Author: Wanggo Gallaga

Cinemalaya 18 Reviews: ‘Bakit ‘Di Mo Sabihin?’ and ‘Kaluskos’

Bakit ‘Di Mo Sabihin?

Directed by Real Florido
Cast: JC De Vera and Janine Gutierrez
My Rating:
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This is the fourth movie I’ve seen Janine Gutierrez in and I’m now convinced she can nail any role that is thrown at her. She brings so much honesty into her performances that you forget she just played a different character in her last movie. There’s a very lived-in, natural way about her portrayals that makes her characters seem so real. In ‘Bakit ‘Di Mo Sabihin?’ she expands her range even further by playing the deaf and mute artist Nat with such bravura that I was absolutely transfixed.

Unfortunately, the film’s narrative structure takes on a non-linear form, which conflates the movie’s story and makes it feel incohesive. There’s the story of the challenges of a deaf-mute person, the toxic relationship she has with her husband Migs (a solid performance by JC De Vera), and the feminist undertones that come from having such an oppressive husband. The narrative jumps in and out of flashbacks and certain narrative points come at a much later time than when they are needed.

Because certain backstory elements aren’t revealed until much later, what we experience in this film is the drama, the after effects, and these don’t grip us or hold on to us because they feel unmotivated. Why are the couple breaking up? How did they get to this point? Was Migs always this controlling? The answers come so much later that by the time that they do, I have already made judgments on certain characters that weren’t warranted or I’m totally disconnected from other characters completely.

The non-linear structure (which is very reminiscent of the film ‘Blue Valentine’ to me) feels more cosmetic than functional. And there are certain storylines that I feel could have been explored (the world and struggles of the deaf and mute community) and a subplot with a farmer’s son, who is also deaf and mute, that Migs wants to teach sign language. While it shows Migs’ savior complex at work, it never really goes anywhere narratively and never really completes that it feels out of place.

There’s a lot of promise in this film but it needs to be able to take all the story elements and bring it back to what seems like the main point of the film, which is to fully explore the deterioration of this couple’s marriage. The film is a great showcase for its two lead actors, though, of how much they can convey without speaking one line of dialogue. If anything, watch it for their performances.

Kaluskos

Directed by Roman S. Perez Jr.
Cast: Coleen Garcia, Queenzy Calma, Karl Medina
My Rating:
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‘Kaluskos’ is a horror film about a separated couple fighting over custody of their daughter. Career woman Rebecca (Coleen Garcia) has sole custody of her daughter Amaya (Queenzy Calma), which her ex-husband (played by Karl Medina) is fighting to overturn. Rebecca, who is dedicated to her job, is not at all connected to Amaya but will fight tooth and nail to keep her out of spite as her ex-husband cheated on her. But Amaya has begun to exhibit violent tendencies and strange behaviour and Rebecca is discovering that being a mother is a lot harder to do alone.

Director Roman Perez Jr. is in quite a rush to get to the horror that he never really settles down to establish the setting, the characters, and the rules of this world.

We never really get to know Rebecca’s job or how hard she works (it’s always mentioned but we never really get to see it) and because Rebecca never seems to really connect with her daughter, it’s hard for us to believe she really loves her when things start to go awry. We have no idea what Amaya was like before so when she starts acting strange or violent, we don’t know if this is due to the custody battle or if the child had always this issue growing under her, or if this is the effect of some supernatural element that is hinted upon in the film.

In fact, the film is in such a rush to get to it that there are scenes when foreboding music is already at play in some normal, mundane scenes. In other moments, the camera is already angled in a peculiar way to suggest someone is watching, hidden, but the scene doesn’t really call for it.

Without grounding the film in its setting and its world, Rebecca’s descent into madness feels rushed and not properly motivated. There are also quite a number of imagery and narrative elements that seem arbitrary. There’s a dream sequence of Rebecca on a boat, floating near the shore and she sees her daughter under the water but this image has no real connection to the story or the supernatural element that is uncovered as the story unfolds.

The world seems small, operating only within the mechanics needed for the film to move forward and this is what makes ‘Kaluskos’ struggle to find its fear factor. I don’t see this happening to me or anyone around me. Detached from the real world, ‘Kaluskos’ seems to be an isolated story that is just there for Rebecca and Amaya. It never really turns their custody battle or Rebecca’s maternal issues as something universal and it makes the film feel small.

—

Cinemalaya 18 runs until August 14, 2022. at the CCP, and will hold screenings at select Ayala Malls Cinemas and SM Cinemas until August 16, 2022. Online streaming is scheduled for October 2022.

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August 12, 2022
Cinemalaya 18 Reviews: ‘Blue Room,’ ‘The Baseball Player,’ and opening film ‘Leonor Will Never Die’

Blue Room

Directed by Ma-an Asuncion-Dagnalan
Cast: Elijah Canlas, juan Karlos, Harvey Bautista, Nourijune, Keoni Jin, and Soliman Cruz
My Rating:
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Showcasing great direction, a strong and tight screenplay, and fantastic performances, Ma-an Asuncion-Dagnalan’s ‘Blue Room’ feels like the polished work of a filmmaker who is in control of their craft. The film begins with a long introduction of its characters, a band called Rebel Rebel, as they perform at a gig.

This extended introduction revels in the nuances of the band’s interpersonal dynamics and, unapologetically, privileged backgrounds. Majority of these characters are middle class or upper middle class and for a while, the film feels like it’s not about anything but a band right at the precipice of something big.

