Movie Review: Prime Cruz' "The Debutantes" (2017)

Sue Ramirez, Miles Ocampo, Chanel Morales, Michelle Vito and Jane De Leon
star in Prime Cruz' "The Debutantes"

Director Prime Cruz is ready to take a new challenge. This time, he's taking the responsibility of giving audiences frights and chills as he gives us The Debutantes (2017), his first straight-forward horror movie to date. Prime Cruz has been known for his award-winning and critically acclaimed romance stories, from Sleepless (2015), Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B (2016) and Can We Still Be Friends (2017). Although he had experience in the horror genre before after directing the web series The Complex and the romance-gore film Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B, this will be his first full-length horror movie. Tagged as a teen color horror film, it stars Sue Ramirez, Miles Ocampo, Chanel Morales, Michelle Vito and Jane De Leon and is produced by Regal Films.

Screenshots from the trailer

The film follows a shy and weird-looking girl named Kate (played by Sue Ramirez). She's always alone at school and is distant with everyone else. Until one day, her classmate Lara (Miles Ocampo) approaches her and asks if she could her her study Math as she is failing the subject. Kate immediately agrees to help her, and she ended up being close to her. In the meantime, Lara's friends, Jenny (Jane De Leon), Candice (Michelle Vito) and Shayne (Chanel Morales) finds pleasure in bullying her. They staged a prank during Jenny's birthday party, embarrassing Kate in front of the whole student body. Soon, Kate starts having nightmares about Jenny, Candice and Shayne all meeting horrendous deaths. Can she and Lara save them before it's too late? Who (or what) is behind these deaths?

As you can notice, the film follows a typical slasher set-up with these characters meeting deaths one by one. The film also pumps up the story with classic horror movie tropes and stereotypes, from the rich and bratty It girls of the campus bullying a shy, nerdy girl. I guess it was Prime Cruz' intention to make the film as campy as it could be. The film doesn't try to make itself a genre-bending film. Instead, it's obviously aiming for the opposite. And this is what makes the film more interesting. Instead of putting numerous twists and turns in the film, the story is pretty much straight-forward to the point that it's predictable. This makes the film more fun since we already know that something is very wrong from the beginning of the film and the audience is left anticipating a final pay-off.

But since we are looking at a movie following a typical slasher format, we are of course looking forward to some pretty sick kills. Unfortunately, this is the part that the film failed to pull off completely. Although the first death was staged pretty nicely, the ones that followed weren't as grandiose nor inspired. I've seen a lot of horror movies and those deaths have been used several times in one or two of those films before. If the film was aiming for camp, it should aim for more theatrical or extravagant kills which is a rule in the horror genre. Also, I noticed that there scenes in the trailer that were not actually in the movie itself which got me a bit distracted as I was waiting for those scenes to show up in the movie while watching it. There were also some questions that kept me wondering like what happened to Kate's cousin and aunt, why the demonic being following them can control social networking sites to scare the shit out of them or where the hell are their parents?

Luckily, the film has an effective cast who helped pull off the whole movie with flying colors (the film is literally boasting with colors). Sue Ramirez who plays Kate was good in portraying the shy and aloof girl ala-Carrie. Chanel Morales, Michelle Vito and Jane De Leon who played the It girls who were responsible for bullying Kate were quite convincing. Most of their performances may come as a bit over-the-top, but since the film is aiming for camp, they worked perfectly to the film's benefit. Miles Ocampo, who played Lara, I guess is the one who really stood out in this movie. Her portrayal of the perfect good girl was really effective and believable. I was really rooting for her during the final act.

To it's credit, the film boasts some really gorgeous cinematography and lightning. This is how one will know that a film is directed by Prime Cruz. He always know how to play with lights and colors, and he played them really well in this movie. It somehow reminds me of Dario Argento's Suspiria (1977) and Chito S. Rono's Feng Shui (2004). I've never seen a local horror movie this colorful, fulfilling it's promise of a teen color horror. Also, the film's final moments was one of the most thrilling and heart-pounding finale I've seen in a local horror movie this year so far. Those final minutes of the film did put me on the edge of my seat and it deserves some additional points for that.

The film does succeed in it's aim to be a campy and fun horror film. Though it's a bit predictable (with one of it's character's big twist being way too obvious from the very first frame where she showed up), it's still undeniably entertaining. Just watch it as a straight-forward horror film and you'll definitely enjoy it.


