Cast: Jennylyn Mercado, Lovi Poe, Paulo Avelino, Ahron Villena, Alex Castro, Ariel Ureta, Boboy Garovillo, Carla Dunareanu, Carmi Martin, Hayden Kho, Joem Bascon, Kat Alano, Snooky Serna, Tim Yap, Timmy Cruz
Synopsis: The movie begins with the wedding of Philip and Vivian (Paolo Avelino and Lovi Poe). Things get sticky when Vivian refuses to say “I do,” revealing to the gathered that she has discovered that Philip has been cheating on her with her maid of honor and best friend Sheila (Jennylyn Mercado). Following the fallout of the social humiliation, Sheila and Philip get together and fall back in love. But Vivian reenters the picture a changed woman, hatching a plot to get her revenge. She appears to forgive the people who wronged her, while inside, she nurses a wounded and bitter heart. (Click the City)
MTRCB Rating: R-13
Running Time: 105 mins
Trailer:
Reviews:
3.0 Mark Angelo Ching (PEP)
“The Bride and The Lover is entertaining. Although it is quite unsure of its tone, it is fresh enough not to miss.” (Read full review)
2.5 Bernard Santos (My Movie World)
“The movie got a good casting but the performance of lead actors here fails to justify their characters.” (Read full review)
1.5 Philbert Dy (Click the City)
“It winks heartily at the audience during its campiest moments, taking visible pleasure from its recognition that these elements are silly. But then it zips back to trying to be dramatic, and the effect is ruined.” (Read full review)
Cast: Carlo Aquino, Dennis Padilla, Dennis Trillo, Dimples Romana, Empress Schuck, Herbert Bautista, Janice de Belen, Lovi Poe, Makisig Morales, Paolo Avelino, Ronnie Lazaro, Snooky Serna, Vhong Navarro, AJ Dee, Albie Casino, Alex Castro, Anna Vicente, Arlene Muhlach, Benz Sangalang, Chokoleit , Chris Pasturan, Dennis Padilla, Ella Cruz, Eri Neeman, Eric Tai, Eula Caballero, Fabio Ide, Gerald Pesigan, Ivan Dorschner, Jairus Aquino, JC Tiuseco, Martin Escudero, Rain Papa, Rommel Padilla
Synopsis: The first segment, Pamana, is set in the 80s, where a group of cousins (Herbert Bautista, Janice de Belen, Arlene Muhlach and Eri Neeman) gather at the house of a forgotten uncle to learn of their inheritance. They are promised 20 million pesos at the end of the month, but until then, they are to care for their uncle’s horror comics. Their lives are all put in danger when the monsters from the comics suddenly come to life.
Lost Command follows a group of soldiers (led by Dennis Trillo) as they trek deep into the jungle to investigate mysterious deaths in the area. They hear tales of aswang, of a battalion of soldiers who are no longer quite human.
Unwanted tells the story of Hank and Kate (Vhong Navarro and Lovi Poe), who we learn early on are pregnant with a child they’re not sure they want to keep. Before they can have much of a discussion about it, a large explosion traps them inside a shopping mall. The two, along with other survivors, try to find a way out, but standing in their way are all manners of strange creatures. (Click the City)
MTRCB Rating: GP
Running time: 125 mins
Trailer:
Reviews:
3.0 Carljoe Javier (Rappler)
“There are moments where the scripts might fail him, but at the very least everything here is entertaining (or at the very least attention-grabbing).” (Read full review)
3.0 Philbert Dy (Click the City)
“The result is as mixed as it’s always been, with only one of the segments really standing out.” (Read full review)
3.0 Katrina Stuart Santiago (GMA News)
“Thankfully the writing of these stories, the believable dialogue and fictional relationships, balanced out the false shine and shimmer of technologically enhanced creatures.” (Read full review)
3.0 Nicol Latayan (Tit for Tat)
“I like how they connected the first segment with an old horror concept: the power of comics. There’s really something that’s comfortable to watch here that makes the whole episode enjoyable.” (Read full review)
3.0 Mark Angelo Ching (PEP)
“Shake, Rattle & Roll 14 is a mixed bag. But moviegers should still see it for “Pamana,” which is worth the price of the entire ticket.” (Read full review)
2.5 Jessica Zafra (InterAksyon)
“SRR 14: The Invasion is terrible, but it is oddly enjoyable.” (Read full review)
2.5 Edgar Calabia Samar (Atisan)
“I waited until the credits rolled, and realized I was not shaken and rattled, unlike when I was very young. The series did not grow old with me.” (Read full review)
2.5 Jason Domantay (Yahoo Philippines)
“Watching Shake Rattle and Roll films can be tough. For one, there’s less screen time for every story. Thus the viewer is less emotionally-invested in the characters and even in the supernatural beings.” (Read full review)
2.5 Zig Marasigan (Kristn)
“Shake, Rattle, & Roll 14: The Invasion offers some mild entertainment with very little going for it past the first episode.” (Read full review)
2.5 Cathy Peña (Make Me Blush)
“While these three old tales were compelling to watch, Rono’s new age fables are emotionally distant and uninteresting.” (Read full review)
2.5 Cinerama Etcetera
“SRR Fourteen was not able to sustain its strong beginning because of a deteriorating storyline that left more questions than answers.” (Read full review)
2.5 Kikko Kalabud (Hot for Movies)
“This would have been a great ‘comeback’ for this famous local horror anthology but it turned out to be a little lackluster than expected.” (Read full review)
2.0 Andie Reyes (Katipunan)
“While Pamana is surprisingly sly, delivering the expected characters-coming-to-life narrative with a winking, self-aware humor, Lost Command seems to be less concerned with making sense of the story it’s telling than in aping zombie movie formulas.” (Read full review)
Synopsis: Shaleha Sarail (Aunor) hails from a water-village in Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi. The province is a seaweed producing area in the southern most part of the Philippines down to the Malaysian and Indonesian archipelagos. A woman of mature years, experiencing a 3rd miscarriage, Shaleha agonizes that she can’t bear a child. Though an adoptive parent to her nephew, she still feels that her husband Bangas-An (Roco) desires to be a father. To fulfill her husband’s only wish and to be blessed by Allah as having a child is a tangible proof of divine grace, Shaleha decides to march to a different drummer. Her resolve is to find a new partner for her husband. Night and day, she and her husband sail island, floating-village, and nearby communities in search of a fertile woman. Providentially, Shaleha finds the girl as recommended by friends. But on the eve of her husband’s second marriage to Mersila (Poe), a gnawing jealousy consumes Shaleha.
