DVD Movie: The Myth

	Production:	Wonder World Corporation Limited
	Release:	September 23, 2005
	Genres:	Action/Adventure, Art/Foreign and Science Fiction/Fantasy
	MPAA Rating:

This is the first time I remember Jackie Chan starring in a non-comedic movie. The movie does have funny moments but it is mostly a drama about love and honor between two people that stretched through time. Those expecting the usual Jackie Chan movie will be disappointed to find themselves watching Chan as a serious Qin dynasty general for half the movie.

Jackie Chan plays an archeologist of sorts named ... haha .... Jack. Jack has strange dreams that lead him to chase after artifacts and legends of the first Emperor of China (Qin Shi Huang) ... the same emperor who had numerous terra cotta warriors buried with him. Jack would find out that he is an incarnation of Meng Yi, a general of the said ruler, who had fallen in love with Princess Ok Soo, one of the emperor's wives or concubines, while she was placed under his charge.

We know that the real Qin Shi Huang had many wives/concubines, and upon his death, they were buried alive with him. We also know that the emperor spent the last years of his life looking for an elixir that will allow him to cheat death.

These were woven into the movie in the character of Ok Soo, the emperor's concubine who was locked in the tomb with the other concubines after his death, but did not die because she took the elixir of life. She waits patiently in her prison for Meng Yi, who promised to return and save her. She would not know that Meng Yi would die, and that it would take centuries before his incarnation as Jack would find her again.

The story or the concept is beautiful as it mixes myth, romance and tragedy. The execution wasn't consistent though. Some scenes border on being silly, and at those times I'd cringe as they ruin the illusion that the viewer is also living the fantasy.

The movie isn't bad. It's not mind-blowing good either. It did make me interested in looking up the Qin dynasty - which is a good thing for those who work towards making others appreciate the history and culture of China.

Movies on Cable: 2 Fast 2 Furious

	Studio:	Universal Pictures
	Release:	June 6, 2003
	Genres:	Action/Adventure, Thriller, Crime/Gangster, Sequel and Sports
	MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for street racing, violence, language, and some sensuality.

In the first movie, undercover cop Brian O'Connor let the criminal Dominic Toretto go, and because of that, we find at the opening of this movie that he has lost his badge. When a case requires infiltrating yet another street racing scene, O'Connor is called and given a chance to win back his badge by going undercover again. O'Connor agrees on one condition: he gets to pick his partner. His chosen partner turns out to be Roman Pearce, a childhood buddy who's got a police record - and part of O'Connor's demands is that Pearce's record would be cleaned if he cooperates. Enter Monica Fuentes, another undercover agent who may just be sleeping with the enemy.

Honestly? Anyone who's seen the first movie will not watch this sequel because of the story (the first movie didn't have a good storyline either, but is was better than this one). You'd watch this movie because you want to feel the adrenaline rush again.

Movies on Cable: Around the World in 80 Days

	Studios:	Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures
	Release:	June 16, 2004
	Genre:	Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures
	MPAA Rating:	PG for action violence, crude humor, language.

Jackie Chan playing Passepartout in an adaptation of Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days? That is one indication that this film will not be faithful to novel. Passepartout in the novel is French, Passepartout in this movie is Chinese. Both have a shady past though that lend complications to Phileas Fogg's attempt to go around the world in 80 days. Ofcourse, with Jackie Chan in the lead, we get more of mysterious China than mysterious India.

With that out of the way, it is easy to enjoy this film. It is an action - comedy, which is Chan's forte ... and I have loved Jackie Chan movies even before he started working with US studios. To balance the action and retain that Western flavor of the movie lest the audience start feeling they're watching a purely martial arts movie, Steve Coogan plays the clueless Phileas Fogg adorably.

A number of actors make brief appearances in the movie ... like the Wilson brothers, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Rob Schneider playing yet another disgusting character as only he can.

