekeeper Hasmine (Donna Cariaga) was a nervous superstitious sort. One night, Lyka watched a video of a children's show hosted by a mascot named Gary the Goat. Following instructions of Gary, Lyka had inadvertently invited the Goat into their house.

Gary the Goat, the TV mascot, the plush toy, and his recruitment chant, was really very creepy. His demon form, with its horns, tongue and coat of black smoke, looked scarier in the shadows, than when fully- exposed.  All the human characters here were unlikable so it was not easy to root for any of them, especially Lyka, who was so annoyingly bratty. The over-extended final fight scene could've been edited better to generate more thrills. 5/10

Episode 2: MUKBANG

Directed by" Jerrold Tarog

Rei (Elle Villanueva) and Robin (Paul Salas) invited a group of popular influencers -- VeeNel (Jane Oineza, RK Bagatsing), Adelle (Esmyr Ranollo), Ashley (AC Bonifacio) -- to collaborate with them on a live-streamed video showing all of them gorging on a huge amount of food prepared by Chef Kimo (Ninong Ry). However, as the food preparation got started, the vloggers' assistants (Phi Palmos, Jana Taladro, Ian Gimena) began to act very oddly. 

This centerpiece episode of this 16th edition of the "Shake, Rattle and Roll" film franchise was best of the lot.  The comic scare scenes with Ranollo, Bonifacio, Ry and Gimena stood out in their craziness. Francis Mata, as the old caretaker Mang Isko, had a sinister vibe going on. That rotary phone gag was a riot, even if you saw it coming. The original satirical concept involving the shallow inanity of social media personalities made this one a lot of fun to watch. 8/10

Episode 3: RAGE

Directed by: Joey de Guzman

While waiting for the release of her medical board exam which she took for the third time, Trina (Jane de Leon) and her boyfriend Mose (Paolo Gumabao) went to a trip to the province with their friends (Rob Gomez, Mika Reoni, Dustin Yu). A local boy named Coy (Bryce Eusebio) suggested to visit the river to watch the meteor shower. That night, their camp was attacked by a group of people with eyes burning with rage, who were killing everyone in sight.  

This final episode is just another rehash of the overdone zombie subgenre. There's a group of characters being killed off one by one by a horde of undead killers, we just wait and see who goes first and who survives up to the end. To add additional stress factor, they had a pregnant woman Faya (Sarah Edwards) who can give birth anytime. The horror element here is too familar even as the gore and violence level was high, no sense of fun at all. 4/10.

Review of IN HIS MOTHER'S EYES: Secrets and Sacrifices

November 29, 2023

Tim (LA Santos) was an autistic young man who lived with his gay Uncle Bibs (Roderick Paulate) who ran an embroidery business in his house. When Tim was a still a child, his mother Lucy (Maricel Soriano) had to go back to Japan to work as a cultural dancer. Since then, Tim did not allow their gate and doors to be closed in the hope his mother will return. However, for the next 13 years, they didn't hear any news from Lucy at all. 

One day, a taxi stopped at their gate and out came Lucy. She tried her best to reconnect with Tim, but she could not get through to him, upsetting him with things she did for him with all good intentions. Bibs gave her the cold shoulder, going out everyday for secret errands, and avoiding her when she wanted to talk. She couldn't voice out her opinions, even when Bibs contradicted with what she wanted to advise Tim.

The acting prowess of Ms. Maricel Soriano is a given, and her Lucy was given a lot to suffer from. Here, she was made to look humbled to the point of being pathetic, tearfully swallowing all insults thrown at her. You knew she was going to explode sometime before the film ended, but when it happened, it was unfortunately staged as a loud scandalous public spectacle, which did not look like it benefitted Tim at all.

Roderick Paulate always had good onscreen chemistry with Soriano, especially in their flamboyant gay comedies in the 1980s. It was good to see them together on the big screen again, but too bad, this script did not bring out the best in their partnership. While we understood the bitter grudge he had against Lucy, his Bibs was made to sound very petty, especially when Paulate delivered his lines with his signature petulance. 

