Review of AFTER ALL: Reincarnation Rambling

February 28, 2024

Single mother Yna Verder (Beauty Gonzales) brought her despondent son Joey (Teejay Marquez) to a beach resort to recover after he was shamed online by a popular girl Miles (Devon Seron). There, beside one of the beach cottages, Yna met Joseph Lianzares (Kelvin Miranda), an unusual young man whose family owned a antique shop and loved to talk about history. He seemed to know a lot of things about Yna, like what viand she liked to cook.

From then on Joseph began to visit Yna frequently at their rest house. He told her how for reasons yet unknown, he felt a very strong connection with her. He shared that he had been having dreams about being called Joselito Ibanez (Kiko Ipapo) and being thrown into the ocean. Meanwhile, Joey had snapped out of his depression and began to develop a crush on Joseph, whom Joey called an old soul because of his fondness for things past.

The plot of this film was about reincarnation, albeit a local interpretation of the concept. While the concept was there and it was interesting to be fair, either screen writer Gina Marissa Tagasa  or director Adolfo Alix could not figure out a better way to present the climax or the ending. The role of Joey was really an annoying one towards the end, especially that part where he inexplicably threw a tantrum while his mother was driving home.

The casting of the characters was quite strange. Beauty Gonzales is only 32 years old, but they want us to believe that her character Yna was already in her late teens in 1978 -- quite a stretch. Teejay Marquez was playing Yna's supposedly teenage son when he was only 2 years younger than Gonzales in real life. Kelvin Miranda is now 25 years old, only 7 years younger than Gonzales. It may look awkward, but not as May-December as they want us to think. 

They made Yna's good friend Lisa Urieta (Tart Carlos) an expert on various paranormal phenomena, reincarnation in particular. You'd expect that she would be delivering meaningful theories on what happened to Joseph / Joselito -- but that exposition never came. I thought the role of Joseph's mother Anita (Elizabeth Oropesa) could shed more light, but she didn't. Thankfully, there was a last minute save at the epilogue with Abner (Bembol Roco). 4/10

Review of DUNE: PART TWO: Paul's Prime Progression

February 27, 2024

At the end of "Dune: Part 1" (2021), we see hero Paul Atreides (Timothy Chalamet) in joining the Fremen led by Stiglar (Javier Bardem). He had met the girl in his dreams, Chani (Zendaya).  He would fight alongside the Fremen against the Harkonnens, and would eventually be accepted as one of them. He was given the secret name Usul ("base of the pillar"), and a war name Muad'Dib ("mouse of the desert"). 

His Bene Gesserit mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) had been invited by the Fremen to be the replacement of their old Reverend Mother. Jessica had to drink the blue-colored liquid poison extracted from a sandworm called Water of Life, giving her immense powers of awareness. Jessica was pregnant at that time, so the Water also gave the baby in her womb the same powers. She used her influence to plot Paul's messianic ascent. 

Denis Villaneuve continues to weave his elegant vision of Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic. Because Part One already did much of the world-building and character introductions, this Part Two could focus on the rise of Paul Atreides from a sandworm-riding warrior, the first man to drink the Water of Life, to the leader of the Fremen's rebellion against Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and the Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken). 

As it was from the first film, Timothy Chalamet as Paul Atreides carried the film squarely on his shoulders with aplomb, ably supported by Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin as his trusted mates. Rebecca Ferguson had a sinister vibe about her as the Reverend Mother. Zendaya's Chani stood by Paul's side, but spoke her mind. She received a jolting surprise before the film ended, which will surely be further explored in Part Three. 

Aside from Walken, there were three other notable newcomers in the cast. Austin Butler was scary as the psychotic Harkonnen nephew Feyd-Rautha (the character Sting played in full camp in the 1984 film).  Léa Seydoux played Bene Gesserit Lady Margot Fenring, whose skills for seduction were used for political ends. Florence Pugh narrates the story as the Emperor's daughter Princess Irulan, for whom marriage secured a strategic alliance. 

The technical merits of this sequel maintains the high standards of cinematography (Greig Fraser), film editing (Joe Walker) and musical score (Hans Zimmer) set in the first film. The scenes featuring the sandworms were excellently executed, from the exhilarating first time Paul rode the giant grandfather worm Shai Hulud, or that scene where the Maker Keeper (Alison Halstead) demonstrates how to extract the Water of Life from a teenage worm. 9/10. 

Review of AMERICAN FICTION: Author Adaptation

Theolonious "Monk" Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) was a black writer who was critically acclaimed, but his books were not selling well because they were "not black enough." While his session in a Boston book festival was empty, most people were excited to be in the seminar conducted by Sintara Golden (Issa Rae), a black female author whose latest book selling like hotcakes, despite seemingly propagating black stereotypes.  

While in Boston, Monk got together with his doctor sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross) before going to visit his mother Agnes (Leslie Uggams), who was already showing signs of Alzeihmer's disease, and his estranged brother Cliff (Sterling K. Brown), a plastic surgeon who just had a divorce after coming out as gay. Meanwhile, Monk met Coraline (Erika Alexander), the lady lawyer who lived across the street, who turned out to be a fan of his work.

