The lead character was a timid salesgirl (Janine Gutierrez) in a department store. Her manager (Gie Onida), her landlord (Raffy Tejada), her roommate's boyfriend (Jess Mendoza), the sari-sari owner (Jal Galang), the drunks on the roadside, the creepy colleague at work (Felix Roco) -- everyone got on her case. One night, she decided to pick up a gun thrown in a trash pile outside her door. With the gun in her hand, this girl felt a transformative rush of power go through her. However, the film suddenly started to flash back into the past, when this gun was assembled and given to a policeman named Sonny (Allan Paule) who took a side job as the driver for a couple of other cops whose mission was to assassinate a student leader. Sonny's son Miguel (JC Santos) became a cop himself when he grew up, but was also involved in shady extrajudicial killing operations against drug suspects. From there, the gun would eventually find itself thrown outside the salesgirl's house. Patrician beauty Janine Gutierrez certainly played against her usual type of role here. She was deglamorized into a mousy unfortunate underdog. By remaining unnamed, I take it that she represented the second-class manner women in general are treated in society -- as a doormat or as a sex object. While I thought it was fun to watch Gutierrez transform into a woman of volatile spunk and confidence as she was empowered by the gun she newly possessed, I am not sure I'm receiving the proper message it was saying about women or to women. The path the gun took during its years of existence was one strewn with violence and death in the hands of the wrong people. Its destructive power never diminished over the years. The production design people had to recreate an earlier era for its flashback scenes with the Metrocom uniform, owner-type jeeps and rotary dial phone (though the kid's basketball jersey should have been Crispa or Toyota, instead of a Lebron James #6). JC Santos exuded palpable danger in that scene he had with Elijah Canlas, who also did well as a nervous balut vendor Jun. As the neophyte criminal Steph, Sky Teotico's scenes with the gun were wrought with tension.
One remarkable aspect of this film was the musical score which was evident from the very start of the opening credits. The score was very heavy on the percussion, creating a pulsating vibe throughout the film. The opening song about "alcohol, gambling, coffee and women" set the sleazy mood. The song "Magnanakaw" by the folk band Asin, which had lyrics indicting Filipinos to have a streak of thievery in their veins, always wanting the easier way out, fit ideally into director Rae Red's vision for this intensely relevant social commentary film. 7/10.
Nash Bautista used to be a teacher at UP, until she decided to join the New People's Army in the mountains of Mindanao, code-named Commander Lai. Lt. Raiza Umali was an honest and dedicated officer of the Philippine Army who was assigned to lead the mission against Commander Lai's group. When Lai and Raiza finally came face to face after their encounter, everyone was stunned that the two women looked exactly like each other. This new film, one of only three Filipino films in the running for awards for the Asian New Wave section of QCinema 2019, was written and directed by Arnel Barbarona. He was multi-awarded for his last film, the harrowing "Tu Pug Imatuy" (2017) (MY REVIEW), which dealt with the conflict between the Military against the Lumad (or indigenous people). "Kaaway sa Sulod" dealt with the conflict between the Military and the NPA.
This was not a particularly easy film to sit through. The script was full of old motherhood statements we have heard before, told in unnaturally long dry soliloquies. The picture quality was not polished, with dim inconsistent lighting. A lot of the action happened in darkness so it was not easy to distinguish one character from another. The sound quality was likewise uneven, especially during the fight scenes. There was even an actual accident where it looked like a stuntman fell flat on his back from a hole in the ceiling and had the wind knocked out of him, which was kept in the final print. Dionne Monsanto was given a tough job of doing the two lead roles, but perhaps she was not yet ready as an actress for such a challenge. While I commend her daring for those graphic torture scenes, her scream after she read that DNA report was as awkward as her grimace after she ate a sour lansones. Her clothes, hair and make-up as Ka Lai were too distractingly stylish to be convincing to be rebel wear. On the other hand, her Lt. Umali had a constant scowl on her face just to prove she was dead serious about her job. Perry Dizon played the imperious Gen, Rapatan, a senior military officer with distorted ideas about his rank, who thought torture and extortion were part of his job description. Dax Alejandro played Capt. Nunez, seemingly a good soldier, but still followed Gen. Rapatan orders blindly even if he felt "uncomfortable" with them. Jeff Sabayle gave a very weak portrayal of Lai's husband Anton, with no visible reaction on his face even as his wife's back was already being torched. Great choice of Nor Heela Macusang to play Lai and Anton's daughter Adlaw as her bright screen presence spelled hope. Director Arnel Barabarona and writer Arnel Mardoquio tackled that age-old conflict of soldiers vs. rebels in the look-alike characters of Lt. Umali and Ka Lai. Whether these two women were indeed twins or merely doppelgangers was left open by the narrative, as there were conflicting DNA results and spurious stories. I take this as a symbolism of singularity among all Filipinos as a people. The same blood flowed through all Filipinos despite contrasting ideologies. While still harshly critical of the military organization, Barbarona was also making an appeal for national unity. 4/10.