Singer LA Santos gave a remarkable performance as troubled autistic young man, confused by the family drama going on at home, as well as the duplicitous shenanigans going on at school. He did well in those scenes when Tim displayed his encyclopedic knowledge, and sang his own songs with a guitar. He held his own ground with dignity, unfazed by the two clashing veterans he shared the screen with.

This uber melodramatic Filipino movie was clearly intended to be a tearjerker, so all the classic tropes were thrown in the mix. However, if only Lucy and Bibs did not keep major secrets between them, all this unnecessary fuss could have been avoided. Face-slapping confrontation scene aside, a rather desperate 11th hour twist had to be tacked on at the end, to squeeze out ever more tears before the reconciliatory finale. 4/10. 

Review of ASIAN PERSUASION: Avoiding Alimony

 November 28, 2023

Mickey delos Santos (Dante Bascon) owned a small nondescript Filipino coffee shop in Queens, although his long-time dream had been to own his own Michelin-star Filipino restaurant. He is currently in the process of divorcing his fashion designer wife Avery (KC Concepcion), so their 10-year old daughter Sam (Scarlett Sher) had to shuttle between the two of them on specified days in a week.

One night, Mickey brainstormed with his bartender best friend Caspian (Kevin Kreider) about how he can avoid the alimony payments. So in a haze of alcohol and weed, he registered Avery on an online dating app so she can meet a good man whom she can re-marry. When they saw Avery matched up with Wall Street finance guy named Lee (Paolo Montalban), Mickey thought this was the right guy for her. 

The main screwball comedy story this film about arranging for an ex-wife to have a new husband had could honestly have been conceptualized to accommodate any nationality. But since the filmmakers were both Filipino-American (director Jhett Tolentino and writer Mike Ang), of course, there will be a lot of uniquely Filipino pop references and melodrama here and there, so Filipino viewers will definitely appreciate this more.

KC Concepcion was positively radiant and likable as Avery. With her classy ensembles and winsome smile, Tolentino made her look so perfectly in contrast with the drab, homely Mickey. Even if they did have a short segment about how the two of them met, the contrast between their looks and personality was so stark, you'd wonder how they got to be married in the first place, and how he could let her go so carelessly.  

The first time I saw Dante Basco in action, it was in his 2021 film entitled "The Fabulous Filipino Brothers." He does not have his brothers to support him now, but he did well to hold the fort in the lead role, even if Mickey kept making the worst decisions. Everybody remembers Paolo Montalban as the Prince of Brandy's "Cinderella" (1997). His Lee was a man who easily lost his nerve around women, so he needed to be coached real-time, so cartoonishly unrealistic. 

Child actress Scarlett Sher was such a delightful presence as little Sam. She connected very well with Basco and Concepcion even if there did not seem to be any Filipino blood in her. Korean-American actor Kevin Kreider had a very charismatic screen presence, it was too bad he wasn't on that much by the third act. It was fun to see Fe delos Reyes as Avery's mom, as were the cameos by Rex Navarrette, Maya Encila and Tony Labrusca. 5/10. 

Netflix: Review of LEO: A Tuatara's Teachings

November 26, 2023

Leo the Tuatara (Adam Sandler) had been a class pet of a 5th grade classroom of an elementary school in Florida. He remembered that his first year in the school was in 1949, which meant that he was already 74 years old. When he learned from his fellow class pet Squirtle the Turtle (Bill Burr) that the typical lifespan of tuataras is 75 years, Leo felt that he needed to achieve something in his life before he passed on. 

A very strict substitute teacher Mrs. Malkin (Cicely Strong) took over the class from the pregnant Mrs. Salinas (Alison Strong). She assigned one child to take Leo home with them over the weekend. First up was the talkative girl Summer, followed by overprotected boy Eli, popular girl Jayda, clingy girl Mia, bully boy Anthony, and the others. After an initial shock that Leo can talk, each kid got to discuss with Leo about their personal problems.