MTRCB Rating: PG-13
Running time: 106 mins
Trailer:
Reviews:
5.0 Tito Genova Valiente (Business Mirror)
“I am thankful enough that Mendoza attempted to celebrate the integrity and candor of the people of Tawi-Tawi, or a portion of the communities there, without making them look like effigies in museums of natural history.” (Read full review)
5.0 Pablo A. Tariman (Yahoo Philippines)
“Scriptwriter Henry Burgos has woven a tale of unselfish love that is unusually quiet and very cerebral.” (Read full review)
5.0 Isah Red (Manila Standard Today)
“Lesser filmmakers may have thrown in subplots to make the film more byzantine in nature, but Mendoza focuses on Shaleha and Bangas-an and how her search is finally decided.” (Read full review)
5.0 Eric T. Cabahug (InterAksyon)
“Thy Womb is the kind of movie that doesn’t explain everything and doesn’t spoon-feed anything. Rather than verbalize, it visualizes.” (Read full review)
5.0 Maridol Rañoa-Bismark (Yahoo Philippines)
“Mendoza doesn’t spoon feed by showing how things turn out to be. He resorts to clues — the body language, the one-liners.” (Read full review)
5.0 Don Rapadas (Metanoia)
“While Brillante Mendoza has wielded his unconventional directing style to make this film another masterpiece, Nora Aunor immortalizes on this film her brand of underacting.” (Read full review)
5.0 Millie Morales (milliemorales.blogspot)
“Thy Womb presents a hauntingly poignant reflection of human devotion, tradition, desire and joyful exploration of Badjao culture, shot across gorgeous landscapes, with sensitive, yet high-tech cinematography expertise.” (Read full review)
5.0 Macky Macarayan (Death of Traditional Cinema)
“This is an image we don’t see in Filipino movies, because in mainstream exploration of extramarital affairs and love triangles characters talk and talk about nonsense, reducing women as objects and elevating men as some sort of sex god.” (Read full review)
5.0 Filipinas in Showbiz
“Mendoza doesn’t rely on dialogue because he understands that sometimes, (in the word of Jessica Zafra) ‘Words cheapen the moment’.” (Read full review)
5.0 The Guy with a Blog
“Thy Womb wasn’t made to fit in. It was meant to stand out. And it does so spectacularly.” (Read full review)
4.5 Tintin Lontoc (Katipunan)
“Taking turns between captivation and tedium from the harrowing birthing scene at the start to the film’s haunting close, Thy Womb is at once powerful but difficult to watch.” (Read full review)
4.5 Allan Diones (Abante Tonite)
“Refreshing na mapanood si Nora na kalmado ang akting at subtle lang ang nuances, pero damang-dama ng audience.” (Read full review)
4.5 Bum-Spot
“While the performances were quietly powerful, the film was a feat itself. It presents a reality so fascinating and so real, you can almost touch it. It depicts a way of life that is as colorful as it is chaotic, simple and unjust.” (Read full review)
4.5 Kikko Kalabud (Hot for Movies)
“Unstinted of symbolisms and unadulterated emotions, Thy Womb is easily one of this year’s most affecting films as it transcends from the small vicinities of Tawi-Tawi to an engaging shrewdness and brilliance.” (Read full review)
4.5 Forg Files
“Aunor and Roco gave restrained but very effective performances. This film has little dialogue in it but thanks to the strength of the actors they don’t need words to show their characters’ inner pain and complex feelings.” (Read full review)
4.0 Oggs Cruz (Twitch)
“Thy Womb is observably quainter, tamer, and more mannered than Mendoza’s previous works. However, it still resonates with the same removed yet still potent anger that only an artist who wants to depict truth from a distance can evoke.” (Read full review)
4.0 Jessica Zafra (InterAksyon)
“We’re watching two of the finest actors in Philippine cinema not acting, but being ordinary people, indistinguishable from the population. Everyone onscreen is so natural, the camera may well be invisible.” (Read full review)
4.0 Rianne Hill Soriano (Business World Online)
“This location-inspired and quietly moving piece is beyond a mere travelogue. Although it sometimes basks in overindulgence, there are still instances that leave striking impressions by simply requiring people to stop, wait and observe as the characters travel around remote fishing villages.” (Read full review)
4.0 Jude Cartalaba (Rappler)
“While the plot’s development is a bit dragging, as soon as it hits the high notes with its dramatic parts, it successfully sustains the momentum, keeping the moviegoers glued until the heart-breaking end.” (Read full review)
4.0 Carljoe Javier (Rappler)
“Unlike a lot of filmfest performances that rely on big scenes and bombast, it’s the little things, the gestures and the facial expressions, which Mendoza endeavors to capture, which make the leads’ performances interesting.” (Read full review)
4.0 Zig Marasigan (Kristn)
“While other entries to the Metro Manila Film Festival are accustomed to piling on performances based on tears and soliloquies,Aunor and Roco project their characters with affection and subtlety.” (Read full review)
4.0 Jennifer Dugena and Jocelyn Dimaculangan (PEP)
“In one fell swoop, Mendoza weaves the personal (one’s notion of selfless love, joy, sadness,) with the cultural (how one’s actions, choices, thoughts are dictated by the society one is in) and the national (Tawi-Tawi’s socio-political setting).” (Read full review)
4.0 Edgar Calabia Samar (Atisan)
“Thy Womb is a story about patience and waiting, two virtues that are on the verge of extinction in our world of tweets, instagrams, and easy ways out.” (Read full review)
