Cast: Ina Feleo, Kristoffer King, Kimmy Maclang, Allan Paule, Racqual Villavicencio
Synopsis: When Donna Reyes (Ina Feleo) is robbed in the middle of a bustling Quezon City overpass, she’s hard pressed to find the thief. But with the help of a friend (Maclang), Donna is able to track down Robert Igawad (Kristoffer King), an ill-tempered messenger that becomes the prime suspect in the robbery.(Kristn)
MTRCB Rating: PG-13
Running time: 81 mins
Trailer:
Reviews:
3.5 Zig Marasigan (Kristn)
“Ad Ignorantiam is an unmistakably small film with a premise that is as frightening as it is plausible.” (Read full review)
3.5 Rito Asilo (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
“Boosted by the believable performances of Kristoffer King, Ina Feleo and Kimmy Maclang, Ad Ignorantiam boldly examines the country’s justice system as it presents contrasting versions of the ‘truth.’” (Read full review)
3.0 Skilty Labastilla (Young Critics Circle)
“In documenting an innocent working man’s mistrial, this is a poor man’s Give Up Tomorrow.” (Read capsule review)
2.5 Oggs Cruz (Twitch)
“Like a puzzle that takes extreme patience to solve, Ad Ignorantiam is more a chore than anything else. The rewards it promises are however inadequate.” (Read full review)
2.5 Philbert Dy (Click the City)
“The subject might have made for a great documentary, but here it is treated as a rather lame fiction, with vaguely drawn characters, overt themes, and a baffling amount of idle time.” (Read full review)
Synopsis: Evangeline (Ina Feleo) spends most of her time working late, editing TV commercials. Her work doesn’t leave her much time to spend with her boyfriend Joey (Jomari Yllana) or their son. In spite of having a family, she mostly keeps to herself, enjoying her independence. But when her priest brother Johnny (Marvin Agustin) is diagnosed with cancer, she’s suddenly called on to be a possible bone marrow donor. As her dysfunctional family starts to gather around the ailing Johnny, Evangeline is forced to come face to face with her failings. (From Philbert Dy’s review)
Trailer:
Reviews:
3.0 Mario Bautista (Showbiz Portal)
“The role of Vangie is difficult to do as she’s a very flawed character and were afraid Ina Feleo is not totally successfully in making her come alive as colorful flesh and blood on the big screen. She’s competent, but Vangie requires a certain kookiness and flair that Ina doesn’t have.” (Read full review)
3.0 Cathy Peña (Make Me Blush)
“We earlier had reservations with Ina Feleo, but she acquits herself tremendously as she steers her character in rich layers of nuances. She is at once tough and vulnerable, disaffiliate and forbearing, and on the whole, a luminous character that is as beautifully written as it is depicted.” (Read full review)
2.0 Philbert Dy (Click the City)
“Ikaw ang Pag-Ibig just lacks most of the elements that make drama work. It’s entirely too positive, too unwilling to show the characters really wrestling with their choices. Everything is forgiven too quickly. In real life, that’s a beautiful thing, but it doesn’t make for compelling drama.” (Read full review)
2.0 Nel Costales (Sine Patrol)
“Ikaw ang Pag-ibig is beautifully photographed yet at the same time cinematically repulsive. The off-putting texture of the film is not that of cinema but of high-definition television. There is a Filipino word that aptly describes the beautiful scenes: nakakaumay.” (Read full review)
2.0 Carl Papa (Whatever, Carl)
“My main problem with the film was that it was a very familiar story. It was something that I already saw before. I wish that they could have spun something interesting to add flavor to the story. It was the type of story that you could see in television shows. Nevertheless, I think that it was beautifully shot, well paced and very well acted.” (Read full review)
Capsules:
3.0 Ian Urrutia (Pinoy Cinema)
“Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s comeback film, Ikaw Ang Pag-Ibig doubles as a compelling sap about a fractured family that managed to reconcile its loose ends through acceptance and faith, and as a tribute to the Feast of Peñafrancia and its effect on human relationships. When the film orchestrates all those elements in a single package, it suddenly gets lost in its own tangle; all its potentials as a definitive family drama end up being marred by the multiple themes it tries so hard to juggle. Despite its flaws, it can’t be denied that Ikaw Ang Pag-Ibig is a well-directed, emotionally engaging gloss that almost hits home.”
