And the Breadwinner Is… — Movie Review

When OFWs return, they are often excited, with huge smiles on their faces. No more lonely days. No more video calls. No more packing of balikbayan boxes. 

Finally. Home.

But when Bambi Salvador (Vice Ganda) first steps back into her hometown of Pampanga, her face reflects confusion and frustration. For years, she worked tirelessly, doing odd jobs, from being a masseuse to drag, just to earn money to renovate their family house. Yet, the house remains the same, only older.

Apparently, the money for the renovation went elsewhere.

Bambi is understandably furious. Her brother, Biboy (Jhong Hilario), admits he mishandled the money. Although Biboy’s wife, Mayet (Gladys Reyes), insists that it was spent on efforts to earn more, it’s the feeling of betrayal that hurts Bambi the most. Her other two siblings, Buneng (Maris Racal) and Boying (Kokoy de Santos), also lied to her about the supposed renovation.

To make matters worse, Baby (Eugene Domingo), her estranged older sister, mysteriously returns from Italy, further complicating Bambi’s situation.

Despite being back to square one, tired, angry, and disappointed, Bambi, as the breadwinner of the Salvador family, picks herself up. She must do whatever it takes to save her family. 

Ballerina — Movie Review

Ballerina (2025)

When Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) was a young girl, she witnessed the murder of her father by a man known as the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). From that moment on, she swore to track him down and avenge her father's death.

Following the tragedy, Winston (Ian McShane), the owner of the New York Continental, brings Eve to the Ruska Roma. There, she meets the Director (Anjelica Huston), who takes her in. In Ruska Roma, Eve trains as a ballerina and a deadly assassin, becoming one of their most capable operatives.

Years later, during one of her assignments, Eve encounters a cultist bearing a distinct mark that resembles one she saw on her father's attackers. The mark reignites her thirst for revenge. Ignoring direct orders from the Director not to meddle with them, due to a longstanding truce between the Ruska Roma and the Chancellor’s faction, Eve turns to Winston for help in tracking the cult down.

Her investigation leads her to the Prague Continental, where a man named Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus) is staying with a young boy. It isn’t long before she discovers the hotel is filled with cultists and assassins, all hunting Daniel.

When the situation spirals out of control, Eve agrees to honor Daniel’s wish to protect the boy at all costs, all the while continuing her pursuit of the Chancellor.

Meanwhile, because Eve disobeyed the Director’s orders, the Director sends her most formidable enforcer to stop her: none other than the Baba Yaga, John Wick (Keanu Reeves).

Karate Kid: Legends — Movie Review

4 decades, 3 karate kids. Now, we have a new one!

Li Fong (Ben Wang), a teenager from Beijing, moves to New York after his mother (Ming-Na Wen) lands a new job in the city. He brings with him a deep knowledge of kung fu, having trained under his great-uncle, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). However, as Li moves to a new place, he makes a vow to leave martial arts behind. This promise is in respect for the tragic loss of his older brother, who was stabbed by a vengeful opponent following a tournament match.

Life in New York proves to be challenging. Li struggles to connect with others and feels like an outsider in his new environment. Things begin to change when he meets Mia Lipani (Sadie Stanley), the daughter of a pizza shop owner and the only child of Victor Lipani (Joshua Jackson), a former local boxing champion. Mia is kind, outspoken, and welcoming, and the two quickly form a close friendship. As they grow closer, Li begins to develop feelings for her.

However, not everyone is happy about this new bond. Mia’s ex-boyfriend, Connor Day (Aramis Knight), takes issue with it. Connor is a local karate champion known for his aggressive attitude. Jealous and threatened, Connor targets Li, looking for an opportunity to bully and humiliate him. Eventually, he challenges Li to settle things in a local martial arts tournament.

Li finds himself torn. His promise to never fight again weighs heavily on him, especially with the memory of his brother’s death still fresh. But if he declines, it's an invitation for Connor to bully him more. Plus, the prize money could help Mia and Victor with their pizza shop. Seeing his student’s internal conflict, Mr. Han reaches out to someone who might be able to guide Li in a different way. So he enlists the Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), a former karate champion and longtime student and friend of the late Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita).

Daniel introduces Li to Miyagi-Do Karate and helps him rediscover what martial arts are truly about. It’s not about revenge or proving strength, but about finding balance, peace, and the courage to face life’s challenges.

