Review of DIGGER: Apocalyptic Apocrypha

October 4, 2026

Conspiring with the US President Compson (John Goodman), eccentric oil magnate Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise) and his Rockwell United had an exclusive contract to extract oil in Greenland. However, as he ignored warnings from his engineers about expanding methane pockets under the ice, a major explosion occurred that dislodged a massive iceberg. As predicted by Rockwell's environmental safety chief Dr. Nirav Ganesh (Riz Ahmed), the iceberg hit land in Norway, causing destructive tidal waves all over Northern Europe. 

This had been one of the most-anticipated films of 2026, touted to be the film that would finally give star Tom Cruise his Oscar for Best Actor. However, when the first official trailer of this film came out in July and we finally saw Cruise in his facial prosthetics and body-suit strutting around and hamming it up, I did not know what to make of it. It looked and felt like a weird over-the-top dark comedy about an old wealthy obnoxious businessman. It did not promise to be an easy watch. How can the whole film be like this? 

Fortunately, watching the whole film was a totally different experience from the trailer. The first 30 minutes were exactly what we saw in the trailer with a much clearer context and more bizarre details. However, right after the scene where Compson confided his awkward health condition to Digger in one of the mansion's hidden rooms, a tree fell uprooted outside the window they were looking out of. This surprising twist gave the film a whole new dimension that made watching it an unexpectedly engaging experience. 

Tom Cruise went all out to portray his megalomaniac title character, chewing the scenery all the way with his loud thickly Texan accent and exaggerated mannerisms. His big highlight was that intense 10 minute-long monologue of Digger speaking in front of an irate international council, addressing how the whole world loved oil and was thus also responsible for this environmental disaster. Cruise was absolutely riveting in this long continuous single-take scene, delivering 12 pages worth of written dialogue with unflagging aplomb and bombast. 

An uncomfortably gaunt John Goodman played Compton as a corrupt, selfish and overall idiotic US President. Riz Ahmed was incredibly cool in his portrayal of a scientist who did not stand down for what he believed was the moral high road. Jesse Plemons had a weirder-than-usual facial look here, but certainly delivered his key character of Digger's nephew Kenny Rockwell as precisely as was expected of him. As for Sandra Huller's role as Digger's half-sister Emma, I felt her character could have been edited out without affecting the story. Sophie Wilde and Emma D'Arcy make stronger impacts with their spoiler-territory characters. 

Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Inarritu made a very big splash at the DGA and the Oscars in the last decade, with the rare feat of winning Best Director twice in a row for "Birdman" (2014) and "The Revenant" (2015). He comes back big time this year with this highly divisive satire project with big risks in the unconventional execution and strange acting choices for his stellar cast. However, I felt his extravagant, excessive storytelling style here fit and heightened the timeliness and urgency of his message. That ending was a grim sobering warning. 9/10

Cinepanalo 2026: Review of STUCK ON YOU: Harrowing and Hysterical Hit

October 1, 2026

Sheryl (Xyriel Manabat) had been the only girl in the Bunga family ever since her mother walked out on her and her two brothers KC (Viggo Franco) and Bunso (JM Salvado), and left them with their father Dido (Bombi Plata). Sheryl was working as an attendant in a local nail spa called Salon Fast. One day, a call came in to order a home service. However, instead of Cynthia (Renzie Aguilar) who got the booking, Sheryl got picked up instead. 

It turns out that that call was in fact part of an elaborate plot to murder the customer, identified to be Max de Dios (River Joseph). So when Sheryl interfered, the group who organized the hit led by funny-sounding Kanye (Roger Naldo) wanted her to complete the job, or else they will have her family terminated. Sheryl was surprised when Max turned out to be the handsome guy she once ran into at a bar on whom she had a serious crush. 

This loud and silly crime comedy was directed by Mikko Baldoza,  "Haplos sa Hangin" (2025). The two writers credited for the screenplay were also film directors -- Arden Rod Condez and Sonny Calvento. The idea of cuckolded husbands getting together to fund a hit against the gigolo who stole their wives might have been funny on paper, but this big screen execution turned out to be a noisy, garish and mostly ridiculous mess.

The prolific lover boy was played by neophyte River Joseph, who did not offer the movie anything much. His good looks only go so far. His line delivery was dry and unconvincing, and his comic timing was mostly off and awkward. His character was supposed to have been an uber mysterious, powerful and dangerous man, but it would turn out that there was really nothing much inside. Even the chemistry between his Max and Sheryl felt forced. 

The only saving grace of this film was Xyriel Manabat in the central role of Sheryl. She was well aware that the success of this film lay squarely on her shoulders, and she fully committed to carrying that load from beginning to end. I am not really a fan of shrill performances, yet I have to take an exception to this one. I really appreciate Manabat's boundless energy here which was the prime factor that kept the film afloat to deliver its feministic message. 4/10. 

Cinepanalo 2026: Review of MULTWOH: Afterlife Assignments

October 2, 2026

Marcel Soriano (Sassa Gurl) was a queer college student from Baguio City. She was now staying in a reported haunted dormitory called La Santa Muerte run by Ms. Heidi Nalang (Mae Paner), together with her BFFs Suzy (Pipay) and Jamba (Gaia Poly). She creates vertical romance video series "Never Say Die" on the side. The main male character on her videos is based on her childhood best friend and crush, Miguel (Joao Constancia).

After several years of being away with no communication, Miguel returned to Baguio City one day to stay in the same dormitory as Marcel. As they met each other everyday now, the two friends rekindled their long-buried attraction and affection for each other. One night, the two were supposed to meet each other for dinner, each one intending to tell something to the other. As cruel fate would have it, that date never happened.  

This LGBT-themed horror-romance-comedy film was written and directed by Rodina Singh, known for her past two acclaimed films "Mamu: and a Mother Too" (2018) and "Dreambois" (2025). This film was about how a ghost in the afterworld kept trying for 40 days to accomplish her unfinished business to confess her true feelings to the man she loved. While the intention was all good, the execution of that vision into film turned out too unwieldy and confusing. 

Sassagurl and Joao Constancia both had a strong screen presence and they knew how to play it up. Sassagurl smartly played Marcel as sweet and sensible, not loud and hysterical. Singh seemed to have directed Constancia's scenes with an eye to titillate the gay audience, shooting him in intimate angles and provocative posturing at the camera. Fortunately, the two did have good chemistry with each other, which worked in the film's advantage.

Singh devoted a major part of the film to over-the-top LGBT-ness which tended to be intentionally too gaudy and noisy. There were four flashy and flamboyant lost souls -- Judith (John Lapus), Gloria (Iyah Mina), Chona (Phi Palmos), Azon (Inah Evans) -- who taught Marcel how to get through to Miguel via haunting, poltergeisting, manifesting, communing and possessing. Sounds interesting, but frankly these scenes did not really make much sense 

There was also an angle about a video game Miguel constantly played called "Zombie Bride" which was given prominent screen time. It was also the reason why Miguel got into a fight with dorm bully Doglas (Buboy Villar). When it broke down, Miguel had to bring it to a repair shop where it was first checked by a weirdo Technician (Christian Antolin), and later by her sister Rudy (Kaladkaren). What all this had to do with his relationship with Marcel, I had no idea. 

