Metro Manila Film Fest has started in the Philippines

Metro Manila Film Fest (MMFF), has started on December 25, 2012.

This event will only allow local films to be shown in Metro Manila until the first week of January.  So those wanting to watch Foreign Films for the coming weeks, you are out of luck.

Production Houses in the Philippines at times only make movies to be shown in this event.  Since the winner will receive cash prize, besides making money from cinema sales.  The top contender every year are the movies, with Vic Sotto (a comedian, actor, & variety show host) as the main hero character and Ai-Ai Delas Alas (also a comedian, & actress).  Most movies that do well during this season are the comedy and/or fantasy movies.  It's the time of the year, where some have money to spend for their children and themselves.  A little escapism, where people try to escape from the reality and feel happy for just a while thru movies.

There seem to be a lot of good movies this time around, here are the titles of movies now showing:

• Si Agimat, Si Enteng Kabisote at Si Ako
• Sisterakas
• Sosy Problems
• The Strangers
• One More Try
• El Presidente
• Thy Womb
• Shake, Rattle & Roll 14

If I have to watch a movie this MMFF season, then I would probably watch El Presidente or The Strangers.

Animax is now on Cignal satellite TV

I haven't watch any cable TV lately, since I let my parents and sister watch and hug the LCD flat screen for the duration of this Yuletide season.

But lately, when I tried to look for my favorite channels, they have been moved.  So, I channel surfed, lo and behold, Animax was on my Php990/monthly (around $25 per month) channel listing.

I don't know if, I will be watching Animax, but I now have the option to watch anime/korean soap 24/7.

The Hobbit: Now Showing in the Philippines

The Hobbit: an unexpected journey is now showing in the Philippines.  This is the prequel to the blockbuster movie trilogy, Lord of the Rings.

This is the movie's 2nd week in cinemas, and will not be shown next week on the 25th of December until first week of January.  Since, it is the Metro Manila Film Fest starting next week, with only Filipino movies shown in cinemas to support the local film industry.

Deadfall: Now showing in the Philippines

Deadfall is now showing in the Philippines.  I have seen the movie trailer in cinemas, a couple of times, but still have a vague idea on how the movie will be.  I guess, it's under the genre of a drama, crime, and suspense category.  A category, which has been a less sell in theaters, and more of a direct to DVD or Blu-Ray.

Eric Bana is a good actor, so is Olivia Wilde.  But this film could be a pass for most movie goers, especially with Cloud Atlas shown on the same week.

Check out the schedule in Gateway Cineplex in Araneta Center, Cubao, QC, Philippines: http://www.gatewaycineplex10.com/index.php

Cloud Atlas is now showing in the Philippines

Cloud Atlas is now showing in Philippine cinemas.  There seems to be a lot of hype about this film.  But how come the date they release the film in the Philippines is more than a month late?  I'm not going to have my hopes up for this film, also the Hobbit will be showing next week, I'm going to save for that one instead.

If, I have to watch a movie this week, then this will be my top choice, second is Rurouni Kenshin and then Killing them Softly (starring Brad Pitt).  Metro Manila Film Fest (MMFF) will be on Dec. 25, so no foreign film by that time in cinemas within Metro Manila, only local films.  So, I have 3 weeks to decide which films to watch before the restrictions.

Twilight: Breaking Dawn part 2 - Review

On it's third week, I was able to watch the Breaking Dawn part 2 in a cinema.  After a long time, we were able to watch it.

How was it?
Not bad, actually. So guys, when your girlfriend asks you to watch it with her, it's okay to watch this one.  I was able to bare it till the end.  Just keep thinking it's the last one, repeat it over and over.

The film started great, the whole thing would have been a different experience for me if I was a teenage girl, dreaming to be a vampire with sparkly skin and super powers beyond human capabilities.

I have just one gripe on the film, the baby was really obvious of being computer generated.  Otherwise, decapitation like a Barbie doll, is cool with me. They have no problem with decapitation in the fight scenes.  See guys, we get to watch multiple decapitations as if they were dolls.  That alone, is a reason to watch this movie with your girlfriend.

