Ricardo Lee Movies

Following up Lino Brocka's raw, confronting Macho Dancers and Midnight Dancers about exploited gay prostitutes in Manila, director Mel Chionglo continues where the now deceased master of Filipino cinema left off. Harry (Rodel Velayo) was born in Olongapo near the former site of America's largest military base in Southeast Asia. His abusive American father pimped out his mother and eventually young Harry, as well. With his best friend James, he runs away and goes to Manila, where he eventually finds work bumping and grinding in the city's gay clubs. Filled with anger, he seeks out his father, who murdered his mom, only to discover him decrepit, impoverished, and dying of AIDS. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

This United States/Philippine co-production examines how the real-life closing of the U.S. naval base at Subic Bay profoundly effected both the local Filipino community and the Americans who had served there. As the base's operations slowly wind down and naval manpower begins to dwindle, Commander Hamilton (Wolfgang Bodison) relies on three Navy SEALs to help keep the base secure. William Hawk (John Haymes Newton), a longtime soldier nearing the end of a tour of duty, is involved with Lisa Velasquez (Nannette Medved), a representative of the Mayor's office in nearby Olongapo City. Lisa has to deal with the economic crisis that the base's closing will doubtlessly bring to her community, as well as her own personal problems brought on by William's imminent departure and the strained relationship of her mother Anna (Daria Ramirez) and stepfather Ed (James Brolin). Paul Bladon (Alexis Arquette), another SEAL with the Subic Bay base, is the son of a U.S. Senator (Michael York), who will be visiting Subic Bay for the base's closing ceremonies. Sen. Bladon is bringing along Paul's girlfriend Angela (Maureen Flannigan), though Paul has fallen in love with Emma (Alma Concepcion), a former prostitute who now plans to marry Paul. The third SEAL, John Stryzack (Corin Nemec), is furious over what he sees as America's betrayal of its responsibilities in the Philippines; he winds up behind bars after a violent incident, but he plans to escape to assassinate Sen. Bladon, whom he believes is responsible for the closing of the base. Rae Dawn Chong also appears as a U.S. military investigator. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In 1995, a Filipino maid was executed in Singapore for killing a young co-worker. This true-life drama from the Philippines tells her story. Flor Contemplacion, like many impoverished people, thought she might have a shot at a better life if she worked abroad as a domestic and so took her four much-loved children to Singapore to take a maid's job. Unlike many other servants, Flor was well-treated by her employers. In March 1995, she was suddenly arrested and charged with killing a maid and the little boy the maid was caring for. Unfortunately, all evidence points to Flor's innocence. After her hanging, the tale behind the tragedy is revealed. The filmmakers pull no punches in their scathing examination of her patriarchal culture and of the incompetence of the Philippine justice system that failed to protect her. They also examine the effects of Flor's absence upon her family. Her husband, unable to stand the wait, begins an affair and then forces the two oldest girls to marry. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Manila, in the Philippines, has a thriving and lively gay subculture which is strongly influenced by the pervasive poverty of the islands. In this story, three brothers from the island of Cebu work in that world as sibak, sometimes referred to as "macho dancers," but better described as hustlers, or male prostitutes.They have a variety of ways of reacting to their profession: the oldest (only 21) juggles relationships with his wife and his male lover, the youngest, Sonny, has a transvestite lover. Dennis, the middle brother, likes the wild scene of pick-ups, and hasn't settled in with anybody. The colorful gay world of Manila livens up the almost documentary-style rendering of the daily lives of these men and their families, and the story comes to a sudden, dramatic conclusion. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Cecilia (Gina Alajar) is an actress from the Philippines who for 13 years has lived in New York City. She meets photojournalist Steve (Edward Swan) when he is assigned to do a magazine article on Filipinos who reside in New York. After Cecilia receives word that her dissident ex-husband Buddy has been killed by military police, Steve accompanies her to the Philippines to search for her missing daughter Layla. The feature accurately captures the political transition of the oppressive regime of Ferdinand Marcos to the government led by Cory Aquino, whose soldiers were responsible for Buddy's death. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

The premise of this melodrama -- a young woman falls in love with a married man, and they eventually try to live together -- may be tame for Western audiences, but director Ishmael Bernal made this film for the Philippines, where divorce is forbidden at this time. Marilou (Vilma Sanders works as a guide in a Planetarium and has an on-going affair with Emil (Christopher de Leon) that neither her family nor friends can condone -- Emil is married and has two sons. But when his wife leaves him, Emil and Marilou move in together, and that is when the problems start. She tries to make everything work out perfectly, and Emil, in turn, shows an arrogance that was quite hidden before. Given society's disapproval of their arrangement in the bargain, their future together hardly seems bright. Ishmael Bernal was one of the most prolific directors in Philippine film history, he died in 1996 after making more than 50 films.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Bloodshed and bouncing bosoms abound in this wretchedly violent and nearly pornographic horror film from the Phillipines. The story is set within a tiny village located near an idyllic nude beach where beautiful young women play. Poor local boy Joseph is terribly aroused and becomes obsessed with having his teacher, a virgin. This does not set well with Joseph's lover, an older widow. Joseph meets his end after he is blamed for butchering a classmate. Joseph's teacher and one of her friends are in turn blamed for cutting off the lad's head and burned alive. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

One atrocity after another, as well as screaming, yelling, and crying, catapults this exploitation film into a level of excess that kills off the story itself. When a young man gets married and brings his wife home to meet his family, her resemblance to his dead mother is so strong that it causes a violent reaction -- especially in his father. In a fit of emotion, he tries to rape his daughter-in-law, an act which enrages his son so much that he cuts his father's head off. That murder precipitates other tragedies and killings, all in gory detail. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Ellis (Christopher de León) and Lorens (Phillip Salvador) are two quarreling brothers set to inherit their large ranch one day from an overbearing mother. The older brother Ellis is an errant womanizer who long ago turned his back on schooling -- and whose main pursuit in life is incidentally fathering the offspring that result from his seductions of various housemaids, while remaining married to his wife. His younger brother is also married, but he is not of the same profligate temperament, and he certainly does not share his brother's streak of cowardice. Events conspire to get each brother involved in local gangs, and if they continue on their collision course, their future may be much shorter than their mother's. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Using the springboard of a true story, scriptwriter Ricardo Lee has fashioned three versions of a murder based on the accounts of the supposed killer, a woman named Salome (Gina Alajar). In her first account, she is seen running away from the crime holding a bloody knife in her hands, and tells the police she has killed the victim Jimmy because he tried to rape her - a married woman (apparently compounding the offense since it is also against the husband). In the next version, she tells her defense attorney she had to kill her lover because he would not break off with her. In spite of all the circumstantial evidence, Salome is never convicted - and her husband then tells a third version of the murder to the town fool, Macario. Soon both Salome and her husband are forced out of town, putting them in desperate straits because they have no one to turn to and nowhere to go for shelter. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi