Kita Kita (2017) movie review

Empoy Marquez & Alessandra De Rossi stars in "Kita Kita" (Screenshot from the trailer)

There's one film that everyone's talking about these past few days. And surprisingly, it's not a Star Cinema romcom. It's not even featuring one of today's hottest love teams. But it is a certified blockbuster. The movie is "Kita Kita"

I've been looking forward to Sigrid Andrea Bernardo's Kita Kita (I See You) ever since I've learned about it months ago. Especially after finding out that it's going to feature Alessandra De Rossi in the lead role since I've been sort of a fan of her after seeing her in Relax, It's Just Pag-ibig (2014) and Sakaling Hindi Makarating (2016). What added to my curiosity was her leading man in this film which turned out to be Empoy Marquez. Now, that's interesting.

Lea (Alessandra De Rossi) and Tonyo (Empoy Marquez) are two Filipinos living in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Lea is a Velo taxi tour guide. She suffers an accident which leads to her being affected by temporary blindness. Her blindness, if not cured in a few weeks, could become permanent. Tonyo is also a Filipino who lives right across from Lea. Lea tries her best to ignore him at first because she is scared of not seeing him. But Tonyo is persistent and is determined to be her friend, using humor and kindness to make a connection. With every effort that he makes the two gradually become closer. In an ironic way, becoming blind allows Lea to see the true character of Tonyo.(Source: Osaka Film Festival)

After reading the synopsis, one would usually conclude that it's story isn't that new anymore and that's it's pretty common in the romcom genre. Plus the trailer itself actually felt like it was giving away too much of the story already, which most of the time turns off audiences from actually seeing the film. But to my surprise, this synopsis and the trailer was actually just the tip of the film's story. It offers more than what we see from these trailers and movie summary. It's spin on the romcom genre is unique, fresh and quite amusing. And it will surely surprise you once you go and see it for yourself.

To start with, watching Empoy and Alessandra De Rossi as love team really needs one's suspension of disbelief. You have to realize that Lea is blind here, so she has no idea how Tonyo actually looks like in person. So it is inevitable  for her to fall for him. After letting yourself give in to it's story and just go with it's flow, that's where the movie becomes charming and delightful.

Unlike most romcom movies nowadays, Sigrid Bernardo's script doesn't focus too much on characters throwing hugot lines to pinch it's audiences' heart and to bring up sad memories of one's past love to get our interest. Instead, it opted to show two ordinary people hanging out together while touring the beautiful city of Sapporo, Japan, while slowly getting to know each other. The story seems simple at first, but as the movie progresses, we start to discover the real story behind one of the characters, and it changes everything we thought about this character. I must admit that I have a little bit of an idea about this revelation right from the very start. But still, Sigrid Bernardo's script surprised me the way she weaved the two character's story together. That final twist really came out of nowhere and I honestly didn't see it coming. That is how talented director Sigrid Bernardo is.

There's a great distinction that everyone for sure would notice when watching mainstream and indie films in general. In mainstream movies, the ones produced and released by big house movie companies in the country, we watch beautiful actors and actresses play ordinary people. Imagine Liza Soberano playing an ugly duckling in a film (just an example. Don't worry. I love Liza with all my heart). In contrast, when we watch indie films, we see the characters, not the actors playing them. This is most likely because indie films tend to get actors who actually looked the part. They don't feel manufactured for the sake of looking like the character they portray. And I guess this is a plus points for independent films as it adds realism to the movie. In this case, we get Empoy Marquez playing the not-so-good-looking kababayan Tonyo. No offense but let's admit it, he definitely looks the part. And I guess that's what makes him perfect for the role.

Who knew that Empoy would become a leading man in a film someday? But what really surprised me was there oozing chemistry between him and his leading lady, Alessandra De Rossi. The two of them actually complements each other. Empoy plays the fun and always determined guy while Alessandra De Rossi is the moody and always serious girl who always rejects his advances. Alessandra De Rossi proved her versatility as an actor with the shift of genre, from the roadtrip drama Sakaling Hindi Makarating to a cute romcom in Kita Kita. Her portrayal of Lea during the character's introdcution at the beginning of the film was simple yet so natural. She immediately grabbed my attention and got me hooked from the very start until the end.  Just like what I've previously stated in my review of Sakaling hindi Makarating, she's undeniably one of the best, yet most underrated actresses in the industry today. The two of them really make a good match. Although Alessandra and Empoy being paired together might seem like a gamble at first, it works. And it works so well that it's exceeding everyone's expectations.

