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Ghostly superstitions unearth the unspoken grief of a young woman suffering from a debilitating heart ailment. Paired with the subservience expected of her of male authority figures (from a protective father to a too-charming doctor), the path to freedom from a sheltered life draws her ever-closer to the world of shadows. While low-budget in execution – this is the first-ever Laotian horror film, after all – Chanthaly succeeds at being suffocating, akin to MDL's Kisapmata, in a house where certain rules control one's life. A promising start for Laos!

The beauty of Japan could not save this mess. My parents rarely regret choosing to watch something, but they did for this one. 😅

Very creative kills and narrative twists. Surprisingly makes you care about the characters despite knowing most of them will die. Love how it felt like a Final Destination film from the mid-2000s, with no modern slang or social media-related shit embedded in it. Just a bunch of cousins at a barbecue and shocking gore galore, all the way to the farfetched insanity of each death becoming ultra cheesy at some points. A fun end to this iconic collection of generational paranoia.

Full review here.

Seeing this again, this time back to back with The Two Popes (with my parents), cracks open how glaringly dramatic this is about the whole conclave thing. Just like how chronically online people are now actively campaigning for the next pope, when the process will always be an arbitrarily mysterious event filled with pomp and circumstance. It's a beautifully shot, thought-provoking political thriller, yes, but it absolutely deserves all the knocks it gets for being like Gossip Girl/Mean Girls/Pretty Little Liars but with cardinals. Ultimately very entertaining, though.

I also am a bit surprised by how these two films have a veneer of being critical of the church, but ultimately do not go all the way and end up holding up Catholic virtues in an inspiring manner by the end. I get the impression these films could rejuvenate faith in the face of doubt (because both conc & 2popes are about flawed spiritual leaders who overcome uncertainty by embracing it and finding a forgiving path forward and whatnot).

As for the conclave, if we get a traditionalist, it'll make these two films a sort of marker for the end of the progressive Francis era. If we get someone more open to loosening the strict boundaries of the church, these will be a herald of changing times for all. Tbh, this film's greatest accomplishment is actually singlehandedly getting atheists and non-Catholics invested in what happens next.

Slightly confused that people aren’t (re?)watching this after Pope Francis’ ing, instead going for the more recent conclave-set film. This one is contemplative by nature, extolling virtues Catholicism aspires to rather than seriously criticizing its faults. It encapsulates the role of the late Francis/Bergoglio, who took the church to a more people-centric route compared to the traditional reign of Benedict XVI/Ratzinger before him.

We see an ancient institution at a crossroads amid changing times and worsening crises — cleverly represented by a fitness watch sending reminders to the two popes to keep walking. How does one do so when weighed down by centuries of outdated traditions and systemic abuses? Jonathan Pryce, aside from looking remarkably like Bergoglio, embodies the character it takes to assume that burden, opposite Anthony Hopkins’ rigid depiction of Ratzinger. To me, this film's appeal is similar to the Netflix series The Crown, also about how people scramble to maintain an ancient institution's relevance in modern times.

While the two popes' differing ideologies clash onscreen, director Meirelles shows us vibrant contexts, from the troubled history of Argentina to the meticulous nature of papal proceedings in Rome. But baffling cinematography tries to push the quirky comedy aspects, like Catholic propaganda that aims to humanize the two old men and their faults as somewhat endearing. The end result is strange, but a decent watch for when you're with Catholic parents.

Teeming with gloom and anguish, Grace Pudel's story illustrates beautifully how one can withdraw into a prison of their own making, much like a snail curling into its heavy, burdensome, all-encoming shell. The way claymation is used here makes everything a joy to watch, even if the repeated abuses the character suffers are ultimately a depressing experience. Little bits of morbid humor elevate the film, from the gruesome yet affectionately molded plethora of lines on an old woman's face or the shockingly bright red blood of a decapitated finger splashing some color onto the dull surroundings — both scenes are of the surprise standout oddity that is Pinky, fittingly the beacon of self-assured happiness in Grace's tragic life.

Those coming from director Adam Elliot's previous offbeat masterpiece Mary and Max may find this film not as dynamic, the well-crafted misery often outweighing the snippets of dark comedy. But for those who have once been (or are often still) a self-pitying, reclusive Grace in their lives, the back half brings the bleakness home to a cathartic, tear-filled conclusion. Shoutout as well to Sarah Snook, whose voice work as Grace conveys all the emotional beats of insecurity, lonely despair, and tentative attempts to hope for the better. Unashamed to say that I related so much to her character that it brought tears to my eyes.

Also glad that the creators emphasized at the end of the credits that it was made by humans. Of all animation films I've seen in the past year, this definitely has the most heart. AI could never replicate it.

Kicks into endearingly odd and hilarious gear when Affleck and Bernthal come together as dysfunctional deadly killers and estranged brothers. They manage to forces to fight a well-hidden conspiracy head on, all while smoothing out their own conflicts. Really a campy display of brotherly love, but they knock it out of the park amid the chaos of the elaborate (and at times utterly preposterous) plot unfolding around them. Not as much action scenes or autistic ing skills as the first movie, but fun stuff all the same.

Full review here.