Rating: ✰✰✰✰ of 5
"The Debutantes" (2017) directed by Prime Cruz, starring Sue Ramirez, Miles Ocampo, Chanel Morales, Michelle Vito and Jane De Leon

Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino : "Salvage" (2017) movie review

SALVAGE, a found footage horror film
by Sherad Anthony Sanchez

It's quite hard to scare people like me who's been desensitized by years of watching countless horror movies in my 23 years of existence. And it sucks, especially because I'm a big horror junkie. I loved being scared. I loved the thrill and excitement. But now, it's very rare to come across a good horror movie. These days, i'm looking for something different. A new brand of horror. Something weird. Something unique. Most of today's audiences have also grown tired of the genre too. So horror movies nowadays need to find new ways to scare people. There's also a scarcity in our local horror movie genre because first, most of the films produced here are romcom or comedies; and second, there aren't a lot of good local horror flicks recently. In Salvage (2015, the film had screenings during the 11th Cinema One Originals film festival), director Sherad Anthony Sanchez wants to subvert horror with one of it's tired sub genres: the found footage.

Taking cues from classic found-footage films before like Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust (1980) which revolutionized the found footage style of narrative filmmaking, later popularized by such films as The Blair Witch Project (1999)  and Paranormal Activity (2007), the film has a similar plot as it follows missing documentary film crew. After being suspended, a TV news Team is redirected to an unwanted assignment of Aswang rumors in a town in Central Mindanao. Cynical and unenthusiastic, they follow their lead towards a remote barrio where they experience the varying definitions of salvage. The film stars Jessy Mendiola. JC De Vera, Joel Saracho, Karl Medina and Barbie Capacio, the film was produced by Cinema One and Salida Productions way back in 2015 and is getting a commercial release just now.

The film starts out with your typical behind-the-scenes look on how documentaries are done. Here, we get a glimpse on what the media is willing to do for the sake of ratings and viewership. It's like a satire on today's journalists, and their portrayal is often humorous and at times over-the-top. We are led to believe that the suspect behind those murders in the province are aswangs, but then, the film takes for a turn as it is revealed that the mythical monster is not the real culprit. It's somehow satirical, considering that the real people behind the disappearances and murders in the town is the military there, which reflects the daily news that we watch everyday on extrajudicial killings and overkill by the police force. After this revelation, the movie takes off from being your normal found footage film to a weirder movie that no one, not even me, can still comprehend up until now. Don't get me wrong as to why I still cannot interpret the movie easily. I've seen the film twice now (the first was during last year's Cinema One Originals film festival) but it's still hard to explain what the whole movie is all about. This is when I realized that the film is doesn't really have a straight-forward story and instead, goes for a psychedelic mind-trip. Revealing what really happened will definitely spoil the movie and ruin the experience, but let's just say that the town that they went into is like our country's own local version of the Bermuda Triangle.

The film's use of the found footage technique is quite fun to watch. This subgenre may not be new to moviegoers as we have seen countless of them before, but it is definitely new to local cinema. This may as well be the first found footage horror film that we had (there's another found footage Pinoy horror flick earlier this year entitled Darkroom but it was sort of forgettable). The use of glitches and pixelation in it's scenes, similar to the technique used in Unfriended (2015) was really effective. It adds a gritty feel to the movie because it seems like an actual recovered documentary reel. These glitches and pixelations also creates some really creepy and disturbing visuals. During the first half of the film, we see the action unfold through the lenses of the team's camera. But soon, these characters starts to experience some weird, hypnotic trance and the camera shots eventually get's mixed up with the character's point-of-view, blurring the lines between what reality and fiction. This is what makes Salvage trippy and mind-bending kind of fun. Director Sherad Anthony Sanchez' take on horror isn't like your typical horror flick where you get thrown one jump scare after another. The horror in this film is about the unknown. It's all about uncertainty and unpredictability. You are not sure what you are seeing anymore. You're not even sure if there is an actual plot anymore. But here you are, glued to the screen. You can't take your eyes off it. You have to see what happens next. You have to know where this will lead the characters. You don't care about the story or plausibility of the film. You're like riding a roller-coaster in an amusement park: you just stay and sit there, enjoying the wild ride.

To their credit, the cast were very game in giving their best into this movie. Jessy Mendiola plays Melay, the segment producer of the a news and current affairs show on television. Her portrayal of the role is simple, which makes it believable. Her added charisma works well on screen especially for her character as we mostly follows her through all the mayhem in the movie and root for her survival. JC De Vera plays Neil, the team's cameraman. Though he is mostly not seen for quite some time in the film since he is always the one holding the camera, he still tries his best when it comes to his acting scenes. Barbie Capacio adds humor to the film's gritty atmosphere. The whole theater roars with laughter every time she is present. Joel Saracho and Karl Medina add some great screen presence as they complete the team's cast. It was so fun to watch them run around the forest, screaming and cursing at the same time. Though there were some moments when the acting was a bit rough or may come as over-the-top, it looks like they're just playing around, having fun, and that's what makes it enjoyable to watch (especially that thrilling jeepney chase).

