I'm not a consistent fan of thriller films, but the ones that I do like stay with me for years; thrillers can be some of the most intelligent (or the dumbest) genres of film out there, and when I watched The Others, I couldn't help but feel very satisfied at how it was created and how the plot sucked me right in - without my realizing it.
It's not a new film, but when Pat and I watched it on DVD, I had feelings of uneasiness from the get-go, never a bad thing for a thriller. The way it was set up - fog plus very large house - was spooky, to say the least. That definitely added suspense. The addition of two young children (who were simply brilliant by the way) helped to progress the plot in more ways than one.
At first, it seemed rather pointless and confusing, as the audience is bombarded with so many seemingly random and 'crazy' information, sold extremely well by Nicole Kidman's flawless performance. In fact, most of the time that I was on edge, it was because of how she was acting; when she's tense, I'm VERY tense, and when she's on the verge of panicking, I almost feel the same way too :P Brilliant. Towards the end though, the pieces of the puzzle seem even more confusing until the mind-shattering revelation - and just so it sucks to be led on, I'm not saying it here :P I highly recommend this film, even if it's just to enjoy the simple yet worth-the-wait conclusion. I remember just staring at the credits smiling after it was done. That's how much I liked it LOL.
It's too bad there are very few new actresses at the caliber of Nicole Kidman nowadays. It's also too bad that well-thought out films like these aren't made so often - but I suppose that's how we appreciate them more when they are made.
Props to Pat for introducing this movie to me. Definitely one of my favorites.
10/10Jay~
It's a Saturday, and since I've got no plans for the entire afternoon, I think I'm going to see some movies. I check my movies folder to see which ones have finished downloading and I have..
Casablanca (1942)
Dune (1984)
The Godfather (1972)
Let's make the very safe assumption that I'm a very HAPPY camper today. :DJay~
Before you guys think it's about disliking someone named "kapatid", the title is Filipino for "Divided Siblings", as near as I can manage to translate it. My Filipino language skills are admittedly not the best, but that's close enough. :)
It's also the first full-length local movie here in the Philippines that I have willingly gone to watch (watched it with PJ, since she's a bit of a local movie buff) and I must say it was a lot more tolerable than I expected.
A note in advance: I'm a little more critical than usual, seeing as this is my first full experience of the local movie industry, and my observations are, just like all entries in this blog, absolutely mine and reflect only my opinions :)
The plot, while a little predictable, was good in that I believe many Filipinos could relate to it. I certainly could (it was about OFW parents and their children growing up without the physical presence of their parents), so I enjoyed the build up. The conflicts were all predictable, but the acting really took the cake, especially from Judy Ann Santos. Now I understand why she's one of the best talents in the local film industry; her acting was actually very commendable. I cannot say the same for the other cast members though, and a reasonably alright movie experience was ruined around the middle when product and brand endorsements came at an avalanche.
It seemed like the movie became a brand vehicle, using the actors' lines and circumstances to peddle whatever products the said actors were currently helping endorse. The fact that it was there wasn't the problem; the sheer cheek to make it so damn obvious was. It reached a point that brand after brand was coming at you. It was like being pelted by a paintball gun with stinkbombs for bullets. Disgusting.
Still, after learning to desensitize myself from the advertising, the movie was really quite enjoyable, and good enough for a boring day at home.
6.5/10Jay~
The much anticipated and most recent game-to-movie film so far has delivered well, and with class and style, in my opinion.
At first glance, I thought that PoP would be a terrible sword-and-sandal adventure flick; pretty-boy lead actor, inspiration from a game (my God, we've had lots of bad ones, haven't we), and an ancient setting. Surprisingly, I was glad to have had my expectations shattered.
Jake Gyllenhaal was not in his usual fare of films, and I never really thought he was much of an actor (he was not stellar in PoP as well) but this one was one of his better performances, and one of the better performances in this genre. He looked the part of the Prince of Persia, which is never a bad thing as the game does have quite a loyal fan-base, myself included, and it added a tad bit of 'realism' that it was the game.