A searing indictment of U.S. imperialism, a vehicle of bubbling rage rather than subtle commentary, told through a dramatized depiction of our penchant for accepting the (post-)colonial realities that gradually kill us. Its messaging is overt, many sentiments outright stated by some characters, but it is the harsh juxtapositions rife in 1970s U.S. bases in the Philippines that set this film apart. Sucking up to imperial powers to the point that it pits fellow Filipinos against each other. Learned helplessness in legal courts, even on native soil. Weaning the local populace to flock to the breast of Lady Liberty while using their children as target practice. Yet again in her storied career, Nora Aunor lends her talents to a role that is allegorical to the Filipino plight. She will never be forgotten.

This film shows us the power dynamics among women in prison and their exploitation at the hands of the men who guard them, but it also pries open the systemic abuses that women face even beyond bars. An all-star cast carries this forward with such finesse, the one and only superstar Nora Aunor at the center, as pregnant convict Angela.

One of the most memorable scenes towards the end puts a dark twist on Mother Mary surrounded by animals and visited by strangers, as Angela is ensconced in the dark confines of Manila zoo, where she gives birth during an inhumane manhunt. Ate Guy's eyes and mannerisms express the fear and tragedy of being in an all-encoming prison that follows her wherever she goes. No other actress in Philippine cinema resonates with the everyday Filipino like she does. Her death is a true loss.

This had a lot of memorable dark comedic moments that combine foolish humor with absurd irreverence. But the momentum is inconsistent, with the religious bent of the narrative not really pushing the envelope (as you'd think from an R-16 comedy about the testing of a man's faith). Pretty fun, albeit unusual, viewing experience for Holy Week.

A gruesome powerhouse in vampire horror driven forward by the pulsating force of blues music. This is the best work to come out of Ryan Coogler’s exploration of black stories through genre films. Its visceral alignment of dark magic and the almost demonic pull of music with the harsh realities of black assimilation in the Jim Crow South brings forth a nightmare of epic proportions. Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld are at their best. Blues music is at its most riveting. There’s one scene where the cultural landscape feels as if it pops out of the screen as it intermingles with the fascinating folkloric elements told in black history, reaching across time to grip your heart. Full review here.

A slow burn that crawls through the reality of authoritarianism in Iran, from the eyes of a family gradually imploding from the pressures all around them. Truly powerful in a way that creeps up on you, each act unfolding with scenes that get more and more confrontational, operating on various layers — of religious sociopolitics, of gender-based oppression, and of the evolution of a family. At what point shall "good" men be broken down into puppets of a cruel regime? And until what point shall women obey under their unjust rule?

All I took away from this was the sheer violence of the unrelenting images and sounds crashing into each other onscreen, so mesmerizing yet overwhelming, a solid representation of what the world is like now. Absolutely insane experience to see this projected on a ceiling while the DJ is turning up sick beats!

Chaotic, but improves on a rewatch. Its concept has become more resonant across many layers (see the drug war and the pandemic). With visuals and sound mismatched, audiences are bound to be confused, but drawn to want to learn more about the bleak sci-fi world presented here.

Such a fun, playful little piece of genre filmmaking! Love how the western and its gun-toting tropes are reshaped into a source of empowerment for a gal who rejects the toxic machismo all around her.

Watched on Saturday April 5, 2025.

Science fiction is often synonymous with epic scale, but it doesn't have to be. This is made mostly of black-and-white photos, ed by narration and sparse scoring. Human existence is at its most ephemeral, human memory at its most fallible, all told within 30 minutes to devastating effect. A brief moment of mobility amid still photographs serves as a wonderful break to the structure. Sci-fi in cinema may be grand in scope now, but at its best, it always harkens back to the sheer weight of its simple moments, as in La Jetée.

Has some great twists and unbelievable moments. Too much exposition, but somehow manages to be a fun, grotesque ride made memorable due to its lo-fi quality. There's a strange charm here, thanks to how dated it feels.

What I love most about this is the eerie colonial trauma at its heart, with the Korean characters constantly contending with ancient forces of Japanese origin dating back to imperial rule. The character work is also awesome, the central team of geomancers and shamans a compelling one to follow because of their little peculiarities and relatable dynamics. It’s a nice departure from the usual mysterious priest who comes in just to deliver a few ominous mutterances. They’re done dirty by the structure of the film, though, constantly building up to something horrifying or shocking and never quite paying off due to the sheer amount of times it baits us in suspense. It’s often spine-chilling, yes, especially with the frenetically paced scenes of Korean folk practices followed by the uncertainty of their effectivity in the face of evil, but the anti-climactic structure is ultimately distracting, giving us the wrong expectations and never fully communicating the gravity of the colonial trauma that the characters gradually exhume.

By fusing dreamlike memory and hard reality through a striking, first-person perspective, Nickel Boys succeeds as a powerful document of history told from the eyes of young men cruelly dealt their portions of pain. Ross' imagery subverts our expectations of how a story set in the Jim Crow South is often shown – it doesn't attempt to be a sweeping, cinematic, and grand orchestration of trauma; it is instead inventively detailed, impressionistic, and personal to the boys whose lives have been irrevocably changed by systemic racism. We immerse in the gravity and scope of civil rights abuses but we are also watching a poignant home video, as if the orange tree we lounge beneath and the warm chest of our nana that we long to embrace is the home that African Americans all struggle to return to, in a train car where time es too quickly, as if nothing bad has happened. Such inspired work from a documentary filmmaker. And it contends so crushingly with the weight of digging up trauma and proving its existence to the world.