The QCinema Film Festival formally opened tonight at the Dolby Atmos Theater Cinema 5 of Gateway Mall with simple rites led by Mayor Joy Belmonte, who had originally conceived of this festival seven years ago. This year's festival boasts of more than 70 local and foreign films, new award-winning festival releases and revisted local classics. The Asian New Wave section is the main feature film competition selection, with three Filipino entries, along with five more from other Asian neighbors (Thailand, China, Indonesia, Myanmar and Laos). Previously only a line-up of all Filipino films were in competition. There is also a separate competition for local Shorts and Documentaries. Last year, QCinema opened with "Shoplifters" from Japan, which had won the Palm d'Or 2018. This year, in recognition of the 100th year anniversary of Philippine Cinema, the organizers decided to invite a Filipino film to be the opening film of QCinema 2019 for the first time. This is "Untrue," written and directed by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, her follow-up after her mega-hit "Kita Kita" (2016).
********** Two Filipinos happen to meet by chance in Tbilisi, Georgia. Mara Villanueva, 35 years old, just arrived three months ago, and was now working as kitchen staff in a resto-bar. Joachim Castro, also 35 years old, had been living in Georgia for five years now, and was an investor in a vineyard for grapes used for wine. After a whirlwind 3-month courtship, they tied the knot in Sighnaghi, Georgia's "city of love". One night, Mara, with her face swollen black and blue, showed up at the local police station, looking for her missing husband. From the very start, Bernardo never let us feel that the match of Mara and Joachim was made in heaven. Instead of being romantic, the story of how the two met in their common apartment building was executed as if it was a crime thriller, if not an outright horror film. The foreboding musical score, the skewed camera angles, bluish color filter and dim lighting all told us that something very wrong was about to happen. The unfamiliar Georgian culture -- the Kartlis Deda statue, the Kartuli folk dance and an all-male singing quintet -- added further dramatic heft to thicken the tension. Cristine Reyes and Xian Lim both looked like they were having a blast playing two extremely different versions of their psychologically-challenged characters. Lim's portrayal of a heavyset, bearded Joachim and his lunacy was so over-the-top, in-your-face dark, it was entertaining despite the grim story being told. Reyes's portrayal of pixie-cut, red-haired Mara and her lunacy was more restrained in acting style, but still in complete contrast with the Mara in Act 1. Rhen Escano played the key (and very daring) role of school girl Ana, a ghost from a troubled past who persisted to haunt the present. The first act of the film was their story told in the point of view of Mara as she was being interviewed by the police officer. Unexpectedly, the second act also told the same story, this time in the point of view of Joachim as he was being interviewed by his therapist. By this time, the whole film took the form of a major mind game, as roles and lines were switched from one character to the other. This part was actually a lot of fun to watch. Up to this point, your mind would have already been all messed up, not knowing whose version was actually the truth. Then the third act unfolded to tell us what really happened before and was happening now. After that tense build-up of Acts 1 and 2, the momentum did sag a bit here because of a rather lengthy explanatory flashback. However, as things go back to present events, the pace would eventually pick right back up and wrap the whole film up with an effectively stunning twist. 8/10.
