Sunday, December 28, 2008

Ballet Manila Production: Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang

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December 27, 2008


This show is meant to be enjoyed by children as well as adults.  Lola Basyang uses the device of a grandmother telling stories to her grandchildren in order to present three fairy tales. 


Despite the use of Filipino in relating the stories, the tales being told are not necessary of Philippine origin.  One tale is derived from Chinese legends, another starts looking like a Filipino myth or legend, but the presence of large felines would suggest another country. The last story, though looking like something happening in 19th century Manila, could easily be inspired by a European tale.


The mood and feel of each story is different, and each part is also directed by a different person.  The first tale had drama, the second had adventure and was the one that optimized the theater's capability the most, and the last one, which I adored, was a comedy.


One should be ready to look at the side or back of the theater, as actors may be making their entrances from there.  The part where two of the leads exit by a "flying" platform, as well as the large dragon/snake circling the theater are sure to impress kids and the kid at heart.


The performances weren't flawless (I have a little problem with the facial expressions of some of the performers), since half the performers are still students (I think), but it was very good and entertaining.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Movie: Twilight

Twilight
Studios: Summit Entertainment, LLC
Release: November 21, 2008
Genre: Drama, Romance, Thriller, Adaptation and Teen
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sensuality.
Website: http://www.twilightthemovie.com/
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: C+
Story: C
Acting C+
Direction: B-
Visuals: C+

Basically a teen drama movie

I did not read the books. You'd think I would have since I enjoy reading juvenile literature like Harry Potter, adored the first 3 books of Ann Rice's Vampire Chronicles, and am a fan of the short-lived TV series "Kindred: the Embraced". I did not read Meyer's books simply because everyone else seems to be doing so.

I just waited for the movie and dragged my friend who has a crush on Pattinson to see it... thinking that if I liked it, I'd buy the book.

The first half is a sleep inducing drag, full of teen angst. I would think that had I been immortal, I would engage in much more interesting activities than matriculating. And if I was Edward Cullen, who's stuck with a teenager's body, I would find falling in love with a mortal teen a cradle-snatching act.

The action finally came in the second half of the movie, but the movie was over even before I got warmed up.

My verdict is that either this movie sucks compared to the book, or the book itself sucks.

I'm still not interested in buying myself a copy of the book.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Movie: Bolt

Bolt
Studios: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release: November 21, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy and Animation
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild action and peril.
Website: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/bolt/
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B
Story: B+
Acting B
Direction: B
Visuals: B

Refreshing - despite being another dog movie

Bolt is endearing. Rhino the hamster is borderline annoying when he's going "over the top", but is still funny. Mittens the cat I'm not so crazy about as a character - she's not supposed to be cute anyway... but I did feel for her when she talked about being abandoned by her human owners.

The funny scenes are undoubtedly those that deal with Bolt's supposed superpowers... or lack of them in the real world.

What really carried this movie though is the heart of the dog who loves his human. This thing is a given in most dog movies, yet Bolt tells us that such stories never go out of style.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Movie: Madgascar: Escape 2 Africa

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Studios: DreamWorks Animation
Release: November 7, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Animation and Sequel
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild crude humor.
Website:
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B
Story: B
Acting B
Direction: B
Visuals: B


Decent Sequel

I had fun watching the first movie, and I found this movie funny as well.

The penguins were hilarious as usual, the monkeys were once again useless, and the lemurs still annoy me.

The gags here are probably just as numerous as those in the first one, but not many are as memorable. Don't get me wrong, this movie is still very entertaining, although you may forget some of the stuff you were laughing at once you leave the cinema.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Movie: Max Payne

Max Payne
Studios: 20th Century Fox
Release: October 17, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure and Adaptation
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence including intense shooting sequences, drug content, some sexuality and brief strong language.
Website: http://www.maxpaynethemovie.com/
My Yahoo! Movies Rating: B-
Overall Grade: B-
Story: C
Acting B-
Direction: B-
Visuals: B-

Story needs development

As expected from a movie based on a video game, the main characters here spend a lot of time shooting other people.

To its credit, there were some attempts at a creating a story, but for one who does not play the videogame, I left the theater with unresolved questions about the supernatural beings.

The movie ended before anything satisfactory happened in the story.

Movie: High School Musical 3: Senior Year

High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Studios: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release: October 24, 2008
Genre: Musical/Performing Arts
MPAA Rating: G
Website: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/highschoolmusical3/
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: C+
Story: C
Acting C+
Direction: B-
Visuals: B-

The first HSM was better

This movie is bigger than the first High School Musical because it had a bigger budget that allowed for better props, costumes, and dance numbers.

It does not have a better story. Not one that would be given justice in a 1 1/2 hour movie anyway.

The introduction of new characters to an existing 6-member main cast took its toll on character development. I couldn't find myself caring much for the three new characters. The Sharpay wannabe is just catty but not as lovable as Sharpay is, the Troy replacement lacks charm, and the I can't decide what the role of the third kid is because I didn't see much of him.

I love the dance on the roof top where Gabriella teaches Troy how to waltz. I love the "Right Here Right Now" duet. Yet the music humming through my head as I left the theater was music from the first two TV movies of the franchise.

Sharpay and Ryan once more had their own broadway worthy number, but "I Want it All" isn't as catchy or easy to sing along with as "Fabulous" and "Bop to the Top" were.

The movie isn't totally crap, but it is disappointing as follow up to the original. The first one didn't have a big budget, but it had more heart.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Movie: Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder
Studios: DreamWorks
Release: August 13, 2008
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material.
Website: http://www.tropicthunder.com/
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B-
Story: C
Acting B-
Direction: B-
Visuals: B-

The Movie that poked fun at everybody

This movie poked fun at everything Hollywood - shamelessly, and no one's sensitivity was spared.

It's a delight finding the Hollywood cliches in the main cast ... the actor making a comeback, the consumate method actor, the comedy guy trying his hand in drama, the newbie who might be the next big star if the movie becomes a hit, and the rapper who wants to cross over to acting.

The pseudo trailers, advertisements, and music videos were hilarious in exaggerating how actors shoot for a best actor award through gay roles or playing mentally retarded people, and how hip-hop music of late show mostly girls' buttocks. The Satan's Alley trailer was a winner.

The "getting kidnapped by a group of drug dealers led by a child" part was very corny, and I guess this might be a common story line in action movies, which is why the writers used it in this movie as well.

Friday, October 03, 2008

Movie: Eagle Eye

Eagle Eye
Studios: DreamWorks
Release: September 26, 2008
Genre: Drama and Thriller
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and for language.
Website: http://www.eagleeyemovie.com/
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B-
Story: C+
Acting B-
Direction: B-
Visuals: B

Too much like other movies

Terminator's Skynet has as sister with a Grudge and creates an Enemy of the State.

The trailer and the first half of the movie are probably the good parts. The moment you realize the villain is an overzealous, patriotic in a twisted kind of way supercomputer, things start to go 'blah'. It doesn't end well either ... I'm still wondering why the nameless soldier who helped shut down Eagle Eye was never shown as one of those people who got medals.

