Netflix: Review of OUTSIDE: Freaked Father

October 17, 2024

It was in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Francis (Sid Lucero) was driving his nurse wife Iris (Beauty Gonzalez) and their two boys Josh (Marco Masa) and Lucas (Aiden Tyler Patdu) towards his ancestral house beside a sugar cane farm. There, Francis found that his parents had already fallen victim to the zombie horde. Francis wanted to stay in the house, while Iris wanted to go further north to safety. 

This Netflix original Filipino film was written and directed by Carlo Ledesma, whose past filmography included horror thrillers like "Tunnel" (2011) and "Sunod" (2019). This was marketed as a zombie film, and to be sure there were some pretty nifty zombie effects. For me, the best one was when Francis saw his zombified mother (Bing PImentel) break apart at her waist. You soon realize, however, that the zombies are not the main source of horror. 

This was really more of an intense psychological drama that involved one nuclear family. The father Francis was disturbed by traumatic memories of his childhood under a sadistic father (Joel Torre). He had always lived under the shadow of his elder brother Diego (James Blanco), the golden boy of the family. He and Iris had also been experiencing a very rough patch in their marriage, with issues of fidelity had cast an oppressive pall on their family. 

As he had shown in several sinister characters he had portrayed in the past, Sid Lucero can really play a demented psycho very well. Lucero is really the heir apparent to excellent character actors like Vic Silayan and John Arcilla, who can portray all sorts of crazy from the most subtle to violently explosive. That "Christmas dinner" scene, with Lucero wearing a Christmas sweater serenely lording it over his cowering family, showcased this all too well.

Beauty Gonzalez is becoming the go-to actress for horror flicks, with "Hellcome Home" (2019), "In My Mother's Skin" (2023) and "Kampon" (2023) just before this one. As Iris, Gonzalez was really pushed to dramatic and horrific extremes way past what we have seen from her before. That scene when Iris saw Lucas with a bleeding arm showcased Beauty Gonzalez at her hysterical best, yet you know she was still fully aware and in full control of her wits. 

Director Carlo Ledesma and his cinematographer Cheung Shing-Fung created a lot of beautiful images, with excellent blocking, framing and camera angle choices and gorgeous overhead drone shots. The jump scares were well-executed, the best one being that shock scene of the wounded soldier (Enchong Dee) at the breakfast table. However, those very prolonged scenes of toxic family dynamics dragged the momentum down as a whole. 7/10

Review of GUILTY PLEASURE: Legal Loopholes

October 17, 2024

Atty. Adam Lucero (JM de Guzman) and Atty. Alexis Miranda (Lovi Poe) were colleagues in the Atticus Law Firm headed by Atty. Rodrigo Guevarra (Johnny Revilla). They worked closely at work as teammates and were also intimate outside work as lovers. One day, when they were celebrating the victory of a major case won and promotions were announced, a surprising news was announced that shocked Alexis and broke up their relationship.

Six years later, Alexis was already the owner of her own law firm and had a perfect record of winning all her cases. One day, her services were hired by a rude and impertinent client Zachary Chua (Dustin Uy) who had been accused of rape by his "unofficial" girlfriend Madison Valencia. The plaintiff was being represented by a young lawyer from Atticus, Atty. Matthew Caliente (Jameson Blake), who once trained as an intern under Alexis.

This new film is directed by Connie Macatuno, whose recent films had all been steamy, sexy dramas like "Wild and Free" (2018), "Glorious" (2018), and "Malaya" (2020) which also starred Lovi Poe. Sex is also very much in the menu of "Guilty Pleasure," not much in the context of romance, but more in the realm of abuse, harassment, perversion, as well as sexual politics at work. There were two disturbing, potentially triggering scenes of rape shown.

A significant percentage of this film's 2-hour run time was spent inside a courtroom presided over by a female judge.  Understood that Alexis was trying to discredit the testimony of the victim, but it was not realistic knowing how her past history that practically mirrored Madison's. The verdict scene was too abrupt and unsatisfying. These scenes again could be very triggering to victims who have had this harrowing experience of reliving their rape in court.

The unprofessional decorum of the prosecution and defense lawyers outside the courtroom after the hearing was very upsetting to watch. How could a defense lawyer allow a litigant to talk to her after the trial, once even resulting in a hair-pulling incident? How could it happen that lawyers from opposing sides have blatant public displays of affection there in the corridors of the courthouse, in full view of everyone who even found this PDA cute and "kilig"?

As usual, Lovi Poe looked beautiful, statuesque and smart, such great screen presence. Her wardrobe she was made to wear was proudly Filipiniana, but those butterfly sleeves and huge puffed sleeves tended to be distracting and over-the-top, very unrealistic for the courtroom setting or the law office. Her side plot concerning her father Renante (Soliman Cruz) was not really necessary, except to show off more facets of her dramatic skills. 6/10. 