Henry Brogan was the best highly-skilled assassin in the service of a covert government agency. After his last assignment to kill a supposed terrorist on a train, Henry wanted to retire. To prevent Henry from discovering his illicit involvement in that last hit, Clay Varis of the secret Gemini project sent his top assassin named Junior, to put Henry away. When Henry saw young Junior's face though, he noted something very familiar. We saw and marveled at the de-aging special effects in short scenes, from films like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (for Brad Pitt) to "Captain Marvel" (for Samuel L. Jackson). But here, this de-aging special effect is front and center for practically the whole film here, so they had to wait for the correct technology to be developed to support such an ambitious premise. This is why this project only got off the ground recently, long after was originally written back by Darren Lemke back in 1997. We see two Will Smiths in this film -- the older Will Smith whom we know currently and a younger Will Smith circa "Six Degrees of Separation" but of heftier build. Despite playing the hardened assassin Henry, Will Smith still gave his older character his usual easy-going swagger and charm that his fans knew and loved. Meanwhile, the de-aged Will Smith gave the seemingly invincible warrior Junior a sense of youthful vulnerability as only he could give. Smith's dual performance kept this sci-fi on solid ground. The first encounter between Henry and Junior, set in a colorful Colombian neighborhood in broad daylight, was the best action sequence as it turned from a running gun fight indoors to a shaky motorcycle chase scene in crowded city streets. This whole sequence ended with a crazy scene where we see a motorcycle itself being used as a weapon of assault. This motorcycle fighting was a bit of a far-fetched idea, but with Will Smith doing the scene, it actually looked cool than silly. Producer Jerry. Bruckheimer brought in his signature explosive high-tech action style. Director Ang Lee brought in his ability to bring out poignant emotion, from digital tiger in "Life of Pi" to digital Junior here. However, the film as a whole had a predictable story that even "Game of Thrones" writer David Benioff could not save in his rewrites of the script. It was really only Will Smith's star power and personality that kept this project afloat and still entertaining. 6/10.
Korean horror films began to be noticed more internationally after the back-to-back successes of "Phone" (2002) and "A Tale of the Two Sisters" (2003). Since then, there had been more Korean horror films which gained acclaim like "Thirst" (2009), "I Saw the Devil" (2010), "Train to Busan" (2016) and "The Wailing" (2016). Last year's horror hit "Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum" (2018) was a found-footage film, and now this new one followed suit with found-footage but with a twist. Mi-jung (Seo Ye-ji) was a troubled young film director who wanted to create the best horror film ever. When she heard of a 10-year old haunted horror film supposedly filmed by a ghost, she wanted desperately to get her hands on a copy and watch it. The director of the older film, Jae-hyun (Jin Sun-kyu), now looking very disheveled and spooked out of his mind, warned her to forget about his cursed film. However, the more she was warned, the more obsessed Mi-jung became about watching it, even if it meant presented a clear danger to her sanity and her life. You know those horror films when the characters annoyed you no end by doing stupid things which no sane person would do? They hear a strange scary noise, and they go outdoors (or go down the basement or up the attic) to investigate what it was, while the audience is screaming to tell them to get out of there. Well, this movie is one whole film where the protagonist Mi-jung was doing one inexplicably crazy action after the other all for the purpose of locating and watching this one sick video. Actually, there came a point when you already cannot tell what was reality from Mi-jung's nightmares or from Jae-hyun's paranoia. In fact, the editing was done so that events happening for real and the events in the two films (both Jae-hyun's original and Mi-jung's version) were merged into one indistinguishable continuity especially when Mi-jung included herself as a character in her film. It created a confusing illusion like that of a hall of mirrors where images play vile tricks on your brain. At first this movie was all about atmosphere, dread and jump scares, thanks to Mi-jung's foolish decisions which led her into dangerous situations. Some pretty graphic hard-core gore would only figure in director Kim Jin-won's scare arsenal towards the end. There was a B-movie vibe to the whole affair, with the actors (even the two leads) performing rather amateurishly. While the premise might have looked good on paper, the final film did not completely deliver on its promise because of its deficient set-up and poor pacing of scares. 4/10.