Despite my mixed personal observations, this film still won the Audience Choice Award, likely from its largely Gen Z target audience. I am also not sure how it won the Puregold Always Panalo award, supposedly for films that best embody the brand's core "Always Panalo" spirit. It also won for Ricardo Rico's half-sentimental, half-ghoulish Production Design, yet it is now hounded for supposedly using generative AI to achieve its special effects. 5/10

Cinepanalo 2026: Review of MONO NO AWARE: Morbid Musings on Mortality

October 1, 2026

George (Perry Dizon) was a Filipino from Davao who married a Japanese woman. His wife has now passed away and George had seemingly lost the zest for life that he was known for in his neighborhood. He usually hung out at the bar of his friend Kaito (Kouichi Hanagasaki) to drink his beer.  A young female volunteer from the local welfare office named Mori (Momoko Kobayashi) visited George regularly to make sure that he was doing fine. 

Ichi (juan karlos) was a young father-to-be from Cebu who went to Japan to earn more money for his future family. He was employed as one of the staff of a special cleaning service who were called to clean out the abandoned houses of elderly folk who had died alone inside, the so-called "lonely deaths." One day, Mori smelled a foul odor coming from inside George's house but could not find the source. Ichi was called in to solve the problem. 

From there grew the friendship of the two Bisaya-speaking guys as an ominous veil of death hung over them both. A heavy theme of death pervaded throughout this pensive film by writer-director BC Amparado is death. While Ichi worked, we see the unsightly stain resulting from the fluids and maggots from the decomposed body, not only the tatami mats on which it laid, but seeping through to the wooden floor under it. We actually smell the stench of death. 

With his technical staff --director of photography TM Malones, film editor Edmund M. Telmo,    production designer Remton Zuasola, costume designer Juan Pablo Pineda III, musical score and sound designer Willie Apa Jr., Amparado told his tale with a decidedly Japanese aesthetic and mood. Despite the uncomfortable subject matter and off-putting images we can see, the whole film felt clean, uncluttered and restrained with emotional elegance. 

As way he was made up here, Perry Dizon could credibly pass as Japanese senior citizen. His portrayal felt very real as it embodied the anxieties of many widows and widowers, not seeing the point of existing anymore, as they are left behind counting the days leading up to their own death.  Momoko Kobayashi had one great speech about why she advocated for the care of the elderly, a single scene that earned for her the award for Best Supporting Actress.

juan karlos's portrayal of flawed Ichi had that elusive quality of relatability. His Japanese sounded as natural as his Bisaya. Ichi's personal issue was the usual inner conflict felt by all OFWs, in his case leaving behind a wife with a fragile pregnancy. When that dam that held his guilt and grief within him finally broke down, we see the very heart and soul of juan karlos literally breaking in front of our eyes -- a true Best Actor-worthy performance. 9/10

Cinepanalo 2026: Review of BEAST: A Cool and Chatty Carabao

September 30, 2026

Domingo "Omeng" Tonogbanua (John Arcilla) was a rice farmer from Pulilan, Bulacan who was well-loved by his neighbors. There was one young boy Pepe (Ruslan Jacob) who hung around Lolo Omeng constantly, help with chores and sketching on his drawing pad. One day, just before harvest time, he was informed that the owner of the land he tilled was already sold to a real estate developer and was going to be turned into a subdivision. 

That night, Omeng awakened to hear his loyal carabao BOB singing "Bituing Marikit" (voice of Robert Sena). It was only then that he realized that BOB could speak (voice of Lou Veloso) as well. Encouraged by BOB, Omeng decided to embark on a long distance road trip with BOB pulling his cart all the way to Manila.  He wanted to go look for his long-lost niece Marietta (Candy Pangilinan) whom he had entrusted with a foster family living in Luneta. 

This film was a charming, sentimental ode to the relationship of an old-school Filipino farmer to his trusty carabao. As written by Jim Flores, it imagines the conversations they would have if the carabao could talk, from the realistic to the philosophical. It was directed and edited by Law Fajardo, in a seeming departure from his usual hardnosed output, like "Posas" (2012, MY REVIEW), "A Hard Day" (2022, MY REVIEW) and "Reroute" (2023, MY REVIEW). 

Front and center in this film is John Arcilla in a tender, quiet performance we do not commonly see from him. His Lolo Omeng was low-key and submissive, just going with where the flow of life takes him, representative of the Filipino common tao. He was kind and helpful to his neighbors, and even to total strangers, sometimes to a fault. As Omeng, Arcilla had about him a calm positive aura, in total contrast with the villainous roles that he'd played of late. 

Along his road trip, Omeng met various people along the way -- the young single mother (XY Martillo) off to work in Ermita, the young runaway (Karl Medina) who lived in the North Cemetery, the bully in the Hi-Ace (John Arceo), the barangay officials (Marvin Yap) who detained him, the flamboyant tour guide (Onyl Torres) and his noisy coterie of influencers.  This aspect of the film may colorful, but they felt random, odd and unfocused. 

Arcilla's first moment with Candy Pangilinan hit very hard emotionally, even with hardly a word said. I really thought the film would end at that point and it would have been perfect tearful close. However, the film still continued and even amped up the fantasy element another notch. And then there was the twist that brought the whimsy which held sway in the past hour come crashing back down to reality. So, whose fantasies did we actually see? 6/10 

Cinepanalo 2026: Review of APOL OF MY AI: A Child's Crushing Crush

September 30, 2026

The mother of 10 year-old Apolinario "Apol" Medina, Jr. (Zion Cruz) passed away 10 months ago. His father Poli (Zanjoe Marudo) just came back one month ago from his job as a folk singer in Japan to take care of his son. However, both found it difficult to connect to each other as father and son. Having lived without him for most his life, Apol believed that he did not need his father anymore and shunned his father's efforts to establish rapport with him. 

At school, Apol was a frequent visitor to the principal's office for his numerous infractions of school rules, together with his BFF Max (Jacob Cawagdan). One day, their FIlipino teacher went into labor prematurely. A substitute teacher, Miss Maria Aileen 'Ma'am Ai" Melendez (Rochelle Pangilinan) was assigned to take over, on whom Apol developed a serious crush. Ma'am Ai was also the adviser of the school choir, so Apol auditioned to join. 

The story of this film fell right into the wheelhouse of director Thop Nazareno, whose past films all showed his proficiency in telling stories about young boys who are going through tough father-son relationships, like "Kiko Boksingero" (2017, MY REVIEW) and "Edward" (2019, MY REVIEW). The charming screenplay was written by Mark Raywin Tome and Che Espiritu-Istrael, adding the angle of a boyhood crush on a teacher into the mix. 

Zanjoe Marudo imbued the father Poli with regret and patience. He was being treated rudely by his son, but he remained calm and worked harder to win his love. He recognized that owing to his long absence, earning his son's trust back would not be an easy process. Rochelle Pangilinan was a refreshing screen presence as the disarming Ma'am Ai. She handled those awkward moments with her lovestruck student with sensitivity and compassion.

The shining jewel at the center of this precious film was the winsome Zion Cruz as Apol. With his fair complexion and deep dimple, he had effortless charm, especially in those "kilig" moments with Ma'am Ai. He can also sing, delivering a mean acapella rendition of kundiman "Bituing Marikit." All the pent-up resentment he had against his long-estranged father had to blow up at one point, and Cruz went all-out for it, making us all feel his anger and pain. Cruz gave a strong lead performance deserving of a Best Actor consideration. 8/10

Review of RESIDENT EVIL (2026): A Courier's Crazy Commitment

September 21, 2026

Right after Bryan (Austin Abrams) delivered an organ for transplant, he was once again booked to deliver another package to Raccoon General Hospital located in a remote mountainous location. Along the way, the weather was snowy and cold. His girlfriend called him to discuss about her pregnancy, when he failed to see a woman crossing the road and hit her. He decided to pick the injured woman up so he could take her to the hospital. 

