Lotlot de Leon (right) and Darwin Yu in “1st Sem”
1st Sem
Directed by Dexter Hemedez, Allan Michael Ibañez; stars Lotlot de Leon, Alan Paule, Darwin Yu
Overprotective mom goes ballistic when her son returns home after only a day in college. The CineFilipino movie won best feature film and a special acting citation for De Leon at the All Lights India International Film Festival held in Hyderabad. “Jurors loved Lotlot’s exceptional portrayal,” recalls Hemedez.
Chris Pratt (left) and Dave Bautista in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Directed by James Gunn; stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Kurt Russell
Ragtag crew explores outer space to search for Peter Quill’s real father. Fandango’s Erik Davis raves: “Exciting, funny, gorgeous and a helluva tearjerker.” The Advocate’s Angie J. Han agrees: “I say without hyperbole … A grand adventure with intimate stakes. Uses every damn color in the crayon box.”
Jessica Chastain in “The Zookeeper’s Wife”
The Zookeeper’s Wife
Directed by Niki Caro; stars Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Daniel Brühl, Iddo Goldberg
Christian couple joins the Resistance and saves residents of the Warsaw Ghetto. The New Republic’s Jacob Soll hails it as “truly moving and original.” Boston Herald’s Stephen Schaefer notes: “As a personal tale of ordinary people taking extraordinary, life-threatening measures to help strangers … [it] astounds.”
Asel Sagatova in “Hunting the Phantom”
Hunting the Phantom
Directed by Marina Kunarova; stars Kristanna Loken, Asel Sagatova, Armand Assante, Jose Rosete
Cop breaks the law to save his fiancée who gets in trouble with a tyrannical corporation. Themoviedb.org relates: “The action … begins in the near future.” An IMDb reviewer points out: “At first blush, the plot seems fine … the action segments were good, but the storyline was so fragmented it’s hard to follow.”
Emilia Clarke in “Voice From the Stone”
Voice From the Stone
Directed by Eric D. Howell; stars Emilia Clarke, Marton Csokas, Caterina Murino
Nurse, who cares for a mute heir, is stalked by a spirit in an isolated villa. Dreadcentral.com remarks: “It isn’t an explicit, overt horror film.” Letterboxd’s James Healey quips: “Most exciting film at Cannes since ‘Grace of Monaco.’ I wanna yell at Clarke’s agent because she still hasn’t been in a good movie yet.”