Movie Review: 'The Wonder' Mixes Religious Mysticism with Child Abuse

 

Netflix's 'The Wonder' stars the talented Florence Pugh who skillfully plays the role of a nurse who encounters a child who has not eaten for months but still looks healthy and strong.

The people of the community were curious to know if there is any religious connection to the child's ability to stay alive without food for months and hired a nun and a nurse to monitor the child.

The movie is set in Ireland in the 1900s which add to the movie's sense of isolation and a perfect place where religious ignorance can fester.

Chilean director Sebastian Lelio creates a great atmosphere in setting up the movie so it leaves viewers undecided and wondering where this movie is going to take them.  The pacing is a bit slow though and midway, I was already muttering for some action to happen to move the story forward.

The changes in the storyline happen very subtly but the shift in mood is quite tectonic.  The courage of Florence Pugh's character helps in moving the story along and saving the poor girl from certain death. 

I will not reveal anymore what Florence found out as it will spoil the story for you but I am sure you will utter some expletive.  It is not surprising since this is 19th century Ireland where religious beliefs can be confused with science and the concept of heaven and hell are imprinted firmly in the minds of the people.

TONY'S MOVIE REVIEW: The Jester Clowns Around With Terror

 

The only thing scary in The Jester is the clown himself.  The mask alone is menacing and his movements, mimicking that of a professional mime, makes the viewer await for his diabolical plans which almost always leads to the death of the people he encounters.

It is not clear what he really is.  I thought he was an avenging angel trying to get the souls of people with baggage.  However, as the movie progressed, it seemed to me he just kills anyone, and there is no thread or method to his madness.

The movie starts interestingly enough as we think this is about a father and his two daughters and the reconciliation of the latter.  However, all that emotional wallop is thrown out the window as this murderous jester just goes his merry way of killing their friends and random strangers, like the two policemen.

The atmosphere created seems amateurish, even the gory effects.   I find it to be on the level of a high school film.  Even the mist looks like it came from a fog machine.  

The performances also seem amateurish.  It looks like it's a high school horror play.  Felt like the actresses were just hamming it up.  Basically, the premise is scary and the relationship between the different family members is an interesting focal point but it fails to scare the viewers even with the jester's really eerie demeanor.   

NOMINEES FOR TONY'S MOVIE AWARDS 2023 - as of September 22, 2023

This award is given only to the movies that I have seen on a movie screen between January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023.

BEST PICTURE

All Quiet on the Western Front

Close

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Oppenheimer

The Whale

BEST DIRECTOR

Close

The Good Nurse

Megan

Oppenheimer

The Whale

BEST ACTOR

All Quiet on the Western Front - Felix Kammerer

Close - Eden Dambrine

Cobweb - Woody Norman

The Good Nurse - Eddie Redmayne

The Whale - Brendan Fraser

BEST ACTRESS

Aftersun - Frankie Corio

Corsage - Vicky Krieps

The Good Nurse - Jessica Chastain

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris - Lesley Manville

Nananahimik ang Gabi - Heaven Peralejo

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Close - Gustav de Waele

Oppenheimer - Robert Downey Jr.

Barbie - Ryan Gosling

A Haunting in Venice - Jude Hill

About Us But Not About Us - Romnick Sarmenta

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cobweb - Lizzy Caplan

Oppenheimer - Emily Blunt

The Whale - Hong Chau

The Whale - Sadie Sink

The Whale - Samantha Morton

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

About Us But Not About Us

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

A Haunting in Venice

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

A Haunting in Venice

Barbie 

Corsage

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

BEST MAKE UP AND HAIRSTYLING

A Haunting in Venice

All Quiet on the Western Front

Barbie 

Corsage

BEST EDITING

A Haunting in Venice

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

 A Haunting in Venice

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

A Haunting in Venice

BEST SOUND

A Haunting in Venice

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

A Haunting in Venice

TONY'S MOVIE REVIEW: Nicolas Cage Hams It Up as Count Dracula in 'Renfield'

Me encantan vampire movies and except for that dreadful love story trilogy which made Pattinson and Stewart worldwide stars, I have enjoyed immensely many iterations of this genre, based on the classic by Bram Stoker.  