When I saw the Happy Madison name in the opening credits, I was prepping myself for another raunchy comedy by Adam Sandler and his gang. However, this animated feature turned out to be anything but. Of course, there were naughty jokes and juvenile humor here and there, but the heart of this film was something you'd least expect from a Sandler film -- the sharing of wisdom from a senior to children, and this one delivered.

The children's problems may be over-the-top as presented, but they are very real -- learning to communicate properly, learning to express their emotions, learning to deal with physical changes of adolescence, among others. When the kids were able to work out their personal problems, they were able to work out their problems with their classmates, their school work and even their substitute teacher.  All this child psychology in Sandler's inimitable style.

If there were anything totally silly about this film, it would be when the action shifted to the Everglades. The twist that made these events happen was not comfortable to watch, and may be misunderstood by young audiences, especially that a teacher was the perpetrator. This part  did not really have any life lessons, only foolishness about Leo and alligators, swamp creatures and ex-party animals. This is the Sandler we knew after all. 8/10. 

  

Review of WISH: Hostaged Hopes

 November 26, 2023

The Mediterranean island kingdom of Rosas was led by a powerful sorcerer king Magnifico and his wife Amaya. Magnifico fancied himself as the protector of his people's dreams, which he kept sealed off in little blue balls floating in a secret room in his castle. Every month, Magnifico held a wishing ceremony when he would grant one of these wishes, one that he deemed to be good enough, based on his standards of public safety.  

On the day her grandfather Sabino celebrated his 100th birthday, 17 year-old Asha was scheduled to have an audience with King Magnifico for the possibility of being his apprentice. During her interview, Asha realized that their King was not as benevolent as everyone thought he was. Dreams which he thought were a threat to his power, he had no intention of granting. Frustrated, Asha looked skyward and made a wish on a Star. 

Asha (voiced by Ariana DeBose) joins the list of headstrong female Disney protagonists, from Ariel to Mulan to Moana, who dared to go against authority and tradition. She was so disappointed and disillusioned with what she found out about the King real attitudes, such that she was willing to defy him and expose his dark side. With this new original story, Disney implicitly promoted political whistle-blowing, despite the risk of danger to self and family.

In the character of Magnifico (voiced by Chris Pine), Disney also exposed children to the insidious evolution of a dictator. He started his political career with good intentions, and made himself beloved with his constituents by his good deeds. However with time, he became increasingly insecure and paranoid, treating ambition as threats to his power. With his use of forbidden black magic to further his selfish evil desires, he was a scary precautionary tale. 

The independent spirit displayed by the character of Amaya (voiced by Angelique Cabral) is something new in the Disney universe. She was initially content to only standing by her husband's side and supporting his policies. However, she was not shown to be blind when her husband turned into the dark side. She took a brave stand to throw her support behind someone whom her husband considered as his enemy. This is progressive feminism.

Cute and comic side characters balance the darkness. The design of the bright yellow Star seemed out of place in the general scheme, but that is what made it stand out. Asha's goat Valentino gained Allan Tudyk's voice from Star's glittering dust, and was responsible for a number of funny one-liners. Asha's seven friends were obviously inspired by the Seven Dwarves, with Doc-like Dahlia, sneezy Safi and grumpy Gabo as the most evident ones.  

With its theme of manifesting wishes and making them come true, this was supposed to be the film that celebrated Disney's 100th year. However, in the illustrious history of Disney animation, "Wish" is unfortunately only mid-tier at best. Aside from the Star, nothing much stood out among the character designs. Aside from the main song "This Wish," none of the other songs by Julia Michaels and Jeremy Rice made much of a instant impression. 6/10. 

Vivamax: Review of SUGAR BABY: Trite and Tiresome

November 24, 2023

High school valedictorian Jennifer "Jen" (Azi Acosta) was a very religious girl who can quote Biblical verses. However she got involved with a good-for-nothing classmate Spencer (Mon Mendoza) who got her pregnant, and disowned by her strict parents. Their son Alex (Kian Co) was a good little boy, but was frequently sick. While Spencer was saddled with a gambling vice, Jen worked hard as a sales clerk in a jewelry store.