Movies on Cable: The Core

	Studios:	Paramount Pictures
	Release:	March 28, 2003
	Genre:	Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Thriller
	MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for sci-fi life/death situations and brief strong language

Writing sci-fi with outerspace, another world, or another time as the setting has got to be easier than making the audience believe the story is taking place on earth and in the present.

The premise: a series of natural disasters has been attributed to the fact that the earth has stopped rotating. A group of people with helpful specialties have been assembled to take part in the dangerous endeavor of going to the earth's core and jumpstart the mechanism that will make the earth rotate again. The preparation for the journey is impressive. Then we get to the journey itself.

It's like watching the movie "Lost in Space". A mission gone wrong, an egocentric scientist who turns out to be some sort of villain, men dying to save the mission, and finally a brilliant plan to get out of the mess they got themselves into. They have to put in some sort of romance in there too. These are elements that are staple in commercial movies ... but their combination in this movie just didn't strike the right balance. The story suddenly strikes you as silly, and you'd have a hard time trying to ignore the ridiculous just to enjoy the movie.

DVD Movie: Winnie the Pooh's Many Adventures

	Producer:	Walt Disney Productions
	Release:	March 11, 1977
	Genre:	Kids/Family
	MPAA Rating:	G

I had access to Winnie the Pooh while growing up ... but I became an avid fan of the character when the cartoon series were shown on TV. I bought the VHS tape of this movie and was in love with it instantly, which is why when I saw a DVD version, I bought it - VHS and Betamax tapes have, after all, gone the way of antiquity. Unlike the cartoon series, which is written a group of writers, the material in this movie were taken from A. A. Milne's own work.

Kids may love the movie because of Pooh's jolliness, the songs, and the fun adventures. I, as an adult, love this movie because of Pooh's simpleness. Part of what attracts me to Milne's work are the narrator's "asides" or comments, that give the reader an objective observation of what the character is really up to as opposed to what the character thinks he or she is doing. It wouldn't be Milne if they took the comments out and just focused on the action. This is one thing that you cannot find in the cartoon series. It is the mix of taking things literally, yet with a wink, that makes me giggle and laugh ... and I'll never tire of watching this movie.

The end, where Christopher Robin tells Pooh that he had to go to school, was poignant ... it represented that point in everyone's life where the non-stop playing gives way partially to the serious business of learning... and every adult knows what follows after school... going to work and losing a bit more of the child in you.

This is one movie to pop into the DVD player if you want to just relax and enjoy as if you were a child again.

DVD Movie: Beautiful Boxer

	Distributor:	Regent Releasing
	Release:	January 21st, 2005
	Genre:	Action/Adventure, Art/Foreign, Drama, Biopic and Sports
	MPAA Rating:	NA

I borrowed the DVD because I was curious why people were talking about it. Turns out that the movie is based on an actual person's story. The movie is made in Thailand, therefore the language is Thai, and I have to deal with English sub-titles in order to understand what is being said. A good thing that I am watching this in DVD so I can repeat the movie ... one could miss the action if pre-occupied with reading the sub-titles. The first time I played the movie, I paid attention to the sub-titles in order to understand the story. To really enjoy and appreciate the movie, I recommend watching it again, this time not paying much attention to the sub-titles as you already know the plot.

The story is about Nong Toom, a Muay Thai boxer who has captured the fancy of people because s/he was gay, and after retirement from the sport, had sex reassignment surgery.

Born Parinya Charoenphol, Nong Toom came from a poor family. As a young child, he was sent to Buddhist monastery but he did not last long and was sent home. Even then, he already thought of himself as a girl trapped in a boy's body. It seems that one of the influences in his life is a gay or transsexual person whose home he would often visit, and whose beauty he idolized and aspired for. His dream to have a sex change operation may have been born at this point in his life.

Nong Toom began working at an early age to help his family financially. When it was discovered that he had skills/potential to succeed in Muay Thai, Nong Toom took the chance to train in a boxing camp as succeeding in the sport means earning big money.

