Gnomeo & Juliet

CAST: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Jason Statham, Maggie Smith, Patrick Stewart, Ashley Jensen, Jim Cummings, Richard Wilson, Julie Walters; DIRECTOR: Kelly Asbury; WRITERS: Kevin Cecil, Andy Riley; GENRE: Animation, Family, SciFi/Fantasy; RUNNING TIME: 84 minutes.

Technical Assessment: 4
Moral Assessment: 3.5
CINEMA Rating: Audience all Ages

Is this animated Shakespeare? Not really. Although the title is a takeoff from "Romeo and Juliet" most of the characters in Gnomeo & Juliet are garden gnomes in the yards of English homes. We know this is England because we glimpse a bus whose destination is Stratford on Avon. These gnomes have obviously been sneaking off to the movies while their human owners were not looking. And they have been watching the Toy Story series because they do the same thing, have a life of their own but go into their expected poses as soon as humans turn up.

What might make Gnomeo & Juliet more enjoyable for film buffs is the strong voice cast. James McAvoy and Emily Blunt are the starcrossed lovers and Michael Caine is plain to hear as Juliet’s father. You have to listen quickly to catch Julie Walters and Richard Wilson as the human Capulets and Montagues. There is a monstrously huge mower, called the Terrafirmanator, obtained by a computer savvy gnome, Benny (Matt Lucas)—and it is ‘voiced’ by wrestler Hulk Hogan. Someone for everyone! Even a Hispanic-sounding flamingo from the garden. (And a nice trivial pursuit question: what film did Maggie Smith and Jason Statham appear in together? Here it is, she Gnomeo’s mother and he the rather typecast Tybalt.)

Yes, we know what is going to happen, but it is entertaining to see how this entertainment for children incorporates Shakespeare. And, yes, the soundtrack replete with familiar melodies is a collection of Elton John and Bernie Taupin songs because the film is a product of Elton John and David Furnish who have turned their attention to children.

The Roommate

CAST: Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly, Danneel Harris, Cam Gigandet, Alyson Michalka, Matt Lanter, Frances Fisher,Katerina Graham, Tomas Arana, Cherilyn Wilson; DIRECTOR: Christian E. Christiansen; WRITER: Sonny Mallhi; GENRE: Suspense/Thriller, Drama; RUNNING TIME: 93 minutes

Technical Assessment: 2.5
Moral Assessment: 2
CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 18 and above.

Pretty girl from Des Moines, Iowa, Sara (Minka Kelly) goes to college in Los Angeles. The roommate she gets at the dorm is Rebecca (Leighton Meester), an only child of wealthy parents. Rebecca turns out to be a nice girl-next-door type, supportive of Sara, shows her the sights in town, offers her wardrobe for Sara to borrow anything from, and even consents to her bringing in a forbidden pet into their room. Sara is grateful that college would be bright with such a roommate around, until Rebecca begins to know her friends. When she comes in late without calling, Rebecca gets mad. When an ex-boyfriend hounds Sara, Rebecca makes sure he keeps away—she has become a little too possessive.

The Roommate is another of those countless movies about psychotics, and naturally extremely violent. It’s a relief, however, that despite the mad killings and vicious attacks on persons practically no blood is shown, and physical combats are limited to what’s possibly human, without CGI to show more super human violence for its own sake. The cinematography is better than most movies of this genre display, and the music appropriately keeps the viewer in tension. The actors, while not that well-known yet, also do justice to their roles considering the limited depth of the characters they portray The story is rather flat, offering no justifiable motivation for Rebecca's behavior, for example, or adequate emotional depth in the her parents' regard of her situation.

Filipino parents with college age children might worry thinking whether the lifestyle of the American college teens isn’t yet being adopted by their children. The movie shows them at parties where booze flows freely and sex at first meeting is an expected part of the party package. You might also wonder what The Roommate is trying to tell us by its underscoring of the wild side of college kids—they are quite too often shown dancing, flirting, and drinking until they’re too toxic to walk home, but never shown poring over books. The only library scene is done more as a scare tactic than anything else. Parents—although by themselves they seem refined—are shown to be powerless over a stubborn daughter. A male teacher bribes a female student to take an “official” trip to Paris. Girls sleep with their boyfriends or engage in lesbian sex in total disregard of what their elders might say. This story delivers no moral lesson, nor does it give direction to young people towards a better life. But maybe you’ll come out of the theater hoping your kids will never imitate these ones!

