BARBIE FORTEZA Shows Range in Funny Barkada Film "SAVING CHERRY"

It's been a while since I've had a laugh with a Filipino film, but SAVING CHERRY did it. This stars Barbie Forteza, Khalil Ramos, Mikee Quintos, Mika Salamanca, AC Bonifacio, Sassa Gurl, Kokoy de Santos, Joey Marquez, JC Alcantara, Monina Lawrence, Almira Mulach, and Than Perez. 

Barbie plays the role of Cherry who's getting married to Jude (played by Khalil) but finds out he wasn't the man of her dreams after all on day 1. Mikee, Mika, AC and Sassa are friends who went to rescue her as she gets into a wild state, taking her own sweet revenge after saving herself YEARS for marriage.

Barbie is an actress, she does impeccable comedic timing for every scene she's involved in and gives a place to start a conversation where each one of her friends could come in. You can't help but be surprised on how she becomes a chameleon, showing experience, range, that she probably can do any other character there is in cinema. Cherry is one tough, bold and strong woman, and Barbie gives so much life to her in this film.  

My personal favorite part is the scene on the stairwell. Mikee represents the life of a married woman and all the intricacies of issues she faces. Watch out for the little language she injects on the scenes and why you'll never see a washing machine the same way again. AC on the other hand does a fun religious character, which makes this a crazy mix of personalities. Mika's character is the most liberated one, taking Cherry on a wild goose chase of finding a man who can do her the favor she's been wanting to do after Jude did something to her. Sassa as always will be the source of beauty and kanal (breath?) humor that gave her the nod in previous Regal projects, it just made each moment like a wild party!

But don't be deceived with the comedy content in this film because once the dust settles, Barbie will definitely give the DRAMA you can expect from an actress of her caliber. When Barbie and Khalil take you to the quiet moments, you'll be swayed with their tears, then feel her ANGER when she needs to.

SAVING CHERRY is a must watch, especially if you are a fan of BARBIE, MIKEE, AC, MIKA and SASSA because they all mirror the Filipino barkada. Make sure to bring your friends along when you watch this, because it's fun, you get to see what length people can go to for their friends, and you'll learn a thing or two about the women in your life. This is produced by Regal Entertainment and Directed by Ivan Payawal. It's a RIOT! Showing today in 160 cinemas, so don't miss it for the world!

"Shake, Rattle and Roll: Evil Origins" a Gorefest with Effective Actors

 

I've been looking forward to see one of the biggest films this 2025, an offering from Regal Entertainment intended for the Metro Manila Film Festival called "Shake, Rattle and Roll: Evil Origins".

As you may know, this is the 17th installment of the movie franchise and is already a part of tradition to see one every Christmas. It must have been very challenging for producers to put this together since the matriarch Mother Lily passed in 2024, but Ms. Roselle and Atty. Keith obviously didn't get to put off fire off their family's passion. With an ensemble cast that includes SRR alumni and some of this generation's hottest love teams, the theaters will surely be filled to the brim with fans who would want to see a glimpse of their idols do 3 movies in one showing. 

Here's what happened at the red carpet!

A short review:

The story is well put together. While there were a few flaws to convey time, you'll get to appreciate the way things are because all of the characters are very busy establishing their identity, and why they are there. This isn't much of a scare, but more of a gore fest. The suspense will also play when each one of them appear on screen because you'll never know who's going to live or die. That mystery alone would get you hooked and they've managed to healthily do that in this 3 in 1 movie. You can expect Janice de Belen and Manilyn Reynes to do good, along with prime actor Richard Gutierrez. 

