VMX: Mini-Reviews of HIRAM NA SANDALI, SPONSOR, BELYAS

February 13, 2025

HIRAM NA SANDALI

Director: GB Sampedro

Writer: Marvic Kevin Reyes

It has been seven years since exes Ester (Dyessa Garcia) and Kris (Vince Rillon) had parted ways. Ester is now the owner of her own laundry shop and married to Charles (Aerol Carmelo). Kris is now a licensed engineer and married to Anne (Denise Estrada). However, every year Ester and Kris would meet at the grave of their late favorite pet dog, Pochi, where they caught up on each other's lives, and continue their reunion in a hotel room. 

The whole premise of this film about ex-partners still meeting annually to celebrate their late pet's death anniversary is rather silly and frivolous, but at the same time, it was also rather a sweet idea. Dyessa Garcia is pretty of face and a capable actress. It was odd why Denise Estrada's Anne seemed so strong yet gave up so easily. Whenever Vince Rillon or Aerol Carmelo plays someone's husband, you just knew he could not control himself from having a sideline.  5/10

SPONSOR

Director: Albert S. Langitan

Writer: Albert S. Langitan

Model / bit actress Jasmine (Angela Morena) and topnotch student Elise (Micaella Raz) were sisters who took care of their invalid father Narding (Bobby Martino). When their father had to be rushed to the hospital, her friend Danna (Krista Miller) introduced Jasmine to a sponsor. When Elise ran short of tuition money, her classmate Allaine (Jem Milton) also introduced her to a sponsor. They had the same sponsor -- Marcus (Mon Confiado). 

Veteran character actor Mon Confiado makes a daring debut as a VMX stud as a wealthy playboy who cannot get his fill of pretty girls. He seemed to have no qualms about baring it all, just like any of the much younger guys, like co-star Van Allen Ong (who played Jasmine's suitor Aries). Real-life sisters Angela Morena and Micaella Raz deliver on their characters well, despite how badly contrived their stories were written.  5/10

BELYAS

Director: GB Sampedro

Writer: Marvic Kevin Reyes

Ever since pastry chef Josefa (Audrey Avila) married public school teacher Ian (Matthew Francisco), he never allowed her to go out of the house or practice her profession. He mocked her deficient intellect, and only trusting her to manage the house next door which they rented out. The latest tenants were partner physical therapists, Vilma (Denise Esteban) and Ara (Dani Yoshida), who advised Josefa not to allow herself to be abused by her husband. 

Audrey Avila's portrayal of abused housewife Josefa was limited to looking haggard and acting like a limp rag. Matthew Francisco's Ian was one of those ultraconservative men who still thought that a woman's place is only at home, quite one-dimensionally antagonistic though.  As the concerned tenants, Esteban and Yoshida represent feministic values of independence and empowerment among women, an advocacy VMX frequently promotes, even if it can feel ironic. 5/10

VMX: Mini-Reviews of TEACHER'S PET, LAS ILUSYUNADAS, HALIMUYAK

February 13, 2025

TEACHER'S PET

Director: Sigrid Polon 

Writer: Sigrid Polon

Our Lady of Victory high school student Robin Castro (Gold Aceron) had a serious crush on his favorite, ever-smiling Teacher Tanya (Alice Dy), who politely rebuffed his bold advances. One night, he stumbled upon Ms. Tanya making out with the class president and potential valedictorian Kyla Marie Sanchez (Micaella Raz). He took a video of their lovemaking, and blackmailed her into inviting him into her house to pay up. 

Again, Gold Aceron plays yet another horny teenager here, a role he has likely mastered from his repeated portrayals in various VMX films before this. Alice Dy looked very pretty, but her acting was too stiff. It would have been educational to see how teachers can discourage unwanted attraction from their students, but instead Polon chose to send the wrong message and allowed Tanya to accept and therefore fall victim to Robin's blackmail ploy.  2/10

LAS ILUSYUNADAS

Director: Roman Perez, Jr. 

Writer: Ronald Batallones

It was the early 1980s and the military was engaged in a never-ending armed conflict with the NPA rebels. One day, two widows Emma (Jenn Rosa) and Sandra (Angeline Aril) met each other in the cemetery and became friends as they mourn their lost loves. Emma was visiting the grave of her husband Roy Martinez (JC Tan), who was a former rebel.  Sandra was visiting the grave of her husband Lito Santos (JD Aguas), who was a soldier. 

Ever since I first saw her, I thought that Jenn Rosa was one of the prettier VMX girls who knew how to act. However, that huge tattoo on her entire left upper arm was just too dark and distracting. Since this was a period film, and she was playing an NPA rebel, Rosa had to wear a prosthetic burn scar (not too nice-looking) on her to cover that tattoo. Interesting non-linear storytelling by cult director Roman Perez, with good cinematography and musical score. 6/10

HALIMUYAK

Director: Bobby Bonifacio, Jr. 

Writer: Mariane D. Maddawat and Shaira Santiago

Divine (Skye Gonzaga) owned Heaven Scent, a boutique selling perfumes that she formulated herself. She was an independent woman who only wanted her male friend Nathan (Carlo Lacana) for sex, but not for a serious relationship. One day, Mikee (Christy Imperial), a young girl from a nearby condo wandered into her shop, and they soon became close friends. Mikee shared that she was not in good terms with her father Jerry (Chester Grecia). 

There was a lesbian theme that ran through all the films in this set. Skye Gonzaga looked  classy, just right for the perfumer - businessman that Divine was. It was not too clear how or why she fell for Christy Imperial's Mikee, who seemed like a bratty and aloof teenager, certainly not to the level of Divine's sophistication. Anyhow, that little twist that Maddawat and Santiago squeezed in the third act was a satisfying surprise. 5/10

VMX: Mini-Reviews of SECRET SESSIONS, BOY KALDAG, MAMA'S BOY

February 13, 2025

SECRET SESSIONS

Director: Joel Ferrer

Writer: Joel Ferrer

Therapist Eric (Nico Locco) was having a thriving career. He was also about to get married to his girlfriend Kate (Alona Navarro).  Eric's best friend Aaron (JC Tan) was very excited preparing for the bachelor's party, even if he knew that Eric was a recovering sex addict. One day, Kate referred her new officemate Cara (Athena Red) new hire, who was having a hard time coping with her recent breakup with her old boss. 

