'Assassins' unravels a fascist's purge
Devoid of color commentaries, 'Assassins' focuses on the pawns in a power struggle inside a totalitarian hermit kingdom.
Film Reviews — 23 posts
'The Gospel of the Beast' blares with a sonorous omen
Sheron Dayoc's coming-of-rage thriller confronts a system that indoctrinates wayward sons into a life of sordid violence.
'Pa-Siyam' and the horrors of leaving
Erik Matti's 2004 horror film is a haunting tale about Filipino diaspora and the dreadful sorrow of those left behind.
'Sisa' wants her pound of flesh
The latest Jun Lana film resorts to a heuristic sort of violence, one that feels defeatist and avoidably self-destructive.
Injustices fester in '7 Days of Hell'
Seething rage curdles into a vengeful curse in Erik Matti's squirmy entry to HBO's underseen folk horror anthology from 2021, 'Folklore.'
Cinemalaya 2025 Shorts, reviewed — True indie mix
This year’s set of short films competing in Cinemalaya is a solid program of exciting filmmaking voices, mediums, and genres.
'Paglilitis' review — More of a mistrial
The cost of making a stand feels exponential in a film that hones too much in on the abuse itself.
'Magellan' review — A mesmeric piece of counter-history
In Lav Diaz's eyes, the "first" voyage around the world is picturesque, hypnotic, and...well, false. And he's come to correct it.