Initially, no one in the camp knew he was gay. When he was outed, instead of being turned out of the camp, his coach accepted him for what he is. Nong Toom would soon start winning matches, and slowly, he started wearing make-up in the ring. As a make-up wearing boxer is a novelty, and Nong Toom was a fierce fighter, his effeminate ways were tolerated, and even accepted. Nong Toom soon became famous.

After his retirement from Muay Thai Boxing and undergoing a sex change operation, Nong Toom became an actress and a model.

I understand now that some would be turned off at the idea of a man who had surgery to become a woman (and the same people would be turned off with women undergoing surgery to become men). This attitude in itself will prevent them from appreciating the other aspects of the movie.

Beautiful boxer is not a movie about a male boxer who was effeminate and soon had surgery to be female. This movie is about the journey of a boy, who had always thought himself different - a boy who had always admired the beauty of women enough to want to be one. No matter where his life's journey took him, this boy kept to his dream and kept true to himself, even risking ridicule, and came out victorious. The uncomfortable situations that Nong Toom found himself in were funny, yet also touching. The movie did not dwell on the character's sexual identity, rather it dug deeper and showed us the soul of the character, allowing the viwer to emphatize with Nong Toom regardless of gender.

DVD Movie: Herbie Fully Loaded

	Studios:	Walt Disney Pictures
	Release:	June 22nd, 2005
	Genre:	Action/Adventure, Comedy, Kids/Family and Sequel
	MPAA Rating:	G for General Audiences

Maggie Peyton's off to college but what she really wants is to be a race car driver, like her dad, Ray. Dad thinks it's dangerous for her and refuses, besides her brother is already the driver of the Peyton racing team.

Enter Herbie, an old VW who's seen better days and is now spending his days in a junkyard. Ray has taken Maggie to the junkyard to buy her a used car that she can use in college. With extreme determination, Herbie manages to end up being bought by Maggie.

Maggie soon realizes that the car has its own mind. Since this is a Disney movie, Maggie is pleasantly surprised, as opposed to freaked out that her car might be possessed. If Hermione Granger was around, she'd admonish Maggie for using an object with a mind of its own. But Voldemort lives in the Warner Brothers lot, so we go back to Maggie who's allowing her buggy to dictate what she does next ... getting noticed in the racing circuit as Maxx and getting the ire of the current racing champ.

By the end of this movie, Maggie is supposed to have proven that she can be a race car driver, but I don't know if I should put much weight on this development considering that she's driving a very special car who has claim on half the fame she's gonna get in the racing circuit. I consider it a subtle form of cheating.

Now if you are capable of shutting off that logical brain of yours for one and a half hours, you can actually enjoy the movie as the gags are indeed funny.

DVD Movie: Mozart and the Whale

	Distributors:	Nu Image/Millennium Films
	Release:	October 21, 2005
	Genre:	Drama, Romance and Biopic
	MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for sexual content, language and some thematic material.

Donald (Hartnett) runs a support group for people affected by autism, and Isabella (Mitchell) is a new member of the group. Donald's autism is very pronounced while Isabella may pass as an average, normal person until prolonged interaction with her reveals that there is something strange with the way she interacts with people. Based on summaries on the internet, both have Asperger's Syndrome (AS)... although I think the portrayal of Isabella is the one more representative of the condition, as Donald comes across as everyone's idea of what autistic people are.

Donald and Isabella fall in love, but the quaintness here is how they deal with the emotions and expressions of love, because they naturally have problems with interaction (a given when it comes to AS or other forms of autism).

The portrayals are endearing. Admittedly, the movie could be a drag. If you would plot or graph the action, it would be one flat line ... the conflict is how they deal with falling in love given their condition, but there is no climax to the story... you just realize you've reached the end.

Why the title? The two characters attended a costume party ... Isabella came as Mozart, Donald came as a whale.

