DEATH OF TRADITIONAL CINEMA

Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) likes to daydream, a lot. It's what keeps him going through the day. It's also this quality that makes him a weirdo in front of his officemates at Life Magazine, particularly to new head honcho and resident A-hole Ted Hendricks (Adam Scott).  And yet, as we later learn in the movie, Walter's daydreaming becomes his ultimate tool for triumph. It's his rich and vivid imagination that defeats the impossible. As director, Stiller approaches the material with an overt sense of childhood fascination of grand adventures, of becoming the hero of the story. Mixing equal amounts of humor, pathos, and eye-popping special effects, the result is a jetsetting experience that allows us to empathize with Walter Mitty as we tag along for his adventures. As actor, the always charming Stiller makes Walter Mitty a triumphant representation of the ordinary guy whom nobody noticed, but is out to conquer his fears and the world.  Kristen Wiig, w...

With a relaxed pacing that gives ample time to establish the plot and the struggle of its main character, Gary Ross' adaptation of the smash hit novel by Suzanne Collins manages to dish out some important moral and existential issues amidst the action and the budding romance factor. However, THE HUNGER GAMES is far from perfection. Fans will appreciate the filmmakers' adherence to the book, given that Collins co-wrote the screenplay and served as executive producer. I haven't read the book yet, but judging by what I saw onscreen, THE HUNGER GAMES has a pretty interesting material to begin with. Charles Darwin is in the works, plus a submission versus subversion contrast. The setting is a dystopian future, and the movie showcases wildly glossy and excessive hair and make-up for the rich and privileged, suggesting class division. Meanwhile, people in poor districts dress in pretty much similar clothes, as if in uniforms, and line up for the "Reaping" (where the ...

A semi-trippy mix of conspiracy, sunshine journalism, alcohol, politics, and a very sexy Amber Heard, Bruce Robinson's adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's THE RUM DIARY has Johnny Depp at his comfort zone; as journalist Paul Kemp, Depp navigates the sane and the insane, amidst a sea of white collar crime in 60s sunny Puerto Rico. And we all know Johnny Depp can do bizarre in his sleep. As the newest writer in a rundown newspaper, Kemp breathes in the Latin culture, both the savory and unsavory. His boss is the pessimistic Edward J. Lotterman (Richard Jenkins) who first assigns him to do daily horoscopes; his best pal is a fellow writer, Bob Sala (Michael Rispoli) who leads him to murkier waters, as if their other fellow writer, the overratedly alcoholic and downright subversive Moburg (a tasteful and noteworthy performance by Giovanni Ribisi) isn't causing enough trouble.    Kemp then gets mixed with PR Consultant Hal Sanderson, who is really more than just a PR Consultan...

In terms of espionage fiction, two names stand out: Robert Ludlum and John Le Carre. Ludlum became famous to non-followers because of the Bourne series, whereas Le Carre made his mark as a much more sophisticated storyteller (my opinion). So far, the films adapted from his novels that I have seen, THE CONSTANT GARDENER and THE RUSSIA HOUSE were pretty solid suspense-drama (I have yet to see THE SPY WHO CAME IN THE COLD, and am currently reading A MOST WANTED MAN). However, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY proves the most stylistic film adaptation, and an advantage it has is director Tomas Alfredson, who has already showcased subtlety in narration with the Swedish vampire chiller LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. Gary Oldman is by all means exhibiting restraint as George Smiley, the story's protagonist tasked with uncovering the mole in British Intelligence secretly leaking classified information to the Russians. Said restraint is rather befitting, since it compliments his character's years of e...

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 ...

I haven't read the novel by Sara Gruen, but based on what I saw with Richard LaGravanese's (FREEDOM WRITERS) screenplay and Francis Lawrence's (CONSTANTINE) direction, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is a really compelling love story not only between humans in the most unexpected of places, but for all creatures of God as well.  The traveling circus is indeed a great irony, or mockery if you will for life, which is billed "the greatest show on Earth" by this movie. You see, the circus hides behind the facade of joy, decadence and spectacle fragmented lives struggling for survival. As Christoph Waltz's character August puts it, when his star attraction has to be put down and the beasts begin eating scraps, then it's gonna get worse for the men and women of the circus.  (I'm just paraphrasing the thought.) And finally, a Robert Pattinson movie I won't feel guilty seeing afterwards. BREAKING DAWN is coming later this year, so this is a nice break from his pale...

I partially read Eros Atalia’s novel before actually seeing the movie, and one difference I’ve noticed is that the movie did not follow the order of events in the book. But that isn’t my main objection to the movie adaptation. There was a lot of hype that surrounded even before the movie premiered during the seventh Cinemalaya at CCP, and I am one who was hit by all the buzz. I guess most of the festival’s audience (which are students) dig love stories, especially painful love stories. I remember the same reception for Jade Castro’s ENDO. I am not a buzz kill for these sorts of movies. I love watching people suffer in the name of love because only then, lessons are taught and empathy is expressed. However, I cannot get my head around the confused translation of Eros Atalia’s novel onscreen. When you’ve seen Wong Kar Wai and Almodovar and even Adolfo Alix, Jr. discuss about the pain of unrequited love, LIGO NA Ü stands elementary. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve read the entire novel prior...