 

The love teams FranSeth and JMFyang did their A game in the gory part of the movie. Individually, they are remarkable, even if the pairings didn't exist you would see how they carried themselves well. The scare factor is a bit on the moderate side, but again, this is more of a gorefest rather than a horror flick, I enjoyed that part the most because I like brutal things which you'll see in a lot of situations in this movie. Is it apt for Christmas? Absolutely, because from our POV, an MMFF without a Shake Rattle and Roll movie is a lame one. People should have choices, and this horror entry is the only one of its kind this year. People consume content like this, and if you're a Filipino outside the country, you'll see how it has been made good compared to previous years because of advances in technology, Regal took advantage of that. 

With great pieces (actors who have done their jobs well), a well stitched movie. They deserve 4/5 🐂🐂🐂🐂. 

PS. Watch out for the scenes of Sassa Gurl because that's part of the reason why you'll love SRR Evil Origins, she made her mark, made this chance to appear in the movie a good one. She proves that there are no small roles, small actors yeah?!

BAR BOYS AFTER SCHOOL: Funny with Serious Topics, An Exciting Installment!

When I heard Bar Boys would have another run, I was extremely happy just thinking what it would be like especially since the first installment had so many stories to continue with. The iconic Odette Khan won Best Supporting actress for it in different award giving bodies, including Indie Movie of the year, Best Director and Screenplay nominations to name a few. It also had a stage musical done which was well received by fans, and also had nominations for the version with the music used for the medium.

10 years since, the boys would have totally different lives and a whole new set of students to tell a story with Will Ashley, Sassa Gurl, Klarisse De Guzman, Glaiza De Castro, Emilio Daez, Therese Malvar, Benedix Ramos and Bryce Eusebio. The orignal ones Rocco Nacino, Kean Cipriano, Carlo Aquino and Enzo Pineda took on their roles 10 years older, having different lives to say the least, with Rocco teaching law school. Most of them were at the press conference a few days ago. They also paid tribute to Madame Odette Khan as she graced the event, had a standing ovation, which I adored.

Direk lamented how beyond the film, they all have been able to forge friendships and didn't take a miracle to pull off a second movie after the success of the first one. He said "We all grew as people and I've worked with everybody on this stage (including the new ones). I can guarantee, all of them are good people. I can confirm they are true artists who want to become better at their craft. I hope people see the value in that and support our Metro Manila Film Festival entry for 2025! I hope people would watch us first because we assure you it's going to be worth it." He also said that starting this meant they need to tell more stories that would matter, something people found in their first one so that's going to be interesting.

Will Ashley is going to be part of this and he says this movie is going to connect with you in so many ways, they really worked hard to make this second movie. Benedix on the other hand has auditioned for the musical play before landing this role for the movie. Sassa was super playful, her valedictorian role is something you should look forward to. While new, Emilio took a chance and auditioned for this role because he loved how his character developed. He learned a lot and want folks to watch this. Therese is already an award winning actress, having her in this film is just icing on a cake, she deserves it. The story she says is super good and said YES when it was offered to her.

Enzo says "It means a lot to me to see fans of Bar Boys to be here. It's also my first time to do MMFF, I've waited to do this after 15 years, and I'm part of it. I hope you get to support it like the first one."

Kean says "Josh after school didn't pass law school and this will continue that story. I hope we won't die in the end. Being part of a project that has value, being part of the first one was worth it, the second one just touches us on a different level. Being with them, seeing you appreciate it is enough for me."

Rocco says "Thank you to everyone who's here. I was supposed to take a different role, but I'm glad I ended up with this one. This is the first film that I've done that had a sequel, I assure you, you won't have problems suggesting this to friends and family if you would want to watch an entry at MMFF."

Carlo jokes about being in MMFF like he only had this as an entry, but everyone knows he's a regular LOL. He says "I want to share that when I read this email of Bar Boys, I was quitting showbiz, and the film gave me spark, to do what I love, I hope the same spark makes a movement out of Filipinos."

Excellent choices so far has been seen in MMFF 2025, and Bar Boys is the only one that is independently produced and supported by the FDCP. I can't wait to see what would happen to the original cast and the freshmen who will take on the new roles. This is a piece worthy to watch for sure!