Noel Vera
@noelvera
I write on films, for Businessworld and my blog Critic After Dark criticafterdark@blogspot.com. Defiantly liberal. NO DMS PLEASE
Relaunching in Cinemalaya: The Quiet Man, the films of Mario O'Hara. Aug. 11 at 5.30 am. Cinema 3, Red Carpet Cinema, Shangri La Plaza To be introduced by writer-director Denise O'Hara (Mamang), and longtime O'Hara collaborator, writer-director Frank Rivera And I'll be there too, in a way...
One of Emily Wilson's complaints about the Christopher Nolan Odyssey is that for an epic stuffed to the gills with delicious meals the adaptation shows such "horrible food" and I agree (Link to my article in the comments)
You know you want it you know you need it! My thoughts on Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey: Got no problem with Lupita Nyong'o's Helen/Clytemnestra or Elliot Page's Sinon. I do have problems with Matt Damon as Odysseus. (Link to the article in the comments)
When Trump attends the Correspondent's Dinner and bombs harder than Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined
In preparation for Christopher Nolan's Troy (2026), my thoughts on Wolfgang Petersen's Thud and Blundering version (Link to article in the comments)
I know I know you've seen them on my timeline before and you're going to see them on my timeline every single time I get the chance to eat them-- lakatan bananas, arguably the best bananas in the world
Lanzones-- lansium domesticum-- are ovoid fruits the shape size texture of baby potatoes. The flesh is translucent and spit-in-your eye juicy, a cross between grape and pomelo, with a maddeningly subtle flavor that is unmistakably its own.
On the heels of LGBTQ month my thoughts on Adrian Chiarella's horror LEVITICUS (2026) "Year is only about halfway done and I'll say it: Adrian Chiarella's Leviticus is the best horror of the year." (Link to the article in the comments)
Paalam, Tony (1948-2026) I know him as the raconteur who dished the juiciest gossip on Filipino and Asian filmmakers and invited me as juror for the 2009 Vancouver Festival. Paalam again sir, and you weren't just brilliant, you were brilliant to be with.
Phantom faces at the window Phantom shadows on the floor Empty chairs at empty tables Where my friends will meet no more.
Fourteen years gone. Thoughts on one of his (and Nora's) finest films "Mario O'Hara's CONDEMNED (1984) crackles with the energy of the damned stabbing and shrieking and fornicating and, well, not giving a damn." (Link to complete article in the comments)
Will Bryan: Altman's 'Popeye' is 65% brilliant 35% something else I can't put my finger on it. Me: The 65% I admire, the 35% I adore (Link to my article in the comments)
Thoughts on the latest Spielberg: "Spielberg starts the film off at fifty miles an hour, opening on a tense confrontation. Kellner makes off with the bagful of McGuffins and the girl." (Link to article in the comments)
SAW LEVITICUS AND THOUGHT it was excellent and the gore was the least horrifying moment here
Ninoy had a moral compass that held him steady for most of his brief life. Cayetano is more like a propeller.
Thoughts on Anthony Maras' Pressure (2026) "-- based on a 2014 play by David Haig-- answers a question no one thought to ask before: can a riveting thriller be made out of weathermen?" (Link to complete article in the comments)
No wonder he walked out of that interview-- he probably shat in his Depends when Pressed
Thoughts on this little horror that could: "First to come to mind are the mindscapes Stanley Kubrick -- the mansion in Eyes Wide Shut; the urban ruins in Full Metal Jacket; above all the Overlook in The Shining with its infinite corridors" (Link to article in the comments)
Paalam Marjane Satrapi (1969-2026) -- taught your book and film in class once and we all learned so much from it.
We want a filmmaker, dammit. Ti West, or S Craig Zahler -- hell even Wes Anderson might be interesting #anyonebutsnyder
Paalam to the woman who saved Star Wars, Marcia Lucas (1945-2026) Star Wars was the least of her achievements-- I mean, she also helped shape Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and Taxi Driver, and gave American Graffiti much of its heart.
Thoughts on Boots Riley's I LOVE BOOSTERS Boots Riley's I Love Boosters is a truckload of fun. Gang of shoplifters prey on a chain of fashion stores owned by ultrarich Christie Smith (Demi Moore): high-style hijinks ensue. (link to article in comments)
O hey, someone read the book! "In the lengthier essays that make up most of the book, it’s that voice that stands out and makes The Quiet Man so enjoyable to read. In fact, I can’t name another book on Filipino cinema that’s more fun." (Link to article in comments)
My thoughts on Curry Barker's new horror "Curry Barker Obsession (2025) is basically W.W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw," and "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp" meet Fatal Attraction and Misery" (Link to complete article in comments below)
For Memorial Day, thoughts on Paul WS Anderson 's Soldier "The wittiest conceit in Soldier is that each trained-from-birth bred-in-the-bone infantryman is literally a item in a collector’s set." (Link to the full article in the comments below)
Thoughts on Netflix's Lord of the Flies: I remember reading William Golding's novel as a teen and having nightmares about running through the jungle chased by boys waving sticks sharpened at both ends. (Link to complete article in the comments)