You Again (2010)

Watching You Again brings me back to the times of watching Desperadas Parts 1 & 2 where good and able actors act desperately to save a desperate film. The concept was good enough, but it wasn't backed up by a good script. They had to rely on poorly-written antics and jokes that bordered on slapstick most of the times. Further, its heart was not in the right place. When the characters tried to make amends at the end, you'd barely feel for them. Even the main bully (Odette Yustman) in the film didn't know where to place herself properly. She seems to be suffering from split-personality wherein she goes back and forth into being a good person and a bully.

The last scene, though, between Betty White's and Cloris Leachman's characters were more interesting than the rest of the film. Too bad that it was just part of the epilogue. They had better lines than the main characters.

The Michael Cera School of Acting

Recommended Viewing: Hachi

Hachi: A Dog's Tale is about a dog found by Parker Wilson (Richard Gere) at a train station. They immediately formed a strong bond witnessed by everyone who knows them.

During week days Hachi would bring Parker at the station and waits till he gets off at 5 P.M. When Parker didn't come home after suffering from a heart attack and died, Hachi continues to wait for him for 10 years until its own demise when it got reunited with its master.

Make sure to have a box of tissues for this one is truly a heart breaker. Bato na lang ang hindi maiiyak sa kuwentong ito ng pag-ibig at katapatan.

Based from a true story in Japan, Hachiko was with its master from 1924-25. When its master died from cerebral hemorrhage, Hachiko waited for his return for nine years until its death in 1935. (Source: Wikipedia)

Flash Reviews

Since I don't feel like writing full movie reviews (I think you've noticed that these past few months, eh?), I'd do do some quick reviews on the movies I've seen lately.



Not as funny and romantic as I thought it would be. But it has its moments. Entertaining enough to pass the time away. Great lines from the movie, though:
Jen: If you'd close the door on me, I'd understand. But I wish that you wouldn't... / I won't say that I can't live without you because I can. I just don't want to...


All I could say is that Jen never looked this hot on screen! Who wouldn't want to get derailed with her?! As for the movie, good enough! I'd rather want it to be a moral dilemma kind of story ala Before & After.


This isn't as exciting and nerve-wracking as the first one. But twisted enough to keep you glued to your seats! I'd say, though, that there's no need for a sequel to a movie as original as Saw!

Little Manhattan (2005)

Out of all the films I saw these past few months (and remained unreviewed by yours truly), I fell in love with this one! This is a rare gem in Hollywood! Try to see it while you still can in cinemas! If not, go BUY a DVD! You won't regret it!

A Not So Perfect Flight Plan

Eversince I learned about this film and saw its trailer, I have been excited to see it! Not only that I adore Jodie Foster, I felt that this movie has the makings of one of my favorites suspenseful movies called The Panic Room (which is also a JF starrer).

Kyle Pratt (JF) was about to bring home her dead husband's body from Berlin to New York. She was with her daughter, Julia, abroad a state-of-the-art 474 aircraft which she helped design. After flying for three hours, she woke up seeing that her daughter was missing. She looked for her everywhere in the plane but she was nowhere to be found. The flight attendants were also asked by the captain to search for Julia but it was futile. The captain and the crew suspected that Julia wasn't on board to begin with and that Kyle was experiencing a depression regarding the mysterious death of her husband. But Kyle refused to diginify their suggestions that she went through all means to prove that Julia was with her. Till she learned that there was more to her daughter's disappearance than she'd expected.

The movie may be entertaining enough for an audience who wants thrill and excitement. It managed to capture its audience attention to the conflict that they have been seeing on screen. Some even did feel what Kyle must've been going through upon losing her child. But when the movie ends, the questions begin. Unfortunately, one would managed to pull out a thousand questions yet get no answer.

The problem with the movie is that it focused itself on the whats and the whys of the conflict and how to solve it. It has forgotten to go through the how it all began issues. In the first place, why was Kyle chosen as the victim and what was the original plan of the antagonists? What happened in the film was already the result of the screwed-up plan. Should we be seeing a prequel to this film just so that we could understand it better?

Overall, this film is about one's behavior. It is about how one would react and behave in a given situation. If everything that happened in the film was part of THE plan, then I commend the antagonists for a well-made plan. However, how did he manage to know how Kyle (and the rest of the people on board) would behave in such a situation? Was he a behavioral science expert? Does he know Kyle that well?

The US has a strict policy on not negotiating with terrorists at any cost. How could the US agreed so easily on giving the demands of the terrorists? Was the higher authorities ever contacted?

Where are the camera monitors all throughout the ride? Not even the captain thought of inspecting it just to know whether or not Kyle went on the plane with her daughter!

