I am a Star Wars kid!

My Grandmother from Leyte came over to the City for an appointment with her physician, so naturally, since there isn’t really a lot to do in the house, my dad prepared a DVD for the viewing pleasure of my Granny. It was “Gone with the Wind”. I heard about the movie a lot of times before, usually on award shows. So, I gave it a shot. Before the film began, my grandmother told me that the last time she saw the film was way before she met my Granddad. So I was thinking black and white, well, because Casablanca was (which I swear is one of my classic favorites next to Wizard of Oz). So the movie started. I remembered, it was last year that my dad made me watch “Fiddler on the roof”. I forgot but the movie started after lunch and perhaps ended an hour before dinner. 4 hours! Well, understandable, FotR is a classic and if we try to remember, so was “the Sound of Music” which I think is about 3 hours long. Gone with the Wind, Fiddler…, Wizards of Oz, Sound of Music, Casablanca and I guess most of the films from the 1920’s to late 1970’s had no end credits, in fact, their credits were shown in the beginning. Of course, there weren’t really a lot of people to thank, unlike those of today.

So yeah, the film was probably close to 4 hours long. My Grandmother even slept in the couch so I had to stop the DVD and watch again later that evening. Superb story. It revolved around the American Civil War. One can always read the synopsis of the film anywhere on the web, but actually watching the movie was overwhelming. Scarlett O’Hara. I’ve heard of that name on innumerable lines from other movies, it was then that I actually came across the real Scarlett. The movie in general was about life in the midst of a war and how a seemingly rich spoiled brat could turn into someone independent and feisty on difficult instances.

***

So, after my brother’s innumerable request to watch Tron with him (although he has already seen it), I finally agreed to do so. It was perhaps early this year that the trailer of Tron:Legacy was released. My brother was streaming the video on Youtube when my dad noticed. Dad instantly told Billy that the 2011 film might possibly be a sequel to the 1982 flick. Trust me, when you talk about sci-fi flicks, the best person to turn to is my dad. I think this whole mania of his is rooted from Lucas’ ingenious trilogy and Isaac Asimov’s best-sellers. So without question, Tron was downloaded.

To be honest, I wasn’t really enticed upon seeing Tron:Legacy’s trailer except that the film is indeed the perfect pick for the ultimate IMAX 3D experience. Other than that, it seemed ok. BUT things started to change the moment I saw Tron (1982). Just like Star Wars 3-6, Tron was basically a movie during the advent of the infamous Blue screen films. So, coming from a generation where blue screens are (although still very important) “a thing of the past”, it’s very understandable if one might think that the effects of the old movie was crappy. I mean, I have to be brutally honest, the effects were crappy! But I guess that’s the whole point. Film making and cinema has grown. Take it from me, if you’ve seen Clash of the Titans (2010) then you’d probably be rolling on the floor laughing the moment you see the original version. But I guess that’s the whole beauty of it. I guess the best person who showed the growth of cinema to the world is George Lucas (Star Wars). He filmed the last 3 episodes first because there was no technology at that time that could make his visualizations of the millions of clone soldiers, galactic battles and wars, Gungan soldiers, podracing, etc… come to life. And now with the birth of 3D and IMAX, we have, yet again, entered into another era of cinema.

***

I was talking with ALG the other day about the 2009 independent film, “Where the Wild Things Are”. I told him how much I love the indie film, intrigued, he requested that we watch the movie together. Turned out he didn’t have the same fascination of the film as I did. He then said “Ganahan jd kas tanang salida nga imung makit-an sa?” I answered, “Di man tanan, D JD KU GANAHAG UNGO2”.

Inception

The top begins to wobble, but the scene cuts to black.

Two words. Total Genius! After I had heard numerous accounts of Inception being the most mind boggling movie of the month, I have instantly been curious.

Christopher Nolan's ingenuity has indeed preceded this film. He was the mind behind The Prestige which was indeed one of the movies I had to watch more than once to understand. I love the way Nolan plays around with science. The possibility of a science so confusing that it leaves either the characters of the film or the viewers themselves MAD!

Inception is not an exception. The story basically revolves around the manipulation of dreams to steal and plant information from and into another dreamer's subconscious. So the process is basically, in layman's term, a heist, where the "thieves" (DiCaprio and his team) were experiencing lucid dreams and the person that they had to plant or steal information from was not. Confused? I know! But you would somehow understand how the story unfolds when you watch it yourself.

