buybust

Review: Erik Matti’s BUYBUST Pays With Intriguing Relevance… And Lots Of Bodies!

One of the most delightful things anyone might hear upon learning of a film like Erik Matti’s new crime opera, BuyBust is who will star. I didn’t know who Anne Curtis was until XYZ’s own Todd Brown broke the news at ScreenAnarchy on top of other updates regarding training of the cast, as well as the director’s own subsequent passionate testimonials on Facebook, and I have to say, in wake of its 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this film has done an incredible job selling itself. The reviews and residual reactions stemming from its festival run and recent release in The Philippines have been mostly positive, that is, apart a few articles I’ve come across that have been critical in nature. It surprised me a little, though it wasn’t necessarily unexpected, varying opinions and so on and so forth. Indeed, BuyBust, a milestone production for a market that has […]

BUYBUST Gets An Action-Packed Official U.S. Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Alrighty, time to fulfill that trailer addiction for you cats, and for this, we now turn to the official trailer for Erik Matti’s new crime thriller, BuyBust. Having taken the summer film festival scene by storm, you needn’t look far to find some appealing reviews for the new movie which is clearly setting a new benchmark for Filipino action film productions – this one with action sequences courtesy of Sonny Sison who has been on a mission for several years to date to bring local talents front and center. After surviving the slaughter of her entire squad in a drug raid compromised by dirty cops, anti-narcotics special operative Nina Manigan (Anne Curtis), is eager to go head-to-head with the drug cartels that hold a bloody grip on Manila. But when her new mission in the city’s most dangerous slum goes south, the angry civilians turn on her squad. Trapped between […]

BUYBUST: Erik Matti Teases ‘A Zombie Film Without Zombies’, And I’m Totally Cool With That Description

Lee B. Golden III

It’s only a matter of time before reviews and social media reactions toward Erik Matti’s riveting new crime thriller, BuyBust, take hold of netizens. What’s also been worth noting is its partial social commentary regarding the current execution-style war on drugs in the country which other sites have knowledgably pointed out. Bearing that in mind, Matti took that conversation a step further on Sunday with respect to the action and violence overall, welcoming the final official trailer above with a constructive, albeit slightly jocular bookend. Indeed, clearly there’s going to be some seriously R-rated content and so he’s decided to inteject with something much more foreboding, painting BuyBust as something a little bit more cautionary. This may be a true story. This can all happen to us. We all talk in social media about killing but we’ve never really felt what it’s like being in the midst of it? We […]

Erik Matti’s BUYBUST Brandishes New U.S. Poster Art

Lee B. Golden III

Fans are less than a month between now and the first week and a half of August between moviegoers in The Philippines and North America awaiting the theatrical release of Erik Matti’s new crime thriller, BuyBust. There are already a plethora of trailers running out and about and so I’m not entirely sure if there will be another going forward. Alas, Well Go USA has its own teaser trailer running as well as its own teaser poster for that matter, but they’ve since upped the ante a bit in the wake of Reality and Viva’s own main artwork now running online ahead of an August 1 release overseas. U.S. and Canada will get dibs starting on August 10 and for that, we have ourselves some brand new poster art to show off. After surviving the slaughter of her entire squad in a drug raid compromised by dirty cops, anti-narcotics special […]

Erik Matti’s Cast Is Armed And Ready In The New BUYBUST Poster

Lee B. Golden III

Erik Matti’s new action crime thriller, BuyBust, has already ramped up a swathe of hype for action fans around the world – a good thing considering the nominal man power and grueling effort documented for a film of this caliber in a market that has been stagnant to prolifically produce these kinds of films for sometime now. Indeed, BuyBust hails as one heck of a turning point; Already prone to forthcoming reviews following premieres at festivals around the world, including in Montreal and in New York City, the film is set to finally live on its premiere with an August 1 date – just shy of what would have been its premiere six months ago. And for this, a brand, and fabulous new domestic poster is now here. After surviving the slaughter of her entire squad in a drug raid compromised by dirty cops, anti-narcotics special operative Nina Manigan (Anne […]

BUYBUST: Don’t Miss The Official U.S. Teaser Trailer For Erik Matti’s Roaring Crime Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

I’ve about exhausted myself a bit on all these trailers, though it’s important that we now get a U.S. trailer for upcoming Filipino action import, BUYBUST. Well Go USA is lending this one a theatrical release set for August 10 with Anne Curtis starring. After surviving the slaughter of her entire squad in a drug raid compromised by dirty cops, anti-narcotics special operative Nina Manigan (Anne Curtis), is eager to go head-to-head with the drug cartels that hold a bloody grip on Manila. But when her new mission in the city’s most dangerous slum goes south, the angry civilians turn on her squad. Trapped between a brutal drug gang and hordes of bloodthirsty citizens, their only option is to fight their way out, turning one claustrophobic street at a time into a symphony of apocalyptic violence. Catch the trailer now!

