'Smile': A Harmless Gesture Turns Sinister

Parker Finn's feature film Smile, which is adapted from his 11-min short film, Laura Hasn't Slept, is the newest confident horror directorial debut that has the same formula as Asian horrors where there’s a sinister pattern in several mysterious deaths in which the main character is trying to solve... or avoid... or both.

Paramount Pictures

The main character is Dr. Rose Cotter, played with conviction by Sosie Bacon, a clinical psychiatrist who starts experiencing menacing occurrences after witnessing a traumatic incident with her patient. A patient who turned a harmless gesture of smiling into something sinister.

The plot is very similar to The Ring, or The Grudge, or any other horror movies wherein the lead tries to solve and survive a curse that plagues a series of mysterious deaths. This time, the ploy is neither watching a cursed videotape or seeing oneself in a bagua mirror. As you have guessed, it's when you see a person smile. And not your ordinary smile, a smile that's either going to creep you out or make you uncomfortable because of how unhinged it looks. It doesn't help when that smile is associated with several jumpscares that could give one nightmares.

More than that, Smile has an underlying message about how society treat people with mental illnesses. But sometimes that feels like a stretch when the curse itself is revealed to be an evil entity that goes beyond mental health. It does however exploit people with traumas so there's that.

Smile somewhat struggles to find the perfect balance of dramatic and frightening tone to reach its full potential in incorporating an entity that exploits people’s trauma. A terrifying popcorn horror nevertheless. It's scary, seldom funny, and a decent addition to horrors of the same kind.

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"Smile" opens in PH cinemas September 28.

MTRCB RATING: R-16

'Don't Worry Darling' - The Movie is an Intrigue in Itself

Not mentioning the drama surrounding the making and the press tour of Don't Worry Darling is hard but it is imperative to mention that the movie is a big intrigue in itself--whether it's the uber-perfect atmosphere of the Victory community, an experimental company town where husbands work for a top-secret Victory project led by Frank (Chris Pine), or Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack's (Harry Styles) handful of steamy love scenes that recall Lady Gaga and Adam Driver in House of Gucci.

Warner Bros. Pictures

These however might be merely just an attractive façade. As when cracks start to happen in Alice's luxurious life as a housewife, she couldn't help but question her reality.

Don't Worry Darling's premise is probably something that many have seen before, and whatever one's thinking about it could be true, but Olivia Wilde knows how to make sinister and intriguing things look cool, flashy, and entertaining to watch. This director knows what she's doing and was able to create some of the coolest sequences I've seen this year. And even as a supporting character Bunny, she knows how to command a spotlight. Florence Pugh as the lead however is the true star and heart of the film. She's already a star as we know but she's able to shine brighter here as a mid-century woman who can also convey modernity at once. If there's a reason to watch this, it's to see the parallel of Pugh, Styles, and Wilde's character in and out of the movie. That is if you're also malicious and suspicious of everything behind the scenes like most people are. But the movie's cast is truly its strongest suit. 

Also worth mentioning is the evident craft. The costumes, the hair, the score, the choreographies, the production design are as perfect as the veneer the movie is trying to display. All are captured by Matthew Libatique's playful and always moving lenses and John Powell's score that will remind us of another Florence Pugh movie, Midsommar. It's breathy and heartracing reminiscent of the synchronized crying and breathing in the Ari Aster cult film.

Don't Worry Darling is better seen without any knowledge of what it's about so it's better to stop here. But again, whatever you're thinking might be correct. It's just a matter of enjoying the cast and its cool sequences.

'Bullet Train' - A Full Blast of Eye-Popping Action Comedy in a Train

Brad Pitt and co. is undoubtedly having a blast in this epic action comedy Bullet Train--literally and figuratively. And along with Everything Everywhere All at Once, 2022 is clearly having a barrage of memorable action comedies moviegoers are going to talk about in the coming years.

Columbia Pictures

Bullet Train stars Brad Pitt as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin who's just trying to do his job peacefully until fate, yet again, brings him with other manic characters in a bullet train, all with connected and clashing purposes. 

Often times funny, most of the time gory, and it feels like it simply exists to make people have a crazy good time in the cinema. Whether it succeeds or not, it really depends on the person's brand of humor. This is after all directed by David Leitch who helmed the second Deadpool.

