Review of WICKED: FOR GOOD: Critical Changes Coming

November 19, 2025

The exiled Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) was already notorious as the Wicked Witch of the West, thanks to the fake news spread by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Glinda (Ariana Grande) has been named the "Good" spokesperson of the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), while Fiyero has become the Captain of the Guard. Meanwhile, Nessarose (Marissa Bode) was now the governor of Munchkinland, and Boq (Ethan Slater) became her servant. 

This film sequel is Act 2 of the musical. Honestly, my memory of Act 2 is fuzzy for me even if I had already watched the stage musical live twice before. There were actually scenes in this film sequel that were still major surprises for me -- from the bed scene, to the catfight scene, to the trapdoor scene. I do recall that "Wizard of Oz" guys show up in Act 2, and I liked how their spot was more substantial in the film, even without revealing Dorothy's face.  

Unlike Act 1 where most, if not all, of the songs became memorable hits, there is arguably only one popular song in the whole of Act 2, and that is title song "For Good." Perhaps because of this, Stephen Schwartz wrote two more songs -- "No Place Like Home" for an earnest Elphaba while the animals were fleeing, and "The Girl in a Bubble" for a pensive Glinda after Morrible guilt-tripped her. Both dramatic ballads were well-performed, but were not exactly catchy.  

The cinematography of the "The Girl in a Bubble" scene was actually more remarkable than the song, as the camera followed Glinda through her closet of many mirrors in what seemed to be one continuous long shot. Another excellent directorial by John Chu was making the story going full circle, such that it cleanly returned to the opening scene of the first film, with Glinda joining the Ozians to celebrate the death of the Wicked Witch of the West.

It was clearly easier to love the first "Wicked" (MY REVIEW) because it had an infectious, cheerful atmosphere practically throughout the show, right up to its iconic show-stopping final song "Defying Gravity." Story-wise, this second film is more mature, more serious than fun -- tackling darker issues about friendships, relationships and animal rights.  The pace did feel slower because there were more scenes of talking set in dimmer light than Part 1.

Out of its 10 noms, the first "Wicked" won Oscars for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, and again these two technical aspects shine in the sequel. I would've wanted to see what happened to the Cowardly Lion (and Tin Man) post-Dorothy. The facial makeup for the Scarecrow could've been better though. In terms of visual effects I appreciated the expanded role of the Ozian animals, especially the Flying Monkeys. 

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will likely be nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively at the Oscars again, based on their subtler, introspective performances in this decidedly darker sequel. Here, Erivo's Elphaba goes full-blown Wicked to forward her advocacy, while Grande's Glinda absorbs the pain of her powerless pretension -- both actresses deeply understanding of their characters and their complicated friendship. 8/10

Review of THE RUNNING MAN (2025): Desperate for Dollars

November 18, 2025

"The Running Man" is a televised reality game show on the FreeVee network run by Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) and hosted by Bobby Thompson (Colman Domingo). "Runners" stand to win $1 billion if they are able to survive for 30 days while masked executioner Evan McCone (Lee Pace) and his band of "Hunters" try to hunt them down and kill them. Despite the obvious danger of losing their lives, extreme poverty had forced citizens to join for money. 

Ben Richards (Glen Powell) was jobless. He had been blacklisted on his job for insubordination. His baby daughter Cathy is sick with a high fever, so for money, his wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson) had to go back to her job as a waitress in a nightclub. Desperate, Ben decided to audition to join one of the game shows on FreeVee to earn cash. Because of his physical fitness, skills and hot temper, he was selected to join "The Running Man."  

The story of "The Running Man" was adapted from a 1982 novel by Stephen King (written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman).  It is interesting to note that the events in the book were set in the year 2025, when the economy of the US had collapsed into a dystopian society. The back story of Ben, character names and game mechanics in the book were closely-followed in this new film co-written and directed by Edgar Wright.  

In 1987, a looser, campier film adaptation was directed by Paul Michael Glaser and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as Ben Richards, a convicted cop. There, it was 2017. Running Man was a TV game show where criminals joined to win back their freedom. There was a live studio audience, and the game arena was limited in a limited area in Los Angeles (not the whole USA). "Family Feud" host Richard Dawson was cast as host Damon (not Dan) Killian. 

The abilities of Glen Powell's Ben Richards was practically super-human. He was also incredibly lucky all the time. It was fun and frenetic, but we never really felt that he was in any danger of losing at all. By the second half, the film already felt like it was going on a bit too long, and by the final moments, it just got too over-the-top dark. While we do see director Edgar Wright's dynamic visual style, this did not match the excellence of his "Baby Driver" (2017). 6/10

Review of NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON'T: Clever Confounding Cons

November 13, 2025

10 years after their last heist, the Horsemen -- Danny Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) organized another show to punish a cryptocurrency scammer. However, afterwards, it was revealed that this show was actually perpetrated by three young magicians -- front man Bosco (Dominic Sessa), lock expert June (Ariana Greenblatt), and tech guy Charlie (Justice Smith). 

From a charity show in South Africa, to a diamond exhibit in Belgium, to an elaborate chateau in France, the four original Horsemen get to know and join forces with their three new wannabes, pursue a valuable giant uncut diamond called "The Heart," which their handlers in the Eye want them to steal. This stone was owned by the icy Veronika Vanderbrug (Rosamund Pike), CEO of a classy jewelry company involved in less than glamorous activities.  

This is the third installment of a film franchise about talented magicians involved in lucrative heists that began with "Now You See Me" (Louis Letterier, 2013) and its sequel (Jon Chu, 2016). This new film, directed by "Zombieland" director Ruben Fleischer, still has the same globe-trotting and sophisticated vibe as the two previous films. This time around, the Horsemen have three new members to mentor and join in their fun. 

There were more of those spectacular "magic" tricks in this new one that we expect. They are thrilling to watch as they unfolded, even if you know the execution was likely more thanks to special visual effects than actual sleight of hand. The best scene for was that fun, magical "introduction" sequence in the mansion. Of course, the complex climax involved a racecar, a water tank, and a twist revelation. Wish that lousy security did not make things too easy.

It was great to see all the original actors back together again and having fun together. Not only Eisenberg, Fisher, Franco and Harrelson, mind you, but three more welcome "surprises" -- one at the very end, right before the credits roll. The three new young members are smart and smart-alecky as the rest of them. Another adventure seems to be coming up soon, but I hope there is more "Now You See Me" logical magic -- less "Mission: Impossible" please. 6/10 

Review of MEET, GREET & BYE: Harbored Hurt

November 12, 2025

Baby Facundo (Maricel Soriano) had three adult sons. The eldest was Christopher or Tupe (Piolo Pascual), who had a restaurant in Los Angeles. The second was Brad (Joshua Garcia), a nursing graduate now running their lechon business. The third was Leo (Juan Karlos), a musician now living in with his girlfriend Jen (Kaori Oinuma) and 3 year-old son Charlie. Tupe had a college-graduate daughter Geri Anne (Belle Mariano), who grew up with Baby. 