In Renfield, Count Dracula is portrayed by Oscar winner Nicolas Cage as he hams it up before the camera - ghoulish make up and all! However, he is not the main character here though.  Nicholas Hoult is.  Yes, that guy from that zombie movie who learns how to become human and fall in love.  Hoult though, is more handsome in this movie, now that he's a full grown male adult.  

The movie uses the same plot point in the original Bram Stoker novel with Hoult, being the lawyer Dracula tricks to become his loyal servant.  Renfield though, is an action comedy spiced up with a little existential angst - answering philosophical questions like - why am I codependent in a relationship or why am I not happy or how do I take control of my life?  This subplot of the story plays an important part since this is where Dracula gets his nourishment.

To add to the complications in Hoult's character, the movie introduces Awkwafina, whose comedic skills are shown here.  Interestingly, although they do look like an odd pair - there is great chemistry between Hoult and Awkwafina - and it's a testament to their skills as actors.  The interplay of their characters is fun to watch.

The movie has some funny scenes though - and expectedly, since this is a vampire movie - gore and violence are the order of the day.  I am surprised though by its R16 rating since the video games many young boys play nowadays are far more violent.

I also enjoyed watching Shoreh Agdashloo here, who plays a matriarchal bit** crime leader in very snappy suits.  It's admirable that they put three Asian-looking actors in the major roles to give the cast a more diverse look.

This is a fun movie to watch and it's not the horror movie you were expecting if you want to scream or get tense.  It's more of a cute action horror movie with classic literature characters given a post-pandemic uplift.

MOVIE REVIEW: 'About Us But Not About Us' - A Timebomb of Secrets and Lies

 I've always wondered how Pinoy audiences would warm up to movies like 'About Us But Not About Us'.  The way this movie is presented reminds me of the 'Before Sunset' trilogy where the two main characters also talk in the whole movie while meandering in the streets of their chosen European city.  I'm happy that FINALLY, we have our own version of that talkie movie but don't be fooled.  This movie has more landmines than the 'Before Sunset' trilogy, which was basically a love story.

I thought this was a love story but it's not.  I don't want to delve too much into the dialogue since I really want people to watch this movie and go through the same rollercoaster ride that I did.  What I can say is that the script by Jun Lana starts off innocently enough but he deftly shows the true nature of each of the characters as the movie or the conversation unfolds.  By just using their conversation as the storytelling tool, it actually makes people like me who want to imagine stuff, picture the scenario in our own heads, much like what reading a fiction book does to our minds.  Since there is no action filmed, everyone is free to conjure the scenes in their minds in the way each of the character describes it. It was actually a lot of fun to do - but I'm not sure if this is everyone's cup of tea.

The script is topnotch because there were many things I did not expect.  As I said, I thought this was just a love story LOL

What is even more rewarding is seeing these two actors from two different generations do justice to the roles given them.  I think, just for award purposes, the producer has to decide who is lead and who is supporting because it would be too bad if both Sarmenta and Canlas cancel each other out if both are seen as the lead.

 This has been done many times in the Oscar competition in Hollywood although they say it's category cheating.  I see it more as giving rewards to great performances and I think Canlas would be the lead here - since his character is more exciting - and Sarmenta would be the supporting since his character is the one reacting more to what Canlas is saying.  Just a thought.  Both of them should win acting awards for this tale of three queens and I'm sure they won't mind if one wins the lead award and the other, the supporting award.

I have seen Canlas in Kalel, 15 and as I said in the review of  that movie, he reminds of me of the young Christopher de Leon.  This young man can really act and he should be given challenging work everytime, much like what Leo de Caprio has been doing in his career.  Sarmenta, you'd want to hug and he kind of reminds me of me - a bit naive, a bit trusting, although my moral compass is grayer than his character LOL  Tamang tama lang ang timpla nya sa role as a closeted gay person.  Are the two believable as gay men?  Yeah, they are usually called paminta in my world so it was fun to see them portrayed in a very big screen.

