Sunshine — Movie Review

Sunshine (Maris Racal) has one dream. She wants to compete in the Olympics as a gymnast. She’s talented, determined, and supported by a dedicated coach (Meryll Soriano). Her family, especially her sister (Jennica Garcia), is also behind her every step of the way.

Everything seems to be falling into place for Sunshine and she is just one step away from entering her next big tournament. 

Then she discovers she’s pregnant.

She turns to her partner, Miggy (Elijah Canlas), hoping for support. But instead of helping her, he gaslights her. He dismisses her fears and avoids responsibility. From that moment, Sunshine’s world begins to fall apart.

In the Philippines, abortion is illegal and heavily frowned upon. Society judges women harshly for even considering it and Doctors are more likely to refuse to help you since they are putting their license at risks. The public sees abortion as shameful. That leaves women like Sunshine with few options. One of them are underground abortion pills. They are dangerous and unregulated, but it feels like the only choice she has left.

During this painful journey, Sunshine meets people who challenge her perspective on pregnancy and motherhood. One of them is a mysterious little girl (Annika Co) who appears out of nowhere. She is not real, but she feels real. She represents the unborn child growing inside Sunshine and she speaks frequently to her, sometimes convincing her to not to go through with the abortion. Sunshine also meets a young pregnant child who was sexually abused by her uncle.

All of these encounters build toward one powerful question for Sunshine.

Will she still go through with the abortion? Or will these encounters change her mind?

Uninvited — Movie Review

Lilia Capistrano (Vilma Santos) has a plan. She is going to kill billionaire Guilly Vega (Aga Muhlach) at his mansion during his 55th birthday party.

Why? Well, there’s a lot of reasons.

The Vega family is powerful, but they are also heartless, entitled, and dangerous. Guilly’s wife, Katrina (Mylene Dizon), is simply apathetic. She couldn't care less about her constituents. Their daughter, Nicole (Nadine Lustre), is a troubled young woman with drug addiction. 

But Guilly Vega is the worst of them all. He’s a corrupt politician with a long history of wrongdoings and crimes. One of the most horrific of it is the random abduction of Lilia’s daughter (Gabby Padilla) and her boyfriend (Elijah Canlas).

Lilia knows justice will not be served through the legal system. The Vega family has influence, money, and deep political connections. Even if she takes them to court, the outcome is almost certain. She will lose.

That leaves her with only one choice.

She must take justice into her own hands.

Espantaho — Movie Review

Pabling (Emil Sandoval) is dead.

His daughter, Monet (Judy Ann Santos), prepares for the traditional pasiyam, a nine-day mourning ritual meant to honor the dead and guide the soul into the afterlife.

Things take a turn when Pabling’s legal wife, Adele (Chanda Romero), arrives. She comes with her two children, Andie (Janice de Belen) and Roy (Mon Confiado), and they are determined to sell the family’s old ancestral house along with all remaining properties. Their plan will surely evict Monet’s family, including her son Keith (Kian Co), her mother Rosa (Lorna Tolentino), and her partner Jack (JC Santos), who are all currently living in the house.

As the family conflict unravels and intensifies, a mysterious entity which is seemingly tied to a strange painting of a scarecrow starts terrorizing the home.

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. 

Only We Know — Movie Review

Only We Know opens with a professor named Betty (Charo Santos-Concio) giving a lecture on existentialism, absurdism, and the play Waiting for Godot.

A few years later, Betty is now retired. She spends her days doing ordinary things like painting, grocery shopping, and cooking for herself. Occasionally, her best friend Cora (Shamaine Buencamino) and Cora’s husband, Bert (Joel Saracho), visits her. During these visits, Cora often tries to set Betty up on dates. Unfortunately, none of them work out. The men she introduces to her are either perverts or too old.

Betty used to be married; his name is William (Al Tantay). No, he’s not dead. He simply left her for someone younger. Despite this, Betty and William remain in contact. Their relationship now feels more like a polite friendship. There’s no drama and you can just sense that there's acceptance on what happened between them.

Across the street from Betty lives Ryan (Dingdong Dantes), a middle-aged man who lost his wife a year ago. He’s still grieving and unwilling to move on. He refuses to date anyone and spends most of his evenings drinking alone. Though they live near each other, Ryan and Betty rarely interact.

That changes one day when Betty asks Ryan to host dinner for the two of them after he helps her with something around the house. Ryan hesitates but agrees. What starts as a simple gesture becomes the beginning of an unexpected and intimate friendship.

