Verdict: Proceed with Caution

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 2.70 (5 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Director: Elwood Perez

Writers: Vincent Tañada, Elwood Perez

Cast: Vince Tañada, Monique Azerreda, Anita Linda, Jun Urbano, Vangie Labalan, Gabby Bautista, Mark Joseph Garde

Synopsis: The opening voiceover informs us that Lex (Vince Tañada) is returning to the Philippines from Los Angeles, where things didn’t go exactly as planned. In Manila, he is working for film director Jim (Jun Urbano), writing a script for an independent film. He takes inspiration from the people who live in his building. He is enamored with his neighbor Sabina (Monique Azerreda), who he sees climb into a vehicle owned by a congressman running for reelection. Starting from this one fact, he begins imagining an entire life of intrigue of betrayal that has him returning to his childhood. (Click the CIty)

MTRCB Rating: R-13

Running Time: 90 mins.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

4.0         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“It doesn’t make a lick of sense in the end, but this is precisely what makes it so compelling. Otso is unlike anything I’ve seen before, and that’s kind of amazing.” (Read full review)

3.5         Jessica Zafra (InterAksyon)

“Peel away its many layers: the political drama, the obsession sex-drama, the disintegration psychodrama, the reality vs illusion meta-drama, and you’ll find a real freak: an entertaining art film about the creative process.” (Read full review)

3.0         Fred Hawson (Fred Said)

“Otso is clearly a film with vision.  The time constraint and the limited budget may have affected its overall quality, but I think it is a worthy directorial comeback project for Elwood Perez.” (Read full review)

1.5         Dale Bacar (dalebacar.com)

“While it is ultimately easier to just call the film avant-garde, I think Otso went a few notches over and just went straight to an Ed Wood level of film-making. I think there could be a better vehicle for these stage actors to penetrate the movies, I am just not convinced that Otso is that movie.” (Read full review)

1.5         Skilty Labastilla (Young Critics Circle)

“Otso may have been made to deliberately confuse viewers, and there’s nothing really wrong with that, but I’m pretty sure it was not made to elicit bad acting from all its actors. It’s ironic that the lead character says in the film ‘First place ako sa declamation contest sa school, pero syempre iba pa rin ang pag-arte sa pelikula.’ because the difference is not really evident.”

Verdict: Value for Money

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 3.50 (5 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Directors: Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes

Writer: Wanggo Gallaga

Cast: Cherie Gil, Carlo Jalandoni, Chart Motus, Joshua Pineda, Richard Gomez

Synopsis: The film concerns Regina Cadena (Cherie Gil), a former opera diva who fell into a deep funk following the loss of her voice and the subsequent collapse of her career. She returns to her family home, where she spends her days drinking and generally partaking in self-destructive behavior. Jonjon (Carlo Jalandoni), the son of her secretary, is staying over with his mother at the Cadena Hacienda. The precocious kid decides to try and be kind to the singer, and slowly, he helps bring back her smile. (Click the CIty)

MTRCB Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 110 mins.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

4.0         Mario Bautista (Showbiz Portal)

“The role of Regina is a demanding acting piece and Cherie Gil is impressive from beginning to end. Best actress is written all over her awesome performance.” (Read full review)

3.5         Rianne Hill Soriano (Business World)

“The narrative is not without flaws, but the maturity of the filmmakers’ artistry ultimately makes sense of the story’s inexplicable music about love and mortality.” (Read full review)

3.5         Skilty Labastilla (Young Critics Circle)

“Sonata is excellent up until that problematic final act that resorts to unnecessary emotional manipulation. The film, predictable as it is, is still able to charm viewers mainly because of the easy camaraderie between the burnt-out diva (the excellent Cherie Gil, in the role of her life) and the young boy, as well as the meticulous visual and aural techniques employed by Gallaga and Reyes.”

3.5         Nicol Latayan (Tit for Tat)

“Cherie Gil was marvelous in her take of Margo Channing meets Norma Desmond. The parts where she’s talking about all the previous operas she starred was a hoot. It could have been an easy way out for an actress of her caliber to phone it in, but she refused to take that route, and instead give a satisfying and effective performance.” (Read full review)

3.0         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“The film seems to feel a little insecure about the lack of drama, and manufactures an excess of it in its last few minutes. It’s a miscalculation that cheapens much of what happened prior, which despite a few technical hiccups, was mostly fine.” (Read full review)

Verdict: Proceed with Caution

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 2.67 (3 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Director: Maryo J. delos Reyes

Writer: Aloy Adlawan

Cast: Ruru Madrid, Max Collins, Orland Sol, Mylene Dizon, Yogo Singh, Irma Adlawan, Spanky Manikan, Miggs Cuaderno

Synopsis: Tour guide Berta (Irma Adlawan) is having a tough time making ends meet. She’s forced to let her son Omel (Ruru Madrid) travel to the big city to take a job at an electronics store. Luis (Orlando Sol) is studying to be a seaman, but can’t seem to pass his exams. His girlfriend Dolores (Max Collins) is working as an intern at a resort, and dreams of going abroad as well. Sandra (Mylene Dizon), following a painful event back in Manila, returns to her native Bohol, taking her spoiled son Eric with her. (Click the City)

MTRCB Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 110 mins.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

4.0         Philip Cu-Unjieng (The Philippine Star)

“As direk Maryo was ready to expound, his aim was to create a film that provided family entertainment with light, dramatic moments. This he accomplishes within the context of ordinary lives. As a result, there is a very measured, subdued tone throughout the film.” (Read full review)

2.5         Skilty Labastilla (Young Critics Circle)

“Bamboo Flowers, despite some moments of pure, heartfelt emotion, exposes Maryo J. delos Reyes as a filmmaker left behind by the times. He takes his ensaymada of a movie, lays on more butter to it, then adds a layer of jelly, and sprinkles it with chocolate flakes. Despite the material’s sugar overload though, some actors shine: Ruru Madrid is a charismatic presence; Max Collins, despite being physically miscast, is able to plumb the honest core of of her character; but it’s Orlando Sol who is a revelation as a ne’er-do-well who refuses to give up on life.”

