Author: Wanggo Gallaga

Prime Video Streaming Review: Despite Its Good Intentions, ‘Heads of State’ Is Marred by Real-World Politics to Really Be Enjoyable

On paper, ‘Heads of State’ should work. It’s an old-school buddy action-comedy with John Cena and Idris Elba in the lead. Its premise, the U.S. President and the U.K. Prime Minister (played by Cena and Elba, respectively) must join forces to stop an arms dealer from destabilizing the world through a global surveillance program and an effort to neutralize NATO.

As with any buddy action-comedy, the two lead characters usually hate each other. John Cena’s Will Derringer is a former action movie star who is more versed in the optics of politics though has little experience with actual governance. Sam Clarke, played by Idris Elba, is a British Army veteran who has very little respect for Derringer. The two play off the usual Americans and British stereotypes but eventually find common ground through their adventures.

Again, on paper, this follows the formula for what could have been an entertaining movie but the current geopolitical landscape and ongoing world events cast a shadow over the film’s good intentions. The project was announced as far back as 2020, but filming didn’t begin until May 2023. They likely had a finished, approved script and aimed to deliver a comedy that would let audiences laugh at the contrasts between the U.S. and the U.K.

But then American politics happened. A reality star-turned-president takes his second term, and all throughout the first half of 2025, he began to destabilize the American image and his actions in regards to the Russia-Ukraine war and his pointed comments against NATO becomes an obvious counter-point to ‘Heads of State.’ The film, unfortunately, is not a satire and with the current news cycle as the backdrop of the movie’s release: it looks and feels like a hallow ideal that is not at all representative of any sort of truth.

And it’s unfortunate. For a straight-to-streaming movie, the film is supported by a big budget and has a lot of action sequences that rival Hollywood’s major summer blockbusters. There are rather intricate fight sequences – some funny while others are huge set pieces in big locations with a lot of explosions – that can really make the movie standout. It also includes the usual banter and funny quips that Clarke and Derringer throw at each other, which ends up with mixed results. Cena has clearly mastered this genre and demonstrates strong comedic timing. Elba, however, feels detached and is unable to bring his usual charm to the plate to make the role fully realised and work within this genre.

Films like these operate on a level of escapism – a fantasy that world leaders have our best interest (and the world’s) at their sights. It’s very similar in scope to another Amazon Studios film ‘G20’ with Viola Davis. But the recent news cycles that are inescapable on social media and the news tells us a different story about what the western world and those in power really stand for. ‘Heads of State’ feels tone deaf and silly.

It doesn’t help that Priyanka Chopra, who plays an MI6 agent with a shared past with the U.K. Prime Minister, takes on her role a little too seriously, feeling out of sync with the film’s overall tone. Meanwhile, Carla Gugino is underutilized as Elizabeth Kirk, the Vice President of the United States. Gugino is always an interesting presence on screen, but here, she’s given far too little to do.

On paper, ‘Heads of State’ should have worked but it’s about ten years too late. It’s presents a fantasy where Western nations – especially the US and the UK – are leaders for peace and order in global politics but the more you dig deeper into history and the general impressions of people online, it seems we’ve all become aware of the imperial history of both countries for this film to be excused for its good intentions.

My Rating:

Heads of State is now streaming on Prime Video. Hit play if you’re in the mood for some action-comedy escapism.

July 17, 2025
ClickTheCity Exclusive: 5 Minutes With the Director of Upcoming Horror Film ‘Bring Her Back’

With ‘Talk to Me,’ Australian filmmaking duo Michael and Danny Philippou made a big splash in the world of genre filmmaking. Their horror film was a phenomenal success and had made the brothers ones to watch out for in the industry. Their brand of truly frightening horror films, grounded in strong emotions, is at the center of their debut film. In the press release for their upcoming film, ‘Bring Her Back,’ Michael Philippou shared, “We really want our stories to have a strong emotional core. The stuff we want to create, we want it to work on multiple levels.”

Michael and Danny Philippou

This can be seen in the upcoming film ‘Bring Her Back,’ which stars Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins along with Billy Barratt and Sora Wong. It tells the story of two teens, Andy and Piper, played by Barratt and Wong, who lose their father and are placed in foster care under Sally Hawkins’ character, Laura. But Laura harbors a dark secret,one that tests Andy and Piper’s bond and puts their safety in peril.

Not relying on special effects, the scares come from how vulnerable Andy and Piper are when faced with the danger that their foster mother has dark plans for them. But it also reaches in and tugs at your heartstrings when you are faced with the realisation that all three characters are reacting intensely to grief and loss.

ClickTheCity was fortunate enough to have a five-minute Zoom interview with Michael and Danny Philippou, where we had the chance to ask them about the making of the film.

ClickTheCity: In the press kit, it says that you wrote all this lore behind your film, but chose not to include it in the film. Something you also did with your earlier film ‘Talk to Me.’ I love that. I really love that. When did you decide that you wanted to make horror movies this way where you don’t explain everything?

Michael Philippou: It’s the same as when you are creating a character. You need to know everything that happens with that character’s life that led them up to this point. What are the things that affected them? What is their personality? What was it like for them growing up? You build these backstories that people will never see but it arrives at the story you are telling now. It’s the same with the world. You need to know all those things, so you know how it got here. [he then shares details about the film that I will not share for sake of spoilers] It’s what is necessary for the story but it’s the human side of the story. We are being put into the center of the story.