I thought this film features Nico Locco's best acting performance in a VMX film. His past performances had not been good. Here, Locco was more subtle, letting his eyes do a lot of the acting. Athena Red surprisingly did quite well in her restrained first seduction scene with Locco. Unfortunately, she eventually betrayed her thespic limitations in her wretched final confrontation scene across a gun-toting Alona Navarro. 5/10

BOY KALDAG

Director: Roman Perez, Jr. 

Screenplay: Ronald Perez

For her podcast "Sssshhh!," porno actress Salome Salvi interviewed Kaldag King, Dax Dakila (Benz Sangalang), renowned for his giant package. He talked about his childhood raised by his Tia Dolor (Rubi Rubi) and the problems he experienced with teacher Paloma (Angeli Khang), neighbor Amanda (Aya Alfonso), bus passenger Lineth (Azi Acosta), classmate Alexa (Lea Bernabe), and his biggest crush Bettina (Dyessa Garcia).

In a departure from his usual dramas, this latest project of cult director Roman Perez was a silly sex comedy.  He got plenty of VMX stars (notably Khang, Garcia, and even Ayanna Misola) to play women Dax got involved with. It was a cute idea to crossover to Acosta's Lineth in Perez's own "Pamasahe," in some sort of multiverse. Funny how Chad Solano and Jero Flores played sidekicks Scottie and Rodman (Direk is likely a Bulls fan).  6/10

MAMA'S BOY

Director: Piem Acero

Headwriter: Jessi Lopez

Writer Gelo Catanio

Glenn (Victor Relosa) hated his father Mauro (Josh Ivan Morales) because he blamed him for causing his mother's suicide. Mauro came home from Riyadh to stay with them for three weeks and his Lola Naty (Marijoy Cacho) advised him to try to get along with his father. Mauro brought with him his new wife Lorraine (Sahara Bernales), which annoyed Glenn. One day, she brought in her sister Leilani (Stephanie Raz) to stay with her, annoying Glenn more. 

This yearend release features the best acting performance of Victor Relosa. He sported a neater, more clean-cut look here, different from his usual grungy look. Relosa already showed off a broader acting range earlier this year in "Rita" and "Maharot," and he continues his hot streak here. The writer of "Mama's Boy" saved a good 11th hour twist, a scene which Relosa absolutely nailed down to cap his best movie of the year.  6/10

Review of EX EX LOVERS: Of Malta and Marriage

February 13, 2025

Ten years ago, bank employee Joy was left behind by her husband Cedric (Marvin Agustin) to work abroad and he never came back. Since then, she had to raise their only daughter SC (Loisa Andalio) by herself. One Valentine's Day, SC's boyfriend Joey (Juan Karlos) proposed marriage to her and she accepted, much to Joy's shock and dismay. To make things worse, SC told Joy that she wanted Cedric to come home and walk her down the aisle. 

Cedric just so happened to be working in Valetta, the capital city of the European island nation of Malta, so that was where director JP Habac took us for a short tour around this new unique location. Aside from the scenic natural beauty and its rich aristocratic architecture, Habac also showed us how OFWs worked their hands to the bone over there, juggling one menial housekeeping job after the other, much like OFWs do any other country in the world. 

As expected, there were a lot of cutesy jokes between Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin for their fans' thrill and entertainment. The delightful chemistry between the two stars was effortless, genuine and sincere, even if the circumstances between their characters were less than ideal. However, the waterworks are turned on in the final act when they showcase their dramatic chops in full gear in serious scenes so well-written by Antoinette Jadaone. 

Figuring prominently in Jadaone's script is a streak of woman empowerment, addressing important issues among the female millennial and Gen Z part of their audience. Repeatedly mentioned was how women were disadvantaged in broken marriages -- how they are trapped with the surname, and how there was no divorce as a way out. This point was made quite emphatically in that dinner scene with antagonistic ultraconservatives. 

This film is also a reunion for their co-stars in the teen series "Gimik" which ran every Saturday afternoon from June 1996 to February 1999 -- namely Judy Ann Santos and Mylene Dizon (who played Joy's best friends), as well as Dominic Ochoa and G Toengi (who played Joey's wealthy parents). Clearly, fans of this show are this film's target audience for its nostalgia. I haven't seen a single episode of Gimik, but I still enjoyed watching this. 8/10

Review of CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD: Sense of Secondariness

February 12, 2025

The new Captain America Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and the new Falcon Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) were able to thwart Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) from selling a metal sample to an unknown buyer. They were invited to the White House by new US President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) to be recognized. Sam asked his friend Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) to come along. An assassination attempt just happened from out of nowhere.

This is the first Captain America film not starring Chris Evans as Captain America. Casual viewers may be surprised to see Anthony Mackie as Captain America here. "Avengers: End Game" (2019) ended with a scene of an elderly Steve Rogers passing on his shield to Sam Wilson. Wilson's transition from Falcon into Captain America was further detailed in a six-episode series on Disney+ series called "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" (2021).

This latest Marvel film brings back characters from "The Incredible Hulk" (2008). Thaddeus Ross (then played by William Hurt) was a US Army general who wanted to weaponize the Hulk, the gamma-radiation induced form of Dr. Bruce Banner (then played by Edward Norton), the boyfriend of Ross's daughter Betty (Liv Tyler). Dr. Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) was a cell biologist contaminated by Banner's blood, mutating him into a deformed genius.

We met Ross again in "Captain America: Civil War" (2016) when he was the US Secretary of State who was then pushing for the signing of the Sokovia Accords, an issue about superhero regulation that divided the Avengers. Sam Wilson was then the Falcon, who allied himself behind Captain America Steve Rogers, who was against regulation. Ross was the one who incarcerated team Cap in the Raft, a prison that also makes an appearance in this sequel. 

