Vivamax: Review of KINSENAS, KATAPUSAN: Teenage Temptress

February 4, 2022

Conrado Alonzo (Joko Diaz) was a happily-married family man and bigshot real estate businessman. One day, his high school age daughter Ana (Madelaine Red) introduced him to her new transferee classmate Beth (Ayanna Misola). Beth soon began texting Conrado, enticing him with spicy messages and nude pictures. Soon they would have an arrangement to meet each other every 15th and 30th of each month for their secret sexual rendezvouses. 

The main plot is quite slim, littered with several sexual encounters between very nude Beth and a fully-clothed Conrado. Director GB Sampedro fluffed up the running time with various other sex scenes. Aside from his voluptuous wife Melba (Jamilla Obispo), Conrado would also have careless dalliances with his employee Karen (Janelle Tee).The lusty Beth also engaged in intimate lesbian canoodling with her friend Carla (Angela Morena). 

The acting was not really something to talk about. Joko Diaz's character Conrado was the one being tempted, but it did not really take much for him to give in to it so there wasn't really much mental torment. Ayanna Misola was only 20 year old in real life, because she looked more mature than that with all that makeup. Being only in her second film, she was not still not able to make the most of the psychiatric aspect of her character. 

We see several of Joko Diaz's contemporaries in the 90s here, like Kier Legaspi (as Conrado's partner Mike), Jojo Abellana (as Conrado's star salesman Miguel), Jao Mapa (as Beth's father) and even Jeric Raval (as a murder victim in the opening scene). Much time and dialog was focused on Conrado's loyal, strict, old-maid secretary Sita (Marissa Sanchez), but this character actually went nowhere. 

Underlying all the sex scenes were serious mental health issues which led Beth down her road to hell. She was not very discreet that she was taking pills for depression. There were recurrent flashbacks to a certain very traumatic event in her past that would haunt her for the rest of her life. There wasn't much psych explanation about Conrado's inability to resist having an affair with a minor, perhaps suggesting that men are naturally weak that way. 2/10. 

Review of SCREAM (2022): Robust "Requel"

February 2, 2022

Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) was home alone when she received a phone call from a creepy man who wanted to engage her in a trivia quiz about horror movies. Ghostface soon revealed himself and attacked her with a knife. She somehow survived the attack and was hospitalized. Tara's estranged older sister Sam (Melissa Barrera) returned home to Woodsboro to be with her. After suffering from an attack by Ghostface herself, Sam revealed to Tara the truth about her real father which caused their family to break up.

This is a sequel (the fifth) and reboot (or as a character in the film called it, a "requel") of Wes Craven's 90s slasher horror classic about a woman Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and her encounters with Ghostface, a serial killer wearing a rubber Halloween mask depicting the face of a screaming ghost (inspired by Munch's painting "The Scream") who was going around killing people in Woodsboro, California. Sidney would always count on local policeman Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and tabloid reporter Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) for help. 

This new film basically followed the formula of the original 1996 film. The opening sequence with Tara on the phone was very similar to the memorable guest performance of Drew Barrymore in the first film as Casey Becker, who was also on a phone with a  man playing horror film trivia games while threatening violence. Casey's boyfriend was killed outside her house when she got a question wrong. Ghostface appeared and chased Casey with a knife, ending in her grisly fate, being gutted and hung up on a tree. 

Like in previous "Scream" films, there was always a character who was very self-aware that their dire situation was similar to being a classic slasher horror movie, and that they should obey a list of "rules" in order to stay alive. Those who have sex, do drugs or say "I'll be right back" will never make it out alive. In the original film, these rules were enumerated by Randy Meeks. In this latest sequel, the honor goes to Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy-Brown), the niece of Randy, daughter of his sister Martha (Heather Matarazzo). 

