Author: Jude Cartalaba

Antoinette Jadaone’s take on the life of a fan and a celebrity is both dark and bold. I was a bit disappointed with the LizQuen (Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil) film–Alone/Together (2019) that I found some loopholes in the development of Soberano and Gil’s characters and even the one portrayed by Adrian Alandy. However, after watching Fan Girl, Jadaone redeemed herself in many ways. Her unknowing queries about a fan and a star led her to extensive research, which made up the story’s background between Jane (Charlie Dizon) and the fictionalized Paulo Avelino (Paulo Avelino as himself). The movie’s theme…

It seems that veteran teleplay and screenplay writer Gina Marissa-Tagasa’s favorite star to portray the mother characters she writes is Sylvia Sanchez. In 2018, Sanchez also gave life to [another] Tagasa’s envisioned story for another film, Mama’s Girl for Regal Films. Since the yearly film festival aims to provide its intended audiences–the Filipino families with a kind of entertainment that could likely be palatable to the entire family, this family drama is perhaps a great choice. The trailer may have suggested it as a Jinggoy Estrada film, yet Adolfo Alix Jr.’s entry (based on his story) to the 2020 Metro…

Hollywood actor Cory Kays, the star of a sports-romance-drama film Titleholder, chose three Filipino actresses, Kapuso stars in particular, who impressed him. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_0ibDrFUx0/ In an interview with Miss Earth 2017, Karen Ibasco, Kays was presented with photographs of Kathryn Bernardo, Nadine Lustre, Liza Soberano, Erich Gonzales, Lovi Poe, Jennylyn Mercado, Marian Rivera, and Maine Mendoza. https://youtu.be/nZekDr5TsRQ Ibasco asked Kays to choose his top three women according to his first impressions and tagging them as Miss Congeniality, Queen of Venus, and Queen of Hearts, respectively. Among the eight female stars, he singled out Poe as Queen of Hearts, Mendoza as Queen…

Love is supposed to be without any restrain or limitation, but that’s not the case with Gabby, Gabriel, and Dennis. https://youtu.be/n3QU5lLpIVA Lovi Poe, Tony Labrusca, and Marco Gumabao portray the three lead characters, respectively. The film Hindi Tayo Pwede is Joel Lamangan latest direction (for Viva Films), and Ricky Lee is the man behind the imagination of two men (Labrusca and Gumabao) fighting for their love over one woman. https://youtu.be/–aQSO_NjYw The idea of having a love triangle in a romantic-drama is not new anymore, but having one character as someone who hasn’t crossed over yet to the other side is…

In today’s public hearing of ABS-CBN’s franchise and other broadcast franchises at the senate’s session hall, ABS-CBN Corporation’s president and chief executive officer Carlo Katigbak responded to the two points raised by senator Christopher ‘Bong’ Go.  Katigbak also apologized for his company’s shortcomings. On behalf of President Rodrigo Duterte, Go aired the commander-in-chief’s grievances toward the media giant. The first point that Sen. Go opened was about the media giant’s intention of misleading and informing the public. According to Sen. Go, a video was (obviously) aired by the Network, intending to malign the President during the height of the 2016…

From the same director William Brent Bell of its first installment, The Boy, comes its sequel–Brahms: The Boy II with its three lead characters–the family of three–Sean, Liza, and Jude (Katie Holmes, Owain Yeoman, and Christopher Convery). With the same writer–Stacey Menear of the first, the sequel tells a story about a young family who moves into a guest house on the estate. The couple’s young son soon makes an unsettling new friend, an eerily life-like doll, to whom he calls Brahms. Finding the doll in the woods and after cleaning up, the doll sets the rules for Jude and…

The long wait is over for those rooting for Sarah Geronimo and Matteo Guidicelli’s marriage. Though not quite a good confirmation about the couple’s momentous occasion, the civil wedding was revealed via a complaint by a close-in security Jerry Tamara. Geronimo is 31 and Guidicelli is 29. Tamara filed a blotter at 3:27 a.m on February 21 at the Police Community Precinct No. 7 in Taguig, following his scuffle with Geronimo’s husband-actor Guidicelli. According to a post by MJ Felipe, Tamara narrated that Geronimo’s mother Divine unexpectedly showed up at the venue.  Divine, requested to have a moment with her…

Sarah Geronimo’s civil marriage to her five-year boyfriend Matteo Guidicelli is confirmed. Despite the denials of The Voice Teens of the Philippines staff (after a post from PhilStar leaking on the marriage of Geronimo and Guidicelli), a complaint from close-in security, Jerry Tamara resurfaced today. According to a post by MJ Felipe on Twitter, the couple’s civil wedding took place last night, February 20, Shangri-La The Fort in BGC. https://twitter.com/mjfelipe/status/1230749812481347584 Tamara narrated that Guidicelli accused and confronted him after Geronimo’s mom unexpectedly showed up at the venue. Despite the attempts of The Voice Teens of the Philippines staff to hide…