Trust me, watching this film is like reading a book, you would not want to miss a page and when you wouldn't understand the later parts of the story, you'd be skimming your way to the previous pages. It's no wonder the film went straight to the 3rd spot in IMDB's top 250 film. So you might've guessed how I'd be rating this one!

Joseph GL was astounding! From the frustrated Tom in 500 Day of Summer to Di Caprio's righthand man. I totally loved his "smooth move" moment with Ellen Page's character.

Ellen Page was the architect of the dreams in the film. She played a very intelligent college student who was named after a mythological architect (Ariadne) who helped a hero escape from a nemesis' labyrinth.

I first knew Marion Cotillard when she played Edith Piaf. My father gave my gradmother Edith Piaf's collections album as a birthday present once, so when I heard that a movie was made retelling her story, i wanted to know who was playing the French singer's character. Then the next thing I knew, the actress playing Piaf won the Academy awards. Here she played a very significant role, so significant that she was named "Mal" Latin for Evil.

Cillian Murphy just like Christian Bale must be one of Nolan's favorites. Bale has played a role on Nolan's the Prestige and as we all know, Bale is the present caped crusader. Murphy played as Scarecrow in Batman Begins and he also landed a role as a billion-dollar heir in this one. And I guess so is Michael Cane from being Alfred in Batman to being DiCaprio's father-in-law in this one.

I've nothing to say about DiCaprio except that I thought he's become a goner in the industry, but he proved himself deserving to still being the "King of the World" when I saw this film.

I have yet to see this movie again. But I guess for this time being, it's best to advise others to watch it. The experience is indeed worth every penny!

The Book of ELIsheba

This is perhaps the most realistic Post-apocalyptic film I have ever seen. Especially becuase it has a definite connection with faith, hysteria, and megalomania.

The movie basically took place after " something tore a hole in the sky, crashed on earth and created a blinding explosion". My total guess was a nuclear war.

Perhaps taking place 50-80 years in the future, one very prominent fashion statement might've, fictionally, made Ray Ban a trilion dollar business. All of earth has turned into a barren wasteland where settlers remained as walkers (nomads), cannibals, and townsfolks (whose sole dependence is on a typical king pin boss who knew where and how to give them water).

Denzel Washington, the main protagonist of the film, travelled almost 30 years to take his book west. On the road, he meets Solara (Mila Kunis), whose blind mother advised her to run away from town and be with Washington's character where she'd be safer. The whole story basically revolves around this book and how this can be used to rule the world, which in our present case, is indeed correct. Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) gone megalomaniac!haha

Enough said.

I wont spoil this one.

If I had to rate this, I'd give it a 5!

One of the best post-apocalyptic movies I have ever seen that had nothing to do with zombies, meteors and AI domination!

a MUST SEE flick.

2010 movies list

My brother and I started listing our movies last year, when we heard that there was going to be a sequel to our ultimate movie of 2008, Transformers. We had listed 24 movies in 2009. So the tradition went on for our 2010 list. The movies on our list MUST only be viewed on the big screen. But those that will not be released in the country are always Torrent exemptions. So these were our movies last year. A few movies aren’t highlighted because we haven’t seen them last year so we wrote them on the 2010 list.

It’s the mid year and we have seen almost half of the movies on our list. The latest was the Last Airbender. These are our 2010 movies.

Among those that we have seen, Cameron’s Avatar stands out. We’ve seen it twice, one in 3D. so I guess Avatar still stands as the best movie of this year (and last year). Equally excellent films were:

KickAss, best action so far.

Where the wild things are, best indie.

Inglorious Basterds. Well, credits for Tarantino’s wild imagination!

9 was fairly good.

Toy Story 3. Awesmazing!

The rest of the flicks were ok. I need not say more to most (Ironman, Robin Hood, Karate Kid, Clash of the Titans, etc...) because the box-office charts already declared them as such.

And since I was a bit disappointed at our movies of the year, Airbender and Clash of the Titans, I guess I’ll leave it Tron Legacy to do the job. Scott Pilgrim is also promising, and I have yet to see Inception, I’ve heard it’s mind boggling!

This should’ve been called as “Avatar: The last FILM BY M.NIGHT”!

