Review of SUNSHINE: Advocating for Agency

 July 23, 2025

19-year old Sunshine Francisco (Maris Racal) had been a serious rhythmic gymnast for 9 years already.  She had been successful in local and international tournaments, so she had a legion of admirers. She had daily training sessions with her coach (Merylle Soriano), as the Olympic team qualifying competition was coming up in three months.  One afternoon, she collapsed in the middle of her ribbon routine. Her worst fear was confirmed by a test kit.

A Filipino film about a woman contemplating abortion for an unexpected pregnancy is bound to be controversial. During the 18th Cinemalaya Filmfest, "12 Weeks" (2022) by Anna Isabelle Matutina told the story of Alice (Max Eigenmann), a 40 year-old journalist whose unexpected pregnancy in middle age shook her self-confidence, so she thought of aborting it. (I'm not sure if Matutina's nickname Sunshine somehow inspired the title of this new film.)

Now if that film raised eyebrows, what more this new film? Here, veteran director Antonette Jadaone that told the story of Sunshine, a teenager who naively engaged in unprotected sex with her boyfriend Miggy (Elijah Canlas). He was the first person she told about her predicament, and the creep just hastily ordered her to get rid of it, with no remorse nor compassion, leaving her all alone to solve her problem herself, in the streets of Quiapo.

Sunshine lived in a small house in a poor neighborhood, with her elder sister (Jennica Garcia) who was struggling to raise an infant on her own. The circumstances why their situation was like this was never even brought up. It was enough to know that Sunshine knew how much sacrifice it entailed to be a young mother without a responsible partner. Sunshine certainly knew she did not want this baby, and missing the Olympics team was not the only reason.   

If her coach (Meryll Soriano) knew the truth, Sunshine knew she would be out of the national team outright. Her BFF Thea (Xyriel Manabat) chose to obey her mother's close-minded instructions to abandon her friend. However, Sunshine did have someone playing devil's advocate and external conscience for her. There was this mysterious unnamed little girl (Annika Co) who randomly appeared to argue against Sunshine's decisions. 

This film did not shirk from showing the harrowing consequences of attempting an abortion. It showed how desperate girls blindly trust shady pills bought from a street vendor, or a neighborhood "hilot" with questionable unsterile techniques, not knowing how it could cause severe complications that could bring them to the brink of death. Then, they have to face judgmental and sanctimonious doctors (like Dra. Asuncion played by Madeleine Nicolas) who deride them for being rash and immoral.

It all boils down to a woman's right to have agency over her own body, not anyone else. And as long as abortion remained illegal, women with unwanted pregnancies have to resort to medically-unsafe ways of getting rid of the fetus, putting their lives in danger. However, no matter how this film ends, abortion will always be a contentious issue that will probably not gain much traction in ultra-conservative, predominantly Catholic Philippine society any time soon. It certainly took chutzpah for these filmmakers to produce a film like this. 

That said, the film was very well-made, with excellent camera work by cinematographer by Pao Orendain and that suspenseful musical score by Rico Blanco.  In the titular role, Maris Racal gives a performance with grit and honesty well outside her usual comfort zone. Her ribbon routines look very authentic, thanks to editor Benjamin Tolentino. Garcia, Co and Rhed Bustamante (as pregnant 13 year-old Mary Grace) gave strong supporting turns.  8/10

 

Review of THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS: Fighting as a Family

July 22, 2025

On the alternate reality world of 828 Earth, the Fantastic Four were celebrating their anniversary as a team of protectors of the planet. They were astronauts who gained their superpowers from an exposure to cosmic rays during an interstellar mission. Upon their return, they used their super-human abilities to fight various nefarious villains, earning them the love and admiration of humans. They even had their own Saturday morning cartoon show on TV.

At this time, Sue was pregnant with her first baby after several years of trying. Husband Reed was very concerned about if their baby would inherit any of their superpowers, while their other two teammates / housemates were excited to be the best uncles to this special child. Meanwhile, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garder) appeared on Times Square as a herald to a planet-eating entity named Galactus (Ralph Ineson) who had Earth next in line to destroy.  

The Fantastic Four were led by Reed Richards or Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) who can stretch his body like rubber; his wife Sue Storm or Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby) who can generate force shields and turn invisible; Sue's younger brother Johnny Storm or the Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) who can turn himself into a flying rocket of flames; and Reed's best friend Ben Grimm or The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) whose skin was made of rock.  

The first film about Marvel's First Family was "Fantastic Four" (2005) starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, and Chris Evans in his Marvel debut. Despite the mixed reviews, it had a sequel "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" (2007), which also had middling to bad reviews. A forgettable reboot "Fantastic Four" (2015) starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell and Michael B. Jordan in his Marvel debut, was a critical and commercial disaster.

Directed by Matt Shakman, the look was totally different, as the new production design, pastel color palette and retro costumes had a classic vibe, reflecting how the first FF comics by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee came out in the early 1960s, with futuristic elements like a flying car and a delightful robot butler H.E.R.B.I.E.  As a reboot of a franchise that struggled to be portrayed on the big screen before, this one had a totally fresh vibe, a clean start and re-introduction.

It tackled the same Silver Surfer and Galactus storyline from the 2007 film, but it incorporated the birth of Reed and Sue's son Franklin into the mix. This made the stakes more personal for the FF team than ever, as this baby became the bargaining chip upon which the salvation of planet Earth hinged on. As a result, the final showdown between FF and Galactus became a showcase for the emotional dynamics of this team as a family with heartfelt sincerity. 

The personalities of the four members of FF felt different from how they were portrayed in films before. Pascal's Reed Richards was a ball of insecurities beside the cool confidence of Kirby's Sue Storm. Quinn's Johnny Storm was a funny guy, but his reputation as a ladies' man was played down here. The pure loyalty Moss-Bachrach's Grimm came across solidly, as his budding crush for teacher Rachel (Natasha Lyonne) was only hinted at, so far.  

The throwback feel may slow at the start, especially as the FF's origin story was summarized as a flashback narration for a TV special of talk show host Ted Gilbert (Matt Gatiss). However, the film really came alive whenever the bad guys were on the screen. The production's decision to gender-switch the Silver Surfer and to represent Galactus as a solid armored colossus proved to be astute, tweaking their portrayal in the 2007 film for the better. 7/10

Review of BRING HER BACK: Foster with Fear

July 17, 2025

17 year-old Andy (Billy Barratt) was a good elder brother to his visually-impaired step-sister Piper (Sora Wong). When their father suddenly died, they had to be taken to stay with a foster parent. They were assigned to veteran counselor Laura (Sally Hawkins) to take care of them. Laura seemed friendly even as she was still mourning the death of her blind daughter Cathy (Mischa Heywood) and was also raising a deaf-mute boy Ollie (Jonah Wren Phillips).  

In the last decade or so, Australian horror movies have been picking up momentum, and being appreciated all over the world for its unusual take on the usual horror tropes. The first Australian horror I've seen was of the disturbing, psychological kind. "Dead Calm" (1989), starring Sam Neill with pre-famous Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane, was about a couple sailing on their yacht who picked up a marooned stranger who may be a killer .

However, the current attention with Australian horror was revived with "The Babadook" (2014), about a widow raising her disturbed young son, who believed the monster in his bedtime storybook is alive. Following that, there was "Killing Ground" (2016) about a family vacation gone grisly wrong, "Hounds of Love" (2016) about a couple on a serial killing spree, and the depressing "Relic" (2020) about an elderly widow dealing with dementia. 