Okay, overall the movie gets 4 out of 5 stars.  Why? Everything looks okay, except for the digital baby, plus the loop hole in the story, where the enemy took its time to go to the Collens to dispatch the child.  The Collens were able to travel all over the world to gather "witnesses" and other vamps were able to get to the Collens place, but the Volturi were nowhere to be found.  No reason why it took them long enough to get to the Collens.

Other than that, I enjoyed the movie for what it is.  It's probably on it's last week in cinemas.

Rise of the Guardians: Movie Review

I unexpectedly was able to watch this movie on its first week of showing in the Philippines.  What do I think of it? Well, it was awesome.  The graphics is just stunning, watching it in Digital format was great, probably better in 3D, but I'm wearing glasses, so I will have glare and not enjoy 3D.

How was the Story?

The story was good, could have been better, and it's better than UP and Despicable Me story, in my opinion.  Story telling was a bit off for me, but it's good enough for a kid's movie.  This movie is a re-imagining of popular icons such as Santa Clause, Easter Bunny, Sandman, Tooth Fairy & Jack Frost.  Of course, the villain here is the boogeyman.  Which is not even scary, understandable as this is a kid's movie.  Also, I think this is based on a book?  I saw a book with the same title, but different illustration, so I'm not sure if the story is the same as the book.

How was the voice acting? 

Well it was good, I just thought Jack Frost, the main character's voice is a bit mature for a teenage character.  

All in all, the movie is great, there are laughs from the situations and characters.  It's a kids movie, kids will enjoy it, some adults will also.  So, for this long weekend we have today in the Philippines, this is a good movie to watch with your kids.  I highly recommend it for its visuals.  

It's not a perfect movie, but it's up there.  This rating is based on Toy Story 3, that is why the rating is only 4 out of 5 stars.  Since, the bar was set by Toy Story 3 as the perfect score, in story, visual, sound/music, voice talents, and overall experience.  I think, if I got more emotion from the film, then I could have given it also a perfect score.    

Rise of the Guardians: Now Showing in the Philippines

I want to watch this movie, Rise of the Guardians is now showing in the Philippines.  I hope it's as good as the trailer implies.

Only one cinema per cineplex, I think, since there are multiple new movies this week.  New movies, this week are Trouble with the Curve, D' Kilabots Pogi Brothers, and Silent Hill Revelation.  Plus the movies released last week Paranormal Activity 4, and 24/7 in love.

You can just imagine, even if you have 10 cinemas, there are probably only one or two movie title shown in more than one cinema.  Take a guess, one of the movie shown in couple of theaters is Breaking Dawn, then again, it's probably its last week in theaters.

Silent Hill Revelation: Now Showing in the Philippines

We have two horror movies showing in the Philippines right now, one is the Paranormal Activity 4, shown since last week, and this new one, Silent Hill Revelation .  I know a couple of people, who will watch this movie on its first week being shown in the Philippines.

It has a MTRCB rating of R16.  I don't know if they censored a lot to pass a certain criteria, but it is currently R16 and is only shown in some theaters.

The synopsis is that a girl has to go back to silent hill to save her father.  Pyramid head, looks cool in the trailer, but that character is darn scary.

24/7 in Love is now showing in the Philippines

Guess what, I was not aware of this movie in the works at all.  It has an all star cast, trying to shoot fishes in a barrel using a shotgun.  I guess they want to make money so bad, that they try to have all the stars in one movie, and have the fans of different stars watch it.  This is a Star Cinema movie, a Philippine film with Filipino casts.

Guess who's in the movie: Bea Alonzo & Zanjoe Marudo, Angelica Panganiban & John Lloyd Cruz, Daniel Padilla & Kathryn Bernardo, Diether Ocampo & Maja Salvador, Gerald Anderson & Kim Chiu,  Piolo Pascual, Pokwang & Sam Milby, Xyriel Manabat, Zaijian Jaranilla, and others.

They say John Lapus is in the movie, but not in the poster.

It's an anthology movie, love stories in a world coming to an end.  It's like the movie Seeking a Friend for  the End of the World.  Yeah, hope they make lots of money on this one, seeing they are banking on an end of the world story.

Twilight: Breaking Dawn part 2 is now showing in the Philippines

I'm sure all are aware that the last installment of the Twilight movie franchise is now showing in the Philippines.

