#SOCKS

I know I haven't been writing here lately. There is more than one reason.

One, I'm busy and barely has time for anything else.

Two, tides have changed and I feel that watching awful movies is a waste of time.

On time and the busyness: I have been going to the office now since December, and I take on more responsibilities than before. Hence, there is not much time to write. Sometimes I even have to say no to writing assignments for PEP.ph.

On dang-awful movies: that Coco-Julia movies. That Kathryn-Daniel movie. I am sure that they would be awful, and so I don't want to see them. Somehow sitting in an office for six+ hours everyday (I only go after lunch) makes me want to go straight home, instead of wasting time watching a film that would certainly turn my brain to mush.

I still see movies over the weekend, but only the movies I want to see. No more forcing.

I also do reviews, but when I write them, they come up on PEP instead.

I also started catching up on TV series, so less movie-time. I am now watching Breaking Bad and American Horror Story.

One more thing: I am redesigning this website to incorporate more topics, like politics, technology, humor, and other interesting stuff. But first I have to finish Codecademy's Javascript track, and I'm currently stuck.

(Or maybe I would go on and design this using CSS and HTML. We'll see.)

Anyway... #SOCKS

Title: Sisterakas

Director: Wenn Deramas

Producer: Star Cinema and Viva Films

Distribution: Star Cinema and Viva Films

Date of premiere: December 25, 2012

Sisterakas works because its cast commits to its stupidity. This new Wenn Deramas movie recalls the days of stupid comedies, like Austin Powers or Scary Movie, where nothing is serious, not even the plot.

Sisterakas tells the story of two half-siblings named Totoy and Detty, who are into fashion. They are friends in childhood, but a family tiff made the two drift apart. Feeling abandoned, Totoy vows to bring down Detty's family.

Years later, Totoy (Vice Ganda) grows up to be a fashion magnate. The fashionable millionaire, however, still have not forgotten vengeance.

When Detty applies for a job in his company, Totoy is delighted. He makes her undergo several tortuous tasks, but Detty's sunny personality always lets her come out triumphant.

Now that Detty is under his hands, will Totoy continue his revenge plot? Or will family ties win out in the end?

What's delightful about Sisterakas is the countless gags that's on the screen at any given moment. Everything is over-the-top: the clothes and set design are very flamboyant, to the point of being garish.

Aside from the visual feast (or visual vomit), the movie also has a lot of humor, mostly coming from its brilliant cast.

A lot of movies have come from the Wenn Deramas-Vice Ganda team-up, but it is only in Sisterakas when I felt that the comedian was in his element. In his previous movies, his performances felt tied to a script, makinghis comedy suffers.

This time, Vice Ganda has been given free reign to do as he wants. You'd feel it in the way his quips are structured, because they are mostly about the actor or actress he is interacting with.

There's just too many too count, but the one I most remember is the scene where Kris Aquino was asking Daniel Matsunaga to sign a contract, and Vice Ganda quips about Kris's annulment. There's also the part where the two bragged about each other's endorsements.

What's good is that the other members of the cast are able to interact well with Vice Ganda. Kris Aquino, for one, shines here because she's willing to trade barbs with the comedian. She's also willing to make fun of herself, and that's always great to see.

Many funny moments also come from Ai-Ai delas Alas, and even from supporting cast member Joey Paras.

But the cast is the mere element that makes this movie more than tolerable. Like in all Wenn Deramas movies, the script is atrocious, chock-full of plotholes, and full of compromises.

The best symptom of this is how the film felt very engineered to gain an audience. There's the casting of a loveteam in Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, and the story of the two felt forced. There's also the casting of a kid in Xyriel Manabat, whose unnecessary to the movie.

All in all, the movie is funny, but only because the cast commits to how stupid it all is.

RATING: 3.5 stars out of 5
SUMMARY: It is funny, but praise the cast for that.

Title: One More Try

Director: Ruel Bayani

Producer: Star Cinema

Distribution: Star Cinema

Date of premiere: December 25, 2012

[NOTE: This review was first published at PEP.ph]

Star Cinema's One More Try asks tough questions. The resulting ethical dilemmas are set up for tragic circumstances, but it only has a minimum pay-off at the end.

One More Try is about Grace (Angel Locsin), a single mother whose child is terminally ill. The only cure left is to get a bone marrow transplant, but Grace is not a match. She then reconnects with Edward (Dingdong Dantes), the child's father with whom she had a fling years ago.

When results arrive and Edward is also not a match, Grace's doctor (Carmina Villaroel) advises Edward to impregnate Grace, in hopes that the child will have the matching bone marrow.

Edward, however, is married to Jacqueline (Angelica Panganiban), and Grace is engaged to Tristan (Zanjoe Marudo). Pretty soon, the doctor's suggestion creates turbulence in the two's romantic relationships.

With One More Try, Star Cinema and ABS-CBN continue its approach of tackling taboo concepts in its entertainment media.

On TV, the Kapamilya company produced Dahil sa Pag-ibig, which tackled celibacy in priesthood, and Ina, Kapatid, Anak, which tackled surrogacy and in-vitro fertilization.

This direction is admirable, as it predilects the topics that will be talked about in the coming months, and their products will be the points of reference.

But despite this, Star Cinema still employs the safe route in its treatment for these issues. One More Try, for instance, is rated R-13 by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, and feels like it was made for that rating, perhaps to garner a higher number of audiences at the tills.

Rendering a tale that tackles a taboo topic on an R-13 script is obviously not the wisest decision. Tales of infidelity need the heat and maturity in order to hit hard and be relevant. It needs to be like In The Realm of the Senses, more than it is like The Notebook.

As it is, One More Try succeeds only because it employs the broadest cliches on how romantic movies work. Sure, both Jacqueline and Tristan get angered with jealousy over Grace and Edward's new arrangement, but there's no sexual tension to deepen this rage. This is probably why everything can easily be whisked away to a predictable happy ending.

What's most praise-worthy about One More Try is the performances of its actors. Angel Locsin and Angelica Panganiban are formidable as women who will do anything for the people they love. Had Thy Womb not make it to this year's MMFF, there is no doubt that either of the two would take home the Best Actress plum. (Nora Aunor deserves the award for a brilliant take on a silently suffering childless woman in Brillante Mendoza's opus.)

Both Dingdong Dantes and Zanjoe Marudo give intense performances, but Dingdong is more believable. In the packed theater that this reviewer watched the movie in, the audiences laughed whenever Zanjoe went into a crying fit.

All in all, One More Try features four credible actors in a controversial story that tackles tough ethical issues. You'd wish it had more bite, though.

RATING: 2.5 stars out of 5
SUMMARY: Tries to be controversial, but it lacks heat.

Title: Shake, Rattle & Roll XIV
Director: Chito Roño

Producer: Regal Films

Distribution: Regal Films

Date of premiere: December 25, 2012

[NOTE: This review was first published at PEP.ph]

Shake, Rattle & Roll is now an annual fixture in the Metro Manila Film Festival.

Since 2005, every edition of the film festival has had the horror anthology. It is a welcome diversion, both for audiences and filmmakers: SRR gives moviegoers an option away from the usual drama, comedy, and fantasy fare that are always present in MMFF, and the short format gives directors a chance to experiment.

This year, Chito Roño was chosen to direct all three segments in Shake, Rattle & Roll 14. For the first time in SRR history, only one director helmed the three horror stories. Perhaps Chito Roño was the right choice for this feat. Aside from having several awards under his belt, he can be lauded for breaking several genre taboos in the 2012 box-office hit The Healing.

In SRR 14, Direk Chito brings three stories to life.

The first segment is "Pamana," written by Ricky Lee.

It tells the story of four cousins who receive news of an inheritance from their deceased uncle, a famous horror writer for comic books. Amidst the group's bickering, the comics writer's creations come to life to test them.

"Pamana" stars Herbert Bautista, Janice de Belen, Arlene Muhlach, Eri Neeman, Dennis Padilla, Empress, Ivan Dorschner, Dimples Romana, Fabio Ide, and Snooky Serna.

The second segment is "Lost Command," written by Rody Vera.

It is about a battalion of soldiers exploring an unknown forest for a secret operation.

"Lost Command" stars Dennis Trillo, Paulo Avelino, Martin Escudero, JC Tiuseco, Alex Castro, AJ Dee, Ronnie Lazaro, Rommel Padilla, Makisig Morales, and Ella Cruz.

The last segment is "Unwanted," written by Roy Iglesias.

It tells the story of the couple Hank and Kate, who get trapped in a mall after it collapses due to mysterious causes. Along the way, they meet several other survivors who help them solve the mystery.

