DEATH OF TRADITIONAL CINEMA

FORCE MAJEURE, the observational drama from Sweden is a quiet, dynamic study of gender roles between man and woman, husband and wife, placed under the microscope following an unexpected accident. While having their breakfast on the patio of a ski resort in the French Alps, businessman Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke), his wife Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli), and their two children (Clara Wettergren and Vincent Wettergren) witness a "controlled avalanche", a man-made avalanche created to avert the occurrence of a bigger, more destructive avalanche. Tomas assures his family that it's perfectly safe, even videotaping the avalanche in his cellphone. However, as the avalanche draws closer and closer, the guests panic, and Ebba is left aghast at what happens next.    Tomas goes on with their vacation as if nothing happened. But soon, the elephant in the room needed addressing, and Ebba hounds her husband every chance she gets about what happened. She is shocked more at her husba...

Here's my pick for what I think are the notable local films of 2014: 20. EDNA       Directed by: Ronnie Lazaro EDNA marks the directorial debut of actor Ronnie Lazaro, who also stars in the film as husband to Irma Adlawan's titular character. What's admirable about EDNA is the sheer bravery of experimenting on various storytelling techniques to tell the plight of an OFW who comes home and finds out the real price of her years of toil overseas. The end result might be a little crude, sometimes confusing, yet Irma Adlawan still shines as a woman inches away from losing her sanity.  RATED 3/5 19. THE JANITOR       Directed by: Mike Tuviera Whoever said that Pinoy action cinema is dead clearly haven't seen THE JANITOR. Thrilling, intriguing, and breathtaking all at the same time, THE JANITOR is one of last year's must-see, if only for the morality study it brings to the plate. We live in a world when our version of truth is on...

ENGLISH ONLY PLEASE, the new film by Dan Villegas (MAYOHAN), from a script by Antoinette Jadaone (THAT THING CALLED TADHANA, SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION FROM LILIA CUNTAPAY) benefits greatly from the onscreen chemistry of its two charming leads, who give life to the story's playfulness and sincerity. The story is simple enough, as with most romcoms: two lovelorn individuals find each other, and what seemed like a business proposition at first may in fact turn out to be a life-altering revelation for both of them. Fil-Am Julian Parker (Derek Ramsay) goes to the Philippines so he can tell his Filipina ex (Isabel Oli) in person his message of hatred. But first, he needs to master, or at least familiarize with the Filipino language so he can maintain the high ground of their breakup. This is where Tere Madlangsacay (Jennylyn Mercado), an English tutor comes in. She agrees to translate Julian's letter and help him pronounce its translation properly, and in return Julian offer...

This post is already one year late, but a lot of films needed to be carefully considered. This list reflects solely the opinion of the writer. For films that were released in the U.S. or in other countries in 2012 but had a release date in the Philippines in 2013, the Philippine release date is followed upon the creation of this list. Also, all of the films appearing in this list have been rated FIVE over FIVE by the author. -------------------- And so, let the counting commence forth. 20. PRISONERS       Denis Villenueve, USA A gripping police procedural, a whodunit thriller, and a morality study combined best describes PRISONERS. Solidly directed and featuring a stellar cast including Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, and Paul Dano, among others who all render equally intense performances. The film follows the disappearance of both Jackman's and Howard's daughters, and the ensuing investigation led by Gyllenhaal's cop character, ...