With the holidays coming up, and the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) becoming part of the Filipino Christmas tradition every year, audiences are sure to line up at the movie theaters on opening day to see what their favorite movie stars have in store for them.
Here’s what to watch out for in MMFF 2015:
1. Good ol’ romance.
Despite changes in the cast, the Kris Aquino-starrer All You Need is Pag-ibig is still among this year’s much-awaited films. Trust director Antoinette Jadaone to stir hearts in this story about a woman who seems to be unlucky in love. Derek Ramsay, who replaced Herbert Bautista amidst controversies, is expected to give audiences their dose of kilig. In Walang Forever, Jericho Rosales and Jennylyn Mercado try to refute the cynical notion that nothing – not even love – lasts forever.
2. Tons of laughter.
What else do you expect from a Vice Ganda flick? Add drama-action star Coco Martin to the equation and you’re in for a couple of hours of witty exchanges and exciting fight scenes in Beauty and the Bestie. This movie, directed by Wenn Deramas, features the debut of the Vice-Coco tandem.
3. Chills and thrills.
What’s the MMFF without a horror flick or two? Buy Now, Die Later and Haunted Mansion are sure to send chills down your spine. Buy Now, Die Later starring Vhong Navarro is composed of five stories, each relating to the human’s five senses; while Haunted Mansion is a Regal shocker, so to speak, with Janella Salvador as lead star.
4. Heart-pounding action.
What else can you expect when Cesar Montano plays a police officer, such as in the movie Nilalang? (Cesar replaced Robin Padilla, who begged off from filming to be with wife Mariel Rodriguez after she suffered a miscarriage). Japanese actress and former porn star Maria Ozawa plays Cesar's leading lady Miyuki, an S&M club owner who is the heiress of an organized syndicate.
The John Lloyd Cruz crime drama, Honor Thy Father (a last-minute addition to the official MMFF entries), is a tension-filled look into the life of a former acetylene gang member who tries desperately to save his family from debtors.
5. Love team showdown.
AlDub, JaDine, KimXi, or MarNella?
Take your pick – or watch all three – in this year’s MMFF.
My Bebe Love #KiligPaMore, Vic Sotto’s official entry, features the phenomenal AlDub love team of Maine Mendoza and Alden Richards, while the Kapamilya tandem of Nadine Lustre and James Reid are featured in the Vice Ganda and Coco Martin-starrer Beauty and the Bestie. Kim Chiu and Xian Lim join the battle of the love teams by co-starring with Kris in All You Need is Pag-ibig. Marlo Mortel and Janella Salvador are also a tandem to beat in Haunted Mansion.
The 41st edition of the MMFF will start on December 25, 2015 in Philippine cinemas.
PEPsters, which movies will you watch this holiday season?
Share your thoughts in the comments section below.