filmpolicereviews

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'Anak Ka Ng Ina Mo' (Your Mother's Son Review): Political Intrigue and Personal Turmoil in Jun Lana's Erotic Thriller

In Jun Lana's latest sexy, disturbing and cunning film 'Anak Ka ng Ina Mo (Your Mother's Son), Roy Narra reviews the political commentaries Lana tries to enthuse in this erotic thriller.

Jun Lana’s latest sexy, disturbing, and cunning film Anak Ka ng Ina Mo (Your Mother’s Son) is a series of tug of war: son versus visitor, love versus taboo, individualism versus collectivism, and the director’s intention of establishing a subtle yet sharp political commentary versus his tendency to focus on stylish spectacles over substance. Lana is no stranger to films with social and political…

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The Seen and the Unseen review: An Indonesian Gem about Rediscovering Our Magical Childhood

For Adrian Mendizabal's first review with FPR, he writes about Kamila Andini’s 2017 cinematic gem, 'The Seen and Unseen', an Indonesian gem about rediscovering the magic of childhood. Read more here:

Kamila Andini’s The Seen and the Unseen (2017) navigates the depths of a child’s subconscious, as seen through her cultural heritage. It recounts the story of fraternal twins, Tantri and Tantra. One fateful day, Tantra stole an egg from the gods’ altar, and Tantri subsequently prepared and consumed it. Tantri ingested the egg white, while Tantra consumed the yolk. Unexpectedly, Tantra collapsed…

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Safe Havens or Stifled Stories? Examining 'Rewind' and Filipino Film Conventions | Opinion

'Safe Havens or Stifled Stories?' Roy Narra writes an opinion piece on Mae Cruz-Alviar's MMFF and now Netflix-hit 'Rewind' and the familiar film conventions we should all probably give up on now.

With Rewind being the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time now, what does that say about the Filipino audience? First, we are still hooked on loveteams and romantic films. Second, Star Cinema has a firm grasp of the audience’s emotional needs in watching films. Third, Filipinos will spend their hard-earned money to buy expensive tickets for a formulaic, predictable romantic family drama…

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Episode 153: 'Poor Things' (Women's Month Episode)

The gals are back to talk about Yorgos Lanthimos' absurdist steampunk masterpiece that is 'Poor Things' starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Margaret Qualley. Listen to this episode now:

Poor Things has 11 nominations for tonight’s 96th Academy Awards! Ica, Karen and Cess are back for this year’s Women’s Month edition. And girl, they’ve got a lot to say about Emma Stone’s jaw-dropping *wink wink* controversial performance and what could be an Oscar’s sweep for her second tandem with Yorgos Lanthimos.Caution Warning: Spoilers are present in this episode.As of writing, Poor Things…

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LIZA SOBERANO’S HOLLYWOOD DEBUT ‘LISA FRANKENSTEIN’ IN PH CINEMAS THIS FEB 7

We're just as excited for Liza Soberano's hollywood acting debut! 'Lisa Frankenstein' to screen in PH cinemas this February 7!

Here are a couple of things you should know about the horror-comedy film directed by the-late Robin Williams’ daughter, Zelda Williams. It’s been attempted here and there, and perhaps the most successful transition from Philippine Cinema to Hollywood almost never happened, if it weren’t for Dolly de Leon’s successful portrayal of an overseas-Filipina-worker turned ‘Captain’ of the wrecked ship…

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‘Priscilla’ review: An intimate journey in achieving agency

'Priscilla' finally holds her own POV in Sofia Coppola's latest film. Read Roy Narra's review of the film here. Opens in PH cinemas this January 31.

In almost two hours of Sofia Coppola’s latest film Priscilla, the titular character (Cailee Spaeney) had a visually and emotionally intricate journey in looking and establishing her agency, seeking her identity beyond being the woman placed and living in the shadow of the King of Rock and Roll, husband Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi). It’s concerning that media outlets often label the film as the…

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'Rewind' review: the Divine twist is a flawed redemption

'Rewind' is Star Cinema's first film with GMA's DongYan. Even with great performances, the divine twist cannot save its flawed redemptions.

John (Dingdong Dantes) is a businessman who is always on the go, to the detriment of his relationships with his loving wife Mary (Marian Rivera) and his son Austin (Jordan Lim.) It all comes to a head when several unfortunate events befall John, leading to a car accident that takes the life of his wife. It is there where he meets a certain quirky carpenter with time travel powers (Pepe Herrera)…

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'Mallari' review: Piolo Pascual's Triple Threat in this game-changing Filipino horror film

Princess Kinoc reviews ‘Mallari’, a fictional account of the first documented Filipino serial killer of the same name. The film is part of this year’s MMFF 2023.The first documented Filipino serial killer is a priest. If that sentence has not brought a weight of thought in your mind today, then I don’t know what will. The fact that Fr. Juan Severino Mallari of Magalang, Pampanga and his…

