Ayala Malls Cinemas x FDCP Presents World Cinema Festival

Featuring a slate of critically-acclaimed films across the globe--Charlotte Wells' Aftersun, Vicky Krieps-starred Corsage, Cannes Grand Jury Prize winner Close, and 2022 QCinema-showcased Return to Soul.

Ayala Malls continue to recognize and celebrate the arts and culture in the country and strive to provide its cinema lovers with a rare moviegoing experiences through exclusive offerings such as these critically acclaimed films that we can only look forward to at Ayala Malls Cinemas.

FDCP, on the other hand, extends its advocacy to deliver a rich cinematic experience for the Filipino audience, bringing a rare lineup of films that would be more accessible for moviegoers.

Here's hoping that moviegoers would enjoy this rare yet accessible cinema showcase in hopes to expand the experience and knowledge that Filipinos usually see in our local cinemas.

Book your tickets at any of your favorite Ayala Malls Cinemas -  Manila Bay Cinema, Greenbelt 3, Trinoma, Solenad, Capitol Central, Central Bloc, Centrio Cinema, Abreeza and Harbor Point.  Admission prices at P250 in Metro Manila and P200 in provinces.

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'Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One' - A Gripping and Ageless Mission Impossible

Feels like forever since a movie, with almost a 3-hr runtime for that matter, gripped me in the cinemas from start to finish. Whether I am just busier than usual or it's just the quality of movies (doubtful), it feels like it no longer matters because the tandem of Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie delivers yet another awesome Mission Impossible in Dead Reckoning Part One. In which the stunts and action set pieces still feel exhilarating even if Cruise has been cheating death movie after movie after movie. We're still reeling from Cruise's stunts in Maverick yet there's no sign of stopping for him. Seems like the more he ages, the more he wants to outdo what he's done in his previous films. We are not complaining. 

Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

For this instalment, the nemesis is as timely as what all of us online people seem to be reading everywhere--an AI called The Entity which aims to have total control of all the information on Earth. A dangerous tool greedy corporates want to acquire. Even timelier, the film opens with an accident underwater set in a Russian submarine. Ethan, along with his team, are tasked to save the world from this Machiavellian Entity by getting hold of the key that controls this AI. As you know, things are always almost impossible in these movies so even if we know that everything will be a success, the action packed journey in between is what matters. And boy it did. With several obstacles, one being Hayley Atwell's Grace, a paid thief that gave Ethan a run for his mission and Esai Morales' Gabriel, Ethan's new adversary also in search for the dangerous key. Hayley Atwell is a great new leading lady in the upcoming MI movies. Her fun and flirty dynamic with Tom Cruise is fun to watch. Also helps that the audience couldn't always tell if she's to be trusted or not.

Much has been said about the stunts, the story, the stars, and the new characters, what Mission Impossible also always delivers is utilizing spectacular landmarks. In this movie, the streets of Rome, the rusty ancient cityscape of Venice, and the lush green landscape of Austrian Alps were utilized well for edge of your seat sequences. The Austrian one is a personal favorite.

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Rated PG, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One opens in PH cinemas July 12. 

'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.