Dado is the typical Filipino migrant worker who chose to leave his wife and kid in the Philippines to earn more money overseas. He works in a factory and sends money back to his family back home. Even though he works hard for his family back home, the loneliness in a foreign land got to him and has a relationship with Anna (Meryll Soriano) who works as a domestic helper in Taiwan.

Manuel is Dado’s hopeless romantic co-worker. Unlike Dado, he doesn’t have any financial obligation back home. He uses their free day, which is Sunday, to chase after girls and his newest target is Celia (Alessandra de Rossi) the bargirl.

One Sunday Dado and Manuel found an abandoned red sofa and they decided to take it back to their dorm. Pinoy Sunday began as a peek into the life of Filipino workers in Taiwan but turned into a dumb buddy movie.

The red sofa represents the hardships that the two friends experienced in the foreign land. Pinoy Sunday showed that true friends will stay with you no matter what happens. I just didn’t like the way the story played out. There are some scenarios that are too absurd. I can’t believe that the two guys are that stupid.

Bayani Agbayani and Epy Quizon are good and their on-screen chemistry is credible. But don’t expect it to be a laugh out loud movie. It is best to watch Pinoy Sunday with a friend. At least the two of you can distract each other when the movie becomes tedious to watch.

The movie In My Life is about the changes in the life of Shirley Templo (Vilma Santos). She felt miserable with her life in the Philippines that she thought she can start a new one in the United States and live with her son Mark (Luis Manzano).

Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain

Shirley had a hard time adjusting in the foreign land. Now this part is kind of sketchy for me. She’s a librarian and yet she can’t speak straight English. How did she qualify to be a librarian in the first place? If every public school personnel are like Shirley, then no wonder the Philippine educational system is deteriorating.

All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall

When Shirley arrived in the States, she met her son’s boyfriend Noel (John Lloyd Cruz). She didn’t like Noel at first but she accepted him as the movie progressed only to have a confrontation with him in the end. I’ll elaborate on this later.

Some are dead and some are living
In my life I’ve love them all

Star Cinema must think that for a drama to be good, someone must die. In In My Life, the designated dead person is Mark. He has cancer and the film led the viewers to think that he’ll die from it. But lo and behold he survived it but then he was hit by a speeding van. That’s the end of Mark’s story. It was in Mark’s wake when Noel confronted Shirley about being too selfish and only thinking about herself.

Overall In My Life has its moments but the only thing people remember about it is the John Lloyd/Luis kiss. It’s a simple love story made complicated by a mother’s love.

*In My Life lyrics by Lennon and McCartney.

Petrang Kabayo is about a boy (young Peter played by Makisig Morales) who’s maltreated by his father Poldo (John Arcilla) because he’s gay. One day he decided to run away and met Biday (Eugene Domingo), who adopted him as her own.

Peter grew up (now played by Vice Ganda) to be a meanie. He abuses the people and even the horses in Biday’s ranch. This made Diobayo (Eagle Riggs) put a curse on him. Every time he mistreats anyone, he will turn into a horse. The curse can only be broken when he is kissed on the lips by a man who loves him unconditionally. The unlucky guy who caught Peter’s eye is Erickson (Luis Manzano).

Now where do I start? Aside from the typical fairy tale as its plot, Petrang Kabayo suffered from technical errors. Post-editing of the movie felt like it was done by amateurs. It felt like I was watching a camera rip of the movie. People who paid to watch this movie is ripped off.

I don’t want to disrespect people who find Vice Ganda to be funny but I just don’t find rumor in his brand of comedy. His sarcastic one-liners are funny at first but to make a movie based on that alone can be tedious. Plus slapstick routines are stale.

One thing I learned from the movie is that horses also have feelings and I don’t want to hurt Vice Ganda’s by listing the other things I hated about Petrang Kabayo. Race day in Santa Ana Park or San Lazaro Leisure Park is more entertaining than this movie.

Hating Kapatid is about two sisters, Rica (Judy Ann Santos) and Cecil (Sarah Geronimo). Their parents had to go abroad to work and left them in the care of their grandmother Gerty (Gina Pareno). At a very young age, Rica took the responsibility to be both father and mother for Cecil. She even sacrificed her personal life and left her boyfriend Bong (JC de Vera) so that she can focus on tending for Cecil.

When Cecil graduated from college, their parents decided that it’s the right time to come back home. Now instead of being happy it, Rica was angry at their parents for returning and can’t accept that she has to share Cecil to anyone else. Then there’s the goofy Luis Manzano playing Cecil’s boyfriend. Rica can’t have one and Cecil shouldn’t have a love-life as well.

