Review of SUPERGIRL: Clark's Cynical Cousin

June 24, 2026

Kara Zor-el (Milly Alcock) was a Kryptonian like her cousin Kal-el a.k.a. Superman (David Corenswet), so she also had superpowers when she was on Earth under its yellow sun . On her 23rd birthday, she decided to spend it on a planet with a red sun, in order that she can get crazy drunk, with only her naughty white dog Krypto beside her. That night in a bar full of rowdy crowd of drunkards, a young teenage girl boldly appeared at the doorway.  

This girl Ruthye (Eve Ridley) had witnessed her whole family perish at the hands of a space criminal named Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), heartless leader of the  Brigands. She swore to avenge their death by seeking out Krem and kill him with a sword that her father Elias Knoll (Ferdinand Kingsley) had forged. That night, she entered that rowdy bar to request for someone to help her do in her quest. Will Kara step up?

We first saw this Milly Alcock version of Supergirl in a post-credits cameo in "Superman" (2025). She was not the typical charming, well-behaved and heroic Supergirl portrayed by Helen Slater in first "Supergirl' film (1984) or by Melissa Benoist in the TV series "Supergirl" (2015 - 2021). Alcock's Supergirl was unkempt and appeared to have had too much to drink, indicating that this Supergirl will be breaking the usual mold of the character. Seeing Alcock play Supergirl this way can be off-putting at first, but she would eventually win us over. 

A flashback tells about how Kara's parents Zor-El (David Krumholtz) and Alura (Emily Beecham) was responsible for a "bottled" fragment of Krypton to survive after the rest of the planet exploded. Kara was conceived later and grew up to be a teenager before she was sent off to join Kal-el on Earth. This was very different (but easier to understand) than the mind-bending Kryptonian time warp paradox in the comics -- how she was supposed to be older than Kal-el on Krypton, but became younger when she arrived later on Earth. 

Because of this, this new Supergirl turned out bitter and rebellious, very opposite in character to her too-good-to-be-true cousin Kal-El. While Kal-el never knew his real parents nor the explosion of Krypton and grew up with loving Earth parents, this Kara actually knew her real parents and experienced being sent away to Earth apparently against her wishes. This contrast of characters between Kal-El and Kara was very much played up here, with comical effect. Kara's first impression of Superman's costume was a memorable line. 

Eve Ridley's Ruthye Marye Knoll was headstrong and stubborn, which puts her in risky situations that went against Kara's plans, complicating her mission. Like Flip in "Slumberland" (2022) and Garrett in "A Minecraft Movie" (2025), Jason Momoa plays another happy-go-lucky character here as notorious mercenary Lobo, which he again portrayed in what seemed to be an exaggerated version his naturally playful character in real life. It was good to see David Corenswet back as ever-supportive Superman, but he did not participate in any fights here. 

Like most dog-lovers in the audience, I certainly wished there was more of Krypto. He provided much emotional moments as he did laughs, so it was too bad that he was out of action for a major part of the story. The musical soundtrack of unexpected pop hits in the most unlikely scenes was quite fun contrast. The best scene was that when club standards "The Girl from Ipanema" and "Cheek to Cheek" were being sung by a female lounge singer on a stage to accompany one of the chaotic bar fights where Kara was taking on everyone else.  

This is a rated PG film, with some parts of which already flirt with an R rating. The fight scense can be quite violent, but there won't be blood and guts frankly spilled on screen here. There was also a side story about the Brigands gathering girls in different planets with the intention of marrying them off to be raped in order to populate their all-male planet -- a truly uncomfortable idea. While the plot was really rather predictable and Schoenhaerts's villain was bland, Alcock's unique spunky take on the title character still kept this afloat. 6/10

Review of HOME ALONG DA RILES, DA REUNION: The Cosmes in Conflict and Conciliation

June 18, 2026

The children of the late Kevin Cosme (Dolphy) still regularly eat together in their old house along the railroad tracks. Kevin's long-time love Azon (Nova Villa), whom the kids called their Tita Nanay, lived nearby. Her adopted daughter Maybe (Maybelyn dela Cruz) is now a barangay official prepping the residents for an impending demolition of their neighborhood.

Eldest son Bill (Smokey Manaloto), an office worker, is still single. Second son is Bob (Gio Alvarez), a motorcycle driver, married to Lorie (Aurora Halili), and living with his rich mother-in-law Bridge (Ces Quesada). The youngest son is Baldo (Vandolph Quizon), married to Jenny (Jenny Quizon) with sons Vito (Vito Quizon) and Baldolito (Ahmad Aboukowick). Adopted son Estong (Boy2 Quizon) was still inseparable from Baldo, partners in a food stall business. 

The only rose in the Cosme brood is Bing (Claudine Barretto), third in line. Now 45 years old, she surprised her brothers when she announced that she was about to get married to a boyfriend whom she had been keeping a secret for 6 years. Hurt, the brothers tried to foil the engagement when the guy, Baby Boy (Pepe Herrera), finally came to meet them. 

The original TV series "Home Along the Riles" ran on ABS-CBN for more than 20 years, from December 1992 to August 2003. While I do have a general idea about the show and its actors, but somehow, I never really got to see a single full episode of it. I also did not watch the two previous feature films about the series, released in 1993 and 1997. Honestly, I was not sure if this reunion movie directed by Boy2 Quizon will have something for me or not. 

From the beginning, we already see the arc of Nova Villa's Azon for the whole film -- missing her one and only love Kevin. She expressed a couple of times that she's just waiting for him to fetch her, even seeing "him" and hearing him sing "Gaano Kita Kamahal." Her comedy moments had to do with waking up from dreaming about Kevin. They gave her a weird episode of getting a massage in a spa, which would later get raided -- not funny.

Claudine Barretto mainly played the straight guy here. It was her sudden surprise announcement of her coming wedding incited the main conflict of the film. While it was clear why she did not want her brothers to know, it was difficult to explain why she did not confide this with her Tita Nanay -- in fact, they did not even try to make a plausible reason. Her one moment of spontaneity came after the priest asked "You may or may not kiss the bride." 

The interaction of Bing's immature brothers among each other and to Baby Boy was in the vein of typical 90s style of naughty comedy. I do not know how these boys used to quarrel on TV, but the climactic violent argument they had seemed very out of character. Those words said, especially those very hurtful insults coming from Bill, came out so randomly from out of the blue, and were not the type that can easily be forgiven as it happened. 

Also returning is Dang Cruz as Azon's inimitable househelp Roxanne, who stole her scenes with her crazy antics. We also see cameos from Kevin's former officemates like Cita Astals (Ma'am Hillary), Joymee Lim (Linggit) and Sherilyn Reyes (Sheryl), as well as unexpected guest appearances like Gardo Versoza, Zanjoe Marudo, Small Laude, the whole Creamline volleyball team, and most surprisingly, Claudine's ex Mark Anthony Fernandez. 