One day, the family found out that despite previous surgery and chemo, Baby's breast cancer has come back with spread to the brain and liver. The doctor proposed to do chemo again, but Baby refused. Instead she bargained that she would only undergo chemo if she could somehow score VIP tickets to attend the Meet-and-Greet event of her favorite Korean actor Park Seo-joon. Her children disagreed on how to proceed with this dilemma.

Aside from the returning cancer of Baby, another main conflict of the film was the arrival of Tupe from the US which was met with different reactions from his siblings. Leo idolized him no end, so he welcomed him heartily. However, Brad and Geri seemed to have deep resentment against him, as they gave him the cold shoulder. When Tupe agreed to get tickets for Baby, Brad went against his brother and sought alternative herbal therapies for her.

Portrayed as only Maricel Soriano can, her Baby was bravely putting up a happy front to hide her anxiety. Soriano gave Baby that maternal warmth that made all of us watching feel like she was our mother. Joshua Garcia and Belle Mariano had internalized the hurt that Brad and Geri had been harboring within themselves over the years. Juan Karlos gave Leo that sweet cheerful personality which served well to diffuse brewing tensions in their house.

And then there was Piolo Pascual as Tupe. Even on paper, him being cast as Maricel Soriano's eldest son felt like a stretch, especially since Pascual was only 12 years younger than Soriano, and over 20 years older than Joshua Garcia in real life. On the big screen, he really looked and felt out of place, but Pascual was giving it his best effort. It was his final monologue during the family confrontation scene that tied the whole story together. 

Comedic moments are provided by Matet de Leon and Jeffrey Tam (as househelp Jona and Kerwin), Madeline Nicolas and Marnie Lapus (as Baby's BFFs). That scene in Baby's poster filled room explained how Tupe, Brad, Leo and Geri got their names was quite funny. A luminous Kaila Estrada had a short appearance playing Brad's ex-girlfriend Angie visiting from New Zealand. Robbie Jaworski was introduced playing Geri's shy workmate. 

This latest film by box-office hit director Cathy Garcia-Sampana was a typical Pinoy melodrama about troubled family dynamics and terminal disease, which she co-wrote with Jumbo Albano and Patrick Valencia. To balance out the drama, she also tackled the crazy efforts of diehard fans buying tickets for K-drama idol events, from the intense online queueing, to wily scammers, and overnight camping outside the venue. 6/10

 

Review of DIE, MY LOVE: Psychiatry in the Post-Partum Period

November 11, 2025

New Yorkers Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jackson (Robert Pattinson) decided to move into Jackson’s childhood home in rural Montana, which he inherited from his late uncle Frank. At first, their days were filled with rambunctious sex to rock music. Grace soon got pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy. Not long after that, she began to feel distant from her husband. These feelings of insecurity soon escalated into disturbing visions and bizarre behavior. 

This was a very uncomfortable film to watch from the very first scenes. At first, we see Grace and Jackson making wild love on the floor.  Next, we see Grace prowling on their lawn like a cat, carrying a big kitchen knife on one hand. Right after that, we see Grace letting her breast milk drip on and mix with ink drops on a a piece of paper. All this within the first ten minutes. This was certainly not going to be your typical post-partum depression melodrama. 

"Die, My Love" was adapted by director Lynne Ramsey (with co-writers Enda Walsh and Alice Birch) from a 2012 novel of the same title by Argentine writer, Ariana Harwicz. Originally written in Spanish, it had been translated into English by Sarah Moses and Carolina Orloff. Ramsey is not new to heavy psychological drama. Her best known film was "We Need to Talk About Kevin" (2011), starring Tilda Swinton as a troubled mother of a mass-murderer.  

Robert Pattinson's Jackson was basically just reacting to his wife's strange mortifying actions in public. There were repeated scenes of Jackson chasing after Grace to bring her back home. Even if their wives or girlfriends never did anything as extreme as those Grace did, men in the audience will see themselves in Jackson. This film opens men's eyes to deep, disturbing thoughts women bothering them inside. But in the end, there are really no easy solutions. 

This film was truly Jennifer Lawrence's unpleasant yet intense acting showcase. As psychotic Grace, Lawrence really gave it her all in what is probably her boldest role to date. She may have been pushed to the edge in Darren Aronofsky's "Mother!" (2017), but here, she has already fallen off that edge. So while we bear witness to Grace's delusions, Lawrence was baring herself body and soul in front of our very eyes, whether we like it or not. 6/10 

Review of PREDATOR: BADLANDS: Revenge of the Runt

 November 10, 2025

To prove to his father Njohrr (Reuben De Jong) that he was a worthy member of their Clan, young Yautja Predator Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) planned to hunt down the feared Kalisk on planet Genna. However, Njohrr believed that Dek was a hopeless runt, and ordered his favored son Kwei (Mike Homik) to execute Dek. Kwei disobeyed the kill order, activated his space craft to send Dek to Genna, and got himself executed instead. 

Up to this point, all the dialog had been in the Yautja language, so subtitles were necessary t0 understand what was being. The only time we hear English was when Dek encountered Thia (Elle Fanning), a friendly bisected android made by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, on Genna. If that company name sounds familiar, they are the same notorious technological company that was the true corporate villain of the "Alien" franchise.

The specific alien species which Arnold Schwarzenegger fought with those distinct snout and sharp teeth in the first film (1987), and those in the sequels, was never identified. However, since Steve and Stephani Perry coined the name "Yautja" in their 1994 novel "Aliens Vs Predator," it had also been used in the comics and video games. "Predator: Badlands" is the first film to use Yautja to identify Dek and his clan and Yautja Prime as their home planet.  

This film designed Genna as a wilderness with deadly vines that captured and crushed its prey to death and grass that can cut flesh sharply like crystals.  There was a cute monkey-like creature which Thia called Bud, with those deep pools as eyes (think Puss N' Boots). Of course, there was the invincible behemoth Dek was looking for  -- the Kalisk. These special visual effects, together with that of Thia's upper and lower halves, did not disappoint. 

I never followed every "Predator" film over the years, so at first I was not sure I wanted to see this one. It was fortunate that I did go watch it because I enjoyed it. You do not really need to know much of the "Predator" lore to understand the story being told by screenwriter Patrick Aison and director Dan Trachtenberg. It was a typical coming-of-age story of a young man wanting to prove his worth on his own, then discovering the value of a team. Reversing the previous tropes, a Predator was now the hero we rooted for. 7/10

Netflix: Review of FRANKENSTEIN (2025): Obscene Obsession

November 8, 2025

Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac as adult, Christian Convery as teen) grew up traumatized by the failure of his physician father (Charles Dance) to save his mother from death. Because of this, Victor became inordinately involved in research to reanimate the dead, but his daring demonstration in front of other surgeons only led to scandal and rejection. This humiliation only drove Victor to pursue his unholy obsession with breathing life into death even more. 