Like "Spider-Man" and "The Matrix" just before it, "Scream" (2022) also gets a lot of points for the nostalgia factor as it brought back tropes and characters (played by the same actors) from the original film. I am not a fan of slasher films, so I did not follow beyond the first film, but that was enough for me to appreciate the efforts of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett to excite the franchise's loyal fans. The crazy stabbing scenes were quite over-the-top as expected, so it was crazier to see those victims actually surviving those stabs. 7/10. 

Review of THE 355: Estrogen Espionage

January 29, 2022

An international groups of female secret agents, Mace (Jessica Chastain) of the American CIA, Marie (Diane Kruger) from German BND, Khadijah (Lupita Nyong'o) from the UK MI6, Graciela (Penelope Cruz) from the Colombian DNI, and Lin (Fan Bingbing) from the Chinese MSS, were brought together by circumstance to keep a crucial hard drive containing a top-of-the-line encryption program from getting into the hands of unscrupulous individuals. 

There had been several films about female secret agents, many of them starred A-list actresses kicking ass, from Angelina Jolie ("Salt"), Jennifer Lawrence ("Red Sparrow"), Charlize Theron ("Atomic Blonde") to Melissa McCarthy ("Spy"). But it was not so common to see a serious film with several big name actresses banding together as a group of spies. The numerical title "355" was the codename for female spies during the American Revolution

The ladies, all of whom had won their share of acting awards in their careers, figured in ruthlessly bone-crushing yet visually-graceful fight scenes.Three among the ladies of "The 355" have done action films before. Chastain already played CIA agents in "Zero Dark Thirty" (2012) and "Ava" (2020). Kruger had played a former intelligence officer in "The Operative" (2019). Nyong'o had also played a spy of sorts in "Black Panther" (2012).  

Playing Mace here added to the diversity of Chastain's roles this year, from "Scenes from a Marriage" to "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," both getting awards buzz. Kruger projected the most machismo in her action sequences. Nyong'o was a standout with her riveting screen presence as the smart and skilled Khadijah. Too bad Fan Bingbing's Li only showed up in Act III, but she certainly made the most of her shorter screen time.  Cruz did not get to see much action as Graciela was a psychologist on her first field mission, but she got more acting points. 

There were sexist remarks among their male antagonists, like "You were beaten by a bunch of girls..." and I guess these were inevitable for a film like this. Similarly inevitable were scenes of the ladies running and fighting in heels. The plot is admittedly very familiar already, even cliched. However, the chemistry among the women was very good and realistic, which made this globe-trotting action film quite engaging and even fun to watch. 6/10. 

Vivamax: Review of DECEPTION: Melodramatic Miss

January 28, 2022

Movie star Rose Alcantara (Claudine Barretto) spent 10 years in jail for the charge of burning down her house, killing her husband, former stuntman Jericho de Jesus (Mark Anthony Fernandez), in it. Her personal assistant Roxie (Juliana Parizkova Segovia) put her four year old child Tom-tom up for adoption without Rose's knowledge and consent.

Upon release, she proceeded to stay with her estranged mother Olivia (Chanda Romero), with whom Rose parted ways before on money issues. While looking for Tom-tom at the Asilo Milagrosa orphanage, she learned that a certain Jonathan and Grace de Juan (Mayton Eugenio) had adopted her son, who was now as 7th grader Eric de Juan (Miggs Cuaderno). 

This new film by director Joel Lamangan is old-fashioned Filipino TV soap-opera melodrama made into a feature film. A mother goes to prison and her son gets adopted. A man who supposedly died in a fire, later reappearing with another look and identity.  How many times have we heard threadbare plots like this, yet here they are again.

The story was supposed to have spanned 10 years, but Claudine Barretto looked exactly the same before and after she got into prison. There was no hardly any subtlety as she went all out in her dramatic scenes as Rose. It may unkind to mention here, her unwieldy physical heft at present distracted from effectivity of her zealous yet misguided performance.

Mark Anthony Fernandez's face looked frozen in a perpetual annoyed grimace. His hair and make-up as Jonathan with the fake-looking beard and long hair with man bun, was utterly atrocious.He also had lines delivered in an awkward-sounding high-pitched voice, which made his over-the-top acting unintentionally comical. 

