Movie review

By Dolly Anne Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer
September 8, 2014

A ‘B’ for ‘Gifted’

We gave Viva Films’ “The Gifted” a grade of B at the Cinema Evaluation Board. Anne Curtis and Cristine Reyes’ lines are powerful, “Facebook status” material. The transformations of Anne’s character from an obese nerd to a femme fatale, and Cristine’s character from a pimply geek to a drop-dead gorgeous teacher, are fine examples of women empowerment.

Director Chris Martinez talks about the movie:

Why should we watch “The Gifted”?

It’s a fun, wicked and sexy movie!

Share some interesting sidelights during the shoot.

It took us a long time to finish because all my actors are so in demand. They all have TV shows. I was able to finish two films between shoots. It was also a good thing that we didn’t rush and made sure it came out polished.

How did Anne adjust to the fat suit?

Anne had to endure five hours of prosthetics work. The prosthetics can only be worn for two hours since it will sag because of the sweat and heat. So we really had to act fast and plan the shots properly.

What are the strengths of Anne, Sam and Cristine as actors?

Anne has amazing chemistry with Sam. I have not seen their past movies so the first time I shot them in a scene together I told myself, “’Yun pala ang magic nila kapag magkasama.” Anne and Cristine naman, tried and tested na ’yan kasi I watched “No Other Woman” and saw how they ignited the screen when they’re in a scene together. Overall, I am thankful that I worked with the hottest, most cooperative actors today.