But after what feels like a good 20 minutes into the film, they get caught making a traffic violation at a police checkpoint and the whole film turns over its head and everything that was established in the first act – including intrusive snapshots of the band interacting with their fans in social media at some indiscriminate time frame – is put to the test in the gripping second and third act.

The first act reeks of privilege and the succeeding acts underscore how none of that matter in the face of corrupt police but at the same time how it can also make all the difference. Elijah Canlas and Soliman Cruz are established actors, who do wonders with their parts but I was also very much impressed by Harvey Bautista’s and Nourijune’s performances that really jump out from the screen.

Asuncion-Dagnalan has a confident hand in her storytelling that the film moves along at a steady pace and brings its audience into a swirl of emotions that had the whole audience at the CCP stunned in silence and then fear and finally into loud cheers. Everything feels in place from the claustrophobic second and third act, the honest performances, the musical score, and the gorgeous songs played in the film.

In terms of its execution, ‘Blue Room’ is an exquisite feast compounded by a strong story that is grounded by characters that feel familiar and authentic and a social issue that we are all afraid of but can’t imagine. ‘Blue Room’ dramatizes a very probable horrific situation for us to experience and the effect is absolutely thrilling.

The Baseball Player

Directed by Carlo Obispo
Cast: Tommy Alejandrino and JM San Jose
My Rating:
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Set in the rural backdrop of an unnamed area in Mindanao (though Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato are mentioned in the peripherals), ‘The Baseball Player’ takes us into an almost-idyllic presentation of provincial life except there is a lingering presence of danger at any moment.

Director Carlo Obispo fills the camera with gorgeous scenery of rolling hills, lush greenery, and vibrant springs and takes it time to wrestle with the growing bonds of a young boy, who is taken in by a new family as a survivor of an armed conflict.

Khalid (San Jose) is a young boy who has lost his family through the war in Mindanao. He is taken in by “the closest he’s got to a family” and goes under the wing of Amir, a teenager with dreams of becoming a baseball player but who has to train as a soldier for the Moro rebels. Without digging deep into Khalid’s past, Obispo manages to visualise the trauma that Khalid faces and how the presence of his new “older brother” begins the path to healing.

But there’s always the presence of danger looming right outside the frame.

‘The Baseball Player’ makes a case for artistic restraint, holding back so much in terms of filmmaking and even the story just for the audience to really take in the very lovely countryside and the growing trust and friendship between the two young leads. This quiet, almost slice-of-life story is merely an illusion for the armed conflict that threatens to tear away the lives and hopes, and dreams of the children caught in the crossfire. Using the less-is-more technique in filmmaking, when something does happen it feels explosive and in the first real display of heavy emotions, I found myself crying, not realising I was brought to that emotional space.

As lovely as Pepe Manikan’s musical score is, there are times when I would have preferred for the film to be still and quiet. The music sort of feels counter the subtlety of the other aspects of the filmmaking but the core of this film is Obispo’s handling of the narrative elements and Tommy Alejandrino’s and JM San Jose’s very strong performances. San Jose carries the weight of that character’s trauma with him and never plays for sympathy while Alejandrino is such an intelligent and mature actor that he can convey so much with just the smallest of gestures and the intensity of a look or a smile.

While those who are not a fan of slow cinema may get a bit restless with this film, it hits so hard in its finale that it’s worth every second of your patience.

Leonor Will Never Die

Directed by Martika Escobar
Cast: Sheila Francisco, Bong Cabrera, Rocky Salumbides, Anthony Falcon
My Rating:

Cinemalaya 18 opening film, ‘Leonor Will Never Die’ is a refreshing love letter to Filipino movies, especially the 80s action flicks of Fernando Poe Jr. and Philip Salvador and others of that genre. Quirky and whimsical, director Martika Escobar fills the screen with moments of surprising humanity at the most unsuspecting of moments.

In its 99-minute running time, she manages to pay homage to all the stereotypes and tropes of 80s action films through the acting out of the script of the main character, Leonor, who happens to be an aging director of these action films, everything from the over-the-top acting, the flimsy love stories, the melodramatic plotlines but in the process of these reenactments, we also explore the relationship of Leonor and her two sons.

Nothing is what it seems in this film. It’s so out-of-the-box that the cast includes the ghost of Leonor’s other son, Leonor entering the world of her script, and her living son’s last-ditch attempt to reconnect with his aging mother. It’s funny and surprising. It breaks away from traditional narrative storytelling techniques and at some point, the homage consumes the film entirely and it becomes a chaotic meta-film that adds another layer as it also becomes a movie about making movies and the artistic process.

While ‘Leonor Will Never Die’ often feels untethered, it never loses Escobar’s voice and it’s that vision that connects it to its most surprising finale that comes out of nowhere but feels like it can’t end in any other way. This is counter cinema at its best, showing how crazy and illogical the mainstream films were in the 80s that the film can’t help but follow suit and take it a notch further. There’s a lot of joy and fun within the filmmaking that it infects the audience as well.

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The Cultural Center of the Philippines and Cinemalaya Foundation Inc. are holding on-site screenings for Cinemalaya 18 from August 5 to 14, 2022.

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August 9, 2022
Take a Ride on the Crazy Train: a review of ‘Bullet Train’

I’m not exactly sure what I just saw but I sure as hell had a good time watching it. ‘Bullet Train’ is a flippant action comedy that works on a very stylized, hyper-real world of assassins and very self-aware filmmaking. Director David Leitch throws away character development for a zany, ultra-violent madcap caper of five (or was it six? There are so many in this movie!) assassins with different missions aboard one bullet train in Japan, who discover that their missions are all interconnected.