One day, Jen's good friend Rica (Robb Guinto) spent a fortune on several pieces of jewelry. Jen learned that Rica is the kept woman of a certain Mr. Santos (Jeffrey Hidalgo), who ran an exclusive club of sugar daddies, supplying them with sexy ladies who willingly became their sugar babies in exchange for a rich lifestyle. When Alex was diagnosed with leukemia, Jen accepted Rica's invitation to be a sugar baby at her club.  

This is yet another Vivamax film about a poor person being forced into prostitution because of financial constraints. It did not even try to create new reasons for it. Sick child with leukemia -- check. Gambler husband with huge debts and goons after him -- check. It tried to distinguish sugar dating from prostitution, but the way it was presented in the film, there really isn't any difference. There is nothing new about this film at all in terms of its subject matter. 

From her very first film "Pamasahe," Azi Acosta has played variations of this woman forced to provide sexual favors in exchange for money that she desperately needed. With her classic beauty and tall stature, Robb Guinto was also right in her comfort zone as a high-class seductress. In another familiar Vivamax trope, Acosta and Guinto were made to do lesbian sex scenes to stir up more excitement for their viewers.

By Act 2, Jen met a couple of people at the club to perk the story up a bit. Eric (Josef Elizalde) was a young widower who was not yet ready for commitments. Mara (Zsara Laxamana) was a young woman working in London who was conscious that she did not have much time left in her life. However, everything still concluded with a predictable, inevitable ending that we've seen in all prior Vivamax films that dealt with prostitution.  2/10. 

QCinema2023: Review of ESSENTIAL TRUTHS OF THE LAKE: Onerous Obsession

 November 23, 2023

In 2005, beautiful model and artist Esmeralda Stuart (Shaina Magdayao) was a popular personality in the lakeside town of Talisay in Batangas province. She was enigmatic, no one knew exactly what she did for a living. Her friend's called her a child genius for her multiple talents. Her last known project was a performance art and advocacy piece about the Philippine Eagle, before she disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again.

15 years later, police Lt. Hermes Papauran (John Lloyd Cruz) requested from his police academy classmate and now superior officer, the Colonel (Agot Isidro), to reopen the investigation to Stuart's case for him. Among those he interviewed were those close to her, like businessman Jack Barquero (Bart Guingona), documentary filmmaker Jane Liway (Hazel Orencio) and Melchora Taytay (Susan Africa), in whose guest room he stayed.

We first knew about the character of Lt. Hermes Papauran in Lav Diaz's last film "Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon" (2022), where he was introduced as "the greatest police investigator in the country." In this second adventure of his, he went to the shores of Taal Lake to reinvestigate a case which had been left unsolved. After he shot a drug suspect in cold blood in the name of Operation Tokhang, Papauran's obsession with the Stuart case was revived.

Running for 3hrs 45 minutes, this film is of modest length by Lav Diaz standards. Cinephiles who have had prior experience with Diaz's long-winded style of cinematic storytelling will find this film oddly comfortable and relatively easy to watch. However, like previous Diaz films, there were some confusing scenes that seemed so random, or those that seemed totally unnecessary, or those that were never mentioned again. The ending felt abrupt, as if the investment of our time frustrating led to nothing conclusive.

There were puzzling scenes about a cassava cake (balinghoy) seller Ramoncito (Romark Barrion) and his poor mother Perlita Pura (Juanita Carnero). There were tedious scenes about how scavenger boy Achilles (Reynan Abcede) learned the Homerian tale behind his name, then spent a night pasting posters on walls. There was two protracted scenes where we saw a seemingly interminable procession of women praying the Rosary.

Like "Historya ni Ha" (2021), John Lloyd Cruz was front, center and all over "Essential Truths". Despite the time and physicality involved in making a Diaz film, Cruz considers it his "cultural duty" to be part of one. He gamely did the most absurd scenes, such as those where he walked around town wearing Stuart's Phil. Eagle costume, and that truly bizarre scene of a fully-naked Cruz on all fours, with a leash being pulled by his real-life son Elias. 7/10. 