3.0 Arsenio Tan Liao (Cinephiles)
“Obviously Marilou Diaz Abaya’s tribute to Our Lady of Penafrancia. Well-intentioned movie marred by a less cohesive script with characters mouthing terms of endearment in an inundated fashion. Abaya is a good director but she is not as eloquent as a storyteller.”
2.0 Json Javier (Cinephiles)
“Religious hooey. Shamaine Buencamino is brilliant as usual.”
Cast: Tirso Cruz III, TJ Trinidad, Lovi Poe, Allen Dizon, Ina Feleo
Synopsis: Ross Rivera (TJ Trinidad), a writer whose cynicism has converted him into a government apologist, is suddenly forced to reassess his role as journalist when he finds himself right in the middle of unearthing a conspiracy linking Muntazir Ghazi (Tirso Cruz III), a local warlord, with election fraud and the sporadic killing of journalists in various parts of the country. While Ross wrestles with his conscience and attempts to convince Greta Manarang (Lovi Poe), television newscaster and grieving girlfriend of a recently murdered journalist, of his newfound integrity in Manila, Azad (Allen Dizon) and Claire (Ina Feleo), local journalists who are deep into the tracks of Ghazi, are hunted down by Ghazi’s henchmen. Their stories eventually intertwine, revealing a more frustrated than concerned outlook of the state of free speech in a country that supposedly fosters democracy. (From Oggs Cruz’s review)
Trailer:
Reviews:
4.0 Mario Bautista (Showbiz Portal)
“The film offers fine ensemble acting, but Tirso Cruz III dominates it with his ferocious portrayal of the corrupt governor.” (Read full review)
3.0 Fidel Medel (PEP)
“Despite my appreciation for the courage of the filmmakers for making such an important film, I wish that the story is more cohesive. Like Lamangan and Ilagan’s last film Sigwa, Deadline needs more focus. There are so many things going on.” (Read full review)
3.0 Tinig ng Plaridel
“Deadline lacks the polish expected of a veteran film maker like Lamangan, but then again, perhaps there lies the beauty of it. This is certainly not a perfect film; it looks like it was made, in parts, haphazardly. Yet its imperfections present the very earnestness Lamangan embodies when he calls for an end to the extrajudicial killings.” (Read full review)
2.0 Oggs Cruz (Twitch)
“Deadline,with its unrelenting thirst to display only the most dramatic of scenarios, has the same appeal as primetime sensationalized news.” (Read full review)
Synopsis: It is a few days before Christmas at a women’s correctional facility. One of the inmates has just died, but the rest of the women continue to prepare for the upcoming holiday. An elderly former actress jailed for dealing drugs (Anita Linda) has her hopes pinned on receiving a presidential pardon. A timid inmate (Ina Feleo) quietly suffers under the heel of a prison boss. Another inmate (Jodi Sta. Maria) does laundry in the prison, trying to make enough money to support her family while fending off debt collectors. The films follows these women and a few others as they live out their existence behind bars, hoping for some measure of salvation as the holidays roll around. (From Philbert Dy’s review)
Trailer:
Reviews:
5.0 Macky Macarayan (Death of Traditional Cinema)
“The story itself is gripping – each of the characters are alive, memorable, and dynamic. The picture of the prison that Alix paints is that of a humanistic one. We get a slice life of what Correctional environment feels like, and we get to sympathize with each character.” (Read full review)
4.5 Nel Costales (The Persistence of Vision)
“’The fantastic finale elevates the fine film into a great film. Amidst the bevy of memorable performances, the artistry of Anita Linda shines brightly during the breakdown scene and the shooting segment.” (Read full review)
2.5 Cathy Peña (Make Me Blush)