The chaos of the wedding and the demolition all led to one profound moment of sincere family reconciliation in a church. If you are expecting a certain someone to make an appearance from beyond, you'd be right. The production really set aside budget for that one important special effect that should not be carelessly done. Even if you are not familiar with the Cosme family at all, this final heartwarming moment will make you care about them. 6/10 

Review of TOY STORY 5: Trouble with Technology

June 16, 2026

Bonnie (Scarlet Spears) was feeling lonely because she found it difficult to make friends with the kids in her neighborhood. When Jessie (Joan Cusack) went next door to investigate, she discovered that the other kids were all stuck in their own rooms playing video games on a gadget. Jessie was alarmed when Bonnie's parents (Lori Alan, Jay Hernandez) bought Bonnie her own gadget -- a green tablet with a frog design named Lilypad (Greta Lee). 

Sheriff Jessie had designated Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) to be her deputy. However, this time, she called Woody (Tom Hanks) to ask for his help how to address the Lily problem. In her efforts to protect Bonnie from bad friends, Jessie and her horse Bullseye got transported back to the house of her old owner Emily. There was a new family there with a girl named Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris), whom Jessie felt would be a perfect friend for Bonnie. 

The first Toy Story (1995) made history as the first feature-length film to use computer-generated imagery only. It introduced us to Woody and Buzz Lightyear, who were the two favorite toys of Andy. They met Jessie in TS2(1999). As Andy went to college in TS3 (2010), the toys were brought to a daycare, where first they met Bonnie. In TS4 (2019), Bonnie made a toy from a spork she named Forky, while Woody gets reunited with BoPeep (Annie Potts).

After TS3, we all thought that they already had the perfect heartwarming ending. When TS4 came, a lot of us thought that Pixar should not have done this anymore. However, it proved us wrong again by coming with yet another emotional ending. This TS5 again played around with previous themes of old toys being abandoned by their owners as they grew up, but here, it tackled the high incidence of children glued to the screens of gadgets. 

In order to make it possible for Woody, Buzz and Jessie to achieve their elaborate plans, director Andrew Stanton, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kenna Harris, came up with a random side-story of a platoon of high-tech Buzz Lightyear toys marching to Star Command. Blaze also just so happened to own some old abandoned electronic toys (which just so happened to have working AAA batteries) and shelves of doll horses that she collected. 

Jessie was the main toy character of this story, with her own learning arc, and female-empowerment moments to boot. Multiple units of Buzz opened and closed this one, with a climactic action highlight, plus a romantic subplot. Woody was basically a special guest this time, with the recurring joke about his bald spot as his most memorable gag. The rest of Andy's old toys were still fun to watch in the limited screen time they had. We will all recognize how gadgets like Lilypad dominate our time these days. 

The Pixar artwork, with the vibrant colors and innovative designs, was as topnotch as ever, with a special style to depict the girls' whimsical play fantasies. The screenplay was both nostalgic and funny as we expect from this franchise. The jokes (even Smarty Pants' toilet humor) and the aww moments still connected well with both adults and kids in the audience with us. Stanton was still able to squeeze out an emotional ending this time, we can feel the stretch of the story in this one. But overall, I liked this one better than TS4. 8/10

Review of DISCLOSURE DAY: Extraterrestrial Exposé

June 11, 2026

Cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor) is being hunted down by a covert agency called Wardex, led by Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth). Kellner had stolen a set of files which he had to deliver to Hugo (Colman Domingo), and Wardex wants them back. Wardex had technology which allowed Scanlon to locate and talk to people remotely. Scanlon cannot connect with Daniel, so he instead connected with Daniel's girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson). 

In the meantime, Kansas City TV weather girl Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) was having breakfast when a cardinal flew into their apartment and stared at her for sometime, until it was shooed away by her boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell). After this, Margaret suddenly had the ability to speak in different foreign languages and to connect emotionally with people she never met. During her weather report on TV, she began talking in a strange clicking sound. 

In his 50 years of making movies, Steven Spielberg has films about his fascination with alien lifeforms, including "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982). Spielberg returns to this genre after 20 years, coming up with the story that David Koepp crafted into a screenplay and directing it with his signature engaging storytelling style and cinematic flair, though this one had no children and less heartwarming drama.

The main cast was A-list, among the busiest actors these days. Blunt's Margaret was initially light and comic, but she eventually became the heart of the story. O'Connor was relatively lower key but convincingly committed to his cause. Think what you may of Hugo's intentions, but Domingo played him like a saint. Firth gave Oscar-grade gravitas to the antagonist role. We needed more background on Hugo and Noah to understand their motives more. 

This film was about people who believed that everyone in the world should know that extraterrestrials exist going up against people who wanted to hide the existence of extraterrestrial life on Earth. As Jane used to be a nun, a Catholic perspective was added into the mix, including a verse from Genesis that I had not heard quoted that way before. It presents a thought-provoking dilemma to us in terms of morality and ethics. 

The first two hours had Daniel and Margaret running around Midwest states avoiding Wardex, with car chases and train crashes along the way. All this action built up momentum for a riveting climactic 30 minutes, capped by a wheelchair scene that can polarize the audience if Spielberg was being profound, or melodramatic. However after all that, Spielberg still forgot to tell us where the cardinal came from, its source of power and its selection criteria. 8/10 

Mini-Reviews of OBSESSION and BACKROOMS: Yield to Young YouTubers!

June 9, 2026

In the last two weeks, there had been a couple of horror movies that are making a lot of news. Both of them have been directed by young directors who had their start releasing their original content on YouTube. The first one was written and directed by Curry Barker, 26 years old. The second one was directed by Kane Parsons, 20 years old. What is more remarkable now is that their two low-budget films have now grossed more than $200M worldwide at the box office. 

1. OBSESSSION

Director: Curry Barker

Writer: Curry Barker

Bear (Michael Johnston) worked with his friends Ian (Cooper Tomlinson), Sarah (Megan Lawless) and Nikki (Inde Navarrette) at a music store. He had a big crush on Nikki but was very shy to tell her. Bear saw an item in a crystal shop called "One Wish Willow," a stick that claimed it can fulfill one wish of the person who broke it into two. When he dropped Nikki at her home one night, Bear broke the stick and wished for Nikki to love him more than anyone in the world. Right after, Nikki invited him into her house, then into bed with her. 

Curry Barker only spent $750,000 budget for this film so its multi-million fortunes now is most impressive. Michael Johnston may be too awkward (on purpose?) as Bear, but Inde Navarrette impressed as her poor unhinged Nikki broke us emotionally. Curry's concept of the "One Wish Willow" carried the film through, showing the horrible consequences of causing love to happen by unnatural means. There are scenes of violence here that startle and shock, so fasten your seatbelts as this horror-romcom does not hold back. 8/10

2. BACKROOMS

Director: Kane Parsons

Writer: Will Soodik 

Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) owned a furniture store called  Cap'n Clark's Ottoman Empire, which was not doing very well. Aside from this, he was also having issues with alcoholism and his divorce for which he was seeing a therapist Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve). One day while investigating electrical disturbances in his store, he saw a glowing slit in one of the walls of the basement. He fell right through that wall and wound up in a whole new wide space of maze-like corridors, lit up by bright overhead fluorescent lights with odd stuff scattered around.  