I also understand the disgusted feelings of the flight attendants who have seen the film. They were portrayed as uncaring and unaffected when in fact, full service to all passengers is their main goal.

I know that the movie isn't Air Force One or Executive Decision. It couldn't be even compared to The Panic Room. But please don't insult our intelligence by giving us a half-baked film! Not even Jodie Foster's good performance could save the stupidity of the events that unfolded!

Deuce Ko!

"Deuce ko!" Those are the two words that came out of my mouth before and after watching Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. I'll explain why.

We saw the movie in Megamall. I've asked a friend to buy the tickets immediately once he arrives in the said place so that we wouldn't pass the cut-off time. What is the cut-off time? You see, Megamall cinemas have a (new) policy of selling tickets at a regular price from 10 am to 4:59 pm. 5 pm onwards, they'd be selling the tickets at whatever the highest price of a particular cinema has! Regular prices vary from PhP90-110 while the highest is between PhP120-PhP130. When you pay the cut-off price, you are entitled to sit anywhere you want: balcony or orchestra. We have experienced paying for the highest price twice since we didn't have enough choices! We'd either go a different mall (which is tiring and we'd have to wait for another screening time) or not see the movie. Of course, the last choice isn't an option anymore. Pissed as we are, we let it slide. Then today, I was surprised when my friend told me that he paid PhP130 each for the tickets when in fact, it was just 3 pm! Apparently, policies have changed. Or, we were in a cinema where prices were fixed at the said amount. My oh my! Now you have to learn the policies for each theater in Megamall!

I really wouldn't mind paying such a high price only if the cinemas in Megamall were as good as those in Glorietta 4! The thing is, when they have re-modelled their cinemas, nothing much has changed in the picture or sound quality of the movie. It was still the same, in DTS or Dolby Surround. That's good, right? But they have been using such sound quality even before their re-modelling! The thing that changed inside the theater are the seats (not leather anymore) and outside are the wall designs. But who cares about the wall designs really?!

My point is, Megamall is asking too much for their ticket prices. Their theaters are not comparable to G4's because first, G4 theaters are smaller than theirs. Thus, the DTS or Dolby Surround Sound has way much better quality. Second, G4 theaters are on per screening basis only. So understandably, they get to ask for higher ticket prices. However, what is so special about theaters in Megamall? Not much! Galleria theaters are even better than them! So how could an ordinary movie-going public afford such a price? Even SM North Edsa are starting to go with the trend! Aren't there affordable theaters anymore? We wouldn't want to see a movie in a theater where bugs are all around us and is so dark that anyone could do some "hocus-focus", would we? No wonder why an ordinary Juan would rather buy a pirated DVD than see the movie itself in theaters!

Attention SM Management! You belong to the few people who, instead of promoting the industry, are killing it! Wake up!

Second, I know I said that in my earlier post about Deuce 2 that I still wanted to see despite the fact that Roger Ebert lambasted this film! I hate to admit it but he was right! In his words, the movie sucks! Big time!

I don't know. I've lost my senses. I was so damn caught up with how funny the trailer was and the idea that The Hot Chick was too good for me. I never realized how much I hated the first movie. So how could the sequel be good if the original was already bad in the first place?

Okay, let's start with how this movie goes. Don't dare ask me about the first movie because I have forgotten all about it. Deuce decided to go to Amsterdam where his friend, TJ, works after being wanted by the police in the US. He did something stupid that really wasn't his own fault. TJ asked him to be a man-whore again since it is a big business in the said country. He rejected the idea but was forced to do it to solve a crime. Man-whores in Amsterdam are being killed one by one. Believing that the killer is a woman, he started to date every woman that the last man-whore who died had dated. Only that he found out that it wasn't any of the woman but the... Should I say it or you still want to see the movie? As if one would watch the movie because of the thrill and suspense (kuno) of it!

Anyway, what is so bad about it? Everything! The jokes were not funny at all! Whatever scenes are funny in the trailer are not funny anymore when you get to see them in the whole film. Unlike The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Deuce 2 is full of prejudicial and racial jokes that are not laughable and quite insulting to the race it has talked about: Europeans, Canadians, Indians, and Asians. Even the different physical attributes of the women featured in the film were degrading not only to women but to mankind. It projects that people with special needs are likely to subscribe to prostitutes because those are the only people they can get. Some antics were even disgusting like the fries in the toilet bowl, the sneezed semen from the woman who has penis for a nose, the inserted nose-penis in the traechiotomy-hole of another woman, etc.

