Category: Movies

A Daring Cinematic Feast: a review of ‘Bones and All’

It is in the merging of so many different genres – coming-of-age, horror, romance, and the road trip movie – that ‘Bones and All’ manages to find a space where its frightening premise can find solid ground. After all, this is essentially a love story about two cannibals and director Luca Guadignino treats them as ordinary and as complex as any other human being. He treats their love and their love story with just as much tenderness and care as if they weren’t troubled by the fact that they have to eat human flesh every now and then.

Based on the novel of the same name by Camille DeAngelis and from a script by David Kaiganich, ‘Bones and All’ never tries to explain our two lead characters’ dietary proclivities. There is a whole world and mythology that surrounds them but the film never makes it about them being – what our lead character later learns – what are known as “eaters.” We follow the story of Maren (played by Taylor Russell) as another incident causes her father and herself to leave town once again. As she is abandoned by her father and left with a cassette tape (the film is set in the 80s in rural America) narrating what he knows about her and “her condition,” she sets out to find her missing mother in a road trip of self-discovery and love.

Photo from ‘Bones and All’ Twitter

She meets another eater called Sully, played by Mark Rylance, and then later Timothee Chalamet’s Lee, who Maren finds attractive. Through these two interactions (and a few more as the movie progresses) Maren begins to understand what it means to be an eater and must now navigate growing up alone and different from everyone else.

Except she’s not alone, because Lee has asked her to stay and the two go cross-country to find Maren’s mom. In the dark, lonely, and scary world of being an eater, Maren and Lee find solace and comfort in each other.

Except they eat people.

Photo from ‘Bones and All’ Twitter

Beautifully shot by Arseni Khachaturan and with a dynamic score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, ‘Bones and All’ manages to shift between tender moments of vulnerability and the frightening brutality of their hunger. Guadagnino is completely unafraid to present a confessional scene about eating someone as a tender and fragile moment for Lee, with Reznor and Ross’ musical score playing it as a sweet romantic moment for Lee and Maren to become more deeply bonded. There are scenes of utter tenderness where both Russell and Chalamet are drenched in blood. It’s incredible the dynamics that are going on in this movie. Guadagnino proves that love is so universal that we can relate to a young couple finding safety and comfort in each other even if they are man-eating cannibals. We even end up rooting for them somehow.

Symbolically, you could take this eater couple as a metaphor for any sort of othering: the fact that they are a mixed race couple, outliers or misfits, you can even turn it into a metaphor for queer relationships, or any sort of undesirable coupling (based on the majority) and the film can be a discussion point about the humanity that can be found between any two people who have genuinely found love. It can be a metaphor for children and teens that are abandoned by their parents who have to fend for themselves and must navigate the world alone with no real moral compass to tell them what is right or wrong.

Photo from ‘Bones and All’ Twitter

I prefer to take it exactly for what it is: it’s a love story about two people who eat people. A new race of beings, maybe an evolutionary step, who knows? And the film is the tragic love story of these young eaters, who want to build a life together despite their difference in appetite from the rest of society. It’s strange and weird and even grotesque at some point but in the way that it is shot and presented and performed, it’s just so beautiful and strangely touching and moving.

Russell, Chalamet, and Rylance all deliver such textured and nuanced work. These characters feel lived-in and never feel hokey. There are even scene-stealing moments from Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloe Sevigny.

Photo from ‘Bones and All’ Twitter

There’s so much to digest (pun intended) in ‘Bones and All.’ There are so many ways to interpret it but for some reason, I feel most comfortable taking it for face value. The sheer confidence of Guadagnino and his cast and crew to present this film without any sentimentality or camp makes it brimming with humanity that runs counter to dark and brutal imagery. It’s a cinematic feast that you can chew on for days and still find something to ruminate on and feel through.

My Rating:

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Bones and All is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here.

November 23, 2022
The Emotional Impact of Cold-Hard Facts: a review of ‘She Said’

I came into the cinema without any knowledge on what She Said would be about. All I knew before coming in was that it was a movie about investigative journalism with Carey Mulligan as one of the leads, who is also gaining a lot of attention for her performance. What threw me for a loop was that the film was based on real events, and ‘She Said’ is the story of Jodi Kantor (played by Zoe Kazan) and Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan), the two journalists of The New York Times who investigated and published the article on Harvey Weinstein’s history of abuse and sexual misconducted that sparked the #MeToo movement back in 2017.