From there started Bryan's crazy adventures en route to Raccoon City. Along the way, he encounters various creatures who have been transformed into carnivorous monsters with long tentacles used to snag their victims and pull them into its ever-hungry mouth. He learned from employees of Umbrella Corporation that his precious package was actually an essential ingredient to make a cure for those stricken with the rampant deadly outbreak.

"Resident Evil" originated as a Japanese horror video game called "Biohazard" in 1983, where players fight to survive in toxic environments overrun by zombies. I had never played that video game, nor watched any of the films adapted from it, from the first one in 2002 by Paul W.E. Anderson to any of the poorly-rated sequels released in 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012, and 2016 (all starring Mila Jovovich as Alice), to the failed reboot in 2021.

I am only watching this new film because it was co-written (with Shay Hatten) and directed by Scott Cregger. Cregger was the wunderkind behind recent acclaimed horror films like "Barbarian" (2022) and "Weapons" (2025). Here, one can instantly feel the engaging and darkly humorous vibe that Cregger was known for from the get-go. In a variation, this one had multiple victims amalgamate into one complex creature that rolled around like a multi-legged ball. 

Propelling the story forward on an entertaining clip was the very likable performance of Austin Abrams as the embattled Brian. The whole film was practically about him and his crazy encounters with those killer monsters all in one night. They may be hiding in the most unlikely hosts, lending those scenes some drama before the terror was unleashed. The fast-paced buildup was perfect, one wishes the ending itself could have been more solid. 7/10  

Review of 58TH: The Missing Martyr

September 16, 2026

On November 23, 2009, Mrs. Gigi Mangudadatu was on her way to file the certificate of candidacy of her husband Esmael Mangudadatu, who wanted to run for the position of governor of Maguindanao province. She went with members of their family, their staff, as well as the media. In the town of Ampatuan, they were blocked by a group of 100 men who went on to shower bullets at all of them. 58 people lost their lives that day. 

One of the media men who joined that tragic convoy was Reynaldo "Bebot" Momay (Ricky Davao), a photojournalist by trade. His married daughter Reynafe "Nenen" Castillo (Glaiza de Castro) had to go to the chilling crime scene to witness the retrieval of the victims' bodies, who had to be dug out of the earth using a backhoe. At the end of these operations, there were only 57 bodies found. Bebot Momay was not one of them. 

The details of the fateful day were related by Nenen to a filmmaker (Mikoy Morales) by way of a Zoom call. Papa also used the device of Nenen being able to bring the filmmaker along to witness certain scenes with here. We meet Nenen's family -- her husband Ronnie (Biboy Ramirez), as well their two sons Raprap (Zyren dela Cruz) and RJ (Marco Masa), who displayed their psychological trauma from these events in very different ways. 

Directed and co-written (with Aica Riz Ganhinhin) by animator Carl Joseph Papa, this film was once again rendered in his signature rotoscopic animation style, where animated lines were . Three of his previous films were also rendered this way, namely, "Manang Biring" (2015), "Ang Paglisan" (2018), and "Iti Magpupukaw" (2023). These three won Best Film in their respective film festivals -- the first two in CinemaOne, and the latest one in CInemalaya. 

"58th" has recently been chosen to compete for the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. There were scenes recreated with professional actors like Glaiza de Castro and the late Ricky Davao, which were then rendered into rotoscopic animation. These were stitched together with TV news reports, the grisly real-life footage of the body retrieval operations, as well as the pained appeals of the victims' relatives back then for a prompt autopsy. 

The stylistic choice to render the recreated scenes into rotoscopic animation may puzzle some viewers, but for me it was quite logical. Using the animation style, Papa was able to artistically depict the extreme violence of the heinous massacre and follow Nenen go through the rows of decomposing dead bodies, without making the audience outright vomit. The images still make us feel shellshocked as the victims' blood splatter upwards as bullets mercilessly rained down into them.

The way Papa told her story and how De Castro portrayed her, we are moved by Nenen's frustrations about the seeming miscarriage of justice in her father's case for now 17 years. She never saw his body. She still has no closure.  Dela Cruz's portrayal of Raprap's anger, Masa's portrayal of RJ's courage, and Davao's portrayal of Bebot's conviviality -- all transcend through the rotoscopic animated images drawn on top of them. 8/10

Review of FORGOTTEN ISLAND: Making Memories Magical

August 24, 2026

Ever since her childhood, Jo (H.E.R.) enjoyed telling stories about Philippine mythology as told to her by her Lola Fatima (Dolly de Leon). While teachers did not like these gory tales, there was one classmate who shared her interest -- Raissa (Liza Soberano), who soon became her best and only true friend. They marked their friendship with a string bracelet on which they would attach charms to commemorate various events in their lives. 

Jo and Raissa grew up together as practically sisters. However, one day after high school graduation, Raissa had to say goodbye as she had been accepted into Caltech for college. During her despedida party, Jo convinced Raissa to go out with her to the beach for one last night together. There, Jo saw a glowing item in the water, and realized it was same mystical sand dollar which brought them into the legendary island of Nakali. 

I knew this film had Filipino characters and was about Philippine mythology, but it really surprised me that practically the whole film took place here in the Philippines. There was a lot of Filipino words and phrases scattered all over the script. We see jeepneys on the streets, karaoke singing and lechon at the party. A notable recurring design element was the yellow sun of the Philippine flag (they showed the whole flag as well to be sure).  

The film is scored by Fil-Am composer Nathan Matthew David based on 1980s to 1990s pop and hip-hop beats. Aside from chestnuts like "Don't You (Forget About Me)" to "Don't Stop Believing," the musical soundtrack also gave us Francis M's "Mga Kababayan" as covered by P-pop icons SB19. The 1988 #7 hit song by INXS "Never Take Us Apart," which fit right into the film's theme of lasting friendship, was played in two versions -- the original, and a gorgeously-stylized remix cover by Katseye member Sophia Laforteza. 

The creatures Jo and Raissa meet in Nakali were based on Filipino mythology. Most were voiced by Filipino or Fil-Am talents: Manang the manananggal by Lea Salonga, Bungi the tiyanak by Manny Jacinto, the head kapre by Jo Koy.  The rest include the were-aspin Raww by Dave Franco, the agoraphobic Batibat by Jenny Slate, the vain Mermahn by Kevin McCann and don't-call-him-cute duwende King Truffle Wuffle by Ronnie Chieng. 

The animation art styles used here are very modern and eclectic. The designs for the mythological monsters were quite original and dynamic, particularly Manang. Japanese anime styles heavily influenced the artwork, with the exaggerated way they expressed shock or sadness. Nostalgic pop culture references to the 1980s and 1990s abound, but there were also current pop references, like the one from recent box-office hit "The Odyssey."

