Iron Man 3

LEAD CAST:  Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau, Ben Kingsley  DIRECTOR:  Shane Black  SCREENWRITER:  Drew Pearce, Shane Black  PRODUCER:  Kevin Feige  EDITOR:  Jeffrey Ford, Peter S. Elliot  MUSICAL DIRECTOR:  Brian Tyler  GENRE:  Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy  CINEMATOGRAPHER:  John Toll RUNNING TIME:  130 minutes  DISTRIBUTOR:  Walt Disney Pictures  LOCATION:  US

Technical assessment:  3.5

Moral assessment:  2.5

CINEMA rating:  V 14

MTRCB rating:  GP (for all ages)

The opening flashes back to the time that brash and brilliant billionaire Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) was a boozing playboy who chased skirts but shirked commitment.  Until his assistant Virginia “Pepper” Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) captured his heart.  Since then Stark and Potts have been an exclusive pair and Iron Man 3 shows them living together like man and wife without the blessing of either Church or State.  Stark now must face a pair of villains: The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), a menacing cross between Fu Manchu and Bin Laden who is after the US president’s neck, and Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) a nerd-turned-dashing-debonair-chemist who has created Extremis, a serum that converts ordinary mortals into living humans bombs. The Mandarin attacks Stark’s plush Malibu lab-and-lair, turning it to flaming tatters, endangering Potts, and leaving Stark, alone and far away, to survive on his own devices.

            Iron Man 3 is some sort of a record breaker—at least in the Philippines, when on opening day the long-awaited sequel was shown in all theaters across the land.  CINEMA gives it an above-average technical score, and a huge part of that is due to its almost flawless CGI footages.  The story, too, is different in that it projects a vulnerable Stark, even helpless in the face of such an unbelievably powerful and deathless villain in Killian.  The cast includes newbie Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen, a bio chemist who happens to have had a one-night stand with Stark in pre-Potts days, and Ty Simpkins as Harley, a bullied schoolboy living with his mother.  Only one unsolicited comment for director Shane Black: in that final chase to put down the villain, we were gung-ho about Stark finishing him off.  We knew he’d die, anyway, so finish him off sooner—you’ve made your point, spare our ears from the prolonged boom-bang-clang-clanging of iron suits and gadgetry.

            Plenty of ethical issues here.  Is Iron Man 3 a fight about good and evil?  Whose good?  Is all that destruction worth the fight?  Is the life saved worth all the lives ended?  Is Stark’s commitment to Potts for life?  Oh, but it’s sci-fi fantasy, anything goes, anything to entertain.  Yeah, but with very young children in the audience unable to distinguish fact from fantasy, isn’t some kind of explanation in order?  Paging all parents!  Life is not a video game, hello!  The civilized world resorts to such thing as “dialogue”, and the future of the world is not determined by the fight between a superhero and a supervillain.   

            CINEMA would like to magnify, however, the soft-spoken message of Iron Man 3.  The story is a love triangle: Stark, Potts, and the iron suits—or more precisely, Stark’s obsession with his iron suits.  It is a transformed Stark we see here, coming to confront his weakness, denouncing it, and thus acquiring the strength to go on.  He parts with the chest gadget that embodies his addiction to power, and tells himself that even without it, he is still Iron Man.  A wise decision from CINEMA’s point of view—iron gets corrupted by rust, man does not.  Iron Man 3, the movie, has soul.

Bromance

LEAD CAST: Zanjoe Marudo, Cristine Reyes, Arlene Muhlach, Nikki Valdez, Boom Labrusca, Manuel Chua, Joey Paras, Lassy Marquez DIRECTOR:  Wenn Deramas  PRODUCER:  Star Cinema  GENRE:  Comedy  RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes DISTRIBUTOR:  Star Cinema & Skylight Films  LOCATION:  Philippines

