Author: Wanggo Gallaga

Movie Review — A Dream and a Nightmare: A Review of ‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking’

Director and screenwriter Petersen Vargas manages to deconstruct Manila (and consequently the rural province where the story unfolds) as both a battleground and, for survival’s sake, a marketplace for society’s outcasts. His latest film, ‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking,’ captured through Russel Morton’s exquisite cinematography, renders Manila as gritty, dangerous, and at times vulgar. The story follows a new and young street hustler who finds himself entangled with a small gang of other hustlers. Vargas maps out the city’s the darker corners, to the infamous cinema houses where men engage in the flesh trade.

Within the first twenty minutes of the film, we see desire and longing become commodities that are bought and sold, while the hustlers’ bodies are sometimes used as shields to protect them from law enforcement who would rather rough them up than help them find education, work, or shelter. For some, these spaces are the safest grounds to express and explore their identities – the queerness which a large sector of society shuns and demonizes – under the shadows but for others, like Vargas’ characters, it’s where they find their next payday, a dangerous work environment that offers no security or stability, and sometimes, no hope.

But on a chance encounter, Zion (Miguel Odron), a runaway turned hustler, shares a trick with Uno (Jomari Angeles). As their client takes pleasure in their bodies, their eyes lock, their breathing falls in sync, and something sparks between them.

Later, when Zion has a violent run-in with Bayani (Argel Saycon), part of Uno’s inner circle that includes Rush (Tommy Alejandrino) and Miguelito (Gold Aceron), it is Uno who tends to Zion and shows him the ropes. Something is budding there, something daring to blossom, until Uno receives a frantic call from Miguelito, who is with a client. Zion and Uno rush to find him, only to find Miguelito in the throes of an overdose until he passes.

With no money, no support system, and dismissed by polite society, the hustlers decide to take Miguelito’s body back to the province to heed his final request to be buried home.

Throughout this movie, Vargas shifts the mood and atmosphere of his film from that of a gritty, concrete nightmare to a neon-colored dream. As the outsider, Zion becomes our way into the lives and the world of Uno and his friends. As Zion and Uno’s connection gets deeper, Bayani’s suspicions of Zion’s motives turn threatening, and the world around these young men start to reveal how dark and cruel it is to people who don’t fit the mold. Odron anchors his performance with the heavy weight of Zion’s coming-of-age into this hostile world. He barely smiles. He’s almost constantly numb from the pain and loss and it’s only with Uno where he finds peace.

Angeles delivers a captivating performance that shows Uno’s resilience, the brave face and the charm that he needs to get through this life, but when he’s alone with Zion, he subtly shows us Uno’s cracks, the internal collapse. It’s such a measured performance and really invites us into their vulnerability. As counterpoint, Saycon is sheer brute force and instinct. He’s frightening, as he gets territorial with his friends. But Saycon’s genius is how flimsy his bravado is when things get really emotional and his character just softens. Along with Alejandrino and Aceron, this cast just works magic.

‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking’ truly is a love letter to outcasts, to those who feel disenfranchised, and exiled. It’s a story about the found family and the importance of community. It shows us how hope still inches forward even when everything seems so dark and cruel, and in a twist of sheer brilliance, Vargas also shows us the light.

The film is slow but layered and textured. The character work of the actors is delightful to see; Uno and his team have a shorthand built by good chemistry that makes everything so real and believable. And the way the film talks about these issues, it always feels honest and authentic no matter how far Vargas pushes us into the realm of the dream-like or the nightmare.

With an incredible 20-minute or so one-take finale, ‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking’ is a triumph of a movie and is definitely in the running for one of my favourites of 2025.

My Rating:

Raw, daring, unforgettable. Films like this don’t come often, catch Some Nights I Feel Like Walking while it’s on the big screen. Get showtimes and book your tickets here.

August 26, 2025
Theater Review: While Some Performances Shine, ‘Into the Woods’ Gets Lost in Some of Its Creative Choices

‘Into the Woods’ is a legendary musical. It’s quite accessible as it uses familiar characters from fairy tales and have them engage and interact with each other with comedic results, in the first act, and then heavier, more dramatic effect in the second act. Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning music and James Lapine’s Tony Award-winning book creates a deceptively fun but also deeply profound musical about the human condition of wishes, hopes, and dreams, and the innocence of longing and desire.

Lea Salonga as The Witch, Mikkie Volante as the Baker’s Wife and Nyoy Volante as the Baker in Theatre Group Asia’s Into the Woods. Photo by Mark Alvarez

The story revolves around some pretty famous fairy tale characters: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk), and The Baker and the Baker’s Wife (adapted from a classic French tale). Each character must go to the woods but it is the Baker and his wife who enter the forest to gather ingredients needed to lift a curse put upon them so they can have a child. The witch who cursed them demands “a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold.” Their interactions force each character to learn, to grow, and to discover things about themselves and of life in general.

