Whoever said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery must have been very wise indeed. The movie Feng Shui is a very good example of an imitation that does not leave you disgusted and is actually a welcome change as far as Philippine cinema is concerned. To their credit, some Filipino filmmakers have already started creating quality movies long before this scream-or-whimper-in-fright flick. But Feng Shui does stand out for the sheer fact that it is something new and different in this part of Asia. A new "attack", so to speak.The movie starts with Joy (Kris Aquino) finding a bagua (however you spell it). According to the ancient feng shui practice of the Chinese, this traditional mirrored piece brings good luck to the owner and wards off evil. As she has no way of finding out where the owner is, she decides to keep it and hangs it at home.To her surprise, good luck starts to pour in. Quite overwhelming for a young mother in the middle of trying to start a new life with her family. So of course, she welcomes the wonderful changes. However, the opposite seems to happen around her. Bad luck comes to people she knows and loves. It is only a matter of time that Joy realizes that not all good things come for free.We have to thank the Japanese for coming up with Ringu, or The Ring (the original and Japanese version, not the Hollywood version). Its phenomenal success in the country paved the way for more Asian horror flicks to pervade Philipine shores. I did not at all foresee it, but the country finally came up with its on ghost story to tell in Asian-fashion.Part of the success of Feng Shui was the curiosity factor. Judging by the trailer alone, one was quick to guess it was done in the tradition of The Ring, The Grudge, etcetera (formulaic, if you ask me). Enough to make one curious how good or bad it would fare. The other parts, however, were due to how the move was done. Though it wasn't quite so scary for someone like me who somehow has the knack of anticipating shock moments most of the time, the movie sure scared the crap out of most movie-goers. It shocked, surprised, and gave people the chills using minimal special effects, make-up, and all of those technical and visual stuff.Story-wise, it was engaging and rather original, as far as Filipino films were concerned. I must say, though, that it tried a bit too hard. The birth years idea (if you've seen this, you'll understand) was too "forced" and unimportant, really. Stop it already, I wanted to scream. When they showed the gun-wielding,bulldog-tattooed husband (Noni Buencamino), that was the height of corny-ness. I mean, c'mon, stop trying to be too Chinese! It just wasn't working.Good acting from the cast, that's a big plus. Until the movie Mano Po came along, Aquino's acting was the butt of jokes because, well, did you see her act before? I mean, did you? This time around, after the success of the said movie that earned for her an award, she proved that she can now act. I wouldn't go as far as to predict another award for her, certainly not. That is, unless other movies pale in comparison, maybe.Great acting from Jay Manalo, Ilonah Jean, and most especially Lotlot De Leon. Had De Leon not returned into the limelight, we would not have known she could act almost just as good as her mom, Nora Aunor. While the story did not really scare me, her panic scenes really did it for me. I kept muttering, "Stop it! Please, stop all that screaming, he'll kill you!!!" Sorry for the spoiler, folks, but it was obvious, anyway. For me, at least. It was like knowing what was going to happen and all you could do was sit and watch somebody get killed in front of you.All in all, I liked Feng Shui. If not for the corny idea aforementioned, I could have given it five stars. But such major plot flaws should not go unnoticed. But hey, if it's any consolation, this still comes down as a quality and highly recommended Filipino flick in my book.*Oct. 19, 2004*