It started with a  dizzying 1990 video of a man that was stumbling around a strange maze of brightly-lit corridors which reminded me of the "Blair Witch Project," which really gave me a bad case of vertigo. Fortunately, "Backrooms" was not like this all the way through. To the end, it never really explained what was really going on, but it did try to connect the labyrinthine passageways to human psychology as we forge our way through the unknowns of our lives. Oscar-caliber Ejiofor and Reinsve and the unnerving production design elevated it.  7/10

Review of COLONY: Melding Minds into Monsters

June 2, 2026

One morning at the Doongwoori Building in Seoul, Chains Bio CEO Dr. Kang Woo-cheol (Kim Jeong-tae) gave an exciting presentation about his company's latest work about collective intelligence. After his talk, Kang was confronted by a disgruntled former employee Dr. Suh Young-cheol (Koo Kyo-hwan). During their heated argument, Suh unexpectedly stuck a syringe into Kang's neck and injected a substance which quickly turned Kang into a zombie. 

From there, a zombie epidemic quickly broke out inside the Doongwoori Building which housed a very busy shopping mall. Among those caught in a store were scientists Prof. Kwon Se-Jeong (Gianna Jun) and her ex-husband Prof. Han Kyu-seong (Ko Soo), security guard Choi Hyun-Seok (Ji Chang-wook) and his wheelchair-bound sister Hyun-hee (Kim Shin-rok), and Officer Lee (Lee Joong-ok), a policeman who responded to Suh's bioterrorism threat.  

The best-regarded South Korean zombie movie is "Train to Busan" (2016). Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, and written by Park Joo-suk, this had a touching father-daughter story in the heart of the zombie chaos on a train. Four years later, Yeon wrote and directed "Peninsula" (2020), billed as the sequel to "Train to Busan," this time about a soldier tasked to retrieve a truck of money in zombie-infested South Korea. This was a disappointing follow-up for sure.

This year, Yeon is back again, writing and directing yet another zombie film. This new movie features a new type of "tech-based" zombies. These zombies were described in jargon to be exchanging information by way of organic semi-conductors in slime. The way the zombies were acting in synchrony as if being conducted remotely was an interesting concept, and their eerie choreography was well-executed, especially that mesmerizing "ant mill" scene.

It was great to see Gianna Jin, iconic star of "My Sassy Girl" (2001), back on the big screen again after a 10-year hiatus. Koo Kyo-hwan, star of box-office romance hit "Once We Were Us" (2025), made for an intimidating antagonist. Ji Chang-wook showed off both fighting skills as he plowed through the zombie horde with a kitchen knife, as well as his dramatic chops in his scenes with Kim Shin-rok playing his disabled I.T. sister. 

There were thought-provoking dilemmas presented to create more conflict -- are the zombies patients or as monsters? is the immune perpetrator the villain or the vaccine? That "imperfect communication is the main source of tragedy" makes for a profound basis for drama. While uniting all the minds in the world sounds like an altruistic goal, putting them under the vision and control of one deranged person is obviously not a good idea. 7/10

Review of TAYO SA WAKAS: Darker Depths for DonBelle

 May 25, 2026

Francisco "Cisco" Serrano (Donny Pangilinan) was the eldest but illegitimate son of his rich father Francisco "Kiko" Jacinto (Matthew Mendoza). He worked for the Guinto group of companies, and  was responsible for developing the production house arm dubbed as "G-Spot" for its CEO Mr. G (Epy Quizon). He was involved in creating concepts for their advertising clients, pitching the ad proposal to them, and directing their video shoots. 

Francisca "Cheska" Alegre (Belle Mariano) with her parents (Yayo Aguila and Alan Paule) in a low-income community, where their neighbors could hear their frequent marital quarrels. She was just the newest recruit in G-Spot, under the mentorship of Cisco. The two called each other "Tuks," short for "tukayo," a term used to indicate the similarity of their names. Soon, their close professional relationship soon blossomed into romance. 

"Tayo sa Wakas" is the third feature film of the Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano (or "DonBelle") love team after "Love is Color Blind" (John Leo Garcia, 2021) and "An Inconvenient Love" (Petersen Vargas, 2022), both big commercial hits. Like the second film, this new film was once again used the rich boy-poor girl romance-comedy trope, so the formula felt familiar right from the awkward meet-cute at the office pantry. 

The screenplay by Vanessa R. Valdez tackled darker themes than expected here about professional jealousy and toxicity. It was clear from the get-go that their sailing was not going to be smooth, so there was no real suspense in the flashbacks. Aside from DonBelle, the supporting actors were mainly stock BFF tropes. Epy Quizon does well as the compassionate boss. Jaime Fabregas had a strong impact as Don Frank, Cisco's imperious grandfather.   

The chemistry between Pangilinan and Mariano is very strong, which is why we felt bad as Cisco and Cheska drifted apart. Things were going so badly between them, we wanted to see a brave, realistic resolution of their problem. Unfortunately for us, Valdez and director Cathy Garcia-Sampana opted for an annoying cop-out of a climax -- a sudden 11th hour twist that rendered everything after it unnecessarily melodramatic and ultimately unsatisfying. 5/10 

Netflix: Review of REMARKABLY BRILLIANT CREATURES: Omniscient Octopus

May 25, 202

Tova (Sally Field) was an elderly woman who lived in Sowell Bay in Washington state. Ever since her son Erik and her husband passed away, she preferred to live and work alone. She worked as a night-shift janitor at the town aquarium. While working, she shared her thoughts to Marcellus (voice by Alfred Molina), an old octopus who kept trying to escape his tank and go back to the sea. One day, Tova had a fall and sprained her ankle. 

Cameron (Lewis Pullman) was a young man whose mother just passed away. Using the old van she bequeathed to him, Cameron drove to Sowell Bay to look for the unknown father he never met. Because he needed cash, he was recommended to take over Tova's work while she recovered from her injury. Tova noted that Cameron was not conscientious about his work, so she took it upon herself to teach him the right way to do things.

Ever since I have seen Sally Field play mothers in films like "Steel Magnolias" (1989) and "Forrest Gump" (1994), I have admired the sincerity she projected in her portrayal of her roles, and the effortlessness by which she was able to make us shed tears. As she portrayed another mother in this one, she again delivered her lines in that unique voice and speaking style of hers that inspires trust, connects emotionally and elevates the whole film. 

Lewis Pullman is the son of veteran actor Bill Pullman, so he has to work harder to prove that he was not a mere nepo baby. While the resemblance is there, Lewis has a grittier, sterner countenance than the clean-cut all-American look his father built his career on. As Cameron had been an abandoned child and no clear direction in life, Pullman imbued him with plenty of internal angst that translated to rough language and careless actions. 

Director Olivia Newman co-wrote this screenplay with John Whittington, adapting the 2022 novel by Shelby Van Pelt. Having a wise octopus as narrator called to mind the 2020 Oscar-winning Netflix documentary "My Octopus Teacher," as Marcellus helped resolve a mystery that repaired the two damaged lead characters. The twist may feel a bit contrived, but Newman's homey direction and Field's moving portrayal overcame all that. 7/10

Review of STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU: Bringing Bounty and Baby

May 19, 2026

"The Mandalorian" was the first live-action television series of the Star Wars franchise streamed on Disney+, with Jon Favreau as showrunner. it has run from 2019 to 2023, for three seasons so far. What was supposed to have been the fourth season of the series was instead turned by Lucasfilm into this film, under Favreau's direction. This is the first Star Wars franchise film in seven years after "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker" (2019). 

