I just discovered this short film by Blake Mawson a week ago while binge-watching short films on Youtube and I thought it’d be a great post to start 2018 since it’s very relevant to the horror that is happening in Russia with their anti-LGBT laws – not only in Russia, I supposed but still many parts of the world despite all of the breakthrough we’ve had in 2017 when it comes to bringing out equality.
Set one evening in present-day Moscow, 16 year-old Pyotr is baited by an ultra-nationalist group known for their violent abductions and attacks bolstered by Russia’s LGBT propaganda law, but Pyotr has a dangerous secret.
I do loved the symbolism used by Mawson to capture the mentality of this type of hate groups that baits gay people. While watching this 15-minute film, I got to thinking that there are indeed monsters in this world. It’s scary to think that at this time and age – there are still people / monsters like these.
I also loved the vibe of the whole film, that it reminded me so much of A Serbian Film with the character acting like a background in it, though probably less shocking. What a really clever and relevant film! I do hope that anyone who’s reading this will give this film their 15 minutes.
Directed by Blake Mawson
Cast: Alex Ozerov, Alanna Bale, Juliana Semenova, Max Rositsan
Baby Driver reminds me so much of 21 and that’s probably because of the “Spacey” connection and the whole thing about professional felons with an innocent guy in the mix.
I do like the overall feel of the film – its funky music and alert pacing mirroring Baby’s best asset. What I didn’t quite like is its story in general. It was unrealistic with flimsy dialogues especially coming from Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx.
On the plus side, I thought Ansel was amazing considering the awful script. The rest are cliche at best. I don’t mind recommending this at all. It’s got lovely music and Ansel’s face.
Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Eiza Gonzalez, John Hamm, Jamie Foxx, John Bernthal Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Director: Bill Condon Cast: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nathan Mack, Adrian Schiller, Hattie Morahan, Gerard Horan, Zoe Rainey, Henry Garrett, Harriet Jones
Beauty and the Beast in 3D is as magnificent as its grandiose cast that includes Sir Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor, Luke Evans and its main stars Dan Stevens and Emma Watson among others.
I don’t think there’s even a doubt about Emma Watson’s star-power after the weekend success of the live-action remake of one of the most beloved Disney animations Beauty and the Beast where she played the iconic role of Belle – the provincial lass who felt too confined in her small-minded-small town who fell in love with a cursed prince.
The film just raked in $350M worlwide since its March 16 release despite controversies involving LeFou’s “gay” character (which is totally a non-issue to begin with so to you bigoted piece of shits – Disney doesn’t need your money – kbye!)
I’ve read a tweet last week that says, a new generation is going to forget Emma playing Hermionie because of Beauty and the Beast.
If I’m being quite honest,I think it’s going to be the exact opposite. Emma has been immortalized by the Harry Potter franchise as the dorky, know-it-all Hermionie and with Watson playing Belle and meeting every expecations, it solidifies her star-power that trandscends generation. So she’s gonna be remembered for sure playing the two equally iconic roles.
Kids and kids-alike will get a kick out of its fun, funny and endearing characters and songs that will remind them so much of their childhood. I was actually on the verge of tears when Mrs. Potts started singing the theme of the movie during Belle and the Beast’ romantic dance.
The lovely and well-detailed faithfulness of this adaptation from its original animation is what made the film even more special. The magic stayed with Condon’s fresh new take and fresh new songs from Alan Menken and TIm Rice that includes “How Does A Moment Last Forever,” heard at the beginning of the movie being sung/hum by Maurice (Kevin Kline), Belle’s father and during the end-credits belted by none other than, Celine Dion.
From the moment Watson appeared on screen, I just knew that it’s gonna be as epic as its trailer. Beauty and the Beast did not disappoint one bit. It was pleasing to the eye, lovely to the ears and just a full-on heartwarming movie that will make you believe in the power of true love – Disney style!
After watching Ice Idanan’s Sakaling Di Makarating last weekend, I was on the fence about it being a rip-off of “That Thing Called Tadhana” or perhaps just ‘a way better storytelling’ ala-Before Sunrise trilogy which ‘Tadhana” obviously tried to emulate. What I didn’t consider is the message within the film. Sakaling Di Makarating in comparison to the profanity-laden “Tadhana” has a much deeper message and obviously is more aesthetically pleasing.
What initially enticed me to watch the film is that it features the diverse beauty of the Philippines. Its beautiful landscapes being one of the focal points of the story should be a fantastic watch for a traveler like myself yeah? Then I found out that Alessandra de Rossi will star in it and I was absolutely sold! I knew I have to see this on the big screen.
A series of mysterious hand-illustrated postcards take a young woman on a journey throughout the Philippines in search of its anonymous writer.
