Don’t Worry Darling
SET in the 1950s, the film follows married couple Alice and Jack who live in the idealized community of Victory, which is owned by a mysterious company. The longer they stay, the more Alice suspects that Victory is hiding a sinister secret. Directed by Olivia Wilde, the film stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, and Chris Pine. Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri writes, “Movies about utopias that turn out to be dystopias either have to find a way to make their utopias initially compelling or get things rolling in such dramatic or deranged fashion that we can’t help but be riveted by the characters’ journeys of discovery. Don’t Worry Darling, alas, does neither of these things. It merely asks us to watch as Alice slowly realizes that something creepy lurks within the Victory Project, and that can get boring and repetitive after a while.” Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer gives the film a rating of 37%, and an audience score of 78%.
MTRCB Rating: R-16
Smile
AFTER witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past to survive and escape her horrifying new reality. Directed by Parker Finn, the film stars Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Caitlin Stasey, Rob Morgan, and Kal Penn. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman writes, “Smile will likely be a hit, because it’s a horror film that delivers without making you feel cheated. At 90 minutes, though, with less repetition, it might have been a more ingenious movie.” Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer gives the film a score of 81%.
MTRCB Rating: R-16
Always
ADAPTED from a 2011 Korean film of the same name, Always is about a depressed former boxer who finds romance with an optimistic blind woman who is set to undergo an operation to have her sight restored. This Viva Films release is directed by Dado Lumibao and stars Kim Chiu and Xian Lim. ABS-CBN’s Fred Hawson writes: “I had not seen the original film, but on its own, this Filipino version, despite some errors in continuity, medical inaccuracies and a rather overlong ending melodrama, succeeds because of star power and dramatic chops of the two lead stars… Their irresistible chemistry sweeps, absorbs the audience into their bittersweet love story.”
MTRCB Rating: PG
The Lake
AFTER a child picks up a strange egg, a dangerous creature rises from a lake to kill anyone on its path. This Thai science fiction-horror film is directed by Lee Thongkham and Aqing Xu. It stars Sushar Manaying, Vithaya Pansringarm, and Zang Jinsheng.
MTRCB Rating: PG
Sugat sa Dugo
A FAMILY faces different challenges when one of them is infected with HIV. The maiden offering of Dragon Entertainment Productions, the film is directed by Danni H. Ugali, and stars Janice de Belen, Khai Flores, and Gary Guarino.
MTRCB Rating: PG