Danny Philippou: We like it as a puzzle box. There are secrets in ‘The Shining’ where the answers aren’t overt but if you read the script and the novel there are more answers there.

CTC: But do you fall in love with the lore that you’d want to do a prequel or an origin story and, with regards to that, how do you feel about horror franchises? Do you feel your films could do that?

DP: I think if I was ever going to expand ‘Bring Her Back’ it would be a novelization as opposed to another film and really track her arc. That, to me, is really exciting. I’d be so down for that. And I love horror franchises. I’m obsessed with all of them. Like I’m obsessed with ‘Child’s Play’ and ‘Friday the 13th.’ I loved watching the new ‘Final Destination.’ Yes, I love the idea of franchises but I don’t think ‘Bring Her Back’ is franchise-able.

CTC: Thank you for that. I love that answer. Horror films are great as their own stand-alone thing and I love it that you think that same way about your movie. Both films, ‘Talk to Me’ and ‘Bring Her Back,’ talk about the dangers of contacting the dead. What are your feelings about mortality? At the same time, both films are fueled by rage… uh… no, grief, sorry! What is your relationship with grief?

DP: Well, it’s about rage as well. [laughs] We lost someone while we were writing the project and then we lost someone while we were about to shoot as well. So it eventually made its way into the material.

MP: Danny is just a sad f**k.

DP: Yeah.

[we all laugh]

DP: And the thing is… No. That’s a good answer.

CTC: Sally Hawkins is wonderful. Was she the first person you had in mind to play Laura?

DP: Yeah, she was the first person in the list and the first person we approached. We felt so honoured to be able to work with her.

MP: It wasn’t written with Sally in mind but then when we were thinking about casting, we were thinking what could be unique and special about it. If we could approach anyone, Sally was first on the list.

CTC: It also says in the press kit that she really threw herself into the material and into the character, did you have to reign her in? What were the ideas that she had with the character that you kept into the film?

DP: It’s even small things. There’s a dialogue exchange between Laura and Andy and in the script, she said, “I would have done anything to hear her call me ‘mum’ one more time.” And Sally suggested to change it to “I would do anything…” and bring it out of the past tense and put it into the present tense and that really underlined the ending moments of the movie. So even small things like that, she can elevate the movie into something even more.

Then, it was here that my time was up. I wanted to ask more about working with Sora Wong, who not only fits the character of Piper but also shares the character’s vision impairment. I also wanted to talk about their penchant for using practical effects and not rely on CGI to create the horror in their movies. But even in just five minutes, the enthusiastic directors, who were so accommodating even when you could tell that I was their first interview after the lunch break and goodness knows how many interviews, they already had that morning. Their passion and joy in talking about their film was undeniable. It’s artists like these that truly excite me and with ‘Talk to Me’ and ‘Bring Her Back’ as proof of their emotionally resonant and well-crafted films, I really must echo other critics in saying these two are the ones to watch in the future of genre filmmaking.

Don’t miss Bring Her Back, hitting cinemas tomorrow, July 16, 2025! Get your showtimes and tickets now here.

July 15, 2025
Movie Review: By Focusing on His Humanity, ‘Superman’ Feels Refreshing and New

It’s so refreshing to watch a new Superman movie that doesn’t go over the backstory again. How many times do we have to see Superman’s home world Krypton explode and the young infant Kal-El is sent to Earth to live with humans? What’s refreshing about James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ is that it starts the story in medias res with Superman already having saved Metropolis enough times to be beloved by all and his longtime nemesis Lex Luthor is knee-deep in a new plan to destroy him. In fact, the film starts with Superman in mid-battle and it’s brutal. It kicks off the film with a lot of energy, taking all our expectations and throwing it out the window because everything looks stunning.

But more importantly, what I find truly engaging is Gunn and David Corenswet’s take on the metahuman Superman. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of Christopher Reeve, Henry Cavill, and even Brandon Routh’s portrayals of the iconic hero. But all of their versions carry a lofty, otherworldly goodness that leans heavily into the archetype of the boy scout: infallible and overflowing with kindness. Of course, Cavill’s take is a little darker, a little more tortured, because of Snyder’s grasp of the world but it’s still more than human. But Gunn and Corenswet makes Superman very, very human.

He gets frustrated. Little things bother him. There’s a joy he has when he does something good, like a teen winning an award at school. He can even be a bit cocky, which gives him a bit of an edge. It’s these little touches that makes Corenswet’s Superman so believable, especially when the film tries to paint him as a human being with godlike powers. For the first time, I believe in Superman as a character.

Gunn also manages to build a world where metahumans are a normal part of everyday life. When they battle in the middle of the city, some people stop to stare or take videos, while others run for cover. It’s all part of life in a superhuman world. In one hilarious scene, Clark and Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) share an intimate moment while, in the background, a group of heroes fights a massive creature. It’s probably just another Tuesday in this version of reality.

In the film, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) uses the resources of his billion-dollar empire to try and take down Superman. The caped hero is in hot water because he stopped a war between two nations, the nation that started the conflict being an ally of the United States of America. His intervention has caused a geopolitical mess that has Luthor lobbying for the banning of metahuman activities.

But Superman just wants to do good and in a brilliantly written and performed scene by Corenswet and Brosnahan, Lois interviews Superman and asks him the tough questions about the dangers of overstepping his authority in matters of geopolitics.

This and other events lead to Superman losing the public’s trust, and it’s quite brilliant how Gunn weaves in politics, foreign policy, and social media to become a greater threat than Lex Luthor ever could be. Gunn manages to maintain a sense of whimsy and comedy (which he has mastered in previous comic book films) while using the narrative to allude to real-world issues and forming an allegory for the problems that’s happening in the world and in America today.