This film was written and directed by Cord Jefferson, a TV comedy writer who recently won an Emmy for HBO's "Watchmen" (2019). "American Fiction" was his feature film screenplay and directorial job, and here it is nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. This was a satire on writers and the publishing industry in general, with a specific focus and commentary on the current state of black literature in the United States. 

Jefferson's script was the clear star of this film, so sharp and so witty. He had adapted the 2001 novel entitled "Erasure" by Percival Ellis. This was an experimental work where Ellis embeds the whole offensive text of Monk's fictional book "My Pafology" (later retitled as "F**k") within his own novel. Jefferson followed the same distinctive style to fascinating effect as the film arrived at its conclusion in a number of alternative ways. 

Jeffrey Wright is best remembered for winning an Emmy in HBO's "Angels in America" (2003). Showing subtlety and mastery of wry comedic timing, he finally earns his first Oscar nomination as Monk. Sterling K. Brown certainly had the loudest role as the annoying gay brother Cliff, also earning him an Oscar nomination. I was also rooting for an nomination for Leslie Uggams who was a sublime presence onscreen, but it did not come to pass. 7/10

Review of THE ZONE OF INTEREST: Ironic Idylls

Rudolf Hoss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Huller) was living in a beautiful home in the German countryside. It had a spacious garden and a river nearby where they can swim with their children. However, outside the tall walls of their idyllic property, they can see columns of smoke and hear shouting, crying, screams and gunshots. Rudolf Hoss was the commandant of the facility next door -- the concentration camp of Auschwitz. 

The anticipation to watch this film was very high, mostly due to the nominations and awards it had been picking up since it won the Grand Prix and three other prizes at the Cannes Film Festival where it premiered. It won three awards at the BAFTA, and is now nominated for five awards in the coming Oscars, including Best Picture, International Film (where it is favored to win), as well as Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jonathan Glazer.  

This film was not an easy watch. Contrary to what you may think, it was not because it was about the Holocaust at Auschwitz.  There was no scenes from inside the concentration camps at all. However, we do FEEL the horror going on behind those imposing walls, despite the clean and bright house and people we see on screen.  Jonathan Glazer made sure of that mainly by the stunning sound design by Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn.

Christian Friedel's Rudolf Hoss had an odd-looking white side wall haircut and an obsession for wearing all white and cleaning up. Even if he never had a moment of obvious anger or cruelty, we all felt the evil of what he was doing. German actress Sandra Huller had a good year last year, with a role in two Best Picture nominees (this and "Anatomy of a Fall"). Her Hedwig was just as innately chilling, even if she was just being a housewife and mother.  

This film had practically no plot. All we saw were mundane scenes of daily family life, all going on unmindful of the atrocities outside. Glazer only wanted us to see and feel the life of a Nazi officer and butcher at home. He was just like any other father who ate dinner with his family and told his kids bedtime stories. But then we knew this was not a normal family. We knew where that mink coat and those gold teeth came from. The irony was not lost on us. 8/10

              

Review of ANATOMY OF A FALL: Skeptical Suspicions

While novelist Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) was being interviewed by a female student in their chalet in the French Alps, her husband Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis) was rudely playing music very loudly in his attic room. After the student left, their blind son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner) went out for a long walk with his guide dog Snoop. When he came back home, he discovered his father dead on the snow below his room.  

At first, an accident seemed to be the most apparent cause of the fall. However upon further investigation about the details of the scene -- the height of the window, the pattern of blood splattering on the snow -- all point to another cause. Could it be suicide? Did Samuel ever attempt suicide before? Or could it be murder? Of course, since Sandra was the only other person in the house, she was the prime suspect. 

Writer-director Justine Triet made Sandra the nebulous center of this mystery story. However, as we followed the case unfolding, it increasingly became apart that the resolution of the mystery of Samuel's death was NOT the main point of the story. This was a character study about Sandra, about how the personality she projected colored how we perceive her as a suspect. Sandra Hüller's portrayal of this icy person was as riveting as it was annoying.  

We watched the way she sought legal advice from her lawyer friend Vincent Renzi (Swann Arlaud), insisting that she had nothing to do with the fall. In court, Sandra preferred to speak in English since her French is not fluent, making her seem snobbish, coming across as less sympathetic. Her testimonies tended to be inconsistent, giving rise to doubts. It came to a point where her innocence depended not on facts, but on whether you like her or not.

Triet made sure that audiences would make feel Sandra's vexation (or anger) towards her husband at that point in time. The very loud playing of Bacao Rhythm and Steel Bars' cover of 50 Cent's "P.I.M.P." was purposefully done to get on one's nerves. This raucous music also put the accuracy of Daniel's testimony in question, as, however sharp his hearing was, he may well have not accurately heard what his parents were talking about before he left. 

A most remarkable member of the cast was Messi, the border collie playing Snoop, the support animal of blind Daniel. In one heart-stopping climactic scene, the dog had to play dead while supposedly drugged. It was amazing how Triet (and his trainer) was able to elicit such a realistic performance from a dog. This was truly deserving for the Palm Dog it won during the same Cannes Film Festival where the film itself won the Palme d'Or. 8/10. 

