Opening this week
Escape Room
Taylor Russell in “Escape Room”
Directed by Adam Robitel; stars Tyler Labine, Deborah Ann Woll, Taylor Russell
Adventurous strangers compete to solve puzzles, unaware that they’re in elaborate death traps.
Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw is pleased with its “Nifty, nasty, high-concept horror, with dabs of ‘Saw’ and ‘Final Destination.’” New York Post’s Johnny Oleksinski, however, says: “This one waffles between being predictable and absurd.”
Familia Blondina
Karla Estrada in “Familia Blondina”
Directed by Jerry Lopez Sineneng; stars Karla Estrada, Marco Gallo, Xia Vigor
A Filipina returns to the country with her kids after learning of her deceased American husband’s debts.
Actress Karla Estrada, who considers this her “first proper comedy” project, told the Inquirer, “I’m a fun person in real life, so I think I will be able to express myself in this genre better.”
Kursk
Colin Firth in “Kursk”
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg; stars Colin Firth, Michael Nyqvist, Lea Seydoux
The film, based on a real-life submarine disaster in 2000, centers on the Russian sailor crew members who went through the ordeal.
Hollywood Reporter’s Keith Uhlich considers the film “a competent, by-the-numbers action melodrama.” The Playlist’s Rodrigo Perez laments, “No catharsis ever arrives and the movie totally whiffs the crucial element of suspense that drives the movie.”
Second Coming
Jodi Sta. Maria in “Second Coming”
Directed by Jet Leyco; stars Jodi Sta. Maria, Marvin Agustin, Angelica Ulip
A woman marries a widower, whose daughter claims to communicate with her dead mother.
Agustin recently posted on Instagram, “[Jodi Sta. Maria] and I did this movie two years ago, with young, cool and talented director [Jet Leyco].”
Leyco posted about the progress of the film last November, when he uploaded a photo of a dubbing session with Sta. Maria, whom he called “one of