By bringing in the importance of public opinion, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane becomes an active player in the story and not just Superman’s love interest. As a reporter, she has the means to go against Lex Luthor in the public sphere while Superman handles the superhuman threats the comes along.

And Superman is not alone.

‘Superman’ is a big, fun, and fast-paced comic book movie. It’s irreverent, packed with stunning visual effects, and filled with high-flying, high-octane fight scenes. The editing is sharp, quick without ever losing clarity. Corenswet and Hoult are both incredible, and Brosnahan holds her own, never fading into the background. While Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is bound to become a fan favorite, it’s Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific who might surprise new viewers with a quiet meaty role and has a lot of standout moments.

Superman, as a character, has always been so invincible that writing a story for him for the movies seemed impossible to bring it down a scale to something relatable. It’s always so big and massive because of the power he wields. What James Gunn and his team does is not bring down the scale but amplifies his humanity making ‘Superman’ something new, especially for people like me who has never read his comics.

My Rating:

Catch Superman now in cinemas and see the Man of Steel like you’ve never seen him before. Check showtimes and catch the action on the big screen here.

July 10, 2025
Movie Review: ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Doesn’t Do Anything New to the Franchise but Is Still Great in Parts

Looking for a compelling story outside of ‘Jurassic Park,’ the first film in the franchise, might be asking for a bit too much. The original movie, released in 1993, warned us about the dangers of using science to play God. It served as an allegory for human hubris and how, as the film famously put it, “nature always finds a way.” The films that followed explored similar themes, but the real attraction has always been seeing the dinosaurs interact, engage, and appear as majestic and terrifying as ever. This has remained the main draw of the ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Jurassic World’ movies. The latest installment, ‘Jurassic World Rebirth,‘ stays true to this formula.

Following the preceding film, ‘Jurassic World Dominion,’ we are now in a world where dinosaurs are part of the culture. Because the environment is no longer suited for them, the dinosaurs stay mostly within the tropical belt near the equator, which have been made illegal for humans to visit or even come near. Once in a while there are still a few left in the mainlands but they are dying out. The pharmaceutical company ParkerGenix recruits a mercenary and a scientist to sneak into one of the islands to retrieve blood samples from three of the largest dinosaurs in the sea, land, and air. They plan to use the genetic code to create a drug that may cure all forms of heart diseases. While on their mission, they come across a family who were travelling the Atlantic by boat but found themselves attacked by one of the aquatic dinosaurs and in a bid to escape, they find themselves right at the island running for their lives.

Story-wise, there’s nothing more generic than what we are given here in ‘Jurassic Park Rebirth.’ Once again, a corporation spends millions of dollars to send a group of people on a suicide mission to retrieve something they shouldn’t, all to create a drug the world desperately needs but will ultimately be sold for profit. In this case, the mercenary Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) and the scientist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) represent two sides of the ethical debate. Zora is in it for the money, hoping to retire, while Henry wants funding for his team. Museums and dinosaur research are no longer in trend, as public interest has waned, and he dreams of seeing a real dinosaur at least once in his life.

The interplay feels a little thin because the story is rushed, unfolding over just three days. The characters quickly encounter the three dinosaurs they were sent to track while also dealing with a family that ends up caught in the middle. As a result, the plot feels underdeveloped and lacking in depth.

It doesn’t help that the story gets split in two once they reach the island. The characters are separated but maintain the same group composition as when they began. The family is on one storyline and the expedition is on another. The family has the least interesting storyline because they don’t belong in this island or this story. Strategically, you feel that they were put there because they are more “relatable” as characters but we have seen enough of these movies to know that they just don’t belong. You’d rather spend more time with the expedition team, who get the more engaging moments, especially since their mission involves getting close to the dinosaurs to extract blood samples.

Luckily, despite its thin storyline, the film is directed by Gareth Edwards, who knows exactly how to maximize big-budget moments for full effect. The film is action-packed and delivers plenty of thrilling scenes that can keep you on the edge of your seat. Sadly, though, the two best moments with the dinosaurs happen early on in the film – the ocean-dwelling Mosasaur and the high-flying Quetzalcoatlus – that the final act feels belabored and extraneous.

Johansson and Bailey are wonderful foils to follow in this adventure, making their characters feel believable. Mahershala Ali, who plays Duncan Kincaid, Zora’s team leader, is unfortunately underutilized. Everyone else just seems to blend into the scenery and can’t find their spot underneath the shadow of the dinosaurs when Edwards has them in his frame.It’s a pretty straightforward and decent film within the franchise. It doesn’t feel as bloated as the other films in the ‘Jurassic World’ franchise and has a lot of homages to the first movie – much like composer Alexandre Desplat incorporating the original John Williams score into his work.

My Rating:

‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ is now showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and catch the action on the big screen!

July 9, 2025
Disney+ Streaming Review — There’s Great Promise and Potential from ‘Ironheart’ but They Don’t Have Enough Episodes to Fully Realise It

Debuting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in ‘Wakanda Forever,’ Riri Williams, also known as Ironheart, was portrayed as a genius on par with Tony Stark, but without any of his privilege. After the events of that film, her streaming series follows the aftermath of her involvement with major MCU characters. She trained and learned under Shuri in Wakanda and earned a scholarship to study at MIT. However, her determination to build an iron suit to protect the people she loves, drawn from a trauma involving her best friend and her father, mirrors the same determination Tony Stark had during ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron,’ and we know how that turned out. Her recklessness and unorthodox, even illegal, methods of funding her research lead to her expulsion from MIT, forcing her to return to Chicago and start over.

