Clik here to view.
On the Job (Erik Matti, 2013)
Written by Michiko Yamamoto and Erik Matti Directed by Erik Matti Cast: Joel Torre, Piolo Pascual, Gerald Anderson, Joey Marquez The hype surrounding On the Job confirms that a sizeable fraction of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Babagwa (Jason Paul Laxamana, 2013)
Written and directed by Jason Paul Laxamana Cast: Alex Vincent Medina, Joey Paras, Alma Concepcion There is a tendency to question the merits of Babagwa on account of its unpleasant ending, but even...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Riddles of My Homecoming (Arnel Mardoquio, 2013)
Written and directed by Arnel Mardoquio Cast: Fe GingGing Hyde, Perry Dizon, Madz Garcia, Jillian Khayle Barbarona, Jeff Sabayle Riddles of My Homecoming is a beautiful title, like a line from an ode...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Heart Locked Tight: The Top Tracks of 2013
Let’s begin with a confession: the finest pop song of the year is not on this list. Haim’s “The Wire,” which blends exquisite songwriting and an oddly fantastic fusion of simple melodies, boasts a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
You are Beautiful and You are Alone: The Top Albums of 2013
Omission or overstatement is always a possibility, and year-end lists thrive in risks, in flaws and fallacies, in misjudgment and misplacement. They exist for these reasons. They conclude a year the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Best Reads of 2013
Reading a book: happiness, like peeling an apple, warming a slice of pizza, chewing a sweet piece of gum, seeing a shooting star a second before it disappears, entering a library, breathing that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rekorder (Mikhail Red, 2013)
Written by Mikhail Red and Ian Victoriano Directed by Mikhail Red Cast: Ronnie Quizon, Mile Lloren, Buboy Villar The past year has been considered a high point of Philippine cinema, yet in hindsight,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan (Lav Diaz, 2013)
Written by Rody Vera and Lav Diaz Directed by Lav Diaz Cast: Sid Lucero, Angeli Bayani, Archie Alemania, Hazel Orencio, Angelina Kanapi Sometime in 2004, in a roomful of undergraduate students, a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
She’s Dating the Gangster (Cathy Garcia-Molina, 2014)
Written by Carmi Raymundo Directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina Cast: Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, Richard Gomez, Dawn Zulueta, Ian Veneracion There is something curious about this tendency of a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cinemalaya 2014 (Part 1)
K’na, the Dreamweaver (Ida Anita del Mundo) A friend calls it admirable, but another way of describing K’na is that it’s an exercise in wastefulness, squandering opportunities to produce a meaningful...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cinemalaya 2014 (Part 2)
Ronda (Nick Olanka) Sticking out like a sore thumb is how Ronda concludes deliberately, the systematic and calculated way it pulls the story in that direction, and how, in its resolve to follow the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cinemalaya 2014 (Part 3)
Hari ng Tondo (Carlos Siguion-Reyna) There is this priceless scene in Hari ng Tondo in which an emotional Cris Villonco, running away from home, trips and falls on the ground with her hastily...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cinemalaya 2014 (Part 4)
Children’s Show (Roderick Cabrido) The strength of Children’s Show lies in its interesting focal point—children and teenagers, their youth and poverty exploited, trying to make ends meet for their...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cinemalaya 2014 (Part 5)
Dagitab (Giancarlo Abrahan) Almost every aspect of Dagitab, from the story and direction to the cast and technical details, makes it a cut above the rest of the entries in this year’s Cinemalaya. Its...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Collapse into You: Best Reads of 2014
In these pages are signs of life, its sight and sound and scent, burrowing, making their presence felt—sighs, winks, gasps, pulse, heartbeats, whistles, moans, grace, imbalance, stench—but life is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
And All This is Folly to the World: The Top Filipino Films of 2014
2014, for most people, is just another year. But for those who have committed themselves to catching every possible screening in theaters, seeking the comfort and warmth of darkness with or without...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lav Diaz: Moving Forward by Going Back
From Siglo ng Pagluluwal (Century of Birthing, 2011) In the Philippines, a country whose centuries of struggle against foreign aggressors often reflect the violence that the majority of its people...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Smaller and Smaller Circles: Sinag Maynila 2015
Sinag Maynila is the brainchild of Solar Entertainment CEO Wilson Tieng and director Brillante Mendoza, a partnership that aims to bridge the financial and creative aspects of filmmaking, something...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Above the Clouds (Pepe Diokno, 2015)
Written and directed by Pepe Diokno Cast: Ruru Madrid, Pepe Smith Pepe Diokno’s much-awaited second film veers away from almost every aspect of his debut work, forgoing grit and aggression for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sleepless (Prime Cruz, 2015)
Written by Jen Chuaunsu Directed by Prime Cruz Cast: Glaiza de Castro, Dominic Roco, TJ Trinidad, Irma Adlawan Romance, whether in fiction or real life, has always been a major currency: love, more...
View Article