Reviews

Love, Curses, and a Dash of Magic: A Rom-Com That Won’t Disappear from Your Heart

My Love Will Make You Disappear" is a delightful 2025 Philippine romantic comedy directed by Chad Vidanes, with a screenplay by Patrick Valencia and Isabella Policarpio, based on a concept by Prime Cruz. Starring Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino in their first big-screen pairing, the film effortlessly blends romance, humour, and just the right touch of magical realism.

At its heart, the story follows Sari (Kim Chiu), a woman who believes she is cursed—every man she loves mysteriously disappears. To protect herself (and any potential suitor), she swears off romance altogether. Enter Jolo (Paulo Avelino), a brooding yet charming landlord who’s struggling to keep his inherited apartment complex afloat. As they work together to prevent their community from being displaced, their connection grows, challenging Sari’s deep-seated fears and Jolo’s own emotional baggage.

If you're looking for a complex, mind-bending narrative, this isn’t the film for you. But if you want a warm, lighthearted, and utterly charming rom-com, My Love Will Make You Disappear delivers in spades. The story doesn’t try to be more than what it is—a fun, feel-good love story with just enough depth to keep it engaging. It leans hard into its romantic comedy roots, and honestly? That’s part of its charm.

Paulo Avelino and Kim Chiu are already industry veterans, and their chemistry is undeniable. They make the sappy, giddy moments work, and even the cornier jokes land thanks to Paulo’s effortless deadpan delivery. Sure, not every punchline hits, but that’s part of the magic of their dynamic. They don’t need grand, overly dramatic moments to sell their love story—it just works.

Beyond the leads, the supporting cast brings colour and heart to the film. Jennica Garcia is a standout, proving once again that she’s a powerhouse actress. Meanwhile, Ruffa Mae Quinto and Bernard Palanca as the loan sharks? Equal parts brutal and hilarious. And let’s not forget Migs Almendras and Mart Escudero, who portray a domestic same-sex couple with warmth and authenticity. Their relationship is respectfully written and well-represented, adding another layer of relatability to the film.

One of the biggest surprises? The movie version of “Dilaw” by Maki—an absolute banger of a song that fits the film’s tone beautifully. I can already picture this becoming the go-to wedding song of the year. The cinematography is also a visual treat, capturing the warmth and vibrance of the Tahanan Homes community, which serves as more than just a backdrop—it’s a character in itself.

The film might not reinvent the rom-com wheel, but it understands its audience and delivers exactly what it promises—a heartfelt, humorous, and swoon-worthy romance. It reminds us that love isn’t about avoiding pain or hiding from fear; it’s about embracing the unknown, taking risks, and allowing yourself to be loved.

Would I have wanted deeper character arcs? Maybe. But did I need them? Not really. The film knows what it’s about, and it doesn’t try to be anything else. It’s a love letter to Filipino rom-coms, and it succeeds.

So, if you’re in the mood for a film that makes you laugh, swoon, and feel all warm inside, My Love Will Make You Disappear is a must-watch. Trust me, it won’t vanish from your memory anytime soon.

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I did not watch the drama version but the movie on Viki. It seems like a few scenes might have been edited out but I don’t think it affects the movie much. It’s still coherent enough for me to understand what’s going on. As a movie, I found the pacing quite slow (maybe it’s better as a drama?). There really isn’t a whole lot that happens after the leads reunite. Their history was told in flashbacks and also in the form of the novel/movie script, which I like. The movie can probably tell everything that needs to be told in 1 hr and 20-30 minutes, instead of almost 2 hours.

The acting is OK, not as good as the recent KBLs that I’ve seen. And yes, the fish kisses are bad. The first 2 kisses are acceptable fish kisses given the circumstances (pun!). But the other 2 should have been more passionate, or at least let’s not prolong the torture.

I have trouble understanding characters in these ‘individual circumstances’ (pun! LOL). No matter what you were dealing with, a quick text or phone call is not going to cost you a lot of time, especially when you care for each other. Additionally, just because you guessed the password to the laptop doesn’t give you the right to read its content.

The plot is actually quite simple but interesting enough to keep me going. At least I don't find anything cheesy or cringy. The acting and execution could have been better. I probably won’t recommend this unless you have nothing to watch.