The premise is incredible. The MCU has introduced so many people who had strong support system from the get-go. Tony Stark had generational wealth. Black Panther, both T’Challa and Shuri, had the kingdom of Wakanda and all its resources at their disposal. Doctor Strange had access to the vast libraries of Kamar-Taj. Even Steve Rogers had the backing of the U.S. government, while Sam Wilson had the support of Stark Industries at one point. It’s refreshing to see a character who is just as brilliant as these characters but has to hustle and even do less than savory things just to be able to do some good.

Ironheart/Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) in Marvel Television’s IRONHEART, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel. © 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

It’s a metaphor for how marginalized sectors of America are sometimes forced to go against their nature in order to rise through the ranks and do what they believe is right. It’s an irony, but also a symptom of the systems in place that forces the underprivileged, especially people of color, most notably Black communities, to struggle against seemingly unbeatable odds.

Riri Williams/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne) in Marvel Television’s IRONHEART, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel. © 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

This makes Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) an interesting character to watch. She’s tough and unapologetic. She’s isolated, even from the people who love her, because she’s so used to fighting and is afraid to deal with loss again. While her end goal is that of the righteous and of the good, she’s willing to break the rules to achieve it. This is all punctuated by the fact that she’s still a teenager. Filled with emotions, she hasn’t yet learned to see the bigger picture. At some point in the show, she refuses to be called a hero. She’s selfish and self-possessed, another byproduct of her age, her environment, her history, and her intellect. And that’s exactly what makes her so compelling to watch.

Riri Williams/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne) in Marvel Television’s IRONHEART, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel. © 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

And it’s because of this that the Disney+ series ‘Ironheart’ is so disappointing. A show like this – that talks about her past trauma, her struggles with securing funding and being taken seriously, and her constant battle against a system that keeps beating her down, deserves more than just six episodes. It needs more time to fully explore these themes and to fully develop her character.

Riri Williams/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne) in Marvel Television’s IRONHEART, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel. © 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

At just six episodes, the show rushes through so many narrative beats that it feels incomplete and underdeveloped. ‘Ms. Marvel’ and ‘Hawkeye,’ two other MCU Disney+ shows, managed to keep their narratives cohesive by focusing on personal themes and staying squarely on character development. ‘Ironheart,’ on the other hand, punches big. But without the episodes to fully explore the underground tech world that Riri has to scour through to rebuild her armor or fully realise the fragile dynamic between her and her mother and the other characters in the show who she feels very strongly about, or the mystical nature of the villain and his own take of disrupting the system. It feels unfair for ‘Ironheart’ to not be given the space the story they chose to tell needs to be able to fully flesh out the whole narrative.

Parker Robbins/The Hood (Anthony Ramos) in Marvel Television’s IRONHEART, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel. © 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

But there are a lot of good things in it. As Riri joins The Hood (Anthony Ramos) and his gang to afford rebuilding her suit,she engages in capers that target billionaires. There’s the element of the caper genre that plays nicely to this level of super heroics (though technically, she’s one of the bad guys). Her relationship with her mom (Anji White) could have potentially been a wonderful tender spot for the show if they really gave it more time to develop and grow as well as her relationship with her AI, NATALIE (Lyric Ross), who somehow managed to become the exact persona of her late best friend. And then there’s her engagement with a black-market hoarder of tech, Joe McGillicuddy (Alden Ehrenreich). Riri and Joe’s interactions are the most fully fleshed-out narrative in this show because they are an excellent counterpoint for each other but when Joe gets tangled up in all of Riri’s shenanigans and it affects him squarely, his own individual narrative arc feels rushed and underdeveloped, as well.

IRONHEART

There’s a lot of action here, some really good story beats, and some excellent acting from Thorne, White, Ross, and Ehrenreich but the show really needed an extra four episodes or even six to fully embrace this world. Riri, for someone without any funds, seems to manage to quickly rebuild her suit time and time again when that was the central premise from the beginning. I liked ‘Ironheart’ for its promise and its potential, but I know that it could have been better.

Ironheart/Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) in Marvel Television’s IRONHEART. Photo courtesy of Marvel. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

There’s a lot of action here, some really good story beats, and some excellent acting from Thorne, White, Ross, and Ehrenreich. But the show really needed an extra four, or even six, episodes to fully embrace this world. Riri, for someone without any resources, somehow manages to rebuild her suit over and over again, even though the lack of funding was the central premise from the beginning. I liked ‘Ironheart‘ for its promise and potential, but I also know it could have been so much better.

My Rating:

Think it deserved more episodes too? Catch Ironheart on Disney+ and decide for yourself if Riri Williams is ready to take flight as the MCU’s next tech hero.

June 27, 2025
Movie Review: Leaning Into the Camp, ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Sidelines Horror and Leans Into Comedy and a Whole Lot of Action

Right from the start, ‘M3GAN 2.0’ immediately shifts gears by giving us a prologue featuring a new robot that will play opposite M3GAN in an action-packed scene involving a military operation. We’ve all seen it in the trailers: AMELIA is a military weapon using the same technology as M3GAN, but as she becomes self-aware, she uses her abilities to return to the United States and wipe out the people who created her. We then catch up with the main characters, Gemma and Cady, two years after their ordeal in the first movie. While Gemma has become a staunch advocate for AI regulation and of active participation in parenting, Cady has grown into a prickly preteen (now 12 years old) who has taken up aikido and feels resentful toward Gemma for being, ironically, too busy to be more involved in her life.