The Review can be seen on clickthecity.com link http://www.clickthecity.com/movies/?p=16870. I'm not gonna make a review of this film, since I will also be flamed by the fans.  Don't believe me?  Read the review from the clickthecity.com film critic and see how many comments/replies are there.  Usually there are only 2 or 3, but this film has multiple reply and comments.

Wreck-It Ralph: Now Showing in the Philippines

I'm looking forward to watching this movie.  It looks good and awesome seeing very nostalgic popular video game characters come to life on the big screen.

Wreck-It Ralph is now showing in the Philippines.  It's about an arcade video game villain (Bad Guy), that feels unappreciated.

I'll write a review once I see it in cinemas.  Hopefully, I'll be able to watch it on its first week.

Skyfall Review

I was able to watch Skyfall on its first week shown in cinemas.  What do I think of it?  Does it deliver on what it has shown on trailers?  Let's find out in my review.

In a nutshell, without spoiling anything about the movie, here is what I have to say:

I got sleepy during the movie, it is a typical James Bond movie, but instead of him saving the western civilization, they give you a bit of a background on James Bond as a person, instead of just a spy.  

The action sequence is good, it is an action film.  Daniel Craig delivers a great believable James Bond.  The villain is your typical James Bond villain (crazy & a bit stupid). 

I give it a 3.5 stars out of 5 stars.  

Why? Because, I almost fell asleep during the movie.  Even if I did, you wont miss much, the villain is a bit flat, the danger is not that imminent .

A bit of spoiler here so, do not read beyond this point if you prefer to find it out for yourself.

First off, the trailer is a bit misleading.  You'd hope it is the whole story, when in fact that action sequence you saw on the trailer is the first 15 minutes outtakes of the film.

The latest take they have on the James Bond Franchise, has been on the personal side of James Bond, how I miss the Pierce Brosnan type of James Bond.  They show, James Bond in a different light, with a bit of his past known to us.  Let's just say, it's a reboot of the franchise.  If you plan to watch more James Bond with Daniel Craig as the lead, then this will be a good start for you.

Old cast and story will be totally thrown out, let us prepare for a new take on 007.  Hope they do better next time, but I won't be watching it on the cinema.  I have a standard for block buster movies, and it it the latest Mission Impossible directed by Brad Bird (director of the Pixar: The Incredibles).  If that is not met, then the movie gets a 3 star or less.

James Bond - Skyfall: Now Showing in the Philippines

This is the most anticipated James Bond movie for me.  I usually don't care much for James Bond movies, but this one has me curious about the story.  Hope I don't get disappointed when I watch it on its second week, since it is a holiday in the Philippines on Nov 1 & 2.

Skyfall is now showing in most cinemas in the Philippines.  I'll give my review, when I get a chance to watch it, hopefully soon.

Argo movie review

This was not an expected movie to watch for me.  I wasn't expecting to enjoy this film at all when we entered the cinema.  I looked at the poster, what do I see? Ben Affleck as the main lead, I have not enjoyed any movie of Ben Afflect as a lead actor since Daredevil.  The poster does not tell me anything, nor does it make me want to see the movie.  The movie wasn't even promoted in the Philippines.  It was just there, no one knows what it is, nor there was any hype about it.

Since, I already watched Looper, there was nothing else to watch except this movie.  I was not expecting anything from this movie, no one mentioned it to me, or recommend it as a must watch.

From the start of the movie, you know it's a period movie, say late 1970's- early 1980's.  It started good and ended good as well.  Everything was nice, the location, the costume, the set pieces, the actors.  Let me just say, this movie shows Ben Afflect can direct a movie, a good one at that.

So, do I recommend this as a watch for the weekend? Definitely a must watch for me.  This movie, is better than the Three Stooges showing in cinemas right now.  It's a 5 stars out of 5 stars for me.  At the end credits, they show, the scenes and the original photos of the real events and people along side of the movie scenes and actors.

If you, like Saving Private Ryan, or political dramas based on true stories then you will also like this movie.  Not a boring moment for me on this movie.  A highly recommended movie, for me.

The Walking Dead Season 3: Update

The Walking Dead Season 3 is finally on Sunday at 7pm. Finally, I can watch on Sunday, as I relax after doing some chores at home.

