Movie Review: Metro Manila Film Festival 2010

Looking at the roster of MMFF films this year, I think most of them lacks that certain degree of originality and it's actually downright frustrating. These half-baked sequels and unnecessary remakes only serve to prove that the movie industry is out of ideas. I mean, except for Rosario, RPG Metanoia - and probably Dalaw and Father Jejemon - it seems to me that the last vestige of original stories lies somewhere else but this industry. I don't know. Maybe I'm just tired of the Shake, Rattle and Roll franchise for the nth time. I bet if they had time, they'll throw in Mano Po somewhere in there. Haha. 

But for the record, I don't usually watch MMFF entries, unless of course if I was required to watch it for some school stuff before, but other than that, I just don't. This year, however, for some weird reason, I tried it out and forced myself to watch a couple of them - and in just one day. Yes, it was a 4-movie MMFF marathon like no other! Haha.

Anyway, here are my reviews for Rosario, RPG Metanoia, Dalaw and Ang Tanging Ina Mo: Last Na 'To

ROSARIO

Many will disagree with me but I was really disappointed with the film. True, the production, especially the cinematography, was excellent compared to the other MMFF entries, but take that element out of the movie and this would've been mediocre at best.

The camera shots were sometimes too tight for me to appreciate some of the scenes and the make-up was horrible that it somewhat screwed up the timeline of the story. Heck, I can't even tell - at least at the latter part of the film - how old the characters were supposed to be. The narration was lacking, the editing was choppy and weird and the pacing was a bit uneven, same with the direction. To be honest, I even thought Albert Martinez didn't direct the last half because the treatment became interestingly more "gritty" and the performances were relatively better.

Now, as for the acting performances, only Sid Lucero impressed me. Dennis Trillo looked bored and Yul Servo was forgettable. Jennylyn Mercado, on the other hand, wasn't bad but it seemed to me like she struggled to portray her role competently. I admit, I saw some brilliance here and there but her acting was so inconsistent, I really didn't care for her character at the end of the film.

Overall, the premise was worth exploring, just not with this kind of execution and - I hate to say this - possibly a different lead to play the title role. Enough said.

RPG METANOIA

The brilliance of this film was totally unexpected. I admit, I had no plans watching this film because the trailers and some it's promos were terribly unappealing to me. But, since some of my friends gave good reviews after watching this animated film, I allowed myself to be talked into it and yes, I'm glad I did.

On a technical standpoint, it was above reproach. I found the animation to be richly detailed and visually stimulating. Yes, it was not - in any way - a breakthrough or a technical milestone but it was nice to see that Filipinos are really capable of such genre. The soundtrack was also good as the scoring was more of a musical treat to me.

That said, it wasn't only the animation and the scoring that has made this film excellent.To me, the story was probably the most compelling out of all the entries I've seen in this year's festival. The plot and the narrative was actually really good. I also liked the cultural nostalgia the writers put in this film: from houses to the tricycles; from the look of the room to the food; even from the games we played as kids.

Clearly, I have nothing but good words for this animated film. No, it's not perfect as I'd like them to improve on the dubbing, but nonetheless, I think RPG Metanoia is something we as Filipinos should be proud of. Just saying.

DALAW

Ok. Let me just get this one out of the way: I prefer Dalaw than Sukob but I can't say that it totally measured up to Feng Shui's level of brilliance. There!

I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this film as I thought it was very effective as a legit Pinoy horror flick. The mood and atmosphere were tense, the cinematography looked good, the scoring was gorgeous and the setting was both wonderful and creepy all at the same time. The story also had enough of a mystery about it that kept me interested until the end. It was actually quite surprising that they managed to turn the basic and simple plot into something solid and engaging.

Now, it's true that the overall premise had been done many times before but I firmly believe that one can make, at the very least, a decent horror movie with a worn out plot, if it's created with the right atmosphere, with the right characters and at least ONE memorable thing. And yes, Dalaw passed that. I wouldn't spoil anyone but there's one scene that gave me goosebumps. Really.

As for the acting, I found Kris Aquino's acting here to be her strongest yet. It wasn't perfect but it was believable. Gina Pareno, on the other hand, was exceptional and although Diether Ocampo was a bit stiff, I actually prefer his acting over Dennis Trillo's obvious acting.

Of course, the movie was not without flaws but I was aware that for me to truly enjoy the film, I must succumb to the little hints of absurdity of its plot and some oddly placed scenes that need to be inserted to move the film along. Nonetheless, I did enjoy it, and while it will never be remembered as a classic or highly regarded, I was never bored at any point and found it to be quite an enjoyable film.

ANG TANGING INA MO (LAST NA 'TO)

While this last installment of the franchise didn't really reach the same caliber of it's original film, I can say that Ai Ai Delas Alas did it again! Yes, the storyline was pretty basic, predictable and, at times, a bit gimmicky, but I somehow felt that it didn't hurt the movie's charm one bit. This movie even felt more sincere and surprisingly touching compared to its predecessors.

That said, I thought that the film was longer than necessary. No, it didn't drag but it was way too long. I found the film's multiple subplots to be somewhat unpolished that it actually even felt like it was all over the place at some point. I also thought the humor may have gone a little old and, to some extent, didn't have that sharp comedic edge of the first film but there were seriously a good number of genuine laughs in the film.

Eugene Domingo was still there to provide effective comic relief, as always. Alwyn Uytingco and Xyriel Manabat's tandem worked absolutely well. And of course, Ai Ai Delas Alas, was good as she outstandingly managed to balance both drama and comedy all throughout the film without being annoying.

Quite frankly, this end to the series wasn't as great as the original, but I certainly had a blast with this final installment. Something that's more than enough of a reason to see the classic lovable Ina and her family for the last time.