Author: Wanggo Gallaga

Movie Review: An Unlikely Modern Family: A Review of ‘The Wild Robot’

The trailer of ‘The Wild Robot’ was enough to send shivers down my spine. I got goosebumps from the exquisite visuals and the soaring musical score. I was very much excited to watch this new animated full-length feature from Dreamworks studios; the same studio who gave us such lovely films like ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ and ‘Bad Guys’ and directed and written by Chris Sanders, who co-directed and co-wrote ‘Lilo & Stitch’ and ‘How to Train Your Dragon.’ I was so sure this was going to be an event film.

The film opens with a crash; much like the trailer suggests, a hi-tech flying ship crashes into an uninhabited island and a robot, ROZZUM unit no 7134, is accidentally activated by otters who were inspecting the crash site. The robot is a servant robot who is programmed to follow orders but with no humans around to give it orders, it finds itself without purpose. It manages to frighten all the animals in the island and decides that if it can’t find a human to give it orders, it will take orders from any other living thing. It studies the languages of the animals so that it can talk to them.

(center) Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) in DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot, directed by Chris Sanders.

This is where I got surprised. I only saw the teaser, and not the trailer, and I didn’t realise the film had dialogue. After ROZZUM 7134 learns the language of the animals, it now speaks to everyone, and they don’t stop talking. I was a little annoyed by this change in tone. In an uninhabited island, the animals all spoke so western-like and operated with such modern language. It felt off to me, despite its fantastic cast like Pedro Pascal as a conniving fox, Catherine O’ Hara as a possum mother, and Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o as ROZZUM 7134.

Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) in DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot, directed by Chris Sanders.

In the attempt to find a task to perform, ROZZUM 7134 has a tussle with a bear and accidentally destroys a nest of goose eggs, except for one. The goose egg hatches and imprints itself on the robot, who it now identifies as its mother. The fox, Fink, who at first was trying to eat the egg, now assigns the robot its first task: it now must care for the goose. Fink plans to use ROZZUM 7134 for his own purposes but as time goes by, the three make an unlikely family.

I was resistant to the film as I found the anthropomorphication of the animals to be against my expectations. There’s so much beauty in the imagery (I read that Hayao Miyazaki was one of the inspirations of the visual design of the film) and the trailer was able to elicit so much emotion from me. I thought the film would be doing that here.

What I did not expect was how I was going to react by the second act of the movie. ‘The Wild Robot’ takes its time to build the family of the robot, now called Roz, Fink, and the young orphan gosling, Brightbill (voiced by Kit Connor). Roz must help Brightbill learn to eat, swim and fly on his own if he will survive as a goose.

By halfway through the film, I started crying at every major scene. All the beauty and warmth and heart that was featured in the teaser I saw came out in full force in the second and third act of ‘The Wild Robot.’ Through its wonderful characters and how it establishes the ecosystem of that island, the film is able to highlight the power of community, of a family, and the joys of kindness and generosity. Despite my resistance, the film won me over. Through its depiction of a very modern family: Roz and Fink and Brightbill; it shows us what adoption looks like and feels like and how it is just like any other family. Through the film, it shows that family can also be a choice that you make.

Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) in DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot, directed by Chris Sanders.

It’s a story of motherhood, of family, and community. It also manages to make jabs and digs at the corporate world – because of course, the company that made Roz is going to want her back – and creates a lovely contrast between the world of men and the uninhabited world of the island. Lush imagery, unforgettable characters, and gorgeous musical score, ‘The Wild Robot’ is another stellar film out of Dreamworks.

My Rating:

The Wild Robot is now showing! Check showtimes and buy tickets here.

October 15, 2024
Movie Review: Family First: A Review of ‘Mujigae’

It’s great to see director Randolph Longjas back to making full-length features. I remember seeing ‘Star na si Van Damme Stallone’ many years ago and being absolutely moved by the film. His latest movie, ‘Mujigae’ is his first feature-length film since 2016, and the warmth and tenderness are still there. In ‘Mujigae,’ he tackles and explores the idea of motherhood, in all its many forms, while also navigating the complex emotions around family and how the Filipino family is affected by economic factors that trigger separation due to immigration and finding better opportunities abroad.

The movie is centered on a 5-year-old girl called Mujigae (Ryrie Sophia), who is orphaned in South Korea when her mother, Rainalyn (Anna Luna) passes away. Her Korean father (Kim Jisoo) is nowhere to be found and she moves back to the Philippines to live with her grandfather (Richard Quan) and her aunt Sunny (Alexa Ilacad).

While the film is centered on the titular character, the film’s true protagonist is Sunny. Sunny is young woman with a lot of anger in her heart. She has a strained relationship with her sister Reinalyn, and the sudden appearance and inclusion of Mujigae into her life is a stark reminder of a painful past and heavy emotions. Her relationship with her father is also strained and this weaves into everything. Her friends and workmates at a salon, played with such warmth and pitch-perfect tonality by Donna Cariaga and Kate Alejandrino, are both positive about their ideas on motherhood. Cariaga’s Sushmita has several children already and is pregnant with another. Alejandrino’s character is hoping to get pregnant after several miscarriages. On the opposite end, Sunny doesn’t want to have children, rooted on her own relationship with her family. And so, the arrival of Mujigae amplifies all these emotions.