The original 1818 novel by Mary Shelley has been inspiring film adaptations since the art of moving pictures began. The first one was a short in 1910 by J. Searle Dawley. The most famous versions were the 1931 version by James Whale, starring Boris Karloff as the monster, and the 1994 version by Kenneth Branagh, starring Robert de Niro as the monster. Frankenstein's monster has been a recurrent character in various Goth or horror projects. 

In this new version by Guillermo del Toro, he introduced a new character -- an arms dealer named Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz) offered to fund Victor's further research, even providing an abandoned tower as a laboratory. Del Toro wrote Harlander to be the uncle of Lady Elizabeth (Mia Goth), who turned out to be the fiancee of Victor's long-estranged younger brother William (Felix Kammerer), who was then making a name in financial circles.

Oscar Isaac played Victor Frankenstein as an egotistical mad scientist. He did unto his Creature how his father did unto him before -- impatiently, abusively and irrationally. For such a scientific genius, Victor severely lacked empathy with his innocent Creature, making all their scenes together a very tough uncomfortable watch. This was most apparent in scenes where the Creature did not seem to have any facility for spoken language -- yet. 

As in the previous iterations, the centerpiece performance of the film was from the actor playing the Creature. In this case, it was Jacob Elordi. This Australian burst into the scene in "The Kissing Booth" (2018) on Netflix, and soon he was everywhere. He may have been buried under thick prosthetic make-up here, but he was able to fully portray the innocence and desperation of this tormented character. An Oscar nod may not be farfetched.

Fortunately for Mia Goth, the character of Elizabeth underwent a major reboot. In the book, she was originally Victor's childhood friend turned fiancee who was murdered by the Creature on her wedding night. As per Del Toro, Elizabeth is an independent, opinionated woman of science, with an interest in entomology. She was also hinted to have a romantic interest in the Creature, which gave an additional layer of moral complication. 

Those familiar with Del Toro's work knows his penchant for all things macabre and monstrous. While the whole film dripped with these dark and disturbing elements, the highlight will have to be that sequence of scenes of Victor carving out various body parts from different dead soldiers, then connecting them together to build his 3-D jigsaw puzzle of a Creature. It would take a strong stomach to sit through this fascinating process of anatomical construction. 

Aside from Elordi, Oscar nominations for Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing, Musical Score, Production Design, Costume Design,  Sound and Visual Effects are also very likely. 9/10

Review of LAKAMBINI: GREGORIA DE JESUS: Oriang's Options

November 6, 2025

May 9, 1897 was the 22nd birthday of Gregoria "Oriang" de Jesus. She went to the house of President Emilio Aguinaldo to beg him to stop the planned execution of her husband Andres Bonifacio (Rocco Nacino) and his brother Procopio. However, Aguinaldo did not meet her himself. Instead, another official rebuffed her request, even telling her that she's lucky that was not arrested herself. After these rude words, Oriang was roughly driven out of the house. 

This was the first scene of this stylized biopic about the life of the strong woman behind the Supremo of the Katipunan, a nationalistic organization launched in 1892 aiming to win independence of the Philippines from her Spanish conquerors via an armed revolution. She had married Andres in 1893, defying her parents' objections. She was initiated into the women's chapter of the Katipunan in 1894, choosing Lakambini as her code name. 

Of course, the story about Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan had been told and retold in many films before. The infamous Tejeros convention was reenacted in detail, with the hateful actions of Daniel Tirona (Allan Paule) highlighted. The controversial issue about Oriang's rape vs. molestation by Agapito Bonzon (James Lomohan) was also tackled. On a more personal note, we learned that she was a good cook, able to identify ingredients of a dish by smell.

The lesser-known story of Oriang after Andres's death was also given screen time. We learn about the harrowing 30 days Oriang spent looking for her husband's body in the mountains. We also learn about her marriage to Julio Nakpil (Paulo Avelino), a musician who became a trusted officer of Bonifacio, using the code name Giliw. In Nakpil's senior years, he was played by Spanky Manikan, who had already passed away in 2018. 

Several scenes were interpretations of various writings of Oriang in her own memoirs written in 1928. They dramatized the letter of Oriang to the Gobernadorcillo requesting for rescue because her parents confined her in a house in Binundok to hide her from Andres. Even the romantic letter of Andres to Oriang which went viral 10 years ago was featured, but it was quickly declared as fictional by writer Eljay Castro Deldoc. 

There was likewise a scene accompanied by the song "Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa," with lyrics from a poem written by Andres Bonifacio. There was a party scene where Hen. Luciano San Miguel (Pepe Herrera) was singing the patriotic song "Katipunan," written by Julio Nakpil. 

Aside from telling Oriang's story, this film was also a documentary of sorts about the circuitous path it took to be created. The initial stage of its creation was in 2015 under director Jeffrey Jeturian, but shooting stopped after only nine days because the sponsors pulled out.  Finally, the film was completed this year, coincidentally and fortuitously exactly the 150th birth anniversary of Oriang, under the direction of Arjanmar Rebeta. 

It began with a birthday, and ended with a birthday -- full circle. But because its shooting had been interrupted into small parts over 10 years, there was sometimes inconsistent continuity in the locations, props and costumes. Also, that was the reason why three actresses played Oriang in this final film -- Lovi Poe, Elora Espano, and Gina Pareno. They used this as a metaphor about how any Filipino woman can be Oriang. 6/10

Review of BUGONIA: Abducting an Alien

November 5, 2025

Teddy (Jesse Plemons) believed that Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), the CEO of giant pharmaceutical company Auxolith, was an alien of the Andromedan species which was out to destroy the Earth. He was able to convince his autistic cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) to help him abduct Michelle and hold her hostage in the basement of his house. Teddy believed that the Andromedans will be entering Earth in four days during a lunar eclipse. 

"Bugonia" was a hard-hitting dark satirical comedy film by director Yorgos Lanthimos, in the vein of "The Favourite" (2018) and "Poor Things" (2023). I was surprised to learn that this new film was actually a remake of a South Korean film entitled "Save the Green Planet" (2003). The original screenplay written by director Jang Joon-hwan was adapted into the American setting by Will Tracy, who wrote "The Menu" (2022) and TV series "Succession," satires both.

This was a very uncomfortable watch from beginning to end, as it involved taking advantage of a mentally-challenged individual and acts of violence against a woman, all in the name of apparently delusional conspiracy theories of one very emotionally-disturbed individual. Teddy and Michelle were both unlikable characters as written, and as twistedly portrayed by Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone (who really had her hair shaved off). As both of them played off each other wickedly at full blast, award noms are surely forthcoming. 

The only sympathetic character here was the impressionable, neurodivergent young man Don. Aidan Delbis, who describes himself as autistic, was only a 17-year old high school student when he was cast for his first major feature film role, based on the audition tape he submitted. The way he was being talked down to and manipulated was very painful to watch. This connection we felt with Don made what happens to him in this film so sad as it was shocking.