DVD Movie: Nicholas Nickleby

	Studios:	United Artists Films
	Release:	December 27th, 2002
	Genre:	Drama and Adaptation
	MPAA Rating:	PG for thematic material involving some violent action and a childbirth scene.

I haven't read the Dickens novel this movie was based on, so I cannot say if the adaptation stayed true to the source. I can say however that the movie does follow the Dickens formula of miserable kids going through hard times before finding a kind family/sponsor that would help them improve their lot.

Charlie Hunnam playing Nicholas provides good eye candy, and his acting doesn't hurt either. Jamie Bell as Smike was brilliant.

The story centers around Nicholas Nickleby, and it begins after the death of Nicholas' father. A country gentleman who managed to provide his children with good education and upbringing, the elder Nickleby died penniless and left many outstanding debts. His wife, daughter Kate and son Nicholas were forced to turn to his rich brother Ralph for help. Ralph however does not give things freely and would rather that they work for their food and shelter. Ralph brought the country Nicklebys to him in London, temporarily gave them shelter, but immediately had them looking for jobs to sustain themselves. Given his pride and idealism, Nicholas would immediately find himself at odds with his uncle.

Being learned in languages, Ralph sends Nicholas away to a boarding school to teach young boys. There, Nicholas is appalled at the headmaster's treatment of the boys. Even the headmaster's wife and children took part in the punishment. One of the boys that regularly gets punished is Smike. Nicholas takes pity on Smike, as he does not know who his parents are, and barely remembers anything apart from his life in the school. Nicholas took it upon himself to show Smike the only kindness the kid ever remembers receiving from anybody. Here we see how wonderful an actor Jamie Bell is, as he portrayed Smike as a kid who's deformed not only by the numerous punishments he's been subjected to, but also by his insecurities. Smike lived in an attic for the first years of his life before he was brought to the boarding school ... after that, no one ever came back for him. The kid never knew how it felt to be loved, and he probably didn't think himself worthy of it. It is not long before Nicholas would openly defy the headmaster when it comes to the matter of "punishment". Enraged at the cruelty he is witnessing, Nicholas gave the headmaster a good beating then took off. Being protective of Smike, Nicholas would spirit the child away from the school and together they headed for London.

Nicholas is kept updated of his mother and sister's welfare through his friend Noggs. A secretary to Ralph Nickleby by virtue of his unpaid debts, Noggs isn't loyal to his master and is actually sympathetic to the plight of Nicholas and his family. Noggs would inform Nicholas that the headmaster's daughter had written to his uncle, telling her version of how the headmaster got beaten up. Nicholas would leave London and use the name Nicholas Johnson to stay away from his uncle's wrath.

Nicholas and Smike would work in with a theater company in order to support themselves, which turned out to be a successful venture as playing leading man fit Nicholas perfectly. Nicholas' happy days at the theater would immediately come to an end when news of his family prompts him to fly back to London, dragging Smike with him. Enraged at the advances that a friend of his uncle made at his sister, Nicholas beats up the man and takes Kate and his mother away from his uncle's clutches. Nicholas finally reunites with his family and added Smike to it.

Once more out of a job and going back to theater out of the question, Nicholas goes out to look for a vacancy and meets the Cheerybyle twins who hire him. Nicholas must have hit the jackpot here because meeting people like the Cheerybles in real life is rare. Finding favor with his employers, Nicholas is able to provide well for his family and the country Nicklebys are happy once more... and Nicholas even found time to be smitten by a beautiful lady.

The bad guys have not taken the back seat though. The old headmaster finds Smike and had him locked up in a closet before the same person who helped sneak him out of the school freed him. Uncle Ralph tries to make Nicholas' life miserable, using his influence or calling in old debts. One of the saddest part of the movie, and the one which made me cry, was Smike's death.

However, despite the sad turns in the story, all ends well. Nicholas and Kate marry their respective loves, and the bad guys fall on misfortune. Ralph Nickleby would kill himself ... grieving after finding out that Smike is his son. As fate would have it ... Smike really was home with his family when he joined the house of Nicholas Nickleby.