Plan 75: Movie Review

Due to the growing opposition to elderly people in Japan, the government created a program called "Plan 75." Its goal is to make it easier for seniors aged 75 or older to kick the bucket. Even though it appears harsh and unethical, which it is, Chie Hiyakawa's vision of the future makes it all seem reasonable.

"Plan 75" is about three interconnected stories.

Michi (Baishô Chieko) is already 78 years old. Since losing her job and her apartment, she’s been trying to find a way to keep living. It is not like she can’t work anymore; people are just uninterested in entertaining her because of her age. The pressure of life soon finds her, and at one point it seems like volunteering to sign up for Plan 75 for a small compensation makes sense. She then befriends a young call center agent named Yoko (Yuumi Kawai) who helped her come into terms with her mortality.

A processing agent of the program, Hiromu (Hayato Isomura), has a very interesting encounter during one of his shifts. His widowed uncle Yukio (Takao Taka) signed up for the program for unknown reasons. He’s probably lived a good life and is ready to go, but Hiromu is still curious about it. So he pays him a visit often, and during their times together, he realized one thing: he must convince him not to push through with his decision.

Meanwhile, Filipino nurse Maria (Stefanie Arianne Akashi) is unable to provide for her daughter's surgery. One day, a co-church member offered her a job in the Plan 75 program. The compensation is good, but the work requires medical expertise and a strong heart.

These three characters will eventually cross paths, an encounter will change how one views life and death.

Autobiography: Movie Review

The towering General Purna (Arswendy Bening Swara) comes back home after retiring from office; his housekeeper Rakib (Kevin Ardilova) welcomes him and immediately accedes to his requests. Rakib’s family has been in service to the general for four generations, and they are expected to follow him around.

General Purna wants to run for mayor of the region. Naturally, Rakib helps out during the campaign, acting as the old man’s driver, assistant, and confidant. He looks on in wonder as the old man plays his pieces so that he can easily command the people around him.

During a town meeting, a young man named Agus (Yusuf Mahardika) pleads for the consideration of the general to stop the construction of one of his projects that will surely put their farmland and livelihood on the line. Purna ridiculed the request. Rakib silently observes as he starts to notice that something is definitely wrong with his boss.

With his father in jail and his brother abroad, Rakib has no other choice but to stay with the general. Purna eventually warms up to him, and they form a father-son bond. He took him under his wing and taught him valuable lessons in dealing with people. He sheltered him, fed him, dressed him, and played chess with him. Rakib starts to see the old man in a new light, and he’s easily drawn in by his apparent kindness.

Inspired by the general’s teachings, Rakib pays a visit to Agus. He convinced him to apologize for standing up against the general, and together they dropped by the old man’s mansion. It turns out that General Purna is far from the sympathetic person he appears to be in front of Rakib. He’s a terrifying man. A predator. And he just lured the prey into his territory.

Fall: Movie Review

"Fall" opens with BFFs Hunter (Virginia Gardner) and Becky (Grace Caroline Currey), with her husband Dan (Mason Gooding), mountain climbing. Everything seems to be going fine, until Dan loses his grip, falls and dies. Leaving the two girls distraught and fearful of climbing ever again.

A few years passed, and Becky relied on alcohol to drown out the pain of losing her husband. This concerns his father, James (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), so he contacted her best friend for help.

Hunter, who is now an Instagram celebrity, proposes that they climb an abandoned 2,000-foot TV tower in the middle of nowhere. Becky reluctantly agrees.

As they start to climb the old tower, things start to go awry immediately after they reach the top. The only ladder in the tower collapsed because of rust and age. Now they’re thousands of feet up in the air with nowhere to go and no one in sight to help them. They must rely on the few resources they have to climb down and ask for help.

Stranger Things Season 4: Series Review

It all started in a lab run by Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine). There, children of various ages participate in a series of tests and experiments to unlock their psychic power. One of Brenner’s subjects, named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), learned to use his full power with the help of the kind yet enigmatic Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower). But it turns out that Henry has plans of his own and a vile reason to help the child.

Fast forward to the present time. It’s March 1986, eight months after the Starcourt Mall incident. Eleven now lives with the Byers in California and is currently attending high school after losing her power and her foster dad, Jim Hopper (David Harbour). 

However, a powerful child like Eleven can not simply outrun her past as easily as that. Soon enough, Dr. Brenner and Dr. Owens (Paul Reiser) show up on her doorstep to convince her to regain her power to fight a new evil brewing at Hawkins. She agrees, and they take her to a super secret facility at the heart of a barren desert.