Scenery, 3D effects, costume, and props were top-notch, and I appreciate the film for giving justice, at least to that, to the original game. The Prince's moves and weapons were also classics, and it was good to see they tried their best to remain faithful to the original concept. Props for that.
The only dodgy thing in my opinion was the choice of the particular PoP game. Sands of Time was never one of my favorites, and I actually think the movie could have been a lot more if they used another game (the first one wouldn't be a bad choice). Still, it is a good watch on a quiet afternoon. Popcorn is a welcome companion.
7/10Jay~
***SPOILER ALERT***
Possibly one of the most anticipated remakes and action movies of the year, I find Clash of the Titans a visual treat that did not deliver much in the way of content.
It was interesting how the director compressed the early life of the main character - Perseus - in the span of a few minutes, complete with cheesy lines such as "Someday, someone will say "enough"!". I believe this did not lend well to Perseus' character development, as well as necessitating a part later on in the movie that explains his 'oceanic baby survival'. I found this an unnecessary backtrack when the movie was going along quite nicely. Bleh.
Water special effects was one of the two SFX I found to be rather poor. Perseus' sea-shots with his adopted father and boat show a rather cheap-looking ocean; sharp focus on the foreground and a very, very soft, almost hey-I-was-rendered-later background. Coming from the same stock as the SFX of 300, I honestly expected much better. Sounds were good though, as well as the visuals of battle scenes. Large scorpions spawned by Hades? Very cool. Medusa's visuals were also poor to be honest; I thought we've seen the end of amateur-looking 3D characters that was in old sword-and-sandal films such as The Mummy Returns (BUT I love TMR1 and TMR2 so I shall stay silent on those). I was willing to let this go due to the many creative ways the protagonists all tried to kill Medusa, with (duh) Perseus the only man left standing.
Looking at the theatrical release poster, I believe that the shot was chosen specifically to signify a turning point in the plot. The quest to kill Medusa literally obliterated the other heroes - and I commend the director for getting the audience to be fond of the supporting cast of Perseus, as evidenced by groans when they started dying off - and ensured that Perseus plays the classic 'lone Ranger' and complete his quest alone; not even his loyal Io (who was simply gorgeous) survives.
Plot development was way too linear in my opinion. It was a very predictable movie with absolutely neither twists nor turns to stimulate much in mental thinking. To put it simply, the general plot goes something like: Hero born. Hero suffers. Hero goes on quest. Hero meets band of warriors. Hero and warriors go on quest. Warriors die off. Hero remains. Hero meets final monster. Hero rescues princess. Hero gets the glory and the girl (but she's not the princess ;)). Linear, and dare I say, boring storyline. I am betting big bucks that's not what many in the cinema were searching for anyway. LOL.
A relatively alright movie if one is seeking a classic action story coupled with some sick fight scenes. I would not recommend it to fans of serious epics such as LOTR or even funnies like The Mummy Returns. I seriously don't. I find Clash of the Titans (itself a misleading title; it should be The Clash of Man versus Gods, or Man versus Gods. LOL, I kid) a confused movie stuck between providing a visual masterpiece (not quite as pretty as Avatar) and providing a gripping plot (ROFL). In so doing, it failed itself twice which is a pity since from the outset it looked to be a very promising action film to kick off summer. Cheesy lines and cheap environmental visuals aside, this is still an acceptably visual movie with some Greek history thrown in for the kicks.
In under no circumstance must you watch this movie in 3D. Firstly, 3D is just a ploy to get you to pay more anyway. Secondly, this was never shot in 3D; it was shot in 2D and then converted into 3D. The effects are rumored to be very messy and lost. I say don't risk it. There's nothing cool about wasting money. It's pretty enough in 2D.
7/10Jay~
I waited for this movie for quite a while, and I was greatly disappointed with the final outcome.
First of all, a movie starring Paul Bettany and Dennis Quaid - sounds pretty okay right? It didn't work. This movie was hyped up a lot, and carried some pretty surreal visual effects, but for all that: FAIL.
