'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood' Review: Quentin Tarantino Reminisces 60s Hollywood

In his ninth film, Quentin Tarantino used "Once Upon a Time...", a phrase often used in fairy tales, also used in spaghetti western films in the past like Once Upon a Time in America, Anatolia, etc. a genre Rick Dalton, his main character in this film, dubbed as a genre for washed-up actors. For his version, he used 1960s Hollywood as his backdrop.

On one hand, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood's narrative feels like Tarantino is purely reminiscing on the golden era of Hollywood, where hippies are everywhere, cinema is alive, Bruce Lee is alive, and feet can be placed on top of theater seats. On the other, it also tells us that Hollywood as media, teaches us of violence and killings, save for I Love Lucy.

Photo Credit: Columbia Pictures

On the surface, this feels like an episodic stories of three characters living in this era: a has-been actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), star of "Bounty Law", a hit TV series in the 50s and early 60s, whose transition from TV to movies never materialized; a stunt-man double slash best friend of Dalton, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), who also serves as Dalton's driver and confidant; and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), the admirable actress who just happens to be Rick's neighbor in Cielo Drive. Surrounding these characters are a mix of real and fictional personas ranging from Roman Polanski, Steve McQueen, the Manson family, and others Tarantino chose to integrate into his oeuvre.

Like any other Quarantino film, it’s grand and cinematic. Barbara Ling's production design of old Hollywood matched Robert Richardson's illustrative cinematography is divine. But Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is also quite a bit of a mess, a signature Quarantino mess that is. Some of his choices for this film, might not be surprising considering his past choices in his previous films but questionable nevertheless--inconsistent labeling of 60s celebrities that I see as lazy storytelling, sudden editing shifts that don't make sense particularly with Dalton and his director in the trailer park for the film "Lancer", and other substories and additional characters that don’t necessarily add up to the plot or resolution, but only exists for Tarantino's drama. I imagine these are all essential in Quarantino’s world, but not necessarily appealing to some viewers. OUATIH might be criticized as a film that requires research before actually seeing it, or else, one might find oneself asking questions. Intentional? Maybe.

Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate | Columbia Pictures

The good side is the trio of Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie is extremely likable and compelling. DiCaprio's Rick Dalton might be one of my favorite performances from him. He's committed but less serious, and he brought both humanity and caricature to his character that most of the time doesn't work for other actors. Pitt is as usual, reliable. There's not enough meaty scenes from him except for his fight with the real but very fictional Bruce Lee, where we once again witness his signature Fight Club fist-fight moves, this time under the direction of Tarantino. Margot Robbie is the most interesting one. Her characterization of Sharon Tate based on Tarantino's world could be seen as a filler. But she's a much-needed presence in the man-filled world of 60s Hollywood. The ensemble as a whole is quite good. Tarantino is known to work with a lot of actors in his films, but there's always a true standout among his sea of talents, and in this film, it's Margaret Qualley, the young actress who held her own while acting with Pitt. And how can I forget Brandy? Cliff's adorable pitbull who also had a pivotal scene at the end.

In the end, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood might be difficult to grasp because of its setting and its lack of structure. Quarantino has no motive to teach us about it. Instead, he wants to reminisce the good old times of what may be considered as Hollywood's Golden era, where dreams are made of and actors truly care about their careers, somewhere Tarantino would probably want to be in right now.

Cinemalaya 2019: Ruby Ruiz is Amazing in 'Iska'

Photo Credit: Cinemalaya

Director: Theodore Boborol
Starring: Ruby Ruiz, Pryle Gura, Soliman Cruz

Ruby Ruiz is not a rookie when it comes to Cinemalaya, or indie films for that matter. But it's rare to see her leading a film, and in Iska, she doesn't only lead it, she carries it with all of her acting prowess. Needless to say, she's amazing.

