DEATH OF TRADITIONAL CINEMA

"SAYAW" is a highly-artistic interpretation of a seemingly ordinary story of three people affected by the power of dance and literature. What could have just been a love triangle is instead presented as a soulful journey of feminist ideology and homosexual tendencies.  The film, the latest feature of filmmaking tandem Alvin Yapan and Alemberg Ang (ANG PANGGAGAHASA KAY FE) makes use of a number of poems from noted feminist writers such as Ophelia Dimalanta, Merlinda Bobis, and Rebecca Anonuevo to name a few. The poems are either chanted, or sung, as the characters dance to it, as means of presenting us the story hidden beneath the facade. And it is exactly such technique that won me over; like Wong Kar Wai's IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE and Bernardo Bertolucci's BESIEGED, less is more. The whole story is not laid out and spoon fed to us; we scavenge for all the clues layered within subtexts of dialogue, images, and montage.  The poetry unfolds like magic. Tender and yet pr...

There are films that make you think due to its pileup of mystery. Then there are films who make you think, but there's actually nothing there. VANISHING ON 7TH STREET, from director Brad Anderson (THE MACHINIST) belongs to the latter. Working in a post apocalyptic Detroit setting, VANISHING reminds of I AM LEGEND, but the latter makes much more sense; VANISHING does not offer even the slightest hand of explanation, or logic, it's just that people vanish into thin air leaving behind their clothes and possession. In the wake of this phenomena, four people hole up in a bar trying to survive the darkness out to get them. Basically it's a 90 minute-film which leaves you begging for answers, only to be disappointed. It's really a love it-or- hate it film, and for me it was really a major waste of time. Sad, because I really admired the shock value Anderson once exhibited in THE MACHINIST. RATING: 1/5

During the first act of WU XIA, Peter Chan's latest film, I was like "Whoa! This is a clear ripoff of David Cronenberg's A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE". That feeling would permeate the entire first act and eventually lets down any hope for the story, or the character build up. If you've seen A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, then you already have an idea of WU XIA's plot. The second act gets better though. An investigator Xu Baijiu (Takeshi Kaneshiro) digs deeper into the mysterious past of a paper worker Liu Jinxi (Donnie Yen) and director Chan vividly establishes Baijiu's moral dilemma, as well as Jinxi's justification of "the greater good", actually telling us that his character has already changed, and that we, too should give him a chance. And how couldn't we? With those soft eyes and humble voice Yen is believable as a man of peace. The third act is where the film kicks in high gear, both in action and in story development. Jinxi's past catche...

THE SWITCH may have just been another romcom borrowing another tired plot device- the bestfriend dilemma, but in all respect, I found the movie neither overly romantic or comedic; for me, it was a very sentimental meditation on parental issues boosted by Jason Bateman's controlled performance as an opinionated but thoughtful friend/ eventual father figure. An unfortunate mixup involving his best friend Kassie's (Jennifer Aniston) pregnancy sends Wally (Bateman)  the surprise of his life- young Sebastian (Thomas Robinson) speaks, moves, and thinks like him. They even share a psychological condition called hypochondria (like what Melman had in MADAGASCAR). Could Sebastian indeed be his son? The movie wastes no time answering that. Instead it focuses on the de facto father-son relationship between Wally and Sebastian, underlining its effect on the now inconvenient relationship between Wally and Kassie.  In the end, the movie betrayed my expectation that it will shy away from ...

Guy Ritchie was born to do gangster films. LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS is downright inventive and funny; its unofficial sequel, SNATCH is equally enjoyable. ROCK N' ROLLA is a little over-the-top, but still worth watching. So when a guy like Ritchie (I haven't seen SWEPT AWAY, and I'm not planning to) decides to toy with our minds via the convoluted and chopsuey cinematic mess that is REVOLVER, there goes the cardinal rule about visionary filmmakers and that one time that they hand us a piece of crap.  A character in the mockumentary FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION by Christopher Guest said: "I always tell my students, 'you can hand me a piece of crap wrapped in a big red bow, but at the end of the day it is still a piece of crap wrapped in a big red bow'." While I cannot easily dismiss REVOLVER as crap, the big red bow mentioned is the tirade of blinding colors, cartoonish editing, the Tarantino ripoffs (the anime use is just one example), and the attemp...