Given the premise, the makers could have woven a better story instead of churning out a movie that reminds one of Enemy of the State and Terminator, and fails to be memorable enough to stand out on its own. It's probably not the makers' intention, but all I could think about while watching this movie is "I just discovered Skynet has a sister".

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Movie: Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Hellboy 2)
Studios: Universal Pictures
Release: July 11, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Horror, Thriller, Adaptation and Sequel
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some language.
Website: http://www.hellboymovie.com/
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B-
Story: B-
Acting B-
Direction: B-
Visuals: B+

Better than the first one

Del Toro delivers a visual feast here as he did in the first Hellboy and in Pan's Labyrinth.

The story has loopholes, much like the first one, but the visual effects and action made up for it.

I like this better than the first Hellboy movie, although I'm not a fan of using the serious elf character element in the story as I consider these creatures as overused in fantasy movies of late.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Movie: Wall-E

WALL-E
Studios: Pixar Animation Studios/Walt Disney Feature Animation
Release: June 27, 2008
Genre: Animation, Comedy
MPAA Rating: G
Websites: http://www.pixar.com/featurefilms/walle/
http://www.disney.co.uk/DisneyMovies/Walle/
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B+
Story: B
Acting B
Direction: B+
Visuals: A

A true family movie

Take an Asimov-inspired tale of a robot left alone on a devastated earth, add the graphic capabilities, humor and story-telling genius of Pixar, and you've got a heartwarming tale narrated mostly by cute beeps and one-word phrases.

Anyone who could remember the 80s could not help but think that Wall-E's look and even his inquisitive personality is reminiscent of Johnny-5, the robot from the movie "Short Circuit" (1986).

Relying mostly on visual cues and changing the tone of voice, most of the dialogue here consists of repetitive one-word phrases. One is impressed how one word, like "Wall-E", could mean many things depending on how it is said.

The Asimov fan in me loves how the movie touches on the issue of man's destructive tendencies, and the irony that cleaning up and/or rebuilding the planet is the legacy that man will leave to his creation - sentient robots.

This is one movie that kids will truly enjoy without having to wonder why the adults are laughing at phrases that they could not relate to, and parents won't have to worry about having to explain to their tots some not-so-innocent innuendos inserted into the dialogue. And yes, adults can still enjoy the movie despite the lack of reference to the 70s, 80s and early 90s, or green humor in the dialogue.

Movie: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Production Co.: Lucasfilm Animation, Lucasfilm, Ltd.
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Release: August 15, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Animation
MPAA Rating: PG for sci-fi action violence throughout, brief language and momentary smoking.
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: C
Story: C
Acting C
Direction: C
Visuals: B

Only a Star Wars Fan would sit through this

I love the Star Wars franchise and have bought books and watched movies even when some of them fall on the crappy side - like this one.

The opening sequence sounded like a Hasbro toy advertisement that it took me a couple of seconds to realize the movie had already started.

The graphics and story weren't that memorable at all. I bet the animators could tell you there's some technological advances in this movie, but I watched this movie in a moviehouse to be awed by graphics on widescreen - which didn't happen. It felt like watching a TV cartoon. A 2d full feature cartoon by Disney is by all means better than this one in terms of story and character development.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Heroes Season 3... the Villains are coming

Welcome to Level 5... where evil resides.

Just so no one forgets, the 3rd season of NBC's Heroes will start in September in the U.S., and the producers are building up the hype. On the TV show's site are the previews/trailers and the webisodes (that no one in the Philippines could watch, by the way), the cast have been in ComicCon 2008, and anyone who's in Hana/Samantha's list started getting e-mail messages last August 5.

The first e-mail I got shows a link back to the Primatech website's Assignment Tracker 2.0. My browser has some trouble loading the page but it's supposed to be an interactive map showing the supposed locations of "posthumans". The August 8 and 11 messages egged people to participate in the "disruption" activity. The August 14 message pointed to the 9thWonder message board.

Heroes: Villains premieres on 9.22.08:

I sure hope C/S picks it up soon. If I have to rely on StarWorld, I don't think I'll be seeing Season 3 in the near future considering that they are only starting to show Season 2.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Movie: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release: August 1, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure and Sequel
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for adventure action and violence.
My Rating:
Overall Grade: B-
Story: B-
Acting B-
Direction: B-
Visuals: B

Missing Weisz, and other things as well

I did enjoy this movie, although I found it a bit disappointing compared to the expectations I had upon entering the cinema.

To call a cursed emperor a mummy just to fit this story in the franchise is stretching things to start with. Makes one wonder what exactly qualifies as a mummy. The Evie of the first movie would probably nitpick on that detail.

Which brings me to comment on Bello's portrayal of Evie as compared to Weisz'. Bello's Evie is a warm, earth woman character - which is not bad, really. It's just far from the prim and proper Evie with a wild streak that I've become fond of in the first two movies.

Also, Bello's Evie is such a supporting wife that the character is in danger of becoming a supporting role rather than the major character that had a head of its own and used to have petty fights and arguments with Rick.

I miss Weisz, but I guess Bello and Fraser also look good together as husband and wife, and Bello and Ford could pass as mother and son. Funny though that Fraser still ends up looking like Ford's much older brother instead of his father.

The story spent too much time presenting to the audience how Rick and Evie are adjusting to early retirement. The movie therefore becomes boring in some places.

The story of the emperor is a familiar one as it is based on the myth surrounding a historical character, the same way the characters of the first 2 movies were loosely based on ancient Egyptian notables. If you had watched "The Myth" and "Forbidden Kingdom" movies, as well as the National Geographic feature on China's first emperor, then you'd easily identify this "mummy's" tale as just a variation of those.

This movie's story has some big holes, like: was it necessary that the mummy be brought to life by Rick and Evie?; if the presumably pregnant Zijuan reached Shangri-La right after escaping from the cursed emperor, but Li is now a young adult - when exactly did they become immortal? is Shangri-La and the temple guarding its location such deserted places that only Zijuan is guarding the first one and only yetis could be found in the latter? if the O'Connells have been living in England ever since the 2nd movie, why is Alex speaking very much like an American? if Rick and Evie are still sweet with each other, why would Alex accuse his parents that they haven't been a family for a long time? who encased the emperor in a terracotta figure and buried him and his army if Zijuan cursed everyone of them? if Lin had been guarding the tomb for years, how could she not know about the decoy?

As for the mummy presented by this movie... I don't find him as menacing as the Eqyptian one despite his supposed control over the elements. The main fight scene also lacked the fear element as they placed some comedy there. Although the comedy would make anyone laugh, it also made the scene awkward ... the movie was already making a parody of itself. I keep thinking how awesome the fight scene could have been if they managed to instill dread instead at the spectacle of the undead fighting each other - tirelessly, as they feel no fatigue or pain.

What I liked about the earlier movies, especially the first one, is that despite the comedy, the movie still managed to sneak in some "frights" that made it deserving of its title. This movie is afraid to frighten its audience.