Ruiz plays the titular role with a killer combination of humor and grit. Iska is a grandmother who works double-time to take her special grandson, left behind by her daughter, to a special needs orphanage. She lives with her husband, played effectively by Soliman Cruz, a driver who doesn't want to do anything with their grandson, and often rapes her whenever he wants. She shows more care for their dog, 'Doggy-dog' because of that. Together they live in the slums where neighbors fight vehemently and people gossip as their daily routine.

The film begins with a single-shot long-take of Iska and her grandson in a small room of her house where all the noise from the outside can be heard, as she tries to stop him from crying so she can go to work where she earns minimum wage. In this first shot, the film has already established Iska's warm love and patience for her grandson, while setting up the difficulty of Iska's condition.

On a positive note, Iska never seems to lose the tenacity to survive. Her love for her grandson and her dog fuels her to keep going despite the hardship she faces every day. She's also very charismatic, hardworking and friendly, and people love her for it. These qualities make her lovable, not just for the people around her but for the audience as well, and again Ruby Ruiz's acting helped a lot to make Iska compelling.

Credits to director Theodore Boborol and screenwriter Mary Rose Colindres for making this captivating despite its distressing subject. For every unfortunate event in the film, they make up for it with their witty script that includes UP culture, past Cinemalaya entries and other film references. Then again I'd go back to Ruby Ruiz and the rest of the cast who all made their characters as believable, and their condition as bearable as possible.

The film is truly engaging until the second half happened, where stakes become more serious and more complicated for Iska and her grandson. If not for that one scene, a personal favorite, where Ruby Ruiz starts counting 1 to 100 in the most compelling way, it would be just pure torture--which I think was intentional.

When the film took a turn, it just couldn't live up to its almost perfect first half. I'm not entirely sure if Iska should be tagged as based on a true story, but I'm pretty sure it was implied. My problem with that is the film slightly felt incomplete, especially with its sad ending. Unless that's the message Theodore Boborol wants to convey or highlight--that poverty is the devil no matter how good the intentions of the characters are. Throughout the film, we've rooted for Iska to overcome all the odds to provide a good life for her special grandchild, so the ending felt quite a bit like a betrayal. If the ending is based on Iska's real story, here's hoping that the real-life Iska and her grandson are currently doing just fine.

Cinemalaya 2019: 'Children of the River' -- Children Left Behind by War

Photo Credit: Cinemalaya

Director: Maricel Cabrera-Cariaga
Starring: Noel Comia Jr., Ricky Oriarte, Dave Justine Francis, Junyka Santarin, JR Custodio, Juancho Triviño, Rich Asuncion

Happy to report that Children of the River is not an artsy and ambiguous film about children spending their time in a river contrary to what it looks from its trailer and poster. It's actually a lighthearted film about a group of best friends in a small community who start their day with a phone call before spending time together: whether playing make-believe soldiers in a forest or watching basketball in their barrio. It's a portrait of friendship, self-discovery, and family in the province. It's generally fun until it's not.

Children of the River has bigger themes than its surface. Most of the film is spent on the bonding of four best friends, portrayed by Noel Comia Jr., Ricky Oriarte, Dave Justine Francis, and Junyka Santarin. They perfectly capture the innocence kids in barrios do in their day-to-day lives. The theme of acceptance becomes the sole focus when Comia's character Elias, starts to discover feelings for an outsider named Ted. It's difficult to not compare this to Call Me By Your Name, especially since they share several cinematic parallels, from the bikes to the dance party, and at one point they even changed his name to Elia.

It's a feel-good film until they reveal that the phone calls they've been receiving are from their fathers who are soldiers fighting in Marawi. It suddenly turned into a huge bowl of cliche and lines become overly-sentimental, which weirdly works just fine during the first half of the film. Jay Manalo as a war survivor even has a long monologue about soldiers and it's too preachy for it to be moving.

But throughout the course of it, I've grown to appreciate the friendship formed in this film. Its depiction of kids being kids is very close to reality, and the thought of families being left behind because of war is effective.

