Philippine Movies Thread

I think I might have liked Seklusyon (Erik Matti, 2016) a little more than a previous reviewer on this thread . Set in the aftermath of the Japanese occupation, the film opens with dual storylines; one of a young deacon sent away for a week of seclusion in which he must face his demons before entering the priesthood, and the other of a young priest investigating the veracity (and possible abuse at the hands of a nun) of a child who is being deified for her apparent healing powers. The imagery and general look of the film is great, and relies on atmosphere rather than jump scares to unsettle. While a number of Filipino critics have complained about the acting of the leads, it didn’t bother me – perhaps the complaints would be more obvious if I were a native speaker, but at any rate, the performance of child actress Rhed Bustamante was fantastically assured.

At under 90 minutes, I thought the film was more economical than slight, and thought the underlying themes and ending were really quite intelligent. I found it interesting that a Hollywood Reporter review from December found a political subtext that much more recent tweets from direk Matti might suggest was intentional.

Phew, my brain got exhausted after reading the review you linked. Hmmm...while I salute the eloquent review, I can't seem to find the political subtext they found on this horror film. I took it as a horror film by itself, without regard to any undertones it presented. Or maybe I was too busy being annoyed at Ronnie Alonte? Hehehe. If only Erik Matti got some promising new actor for the lead.

And clayton, the waiting game is over. We were robbed! Its not Vice Ganda! Liza Soberano does not only get to play Pia, she's also our new Darna.

Whistleblower (2016)- If you're familiar with the PDAF scam that shook the Philippines sometime 2014-ish, you'll understand this movie and the characters behind it. If not, don't bother with watching this because you'll be lost. And I say that despite the powerhouse cast that fills this.

The title, to mean someone who divulges scandalous anomalies committed by politicians, is used to describe the lead character, played by no less than Nora Aunor. While our perception of the whistleblower in actuality, Benhur Luy, is that he is the protagonist--he's the hero, the movie somehow made other questionable paths that could implicate that the mastermind, Janet Lim Napoles, played by Cherry Pie Picache, could also be considered a "whistleblower". True, but she's still a culprit.

The movie made some deviations to the actual scene (like the whistleblower being a single mom while as Benhur Luy is a single guy) but the gist is there. There's this really really funny scene that's worth its 5 seconds of fame. That scene where one accused senator, or congressman, when asked for his opinion on the accusations against him went drama queen and cried in front of the camera, holding a rosary and declaring his undying love for the Filipino people! Gold. So very politician of him.

Some parts were intriguing. Some parts weren't that much known to the public. Though the movie can disclaim that its not a documentary, it was still about the PDAF scam. And the cliffhanger was really a cliffhanger. The movie isn't a religious testament to the actual things that occurred but it could leave you questions. And it could be convincing to give you some thoughts to ponder.

Again, if you're familiar with the PDAF scam, I recommend this. If not, don't bother. There's less action, less words, to explain everything.

With the promise of Nora Aunor, Cherry Pie Picache and Angelica Pangibangan together, 18 months ago Whistleblower was one of my most anticipated films for 2016. Then it quietly disappeared and I quietly forgot all about it. The director Adolfo Alix Jr put out another film that year, Padre de Familia with Nora Aunor and Coco Martin, and written with a Ralston Jover (who had some impressive credits early on in his career), but that too seems to have disappeared without so much as a whimper.

This is the first film I've seen from the director and here's what I make of him:
1) Story-wise--He has potential because he can be controversial but
2) He plays it safe that's why he doesn't deliver the controversy in-your-face style

Execution-wise--he has potential.

Sisterakas (2012)- Generic Star Cinema. You know those movies they spew for the $$$$, this one's it. Kris Aquino's attempt at being funny is already funny but it gets annoying later on. Ai-ai de las Alas was still herself, she can sometimes pull off (except the exaggerated over-the-top acting she does which is a bit eh) but it still comes back to the generic formula she devises. Vice Ganda tried to bring the movie forward, but he was taken down by his co-stars. And because there has to be a popular love team to ensure the $$$, KathNiel was here. I didn't watch this in the cinemas and I'm glad I did.

Not recommended.

plsletitrain said:

KathNiel was here.

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I always thought they missed a golden opportunity when they didn't call themselves "Bernadilla"

Kita Kita (2017)
English translation: I See You

This was a surprise box-office hit so even if I usually can't be bothered with what's on the box-office, I decided to jump into the bandwagon and see for myself how did the unlikely love team of Alessandra De Rossi, who's more known for her versatile performances in indie films, and Empoy Marquez, the usual side-kick/clown of the party, blossomed into this sleeper hit.