The film opens strong with Mulligan as Twohey and how she goes head-to-head with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump prior to the 2016 election. She breaks the story on Trump’s misconduct with women and how, despite the reports, Trump still manages to win the election and Twohey’s world starts to get tougher as she and her source receives death threats and the like.

Five months later and we then follow Kazan playing Jodi Kantor who is following up on a story that she picked up about sexual abuse and workplace harassment in Hollywood. As she begins following the threads of the story, it begins to resemble the Harvey Weinstein incident and she calls on Twohey to help her put the story together.

Photo from ‘She Said’ trailer

What is absolutely incredible about director Maria Schrader’s coverage of this story is how devoid of drama it is. Except for one scene that feels scripted and manipulative, a scene between Twohey and Kantor in the middle of the film where they ask each other if they wished they didn’t go through with this story, the rest of ‘She Said’ is just dealing with the facts of the case and the process by which the two journalists and their editorial board at The New York Times went about putting the story together.

Photo from ‘She Said’ trailer

If you remember strongly the Harvey Weinstein case, celebrities and actresses like Rose McGowan, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ashley Judd were names that were being tossed around this investigation. The film doesn’t shy away from this, representing the real people of this story from Trump, Paltrow, and McGowan to phone conversations with actors who sound very much like the people they are portraying and Ashley Judd, who appears on screen as herself. Part of the stripping down of the film’s dramatic flair, director Maria Schrader keeps most of the real-world stars as voices on a recording or on a telephone and minimizes their close-ups when they do show up (as they did with Ashley Judd). With very little tricky camera work, ‘She Said’ is focused entirely on the stories of these women, especially the women working behind the scenes, whose lives were destroyed by their interactions and engagements with Weinstein.

Photo from ‘She Said’ trailer

Except for one story, almost all the recounting of the acts of abuse and sexual misconduct were told by the actor portraying these women with no flashbacks or cutaways. It’s almost as if these are testimonials and we have to listen to them like a jury. Of the many performances of these testimonials, it is the ones by Jennifer Ehle as Laura Madden, and a spectacularly riveting monologue by Samantha Morton as Zelda Perkins that really shows the power of truth spoken aloud without the need of additional flourishes.

Schrader and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz (based on the book by Kantor and Twohey) go through the details of the two journalists’ challenges on being able to gather the evidence needed to publish their story. Through every step of their investigation, they uncover horrendous systems in place that protect men in power and silence women. Devoid of over-dramatizing scenes and story points, ‘She Said’ can seem clinical, antiseptic but the cold-hard facts of what is uncovered creates the drama on its own. I was sitting in the cinema wringing my hands and getting angrier with every new testimonial.

Who knew that facts alone could be so emotionally charged?

Photo from ‘She Said’ trailer

Very much like ‘Spotlight,’ this movie revels in the process of investigative journalism. It’s the process, not the emotions nor even the case itself, that ignites the energy of the film and amplifies its theme. What Schrader and Lenkiewicz does, to push the humanity just a bit without going too over-the-top, is to frame both Twohey and Kantor not just as courageous and determined journalists, but also as empathetic women and dedicated mothers as well. It’s these little details – from juggling parenthood and career and the way with which these women empathize with their subjects – that really underscore the issues of this film.

We know this story and we’ve read it in the news. We’ve seen how it ends but seeing the process of it, the details of the investigation, clearly defines our world for the misogynistic and patriarchal world that it was (and still is).

I hope more and more people get to see this film.

My Rating:

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She Said is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here.

November 23, 2022
Interview with the Filipino Artists Behind Disney’s ‘Strange World’

Disney has yet to take us into another adventure with their new animated feature film, Strange World!

Promising to be another fun family flick, Strange World follows the Clades, a family of legendary explorers who sets foot on an uncharted and treacherous land where fantastical creatures reside. But as they embark on this journey, the Clades’ differences will threaten their most crucial mission yet.

Before the release of the movie in cinemas, we got to chat with two Filipino artists who worked from behind the scenes of Strange World: Mikee Sevilla (Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto) who served as an animator for the movie, and Virgilio John Aquino (Frozen 2, Raya and the Last Dragon) who served as a modeler. In a virtual roundtable interview, the two artists talked about their processes in working on the film, how they relate to its characters, and more!

Check out the highlights of the interview below:

What has it been like to witness that shift of diversity and representation in these animated films from Disney?