Movie: Underworld Evolution

	Distributor:	Screen Gems
	Release:	January 20th, 2006
	Genre:	Suspense/Horror
	MPAA Rating:	R for pervasive strong violence and gore, some sexuality/nudity and language.

To start off: even in the first Underworld movie, I liked Selene (Kate Beckinsale) better than I liked Michael (Scott Speedman).

Michael gets more action in this second installment, but he still is, like the movie, dependent on Selene.

If the first movie had two clans always fighting each other, we find in this movie that the ancestors of both clans were twin brothers who were close to each other. One (the vampire) has woken up and is looking for the other (lycan) who is locked up. Selene would find herself battling the first and strongest of the vampires.

To spice the story up some more, the writers decided to add the twins' father as the first immortal who is neither vampire or lycan, but moves about as a normal human being, cleaning up after the mess of his offsprings' descendants.

Cool premise. The execution wasn't that great but it was still entertaining.

Cable Movie: Radio

	Studios:	Revolution Studios
	Release:	October 24th, 2003
	Genre:	Drama, Adaptation and Sports
	MPAA Rating:	PG for mild language

I don't think this movie was released in the Philippines, despite having well-known actors Gooding and Harris in it (Philippine theaters are more willing to screen a US movie that has well-known actors). It doesn't actually look like the kind of movie people would take time to watch in a movie house, but something one wouldn't mind watching on cable TV.

Cuba Gooding plays Radio. The character got his nickname because he collects ... you guessed it - radios. His mother says he is slow, which also means mentally retarded, and most of the time Radio acts like a child. Radio has a routine which includes going around town pushing his shopping cart. The town folk generally keep their distance from him, and the meaner ones make fun of him - it is unfortunate that Radio is both a black man and a mentally retarded person living in 60s or 70s where race could be a big issue and people had little understanding or tolerance of "special" people. Radio is very fortunate however to have a mother who solidly supports him.

After years of watching Radio pass by the football field on his daily routine, Coach Jones decided to talk to the guy. As talking with Coach Jones becomes part of Radio's routine, so is Radio being slowly integrated by Coach Jones into the lives of townspeople. Radio becomes a familiar face in campus as he hangs around Coach Jones and his football team. Coach Jones had to deal with many people who are uncomfortable with Radio's presence.

This movie has both tearjerking (Radio's mom dies) and silly moments (Radio becoming some sort of mascot for the team ... despite Coach Jones saying that Radio isn't a mascot). Gooding shows some good acting here, so does Harris - even if the character of Coach Jones isn't clear or consistent to me.

DVD Movie: Bewitched

	Distributor:	Sony Pictures Releasing International
	Release:	June 24th, 2005
	Genre:	Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
	MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for some language, including sex and drug references, and partial nudity.

Rather than make a movie about the TV show, this movie is about a real witch being cast as a witch in a TV show remake of "Bewitched". Nicole Kidman plays the witch Isabel who was discovered for the role of Samantha in the Bewitched TV show by Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) - the egocentric actor who will play Darrin, Samantha's husband.

Wyatt would prefer that the spotlight be on him, and becomes competitive when Isabel is getting more attention than he finds preferable. So from initial attraction, Isabel and Jack begin to fight. Isabel has the advantage here as she really is a witch and therefore has powers.

The movie started out with a lot of laughs that petered out in the end.

Movie: The Family Stone

	Studios:	Fox 2000
	Release:	December 16th, 2005
	Genre:	Comedy, Kids/Family and Romance
	MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for some sexual content including dialogue, and drug references.

Moviewatchers will always have big expectations from any movie that has a big cast with recognizeable names like Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker and Dermot Mulroney ... and a movie released in December that centers around a family is expected to deliver entertainment with dash of the holiday spirit.

When the movie ended, all I could think of was "eh...". Frankly, the movie was already tiring by the time it got to the middle I was wishing it would end already.