Domestic abuse at its worst and most traumatic, as tension builds and erupts in such violent scenes. The excellent grasp this film has of negative space and camera movement really cleverly relays the presence of an invisible character. You almost can't tell it's a modern-day adaptation of old material, where the Invisible Man is a protagonist. This version of him as a haunting force that relentlessly terrorizes its chosen victim, is way more intense, relevant, visceral. Elisabeth Moss, wow.

Looked for a light and easy weeknight watch to put on for me and my parents over dinner and got exactly that. This is a pretty basic melodrama that doesn't take itself seriously, the charming grandfather-and-child conman duo at its center never truly confronting their crimes throughout their journey. Joel Torre absolutely carries this bland, formulaic story and somehow makes it entertaining and heartwarming.

Joko Anwar's strength is providing a creepy atmosphere built from technically polished visuals and sound. But haunted house horrors tend to be too reliant on the repetition of shocking moments, and this film failed to retain that thrill throughout. Still a great example of Indonesian horror, though for me Impetigore remains superior with its blend of Islamic superstition and chilling rural folklore.

This docu employs the usual methods, like talking heads and archival footage, to take the audience through the band’s journey. The struggle with musician tell-alls is deciding which points in their career to focus on and which to quickly summarize. For the most part, though the pacing is very uneven, this gives all four guys equal attention, warts and all. The real star is the rare vulnerability explored as they recount each of their perspectives on their meteoric rise, to youthful selfishness leading to the breakup, and then the eventual diverging of paths later converging again with maturity. Ely Buendia and Raymund Marasigan in particular are clearly wiser versions of their aloof/volatile younger selves. Also, as someone who grew up during the tail-end of their career, it sucks to not have experienced the late 90s/early 2000s era of live music, since I was still a kid then. The archival footage makes it look like a wild, fun time.

Along with presenting Eraserheads’ obvious ties with local pop culture, history, and politics, an interesting angle was in something Buddy Zabala said, that the Pinoy masculine aversion to talking about emotions and being fragile kept them from actually becoming friends during their height as a band. The poignant final act, showing them finally acting like a real group of friends — twenty/thirty years down the line, but better late than never, right? — is also marked by an overarching message of growth and forgiveness. I’m still a bit iffy about Marcus Adoro’s faults in particular being portrayed as a work-in-progress, especially with regards to the allegations of abuse by his daughter that remain unresolved to this day. But it’s good that the docu acknowledges all of that. Though Ely may have written Minsan for a different group of friends in UP back then, seeing the ending of the film which shows glimpses of their current attempts to bond during tours, eating out and drinking, and recording (new?!) music together shows how it’s never too late for the four to build a friendship and make amends for past mistakes.

(Always thought I was just a casual fan, with other family who are more diehard fans of the Eheads, and karaoke bars throughout the years, giving me more than enough of my fill of their music. But with just how lengthy this review turned out to be, it seems I’m not immune to any of it after all, lol)

The premise may be bold and intriguing, but it’s baffling to pick apart the ‘why’ of it all. Why put together the trans experience, the talented black lawyer, the callouts to corruption, the focus on drug cartel perpetrators and victims? It’s a thrilling progression of events to watch for sure, but it all feels conceptualized to be as bold a collection of plot elements as possible, running the gamut of gender issues and Mexican politics, all of which don’t come together naturally to convey a cohesive message. These characters, despite singing about their situations, largely stay within their stereotypes and show little complexity, in song numbers that are staged and edited so haphazardly. Its ending attempts to say something interesting about how mysticism keeps us from fully understanding sensationalized iconography, but it isn’t fully earned. Zoe Saldaña singlehandedly saves this purely performative mess that would have benefited if it had actual Mexican talent at the reins.

A top review of this film says it best, tbh: “Emilia Pérez offers not meaning, but the sensation of supposedly meaningful things moving in rapid succession, and it hopes the resulting blur will by quick enough that we do not notice the superficiality of its style.”

Manages to trace the recognizable characteristics of the iconic 1937 animated film and add some depth to it, in a way that resonates with modern audiences. Surprisingly decent for a live-action cash grab remake, though I’m not one to properly judge since the only Disney remake of the last ten years I've seen is Mulan, and we all know that didn't go so well.

Rachel Zegler is wonderful as Snow White, embodying the kind heart and charming disposition that makes her a beloved princess. Gal Gadot is a terrible pick for the Evil Queen, as all she has to offer are her looks (which is kind of fitting, I guess). But I would have loved to see that villainous musical number performed with the flair of an actual actress, and not the try-hard, awkward expressions and motions that Gadot was doing here. The CGI dwarfs were weird at first, but you sort of just go with it. Kids in my cinema enjoyed this movie.

Full review here.

