Feng Shui (2004)

There are a lot of things that are so wrong about this movie and almost every Pinoy horror film I've ever encountered. Bad makeup (wet oatmeal on the sides of the mouth, very cutting edge), bad effects, bad lighting (if not the type used in haunted house rides in rural fairs, then the type that looked like they're religious statues prepped for a procession), and incredibly bad acting (Kris Aquino, enough said).One thing stands out like a sore thumb though: the total lack of irony and the clueless pomposity and pretentiousness of the people who make them.I mean, if you're forced to die on pile of Red Horse beer, or by rat excrement, or by a vaguely menacing cloud of chickens, simply because your Chinese zodiac sign says so, you know you're in a movie that should have been tagged as comedy instead of horror.I think it all comes down to the cheap, profit-driven mess studios call "production". There are a handful of Filipino horror flicks out there that are actually really good (Sigaw comes to mind). And to think they dared to push for a Hollywood remake of this film. Someone even mentioned Brad Pitt(?!?!?!).Really. Comedy. If I could go any lower than 1 in the scale, I would have pushed it all the way down to -10.

It is a terrific film. Kris Aquino delivered a convincing role of Joy, a Filipino mother and wife, living in superstition and luck for the betterment of their life. She acted like the Filipino mothers seen in the country. Also, other actors made an applauding performance. On the movie itself, as a Filipino with a culture on believing superstitions and depending luck on ancient Chinese practices, this Filipino movie has truly delivered the nature of the character's belief and at the same time the amazing plot, as thought by the writer. The light and sound effects had greatly contributed to the movie. There is no need for special effects or computer enhancement to convince. The objectives/intention of the director is clearly seen in the movie. I hope the international community will be able to appreciate & be able to compete with the international-released horror/thriller movies.

Philippine cinema is looking good these days. During the release of 'Feng Shui' it was apparent that almost everybody wanted to see it, just because local critics and movie-goers were already saying 'it was that good' –and YES is was really. Honestly it's the first time in years that I have truly enjoyed watching a local horror film, and a quality Filipino film for that matter.'Feng Shui' was really able to please its audience. Story-wise I could say it was pretty original, and since it shows Filipinos' undeniable fascination and belief in 'swerte', it was brilliant for the story's writers to come up with one that revolves around whatelse –'Feng Shui'. It is the story of a middle-age woman, Joy (Kris Aquino) and her battle against the supernatural cycle of luck and bad luck. She has just moved into a new house with her family, as she was hopeful for a new beginning, and a refreshing start to go with their new home, she unexpectedly faces, true enough –something new, something she could never expect .On her way home one day, as she was taking the bus ride, a man left a certain small package on his seat, she picks it up to return it to the said owner. Unable to find the man she decided to bring it home with her – a 'bagua' mirror, an item that is placed over the door of one's house, and is believed to drive away bad luck to the people inside the home. True enough, she began to receive good fortune and anything favorable for herself and for her family. But along with those came the unexplained events that disturb her, her friends, and most especially the people she loves.After watching 'Feng Shui' and from hearing other people's opinion of the movie, I concluded –'may nanood naman (ng Filipino movies) basta maganda ang pagkakagawa'. Ganun kasimple, what we need are quality movies that bear good scripts and story lines. Sobrang important din syempre audio and visuals. I get frustrated at watching a movie with a poor film quality (most Filipino movies are like that sadly), yung tipong sa kalabuan ng picture, nahihirapan ka nang mag concentrate sa story. At sa sobrang labo ng audio Hindi mo na sila maintindihan (at bwisit na dubbings yan). I believe one factor that makes other Asian movies (especially Korean films) more enjoyable to watch is the picture quality of the movies they make. It's actually the first thing that I notice after I hit the play button –I have to enjoy the visuals first, since it adds life to what you are watching.I hear nowadays they have started using the HD technology in film-making ('Santa Santita' to be the first local film to use HD). And I'm sure marami pang ibang movies that will bear much improvement in the coming years. Actually I'm pretty excited with how the Philippine movie industry will be like 2 or 4 years later. I've never really been proud of Philippine movies, but slowly I am beginning to appreciate it as it starts to gain its improvement. Sana.. tuloy-tuloy na 'to!

Well, okay, it's not The Eye... it's not even Hideo Nakata's The Ring, but it's better than I Know What You Did Last Summer and the rest of the assembly line garbage that Hollywood likes to dish out every couple of months.The story is about a woman named Joy who, on her way home from work, picks up a Chinese artifact (which is a strange-looking mirror with a brass frame) that a man sitting next to her in the bus had left behind(this man, in turn, dies promptly in a rather amusing manner). She takes this artifact home and upon learning from her neighbor that it is good luck, decides to hang it as a decoration above her front door of her new house. Soon enough, unbelievable good luck comes to her and her family (she and her husband get consecutive promotions, she wins a raffle for an entertainment system at her local supermarket). It seems the neighbor was right about the artifact, only weird things start to happen. Objects are moving by themselves, Joy sees creepy movement from the corner of her eye, her kids see a man floating outside the bedroom window... standard scary stuff that'll make you want to call a priest and have your house sprinkled with the good stuff. To top it all off, she discovers that her husband is cheating on her AGAIN with an old girlfriend... and her neighbors are dropping like flies one by one.Don't want to ruin anything for y'all... but it has a pretty good twist. It's not an original twist, but it'll still raise some hairs on your arms and the back of your neck. "You're so lucky," indeed. Worth a look. 7 out of 10 stars. You can probably find the DVD on Ebay.