Kenneth Dagatan's sophomore feature “In My Mother's Skin” is set in the Philippines during the last months of WWII, following the story of Tala, a young girl (Felicity Kyle Napuli) who strikes a deal with a flesh-eating fairy (Jasmine Curtis-Smith) in exchange for food for herself and her little brother Bayani (James Mavie Estrella), and a remedy for her mother Ligaya (Beauty Gonzalez), who fell sick with a mysterious illness. That this comes with a big price to pay, is no wonder.
“In My Mother's Skin” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival
Dagatan leans on local legends about ghouls to build the plot, adding his specific touch to it with metaphors about the war and its impact on people's urge to survive and protect their closest ones. Written as the script for a short film in 2015 largely inspired by a self-canibalism story in Marina de Van's...
“In My Mother's Skin” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival
Dagatan leans on local legends about ghouls to build the plot, adding his specific touch to it with metaphors about the war and its impact on people's urge to survive and protect their closest ones. Written as the script for a short film in 2015 largely inspired by a self-canibalism story in Marina de Van's...
- 4/28/2023
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Lagaslas Trailer — Christoper Novabos‘ Lagaslas (2023) movie trailer has been released by Vivamax. The Lagaslas trailer stars Julio Diaz, Rubi Rubi, Arnold Reyes, VR Relosa, and Manang Medina. On Movie Trailers “A trailer (also known as a preview or attraction video) is a commercial advertisement, originally for a feature film that is going to [...]
Continue reading: Lagaslas (2023) Movie Trailer: A Dangerous Romance begins between Manang Medina & VR Relosa...
Continue reading: Lagaslas (2023) Movie Trailer: A Dangerous Romance begins between Manang Medina & VR Relosa...
- 2/5/2023
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
Gory, glittery and irresistibly bleak, In My Mother’s Skin represents a stylish, ripe contribution to the folk-horror canon. Not unlike his acclaimed debut, Ma (2018), Manila-based writer-director Kenneth Dagatan’s second feature revolves around a young person who makes a bargain with a malevolent insectoid forest spirit to help her family — with disastrous consequences.
This time round, Dagatan and his team have added a period frame by setting the story on a rural estate in the Philippines during the final days of World War II, just before the defeat of the occupying Japanese forces. Inevitably, that fascism subtext coupled with the creepy-ancient-being stuff strongly brings Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth to mind, at least to a Western viewer’s eyes. But if you’re going to steal, steal from the best. And there’s plenty that’s fresh, frisky and original here. It’s no surprise the global rights were...
This time round, Dagatan and his team have added a period frame by setting the story on a rural estate in the Philippines during the final days of World War II, just before the defeat of the occupying Japanese forces. Inevitably, that fascism subtext coupled with the creepy-ancient-being stuff strongly brings Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth to mind, at least to a Western viewer’s eyes. But if you’re going to steal, steal from the best. And there’s plenty that’s fresh, frisky and original here. It’s no surprise the global rights were...
- 1/30/2023
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Horror and cautionary fairytales go hand-in-hand, making the perfect marriage between fantastical and terrifying. Kenneth Dagatan’s In My Mother’s Skin is a Filipino feature film that does exactly that, which will inevitably draw comparisons to Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth. However, this rural Filipino setting offers its own horror, drawing from local mythologies to keep you up at night.
‘In My Mother’s Skin’ digs its teeth into rural Filipino horrors L-r: Jasmine Curtis-Smith as Fairy and Felicity Kyle Napuli as Tala | Epicmedia / Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Set in the Philippines at the end of World War II in 1945, a wealthy family tries to live in peace in their rural country mansion. However, the Japanese soldiers still occupying the island nation continue to torment them. They heard a rumor that the father of the family, Aldo (Arnold Reyes), stole gold and is hiding it somewhere on his property. He...
‘In My Mother’s Skin’ digs its teeth into rural Filipino horrors L-r: Jasmine Curtis-Smith as Fairy and Felicity Kyle Napuli as Tala | Epicmedia / Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Set in the Philippines at the end of World War II in 1945, a wealthy family tries to live in peace in their rural country mansion. However, the Japanese soldiers still occupying the island nation continue to torment them. They heard a rumor that the father of the family, Aldo (Arnold Reyes), stole gold and is hiding it somewhere on his property. He...
