Watch Feng Shui For Free

How sad is this?

Good concept, poorly executed.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

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*

This movie has a nice plot and the cast turn in nice performances. And I was glad that the central haunting figure wasn't some girl with long hair covering her face. The ending could've been a little better, though.Kris Aquino loses her trademark facial expressions and distracting shrill voice. A nice improvement, but she comes off a little wooden. More impressive are the supporting actors. Jay Manalo as Aquino's husband is his usual reliable self. Lotlot de Leon delivers a particularly notable turn as Aquino's ill-fated best friend. Ilonah Jean is subtle but effective as their card-reader friend and the child actors show depth at their young age.

Philippine cinema is looking good these days. During the release of 'Feng Shui' it was apparent that almost everybody wanted to see it, just because local critics and movie-goers were already saying 'it was that good' –and YES is was really. Honestly it's the first time in years that I have truly enjoyed watching a local horror film, and a quality Filipino film for that matter.'Feng Shui' was really able to please its audience. Story-wise I could say it was pretty original, and since it shows Filipinos' undeniable fascination and belief in 'swerte', it was brilliant for the story's writers to come up with one that revolves around whatelse –'Feng Shui'. It is the story of a middle-age woman, Joy (Kris Aquino) and her battle against the supernatural cycle of luck and bad luck. She has just moved into a new house with her family, as she was hopeful for a new beginning, and a refreshing start to go with their new home, she unexpectedly faces, true enough –something new, something she could never expect .On her way home one day, as she was taking the bus ride, a man left a certain small package on his seat, she picks it up to return it to the said owner. Unable to find the man she decided to bring it home with her – a 'bagua' mirror, an item that is placed over the door of one's house, and is believed to drive away bad luck to the people inside the home. True enough, she began to receive good fortune and anything favorable for herself and for her family. But along with those came the unexplained events that disturb her, her friends, and most especially the people she loves.After watching 'Feng Shui' and from hearing other people's opinion of the movie, I concluded –'may nanood naman (ng Filipino movies) basta maganda ang pagkakagawa'. Ganun kasimple, what we need are quality movies that bear good scripts and story lines. Sobrang important din syempre audio and visuals. I get frustrated at watching a movie with a poor film quality (most Filipino movies are like that sadly), yung tipong sa kalabuan ng picture, nahihirapan ka nang mag concentrate sa story. At sa sobrang labo ng audio Hindi mo na sila maintindihan (at bwisit na dubbings yan). I believe one factor that makes other Asian movies (especially Korean films) more enjoyable to watch is the picture quality of the movies they make. It's actually the first thing that I notice after I hit the play button –I have to enjoy the visuals first, since it adds life to what you are watching.I hear nowadays they have started using the HD technology in film-making ('Santa Santita' to be the first local film to use HD). And I'm sure marami pang ibang movies that will bear much improvement in the coming years. Actually I'm pretty excited with how the Philippine movie industry will be like 2 or 4 years later. I've never really been proud of Philippine movies, but slowly I am beginning to appreciate it as it starts to gain its improvement. Sana.. tuloy-tuloy na 'to!

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