Will you be bored watching a movie which is all just talk?  Depends if you have the attention span to listen to the dialogue because everything is there.  It is a timebomb just ticking as there is a manipulator here and there is a bit of naivete in the other.  I was actually shocked by the audacity that I felt in the end.  Some people are indeed wolves in sheep's clothing.

Btw, the main characters in the movie are both gay but this should not detract straight people from jumping into the fray.  It's a movie about relationships and anybody, regardless of gender can relate to it.  And I'm quite sure everyone can relate to a thing or two in this menage-a-trois, maybe either to a bigger or lesser degree.  

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Here Comes the Groom' Taps Similar Story from Director's Earlier Work

 

The first soul swapping movie that really made me laugh was Tom Hanks' 'Big' and since then, there has been a long list of similar movies with different iterations - from Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday to Angelica Panganiban in 'Here Comes the Bride'.  While I was watching 'Here Comes the Groom', I was trying to remember what local movie used Magnetic Hill and the similar car crash scene.  I thought it was one of the Kimmy Dora movies, but after Googling, it turned out to be an earlier work of director Chris Martinez, 'Here Comes the Bride'.  I remember how hilarious that movie was in the adept hands of Angelica Panganiban.

Enchong Dee does a similar spirited approach to the similar predicament his character is experiencing, but this time, another four pairs of actors switch souls, allowing each of the brilliant cast of the movie to show their acting prowess.  My favorite of course, is Keempee, who is from my generation.  His work here reminded me of Nathan Lane in The Birdcage.  Kaladkaren who switches with Enchong is also quite convincing as a male barako, considering she has to be in women's clothes acting as a man and totally downplaying her supposed femininity.

Eugene Domingo, who seems to be Martinez's muse is as funny as ever, this time, as a grandstanding public official, and I can sense hints of sarcasm in the movie as her actions parody the shallowness of today's politicians.  She's always a joy to watch.

Everybody in the cast has great comedic timing and I have read how the younger fans are raving about Maris Racal and Awra.  Even Tony Labrusca, the only one in the cast who had to look serious, looked quite convincing as the closeted best friend of Enchong Dee's character.  Their scenes together will surely make many gay men happy - what with those two guys' impeccably chiseled bodies!

Fino Herrera, whose video has been a hot tip in the gay Twitter community, looks quite hot here as well, sana pinashirtless din sya LOL but he does look stockier here than in his controversial video.

Kuya Kim reprises his role here as the person who saves everyone's souls and brings order back to their lives.  

It is a riot of a movie and if you are looking for something carefree and funny and light, this movie is your go to movie this summer MMFF.  

TONY'S MOVIE REVIEW: All Secrets and Lies in 'My Father, Myself'

 

When I first saw the trailer of 'My Father, Myself', I was not surprised by the immediate backlash it had because of the salaciousness of the material.  However, for a jaded soul like me, I immediately thought of Woody Allen as probably the source material for this movie, although here, the main characters are, well, closeted homosexuals.  

To those who are not privy to Woody Allen, just google Soon-Yi Previn and Woody Allen and find out that reality is more f***ed up than fiction.

The secrets and lies that the characters in this movie are keeping are all potential time bombs which could explode now that the central protagonists are already adults.  The script though sounded tedious and repetitive and I think this type of movie would've worked better if it followed a "show, don't tell" format. Subtlety could've helped in putting tension among the family members but instead, scene after scene is the usual "Why haven't you told Papa yet" and explanations that are quite redundant.

Anyhow, that is one part which I think could've improved the movie immensely - showing it in the actions of the characters and just allowing the viewer to figure things out - maybe like what Luca Guadagnino did in "Call Me By Your Name" - he just allowed the two male leads to fall in love - and the younger man's father figured it out - as he dished that amazing dialogue towards the end of the movie.

I like Dimples Romana's performance although she could've done more if they just allowed her character to show her feelings as she continues to discover what a creep her husband is.

I also like Tiffany Grey although she had the most repetitive parts of the script.  Her cluelessness and naivete showed throughout the movie before the part where she discovers the truth.

For a gay man like me, I could sense that Jake Cuenca was still deciding how he could portray the Dad with secrets.  Sometimes his 'gayness' shows, sometimes, he becomes straight.  I don't think gay men have that 'faucet' in ourselves to just turn it off at will.  There will always be uneasiness and awkwardness when we have to be who we are not.