Technical Assessment: 3

Moral Assessment: 3

MTRCB Rating: PG13 

CINEMA Rating: V14

Simula pagkabata ay hindi na tanggap ni Brando (Zanjoe Marudo) na bakla ang kakambal niya na si Brandy (Zanjoe Marudo).  Naging mahirap kay Brando ang pagiging ‘identical twin” nila lalo na kapag siya ang napagkakamalan na binabae o di kaya naman ay pagbintangan sya na nagpapanggap na bakla at makapagsamantala sa mga babae na siyang madalas ay nagiging dahilan upang mapasubo siya sa gulo.  Lumaki siya na sinisisi ang kapatid sa lahat ng di magagandang nangyayari sa kanya maliban sa pagiging daan nito upang makilala niya si Lisa (Christine Reyes). Subalit magkakahiwalay din sila nito dahil sa mabagal na asenso ng buhay ni Brando.  Dahil dito ay magpapasya siyang magsarili at tuluyang lalayo sa pamilya.  Si Brandy (Zanjoe Marudo)  naman ay magsisikap sa pag-aaral at magiging isang matagumpay na “interior designer”.  Lalaki siya na may tampo sa kakambal. Batid ito ng kanilang ina kaya ng malaman niya ang kinaroroonan ni Brando ay papakiusapan niya si Brandy na makipagkasundo siya at yayayain na ang kapatid upang mabuo uli ang pamilya nila. Malalaman nila na nabaon sa utang si Brando at hirap sa negosyong “repair shop” na itinayo nito. Hindi naman bibiguin ni Brandy ang ina.  Pupuntahan at makikipagkasundo siya rito, subalit tatanggihan ni Brando ang alok niya.  Sa gitna ng tagpong ito ay sinamaang-palad na mahahagip ng rumaragasang sasakyan si Brandy at magiging “comatose”.  Pero bago tuluyang mawalan ng ulirat ay makikiusap at magbibilin siya kay Brando na ipagpatuloy nya muna ang mga ginagawa niya sa negosyo at sa pamilya hanggang sa gumaling siya. At magagampanan niya lamang ito kung magpapanggap muna siya na Brandy.  Sa delikadong sitwasyon ni Brandy ay mananaig kay Brando ang pagiging kapatid kaya papayag siya. Pero paano niya ito gagawin gayong maliban sa kanilang hitsura ay magkaiba na ang lahat sa kanila ni Brandy?

Bakla at nagpapanggap na bakla ang mga bida sa pelikulang Bromance, pero hindi tungkol sa kabaklaan ang tema nito.  Kapansin-pansin ang naging trato na ito ng direktor dahil lumutang ang mas seryosong tema ng pamilya at relasyon ng magkapatid.  Mahusay ang direksyon sa paghahatid ng mensahe ng pelikula sa pinaghalong drama at pagpapatawa.  Tama lamang ang mga pag-arte ng mga nagsiganap.  Nakitaan ng pagsisikap si Marudo na ibigay ang hinihingi ng dalawang karakter na ginampanan niya lalo na bilang Brandy. Nakakaaliw ding panoorin ang mga gumanap na batang Brandy. Nakatulong ang suporta na mga totoong bakla sa cast lalo na sa pagpapatawa. Epektibo ang mga “close-up shots” kay Marudo para ilapit ang dalawang karakter sa mga manonood. Maayos ang “editing” at malinis na naihatid ang mga sabay na eksena ng kambal. Akma lamang ang mga inilapat na musika at tunog.

Ang pamilya ay pangunahing sandigan ng isang tao kaya dapat pahalagahan ang pagtanggap sa isa’t isa ng mga kasapi nito. Dito muntik na sumablay ang karakter ni Brando na ginampanan ni Marudo. Sa halip na pang-unawa at pagmamahal ang iniukol niya sa kakambal na binabae ay naging sarado siya sa pagtanggap sa kalagayan nito. Napuno ng hinanakit at panibugho ang puso niya, bagay na nagtulak sa kanya upang lumayo at tumalikod sa pamilya. Naging daan ang ina sa pagkakasundo ng magkapatid. Kaligayahan ng sinumang magulang ang makitang nagkakasundo ang mga anak.  Samantala mga matatapat na kaibigan ang pinakita sa pelikula; nakitaan sila ng malasakit, sakripisyo at suporta sa anumang sitwasyon meron sila.  Bihira ang mga ganitong kaibigan na maituturing na yaman sa bahay.  Sa kabuuan ay tumalakay ng magagandang aral sa buhay ang pelikula katulad ng pagmamahalan sa pamilya, pagpapalago ng sarili upang magtagumpay, pagtanggap sa pagkakamali at pagpapatawad, matapat na pakikipagkaibigan, sakripisyo at pagmamahal. 