Director and screenwriter Gerard Johnstone flexes his comedic flair by laying down farcical moments and allowing the scenes to fully bring out the comic and satirical tone of the film, all while building the tension of AMELIA closing in on Gemma. However, that danger feels more in line with the conventions of action and suspense than of horror. While ‘M3GAN 2.0’ remains gruesome and brutal, it is more hard-hitting than it is spooky.

(from left) Gemma (Allison Williams) and M3GAN in M3GAN 2.0, directed by Gerard Johnstone.

Of course, M3GAN is still around, and she comes back with a vengeance. Now, she’s more self-aware, and this is presented through her snarkier attitude and less restrained behavior toward everyone except Cady. She knows what they did to her, and she is unafraid of ruffling feathers. This makes for some great comebacks and very campy moments.

The film doesn’t shy away from the things that made the first movie so enjoyable. What it does is add bigger set pieces, larger action sequences, and a plot that gets bigger, weirder, and more explosive. If you regularly read my reviews, you know I don’t always think that bigger is better, but in this case, it works. For camp to be truly campy, it needs ambition. And this bursts through the ceiling the first film built, going over and beyond what we expected it to be and that’s perfectly fine.

But surprisingly, through its satirical take on the AI rush, the movie explores several compelling insights about the ethical use of AI and the dangers it can bring. An early sequence set in Gemma’s house, which is equipped with smart AI technology, shows how it becomes a threat to everyone inside when one of the robots takes control of the entire infrastructure. Everything from cabinets and refrigerators to even the robot vacuum becomes dangerous.

(from left) Gemma (Allison Williams) and Tess (Jen Van Epps) in M3GAN 2.0, directed by Gerard Johnstone.

Even Gemma’s shift into developing human enhancement hardware, which is meant to help disabled people walk again and make work easier and more efficient for blue-collar laborers, is shown to be dangerous if taken over by an outside source.

M3GAN in M3GAN 2.0, directed by Gerard Johnstone.

Sure, ‘M3GAN 2.0’ has a lot of fun with two deranged robots going at it, and we get a kick out of all the fight sequences and punchlines, but the film also underlines the real dangers of turning our world AI-dependent. There are no safeguards for what might happen if AI technology ever becomes self-aware, or if another human being takes that technology and uses it for their own purposes. The military is always the first suspect.

At the same time, the film manages to shed light on the importance of active parenting and not relying on gadgets to do the job of real people. We are too locked in to our phones and the internet. We have forgotten how to be human and how to interact with each other as humans. Some of the most interesting moments come from the evolving dynamic between Gemma and M3GAN.

Ivanna Sakhno as Amelia in M3GAN 2.0, directed by Gerard Johnstone.

I’m very happy that ‘M3GAN 2.0’ didn’t try to take itself seriously. By doing so, the filmmakers presented a film that is laugh-out-loud funny while still driving home the message about the dangers of unethical, unregulated AI development.

My Rating:

Curious to see what happens when killer AI meets campy fun and over-the-top action? Catch M3GAN 2.0 in cinemas now. Check showtimes and book your tickets here.

June 26, 2025
Theater Review: Dissecting Friendship A Review of Repertory Philippines’ ‘Art’

The multi-awarded French play ‘Art’ by Yasmina Reza, translated into English by Christopher Hampton, has opened in Manila through Repertory Philippines under the direction of Victor Lirio. A comedy that unfolds in one act with no intermission and runs for nearly 90 minutes, the play centers on three friends whose friendship goes under intense scrutiny when one buys an odd, very expensive piece of artwork.

Serge (played by Martin Sarreal), Marc (Freddy Sawyer), and Yvan (Brian Sy) have been friends for 15 years. Trouble begins when Serge buys an “Antrios painting” for 200,000 francs, a white painting with some shades of off-white, which Marc considers a complete waste of money. Marc and Serge argue about the purchase, buttons are pushed, and sharp words are exchanged. Both friends turn to Yvan, hoping he will mediate, but Yvan prefers to take a softer approach, telling each one what they want to hear. After all, Yvan is about to get married and he’s got troubles of his own that’s brewing.

Yvan (played by Brian Sy) and Serge (played by Martin Sarreal) | Photo by: Joel H. Garcia

Without an intermission, the play runs through several scenes: duets, monologues, and a final extended gathering of the three characters, where they finally confront each other head-on. At first, the conflict seems to be about the painting, a debate over classicism versus post-modernism but beneath the surface, it’s way more than that. In order to truly address the issue, their relationship is placed under a microscope. What we witness is a friendship being renegotiated. Fifteen years is a long time. They’ve changed. Dynamics have shifted, but they haven’t been honest with themselves about it.

Written by French playwright Yasmina Reza and translated by British playwright Christopher Hampton, this witty and sharp one-act play features three long-time friends Marc (Sawyer), Yvan (Sy), and Serge (Sarreal)
| Photo by: Joel H. Garcia

The play in itself is funny. There’s a lot of use of repetition – characters repeating what the other is saying as a means to heighten tension and humour – and the three friends can be very catty, using their personal history to make barbed remarks at the other’s expense. I don’t know why I want to say it’s very French, even though I’ve only seen three French plays (translated into English) but it has that appeal and charm.