Arielle Jacobs as Cinderella in Theatre Group Asia’s Into the Woods. Photo by Mark Alvarez

I grew up with this musical. My dad would play the original Broadway soundtrack at home on CD, and we watched the 1991 recording of the original Broadway cast performing it in front of a live audience on PBS American Playhouse. I knew every line and could sing every song. So, to be able to catch this show in the Philippines, with an incredible line-up of Filipino talents (Lea Salonga! Nyoy and Mikkie Volante! Teetin Villanueva! And more…) and Filipinos by roots (Arielle Jacobs, Josh Dela Cruz) and a multi-award-winning creative team led by Clint Ramos as producer and Chari Arespacochaga as director, felt like a no-brainer. Adding to the mix a full, live 19-piece orchestra, and this staging became everything I could ask for.

But despite all the talent, the show I saw at the opening gala night seemed to buckle under the pressure of all that expectation. It was opening night, so I can excuse some missed cues and some technical issues with the microphones. The first thing that really stood out was the stage design of Ohm David. Making full use of the Samsung Performing Arts Theater gigantic stage, he created a cavernous set framed by Capiz-shell lattice windows that created the image of an indoor locale. There are three elevated areas creating three large steps to create levels and there are four gray poles meant to stand for trees. Each of the three levels have entrances and exits on both sides of the stage. The size of which becomes problematic as ‘Into the Woods’ is a bit of a farce and the exits and entrances must be quick but because there’s so much space to cover, it kills the momentum as we shift from one scene to the other. Without more trees to hide in for a quiet exit out, the play has to wait for characters to step in and out and it kills the pacing of the show.

Lea Salonga as The Witch and Joreen Bautista as Rapunzel in Theatre Group Asia’s Into the Woods. Phot by Mark Alvarez

This design was the seat of the most of my problems. Much of the story involves going into the woods for the characters to get their wishes – Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk), and the Baker and the Baker’s Wife (from a classic French tale) – and some of the songs repeatedly reference the woods. Yet, visually, the stage never truly evokes that image. The production boasts of approaching the material through a Filipino lens – Capiz-shell window frames, a salakot hat worn by one character, and the magical harp taken from the giant’s lair in Jack’s story designed to resemble a Sarimanok. These are all adornments meant to create a sense of the Filipino but it never really says anything about the culture or how the culture adds a texture or layer to the material. It feels added on rather than integrating itself organically into the show.

Are the four gray poles meant to symbolize that the Philippines has gone urban and so are woods are concrete? Later on, as Jack’s story with the bean stalk play out and the giant’s wife searches for her husband’s killer, she speaks with a Southern American accent, unmistakably? Is the giant meant to be America? But as a friend pointed out, the show’s enemy isn’t the giant, it’s their greed for wanting to get their wishes.

Lea Salonga as The Witch and Joreen Bautista as Rapunzel in Theatre Group Asia’s Into the Woods. Phot by Mark Alvarez

It’s some choices like this that created a resistance to really get into the show. The heavier, more profound parts of ‘Into the Woods’ wasn’t quite hitting its mark but all the fun and humour of it was in full display. Lea Salonga, as the Witch, gave her some of the best songs of the evening, and she can really imbue each one with the weight of emotions that’s required of it. I personally felt that she struggles on the opening night with the first-act costume, the mechanics of the witch’s garb got in the way of her clarity in her performance but the moment she shows her true form, Salonga cut through and delivered some powerful moments. Of the very talented cast, the standouts were really Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante and Arielle Jacobs. Bradshaw-Volante was able to project the difficulties of a wife being taken seriously by her husband, a shade of a typical Filipino household that I would have loved if it was amplified more. But she was able to balance the comedy and the heart of her story and really nailed her solo, which was a triumph of this production. Airelle Jacobs was just perfect as Cinderella. Her vocal range and her innocence; it really created a wonderful space for Jacobs to take Cinderella and show us the not so happy side of happily ever after. Her character’s growth – the realisation that not everything you wish for is what you really wanted – is so evident, especially in her final scene between herself and her prince (Josh Dela Cruz). The moment was so affecting that it left the entire theater in a hushed silence.

The Witch’s entrance in Theatre Group Asia’s Into the Woods. Photo by Mark Alvarez

The cast who got to play and really felt so in synch with the play’s more joyful elements were Josh Dela Cruz and Mark Bautista as Cinderella and Rapunzel’s Princes, along with Kakki Teodoro and Sarah Facuri as the wicked stepsisters. Aside from Dela Cruz, these characters play counterpoints to the main cast and thus have the unenviable task of just having fun and they do. Teodoro and Facuri are campy and loud, create a nice contrast to Jacob’s Cinderella. Dela Cruz and Bautista, on the other hand, take their melodramatic princes into another level completely. They have so much fun, one-upping each other, and trying to find a way to make their princes the most scene-stealing prince of all. It never feels too much, for some reason, because it’s campy approach somehow works with the show’s design that doesn’t quite gel together: the lack of any real woods, the Capiz-shell frames that makes the show feel contained rather than wild and free.

There’s still plenty to enjoy in this production. The songs are gorgeous and gorgeously performed – especially with a 19-piece orchestra under Gerard Salonga’s baton – and some performances really stand out. There are just some choices that I feel restrains the show from reaching its full potential and while there are aspects of Filipino imagery by design or adornments, it never really makes any full connection to the Filipino lived experience to justify these tacked on Filipino markers.