1.5         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“As a film, it feels overstuffed and melodramatic. It piles on one crying scene after another, the characters so prone to high emotion that it loses all of its effect. There are traces of stories worth telling in here, but they get lost among all the crocodile tears.” (Read full review)

Verdict: Proceed with Caution

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 2.90 (5 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Director: Mel Chionglo

Writer: Ricardo Lee

Cast: Bangs Garcia, Allen Dizon, Adrian Cabido, Angeli Bayani, Victor Basa

Synopsis: Orphan Carding (Adrian Cabido) befriends Army Captain Samuel Corazon (Allen Dizon), who’s stationed in his town to root out the remaining Huk guerrillas. At the dance hall, Corazon woos dancer Lauriana (Bangs Garcia), and they soon move in together. The two become sort of surrogate parents for the orphan Carding, with Corazon teaching him the ways of men. But the soldier has a dark side, and Carding becomes witness to the violence occurring in their home, and a heinous act committed by the soldier on his common-law wife. (Click the City)

MTRCB Rating: R-13

Running Time: 120 mins.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

3.5         Skilty Labastilla (Young Critics Circle)

“Lauriana works best as an anatomy of abuse, capturing the perfect recipe for  domestic violence to happen: overly jealous macho man and martyr woman who rationalizes the abuse out of fear of and pity for the perpetrator. The unflinching portrayal of brutality is necessary to emphasize its devastating emotional effects on those who suffer and witness it.”

3.5         Mario Bautista (Showbiz Portal)

“This film is not a crowd pleaser as the basic material is very dark, but it’s a very riveting piece of local cinema. ” (Read full review)

3.5         Mari-An Santos (PEP)

“Bangs is a revelation as the title character. She exudes the right amounts of sexiness and innocence, passion and desperation. “ (Read full review)

2.0         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“Lauriana is clever enough in spurts, but it can’t sustain its cleverness. It just goes on for so long without any actually progress in the plot or in the emotions of the character, the film relying of the sheer volume of the performances to catch the attention of the viewer.” (Read full review)

2.0         Nicol Latayan (Tit for Tat)

“What resulted is a combo of messy plotting and a very uneven pacing. It seems to go back and forth into different perspectives without a smooth connection that actually works.” (Read full review)

Verdict: Essential Viewing

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 4.75 (4 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Director: Chito S. Roño

Writer: Rodolfo Vera

Cast: Jhong Hilario, Dick Israel, Nikki Gil, Yayo Aguila, Mercedes Cabral, Ronnie Quizon, Vangie Labalan

Synopsis: Badil takes place in a tiny barangay in Samar on the eve of an election. The elderly Ponso (Dick Israel) is a veteran campaigner for incumbent Mayor del Mundo. He gets to work on that day, walking around town, handing out money to people who promise to vote for his candidate. He takes his son Lando (Jhong Hilario) with him, giving him an education on how things are supposed to be done. When Ponso falls ill later that day, Lando has to take up his responsibilities. Word comes in that the opposition candidate might be bringing in a huge sum of money into the town to buy out people already loyal to del Mundo. Lando is made to keep watch over their voters, making sure that nobody can give them a better offer. (Click the City)

MTRCB Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 100 mins.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

5.0         Jessica Zafra (Jessica Rules the Universe)

“Badil, the edifying new film by Chito Roño, is required viewing for anyone who has ever wondered why Philippine politics is so screwed up. Students should be required to watch it. Politicians should be carried bodily into the cinemas and made to watch it. It should be shown on television every election season.” (Read full review)

5.0         Skilty Labastilla (Young Critics Circle)

“Vera’s crackling script and Roño’s restrained, precise direction never let up from the get-go until the riveting climax. The film expertly shows the dynamics of power and politicking in small-town Philippines from a barangay-level perspective, how relationships among friends and kin get ruptured during elections because lackeys of rival political parties awash with cash creep through village houses on election eve to buy their allegiance. The whole cast is excellent, particularly Hilario, Israel, and Gil. So far my favorite Pinoy film of 2013.”

4.5         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“Badil is remarkable in how it blends the sinister and the mundane. It depicts a system so broken that there is no separating the normal flow of life and the deep corruption that has penetrated it.” (Read full review)

4.5         Fred Hawson (ABS-CBN News)

“Director Chito Rono proves that even with a limited budget of P1.5 million from the Film Development Council of the Philippines, one can create a film with beautiful cinematography, exciting editing, artistic depth and national significance. Now that is a true master.“ (Read full review)

Verdict: Value for Money

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 3.70 (5 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Writer/Director: Jose Javier Reyes

Cast: Rustica Carpio, Ryan Agoncillo, Jackie Lou Blanco, Bobby Andrews, Kim Rodriguez, Chynna Ortaleza, Alwyn Uytingco

Synopsis: Teresa (Rustica Carpio) has worked for the Bautista family since she was seventeen. She was the nanny of siblings Stella, Vince and Andre (Jackie Lou Blanco, Bobby Andrews and Ryan Agoncillo), and their mother. The three have all moved abroad in their adulthood, but all reunite back at home with the passing of their mother. With no one left to stay in the country, it is decided that all of their properties will be sold, including the house they grew up in. But they are faced with the problem of what to do with the elderly Teresa, who has no money saved, and little contact with her relatives. (Click the City)

MTRCB Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 95 mins.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