Yvan (played by Brian Sy) and Marc (played by Freddy Sawyer) | Photo by: Joel H. Garcia

But watching the opening night of the show, I was having a hard time connecting with the piece. Martin Sarreal, a Filipino British actor who is living in Britain, and the Brit actor Freddy Sawyer have a very English attack on the characters. Their accents are on full display while Brian Sy speaks naturally without an English inflection. The delivery of Sarreal and Sawyer are razor-sharp but dry. It’s cold while Sy has the Filipino warmth to his Yvan. Because of these tonal differences, I had such a hard-time seeing the three as friends for 15-years.

Yvan (played by Brian Sy) and Serge (played by Martin Sarreal) | Photo by: Joel H. Garcia

Because of the brutality of each one’s verbal attack, and the coldness to which the two more active characters take their offensive, it felt like they hadn’t been friends for a long while now and this approach feels like it loses some of the play’s charm. It’s so vicious that I wonder how they even made it to this point. When I imagine it as French – I’ve never been to France and have only spoken to very few French people, but I am basing it on a lot of French cinema I’ve seen and the caricatures that are presented on comedy shows – and I imagine that the snobbish and aloof stereotype of the French could get away with such stinging remarks of a friend. But Sy has so much warmth that it amplifies the cold British dry humour of Sarrel and Sawyer that I felt the play’s exploration of friendship wasn’t hitting the right cues.

Freddy Sawyer plays Marc | Photo by: Joel H. Garcia

There are other aspects of the show that confused me, like how the play begins with a movement piece between the three friends that interpret as an imagery of their friendship over time. It’s such a strange place to start when the play in itself is so verbose and articulate. Most of the time, the characters stay on set, and listen to each other’s monologues, which removes the privacy and intimacy of some of what is being said.

I really love Sarreal’s laser-sharp focus and Sawyer’s ability to portray Marc’s posturing. I’ve also always been a fan of everything Sy has done, both on stage and in film. However, I didn’t really see the connection on the opening night. The play in itself is funny and surprising, and I’m hoping that later shows will flesh out their relationship more.

My Rating:

See this acclaimed production brought to life by a powerhouse cast and a globally seasoned creative team. Art runs exclusively at REP’s Eastwood Theater until June 29. Catch it before the final curtain call. Buy tickets at Ticketworld or Ticketmelon.

June 23, 2025
Theater Review: Virgin Labfest XX: ‘Set E: Panghimagas’ Is Truly a Standout Set of Plays

I got to watch the revisited plays of the Virgin Labfest XX: Hinog this year, specifically Set E, which is entitled ‘Panghimagas.’ As someone who has always wanted to go but never seemed to catch the annual festival of brand-new one-act plays, it was a nice way to finally catch a set as this set features standout works from previous years. Held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines‘ Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez, each play runs about 30 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission between plays to allow for stage designs and props adjustments for the for the next play.

Not having seen a Virgin Labfest in over five years, I had forgotten how magical it is to witness new work being presented, even if Set E features plays that are a year or two old. These pieces still speak powerfully to the contemporary mindset. As these are standout productions, there was no question that each one hit hard, whether it was comic or tragic in theme.

Identite

Written by Jhudiel Clare D. Sosa
Directed by Meann Espinosa
Cast: Ash Nicanor and Kitsi Pagaspas

This surprising comedic play about a mother discovering her daughter’s dildo is a definite crowd-pleaser. The play tackles the generation gap surrounding the attitudes on sex positivity. When the mother finds her daughter’s stash of sex toys, the two go head-to-head about values and morals and social norms. It’s all played for laughs and even the mother becomes almost a caricature of the conservative, traditional Filipina who doesn’t even realise that sex can be pleasurable. Through the play, a discussion is presented; a bridge between the youth’s more liberal attitudes about sex and self-pleasure and the more repressed ideologies about women and their own desires.

The dramatic situation is funny enough, but Meann Espinosa directs Nicanor and Pagaspas to really go for the laughs. It’s played for comedy, and you can hear the whole audience erupting in laughter at every punchline. Pagaspas fully embodies the caricature, even punctuating her provincial accent (I think it’s a Batangueno accent) to really emphasize her rural mindset. It even gets physical as the women chase each other around. I’m wondering, though, how this would play it with a more restrained approach. The play is funny as it is, would it be stronger to not punch the punchlines?

As a progressive person who grew up with liberal, sex-positive parents, I wished the daughter (played by the magnetic Ash Nicanor) stood her ground more and the play didn’t try to find a compromise that coddled the elder woman’s feelings but, tonally and culturally, it is pitch-perfect to the Filipino experience. We always acquiesce to our parents and them taking a tiny step forward to understanding us while the younger generation takes huge steps to accommodate their feelings is part of why the Filipino family bond is so strong.

Pagkapit sa Hangin

Written by Joshua Lim So
Directed by Jose Estralla
Cast: Elora Espano, Wenah Nagales, Tim Mabalot, Gold Villar-Lim

Set at a provincial hospital in the middle of the COVID epidemic, a doctor and two nurses must make a choice on which lives to save when the supply of oxygen tanks run out. Exhausted, drained physically and emotionally, the trio must make an impossible decision as the means for sustaining the lives of their patients have become limited. While they devise a plan, one of the patient’s guardian has taken notice and a debate about who gets to live, and die erupts.