Apocalyptic movies usually have this certain air of expectation surrounding them. They are supposed to be scary, or at the very least, suspenseful. Legion was neither. It was a horrid marriage of religious overtones and the most confusing plot I have ever seen. In fact, I do not think there was even a plot!
The movie features scenes such as the archangel Michael "not giving up on humanity" even though God has, and has sent His archangel Gabriel to carry out a 'cleansing'. Not much 'cleansing' was shown, other than a few thousand zombiefied humans stalking a lone diner in the middle of Nowhereville. Lame.
There is way too much talking in the movie too. Talking about fixing cars. Talking about life's little challenges. Talking about bad TV reception. Talking about this and that, and even scenes of Michael and Gabriel arguing and debating. Seriously. That's lame.
Another rather noticeable thing in the movie was that the first two protagonists to die were both African-American men; the one-handed cook, and a pistol-carrying 'thug'. Seriously.
I don't even want to go to the parts on WHY a particular baby in a waitress' womb fathered by an unknown man was SO special. It was never explained, other than a vague reference to how "the child is the last hope for humanity" or some other crap like that. Never explained, never expounded on. Okay, the baby was born. So what? The movie ends soon after. *rolls eyes*
It's just so bad I don't even want to review it anymore. All semblance of critical review just bled out of my brain remembering Legion.
At least Gabriel had some ridiculously cool armor and wings. +1 for that.
3/10Jay~
Watched Zombieland with some friends a few days ago, and I have to say it was a bit better than my expectations.
Seeing the trailer, it immediately brought references to the popular multiplayer cooperative game Left4Dead and Left4Dead 2. The weaponry, the gore, and the manner of zombie deaths was quite similar, as well as the idea of "safe houses", if you pay attention to the movie.
Many popular films nowadays rely heavily on the CGI magic to work its way to a crowd's heart, but I liked Zombieland for paying real attentive detail to ironic humor and unexpected gags (as well as LOTS of make-up) in providing the comedy. The narrative style of the main character, Columbus Ohio, was also really funny in that he speaks in the matter-of-fact way of many born losers. He was perfect for the role. The constant reminder to the audience of his "rules" also brought some laughs, as they were flashed on the screen accompanied by a complementary scene, most often involving a gruesome zombie death.
I thought that the fact that there was less than ten names in the main characters list was cool; a few actors actually brought the movie to life, albeit with a little help from dozens of made-up stuntmen for the zombies. Less on the flash, more on the acting (though the acting was a tad dead sometimes).
Acceptable for a bored night out with friends, nothing brilliant, but should provide enough laughs to talk about later over some coffee. :)
7/10Jay~
Went to see James Cameron's Avatar the other day, and I must say, it was one of the better movies released this year.
***SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING***
The film, like many box-office releases of late, is heavy on CGI and special effects. Unlike some Michael Bay films though, the whole storyline and plot was not overwhelmed by the insane effects.
The film itself was rife with undertones, most noticeably its political and environmental ones. I love the idea of two differing people ultimately having the same end-goal, and finding that love is indeed color-blind. The rather anti-war and anti-violence themes in the film was barely concealed as well, with many of the human leaders reminding me of early Bush Administration tactics. As for the environmental undertones, it was a little exaggerated at some parts (think Pocahontas) but it was sensitively done in my opinion. I like the overall 'green' mentality of the aliens ("blue monkeys", in the words of the human military leader). It's a fresh perspective at a time when most films concentrate on the 'flash-bang-gore' experience for the viewers.
This has to be Sam Worthington's best film yet, much better than his performance in Terminator. A lot of the cast were unknown to me, but I think they did an awesome job, especially the one who played the alien princess.
All in all, great story, greater undertones, impressive performance, and very nice battle scenes. My only regret was that I did not go to the loo before watching it; it turned out to be over two and a half hours long. :P
8/10Jay~
New Moon. The second installment in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight saga.