My Rating:

Don’t miss your chance to experience this beloved Sondheim classic brought to life on the big stage. Into the Woods runs until August 31, 2025, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater. Secure your tickets now a TicketWorld.

August 25, 2025
Movie Review: Funny but Also Grotesque and Dramatic, ‘Together’ Is Body Horror Made Fun

A body horror film that is also equal parts a love story about a couple on the verge of untethering, ‘Together’ makes full use of the paranormal dramatic situation to amplify the human drama at the center of this film. Screenwriter and director Michael Shanks does not shy away from both themes and goes full-on with the dramatic elements as well as the body horror for an all-around attack on the senses. This film, along with its grotesque imagery and the explosive performances of Alison Brie and Dave Franco makes for a solid horror film in a year of splendid scary movies.

Brie and Franco play Millie and Tim, a couple preparing for a big move. Tim has lost both of his parents, and their passing has left Tim somewhat broken and emotionally distant from Millie. Millie, on the other hand, has accepted a job outside New York, and the couple decided to relocate to the countryside so that Millie can work in her dream environment while giving Tim the change of page he needs.

But Tim is haunted by bad dreams, and the couple are falling apart until one day, while hiking in the woods, they accidentally fall into an underground cavern where a mysterious pool casts a spell on them, causing their bodies to physically merge into one.

As strange things begin to happen, Tim starts acting erratically in ways Millie cannot understand, and their relationship starts to unravel. Yet the mystical nature of the pool keeps forcing them closer to each other, so close that they eventually become one.

The film’s use of dramatic irony creates a level of humour here that keeps the film both entertaining and surprising. While Shanks is keen on using a few jump scares here and there to keep his audiences on their toes, he excels when he puts that camera squarely on the faces of Brie and Franco, allowing them to showcase their acting range – showing us their characters at their most vulnerable, as they try to navigate the complex emotions that are at the core of their relationship issues – and allowing them every bit of physical performance that is required in this genre.

The merging in itself is a visual treat. Millie’s and Tim’s bodies move out of their own volition, moving with a will of its own; and Brie and Franco have to show us how the body literally longs for one thing while the mind says “no.” It’s a whole lot of acting and performance, but also CGI and practical effects to fully execute one of their bodies attempts to merge.

Interestingly enough, the film begins as terrifying and horrific. Frightening imagery and eerie music help build the scary scenes before it happens. But later, as the backstory unfolds and the characters understand what’s going on, what’s interesting is how the characters begin to understand what’s happening, try to find solutions and the film takes a more comic turn. There’s a desperation that sets in that goes counter to the tone of fear and death. That desperation becomes the core of the humour.

Brie has always been a natural comedienne, so it comes off as funny and organic. But she also manages to bring out all of Millies’ insecurities and frailty. Her Millie is the standard broken girl who’d give a million chances to the boyfriend that nobody in her group or circle cares much for. It’s a wonderfully nuanced performance that highlights Brie’s range.

Franco, on the other hand, brings the bravura. He has the less nuanced role. Tim, from the get-go, is suffering from the trauma of having found both his parents dead. It haunts him. It gives him issues with sleeping and connecting with Millie. It is a role that is set to the extremes from off the gate. But fortunately, Franco delivers the necessary intensity.

My only real resistance to the piece is how it still leans into formulaic or predictable story points that undermines its otherwise fresh approach to the genre. It could have been weirder. It could have been more unconventional. As grotesque as it is, the film still feels safe in its presentation. And its ending comes off a little too clean.

My Rating:

Experience the chilling thrills of Together on the big screen! Find showtimes and book your tickets now.

August 21, 2025
Movie Review — Head Over Heart: A Review of ‘Materialists’

I personally feel that the marketing of ‘Materialists’ was all wrong. This film, the second feature-length film by Celine Song (who wrote and directed the wonderful ‘Past Lives’), is less of a rom-com, as it was marketed, and more an intricate exploration and study of how capitalism has twisted and warped the idea of modern love and dating. The three central characters at the center of ‘Materialists’ are so far removed from the usual characters of the romantic-comedy tropes. They are people who are either jaded or cynical about love, or who do not understand it at all, and are therefore driven by checklists and standardized metrics of desirability. One character sells the illusion of love, another buys into it, and the third is afraid to give it a chance because they have been hurt before.

The characters in ‘Materialists’ are either wrestling with the idea of love or buying into its marketing, yet they do not seem to know exactly what it is and how it should feel like. Thus, the usual thrill and electricity one expects from the genre are absent in this film. Instead, we are presented with philosophical positions about dating and romance, and we have to figure out if we’ve also been rendered numb by the social algorithm that we can deconstruct our desires into a checklist.

Lucy is a successful matchmaker in New York. At the start of the film, she celebrates her ninth successful match (one that led to a marriage proposal) but she herself can’t imagine finding someone for her own life. At her client’s wedding, she meets Harry, the groom’s brother, a very successful and attractive man in finance who is immediately smitten with her. At the same event, Lucy also reconnects with her ex-boyfriend, John, who is working in the catering staff of the wedding, who is also a struggling actor. John re-enters her life as a friend, though he clearly still has feelings for her, while Harry is dead set on dating the jaded and cynical matchmaker.

