JR Late Night Blogs: Filipino Movies of the Year 2018

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There's no failure on experiencing quality films that invested so much on story, direction and acting. In fact, the more should you be proud of spending time and money on one when it was made and produced by your own countrymen. Filipino films has never died down. It is presently bustling with imagination and aesthetics that are just amazing.

This list may have just started last year but Filipino films are on a roll especially independent ones that I just have it be continued and already be part as yearly tradition with my Movies of the Year and Music Videos of the Year lists. It's rare for me to list dramas and romance on the top of the list as usually I place those that are commercially successful and critically acclaimed at the same time at the top. But for the first time ever in my yearly movies list, drama would dominate my list and a romance film would notch the highest spot. Never Not Love You is for me, the best film of the year, as it seems to be the movie needed right now for this millenial generation of toxic and speedy relationships. Both Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino and the Metro Manila Film Festival would each have two entries this year, down from three each last year which only gave room for two non-festival movies. Now, we have half the list be with non-festival films where one is accessible online through Netflix. Now, I end my introduction. Here are my picks for the 10 Filipino movies that defined 2018:

Summary of the List:
1    |    2    |    3    |    4    |    5    |    6    |    7    |    8
Intro    |    Methodology    |    Records    |    Data Sources    |    Photo Credits

JR's FILIPINO MOVIES OF THE YEAR - 2018 METHODOLOGY:

1. Films included in the list must be directed, produced, written and starred majorly by Filipinos.
2. The list took into consideration those Filipinos movies premiered or released between 25 December 2017 to 24 December 2018 through a wide domestic release. 
3. Movies that are screened for a limited audience or movies that lack accessibility for a regular Filipino movie viewer even outside of Metro Manila are excluded from the list. Movies released through online streaming platforms (except those released on Netflix) were also excluded from the list.
4. Movies from the Metro Manila Film Festival of 2017 were taken into consideration since majority of their release frame took place in the year of 2018. Movies, however, from the Metro Manila Film Festival of 2018 are yet to be included for next year's list.
5. No movie remasters in HD or IMAX were included in the list (such movies had already been premiered in the past).

JR's Filipino Movies of the Year - 2018

Rank	Movies of the Year	Movie Genre	Month of Release	JR's Score
1	Never Not Love You	Romance	Mar 2018	10.0
2	Signal Rock	Drama	Aug 2018 (PPP)	10.0
3	Siargao	Drama	Dec 2017 (MMFF)	10.0
4	Ang Babaeng Allergic Sa Wifi	Comedy	Aug 2018 (PPP)	10.0
5	BuyBust	Action	Aug 2018	9.8
6	Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral	Biography	Sept 2018	9.5
7	Ang Larawan	Musical	Dec 2017 (MMFF)	9.4
8	Mr. and Mrs. Cruz	Drama	Jan 2018	9.4

#1

NEVER NOT LOVE YOU (March 2018)

JR's Score: (10/10) "OUTSTANDING"

Movie Genre:	Romance
Director/s:	Antoinette Jadaone
Writer/s:	Antoinette Jadaone
Producers / Distributors:	Viva Films, Project 8 Corner San Joaquin Projects
MTRCB Rating:	PG
Total Running Time:	1 hour, 40 minutes
Cast Overview:	James Reid, Nadine Lustre

"A Glimpse At Young Millenial Love"
I just have to place this film on top. Never have I seen a too much relatable Filipino film targeted at the millenial generation until now. "Never Not Love You" exemplifies the realities of toxic and speedy relationships currently existent in today's society. Long-distance relationships and pursuance of own individual careers are just a few issues that this film handled with care and diligence. James Reid and Nadine Lustre may have made their best film with this one and I hope they make more like this. Better yet, Philippine cinema makes use of real life scenarios than cheesy ones. Antoinette Jadaone's use of environment and colorful lighting are also worth the commendation.

*watched on 29 November 2018

Read JR's Full Review of Never Not Love You:
...review coming out soon...

JR Late Night Blogs: Movies of the Year 2018

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Movies have indeed gone a long way. This year was no different offering a diverse selection of stories and visions that is true to the human vibe and spirit. The past year showed us many ideas and visuals we, probably, never seen before. It would come as a special year, as we witnessed some of the best Hollywood has yet to offer in this modern era of film.

Last year, we saw a black superhero join mainstream the likes of Iron Man and Captain America proving no color can define a true superhero. Later, humanity would have to brace themselves against the titan who would wreak massive destruction upon the collection of the six Infinity Stones. Box office records would be shattered by the aforementioned. The LGBT has to be so proud when a film targeted towards the harsh reality of coming out. It would be the first gay teenage romance to be released by a major studio in the United States, a landmark indeed. Horror had witnessed it's transition from merely jump scares and ghosts to more melodramatic tales of love and sacrifice amidst silence and mourning. Netflix would also bring us the mighty movie "Roma", a personal movie for director Alfonso Cuaron, focusing on a maid's life within the political and economic landscape of an old Mexico. This would make the first Netflix exclusive entry in my Movies of the Year list. The past year gave witness to Lady Gaga at her finest act as Ally Maine and Rami Malek at his fabulous portrayal of the fabulous Freddie Mercury proving musicals are not dead and still damn worth the watch. And finally, we would fall in love with the unlikely fairy tale between man and fish and enrage in fury with a mother's failed attempt at justice. To the tears I shed and goosebumps I felt, here now are my picks for the 10 movies that defined 2018. For the first time, no animated film makes the cut.

