Barber's Tales (Mga Kwentong Barbero)

Director: Jun Robles Lana
With: Eugene Domingo, Gladys Reyes, Sharmaine Buencamino, Iza Calzado, Nonie Buencamino, Nicco Manalo, Sue Prado, Eddie Garcia, Daniel Fernando

Could this film get any more hype? Well, in the Philippines it could use some because my audience when I saw it was only a handful and its marketing is virtually non-existent here. But internationally, Barber's Tales is a big deal especially after winning several awards such as Best Actress for Eugene Domingo at the 2013 Tokyo International Film Festival, Best Director for Jun Robles Lana (also director of Bwakaw; writer of Jose Rizal, Muro Ami, Bagong Buwan) at the 2014 Madrid International Film Festival and was also awarded 3rd Place, Audience Award at the 2014 Udine Far East Film Festival. Amazing!

So all these awards set the bar high prior to watching the film. I think it's safe to say that it lived up to it because the craftsmanship of director Jun Robles Lana who also wrote the film was fully established. It's artsy, it's neat, it's beautifully shot and is something to be taken seriously. Like Bwakaw, its setting focused on a small town province in the Philippines but this film tackled a crucial period in the Philippine history which is the Marcos regime during the height of rebellion.

Not gonna lie, it's a bit surprising how heavy the film actually is. I expected it to be dramatic but I didn't anticipate the importance and the history that it enacted. It's a good thing because the Philippine cinema, from what I've observed, is lacking period dramas lately and Barber's Tales is a refreshing Filipino film that can be added among other great historical films like Dekada '70 and Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita to name a few. So lots of kudos to Jun Robles Lana for continuously writing and directing films that are relevant, films that showcases Philippine history. Also, much like Dekada'70, one of the elemental themes of Barber's Tales is women empowerment.

However, Barber's Tales is not the most exciting and gripping film. Its pacing is a bit monotonous, building so many characters, story-arcs in the middle. But the slow build up is rewarding in the end as it made the shocking events even more electrifying like a cobra finally eating its prey after keeping an eye on it for so long. Okay, that's a strange comparison but it's totally apt. The last 10 minutes of the film is very exhilarating. It doesn't hurt that the film surprised its viewers with a pleasant cameo by a superstar. :3

We're so used into laughing at Eugene Domingo's antics in movies but here, she never tickled anyone's funny bones. Most of the time, she's in her depressing facial expression mode that got a little tiring at some point, but there's really nothing more we can ask for with this actress. She's phenomenal whether in drama or comedy. "Death defying stunts and full frontal nudity? CHECK." I still prefer the funny Eugene though and the good thing is, it will always be there. Her performance in Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank will never be outstripped. TV PATROL ACTING :). Aside from Eugene, the film's ensemble is pretty rad. Great performances from Eddie Garcia, Gladys Reyes, Nonie Buencamino, Nicco Manalo, Iza Calzado and Sharmaine Buencamino.

It's rare nowadays to witness a great Filipino period drama so I really hope this film gets the number of audience it deserves. It won several awards for a reason. For Filipinos who keep on complaining about the never-ending mainstream love stories, well Barber's Tales is not mainstream for one, and it's definitely not a love story. So no more excuses. LOL #sapilitan

Hustisya - Cinemalaya Director's Showcase

Director: Joel Lamangan
With: Nora Aunor, Rocco Nacino, Rosanna Roces, Sunshine Dizon, Gardo Versoza, Chynna Ortaleza

I haven't watched a Nora Aunor film since forever so the moment I saw that she will star in a Cinemalaya film Hustisya, I told myself to prioritize it. Then I saw its poster and it's one of the coolest poster I've seen. It made me even more excited. Lucky for me, Hustisya was scheduled first in Greenbelt 3 - my resident Cinemalaya movie house. Unfortunately, the hype I made for myself didn't pay off as the film discouraged me to continue watching the rest. But I've already paid my tickets for the day so I got no choice.

Joel Lamangan's Hustisya is so disappointing. It started off good - focusing on human trafficking and Biring's (Nora Aunor) adventure in the crime filled city of Manila. Add up her interesting friendship with Vivian (Rosanna Roces) who serves as her boss in illegal recruitment, and a bad influence according to Biring's daughter Lorena (Sunshine Dizon). But then after everything was established, the film overwhelmed with themes and crimes that confused its audience to no end. It's even suffused with surrealism in which Biring throws money and letters of wishes from the balcony of Manila City Hall to appease herself with the immorality she's committing that seemed to visit her dreams as nightmares. Since then, it lost its audience as the film started becoming really absurd. My friend was right when he said that the film would be more successful and acceptable if it was advertised as dark comedy instead of crime drama as the funny scenes of Ate Guy got more reaction than the supposed-to-be compelling ones. Don't get me started with the technicalities because it reminds me of The Diplomat Hotel where it seemed like the filmmakers got lazy in the middle of making the film that it lost its touch and sense. So much potential was wasted especially its aspect of realism. Those dreams could have worked wonderfully only if the film had any focus and didn't try to tackle other issues such as imperialism, corruption, etc. It's a neverending story. 

Nora Aunor as Biring / Cinemalaya

Even though it's written by the screenplay legend Ricky Lee, it didn't thrive on its screenplay. Its biggest achievement is Nora Aunor's superb acting. Hustisya reminded me of why this woman is a Superstar and why she deserves to be a National Artist. She's just naturally good whether she delivers punchlines or trigger the dramatics. It's also not devoid of lessons and thought provoking scenes. Thought provoking that sometimes it just made you wonder what the hell is going on. Lamangan was not able to articulate the film well with the message it wanted to convey because he pestered it with overwhelming amount of themes and arcs that made you want to just end the film. I felt like the film should have ended 10 scenes ago but it kept on continuing and it just made the film worse.

In the end, it settled with Biring laughing endlessly and in my mind, she's probably laughing because of how ridiculous the whole film is and that the audience sit through with it. I laughed with her.