Posts

Showing posts from 2014

THE BABYSITTERS (Paolo O'Hara, 2014)

Image
Official Entry, 2014 Cinema One Originals I liked the premise of THE BABYSITTERS. A couple, Rod (Jayson Gainza) and Lucy (Katya Santos) are part of a kidnapping group where they babysit kidnapped children until the ransom is paid off. Their latest job turns sideways, and the boss orders his hitman to eliminate the child. But Rod and Lucy would not allow this, so they escape with the child. Years later, Ben (Jhiz Deocareza), the kidnapped child is all grown up. To support their needs, Rod and Lucy engage in various con jobs, and Ben who is old enough to be aware of his parents’ schemes is in danger of becoming just like them. Upon careful examination, the plot would be a perfect opportunity for a moral irony— the con artists will pay for their sins through their adopted child who will grow up to be like them. Or are they paying for their mistake to even keep the kidnapped child in the first place? As the film enters the second act, things spiral out of control. Logic is thr

VIOLATOR (Dodo Dayao, 2014)

Image
Official Entry, 2014 Cinema One Originals -------------------------------- The devil is in the details. VIOLATOR, Dodo Dayao’s debut full-length feature is an exercise in psychological horror, a seemingly harmless yet unrelenting force of nature that wreaks havoc in its tight final 20 minutes. But even the vignettes that establish the film’s tone during the first half of the film provide silent terror. Five men are trapped inside a police station, cleverly designated “Precinct 13” during a storm that one character likened to the end of the world. Two cops (Victor Neri, Anthony Falcon), their chief (Joel Lamangan), the caretaker (Andy Bais), and a traffic accident complainant (RK Bagatsing) lament over the storm’s severity, all the while realizing their powerlessness over the situation. They constantly try to contact their loved ones to see if they are safe, given the rising waters outside. At one point, the “Rapture Cult”, which predicted that the world will end o

LORNA (Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, 2014)

Image
As LORNA opens, a black and white action sequence, almost film noir-ish in its quality quickly draws attention. The titular character, played by veteran actress Shamaine Buencamino engages in a gun battle, is crippled, and eventually loses the fight. But LORNA is not an action film. Writer and director Sigrid Andrea Bernardo employs dream sequences, a technique she also used in her first film, ANG HULING CHA-CHA NI ANITA to showcase characters’ thoughts and motivations. The opening sequence is just one of the many times the scene cuts into a trance, suspending disbelief. Lorna is a sixty-year old woman who is still looking for love, despite having failed at so many relationships. The news that her former husband (Jim Paredes) who never married her is getting married to another woman, and that she is to meet her ex’s new fiancée puts further gasoline to the fire. The problem is, she loves him (Paredes), more than he loves her, Lorna tells son Ardie (Felix Roco) in one scene

SEOUL MATES (Nash Ang, 2014)

Image
Official Entry, 2014 Cinema One Originals Culture clash is always fascinating material for satire, especially with ones as rich and as colorful as those of the Filipino and Korean culture. Most Filipinos adore Korean culture almost as if it were a religion, from the hairstyles, the dresses, K-Pop, and yes Koreanovela. Koreans travel to the Philippines, mostly because we are damn good English speakers. And yes, the food of Korea and the Philippines which I’m sure the two opposite cultures enjoy. So when a film comes, pitting a Filipino transwoman (Mimi Juareza) running after her two-faced boyfriend with a Korean guy (Jisoo Kim) who longs for the love of his life soon to marry another, the possibilities for comedy are endless. Also, it would be a perfect opportunity to parallel both the Filipino and Korean culture in perspective. SEOUL MATES begins when Filipino Alice (Juareza) and Korean Joon (Jisoo Kim), following their respective heartbreaks both attempt to end their lives

BIGKIS (Neal Tan, 2014)