Set five years after the rebels defeated the Galactic Empire in "The Return of the Jedi," the series followed the adventures of a bounty hunter named Din Djarin (Pablo Pascal), a.k.a. Mando. In one of his missions, he was supposed to turn over a Child of a mysterious species with an innate connection to the Force. Out of compassion, Mando decided to rescue him instead, and treated him as his son. His real name Grogu was revealed in S2E5.

For this film, Mando and Grogu was sent on missions to capture the remaining Imperial Remnants by the Adelphi Rangers of the New Republic led by Col. Ward (Sigourney Weaver). To locate the target, Mondo needed the help of notorious crime lords, the Hutt twins. In exchange for their intel, they wanted Mando to first retrieve their nephew Rotta, son of their late cousin Jabba the Hutt, who had been kidnapped. 

As it had been on the TV series, Mando was always seen wearing his helmet in accordance to the way of the Mand'alor which did not allow him to show his face to others. The only time we saw Pedro Pascal's face was when Mando was shamed by bounty hunter Embo (Dave Filoni) by unmasking him. So, we are not really sure who we are seeing in those intense action and fight scenes, Pascal or his stunt doubles, Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder.  

Grogu was a delightful creation of animatronics, puppetry and visual effects. Still considered a child at 50 years old, Grogu was of the same species as jedi master Yoda, who died at the ripe old age of 900 in "Return of the Jedi." Grogu's very cute "baby Yoda" look made him the "E.T." for this generation.  Grogu would have the screen on his own when Mando was out of commission for a while, and he was truly adorable, especially that meditating scene. 

First seen as a baby in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (2008), Rotta the Hutt was warm and sympathetic, as voiced by Jeremy Allen White, unlike his slimy elders. Fans cheered when Lasat rebel soldier Zeb Orrelios (Steve Blum) came out to pilot Mando's new Razor Crest craft. Martin Scorsese voiced an Ardennian sandwich storekeeper whom Mando bribed for info. Sigourney Weaver graced yet another sci-fi franchise, after "Alien" and "Avatar."

As a film, this one can stand on its own, even for those who have not seen the series. The story was not that hard to follow, with relentless action and plenty of alien creatures -- the fun (Minions-like Anzellan droidsmiths), the scary (giant albino Dragonsnake) and the thrilling (the Mantellian savrip and other gladiator arena warriors).  However, serious Star Wars fanboys who can spot obscure deep-cuts and callbacks will likely enjoy it a lot more. 8/10

Review of MIDNIGHT GIRLS: Empathy with Entertainers

May 14, 2026

When 20 year-old Wanna (Loisa Andalio) arrived in Nagoya, Japan, she was welcomed by her mother's friend Vicky (Jodi Sta. Maria) who had already been working there for several years. Vicky brought Wanna to a nightclub run by fellow Filipina Mama Charry (Carmi Martin), where she worked as one of the girls who entertained male customers while they drink after work. Vicky introduced the newcomer to her two other friends Paris (Sanya Lopez) and Saki (Jane Oineza), who also advised Wanna about the new job she was about to embark on.

Despite their frequent Facetimes, Vicky had problems with her son Patrick (Zaijian Jaranilla), who was only three when he was left to the care of his grandmother (Shamaine Buencamino). Paris was rekindling her romance with her former boyfriend Genji (Genki Ito) who made a surprise return. Saki was facing issues about her own self-identity, even if she looked cool and confident on the outside. Wanna was adjusting very well to her very new world, until she gets an unexpected visit from her boyfriend back home Danny (Miggy Jimenez).

There is no argument that Jody Sta. Maria is an excellent actress, and she extends her streak of award-worthy portrayals here. Being the eldest sister of their group, Sta. Maria's Vicky projects maturity and responsibility. Her scenes with her regular customers Akio (Kouji Sueyoshi) and Hideo (Masakatsu Sumioku) revealed her caring nature which made them feel prioritized. Her best scenes were those with Zaijian Jaranilla giving an exceptionally moving performance even if he was only seen on the screen of a mobile phone.

Sanya Lopez was effortlessly beautiful with her winning smile and personality. Her best scene was that one when Paris finally realized where her affair with Genji was going. As the turmoil of Saki's conflict is internal, Jane Oineza gave a very nuanced and restrained portrayal. Her best scene was actually that transformative reveal at the park picnic towards the end. Loisa Andalio was good as Wanna, but her coming of age as a GRO was not given enough focus. Also, her tendency to deliver her lines too loud could have been reined in. 

"Midnight Girls" is further proof of Irene Emma Villamor's talent as a storyteller, a reputation which she had steadily built with film she both wrote and directed. Despite the fact that there had been plenty of films about Filipinos working abroad, Villamor was able to tell these intertwined stories of four female GROs working in Nagoya in a manner that still felt fresh, vibrant and engaging. Villamor's decision to include interviews of real women who did the same work in Japan made us realize the authenticity of the stories we had witnessed. 8/10

Review of THE PUNISHER: ONE LAST KILL: Virulent Violence

May 13, 2026

The Punisher was a character who first appeared in a Marvel comic book in 1974, in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #129. Frank Castle was an ex-Marine who became a vigilante after his wife and two children were killed by Mafia gangsters. Using his skills in hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship, Castle went on to fight against the bad guys. However, unlike the typical superhero, the Punisher was merciless, and did not hesitate to kill. 

Since then, this anti-hero character, along with that distinctive skull design that he wore, had already made his transition to films. Dolph Lundgren first played Castle in "The Punisher" (Mark Goldblatt, 1989). Thomas Jane had another go at the character in another film entitled "The Punisher" (Jonathan Hensleigh, 2004).  Ray Stevenson played him in a reboot film, "Punisher: War Zone" (Lexi Alexander, 2008). Critics panned all three of these films.

After this, The Punisher franchise was rebooted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jon Bernthal introduced the character in the second season of Netflix series "Daredevil" (2016), as the ideological counterpoint to title character who was also a vigilante but did not kill his targets. "Punisher" had a spin-off series of his own also on Netflix from 2017–2019. He was brought back in the first season of "Daredevil: Born Again" (2025), streaming on Disney+. 

This year, "The Punisher" is back as the featured character in the third Marvel's Special Presentation, after "Werewolf by Night" (2022) and "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday. Special" (2022). Jon Bernthal co-wrote and starred in this 45-minute film about the continuing internal torture Frank Castle had been experiencing since his family was killed by the gangsters of the Gnucci family, even after he had already exacted his revenge.

The grieving matriarch Ma Gnucci (Judith Light in an unexpected role) wanted to exact her own revenge for the death of her husband and sons at Castle's hands. On the anniversary of the death of her beloved youngest son, she sent out a city-wide contract for the death of Castle, which sent criminals of all kinds rushing over to Castle's apartment building to try to kill him. The ensuing mayhem was relentless and soon spilled out into the streets outside.

Even if you did not know anything about "The Punisher" as a character, you can still appreciate this film. There would be haunting flashbacks to encapsulize the past trauma in Frank's life that drove him to do what he does. The main highlight was certainly the seamlessly-edited series of brutally violent action sequences as Frank fought his way out of the endless horde after him, killing of all of them in the process -- not for the faint of heart!