In 2022, twin brothers and YouTubers Danny and Michael Philippou made their directorial debut with "Talk to Me." This was about a group of teenagers playing with a ceramic hand, which allowed the holder to communicate and be possessed by spirits.  "Talk to Me" was co-produced by Causeway Films, which also produced "The Babadook." This film now ranks among the biggest worldwide box-office hit films distributed by A24. 

"Bring Her Back" is the much-anticipated second film of the Philippou twins, also co-produced by Causeway Films and distributed by A24. The centerpiece of its horror is the completely unhinged performance of Sally Hawkins as Laura, a woman driven to murderous psychosis by the death of her daughter. From the start, Laura exuded an air of weirdness, which Hawkins expertly escalated into full psycho-biddy mayhem with measured skill.

Barratt's Andy was abused and gaslighted, but he would still do what he can to protect his sister. Wong, really visually- impaired with her inborn coloboma and microphthalmia, was naturally vulnerable in her film debut. Wren Phillips's Ollie had the most disgusting scenes here, including a knife-chewing stunt sure to make you flinch.  Child abuse is true horror, never easy to swallow, especially now when disturbingly magnified on the big screen like this. 7/10

Review of SUPERMAN (2025): Concerning Clark and his Choices

July 7, 2025

After gaining access to files from the Fortress of Solitude, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) has accused Superman (David Corenswet) of being sent to Earth to subdue it in the name of Krypton. With his powerful henchmen -- the nanotechnology-charged Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) and the mysterious masked fighter Hammer of Boravia -- Luthor was able to bring Superman down on his knees and incarcerate him in a pocket dimension. 

Writer-director James Gunn began the film with an intro recounting events from 3 centuries ago, 3 decades ago, 3 years ago, 3 days ago, 3 hours ago, up to 3 minutes ago until we see a severely injured Superman hurtling down from the sky into the snows of Antarctica. He was involved in an armed conflict between two countries -- Boravia and Jarhanpur. Of course, Luthor was behind the scenes manipulating the strings of the war, and the Hammer.

As we have previously seen in his previous Marvel films -- the "Guardians of the Galaxy" series (2014, 2017 and 2023) and the reboot of "The Suicide Squad" (2021) -- Gunn's signature brand of action and humor and pop rock music are also all over his version of "Superman." With this heartful story that made Superman the unexpected underdog, Gunn was able to restore our emotional connection to this beloved superhero from planet Krypton. 

A major factor for this film's success was the casting of David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. Aside from his relatively unfamiliar and unwieldy name, Corenswet is coming in with the disadvantage of taking over the role many fans think should have stayed with Henry Cavill of the Zack Snyder DC films. However, Corenswet brought to his Superman a winsome charm, as well as a tangible sense of human vulnerability that makes us care for him.

The humanity of this Superman are obvious in his various personal relationships. Corenswet's Clark Kent has an electric chemistry with Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, certainly more than Cavill and Adams did. The scenes he shared with his Earth parents Jonathan and Martha Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell) creates a wave of filial nostalgia. Even how Superman treated the robots of the Fortress, like Greg (Alan Tudyk), evoked pure kindness.

Particularly delightful among Superman's relationships was the one he had with the super-dog Krypto.  It is a Kryptonian breed, but it looked furrier and more terrier-like than the cartoon Krypto.  This naughty canine would just do whatever chaotic activity it set its mind on doing, while poor Supes helplessly tried to order him to stop, to no avail, resulting in some of this film's most unpredictable and unruly scenes. Dog owners will identify, and smile. 

Superman also interacts with a new group of heroes called the Justice Gang. Their Green Lantern  (Nathan Fillion) with a weird streak and who sported a blond bowl haircut. Their Hawkgirl (Isabel Merced) was a fearsome flying fighter, but had a grumpy attitude about her.  The coolest of these new heroes was Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), whose extraordinary techie action scenes elicited spontaneous applause. Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), a metahuman who can convert his body into any element, is introduced with a conflict of dramatic heft. 

And then there is the classic genius villain -- Lex Luthor. Nicholas Hoult gave him an air of angry pride we did not see from previous actors. The way this Luthor was "personally" fighting Superman virtually by calling out every punch and kick delivered by the Hammer was ingeniously executed. This Luthor evil was borne out of extreme envy, the intensity of which Hoult conveyed with such remarkable restraint, which may make him Oscar-bound.

There were several callbacks to the original 1977 "Superman" film by Richard Donner from which Gunn gained his inspiration for this version. Of course, the iconic theme music by John Williams was heard many times, evoking memories of younger days past. The singular silver font and presentation of the closing credits was met with cheers. Christopher Reeve's son Will Reeve even has a cameo appearance as a news reporter. 

The Daily Planet crew were all there, led by their gruff editor-in-chief Perry White (Wendell Pierce). For serious DC fans in the know, there were cameos by government agent Rick Flag, Jr. (Frank Grillo), and tech billionaire Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn), who was the corporate sponsor behind the Justice Gang. Before the film ended, there was also a sneak preview of a certain Super relative who is set to have a movie of her own in 2026. 

Overall, Gunn's vision of Superman was old-fashioned and sentimental, but updated with complex science fiction with innovative technology. How Lois Lane can pilot a new-fangled air craft or how Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) could be an irresistible ladies' man may seem silly, but chalk those up to Gunn's campy sense of comedy. I have high hopes this film could give the struggling DC film universe the boost it needs to reach new heights it deserves. 9/10

Review of JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH: Misguided Mutants

July 3, 2025

A giant pharmaceutical company, Parker Genix, is planning to develop a cardiology wonder drug from the DNA of dinosaurs.  Company agent Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) recruited covert operations expert Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) and paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) to lead an expedition to acquire blood samples from three massive dinosaurs from sea (the Mosasaurus), land (the Titanosaurus) and air (the Quetzalcoatalis). 

To get to the Ile Saint-Hubert in the Atlantic Ocean, they hire the boat and team of Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali). However, before they reached their destination, Duncan's radio picked up a distress call sent by a father Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), when the sailboat carrying him, his daughters Teresa (Luna Blaise) and Isabella (Audrina Miranda), and Teresa's spaced-out boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono), capsized. 

The "Jurassic Park" franchise was born in 1993, when the first film directed by Steven Spielberg was released, enthralling the whole world with its life-like resurrection of three-dimensional dinosaurs on the big screen. Sequels were released in 1997 and 2001. The series was rebooted with another trilogy retitled "Jurassic World," shown in 2015, 2018 and 2022. To be honest, none of the sequels ever matched the magical quality of the original. 

This present film is yet another attempt to revive interest in the franchise. For the screenplay, they brought back David Koepp, who co-wrote the first film along with Michael Crichton. The mood of the story reflected real life issues. Set 32 years after the dinosaurs were revived, public interest about them has already waned, a concern which pushed Dr. Loomis to accept the project. I suspect this revival of interest was also what this reboot wants to achieve. 

We know that people watch these Jurassic Park / World films more for the dinosaurs, not the annoying human characters. You can easily predict who among the humans will survive to the end -- just look at the cast list. Characters played by the lesser-known actors will die first (except the children, of course). As expected, the most evil character will die in the most grisly way (though nothing tops the way Dennis Nedry died in the first film).  

The absolute best action sequence in this new film was the one that featured a gigantic T-Rex chasing Reuben's family as they rode a sturdy rubber emergency raft down a raging river. The scene of a tearful Dr. Loomis during a close encounter with titanosauruses in the cornfield was awe-inspiring, though not as much as awesome as the initial brachiosaurus sighting in the first film. They teased about a velociraptor but it turned out to only be a short cameo. 

