Movie: Mano Po 3: My LoveMetro Manila Filmfest 2004 Entry

	Distributor:	Regal Films
	Release:	December 25, 2004
	Genre:	Drama
	MTRCB Rating:	G

With the first Mano Po movie becoming a commercial hit, Regal Films has made it a point to produce a Mano Po movie to enter into the yearly Metro Manila Film Festival. This is the third. The Mano Po movies are a collection of stories composite of the stories of the Filipino Chinese. The three movies are not related to each other in terms of story or characters.

This Year's Mano Po is the story of people whose lives and relationships changed when Martial Law cracked down on student activists, forcing some Filipino Chinese families to leave the country in order to be safe. It's about people wondering about what ifs, what could have beens, and what should bes. What lends it more flavor is the backdrop of Chinese culture determining what choices are available.

Movie: Enteng Kabisote ... Okay Ka Fairy Ko the LegendMetro Manila Filmfest 2004 Entry

	Distributor:	Octo Arts Films/M-Zet Films
	Release:	December 25, 2004
	Genre:	Comedy, Family, Fantasy
	MTRCB Rating:	GP

The opening was hip: a group is assaulted, gangster style, by some people whose fashion tastes border on punk - these aren't your ordinary humans either. The war between good and evil is brought to the streets. With this intro, one would expect a fast paced, action fantasy movie. That is not so. The rest of the movie see-saws between cool action and downright corny comedy.

It's been years since the "Okay Ka Fairy Ko" TV series has been cancelled, and this movie still looks like a TV show married to elements of a fantasy movie. But that's okay. The Kabisote family is fun to watch. The family scenes remind you of those evenings when you were still watching the series on TV. You can forgive the corny gags here - because Enteng's character has always been corny. I find it wonderful that G Toengi has managed to channel the spirit of Charito Solis in her portrayal of Reyna Magenta. It makes me chuckle that once more, G is playing a fairy queen - she is Encantadia's Ynang Reyna in the TV show Mulawin.

An Okay Ka Fairy Ko movie is not complete without a visit to the magical realm. This time, Faye is kidnapped by the bad guys and so her husband Enteng, and son Benok, must go to Engkantasya and rescue her. Perhaps the movie does not have the best special effects, but I find their fairy land passable. The quest is ofcourse dangerous; in addition, Benok must learn quickly how to act like the prince of Engkantasya, when all his young life he's been brought up like a normal, mortal, average joe like his father. Being a comedy, the action is also injected with funny scenes. The most ridiculous part of this quest is when the guys meet a gay superhero played by Joey de Leon. Hilarious scene - and the innuendos could have jeopardized the movie's GP rating. Fortunately, I think only the adults were able to catch on to those gags. The children were laughing at the slapstick during the banter.

As expected, Faye is rescued, and there is a celebration in the queen's castle. Benok is introduced to his grandmother's subjects - here is where I was disappointed. What follows is a parade of every extra who's in the TV lunchtime show Eat Bulaga, dressed as some kind of fairy or other mythical creature. The movie could live without that. It was more of a letdown because it happened at the END of the movie - so the bad taste stays with you even after you've left the movie house.

This is a children's movie, but it will be the adults who watched the TV series who will introduce their kids to the fun that is Okay Ka Fairy Ko. This will be another hit - as loads of people, mostly families with children, were lining up outside the theater.

Official Website: J. K. Rowling

Kids and children at heart have a treat going to this site: you have to hunt down certain objects you get Harry Potter trivia when you find said objects you also get certificates for said objects that are saved in your scrapbook - just don't delete the cookies if you want to retain those certificates

Interesting pages are those where Rowling answers questions from fans and reveal certain things about the characters that aren't found in the books. You also get news about the Harry Potter books that are yet to be released.

Take note: Rowling admits to prowling the net to look up websites dedicated to Harry Potter, and even joins some forums. She reveals joining in a discussion to test her ideas ... only for other members to disagree with her. She was using another name ofcourse - as do the rest of us who join forums.