I understand that the ideas in the film may seemed funny when talked about but when you get to see them on screen, they became silly and offensive! I don't understand why this film was made in the first place. It is sickening and nauseating! Rob Schneider said in an interview that lots of gay-themed scenes were deleted because he was afraid to offend the gay crowd. However, he failed to consider about the feelings of the race and differences of the people that he featured in the film, even the people who would watch it! He was even mean to Asians when he is part-Asian (Pinoy pa nga!) himself! Why not delete all the scenes together and not show anything at all?!

Using his words and I rephrased, "I'm Deuce Bigalow... I'm Deuce Bigalow... I'm Deuce... biggest loser you'll ever see!"

Deuce ko! We pay PhP130 for such crap! Such a punishment!


Related Post: Rob Schneider Vs Roger Ebert

The 40-Year Old Virgin

As the title suggests, The 40 Year-Old Virgin is about a closeted virgin middle-aged man and his journeys towards his "first time". Sounds exciting, right? Sex comedies regarding first times and curiosities about sex almost always feature adolescents and teenagers. Thanks to Steve Carrell for coming up with the genuis idea (used in his comedy skits) and Universal Pictures for producing the movie!

The movie stars Andy (Carell) as a 40-year old guy who was contented wth being a virgin. At his age, he has become complacent about it. Instead of making a big deal out of it, he has sheltered himself with the things that he loves doing like collecting action figures and playing video games to the point of obssessing over them. However, his life suddenly turned upside down when he was invited by his co-workers for a night of poker game. After the game, the night turned into talks about sex. When it was his time to relate his most unforgettable sexual story, he could not describe it well. That was when his co-workers realized that he was still a virgin and obliged themselves to help him fulfill his manhood in any way they can!

David (Paul Rudd), Jay (Romany Malco), and Cal (Seth Rogen) gave Andy suggestions and took him to places where he could hook up with women. Each guy has their own experiences with women and they impart to him whatever knowledge they have gained about them. David is a heartbroken guy who is still in love with his ex-girlfriend. Jay, yet already committed, still practices being a ladies' man. Meanwhile, Cal is a guy who believes in being "practical" about dates and women. However, whatever they do or say, it was futile. It has to be in Andy's way on Andy's time.

Along the teachings and advices came Trish (Catherine Keener). She is the woman whom Andy falls in love with. It poses another problem for Andy. Not only that he had to come out of his shell but he had to share a part of himself with a woman for the first time in his life.

Apart from the goofiness and sometimes slapstick jokes of the film, The 40 Year-Old Virgin boasts a witty script and funny dialogues. It manages to avoid racial jokes, refuses to make caricatures out of its ethnic characters, and is devoid of prejudices re virgin and gays. It is a breath of fresh air amongst the sex comedies that came out during the past years. The movie didn't end as another sex comedy but it was above par the rest of them! It had something more to offer than laughs and giggles. It was insightful and had three-dimensional characters.

As for Andy, on the surface, it may sound as if he was idealistic and values chastity. He would say that he had high respect for women or holding out for "the one". Not that there's anything wrong with both! In fact, the film had clearly (yet subtly) tried to state that we should respect women (by asking what's wrong with "putting the pussy on the pedestal"?) or not have sex just for the sake of having it (by waiting for the "right" time which of course, would really depend on you!). But in the end, you would realized that Andy held on that long because he was scared shitless about his first time! Who wouldn't want their first experience to be special, right? He was so scared that he ended up shielding himself with his obssessions. These obssessions may have protected him with whatever his first time might bring but they retarded his "growth"! It was only when he learned to let go of them that he realized that it was time to grow up.

His being a virgin was also a manifestation of how he runs his life. Even at work, he always takes the backseat. Afraid to deal with customers face to face. Only when his boss took the initiative to make him a sales person that he realized his true potential. In life, there's no room for people who are scared. One has to make bold steps order to succeed!

As for his friends, they may be keen on giving Andy his first sexual experience but it was more than that. They became his best buddies whom he never had when he was growing up. Even Cal who seemed to be so full of himself learns to sacrifice his desires by helping him get the girl he wants or employing a hottie yet stupid girl just so he could hook her up with the depressed David. Jay may be two-timing his girlfriend but it was all because of his insecurities about himself. When his girl has proven how much she is willing to give him, he felt secured and stopped fooling around.

The 40 Year-Old Virgin has to a lot to offer. Audience would have a heck of a time laughing at the green jokes and sexual situations but would also learn a thing or two regarding the things that are most scared in life: friendships, love, and relationships. I hope that teenagers would take home with them not just the jokes but the subtle advices the movie gives.

Red Eye

In the 80's, Wes Craven is very much synonymous to Freddie Krueger. In the 90's, although he made another version of Nightmare, the new generation knew him as the man behind the Scream franchise. In 1999, he took the drama department via Music of the Heart. I like the film but I wasn't very much fond of it. Maybe because Mr. Holland already got to me! :-) Also, I believe that he didn't make much of an impact in the said genre. This time around, he takes on the pyschological thriller genre under Red Eye.