In the grounds of the abandoned lab, Zora, Loomis and company were attacked dino-mutants, tragic freaks born out of failed genetic experiments in the past. Seeing these hideous man-made creatures were not my cup of tea at all. We watch Jurassic Park to see dinosaurs that really existed come to life, not to see ugly deformed monsters, sorry.  I hope future installments of the coming trilogy will not dwell on these mutants anymore. 6/10

Netflix: Review of K-POP DEMON HUNTERS: Shielding with Song

July 1, 2025

Demons have been stealing the souls of poor unsuspecting humans and channeling them to strengthen their leader, Gwi-Ma. A group of three enchanted women came together to hunt and fight these demons. With their gift of song, these women united the souls of the people to created a shield called the Honmoon to protect the human world. Succeeding generations of Hunters used their singing voices to maintain the Honmoon.

The present day Demon Hunters were in the form of K-pop girl group called Huntr/x, namely lead singer Rumi, dancer MIra and rapper Zoey. They were under the tutelage of Celine, a former demon hunter who raised Rumi, whose late mom was also a hunter. One day after their world tour, Rumi lost her voice as mysterious marks were appearing on her skin. Meanwhile, a boy band of demons called Saja Boys were fast gaining in popularity.

Co-writer and co-director Maggie Kang came up with main story, mixing in elements of Korean mythology and K-pop to create her dream culturally-focused animated movie. The principle of demon hunters and the impenetrable Honmoon created by their songs that kept humankind safe were fascinating. Just as interesting was the idea that gaining a bigger fandom was the be-all and end-all solution to the critical problem

K-pop is so ubiquitous nowadays, every song in the film is so catchy. Huntr/x had songs like "How It's Done," "Golden" and "What It Sounds Like." They even had a song Rumi did not like called "Takedown," but it wasn't any less poppy. The Saja Boys were winsomeright off the bat with the irresistibly sing-along-able fiest hit, "Soda Pop." Their second song "Your Idol" could  be a metaphor of how the public can easily be brainwashed by their hypnotically powerful music.

The handsome rendition of Saja leader Jinu and his romantic interactions with Rumi will thrill fans, especially the young female kind.  The Ru-Jinu love team had great chemistry together, as evidenced by their duet "Free." There were also other aspects of Korean life shown here, like relaxing in bath houses, medicinal tonics that can be fake, wacky TV game shows with celebrities, the cute tiger and the cuter bird with the hat. 8/10

 

Review of F1 THE MOVIE: A Racer's Redemption

July 1, 2025

Back in the 1990s, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was considered a promising prodigy in Formula One (or F1) car racing. However, in 1993, he experienced a bad car crash during the Spanish Grand Prix. He  sustained serious back injuries and had to prematurely drop out of the F1 circuit for good. In the years following this accident, Sonny continued a racer-for-hire in minor races as he battled gambling addiction and failed marriages. 

One day, Sonny was approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), who was now the owner of the APXGP F1 Team. Ruben's team had not been doing well in the current season, finishing last in the previous championship. Investors have threatened to withdraw support if APX fails to win any of the remaining GP races that year. Ruben wanted Sonny to drive for his team, together with rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris).

As an actor, Brad Pitt has consistently done well both commercially and critically. He had one Oscar for Acting (Supporting for "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"), nominated for 3 more.  He is also very active as a film producer in his own production outfit Plan B entertainment, which he owned on his own since 2005. Plan B had won three Oscars for Best Picture ("The Departed," "12 Years a Slave" and "Moonlight"), nominated for eight more.  

F1 is the latest project released by Plan B, and it does not seem farfetched that it will attract Academy Award attention as well. The story is simple and frankly, quite familiar, so may find yourself predicting what will happen next in the strained relationship between Sonny and Joshua, and likely guess a lot of things right. The star power of Brad Pitt was a big factor to make the dramatic redemption story of Sonny Hayes pop out on the big screen, enhanced by awesome production design by Ben Munro and cool costumes by Julian Day. 

Ehren Kruger's screenplay put Sonny and Joshua into all kinds of tight situations and perilous accidents in Grand Prixes in Britain, Belgium, Italy, Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi. Director Joseph Kosinki upped the danger and suspense of these racing scenes with intense cinematography by Claudio MIranda, rapid editing by Stephen Mirrione and heart-pounding music by Hans Zimmer. After this, Kosinki's plan for a sequel featuring Pitt's Sonny and Tom Cruise's Cole from "Days of Thunder" (Tony Scott, 1990) is a certainly a very exciting idea. 8/10

Review of 28 YEARS LATER: Persistence of a Plague

June 24, 2025

28 years after the second outbreak of the Rage Virus, the British Isles remained to the only place in Europe still overrun by the infected. There was an isolated group of survivors living in Lindisfarne island. One day, scavenger Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) brought his 12 year old son Spike (Alfie Williams) across the tidal causeway to the mainland for a coming-of-age ritual of hunting down infecteds, some of whom had mutated into giant Alphas. 

Spike had a different mission in mind -- to find a doctor for his mother Isla (Jodie Comer) who had been mysteriously ill for some time. Upon his successful return to their island with his father, Spike brought his mother to the mainland himself to search for the reclusive survivor Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) for a possible treatment. Along the way, they encountered a Swedish soldier Erik (Edvin Ryding) and helped a pregnant infected (Celi Crossland) give birth. 

This new sequel comes 18 years after the first sequel "28 Weeks Later" (2007). The first film "28 Days Later" (2002) is now considered a horror classic that revived interest for zombie films in the new millennium. The original creators of this first film -- director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland -- are both back on board to continue the tale they first told. Garland wrote this to be the first film of a new trilogy, with a sequel already set for release by January 2026.

Of course, there were still the blood-splattering scenes of our heroes Jamie and Spike shooting arrows into the heads or hearts of attacking infecteds. We are also introduced to the mutant infecteds called Alphas, physically bigger and supposedly more intelligent variants. In particular, there was one Alpha called Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) with his imposing size (and appendage), whose kill style was ripping off his victim's head and spine. 

When Spike and Isla finally meet Dr. Kesler, the tone shifted radically to a more sober, contemplative tone. We see the grisly tower of skulls seen in the posters, and learn of its significance. For those wondering what that 2002 flashback prologue about vicar's son Jimmy was all about, the answer would only be revealed at the very end when Spike met grown-up Jimmy (Jack O'Connell), whom I guess we'll see more of in the coming sequels.  7/10

Review of UNCONDITIONAL: Transman Trials

June 22, 2025

Anna (Rhian Ramos) was a professional social media marketing manager. She had already broken up with her toxic boyfriend Mark (Paulo Gumabao), but the guy still kept calling her to ask if she would accept his politician father's offer to work for him. Her best friend Uly (Rico Barrera) invited Anna to go with him to spend a few weeks in beautiful Siargao to get her mind off the negative thoughts which were bothering her. 

Several years ago, Greg (Allen Dizon) brought his mother Dolores (Elizabeth Oropesa) from their hometown in Batangas to Siargao where his elder sister Terry (Lotlot de Leon) had set up a business selling island souvenirs. He worked at the coffee shop of his good friend Liam (Brandon Ramirez) as a barista. One day, when Uly needed to go back to Manila earlier than expected, he dutifully endorsed Anna to Greg's care. 