Vivamax: Review of KABIT: Theatrical Titillation and Treachery

February 24, 2024

Theater director Harry dela Fuente (Onyl Torres) is making his big comeback to the scene with a controversial play entitled "La Querido." According to his co-producer Cathy (Naths Everett), this explosive play will surely get people talking because it will be featuring frontal nudity and sexual scenes by its daring cast.  One of the stars was former teen idol James Dizon (Victor Relosa) making his showbiz comeback in the role of farm hand, Pablo.

The three other actors were newcomers. Andrew Vega (Josef Elizalde), the godson of the producer, plays the invalid army officer Lt. Gen. Antonio Montero. Sexy starlet Trina Montes (Dyessa Garcia) plays Antonio's childhood friend Minerva. Commercial model Laura San Jose (Angela Morena) plays the female lead character Amparo, Antonio's new bride. As she was in her theater debut, she was having a difficult time following the director's instructions.

Director Lawrence Fajardo and screenplay writer John Bedia devised to present a play within a film. The script of the "El Querido" play was written by Jim Flores, obviously adapted from the classic novel "Lady Chatterley's Lover" by D.H. Lawrence. The surnames of the lead characters Montero was likely derived from the film "Ang Kabit ni Mrs. Montero" (Peque Gallaga & Lore Reyes, 1999), which was also based on the same novel.

This Vivamax film felt different from others from the very start with its opening credits featuring animated pencil renditions of various portraits and scenes from the film. The first nude scene only got going after 35 minutes into it, unlike most Vivamax films that have a sex scene from the first frame. This one took its time in setting up the premise and to let viewers into the behind-the-scenes goings-on among director, cast and crew in a theater production.

The main actors were expected to act two ways -- as their character, and as their character's character in the play. Morena's Laura was supposed to be a timid virgin and she looked the part, making her an unlikely Amparo. Elizalde's Andrew was weight-conscious, but this could be an inside joke. Being more experienced, Relosa's James was more self-assured and confident. However, their stage acting techniques were not convincingly theatrical enough.  

Onyl Torres, star of Fajardo's "Imbisibol" (2015), was giving it all his campy best as the flamboyant director Harry, who would do everything to make sure his comeback project succeeds. It was very surprising to see Naths Everett, a "Ms. Saigon" alumna whom I had only previously seen in English language plays for Repertory Philippines, in the cast of a Vivamax film. Theater veteran Frannie Zamora cameos as Harry's mentor and toughest critic.

Laura's audition process would have been interesting to see because her personality seemed mismatched for her role at first. It would have been better if the rehearsals were given more time, so we could appreciate how the actors evolve into the actual performance. It was odd why the workshops were held only after critics night, when the need was obvious from the get go. The role of an intimacy coordinator could have introduced and highlighted.  

*****SPOILER ALERT

For sure, the graphic stage sex scenes (they made it clear that penile prosthetics were used) seemed more fit for a smaller intimate blackbox theater than a big stage, especially for indie producers like Cathy. This was the third Vivamax film to have gone the John Wayne Bobbitt route, after "Silab" (2021) and "#DoYouThinkIAmSexy?" (2022). However, the bigger shock came after the actual cut itself, which made for a strong ending.  6/10

Review of THE HOLDOVERS: Perceiving the Professor

February 23, 2024

It was December, 1970 at Barton Academy, a private boarding school for the rich and famous located in New England. One Christmas, unpopular classics professor  Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) was assigned to supervise students who stayed in school for the holiday break, because they could not go home. Cafeteria lady Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), who was mourning the death of her soldier son in the Vietnam War, also stayed behind. 

At one point there was only one student left with Hunham. This was Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), a headstrong boy whose mother left him behind to honeymoon with her new husband. Hunham and Angus clashed from day one because of their strong personalities. When they broke school rules by going out of campus, Angus learned out more about his teacher and why he had been the grumpy curmudgeon he was all these years. 

Whenever filmmaker Alexander Payne releases a project, people pay attention, because he has a unique talent for making intimate low-budget films which effectively unfold interpersonal relationships on the big screen. His Oscar Best Picture nominated films, namely "Sideways" (2004), "The Descendants" (2011) and "Nebraska" ( 2013), may look deceptively simple, but emotionally rich and satisfying. Now, we can add "The Holdovers" to that list. 

It is hard to believe that Paul Giamatti had only earned one Oscar nomination before, and no it was not for "Sideways," but a supporting nod for "Cinderella Man" (2006). His nomination (and possible win) now for "The Holdovers" is well deserved because only Giamatti could have played this wall-eyed, cantankerous grouch Paul Hunham, and make him sympathetic and actually lovable despite his obvious character flaws.  

It may not be apparent with all the confidence he had playing rich boy Angus Tully, this was actually the feature film debut of 21-year old Dominic Sessa, and he definitely held his own playing against Giamatti. Da'Vine Joy Randolph had so far been sweeping all the Best Supporting Actress awards this season, and once you've seen her play Mary and the dignified front she put up after the death of her son, you'd easily understand why. 8/10

Review of MEAN GIRLS (2024): Pernicious Popularity

February 21, 2024

Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) had been homeschooled her whole life growing up in Kenya with her scientist mother (Jenna Fischer). One day, Mrs. Heron accepted a teaching job in the US, so Cady had to attend North Shore High School. From her first day at a regular school, Cady had much difficulty fitting in. Fortunately, art nerds Janis (Auliʻi Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey) took pity on her and clued Cady in on the various cliques in their school.

