Disney and Pixar sequels used to be automatically dismissed as cash cows, but families fell for them anyway. That held truest in the direct-to-video era, when even a peek into Pocahontas’ married life felt warranted. Toy Story 2 was the … Continue reading Slithering Sequel: A Review of “Zootopia 2”
The fact Part One clocked in at nearly three hours already hinted at the stretch. And much as cramming everything into one film was briefly an option, it was impossible not to close with “Defying Gravity”, not in this medium, … Continue reading “Wicked”: More or Less, “For Good”
It could have passed for a folk tale, given how it glossed over tragedy with majestic Old West vistas. But, in truth, Denis Johnson’s Train Dreams was first published in 2002 and reworked into a novella in 2011. Both versions … Continue reading Derailed, but Connected: A Review of Clint Bentley’s “Train Dreams”
Again, the title is the scientist’s name, not the monster’s. And Mary Shelley never described the creation as a grunting behemoth with screws on its neck. That one was Boris Karloff’s take, immortalized through James Whale’s direction in 1931 and … Continue reading Humanized Horror: A Review of Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein”
If one must be pedantic about it, Sinag Maynila just entered its second decade. But due to that odd blip called the pandemic, this edition is only their seventh. The film festival started in 2015 with a lean roster of … Continue reading FilmFest Log: Sinag Maynila 2025 (A Prelude)
Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys was, in effect, one of the last great reads from the Old Normal. Published in mid-2019, the book followed two African-American boys enrolled in Nickel Academy, a reform school based on the now-defunct Dozier School … Continue reading Immersive Hidden Dread: A Review of RaMell Ross’s “Nickel Boys”
They called the original “Walt Disney’s Folly”, because everyone was convinced that any cartoon longer than Silly Symphonies was doomed to fail. They were wrong, of course. Not only did “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” earn more than all … Continue reading Snow Woke is the Real Disney’s Folly
It’s not often that we hear of films so economically made, that no storyboards were used and no scenes had to be deleted. Yet, here we have Latvia’s Straume (English title: Flow), a hit so surprising, it’s now the most … Continue reading Festival Log: FDCP’s A Curation of World Cinema (“Flow”)
The two Asian entries are acquired tastes. Stick around long enough, and you’ll be rewarded. BLACK DOG (China) Stories about man and man’s best friend are dime a dozen, but there’s something uniquely whimsical about Guan Hu’s Black Dog, even … Continue reading FDCP’s “A Curation of World Cinema” (“Black Dog” & “A Traveler’s Needs”)
The opening Arabic text gives the lowdown on the metaphorical tree. In English, it goes: “Ficus Religiosa is a tree with an unusual life cycle. It seeds, contained in bird droppings, fall on other trees. Aerial roots spring up and … Continue reading Festival Log: FDCP’s “A Curation of World Cinema” (“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”)
This year’s Western European entries happen to be offbeat coming-of-age tales. The British film follows a teenage girl who discovers her inner power thanks to her peculiar new friend, while the Belgian entry redefines young love. BIRD (United Kingdom) Barry … Continue reading Festival Log: FDCP’s “A Curation of World Cinema (“Bird” & “Young Hearts”)
For the third straight year, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) showcased “a diverse selection of acclaimed internationally-produced films” in the mini-festival aptly titled “A Curation of World Cinema”. Through this initiative, they continually seek to solidify the … Continue reading Festival Log: FDCP’s “A Curation of World Cinema” (“Dahomey”)
Even before Simon Stålanhag’s The Electric State made it to shelves, it was already destined for the screen. Somehow, however, this $320-million Netflix spectacle deviates from the book’s dark, dystopic commentary on America’s collapse. Guess it’s inevitable, with Anthony and … Continue reading “The Electric State” Short Circuits
Harris Dickinson has undoubtedly mastered onscreen sleaze. To expound would entail spoiling both Where the Crawdads Sing and Triangle of Sadness. Point is, he’s nailed the archetype, as he once again scores a devious role. Much as he’s not yet … Continue reading Mock-Empowerment: A Review of Halima Reijn’s “Babygirl”
It pays to remember that sci-fi is Bong Joon-Ho’s forte, even with Parasite still in our collective memory. In fact, it was The Host which first earned the South Korean filmmaker global attention in 2006. That, in turn, paved the … Continue reading “Mickey 17” Misunderstands Itself
Maria Callas was 53 when she died in Paris. It was a sad end to the opera legend, whose career never fell short of mystery and intrigue. Even before then, she was already destined to become a myth. Yet, outside … Continue reading Angelina Jolie Keeps “Maria” On-Key
Oh, you bet Donald Trump hated this movie. Not long after its release, he lashed out in his socials, calling the film a “cheap, defamatory, and politically disgusting hatchet job” and the people behind it “scum”. Of course, he still … Continue reading Escape From Near-Parody: A Review of Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice”
Without reading the synopsis, some might assume it’s a musical. It’s a valid assumption, seeing how it opens with Colman Domingo hamming it up with a monologue, dressed like royalty and bathed in lights. As the curtain closes, though, we … Continue reading “Sing Sing”: A Prison Drama with Soul Soul
It missed the original’s centennial by two years, which is curious, given how development took almost a decade. Some might say Robert Eggers missed a shot at a timely release. Then again, it probably wasn’t his point. Maybe, he really … Continue reading “Nosferatu”: A Nifty Take Nine Years in the Making
It’s not that movie epics ever disappeared. It’s just that, since the turn of the century, only The Lord of the Rings franchise made a mark at more than three hours per installment. Compare that to say, 1965, when The … Continue reading Built to Endure: A Review of Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist”
Planet Chuckie 