This is the first time I have seen Sean de Guzman and he's palaban considering he's acting with Jake who's a seasoned actor.  His gay character though is a bit butch and it would've been fun if the screenwriter added a bit of real gayness to him which he has to hide - like maybe a crush on another handsome lawyer - or listening to Beyonce or Taylor Swift - or knowing Prada and LV.  I know they can be cliches but gay men are cliches and we have common interests which kind of show that we are 'queens'. It would've been fun to see how Sean would navigate that more complex character.

Even then, I still like the movie.  Now that I've seen the work of the younger directors, admittedly, the directing style of Joel Lamangan can be a bit dated and flat.  In a younger director's hand, the movie may find the freshness of context and point of view because as I said, this is a ticking time bomb story.  You could go either way - use Mike Leigh's understated style or Luca Guadagnino's show not tell style - or go full blast and do Todd Field's style of letting the character crash and burn. 

MOVIE REVIEW: There's More to 'Nanahimik Ang Gabi' Than What I Initially Thought

 

I actually did a cursory glance at the trailer of 'Nanahimik ang Gabi' and I thought it was based on the Stephen King novel, 'Gerald's Game' which is about a lovers' tryst  in a secluded house gone wrong.

I was greatly mistaken.

On the surface and at the start, it would seem that the movie was just that - maybe up to the point where Ian Veneracion's character puts a pair of cuffs on Heaven Peralejo's hands.

When Mon Confiado's character enters the movie, it slowly changes the tone of the movie as well as its premise.  What I thought was a sexy movie about a young airhead and her sugar daddy metamorphoses into a serious movie about police corruption and duplicity.

The movie may seem like a slow burn but based on the audience's reactions to it, many were really scared for Heaven and there were several tense scenes in the movie which elicited reactions of resignation at the fate of Heaven's character.  That her character changes from that of naivete and frivolousness to full-blown disgust is amazing to watch.  I even asked my brother who acted better, Heaven or Nadine Ilustre (in Deleter), and he said Nadine may have won because she was the more popular actress.

Kudos too to Ian Veneracion who deserves his Best Actor award for this movie.  It's really hard to see him as a despicable human being because he's so handsome and charming - like the Pinoy version of Keanu Reeves - very likeable and difficult to hate.  But Ian's character when first you see him and the way he shows off the real color of his character towards the end is fascinating to watch.

This movie has adult themes and may not appeal too much to the general public during the Christmas season.  I think the right marketing push geared towards the older demographic would've helped the movie achieve better box-office.  I just hope this team produces more adult-themed movies since I am really bored with all the teenybopper BS that our local cinema churns out.

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris' is Delightful and Inspiring

 

Like Mrs. Harris in the movie, most of us have had this moment of awe gaping and looking at designer goods.  In the movie, 'Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris', Lesley Manville plays a house cleaner who learns that her husband is certified dead and embarks on a trip to Paris after encountering a beautiful dress called 'Ravissante' in one of her client's closets.

She is undeterred even after learning that the dress costs a hefty 500 pounds, a hefty sum, even in today's money, hefty just for a frock.  Anyhow, this dress becomes her dream and she saves all her money, even betting on a dog race, to make sure she achieves her dream.

This is a well-acted movie and it has the right zest to cheer up anybody who is feeling low right now.  Its theme of making dreams come true is well-structured and there are enough obstacles along the way that would make the viewer really cheer for Mrs. Harris.

Lucas Bravo of 'Emily Goes to Paris' is here, reprising yet another handsome French man! Isabelle Huppert plays the haughty Mdme. Colbert and Jason Isaacs plays Archie, one of Mrs. Harris' devoted admirers.  They and a strong support cast make the movie a delight to watch.

TONY'S MOVIE REVIEW: Guillermo del Toro Puts His Own Stamp in His Vision for 'Pinocchio'

 

I was supposed to watch another movie in Netflix tonight but since it had no subtitles (que horror!) I decided to switch to Guillermo del Toro's 'Pinocchio' since it had several nominations from the Golden Globes.