The mysterious title was not explained, nor even mentioned, in the film. The Ancient Greek word "bugonia" refers to the belief that bees can develop out of a cow carcass. Bees and their colony collapse disorders was a recurring theme in the film. Teddy, being a beekeeper, believed that Michelle was behind the dwindling population of bees. Bees was a metaphor for the fragile state of Earth's environment as a result of human irresponsibility. 

The ending is really the biggest gamble of the story, especially for those who have not seen the original film yet. Lanthimos was able to spring the twist on his audience effectively, even as the film became even more bizarre in terms of production and costume design. Then comes a final five-minute montage of human mortality set to the tune of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" sung by Marlene Dietrich. When will we ever learn, indeed? 8/10 

Netflix: Review of BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER: Gauging a Gambler

October 31, 2025

Lord Freddy Doyle (Colin Farrell) was a British aristocrat who had been gambling in a high-class casino in Macau. He had been on an unfortunate losing streak, so he had already incurred a huge debt. He went to try his luck at the Rainbow Room, the only casino where he can play on credit. He lost to ruthless card shark Grandma (Deanie Ip) at baccarat. Casino employee Dao Ming (Fala Chen) offered him a loan so he can still continue playing. 

It was uncomfortable to watch Lord Doyle unable to control his gambling addiction even if he was already sinking into pathetic depths. We have seen countless gambling addicts go down the same way in other films before, from "The Gambler" (1974) to "Uncut Gems" (2019). Addiction is never a pretty picture, even if you looked like Colin Farrell and wore Doyle's scarlet jacket and yellow gloves made in Saville Row. 

The movie takes a mysterious turn when Doyle encounters Dao Ming again after one of the gamblers she lent credit to committed suicide. It was the Festival of the Hungry Ghost, so he went with Dao to a temple so she can pray away her guilt, feeling that she has run out of chances. They talked on a bench near the sea that whole night. The next morning, Doyle woke up alone on the bench, noting that some numbers had been written on his hand. 

His next encounter with private investigator Betty Grayson (Tilda Swinton) who was stalking Doyle to recover the money he had stolen from an old client of hers. With her quirky glasses and frumpy dresses, Swinton was a delightful sweetheart even as she looked like a fish out of water in the casino. As Betty was always dead serious about her work, Doyle tried to lighten her up by inviting her to dance. In that regard, don't you miss the mid-credit scenes.

Just when you thought that Doyle's story was going to have a typical ending, along comes a sudden twist in the final act that you never saw coming, challenging viewers to make the surprise revelation make sense.  Director Edward Berger was consistent with his beautiful, artistic camera work, with Oscar-winning cinematographer James Friend.  Colin Farrell likely knew many of his lines were cliche, but he still managed to spin acting gold from them.  7/10

Review of NO OTHER CHOICE: Cutting the Competition

October 31, 2025

Yoo Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun) had been working in a paper-making factory for the past 25 years. He was able to buy back his childhood home where he now lived happily and comfortably with his wife Mi-ri (Son Ye-jin) and two children. One day, their factory closed down and everybody lost their jobs. Man-soo struggled to manage the sudden drastic drop in his financial capabilities, so they had to give up their hobbies, their dogs and their house. 

This latest film by one of the masters of Korean cinema -- Park Chan-wook, the same director who crafted classics like "Joint Security Area" (2000), "Oldboy" (2003), "The Handmaiden" (2016) and "Decision to Leave" (2022), among others. it had its world premiere last August in the Venice International Filmfest. It had already been announced to be the submission of South Korea for consideration in the race for the Oscar for Best International Film.

Park did masterful work here as director, telling this story (based on a 1997 American novel "The Ax" by Donald E. Westlake) about a jobless family man whose difficulty of finding a new job then pushed him to do unthinkable things. There were some pretty innovative camera angles to shoot scenes ranging from utter chaos (three people grappling for a pistol), to musical virtuosity (a mother finally getting to hear her special child playing cello). 

Lee Byung-hun is the probably the most ubiquitous Korean actor these days -- with recent credits for "Squid Game" (2021) and "K-Pop Demon Hunters" (2025). Man-soo went about eliminating his competition literally, and Lee portrayed this with restrained ruthlessness.  It was good to see "CLOY" actress Son Ye-jin as the wife, but sadly she was underused. Lee Sung-min and Yeom Hye-ran memorably played Man-soo's primary rival and his manic wife. 

The buzz is very strong that this film might just replicate the historic feat of Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" (2019) at the Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best International Film and Best Director. The similarities are there, both being very dark comedies about the societal classes. However, don't let all that hype make you expect too much. It's good, but to be honest, I am not exactly raving for this one all that much as mucg I did for "Parasite" before. 7/10

Sine Sindak 2025: Review of NEAR DEATH: Attacks from the Afterlife

October 30, 2025

Professional photographer Julia (Charlie Dizon) jumped from the roof of their apartment in a suicide attempt. She landed on the hood of a car, so she was able to survive the fall. She was discharged from the hospital after six months under the care of her younger sister Mia (Xyriel Manabat). However, even if she looked okay from the outside, Julia was haunted by visions of malevolent spirits speaking an unknown language, but they all want to possess her body. 

Her doctor advised Julia to join a support group for suicide survivors called "The Guardians." There, she befriended neckerchief-wearing Lucas (RK Bagatsing), a man who tried to commit suicide because he had terminal cancer. Meanwhile, the spirits who bothered Julia were becoming increasingly aggressive and violent, such that even her nosy neighbor Salve (Lotlot de Leon) and the security guard Celso (Soliman Cruz) were physically assaulted by them. 

Before he directed action films like "We Will Not Die Tonight" (2018) and "Topakk" (2023), writer-director Richard Somes began his filmmaking career in horror. His debut work was a segment in "Shake, Rattle & Roll 2K5" (2005), and this was followed by full-length "Yanggaw" (2008). More recently, he returned to horror with a segment in "Shake, Rattle & Roll Extreme" (2023), and now, he is back with his latest full-length horror film. 

Somes still relied on cliche tropes of Pinoy horror films, like multiple jump scares, pitch black darkness, or destructive fire.  Julia's apartment building just had to be very old with long dimly-lit empty hallways, just right for a horror movie. For some body horror, Salve suffered from a progressive skin disease she caught from her pet dog. As for the main topic of suicide, it was unfortunate that Somes did not seem to offer a more satisfying final resolution for Julia. 

Charlie Dizon and RK Bagatsing try their best, but the main problem was precisely that tiresome screenplay, with the repetitive cycles of Julia's activities during the day, followed by the scary spirits when she got home at night.  There were stories brought up that led nowhere. Owing to crude effects, the spirits would be scarier if we never saw them clearly. The ending was so drab and low-key I don't recall what it was anymore when I got home. 4/10

Cinesilip 2025: Review of DREAMBOI: Trans Tenacity

October 29, 2025

Diwa (EJ Jallorina) is a transwoman who was a victim of trans hate at her workplace. A senior lawyer of their firm, Atty. Sylvia Quiambao (Meann Espinosa) complains to their HR about Diwa's using the women's restroom. The transphobic security guard (Tads Obach) abuses his authority to the point of humiliating Diwa every time she needs to go. Following a tip, Diwa had to go all the way down to Basement 6 to use the restroom there.