TV Series: Mulawin

	Network:	GMA
	First Run:	August 2004 - March 2005
	Genre:	Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Drama
	Time Slot:	Weeknights

The show premiered about two or three weeks ago, and I keep hearing GMA actors/celebrities gush about the show. A friend said it is relatively good, and that the story is fast-paced compared to other Filipino TV series. I made a point to watch it today. The show has promise, and I like it better than ABS CBN's Marina. This is like reading an epic fantasy novel compared to a fairy tale - which is what Marina is. I do not know if there are enough people like me who enjoy epic fantasies to keep this show alive - but I'm hoping.

Some people say the special effects aren't good. I agree with this, but I feel sorry for people whose enjoyment relies solely on special effects. I happen to think the story line more than makes up for the special effects. I just hope the story does not degenerate in future episodes. I have seen some Filipino series where the pilot episode is well written, only to fall out of love with the show when later episodes have stupid story lines.

Movie: King Arthur

	Distributor:	Touchstone
	Release:	July 7, 2004
	Genre:	Action/Adventure and Drama
	MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for intense battle sequences, a scene of sensuality and some language

I guess the reason I got free 3 movie passes was that few people were watching the movie. Maybe the trailers didn't make people want to see this movie, or the movie wasn't promoted enough, or "word of mouth" wasn't positive. It wouldn't hurt to find out myself - I wasn't paying after all.

I admit the premise was promising as it was a different take on the legend compared to other movies that have tackled the story. It failed to deliver for it had no solid story line.

In this movie, Arthur the soldier and his merry band start out on a mission to evacuate an important Roman family from Britain (shades of Saving Private Ryan). They find themselves outnumbered by Saxons in war (Reminds me of Lord of the Rings - Two Towers), but get some help from a local tribe (Celts?). Guenevere here is a member of said tribe. Keira here gets to don a "barely there" war outfit that looks a lot like the one worn by Milla Jovovich in Fifth Element.

There's some interaction between Arthur and Guenevere, but not much romance. There may be shades of attraction between Guenevere and Lancelot but nothing happened since Lancelot dies before the movie is over. There is a probability that the script had something happen but the scene is edited out.

The odd thing about this movie is that in the beginning, Lancelot is doing the narration. I expected it to be a story from his point of view. With the character dying, one wonders why they made Lancelot do the introduction... there was no hint in the movie that he wrote down a diary or chronicle before he died, and he was already dead by the time Arthur is proclaimed king at the end. I was a cheesy ending, too.

Movie: Catwoman

	Distributor:	Warner Brothers
	Release:	July 23, 2004
	Genre:	Crime/Gangster
	MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for action violence and some sensuality

Adored Halle Berry. Since she is NOT Selena Kyle, they made it appear that there have been many catwomen through history starting from ancient Egypt where the goddess Bastet takes the form of a cat.

Did not like her final outfit, albeit the guys would love seeing Halle in the thing. Sharon Stone's still sexy.

It wasn't a "took my breath away" experience of a movie, but I enjoyed it just the same.

Movie: I, Robot

	Distributor:	20th Century Fox
	Release:	July 16, 2004
	Genre:	Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy
	MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for intense stylized action, and some brief partial nudity.

Watched this movie in a "Special Screening" - meaning it was a fund raiser. Being a pseudo-social event, the movie did not start at once. We were subjected to a barrage of commercials from the sponsors, then sit through an "emcee" thanking the sponsors and talking about the foundation, listen to a testimonial from a graduate of the program, then endure another round of the same set of commercial adverts. I sighed in relief when the movie finally started.

Being a "casual fan" of Isaac Asimov, his books made me like robot movies even though some people think they could not connect to the robot character. Therefore I liked A.I. and this one. My friend would have enjoyed it as well if there was little tech talk ... I had to "translate" some terms for said friend. Compared to AI and Bicentennial Man, this movie's action sequences overshadowed the "human element", and it is this element that makes me remember robot stories.

Movie: Harry Potter andthe Prisoner of Azkaban

	Distributor:	Warner Bros.
	Release:	June 4, 2004 Opened June 2, 2004 in Manila
	Genre:	Fantasy
	MPAA Rating:	PG for frightening moments, creature violence and mild language

Love the movie. Watched it 3 times, 3 difft movie houses, with difft people (on two occassions anyway coz watched it alone once), and found out newer things with each viewing. Would have watched it today for the fourth time. I think I will notice more things in the movie.