I rarely watch animated feature films but since I am a big fan of Guillermo del Toro, this was an opportunity not to miss.  To those unfamiliar with his work, Guillermo del Toro has imagined a different world in 'Pan's Labyrinth' and the Oscar-winning 'The Shape of Water', using his very fertile imagination.

'Pinocchio' is no different and it is quite easy to discover which ideas are del Toro's and which is from the original story.

This is actually the first time I got to know the story of Pinocchio so I was not familiar with its general story, except its famous idea that if he lies, his nose will get bigger and bigger.

I thought that would be the main idea of the story but del Toro widens the canvas and includes his personal commentaries on war, children in war, fascism, animal rights, animal cruelty, and a host of other advocacies that come tumbling one after another as the movie progresses.

My favorite gist of the movie though is the relationship between Gepetto and Pinocchio.  I was close to tears in many scenes in the movie especially when Pinocchio sang 'Ciao Papa', and when Gepetto died.  Movies about fathers and sons make me cry easily.

This is a great movie and I strongly suggest you watch it.  del Toro has stamped his genius in the movie so it is greatly entertaining and the pacing is fast.  Even Mama, who watched it with me, never felt there was a dull moment.

TONY'S MOVIE REVIEW: 'All Quiet on the Western Front' Puts Us Front and Center in the Battlefield

 

Germany's entry to this year's Oscars, 'All Quiet on the Western Front' is a brutal depiction of what happens in a war and it was quite an uneasy watch for me since the movie's director decided to bring the fighting needed in this movie front and center.  I was tempted to press forward many times but I stuck with my guns, pardon the pun and absorbed the movie's quiet moments, its funny moments, and all the gunfire and explosion scenes while the family had its post New Year dinner LOL

This is the first movie I have seen in 2023 and will qualify for My FABE Movie Awards for 2023 already, as I use the calendar year as a rule.  Anyhow, this is an impressive movie, and we were all heartbroken as we watched one of the soldiers lose his life AFTER the armistice was signed.  It gets even more sad when an idiot leader forces his already very tired troops to one last fight.  I guess the director's point after watching this all is that no one ever wins in a war - and he drives it like an arrow straight to our hearts.  For our generation who has been lucky never having to engage in a real war, we fully understand the folly of dying of honor for one's country when your leaders are ensconced in the comfort of their homes - safe, warm, and smug.

TONY'S MOVIE REVIEW: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Sends Another FU to the Super Rich

 

There seems to be a thread among Hollywood movies this year where the super rich are sent big FUs!  From The White Lotus to Triangle of Sadness to The Menu and now in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the central theme of these movies is the roasting of the super rich which eventually lead to the demise of their characters -  which is exactly what happens in this second Knives Out mystery.

In this latest Knives out story, a group of close friends are invited to the island by now billionaire character played by Edward Norton.  Each friend has a favor to ask from the billionaire and are willing to keep secrets from him.  I will not divulge much of the story anymore but that there is a murder that happens and another attempted murder.

What you the viewer can do is guess who the murderer is.  I guessed wrong lol.  I never was good at these whodunits.

But the movie's screenwriter, also the director, Rian Johnson, pieces together a script that is not only fresh and current, but has many unique gizmos and gadgets to bring this second installment a notch higher than the first.

However, the motives of these murders remain the same.  To protect their wealth and put the poor victims in their proper place. 

Watch Daniel Craig become Hercule Poirot again, although I missed his character's name lol.  However, it is Janelle Monae who shines in the movie as she has the meatiest role of them all.  The whole ensemble is acts like first rate A-list actors that they are.  I am surprised the wrestler is here and thankfully, he is given the smallest role.  

I strongly recommend you watch this movie.  I find it more interesting and with more to lose among the main suspects.  I love how it is current and relevant to modern times and keeps us apace with what the current technology can offer us ordinary mortals.