Plot-wise, it sounds like a great rom-com, except Song is much more intellectual than that. All the anxieties, fears, and attitudes of this generation are laid out on the table. Lucy is, at first, resistant to Harry, who in her job refer to as a “unicorn,” the perfect man. She feels she doesn’t deserve a man like him, who in her industry is reserved for the best of the best. In her own estimation, she doesn’t and wouldn’t be a proper match. For Lucy, romance and dating are all about the math. Harry, however, wants to prove her wrong. That the math is wrong because he likes her. He sees “value” in her, which instigates a shift for Lucy, who is growing tired of her industry and her clients’ unrealistic standards.

But then there’s John, who hasn’t really gotten out of the rut that he was in, that caused the breakup in the first place. But you can see there’s a comfort when Lucy is with him. A short hand. Interestingly enough, when things go bad for Lucy at work, the first person she calls is John.

What happens to the math now?

Celine Song uses these characters to really deconstruct and dissect how modern dating has been destroyed by capitalist tendencies – measuring people’s worth by their status, their appearance, by how much they make – and forces us to realign and shift our ideas about love back to that indescribable, undefinable abstract thing. The film can feel cold at times because the characters themselves can be cold. Dakota Johnson, who plays Lucy, seems incapable to gaining any chemistry with Chris Evans’ John or Pedro Pascal’s Harry until you see the spark and magic in certain scenes. It’s only then that you realise Johnson is purposefully breaking the chemistry because Lucy doesn’t think she’s ready for this. Evans’ John is tired and exhausted. Lucy has broken up with him before because of his unstable life and as he is still pretty much the same, he is only really there as a friend. And later on, as charming as Pascal plays Harry, his character’s own internal struggle reveals why his unicorn character never really burns passionately.

For those expecting a rom-com, they will be very unsatisfied. As the film seeks out to dispel the current contemporary obsession with unrealistic standards for romance, the film in itself, subverts the rom-com tropes and conventions. I love it for its understated and realistic view on the topic and its philosophical approach to a topic that is heavily guided by the emotions. The contrast, for me, is fascinating. But, yes, I wasn’t made giddy with excitement. It wasn’t thrilling. I had an intellectual response, not an emotional one.

My Rating:

Materialists is now showing. Check showtimes near you and experience Celine Song’s take on modern romance.

August 17, 2025
Theater Review – Brecht, Vaudeville, and Freaks; A Review of The Sandbox Collective’s ‘Side Show The Musical’

Based on the real life of conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, ‘Side Show’ is a musical by Bill Russell (book and lyrics) and Henry Krieger (music) that first opened on Broadway in 1997 and was later revived in 2014 with a revised book and additional songs. The musical focuses on their journey from being the star attraction of a sideshow to becoming a success in vaudeville. The Sandbox Collective brings its own spin to the stage, using the original 1996 book and director Toff De Venecia stylized his production to make immediate contemporary connections with the material, which is set in the 1930s, to the present day.

The set design by Mark Dalacat (who also serves as assistant director), places the audience on either side of the stage, creating the impression that the audience can see a row of people watching the show, much like a sideshow. The actors come in and out from the side, though some of the action brings the actors up to the audience area. In the first act, set entirely in the sideshow, there are aerials to create the appearance of the carnival. The incredible ensemble are dressed in different styles – according to De Venecia, each member of the ensemble were allowed to create their own freak – that ranges from snake charmer, bearded woman, fortune teller, and so on.

Credits: The Sandbox Collective

In Act Two, when Daisy and Violet are taken away from the sideshow and into vaudeville, the stage adornments become more posh. The ensemble switch from journalists to party guests to vaudeville dancers. It’s a feast of motion and costumes that really stand out (costume design by Carlos Siongco). De Venecia’s direction is to keep it busy when their lives are busy. So that when the play moves to its more intimate, tender parts, it gets really quiet and the contrast is clear.

Credits: The Sandbox Collective

Daisy and Violet may be conjoined twins, but they are very different people. Daisy longs to be a performer and craves the limelight, whereas Violet is more reserved, wants a normal life, which equates to a family and a home. This tension creates the space for the girls to be tested when two men come into their lives who doesn’t see them as freaks but as performers capable of making it big in vaudeville. These men are Terry Connor and Buddy Foster. They clash with Sir/The Boss of the sideshow, convince their best friend, the show’s “Cannibal King” Jake to let them go and come along with them, and find themselves intertwined with the twins more than just professionally. Violet takes a fancy to Terry while Buddy is keen on making Daisy’s dreams come true. And that’s where the trouble begins.

Credits: The Sandbox Collective

Aside from an incredible ensemble who are filled with such diverse types of people but they all can sing and dance and act a storm. Jon Santos is a menacing force as Sir/The Boss and his presence is felt strongly even in his infrequent appearances in act two. The rest of the main cast is split into alternates. Playing Violet and Daisy are Marynor Madamesila and Tanya Manalang and Molly Langley and Krystal Kane; for Terry, it is Reb Atadero and CJ Navato; for Buddy it is Tim Pavino and Vien King; and for Jake, it is Marvin Ong and Joshua Cabiladas.