The special effects were good, but not much improved from the first 2. When the emperor breathed fire, it looked like they used a hose to do it; the CG skeletons were more funny than frightening ... which is sad, really. The skeletons' impact in the movie is just as bad as that of the Scorpion king in the 2nd one ... I can't help but think that the elements do not blend well into the movie. The terracotta army was cool though. How I wish I've seen a battle scene between the ancient Chinese armies that is similar to that in Hero or the Myth.

Li wasn't allowed to act much ... and although he hasn't exactly appeared in best actor worthy roles, I know he could do more based on what I've seen him do in Hero, The One, and Forbidden Kingdom (where I realized he could do comedy). They didn't even fully utilize his martial arts skills.

To this film's credit, the bad guys' motive for resurrecting the "mummy" sounds much better than the Nazi army's reason for hunting the crystal skull in the Indy 4 movie... and a cursed power hungry Chinese emperor's much better than a South American ET unable to go home because it literally lost its head.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Movie: The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight
Studios: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release: July 18, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crime/Gangster, Adaptation and Sequel
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace.
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B+
Story: B
Acting B+
Direction: B
Visuals: A

Compared to recent superhero movies from Hollywood, this movie has got to be the most frightening.

Many scenes with the Joker are on the disturbing side - where even threats are just as frightening as the deed. This superhero installment is on the brink of being a horror movie. You would not want a kid to watch it ... especially one who frightens easily. It earns its PG-13 rating.

As hyped, Heath Ledger does a good job of portraying a criminal ... someone who deserves to be in the most wanted list. That said, I must say that the rest of the cast also did a good job... it is just unfortunate that Ledger's death would dictate that most press would center around his acting in his last movie.

The twists and turns of the story make this movie. And whether this existed as early as the script, or enhanced by the director or actor, or maybe polished by editing, it has to be commended. Along with the breath-taking action that sometimes border on "stretching it too much", one also finds some meat into pondering what goes on in the minds of the characters... which is a plus for people like me who like shows like "Criminal Minds".

The story is far from the perfect thriller though where the objective is keep the viewer wondering what will happen next. There are certain things that by their mere inclusion in a scene lets you know that it is a set-up for what comes after.

To the movie's credit, the set-up does not fully give away how the next logical step will commence. For example: suddenly putting another person in the same cell as Joker is setting up a scene for Joker's escape ... you just don't know how that person will bring that about until it has actually happened ... you can always guess.

This is probably one of the best Batman movies ever made. However, best does not always mean enjoyable. My favorite is still Batman Begins. That one had heart that I could not find here.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Movie: Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia!
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release: July 18, 2008
Genre: Musical/Performing Arts and Adaptation
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sex-related comments
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B-
Story: B-
Acting B-
Direction: B-
Visuals: B

When I heard that the musical based on ABBA songs was going to be a movie, I was excited. Which means I waited a long time for this movie to come out. The trailer promised a fun movie, what with Meryl Streep singing and dancing on screen.

I have to admit that although I enjoyed this movie, it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. The trailer already contains snippets of most of the good numbers. There are scenes that are on the verge of boring, and musical numbers that make one cringe.

I must say that all scenes that have all or any of the three primary male characters are hilarious. Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard and Pierce Brosnan remain in character even to the end of the movie where they have a musical number with Meryl Streep, Julie Walters and Christine Baranski. Especially Colin Firth.

Now while the three guys are cool throughout the movie, Streep, Walters and Baranski were most of the time acting like the middle aged mother characters that movie teens would be embarrassed to have their friends see. There are some moments that are supposed to be funny but I just end up cringing at the execution.

The story is probably not original, but it's not that old that it wouldn't work here. It's the shift to the song numbers that isn't always working. As with most musical movies I have seen, and that even includes the tween High School Musical movies, I expected the shift from dialogue to song to be seamless. Mamma Mia sort of fails in that area. One wonders if this is due to direction or editing.

Amanda Seyfried was good. The actor portraying her boyfriend is handsome, but his screen presence kind of fades beside Amanda. It may be intentional, as Sky is not really a major character.

Greece is wonderful, although the white walls and blue window frames of the Villa Donna hotel makes me chuckle because it reminds me so much of some pictures I've seen of Batanes.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Gossip and gossip blogs

Was looking up the RSS feeds of some gossip blogs and saw something interesting.

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Someone supposedly hacked into Miley Cyrus' e-mail account and got hold of the pictures she sent to Nick Jonas (I'm supposing it's from the "sent" folder). Perez Hilton has posted two of the pictures on his site ... one of them with Miley wearing a shirt and taking a shower. It's the wet t-shirt look she's aiming for I guess. She wears absolutely nothing under the white t-shirt. Perez Hilton could not confirm if they're real photos (not photoshopped). The link to the post HERE. Interesting... I think Vanessa Hudgens was also around 15 when she photographed herself wearing undies (or less).

----------*-----------*----------

PerezHilton has improved over the years. He's become smart about keeping himself out of lawsuits - without losing the edge. Plus: he's accumulated enough celebrity fans to make his birthday a fundraiser. Andddd.... he's finally decided to stick to one user friendly layout ... there was a time when he changed website layouts weekly.

Another blog I like visiting is Just Jared. He's almost as fast as Perez Hilton on dishing out the news but he stays on the safe side (Perez tends to add mean comments). I think he tends to look for pictures or videos first then post them with accompanying remarks.

I also look up local gossip blogs.

Chikatime was one of them till they closed down July 4. I think some pissed off socialite threatened them. Gonna miss that site. Admittedly, they were a bit mean when attacking people, and they probably got meaner as they gained popularity, but I find their articles very informative. I don't watch local TV gossip shows anymore, so I get my weekly dose from them. They keep tabs on celebrities and socialites ... with some of the people mentioned I have never even heard of prior to being featured in their posts (usually the latter kind since middle class me definitely does not move among their crowd).

Chuvachienes is still up, though. They just have the annoying ads that keep popping up. Also, they stay on the safe side.

I guess the fearless gossip blogs left are those maintained by people living outside of the Philippines.

Brian Gorrell's blog, which started out as an expose on Delfin Justiniano "DJ" Montano, has now morphed into a gossip blog about the supposed shenanigans of certain high society personalities. He was living in Australia early this year, but now he's tapping his posts from Canada.

Encouraged by other bloggers, Kitty Go has started her own blog early this year. "When Chic Hits the Fan...Chic Happens" is a commentary on Manila's social climbers, and is delightful to read. Ms. Go lives in Hong Kong.

If you regularly read those blogs, they'll point you to other similarly entertaining sites.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Will Poulter is Eustace Scrubb

After Prince Caspian, Will Moseley will be saying goodbye to appearing in the Chronicles of Narnia movies.  Another Will is going to be in the cast, though.


Image Hosted by ImageShack.us Will Poulter is playing Eustace Clarence Scrubb in the next Narnia movie.    Eustace is Edmund and Lucy Pevensie's cousin.  He is introduced in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and becomes a main character in the succeeding Narnian chronicles.