Because of a recent break-up, Diwa spurned the romantic overtures of her photographer workmate Maki (Migs Almendras). Instead, she turned to compact discs containing digital porn audio recordings by an artist named Dreamboi (Tony Labrusca). One night, while she was in the Basement 6 restroom, she overheard sounds of sexual ecstasy from the other cubicle. She realized it was actually her mysterious Dreamboi himself, in the flesh.  

The new Cinesilip Film Festival, featuring 7 new erotic films, all rated R-18, ran from October 22-28, 2025 in four Ayala Malls cinemas -- Trinoma, Market Market, Circuit Makati and Manila Bay. The one with the loudest buzz was "Dreamboi" because the MTRCB rated it X two times, and only after some cuts was it approved for commercial screening with an R-18.  It went on to dominate the festival awards, winning Best Picture, Best Director for Rodina Singh, and the Audience Choice awards. 

It was clearly apparent why "Dreamboi" dominated the technical awards, namely Cinematography by Malay Javier, Editing by Arnex Nicolas, Production Design by Chips Day Abando, and most especially, Sound by Immanuel Verona and John Buquid. From the very first scene and throughout, that loud reverberating bass sound and the percolating musical score (I can't believe that did not win!) can literally shake you to your very core. 

Tony Labrusca's Dreamboi may have been the title character, and his face was the only one in the poster. He and his soft porn scenes -- be they fantasy or reality -- may have taken up a lot of screen time, but really, he was not really the main point of the film. Nevertheless, Labrusca definitely gave his 100% in terms of smoldering looks and macho sexuality here. He projected this sexy attitude at all times, never letting go even if he was only in the background. 

This film highlighted a number of discriminatory practices that transwomen face everyday from narrow-minded conservatives around them. Diwa actually confronted Atty. Sylvia, albeit only in her mind, accusing her of being jealous of transwomen being free of menstruation and pregnancy. The bathroom issue is actually just minor as far as their problems go, as this trans hate can escalate to frank assault (that intense jeepney scene!) and even murder. 

Lead actress EJ Jallorina did very well in her breakthrough role, as Diwa was a challenging character with various subtle nuances. Aside from her, there were also a number of transwomen actresses in the cast, the most prominent being Iyah Mina as their mother hen of their boarding house -- Mama Guada. Her one main scene addressing her wards about their plight as transwomen being killed or erased was the heart and soul of the whole film. 6/10

Netflix: Review of THE DELIVERY RIDER: Autism in Action

October 29, 2025

Santo (Baron Geisler) is an autistic man who worked as a motorcycle delivery man for Ondamove. He kept pretty much to his usual routines, like taking photos of his deliveries once they reach their destination. He lived at home with his childhood friend, now a nurse and single mother Nichelle (Jennica Garcia). Her son Miro (Euwenn Mikaell) already considered Santo as his father, since his real father Bernardo (Joem Bascon) left them to live and work abroad.

This was a potent set-up for a dramatic film about an atypical family. It informed us about what high-functioning autistic people can do and how they could be employed in certain jobs. Honestly, I have yet to meet a delivery rider who obviously was on the spectrum like Santo. But in theory, as long as they knew how to ride a motorcycle, work the GPS and could engage with customers, they should be able to do the job, barring any major breaks in routines.

However, writer Henry King Quitain and director Lester Pimentel (in his feature film directorial debut) went beyond family drama and unexpectedly made a sharp turn to become a violent action film instead.  Santo and Miro inadvertently witnessed a murder during one of his deliveries, so the bad guys led by Roden (Jake Cuenca) went after them. Fortunately, Santo had inherited fighting skills from his late MMA champ father Jowell (Christian Vasquez). 

It was good to see a little more of Jennica Garcia, after her affecting supporting turn in "Sunshine" (2025), but she should be ready for the lead soon enough. Euwenn Mikaell is striking the iron while he is still the hottest male child actor after his major roles in "Firefly" (2023) and "Lolo and the Kid" (2024). Jake Cuenca was basically a one-dimensional crime kingpin here, but they did give him a bit of humanity before the end of the film.

The main highlight of this film was Baron Geisler, who showed off more versatility as a dramatic actor here, following "Doll House" (2022) and "Dearly Beloved" (2024). His action chops were still well-honed from TV series like "Iron Heart" (2022) and "Incognito" (2025). His portrayal of Santo's autism was consistent and empathetic, apparent from his facial tics, hand gestures and speech patterns. Santo's ability to fight off armed goons may be too unrealistic, but this committed performance will garner due acclaim. 5/10

Review of TRON: ARES: Projected Permanence

October 28, 2025

ENCOM and Dillinger Systems are in a race to figure out how to make digital constructs last more than their 29-minute limit before they disintegrate. Current Dillinger CEO Julian (Evan Peters) was pitching a perfect expendable soldier named Ares (Jared Leto) to his investors. Meanwhile, ENCOM CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee) was in Julian Flynn's old station in Alaska looking through his floppy discs until she finally find the elusive "Permanence Code."

A story about a digital construct or AI in a humanoid form getting self-aware and going rouge against his programmer is not exactly a new story. In this case, Ares seemed to getting self-aware from his very introduction, showing interest in events happening in real life. When he was sent to hack into the ENCOM grid to search for Flynn's code, Ares gets distracted with memories about Eve Kim, her achievements and her family. 

Like the first "Tron" (1982) and its much-delayed sequel "Tron: Legacy" (2010), the main reason to watch this new film on the big screen are its artfully-futuristic neon-lit special effects. Dillinger was red, for authoritarianism and absolute control. ENRON was blue, for purity, freedom and choice. Those chase scenes around busy city streets were great to watch because of these coded lights and the roaring musical score by the Nine Inch Nails. 

I only knew Greta Lee from Celine Song's super-serene "Past Lives" (2023), so seeing her here in extreme action as Eve rode big motorcycles was quite a thrilling surprise. Evan Peter's Dillinger was quite the one-dimensional villain from the start, but he did have the honor of having Gillian Anderson play his mother Elisabeth (but she was criminally underused). Jodie Turner-Smith's Athena was an Amazon warrior in the Dora Milaje mode. 

Ever since he won his Oscar in 2014, it seemed like Jared Leto never got a positively-reviewed performance at all, as he was bashed for "Suicide Squad," "Justice League," and "Morbius." Not that this role as Ares was anywhere as challenging, but Leto was likable here with his thoughtful and restrained portrayal. The quiet scenes he shared with Jeff Bridges (as Kevin Flynn) bound his new character to the foundation of the franchise. 7/10

Netflix: Review of A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE: Inbound Insanity

October 26, 2025

One morning, an intercontinental ballistic missile of unknown origin was detected to be airborne and bound to hit the continental USA. Based on its trajectory, it was projected to directly hit the city of Chicago in the next 16 minutes. Their first response was to launch two ground-based interceptors at it from Fort Greely, Alaska. When those failed to engage, the alert level was elevated further up and the issue of preemptive retaliatory attacks comes up. 