Mikee Sevilla (MS): I think it’s very important obviously, to have representation in films. That’s something that we’re always trying to strive for. Hopefully, this film inspires young kids to be themselves, be who they are, and allow them to be more comfortable.

Virgilio John Aquino (VJA) : I totally agree. Disney always strives to tell different stories and we always deal with different themes. In this case, we have three generations of the Clades, and they’re trying to get along and trying to figure each other out because everyone has their own dream. When kids see themselves, they’re gonna relate to young Ethan– all the kids who aspire to be themselves and just be accepted to be who they are, and just be allowed to be humans.

Photo: Disney website

In Strange World, did you have a favorite model to work on?

VJA: Yes actually. I worked on the Venture, which is the big exploration ship that they used to go on this fantastic journey into this unknown space. It’s a big task because it has to be a functioning, kind of ship, and it’s always great to see it on the big screen and on the small screen whenever we do testing and stuff.

How was it working on Disney films, before and during the pandemic, and now that we’re almost back to normal?

MS: I started with Disney when the pandemic happened. Even up to now, I’m still working from home, but they’re starting to bring people back in. Actually, in two weeks, I’ll be working onsite at Disney which I’m very excited about!

VJA: For me, it’s been a learning experience, especially during the pandemic. We’re always used to having our fellow artists in the next room, we’re always collaborating. But when the pandemic hit and we had to revert to working from home, it was a little disconcerting but you know, we worked it out and we were able to get our work done. Because we would be concerned that, ‘Oh my gosh, how are we gonna make films now? How are we gonna tell these fantastic stories?’ but when there’s a will there’s a way, and we were able to work from home and as Mikee said, we’re starting to get back into the building… It’s great that Disney is allowing us to have that flexibility to work from home, work hybrid, or just go in [and work full-time].

Photo: Disney website

To which character were you able to relate to the most?

VJA: I think for me, it was more with Ethan, because we’re talking about three generations in the film that are coming together. They’re trying to figure out how to relate to each other and stuff. For me, I’m always relating [them] to my father and my grandfather. You’re always gonna be the young one, you’re always gonna relate, because you grew up being a kid under their eyes, and then you grew up a little, and all of a sudden you have your own thoughts and your own ideas.

So I think that what’s interesting in the film, for me, is how they explore those relationships. And with Ethan, to me, he’s my point of view as far as how he deals with the generational gap and the communication gaps when you talk to your father and grandfather. Sometimes they cannot relate, and that’s fine. At some point you have to work things out.

Photo: Disney website

Is there a particular sequence that you worked on that was most memorable for you?

MS: I was cast on a few family shots where Ethan is talking with his mom in the Venture. That was a very meaningful sequence to work on, mainly because you could see Ethan just longing for something, and his mom being super supportive of it. And working on Ethan, in general, was very meaningful for me, because I got to be involved in pre-production for the character so that’s really figuring out who this character is and how this character moves and behaves. So one of the things I enjoyed doing was, sort of incorporating– although Ethan was I would say generally masculine, you know everyone has both feminine and masculine sides to them– and I think being playful, creating this character, and showing his softer side, that was really fun to do.

How different was it working on an animated film that has a sci-fi adventure genre?

MS: I think for this particular film, since we didn’t really do any research trips on this film, it was really just from your imagination, so I feel like the director was really responding to just strange, weird things. So it’s really just, go crazy, and we’ll sort of pull back if it gets too far. That’s a little different than the films that I had to work on because for films like Raya and Encanto, those are very cultural-specific things, so certain gestures are from that culture. So yeah, this one’s different, I would say, for sure.

Photo: ‘Strange World’ on Twitter

VJA: I think that for this film, there was a pandemic going on and stuff. You know, what I had to do was really find that adventurous part of myself and inventive part in myself as well. And when I was tasked to model the Venture, there were a lot of mechanical things that I wasn’t privy to, because I’m not a mechanic. So I had to research online just how things work, how certain mechanisms would work if it was a real ship.

Then just before the pandemic, we actually had a team that took pictures of going into a real ship and just taking pictures of the interior of that ship. I was able to draw from that as well. But you know, I would like to have gone onto a real ship and looked at it myself, being a modeler and stuff. But a lot of it was like, 80% of it was research online, and 20% of it was pure imagination and just making stuff up, that’s very unique to the film, and I think that we pulled it off.