One main aim for this special presentation was to reintroduce Frank Castle, his Punisher persona and his current psychological state to a wider audience. This is in time for his coming appearance on the big screen in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" this July. How meaningful that The Punisher made his character debut in a Spider-Man comic book in 1974, and now, 52 years later, he is making his MCU feature film debut in a Spider-Man film. 8/10

Review of THE SHEEP DETECTIVES: Offbeat Ovine Observers

May 10, 2026

Shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) owned a meadow outside the town of Denbrook, on which his flock of sheep were put out to pasture. Beyond feeding them, George also spent time reading detective crime mystery novels to his sheep. Among his favorites among his flock were the aloof loner Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), wise Merino sheep Mopple (Chris O'Dowd), the stately Sir Richfield (Patrick Stewart) and the smartest one of the group, Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). The sheep would then discuss these cases when George went to bed. 

One night, a murder disturbed the peace in Hardy's farm, the first such case that the town's only policeman Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun) had ever handled. A visiting journalist Ellliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine) volunteered to help him. When Atty. Harbottle (Emma Thompson) arrived, the suspects were revealed -- the neighbor Caleb (Tosin Cole), the butcher Ham (Conleth Hill), the innkeeper Beth (Hong Chau), the priest Rev. Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), and George's estranged daughter Rebecca (Molly Gordon). 

The screenplay of "The Sheep Detectives" was written by Craig Mazin, creator of HBO series "Chernobyl" (2019) and "The Last of Us" (2023), adapted from the 2005 German novel "Three Bags Full" by Leonie Swann. The film is the first live-action film (mixed with digital animation) directed by Kyle Balda, who is best known for animated films like "The Lorax" (2012) and "Minions" (2015), all for Illumination Studios. The big name actors (Jackman, Thompson) and voices (Louis-Dreyfus, Cranston) add prestige to this project.  

Watching the titular sheep detectives in action immediately called to mind the delightful 1995 movie "Babe," about a pig who wanted to be a sheepdog. That film was a commercial and critical success, even earning itself seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Director for Chris Noonan. Its Oscar-winning visual effects team employed a mix of live animals (48 piglets had to be used to keep the size of Babe uniform), animatronics, and digital mouth manipulation to create the illusion of talking animals. 

The sophisticated visual effects we see in "The Sheep Detectives" shows the progress in this field for the past 30 years, as now all the animals are 100% photo-realistic computer-generated imagery. The photorealistic animals in "The Sheep Detectives" are more fully-realized, capable of expressively conveying human-like emotions. This is a positive progression from the grim, expressionless hyper-realistic CGI animals in "The Lion King" (2019) that garnered that older film a lot of negative criticism. 

Meanwhile, the film's detective story called to mind the Agatha Christie murder mysteries and the "Knives Out" films with the multiple suspects and wry humor. However, the big charming difference is that the human detective Tim Derry was so absurdly clueless, so the sheep needed to actively intervene in the investigation in the cutest, yet ingenious ways. Certain sheep beliefs, like ostracizing winter lambs, forgetting about bad things, and turning into clouds instead of dying, provided room for rich emotional tear-jerking moments. 9/10

Review of ALMOST US: Hoping Hurts

May 9, 2026

Janine (Fyang Smith) and RR (JM Ibarra) have been best friends since their childhood. They had special nicknames for each other -- Janine called RR "Pip," while RR called Janine "Bulots." Janine followed her mother's footsteps to take up Law. Atty. Melissa Mesina (Che Ramos) entrusted her to the care of RR, who was free to spend nights in her condo.  Meanwhile, RR applied to do volunteer work via an NGO called Guardians of Humanity.

RR had long been in love with Janine. However, she was head-over-heels obsessed about her music idol Kenzo (Dustin Yu), whom she even made into a superhero in her online fanfic entitled "My Undercover Love." Unknown to her, RR even helped to make her fanfic viral so that it would get Kenzo's attention, which it did. Janine was thrilled no end when Kenzo asked to treat her out to dinner, but RR tagged along as her unwilling chaperone. 

I have already seen JM Ibarra act before, in his official big screen debuting in the lead role of Cinemalaya film "Child No. 82 (Anak ni Boy Kana)."  Again, he proves his charisma and charm with the ladies, as well as his dramatic chops here, as he did before. As RR, Ibarra plays the more sympathetic character, the one more people can identify with. RR is the partner who had loved more than he was loved back, but who later learns to speak up for himself.

Fyang Smith was the grand winner of PBB Gen 11 in 2024. For her film debut as a lead, it was very brave for her to accept this role of Janine, a flawed character whose selfishness caused her to chase fantasies instead of seeing the love right beside her. She was given a number of awkward actions or corny lines, particularly those directed to Sue (Yuki Takahashi), whom she saw as a threat to her happiness, but Smith's winsome delivery saves the day. 

Dustin Yu makes a very good impression as an action star Kenzo in his fight scenes in the opening sequence, but unfortunately his fantasy character did not go much further afterwards.  Former indie child actor JM Salvado played RR's loud English-challenged friend Otep. Sam Samarita played Janine's pretentious Taglish-challenged pre-law classmate. Veteran indie actress Che Ramos made the most of Atty. Mesina's single scene together with Janine.

There was nothing really new about the plot, save for its zany Gen Z features, clearly not for my generation. Whether you find her cute or annoying, Fyang Smith's Janine provided that extra unique memorable quality to this very familiar story. This character's polarizing over-the-top personality, on top of the much-hyped anticipation for this Gen Z love-team's first film together,  distinguishes "Almost Us" from more generic rom-coms of its kind. 5/10

Review of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2: Advanced Adaptation

 April 29, 2026

High-profile editor-in-chief of Runway fashion magazine Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) had been involved in a heated controversy. In an effort to stem the negative online reactions and beef up credibility, Runway chairman Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman) called up Andrea "Andy" Sachs (Anne Hathaway), a multi-awarded journalist who used to be Miranda's former second assistant 20 years ago, and hired her as Runway's new Features Editor. 

Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) was still working in Runway as Miranda's trusted right hand man, and still very helpful to Andy with regards to her fashion choices, as he did before. Miranda's former first assistant Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt) was now out of Runway, working in Dior in a high executive capacity. Photographer Lily (Tracie Thoms), who was still Andy's supportive (and designer bag-loving) BFF whom she can turn to for advice.

Miranda already has a new husband, musician Stuart (Kenneth Branagh). Emily's new boyfriend is tech tycoon Benji Barnes (Justin Theroux), ex-husband of philanthropist Sasha Barnes (Lucy Liu).  Andy now has a resourceful, but dowdy assistant of her own, Jin Chao (Helen J. Shen) -- like how Andy was before, but Asian. Andy meets an architect of a luxury apartment named Peter (Peter Brammall), with whom she develops a romance.

Miranda here was still as arch and imperious as ever, and Meryl Streep played her with utmost glee. However, unlike the first film where Miranda was Runway's only big boss, there was now a company chairman Irv and his son Jay (BJ Novak) who were making decisions above Miranda.  Now only available in digital format, Runway was also not the mighty fashion bible it was before. There were now more scenes of her being more vulnerable this time around. 