Eustace is one of my favorite characters.  My other favorite is Edmund.  Both start out as naughty boys until Narnia brings out the good in them.  The 180 degree turn-around is what makes both characters interesting.  Skandar Keynes does a very good portrayal of Edmund, and I hope Will makes a good Eustace.


When I saw a picture of Will, he wasn't what my idea of Eustace looks like.  I looked him up at Google and learned that he plays Lee Carter in the film Son of Rambow, which is directed by the same person behind one of my favorite films of 2005: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  I watched the Son of Rambow trailer in YouTube:





That trailer sold me the idea that Will can portray Eustace.  His take on Lee Carter shows that he will not have a problem playing the bratty and generally annoying Eustace.


The UK trailer shows us much more of Lee Carter:





Funny thing is, I know he will also be good at portraying a reformed Eustace.  He only has to act like himself... the following clip is Will Poulter being very modest on the red carpet at the London Film Festival.





Will seems to be a good actor. I can't wait too see how he and Skandar will interact onscreen as Eustace and Edmund. Ofcourse that means waiting till 2010.


For more Will Poulter and Bill Milner (who is equally talented), here is an interview by Kewego:







Son Of Rambow - Exclusive Will Poulter & Bill Milner interview - kewego
Son Of Rambow - Exclusive Will Poulter & Bill Milner interview - kewego

Son Of Rambow - Exclusive Will Poulter & Bill Milner interview - kewego
Moviebeat.co.uk talks to the two young stars of this acclaimed Brit comedy about how they got their roles and their favourite movies of the eighties.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Movie: Get Smart

Get Smart Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release: June 20, 2008
Genre: Comedy, Thriller and Adaptation
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some rude humor, action violence and language.
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B
Story: B-
Acting B
Direction: B
Visuals: B

Toned Down Fun

Steve Carell does a good job of playing his characters straight faced in comedies. This movie is no exception, and it gives some balance to the slapstick.

The movie has a lot of good laughs, and a couple or so scenes where they stretch the comedy too much that it's corny territory. The funny scenes are scattered throughout the movie, interspersed with "serious", if sometimes bland moments. This style is okay, but the movie would probably have more impact if the funny scenes built up on each other.

For me, I feel I have watched a real comedy movie only when I leave the theater feeling tired from all the laughing. I didn't feel that in this movie since it allows the audience to catch their breath in between scenes before they start laughing again.

Dwayne Johnson's mix of super self confidence with a touch of down-to-earthness makes him a good choice for Agent 23 ... he does come across as someone another agent like Max will idolize.

Nate Torrence and Masi Oka were really funny as the geeky/nerdy agents. One more reason to like Masi Oka. Obviously I'm a Heroes fan. He he he.

Anne Hathaway and Steve Carell don't really mesh together as a couple here. There was no chemistry between them when it comes to the romance part, but they did hit it off perfectly when it comes to comedic banter. That means they'e good as partners, but I would elect someone else to be the love interest.

The rest of the cast is good. Too bad some of them had characters that have so little screentime that they weren't able to showcase their comedic talents.

Movie: Hancock

Hancock
Studios: Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group
Release: July 2, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama and Romance
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence and language.
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B
Story: B
Acting B
Direction: B
Visuals: B-

When I first heard that Will Smith was making a movie about a superhero with personality problems, I was looking forward to seeing it. I had anticipated it to be an action comedy.

When I saw the trailer, my reception to it was lukewarm. It wasn't funny enough, nor did it have CG action sequences that beg to be seen on a widescreen.

I still went to seen it though, since I've always liked Will Smith movies.

The movie IS fun. A drunk superhero will deliver some laughs... although not all of them are funny. Ray's attempts to change Hancock are not always funny either.

The character of Mary is the best surprise here. There is an obvious sexual tension between her and Hancock, that I was wishing the movie doesn't go the path of them getting together and breaking Ray's heart. They don't ofcourse. And the reason why they can't go that path is rather cool in my opinion ... despite some critics not liking that part of the story.

My favorite part here is when Hancock and Mary tussle in the kitchen ... with Ray around but his attention somewhere else. The two look like overgrown kids quarelling behind their father's back.

We eventually learn that Hancock is not the only one of his kind. And through the ages, there are people who are always trying to kill him.

Given this revelation, one would start expecting the introduction of a supervillain. There is none. There is just a trio of criminals who want to take revenge on Hancock for the physical harm they got from encounters they've had with him.

Perhaps by making the antagonists normal, ordinary people, the movie emphasized Hancock's mortality after being exposed to his "kryptonite". It has, however, deprived the movie of a high powered action sequence between the good guy and the bad guy.

The movie is more about a person discovering who he is, rather than a movie about a hero fighting crime.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Movie: Wanted

Wanted
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release: June 27, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller, Crime/Gangster and Adaptation
MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and some sexuality.
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B-
Story: C+
Acting B
Direction: B-
Visuals: B+

Wesley lives a boring life. And the first few minutes of the movie is just as boring. They've actually overdone it that I was beginning to wonder if the rest of the movie would be just as bad.

Thank goodness the action picked up before I lost interest. The action in this movie is awesome. However, a lot of it are downright impossible, whether the scene uses CG or not. The implausibility therefore, makes it easy for the viewer to disengage from the movie.

The idea of a band of Assassins with a higher purpose sounds nice. I just wasn't sold on the idea that they get their orders from a loom. As Wesley himself put it ... how do you know that a person that is a stranger to you deserves to die?

If the idea of taking orders from a loom without question seems ridiculous enough, what's more ridiculous is having only one person in charge of interpreting the loom and giving the orders.

With something as important as taking human life, the Weavers should have instituted a standard procedure wherein one makes the interpretation, and another person audits it.

I have not read the graphic novel the movie was based on, which is perhaps the reason that I have more questions: How did the weavers of a thousand years ago prove that all names coming from the loom should be marked for death? Why is a thousand year old organization headquartered in the New World (USA)? Is the loom they are using the original one? How and when was it transported to the USA? How exactly do they recruit members?

Given the action scenes and the presence of Jolie, McAvoy and Freeman, this movie has the cool factor. It just falls short when it comes to the story.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Rediscovering the kids of Narnia

Typhoon Frank's decision to change course and unload buckets of rain over Laguna threw out my plans to do 2 weeks' worth of laundry last weekend. I spent most of Saturday surfing the net. Considering that I only had a cold and a few clean clothes left to wear for the rest of the week, I had it better than those who lost their lives/property/loved ones to the storm.

My cold got worse on Sunday and I was not in the mood to open my PC. With the cable out because of the storm, I decided to just watch my Narnia 2-disc DVD (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). I watched it "as is", then with the "pop-outs", then with the commentaries of the director and the kids. In other words, I watched the movie thrice. I also watched the out-takes, the making, etc.

I fell in love with the four kids playing the Pevensies all over again.

I loved them after I saw the movie in a theater a little more than 2 years ago. I especially liked Skandar Keynes. He got the Edmund of the books spot on... and Edmund is one of my favorite characters from the series simply because he had the most character development ... same as Eustace, who is another one of my favorite characters (which means I am so looking forward to the film version of Voyage of the Dawn Treader).