The story is becoming intense this time around, having to deal with zombies does that to you I guess.  Life holds little meaning in this zombie apocalyptic world.  I was surprised on what happend in the second episode, there is no cliff hanger at the end.

Looper Movie Review

Okay, I've seen looper on it's first week of run in cinemas.  I have to agree with the clickthecity.com critic that it is a pretty good movie, fresh since the cinemas are usually full of Super Heroes, Horror and Drama movies.

The movie is so good, that even if you're tired and want to sleep, you won't be able to do so.  The movie story and direction has just the right pace, there is no dull moment.  If there was a dull moment, it just took a minute of the movie.

I know this movie will have you nose bleeding from the time travel conundrum of the past action you took will affect your future self, but the future self does not remember doing it until it has been done.  This is why, "Back to the Future" movie works, since the past and future selves do not meet.  That is why there is no flaw, since the both past and future persona do not meet at all or the past persona does not see the future version at all.  The story writing of "Back to the Future" is top notch in my opinion.

Back to the "Looper" movie, see what I did there? The story is basically about time travel where the main character is an executioner of people sent back from the future.  He knows that one of these days, he will be the one to kill his future self.  That is why he is called a looper, the loop will be closed when he kills his future self.  He is not alone, the main character is only part of a group of Loopers.  They (Loopers) receive silver bars as payment, and if you see gold bars strapped at the back of the man you just killed, that dead person is your future self and your contract has been fulfilled.

Cinematography is good, camera work is good.  Story is pretty good, you will be at the edge of your seat.  Even when I was expecting it to be a good movie, it delivered what I was expecting.  I was not disappointed with this movie, and I will probably watch it again if shown in cable.

If you are planning to watch a movie this weekend.  I would highly recommend this movie.  A four and a half (4.5) out of five(5) stars.  I have never seen anything like it for some time now.  I watched last Saturday.

Walking Dead Season 3 on cable

I missed the Season 3 - first episode of The Walking Dead.  I was thinking it was on Sunday on Fox Philippines, when actually it was on Saturday.  I thought it was 8:55pm on Sunday, but actually it was on a Saturday.  I have to check again the schedule for star movies channel, since I only have time to watch on a Sunday.  Or I just download it.

Tiktik - The Aswang Chronicles: Now Showing in Philippine Cinemas

This movie also gets a high praise from the Clickthecity.com film critic.  Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles, looks good for a Philippine production using green screen.

If I was to watch a Philippine made movie this week, I'd probably be watching this movie.  It looks like a Philippine version of Van Helsing movie.

Looper: Now Showing in Philippine Cinemas

Looper is now showing in Philippine Cinemas.  This movie, has a concept of time travel and the mafia using it as a means to dispose of people in the future.

This movie has high praise from the critic in ClickTheCity.com.  Imagine he gave it a five star out of five star. Must be a very good movie.  I'm now excited to watch it.  I'll give my own review, if I ever get to see it this coming weeks.

Taken 2: Movie Review

Well, I finally was able to watch Taken 2 on its first week shown in cinemas.  Not bad, not as good as the first, in my opinion.  But that could just be me.  In fact, when I watched "Taken", I thought there won't be any sequel.  Since, the story will probably be corny or forced just to have a part 2.  Lo and behold, part 2 of Taken.

So, what do I think about this movie? It's a good movie, I'll give you that.  But I feel the rage and anger from a father (Liam Neeson) more in the first movie, this one is a tamed down movie.  In fact, there are scenes where you would think it's just flawed.  Like, you leave a dangerous man in a room, tied up and leave an armed guard outside.  It's like giving the captive a chance to escape.

I hope they don't create a part 3 of this movie, because it will probably destroy this movie for good.  I still like the action sequence, the story on the other hand is just good and flawed.

So, is it a watch this weekend? I'd say if you are a fan of the first movie, than you have the option to watch.  If you have to watch an action film this weekend, there's no other choice, but this movie.  Otherwise, it's a pass, if you have other things to do.

It's a 3 stars out of 5 stars, for me.  It's just not as good as the first in my opinion.  Or I'm just expecting too much from a great film.

