Murder, mayhem and a musical star in MMFF

“Darkness” seems to be the predominant atmosphere of the 10 entries in the 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). Never mind that the festival is set in the middle of a celebration in which the favorite greeting is “Merry Christmas.”

Some of the stories are about murder and mayhem within families. One entry seems to hint at incest between a father and a daughter.

Vilma Santos, Aga Muhlach and Nadine Lustre topbill one of the 10 entries — Uninvited — and at the extravagant  media conference for the film, they happily took turns in announcing that they are all villainous characters in the movie. They are very proud of the film and very impressed by the brilliance of the artistic team and the magnanimity of their producer, Bryan Diamante, who appears to be in his 30s.

In one of the film’s teasers, a scene between Aga and Nadine suggests that Aga lusts for Nadine. In another teaser, Aga aims his gun at Nadine.

The MMFF entry that has murder among family members is GMA Pictures’ Greenbones bannered by Dennis Trillo and Ruru Madrid. Trillo portrays the killer while Madrid plays the guard who schemes prevent Trillo from getting a parole. Madrid seems to know something about Trillo’s character and the chain of circumstances that made Trillo kill his own sister and her child. 

Espantaho, starring Lorna Tolentino and Judy Ann Santos, is publicized as a horror-movie directed by Chito Roño. And so is Erik Matti’s Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital. It is based on the South Korean box office hit Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum. There’s hardly any publicity on Espantaho.

Happily, there are two entries publicized as comedy. One of them is My Future You, a romantic comedy produced by Regal Entertainment. It stars youthful idols Francine Diaz and Seth Fedelin and helmed by Crisanto Aquino. 

The movie revolves around two young lovers connected through a dating app across two different timelines, blending the excitement of modern technology with the timeless themes of love and fate. We hear that the film will have its grand media conference on 27 November.

The other rib-tickler is And The Breadwinner Is starring Vice Ganda, Jhong Hilario, Eugene Domingo, the loveteam of Maris Racal and Anthony Jennings, with Jun Lana as director. The publicity yarn about it says the film combines humor with significant societal themes, mainly personal and family struggles while addressing the challenges of the main characters’ professional lives.

Vic Sotto teams up with Piolo Pascual in The Kingdom and the former has mightily proclaimed in a preliminary  media conference that is not a comedy at all, but a drama spiced up with action scenes, including a hand-to-hand combat between the characters portrayed by Sotto and Pascual. 

Sotto is royalty in the story while Pascual is a commoner who tills a farm. As one of the film’s producers, Sotto is aware that the film might not be classified as for General Patronage. He confided in a media interview that he and wife Paulene Luna have explained to their eldest daughter, Talitha, who is only seven years old, why she can’t watch the film.

Two entries we’ve not seen enough publicity yarn are Topak, an action movie directed by Richard Somes, featuring Julia Montes and Arjo Atayde; and Hold Me Close, a romance movie starring Julia Barreto and Carlo Aquino. Needless to say that Topak is dark since that Tagalog word means “insane.”

Pepe Diokno’s Himala The Musical seems to be the only entry that deals with faith in God. It is top-billed by stage actor-singer Aicelle Santos as Elsa, the young woman originally portrayed on screen by Nora Aunor in a script written by Ricky Lee decades before they were named National Artists for Film and Broadcasting Arts. 

The film’s iteration as a musical is starred by thespians well-known in stage musicals, including Bituin Escalante and David Ezra.

Meanwhile, for a dark movie, Uninvited glitters with stars that include Tirso Cruz III, Lotlot de Leon, Mylene Dizon, Gabby Pangilinan, Ketchup Eusebio, Ron Angeles, RK Bagatsing, and Gio Alvarez among others. The film is directed by Dan Villegas.

Last year’s top-grosser, Rewind, starring real-life couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, wasn’t dark at all due to its mainly into magic realism. It’s the film that the present Hello, Love, Again is being matched against in terms of box office. 

Some of the films are expected to launch their publicity and promo blitz only this December.

Mentorque Productions’ Uninvited seems to have the biggest cast to light up the screen. Can it outgross Rewind? Pinoy moviegoers this Christmas season will be the ultimate judge. May they see the light.