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At first glance, “Scorpio Nights” seems like a micro-budget, simple movie with a simple set of kinky goals. The reality however, is much different.

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Every night, young and precocious loner Danny (Daniel Fernando) spies on his neighbors through a hole in his floor. Specifically, he sees how a very serious security guard (Orestes Ojeda) arrives late to his home, eats, cleans, and has sex with his sleepy, seemingly uncaring wife (Anna Marie Gutierrez). One fateful night, led by chance and emboldened by his desire, Danny enters his neighbor’s home pretending to be the guard. He follows the memorized routine with noises as the woman lies on bed, apparently sleepy. Slowly, yet surely, he cautiously approaches her bed and, before he realizes it, he has sex with her. Danny leaves quickly after, thinking that she did not notice any difference.

She did. And they both end up enthralled by it.

“Mallari” attempts for a certain kind of innovation with a narrative structure freshly lifted off anime-like, parallel-world, time-travel story telling. Leveraging in the fantastic, three generations of stories overlap one another convincingly to tell a ghost story that haunts the titular family for decades. But all of these attempts at novelty to reimagine the lore of a historically documented serial killer from the colonial Philippines? The film seems to be capturing through its creativity an attitude as old as its narrative itself.

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The marvel of Mallari’s technical achievements cannot be ignored. Derrick Cabrido’s years of handling horror films is matched by Enrico Santos‘ veteran penmanship and Pao Orendain‘s textured images that shape the scenes with enough darkness to fill the scares. Santos’ script in particular exhibits a really good pulse in pacing sequences. Their attempt to...

Stereotyping is a sin both in art and in life. Films, both as a piece of art and as a superstructure, (to borrow a descriptor used by film critic Roger Garcia) often commit this, however, shoehorning great talents in roles that almost never really define the breadth of their competence. The late Filipina actress Cherie Gil, who local filmgoers have generally identified more as an actress suited for the role of the antagonist, has more than proven she can do more than one kind of characterization; however, in classics such as “Manila by Night” (1980) and Oro, “Plata Mata” (1982) and arguably in the most multidinous way possible in “Sonata,” a 2013 independent movie which also won her the best actress accolade at the 2015 Asean International Film Festival and Awards.

“Sonata” is about Regina Cadena, an opera singer who experiences a downward spiral after she loses the ability to sing. It is also,...

Fantasy is a tricky genre for Filipino films. Most of those which have been immortalized found traction, appreciation and longevity on the back of being based on popular comic books such as Darna and Captain Barbell, all written by famed Filipino fictionist Mars Ravelo. They could arguably be considered an exception, however, as outside of them, other attempts to produce films that tackle magic, superpowers and phantasmogria are just often mocked due to their tendency to make a caricature of the lead characters and also because of poor CGI or special effects.

“Magic Temple,” co-directed by the late Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes, did away with all of these and chuck any references to what makes a good fantasy film according to Hollywood standards, crafting instead a film of the surreal which poignantly melds values of trust, friendship and courage with effects and a production design that worked out quite well by maximizing the familiar,...

While the country had experimented with the format before, it wasn’t until 1984 that the Philippines really got a handle on the Anthology format. Already perfected in Britain through the stellar works of Amicus Studios as well as the US with George A. Romero’s masterclass in “CreepShow,” three big directors in the genre, Ishmael Bernal (“City After Dark”), Emmanuel Horlaza (“Dugo ng Vampira”) and Peque Gallaga (“Tiyanak”) created a massive hit in their homeland that started a franchise which has extended into one of the longest-running series in the genre as a whole.

The first story, “Baso”, isn’t necessarily the fastest-paced entry for an anthology opener but was enjoyable nonetheless. Arriving at a friends’ house, friends Johnny (Joel Torre), Paolo (Rey Abellana) and Girlie (Arlene Murloch) decide to pass the time playing a game known as Spirit of the glass, which puts them in contact with a trio of spirits.

In celebration of the 100 Years of Philippine Cinema, “Habambuhay” is a new, insightfully entertaining documentary series that commemorates the lives and efforts of the people behind and in front of the camera who helped shape the Philippine Movie Industry for a very long time.

It features exclusive interviews, rare archival footages, clips and photos that will help illuminate the fascinating stories behind the industry’s most significant contributors and biggest names in Philippine Cinema.

“Habambuhay” boasts a star-studded list that includes screen legends like Anita Linda, Luis Nepomuceno, Eddie Mesa, Rosemarie Gil, Gloria Romero, and Eddie Garcia, in the actor’s last in-depth interview before his untimely passing, as well as industry pillars such as Mother Lily Monteverde (Regal Entertainment), Charo Santos-Concio (Star Cinema), and Marichu Vera-Perez (Sampaguita Pictures).

Renowned filmmakers Peque Gallaga, Laurice Guillen, Lav Diaz, Brillante Mendoza, Jerrold Tarog, screenwriters Ricky Lee, Raquel Villavicencio, Rody Vera, and Philippine...