BAD TEACHER isn't as funny, or as satirical as I thought it would be, but that's not the movie's main problem. Although Cameron Diaz is likable and full of energy as the titular bad teacher, basically we have a bunch of teachers who are terrible role models for their students, which does not go reprimanded by the end of the film.  And there goes the shortest review you will ever read from me.  RATING: 2/5

In terms of visuals and musical score, GREEN LANTERN, the latest movie to spring out of a DC comic book, never fails to entertain. Do not count on the story part, though. The plot is a major letdown. You got aliens from another world, a warrior escaping to Earth (SUPERMAN much?) and a human who inherits a power which transforms him into a superhero, that enables him to save his planet from destruction (feeling familiar?); then there's a government conspiracy (just like any other Emmerich or Michael Bay movie) and before we know it, Blake Lively is nothing more than just a damsel in distress, brought out for ornamentation. And for the record, the attempt to be TOP GUN or even STEALTH is way lowbrow.  There are still fun moments in the film, like when Lively already knew that Ryan Reynolds is the GREEN LANTERN, and....I think that's basically it. Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett co-star as unnecessary supporting characters meant to extend the running time. Peter Sarsgaard at f...

*May contain spoilers Vengeance is always a fascinating theme for cinematic exploration, because it lays the groundwork for a moral debate, and moral debates are among those which I look for in movies.  Of all the noted Korean filmmakers whose films I've seen, Park Chan-wook is clearly the one with a tendency, no make that an assured delivery to shock you out of your senses. His ideas, and his visual translation of those ideas birth compelling results. I only saw two of his films previous to this; THIRST was a hysterical yet blood-soaked vampire movie, while JSA (JOINT SECURITY AREA) is a stirring political thriller that evoked so much emotion in me, even though I'm not Korean.  SYMPATHY FOR MISTER VENGEANCE, the first installment of his now famous "Vengeance Trilogy" starts out slow, but gets real serious and interesting during the second act. It is a story headlined by antiheroes, and like THIRST and JSA, the ending is governed by force majeure, an undeniable tr...

Okay, before you say say "not another story about the financial meltdown!", THE COMPANY MEN, boosted by strong performances from seasoned actors and fueled by a solid and compelling script, may in fact be the best movie retelling the aftermath of yet another momentous American fiasco.  THE COMPANY MEN, as the title suggests, focuses on the American employee-the workers who fall prey to corporate pushovers and fraud. That's basically it in a nutshell, but the story even politely gives the American corporate bully the benefit of the doubt by actually giving it a chance to explain. Meanwhile, we sit back, observe, and weigh the arguments of both parties. It's corporate vs workers, but when you think about it, it's really America vs. humanity. This is the exact same turmoil surrounding the Philippine Air Lines at present. In the movie, the big bad wolf is GTX Corporation, a company engaged in ship building, located in Boston, Massachusetts. We see the effects of co...

LIMITLESS is a fresh, fast, and addicting thrill ride with a decent logical story and a star-making performance by Bradley Cooper. It being a morality tale, there's a moral lesson in the end- not quite what I expected but satisfying enough. There were questions in my mind after watching the film, some plot holes that were left in the dark, but after reflecting for a while, I found the answers in the story itself.  Eddie Morra is a struggling book writer who's hit rock bottom. He's about to get evicted from his apartment, his girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) breaks up with him, and he has a serious case of writer's block.  A chance encounter with his ex brother-in-law introduces Eddie to an underground drug called NZT, which can eventually allow a person to access 100% of his brain. The film then shifts its focus on the drug as it is the sole cause for the fortunes and misfortunes of the film's characters. Even so, the NZT suddenly becomes a main character. Eddie gets r...

Nothing is at it seems in BRIDESMAIDS, a genre busting, side-splitting, and irresistibly charming breakout film for Kristen Wiig, whose starmaking lead role here is long overdue, but most welcome.  Wiig and Maya Rudolph play inseparable childhood friends who face the ultimate test when one of them is set to be married, and the other becoming the maid of honor. For Wiig's case though, her character Annie is the "maid of dishonor", wreaking havoc to the whole wedding process. To complicate matters, Annie is torn between men (but not that cliched love triangle conflict you are thinking of) and she has to battle with the "It girl" (Rose Byrne) who competes for the attention of the bride. Think Paris Hilton cum Tessa Prieto-Valdes. Like what I said, nothing is what it seems. The obvious lesbian actually isn't. The straight gals make out. Then there's that monstrous cookie.  Amidst all the laughs, BRIDESMAIDS actually does have a big heart, emphasizing fri...