The clique that caught Cady's attention were the Plastics, a group of three rich girls obsessed with their looks and fashion. They were tattle-tale Gretchen (Bebe Wood), dim-witted Karen (Avantika) and their despicable bully leader Regina George (Reneé Rapp). When Cady shared to her friends that she had a crush on her Calculus classmate Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), she was warned to forget it because he was Regina's ex.

This was the same exact synopsis of "Mean Girls" (Mark Waters, 2004), adapted from the 2002 Rosalind Wiseman book "Queen Bees and Wannabees" by writer Tina Fey. Its phenomenal success led to the development of a stage musical version with book by Fey, music by her husband Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Neil Benjamin, which debuted on Broadway in 2018. This present film is based on this Broadway version. Fey reprised her role as Ms. Norwood from the original film, as did Tim Meadows as the principal Mr. Duvall.

Fans of the 2004 film will recognize that this new film was practically a scene-by-scene recreation of the original.  The biggest difference of course were the catchy pop songs sung in the most unexpected moments. The songs of Janis and Damian like "A Cautionary Tale" and "Apex Predator" provided sideline commentary. The songs of Regina like "Meet the Plastics" and "Someone Gets Hurt" brought in darker elements. A more raunchy song "Rockin' Around the Pole" replaced the innocuous "Jingle Bell Rock" in the Christmas show. 

With her innocent face, 23 year-old Angourie Rice plays a high school student again here, after "Senior Year" and "Honor Society" last year. Her sweet singing voice was best heard in "I See Stars" in the finale. Renee Rapp reprises her Broadway-breakthrough role of Regina George. She sung the movie's darkest song, "World Burn," with spine-chilling effect.  It was great to hear the powerful singing voice of Auliʻi Cravalho again after she voiced the title character in "Moana" (2016), highlighted in her solo number "I'd Rather Be Me."  

Mean Girls (2024): 7/10

Mean Girls (2004): 7/10. 

Vivamax: Review of TAKAS: Fleeing Femmes

February 16, 2024

Angel (Audrey Avila) and Lexi (Cess Garcia) had been very close friends since high school. They promised each other that they would not be separated from each other. However, when they got older, Angel's eyes were opened to the joys of sex, and began to prioritize her new relationship with spoiled rich kid Eric (Rome Guinto), the son of a Congressman. One night, Eric sexually assaulted Angel in the car, and the unthinkable happened. 

It was only after the two girls were seen running out of the scene of the violence in the parking lot that the opening credits began to roll.  The girls relocate to another town and rent a stall in the public market to earn a living. However, it would not take long when the irrepressible Angel hooked up with a local guy named Lemuel (Mon Mendoza). Worried that the past would repeat itself, Lexi was worried for her friend, but her words of concern fell on deaf ears.

This was the third of a series of shorter (less than 50 minutes) films that Vivamax releases every Tuesday. The screenwriting credit went to head writer John Carlo Pacala and writer Nigel Santos. The plot of the story was very, very simple, just right for a short film. If there were no sex scenes, the whole film would be over in only 15 minutes or so. The plot twist was not complicated, as you can see it a mile away.

No script was too simple or too cheesy or too nonsensical for cult director Roman Perez, Jr., as he still called his shots in his signature lush style. His outdoor scenes with DP Albert Banzon looked especially good, particularly those shot in the bright sunlight with greenery in the background. Too bad these were few and far between in this one. This style was best seen in his more sweeping projects like "Salakab" (2023), "Putahe" (2022) or "Adan" (2019). 

The three actors in the lead roles were more or less stuck with those one-dimensional personalities for the whole film. Audrey Avila's Angel was a happy-go-lucky type, friendly to a fault, always ready with a smile for the men. Cess Garcia's Lexi was the suspicious and jealous type, aloof to the point of rude, her face in a constant scowl. Mon's Mendoza's slimy manner and naughty smirk marked him with red flags early on.   2/10. 

Vivamax: Review of SALITAN: Being Bad in Bali

February 16, 2024

Annie (Vern Kaye) is the wife of a successful lawyer Albert (Nico Locco). She had always been suspicious that Albert was having an affair with his secretary Kristy (Angelica Hart). When she learned that Kristy will be going with Albert on his business trip to Bali, Indonesia, Annie was alarmed and decided to also go to Bali herself. When she got there, she got attracted to fellow Filipino Elmer (Matt Francisco) whom she bumped into at the pool area. 

Screenplay writer Juvy Galamiton and director Bobby Bonifacio Jr. decided to tell this ménage à quatre story in four subparts, where the same story was being told from the point of view of each member of the quartet -- the Wife, the Husband, the Stranger and the Mistress. But through all these parts, the story flow of all the parts were being related by one Narrator with a catty voice belonging to Ms. Mercedes Cabral -- their secret sauce.

The story of swapping partners is definitely not new in Vivamax in particular, nor even in local cinema in general. However, this one tried something with its stylized storytelling that went for high camp. This way the thoughts of each of these four main characters were also made known to the audience, making the proceedings more interesting. The naughty lilt in Cabral's voice as she told her sordid tale sounded like she was telling a bedtime story for adults. 

