'Evil Dead Rise' - Prepare Your Appetite for a Bloody Gorefest

An appetite for serving up gory frights reunites the producing team behind the original and successive “Evil Dead” films: producer Rob Tapert and executive producers Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. They are joined by accomplished filmmaker Lee Cronin to take the action to new places (and heights) with “Evil Dead Rise.”  Since 1981, the cult classic “The Evil Dead” has spawned a long-lasting IP and a passionate fanbase that transcends generations. Planning to create an eagerly awaited new film in the franchise, Raimi met with studio executives in 2018 and pitched the idea of doing something new theatrically, leveraging the property while expanding the storytelling.

Photo Credit: Warner Bros. PH

In keeping with “Evil Dead Rise” director’s (Lee Cronin) vision, Ayala Malls Cinemas lets the audience in an immersive ultimate fear experience as the family fights for survival against a demon-possessed mom turned into a non-stop killing machine.

As Lee Cronin is quick to bring horror back to the basics, he shares, “I hope audiences are going to love the horror, because first and foremost, when you make a horror movie, you want it to be scary and entertaining. I think moviegoers will enjoy the visual verve and restlessness of the movie when it really gets going, along with the fresh experience—this is very much an ‘Evil Dead’ movie, but it’s really in the here and now. And hopefully, it will be an entry point into an even greater ‘Evil Dead’ universe than the one we know to date. I think great horror is something that you watch and then it follows you home, when you turn the lights out. This really takes the horror home.”

You’ve been warned, with an R-18 rating by the local censors board with no cuts, the film’s irreplaceable experience of fear in horror on the big screen is heightened with Ayala Malls Cinemas’ up-to-date state-of-the-art cinema technology.  Prepare to step into a riveting summer of thrills where the sights and sounds of horror are inescapable inside Ayala Malls Cinemas when “Evil Dead Rise” is finally unleashed on May 10.

'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' - Brings Back All the Mario Iterations in a Fun and Inventive Way

Seems like one of the best ways to grab the moviegoers' attention nowadays is through nostalgia. We've had The Lego Movie, the recent Dungeons & Dragons, and there's the upcoming Barbie. True enough, The Super Mario Bros. Movie proves this theory by incorporating most of its iterations in a fun and inventive way. Of course, with enhanced animation compared to the past times we've seen these famous plumbers before.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures PH

There's really not much to say about the movie except that it's super fun and feel good. The same exact bliss that we get when we used to play the classic video game whether in Family Computer, or Play Station, or in our Nintendo Game Boy. Even the challenges and frustrations faced by Mario are present. 

One would even find themselves being reminded of the numerous gameplay it has had. Many of its side characters appeared and while many of them also had minimal airtime, the movie opens up for many sequel possibilities. As despite showing many of its classic characters, there's still a lot more it wasn't able to show. Unless many of them were featured through Easter eggs that only a multiple viewing could suffice.

Story-wise, it's pretty similar to its main video game plot except that Princess Peach voiced by Anya Taylor Joy is present almost all throughout the film, and she's feisty and strong to boot. Not the damsel in distress one could be expecting from this princess. Think of the competitive Princess Peach in Mario Kart.

Overall, it's entertaining all throughout that it's able to make up for the lack of interesting stories. At the end of the day, it's much more interesting in bringing in the fun and nostalgia. Which makes a lot of room for complex and compelling stories for its sure-fire sequel.

'Empire of Light' - Olivia Colman Delivers Another Unforgettable Performance

 Taking us down memory lane on the timelessness of 80's cinemas, Sam Mendes Empire of Light is another love letter to the magic of cinema and its powerful effect in humans and how it's consistently present whether during our lowest of lows and highest of highs, affirming Nicole Kidman's AMC commercial where humans come to this place for magic, to laugh, and to cry.

This couldn't come to a most opportune moment, too. Where cinemas have started reeling again after what seems to be a very long pandemic lockdown, creating similarity on the present time, how the cinemas used to be before and after the lockdowns. It is a valentine not just to cinema, but to movies as exhibited in the cinema locally and around the globe. The film was also inspired by the concern that people weren’t going to these places anymore - places where people usually gather for shared experiences. In our case here in the Philippines, the continuous inflation and the looming and ongoing danger and scare of COVID-19.

Set in and around a vintage cinema in an English coastal town in the early 1980s, it follows Hilary Small (Olivia Colman), a cinema manager struggling with her mental health, and Stephen (Micheal Ward), a new employee who longs to escape the town where he deals with everyday prejudice. Together they unexpectedly find a sense of security through their unlikely relationship and together experience the healing power of music, cinema, and community among their peers in the theater.

First and foremost, the film is incredibly east to look at. Roger Deakins' luminous cinematography is the best part of the film. He's accompanied by tender and romantic score of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, a solid and confident direction by Sam Mendes, and yet another absolute performance from Olivia Colman. Too bad, I think it's a bit let down by Mendes script as the story is convoluted with themes that he doesn't necessarily touch on further. Which isn't that bad to say the least. With a film tackling racism and mental health, sometimes there's really no way to face them with full grace and conclusion. What Mendes thrives instead is the inclusion of his apparent love for cinema. That to me is already a plus for Empire of Light. 

