REVIEW: The Witness

Title: The Witness

Director: Muhammad Yusuf

Producer: GMA Films, Skylar Pictures

Distribution: GMA Films (in the Philippines)

Date of premiere: March 21, 2012

The Witness is an admirable effort.

The new movie from GMA Films (co-produced by Skylar Pictures of Indonesia) does many things right that it succeeds as a horror film.

Unfortunately, what could be off-putting for mainstream Filipino moviegoers is that The Witness does not follow typical Pinoy horror movie conventions. The Witness is not similar to recent box-office hits like Dalaw and Segunda Mano, films that senselessly pound viewers with scare-after-scare to establish their horror cred.

The Witness is more masterful. In the press preview that PEP attended last Monday, March 19, the most common gripe about the movie is that the pacing is too slow. But in this reviewer's opinion, this slowness helps the movie more than it deters it.

In fact, the very best of Asian horror cinema are known for their slow pacing. Examples of these are great films like Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure, Takashi Miike's Audition, and Park ki-hyung's Acacia. (A Western film that could also be an example is the recent The Woman in Black, starring Daniel Radcliffe.)

The slow pacing is essential to create each of these films' heavy moods and eerie atmospheres. The pace also gives the endings more weight, because they stand out from the rest of movies' muted tones.

This is what director Muhammad Yusuf achieves for The Witness. The plot moves at a glacial phase, but the jaw-dropping reveal at the ending more than makes up for it.

So with the slow pacing, is the movie boring? Far from it. At the center of the movie is Filipina actress Gwen Zamora, who gives such a strong performance that makes the movie compelling, minute by minute. Gwen plays Angel, a hotel manager who survives the massacre of her family. Distraught by the tragedy, she needs to face her own ghosts to find her family's killer.

Helping Gwen are Indonesian actors Nigel Ryder, Kimberly Ryder, and Marcelino Lefrandt. A special mention must also be given to actor Agung Saga, who plays Ais. His performance is outstanding.

What makes this film lose points are minor plotholes that are not important to the reveal, so they are not a major annoyance.

Should you see The Witness? Yes, you must. But don't expect a typical Pinoy horror movie, because this one is better.

RATING: 3.5 stars out of 5
SUMMARY: Really slow pacing but competent horror film. Not for everyone.

(Also published in PEP.ph)

REVIEW: Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang

Title: Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang

Director: Richard Somes

Producer: Star Cinema, Reality Entertainment, and Strawdogs Studio

Distribution: Skylight Films

Date of premiere: March 14, 2012

The strength of Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang lies in its visuals.

Corazon is directed by Richard Somes, who is known to be a proficient production designer, so it is no surprise that he nails the visuals of his newest movie for Star Cinema.

Corazon stars Erich Gonzales and Derek Ramsay, as a couple in 1946, living in a barrio where the first aswang will originate from. Ostracized by the villagers, Erich as Corazon gradually loses her sanity until she becomes a monster.

Somes's direction brings 1946 to life with period costumes and structures, and an atmosphere that evokes nostalgia. There's a poetic nature in each frame, achieved through the use of smoke, dust, and greenery.

The whole look captures the feeling one gets when living in a barrio: time seems to run slowly, and nothing seems to run sinister. This is why terror is doubled once an aswang finally roams the barrio.

It also helps that Derek and Erich were chosen to play the lead parts. Derek has a magnetic charm going for him that magnifies the charm of any frame he's in. Erich looks pretty even with her hair frazzled and make-up frayed. Her stills as an aswang look like editorial shoots for high-fashion magazines.

But one thing going against Corazon is that the storytelling is a bit messy. When Corazon curses God for a tragedy that befell her, it doesn't make a lot of sense since Corazon is not established to be religious.

It's also a shame that there are too many stories at work in Corazon. It's a titular role, and as such, only her story should have been the focus. Stories involving the owner of the hacienda, the crazy woman, and stories of the villagers should have been minimized to intensify the power of Corazon's plight.

The story of the crazy woman, for instance, could have been edited out because she was not mentioned again in the film's second half, even though her case seemed to have a lot of bearing to what happened to Corazon.

But then Tetchie Agbayani, who plays the crazy woman, played her character very well that she contributed a lot to the film's supernatural quality.

Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang is co-produced by Star Cinema, Reality Entertainment, and Strawdogs Studio with distribution by Skylight Films. It also stars Epy Quizon, Mon Confiado, Mark Gil, Sue Prado, and Sharlene San Pedro. It is currently being screened in cinemas nationwide.

RATING: 2 stars out of 5
SUMMARY: Topnotch visuals with messy storytelling cluttered with too many side stories that did not contribute to the titular character's ending.

REVIEW: My Kontrabida Girl

Title: My Kontrabida Girl

Director: Jade Castro

Producer: GMA Films

Distribution: GMA Films

Date of premiere: March 14, 2012

GMA Films's My Kontrabida Girl was a pleasant surprise.

I did not expect much from watching this film, because more often than not, local film production companies completely botch romantic comedies. Only Star Cinema seems to be able to pull off good ones like Unofficially Yours, but they are also capable of stinkers, like the recent My Cactus Heart.

But with My Kontrabida Girl, boy, was I wrong. This movies is excellent, and really really funny.

My Kontrabida Girl tells the story of Isabel Reyes, a famous kontrabida actress who loses her mojo when a poor man saves her from an accident. She loses all cruelty in her body that she becomes an ineffective kontrabida. Taking the advice of an iconic kontrabida, she then goes in search of Chris Bernal (Aljur Abrenica), the boy who ruined her life in grade school, so she can take revenge and become cruel once again.

It helps a lot that respected indie director Jade Castro (of Zombadings and Endo) was in charge of this gem. He offers new styles and approaches to comedy, that there are too many of them to count.

To be honest, this film is up there with Kimi Dora, if we talk about the number of scenes that one can talk about. If Kimi Dora has Yaya Moi, My Kontrabida Girl has Chariz Solomon in the role of a production assistant who takes pleasure in being slapped by her actress-boss. If Kimi Dora has that hilarious and memorable scene where a twin pretends to be her sister, My Kontrabida Girl has this hilarious and memorable scene where Rhian Ramos tops the most cruel kontrabida scene in history, when she adds more actions after a slap.

The ending scene is also equally hilarious, as Isabel Reyes still becomes the kontrabida for the always bida, played by Gwen Zamora. Watch this to find out why.

The movie also serves as both a parody and a tribute to the kontrabidas of the local film industry. There's a great montage that revisits these kontrabidas, with a good recurring punchline to boot.

This is also the only media (movie or TV) where I did not dislike Aljur Abrenica's acting. In fact, I think he really does well in this movie. I'm really happy that he has outgrown his "machete" acting style.

Some would say that Isabel Reyes's motives are not outlined well in the movie, and I can see that while watching, but I really did not care because I knew the movie just wants us to have fun. And that it does well.

I can tell you more hilarious moments in My Kontrabida Girl, but that would spoil the movie for you. Go watch it instead.

RATING: 4 stars out of 5
SUMMARY: Really hilarious movie that serves as a tribute to kontrabidas in local film history. Some would say Rhian's character is not well-outlined, but that does not matter much because that does not get in the way of comedy.

POSTER BATTLE: My Kontrabida Girl vs Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang

Today, March 14, there is a battle of sorts in local mainstream cinema: GMA Films vs Star Cinema, and indie director Jade Castro vs indie director Richard Somes. I'm talking of two local mainstream movies opening today, of course. These are the romantic comedy My Kontrabida Girl, and the gothic horror Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang.

Who will sell more tickets on opening day? Which is a better film? Which will become a box office success? These questions can only be answered in a few days. For now, let's compare them through a tangible idea: posters. Let's have a poster battle.

Both posters below are the official posters.

Awkward hand placements and disappearing hands: yes, this is the poster for My Kontrabida Girl. It commits too many modeling sins (and styling issues) to make Tyra Banks absolutely furious. Rhian Ramos's gloves shrink her body by having the same color as her blouse. The large pearls help with the shrinking. And where is her right hand? Did Aljur Abrenica eat it? Bea Binene also has an alien hand in the inset.

The poster for Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang captures the movie's theme very well. Pregnancy and birth are put to the foreground by enclosing Erich Gonzales and Derek Ramsay in a womb-like figure, which is set in the middle of a grassland, telling the viewers about the setting of the movie. The typeface is also good. Genius.





















Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang has a better poster, if it isn't obvious.