January 1, 2024
In 2023, cinema release of Filipino films has been more regular, one or two films every week. New films were also being streamed online -- weekly on Vivamax, and occasionally, on Prime Video ("Ten Little Mistresses," "Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan," "In My Mother's Eyes") and Netflix ("Seasons," "Keys of the Heart," and "What If").
In April, the first Summer Metro Manila Filmfest was held (I got to watch 7/8 films). In August, the Cinemalaya film festival was held at the PICC (as the CCP was undergoing renovations), with 10 full-length films (I watched 9/10). On Christmas Day, the Metro Manila Filmfest had 10 entries (I watched 5/10 so far), now still going strong with an astounding box office turnout not seen in recent years.
Honorable Mentions
26. WALANG KAPARIS by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo (MY REVIEW)
25. MARUPOK AF by Quark Henares (MY REVIEW)
24. WILL YOU BE MY EX? by Real Florido (MY REVIEW)
23. HALIPAROT by Bobby Bonifacio, Jr. (MY REVIEW)
22. YUNG LIBRO SA NAPANOOD MO by Bela Padilla (MY REVIEW)
21. ROOKIE by Samantha Lee (MY REVIEW)
20. VOLTES V LEGACY - The Cinematic Experience by Mark A. Reyes (MY REVIEW)
19. MONDAY FIRST SCREENING by Benedict Mique (MY REVIEW)
18. HERE COMES THE GROOM by Chris Martinez (MY REVIEW)
17. FAMILY OF TWO by Nuel Naval (MY REVIEW)
16. GITLING by Jopy Arnaldo (MY REVIEW)
15. KEYS TO MY HEART by Kerwin Go (MY REVIEW)
14. AS IF IT'S TRUE by John Rogers (MY REVIEW)
13. ESSENTIAL TRUTHS OF THE LAKE - Lav Diaz (MY REVIEW)
12. LOVE YOU LONG TIME by JP Habac (MY REVIEW)
11. REWIND by Mae Cruz-Alviar (MY REVIEW)
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.
Told from the point of view of Philo (Kathryn Bernardo), her backstory would go back five years ago, about how a mousy and miserable plain Jane with a sickly mother (Angel Aquino) would evolve into the stylish and sophisticated Philomena Angeles, an angry young woman who had just set her elaborate scheme into action against her flamboyantly bitchy, gleefully hypocritical, and sinisterly power-tripping big boss Molly Suzara (Dolly De Leon).
Villamor's visuals were lush and stunning, from cosmopolitan Singapore in the Prologue to idyllic Batangas in Chapter 3. It does not hurt that her camera loved her two lead actors, Alden Richards and Julia Montes, both without a bad angle and looked great together. Beyond looks, they both imbued their characters with passion so palpable that you feel the exuberance of their thrill, pain of their regret and weight of their emotions.
Writer Enrico C. Santos came up with a refreshing scenario of how romance can bloom between two people with chips on their shoulders. He intertwined their paths three times before without them knowing it, making a strong argument for how destiny worked for them. Director Derick Cabrido told the story with a dreamy filter, which heightened the emotional connection with his audience, many of whom may be left teary-eyed by the finale.
Writer-director Carl Joseph Papa astutely decided that this complex, multi-layered tale dealing with a triggering subject matter can best be told by way of an animated film. Despite being overlain by animated computer graphics, we still see and feel the acting prowess of tried-and-true actors Carlo Aquino (a truly internalized acting performance), Dolly de Leon (for sweet maternal interaction) and Gio Gahol (for a supportive BL angle) shining through.
A generous budget had been spent to make sure that sets and costumes looked realistic. 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.
The richness of Santos' epic story was a big challenge to tell cinematically, but Cabrido more than pulled it off. 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. dark high-concept story, glossy production values, and startling jump scare moments, prime "Mallari" for both box-office success and critical acclaim.
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.
Dulay knew very well how to best stage dramatic situations in order to maximize the build-up of bittersweet emotions to move viewers to tears. This was especially true 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.
Two 17 year-old college students, Jose Santos (Miggy Jimenez) and Simon Manuel (Dylan Ray Taleon), had been picked up by policemen when they were found hanging around a church where a bomb just exploded. They were there because they wanted to immerse themselves with the plight of disenfranchised farmers. However, the policemen who arrested them were accusing them of being terrorists.
Director Dustin Celestino had adapted his own Palanca-award winning full-length play to write the screenplay of this film. The structure of the play (and film) was somewhat like a chain, and felt like a series of powerfully-written one act plays playing one after the other. The quality of the writing was astoundingly astute and hard-hitting as Celestino presented both sides of the arguments in scathing and acerbic, yet eloquently- and elegantly-constructed, statements.
*****
Here are my Yearend Roundups for Filipino films in previous years:
My Yearend Roundup 2022 is posted HERE.
My Yearend Roundup 2021 is posted HERE.
My Yearend Roundup 2020 is posted HERE.
My Yearend Roundup 2019 is posted HERE.
My Yearend Roundup 2018 is posted HERE.
My Yearend Roundup 2017 is posted HERE.
My Yearend Roundup 2016 is posted HERE.
My Yearend Roundup 2015 is posted HERE.
My Yearend Roundup 2014 is posted HERE.
YUNG LIBRO SA NAPANOOD MO? Really? Haha. You have a weird taste.
ReplyDelete