The film also benefited a lot from it's location. The whole story of the film happens around the city of Sapporo, which is rich with gorgeous places that makes every scene picturesque. I especially loved the scene where the two of them were wandering around a filed of colorful flowers. The place really made a very big impact on making that scene so memorable because of it's delightful aura. Then, there's also the wonderful soundtrack of the film featuring KZ Tandingan's cover of Two Less Lonely People In The World that stamped a final oomph! in the movie.

I don't know exactly what to feel after watching Kita Kita (2017). Yes, I must admit that the ending was sad (which is why a lot of people admitted that they cried after the movie. But the film is too beautiful to be sad. And that's a good thing because that's what makes the experience of seeing it memorable. It's a funny, charming, delightful type of entertainment that will leaves a smile in your lips (or a tear in your eye for others). It's an unconventional movie with a heart, overflowing with charm that never overstays it's welcome.

Source: Kita Kita Facebook page

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ of 5
Kita Kita (2017)
Starring Alessandra De Rossi and Empoy Marquez,
directed by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo

Bloody Crayons (2017) movie review

Source: Star Cinema website

I've always loved watching/ reading a good murder mystery story ever since I've read Agatha Christie's classic novel "And Then There Were None". There's a certain thrill and excitement in watching and reading these types of stories because you feel like a detective, trying to discover who the real culprit is. Plus, these kinds of stories always have the best payoffs once the killer is revealed in the end. Unfortunately, there aren't any Filipino made murder mystery movies that has been released in the past years as I recall. So it was such a delight when Star Cinema has announced way back in April 2015 that they have picked up the rights to the movie adaptation of a hit Wattpad novel by Josh Argonza, entitled Bloody Crayons, to be topbilled by Jane Oineza. The said novel was a murder mystery published as a two-part book. I've read the books myself and fell in love with it, so that added to my excitement of seeing it come to life in the big screen.

It's been more than two years since Star Cinema has produced a thriller film with Emmanuel Palo's Halik sa Hangin (2015) which starred Julia Montes, Gerald Anderson and JC de Vera, although that film has a more YA fiction feels, combining the mystery/ thriller genre with romance. The result was a gothic love story which was somehow entertaining. Unfortunately with Bloody Crayons, the project had gone through a lot of changes, from change of casts and directors to revisions of the script, taking it two years to finish (the film was supposed to be released last year). But I guess the final result was worth the wait because it turns out that Bloody Crayons (2017) is the best thriller film that Star Cinema has released in years.

In this exciting new film from Star Cinema and under the direction of Topel Lee, Janella Salvador, Elmo Magalona, Sofia Andres, Diego Loyzaga, Jane Oineza, Maris Racal, Yves Flores Empoy, and Ronnie Alonte make up a barkada who troop to an island for their film project. What begins as a fun trip turns deadly when they played the game Bloody Crayons. After one of them dies mysteriously after their game, tension arise as they get killed one by one. Soon, everyone is suspicious of one another as to who the real killer is. Will they find the real culprit and make out of the island alive before all of them get killed?

Being a fan of the books from which the movie was adapted from, of course I had high expectations for this movie. Honestly speaking, whenever there is a movie adaptation of a Wattpad novel by a big film production in the country, the final product isn't always as good as it's source material. Too much changes from the novel's story makes you question if they actually just wants to use the novel's title and not the actual story (She's Dating The Gangster, 2014). On the other hand, stuffing too much of the novel's original storyline makes the film a non-sense miss mash of epic proportions (Talk Back And You're Dead, 2014). Luckily, director Topel Lee and his team of writers took time and making sure that the changes in the novel's original storyline is enough that the viewers will still recognize it's source material, but also adding some original ideas to it to make it distinguishable on it's own.

To start with, the film tries to follow the typical slasher tropes that we have seen so many times in various slasher movies. It starts with a group of friends spending their vacation in a secluded island to complete a school project. Of course, there's always the virgin (the good girl in the group which obviously is destined to be the final girl), the jock, the joker, and so forth. In addition to that, one of the main characters was even shown reading a copy of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, a nod to this classic novel that became the inspiration for many murder mysteries that followed it. This nod put a smile to my face as it is evident that the minds behind this film wants to make it as self-referential as it can be. The film takes tries to build up as much of it's characters as it can during the first act. It reveals some love triangles between the group, trying to give the characters motives to hate one another. The film becomes a bit melodramatic here, but at least it's successful in giving enough background to some, if not all of the characters.

