HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! From Solar Pictures Inc. (SPI). We’re giving you FREE access to some extraordinary, independently-produced films which you may have missed during its theatrical run or limited festival screenings. Or maybe you simply wish to watch them again. ENJOY a limited Mother’s day weekend access FROM MAY 8-10 using our promo code SPIonVOD.
Just choose any of the titles shown below, CLICK THE TITLE of your choice, and apply the PROMO CODE, BEGINNING MAY 8. Make sure you have a Vimeo account to get FREE ACCESS. (Promo available only in The Philippine territory)
Films
Bambanti (Scarecrow) – Philippines
The search for a missing watch instigates the painful quest for the truth in Belyn’s and her son’s life. “Nang mapagbintangan ang anak ni Belyn sa pagnanakaw ng isang gintong relo, mapipilitan siyang baliin ang katotohanan upang protektahan ang anak at buong pamilya laban sa mapangmatang makapangyarihan. Sa paghahanap ng katotohanan, magiging tampulan siya ng diskriminasyon, lalayuan at iiwasan ng mga tao para bang isang buhay na bambanti sa lipunan.”
Begin Again
Gretta (Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.
Comet
Solar Pictures
Justin Long and Emmy Rossum are star-crossed lovers whose relationship blooms and unravels over the course of six years in this mysterious, dazzlingly original romance. When a chance encounter brings together the cynical Dell (Long) and the quick-witted Kimberly (Rossum), the stage is set for a tempestuous love affair that unfolds like a puzzle. As the film zigzags back and forth in time-from a meteor shower in LA, to an encounter in a Paris hotel room, to a fateful phone call-an unforgettable portrait of a relationship emerges. Sumptuously shot and boasting incredible chemistry between the leads, Comet is a one-of-a-kind cosmic love story.
Lagarista (The Film Biker)
In the era of 35mm prints, long before the advent of dcp drives and digital theaters, Gregory (Piolo Pascual) bikes his way through the streets of Manila and transports film reels from one theater to another giving extra service to its patrons. He lives with his grandfather (Koko Trinidad) whose dementia worries Gregory, but whose stories on local movie, being friends with famous Philippine actors Rogelio dela Rosa, Carmen Rosales, Leopoldo Salcedo, and other film stars, fill him with inspiration. Piolo Pascual’s first big cinema break was the title role in Lagarista where he received his first Gawad Urian nomination (Best Actor). Lagarista was also exhibited in the Toronto, Pusan and Hongkong film festivals.
Enemy
Academy Award Nominee Jake Gyllenhaal reteams with his PRISONERS director, Academy Award Nominee Denis Villeneuve, in this sexy and hypnotically surreal psychological thriller that breathes new life into the doppleganger tradition. Adam Bell (Gyllenhaal) is a glum, disheveled history professor, who seems disinterested even in his beautiful girlfriend, Mary (Laurent). Watching a movie on the recommendation of a colleague, Adam spots his double, a bit-part actor named Anthony Clair, and decides to track him down. The identical men meet and their lives become bizarrely and irrevocably intertwined. Gyllenhaal is transfixing as both Adam and Anthony, provoking empathy as well as disapproval while embodying two distinct personas. With masterfully controlled attention to detail, Villeneuve takes us on an enigmatic and gripping journey through a world that is both familiar and strange – and hard to shake off long after its final, unnerving image. ENEMY, adapted from Nobel Prize-winning author José Saramago’s 2004 novel The Double, is about the power of the subconscious. In the end, only one man can survive.
The Surprise
Academy® Award winning director, Mike van Diem returns to the big screen with an off-beat, charming and romantic comedy, THE SURPRISE. Multimillionaire Jacob (Jeroen van Koningsbrugge) falls in love for the first time in his life with the beautiful Anne (Georgina Verbaan). For the first time ever, life seems great for them. Unfortunately, they both just signed an agreement with a company that will end their lives in a surprising way. Trouble ensues when they wish to get out of the contract.
Relative Happiness
Plus–sized and 30 years old, LEXIE IVY is a feisty bed & breakfast owner who desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. In small town Nova Scotia, that’s no easy task, especially when the most eligible bachelor is JOSS, the rough handyman fixing her roof. When ADRIAN, a handsome and charming guest, arrives and seems to take an interest in Lexie, she thinks all her problems are solved. But she misreads the situation and is soon reeling, believing her romantic dream has slipped away, maybe forever. Lexie then needs to open her heart and eyes to see that love may be a lot closer than she thought.