As seen in the awards ceremony at the start of this sequel, Anne Hathaway's Andy was very confident and self-assured when she during her work as a serious journalist at her old paper, the Vanguard. However, once she was back in the service of Miranda, she seemed to have just reverted to her former self --  insecure, approval-seeking, still with that the same eagerness to please despite how impossible Miranda's order was. 

Stanley Tucci reminds us why his character Nigel remains to be the fan favorite in this sequel, as much as he was in the first film. His final revelation to Andy made Nigel positively more beloved than ever. Similarly, Emily Blunt's portrayal of Emily still carried with it some subtle bitchiness about her like it did in the first film. As this new Emily had more power and position, and Blunt pulled that precarious balance of being Andy's frenemy very well. 

While it was great to see the original cast ("the core four") together again, this sequel was more about journalism and fashion adapting to technology in the present time, tackling intricate business maneuverings, from mergers to takeovers in both these industries. While the first film brought us into Fashion Week in Paris, this sequel brings us to Milan to pay tribute to Italian haute couture.

Overall, director David Frankel's first movie was more entertaining, with light comedy and romance, 8/10. But as the characters have matured two decades, his sequel, while still fun (with a lot more cameos from fashion personalities plus Lady Gaga), had a more serious tone and thoughtful mood, 7/10.

Review of 3 WORDS: Value Vandalized by Vulgarity

April 23, 2026

In three days, a gigantic asteroid, called the 69 Titelya Impactor, was projected to land right in the middle of Quezon City. This is predicted to cause an apocalyptic extinction of everything alive in the immediate vicinity of the site of impact. There was widespread panic in the streets, with people getting ready to evacuate to a reinforced underground bunker. Meanwhile the trajectory of the asteroid was being monitored by the ASA Command Center. 

The Mother Holy Divine School along Kamuning was the predicted Ground Zero. A group of students were discussing what would be their last three words before the world ended. Beauty (Loisa Andalio) was smart and friendly, despite her wild hair, harsh unibrow, braces and huge pimple on her right cheek. Her friends were Sophia (Queenay Mercado), Lester (Kych Minemoto), Clementon (Renzie Aguilar) and Rosa (Angel Raymundo).         

Given the seriousness of the topic, director Fifth Solomon decided to use black comedy to tell his story. However, he also injected much vulgarity throughout the film, it was cringy, not funny. The ongoing joke was the obvious phallic reference in the name and appearance of the asteroid, and the graffiti on the walls about it. Similarly embarrassing was the naughty wish in Rosa's final three words, as well as the lascivious behavior of the ASA Chief (Leo Bruno).

Beauty's planned final three words was to say "I Love You" to Kyle (Ronnie Alonte), her crush since Grade 7. The terrible way Beauty had been treated here was a dismal insult to Loisa Andalio as an actress. The exaggerated nature of Beauty's facial features was very demeaning -- so backward, so misogynistic. What happened to Beauty on the final night and the day after was so badly written. Andalio should've fought for her character's dignity.  

The conflicts between Lester and girlfriend Irene (Kate Alejandrino), and between Clementon and his parents were too simplistically resolved. If there was a saving grace for this film, it was that final scene of Beauty with her parents -- Nanay Rubi (Angie Castrence) and Tatay Danilo (Dante Agdon), which I felt was the best scene of the whole film. Danilo's last line may have been so simple, but the way it was delivered had much emotional connection for me. 2/10      

Review of MICHAEL (2026): Rousing Reincarnation

April 21, 2026

Joseph Jackson (Colman Domingo) lived with his wife Katherine (Nia Long) and kids in Gary, Indiana, where he worked in a steel mill. On the side, he was focused in training his sons to perform together as a singing group and marketing them for gigs. He was hardest on 10-year old Michael (Juliano Krue Valdi) who was the cute and charismatic lead singer, and his obsession often led to corporal punishment when he felt he was being disrespected. 

One day, Michael's performance caught the attention of Motown talent agent Suzanne de Passe (Laura Harrier). She lost no time to introduce them to her boss Berry Gordy (Larenz Tate) who immediately cut "I Want You Back" that became a big #1 hit. In 1971, they moved to their own home in Encino, California, where adult Michael (Jaafar Jackson) planned on going solo while raising his exotic pets -- python, llama, giraffe and of course, Bubbles. 

This film basically told us what we already knew about Michael Jackson's rise to fame via his unique voice and singing abilities.  The main focus of the story was on Joseph Jackson's iron hand in handling Michael's career, and how Michael struggled to break free from his father's abusive stranglehold. On the personal side, it showed us Michael's obsession with Peter Pan and classic films, his attachment to his menagerie, his compassion for sick children. 

We meet important people in Michael's career -- like his producer Quincy Jones (Kendrick Sampson), his bodyguard Bill Bray (KeiLyn Durrel Jones), his lawyer John Branca (Miles Teller), CBS mogul Walter Yetnikoff (Mike Myers under all that make-up) who got Michael's videos on MTV, even boxing promoter Don King (Deon Cole) who produced the Jacksons' 1984 Victory Tour. It was strange how all the Jackson brothers were there (not sure about Randy?), but among the sisters, only LaToya was featured, no Rebbie nor Janet at all.  

The parts of the film that drew the most audience reaction were the recreations of various music videos and concert performances of Michael throughout the years. As already seen in the trailers, Jaafar Jackson (Jermaine's son) trained hard to literally follow his uncle's iconic dancesteps and pretty much nailed them. The highlights are the behind-the-scenes of the "Beat It" and "Thriller" videos, "Billie Jean" at Motown 25 1983, and "Bad" at Wembley Arena 1988. 

It touched on his first plastic surgery for his nose, the existence of his vitiligo even prior to "Thriller," and the beginnings of his dependence on pain meds following the fiery Pepsi accident. However, for a biopic that stars Michael's nephew and produced by his siblings, you really cannot expect that they were going to tackle the more unsavory parts of his life. This was clearly for fans only, not viewers who wished to know Michael on a deeper level than the star we all knew. None of his controversial 1990s issues here yet, but it did feel like it was setting up for a Part 2. 6/10

Review of THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE: Siblings in Sync

 April 20, 2026

Bowser Jr. is on a mission to rescue his father Bowser, who had been captured by twin plumbers Mario and Luigi in Brooklyn in the first film, then shrunk into a non-threatening size by Princess Peach. To complete his nefarious plan, Junior attacked the Comet Observatory,  kidnapped Princess Rosalina to steal her cosmic powers to fuel his Boomsday Machine,  a castle-like tank with a cannon that shot yellow energy balls that can destroy the universe. 

Princess Rosalina was a powerful protector of the cosmos, as well as the adoptive mother of the cute star beings called the Lumas. However, in a departure from her character in the game, this Rosalina was revealed to be the long-estranged elder sister of Princess Peach. Also introduced this new adventure was a new friend who was first seen hatching from his egg at the end of the first film-- a cute green baby dinosaur named Yoshi. 

Bowser Jr. was a formidable nemesis here as he was driven by his passion to avenge his father as well as to prove his worthiness as the heir to Bowser's throne. He even constructed an entire new Planet Bowser to be his headquarters, topped by his Boomsday Machine. He also invented his powerful creature-generating Magic Paintbrush, as well as the Super Scope which he used to transform the twins into babies. 