Taken 2: Now Showing in the Philippines

I wasn't able to watch the first one in the cinema, but was able to see it on DVD.  The first movie is very good.  I wasn't expecting much on that first movie, but now I'm expecting much better action and story on this second installment.

The story, this time is about revenge of the kidnapper's father on Liam Neeson, since he killed the son on the first movie.  I don't know if it requires you to watch the first movie to enjoy this, or the 2nd movie will tell you all about what happen in the first one.

For you to be excited to watch this one, I suggest you first see the 1st movie, before watching the 2nd movie.  If you didn't like the 1st, then the 2nd won't give you much as well.

What I really like, about the first movie, is how realistic and real time it was made.  You can see the urgency in what he is trying to do, there is not much of a rest period.  He has to save his daughter in the fastest time possible and with the options he has at that time.

I'm not sure, if I can watch this movie anytime soon, but I will try to give a review once I see it in the cinema.

Of All the Things - Philippine Movie: Now Showing

I haven't seen or heard about this movie until a couple of weeks ago when I saw it on local Philippine website on coming soon movies.  I have not seen any trailer of this movie, and I have been in cinemas at least once a week.  If they promoted it well I could at least have seen it on TV.

I think, they also know people will probably pass on this movie, seeing they already watched "The Mistress" which was hyped by ABS-CBN.  People, would probably decide to pass on this movie, since they have no clue on what this movie is about.  The title does not help either, all we know it's a romantic film.  Will this even help Aga Mulach on his start on a political career?  Who knows.

The Perks of being a Wallflower: Now Showing in the Philippines

The Perks of being a Wallflower is now showing in Philippine cinemas.  The first time I saw this on trailer, I immediately thought, probably not my cup of tea.  I think this movie will be appreciated more by teens, and those feeling being an outcast in their school.

So, yeah. If your a fan of Emma Watson from Harry Potter movies.  Then you probably will enjoy seeing her on a different role.

Dredd - Movie Review

Well, I was able to finally watch the not so famous Dredd movie.  I can tell you right now, it has a merit of its own.  And you may try to compare this to the Stallone - Judge Dredd movie, but you will be a bit disappointed with this one, if you do that.

When watching this Dredd movie, I keep thinking if this was created during the 80's.  I mean the color reminds me of old 80's movies, and the cars are not that futuristic.  You will be more inspired with the old Judge Dredd movie than this one.  This version has more gore and violence than the Stallone version.  Also, I think the one shown in Philippines has more cuts in the gory parts.

The movie, will remind you, that it will look great if you watch it in 3D.  There are lot's of scenes, where it really looks good in 2D, what more if you were watching it in 3D?

There are elements to this movie that makes this a good story, I say "good" but not great.  There are times, the movie felt dragging, like 70% of the movie.  But there are some quite good scenes, that I think is memorable for this movie.

I know people are reminded of the Indonesian film, "The Raid" when watching this, since, it's almost the same story.  Law enforcement, enter a building, they are attacked by a drug lord, and tenants or people inside try to kill them.

I think this movie, only shows a day in Judge Dredd's life.  There is no grand scale plot that affects their judging system, only the everyday goings in Judge Dredd's life.

How I miss, Stallone's version of "I am the Law!".  I don't recommend this film, unless you're a Judge Dredd fan, or watched the first Stallone version and want to compare.  Otherwise, you will be sleeping inside the theater or thinking of leaving and do something else.

It's a two (2) and a half stars out of five (5) for this movie.

Ruby Sparks: Now Showing in the Philippines

Ruby Sparks has been shown in Philippine cinemas, since Wednesday,  I am only writing about it now, since most theaters only have one cinema showing this movie.  Unlike other movie titles, that are shown at least in 2 cinemas, this movie is only shown in one.

What is the story or concept of this movie?  Well, a writer thru his mind and typewriter, willed a female into existance and everything he writes about her becomes true.  And worst part is, he is in love with her, since she is his ideal woman.  This is based on the trailer I saw of this movie.

If you don't want action (Dredd), and horror (Pridyider) movies showing this week.  Then this is the movie to watch, a romance movie, chick flick.

Pridyider - a Philippine movie: Now Showing in the Philippines

Pridyider is now showing in Philippine cinemas.