I liked the rest of the kids because of the way they have bonded together ... and they do paint a very pretty family picture.

They have all grown up in the Prince Caspian movie. I adore the fact that more young girls/teens/tweens have begun to take notice of Skandar. I noticed him for his talent, but having grown up handsomely won't hurt his career at all.

With my cold winning the upper round today, and forcing me to call in sick, I spent most of the afternoon (I woke up very late) watching YouTube and all interviews with the kids. Saw some tribute videos as well (some are good, a lot of them mediocre).

Guess what... Slow me just realized what might have fueled the William-Anna/Peter-Susan shipping in fanficdom (which stumped me when I came across some of them after the first Narnia movie came out): it's those behind the scenes footages of them in the DVD where they do a lot of hugging and yes - cuddling. Those two look good together. Anna is sophistication and William is simply eye candy. I found it funny that Will had to clear to the press that they never "crossed the line" and remain good platonic friends.

I am impressed that Anna is taking up Literature in Oxford ... and she is in Magdalen College ... the same place where C.S. Lewis taught. Interesting, huh?

So, I have just noted how William, Anna, and Skandar have all grown up well. Let's not forget Georgie who is turning out to be a very pretty lady. No surprise, if you consider that the lovely woman who played the grown-up Lucy in the movie is Georgie's older sister.

Yup, I'm tracking the career of these kids and hope that they improve in their craft and be really successful actors (not just famous). It would probably be a while before we hear more from Anna though ... who's intent on earning a degree first.

Before I end this particular post, I'd like to share to you Switchfoot's video for "This Is Home", which is part of the Prince Caspian soundtrack:

This is Home
Switchfoot

Lyrics:

I've got my memories
They're always
Inside of me
But I can't go back
Back to how it was
I believe now
I've seen too much
But I can't go back
Back to how it was
Created for a place
I've never known

Chorus:
This is home
Now I'm finally
Where I belong
Where I belong
Yeah, this is home
I've been searching
For a place of my own
Now I've found it
Maybe this is home
Yeah, this is home

Belief over misery
I've seen the enemy
And I won't go back
Back to how it was
And I got my heart
Set on
What happens next
I got my eyes wide
It's not over yet
We are miracles
And we're not alone

(Chorus)

And now after all
My searching
After all my questions
I'm gonna call it home
I got a brand new mindset
I can finally see
The sunset
I'm gonna call it home

(Chorus)

Now I know
Yeah, this is home

I've come too far
Now I won't go back
This is home

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Movie: Kung Fu Panda

Kung Fu Panda
Studio: DreamWorks Animation
Release: June 6, 2008
Genre: Animation
MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of martial arts action
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B
Story: B
Acting B
Direction: B
Visuals: A-
This movie lived up to the hype that Dreamworks built up to market it.

It is funny and had me laughing from beginning til end. Despite having Jack Black playing the lead character, this movie is squeaky clean when it comes to jokes. Your kids will even pick up good moral lessons here and there... some of them from the character development that Po, Master Shifu, and Tigress go through... some from the wisdom imparted by Master Oogway and yes, even from Mr. Ping - Po's goose father.

Speaking of Mr. Ping. I find it funny that Po the Panda has a goose for a father. At one point I thought Mr. Ping was going to tell Po that he is not his real son, only to find out that he meant to tell Po some other secret.

The animation was great. Its look was in between 2D and 3D, with more care given to the central characters, therefore making them stand out. Po looked so cute. His nemesis Tai Lung looked wicked enough.

Leaving the theater, I know this is one movie I wouldn't mind seeing again.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Viva La Vida

Just heard this song today ... looked it up out of curiousity after noticing how fast it jumped onto Billboard's Top Ten so fast. Ha! Loved it the first time I heard it. The tune is catchy and the lyrics are interesting. It does sound like one of those music that came out of the 80s Britmania ... I just haven't figured out yet which 80s song sounds like this one.


Viva la Vida - Coldplay

Viva La Vida
Coldplay
From the album: Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemies' eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead, long live the king!"
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castle stands
Upon pillars of salt, and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells a'ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you'd gone it was never,
never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh...who would ever wanna be king

I hear Jerusalem bells were ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs were singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know St. Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world


Bridge:
Whoaaa (x4)

Bridge and Chorus mix:
(Whoa...) Here Jerusalem bells were ringing
(Whoa...) Roman Cavalry choirs were singing
(Whoa...) Be my mirror, my sword and shield
(Whoa...) My missionaries in a foreign field
(Whoa...) For some reason I can't explain
(Whoa...) I know St. Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Oooh Ooooh Oooh Ooooh... (until fade)

Friday, June 06, 2008

Movie: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Release: May 16, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
MPAA Rating: PG for epic battle action and violence.
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B
Story: B-
Acting B
Direction: B
Visuals: B

The director of this movie must be in love with battle scenes. They're probably the best portions of the movie. Story development is a bit neglected.

The movie starts with Prince Caspian's escape from the castle at the birth of his cousin. Just by starting here, the wonder of discovering Narnia's secret history, experienced by the reader through the Caspian character, has been deleted from the movie. In my opinion, a really good portion of the book is this re-discovery of Narnia's golden years.

Magic is injected here and there ... but the flow of the story is not fluid enough for the magic to stay with the audience even after the scene is finished. I am not sure if this is a result of writing or editing.

Visuals, at least in the theater where I watched this movie, wasn't clear. The "Telmarine scenes" were mostly in gray, which is drab and maybe supposed to add to the mood. I would have appreciated sharper visuals, for gray need not be blurry.

The kids have grown into their characters, and are more confident.

I find it interesting that they chose to give the Telmarines an "accent" to distinguish them from Narnians.

Once more, the movie's plot has deviated from the one in the book it was based on. However, the main characters go through challenges that develop their personality in a similar fashion to what they experience in the books.

The movie starts out putting you to sleep, but hang on for it gets interesting at the middle and more so near the end at the last battle scene.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

TV Series: Chuck

tv Network: NBC
First Run: September 24, 2007
Genre: Comedy, Action/Adventure
Time Slot: Philippines' C/S Channel:
Mondays 8:00PM
Thursdays 10:30PM
AXN (Asia)
Mondays 9:00PM

Chuck is a nerdy computer whiz kicked out of Stanford due to alleged cheating, no thanks to his so-called best friend Bryce. He also lost his girlfriend to Bryce and hasn't been in a relationship since. As far as he knows, Bryce is an accountant based in Washington.

Chuck's boring life as computer repair man at the Buy More's Nerd Herd booth took an interesting turn when Bryce sends him an e-mail loaded with hundreds of pictures. Turns out that Bryce is a rogue CIA agent who just stole the images from the CIA-NSA intersect and sent them to Chuck before destroying the computer. Effectively, Chuck becomes the human intersect of all the data the CIA and NSA have accumulated.

tvBoth CIA and NSA agents begin monitoring his moves, and proving that he is not a spy for unfriendly countries (just a victim of Bryce yet again) at the end of the pilot, Chuck eventually becomes part of a special team composed of Sarah Walker the CIA agent, John Casey the NSA operative, and Chuck Bartowski as the intersect. He couldn't tell any of this to his family and friends ofcourse.