BUYBUST Pays Its Way With A Glorious Red-Band International Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Director Erik Matti still has quite the variety of ideas in place for future projects. In the meantime, the summer film festival scene is where it’s at for folks keen on catching wind of his latest, BuyBust, which has all but shown itself to be a beacon for action cinema in the Philippines. Matti will be making appearances this season as well, along with several of his films including BuyBust which will premiere at Fantasia in Montreal on July 18. The film stars Anne Curtis and Brandon Vera in what’s been noted as one of the most daring and strenuous film productions by far, and if festival programmer Éric Boisvert’s summary is any hint, perhaps we now have a new female action star to look toward for more movies to come: Nina Manigan is a rookie police officer, assigned to an elite anti-narcotics squad. Her team is selected to escort […]

Erik Matti’s NYAFF-Selected BUYBUST Opens In The U.S. And Canada On August 10

Lee B. Golden III

CORRECTED: Acclaimed filmmaker Erik Matti is positioning himself to direct a superhero film in the months ahead. Until then and with the current development of a sequel for his celebrated 2014 crime pic, On The Job, expect to hear more from Matti in the coming weeks while on the road promoting his hotly-anticipated action thriller, BuyBust, following its release date pushback from February in the Philippines. BuyBust will instead have a summer outing in festivals, as well as select theaters with Well Go USA informing us directly that the film will open in select U.S. and Canadian theaters on August 10 (a correction issued following a Facebook post from Matti suggesting initally the film would open on August 15). The August 10 release will succeed from its World Premiere during the 17th annual New York Asian Film Festival which lasts from June 29 through July 15 as one of two Matti pics getting […]

EFM 2018: Well Go USA Nabs BUYBUST For A 2018 Theatrical Release

Lee B. Golden III

Well Go USA continues to prove itself to be a Mecca for genre speciality in Asian cinema for North America. The latest in point hails from breaking news from The Hollywood Reporter with word on the distributor’s acquisition of Erik Matti’s BuyBust, which opens theatrically in the Philippines pending a new release date to be announced. The On The Job and Honor Thy Father helmer directs from his own story scripted by Anton Santamaria in which Australian actress Anne Curtis plays the rookie member of an elite anti-drug narc squad forced to fight its way out of Manila’s most dangerous slum following a poorly-planned buy-bust. The film also stars MMA champion Brandon Vera, with Joross Gamboa, Mara Lopez, Nonie Buencamino, AJ Muhlach and Victor Neri rounding out the cast with stuntman and fight choreographer Sonny Sison (Broken Path, Nilalang) designating the brutal fight scenery, partly sampled in a proof-of-concept action sequence featuring Curtis last […]

Erik Matti’s BUYBUST Unleashes A Riotous New Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

The past year or so have proven hopeful and lively with Erik Matti’s latest, BuyBust. Recent weeks have finally begun revealing footage to show fans just a teeny bit of what they’re in for – this, along with a proof-of-concept filmed prior to the actual production to showcase lead actress Anne Curtis in film fighting form after months of heavy-handed pekiti-tirsia kali training. Now readying an official local release stamped for February 28 after wrapping, VIVA Films and Reality Entertainment are stepping up their campaign with a fresh new trailer this week introducing the dark and murky slums our anti-drug enforcement unit members are forced to fight their way out of after a raid gone awry. Curtis is joined by Filipino-American championship MMA fighter Brandon Vera as seen in newly released footage that goes straight for the jugular. Also starring are Victor Neri, Nonie Buencamino, and Joross Gamboa among the […]

BUYBUST: Anne Curtis Reinvents The Standard In A Newly-Released Proof-Of-Concept

Lee B. Golden III

Heralded director Erik Matti’s newest crime thriller, BuyBust, is easily one of the most anticipated movies of 2018. The film itself has notably become a point of hype for aspirations toward change and progress for Filipino action cinema, such is what stunt director Sonny Sison had been pushing for in his own proliferation in the region for sometime now. Signaling this is a proof-of-concept he assembled with leading lady Anne Curtis who principally stars in the film opening next month. The footage below was reportedly filmed before production began last year as a nod to what was possible and as it stands, hails with some pretty grand potential with Matti attributing much of it to Curtis’s own dedication as well. “This is nowhere near what we have done for the movie in terms of the difficulty and scale of what our actors have to go through.” says Matti in a […]

BUYBUST: Erik Matti’s Explosive New Action Thriller Storms Online With A First Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

Director Erik Matti’s latest crime thriller, BuyBust, has been nothing short of stirring. Indeed the hype is real for the celebrated helmer of hit crime thriller, On The Job, as well as Honor Thy Father and Kubot, and no less in the wake of pivoting away from screening at the Metro Manila Film Festival this year… Thus, ensuing a slightly longer wait but one that bodes with promise as evidently seen in the first official teaser from Viva Films and Reality Entertainment. Anne Curtis and champion MMA fighter Brandon Vera lead the cast for the story centered two squads cornered amid a drug bust gone deadly with remaining squad members and civilians trapped in enemy sights. With reason to suspect certain film reps might nab this one for international rights (don’t take my word for it just yet), I’m inclined to believe this particular title will hit pretty big on […]

BUYBUST: Anne Curtis Gets Magazine Cover Debut For Erik Matti’s New Martial Arts Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

The slow trickle of content now underway for Erik Matti’s newest thriller, BuyBust, has offered us a first look at Filipino/American actress Anne Curtis who leads the new movie. Not much of anything is known publicly about the film save for the overall tone and treatment of the enduring two-year project and Matti spoke much of the matter on it on Thursday in a lengthy social media post. Accompanied therein is an official featurette highlighting Matti’s testimony, and though far from a trailer, it offers plenty to hold near and dear for the promise it brings. This now leads us to local Filipino publication Rogue Magazine and one of their newest covers featuring Curtis in appropriate action movie leading-lady mode if the tagline has anything to show for it. Check it out below and be sure to click here for the featurette!