DEATH OF TRADITIONAL CINEMA

THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT reeks references from STIR OF ECHOES and the plot is basically a rehash of those supernatural thrillers, but a strong mother and son relationship subplot saves the film from being with the rest of bad apples. Kyle Gallner and Virginia Madsen both give stellar performances, but the reverend character played by Elias Koteas seems a bit convenient. Nevertheless, the film gives some real chills. RATING: 3/5

THE POLAR EXPRESS, above other things makes us remember what it feels like to be a kid again, and what Christmas is all about. The visuals are strikingly beautiful, the characters lovable, and you couldn't go wrong with a Tom Hanks-Robert Zemeckis tandem.  RATING: 5/5

Establishing shot. You see Gloria Romero crying inside the church. How could you not cry? When you see Gloria Romero you are reminded of your own mother, or grandmother. One of the few ensemble products of Star Cinema that are worth watching, Laurice Guillen's TANGING YAMAN is a heartfelt family drama that celebrates the Filipino culture and matriarchal society. Edu Manzano has his moments; Hilda Koronel is notable, but; it is Johnny Delgado whom you will always remember in TANGING YAMAN as the humble eldest child who suddenly breaks into rage. Pure character acting. While TANGING YAMAN succeeds as a substance-rich story, emphasis on religiosity and Catholicism may have been overdone. RATING: 4/5 

Cary Grant is dashing as ever, the film is both thrilling and funny, but it is Jean Arthur who steals the show. One of Cary Grant's best films. RATING: 4/5

The film plays like your average afternoon soap opera, but filmmaker Im Sang-Soo paints a very beautiful visual canvas. THE HOUSEMAID therefore is more of style rather than substance. You will find it easy to agree; the shots are hauntingly beautiful, the production design is captivating, and almost every object presented in the film (the bathtub, the wine bottle, the wine glass, the laptop) has their purpose.  So the basic plot is that the main character works as a maid for a wealthy family, wife is pregnant with twins, husband is a spoiled womanizer who couldn't find satisfaction with his wife, wife's mother is a conniving snake, and there you have it. The case of the maid having an affair with the employer always ends in misery. Jeon Do-yeon as the maid Eun-Ji is subtly powerful; there is an emotional vulnerability hidden beneath her naive composure that leads to her being precarious, and you can feel the torment of her character.  However, the film's highlight is Yo...

I loved the Bruce Lee homage, and considering that Donnie Yen also played Chen Zhen in the 1995 TV series (which I haven't seen), I think this reimagining of the famous fictional folk hero's story is a must-see. It is timely because there is a current resurgence of HongKong martial arts films, with Yen just finished portraying Ip Man twice. LEGEND OF THE FIST isn't necessarily excellent; there are flaws in the storytelling, but what it lacks in coherence it certainly makes up for fist-to-fist and sole-to-face action.  No other could have played the character better than Donnie Yen. I loved the climax scene where he is dressed in white Mandarin suit, kicking all those hapless Japanese posers into walls, into midair, and onto each other, complete with that trademark Bruce Lee screaming.  Shu Qi as the enigmatic leading lady is fascinating. Apart from SO CLOSE and MILLENIUM MAMBO (I have yet to see this), this is certainly one of her notable roles. Anthony Wong plays Maste...

PRESA is filmmaker Adolfo Alix Jr's 16th feature film, the second in a tribute trilogy about former entertainment industry workers, and maybe his most ambitious and star-studded film to date. Featuring a who's who of Philippine cinema's veteran as well as young actresses, all in memorable characters, Alix and co-writer Agnes De Guzman craft a compelling story that highlights the role of women in society, and pretty much deconstructs people's prejudice regarding incarceration.  We have the ever-illuminating Anita Linda as a former movie star who has been imprisoned for a long time due to drug trafficking; Then there's Perla Bautista who plays a fellow inmate at odds with Anita Linda's irritable character; Rosanna Roces is convicted of killing her live-in partner, and now acts as the squad leader inside the Correctional Facility, and; Daria Ramirez, who is a woman about to be freed in a few days.  There's also the legendary Liza Lorena, who acts as the mob...

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE is escapist cinema, and a good one at that. It is definitely better than both National Treasure movies, especially the second one which is a trainwreck. Jay Baruchel works well as the Apprentice. His voice adds sarcasm to his nerdy character. Think Hiccup of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON in human form (which Baruchel, by the way voiced).  This is the most fun one can have with Nicolas Cage in years. Whereas his BAD LIEUTENANT is trippy, and KICK ASS is cranky, his Balthazar here in SORCERER'S APPRENTICE is eccentric and right on with the jokes. Even Alfred Molina works as the typecast villain. His humor and charm does it. The story is formula, though. But hey, we saw this movie for the spectacle in the first place, right? RATING: 3/5

