Smoke hasn’t cleared from the fire that is the 88th Academy Awards—a.k.a. the most awkward Oscars night ever. During the three-hour show: Stacey Dash walked awkwardly on and off stage; Sacha Baron Cohen brought his awkward Ali G. character; and every key figure graced with the elusive audience reaction shot awkwardly
Category: Features
3 Filipino Films to Stream (for free!) this People Power Revolution
While every one is commemorating the anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, you’re holed up in the dark of your room for some reason. It’s just one of those days, you reason. It’s O.K., really. You needn’t feel shame. Being a cinephile and a slacker—both titles I embrace with
Essentials: Alejandro González Iñárritu
In line with the release of Iñárritu’s new film The Revenant, we are launching a recurring feature in which we pick who we think is a key figure of cinema and revisit his/her most noteworthy titles—hence the name “Essentials”. Our man Kayo Jolongbayan looks back and discusses the films of the Hispanic cinema champion,
Netflix Philippines is live! Here’s 10 titles you must watch
Here’s the thing: I can’t, in good faith, say that Filipinos are ready for film and television streaming. Not completely, anyway. The reason? You guessed it–slow internet. While the arrival of Netflix to the Philippines is welcome news, there’s still no way of knowing when the sharks will take bait,
The Year In Horror: 16 best horror films of 2015
2015’s horror highlights is comprised of mostly obscure indies that no one seems to appreciate. Take for example Ted Geoghegan’s We Are Still Here, a deceptively complex ghost story which pivots around an old couple. It’s a genre treasure trove which I imagine cultists and academics will look back to
Ryan Reynolds is on(to) something in even-more-NSFW tailer for ‘Deadpool’
It’s been a pretty difficult holiday season for films not named Star Wars: The Force Awakens to gain much attention. J.J. Abrams’ new addition to the Star Wars saga smashed box office records like it was Chewie tackling Captain Phasma (come on, this was objectively the best part of the
Our best friends on which #MMFF2015 they are watching
The 41st Metro Manila Film Festival just kicked off. And while that Philbert Dy tweet is true, the communal feeling of every Filipino actually going to the theaters is a welcome one. We asked some people on which MMFF film they are catching. The turnaround isn’t surprising; they clearly still are looking
Nico Antonio talks working with JM De Guzman and their new film ‘Tandem’
Nico Antonio has been around for as long as you can remember. From his roles on TV’s On The Wings Of Love and on the Cinemalaya film Posas (Shackled), he makes a full turn to a more mature role with JM de Guzman in King Palisoc‘s first feature, Tandem which tells the story of small-time crooks
Leo Katigbak and Davide Pozzi on restoring ‘Kakabakaba Ka Ba?’
Mike De Leon’s classic Kakabakaba Ka Ba? emulates the wild, frenzied aura of the 80’s eon better than no other film that tried. James Espinoza writes in his review “this film could not have been made today,” and I agree completely. The film is one of De Leon’s finest works,
Carl Papa on his new film ‘Manang Biring’
A scene midway through Manang Biring is the film’s most affecting: in a cab, Biring (Erlinda Villalobos) and her friends plan for Christmas. They talk about the menu, the budget, the people who’ll come. It’s an innocuous moment—it should be, it’s three people simply planning for the forthcoming holiday—but knowing that Biring
Brace yourself, Here come the 2015 MMFF New Wave finalists
The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) just announced the lineup of films competing in their New Wave competition. The competition will be split into three categories: Full-Length Features, HOOQ Short Films, and Animation. All will be open-themed, making competition pretty steep as editors, writers, and directors — both old and new — are allowed
Cinema One Originals 2015 Screening Schedules
The promotional materials for this year’s Cinema One Originals Film Festival are always emblazoned with the phrase: kakaiba ka ba? An invitation, it seems, to embrace eccentricities. The lineup they are pushing forward this year doesn’t veer away much from that slogan: films from Yorgos Lanthimos, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Hou Hsiao-Hsien are playing under the
![The ‘Teatrino Film Series’ 4th quarter line-up is here! [UPDATED]](https://www.filmpolicereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/TFS.jpg)
The ‘Teatrino Film Series’ 4th quarter line-up is here! [UPDATED]