Summary of the List:
1    |    2    |    3    |    4    |    5    |    6    |    7    |    8    |    9    |    10
Intro    |    Methodology    |    Records    |    Data Sources    |    Photo Credits



JR's MOVIES OF THE YEAR - 2018 METHODOLOGY:

1. Films included in the list must have been released on an international scale including the Philippines. Filipino films aren't included, however, as they are entitled on a list of their own.
2. Films that saw their release on an online streaming platform (such as Netflix) have also been included in this year's edition of the list, provided they are accessible in the Philippines.
3. The selection of movies must have been released in the Philippines between 01 January 2018 to 31 December 2018 regardless if the film was released within the year 2017 in the United States and in any other country.
4. No movie re-releases on HD or IMAX were included in the list (such movies had already been premiered in the past).
5. The list is non-reflective of scores obtained on their corresponding reviews but rather on the movie's impact and influence within the year as weighed by JR.

JR's Movies of the Year - 2018

Rank	Movies of the Year	Movie Genre	Month of PH Release	JR's Score
1	The Shape of Water	Fantasy	Feb 2018	10.0
2	A Star Is Born	Drama	Oct 2018	10.0
3	Black Panther	Action	Feb 2018	10.0
4	Love, Simon	Comedy	May 2018	10.0
5	Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri	Comedy	Feb 2018	9.9
6	Hereditary	Horror	Jun 2018	9.9
7	Roma	Drama	Dec 2018 (NF)	9.9
8	Bohemian Rhapsody	Biography	Oct 2018	9.7
9	Avengers: Infinity War	Action	Apr 2018	9.5
10	A Quiet Place	Horror	Apr 2018	9.5

Get back to previous JR Late Night Blogs' Movies of the Year lists:

2017   |   2016   |   2015   |   2013   |   2012   |   2011   |   2010

#1

THE SHAPE OF WATER (February 2018)

JR's Score: (10/10) "OUTSTANDING"

Movie Genre:	Fantasy
Director/s:	Guillermo del Toro
Producer/s:	Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale
Writer/s:	Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
Distributors:	Fox Searchlight
MPAA Rating:  MTRCB Rating:	R R-13
Total Running Time:	1 hour, 59 minutes
Cast Overview:	Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Octavia Spencer

"They Lived Happily Ever After...""
"The Shape of Water" is, hands down, the best motion picture I have seen from the past year. It's an epic fairy tale starred by a mute woman (Elisa) and a beautiful amphibian who are just but pawns. An unlikely love story would spruce from the two which would spawn a plan for escape with the help of a black co-worker and gay confidant, which are symbolic of minorities being heroes. I have to give it to Guillermo del Toro for bringing me one of the best experiences of the past year. I would remember the time I watched the movie at a local SM Cinema ready in anticipation to what this Best Picture of yesteryear's Academy Awards has to offer. It really did not disappoint. I never anticipated such a hopeful story in what seems to have been a tragic one. Prepare to shed tears of joy and sadness when watching this one. 

*watched on 09 March 2018 at SM Cinemas (SM Rosales)

Read JR's Full Review of The Shape of Water:
https://jrlatenight.blogspot.com/2018/03/moviereviews-TheShapeOfWater.html

JR's TV Reviews - CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA

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CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA

Year of Release: 2018

JR's Rating:  (9.0 out of 10, Impressive)

"Let Greendale Cast A Spell On You"

Welcome to Greendale, a town of grim and horror plagued with history of witches, the very town that Sabrina Spellman gets to decide whether she fully embraces her dark witch side or sacrifice it for a healthy mortal life with her friends and boyfriend. With an adventure really worth binge-watching, "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" is a worthy addition to your Netflix watchlist but with a heavy warning for its very disturbing content.

While I lived to watch and enjoy the 1990s comedic predecessor on an old tube TV, the 2018 version exceeds the former by a huge margin by just how willing it is to embrace a tone only horror movies can adhere, a rare feat in fact for TV series. The show is well equipped with a cast that fully embodied the characters that are in the series. Aunt Hilda, Aunt Zelda, Ambrose, Harvey, Prudence, Nicholas and Kiernan as Sabrina are just a few that you'll love in the series. Each episode is catered with a dilemma only Sabrina could face and these are what you'll have to anticipate all the way. With all the good mentioned, The series is full of satanic symbolism that might make you uncomfortable along the experience. I, for one, felt sinning upon watching the series; so, I advise you to watch at your own risk. Unlike Riverdale, where despite all the darkness that builds the town you can have high hopes on, Greendale is just full of darkness that there is just pure evil to rely on. So be warned!