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: AI in Animation: Acceptable or Anathema?

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, odd for a Filipino filmmaker to do considering the 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. 

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

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of HAND OF GOD: The Glorious and the Grim

August 10. 2026

Lt. Edgardo Reyes (Ruru Madrid) and his men were assigned to a small settlement called Pusong-pusong in Basilan, under the leadership of Pah Ismail (Ronnie Lazaro). Their mission was one of community service -- to teach the children there the sport of football. While they were assembling  the goalposts, the residents paid them no mind. The soldiers played ball among themselves. Soon, curious children went to watch and play. 

One of the boys was Khaleel (KD Omalin), who had been taken in as a child warrior by a Muslim rebel group led by Omar (Jhong Hilario). When Omar allowed Khaleel to go visit his mother Farida Kapeng (Iza Calzado), he was convinced to stay and learn how to play football with his friends, specifically as the goalie. One day, Lt. Reyes proposed that the kids be allowed to go with him to Manila to join a football tournament there. 

Ruru Madrid played the ideal idealistic military man Ed, while Sue Ramirez played his ideal supportive wife Fatima -- both looked and felt very good as the kids' surrogate parents going over and beyond the call of their duty.  Iza Calzado had the perfect face for tragedy, Ronnie Lazaro for leadership, and Jhong Hilario for ruthlessness. New child actor KD Omalin held his own in the company of these veteran actors and shone as the heart of the whole film. 

This film is the directorial debut of TV and film writer Mark Duane Angos. The story was based on Angos' personal experience 12 years ago when his Manila-based youth football team were able to play with a team of kids from Mindanao. Angos brought both the glorious and the grim aspects of that memorable intercultural interaction of his to the big screen. Seen in this light, his seeming bias, which can be felt while watching the film, can somehow be rationalized. 

I watched this film right after watching "Ganggang," another film in competition in this Cinemalaya 2026. Both films basically told the same story of children playing in the warzone between the military and rebels.  The major difference was the point of views of the respective filmmakers on which group they portrayed as the good and as the bad. Watching both films would seem to give us a more balanced overview of the tense situation from both sides. 7/10

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of GANGGANG: Spiders on a Stick

August 8, 2026

Mel (Raine dela Cruz) was a new kid in  Brgy. Sidhaya, a remote community in rural Bulacan. He came with his father Sarge Medaro (Brian Arda), an officer who had been assigned to oversee the military checkpoints clamping down on NPA rebels operating in that area. At school, he became friends with Tenten (Don Rishmond Cerbito) and Ilay (Kenneth "Butchoy" Vincent Mendoza), who were frequent victims of class bully, Anton (Prince Espana).

Tenten lived with his farmer father Arman (Anton Nolasco) and his presently pregnant mother Connie (Pau Benitez). Ilay lived with his grandfather Lolo Omeng (Richard Mata) and Lola Rosing (Tabs Sumilang) who raised him after his parents passed away. Anton was the naughty son of their barangay captain Kap (Jers Diwa), himself an uncouth, ill-tempered man who was of a violent nature, and engaged in illicit activities with kickbacks. 

This film was written and directed by JL Burgos, who made waves in Cinemalaya XX with his last film "Alipato at Muog" (2024). In that award-winning documentary film, JL Burgos reflected upon the 2007 abduction and disappearance of his own older brother -- political activist Jonas Burgos, supposedly in the hands of military personnel.  Knowing this personal crusade of this filmmaker would clarify the spirit upon which "Ganggang" was built around. 

The story was told through the eyes of impressionable young boys living in the countryside. Despite the clean fresh air, scenic mountain views and simple rustic lifestyle around them, this was also where the decades-long unfortunate conflict between the military units and Communist rebel factions held sway. As it would happen among the three friends, one of the boys was a son of a military man, and the other was the son of a suspected NPA man. 

The three child actors in the lead roles were charming and believable, with Don Cerbito most outstanding in his more challenging role as Tenten. Burgos and his cinematographer Mac Cosico were able to stage some pretty suspenseful scenes, with the highlight being that climactic secret spider hunt which the boys did before dawn, enhanced by the editing of Mona Nieva, sound design of Drew Millalos and Anna de Dios, and musical score by RJ Mabilin. 

