It’s interesting to see how after a sort-of drought in the heist genre, we get two quality entries this year with Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver and — the brought-back-from-retirement — Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky. Both are stylized takes on the classic genre: featuring smart quirky dialogue, charming leads, and a
Category: News
Death Note
Adaptations are a tricky business. There’s much to consider. At one end, originality must be injected to make the familiar unfamiliar (well, any self-respecting creative would feel the need to do so). On the other hand, one can’t stray too far or risk being accused of dishonoring the source material.
Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B
There’s something inherently gothic in the pairing of romance and the supernatural — that notion of the taboo, the alienation that results from the “forbiddenness” of an affair, “you and me against the world.” There’s an idealistic purity that comes out from this subgenre of love; funny how it is
Baconaua
As dawn starts to creep in the horizon, we see the silhouette of Divina (Elora Españo), with a spear on her hands, standing in a the sea waist-deep. She’s sizing up the water, cautious not to make any unnecessary commotion. But no amount of concentration can make this a day
Yabang Pinoy Relaunches This Year’s Philippine Cinema Sessions with the Theme “The Art of Openness”
Being open entails a lot of meanings. It can be a doorway, a passage, or it may mean transparent. Cinema, as we know, stems from ordinary stories of daily lives in different faces. These representations may be formulaic or experimental, streamlined or self-expressed. And we must look at films with
Kiko Boksingero
Family dramas often have the dire need to verbalize emotions via heavy-handed dramatic confrontations. Thop Nazareno‘s coming-of-age drama Kiko Boksingero spares its audience of this embarrassing rehash and instead sustains a light tone all throughout. The result remains to be a fully-fleshed earnest story efficiently utilizing its modest screen time.
Baby Driver
Baby Driver opens with car chase perfectly synced to “Bellbottoms” by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. We see the titular Baby (Ansel Elgort) align every move to the music — timing a heist to the song’s bluesy riff, flooring the pedal as the same song explodes into a cacophony of frantic garage
TBA Studios Unveils Big Movie Projects, Partnership Deals
TBA Studios, the independent film company behind such acclaimed movies as the blockbuster “Heneral Luna”, the Urian-winning & MMFF best picture “Sunday Beauty Queen,” “I’m Drunk, I Love You”, and “Bliss”, held its grand launch on Wednesday, July 26 at the Marquee Tent of EDSA Shangri-la Hotel. TBA Studios executive
Dunkirk
The beach is cinema’s favorite battlefield. Muddy trenches are best left for exposition. And once you’ve seen a desolate, run-down town, you’ve seen them all. But the shorelines are where war has been depicted at its best. And therefore its worst. In Normandy, wave after wave of American forces were
Viddsee Launches Filmmaker Programme in the Philippines
The online entertainment platform Viddsee launched a filmmaker programme with its first efforts through a filmmaker community initiative, Viddsee Juree Awards for the Philippines. With a growing Filipino audience and an expanding network of creative content producers from the Philippines, the Viddsee Juree Awards aims to bridge the gap between
War for the Planet of the Apes
NOTE: It’s assumed that the previous movies in this series have been seen by the readers (must I expound?). Anyhoo, light spoilers from the previous films follow. What I like about good war movies is not the spectacle of seeing big sweeping, epic shots of a battlefield — bullets and
A Guide to the 22nd French Film Festival (Ayala Malls – Greenbelt and Bonifacio High Street)
From the land of romance and haute couture, Ayala Malls Cinemas brings a slice of the good life from France with the upcoming 22nd French Film Festival that started June 9 until June 17 at Greenbelt 3 and Bonifacio High Street cinemas. The film festival is in cooperation with the
Wonder Woman
Growing up, I loved superheroes. I’d spend my Friday nights all cuddled up in front of the TV excited for the weekly episode of Batman: The Animated Series. In grade school, I’d beg my parents to bring me to the then monumental Spider-man 1. I’d also buy TV Guides just
Catch “Wonder Woman” Early with Tonight’s Midnight Screenings!