4.0 Rob San Miguel (The Chair)
“Tamang-tama ang pagpili kay Nora Aunor at Bembol Roco bilang mga pangunahing aktor. Bihasa ang dalawa sa pagsisiwalat ng saloobin ng kanilang karakter sa pamamagitan lamang ng tingin o simpleng galaw. Kung minsan, hindi pa lahat inilalabas.” (Read full review)
4.0 Nicol Latayan (Tit for Tat)
“A raw and poignant journey that leads its viewers not only to the bluest of the seas and the farthest of the islands, but to the lives of Shaleha and Bangas-an. And it is a journey that is definitely worth seeing.” (Read full review)
4.0 Irish Eden Belleza (Tabloid on Saturday)
“More than the co-existence of Muslim and Christian in this otherwise troubled place, Mendoza delivers the message of unconditional love that was perfectly depicted with the film’s ending scene: a rather simple shot of the lead actress’ face, but one that carried a powerful emotion that truly brought the entire film full circle.” (Read full review)
4.0 Fred Hawson (Fred Said)
“Aside from Ms. Aunor, the star of this film is really its cinematography. All the colors were absolutely brilliant. The composition of scenes was very aesthetically appealing. The sun, the sea, the whale sharks, the quarter moon were captured in their glorious beauty.” (Read full review)
4.0 Bum Tenorio (Philstar.com)
“You come to the theater to watch Thy Womb because you do not want to escape, instead you want to understand yourself deeper by understanding the characters and the nuances that each one of them possesses.” (Read full review)
3.5 Hindi Rebyu
“Baka may pagpapahalaga lang ako masyado sa tagal ng pinagsamahan ng mag-asawa, na sa tingin ko nama’y matagumpay na naisiksik sa loob ng kalahating oras ng pelikula, pero naniniwala akong mas mabigat ang nararamdaman ni Bangas-an para sa kanyang minamahal na si Shaleha kaysa sa pagnanasang magkaroon ng anak.” (Read full review)
3.5 Philbert Dy (Click the City)
“Graceful filmmaking combines with a terrific performance from the much-missed Nora Aunor to produce something quietly moving.” (Read full review)
3.5 Rito Asilo (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
“Roco and Poe provide ample support for Aunor’s silent but intensely immersive portrayal. Nora will break your heart as her world-weary face lights up at the film’s final fade.” (Read full review)
3.5 Mario Bautista (Showbiz Portal)
“The characters are so underwritten in Henry Burgos script you have to make up your own interpretation when it comes to their motivations.” (Read full review)
3.5 Phillip Cu-Unjieng (The Philippine Star)
“Not enough is made of the pregnant drama (Yes, pun intended) that arrives when the young wife enters the scene. At the start, far too much film time is spent on the ethnographic elements of the film, which while fascinating, lack true film drama.” (Read full review)
“There’s a melodrama embedded somewhere in “Thy Womb,” and even a message on reproductive health and rights, and I wish Mendoza had relented a bit from his “indie” mindset and allowed ordinary filmgoers a bit more access to the story he wanted to tell.” (Read full review)
3.5 CBCP CINEMA
“Maituturing na isang hiyas ang Thy Womb. Sa gitna ng mga pelikulang melodrama,horror at komedyang walang humpay sa pag-iingay, narito ang isang pelikulang matahimik na ipinararating sa manonood ang mga pasakit ng isang nagdurusang asawa na handang magpaka-martir alang-alang sa minamahal.” (Read full review)
3.5 Stephanie Mayo (Films and Events Check)
“An important movie to watch. A poetic and romantic work of art.” (Read full review)
3.5 Pinoy Movie Blog
“Thy Womb is a poignant journey. A pensive and unsteady boat ride paddled by emotionally raw performances.” (Pinoy Movie Blog)
3.5 Skilty Labastilla (Young Critics Circle)
“Mendoza fell in love with Tawi-Tawi and its people and it shows in Thy Womb: a picturesque, lyrical, appropriately quiet depiction of one of the most peace-loving peoples in the world – the Bajau.” (Read capsule review)
3.5 Tatak Digitista
“Thy Womb may be unpolished in some parts but it’s still worth seeing.” (Read full review)
3.0 Jerky San Pedro (The Daily Anomaly)
“Can’t recommend it for its rather flimsy storytelling but will recommend it for culture-savvy folks in search of beautiful cinematography and depiction of beautiful culture.” (Read full review)
3.0 Randy Renier Espinoza (Iconoclast)
“While the film offers us a rare look at this group of Filipinos that we only know as the sea gypsies, it doesn’t really have much to say about the people and their aspirations.” (Read full review)
2.5 Reel Advice
“The jarring cuts and the sudden ending makes Thy Womb seem like a film lost in its own pursuance of Tawi-Tawi culture and it is a film full of ingenious ideas that just couldn’t live up to their potential.” (Read full review)
2.5 Taking a Break
“Out of the four entries I’ve already seen, this one has the most cohesive story, and has actors actually acting. Unfortunately, it’s also the most boring.” (Read full review)
2.0 Yasmin Arquiza (GMA News)
“Hobbled by a faulty script, reckless editing, and lack of coherence, the movie became a work that was too full of itself it was simply too painful to watch in its entirety.” (Read full review)
Cast: Dingdong Dantes, Lovi Poe, Joey Marquez, Janice de Belen, Roi Vinzon, Ramonn Bautista, LJ Reyes, Mike Gayoso, Rina Reyes, Roldan Aquino
