The Best & Worst Filipino Movie Posters Of 2016

A movie poster can either make or break the film, believe it or not. A good poster is equal to a good marketing strategy, which contribute to the film's success. I've always been fascinated with movie posters. Because the poster is the first thing you see before the actual movie. Now, I know that the first quarter of 2017 is already done and we are almost nearing end of the second quarter. But it's not too late to pick out the best and worst Filipino movie posters of 2016. This list includes all Filipino films (whether it was released commercially or screened through film festivals) from 2016.

The Worst

10. Mano Po 7 : Tsinoy
Seriously. I know the film has a star-studded cast, as seen in the trailer. But crowding this poster with all the characters of the film is just way too much to handle. This isn't another Star Wars sequel, for God's sake.

9. Kabisera
The poster would have worked with Nora Aunor alone in it. But cramming too many faces into the picture just messed it up.

8. Barcelona : A Love Untold
I am big KathNiel fan for six years now. I've watched all their films and television series. This movie was actually okay, but that poster isn't. I know Barcelona is a great place for an epic love story, but this poster makes me feel like the movie's a period drama, which it is not. Too dramatic, perhaps?

7. This Time
I know I sould feel a kilig sensation here but this poster is just too plain and unimaginitive. It doesn't do the film any justice. It doesn't do James Reid and Nadine Lustre any justice either. They deserve so much better. Take this from a Jadine fan for four years. Their poster for "Talk Back And You're Dead" was way better and more acceptable.

6. Just The Three Of Us
Where are you looking at, John Lloyd Cruz? Seriously?

5. Imagine You And Me
Aside from the movie's title being a reversed version of 2005 German-British romantic comedy "Imagine Me & You" starring Lena Headey (can't they think of any more generic title?), this poster is eerily similar to the poster of the #8 movie in this list. Just saying.

4. Everything About Her
Why do I feel like Ms. Vilma Santos' head is not equally proportional to her body. And that nose line? Ugh. I love Angel Locsin's facial expression though.

3. The Super Parental Guardians
Just like the problem with almost all Pinoy movie posters. Overcrowding it with all the characters from the film. And just look at poor Onyok Pineda's body here. Equal proportions, guys. Please.

2. The Unmarried Wife
Feels like something any seven year old with a smartphone could do with a photo-grid app. Did they ran out of ideas for a poster? Ugh.

1. That Thing Called Tanga Na
A poster that tries to be funny but ended up lame and tasteless. Sorry.

The Best

10. Ma'Rosa
The film's gritty and realistic depiction of drug trafficking and police brutality is perfectly captured in this poster, featuring a still from the film.

9. Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis
Though this isn't the poster they used for the theatrical distribution of the film (they choose the one featuring Piolo Pascual and John Lloyd Cruz, for obvious marketing reasons) this is the better one for me. It's simple yet it thought-provoking. And it also adds more mystery for the film. No need for star-power.

8. Always Be My Maybe
Of all the posters of the dozen romance flicks from Star Cinema last year, this one really stood out. It's simple, sexy and sweet. It looks natural too. Not computer-generated. And the chemistry of the two actors fills up the picture.

7. Apocalypse Child
How can you ignore this beautifully watercolor-painted poster courtesy of the brilliant Christina Dy, who is known for her large-scale illustrations, and also happens to be the production designer of the movie.

6. Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 2
This colorful poster for this film seems like a throwback to the old school Technicolor films of yesterday. Not to mention, the posing of the lead gives a satirical stab on the romance films of today.

5. Baka Bukas
Simple, yet elegant and stylish. This poster perfectly captures the spirit of today's millennials. The juxtaposition of the lead character and the title (which literally translates to "tomorrow maybe") evokes a sense of hope that, maybe tomorrow, everything would be better for her.

4. Sakaling Hindi Makarating
This colorful postcard is not only gorgeous to look at, but is actually an integral part of the film's story. I actually bought a copy of this postcard during the film's screening in UP Diliman last year. I just love it.

3. Mercury Is Mine
Pokwang's clingy gesture says it all. Plus, that big knife she's holding adds a grim and unsettling look to this poster of this dark comedy film.

2. Seklusyon
Though we see a lot of characters depicted in this poster, it doesn't feel so overcrowded. Instead, it actually makes it more catchy with the way they are arranged. And Rhed Bustamante's look couldn't be much more scarier.