Star Trek into Darkness

LEAD CAST:  Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, John Cho, Alice Eve, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Peter Weller, Anton Yelchin DIRECTOR: J.J. Abrams  SCREENWRITER:  Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof  PRODUCER:  J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtsman, Roberto Orci   EDITOR:  Maryann Brandon, Mary Jo Markey  MUSICAL DIRECTOR:  Michael Giacchino  GENRE:  Action, Adventure, Science Fiction  CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Daniel Mindel RUNNING TIME:  133 minutes  DISTRIBUTOR:  Paramount Pictures

LOCATION:  US

Technical assessment:  3.5

Moral assessment:  3

MTRCB Rating:  PG13

CINEMA Rating:  V14

It is 2259 and Captain James Kirk (Chris Pine) and his crew are on a mission to observe Planet Nibiru but find that they have to save this pre-warp society from volcanic eruption. The life of First Officer Spock (Zachary Quinto) is endangered and Kirk disobeys the United Federation of Planets’ Prime Directive in order to save him. Called back to earth, Kirk loses his seat as commander of the USS Enterprise, which goes back to Admiral Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), and parts with Spock. At the same time, Starfleet agent John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) bombs an installation in London and declares war. After an attack on the Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco, Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller), Pike's superior, reinstates Kirk to capture Harrison, and bring him to justice. Though USS Enterprise is a spaceship for exploration, not war, its crew is thrust into a mission of life and death. Will it survive Harrison’s one-man-army, the threat and inevitable tensions among its ranks?

Star Trek into Darkness follows JJ Abrams first Star Trek (2009) with aplomb. Trekkers (or Trekkies) will find much to like and remember of the Star Trek franchise. But even if you are not a fan, there is a lot going for this 12^th installment. The cinematography and production design transports you to another universe, with some CGIs so convincing you’d want to take cover from your seat. The action is almost non-stop with clever narrative twists; dialogue is engaging and fun (that is, if you get the in-jokes) and the musical score heightens the excitement. The shiny lens flares in some scenes do not work, nor do the obvious plot holes. Trek loyalists would also say it is more an action/adventure movie than sci-fi. But regardless, what shines here are the characters who play the role that match their predecessors, and eventually making it their own. Quinto shines as the Vulcan Spock and Cumberbatch portrays the fully optimized human with such depth and ambiguity.

“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” These words uttered and exemplified at the beginning of Star Trek into Darkness follow Gene Roddenberry’s Trek and its principles. One of its major themes is what place, if any, feelings have in guiding actions. Are personal loyalty and the safety of others above military regulation? Another theme is leadership. What makes a true leader? Star Trek into Darkness shows a flawed leader who listens to his guts and his team. Obedience is not only towards the superior but also to one’s inner voice that comes from God. Friendship and teamwork is indispensable in any enterprise, be it a fight against a common enemy or working on a project. An enemy can also take different forms. Befriending the enemy does not always mean surrender; it can lead to a win-win solution. 

It is the emotional bonds between the Enterprise crew, their family dynamics, and how they come to each other’s help which set this film apart.  Because of the intense and frequent violence and emotional stress, some vulgar language, and a brief scene implying sex, CINEMA rates this film A14.

