Reviews

More Than Fan Service: A Mature Return to the Bar

Bar Boys: After School deepens the emotional and thematic reach of the original by asking what happens after the dreams, once idealism collides with reality. Set a decade after Bar Boys (2017), the sequel reunites Erik, Torran, Chris, and Josh not as wide-eyed law students, but as adults shaped - and bruised - by life. Directed by Kip Oebanda and co-written with Carlo Catu and Zig Dulay, the film trades youthful ambition for reflection, consequence, and quiet resilience. It's less about winning cases and more about surviving systems, relationships, and personal doubt.

Each of the four leads feels thoughtfully evolved. Carlo Aquino's Erik remains principled but weary, now working for a nonprofit and facing public suspicion for choosing the marginalised. Rocco Nacino's Torran balances the dignity of teaching with the compromises of working in a firm. Enzo Pineda's Chris is confronted by his own emotional blind spots as a husband and father. Kean Cipriano's Josh, once the dreamer, returns to law school after a failed showbiz detour - humbler, but more grounded. Their friendship still holds, but it's no longer effortless, and the film is honest about that shift.

The emotional anchor of the story is Odette Khan as Justice Hernandez, now in her twilight years. Her scenes are beautifully written and deeply affecting, filled with quotable reflections on integrity, invisibility, and the courage it takes to stand for something. She doesn't lecture - she guides, and the film's most powerful moments often come when characters simply sit and listen to her. It's a performance that lingers long after the credits roll.

Among the newer characters, Will Ashley delivers a gripping portrayal of Arvin, a working law student juggling poverty, responsibility, and quiet despair. His monologue - "Forgive me for not being happy. Sure, I am proud of who I am, but I can't shake the feeling that I could have been more, if I just had more" - is genuinely heartbreaking and one of the film's emotional peaks. While his character does occasionally feel like a replication of young Erik Vicencio from the first film, Ashley's sincerity and rawness largely overcome that familiarity. It's his strongest dramatic work to date.

Sassa Gurl deserves her flowers as Trisha, a top-of-the-class trans law student portrayed with intelligence, restraint, and purpose. Her performance avoids caricature and instead carries quiet authority, representing the LGBTQIA+ community with gravitas and alacrity. Trisha isn't defined by struggle alone - she's defined by excellence, and that choice matters.

Benedix Ramos — who previously played Erik Vicencio in the Bar Boys musical — is a quietly inspired addition to the film as Bok. Acting opposite Carlo Aquino’s Erik Vicencio, Ramos first appears as Erik’s client who dies early in the story, before returning as a haunting manifestation of Erik’s unresolved guilt, failures, fears, and fractured conscience. The meta-casting works beautifully: Ramos becomes both a narrative device and an emotional mirror, blurring the line between memory and accountability. His presence is meticulous and fastidious, never overstated, yet deeply felt — an unsettling reminder that Erik cannot outrun the consequences of his choices. It’s a smart, layered creative decision, and an unexpected icing on the cake that elevates the film’s psychological weight.

Glaiza de Castro also shines in her limited but impactful moments, particularly in the scene where she helps Chris to finally understand Rachel's (Anna Luna) point of view and confront his failures as a husband. It's a calm but devastating reckoning. Klarisse de Guzman is a delightful surprise, showing strong comedy chops and natural screen presence as Mae - an impressive debut that lands its laughs without feeling forced. Longtime fans will also appreciate the cameos by Atty. Victor Cruz (Sebastian Castro) and Lord Master (Vance Larena), which feel like warm nods rather than empty fan service.

Finally, Sheila Francisco completes the film as Atty. Rhodina Banal, a formidable opposing counsel who embodies how the law can be twisted through technicality to protect those already in power. She doesn't just represent the antagonist in court - she represents the rotten and corrupt system, and her presence sharpens the film's social critique considerably.

At just over two hours, the film does run a little long and could have pushed certain confrontations - particularly between Erik and Rhodina - with more sharpness and urgency. Even so, its emotional honesty carries it through. Bar Boys: After School is a thoughtful and compassionate sequel, fully aware that its audience has aged alongside its characters. It speaks less about ideals and more about accountability, compromise, and the quiet, often uncelebrated work of choosing to keep going.

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Boooo this movie, boooo!

This movie had three things I hate.
1. Annoying kids
2. Stupid time loops
3. Pretentiousness

I hate movies with time loops because most don't do them right where they can feel new and exciting each time like Edge of Tomorrow or Happy Death Day to me. This movie did it the way I hate. I was bored.