Pagkapit sa Hangin | Photo: Chari Villegas

Dressed in PPE, Espano, Nagales and Mabalot imbibe the tiredness of their characters. They are too tired to hope, to think clearly. You can see it in their gait, their posture, their line delivery. They are running on adrenaline. It’s wonderful if it weren’t so real and even if the pandemic is just two and a half years behind us, it’s still too soon. It immediately grants this production weight. As things start to unravel, the play unfolds the human drama of having to make a decision on who gets to survive. It’s riveting. Estrella’s direction keeps the energy flowing as the tension rises when Villar-Lim’s guardian begins to undermine the medical team’s decisions as it directly affects her father, who is least likely to survive his current condition.

At 30 minutes, the play feels like a lifetime. Joshua Lim So’s script makes no judgment on his characters but manages to show each one at their breaking point. The play doesn’t provide an answer but shows us what we are made of when were forced to make impossible decisions. It felt like I was holding my breath the entire run of the show.

Sa Babaeng Lahat

Written by Elise Santos
Directed by Caisa Borromeo
Cast: Jam Binay, Francesca Dela Cruz, Yanni Lopez

Sa Babaeng Lahat | Photo: Dulcinea Zulueta

A hilarious coming-of-age story set in an all-girl’s Catholic high school, ‘Sa Babaeng Lahat’ is a brilliant exploration of young girl’s navigating their faith and sexuality as they are hit by puberty. The religious, sheltered Marie believes she is pregnant with God’s child, the next Immaculate Conception, while her best friend Regina struggles with her feelings with the school’s resident tomboy, Gab, who actively flirts with her.

Sa Babaeng Lahat | Photo: Dulcinea Zulueta

Wonderfully directed by Borromeo, she allows Binay, Dela Cruz, and Lopez to really explore their characters and embody the highs and lows of young girls turning into young women. Jam Binay’s Marie could easily fall into a trap of the conservative idiot, but she infuses Marie with so much sincerity and charm that we see that she’s a victim of being misinformed or not properly educated at all. She’s not naive for comic’s sake but it’s coming from a deep-seated issue that is still prevalent until now. Yanni Lopez’s Gab is so fully realized that she comes off as authentic and true.

Sa Babaeng Lahat | Photo: Dulcinea Zulueta

And while all three are amazing and show off great chemistry with each other, this play is Francesca Dela Cruz’s through and through. Her Regina is a force of nature. She’s acerbic, mean, prickly but Dela Cruz has so much charisma that we can see that it’s all a facade, hiding something deeper within. While all three show impeccable comedic timing, Dela Cruz takes Regina and runs away with it turning her into a whirlwind that has the whole audience in stitches. It’s a powerful display of a great stage presence without making it look like a performance. Borromeo did a wonderful job at directing them that the comedy flows, the chemistry works, and the issues about shame, faith, youthful desires, and queer acceptance doesn’t get lost amongst the laughs.

My Rating:

VIRGIN LABFEST XX: HINOG is ongoing until June 29, 2025, at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater). Festival passes are available at the CCP Box Office, or you can get your tickets through TicketWorld and Ticket2Me.

June 21, 2025
Movie Review: The Unexpected Duality of ‘28 Years Later’

What is most surprising about director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland’s 28 Years Later is the tender heart beneath the story. Considering both are known for their hard-hitting approaches to the subjects of their films, the third installment in the trilogy that began with their collaboration 28 Days Later does not hold back on the tension and horror. However, after the first hour, it shifts direction to bring us something poignant and intimate in the second half.

As indicated by the title, the story is set 28 years after the rage virus destroyed the United Kingdom. The world was able to contain the pandemic within the UK and has since moved on, but anyone left in the country must fend for themselves. On a small island off the coast of Scotland, a community is thriving. Remote and accessible only by a causeway that disappears when the tide is high, the community has found a way to survive. Here, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is taking care of his sick wife, Isla (Jodie Comer), and their 12-year-old son, Spike (Alfie Williams). In this town, part of the children’s education includes learning to fight and protect themselves from the infected. Jamie is taking Spike to the mainland, against the elders’ wishes, as the rite of passage usually happens at 14 or 15, so he can make his first kill.

In Scotland, the infected are scattered. Without the rush of industry and civilization, Boyle and Garland imagine the rich, bountiful Scottish landscape as a forest primeval. Jamie is preparing Spike for more adult responsibilities. What appears to be a father-and-son hunting expedition is actually a test of Spike’s survival instincts, stamina, and his ability to stay calm and collected.

An infected in Columbia Pictures’ 28 YEARS LATER.

Of course, things do not go as planned. They are chased by a pack of infected, now led by a bigger, stronger one who is smarter than the rest, whom they have called Alpha.

Jamie and Spike are forced to spend the night on the mainland before they can attempt to return, hoping that the low tide has made the causeway passable. Throughout the first hour of the film, the atmosphere is filled with tension and suspense. And despite Taylor-Johnson’s charm, his character Jamie is marked by a toxic masculinity that contrasts with Spike’s more gentle nature.

As the relationship between father and son becomes more and more fractured, Spike takes it upon himself to bring his mother back to the mainland after discovering that there is a doctor there who may have gone insane. The second half of the film is the reverse of the first, with the tenderness between mother and son providing a striking counterpoint. They have their own misadventures, but it is the contrast between both parents makes the movie what it is.

There’s a highly stylized filmmaking approach that Danny Boyle takes for ‘28 Years Later.’ His fast-paced editing intercuts scenes with gory images and old video footage, creating a link between the past and the present. This broken world has been broken before. This is not an unfamiliar world. These dangers, and the means of survival, are nothing new. It makes for a stirring watch – not to mention there are fantastic sequences that are wonderfully cinematic including the traverse through the causeway.