Image
As an advocacy film, BIGKIS (INTERTWINED) gets its message across. The state of maternal healthcare in the Philippines is downright depressing, with mothers seated on the floor of public hospitals due to shortage of beds, medical equipment and hospital staff. The baby better be gaping through the birth canal before the mother receives serious medical attention.  Such social issue has been featured countless times in local documentaries and even in a feature film (2011's BAHAY BATA), but BIGKIS pushes the envelope further by bridging a connection between mother and child by means of breastfeeding, and in doing so, promoting breastfeeding in the process.  As a drama, the film tends to squeeze too much tragedy from the downtrodden lives of its characters that a lot of the dialogue feels staged for us to feel sorry for their countless miseries. Mariel (LJ Reyes), a teenage mother deals with an unwanted pregnancy and worse, the abandonment of her baby's father (Pancho M

THE BEST OF ME (Michael Hoffman, 2014)

Image
I stopped watching movies based on Nicholas Sparks novels after NIGHTS IN RODANTHE, with its heavily contrived ending despite the charming pair of Richard Gere and Diane Lane. Then again, I took a chance with SAFE HAVEN, thinking a plot involving a woman running away from her past is good movie material, which to my dismay was another dud.  Then comes this film, which I was not too eager about but not too dismissive either given the fact that Michelle Monaghan, a capable actress headlines this new Nicholas Sparks vehicle, teamed with James Marsden, a guy who is heavily underrated in those X-MEN films. And for a while this film did not disappoint. Dawson Cole (Marsden) and Amanda Collier (Monaghan) are reunited years after drifting apart, when a personal tragedy occurs. In that brief moment of solitude, both of them are forced to reexamine their past and try to find out if they can still be together again. Flashback to when they were in their teens. The shy young Dawson

DEMENTIA (Perci Intalan, 2014)

Image
A boat approaches toward a huge slab stone of an island, the rock solid formations commanding a visual dread of the unknown. The boat docks, and we see the familiar face of Nora Aunor disembarking from the vessel. At the onset of DEMENTIA, Perci Intalan readily lays the groundwork for a thriller that benefits greatly from its picturesque location. Shot in Batanes, a dreamy place rarely seen on film except for KADIN (THE GOAT) and BATANES, both films by Adolfo Borinaga Alix, Jr., DEMENTIA maximizes the haunting beauty of its location and underneath the majesty of every shot of the cliff overlooking the sea, of waves crashing, of secluded forest trails, of every lagoon, of the ancestral home and even the cemetery is a knowing fear, or at least a shiver of restlessness. Cinematographer Mackie Galvez (SANA DATI) captures the visual tone that complements the story's demands, and levels with the acting caliber of Nora Aunor. La Aunor plays Mara Fabre, a woman whose mental facult

BWAYA (Francis Xavier Pasion, 2014)

Image
Official Entry, New Breed Category, Cinemalaya X BWAYA, the third feature-length feature from filmmaker Francis Xavier Pasion, following 2008's JAY and 2010's SAMPAGUITA: NATIONAL FLOWER is a film that beckons us to swim in the depths of the Agusan Marsh, and with such experience relive the fear of an unknown enemy. Moreover, it also allows us to fill the shoes of a couple in unimaginable anguish. Based on a true story, BWAYA incorporates actual interview footage of the real husband and wife who mourns the loss of their young daughter. By making it another film-within-a-film like JAY, Francis Pasion injects raw satire and emotion into his story. Asked why she would allow the story of Rowena be told on film, the actual case study (the mother) cites remembrance in response.  At a running time of around an hour and a half, BWAYA considerably takes its time to paint us a picture of the Agusan Marsh- quaint, idyllic, placid, and yet underneath the stillness a hungry

#Y (Gino Santos, 2014)

Image
Official entry, New Breed Category, Cinemalaya X Suicide, especially among teens is a very delicate subject matter for film. Handled carelessly, a film may give off a wrong vibe that it promotes or justifies suicide. #Y (pronounced as hashtag Y), the second feature-length film by Gino Santos deals with the subject of suicide as one of the issues involving the upper middle class, or the generation "Y". In the film, we are readily offered the idea from the get-go that the lead character Miles (Elmo Magalona) is contemplating suicide, and through flashback we recollect his troubled, confused, and oftentimes ambivalent behavior. We never really get to fully understand Miles's psyche. Is he heartbroken? Does he hate his parents? If so, why? Does he long for social acceptance? Is he mentally unstable? The film offers vague answers. In a way, director Gino Santos may be telling us that we may never really fully comprehend the reason behind the prevalence of suicide

