DEATH OF TRADITIONAL CINEMA

I can barely remember the first film. All I know is that it had Medusa on it and Gemma Arterton. But I definitely remember it being better than this sequel, in fight sequences and story exposition at least, yet WRATH OF THE TITANS is still passable escapist entertainment. Never mind Sam Worthington's wooden acting here. The story is still compelling, but quickly told as if in a hurry, unlike the first film which made much more sense. I can see what the writers did linking the betrayal of brothers Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades of their parents, which also happens here in turn with the next generation. In fact, there has been countless retelling of the story of the Titans (Tarsem Singh's IMMORTALS last November is the most recent) that any hope for faithfulness to the source material seem far out. For those of us who did not have too much background on Greek myth in high school, we'll just have to rely on what feels real, or what seems logical.  Several things that w...

As musicals go, ROCK OF AGES passes for some decent entertainment. It is equal doses funny, nostalgic, and hard-rock slamming. I mean it's not CHICAGO or DREAMGIRLS (which could be the barometer for period piece musicals) but it sure provides a hell amount of fun. Russell Brand alone will suffice.   At its core is a love story between a small town girl and a city boy, Sherrie and Drew (Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta). Yes, the line is familiar, and you've probably heard it gazillion times, you Gleek, and you bet your ass they sing that song here, but Journey's timeless song fits better in this era (and in this story) rather than in GLEE. But fret not. Lea Michele sings way better.  Maybe a bit too much cheesy on the young love/follow-your-dreams angle, ROCK OF AGES manages to push forward because leads Hough and Boneta are sexy together. Yes their conflicts are textbook cinematic cliche, but you can't help but hope that they end up together in the end. And...

KIMMY DORA AND THE TEMPLE OF KIYEME promises a lot but delivers less. Its predecessor is such a surprise hit both commercially and critically because of the wittiness of Chris Martinez's script and Eugene Domingo's comic timing. Having twins who are extreme opposites of one another as your main characters provides endless ideas for humor, and that's just what the first movie did. Martinez and director Joyce Bernal played around with mistaken identities, sadomasochism, and even reduced the male leads (Dingdong Dantes, Zanjoe Marudo) as objects of desire solely for comedy. The formula was successful. The jokes were fresh. Just don't mention the song number.  The sequel disappoints in a number of ways. First and most obvious reason is the injection of horror element. Sure, ghosts and screaming female leads can be guilty pleasure, but not in this instance. I hated the fact that what the filmmakers and Eugene Domingo achieved in the first film were reduced to a mimi...