Majorthebys Charming and brutal

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

ClosetedDramaQueen What was that film where two people meet, then they fall in love, but they had to break up and then there's this dramatic monologue that is just begging to be quoted? I think it's named after a song. Yeah, I know it's made by Star Cinema but which one? Oh, that's right: ALL OF THEM.It's no secret that the studio just produces the same movie with different characters, yet we just eat it up. To my surprise, however, I actually like this one.I'm glad that with "The Mistress" the studio realized that a couple doesn't necessarily have to end up together and I am pleased that they went with the same ending for Starting Over Again. Like I said, I think all Star Cinema films are suspiciously similar, so I see this film as an answer. An answer to the question: what would've happened in Popoy didn't come back for Basha?It's impossible to watch this film without remembering One More Chance, but despite that, they do have their differences. While Stating Over Again might lack the drama and charm of John Lloyd Cruz, it gets extra points for being realistic.I'm sure there's no such thing as LetterLater, but I'll let that slip for the "explanation" and ending alone. Let's face it, no one rooted for Maja and JL in OMC. In this one you'd actually find yourself siding with Iza and kinda hating Toni a little.So yes, it does seem realistic and it even gives you the feels, but then they decide to stage an accident for the leading ladies. Seriously, it could've been a car crash or a fire but nooo...let's knock them out with wooden planks. I know my suggestions are cliché but that scene was just ridiculous. It's sad that it came right after a scene where you could easily get carried away with the drama. But my mom and our help still got all teary in the confrontation scene so I guess it wasn't that bad. Kinda ruined the movie for me, though. Still, I'd take this over mindless comedies any day of the week.

Richmond Sim First of all, I would like to express my warmest sycophantic remarks to all the people behind this movie for making it big and for breaching 400 million gross.Movie producers around the country just love to tag their romantic films as not the typical one; but in the end, the audience feel disgruntled with its tacky plot and character development. However, I can safely say that Star Cinema did not lie to the public when they said that "Starting Over Again" is not your typical love story. It went beyond my expectations as a moviegoer in terms of its plot.Every sequence in the movie is something you wouldn't expect to happen. The strategies and literary techniques to make the viewers feel more and more engaged with the plot advances were so effective. The movie did a really great job for jumping away from the usual.However, there are also several negative fallouts for using too much of these cliffhangers. For one thing, the flashbacks that were used to clarify issues in the plot before the movie ended held back the momentum of the movie to build emotions from the audience. Instead of helping the movie achieve sentiments from the audience, the flashbacks did otherwise.On another side, the storyline ain't typical at all. It was refreshing to the eyes of the moviegoers to finally see something new for a Filipino romantic film. It is also noteworthy to keep in mind the fact that the pair-up of Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonazaga helped a lot in keeping away the clichés of love stories. It was soothing to see a new love team, far from being a mainstream. In fact, this I think is the secret weapon of the movie for making it big.In terms of technical aspects, the movie needs a lot of improvement, though. The motion picture photography is plainly not good enough. The camera pans were very plain and dull. The camera motion techniques were just minimal and repetitive. The filters for flashbacks were no different from the scenes supposedly shot from the present, making it difficult for the audience to realize if they are watching the present or the past.The musical scoring was nice. It builds the hype of the audience every now and then. This ain't surprising for a Filipino movie, however, because Filipinos are naturally inclined and talented when it comes to music. Other movie technicalities such as the scenery, sound effects, etc., are also nice.On this note, I'm proud to give the movie a grade of 7/10.

sameenshaws When my mother first coerced my family into watching the movie a few days after it was released, I was understandably hesitant. She had a very glowing response to the movie, to which I was rather intrigued, mostly due to the fact that my mother hardly ever says anything glowing about any Filipino movie. Most of the time, I have nothing particularly nice to say about most of them, either.I will be frank: the quality of romance movies produced in the Philippines borders on ridiculously cheesy and outright ridiculous, with most feature films of this genre being peppered with jokes from popular television shows and various other pop-culture references inserted only to entice the masses into watching. Usually, the only things carrying a Filipino romance film are a popular celebrity pair-up and a bunch of cheesy one-liners.I walked into the movie theatre, steeling myself for a barrage of unbearable jokes, pop culture references, and sub-par acting. I was, thankfully, only hit by the former two: after all, these things are inescapable in most films. But what surprised me the most were the performances of the two main leads: Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga, the latter of which is not known for her dramatic performances, being a TV host and model. Gonzaga delivers what is arguably the best performance of her career, playing Ginny, an college student who falls in love with a history professor at her college. Pascual plays Marco, said history professor. The director, Olivia Lamasan, does a great job directing the cast and crew, leading to beautiful cinematography, costumes, and wonderful performances from the actors, having audiences discover the hidden acting prowess of Gonzaga and Pascual. Supporting actors and actresses also have their moments, and almost all their performances are done very well. I won't post any spoilers, but the movie is a gripping story of heartbreak, love, and how time and circumstances can change everything, with a dash of slice-of-life humour. Starting Over Again will have you gripping the armrest of your chair as you giggle uncontrollably, and it will also have you sobbing relentlessly either into your sleeve or on the shoulder of whoever is nearest your sopping face. Yes, the movie has its cheesy moments. Yes, it does have some parts that'll make you go "what", but it definitely is worth giving a chance if you've fallen out of love with mainstream Filipino cinema.

Kristelle Linawan Valentine's is celebrated every February 14 but in Philippines, it is celebrated as soon as the month of February came. It is a month long celebration. As this month enters, a newly love-themed movie will enter the cinema stage. And for this year, 2014, it's STARTING OVER AGAIN turn.Now, Is this a must-have movie? Honestly, for me, I won't recommend it and label it as one but it doesn't mean it's awfully made. Toni Gonzaga and Piolo Pascual and even Iza Calzado were very good in this movie. But remarkably, Iza Calzado outshines Gonzaga's acting prowess. What makes this movie interesting and fun is Gonzaga's comical nature. She looked good with her character and as an acting partner of Piolo Pascual, but it didn't really fits her perfectly.I am quite picky with things and with this kind of film, the main female character must have an equal grip for drama and comedy. If the scene is drama they should make it 'drama' if it's comedy they should make it 'comedy', but with Gonzaga's striking humour, they won't make the foundation solid.Now, about the story, it is very amazing, strikingly amazing. Though, they didn't end up together in a happy ending kind of ending, they both ended up happy with their current partners. As for Ginny's(Toni) search for her 'forever' partner, it's quite funny how her previous on-screen partners like, Vhong Navarro and Luis Manzano, appeared in this movie. Also, what made the viewers feel chills, is when her real life's fiancée/boyfriend came into play and marked the story's ending.This film is entertaining and good. If you pay to watch this, you'll never regret it.