Christmas is finally here!
Aside from buying and wrapping Christmas presents, and preparing for Noche Buena, watching Metro Manila Film Festival entries have become one of the traditions of many Filipinos.
Here are seven must-watch MMFF 2019 movies which we think are worth your money and time.
- Mission Unstapabol: The Don Identity
After the success of Jak Em Popoy: The Puliscredibles, phenomenal star Maine Mendoza and Bossing Vic Sotto reunite for another action-comedy movie this year. Mission Unstapabol: The Don Identity is an action-packed film also starring EB Dabarkads Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola, comedienne Pokwang, and actor Jake Cuenca. Don Robert Fortun (Vic Sotto) forms a group to retrieve a valuable pearl, the Pearl of the Orient, from his brother Benjie (Jose Manalo), and to clear his name after he was wrongfully accused of committing a heinous crime. It also stars Sarah Lahbati, Jelson Bay, and Max Collins.
- Miracle in Cell No. 7
This is a Philippine Adaptation of the 2013 hit Korean drama film of the same title about a mentally challenged father who is wrongfully accused of murder and the struggles he faced just to maintain his relationship with his young daughter, despite being put behind bars. What’s the difference between the original version and the remake? Well, aside from the lines are more comprehensible, the film is set in Filipino setting, which many can relate to. Starring multi-awarded actor Aga Muhlach, Bela Padilla, and Xia Vigor, this film will surely be a tearjerker, but it will also give us a new perspective on life and family. The film also stars John Arcilla, JC Santos, Joel Torre, Soliman Cruz, Jojit Lorenzo, and Mon Confiado.
- Sunod
If you are looking for a horror flick this Christmas then this movie is right for you. Sunod is a horror film that centers on the story of a single mother who works as a call center agent to afford the medical bills of her sick daughter, and the eerie experiences she encounters in the business process outsourcing (BPO) company she works for.
This serves as the comeback project of Kapuso TV host and actress Carmina Villarroel-Legazpi to the big screen and is the only horror film among the eight official entries in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival. It was previously reported that the film replaced (K)ampon of Kris Aquino and Derek Ramsay, which is also a horror film that was later disqualified.
- Mindanao
Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo will surely make you cry as she plays the part of a Muslim mother who takes care of her daughter who has cancer while she awaits her husband to come home after being deployed to the Southern Philippines as a combat medic. It also stars Yuna Tangog who plays the role of Santos’ daughter, and award-winning actor Allen Dizon who breathes to life the character of a Maguindanaoan combat medic. The film is directed by Brillante Mendoza.
- Write About Love
If you are looking for a light-hearted movie or if you just want to feel some extra kilig this Christmas, then this film will surely satisfy your craving.
Write About Love is “a movie within a movie” that centers on the story of two writers who have contrasting views on love and relationship who will team up to write a perfect rom-com. The film is headlined by Kapuso actor Rocco Nacino and Kapamilya actress Miles Ocampo. Nacino plays the role of a veteran writer named Marco, while Ocampo plays as his newbie partner, Joyce. As they further develop the project, Marco and Joyce will realize many things that will lead them to a fulfilling path of self-discovery.
- Culion
This is a film penned by Ricky Lee and is based on the real-life leper colony on the island of Culion, Palawan. This highly anticipated Metro Manila Film Festival entry depicts the stigma endured by the island itself that was once a place for people who have Leprosy, making Culion as “home to the biggest leper colony in the world.” The film stars Iza Calzado, Jasmine Curtis-Smith. Meryll Soriano, Joem Bascon, and Mike Liwag. This will also feature a cameo from John Lloyd Cruz after his sabbatical.
- The Mall, The Merrier
For the first time, Unkabogable Star Vice Ganda and Anne Curtis work on a film together. The film is directed by Barry Gonzales and is about two siblings Moira (Vice Ganda) and Morissette (Anne) who clash over a mall they inherited. This comedy film is filled with adventure that will surely make you laugh hard. The film cast include Dimples Romana, Tony Labrusca, Elisse Joson, Jameson Blake, Lassy Marquez, MC Calaquian, Brenda Mage, Petite, Jin Macapagal, Wacky Kiray, Negi, Chad Kinis, Matmat Centino, Juliana Parizcovia Segovia, Ion Perez, Jackie Gonzaga, Greg Hawkins, Carlo Mendoza, and Niel Espinoza.
