Perfect Addiction
The Build-Up: Wattpad Fame and Fan Expectations Before Perfect Addiction hit screens and streaming, there was already a buzz. It’s based on Claudia Tan’s novel, a Wattpad romance story that amassed over 80 million reads. That kind of fanbase brings strong expectations: people who already know Sienna, Jax, and Kayden wanted fidelity to the book, […]
Online Selling
When the Screen Mirrors Life The film Online Selling captures the cinematic portrayal of Melissa and Osang, two women selling sex toys and providing “extra service.” Complicating matters, Melissa’s old flame returns in the form of a customer, threatening the world she has desperately tried to conceal. JaQ Carlos, the film’s director and writer, provides […]
Butas
Butas (2024): A Cinematic Understanding of Love, Identity, and Filipino Culture Discussions about Filipino cinema emerged with the premiere of Not A Love Story or Butas in August 2024. Directed by Dado C. Lumibao, this new film tackles the intricacies of modern relationships, the formation of identity, and the search for meaning in an ever-evolving […]
Boogie Nights
A Tapestry of Lives Intertwined Boogie Nights is not just the story of Eddie/Dirk—it is more of an ensemble feature capturing the aspirations, betrayals, and relationships of all the people in the orbit of Jack Horner. Heather Graham’s Rollergirl evoked a youthful sense of innocence and rebellion, with her roller-skate-entrances capturing a paradox of both […]
Los Frikis
When Punk Meets Pandemic: The Story Behind Los Frikis For the 90s Cuba settng Los Frikis directed by Sascha Guinzburg tells the story of Gusavto a young Cuban punk rocker around the time cuban goverment give the people the option of being declared HIV positive to enter an economic crisis sanitorium were the people would […]
Hera Pheri
A Timeless Comedy When Hera Pheri came out in March 2000, it wasn’t publicity stunted and marketed as a “classic in the making” or a “classic.” It came in quietly with no fanfare at all, and no one expected to see three extraordinarily unlikely men—an out-of-work dreamer, a dejected mechanic, and a bumbling landlord—become a […]
Badhaai Ho
When Badhaai Ho hit theatres in 2018, it was much more than another comedy feature—it was a phenomenon that had the audience whispering, laughing, and almost in communion with each other before the show even began. A sensation in its own right, the trailer featured Ayushmann Khurrana’s stunned visage upon learning that his aged parent […]
Ligaw
When “Ligaw” Started Getting Attention in the Media Even before “Ligaw” came out, several Filipino film enthusiasts were already intrigued at the possibility of the film pushing the limits of the “affair drama” genre. The teasers offered enough material to build anticipation, particularly regarding a devoted wife, a paraplegic husband, a young mountaineer, and a […]
Desire
The Whispers Before the Premiere When the film Desire was first announced, many were curious to see what the film was about. Considering the film is written by Erika Halvorsen, who is adapting one of her novels, many were optimistic about the film keeping a raw authenticity about the themes of betrayal, desire, and complexities […]
After We Fell
After We Fell: When Fiction Mirrors the Actors’ Own Journeys. After We Fell, the third part of Anna Todd’s “After” series, falls into this category. After We Fell seems to be like any other dramatic love story: a tale of passion, jealousy, heartbreak, and family secrets. But when you look closer, the film becomes a […]