Now Ross is the new president of the United States and his first priority was to push for the approval of a treaty between Japan, India and France about a special newly-discovered metal. Since original actor William Hurt passed away in 2022, Harrison Ford has taken over the role of Ross for this latest film that brought the arc of this character in full circle. The general who once hunted the Hulk has now become a Hulk himself, albeit a Red one.

The first two acts of this film felt very much like a continuation of the "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" TV series because of its tone of political intrigue. A controversial US President faced scrutiny abroad, while Sam was trying to deduce who the mastermind was. Things only blew up to full cinematic scale in Act 3 when the Red Hulk made his appearance and threw a major destructive tantrum that destroyed landmarks of Washington D.C. 

Anthony Mackie may be adequate to star in a TV series, but on the big screen, he did not seem to have enough charisma to become Captain America following Chris Evans' iconic and beloved portrayal. Viewers not familiar of these secondary Marvel characters may not really find the story too interesting. There was no mid-credits scene, but there was a post-credit scene, but that felt disappointing as it had no explosive hints to drop. 7/10. 

Review of CELLS AT WORK (2025): Heartwarming Hematology

February 6, 2025

AE3803 (Mei Nagano) is a newly-commissioned Red Blood Cell, whose duty was to carry oxygen from the lungs to bring to different parts of the body. Since she was still a newbie, she still had difficulty following the complex map around the blood vessels of the body, and frequently got lost in her delivery routes. Fortunately, a White Blood Cell Neutrophil U-1146 (Takeru Satoh) was always around to defend her from potential harm.

AE3803 and U-1146 were blood cells in the body of Niko Urushizaki (Mana Ashida), a high school student who was planning to take up medicine in the future. She had a crush on a senior student Shin (Seishirô Katô). Since her mother passed away since she was a child, she had been taking care of her father Shigeru (Sadao Abe), a truck driver who was careless with his diet and his vices, like drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. 

"Cells at Work" was originally a manga series written and illustrated by Akane Shimizu which ran from 2015 to 2021. It was then adapted into an anime series with two seasons (21 episodes) which ran from 2018 to 2021. This anime series is currently streaming on Netflix Philippines now. It had a spinoff manga and anime series called "Cells at Work: Code Black," whose storyline was also incorporated in this live action movie version. 

Viewers with a background in the health and medical sciences will enjoy watching the blood cells they learned about in their hematology lectures come to vibrant life in this movie. Aside from the RBC and the neutrophil WBC, we also meet Macrophage (Wakana Matsumoto), Helper T-cell (Shôta Sometani), Killer T-Cell (Wataru Ichinose), Natural Killer Cell (Riisa Naka), and all those cute delightful little girls representing the Platelets. 

With these blood cells, we see how the pathophysiology of how the body sneezes, repairs wounds, responds to radio- and chemo- therapy, etc. We also see how our body defenses fight their bacterial enemies, like Streptococcus pyogenes (Shinya Niiro),  Staphylococcus aureus (Maju Ozawa), and Pneumococcus (Ainosuke Kataoka). There were also more calamitous situations caused by viruses and by abnormal WBCs with maturation arrest. 

The segment with the most darkly comic tension was that one when Shigeru suddenly felt the urge to go to the toilet while driving. Practically everyone has had this very uncomfortable situation happen to them in real life, so watching this whole scenario unfold onscreen from the point of view of Shigeru in traffic, the cells in the anal sphincter, the RBC caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, and even the corn kernels he just ate, was such a hilarious riot. 

"Cells at Work" was not only fun to watch, but at the same time, it was educational as it described key bodily processes in the most imaginative ways. Charismatic lead actors Nagano and Satoh (the lead actor in "Ruoroni Kenshin") captured their animated characters to a T.  Adding Ashida and Abe as the persons in whom the cells resided was a great idea, as it gave this film a more heart-warming and emotionally-richer dimension. 8/10

Review of PADDINGTON IN PERU: Sweetly Sentimental Search

January 30, 2025

Paddington (Ben Whishaw) receives a letter from the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) in charge of the home for retired bears in Peru, informing him that his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) had been acting rather strangely lately. Worried, Paddington (with his new passport) wanted to go see her, so the whole Brown family decide to go along too. However, upon reaching Peru, the Reverend Mother told them that Aunt Lucy had gone missing.

Based on clues he found in Aunt Lucy's room, Paddington deduced that they should start their search in a place called Rumi Rock. They were able to hitch a ride on the river boat of treasure hunter Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) and his daughter Gina (Carla Tous), who told them that Rumi Rock was the usual take-off point of expeditions in search for El Dorado, a city of gold -- expeditions from which no one had ever come back alive.  

Following the first film (2015) and the beloved sequel (2018), this is already the third film about the adventures (and misadventures) of our favorite marmalade-loving bear - Paddington. Like the first two, he is relentlessly adorable and cute. The Brown family (still played by Hugh Bonneville, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslyn, but with Emily Mortimer as mom Mary) plus Julie Walters as nanny Mrs. Bird, are positively supportive and delightful as ever.  

As for this latest romp in the raging rivers of Peru, some scenes will be scary for very young viewers as Paddington really faced life-threatening situations in this installation, though the filmmakers did use silly comedy and lively music to soften the blow. Like Nicole Kidman in the first film, and Hugh Grant in the second, the antagonists here are also big name stars. I will not spoil this revelation for you, but you will figure this one out easily. 

Compared to the first two films, I did not really like the crime thriller aspect of this new one. However, after this part was over and done with, came the best absolute best part of the film. This was when Paddington and his family finally turned the key and entered the gate of El Dorado of lore, and saw what legendary gold lay behind those walls. These heartwarming final scenes perfectly recaptured the sweet sentimental magic expected from this franchise. 7/10

Review of SAMPUNG UTOS KAY JOSH: Commitment to Commandments

January 30, 2025

Joshua de Guzman (Jerald Napoles) was a devout Catholic who actively spread the mantra that Jesus is the Boss of our lives and we should always follow His commandments. He lived with his similarly religious mother Elizabeth (Irma Adlawan) in their house full of religious icons. He worked as the commercial loan manager of Kalayaan Bank, under his manager Mr. Montes (Bobot Mortiz). The boss's daughter Ella (Debbie Garcia) was his girlfriend. 

