Films to see this December
Celebrate the Christmas season with films that are sure to be loved by every member of the family. This month will not only feature a selection of foreign films, as December 25 also marks the start of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival.
Foreign Films:
DECEMBER 7
- Underworld: Blood Wars
Directed by: Anna Foerster
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Lara Pulver, Charles Dance
Underworld: Blood Wars is an action-horror film that revolves around vampire death sealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) who continues to struggle after being betrayed by the Lycans and the vampire faction who both wanted to use her blood, as well as daughter’s, to become Vampire-Corvinus hybrids.
- Arrival
Directed by: Denis Villenueve
Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
Adapted from Ted Chiang’s Story of Your Life, Amy Adams plays Louise Banks, a linguistics professor who, along with her team, finds a way to communicate with extraterrestrial beings.
- Office Christmas Party
Directed by: Josh Gordon and Will Speck
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, T.J. Miller, Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn
Perfect for the holiday season, Office Christmas Party tells the story of how Clay (T.J. Miller) and his Chief Technical Officer (Jason Bateman) rallies their co-workers into hosting the most epic Christmas party to close an important sale, and to stop his CEO sister (Jennifer Aniston) from closing his branch.
- Poveda
Directed by: Pablo Moreno
Starring: Raul Escudero and Elena Furiase
Poveda is based on the life of St. Pedro Poveda, his priestly, social, and educational works which paved the way for the founding of the Teresian Association. This film won awards in various festivals, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director at the Buenos Aires Non Stop Art Festival.
DECEMBER 15
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Felicity Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Diego Luna
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the first Star Wars standalone film. It tells the story of a group of “unlikely heroes” who teamed up together to steal the plans to the Death Star. This film brings together ordinary people who do extraordinary thing, becoming a part of something greater than themselves.
Local Films:
DECEMBER 14
- Mano Po 7: Chinoy
Directed by: Ian Lorenos
Starring: Richard Yap, Jean Garcia, Janella Salvador
The 7th film from the Mano Po franchise, this film will be focusing on the issues and problems that the modern-generation Tsinoys (Filipino-Chinese) are facing.
Metro Manila Film Festival Entries
DECEMBER 25
- Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2: #Forever is Not Enough
Directed by: Marlon Rivera
Starring: Eugene Domingo, Jericho Rosales, Kean Cipriano
Following the success of the first Ang Babae sa Septic Tank, the sequel features a fictionalized version of Eugene Domingo who wants to create a comeback film. Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2 satirizes the mainstream film industry in the Philippines, where Domingo tries to suggest cliché Pinoy comedic elements to a realistic script.
- Die Beautiful
Directed by: Jun Lana
Starring: Paolo Ballesteros, Joel Torre, Gladys Reyes, Luis Alandy
Die Beautiful tells the story of a transgender woman named Trisha who competes in various beauty contests and pageants. Her dying wish is to remain beautiful even in her death. This film competed in the Tokyo International Film Festival where Paolo Ballesteros won.
- Kabisera
Directed by: Arturo San Aguston, Real Florido
Starring: Nora Aunor, Ricky Davao, JC De Vera, Jason Abalos
Kabisera is a sociopolitical drama film which revolves around Nora Aunor’s family – a seemingly perfect one even though they deal with the issues of extrajudicial killings, violences, and their struggles with justice.
- Saving Sally
Directed by: Avid Liongoren
Starring: Rhian Ramos, Enzo Marcos
This animated film, which was in production for almost 10 years, tells the story of Marty, and aspiring comics artist, and his best friend Sally, a gadget inventor. The film uses a mix of live action and 2D animation elements to create a film that is both unique and visually appealing.
- Oro
Directed by: Alvin Yapan
Starring: Irma Adlawan, Mercedes Cabral, Joem Bascon
Oro, which is based on true events, revolves around a community of miners whose place was infiltrated by a group of people pretending to be environmentalists. The leader of the community fights with the oppression done by the armed men to defend her place and the people that she leads.
- Seklusyon
Directed by: Erik Matti
Starring: Rhed Bustamante, Lou Veloso, Phoebe Walker, Neil Ryan Sese, Dominic Roque
Seklusyon is a horror-thriller film that delves in the subject of religion, spirituality, and the “sincerity of those who claim to preach the word of God.” It tells the story of four priests who were brought to a retreat house before they are ordained to reflect and to face their gravest sins.
- Sunday Beauty Queen
Directed by: Babyruth Villarama
Starring: Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong
Shot within a 4-year timeframe, Sunday Beauty Queen is a documentary that explores the lives of Filipinas in Hong Kong through the eyes of Cherry. After working nonstop for 6 days in a week, this film features how the Pinays in Hong Kong spend their weekends – watching, organizing, and participating in beauty pageants.
- Vince & Kath & James
Directed by: Ted Boborol
Starring: Julia Barretto, Joshua Garcia, Maris Racal, Ronnie Alonte
This teen romantic comedy is based on an online series entitled Vince and Kath. It gives Vince, Kath, and James’s love story a modern take through texting and online involvement. Although it may seem something that is centered on and for the millennial, this film is also something that people of all generations may appreciate.
Source: Pep, IMDB, ClickTheCity