K'NA THE DREAMWEAVER (Ida Anita Del Mundo, 2014)

Image
Official Entry, New Breed Category, Cinemalaya X Watching K'NA THE DREAMWEAVER is like watching a gorgeously shot travelogue. The debut feature film of Ida Anita Del Mundo (Doy Del Mundo's daughter) weaves an uncompromising, compelling tale of love and destiny set against the hauntingly beautiful Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, beckoning us to enter a world rarely seen on film. As a child, K'na (Hezel Ann Sulan) is already exposed to the intricate T'boli tradition of weaving. As she matures into a beautiful, young lady (Mara Lopez), K'na is guided and prepared by her grandmother Be Lampey (Erlinda Villalobos) to be their clan's next dreamweaver. Amidst their peaceful residence off the waters of Lake Sebu, constant threat from their mother tribe shakes the villagers. All of this, because of a generations-old betrayal that continues to haunt the lineage of Be Lampey. In the majesty of their humble abode, love blossomed between K'na and Silaw (RK

HARI NG TONDO (Carlos Siguion-Reyna, 2014)

Image
Official Entry, Director's Showcase category, Cinemalaya X Too long has filmmaker Carlos Siguion-Reyna been on break from making feature films, his last one being Azucena back in 2000. HARI NG TONDO, his current entry for Cinemalaya X under the Directors' Showcase section is a more than welcome comeback for him. The film begins with the end of an empire. Ricardo Villena (Robert Arevalo) is facing imminent bankruptcy as his son-in-law Dan (Eric Quizon) lectures him about his bad business decisions. To add to their family's baggage, his granddaughter Anna (Cris Villonco) opts not to push through with her wedding to a wealthy bachelor, much to the dismay of the parents (Quizon and Ali Sotto). Also, his grandson Ricky (Rafa Siguion-Reyna) from his other son (played by Audie Gemora) reveals that he is not graduating this semester with his Economics degree. So what to do indeed with all these woes? The Villena Patriarch makes a hasty but informed move: to return to Ton

RONDA (Nick Olanka, 2014)

Image
New Breed Entry: Cinemalaya 2014 As her first vehicle for her foray into independent cinema, RONDA provides a lot of potential for Ai Ai De Las Alas to  discover her artistry, and prove that she can do more than provide laughter. Her character, a policewoman patrolling the dark streets of Manila allows her to grow a lot as an actress. Much of the film's scenes takes place at a safe distance; we observe as the patrol car roam around Recto Street and Quezon Boulevard while Ai Ai and her partner, played by Carlos Morales discuss things ranging from the mundane, like Morales's character's sexual escapades with his numerous women, to the bizarre, like the story about ghosts in the apartment.  However, the frame is never boring. Even when there is nothing happening onscreen, there is something happening. A reflection, a stir of emotion, a foreboding- all part of director Nick Olanka's master plan. Perhaps, Olanka wants us to be observers of the routine, of the redu

ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (Jim Jarmusch, 2013)

Image
How to make a vampire love story without cheese and fluff indeed? Easy. You do it the Jim Jarmusch way. Jarmusch, who is a skilled agent of deconstruction has done this time for the vampire genre what he has achieved for the samurai film in GHOST DOG. At all times, ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE is lyrical, hypnotic, and also sincere. Its main characters, despite being vampires surprisingly have a big heart. It's a reflection on existence really, as Adam (Tom Hiddleston) grows weary of the futility of living. In fact, he goes as far as to order a very special bullet made of strong wood, telling his human acquaintance Ian (Anton Yelchin) that it's for a "special project".   Adam hides from the world in his gothic Detroit abode, where antique memorabilia abound, from his guitars to his television set. As someone who has lived for centuries, he has influenced countless musicians and scientists, yet he refuses to be recognized for his work, which is more of a