Red Eye is about LisaReisert (Rachel McAdams) who would be going home to Miami after attending the funeral of her grandmother in a different state. She hates flying but it was a good thing that he met Jackson Ripner (Cillian Murphy - Batman Begins; 28 Days Later) moments before take off. He was charming and quite an interesting guy. A guy that seemed so perfect to take away her sadness only that their meeting was premeditated. What he wants from her was to do what he asked for or else, her father would be killed. During the flight, Lisa struggled with the thoughts of saving her and her father's life and doing what is right.

As a thriller, Red Eye is entertaining enough. It had a few cheap thrills that would make you glued to you seats at the very end. Wes Craven have seemed to have crafted the genre so well that he already knows where to hold the audience's excitement. However, as always with his suspense-filled movies, he overlooks the writing. There was a lot missing in it. During the time when Jackson divulge his motives, there wasn't enough tension between the characters that would permeate onto the audience. The danger wasn't felt as imminent. Because you don't know Lisa and her father that well, the audience failed to relate to them or root for their lives the way we did in Panic Room. Besides, her father looked like a gangster that, in the end, you'd think that he might be involve in the whole thing after all. (You could never tell. Twisted is how Scream ended, right?) Aside from that, you don't know anything much about the would-be victims to even care at all about their lives.

Don't get me wrong. Rachel and Cillian seemed to have done the best thing they could with a poorly-written script. But they could only do so much.

As a director, Wes Craven couldn't seemed to get away from his type of antagonists. Jackson seemed to be a Freddie Krueger-reincarnate. He exudes the creepiness and eerieness of the said character. Not to mention that he doesn't die that easily! I am not saying that it is bad but the verdict would still depend on how the audience would take it. I'd say, though, if Robert Englund decides to retire as Freddie, Cillian is a perfect candidate! Even if he looks way better than Robert!

My recommendation, see Red Eye for some entertainment. It won't hurt. It isn't even a waste of time and money. But don't expect much out of it. At the end of it all, it is all about cheap thrills that would get hold hold of you for an hour and a half!

Fever Pitch aka The Perfect Catch

I don't know if 2005's Fever Pitch is a remake (or adaptation) of 1997's Fever Pitch. But they sure both have the same plot. I haven't seen the latter but it starred Colin Firth (Bridget Jones's Diary; Hope Springs; Love, Actually) who was an obssessive baseball fan who met the love of his life. Only that he didn't know if he could balance both his love for baseball and his woman.

In the Farrelly Brother's Fever Pitch, Drew Barrymore plays Lindsay Meeks who is a workaholic and spends most of her time at work. She has been longing for a relationship and is looking for "the one". However, all she meets are guys from her own circle - hardworking as she is and could be temperamental. Then she meets Ben Wrightman (Jimmy Fallon) and his kid, i.e. his students who toured around her office. He brought them in her office just to show them that Geometry (or Math) is not a worthless subject. There are actual people who made a career out of it!

On their way of Lindsay's office, one of Ben's students teased him that she was way out of his league and that he couldn't ask her out. So to strenghten his ego, he did ask her. However, it was only days after that Lindsay agreed on a date after she had laid all her apprehensions.

Their first date wasn't at all perfect. She spent all night puking and tied to her bed. But Ben was "the" perfect gentleman who had spent all his night taking care of her and her mess. Since then, they started going out often till they realized how much chemistry they have for each other. Not only that, his family and friends adore him!

"What's the catch?" Lindsay's friends would asked. "How come a perfect guy that he is is still single?" What is the secret that's keeping him away from a marriage vow? Well, out on a beautiful day date, Ben finally said "I'm a baseball fanatic!" Thinking it wasn't such a big deal, Lindsay thought it was okay. But Ben reiterated, "I am obssessed with baseball!" Still, Lindsay didn't think it was that bad till she had to rearrange her schedule to accommodate him and their baseball dates.

The movie may have baseball written all over it but it is mainly about relationships. It started out as "cute" the way romantic comedies are - the "kilig" moments, the fun dates, the sweet words. But as most relationships do, first sweet dates and lovey-doveys end and reality sets in. How far would one go for a relationship is the ultimate question of this movie. And it isn't a quest for a relationship that is not there yet but how would you be able to sustain it? It is a question of committment, making compromises, and knowing what matters most to one' s life.

See Fever Pitch and ask the same question, "How far can you give up something that you care about to accommodate the love of your life?"

Fever Pitch aka The Perfect Catch opens in RP theaters on Sept. 21.