And while programming human emotions, she should have programmed human intelligence because my God, woman! How hard is it to keep up with this kid? Tries too hard to be profound and falls flat at being entertaining too.

The first 30 mins was exciting and then we find out it was all AI simulation and that destroyed the thrill.

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Personal opinion

The fact that people don't understand the ending or the movie eternal summer pisses me off so bad. You didn't truly watch it, and if you did, then watch it again.

This movie has so much depth to it, im not sure where to start.

The relationship between Jonathan and shane. While watching the movie, you can see that Jonathan and shane are almost emotionally attached even though jonathan was forced to volunteer to be his friend. Throughout the movie, you see Jonathan slowly losing his sanity and himself. His grades start to drop, and he doesn't make it to college. Before he became friends with shane, he was the top student in class. Be basically sacrificed his grades for shane.

When they get older and are seniors in highschool, you can tell shane is very attached to him and is always asking him to watch his basketball games and even at one paint says "my game went bad after you left" meaning his basketball game started going bad after Jonathan left.

Carrie, at first, I seriously hated her. And I still do. But i can't understand her at all. When her and Jonathan went to teipei and were gonna have intercourse then jonathan suddenly got up and locked himself into the bathroom. That's when he realized. Carrie knew something was weird when she was stalking him and found him reading a book on "The Theory on Transgenderism." Later on, she even asked him directly if he liked shane and advised him to confess, but still. She ended up getting with shane.

Anyway, I dont wanna talk about her.

You can tell that shane and Jonathan truly cared about one another, and after Jonathan found out shane and carrie (his ex) were dating, he left, and shane tried to follow after him

There's a big misunderstanding that shane didn't feel the same way or that he only slept with him just because he was drunk. No, shane loved him too he just couldnt come to terms with it, during the scene at the ball where Jonathan goes "me or carrie" shane acts like he didnt hear him when you know he did.

Did Shane SA Jonathan? Sorta, kinda, yes..? After shane got in the accident while drunk driving, Jonathan came and picked him up despite being upset.

Shane basically forcing himself on Jonathan was the only way he thought the friendship could be savaged. Shane knew about Jonathans feelings and his own. He thought that it would fix their relationship, Jonathan just kinda accepted it after he resisted, and I think their desperation in that scene showed how much they truly loved each other.

The ending. Im a sucker for an open ending, so I really loved it even though it hurt. You're supposed to interpret shanes' reaction to Jonathans confession yourself. Jonathan didn't have a reaction to the confessions because he already knew and wanted to keep him by his side. He just didn't wanna accept his own feelings.

Anyway Im tired of typing, but this movie has so much more depth than you think !!!

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reviews are proof that people can’t pay attention to anything.

based on the reviews here, it’s a bad movie. but what I think that it’s definitely one of the best movies I’ve watched recently.
some say it doesn’t make any sense. like bfr did we watch the same movie? detailing was crazy and I pretty much caught everything up at the very moment. I mean if you can’t connect the dots isn’t that on you?😭
some say it didn’t meet their expectations meaning it wasn’t about overcoming crisis. so basically you neither watched the trailer or saw a poster. again ON YOU.
another said it an AI propaganda yet somehow Black Mirror is one of the best shows out there. that’s very much double standards.

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Is this AI propaganda or just an open ending???

I don't actually think this is a bad movie or one that's difficult to understand.
The change in the genre shouldn't be that disappointing, since it's always been classified as Sci-fi and I don't really believe in genres that limit the writer's creativity.
I also don't believe this is motherhood propaganda, I'd like to reserve that title to that one K-drama with Lee Minho...
My problem here is how open it is towards the whole AI situation, I feel like it's dangerous in our current political climate. You could also think that it's meant to make you think about it, but as artists I think it's really important to be clear about this kind of topic.
They talk about AI that perfectly imitates human feelings through memories and experiences. However, they're still not human, that child is not a human nor the mother after dying the first time, even if the robot holds all her memories. At the end it's just a bunch of code that will end up repeating the same things endlessly because that's what it's meant to do. And trying to produce sympathy towards a computer feels like you're supporting it.
As I said before, the open ending with the new artificial human species could just be a way to make you think and not necessarily telling you to support AI. But that's how I felt after reflecting a bit that ending full of hope...