Completed: 3/31/2025 - Review #562

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"Enter at your own risk"

The Sword Stained with Royal Blood was a 1981 Chang Cheh film based on part of Jin Yong/Louis Cha’s story that was originally serialized in a Hong Kong newspaper during 1956. Phillip Kwok starred as the hero Yuan Cheng Zhi and also helped choreograph the fights along with fellow Venoms Lu Feng and Chiang Sheng.

Yuan Cheng Zhi is rescued as a child by a loyal servant when his righteous father is executed by the new Qing emperor. He is brought up and trained by Mu Ren Qing the leader of one of the Mount Hua sects. Cheng Zhi becomes quite proficient in kung fu and grows into a kind and ethical young man. On one of his exploits, he and his servant discover the cave of the Golden Snake Hsia, a renowned swordsman from two decades ago. Cheng Zhi learns Hsia’s techniques with the golden sword and throwing darts. A secret treasure map is also included in this inheritance but Hsia’s desire was that the gold be given to the lady Wen Yi. Cheng Zhi goes in search of Wen Yi finding the thief Wen Qing instead.

Phillip Kwok was a talented martial artist who was also quite acrobatic. Kwok (Lizard Venom) worked once again alongside two of the other Venoms---Lu Feng (Centipede Venom) and Chiang Sheng (Venom apprentice). Cheng Zhi was not only an accomplished kung fu fighter and swordsman, but diplomat as well. Everyone around him was slice first, ask questions later. Despite Cheng Zhi’s early attempts at stopping the fighting, in the end, limbs would be lopped off and the blood would flow. There was a cross-dressing romance with Candy Wen’s Ching Ching, one of the more annoying female leads during this time. Her mother’s romance in flashbacks played a strong role in the present. I tend to find long flashbacks annoying and a real momentum killer, but I actually enjoyed the revenge and love story from the past that tied everyone together in the present.

The Sword Stained with Royal Blood had too much story with too little time to tell but did the best it could. Kwok made for a moral hero who wasn’t a total drip. I guess it helped that Cheng Zhi had the skills to back up his polite entreaties. There were fewer fights than one might expect from 1981, but the fights offered were fast and well-choreographed. Worth a try if you like these old kung fu flicks.

31 March 2025
Trigger warnings: At least three dismemberments and one torture scene.

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If you are looking for a bloodless kung fu film, Jackie Chan’s second directorial effort, The Young Master, would be a place to start. The fights still weren’t up to speed but the creative use of props made up for it.

Lung and Tiger were orphans taken in by Master Tien. When Tiger betrays the school for money, he’s kicked out. After second thoughts, Master Tien sends Lung out to retrieve the wayward student. Tiger falls in with Ah Suk’s motley gang and helps spring a dangerous prisoner, Master Kam. Lung is mistaken for Tiger and becomes entangled with Sheriff Sang Kwan and his family.

The story was thin, even as kung fu flicks go, but it provided a framework for numerous fights beginning with a Lion Dance. Back when Lung was chastised as a lazy fighter. Somehow, he became a more proficient fighter as the story moved along, all without the benefit of a training montage or new master. The story had continuity issues, perhaps because of editing for time. Chan fought with just about every fighter in the movie-Fung Hak On, Lee Hoi Sang, Yuen Biao, Sek Kin, Lily Li, Wai Pak, Fan Mei Sheng, Yue Tau Wan (& friends), and the big finale with hapkido master-Hwang In Shik. The final fight showed off Hwang’s fighting skills and Chan’s pratfalls for nearly 20 minutes before Chan finally ate his spinach and was able to do more than fall down.

Comparing it with other films from the era, the fights were well choreographed. Fung Hak On and Lee Hoi Sang tended to move at a faster speed in their fight against the prison guards. Chan’s fights were more deliberately styled, often with props, which slowed things down. His fight with Sek Kin (and Sek’s double) was entertaining. The old veteran brought nice acting skill to his scenes as well. I lost interest in the last fight other than being impressed with Hwang’s diverse kicking techniques. There were only so many times I could watch Chan fall down before it became monotonous. The Young Master was entertaining, but often felt a bit self-indulgent and uneven. 7.25 rounded up to a 7.5.

31 March 2025
Trigger warning: Nekkid men’s buttocks

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Grant me this wish God of cinema

As a lover of period pieces, I was looking forward to the setting of this movie. While the movie itself mostly takes place in the present, I found it hard to really get to grasp onto the characters struggles.