The cast and their characters are ironically charming, though. Everyone's obviously insane to a degree, they're after all assassins. But their backstories and dynamic that anchor their lunacies are what makes them fun to root for. Most especially Ladybug who clearly just wants to do his job, finish it, and be a better person. Then there's this comical duo of Lemon and Tangerine played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Bryan Tyree Henry who both provide the silly quips and heavy banters we often see in these action comedies. All I could warn is their existence is a very specific type of acquired taste probably half of the people would laugh at them, and the other would roll their eyes.

It isn't only the combination of the cast, their characters, and the impressive web of stories that made this an overall crazy good time. Leitch's unique take on Japan as seen through the bullet train's windows, the eye-popping cuts and transitions, and the sleek, neon, and colorful interiors also adds to the grandeur of this film. That's why there's no hesitance to call this 'epic'. This clearly is intended to defy physics and logic, and sometimes there's nothing wrong with that.

'DC League of Super-Pets' - Wacky & Likable Super-Pets to the Rescue

DC League of Super-Pets is fun and wacky, complete with good superhero action, unexpected touching moments, and inspiring lessons for everyone. These superhero pets would easily grow on anyone superhero movie fans or not.

Warner Bros. Pictures

In DC League of Super-Pets, Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends reminiscent of Andy and Woody of Toy Story. Because of an accident, they share the same superpowers and eventually grew up as superheroes of the Metropolis. When Lex Luthor and his pint-sized guinea pig Lulu kidnapped the Justice League, Krypto along with his newly found rag-tag shelter pack—Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle, and Chip the squirrel—gather together to save Superman and his team.

Consider this an origin story of these Super-Pets, ticking every checkboxes of origin film tropes. One might say that it's predictable and nothing new. Fair. But it's still funny, touching, action-packed and overall very entertaining. The voice actors consisting of Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Vanessa Bayer, and Natasha Lyonne to name a few are a huge reason why this is good. But it's the continuous mix of mindless and sassy jokes, and earnest character development of the script that makes this a worthy-of-your-precious-time movie.

What Toy Story did with toys, Super-Pets applied to furry cute pets. Pets that are designed not entirely outstanding, but their characters and their arcs make up for it. There's something about pets and their loyalty to humans that is incredibly endearing. It's one of the main themes of the film, apart from the superheroes and superpowers viewers are probably going to watch this out for.

Overall, this is a pleasant surprise for me. As someone who's probably getting tired of the never-ending superhero movies, I had a great time with the titular super-pets and their stories.

'Top Gun: Maverick' - Above and Beyond Its Legacy

A film with a mission to defeat forces of evil through bombs may be the last thing the world needs right now regardless of when it was intended to be released. Yet Top Gun: Maverick proved to be well-intended and good-hearted despite its political aspects.

                                            Paramount Pictures 

Tom Cruise returns as Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell on a mission to build his legacy though service to the country and to reconcile with the past he struggles to let go of, especially when he stumbles upon the son--now a Top Gun pilot--of his old wingman, Goose. This additional layer to what used to be more about being a cool pilot, flying cool planes, getting cool chicks, winging with cool bros, and achieving cool heights creates a more visceral viewing experience. But that's not to say that it doesn't have the abovementioned qualities that the original possesses. This sequel still has them, it just went way above and beyond. It's less concerned about being iconic and more interested on the emotional beats.

Let it be known that it also achieved greater heights when it comes to action that it's unimaginable to learn anyone who's seen it to be underwhelmed. Because the mission per se isn't a walk in the park, but the journey and conflicts to accomplishing it is way more complicated than anyone could imagine. And I suppose those are the reasons why the film is extra satisfying. Add the fact that it's super immersive and the exposition is clear enough for the viewers to be affected and involved.

Apart from it are the characters new and old. Maverick is still as dangerous and stubborn as ever but there's indeed maturity in him that could be a personification of Tom Cruise both as an actor and as a movie star. He's never washed out but it's quite justifiable that his stardom has lustered less over the years. Hence, there's a feeling of earnestness and groundedness even when he's up in the sky forcing himself to achieve beyond what's expected of him. Then there's Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jennifer Connelly and the rest of the crew whose characters created a few more complications to Maverick's already complicated disposition.

Here's a flick that's going to make one forget about the uselessness of war and would appreciate more the values of camaraderie, holding on and letting go as cheesy as that may sound, and family and friendship. There's going to be a lot of hype and it will be able to hold if not exceed expectations.