Longjas, alongside screenwriter Mark Raywin Tome, take their time setting up the story and establishing the characters and the world of their film. They carefully build up Sunny’s character and her relationship with her father, her friends, and with her new niece and really focus on pushing every button on Sunny’s character pushing her to the brink. It can drag out quite a bit, but it is necessary because the moment Sunny finds a moment to set aside past hurts and to really reconcile her feelings about her sister does the story take a turn and Sunny and Mujigae’s new journey bring the film to a different path.

There’s a lot of twists and turns in the film, as the trailer suggests that even Mujigae’s father comes back to turn the film around all over again. Kim Jisoo’s performance, coming quite late in the movie, invigorates the film at its tail-end, adding a strong presence that adds to the complications. That third act is really the meat of the film, and I wish there was more of it. The first two acts – the arrival of Mujigae into Sunny’s life and Sunny and Mujigae forming a bond – could have been shortened so that it could really play out the third act’s more complex emotional beats. There’s guilt and remorse and regret and hope that’s found in that crucial third act and while it’s done well; I feel that it could have sped through the first two acts and really lingered in the third.

But aside from its slow pacing, what makes ‘Mujigae’ shine is how Filipino the film is – from its tone to the way it examines and questions its idea of family and family obligations – and how it is unafraid to make its statements about motherhood, which I am still 50-50 on, but I am impressed by the conviction that the film has on the matter. It’s also supported by such powerful performances. Alexa Ilacad is a star in the making. I’ve seen her captivate a whole theater in ‘Walang Aray’ and she delivers that same presence here. The best scenes are when Ilacad, Cariaga, and Alejandrino are together, just being women, and talking about their lives. It’s such a tender, intimate moment that feels natural and just right. It’s moments like these that are so relatable and honest and authentic.

‘Mujigae’ is set in the Filipino melodrama mode. It has a warm, beautiful heart that is meant to really reach out and touch the Filipino audience. It has things to say about motherhood and family and presents it in a story that is tailor-fit for the Pinoy audience.

My Rating:

Mujigae is now showing! Check showtimes and buy tickets here.

October 10, 2024
REVIEW: Unrestrained Absurdity: A Review of ‘Kinds of Kindness’

The director of captivating absurdist films such as ‘The Lobster’ and ‘The Favourite’ and ‘Poor Things,’ Yorgos Lanthimos goes deeper into the absurdity with his latest film, the triptych ‘Kinds of Kindness,’ which opened to limited release worldwide before finding its way to Disney+. At 164 minutes, the anthology of three loosely related short films (connected mostly by theme) feature actors that the director has worked with in the past – Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn – as well as Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, and Mamoudou Athie all playing different characters in each of the three segments.

In the first segment, “The Death of RMF,” Plemons plays a man whose life is controlled down to its most tiniest details by Willem Defoe’s eccentric wealthy corporate overlord-type. The relationship between Plemons and Defoe is romantic, though Plemons’ character is married to Hong Chau and Defoe is living with a woman (Qualley). When Plemons is unable to carry out a task that he was instructed to do, he is cut off from Defoe and he finds himself lost and directionless until he meets Emma Stone’s character, who seems strangely familiar.

“RMF is Flying” is the second segment where Plemons plays a policeman who is distracted by the loss of his wife (Emma Stone) who is missing out at sea. But when she is found and returns home, Plemons begins to suspect that the woman who looks like his wife is not his wife. As the policeman tries to keep his distance, the wife will do anything to try and convince him that she’s really her. Things take a very bloody turn as the policeman makes unbelievable demands.

The final piece, “RMF Eats a Sandwich” centers around Emma Stone’s character who is working for a cult, led by Willem Dafoe and Hong Chau. Stone, along with Plemons, goes around the city searching for a messiah-like figure but secretly, she takes trips to visit her home to leave gifts for her daughter. When she is spotted by her daughter and her husband (Joe Alwyn), one thing leads to another and she finds herself breaking the tenets of the cult just as she is about to come face-to-face with the messiah (Margaret Qualley).

All three stories are told with the signature style of Lanthimos, with the cinematography and musical score that is set to distort your experience of the story by highlighting the weirdness of each scene. The dialogue is more reminiscent with Lanthimos’ older work like ‘The Lobster’ and ‘Killing of the Sacred Deer’ as the film reunites him with his co-writer Efthimis Filippou, who has a gift for creating extremely stilted, awkward dialogue as evidenced by the movies aforementioned. In ‘Kinds of Kindness,’ the literal, non-nonsensical word and phrase choices are apparent, but the actors are able to deliver it with more emotion than in ‘The Lobster’ or ‘Killing of a Sacred Deer.’ But with all these cinematic elements working in conjunction, the film is intellectually demanding as one has to really peel off the layers of artifice to get at the meat of the films.

Hong Chau and Jesse Plemons in KINDS OF KINDNESS. Photo by Atsushi Nishijima. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.

