DEATH OF TRADITIONAL CINEMA

Call it whatever you like, be it an overlong music video, or an idiot's guide to pregnancy, BREAKING DAWN PART 1 is both a hit and a miss. At first, it becomes sentimentally sweet, as director Bill Condon (DREAMGIRLS) lavishes us with the wedding scene set to the tune of "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" first heard during the prom scene in the first Twilight movie. Next, a mini-travelogue of Brazil that should have shown more landscape.  Then, the most poignant and tiring part: the pregnancy. Much ado about nothing. To be fair, I felt a little amount of understanding for the main characters' motivations: Bella wants to keep the baby and enforce her right to choose; Edward feels responsible, and guilty; Jacob feels doubly responsible, and his jealousy turns into sincerity, which is admirable. What more can we demand? The film wants to be cheesy and does exactly that. Of the four Twilight films already released, I liked the first one (because of its playfulness) a...

ENGKWENTRO comes as a huge surprise. It is a violent, bleak, and unforgiving film and yet it flourishes in beauty; the handheld shots are visceral and they add depth and intensity to what’s happening onscreen. The story, which is THE most important element, succeeds in delivering a representative documentation of an actual phenomenon in the Philippines, which is the prevalence of state-sponsored vigilante killings. Pepe Diokno’s script, co-written with four others including lead actor Felix Roco and scribe Jerry Gracio (LIGO NA U, LAPIT NA ME) manages to compel because of the human element at the center of the story, which is the strained relationship between siblings Richard (Roco) and Raymond (Daniel Medrana). Set against a backdrop of urban decay, a suppressive legal system that is blind to reason, and real characters that are caught in between, ENGKWENTRO delivers a solid, suspenseful action story within its 60-minutes running time. Within that short span of time, Pepe Diokno, in...

Few films can make me cry. If your film could, indeed make me cry, it's my barometer for hailing not necessarily a great film, but rather a film worth the time. KIMCHI BATTLE, as the title suggests has food as its background, and like a lot of films centered on food, there are intense moments of cooking, and this is probably the best time to point out that when doing  a film with food elements, you better make damn sure your cinematography is captivating; in other words, me as a viewer should better be salivating at the way the foods are visually presented.  KIMCHI BATTLE doesn't disappoint on the visual aspect, but what makes it an important film is the quality of its writing- you have the classic sibling rivalry which not only fleshed out the issues in their fragmented family, but also mirrored the Korean national identity through the use of food as a literary device. The film's ultimate idea, is love for one's mother, or motherland in a greater sense. The Kimchi b...

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES works well as a Sci-Fi thriller, a nice reboot for the franchise given the convoluted Tim Burton-helmed remake PLANET OF THE APES (2001), and as an effective moral metaphor for the evolution of species. I don't know about James Franco, but Andy Serkis (Gollum in LOTR) steals the show as Caesar, a chimp raised like a human being, who later developed cognitive skills like that of a human, and mounted a revolution of species in a battle for freedom and equal treatment. Nope, Serkis is not up there donning an ape costume, but rather providing all the movements and facial expressions. The CGI handles the rest. John Lithgow is also praiseworthy playing dad to Franco's character; suffering from Alzheimer's disease, the character is given enough justice and emotional subtlety by Lithgow who proves his caliber in acting even in a supporting role. Freida Pinto gets overlooked in this one. If you'll look at her starmaking performance in SLUMDOG M...

A marital breakdown is interesting subject for cinematic discussion as it is, but Derek Cianfrance pushes the boundaries further, making the journey of discovery for us a bit more poignant and bittersweet by juxtaposing the back story of how his two main characters met, fell in love, and started a new life.  Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling) seem an okay couple living an ordinary life with their young daughter, but we see that Cindy is discontent and frustrated, and Dean starting to implode. Cindy wants Dean to achieve more from his life, yet Dean says that he's already content with his job (as a house painter) that allows him to be with his family everyday. Meanwhile, Cindy works her ass off as an on call nurse, all the while resisting sexual hints from her boss and a former flame whom she has a chance encounter. This puts a heavier load on her already strained perspective at her marriage to Dean. Through flashbacks, there is a reference to marital relationships...