The big wedding

LEAD CAST:  Robert De NIro, Diane Keaton, Ben Barnes, Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried, Topher Grace, Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams DIRECTOR:  Justin Zackham  SCREENWRITER:  Justin Zackham  PRODUCER:  Anthony Katagas, Clay Pedorin, Richard Salvatore, Harry J. Ufland, Justin Zackham  EDITOR:  Jon Corn  MUSICAL DIRECTOR:  Nathan Barr  GENRE:  Comedy  CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jonathan Brown  DISTRIBUTOR:  Lionsgate RUNNING TIME:  89 minutes LOCATION:  US

Technical assessment:  3

Moral assessment:  2

MTRCB rating: R 13
CINEMA rating: V 18

The long divorced couple Don and Ellie (Robert de Niro and Diane Keaton) get together with their grown-up children for the wedding of their adopted son Alejandro (Ben Barnes) to Missy (Amanda Seyfried).  Alejandro has kept the divorce a secret from his biological mother, Madonna, a pious Colombian (Patricia Rae) who has not visited him in the United States since his adoption.  Now Madonna is coming for the wedding.  Don and Ellie pretend to be a loving married couple, which means Don’s partner Bebe (Susan Sarandon) has to be eased out of the picture. This results in more or less 80 minutes of awkward situations and certain realizations for everyone concerned.

Typical romantic comedy created more for laughs than for logic. The Big Wedding actors did their part well as far as the plot demands, and no one’s complaining so far about the cinematography, dialogue, sound and lighting, script, editing, the works.  So long as the audience is entertained, and entertain this movie does—what with those big names in the cast.  

Rom-com wedding movies from Hollywood provide the moviegoer ample leverage for comic relief from the resolution of knotty circumstances and the revelation of characters’ quirks.  They are usually a well-meaning bunch whose primary purpose is to make the audience laugh, although sometimes, as in the case of The Big Wedding, the laugh is on the Catholic religion.  Catholics who know their religion would recognize the false Catholicism and the outmoded catechesis shown in this movie, and would probably forgive it the ignorance it so blatantly displays.  People, however—whether non-Catholics or Catholics with inadequate catechism—will surely be misguided and misled by the faux Catholicism The Big Wedding picks on.  Example: Robin Williams who in his role is 99 percent buffoon and 1 percent priest (thanks to the Roman collar he is wearing), warns the engaged couple that premarital sex and use of birth control will land them in hell.  The overall message is “it’s okay to be confused as long as you are not inhibited”. Mature adults and enlightened Catholics can take The Big Wedding with a grain of salt, after all, you don’t learn catechism from such movies.  Nonetheless, the film maker should have diverted some of the casting budget to a reputable researcher so they could have portrayed Catholic traditions accurately. It is just insulting for a Catholic to watch how irreverently they made fun of confession, chastity, marriage and priesthood.

Even in a liberated culture, the presentation of sex is too casual. For the movie, the act is merely comparable to having a few drinks together and can take place anytime, anyhow and with any one – between divorced couples who are in another relationship, between live-in partners who are unsure if they are willing to commit their lives to each other, between a man and a woman meeting for the first and only time.  The movie presents devout Catholics who believe in the permanence of marriage as bigots.  While the initiative of the parents to help reunite their daughter to her husband/boyfriend is commendable it is not enough to make the movie morally acceptable. In spite of its good intentions, the movie also has issues with (male) virginity and aberrant sex acts, and treats homosexuality and adultery frivolously.

The movie should be restricted to adult viewers. If you have spare cash enough for one movie this week, better reserve it for the likes of Epic or Gatsby. 

Identity thief

Cast: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy; Director: Seth Gordon; Screenplay:  Craig Mazin; Editor:  Peter Teschner Music: Christopher Lennertz; Cinematography: Javier Aguirresarobe;  Producer: Scott Stuber, Jason Bateman, Pamela Abdy ;  Distributor: Universal Studios; Running Time: 111 minutes; Genre: Crime, Comedy; Location: USA

Technical Assessment: 3

Moral Assessment: 2.5

CINEMA Rating: V18 for viewers 18 years old and above

MTRCB Rating:  R16

Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) finally gets his big break when he is offered top management position in a financial corporation which his co-workers just built. However, his name gets associated with outlandish spending and illegal transactions—his identity is stolen.  Diana (Melissa McCarthy) is on a shopping binge using Sandy’s credit card.  Such cases take more than a year to resolve and it would take about the same time before his name is cleared. With his job and family at stake, Sandy decides to track down who stole his identity which leads him to travel all the way to Florida to capture the thief and bring him or her to justice. He gets to catch his identity thief Diana and now he needs to bring her back to Denver, but not without a series of misadventures along the way.