As they spend more time together, Betty and Ryan discover that they share more than just proximity. Both carry emotional wounds and unspoken sadness. Through long talks, quiet dinners, and everyday companionship, their bond grows stronger.

Together, they create something undefined. A relationship only they know.

Society of the Snow: Movie Review

If there was a director who gets lowkey attention but can make big action and emotional scenes work, it's J. A. Bayona. One look at his filmography shows that he loves large-scale stories: A Monster Calls, The Impossible, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. His latest is about the Uruguayan 1972 Andes flight disaster, titled Society of the Snow. It's Spain's entry for Best International Feature Film at this year's Oscars.

Society of the Snow is the unbelievable true story of the Uruguayan rugby team called the Old Christians. After departing from Uruguay, the plane carrying 40 passengers and five crew members crashed in the snowy Andes mountains. The Chilean Air Search and Rescue Service (SARS) launched a rescue mission afterwards. But they stopped after 8 days, believing that everyone on board was dead.

By some miracle, half of the passengers actually survived the crash. As they wait for rescue, their numbers dwindle down from 45 to 33 to 16. They managed to survive the unforgivable cold, hunger, and avalanches for 72 days by being resourceful and doing most of the things we would consider taboo: cannibalism.

Bayona's skill at telling big stories is clear from the very beginning until the very end. He first made sure that we understood the vastness of the Andes by showing its big mountains covered in snow. The sight let us know that what they've gone through was nothing short of a miracle. A little while later, there's a great plane crash sequence. The sounds stand out here, as he combines the unsettling sounds of metal and wind with great effect. The movie then focuses on the survivors, showing all the terrible things that can happen to them while they're stranded in the middle of nowhere. He ended it all with a heartfelt goodbye and reunion, which is something he seems to have mastered since his debut film, The Orphanage.

A young man named Numa Turcatti (Enzo Vogrincic Roldán) takes us through all these ups and downs in the mountains. The decision to focus on him and his role in the whole crash is both a mystery. His name isn't as well-known as that of Nando (Agustín Pardella) and Roberto (Matías Recalt). Nando Parrado lost two-thirds of his family members in the crash. Meanwhile, Roberto Canessa is the interim doctor for the survivors. They're the two people tasked with hiking the western rim to Chile. It makes a lot more sense to center the story on them.

Even so, many things about Society of the Snow are great, from the make-up to the script. But a big disaster movie like this can always feel so small on film. There's no justification for the scale of this tragedy. The longevity of their stay feels all too short, and the decision to eat their dead friend and family isn't as convincing. Despite all that, I guess the level of realism put into it makes the whole thing so interesting and good.

4/5

Next Goal Wins: Movie Review

Taika Waititi must’ve found something humorous about the determination of the Football Federation of American Samoa. Even when they disgustingly lost 31-0 to Australia and never scored a goal in the next 10 years, they still played the game.

It’s not a secret that a lot of people think the American Samoa national football team stinks. Even their own players think they stink. Well, it is all because no one really ever taught them the game of football properly. So maybe, with a new coach, they’ll get to play the game the right way and hopefully end their scoring drought.

It is bad enough that they cannot win even if their lives depend on it, but somehow it got a lot worse when the alcoholic Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) got assigned to be their head coach. He coached national teams before but got such a bad reputation in games for his anger issues that the U.S. Soccer Federation President, Alex Magnussen (Will Arnett), and his ex-wife, Gail (Elisabeth Moss), had to expel him to American Samoa.

But Thomas is so wrapped up in his own mad world that he fails to connect with his new team. He disrespected their traditions. He disrespected their laws. He disrespected their team captain, Jaiyah Saelua (Kaimana). Despite the best efforts of the manager of the American Samoa team, Tavita Taumua (Oscar Kightley), they can’t seem to get along with him.

But over the next few weeks, Thomas could no longer ignore the perseverance of such a losing squad to play the game. They’re not competitive. They’re not fit. Yet, they show up for practice and work multiple jobs to keep the team alive.

Thomas eventually feels that the team needs him, and they’re not really asking him that much. All they want is for him to help them score a goal. Not to win. But to score a single goal.

Flora and Son: Movie Review

John Carney’s musical drama is about expectations, failures, and finding true connection through the power of music.

The first time we see Flora (Eve Hewson), she’s uncaringly dancing the night away in a nightclub. The scene ends with Flora sleeping with a stranger. Despite her disappointment of ending the night with meaningless sex, she casually tells the guy that she has a son. He then leaves without saying another word.

