Movies at Gmall cinemas this week

THIS week, Gaisano Mall Cinemas will house starting today (Wednesday) the Cinema Rehiyon 2011 which features regional independent-produced films. The five-day festival is free to the public, except for the last day (Sunday) screening of guest feature Amigo.

Also opening are the action-thriller Sanctum (in 3D only), actioner The Mechanic, drama-comedy romance Love & Other Drugs, and the romance-comedy My Valentine Girls.

Extended are comedy-horror Bulong, action-adventure Season of the Witch, horror The Rite, and animation-comedy Tangled.

Sanctum

The 3-D action-thriller follows a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. When a tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea. Master diver Frank McGuire has explored the South Pacific's Esa-ala Caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood, Frank and his team - including 17-year-old son Josh and financier Carl Hurley - are forced to radically alter plans. With dwindling supplies, the crew must navigate an underwater labyrinth to make it out. Soon, they are confronted with the unavoidable question: Can they survive, or will they be trapped forever?

The Mechanic

Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is a "mechanic" - an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. It's a job that requires professional perfection and total detachment, and Bishop is the best in the business. But when his mentor and close friend Harry (Donald Sutherland) is murdered, Bishop is anything but detached. His next assignment is self-imposed - he wants those responsible dead. His mission grows complicated when Harry's son Steve (Ben Foster) approaches him with the same vengeful goal and a determination to learn Bishop's trade. Bishop has always acted alone but he can't turn his back on Harry's son. A methodical hit man takes an impulsive student deep into his world and a deadly partnership is born. But while in pursuit of their ultimate mark, deceptions threaten to surface and those hired to fix problems become problems themselves.

Love and Other Drugs

Maggie (Anne Hathaway) is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone - or anything - tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal), whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love.

My Valentine Girl

Richard Gutierrez stars in this Valentine offering, divided into three romantic stories.

In "Soulmates," Richard dies in a vehicular accident that also involves Rhian Ramos, a fashion stylist. Richard, as a ghost, seeks Rhian's help so he can go back to his family. Eventually, they get closer to each other but what else can happen to them if Richard is already a ghost?

In "BBFF," Richard is a lawyer who decides to propose to his best friend Solenn Heussaff. But the girl prefers that they remain friends due to her beliefs and notions on friendships turning into romantic relationships. She then sets up Richard with Lovi Poe and the two hit it off. Will Solenn regret her match-making in the end? In the apocalyptic tale "Gunaw," Richrd and ace comedienne Eugene Domingo are the last remaining humans on Earth. Eugene convinces Richard that they have a mission to procreate because they are the only humans left after a worldwide disaster. Will Richard give in to Uge for the sake of humankind?

Cinema Rehiyon

More than 30 short and full-length films from various regions are in this year's edition of Cinema Rehiyon.

Except for Amigo (on its last day of festival), all the entries can be freely seen by movie-loving Davaoenos.

Aside from the Davao-made films screened during the Mindanao Film Festival 2010, films from Bacolod, Naga, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Samar, Baguio, Cebu are in the list.

Notable films include:

Sheika (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema 2010 winner) tackles the cycle of war and violence in Mindanao as told within the story of a single mother and her two sons.

Limbunan (2010 Venice Film Festival entry) follows the life of a young bride-to-be Moro as she is kept from public view prior to the wedding in her private quarters or limbunan.

Halaw (Best Picture, New Breed Category in the 2010 Cinemalaya) is about a group of illegal border crossers who are hoping to get past to Sabah.

Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (2010 CinemaOne Originals Jury Prize and Best musical score and Best Picture - Southeast Asian Category in the 12th Cinemanila Film Festival) recounts the day a mail-order bride leaves her poor coastal village for a life in Germany.

Mananabang (finalist in the Quisimbing Escandor Film Festival for Health) revolves around a mananabang (traditional birth attendant) who is prohibited in doing her practice by local health officials.

Other featured full length films include Ang Panagtagpo Sa Akong Mga Apohan, Ngilngig Stories, Ang Mundo Sa Panahon ng Bato and Baboy Irongbuang.

On the last day of the festival will be the Philippine-shot Hollywood production Amigo, a fictional story of the 1900 US invasion of the Philippines. Amgo is directed by Oscar-nominated John Sayles and stars Oscar-winner Chris Cooper.