  

Review of THE WILD ROBOT: Mechanical Mother

October 10, 2024

Roz was the sole survivor after their cargo ship capsized on an uninhabited island. She was a robot programmed to obey and finish the task asked by its owner. She tried talking to the animals living on the island but to no avail. One day, she angered a grizzly bear who began to chase her. She stumbled down the mountain and landed on a nest of geese, breaking all but one egg. When the egg hatched, the gosling thought that Roz was its mother. 

This is not the first time that a film, live action or animated, tackled the topic about a mechanical robot with artificial intelligence who gained the ability to feel emotions.  Among the titles of animated films that come to mind include: "The Iron Giant" (1999), "Wall-E" (2008) and just last year, "Robot Dreams" (2023). All of these films had gained critical acclaim and a loyal fandom for their innovative and emotionally-sensitive treatment of the subject matter. 

The animation style was described to be a cross between classic Disney (particularly "Bambi") and Miyazaki (particularly "My Neighbor Totoro"), and this was quite evident. The color palette was deep and rich. The animal designs were very cute, from the sea otters who turned Roz on first, Fink the fox, mommy Pinktail and her baby opossums, peaking in that Noah's Ark situation with all the wildlife gathered together under one roof during a destructive storm. 

The roster of voice talents was stellar, led by Lupita N'yongo as the cool and calming maternal voice of Roz, Kit Connor as the "rebellious teen" voice Brightbill and Pedro Pascal as the cunning fox Fink, Roz's tormentor at first meeting who later turned out to be her closest friend. Other famous names like Catherine O'Hara, Bill Nighy, Mark Hamill, Vhing Rhames and Stephanie Hsu voice the more minor characters. 

This latest, and reportedly final, entirely-inhouse film of Dreamworks Animation was written and directed by Chris Sanders based on the 2016-2017 book series of the same title written by Peter Brown. The story may not exactly be completely new, but it had a heartwarming storytelling approach to how Roz developed what seemed to be "maternal instincts" towards Brightbill, and how he eventually recognized and acknowledged this as "love." 9/10. 

Review of MUJIGAE: Kopino Kismet

October 10, 2024

Rainalyn (Anna Luna) raised her daughter Mujigae (Ryrie Sophia) alone when she was abandoned by her Korean husband Ji-sung (Kim Ji-soo). When Rainalyn passed away, 5 year-old Mujigae was brought back to the Philippines by her grandfather Emong (Richard Quan) to live with him. His other daughter Sunny (Alexa Ilacad) had bitter memories about how her mother and sister left her behind years ago, found it difficult to accept her. 

This film was directed by Randolph Longjas, whom I've known previously from "Ang Turkey Man ay Pabo Rin" (2013) and "Star Na Si Van Damme Stallone" (2017). "Mujigae" actually had elements from these two films -- inter-cultural marriage from the first film, and ideals of motherhood from the second. Longjas had proven before that he had a knack for telling family stories effectively mixing comedy and sentimentality, and he does it again here.

Longjas and screenwriter Mark Raywin Tome wisely addressed and resolved Sunny's abandonment issues early on, giving more time for the relationship between auntie and niece to develop more fruitfully. He was able to raise the common problem of husbands and wives separating from each other in order to earn more money for a brighter future overseas, and present the long-standing effects of this break-up on the children they left behind.   

Alexa Ilacad's Sunny may have a damaged relationship with her father, but she had plenty of support from her elders Lola Lina (Peewee O'Hara), Lola Chayong (Lui Manansala) and Lolo Ipe (Rolando Inocencio) and friends at work, Marla (Kate Alejandrino) and Sushmita (Donna Cariaga). Ilacad worked very well in the ensemble, creating an authentic communal atmosphere which made Sunny's emotions connect with the audience more effectively. 

Ryrie Sophia gave a very delightful lead performance as Mujigae, you'd never think this was her first feature film, and a title role at that. She was very fluent in delivering her lines in both Korean and Filipino, confidently trading lines with her veteran co-stars. Longjas was able to keep her from overdoing the cute routine, so that she never came across as annoying. She deserves more movie projects so that her promising acting talent can be further honed.

Kim Ji-soo (or simply Ji Soo) was a popular K-drama actor, best known in series like "Strong Woman Bong Soon" (2017). In 2021, he got involved in a bullying scandal which led to a derailment of his career. Lately, he has been picking up the pieces by guesting on Filipino TV series like "Black Rider," and now this film. He has not lost his touch in acting. His portrayal of the repentant absentee father Park Ji-sung was very sincere and touching. 