Avatar: the last Airbender (Book 1: Water)

July 21, 2010 @ Ayala cinema 1

Im a fan of the famous Nickelodeon series but I admit, I wasn’t exactly the type that would go gaga if I had missed a part. My brother had a copy of the 3 books on DVD. I would usually sit with him when he was on a marathon of the series last summer (2009). So, it was pretty much amusing. I got the hang of it. In a week, I would be reading a synopsis of an episode I missed. It was last year that I had read about a live action adaptation of the series in IMDB. So, naturally, I had placed the movie as our NUMBER 1 priority for our 2010 movie list (next was Clash of the Titans). Later part of last year, the same website announced the director of the movie. I have to be honest, I am not a very big fan of M.Night. All his movies, perhaps except for the 6th Sense and The Signs, were "blockbuster flops" ("The Happening" was more like "what the eff is happening to M. night?!", "The Village" and "Lady in the water"). So you tell me, how can he make this epic series, with at least a billion fans from all ages, skyrocket as a blockbuster hit?! It was epic alright! Epic Fail!!!

So before I spoil things up, here’s a little overview of the whole series.

Technicalities
So the movie’s opening scene was the same as the series. All in all, the visual effects were good. The fact that the movie stresses out that bending was associated with the Asian martial arts of kung fu and tai chi was a relief. The effects of fire, water, air, and earth bending were also good. The fact that most of the scenes in movie were set in a studio wasn’t such a big issue for me. Appa and Momo were impressive, technical-wise. So were the many machineries of the fire nation.
But!
Who the heck is Eeeroh?! Sowkah?! Oong?!
It was relief hearing how they pronounced Ba Sing Se right!haha
The iceberg scene when Katara and Sokka first found Aang was the ONLY highlight of the movie for me. But the next scenes totally lost it!

Actors
This was, indeed, the major issue of the whole film. Dude! I admired Dev Patel’s performance as Jamal Malik. But in this flick, he was just, in plain words, TRYING SO HARD to play the part. LOUSY! Perhaps except for Uncle Iroh (though not depicted visually the same as in the series), who in a way, had the same wisdom as the one in the series. A lot of reviews always had something to say about the actors, and perhaps in that aspect, I agree to most. The water tribe were Caucasians?! Fire nation, Hindu?! Was M. Night even given the chance to watch the series?! Sure the term AVATAR is ,etymologically, Hindu in nature, but M. Night could’ve at least stuck with the aspects of the series. That way, his movie won’t turn out as much as a disappointment than it already is!
Character-wise, I don’t think any of the other actors were depicting the ones in the series. Sokka was supposed to be a lot humorous as I remembered. Aang, in the series, was, in plain words, just a kid. Both characters were monotonous in the live action version. Blunt. Lousy!

Story Adaptation

The Script writer must be receiving numerous death threats from 12 year olds by now. haha.
The fact that it was an adaptation, a lot of the viewers might’ve known what was going to happen. But for a film based on the 20 episodes of Book 1, events indeed happened so fast. But then again I understand, 20 episodes cannot be summarized in a 2-hour flick.

Spoilers
*Ok so I was wrong, I was hoping M. Night would present Toph even in a cameo role.
*Hello Azula. She was supposed to be one of the prettiest in the series, but in the movie, she was, well, totally not who she actually looked like in the series. Actually, EVERYONE IN THE MOVIE DID NOT LOOK LIKE THE ONES ON THE SERIES!!! Well, except for Appa, Momo, and surprisingly PRINCESS YUE!

All in all
Last airbender was bearable. At least M. Night’s version was. I hope Paramount pictures would pick another director for books Earth and Fire!!!!
I would have to rate the movie a bitter 3.
Consolation for the depiction of Appa and Momo.
Dev Patel could do a lot better.
And someone please replace Sokka’s actor. I can’t help imagining him as Jasper from the Twilight Saga.
Aang was bearable. Though not the type who would goof around like the one on the series but he seems promising.
Katara was ok.
I can’t wait for Toph!!!
And may I suggest, Paramount pictures?
Hire Ang Leen or John Woo.
Let’s make Book 2 the actual ASIAN version!

2010 best classic adaptation

Ayala Cinema1 July 17

Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010)

My father just loathes Nicholas Cage. His reason? The same reason why I don’t like Regine V. Unknown.

So, I grew up having the least admiration for Nicholas cage too. But then came KickAss, which is I SWEAR is the most kickass movie I have ever seen. Best action movie of my 2010 list so far.

So, I read about remake of the SA last year. Saw the trailer and yeah, I actually liked it especially since Jay Baruchel took the lead role. I first saw him on Fanboys. Then came Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Tropic Thunder. He is awesome!