The film didn’t disappoint with its aesthetic value. It felt like you’re traveling with Cielo (de Rossi) here – discovering the beauty of this tropical country whilst accompanying Cielo on her search for M.
Cielo’s journey is a way for her to alleviate her pain and find the answers to the many whys of her failed relationship. Cielo, for all her strength, is only human, though. She’s in the process of grieving and trying to decipher what her next move will be. Her journey to finding the postcard sender, M, is her journey to finding herself again. Some of us call it soul-searching, but more than anything else, I’d like to think that it’s finding a reason to live again. The places she’s been to, I’d like to think, have made her realize that there’s so much more to life.
The storyline, however, felt a bit disjointed for me. It’s like I’m watching a movie within a movie; rather, it felt like watching two films altogether. The connection between the first and latter parts of the film was startlingly obvious, but it felt forced. Good thing the kid who played Sol (Teri Malvar) is an absolute joy to watch! When the spotlight was focused on her, ‘girl, just kick some ass like no other.
I have to be honest, though. I actually enjoyed the latter part of the film more. The beginning, which I find a bit mechanical, was too reminiscent of ‘That Thing Called Tadhana.’ The dialogue was a bit off, and Paul’s character was unnecessary in my opinion. The short affair involving Manuel (JC Santos) was a rather welcome distraction from the bleak narrative of the first half of the film. The parallelism of their scenes in connection to M in the latter part was just too clever! I just loved how apt it was. I’m not sure if it’s just me who thought of it, but if you think about it, there’s a rather eerie similarity.
Overall, this film was able to deliver a solid ending. The story may or may not work for many, but I’d love for it to have a sequel! I want a storyline with more of Paul in it. Maybe I’m just not giving him a chance. The story could be everybody’s story about struggling not only with their love life but also with our daily struggles while looking for an escape. The film won’t fix your problems, but it will inspire you to go out there. Have the courage to search for what you’re looking for, and as corny as it may sound, you have to remember that you only live once.
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars
Directed by Ice Idanan
Cast: Alessandra de Rossi, Teri Malvar, JC Santos, Pepe Herrera
So how do I even start with this one without spoiling it too much for you guys? I’ve been meaning to write a review after watching it last weekend but I’m still at that point where I’m trying to digest every scene, every moment of Mia and Sebastian together and everything that makes it one of the best films from last year.
Okay, so let’s start with the stars of the film.
Emma Stone here is flawless. There’s nothing I’d change about her in this film. It’s like watching a beauty pageant contestant on stage performing flawlessly for her audience to win the crown. Emma plays a ‘struggling’ actress here who knows that she’s destined to play A-lister roles for the camera and her struggles to make it into the city of stars is so transparent in her luminous depiction which I’m pretty sure will resonate with everyone of us dreaming – maybe not of the same thing – to be that something or someone.
Ryan Gosling meanwhile plays a passionate Jazz musician whose dream is to own a Jazz club in order to keep the musical genre alive. It all sounds very simple but in context it is a rather heartbreaking realization that indeed, jazz is dying and we need the likes of Sebastian in the real world to save it! Ryan played his role so
convincingly – playing the piano and dancing with vigor – that you’d fall in love with him all over again the way you fell for Noah in the Notebook. Ryan Gosling here without question cemented his status as a true ARTIST.
As for the story, it reminded me a bit of Satine and Christian’s love affair in Moulin Rouge what with both of them chasing their dreams and having to sacrifice love in the process.
There’s nothing extraordinarily new in it but there’s that surprising element of the storyline’s effectiveness. The storytelling will affect you. It will make you contemplate about your abandoned dreams and will make you weep at some point. I know I did and I cannot really explain why it affected me so much. Isn’t that crazy?
Perhaps, I was thinking of all the things we really have to let go in life in order for us to achieve something? I was asking myself tho, how worth is it to sacrifice one precious thing in exchange of similarly precious something? How do you weigh things out? I warned you that this may contain spoilers but there’s a lot of things to think about in this film – things that will make you stop, wander, and look back. Well, aside from the fantastic song and dance numbers, this film is just up there which will make you think that sometimes in life, we just have to keep dreaming. It’s free anyway!
Director: Damien Chazelle Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt
Title: Gods of Egypt
Year: 2016
Director: Alex Proyas
Cast: Brenton Thwaits, Nikolak Coster-Waldau, Gerard Butler, Geoffrey Rush, Elodie Young, Courtney Eaton
Gods of Egypt may just be the worst film I’ve seen this year or from the last two years if I’m being honest. The whole thing was just horridly executed with a very weak storyline, unimpressive CGI’s and overall performances of actors who didn’t quite deliver the goods.
I am so much up for epic films. I loved me some mythical creatures – fiction or nonfiction and loved my history lessons but this didn’t quite get me to that place where I was left in awe-inspiring wonder of the world the film was trying to create.