The music by Young Fathers and the exceptional sound design make this world feel visceral and emotional. It never stops, even in its quiet, somber, and tender moments. When they finally meet the doctor (Ralph Fiennes), the story shifts in an unexpected direction and features impressive production design elements that turn the film into a visually stunning cinematic experience.

Taylor-Johnson and Fiennes are amazing, and Williams grounds the film by reminding us that he is portraying a 12-year-old so his choices are less rational and more idealistic. He is an amazing anchor for the film and hits the right buttons. However, it is Jodie Comer who completely steals the spotlight in the latter half of the film, revealing the beautiful heart at the center of this story.

This is not the film I was expecting to see, but I enjoyed every bit of it. It is character-driven, and the world-building is solid as it expands the lore behind the infected. It teases a sequel and there’s talk about a new trilogy to follow starting with this one. I was pleasantly surprised by this film, and I am in it for the rest of the ride.

My Rating:

Witness the evolution of fear and survival. 28 Years Later is now in cinemas. Check showtimes and book your tickets here.

June 18, 2025
Theater Review: What the World Could Be Like: A Review of ‘Come From Away’

Despite its massive success on both Broadway and the West End, I never really took notice of ‘Come From Away’ before. As an old-school musical fan, I’m always cautious and wary of new musicals because I fear I won’t like them. But every new musical I’ve seen has proved me wrong, from ‘Waitress’ to ‘Hamilton’ to ‘Six’. There’s a special kind of joy in stepping into a theater to watch a musical you know nothing about. The whole experience feels amplified, and the emotions hit even harder.

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Coming into the Samsung Performing Arts Theater on the show’s opening night, I saw the floors leading up to the theater filled with background information about the play and realized that ‘Come From Away’ is a play about September 11. I felt a little fear. My anti-West mindset started to get the better of me and I thought this was going to be another story about American resiliency or something equally overplayed. I stopped reading the boards, got to my seat, and psyched myself up for the show, which I knew had a great cast at the very least.

I was immediately taken in from the opening number. ‘Come From Away’ is a 9/11 story, but it tells the story of a Newfoundland town called Gander. It had the largest international airport back when planes didn’t have enough fuel to cross the Atlantic. Airplanes would land there to refuel before continuing their journey, but by the 2000s, it was practically empty. Planes just flew over it. But not on that day. Thirty-eight planes were redirected to land in Gander, bringing over 7,000 passengers to a town with a population of just 9,000. The musical is a retelling of these events, based on interviews with both the passengers and the townsfolk, and it captures the six days when 7,000 people were treated with kindness and generosity in a world that had just been shaken to its core by the horrific events of that day.

The cast of 14 all play dual roles. By putting on a jacket, a hat, or an apron, they shift characters from one of the townsfolk to a passenger, changing accents and internalizing either the stress of being hospitable while the town and its neighbors struggle with limited resources due to the sudden arrival of 7,000 people, or the mindset of someone who suddenly cannot return home, finding themselves in a strange place, surrounded by strangers, with no idea what is going on.

Some characters really stand out on stage, like Carla Guevarra Laforteza’s Hannah, one of the passengers whose son is a first responder in New York, and Garrett Bolden’s Bob, a Black passenger who finds himself suspicious of Newfoundland’s lack of racism. For the first time, he is being treated like everybody else, and this confounds him. Topper Fabregas does an exemplary job playing Kevin, a gay man who is struggling to adjust to his new surroundings, as well as Ali, a Middle Eastern man who everyone is afraid of. As Kevin, Fabregas gets the most laughs, but as Ali, he earns the most sympathy.

Directed by Michael Williams, the cast keeps the stage alive and busy, shifting between characters as they change costumes and weave in and out of the story. We see couples fall apart, others fall in love, a pilot reflect on how the catastrophe has changed everything about the airline industry, two women bond over their shared love for their sons who happen to have the same job, a woman go above and beyond by even thinking of the animals, and so much more.

There is so much happening, but what resonates throughout the show is the depth of humanity in this moment. The way the people of Gander and the neighboring towns come together, setting aside their differences to ensure that their guests feel welcome and cared for, is powerful. It is one of the most human experiences I have ever witnessed while watching a play. The songs, written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, can be bold, fun, and energetic, but they also know when to turn quiet and introspective. In one song, several characters ask to pray. Since the guests come from different faiths, they sing all their prayers in a musical blend that reveals a beautiful truth: all prayers share the same essence, and we are as alike as we are different.

The choreography by Delphine Buencamino is vibrant and dynamic, and Kayla Teodoro’s stage design is intriguing, keeping the focus on center stage where the actors make everything come to life. It is such a powerful piece that, for its approximately 90+ minute runtime (with no intermission), you are completely immersed in that world. By the end of the show, I was holding back my tears.

It is incredible how a theatrical performance can make me wish the world were more like this. As the crowds exited after the curtain call, people were talking about how closely this resembles Filipino hospitality. The world is currently a mess, and a show like this, based on actual events and interviews with the people who lived through it, reminds us that it really does not take much to be kind, generous, and grateful for one another. I am so glad I caught this show.

My Rating:

Experience this unforgettable story live on stage. Catch Come From Away before it takes its final bow! The show is now playing at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater until June 29. Book your tickets now on TicketWorld!

June 14, 2025