After watching it, I don't know. lol. It was good, but wasn't that great. I guess I was expecting too much because everyone's raving about it. The production values are above average--way better than the usual love team phollywood (copyright belongs to Clayton) that Star Cinema releases. I guess the success of the movie can be attributed to the unconvential love team courtesy of Alessandra De Rossi and Empoy Marquez. You see, Empoy Marquez isn't our prince charming leading man. He's no Piolo Pascual or Jericho Rosales. Yet, the film made you fall in love with him. I guess women, despite lusting for poster-like handsome leading men, realistically just wants a guy with a sense of humor you can talk to and share your crazy moments with. Alessandra de Rossi's acting prowess has never been in question, so I guess her pulling off your damsel-in-distress was not a surprise.

The story and over-all feel of the movie is very simple. It is also very cliched. The strength of the film is the execution, with some cute music box sound that serves as background music. Also, if you understand or can ride Philippine humor, you'll get a few good laughs. Empoy Marquez is that type of guy you won't get attracted to physically, but his comic antics will get you loving him.

The story is about two people who have both experienced heart aches and whose paths, for some reason, got intertwined. Leah (Alessandra de Rossi) experiences a heartache and suddenly turns temporarily blind. While she lives with her blindness, a neighbor, Tonyo (Empoy Marquez) pops up to befriend her. The subsequent flow of events felt like dejavu I think I may have seen it in one Japanese or Korean film already. Especially the part where Lea finally sees but with some stroke of bad luck, she loses Tonyo. We've seen it all before.

Overall, I won't say its overrated. It is a fun watch. Just don't expect too much.

plsletitrain said:

everyone's raving about it

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So much so, that when I saw a new post had been added to this thread, I guessed before I clicked that it would be a review of Kita Kita! From the trailers, it strikes me as this year's Tadhana - quirky but safe.

clayton-12 said:

So much so, that when I saw a new post had been added to this thread, I guessed before I clicked that it would be a review of Kita Kita! From the trailers, it strikes me as this year's Tadhana - quirky but safe.

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If its any consolation (to me at least) it didn't feel a bit like Tadhana. Its a species of a own, when comparing to the usual Philippine movie stuff. We've seen this type before, but not in Philippine cinemas. More like Japanese or Korean movies. And one thing that's in Tadhana that's not here-the annoying taglish! At least Empoy Marquez utilises to his advantage his English speaking skills or lack thereof. He was effortlessly cute and funny in a refreshing kind of way--because really, all these Star Cinema leading men acting so cute and quirky does the opposite to me.

Re Kita Kita, I've just realised director Sigrid Andrea Bernardo was behind Lorna and Ang huling cha-cha ni Anita, a couple of films that I've wanted to see for ages, but are sadly impossible to find post-festival run. The anticipation levels just went up, but the hope of actually seeing it just went down ... instead, we'll get something like Finally Found Someone over here. Grrr.

clayton-12 said:

instead, we'll get something like Finally Found Someone over here. Grrr.

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Hahahahaha! Why oh why do they have to keep shoving in our throats the Sarah Geronimo-JLC love team no one (at least in my world) ever asked for. I think they were caught off-guard by the success of Kita Kita that's why they've been pimping it out here and there. I heard Kita Kita will have international screenings so I hope it reaches your shores.

By the way, next week is Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (Feast of Philippine Movies) here. No showing of any foreign film, all Filipino indie films. If all goes well, this thread will be a busy thread next week.

plsletitrain said:

If all goes well, this thread will be a busy thread next week.

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Hamog and Birdshot are the two I've heard good things about, the rest don't ring any bells.

To an outsider looking in, the FDCP seems to be really proactive in trying to trying to promote the independent film industry within the Philippines - I wish they would broaden their horizons though, and start thinking about how best to distribute films to the wider world.

Clayton, I'm so sorry I can't contribute much re: the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. I know I said this will be a busy thread this week, but you hear nothing but crickets, because as much as there's at least 3 movies I'm willing to watch, I can't find the time. Most of its showing is office hours, and I can't watch a movie after office because of family duties. Its gonna be a long weekend in the Philippines and it was my initial plan to make the marathon watching on the weekend, but we'll be going for a family vacation just planned out-of-the-blue that I don't think I can watch the 1 movie, let alone the 3 movies. Huhu, opportunity lost. Sorry. :(((((

Family vacation was cancelled due to bad weather so I was able to watch 2 movies last saturday.