I hope there is a third movie.  Daniel Craig has survived the James Bond curse lol

MOVIE REVIEW: The Unnerving True Story Behind 'The Good Nurse'

 

We have seen this movie before, a psychotic person who goes around killing people when they are in their most helpless state.  What makes it even more brutal is that the person doing it is supposed to be the one saving that person's lives.  That's why the title here - 'The Good Nurse' delineates quite clearly the characters of the two main leads - Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne - who are nurse colleagues in a hospital.

Jessica Chastain won the Oscar last year for 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' but I adore her performance here.  It is quite restrained but very subtle.  I love how she transitions from believing that her colleague is a caring person to her realization that she might have been working with a monster.  I love how she shows her fear, her anxiety, and her resolve to put this bastard behind bars.  It's not showy acting but I can feel her strength and her disbelief that she trusted this guy who turns out to be the devil himself.

Eddie Redmayne is getting all the nominations for this performance because it is the more showy role.  That last scene alone could make the voters choose him for a supporting actor role nomination.

I love how tight the story is and how it slowly peels away the layers of the story starting with how slow the hospital moved when these deaths were happening to them.  I too was incredulous that they acted quite slowly, but what do I know about hospital lawsuits.  The suspense of the movie builds up very slowly mainly because Eddie Redmayne is also a great actor and he 'hides' that personality away from the prying eyes of the public.  What he cannot hide are the number of deaths that happen during his shift.

I love the movie and I wish it was more flashy.  But I am satisfied with the ending.  And this being a true story sends shivers to my spine.

MOVIE REVIEW: 'The Banshees of Inisherin' An Out of this World Dark Comedy

 

'The Banshees of Inisherin' is set in an island off Ireland and I find it to be such a dark comedy that I ended up being more depressed after I watched it.  Don't get me wrong, it has some very witty soundbites, but the overall premise of the movie is a bit depressing, and now being Christmas and all, it did affect me a bit, thinking how that would also affect me personally if a friend of mine does what the character of Bernard Gleeson does to Colin Farrell in the movie.

Otherwise, I understand why the critics are raving over it - all the four main actors here are wonderful.  My favorite is Barry Keoghan who I find quite cute and disarming.  Kerry Condon is also the other strong support in the movie and she deserves all the awards she has been getting.

I find the script very unsettling though and the lengths that the characters go through to prove their respective personal points are quite otherworldly for me. Anyhow, Martin McDonagh gives us another movie that makes us think about our relationships with people close to us and if those relationships are good for us.

I did watch the movie twice, and I appreciated it more the second time I saw it.  I kinda saw the genius the critics were touting. However, I do find the material very dark and not really uplifting.  I may have become a banshee myself after watching the movie.

TONY'S MOVIE REVIEW: 'The Menu' Literally Roasts The Pretentious Elite

Bong Joon Ho's 'Parasite' has inadvertently set a trend where the super rich are featured in a movie and are abused to the point where they are mercilessly killed for being pretentious, smug, snobbish, and entitled.  I just came from watching 'The Menu' and just like 'Triangle of Sadness' but on a more brutal scale, everyone, well almost everyone in the movie gets roasted in the end - and I mean literally.

So how's that for a movie premise.  Kill the rich!  Yeah, that would solve the world's problems.

Anyhow, critics say this type of movie is called absurdist escapism but I think the treatment has to be perfect for the idea to work.  That is why I cited 'Parasite' earlier because if a movie had to be made where we send a big F*** You to the rich, that movie does it splendidly!

In 'The Menu' Ralph Fiennes plays a celebrated chef who invites a bevy of rich guests to eat his US$1250 dinner.  The price tag alone is absurd unless the food is sprinkled with diamonds and gold nuggets.

The first 20 minutes of the movie expertly hides where the movie is eventually going.  I thought I was getting a dark comedy but this one that involves a guy shooting himself in the head and a wannabee chef hanging himself, may be too dark for me.  One suicide is already quota in a movie for me.  Two and I squirm, especially that the second suicide involved one of my favorite actors LOL

I wanted to enjoy the movie because it's so rare for us unwashed to give an F U to the super rich, but blowing them up to bits is not really something I can handle.  I don't think I can play God and just kill everyone - because they are filthy rich.

Anyhow, the movie may appear fun if I just relaxed a bit and go with the flow. Nahh!!! 