It’s the leaning into the formalist aesthetic that Yorgos Lanthimos is really an expert at and it makes his films so enjoyable because they come off as really unexpected and irreverent, which makes them really, really funny. It’s a deadpan humor that forces you to just laugh because otherwise you’d feel bad about yourself because what these movies have in common – the interconnected theme that weaves in and out of the three films – is the dangerous determination of the human spirit. In all three films, the main characters – Plemons in the first two movies, Stone in the final one – all are driven to the point of being blinded to anything else like logic, morals, dignity, rationality. There’s a passionate need that drives these characters forward and they come bulldozing into every moment and creates more havoc and chaos that creates a cynical and jaded look into modern human nature.

Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley in KINDS OF KINDNESS. Photo by Atsushi Nishijima. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.

Lanthimos creates a satire with ‘Kinds of Kindness,’ and he is making fun of all of us with our unyielding loyalty to the things we hold dear: religion, idols, conspiracy theories. What makes it all work is that he never takes it too seriously but his actors manage to make it all feel so real without every losing the tonality of the film being a satire set in the absurdist mode.

I’ve been told, ‘Kinds of Kindness’ is Lanthimos’ English work that feels closest to his Greek work and I’m glad for a taste of it (as his earlier Greek films are hard to come by over streaming). I love his other works, though, with Poor Things being one of my favorite cinematic experiences last year. While watching Kinds of Kindness on my iPad via Disney+ may not be ideal, the fact that it is less of a spectacle and more of an intellectual exercise makes it suitable for the medium.

My Rating:

KINDS OF KINDNESS is now streaming on Disney+. Watch it here and experience the absurd brilliance of Yorgos Lanthimos!

October 9, 2024
Movie Review: Songs in the Key of Bleak: A Review of ‘Joker: Folies a Deux’

‘Joker: Folie a Deux,’ as expressed by director and co-writer Todd Phillips, is meant to put the focus on Gotham’s fascination with what Arthur Fleck did in the first film, a means to explore the dangers of turning news into entertainment and how his mental breakdown, captured in the public sphere through a televised trial is symbolic to the world’s current deterioration of morals and values. The film, the sequel to the massively successful ‘Joker,’ which won Joaquin Phoenix an Academy Award for Best Actor, follows the events of the first film and finds Arthur Fleck in Arkham Prison and Hospital, awaiting trial for the five murders he committed. He’s become sort of a celebrity, having killed a man on live television, Phillips imagines that he has awakened something among the desperate of the population. Trouble starts when Arthur meets Lee (Lady Gaga) at a rehabilitation program that uses music as a form of therapy, and he discovers that she’s a fan.

While there a number of scenes that supports Phillips intention to showcase the public’s fascination with Fleck and how his trial is stirring up the worst in people, most of the 138-minute running-time is spent on Arthur and Lee’s dangerous bond. Lee emboldens Arthur, makes him feel seen and loved and, by doing so, pushes him to be more confident, more like the Joker. Fusing the music program into Fleck’s psychosis, it drives him to sing – the musical numbers that play out in his head – and it seems that only Lee can hear it as she also sings along. ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ is just as much a musical as it is a bleak commentary on mental health (and the lack of support for people who suffer from it), justice, and our twisted media representation that turns criminals into celebrities.

Just like the first film, ‘Joke: Folies a Deux’ is grounded by stellar performances. I may not have liked the first movie, but Phoenix had a transformative portrayal of Arthur Fleck, creating a mesmerizing study of pain and loneliness with his entire body. He does it again, and this time throws some incredible vocal performances in the songs. We know he can sing from his performance of Johnny Cash in ‘Walk the Line’, but he uses none of that bravado or vocal strength here. He sings as Arthur Fleck, not a trained singer and he can go hoarse, he can get caught up in the emotions and the effect can be chilling. Same with Lady Gaga. As Lee, she is unhinged, and she has been quoted in interviews stating that she had to unlearn how to sing because Lee was not a trained singer. But in certain songs, when Arthur was fully consumed by his fantasy, Lady Gaga could let it rip; but when she was being restrained in her vocals for the most part, she was giving it her all in every other part.

Very little is actually explored on Lee’s past or her own psychosis. She is merely a fan, unhinged, maybe even sociopathic, but all she does is really push Arthur to the point that he takes on the Joker mantle. Why? It’s never really revealed but Lady Gaga infuses her with so much bravado that it doesn’t need to be explored. It’s there in the way she looks at him, the way she sings along, and the way she shifts when the story begins to turn another way.

Also adding to the film’s world is Brendan Gleeson as a prison warden who has equal parts soft and warm and tough and brutal. He is given moments that really steal the spotlight from Phoenix (and that’s hard). Also, Catherine Keener also gives a solid performance as Arthur’s lawyer, who genuinely seems worried about him and hopes that he gets the help that he needs.

But other than Keener’s lawyer or the few moments of Gleeson’s prison warden showing his humanity, there’s very little joy here in Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folies a Deux.’ The world is grey and cold and dark. Even when they enter into their musical numbers, there is an air of dread that permeates the scene, especially when you know that it’s really all in Arthur’s head. The connection that Arthur and Lee have that is at the crux of the film is actually detrimental effect on our protagonist so it’s not even something for the audience to root for. For a large portion of the film, it feels like we are meant to feel sorry for Arthur; despite the fact that he has killed six people in the previous installment. Yes, he needs psychiatric help, but the movie also positions that there’s none that is available for him to get.