A love letter to the meeting of two worlds – the calm, meandering pace of provincial Davao Oriental and the frenetic pace and pressures of the city; the reliable ebb and flow of the waves at sea and the overwhelming vastness of the picturesque sky; the full surrender to the present moment and the yearning to connect with the rest of the world. There are echoes of the typical romance here, not exempt to cliche lines galore, except there is no major conflict to dramatically wedge the two characters apart (at least, it doesn't feel like it). Fleeting instead has them meet, dance around each other, come together in poignant moments of understanding, and ultimately come apart. It's all stretched out, at times to its detriment, some parts just made to entice you to visit Mati and try sikwate hot chocolate (ittedly very well!). But its approach to love is as natural as a beachside view of the horizon parting the heavens and the earth.

A simple story about a father's deep love for his daughter, although he is unable to provide the comforts that she deserves. Amid the struggle of Filipino seafood divers, forced to take on life-threatening risks and exploited all around, the film speaks to the dangers of letting false hopes and ambitions lead people to their downfall, and honors the perseverance of those making an honest living. While it failed to dive into (excuse the pun!) certan issues more deeply, this is a solid representation of the kind of uplifting story this film fest is going for.

This is a blockbuster spectacle, yes, but the artistry is undeniable — from droplets of water making remarkable giant waves and embers of vibrant flames engulfing the corners of the screen, to the texture of a wooden staff expanded to take root across the air. Elements of each frame contort and blossom with every movement, and the sound design matches it all to chilling effect at times. Absolutely beautiful.

While Chinese fantasy epics tend to display the same old tropes and stereotypes (it is based on reigning takes on their mythology and modern-day design preferences after all), Ne Zha 2 presents the best and most flawless of this style of action narrative and fantasy animation than ever before. (I didn't watch the first movie so I got a bit lost at the start, but it's easy to catch up.) The battle sequences, background pieces, and character designs, impeccably and meticulously put together, make up an awesome experience in the cinema.

Honestly, by the end of it, my eyes and brain felt utterly fried, in a similar way as it did after Spiderverse. The sheer level of stimuli that can be achieved in animation these days is unbelievable, a blend of extended action sequences and witty gags now required to hold attention and induce the wow factor and the fun factor (which can make it tiring). If you watch this on a small screen, it’ll come across as video game-like, but it really pops and electrifies on the big screen. Its record-breaking status comes as no surprise to me.

Full review here.

This is proof that less is more when it comes to disturbing your audiences. The smart use of production design and a screenplay with realistic dialogue make this suffocating home feel real, as tension builds up over the course of ive-aggressive little actions — eyes meeting uneasily during what should be a joyous occasion, lights quietly turning off despite someone waiting outside.

Vic Silayan’s performance as a possessive patriarch intimidating his entire household into submission is one of the best anti-Marcos allegories ever put to film. The way it all boils over towards the end is chilling. Also, Mike de Leon clearly shot this in tandem with Batch ’81, and the two films remain all-timer gems of Philippine cinema critiquing fascist regimes to this day.

It’s amazing to see this story’s journey from an actual true crime case to a well-written short story by Nick Joaquin to this horror masterpiece by Mike de Leon, all the way to the play adaptation that Tanghalang Pilipino is staging this month. It reminds me of something Ricky Lee once said of the greatest stories in Philippine literature/cinema/theater — palagi iyan manganganak basta’t may dahilan para ikuwento pa rin ang kuwento (it will continue being reborn as long as there is still a reason to tell that story).

A riotous satire of the cruelty and carelessness of our times, told through a sci-fi story that probes the ethics of making inhumane sacrifices for the survival of humanity. While that summary can be said about Bong Joon-ho’s two prior English-language films Snowpiercer and Okja, the wackiness of Mickey 17 dials all of that up to an insane degree. Almost too much, even. Perhaps this is Bong’s way of saying that he finds Western and capitalist systems deserving of more and more ridiculous satirical scrutiny as time goes by.

At the heart of it is Robert Pattinson as Mickey 17, who dies over and over and finds himself as the comionate moral com, always wracked with guilt, in a society living without it. His dual role as the more volatile, impulsive Mickey 18 showcases his impressive range, the two, drastically different forms of his character bouncing off of each other with ease. We also have Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette working in tandem as an egomaniacal couple flexing their political power in a human settlement in space. The cast is brilliant, able to carry the chaos, but this brand of cartoonish sci-fi satire quickly grows tired in parts, somehow not as well-paced and polished in tone as Bong's previous films.

Full review here.

An absolute behemoth of a film, so dense with themes and contradictions to unpack that I do not know where to begin.You can easily love or hate this depending on what aspect you decide to latch on to. The best example is the scene near the beginning where Jewish-Hungarian refugee Laszlo Toth makes his way through the deck of a boat to be greeted by the iconic Statue of Liberty upside down as he emerges topside — an omen that his hopes and dreams are about to be subverted. Definitely an all-timer, and an immediate showcase of Lol Crawley’s expansive 70-mm-shot cinematography and Daniel Blumberg’s explosive score. The entire first half is your standard post-war immigrant biopic, while the second act is a full-on nightmare of traumas manifesting one after another, a sweeping deconstruction of the American Dream that is unpleasant and oftentimes torturous as Toth is caught up in the throes of abuse and addiction while chasing unattainable ambition.

Through the structure of the film, we see that it emulates the bold shapes and jagged edges of the architectural style it is named after. Adrien Brody as the single-minded yet tortured architect is the exact picture of award-winning that the Academy loves to recognize, in a turn quite similar to his previous Oscar-winning role in The Pianist, arguably with more demanding scenes. It comes as no surprise to me that he won Best Actor for this, his character beefed up with a heroin habit to give him a flaw, and a black American best friend to keep him likeable (empty attempts at building more drama, but sure).