A young Yeti was hiding from its captors on a rooftop of an apartment building in Shanghai. A practical young girl Yi found him, gained the creature's confidence and helped it with his injuries. Naming the Yeti "Everest," Yi, together with her neighbors Peng and Jin, embarked on a major journey through China to bring Everest back to his family in the Himalayas. Meanwhile, millionaire hunter Burnish and mad zoologist Dr. Zara were hot in pursuit to get the Yeti back to their possession. What is notable about this movie was that the main human characters in this film were Asian. Furthermore, the Asian characters were voiced by Asian actors, which was remarkable. This has got to be the first time this happened since "Mulan" (1998) with Ming Na-Wen (as Mulan), BD Wong (as Li Shang), Pat Morita (as Emperor of China) and George Takei (as First Ancestor). Even then, some Chinese characters were still voiced by non-Asians, like Harvey Feinstein and Eddie Murphy. The excellent "Kubo and the Two Strings" (2016) had mainly Asian characters. but they were voiced by non-Asians, like Art Parkinson, Matthew McConnaughey, Charlize Theron and Ralph Fiennes. In "Abominable" though, all Asian characters were really voiced by Asians, which is a big deal on the levels of "The Joy Luck Club" and "Crazy Rich Asians". Chloe Bennet who voiced the lead character of Yi is half-Asian. All of Yi's friends and family were all voiced by Asian actors, like Albert Tsai as the boyish and playful Peng and Tenzing Norgay Trainor (namesake and grandson of the Nepalese sherpa who famously guided Sir Edmond Hillary on his historic 1953 climb up Mt. Everest) as the popular handsome kid, Jin. Non-Asian actors Eddie Izzard and Sarah Paulson were also in the cast. But they were playing non-Asian characters, namely Burnish and Dr. Zarah respectively. In just the past 12 months, there had already been two other animated movies about the Yeti. Following "Smallfoot" (by Warner) and "Missing Link" (by Laika). This latest film by Dreamworks Animation (in partnership with Chinese film company Pearl Studios) which also featured another version of the abominable snowman felt like something too much too soon. Its release as the third in a series of films tackling basically the same story line about a Yeti finding his way back to his home was its big disadvantage. "Abominable" is a madcap adventurous road trip for kids with the promise of an emotional story of homecoming, but it really tread on very familiar grounds. The filmmakers innovate the common story line by giving Everest magical powers which gave this movie some pretty and playful visuals, like giant blueberries rolling around meadows, and giant dandelion seedheads floating overhead. They also gave Yi the talent of playing the violin, which gave this movie some stirring musical moments of wordless poignancy and pathos. However, these brief occasional moments of animated beauty eventually give way to wacky chases and juvenile comedy that ultimately brought the whole film back down to regular levels. 6/10.
This became a much anticipated film ever since teasers of Joaquin Phoenix's twisted portrayal of the Crown Prince of Crime hit social media. It premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival last month where it won the Golden Lion award. With the trailers, I can already see how dark, dismal and dirty this film was going to be, and I cannot say that I was excited to see it. However with the early Oscar buzz surrounding Phoenix's performance, this film simply needed to be seen. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) lived in abject poverty with his sick mother Penny (Frances Conroy) in tumultuous Gotham City. The day he lost his job as a clown, he got harassed by three executive guys in the train and he shot them dead with a gun given to him by a co-worker. His act of violence led Arthur down the road to increasing madness, as it also inspired Gotham's poor to rise up wearing clown masks to protest against the rich. Meanwhile, Arthur was invited to be a guest in the TV show of his favorite comedian Murray Franklin (Robert de Niro), a public appearance that did not bode too well from the get-go. There is no argument that Joaquin Phoenix completely dedicated himself to this character and transformed completely into this pathetic creature, a victim of an abusive and nasty society. His very body was deformed into a grotesque emaciated form. He projected an aura so negatively charged that it repelled anyone within his presence, including us in the audience. He was supposed to be a clown and comedian, but nothing he said or did was ever funny at all. Even his maniacal laughter was pathological. Phoenix's portrayal reveled in the irony that his character actually gained more self-worth the deeper into violent psychosis he wallowed. The technical aspects of this Todd Phillips film were undeniably excellent. The cinematography by Lawrence Sher was consistently plunged in a melancholic filter, with camera angles deliberately as manic and off-kilter as the personality of the title character. The musical score of Hildur Guðnadóttir and song choices in the soundtrack (notably "That's Life" and "Send in the Clowns" as sung by Frank Sinatra) enhanced the uneasy mood of the film. The make-up department was also to be commended for completing the ugly and unsettling look of Arthur as Joker. Weaving in billionaire Thomas Wayne into the narrative was a stroke of genius. However, having said that, I have to confess that I did not like sitting though this harrowing film because of the seriously sick and squirmy feeling it gave me throughout its 122-minute running time. Its form of art was something so unpleasant and disgusting that I would not want to watch it ever again. This was one of those movie experiences that while you recognize it was done well, but it was done so well with such palpable realism that it became totally nauseating and unnerving to the core. This is certainly not for the faint of heart nor for the weak of constitution. This was abominable anarchy on film. 8/10.