Catch Me... I'm in Love

CASTt: Sarah Geronimo, Gerarld Anderson, Matteo Guidecelli, Ketchup Eusebio, Arlene Muhlach, Joey Marquez, Christopher de Leon, Dawn Zulueta; DIRECTORr: Mae Czarina Cruz; SCREENPLAY: Mel Mendoza del Rosario ; PRODUCER/ DISTRIBUTORr: Star Cinema ; LOCATION: Manila; GENRE: Romantic Comedy; RUNNING TIME:105 minutes

Technical Assessment: 2
Moral Assessment: 3
CINEMA Rating: For viewers ages 13 and below with parental guidance

Si Roan (Sarah Geronimo) ay nagmula sa isang simple ngunit masayahing pamilya. Nagtatrabaho siya sa isang NGO (Non-Government Organization) na tumutulong sa mga mahihirap na pamilya sa probinsiya. Si Erick (Gerard Anderson) naman ay ang nag-iisang anak ng presidente ng Pilipinas (Christopher de Leon) na kababalik lamang mula Amerika kung saan siya ay nagtapos ng isang kurso. Palibhasa’y lumaki sa luho at may hinanakit sa ama, kakikitaan ng kawalang-direksiyon sa buhay si Erick ng kanyang ama. Sa isang kakatwang insidente ng pagtatagpo nina Roan at Erick ay makakaisip ang ama ni Erick ng paraan kung paanong maturuan si Erick na magkaron ng direksyon sa buhay. Papupuntahin si Erick ng kanyang ama sa probinsiya upang makihalubilo sa mga uring magsasaka. At dito ay papasamahin siya kay Roan. Hindi magiging magkasundo ang dalawa sa umpisa. Ngunit kalaunan di’y magkakahulugan ng loob ang dalawa. Ngunit hindi pala magiging madali para kay Roan ang maging kasintahan ng anak ng may pinakamataas na tungkulin sa bansa.

Kung tema ang pag-uusapan ay medyo luma at gasgas na ang kuwento ng Catch Me I’m in Love. Bago sanang maituturing na makasilip ang manonood ng kathang-isip na kuwento patungkol sa Unang Pamilya ng Pilipinas ngunit sa kabuuan ay pawang wala namang bagong nasabi ukol dito. Hindi rin ramdam ang laki ng konsepto ng pelikula. Pawang pinilit at pinababa nilang lalo ang opisina ng Pangulo ng Pilipinas. Pawang hindi tugma ang mraming bagay sa pelikula at nangunguna na rito ang kakulanga ng tinatawag ng “chemistry” ng dalawang tauhan. Ang papel na ginampanan ni Gernonimo ay tila kaparehas na lang mga nauna pa niyang pelikula. Sa maraming pagkakataon ay lumalaylay ang mga eksena sa pelikula at tumatamlay ang interes ng mga manonood dito. Maayos naman ang pagganap ng mga tauhan ngunit sadyang walang maramdaman sa kabuuang daloy ng kuwento. Masyadong naging mababaw ang dating ng materyal na dapat sana ay mayabong at malalim kung napagtuuan lamang ng pansin.

Marami namang aral na inihain ang pelikula. Nariyan ang patungkol sa pagmamalasakit sa kapwa at pag-iisip ng kapakanan ng iba bago ang sarili. Kita ang mahalagang papel na ginagampanan ng pamilya at magulang sa pelikula. Pinatunayan lamang nito na ang pamilya pa rin ang humuhubog ng pundasyon ng isang pagkatao. Ang dalawang pangunahing tauhan, bagama’t magkaiba ng estado sa buhay ay parehas napalaki sa maayos na pamilya kung kaya’t maituturing silang magandang halimbawa. Mahalaga ring tingnan kung anong buti ang maidudulot ng pagmamahal sa pelikula. Sa pagmamahal sa kapwa ay sumusunod na rin ang pagmamahal sa Diyos at bayan. Ang tunay na pagmamahal ay nakakapagpayabong sa isang pagkatao at nagagawa nitong possible ang mga bagay na inaakala nang imposible katulad ng pagbabago ni Erick sa pelikula na tumubo lamang dahil siya’y pinagmalasakitan ni Roan. Ang tunay na pagmamahal ay ang pag-iisip sa kapakanan ng minamahal bago ang sarili. Ito ang maliwanag na ipinakita ni Roan kay Erick lalo na sa mga panahong nahihirapan siyang makisabay sa uri ng pamilya at mga kaibigan ni Erick. Sa kabuuan ay hitik sa magagandang aral ang pelikula at sinasabi nitong ang pagmamahal ang pinakahigit sa anu pa man na nais nating magkaroon sa buhay na ito- yaman, kasikatan, kapangyarihan.