This heaviness that hangs upon the film never ever lifts, and with over a dozen musical numbers that pretty much repeats the same themes over and over, ‘Joker: Folies a Deux’ feels a little belabored and bloated. It spends a good three quarters of the film saying the same thing and by the time it shifts to try and say something new, the audience feels a bit exhausted already that the connection is lost.

The film is well-made. The cinematography and the score are incredible. The musical arrangements are just stellar with Phoenix and Lady Gaga at the mic, killing every song. But the movie is overdrawn, spending too much time talking about the same thing that all that emotions start to dwindle halfway through its extended running time. By the time it attempts to say something different – something about redemption – it’s far too late in the movie and then it undercuts it again with more of its cynical and bleak depiction of the world coming in to further push Arthur to the brink.

For all its big themes and daring to be a musical above what it has already done since ‘Joker,’ ‘Joker: Folies a Deux’ gives off the feeling that this was more a vanity project than a full-on meditation on mental health or crime.

My Rating:

Joker: Folies a Deux is now showing! Check showtimes and buy tickets here.

October 4, 2024
Movie Review: Bloody Beautiful: a review of ‘The Substance’

Aside from Demi Moore’s explosive performance or Coralie Fargeat’s razor-sharp screenplay or bold direction, what I really loved the most about ‘The Substance’ is how the film manages to criticize not just the obscene standards for beauty that we impose upon women (and that women impose upon themselves because that’s how society has programmed them) but–and this is me just digging deeper–also the way we idolize and praise people for their beauty and their looks and it’s really so shallow and worthless, the way ‘The Substance’ manages to position it within the frame.

‘The Substance’ is about an aging actress, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), who has managed to stay in the public eye by hosting aerobics show. When she discovers her producer (Dennis Quaid) is replacing her with “someone younger” on her birthday, she gets distracted while on the road and suffers an accident. At the hospital, someone hands her a mysterious flash drive with a promotion for a drug called The Substance, a radical treatment that will create a younger, “better” version of the user who will stay active for seven days before having to switch again with the older body. Desperate to stay in the limelight, Elisabeth takes The Substance and finds her younger self to be played by Margaret Qualley who now calls herself Sue. As Sue, she auditions for Elisabeth’s old show and finds herself the hottest new face in Hollywood. With a new lease on life, she finds that balancing her life between bodies for a week each is too limiting, and Sue starts to break the rules to disastrous results for Elisabeth.

Image from CreaZion Studios FB

From the get-go, the movie leans on the formalist aesthetic and takes on an absurdist mode. Everything from the cinematography to the production design and sound design is exaggerated to the highest levels. Even the acting is almost comical, especially for Dennis Quaid. It’s only Demi Moore who can play grounded as she must deal with the struggles of society’s unrealistic expectations for women’s aging. Later, she shifts to the outrageous when the scene calls for it, but her fear is real; her portrayal of it is palpable and jumps off the screen.

But while Moore works her magic on the film’s heart, Fargeat is off having mad fun with the rest of the film. ‘The Substance’ is in the genre of body horror and she is unafraid to be gross and grotesque and brutal. The forming of the new, younger body is a violent act, where the old body is ripped open like a shell. There’s blood and organs and later on when things get really messy, there’s violence that is enhanced by extreme close-ups of flesh and blood and the sound of bones cracking and flesh on liquid. It’s a sensory assault that disturbs as much as it can amuse.

Image from CreaZion Studios FB

The other way by which Fargeat subverts the body horror genre is how the camera is as equally obsessed by beautiful bodies of women. As Sue, Elisabeth can reclaim the glory she had in her past and she’s out there gyrating and exercising and showing off every curve of her body: butt, cleavage, crotch. While it definitely objectifies the woman’s body but, interestingly enough, while this obsession for youth and beauty is imposed by men, it is framed by Elisabeth’s own obsession with her body. As much as it is the male gaze at work, it is also the female gaze who, by submitting to men’s wants and desires, wants to have this body and to show it off. The constant exposure of these body parts, where at first comes off as alluring, later on becomes a sort of prison. The perfection of Margaret Qualley’s body becomes part of the horror because it’s the symbol of Elisabeth’s own entrapment to the society’s unrealistic expectation of women’s body.

Image from CreaZion Studios FB

But the most ironic thing about all this is that Demi Moore, a woman in her early 60s, looks absolutely amazing. She looks just as good as Margaret Qualley when you consider her age and so when the film through Dennis Quaid’s character calls her old and undesirable, it underlines and amplifies the film’s message. Outside this cartoon world that Fargeat wrote and directed, Demi Moore is old and unfit for television but, in reality, she’s absolutely divine. And this idea plays out in Demi Moore’s performance that it adds an extra layer that makes the film so much fun to watch.

The film gets crazier and crazier as it unfolds. In fact, I found two scenes, two great moments when the film could have ended but it kept going, pushing the boundaries of taste and horror to its limits. I feel that the message was already made but the extra twenty minutes of blood and gore and violence is still a lot of fun.