AWOL- I regret that I chose to watch this instead of another movie, Ang Manananggal sa Unit 31B, which was shown at the same time. Except for the shaky cam and profane language, nothing felt like "indie" in this film. Almost 3/4 of the movie is just gunshots. Gerald Anderson still struggles with his acting chops. Story is also poor. Nothing redeemed the movie for me. Even the presence of versatile actors such as Bembol Rocco and Richard Quan did nothing to me. This could make its way to one "Ang Probinsyano" (an action TV series) sub story or if made lengthier and without the shaky cam and profane language, this could be identified as just a phollywood movie. This was very well-pimped and I'm one of those who were fooled.

Not recommended.

Patay na si Hesus (Jesus is Dead)- I swear when I watched this I wrote a thousand words in my head as review. I don't know if I loved the movie because the dialect used (Bisaya) is my native tongue--I don't know if other Filipinos with a different native dialect got or understood the humor in this as much as we Bisaya's do.

Everything in this film, except having an A-lister such as Jacklyn Jose as lead, screamed indie. The shaky cam, the black humor, the profane language, the slice of life scenes, and the controversial scenes are all present in this. I'm willing to bet our religious sector will scream "Foul!!!" and "Blasphemy!!!" what with a nun, who probably suffers from mental breakdown was portrayed as slutty and insane. I laughed (and at the same time worried) at this one particular scene where she blasts her niece, who became a lesbian. The nun-aunt asked her niece, so do you have a penis already? The niece answered, No, why would I need a penis in my life. The nun retorted, That's what I thought too before. Boink!!!!! There's just so many of those scenes here and the whole cinema was just laughing our asses off (me particularly concerned that it only takes a matter of time before the religious sector files a complaint).

The movie is plainly comedy. Its main scenes are during the road travel of Iyay, a single mother of 3, the eldest being one with down syndrome, the second--a lesbian, and the third-- a happy-go-lucky type of guy. Hesus here is their estranged father (note the presence of religious names in here and one can only guess if these were made with shady references to the Bible characters). They were set to travel to a neighboring province to visit the wake (they were also accompanied by their dog, Hudas (Judas)). During the course of their travel, they were met with challenges and different interpellations with each other that are just enjoyable to hear.

There's just so many funny dialogues in here that we were just laughing the whole time. It is just a short film but no scene was rendered into waste. Most of it all are funny and witty exchanges, reflective of real reactions and comments we do in our everyday life. This is a fun watch. Kudos to the director for having such a humorous and crazy mind.

Highly Recommended.

Maayong Buntag!! Patay na si Hesus looks fun - can't imagine there have been too many films shot in Dumaguete.

Maayong buntag! Actually, one strength of the film is that it helps promote Cebu and Dumaguete as tourist destinations. It was fun watching my province being used as set locations. It became more personal to me. I was thinking of the film yesterday and I remember another scene which sent the entire theater laughing (and cringing) in chorus. One shower scene where the youngest was talking to his palm while saying "Who knows, you might be the one to find the cure for cancer, or you'll become the next president of the Philippines". Only to reveal that in his palm was his semen, He ate it. Boink!!! I was surprised this was only R-13 (as opposed to AWOL which is R-16 and is made of pure sleeping pills). This should have been R-18, what with very explicit and profane language used. Not to mention those scenes that could irk the priests/ nuns. This is not for the strictly religious types.

By the way, I think they were really trying to sell the movies to the international audience as all movies (at least the 2 I watched) had subs in them. I was surprised to learn that Patay na si Hesus didn't really do well in the box office. Their loss. Bleh! Hehehe.

Apparently, the top-grosser 100 Tula para kay Stella, has got a lot of viewers screaming for a refund. But the best part of it all is the director who can't seem to accept criticisms of his film (and has got too many time on his hands) to reply to every single (negative) tweet of the film. I found out about it through a news article and just reading the comments made by the director made me wish I watched the film so I can see for myself, write my review of it and wait for him to bombard me with his childish remarks but the title alone is enough to tell me it will lull me to sleep so, no thanks. http://preen.inquirer.net/54491/director-100-tula-para-kay-stella-reacts-negative-reviews-film

Because I like Vhong Navarro, I went to buy tickets for his latest film Woke Up Like This. And I even brought 2 nieces for ticket sales. Makes you wonder how I complain about being bereft of money yet I squander whatever money I have on nonsense fangirling. lol What I don't understand is why I actually watched it (as opposed to just buying the tickets without watching it.) Lovi Poe just can't act. It was painful to watch Lovi Poe trying so hard. It was painful to watch all those cliche-filled, cheesy jokes they thought were funny. It was painful to watch Vhong Navarro act so girly when he's not. The supporting cast were nothing but I don't know how they crawled their way to acting. Not that I expected more but come on. I should've just bought the tickets.