Having had a dose of 2 previous HP films, 3 LOTR films, and Troy, I've had enough of expecting movies being true to the books 100% - they simply won't. Makes me enjoy the movie better, too.

Based on the reaction of people who saw the movie but aren't familiar with the book, two things can either happen:

1. They don't understand the movie because some characters pop in and out without too much introduction.
2. Those who understood the movie would have missed the other parts of the book that didn't make it to the screen.
   • They'd know that Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter were classmates, but not know they were the same Padfoot, Mooney, Prongs and Wormtail in the map.
   • They'd probably figure out Snape knew James, but not really digest that they were in the same batch in school.
   • No one questioned why Lupin knew how to read the map - they assume he used magic to figure it out.
   • They wouldn't know Ron and Hermione had a falling out because of the new broom because the said broom didn't arrive till the last part of the movie.
   • They wouldn't think Crookshanks COULD be a magical cat (that fact was not affirmed in the book).

Other comments, and in no particular order:

• Believe it or not, my favorite in the movie is THE tree with an attitude - the Whomping Willow ofcourse! Irritated with chirpy birds, would get rid of snow if it could - a real all-around grouch personified in a tree.
• Malfoy is a real sissy here - a contrast from the slightly malicious kid of the previous two movies.
• Ron in this movie is the apologetic coward, and is not much different from the sissy Malfoy. Brilliant facial expressions in some scenes, overdoing it in others.
• Hermione's turned superwoman - didn't her arms ache at throwing Harry into the passageway under the whomping willow?
• Harry's more the regular kid here. I liked that.
• Dumbledore's more mischievous, but he's not coming across as the wise old man that vibrates strong power. Harris lacked the mischief, Gambon lacked the "presence". Wish Gambon would recreate Dumbledore into someone between the two characterizations... otherwise he's just the mischievous old man.
• Once I have the DVD I would freeze the frame on the news article that had the Weasleys in Egypt. What does Bill look like? Was Scabbers on Ron's shoulders as he was in the book?
• The charms professor had a makeover ... barely recognized him except for the height.
• The hippogriff looked grand. Awe-inspiring creature yet adorable - can't get enough ferrets, it seems.
• Crookshanks didn't have much exposure, which disappointed me a bit. But maybe that's because my family loves cats (can't help loving the creatures - the oldest one we have is smart - she woke everyone up when a snake got in the house, and her male kitten amuses us because he watches TV as if he understood it - his brother and sisters don't watch TV though, just sleep on the TV sets).
• I haven't read Book3 for a long time, but is the song sung by the choir at the opening of Hogwarts in the book? The words are just very familiar to me, I could have read it somewhere else if not in the HP books ... although in my mind it's a woman's voice saying the words.
• I fear the onslaught of Remus/Sirius slash fiction ... the friend who watched it with me on opening day (Jun 2) was giggling at the shrieking shack and wolf transformation scenes ... she wouldn't be the only one thinking about a slash plot. Same person thinks Hermione's turning into a two-timer (playing Ron and Harry). With her making me giggle at even Harry saying to Snape, "Put down your wand", I just had to watch the movie a second time - alone, with a "pure" mind, and no one distracting me with silliness!

Movie: 50 First Dates

	Distributor:	Columbia Pictures
	Release:	February 13, 2004
	Genre:	Comedy and Romance
	MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for crude sexual humor and drug references

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore were cute in The Wedding Singer. The chemistry worked well then and I bet other people, like me, went to see this movie expecting the same brand of comedy seen in Wedding Singer. I wasn't disappointed.

I had a lot of laughs, and the romance-laden moments were the ones that keep this movie different from other silly comedies. Yes, it is silly - and sometimes gross (after all, it is an Adam Sandler movie). Sandler's buddy, Rob Schneider, provides that part of the movie. After movies like Lord of the Rings, I am surprised to see Sean Astin play a retarded bully in this movie. I have no idea what direction Astin wants, really.

This is one movie I'd watch again if they show it on cable. Will probably buy the VCD if it goes on sale.