“It’s such a delight that we witness this gathering of talent on screen, but it could have been a more fulfilling experience for us if there were a single story that actually made us care. But when such snippets of stories feel nothing more like an afterthought, then you are left with something that’s essentially inconsequential.” (Read full review)
2.0 Philberty Dy (Click the City)
“The film is committed to accurately depicting the everyday life of female inmates in a medium security prison. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, the film goes a bit overboard. In its attempts to avoid melodrama, the film accidentally sidesteps drama altogether. A great cast provides moments of clarity, but the film mostly feels unfocused and inconsequential.” (Read full review)
Cast: Tirso Cruz III, Shamaine Buencamino, Ina Feleo, Rez Cortez
Synopsis: The film is a tribute to Guillen’s late husband Johnny Delgado, with Tirso Cruz III serving as a surrogate for the actor. The film follows the actor’s wife (played with stunning gravity by Shamaine Buencamino) as she deals with his death, mourning with friends and seeking out a daughter that he had hidden from her. (From Click the City)
*
Trailer:
Reviews:
4.5 Manuel Pangaruy (IndioCine)
“Mayaman ang pelikula sa personal na paghahanap ng totoong aktor. Posibleng ang take ay nami-miss lang natin si Mr. Delgado pero sa ilalim nito, nand’un ang patuloy nating pagkilatis sa kung ano nga ba ang nasa likod ng maskara, actor ba o star?” (Read full review)
4.0 Oggs Cruz (Twitch)
“Maskara conceals as much as it reveals. The film, more than an impassioned tribute to a loving and beloved husband for Guillen, father for Ina and executive producer Ana Feleo, and esteemed artist and friend for the other actors who appeared in the film, is a document on the power of art, to communicate and to heal.” (Read full review)
4.0 Philbert Dy (Click the City)
“Maskara by director Laurice Guillen is often made for uncomfortable watching. Note that this is not because it’s bad: Guillen is in fine form as a director, and the movie is smartly edited and generally well acted. But it’s an intensely personal project, and I couldn’t help but feel like an intruder at some points.” (Read full review)
4.0 Nel Costales (Sine Patrol)
“Scriptwriter Ina Feleo, with some help from scriptwriting maven Armando Lao, presents a heartfelt, moving tribute to Johnny Delgado, her late father (and Laurice Guillen’s husband). His presence fills every nook and cranny of the movie: from his paintings adorning the house; to his daughters, Ana and Ina, who both appeared in the film; and to the various fine performances that recall his ‘no acting’ approach to performing.” (Read full review)
4.0 Carl Papa (Whatever, Carl)
“I loved it. It was personal, beguiling and heartfelt. The performances were all ace. Ina Feleo was superb in her small role towards the end. Every character had their moment, and it was really engrossing and memorable.” (Read full review)
4.0 Mental Clutter
“Maskara is the story of remembering the life of someone, and remembering why we are still alive, still existing in this world. It is a reminder that we must celebrate in spite of the surrounding sadness.” (Read full review)
3.5 Richard Bolisay (Lilok Pelikula)
“I have to acknowledge that Maskara is actually Guillen’s best work for a long time, and by best I am afraid that it has to stand in comparison with her awful movies of recent (Santa Santita, I Love You Goodbye, Sa ‘Yo Lamang) and the contrast gives it a rather much obvious appreciation.” (Read full review)
3.5 Nickie Wang (Without Wang-Wang)
“The story itself is moving, and the way it is told echoes the director’s brilliance in storytelling. The actors are exceptional as well.” (Read full review)
Capsule:
4.5 Lyndon Maburaot (Cinephiles)
“Who said that it was ten years ago when Guillen made a comeback via Tanging Yaman? This, Maskara, is not only a comeback, it’s her return to form. Welcome, Ms Guillen!”
Verdict: Value for Money
December 21, 2012
SCL