UnTrue is a risqué film by Sigrid Bernardo, but it’s still worth catching in the cinemas. Cristine Reyes and Xian Lim are the lead stars in this psychological-thriller-drama story by Bernardo and shot in Tbilisi, Georgia. Bernardo, a risk-taker filmmaker, takes pride in the film since her stars delivered what she required of them to complete the project. Watching the film is like transporting the moviegoers to that mysterious-looking place. Its location is at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe. The country’s boundaries are the Black Sea (west), Russia (north), Turkey and Armenia (south), and Azerbaijan (southeast). According…

Irene Villamor is probably one of the most promising filmmakers in this generation. If producers get to respect her vision for a particular project and give her the free reigns in telling her story–her film will surely be a good one. Take the case of her latest romance-drama flick On Vodka, Beers, and Regrets. Who would ever think that this film attempts to tackle something sensitive as addiction to alcoholism? The film tells about Bela Padilla as Jane Pineda, a washed-up actress and former child star in rock bottom situation meets JC Santos’s character Francis, a band lead singer at…

Today, January 27, Kapunan and Castillo Law Offices informed the public that Nadine Lustre is no longer a talent if Viva Artists Agency. Viva, however, made a response to the statement and stated, therefore, Lustre still remains an exclusive artist of the agency. Lustre can not unilaterally withdraw from her contract with the agency, according to Viva Artist Agency, the talent arm of Viva Entertainment Incorporated. Viva forewarned that any dealings or professional engagement entered into by Lustre without the consent or approval of the former constitutes a breach of contract.  Viva will not hesitate to initiate proper legal actions…

Let these words of JK Rowling be a reminder about the film Night Shift is, “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next adventure.” After watching the film written and directed by Yam Laranas, it has opened some doors of possibilities about life after death. It was a fitting setting that Laranas chose the morgue to be the foundation of his latest psychological-drama (something that is far from its brand or popularly labeled as to its genre). Laranas wittingly utilizes and explores the fears of its lead character in his film. Yam Concepcion as Jesse is convincing enough to…

Romantic-comedy flick fans might find Mia interesting, terms of storytelling. It tells about a self-destructive and alcoholic Mia (Coleen Garcia) and the geologist Jay (Edgar Allan Guzman).  At first, one could argue that Bataraza, Palawan, a mining town is not the typical rom-com setting. However, it was perfect for a love story that could bloom in the most unlikely place. The award-winning filmmaker Veronica Velasco is impressive as she managed to put together two unlikely actors to have chemistry. Surprisingly, Guzman and Garcia made a lovely pair. Since Mia struggles from the tragedy of her former fiance’s death, Velasco co-wrote…

Perhaps the one film in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival that could be as ambitious and as monumental is iOptions Ventures Corporation’s first foray in producing a film with such magnitude as CULION. To some people who are frequent travelers to Palawan, Culion as an island is somehow familiar.  Palawan is not just rich in beautiful island beaches, but a history waiting to burst for people to discover and embrace. The multi-awarded international screenwriter Ricky Lee penned the story of three women (Anna, Doris, and Ditas) as the focal characters in a historical-drama helmed by Alvin Yapan. After its…

Since December is a time for family gatherings or reunions, Viva Films made a good move in creating this Filipino version of the 2013 Korean tearjerker film ‘Miracle in Cell No. 7’ of the same title, adapted into the Filipino setting. Sending this Aga Muhlach-Xia Vigor-starrer, to the upcoming Metro Manila Film Festival 2019 is already a potential crowd-drawer The screenplay is by Mel Mendoza-del Rosario. Nuel Naval is its director.  If the local audience were moved by the original version, it is undoubtedly that this local version is much more of a tearjerker. There was nothing much of a…

Though ADAN is a lesbian-themed film, it is not the typical goody-two-shoes and coming-of-age love story but dark, bloody, and sexy. At first glance, there is this Celso Ad Castillo-feel via the 1984 Virgin People, but it isn’t. Yam Laranas, the writer and Roman Santillan Perez Jr., the director paints the dynamics of lesbian life and relationship via an erotic-thriller piece.   The two female leads may not possess the celebrity statuses, but their portrayals as two lesbians are effective and affective at the same time. Rhen Escaño is Ellen. Cindy Miranda is Marian. The two female stars play as friends…