- 1/27/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Antonio (Ronnie Lazaro), a Filipino comprador for the Japanese Imperial Army, harasses a well-to-do family for the whereabouts of gold bars. He suspects the patriarch, Aldo (Arnold Reyes), a “great merchant importer,” of stealing some from the kōgun (Imperial Army) and hiding them somewhere among their cavernous colonial home or surrounding property. Flanked by two armed Japanese soldiers, Antonio leaves the family with a threatening impression and suggests his patience will wear thinner upon subsequent visits. Left alone, Aldo’s wife Ligaya (Beauty Gonzales) asks her husband whether he took the gold. “I will never do anything to put the family […]
The post “We’re Making Cinema Now, a Universal Language”: Kenneth Dagatan on In My Mother’s Skin first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We’re Making Cinema Now, a Universal Language”: Kenneth Dagatan on In My Mother’s Skin first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/21/2023
- by A.E. Hunt
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Antonio (Ronnie Lazaro), a Filipino comprador for the Japanese Imperial Army, harasses a well-to-do family for the whereabouts of gold bars. He suspects the patriarch, Aldo (Arnold Reyes), a “great merchant importer,” of stealing some from the kōgun (Imperial Army) and hiding them somewhere among their cavernous colonial home or surrounding property. Flanked by two armed Japanese soldiers, Antonio leaves the family with a threatening impression and suggests his patience will wear thinner upon subsequent visits. Left alone, Aldo’s wife Ligaya (Beauty Gonzales) asks her husband whether he took the gold. “I will never do anything to put the family […]
The post “We’re Making Cinema Now, a Universal Language”: Kenneth Dagatan on In My Mother’s Skin first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We’re Making Cinema Now, a Universal Language”: Kenneth Dagatan on In My Mother’s Skin first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/21/2023
- by A.E. Hunt
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Winner of the “Asian Future Best Film Award” and the official Filipino entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, “Birdshot” was a big success in the international festival circuit this year, not to mention a really good film.
The film revolves around two axes, which intermingle after a fashion. The first one involves Diego Mariano, the caretaker of the area around the sanctuary of the haribon (Philippine eagle), an almost extinct bird whose killing is considered a felony in the country, punishable by imprisonment and significant fines. Diego’s wife died in birth, and he has to take care of his 14-year-old daughter, Maya. Maya is somewhat secluded in the caretaker’s house and wishes to see the world beyond the area, but Diego wants to teach her survival lessons, in case anything happens to him. These “courses” include shooting lessons, which...
The film revolves around two axes, which intermingle after a fashion. The first one involves Diego Mariano, the caretaker of the area around the sanctuary of the haribon (Philippine eagle), an almost extinct bird whose killing is considered a felony in the country, punishable by imprisonment and significant fines. Diego’s wife died in birth, and he has to take care of his 14-year-old daughter, Maya. Maya is somewhat secluded in the caretaker’s house and wishes to see the world beyond the area, but Diego wants to teach her survival lessons, in case anything happens to him. These “courses” include shooting lessons, which...
- 10/9/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Rebecca Lundgren, Joshua Sobel produce gritty Us-Philippines drama.
Production has wrapped after 17 days around Metro Manila in the Philippines on the politically charged thriller A Violet Night, which the producers are shopping at Busan.
Ron Morales is directing from his screenplay about a foreign journalist who risks her life to expose the truth when she becomes entangled with the Filipino government’s brutal anti-drug crusade.
Imprint Pictures and Harriet Pictures from the Us are producing the film with production services provided by Outpost Visual Frontier and Epic Media, both from the Philippines.
Rebecca Lundgren (Graceland) and Joshua Sobel serve as producers,...
Production has wrapped after 17 days around Metro Manila in the Philippines on the politically charged thriller A Violet Night, which the producers are shopping at Busan.
Ron Morales is directing from his screenplay about a foreign journalist who risks her life to expose the truth when she becomes entangled with the Filipino government’s brutal anti-drug crusade.
Imprint Pictures and Harriet Pictures from the Us are producing the film with production services provided by Outpost Visual Frontier and Epic Media, both from the Philippines.
Rebecca Lundgren (Graceland) and Joshua Sobel serve as producers,...
- 10/7/2019
- ScreenDaily
Winner of the “Asian Future Best Film Award” and the official Filipino entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, “Birdshot” was a big success in the international festival circuit this year, not to mention a really good film.
The film revolves around two axes, which intermingle after a fashion. The first one involves Diego Mariano, the caretaker of the area around the sanctuary of the haribon (Philippine eagle), an almost extinct bird whose killing is considered a felony in the country, punishable by imprisonment and significant fines. Diego’s wife died in birth, and he has to take care of his 14-year-old daughter, Maya. Maya is somewhat secluded in the caretaker’s house and wishes to see the world beyond the area, but Diego wants to teach her survival lessons, in case anything happens to him. These “courses” include shooting lessons, which actually have the...
