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