Corruption is a term Filipinos are very much familiar with. Hailed as one of the most corrupt countries in Asia, and even the world, the Philippines has a very rich historical documentation of tyranny, theft and yes, red tape. So when a filmmaker like Dennis Marasigan, who's already proven he can make a compelling and realistic political film via "Vox Populi," decides to adapt Malou Jacob's play to the screen, he's more than welcome.  ANATOMIYA NG KORUPSYON is set during the Marcos era, when corruption in the country is as its peak (or I could be mistaken or inaccurate, depending on who you ask, say Imelda Marcos); at first I didn't notice the period in which the story takes place. My friends readily saw the Marcos picture hanging by the office (the setting is in a Family Court). For me, the black vintage telephone and the trendy dresses worn by Che Ramos and Bea Garcia (who play office clerks) gave the milieu away.  At the center of the story...

You may not remember TOWER HEIST after seeing it, and in fact the first 30 minutes drags like there's no tomorrow (yes, I quite understand they do need to establish the scenario that led to the titular 'heist') but one thing you'll definitely love, aside from Matthew Broderick and Eddie Murphy's much-awaited big screen comeback, is the intense third act heist scene involving a red Ferrari, windows, and rope.  Aside from being just a comedy caper, TOWER HEIST also acts as an effective social analysis. adding to  the seemingly perpetual cinematic portrayal of financial fraud in the U.S. Wall Street big guy runs away with millions from hapless working class people, the very same people who serve him everyday in his penthouse suit on Manhattan. Obviously, you'd expect payback. Who doesn't? The ordinary tale of predator and prey becomes complex because the former, played by thespian Alan Alda plays it cool and relaxed, with hints of sarcasm, deceit and brewing...

Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock has a knack for presenting important issues with insight and humor unlike any other. In cinematic style, he is closest to Michael Moore, yet Spurlock's distinguish characteristic is his attack on the issues as an average joe, apart from Moore which has been solidified as an instigator, or a provocateur if you will. In SUPER SIZE ME, Spurlock set out to probe Mcdonald's (and other fast food chains as well, but mostly Mdconald's) effect on American consumerism, obesity, and culture in general; in WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN, he attempted to locate the known terrorist by actually mounting a physical search, to answer his own speculations and show that the search for answers doesn't end by asking; in his third major film, he deconstructs movie advertising via the context of content synergy by actually allowing advertisers to be a part of his movie. I think Spurlock achieved a lot with this film; the structure itself is inge...

Refn is a filmmaker who has style, but he bored me to death with VALHALLA RISING. I was willing to give him a second chance. So I watched DRIVE. It's one film you can readily consider a midnight movie, (not particularly referencing to the 'midnight movie' phenomena) because it is perfect for a midnight watch, like if you have a lineup of films to see, DRIVE would be the main event. Ryan Gosling is breathtaking to watch in a very tense and controlled performance of a stunt driver moonlighting as a getaway vehicle driver. He gets in the crosshairs of the mob and a beautiful young mother (Carey Mulligan), where the angelic, humble simpleton transforms into a crusader of righteousness. DRIVE has as its central character the quintessential innocent man pitted against the grand scheme of things, and affairs that are not really his; his biggest mistake is that he cared for another human being/s. Any Coen Brothers film would have this element, yet filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn...

If you want the skinny on I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT (and maybe you already know this, based on the trailer alone), think Carrie Bradshaw, with husband and kids. There you have it. I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT offers practically nothing new on the subject of feminine struggle against social expectations, much less on how to balance work and family. The protagonist, satirically named Kate Reddy (Sarah Jessica Parker) seems to have it all- a family that adores and admires her, a thriving career in finance, and women groping at her feet in insecurity. Above all this, the characters in the movie all exclaim, "I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT" or something like that. Spare the pepper folks. This is as cheesy as it gets. The characters are easy cardboard cutouts; there's the brainy but bitter executive assistant (I'm sorry Olivia Munn but Emily Blunt did it better in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA), the backstabbing officemate (Seth Meyers) conveniently named Bunce (whi...

After turning video games to live action movies (MORTAL KOMBAT, RESIDENT EVIL), Paul W.S. Anderson turns his attention to a much beloved classic literary piece, and quite heavily adapted swashbuckler by Alexandre Dumas. It's a nice departure, really because the RESIDENT EVIL movies are going from bad to worse. The last one is just plain unwatchable. Sorry Milla Jovovich. Jovovich redeems herself though here. As the duplicitous Milady, Jovovich is sexy, seductive, and deadly. There seems to be plenty of room for playtime. Anderson's treatment is light and almost cartoonish, as if a Disney movie. The only one missing it seems is Jack Sparrow. There are obvious deviations from the novel (airships!) but such upgrades are still welcome. The titular three musketeers Athos (Matthew Mcfadyen), Aramis (Luke Evans), and Porthos (Ray Stevenson) blend well together, and the young musketeer D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman) is easy to root for. Lerman embodies D'Artagnan with the energy ...