Cinemalaya 2019: 'Pandanggo sa Hukay' -- A Depiction of a Woman's Plight

Photo Credit: Cinemalaya

Director: Sheryl Rose Andes
Starring: Charlie Dizon, Ybes Bagadiong, Diva Montelaba, Star Orjaliza, Acey Aguilar, Mercedes Cabral, Sarah Pagcaliwagan – Brakensiek

Iza Calzado returns to Cinemalaya for another film championing women. This year, she plays Elena, a single mother and a midwife preparing for an interview for a job in the Middle East.

It's half light comedy, and half kidnap drama. Unfortunately, these genres don't mix well in this film. The first half is filled with hilarious jokes and silly banters from the cast, while the second half is brutal with not enough sense of danger. On top of that, is director Sheryl Rose Andes' clear desire to present women's issues that in the process, she injects several scenarios and dialogues that feel contrived and don't elevate the story. Even some of the film's metaphors like the Pandanggo sa Ilaw dance that's supposedly about a woman's journey in balancing light and shadows in their lives, as beautiful as it looks, doesn't make much of an impact to the message the film is trying to portray.

The film feels full of stuffing in order to create a feature length movie, but remove all of the jokes and silliness at the beginning, then it might have been a more impactful short film that shows the dangers of a woman's day-to-day life. Watching them eat indian mangoes while chit-chatting is sadly like watching wet paint to dry. The shots are uninspiring, save for the cast making the most out of their acting material.

Women's issues are important to be seen, but there are more cinematic ways to present them. For what it's worth, it's effective in telling the struggles of a woman. It ended in such a way where one would think that life must go on despite it being tough.

Cinemalaya 2019: 'Fuccbois' -- A Sociopolitical Crime Provocateur

Photo Credit: Cinemalaya

Director: Eduardo Roy, Jr.
Starring: Royce Cabrera, Kokoy de Santos, Ricky Davao

I wasn’t high on Pamilya Ordinaryo; I regret missing Quick Change (where can I watch it?), and now here comes Eduardo Roy's newest provocateur, Fuccbois—an intense sociopolitical crime thriller that builds up like a bomb no one knows when it's going to explode. It's about two friends Ace and Miko, who dream of achieving stardom by promoting themselves shamelessly on social media, and joining bikini beauty pageants in gay bars. When Miko received good news about getting the role of a leading man's best friend, a politician ex-lover of Ace blackmails them that could damage their budding careers.

Fuccbois plays like a three-chapter movie that takes its time to establish its straightforward but complicated premise. At first, the film revolves around Ace and Miko's preparation for a beauty contest, from their too-small too-crowded quarter on their way to the bar where it's held. We got to see a glimpse of how bikini beauty contests work. It's funny, especially their dirty introduction to the crowd. Things take a turn when Ace starts receiving a barrage of calls and text from a person named Brithanygaile, who threatens to expose their scandalous sex video.

From there onwards, the film becomes more serious and nerve-wracking. The second act is a bit reminiscent of Brillante Mendoza's Kinatay, wherein it brings the audience along a dangerous journey no one knows how it will end. Turns out Brithanygaile is a politician stressed out from the result of the recent election.

Beneath this crime drama is also a portrayal of a harrowing sociopolitical situation we're living in. Apart from the characters' desperation for fame, where their faces and body are their only currency to survive, the subliminal message about political injustice is sad and provoking. Its significance transcends the sickening images of blood, drugs, and sex it showed, and it lingers even when the film doesn't seem to know when to end.

The more I think about it, the more I appreciate Eduardo Roy Jr’s genius, whose filmography is starting to shape up as one of the boldest and most provoking. Fuccbois agitates, but I hope it gets its message across behind its nasty exterior. If not, I hope it puts the incredible Ricky Davao on the forefront.

