News

Sinag Maynila review: Audiences love 'Akin ang Korona' for good reason

Fred Hawson
Updated as of Apr 14 11:26 AM

My personal bet for Best Picture is this little unassuming film about what happens behind-the-scenes in a reality TV show.  Read more »

Review: If you want to see a master class in staging a breakdown, watch ‘Greta’

Andrew Paredes
Posted at Apr 13 12:03 PM

This film from the Crying Game director starts intriguingly, and then just devolves into a garden variety stalker thriller. But then it stars the amazing Isabelle Huppert. Read more »

Review: Breakthrough’s unshakeable faith saps it of any real drama

Andrew Paredes
Posted at Apr 12 02:17 PM

The script and direction are generic at best, putting the film’s emotional weight on Chrissy Metz, an accessible actress whose charisma lies in her ordinariness. Read more »

Review: ‘Hellboy’ is the kind of mess that might give you a migraine

Andrew Paredes
Posted at Apr 11 01:02 PM

The film is a mashup of the superhero and horror genres. While that sounds exciting, the result is muddled storytelling. Read more »

Movie review: 'Last Fool Show' shines with commercial creativity

Fred Hawson
Posted at Apr 11 11:28 AM

'Last Fool Show' is very interesting because it was about the local movie industry and the market forces that drive it nowadays. Read more »

Sinag Maynila review: 'Pailalim' is a reasonable choice for best picture

Fred Hawson
Posted at Apr 10 07:10 PM

The setting of the film is present day within the sprawling compound of the Pasig City Cemetery where several families had illegally occupied various crypts of their choice as their informal residences. Read more »

Review: Unicorn Store is a sparkly tale on adulting, but a little edge could have really sold it

Andrew Paredes
Posted at Apr 08 12:06 PM

As a followup fare to Captain Marvel, this Brie Larson-Samuel Jackson reunion leaves us asking for more than flash. Read more »

Movie review: 'Jino to Mari' will make you feel dirty and guilty

Fred Hawson
Posted at Apr 05 12:33 PM

The movie shows how poverty can lead people to do anything no matter how disgusting, perverted, or unsavory just to earn enough money for their families. Read more »

Movie review: 'Pet Sematary' remake is more unnerving than original

Fred Hawson
Posted at Apr 04 12:20 PM

Following "Carrie" in 2013 and "It" in 2017, "Pet Sematary" also got its remake this year.  Read more »

Review: the DCEU finally learns to let loose with Shazam!

Andrew Paredes
Updated as of Apr 02 07:00 PM

Generic flying flights and city-wide destruction aside, the Zachary Levi-Asher Angel starrer feels less like a superhero movie than a throwback kid comedy. It’s silly yet sincere, at times awkward yet heartfelt. Read more »

Review: Pet Sematary’s brilliant storytelling is ruined by its last 15 minutes

Andrew Paredes
Posted at Apr 02 04:45 PM

The recent adaptation of the Stephen King classic improves a lot from its 1989 predecessor. But all plus points are lost come its schlocky, dispiriting end.  Read more »

Movie review: 'Five Feet Apart' is the latest film about sick teens in love

Fred Hawson
Updated as of Apr 01 01:36 PM

Romantic relationships between sick teenagers are a genre of its own, especially in recent years. Read more »

Review: ‘Us' is a steadily entertaining, suspenseful follow-up to ‘Get Out’

Andrew Paredes
Updated as of Mar 21 06:54 PM

He got a lot of help from Lupita Nyong’o. Read more »

Movie review: Parallel possessions in 'Second Coming' and 'The Prodigy'

Fred Hawson
Updated as of Mar 06 01:06 PM

'Second Coming' and 'The Prodigy' both tackled the same horror premise -- the possession of a child by a malevolent spirit of a person who just died. Read more »

Movie review: 'Escape Room' takes the game to a different, deadly level

Fred Hawson
Posted at Mar 05 02:45 PM

As someone who enjoys escape room activity now and then to whet my IQ, watching this film was a no-brainer.  Read more »

Review: ‘Escape Room’ is fun—if you are willing to suspend your disbelief

Andrew Paredes
Updated as of Feb 27 01:54 PM

Adam Robitel’s thriller pits a group of disparate stereotypes against deathly-dangerous puzzles.  Read more »

Movie review: 'Happy Death Day' repeats loopy formula in winning sequel

Fred Hawson
Updated as of Feb 21 01:28 PM

Just when you thought everything was ironed out pretty neatly at the end of the original "Happy Death Day," the filmmakers behind it suprised by coming up with a sequel.  Read more »

Movie review: 'The Lego Movie 2' is a sub-awesome sequel

Fred Hawson
Posted at Feb 20 12:26 PM

This new animated feature is a direct sequel to the big hit "The Lego Movie" released five years ago, which launched its own series of films with anthropomorphic Lego characters. Read more »

Movie review: McConaughey goes noir in bizarre 'Serenity'

Fred Hawson
Posted at Feb 17 04:47 PM

Matthew McConaughey is back to his old pre-Oscar exaggerated acting style in "Serenity."  Read more »

REVIEW: Cold Pursuit is a startling neo-noir thriller with a dark sense of humor

Andrew Paredes
Posted at Feb 16 07:59 AM

It is its own peculiar, fascinating creation. Read more »