Credits: The Sandbox Collective

The alternates bring different approaches to the material. Madamesila and Manalang play the sisters very differently. Their differences in character are so clear while Langley and Kane have to fight through the fact that, in makeup, they look alike, and they even have the same quality of voice. Their attack can sometimes be similar in approach and so their Violet and Daisy sometime blur, though they are excellent singers. Navato and King have a more straightforward approach to Terry and Buddy. Navato plays Terry as all business and King plays up Buddy’s need for the spotlight. It’s an accessible performance and well-suited for a big theatrical piece. Atadero and Pavino play it a little more layered, with Atadero’s Terry is conflicted about how he feels about Violet while Pavino’s approach to Buddy is more contained, let’s out little bursts of his need for fame, which creates an interesting layer when his interactions with Daisy get complicated. I had issues with Cabiladas in the show that I saw.

Credits: The Sandbox Collective

A terrific singer, I felt he would lose character in order to sing the powerful songs that Jake does but Marvin Ong stole the performance at every turn. He imbued the vocally demanding songs of Jake with all the frustrations and rage of The Cannibal King that allowed a true marriage of acting and singing. Ong was, without a doubt, a scene-stealer.

Credits: The Sandbox Collective

De Venecia employs Brechtian techniques in directing ‘Side Show’ allowing us to see the stagecraft that was at play. The show opens with the ensemble engaging with the audience, a Brechtian trick to remind the audience that what they are about to see is a show. He then let’s the players change onstage, while introducing modern elements such as a screen and a camera to adorn his 1930 portrayal with a modern feel.

It can be jarring until the show’s finale when the last striking image – that of a marriage – with the whole exploration of what it means to be a freak takes a poignant meaning.

Credits: The Sandbox Collective

The play is dead set in trying to humanize the two women who the world sees as freaks, but the show is constantly reminding us that these “freaks” are humans too. The modernization of the show brings us to think about who we think are freaks in this day and age and De Venecia’s political stand becomes clearer and clearer. It’s a matter of taste, whether this friction works for you, but the intention is tangible and deeply felt.

My Rating:

SIDE SHOW: THE MUSICAL runs until August 17, 2025, at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater. Tickets are available at Ticket2Me.

August 11, 2025
Movie Review: Frightening and Funny at Equal Turns, ‘Weapons’ Is a Film Best Viewed in a Group and With No Preparation at All

What made Zach Cregger’s breakout film ‘Barbarian’ so good and so enjoyable was how completely unprepared you were for where that story would take you. It was skillfully written and directed, creating dread and tension from familiar tropes in horror but twisting them so that the surprise came from another element altogether. Then halfway through ‘Barbarian,’ the story shifts to another character who then joins the first half of the narrative and bringing it to a big climax filled with gruesome horror. His latest film, ‘Weapons,’ takes all of that and blows it up. He tells the story in six chapters, following six characters and their entanglement with the main story of the film.

The film opens with a child’s narration on how, one evening in the town of Maybrook, 17 of 18 kids from one class run out of their homes and are never seen again. Some were seen on CCTV of homes, and it all happened at 2:17 in the morning.

The town left is furious and frustrated. They are desperate for answers. They want answers from the class’ homeroom teacher, Justine Gandy, but she has none to give. One of the parents of the missing kids, Archer Graff, takes it upon himself to find out what happened. The other four characters whose point-of-view we follow throughout the film include the school’s superintendent, Andrew Marcus; a police man who is a friend of Justine, Paul Morgan; a junkie named James; and the only boy of Justine’s class who didn’t disappear that night, Alex Lilly.

‘Weapons’ has everything you could ask for in a horror film: nightmarish imagery, unsettling quiet moments of tension when things make a sound at the dead of night, a terrifying evil force, brutal and grotesque violence, and, most importantly, a strong human element that allows us to connect with the characters so we actually root for them and want them to survive. As a Grade 5 homeroom teacher, Justine isn’t as a nice archetype. She drinks, she’s pushy, and at times, reckless. But her care and concern for the missing children is felt.

Julia Garner brings a spunk to the role, but doesn’t shy away from her character’s flaws, which makes her such an interesting character to follow. Josh Brolin is always a solid performer, and his Archer Graff is tormented by the unanswered questions and the worry for his missing child. These two characters really form the heart of ‘Weapons’ which elevates the horror to a place that can inspire real dread and fear. Many horror films fall short when it comes to character development. Some become flat, uninteresting that we fail to connect with them, while others lean in too much on the protagonist’s flaws making them unlikable and you end up rooting for the monster or the villain. ‘Weapons’ avoids these traps. The missing children and the pain and frustration of the whole town is felt vividly that it amplifies the film’s stakes.

At 128 minutes, the film does feel long – as there’s a lot of stories in it and a lot of characters to uncover – but it is never boring. Cregger uses each character to reveal just a little bit more about the mystery, but it keeps it really well hidden until the final character. Then the exposition begins (near the end) but instead of being boring, what it does is that it ties everything together. All five preceding chapters start to feel whole and complete. It’s a really great exercise in narrative structure.