Three things I can say about the movie:
1. Jacob Black is definitely on steroids.
2. Boring as f***.
3. Big CGI wolves are kinda cool.
I was asleep in the last 15-20 minutes of the movie. It's a total WOMBAT (waste of money, brains, and time). Aside from the cheesy teenager-ish lines, horrible visual acting of Edward Cullen, Jacob Black, and Bella Swan, the "ghostly-Edward" scenes, and the Volturi (vampire Interpol, anyone?), the movie was a total bust. Only the wolf-CGI was worth watching, and that would be like, three to four scenes? OMFG.
Thank God the popcorn was nice. Wasabi flavor!
Better go watch something else.. anything else.
2.5/10Jay~
** SPOILER WARNING **
I went to see the disaster film 2012 earlier.
I'm a sucker for disaster films. In my top five favorite movies of all time, the great scientific boo-boo Armageddon is included. Don't ask why, but the sight of landmarks getting thrashed and whole cities going into flames are things that morbidly fascinate me. They are just so.. preposterous.
Then comes 2012.
The movie brought together just about everything that could go wrong with the planet. Earthquakes? You got it. Tsunamis? On just about every continent. Volcanic eruptions? How about Hawaii disappearing under lava? The movie is probably the zenith of all disaster movies ever made, and for sheer disastrous-ness, I personally give it an 11 out of 10.
As on my previous paper on musicals where I touched on the CGI-fed audiences of today, 2012 is also probably the most CGI-blasted movie of all time, and what CGI it had! My favorite digitally made scene has to be Californian cities getting eaten up by earthquakes. It was a literal feast for the eyes; I suggest watching the movie or YouTube these particular scenes. Amazingly horrific. The Oscars for effects should go to 2012 by default!
Then comes the plot and characters. Don't even bother looking for a cohesive plot; the cliches of disaster movies are everywhere. The most sickening scenes for me were the 'limo escape' and the 'little airplane escape'. A limousine handling like a souped up Nissan R34 being driven by a divorced author (with his family inside) while driving through the broken and disintegrating landscape of Los Angeles (I think it was LA) AND escaping relatively unharmed was.. let's just say "WTF?" was running through my head. The CGI were pleasantly distracting at this point. The characters had no development whatsoever as well; an RV-residing prophet foretelling the impending doom of humanity? Come on! I suppose the characters were there mostly just to show people in the movie. After all, it was two hours or so of effects anyway. Even the 'touching scenes' looked a little too scripted to be touching as well. At least the goodbye scene in Armageddon was intense and very heartfelt. In 2012, all the goodbye scenes would make you go, "um.. okay?"
I also found the language very technical and scientific. I was pretty glad of my science background as this enabled me to understand quite a bit about what was happening in the movie. I doubt many understand the technicalities with plate tectonics, magnetic pole reversals, and neutrinos. If you do, however, you would appreciate the movie a teeny bit more.
Oh and the "Noah's Ark" thing..? Too much. Way too much.
I appreciated the film mostly because I took it literally as an entertainment; nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else. If one would ask one's self, what has this to do with the Mayan calendar crap, I would say next to nothing. It's a movie for those seeking pure time-burners (which was what I did) and not for those who want to be watching a gripping plot.
7/10Jay~
I'm not a Harry Potter fan. Really.
A lot of my friends know this, but alright, I went to watch this movie with Gayle, and I have to say I was a little disappointed, considering the hype that has been with this movie from the get-go (and the fact that it is a HP movie).
CGI was excellent, especially the intro scene where the flying smoke things (HP fans, don't crucify me for not knowing the terms :P) attacked downtown London. Sick graphics right there. Most of the 'magic' scenes were all beautifully created, and the graphics were top-notch.
I specifically didn't like two things about the movie: the Dumbledore and Malfoy scenes, respectively. I didn't think Dumbledore performed well at all, and his character of an old and wise wizard/head master just didn't work for me. As for the Malfoy scenes.. I never really thought he was that much of an actor anyway. I found his parts bland and unappealing. His late-night secret trysts with a cupboard is a little too psychotic for my liking.
The characters are looking like adults now. Some of them are adults. LOL. It's removing some of that "British boarding school stories" charm that I always thought made the HP books and movies appealing to its fans. Oh well. What do I know. :P
Evil kid Voldemort FTW. He looks like a baby Adolf Hitler. Admit it, he does.