Overall, I liked the flow of the story, its cross-cultural focus and its well-timed emotional swell at the climax. I liked its generally positive and heartwarming tone, and how the characters were likable despite their flaws. A disappointing aspect of this film was its very dim lighting, particularly in the scenes shot inside Sunny's room and Emong's workshop. These scenes were so dark, we barely even saw the actors' faces, which was quite a shame.  7/10

Vivamax: Mini-Reviews of KISKISAN, SALSA NI L, TAHONG

October 9, 2024

KISKISAN

Director: Bobby Bonifacio, Jr.

Writer: Byron Bryant

After her father died, Adelle (Rob Guinto) lived on their rice farm and mill with her Auntie Luring (Tabs Sumulong). One morning over breakfast, she announced that she was planning to get married to her boyfriend Rener (Juan Paolo Calma), the guy who operated the mill (the titular "kiskisan"). Her sister Bea (Apple Dy) came home from the city for a vacation and brought her friend Cheska (Skye Gonzaga) along. Things get busy from there. 

Bobby Bonifacio had directed a number of good Vivamax films, like "Bula" (2022) and "Haliparot" (2023). Byron Bryant had written a number of good Vivamax films, like "Reroute" (2022) and "Langitngit" (2023). However, this particular Bonifacio-Bryant collaboration was utterly beyond disappointing. This was practically a hollow shell, with no meaningful story to tell, just a series of boring sex scenes strung together.  1/10

SALSA NI L

Director: Rodante Y. Pajemna, Jr. 

Writer: ER Astrologo

Lovely Cruz a.k.a. L (Christine Bermas) operated a dance school on the promenade beside the Jones Bridge along the Pasig River with her friend Zinia (Jonica Lazo). To earn more money, she also joined dance competitions with her favorite dance partner Lucas (Sean de Guzman), a friend she kept on the friendzone. One day, L began receiving expensive gifts of jewelry from a wealthy secret admirer, who turned out to be Allan (Jeffrey Hidalgo).

Christine Bermas and Sean de Guzman are both among the more talented actors in the Vivamax pool. Unfortunately, this shallow story they collaborated on was so pitifully beneath their dramatic abilities. Their sex scenes felt cheap and exploitative, especially for Bermas. Their ballroom dancing was dull and unimpressive, certainly not the type people will pay for to watch or get lessons from.  Jeffrey Hidalgo went all-out here as middle-aged stud. 2/10

TAHONG

Director: Christopher Novabos

Headwriter: Maya Diaz

Writers: Philip Doria, Melnar Arquillo

18 year-old Mira (Candy Veloso) and her father Moises (James Lomahan) earned a living farming mussels in their small seaside village. She had a boyfriend Goyo (John Mark Marcia) who helped her do her work, among other things. Their settlement was to be demolished for land reclamation. Then, her father had a stroke. Desperate, Mira went to the center to ask help from lusty barangay captain Douglas (Emil Sandoval) and his kagawad Talia (Salome Salvi).

The story aimed to have social and environmental significance by tackling the issue of unjust demolition of homes to give way to reclamation of land from the sea. However, these political issues just fell on the wayside when the narrative took a sharp turn and became of story of exploitation and rape. Veloso did try her best to portray the poor Mira, but she was still too new and raw an actress to take on the role with more conviction. 3/10. 

Review of JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX: Pernicious Partners

October 6, 2024

While awaiting trial for the murders he had been accused of committing two years ago, Arthur Fleck was incarcerated in Arkham State Hospital, where he was bullied by guards like Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson). While his attorney Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) hoped to get him acquitted by reason of split personality, the district attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) argued that he was completely sane when he killed his victims. 

One day, Fleck met Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga). She introduced herself as a girl who grew up in Arthur's community who got locked up at Arkham after she burned down a building of her abusive father.  She confessed her fascination with Arthur, while Arthur's fantasies all featured Lee duetting with him in various music video scenarios, with songs ranging from "If My Friends Could See Me Now" to "(They Long to Be) Close to You."  

Tood Philips' first "Joker" (2019) was both critically-acclaimed (won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival) and a massive box office success (the first R-rated film to earn $1B). It was the first DC film ever to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture. Its star Joaquin Phoenix bagged the Oscar for Best Actor.  Because of this massive success, the hype and excitement for its sequel was very high, which is not always a good thing.

Joaquin Phoenix still had his bizarre Arthur Fleck / Joker dual personae all there. He was totally immersed into this character, transformed in both physical and psychological aspects. Even his singing voice had that weird timbre. Lady Gaga was an effortless fit for the role of Lee Quinzel, a character she seemed born to portray. Gaga's versatile singing voice saved the song numbers, but the concepts of these vignettes were too deranged.  

It was not difficult to see why this film was not as liked by critics and audiences than the first one. The musical genre was not a good fit with the psychological drama being told, as the "clown-themed" song choices felt random and forced.  The dour and depressing story of this pernicious partnership just plodded on and on, until the ending ended all doubts whether Arthur Fleck was actually the nemesis of Batman we thought he was or not.  6/10.