Burgos pushed his nationalist agenda in the lessons of teachers Rebelyn (Elora Espano) and Anding (Hershey Neri). Jose Lacaba's "Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa" set to music by Ding Achacoso and sung by Chikoy Pura was turned into a funeral march song. There were additional scenes which will make you stay behind to watch the closing credits in full, accompanied by "Isang Minutong Katahimikan," composed by Ericson Acosta and Renato Reyes, Jr., and performed by Aldus Santos, RJ Mabilin and Janine Samaniego. 7/10

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of A.NI.MAL: Prurient Politics

August 7, 2026

San Feliciano provincial governor Paul Reyes (Reymund Domingo) thought he was just spending a night alone in their mansion. Unbeknownst to him, an unexpected visitor, his godchild Lily (Maxine Ignacio), was outside his window at that moment. She witnessed her godfather in a compromising situation with his dog Bella (Bini). Lily caught this salacious scene on video on her phone, and immediately left to show the scandalous clip to her incredulous father, town Mayor Dan Peralta (Jojit Lorenzo), and mother Ofel (Frances Makil-Ignacio).  

"A.ni.mal" is the third Cinemalaya film written and directed by Dustin Celestino in the past four years. At first, there was "Duyan ng Magiting" (2023). then "Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan” (2025). Both films garnered critical acclaim and awards for its frankly incisive writing about Philippine politics and the intensely passionate acting by his cast. I personally ranked these two as the top best films of their respective year at Cinemalaya. A Dustin Celestino film or play carried with it a brand of eye-opening, thought-provoking art. 

While his two previous films were two dead serious examinations of the dire situation of national politics, this new one about local politicians is Celestino's funniest one ever. This is a biting satire of skillfully-written, darkly-comic and intellectually-stimulating conversations, from seemingly innocuous flirting and woke advocacies, steadily building up to highly-charged arguments about interpersonal and political relationships. Celestino is proud that this project was shot using an iPhone 17 Pro Max, all within 4 days and a P2.4M budget. 

Neophyte actress Maxine Ignacio is the real-life daughter of veteran Frances Makil-Ignacio, who played the mother of her character here. Her Lily was the quintessential, narcissistic, clout-chasing nepo baby who wanted all the attention on her. She was cluelessly entitled about her privilege, and Maxine was game to play her character's quirk up, not averse to be the butt of the joke.  Her passive-aggressive seduction of Dr. John (Anthony Falcon) at the dog-shelter and in his car was as uncomfortable to watch yet oddly delightful. 

Frances Makil-Ignacio's Ofel parlayed her beauty queen pulchritude to become Dan's trophy wife, not exactly her smarts. That scene when she struggled to sing "Saklolo" at a campaign sortie as conflicting emotions overtook her was definitely a shoo-in for "Scene of the Year" for me. With his mousy personality, bad toupee and lousy shirts, Jojit Lorenzo felt miscast as town mayor. It was only in his tense final scene with Gov Paul was it clear that Dan was meant to be a fool in the political game all along, and Lorenzo played him just as Celestino intended. 

Bituin Escalante appears only in the second half of the film as gubernatorial candidate Dr. Grace Reyes, but her impact was so powerful. The drama at Grace's political rally with Ofel concluded backstage with the vicious bull session right after.  Right after that came a confrontation scene between Grace and her husband Paul in their bedroom, where she lectured him about how rabbits behaved when in pain. This scene was made more remarkable by the fact that Reymund Domingo was Escalante's husband in real-life, and he also cut a formidable figure here. 8/10 

Review of SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY: Delving into Darker Directions

July 28, 2026

At the end of the third film, in order to keep MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) safe, Peter (Tom Holland) had Dr. Strange to erase him from their memory. In the next few years,  Peter kept himself in obscurity, continually fighting crimes and developing more improved tech for his superhero work. Spider-Man has become a recognized hero of New York City, even gaining himself a friend in the NYPD, Jean DeWolff (Liza Colon-Zayas). Meanwhile, Peter only updated himself about MJ and Ned through their social media posts. 

One day, Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman), head of the Dept. of Damage Control, an agency that kept individuals with special abilities in check, called on Spider-Man to help them with yet another attack on their facilities. The enemy turned out to be an invisible being who can jump around controlling the minds of various unsuspecting individuals to do his bidding. Through all this, Peter was realizing that his extreme loneliness is causing enough stress that was already causing his spider-powers to evolve in a darker direction. 

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is the fourth Spider-Man film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following "Homecoming" (2017), "Far From Home" (2019) and "No Way Home" (2021), all starring Tom Holland as our friendly neighborhood web-slinger, with Zendaya as his girlfriend MJ, and Jacob Batalon as his best friend Ned. For this new film, Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (2021), took over the directorial chores from Jon Watts, director of the first three films.  