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Here are my reviews of the other Lav Diaz films I had seen before:

KAPAG WALA NANG ALON (MY REVIEW)

HISTORYA NI HA (MY REVIEW)

PAN, GENUS (MY REVIEW)

ANG HUPA (MY REVIEW)

ANG PANAHON NG HALIMAW (MY REVIEW)

ANG BABAENG HUMAYO (MY REVIEW)

HELE SA HIWAGANG HAPIS (MY REVIEW)

MULA SA KUNG ANO ANG NOON (MY REVIEW)

NORTE: HANGGANAN NG KASAYSAYAN (MY REVIEW)

FLORENTINA HUBALDO, CTE (MY REVIEW)

MELANCHOLIA (MY REVIEW)

EVOLUTION OF A FILIPINO FAMILY (MY REVIEW)

Review of MARITA: Diabolical Diva

November 22, 2023

Dean Francisco (Tess Dumpit-Michelina) decided to revive Sinag-Diwa, the long-dormant theater group of her college, with Miss Sandra Gimeno (Louise delos Reyes) as project coordinator. Among the initial group of students to apply were: sensitive Cristina (Ashtine Olviga), hyperactive Ellie (Yumi Garcia), introvert Dianne (Sara Joe), responsible Lee (JD Axie) and pranksters Mark (Ethan David) and Joey (Taneo Sebastian).

However, their rehearsals inside the old college theater Socorro Hall were never peaceful. Someone would always have an eerie experience inside, whether on the stage, or backstage, or in the seats. Elderly school janitor Selmo (Neil Tolentino) told an old story about a dangerous malevolent spirit within named Marita (Rhen Escano), and warned them not to enter Socorro alone, but the Dean merely dismissed this as an urban legend.

This new horror film produced by Viva Films, comes just four months after the sleeper success of "Mary Cherry Chua" last July.  They were both named for the angry ghost of a former student haunting an old school with her sinister shenanigans. Both films were written and directed by Roni Benaid, who certainly struck while his iron was hot, and came up with an immediate follow-up with relatively the same formula in a little over four months.

I liked the theater setting of the story, and the reason why Marita became a ghost there was quite original. However, there were plot holes which were carelessly explained away with shallow illogical reasons, such as drunkenness or fear of being fired. The dictatorial order of the Dean in this film was totally unexplained. There should have been a good reason why she was so insistent for the show to go on, despite the obvious dangers to her students.

Like in "Mary Cherry," there was also only one main hostile ghost here. (While there were plenty other spirits around, they had no sinister actions).  The jumpscares were mainly variations of how "Marita" ugly white visage would suddenly appear beside the face of an unsuspecting victim accompanied by loud blare of scary music -- then hoping to startle and shock at least one jumpy audience member to get the screaming fun started. 

Rhen Escano looked like she had a great time playing the titular ghost scaring all the nervous youngsters, but she also did the flashbacks of Marita's past very well. Louise delos Reyes tended to be over-the-top with her acting, with some dense dialogue, but then again her character Sandra called herself out on her theatricality. The rest of young actors are still quite raw and callow, still needing more workshops to hone their acting skills. 4/10. 

Netflix: Review of RUSTIN: Fuss and Flaws in Fighting for Freedom

November 20, 2023

Even as the Supreme Court already declared segregation unconstitutional in 1954, black Americans still suffered severe discrimination from the white majority. In 1960, while planning for a 5,000-man black rights protest in Los Angeles, civil rights activist Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo) got into an unexpected conflict with their star speaker Martin Luther King, Jr. (Aml Ameen), which led to their estrangement for the next 3 years.

In 1963, with encouragement from  Rustin thought up of a massive two-day demonstration with 100,000 people composed of delegates from the church, labor, civil rights in Washington, D.C.  NAACP Executive Secretary Roy Wilkins (Chris Rock) did not support his plans. So Rustin's backer, esteemed union organizer A. Philip Randolph (Glynn Turman), advised him to seek King's help again, to restore their powerful partnership to lead the march.

