Star Cinema’s The Mistress is Philippines’ highest grossing film for 2012!

Showbiz royal couple Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz are this year’s Box Office King & Queen. Toni Gonzaga and Vice Ganda are the deserving runners up.

HIGHEST-GROSSING PINOY MOVIES FOR 2012
(As of December 24, 2012)

1. The Mistress – P262.82-M
(Star Cinema)

2. This Guy’s In Love with U, Mare! – P249.1-M
(Star Cinema/Viva Films)

3. UnOfficially Yours – P157.25-M
(Star Cinema)

4. Kimmy Dora and the Temple of Kiyeme – P133.33-M
(Spring Films/Star Cinema)

5. A Secret Affair – P118.4-M
(Viva Films)

6. The Healing – P104.6-M
(Star Cinema)

7. Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles – P83.35-M
(Reality Entertainment, GMA Films, AgostoDos Pictures)

8. 24/7 in Love – P75.05-M
(Star Cinema)

9. The Reunion – P68.1-M
(Star Cinema)

10. Moron 5 and the Crying Lady – P64.6-M
(Viva Films)

11. Born to Love You – P52.37-M
12. Corazon Ang Unang Aswang – P51.39-M
13. Every Breath U Take – P50.2-M
14. Suddenly It’s Magic – P47.19-M
15. D Kilabots – P35.6-M
16. The Mommy Returns – P30.6-M
17. Boy Pick-Up: The Movie – P25.37-M
18. Amorosa: The Revenge – P25.2-M
19. A Mother’s Story – P24.81-M
20. My Cactus Heart – P23-M

21. Off All The Things – P21.37-M
22. My Kontrabida Girl – P13.1-M
23. I Do Bidoo Bidoo – P12.84-M
24. The Witness – P8.6-M
25. Just One Summer – P6.15-M
26. Hitman – P4.96-M
27. Pridyider – P4.88-M
28. Bwakaw – P1.55-M
29. Rigodon – P1.27-M
30. Ang Nawawala – P1.24-M

31. Captive – P1.11-M
32. Mga Mumunting Lihim – P774,349.00
33. Sta. Niña – P332,828.00
34. Guni-Guni – No estimate reported

HIGHEST-GROSSING FILIPINO MOVIES OF ALL TIME
(As of December 24, 2012)

Rank	Title of Movie	Year	Box Office Gross
1	The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin	2011	331.61 million
2	No Other Woman	2011	278.39 million
3	The Mistress	2012	262.82 million
4	This Guy’s in Love with U Mare!	2012	249.09 million
5	You Changed My Life	2009	225.21 million
6	A Very Special Love	2008	179.25 million
7	ÜnOfficially Yours	2012	157.25 million
8	One More Chance	2007	152.78 million
9	My Amnesia Girl	2010	144.82 million
10	Miss You Like Crazy	2010	142.97 million

All figures are from Box Office Mojo

Movie Review: The Healing

THE HEALING – Certainly one of the biggest and most highly-anticipated Filipino films of 2012 is the big screen comeback of the one and only Star For All Seasons, Vilma Santos, via Star Cinema’s The Healing. Originally intended as a Vilma-Sharon (Cuneta) vehicle, The Healing tackles the mystery behind one of the Filipino’s known customary – faith healing. This film boasts a stellar cast including Primetime Princess Kim Chiu, Janice De Belen, Pokwang, Ynez Veneracion, Martin Del Rosario, Joel Torre, Jhong Hilario, Daria Ramirez and many others.

The Healing isn’t very different from the other horror flicks under the direction of Chito Roño. One thing though that makes this very refreshing and edgy is the inclusion of Vilma Santos (no offence to Kris Aquino) but Vilma definitely gave this film a kick with her outstanding acting as always. It’s very good to see her in a different genre. Her emotions were perfect – nothing more, nothing less. She knows when to scream, cry, etc – the timing is spot on – no wonder she is tagged as one of the best actresses of all time. Kim Chiu was equally brilliant too. This girl has grown from a tweenstar to a serious, versatile actress. The character fit her very well and didn’t disappoint. Martin Del Rosario was also a revelation in this movie. The acting department is flawless in short. The scrip could be better though but it’s the sort of material you expect from a horror film. I still think Feng Shui had the biggest and best shock factor but this one is absolutely a contender. The production design is also good. All in all, a fantastic feature but not the best of Chito Roño.