Can a child really be put up for adoption without the consent of his mother who is known to still be alive? Will a good lawyer really tell a client that she can legally kill her husband again since she had already served a sentence for his murder before? These and many more illogical plot holes boggle the mind as you muddle through the overcooked story.

That senseless scene of how Rose "rewarded" orphanage employee Del (Gerald Santos) for his help was so utterly embarrassing. It boggled my mind why Claudine Barretto allowed herself to do this demeaning scene? Why was a corny scene like this even included at all? It should have been edited out without any consequence to the story. 

This was supposed to have been the big reunion movie of former '90s love team Claudine and Mark Anthony. However, the roles do not really fit them well and they were made to do scenes that did not look for them. Director Joel Lamangan has been known to do melodrama well, but unfortunately for the fans of Claudine, this one was not one of his good ones. 2/10. 

Vivamax: Review of SILIP SA APOY: Valiant Voyeur

January 28, 2022

Ben (Sid Lucero) is a brutish usurer who beat his waif-like wife Emma (Angeli Khang) nightly before having his way with her. One day, an ex-con Alfred (Paolo Gumabao) moved in next door.  From a peephole, he looked directly into the bedroom next door and witnessed the sexual abuse Emma had to endure every night from her husband. At first, he only pleasured himself as he watched, until one night he simply had to have her himself. 

At first, this film had a vibe of Peque Gallaga's classic sexy drama "Scorpio Nights" (1985) with a peephole as the way the boy next door meets the girl of his dreams. However, this new film directed by Mac Alejandre had a story that went into a different direction, written by no less than master screen writer Ricky Lee. As expected, there was still a lot of sleazy sex and bloody violence as it had been in the Vivamax universe for most of last year. 

Veteran Sid Lucero and newcomer Paolo Gumabao both gave intense animalistic portrayals of their respective characters. Lucero's sadistic mama's boy Ben was a demon beast personified, as effortlessly conveyed by his swarthy and hirsute face and body. Gumabao's Alfred was played as a valiant voyeur coming to the aid of a damsel in distress, but this man, who survived prison by being a pimp, was not going to be one-dimensional. 

It was unfortunate that nymphet Angeli Khang could not get a handle on her character, the woman caught in the middle of this sexual tug-of-war. Sure, she had a body to flaunt and she was daring to bare it all in front of the camera. However, her portrayal of Emma was very shallow and by-the-numbers. Her face was so vacant even in the scariest, most emotional scenes. A more experienced actress could have taken this character further

Director Alejandre went beyond the boldness of his last Vivamax bold film "My Husband, My Lover." His three main actors were practically naked for the entire first half of this film, engaged in all sorts of sexual acts. Gumabao had spanked his monkey in all of three of his films, and this time he even showed off the whole banana (likely a prosthesis). And so it goes, the sordid game of salacious one-upmanship continues on Vivamax. 4/10. 

Netflix: Review of IKAW: Unlikely Union

January 27, 2022

Manila-based real estate agent Dee (Janine Gutierrez) went home to her hometown in Bulusan, Sorsogon to visit her Lola for her 80th birthday. When she went to purchase some coconuts, she met her high school batchmate Edong (Pepe Herrera), who ran a coconut farm he inherited from his late parents. Edong was smitten by the pretty Dee, but she was preoccupied with her job in Manila and her lola's health to pay him any attention.

Among the young actresses we have now, Janine Gutierrez stands out not only because of her patrician beauty and effortless elegance, but also her natural excellence in acting. She has been consistently been likable and sympathetic in all the movies I've seen her in. Here, she was in her element as an urban yuppie who could not fit into country living that well. The unexpected melodrama in the third act challenged her dramatic skills. 