Synopsis: Makoy (Dingdong Dantes) arrives in the provincial village of Pulupandan to win back the heart of his pregnant girlfriend Sonia (Lovi Poe). He immediately finds himself rebuffed by Sonia and her mother Fely (Janice de Belen). Makoy sticks around, however, and plans a surprise birthday party for Sonia with her father (Joey Marquez). Makoy’s arrogant ways earn him the ire of a family of pig farmers. Unfortunately for the young man, this is a family with a secret: they are all aswang. And when the younger members of the clan hear about his pregnant girlfriend, they make a plan to sneak into the house to eat the fetus. It isn’t long before angry monsters come knocking at their door, and it’s up to Makoy to protect his love. (Click the City)
MTRCB Rating: PG-13
Running time: 102 mins
Trailer:
Reviews:
5.0 Anton Umali (FHM)
“The secret to the film’s success lies in the fact that it allows the audience to laugh with it instead of at it.” (Read full review)
4.5 Philbert Dy (Click the City)
“The film goes to dark, violent places and asks people to laugh along. It is a genuinely unique vision that people really ought to see.” (Read full review)
4.5 Angie Chui (Cinerama Etcetera)
“One of the best local horrors I’ve seen so far. It was very edgy but entertaining and exciting.” (Read full review)
4.5 Genevieve Lunar Villanueva (Popcorn and Tickets)
“It is a movie that truly delivers as it seamlessly mixed the right amounts of comedy, romance, action and thrill.” (Read full review)
4.0 Oggs Cruz (Twitch)
“Matti just refuses to be drab and serious, opting to charm and captivate with his impressive grasp of hilarity, horror, and visual spectacle.” (Read full review)
4.0 Phillip Cu-Unjieng (Philippine Star)
“The Grand Guignol blood and guts (literally) scenes wonderfully play against the Zombieland-type humor and attitude; and this propels the film to a new standard of story-telling.” (Read full review)
4.0 Ria Limjap (Spot.ph)
“Timed like Tarantino (set to the same sort of bad ass soundtrack), imbued with the same we’re-all-going-down-together bravado, Tiktik never slows down.” (Read full review)
4.0 Kikko Kalabud (Hot for Movies)
“Erik Matti’s enthralling vision is crazy, ambitious and solid Pinoy entertainment.” (Read full review)
4.0 Ihcahieh
“This movie is like a comic book that has come to life, with the utilization of green screen maximized to render backgrounds that are as comic book perfect as they could ever be.” (Read full review)
3.5 Rianne Hill Soriano (Business World)
“Instead of hiding or covering up its technical shortcomings, it deals with its expected limitations by dwelling on its genuinely macabre sense of humor.” (Read full review)
3.5 Jansen Musico (Pelikula Tumblr)
“Violently fun and certainly ambitious, Tiktik succeeds in offering something new.” (Read full review)
3.5 Jennifer Dugena (PEP)
“The movie is technically excellent in form. The storyline is quite simple but it is relentlessly entertaining.” (Read full review)
3.5 Mark Angelo Ching (Pisara.me)
“While Tiktik is wonderful to look at, it still needs help with its storytelling.” (Read full review)
3.5 Dale Bacar (Bum-Spot)
“While realism is not exactly its peg, the artistic value of the digitized town and its creatures that were plucked out of Filipino folklore set a new standard for the country and will hopefully pave the way for more internationally competitive movies in this genre.” (Read full review)
3.5 Taking a Break
“The green-screen gimmick they employ works really well in some parts, and flounders in many scenes–but the real draw of the film should’ve been its story-telling and its flawless supporting cast of characters.” (Read full review)
3.5 He Blogs, She Blogs
“It is a fresh take on an old story…and it was so much fun that you can forget about the lapses in the special effects.” (Read full review)
3.0 Rito Asilo (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
“Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles benefits from its groundbreaking visual flair and knockabout humor more than its ability to scare.” (Read full review)
3.0 Mario Batista (Showbiz Portal)
“As a whole, the movie is quite entertaining and the technology used is quite commendably well crafted.” (Read full review)
3.0 Cathy Peña (Make Me Blush)
“There isn’t muchemotional pillar to hang on to so you leave the theater disconnected from any of the film’s character. But the movies are a visual medium, and Tiktik succeeds in this aspect.” (Read full review)
3.0 CBCP CINEMA
“Bagamat maganda ang konsepto ng pelikula, naligaw na ito at nalito na kung gusto ba nitong maging horror, comedy, action o fantasy. Kaya para madali, sinakop nito ang lahat—pananakot, pagpapatawa, pagpapahanga. Sinubukan, pero hindi nagtagumpay dahil ang lahat ay nakatuon lamang sa panggulat ng CGI.” (Read full review)
3.0 Nicol Latayan (Tit for Tat)
“It’s easy to see why the movie banked on the green screen effect, as it clearly showed some laziness on the storytelling, but it is indeed every inch entertaining.” (Read full review)
3.0 Reel Advice
“While Tiktik is not a perfect film, its flaws are forgivable if you know what you are getting yourself into.” (Read full review)
3.0 Manuel Pangaruy (Tagailog Special)
“It’s a buena mano for the green screen filmmaking in Pinoy cinema with a thin, segunda mano storyline. It seemed like it was stuck toying with the new technology, which occasionally worked, and forgot to expound the aswang folklore. It didn’t help, too, that Dingdong Dantes was exerting to much effort for the bad boy role. Somebody has to remind him to downplay a bit.”