Taking the lead is Brad Pitt as Ladybug, who has just come out of hiatus to do a “simple job” and is trying to find a new approach to life through the help of a therapist. He discusses all of this with his handler, Maria (voiced by Sandra Bullock). It’s interesting that the lead is a mercenary who has come back to the field as he tries to philosophize and rationalize his actions, whether it’s stealing, assaulting, or even killing the various occupants in the train.

Brad Pitt is in fine form here, oozing with charisma and a dazzling display of physical strength and agility (online, it says he did 95% of his own stunts). He gives the audience someone to root for as each new assassin that is introduced just seems crazier than the last one.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry are a pair who has to deliver the son of a Russian gangster and some stolen cash to the final destination of the train in Kyoto. They are a verbose duo, who are as ruthless as they are unintentionally funny. Their dialogue can get a bit much and slow things down at the start but as the action begins to build momentum, everything gets used in the end.

Photo: Columbia Pictures

Andrew Koji is a forlorn father, who takes the train to find and kill the man who pushed his son off a building but gets entangled with Joey King’s The Prince, a schoolgirl with a dark past of her own. Koji is an arresting actor and feels under-utilised here, considering the film opens with his story. His character’s struggle would seem one that is likely to bring audiences in but it’s too heavy for the light and comedic tone of the film so it takes a step back as Leitch and screenwriter Zak Olkewicz opts to take the gags and the action.

Also in the film are Bad Bunny, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Logan Lerman, Zazie Beetz, and some surprising cameos that are fun and just add to the formalist aesthetic of the film. Everyone seems to be having fun here and it makes the whole thing enjoyable even if the film doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Photo: Columbia Pictures

There’s no real character arc that’s happening in the movie. Much like Ladybug’s musings, ruminating about fate and coincidence, the film plays out like a farce with no real-world associations. It’s not a satire or a social commentary. It’s not a battle between good and bad. It’s just bad people doing bad things and in what could be a really fun way depending on what you consider fun in movies.

It’s clever both visually and in its scripting. The film jumps into flashbacks to deepen the history of these characters but only when needed and not set up methodically so as to create a sense of build-up. The scenes cut to the next moment where the tension can rise or when we can get the most laughs.

There are 16 cars in the bullet train but the only way for these characters to move is forward or backward, which means there are no places to run or hide. In this way, all the five groups of killers are going to collide at some point and it just gets crazier and crazier as it goes along; all the way to a grand finish that feels like they threw everything and the kitchen sink at us for full effect.

Photo: Columbia Pictures

And while ‘Bullet Train’ is narratively thin, it’s a hell of a fun ride. At some point, you realise no one is safe, you can’t take anything seriously, pleasantly surprised by the sudden cameos, and so forth. It’s a kind of irreverence that feels at home in a crazy world where nothing really matters. Maybe five years ago it would have been disappointing as I search for some sort of meaning but now, I’m very much welcome to this sort of insanity on screen.

Now I’m really curious about the novel that the film is based on by Kotaro Isaka.

My Rating:

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Bullet Train opens in cinemas nationwide on August 10, Wednesday.

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August 8, 2022
A Dream I Don’t Want to Wake From: a review of Netflix series ‘The Sandman’

I read the complete ‘Sandman’ graphic novels over fifteen years ago and it is one of my favourite graphic novel collections I’ve encountered. It’s literary. It’s profound. It’s magical. Neil Gaiman’s imagination is boundless and the art by Sam Keith and Mike Drigenberg was so different from the superhero comic books that I collected in the 90s. It was mature and elevated my opinion of comic books back in the late 90s.

For ‘The Sandman’ to finally be adapted into a television series was something I was nervous about. I’m glad to hear that Neil Gaiman was part of the creative team behind the show, which means that any of the changes would be approved by the writer of the source material. This is as important as the immense world-building that Gaiman did for the series.

There are quite a lot of notable changes – some characters have been gender-swapped, some are portrayed by actors of color, the show is set in the present-day whereas the graphic novels were set in the late 80s, and the like – but it never feels like a ploy for relevance nor does it take away from the story. In fact, it adds nuance and inserts additional layers into the work that I don’t remember from having read the series many years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83ClbRPRDXU

‘The Sandman’ is the story about an otherworldly being known as Dream or Morpheus or The Sandman. He is one of the seven Endless, immortal beings that are in charge of aspects of the universe. Dream is the lord of the sleeping world and king of dreams and nightmares. The first season of ‘The Sandman’ adapts the first two volumes ‘Preludes and Nocturnes’ and ‘The Doll’s House’ wherein Dream is imprisoned in the mortal world by a magician with the hopes of catching Death, Dream’s sister. While Dream is imprisoned, the dreaming world begins to fall apart and Dream must get out and restore the dreaming world to protect the waking world.

The rich world of ‘The Sandman’ is given a glossy, CGI-heavy treatment that departs from the book’s visuals in a drastic way. It took me about three episodes to get used to the bright, crisp visuals of the Netflix show. Sam Keith and Mike Drigenberg’s art style was something I’d describe as dirty, messy, and very dark. It was so well-suited to the material and such a great departure from the superhero comics that were so in vogue at the time.

The clean CGI of the show goes the opposite of that and so it took me a while to sync into this new look. The original art underscored the darkness of the material, but the refined visuals contrasted the heaviness of the show and it’s great because Dream is not an easy character to connect with.