The voice cast is again star-studded. From the first film, there were Chris Pratt and Charlie Day played Mario and Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad and Jack Black as Bowser. New members of the cast include: Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr., Brie Larsen as Princess Rosalina, Donald Glover as Yoshi, and Glen Powell as Fox McCloud, a cool mercenary space pilot in the vein of Han Solo.

This was again another cute, colorful adventure romp not only in the Mushroom Kingdom, but also in the Comet Observatory, the Gateway Galaxy, and the Space Junk Galaxy. Like before, fans of the game will enjoy seeing action scenes transform into game play mode. Most of the time it was laughs and fun, but there can be scary moments for younger viewers, like that scene of Bowser and the moat of lava. Overall, not as good as the first movie for me. 6/10

Mini-Reviews of HOW TO MAKE A KILLING (2026) and KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (1949)

April 16, 2026

First, there was a 1907 book by Roy Horniman entitled "Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal." This was about Israel Rank, a gentleman whose main mission in life was to avenge the injustice done to his mother. His mother had been cast out of her aristocratic Gascocyne family because she married outside their class. He knew he was an heir to the Gascoyne fortune, and all he needed to do was to kill everyone ahead of him in the family tree. 

In 1949, there was a film entitled "Kind Hearts and Coronets," directed and co-written by Robert Hamer.  Louis Mazzini (Dennis Price) avenged his Mama (Audrey Fildes) by killing 7 members of D'Ascoyne family (all played by Sir Alec Guinness!). He fell in love and proposed marriage to Edith (Valerie Hobson), widow of one of his cousin victims. But his childhood frenemy Sibella (Joan Greenwood) threatened to expose his plot. 

In 2026, there was a film entitled "How to Make a Killing," directed and written by John Patton Ford. Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) avenged his mother Mary (Nell Williams) by killing 6 other Redfellows, headed by grandfather Whitelaw (Ed Harris). He fell in love and proposed marriage to Ruth (Jessica Henwick), girlfriend of one of his cousin victims. But his childhood frenemy Julia Steinway (Margaret Qualley) threated to expose his plot. 

I watched the 2026 film first. The whole film was in the form of a flashback from a confession to a priest in the morning of Becket Redfellow's execution. From the beginning, Glen Powell felt miscast as Becket because his face gave the impression that seemed very self-assured and confident, even arrogant. With CCTV, internet, smart phones and FBI agents in the story here, it was very farfetched that Becket was not immediately the prime suspect. Of his kills, only the one against Ed Harris had any impact. The ending was anticlimactic and weak. 6/10

In the 1949 film, the whole film was also in the form of flashbacks, but this was from a book of memoirs Louis Mazzini was writing before his execution. Louis was a consummate gentleman of that genteel Edwardian time. The way he projected genuine kindness and sincerity, it was believable that he could really get away with his crimes. That Alec Guinness played all the victims, including Lady Agatha, certainly upped the black comedy factor. The ending was so much better than the current version, with one dilemma building up to a bigger one.  8/10

Review of THE DRAMA: Unexpectedly Unpleasant

 April 14, 2026

Museum curator Charlie Thompson (Robert Pattinson) approached bookstore clerk Emma Harwood (Zendaya) when he saw her reading a book in a New England cafe, and tried to engage her in a conversation. Emma totally paid him no attention which made him retreat, only to try again. It turned out that Emma was deaf in her right ear which caused her to ignore him the first time. When they got to talking, the two of them got along very, very well.

This was the flow of the story in the first few minutes of the film. By the time we reach the opening credits, they were already engaged and practicing their wedding dance with their instructor. After the credits, they had dinner with best man Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and maid of honor Rachel (Alana Haim), who were to married to each other. When the topic turned to the worst thing they've ever done, their conversation became very, very awkward.

This could be the most sneaky curve ball ever thrown by a movie. Nothing in the meet-cute of the opening sequence could prepare you for where the film will take you for the next hour and half. What you thought would be a pleasant romantic comedy film turned out to be a most unpleasant psychological horror film. The virtual whiplash caught us unaware, it took time for me to get my bearings back, but it just remained very uncomfortable all the way through. 

Much of the discomfort stemmed from the very emotionally-naked performances of Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. One of them was forced to confront an ugly truth about the other, a mere four days to go before their wedding day. As Emma, Zendaya continues her streak of provocative characters since "Malcolm and Marie" (2021) and "Challengers" (2024). Pattinson was at his most vulnerable here, Charlie's speech was as rock bottom as it gets. 

How bad was that "worse thing" in the confession, really? Writer-director Kristoffer Borgli made sure it was drilled into our heads that this thing was truly horrendous. I thought Rachel's outrage was over-the-top excessive. Charlie's friend Misha (Hailey Gates) saying she will report that person to the police was illogical. I feel our lead couple was unjustly tormented over something that had already long been suppressed in the subconscious. 7/10

Netflix: Review of 18TH ROSE: A Determined Debutante's Dream

April 11, 2026

This story is set in Romblon, in the early 2000s. Rose (Xyriel Manabat) is about to turn 18 years old, and she wanted a grand debutante's party to rival that of her favorite actress Mara (Kira Ballinger). To spare her parents (Cris Villanueva and Yayo Aguila) the extra expense, she was saving up her own money earned by working as the manager of their town's only internet cafe with her gang (VJ Mendoza, Timothy Castillo and Kenken Nuyad). 

One day, there was a new boy in school Jordan (Kyle Echarri), son of Tess (Nikki Valdez), whose American father had been ghosting him for the past 10 years. He did not want to be in that small town, and was being angry and petty about it. His first meeting with Rose was an unpleasant accident that got the two off on the wrong foot. However, Jordan still needed to use the computer at Rose's internet shop to check if his father responds to his emails.

Xyriel Manabat was the most popular child actress in the 2010s after her iconic turns in TV drama series "Agua Bendita" (2010) and especially "100 Days to Heaven" (2011). This is her first lead film role after a series of ensemble roles in 2025. As Rose, she was funny, gutsy and lovable, and her flair for restrained drama was very well-showcased here. She can effortlessly make us teary-eyed as well she did before as Young Anna Manalastas in "100 Days."

Kyle Echarri entered showbiz via "The Voice Kids" in 2015. After a series of TV work, he made the transition to headlining films in 2025 in films like "100 Awit Para Kay Stella" and "The Ride." As Jordan, he was able to show off more of his dramatic acting range -- from abandoned kid angst to supportive boyfriend sincerity. The one-foot plus height difference between him and Manabat was distracting at first, but they managed to make it work.

This Dolly Dulu film followed a very familiar rom-com formula, from "stinky" meet-cute in the school garden to eventually falling in love with each other. Of course, there would be a wrench thrown in to complicate matters, and admittedly, this was just that type of melodramatic subject matter that I do not particularly like. Anyhow, the two lead actors and their unexpected chemistry carried the bittersweet story well to its teary resolution. 7/10

Review of WONDERFUL NIGHTMARE (2026): Humbled as a Housewife

April 10, 2026

Atty. Maria Luisa Manuel (Kim Molina) was an arrogant hotshot lawyer, still confidently single at age 39. One night, Lui figured in a bad car accident when a cat ran across the road in front of her car. She woke up the Afterlife Relay Center, but cannot accept that she was already dead. The Boss there (Al Tantay) told her that he could give her old life back, on the condition that she spent one month in the body of another woman who had died prematurely. 