TONY'S MOVIE REVIEW: 'Bones and All' - A Very Complicated Love Story

 

Do not eat popcorn or any food when you watch 'Bones and All' - the latest movie of director Luca Guadagnino starring Timothee Chalamet, Taylor Russell, and Mark Rylance.

It is one of the more unique movies I have ever seen because it's premise is so preposterous and so weird that you may just believe it LOL - just like you 'believe' that there are zombies and vampires.  To fully enjoy the movie, just let go of your tabooed sensibilities - and something which I had to do to not puke LOL!

Unlike his other recent movies (Call Me By Your Name and Suspiria), the action starts fast in Bones and All, and I remember gasping with mild shock when I saw THAT scene.  I do not want to divulge it here because it would take out the fun but it's something that will disgust you and it's something which is taboo among humans.

That is just the start.

As the movie progresses, we meet a cast of characters which we have to deal with trepidation as we do not know if they are going to be allies or enemies of the lead character played by Taylor Russell.

When I finally settled into the movie and just accepted the characters for who they really are - I began to enjoy the movie and in the end, I was rooting for them.  The last scene, although disgusting to look at, is actually a supreme sacrifice of love which made me feel deeply for the doomed lovers.

This movie is not for the fainthearted but if you just let go of your inhibitions, it can actually be a wonderful love story to enjoy.

TONY'S MOVIE REVIEW: The Sensuous and Enthralling 'Call Me By Your Name'

The Oscar nominations are going to be announced later and I won't be surprised if this movie, Call Me By Your Name, gets a few major ones like Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and maybe Best Original Song, Best Original Score and by a longshot, Best Director

I was listening to the audiobook after watching the movie, and James Ivory, the screenwriter, who I'm sure will snag an Oscar for writing this, stayed very faithful to the book. I might have to reread it but listening to Armie Hammer read it is by itself such a sexy experience.

I doubt though if the Academy would vote for another gay-themed movie for Best Picture, two years in a row, but just to get a nomination, and I'm sure this movie has many Academy supporters, is by itself a great achievement.

This movie though is not for everyone. When I read that it had a special 2-day screening, in Ayala Malls I jumped at the chance to watch it, bringing Mama along, just so I can see her reaction at seeing two grown men making out on a large movie screen.

It's a very slow burn movie, typical of most Oscar Best Picture nominees. It's like we are voyeurs into these people's lives.

The lives of these characters is what I aspire for - a kind of combined polyglot - intellectual connoisseurs of art and linguistics and culture.

The year it was set, 1983, was the year I discovered Michael Jackson, Madonna and just like Timothee Chalamet's character, it was when my world suddenly transitioned from black and white to full on color.

It was a beautiful age to be in.

Anyhow, there are so many arresting scenes in the movie, scenes which made me feel so kilig, because gay men really don't get these types of scenes in most heterosexual movies.

I'm just glad director Luca Guadagnino injected just the right amount of passion, of romance, of desire, into this movie.

The last movie set in Italy that I fell madly in love with was 2013's The Great Beauty, which captured the decadence of Rome.

This movie is superbly shot showing the beauty of the region of Lombardy in northwest Italy. Just watching the gorgeous Italian summer is a wonderful experience by itself.

And the two male leads? Gorgeous!

Armie Hammer without his clothes on.....yum yum yum.

And Timothee Chalamet - what a f*****g beautiful boy!!

That fruit scene? NOW, I want to find out how an apricot tastes like LOL

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Triangle of Sadness' Examines Where True Power Lies

Ruben Ostlund returns with another whirlwind of a movie after regaling us with Force Majeure  and The Square.  His film Triangle of Sadness which won the Palme D'Or this year, puts a group of extremely wealthy people in a luxury yacht where the staff and the help seem almost invisible and dispensable, and by a strange of twist, this motley crew of the very rich and the help find themselves in a deserted island drawing into play the question, where does true power lie?

This movie is especially special to Filipinos like me, as answering that question, in the third act of his film, Ostlund puts a Filipina actress, Dolly de Leon, front and center.  There is considerable buzz around de Leon's performance and I myself only learned about her because of this movie and I don't remember a local movie she has starred in mainly because she said she only worked in student films and indie movies.  