Quick Rundown

I have seen a few movies on videos but I haven't made any reviews on them. So I thought that I'd make a quick rundown of reviews on the movies I think are worth the look!

"Not typical" are the two words that would describe A Lot Like Love. It isn't the usual romantic comedies or those saccharine-sweet love stories where audience get to feel either a tingling sensation all over their body or choke to death with their usual sappiness.

Emily (Amanda Peet) and Oliver (Ashton Kutcher) met on a flight to New York. On the airplane, they had their very first "encounter". From that day on, they knew that was instant chemistry between them. Despite not being an "artist" that Emily seems to like, Oliver is witty and charming. In New York, they met, dated, and parted. Four years past and circumtances allowed them to meet once more. On their date, it's both obvious to them (and to the audience!) that they are good together only that Oliver had to leave for another state the following day. Past forward to a few more years and there they are again, together. The moment when they realized that they belong together was the time they would learn that their current situations wouldn't allow them to.

A Lot Like Love, apart from the great performances of the actors, has a very well-written script. It isn't teeny-bopper cute or neither trying too hard to be romantic. It is perfectly engaging with characters that are so human and dealing with realistic situations. Sure, there are cliched moments but you'd get over them.


Finally, a Ben Stiller type of movie without Ben Stiller in it!

Simon Green (Kutcher) was about to meet his future in-laws on their 25th Wedding Anniversary. Only that his girlfriend, Theresa (Zoe Zaldana), didn't tell them that he is white! Thinking that the color won't matter to her parents, Theresa didn't bother to tell them at all. However, it did matter to her father, Percy Jones (Bernie Mac). The tension between Percy and Simon started to widen when Simon tried lying to him just so he (Percy) would get to like him more. However, instead of Simon losing Theresa, both of them lost their partners because of their battles.

Yes, this movie is very Meet the Parents more than an adaptation (or remake) of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Despite that, it has its moments. For one thing, as I've mentioned earlier, it has no Ben Stiller in it! Besides, even though his and Kutcher's characters seemed the same (as the guy who screws things up in his fiancee's home), Kutcher was better and quite acceptable. Isn't Ben quite old enough to be brought home to someone's parents or the one who is still looking for love (Along Came Polly)?

This movie somehow touches on the issue of race without being too preachy. It was funny and endearing at the same time. Thanks for Kutcher! We can give Stiller a break with these kind of movies. Hehehe...


Daisy Gamble (Barbra Streisand) asked pyschiatrist, Dr. Charbot, to help her with her nicotine addiction. She wants him to do a hypnosis on her and make a suggestion that she should slowly quit smoking. However, during regression, Dr. Charbot discovered that Daisy was Melinda Tentrees in her past life. Thinking that she might just making it up, he continued the sessions with her. Smitten with Melinda, he soon discovered that she truly lived during the days she said she had lived. But what he didn't expect was falling in love with her (Melinda). To complicate things more, Daisy had fallen in love with him. Only that she didn't know that he was in love with Melinda who happened to be her in her past life that she didn't know had existed.

On a Clear Day You See Forever may not have become a hit like other Streisand films, but for me it is! It is one truly enjoyable film that I would take over Funny Girl! The emotions were clear and the picture was vibrant and colorful. The songs and dialogues were equally great, too!

There are these lines that blew me over while watching the film:

Melinda: Is love so blind that I didn't see that he was already hurting me?
Dr. Chabot: No. Love isn't blind. It is just not trusting is too tiring...

True, isn't it?

Must Love Dogs

This summer (US, that is!), Hollywood have us bombarded mostly by comic super heroes. Amongst the action and the special effects comes this rare of a gem called Must Love Dogs.

Sarah (Diane Lane) has been divorced for eight months already. Her family is starting to feel anxious and bothered about her lack of relationship. They feel bad for her especially that all of them are either (happily) married or in a committed relationship. Of course, they have this itch to pair her up with all the possible men they know.

Sarah's sister, Carol (Elizabeth Perkins), decided to post an ad about her on the internet with the description that goes "Must Love Dogs". Through the calls and messages she received, she decided to meet the guys that appeal to her. But the dates ended all in disasters.

Meanwhile, Jake (John Cusack) is a recent divorcee. He has been wallowing in sadness eversince his marriage collapsed and focused himself into making boats and watching Dr. Zhivago. Seeing Sarah's ad on the net, his friend decided to answer it.

Sarah and Jake went on date in the park. There was chemistry between them but it was awkwardness that ruled. Will they listen to what their hearts tell them or decide to go on a different path? (Should I really be asking this?!)

Oh, it has been awhile eversince Hollywood gave us a feel-good romantic comedy that truly worked! Must Love Dogs stands-out among the likes of The Wedding Date disasters.