The main issue I had with was the lack of build between Yoshiko and Gou. I found that they lacked chemistry and that the story didn't actually touch too much on why they liked each other. Being the main core of this story, I couldn't help but feel disconnected from the story as their relationship was poorly put together. Gou and Terashin had much more impactful scenes together that made their relationship feel well thought out. Gou was probably the best realized as a character and his younger self had a good amount of the same characterizations. Yoshiko felt like two different characters, which makes sense in context of the story but was not really expanded. The film also does a little tongue and cheek nod about not explaining things and letting audiences figure things out themselves and I felt like this movie was that the whole way.

There was something also off about Yuta and Ayumi as well. Yuta, I'm not sure if his character was meant to be that awkward but he was really stiff in all of his line deliveries. His character kinda came off as someone with issues due to his disfunctional family. But he's just kinda there. Eventually his story plays an important part in getting things together but they don't really do much with that plot point. Ayumi also I felt didn't quite live up the daughter. I'm not sure if this was due to lack of chemistry but the cast to me didn't click as a family unit. She just didn't seem as upset in certain scenes or was really kind of phoning it in. Her most powerful scene was sitting the speech but even then it felt underwhelming. I understand that was one of the plot points but it seemed very haphazard.

The plot Itself was easy enough to follow, but there was a few odd swerves it took. I think the main issues were just the pacing and story didn't feel like it earned the emotional moments. The only scene that seemed to really get to me is when Yoshiko and Gou are reminiscing over a photo of her and when Sonoka does her final scene. The acceptance speech as well. That's when I think we truly get the movies' purpose of repentance. But I think it would of landed better off they spent a little more time on the Family dynamic.

Interestingly enough Covid came into play into this story. This movie came into theatres in 2021. So it seems it may have been unfortunately a casualty during the filming shutdowns and barriers due to social distancing. I wonder if this affected the movie's script?

I'm not sure I would recommend this movie overall.

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I just want to be a normal office lady

This is one of the silliest movies I've watched. The fact that this isn't a manga adaptation is hilarious. The movie itself goes through a typical shonen manga arc. It even explicitly tells you they based the whole story on manga arcs revolving Yanki men. I loved watching the cast, you could tell they were having fun indulging in this silly world. The movie had good comedic timing and a lot of the actors played their parts humorously. I particularly liked Shuri, Etsuko and Shiori.

The fights in the movie are silly and surprisingly mobile with their long skirts. They aren't amazing action sequences but they at least are fun to watch. It's really hard to take Mei Nagano seriously as a combatant due to her demeanor, but that's what's so fun about this production. I loved seeing this angry side of her. Alice was a hearthrob! I loved her hero like energy and style. The bosses of Tomsun were absolutely hilarious. I loved how the boss was so typical of a silly anime villain. I loved the aura of Reina and they really played that up with her speaking mannerisms.

The production had some fun cinematography, with it's comedic cuts and vibrant bright lighting. The music coming in every time a big fight happened was fun. The plot is super nonsensical and should just be ignored lol.You came here to watch ladies beat the tar out of each other and that's what you get. I thought it was so silly how a lot of fights ended with the same scars on certain characters.

Just turn your brain off and enjoy the idea.

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Not Your Average BL

Intro to this movie is a car driven by a man following another Attractive man -- the music which is a important passanger to this movie conveys the mood throughout -- the story arch is perfectly timed & the development carrys the viewer to it's emotional climax -- an ending giving hope that True Love exists but it exists in its ruthless selfish then beautiful passionate & undeniable way Back to climax there are alot of them in this film -- but not gratuitous -- without them an audience couldn't understand the emotional development and final exceptance of the main character Otamo nor would you understand the depth of Imagase's love for Otamo. Otamo is a married man that cannot be faithful to his wife & Imagase's the detective the wife has hired to reveal Otamo's infidelities -- of which it turns out are many In the meeting of the two men their roles are revealed and then the push and pull begins -- It feels like Imagase is aware on some level that Otamo's discontentment sexually is attributed to his denial of his true idenity -- Otamo is unable to make concrete decisions hence the title The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese -- won't go into anymore to do so would rob the joy of watching this movie uncorrupted

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