With the arrival of Disney+ in the Philippines, what are your top three recommendations from the streaming platform while we wait for Strange World to come out in cinemas?

MS: Well, Raya and The Last Dragon, Encanto, [laughs], and John, you give the third recommendation. What else would you recommend?

VJA: Zootopia, yeah, that’s a good one. For me, it would be Raya and The Last Dragon [laughs]. I always liked the classics, I always say, “Watch Beauty and The Beast.” That’s one of my favorite animated films of all time. And if I might be a little self-appreciating– self-promotion I mean– here, go see Lightning in a Bottle at the Short Circuit, there are a lot of great short stories there, but yeah, see mine too.

Photo: ‘Strange World’ on Twitter

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Strange World opens in cinemas today! Buy your tickets here.

November 23, 2022
Cannibal Love Story “Bones and All” Gets R-16 Rating, To Be Shown With No Cuts

The MTRCB explained in its decision that “the film contains graphic but non-gratuitous depiction of violence and gore, themes of cannibalism, that may not be suitable for children below sixteen (16) years of age.”

In the US, “Bones and All” also received an R rating from the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA) “for strong, bloody and disturbing violent content, language throughout, some sexual content and brief graphic nudity.”

The New York Times has described the film as “Gory, ridiculous and curiously touching,” while the Los Angeles Times found it “unsettling and heartbreaking in equal measure.”

“Bones and All” is “difficult to watch, but looking away is harder still,” says The New Yorker, as Bloody Disgusting raved that “It’s as elegant as carnal and carnivorous, and it’ll take a bite out of your heart if you let it.”

From Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures comes “Bones and All,” a movie about love, directed by Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me by Your Name”), who recently won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 2022 Venice Film Festival for the film.

“Bones and All” is a story of first love between Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee (Timothée Chalamet), an intense and disenfranchised drifter… as they meet and join together for a thousand-mile odyssey which takes them through the back roads, hidden passages and trap doors of Ronald Reagan’s America. But despite their best efforts, all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts and to a final stand that will determine whether their love can survive their otherness.

“Bones and All” stars Taylor Russell (“Waves,” “The Heart Still Hums,”), who won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor at this year’s Venice Film Festival; Timothée Chalamet (Oscar-nominated for “Call Me by Your Name,” “Dune”); Michael Stuhlbarg (“Call Me by Your Name,” “The Shape of Water”); André Holland (“Passing,” “Moonlight”); Chloë Sevigny (“We Are Who We Are,” “American Horror Story”); David Gordon Green (“Halloween Ends,” “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”); Jessica Harper (“Suspiria,” “Minority Report”); Jake Horowitz (“Adam Bloom,” “The Vast of Night”); and Mark Rylance (Oscar winner for “Bridge of Spies,” “Wolf Hall”).

The screenplay is by David Kajganich (“Suspiria,” “A Bigger Splash”), based on the novel by Camille DeAngelis.

In cinemas across the Philippines starting November 23, “Bones and All” is distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company. Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #BonesAndAll

Photo & Video Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

November 22, 2022
WATCH: New ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ Vignette Celebrates Whitney Houston

Check out the new vignette titled Celebrating Whitney Houston and watch I Wanna Dance with Somebody exclusively in cinemas across the Philippines on January 8, 2023.

“The most challenging part of portraying Whitney Houston is…portraying Whitney Houston,” says Naomi Ackie, star of Columbia Pictures’ I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a powerful and triumphant celebration of the incomparable Whitney Houston. Directed by Kasi Lemmons, written by Academy Award® nominee Anthony McCarten, produced by legendary music executive Clive Davis and starring BAFTA Award® winner Naomi Ackie, the film is a no-holds-barred portrait of the complex and multifaceted woman behind The Voice. From New Jersey choir girl to one of the best-selling and most awarded recording artists of all time, audiences are taken on an inspirational, poignant—and so emotional—journey through Houston’s trailblazing life and career, with show-stopping performances and a soundtrack of the icon’s most beloved hits as you’ve never heard them before. Don’t you wanna dance?

Photo: Columbia Pictures

Directed by Kasi Lemmons, written by Anthony McCarten, produced by Anthony McCarten, Pat Houston, Clive Davis, Larry Mestel, Denis O’Sullivan, Jeff Kalligheri, Matt Jackson, Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill, Thad Luckinbill, Matt Salloway, Christina Papagjika.