Diane Lane may not have the quirkiness of Julia Roberts or the cuteness of Meg Ryan but she has the sophistication and charm of a woman. In the movie world, it is the like of her that couldn't get dates! Can you imagine that? Her team-up with John Cusack is simply amazing! A bread to a butter! A pen to a paper! (Oh, I can't come up with good analogies! Dammit!) Also, the whole cast ensemble just worked really well to come up with a good comedy with a heart!

The movie will work for any kind of audience. It is a perfectly date-movie for lovers of all ages. It is for single people who may feel bad or blessed about their status. It is for the hopefuls, who despite all their heartaches, are still looking forward to the day that they will find the one who must love them truly.

Wedding Crashers

Dig this: two unlikeable and aging leads who crash weddings just to get laid. They have been so good at it that they become the life of the party. Then, they crashed their biggest wedding to date. One suddenly fell in love with one of the bride's sisters and tries his best to pursue her despite of her boyfriend. The other one slept with the youngest sister who happens to be a sicko. They met the family: a father who is running for an office in the government, a sexually agressive mother, a grandmother who says the most inappropriate words every time, and a misunderstood and outcasted homosexual younger brother.

When the family started to like them, the jealous and two-faced boyfriend of the only "sane" sibling tries to investigate their background. Upon learning about it, the family hated them but they eventually became part of it in the end.

Wedding Crashers has stereotypical and two-dimensional characters. Almost comic-like. The jokes are racy and mostly cliches. Plot is predictable. However, despite its flaws, the movie works! It is laugh-out loud funny! Leave your brain at home and just enjoy the film's wackiness. Anyway, it didn't disguise itself as an intellectual comedy, right?

Too bad, though, that Jane Seymour's seduction scene with Owen Wilson was cut out of the film! It became as if she was just merely a decoration in the film! Why did they have to take out the scene when it was already rated as R-18? MTRCB talaga, oo!

A Barbra Streisand Trilogy

If Catherine Breillat covers female sexuality, leave it to Barbra Streisand to tackle female issues!

The Owl and the Pussycat (1970)
Barbra plays Doris, a hooker who suddenly became homeless because a neighbor, Felix (George Segal), informs the landlord of her activities. She moved in with him only to argue all throughout the night. The landlord both threw them out and transferred to Felix's friend's apartment. The argument still continued till passion and desire grew between them.

This movie is laugh-out loud funny! I wet my eyes during the first hour of the film! Barbra looked so gorgeous and was funnier than Fanny Brice in Funny Girl/Funny Lady. The dialogues were crisp and clever! There was also a great repartee between Barbra and George.

This is one Barbra classic that shouldn't be missed!

Up the Sandbox (1971)
Have you ever met Ally McBeal's mother? Well, here she is! Meet Mrs. Margaret Reynolds who is so damned bored with being just a plain housewife that she needed to resort to fantasies and imaginings.

Sometimes, a woman just needs to be appreciated. I can imagine how hard it is to be such. Where do they get all the strenght and patience? Being a mother and a wife is hard as it is! What more if they have a career to hold on to? Hats off to you, woman kind!

The Way We Were (1976)
This is more of a Barbra film than a Streisand/Redford work. No wonder Robert Redford refused to do this several times. If not only for his friendship with director Sydney Pollack, he wouldn't be encouraged to do this. Why? His character didn't grow. There wasn't much introspection on what he is going through as a man and as Katie's lover. Somehow, he remained a decoration for Katie's unending desire to be the best that she could be.

Katie (Barbra) is a good character study, though. Here she is, a strong-willed woman who fights for what she thinks is right. She even could go against the government. But with her man, she loses. She compromises her needs and wants just to be with him. Yet, behind that, she pushes her man to do the best he could even if it wasn't in his character to push so hard. She's projecting her compromised desires on him.

As a romance/love story movie, this one is so sad. Here are two people, so in love with each other yet so wrong for one another. As far as relationships go, compromise is always needed. But when compromise became an obligation to both couple, in the end, both loses.

On Video: The Pacifier

Another one of those "only good in trailers" kind of movies. Just enjoy the preview. Don't bother seeing the whole film!

On Video: Hide & Seek

Every year, film companies try to adapt this worn-out twist. In 2003, Columbia-Tristar gave us Identity and again in 2004 via Secret Window. In 2005, we have Fox's Hide & Seek. This movie had most of the formula that a usual guess-who thriller uses. There are the weird neighbors who usually have emotional baggages. There's the goody-goody cop who is eccentric enough to freak out the new neighbors. There's the realtor who seems to know every secrets of the old house. And there's the friendly neighbors who always end up dead!