Hating Kapatid was tolerable and at times funny, especially when Vice Ganda delivers her one-liners but overall it lacked substance. It felt cheap with all the product placements throughout the movie. The producer must have made a killing with the product endorsements featured in the movie. I know that Hating Kapatid did well in the Philippine box office and it’s probably due to the large fan base of both stars.

The Philippine movie industry is dying and Hating Kapatid is a prime example of why it is in that state for the longest time. It had all the potentials. Maybe I enjoyed it more if it was done by a different director and with less product placements. If I’ve known from the start I’ll see a lot of endorsements in this movie then I should have turned on the TV and watched CFs instead.

Apollo (John Lloyd Cruz) and Irene (Toni Gonzaga) were the sweetest couple around and everyone thought that they’ll be together forever. But when it’s time for them to say I do, Pol turned into a runaway groom and since then they haven’t seen each other.

Three years later they met again but Irene told Pol she can’t remember him because she has amnesia. Now Pol wants to make amends and try to win her back the second time around. With that synopsis you can’t blame me for coming out with my first conclusion about this movie.

My Amnesia Girl surprised me and at the same time renewed my faith on the Philippine movie industry. The local scene needs more of the likes of Director Cathy Garcia-Molina and writer Jade Castro to come up with fresh movies such as this.

Apollo (John Lloyd Cruz): Para kang tae… Hindi kase kita mapaglaruan. (You a piece of crap… I could never play with you.)

What I like about My Amnesia Girl is that it is funny without trying too hard. It’s not the typical Filipino slapstick movie unlike the ones that were recently featured at the 2010 Metro Manila Film Fest. My Amnesia Girl incorporated cheesy and sometimes sleazy pickup lines in the dialogues but it wouldn’t make you cringe when they’re delivered by Pol and Irene.

The chemistry between John Lloyd Cruz and Toni Gonzaga was perfect. They were believable and their innate sense of humor is projected into each scene. Director Molina really knows how to make a good romantic comedy. I bet she can direct one in her sleep.

But what made My Amnesia Girl into the most remarkable movie in 2010 is its minor characters. Pol’s friends, played by Carlos Agassi, Ketchup Eusebio, Joross Gamboa, and J.M. De Guzman provided a lot of laughs in the movie. They acted like a real barkada* who goof around and provided more laughter to the movie audience. Beatriz Saw played Toni’s friend and business partner and the sole eyecandy for me in this movie. Well Angel Locsin had a cameo as Pol’s ex-girlfriend but it was too short. Other actresses who had cameos as Pol’s ex-girlfriend are Kaye Abad, Jodi Sta Maria, and Denise Laurel.

My Amnesia Girl is the only Filipino movie I included in my Top 10 movies of 2010 and it deserves to be in it. One thing that I didn’t like about it is the twist in the end where Pol had an accident and got amnesia just when we all thought that things are turning out good for the couple. But overall My Amnesia Boy, I mean My Amnesia Girl is a wonderful, feel-good movie. It’s one of the best romantic comedies I’ve seen recently.

*Barkada is a Filipino word that means, in simple terms, a group of friends. I chose to use the word barkada because I can’t find an exact translation of it in English. It is not just a group of friends because to us Filipinos, a barkada is as close as you can get to a second family. It is a support group that will be there for you through thick or thin.

Till death do us part is what Lara (Bea Alonzo) and Oliver (Derek Ramsay) promised during their wedding and after only five months into it, Oliver died due to an aneurysm. Thus the end of a fairytale love story. Lara is left trying to cope with the loss of a love one and saving her pre-school. To save the school that Oliver built for her, she had to lease out her condo unit. Chris (Sam Milby) ended up renting her place. As fate would have it, he recently lost his loved one as well.

Meeting someone else after the love of your life dies is a heavy concept but And I Love You So was lightened up with a couple of cheesy scenes. The movie managed to show that there comes a time when we have to let go of people or things, even those that can make us happy.

It might look like the ending would be tragic, especially when Lara found out that Oliver’s wife (played by Maricar Reyes) is very much alive and that they’re just going through a divorce. But this is Star Cinema and that means that it will have a feel-good ending. Yes, that’s how predictable these things are.

And I Love You So has a good combination of humor and heavy drama. This is due to the fine performances by the casts and the good script given to them. It was cheesy and predictable but was entertaining nevertheless. Good movie to waste your time on.