The film stars Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Tamara Tunie, Nafessa Williams and Clarke Peters.

I Wanna Dance With Somebody is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #IWannaDanceMovie

November 22, 2022
WATCH: Disney & Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ Unveils Teaser Trailer & Poster

Disney & Pixar has just revealed the teaser trailer for their upcoming movie, Elemental! The brief clip gives us a glimpse of the newest fantastical place that the studios have conjured up: Element City, where residents made up of the elements fire, water, land, and air, reside.

Watch the trailer for Elemental below:

Elemental introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted, and fiery young woman who is also literally made of fire. She meets the fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow Wade, and their friendship challenges her beliefs about their world. Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie will be voicing the characters of Ember and Wade respectively.

Directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Denise Ream, Elemental releases in June 2023. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get the latest news on film, TV, and more updates around the city!

November 18, 2022
Disney+ is Now Available in the Philippines
After much excitement and anticipation, The Walt Disney Company’s streaming service, Disney+, is available to consumers in the Philippines starting from today. With Disney+, consumers can access an incredible collection of beloved stories, global and Asian original tentpole titles and thousands of hours of movies, shows and binge-worthy general entertainment content from Disney’s iconic brands, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and Star.

Starting from today, consumers in the Philippines can join the Disney+ streaming service with a new range of subscription plans that will deliver more choices than ever before. The expanded line-up of plans includes a monthly Mobile Plan for ₱159, or annual Mobile Plan for ₱1,150. The Premium Plan is available for ₱369 monthly, or ₱2,950 annually. In addition, Alipay+ and Globe are offering special packages for consumers to subscribe to Disney+.

“As Disney+ continues to expand globally, we are excited that from today, consumers in the Philippines can access Disney+ and start enjoying our extensive collection of general entertainment content,” said Jay Trinidad, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Direct-to-Consumer, The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific. “I am proud that through Disney+, we are able to bring joy and happiness to more fans, families and friends in my home country of the Philippines who can now connect with their favourite characters and enjoy some of the world’s best stories.”

(L-R): Ganush (Amalia Vitale), Rool (Kevin Pollak) and Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) in Lucasfilm’s WILLOW exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

With Disney fans and families now able to join the Disney+ streaming service, The Walt Disney Company is celebrating the service’s expansion to the Philippines by treating consumers to “A Night of Wonder with Disney+” featuring musical performances from some of the nation’s beloved stars including Morissette and Christian Bautista. Audiences can watch the show at 8pm tonight on the Disney+ service, or by logging onto Disney+’s social media pages including on Facebook , Twitter and Tiktok.

From today, viewers can watch an exciting and ever-growing library of global, regional and Asian language content on Disney+. In the coming days and weeks, consumers in the Philippines can look forward to watching many new movies, shows and series on Disney+ including:
- Nov 17: Limitless with Chris Hemsworth – Global movie star Chris Hemsworth (Extraction, Thor, The Avengers) explores the revolutionary idea that we could combat aging and discover the full potential of the human body in this National Geographic Original series.
- Nov 18: Mickey: The Story of a Mouse – A fascinating Disney documentary about one of the world’s most beloved icons who today is recognized as a symbol of joy and innocence in virtually every corner of the globe.
- Nov 18: Disenchanted – An all-new live-action musical comedy and sequel to Disney’s box office hit Enchanted about a lovable maiden from the fairy tale world of Andalasia who finally found her Prince Charming in the kingdom of New York City.
Amy Adams as Giselle in Disney’s live-action DISENCHANTED, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
- Nov 21: Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium – In a special once-in-a-lifetime live event, fans from around the world will feel like they have a front-row seat to witness the magic of the Rocket Man in Elton John’s final North American show in Los Angeles.
- Nov 25: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special – In this Marvel Studios’ Special Presentation, the Guardians head to Earth in search of the perfect present to make Christmas unforgettable for Peter Jason Quill, a celestial-human hybrid.
Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill in Marvel Studios’ The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.
- Nov 30: Willow – An all-new sequel series to George Lucas’s 1988 fantasy adventure in which the Nelwyn sorcerer returns, years after rescuing the infant empress Elora Danan, to lead a group of misfit heroes on a harrowing rescue mission through a world beyond imagination.
(L-R): Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) and (Graham Hughes) in Lucasfilm’s WILLOW exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
- Dec 7: Connect – A Star Original coming exclusively to Disney+ about a man kidnapped by a gang of organ harvesters who wakes up following the procedure to discover his eye missing and that he has the vision of an infamous serial killer.
All this is in addition to the vast array of global and regional content from The Walt Disney Company’s iconic suite of brands and franchises including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and general entertainment content under Star.