And while ‘Weapons’ is terrifying and scary, Cregger is also not afraid to be funny and silly. He uses humor in a very clever way to derail the fear so that he can raise the horror later on. There are quite a number of funny moments involving Paul and James (wonderfully played by Aldren Ehrenreich and Austin Abrams) before cutting it as James finds himself in contact with the source of the missing children. Benedict Wong is terrific as Andrew Marcus, who is trying to protect Justine, sometimes from her own worst instincts, and try to keep peace while the town is falling apart. His character’s queerness is present but never overstated but when he becomes embroiled in the story’s horror, the effect is filled with impact.

I’m trying to not talk in specifics because the power of ‘Weapons’ is in its ability to surprise and shock and horrify the audience. Throughout the screening, people were screaming, laughing, and then screaming again. It was such an enjoyable watch, especially in a full cinema filled with an attentive audience. ‘Barbarian’ was already such an incredible movie, I’m happy to say that ‘Weapons’ builds on the strength of Cregger’s first big hit and slams another home run.

My Rating:

Weapons is now showing in cinemas. Gather your bravest friends, check showtimes, and see it before the secrets come for you. Buy tickets here.

August 7, 2025
Movie Review: Too Much Plot and Chaos Ruin ‘The Bad Guys 2’ and Stop It From Being as Fun and Refreshing as Its Predecessor

I loved ‘The Bad Guys.’ I thought the animation and design were arresting. The script was quick, clever, and funny. It featured some extremely strong voice acting performances – Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Zazie Beetz, Craig Robinson, and Anthony Ramos – which added so much character of the overall film. It was refreshing, surprising, action-packed, and had an intricate caper plot that pulled off what it set out to do and more.

So I was excited to catch the sequel, simply called ‘The Bad Guys 2,” which is a refreshing change, considering how most franchises add subtitles to help identify one movie after the next. But to my disappointment, ‘The Bad Guys 2’ wasn’t able to match its predecessor, much less exceed the standard it had set forth.

The film begins with a prologue, a flashback where Piranha (Ramos) is on his first mission with the Bad Guys. It’s a simple enough caper, not too many moving parts, but obviously done to help refresh the audience’s memory of who they were before the events of the first film turned them into good guys. The whole sequence is loud, messy, and bombastic, and felt like it was directed to capture the attention of the audience, keep children’s focus on the chaos on the screen and keep others from reaching for their phones.

It’s messy because it lacks the style and flair that the first film displayed. It’s chaos for chaos’ sake. Just a funny sequence to remind us who the characters are and where they came from.

Then the title card appears, and the film now shows us The Bad Guys, who are now good, but unemployed. No matter how hard they try, they can’t seem to get a job because of their history as criminals. As an animated film, it does offer up an interesting storyline about redemption in the modern age. Can criminals be rehabilitated? Is it worth giving them a second chance? What sort of discrimination do they face because of their troubled past? These questions are briefly explored until the Bad Guys decide to use their skills to stop a new thief, the Phantom Bandit, who is making waves with a string of thefts. They hope to catch them, bring them over to the police, and prove to everyone they’ve changed.

But things go awry when the Phantom Bandit was ready for them and turned the tables to make it look like the Bad Guys was the Phantom Bandit all along and proved everyone’s biases against them right. Now, the Bad Guys have to go in hiding and and find a way to clear their names.

What follows is one big sequence after another as the Bad Guys get caught in the Phantom Bandit’s web. How does a thief outsmart another thief? And do they even want to, when the whole world is against them and won’t believe they’ve changed?

This could have played out wonderfully if director Pierre Perifel and screenwriters Yoni Brenner and Etan Cohen hadn’t gone overboard with the plot and kept the film personal and a character study, much like the first film. Instead, ‘The Bad Guys 2’ is overloaded with plot, with two more capers snuck in-between its huge finale piece in an environment that just feels so big that it feels so far removed from what made the original so endearing.

In fact, there are still a lot of really cute little moments that work. Outside bells and whistles of the movie’s overdrawn plot – it’s the little moments between Wolf (Rockwell) and Fox (Beetz), or some of the dialogue (which feels spontaneous and sounds improvised) by Shark (Robinson), Webs (Awkwafina) and Piranha – the characters are what really makes this concept work and when they are spending too much time with the bigness of the film, we don’t get to enjoy the stuff really worth enjoying in the premise, which is how the team works together to save the day.

My Rating:

The Bad Guys 2 is still showing in cinemas. Get showtimes here.

August 6, 2025
Movie Review: What It Feels Like for a Girl – A Review of ‘Sunshine’

From my understanding, ‘Sunshine’ is the second of a trilogy of films about women by writer and director Antoinette Jadaone. It began with ‘Fan Girl’ and it continues now with ‘Sunshine,’ the story of a gymnast who is preparing to compete to qualify for the Olympics when she discovers she’s pregnant.

Jadaone has mastered what I’d like to call “the journey movie.” From ‘That Thing Called Tadhana’ to ‘Fan Girl,’ her characters take on a physical journey – in ‘That Thing Called Tadhana’ the main characters travel from the airport to Sagada while ‘Fan Girl’ follows the lead characters from a mall show to an abandoned mansion in the middle of nowhere – while also embarking on an emotional one. The movement through space runs parallel to the character’s own inner journey and struggle. In ‘Sunshine,’ the lead character played by Maris Racal has her own journey: through the streets of Quiapo and Manila, in search of abortificents that may help her with her situation. The distance is not as far as other Jadaone films, but the interior one is immense as the film tries to see the vast landscape of women’s issues surrounding pregnancy and abortion.