It is a movie remake and expansion of an original episode in a Shake, Rattle and Roll franchise.  The original character was Janice De Belen, and she is also in this remake.  I wonder, how they can improve the movie, but Andi Eigenmann as the lead actress could make the film good as the original or better.

Dredd movie: now showing in the Philippines

Dredd is now showing in theaters, although not expected to see a box office hit, I think this movie still could be fun to watch.  In Gateway Cineplex 10 only 3 cinemas are showing the movie out of 10 cinemas.  There are currently 3 other local films, and 2 foreign films showing in cinemas.

I'm still not sure, if I'm gonna be able to watch this movie and give a review this week.  I'm thinking of watching Ruby Sparks, depends really on my movie watching buddy.

Resident Evil: Retribution - Review

Well, I finally got to see the movie.  I pretty much enjoyed the movie.  Even though the "click the city" critic, that I usually based my decisions on watching a movie or not, only gave it 1 and a half stars.  I understand, his frustration on the movie, but the USA critics gave great reviews on the movie.  Mixed reviews from all of them, but let me also give my personal opinion and review on the movie.

Okay, for me, it was a fun movie to watch.  I was kinda expecting it to be a thrill ride from start to finish, it being an action movie.  The action starts after the narration of the main character, it's all good.  Also, a new kind of zombies are presented here, like running zombies and zombie army that can use machine guns and operate vehicles.

It has the same feel to it, from the first, second, third, so forth movie.  There is a sense of being a big, blockbuster film.  I didn't feel cheated out of my money for watching this movie, I got my money's worth in my opinion.  Would I watch it again? Sure, if it is shown on cable or HBO.  I would probably watch the whole franchise again, if it was a marathon in HBO or Cinemax.  That would be almost half a day of Resident Evil.

This movie is a 3 and a half stars out of 5 stars, for me.  Even though, a 5 minute explanation by the main character on what happen previously in the movie franchise was not necessary.  People should just rent or buy the previous parts, if they haven't seen it before.  People who watched this movie, most probably already watched all the previous ones, especially the last one before this movie.

If you have never seen previous movies of this movie franchise, I suggest you watch the first movie and decide if you like it.  Then watch all the rest until this latest installment movie.  I'm still excited for the next movie of the Resident Evil franchise.


SPOILER (kinda, just the ending spoiler)


Ok, I might spoil it for you here, but the movie ends in a cliff hanger sequence or scene, which they did not mention.  Like the last movie, it wants you to watch the next one.  Which I did, but this one is better then the last one.  They better put an ending on the next one, or people will be really pissed.  People already reacted after the movie that it was like a restart to the first one.  For me, it was an OK ending, since I still want to watch more Resident Evil movies.  Come on, that's why they still make zombie movies, people still watch them.  That is why they still make "the walking dead" series.  People's fear of the dead going back to life and going after them, still sells.

The Mistress - a Philippine Movie, is now showing

"The Mistress" is a Philippine movie staring the long time love-team actors: John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo.  I have seen some of their films as a love-team, they have good chemistry on screen.  

Their movie "One More Chance" is already a classic in Philippine cinema, and a strong recommendation on my part for you to watch it, if you haven't seen it yet.  I lost interest in Philippine cinema, a long time ago, but this classic movie gave me something to look forward to in the revival of our cinema arts.

Anyway, "The Mistress" is a story of between a man who is in love with a mistress of another man.  As far as I can tell after watching the trailer.  The trailer looks promising for a good movie, but it really depends on audience expectations.

Here is their full trailer of the movie, "The Mistress".

Resident Evil:Retribution is now showing in the Philippines

Resident Evil: Retribution is now showing in the Philippines.  I'm excited to see this one.  I'll give a review of this movie soon. One of the reason, I'm watching this is because of the trailer showing all previous dead characters are back and new characters from the game will be in this movie.

Welcome to Movies, Cable, & TV Philippines

Welcome, readers, I made this blog to help people know what movies, series are already available in the Philippines.  I will also post, up coming movies and series, that you should look forward in the Philippines. Hopefully with this blog I can inform you on the latest movie, cable, and TV you can expect in the Philippine area.

I will try to update often on movies & series I have seen and give my opinion on their merits.