Hidden Gem ‘Graceland’ graces the TIFF Bell Lightbox
One of the grittiest films to play at last year’s Reel Asian Film Festival in Toronto was the crime thriller “Graceland” from the Philippines. Not to be confused with the lavish estate of Elvis in Memphis, Graceland in this case refers to the seedy underground that inhabits and seeps out of every pore of the city of Manila. A place where everything has a price and nothing appears to be as it seems. Graceland is finally getting a long deserved theatrical run at the TIFF Bell Lightbox starting May 10th and it’s definitely a film that should not be missed.
Graceland
Starring Arnold Reyes, Menggie Cobarrubias, Dido De Le Paz and Ella Guevara
Written and Directed by Ron Morales
Marlon Villar (Reyes) is a pious family man who minds his own business, takes care of his daughter Elvie (Guevara) and visits his bed-ridden wife at the hospital every night. (more…)
Top 20… err 23 movies of 2012 part 1 (Examiner)
Top 20… err 23 movies of 2012 part 1
#’s 21-16
As the year comes to a close the steady stream of “best of the year” lists have already started and will continue well into the first part of 2013. We in the film criticism business are not exempt in this practice; in fact a lot of the most read and regarded critics will be adding their opinion to the arena or already have. While this critic is still relatively new to the game and hardly expecting to battle it out with the heavy weights, my opinion is humbly offered regardless. The list will be made up of films seen in the calendar year of 2012, whether during a regular theatrical release or the film festival circuit.
Just a quick preface, there will be a handful of films that will not appear on this list simply due to the lack of being able to see them before this list was made. These include critical favorites Argo, The Imposter, Lincoln, Life of Pi and The Impossible. Now on to the list.
#21 – [Tie] My Father and the Man in Black and Ping Pong (more…)
Reel Asian 2012: Graceland Review
Starring Arnold Reyes, Menggie Cobarrubias, Dido De Le Paz and Ella Guevara
Written and Directed by Ron Morales
One of the grittiest films to play Reel Asian this year is the crime thriller Graceland from the Philippines. Not to be confused with the lavish estate of Elvis in Memphis, Graceland in this case refers to the seedy underground that inhabits and seeps out of every pore of the city of Manila. A place where everything has a price and nothing appears to be as it seems.
Marlon Villar (Reyes) is a pious family man who minds his own business (more…)
Top 5 Reasons To Check Out Reel Asian Film Fest 2012
Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival
November 6-11 Toronto
November 16-17th Richmond Hill, Ontario
Toronto’s largest and oldest all Asian film festival, Reel Asian, will play out on screens across Toronto and Richmond Hill over the next week and a half. One of Toronto’s bigger and most recognizable festivals, the 16th edition of Reel Asian brings us over 60 films, feature length and short form, from over 13 countries. Without delving too extensively into the myriad of options available, we will simply highlight the five most intriguing reasons to attend based on what we have seen on the schedule.