Writer-director Jason Paul Laxamana is really one of the busiest filmmakers in recent years. He had four feature films each year from 2016 (including "Mercury is Mine"), 2017 (including "100 Tula Para Kay Stella"), and 2018 (including "Bakwit Boys"). This year 2019, he had a 6-episode iWant series "Project Feb. 14," "Between Maybes," "About a Stranger" and now this one entitled "Ang Henerasyong Sumuko sa Love." The story revolves around the five members of a group of friends who knew each other from childhood, and were now graduating college together. They went to a lakeside resort to camp overnight and had their final blast before facing the real world. They decided to pledge that every year that followed, on April 26, they will revisit this same location to go camping, and catch up how they were on their dream of success and changing the world. This film is actually a collection of four short films about five young people bookended by their reunion one year after their college graduation. The first one was about Ma-an Miranda, played by Jane Oineza. Ma-an resigned from her first job as PA for a local cable company because she felt it was beneath her capabilities, and became a vlogger. After seeing how popular vlogger Rachelle (Thia Thomalla) used her body to snare viewers, Ma-an thought of spicing her own vlog up with a sexy personality furthest from who she really was. The next one was about Denzel Zapata, played by Jerome Ponce. He was the gay guy in the group, and he had a father who fully supported his gender orientation. He put up his own resto-bar business which was doing well. However, he cannot bring himself to commit to one relationship, even if he thought his latest guy, Wesley (Anjo Damiles), may already by the right man for him. The third was about the couple Hadji Sarip and Junamae Quiambao played by Albie Casino and Myrtle Sarrosa. He was a hopeless romantic movie buff who lived vicariously in the rom-coms he cried buckets over. She was a pragmatic girl who did not want to label their relationship as anything. They were living together despite the different ways they viewed love, which eventually led to problems. The last story was about Kurt Agapito played by Tony Labrusca. Right after graduation, his mother immediately gave him the responsibility to earn for his younger brother's schooling. (This was despite the fact that he had an older sister who was already a doctor!) He accepted graphic design projects left and right in order to come up with the money. He did all of this at the expense of his sleep, his social life and his mental health. Easily the worst character in the whole film was Kurt's mother (Chesca Inigo). She was a monstrous composite of all terribly wrong things parents do and say to their millennial children. She is a cold, uncaring scapegoat for all the psychological ills of the current generation. This was the cautionary message Laxamana to the older generation watching this film. I know that that our children may not be receive our words as we intended them, but his mother's words though were awful to hear for any generation. For a Gen X'er like me, this film was a revealing look into the so-called millennial generation and the problems they faced in the world today -- the social media obsession for likes and follows, the dating apps that corrupted morals and relationships, the evolving definitions and labels of romance, the amplified pressures and competitiveness of work. Explanations nor solutions were not the point here. Laxamana's film was a plea for understanding and compassion for his misjudged generation. 6/10.