"Forgotten Island" is written and directed by Joel Crawford (his wife is Filipina) and Fil-Am Januel Mercado and is produced by Mark Swift, the Oscar-nominated team behind "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" (2023). It was fascinating and heart-warming to watch a Dreamwork film that was so Philippine-centric that it felt like a Filipino film. There is no doubt that it will click with Filipino audiences, I just hope the international audience will also take our culture to heart.  9/10

Review of EDJOP: Running a Race of Redemption

September 10, 2026

Edgar Jopson or "Edjop" (Elijah Canlas) was the second of 12 children of supermarket owners Hernan and Josefa Jopson (Teroy Guzman and Issa Litton). He had his high school and college years at the Ateneo. He was active in political issues and soon became the president of the National Union of Students in the Philippines. He was able to challenge President Ferdinand Marcos face to face to promise not to run for a third term. 

Joyette Jopson (Jodi Sta. Maria) was the second child of Edjop and his wife Joy (Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo) after eldest son Noy (Cedrick Juan). She was only 3 when her father died. She was into running long road races, most notably the grueling FWD 78° North Marathon in Norway in which she finished first in 2019. When her sister Risa (Regina de Vera) invites her to attend an event held in their father's honor, she would decline. 

This film was co-written (with Jade Castro) and directed by Katski Flores. In the very first scene, Joyette enumerated for us the different kinds of races that she had run in -- point to point, out and back, and multi-loop. She tells us how these types of races can also refer to the various ways a person's life story can be told. With such an unexpectedly astute introduction, we already knew right there that the film we are going to watch will be a very intelligent one. 

Edjop's story was told in flashbacks, but even these flashbacks were not in linear order. It started in Davao City 1982, detailing the events on the night which would prove to be his last. We were then brought back to his halcyon school days until his political activism took over.  In a most transformative performance, Elijah Canlas played Edjop from his teens up to his death at age 34, portraying his evolution from moderate reformist to Communist rebel to address his social advocacies. 

Jodi Sta. Maria has always been a reliable dramatic actress and her performance here was as excellent as she was expected to deliver and more. As she is portraying a topnotch athlete here, there was an intense physical component to her role here than most of her usual roles. Her running, open water swimming and bicycle stages in Ironman were convincingly staged. Her emotional monologue about her father at the end was impeccably delivered.

Another notable performance was turned in by Kakie Pangilinan as young Joy Asuncion, in a most impressive big screen debut. Her Joy was a sensible and brave young woman who was herself very politically aware and staunchly supportive of Edjop. She also had her own opinions and voiced them out, as shown in that China visit scene. For an acting neophyte, Pangilinan gave a natural and assured performance, remarkable in its subtlety.

Minor characters were played by theater actors, several Ateneo-based, as Flores also is. Thea Marabut, Jam Binay, Nour Houshmand play Edjop's sisters. We also see Bryan Sy, Missy Maramara, Kalil Almonte, Gab Pangilinan, Delphine Buencamino, Nor Domingo, Ron Capinding, Joseph dela Cruz, Yan Yuzon, Gold Soon. Inka Magnaye played intellectual prostitute Ursula Andres. VMX star Nicco Locco was Joyette's coach Thomas. Members of SPIT Manila were in the mix too. However, seeing Christian Esguerra as the late dictator was rather distracting. 

The cinematography of Neil Daza was topnotch, with all his vivid colors and camera angles. One memorable shot was that when Joyette swims out into the ocean as the water turned from bright to dark blue.  The film editing done by Benjamin Tolentino was clean and seamless. The period production design by Erik Manalo for the 1970s to the 1980s was meticulously recreated. The choice of Mike Hanopol's "Laki sa Layaw" over the closing credits, while invigorating, seemed ironic given Edjop's decidedly "un-jeprox" personality.  

Joyette's final speech here was essentially a call to action for the audience to be brave and never forget, a message still very much appropriate for the turbulent political climate today. For her, Edjop is a symbolic concept for hope as our country continues to face adversity. She talked about another kind of race she has yet to run -- a relay race. This is an eloquent metaphor for the passing on the torch of nationalism to succeeding generations so our country can eventually crawl out the dark tunnel of corruption and emerge out into the light in the future. 9/10 

Review of LIFE AFTER YOU: Reluctantly Responsible

September 10, 2026

Joey del Mundo (Bela Padilla) worked as an assistant director and choreographer in a commercial ad company. She loved her work and was very busy, a favorite of her boss Alex (Peach Caparas). However in one more week, Joey was already about to leave for Canada to continue her studies. One night, Joey invited her elder sister Dianne (Ryza Cenon) to go out for a night-out with her. Tragically, Dianne never made it back home anymore that night.

Joey had to forego all her Canada plans to take care of Dianne's little daughter Denise (Dani Zee). As she had no housekeeping experience, Joey could not keep up with Denise's daily needs alongside the tasks expected of her in her commercial shoots. Out of desperation, Joey texted the other contact person in Denise's school record. Her name was Bella Concepcion (Maricel Soriano), who admitted that she was Denise's grandmother on her father's side.

There have been a number of past films tackling this same story about someone whose life got topsy-turvy because he suddenly needed to take care of an unexpected child not his own. Writer-director Marla Ancheta gave Joey's reluctant guardian trope another dimension by involving a mother Bella who felt guilty that her son Carl (Marlo Mortel) would not accept his daughter because of a painful episode of betrayal they shared in the past.  

While it was treated as supposedly funny, I did not understand why Joey was so rude to Bella during their first meeting. I get that Joey was very frustrated and stressed out, but Bella was not doing anything to provoke her disrespectful tone of voice and behavior against a much older woman. I guess Ancheta was trying to create initial friction between these two women, but this did not seem to be a realistic scenario for their "meet-cute" of sorts. 

As was usual in female-led films, men were the jerks here. Bella's husband Fred (Jeric Raval) once brought home a daughter from his second family, which destroyed his first family. You'd understand why Carl would want to protect his current family from suffering the same fate if he introduced Denise. Too bad Ancheta did not elaborate why Carl abandoned Dianne in the first place before he met Stacey (Krissha Viaje) and had their Winter (Cali Buena). 

Maricel Soriano's Bella was a delightful lady with her Gen X sense of humor. She shone best in that confrontation scene with Carl with her effortless tears, and endears us to her more. Ancheta's script really gave Joey the shorter end of the stick, from her sister's death, instant motherhood, job troubles, physical disability. Bela Padilla portrayed Joey with rawness, abrasive even, but she was tough, and we still root for her to get her life back on track. 7/10 

Review of SAVING CHERRY: The Necessity for Non-Negotiables

September 3, 2026

Cherry Valdez (Barbie Forteza) and Jude Nicolas (Khalil Ramos) have pledged themselves to remain pure and chaste until marriage. In anticipation of losing her virginity, Cherry was being advised by her gang of close pals. They are: flirty Jewel (Mika Salamanca), married Beth (Mikee Quintos), reserved Ingrid (AC Bonifacio) and comical Martha (Sassa Gurl), she was advised on the perfect wardrobe, scent, positions, and moans. 

Their wedding ceremony and reception party all went great. On their wedding night, Cherry was nervously psyching herself up for her first time in their honeymoon suite, but Jude was taking a very long time to arrive. Both concerned and impatient at the same time, Cherry went out looking for him. She was shell-shocked to find her new husband in a compromising canoodling clinch with another girl named Eunice (Monina Lawrence).

