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...

Those who went and saw this movie expecting some sort of higher aesthetic cinematic value must be mad. I only saw it because of Kristin Bell. But not even her charm, or her perkiness, or Josh Duhamel's suaveness can salvage the movie's lack of imagination. In summation, it's a formula film right down to the core, featuring characters who are lifted off of templates, and a rollercoaster ride that ends in textbook romcom fashion. But for someone looking for a light movie, there's plenty to be enjoyed here. The quad ensemble of Dax Shepard (ZATHURA), Will Arnett (LET'S GO TO PRISON), Jon Heder (THE BENCHWARMERS) and Danny De Vito (BATMAN RETURNS) are hilarious, especially when they torment Bell's character Beth across New York City. Nevertheless, the story's plausibility can be compared to the existence of Santa Claus.  One more scene which does not make sense: during the climax, Beth drops a poker chip from the fifth level of the Guggenheim, and the chip r...

From the guys who brought us the Ewan McGregor-Jim Carrey comedy I LOVE YOU PHILIP MORRIS comes this ensemble romcom that plays out in cliched romcom fashion, develops quite earnestly and humorously, and manages to pack some surprises towards the end. I kid you not I howled like a madman in laughter countless times. I almost gave up. Halfway through the film the narrative drags like it's going nowhere, and not even Steve Carrell's charms can save the day; however, Ficarra and Requa knew how to keep the goods until the exact moment when we least expect them, and surprises after surprises unfold.  Carell and Julianne Moore play a couple who decides to get a divorce (or should I say Moore decides to dump Carell for Kevin Bacon who again plays the third party, remember SUPER?) which takes a toll on their household, especially on their 13- year old son. After much wallowing in self-pity in a classy bar, enter suave Ryan Gosling who's quite the ladies man, and transforms Carel...

NO STRINGS ATTACHED is another cliched-ridden Hollywood romcom flick salvaged only by its two charming leads. The script gets real compelling when it wants to, and utterly stomach-churning corny during unguarded moments. Kutcher's line in the ending scene is unforgivable. But at least there's a new take on modern relationships, or does it seem fresh only because Natalie Portman acts so well that you sympathize with everything she is going through? On a sidenote, Portman never looked sexier onscreen.  Happy guy meets assertive girl and they decide to become fuck buddies. Everything goes so well until they fall for each other, and assertive girl maintains her thick overcoat of emotional distance. Or does she? Basically we watch this types of movies to escape. NO STRINGS ATTACHED is ridiculously funny I laughed so loud several times. I could not believe the guy who gave us ROAD TRIP and GHOSTBUSTERS directed a romcom. Ivan Reitman presents his two leads with such chemistry an...

One of Hollywood's revered camp filmmaker, Wes Craven is back. Nope, I am not counting in MY SOUL TO TAKE, which was heavily plagued by negative reviews. I haven't seen it, and probably never will. I have become a follower of the SCREAM franchise over the years. I don't particularly love the movies, but I do enjoy them, especially that the SCREAM films also serve as a deconstruction of sensational media and the horror genre. So I'm pretty thrilled that a new sequel has turned up. One unmistakable and undisputed claim that SCREAM 4 can have, is that it is is the funniest among the four SCREAM movies. The lines are so campy you'll surely memorize them ("Your lemon squares taste like ass!") and you should see Courteney Cox's Gale everytime she mentions "Deputy Judy".  The lines are not the only humor in SCREAM 4. There's a creepy scene where Deputy Judy (Marley Shelton) speaks to Sidney, and her face is unseen in the dark; then there'...

BURLESQUE is entertaining where it counts, thanks to Stanley Tucci, and to Cher's authentic turn as a performing mentor to young Christina Aguilera, but the film struggles with too much genre cliches that almost nothing separates it from usual follow-your-dream stories. Girl from small town going to the big city in pursuit of her dream. Check. Conniving rival sworn to bring the protagonist down. Check. Seasoned mentor showing girl from small town the ropes. Check. Stanley Tucci doing the same role as in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. Check. Dreamy but wimpy guy who will eventually end up with the girl from small town. Check. Suave guy who turns out to be a jackass. Check. Unnecessary character. Check. (Sorry, Dianna Agron) I felt like I've watched CHICAGO sans the politics, mixed with some STEP UP and COYOTE UGLY. Oh dear we are in trouble. RATING: 2/5 

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