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good action comedy

I enjoyed this movie from start to finish. It had a good dosage of humor and fun without compromising the seriousness of the main issue.

North Korean elite detective Im Cheol-ryung (Hyun Bin) is back in Seoul chasing a ruthless crime boss, and once again, he’s paired with the goofy, endearing South Korean detective Kang Jin-tae (Yoo Hae-jin). Their tried-and-true North/South 'bromance' is the undisputed heart of the film, constantly shifting between reluctant partners and genuine friends.

The story is quite easy to follow too not convoluted and has a little international elements with 3 countries trying to catch the bad guy.
The entire cast did an amazing job playing their characters. The chemistry between Hyun Bin, Yoo Hae Jin, and Daniel Henney was really good with their comedic acting.

If  enjoyed the first part of this movie and want more of the same with added international flavor, I can recommend it.

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bug names nothing more....

​I went into Uprising expecting a grand, sweeping historical epic, but I walked away feeling like I’d just wasted my time. For a movie with this much talent involved, it’s shocking how little actually happens.
​
​The "story," if you can even call it that, felt like a never-ending cycle of the same beat: two friends have a falling out and then they fight. That’s it. There was no real character growth, no depth to the conflict, and absolutely no improvement in the storytelling as the movie dragged on. Instead of an epic war drama, it felt like a repetitive loop of petty resentment that never justified its runtime.
​
​While the production was "fine," it was nothing special. I was expecting something visually groundbreaking or at least a story that moved me, but everything felt incredibly flat. It lacked the "soul" that makes you care about who wins or who survives. By the halfway mark, I found myself checking the time, waiting for it to finally end.
​
​Despite the big names, Uprising is a hollow experience. It’s a repetitive, uninspired story about a friendship gone wrong that fails to deliver any emotional punch. Save yourself the two hours—this one is a "skip."

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Are We Getting the Main Point of this Thriller Wrong?

In the few pieces I've read about this thriller, the main plot seems to focus on a woman trying to save her child when confronted with an apocalyptic event. Granted, that is what we see on the screen.

But could we be getting the main plot wrong? I believe so. This is some really narly creative writing.

Not a day goes by that I don't read an article or headline, or hear a podcast about the upcoming world we live in with AI. We definitely are living in the age of the AI dominance race. There seem to be two messages. One, that AI will dominate the human landscape when it comes to jobs. Second, that AI can't replace humans because of our emotional intelligence and ability to connect.

But what if AI could be taught emotional intelligence and the ability to connect at a human level?

I think what we're seeing on the screen in this movie is an AI simulation performed over and over again so AI can learn and develop a strong emotional connection. I say this as we kept seeing scenes done over and over again, and notice how they kept focusing on her shirt with the number increasing. What a brilliant storyline and commentary on the question as to whether AI can truly replace human beings.

Loved the special effects, and loved Kim Da Mi. What a grueling role she had to play, but as usual, she was superb.

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Feels rushed

I might be the only one who will say this but I felt like the ending doesn't make sense and feels rushed. The writer might thought that it needs to have an element of sad (to have an appeal) so he/she needs to deliberately kill the lead, I can't even cry and was questioning the ending for like hours. It would have been better if it was an accident or like he needs to disappear because she got an oppprtunity and they met at the end without her remembering, I would have enjoyed that ending. The initial plot was good, the execution could have been better.
Overall, I like the acting and chemistry.

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From 1775 to 2050: A Bold Return to Form

I went into Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins fully intending to watch it anyway — I have friends in both the cast and the production — but I didn’t expect to see it in advance, alongside the cast, on premiere night. That alone already set the mood. Part of the 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival and rated R-13, this entry marks a confident, high-profile return for Regal’s longest-running horror franchise.

Since its debut in 1984, Shake, Rattle & Roll has been a staple of Filipino cinema, delivering some of the country’s most unforgettable horror moments. For me, nothing still tops “Undin” (1991) — that toilet scene remains one of the most traumatising bathroom scares in local film history, so iconic that Filipinos still joke about “Undin” lurking in drains decades later. Evil Origins clearly understands that legacy, but instead of coasting on nostalgia, it takes a genuine creative risk.

True to form, the film is split into three episodes, but for the first time in the franchise, they are interconnected, forming one overarching story that spans the past, the present, and the future. Directed by Shugo Praico, Joey De Guzman, and Ian Loreños, and running close to 148 minutes, it sounds like the kind of runtime that could easily drag. Thankfully, it doesn’t. The film stays engaging because each segment offers a distinctly different flavour of horror — and because the connecting thread gives the whole thing momentum.