Cretton kept the energy of the film high with all the spectacular web-slinging action sequences, featuring Spider-Man and his mysterious unseen enemy. In addition, Jon Bernthal had a lighter take on his role as Frank Castle, the Punisher, who had some shared history with Spider-Man because of a so-called Staten Island incident. It was great to see Mark Ruffalo's Smart Hulk persona, which he kept in check with a device that he developed. Florence Pugh's Black Widow Yelena assisted Peter from her makeshift bath-house "office." The red ninjas of The Hand also get into the action with their elegant brand of martial arts violence. 

However, as it was in all prior Spider-Man films, it was still its sincere emotional connection that we are truly invested in. Holland, Zendaya and Batalon really have us rooting them as we are brought along on Peter's seemingly hopeless quest to reconnect with his two best friends, and we feel his frustrations and his depression along that rough road. In this new adventure, "Stranger Things" breakout star Sadie Sink enters the MCU with another emotionally-powerful character, whose exciting arc we will likely be seeing more of in future films. 

Here is our bird's eye view up from Row M. 

I was able to watch this much-anticipated film in ScreenX at the SM Mall of Asia, which gives audiences a 270-degree panoramic cinema experience. This is the first film ever where the ScreenX team went directly on-set during production to capture raw peripheral footage for select scenes. My initial worry that our seats on the extreme right of Row M might not give us a good view was for naught. ScreenX expanded those exhilarating action scenes so much that we actually feel Spidey's sensory overload first hand, well-worth its extra value. 9/10 

Review of MOANA (2026): Directly Duplicated

July 16, 2026

Legends of the village of Motonui tell of a mother island named Te Fiti that emerged out of the ocean. Her heart was a green stone that possessed the greatest power ever known -- the creation of life. One day,  a demigod of the wind and sea named Maui (Dwayne Johnson), who had a power to shapeshift granted by his magical fishhook, stole her heart. As a result, a volcanic demon arose to attack Maui, causing him to lose the heart and his fishhook to the sea. Since then, a blight began spreading through the islands.

A thousand years later, Tui (John Tui) was the chief of Motonui, whose daughter Moana (Catherine Laga'aia) was already being groomed to take his place someday. Tui wanted everyone in his village to remain within the safety of the reefs that surround their island, but soon the coconut trees were getting sick and the fish was getting scarce. Advised by her Granma Tala (Rena Owen), Moana went forth to search for Maui, make him return the heart that he stole in order to appease Te Fiti to restore their food supply.

"Moana" was first an original Disney animated film released in 2016 that featured a story inspired by Polynesian mythology, with songs were written by Lin Manuel Miranda. It was both a critical success and a box-office hit, and later a streaming juggernaut. A sequel was just released in 2024, and grossed more than a billion dollars despite mixed reviews. Question is, why did Disney think that it was a good idea to create a live-action version just 10 years later, if there was nothing really new it wanted to say, aside from changing its medium?

This live action version was basically a scene-by-scene recreation of the animated original version, with only subtle differences in the blocking of scenes or in the updating of passe pop references in the screenplay. I liked the way Te Fiti and Te Ka were rendered in this remake, their scenes really had solid impact. The giant crab Tamatoa was also very well-rendered performing his solo song "Shiny."  I did not like stupid pet rooster Heihei in the original film and more so this time, as his "more realistic" rendering was even more off-putting. 

Like Auli'i Carvlaho in the first film, the new Moana Catherine Laga'aia is also making a big splash in her feature film debut. She may have some neophyte nerves showing, but did very well in the physical demands of her role, and her singing was likewise very impressive. One major problem with this new version was actually seeing Dwayne Johnson awkwardly playing Maui. Of course, the physical heft required was there, but as obvious in trailers, Johnson looked rather haggard and long in the tooth here. 5/10 

Review of THE ODYSSEY: A Harsh, Harrowing Homecoming

July 15, 2026

It had been 20 years since Odysseus (Matt Damon) left his kingdom of Ithaca --10 years fighting the Trojan War, and 10 more grueling years trying to sail back home.  Meanwhile, a group of rowdy suitors lead by Antinous (Robert Pattinson) have taken up space at his castle waiting to marry Odysseus' wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway), much to the annoyance of his son Telemachus (Tom Holland) and their blind servant Eumaeus (John Leguizamo).