Erik Matti is one of Asia’s most ambitious filmmakers. An assistant director to Peque Gallaga, he made his debut with Scorpio Nights 2 (1999), a sequel to his mentor’s erotic classic. He has made subversive horrors, world-building fantasy epics, gritty crime dramas and costumed superhero films. While always audience-focused, Matti and his films are becoming more political; they have recently focused on systemic corruption and religious hypocrisy in the Philippines. BuyBust is his headiest achievement yet, spinning high-octane action tropes into a scathing commentary on the ongoing drug war. Here are his favorite Filippino films, in no particular order

1. Of the Flesh

2. Oro, Plata, Mata

3. Scorpio Nights 4. City After Dark

5. Misteryo sa Tuwa 6. High School Circa ’65 7. Rage

8. Itanong Mo Sa Buwan 9. Pagputi ng Uwak, Pag-itim ng Tagak 10. Bunso: The Youngest (Ditsi Carolino, 2005 )...

Erik Matti is one of Asia’s most ambitious filmmakers. An assistant director to Peque Gallaga, he made his debut with Scorpio Nights 2 (1999), a sequel to his mentor’s erotic classic. He has made subversive horrors, world-building fantasy epics, gritty crime dramas and costumed superhero films. While always audience-focused, Matti and his films are becoming more political; they have recently focused on systemic corruption and religious hypocrisy in the Philippines. BuyBust is his headiest achievement yet, spinning high-octane action tropes into a scathing commentary on the ongoing drug war.

On the occasion of his film screening at the 17th New York Asian Film Festival, we speak with him about his career, and his way of shooting films, Anne Curtis and Brandon Vera, the most impressive scene in the movie, Duterte’s War on Drugs, and many other topics

Your career basically begun through your cooperation with Peque Gallaga. Can you...

Despite the enormous popularity of the first film, it took a full six years before a return installment emerged in the Filipino omnibus series ‘Shake Rattle and Roll.’ Abandoning the concept of the separate directors for each installment as the entire affair was done by the team of Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes, but holding true to the same three-part setup, this one offered the most conclusive proof of where the series would go in the future.

We’re presented with three short horror segments here. In ‘Multo,’ a man and his new bride head out to the countryside for their honeymoon and stop off at a relative’s house who lives alone in a small shack in the woods. As they set about trying to honor their intended honeymoon, it becomes more and more obvious he’s become possessed by a vengeful spirit threatening to kill her.

Keith Sicat's Woman Of The Ruins is one of the more intriguing entries in this year's CinemaOne Originals series from the Philippines, presenting a seeming tale of resurrection with dark overtones. The first teaser was a wonderfully atmospheric bit of work and that has now been followed by an equally strong trailer that dips a bit more into the story.Years after a cataclysmic event, a woman presumed dead reappears on an island. Her return sparks religious fervour and fear among the inhabitants.Alessandra de Rossi, Arthur Acuña, Elizabeth Oropesa, Peque Gallaga, and Chanel Latorre star. Take a look at the new trailer below....

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Premiering in November as part of the CinemaOne Originals series in the Philippines,Keith Sicat's Woman Of The Ruins promises a truly haunting bit of atmosphere.Years after a cataclysmic event, a woman presumed dead reappears on an island. Her return sparks religious fervour and fear among the inhabitants.Alessandra de Rossi, Arthur Acuña, Elizabeth Oropesa, Peque Gallaga, and Chanel Latorre star. Take a look at the impressive first trailer below....

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari have made millions selling their own stand-up specials online thanks to their fame, but the average filmmaker struggles to find an audience without a big name to push the project. Enter Yekra, a new digital distribution platform that connects filmmakers with partners that can deliver millions of fans who will buy or rent a movie. It just raised $3 million in financing through a Series A round led by Las Vegas angel investor Maurice Gallagher, UK-based Bray Capital and angels Shay O'Brien and Michael Rogers. A filmmaker...

In case you were wondering if during a major recession the average person would resent a show about teenagers living far outside the financial realities of virtually everyone’s means, four seasons and counting of a show like 90210 would suggest the answer is a resounding ‘no’. The reboot of the popular 90s series about the famous Beverly Hills zip code and the rich, troubled teens that live within it plays at about the same levels of melodrama as The O.C. but it lacks any of the clever writing or talented cast that made the Pete Gallagher show a guilty pleasure and simply devolves into soap opera garbage. The fourth season sees teens tackling unrealistic stories (even for the filthy rich) and only further proves its writers are ridiculously detached from what it’s really like to be a teenager and that its cast is woefully incapable of making overly dramatic incidents even slightly interesting.

Prominent players from the world of musical theatre have come together to record a unique collection of original musical theatre and cabaret songs, all composed by Danny Davies, with additional lyrics by playwright, director and actor Pete Gallagher, and lyricist Judy Wolfson in the new album Hey, Producer Below, BroadwayWorld is pleased to introduce the album's title track Stay tuned for more coming soon...

Why Allegiant Air is the nation's most profitable airline, soaring amid the slump in travel.

You've probably never heard of the most successful airline in America. That's because Allegiant Air is not for you. It eschews business travelers, daily flights, even service between major cities. Allegiant is the anti-airline, or as CEO Maurice Gallagher calls it, the "accidental airline."

But it's no accident that Allegiant's planes are full, profits soared 200% in the first quarter to $28.2 million, and the number of passengers is up 18% through May during the worst recession in recent memory. While competitors furiously cut back, Allegiant has boosted capacity 30%. The more intriguing question, though, is whether its rock-bottom fares, bootstrap approach, and focus on the places abandoned by the hubs and spokes are the new blueprint for building an airline in tough times.

Gallagher thought he had survived those already. When he took over Allegiant in July 2001, two...