7/10Jay~
Another spin-off in the series that Arnold Schwarzenegger (governor of California) made famous, and I believe it didn't do justice to the first two movies (I know, there has been three, but the third one sucked).
Christian Bale wasn't too bad, but he should have known all his future performances would be compared to Batman. He did depict the emotional grown-up John Connor that has really aged in the Terminator series. However, Sam Worthington's talent was rather wasted on the "human turns cyborg turns human" concept, and it didn't really play well for this TV-series actor.
Whole film consisted mostly of violently brutal cyborgs blasting humans to pieces, and humans pretty much doing the same to cyborgs. Typical and predictable. Cool CGI, to be honest.
Nothing much more to add to that.
Stop making Terminator movies! The first two were great by themselves!
5/10Jay~
Aside from being absolutely awesome, I like so many more things about this movie than all the other movies I've seen this year.
The casting was perfect. Relatively unknown actors who portray the relatively unknown facts and situations in India's slums. Great. :)
I love how this movie opens up the eyes of the people who watch it (like myself) and raise awareness that yes, these things do happen, and they exist. The story of how the sheer will to survive and to pursue a love is really touching, and at times, really heart-breaking (like when Jamal gets tossed out of the hotel by his brother). His courage and intelligence is quite beyond understanding, and I believe he embodies everything great about the human spirit: courageous under duress, resilient under opposition, and able to love when all hope seems lost.
The victory of humanity shines perfectly in this movie. :) My only regret was not seeing this any earlier.
One of those movies that have to be in the 'greatest movies' list. Watch it however you can; no regrets whatsoever, I promise. :) Love, drama, action, suspense, horror, adventure, and some epic Bollywood dancing (really, what Bollywood movie is ever complete without the group dance?), Slumdog Millionaire has it all.
10/10Jay~
I really enjoyed this one. :) The cast was absolutely perfect, and Ben Stiller, as always, great.
I'll admit I didn't find it 'funny', but the silliness was pretty good, and didn't look stupid, as with many silly movies. I thought the singing angels were epic, and the Titanic theme song part was funny. The way the characters interacted - supposedly spanning a great number of centuries - was also great to watch, and the special effects were impeccable. Abe Lincoln's part, I found hilarious, especially at the poke at Stiller's height. :P
Gotta love the little bobble-head Einsteins. Epic. :D Watch out for Al Capone and his gray-scale look. That's some cool special effects, I thought.
Definitely worth a watch.
8/10Jay~
For the record, the book was much better than the movie.
I have to say that for those who have read the book, it's a rather hard movie to enjoy. The liberties taken by the director was far too much in my opinion. I couldn't help but compare the plot and characters (and the events) to what I already know from the book, and whilst not exactly fair, it just couldn't be helped. I didn't like the numerous character, events, and plot changes to the movie, because it removed some of the suspense so vivid in the book (like the death of Cardinal Baggia in the book, but not in the movie).
Tom Hanks was alright, and it was good to see him say his lines while moving, creating a sense of urgency and crisis. Ewan McGregor was brilliant as the Camerlengo, though it would have been nice if it had followed the original plot of him being the Pope's artificially-inseminated son. I don't recall a 'bad' performance from Ewan anyway. He really carried the movie, as far as I'm concerned. As I said, far too many liberties taken. :( The Assassin was a boring piece of turd. I didn't feel his threatening presence at all, which was also rather evident from the book.
In terms of aesthetics, it's a beautiful movie to watch. The shots of the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, and Rome are gorgeous. Kudos for that. Pacing was alright, plot development seemed rushed at times, but overall, it was worth watching. Just try to ignore what you know from the book. :P
7/10Jay~
Let's get this straight, I have nothing against John Cena. Thing is, roles that require him to show even a little bit of affection comes as awkward, and doesn't really suit him in this movie.
In terms of plot, it was the typical bad-guy-comes-back-for-revenge storyline that I have seen far too many times. A typical damsel in distress flick, Ashley Scott didn't really have to act, as the vast duration of the film involved Cena trying to beat a sick (sadistic sick, not ill sick) criminal in a series of 'tasks'. I personally thought the task thing was a little lame.