Photo courtesy of Netflix

Dream is an immortal being of immense power. He’s rigid and cold. He’s fascinating to watch because he’s so far removed from humanity and while it reads well in the comics, in the show, it can be a little off-putting. Tom Sturridge does a brilliant portrayal of this. He has the signature pout and that blank expression that betrays nothing. He carries all the gravitas and majesty that Dream should have and it’s mesmerizing.

But Dream is not an easy person to like and so the lush visuals and glossy treatment help humanize the world that Dream moves through and the characters that he interacts with creating a nice dynamic for him to play off of. The other characters keep him interesting until later on through the show when you begin to invest in him because you can finally understand what he must be going through.

Photo courtesy of Netflix

And that’s what is brilliant about this show. Dream is in charge of all our hopes and fantasies and our fears. As Dream sets out to restore the dream world back to its former glory, the show becomes a deep dive into some of the driving forces of the human race. It is a dissection of how we react and deal with the things that we want and the things we are afraid of and how different these things are for each person – whether human or otherworldly.

‘The Sandman’ is not a superhero television show. It’s a fantastical drama that delves more into philosophy and a study of human nature and other high concepts. It can be slow at times for people who are not keen on detailed and careful world-building. Being faithful to the books and with Neil Gaiman developing the show alongside David S. Goyer and Allen Heinberg, the show is more a showcase of the limitless imagination of Gaiman and how the world that he has built works. There’s not a lot of action. Instead its meditations on power, responsibility, mortality, and humanity.

To keep things interesting, the show is filled with magical moments and captivating characters. Other than Dream, the show is filled with memorable characters that populate this rich fantasy world. Of the many slight changes to the source material, three notable characters are played by women: Lucienne (Lucian in the books) is played by Vivienne Acheampong, Lucifer Morningstar is played by Gwendoline Christie (of ‘Game of Thrones’ fame), and Johanna Constantine (originally John Constantine in the books) played by Jenna Coleman.

All three actresses do memorable performances, with Coleman really capturing Constantine’s swagger and bravado and Christie adding quiet, otherworldly confidence to her portrayal of Lucifer but it is Acheampong who adds the most to the gender swap role. By turning Lucian into Lucienne, it creates a really interesting new layer into the relationship between Dream and his librarian. There is a warmth and a beating heart that the show needs in their interactions that might not have been there should they have kept Lucian as he was in the books.

Photo courtesy of Netflix

There is such a strong understanding of how much needs to change for the television version of this story. There is an awareness of the demands a viewing audience would have over the material versus a reading audience and I feel that this was addressed through the filmmaking of ‘The Sandman.’ The story is intact but the modernization of the material addresses real-world issues. As a fan of the original material, I’m enjoying the adjustments and marveling at how watching this show is bringing me back to the same wonder of reading the graphic novels but also opening my eyes to things I wasn’t aware of fifteen years ago.

I’m very happy with this adaptation and I can’t wait for the second season. This is not for those who are looking for something easy and light to watch. This is a show that will take its time to establish the vast and rich world of Dream and the Endless and it’s going to get even more dense and complicated as the show continues. I hope it continues. This is a dream I don’t want to wake up from.

My Rating:

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The Sandman debuts globally on Netflix on August 5, Friday.

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August 5, 2022
‘The Gray Man’ is fast, big, loud, and oozing with charm

There’s a scene in one of the many Eastern European cities that is used as a location in The Russo Brothers’ ‘The Gray Man’ that is really the pinnacle of what this movie has to offer. It’s a fast-paced action sequence that feels like it plays out for a good 15 minutes.

There’s a shoot-out in a public plaza that escalates into a full-blown war zone that involves a high-speed car chase with a tram, high-powered assault rifles, and a beautiful luxury sports car, while the lead character carries on a gunfight inside the train. It’s a huge setup with explosions and people almost getting run over, cars toppling over and exploding. It’s fast-paced and hard-hitting and the stunt choreography and camera coverage are incredible.

Watching this at the cinema in a special advanced screening makes me wish that people will get to watch this movie in this format rather than on their phones or laptop screens because it’s the kind of blockbuster spectacle that is made for the big screen.

‘The Gray Man’ has an old-school action film vibe, where the bad guys are completely lacking in nuance and the story is thin but the enjoyment comes from all the spills and thrills.

It begins with an introduction to our protagonist, Ryan Gosling’s unnamed character who is recruited by the CIA to become a dispensable killing machine, a Black Ops assassin with no record at all for plausible deniability. He is given the name Six and the film immediately jumps forward in time to his most recent mission, where he discovers that the change of guard in US politics meant the Sierra program that he is part of is being taken down and his life is in danger.

Now, on the run, he has to escape the new bosses at the CIA who are tying up loose ends.

But how do you catch one of the deadliest assassins in the world? By hiring the equally skilled and dangerous (and possibly sociopathic) private contractor Lloyd Hansen, played by Chris Evans. In less than 15 minutes, you have two of Hollywood’s charming and attractive leading men, Gosling and Evans, battling it out over Eastern Europe and it’s a joy to watch.

Gosling’s Six is a quiet, lone wolf type, though he is not above an occasional witty remark. We know how charming he can be from films like ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ and ‘La La Land’ but he tones it down for the gruff, silent killer type who grunts as much as he speaks but despite his frighteningly impressive action hero image in this film, there’s a relatability that he brings to Six that attaches himself to audience pretty quickly.

On the other hand, Evans is obviously having a blast playing the villain. He’s as charming as he is brutal and sadistic and cruel. And he’s also unafraid to bring out his excellent comedic timing for some really great comic moments that keep the energy up.