The film revolves around two axes, which intermingle after a fashion. The first one involves Diego Mariano, the caretaker of the area around the sanctuary of the haribon (Philippine eagle), an almost extinct bird whose killing is considered a felony in the country, punishable by imprisonment and significant fines. Diego’s wife died in birth, and he has to take care of his 14-year-old daughter, Maya. Maya is somewhat secluded in the caretaker’s house and wishes to see the world beyond the area, but Diego wants to teach her survival lessons, in case anything happens to him. These “courses” include shooting lessons, which actually have the...
- 4/9/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
"Are you asking me to wait for bodies to get to shore?" The first trailer has debuted for a very interesting mystery horror titled Aurora from The Philippines. Made by Filipino director Yam Laranas, the film is about an island nation that is disrupted when a massive passenger ship named Aurora mysteriously collides and overturns. The story follows a young woman, the owner of a rundown inn, who must work to stay alive by finding missing dead bodies for a bounty - while at risk of danger from visitors who seek shelter in her home. Starring Anne Curtis (who also stars in BuyBust) with Mercedes Cabral, Andrea Del Rosario, Sue Prado, Ricardo Cepeda, Ruby Ruiz, Allan Paule, and Arnold Reyes. The imagery of the boat in this reminds me of the Costa Concordia disaster, it's just so eerie seeing a boat half flipped like that. Freaky. Here's the official trailer...
- 11/5/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
From the creative team behind American Serial Killer in Manila, Filipino director Mikhail Red, producer Pamela Reyes and co-writer Rae Red have offered ScreenAnarchy an exclusive first look at their new project. Birdshot, a Philippine-Qatar co-production supported by the Doha Film Institute, Cj Entertainment, Asian Project Market and Produire au Sud and starring Arnold Reyes, Mary Joy Apostol, Ku Aquino and John Arcilla. When a young farm girl accidentally shoots and kills an endangered Philippine eagle, the authorities begin a manhunt to track down the presumed poacher. However, their investigation instead leads them to an even more horrifying discovery. Hot off the presses, there's no word on when or where Birdshot will premiere yet, but we have the brand new teaser trailer, as well...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/10/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Graceland - Drafthouse Films - Blu-ray and DVD Directed by: Ron Morales Cast: Arnold Reyes, Menggie Cobarrubias, Dido Dela Paz,Leon Miguel, Marife Necisito. Full cast + crew Graceland is like the art-house version of Taken. Instead of having an ex-cia badass tearing through a foreign city to look for his kidnapped daughter who is about to be forced into prostitution, we've got a politician's poorly paid driver who goes on a mission through hell after his daughter is accidentally kidnapped in place of the politician's daughter. That's about where the similarities end, though. I just wanted to get the attention of anyone who otherwise may not pay attention to a Filipino thriller. Graceland is a dark, unflinching movie about the limits...
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- 7/26/2013
- by Peter Hall
- Movies.com
Welcome back to a slightly revamped version of This Week In Discs! As always, if you see something you like, click on the image to buy it. Graceland Marlon Villar (Arnold Reyes) is chauffeur to Manuel Chango (Menggie Cobarrubias), a salaciously corrupt politician in the Philippines who expects obedience and loyalty regardless of his actions. The two men have daughters the same age, and one day while Marlon drives the girls to school they’re stopped in an attempt to kidnap the politician’s daughter. Things go terribly awry, and the confused kidnappers take Marlon’s daughter instead having mistaken her for Chango’s child. Now Marlon’s only hope is for the politician to pay the ransom in the belief that his daughter is in peril, but maintaining the lie may lead to an even bigger tragedy. Writer/director Ron Morales‘ fast-moving and vicious little film is a fantastically economical thriller that wastes no time diving...
- 7/23/2013
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
It's a trickier process than it might seem, creating a sympathetic character whose world is imploding, mapping his internal anguish while illustrating all he's up against. Striking the right balance between interior and exterior can mean the difference between compelling drama and accidental melodrama. Writer-director Ron Morales just misses equilibrium in the visually arresting Filipino thriller Graceland. When saintly chauffeur Marlon Villar (Arnold Reyes)—devoted father, husband to a deathly ill wife—is ensnared in the bungled kidnapping of the daughter of Manuel Chango (Menggie Cobarrubias,) the pedophilic politician for whom he works, he finds himself in a race to save his own daughter even as his credibility is called into question. Good and evil are broadly sk...