After Eleven’s departure, Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) got themselves entangled with the cops. But with the help of Jonathan’s friend Argyle (Eduardo Franco), they managed to work their way around the authorities to come after Eleven. With no clue where to go, they detour to Dustin Henderson’s girlfriend, Suzie (Gabriella Pizzolo), to find El’s location. As they race against time and the police, the evil lurking gets more powerful by the moment. 

Back at Hawkins, Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) struggles to move on from the death of her brother. Nightmares, headaches, and nosebleeds. Max seems like she’s experiencing signs of trauma or prolonged guilt and grief. But when a group of teenagers, experiencing the same things, end up dead, something is definitely afoot. Even though the authorities suspect that it was the eccentric student Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) who killed them, the manner of their death is very unnatural. Max knew it was far more wicked than a high schooler. So she enlisted the help of Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson) to help her identify what it is.

Meanwhile, Jim Hopper, the hero of the Starmall incident, was presumed dead by Hawkins authorities. But it was revealed that the Russians kidnapped and tortured him, partly because of his involvement in their experiment on the Upside Down. During his time in prison, he got a little help from one of the guards, Enzo (Tom Wlaschiha), to send a message to Joyce (Winona Ryder). Upon learning that Jim was alive, she asked her friend Murray (Brett Gelman) to join her and save him in Russia. They traveled to Kamchatka only to discover the Russians' sinister plans for the Demogorgons and the Upside Down.

All of Us Are Dead: Series Review

In this adaptation of a popular webtoon series, a group of students fight off a horde of vicious zombies.

"All of Us Are Dead" opens hours before the outbreak starts. 

Nam On-jo (Park Jihoo) and Lee Cheong-san (Yoon Chan-Young) are childhood friends studying at the same school in the same class. Despite knowing each for so long, the two bickers a lot. It turns out that Cheong-san is only teasing On-jo because he has a crush on her. Unfortunately, On-jo has already been drawn to the kindhearted Lee Soo-hyuk (Park Solomon). 

Soo-hyuk was not known for his intellect and he was always involved in school brawls back in eighth grade. He currently tries to turn a new leaf by not getting into any more trouble anymore. 

Soo-hyuk always has a crush on the quiet and smart Choi Nam-ra (Cho Yi-Hyun). Her classmates call her "prez" since she’s their class’s president, but none of them really respects her. She doesn't have any friends because her dismissive personality and strong demeanor intimidate the other students.

Anyway, their science teacher is the uncanny Lee Byeong-chan (Kim Byung-chul). Despite being a high school teacher, Byeong-chan is brilliant enough to create a virus that transmutes fear and aggression. The goal of the so-called "Jonas Virus" is to give his son the courage to stand up to bullies. However, after injecting it into him, he suddenly turned into a mindless and bloodthirsty monster.

Teacher Lee realized that the virus needed to be studied further, so he experimented with it on a few lab rats. Until one of his students accidentally got bitten by it. Soon after, the other students and faculty members got infected and began to transform into savage zombies. As the virus starts to spread and develop, Nam On-jo and her classmates find themselves trapped in school with nowhere to go.

Army of Thieves

Actor-director Matthias Schweighöfer stole the show in this prequel to Zack Snyder’s zombie flick.

"Army of Thieves" opens with the awkward Sebastian Schlencht-Wöhnert (Matthias Schweighöfer), a Potsdam bank cashier. Despite reports of a growing zombie epidemic in Nevada, Sebastian spends his time creating safecracking videos for YouTube. His passion and love for the craft captured the eye of an anonymous user who invited him to compete in an underground safecracking competition.

Sebastian has been developing his skills since he was a child. He even forgoes playing with other youngsters in order to study safes, turn knobs, and crack open various locks.

Sebastian easily won the tournament, as expected. And what is his price? He really doesn’t care. All he wants is attention, especially from Gwedoline (Nathalie Emmanuel), a brilliant jewel thief with a grander purpose for him.

Squid Game

In this Netflix thriller, hundreds of cash-strapped contestants compete in a series of children’s games for a hefty prize and price.

Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-Jae)  is desperate. He is in neck-deep debt because of his compulsive gambling, his mother is old and sick, and his wife and daughter are about to leave him for good.

One day, Gi-hun encounters a mysterious man (Gong Yoo) who challenges him with a game of ddakji in exchange for money. The man then hands Gi-hun a card, inviting him to play more children's games but with larger stakes. He reluctantly agreed. 

Gi-hun joined 455 other players, all of them saddled with similar massive debts. The games are overseen by the so-called Front Man, who is surrounded by masked guards dressed in bright pink jumpsuits.