1. 2 COOL 2 BE 4GOTTEN
This was the first poster they released during the film's film festival run last year in the 2016 Cinema One Originals. It perfectly captures the film's 90's vibe with it's polaroid styled image of the three lead characters, plus the way the credits were placed here makes it look like one of those high school projects that you used to do before you discovered the power of computers and printers. An instant throwback to the yesteryears.

So do you have some other eye-catching movie posters from Filipino films released in 2016 that you have in mind and you think should have been included in the list? Share us your thoughts in the comments section below!

Freedom Film Festival Returns This 2017

Freedom Film Festival is an annual film festival spearheaded by Team Communication of the De La Salle University. It's started on September 25, 2014 and showcases iconic works of acclaimed Filipino filmmakers. This 2017, the Freedom Film Festival returns with a bigger and bolder line-up of films to satisfy your film cravings. From last year's Cinema One Original's Best Picture 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten to 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival's critically acclaimed entries like Seklusyon and Vince, Kath & James, this year's line-up will delight every cinephile in the Metro.

Check out below the official line-up of the February Series of The Fifth Freedom Film Festival: Resurgent Philippine Cinema!

Ticket Prices:
150 - TeamComm Member
180 - Non-TeamComm Member
200 - Door Charge
Venue: Natividad Fajardo Auditorium, 18th flr. Bro. Andrew Gonzales Hall, De La Salle University - Manila
FFFV is open to outsiders.

You can reserve your tickets already!

For DLSU Students:

Visit our booth on these dates!February 13 - 17 -> SJ Walk Bench 7February 20 - 24 -> SJ LobbyFebruary 27 - March 2 -> Henry Sy Grounds (facing the North Gate)March 3 - 4 -> Andrew Lobby
Not from DLSU?
For OUTSIDERS/NON-DLSU students:1. Tickets can already be reserved here →http://TinyURL.com/FFFVReservationOutsiders2. You can get your reserved tickets on the screening day of the selected films.3. Online reservations for OUTSIDERS is until the LAST DAY OF SCREENING at 11:59AM.

*Online ticket reservations are only for Outsiders/Non-DLSU students



For more FFF updates, visit our social media accounts

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DLSUFreedomFilmFestival
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/fff_dlsu

Sakaling Hindi Makarating review

Love is one of the main recipes of every Filipino film. It's present in almost every single film released locally. It's like a film is not complete without it. And most of the time, the film presents love as something that is to be shared with someone else. A partner. A lover. But here's one movie which portrays love in a new light. Sakaling Hindi Makarating.

It's a romance movie, but not exactly. Well, it does have a bit of romance injected in the story, but it doesn't really focus the whole movie on that aspect alone. Usually, romance movies portray people finding love and happiness in another person. There's like three other local movie releases this month that does exactly that. But Sakaling hindi Makarating stands out among these film not because it deals with a poetic love story that is bound to be tested by destiny and time. Instead, it's focus on showing us that one can also find love and happiness without the need of another person in your life. It's a romance story that will inspire you to love yourself.

Let me just clarify something before we proceed. This is not the first time I have watched this film. This movie is actually one of the entries in last year's CineFilipino film festival. It is also one of the festival favorites, as it won 7 awards during the festival including 2nd Best Picture and Best Director. I first watched this film when it had a rerun in UP CineAdarna last April 2016. The director, Ice Idanan, some of the crew and cast members were even present for a Q&A after the screening. I even got to ask them a question which made the whole (packed) theater laughed: "Para po makatulog ako ngayong gabi, can you tell me kung sino po talaga ang nakatuluyan ni Cielo?" Then, I was able to watch it the second time last December 2016 during the Inquirer Indie Bravo Festival at Cinema '76 Film Society, a micro theater in Mandaluyong City. There, I met the movie's producer, Melai Entuna who shared some trivias and fun facts about the film. And finally, after a long wait, the film had it's national theatrical release last February 1, almost a year after it's original showing.