This film was not only about Rustin's signature tooth gap and political activities, but also about his homosexuality, which was held against him by his enemies, like black congressman Adam Clayton Powell (Jeffrey Wright).  There were two men Rustin dallied with here: the white activist Tom (Gus Halper) whom he invited to be his assistant, and an ambitious pastor Elias Taylor (Johnny Ramey) who was just inherited an entire parish from his father-in-law. 

Front and center in this cast is Colman Domingo, who is already getting buzz for an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Bayard Rustin was a remarkable man who mainly worked behind-the-scenes, gifted with mad organizational skills and acerbic wit in his language. Domingo brought him to life with such a nuanced verve and boldness that would engage people to listen to his every word and more importantly, to follow his directives. 

As Randolph, Glynn Turman, with his steely eyes and robust voice, commanded authority when he spoke, a man whom Rustin had the good fortune to be his main backer. As Cong. Powell, Jeffrey Wright had a screen presence so strong, you knew that his underhanded trove of gossip can upend the best of plans. Chris Rock plays against type as Roy Wilkins, the NAACP leader who thought ill of all of Rustin's plans.  

As Ella Baker, Audra McDonald had a motherly presence where Rustin can be himself, yet in the same scene, also projected her wisdom and fortitude as a civil rights pioneer. Under unrecognizable makeup, CCH Pounder played Dr. Anna Hedgeman, who volunteered to coordinate with all religious organizations during the march. Da'Vine Joy Randolph sang a hymn as Mahalia Jackson, as did Carra Patterson as Coretta Scott King. 

This follows the footsteps of civil rights films like "Selma" (Ava DuVernay, 2014), which was nominated for Oscar Best Picture. This new one by George C. Wolfe was produced by former Pres. Barack (and Michelle) Obama, who awarded Rustin a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom 25 years after his death, 50 years after the March. Its final song, Lenny Kravitz's "Road to Freedom," seems to also be a shoo-in nominee for Best Original Song. 8/10. 

Vivamax: Review of SALAKAB: Sidelining a Suitor's Sacrifice

November 18, 2023

Living on an island three hours away from the mainland, fisherman Arthur (Benz Sangalang) was a very devoted boyfriend to ambitious Lena (Angeli Khang). When she was accepted on a scholarship program in a university in Manila, her parents Maring and Lito (Gilleth Sandico and Arrian Labios) were not in favor. However, Arthur was supportive all the way, going out of his comfort zone just so that Lena had enough money to graduate.

The title word "salakab" referred to a traditional equipment used in catching fish, a basket-shaped fish trap, wider at the bottom than at the top. Aside from being a reference to the lead character's occupation as a fisherman, it was also a metaphor for the situation we see at the very beginning of the film where someone was being held captive in a cage made of bamboo, and perhaps also a clue as to who was behind it.  

Writer Ruel Montanez crafted his script around a story by cult director Roman Perez, Jr. The story of someone corrupted by the temptations of the city is not new, but this one had a twist, which was revealed at the very start of the film. So, we started with the twist and then watched how and why the situation reached that level. Not sure if that was the best way to tell the story, but it gave the audience a chance to play detective.     

The two lead stars Khang and Sangalang carried the film creditably. Director of photography Albert Banzon had a field day with them in the beautiful beach and giant rocks of Tingloy, Batangas. Sahara Bernales and Horace Mendoza earned "introducing" credits by having their own outdoor tumble in the sand, but unnecessary and forgettable. Gilleth Sandico got her chance to stretch some acting muscle in a scandalous public maternal breakdown.

As Arthur, Sangalang got to play another meaty role after "Hugot" just earlier this year. His Arthur was noble and generous to a fault, disregarding the advice of his father and friends to take it easy on his gallantry. His story could have, and maybe, for me, should have, gone another way instead of the way it did. Didn't think I'd see the day director Perez would have a gay sex scene, but here it was, between Arthur and an exploitative gay tourist.  5/10