My Rating:

The Substance is now showing! Check showtimes and buy tickets here.

October 2, 2024
Movie Review: An early reveal keeps ‘I, the Executioner’ a tense-filled movie that’s action-packed

While ‘I, the Executioner’ is the sequel to the 2015 film ‘Veteran,’ you don’t need to have seen the first movie to still find a lot to enjoy in ‘I, the Executioner,’ though the main characters’ personal story arcs are not in focus in this installment, and instead, it seems more focused on the suspense and social commentary that is proposed by its choice of plot.

In this film, the Violent Crimes Investigation Unit must solve a possible serial killer, whom online tabloid journalists have called “Haechi,” after a symbol of justice. Haechi’s victims are all murderers in their own right but have managed to avoid any harsh sentencing of the law through loop holes or, what is seen as, a weak justice system. Haechi murders them in the exact place and manner that they committed their own murders. While the Violent Crimes Unit, led by Detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) must find the killer, they also face backlash from a public who sees Haechi’s brand of justice as righteous.

To my surprise, very early on, director Ryeo Sung-hwan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Lee Won-jae, reveals the identity of Haechi very early, and he is part of the team. Working alongside with the police, Haechi is always one step ahead of them and thus the film takes a more suspenseful route because you are just wondering how Seo Do-cheol and his team will outsmart someone who knows their every step and move.

Interestingly enough, Ryeo Sung-hwan adds another layer to the mix by giving a voice to some of the police who are actually thinking that Haechi is doing them a favour. The film manages to explore this discourse and express its disappointment in the South Korean justice system in-between all the suspense and the high-octane action that makes up for the movie. It’s this layer of political discourse that just lingers in the periphery that makes ‘I, the Executioner’ more than just a straight-up action/suspense commercial film.

Because it’s very enjoyable when taken for all its commercial elements. The opening sequence is surprisingly goofy and funny. It has hilarious timed-slapstick and other forms of physical comedy that brings in its mainstream appeal. But the moment Haechi strikes, the film gets really serious. The cinematography is dark and gritty, creating an atmosphere of dread and danger. And there are three major action sequences with great fight choreography (quite unrealistic, but very hard-hitting and enjoyable to see on the big screen) and tense moments when the cat-and-mouse moments are at play.

Hwang Jung-min makes for a fascinating lead. He’s not a nice guy but despite his brusque and rough manner, he does mean well, and you can still root for him, even when he chooses his work over his son (Byung Hong-jun) and his problems in school, which finds its way into the mess with Haechi later on. Joining the cast as a rookie cop is Jung Hae In, who once again proves that his acting range is unlimited by playing an eager young cop who is quick on his feet and smarter than he looks. A welcome surprise is a guest appearance by Ahn Bo Hyun, who makes full use of his physicality and his vulnerability for a character with an interesting connection to the crime.

‘I, the Executioner’ is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, and is clever in the way that it reveals what it needs to so that the film is just bubbling with tension all-throughout. Hwang Jung-min’s character feels like his growth from the last film is being tested in this one, so there’s not much character development for us to track here. Instead, we are presented with a moral dilemma that the film doesn’t really give an answer for. While it does paint Haechi as a criminal, the film makes no real stand on whether what he does is truly bad, which makes the film a little dangerous and a whole lot more interesting than it appears.

My Rating:

I, The Executioner is now showing! Check showtimes and buy tickets here.

October 1, 2024
REVIEW: A Promising Irreverent Cop Show: a review of the first 3 episodes of ‘Seoul Busters’

The first three episodes of the upcoming Disney+ streaming show, ‘Seoul Busters,’ features irreverent humor that goes no-holds barred with its humor and comedy. Unlike other comedic K-drama cop shows that takes its storylines seriously while dropping comic moments and funny dialogue here and there, ‘Seoul Busters’ is more about having fun and cracking jokes at almost every turn. It feels more like a situational comedy than a comedic cop serial, which means that it has a different flavour but is still distinctly a K-drama.

The 12-episode show is about the worst performing squad in the violent crimes police squad. They include Moo Jung-ryeok (Park Ji-Hwan), who is a tough talking, hot-headed, former member of the National Boxing team; Jeong Jeong-hwan (Seo Hyun-woo), an obsequious detective who is always pandering to anyone of authority; Seo Min-seo (Park Se-wan), the only woman in the group who is as tough talking as the guys but is secretly hiding her longing for a boyfriend; and the rookie, Jang Tan-sik (Lee Seung Woo), who appears to be not very bright or not at all capable but is extremely enthusiastic and eager to be helpful.

Combined, they form the lowest-rank squad and are a constant pain to their superintendent. It’s so bad that they were forced to relocate in a former day care center when their office was up for renovation. The visual comedy of these tough talking police detectives trying to work in the setting of a day care center. The building interiors are colorful, there’s a ball pool, a slide, and most of the chairs are built for children. In two episodes of the first three episodes, there’s an interrogation scene where they are in a room with tiny chairs and tables and the Moo Jung-ryeok and the suspect have to play out an interrogation scene while sitting in seats made for children. The idea of it is hilarious.