Let me just say how awfully off the humor was. It’s just all awkward and wished that it was just all grit. Why does it have humor in the first place?
Speaking of grit – it was zero. Nada. Nil. I would appreciate a grittier execution ala-300 than the awful, puke-inducing cheesy lines from each character with the rather dull CGI’s.
Meanwhile, lead stars Gerard Butler (Set), Brenton Thwaits (Bek) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Horus) were like one actor with multiple roles (just ridic af) and that’s not good in my book. Not even Geoffrey Rush whom I loved dearly could save the film because he’s just all kinds of out of place here.
One thing that may have some merit here is the costume design and absolutely nothing else.
There may be some people who may enjoy this one but I honestly cannot fathom why they would…just saying.
Triple Standard is a short film about Crim, a homophobic ex-professional athlete who’s in denial of the reality of his situation as a gay man which he refuses to acknowlegde telling his partner of three years, D that he is in fact bisexual – even insisting that they are both bisexuals. (I mean, in the scope of things…)
The movie started with Crim, D, Stanley and their friends in the locker room after a friendly game of basketball. When Stanley messes with Crim (William Jennings) licking his armpit, Crim went berserk spewing a litany of homophobic remarks. At the shower room, Crim was still seething with some of their friends noticing D (Lee Amir-Cohen) being quiet through it all. When D went home after the incident, Crim was anxiously waiting in the living room. It turns out that they have actually been living together for years now. Crim’s denial towards his sexuality, even acknowledging his “standards” that they have talked about before left D hurting thus issuing an ultimatum to end their relationship if Crim will not stop and face reality.
I very much enjoyed watching this short film because it totally depicts the reality of most closeted men (most especially the ones in the spotlight) where they would rather deny themselves the freedom to acknowledge what they are than be condemned by the cruel and unforgiving society.
Coming from D’s point of view, it’s really hard to be with someone that basically denies what you have. It gets to a point where enough is enough. And from Crim – well, reality sucks big time. At the end of the day though, why should they let others run their lives? I guess that’s too easy to say from someone who isn’t not in their shoes.
The actors who played Crim and D are both likable. I can just feel the hurt pouring out of Amir-Cohen throughout those latter scenes. Jennings was equally impressive! They really do have great chemistry and I won’t mind seeing them together on screen again.
Do spare 20 minutes of your time to watch this short film for free, I promised that it won’t go to waste.
This was the re-edited version for Youtube Distribution.
Director: Branden Blinn
Starring: Lee Amir-Cohen, William Jennings, Ronnie Prouty, Stephen Alderfer, Jay Ellis, Dylan Mooney, Justen Naughton, Michael Williams, Jontae Vinson, Ramall Goodrich, Jacob Hibbits
Paper Towns is the only John Green book I haven’t read. I remember starting the first chapter last year but decided to put it down because I was emotionally exhausted after reading The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska consecutively. I figured I needed a John Green break. So when I decided to check out the film, I had nothing to compare it to and could watch it without any preconceived ideas or expectations.
The film follows Quentin, who helps his childhood friend Margo exact revenge on a friend who betrayed her. The day after their night of mischief, Margo doesn’t show up at school and seemingly disappears without a trace. With only a series of clues left behind, Q, along with his friends, embarks on a road trip to find Margo—the girl he has been in love with for years.
I was actually ecstatic when I found out that Nat Wolff would be headlining Paper Towns because I loved his character in the film adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars. He has incredible charisma on screen, and I thought he would be perfect for another young-adult book-to-film adaptation, especially this time in a leading role. Then there was the surprising addition of pseudo-supermodel Cara Delevingne. I’m not exactly a fan of Cara as an actress, although I do love her as a model.
I loved the direction director Jake Schreier (Robot & Frank) was trying to take this film in, but somewhere midway through, I lost the connection with both Cara and Nat—more so with Cara, I think. She’s definitely no Shailene Woodley, or even Kristen Stewart, and at times it felt like she was simply walking through the film as if she were on a runway. Sorry for the comparison, but her performance just felt bland, blank, dull—whatever synonym you want to use. It was disheartening because I didn’t get much from her character beyond her constant insistence on how she felt about everything. At one point, I was practically thinking, Girl, get over it!
Meanwhile, I was fawning all over Nat Wolff because this guy completely outshined everyone in the film, much in the same way Woodley did in The Fault in Our Stars. He brought so much more personality and emotional weight to his character that I found myself far more invested in Q than I ever was in Margo. So, for me, the film was very much a 50/50 experience, largely because of its two main characters.
Sure, Nat and Cara have good chemistry, but their acting abilities were clearly imbalanced. What I probably enjoyed most about the film, though, was its almost magical quality. There’s this subdued, dreamlike ambience hanging over the shots, and I particularly liked the way the characters slowly decipher the mystery surrounding “Paper Towns.” Schreier meticulously creates this sense of mystery and wonder, and there are moments when the film feels genuinely atmospheric.