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'Firefly' film review: beyond expectations in this hidden gem from MMFF 2023

In this review of the film ‘Firefly’, Princess Kinoc writes about Zig Dulay’s adaptation of Anj Atienza’s short story, of the same name. An entry in this year’s MMFF 2023. Firefly, to me, is undoubtedly one of the best films I have seen so far in this year’s MMFF line-up. I will be writing a separate essay on my initial thoughts of this year’s festival, but perhaps like most of us who are…

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'Mutt' review: a raw portrait of transitions and relationships

There's so much we do not know about journeys, much like this one by Feña that's been handled with compassion and care. Read Ela Bicera's review of "Mutt" here:

Mutt is a drama directed by Vuk Lungulov-Klotz that features the journey of Feña as he transitions into a man. Ela Bicera reviews this film that was part of the QCinema International Film Festival 2023. Spoilers are present. While Transitioning is a life-changing experience, it also comes with doubts, fears and worries. It’s not even the process itself that’s agonizing at times, rather it’s the…

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'Foe' (2023) review: love's final frontier we'd already seen before

FOE had earned some early buzz as it cast talented actors Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal, but does it live up to it's hype? A review by Ela Bicera.

Ela Bicera reviews ‘Foe’, the science fiction thriller starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal, directed by Garth Davis. This film premiered at the QCinema International Film Festival 2023. Spoilers are present in this review. “Till death, do us part” is the promise we say to the love of our lives in marriage. But we may have all misunderstood the other perspective of this promise, because a…

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Solids by the Seashore (2023) review: the tides of liberation

John Tawasil writes about the tides of liberation examined in Patiparn Boontarig's 'Solids By The Seashore'. Read his review in full here:

John Tawasil writes about Patiparn Boontarig‘s ‘Solids By The Seashore’. The film is part of the Asian Next Wave competition at the QCinema International Film Festival 2023. Shati (Ilada Pitsuwan) works in an art gallery in a quiet seaside town. We first see her putting on a hijab as part of her daily routine. Her parents ask her when she’s getting married, eventually taking matters into their…

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'Women from Rote Island' (2023) review: female resiliency at its finest

"The waves are coming in stronger, and the women are roaring louder." writes Ela Bicera of Jeremias Nyangoen's film #WomenFromRoteIsland , a film that's part of the New Horizon's section of this year's QCinema. Read her review here:

Ela Bicera writes about Jeremias Nyangoen’s debut film which tackles the abuse that Women from Rote Island experience, and their resiliency to fight back. Spoilers are present in this review. Rote Island is one of the many islands located in Indonesia, known as a great surfing location with amazing coral reefs and rock formations, an alternative to the crowded Bali. Surely, Rote Island is known…

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'Napoleon' star Joaquin Phoenix says he was drawn by the character's complexities

When Scott Ridley saw Joaquin Phoenix’s Academy Award®-winning performance in Joker, the director was reminded of their collaboration on Gladiator, and he knew that Phoenix would be perfect for the titular role in his new film Napoleon: “I saw him and it all came flooding back – how we worked on Gladiator, and what journey he went on with that character, and I thought, ‘God damn, there’s…

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All of Us Strangers: Power of Queer Love

In Andrew Haigh's All of Us Strangers, Roy Narra writes that "to be queer is to love and be loved".

Roy Narra writes about ‘All of Us Strangers’, Andrew Haigh’s heart-shattering adaptation of Taichi Yamada’s novel, Strangers. Spoilers are present in this review.Is it better to be labeled as a gay man than being a queer? In Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers, Adam (Andrew Scott, in his career-best performance) kind of cringed when Harry (Paul Mescal, continuously proving he’s the new face of…

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Tiger Stripes review: Malaysian body-horror succeeds its depiction of growing up

"Tiger Stripes emerges as more than a film; it's a cultural bridge, a testament to the shared human experiences that unite us all" Engelbert Rafferty is back! Read his and John Tawasil's review of #TigerStripes , QCinema's Pylon Award winning film.

This is Engelbert Rafferty’s return to Film Police Reviews! He writes about Amanda Nell Eu’s directorial debut, ‘Tiger Stripes’. The film is also the recipient of the Pylon Award for Asian Next Wave Best Picture and Best Director in this year’s QCinema International Film Festival. The Philippines and Malaysia are neighboring countries. As Filipinos, we have always been directly associated with…

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QCinema 2023 | QCSEA Shorts Short Reviews

These are our capsule reviews for this year's QCSEA Shorts. Congratulations to Stephen Lopez's #Hito for winning this year's Best Picture prize.

These are our capsule reviews of this year’s QCSEA Shorts. We wish these filmmakers the best of luck and here’s hoping their short films gain more traction wherever else in the world. The dystopian near-future of Stephen Lopez’s Hito feels bizarre and unfamiliar at certain points, yet feels familiar in all the right ways: a raucously funny satire full of references from various forms of media…

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