Plot: Joy (Kris Aquino) takes a Pagua (a form of Chinese charm) home after finding it in a bus (left by another passenger). She finds out that the Pagua can help make her family's fortune turn positive... but everything has a price.(Originally written September 16, 2004) A few weeks ago, I've been telling my friend about how "Feng Shui" was going to be a crappy movie. If you don't know what Feng Shui is, well, that's a supernatural belief of the Chinese on luck that is linked to many things, like a person's birthday, the time of birth, and so on. It is somewhat a mix of fortune telling and luck bringing. There's a recently released horror movie titled Feng Shui, directed by Chito Rono, who, if I remember correctly, looks like an Asian version of Quentin Tarantino.Chito claimed that the movie can compete against other Asian horror movies, but I really felt that it would be another campy horror flick like Shake, Rattle and Roll, or even Regal Shocker. Why did I think like that? It's because of the quality of movies that the movie industry keeps churning out every month or so. They're so bad that you'd stop wondering why nobody's watching their films, except for those "romantic" ones that everybody (the masses) seems to love, just because there's the word "love" somewhere slapped within the film. People these days... Now that you know why I tend to reject local films, let's proceed as to what I was expecting with the movie Feng Shui:1. Crappy cinematography. 2. Crappy music. 3. Crappy story. 4. Typical loud sounds followed by a "BOO!" event. 5. Crappy make-up for the ghosts. 6. Short and rushed movie. 7. Ending that suggests a possible sequel. 8. No real resolution, typical plot twist at the end. 9. Psychic powers (because low budget pinoy films use psychic powers often... what you can't see, you don't need a budget for!). 10. Senseless story progression. 11. The little children's song in the advertisement would be used in a strange way in the film. Hey, people get creeped out by kids singing a morbid song right?After watching the movie, I was left with some questions...1. Why did the other people who didn't look into the Pagua's mirror die, when it was said that only those who looked into it would die? 2. Why is it that your animal year had something to do with your death by curse? 3. Why is it that whenever the Pagua claims a victim, the spirit of the person becomes an evil ghost who just loves to scare people?Anyway, the film was able to amuse me. The opening sequence was beautifully made, you could say they actually spent some time planning it, and not just shooting randomly. The theme music was quite generic in my opinion. It's comprised of various screeching sounds suddenly ending with "BLAGUNG!!!" effects. The theme was also used all throughout the film, making it really tiring, as its only purpose was to set up the "BOO!" sequences. I still think that it's a huge leap from your typical pinoy "AWOOO!" horror music.Acting was very good from all the cast members, and there wasn't any moment of amateurish effort. Kris Aquino has notably improved from her past movies. She used to do mostly comedies without much "getting into it" requirements. I think ever since she got more serious roles, she just got better each time. Everyone else did their jobs just right.The make-up is actually good! It didn't look like your outdated slap-on-make-up-blood-on-lips methods of days gone by. Still, they could go for better quality with better effects.I liked the story, or at least, most of it. The start was good, the middle part was effective in gearing up the audience to expect more in the climax, BUT the climax was CRAPPY! With the way the movie was going, you'd expect the climax to be a haunt-a-thon from all the ghosts, as well as the Chinese ghost. I don't know why they decided that the story should end with Kris breaking that Bagua in broad daylight, and then being surprised by a dead family get together. If there's ONE disease that ALL HORROR FILMS should eradicate, it's the SEQUEL SET-UP ENDING. I just don't feel satisfied with films that end this way.Well, I almost ate my words, except for the three expected faults I found: Typical "BOO!" Set-up, Sequel Set-up Ending, and No Real Resolution.

This is one of the funniest movies for 2004. Watch how Kris Aquino acts, its really funny. I could not help but laugh out loud, she just can't act. Anything she does is really funny. The concept of the story is good but they should have used proved actors and actresses. Ms. Aquino should stick with comedy coz anything she does is comedic. If you want good horror movies stick with Japanese horror which will really frighten you out of your wits. I had great hopes with this movie after hearing several good comments about it but was utterly disappointed when I saw it. There was never a moment when it became scary and Ms. Aquino did not help one bit. The other stars were OK especially the husband of Dina who acted well even if it was a short appearance. He was able to deliver a strong performance in their confrontation so much better than Ms. Aquino. I really felt he was a frustrated husband who was left by his wife. Compared to him, Ms. Aquino looked weak in her performance. If you want a good horror movie stay away from this. If you want to watch a comedy I highly recommend it.My rating: For best horror -5 out of 5For best comedy 5 out of 5

If you categorize this movie with other Filipino horror flicks, "Feng Shui" will definitely stand out. It's one of the few Filipino horror movies that succeeds to gratify viewers. It is really true to its promise - It is really scary! I didn't expect the enthralling experience this movie gave me. I walked into the cinema thinking that it would be another horror flick taken from cached concepts. I was actually wrong. This is an initial take in terms of the Filipino cinema.I would also have to commend the outstanding sound and film editing of this film. It's apparently excellent.Although it wouldn't be very easy to brand this film as "the best Filipino horror flick ever", I would have to say this is one of the best. It totally surpassed my expectations and it made me establish a positive inclination towards the Filipino cinema. It showed me that the Filipino cinema has something excellent to offer. Filipino movies like this can actually blend with outstanding movies abroad."Feng Shui" is an enjoyable Filipino horror movie. It deserves all its raves from the mainstream audiences and critics alike.