Movie: 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.

Movie: 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.

Movie: 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.

Gossip and gossip blogs

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

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).

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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.

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.

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
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.

Keywords: son of rambow will poulter bill milner

Video from moviebeat

Movie: 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

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.

Movie: 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.