This story was told in the point of view of three people at various levels of responsibility in such politico-military crisis. First was Capt. Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson), the oversight officer for the White House Situation Room. Second was STRATCOM commander Gen. Anthony Brady (Tracy Letts) based in Nebraska. Finally, at the very top of the chain of command was the POTUS (Idris Elba) himself, who needed to give the final decision. 

This film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow (after a 7-year hiatus), from an original screenplay by former NBC News president Noel Oppenheim. Bigelow will always be remembered as the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Director. This was for directing the tense Iraq War drama "The Hurt Locker" (2008), which also won Best Picture. Her next film was "Zero Dark Thirty" (2012) about the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden, which was also nominated for Oscars.

With this new film, Bigelow returns to this common theme of international conflict that she excelled in before. This time, the action is confined to US bases and Zoom meetings, as key American officials only had 16 minutes to make key decisions that will affect the whole world. Bigelow built up suspense as she showed these same 16 minutes from three vantage points, revealing more strategic details and personal drama as the story unfolded. 

Therefore, for each of the three chapters of this film, we are left in a cliffhanger as to what the final decision of the POTUS was. This was quite the major build up in the final chapter as Lt Comm Robert Reeves (Jonah Hauer-King) quickly briefed the POTUS (and us) about his three options, all of which will entail a major casualty count. Then after all that suspenseful triple build-up came a ending that will polarize viewers. Was that astute brilliance? or a frustrating cop-out? 8/10 

Mini-Reviews of ROOFMAN and GOOD FORTUNE: Inherent Integrity

October 24, 2025

ROOFMAN

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Writer: Derek Cianfrance, Kirt Gunn

To buy gifts for his daughter, Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) broke into MacDonald's stores through the roof for two years, before he was finally caught and incarcerated. He eventually used his smarts to break out of jail, but still could not see his kids. Meantime, he hid himself in the premises of a Toys R Us store in Charlotte. While bunking there, he noted the plight of single mother employee Leigh (Kirsten Dunst) under her strict manager Mitch (Peter Dinklage).

It was amazing to find out that this new film was loosely based on the criminal activity of a real-life convicted robber named Jeffrey Manchester who escaped prison and actually hid out in a toy store. Throughout its 126 minute run time, writer-director Derek Cianfrance brought us from tearful family drama to violent crime action, which can be jarring. All the while, he still kept things light with an overall comedy flavor, given the toy store setting, the holiday motif, and Peter Dinklage playing Grumpy.

Despite the light general mood, playing Jeffrey Manchester was a tough vehicle for Channing Tatum as an actor, both physically and emotionally. Despite the illegal activities he had perpetrated, Tatum's Jeff remained likable enough that we may even hope he can get away with his crimes and live happily ever after with Leigh. Tatum channeled the vibes of Leonardo di Caprio's Frank Abagnale in "Catch Me If You Can" (2002), but with less sophistication. 7/10

GOOD FORTUNE

Director: Aziz Ansari

Writer: Aziz Ansari

Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) was a lowly angel with small wings, only assigned to alert people who text while driving to prevent accidents. One day, he saves the life of Arj (Aziz Ansari) and was drawn to monitor his unlucky life, taking in any odd jobs just to earn a living. Arj was down and out when lost his PA job with wealthy IT guy Jeff (Seth Rogan). Gabriel sincerely wanted to help Arj work find his own worth, so he broke the angel rules and revealed himself.

Frankly, when I first saw Keanu Reeves with tiny angel wings at the back, I thought this would be childishly corny. However, once I got into its groove in the first act, I was surely get hooked in by Reeve's disarming and delightful aw-shucks innocent charm. Even if he sported the same grim John Wick facial hair here, Reeves' performance as Gabriel was truly endearing, especially in those scenes where he was like a little boy being reprimanded by his superior Martha (Sandra Oh). 

Writer-director Aziz Aznari also stars as Arj in an underdog role that we can all identify with, yet this character definitely also had flaws. Arj may have been a victim at first, but turned out to be quite a jerk himself when the tables were turned. Seth Rogan's Jeff could easily had been the typical heartless rich guy here, but we could see that he was also a good man within. Keke Palmer was charming as labor advocate Elena, Arj's inspiration. 7/10

Review of WALONG LIBONG PISO: A Prickly Price to Pay

October 23, 2025

In 2007, Dante Balboa (Paolo Gumabao) was an up-and-coming actor starring in sexy films produced by Seiko Films with titles like "Karelasyon" and "Kasiping."  He had already received an award for his acting for his very first film. He was regularly being interviewed in TV talk shows. He regularly interacted with his fans online on Friendster. One night, while resting in his room after coming home from a guesting in a TV dance show, Dante received a call on his mobile phone from a fan, a lawyer named Rommel (Edward Solon). 

This film was basically a performance of the original play first staged just last August, caught on camera -- only one actor in one room for an hour and a half straight. Before we reached the main point of the story, first, we had to endure Dante's preening for his mirror, taking a cold shower, macho dancing, watching TV, chatting with his manager, or shouting to his mother. Several scenes were gratuitously sexualized, a queasy watch, definitely not for everyone. Anyhow, the nostalgic references to 2007 -- the bar phones, Friendster, The Buzz, etc. -- were fun to watch. 

Paolo Gumabao was the first actor to play Dante in the stage version, so he should already this part like the back of his hand. But since Dr. Balboa decided to shoot his debut feature in a single long continuous shot, Gumabao also had to get his blockings perfect, especially with his daring scenes. Kudos should also go to Edward Solon, the actor playing Atty. Rommel Gonzaga over the phone, as it was his good-natured and engaging voice that drew Dante in and got his trust. Despite the call being interrupted several times, Dante simply got hooked.

This film began with a disclaimer that any similarities between the characters and events of this film in real life are purely coincidental. However, exactly like the "fictional" Dante, Dr. Dante Balboa (2 PhD degrees -- one in Philippine Literature and one for Tourism and Hospitality) was also actually a professor at FEU in 2007 under his real name Elmer Anisco while also starring in sexy films in the aughts, thus earning him the nickname "The Educated Hunk." We see three movie posters of the real Dante Balboa on the walls of this bedroom. 

Because of this association, it would be fair to surmise that this "fictional" experience of Dante could likely be a real-life experience of Dr. Balboa as a young bold actor caught in the glare of the klieg lights, ripe to be victimized by unscrupulous predators. With his script, Balboa was basically criticizing the superficiality and hypocrisy that was rampant in Philippine showbiz, at least during his time at the turn of the millennium. He also took aim at his own foolishness and carelessness in order to give aspiring actors a fair warning about the blinding lure of fame. 4/10

 

 

Review of EVERYONE KNOWS EVERY JUAN: Sibling Squabbles

October 22, 2025

After the death of Mrs. Juaning Sevilla, her youngest daughter Miraquel (Alessandra de Rossi, age 41) took over the care of the old house with her husband Alfred (JM de Guzman). They had two helpers: the oddball maid Anna (Angeli Bayani), and the gardener Jacob (Kevin Miranda) whom Juaning was very fond of. On the day before her first death anniversary, the day of the town fiesta, her other five older adult children came over for a lunch reunion. 