That new body turned out to be Jane, a plain housewife married to City Hall employee Julian Alcantara (Jerald Napoles) since she was 19 years old. They had two children -- teenage drama queen Jaja (Althea Rueda) and delightful 6 year old cutie Justin (Achilles Wenceslao). They just so happened to live in the same Bliss community that Lui had been all-business in evacuating the residents to make way for the construction of a new condo complex. 

The original "Wonderful Nightmare" (2015) was a family tearjerker-comedy film written by Kim Je-yeong and directed by Kang Hyo-jin. Starring  Uhm Jung-hwa and Song Seung-heon, it did solid business during its theatrical release. This year, it joins the list of Korean blockbuster dramedies that had been adapted into Filipino, like "My Sassy Girl" (2001), "Miracle in Cell No. 7" (2013) and "Miss Granny" (2014). 

"Wonderful Nightmare" is the first film that real and reel partners Kim Molina and Jerald Napoles released after they got married on March 1, 2026. The two of them complement each other very well in all of their past projects, from "Jowable" (2019) to "Un-Ex You" (2025). Molina had contrasting dual roles with their own quirks nuances, excelling in one of her most challenging roles. Jerald Napoles underplayed his Julian in perfect support for his wife.

You really have to give it to these South Korean films where the story seemed simple and even predictable, yet they were so rich in touching little plot details that gave it so much heart. This film adaptation was actually quite good and engaging, with director RC delos Reyes giving it so much uniquely Filipino character. However, it was just too bad that this had to be an adaptation from a foreign again, and not a Filipino original idea. 7/10

Mini-Reviews of READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME and THEY WILL KILL YOU: Sisters vs Satanists

April 1, 2026

In the final two Wednesdays prior to Holy Week 2026, two films were released with very similar scenarios. Both were comedy-horror films that featured graphically-violent kills scenes with effusive blood and gore. Both told a story of two sisters caught in a luxurious location run by wealthy Satanic cultists. They only had each other to rely on to survive the night and escape with their lives. If they fail the challenge, they will both be dead. 

The first film was READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME, the sequel of 'Ready or Not" (2019), directed by the same team Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The first film was about Grace (Samara Weaving), who had to participate in her husband's family's tradition of playing a game on her wedding night. She picked out "Hide and Seek," which meant that she has to hide, while the other family members had to hunt her down to kill her before dawn breaks.

In this sequel, Grace survived her game and was reunited with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) while she was recovering at the hospital. Both of them were abducted and brought to the mansion of the Danforth twins (Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy), where the "Lawyer" (Elijah Wood) declared that the sisters needed to survive as the senior members of the other four families of the Council hunt them down to kill them before dawn. 

Being a sequel, there is no more sense of surprise anymore as to how the plot will go this time around. Compared to the original film, this sequel had a lousier, less memorable, more annoying roster of supporting characters, not as fun, and not particularly funny as well. The kill scenes were expected to be over-the-top and they were, but they were not that impressive. I gave the first film an 8/10 even if I am not into gore in films. But this was merely okay for me, average. 5/10

The second film was THEY WILL KILL YOU, directed and co-written by Kiril Sokolov. This was about Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) who went to work as a maid at a century-old New York City high-rise called The Virgil which exclusively housed wealthy residents. She had learned that her long-lost younger sister Maria (Myha'la), with whom Asia had been estranged since 10 years ago when she went to prison for shooting their abusive father. 

The building manager was Lilith Woodhouse (Patricia Arquette), who oriented Asia about the building and her work. Asia met residents like Kevin (Tom Felton) and Sharon (Heather Graham) in the wildest way ever, when they broke into her room and attacked her. With the extreme fighting skills she learned in prison, Asia was able to fight them off. However, much later, Asia would realize that everyone she killed would come back to life.                  

Even with all the blood spraying around when body parts were slashed off, this film was actually very entertaining. The violence was so extreme, relentless, and over-the-top, you actually get numbed to all of these gory things. Yet Sokolov still manages to slip in endless ways to kill, aiming to outdo the Sam Raimi and Quentin Tarantino films that inspired him. Bloody bad-ass action becomes Zazie Beetz and her big wild hair so well, she makes us root her on to get her and Maria out of there. 7/10. 

Sinag Maynila 2026: Review of ANG BANGKAY: Morbid Monstrosity

March 30, 2026

Señor Segismundo Corintho (Vince Tanada) ran the funeral parlor in a small town in Pangasinan in 1900. After he embalmed and buried his own wife Milagros (Sarah Javier), Señor ordered his only daughter Isabel (Vean Olmedo), to take over her mother's duties in the business. His two servants, fiercely loyal Meding (Mercedes Cabral) and lusty flirt Oryang (Lily Montelibano), were ordered to keep Isabel in check. However, all Isabel wanted to do was to get married, hopefully with his father's apprentice Lemuel (Johnrey Rivas). 

"Ang Bangkay" was first a play written by writer-director Vince Tanada which won first prize in the full-length play category at the Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature back in 2012. That same year, I was able to watch this performed live by Tanada's theater company, the PhilStagers, with Tanada himself playing the Señor, Monique Azerreda as Isabel, Glory Ann Nacional as Miding, Cindy Liper as Oryang and Jordan Labra as Lemuel. I felt that having watched this play before was able to give me a better perspective on viewing this film.

The play was indeed very appalling in the perversity it portrayed onstage. In my review of the play (LINK), I called it "a most scandalous and diabolical series of shocking events ever portrayed in Philippine theater" that I had seen at that point. The intimacy of the venue where the actors were literally at arm's length of the audience, made the tension more palpable. Director Tanada was actually able to adapt this dark disturbing story from the stage onto film with such skill such that the climactic reveal still possessed the same shock value. 

The theatrical roots of the film are very evident in the exaggerated acting of the actors, especially Tanada and Rivas, familiar with those who have seen them act on stage in various Stagers plays. The acting was over-the-top, like that of a silent film, only this one also had over-the-top spoken lines. To complement the florid acting style, we also see silk blouses with those outrageous huge ruffles worn and eerie life-like religious icons in almost every room -- everything overdone to absurd levels to emphasize the gothic craziness of the sick story. 

Hands down, the best actress of the whole ensemble was Mercedes Cabral. Her standout portrayal Miding was able to balance the insanity she had to project like everyone else, with incredible sense of restraint. She was operating at a different level from the younger female actors here, her expertise in acting honed over the years under internationally-acclaimed directors was very evident. Her Miding was the personification of a woman scorned whose fury was worse than hell. Her Best Supporting Actress award was well-deserved. 

The film dared to tackle a controversial topic that is sure to disgust everyone watching. Even just the title, we go in clearly not expecting a feel-good film, hence the surprise of it winning Audience Choice award. One could point out that there were scenes of gratuitous nudity that could have been edited out or done with more finesse (and I would agree), but clearly, being subtle was not Tanada's intention. The main purpose of the film was to shock the audience with brazenly depraved taboo, and definitely Tanada delivered in that aspect. 7/10