Cinemalaya: The Shinning
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This is the moment in the trailer that convinced us to watch The Diplomat Hotel. If only there were 30 more of these.
We had many chances to walk out of the Greenbelt 3 screening of The Diplomat Hotel, but every time we were about to leave, one of the characters would address us directly.
We’re not leaving until this is finished!
Ayyyyyyy a psychic horror movie! So we stayed in our seats, vibrating with suppressed giggles, and then the movie said exactly what we were thinking.
Why did you bring me here? I’ll kill you!
Verdict: If the intention of The Diplomat Hotel is to make the audience feel like they’re in The Diplomat Hotel, it has succeeded. We enjoyed it, though not in the way it was meant to be enjoyed.
Seriously, the movie looks incomplete unfinished. This version seems to have been cobbled together from available footage by an editor struggling valiantly to find two shots that matched. Gretchen Barretto is the best thing about it.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
July 30th, 2013 at 13:39
I actually have the opposite reaction regarding Gretchen. I thought that while she started off okay, she just went into OA histrionics towards the end. People in the GB3 audience were laughing at her when she started getting into hysterics.
“The Diplomat Hotel” had a strong start. It also had some gorgeous cinematography.
I think it started to fall apart in the middel to final act, and I agree it looks to be an editing issue more than it is a directing issue. The ending is “bitin,” and some of the plot threads were unclear. Also, the characters were doing the most stupid of things, but then I guess horror characters are predisposed to do this
I also would agree there is a “The Shining” influence here, as well as “Blair Witch.” The vandalized walls as well as the runny noses were such a dead give-away.
July 30th, 2013 at 13:43
* middle
July 30th, 2013 at 13:49
Also, the English subtitles weren’t always in sync with the dialogue. Sometimes, there were even subtitles for dialogue that wasn’t there. So it was distracting.
July 30th, 2013 at 14:46
allancarreon, the subtitles are multo! In text form.
Bitin, kasi hindi yata natapos. Iniwang nakabitin yung karakter ni Gretchen. Walang resolution, kaya sigaw na lang nang sigaw.
July 30th, 2013 at 20:16
Jessica: Found out today from a reliable source that you are indeed correct. They lacked footage, I was told, kaya parang hindi tapos at walang resolution.
*SPOILERS*
My favorite part was when Gretchen, hiding in plain sight in the corner, just kept shooting the footage while the cameraman and the cultist son were beating each other up (i.e. battle of the possessed). People were laughing by the time she decided to “help” after the cameraman was already down. I heard someone cry out, “Naisipan pang tumulong! Magshooting ka na lang!”
Maybe the director thought Gretchen’s range was best when it was three octaves higher than normal.
July 31st, 2013 at 05:17
I’m watching it tonight. Baka naidugtong na sa editing ang mga kulang na eksena. Haha, asa pa ako.