The eldest was Tupe (Edu Manzano, age 70), a celebrity plastic surgeon with a teenage wife and a pet iguana. Second was Josie (Ruby Ruiz, age 64), a housewife who was now in an affair with a lesbian. Third was Rosalinda (Gina Alajar, age 66), who was currently running for town councilor. Fourth was Ramil (Ronnie Lazaro, age 67), a fanatic member of a religious cult. Fifth was Roel (Joel Torre, age 64), a hot-headed musician, the black sheep who left with their father. 

The scenario of estranged family members getting together after a parent's death is not exactly new. However, as conceptualized by lead star Alessandra de Rossi, she decided to direct this film in only one very long continuous take where the camera was in constant motion following the actors as they move from one location to another. This was certainly an ambitious undertaking for a director in only her second feature film after "My Amanda" in 2021.

De Rossi's cast was a formidable list of illustrious, award-winning dramatic actors. Surely, the continuous shot concept pressured them for perfection, as comedy was out of their comfort zone. There were no cuts. There was no room for error, lest they had to reshoot all over. This was solid ensemble work by the lead and supporting actors, along with the silly cameos (like Jaime Fabregas, Empoy Marquez, Jerald Napoles, Kim Molina).

Overall, watching this film was very entertaining, despite its rough spots in the execution of the continuous shot, like shaky camera, awkward focusing, erratic lighting.  Seeing their zany interactions, while struggling to keep a straight face at the funny jokes, was a lot of laugh-out-loud fun. Being a Pinoy family melodrama at its core, Carlo Enciso Catu's delightfully messy script also had bittersweet sibling confrontations for emotional sentimentality. 7/10

Review of BLACK PHONE 2: Vivid Visions of Victims

October 18, 2025

The original film recounts a series of kidnappings and murders of young boys perpetrated by a mysterious masked man dubbed "The Grabber" in North Denver, Colorado in 1978. Finney Blake (Mason Thames) was abducted by The Grabber and locked in a basement room. He had a sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) who manifested psychic abilities in her dreams.  With the help of the spirits of previous victims, Finney was eventually able to kill The Grabber. 

This sequel happens four years after the events of the first film. Finney was fighting back his bullies at school, while drowning out the trauma of his abduction by smoking weed at night. Gwen was having more vivid dreams in her sleep, where dead children were reaching out and asking her to find them. Ernesto (Miguel Mora), brother of Finney's best friend and Grabber victim Robin, asked Gwen for a date to a Duran Duran concert. 

After that emotional set-up, the more scary things happen when Finney, Gwen and Ernie were stranded at the Alpine Lake Camp by a blizzard. There were only four people left behind there -- camp supervisor Armando (Demian Bichir), his niece Mustang (Arianna Rivas), employee Kenneth (Graham Abbey) and his Bible-thumping wife Barbara (Maev Beaty). Then the ghost of the Grabber (Ethan Hawke) came into the scene to whip up his mayhem.

This was a reunion of the three child actors -- Thames, McGraw and Mora (who played Robin before) from the first movie -- so it was great to see how they have matured in how they look and how they act over the four years since. There was more focus on McGraw in this sequel because it was Gwen who had vivid visions of the missing dead boys. She was also able to talk on the phone with her late mother Hope (Anna Lore) who used to work at the camp.

Totally changing from a true-crime type horror (with limited touches of the paranormal) into an all-out supernatural ghost-story type of horror (with scenes akin to demonic possession) could disappoint fans. The first film was widely-admired for its reality-based tension-building aspects. Since The Grabber was a ghost from the start, we are aware everything in this sequel was automatically supernatural. The flesh and blood threat of the first film trumped that. 5/10

Netflix: Review of THE TIME THAT REMAINS: Constant Champion

October 16, 2025

One night, 88 year old Filomena "Lilia" Reyes (Bing Pimentel) was shot in the abdomen in her home in Baguio City. The ER nurse Isabelle Pineda (Beauty Gonzales) told Ms. Lilia that it was a 30-ish man with long hair brought her, and assumed he was her son. However, the old woman teasingly told her that he was not her son, but her boyfriend Matias (Carlo Aquino). When they got comfortable with each other, Lilia began to tell Isabelle her life story.

This new film, directed and co-written by Adolfo Alix Jr., was mostly set in Baguio City. Lilia's story spanned decades starting from 1941 when the Japanese invaded and she was moved out of Baguio by her parents, and ended in 2018 when she was shot in her home. There were episodes in between, set in 1954, 1960, 1971, 1975, and 1986, when important stages in the epic love story between young Lilia (Jasmine Curtis-Smith) and Matias. 

There was a subplot about a senior policeman Inspector Rafael Angua, Jr. (Bembol Roco, Jr.), nicknamed "The Collector" in his precinct because he never solved a case. Angua suspected that they was dealing with a long cold case of a serial killer whose spree started since 1970s. This was all fine, except that the casting of 71 year-old Roco creates confusion because a scene showed him to be only a small child in the 1970s. 

Another subplot involved Ami (Cristine Reyes), the owner of the Black Cat Tattoo Studio. Her look was all Goth, in keeping with the eerie medieval castle ambience of her place of business. Old Lilia needed two units of type A-positive blood. Matias knew Ami kept blood in bags in her refrigerator, and lo and behold, two units of this supposedly rare blood type was right there in the very front! How she got them was never explained. 

The acting performances of the lead cast could not be faulted, especially Aquino, Pimentel, and the ever-ravishing Curtis-Smith. Aquino was hampered by the ugly wig he had to wear as Matias. He never changed his thick mullet with bowl-cut bangs hairstyle, ever since he was a native warrior during the Spanish era! Because he did not vary his do to fit the times, he was suspiciously distinct, such that Angua even recognized him from a photograph taken in the 1970s.

The locations Alix chose to shoot in were very scenic and appropriate for the story he was telling, from Lilia's beautiful houses in Baguio, the old mansion with the tall corn fields in Batangas, to the hanging coffins of Sagada. It was too bad that he stuck with time-worn cliches -- shapeshifting into a black cat, sleeping in a coffin, melting in the sun, etc... -- for the creature Matias was to be, coming off as unintentionally funny in the process. 5/10

Review of THE KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (2025): Cold and Camp

October 16, 2025

It was 1983 in an Argentina still under a military junta. Luis Molina (Tonatiuh), a gay man working as a window dresser, was imprisoned for doing indecent acts with a minor. In prison, he was assigned to share the cell of political prisoner Valentin Arregui (Diego Luna). To keep the mood light in their cell, Molina told the story of her favorite movie "Kiss of the Spider Woman" starring his favorite actress Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez) in a dual lead role.