Cinemalaya 2019: 'Edward' is Thop Nazareno's Heartwarming Hospital Dramedy

Photo Credit: Cinemalaya

Director: Thop Nazareno
Starring: Louise Abuel, Dido dela Paz, Ella Cruz

My friends and I were seated right behind Thop Nazareno’s dad during Edward’s Gala screening, which also happened to be his birthday. Thop greeted him on stage and we greeted him as well. He smiled at us and said thank you.

During the course of the film, I kept on looking at him every time there's a daddy issue line. Quite intriguing because this is Nazareno's second feature where the lead character deals with his former absent father.

But Mr. Nazareno didn’t seem bothered. Then again, I could only see the back of his head. The only time I got a reaction from him was when he shushed a noisy audience.

Anyway, I love Edward--a fun and modern Huckleberry Finn-vibed story about a teenager named Edward (Louise Abuel), who is stuck inside a crowded, public hospital where he's forced by his stepbrother to take care of his ailing father (Dido dela Paz). The longer he stays in it, the more it becomes his playground. With his sidekick Renz, they roam around the hospital racing with wheelchairs, betting on the lives of the patients, doing nurses' errands and drinking beer in the hospital's open hallways. There he also finds love and distraction in a spunky patient named Agnes (Ella Cruz).

It's Edward's world that Thop Nazareno confidently established. From frame one of a single-shot long-take of a typical hectic scenario in an emergency room to the final harrowing shot of Edward, Nazareno paints his film with such clear vision from start to finish without any excess--a quality I also observed from his first feature Kiko Boksingero.

Also very apparent is his edgier and more playful approach with this film. In Edward, he carefully balanced a fun coming-of-age story with a heartwarming family drama while exposing the tragic realities of life inside a public hospital. He's still not devoid of elegance and subtlety. The way he juggles humor and tragic images delicately is impressive.

He also brings out the best in his impressive ensemble. Louise Abuel for one is perfectly cast as the boyish Edward who has mastered the look of a carefree kid with an innocent demeanor. His chemistry with Ella Cruz could melt anyone's heart. Cruz, on the other hand, also portrayed her frank and feisty character to a tee, and Dido dela Paz as usual is reliably believable.

Overall, I love Edward most when it’s lighthearted and fun, and less depressing. Edward's funny adventures bring light to a rather grim and dirty public hospital. The shift in tone in the third act, while earned, almost ruined it. But it ended in a touching moment that brought back the heart of the film.

This is my favorite Cinemalaya entry this year.

Cinemalaya 2019: 'Malamaya' -- A Portrait of a Solitary Woman

Photo Credit: Cinemalaya

Director: Danica Sta. Lucia, Leilani Chavez
Starring: Sunshine Cruz, Enzo Pineda

Cinemalaya has been a way for artists, new and old, to challenge their craft and showcase their prowess so it's always a delight whenever they appear in one of the entries. Whether it's a passion project or a career revival, they're exciting to me. This year, Sunshine Cruz is one of the veteran actresses from the mainstream industry to embark in Cinemalaya. Unfortunately, she joins the like of Sharon Cuneta and Gretchen Barretto whose entries don't spark joy.

Malamaya is about Nora, a middle-aged single visual artist who doesn't seem to know what she wants in life. She lives in a house filled with her Obras, and she refuses to sell them for money. She engages in casual sex with a man her age, no strings attached. She attends her friend's art classes to give students a talk about art. And then she meets Migs, played seductively by Enzo Pineda, a young and amateur photographer whose views in art and life are opposite from hers. Their only bonding revolves around sex and cigarettes.

On its canvas, this seems like another film about female empowerment and while there's a case for it, it's barely believable. Malamaya, with its screenplay that sounds like its words are copied straight from an erotic pocketbook, does not give its characters an ounce of likability. The central relationship is toxic and only formed out of lust and sadness. So watching them go bond and fight back and forth is quite tiring which seems to be intentional, but not rewarding for the audience.