Things change when a new captain is brought into play. Enter Dongban Yu-bin (Kim Dong-wook). He’s smart, capable, and multi-awarded and while he was set for a job at the administrative level, he requested to be transferred to violent crimes as he feels he still has much to learn on the field. He is perfect in every way, entering a crime scene and observing little details that is shown to the audience by subtitles popping out with every detail that catches his attention. He has relatively poor social skills, though, and as he is assigned to the squad, Moo Jung-ryeok immediately dislikes him, Jeong Jeong-hwan tries to get to his good side, Seo Min-seo is fighting her growing feelings for him, and Jang Tan-sik is trying his best to still be helpful.

The first episode of the 12-episode series is set to establish the characters and the milieu and introduces us to the first case. The second and third episode shows the detectives at work, trying to solve the case and getting into hilarious shenanigans while playing out the dynamics of the new team. The first case gets resolved by the end of episode three before they introduce a new case, so it seems that the show may take on an episodic structure with the goal of seeing if Dongban Yu-bin has what it takes to raise the squad from the lowest to the level of even being competent.

While the first case is solved through some detective work, the intricacy of the crime is revealed so it creates a whodunit structure, the show is really more focused on the humor aspect. It is not afraid to go highbrow or even low brow (sometimes even veering into toilet humor). It seems nothing is off limits at the moment and so how the show will continue to evolve will be quite interesting.

For some reason, the show reminds me of ‘Brooklyn 99’ and if the humor continues in this vein, it’s going to be a fun 12 episodes.

My Rating:

SEOUL BUSTERS is now streaming on Disney+. Watch it here.

September 15, 2024
REVIEW: 9 Works Theatrical’s revival of ‘Once on this Island’ takes a modern approach to the classic (and outdated) love story

I have been a fan of ‘Once on this Island’ since I first heard the soundtrack sometime in the early 90s. The musical, by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty is an adaptation of the 1985 novel ‘My Love, My Love’ or ‘The Peasant Girl’ by Rosa Guy, which is a reimagining of the fairy tale The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen but set in the Caribbean. The musical has won the Laurence Olivier award at the West End in 1995 and the Tony for Best Revival in 2018. The play, almost completely sung-through, boasts incredible music by a large array of loveable characters and a love story that can be quite problematic in the current time but is very much a throwback to the love story depicted in The Little Mermaid.

Photo by Reine Paisley | Courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical

9 Works Theatrical’s production, on the direction of Robbie Guevarra, does an interesting turn on the musical emphasizing the craziness of the dated love story of the play. ‘Once on this Island’ is set in an island in the Caribbean. In the midst of a huge storm, the villagers tell a story about Ti Moune to calm a child. The story goes that Ti Moune was an orphan that the four gods – Asaka, Agwe, Erzulie, and Papa Ge – saved so that she can teach the island a lesson. The island is split into two – the peasants and the Grand Homme – and these two worlds never meet. Except Ti Moune longs for bigger things, having been told that the gods have saved her for something special. She sets her eyes on a Grand Homme, Daniel, who drives through the island in his Mercedes Benz. Having fallen in love with the young man, Ti Moune proclaims that she will marry him, and the gods laugh at her bravado. But Erzulie, the goddess of love, insists that love is stronger than the earth, water, and death, the domain of Asaka, Agwe, and Papa Ge. The gods then decide to use Ti Moune and Daniel to test Erzulie’s proposition: that love is stronger than death.

Photo by Reine Paisley | Courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical

The play is Ti Moune’s journey from her village to the land of the Grand Homme to be able to marry Daniel and prove the power of love. Back in the 90s, the very ‘Little Mermaid’-ish storyline was innocent and idealistic. But in today’s sensibiliites it is a little foolish, if not outright mental. Guevarra leans into this, turning Ti Moune’s longing and passion into something rash and delirious. When Ti Moune and Daniel first meet, Daniel crashes his car during the rain and Ti Moune nurses him back to health. She sings a song about her love for him and Guevarra highlights this by doing a pretty neat trick by letting his Daniel appear on another part of the stage to sing their love duet despite the fact that the audience was left to believe that Daniel was on the bed with TI Moune when the scene starts. Guevarra uses his talented ensemble in multiple ways to weave his players in and out of scenes that keeps the energy on stage strong and vibrant.

Photo by Reine Paisley | Courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical

He also directs the cast to play up the storytelling aspect of the play. Since the story is told through the villagers, when they perform the scenes of the Ti Moune story, there is a child-like wonder to the performances that keeps the play buoyant despite such themes as death and class division. Coming up to match this direction is its very abled cast with standout performances by Angela Ken (in the show I saw, Thea Astley alternates) as Ti Moune, Lorenz Martinez as Papa Ge, Garret Bolden as Agwe, Lani Ligot as Mama Euralie, Raul Montesa (for the show I saw, Noel Rayos alternate), and Krystal Kane (alternate Shanaia Gomez) as Andrea.