Disney+ gives consumers access to some of the world’s most original stories told by talented creators across the globe – anytime, anywhere. Viewers in the Philippines can enjoy high-quality streams with up to four concurrent streams available with the Premium Plan.

Disney+ is now accessible on a wide selection of compatible mobile and televisions subject to users’ chosen subscription plans, including smartphones and tablets (Android or iOS), smart TVs such as Samsung and LG and connected TV devices including Google TV and other Android TV OS, Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD, and Chromecast.
November 17, 2022
WATCH: ‘Searching’ Movie Sequel ‘Missing’ Unveils Trailer

Sony Pictures has just released the trailer for the new thrilling film Missing, a follow-up to the 2018 movie Searching. This time, we follow a teenager who uses technology to track down her missing mother.

Watch the trailer for Missing below:

Searching‘s Sev Ohanian and Aneesh Chaganty are back with a new thrilling story, this time about the teenager June. After her mother disappears on a vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June utilizes the latest technology available to her to find her mother. But her search for answers leads her to something bigger, making her realize that she might not really know her mother at all.

From Ohanian and Chaganty’s story, Will Merrick and Nick Johnson served as the new film’s directors and screenwriters. Missing stars Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Daniel Henney, and Nia Long.

The movie is scheduled for release in US theaters on January 20, 2023. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get the latest news on film, TV, and more updates around the city!

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November 17, 2022
Auteurs Take the Spotlight in QCinema’s Screen International

The late French New Wave director, Jean-Luc Godard, once said that “with mobile phones and whatever, everyone is now an auteur.”

In QCinema’s specially-curated section, Screen International, however, the bar is certainly set higher as it showcases the world’s renowned directors whose distinctive styles make their acclaimed works undeniably their own.

David Cronenberg, Canada’s body horror master, is back in form with his sci-fi horror, Crimes Of The Future, with Viggo Mortensen, Lea Seydoux and Kirsten Stewart. The film premiered in Cannes’ main competition.

Cronenberg’s latest film was from a script he had written twenty years ago. It follows a world-renowned performance artist couple, who performs surgery to audiences, in a future world where human evolution has accelerated for some individuals.

Also from Cannes competition, Jerzy Skolimowski’s EO, which was awarded the Jury Prize.

With more than 20 films since his debut in the early sixties, this Polish auteur has been the recipient of top prizes in Cannes and Venice.

EO is inspired from a Robert Bresson classic film, Au Hassard Balthazar, and it follows the life of a donkey born in a Polish circus. The circus animal encounters good and bad people along its journey through Europe, experiencing both joy and pain. Isabelle Huppert, who recently visited the country, joins the cast of Polish actors.

Arthouse favorite Hang Sang-soo graces QCinema’s screens for the first time with his latest ouevre, Walk Up.

A recipient of the top awards in Berlin, Locarno and Venice, he works another variation of his casual encounters and chatter that grace his works with melancholic gentleness. The film reflects on familiar spaces and characters that the prolific Korean master has been known for.

One of Costa Rica’s renowned filmmakers, Valentina Maurel, scored multiple wins in Locarno, winning Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Director awards for I Have Electric Dreams.

Its young adult protagonist lives with her mother while struggling to reconnect with her estranged father. This, as she tries to balance the tenderness and sensitivity of teenage life.

Denmark-based Iranian film director and screenwriter Ali Abbasi’s third feature film Holy Spider will also be screened at QCinema.

Holy Spider is an internationally co-produced Persian-language crime thriller that depicts a fictional female journalist investigating a serial killer. It is based on the true story of Saeed Hanaei, a serial killer who targeted sex workers and killed 16 women from 2000 to 2001 in Mashhad, Iran.

The film was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. It won for Zar Amir Ebrahimi the festival’s Best Actress Award. It was also selected as the Danish entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.

The 2022 drama film of Austrian filmmaker Marie Kreutzer, whose films were screened at Berlin, Cannes, Toronto, and New York, Corsage is also at Screen International.