Flora might be brash, but she’s never ashamed to say that she’s a mother. At the young age of 17, Flora is already a mother to Max (Orén Kinlan). Like her one-night stand, her husband, Ian (Jack Reynor), left her too. They’re still co-parenting, but he stays with her most of the time. 

Flora is now 31 years old, and those 14 years of raising her son, mostly alone, really pushed her to be better. It's not easy raising a kid like Max. For one, he’s got a boatload of criminal cases. The police eventually let him go, but it is clear that his desire to become a rapper leads to numerous run-ins with the law.

One day, Flora saved a broken guitar from a dump truck. She asked for it to be fixed so she could give it to Max. However, Max stoutly declined it. So Flora decided to learn it instead. She then meets Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a guitar tutor who will change the way she views her life.

Fair Play: Movie Review

Chloe Domont's erotic-thriller slash romantic-drama film is about the connection between female empowerment and male fragility.

Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) are deeply in love with each other. However, they need to hide the fact that they're getting married soon. They both work for a hedge fund company that prohibits having romantic relationships with coworkers. Since Luke is also in the running for a big promotion and Emily doesn't want to lose her job, they’ve lied to people to keep their engagement a secret.

One night, Emily meets with Campbell (Eddie Marsan), the hedge fund company’s CEO. It turns out that she’s getting the promotion, not Luke. Emily is both elated and shocked by this turn of events.  Luke, on the other hand, is confused and dismayed. So Emily made a promise that she would help him rise in position as well. But something about their relationship changed that night, and it will never be the same again.

In My Mother's Skin: Movie Review

Kenneth Dagatan’s folk horror movie shows the violence and oppression caused by war through the eyes of an innocent child.

It’s the end of World War II. Aldo (Arnold Reyes) and his family live in peace in a country mansion, away from all the fighting. Until one day, a man named Antonio (Ronnie Lazaro) shows up with a group of Japanese soldiers. There are rumors that the family is hiding Japanese gold, and they’re willing to do everything to get it. Aldo believes that things will turn for the worse for his family if they don't get Antonio's gold, so he leaves his family behind to ask the Americans for help.

As soon as Aldo leaves, things do get worse, but not because of Antonio. Ligaya (Beauty Gonzales), the family matriarch, suddenly got sick with an unknown illness, prompting Tala (Felicity Kyle Napuli) and Bayani (James Mavie Estrella), the couple's children, to look for help. But what they found instead were dead bodies and a kind-looking, Cicada-like fairy (Jasmine Curtis-Smith) that can apparently grant wishes.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar: Movie Review

Wes Anderson's second feature in 2023 is about a gambler finding a greater purpose in life after developing the ability to not see with his eyes.

While the extremely wealthy and compulsive gambler Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch) waits for his friend Sir William W., he ambles aimlessly around his room looking for a book he can read. He then discovered a small exercise book by Dr. Chatterjee (Dev Patel) on the life of Imhrat Khan (Ben Kingsley), a performer who can see without his eyes.

Henry Sugar thinks that Khan’s ability will help him win games in casinos. So he goes through the same training described in the book to also gain the same power. After three years and three months of concentrated work, Henry Sugar can now read the back of a card in five seconds.

He quickly amassed a huge amount of wealth from gambling because of it. But despite his great success, Henry Sugar was puzzled by the little satisfaction he felt. There was no thrill, no suspense, and no danger of losing anymore. Could it be that his newfound ability somewhat altered him inside?

Triangle of Sadness: Movie Review

"Triangle of Sadness" is divided into three acts.

The first act focuses on two model couples, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean). The two are engaged in a "transactional" relationship to increase their respective social media influence. Although both of them admit that they liked each other for real, it is not smooth sailing. They still fight over petty things such as their dinner bill, which quickly spirals into heated discussions about gender roles.

The next act sees Carl and Yaya aboard a fancy ship with an always drunk shipmaster (Woody Harrelson). Along with them are an uber-rich yet dysfunctional group of entrepreneurs. Paula (Vicky Berlin), the strict head of staff of the mega yacht, wants to make a good impression and maybe get paid more, so she tells her people to always do whatever the guests ask. They were cruising through a heavy storm, and after a series of unfortunate events, the boat immediately fell into chaos until it capsized.

The last act happens on an unidentified island. The story now follows a ship worker named Abigail (Dolly De Leon) as she tends to the needs of the surviving guests, including Carl and Yaya. After realizing that she was the only person capable of living on the deserted island, she decided to reverse the tide and leverage her power over them.

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.