The film started with a murder of one character, proceeded to tell the whole story of how the situation escalated to lead up to that crime. However, when the film went back to that murder scene at the end, it felt strange that the filmmakers decided to leave the audience hanging as to how the murder took place. I guess they think the identity of the murderer was not material to the plot. Why did they bookend it this way in the first place then? Odd.

The actors were playing their characters with tongue-in-cheek for the most part. Angelica Hart was the campiest of them all, so far her signature persona on Vivamax. Matt Francisco played it quite restrained in "Haliparot" (2023), so his cheesy Elmer in the Bali scenes was quite a switch. As for lead actress Vern Kyle, she actually did quite well in her Vivamax debut, with that scene in the hotel restroom corridor as proof of her promise in drama. 5/10. 

Review of I AM NOT BIG BIRD: Thai Twin Troubles

February 16, 2024

Bank employee Luis "Carps" Carpio (Enrique Gil) had always been straight-as-an-arrow, always doing things by the book. He had been seeing his girlfriend Cathy (Ashley Rivera) for five years now, but their dates had been very routine, nothing exciting or fun. Much to her dismay, Carps never even made any sexual advance on her all those years. When Carps proposed marriage one night, he was shell-shocked when she turned him down.

The distraught Carps suddenly decided to treat his two best friends, the jobless July (Red Ollero) and the metrosexual Macky (Nikko Natividad), to an all-expenses-paid trip to Bangkok. However, when Thai people saw Carps, they seemed to be in awe of him. It turned out that he looked exactly like Big Bird, a very popular porn star in Thailand known for his gigantic manhood, who had suddenly mysteriously dropped out of the scene.

Director Victor Villanueva is still best known for the irreverent family road-trip movie "Patay na si Jesus" (2016), his feature directorial debut. Since then, silly over-the-top comedy had been his specialty, the latest one being "Kidnap for Romance" (2023). This newest project of his is certainly his silliest and most over-the-top of them all, and most challenging as he had to deal with foreign locations, language, and Thai actors in major roles. 

The screenplay was written by two writers with contrasting output in the past, you can probably guess who wrote which parts of the movie. Lilit Reyes, known for "Water Lemon" (2015) and "Changing Partners" (2017), could be responsible for the more serious parts. His co-writer Joma Labayen, who had been Villanueva's writer twice before for "Kusina Kings" (2018) and "Boy Bastos" (2022), likely wrote the raunchy parts.

Being a sex comedy set in Bangkok, it was inevitable that Carps and company had a wild time in a nightclub in the notorious red-light district. After watching the infamous sexy stage show featuring the prodigious "Banana Lady," the boys were taken to their private rooms. Here, Villanueva did self-imposed censorship with amusing effect, interrupting the visuals of their sexy time with public service announcements, as the moaning went on in the background.

This film (rated R-16 by MTRCB) was meant to shock audiences to laughter, so the sexually-explicit language and suggestive motions were left intact (the actual organs were mercifully pixelated). The scene when July, in an effort to attract attention of fellow Filipinos, was shouting "T**i!" aloud in public may seem contrived. However, when tuktuk driver / tour guide Prajak (Pepe Herrera) appeared to respond to that call, that moment was truly hilarious. 

The biggest selling point of this new film is its unlikely star -- Enrique Gil -- in his first film post Liza Soberano. Gil pulled up all the stops here, playing dual characters in a genre way out of his romantic lead comfort zone. His Carps was the butt of naughty jokes at the expense of his "shortcomings," while his doppelganger Big Bird was a riot with his legendary shlong and Italian (?) accent. Gil threw practically all caution to the wind and clearly had fun playing both of them.  7/10

Review of MADAME WEB: Spider Sensibilities

February 15, 2024

While on a rescue mission at the bridge, EMT Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson) herself fell into the river and was only rescued by her partner Ben Parker (Adam Scott) three minutes later.  Even since, she had been able to see ahead into the future, but at first, the images she saw did not make sense to her at once. One day, she began to see images of a man Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) attacking and killing three teenage girls on the train with her. 

Apparently Sims had been having nightmares of these three girls -- shy bespectacled Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), spunky skateboard girl Mattie Franklin (Celeste O'Connor) and smart Latina Anya Corazon (Isabella Merced), that they will be the cause of his death, so he wanted to kill them before that day comes. Cassie quickly hustled the girls out of the train station when they saw Sims fast approaching them -- crawling on the ceiling.

Madame Web was a blind, paralyzed clairvoyant mutant character in Marvel comics,, adjacent to the Spider-Man franchise. Her connection to Spider-Man in this film was only hinted with the presence of familiar names like Ben Parker, and his sister-in-law Mary Parker (Emma Roberts) who was then pregnant with a boy, whose name we knew even before she did. We see in Sims' nightmares that the three teenage girls will all become Spider-Women in their future.

This was Madame Web's origin story set in 2003, but the film started with a sequence set in 1994, about the tragic fate of a pregnant scientist Constance Webb (Kerry Bishe) in the jungle of the Amazon searching for a particular rare spider with a special venom which could heal diseases. This was not exactly her origin story in the comics, but certain details like Cassie's myesthenia gravis were referred to in this new version, albeit in passing. 