There were two great epic poems of ancient Greece whose authorship was ascribed to Homer. His first epic was "Iliad," set towards the end of the Trojan War, dealing on the conflicts involving Achilles, Agamemnon, Paris and Hector. His second epic was "Odyssey," recounting the adventures of Odysseus and his encounters with various deadly supernatural beings on various islands as he sailed back home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.

Christopher Nolan's film version of the epic began with a scene of a wooden horse stuck on the beach. A lone Greek soldier Sinon (Elliot Page) told Trojans that this horse was a gift to the goddess Athena (Zendaya). It was Odysseus who thought up of the idea to penetrate Troy by hiding Greek soldiers inside this giant statue, so he and Meneleus (Jon Bernthal), husband of abducted Helen (Lupita Nyong'o), can lead their attack from within Troy's walls. 

Nolan then proceeded to tell about Odysseus' harrowing sail back to Ithaca by way of flashbacks and stories, in his non-linear style. Whenever they set foot on an island to gather food, they encountered various supernatural beings whose threat they had to escape. These include the one-eyed Cyclops Polyphemus (Bill Irwin), the Lastrygorian armored giants, the sorceress Circe (Samantha Morton), the Sirens, the six-headed Scylla, the whirlpool Charybdes, and the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron). 

Nolan showed off a proficiency in staging horror in this one. The cave of Polyphemus was pitch dark, as the giant randomly picked out random guys and chomped them down like pretzels. Similarly horrific was the Circe scene, as a bitter woman who fed ravenous men with her irresistible meat stew that turned them into beasts.  The Underworld scenes were elegant -- realized in brilliant red and black, as darkly radiant as the angry souls in there.

Pacing may be an issue for some impatient viewers in the first two acts. However, that final act was certainly worth the wait.  While the noisy horde of thirsty bachelors abuse the hospitality of their hosts, a hooded old beggar joined them. The tension built up so thickly as the unapologetically oily Antinous shamelessly asserted his lust for power. The much-anticipated, breathtaking climactic confrontation of hero and villain ensued in brutal excitement and chaotic glory. 

As expected of him playing the lead character, Matt Damon gave his all for this physically and emotionally demanding role. Anne Hathaway was a picture of queenly grace and fortitude. Tom Holland had a strong screen presence, but at 30 looked too mature to be a callow 20 year old prince. With that smug look on his oily face as Robert Pattinson was appropriately slimy as Antinous, you'd want to hack his head open with an axe yourself. 

Those actors with smaller roles did not waste their short screen time. John Leguizamo registered dignity as an old loyal servant. Himesh Patel played Odysseus' second-in-command Eurylochus, with whom he constantly clashed. Benny Safdie was King Agamemnon, but most of the time we see only his grand gold-trimmed helmet, not his face. We only notice Logan Marshall-Green in the last act, but his treacherous Melanthio was a most hateful servant. The way Samantha Morton played her Circe, you'd not suspect anything untoward to happen until it is too late. 

As for Nolan's controversial casting, all these pre-screening online critics merely blew them out of proportion. Yes, Lupita Nyong'o played both Helen and Clytemnestra, but her collective screen time was just barely one minute. Trans-man Elliot Page did not play demigod Achilles, but instead he was a foot soldier who bravely faced the Trojans and convinced them to bring the Horse into their city. He had more impact in a later otherworldly scene.

Watching "The Odyssey" brings to mind a previous film also directed and co-written by Nolan -- "Interstellar" (2014). Both stories tackle the challenging trip a father underwent in order to go back to his home and his family after decades of being away. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) went through black holes and the vastness of space as Odysseus went through man-eating monsters and treacherous oceans. The inspiration was clear.

Before the screening, there was a short documentary about how Nolan shot this whole film entirely using an IMAX 70mm film camera. This made us appreciate the strenuous efforts of Nolan and his cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema exerted to deliver the biggest, most immersive images ever, best seen in IMAX theaters, of course. Nolan dedicated this film to the late IMAX quality officer David Keighley. "The Odyssey" was the last film he worked on. 9/10. 

Review of THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD: Ignoble Idol

July 8, 2026

After suffering a crippling injury, an aging Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman) was convalescing at the Priory of St. Clement, under the care of  Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer). Not proud of his violent past as an outlaw, Robin introduced himself as Randolph. There, Robin befriended a man who was afflicted with leprosy (Murray Bartlet), as well as a young girl named Margaret (Faith Delaney), daughter of Robin's old friend Little John (Bill Skarsgård).