The film runs a little over 2 hours and surprisingly, there’s very little in terms of character development or a story arc. There’s no complicated plot nor any overly ambitious save-the-world narrative involved in this film. It’s a brawl and a gunfight and it’s loud and explosive. Everything from cars, trains, airplanes, and helicopters at some point explode or topple over. Our heroes get punched, kicked, stabbed, and even shot and still manage to carry on and fight.

And it’s this simplicity that gives ‘The Gray Man’ a hollowness to it – no real exploration of the abuse of government power, the effects of geopolitics on this scale, the cost and value of human lives – but it also makes it really easy to watch and really fun to just jump aboard on.

At the same time, directors Joe and Anthony Russo feel like they directed this film specifically for the Netflix viewer – people watching at home on their laptops or phones – and so they push the story down and ramp up the action and fast cuts and pacing so as to not allow the viewers to get distracted at all. Never is there a moment for you to press pause to answer the phone or to take a break to do house chores or online school work.

The film feels like they are aware that the medium this film will be shown, through streaming, means they can put what feels like a 15-minute flashback scene in the middle of the story, as they pivot the narrative towards a different direction.

There’s a freshness to the way this film is made because as big and loud as the film gets (and it constantly peaks) it doesn’t feel like it has to abide by any certain expectations as other films do. Of the many Netflix films I’ve seen in this genre like ‘Extraction’ or ‘The Old Guard,’ this is the one I feel really fits perfectly for streaming.

‘The Gray Man’ may not be deep or even moving, but it’s a whole lot of fun and the whole cast – from Gosling to Evans, to Ana de Armas and Jessica Henwick, to Rege-Jean Page, Alfre Woodard, and Billy Bob Thornton – it’s loaded with charisma and screen presence. I hope this becomes a hit because, as it is based on a series of books by Mark Greaney, they plan for this to be a franchise and I love to see more of it.

My Rating:

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The Gray Man premieres on Netflix this Friday, July 22.

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July 21, 2022
‘The Black Phone’ keeps it simple and puts the tension front-and-center

One of the best things about ‘The Black Phone’ is how it keeps the narrative down to its essentials. There are a lot of backstories implied or referred to but it never digresses from the main storyline to explore them. It stays focused on the main plot, about a young kid who is kidnapped and trapped in a basement, and keeps the camera on them and the kid’s sister, who is trying to find him. Another interesting point is that ‘The Black Telephone,’ based on the short story by Joe Hill, is a supernatural tale but the danger doesn’t come from the ghosts that you see in the trailer. That real danger here is another human being. And for some reason, that makes the film even scarier.

Directed by Scott Derrickson, with a screenplay by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, ‘The Black Phone’ is not your typical horror film. The source of fear comes from the anticipation that something bad is going to happen. From the trailer, you can tell that the ghosts are actually all the former victims of the kidnapper. While they do appear in gruesome forms, they are actually helping Finney, the latest victim, to try and get out alive. Instead of shocking you with images of violence, it is implied; that it is coming but not yet and that is what creates the tension that pervades throughout the film.

It’s a nice subversion of the genre, extending the suspense, building the anticipation, and creating moments of hope that Finney can get out in one piece. The film, then, isn’t so much as scary as it is thrilling, capitalizing on our hope that this story will end well for the protagonist and that’s what drives the film’s momentum forward.

Another interesting subversion, shared by one of the critics I got to see this with during the special screening, is how the voices of the victims are amplified in this movie and not the villain’s. There is no glorification or humanization of this kidnapper and after this was pointed out to me, I thought that was a welcome and necessary change.

_{Photo: The Black Phone Trailer}

Derrickson builds a very distinct world in this film. ‘The Black Phone’ is set in the late 70s so the lack of technology creates even more obstacles for our characters. Before Finney is kidnapped, we see the world he inhabits: a close relationship with his sister, their abusive alcoholic father, and the bullies at his school that have made life very challenging for him. The stronger one amongst the siblings is his sister Gwen, who might’ve been smart enough to not get kidnapped, but knowing Finney’s vulnerabilities makes us feel more attached to him as the victim.

Compounded by the narrative elements is the wonderful acting amongst all the kids. Mason Thames, who plays Finney, and Madeleine McGraw, who plays Gwen, do a great job at bringing their characters to life. For Thames, he instills so much fragility within his Finney but also shows his sparks and moments of cleverness, while McGraw makes tough and foul-mouthed Gwen such a spirited character. She juggles multiple emotions including a surprisingly genuine laugh-out-loud moment in the middle of the film that completely endears you to the character. While the adults like Ethan Hawke, as the kidnapper, and Jeremy Davies, as the alcoholic father, play a great role, this movie is really a showcase for all the child actors involved.

_{Photo: Universal Pictures PH Facebook}

There are minimal jump scares in this film and that’s perfectly alright because what ‘The Black Phone’ does is to put you right smack dab in the center of a very tense situation and then plays with your emotions and gives you characters and a goal to root and cheer for. You’ll find yourself tapping your feet anxiously hoping that things don’t turn out the way the film manages to illustrate through the presence and stories of these ghosts.

Derrickson does an amazing job at managing and playing with expectations and suspense and I’m excited to see what he’s up to next.

My Rating:

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The Black Phone opens in cinemas nationwide on Wednesday, July 20. Buy your tickets here.