"Unwanted" stars Vhong Navarro, Lovie Poe, Eula Caballero, Albie Casiño, Carlo Aquino, Eric Tai, and Jairus Aquino.

Of the three, "Pamana" is the most solid.

It is brilliantly-executed, and written with references to Filipino horror culture and history, such as the horror comics and the classic horror films. The ensemble cast is also excellent, with Herbert Bautista, Arlene Muhlach, and Janice de Belen leading the fray.

"Lost Command" is just average.

The story may be unoriginal (horror fans may recall the 2004 South Korean horror film R-Point), but the sharp production values and the strong performances from its predominantly all-male cast raise its quality.

Leading the troop is the always-reliable Dennis Trillo, showing enough toughness in a fear-filled situation and depicting perfectly how a soldier should be.

"Unwanted" is the weakest of the three. The grandness of the whole production—there are spaceships and large catastrophes—does not fit the short format.

Lead stars Vhong Navarro and Lovi Poe also confuse with their widely contrasting performances. Vhong infuses his Hank with a comedic vibe, while Lovi creates Kate with a far too serious demeanor.

The even less palatable part of this episode can be found in the ragtag band of supporting characters, none of whom is established well, so that in the end the viewer feels like they only exist to be eaten up by the monsters. A few of them need acting classes, too.

All in all, Shake, Rattle & Roll 14 is a mixed bag. But moviegers should still see it for "Pamana," which is worth the price of the entire ticket.

RATING: 2.5 stars out of 5
SUMMARY: Only one segment is worth seeing.

Title: The Strangers

Director: Lawrence Fajardo

Producer: Quantum Films and MJM Productions

Distribution: Star Cinema

Date of premiere: December 25, 2012

[NOTE: This review was first published at PEP.ph]

Lawrence Fajardo's The Strangers works because of its twist. The film has countless moments that do not make sense, at least until the twist comes along.

This twist is introduced halfway into the film, rebooting what the viewer knows about the characters so far.

Among film genres, horror is considered the hardest to do. It is difficult to terrify audiences. Fear comes from the unfamiliar and the unexpected, and so any director working on a horror flick must always reinvent the wheel.

The twist is one such way. It is, in fact, one of the most utilized techniques to freshen up a horror film. Made popular (but not invented) by director M. Night Shyamalan in the late '90s through the film The Sixth Sense, it is now one of the most-overused elements in modern horror.

Sometimes the twist works (The Others, Oldboy), and sometimes it doesn't (Guni-Guni, Amorosa: The Revenge). The twist in The Strangers is really quite clever.

It makes a lot of sense, and explains away the eerie events and little clues that come before.

Its significance in the film, however, is so large that revealing it will take away any enjoyment viewers will have. It is the big spoiler, and this review should be spoiler-free.

Instead, let us divide the movie like this: pre-twist, post-twist.

Post-twist is infinitely better than pre-twist. All hell breaks loose in the second half, and this is where all the action is.

The pre-twist, sadly, cannot match the post-twist's exuberant scale. In the first half, everything feels like a prelude, a setup of greater things to come.

The Strangers tells the story of a family driving through a province rumored to be rampant with aswang. When the van breaks down in the middle of the road, they have to find ways to escape before the night comes.

The story chugs along crudely because the characters are highly unlikable. Twin siblings Max (Enrique Gil) and Patricia (Julia Montes) do nothing but bicker and fight. Their father Roy (Johnny Revilla) has a hot temper. The mother, Evelyn (Cherry Pie Picache), seems to be neglectful of her children, letting them walk away even though danger is already present.

It is annoying to see these characters make the irrational choices that traditional dumb horror-movie characters make, as if they were seeking their own demise.

Thankfully, there's also Paloma (Janice de Belen), the yaya or caretaker of both Max and Patricia. Janice's Paloma is the movie's comic relief. Her character exists to lighten the film's dark setting.

Janice hits all the right notes here, and her short flirting scene with the driver (Nico Antonio) is downright hilarious.

2012 for Janice de Belen is a good movie year. Before this MMFF entry, she already starred in four movies: as a tough-willed woman in Jose Javier Reyes's Mga Mumunting Lihim, a suffering single mother in The Healing, a brave monster-fighting mom in Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles, and a murderous psychopath in Pridyider. She aced each one.

Actress of the year.

But Janice is not in The Strangers' top billing. Top credits are given instead to four of ABS-CBN’s most popular young stars: Enrique Gil, Julia Montes, JM de Guzman, and Enchong Dee.