This film was written and directed by Michael Sarnosky, based on a 17th century English ballad known as "Robin Hood's Death," author unknown. This is said to be one of the oldest existing tale about Robin Hood. In the more popular legend adapted for previous films, such as the Disney animated version (1973) or the Kevin Costner version (1991), Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw who "stole from the rich to give to the poor." 

This morose and notorious Robin Hood we see in this film was a total departure from the charismatic and swashbuckling Robin Hood we knew. The Robin and Little John in the first half were unrecognizable. There was no sense of honor or nobility in the way this Robin fought and killed people, without regard for their age nor gender. He was brutality personified when he killed. If your stomach can't handle gore, you will look away.

By the second half, a limping Robin was recovering his health in the peaceful security of Brigid's Priory. At this point, Robin, and the whole film itself, was gradually transitioning from darkness into the light. As Robin learned to connect with other people, the lighting and the music of the film also became brighter and lighter. It was here that we can finally see the face of Hugh Jackman very well as he emerged from the shadows of the first half. 

Many did not like this film because the intense action scenes in the first half were totally abandoned in the contemplative second half. However, this was exactly the reason why I liked the second half more, as the acting of Jackman came to fore interacting with Comer, Delaney, Bartlet and Noah Jupe. Jackman already played a superhero to his death in "Logan" (2017). Here, he played a folk hero to his death, albeit an antihero version of him. 6/10

Netflix: Review of ENOLA HOLMES 3: Mystery and Malice in Malta

July 4, 2026 

Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) had accepted the proposal of Lord Tewkesbury to get married. For sentimental reasons, the Lord's mother (Hattie Morahan) recommended that the wedding ceremony be held in Malta, where she and her husband got married as he was stationed as a military officer there before. Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) was disappointed that his younger sister was sacrificing her identity and freedom like this. However, cold feet, two kidnappings and a fire happened before the wedding could take place.   

This is the third installment of this franchise about Sherlock Holmes' spirited kid sister who shared his acuity in investigating and solving crime mysteries. The screenplay of all three films were written by Jack Thorne, based on "The Enola Holmes Mysteries" series of books by Nancy Springer. The first film was shown in 2020, with the sequel in 2022, both directed by Harry Bradbeer. For this third film, the directing job had been turned over to Philip Barantini, noted for directing the acclaimed series "Adolescence" (2025). 

Millie Bobby Brown is still as spunky in her portrayal of Enola as ever, with her constant breaking of the fourth wall to keep us in the loop about her thought processes and plans. Her chemistry with Louis Partridge as Enola's husband-to-be Lord Tewkesbury was still as delightful and romantic as ever. Helena Bonham-Carter played Enola's explosive mother Eudoria with her signature delightfully quirky acting style. Henry Cavill's Sherlock Holmes spent this film in a dark mood, and was rather dour and morose for the most part. 

As Sherlock was out of action for most of the film, we get to see more of Dr. Watson (Himesh Patel) as he assists Enola in her investigation, drawing upon his personal experience as an army medic. He also shared his insights as the son of a soldier to advise the young Lord Tewkesbury about his father who was also a soldier. Also back is Sharon Duncan-Brewster, who was already exposed in the second film as Sherlock's nemesis Prof. Moriarty. Here, she plays Adeline Rathe, the mysterious architect of the complex plot. 

This underlying message of this film was very serious, and was delivered in a most pointed manner. The film was essentially a strong condemnation of the British Army's role in the systematic abuse and pillage of the people and riches of various countries around the world that are under the Crown of their royal monarch. The filmmakers did not mince words in addressing unsavory historical issues involving British rule in Malta, Afghanistan and Ashanti (present day Ghana) as they came up in the course of this story.  7/10

Review of MINIONS & MONSTERS: Movie-Making Mayhem

July 4, 2026

Once upon a time, there were several tribes of Minions who roamed the Earth looking for the perfect villain whom they can serve.  However, because of their inherent naughtiness and clumsiness, the Minions would wind up killing the villains they served.  In one such tribe, there was a Minion named James, who was very much inclined to the art of drawing and telling stories. His best friends were the mischievous Henry and the hearing-impaired Ed. 