The action in this movie? The swapping ... the initial couple we had at the start of the movie ended up with a different person at the end ... and they keep it in the family (two brothers end up with women who happen to be sisters too).

DVD Movie: White Chicks

	Production Co.:	Wayans Brothers Entertainment
	Release:	June 23rd, 2004
	Genre:	Comedy and Crime/Gangster
	MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language and some drug content.

I've liked the Wayans brothers ever since "In Living Color" (Jim Carrey was part of the cast).

White Chicks is their brand of humor, and unless you're some movie critic looking for aesthetics, this is one movie to put in that DVD player when you want a good laugh.

Men dressing up as women has been done before. The Wayans brothers put a twist to this by making black men impersonate white women.

Marlon and Shawn play FBI agents Marcus and Kevin Copeland, who are sent on a simple baby-sitting mission, but end up impersonating the spoiled Wilson brats they are "protecting". The two don prosthetics from hair to toe and do a decent job of acting like women.

The writers threw in complications like: Kevin's wife not knowing what his job is and making the wrong assumption that he's seeing another woman, especially when she saw Marcus dressed up as a white woman in the hotel the two agents are staying in; Marcus falling in love with a woman while on the job so he finds ways to change costume whenever she's around; and my favorite complication is sport jock Latrell Spencer falling in love with Kevin in disguise (Latrell thinks "she" is a white woman with a black woman's ass).

Latrell, played by Terry Crews, has got to be my favorite character in this movie. He's a black guy who identifies himself as otherwise. Even his taste in music is distinctly "white". It was hilarious when he was outraged to find "niggers" in the clubhouse. This is the first time I've taken notice of Terry Crews, and thanks to this movie, I recognize the actor now in the other movies or TV shows.

Movie: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

	Distributor:	Walt Disney Company
	Release:	8 January 2006 (Philippines)
	Genre:	Action/Adventure, Art/Foreign, Drama, Kids/Family, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
	MPAA Rating:	PG for for battle sequences and frightening moments.

I love the Chronicles of Narnia books ... I have my friend Rachel to thank for recommending "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" when we were in grade school. After reading that and realizing that it was the first book of many, I patiently waited my turn at borrowing the books from the library.

When I was already working, I bought all the books in the chronicles so that I have my own copy ... I still read them when I have nothing better to do and as I revisit Narnia, I keep in touch with the child in me.

I was therefore excited when I first heard that Walden was going to make the first book into a movie. When I finally heard that the movie will soon be released, I wondered if the movie was good .... I want it to be good so that Walden would make the next book into a movie also.

The movie deviated a bit from the book but the differences in my opinion are forgivable. The actors playing the children were adorable ... and it is wonderful to find out that they can act. The children portrayed the Pevensies perfectly. I imagine the young girls will be gushing over William Moseley and Skandar Keynes.

Tilda Swinton as a blond witch is one deviation from the book. She was sweetness, menace, and raw ambition. So yes, although she wasn't my vision of the witch, she was great in this movie ... except for that one scene where her camp is preparing for battle and she was talking with the minotaur ... it looked like the queen was too tired to listen to strategy, making the scene funny in my opinion.

James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus was a bit disturbing for me though. His attempts to befriend Lucy then abduct her sounded like the modus operandi of a pedophile. I should have seen that while reading the book.

The animated creatures that played key roles in the movie were done well. Aslan looked majestic. He was a work of art. I have to say though that the same meticulousness wasn't seen in the creation of lesser characters.

The battle scene was great. Tilda rocked - as usual. The Pevensie boys turned into men on the battlefield.

I've got a bit of a problem with the older version of the Pevensies ... the ladies looked like what Susan and Lucy would turn out to be, but the men had little resemblance to the child actors playing Peter and Edmund.

The ending, with Lucy realizing that the professor knew of Narnia, was lovely.

I hope this movie makes enough money to justify making movies out of the other books.