The initial reviews were very bad, the worst film about a Marvel character ever, as per one critic. I thought that was too harsh. Sure, the script can be corny, had plenty of convenient leaps in logic, and odd time-wasting scenes (like all those chest compressions). However, Dakota Johnson's portrayal of Cassie from aloof, socially-awkward paramedic into the cerebral psychic Madame Web was well-played, despite the script's limitations. 6/10. 

Review of LISA FRANKENSTEIN: Girl Gets Ghoul

February 10, 2024

It was 1989. Having witnessing the gory death of her mother, teenager Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) was still reeling from the trauma. Her father Dale (Joe Chrest) soon married a nurse Janet (Carla Gugino) and they moved to the town where she lived. Janet was quite cold to Lisa, but her popular daughter Taffy (Liza Soberano), head cheerleader at school, was very friendly and helpful to Lisa as she struggled to move on and fit in.

An introvert and a misfit, Lisa frequently visited the local graveyard to read, where one particular grave fascinated her. She wished to just die and be buried with the dead Victorian era occupant inside. One night, a freak storm awakened the body of the Creature (Cole Sprouse), who then found his way to Lisa's house. After her initial shock and disgust, they eventually become friends as she helped him source and restore his missing body parts. 

Writer Diablo Cody is best known for winning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for "Juno" (2007), her very first script. From then on, her scripts usually have females as the lead character, like her directorial debut "Young Adult" (2011) to her latest before this one, "Tully" (2018). Misfit gets even is a common trope in teen films, but here, Cody wrote Lisa to have as much heart as she had a sense of humor and a streak of violence. 

This is the feature film directorial debut of Zelda Williams, daughter of the late Robin Williams. This had a vibe of "Mean Girls" crossed with "Edward Scissorhands."  Logic was thrown out the door from the start, but then again you do not expect realism when one of the characters is a zombie. People do get killed in gory ways in this film, but this was rated R-13 locally (and PG in the USA), so the violence happens off-screen (bad news for gore fans).

Kathryn Newton made for a likable Lisa even if she went from shrinking violet to goth dominatrix. Cole Sprouse only relied on facial expressions and body movements to play the charming Creature, who could not control how his temper wielded his axe. Of course,\in the Philippines, all the attention will be on the Hollywood debut of Liza Soberano. She had a key role, a great screen presence and she oozed with self-confidence --  auspicious indeed. 6/10. 

Vivamax: Review of KATAS: Maids' Miseries

February 9, 2024

Carmina (Sahara Bernales) was the new maid in the household of eccentric millionaire matron Grace (Yda Manzano) and her younger husband Alex (Chester Grecia). She was oriented to her duties by Sabel (Cariz Manzano), who had been working there for five years. The other maid was Anna (Mara Jalipa), who was in a serious relationship with the gardener Berto (Ardy Raymundo) and were saving up for their future home back in Negros. 

Despite their 20-year age gap, Grace's sexual relationship with Alex was still very active. However, Alex also had all the other maids at his beck and call for his carnal desires, especially when they need extra cash for their families (which they always did). Despite warnings, Carmina still fell under Alex's irresistible spell. Will she go the way of the last maid Monica (Aria Bench), who disappeared under mysterious circumstances?

This new Vivamax film is written and directed by Rodante Y. Pajemna, Jr. He was a director of music videos since 2015, until Vivamax gave him a big break to write and direct his feature film debut last year with "Punit na Langit." He attempted a more complex story here, involving multiple characters, combining aspects of family drama with a hint of mystery on top of the signature eroticism. However, how the story would go was predictable early on.

Pajemna got his "Punit" leading man Chester Grecia back to have wild sex scenes with all five main actresses. Exotic Sahara Bernales now clinches a lead role, probably more for her daring to bare rather than her acting. Former sexy starlet Yda Manzano is now in her 40s, but she now dared to go all the way for the first time since her Vivamax comeback last year. Debuting nymphet Cariz Manzano (relation to Yda unsure) shows promise for drama. 

This film again tackles a topic that is very commonly told in many Vivamax stories -- how the poor had to sell their bodies to the rich in order to earn money. While this film was not about prostitution per se, these maids had to surrender and submit to their masters' sexual perversities in order to keep their jobs. Again, we hear the typical reasons for needing money,  like parents needing dialysis or younger siblings getting arrested for drugs. 

There was interesting side topic about keeping snakes as pets -- both Carmina and Alex sharing the same hobby. However, when it came to how these snakes figured in the finale, Pajemna faltered to make the scene exciting at all. In fact, after all the build-up of getting all of the maids riled up, we were expecting a grand scene of domestic mutiny in the climax. However, the execution was lame and rushed, ending up unintentionally funny.  5/10. 

Review of IKAW PA RIN ANG PIPILIIN KO: Enamored by an Elder

February 8, 2024

Jas (Julia Barreto) was a professional choral singer who lived in Baguio City with her father Danny (Nonie Buencamino) and younger brother Elijah (Ford Sandoval). One night after a traumatic breakup with her boyfriend, Jas was in a karaoke bar drowning away her pain in alcohol, while singing an off-key version of "Paano Ba ang Mangarap?" on the stage. Her awful singing was roundly criticized by a musician in the audience, Michael (Aga Muhlach).