They quickly discovered that losing one of the games meant death.

So to survive the games' physical and psychological twists, Gi-hun creates a team with other players, which includes his childhood friend Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo). But when lives are on the line can you really trust anyone?

Kingdom: Ashin of the North

This prequel to a popular Korean series combines vengeance, horror, and politics, into an epic and heart-pounding period drama.

“Kingdom: Ashin of the North” explores the history of the infamous resurrection plant and the tragedy that happened to the north side of the Joseon empire that instigated the events of the first and second season of “Kingdom.”

The film follows a girl named Ashin (Kim Shi-a/Jun Ji-hyun) who belongs to a tribal village located in the northern part of the Joseon kingdom. They were dubbed "Seongjeoyain" because they were innately Jurchens living in Joseon. However, both Jurchens and Joseon do not acknowledge them

The southern part of the Joseon kingdom is recovering from the Japanese invasion, rendering the northern part of the empire vulnerable to invaders. Reports said that Jurchens have consolidated their powerful group called the Pajeowi near the area, forcing the Joseon kingdom to stay on their toes.

Meanwhile, a group of Pajeowi men searching for ginseng are found dead inside the forbidden Pyesa-Gun forest. Deputy Commander Min Chi-rok (Park Byung-eun) fears that this tragedy might spark a war between them and the Pajeowi; so he tasked Ta Hab (Kim Roe-ha), Ashin’s father and the head of the Seongjeoyain settlement, to spy on them and spread false rumors about their death in exchange for their tribe’s governmental representation from Joseon.

As Ta Hab travels to Pajeowi, Ashin sneaks off to the forbidden Pyesa-Gun forest to retrieve the resurrection plant that will heal her ailing mother.

Little did she know that while she was away, the Pajeowi attacked their village and massacred everyone without mercy.

Distraught and alone, Ashin vows to take revenge on the people that wiped out her tribe.

Trese

Alexandra Trese must keep the peace in Manila, where dark supernatural energies pervade, however there is something bigger lurking.

“Trese” was based on the first three issues of its comic book series, written by Budjette Tan and illustrated by Kajo Baldisimo. It is a supernatural horror-drama story that combines Filipino tradition and a crime-thriller backdrop.

The series follows Alexandra Trese (Liza Soberano), a healer-warrior who protects humanity against supernatural beings. She is most known as the present-day “lakan” or the keeper of  peace between humanity and the supernatural world.

Acting as her sidekicks are Crispin and Basilio (Simon dela Cruz). Two dashing demigods with the ability of flight and to conjure magical masks and pistons. Hank  Sparrow (Christopher Carlo Caling), a bartender and a close ally of the Trese family. And Santelmo (R.J. Celdran), a fire spirit living inside a Nokia 3210 cellphone.

Trese’s day-to-day job is to assist Kapitan Guerrero (Apollo Abraham) with cases involving the supernatural. Although, majority of the cases are procedural, Trese's tactics are more unconventional, involving rituals and the usage of mystical items. She often consults the underworld for insights, such as the Nuno sa Manhole, the Wind Tribes, and tikbalang clan leaders.

But despite her best effort to maintain the balance between worlds, someone is determined to disrupt it. His name is Datu Talagbusao, the god of war. He only wants one thing, to destroy the world and create a new one. And to do that, he needs Alexandra Trese.

Hanna

Hanna Heller is a fifteen-year-old girl living in a snowy place somewhere in Finland.

Hanna is training to be an assassin one day. Her teacher is her father, Erik, an ex-CIA operative. 

Every day, the two would train. Erik taught her everything she needs to know, from speaking new languages to different combat techniques. All of this effort is to prepare her for one thing: kill Marissa Wiegler.

Marissa is a senior CIA officer who wants to capture Erik. It is unclear why she is so determined to arrest him. Although, they have a history of working together. Now, she only refers to him as a 'dangerous man' because of his knowledge about their organization's procedures and secrets. 

Anyway, one night, Hanna tells Erik that she is ready to face and kill Marissa.

Erik is a little wary about this abrupt decision, but he respects Hanna's decision. So he fetches an old radio beacon to alert Marissa about his presence, and he starts packing. After giving Hanna a warning about the danger of this mission, Erik leaves. 

His only instruction to the young girl is to meet him in Berlin after the job is over.

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things

Mark (Kyle Allen) is in a time loop. 

Every day he wakes up as his mom drives off to work. Downstairs, his father (Josh Hamilton) works on a crossword puzzle while his sister, Emma (Cleo Fraser), waits to call him "loser."