Of the four, Enrique and Julia have the most complicated characters. They do acquit themselves in the movie's second half, but the two cannot quite show the complexity of their characters before the twist comes in. In some scenes, Julia just looks bored.

JM de Guzman plays a barrio villager who befriends Patricia. He does fairly well, although you'd wish he had more exposure.

Enchong Dee is the best of the four. He plays a mysterious character who's supposed to hunt monsters. He may not be the focus of the movie, but he gives a convincing performance nonetheless. It is interesting to note Enchong’s transformation in this movie: he sports a beard and looks like a taong grasa living in a muddy forest.

Much of the plot of The Strangers is wrapped in secrecy. Everything hinges on a twist that's quite clever, but ultimately limits the movie from pursuing a better way to tell its story.

Director Fajardo could have chosen to nix the twist in favor of focusing on one plot point, preferably that of Enchong Dee's character. Maybe this needs a sequel?

RATING: 2.5 stars out of 5
SUMMARY: Relied too much on the twist, so the storytelling suffered.

Title: Sosy Problems

Director: Andoy Ranay

Producer: GMA Films

Distribution: GMA Films

Date of premiere: December 25, 2012

Sosy Problems is almost impossible to sit through. It has a horrible story, an unlikable set of characters, and comes off insulting to viewers of all classes.

The intro says this much. Here, a monologue defines the different people in the country's social strata by using narrow and insensitive descriptors: the poor can't buy food, the working class struggles to eat at minimum wage, the middle class can eat three meals but can't buy a snack. Oh, and they all cannot buy cars--the upper middle class can buy cars but only second-hand.

If that monologue is not gratingly insulting, your skin must be too thick. Or you may be too apathetic.

Of course, the people behind Sosy Problems can put up the it-is-only-satire defense as an excuse to all this tripe. But what is it satirizing, exactly? The upper echelons of society, you say, those creatures who do nothing but shop for expensive luxuries and brag about those stuff.

But this movie does nothing of that.

Sosy Problems tells the story of four friends: Lizzie Consunji (Rhian Ramos) is an heir of a hotel franchise, Claudia Ortega (Heart Evangelista) is the daughter of a beauty queen, Margaux Bertrand (Solenn Heussaff) is the daughter of another beauty queen, and Danielle Alvarez (Bianca King), who is the daughter of a politician who has been charged with graft and corruption.

The narrative is all over the place. Lizzie is a disrespectful brat, so her father sends her to the province so she can wise up. Claudia and Margaux are best friends, but they are fighting for the affection of one valet boy. Danielle is aware of her disappearing riches, so she plots to attract a rich boy whom she could marry. 

There's also an overarching plot of the four girls trying to save a polo club from demolition. Of all the narrative threads, this one is the worst.

First off, the four girls initially try to save the polo club because it is the only place where they can hang out exclusively. Second, they show that they don't want the demolition to happen because they despise the new owner, a former yaya or caretaker who married a rich man.

The yaya (brilliantly played by Mylene Dizon) wants to demolish the polo club so she can create a mall for yayas like her, and the elite four is having none of it.

If that doesn't look like blatant classism to you, then you might want to have your heart checked.

The other narrative threads are just as icky, most of all Danielle's. The girl thinks the only way out of her predicament is to marry a rich guy. In the end, she snags one, who pledges to help her corrupt father to get out of jail.

Advocating using riches to get corrupt politicians out of culpability... does this still look like satire to you?

The main problem with this movie, then, is that the characters are just plain unlikable. They do get infused with a worthy cause at the end--that is, to save the polo club for its employees who are losing their jobs--but at that point it already feels artificial.

Watching Sosy Problems makes me remember the infamous line by social party animal Tim Yap, who is also in the movie. In 1997, he gave us this gem: 

"There is this mind-set, which I think is so passe, that says: `The country is in shambles and the country is having a hard time and you are out there partying.' But this generation is guiltless when it comes to that."

This quote best describes Sosy Problems. It encourages an uncaring attitude to the country's ills.

Sosy Problems could have been better if it gave a touch of realism. These are the apathetic sosyal, the people we gossiped about in Chikatime, so where are the juicy scandals and the drug use?

Perhaps GMA Films should have decided to distribute Gino Santos's The Animals instead of producing this crap.

RATING: 0.5 star out of 5
SUMMARY: Unrealistic and awful, insulting, and too apathetic. No wonder it lags at the box office.