Martinez is always reliable, but his Papa Ge is a lot more human than a previous show I saw 20 years ago and from clips I’ve caught on the internet. It’s not a caricature of a “sly demon” as his intro to the play suggests but a textured portrayal that brings in an air of freshness. Bolden has an impressive stage presence and has a magnificent voice that made his solo song ‘Rain’ a showstopper in the show I caught. For the little Andrea gets to do in the play, Kane was so memorable and was able to add a new layer to Andrea, not pushing her into the level of an antagonist (as some productions do). The scene stealers of the show, though, belong to Ligot and Montesa, who play the parents of Ti Moune. Their singing is imbued with so much heart and passion that they easily served as the show’s emotional anchor.

Photo by Reine Paisley | Courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical

Ken is a wonderful discovery. She has spunk and presence and is unafraid to show the deliriousness of Ti Moune’s love for Daniel. The girl can sing, and she can demand for her spotlight on that stage, even when it is completely filled by that cast. I discovered this is still her first lead role and you can see the inexperience, sometimes relying on facial expressions that feel rehearsed or practiced but what she lacks in experience, she makes up for charisma and bravado. She’s an amazing talent and I can’t wait to see her grow.

Mio Infante’s set is both beautifully designed but can also create staging limitations for the production. There are curtains draped right above the center in a circle with strips of fabric falling down making it look like a gorgeous ethereal jellyfish when the lights hit it at a particular way and the stage itself has a thin loop that encircles the center. Actors can jump on the loop that is tilted towards the audience. It’s interesting because it allows the characters to go in and out of the center to direct us to the action, but it can also create an upper and lower level for certain scenes where height and leverage can come into play. Unfortunately, when the action is focused right in the middle, the circle can become limiting and when the whole ensemble is dancing together, it can sometimes feel too cluttered or busy. It makes the play feel smaller than it is.

Photo by Reine Paisley | Courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical

But the musical direction of Daniel Bartolome keeps the score intact but adds extra percussion flourishes in certain songs – the dance-oriented ones, specifically – that adds an extra kick to the already-wonderful music of Stephen Flaherty. The singing by this ensemble is exceptional and so if the story isn’t to your liking, you can just enjoy the beautiful music.

Photo Courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical

There’s a lot to love in this beloved staging of the classic musical ‘Once on this Island.’ I appreciate the modern approaches it takes on some parts of the book that can feel dated, but it also manages to highlight the play’s stronger themes as it tackles class discrimination. This staging also manages to push a message that we make our own choices, regardless of what the gods (or whatever metaphor you decide the gods are representative of) has in store for you. For that alone, it’s reason why we must keep telling this story.

My Rating:

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND is running until September 29 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati. For ticket details, visit Ticket2Me.

September 12, 2024
Sinag Maynila Review: the dark, brutal coming-of-age story that is ‘The Gospel of the Beast’

There is a raw, almost unfiltered texture to both the narrative and the imagery of writer and director Sheron Dayoc’s Sinag Maynila feature ‘The Gospel of the Beast’ (with additional writing by Jericho Aguado). The film pulls no punches about a teenager who finds himself with very little options after a fit of rage turns him into an accidental murderer. Mateo works at a butchery, helping slaughter pigs for selling. The opening scene has our lead, played by the arresting Jansen Magpusao of ‘John Denver Trending,’ preparing the slaughtered pigs and washing off the blood from the slaughterhouse floor. It’s a foreshadowing of the kind of violence that will unfold in the film.

He works part-time in the slaughterhouse to help out his aunt who has taken him and his younger siblings in as his father goes missing. In school, he is bullied but Mateo fights back; not a victim and there’s a rage inside of him that you can see is fighting to get free. When one bully goes too far, Mateo retaliates in the heat of rage and kills his schoolmate. Without witnesses, he is free to make an escape, and his only recourse is to go with his uncle, Berto (Ronnie Lazaro). Berto brings Mateo along to an abandoned villa with a gang of less than savory individuals.Here, Mateo discovers that his uncle robs, tortures, and kills people. Unwittingly, Mateo has joined a gang, working for a man everyone calls “boss” who appears very briefly, it so quick that the camera barely manages to capture his face, and we know nothing about him except that he’s dressed far better than Berto and his crew. Is it political? Is it a crime boss? Mateo doesn’t know so the audience doesn’t know because the film is so focused on Mateo’s interior world.

Captured from YouTube: The Gospel of the Beast Trailer

What’s incredible about ‘The Gospel of the Beast’ is Dayoc’s sheer focus on making this Mateo’s story. Possibly 70% of the film are tight close-up shots of Magpusao’s beautiful face that hides nothing: Mateo’s fear, anxiety, guilt, curiosity, and rage are all there for us to observe and empathize with. There’s so much Mateo doesn’t know and, oftentimes, doesn’t want to know so these concepts are left at the periphery hinting at a larger, darker world. What we do witness is Mateo’s complex coming-of-age story as he desperately tries to hold on to his youth and humanity through adopting a dog or bonding with another gang member his age, Gudo, portrayed with such warmth and realism by John Renz Javier. At the same time, we are also witnessing Mateo’s growth into a man, the inner rage in him finding a space amongst the tough gang members in Berto’s group, that he is quicker now to lash out and realise the beast inside of him even if his young teenage body isn’t yet strong enough to match his fire, especially against Berto’s team who are older and much more used to violence.

