MMFF 2023: Ranking the Movies from Worst to Best

The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is set to conclude on Tuesday, January 14, and everyone is hoping that the entries will perform well at the box office.

However, it is no longer a secret that this year's edition — the golden one, no less — has been a disappointment, especially in terms of box office performance.

So, what went wrong? For one, the high admission prices are no longer affordable for the masses, who used to consider movies as the cheapest form of entertainment. And then, there’s Netflix and other forms of streaming services that are accessible to everyone.

Also, in spite of the claims of the MMFF people that they have a good batch of films this year, their 49th edition still offered better choices. There was the historical epic Gomburza, for instance. Even the horror entry in this ongoing filmfest, Espantaho, would come out pale as a ghost compared to last year’s Mallari.

Of course, there was the feel-good Rewind which earned close to 900 million pesos in 2023. All in all, last year’s festival grossed over a billion, while the current one has yet to reach P600 million as of this writing.

Even in terms of artistic value, it’s slim pickings this year for the filmfest. But then, there are still some entries worth watching.

Below, let us rank the MMFF movies — artistic-wise — from 10 (being the lousiest) to 1 (being the best):

10. Hold Me Close

— Based on a Korean drama, the story of this film goes to Japan, but gets lost there. It’s a movie by Jason Paul Laxamana, who is a reliable enough film director. 100 Tula Para Kay Stella is his best movie — and, hmm, his only commercially successful one.

His most recent work, Hold Me Close, however, is not only the lowest-ranking in terms of box office, but also the most artistically inferior among the entries in this soon-to-be-concluded film festival.

In the movie, the moneyed Carlo Aquino goes to Japan to sell ... squid?! Heck, it’s not even his own stall. It is owned by his soon to be inamorata Julia Barretto and her brothers.

Julia has the power to determine if a person is positive or negative through her sense of touch. It’s a very unreliable barometer — and a complicated one.

The explanation as to how this movie got into the filmfest is far simpler. Viva needed to field an entry — and so the company sent this one, hardly promoting it because, well, from all aspects, it’s a dud. Let’s just say Hold Me Close is a token entry. Low-budget and practically zero in terms of promo. It may fare better in Netflix.

9. Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital

— This horror film casts real-life celebrities as themselves. And so we have the likes of Enrique Gil, Jane de Leon, MJ Lastimosa, Alexa Miro, Rob Gomez and two social media personalities. Their goal is to hit three million views and they believe this is possible by flying to Taiwan where they plan to penetrate an abandoned hospital believed to be haunted.

They know their mission poses a lot of risks, since many have tried prior to them — with deathly consequences. But they proceed anyway. And so, we see an assembly of the most idiotic people this side of the continent. Seriously, are there people like that?

They know their mission poses a lot of risks, since many have tried prior to them — with deathly consequences. But they proceed anyway. And so, we see an assembly of the most idiotic people this side of the continent. Seriously, are there people like that?

In the hospital, we see how death befalls them. Do we care? No, we actually cheer because they deserve such fate.

The film has its good side though. It’s basically well-polished technically, particularly the sound design.

8. ... And The Breadwinner is

— Vice Ganda’s best filmfest entry is still 2019’s The Mall, the Merrier. The Breadwinner shows a different Vice Ganda though — as a dramatic actor. And he’s good.

While most parts of the film are funny, some 20 per cent is devoted to serious, annoying family drama. Some talents here also go to waste given their thankless roles: Gladys de Castro, Jhong Hilario, Malou de Guzman and, especially, Eugene Domingo, who comes in late — almost an afterthought — in the story.

Surprisingly, the ones who shine here are Maris Racal and Anthony Jennings, fresh from their December scandal. Of course, Vice Ganda is his usual funny and