The Brutalist speaks to the sense of colossal control and everlasting endurance that brutalism tries to embody, easily broken apart by the shackles of reality as Toth himself experiences towards the end, but presented as a dream worth fighting for in its epilogue nonetheless. While this interpretation is one that Corbet executes beautifully, it’s muddled in the sea of grandeur that this bloated three-and-a-half-hour behemoth of an experience ultimately becomes. The monumental message and scale of it is there, though, and it was given a few Oscars for the vision, ironically by an Academy that is itself also a monument with a tumultuous history (but that’s a discussion for another time).

My full review and musings on brutalist architecture itself can be found here.

Really great that a beautifully made film criticizing a fascist regime is given its flowers, told from the point of view of a woman who suffers unimaginable loss but keeps it together for her children. I love when films distill pockets of history in family home video. Physical media — record players, handwritten letters, movie posters, news clippings — are all an ode to ing the past. I'm Still Here contains all of that, not just because it's a poignant way to tell a story, but also because it shows how the act of ing and keeping archive intertwine with the memory of a nation.

It focuses on Eunice Paiva, a woman standing her ground after her husband is suddenly taken in the 1970s, at the height of a military dictatorship in Brazil. At first, she displays strength within the domestic space, until her fight for the truth drags on years afterward and the age of time creeps up on her. Fernanda Torres is a phenomenal actress here, having played out moments of restraint despite being placed in moments of shattering grief. All the way to the end, her performance speaks to the human ability to .

Throughout the film, I couldn't help but take sharp breaths every time I found how resonant this story also is in a Philippine context. After loved ones' efforts to hold the state responsible able for the atrocities that took place — how terrible it is to think that a nation may lose that solemn glimmer of recognition of crimes from long ago.

Yes, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande turn in great performances as Elphie & Glinda (the former more so than the latter), but the runtime does this film no favors, stretching everything out to the length of a full musical but only getting to act one. I confess — as a fan of fantasy & sci-fi, as someone who has seen Wicked on stage just once before, and as someone with no idea about the literature it’s based on — the worldbuilding seems thrust about here and there, full of inconsistencies, no depth. What is up with this ominous book of sorcery? What have the social dynamics been that allowed this fall of animalkind to happen? How does the power leveling work, since we barely see anyone aside from Elphie do any magic? Deep-cut Wicked fans will probably tell me to read the book, lol.

With the medium of a musical, you can get away with not delving into any of that because look! Fun, elaborately staged, absolutely moving musical numbers! And it may not be my preference when it comes to sitting down and immersing in something, but I get it. If only the spectacle wasn’t dampened by the bland-ish color grading that could have at least tried to be less muted-glossy and more trippy-technicolor (I know, I know, shifting technology and tastes, but still!), especially seeing that they reference Wizard of Oz quite a lot but can barely match its sense of wonder. Scenes without musical numbers or choreography look just about as interesting as cardboard. However! Everything Jonathan Bailey did was excellent. "Dancing Through Life" was enjoyable (as well as "Defying Gravity," but that's a given).

Has the craziest staging of comedic action sequences ever put to film. Gets cheesy as hell but remains undeniably fun. A light mood lifter to combat the burnout from these hectic couple of weeks.

YET ANOTHER biopic of a beloved musician hits the big screen, this time inviting longtime Bob Dylan fans to revisit their favorite songs, and younger audiences to get to know the ‘60s icon. This picture of a mysterious counterculture legend, who arrives to fame in New York as if out of nowhere (well, namely, Minnesota), employs the usual storytelling devices we’ve all seen before in other music biopics. While Bob Dylan is a uniquely singular personality, James Mangold’s standard filmmaking renders this supposedly revolutionary character and intriguing arc within folk music, a bit flat.

As for Timothee Chalamet’s acting ability, taking on the physicality, mannerisms, and distinct voice of Dylan is no joke. He embodies the self-absorbed, nonchalant energy that made him appealing to people at the time. Perhaps the only criticism of his performance is that he’s too well-known to millennials and Gen Zs at this point that it’s difficult to disentangle Chalamet’s boyish charm with that of young Dylan’s. He never truly “disappears” into the role, as is the expectation with biopics. While his descent into the spirit of the freewheelin’ folk rock icon is clear and irable, many may argue that there is no point recreating the man’s singular enigmatic charm, except to reshape the existing one that Chalamet has, as best he could. And that, he did.

Praise must also be heaped on Monica Barbaro, who simply radiates as singer-songwriter Joan Baez, an icon herself that becomes the all-too-pretty foil to Dylan’s contrarian ways. I left the cinema with a yearning to once again listen to "Diamonds and Rust."

Full review here.