On the surface, it would seem like this was just another love story set in the backdrop of a picturesque island paradise. However, in that first sequence where we meet Greg, we are immediately shown that he had a couple of big scars located in his chest under his two nipples. We are shown that he was injecting the contents of a medicinal ampule trans-dermally into a fold of skin he had pinched on the inner aspect of his thigh. 

We see his mother suffering from dementia, and she always called him by the name of Regina. So, when we put all these introductory clues together, we come to the conclusion that Greg was actually a transgender man. So this was the big twist of this romance, and director Adolfo Alix Jr. decided to reveal it from the start. This way we can effectively feel his fear and reluctance to declare the feelings of love he had for Anna. 

This is certainly a new acting challenge for Allen Dizon as he is playing a female character who had already transitioned into a male. As Greg, Dizon was mainly acting manly, but he was also able to project Regina's femininity long repressed within him.  While some may prefer a real trans man actor to play Greg, Dizon's restrained performance was brave and admirable, especially in that unprecedented nude gender reveal scene. 

Rhian Ramos's Anna was a woman working out various inner conflicts: tolerating demanding calls from an ex, wondering why this new man kept on keeping away. This portrayal of fluid lover Uly was Rico Barrera's most natural performance recently. Elizabeth Oropesa's Dolores was a mother battling with dementia, whose love for her children still shone through.  Comebacking Brandon Ramirez had an acting moment as Liam opened up to Greg. 7/10

Review of ELIO: Aspiring to be Abducted by Aliens

June 23, 2025

After both his parents passed away, the care of Elio Solis (Yonas Kibreab) was turned over to the guardianship of his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldana). She was an officer in the Air Force, but she had to give up her dreams of being an astronaut when Elio came into her life. Because of this, Elio never connected emotionally with her, try as she might. Elio believed that she lost her chance to achieve her dream because of him, so Olga did not want him in her life. 

In lieu of the loneliness he felt at home and at school (where he was picked on by bullies), Elio turned his attention to outer space. He actually wished he could be abducted by aliens. When an opportunity came up, he left a message for the aliens to come and get him. One day, Elio's wish actually came true, and an alien ship picked him up and brought to a place called Communiverse. They offered Elio to be the ambassador of Earth, and he accepted.

Just like another recent Disney film "Strange World," the story of "Elio" gave the Disney Pixar artists free rein to create their own alien world and creatures. The design of the villain character Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett) looked based on Zurg from the Toy Story films. The most memorable thing about him was that his imposing metallic armor housed a fat worm-like creature with gelatinous limbs, fireproof skin and multi-layered sharp teeth.  

Like many other Disney films before it, this film was also about a headstrong child lead character who took it upon themselves to embark on a big adventure in their lives, even if this went against the wishes of their elders. Elio was given a deeper psychological backstory given that he was adopted by his aunt in an unexpected manner. While this situation gave Elio a feeling of being unwanted, his Aunt Olga's point of view was not fully explored. 

Elio's first alien friend Glordon (Remy Edgerly) had another common problem faced by young people. Being of a gentler, more friendly nature, he did not want to be the war machine that his father Grigon wanted him to be.  Even then, Glordon was ready to accept his fate than face his father's fearsome wrath. It is to Pixar's credit that it dares to push and tackle these emotional issues which real children face, even if the final resolution tended to be too clean.

This film began with the vision of Adrian Molina (co-director and co-writer of "Coco"), but was later turned over to two other directors, Domee Shi (director of "Bao" and "Turning Red") and Madeline Sharafian (director of "Burrow"). The final screenplay was written by Julia Cho (co-writer of "Turning Red"), Mike Jones (co-writer of "Luca") and Mark Hammer. Perhaps this complicated production history would explain why the film can feel rather disjointed. 7/10 

Review of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2025): The Dilemma with Dragons

June 16, 2025

Hiccup (Mason Thames) was the son of Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), the heroic chieftain of their Viking village of Berk. Unlike other villages, the big pest problem of Berk did not ordinary bugs. Instead, they are dragons who fly into their fields grabbing their sheep and burning down their homes. Hiccup was told that his mother had died because of a dragon. He grew up wanting to be able to kill dragons. However, he was physically incapable of doing so. 

In 2010, Dreamworks released "How to Train Your Dragon," an animated feature about the friendship between a Viking boy and a Night Fury dragon, based on the 2003 novel and book series of the same title by Cressida Cowell. A commercial and critical success, this film launched its own franchise, including two sequels (2014 and 2019). This year, Dreamworks followed Disney's lead and produced its own live action remake of this modern classic.

The first film was written and directed by Chris Sanders and Will Deblois. Deblois alone wrote and directed this remake. (Meanwhile, Sanders worked on and released the live-action remake of his 2002 animated film "Lilo and Stitch" for Disney.)  Also back from the original films was Gerald Butler. He once voiced the character of Stoick the Vast, an important source of dramatic conflict in the story. Now, we see Butler himself perform on the big screen. 

Having live actors led to more emotional engagement between characters. Scenes of dorky Hiccup (Thames in a winsome performance) and his stern father had a lot more depth, especially in the third act. Astrid (a pretty, badass Nico Parker) was given more screen action, including a scene in a dragon's mouth. Snoutlout (Gabriel Howell) even had a subplot with his father not in the original. A mystic Elder Gothi (Naomi Wirthner) was prominently featured. 

This live action remake followed the animated original loyally -- practically scene for scene and line for line. This new version ran for 125 minutes, while the original ran for only 98 minutes. The major difference that caused this difference in running time was that the human versus dragon action sequences were much more prolonged. All the 3D CGI dragons now look a lot larger, more menacing, less cartoonish-looking than the original animated dragons. 8/10

Review of ONLY WE KNOW: Finding a Fulfilling Friendship

June 14, 2025

Betty (Charo Santos) had been married to her husband William (Al Tantay) for 33 years when they separated 12 years ago. They did not have any children.  Betty dedicated all her time to being a college professor since then. When time came for her to retire from teaching, Betty had more free time to pursue her passion for painting still life, and working on her gardening. Betty's best friends were couple Cora (Shamaine Buencamino) and Bert (Joel Saracho).

Living across the street from Betty's house in the same private village was Ryan (Dingdong Dantes). He is a structural engineer whose life had been dealt with a cruel blow with the sudden death of his wife Sofia (Max Collins). It has now been one year since Sofia passed away, but Ryan is still haunted by her memory. One day, Ryan saw Betty struggling with her heavy shopping bags. He promptly went over to offer her assistance. 

And from there, a fulfilling friendship would develop between these two neighbors, who did not know yet at that time that they were lonely. Based on her past work like "Meet Me in St. Gallen" (2018), "Sid and Aya: Not a Love Story" (2018), "On Vodka, Beers and Regrets" (2020), and "Five Breakups and a Romance" (2023), writer-director Irene Villamor is truly a master of bittersweet romance films.  She weaves her magic again here. 

Ever since the beginning of her career with "Itim" (1976), Ms. Charo Santos possessed that unmistakably radiant screen presence that illuminated any scene that she was in. She can effortlessly draw us to Betty's side and root for her to get through any challenge she faced. Santos was always classy in her portrayal of Betty, no sleazy cougar vibes at all despite Dingdong Dantes being 25 years younger than her.    

Dantes yielded centerstage to Santos for most of the film. But as he was helping Betty, Ryan was being healed as well without him realizing it.  Dantes was given an intense acting moment in that scene when Ryan read Betty's lab results. This sent him reeling on a prolonged anxiety attack haunted by the day of Sofia's death.  Villamor, with Pao Orendain's camera, worked dizzying wonders in that scene, bringing us all inside Ryan's traumatic experience. 