Sunshine, the main character, embodies a lot of the fears and anxieties that women have when it comes to their bodies. What the film manages to do is to show how much the burden of an unwanted pregnancy falls unto the woman. In the story, her boyfriend (played by Elijah Canlas) gives her money to have it aborted. He’s angry and dismissive and chooses not to deal with it at all. Sunshine lives with her sister (played by Jennica Garcia), caring for an infant, whose father is nowhere at all in the film. Their brother skirts away from doing chores and is barely a figure in their lives, doing his own thing.

All the while, Sunshine is visited by a little girl (Annika Co) who seems to know everything about her. The girl is abrasive, tough, and magical, in a way. She’s a lot like Sunshine. She’s a fighter and already, we know she’s more than just another character.

Throughout the film, we see Sunshine see the best and the worst of people. Her journey brings her to a public hospital where she meets two kinds of doctors – those with compassion and those whose principles and faith can turn away a young woman in need. Sunshine meets a young girl who also looking for help because of the frightening situation she has with the father of her unborn child.

‘Sunshine’ is a film about women and through Sunshine, we see all her hopes and dreams slipping away from her hands because of one reckless decision and a man who chose to not use a condom. What the film does is humanize this important discussion and show us the hard truths of the world that we live in and the current policies at play about abortion in the country.

Maris Racal is a force of nature. Her portrayal of Sunshine is a textured work that balances between Sunshine’s need to be tough but, deep inside, she’s vulnerable and breaking. She has an incredible screen presence that holds on to you and it makes Sunshine’s struggle very real and believable. It’s a daring performance that lays it all out there without playing for sympathy. The other standout performance belongs to Jennika Garcia. As the sister of Sunshine, she’s in charge of both her siblings and her own baby. There’s a story there that the film’s narrative never explores but Garcia carries that history in her movements and in the way her character just looks at a moment. She is warm when she needs to be and then finds strength and fire when her character surges like a lioness protecting her cub when she’s out to protect her sister. It’s a powerful performance despite its limited screentime.

What I love most about this movie is its ending. Jadaone makes a stand and in the most poignant way possible, using the whole narrative to push the characters into an ending that makes sense and without judgment.

The cinematography of Paolo Orendain is luscious, finding beauty in the dark, seedy streets of Manila at night. Rico Blanco’s music properly sets the mood while Benjamin Tolentino’s editing keeps it fast paced yet clear. Obviously, Antoinette Jadaone keeps a tight ship and of all of her works, of which there are many great ones, ‘Sunshine’ might be the best of them yet.

My Rating:

Sunshine is now showing in cinemas. Catch this bold and beautiful film that isn’t afraid to say what needs to be said. Don’t miss it! Get showtimes here.

July 28, 2025
Movie Review: ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Is a Grandiose, Genre-Bending, Hard Sci-Fi Epic

Speeding past the origin story, ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ begins in medias res, four years after the team has gained their superpowers. They are now celebrated as global icons for all the good they’ve done. The film is set in Earth-828, a different universe from that of the MCU with The Avengers, and here they are the only heroes of this world. They are public figures and through a quick documentary feature very similar to the ones shown on the trailers, we get to know Marvel’s first family.

Director Matt Shakman and screenwriters Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer (from a story by Pearson, Kaplan, Springer, and Kat Wood) spend the first twenty minutes introducing us to the heroes and this brand-new world. It seems through the genius of Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic, the world appears to be thriving. There’s a sleek, retro 1960s aesthetic to the technology and there’s a throwback in fashion and social norms. The film never mentions the year but it’s as if the ’60s found itself with superheroes with flying cars, and robots.

Director Matt Shakman on the set of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

(L-R) Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

The first twenty minutes or so are crucial, as they show the tight-knit family dynamic in action. Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and his wife, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) discover that she’s pregnant and the news brings out big emotions. Sue’s brother, Johnny (Joseph Quinn), and Reed’s best friend, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), are excited to be uncles. Reed, on the other hand, is panicking. The cosmic storm they passed through when the four of them went on a mission to space four years ago altered their DNA and gave them powers. What effect might it have on their unborn child?

(L-R) Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

(L-R) H.E.R.B.I.E and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

As Reed prepares for the worst, the rest of the world celebrates until the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) arrives and declares that the planet was chosen to be devoured by Galactus (Ralph Ineson). The world waits in bated breath and looks to the Fantastic Four to save them. But Galactus is a powerful being that predates time. Can they really stop him?

Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

Everything about ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ feels epic in both scope and scale. From Jess Hall’s incredible cinematography (I think the whole film is on IMAX, which means the best way to see it is on IMAX if you can afford it) and Michael Giacchino’s vibrant musical score, the movie feels big and important. It’s a hard-science fiction film that bends the genres, seamlessly switching from a family drama to an action-packed superhero movie to a commentary on how people can quickly turn on their heroes.