For the artistic program of the St. Luke's Medical Center Global City Dept. of Medicine celebration of Medicine Week this year, overall chairperson Dr. Ian Homer Cua (GI) decided to hold an "Internal Medicine Film Festival" for the first time. Consultants and residents of Internal Medicine and its various subspecialties served as the writers and actors of all these films. There was only one director for all the films in competition, Emir Kahn Bautista, who is noted for his wedding photos and videos.
In ceremonies held at the Henry Sy Auditorium at the fifth floor of the SLMC-BGC, the film fest was formally inaugurated today at 12 noon when the bell was rung by Dr. Cua, Dr. Michael Villa (Endocrine, Chair of the Dept. of Medicine, SLMC-BGC), Dr. Deborah David-Ona (Cardio, VP for Medical Practice Group and Assistant Chief Medical Officer, SLMC-BGC) and Dr. Gina Nazareth (Nephro, current Phil. College of Physicians President). The emcees of the event were Dr. Vimar Luz (Nephro) and Dr. Helen Ong-Garcia (Cardio).
IMFF Board of Jurors in the deliberation room
(Standing L-R: Yap, Hawson, Lo, Tobiano;
Seated L-R: Pascual, Cua, Sineneng, Arayata and Doctolero)
Judging will be based on message, originality, screenplay and acting. The members of the Board of Jurors: Marivin Arayata (GMA VP for Entertainment TV), Suzette Doctolero (GMA creative director), Pinky Pe Tobiano (philanthropist, chemist, businesswoman and consumer safety advocate), Ricardo Lo (showbiz writer Phil. Star), Keren Pascual (writer and PR maven), Darryl Yap (who just made his debut as a feature film director in the box office hit "#Jowable") and yours truly, Fred Hawson. The chairman of the Board of Jurors is Jerry Sineneng, veteran director of various films (like "Maybe This Time") and TV shows (like "Kadenang Ginto"). During this premiere showing event, after each film, the group representative called in some speakers to further talk about their respective advocacies. The most impactful speakers were those from the Mental Health group. Ms. Sheila Suntay is a mother who just lost her son to suicide last year. Since then, she had made it her mission to speak to groups of parents to be more sensitive to the mental condition of their kids. Actress Ms. Claudine Barretto also gave a brief talk about her bout with depression and battered wife syndrome. The event is a fund-raiser for the benefit of SLMC GC Social Service patients and research activities of the Dept. of Medicine. Tickets cost P200 each to view all four films. There will be additional screenings on Oct 1 and 2, at 5:00-6:30 PM, and at 6:30-8:00 PM
The four short films in competition were:
1. MISS CONCEPCION Written by: Dr. Vimar Luz Blue Team Advocacy: HIV-AIDS Because of some suspicious findings in her blood and xray, Nicole Concepcion (Dr. Carmela Vistal) was requested by her doctor to have an HIV test. While her best friend Luis (Dr. Jolly Santos) remained very supportive, her husband Manuel (Dr. Rod Castro) was nowhere to be found. The three lead actors really poured on the heavy drama in their portrayal of three individuals caught up in the HIV web -- the promiscuous partner, the unsuspecting victim and the supportive friend -- with a twist. A fourth character was Nicole's imperious mother Felicity Alicante played with scene-stealing aplomb by cardiologist Dr. Mylene Cornel. Cameos by some big-shot consultants as a series of anonymous gay partners of one of the characters definitely surprised and amused those in the audience who recognized them.
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2. NOT TODAY Written by: RT Tipones, MD Advocacy: Mental Health Green Team
An aloof young lady doctor named Alex, cannot seem to get her miserable mind straight. Instead, over the days, she would drop her stuffed toys one by one out of the window down to the street below. One day, she just threw her last toy out. What's next? Of all the films in competition, this was the one that looked the most technically polished. From the very first scene of Alex walking towards the edge of a skyscraper rooftop, you would be impressed with the cinematography. The editing of scenes that flitted between reality and pathologic fantasy was also very clean. Dr. Marian Dimabuyu's face effectively projected the mental confusion of her character Alex. The performance of writer Dr. RT Tipones as Alex's spurned suitor Francis was remarkable, especially in the surprise epilogue.
