ALL FILM REVIEWS
‘The Social Reckoning’ REVIEW: An Investigation Without Reckoning
Something is frustrating about a film so convinced of the power of exposing wrongdoing when history shows how little exposure alone can accomplish. Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Social Reckoning’ has worthwhile intentions, but its faith in journalism and institutional accountability limits its criticism of Facebook. For a story about accountability, it seems reluctant to acknowledge how easily institutions survive the truth.
‘Multwoh (Patay Na Patay Sa’yo)’ REVIEW: On Generating Buzz, Et. Al
‘Multwoh (Patay na Patay Sa’yo)’ is a standout Puregold Cinepanalo Festival darling. It is adorable and fun, well-marketed to its intended audience, led by a charismatic cast, and offers a universally feel-good story yet nuanced for the queer community. Flowers for first-time leading lady Sassa Gurl is well-deserved, but the film generated more buzz than it needed.
‘Primetime’ REVIEW: The Seduction of Moral Certainty
Lance Oppenheim’s ‘Primetime’ suggests that moral certainty can reveal something ugly in the people who possess it as easily as in the people they condemn. Human beings want justice, but we also enjoy the relief of knowing exactly who the villain is, especially when that certainty allows us to feel innocent by comparison. Hansen spends the film looking across the room at men he believes have exposed their true nature; by the end, the camera has turned the same question back on everyone watching.
‘Digger’ REVIEW: An Uneven but Compelling Portrait of Climate Guilt
Disaster becomes easier to live with when responsibility can be distributed until no one feels personally accountable for what happened. ‘Digger,’ directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, is most interesting when it examines that instinct, especially the human desire to turn catastrophe into argument, entertainment, or history rather than confront the choices that created it.
'Stuck on You' REVIEW: Far from a perfect romcom
‘Stuck on You’ remains a far-from-perfect romcom that has a heart that sadly never saved it from being a mess of a film.
‘Mono No Aware’ REVIEW: The Meaning of Temporary Things
‘Mono No Aware,’ directed by BC Amparado, begins from that awareness and turns it into a study of loneliness, work, memory, and the ways people become distant from one another long before death makes that distance permanent.
Black Beret 25 OMNIBUS REVIEW
Black Beret celebrates its 25th anniversary with a showcase of UPFI students’ works across all course productions during their college years. Evolving from a showcase of directing works and programming practices, it now reflects on the potential of student filmmaking as a pedagogical practice.
‘Resident Evil’ REVIEW: Zach Cregger captures your brain on survival horror
In Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil,’ the looseness with the source material, however, does not come from a lack of affection for it. If anything, stepping away from the mythology allows him to get closer to something that previous adaptations have often missed: the experience of actually playing the games, both in the way they make you feel and in the anxious thought process that comes with moving through them.
‘Forgotten Island’ REVIEW: A love letter to memories, friendship, and Filipino culture
DreamWorks’ ‘Forgotten Island’ is here to remind us of how powerful our memories can be, while being a celebration of Filipino culture.
‘Edjop’ REVIEW: The Defiant Act of Remembering
Directed by Katski Flores, ‘Edjop’ looks at Edgar “Edjop” Jopson through both his political life and the daughter who grew up largely without him. This gives the film an intimate perspective on a familiar historical figure, although its personal approach sometimes comes at the expense of the political history surrounding him.
‘The Flor Contemplacion Story’ REVIEW: Paano Inilawan ang Ilaw ng Tahanan
Nakadikit sa ‘The Flor Contemplacion Story’ ang mga pinakamalalaking pangalan sa industriya at pinakamahuhusay – panulat nina Ricky Lee at Bonifacio Ilagan, sinamahan pa ng actingan nina Nora Aunor, Jaclyn Jose, at Vina Morales, at pinakalitaw ang papel ni Romel Vitug, bilang ang sinematographer. Sa literal at metaporikal na antas, nagbibigay-liwanag ang pelikula sa kompleksidad ng mga babaeng karakter at kanilang mga sitwasyon sa gitna ng lipunang pilit silang pinagtutunggali sa isa’t isa.
Sine Kabataan 9 OMNIBUS REVIEW
Now in its ninth year, Sine Kabataan continues to amplify contemporary issues, fresh voices, and stories from burgeoning young Filipino filmmakers.
‘Filipiñana’ REVIEW: Playing on unequal ground
‘Filipiñana’ plays with the element of space wisely. The concept of big spaces being only for the rich and the privileged is expanded into various scenes that portray how inequality will always prevail in simple forms of sport and leisure.
‘Hope’ REVIEW: An action-packed creature feature that outruns its own ideas
‘Hope’ is a mesmerizing collision of sound and image, an action blockbuster made all the more exciting by having a filmmaker as assured as Na Hong-jin behind the camera.
‘Ganggang’ REVIEW: The Innocence of Childhood and State Violence
JL Burgos’ 'Ganggang' is a striking coming-of-age story that captures what it means to grow up amid political violence, told from the innocent eyes of children who are still trying to make sense of the world around them.
‘The End of Oak Street’ REVIEW: The Devouring of the Past
‘The End of Oak Street’ is a classically executed series of intense set-pieces, uncanny tension, and escalating action that it consistently runs on.
‘Mag-iina’ REVIEW: Family dysfunction in allegorical horror lenses
One thing is certain: Giancarlo Abrahan and Guelan Varela Luarca’s ‘Mag-iina’ is not your usual Cinemalaya watch, and I hope Cinemalaya brings out more films like this in their future iterations.
‘Tayo Lang Ang Nakakaalam’ REVIEW: The Weight of What We Know and What We Don’t
David R. Corpuz’s ‘Tayo Lang Ang Nakakaalam’ looks beyond HIV as a diagnosis and examines the conditions that can make seeking help difficult in the first place.
‘A.ni.mál’ REVIEW: A Sly Dog of a Satire
Dustin Celestino’s ‘A.ni.mál’ may fall in line with his previous Cinemalaya entries’ direct tappings into the modern political zeitgeist, but it sets itself apart through its commitment to pure comedy for comedy’s sake, consistently reaching for the lowest-brow jokes and payoffs that work remarkably well throughout its triptych structure.
‘2 Valid IDs’ REVIEW: Time Is a Luxury and Privilege That Not Everyone Can Afford
‘2 Valid IDs’ finds its strength in something far more ordinary in our daily lives: the horror of inequality stems from a policy that not everyone can afford — not just financially, but through time, accessibility, opportunity, and dignity.