Villamor kept the relationship between Betty and Ryan very subtle. We were kept guessing whether there was indeed a romance brewing between them or not. We all felt like Cora when she first saw Betty and Ryan together -- intrigued by the mystery, yet there was an breathtaking thrill about them. It was sheer directorial skill how Villaflor kept this uncertainty going for the whole final act, and still keep us guessing all the way up to the ending. 9/10

Review of BALLERINA: Fighting as a Female

June 5. 2025

When Eve was still a little girl (Victoria Comte), their house was attacked by a band of assassins attempting to kill her father Javier (David Castaneda). The killers were led by the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), who was angry with Javier because he went rogue against their organization. The Chancellor gave Javier a pistol with a single bullet and offered him the choice to shoot himself so his daughter lives, or to shoot him and both of them will die.

12 years later, Eve (Ana de Armas) was training as a ballerina under the Director (Anjelica Huston). The Director was also the head of the Roma Ruska, an underground organization of assassins, and Eve was also training in their deadly trade. Eve was taught by her trainer Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) to "fight like a girl," meaning to take advantage of her femaleness in order to get the upper hand over her bigger, stronger opponents. 

The title "Ballerina" is preceded by "From the World of John Wick," as it is the fifth film of that franchise. In "John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum," when Wick first met the Director (also played by Huston),  a ballerina named Rooney was on the stage failing her pirouettes. Rooney was played by Unity Phelan before, but now, she is named Eve and played by de Armas. Scenes of Wick walking down the stairs and being branded at the back in that film were revisited here.

Willowy Ana de Armas may seem like an unlikely assassin of deadly skill. But, as this is the John Wick universe, so we need to suspend our disbelief big time in order to enjoy watching her plow through one horde of pro assassins after another. In the third act, all the residents of an entire town were all after her, and still she prevailed. The way Eve survived being bodily hurled and slammed here, she might as well be made of steel. Her fighting style did not really reflect her ballet training though, not sure why she had to be one. 

Aside from the non-stop bone-crushing fights, fans of the John Wick franchise will enjoy seeing the New York Continental Hotel again, along with its owner Winston Scott (Ian McShane) and concierge Charon (the late Lance Reddick in his final movie appearance). Of course, the highlight was seeing the baba yaga John Wick himself in a fight in the final fiery half-hour, though ever the gentleman, Reeves never stole de Armas's thunder. There are three more John Wick films in production after this, and yes, we are excited about them! 7/10

Review of KARATE KID: LEGENDS: Synergistic Styles

June 1, 2025

Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) ran a big kung fu school in Beijing. One of his best students was his grand-nephew Li (Ben Wang), a young man troubled by memories of his elder brother's death. One day, Li's physician mother Dr. Fong (Ming-Na Wen) brought a reluctant Li to New York City where she had been accepted to work. One of Li's first friends was Mia (Sadie Stanley), daughter of Victor Lipani (Joshua Jackson), a former boxer who now owned a pizza parlor. 

This film continues the story of the "Karate Kid" franchise -- a spin-off sequel. It started with a story which Mr. Miyagi told Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) back in 1986. Apparently, Miyagi's ancestor was a fisherman whose boat got washed away by a storm all the way to China. There, the Han family rescued him, and later taught him the Chinese martial art of kung-fu.  When Miyagi went back to his home in Okinawa, Japan, he developed the fighting techniques further and called it Karate.  

Ralph Macchio was Daniel in the first three films (1984, 1986 and 1989), but not in the 1994 "The Next Karate Kid" (with Hilary Swank) nor the 2010 reboot "The Karate Kid" (with Jaden Smith). In the last film, Jackie Chan played the kung-fu master of bullied boy Dre (played by an 11 year old Jaden Smith) in Beijing. Macchio would return to play Daniel vis-a-vis his old rival Johnny (William Zabka) in the series "Cobra Kai" streaming on Netflix from 2021 to 2025. 

Macchio is now a young-looking 63 year old, and playing Daniel LaRusso remains to be what he is best known for. Chan is still youthfully energetic now at 71 years old, and it had always been a pleasure watching him kung-fu fighting on the big screen. Mr. Han flew to L.A. to request LaRusso to teach his ward Li the Miyagi-style of karate, in order make Li ready to face the upcoming underground fight competition -- Five Borough's Tournament.  

The original story about a boy taught by his mentors to get ready for a big fight was still very much there. Ben Wang's Li was a capable kung-fu fighter who already had a spectacular dragon kick move from the start, but he had to learn new techniques from Han and LaRusso ("two branches, one tree") before he can face his big bully Conor Day (Aramis Knight). Even if the final outcome was obvious, the fight scenes were still very much worth the watch. 6/10. 

Review of LILO AND STITCH (2025): Accepting an Alien

May 23, 2025

The United Galactic Federation had convicted Dr. Jumba Jookiba for his illegal genetic experiments which had resulted in the creation of a violent, indestructible creature whom he called Experiment 626 (Chris Sanders). Sentenced for exile 626 carnapped a red police cruiser that brought him to planet Earth. However, instead of landing in water (which was fatal for him given his high molecular density), his cruiser landed on one island in Hawaii. 

When both their parents passed away one day, teenager Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong) had to forego her plans for going to the university to study marine biology. However, she had her hands full keeping her 6-year old sister Lilo (Maia Kealoha) in control, especially under the watchful eyes of social worker Mrs. Kekoa (Tia Carrere, the original voice of Nani). Motherly next-door neighbor Tutu (Any Hill) and her surfer son David (Kaipo Dudoit) tried their best to help her babysit. 

As the 2002 animated original film told us before, Lilo would adopt Stitch as her ugly pet dog leading to hilarious chaos, and heartwarming sentiment. Despite the unwieldy mixture of alien sci-fi and Hawaiian culture, it won critical acclaim and box-office success.  It famously taught us the Hawaiian concept of "ohana" that meant "family," that meant "nobody gets left behind or forgotten," a line of enduring appeal and impact, much like "Hakuna matata" before it.

Aside from giving David a mother, this reboot gave Nani a backstory out for more dramatic impact. The social worker Cobra Bubbles character had been split into two for this remake -- social worker Mrs. Kekoa and CIA agent Cobra (Courtney Vance). For them to be able to blend in better, the aliens going after 626, Dr. Jumba and bumbling "Earth expert" Agent Pleakley, were made to inhabit human forms of Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen.  Jason Scott Lee, the original voice of David, also has a cameo appearance.

This new 2025 version was again a live-action adaptation, following all the previous ones that Disney had been releasing recently. This one was rather uneven for me. The animatronic character design of Stitch was very cute, but the scenes of him and the aliens was being destructive felt scarier and more dangerous. I understand why they chose to scrap the whole Gantu spacecraft battle in the third act as its too violent for a live action kids film. However, having live actors trumped the animated version when it came to the emotionally-affecting family scenes. 7/10

Review of CONMOM: Forcing the Funny

May 22, 2025

Pinky (Kaye Abad) retired from being a theater actress when she got married to wealthy Anton Gonzales (Kit Thompson) and became a mother to Yana (Valerie Talion), now 7 years old. She still kept in touch with her theater colleagues Benok (Paolo Contis), Jetboy (Empoy Marquez) and her cousin director Oyet (Patrick Garcia), who all became Yana's godparents. They remained to be Pinky's best friends and shoulders for her to cry on. 