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3. ANGHEL SA ALAPAAP Written by: Eibbron Lu, MD Advocacy: Illicit Drug Use Yellow Team
The husband was a drug addict and wife-abuser. His wife eventually could not take all the beating and left him, taking their son Angel with her. On that one day that Angel visited his father, the police also decided to come to arrest him and his gang.
This film attempted to create the grit of those anti-drug films produced over the past two years as a result of the government's drug war -- bleak and no redemption. Pulmonologist Dr. Ronald Reodica was frighteningly intense as the abusive husband and father. Endocrinologist Dr. Joy Fontanillanailed a most realistic performer as the aggrieved wife and mother. Cardiologist Dr. George Cordova played a tough-as-nails policeman, but also had a tender scene reminiscing about a bitter past tragedy. Unusual for a medical advocacy film though, it never touched the medical aspects of drug abuse, only the social aspects.
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4. MY ROMANTIC BABOY
Written by: Minnie San Juan, MD Advocacy: Obesity Red Team Jennifer was a morbidly obese woman who had a constant craving for sweets. When it came to exercise, she would rather conveniently forget about it. However, one night just as she was about to go to a date, fate had other plans for her. Of the four entries in this filmfest, this was the one with lightest, comic vibe, which made it stand out. This was practically a one-woman show for IM resident Dr. Marga Laconico as Jennifer, who huffed and puffed practically throughout the whole duration of the film in a cumbersome fat suit (which probably made her lose weight in real life). A very natural actress, Dr. Laconico had a strong and winsome screen presence which made us all root for her character to overcome her food addiction and weight problems, and become healthier and happier.
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Winners for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress will be announced on Friday, October 5, 2019 during the Awards Night. The Audience Choice award, based on ticket votes in the respective drop boxes for each of the four films after the screening, will be also be announced.
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UPDATE: OCTOBER 5, 2019
WINNERS LIST OF THE FIRST IMFF LUKAS AWARDS: JURORS CHOICE
BEST PICTURE: NOT TODAY
2nd Best Picture: Miss Concepcion
3rd Best Picture: My Romantic Baboy
BEST SCREENPLAY: NOT TODAY
BEST ACTOR: DR. JOLLY SANTOS (Miss Concepcion)
BEST ACTRESS: DR. MARIAN DIMABUYU (Not Today)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: DR. RT TIPONES (Not Today)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: DR. JOY FONTANILLA (Anghel sa Alapaap)
AUDIENCE CHOICE:
Best Picture: Miss Concepcion
Best Actor: Dr. Ronald Reodica (Anghel sa Alapaap)
Best Actress: Dr. Joy Fontanilla (Anghel sa Alapaap)
Best Supporting Actor: Dr. Jolly Santos ( Miss Concepcion)
Best Supporting Actress: Dr. Mylene Coronel (Miss Concepcion)
Robert S. Tan of Blade Auto Center began his movie-producing endeavors last year with the film "Dito Lang Ako" (MY REVIEW). This was an inter-generational love story which was prominently set in the premises of a Blade Auto Center branch. This year, perhaps because of the financial challenge of releasing a film in theaters, Blade decided that their second feature film "12 Days to Destiny" will be released for the public to watch for free on YouTube instead. This week it just breached 1M views. Daniel (Akihiro Blanco), a salesman in a Blade store, was also a student in Engineering. One day, pretty Camille (Mary Joy Apostol) came in the store looking for made-to-order seat covers, and Daniel assisted her with the transaction. While snacking on balut and other encounters in and out of the store, Daniel and Camille get closer together. However, to complicate matters, a guy named T always called Camille, while Daniel's ex-girlfriend Cat made an unexpected comeback. The whole movie (LINK) was only 56 minutes long, an easy watch. The boy-meets-girl plot is simple and familiar. The cinematography was quite basic, with mostly regular camera angles, with occasional use of drones for overhead shots. The editing was also basic, and the transition of scenes were rather in choppy episodes. The musical soundtrack consisted of some upbeat romantic songs of the acoustic styles which are very typical among rom-com films about the millennial set currently. However, despite all of that simplicity, this movie does not fail to deliver on its main purposes for being made. First, it worked as an advertisement for Blade Auto Center., as the main setting and employer of the lead character. It showcased the wide array of car parts and accessories Blade carried, as well as personalized service Blade provides its customers. It also showed that there is close camaraderie among the boss and employees in their company, which be useful in staff recruitment. As a rom-com, there was very good chemistry between the two main actors, as well as earnest performances as individuals for both of them. Akihiro Blanco played up his wholesome boy-next-door charms. Mary Joy Apostol, in a wide departure from her acclaimed debut film "Birdshot" (Mikhail Red, 2016), proved that she can also play it cute and light. As couple, the two can generate romantic thrills, even if you are just watching this from the limited screen of your smart phone. This short movie written and directed by CJ Santos provides a quick fix for your rom-com cravings -- cute, cheesy, shallow and amusing -- just as rom-com junkies like it. Because of the success of this first feature in #BladeStories on YouTube, Blade is planning to complete a trilogy about Daniel and Camille's love story. 5/10.