Chuck is a true nerd and that makes him a lovable character. He has no pretensions of being the secret agent one tends to see in the movies. More endearing are the characters that surround him: the overprotective older sister Ellie, Captain Awesome aka Devon (Ellie's almost perfect boyfriend), Chuck's pesky childhood friend Morgan, and the weird characters that are Chuck's co-workers at BuyMore.

Sarah is a combination of tough and sweet. Casey tends to be the stiff NSA agent, even if he is pretending to be a salesman at BuyMore, a chauffeur, or a Stanford alumni. His weakness would probably be women ... starting with the episode where Carina seduces then cuffs him to the bedpost. Casey's one fun character to play.

The makers of Chuck started marketing the series at a comic con, aiming to get the same audience as that of Heroes. They're right you know. I am addicted to Chuck now as I was addicted to Heroes.

Chuck's website (http://www.nbc.com/Chuck/index.shtml) has desktops and screensavers for downloading, has a summary of each aired episode, as well as stills. It's "sister sites" are those that supposedly belong to Buy More (http://www.nbc.com/Chuck/BuyMore/) and Nerd Herd Help (http://www.nerdherdhelp.com/).

C/S started airing the first season of Chuck last April. AXN started airing it in May.

In the US, the second season starts airing in September.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Kung Fu Fighting Music Videos

I was sitting in front of the TV the other night when this video got my attention:

It's Sam Concepcion's cover of Kung Fu Fighting, the theme song of the animated movie Kung Fu Panda. Dreamworks is doing a Disney here in having regional artists record their own versions of music from the movie.

The other Asian to do a cover of the same song is a Korean - Rain Jung Ji Hoon:

Rain's version is a bit more subdued and more of a club or dance song compared to Sam's version which is definitely pop.

The American version is by Cee-Lo Green, who's got a more powerful voice than the other two:

Sam's video is more fun to watch though... Cee-Lo and Rain don't do much in their videos other than sing. Sam gets to do some fun acting in his.

Can't wait for Kung Fu Panda to be shown in Philippine theaters in June. I like Jack Black when he's doing animated movies... and I adore the not-animated movie where the role was perfect for him: School of Rock.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Studios: Paramount Pictures
Release: May 22, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure and Sequel
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for adventure violence and scary images.
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B-
Story: C+
Acting: B
Direction: B
Visuals: B

How do you explain 20 years?

It's been that long since the last movie: real time and plot wise. And a fifth of the movie is devoted to explaining what happened to the characters: who died, who got married, and who got himself lost in a jungle looking for a hidden city. Along the way Indy realizes that his side kick Mutt is actually his son. More or less, the writers are tying loose ends and if things go well, preparing the franchise for a new era where Mutt would probably replace Indiana Jones.

Bringing the movie to the 21st century are savvy action sequences and better special effects.

Early on, we find out that the plot involves aliens and their supposed role in ancient South American civilization ... antique collectors that natives regarded as gods.

The latter plot would work in another science fiction movie, but to bring it into an Indiana Jones flick would have some mutter "Oh please". Not everyone I know liked having aliens in the plot. I for one think that the plot has already been used in Stargate. For the record though I didn't hate the "alien" factor. What made it cheesy is the plot where the Nazis plan to use alien technology to control the minds of people. And Indy doesn't even make a snarky remark about the plan when he learned about it.

The action was enjoyable. Shia LeBeouf once more is able to blend seriousness while acting out a funny situation, which he was able to pull off well in Transformers. Harrison Ford shows everyone that getting old doesn't mean acting old. And finally, he ties the knot.

Fun as the ride was, I found that the impact of this movie is less compared to what I felt in the previous 3 movies. Maybe "world domination through mind control" had a lot to do with it... the argument for it wasn't convincing and menacing enough that I actually found it funny.

I walked out of the movie theater hoping a get better experience with the Mummy sequel.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

American Idol Finals

When it comes to reality shows that are also singing contests, I preferred the shortlived Rockstar series to American Idol ... simply because I liked the songs they sing on Rockstar compared to song selections in Idol (there are exceptions). The American Idol finals though is always worth watching. What with the numerous guest stars and every contestant for the season coming back for production numbers.

Really loved the number where Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. played Gladys Knight's Pips.

Cool how Renaldo Lapuz returns to sing his Brothers Forever song, this time to a high school marching band.

Just in case you haven't seen this yet, following is a clip putting together two interviews Fox had with Lapuz:

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Movie: Iron Man

Iron Man
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Release: May 2, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content.
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B
Story: B
Acting B
Direction: B
Visuals: B

Credit the movies "Chances Are" and "Heart and Souls" for making me love Robert Downey, Jr. He is the reason I made a point to see this movie.

To be truthful, I thought it would suck, since I didn't think Ironman is one of the most popular Marvel superheroes - although it should have a solid fan base. There has also been too many superhero movies lately that it's hard to get excited by the release of yet another one. Finally, Downey seemed awkward or didn't fit well into the role based on what the trailer showed.

Surprisingly, this movie rocked! It's one of those cases where the movie is actually better than the trailer and not the other way around.

The writers did a good job at Stark's character development. They actually made me like Iron Man/Tony Stark. The secondary characters were interesting although there is little space for them to grow. This movie, befitting of the main character's ego, is all about Tony Stark. This has got to be the superhero movie that spent the least amount of time showcasing its main antagonist (Obadiah) or leading lady (Pepper).

Robert Downey, Jr. was wonderful as Tony Stark. He owned the character. He was not that great when in the suit. There were times when he looked awkward as Iron Man, like he was just pretending to be Iron Man instead of being Iron Man.

Jeff Bridges was great, I didn't know being a bald meanie fitted him well.

I don't know much about how Pepper should be, but Gwyneth Paltrow did a good job of not allowing her star status to dominate a scene since she played Pepper as a quiet, subtle, if sometimes unassuming person.

Terrence Howard was adorable as Stark's somewhat unappreciated friend... loved his reaction when he realized Stark was the unidentified bogey.

Shaun Toub portrayed Yinsen admirably, which is why it's sad that the character dies. It never occurred to me till now that Yinsen sounds like a Chinese name ... and that's because the original stories show him to be .... tadah! .... Chinese.

It surprised me to see Paul Bettany's name in the credits ... apparently he was the voice behind the computer named J.A.R.V.I.S.

Stan Lee makes another cameo looking like Hugh Hefner. Which was a hoot.

I was puzzled to see Jon Favreau playing a minor character that is more or less what I'd call an "extra", till I realized he was the director.

Favreau impressed me with this movie. He has shown that he knows what the moviegoer looks for in a superhero movie. Notice that I qualified it to "superhero movie". He he he! Try as I might, I find it hard to like "Zathura". I do like "Elf".