The opening chapter, “1775,” is set in a Spanish-era convent and leans heavily into atmospheric, religious horror. A group of nuns find themselves trapped as an unseen evil turns faith, repression, and desire into weapons. Visually, it’s moody and gothic, with strong production design that recalls The Nun. Janice de Belen is genuinely chilling as the cruel Mother Superior, while Carla Abellana, a veteran of standout SRR segments, brings gravitas as a prophetic figure. The script could have benefitted from deeper backstories, but the performances carry it — especially Loisa Andalio, who leaves a strong impression and feels like a future scream queen in the making.

The clear standout of the film is “2025,” a high-energy slasher set during a Halloween masquerade party. This is Shake, Rattle & Roll at its most fun and confident. The music pulses, the visuals pop, and the pacing never lets up. Fan-favourite pairings Francine Diaz and Seth Fedelin, as well as JM Ibarra and Fyang Smith, deliver both chemistry and individual presence, while Sassa Gurl steals scenes with perfectly timed comic relief. The kills are creative, the tension is real, and the mix of horror, humour, romance, and gore just works. It’s campy, bloody, and exhilarating — easily one of the best local slasher segments in recent years, and one that honestly feels strong enough to stand alone as its own film.

The final chapter, “2050,” swings big with a post-apocalyptic Philippines overrun by aswangs. Empty highways, broken bridges, and abandoned trains give the episode an eerie scale, turning Metro Manila into an unsettling wasteland. Richard Gutierrez is in his element as the action-driven lead, backed solidly by Ivana Alawi and Matt Lozano, while Manilyn Reynes once again proves why she remains a quiet horror MVP — grounding the chaos with experience and emotional weight. 💚 Dustin Yu stands out here as well, delivering sharp line readings, expressive physicality, and impressively confident action work. His presence feels assured, and it’s easy to see why he continues to gain recognition in the genre. The aswang designs are excellent — fast, vicious, and far more terrifying than your standard lumbering monsters.

Taken as a whole, Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins is best experienced on the big screen, where its scale, sound design, and visual ambition really land. Not every narrative thread is perfectly polished, and some character arcs could be stronger, but the film’s willingness to experiment pays off more often than not. It’s loud, entertaining, occasionally messy, but never dull — and most importantly, it proves that there’s still plenty of life left in this franchise.

This is a bold, crowd-pleasing return to form. It delivers genuine scares, big swings, and memorable moments, carried by a committed ensemble that understands both the fun and the fear of Shake, Rattle & Roll. For horror fans, slasher lovers, or anyone looking for a full-throttle cinema experience with friends, Evil Origins is an easy MMFF recommendation.

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A City Losing Its Footing.

Manila’s Finest is a gritty, atmospheric crime thriller set in Manila in 1969, a city on edge amid rising crime, political unrest, and looming social change. Directed by Raymond Red, the film follows a group of Manila Police District officers navigating turf wars, gang violence, and a growing sense that something far darker is at play. What begins as street-level crime — illegal gambling, prostitution, and rival gangs — gradually exposes deep-rooted corruption involving powerful businessmen, politicians, and even the police themselves.

Running at 119 minutes, the film is written by Michiko Yamamoto, Moira Lang, and Sherad Anthony Sanchez, and balances police procedural tension with intimate human drama. At its core, Manila’s Finest is less about heroism and more about moral compromise, loyalty, and the cost of integrity in a city rapidly losing its footing.

Piolo Pascual anchors the film as Capt. Homer Magtibay, a seasoned but flawed officer trying to hold the line as the world around him shifts. Enrique Gil plays Lt. Billy Ojeda, his younger, idealistic partner whose restlessness hints at rebellion and poor choices. Ashtine Olviga stands out as Agnes Magtibay, Homer’s activist daughter, embodying the generational clash between authority and resistance.

The ensemble is strong across the board: Cedrick Juan is quietly menacing as Metrocom officer Danilo Abad, Romnick Sarmenta and Joey Marquez provide texture and sharp wit, Ariel Rivera brings dignity as the outgoing station chief, while Rico Blanco unsettles as his abrasive replacement. Rica Peralejo’s return to acting as Magtibay’s wife adds emotional weight, while Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Paulo Angeles, Dylan Menor, and Ethan David round out a cast that feels lived-in and purposeful.