Unfortunately, aside from that, a lot of it fell flat for me.
This is a teenage movie after all—angsty, idealistic, and, at least for me, a little too contrived. But I can definitely see why it would work for its intended demographic. Maybe I’m simply too far removed from that particular teenage headspace now, but Paper Towns left me appreciating what it was trying to say more than actually feeling what it wanted me to feel.
Director: Jake Schreier Cast: Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Halston Sage, Austin Abrams, Justice Smith, Jaz Sinclair, Caitlin Carver, Tom Hillmann, Jim Coleman, Ansel Elgort
Goin’ into the theater, I already expected that I’d love it no matter what since it’s starred by JM de Guzman whom I considered a superb performer and being partnered with the feisty Angelica Panganiban – my impression was solidly cemented for good.
A Thing Called Tadhana isn’t your usual pa-tweetums romantic pinoy flick. It’s sooooo far from it. Directed by Antoinette Jadaone, the whole thing was like a local adaptation of Before Sunrise – but definitely has its own charm. Mace (Panganiban) and Anthony (de Guzman) met at an airport in Rome. Both broken-hearted, they decided to take on a road trip in the northern part of the Philippines – a whirlwind trip that went deeper than their new found friendship as they delved into searching where do really broken hearts go?
I just totally loved how their relationship developed throughout their journey. The dialogues weren’t overly dramatic but very memorable. They’re not the usual “one-liners” that border on being contrived. It’s the lines that you’d actually remember the most after watching this film. I especially loved this one – “Hindi Na Kita Mahal, Makakaalis Ka Na! Yung eight years naming, tinapos niya in seven words!” – I thought it was genius through and through!”
I also loved the fact that it focuses more on dialogues than visuals although it feels like you’re also travelling with them as they went to Baguio, then Sagada (I totally got nostalgic on their way there because Sagada’s one of my favorite places on earth!!!!) – I’m happy that these places were highlighted in the story without out-staging the actors. The only thing I would consider to be an issue about it is the excessive use of profanity which I felt was lazy on the part of the screenwriter. Other than this, it is golden.
JM de Guzman and Angelica Panganiban just had this undeniable chemistry that made the film relatable more than its glaring mass appeal. It’s so refreshing to watch a Filipino film that does not resort to visual grandeur which often does not work in their favor. I loved the film’s simplicity, its funny antics and its touch of nostalgia that everyone could easily relate to. Jadaone created a pierce here that will probably propel her into the mainstream cinema film making. Congratulations!
Director: Antoniette Jadaone Cast: Angelica Panganiban, JM de Guzman
Ang Lalake sa Parola has big, big potential. Director Joselito Altarejos could’ve steered this film in a different direction and possibly created a masterpiece. “…Parola” chronicles the journey of Mateo (Harry Laurel), a lighthouse caretaker in a rural town, and Jerome (Justine De Leon), a gay man from the city who seduces the naïve Mateo into a homoerotic relationship.
The plot is deceptively simple yet emotionally complex. It’s a symbolic take on how homosexuality exists even in the most remote corners of society. The myth about fairies serves as significant parallelism to the film’s central theme. And that might be the issue—the film is so full of parallelisms that it fails to deliver a cohesive storyline, resulting in a rather confusing finale.
Probably the best thing about this film is the lead actor. Harry Laurel delivered an incredibly strong performance, especially considering this was his first feature film. His subtle approach to each scene felt natural and believable—you’ll find yourself rooting for him. His slight accent added depth to Mateo’s naïveté, and his occasionally awkward, almost deer-in-the-headlights expressions were oddly charming, fitting the character perfectly.
Justine De Leon, on the other hand, felt a bit forced. While his character was meant to come off as discreet upon arriving in the small town, that restraint quickly faded. He became clingy and overly needy, which didn’t quite align with what the role seemed to demand.
Overall, the film was okay. It may suffer from a weak structure and rely too heavily on symbolism in an attempt to appear intellectually deep, but those flaws are forgivable. The intent was there, and the film still manages to communicate the message it set out to deliver. So yes—despite its shortcomings, it’s still an okay film.
Director: Joselito Altarejos Starring: Harry Laurel, Justine De Leon, Jennifer Lee, Crispin Pineda, Allan Paule, Sheree, Richard Quan, Dexter Doria
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I just discovered this short film by Blake Mawson a week ago while binge-watching short films on Youtube and I thought it’d be a great post to start 2018 since it’s very relevant to the horror that is happening in Russia with their anti-LGBT laws – not only in Russia, I supposed but still many parts of the world despite all of the breakthrough we’ve had in 2017 when it comes to bringing out equality.