2.5 Skilty Labastilla (Young Critics Circle)
“While Erik Matti has given us eye candy, he could have given us something to anchor our emotions on. The film has all the requisite blood and entrails but it doesn’t have a heart.” (Read full review)
2.5 Carl Joseph Papa (Whatever Carl)
“It was an enjoyable film, funny and a bit of step up (at least technical wise) for Filipino effects driven films. (Read full review)
2.0 Lifestyle Check 101
“I just wish that instead of putting effort on the comic relief, the movie could have shown a few seconds in establishing the characters and their relationships.” (Read full review)
Cast: Lovi Poe, Benjamin Alves, Empress Shuck, James Blanco, Gina Alajar, Julia Clarete, Neil Ryan Sese, Ria Garcia, Gerald Pesigan
Synopsis: Mylene (Lovi Poe) is a medical student. She lives in a boarding house run by Tatay Nanding (Jaime Fabregas), an elderly gentleman suffering from Alzheimer’s. The boarding house is known to be haunted, its residents and visitors regularly feeling the presence of otherworldly beings. But after a particular event, that presence becomes deadly, and the residents of the boarding house soon fall victim to the spirits’ wrath. At the heart of these events are the secrets held by both Mylene and Tatay Nanding, the two forced to confront the sins of the past. (Click the City)
Trailer:
Reviews:
3.5 Ria Limjap (Spot.ph)
“Only Lovi, with her husky seventies starlet delivery and her ridiculously long hair can walk us through a slightly convoluted but otherwise engrossing movie.” (Read full review)
3.0 Mario Bautista (Showbiz Portal)
“It’s actually Lovi’s first rate performance that redeems the film from the shortcomings of writer-director Tara Illenberger’s own script that left so many unanswered questions.” (Read full review)
3.0 Ihcahieh
“Overall, this one is a good thriller but not without shortcomings in terms of story and the rather unjustified focus on Lovi Poe’s character.” (Read full review)
2.5 CBCP CINEMA
“Hindi malinaw ang daloy ng kwento ng Guni-Guni. Marami itong butas at katanungan na hanggang sa huli ay hindi nasagot.” (Read full review)
2.0 Carl Joseph Papa (Whatever Carl)
“It wants to tell a lot of thing that in the end nothing much progressed, yet all were hastily ended.” (Read full review)
2.0 Manuel Pangaruy (Taga-ilog Special)
“It works well with the quiet moments but very underwhelming with the big ones (death scenes, revelations, etc.). Also, multiple POVs could be effective if it has an anchor that pulls everything together. Good to see new names though on the technicals and some are commendable: photography, production design and musical score.”
1.5 Philbert Dy (Click the City)
“There are all sorts of concepts here that might have made for several good films. But put together in this twisty framework, and the result is unavoidably clunky.” (Read full review)
1.5 Cathy Peña (Make Me Blush)
“There are too many disparate concepts that don’t mesh well with the individual predicament of our characters. The by-product is one messy cinematic experience that’s more tiresome than frightful.” (Read full review)
1.5 Mark Angelo Ching (PEP)
“The main issue with the film is that there are too many stories being told, and that they never really come together.” (Read full review)
1.5 Armando dela Cruz (Film Police)
“Bugged by a by-partition-hackneyed narrative and execution that falls flat, Guni-Guni is unfortunately predictable, drab and numbingly unscary.” (Read full review)
1.0 Kikko Kalabud (Hot for Movies)
“Guni-Guni is true to its title—it’s a film made out of baffling imaginations that you could easily disregard.” (Read full review)
1.0 Cinerama Etcetera
“The movie is like a rusty old roof that needed patching. The questions continue to leak through the haphazard storytelling, and the filmmakers simply assumed that the audiences will fill the gaps themselves.” (Read full review)
Comment:
3.5 Nico Quejano (Pinoy Film Buffs)
“I love how this movie showed how guilt amplifies our fear, even of the unknown. That our past sins manifest itself through the supernatural (subconscious).” (Read full comment)
Cast: Maricel Soriano, Gabby Concepcion, Jericho Rosales, Dennis Trillo, Paulo Avelino, Lovi Poe, Carla Abellana, Solenn Heusaff, Ronaldo Valdez, Agot Isidro, Eula Caballero
Synopsis: Three stories of people and the secrets that tear them apart. A man is torn between his ex-wife and his girlfriend. A young woman is caught in a passionate love triangle. A once-promising singer begins to regret her choice to leave her dreams behind to start a family. (From Click the City)
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Trailer:
Reviews:
4.0 Jojo Panaligan (Manila Bulletin)
“But seriously, it will be hard to miss the fact that this film is an acting vehicle for many of its cast members. The saucy lines of Maricel Soriano, the anguish of Jericho Rosales, the despair of Lovi Poe are things that people will remember long after the film festival has wrapped up.” (Read full review)
4.0 Mario Bautista (Showbiz Portal)
“Yesterday is big and sprawling, with vivid, engaging characters. Lana examines their lives, secrets, passions, weaknesses, ambitions, defeats, struggles. The treatment is still melodramatic, falling short of true brilliance, but local viewers who go for this kind of dramatic fare will not be disappointed as the characters and their personal stories are all riveting, with the actors playing them generally delivering fine ensemble performances.” (Read full review)
4.0 Allan Diones (Abante Tonite)
“Malaking improvement ito sa huling adult drama film ni Direk Jun Lana na My Neighbor’s Wife. Mas maayos ang narrative nito, maganda ang daloy ng kuwento at kahit malaki ang cast ay may kanya-kanyang moment ang bawat karakter.” (Read full review)
4.0 Ihcahieh
“It is a good thing that it does not look like a film trying hard to bring back the glory days when drama was queen at the tills. Instead, it adapts to what is modern and in return gives a vibe that is not too out of date for it to seem foreign to the present generation.” (Read full review)
3.5 Rod Magaru (Rod Magaru Show)
“The story was well written. I didn’t find it hard to understand the interrelationship between the characters. Though there are some dialogues in the movie that I wished would have been rewritten.” (Read full review)
3.0 Oggs Cruz (Twitch)
“This is unabashed melodrama, spending more effort in mercilessly pitting its characters against calamitous events to allow tearful montages and dramatic exchanges of dialogue than anything else.” (Read full review)
3.0 Ria Limjap (Spot.ph)
“While not as iconic as the Mano Po series, it certainly has its own sort of glamour—much of it from the all-star cast, headed by Ms. Soriano and Gabby Concepcion, who is still a great hammy hunk of a leading man. Maricel, meanwhile, cannot tone it down for anything. It’s a whole lot of teleserye-style acting, confrontation scenes, and sampalan galore. Rich people acting like fools.What’s not to love?” (Read full review)
3.0 Ian Urrutia (Pinoy Cinema Tumblr)