- 4/27/2013
- Village Voice
The story of a man fighting for his loved ones, doing whatever it takes to better their lives or to save them from the peril they’re in, is far from revolutionary in film. In fact, some variation of that tale is at the core of almost any story. After all, what serves as a greater motivator than love? With Graceland, writer/director Ron Morales takes that story but puts a very dark and very haunting spin on it.
Arnold Reyes stars as Marlon, the driver/assistant to a powerful and corrupt congressman, Chango (Menggie Cobarrubias), who frequently solicits underage prostitutes. Marlon, though disgusted, goes along with Chango’s scummy behavior since he has little in the way of other options. Between a sick wife and a daughter he has to support, he’s barely getting by, and unemployment isn’t an option. When his daughter and the congressman’s daughter are kidnapped,...
Arnold Reyes stars as Marlon, the driver/assistant to a powerful and corrupt congressman, Chango (Menggie Cobarrubias), who frequently solicits underage prostitutes. Marlon, though disgusted, goes along with Chango’s scummy behavior since he has little in the way of other options. Between a sick wife and a daughter he has to support, he’s barely getting by, and unemployment isn’t an option. When his daughter and the congressman’s daughter are kidnapped,...
- 4/26/2013
- by Alexander Lowe
- We Got This Covered
Ron Morales’ nifty second feature Graceland centers on Marlon Villar (Arnold Reyes), driver to corrupt senator Manuel Chango (Menggie Cobarrubias). The senator’s a pedophile with a penchant for underage hookers; Marlon — struggling to raise funds for an organ transplant for his ill wife — turns a blind eye. The two men’s daughters are friends, but when Marlon’s child is mistaken for the senator’s during a kidnapping, he has to lie his way into making sure the senator puts up the ransom funds. Running around Manila at the child-snatchers’ behest, Marlon and Morales take in a broad swath of pungent …...
- 4/26/2013
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Moral ambiguity ties into a world seemingly devoid of innocence in Ron Morales' Graceland, the latest film acquired and distributed by Drafthouse Films. A tightly-wound kidnapping thriller set in the overly corrupt Philippines, Graceland strikes a spark early on and never seems interested in dousing the flames until all of Morales' characters are burned, even if just a little. The screenplay adds new elements and interesting facets to the familiar sub-genre, and Morales' direction drives the point home even harder. For all that it has to say, Graceland is a bit hard to watch, but its message deserves to be a bitter pill to swallow. That bitter pill is noticed early, when Marlon (Arnold Reyes), a chauffeur to a corrupt politician, has to drive his boss' latest conquest home from a night of debauchery. The "conquest" is a 14-year-old girl, and instantly, the whole world within which Morales' story unfolds becomes a giant,...
- 4/26/2013
- by Jeremy Kirk
- firstshowing.net
Watch 3 clips from Graceland, starring Arnold Reyes and Menggie Cobarrubias. Family man Marlon Villar is the long-time driver of Manuel Chango, a corrupt Filipino congressman. One afternoon, while driving his and Chango’s preteen daughters home from school, the three are violently ambushed in a kidnapping attempt. When the attempt goes horribly awry, the wrong girl is taken, and the driver's life takes a sudden, terrifying turn. Left as the only witness to the crime, Marlon’s loyalty is called into question. As events unravel further, he, Chango, and their families become ensnared in a downward spiral of betrayal and deceit that will ultimately leave no one innocent.
- 4/26/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Drafthouse Films does it again, scouring, quite literally, the entire planet for the very best films otherwise virtually unseen by the majority of film goers. In an ongoing effort to bring powerful, hard-hitting films closer to the forefront, Graceland caught the attention of savvy film enthusiasts and now has the opportunity to spread its wings amidst a larger audience. Will you be one amidst those many?
Graceland tells the story of a working class father, and honest and good young man named Marlon Villar, played by Arnold Reyes. Set in the Philippines, Marlon finds his world thrown into chaos when a kidnapping goes terribly wrong and he finds himself fighting for his daughter’s life. Torn between his love for his own family and the demand placed upon him by his employer, Marlon must juggle a dangerous balance between doing what’s right and doing what he must.
Written and directed by Ron Morales,...
Graceland tells the story of a working class father, and honest and good young man named Marlon Villar, played by Arnold Reyes. Set in the Philippines, Marlon finds his world thrown into chaos when a kidnapping goes terribly wrong and he finds himself fighting for his daughter’s life. Torn between his love for his own family and the demand placed upon him by his employer, Marlon must juggle a dangerous balance between doing what’s right and doing what he must.
