With the world still on hold, many industries are still struggling to regain their footing. Among the hardest hit sectors is the film industry, with cinemas closing worldwide and slews of freelancers losing projects, if not their jobs entirely. Inevitably, … Continue reading FilmFest Log: We Are One, Days 1-3
The idea was to bring back the Universal Classic Monsters. To be exact: reintroduce the landmark horror series to a contemporary audience by creating an updated cinematic universe. Think MCU or DCEU, but with spooks. And, why not? The original … Continue reading “The Invisible Man”: A potent feminist update
Sonic the Hedgehog D: Jeff Fowler S: Ben Schwartz (voice), James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter Even when Sega’s flagship series was in its heyday, a movie adaptation was already in the pipeline. But when the teaser for Sonic the … Continue reading Sonic Outruns Initial Backlash
D: Stephen Gaghan S: Robert Downey Jr., Antonio Banderas, Jessie Buckley If animals could talk to producers, they’d probably gripe. Why even give Hugh Lofting’s beloved vet the big screen treatment again? None of the previous outings ever worked. There’s … Continue reading “Dullittle” is more like it.
D: Jon Favreau S: Donald Glover, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Chiwitel Efiojor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen It’s not that the story was ever unworthy of retelling. After all, the musical amassed legions of new fans and is now the third … Continue reading “The Lion King” Remake: Zoological Accuracy at the Expense of Wonder
OKJA
D: Bong Joon-Ho
S: Ahn Seo-Hyun, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal
121 minutes
RATING: 
South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho’s journey to this year’s Cannes Film Festival was anything but smooth. Just ask any audience member who booed his latest film when the Netflix logo appeared onscreen. Their main beef – or should I say pork (?) – is that it will never be released in French cinemas, or any cinema outside the US, UK, and Korea, for that matter. Instead, it will be largely available online, as part of Netflix’s original line-up.
Continue reading ““Okja”: Occasionally obnoxious, mostly provocative”
Ang Bagong Pamilya ni Ponching
D: Inna Salazar Acuña and Dos Ocampo
S: Janus del Prado, Ketchup Eusebio, Lollie Mara, Joyce Burton Titular, Odette Khan, Ricardo Cepeda
RATING: 
Hitches abound in Inna Acuña and Dos Ocampo‘s joint directorial debut. For the most part, Ang Bagong Pamilya ni Ponching plays like a 90s local sitcom. It’d feel no different filmed in a shoddy set, replete with laugh tracks. Save for a hilarious Snapchat reference, most of the gags feel generic and passé. But what this earnest morality tale lacks in freshness is counteracted by its overall enthusiasm.
Continue reading “Enthusiasm keeps problematic “Ponching” afloat”
Dagsin
D: Atom Magadia
S: Tommy Abuel, Lotlot de Leon, Janine Gutierrez, Benjamin Alves, Sue Prado, Marita Zobel, Rolando Inocencio, Alex Diaz
RATING: 
The title of Atom Magadia‘s directorial debut translates to “gravity”. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough of it to pull us in. It opens with Tommy Abuel trying to shoot himself Deer Hunter-style to no avail. With that debilitating image, Dagsin goes off on a promising start but barely takes off.
I spent my last few hours in Baler exploring a fragment of film history. This was where portions of Francis Ford Coppola‘s Apocalypse Now (1979) were filmed. And while majority of the film’s sequences were shot in Pagsanjan, it was in this very town where they did this iconic scene with Robert Duvall:
Production was marred by several delays: The set was ravaged by a typhoon, Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack, and Marlon Brando‘s eccentric behavior drove Coppola nuts, just to cite a few unfortunate incidents. Fortunately, the film did go on racking up several accolades, including Oscars for Cinematography and Sound Editing. More importantly, it’s now considered as one of the quintessential Vietnam War movies. But for the then-untapped town of Baler, Apocalypse Now‘s legacy transcends the realm of cinema.
Ang Taba Ko Kasi
D: Jason Paul Laxamana
S: Cai Cortez, Ryan Yllana, Mark Neumann
RATING: 
No other CineFilipino 2016 finalist enjoyed more pre-festival hype than Jason Paul Laxamana‘s Ang Taba Ko Kasi. The teasers were intriguing, the memes were hilarious, and its Facebook page amassed more than 73,000 fans. Those fans likely cried foul when the trailer was slammed with an “X” rating. Couple that hype with widely relatable subject matters like weight struggle and unrequited love and we’ve got ourselves a potential sentimental favorite. Now, if only the follow-through was as heavy.
As expected, Chris Rock took no prisoners in addressing the #OscarsSoWhite controversy surrounding this year’s Academy Awards. “Is Hollywood racist? You’re damn right it’s racist!”, he said at the beginning of his epic introductory monologue. Just like any other Oscar host before him, Rock also had spotty moments: The jabs at Will and Jada went a tad too far, the girl scout cookie bit was borderline NPH’s prediction box gag, and don’t get me started on Stacey Dash. But overall, the ceremony benefitted from Rock’s energy and I won’t mind seeing him host again in the future.
Here are the rest of my 2016 Oscar highlights:
The 88th Annual Academy Awards is less than 24 hours away, but it already made history early this year – for the wrong reasons. For the second year in a row, not a single person of color was nominated in the acting categories, leading to boycotts from Spike Lee, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and many more. The outrage also fuelled the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, further prompting the Academy to mull over major changes. Whether or not these will address and eventually rectify the diversity issue, only time will tell.
Despite the uproar, comedian Chris Rock decided to push through with his hosting duties anyway. This marks his return to the Oscars stage after 11 years. And judging from his opening monologue from the 2005 ceremonies (where he relished the presence of 4 black nominees), he will not mince words:
So, expect tomorrow to be full of snide references.