One day, Pinky saw Anton walking with his mistress Rachel (Kiel Canoza), who was even pregnant. When she confronted him and told him that she is tired of her chronic womanizing. Exasperatedly, she told him that she wants out of their marriage. Instead of being apologetic, Anton shocked her by throwing her out of the house and proceeded to cut off all contact with her daughter. Pinky had to resort to stealthy ploys (the titular "con") just to see Yana. 

This film was two hours long, but the plot about a marriage on the rocks and the child caught in between was a commonly-told tale in Filipino films. Director Noel Tonga just padded the main story core of the film with long, loving shots of picturesque Boljoon, Cebu (that magnificent old church just across the street from the wide open sea was so inviting, you'd want to go visit this place right away), and silly uneven comedy routines by Pinky's three friends (these lame attempts at "humor" felt forced than truly funny). 

The various "cons" Pinky and her friends did to see Yana -- supposedly the point of this movie -- were not planned or executed well, with terrible masks and ugly wigs. The one involving a "merman" on the beach was very corny. The part where their gang tried to recreate the film shoot rescue plot from Oscar Best Picture winner "Argo" (2012) during the girl's birthday in her school was wasted with that seemingly endless run to get from her classroom to the front gate. The climactic airport con was so clunky obvious, it surely could have been done better.  

While Kaye Abad really played Pinky in the most sympathetic way, one could not help but wonder why it felt as if this script had thrown all the progress of the women's movement over the years all out of the window. Pinky not only let abusive Anton walk all over her, and she had to resort to playing fools in order to talk to Yana. When her desperation reached her peak, she actually tearfully knelt on the floor before him, begging him to let her back into the house. Abad went all out for this scene, but honestly it was just so painful to watch. 2/10

Review of FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES: Deliverance from Death?

May 20, 2025

"Final Destination" is a horror film franchise that began in 2000. It was about a group of young people who cheated death by missing an airplane that exploded in mid-air, so Death went after them to kill them one by one in gruesome fashion. The story of this first film was actually a repurposing of an idea for the "X-Files" TV series, hence X-philes will recognize the names of director James Wong, and his writing partner Glen Morgan among the creatives behind it. 

Over the years, there had been four more sequels that followed the same story framework -- a premonition causing some people meant to die to avoid dying in a disaster, so a piqued Death came after these survivors. FD2 (2003) was about a massive vehicular pile-up on the expressway. FD3 (2006) was about a roller coaster crash. FD4 (2009) was about a race car crashing into the grandstand. FD5 (2011) was about a major bridge collapsing in a city. 

It was only 14 years later that a new sequel has been released, still following the same formula. In 1968, Iris Campbell (Brec Bassinger) had a premonition that the glass floor of a nightclub at the top of a new tower was breaking, and her warning saved everyone there. In the present time, Stefani Ramos (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) was having bad nightmares about that disaster, and surmised that Iris was her estranged grandmother (Gabrielle Rose).  

The big twist here was that Death was exacting revenge not only on the main clairvoyant, but also on her whole family. Stefani noted that Death may be going for her relatives in order of seniority, and this upped the sense of paranoia especially for the next one in line. The fact that this series of deaths were happening within a family also gives a different dynamic.  As it had been for the past films, the main draw of this film was the wild mechanisms of death and gore level of these kills -- the more over-the-top, the more gruesome, the better. 

For true fans of film horror, there was a sentimental moment in the middle of this new film because of a cameo from a horror film icon -- Tony Todd. While he was better known as "Candyman" (1992), Todd also appeared in FD 1, 2 and 5 as mortician William Bludworth. In his one scene, Todd already looked weak and cachectic from the stomach cancer he was suffering from. He delivered a line about the preciousness of life, reportedly unscripted, that will surely connect emotionally with viewers.  This was Todd's final screen appearance. 7/10

 

Review of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE: THE FINAL RECKONING: Eliminating the Entity

May 17, 2025

It has been two months since Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) acquired the two halves of a key which was needed to gain control of the Entity. The US President Erica Sloane (Angela Bassett) had personally reached out to Hunt to surrender the key to her government. However, Hunt believed that the Entity should be destroyed outright. This powerful artificial intelligence was now wreaking havoc, taking over the nuclear arsenals of the world.

The action picked up right from where "Dead Reckoning Part 1" left off. In the first act, POTUS Sloane is faced with tough decisions as the US nukes were fast becoming the next target of being controlled by the Entity. Meanwhile, Hunt was deep into planning with his group -- Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg) and the master thief Grace (Hayley Atwell) -- to rescue Paris (Pom Klementieff) from prison in order to get to Gabriel (Esai Morales).  

We already learned in the last film that the key will be used to access the source code of Entity in the doomed Russian submarine Sevastopol. The second act was dedicated to how Ethan was able to locate the sunken sub and the extreme perils he faced to do his mission. Cruise's 20-minute long underwater stunt scene, as the sub was precariously slipping off its ledge with the torpedoes inside all falling down, gave us all an intense experience of drowning panic. 

The third act told of how Ethan was going to insert Luther's Poison Pill (which was in Gabriel's possession) into the drive containing the Entity source code, while a countdown to global nuclear annihilation was fast winding down. To top the final stunt in the last film of train cars falling into a ravine, the finale here was a breathtaking "dogfight" of biplanes in the skies. Again, Cruise impressed with these spectacular, wild and crazy mid-air stunts.  

This is supposedly the final installment of a film franchise that started 29 years ago in 1996, the first film directed by suspense master Brian de Palma. Aside from Cruise and Rhames, it also featured Henry Czerny as IMF director, now CIA director Eugene Kittridge. This new film had several callbacks from the first film like Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), and IT William Donloe (Rolf Saxon) from the iconic Vault scene, including the knife that fell on the table. 

If he gave the last film had a rather humorous tone, director Christopher McQuarrie got lot more serious in this new one. The whole first hour was practically just a lot of talking. The first car chase scene was only seen in the last hour of this new one. Here, the fate of the whole world lay on the hands of a selected few, so the focus was on several decisions requiring intense moral discernment and judgement that needed to be made. 

Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt had certainly matured from that cocky young agent we first met in 1996. Compared to "Dead Reckoning" and "Top Gun Maverick," here Cruise himself looked like his age has finally caught up with his eternally youthful screen persona. However, you would not see that age from the elaborate stunts Cruise he gave his all for in this one. For these alone, "The Final Reckoning" deserves to be watched on the biggest screens. 8/10

 

Review of BLACK BAG: Flair to Fabricate

May 7, 2025

Agent George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) was given one week to identify the source of the leak of a top-secret software called Severus. The suspects were all his fellow agents within British Intelligence -- Freddie (Tom Burke), his girlfriend satellite specialist Clarissa (Marissa Abela), James (Rene Jean Page) and his girlfriend psychiatrist Dr. Zoe (Naomie Harris). The fifth suspect was George's own wife and fellow agent Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). 

The titular "black bag" in espionage parlance refers to a piece of classified information you cannot share with anyone. This film posits that the spy game is a game of lies and for agents, the skill of lying is a valuable asset. They made the six agents three romantically-involved couples, so there is an aspect of trusting a person who was supposed to by a professional liar. There are inevitably "black bags" which you cannot reveal to your significant other.

David Koepp was the writer behind big box-office hits like "Jurassic Park" (1993) and "Spider-Man" (2002). But in "Black Bag," Koepp came up with an intense psychological thriller about an investigation of a worldwide threat that was centered around a group of six people, one of whom was leaking vital info. Koepp's script was very wordy, complicated with spy jargon. The web-like plot seemed clear enough if you don't dwell on the details too much. 