The film opens with a patrol — squad car #014 cruising Manila’s streets as news of Gloria Diaz and the moon landing crackles over the radio — immediately grounding the story in its moment. From there, tensions rise as the Philippine Constabulary Metrocom begins encroaching on local police operations, mirroring real historical power shifts. Gang rumbles, student protests, and internal power struggles converge, leaving Magtibay squeezed from all sides — professionally and personally.

Magtibay himself is no saint. He’s violent when it suits him, unfaithful despite presenting as a family man, and too quick to threaten force. Yet the film never excuses him — nor does it demonise him outright. Instead, Manila’s Finest presents a world where there are no clean hands, only varying degrees of compromise. The police aren’t heroes here; they’re a flawed boys’ club barely holding together as history moves against them.

This is where the film quietly pulls the rug out. What looks like a nostalgia-tinged period cop movie is actually something bleaker: a portrait of institutional decay and the slow march toward Martial Law. The irony of the title is deliberate and relentless. The story offers little triumph, lingering instead on despair, inevitability, and the unsettling sense that resistance — from police or protesters alike — may already be futile.

Technically, the film is assured. Red’s cinematography is striking, full of energy and texture, while the production design is meticulous — from the MPD interiors to riot shields repurposed from woven rattan. The edit could be tighter, and the soundtrack’s reliance on mournful kundiman rather than ’60s rock feels like a missed opportunity, but these are minor quibbles in an otherwise immersive experience.

I caught Manila’s Finest at an advance screening — never one to say no to a free movie — and was genuinely pleased to spot friends like Sue Prado among the police ensemble, and Elijah Canlas in a brief cameo. I’ll admit I came in curious about Dylan Menor, and he didn’t disappoint. The film stayed with me long after the credits rolled, not because it entertained, but because it made me think — which is perhaps its greatest strength.

By the end, history becomes impossible to ignore. We know how this period ends, and the weight of that inevitability is crushing. Manila’s Finest isn’t an easy Christmas watch, but for those willing to sit with its discomfort, it’s a complex, sobering, and quietly powerful film — one that reminds us how quickly systems fail, and how those failures continue to echo today.

The question I left the screening with — and one I managed to ask the cast — was this:
Is the film suggesting that the police lost their dignity and effectiveness because Metrocom undermined and sabotaged them, leaving them powerless to push back?

Manila’s Finest doesn’t offer easy answers — and that, perhaps, is the point.

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What Survives the Flood

Though its narrative can feel cluttered, the film remains a deeply engaging and emotionally ambitious film.

At its core, it explores an empty vessel-an artificial consciousness-waiting to be filled with emotion, care, survival instinct, and the selfless love of motherhood. The entire project revolves around a singular, profound idea: how do you gift a body the emotions that make a human? Humans can be selfish, flawed, and cruel, yet the bond between a parent and a child, particularly between a mother and her child, often exists in a realm untouched by the outside world. That bond is the film’s true subject.

The humanoids were biologically complete, but biology alone was not enough. What they needed was a soul... and the film argues that soul is forged in the crucible of maternal love.

I appreciated how the narrative withholds its central conceit. We are not told upfront that we are watching a simulation; we experience the disaster and the desperation alongside An-na. Only later does the truth emerge and fall into place, rewarding the audience’s attention to its fragmented clues and narrative loopholes. The revelation, once pieced together, transforms the story from a survival thriller into something far more meaningful.

The supporting characters within the simulation--shaped by An-na’s consciousness, memories, and emotional experiences--each serve to push her beyond ordinary human limits. I was particularly captivated by Ji-Su, an emergent presence born purely from An-na’s psyche.

In this way, the film feels less about emotion in the abstract and more about the specific, primal emotions that bind a mother to her child. That love is presented as inherently selfless or at least as a love that must become selfless to be authentic. That selflessness is the quality that becomes the AI's final, indispensable lesson.

The ambiguous ending leaves us with synthetic versions of An-na and Ja-in, AI humans now imbued with real feelings and memories, heading toward the uncertain dawn of a humanity that is no longer entirely human.

On a technical level, I was mesmerized by the visual poetry: the slow-motion terror of the colossal waves, and the stunning moments where reality briefly glitches. In those instants, the film strips itself down to a particle-based, data-rendered core, revealing the simulation’s underlying architecture.

Despite its complexities, the ride was utterly compelling.

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