Usually, this kind of twist in the end only works once. If you've seen it the first time, then you'll not be thrilled at all the next time. It had worked for me twice, though. First in Mortal Thoughts (1991). Second, in The Usual Suspects (1995). You'd never see it coming in both films. They were done without a clue to speak of. Aside from that, they are from different genres. Mortal Thoughts was drama and The Usual Suspects was action. Both already had me so Hide & Seek failed for me.

Fantastic Four

There's nothing much to say about this film except that it's f-ing fantastic! This is my newest favorite comic characters adapted on screen. It has great laughs and thrills that are enough to excite the audience. No need to ask for more!

However, maybe it is just me who loved the film. As Ain't It Cool said, "I think LITTLE kids will dig it, and mundanes (aka people not really familiar with the FF)." Ouch! I'm sorry! I'm just a simpleton from movie ville. I'd drop by comic ville, some time! I'm not sure if I'd stay, though. :( Anyway, you're not the biggest genuis, right, Harry?!

War of the Worlds

Let me just say that it was "War of the Worlds" night throughout Manila (or rather all over Ortigas-Mandaluyong area) tonight! There were two special screenings in Megamall: one by UP and the other by Medical City. There was also one in Shangri-La and in Galleria (sponsored by Wave 89.1). If there's a special screening in Makati, as well, that I do not know.

Also, Steven Spielberg didn't allow critics to review this film before its actual showing. Perhaps to avoid any ending spoilers to leak out. People have also speculated that it might be because of the water squirting incident that happened to Tom Cruise in London. What is the relation with that? Beats me! Dunno!
Anyway, I won't do any technical assessments about the film. Because, as always, the Steven Spielberg delivers! No doubt about that. I'd rather do character analysis re the leads in the film. I believe that this movie was well-acted and well-characterized. More than a special effects film, this movie is about people trapped in catasthropic times.

Tom Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a father of two. He is a father who tries his best to know his children despite the gap that they feel from one another. He is the kind who wants to be a buddy kind of dad because he seldom sees his kids. During the first few minutes, it was shown how he tries to have fun with them. However, it never works because they need a strong father figure than a buddy. But what does he know? Even he, himself, likes the excitement and thrill of being a boy. So, instead of realizing the danger that the machines had brought, he was mesmerized. After the true tragedy sinks in, though, the fun and excitement stopped for him. He realized that he had kids to attend to and save more than himself. More than anything in the world, his obligations are with his children. Having a kid like myself, I understood where he was coming from when he killed Ogilvy (Tim Robbins). In desperate times, family matters most.

Justin Chatwin as Robby, Ray's oldest son. At first, it might seemed that he wanted to become a hero (or magpaka-bayani, in Tagalog) by wanting to be where the action is. But it wasn't his intention. Like any other teens, yes, he wanted to be where the action is! He wanted to be a first-hand witness to the history that was unfolding before them. He gets it from his father. Not exactly knowing the grave perils that would come, he wanted to be let go.

Dakota Fanning as Rachel, the youngest daughter. Like any kid, she gets hysterical and terrified with any signs of danger. She'd run away whenever she feels threatened and go to a place where she'd think it's safe. In the end, it's the embrace from her dad that would calm her down. It reassures her that everything would be alright.

"War of the Worlds" will be a good addition to Tom Cruise's resume. It is a different character for him basically because he is a father in the film. It was quite awkward watching him act as a father at first because we are not used to seeing him like that. He is either a bachelor or a hero in his movies. But it picks up in the middle. He was able to redeem himself.

Now, what happened with the aliens in the end? There's only one answer to that: They don't belong on earth! Nature took its course! If there are aliens that would try to end human's existence on earth, they should first be immune to whatever it is we have here!

This movie is scary as hell! I wouldn't want to be in the same predicament as them! Not even in my imagination! I was grabbing the hand of my partner all throughout the film!

Finally, I Saw

Sooooo glad, I am! That I was able to catch Star Wars Ep. III in Megamall today! In fact, it was one of the only two cinemas in MM which still shows it. The other one being Southmall, I think. It was already on its 4th week and there were but a few people in the cinema house.

I wouldn't review this film anymore because I know that there are lots of reviews made about it that can be found on the net. (See Kel's.) All I'd just say, though, is that it is a great movie to end the second part trilogy of Star Wars! Very exciting, indeed. The thrill that Episode II lacked, Episode III makes up for it!

In exchange for a complete review, I'd just give out a sentence or two re all of Star Wars episodes in terms of its watchability for casual SW fans and the not-so fans. Let's face it, SW is not for everybody. There are only a minority of people who are advocates of the said series. As for me, I'm in between being a casual fan and a fanatic. There are still things that I didn't get so you couldn't just ask me anything about it. Refer to the manual, I'd still have to, every now and then.

