November 1, 2024
Director: Christopher Novabos
Writer: Byron Bryant
Joaquin (Arnold Reyes) had a flat tire on a remote provincial road near the house of Benicio (Allan Paule) and Rosa (Tanya Gomez). While Benicio helped fix the tire, 50-year old Joaquin noted their beautiful 18-year old daughter Iris (Dyessa Garcia) and fell in love at first sight. Joaquin was so smitten that he was willing to pay up to P10M in order to marry her. His only condition was that Iris had to be a virgin.
This film was notable for its well-blocked and well-photographed scenes. care of director Novabos and his cinematographer Alex Espartero. The storyline was predictable. The ending was too rushed, over-the-top, and inexplicable in the legal context, which was unfortunate. Dyessa Garcia did well in her first starring role. Arnold Reyes had a strong screen presence. Tanya Gomez stole the show with her hilarious portrayal of mommy Rosa's greed. 6/10
Director: Aya Topacio
Writer: Quinn Carrillo
Kat (Apple Dy) was the star DJ of "The Pink Room," a club owned by Ace (Calvin Reyes). Denise (Skye Gonzaga) was Ace's friend with benefits, who was also getting attracted to Kat's looks and talent. One night, Denise defended Kat from a drunk guy who was getting fresh. When Denise asked Kat why she froze up when the guy harassed her, Kat admitted a traumatic experience that made her afraid of men.
Director Aya Topacio made her feature film directorial debut in 2024, with "Mahal Ko and Mahal Mo,' followed by "Throuple," now this one. A clear central theme in all three of her movies was a lesbian love affair between the two lead female stars. There is always a male character in between them, but he was just the cog that made the girls realize what they really wanted. Dy and Gonzaga portrayed their parts well, as Reyes was weak, expectedly. 3/10
Director: Sid T. Pascua
Writer: Quinn Carrillo
Makoy (Karl Aquino) worked as one of the men of cockpit owner Samuel (Elmo Elarmo). His wife Krista (Cess Garcia) earned extra cash selling snacks during cockfights. One day, Makoy lost a lot of money by making a huge losing bet, so he stole one of Samuel's prize fighting cocks. Fellow employee Diego (JD Aguas) witnessed this theft, and, wanting to gain favor from his boss for past misdeeds, ratted on Makoy.
Cess Garcia did not play this title character well, likely a direction issue. Her face was constantly in a scowl, not a good look for her. She had a crying scene where she went full-on hysterical, too over-the-top. Aquino is another plus-sized leading man (after Josef Elizalde), but acting-wise he was not ready yet for this lead role. In contrast, Zsara Laxamana only had a minor role of a prostitute Mikay, but her natural acting was a stand-out. 2/10
