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The antagonistic ghost of Patayin Sa Sindak Si Barbara (Frighten Barbara to Death) refuses to go in peace. In this 1995 remake of the 1974 cult classic Patayin Mo Sa Sindak Si Barbara, the title character returns to her ancestral home to pay her respects and find closure. Yet Barbara’s late sister Ruth isn’t so happy to see her after all these years apart — in fact, she wants her dead.

Going back to the Philippines doesn’t come easy for Barbara (Lorna Tolentino) after being away for almost a decade. Her move to America was intended to be a permanent one, yet Barbara’s motivation for leaving in the first place is also the reason why she goes back. The movie opens with Barbara watching a degraded videotape from Ruth (Dawn Zulueta) over and over again until her trance-like viewing is interrupted. This almost Lynchian moment contrasts the disturbing plea...

You may think that “Captain Marvel” (2019) is an important contemporary film for females on screen, you may assume that Jacque Rivette pushed the boundaries for the portrayal of woman, but when you take a look at Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s “Moral”, you may come to a different definition of feministic movies.

“Moral” is screening at the San Diego Asian Film Festival:

The debut film of the Philipino director about a “gang” of four female friends – a lawyer, a drug addict, a housewife, and an ambitious singer – is a landmark that celebrates womanhood and companionship.

Thanks to a digitally restored and remastered version released by Abs-cbn in 2017, “Moral” shines with bright 4K images upon the screen, giving it the much-needed attention that it deserves.

Joey, played by Lorna Tolentino (“Magnifico” 2003), is a promiscuous drug addict, who is unable to connect to her student activist lover. Sylvia, played by Sandy Andolong (“American Adobo...

For my segments shown in Balitang America every Friday on The Filipino Channel, I made special movie reviews for "Noy" and "Sa 'Yo Lamang."

First, let's talk about "Noy." It's the Philippines entry for the Best Foreign Language Film competition at the Academy Awards. Will this Filipino independent film make the short list? One thing is for sure, Coco Martin heads an impressive ensemble cast. Take a look at my review:

Now, let's talk about "Sa 'Yo Lamang" starring Lorna Tolentino, Christopher de Leon, and once again, Coco Martin. It's directed by the award-winning Laurice Guillen ("Tanging Yaman") and it is Star Cinema's offering for its 17th year anniversary. Did I enjoy the film? Take a look:...

The story of Laurice Guillen's Sa'yo Lamang is hardly new. An imperfect but seemingly stable family disintegrates into chaos as one by one, the family members figure serious conflicts and secrets, whether from the past or the present, conveniently unravel, threatening the sheen of normalcy that has sustained the family through the years. From Jeffrey Jeturian's low-budgeted but elegantly staged Sana Pag-ibig Na (Enter Love, 1998), to Wenn Deramas' lowbrow yet unpretentiously enjoyable Ang Tanging Ina (The Only Mother, 2003), to Joel Lamangan's middling and intolerably weepy Filipinas (2003), to Brillante Mendoza's highbrow and provocatively stirring Serbis (Service, 2008), the Filipino family has been exposed, crumbling in the midst of dire needs or expanding generation gaps or the simple passage of time.

 

The family, considered as an invaluable social element, is a persisting Filipino need. In the absence of it, a typical Filipino, in his desire to find personal comfort...