Written and directed by Ron Morales,...
- 4/24/2013
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The value of a really good story hook can never be overstated, but it’s become fairly uncommon these days to find a film that has one. The odds decrease even more when it comes to movies with a fantastic premise and a successful execution of that idea. Ron Morales‘ second feature, Graceland, manages to do both. Marlon Villar (Arnold Reyes) is low level driver for a sordid congressman, and while he hates what the elected official does with his free time, he needs the paycheck to help raise his own daughter Elvie. He drives the congressman’s daughter to school every day and makes a habit of bringing Elvie along for the ride, but when a routine traffic stop turns into a botched kidnapping, his life is thrown into immediate turmoil. The captors have mistaken Elvie for the politician’s daughter and are now demanding a hefty ransom. The immoral congressman won’t pay if he...
- 4/23/2013
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Graceland
Written by Ron Morales
Directed by Ron Morales
Philippines/USA, 2012
Graceland, the new film from the Philippines’ Ron Morales, contains so much corruption and suffering that viewers will be forgiven for thinking at first that they’ve wandered into an Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu film. However, Graceland is helped by the fact that it gets in and out in a brisk 83 minutes, about half of the time of a misery-palooza such as Babel. That’s all which is needed to change a film’s delivery from “wallowing” to “riveting.”
Arnold Reyes is fantastic as Marlon Villar, a driver for a Filipino congressman who becomes entangled in a kidnapping plot. To go much further into the film’s plot would involve spoiling events which are better experienced than read; it suffices to say that Reyes captures perfectly the balance of being at the mercy of fate while blaming himself for his misfortune at the same time.
Written by Ron Morales
Directed by Ron Morales
Philippines/USA, 2012
Graceland, the new film from the Philippines’ Ron Morales, contains so much corruption and suffering that viewers will be forgiven for thinking at first that they’ve wandered into an Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu film. However, Graceland is helped by the fact that it gets in and out in a brisk 83 minutes, about half of the time of a misery-palooza such as Babel. That’s all which is needed to change a film’s delivery from “wallowing” to “riveting.”
Arnold Reyes is fantastic as Marlon Villar, a driver for a Filipino congressman who becomes entangled in a kidnapping plot. To go much further into the film’s plot would involve spoiling events which are better experienced than read; it suffices to say that Reyes captures perfectly the balance of being at the mercy of fate while blaming himself for his misfortune at the same time.
- 4/22/2013
- by Mark Young
- SoundOnSight
Drafthouse Films' Graceland directed by Ron Morales has a fresh clip called Unforseen Consequences from the crime thriller. The film stars Arnold Reyes, Menggie Cobarrubias, Dido De La Paz, Leon Miguel, Ella Guevara, Marife Necesito and Patricia Gayod. Pic finds theatrical release on April 26th, but is already available on now available on iTunes and VOD everywhere. Graceland thrusts viewers into the corrupt underbelly of the Philippines' capital, exposing a world of deceit, exploitation, and startling depravity. Written and directed by Morales, a veteran of Michael Clayton and The Departed, the film depicts a desperate man's infinite moral compromises amidst a tale of kidnapping gone horribly wrong.
- 3/29/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Drafthouse Films' Graceland directed by Ron Morales has a fresh clip called Unforseen Consequences from the crime thriller. The film stars Arnold Reyes, Menggie Cobarrubias, Dido De La Paz, Leon Miguel, Ella Guevara, Marife Necesito and Patricia Gayod. Pic finds theatrical release on April 26th, but is already available on now available on iTunes and VOD everywhere. Graceland thrusts viewers into the corrupt underbelly of the Philippines' capital, exposing a world of deceit, exploitation, and startling depravity. Written and directed by Morales, a veteran of Michael Clayton and The Departed, the film depicts a desperate man's infinite moral compromises amidst a tale of kidnapping gone horribly wrong.
- 3/29/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out images as well as the trailer for Drafthouse Films' Graceland directed by Ron Morales, starring Arnold Reyes, Menggie Cobarrubias, Dido De La Paz, Leon Miguel, Ella Guevara, Marife Necesito and Patricia Gayod. We've also included a soundtrack sampler download below as well. Graceland thrusts viewers into the corrupt underbelly of the Philippines' capital, exposing a world of deceit, exploitation, and startling depravity. Written and directed by Morales, a veteran of Michael Clayton and The Departed, the film depicts a desperate man's infinite moral compromises amidst a tale of kidnapping gone horribly wrong.