Director Steven Soderbergh burst into the big time in 1989 when the first film he wrote and directed "Sex, Lies and Videotape" won the Palme D'Or at Cannes, making him the youngest winner of that prize at age 26. In 2001, he was nominated for Best Director Oscar for two films -- "Erin Brockovich" and "Traffic," and won for the latter. in He announced his retirement from film direction in 2013, but soon came back to work in 2016 with "Logan Lucky."

The way Soderbergh staged the confrontations of the film's characters made us feel like we were watching a play. That first dinner scene where George played a psychological game, challenging his colleagues to make a resolution, not for himself, but for the person on his right side. This, of course, led to hurtful revelations between the couples around the table. Interesting drama, yes, but these relationships were not really pertinent to the Severus plot. 

The first two acts, setting up the investigative scenario, which later made George an unwitting accomplice to a diversionary ruse of the enemy, were masterfully executed. Fassbender's dry methodical George and Blanchett's fiery Kathryn played off each other with such electric chemistry. The third act was made more complex with the involvement of their boss Stieglitz (Pierce Brosnan), but it did not exactly live up to the promise of the build-up. 7/10

Review of UNTOLD: Adulterated Ambition

May 1, 2025

Vivian Vera (Jodi Sta. Maria) was the only daughter of local cafeteria owner Monica (Gloria Diaz), who raised her solo after the death of her father Gerald (Gian Magdangal), an ace reporter whom Vivian idolized growing up. She achieved her dream when she overcame all odds to be chosen as the lead investigative reporter of the hit TV show "Untold," after she made public the secret ingredient of a restaurant's meat dishes. 

Vivian catapulted to even more fame after she exposed the heinous murder of informal settlers perpetrated by sadistic real-estate people, a grisly news story she did with her cameraman Benjie (Joem Bascon), dubbed as the "Cement Massacre." One day at the Quiapo Church, a mysterious woman (Ambrosia Taboneknek) slipped a crude charm bracelet on Vivian's wrist, telling her that she can now see the victims of her past sin.

Jodi Sta. Maria mettle as an actress needs no further proof, in any genre it seems. I've seen her as lead in two other fairly recent horror films, "Second Coming" (2019) as the stepmother of a possessed girl, and "Clarita" (2019) where her titular character herself was possessed. For this second one, she was also directed by Derick Cabrido, also her director here in "Untold." The chemistry between star and director was certainly palpable.

Cabrido also co-wrote the script together with Roselle Y. Monteverde and Noreen Capili. At first, it felt like the story was going to be just a one-dimensional one about avenging angry spirits. As it went on, there were more unpredictable layers to justify its two-hour running time. The violent crime scenes were not for the faint at heart, especially as they transgress into heartless and depraved territory. There should be a trigger warning for ailurophiles. 

The writers also squeezed in a cougar element, with Vivian's love-struck PA Jasper (a consistently engaging Juan Karlos). A very prominent subplot was about ambitious competitive female journalists who were vying for a single slot on the TV show, with rivals Elaine (Sarah Edwards) and Louise (a frustratingly anemic performance by Kaori Oinuma). A notable supporting role was Amanda (a standout performance by Lianne Valentin), daughter of a massacre victim Teresa (a haunting Ge Villamil in cement make-up). 7/10

Review of THUNDERBOLTS*: Unintended Union

April 29, 2025

CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) was being impeached by the US Congress. In order to eliminate all evidence of her shenanigans, she separately ordered her hired mercenaries -- Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Antonia Dreykov (Olga Kurilenko) -- to proceed to one place for a mission. It dawned on them that Valentina wanted them to kill each other. 

The characters of this film were anti-heroes. They were flawed entities all had super-abilities but were laden with sad backstories and heavy mental health issues. They were lonely loners who were ready to kill or be killed. They certainly did not consider themselves to be heroic. Yet here they are, thrown together by cruel circumstance and forced to work with each other, using each others' strengths in order to get out of a situation that meant sure death. 

Later, there were two more characters who share the same anti-hero storyline who will join them. Yelena's father figure Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) had been reduced to driving a limousine for a living, missing the action he once had as the Red Guardian. Former Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) was now a congressman of the United States, a political position he was able to gain despite his shady violent past brainwashed by Hydra. 

And then there was the mysterious Bob (Lewis Pullman). He just suddenly showed up at the same place with the others, dressed only in pajamas, seemingly just an ordinary chap. No one knew who he was, not even Valentina herself.  Who Bob was and how he gained the impressive superpowers was one of the major storylines of this film. He fit right into this misfit group with his innate negativity which would evolve into a terrifying Void. 

Except for Bob, the others had been side-characters in prior MCU films and series. Of course, Bucky Barnes was the most well-known, as Steve Rogers' best friend in "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011). Yelena, Alexei and Antonia were introduced in "Black Widow" (2021). Ghost was first seen in "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (2018). John Walker and Valentina Allegria de Fontaine debuted in Disney+ series "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" (2021). While not really that essential, your viewing would be better if you were familiar to you.

The overall mood was sad and dark, but writers Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo incorporate much wit and humor in the lines to balance things out. Director Jack Schreier's last feature film was "Paper Towns" (2015) and this is his first MCU project (and third film overall), but he felt like a seasoned veteran the way he handled the delicate subject matter of mental health and integrated this into the action-packed superhero genre.  There were fun energetic CGI-heavy sequences, but the emotional connection with broken characters remain felt and potent. 8/10

P.S. Stay to the end to see what that asterisk in the title is really all about. There is one mid-credits scene and another one at the very end of the closing credits. 

Review of SINNERS: Mesmerizing Musicality

 April 20, 2025

In 1932, Sammie (Miles Caton), nicknamed "Preacher Boy" because his father was the pastor of the local church, joined his older cousins, a pair of twin brothers nicknamed Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan). They had just come back to their Mississipi hometown with a stash of cash they gained after working for gangsters in Chicago. They wanted to open the best juke joint in their area, and Sammie was going to be their guitar-player and singer. 

They recruited liquor-loving Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) to play piano, Chinese shopkeepers Bo and Grace (Yao and Li Jun Li) for the supplies, and big guy Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) to be their doorman. Smoke's estranged wife Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) was the cook. Stack's ex-girlfriend Mary (Hailee Steinfeld) was still sore for being abandoned. Sammie met a sultry blues singer Pearline (Jaymie Lawson) on whom he had a big crush. 

Writer-director Ryan Coogler certainly took his time in telling his story. The entire first hour was spent on building this world of the Moore twins Smoke and Stack, introducing them and all the characters around them, so that we will care about what happens to them in the second half of the film.  At first, we needed clues to distinguish the twins -- Smoke wore a blue beret, while Stack wore a red fedora. Later, Jordan made sure we could tell which twin was who.

From the very beginning, we already knew that music was going to play an important role in this movie. The narrator tells us how cultures all over the world all believed that music could have supernatural powers. When Sammie told his pastor father that he was going to play blues music, he was warned how this music could bring him towards danger. Blues music is laden with sensual melancholy as derived from Afro-American work songs and spirituals.

The highlight of the second act was that auditory spectacle of hearing Sammie sing and play guitar in the juke joint. Hearing a preview of Miles Caton's rich singing voice for the first time in the car was already so great. However, his spellbinding performance on that stage on opening night, that was truly breathtaking. You simply need to hear it to believe how this music was able to summon spirits from the future and the past, and the supernatural.