(L-R) Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

(L-R) Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantasticin 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

In this world, The Fantastic Four are the only hope the world has and they have a pretty direct line to them. The world is a huge part of this equation and by playing this off, The Fantastic Four somehow becomes symbolic of any person who comes forward to make positive changes; and they carry the burden of the world on their shoulders. If they succeed, they are loved. If they fail, they are persecuted and blamed.

Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL

(L-R) Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing and Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL

The pacing of the film is relentless. Something is always happening, a choice needs to be made, a discovery is just around the corner, and a world slowly awaiting its demise. The film never lets up, and it’s a shame because this world is so rich and the characters so fully realised – both in the writing and in the performances – that I would have wanted another thirty minutes, even an hour of this movie to play out some of the narrative beats. At 114 minutes, it’s compact, but it speeds through certain moments that could have used a bit more drawing out.

Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL

(L-R) Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman and Ada Scott as Franklin Richards in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL

But it has everything. It goes to space. As seen in the trailer, Galactus makes it to Earth, and buildings are destroyed, and The Fantastic Four work together and team up to do their best to win. The finale is breathtaking and it always leaves you at the edge of your seat. It has some stunning sci-fi imagery both in space and in the final battle that can really move you. Each character gets a moment to really shine, and every actor is bringing their A-game and it just makes the movie so an absolute thrill to watch.

This was such a fun movie to get into so much so that I wanted more of it. I wasn’t satisfied with just 114-minute runtime. I wanted more. I can’t wait for more. And with the post-credit scene (there are two at the end of the film) that they give us, it had the whole cinema screaming.

My Rating:

Catch The Fantastic Four: First Steps now in cinemas and experience the epic beginning of Marvel’s first family on the big screen. Don’t miss it! Get showtimes and buy tickets here.

July 24, 2025
Movie Review: ‘Bring Her Back’ Is an Emotionally Driven, Intelligent Horror Film With a Stellar Performance From Sally Hawkins

‘Bring Her Back,’ from directors Danny and Michael Philippou and written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, is a classic-styled horror film that is rooted in human emotion and opts out of CGI and favours practical effects to create a real sense of dread and terror. The scares come from amplifying the situation and how vulnerable and helpless our protagonists are. The film never employs cheap tricks or cheap jump scares for easy reactions but works slowly to get under our skin. And it succeeds immensely at this.

The film is the story Andy and Piper. The two are siblings and Piper being partially sighted. At the get-go, we can see how close the two are, with Andy protecting Piper from the harshness of the world through little white lies and their closeness is displayed in ways like their secret codes and catch words only both of them understand. The siblings share a father, though their mothers are different but the closeness of the two is evident. When their father dies from an accident, the two are sent to foster care. Andy is only 17 but he fights to stay with Piper so that he can adopt her as her legal guardian when he turns 18. Enter Laura, a kooky, eccentric former counselor, who becomes the foster mother of Piper. She takes in the two siblings under her care but she harbors a dark secret and her closeness to Piper hides sinister plans.

The set up is long but it is not uneventful. From the get-go, we already know or feel something is up with Laura. The directors take their time to present us with myriad obstacles – Piper’s partial blindness, Andy’s former difficult past, how reclusive and isolated Laura’s home is to the rest of the city, the fact that Laura has legal guardianship of Piper and Andy is only living with them as a technicality – these already create tension and suspense. Things are exacerbated as Laura is also caring for another foster child, Oliver, who is unresponsive and sometimes violent. He is locked up in his room when Laura is not present and you just know things are not right here.

Soon, the film begins to peel back the veneer and we can see Laura trying to drive a wedge between Andy and Piper and the stakes got higher and Andy starts to catch on that everything is not right. Tensions build and the battle for Piper goes full blast.

‘Bring Her Back’ is pure horror. Just the idea of how vulnerable Piper and Andy are is already a cause for fright but the weirdness and the supernatural elements that are slowly revealed makes everything even more thrilling. Oliver’s transformations throughout the film is awe-inspiring and also fearsome. The fact that it’s not CGI but really good prosthetics and a fantastic performance by Jonah Wren Phillips is astounding.

In fact, the whole cast is incredible from Billy Barratt as Andy and Sora Wong as Piper; Wong, who really is partially sighted. The two have incredible chemistry and really ground the film’s story by making you really root for them.

But the real star of this movie is Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins as Laura. Her Laura is a riveting, fascinating character study of grief and pain and loss. She manages the backstory of Laura through her ability to shift gears emotionally throughout the film. As more and more is revealed about her character, we start to see the layers that she has carefully built in her performance from the first moment we see her as a kooky, eccentric woman to the fearsome thing she has become because of her character’s history. She’s a force of nature that manages to humanize her and allows us a glimpse of who she is that allows her to the monstrous things she does is the movie.

From the same directors of the hit horror film ‘Talk To Me,’ the Philippou brothers does it again by giving us a wonderfully layered, very human horror film that never pulls back on the scares. By using primarily practical effects, what we see on screen can move us while also scaring us fully. ‘Bring Her Back’ is an intelligent horror film that will get you engaged and invested in the characters and the story.

My Rating:

Bring Her Back is now showing, don’t miss this hauntingly powerful horror on the big screen. Check showtimes and catch the action on the big screen here.

July 18, 2025