I know they've rebranded to VMX, but for one last time, I'll use their old name.
In the year of our lord 2024, there have been a total of 86 original film releases on the Vivamax streaming service in one form or another. Those 86 films include advanced PPV releases. That means Piem Acero's Teacher's Pet, which was released on PPV weeks before its Jan 2025 normal release date and Ivan Payawal's six Ideafirst-VMX collabs are included. Countdown films like Climax are not counted, because they are just compilations of sexy scenes. 56 of those releases were above an hour in duration, which from now on I will call "full length" films. 30 of those releases are 40-59 minutes in length, which I will call mid-length releases. These mid-length films evolved over the year; eventually, they grew longer and longer until they hovered around an hour in length, give or take a few minutes.
I have watched every single one of those eighty six films. Here's what I think of one year of Vivamax.
Familiar Tropes and Other Miscellany
1) girls girling girling theit way out of toxic men - whether it be two women escaping from men in Takas, or two mistresses finding each other amidst toxic relationships in Kabitan, or a journalist and her subject seeking freedom in Halinghing, I suppose this is Vivamax's attempt at women empowerment stories, but the film is still male gaze-centered erotica so there's a bit of a clash between form and content here. Points for trying I guess, but genuine sex positive stories like what we see in Kitty K7 are sadly still extremely rare.
2) online gambling ads - around the middle of the year I noticed that certain Vivamax films, especially those that are shorter, were being sponsored by something called Playtime. You may also have noticed that Playtime was a prominent sponsor of the recently concluded MMFF 2024 awards, even contributing hefty amounts of money as cash prizes. Playtime's only one of several online gambling mobile apps in the Philippines (and Vivamax also displays ads for those other apps) but it is by far one of the most pervasive on the platform. That's because for the films Playtime sponsors, there is an actual diegetic ad for the game inside the film itself. It always has a cutaway to the game, it always happens after a sex scene (and sometimes between two) and they always, always win. For example, in one sequence in Sigrid Polon's Undergrads, one character has a very vivid fantasy sequence where she fantasizes having sex with her crush and best friend. She snaps out of it and eventually one of them plays an online gambling app, trying to promote the film to her friend as if she has a stake in the company. She wins; none of the Vivamax characters ever lose playing this game. In Bobby Bonifacio Jr's Ungol, one character plays said online gambling app while his bestie and occasional FUBU is doing some solo play in the adjacent room. The film intercuts between the two of them, making it look as if our lady is getting off to the sound of her friend playing online gambling. I cannot glean intent but I hope they were being deliberate here because this is hilarious.
3) Crazy sex scenes - sex scenes in Vivamax are pretty rote, but sometimes things can get really wild. As a form adjacent to porn, the slightest action (even a slipped hand) can trigger a sex scene. A poor hotel worker is dragged into an orgy in Cita for delivering water, while one character in Rita seems to be experimenting with every sex position he can think of, twisting and turning like an unnatural homunculus. People in Vivamax films have sex literally anywhere: in the back of an ambulance (ewww), inside a car, propped up on a ledge in a stairwell (dangerous) and (in the case of Silip) on the stairs of a stairwell, even though there's a perfectly functional, open room right next to them.
4) Horny Dadaist Art - Then there are the crazy non-sex related scenes on Vivamax, which are more numerous than you think. Some Vivamax films have crazy twists, such as the ending of Pin/Ya or the ending of Forbidden Desire. Forbidden Desire in particular has a twist so diabolical, so wicked, that it wouldn't be out of place in something like Death Note. Some endings, like Palipat-lipat, Papalit-Palit or Sisid Marino have copious levels of violence, while others, like the cartoonishly evil villain of Daddysitter getting his comeuppance, or the weird shibari-adjacent ending of Backrider, are merely cathartic. Some endings, like the macho dancing-in-purgatory ending to Mapanukso, while thematically appropriate to the film in question are quite a choice, one of the choices of all time.
Directors and Crew to Watch Out For
I think out of all the Vivamax directors that have made films in 2024, Bobby Bonifacio Jr. is the one who has consistently tried to refine his art. The man has made a whopping nine films this year, eight of them on the Vivamax service. Among all directors (not just Vivamax directors, ALL local directors), he is one of the most prolific Filipino directors working today. And his output, while varied in quality, has some of the best Vivamax output for the year.
Sid Pascua made less films than Bonifacio (four as compared to Bonifacio's nine), but there's something about his films, albeit overall flawed, that appeal to me.
Not a Vivamax director, but props to Che Espiritu (of Pan de Salawal fame) for her DP work on a number of these films. Her work on Undergrads looks so dreamy and lush sometimes that it looks like something out of an art film.
Actors and Actresses to look out for
I am generally piqued whenever an actor or actress has a bit of creative involvement in a film, and for Vivamax, this is Ataska's year. Her songs in Uhaw prove that she's a very talented singer, and performances in Sweet Release and cameo appearances in non Vivamax movies (I think it was Elevator?) prove that this young lady has crossover appeal.
Rica Gonzales has had a pretty great year. This lady has range. From a seductive vixen in Silip, to an innocent, almost naive enigma in Hiraya, to a repressed young woman in Undergrads, she's had some of the most interesting roles among her fellow Vivamax actors and actresses.
Aerol Carmelo makes a great villain, so I enjoyed his villainous turn in Backrider, but I also appreciated his small but substantial role as a nice dude in Throuple. He's kind of like a buffer Daniel Padilla in some scenes. lol.
Ali Asistio's only been in two Vivamax films this year, one being the horrendous Pantasya ni Tami, but his performance in Pintor at Paraluman more than makes up for it. Also as an aside, him with old age makeup looks almost exactly like the bad old age makeup in one of the Lupang Hinirang MVs. You know, the one where he greets his now graduate daughter. I wonder if they had the same makeup artist.
Ghion Espinosa/Ghion Layug only has a handful of credits to his name, but he gets a special mention here because of his performance in Ungol, where he makes the cringiest, most ridiculous sex sounds ever. This is of course deliberate.
The same goes to Alessandra Cruz, whose only 2024 credits are Nurse Abi and Kabitan, but managed to make such an impression on me. I think I have a crush lol. That screen presence is something else.
Not Necessarily the Best, But I had Fun
I suppose this is something of an honorable mentions list. Shoutout to the campy, enjoyable fun of geriatric sex in Daddysitter, the gentle coming-of-age of Maharot, the slice of life aspects of Butas that make it feel like a film from the digital era of Philippine Cinema (Cinemalaya 2006 anyone??) The concepts of Kaskasero (which would have been 1000x better if we saw actual racing in the racing movie), the fun character dynamics in Mahal ko ang Mahal Mo, or the almost wholesome academic competitiveness of Top 1.
10 Favorite Vivamax Films of 2024
10. Eks (various directors) - Eks is one of two films on here that deal with our various reactions to the creation of art, in that we create it from pain, we put all of what we are into it, and some of us inevitably fall into the pitfall of commodified 'art' as content.
6. Pretty Boys (dir. Ivan Payawal) - one of six mid length films Ivan Payawal made for the platform, Pretty Boys is simply refreshing fun. Nothing too deep, but very entertaining - something that I can see in the cinema, even with its sex scenes.
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Hope you enjoyed that list. This will also be included in the Philippine Cinema in Review Compilation coming later this month. Next up, hopefully, 2024 Philippine Cinema Favorites.