The two main actresses of BFF are superstars in their own right in my country and their team-up has been hyped by the local media.  The producers have a surefire moneymaker in their hands that they didn’t care about making a decent movie.

Sharon Cuneta is Honey, the wife of Tim (John Estrada) and a mother of three kids.  She’s too busy with the children that she ignored her husband’s needs as well as her own.  This is the reason why Tim went for the much sexier Frances (Ai-Ai de las Alas), a single mom with a daughter (Empress Schuck).  Then by chance the two women met at the gym and they became BFF, without knowing that they’re sharing the same man as well.

I’m not a fan of Ai-Ai’s comedy and BFF proved once again that she can’t deliver a decent joke.  There was nothing new to be seen in this movie.  It’s just a rehash of old jokes inserted within the movie to achieve the desired runtime.  In a sentence the movie is about the BFFs and Tim, found out that they love the same man, got into a fight, Tim dies, and reconciled with each other in the end.

I guess the production company banked on the two actresses for BFF’s box office success.  With the movie they spent for the talent fee, they could have paid for a well-written script or two.  Well maybe the masses deserved this movie and the surprise cameo of Gabby Concepcion in the end. I tried to like BFF, I really did but I can’t.

This movie is a sequel of A Very Special Love. But I found You Changed My Life a lot cheesier than the first one. Miggy and Laida churn out cheesy lines one after another. Filipinos are really romantic and this movie is the epitome of it. Even when personal problems get in the way, they managed to work things out. Miggy chose to be better and Laida chose to stay by her man.

You Changed My Life is the best romantic comedy I’ve seen this year. It’s a type of movie that makes you want to fall in love again. There were two things in the movie that I could relate to. One is how Mackoy (Rayver Cruz) felt about Laida, his childhood love. He was Laida’s best friend but they lost contact since their high school graduation. What Laida dosen’t know is that he secretly loves her. When Mackoy saw that she really loves Miggy, he let her go. There are times in our lives when we should just let go and move on.

Then there’s Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski. I adore her. I’m one of her biggest fans and it’s good to see her in a movie once again. Although her part in You Changed My Life is short, she shown that acting is still in her system. Hopefully we get to see her act more.

You Changed My Life is quite entertaining. After watching it, you’ll see rainbows and butterflies fluttering around. In these times of high oil prices and swine flu pandemic, movies like this can help cheer up the mood somehow.

Be Persistent

Migo continued his courtship even if Arah already said no. Sometimes persistence works as seen in Love Me Again but sometimes in can lead to a totally different result. Arah could have viewed Migo as an annoyance and ignored his perseverance.

Don’t Be Afraid to be Cheesy

Invent a romantic gesture just like what Migo did and you might win back the one who got away. Piolo Pascual’s performance was below par and effortless that I still wonder why Arah find him to be adorable. The kissing of his hand and throwing it to Arah is a cheesy act that I’ve seen in a couple of TV shows, movies and even cartoons. Couldn’t the writers think of something else? Anyway, romantics can think of a lot more ways to be cheesy with their loved one.

Long Distance Relationship is a Mistake

A long distance relationship doesn’t work no matter how much both parties want it to work. In the case of Arah and Migo, one party simply didn’t show interest anymore and the other party was caught in a situation that can’t be avoided. In a LDR, trust is a big issue and one simple mistake can lead to goodbye.

Love Me Again is a movie that’s made to cater to the Piolo and Angel fans. It showed the beauty of Bukidnon and its cowboy culture and at the same time, the hardships Overseas Filipino Workers must endure just to be able to send some money to their families back at home. If you’re not a fan of either of the two stars then skip this one.

*Spoiler*
The ending is too obvious. Migo and Arah got back together.

Some might say that My Only U is full of Tagalog movie clichés and I won’t deny it. It doesn’t bring anything new in the table but what else is there that hasn’t been made yet. The movie has a lot of funny and kilig moments that would make it the best date movie of the year. Yup I’m taking back what I’ve said about A Very Special Love. My Only U is definitely better in my book.

There’s just one thing I don’t like about the movie. It translated Adam Sandler’s cheesy Grow Old with You into Tagalog. I have nothing against the Tagalized versions that’s popular these days but they ruined one of my favorite songs of all time.

Aside from that, I have nothing bad to say about My Only U. It’s a feel good movie that I recommend for the whole family. Rakenrol!

*Spoiler*
Turns out that Winona was misdiagnosed by the testing center but Bong has a critical disease. They still got the happy ever after ending they wanted when they both died in a car accident.