Pepe Herrera went from stage success in "Rak of Aegis" to movie comedian (in films like "Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap" and most recently "Sanggano, Sanggwapo, Sanggago 2"). Despite his unconventional looks, he had also been been cast as an unlikely romantic leading man, in films like "Sakaling Hindi Makarating" (2016) with Alessandra de Rossi, "The Hopeful Romantic" (2018) with Rita Azul, and now this one. 

The supporting cast is composed of comedy veterans like Pilita Corrales (as Dee's Lola Dulce), Vangie Labalan (as Dee's Tita Carmen) and Archie Alemania (as Edong's best friend Manny. This is director Marla Ancheta's second feature film after "Finding Agnes" last year. Like its nondescript title, the material of "Ikaw" was not as substantive or as original as "Agnes". Ancheta had to do heavy-duty stretching to fluff out the simple story here.

This was an awkward love story between a Manila girl and a country bumpkin, a tale which had been told countless times since movies began. This very basic story here was only distinguished by the earnest charm and performances of the lead actors Gutierrez and Herrera. To be completely honest, the romantic chemistry between the two was rather iffy, it took all the stars' goodwill to convince us that this fairy tale could somehow happen. 5/10. 

Review of F9: Absurd Adrenaline

January 26, 2022

Dom Torreto (Vin Diesel), his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and son Brian were living a quiet rural life after their last adventure defeating cyber-terrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron).  However, dire circumstances force them to again face Cipher, who was now being held by rich megalomaniac Otto (Thue Ersted Rasmussen) and Dom's estranged brother Jakob (John Cena), who were after the two halves of a powerful device called Project Aries, which could give its operator the ability to hack into any computer system worldwide. 

This is already the 9th installment in the Fast and Furious franchise, the direct sequel of "The Fate of the Furious" (2017). Aside from Letty, other members of Dom's family in on the action here were Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel). Later on, we will also see more comebacking members, like Dom's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) and Han (Sung Kang), as well as Sean Boswell (Lucas Black),Twinkie (Shad Moss), and Earl Hu (Jason Tobin), from "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" (2006).

As the 9th film, the pressure on this latest episode was to somehow supersede all the death-defying and physics-challenging motor vehicle stunts which had been executed by Dom and his crew to awe their fans in the past 8 films. One main gimmick in operation in multiple scenes this time was a powerful electromagnet system, one that is strong capable to pulling cars off the street. Later in the film, we even see Roman and Tej launching off into outer space in a makeshift rocketship using a Pontiac Fiero.

You can just imagine the innovative stunts team of this film during their brainstorming sessions as they come up with the most outlandish car stunts never ever tried before. There was an impossible one right at the start as Dom hitched a car on a rope to swing across a chasm. Later in Tbilisi, Dom was able to force a huge invincible 16-wheeler trailer truck called the Armadillo, to turn turtle and hit a flying drone shooting at him. Even Helen Mirren (as Queenie Shaw, Deckard's mother) had a crazy car stunt of her own with Dom as her passenger.

In one meta scene, Roman commented how he was amazed that all of them can repeatedly survive even the most terrible car crashes unscathed. They did just that over and over here, throwing out all the laws of physics, logic and human kinetics. Dom can literally pull a rock ceiling down on him and fall into a bottomless pit; or jump out of a burning flipping monster truck onto a concrete road, and still survive with no bones broken. This is escapist popcorn cinema people enjoy to watch on the big screen, and it certainly won't stop at 9. 7/10.  

Netflix: Review of MUNICH: THE EDGE OF WAR: Pre-war Pressures

January 24, 2022

In 1938, German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler laid claim on the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia, which raised serious concerns about peace and order in Europe. German diplomat Paul von Hartman (Jannis Niewohner) was part of an anti-Hitler resistance movement within Germany. When he gained possession of a damning transcript about Hitler's megalomaniacal plans of world domination, he knew he had to do something. 