Imbisibol (Invisible) – Philippines
IMBISIBOL presents a narrative of daily challenges faced by Filipino migrant workers in Japan during a period when thousands of undocumented workers and overstayers were being deported in response to strict Japanese laws. It follows the lives of four Filipinos – Linda, Benjie, Manuel and Rodel – who, amidst their individual struggles, are suddenly caught together in an even more complex game of hide and seek where staying invisible is the only way to survive. As threats of arrest and deportation looms closer and everyone’s future becomes at stake, friendships are tested; loyalties are questioned; and values are eroded.
No One Lives
A ruthless criminal gang takes a young couple hostage and goes to ground in an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. When the captive girl is killed, the tables are unexpectedly turned. The gang finds themselves outsmarted by an urbane and seasoned killer determined to ensure that no one lives.
Zoom
A multi-dimensional interface between a comic book artist, a novelist, and a film director. Each lives in a separate reality but authors a story about one of the others.
Sex Ed
“Sex Ed” follows Eddie (Haley Joel Osment) as he lands his first teaching gig at an inner-city middle school, where he learns that his highly pubescent pupils are receiving no form of sexual education. Eddie isn’t exactly equipped to teach them — he’s a virgin. And he’s falling in love with Pilar (Lorenza Izzo), the older sister of one of his students. If he’s going to score, Eddie will have to go off the lesson plan.
Plastic
Hustle. Heist. Repeat. High octane from start to finish, PLASTIC is based on the incredible true story of a heist of one of Beverly Hills’ top jewelry merchants.
Swap
A young father is torn between solving a crime and committing another crime when one day his only son is kidnapped and the criminals demand him to steal another kid in exchange for the life of his son.
The Bride
THE BRIDE tells the story of a small town girl named Nastya. Newly married, her husband Vanya drives her to his hometown to meet his family. Upon their arrival Nastya feels she made a wrong decision: surrounded by uncanny people and eerie photos all around the house. Soon, Ivan disappears while his family prepares Nastya for a mysterious traditional Russian wedding ceremony. She struggles to calm herself down hoping all of this will end and that they will live happily ever after. If only if she can stay alive …
The Girl King
THE GIRL KING is the story of Sweden’s Queen Kristina, an enigmatic young woman who defied convention, challenged tradition and changed the course of history. Torn between reason and passion; between her female body and being raised as a prince; between the ancient and modern worlds and between the brilliance of her educated mind and the terror of the emotions she could not understand.
The Green Inferno
From acclaimed horror director, Eli Roth, THE GREEN INFERNO follows a group of student activists who travel from New York City to the Amazon to save the rainforest. However, once they arrive in this vast green landscape, they soon discover that they are not alone … and that no good deed goes unpunished.
Operator
What’s you emergency? When a veteran 911 call center Operator’s daughter is held hostage, she’s left desperate with no choice but to follow a caller’s rules; send messages through dispatch for police and fire units to scatter to remote destinations where they are met with chaos; cars crashes, explosions, and gunfire. Not knowing who or why, the one thing the operator knows is if she fails to secretly collaborate with one of the police—her ex-husband—she’ll be the sole person responsible for facilitating the biggest crime of the century. Now she must race the clock to make the choice of her life: save the city or save her daughter.
Rigor Mortis (Geung see)
A washed-up actor, desperate and suicidal, moves into a haunted apartment building where supernatural creatures, ghost hunters, taoist exorcists, and the souls of the undead walk among his neighbors.
Wapakman
Wapakman is a comedy movie about a simple janitor-father (Manny Pacquiao) who strives to make sure his five children are well provided for, while his wife works abroad. In an unfortunate accident, he is infused with a mysterious chemical which gives him super powers. With his very generous heart and compassionate spirit for others, he must now balance between the responsibilities of a good father and being the savior of their community from the menacing evil that lies ahead. Celebrating its 10th year of release, WAPAKMAN is now available on VOD!..
Best. Partee. Ever. (Philippines)
Mikey – a young, discreet gay man from the affluent class, spends five years in a city jail while hearing his case for drug pushing. Inside prison, Mikey holds back to adapt to the culture and stratification among inmates. Eventually, Mikey becomes a ‘mayor’ (ring leader) to a group of gay inmates called Gang-da. Together they thrive to survive the dangers of several gang riots, the mundane, and decay of human dignity. NOTE: This VOD is available only in the Philippines.
