"The Search for Weng Weng" Iloilo Screening a Vibrant Success

Last August 7, 2014 Thursday evening 7:00 PM The documentary The Search for Weng Weng from Australian filmmaker Andrew Leavold was shown at the FDCP Cinematheque. And it was one of the most enjoyable and successful screening events that was held at the Iloilo FDCP Cinematheque. [hit the jump to continue]

The Search for Weng Weng: A Tale of Exploits and Exploitation

Andrew Leavold’s documentary “The Search for Weng Weng” is not only this fascinating documentary about the onscreen exploits and off-screen exploitation of the legendary two-foot-nine-inch Filipino action star, but at the undertone of documentary, is an eye-opener that tells us a lot about Philippine cinema. At the surface of it is this fascinating story of an unusual human being named Ernesto De la Cruz who was born with some sort of size abnormality, his existence coated with influences of superstition and religion, and linking him to the likeness of the Santo Niño. And how his family’s poverty led him to be “adopted” and used by a wealthy couple who were film producers. [hit the jump to continue]

Syowing this Week [August 6 to 12, 2014]

The Search for Weng Weng
This film is an intriguing documentary from Australian filmmaker Andrew Leavold that chronicles the tale of Weng Weng, the 2'9" action star who graced Philippine cinema in the 70's. A must-see for true film fanatics, this movie will tell us whatever happened to this once great tiny actor. SCREENING SKED: FDCP Cinematheque = 7:00 PM
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Tekken: Kazuya's Revenge
Suffering from amnesia, a young man trying to discover his true identity is kidnapped by an underground crime organization and turned into a ruthless assassin. Reportedly, this movie is a prequel to the Tekken movie which came out 2009. But since its announcement in 2012, sources have both come back and forth on confirming it to be part of the Tekken movie or not (It was once titled as "Tekken: A Man Called X" then later changed to "Agent X"). This movie is set for release in other countries August 21, 2014.
Snap Impression: As B-Movie as the first movie, I wont waste a centavo for this one
SCREENING SKEDS:
Robinsons Movieworld Cinema 6 = 12:05 PM | 2:05 PM | 4:05 PM | 6:05 PM | 8:05 PM
SM Iloilo Cinema 6 = 1:30 PM | 4:00 PM
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Lucy
Lucy is a 25-year-old American woman living and studying in Taipei, Taiwan, who is tricked into working as a drug mule by her new boyfriend and the Korean mob. In a freak accident, a large quantity of a highly valuable synthetic drug was introduced into her system, which as a result unlocks the full potential of her mind. This film written and directed by Luc Besson (Leon: The Professional, The Fifth Element) stars Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman.
Snap Impression: Luc Besson has been one of my heroes, so I really wouldnt mind spending for this one.
SCREENING SKEDS:
Robinsons Movieworld Cinema 4 = 12:15 PM | 2:15 PM | 4:15 PM | 6:15 PM | 8:15 PM
SM Iloilo Cinema 3 = 1:30 PM | 4:00 PM | 6:30 PM | 9:00 PM
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Once A Princess
Erin Almeda came from a rich family who used her geeky classmate Leonard Jamieson and break up with him but she faced the trails when her family went to bankrupt. 7 years later Leonard reunited with Erin who is now married to Damian. Once a Princess stars Enchong Dee, JC de Vera, and Erich Gonzales, and is directed by Laurice Guillen.
Snap Impression: The stars on it are boring, and it's partially produced by Mother Lily, so I should not waste my time on it. But then it is directed by Laurice Guillen, which means, this could be good.
SCREENING SKEDS:
Robinsons Movieworld Cinema 2 = 12:45 PM | 3:10 PM | 5:35 PM | 8:00 PM
SM Iloilo Cinema 7 = 1:00 PM | 3:40 PM | 6:20 PM | 9:00 PM
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Savaged
A deaf woman named Zoe was abducted and brutally raped by several rednecks. Once they're finished they bury her and leave her for dead, only for an elderly Native American man to bring her back through a ritual. However the resurrection ceremony also brought back the ghost of an Apache warrior that was killed by an ancestor of one of the rednecks that raped Zoe and desires nothing more than to seek his own revenge by using Zoe's body to murder her rapists. This 2013 horror movie is quite underrated and was highly praised among horror critics. Since it's an old film, you can probably find a copy of it online.
Snap Impression: I'm sure it's a good movie worth the ticket, but you can get this on DVD and "other internet sources"
SCREENING SKEDS: SM Iloilo Cinema 1 = 6:20 PM | 9:00 PM
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Evil Within The Red House
A young woman who has just inherited a remote house in the woods invites her friends along for a vacation as she checks out the place. But their recreation is soon interrupted by torture, madness and murder. The Red House is written and directed by Gregory Avellone.
SCREENING SKEDS: SM Iloilo Cinema 6 = 6:30 PM | 9:00 PM
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The Bag Man
Jack is a tough guy with chronic bad luck but human touches. Dragna, a legendary crime boss, hires him to complete a simple but unusual task. But his task gets complicated when he crosses paths with a woman named Rivka. The Bag Man is directed by David Grovic and stars John Cusack, Crispin Glover, Dominic Purcell, and Robert De Niro.
Snap Impression: The stellar cast and the crime noir theme interests me, but all the negative reviews and the fact that this movie is already out on DVD makes me wanna just save my centavos and search for this on "other sources" instead.
SCREENING SKEDS: SM Iloilo Cinema 1 = 1:00 PM | 3:40 PM
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[hit the jump to continue to the movies on extended run, and the FDCP Cinematheque movies]