There’s no point saying otherwise: All You Need Is Pag-Ibig is an attempt to make a Pinoy Love Actually. Written and directed by Antoinette Jadaone, AYNIP is an assortment of interconnected love stories among tangentially related individuals who believe that their pursuing of romantic love would lead them to their
Category: Festival Coverage
#WalangForever
There’s a line in Dan Villegas‘ new film, Walang Forever (often stylized as #WalangForever) which I like and perhaps may complement the film as a whole. It is when Cai Cortes‘ character quips to Jericho Rosales‘ Ethan, “Isn’t that what they say about artists? They get immortalized through their works—may it be
Haunted Mansion
Betrayal underlies the conflict in most of Jun Lana’s films. Whether it’s prejudice or acts of sheer deceit—one woman is berated by her own people, another shred into halves by her own nation—the hurt of betrayal in his films rams the atmosphere. Perci Intalan’s debut feature Dementia, whose screenplay is co-written by
Beauty and the Bestie
In one scene in Josh Radnor’s Liberal Arts, a character, frustrated over the success of a certain sparkling vampire book, asks, “So when millions of people like something, that means it’s good?” To which the other character wittily replies, “No, it means millions of people like it. These books make
My Bebe Love #KiligPaMore
Perhaps the best way to sit through Jose Javier Reyes’ My Bebe Love #Kiligpamore is putting down your cynical glasses and throwing your entire expectations out of the window. But a bitter taste is stronger than its tolerable bland-ness, and there is no turning back because, you know, the ticket
Honor Thy Father
When I think about Christmas, the first memories that surge through me are that of family, simbang gabi, warm bonds, and that of all things good and right in the world —even just for one day. Well Honor Thy Father, which opened Christmas Day as part of the Metro Manila Film Fest 2015,
Toto
Persistence is the main takeaway in John Paul Su’s Toto, which means you’re expected to forgive its inevitable Wizard Of Oz reference. Attuned to its hero’s spirits, the film is relentless at satirizing the notion of the American Dream, by way and form of its jocularly naive Filipino with an
Turo-Turo
Why do bad things happen to good people? This might be the central thesis of Turo-Turo, a tale of a persevering father and his struggle to uplift the standard of living of his family of five drenched in the familiar facade of urban poverty. A number of important themes are
Ari: My Life with a King
Geography and culture are largely intertwined. This is the thesis being put forward by Ari: My Life with a King, directed by Carlo Enciso Catu and written by Robby Tantingco. The film’s first shot is of Mt. Pinatubo, now quiet and majestic but had once wreaked havoc and forever transformed
Dahling Nick
The extraordinary brilliance of Dahling Nick is fully realized in its interviews with figures in Nick Joaquin’s life such as: National Artists for Literature Bienvinido Lumbera and F. Sionil Jose; Nick’s niece Charo Joaquin Villegas, his ultimate companion, Elena Roco; and even Communist Party of the Philippines founder, Jose Ma.
Manang Biring
Manang Biring takes off her robe, uninhibited by the darkness of her home (which apparently has not had electricity for a long time) and caresses her right breast, cleaning a wound that has made its way to the lower part of her bosom. The actress, Erlinda Villalobos, plays out this scene with exuberance
Miss Bulalacao
Miss Bulalacao narrates how an entire barrio is sent into a frenzy by the news that a gay boy has suddenly become pregnant. It opens with a small-town drag pageant, during which Dodong (sensitively played by Russ Ligtas) is asked what the essence of being a woman is. His reply:
Dayang Asu
Much has been said about the pacing issues of Bor Ocampo’s Dayang Asu (Eng title: Dognation), and I think that is what makes this film really interesting; it is a nihilistic slow-burner, but it’s more than just a slow-burner. Set in a town of Pampanga, it focuses on a father
Bukod Kang Pinagpala
Faith is its own logic. That’s one reason why religion isn’t a recurring topic at open mics. No one will laugh at those jokes—unless in the audience there’s Donald Trump. Such sensitivities are important in such a sensitive country, but Sheron Dayoc slips in one joke that he knows will crack
Baka Siguro Yata
A ne’er-do-well fat slacker and a bombshell way out his league end up pregnant after a drunken hook-up and learn to love each other along the way. A long-separated couple, now in different relationships, rekindle old flames. A high school couple deals with the pressure of losing their virginity before graduation. If these loglines
The Assassin
I must admit; upon entering the movie theatre, I expected Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin to be a high-energy Wuxia drama with exploding colors, intense fight scenes, and blasting traditional Chinese soundtrack. Instead, it begins in black and white, and there we see Yinniang (Shu Qi, still looking gorgeous sans make-up)
Kapatiran
Pepe Diokno is no stranger to breaking trends in cinema. His first film Engkwentro, a film about two boys on the run from a vigilante death squad was produced under a meager budget of 20,000 USD. His second film Above the Clouds, which was a little more personal, about a grandfather and grandson’s
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is having its Philippine premiere at this year’s QCIFF. See screening schedules here. This review is taken from the author’s blog dated April 5th. Critics have invoked a shortlist of forebears to Ana Lily Amirpour’s ovni: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014). The general consensus
The Last Pinoy Action King
When he died it was like losing a Jedi Master,” says a wide-eyed Sharon Cuneta, voice hoarse and on the verge of breaking, perhaps unaware of the great service she serves the documentary. In Sharon being Sharon, filmmakers Andrew Leavold and Daniel Palisa found their movie. It’s an unassuming quote—a product of wit and sincerity
TIFF REVIEW: ‘Demolition’, ‘Son of Saul’
Toronto is on full blast on the Day 1 of Toronto International Film Festival 2015 with world premieres, guest appearances, promotions, advertising as tourists and film aficionados flock from the different parts of the globe. Two very good films happened to be screened: one brought humor to the audience and the
Silong
To be among the fortunate few to see Silong in August 14th as Cinemalaya’s closing film – tense days followed as I continue to abridge the experience. There is this distinctive atmosphere of muddle, consternation, and abysmal expectation of how the film looks like or how this review will echo. Silong is shrouded
Apasol
Peace. Tranquility. Contentment. Heartbreak. A muddle of all these fashions the unparalleled feeling that engulfs someone, observing the relentless receding tide, the fiery blends of red, oranges and yellow, and the underlying heartbeat of farewells and promises. This is how Ryanne Murcia’s Apasol breathes the salty air of leave-takings, love and uncertainties.
Kyel
There are no clocks in hell according to Frank Ferguson Jr.’s unnamed druggie, who we only know through his (possibly drug-induced) fits of rage and breakdowns. The dark room where this scrawny persona holes in doesn’t have clocks, either; but if need be the space looks just the part. We find
Redlights
Playing like a tense thriller reminiscent of the films of Michael Mann, Redlights plays up its atmosphere of uneasiness – that feeling that’s something’s up but you just can’t put your finger on what it is – to deliver a suspenseful look into the seedy underbelly of Cebu. Written and directed
Pusong Bato
When you are told that the premise of the film you are about to watch revolves around a has-been starlet who falls in love with a rock – yes, that unassuming, solidified piece of merged minerals you find everywhere – you can either cringe at its ridiculousness, or be excited