4.5         Rito Asilo (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

“With a strong ensemble, Reyes’ movie steadily gathers steam as it examines the ties that bind Filipino families—even those who have succumbed to the Filipino diaspora.” (Read full review)

4.5         Renelson Morelos (Re[e]l Thoughts)

“Ano ang Kulay ng mga Nakalimutang Pangarap? puts such well-regarded values like family ties, loyalty, devotion, dedication and responsibility to the test, with the family home becoming a haunted courtroom of sorts as it turns into a venue for deciding the fate of the household help.” (Read full review)

4.0         Mario Bautista (Showbiz Portal)

“Ano ang Kulay ng mga Nakalimutang Pangarap? is a tearjerker but not in the usual soapy, overly sentimental kind of way. Joey Reyes intentionally avoids mawkishness and maudlin emotions. You don’t see the characters caterwauling. ” (Read full review)

3.0         Skilty Labastilla (Young Critics Circle)

“Reyes crafts a material that refreshingly deviates from his recent, tired for-the-mainstream-crowd comedies and the result is a frills-free examination of old age and life-long servitude. I just wished the film took me somewhere I’ve never been to before, because the film, restrained as it is, never really takes off.”

2.5         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“The film reveals a history of sacrifice without looking much into the relationships that informed these choices. It still manages to lay out quite a powerful tragedy, but it sometimes feels like it’s using shorthand to bring those emotions to fore.” (Read full review)

Verdict: Value for Money

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 3.88 (8 ratings)

Genre: Drama, Documentary

Writers/Directors: Sari Dalena and Kiri Dalena

Cast: Karl Medina, Angeli Bayani, Chanel Latorre, Anthony Falcon, Bong Cabrera, Marcus Madrigal, Willie Nepomuceno, Joma Sison, Julie de Lima, Jes Evardone

Synopsis: The tale of an activist’s journey during the turbulent years of Martial Law, until his capture in the mountains and the dark, nine years of imprisonment that followed, leading to his birth as a poet.

MTRCB Rating: PG-13

Running Time: –

Trailer:

Reviews:

5.0         Pablo Tariman (Yahoo Philippines)

“With so many controversial characters in the film, the Dalenas, however, managed to produce a cohesive film with distinct comfortable boundaries between reportage and propaganda. The cinematography, for one, was magical and the music of Deodato Arellano complemented it while capturing the tension pervading among the protagonists of the film.” (Read full review)

5.0         Jake Soriano (Banana Chews)

“Great poetry, according to the great poet Auden (writing about the great poet Brodsky), says something both unique and universal, something original but as soon as said is recognized valid by the readers. The Guerilla is a Poet in its poetic vision does that; it is great poetry.” (Read full review)

4.5         Rianne Hill Soriano (Business World)

“What makes this film work in different levels is its strong and well-written settings and characterizations, as well as its careful and skillful infusion of poetry and songs. The elements of humor and drama provide the right dynamics and humanity to the tale.” (Read full review)

4.5         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“The docudrama is somewhat of an underutilized form. The Dalenas use it to great effect, bending artfulness with hard research in ways that are infinitely compelling.” (Read full review)

4.0         Mari-An Santos (PEP)

“The film presents Joma not merely as a looming figurehead of the threat of communism but as a romantic, a poet, even a singer, and a man with a sense of humor.” (Read full review)

3.5         Renelson Morelos (Re[e]l Thoughts)

“ The docu-drama approach may initially feel awkward and stagey, but as it went on, one may realize that it actually allowed the filmmakers to put the heyday of a revolutionary movement’s founding from the perspective of a guerrilla already in his twilight years. This somewhat lends a sense of poignancy and nostalgia to the historical situations (big or small) transpiring onscreen.” (Read full review)

3.0         Fred Hawson (Fred Said)

“Karl has a very realistic portrayal of an activist, but it was hard to see him as Joma Sison, especially since we see the real Joma also in the same film.” (Read full review)

1.5         Noli Manaig (Closely Watched Frames)

“Interminable at a full 2 ½ hours, a time that should have been more than enough to answer all the rumors swirling around the man, what we get is digression and detour. Amorphous, there is no rhyme or reason, no dramatic arc to be gleaned, just anecdotes stitched together in an incoherent skein, with an occasional, intermittent line from Sison that makes us wonder about the veracity or fictiveness of what is being portrayed.” (Read full review)

Verdict: Value for Money

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 3.38 (4 ratings)

Genre: Comedy

Writer/Director: Onat Diaz

Cast: Ai-Ai delas Alas, Marian Rivera, Roderick Paulate, Gloria Diaz, Edward Mendez

Synopsis: Charlotte (Ai Ai de las Alas) is from a family of beauty queens, but she has yet to win a title of her own. Her final chance is the Hiyas ng Dalampasigan Pageant, and her mother has taken steps to make sure that she wins. But her chances are dashed when the mysterious Samantha (Marian Rivera) suddenly joins the contest. The two become bitter enemies following the contest, but they are soon forced by destiny to team up. It turns out the two have a hidden connection to a mystical past, and must work together to discover the truth about their heritage. (Click the City)

MTRCB Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 115 mins.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

4.0         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“Kung Fu Divas is a tricky little film. Behind the broad humor, the kung fu antics and the heavy use of VFX lies this fairly subversive take on the pressures put on women to be a certain kind of beautiful.” (Read full review)

4.0         Zig Marasigan (Kristn)

“Kung Fu Divas embraces its own ridiculous premise with a unique visual style that is both funny and incredibly satisfying.” (Read full review)

4.0         Forg (Pinoy Exchange)

“Kung Fu Divas is far from perfect but the level of commitment displayed on screen and the surprising heartfelt take on defining a person’s identity puts it a notch higher than your typical local mainstream movie.” (Read full review)

1.5         Skilty Labastilla (Young Critics Circle)

“Kung Fu Divas is deliberate in its campiness, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But the only acceptable goal of any self-aware camp is to subvert the status quo. Sadly, Kung Fu Divas‘ only goal is to generate cheap laughter. Although it has a subtle message that external beauty is secondary to a pure character (e.g., Edward Mendez falling in love with a pre-’Belofied’ Marian Rivera), it easily drowns that message by ironically giving importance to fancy accoutrements (the kitschy costumes), queenhood (both beauty queens and royalties), and male physical beauty (with Mendez practically half-naked the whole film and the women literally dropping their knickers for him).”