Josh's seemingly charmed life all came crumbling down one day when the NBI (Joel Saracho and Raffy Tejada) accused him of embezzlement, AND his mother was diagnosed with a serious disease. His office friends -- kleptomaniac Bill (stand-up comic James Caraan), sex maniac Eli (VMX stud Albie Casino), and Josh fan Zoren (MTRCB ad dad GB Labrador) -- helped Josh cope as his faith and obedience to his Boss Jesus floundered.  

Jerald Napoles had been starring in dramedies lately, notably "Instant Daddy" (2023) and "Seoulmeyts" (2024), but he got to do more serious drama than the others. From playing Lods in "Rewind" (2023), Pepe Herrera played a talkative mocking Satan here, but I do not get what all those fruits he was brandishing were about. The jokes and gags of the supporting comic sidekick ensemble may have some misses or shock value, but were generally  

Religion is always a thorny topic in films, but writer Sherwin Bienvenida and director Marius Talampas took this bucking bronco squarely by its horns, pushing the edge of the R16 rating. The story was an adaptation of the Book of Job, and an entire scene was dedicated to this parallelism. Comedy can somehow lighten the mood, but their points were clear. Of course, there were still some corny scenes that were plain silly, all done in the spirit of slapstick.

They did not shirk from showing scenes and using language that are sexual, profane, or borderline blasphemous. Josh had conversations with Satan, who punished those who disobey God's law, inadvertently helping God's cause. There was even a literally iconoclastic scene that can make even the most non-practicing of Catholics gasp.  They left a sticky dilemma at the ending open for the audience to make their own interpretation. 7/10

PS: This film was dedicated to its screenwriter, Sherwin Buenvenida who passed away last June 2024 from lung cancer. Buenvenida was a veteran comedy writer for TV and films, most notably for his work in kiddy gag show "Goin' Bulilit" (2005-2019) and teen comedy series "Luv U" (2012-2016). He continued working on the script of "Sampung Utos" with director Talampas even after he had been diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in 2022.  

Review of A REAL PAIN: Cousins in Contrast and Communion

January 29, 2025

Cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) Kaplan grew up together as children. They used to be very close, but they drifted apart as they grew older. Their personalities were poles apart. David was a no-nonsense family man with his wife Priya, a young son Abe and a stable job in digital ad sales. Benji was a charming free-spirit who still lived at his parents' house and played video games on their couch.  

The two of them got together again when their beloved grandmother passed away and left them money in her will to go visit her homeland Poland. They joined a heritage tour led by scholarly British guide James (Will Sharpe). Their tour mates include a divorced lady Marcia (an unrecognizable Jennifer Grey), a retired couple Diane and Mark (Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes) and Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan), a Rwandan genocide survivor.

Jesse Eisenberg wrote, directed and starred in this buddy road comedy that brought us along around Poland sites that commemorated the Holocaust. Eisenberg's script excellently captured this serious sentiment with a sensitive sense of humor. He actually brought up the irony of his premise within the film itself -- how they are enjoying the comfort of a first class tour to follow the footsteps of those Jews who suffered and died during the war. 

The music that accompanied us during our tour of Poland was mellow piano music written by Polish maestro Frederic Chopin, in keeping with the theme of celebrating Poland. During the scenes where the group entered Majdanek, a real Nazi concentration camp, Eisenberg wisely decided to fade out the music and kept James' voice-over narration to a minimum as the sad eerie blue-stained walls and pile of shoes spoke volumes. Powerful.

Eisenberg gave himself the straight man role of David, and allowed his co-star Kieran Culkin to run away with the showier role of Benji. While David was the responsible, aloof, uptight introvert, Benji was the charismatic guy who easily connected with others, was not afraid to show his emotions, and to frankly speak his mind. David was annoyed at him and mortified for him, but he was also secretly envious of his cousin's charm (a real pain, so to speak). 

Culkin dominated the screen throughout the film as he internalized Benji's mental turmoil in the form of unfiltered behavior and unflinching honesty. This electrifying performance has gained him critical acclaim, nominations and award, likely an Oscar as well. David did have one scene where he broke down and finally poured his heart out about his concern for his cousin, and here, Eisenberg reminds us how good an actor he still is. 8/10

Review of ANORA: A Stripper's Sensational Story

January 23, 2025

Anora "Ani"(Mikey Madison) is a 23-year-old sex worker who serviced patrons of a club in Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, New York City. One day, Ivan "Vanya" (Mark Eydelshteyn), the 21- year old spoiled party boy became Ani's customer. They had a lot of fun the first time, so Vanya kept on seeing Ani several more times after that, paying her $15,000 for an entire week of her services. In Las Vegas, he proposed for her to marry him, which she accepted.

That would have been the dream-come-true for this hard-working young stripper, but Vanya's oligarch parents Nikolai (Aleksei Serebryakov) and Galina (Darya Ekamasova) Zakharov could not accept their reckless marriage. They sent Vanya's godfather Toros (Karren Karagulian), his brother Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan) and their henchman Igor (Yura Borisov) to find Vanya and have the wedding annulled by hook or by crook.  

This film by Sean Baker had taken the world by storm after it won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last May 2024. Since then, it had been a staple in the year-end best-of lists of several, if not all, critics groups of various cities and countries, as well as receiving nominations from the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild, and likely the Oscars. We are watching this film with very high expectations as a result of this massive awards buzz. 

Honestly, it was this hype that made me expect too much about this film that was basically a "Pretty Woman" scenario gone wrong. With the big build-up of everyone all looking for Vanya, the pay-off when they found him was quite a downer because it just happened, with no laugh-out-loud funny climax. You also expect something loud and explosive happens to Anora, but it turned out to be small, sweet and sentimental. Some may find this ending disappointing.