First of all, ORPHAN isn't scary at all. Not one hair on my neck rose.  Second of all, it is produced by one of the most overrated producers of all time: Joel Silver. The same culprit for NINJA ASSASSIN and THE REAPING. While Isabelle Fuhrmann is menacingly convincing in the sinister role of Esther, the story itself is questionable. There are too many plotholes to fill up the entire planet.  Jaume Collet Serra who also directed the grisly (not a compliment) remake of HOUSE OF WAX featuring a prima donna named Paris Hilton who gets what she deserves helms ORPHAN. The pacing is too slow, but at least the tension is sustained.  The plot in my opinion is a subpar ripoff of THE OMEN. I mean, really? How can Esther slip through the radar of the Saarne Institute and the whole world in fact if she should be watched in the first place? I am trying to avoid spoilers, but let's just say the plot twist is not only tacky, but varies in levels of insulting.  The climax is f...

BALER is a fresh surprise. I'm not a fan of modern Philippine mainstream cinema, but this one was neatly constructed. While not Mark Meily's best (nothing he has ever done can top CRYING LADIES), the compelling story made me sit through the whole film. Jericho Rosales, Anne Curtis, and Philip Salvador give it all their best, to satisfying results. I liked the film because the portrayal of the Spaniards was two-dimensional. Ryan Eigenmann is menacing as a Spanish Officer.  Roy Iglesias' script is solid and tightly-written. The central conflict of star-crossed lovers gets a fresh new treatment. I have an admiration for Iglesias having fleshed out a fictional story weaved into history.  Accusations of incoherence (i.e. the dog not getting old despite the timeline) are only minimal setbacks. The story is still king, and BALER has such a rich story. It is a rare gem in a film festival populated by useless trash. RATING: 4/5 

Call it whatever you want- a hybrid of visual narrative and documentary, or an extended punk rock music video. Khavn's SQUATTERPUNK, one of the precursors to his later feature MONDOMANILA, is an undeniable artistic experimentation.  The electric guitar protrudes onto the screen, highlighting informal settlers' lust for life amidst a backdrop of decay and depravity. Khavn's camera follows youngsters as they play makeshift soccer, sniff rugby, and act all punk. One of the characters even sports a Travis Bickle haircut, and like what the other characters would feel, the audience anticipates the result when such character sits for that said haircut. This is one of the film's plus: it makes the audience a part of the immersion.  If you're not into genres where dialogue is substituted with visuals, especially where tracking shots are overabundant, then this is not for you. The characters need not say anything. Khavn's camera speaks some unspeakable truths about urb...

MONDOMANILA is sure to shock unprepared viewers. Those who are so polluted with Pinoy mainstream romcoms may find themselves walking out of the theatre. Even die hard fans of that relentless Regal horror franchise will curl up and die, just die. Raw, uninhibited, and unforgiving, Khavn's 28th feature is a fitting tribute to those films which have tackled urban catharsis (Brocka's for example) serving as well as an artistic adaptation of Norman Wilwayco's triple Palanca-winning short story, novel, and screenplay. As Khavn stated, MONDOMANILA is not about realist cinema nor a faithful adaptation of the novel. From my point of view, what it is instead is an absurd and surreal interpretation of present-day Manila that never loses its angst or its sense of credibility. Believe it or not, MONDOMANILA depicts our modern society better than recent films claiming to do so. What it does is to make a social commentary underneath all that cussing, graphic sex and violence, and see...

I'm not an expert on witchcraft lore, and I am definitely not a witch, but I can tell you PRACTICAL MAGIC is not the way to go. At least four talented actresses, wasted.  The plot is inconsistent; the moods are constantly shifting, and worst of all the film adaptation relies on deux et machina. I'm not familiar if the book is any good, but the film definitely isn't. There is a reason why I always chance upon this movie on TV and never get to watch it in full- I was being warned.  As a relief, there were some fun moments in the film. However, the whole plot is so poorly constructed I am ashamed for everyone involved in the creation of PRACTICAL MAGIC.  A sibling blood compact and a bunch of women holding a broom covenant isn't believable. There aren't even enough literary sources that can attest to the veracity of these scenarios. Even Anne Rice would Hemingway herself.  RATING: 1/5

If this isn't the scariest, most disturbing Sci Fi thriller of the year, then I don't know what is. What's great about SPLICE is the moral debate between its two lead characters. Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody both play scientists on a quest to find cure for uncurable diseases through splicing various DNA.  That is just the tip of the iceberg. When a sudden policy change of their mother company threatens to dispose their scientific pursuit, they do the unthinkable-splice human DNA. From the beginning they are at odds about this idea- Polley wants it, but Brody is imposing moral consequences. As they have unexpectedly created a modern Frankenstein, both scientists are aghast.  Brody and Polley are in top form; Brody is convincing in his moral stance, whilst in almost every scene I wanted to slit Polley's throat for her ambition. Nevertheless, their characters are everything but one-sided. Polley is coming from a much deeper perspective that what if this could be the ...