Verdict: Proceed with Caution

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 2.50 (6 ratings)

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Director: Mae Czarina Cruz

Writers: Charlene Sawit- Esguerra, Anton C. Santamaria, Roumella Nina Monge, Vanessa Valdez

Cast: Bea Alonzo, Dingdong Dantes, Enrique Gil, Liza Soberano, Maricar Reyes

Synopsis: Cat and Wacky (Bea Alonzo and Dingdong Dantes) are best friends. Despite their obvious chemistry and one drunken kiss, the two have never really gotten together. Enter David (Enrique Gil), who encounters Cat while she’s changing a tire in the middle of a typhoon. He shoots a video of her and posts it on the Internet, declaring his love for his mystery “girl in the rain” and asking netizens to help her find his drenched crush. The video goes viral, and Wacky, who works at a morning show, decides to capitalize on the popularity of the story to raise his profile on the show. Inexplicably, he doesn’t immediately recognize Cat in the video, but when he does, he pushes her to meet David on air. But when Cat and David start hitting it off, Wacky becomes jealous, and realizes just how much he wants to be more than friends. (Click the City)

MTRCB Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 110 mins.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

3.5         Rito Asilo (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

“While its I’m-secretly-in-love-with-my-best-friend premise may have been done many times in the past (remember the Sharon-Aga rom-com, Kung Ako Na Lang Sana), the Bea Alonzo-Dingdong Dantes starrer breezily hits its narrative stride with clockwork precision—and with finely tuned characterizations, to boot.” (Read full review)

3.0         Zig Marasigan (Kristn)

“She’s the One brings out a surprisingly satisfying tandem between Dingdong Dantes and Bea Alonzo. Despite its predictable premise, the film showcases an entertaining glimpse into the problems of falling in love with your friends.” (Read full review)

3.0         Ria Limjap (Spot.ph)

“What could have been a really sweet love story about two friends was unfortunately smothered with a ton of unnecessary and gimmicky tricks, turning it into a great big fluffy cheese ball—the ensaymada of rom coms, if I may say, smothered in marshmallow crème frosting.” (Read full review)

2.0         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“She’s the One, despite employing elements that position it as a movie of the Internet age, is as tired as narratives get. ” (Read full review)

2.0         Oggs Cruz (Rappler)

“The film does not have any ambitions of reinventing the wheel. In fact, it is stubbornly precise in following its formula. This stubbornness, relieved only by a few attempts at placing the tired love story into a present day dominated by social media, can only lead to a film with very meager charms, reliant mostly on whatever charisma its leads can muster out of playing boilerplate characters.” (Read full review)

1.5         Skilty Labastilla (Young Critics Circle)

“If this were made in the 1990s, it could have passed as a nice-enough movie. But in the wake of Star Cinema’s own iconic romcoms in the 2000s, many of which star Bea Alonzo herself, this just seems tired. And there’s nothing less nakakakilig than a paint-by-numbers romcom.”

Verdict: Proceed with Caution

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 2.75 (4 ratings)

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Writer/Director: Wenn Deramas

Cast: Joey Paras, Tirso Cruz III, Tom Rodriguez, Lassy Marquez, Nikki Valdez, Atak Arana, Carla Humphries

Synopsis: Beki (Joey Paras) is in love with Fortunato (Tom Rodriguez). Unfortunately, Fortunato is in love with someone else, leaving Beki heartbroken when he suddenly leaves to be with Natalie (Carla Humphries), the girl that he got pregnant. But Fortunato shows up at Beki’s doorstep months later with a child in his arms. It turns out that Natalie left him to go to Japan, and he has to go abroad as well. He asks that Beki take care of his child. And despite everything that’s happened between them, Beki accepts. The real trouble starts seven years later, when Beki runs into Fortunato again. He’s reunited with Natalie, and when they see their child, they fight to get him back from Beki.  (Click the City)

MTRCB Rating: PG

Running Time: 110 mins.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

3.0         Rito Asilo (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

“Bekikang is rough around the edges, but it proudly wears its heart on its sleeve, so it’s almost impossible not to feel for its beleaguered characters when the bigoted world conspires against them and bullies them.” (Read full review)

3.0         Zig Marasigan (Rappler)

“Despite Bekikang’s attempt at larger themes like family and fatherhood, the film makes no aspiration to do anything drastically different. Its intentional brand of cartoonish comedy makes Bekikang as entertaining as it is escapist.” (Read full review)

3.0         Rob San Miguel (Brun Philippines)

“For the first time, perhaps, Deramas did not betray his main character. While the rest of the characters looked one dimensional and caricature-like, which is necessary in slapstick comedies, Deramas’ Beki not only owns the movie but he is victorious ideologically and morally.” (Read full review)

2.0         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“The film does end up making a statement advocating for the legitimacy of non-traditional families. But this statement is obscured by the broadness of everything else in the picture.” (Read full review)

Verdict: Do Something Else

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 1.50 (3 ratings)