Anora is a difficult role for Mikey Morrison in the physical sense (both comedy and skin exposure), especially in Act 1 and 2. However, that quiet ending was her stellar highlight despite being downbeat and static. The Zacharovs were basically one-dimensional caricatures, but, the goons, especially those played by Karaguilan and Borisov, did make a very strong and memorable impressions the way their characters turned out.  7/10

Review of WOLF MAN: Father's Futile Fight

January 18, 2025

Blake Lovell (Christopher Abbott) lives in San Francisco with his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). One day, he received news that his estranged father, who had gone missing for a long time, was now presumed dead. Blake was given the keys to their old home in the woods of Oregon, so he decided to bring his family up there to check it out, and also in an effort to rekindle his shaky relationship with Charlotte. 

In a prologue set 30 years ago, we meet Blake as a young boy, raised by his single father Grady (Sam Jaeger) with military discipline.  He was quite hot-headed and would reprimand Blake harshly when he did not obey his instructions.  One day, father and son went into the woods on a hunting trip and had an encounter with a shadowy creature. Grady believed that they had seen the hiker with a wolf's head terrorizing that neck of the woods.

After the disastrous run of the infamous "The Mummy" (2017) despite its big star Tom Cruise,  Universal Pictures' plan for a Dark Universe franchise of monster films tanked along with it. However, interest in this series of films was revived with the commercial and critical success of "The Invisible Man" (2020), directed by Leigh Whannell. Whannell then accepted the offer to write and direct a reboot of the 1941 original monster film "The Wolf Man." 

Leigh Whannell is really a master of the horror genre, from writing films for his friend and collaborator James Wan ("Saw," "Insidious") to directing films on his own ("Insidious; Chapter 3" and "Upgrade"). He knew very well how to build up suspense, many times using very subtle clues to create an atmosphere of dread. He knew where to position his cameras in order to set up the best jump scares and to capture the best views of action scenes for maximal impact. 

As much as this film was about the titular Wolf Man, it was also as much about the relationship of fathers with their families.  After seeing him as The Foreigner in "Kraven the Hunter" last month, Christopher Abbott showed off more of his acting skills here especially in those wordless scenes when Blake was turning lupine. Julia Garner seemed uncomfortable in her role as Charlotte, a role far removed from her splashier turn in "Inventing Anna" (2022). 

The transformation of Blake into the Wolf Man did not happen in just one continuous scene, as it had usually been done in the past. Whannell did it in stages, where the physical changes occur gradually -- teeth falling out, hearing gaining acuity, speech getting lost, fur and claws growing out, body shape deforming. The gradual loss of his human consciousness allowed for more dramatic interaction between Blake and his family, which was very good.  6/10

Review of SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3: Riotous Robotniks!

January 15, 2025

One day, super-speedster Sonic the Hedgehog (Ben Schwartz) was given a surprise party by his fellow alien friends tech fox Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessy) and muscle-man echidna Knuckles (Idris), together with their adoptive parents Sheriff Tom (James Marsden) and veterinarian Maddie (Tika Sumpter) Wachowski in their home in Green Hills, Montana. They were celebrating the anniversary of Sonic's arrival on Earth. 

However, Guardian Union of Nations (G.U.N.) Director Rockwell (Krysten Ritter) arrived to tell them that another alien hedgehog named Shadow (Keanu Reeves) had escaped from the G.U.N. facility in Tokyo. Team Sonic dutifully went to contain the situation, but Shadow turned out to be too strong for them. When he saw that they are going against the same foe, Sonic sought an alliance from their nemesis Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey).

After adding Tails and Knuckles in the second installment, this current installment of the Sonic franchise introduced us to Sonic look-alike Shadow. His backstory dated back to 1974 when the meteorite containing him crash-landed in Oklahoma. We meet Maria (Alila Browne) the first human who treated him as a friend, instead of a scientific specimen. Something bad happened back then that made Shadow bitter and angry throughout his incarceration.

The comedic adventures and misadventures of Team Sonic was geared towards a younger audience, but surely the adults will also find their rapid-fire banter and silly slapstick hilarious. Of course, the colorfully-animated characters were so chipper and frenetic as expected. However, I got a lot of laughs from Marsden and Sumpter as well, especially during that part when they could shapeshift into other characters while infiltrating enemy territory.  

However, the best part of the whole film is still Jim Carrey. He always had been, and still very much is the life of the whole party in every Sonic film. It is doubly entertaining for this particular episode because there was literally two of him (Ivo and his grandfather Gerald), giving us twice the dose of outrageous, over-the-top physical comedy that only Jim Carrey can deliver, this time with an extra dash of heartwarming sentiment towards the end. 7/10. 

 

Review of SONG OF THE FIREFLIES: Chronicles of a Children's Choir

January 9, 2025

The Loboc Children's Choir (LCC) from Bohol was founded by its musical director and conductor Ms. Alma Taldo (Morissette), a regular language, math and home economics teacher at the local public school. In 1980, Mrs. Equet Butalid (Rachel Alejandro), the wife of the governor of Bohol and a classically-trained musician herself, became their patron in their quest to win the finals of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA). 

Herbert (Noel Comia Jr.) and Jackie (Krystal Brimner) were among the new members of the choir in 1981. From good childhood friends, puppy love was blooming between them as they attended the daily choral practices. Herbert's attention would be distracted because his father (Floyd Tena) had not been coming home from Manila. On top of that, the spoiled city-bred Timmy Butalid (Tommy Alejandrino) had his eyes on Jackie. 

This charming and humble little film was written by renowned writer Sarge Lacuesta, his first completed screenplay. He would then go on to write "An Errand" which was released first, as an entry in the Cinemalaya 2024.  It is directed by King Palisoc, whose first two films were "Tandem" (2015) and "Kampon" (2023). Compared to their past filmography, this film was very different -- much lighter in tone, positive in vibe and inspirational in intention.

This is the debut of pop singer Morrisette as a film actress, and she is immediately thrust into the lead role of Alma Taldo. She only has one solo full-length inspirational ballad, and she did not need her multi-octave belting prowess nor her whistle notes. As an actress, her acting felt tentative and self-conscious. But then again, Ms. Taldo also felt out of place and insecure as a teacher with no formal training in the midst of bonafide music professionals. 