If given a chance, I’d like to see the film again – it mirrors the reality behind this whole faith healing belief which is very much close to Filipinos. It demonstrates love for family, how much are we willing to do for the sake of our loved ones. It emphasizes the true meaning of the word faith and all the complexities within. It is an intelligent picture with so much to take in so I do recommend this to everyone – not to mention Vilma’s effortless performance which makes it more entertaining.

8.5/10

Prince’s Top 5 Dolphy films of all time

Still in commemoration of Dolphy’s life, laughter and legacy, let me give you my Top 5 best Dolphy films. These movies, in one way or another, represents each and every Filipino. He truly mirrored the truest Pinoy character which makes him one of the most genuine entertainment personalities ever.

5. HOME SICK HOME

Link to watch the film: http://www.pinoymovie.co/home-sic-home

 

4. HOME ALONG DA RIBER

 

3. DADDY O BABY O

 

2. HOME ALONG DA RILES PART 1 & 2

 

1. MARKOVA: COMFORT GAY

Follow the link below in Youtube to watch the full movie…

Star Cinema’s The Healing – FULL TRAILER

Here’s the full trailer of Star Cinema’s latest offering ‘The Healing’ featuring Vilma Santos and Kim Chiu. This movie tackles the mysteries of traditional Filipino faith healing – the drama and the horror behind it. This is under the direction of Chito S. Roño.

Movie Review: Corazon, Unang Aswang

CORAZON, UNANG ASWANG – When we talk about horror films, we expect it to be full of suspense/terrifying scenes, blood, violence, lots of screaming and all that jazz. Star Cinema’s Corazon, Unang Aswang breaks that trend and gave the horror genre a twist. The traditional ingredients are still there but the film highlights the story more than anything else. Its one of the very few horror flicks that has depth and can be classified as a proper ‘film’ and when I say a proper film, something that can compete in festivals, various award-giving bodies, the quality is there, the commercial viability is there – a complete package!

One of Corazon’s biggest asset is the cinematography. Very crisp and exceptional – it mirrors reality and it kind of brings me back to the era where the storyline actually happened. The production design, the sound editing, the musical score – they all lined up perfectly giving this movie a very strong technical foundation. It is not the best to come out in the Filipino silver screen in terms of the production value but for a film concentrated in drama and horror, it is definitely one of the most outstanding to date. The acting is also brilliant. Erich Gonzales SHOULD win a Best Actress award for her performance – her character’s transition is a fantastic journey to watch out for. I love how Erich’s acting transformed from one phase to another, she’s natural, it was effortless, it was very convincing. I didn’t expect her to deliver such a powerful portrayal and I’d love to see her in future projects that’ll showcase her brilliance just like this. This is also the third time (in the last three months) that I’ve seen the great Tetchie Agbayani and I cannot fault her performance at all – her character here proves the fact that she is indeed one of the most versatile actresses in showbiz. Her scenes with Erich are some of the bests and you can really tell the clash of talent and excellence. Jeffrey Quizon, Mon Confiado and Sharlene San Pedro were also good and provided an amazing supporting cast. If there is only one mistake this film has, that would be the inclusion of Derek Ramsay in the cast – his acting was all over the place, he does not suit the role, he drags Erich into the pit during their moments together – WRONG CHOICE!!!

But all in all, it is my favourite Filipino film of the year so far. I’d love to watch it again and I don’t think I will get tired of witnessing how great this film is – the balance of technical excellence and Erich’s genuine performance – absolutely spot on! I recommend this to everyone, it is one of the Filipino films we can be really proud of.

9/10

Movie Review: Unofficially Yours

UNOFFICIALLY YOURS – Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake’s ‘Friends with Benefits’ is one of the bravest films of 2011 – it’s fun, bold, entertaining and raw. We love films that mirror the real drama and the real facts of life – we all like fairy-tale love stories but in this modern day and age, not all romance are based on what we read in the book – whether we admit or not, sex plays a vital role in every relationship nowadays and, more often than not, it becomes the key factor to make a relationship work. Without a shadow of a doubt, this film was Cathy Garcia-Molina’s inspiration when she created Unofficially Yours. And because Philippine cinema is not used to these type of movies, the audience were too curious about it, the steamy scenes spread like a virus and next thing we know, everyone’s hooked in this John Lloyd Cruz – Angel Locsin starrer.