Genre: Horror, Drama

Writer: Henry Burgos

Director: Brillante Mendoza

Cast: Dennis Trillo, Baron Geisler, Meryll Soriano

Synopsis: The movie concerns fledgling TV reporter Dennis (Dennis Trillo) and his producer Meryll (Meryll Soriano). The pair is working on a story about demonic possession, and they set about looking into reported cases of the phenomenon, hoping to get some footage of an actual possession. Unfortunately, the rival network scoops them on the most promising of the cases, leaving the pair with nothing to show for all their work. But Meryll happens to know the cameraman who worked on the story for the rival network. She makes a backdoor deal with the cameraman and gets the story on air. Unfortunately for everyone involved, some of that footage was never meant to get on air. (Click the City)

MTRCB Rating: R-13

Running Time: 100 mins.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

2.5         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“The film has the ability to put together a disturbing visual, it’s unable to build any sort of lasting effect. The horror comes off as an afterthought, all of it playing second fiddle to an overly obvious message.” (Read full review)

1.0         Stephanie Mayo (InterAksyon)

“Sapi only qualifies as a horror movie because it should scare both indie and mainstream moviegoers. There is not a single scary moment. Instead, Sapi is one astonishingly confused, sloppy, senseless and boring movie.” (Read full review)

1.0         Fred Hawson (Fred Said)

“Sapi did not really succeed as a horror film. The social commentary parts about the media war, or even about the garbage and the flooding, were shallow at best.” (Read full review)

Verdict: Value for Money

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 3.50 (2 ratings)

Genre: Comedy

Writer/Director: Chris Martinez

Cast: Eugene Domingo, Jake Cuenca, Paulo Avelino, Solenn Heussaff, Maja Salvador

Synopsis: Chef Manny (Jake Cuenca) is an avowed playboy. His flatmate Jerry (Paolo Avelino) on the other hand, is still waiting for the right woman to fall in love with. After Manny’s antics land him in trouble yet again, the two get into an argument about their respective lifestyles. Manny jokingly suggests that they should swap their approaches. As it happens, the two end up doing that anyway, as Manny falls for the mercurial Rina (Maja Salvador) and Jerry finds himself courting the carnal affections of two of his clients (Solenn Heussaff and Eugene Domingo). (Click the City)

MTRCB Rating: R-16

Running Time: 110 mins.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

3.5         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“Salawahan is a perhaps the wittiest film to ever come from our shores, with blindingly funny rapid fire dialogue exploring modern relationships. Status: It’s Complicated tries to recreate that magic, mostly by quoting the original film line for line. The translation can be clunky at times, but that dialogue really does hold up.” (Read full review)

3.5         Zig Marasigan (Rappler)

“The lifeblood of this film is bright colored spectacle. Audiences hoping for a more nuanced treatment of Bernal’s comedy will need to look elsewhere. But in defense of Martinez, this isn’t 1979.” (Read full review)

Verdict: Value for Money

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 3.86 (7 ratings)

Genre: Comedy

Director: Miko Livelo

Writers: Miko Livelo, Joel Ferrer

Cast: Joem Bascon, Jun Sabayton, Dimples Romana, Jhiz Doecareza

Synopsis: George Bustamante, an engineer working in Japan, loses his job. Instead of telling his son Kiko and loving wife Juniper of his misfortune, he decides to take a friend’s offer of playing a stunt double for a sentai show. Now donning a blue mask and spandex suit, George becomes both onscreen and offscreen hero to his family in the Philippines.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

4.5         Zig Marasigan (Rappler)

“Melodrama is traded for punchlines, and the world of ‘Force Five’ is brought to life in a flurry of make-believe sets and intentionally tacky special effects. But at its heart, Blue Bustamante is grounded by an endearing sentimentality that resonates among those who have grown up to the very same memories that Livelo brings to life.” (Read full review)

4.5         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“It’s powerful stuff, and that the film is able to tell this story through the often funny use of elements of Tokusatsu shows is just icing on the cake. Blue Bustamante, despite its production hiccups, turns out to be a really beautiful film.” (Read capsule review)

4.5         Emil Nor Urao (E-Reviews)

“Blue Bustamante is an ultimate crowd-pleaser for its ultimate fusion of comedy, drama and ultimate nostalgia. I wish that it will have an international release because it’s sincerely made for OFWs, their families and those proud 90’s kids, like me.” (Read full review)

4.0         Oggs Cruz (Twitch)

“Like the kids whose crayon-colored cardboard masks are their greatest tributes to their favorite after-school pastime, Livelo crafts the film to be his grandest compliment to nostalgia.” (Read full review)

4.0         Carljoe Javier (Spot.ph)

“A smart period piece that firmly situates itself in the sentai subculture, the film addresses fan love, as well as problems of the diaspora. It manages to talk about the Filipino family and the struggles of the OFW while also prioritizing its sense of fun and playfulness.” (Read full review)

3.5         Manuel Pangaruy (Tagailog Special Presents)

“Kahit na generic ang base premise, on the side ay may ilan naman itong gustong sabihin tungkol sa imported na pop culture, relasyon ng bata sa kanyang absent na magulang at ang panonood ng TV bilang escapism.” (Read capsule review)

2.0         Lyndon Maburaot (Table Stretcher)

“These visual imperfections of practical superhero costumes, robots and props that have Livelo copy and reenact a show from the sentai series of the nineties are actually the film’s sole charm, the roughness giving off an odd appeal that is endearing enough. Unfortunately, it is all there is to the film, with the rest of it, the bigger, larger part that is, basking in anemic creativity.” (Read capsule review)

Verdict: Value for Money

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 3.50 (5 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Writer/Director: Siege Ledesma

Cast: Yeng Constantino, Felix Roco, Alex Medina, Matt Valena

Synopsis: Estela, a free-spirited call center slacker, is mentored by Trevor, a pragmatic senior agent. Their frequent interaction develops into an unconventional relationship that will challenge their deepest convictions.