A major part of the film written by director Ivan Andrew Payawal with Fatrick Tabada dealt with Cherry's wrath at Jude's betrayal by wanting to get even. Borne out of her extreme frustration to still be a virgin after all these years, her method of choice was to get herself devirginized by any man -- be it by a random hot guy at the disco Josh (JC Alcantara), an ex-boyfriend Matthew (Than Perez), or even a macho dancer Omar (Kokoy de Santos). 

Honestly I was not really a fan of these loud, noisy and raunchy scenes of Cherry and her gang. I know Forteza and her fellow actresses were just doing all of their exaggerated facial expressions and body posturing in the name of being funny, but I admit I am not the target demographic of these gags. I realize they are supposed to be "funny," but I did not find these funny at all, only annoying and, in my view, even demeaning to women.

When practically every heterosexual male characters with a name in this film were depicted to be cheaters, it was as if Payawal and Tabada were generalizing this unfortunate unflattering trait to all men. It was suggested that it was a social norm that women simply have to accept the situation, forgive him, and move on with their lives as a couple. Could there not have been an exception to the rule somewhere to represent us good guys, loyal to their wives?

When all the madcap hubbub and superglue mishaps finally settled down, Cherry and Jude got their moment to get serious and talk. It was clear that Forteza and Ramos were at their best when in their dramatic wheelhouse. While mixed signals were being bandied around for most of the film, it was only in the last 15 minutes that Payawal and Tabada's main message to women about setting non-negotiables in relationships was delivered loud and clear.  4/10

Review of PLUMP BLOSSOM: Will AI in Animation Ever Be Acceptable?

September 1, 2026

It was the Hwang Dynasty in China. The Emperor (Audie Gemora) had one daughter named Ruo Hwa (Candice Tan). She was better known as "Plump Blossom" because of her chubby cheeks and frame, symbols of good health and prosperity. She had six meals between her breakfast and her dinner. Instead of her royal duties, she would rather spend her days in the kitchen, helping Chef Bao (Gutch Gutierrez) and his staff prepare the food. 

One night, Ruo Hwa saw the chef tending to the wounds of a seriously injured young man. He was Yu Jian (Don Puno), who turned out to be a young general in the army protecting the palace from its enemies. Unmindful of her station and reputation, Ruo Hwa took care of him and nursed him back to full consciousness. Thinking that she was a kitchen maid, the handsome soldier with "abs like a jade pillow" soon developed a close friendship with her.

Likely inspired by Disney animated films, Hwang also included animal sidekicks who can communicate with their masters. For Ruo Hwa, it was a dignified Pekingese dog named Yuan Yuan (Yeng Her) to whom she confided her secrets. For General Jian, it was a battle-scarred carrier pigeon named General Feathers (Chad Williams), who served to bridge their long-distance love affair. With their witty banter and wisecracks, they provided much comic relief.

This is the feature-length directorial debut of Kapitana Films producer Rossana Hwang, who also wrote the screenplay. This passion project of hers was certainly an audacious undertaking for three reasons. First, the language of this film is English (with Chinese subtitles), which may be misinterpreted as classism. Second, her story was based in historic China, a daring setting for a Filipino film considering WPS issues. Third and most controversial of all, she openly admitted that she used "AI-assisted" tools in this film, as obvious from the trailer. 

It is unfortunate for Hwang that whatever quality her movie has, it would likely always be criticized for its use of AI -- especially since it is the first Filipino-produced film released in cinemas to openly admit using AI tools. Hwang cited budget constraints as her reason to use AI, but even then, AI remains to be a sensitive red flag topic when it comes to creating art. AI is perceived to be the "lazy" way to do animation as it can take over the frame-by-frame work of human animators that would cost way more time and money. Even with AI, the quality of the artwork and animation in this film was still not that clean nor consistent. 

The final frame called this film "a hybrid production combining traditional animation techniques with emerging AI-assisted tools and workflows. There were human creatives behind the scenes: Rene Francis Hermoso as Chief Animator, Pedro Chuidan for VFX, Justin Zapata and Franz Niedo for character sculpting. As for the songs, Hwang and Ken Aoki were credited as lyricist and arranger, while Candice Tan, Maria Buenaventura, Paulina Yeung and Paeng Sudayan as the vocalists. The voice actors were likewise all credited accordingly.

Putting aside all the AI hullabaloo (impossible now, I know), this film may still find its limited niche among Generation X, they who share the same world view as Hwang herself. There were admittedly moments that were delightful, moving, cute and "kilig" sprinkled throughout this film which our aunties or titas will like and enjoy. How the film industry and the viewing public will view the seemingly inevitable role of AI in filmmaking in succeeding years still remains to be seen. Rossana Hwang just boldly dared to cross that Rubicon earlier. 

Review of FILIPIÑANA: Metaphors in a Microcosm

August 29, 2026

Dr. Palanca (Teroy Guzman) was the charismatic Ilocano president of a golf and country club catering mostly to tourists from China. One of the tee-girls working there was Isabel (Jorrybell Agoto), who was walking from one part of the club to another looking for Dr. Palanca in order to return a golf club to him. No one seemed to know where he was exactly, not even his wife (Agot Isidro) nor their bodyguard Rodel (Dyas Adarlo). 

Meanwhile, Clara (Carmen Castellanos), a young balikbayan student, was on the green that same day with her caddy Ina (Isabel Sicat), playing with her uncle Renato (Carlos Siguion-Reyna) who was a member. There was also a nanny (Thea Marabut) who was looking for her ward (Jewel Sotelo), a little girl in a red dress with dragonfly-shaped clips on her hair, whom Isabel actually saw running around the golf course. 

This film is the feature-length directorial debut of Rafael Manuel. I was able to watch his breakthrough thesis short film also entitled "Filipinana" (2020), of which this current film is the expanded version. I have seen this golf course, tee girl Isabel and her cohorts before, and was already enthralled by his unique cinematic vision with his color palette and shot selection. It had won the Silver Berlin Bear for best short film and other international awards back then.

With its manicured grass, water sprinklers, electronic carts, a golf course is a perfect symbol of the privileged elite. While the wealthy club members go around hitting little balls into little holes, they are being waited on hand and foot by their caddies, tee girls, ball pickers, food servers, etc. Most were developed out of farmlands, from whom the tenant farmers had been driven out of their homes and livelihood -- further emphasizing the class divide. 

Cinematographer Xenia Patricia was able to capture and relay the bleakness of the golf course despite of its aesthetic exteriors and luxurious interiors. The costume designs by Carla Villanueva and Tatjana Fanny Honegger were striking aspects of this film. There was color-coding for ease of character identification -- mint green mini-dresses for the tee-girls, hot pink uniforms for the female caddies, all-white outfits for the Chinese club guests. 

Music is also an important part of this film. There was a fragment of a melody that Isabel kept humming, but cannot recall the title and lyrics. Filipinos will likely recognize the folk song when it is sung in full later in the film. Also featured is a band of blind musicians led by Bullet Dumas as lead singer. They rendered a very catchy campaign jingle to re-elect Dr. Palanca, accompanying a lively dance by middle-aged matrons and their teenage boy partners. 

Even when it can get rather annoying for mainstream viewers, the slowness of the pace of this film's storytelling, with dialog which sometimes seemed to go  nowhere, was also a deliberate metaphor of the frustrating snail's pace at which our country is progressing (or not). While the satire was mostly light and whimsical, it did turn very dark at the end when it suggested that youth and innocence are the biggest victims of this dire system we are in.  