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July 19, 2022
As fun as it is, ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ reveals the character’s narrative weakness
When director Taika Waititi took over Thor and gave us the enjoyable ‘Thor: Ragnarok,’ the character had already been established in two solo movies and two Avengers movies. He had a lot to work with: a troubled relationship with his brother Loki, experience working with a team like the Avengers, and so on. In ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ he had carte blanche to change the tone of the movie and infuse Waititi’s own brand of humor, which breathed new life into the character and the franchise. It was carried over into the succeeding Avengers movies such as ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame.’

But in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ most of Thor’s storylines were given closure. He had relinquished his throne to Valkyrie and left the remaining Asgardians to start anew on Earth. He had lost his brother and the loss he experienced in ‘Infinity War’ found a sort of resolution by the end of ‘Endgame.’ He had redeemed himself.

Where can the character go now?

And this is where ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ ends up being a mixed bag for me. The first half of the movie depicts Thor once again as the blonde himbo, whose massive god-like ego is the crux of a lot of the humor. It’s good for a few laughs but it seems that the character is stuck in some cartoonish version of himself. This film is Thor’s eighth appearance in the MCU and while this iteration only really came to the fore in ‘Thor: Ragnarok,’ it feels tired. It is as if the events of the previous movie didn’t have any effect on him and sometimes, he even seems dumber than before. Sure, it’s great for a few laughs but there’s just so much of it.

The first half of the film feels more like a sequence of plot points and funny gags that are interspersed with the actual story of this film. The more important parts of the story – that of the villain, Gorr, the God Butcher, and that of Jane Foster – don’t get as much screen time and that’s what I’m looking for as I come in watching a superhero movie. The jokes and the gags are great but not at the expense of the struggle and tension and the stakes.

Photo: Marvel Studios/Jasin Boland

Taika Waititi can definitely balance out tragedy and comedy in equal measure. ‘Jojo Rabbit’ does this exceptionally well. Even with all the jokes and gags of ‘Thor: Ragnarok,’ we were able to see the bonds between Loki and Thor heal and Thor making the ultimate sacrifice by allowing Asgard to fall to save the Asgardians.

In ‘Thor: Love and Thunder,’ the romantic comedy aspects of the film undermine the pulsing heart at the core of Jane Foster’s story, which could have been a nice space for Thor’s character growth. Instead, Waititi leans deeper into the whimsy, which is unexpected and surprising, but it doesn’t help build up the love story of its two lead characters that when it hits the final act of the film, the resolutions of their character arcs don’t have as much weight as it could.

Because the latter half of the film is definitely far better than how the film starts, it’s only then that Waititi emphasizes the stakes. It doesn’t have the urgency or the drama that the scenes ask for. It’s such a shame because Christian Bale looks like he is having fun playing Gorr, and Natalie Portman nails each dramatic beat. In fact, Jane Foster has such an interesting character arc and shows great agency but the depth of Jane’s situation – taking the mantle of Thor and why – has no time to really build.

Photo: Marvel Studios

‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ has all the components of a proper comic book movie. It has the action and the special effects but they don’t really seem to be at par with ‘Thor: Ragnarok.’ It’s only really impressive and refreshing when Thor, Jane Foster, and Valkyrie take on Gorr. The choreography in those scenes are spectacular.

What ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ has proven is that Thor doesn’t seem to do too well on his own. As a character, he’s a team player who needs Loki or the other members of the Avengers for him to realize his own narrative potential. It isn’t until he meets Jane that Thor becomes remotely interesting, outside his whimsical, buffoonery. A character this powerful needs something to ground him otherwise there aren’t many places to go narratively.

Photo: Marvel Studios

Interestingly enough, the ending addresses this narrative demand but it didn’t need half of its 119-minute running time to get to that point. It’s fun. I had fun. But it’s not up there amongst the other MCU films.

My Rating:

‘Thor: Love and Thunder‘ is now showing in cinemas nationwide.
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July 7, 2022
Beautiful Chaos: a review of ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’

It was exhausting watching ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once.’ Exhausting physically. Exhausting mentally. Exhausting emotionally. And I loved every minute of it.

The film is over two hours of crazy, out-of-this-world action-adventure moments but carefully interwoven into a poignant drama about family (mothers and daughter; husbands and wives, mothers and fathers) and, ultimately, the meaning of life. It is a story about the multiverse, the number of alternate realities that are present and happening simultaneously with ours, and how one character, Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) must learn to access every possible iteration of her to save the world – every world in every universe, in fact – and save her daughter.

Directors and screenwriters Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (credited as Daniels, one moniker for both) approach this material with a madcap sense of humor. They are not afraid to get dark (the violence and gore can get pretty intense), not afraid to get vulgar (there are dildos and buttplug jokes that are actually funny), not afraid to get meta (in all the variations of Evelyn’s character, there is quite a number that reference her career), not afraid to get weird, and definitely not afraid to get personal.

The story is already a lot to deal with: an ordinary housewife, while trying to pay her taxes, discovers that in an alternate reality, she discovered the multiverse and found a way to “verse jump.” Verse jumping is accessing the memories and skills and talents of another version of yourself in another universe and little, ordinary housewife, Evelyn must now find a way to learn how to verse jump so she can save the universe from a destructive being called Jobu Topaki.

Photo from Official Movie Website (www.everythingeverywheremovie.com)
Photo Credit: Allyson Riggs

Mixed in with this dense science fiction adventure is a story about a woman in strained relationships with her husband (played by Ke Huy Quan) and daughter (an excellent Stephanie Hsu) and father (James Hong). The film manages to bounce back and forth effortlessly from adventure to family drama while pondering upon the meaning of life.