*

*

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Trailer: 

Reviews:

4.5         Mario Bautista (Showbiz Portal)

“Ledesma has come up with a very well crafted film that is so contemporary and hip in its flavour. Even the exchanges of dialogue between the various characters are so amusing. The splendid production design, the superb cinematography and the very contempoary music all contribute beautifully to a finely orchestrated whole.” (Read full review)

3.5         Zig Marasigan (Rappler)

“It would be easy to dismiss Ledesma’s attempts at a counter-culture love story to be youthfully naïve, but to say that these issues aren’t wholly relevant to generations before and beyond us would seem deaf to a much larger picture of our nation’s youth.” (Read full review)

3.5         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“The film ends up suffering a bit from a lack of stakes, but its almost subversive use of mainstream aesthetics to expose the emptiness of the main character’s life is pretty intriguing in the long run.” (Read capsule review)

3.0         Fred Hawson (ABS-CBN News)

“The story is so simple that it could have been an episode of a TV drama anthology. Fortunately, director Siege Ledesma injects enough personality to lift it up to deserve to be a feature film.” (Read full review)

3.0         Manuel Pangaruy (Tagailog Special Presents)

“Kung meron man akong sobrang nagustuhan dito (kasama ng OST) eh ‘yung parang study s’ya sa isang (work) environment na people come and go, at kung paano ito makakaapekto sa pagbuo/pagkawala ng isang relationship.” (Read capsule review)

Verdict: Essential Viewing

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 4.21 (7 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Writer/Director: Arnel Mardoquio

Cast: Fe Hyde, Jillian Khayle Barbarona, Jeff Sabayle, Christian Austero, Madz Garcia, Perry Dizon

Synopsis: The past and the present merge to weave a mystery on a future that is uncertain. Riddles of My Homecoming is a silent film on a labyrinth of tragedies that probes the anatomy of violence in Mindanao.

*

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Trailer: 

Reviews:

5.0         Laurence Castillo (Bildungsroman)

“This is one cinema’s cry of epiphany upon discovering how the land that holds the answer to the riddles of our history and our existence guides the trajectory of human life like a weeping specter, like the past of castrated Babaylans haunting the present of bulldozed journalists in Maguindanao and of a people dreaming escape from the land to seek fortune overseas, and prowling the future of the continued marches of combat shoes, of wealthy philanderers raping the land, and of the swelling chants of the people’s struggle.” (Read full review)

5.0         Renelson Morelos (Reel Thoughts)

“Riddles of My Homecoming is one complex fine art that its merits may lie more in the meaningful questions that it thoughtfully poses than it endeavours to answer. And we, the viewers, are simply riveted.” (Read full review)

4.5         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“The film provides no easy answers, no solid narrative to hang on to. It doesn’t offer context to understand the symbols or allusions. What it does offer is a visual richness that conveys a wealth of ideas and emotions.” (Read full review)

4.0         Oggs Cruz (Rappler)

“Riddles of my Homecoming is more than a film. It is a poem. It is performance art. Some scenes even ache with the same profundity of a painting. Its elegant rhythms belie its beautiful confusion.” (Read full review)

4.0         Richard Bolisay (Lilok Pelikula)

“Riddles is hazy, elusive, and unreachable, dabbling in sensations and obscurities, but its surface doesn’t pull any surprises, its tone never betraying its modesty.” (Read full review)

4.0         Manuel Pangaruy (Tagailog Special Presents)

“Dito, ang pelikula ay ang buong tula mismo. May ilan itong teksto ng mga nagpapapalit-palit (B&W at color) na reality at ang netherworld pero hindi ito binigkas nang literal. Bilang manonood, bahala ka nang lumusong sa ilog upang ramdamin ang pagkabanayad ng tubig at hayaang ang ilog ang yumakap sa ‘yong mga paa.” (Read capsule review)

3.0         Lyndon Maburaot (Table Stretcher)

“My biggest beef with Riddles is its absence of ownership. It doesn’t have Mardoquio’s sensibilities of his past outputs like Shieka, Hospital Boat and Crossfire, which are generally more heartfelt and better works. Riddles is Mardoquio’s show (letting us see what he is capable of, regardless of how half-baked the result is) and his way of groping for new things. In branching out, he is losing his idiosyncrasy.” (Read full review)

Verdict: Value for Money

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 3.12 (4 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Writer/Director: Ian Loreños

Cast: Rayver Cruz, Matteo Guidicelli, Joseph Marco, David Chua, Miko Raval

Synopsis: Mark, Jeff and John seem to be stuck in their failed lives. Mark is working for his family’s hardware store in Chinatown, Manila. John is a call-center agent in Makati. Jeff is a womanizing bum. Aimless and bored with their everyday lives, the three often spend their weekend nights hanging out in brothels and bars. One night, the friends bump into Brian, a former class loser who is now a big-time businessman. They find out about the secret of Brian’s success: odds betting.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

3.5         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“There are huge jumps in this narrative that are never really explained to any satisfying degree. But the film gains much from its frankness about what young male friendships can be like, particularly among the middle-class Chinese.” (Read full review)

3.5         Renelson Morelos (Reel Thoughts)

“In (Loreños’) 2nd film, he was likewise able to make… a trio of young actors shine in clearly offbeat roles, the kind that is so vividly shithead that it just rings true. And these 3 devil-may-care youths he situates in a neo-noir microcosmos of nocturnal pleasures, shady transactions and risky games of chance.” (Read full review)

3.0         Mario Bautista (Showbiz Portal)

“This might serve as a cautionary story for similar impulsive young people who act without thinking of the possible consequences of their reckless acts, but other than that, it offers little else.” (Read full review)

2.5         Manuel Pangaruy (Tagailog Special Presents)

“Bihirang bihira ang ganitong ritmo at sensibility sa local film scene. Nakapag-introduce din ito ng mundo ng mga bookie kahit na hindi extensive ang pagtalakay. Medyo one note (lang) sa akin ang pagkakadilig sa mga karakter. May punla pero hindi ito ganap na napayabong lalo na’t partly ay character study ang pelikula.” (Read full review)

Verdict: Proceed with Caution

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 2.93 (7 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Director: Adolfo Alix, Jr.

