Cleaners: Of bliss and longing
The past isn’t always how you’d remember it to be. Sometimes, you single out the bad things, sometimes only the good. Sometimes, you heighten it in such a way you…
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John Patrick Manio
8 posts
Ulan: Desire according to the modern fairy tale
Romance movies have long been powerful tools in teaching audiences how to want, and how to desire. With decades full of them, it’s no wonder that they have created an aimless culture of romance-seeking among this generation.
However, romance movies cannot compare to fairy tales in terms of influencing the culture of desire through centuries. With her new movie Ulan, Director Irene Villamor offers a different take on romance in film as she conjures a whimsical fantasy with a touch of magic realism. However, despite its surreal production design and believable chemistry, Ulan is, as fairy tales are, rotten in its core.
Alone/Together: Formulaic mainstream offering with untapped radical potential
Fresh from her movie with JaDine, Antoinette Jadaone leads LizQuen to heights the famed love team has yet to reach in their careers. Alone/Together delivers a satisfying take on a romance abrupted and an individual disenchanted. However, as weightful as the movie may be, it was a frustrated piece that easily could’ve been more provocative if only it were braver.
Rainbow’s Sunset and the state of the festering MMFF
The 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival has been plagued by controversies even before it had begun. Apart from the criticism towards its predictable film line-up – a Vic Sotto and a Coco Martin crossover action-comedy, a Vice Ganda fantasy-slapstick comedy, two horror films, two romantic comedies, a romance drama, and a family drama – off-screen controversies continued to surround the festival.
Mula sa Buwan: Noble romanticism with a noble heart
Black Box Productions restages its Filipino musical adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac with Mula sa Buwan. First performed in 2016 in Ateneo’s Irwin Theatre, it now moves to…
The Dressing Room: Longing for an Eternal Art
The Dressing Room is a love letter to theatre. It is a love letter to something which is eternal, even against the backdrop of wars and all other hardships. It is a testament of a performer to his sacred ritual.
It depicts four actresses as they prepare backstage for their cue to go on on-stage. While preparing, these actresses share their sentiments and memories concerning their passion for their craft.
Signal Rock: Filipina diaspora in the eyes of those left behind
A mutual connection is required in order to make clear contact. Sympathy demands consigning oneself to the perspective of the other party. Such are the mechanics of successful communication or…
Gusto Kita with All My Hypothalamus: A look into our humanity
When the heart yearns for the pure and unadulterated, only to realize that reality obstructs what it desires, it creates in the pure’s stead a doppelganger: similar yet different; ethereal…