‘The Healing’ Leaves Movigoers on the Edge of Their Seats

Chito Roño‘s newest suspense-horror masterpiece, “The Healing,” topbilled by Star for All Seasons Vilma Santos and Princess of Philippine TV and Movies Kim Chiu, has swiftly turned into a much-talked about movie event of the year and earned the nods of countless moviegoers who have witnessed it so far.

The film’s unprecedented success started as early as its premiere night last Tuesday, July 24 when “The Healing” zoomed as the no.1 trending topic worldwide on Twitter where tweets flooded on the popular microblogging site from netizens who got all excited to watch the latest Star Cinema offering.
True enough, the immense public excitement for “The Healing” drew huge crowds to different cinemas nationwide and resulted to long queues of moviegoers on the first day of showing alone. The Rono masterpiece has instantly became such a big hit that some mall owners have decided to add more cinemas this weekend to accommodate the upsurge of expected audience.
Under the production of Star Cinema, “The Healing” was given the highest grade of “A” by the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB).
“The Healing” is the grand kick-off celebration of Vilma’s 50th anniversary in showbiz.
“The Healing” is now showing in 140 cinemas nationwide.
Also included in powerhouse cast of “The Healing” are Janice de Belen, Mark Gil, Martin del Rosario, Jhong Hilario, Allan Paule, Cris Villanueva, Daria Ramirez, Ces Quesada, Ynez Veneracion, Simon Ibarra, Abi Bautista, Joel Torre, Chinggoy Alonso, Mon Confiado, Carmi Martin and Pokwang.
For more updates on “The Healing”, simply visit www.StarCinema.com.ph, or like the movie’s official page, http://facebook.com/TheHealingFilm, http://facebook.com/StarCinema or http://twitter.com/StarCinema.

Source: Starmometer.com

One Minute Movie Review: ‘The Healing’

“The Healing” is another engaging horror flick by Chito Roño that generates a respectable amount of suspense. (Warning: few spoilers are mentioned)


The Healing
Main Cast: Kim Chiu, Vilma Santos
Supporting Cast: Janice de Belen, Mark Gil, Martin del Rosario, Pokwang, Ynes Veneracion, Cris Villanueva
Director: Chito S. Roño
Genre: Horror, Suspense
Distributed by: Star Cinema
MTRCB Rating: R-13 and R-18
CEB Rating: A
Synopsis: A community rushes to a faith healer after learning that one of them was miraculously healed from a deadly disease by the same person. They are torn apart afterwards as the healing brings them a terrible curse that wreaks harm and death.
The Positive: The most unforgettable horror films helmed by Chito Roño like “Sukob” and “Feng Shui” were based from Filipino (and Filipino-Chinese) superstitious beliefs. “The Healing” instantly earns a spot in this roster not just by tackling our culture’s fondness on faith healers but also for being a well-made storytelling that goes far beyond just startling the audience.
The film generates a respectable amount of suspense, thanks to the superb cinematography and editing. It takes a few unexpected turns while covering a familiar territory.
The Negative: The film has a very promising premise until it succumbs to flaws towards the end like the electrocuted spirit and the transfer of the curse to a character who is not qualified to receive it. The “trade off of misfortune” logline is somewhat similar to Feng Shui. It’s not difficult to figure out the twist, in fact, the Hollywood film “Final Destination” will come to mind in as early as the first half.

STARMOMETER SCORE: 8/10

Source: Starmometer.com

‘Guni-Guni’ Starring Empress Schuck and Lovi Poe – Movie Poster and Trailer

Regal Films has released the official movie poster and cinema trailer for their upcoming suspense flick “Guni-Guni.” Check it out!

“Guni-Guni” stars Empress Schuck and Lovi Poe, under the direction of Tara Illenberger.
Also starring in the movie are Benjamin Alves, James Blanco, Neil Ryan Sese, Julia Clarete, Gerarld Pesigan, Ria Garcia and Ms. Gina Alajar.
Here’s the official plot of the movie:

Thirty years ago, an unborn child was buried in the garden of what is now a boardinghouse in Cubao. It lies beneath the ground, unbeknownst to the tenants who live there. One of the tenants is Mylene (Lovi Poe) who appears like the perfect girl, nice, pretty and at the top of her Medicine class. But nobody knows about her past, not even the man who loves her most, Paolo (Benjamin Alvez). Paolo doesn’t know anything about Mylene’s family, her long, lost sibling or her estranged, nervous wreck of a mother. Nor does he know about the very long scar that runs across Mylene’s body, nor of how incomplete she always feels. And he finds that the more he tries to win back her love, the more she retreats to her secret world that nobody could enter.
One day Mylene asked to perform an abortion for fee, she feels conflicted about doing what’ is right and, at the same time, being in dire need of tuition fee. Her decision ultimately leads to a dark outcome and awakens a force that has laid quiet for years in the boardinghouse grounds. Thereafter, she becomes tormented by nightmares of a dark twin, whose presence gets stronger as days pass, as strange things start to happen in the house. When one by one, the boarders die of unexplainable causes, Joanna (Empress Shuck) the resident psychic and Mylene’s best friend struggles to understand the impending danger that she senses and decides to get to the bottom of the mystery; and as it unravels, they find themselves confronted by an angry soul that seeks justice.