If that wasn’t enough, Daniels manages to imbue the film with exquisite filmmaking. There are split screens, subtitles that shift and change with the story, and clever cinematography and editing. As Evelyn moves between realities, the tone and style of filmmaking change as well. There are homages to Wong Kar Wai’s ‘In the Mood for Love’ in some realities, others are homages to Jackie Chan period kung fu films. The costume designs are out of this world in some moments. Nothing can be expected and everything will take you by surprise.

It’s chaos but there’s so much sense in all of it. It’s why I say ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ is exhausting. You are laughing out loud in one moment and then, in the next, you are marveling at the fight choreography right before it brings you to horror film levels of suspense and dread. The film itself takes on the infinite possibilities of its own story and Daniels is unafraid to go there and mine it for all its thrills, laughs, and tears.

Photo from Official Movie Website (www.everythingeverywheremovie.com)
Photo Credit: Allyson Riggs

The performances are all incredible, Quan makes a fantastic return in front of the camera (he became famous as a child actor in the 80s films ‘The Goonies’ and ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’), while Stephanie Hsu shows off her incredible range. Jamie Lee Curtis is incredible and reliable, as always. But at the heart of this movie is Michelle Yeoh. The role is so demanding and she manages to be as mercurial as she is human. She infuses Evelyn with such an ordinariness, a woman who is completely unprepared for this wild journey she is about to enter but can quickly shift to a myriad of different characters. It would be a shame if this performance isn’t recognised at all by any award-giving bodies.

And at the heart of all this beautiful chaos, is a story that really digs deep into what it means to be alive and what it means to be happy in this very crazy world we live in. The craziness of this movie is just an exaggerated reflection of the craziness of the real world of the audience watching it. This two hours and twenty-minutes film manages to encapsulate a lot of this younger generation’s fears and anxieties and triggers and manages to create a dialogue between Evelyn and her husband, daughter, and father that proposes a sort of rationale that can address the underlying nihilism and cynicism that is at the surface of this film.

Photo from Official Movie Website (www.everythingeverywheremovie.com)
Photo Credit: Allyson Riggs

By the end, I was in tears. I was emotionally spent as much as I was mentally overwhelmed and physically drained by the experience. The last time I felt like this was watching Alfonso Cuaron’s ‘Gravity’ in a 3D IMAX cinema, though I don’t remember laughing as much. I’m definitely watching this film again.

My Rating:

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‘Everything Everywhere All At Once‘ is opening in cinemas nationwide on Wednesday, June 29.

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June 28, 2022
‘Ngayon Kaya’ is a moody romance drama that dwells in the feelings and revels in the nostalgia

There is a nostalgic appeal to Prime Cruz’s latest film ‘Ngayon Kaya’ starring Paulo Avelino and Janine Gutierrez. From its moody cinematography to its soundtrack of familiar OPM songs, from the way the story delves into the past to the vibrancy of pre-pandemic Philippines (the film was shot before the pandemic), ‘Ngayon Kaya’ is a film that is rich in its sentimentality. It reminds me of romantic films from five years ago.

It’s a story of what-ifs and how two friends, Harold and AM (played by Avelino and Gutierrez, respectively), reconnect at a mutual friend’s wedding and the weight of past choices weigh heavily on them. Both have arrived late to the church wedding and it’s the first time they have seen each other since Harold has moved to Canada and so they decide to head to the reception together. The awkwardness triggers memories of the past and the tight bonds of friendship that they once had unfolded before us through these flashbacks.

The story plays out in two timelines – the past and the present – and we see two friends who bond over trivial things like being late to the same class at the start but as they get closer, they become each other’s anchors. They share similar interests, after all, both are into music, but they come from different worlds.

Harold and his family are struggling financially and his goal is to move to Canada to earn a lot of money to help support his mother, his two younger siblings, and their struggling fish pond. AM is an only child of parents, who are both doctors, and while she’s on a pre-med course, her dream is to make music and sing in a band. AM immediately latches on to Harold and brings him with her in her dreams of making it big in the music industry but as the story unfolds, it seems that their priorities and their intentions were not aligned.

Reality kicks in and kicks them hard and we see and understand why the present-day relationship between the two reunited friends is so strained.

But this is also a love story but one that is bogged down by the hesitation of its principal characters.

Screenwriter Jen Chuaunsu infuses Harold’s and AM’s conversations as youths with the realistic unconscious meanderings of that age, of dreams and ideals, and then shifts it to this awkward mess in the present day as the two are unable to connect, their past serving as a wall to rebuild their relationship. This is another way in which the film feels like a throwback, it has the same verbose dialogue as films like ‘Meet Me in St. Gallen’ and ‘Mr. and Mrs. Reyes.’ The first half of this film is centered around these conversations and the contrast between the past and the present.

What’s amazing about these contrasts is that the problem is still present, it persists: Harold and AM talk a lot, but they aren’t saying what it is they really want to say, which is how they feel about each other.

This is the magic of the second half when the slow, languid pace of the film picks up as the present-day Harold and AM find an opportunity to reclaim the energy and vibrancy of their youth and the possibilities open up for these two.

‘Ngayon Kaya’ is a delicate film that is built carefully around the nuances of the characters. While Paulo Avelino takes a completely understated approach to Harold, which diminishes the character’s strength (oftentimes, I want him to do more, give more as he does at the end of the film), it is Janine Gutierrez who really steals the show. Gutierrez’s AM is so un-self-conscious, so naive of her effect on people, and breathes life into the film. It is her dreams and passion that push the story forward and Gutierrez manages to make this film hers.