However, she makes a commanding presence in the third act and I love that scene where she says, "Who's the captain of the ship now?".  She even uses her newfound power to seduce my long time movie crush Harris Dickinson who is almost 90% shirtless in this movie, to my eternal gratitude to Ostlund LOL.  I first saw Dickinson in Beach Rats, and here, he really acquires that model-esque jaw required for the movie.

Ostlund has left it to the viewer to determine the ending.  For me, I will side with de Leon and she does that dastardly deed if only to maintain her 'power' in the group.  However, for how long can she keep that status quo is the question.  She will have to go back to the previous 'world order' and just find herself a way to worm herself back to the top of the food chain.

It is an engaging movie and the way it pokes fun at the ultra-rich is just hilarious.  Vomit here, vomit there.  Sometimes that Patek Philippe or Rolex watch will not save your life.

 

MOVIE REVIEW: Tar Shows the Folly of Arrogance

 

For ordinary mortals like us, we are so used to giving concessions to celebrities and famous people when they commit human weaknesses like adultery, sexual harassment, and ego-tripping, because in our eyes, they have become godlike figures to be worshipped and adored, that's why we often look the other way when they do shitty things and gasp at all the mayhem that happens after, when all their shit hits the fan.

Todd Field, the director of Tar, also directed Little Children, which starred Kate Winslet, Jackie Earle Haley, and Patrick Wilson - with the latter, being one of my favorite movies in 2006.  We wait almost two decades before Field returns back to the cinema with a movie that is so timely, witty, and done with such Biblical relish, I could feel God's whip being lashed in this riches to rags story.

Cate Blanchett plays Lydia Tar, a world-famous female conductor and in this movie - she is the lead conductor for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.  Blanchett's performance is so commanding, she appears huge and masterful and we the viewers forgive her arrogance and haughtiness because we are in awe of her talent and achievements - a towering woman in the male-dominated world of orchestra conductors.

Aside from Blanchett's performance, I love the script and how it attacks 'being woke' and the canceling of accomplished people and their achievements.  I once told my mother that if we had a moral compass to apply on all the achievers in this world, we would all be hunter-gatherers right now - since most geniuses are assholes and have very poor social skills - almost zero empathy even.  That's why they are geniuses and we are just ordinary folks.

This lack of moral compass on the lead characters eventually leads to her downfall, which was not swift, mind you, the movie took its time in fleshing our Tar's life and family, setting her up so high, we could just shake our heads when the last scene is played out.

How the mighty have fallen.

I highly recommend this movie if you are like me lol someone who loves arthouse movies with witty dialogue - and it would help a lot if you have a bit of IQ about the classical world, because the name-dropping here is relentless, and unless you know those people Blanchett rattles off in her monologues, you'd be totally lost in context.

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Smile' - Interesting Premise but Disjointed Editing Spoils the Momentum of Horror

 

Many scenes in the horror movie 'Smile' have the antagonists sport that eerie smile which in this movie, is a portal for a something bad happening to the character present.  

This entity controls the victim and makes that person commit suicide, and then proceeds to the next victim and continues the process.  This then leads to a string of deaths which go back a long time because no one really notices that there is connection between all these deaths.

It's an interesting premise and execution-wise, the first 30 minutes of the movie are the most engaging because I am invested in finding out how this strange 'smile' can cause these otherwise sane people to go over the edge.

However, as the movie progresses, and the lead actress played by Sosie Bacon with the help of her ex played by Kyle Gallner, begin to slowly uncover why all of these are happening, the movie's director, Parker Finn, fails to enlist the help of the movie editor as I noticed two very key and scary scenes pan out to a totally unrelated next scene.  Kung sa Tagalog pa, "Anyare?" (What happened?)

This lack of editing cohesiveness kind of destroys the momentum of terror the movie was trying to build and causes a mumbo jumbo of disjointedness in the moviegoers memory and reaction.

The ending is even more bizarre in my opinion so my brother and I left the theater wondering what kind of entity was that and why did it act like that.  I think even horror entities should have motivations on why they are doing these things, don't you think?