Sakaling Hindi Makarating is the first independent Filipino film that I watched and enjoyed inside a theater. It is also the first film that made me fall in love with indie films. I don't know what happened to it but it put a spell on me after, that I craved for more indie films as the months passed. Then, a friend of mine,  Jonell Estillore, a movie blogger and founder of Cinema Bravo, brought me to Cinema '76 which was a haven for indie film lovers. And since then, I started watching more and more indie films that I could watch, from Nestor Abrogena's Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa to Marie Jamora's Ang Nawawala. And even though Petersen Vargas' 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten already holds the title as my most favorite film of all time, Sakaling Hindi Makarating will always have a special place here in my heart as the first indie film I've fallen in love with.

Sakaling hindi Makarating (In Case They Don't Arrive) is about a heartbroken woman named Cielo (played by Alessandra De Rossi). She and her finacee have just broke up after that latter decided that his life is in the States and wanted the two of them to live there permanently. Cielo does not approve this as her life is here in the Philippines, causing their break-up. She ended up staying in the apartment that they shared, crying herself to sleep every night (with some alcohol on the side). There, she met her neighbor, Paul (Pepe Herera) who handed her some postcards that were dropped in their mailbox. The mysterious postcards depicted different provinces in the country, but she doesn't know where and whom it came from. The only thing she knows about the sender is that he hides in a pseudonym, M. So she embarks on a journey, travelling to each of the provinces depicted in the postcards, in hopes of finding the real identity of the anonymous sender, M.

Just like what I've said earlier, this film is a romance film, but not quite. It shows romance in a different point of view. The movie is like a discovery of one's self. Of finding a new meaning for love. Ice Idanan wanted us to see love in a different angle. She wanted to show to us that you don't need someone else, a man or a woman, to complete yourself. To make you feel full in your life. She wanted to show to us that we can be happy and feel loved even if we are single or alone. She wanted to focus on showing us how to love ourselves. If you search for the word romance /rōˈmans,ˈrōˌmans/ in Google, one of the definitions you will get is that it's the feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love. It's doesn't necessarily mean that you need someone to have romance in your life. The fact that you love yourself is already enough. But I guess we all miss that point at this era where romance is all about love teams, blockbuster hits and Wattpad chicklits.

One thing that really made this film so memorable too was the performance of the actors. Alessandra De Rossi is definitely one of the most underrated actresses in the country. I mean, she should be given more and more projects where she can utilize that talent. She was so amazing in her portrayal of Cielo. She was able to make us believe in her character. I remember watching her in another indie film before, Antoinette Jadaone 's Relax, It's Just Pag-ibig (2014). And she was so amazing there despite her short appearance. She totally stole the show. And seeing her again in Sakaling Hindi Makarating, I must say that she did it again. Pepe Hererra was also great in his role as Paul. He adds a little bit of humor in this film, and somehow makes us want to have a friend like him who would always be my our sides whatever happens. JC Santos in his pre-Till I Met You days was also great. He looks dashing in that long hairdo and also shares a great chemistry with Alessandra De Rossi. The rest of the cast, from Teri Malvar and Hiraya Plata, were also outstanding in their roles.

Aside from the great cast, one will never forget the film for it's gorgeous cinematography. The film, which was shot in five of the most beautiful provinces in the Philippines, uses these picturesque locations not only as backdrops but tools to move the story forward. As Cielo travels from one location to another, she discovers something new to her life. She slowly grows up into a more matured person. Ice Idanan's cinematography itself will definitely bring out the wanderlust in you. I recall smiling and just staring blankly at the screen, wishing I was inside the movie as it jumps from one gorgeous location to another. Every scene is carefully framed and orchestrated to highlight these locations, from the sweeping aerial shots of the colorful vinta regattas in Zamboanga to the breathtaking cliffs of Batanes, this whole film will impress you. This, mixed with a beautiful soundtrack, is just too irresistible. 

With it's simple yet heartfelt story, outstanding cast, and astounding visuals featuring the beauty of our very own country, is sure to bring delight and uplift one's spirit after watching it. This film will bring you hope that you can find happiness in this world even though you don't have a plus one to celebrate Valentines Day every year. It's a stirring and touching journey in finding one's self, and a realization in life that happiness, in indeed, in each one of us.

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ out of 5

Sakaling Hindi Makarating (2016)

Starring Alessandra De Rossi, Pepe Hererra, JC Santos

Written by Ice Idanan & Petersen Vargas, directed by Ice Idanan

Best Director-Ice Idanan; Best Actor-Pepe Herrera; Best Cinematography; Best Musical Score; Best Sound; Best Editing; Best Picture (2nd Place)