The film was actually a remake of Disney’s Fantasia of the same title. Fantasia, as I remember, was a collection of fantasy stories. But I think Mickey was the only prominent character I remember. I may have been about 5 or 6 when I first saw the Disney classic. I didn’t really liked it. who would ever want possessed brooms and mops cleaning and flooding your house?! But what I couldn’t forget about the classic flick was the soundtrack! Check it out.

So the 2010 version was equally amazing. Well, for people in the 40's the cartoon was probably out of this world, but for people in our time, the live action version may be unsurpassable. Nicholas Cage did an unseemingly fantastic job playing the role. After KickAss, I think I may have had the slightest admiration for the veteran. But what made the 2010 film kickass was Jay Baruchel. He was exactly what me and my brother pictured the Sorcerer’s Apprentice would be. Geek. Lazy. And incredibly Smart!!!

So let me spoil a few things.

The Tesla coil turned musical instruments (playing a song by Juan Republik) was amazing.

Monica Belucci, dude! Who would ever want to skip a movie with her in it!

And yes of course, the usual Hollywood ending, breakfast in France.

I have to rate the movie 5 (so was KickAss). Best remake of the year since Clash of the Titans wasn’t much of a remake and Last Airbender (I’ve heard) is an anticipated flop.

Jay Barcuhel of course. He’s my new Michael Cera!haha

This gave me the best laugh in the Movie. Unfortunately, I don’t think a lot of the viewers understood. Dave is played by Baruchel. Drake, played by Toby Kebbell, is like the typical Chriss Angel magician freak show something.

Dave Stutler: I don't actually know who you are.
Drake Stone: Really? You don't recognize me?

Dave Stutler: Are you in Depeche Mode?

Karate Kid 2010

ive realized. placing a "fave character" in my posts is nonsense, but what the heck, every movie buff will always have that favorite character. they may be the annoying religious cult deranged woman who even in the midst of alien bugs attack, still insists that God has allowed such as a punishment, or the usual fat and funny sidekick who, no matter how many fields of stray bullet showers he and his hot best friend would run into, would either survive, or get shot but is luckily saved by a pendant, a police badge or just his bullet-proof vest...

july 3, 2010. saturday. SM cinema 5.

Karate Kid (2010)

so i havent really seen the original karate kid/s but i did love the three ninja kids!!! hahaha...

the film wasnt really part of our 2010 Movies List, but this one is a class A exception. just like Ninja Assasin. Class A's are those movies that we arent really interested because their trailers arent at all appealing, anticipated remake disasters, or, we werent really interested at all.

i guess what we really missed out was the fact that Jackie Chan was starring in the movie!

so, i have seen a lot of Jackie's films, including his pre-Hollywood days, and trust me, they are Epic!!! aside from the fact that he does his own stunts, he is, in everyway, funny!!!

sure, we all know Jackie as the Chinese comedian who knows kung fu, but he can do serious shiz as well. check out his "The Myth".

Jaden Smith on the other hand is the usual freeriding kid whose parents are ultimate superstars, but unlike Nicholas Cage (F.F. Copola's nephew), Jaden has talents. sure he's not very adept in rapping (with JustinBeiber) but, iv seen three (Pursuit, The day the Earth stood still, Karate) of his movies now, and he has never failed to amuse me.

Karate Kid, in totality, was awesome!!!

the movie really showcased a few of China's Wonders. the Forbidden City, Great Wall, and the Chi temple in the Wudang Mountains. aside from the natural wonders, man made marvels were also featured including the Bird's Nest, home of the recent olympic games in Beijing.

so, the story was pretty much predictable. new kid in town. trying to fit in. gets beaten up. meets cute girl. meets the most unlikely person who'd become his bestfriend. learn kung fu. wins.

but i have to commend the kid because he's done an awesome job playing his role.

so all in all, i rate the film 4. awesome movie but not the type that i would want to watch again for at least 7 times (14 times for Finding Nemo). heheh.but perhaps the greatest highlight in the movie was the fact that it taught us one very important thing... that kung fu is in everything that we do. it chooses no color or race or...genus... KUNG FU PANDA!ahahah

that annoying juvenille delinquent kid Cheng is perhaps my fave character. especially because of his epiphany in the end of the tournament.

