Villa Estrella

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05/29/2010 Villa Estrella is caught between two worlds. On one hand, there’s a decent story here, one with a couple of satisfying twists and decent characterization. On the other hand, there’s a studio that has its own goals and a steady, long-running formula for achieving them. Taken together, the result is a film that’s pretty good by its own right, but one that could’ve been a lot tighter and better cast. Villa Estrella is an effective little horror movie, but it’s not as good as it could’ve been. Anna (Shaina Magdayao) is struggling to deal with several issues in her life: her abusive drunkard father, her relationship with her secret boyfriend, and the bad dreams that keep her awake at night. Her father tells her to go on a trip with Alex (Jake Cuenca), a family friend and her ex. Alex hopes to reconcile with her on the trip, but Anna isn’t having any of it. They end up spending the night at an old family resort that Alex is renovating. But it turns out that the resort has a bloody past, and vengeful spirits roam the halls, seeking a way to return from the afterlife. As a buried memory returns, Anna finds herself at the center of all the conflict. The story isn’t as tight as it could be, though it certainly has its strengths. The credits reveal four very capable writers behind the script, and the collaborative aspect of this story is pretty evident. There are subplots thrown in that don’t really add much to the overall arc. For example, Anna’s secret boyfriend could’ve been cut completely from the film without really affecting the total outcome. That entire character feels more like a studio compromise more than anything else, a role written in for one of its stars. Otherwise, the narrative is pretty clever, throwing in a couple of strong twists and turns that really give the movie punch. Some of the situations are pretty contrived, and the whole thing could’ve been ten minutes shorter, but it’s quite effective overall. Some clever filmmaking helps as well. The horror is pretty well directed, leaning more on atmosphere than jump scares and special effects. The movie uses computer effects sparingly, which might be just a function of budget, but it’s a welcome change nonetheless. The editing could still be better, with a couple of sequences either lacking coverage or just plain cut weirdly. Shaina Magdayao is turning out to be a pretty good actress, though she might be too quick to pull out the tears. It’s a problem that many studio stars have, using tears as crutch in place of finding the real emotion. Still, she’s a compelling presence, and she keeps things together well enough. Maja Salvador also has chops, and her talent is pretty evident. The weak links in the film are the two male leads. Both Jake Cuenca and Geoff Eigenmann give pretty wooden performances. The real star of this picture is film legend Ronnie Lazaro, who steals every single scene he’s in. Honestly, I could watch that man do anything. Even watching him eat fettuccine is terribly entertaining. Villa Estrella is a pretty decent horror flick, especially for a mainstream release. It’s still held back a bit by obvious studio interference; with roles and scenes shoehorned in to the detriment of the film, but as a whole, the good outweighs the bad. The involvement of several independent voices in this production is promising at the very least, and maybe someday, our studios can move away from their aging practices and let stories take the fore yet again. See more 01/13/2010 I've seen this Movie on the big screen July last year. Well, I am not really fond of watching Filipino movies but since its a movie from Star Cinema, I decided to check the movie. The movie has a decent plot but I do not consider it original for it was somehow patterned to the Skeleton Key (a Jennifer Hudson starred Horror/ Thriller flick on 2005). For me, the movie was a bit disappointing. It could have been better if they made it a bit more simpler and convincing. At first, I liked Maja Salvador's acting for she was effective on her portrayal, but when she appeared as monster like sea creature with super powers like a gruesome slimy Alien, the movie began to suck. Like come on, its acceptable to see Maja as a ghost hunting on the pool but I wonder why she has to have that power that's so unbelievable. I believe the Director did it for he wanted to make a good twist and to create more thrills. But I guess he failed and made the movie a bit ridiculous. If I'm gonna rate it on the scale 1-10, I'm gonna give a 5 for it. See more 10/16/2009 i love it! maja salvador is so good in any kind of movie... i like the thrill, ..... See more 10/03/2009 For me T2 is better and scarier than this one.. See more 07/17/2009 The movie, for me, wasn't really scary. In fact the only time when I got scared was when my seatmate screamed. The story, I think, was good enough, but not wonderful enough to leave an imprint forever. The twist where the girl wasn't really who everybody thought she was was great, though. The rest pretty much passed by. Well, at least for me. See more 07/14/2009 waaaa....i'm a little dissapointed:(......la lng... See more Read all reviews

Villa Estrella

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