Vivamax: Mini-Reviews of KASKASERO, MAHAROT, INIT

August 18, 2024

KASKASERO

Director: Ludwig Peralta

Writer: Quinn Carrillo

Impressed with his work on her car, coffee shop barista Gabbi (Christine Bermas) invited young mechanic Miggy (Itan Rosales) to drive her car in a road race for a pot of P50K.  Gambler Archie (Marco Gomez) and his men bet on the losing car, which drove him deeper into debt with a loan shark. Meanwhile, car meet flag girl Denise (Angela Morena), who used her red panties to start races, also sought Miggy out to fix her car, among other things.

This film brought us into the world of illegal late-night car meets -- the high-performance cars, the high-stakes gambling, its wild denizens with decadent lifestyles and the threat of police sirens.  Charismatic Itan Rosales gives a mostly star-making turn as Miggy,  while veteran Jeffrey Santos lent solid support as his father Efren. Christine Bermas makes us care for Gabbi, as Angela Morena was surprising as a floozy with a chip on her shoulder. 5/10.

MAHAROT

Director: Rodante Y. Pajemna, Jr. 

Writer: Rodante Y. Pajemna, Jr. 

Joni (Aiko Garcia) was an aspiring Japayuki renting the house of Aling Celia (Sarah Pulido). Celia's son Tantan (Victor Relosa) had a big crush on Joni, even if he had seen her servicing various men as a prostitute. When his friend Tasyo (Ardy Raymundo) arranged for Tantan to date their school beauty Helen (Athena Red), Tantan asked Joni for pointers. Joni knew what she wanted and went for it, and Tantan admired her for that. 

This film tells a simple story about a pragmatic and empowered woman. Of course, Joni's story would have been a lot more positive if she did not sell her body to achieve her dream. Aiko Garcia gave a restrained portrayal of Joni and this came across as natural and confident, impressive for a new actress in a lead role. Victor Relosa always played rascals previously, but he showed range here, convincingly projecting youthful innocence and sincerity. 5/10

INIT

Director: Piem Acero

Writer Jessi Lopez

Incoming education freshman Luisa (Dyessa Garcia) was the new boarder in the house of  Arman (Rash Flores). Her roommate was Dianne (Candy Veloso). The other boarders included live-in partners Jhen (Aica Veloso) and Zander (Ghion Espinosa), and two other guys Eddrick (Rome Guinto) and Jeff (Renz Tantoco). As this was her first trip out of her province away from her mother, Luisa soon discovered she had extraordinary needs.  

After three years of churning out movies about sex, this must be the first Vivamax film that actually tackled the psychiatric condition of Nymphomania directly. There was even a scene with a psychiatrist (Jhenelyn Castro) explaining the diagnosis. Candy Veloso was very natural as the frank sensible Dianne. Pretty and innocent-looking Dyessa Garcia had plenty to do owing to Luisa's condition, but she did not seem ready yet for such a challenging role. 4/10.