Ouija!

After Yam Laranas, the other Filipino director I am personally rooting for is Topel Lee. I saw his short film Bruce around five years ago and have been expecting great things from him ever since. Too bad no one has uploaded that flick on youtube yet. Anyway, he did have a few hits and misses since then. Dilim, at least the version I saw, wasn't perfect but his short film, Yaya, in the omnibus Shake, Rattle and Roll 8 is just brillant!

Topel's films are very moody, very textured, like many films nowadays are expected to be but what makes it fun is he is able to insert a very Filipino humor into it. Sometimes silly but very, very well done and that exactly is my kind of film. I have a feeling he will develop a cult following around the world, if not necessarily with foreigners but with Filipinos worldwide. I do hope some other people get it, too.

Ouija seems very much on the right track to be his first great full-length Topel film. He will be making another short horror film on Christmas called Christmas Tree. Sounds good already. I think Ouija will make a lot of money in the box office here in the Philippines thus assuring him of a second and maybe even a third.

We believe in Topel! Mabuhay ka!

Trailer (You Tube)