Identity Thief takes off with an interesting premise relevant to the present age of information technology.  There is a lot of genius in the idea of identity theft victim meeting his thief. As the two meet, the audiences are in for a real hilarious treat. The film takes advantage of its talented casts who are perfectly fit for their roles. Bateman and McCarthy succeed as the odd couple in the movie. Their tenacity and depth as actors, although quite underestimated in the film, has made Identity Thief a worthy watch as they are able to mix humor with a certain degree of intelligence. However, the story could’ve focused more on the question of identity rather than stick to the Hollywood slapstick formula. There are still the usual chase sequences with guns and goons, stereotypes and clichés. These aspects are quite a disappointment and shift the film away from its focus. But then again, the film still has elicited plenty of laughs from the audience and maybe, that’s all they need at this present time.

In this time and age when anyone can be someone or somebody, what now is the essence of identity? What makes up real identity and how do we define it?  Such are the relevant questions Identity Thief tries to pose.  The film provides some answers in some lucid moments when it deals deep into the characters’ inner motivations. While Sandy tries to clear up his identity to maintain and keep status quo, Diana on the other side steals it in desperation to evade her real self. Here, the audiences see contrast of two opposite characters, opposite lifestyles, opposite upbringings. Despite the contrasts, the audiences are made to realize what human beings commonly need that cuts across age, gender, nationality, social class and even identity—that is the need to be loved and respected. This is what Sandy gave to Diana in spite of and despite the circumstances of their meeting. Sandy’s innate goodness contagiously affected Diana that somehow made her realize her own goodness as well—that is her real self and not the thief whom she used to believe she was. Such perhaps should be every human being’s sense of identity. The film however tackles an adult theme with moderate to heavy depictions of violence, vulgar language and sex. Thus, CINEMA finds the film appropriate for mature audience only aged 18 and above.

The bride and the lover

Cast:   Lovi Poe, Jennilyn Mercado, Paulo Avelino  Director: Joel Lamangan  Genre:  Sex, Drama-Comedy  Location: Philippines

Technical Assessment:  3

Moral Assessment: 2

CINEMA Rating:  V18

MTRCB Rating:  R-13

Umatras sa bonggang kasalan ang ‘bride’ na si Vivian (Lovi Poe) kasabay ng pagbubunyag niya ng iskandalo na kinasangkutan ng “groom” na si Philip (Paulo Avelino) at matalik na kaibigan na si Sheila (Jennilyn). Sa gitna ng sakit at kahihiyan ay hiwa-hiwalay na magbabyahe ang tatlo upang pansamantalang takasan ang sitwasyon at iiwanan sa kanilang pamilya at mga kaibigan ang pagharap sa publiko. Sa kanilang pagbabalik ay sisikapin nila na magpatuloy sa kani-kaniyang buhay ang tatlo. Maantala naman ng konti ang pagpapatuloy ni Philip dahil kinailangan niyang magpagaling ng  kanyang napilay na paa. Magpiprisinta si Sheila na alagaan si Philip at upang mabigyan na rin ng pagkakataon ang sarili na maipadama ng lubusan ang damdamin niya rito. Sa panahon ng pagpapagaling ni Philip sa piling ni Sheila ay tuluyan silang magsasama. Samantala nagulat ang lahat sa pagbabalik ni Vivian. Lubusang magbabago ang pagkatao nito—sa pananaw at pisikal na anyo. Mula sa simple ay magiging moderno at liberal sa pananalita at kilos na malayung-malayo sa dating Vivian na tumalikod sa kasal. Buong tapang niyang pananagutan ang mataas na posisyon sa kumpanya na pag-aari ng pamilya kasunod ng pagreretiro ng kanyang ama. Kasabay ng mga pangyayaring ito sa buhay ni Vivian ay kusa siyang makikipagbati kay Sheila sa pamamagitan ng pagtataguyod bilang sponsor sa magazine kung saan editor-in-chief ang matalik na kaibigan. Labis itong ikakatuwa ni Sheila sa kabila ng kundisyon ni Vivian na panatilihing lihim kay Philip ang pagbabati nila.  Sa parehong kundisyon na maglihim naman kay Sheila ay nakipagkasundo din si Vivian kay Philip. Sa kanilang pagbabati ay magpapahayag ng mga totoong damdamin at panghihinayang sa naputol na relasyon. Kasabay nito ay ang pagbibigay laya sa nararamdaman na pananabik sa isa’t isa. Hanggang saan naman kaya hahantong ang mga plano ni Vivian at ang pakikipagsabwatan nina Sheila at Philip na maglihiman tungkol sa nagbalik na ugnayan nila kay Vivian.