Meticulous director Robert Eggers harkens back to F.W. Murnau's iconic 1922 version, but sets apart the 2025 Nosferatu with Bill Skarsgard's harsh look — that of a grotesque, moustachioed corpse-like Count Orlok — backed by the urban rot and squalor of Europe in the Black Plague. Here, we follow Lily-Rose Depp’s Ellen Hutter and her tragic descent into a sacrificial role, given no respect by a society that deems the occult as well as female desire as festering wounds to be ignored. All these elements once again prove that Eggers’ period-accurate filmmaking has its allure. On the other hand, he pays homage to the bleakness of the myth of the vampiric count, with visuals that dwell on the darkness of Nosferatu’s shadow as a haunting, terrorizing force.

Perhaps the biggest complaint with Eggers’ vision is the risk of overwhelming viewers with all the historical details and filmic predecessors chained with this well-known tale based on Romanian folklore. We will inevitably compare. While the futility suffered by Nosferatu’s lead characters makes for a beautiful yet horrific tale, this polished picture of Victorian-era tragedy is made with too much of the precision and advancement only a big studio budget can give — smooth drone shots, digitally improved jagged cliffs and stormy weather, the immersive atmosphere of a world teeming with rats about to be plunged in darkness. For many, this all makes for a fine blockbuster, but sort of cheapens the gothic grit with which filmmakers like Murnau, Herzog, and Coppola have approached this story before. If one doesn’t compare, though, this stands as one of the best horror flicks this year.


Eggers can’t help but recreate some things. The image of Nosferatu’s deformed claw reaching out befits the lore now, as much as before, the sheer darkness the characters face given the utmost scary treatment (note quite a few jumpscares, like it or not) alongside the usual atmospheric and subdued fog that seeks to consume them. Unfortunately, the nudity in some harrowing sexual scenes is mildly censored here in the Philippines, covered up by shadows in parts and distracting from what should be a visceral experience. The ending does hit hard, giving Depp the chance to play out a chilling, tragic arc as Ellen’s growing contortions into helpless despair leave impact after impact before she finally, willingly falls into a doomed fate.

Full review here.

Finally got around to this! A fun revenge scheme that gives mother and serves cunt, though frustratingly lacks in coherence. The pacing is too snappy to be engaging, the tone too inconsistent too be truly dark or truly campy. Too bad, because the script itself had potential (Filipina virtual assistant uses her skills to get her lick back at abusive capitalists and foreign employers?? Yes!). Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon somehow are not at full power, their charismatic characters minimized by Star Cinema-esque soap opera beats and inane lines they have to check off to get to the meat of performance that people expect of them.

Female solidarity in the most unserious way possible. While it may have a campy-cringy blend that softens the film’s politically charged nature, it really just runs with the absurdity and keeps a fun, irrevent tone all throughout. Awesome that this marks women’s turn to have raunchy, violent comedies where highschoolers get into crazy trouble.

A highly comprehensive overview of systemic racism in the U.S., from slavery to the civil rights era to the criminalization of blacks that runs rampant even in today’s political climate. Told in simple documentary formula, but effective in its visuals and message. Hits really hard.

The action excites at some parts, but this simply does not live up to the smoke-screen espionage-political-thriller-action-romp that it promises to be. Captain America and the Winter Soldier is still the best in that regard. On paper, this could have worked, but weighed down by the ties with multiverse-level events on the horizon (laid out over the next 20 or so Avenger-related films), it fails to execute a return to form for the Captain America franchise or even be an improvement on the recent lackluster string of Marvel titles.

It is serviceable, which is more than what Mackie's Sam Wilson deserves, the character now falling way too safely under the mantle of liberal tokenism through a black superhero, even though there was potential to do more with it. Standard superhero fare, at least coherent and fast-paced, but a mere shadow of the film it could have been.

So this is what a French B-movie shark thriller is like! Actually had fun and funny over-the-top moments sprinkled with one-note anti-global warming and ocean pollution sentiments for plot tension, but nothing that really warranted applause. The CGI was laughable at parts and the gore was relegated to just two memorable scenes. That ending was satisfyingly insane, though, albeit unexpected the way it came outta nowhere.

An unflinching look at how the youth are caught up in cruel cycles of poverty and violence in the streets of São Paulo. Probably the most brutal social realist drama centered on young urban poor (for me, ranked alongside Ken Loach's Kes, Lynne Ramsay's Ratcatcher, Satyajit Ray's Apu trilogy, much of Lino Brocka's filmography, and the more recent gritty Brazilian film City of God), with a lyrical take on the tragic arcs of each character based on well-researched true stories director Babenco put together from actual street children. Heartbreaking. Honestly wouldn't recommend this because of how bleak it gets, but worth the watch if you are in the mood to be doused in the cold reality of life.

Hot love triangle where tennis is a sexual relationship and we are all anticipating the climax. Technically engrossing, as we bear witness to this visceral back-and-forth among the most attractive people put to screen (and boy, does Guadagnino know it) from every angle possible. Reznor & Ross’ score perfectly highlights tension and action, be it in a tennis match or a verbal match. A masterclass in cinematic build-up, with an ending that must have exhilarated theatergoers. But I have to it, the whole psychosexual Adidas and Uniqlo ad vibe this has going on is too much at times, though I understand how one could get carried away having sweaty twinks Faist and O’Connor and Zendaya with the prettiest bob ever at your disposal.

Having seen all seasons of the FX Fargo show by now (which has some absolute bangers of their own, varying in quality from one season to the next), it's great to come back to the humble tale that started it all. The vastness of the winter landscape, the strong rural Minnesotan accents, the darkly comedic violence that oozes from each character clambering through blood and snow chasing more wealth — only to be thwarted by a kind-hearted woman who is satisfied with her lot in life. Good shit.