Equet Butalid was portrayed with a rather confusing sentiment by the writer and director. In the very first scene, she immediately got into a conflict with Alma. For the rest of the film, we do not really know how she really stood for -- was she a generous benefactor or an insidious credit-stealer? Nevertheless, Rachel Alejandro was always elegant playing her, and the duet she sang with Morrisette while playing the piano was a major musical highlight.

Aside from Comia and Brimner, who were both professional theater actors, the rest of the children were actual members of the real LCC. Some of them proved to be winsome natural actors, like Khian Carl Donasco (as Herbert's buddy Buboy), Grey Danielle Dialogo (as Jackie's buddy Stella), and Angel Alcala (as Fe, the girl who could not hit the note).  Comia and Brimner bonded well with their choirmates, as friends and language coaches.   

The primary highlight of this film is the angelic choral singing by the LCC (as well as the other children's choirs featured) rendering lilting folk songs, classic ballads and religious hymns in Filipino, English or even Latin. Musical direction was by Krina Cayabyab, with original songs composed by Ryan Cayabyab, Louie Ocampo, Raymond Marasigan and Jazz Nicolas. We'd welcome a soundtrack album to revisit these beautiful songs over and over again. 

The production design team kept the locations, props and costumes consistent to the early 1980s period when the story was set. We even see how the town of Loboc had grown from back then to the present. Boomers and Gen X will feel the nostalgia of seeing 1980s Manila again via newsreels integrated in the narrative. The languid cinematography of Pong Ignacio also adds to the gentle, calming rural vibe that envelopes this heartwarming film. 7/10

***** SPOILER ALERT: 

The story of Alma, how she trained the children, and the journey of the choir to the National Finals of the NAMCYA was straightforward enough. However, after all of the buildup, the ending was rather anti-climactic, because we do not see the winners' announcement per se. We assume that they won, but did they? Articles about NAMCYA history stated that LCC won first prize in 1993, 1995 and 2001, but not in 1981 as depicted in the film. 

RANKING THE 10 METRO MANILA FILMFEST 2024 ENTRIES

January 8, 2025

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Metro Manila Film Festival, so expectations were running high about the 10 entries which will comprise the lineup of this milestone edition. 

On July 16, 2024 when the first five entries, accepted based on scripts alone, were announced -- "And the Breadwinner is…," "Green Bones," "Strange Frequencies: Haunted Hospital,""Himala: Isang Musikal," and "The Kingdom." (Note how some of the titles have changed since then.) Five more films, judged based on finished film submissions, were revealed on October 23, 2024, to complete a list of 10. 

I was fortunate to have been invited to three press previews prior to the first day on December 25 -- all of which turned out to be the 3 of the 4 films cited as Best Picture. I was away during the final week of 2023, so I was only able to watch the rest of the 7 films when we came back home after the New Year. This is how I ranked them based on the ratings I gave each of them:

10. HOLD ME CLOSE by Jason Paul Laxamana (MY FULL REVIEW) 

Laxamana added a touch of the supernatural to explain how Lynlyn got her mysterious ability, but its full mechanics were rather unclear. Suspension of disbelief aside, it does provoke you think critically about possessing such a talent. Is it really good if you can predict your future with a certain person? If you can sense that someone can someday cause you pain, how would you decide to abandoned him if this person is making you feel happy now?

9. AND THE BREADWINNER IS ... by Jun Robles Lana (MY FULL REVIEW) 

This movie is Jun Lana's unsubtle way to tell these families to wake up to the plight of their relatives working their bones out abroad. Bambi's dramatic highlight was a monologue saying that he needs to rest once in a while. In return, the family back home have to make sensible investments to make the money grow. Watching his parasitic family making all sorts of lame excuses and throwing spite at Bambi was appalling to watch. 

8. TOPAKK by Richard Somes (MY FULL REVIEW) 

I watched the R-18 cut, so there was certainly a lot of bloody graphic violence. When bandits cut the necks, they don't just slash it once and it's over. Their knives must've all been dull that day, so we had to watch them sawing back and forth, as the blades were ripping skin and muscle open. Queasy folks will probably need to watch through their fingers to be able to get through this and other similarly brutish scenes involving cutting heads off. 

7. UNINVITED by Dan Villegas (MY FULL REVIEW) 

Dan Villegas comes back as director for the first time since 2018 in a genre as far from his rom-com comfort zone as can be.  A crime thriller with melodramatic sensibilities, "Uninvited" could be the most mainstream script of horror writer Dodo Dayao,.  The film is good-looking no doubt, but there were big plot holes, too-convenient clues, lucky coincidences, impossible scenarios, and a lack of Lilia's background that made it feel like it could've been done better. 

6. ESPANTAHO by Chito S. Rono (MY FULL REVIEW) 

Each deaths this time feature various farmland pests -- giving these scenes a definite squeamish feeling of disgust. Chito Rono's execution of these scenes prove that he is a master of the genre. Fans can still catch the sassy witticisms of writer Chris Martinez peppered among his juicy convolutions and stunning revelations. This was especially true in the scenes featuring the shaman Georgia, played by Eugene Domingo. 

5. MY FUTURE YOU by Crisanto B. Aquino (MY FULL REVIEW) 

Writer-director Crisanto Aquino intertwined the Lex-Karen love story with the stories of their respective families, which apart from the other timeline films before it. Stories that involve time are very tricky and prone to plot holes, especially when several characters are involved. Aquino crafted his tale with so much care and heart that even the most jaded viewers will be moved so much that little questionable details won't matter anymore. 

4. STRANGE FREQUENCIES: TAIWAN KILLER HOSPITAL by Kerwin Go (MY FULL REVIEW) 

A remake of the Korean horror film "Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum" (2018), this was supposed to be the first meta found-footage Filipino film ever. This whole film was a high achievement in cinematic technical elements -- film editing, production design, visual effects, musical score and especially the award-winning sound design -- all of which director Kerwin Go successfully used to create an immersive, realistic experience of fear for audiences.

