January 1, 2024
Vivamax continues to be the most consistently productive local streaming app out there, churning out one film practically every week of the year, from "Panibugho" to "Hibang". While it may be true that most of the fare in streaming app were silly soft porn trifles, there were still filmmakers here who go beyond mere shallow display of flesh to tell a good story. This is how I would rank what I thought were the best of them:
Honorable Mentions:
16. PANIBUGHO by Iar Arondaing (MY REVIEW)
15. TAYUAN by Topel Lee (MY REVIEW)
14. HUGOT by Daniel Palacio (MY REVIEW)
13. SALAKAB by Roman Perez Jr. (MY REVIEW)
12. SANDWICH by Jao Daniel Elamparo (MY REVIEW)
11. LAWA by Phil Giordano (MY REVIEW)
HERE ARE MY 10 HIGHEST-RATED VIVAMAX FILMS OF 2023:
Writer-director-cinematographer Yam Laranas was actually able to give this Vivamax film a touch of class despite its inherent sleaze. The writing and storytelling were above average, the overall look was slick, and its social commentary was on point. Also remarkable here was that Laranas was able to elicit respectable acting performances from his young neophyte actors -- Alexa Ocampo, Ataska Mercado and Clifford Pusing.
This latest collaboration between director Mac Alejandre and his esteemed writer Ricky Lee was in essence a family melodrama, spiced with Vivamax-signature sex scenes. What set this apart was its unusually positive depiction of the dynamics of a poor Filipino family. All the members of this family were sincerely mutually supportive of one another. The unconditional kindness of Angie Castrence's Celing was the heart upon which her family gathered.
Perez's story was interesting and he told it well, channeling a "Brocka-esque" realism. Yen Durano overcame the contrived elements of character Elria when she reached the peak of her arc -- a promising debut as lead star. Joko Diaz gave his Eloy a nuanced portrayal, down to that defective right hand, that made him a sympathetic character. Victor Relosa's Jonas was such a major jerk that his shocking comeuppance felt completely deserved.
The screenplay by Juvy Galamiton was bold, bitter and bizarre. The technical elements, above average for a Vivamax film, all deserve commendation: the eerie sound design by Armand de Guzman, the atmospheric musical score by Emerzon Texon, the mind-boggling jump cuts by editors Nelson Villamayor and Noah Tonga, the eclectic production design of Sigrid T. Polon and Junebert Cantila, and the moody cinematography by Michael Henree J. Bautista.
The direction, editing, and production design was done very well by Law Fajardo, back in fine form, with lush camera work by DP Joshua Reyles. AJ Raval delivered her best acting performance here, proving that she was serious about improving her acting craft. Gone were all her self-conscious mannerisms of the past, she has genuinely transformed into Ana. Her emotional breakdown scene while confronting Ben (Aljur Abrenica) was gut-wrenching.
The combination of Ricky Lee, Mac Alejandre and Angeli Khang made a big splash last year with "Silip Sa Apoy," which had generally good reviews (not from me unfortunately). This new film, especially the Bela part with its meta approach seemingly criticizing the very core principle of Vivamax itself, was more interesting for me. Lee's line questioning why every scene had to have sex was so on point, and having Khang herself deliver it was gold.
Veteran director Joey Javier Reyes has crafted quite an entertaining romantic comedy in his latest film. However, being a Vivamax project, graphic sex scenes are of course a prominent ingredient, so it is for mature audiences only. This was too bad, because with its complex but well-written story could have been developed to be screened with a PG-13 rating, without any bed scenes. Reyes also added a nice touch breaking through the fourth wall at the end.
3. LA QUERIDA by GB Sampedro (MY REVIEW)
Writer Eric Ramos and director GB Sampedro told these two parallel stories of forbidden love, with no clear connection at first. Only in the last thirty minutes was it eventually revealed how the they were related, although some astute viewers will likely be able to figure the link out before this. This storytelling style makes for a thought-provoking viewing experience, with those notorious Vivamax-signature sex scenes taking a back seat for once.
A follow-up to "Lagaslas," this new one had a more substantive script by Byron Bryant and more aesthetic direction by Christopher Novabos. Overall, this whole film was really an acting showcase for character actress Ruby Ruiz. From prayerful fanatic to wrathful madonna, Ruiz as Manay Flor dominated this movie with a nuanced, creepy and totally psychotic performance that Kathy Bates herself would kill for.
Libay (Maui Taylor) was the owner of a pottery business. and a single mother to her daughter Abigail "Ging" (Aiko Garcia), who was a senior high student. One day, while Ging was waiting for tricycle driver Gabo (Aerol Carmelo) to take her home, she met a handsome older man in the waiting shed on whom she had an instant crush. That friendly man was Jeric (Matthew Francisco), a missionary, who just so happened to be her mother's new boyfriend.
With a brazen title like "Haliparot," I was ready to dismiss this new film as just another forgettable one. However, it surprised me a lot. I cannot deny that the look and feel of this movie was of prime quality for Vivamax standards, one of its best. Bonifacio took this project very seriously and its showed. The cinematography was clean and classy-looking, as with the editing, even of the sex scenes.
*****
For my Best of Vivamax films of 2022, click HERE.
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