We often tell ourselves lies to better cope with the mundanity of life that burdens us. Sometimes, the fiction we make up blurs with the truth, as a coping mechanism so that things seem more stable and promising than they actually are. Here, we see it through a questionable stranger immortalized in a snapshot of a daring moment, a seemingly normal marriage where a couple are inevitably drifting apart, a dramatic suspense novel ending that masks a bleak reality. And not to mention the orchestrated prank calls that feed the entire narrative.

This film is beautiful in its jarring contrasts. What opens as a calm daybreak scene of a young couple awaking in the city (one from reading fiction, one from actual sleep) quickly escalates into a whirlwind mystery with a lot of moving parts, all dancing around the sense of illusion that people use to continue on in life. Edward Yang shows exactly how it feels to delude oneself into pushing forward in the urban sprawl that baits us with brief pockets of adventure and magic, but only traps us in a maze filled with mundane, if not depressing, dead ends. Through the click-click-click of the cameras in our fanciful minds, as our paths weave and intersect but ultimately lead to isolation, the very mundanity we try to escape does catch up with us eventually, with a gut-punch of a half-truth conclusion.

It is impossible to measure something as universal yet subjective as pain. For some, it is a necessary burden that we all must deal with to function better in our day-to-day lives, to be regulated and hidden away unacknowledged. For others, it is an overwhelming proof of existence that is too real to be suppressed, so much that the act of softening and sugarcoating it seems disingenuous.

A Real Pain presents these two extremes in the form of two cousins, each who truly love one another but at some times just do not fully understand or know how to ease each other's pain. As third-generation American immigrants who are confronted with the suffering of their ancestors in a holocaust tour in Poland, the context of what pain is for each person is transposed to a larger scale. This concept of the ignorant American being a tourist in a more sophisticated European land and learning valuable lessons there is not new (people's tolerance of that trope sure to be tested here), but I find that this film navigates that serviceably well.

On the surface level, it may seem like this production was a smart choice for the Polish Film Council, the elegantly shot scenery of the city of Warsaw and of countryside Poland showcased for the world to see. Chopin fills the score, as if with heartfelt empathy for the suffering of its characters. Cutting through the seemingly leisurely pace that allows one to yearn for a vacation there is the familiar nervous energy that Jesse Eisenberg brings, channelled into his beautifully written and directed film, as well as his acting in it.

And, of course, there's Kieran Culkin. His chaotic blur masking human vulnerability at its most potent takes centerstage, in a performance that I find similar, but of a different flavor of unhinged as his Succession character — deserving of recognition in this awards season. But awards are not really needed to appreciate this film that is equal parts sharp and gentle; perhaps what is better is a moment to pause and leave little stones to mark the bouts of pain that serve as our proof of existence. It doesn't matter that the practice is an odd derivative of an old tradition (as is the entire American identity, after all). Sometimes a meaningful gesture is all people need.

Full review here.

Everyone loves a good underdog story, especially if it involves the overlooked and unconfident coming into their own after much perseverance. In this film, the underdogs are the children who grew up surrounded by the untamed bounty of nature, and a kind-hearted teacher keeping the musical activities of a provincial school afloat, deep in the island of Bohol.

Song of the Fireflies tells the origin story of the world-renowned Loboc Children’s Choir (LCC) of Bohol. It is charming and inspiring. Scenes that show the kids’ angelic choral singing, which elevated them to stardom, paired with the serene landscapes of their home by the Loboc River, are enough to keep the average viewer entranced. It's a straightforward underdog tale in a beautiful setting, but also grounded by the cutthroat, competitive realities that often wear down those who aspire to succeed in the big city.

The aspects of the story tackling the rise from provincial comfort to city-centric acclaim and scrutiny make everything more exciting than the typical biopic-style formula (which this film also has). One scene showing the kids’ first ride through Manila in the form of frenetically edited archival footage and reels from the 1980s is particularly memorable. Certain character dynamics exploring this friction are just very briefly and unsatisfyingly touched upon, though.

Full review here.

Our portal is a rotten, severed ear. Into it we go and travel to an otherworldly dimension in the seemingly sleepy Lumbertown, USA, where the surreal and the sentimental, the sense of suburbia and sadomachochistic subconscious, blend together and birth yet another Lynchian fever dream. It’s 50s Americana innocence and curiosity turned into sexual neo-noir voyeurism and violence, painted with textured lawns and grimy buildings, the vibrant haze of colors in the various corners and rooms of this town revealing an ominous underbelly. Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern, Isabella Rossellini, and Dennis Hopper each have moments of being in a trance as well as entrancing others (ranging from romantic innocence to tortured vulnerability to bizarre mania). Dwelling on the absurdity disturbs, but Lynch reveals a sentimental streak here as we are told to dwell on the pure and beautiful, like the robins, and that’s kinda comforting given how strange and scary the world is in this film and in real life.