            Gasgas na kwento ng pag-aagawan sa lalaki ang pelikulang “The Bride and the Lover” na nilagyan ng magkahalong drama at pagpapatawa. Mahusay ang pag-arte ng mga nagsiganap lalo na si Poe at mga suportang artista.  Komportable sa mga eksena ng pagtatalik sina Poe, Mercado at Avelino. Gayundin ang nakakalibang na palitan ng mga linya lalo na ang voice over nina Poe at Mercado habang nagpapambuno bago matapos ang pelikula. Mainam ang ginawang motibasyon ng director sa pagpapalabas ng emosyon na hinihingi ng eksena. Naging maingat ang kuha ng camera sa madalas na mga maseselang eksena ng pagtatalik. Subalit kapuna-puna na may kahabaan ang mga eksenang sex na di naman kailangan. Maganda ang disenyo ng produksyon. Nakalilibang ang pagpapakita ng detalye ng mga okasyon tulad ng kasalan, mga tampok na parte at pag-aayos ng marangyang bahay, at mga tagpo sa mundo ng korporasyon. Tama lamang ang ginamit na ilaw at paglalapat ng tunog at musika. Nakatulong ito sa mga transisyon ng seryosong drama at patawa. Sa kabuuan ay kinakitaan ng pagsisikap ang produksyon na ayusin ang ibang teknikal na aspeto ng pelikula.

            Nakababahala ang mga isyung moral na tinalakay sa pelikula.  Ang seremonya ng kasal na sagrado at seryosong yugto sa buhay ng isang tao ay hindi iginalang. Kaydali itong talikuran, hilingin, iskandaluhin, muling talikuran na parang walang leksyon na natutunan. Pinakita sa pelikula na kung paano paglaruan ang mga damdamin. Parang mga walang isip na nakikipag-sex dahil gustong bigyang laya ang nararamdaman may pag-ibig man o wala. Kaswal lang ang paggamit ng droga o 'ecstasy' kahit alam nila ang dulot nito sa kanila na pwede silang mawala sa sarili. Sa kabila ng iskandalo ay parang balewala lang na magsama nang walang kasal ang mga kasangkot at di man lang kinumusta ang taong nasaktan nila.  Pawang mga propesyonal ang mga tauhan sa kuwento pero di ginamit ang mga isip para maging responsable sa mga kilos nila at itaas ang dignidad.  Kung yayakapin ng isang tao ang pagbabago, mainam na tungo ito sa pagtutuwid at lalong pagbibigay dignidad sa sarili, pero sa kaso ng tauhan ni Vivian sa pelikula ay naging matatag nga siya sa pagharap sa buhay pero naging mapaghiganti, mapaglaro at higit sa lahat naging parang bayarang babae na nakikipag-sex sa sinumang matipuhan niya.  Naging napakahirap ang magpatawad sa mga nagkamali at halos mabalewala na ang paghingi ng tawad. Sa bandang huli ay mananaig ng tatag ng pagkakaibigan subalit saglit lamang ito at tila kailangan lang tapusin ang istorya sa ganitong tagpo. Ang mas mahabang bahagi ng pelikula ay nagpapakita ng kaswal na pakikipagtalik, droga, paglalaro ng damdamin, paglilihim, paghihiganti gamit ang negosyo, at may agaw-eksena pang pagnanasa ng bakla sa kapwa lalaki. May maliit na eksena ng pagbibigay payo ng magulang pero di naman sinusunod ng mga anak.  Kung may aral man na inihahain ang pelikula ito ay hinog na isipan lamang ang makakakita.