Isabel represents us, the common Filipino. We need to sneak around in order to enjoy simple joys of life -- like a luscious mango or a refreshing shower. We are obsessed in following the rich and famous around, even if our fates are at their mercy. We call for help when we see a problem, but often these fall on deaf ears, so we need to act on our own. However, our eagerness to help others can also lead us to our own harm. 8/10

 

Review of INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER: Diabolical Dentistry

 August 23, 2026

When Gemma Hall (Charli Penton) was a little girl, she was left to her devices by her mother Ingrid (Laura Gordon). When she came home from school, Gemma had to prepare her own dinner and study by herself in the dark using a flashlight. One night, Gemma witnessed her mother have an attack of mental disturbance while in the bathroom. Ingrid told her poor daughter to watch her as she banged her head on the wall, until the door banged itself shut.

Several years later, adult Gemma (Amelia Eve) was now working as a dental hygienist. She was a single parent to a young daughter Maya (Island Austin), and had a police officer Nick (Brandon Perea) as a boyfriend. One night, Gemma had a scary nightmare about a mysterious voice calling her on the phone, telling her to help him. When she woke up the next morning, she saw an old flashlight she had found in her dream was on her bed.

The first serious scare came about 30 minutes in when Gemma found herself crawling in a narrow passageway where she first came face to face with three ghastly-looking white-faced entities, one of whom gave her a brooch to bring back. Right after, Gemma had to clean the teeth of one of those creepy people on their street, Lester (Joshua Lopez), in a very unsettling and disgusting sequence that is the stuff of every dentophobe's nightmare. 

Of course, fans of the Insidious franchise will get excited when parapsychologist Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) first shows up. We are reminded that Elise had been dead since 2011, but she still existed in the Further. To help Gemma with her problem, Elise directed her to see Clare (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), a medium between the real world and Elise in the Further. It turned out that Gemma was a traveler and a courier between the two dimensions. 

The first "Insidious" (2010) introduced Lynn Shaye's Elise to us, but the character died right there. In sequels "Insidious: Chapter 2" (2013) and "Insidious: The Red Door" (2023), Shaye still played Elise appearing as a spirit like in this one. "Red Door" ended the Lambert's story when their red door was sealed. With this sixth installment, a new red door opened for Gemma and for more sequels to come, should the filmmakers decide to proceed for the fans. 7/10.

 

Review of THE END OF OAK STREET: Prehistoric Peril

August 21, 2026

It was 1982. The Platts are a typical middle-class American family who lived on Oak Street, in the suburban Flowervale, Michigan. Greg Platt (Ewan McGregor) was in between jobs, making ends meet by delivering pizzas. His marriage with his wife, aspiring novelist Denise (Anne Hathaway), was shaky, with divorce in the conversation. Their two kids, Audrey (Maisie Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery), were not oblivious to their troubled situation. 

For the past few nights, there were odd things appearing in backyards of neighbors, like an extinct prehistoric plant or a huge pile of stinky manure.  One stormy night, there was long blinding flash of bright light, then power, phone and water all go out. That morning, their dog Starbuck was missing, so Greg and Denise went to look for him. Instead of the dog, they saw a giant beaked creature which immediately turned to chase them. 

In the opening scenes, we get our first glimpse of Oak Street during a fun neighborhood activity.  We see Brian out biking on the streets with his three pals, and we feel like we are inside a Steven Spielberg film. I felt like I was watching a scene from "ET: The Extra-Terrestrial," which incidentally was released in 1982, the time setting of this sci-fi thriller. However, it would later turn out that this would not be the only Spielberg film referenced.

When there were big flashes of light in the night sky, we were reminded of the way the aliens were gradually revealed in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977), However, this time around, there were dinosaurs instead of aliens, which of course called to mind "Jurassic Park" (1993). There had apparently been a wormhole in time that their whole community was transported to prehistoric time when dinosaurs still ruled the world.

Any actor could've played Greg and Denise, but having McGregor and Hathaway there did give it some additional charm, especially to that time travel thing at the end. All the characters are aware that they need to be alert and resourceful to survive the prehistoric peril around them, yet they still had the time or temerity to argue about their domestic or school issues, which were so petty now considering what they're up against. These confrontation scenes under threat of carnivorous dinosaur attacks were corny and frankly, unnecessary melodrama. 6/10 

Review of DEAR YOU: The Depth of Devotional Diligence

August 18, 2026

The happy married life of Den Bhagseng (Wang Yantong) and his wife Sogriu (Wang Xiaohui) was interrupted in the late 1940s when he was drafted for military service in the Civil War. He fled to the Nanyang area, first to Malaysia, then to Thailand. This left Sogriu alone to raise their three young children by herself. However every month in his absence, Bhagseng dutifully sent qiaopi or remittance letters with cash to Sogriu to support her and his kids.

Their exchange of letters stopped in 1978 when Sogriu believed Bhagseng already had a second family. In the present time, Hiou-ui (Zheng Runqi), who was then deep in debt, thought of going to Thailand to seek help from his grandfather Bhagseng, rumored to be very wealthy now. He found the letters kept by his 88 year old grandmother Sogriu (Wu Shaoqing) to get his address. When he got there, he was told that Bhagseng had been dead since 1960.

The drama of this film was built around the qiaopi -- letters with money sent by Teochew immigrants in Southeast Asian countries back to their families in China. Sogriu had consistently receiving qiaopi from Bhagseng, all the way up to 1978. The main narrative was actually based on drafts of a lost letter, told from the point of view of the woman whom Sogriu believed was her husband's mistress -- Zia Lamgi (Li Sitong).

This independent film was produced on a small budget with a cast of mostly non-professional actors. However, despite beginning at a low rank in the box office upon its opening, it slowly gained more traction in the coming weeks with excellent word of mouth on Chinese social media, eventually reaching the #1 slot a month after its release. Its viral appeal then crossed overseas, making it a big hit as well in the Southeast Asian market.

The language used was Teochew, so we really had to rely on the English subtitles to understand what was going on, although the occasional lines that sound like Hokkien were welcome to hear. I admit the first few modern day scenes were not easy to get into right away. However, once we got our bearings straight with the multiple characters and timelines, we were riveted with the irresistible charm and emotional depth of the multi-layered story. 

While mostly sentimental melodrama, there were scenes of humor, suspense, as well as a mystery behind an old photograph that caused a 40-year-long misunderstanding. We will be attached to the characters -- Bhagseng, Lamgi, Lamgi's father (Fang Peisong), the Chinese teacher Digang (Chen Qinqin) -- and care what happens to them. This film by Lan Hongchun was a nostalgic look back at the lives of early Chinese immigrants to Southeast Asia, and should be of special interest to our local Chinoy community.  8/10

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of 2 VALID IDS: Bureaucratic Bull

August 17, 2026

Ramon Ramos (Joey Marquez) had been transferred from his hometown in the Ilocos to a hospital for better treatment of his severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  His wife Sylvia (Marietta Subong) watched over him and took care of things that he needed. They had befriended Denver (Zaijian Jaranilla), young watcher of the old man lying in the bed beside them, to help watch Ramon when Sylvia had to go out on errands.

Ramon's aunt working in New Zealand agreed to send them money so they can transfer to semi-private and finally schedule the bullectomy surgery that he needed. However, when Sylvia went to the remittance center, the clerk there required her to show two valid IDs before the money could be released. With the help of her niece Mercy (Meryll Soriano), Sylvia had to go to great effort and expense in order to fulfill this cumbersome requirement. 