Mid last year, there was a video that spread on social media entitled "#Jowable" (LINK) by filmmaker Darryl Yap. In this 6-minute clip, a young woman entered a church drunk, and started to question God why she had no boyfriend since birth when it seemed clear that she was "jowable" (or "good girlfriend material" in street lingo). This year, Yap himself expanded on that premise and made it into a full-length film. Ever since she was a little girl, Elsa Mangahas (Kim Molina) already dreamed of having a boyfriend with whom she can share her lunch with. However, even as she became an adult now, she never had a boyfriend her whole life and she was very miserable for it. Her close friends, Karissa (Cai Cortez), Facundo (Chad Kinis) and Nuna (Jobelyn Manuel, the girl in the original video), her classmates since grade school and now co-workers in an events company, all had their partners in life already. Even her mother Liberty (Kakai Bautista) had a boyfriend, this current one Dmitri (Fabio Ide) was her 16th. Everything built up to that moment when a very drunk Elsa argued, challenged and bargained with God in the church (the very scene we had seen before in Yap's initial short film). Will Elsa's empty love life change after her major cathartic session with God?
Kim Molina is fresh off her raunchy iWant feature "Momol Nights" which also depicted a sort of similar dilemma for her character. This stage actress and singer whom I first knew playing the lead roles in musicals like "Rak of Aegis" and "Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady" is now a full-fledged movie, and a sex-comedy princess at that. Molina is one of those rare actresses who can pull off those naughty lines in such a cute tongue-in-cheek manner so that it does not come off as totally offensive, even for conservative viewers. Kakai Bautista who played Elsa's ex-prostitute mother, who had a revolving door of hunky boyfriends. Bautista played it so cheap and trashy here, but can't not love her despite these traits. That mother-daughter breakdown scene together was fully of tearful dialogue, but it was simply too hilarious not to laugh out loud. Another notable scene was that inebriated conversation of Elsa with Sister Katrina during a field trip, which was chockful of sexual double-entendres, shocking coming from a nun. However, with the way Candy Pangilinan played the tactlessly frank nun, the scene turned out delightful and funny despite the inherent wrongness of it all. There was a character of the strict Ms. Soledad Manalili (played by Suzette Ranillo) who caught the third-grader Elsa kissing the anatomy model in school nicknamed Tommy. Because of her dedication to her profession, Ms. Manalili never got married and instead just had her cross-stitching and pack of shih-tzus. With this character, the film made a detour of sorts to pay tribute to teachers. It was sentimental yes, but felt off-tangent. The original short video by Yap was very popular among the millennial set for its extreme ranting soliloquy about having no boyfriend, in a church of all places. However, it was also criticized for its use of profane language inappropriate for the sacred setting. But it was exactly this shocking disrespectful nature that led to its viral status, which now led to this feature film. The film had more such scenes with similar-style writing by Yap throughout its choppy run -- very irreverent and uncouth, yet with sincere insights if you listen closely. 6/10.