Michael's marriage to his wife Leslie (Cindy Miranda) was on the rocks. Wanting to get away, he accepted the invitation of his friend Ferdie (Boboy Garrovillo) to be the arranger and conductor of choral concert featuring the songs of George Canseco that he was organizing. On the first day of rehearsals, Jas arrived 30 minutes late. She was surprised that the tough critic she told off the night before was actually going to be the conductor of their choir.

From the very first day that Viva Films published the poster online and debuted its trailer, this film immediately became controversial. The internet was abuzz with negative reactions about the huge age gap between the two lead stars -- 54 year old Aga Muhlach and 26 year old Julia Barreto. Netizens made a big deal about how Muhlach had actually played romantic lead to Julia's aunts Gretchen and Claudine Barreto in the 1990s, and now it is her turn.

It was certainly difficult to watch this film without this sticky age issue bothering you. The rather haphazard way writer-director Denise O'Hara told her story did not help. Their first meeting was predictably rough, as was typical of numerous rom-coms. However, it did not take long for Jas to be smitten by Michael's dimples, and actually tried to kiss him. Apparently, since it is the girl who initiated the first move, this awkward relationship was supposed to be okay. 

O'Hara should have been more careful to show how this unlikely love developed. Instead she unwisely rushed through this whole process of moving on and healing, and suddenly it is them already, making their romance seem like a shallow rebound affair. It did not help that the script was generally banal and boring. The most memorable line for me was Michael's "I've always wanted a baby girl," though I am not sure if the irony was intended or not.  

But then there were several problematic plot points which were used as defense for this relationship. Michael kept saying that he can already get a girlfriend because he's legally separated. But how can that be when they were still working on their annulment? The last thirty minutes was a slow slog through a surprise twist, which was unconvincing since Michael and Leslie were shown to had long been living apart even while living together.

How hard could it have been to cast real singers in the lead roles? No question that both Muhlach and Barreto can handle the drama aspects, but the music parts were obviously lacking. Muhlach could only mouth music jargon, but he did not even sing a single line or play any instrument. Barreto bravely sang the entire "Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan?" in her breathiest best, but we know her backup singers can do so much better. 3/10. 

 

Review of ARGYLLE: Rambling Revelations

 February 5, 2024

Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) was a mousy author of popular spy novels featuring a character named Argylle (Henry Cavill) and his team composed of Wyatt (John Cena) and Keira (Ariana deBose). One day while riding a train to go visit her mother (Catherine O'Hara), Elly met Aidan (Sam Rockwell), a fan of her books who turned out to be a real spy, rescuing her from a troop of gunmen who were out to kill her.

From its cartoonish opening sequence of Argylle chasing another agent LaGrange (Dua Lipa) through the streets of Greece, director Matthew Vaughn immediately warmed his audience up for one crazy, over-the-top spy adventure. The artificial-looking hairstyles, costumes and action stunts during this segment, which seemed to come straight out of a "Barbie" set, were in sharp contrast to the drab reality of Elly's quiet introverted life with her cat Alfie.

The posters and publicity may have made viewers expect that Henry Cavill's Argylle was going to be the hero of this film. However, from the time Aidan rescued Elly from the assassins, it became evident that they were actually the lead characters of the story, and Argylle was purely just a figment of Elly's imagination who would just show up once in a while. This disappointing misperception will somehow affected enjoyment and appreciation of the film as a whole. 

A big problem of this film for me was the casting of Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly, just as she felt awkwardly miscast in the "Jurassic World" films. As the relative straight guy, Howard drowned in the middle of a madcap bunch of actors who were more seasoned in comedy. Her dry Elly never really rose to the top as the main protagonist, even if the character underwent roller-coaster revelations. Even the cat actor Chip managed to upstage her. 

In contrast, Rockwell, Cavill, Cena, O'Hara, plus Bryan Cranston (as the main villain Ritter), and Samuel L. Jackson (as Aidan's boss Solomon) were all playing their roles with their tongues fully in cheek and were generally fun to watch. However, their talents could not really uplift and make sense of the over-twisted material they were given here. If Vaughn was aiming for another "Kick-Ass" or "Kingsman," he overshot the target this time. 5/10.

Vivamax: Review of DILIG: Scheming Seduction

February 2, 2024

A year after Katelyn (Dyessa Garcia) lost her mother Donya Alice (Glenda Ledesma), her father Don Serafin (Archie Adamos) announced that he was planning to marry his girlfriend Resa (Rica Gonzales) who had alleged that she was pregnant by the old man. However, in order to really get pregnant, Resa had hook-ups with Dale (JD Aguas), a rich young man who was in love with Katelyn, but whom she friendzoned.

One day, there was a new young man hired to take care of Don Serafin's gardens.  He was known by his nickname Otso (Chad Solano). Apparently that referred to the length of a certain appendage in his body which he claimed tended hurt his ex-girlfriends when he used it. However that did not seem to stop both Katelyn and Resa from seducing the hapless gardener, who could not help but surrender to his masters' whims.  

Like "Room Service" last week, this is another short Vivamax feature film with just a little more than 40 minute running time. This was also released on Tuesday, instead of the usual Friday. Director Christian Paolo Lat is best remembered for his very auspicious feature film directorial debut at the Cinemalaya 2022 with the film "Ginhawa." Vivamax produced his next two feature films -- "Sugar Baby" (2023) and this new one. 