At times, the film is a hit-or-miss and this is most likely due to the film's very limited budget. This film was produced through film grants from the Cinema One Originals film festival and not like those slick Hollywood found footage films we've seen in theaters. But luckily, the crew tries to overcome it's limited financial sources by experimenting on different techniques to create a film like Salvage. I know for sure that this movie may not fit well for the tastes of other moviegoers, but for those cinephiles who wants to see something different from Philippine cinema, this movie is for you. Sherad Anthony Sanchez' Salvage is a bizarre, hallucinatory mindfuck - one that will stick in your mind for along time.

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ of 5

Salvage (2017) 

Directed by Sherad Anthony Sanchez,
Starring Jessy Mendiola. JC De Vera, Joel Saracho, Karl Medina and Barbie Capacio

***

The "Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino" is a nationwide week-long celebration where all movie theaters will exclusively screen Filipino films in line with the Buwan ng Wika. This festive event is organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines in partnership with theaters nationwide and will run from August 16-22, 2017.

Cinemalaya 13 : "Nabubulok" (2017) movie review

Last August 14, 2016, the ten finalists for Cinemalaya 2017 were announced at the Cinemalaya 2016 Awards night held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. One of the entries that caught my attention right away was Nabubulok by Sonny Calvento. In the story, Luna is missing. Jason Harper, her American husband, is alleged of killing her. As Jason intends to leave the country, circumstances conspire to avert his plan. After reading the synopsis, I immediately got curious about the film and has since been looking forward for it.

Now, this is actually my first time watching a Cinemalaya entry during the festival run itself. Last year, I was able to watch Jason Paul Laxamana's "Mercury is Mine" when the film got extended screenings after the festival due to popular demands. Then, I was able to catch Eduardo Roy Jr.'s "Pamilya Ordinaryo" earlier this year during a screening in UP Cine Adarna. So technically, this is the first time I was able to experience the Cinemalaya festival. And I couldn't be more happy because Nabubulok will be the first ever Cinemalaya movie I will be reviwing during the festival itself.

Sonny Calvento's Nabubulok (2017) centers in a sleepy town in an island in Panay, where a Filipina went missing. But the neighbors didn't need to look far for a suspect. They believed that her American husband killed her. But there was no body. No evidence. No proof. Only speculations. It happened in 2002. It happened in real life. The movie opens with the disappearance of Luna (Sue Prado). When their family's laundress and Luna's cousin Ingrid starts asking the husband, Jason Harper (Billy Ray Gallion) and their son, Paul (Jameson Blake), both are mum and aloof. As if they are hiding something inside their house, which they always kept closed from the curious eyes of outsiders with it's big metal gate. Everyone starts to smell something terrible coming from inside their lot. Soon, she starts becoming suspicious of Jason's actions and becomes convinced that he is responsible for the disappearance of her cousin, fearing that Jason has killed his wife Luna. Soon, the story spreads like wildfire among the neighborhood and the search for Luna begins.

A crime drama based on a true story, Sonny Calvento's Nabubulok feels like a throwback to the 90's heydays when crime movies were a popular genre in the country. But instead of just telling a straight-forward re-telling of the crime itself, he decided to tell a story where we see different versions of the truth and how it changes our own perspective on what's real and what's not. To quote the legendary Robert Evans, "there are three sides to every story; your side, my side, the truth." The story shifts focus from one character to another, telling their own versions of the truth. This is all the information we get from the characters, and the audience is left to build the truth with these pieces of information through our own imagination. This allows for a much more interactive experience as the audience themselves become investigators on their own, trying to deduce the truth behind the disappearance of Luna. The movie plays like a murder mystery where the audience are given clues that at first, feels like it will lead you to something. But then, eventually we discover that most of these are just red herrings, aiming to misguide you and lead you to the wrong direction. Then, there's the satirical take on the governments attitude towards the Americans. But we won't be focusing on that anymore.

Back to the film, it's gritty, disturbing atmosphere is felt from it's first until it's final frame. The movie opens with sounds of something cracking (like bones being broken to pieces) which sets the unsettling mood of the film. The cinematography also adds up to the overall atmosphere of the film. The shaky handheld shots gives the scenes a realistic approach which is reminiscent of Brillante Mendoza's "Ma' Rosa" (2016). With it's darkly lit scenes, even the daylight moments, you'll immediately feel the gloomy and depressing tone of the film. Also, I can't help but notice the color coding of the three acts of the film which reminds me of Chito Rono's "The Healing" (2012). In the first act, as suspicions starts to rise amongs the people around the Harper family, we see the color red in almost every scene, from paint to a design on one character's shirt. I thought it was just a coincidence at first. But then the second act began and the color blue starts to appear everywhere, from the background to the filters of the shots. It's as if it's representing the agitation felt by almost all the characters as we starts to learn more of Luna's secrets. Then, the color yellow splashes all over the final act signifying desperation and hopelessness of the characters. It was actually intriguing and interesting as it adds uniqueness to the way the story escalates from one act to another.