Paul's close friend at Oxford, Hugh Legat (George Mackay) worked as the personal secretary of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Jeremy Irons). Still traumatized by the tragedies experienced in the recent Great War (World War I), Chamberlain was pushing for his agenda to maintain peace, so he was elated when Hitler agreed to meet him, along with PM Mussolini of Italy and PM Daladier of France, in Munich to resolve their issues.

When we watch a film about World War 2 like "Schindler's List" (1993) or "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), it is usually about the war when the hostilities were already ongoing. It is a uncommon to encounter a film that centered on the unstable state of peace in Europe right at the brink of World War 2. It was interesting to learn that there were indeed efforts to arrest Hitler's heinous plans before they went on any further, albeit fictionalized in this case. 

Of course, Jeremy Irons owned the screen every time Chamberlain was on. He played the amiable British PM with natural dignity and noble idealism, as the film explained what was going on in his mind when he sought for that extra signed document assuring peace with Hitler. In reality, this was a source of derision for Chamberlain, as it seemed that he was willingly deceived by Hitler, but he was portrayed in a very positive light here. 

The scene when Paul and Hugh arguing loudly about Hitler in a crowded Germans bar was too melodramatic. The scene when Paul "secretly" met Hugh to slip him secret papers while seated beside German officers was too unbelievable. But overall, the story was very well-told by German director Christian Schwochow with careful attention to period details in the production design. It will make you want to read more about this moment in history. 7/10. 

Review of THE KING'S MAN: Alternative Annals

January 21, 2022

"The Kingsman" was a 2012 Marvel comic book series about a fictional UK-based secret service organization created by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. In 2015, it was adapted into an action-comedy film "Kingsman: The Secret Service" by Matthew Vaughn, starring Colin Firth and Taron Egerton as veteran agent Harry and new recruit Eggsy. Following its success, a sequel "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" came out in 2017, about a case where Harry and Eggsy had to collaborate with their American counterparts, the Statesman.

This new film in the franchise is a prequel about how the Kingsman came to be in the turn of the 21st century. Following the tragic death of his wife Emily to a sniper's bullet during a Red Cross mission to South Africa during the Boer War in 1902, British aristocrat Orlando (Ralph Fiennes), the Duke of Oxford, recruited their their driver Shola (Djimon Hounsou) and nanny Polly (Gemma Arterton) to organize a secret spy network of servants dedicated to prevent violent conflicts from ever happening in the United Kingdom and its empire. 

In the mid-1920s, Oxford's organization was on alert as a Great War (later to be known as World War I) was brewing following the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, which happened in the presence of the pacifist Oxford and his idealistic son Conrad (Harris Dickinson). Investigation revealed that assassin Gavrilo Princip was a member of a secret group led by the mysterious Shepherd, who was plotting to isolate Great Britain from any Russian and American military aid during the war.

Matthew Wilde's imaginative integration of real historical figures in a plot of international intrigue was the best part of this prequel. The most interesting detail was the relationship of George V, the Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and Czar Nicholas of Russia (all played by Tom Hollander) as cousins. Nicholas was under the hypnotic influence of the mad mystic monk Rasputin (Rhys Ifans) for Russia to withdraw from the war, while the US government was wary of a sex reel of Pres. Woodrow Wilson being seduced by Mata Hari. 

The serious historical set-up took some time which may disappoint fans expecting the fun, light-spirited action-comedy of the first two films. Conrad's entire "1917"-like sequence in the battlefield was well-shot, but felt out of place. The CGI-enhanced fight sequences of Oxford against Rasputin at the Russian Christmas party and against Shepherd at his mountain-top lair were over-the-top but entertaining. The post-credits scene suggests a World War II scenario next, but they should really go back to Harry and Eggsy again soon. 6/10.   

Vivamax: Review of REROUTE: Dire Detour

January 21, 2022

Musician Dan (Sid Lucero) and his girlfriend bank manager Trina (Cindy Miranda) were on their way to visit Dan's hometown town of Morinda. However, there was a roadblock on the main highway because of a military operation, so they were forced to take a long detour. Unfortunately, their car broke down on a remote road where there was no phone signal. Desperate, they asked help from a man who walked out from the woods.