Chad Solano gets the biggest break in his Vivamax career here playing Otso, the man with the 8-inch tool which ladies can't get enough of. He is there to personify the common Joe Vivamax subscriber who can only fantasize about these wealthy beauties fighting over his body. As the conniving and scheming Resa, Rica Gonzales had the more interesting character to play. Poor Dyessa Garcia can't do much with her confusing-written character of Katelyn. 

Rich ladies falling for their brawny help had long been immortalized in books and movies like "Lady Chatterley's Lover."  The motivation to bed Otso was more clearly evident for Resa, who knew about his secret instrument and also had a diabolical plan in mind. However, Katelyn brazenly making the first move on Otso totally came from out of the blue. This fascination of the perfumed set woman with the sweaty unwashed man is pure male fantasy. 1/10

Vivamax: Review of SALAWAHAN: Barbecued Brothers

February 2, 2024

Interior designer Melanie (Angeli Khang) and her boyfriend, gym owner Martin (Albie Casino) decided to live together in the new townhouse that he had bought. To celebrate the occasion, they invited her cousin and best friend Angie (Sheila Snow) and his brother Leo (Van Allen Ong) who was visiting from Australia. Everything was going on very well at first, but with time, Martin became demanding, exerting undue pressure on Melanie.  

Meanwhile, Leo began obsessing about Melanie, using his graphic design skills to insert himself into her photos. Later, he actually began sending gifts and flowers to her, and even boldly professed his love for her. One day, Melanie encountered a stalker (Itan Rosales) who threatened her in the parking lot. He was apparently a young man whom she led on and left behind while drunk in a party, and wanted to finished what she started.

One can easily see why Angeli Khang is the most in-demand female star on Vivamax, with her knack for drama and camp, on top of her pretty face. With that perpetual bad boy look on his face, Albie Casino can never escape the typecasting in these types of roles, like Martin. Van Allen Ong made the most of his major role as Leo. He breezed through his long nerdy lines in English, and cheesy sentences like "Tonight I celebrate my love for you."  

This is Jeffrey Hidalgo's fourth film on Vivamax as director. The story and screenplay was by veteran Raquel Villavicencio, the same writer of iconic Filipino films like "Kisapmata" (1981), "Batch '81" (1982), and "Relasyon" (1982). Unfortunately, she was nowhere near that mode when she wrote this. The last time Hidalgo and Villavicencio worked together was in Vivamax's "Lampas Langit" (2022) (MY REVIEW). That one was much better than this one.

The title was already a dead giveaway about what was going to happen here. The ending was foreshadowed by some early banter between the two brothers about their rivalry. Hidalgo still tried to make the final sequence a mystery, never showing the face of the man with a rifle. Truth is, there was not a shred of suspense at all about his identity at all. Vivamax viewers familiar with these violent endings all knew who it was, well ahead of the reveal. 2/10.

Review of MY SASSY GIRL (2024): Transcending Toxicity

February 1, 2024

Junjee Karion (Pepe Herrera) was raised by his mother Pasing (Angie Castrence) as a girl until he realized he was male when he was 7 years old. When his dad abandoned them, she raised Junjee alone, so he was very devoted to her. He was now studying to be a caregiver, planning to work as one in Canada and then bring his mother there one day.  He was very serious with his studies, and never went out to have fun with his friends. 

One night, Junjee reluctantly obeyed an order by his mom to visit an aunt who was going to introduce him to a girl. At the train station, he saw a drunk girl (Toni Gonzaga) who was swaying so badly, she almost fell into the tracks if he did not intervene to save her. On the train, the girl vomited onto the head of an old man, and the other passengers ordered Junjee to clean him up because they all thought she was his girlfriend.  

This Filipino adaptation was a faithful remake of the original Korean movie "My Sassy Girl" (2001), directed and co-written by Kwak Jae-yong. Everything happened as it happened in the original -- the meet-cute at the train, the reason she was drunk, her fondest ambition, the heartbroken soldier (Leander Vera Cruz), her contrarian parents (Boboy Garovillo and Alma Moreno), her blind date (Ivan Padilla), and their time capsule buried beside a tree.

One notable difference was how that the girl in this Filipino adaptation was given the name Sheena Baltazar. It was not made clear exactly how Junjee found out, but he somehow knew and addressed her as such on their second meeting. One of the scripts Sheena wrote was about a superheroine named Super Sampal who fought a tikbalang.  The girl's sports Kendo and Squash in the original was changed to Arnis for Sheena. 

The original film became a monster hit all over Asia and inspired adaptations in Asia, Europe and Hollywood.  This Filipino version is out more than 20 years after the original, which makes it a bit too late in the game already. Then again, of course it could revive interest about the story for a new generation, but this version is unlikely to ever reach the beloved status the original had, or make its lead actress an Asian icon as Jun Ji-hyun had been.

On their own, Toni Gonzaga and Pepe Herrera were very capable actors in both their dramatic and comedic scenes. However, there was not much real spark nor romantic thrill between them to excite or delight viewers when they were together. In any case, the way director Fifth Solomon handled the revelations building up to the ending was still able to make us root for the two of them to wind up together despite all the gaslighting and ghosting that went on. 6/10.

*****

My review of the original "My Sassy Girl" (2001) is posted HERE.