Comedian Pokwang used her real name Marietta Subong here, so we know she is in serious mode, giving a sincere, no-frills performance that was truly moving. She just quietly endured the indignities thrown in her way, until all her pent-up frustrations simply can't be held back no longer. Joey Marquez turned in an exceptional dramatic performance here. He and Subong had excellent chemistry together, so we root for them to pull through against all odds.

All the screenings of this film in all participating theaters were sold out from the very first day -- making this an automatic box office hit and audience choice from the get-go. This is not surprising because the film tackles needless bureaucracy -- a problem that every Filipino went through in order to apply for an ID card valid to establish one's identity. To make it even more difficult, you need have two valid IDs, as one ID is usually not enough. 

The screenplay of Abet Pagdagdagan Raz was frank, direct, straightforward, without resorting to satire or metaphors, as is where is. As much as Sylvia wanted to do things completely on the level, the processes were taking so much time, such that it would tempt her to resort to under-the-table means just so the necessary surgery could finally be done. Director Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagñalan made sure we felt Sylvia's desperation as that noose tightened. 8/10  

Netflix: Review of GANITO, GANYAN, GANOON: Depths of Dysfunction

August 16, 2026

Joanne "Jo" (Jodi Sta. Maria) was a successful writer for a top-rating soap opera and was extremely busy and stressed out. One day, she received a phone call from her Nanay Des (Ruby Ruiz) from their provincial hometown that her mother Paz (Agot Isidro), who had abandoned Jo 27 years ago, was suddenly back from New York City. She brought with her a young man she introduced as her son, Matti (Gabriel Lazaro). 

Paz, a former actress, was a high-strung, and unapologetic loudmouth. Even for the slightest of provocations, be it out of mean-spirited sarcasm or even out of what seemed to be concern, she would blow up into foul-mouthed ejaculations and lengthy motor-mouth tirades, which left everyone around her shocked and uncomfortable. She was specially tough on Matti whose mental and emotional issues made him do and say the most unexpected things. 

Because of Paz's psychiatric and medical concerns, Agot Isidro certainly had the showier role of the whole cast. We just saw a somewhat milder version of this mother character in her recent Cinemalaya film "Mag-iina" (2026). Her shrill, twangy voice in this one was definitely several notches more irritating to the ear. She was also unpredictably rude and hurtful, but it was to Isidro's credit that audiences can still care no matter how unpleasant Paz got.    

Jo mostly kept her turmoil inside, so Jodi Sta. Maria wisely underplayed her part -- the quiet calm in contrast with Paz's loud hysteria. Her first conflict here was her acceptance to an American writing fellowship which may just fall through the cracks because of her mother's unexpected visit.  However, Jo had a much deeper reason to hate her mother, an internal wound that festered for 27 years that just got riled up to become unbearably painful again. 

Given Matti's impaired mental, social and emotional issues, neophyte actor Gabriel Lazaro (a son of character actor Ronnie Lazaro) was certainly given a very challenging role to portray for his acting debut. In view of the veteran stars acting circles around him, his inexperience was still quite evident. Matti was supposed to act awkwardly, but Lazaro was obviously trying to act his part. His effort was appreciated, but there is still room for improvement. 

Gardo Versoza played Jo's father Rene, while Ruby Ruiz played Jo's former nanny Des. The rest of the family were gathered together at a welcome dinner. Mitch Valdez played Paz's colorful Tita Abby, while Joel Saracho played her uncle Tito. Floyd Tena played Paz's film director brother Pipo, while Angel Aquino played her actress cousin Stella. RK Bagatsing played Jo's psychiatrist and lover Doc Migs, who paid Jo a surprise visit that same day. 

Cholo Laurel's feature directorial debut was way back in 2005 with the multi-awarded "Nasaan Ka Man." "Ganito, Ganyan, Ganoon" is only his second feature film as director. The buildup to Paz's big reveal was already very well-done, but Laurel just had to insert a candle-lit bull session to reopen wounds all over again. This film and its actors were good, but I wish we'd have less dramas that resort to illness as an intervening factor. 7/10

 

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of TAYO LANG ANG NAKAKAALAM: Shielding Sensitive Secrets

August 14, 2026

Neil (Martin del Rosario) worked in the HR department of a firm. One of the candidates he interviewed was one Robin "Bong" Macaraeg (Miguel Odron). Fast forward five years later in 2012, Bong was very sick, confined in the hospital with a bad case of amebiasis which the usual antibiotics are failing to control. As Neil's boyfriend now, Neil watched over Bong, along with Bong's parents Gloria (Yayo Aguila) and Benjie (Epy Quizon).

This film opened with Gloria and Neil sitting closely together talking and laughing, with Neil calling Gloria "inay." However, when the patient Bong called for Neil, it turned out that Gloria's son was actually Bong, and Neil was Bong's boyfriend of five years, whom Gloria had accepted as her own over the years. With this simple opening scene, Corpuz made sure we understood right off that Gloria practically considered Neil to be a real son. 

Yayo Aguila had played mom for practically all the millennial and Gen Z actors and actresses in Filipino films, indie or mainstream, in the last ten years or so. Most of the time though, these were forgettable roles with only one or two scenes. As Gloria here, Aguila was finally able to play a fully-fleshed out character, both body and soul. When she learned that her boys had withheld a secret from her, we feel and understand her confusion, disappointment, frustration.  

Now 20 years into his career, Martin del Rosario has proven that he is one of this generation's hardest-working and most versatile actors. Neil was the one who had more to risk, as an HR in a relationship with a junior employee. He had to keep major secrets, not only from his boss sir Deej (Bong Cabrera), but also from Gloria whom he considered his second mother. Del Rosario's Neil kept his conflicts mostly inside, an impressive display of restrained acting. 

I had seen Miguel Odron before in "Some Nights I Feel Like Walking" (2025), where he played a newbie gigolo Zion. Odron's Bong here was a young man stricken with a difficult ailment at the prime of his life. As he felt his life gradually spiral out of his control, he still fought to maintain his dignity and have his say. It was too bad that aside from his interview and a quick montage of happy moments, we did not get to know Bong in the pink of his health.

Epy Quizon's Benjie left his family to work abroad when Bong was only five years old. From then on, he would only see his family for short leaves every two years, unable to form closer bonds with his son. He was only back home in time to take care of Bong because he lost his job. Despite all the years he devoted to being an OFW, the family was still financially strapped with no savings, still living in a cramped apartment in a building without an elevator.  

Madeleine Nicolas only had a few scenes as Neil's mother Lily, but she evoked a clear sense of empathy for the tough situation her son was in. Their closeness as mother and son was felt in their few scenes together, especially in that one scene of humorous relief. Bodjie Pascua even had lesser screen time as Bong's uncle, Benjie's elder brother Fr. Emil, but he still made a marked impression in that scene imparting priestly words of wisdom to Neil. 