Unofficially Yours is ‘Friends with Benefits’ or ‘No Strings Attached’ given a Filipino flavour. It’s definitely an adult material but not overly obscene.  Apart from the unique concept (at least for the Filipino viewing public), the core strength of this film lies in its lead casts. We all love Angel Locsin – beauty and talent in one – in this movie, Angel showed us her different side, the wilder ‘Angel’ that is far from what we see in her TV series. Angel’s acting in this picture wasn’t her best but she managed to gave justice to the role that was entrusted to her. The attitude is there but you wouldn’t really think Angel would be like that in real life (the likes of Anne Curtis or Angelica Panganiban would have been better choices) – she has a very innocent face which makes it a bit awkward to watch her doing ‘it’ with John Lloyd Cruz. And speaking of JLC, it is very refreshing to see him in a whole new different set-up – far from his boy-next-door or hopeless romantic image (although you could still see touches of those characterization). There were not a lot of opportunities for him to showcase his best asset – his acting prowess. The approach was very light and I think Garcia-Molina’s aim was to reinvent JLC and show his ‘cheeky’ side – it did work but the latter part of the film kind of brought him back to the JLC we used to see in his previous films with Bea Alonzo. The supporting cast are okay – not sure why they’ve actually given Yayo Aguila’s daughters those roles (as JLC’s sisters) – they need A LOT of acting lessons and it made JLC scenes (where they’re in it) uninteresting and dragging. Not a lot of to talk about in terms of the technical side of the film. The editing is good – cinematography, production design and make-up – average (nothing stand out IMO).

I admire the bravery of Star Cinema to bring the Filipino audience something ‘out of the box’ and far from the typical rom-coms that we’ve seen but I personally don’t think the finished product conveyed the ‘real message’ they wanted to get across. Much that they’ve tried to come up with a sexy-comedy-romance film, the typical Filipino ingredients were still there and it wasn’t as contemporary as I thought it would be. I was slightly disappointed as I think the film lost the plot right in the middle and because it was struggling to revive the ‘new’ formula they’ve been bragging about, they ended up biting on the traditional Pinoy drama – overused and boring. It is a good film overall but do not expect too much when you see it – not as quality and as liquid as ‘Friends with Benefits’ – it tried hard though.

7/10

Movie Review: Segunda Mano

SEGUNDA MANO – And yet another horror film from the Philippines’ Queen of all Media, Kris Aquino. This is the 4th big suspense movie and her 2nd for the MMFF. The only thing that concerns me here is that we’ve seen three films already from Kris and Star Cinema. We’ve witnessed three different stories with three unexpected twists. What else could they offer us? I felt like they’ve done and used all the possible storylines and could probably struggle to top what they’ve presented before (well, Feng Shui remained as my personal favourite despite the release of the other two flicks). With Segunda Mano, they’ve promised the viewers a different story, an all-new adventure and even a reinvented Kris Aquino. To be fair, they didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t the best of the four horror masterpieces from Kris but it certainly deserved its box-office success.

The story of Segunda Mano is very predictable. After the first 5 minutes of the film, I already knew what the ending would be. The plot is very similar to Dalaw which in a way is kind of annoying considering that it was just shown a year ago. The only advantage Segunda Mano has is the secondary storyline which gives it a different flavour and a rather interesting twist. Not to mention of course the fact that it is very refreshing to see Dingdong Dantes working alongside the Kapamilya stars. I’ve never followed Dingdong’s acting career hence I am not aware how good he is. Just to remind everyone, he won the Festival Best Actor award for this film. He was definitely better than Vic Sotto (Enteng ng Ina mo) but I am not convinced that his performance is worthy of an award (unless George Estregan’s acting in Asiong Salonga is terrible). The overall acting from the ensemble, as expected, is very average. This is typical with horror films where the scary factor matters more than the acting. Kris was, as always, lame and struggling to step up her game, however, I must commend her attempt to nail those physical scenes in the latter part of the film. Of all the actors in it, I think Bangs Garcia stole the spotlight. Her performance reminded me of Julia Clarete’s acting in Txt which was equally brilliant too. Bangs was very natural. I was slightly disappointed though that her character didn’t die as that would have been a fantastic scene. In terms of its technical department, it has similarities with Dalaw again. I still prefer Feng Shui’s cinematography which I thought was crispier and more captivating. Segunda Mano’s editing has flaws too which has negatively impacted the strength of its scary scenes.