Writer: Lav Diaz

Cast: Angelica Panganiban, Cesar Montano, Phillip Salvador, Anita Linda, Allan Paule, Evelyn Vargas

Synopsis: Helen lives with her grandmother in an idyllic island down South. At 17, she is about to graduate from high school and start a new life. Things take a drastic turn when journalist Perry Nanali’s article on the truth about “China Doll”is exposed. Now, she is haunted by her past that she tried to forget.

Trailer: 

Reviews:

3.5         Present Confusion

“The pieces are incomplete and by the end, you are left wanting more. But whether intentionally ironic or not, knowing the truth is part of one of the issues the movie brings up – how important is unearthing the truth?” (Read full review)

3.5         Emil Nor Urao (E-Reviews)

“Alamat ni China Doll was engaging for its style and the top-notch performances from Angelica Panganiban and Cesar Montano. But in the end, the film was a little hazy. There was a part of me asking for its relevance because it gave an interesting concept on the levels of truth but it never came up with a resolution.” (Read full review)

3.0         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“There’s a lot of story to tell, and Alamat ni China Doll doesn’t seem to get to all of it. It speeds through the events of the story, rarely having the space to let any of it settle.” (Read full review)

3.0         Renelson Morelos (Reel Thoughts)

“On paper, there seems to be nothing “interesting” about the film’s plot. It’s something that doesn’t easily grab one’s attention. However, the film is presented in a non-chronological order that it becomes a challenge for the viewers to put the “scattered” pieces together like a puzzle to be solved.” (Read full review)

3.0         Macky Macarayan (Death of Traditional Cinema)

“Alix has made better films in his extensive filmography, but his attempt at a genre film is very well-appreciated. Alamat ni China Doll confronts us of the moral dilemma of truth in journalism, because at what justification, really must the need to know outweigh the life of a human being?” (Read full review)

3.0         Manuel Pangaruy (Tagailog Special Presents)

“Maliban sa suhestiyon nito na mawalan ng tiwala sa mga may kapangyarihan, gusto ko rin na hindi ito masyadong nagpapaliwanag. Mataas ang sensibility n’ung materyal. At hindi ako magugulat na sa dulo ay maraming magtatanong kung ano talaga ang nangyari.” (Read full review)

1.5         Mario Bautista (Showbiz Portal)

“It poses so many questions but fails to come up with satisfying answers or explanations. In the end, you get the feeling that it’s not complete, that so many scenes intended to tie up the so many loose ends in the plot were not shot at all. And we viewers are being asked to connect the dots.” (Read full review)

Verdict: Essential Viewing

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 4.12 (4 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Director: Alfonso Torre III

Writer: Alfonso Torre II, Vicente Groyon

Cast: Joel Torre, Art Acuña, Bing Pimentel, Bernard Palanca, Ketchup Eusebio, Meryll Soriano

Synopsis: While out fishing one day, Andres (Joel Torre) stumbles on to a couple of large boxes filled with meth just floating in the ocean. He hides them at first, but when he learns that they could be worth millions, he and wife (Bing Pimentel) decide to try and sell it. He recruits his old friend Jose (Art Acuña) to help distribute the meth. And the money starts rolling in. But Andres soon finds that his new success is no guarantee that he can keep his family together. And the drug business comes with plenty of risk and complications, pushing the fisherman to his moral extremes. (Click the City)

Trailer: 

Reviews:

4.5         Renelson Morelos (Reel Thoughts)

“The film works both as a gripping crime thriller and a bleak cautionary tale, in which the director, supported by an excellent cast, displays a sure-hand command of the material. So much so that it nearly becomes Shakespearean in its morality play.” (Read full review)

4.0         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“The film turns traditional family dynamics into a true source of terror, revealing the mania behind proper society’s image of a perfect family unit. At some point, it’s no longer about togetherness. It’s only about control.” (Read full review)

4.0         Mari-An Santos (PEP)

“Though the film starts out slow, it suddenly picks up speed in the middle and by the end, screeches to a halt—with the echoes of the last scene still ringing in our ears.” (Read full review)

4.0         Manuel Pangaruy (Tagailog Special Presents)

“Hindi ko nakitaan ang direktor na unang beses pa lang n’yang magdidirek ng feature length. Kitang kita ang kanyang vision para sa buong pelikula at na-execute n’ya ito na para bang hindi s’ya nangangapa (cinematography, scipt, editing, akting, atbp).” (Read capsule review)

Verdict: Essential Viewing

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 4.00 (12 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Writer/Director: Mes de Guzman

Cast: Nora Aunor, Josefina Estabillo, Arnold Reyes, Mara Lopez, Sue Prado, Ama Quiambao

Synopsis: Mabuti accidentally finds a stash of money that could bring an end to her family’s financial problems: is the solution that simple or is it loaded with complications?

MTRCB rating: PG-13

Running time: 100 mins.