The film's ensemble of actors and actresses also added to the film's strength. Most of the characters here are flawed, just like normal people, and the casts were able properly translate that into the film. Ms. Gina Alajar was really fun to watch as her character Ingrid is driven to the edge with her suspicions and fears about what happened to her cousin. It's a delight to see the very talented JC Santos again on screen after his stint in "Sakaling Hindi Makarating" (2016). Lito Pimentel and Sue Prado were also great additions to the powerhouse cast. But the one that really got my attention was Billy Ray Gallion and Jameson Blake. Billy Ray Gallion's portrayal of Luna's husband Jason Harper was perfect. He is menacing in every scene, adding more reason to suspect him as the film goes along. But then the second act, we see his character's softer side as a father trying to protect his children and we starts to doubt our own suspicions. Jameson Blake has wowed everyone in his first indie stint with last year's 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten. Here in this movie, though we don't see him in a lot, he still amazes me whenever he is present in the scene. His character don't talk that much, and he is left the challenge of projecting his thoughts and feelings through his eyes and it is very effective. There's something unsettling with the way his eyes projects. It's as if his stares are piercing through you. There's sadness in him, but you'll also  feel the fear and desperation slowly eating him up.



The film ends with a title card stating what happened to the Harper family after the events depicted in the movie. But despite that, the audience are still left wondering: did they actually solved the mystery behind the disappearance of Luna? There's doubt lingering in me long after the credits roll. And until now, I am still curious what really happened to her. This is what makes Sonny Calvento's Nabubulok memorable. Part crime drama/ part satire on the country's status towards the US today, the film is a finely tuned, slow burn true crime story with an effective mystery that sticks with you long after the movie ends. It leaves a bittersweet aftertaste in you, a realization that just like the characters in the story, there is darkness present in everyone of us.

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ of 5
Nabubulok (2017)
Directed by Sonny Calvento, starring Gina Alajar, JC Santos, Jameson Blake and Billy Ray Gallion.

Featured: Jameson Blake of NABUBULOK (2017)

Jameson Blake plays Paul Harper in "Nabubulok"

Sonny Calvento's Nabubulok, an official entry to the 2017 Cinemalaya Film Festival, kicked off it's screenings last August 7, 2017. The true crime drama is based on a story that happened in 2002 in a sleepy town in an island in Panay, where a Filipina went missing. But the neighbors didn't need to look far for a suspect. They believed that her American husband killed her. But there was no body. No evidence. No proof. Only speculations.

The film features a powerhouse cast led by Gina Alajar, JC Santos, Billy Ray Gallion and Jameson Blake. During one of their first screenings in Trinoma, I was able to catch one of the film's lead stars Jameson Blake and was lucky enough to have a short interview of him.

Q: After winning the Best Supporting Actor award for your performance in 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten from last year's Cinema One Originals film festival, was there any pressure in you getting another acting award this year with your next film?

Jameson: Well, actually, di naman ako umaasa. And actually, after I got the award, it motivated me na to do more acting,. So it doesn't really matter kung mananalo ako ng award o hindi, pero you know, I'm always aiming for that. But I'm not hoping. I'm not keeping my hopes up for the award.

Q: What attracted you to join this film project Nabubulok?

Jameson: Well, kase yung director namin sa 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten, tapos yung director namin dito (sa Nabubulok) si Direk Sonny, friends sila. Habang nagte-taping kami for 2 Cool, biglang in-invite niya ako para sa audition for Nabubulok. So I went there. Para siyang private go-see. So ayun, after kong manalo ng Best Supporting Actor, kinuha nila ako. It was confirmed na.

Q: What's the difference with your character Maxim from 2 Cool, with your role here in Nabubulok as Paul Harper?

Jameson: Both of my characters dito at sa 2 Cool, they're both dark. Pero ito, dark in a secret way. Si Maxim naman was dark in a... a heroic kind of way. It was more of the dark side talaga. Si Paul naman, he's just a really passive person. And he's very quiet.

Q: So how does it feel that after your successful stint in 2 Cool, you immediately got three new film projects: Nabubulok for Cinemalaya, Nay for this year's Cinema One Originals and Haunted Forest, a mainstream horror pic with Regal Films?

Jameson: Sobrang nakakatuwa kase I never really expected na magkakaroon ako ng ganito kadaming projects after sa first indie kong 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten. Tapos biglang dalawa agad and it's upcoming na. It's a blessing. I just have to focus, work hard. I'm happy. I'm happy sa mga dumating na projects sa akin.

Q: Describe Nabubulok in three words.

Jameson: Uhm... Mysterious. Dark. And... Unexpected.

Catch Jameson Blake as Paul Harper in Sonny Calvento's Nabubulok, an official entry to the 2017 Cinemalaya Film Festival.

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