This film written and directed by Bill Condon is an adaptation of the 1992 stage musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Terrence McNally. That musical was in turn an adaptation of a 1976 novel by Argentine writer Manuel Puig. The novel had already been adapted into a 1985 dramatic film by Hector Babenco, one of the first LGBTQ-themed films nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actor at the Oscars.  William Hurt won as Best Actor.

The two films told basically the same story of the book, with a different spin on the ending. The main difference between the two films was the nature of the movie that Molina was telling Valentin in prison.  In the original movie, it was a wartime love story starring Leni Lamaison (Braga) as the femme fatale girlfriend of a German Nazi officer. Braga also portrayed the titular Spider Woman in a second unrelated story Molina told Valentin on his final night.  

In the new musical version film, the brightly-lit, glossy, and colorful movie scenes looked very different from the actual dark, dank and drab prison scenes. Jennifer Lopez went all out to play the actress Ingrid Luna and her two bombastic characters in the movie -- the alluring magazine publisher Aurora and the legendary village-protector Spider Woman.  Lopez is attracting Oscar buzz again, but this was mostly a song-and-dance performance piece, not much acting.

Another big difference was that the actors playing the cellmates were also playing roles in the Ingrid Luna movie. Tonatiuh played both Molina and Aurora's personal assistant Kendall, while Diego Luna played both Valentin and the dashing photographer Armando. These two actors show off their versatility here in scenes of extremely different nature -- engaging JLo in campy musical numbers, as well as each other in the very serious prison scenes. 7/10

Review of QUEZON: Commonwealth Chameleon

October 13, 2025

This film about Manuel Luis Quezon has been highly-anticipated ever since it was announced as the third film of the "Bayani-verse" trilogy by director Jerrold Tarog. Starting with "Heneral Luna" (2015) and "Goyo" (2018) set during the Philippine Revolution of 1896-98, Tarog's third installment will take a significant time-jump to the 1930s, tackling the story of the rise to power of the charismatic politician who would be elected President of the entire Philippines. 

The present generation of Filipinos have a shallow knowledge about Quezon -- his name, the province and the city named after him, the P20 bill and coin, his advocacy for the Philippine language and the Philippine Commonwealth of which he was the first President. This new biographical film paints a multifaceted portrait of this complex man by detailing the conflicts he had with his contemporary political personalities on the way to the presidency.  

The first conflict was a fictionalized one -- Quezon vs. Joven Hernando. The fictional character of Joven Hernando is the string that connected all three films of the trilogy as he wrote about their lives as a journalist and as their friend. Hernando, now played as a middle age man by Cris Villanueva, had just his newspaper called Alerta closed down, and he believed that none other that Quezon himself caused that to happen. 

The second conflict was between Quezon and Sergio Osmena. While Quezon was the Senate President (following his role in the passage of the Jones Law of 1916 that put the Philippines en route to independence), Osmena, played by in a simpering manner by Romnick Sarmenta, was the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Their scenes together had an unexpectedly comic tone as their relationship was compared to a bickering married couple. 

The third conflict was between Quezon and American Governor-General Leonard Wood. Wood is played by Scottish actor Iain Glen, more widely known as Ser Jorah Mormont in the HBO series "Game of Thrones." He was sent to determine if the Philippines was ready for independence. Quezon felt insulted when Wood called him an "unscrupulous chameleon," and tried to discredit the American even if it meant getting retired Emilio Aguinaldo involved. 

The fourth conflict was between Quezon and Aguinaldo (still played with intensity by Mon Confiado), who actually ran against each other in a heated first national presidential election in 1935. As early as back then, underhanded tactics were already being used. Two of this film's most memorable scenes happen in this chapter -- Aguinaldo's campaign parade in Malolos, Bulacan, and the stressful presidential mudslinging face-off in Bagac, Bataan.

Tarog also touched on early Filipino filmmaking with the character of Nadia (Therese Malvar), Hernando's daughter, Quezon's god-daughter. She was an aspiring filmmaker whom Quezon commissioned to create campaign short films for him. Nadia's films were silent and in black and white as she was a fan of Murnau and Lang. Quezon also namedropped Harris and Tait, producers of "Zamboanga" (1927), Americans with top-of-the-line movie equipment then.

Jericho Rosales was an inspired choice to play the charismatic president, who spoke, argued and cursed with oratorical flair and passion. This film was certainly not romanticized nor haigographic.  Rosales played him as domineering, devious, dishonest to achieve his noble goal of independence. In so doing, he inadvertently promoted a toxic political culture that still pervades even almost century hence. Rosales's Quezon was fiercely egotistical up to his ultimate declaration of "I am the Philippines!" before the final fade to black. 

With this final installment, Tarog continues the high technical, production and entertainment value, signature of the whole trilogy. Cinematography, production design, hair and make-up, and musical scoring were all top-notch.  As before, there were lots to learn about the less well-known details about the country's political scene during that time. Don't leave right away after the last scene as Tarog inserts an exciting mid-credits surprise. 9/10 

Review of GOOD BOY: Canine Commitment

October 13, 2025

Todd (Shane Jensen) brought his pet dog Indy to his late grandfather's house located in a wooded area in New Jersey. Todd is seriously ill with a chronic lung disease where he had violent coughing fits. He would only get occasional visits from his sister Vera (Ariel Freedman), who believed that this house was haunted. As Todd's condition worsened, Indy saw a tall sinister-looking figure covered with mud lurking in and around the house. 

This horror film co-written and directed by Ben Leonberg is very unique in that the whole film was shot in the point of view of the pet dog Indy. Therefore we only see human characters at the level of their legs, even barely seeing their faces at all. The dialogue from the human characters is only treated as background noise, only establishing situations, not elucidate plot, since the dog does not really understand what they are saying anyway. 

This original concept made this film completely engaging and fun to watch, especially for those who have a dog of their own at home. Leonberg cast his own a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Indy to be Todd's dog. It must have taken Leonberg a very long time, patiently waiting for Indy to have that perfect facial expression for the right emotion, or react just the perfect way to respond to the stimulus, and making sure the camera caught them.

I am sure a large part of Indy's acting was not exactly because he was an exceptionally talented dog actor. The "performance" we see on the big screen was because of Leonberg's astute camera work and meticulous editing of Indy's various random shots, picking out the right shots for the right situations. The illusion is then completed by the appropriate choices of sound effects and the eerie musical score by Sam Boase Miller. 

One memorably harrowing scene was that Indy was chained down in the pouring rain, when suddenly a ghostly hand appeared and was pulling the chain and the dog into the doghouse.  How Leonberg trained Indy to act frightened and figure out a way to get himself out of that trap was truly impressive. The final sequence had Indy running around the house and basement in an attempt to rescue his master out of danger. That was truly heartwarming to watch. 7/10