The man, Gemo (John Arcilla), was a former military man who was now the caretaker of the private property where Dan's car broke down. He brought them to his house where he stayed with his wife Lala (Nathalie Hart) who nervously followed his every command. Gemo radioed for help, but there was no mechanic coming right away. Upon conversation over dinner, Gemo reacted oddly upon hearing Dan's full name. 

Even without saying anything, John Arcilla's Gemo automatically evoked a palpable sense of danger the very first time he appeared onscreen carrying a dead animal on his shoulders. As Dan, Sid Lucero gave a very natural portrayal of a hot-headed slacker who was wont to take shortcuts. As Trina, Cindy Miranda, who had worked with Fajardo before in the sexy drama "Nerisa" (2021), further proved that she had acting talent to match her pretty face and body. 

As seen in the trailer, there were sex scenes here but they were actually not needed in the story. I suspect they could even just be shoehorned in so it would fit into the successful Vivamax "sex-sells" formula. To Fajardo's credit, these sex scenes of Lucero and Miranda, who both photographed very well in black and white, were actually very well-blocked and edited to look realistically sensual without being too blatant or sleazy. 

Director Law Fajardo told this suspenseful story (with screenplay by his "Mahjong Nights" collaborator Byron Bryant) in elegant black and white, with director of photography Joshua A. Reyles. Scenes in dark cramped places or those shrouded with fog were lit so well that we can always see what was going on. Those dramatic long range shots and overhead drone shots had excellent cinematic aesthetic sense. 7/10. 

Review of HOUSE OF GUCCI: Gaga Goes Gaga

January 19, 2022

In 1978, trucking firm clerk Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) met the shy law student Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) at a party. Recognizing the famous surname and knowing this was her way out of her present blue collar existence, Patrizia never let go of Maurizio anymore until they eventually get married, even it this was against the objections of his father Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons) who owned 50% of the Gucci Fashion House. 

The family dynamics was made more interesting by Rodolfo's brother Aldo Gucci (Al Pacino) who owned the other 50% of the fashion house, and his foolish son Paolo (Jared Leto) who believed that he had the talent for designing haute couture. When she got pregnant, Patrizia was able to get Maurizio back into the Gucci business by gaining Aldo's favor. She later pushed Maurizio to be more active in the company as she plotted to gain controlling interest. 

This sensational new film by veteran director Ridley Scott is a tale of family drama and business politics based on a 2001 book "The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed" written by Sara Gay Forden. Gucci of course is a world-renowned Italian luxury fashion brand, so this juicy tale of greed, scandal and crime that brewed among its rich and famous owners during the 1980s is an irresistible one. 

The ensemble cast assembled for this project was also quite irresistible for film fans to miss. The primary actors are all had an Oscar pedigree as nominees or winners, all with their own unique versions of the Italian accent. The flashy and passionate Lady Gaga was a natural to play the seductively confident Patrizia. With his nerdy glasses and stiff posture, Adam Driver played Maurizio with social awkwardness and stilted business sense. 

Those scenes shared by cinema icons Jeremy Irons and Al Pacino with their contrasting attacks on their characters, the icy cold Rodolfo and the warm effusive Aldo respectively, were riveting to watch. Disappearing behind his radically altering hair and make-up, Jared Leto played it to the peanut gallery with his slapstick comic portrayal of Paolo. Selma Hayek also got a piece of the action as the psychic Pina whom Patrizia ran to for advice. 

The social-climbing and gold-digging antics of Patrizia were the standard staples of melodramatic soap operas. With Lady Gaga playing it with high camp, with no subtlety for her ulterior motives, these scenes were both fun and cringey to watch. She totally possessed this film with her charisma, holding her own alongside her illustrious senior co-stars. The build up to the ending though was rather abrupt and felt anti-climactic in execution. 7/10.