It was disturbing to think that the movie sends the wrong message to kids when it comes to the importance of wearing safety gear ... Stark slammed into a wall while testing his propulsion boots and didn't show any indication that he was hurt.

The visuals were good, starting with the cool hot-rod red armor. Loved the holographic computer most ... especially when you could actually throw what you have deleted into the trash bin! How's that for fun?

To top it all, Samuel Jackson appears as Nick Fury after all the credits (pity if you left the cinema while the credits were rolling), asking Stark if he knows about the Avengers Initiative.

I immediatly started having flashbacks of the Ultimate Avengers animated movie. One has to wonder what Marvel plans to do by putting in that scene ... is this related to a possible Iron Man sequel? Or perhaps an Avengers movie?

Hmmm ... anyway, congratulations to Marvel Entertainment for having a hit for its first self-produced film ... and kudos to Favreau for giving us a rocking movie.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Movie: Forbidden Kingdom

The Forbidden Kingdom
Studios: Lionsgate, The Weinstein Company
Release: April 18, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure and Science Fiction/Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for for sequences of martial arts action and some violence
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B-
Story: C+
Acting B-
Direction: B
Visuals: B

I've loved Jackie Chan as far back as the 80s when I would see his movies on TV during the afternoon slot where they show Kung Fu movies. His movies have always been entertaining especially when they're leaning towards the comedic side. And it didn't matter if the English dubbing was sometimes bad.

Jet Li I've grown fond of ever since Hollywood brought him to my attention in Lethal Weapon 4.

It's a no brainer that I would want to see a funny, kung fu movie with the two of them in it.

Having Michael Angarano of Sky High (which I have to admit is one of those movies I always watch whenever it's on cable because it's a fun movie) in the cast was a plus.

The story is of the generic Jackie Chan Kung Fu movie: bully/evil person makes life hell for everyone (as usual, the movie does not bother to explain why the antagonist has chosen the evil path), an awkward greenhorn stumbles onto a magical object, greenhorn hooks up with a kung fu master/s, collects allies, then greenhorn's party faces off with the bad guys and win.

What I find interesting in this movie is that this time around, it is Jackie Chan playing the master instead of the student. In a sense, he has come full circle in this genre of Kung Fu movies. And yes, he does a good job of being a drunken master.

It is cool to see Jet Li do all-out comedy, which I haven't seen him do before ... not in the Hollywood movies I have seen anyway. His other movies may have funny situations but they are not really comedies.

Angarano blended in perfectly with the predominantly Asian cast and brought a mixture of naivete and reluctance to his character that is reminiscent of Will Stronghold. I am guessing it is his portrayal of Will Stronghold that got him this part.

Moving on to the other aspects of the movie: The fight choreography is good. Don't expect Oscar material acting because the movie genre does not call for it. Visuals are also good, well ... they are typical of Kung Fu movies that involve mythological places and characters.


If you love those old, Hong Kong made Jackie Chan movies, you'll love this movie.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Movie: The Other Boleyn Girl

The Other Boleyn Girl
Studios: Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group
Release: February 29, 2008
Genre: Drama and Adaptation
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content and some violent images.
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B-
Story: C+
Acting B
Direction: B
Visuals: B-

The acting here, and the direction, was good, not great, but good. The costumes were nice, but admittedly the colors in the movie as a whole are a bit drab.

The story is compelling enough to raise one's interest in English history, and I am saying this as an Asian whose history education did not dwell too much in the personal lives of Western kings.

The story was interesting enough that upon leaving the theater, my friend and I begun discussing and trying to remember whatever we learned of Henry VIII and his wives, and we even had a good chuckle overhearing a woman braggingly relate her knowledge of British royalty to her 2 companions, one of whom we assume is her girlfriend. She was saying stuff about the current Prince Charles and the Queen Dowager. Why she jumped to that story puzzled us a bit until we realized she associated the Elizabeth at the end of the movie to the current Queen Elizabeth.

At that point, we figured that whether it's a straight guy or a lesbian butch, the "masculine" one has the funny habit of trying to impress the girlfriend with knowledge, even if it seriously flawed.

Which brings us to the story, which is indeed flawed. Once you turn to the history books, you will be disappointed to learn that this movie, and the novel it was based on, took too much artistic license with history.

The movie presented Mary as the younger Boleyn. Although some historians think so too, many people, including the Boleyn relatives, believed that Mary was older than Anne. The movie tells us that Anne was the only one who was sent to the French court. Actually, Mary herself spent 4-5 years in the same court prior to being Henry's mistress. It was even rumored that at one point, Mary was mistress to King Francis I of France. The real Anne Boleyn was executed privately, the movie showed a public execution.

The movie gets a nod for showing that the importance of Henry producing a male heir was one of the reasons he wanted to annul the marriage with Catherine. It was correct in depicting a healthier Henry, since the king started to become fat only after an accident in 1536.

The movie did impress on me two things: (1) Anne Boleyn could have simply been a mistress if she did not insist on being married before having sex with the king; (2) Henry VIII only had one LEGITIMATE son, Edward - but he had illegitimate sons as well.

The son shown here would be Henry Carey - born to Mary Boleyn-Carey while she was still married to William Carey and right after her relationship to Henry VIII ended. Historians are divided on whether he and his sister Catherine truly are the king's children.

Henry VIII recognized only one illegitimate son. He is Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset, born to Elizabeth Blount (interesting to note that Fitzroy married Anne Boleyn's cousin; also interesting is the fact that he died in 1536 of what seems to be tuberculosis - in that same year, Catherine of Aragon died and Anne Boleyn was beheaded).

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

All things "car"

Adrian Pasdar posted a new video on Youtube:  looks liked Milo Ventimiglia got stuck in the trunk on the drive to San Francisco Bay:




 


What Milo was saying in the car? "Get me out".


Ofcourse, this could just be something they did for kicks... as most of the videos Adrian has posted before.


Lucas Grabeel speaks out on safe driving, especially if you are a teen:




 


If you can't drive a car but appreciate them, you can go to motor shows like the one I just attended:





Spot the duo from Amazing Race Asia 2: Rovilson Fernandez and Marc Nelson.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Movie: 10,000 B.C.

10,000 B.C.
Studios: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release: March 7, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure and Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence.
My Yahoo! Movies Rating:
Overall Grade: B-
Story: C+
Acting B-
Direction: B-
Visuals: B


First off, I only saw the trailer and reviews after I watched the movie, so I did not know what to expect when I bought the ticket. I just thought that since this may be the last week it's showing at the mall I frequent, I decided I might as well figure out why it's been on the box office top ten since it opened.

Calling it 10,000 BC will make some people, like me, think that the story may be based on history. If not the story of a real person or group of people, at least a story that uses what we currently know of that time as backdrop. The movie is neither, which makes me wonder why it had that title at all ... they probably couldn't think of another one that wouldn't sound funny or corny.

The movie starts by reminding me of the first few chapters of the Clan of the Cave Bear ... a novel that I never actually finished, but I think is good if you are into that kind of story. However, the movie eventually deviates into other things that refer to stuff that is on the weird fringe of science: like Atlantis theories, Sitchin's gods from outer space, or the probability that the pyramids or the sphinx is older than scientists are willing to admit.