*

Trailer: 

Reviews:

5.0         Tito Valiente (Business Mirror)

“I cannot think of any actor who can perform for us an exercise about how life is sumptuous and gripping in its familiarity. And, I cannot imagine any other actor who has reached such maturity than Nora Aunor as Mabuti.” (Read full review)

5.0         J. Pilapil Jacobo (Young Critics Circle)

“Ang Kwento ni Mabuti reveals to us that there are still stars, and the stars are still, in Nora’s eyes. Superstars, they remain. And we must gaze, gaze, gaze.” (Read full review)

4.5         Lyndon Maburaot (Table Stretcher)

“In here, (Aunor) unlearned all those layers she acquired through the years, peeled off all shields, all protectors, until she is stripped to her barest. And what is left of her, the residue we got here in this film, is, sustained by a fully-realized character, a graceful performance, may be for the books, and unlike any other we’ve seen from her to date.” (Read full review)

4.5         Mari-An Santos (PEP)

“The revelations in Ang Kwento ni Mabuti are so low-key that if you blink, you might miss them. The characters are well-rounded, despite not delving on each one’s history, we understand their motivations and their actions. We empathize with their plight because they are common people.” (Read full review)

4.0         Noli Manaig (Closely Watched Frames)

“Nora lends tremendous cachet to it by her stellar thespian presence, reaffirmed here with understated perfomance in the Ilocano idiom. But what must be equally recognized is how Mes de Guzman’s authorial achievement lays equal claim to this movie.” (Read full review)

4.0         Eric Cabahug (InterAksyon)

“(De Guzman’s ) adherence to spare, naturalistic, life-like presentation (he wrote the screenplay as well) gives the film a certain chilliness that provides a very interesting contrast, and friction, to the story’s sun-kissed setting — the highlands of Nueva Vizcaya.” (Read full review)

4.0         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“It is still a very small story that thrives on details of provincial life, punctuated at times by a really unique sense of humor. Aunor fits the milieu pretty well. Though one might never forget who she is, her understated delivery sustains a strong level of immersion.” (Read full review)

3.5         Randy Renier Espinoza (Iconoclast)

“Nora Aunor is the film’s saving grace. She reaffirms why she is the ultimate interpreter of roles that represent ethnic and minority groups. Relaxed and self-assured, she abandons the emphatic delivery of lines that has long been identified with her and speaks with fluidity in her passable Ilocano accent.” (Read full review)

3.5         Rito Asilo (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

“It’s refreshing to see the actress juggling her character’s pathos with the unforced humor she generates in the production’s light moments. What’s even more astounding is the fact that Aunor doesn’t require long and flashy lines to relay Mabuti’s carefully calibrated tale well—she can tell it just by using her expressive face and those fabled orbs to shuttle between contrasting emotions.” (Read full review)

3.5         Katrina Stuart Santiago (GMA News)

“Without (Aunor), it’s entirely possible that Ang Kwento ni Mabuti wouldn’t survive its own simplicity because not much happens in this story. But Aunor takes Mabuti’s character and makes everything happen for her.” (Read full review)

3.5         Fred Hawson (Fred Said)

“De Guzman has succeeded to create a charming fairy tale with modern-day characters and situations. There is a whimsical element about the interplay of harsh realities of live with fate and destiny that will make the audience smile.” (Read full review)

3.0         Renelson Morelos (Reel Thoughts)

“The ethical dilemma was essayed in such a low-key manner that it might have been more fitting if the viewers were able to somehow have a clear grasp of what Mabuti ‘did’ to the large amount of money suddenly “entrusted” to her. Sure, all the emotions that register through Mabuti’s eyes and her oblique references subtly point to what may have transpired in the end. But giving a clear picture of the consequence of the ‘act’ wouldn’t be a bad artistic choice either.” (Read full review)

Verdict: Essential Viewing

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 4.67 (6 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Writer/Director: Sigrid Andrea Bernardo

Cast: Teri Malvar, Angel Aquino, Jay Bordon, Marcus Madrigal, Lui Manansala, Solomon de Guzman, Lenlen Frial

Synopsis: A 12-year old Anita falls in love with the new woman in town; years later, a girlhood crush blossoms during the Fiesta of Santa Clara in Obando, Bulacan.

*

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Trailer: 

Reviews:

5.0         Macky Macarayan (Death of Traditional Cinema)

“Equally rendering elements of humor and drama, the film achieves the end of making us feel what Anita goes through, and it further helps that young actress Teri Malvar portrays Anita with the fragile quality of a young girl but with the intelligence of a grown up woman that you feel compelled to root for her happiness.” (Read full review)

5.0         Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“The film has the temerity to trudge through some really uncomfortable material, laying out hard truths through a breathless story about women and the things that happen to women.” (Read full review)

5.0         Marra PL. Lanot (Philippine Star)

“The superb cinematography of Alma dela Peña does not divert attention away from the narrative. The director handles all aspects with control, including acting. The actors are natural and never camera-conscious. The message is shown, not dogmatically wrapped in sermon or sloganeering.” (Read full review)

4.5         Randy Renier Espinoza (Iconoclast)

“The enlightenment, though, seems premature, and the girl’s rather too-early disposition towards romantic aspirations may come across as contrived just to lend to the story a certain measure of sensationalism. The film triumphs, still, by espousing rebellion as a tool for emancipation.” (Read full review)

4.5         Renelson Morelos (Reel Thoughts)

“One cannot fault the director’s earnestness, tenderness and rawness in illustrating a young lesbian love, vivified in all its pristine and innocent qualities by newcomer Teri Malvar in the title role. At her age, she was actually brave enough to take on the tricky role. ” (Read full review)

4.0         Libay Cantor (Leaflens Takilya)

“(The) treatment of queerness is what’s formidable in this material. I like the way that the film treats being a lesbian here, that’s it’s a non-issue — which is how it should be treated in real life anyway.” (Read full review)