Mark already knows everything that will happen this day.

He will ride his bike to school, and he will meet this cute girl (Anna Mikami). He will try to win her over, but she is not interested at all. So he will visit his friend Henry (Jermaine Harris), who keeps on losing in a video game. At night, he and his dad will talk about the future. And at midnight, before the first drop of rain falls, the day will restart.

Doing the same thing can get tiring, so Mark spends his time honing his skills instead. He draws better now, and he can even play an instrument. Sometimes he goes around the town to help people.

Until one day, a girl named Margaret (Kathryn Newton) disrupts a loop that Mark is very familiar with. He discovers that she's also stuck in the same day over and over again.

Both of them are clueless about how to escape this "Groundhog Day". Thus, they decided to take each other to places where something cool happens, like an Eagle capturing a fish or a skater doing amazing tricks.

They soon realize that by finding each perfect moment in their city, they might be able to free themselves from this loop. So together, they embark on an adventure to find these tiny perfect things.

Shadow in the Cloud

Chloë Grace Moretz finds herself against warplanes, monsters, and misogynistic men in this heart-pounding action-horror feature.

British flight officer Maude Garett (Chloë Grace Moretz) is on a top-secret mission. No one knows what it was, not even the soldiers she's with aboard a dilapidated B-17 plane. All they know is that she's carrying a super confidential package, and she's determined to protect it at all cost.

The year is 1943, and World War II is raging on. It's only natural for these men to be up on their toes. Who knows what surprises conflict can bring; she's maybe a spy sent by the other side. So they trapped her inside the plane's turret.

Garett tries to convince the group she's not a mole. Though despite all of her effort, the conversation always ends up about her gender.

It wasn't long until the enemies reveal themselves. 

Garett noticed that Japanese warplanes are scouting them. But upon reporting what she saw, they accuse her of wanting attention. She retaliates, of course. She knows what she saw. And besides, that's only one half of the problem. Hiding behind the shadow of the clouds is a sinister creature ready to prey on the people onboard.

It's all up to Garett to save everyone and complete their respective missions.

"Shadow in the Clouds" is an intense, unique, and empowering film anchored by Chloë Grace Moretz's emphatic performance and Roseanne Liang's direction.

"Shadow in the Clouds" carries a straightforward message about feminism. What makes it standout is that it doesn't need any fillers or smokescreens to demolish toxic machismo. Liang directly confronts the issue with sharp and on-point arguments. 

What holds back the film, though, is its silly plot. It opens with a cartoonish infomercial about Gremlins tearing down a plane. A figure that serves as a metaphor for irresponsible officers during flight. It wasn't inane, at first, until the film literally includes it in the narrative as one of the main villains.

Other than the laughable CGI rodent, some sequences are just unbelievable. You must check it out to see.

But despite all of its crazy antics, "Shadow in the Clouds" remains a very entertaining film. It's a treat from start to finish, with compelling acting and an idea and message that works.

3.5/5

The Boy Foretold by the Stars: Movie Review

Adrian Lindayag and Keann Johnson both shine as the star of this 2020 romantic BL movie, directed by Dolly Dulu.

Dominic Cruz (Adrian Lindayag) is not just a closeted gay student of an all-boys catholic school; he is also a skeptic.

When one of his best friends, Timmy(John Leinard Ramos), invited him to visit a fortune teller, he grudgingly agrees. Dominic is not a believer in this kind of practice. To him, fortune telling is probably a scam because the future is the future. Whatever is stored for the days to come will eventually happen. And no one will be able to predict what it is.

But Baby R is different, though. She has a 99.5% accuracy rate with her predictions. Besides, fortune-tellers cannot predict the future. They only give their customers guides. Everything that follows is up to them. 

Baby R sees love in the future for Dominic. However, there is an uncertainty that surrounds it.

Fast forward a week later. In a retreat called “Journey with the Lord”, Dominic met Luke. The captain of the basketball team of their school and a firm believer of destiny. His reason why he joined the retreat is simple. He wants to escape and move on from his recent break up with Karen (Rissey Reyes).

Dominic understands where Luke is coming from, even if he never experienced romantic break-ups before. He knows what it feels like to look for an escape. 

Eventually, the two bonded with the little similarities and huge differences they have. As they formed an unlikely friendship, Dominic starts to believe that Baby R might be right with her predictions. Love is in his future. That is until the uncertainty comes. Karen returns to get back with Luke.