As I said, those theories remain on the weird fringe and mixing them up does not make this movie even remotely close to scientific. Take out the assumptions brought on by the misnomer of a title and this is a fantasy movie.

What kind of fantasy movie then? Action fantasy like the trailer suggests? Nope. Action is present, but it does not dominate the movie.

This is actually a love story of the fairy tale kind, but our knight, princess, castle and dragon look differently from what we are used to seeing of that genre. People who expected to see something different from this movie may be disappointed to be presented by a predominantly and even mushy love story, but I admit I enjoyed the "love crosses continents, and conquers all, even fear" part of the tale.


Things to nod at:
  • a love story told without a sex scene
  • it makes sense to use blind people to serve the "gods" who should not be seen
  • showing the prevalence of superstition in the old times and how stupid it is
  • people separated from other people is easily conquered
  • people who choose to remain divided after a defeat will remain captives ... and although all it takes to band them together is a willingness to follow one man, convincing them to do so is tough
  • dwindling number of animals to hunt will force hunters/gatherers to seek new lands, or learn planting crops
  • shows that "marriage for love" is a relatively new concept ... ancient people may have acknowledged love, but they valued the survival of the tribe more in arranging marriages
  • shows how personal feelings could mess up a strategy
  • has a hero with believable personality flaws

Things that make you scratch your head:
  • wondering if all those species and civilizations actually co-existed
  • looks like D'leh and his men traveled halfway across the globe by crossing over snowy mountains, what looks like a rain forest, and a desert ON FOOT ... and they did all that in less than a year?
  • D'leh is unbelievably, extremely lucky ... whether it's finding sharp pointy objects to use as spears or not getting trampled or eaten by large mammals... I'm surprised he didn't start calling himself some sort of god ... oh wait, his people had no pantheon of gods, they had ancestor worship
  • Evolet must be one unlucky person

And yes, I agree with some reviewers who felt Evolet should have been left dead. If D'leh comes back to the tribe with either new technology (planting crops) or knowledge of more fertile lands, Evolet's role of saving the tribe would still have been fulfilled. It would also make the story less corny.

-----------edit: more stuff to make you scratch your head----------

  • They hide the blind guy by making him lie down in a hole while the slaves work in the desert during the day ... it's a wonder he doesn't die of suffocation or extreme heat
  • How do the HAIRY mammoths survive the DESERT heat? If they do not last long, is it even economical to use them when you have to feed them a lot only to have the slaves spend part of their time burrying the mammoths' huge dead bodies shortly after?

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The Gorrell - Montano Quarrel

An officemate was reading the Inquirer the other day where there was an article about this issue. He told me it would be interesting to look up Brian Gorrell's blog: http://delfindjmontano.blogspot.com/

Apparently, this blog shot to internet stardom shortly after it opened two weeks ago. Since it took me months to find out about the Malu Fernandez incident, it's no wonder I haven't heard about this at all.

The blog was basically started by Australian Brian Gorrell as revenge against his ex-lover, Filipino DJ Montano. The issue is the $70,000 Gorrell lost to Montano's bogus business venture; and Montano's friends, nicknamed "Gucci gang", are currently collateral damage since Gorrell will keep lambasting them and publishing sordid details about their circle if he doesn't get his money back.

Tough.

I'm not really into fashion, I don't read society columns, and I don't have a database of famous people lodged in my head. Ergo, the only names that are familiar to me in this drama are columnist Tim Yap, and Wendy Puyat of the Hong Kong scandal that I read in Cocktales. My officemates couldn't believe I don't know Celine Lopez.

Anyway, whether I am familiar with these people or not, the blog entries are indeed "entertaining". So are the comments people leave on the site.

My thoughts, and all stemming from the assumption that Gorrell tells the truth:
  • It's bad enough that DJ allegedly robbed Brian of $70,000, what's worse is that the money represented Brian's life savings. The worst part is DJ knew Brian has HIV and was probably hoping any income from the supposed investment would help with his expenses to stay healthy.
  • I understand that frustration is driving Brian to this extreme, but the initial plan of shutting the blog once the $70,000 is paid sounds a lot like extortion/blackmail.
  • Brian, and some people who have commented on the blog, have resorted to calling people names based on physical attributes. They curse Tina Tinio by calling her fat when what they supposedly couldn't stand is her manners. I'm fat, I don't think I have the bad manners they say she exhibits, so this tactic offends me. I may be chuckling as I write this, but I mean it. Ouch!
  • I think the word "celebutantes" fits the Gucci girls better than "socialites". Look up the word on the net...you won't find it in a dictionary.
  • Freeloaders do not necessarily have no money ... some of them are just so used to being given things for free that they are shocked if they have to pay. They usually don't think of themselves as freeloaders, too. They think they are just so privileged, idolized, and (cough!) loved/adored, that people want to give them stuff just to please them. They never hear the snide comments spoken behind their backs. They should, as a wake up call, but they don't.
  • As for the "moneyless" freeloaders, I think that the way they persuade people to give them things has approached an art that is even admirable. It takes thick skin, which I don't have, and a strong stomach. Unfortunately, I have a weak stomach when it comes to duplicitous acts...I easily throw up.
  • People tend to see the picture as the sickness that is high society. I think of this as Brian's misfortune of being with people who are afflicted with the deterioration of the person brought about by cocaine addiction. Following is part of the literature on cocaine addiction from www.emedicinehealth.com:
    Why cocaine becomes addictive: Research with cocaine has shown that all laboratory animals can become compulsive cocaine users. Animals will work more persistently at pressing a bar for cocaine than for any drug, including opiates. An addicted monkey pressed the bar 12,800 times until it got a single dose of cocaine. If the animal survives, it will return to the task of obtaining more cocaine.

    The human response is similar to that of the laboratory animal. The cocaine-dependent human prefers it to all other activities and will use the drug until the user or the supply is exhausted. These persons will exhibit behavior entirely different from their previous lifestyle.

    Cocaine-driven humans will compel themselves to perform unusual acts compared with their former standards of conduct. For example, a cocaine user may sell her child to obtain more cocaine. There are many stories of professionals, such as lawyers, physicians, bankers, and athletes, with daily habits costing hundreds to thousands of dollars, with binges in the $20,000-$50,000 range. The result may be loss of job and profession, loss of family, bankruptcy, and death.
    Cokeheads will sell their kids for cocaine, so fooling Brian into a business venture and the sex for coke should not be surprising behavior from them.
  • Parents in denial that their children are addicts will definitely, initially, deny that their kids are doing something wrong. They insist that their kids are good citizens, not only to assure other people, but also to assure themselves. They would rather wish it's just a phase and would go away. Like magic. When they do get to their senses and think of intervention, their kids have already gone far down the road of destruction. Think Britney Spears.
  • If DJ is indeed a cokehead, I doubt if he has any money to payback the $70,000. The money's already in the hands of the drug dealers.

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