Sucker Punch

CAST: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino, Jon Hamm, Oscar Isaac, Scott Glenn, Vicky Lambert; DIRECTOR: Zack Snyder; WRITER: Zack Snyder; GENRE: Action/Adventure, SciFi/Fantasy, Suspense/Thriller; RUNNING TIME: 120 min.

Technical Assessment: 3
Moral Assessment: 2
CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 14 and above.

SYNOPSIS: "Sucker Punch" is an epic action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality. Unrestrained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, and her incredible adventures blur the lines between what's real and what is imaginary. The IMAX release has been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology.

The Lincoln Lawyer

CAST: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, John Leguizamo,Ryan Phillippe, Michaela Conlin, William H. Macy, Margarita Levieva, Katherine Moennig, Michael Paré, Michael Peña; DIRECTOR: Brad Furman; WRITER: Michael Connelly, John Romano; GENRE: Drama; RUNNING TIME: 119 min.

Technical Assessment: 3.5
Moral Assessment: 2
CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 18 and above.

Criminal Lawyer Mickey Haller (Matthew Mclonaughney) is the defense counsel of Louis Roulet (Ryan Philippe), a son of a rich family in Los Angeles who is charged of assaulting a woman prostitute. Haller asks his friend, a private invetigator Frank Levin (William Macy) to help him in the investigation for the merit of the case. As a lawyer, Haller expects Louis to cooperate primarily by confessing the whole truth to enable him to better prepare for his defense argument. Whilst Louis admits he was at the scene with the woman, he consistently denies doing the crime. The problem is Louis cannot tell everything because his narration includes that he passed out when someone attacked him from behind disabling him to recall what happened next. As the case progresses, Haller starts to doubt the credibility of his client because of more discoveries in the investigation of Levin. Unfortunately, even before Haller arrives at the conclusion, circumstances already claim the life of his friend Levin. Haller is convinced that Louis is the real culprit but as a lawyer his job is to defend his client. Realizing the deceiving attributes of Louis, Haller knows his former wife Maggie Mcpherson (Marissa Tomel) and 7-year old daughter can be the next target after his friend Frank.

“Lincoln Lawyer” offers the usual investigative story. However, it unusually focuses on the struggles of a lawyer about the truth, ethics of law profession and personal concerns instead of the crime. The director does a good job in the treatment of unconventional theme of a simple investigative crime story. It builds up interest as film progresses towards climax and conclusion. The acting particularly that of Mclonaughney and Philippe are commendable. The lines are well-delivered and so are the facial expressions. The frequent close-up shots of faces and items (i.e crime evidences, car plate number, hand gestures, sex scenes) encourages the viewers to look through the details and gets closer to the characters of the film. Other than the use of close-up camera angle, there is not much to say about the cinematography. The settings are also limited. Somehow, the viewers may wonder why discussion over sensitive matters of the case is done at public places like park. And why a lawyer like Haller seems to be holding "office" inside his car. But the lights and sounds are good compliments of the film.

Every profession has corresponding ethics to observe and doing so gives dignity to the work. In the case of law profession especially when at the side of defense it is the duty of a lawyer to prove the innocence of the client. The film "Lincoln Lawyer" shows how a lawyer struggles to succeed
in defending a guilty person. But he also makes sure that he is not off the hook and chain of future similar crimes by the same persion should stop. At the end of the day crime should pay and justice must be served. For the most part, the film speaks about dignity at work, concerns for friends, and respect and caring for love ones. But the film also has the tendency to be insensitive on woman prostitutes and the media person who received money out of bribery.