"Tayo Lang ang Nakakaalam" was directed and co-written (with Iar Arondaing) by David R. Corpuz. He had only directed three films so far, all of them for Cinemalaya -- Jury Prize-winning short "The Ordinary Things We Do" (2014) and full-length feature "Kusina" (2016). In this latest one, he was able to assemble a powerful ensemble piece about a family in deep turmoil that can emotionally connect with any audience, LGBT or not. 7/10

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of STATUS: REJECTED: Striking Senior Sentiment

 August 13, 2026

Virginia "Biring" Divinagracia (Ruby Ruiz) had tried to apply for a US tourist visa five times, but was always declined. She wanted to go in order to meet up with her son Clark (Karl Medina), had been staying the US illegally for several years already. She now lived with her daughter Anna (Alessandra de Rossi), who had a teenage daughter Sophie (Yani Villaosa). Biring's relationship with Anna was strained by their financial woes. 

Biring liked going out with her friend Tessie (Beverly Salviejo), buying used clothes at the ukay-ukay or hanging out at the red light district. Tessie came up with the idea for Biring to updating her social media profile so she can attract an American boyfriend. One night, Biring accepted a friend request from an American veteran soldier named Steve Johnson. When Steve initiated a chat, Biring replied out of curiosity. Soon, an online romance bloomed. 

Ruby Ruiz has been working in bit roles since 1984, but had her big career breakthrough in "Ekstra" (Cinemalaya 2013) which won her awards. Since then, she has been a very visible staple of several indie films that had a role for a senior actress, big or small. She soon got to play lead roles in films like "Iska" (Cinemalaya 2019), "Tigkiwili" (2025), "First Light" (2026), and even played Nicole Kidman's nanny in the series "Expats" (2024). 

As expected, Ruiz went all in in her quirky yet sensitive portrayal of Biring in this latest lead role of hers. Ruiz's Biring was a lonely 69 year-old woman desperately looking for love, even if he was just an online presence. We witness her falling head over heels in love with this mysterious sweet-talker, who even managed to arouse her dormant libido. The whole time, she makes us worry about her, caring if she was just the latest victim of an elaborate scammer. 

Alessandra de Rossi's Anna had been angry all her life for being forced to take up a course she didn't like and trapped to do a demeaning job. This caused her to be bitter at her mother, and hard on her daughter. Beverly Salviejo's Tessie was joie de vivre personified in contrast to Biring's misery. They weren't too clear about what happened to Tessie at the end, something I felt lacking in the story. But we get to hear Salviejo's soulful singing here as she unloaded her inner frustrations at a karaoke bar. 

Director and co-writer Vahn Leinard C. Pascual started his filmmaking career with queer short films. His feature directorial debut had a topic outside his usual wheelhouse, but being a self-confessed "lola's boy," his sincerity and love for his lead character was quite palpable.  Along with the work of cinematographer Martika Ramirez Escobar and production designer  Marielle Hizon, Pascual drew us deeper into Biring's loneliness and second coming-of-age. 7/10

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of MAG-IINA: Matriarchal Mania

August 12. 2026

Anj (Janine Gutierrez) had lived in New York City since she was sent over there at age 15. She finally got to fly back home and reunite with her long-estranged family -- her mother Mita (Agot Isidro), her aunt Ysobel (Cherry Pie Picache) and her grandmother (Jackie Lou Blanco) -- for the occasion of the 40th day of her late father Ynigo Abreu Jr. or Ygo (Bart Guingona). Ysobel had adopted a young boy and renamed him Ynigo III (Lucas Andalio).  An all-around housemaid named Katte (Ness Roque) held sway in the kitchen. 

For people who are familiar with his plays, if it is written by Guelan Varela Luarca, you know you are in for a profound emotional roller-coaster. "Mag-iina" is his screen adaptation of his own play "Corridors." This play had won First Prize at the 72nd Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards in 2024, Luarca's fifth, which elevated him to the Palanca Hall of Fame. It just had a staged reading by CAST this January 2026, so I was surprised that it took a big leap into a film version before a fully-staged production was done. 

Janine Gutierrez's Anj was not going to let her family's eccentricities push her down as she finally got to experience them first hand, bringing us all along on her wild outlandish 3-day ride. Agot Isidro had a field day with Mita's neurotic psyche and emotional instability. Cherry Pie Picache's Ysobel seemed so calm outside, but turned out to be a hot slurping mess inside. Ness Roque's santol-squeezing Katte may be of lowest rank, but she proved no easy pushover in the way she marinated chicken or held black candle seances. 

The elegant Jackie Lou Blanco was deglamorized, with her skin looking like melted wax, ultimately even enduring to wear a whole-body prosthetic suit to execute the film's most unsettling body-horror scene. Her high-handed, Spanish- and expletive-riddled monologue at the dinner table was unforgettable.  Child actor Lucas Andalio fell right in step and held his own among the senior actors, having to do some pretty sick, grotesque stuff that require post-shoot debriefings. Those bloody lactation scenes really pushed the envelope. 

This convoluted story was actually quite a big risk to bring to the big screen, as it blurred lines between what was a nightmare and what was real. Furthermore, even if the story's premise starts off as merely odd, weird or creepy, it would later escalate into majorly bizarre and  scandalous mayhem, the likes of which can throw off casual viewers. The visual creativity of director Giancarlo Abrahan was in overdrive to create the veritable Gothic twilight zone in this maze-like house, which in itself was a major character in this film. 8/10 

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of TIRIK: Candles of Conscience and Clarity

August 11, 2026

Paring Bert (Rocco Nacino) was the parish priest of a church in Quezon City. He had been invited to the wake of a young former parishioner of his who had passed away as a casualty from the war on drugs. His taxi driver friend Santos Mira (Floyd Tena) just so happened to be at the church at that time to rest after a long night's drive. He volunteered to drive Paring Bert to his destination in Cavite using his old white taxi, license plate ABS 7029.

Along the way there, they made several stopovers and encountered various people. They brought an injured dog into a veterinarian's clinic and met a nutty family (Jess Mendoza, Chai Fonacier) there. Santos went to join a roadside drinking session to confront a thief. Fr. Bert went to visit his mentor, Fr. Jess (Glenn Sevilla Mas) in his vintage stone church. Santos requested that they make one final stop at a small shack in a remote area. 

This film is the feature directorial debut of May-i Padilla, who also co-wrote the script (with Charlson Ong) and did the editing. It was like they knew the ending they wanted first, and just added the rest of narrative up to build up to that ending. The events in the previous stops along the way seem so random and do not exactly relate to what happens in the ending. However, on hindsight, they all certainly portended to that eventuality. 

The slow pace of the storytelling may actually prove to be difficult to ride with, especially for impatient viewers. Most of the film was just conversations between Paring Bert and Santos, much of them set within the confines of the taxi cab while driving around. The vet clinic scenes were funny, even if it involved euthanasia and grave digging. The atmosphere grew heavier and heavier with every stop, and Padilla made sure we all felt that sense of danger. 

Paring Bert was based on a real-life Jesuit priest, Paring Bert Alejo, an activist for various socio-political issues. Rocco Nacino's Paring Bert was careful and level-headed, but there were issues like their youth council that he was passionate about. Floyd Tena caught director Padilla's attention when he played the hangman in "Gomburza" (2023). His Santos Mira was friendly as taxi drivers usuallywere. However, he also projected a distubing inner turmoil.

This film has a Catholic priest as the lead character, so importants cenes were set in churches. The churches chosen for locations were both historic -- the Basilica Minore de San Pedro Bautista in Quezon City, and Diocesan Shrine and Parish of San Andres in Masinloc, Zambales. The latter had a picturesque little pond where lit candles were floated on, where Bert and Santos' had their most heart-to-heart talk. 6/10