But the real fun starts one the group plays the game they called Bloody Crayons. Here, each characters' deepest and darkest secrets are revealed. As the game continues, the tension between the characters becomes more and more agitating. This is probably my most favorite moment of the film as one of the film's actresses, Jane Oineza, really stole the show from everyone else with her character's unpredictable turn. As the game ends, one of them dies (I'm not gonna reveal who it is) sending the characters to hysteria. This is where the movie turns to it's slasher mode as the characters die one by one. Being a big horror fan, I was really looking forward to how the characters will get executed. I actually loved how the first kill was done as it was presented in a simple yet tension-filled way. Some of the kills were done off screen, most likely as the studio was aiming for a lower R-13 rating from the MTRCB which was a bummer. But nevertheless, the film compensated for it's minimal violence and gore with tremendous amount of dread and suspense.

The deaths causes everyone to start doubting their friendship and starts to get suspicious of one another. In one of the film's craziest and most fun moments, the remaining characters point fingers at one another. This scene will definitely put a smile in your face and will also keep you guessing who among the survivors is the real killer. The film is also complete with scenes of intense thrills that will really put viewers on their toes for the whole duration of the film. Director Topel Lee manages to weave some of the year's best chase sequences for a local thriller film. The chase scene in the basement was really fun and exciting and is one of the best moments of the film to watch out for.

The film is also one of the most gorgeous looking local films in recent memory. The film's cinematography was so bright and crisp. One can't help but be mesmerize by the stunning shots used in the film that you would think twice if you're really watching a genre film. The sound design of the film was also really good because the team behind it really knows when to pump up the volume to bring up the scares and when to keep the scene silent to intensify the suspense.

The film features an ensemble of up-and-coming teen stars that adds up to the appeal of the film. This project was originally led by Jane Oineza, Joshua Garcia and Manolo Pedroza, all three coming fresh from their Pinoy Big Brother stint in 2014. But after all the recasting and rewrites, they were replaced by Janella Salvador, Elmo Magalona and Ronnie Alonte. I've seen Janella before in the 2015 horror film Haunted Mansion. Just like before, she's still really good in acting. Too bad her character's writing isn't as interesting as the rest. Elmo Magalona and Ronnie Alonte were okay in their respective roles, but just like the problem with Janella, their characters we're written so blandly that they were forgettable. Also, Ronnie could use a little bit more workshop because his acting hasn't changed from the way he does it in his teleserye. Sofia Andres and Diego Loyzaga we're way better than I expected. Diego really nailed the alpha jock character he's playing. Yves Flores and Empoy Marquez were really fun to watch as their characters were written way better than the three leads. But the stand-out of the film was Jane Oineza and Maris Racal. Maris added more energy to the film with her quirky antics that was reminiscent of her unforgettable performance in Vince & Kath & James (2016). On the other hand, despite losing the lead role of the film, Jane Oineza stole the show with her unparalleled performance in her role. Her character was actually the most interesting to watch among the group. It was also the hardest to pull off but Jane manages to shine in the most demanding role in the film. It was as if this movie was really meant for her, and she definitely owned it.

The film's final twist was changed from the original novel's ending. But that actually made the film more fun for me as I was guessing who the killer really is the whole time. As the credit's role, I can't help but smile after watching it. Being a fan of the original novel, I was pretty much satisfied with it. This is the best book-to-movie adaptation that Star Cinema had.

Bloody Crayons is by far the best thriller film that Star Cinema had produced in recent memory. This is the film that is best enjoyed with your barkada. It's not exactly as bloody as I hoped. But it's fun, suspenseful, thrilling, exciting, and a surprising treat that will promise you a good time in the cinema.

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ of 5

Bloody Crayons (2017)

Starring Janella Salvador, Elmo Magalona, Sofia Andres, Diego Loyzaga, Jane Oineza, Maris Racal, Yves Flores Empoy, and Ronnie Alonte 

Directed by Tople Lee

Ang Pagsanib Kay Leah Dela Cruz (2017) movie review

Horror is one of the most popular genres here in the country, particularly when it comes to movies. So it's common that we get one or two horror flicks here in the country every year. This 2017, so far there hasn't been at least one horror movie from the country (I wanna say Jerrold Tarog's Bliss but it's more of a psycho-sexual thriller). But then, here comes this creepy possession movie from the creators of last year's Seklusyon. Finally, my thirst for horror was quenched.