Captured from YouTube: The Gospel of the Beast Trailer

The film is a character study of the ways by which the underprivileged youth have very little options available to them when things go wrong and without real parental supervision or community support. How easily he is seduced by his uncle Berto’s manipulations, wonderfully portrayed by Ronnie Lazaro, who can be in equal parts loving and nurturing and then cold and brutal. It’s the dynamic of Lazaro and Magpusao that really gives the movie it’s emotional weight.

‘The Gospel of the Beast’ is an arresting film, one that seeks to disturb you while playing out this violent world in a very human setting. The film is rife with symbolism of being captive, or held in prison by the way it organically weaves in aquariums or brings out the image of Mateo’s adopted dog’s leash. The animals here are bound to their owners. Mateo may run free in the forested villa where he resides, but he does not have the liberty to set his own path.

This is a dark tale that is violent and brutal and unforgiving, but it is a necessary piece that needs to be seen.

My Rating:

The Gospel of the Beast, a finalist in the #SinagMaynila2024 Feature Film Category, was screened in select cinemas from September 4-10, 2024.

September 11, 2024
REVIEW: The ‘Rings of Power season 2’ is a clumsy meditation on corruption

I was not a fan of the first season of ‘The Rings of Power,’ the Prime Video streaming series based on the appendices of JRR Tolkien’s beloved ‘Lord of the Rings’ books. My biggest gripe was in the depiction of the elves as people who were just as frivolous and emotionally unstable as the humans. I talked about the inevitable comparisons that were going to be made between the show and Peter Jackson’s vision of that world in his ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. But considering the amount of money that Prime Video has thrown at this show, I was curious to see if things would get better on its second round.

The second season is now focused on the forging of the titular Rings of Power. The eight-episode season is focused on Sauron (Charlie Vickers), who has now disguised himself as the elf Annatar manipulates the elvish smith Celebrimbor (Charles Edward) to forge more rings for the dwarves and the race of man. Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) must face the consequences of her actions in season one as she is forced to confess of her dealings with Sauron, when he was disguised as the human Halbrand to Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) and Elron (Robert Aramayo). The dwarves are in disarray as an earthquake caused by the rise of a volcano in Mordor destroys the sun shafts in Kaza-dum forcing King Durin (Peter Mulan) and his son Durin (Owain Arthus) to navigate their tempestuous relationship. The Harfoots Nori (Markella Kavanagh) and Poppy (Megan Richards) continue to accompany the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) to find the point of the stars while, in later episodes, we discover the chaos that is happening in the realms of men, highlighting the story of Queen Regent Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and Isildur (Maxim Baldry) as the orcs march out of Mordor led by Adar (Sam Hazeldine).

It’s a lot of stories that is happening simultaneously and what is attractive about the show is how the immense budget is reflected in the CGI and the production of each scene. The show looks expensive, and the special effects are convincing enough, giving life to giant spiders, ents, trolls, and even the Barrow-Wights. The world is immersive, with hundreds of extras keeping the world populated and making sure the show doesn’t feel small.

In fact, with all the storylines at play, it’s just a marvel at how much all of this must cost.

There is an enjoyable aspect to the narrative: a classic epic adventure story with multiple protagonists on their own quests to strive towards stopping a great evil. But as we are now into the second season, several characters have yet to interact and some of the storylines have yet to fully intersect, which slows down the pace of the whole show altogether. At eight episodes, the Stranger and his quest for his forgotten memories and his name takes forever and while it continues to strengthen the bond between him and the two Harfoots, his storyline still feels adjunct to the main narrative.

The ones who get the most focus are the elves, and this is still my most sour spot on the whole show. For beings that live for thousands of years, they make the most foolish mistakes and make the most questionable of actions. Galadriel’s insistence of facing Sauron despite the fact that he has fooled her for almost all of the first season should be a cause for self-reflection and instead, it emboldens her to do more acts that feel impulsive and reckless. The same can be said for Elrond and the way by which Celebrimbor is so easily swayed and manipulated by Sauron-as-Annatar does not feel at all seemly for the character of the elves.

The highlights of the show are the moments when it focuses on the Dwarves. Disa is still one of the most realised characters in the show and is performed extremely well by Sophia Nomvete. Their storyline is the one that moves at a proper pace yet still manages to delve into the emotional weight of the issues at hand. Things get even worse when the dwarven rings come into play.

Season 2 grounds itself by exploring the corrupting effect of power and fame and glory. It’s best when it navigates this as best seen in the storyline of the Dwarves or when Elrond argues with Galadriel regarding her ring (though Galadriel’s position, considering her past experience with Sauron, makes for a weak argument) or the way by which Sauron plays with Celebrimbor’s own pride. It would have been interesting to see this play out if the writing was stronger and tighter (which means removing the adjunct stories like The Stranger’s or Isildur’s) but all of this is bogged down by the rest of the storylines that all don’t push towards a clear focus.

And, by the end of the season, there’s still so many storylines left opened – of course, for the eventual third season – but none of which feels even partially resolved. It still feels like the first act of the larger story and that can get quite tedious.

My Rating:

The Lord of the Rings – The Rings of Power is now streaming on Prime Video. Watch it here.

September 8, 2024