Adolfo Alix Jr.’s horror-drama “Poon” (The Hallowed) arrives in cinemas this week (opened on Sept. 9, Wednesday) with all the makings of a major cinematic event, seamlessly blending whodunit intrigue with gritty atmospheric horror. On the surface, what’s driving its commercial potential is a multigenerational powerhouse ensemble. The film cleverly links respected icons like Gina Pareño and...
Author: Rito Asilo
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Vilma Santos starrer gets a new lease on life as FDCP celebrates 50th year of PH cinema’s second Golden Age
What a difference a year makes. When we spoke with writer-director Jose Javier Reyes in an exclusive interview for CoverStory last year, the chair of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) used Ishmael Bernal’s screen drama “Relasyon” and Joey Gosiengfiao’s cult classic “Temptation Island” as tragic examples of cinematic loss to emphasize the urgent need for massive,...
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Cinemalaya 22: Comedic Ruby Ruiz, dramatic Pokwang face off in genre-bending performances
While last year’s Cinemalaya celebrated filmmakers navigating a changing industry, the 22nd edition of the festival this month has turned its lens inward. Under the theme “Reel Reflections,” the country’s preeminent indie showcase honors cinema as a powerful mirror of the Filipino experience. This focus blazes through the themes of the festival’s nine competing feature-film entries—from the harsh...
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From polarizing themes to meta-style troubleshooting: Revisiting the best films and performances of 2025
Hollywood may have wrapped up its award-giving season in March, but its local counterpart in the Philippines has yet to start rolling out the red carpet for the top achievers of the 2025 film season. The first mainstream group to honor its top picks on July 5 is the entertainment editors’ Eddys, followed thereafter by...
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Berlinale film shines a light on the plight of undocumented Filipino migrant workers
At the height of the pandemic in 2021, Al Jazeera reported on the plight of thousands of undocumented Filipino migrant workers in Switzerland. Because of their illegal status, it wasn’t very hard to exploit them. They were paid very little for services rendered and charged exorbitant fees to manage the high cost of living in...
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‘UnMarry,’ ‘Manila’s Finest’ boost MMFF 2025’s auspicious lineup
The 50th edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) last year featured entries that had Vice Ganda (“And the Breadwinner Is…”) and Vic Sotto (“The Kingdom”) bringing their A-game to the holiday projects they chose to champion. This year’s eight-title lineup is even more auspicious, with the annual cinematic feast fielding entries that are...
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Art imitates life in Cinemalaya 2025’s hard-hitting indies
By putting a premium on thematic pertinence over pomp, formula and pageantry, the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival has continually asserted its place as the country’s preeminent indie showcase since 2005. It explores stories that are deemed too risky for mainstream audiences and espouses perspectives that champion the weak, oppressed and marginalized. These indies operate...
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Joey Reyes on PH’s Oscar chances, restoring film classics, and corruption in gov’t
We had high hopes for the beleaguered local film industry after the Metro Manila Film Festival’s (MMFF) sumptuous cinematic buffet last December and the CinePanalo competition in March. But in the five months that followed the MMFF, big-screen duds (like “Ex Ex Lovers,” “Everything About My Wife”) quickly outnumbered small cinematic gems like Derick Cabrido’s...
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Henry Golding on making his first TV series and creating his favorite characters
Some actors are creatures of habit, so they’re often seen doing variations of the same characters and themes. But not if movie heartthrob Henry Golding can help it. Indeed, while the handsome 38-year-old British Malaysian actor is more known for his hunky leading-man roles in films like “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Last Christmas,” “A Simple Favor”...
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‘Unfailingly sweet, phenomenal’: Mark Strong on working with Dolly de Leon and Chai Fonacier
You can’t be a film buff if you aren’t familiar with Mark Strong’s cinematic oeuvre. As versatile as he is prolific, the British actor boasts a body of work that has as many award-winning films (“The Imitation Game,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” “1917”) as it has blockbuster titles (“Kingsman: The Secret Service,”...