UPDATE 2: From Teatrino: “Due to logistical issues, MAGKAKABAUNG will NOT be shown this Saturday at Teatrino. It will be replaced by QCinema 2015 Best Picture APOCALYPSE CHILD.” UPDATE: The final selections for the 4:30 screenings have now arrived. You can find them after the jump. Admit it, catching indie
Filmmakers and critics share their go-to horror films for Halloween
To those who are staying in for Halloween—I know, we had plans too!—having a horror movie marathon with family and friends is customary. In our household, the schlockier the films, the better. But because we like it meta, we mostly just marathon the Halloween series. Some years, though, call for
Here’s your ultimate QCinema 2015 festival primer
Running jokes are almost customary among cinephiles. One which in my book doesn’t get old is that festival season, like the one that’s upon us, is anticipated in collective anxiety it becomes the unofficial Winter to our Westeros—what with the dreaded pre-fest schedule-plotting and unavoidable thinning of the wallet. For
Sid Lucero on growth, falling in love, and being Francis Ford Coppola’s son
In 1979, Apocalypse Now, hailed as one of the greatest movies of all time, premiered in Hollywood amid much controversy. Shot on location in Baler, Aurora, then a small fishing village in the Philippines, the film went way over budget and took much too long to shoot. When the filming
Death by Activism: Stray Observations on Eli Roth’s ‘The Green Inferno’
2015 is quite the substantial year for director Eli Roth—two of his films see limited worldwide releases, unsurprisingly to an almost cult-like fan reception. His newest film Knock Knock starring Keanu Reeves opens in Philippine theaters today; Armando Dela Cruz remembers his previous effort, the pompous, internet troll-like satire The Green Inferno. This
6 tips on surviving the ‘film festival’ season
As if Cinemalaya wasn’t enough… It’s been a long way down the road since Alexis Tioseco’s Wishful Thinking for Philippine Cinema in which he relays what Philippine Cinema has been missing out on in the last half century. But what I followed more closely in that long list was what he said
Listen to Miley Cyrus’ equal-rights anthem for ‘Freeheld’
It’s been a while since we’ve heard Miley Cyrus sing for a film’s soundtrack since her previous stint as a Disney superstar. These days the singer has been an avid supporter of any lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) rights ever since leaving her Disney-fied image in the past. This year Miley opened
A compendium of QCinema 2015’s international line-up
QCinema 2015 Festival Director, Ed Lejano, once said that “diversity” was one of the key features they were looking for in selecting the films for this year’s festival. Thus, with today’s announcement of QCinema 2015’s international line-up of films, it comes as no suprise that the selection is quite eclectic — composed of
Rising Indies! Tokyo-Manila runs from October 3 to 6
If you’re around for a great lineup of experimental gems, take note of this upcoming event: Happy Tent’s Rising Indies! Tokyo-Manila is kicking off October 3 thru 6 at Los Otros and Green Papaya Art Projects. The four-day film experience is screening some of the best of Philippine and Japanese experimental cinema. If that alone
Notes on ‘Heneral Luna’: The piece, the orchestra, the maestro
Our Movie of the Week feature puts the spotlight on Jerrold Tarog’s terrific historical drama Heneral Luna. The film is still showing in cinemas and we encourage everyone to catch it. In this piece, Armando shares a few stray notes he has on Tarog’s latest. Spoilers ahead! Different people know Jerrold
‘Heneral Luna’: Of chalk, paintbrush, sword and gun
Heneral Luna, the new film from Jerrold Tarog, is our Movie of the Week. In the space of a few articles and thought pieces, we hope to bring more insight to the film. Here’s to recounting our viewing of the film and how it defines heroism in the Philippines. …ikaw ang tahanan
Must-Reads of the Week: August 30 – September 6
It is time for essential readings again and let us give you the highlights on cinema for first week of September. … High Life’s Noel Vera defines the meaning of science fiction movies through his list: Real science fiction involves (quoting Brian Aldiss, who attempts to describe the literature): “the
On Freddy Krueger and the anatomy of the bogeyman
In line with the recent passing of dear horror maestro Wes Craven, we are taking up his film A Nightmare on Elm Street for our first Movie of the Week. In this piece I talk about the film’s infamous villain, Freddy Krueger, his history, methods and everything that makes him a most relevant maniac