The whole movie was less interesting than the trailer which is a downside. On the other end of the spectrum, it was able to combine traditional Pinoy horror with a contemporary approach to suspense thrillers. It’s not something that you’ll watch over and over again but a good treat to see with friends and family for sure. If ever they decide to come up with a 5th horror flick featuring Kris, I’d like to see something different. Perhaps, make her the antagonist this time or avoid the use of romantic love and past vs present relationship as the main plot. We’ve established she is the horror queen so I think at this point she needs to be challenged.

7/10

Movie Review: Enteng ng Ina mo

ENTENG NG INA MO – Time to review the third biggest Filipino film of 2011 and the most successful Metro Manila Film Festival entry last year. It was a dream come true for most Filipinos to see the two massive festival actors (Vic Sotto and Ai-ai Delas Alas) in one movie. I personally do not think it is a big deal because based on previous collaborations featuring these two celebrities (Vic and Bong in Panday, Sharon and Ai-ai in BFF, Ai-ai and Erap in Tanging Pamilya, Vic and Dolphy in Double Trouble), none of which reaped big-time in the Box Office department and it is safe to say that the alliances flopped despondently. So, I really had no high hopes with Enteng ng Ina mo. I was expecting  it to be the top-grosser of course because of the hype surrounding it but winning Best Picture or what’s the quality like in general, I have lowered my anticipations and thank God I did… Enteng ng Ina mo was one of the 2011’s biggest disappointments in my opinion.

In 2010’s Si Agimat at si Enteng Kabisote, the scenes featuring Agimat’s world are a waste of time and luckily Enteng and his family were there to save the whole film. This time, Enteng and his world of Encatadia ruined the whole film for me and they are lucky this time to have Ina’s funny antics around (well, Eugene Domingo in particular) because otherwise, it would have been a massive car crash in terms of storyline. I’d also like to point out that the absence of Wenn Deramas in the directorial helm has affected and negatively impacted the general appeal of the Tanging Ina portion. Deramas has set some high standards of comedy in the previous Tanging Ina films and you can easily spot the lack of Deramas’ magic in this particular movie – the jokes were inconsistent, the attack were conventional, the flow of the whole story lacks excitement and capriciousness. Worse than the Tanging Ina scenes was the Enteng Kabisote parts which were far more boring making the whole film a tedious piece to watch. The story is very lame and I hate to say that because I’ve always loved Tanging Ina and even some of the Enteng Kabisote films. The collaboration certainly didn’t work and I’m sure the Box Office was a result of a rather curious crowd than the fact that it was a quality picture. The only positive thing I can say about this movie is Eugene Domingo’s effortless performance. Eugene’s energy was the only source of life in this film. Everything else looked and sounded as if they were trying their best to make something work, unfortunately it didn’t. The production value was very average too considering that there are 5 film outfits behind this movie.

You can tell I am much gutted with this film. I was looking forward to it in a way after it topped the MMFF ranking last year. Perhaps, it’s just me but I am sure some of the viewers who have seen this flick would agree that it is a better to just stick to the original plots and never attempt a huge collaboration like this unless the story is ground-breaking. I hope there isn’t a Part 2 because I am not sure if there is any point of doing one especially of the first attempt didn’t really left a lasting effect. If you’re bored and want to sleep, watch this film. That’s how bad it is in my opinion.

4/10

Star Cinema’s Unofficially Yours poster revealed!

Is this the best Pinoy movie film poster or what?!

It does give me the ‘Friends with Benefits’ impression but I’d like to think it isn’t a copycat of that film.

Very promising though!

Star Cinema’s My Cactus Heart Official Trailer

It’s a bit cheesy but a potential success. I think based on the trailer, this is more of a Matteo Guidicelli film. The inclusion of Xian Lim is a bit weird though.