‘Ngayon Kaya’ is more reserved and withdrawn as a romance film, focusing more on the mood and the nostalgia than it does on the drama of an unrealised relationship. The pace and energy is unlike director Prime Cruz’s other works like ‘Isa Pa With Feelings’ and ‘Can We Still Be Friends.’ He takes his time, sometimes even dwelling on a feeling, which is a brave move for a Filipino romance movie but it feels apt for this film.

I wish that the dialogue was more conversational, instead of the dialogue-pause-dialogue delivery that happens between Avelino and Gutierrez. That staccato works in the present day but didn’t in the flashback scenes. It’s as if the couple can’t seem to fully connect because of the things not said, while the world behind them is so rich and full of life. But everything comes together in the final act, an extended scene set to the music of the band Mayonnaise is the catharsis that the film is pushing towards. I just hope the audience has the patience for it.

My Rating:

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‘Ngayon Kaya‘ is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here.

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June 23, 2022
The bombastic Baz Luhrmann turns ‘Elvis’ into an epic rock musical that’s nothing short of explosive

From the director that brought us ‘Moulin Rouge!’ and ‘Gatsby’, Baz Luhrmann lends his unmistakable genius of cinematic spectacle to the life of American rock and roll legend Elvis Presley in the musical biopic ‘Elvis.’

Luhrmann (with a screenplay by Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner) takes broad strokes and focuses on the phenomenon of Elvis – how his persona and music changed the fabric of America – and his relationship with his manager Colonel Tom Parker. Told in the point-of-view of Parker, as he is recalling the rise and fall of Elvis in a delirious state of a morphine high near his death, Parker narrates the story completely aware of the audience, with Tom Hanks (playing Parker) looking straight at the camera at some point and even referring to us as ‘you.’

The self-awareness of the film’s approach creates a space for Luhrmann to go all-out with his filmmaking techniques. He splices live footage with his film, uses multiple frames, jumps back and forth through time in a dazzling fury, and even infuses contemporary music production techniques when Elvis sings to seamlessly jump from scene to scene on a song number while amplifying what it was in Elvis Presley’s music that was so charged and moving.

Told from the villain’s point-of-view (because Colonel Tom Parker was revealed to be as such) it pushes Elvis into the space of a mythical being. His rags to riches story and how his life is the quintessential American dream (including the reality of being consumed by the same industry he found his mark in due to his naivete) is rendered like a fable or a fairytale except all this really happened.

More than Hanks, who delivers a rather unsurprising villain (complete with full prosthetics and a fat suit), it is Austin Butler who truly grounds this movie with an embodiment of a character that is full of charisma and passion and sexual energy.

While I’m familiar with a lot of Elvis Presley’s songs (more than I realised after watching this film) I’m not that familiar with the singer himself nor his actual career so I don’t feel comfortable talking about Butler’s portrayal of Presley. But what he does accomplish is to imbue Elvis with so much energy that when the women start screaming at his onstage gyrations and primal stage presence, I feel like I understand what the whole phenomenon of Elvis is about.

And while the film, even at 159 minutes, only really scratches the surface of Elvis’ life and career, what I do enjoy about the movie is how it really manages to show his connection to black music – gospel and rhythm and blues – and really amps up how Elvis Presley found his roots in these genres of music.

His connection to the black community of Memphis and Beale Street, with legends like B. B. King and Mahalia Jackson in tow, really brings to light why people like Al Green and Little Richard credit Presley for “opening the doors to black music.” This is well-executed through Luhrmann’s editing where he splices three timelines in one song, allowing us to see how Presley’s youth and listening to gospel choir influences his music in his early years until the later part of his career. The effect is dazzling.

With the intercutting of the scenes and sounds, it even appears that the primarily white audience of Elvis are applauding and cheering for the black singers and musicians of Elvis Presley’s past. The effect is spell-binding.

Baz Luhrmann is a director of grand spectacle. He barely has any quiet moments in his film and his character’s most introspective moments are amped up by a soaring musical score and high drama. Subtlety is not Luhrmann’s strength and we don’t go and watch a Baz Luhrmann film for that. What he delivers in turn is a high-energy rock musical, sometimes even playing contemporary rap music in selected scenes, to underscore how timeless this story is and how relevant Elvis Presley’s legacy to American (and global) music is.

While the film really explores the villainy of Colonel Tom Parker and his hand at both the rise and fall of the rock and roll legend, at over two hours, I would’ve wanted just a little bit more of his life with Priscilla, his wife. Played by Olivia DeJonge, Priscilla is set up as a counterpoint for Parker’s manipulations but she hardly gets to do anything much in the narrative.

What we get instead are some amazing performances by Butler, singing some songs I’ve forgotten and some songs I love that I didn’t even realize were Presley’s that truly showcased the power of his stage presence and his voice. Butler sings the songs in his early years but they interpolated recordings of Presley in his later years into Butler’s voice to mark the lowering of his tonal register. The music of this film, like any Baz Luhrmann film, is absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait for the album to be out on streaming (it isn’t out yet on Spotify as I’m writing this).

‘Elvis’ is a big, grand rock and roll musical with high energy and a brilliant performance by Austin Butler. And while it never really manages to get to a genuinely soft and tender moment due to its scale, it manages to contextualize the legend that is Elvis Presley. It’s definitely something to watch in a cinema with really good sound.

My Rating:

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‘Elvis‘ is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here.

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June 21, 2022