“There’s a big promise of storytelling gold mine somewhere in the film, but unfortunately, Lana handles the turn of events with heavy-handedness that’s visually glib to look at.” (Read full review)
2.0 Cathy Peña (Make Me Blush)
“With unbelievable schmaltz and a persistently high-strung turn of events that play out like livid strokes of slap-happy melodrama, Jun Lana’s Yesterday Today Tomorrow once again displays Lana’s fixation to the 80’s flavored drama.” (Read full review)
2.0 Jessica Zafra (InterAksyon)
“Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow is entertaining, though probably not in the way the filmmakers had intended. To our relief there is no contrived holiday happy ending in which all is forgiven and everyone becomes friends.” (Read full review)
2.0 Reel Advice
“In fairness to the writers, all the characters were given enough of a story such that no one can be considered as an insignificant part of this ensemble movie. On the other hand, too many characters might be the cause of a lack of character development.” (Read full review)
2.0 Nicol Latayan (Back to the Frying Pan)
“ The situations are somewhat contrived and predictable; it’s a screaming cryfest after all. But what makes me feel less for this movie is that despite the melodrama that you know will happen in the movie, it still topped itself by bringing a more exaggerated melodrama than one can expect.” (Read full review)
1.5 Katrina Stuart Santiago (GMA News)
“What we have makes the film unwieldy and funny, a realization that while we will watch soaps, we demand for something more believable – more real – in our movies.” (Read full review)
1.0 Philbert Dy (Click the City)
“The stories do little to humanize these caricatures of terrible behavior, making it difficult to feel anything for the plight of these characters. The film handles conflict very badly, because all of the conflict is external.” (Read full review)
Comments:
3.0 Json Javier (Cinephiles)
“With hints of Amores Perros and Hereafter, the movie suffers from underdeveloped characters with interweaving storylines. Camp factor is extremely high. You gotta admire a Pinoy film that doesn’t offer the requisite resolutions, though.”
3.0 Manuel Pangaruy (Taga-ilog Special)
“Hindi ako scriptwriter pero na-appreciate ko ang script. Ayos lang s’ya para sa drama. Tumbok naman ang target audience. Nagtawanan ang mga tao r’un sa madramang eksena ni Echo. Basta ang barometer ko, kapag OA si Echo, hindi magaling ang pagkakadirek.”
2.5 Step Up Guy (Cinephiles)
“Lana stumbles slightly with Yesterday… the storyline is a veritable goldmine of rich and heavy drama, the loose ends are neatly tied, and the dialogue is often insightful and intelligent, but the characterizations are either shallow retreads (Abellana has practically the same character from My Neighbor’s Wife) or unfathomable idioms.”
1.0 Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez (Pinoy Film Buffs)
“Dapat di ko ginagawa ito bilang isang filmmaker din pero di ko mapapatawad ang Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow. Kailangang ma-realize ng Regal na passe na at masyadong maka-80s at 90s ang mga pelikula nila kung saan pagsasama-samahin lahat ng mga artista ng kahapon at ngayon. Hindi na umuubra ang ganitong formula. The less actors, the better. Isang pelikula na ganito pa mula sa Regal at huwag silang magtataka kung ma-bankrupt sila at di na naman makapagbayad sa tao si Mother. Ang ganitong mga pelikula ang ikalulubog ng Regal. On second thought, sige lang, Regal, gawa pa kayo ng ganito! Sige lang! Kinukunsinti ko kayo!”
Cast: Zsa Zsa Padilla, Tirso Cruz III, Gina Alajar, Jaime Pebanco, Marvin Agustin, Allen Dizon, Pauleen Luna, Lovi Poe, Megan Young, Jay Aquitana, Ayen Laurel, Rico Barrera and Dawn Zulueta, Dessa Rizalina E. Ilagan, Tony Mabesa, Raquel Villavicencio, Mon Confiado, Menggie Cobarrubias, Lui Manansala, Mercy Udaundo, Dennis Coronel
Synopsis:Sigwa (meaning “storm”) spans 40 years of Philippine social unrest. The story is initially told by Fil-Am Dolly, a junior correspondent of a US magazine, who was sent to the Philippines in 1970 to do a story on student activism in Manila. Today, she has returned after being arrested and deported in 1975, on the third year of martial law. Her mission is personal this time: to look for her daughter, who was supposed to have died 35 years ago, but who, she has been told, is alive. The film, being a composite of the stories of Dolly and each one of her former activist collective, is revealed fragment by fragment, as she surprises them by her unannounced presence.
Trailer:
Reviews:
3.5 Elvin Luciano (PEP)
“Although Sigwa is told from the point of view of Zulueta’s character, this movie is impressive because it does not leave out the other characters. Through this film, Direk Joel shows his mastery in creating an ensemble film.” (Read full review)
3.5 Jamo Light (Pinoy Film)
“I don’t know what Joel Lamangan’s motivations were for not going outright left here – personal safety, wider acceptance or whatever else – but I like that he did. The entirety of it’s political overtones served merely as a backdrop. As a film about old friends and what’s happened to them in the years since they were separated, it succeeds above and beyond the call of duty.” (Read full review)
3.0 Fidel Antonio Medel (Pielated Popcorn)
“It might be a conscious decision on the filmmaker’s part to play it safe to be more palatable to the general public, and that’s understandable. But for a film that is meant to commemorate 40 years of civil unrest, I wish it had more balls.” (Read full review)
3.0 Nel Costales (Cine Filipinas)
“The film blends the star power and polished performances of a mainstream blockbuster with the relevant, edgy story of an indie film. It is not a smooth marriage because of the film’s difficulty in straddling the line between mainstream and indie filmmaking.” (Read full review)
3.0 John Silva (John’s Thoughts and Deeds)
“The baddest best actor was Tirso Cruz. You hated all of him, his cynical, tired, seen-it-all slouch. Maybe we’ve felt that at times and we’re drawn to his venality. We appreciate Tirso’s continued metamorphosis in roles befitting his years. Consider the fact that during the First Quarter Storm, or thereabouts, who could forget Tirso in the tight white pants and the sideburns as a rock star.” (Read full review)
2.5 Philbert Dy (Click the City)
“The film, as it moves from one life to another, paints a fuller picture of what it means to stand for something in a corrupt society. The film doesn’t quite reach its full potential, weighed down by staid filmmaking and a fairly dull viewing of the past. But there are hints of passion in the project, and that keeps the whole thing bearable.” (Read full review)
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: A writer trying to complete a novel dreams up of three romantic stories. A girl falls in love with a ghost. A lawyer sets up her colleague and comes to regret the decision. And two people wake up to find that the world has ended.