But for now, here are my picks:
Last Wednesday (February 10), I was invited to the premiere of the digitally-restored Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising by Mike de Leon. Originally released in 1977, this poignant and exquisitely filmed romance starred Christopher de Leon and Hilda Koronel – back when cinematic love tandems didn’t have amalgamated names. It was shot mostly in Baguio City and Sagada. (Sorry, Tadhana fans: No cliff theatrics here.) As part of this year’s REELive the Classics line-up, the remastered KMKM boasts a revitalized color palette, clearer cinematography, and a reinstated soundtrack, among other things. Not all retouches work (the restored music was too loud, sadly), but all … Continue reading “Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising”: A Dream Revisited
The Big Short
D: Adam McKay
S: Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt
RATING:
It sounds like a tall order: Adam McKay, a frequent Will Ferrell collaborator and the goofball force behind Anchorman, taking on what was once considered the economic equivalent of the Apocalypse. But in case you missed it, he delivers in The Big Short.
It was in 18th Century France where Pierre Chorderlos de Laclos wrote the epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses. The story revolves around the cunning exploits of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, conniving ex-lovers who resort to seduction and manipulation for cheap thrills. Their unwary targets: the conservative (and married) Madame de Tourvel and chaste Cecile de Volanges, who then falls for her music tutor Chevalier Danceny, a commoner. Written in the form of letters, the book was so popular, even Marie Antoinette was said to have a copy. It gained further traction during the French Revolution for lavishing on the decadence of the elite.
Given that history, it’s easy to understand why the book spawned so many adaptations. The most notable of which is Stephen Frears‘ acclaimed 1988 film. Glenn Close (who had already shocked audiences in Fatal Attraction the year before) received her second consecutive Best Actress Oscar nomination for playing the scheming Mertuil. Michelle Pfeiffer, likewise, earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nod for playing Tourvel. John Malkovich also excelled, although he was arguably miscast as the womanizing Valmont. While then-newcomers Uma Thurman and Keanu Reeves played the star-crossed lovers. Continue reading ““Dangerous” Adaptations and Quick Notes on “Juego de Peligro””
At 3 hours and 43 minutes, it was the longest Oscar telecast aired within the last five years. The 2011 ceremony felt longer, but that was only because the Franco and Hathaway were a drag. I’d rather not join the public pillorying of Neil Patrick Harris because I still found him entertaining, even if some of his jokes fell flat. Besides, hosting the Oscars is one of Hollywood’s most thankless, most brutally-scrutinized gigs. It can either showcase the talent, or at the extreme, readily expose the flaws of even the most seasoned entertainers. NPH was a case of both extremes. His strength is being inherently funny; his weakness is not knowing when to stop (That prediction box gag was particularly dragging). Still, he knew how to put up a show.
It’s also a bittersweet surprise that Birdman (my personal favorite) won over Boyhood (the oddsmakers’ pick) for Best Picture. Weeks before the ceremony, the momentum seemingly belonged to Richard Linklater‘s coming-of-age saga – if even by just a tiny margin. Shockingly, Boyhood won only one award, versus Birdman‘s four. My over-analysis: the voters probably got over the fact that Boyhood 12-year production period and started seeing it as just another coming-of-age film. That probably made Alejandro G. Iñárritu‘s achievements feel fresher by comparison, hence the shift. I’m filing this under “sweet upset”.
Here’s the full list of winners (from Oscar’s official site).
And here are my thoughts on the telecast:
Continue reading “Highlights and Lowlights of the 87th Oscars”
Oscars Season is upon us once again, and I’m glad I managed to binge-watch all eight Best Picture nominees (and then some) before the big day – something I wasn’t able to do last year. Without further ado, here’s how I hope tomorrow will transpire. My picks are listed in bold italic.
Here’s how I think the major awards will play out: BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM The Croods Despicable Me 2 Ernest and Celestine Frozen The Wind Rises Frozen might not necessarily be the best bet here, especially with Miyazaki in the mix, but don’t forget, the most popular nominee usually prevails in this category. And if the victory of the middling Brave last year was any indication, expect Disney to leave the other nominees in the ice. PICK: Frozen BEST WRITING – ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY American Hustle – Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell Blue Jasmine – Woody Allen Dallas Buyers Club … Continue reading My Oscar Wishlist, Part 2: The Big Leagues
It’s that time of the year once again. In less than 24 hours, golden naked men will be handed out to esteemed people for their cinematic achievements during the previous year. I’m talking about the Academy Awards, of course. I’m not exactly doing cartwheels over Ellen DeGeneres hosting the ceremony once again. Not yet, at least. Her first stint in 2007 had its bright spots, but her talk show schtick could barely sustain three hours. Then again, it’s a common birth pain most fledgeling Oscar hosts go through. Many fall, few are forgiven. (Franco *Cough*; McFarlane, *Cough, Cough*). Let’s see what she’ll have … Continue reading My Oscar 2014 Wishlist, Part 1: The Technicals
HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS D: Tommy Wirkola S: Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, Famke Janssen, Peter Stormare RATING: * FACT: Fairy tales were meant to be scary, especially the ones by the Brothers Grimm. Most of us know by now that Little Red Riding Hood was about rape, Snow White was about necrophilia, and Cinderella’s stepsisters went as far as severing their toes to fit into that goddamn slipper. This makes any attempt at a more gruesome reboot a redundant exercise, to say the least. Norweigan director Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow) must have missed that memo. In Hansel and Gretel: Witch … Continue reading This week in fairy tale bastardization: Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
Planet Chuckie 