Return to Seoul: Movie Review

Freddie (Ji-Min Park) may look Korean, but she’s French. Well, technically, she is Korean; she was born there. But during the end of the Korean War, her parents had to put her up for adoption to survive. It was probably the most earnest thing they could do for her back then.

One look at Freddie shows that it doesn’t look like she had a hard time adjusting to life in France. She's well off. Her adoptive parents loved her. And she could be anyone's friend with her charisma and appeal. In fact, she quickly befriends Tena (Guka Han), a shy hotel worker who eventually becomes her translator and confidante. For sure, if Freddie wants something, she can easily get it.

Freddie’s detour to Seoul is both nonsensical and unexpected. She’s never really been interested in the culture, as evident by her neglecting their customs. She doesn’t speak Korean and has no intention to sightsee or learn about its history. Until someone suggests she look for her parents. Near the place she’s staying is a popular adoption center, she could start there. Even though she is reluctant, her headstrong personality and curiosity get the best of her, leading her to make the decision that will change her life forever.

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.

12 Weeks: Movie Review

"My body, my decision."

Alice (Max Eigenmann) said this line over and over again to people around her as they became more persistent in convincing her to stop the abortion.

Alice is 40 years old; she struggles to balance her responsibility as the team leader of their humanitarian mission in Marawi with her delicate pregnancy. Her boyfriend, Ben (Vance Larena), is a carefree and alcoholic young man without any stable job. Even more so, he’s abusive and manipulative. Alice is right to break up with him, but he always comes back with sweet words and gestures, and she gives in again and again.

Of course, her concerned best friend Lorna (Claudia Enriquez) is not totally on board with all of her decisions. But she understands her, and she always extends a helping hand every time she needs it. In fact, she’s the one who recommended the abortion facility.

Words about Alice’s intent to abort her child quickly spread like wildfire. Her mom (Bing Pimentel) criticized her decision, but she has certain reservations about it. On the other hand, Ben continually bugs her to be involved in her pregnancy despite her repeated refusal.

Alice starts to doubt her decision with so many people having different thoughts on the situation and forcing their own beliefs on her. As time goes on, she will need to make a choice. Will she keep the baby or not?

Elehiya: Movie Review

Arriving at a port, Dr. Celine de Miranda (Cherie Gil) comes out holding a big box on top of all the luggage she already has. Inside is an urn holding the ashes of her late husband, Paeng. Before his death, his final wish was to scatter his ashes on the island that he loved and lived on. Even though their relationship isn’t really great, since Celine decided to go abroad, she still honored his request.

Now on the island, Dr. Celine gets welcomed by their villa caretaker Basyon (Erlinda Villalobos), her daughter Vilma (Sue Prado), and grandson Jasper (Ross Pesigan). The family lived in the house for such a long time, and they are concerned that the de Mirandas will sell it due to Paeng’s passing. Contrastingly, Dr. Celine has no love for the house. She knows that Paeng’s cousin, Sergio (Miguel Faustmann), is already engaged in conversations about it, and all she wants is her cut of the deal. She doesn’t really care about the fate of the people there.

Until one day, Dr. Celine uncovers a secret in one of the house’s rooms that will change her mind about the house and the family.

Midsommar: Movie Review

A supposedly friendly retreat ends in heartbreak... And death.

Dani Ardor (Florence Pugh) goes to Sweden with her long-distance boyfriend Christian Hughes (Jack Reynor) and his friends to see a midsummer celebration that only happens once every 90 years. 

However, as they spend more time with the commune, they realize that everything is not as it seems.

The Witch: Movie Review

There's a witch in the family.

When William (Ralph Ineson) and his family got banished from the Puritan Plymouth Colony because of disputes over beliefs, they were forced to settle on a farm near the woods. Little do they know that they'll encounter forces of evil in that place that will tear their family apart.

It all started when baby Samuel abruptly disappeared while playing peekaboo with his sister, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy). They all think that it was a witch that abducted him, but they don't really know for sure. The problems didn't stop there. Winter is coming, and they don't have enough food to survive the harsh weather. William and Katherine's (Kate Dickie) other son, Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), also got lost in the wood, and their prized Silver Cup disappeared.

Are these God's punishments for them? Or is there something malevolent in the woods that's haunting them?

Joker: Movie Review

Madness has a face.

Struggling comedian Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) just wants to experience joy and give joy, but Gotham just doesn't give a damn about what he wants. 

So Arthur finds himself slowly going crazy in a society run by powerful moguls, opportunistic rich people, and a system always siding with the wealthy.