Watch the trailer here:

Source: Starmometer.com

Sam Concepcion Shares First Big Screen Kiss with Tippy Dos Santos in ‘IDoBidoo Bidoo’

Teen heartthrob Sam Concepcion admits that Unitel’s comedy-musical IDoBidoo Bidoo is his biggest career break, and he is ultimately grateful that he has the promising Tippy Dos Santos as his leading lady.


The movie, which features the iconic songs of the Apo Hiking Society, is topbilled by the entertainment industry’s most respectable names Gary Valenciano, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Ogie Alcasid, and Eugene Domingo and is directed by box-office director Chris Martinez.
“Tippy and I have been friends since way back. We represented the country in a festival in Korea when we were kids, and last year, we were first paired in Peter Pan. I was Peter to her Wendy,” recounts Sam. “This is such a big break and I am thankful that I have Tippy by my side to support me.”
In the movie, Sam plays Rock Polotan, who has impregnated his girlfriend Tracy Fuentebella (Tippy). Conflict starts when their families come into the picture- the affluent Fuentebella Family (Zsa Zsa and Gary) and the poor yet musically-inclined Polotan Family (Ogie and Eugene).
IDoBidoo Bidoo marks Sam’s crossover to doing more challenging and mature roles, as he was required to do his first onscreen kiss in the movie.
“Being in the business for so long, I know some people’s perception of me is that I’m still 12 or 13, but thankfully, I was blessed with this movie that I get to make people realize that I am already a grown-up,” shares the teen heartthrob. “Working with Tippy has always been a breeze. We have this rapport that comes from years of friendship.”
Asked about the kiss, Sam says “when we did the scene, I was already Rock who is madly in love with Tracy. So, it was ok. The more memorable parts are the minutes before and after the take.”


Tippy adds, “this is my first movie, so the kissing scene made me really nervous, but because it is Sam, with direk Chris as our director, everything turned out well and romantic.”
Tippy was a seasoned, yet young theater actress before showbiz discovered her. She has appeared in TV shows like Idol, Shoutout, Growing Up, among others.
Sam and Tippy are grateful that Tony Gloria and Unitel Pictures entrusted this project to them.
“Unitel brought numerous cinematic gems like Crying Ladies, La Visa Loca, and the songs of APO mirror the history of the Filipino people, until now, we can’t believe that we were tapped to be a part of this landmark movie,” gushes Sam. “This is a movie that every Filipino family should watch.”
IDo Bidoo Bidoo starts showing this August 29 in cinemas nationwide.

Source: Starmometer.com

Angelica Panganiban Topbills Indie Film ‘Madaling Araw Mahabang Gabi’

Angelica Panganiban topbills the upcoming Dante Nico Garcia movie “Madaling Araw Mahabang Gabi.”


Aside from Panganiban, “Madaling Araw Mahabang Gabi” also stars Kean Cipriano, Glaiza de Castro, Edgar Allan Guzman, Buboy Garovillo, Tutti Caringal, Karel Marquez, Rocco Nacino, Alchris Galura, Jeffrey Hidalgo, Callum David, Dominic Roco, Lou Veloso and Ms. Cherie Gil.
The film is written and directed by Dante Nico Garcia (“Ploning”) and is slated for release this September.
Here’s the synopsis of the movie:

Panoramanila Pictures presents a movie about the entangled stories of a group of young people who happen to be in a bar in Puerto Princessa, Palawan on the eve of All Souls’ Day. As midnight approaches, we become complicit as each of them takes the challenge of the Pangangaluluwa, a seemingly innocent Palawan tradition of honoring the dead by stealing something from the living. A young guitarist battles with crabs; an Indian guy gets caught in a crossfire; a hot cougar meets her match; Cosplayers battle for road supremacy; a religious woman finds true faith in a strange kiss; and a bartender prepares a drink that results in the most bitter of brews. The movie holds up a mirror to this dark night and bear witness to the inevitable consequences that mark the choices of the young.

Watch the trailer here:

Source: Starmometer.com