3. THE KINGDOM by Michael Tuviera (MY FULL REVIEW) 

You can clearly see the efforts of director Michael Tuviera, scriptwriter Michelle Ngu and production designer Nestor Abrogena Jr. to build this alternate reality within which our country existed in the film. They were advised by professors of history and anthropology to guide their world-building. They were meticulous in details of fashion, ornaments, tattoos, and interior decor. Direction, screenplay, production and costume design merit award consideration.

2. GREEN BONES by Zig Dulay (MY FULL REVIEW) 

Ricky Lee and Anj Atienza told this crime story from two perspectives -- Gonzaga's first, then Dom's. Director Zig Dulay's knack for visual storytelling was topnotch as he riveted our attention from beginning to end. The scenic island location for the penal colony, complete with stately lighthouse and an old tree with a dramatic crown of leaves, was surely a dream come true for cinematographer Neil Daza. Nominations are forthcoming for all of them. 

1. ISANG HIMALA by Pepe Diokno (MY FULL REVIEW) 

A solar eclipse occurred over the cursed town of Cupang. That day, a 29 year-old country girl named Elsa (Aicelle Santos) said that she saw the Blessed Virgin Mary who granted her the ability to heal. The parish priest (Floyd Tena) was skeptical, but Elsa went on with her mission, assisted by her mother Saling (Bituin Escalante), best friend Chayong (Neomi Gonzales), grateful neighbor Sepa (Joann Co) and local socialite Mrs. Alba (Sweet Plantado).  

Director Pepe Diokno grabbed the formidable material by the horns and made sure all its key plot and message points come across clearly and engagingly to the audience. Vincent de Jesus's big dramatic songs transitioned very well onto the big screen. Ricky Lee's religious debate of a script, with its biting socio-political commentary, remain as complex and thought-provoking as it did before, proof of its timeless and lasting significance. 

MMFF 2024: Review of HOLD ME CLOSE: Testing by Touch

January 7, 2025

Coming from a home with marital strife, restless nomad Woody (Carlo Aquino) has been moving around city to city all around the world trying to find his "perfect home." If he thought the place was wrong for him, he would spin his trusty globe around and point randomly at any country to choose his next destination. This time, he found himself in a small quiet seaside city on the island of Kyushu, Japan called Karatsu. 

At the local market, Woody was attracted to the stall of three Filipino siblings selling fresh squid. The eldest girl was Lynlyn (Julia Barretto), and her brothers were Tantan (Jairus Aquino) and Botbot (Migo Valid). Woody noted Lynlyn behaving weirdly, touching his hand and face. Lynlyn revealed that she had the ability to tell if a stranger was positive or negative for her just be mere touch. She had neutral reaction with Woody.

This is already the second film of writer-director Jason Paul Laxamana to be set in the Saga Prefecture on Kyushu, Japan, both using grants by the film commission there. The first one was "Between Maybes" (2019), starring Julia Barretto and Gerald Anderson. Like he did for Saga previously, Laxamana used the picturesque sights of Karatsu to their full potential, particularly the bright yellow canola fields and the observation deck on Mt. Kagamiyama.

Carlo Aquino's rather careless hair styling and make-up here made him look gaunt in some scenes, betraying the 12-year age-gap between him and Barretto in real life. Romantic chemistry may not have been instant, but luckily, the sincerity of Aquino and Barretto's acting eventually convinced us of their characters' true feelings for each other, over and beyond the alarming warning signals sent by Lynlyn's prophetic touch. However, making Woody resort to alcohol so much did not exactly help making him look more positive.

Laxamana added a touch of the supernatural to explain how Lynlyn got her mysterious ability, but its full mechanics were rather unclear. Suspension of disbelief aside, it does provoke you think critically about possessing such a talent. Is it really good if you can predict your future with a certain person? If you can sense that someone can someday cause you pain, how would you decide to abandoned him if this person is making you feel happy now? But also thought-provoking was why Lynlyn and bros were in Karatsu in the first place.  5/10

MMFF 2024: Review of AND THE BREADWINNER IS ... : OFW Ordeals

January 6, 2025

Bamboo "Bambi" Salvador (Vice Ganda) has been working multiple jobs in Taipei for 15 years, regularly sending money and goods to his family back home in Arayat, Pampanga. He had a widowed Momshie (Malou de Guzman) and three younger siblings, namely Biboy (Jhong Hilario), Buneng (Maris Racal) and Boy (Kokoy de Santos). Biboy was married to Mayet (Gladys Reyes), and had two kids, Danda (Kulot Caponpon) and Argus (Puge). 

Bambi had been receiving updates from his family about the house he was asking Biboy to build for them. So this year, Bambi decided not to renew his contract and booked a flight home to surprise everyone on his birthday. However, he was dismayed to discover that there had actually been no new house built at all. Worse, all the money he had been sending home went to failed investments, and their old house had been mortgaged to pay off a debt.

The story should be very familiar to Filipino moviegoers, many of whom have members who have been overseas workers. It is quite well-known that the family back home depended so much on the earnings and gifts of their parents or siblings working abroad, so much that the OFWs have to take on extra jobs and shifts in order to comply with all the family expenses and requests. Even if the OFW willing takes on this responsibility, this is an unfortunate reality that is still prevalent even if it had already been tackled in several previous OFW-themed films.

This movie is Jun Lana's unsubtle way to tell these families to wake up to the plight of their relatives working their bones out abroad. Bambi's dramatic highlight was a monologue saying that he (and others like him) need to rest once in a while. In return, the family back home have to make sensible investments to make the money grow. Watching Biboy et al making all sorts of lame excuses, and even have the gall to throw spite at Bambi, was appalling to watch. We hope they serve as mirrors to reflect to those concerned how ugly this behavior looked.

Lana also threw shade on OFWs who go abroad only to abandon their relatives back home when things do not work out as planned, like Bambi's eldest sister Baby (Eugene Domingo). Lana also brought up the issue of how desperate people would resort to scams to gain money not rightfully theirs. This part of the story was disturbing as it may sound like they were even rationalizing the crime, especially with that cutesy persuasive speech by Maris Racal (who coincidentally also played a scammer in another recent film, "Marupok AF").