Chinese movies are always full of wisdom. and trust me, so is this one!

a 2010 must watch kiddie flick indeed!!!

a NOT so Total ECLIPSE of the heart adaptation

so i finally saw my first ever lunar eclipse last saturday, june 26. it was awesome. the darker side of the moon does give out a blood-ish red color.

and yeah, june 29, i watched Eclipse (Twilight Saga) ahead of everyone else in the world @SM cinema 1.

credits to unc chic for the free tickets!

the film particularly wasnt on my 2010 movie list, but at least it's freeeeeee...

im not a very big fan of the film. probably because i was disappointed with the book too.

but overall, including the last 2 installments, it's uhmmmmmmm... bearable.

highschool-ish and all.

but i have to share this...

the film reel was delivered late so a band played on stage and omg they were amazing..

they could've done much better if they actually sang original compositions but still, they were sooooooo good!!! haha! segue kaayu bah!

pero back to the film...

my annoyance for bella has turned a notch higher. she just couldnt get contented with the vampire. and yeah, i personally dont find buffed-up-topless-native-american-tribal-dudes hot! jacob looks like an eleven year old on steroids! so yeah, i guess im on TEAM EDWARD afterall.

a few highlights, were the fight scenes. awesome matrix-slomo-moves by alice.

rosalie/nikki reed still unbelievably beautiful.

and the ever cheeziest highschool drama love story of bella and edward.haha.pfft!

SPOILERS!

*there WAS an ALMOST Cullen-adopted new born...

*as usual, Dakota Fanning had a less-than-5-min appearance...

*more historical background on rosalie, jasper and the Quileute-vampire feud in Forks...

*i didnt know vampires turn to ice when they die...

*female werewolf...epal kaayu!

*choi nga engagement ring...

*hot new born puppet...

*inspiring graduation speech by ana kendrick's character...

*6 make out scenes.or was it 7?hahaha...

*and yeah, bella and edward are still getting married! but i guess you already knew that!hahah

RATE: 2 (i still dont like kirsten stewart's portrayal of bella. and dude!!! vampires shouldnt sparkle! what's gayer than that?! oh yeah! werewolves wearing shorts!!!^_____^)

FAVE CHARACTER: VICTORIA! couldnt believe Bryce dallas-howard took the role! from Mrs. John Connor (in Terminator Salvation) to an easy-to-kill vampire!!! one of the most beautiful in hollywood next to gemma arterton! woooooot!

QUOTE: "Face it, I AM hotter than you" Jacob to Edward

hasta el infinito y más allá!!! Toy Story 3!♥

And with all their might, they pushed the door. And out came, “Mom?”, they were surprised. “Welcome to our walk-in fridge!”

Ok so yeah, I wanted to be as good as Tom Clancy when I was younger but then again, look at me now? Kids half my age can do better! Haha.

I just renovated my page (yeah as if anyone ever reads my page, well, maybe except you ALG) and I’ve decided that since my innumerable attempts to beat Tom Clancy were epic failures, I’ll probably turn this page into… well uhmmmm.. my movie reviews page.

Weeeeeeeeeee!!!

June 19, 2010
Toy story 3 @ SM cinema 3d theatre.
The last 3d film I’ve seen was AVATAR and trust me, it was worth the money. My dad literally DID NOT remove his 3d glasses until the credits were done. Well, at first the glasses made me dizzy, but you’ll get the hang of it after some time. The only downside in SM’s Digital Theater was their sound system --- not surround sound. No disrespect but, our component at home has better sound quality. But I have to give SM credits as well because later this year, they’ll be launching the very first IMAX theater in the region. Can’t wait for that!

The very first TS was released in 1995, I was 7 and I guess so was Andy (the kid who owned the toys), so technically, TS is MY generation’s story. Come 2010 and Andy goes to college, this practically means that it has been years since he last played with his toys. Just like all the other installments of the movie, the whole story started with a misunderstanding. But I have to say, TS 3 is the funniest of the trilogy and, of course, the best tearjerker. And yeah did I mention, we were in a “Shaker” seat. Yeaaaaaaah! \m/

Kids behind, in front and beside us enjoyed the film as much as we did. And thanks to them, I shouted, cried and laughed as loud as I could --- they did it louder.bwahaha.!

In totality, the movie was about growing up, moving on, and staying together.

Rate: (1 lowest,5 highest) – 4 ½ (Big Baby was kinda freaky.hahah..wa ra. Kung sa part one naa tong “Cannibal dolls” sa room ni Sid-the-pyromaniac-kid, sz 3 kai naa si Big Baby. Mao ray nka apan. Haha!)
Fave Character: Mr. PotatoHead
Quote: Buzz, we’ll be friends to infinity and beyond (Woody)