Winmi Mosaku's Annie may not fit in the mold of a typical Michael B. Jordan leading lady, but she was way more woman than any other -- a strong and sultry earth mother. Hailee Steinfeld stood out not because of her light skin color, but likewise for the maturity of the Mary role, so far from how we knew her from "True Grit" (2010) or the "Hawkeye" Disney+ series (2021). Jayme Lawson was a sensually-charged Pearline, especially in her song "Pale Pale Moon." 

The third act began abruptly with a sudden appearance of an Irish guy named Remmick (Jack O'Connell) who had escaped from an Indian tribe. From that time on, the film took on a totally different atmosphere of dread and horror, a jarring turnaround from the socio-cultural flavor of the first two acts. These new monsters were deadly, but still retained their original personality before they turned. The mid-credit scene must definitely not be missed. 9/10  

Review of FATHERLAND: Finding a Father

April 22, 2025

After his mother Amparo (Max Eigenmann) passed away in San Francisco USA, Alex (Inigo Pascual) decided to come back to the Philippines to search for his long-estranged father Ipe (Allen Dizon). Bringing along his girlfriend Janet (Ara Davao), his first stop was their hometown in Arayat, Pampanga, where he met his father's brother Yoyong (Jim Pebanco), who suffered a stroke after being pressured by a real estate company to sell their farm.

Further clues brought Alex to the house of Yasmin (Angel Aquino) in Mindanao, who knew Ipe as Fayez, a man who converted to Islam to marry her. Fayez took a second wife Farida (Ara Mina). Thanks to his social media post, Alex's next destination was the town of San Sebastian, where an aide of the Vice Mayor Gwen Gueco (Mercedes Cabral) named Riza (Karel Kinouchi) recognized Ipe as Teban, a gay unstable vagrant-turned-janitor. 

With "Fatherland," director Joel Lamangan was attempting to do an epic film, with a story of a family that would span decades of time and the whole country. Despite budget limitations, it was very ambitious, aspiring to be another "Aguila" (Eddie Romero, 1980) or "Hindi Mo Ako Kayang Tapakan" (Maryo delos Reyes, 1984). Lamangan got Roy Iglesias (who also wrote his "Mano Po" films) and gathered a big cast of veterans and newcomers to bring his characters to life.

There was a major detour involving Mayor Rose Chen (Cherrie Pie Picache), who abetted illegal immigrants to settle and get work in San Sebastian by bribing police, the BIR and the Immigration. Picache played Chen with tongue-in-cheek campiness, obviously a parody of a certain mayor who was raised in a farm and homeschooled. Richard Yap and Rebecca Chuaunsu led Chinoy actors who had roles in this part of the film.

Allen Dizon played three characters, although the first two were both hotheaded guys. His highlight was this one scene where he would transition from one persona to another in close succession, with Ipe speaking Kapampangan, Fayez Arabic, and Teban swardspeak. Inigo Pascual's Alex was mostly a passive bystander, but he got his big emotional moment in the climax of the third act, which he pulled off well despite distracting medical inaccuracies.

A distinctive directorial decision was placing Alex right in thick of the flashbacks as a silent witness to the tumultuous events in his father's life, which may look awkward. Lamangan and Iglesia tried to tie it all up in the final act with a polarizing explanation, but tackling too many side topics like land grabbing, suicide bombing, Chinese mafia and even female genital mutilation, tended to make the whole movie feel overstuffed and unfocused. 6/10

Review of SAMAHAN NG MGA MAKASALAN: A Dedicated Deacon

April 19, 2025

Reverend Sam (David Licauco) was the new deacon assigned to the parish church of Santo Kristo. Before he was welcomed by parish priest Father Danny (Joel Torre) and his all-around assistant Pester (David Shouder), Sam already witnessed a husband and wife, philanderer Kanor (Jun Sabayton) and gossip Olive (Chariz Solomon) having a violent quarrel on the steps of the church. Sam immediately felt that there was something wrong with his parish. 

Sam visited the main street called Sinners' Alley. He met the corrupt Mayor Damonyo and his scammer twin (Betong Sumaya), prostitutes (Liezel Lopez, Jade Tecson), pimps (David "Abdul" Domanais, Christian "Marsy" Kimp-Atip), thieves (Buboy Villar, Jay Ortega), drug addicts (Yian Gabriel), rival gang leaders (Shernan Gaite, Jerome "Batmanunulat" Esguerra), underworld kingpin Boss Luis (Soliman Cruz), and "town mistress" Mila (Sanya Lopez). 

The film was shot in picturesque Ilocos Sur, with the stately Sta. Maria Church and historic Calle Crisologo prominently featured. The title refers to an organization formed by Rev Sam aiming to reform the wayward residents of Santo Kristo. He would help each one by diverting his talent into something good. His mantra (repeated over and over in the film) was: "As long as there is faith, there is hope. As long as one believes, he can start again." 

Being mainly a comedy, director and co-writer Benedict Mique kept things light, idealistic and optimistically positive. After the Boy Nakaw example, you can somehow foresee already what will happen to the lives of the others, based on their abilities. Of course, that these hard-core decadents could totally reform themselves seemingly overnight demanded a lot of suspension of disbelief. But given the film's overall Lenten theme, we could grant them that. 

There were a couple of more serious situations that challenged Rev Sam (and David Licauco as an actor) the most. One involved Boss Luis and a pistol, and another involved Mila and a decision (I wish we could've heard Sam's side first though). While almost everyone else around him was over-the-top, Licauco played Sam calmly and restrained (even in the rapping and dancing scenes, hehe), in line with Sam's nobility of intention.  6/10

Review of DROP: Dating Distress

April 19, 2025

Violet (Meghann Fahy) decided that she was ready to start dating again after the death of her husband Blake (Michael Shea). She set a blind dinner date with a photographer named Henry (Brandon Sklenar) whom she met on a dating app, at a fancy restaurant called Palate. located at the penthouse of a high-rise building. She left her young son Toby (Jacob Robinson) with her sister Jen (Violett Beane) who agreed to babysit. 

Henry and Violet were seated at a table beside the window with a grand bird's-eye view of the whole city. Violet began receiving a series of threatening "digi-drops" on her mobile phone from an unknown entity who seemed to be able to see everything she was doing. The mysterious sender ordered Violet to follow all his instructions, or else her son and sister will be terminated by a killer he sent to her home. 

Since Violet was being terrorized by an unseen tormentor only through messages on her phone, Meghann Fahy to act up a storm to portray Violet's increasing stress, panic and paranoia. She had to figure out how to do the risky illegal tasks in that very public place, while monitoring the condition of her family in her house. Through all of that, she should still be able to convince Henry that she was interested in their date. 

To make things more interesting, there were also a number of characters within Palate, anyone of whom could be potential suspects. There was the friendly bartender Cara (Gabrielle Ryan), the drunk pianist Phil (Ed Weeks), the hyper waiter Matt (Jeffery Self).  She also go to chat with other customers, like Connor (Travis Nelson) whom she bumped into coming in, and Richard (Reed Diamond), who was having his own blind date. 

With such a limited space for him to work with, it was up to director Christopher Landon had to create an effective atmosphere of suspense, with the help of his editor Ben Baudhuin and musical scorer Bear McCreary. Landon wrote all the "Paranormal Activity" films since #2 (2010) and directed #4 (2014), then wrote and directed the "Happy Death Day" films (2017, 2019), his skills for this genre has surely been sharpened with deadly precision. 7/10.