Before the year ends, allow us to give you a list of movies worthy of attention this 2014.
When we say worthy of attention, we mean the following:
- It has good enough storyline to engage the moviegoer all throughout the film.
- Its casting may not be perfect but generally fit for most of the main characters.
- Aesthetically, the movie looks pleasing to the eye and the scenes well stitched.
- The actors have done generally well.
- May not have earned so much but should have earned so much.
- Movies that didn't land in the top 15 earners of this year according to BoxOfficeMojo.com
- This list excludes MMFF 2014 entries.
So It's You (Romantic Comedy)
The first movie to feature the tandem of Tom Rodriguez and Carla Abellana earned more than P25 million only. It's a bad turnout considering how hot their teamup was from My Husband's Lover and then My Destiny. They have a good following but not as huge as Dingdong and Marian has or Kim Chiu and Xian Lim.
But what makes So It's You worthy of mention is the quality of the film. Regal Films, to be honest, has not done a rom-com film as good as this one. It's a movie where chemistry, storyline, acting, technical aspects were a problem. It was a good movie in general.
The problem why it didn't earn that much was with how GMA Network promoted the film. They don't have the 'across the board' formula of ABS-CBN. One can reason out that it wasn't under GMA Films to begin with. But the fact that TomCar tandem is a Kapuso breed, the network should've gone all in.
Watch it! And you'll be able to say, "sana nasa ABS nalang ang TomCar kasi ang husay nila pero hindi napapakinabangan masyado sa pelikula."
Beauty in a Bottle (Comedy Drama)
Beauty in a Bottle however, makes the last paragraph from the So It's You commentary irrelevant. Because even when the lead stars of this movie, namely Angeline Quinto, Assunta De Rossi & Angelica Panganiban, were all from ABS-CBN, the movie earned less than expected.
The material: perfect comedy film for Angelica Panganiban. Good role for Angeline Quinto. Not so fit execution from Assunta De Rossi as a power woman who was aging. She was good portraying the latter description.
The movie gives people enough good laugh for the money. But the movie didn't receive what it deserved.
It was not the lack of promotion. Not even the timing of the film. Maybe it's the taste of the commoners. Their type of comedy has so focused on Vice Ganda Vic Sotto comedy that they have forgotten another type-- the less absurd comedy.
The Gifted (Comedy Drama)
Same is true for this film. Even when it was Anne Curtis already, the material was not enough to make a lot of people watch it.
The lower income could also go back to the way Sam Milby's character was. He didn't play 'knight' or 'hero to rescue the hurting princess' but a supporting role who turns out to be the antagonist.
But how the storyline was, very uncommon for the country's scriptwriting. Worthy of mention.
Ang Diary Ng Panget (Romantic Comedy) & Talk Back and You're Dead
Needless to say, the overflowing chemistry of tandem Nadine Lustre and James Reid was this year's revelation. Thanks to Andoy Ranay for being an excellent director and great material from Wattpad, VIVA Films gave us two great RomCom Jadine movies this year.
In the second movie, it's good to mention that their acting became more impressive.
The Trial (Drama)
Forget the part that this movie is almost like a local adaptation of South Korea's Miracle at Cell No. 7. Just get into the film and off you go in an emotional roller coaster ride.
John Lloyd Cruz, Richard Gomez and Gretchen Barretto pulled off a dramatic movie and brought to the movie industry another standard higher than before. Minus the mostly lack of timing acting of Vivian Velez with all due respect and the not so impressive execution of the Ma'am Bessy role.
Filipinos should learn to love watching movies such as this one.
We hope that next year, Regal Films, Viva Films, and Star Cinema would produce good films such as these. Not only close to moronic films that hide in the amazing private surface done by the bossings.