1. A New Hope - This one will be hard to sit through for people who are not into sci-fi movies. It could even be quite boring even for a casual fan, moreso for the not-so fans. If you're starting with this and you made it till the end, then you're bound to make it through the rest of the series. If not, then be yourself, better be! Do not go through the whole SW brouhaha anymore!

2. The Empire Strikes Back - Now that you successfully surpassed the somewhat "boring" introductions in Ep. IV, your reward would be action and thrills from Ep. V. Plus, a cliffhanger that you would never forget, it'd give you!

3. Return of the Jedi - A powerful ending for the first-part trilogy! "The Chosen One" started all here and not in "The Matrix!"

4. The Phantom Menace - Ep. I didn't quite surpass the expectations of loyal SW fans but for me, great action sequences, it had! Plus, it created a new breed of SW fans, including myself!

5. Attack of the Clones - Only the Yoda fight sequence saved this one boring episode! Very boring, it was!

6. Revenge of the Sith - What I didn't like, though, about Ep. III is the inclusion of some funny sequences and snide remarks of Obi Wan Kenobi. I felt that those were out of place from a serious sci-fi movie.

To get the feel of everything, start from Episode I till Episode VI.

P.S. Doesn't the poster look cool? It was made for Father's Day! However, I was quite disappointed that there weren't many poster variations for Ep. III. What happened?

Also, doesn't Lord Sidious look like the father of Linda Blair in The Exorcist? Hahaha!

Mr. & Mrs. Sexy!

I'd like to start this review by quoting a review that I've read in Click the City a few days back before I saw "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". His/Her exact introduction (and the way it was written-"typos" and everything) was "BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG KAPISH....." He/She followed it with, "This movie should not have been on the summer movies. This movie shouldn't have been made either. In short this movie is really really bad."

I'd want to respect the reviewer's opinion re this movie. Hey, to each his own, right? But I can't help wondering if we really watch the same movie. Is this the one that opened just last Wednesday or was there a version that I didn't know of? How did a movie that is so good became really really bad?

Anyway, to continue with his/her review, he/she added, "If your an extreme action fan guy..go watch this movie. It's full of action allright, full of gun shooting, to a poin that there seems to be no more story. The gun battling scenes are just the same ones you've seen in other movies. Brad pitt was well..Brad Pitt... he really just has the looks but his acting sure stinks. What chemistry are the people talking about? Both Pitt and Jolie didn't really seem to be into it." His/Her last words were, "Bottom line..this movie's bad."

Oh-kay... Enough said. I'll digress his/her statements one by one. "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" isn't pure action. Oh yeah, there were lots of gun shooting but it was only during the second half of the film. I believe that those scenes were essential to the story. They are expected since the Smiths are assassins who became the target of both their firms (oops, spoiler!) so there's no other way to do it but defend themselves. Thus, the need for such battle. Aside from that, there are fights that are contextual in nature. Because first and foremost, the plot of the movie is about the couple's marriage. Them doing what they're doing are just part of what they're going through in their relationship.

Let's divide the battle into two. First part are mere representations of the things they have said and couldn't say. Of all the five or six years in their marriage, they neither fight nor argue. So imagine all the pent-up anger and frustrations for all the lies that surfaced. It reminds me of the Pinoy saying, "Kung nakakamatay lang ang mga salita, ilang beses ka nang namatay!" During arguments, we curse, cuss, or say hateful words. With the Smiths, though, they don't use words. They use bullets! It's kinda "War of the Roses", only this is much violent. And most of the time, fights are just sparks that light up a bigger fire, i.e. intimate passion. They serve as foreplay for couples who, after the arguments, somehow becomes relieve of the problems and are wanting to make love.

Second part, as I've said, is to defend themselves. This time, they are fighting for each other and not with each other. Complications still arise during the battle like who's better or who should lead or as simple as what weapons to use. But nothing could not be solve by compromise. Marriage (or any other relationship) without compromise is nothing.

In the end, when all skeletons are out of the closet, they love each other even more. It turned out that the thing they kept from each was the one that would keep them together. They found a common ground.

Is that what you call "no story at all?"

And as much as I hate to admit it, Brad and Angelina have great on-screen chemistry that Brad and Julia lacked in "The Mexican". Whether they are doing "it" or not, I wouldn't want to know until Jennifer Anistion formerly Pitt becomes as big as Nicole Kidman formerly Cruise. They should just keep the chemistry in reel and not for real! Aside from that, they are so damn hot and sexy! They deserve each other... in the movie! Sequel please!

The CTC reviewer gave "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" one star out five. I'd give it four and a half!