Despite the generally melodramatic premise of the film, Lana did not deny Vice Ganda fans his signature brand of slapstick comedy that they were expecting in his MMFF comeback after a 2-year hiatus from films. During the Taipei scenes at the start of the film, we see Bambi's silly interactions with his co-workers Jovie (Lassy) and Mikha (Petite). We get to see Vice dressed and made-up in a number of his past film characters (Praybeyt Benjamin, Girlie Jackstone and Gandarra) in ironically outrageous ways to remain incognito. 6/10. 

MMFF 2024: Review of TOPAKK: Triggered by Trauma

January 4, 2025

Miguel Vergara (Arjo Atayde) led his team of elite military command force soldiers against notorious bandits. Only Miguel survived this deadly encounter, and he witnessed his men executed by cutting off their heads, including his best friend Leon (Enchong Dee). Provoked into action by his explosive fury, Miguel single-handedly killed all the bandits there. However, he subsequently suffered from a debilitating PTSD that cost him his job.

He took on a job as a security guard of a huge abandoned warehouse.  On his first night on the job, he caught siblings Weng (Julia Montes) and Bogs (Kokoy De Santos) enter his area of responsibility. They had witnessed the rub-out of a gang of drug pushers by a group of crooked anti-narcotics task force led by Romero (Sid Lucero). The cops were under pressure from the big boss mayor herself to catch these loose ends and eliminate them ASAP.

Despite his fair mestizo looks, Arjo Atayde preferred to be involved in action-drama projects than rom-coms. Since he gained mainstream recognition playing Police Capt. Joaquin Tuazon, the first main antagonist of Cardo Dalisay on "Ang Probinsyano" (2015), Atayde never shirked from playing roles of damaged men, like Benjo Malaya from "Bagman" (2019) or Anton dela Rosa on "The Cattleya Killer" (2023). And now, Miguel Vergara joins that list.

Atayde's security guard Miguel had a flat monotone voice of deep timbre when he talked, and a flat monotone affect on his face whatever was happening around him. These details Atayde gave Miguel made him look and feel more imposing than his relatively slim build may suggest. Atayde's slight physique was in stark contrast with Sid Lucero's formidable heft in their final showdown fight, but by then we already know and accept that Miguel was invincible.

Julia Montes's Weng had already quit being a drug runner for Banjo (Jeffrey Tam), but because of Bogs' foolishness, she was forced to step back in. You just have to be amazed at the fortitude of Weng's constitution at the way she can recover so fully after being repeatedly stomped on her belly and having her head repeatedly banged against a metal surface. The loud sound made by every blow on Weng's body can cause viewers double up in pain.

The direction and execution of the action scenes reminded me of Somes' previous "We Will Not Die Tonight" (2018), where the main story also just happened in the course of one long night. Somes' production design still consisted of empty warehouses with a lot of plastic sheets hanging around, but this one had a flame thrower and a rotatory saw table in there. Again, Jaymie Dumancas' clean flawless editing deserves award citation. 

I watched the R-18 cut, so there was certainly a lot of bloody graphic violence. When bandits cut the necks, they don't just slash it once and it's over. Their knives must've all been dull that day, so we had to watch them sawing back and forth, as the blades were ripping skin and muscle open. Queasy folks will need to watch through their fingers to get through this and other similarly brutish scenes involving cutting heads off. I wonder how much of these scenes were cut to tame it down to R-16.  6/10

MMFF 2024: Review of STRANGE FREQUENCIES: TAIWAN KILLER HOSPITAL: Horrific Hoopla in Haunted Hospital

January 3, 2025

Actor Enrique Gil came up with "Strange Frequencies" where he would lead a group of celebrities to visit some of the most haunted places in the world. For its opening salvo, Gil chose to visit the infamous Xinglin Hospital in Taiwan. This hospital had been closed down 30 years ago after reports of malpractice that led to multiple patient deaths. Since then, it had attracted ghost hunters the world over, even if many of them do not live to tell their tales.  

Gil invited a motley group of celebrities for this trip. This includes his friends from show business like Jane de Leon, Rob Gomez, and Alexa Miro, along with beauty queen MJ Lastimosa, ghost-hunting YouTuber Ryan "Zarckaroo" Azurin and gay tarot card reader Raf Pineda. Despite warnings from a Taiwanese medium that their planned show disrespected the spirits trapped in that place, Gil and his foolhardy crew still proceeded with their plans. 

The first remarkable thing about this film was that the main cast of actors were starring as themselves. Apparent early on was the satiric take on showbiz types -- ever-conscious of the talent fees they were going to earn after this project, which was dependent on the social media engagement they can generate with their live stream. There was a goal to reach a magic number of 3,000,000 views, for which each actor will get double their fees.

Production designer Jerann Ordinario should be commended for creating those spooky sets of the children's ward (with those creepy crayon drawings and old photo albums) and the operating room (which was turned into demotic ritual temple). It was also very interesting to see modern equipment used in ghost-hunting, like electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors, ghost balls, radiating electro-magneticity (REM) pods, EVP spirit box and strapped on camera rigs focused on their faces (which caused a lot of vertiginous shaky scenes). 

Being a show aiming to generate views, certain "roles" were given to the actors, like Rob as the loud annoying prankster, Alexa as the reckless, "anything for a hit show" one, MJ as the pragmatic non-believer. With "I Am Not Big Bird" and this, Enrique Gil is determined to break away from the love team movies he used to do. But here, it was Jane de Leon as the most level-headed team member who got the more stressfully grim acting moments, fully deserving her Best Actress nomination. Try to read the comments of the netizens watching the live video, as they can be quite darkly funny (like the Darna reference for Jane). 

A remake of the Korean horror film "Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum" (2018), this was supposed to be the first meta found-footage Filipino film ever. This whole film was a high achievement in cinematic technical elements -- film editing, production design, visual effects, musical score and especially the award-winning sound design -- all of which director Kerwin Go successfully used to create an immersive, realistic experience of fear for audiences. 8/10