Running time: 147 mins.
*
Trailer:
Reviews:
3.5 Katrina Stuart Santiago (GMA News)
“The conclusions for this movie are easy, the enjoyment even more so. I chalk it up to two things: one, the limited amount of time for each episode made for storytelling that was quick, with no minute wasted on long stretches of nothing; two, creative directors are all you need, the ones who have a sense of how love stories are supposed to look, how comfortable love can be, and how sexual tension need not be about pretty boys and girls, and rarely happens in the most ideal of moments.” (Read full review)
3.0 Mario Bautista (Showbiz Portal)
“The best of three episodes is easily Gunaw because the viewers laugh from start to finish. Eugene Domingo is in her best element (she’s better here than in Kimmy Dora and Here Comes the Bride) and Richard manages to match her every step of the way.” (Read full review)
3.0 Ria Limjap (Spot.ph)
“I considered ducking out, but thank goodness for the last and best episode: Gunaw. Director Chris Martinez (and Marlon Rivera, who shares a story by credit), had the smarts (and the balls) to create something a little less obvious and a lot funnier.” (Read full review)
2.5 Regnard Raquedan (Screen Sucked)
“I found the off-beat story Gunaw by Chris Martinez as the best of the lot, where we see Richard Gutierrez in an unlikely pairing with comedienne Eugene Domingo in story of a love story in a 28 Days Later-type of world.” (Read full review)
2.0 Oggs Cruz (Little Lessons)
“Two of the three episodes are utter rubbish. Dominic Zapata’s Soulmate, about a girl who falls in love with the ghost of the taxi driver, is a sorry exercise in redundant bad comedy and drama. Andoy Ranay’s BBFF feels like a chore, with its tale of a lawyer who is set-up with a heartbroken girl by his best friend dragging on and on and on without reward or consolation. Thankfully, Chris Martinez’s Gunaw, about a man who meets the last remaining woman in the world, is a lot of fun.” (Read full review)
2.0 Nel Costales (Sine Patrol)
“Gunaw is the saving grace of the150-minute film My Valentine Girls. The two earlier segments are indeed time-wasters.” (Read full review)
1.5 Philbert Dy (Click the City)
“Gunaw might be worth seeing, but it’s really not enough to make up for all the awfulness present in My Valentine Girls. That one segment might not be terrible, but it’s not worth sitting through the ninety minutes of concentrated garbage present in the first two segments.” (Read full review)
1.5 Cathy Peña (Make Me Blush)
“In My Valentine Girls, Gutierrez has succeeded in portraying four characters by way of a single emotionally incipient person with the sensitivity of a drying paint and the emotive capacity of eggplants!” (Read full review)
Cast: Lovi Poe, Paulo Avelino, Albie Casiño, Jillian Ward, Joem Bascon, Marc Abaya, Precious Lara Quigaman, Niña Jose
Synopsis: A reimagining of Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes’s 1992 film. The new version tells the story of two kids who witness the murder of their parents and who escape unwittingly into a town plagued by a subspecies of aswangs called Ab-wak. Terrorized by the monsters and the assassins running after them, the two kids are helped by a kind Ab-wak named Hasmin. Things get more complicated when Daniel, one of the assassins, falls in love with Hasmin and decides to help her in her plan to escape her fate as queen of the Ab-waks.