Corsage had its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2022, in the Un Certain Regard section. It is a fictional account of one year in the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. On Christmas Eve 1877, Elisabeth, once idolized for her beauty, turns 40 and is officially deemed an old woman; she starts trying to maintain her public image.

Close, French-language Belgian drama film, is directed by Belgian film director and screenwriter Lukas Dhont.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, to critical acclaim and the Grand Prix. It is Belgium’s submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.

Close is about the friendship between two thirteen-year old boys Leo and Remi, which suddenly gets disrupted. Struggling to understand what has happened, Léo approaches Sophie, Rémi’s mother.

QCinema’s other sections showcase other established directors in their latest works that exemplify their stature as master storytellers.

At the Special Screenings section is Love Life, Koji Fukada’s newest film since his last, A Girl Missing, which screened in QCinema’s 2019 edition. Fukada previously won the Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury Prize for Harmonium, a 2016 critical hit.

The compelling Japanese drama tells about a couple whose routine is disrupted by a sudden family tragedy which reunites the wife with her mute ex-husband.

Also from the same section is a surprisingly candid coming-of-age story that deserves greater exposure.

Janchivdorj Sengedorj, one of Mongolia’s most prominent directors with a particular affinity for depictions of contemporary youth, won the Best Feature award at the New York Asian Film Festival for The Sales Girl.

Its an amusing portrayal of an introverted student’s new job in a sex-shop and her growing bond with the owner, a former exotic dancer.

Philippine cinema’s renowned auteur, Lav Diaz, is back in the festival for the third time, with his Venice out-of-competition entry, When The Waves Are Gone.

Shot in 16mm, Diaz’s characteristic black-and-white new opus untypically clocks in at a modest 3 hours 7 minutes – a far short from his usual long-form meditative narratives.

Frequent collaborator, John Lloyd Cruz, heads the cast of this revenge tragedy that focuses on two corrupt cops with a grudge, loosely based on Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo.

This year’s Silver Lion winner in Venice is at the New Horizons section.

Saint Omer is the first narrative feature of Alice Diop after working as an acclaimed documentary filmmaker.

It centers on a pregnant novelist in France who attends the trial of a Senegalese woman accused of murdering her baby. In the course of the court proceedings, she tries to blend the accused woman’s fate into the novel she is writing, a modern adaptation of the ancient myth of Medea, but things don’t go as expected.

Argentina, 1985, by Santiago Mitre, is one of the acclaimed titles in the new festival section, Advanced Screenings.

Based on real events, the story follows a team of lawyers on the heads of Argentina’s bloody military dictatorship during the 1980s, in a battle against odds and a race against time. Winner of the Venice FIPRESCI Award and San Sebastian People’s Choice Award, this gripping historical drama is presented by Prime Video Philippines.

The venues for the 10-day festival include Gateway Cineplex, Trinoma Cinemas, the new Cinema76 (in Tomas Morato), Rockwell Power Plant Cinema, and SM North EDSA.

Details about in10City, QCinema’s 10th anniversary presentation will be available at qcinema.ph and updates are posted at its social media accounts – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

November 17, 2022
World Premiere of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Strange World”– Event Images Now Available

Stars and filmmakers came together in Hollywood tonight to celebrate the world premiere of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ original action-packed adventure “Strange World”—opening exclusively in theaters November 23. Attendees included Academy Award®- and Tony Award®-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal, who lends his voice to Searcher Clade, a family man who finds himself out of his element on an unpredictable mission; comedian, actor, writer, filmmaker and musician Jaboukie Young-White, who’s the voice of Searcher’s 16-year-old, adventure-seeking son, Ethan; and actress, producer, bestselling author and TIME100 cover honoree Gabrielle Union, who provides the voice of Meridian Clade, an accomplished pilot and Searcher’s partner in all things. Joining the voice cast were filmmakers Don Hall (director), Qui Nguyen (co-director/screenplay by), Roy Conli (producer) and composer Henry Jackman (music by). Event images are now available.

“Strange World” introduces a legendary family of explorers, the Clades, as they attempt to navigate an uncharted, treacherous land alongside a motley crew that includes a mischievous blob, a three-legged dog and a slew of ravenous creatures. The voice cast also includes Dennis Quaid as Searcher’s larger-than-life explorer father, Jaeger; and Lucy Liu as Callisto Mal, Avalonia’s fearless leader who spearheads the exploration into the strange world.

November 17, 2022