Action-wise, it's not too bad. Good enough gore and violence (falling down a lift shaft, anyone?) for an action movie. Cena just looks so awkward trying to show some emotion. Predictable last third also.
Very forgettable movie, definitely not one of the better flicks this summer.
4/10Jay~
So Gayle and I bought a DVD of this movie, and this was what happened.
I fell asleep after about a third of the movie.
Gayle went online and did some paperwork.
The movie ended. She wakes me up.
Enough said.
Easily the most boring CGI movie I have ever seen.
Special effects were very impressive though, especially in the opening scene where the two space nerds track the meteorite. I like the CGI burger.
4/10Jay~
I'm a little divided in my opinions about this movie.
Liam Neeson plays an ex-special forces father (Liam? LOL) who is a little over-the-top when it comes to being protective. I didn't like his 'too much to say' attitude (he has a little speech going on in almost every scene where he talks), when he's supposed to be a covert specialist, and I thought those guys don't speak much.
Liam Neeson might be good as a Jedi master, but he isn't very believable as a former black operative.
His background was poorly revealed in my opinion; there should have been a better description rather than "possessing a special set of skills". That was almost comical. His relationship with his ex-wife and his daughter was dodgy at best, and at times, rather hard to understand. Perhaps this should have been taken note of in development.
The one thing I do greatly admire about this movie was how it raised awareness about human trafficking in Europe. Not too many movies highlight the 'hidden secret' of European nations about their growing human trafficking problems. The dangers and downright scary situations of the young women being trafficked are made painfully obvious to the viewer. Kudos for that.
Aside from a pretty alright plot, nothing much more can be said about Taken. At times, it resembled a cheap version of a 007 movie, but nonetheless, I enjoyed watching it.
7/10Jay~
While the above poster was not the official movie poster, I just love how the light catches Wolverine's trademark claws.
Any X-Men comic fan would know who Wolverine is, being one of the most recognizable characters in the decades-old series, and for him to get his own movie was simply fantastic. It is definitely one of the best X-Men movies to come out.
Hugh Jackman was stellar playing Wolverine, and he embodied the gritty carry-a-big-stick persona pretty well. His portrayal was excellent, and it's good to see him actually behave like the comic book Wolverine (with that dry sense of humor).
Special effects was top notch (who can forget Agent Zero's gate gun play, and Deadpool's "house keeping"?). Insane CGI, and very realistic action scenes. Such a shame that Gambit's part wasn't developed much, but then again, this is Wolverine's movie.
It was interesting to see how certain characters were introduced (like Cyclops and Professor X), which should really shed some light on how X-Men came about. The plot development and time line of Wolverine's life was rather linear, but it is about his origins, so that's alright.
A must-see for X-Men fans, and a very good movie to see even if you're not.
8/10Jay~
I love cars.
Having grown up in a city where fast cars and sick mods are more abundant than Shell engineers (and we have plenty of those), this movie was a must-see for me. It helped that I have seen the first three: The Fast and The Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Alright, the bad side first. Plenty. Aside from shoddy acting and a predictable plot (Vin Diesel's and Paul Walker's characters' love-hate relationship), the attempt at some 'romance' totally failed for me. Come on. Vin Diesel, tender moments?? People watch him to bruise guys and cars, not to get all teary-eyed. Ugh.
However, the cars and the action (hallmarks of the Fast and Furious franchise) certainly did not disappoint. It was good to see more imports in this one, as well as a good blend of tuned-up muscle cars and trucks (opening drift scene of Han: S-I-C-K). Let's be honest, you watched this for the cars. If you did, you'll come out very happy. I know I did. Sad to see a character leave permanently though. :(
CGI scenes were really out of this world as well. Mix that up with some great stunt drivers and beautiful cars, and the realism is almost at a hundred percent. Very beautifully done.
Do NOT watch if you want a slick storyline. LOL. Watch it for its sheer aesthetic value and some insight in the world of tuners. :)
9/10Jay~