Insane for David Lynch to come out of the gate swinging with Eraserhead as his debut. The anxiety of confusing social situations, young parenthood, and sudden infidelity manifest in disfigurement, alien landscapes, and other macabre sights that connect with disturbing thoughts buried deep in our minds. It distills angst in a bottle, feeding us his signature dreamlike horror in a gradual descent that we now know leads to something more subtle and intuitive, to his later (and greater) surreal masterpieces. I now wonder what the equivalent of the calming hum of a radiator is to us in tropical countries — the whir of an electric fan? It certainly comforted me as I watched this visual nightmare in the heat of midday. RIP Lynch

Includes short films, except for Pabelle Manikan's Brownout Capital and Maria Estela Paiso's Objects Do Not Fall Randomly From the Sky (both part of the Shorts Expo) which do not have Letterboxd pages.

• Afternoons of Solitude
• Lost Sabungeros
• Mistress Dispeller
• No Other Land
• Room in a Crowd
• Shahid
• Invisible Labor
• Are We Still Friends?
• Here We Are

another attempt at this. hopefully my life won't get in the way lol

progress: 15/31

original list here

1. Ju-on: The Grudge 2

   a child horror film (has a creepy child)

2. Ticket to Paradise

   a movie that features a sunrise

3. Thirteen Lives

   a movie with colin farrell

4. Keys to the Heart

   a film set or filmed in your home town (metro manila)

5. Dog Gone

   a road movie

6. Top Gun: Maverick

   a movie that isn't 'gay' but so clearly is queer coded

7. Comrades, Almost a Love Story

   a movie from the year you were born

8. The Breakfast Club

   a movie referenced in one of your favourite tv shows (nothing specific. this is just referenced everywhere lol)

9. Mahakaal

   an indian movie

10. Nope

    a movie from the "movies that are better when you know nothing about them" list

...plus 21 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

idk, just copying my friends cyn and hydro who did this too. click on the notes to see my thoughts on each one

1. The last film you watched in theaters
2. Favorite film from your country
3. The oldest film you have seen
4. The film you have watched the most
5. Your favorite animated film
6. A film you know all the dialogues
7. A film you wish you could live in
8. A film from your favorite director
9. A film from your favorite actor
10. A film from your favorite actress
11. A film that is a guilty pleasure for you
12. A great film that you will never watch again
13. A film you dislike that everyone else liked
14. A film that deserves a sequel
15. A film in black and white
16. Your favorite musical film
17. A film that had an amazing trailer but ended up being bad
18. A film that made you happy to be single
19. A film that makes you believe in love
20. Your favorite foreign language film
21. Your favorite superhero movie
22. The funniest film you've ever seen
23. A film that haunted you for days
24. A film that always makes you cry
25. Your favorite whodunit film
26. A film adapted from a book
27. A film that made you fall asleep
28. A film from your childhood
29. A film from your favorite franchise
30. Your comfort movie
31. A film that is visually stunning
32. A film you regret watching
33. A film with a great score
34. A film with your favorite villain
35. Your favorite film from the year you were born
36. A film set in a place you always wanted to visit
37. A film where you can relate with the main character
38. A film with a number in a title
39. A film with low ratings but you love
40. A film set in the future
41. A film that made you angry
42. A film you wish you saw in theaters
43. A movie based on real events
44. Your favorite old classic movie
45. Your favorite movie poster
46. Your favorite horror or suspense film
47. A film with a disappointing ending
48. A film that kept you on the edge of your seat all throughout
49. A film with the best twists
50. A film that changed your life

1. The Kingmaker

   The last film I watched in theaters.
   (kinda disappointed it wasn't something more fun. damn you, covid)

2. Cleaners

   Favorite film from my country.

   I love this so much I watched it twice and gave it 5 stars and a lengthy review both times as well </3

3. Nanook of the North

   The oldest film I've seen.

   I took a film class that required this, idk what else to tell you

4. Spirited Away

   The film I have watched the most.

   Chihiro emotionally maturing and growing up in this otherworldly adventure is deeply embedded in my childhood psyche. does this choice make me basic? i don't give a fuck, now go away and leave me alone to cry to Sixth Station by Joe Hisaishi

5. Perfect Blue

   My favorite animated film.

   *screams as i see a distorted reflection of myself in the mirror*

6. Finding Nemo

   A film in which I know all the dialogues.

   P. SHERMAN, 42 WALLABY WAY, SYDNEY!!!

7. Suzaku

   A film I wish I could live in.

   Such stunning Japanese mountain landscapes rendered in 15mm! Thank you, Naomi Kawase. If I correctly, my review for this ended with something like "if I could choose a film to wrap myself in like a blanket, it would be this" and I stand by that completely.

8. Yi Yi

   A film from my favorite director.

   Thank you, Edward Yang. This is the last film I want to watch before I die.

9. Memories of Murder

   A film from my favorite actor.

   First of all, thank you Bong Joon-Ho for giving us The Host and, as everyone knows, Parasite. yeah, Song Kang-Ho is great in those films too, but.. his face and his eyes during key moments of realization in this film are just heartbreaking.

10. Late Autumn

    A film from my favorite actress.

    First of all, thank you Yasujiro Ozu for giving us Tokyo Story and Late Spring, among other beautiful classics. yeah, Setsuko Hara is great in those films too, but.. the way she played a mother here when she once played a daughter just gave her more emotions to work with and I- brb i'm crying

...plus 40 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.