Trailer:
Reviews:
4.0 Ria Limjap (Spot.ph)
“Aswang smells like a hit. It blends Filipino folklore and speculative fiction, horror and action (hurrah for that dying genre), stars and starlets, inventive production design and attention to detail. In the end, this intelligent movie will compel the audience to think along with it—just as much as it will entertain, fascinate, and provide much needed escape.” (Read full review)
4.0 Earl Villanueva (PEP)
“But really, the stars are just the bonuses in this movie which is impressive narrative-wise, and more importantly, visually stunning, thanks to some breathtaking locations like the river, the forest and the convincingly designed abuwak mansion. (Read full review)
4.0 Phillip Cu-Unjieng (Philippine Star)
“With vivid images and effective use of lighting and camera angles, the sense of foreboding and atmosphere propels this film into a territory that more than compensates for the overburdened strands of plot.” (Read full review)
4.0 Mica Rodriguez (Cinegang)
“All in all, Jerrold Tarog did a fantastic job with this one… My only advice is do not expect much in the horror aspect, but focus on how the characters dealt with the circumstances given.” (Read full review)
4.0 Ihcahieh
“All in all, this movie is a decent thriller which does Philippine myth a favor by featuring our beloved local scare givers. Lately, it has always been about poltergeists caught on cam and ghosts in white who are addicted to hair rebonding. At least here, we get something truly Pinoy.” (Read full review)
3.5 Manuel Pangaruy (Taga-Ilog Special)
“May ilang eksena na litaw ang kumpromiso ng direktor sa producer nito (‘yung dream sequence, halimbawa) pero ang mabilis mag-isip ay mabilis ding magpatawad sa mga ganitong kalakalan ng malalaking film production.” (Read full review)
3.5 Mario Bautista (Showbiz Portal)
“The acting alone is already worth the price of admission. Technical credits are also good, from the cinematography and production design to the musical score and special effects. There are definitely some questions about the plotting but as a whole, it’s fairly effective in giving a good scare and making us cringe.” (Read full review)
3.5 Rito Asilo (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
“Our quibbles notwithstanding, this engaging chiller is unlike any horror flick you’ve seen—it deserves patronage for Tarog’s astute direction, its luscious, crisp images, the ornate tales and otherworldly creatures it successfully imagines—and the engaging insights it offers about the vagaries of love, ambition and survival.” (Read full review)
3.5 Pinoy Movie Blog
“Aswang was a fresh take on the most popular Filipino-folklore. It’s definitely a must-see given it offered lots of thrill, action and adventure. There is a gem in cinematography and direction was superb as I expected.” (Read full review)
3.5 Carl Papa (Whatever, Carl)
“Even though I think that this film is the weakest among Jerrold Tarog’s feature films, that does not mean that I did not like it, in fact, I did. Just that I think that Tarog has set a high bar for himself (his last film was my favorite movie from last year), a commercial film may pose to be a very hard task, and I think that he still did a pretty good job.” (Read full review)
3.0 Don Jaucian (Pelikula Tumblr)
“There is a push and pull of forces in Aswang. There is the direction that the director wants to take and another the producers prefer. Despite the hammy acting of the newcomers (Casiño, Ward, and Avelino), an awkward sex scene, and lags in pace, Tarog ultimately takes Aswang to an even darker point.” (Read full review)
3.0 Jowana Bueser (The Birth of Damnation)
“(Lovi Poe) has the enigmatic appearance going on for her. Plus she can act.” (Read full review)
2.5 Dodo Dayao (Lagarista)
“It fails in the acting and in perhaps trying to tell too many stories so you’re left to chew on the thick mood and gruesomeness instead, which can be tasty at times.” (Read full review)
2.5 Andrew dela Serna (Cinegang)
“Cinematography-wise, this film is a gem, but there’s nary a diamond-in-the-rough in its supposedly talented cast. Avelino and Poe portrayed easy roles as the good-looking protagonists that won’t win them acting awards anytime soon. Casino could’ve played a tree trunk without anyone noticing. I’d dare say that Bembol Roco really got into his role as the creepy groom-to-be and did a decent job at it. Otherwise “Aswang” is a horror film trying to be folklore that’s better read that watched.” (Read full review)
2.0 Philbert Dy (Click the City)
“Like many mainstream pictures, it’s trying to appeal to too broad a base, bringing together as many genres and talents as humanly possible, in the strange hope that vast swaths of people with differing interests will come together in the cinema. But the only effect is dilution, all the great ideas turned into a swirling mass of tedium.” (Read full review)
2.0 Skilty Labastilla (Musings from Three Time Zones)
“Mother Lily hired Jerrold Tarog to direct a full-length horror film based on the strength of his excellent Shake Rattle and Roll episode, Punerarya. Unfortunately, he fails to deliver the goods. His remake of Peque Gallaga’s Aswang is not scary enough for a horror film, not romantic enough for a love story, and too ineptly directed it makes you doubt the talent he has shown in his past work.” (Read full review)
2.0 Cathy Peña (Make Me Blush)
“The languid pace of the narrative could have worked well before the requisite escalation into the cinematic fireworks. The creatures could have been powerful images that stick to our consciousness. A lot of things could have worked. But it takes me back to the apparent disinterest of the victims when being pursued by the subterranean creatures.” (Read full review)
2.0 Pink Fox Patrol
“Too bad that a movie who had actors well worth the bite – had no bite at all. Yup, the ‘aswang’ in me would’ve loved to sink my teeth into Paulo Avelino and ditto to Lovi Poe (if I were straight) but sadly, even with Jerrold Tarog at the helm, I went out of the theater experiencing no fear or dread at any point during the movie.” (Read full review)
2.0 Reel Advice
“Aswang is a film that obviously tries to do so much more that it actually forgets to include the most important thing in a horror film – the scare factor. While we give Aswang a point for effort (the film actually had a meaty and well-developed story), it still does not hide the fact that it is a completely boring 2 hour romp from start to finish and to be quite blunt, sucks.” (Read full review)
Capsules:
3.0 Alemberg Ang (Member, Cinephiles)
“Gusto ko ang kwento. Napabilib din ako sa ilang mga special effects. Medyo pangit lang ang ibang prosthetics at acting.”
2.5 Sanriel Ajero (Film blogger, Another Sani Day)
“Some good ideas, some great execution, but too plot-heavy and long and boring and uninteresting and has the lousiest cast and that little girl is so annoying I wish Regal Film has the guts to kill off a child. Also really getting tired of the Lovi Poe school of Jaclyn Jose acting. OA sa lumanay, parang hinehele ako matulog.”
1.5 Emmanuel dela Cruz (Member, Pinoy Film Buffs)
“‘Kala mo hindi si Jerrold ang gumawa. I had high expectations. Lumutang character ni Alby Casino for simply making sense. I will still watch Jerrold’s, Lovi’s and Paolo’s films after this. Sabi nga ni Remington: move on, move on na!”
1.0 Json Javier (Member, Cinephiles)
“Things to Remember When Creating a Classic Pinoy Horror Flick:
1. Popular myths should not be tampered with. If you’re redefining it, make sure it’s good.
2. Never let your actors sleepwalk through the movie. Better yet, get actors who can act (or in some cases, don’t overact).
3. Do not insert gratuitous sex scenes just because you have a hot cast.
4. Afros and creatures do not match (unless your movie is called Patayin sa Shokot si Remington).
5. Remove all unnecessary subplots. Focus on what you promise the audience.
6. Polish works on floors, nails, and film.
7. If you know you created a really bad movie, please don’t hint at a possible sequel.”
Verdict: Proceed with Caution
May 12, 2013
SCL