'Magic Mike's Last Dance' - Swoonful of Sugar and Sexy Dance

Wholesome is a word I cannot imagine describing anything about Magic Mike but Steven Soderbergh's last instalment for his trilogy is somehow one of the most wholesome movies I've ever seen EVEN when it includes probably the sexiest routine he's ever showcased in it. Either I underestimate the word or Soderbergh just knows those two things can co-exist or it's just part of the film's magic or all of the above. He's Magic Mike after all.

Photo Credit: "Warner Bros. Pictures"

Mike Lane aka Magic Mike (Channing Tatum), now a bartender in Florida, returns to the dance stage unexpectedly after a hiatus, when a wealthy socialite Max (Salma Hayek Pinault) lures him a career offer he couldn't refuse--direct a stuffy 19th Century set play into a modern expression of feminism in an elegant and opulent London theater Max acquired through her ongoing marital settlement. Which instantly reminded me of School of Rock except it's about dancing, and strip dancing to boot--classical to rock, stiff and grand theater to a strip club.

Off the bat, that is already a great premise. Then add in the pandemic effects to the mindset of these two lead characters, it becomes even more relatable. Mike's furniture business had to close, and Max' marriage and creativity changed. These circumstances brought them somehow to each other when Max met Mike in a Florida event, and with a sensual dance from Mike, both of their lives changed forever.

The chemistry between Tatum and Hayek Pinault is palpable and their characters couldn't be more different but they're fun to watch. Salma's Max knows what she wants and is not afraid to get it whether through money, her assistant, or through Max. Mike, on the other hand, is broke and all he knows best is dance. He sees this opportunity to get to the stage one last chance and through Max, he was able to get what he needed even when he has doubts.

Last Dance's tone is also way different compared to the first two Magic Mikes. This time a voiceover narration from Max' young but seemingly mature daughter can be heard as the film progresses. It sometimes takes you out from the movie for how different its tone and content to the visuals. Of course, there's the British accent effect when we're used to Magic Mike being super American. Other than that, the narration also tackles the themes of the movie that Soderbergh doesn't always cater through the plot. Through the narration, it confirms the budding love affair between Mike and Max, the apparent changes in her mother's mood, and that the film is also about how dance puts people together--sexy or whatever dance it may be. 

Somehow, Magic Mike's Last Dance feels like a fairy tale with all the narration, the happily ever after, the princess and the savior, etc. It's a swoonful of sugar and sexy dance making it the most accessible instalment of the trilogy. There's still a lot of sexy dancing in this. What viewers would probably miss is the lack of testosterone the first two delivered immensely. In my case, I really liked this. It's my favorite of the three. A feel good movie that we all need every once in a while.

'Knock at the Cabin' - M. Night and Dave Bautista Give New Meaning to 'Talking to Strangers'

How M. Night Shyamalan never ceases to surprise his fans and naysayers in each of his new films, I would never know. But he still does it in Knock at the Cabin which gives scarier meaning to 'talking to strangers'. Going into the film, you already expect that you don't know what's going to hit you and YET, he still manages to induce dread, scare, and intrigue every single time and this one is no different.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Based on Paul Tremblay's novel 'The Cabin at the End of the World', Knock at the Cabin takes adopted child Wen (Kristen Cui) with her parents Andrew (Jonathan Groff) and Eric (Ben Aldridge) at a 'cabin in the woods' vacation when four armed strangers--Leonard (Dave Bautista), Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), Adrianne (Abby Quinn) and Redmond (Rupert Grint)--out of nowhere disturb their peace. The family then were informed that the world's safety is in their hands by choosing one of their family members to die, no suicides, no volunteers.

An interesting premise that starts right away and develops eerily throughout the film, Shyamalan was able to maintain the mystery about whether these strangers are for real or they are simply members of Michael Haneke school of killers who just appeared to kill people as they like. They are after all led by the monstrous Dave Bautista who can intimidate anyone however pure he may be. Or is he? No spoilers here.

All I can reveal is that it's intriguing from start to finish and the resolution is something profound, as the film somehow explores ideas behind faith and belief, doubt and certainty, love and family, and the limits of both. It's a complex film told in a straightforward yet entertaining manner. That of course is if scary equates to entertaining for you, and it definitely is for me.

I suppose it's a bonus that it's also refreshing to see an LGBT couple where their sexuality both does and doesn't matter. The marketing and intrigue of course does not care about their being, but the movie provides flashbacks about their journey as lovers--from their dates, to encountering hate from strangers and family, to forming their own family, and to them as individuals.

Shyamalan made something special here as a whole. If you see this for entertainment and/or for romance, you're going to get more from both sides of the door. If you see this as a fan of the auteur, this is very distinct from his past work. Overall, I think it's a win and the satisfaction will depend from the audience's expectations.