- 2/28/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out images as well as the trailer for Drafthouse Films' Graceland directed by Ron Morales, starring Arnold Reyes, Menggie Cobarrubias, Dido De La Paz, Leon Miguel, Ella Guevara, Marife Necesito and Patricia Gayod. We've also included a soundtrack sampler download below as well. Graceland thrusts viewers into the corrupt underbelly of the Philippines' capital, exposing a world of deceit, exploitation, and startling depravity. Written and directed by Morales, a veteran of Michael Clayton and The Departed, the film depicts a desperate man's infinite moral compromises amidst a tale of kidnapping gone horribly wrong.
- 2/28/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Ron Morales' dark Filipino thriller Graceland has found itself a home in North America with Drafthouse Films, who plan a limited theatrical and VOD release in 2013 before hitting physical media.Family man Marlon Villar (Arnold Reyes) is the long-time driver of Manuel Chango (Menggie Cobarrubias), a corrupt Filipino politician. One day, as he and his daughter accompany his boss' preteen daughter home, Marlon is ambushed and the wrong girl is kidnapped. The driver's life takes a sudden, terrifying turn which propels him into a horrifying downward spiral and - as events in his life unravel - Marlon, Chango, and their families become entangled in a game of deceit and betrayal that will leave no one innocent.Graceland is the second feature from acclaimed writer/director Ron...
- 8/30/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Title: Graceland Director: Ron Morales Cast: Arnold Reyes, Menggie Cobarrubias and Dido De La Paz It seems like crime, corruption and politicians go hand in hand. The idea that you are above the law is tempting to anyone who has a seat of power and authority, which is probably why it’s never shocking to hear news of a politician in trouble with the law. In the new film from filmmaker Ron Morales, “Graceland,” he explores what any man will do when his family is threatened, by severing all loyalties to protect your loved ones. “Graceland” follows the story of Marlon (Arnold Reyes), the assistant to local Congressman Manuel Chango (Menggie [ Read More ]...
- 5/4/2012
- by Rudie Obias
- ShockYa
Graceland
Written by Ron Morales
Directed by Ron Morales
Philippines/USA, 2012
Graceland, the new film from the Philippines’ Ron Morales, contains so much corruption and suffering that viewers will be forgiven for thinking at first that they’ve wandered into an Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu film. However, Graceland is helped by the fact that it gets in and out in a brisk 83 minutes, about half of the time of a misery-palooza such as Babel. That’s all which is needed to change a film’s delivery from “wallowing” to “riveting.”
Arnold Reyes is fantastic as Marlon Villar, a driver for a Filipino congressman who becomes entangled in a kidnapping plot. To go much further into the film’s plot would involve spoiling events which are better experienced than read; it suffices to say that Reyes captures perfectly the balance of being at the mercy of fate while blaming himself for his misfortune at the same time.
Written by Ron Morales
Directed by Ron Morales
Philippines/USA, 2012
Graceland, the new film from the Philippines’ Ron Morales, contains so much corruption and suffering that viewers will be forgiven for thinking at first that they’ve wandered into an Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu film. However, Graceland is helped by the fact that it gets in and out in a brisk 83 minutes, about half of the time of a misery-palooza such as Babel. That’s all which is needed to change a film’s delivery from “wallowing” to “riveting.”
Arnold Reyes is fantastic as Marlon Villar, a driver for a Filipino congressman who becomes entangled in a kidnapping plot. To go much further into the film’s plot would involve spoiling events which are better experienced than read; it suffices to say that Reyes captures perfectly the balance of being at the mercy of fate while blaming himself for his misfortune at the same time.
- 4/22/2012
- by Mark Young
- SoundOnSight
Back in November Twitch was proud to launch the trailer for Ron Morales' intensely dark drama Graceland and with the film freshly announced at Tribeca we're equally pleased to bring you the first look at the official poster.Family man Marlon Villar (Arnold Reyes) is the long-time driver of Manuel Chango (Menggie Cobarrubias), a corrupt Filipino politician. One day, as he and his daughter accompany his boss' preteen daughter home, Marlon is ambushed and the wrong girl is kidnapped. The driver's life takes a sudden, terrifying turn which propels him into a horrifying downward spiral and - as events in his life unravel - Marlon, Chango, and their families become entangled in a game of deceit and betrayal that will leave no one innocent.Graceland is...
- 3/8/2012
- Screen Anarchy
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