The countdown to the opening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Wonder Woman cannot be any faster, but die-hard fans are in for a treat as the studio has announced midnight previews on June 1 at 12:01AM in selected cinemas in Metro Manila and regional cities. Fans are advised to reserve and
New “Spider-Man: Homecoming” AKA “Iron Man 4 feat. Spider-Man” Trailer Swings By
Suit up and step up for the new international trailer of Columbia Pictures’ Spider-Man: Homecoming. There are quite a number of references to Tony Stark, aren’t there? It’s as if Tony is basically godfathering Spider-Man into the MCU. Is Robert Downey Jr. possibly prepping a replacement Avenger for when he
Fight the Power with “Wonder Woman” Final Trailer
Following Gal Gadot’s broadcast presentation on the just-concluded MTV Movie & TV Awards, Warner Bros. Pictures has made the Wonder Woman official final trailer available online. Witness the rise of a warrior. Watch the new “Wonder Woman” trailer: Wonder Woman will be in Philippine cinemas this June 1, 2017. Gal Gadot
It’s Asgardians of Galaxy in “Thor: Ragnarok” Teaser Trailer
From the looks of it, we’re in for a retro rocking good time when Thor: Ragnarok hits Philippine theaters this November. Just rapid-firing: there’s the Led Zepellin soundtrack, the bursts of color, the Thor vs Hulk gladiatorial match, Cate Blanchett adding the much needed gravitas to the franchise, and of course,
Remake of Stephen King’s “IT” Unleashes First Teaser
New Line Cinema has unleashed the official teaser trailer of the horror thriller “IT,” based on the hugely popular Stephen King novel of the same name, which has been terrifying readers for decades. “IT” comes out in Philippine cinemas this September 7, 2017. When children begin to disappear in the town
“American Pastoral” Exclusive at Ayala Mall Cinemas
Two-time Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor stars and debuts as a director in the deeply affecting father-daughter story “American Pastoral” based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Philip Roth that chronicles the profound changes in the last half-century of American life. The adaptation focuses in on the Swede’s search for
Spidey Shows Off New Tech as Vulture Attacks in New “Spider-Man: Homecoming” Trailer
Does the suit make the man? The brand new trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming has been launched by Columbia Pictures. Witness all the action as Spidey faces off against the Vulture, learns some hard lessons from Iron Man himself, and generally does whatever a spider can. Watch the all-new #SpiderManHomecoming trailer
FULL LIST: Winners, Cinema Padday Film Festival 2017 – The North Luzon Film Festival
The recently concluded North Luzon Film Festival (NLFF) recognized filmmakers from the regions of Ilocos, Cayagan Valley, Cordillera, and Central Luzon at the awards night held in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan on March 26. Jensen Paul Danao’s Fiyag Ad Ngatu won Best Picture in the College and Filmmakers Category while Joan Ivy
FDCP and SM Cinema champion independent movies through Cine Lokal
Strengthening its commitment to support Philippine cinema, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and SM Cinema launch Cine Lokal—a new cinema line that will house independent, award-winning films and FDCP programs in select SM Cinema branches across the country starting April 2017. FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño
FULL LIST: Winners, Pelikultura 2017 (The CALABARZON Film Festival)
Pelikultura 2017: The CALABARZON Film Festival, held last March 6-10 in the University of the Phlippines Los Baños, awarded its film entries from filmmakers based in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon. Alvin Belarmino and Noel Escondo’s Nakaw bagged eight awards at the Open Category including Best Film while Steven
Survivor Stories in “We Call Her Yolanda” – Special Screenings on March 25 and 26
Stories of hope from real survivors of the fiercest and most devastating typhoon that ever hit the Philippines are featured in the highly-inspiring movie “We Call Her Yolanda.” The movie will have limited special screenings on March 25 (Saturday) at Greenbelt3 cinema1 at 10:00am and on March 26 (Sunday) at
Pixar Debuts Teaser of its First Musical, “Coco”
Pixar has been in a rut lately. What once was a studio known for consistency, a bulwark for not just good but great animation, has found itself floundering in recent years. Finding Dory, The Good Dinosaur, Monsters University, Cars 2 — you can say that things have been pretty hit