Its sensual quality also feels contrived, that it looks like a vanity project for both Cruz and Pineda. There's no way they'd be able to elevate a script that doesn't seem to give their characters a room for redemption. Migs is an immature millennial who doesn't know how to deal with a pessimistic older woman like Nora. Nora, on the other hand, is too passive-aggressive that there's no way to neutralize their exhausting relationship.

Then they also infused it with artistic views, that don't necessarily make a lot of sense to the story, but rather feels like a filler or distraction to convey what they're trying to say about the subject matter. I couldn't even take Nora seriously when she speaks to a class right in front of a projector.

In the end, it's predictably about Nora putting herself first, eliminating all the toxicity in her life--something she could have done after her supposedly one-night stand with Migs--a no-brainer decision if you ask me. Then again, this is art. And we can't like everything.

Cinemalaya 2019: 'ANi' -- A Tiny Step to Local Science Fiction Success

Photo Credit: Cinemalaya

Directors: Sandro del Rosario, Kim Zuñiga
Starring: Zyren dela Cruz, Miguel Valdes, Ricky Davao

No denying that ANi is one of the most anticipated films in this year's Cinemalaya. The marketing for this is tremendous, the trailer looks impressive, and there is huge hype across social media. It just looks good, but our local films especially indie are yet to be tested in terms of heavy CGI and visual effects. Going into this, I thought this would either be amazing as it looks, or it could go terribly wrong.

I watched the Gala screening of this at CCP, and the directors' messages before they screened the film imply promise, which turned up at least my expectations to the maximum. A love letter to parents, they said. The combo of sci-fi and family gave me Steven Spielberg vibes.

ANi didn't live up to the hype.

But it is a tiny step to CGI in local cinema. A welcome contribution despite its storytelling failure. ANi's CGI robot is passably believable, but the rest of the world-building is far from convincing. No one knows what the year 2050 looks like but their future in mind might not be the result that they are looking for. Who knows?

Acceptable CGI is one thing, it's quite another to make good use of it for the whole movie to work. The CGI robot they're proud of, as they should, entered the picture late in the film and everything before it looks shabby. The set looks like a product from the remains of the set of Sineskwela trying to be Ready Player One, which keeps the actors from moving freely and the camera work to be creative. There's clearly a lack of budget and the quality of the film is sacrificed because of it.

Moving the second half of the film to a place called 'The Province' felt like an excuse to drift away from any futuristic setting (although they were able to add CGI farmer robots and they look impressive). But for its every impressive aspect, its basic narrative hinders it from being great. The coming-of-age plot is tired, the PAROS, a robotics company that is supposed to be the main villain(?) is in no way threatening, and the search for the magical grain was left behind to establish 'ANi' the CGI robot. I also don't understand why its English title is 'The Harvest' when they're clearly referring to 'ANi', which is a robot's name.

At the end of the day, this is still a film with good intentions. The ambitious vision is admirable, and the attempt to help the local film industry move forward is acknowledged. But this film also makes us realize that we still have a long way to go in terms of CGI, visual effects and science fiction in general. Maybe next time we'll get help from our own government.

Cinemalaya 2019: 'Belle Douleur' -- Self-Love with a Transcendent Mylene Dizon

Photo Credit: Cinemalaya

Director: Joji Villanueva Alonso
Starring: Mylene Dizon, Kit Thompson

A quick exercise: Try to think of movies with a middle-aged man on the forefront and his leading lady is at least 10 years younger than him. You'll probably be able to name a lot. Now try to think of the same scenario except the actress is way older than her leading man. You'll probably be able to name a few since it's starting to become a trend. But isn't that exciting? I've been hearing and reading a lot of comments, some sound like they're even complaining, on the emerging films about middle-aged women whose appetite for love and life stays blooming. This is why, even though most of these films tackle almost the same points about life reaffirmation, I still appreciate them.