One day in 1927, the Minions saw a bank robber who was escaping by train and chased him. It turned out that this was a film being shot by a director named Max (Christoff Waltz). The producers, the Bright Brothers (Jeff Bridges) loved the Minions and made them superstars, until they could not do talkies. It was then that James had the idea of making his own film called "Minions and Monsters," even when only Henry and Ed supported him.

This flashback story of how Minions got into vintage Hollywood silent films was done via bookend sequences of a guide Olivia (Allison Janney) touring her guests around an exhibit called "Magic of Hollywood." While I am not a fan of the Minions, their antics and gibberish language, I appreciated all the call outs to the history of cinema in this one. Cinephiles, especially fans of the classic Hollywood films, will enjoy seeing all these delightful Easter eggs, with Minions somehow integrated into them.  

The direct tributes started in the opening credits, with scenes from "Horse in Motion" (1887) to "A Trip to the Moon" (1902). The man hanging from a clock was from "Safety Last" (1923). Asking Sam the pianist to "play it again" was from "Casablanca" (1942). The "rosebud" scene was from "Citizen Kane" (1941). Charlie Chaplin going through the gears of a machine was from "Modern Times" (1936). The robot Dort (Jesse Eisenberg) was likely a reference to the alien robot Gort in the film "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951). 

The sorcerer scenes were likely from "Fantasia" (1940). The train scenes may refer to "The Great Train Robbery" (1903) or "The General" (1927). The noir scene likely referred to "The Maltese Falcon" (1941). The shark scene referred to "Jaws" (1974). In Olivia's exhibit, we see more recent films like "E.T." (1982) and "The Matrix" (1999), movie monsters like "The Mummy" (1932) and "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1953), and film directors like Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, and Francis Ford Coppola (in a speaking cameo). 

As for the titular "Monsters," at first there was only one small green spherical creature with the tiny wiggly tentacles above his mouth named Goomi (Trey Parker) whom the Minions conjured out of the spell book. However, he would be joined by his gang of sea monsters Howard (Phil LaMarr) and Phillips (Bobby Moynihan), whose names referred to horror writer H.P. Lovecraft; and their spectacularly destructive orange slimy gelatinous mass with multiple eyes called Irene, that called to mind the classic movie monster "The Blob" (1958). 

I am still not exactly a fan of the Minions and their chaotic brand of foolishness, but I did enjoy this loving tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood as offered by the Minions creator, director and voice Pierre Coffin. 7/10

Review of THE FURIOUS: Trouncing the Traffickers

July 1, 2026

There was a gang of child traffickers responsible for an unexplained series of kidnappings happening in an unspecified city in Southeast Asia. One day, teenage girl Rainy (Yang Enyou), was grabbed by a group of men led by Ho (Brian Le). They stuffed her into a trash bag and hurled her onto the back of a truck. At that moment, her father, a mute Chinese handyman Wang Wei (Xie Miao), saw this happen, and proceeded to chased the truck on foot. 

Journalist Navin (Joe Taslim) was looking for his wife Matia (Jeeja Yanin), a fellow journalist who had disappeared while investigating a child trafficking ring. Pretending to be a potential customer of children, Navin infiltrated the fight club run by a certain Mr. Song (Sahajak Boonthanakit). At the club, Navin met Wang and they initially thought the other was the enemy. Soon, they realized that they were both after the same bad guys and teamed up. 

This action film produced in Hong Kong is an international affair. The director, stuntman and action choreographer Kenji Tanigaki, is from Japan. Xie Miao and Yang Enyou are from China. Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian are from Indonesia. Jeeja Yanin and Sahajak Boonthanakit are Thai. Brian Le and Joey Iwanaga are Asian-Americans. While the main language spoken is English, we hear a slew of other Asian languages, even Tagalog from the goons.

From the opening fight scenes featuring Jeeja Yanin, we already expect that the fights are going to be very brutal and ultra-violent. From there, we see various weapons make the like peen-hammers, sledgehammers, hunting knives, arrows, ice picks, pieces of furniture, and even bicycles to cause more intense pain and gory damage. The worst (and most disgusting) injuries for me were actually those caused by human teeth. 

Stories about a father out to rescue his child, or a husband out to rescue his wife, have been frequently told and retold in action films all over the world. Tanigaki and his cinematographer Meteor Cheung deliver violence in ultra doses that can knock us out of breath just watching. The climactic five-way fight scene with Wang, Navin, human tank Ho, suave sadistic Paklung (Iwanaga), and bloodthirsty freak Tak (Yayan) was savage yet spectacular mayhem. 8/10