Erik Matti (the genius behind Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles & Seklusyon) gives us another story of demonic possession, this time with director Katski Flores in her horror genre debut. The script, penned by Charlene Sawit-Esguerra with story by Matti follows a lady cop who moves into a small town gets drawn to a case that involves a girl that's possessed by an evil spirit. It stars Sarah Lahbati, Shy Carlos and Julian Trono.

The film opens with a sequence of a gloomy and empty dirt road in the province, with the shot taken from the back of a moving vehicle. Some creepy guy appears out of nowhere until the vehicle ran past him, only for this creep to appear again. This opening scene definitely sets the right tone for the rest of the film. The focus switches to Ruth Liwanag (in a surprising performance by Sarah Lahbati), a police officer who has just recently moved to a small town far from the city. With all those flashbacks she's having, it can be concluded that her character's definitely running away from something. Then, we are introduced to Leah Dela Cruz (Shy Carlos). With those swollen and puffy eyes and those blood-stained hands, there's clearly something wrong with her. Most especially after she climbs up the balcony and jumps off from the second floor of their house on a Sunday morning. Here, the story kicks off.

I always loved demonic possession movies, from the classics (The Exorcist) to the recent ones from Hollywood (The Conjuring and it's sequel). Whenever we watch possession movies, we always look forward to something. It's as if there's already a formula that we have memorized after seeing all those past movies. When we say possession movie, we expect seeing flying furnitures, body-twisting moments, and the inevitable exorcism scene in the finale. But despite being a possession movie (as you can read in the film's title), Katski Flores' Ang Pagsanib kay Leah Dela Cruz is something different. You won't see any of those aforementioned stuff in this movie. Instead, it offers you something else.

The film isn't your usual possession movie. Ang Pagsanib doesn't care about building up a climactic exorcism scene nor showing off the usual symptoms of a possessed victim (unnatural body movements, spinning heads, projectile vomiting anyone?). Instead, it focuses on digging deeper into the story behind the possession. It's story is like an onion being peeled layer over layer, mystery being unraveled on top of another. There's always a revelation after every scene. Secrets of every characters are revealed, giving us a much deeper look into their lives and how every single one of them contributed to what happened to Leah's character. This is no surprise since master storyteller Erik Matti is the one behind the story of the film. 

The film is also not the usual horror movie that we see these days. It's not the average scare flick that makes you jump out of your seat every ten minutes with loud noises and cheap scares (although I had one or two moments that really made me jumped). Instead, director Katski Flores is invested in building up the mystery behind Leah's possession. The film is overflowing with creepiness and dread from start to finish. From the dark palette of it's cinematography to the film's quiet moments, the film is very consistent with it's dark and gloomy tone. It evokes a feeling as if everyone's doomed from the beginning until the end and there's nothing we can do about it. But despite the depressing atmosphere, the film manages to get us hooked to it's story with it's intriguing mystery. The film is also unapologetic when it comes to violence and gore, making it truly nightmarish.

The film also boasts a great cast. Shy Carlos deserves praise for her portrayal of Leah Dela Cruz. Her character is probably the most draining role in the film. It needs an actress that can properly portray a sick and possessed girl without bordering on being over-the-top. And she manages to do that, especially in one scene (the one featured in the trailer of the film) where she's sitting on her bed and she's hearing voices in her head. She reminds me of Rhed Bustamante's performance in Seklusyon (2016). Julian Trono was also good as good as Gabriel, Leah's love interest. In the story, he builds a strong brotherly bond with Ruth's character, which became a crucial plot point in the film's climax. Julian has this innocent charm which perfectly fits his character, an honest yet flawed teenager. 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten's Ethan Salvador also had a cameo and he always steals the scene every time he's in it.  But the biggest revelation in this film was Sarah Lahbati. Her portrayal of a police officer going after demons is one of the most bad-ass Pinoy heroine in a movie for a long time. Aside from having a beautiful face, Sarah Lahbati proves in this film that she can act. I love it whenever she throw her lines with wit and punch. Unlike her past movies like the aswang thriller Liwanag sa Dilim, she definitely stood out in this film and I am looking forward to seeing her in more movies in the future.

All in all, Ang Pagsanib kay Leah Dela Cruz is one unique horror movie experience that rarely comes to Philippine cinemas. Katski Flores' film is one effective exercise of dread and thrills.

Rating: ✰✰✰✰ of 5

Ang Pagsani Kay Leah Dela Cruz (2017)

Starring Sarah Lahbati, Shy Carlos and Julian Trono, 

Directed by Katski Flores