Mylene Dizon joins these women in Belle Douleur, directed by a lawyer and first-time director Joji Villanueva Alonso, about Liz, a single 45-year old child psychologist who finds herself emotionally alone in her antique-filled parents' house after her mother passed away. Through her friends' encouragement to do something fun and reckless, she pursues Josh (Kit Thompson), a young and independent antique shop owner, and together they create a special bond.

The story and the way it was presented is pretty much clear-cut, but boy, it is super fun, sexy and romantic, while staying classy. Not to mention its realistic portrayal of a relationship that their age difference makes little conflict. It helps a lot that screenwriter Therese Cayaba, known for her film Delia & Sammy, created characters that are imperfect, but likable and never toxic. We are drawn to Liz and Josh, not because of their differences, but they actually make a good couple who appears to really care for each other. The fact that they always have great sex is just the icing on the cake.

Credits to both Mylene Dizon and Kit Thompson's effective portrayal, who both are capable of providing the needed sensual nature of their characters, as adequate as their ability to be simply romantic and humane. Both were given sufficient moments to shine, and they did not disappoint. Mylene Dizon has a couple of brilliant dramatic moments, especially in the third act when Liz reflects on her relationship with herself, and her relationship with Josh. In which the film makes an earnest point about letting go and self-love.

Belle Douleur might get criticized for lacking heavy conflict and refusing to dig deeper with its story, but the way I see it, these are also the reasons why it's good and a legitimate fun watch. A personal movie that doesn't confine with the norm, and what can we do when it's based on a true story.

Cinemalaya 2019: Xian Lim's 'Tabon' Wallows in Ambiguity

Photo Credit: Cinemalaya

Director: Xian Lim
Starring: Christopher Roxas, Ynna Asistio Menggie Cobarubbias, Dexter Doria,


Xian Lim, mostly known as a model, actor, and host...has a film at Cinemalaya! He might yet become an interesting director, but his first effort behind the camera, while intriguing, is a complete misfire.

Watching Xian Lim's feature debut as a writer-director is super exciting. Only a few brave souls in the local industry go from acting to directing, so his decision to direct one, an indie film for that matter, is commendable.

The title is Tabon, which to me sounds like it refers to the early homo-sapiens in the country. But the poster looks nothing about it, and the first few seconds of the film affirm it's going to be something different.

It starts with Christopher Roxas' character watching his sleeping pregnant wife from the doorway of a room, with a young girl sleeping beside her. As he closes the door, he looks confused and we can see an ultrasound image of a baby beside him. Fade into black, the blood-spilt opening credits started to roll matched with an extremely terrifying music. There's no doubt that Tabon is going to be a horror.

The first half of the film is really intriguing. Christopher Roxas's character Ian received news that his estranged father Amang Zaldy (Menggie Cobarubbias) is dead. With his wife (Ynna Asistio) and stepdaughter, they went to his hometown to know the cause. The journey leading to it is filled with unsettling scenarios. At one point, they passed a butcher with a weird look on his face, and then they also hit a puppy on their way. If you're a horror movie fan, you just know that these are clues to whatever is going to happen in the movie especially that most of the time, nothing makes a lot of sense.

Everything looks puzzling, and it doesn't help that the confused look never leaves Roxas' face. Then when they reached their destination, the mystery continues to grow larger. At this point, all the answers could be written on the wall, but Xian Lim and Eseng Cruz's script hinders to make it easy for the audience. Ian barely asks the right questions, or he doesn't seem that interested to know about his father's death. But whenever he does, his questions are always left unanswered.

There is a disconnect between the dialogs of each character, and while it may be intended to keep the charades alive, the film just becomes more aggravating as it goes. When it finally started to reveal the resolution, it has already wallowed in ambiguity and didn't get a satisfying resolution.

The film reeks of recent horror movie elements, and Tabon begs to put itself on the same league with them. Ballsy if you ask me, but the premise looks better on paper than Xian Lim's direction. Clearly, he has big ideas for a horror movie but most of them unoriginal.

Still, Tabon shows a lot of promise for Xian Lim and if he continues to make movies of this genre, I might just continue to support out of curiosity.

Cinemalaya 2019: 'John Denver Trending' -- A Society Built By Injustice

Photo Credit: Cinemalaya

Director: Arden Rod Condez
Starring: Jansen Magpusao, Meryll Soriano

First-time writer-director Arden Rod Condez's John Denver Trending is a straightforward-structured, infuriating look of a society adapting to the world of social media filled with vicious fake news and validation. It begins right away with the drama surrounding the titular character John Denver who was shot brutally attacking a classmate accusing him of stealing his iPad. The video went viral which causes his life to go into a downward spiral of unfortunate events stemming from the often unjust treatment of his community.

Without discrediting other equally valuable Cinemalaya entries, this might be the most timely and important film of its batch. The film urges the audience to reflect on how easily people believe the lies created by society by capitalizing on John Denver's situation and the domino effect to his psyche. Although the film immediately established that John Denver is innocent, the film never intended to explore who stole which. Instead, it focused on the growing turmoil after the video trended across the internet.

For something that could be fixed by merely shaking hands, it spread like a wildfire revealing prejudice among neighbors, greed from the accusers, the power struggle between school and the police, selfish and foolish intentions in the form of likes, views & validations, and even naivete created by beliefs. All of these was unbiasedly laid out by Cordez, and while it went a bit repetitive along the way, it did not fail in building fury in his viewers, and stigma with his main character.

Meryll Soriano plays the mother of John Denver, who significantly kept her son's sanity intact with all the chaos surrounding him. In a way, she also served as the audience's voice of reason every time people blindly prosecute John Denver of a crime he's clearly never done. In his mother's eyes, and in our eyes, John Denver is innocent.

Unfortunately, it doesn't matter in a society built by injustice, and the film's resolution reinforced the ultimate negative effect when a community chooses to triumph affliction. Sad to say, that's how it is nowadays.

'Crawl' is a Gator-Gore Frightfest

Ever since Steven Spielberg's Jaws, the standard for the genre he essentially invented is almost elusive. But every once in a while, a man vs beast movie diverges from what we've already seen and exceeds our expectations. Few movies on top of my head are 1990's Tremors and 2016's The Shallows. Then there are movies of this kind that are also guilty pleasures. Those that might be ridiculous, but definitely entertaining. See Sharknado, which is already a film series, and the Jennifer Lopez-starred Anaconda. This year, Crawl joins the list and it's definitely up there as one of the most extreme.

Photo Credit: United International Pictures

Kaya Scodelario stars as the aspiring swimmer Haley who tries to rescue her dad from a Category 5 hurricane rampaging Florida. Turns out, it's not only the hurricane she has to deal with as her father's house becomes infested with vicious alligators crawling around their muddy basement.

I've never seen an alligator horror film since Lake Placid and that's years ago. So I'm really excited about this especially that it deviates from the premise of the former. Here, the alligators are not only the villains. I can't even say it's Mother Nature. I could go on and on and blame global warming but it's also not really about it. They also tried to integrate human drama, but no one watches this for that.

It also helps a lot that they are trapped inside the four walls of their house, and there's nowhere else to go. It's like when Blake Lively has to survive a hungry shark on a sea rock where there's no to little wiggle room in The Shallows. The claustrophobic production design is incredible and it maximizes the film's terror value.

Case in point, this is about surviving hostile alligators amidst a torrential downpour, And it's gory, it's action-packed and it maximizes anything terrifying about it. What's different about this is it doesn't shy away from the looming danger. There is no sense that the main characters are safe. As a matter of fact, their encounters with the gators are legit close, and not everyone survived unscathed to the point that their human power seems too invincible to be realistic. But with these movies, the more exaggerated, the higher the excitement.