The Lucky One

CAST:  Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Blythe Danner, Jay Ferguson; DIRECTOR: Scott Hicks; SCREENWRITER:  Will Fetters based on novel by Nicholas Sparks; EDITOR: Scott Gray; MUSIC: Mark Isham, Hal Lindes; GENRE:  Drama; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Alar Kivilo;    DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Brothers; LOCATION: USA; RUNNING TIME:  101 minutes

Technical Assessment:  3.5

Moral Assessment:  2.5

Cinema rating:  For viewers 14 years old and above

An Iraq War veteran searches for the woman from a mysterious photo that he credits with saving his life during three tours of duty in this romantic drama adapted from the book by Nicholas Sparks. U.S. Marine sergeant Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) was serving his country overseas when he happened across a discarded photo of a beautiful woman. An inscription on the back read "Keep Safe," yet the photo revealed no clues about either the subject or her whereabouts. Upon returning home to civilian life, Logan conducts his own research and discovers that the woman's name is Beth (Taylor Schilling) and that she cares for dogs at a small-town kennel. Before long, Logan manages to get a job at the kennel, and sets his sights on winning Beth's heart. But it won't be easy because Beth's past experiences have made her wary of relationships. Meanwhile, as Logan works to earn Beth's trust, a dark secret from her past threatens to derail his hope for a happy future together 

The Lucky One is the product of the imagination which also brought to the movie world Message in a Bottle and The Notebook.  That told, the viewer would know what to expect, more or less, from this romantic escapist number, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks.  While the plot is predictable, the movie tries to strike a balance between sheer coincidence (as the title implies) and stark reality.  There is enough chemistry between Efron and Schilling to make their sizzling scenes credible, though the characters are familiar stereotypes: the precociously clever son Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart);  the wise grandmother Ellie (Blythe Danner) who can spot good husband material at first glance; the ex-husband Keith (Jay R. Ferguson) a bully of a cop with inferiority issues.  The cinematography is appropriate to the genre, and the location is an enviable setting for a coincidence-laden romance whose foundational elements are the woods with a brook in the backyard, sunlit days of bathing dogs, a placid lade for rowing and chatting, and a lifestyle that thrives on meeting the characters’ simple needs.

The Lucky One would have deserved the PG-13 rating given by the MTRCB if the bed scenes had been pruned considerably or treated with more subtlety.  Even if other critics might say “But this is America”—where premarital sex is almost de rigeur—still CINEMA would classify The Lucky One as an adult movie .  The one character here that exhibits an unexpected but acceptable change is Beth’s ex, Keith, who switches from insufferable bully to lifesaving father.  Credit goes to Ferguson’s sensitive acting—as a bully you’d wish a bigger bully would teach him a lesson, but when he softens watching his son playing the violin with a man he is jealous of, and then switches back to being a bully the next scene, you could see a bad man wanting to be good but can’t become one as yet.  The viewer can resonate with this conflicted character because he is so close to being real. 

    

Machine Gun Preacher

CAST:  Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michelle Shannon; Madeline Carroll, Kathy Baker, Souleymane Sy Savane, Rhema Marvanne; DIRECTOR:  Marc Foster; SCREENWRITER: Jason Keller; PRODUCED BY: Robbie Brenner, Deborah Giarratana, Craig Chapman, Gary Safady; GENRE:  Action, Drama, Biography, Crime; DISTRIBUTOR Relativity Media; LOCATION: USA, East Africa; RUNNING TIME:   129 minutes    

Technical Assessment:  3.5

Moral Assessment:  3

Cinema rating:  For viewers 14 years old and above

The hero is Sam Childers (Gerard Butler), an ex-biker, Pennsylvania tough guy who loved guns and served a prison sentence.  Sam goes through a conversion experience after thinking he and a friend (Michael Shannon) had killed a man.  His wife, his daughter and his mother have found God and lead him to church and baptism.  When he gets his life in order, he is impressed by a preacher visiting from Uganda, and makes the life-changing decision to go to East Africa to help repair homes destroyed by civil war.  Here he is outraged by the unspeakable horrors faced by the region’s vulnerable populace, especially the children. Ignoring the warnings of more experienced aide workers, Sam breaks ground for an orphanage where it’s most needed-in the middle of territory controlled by the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a renegade militia that forces youngsters to become soldiers before they even reach their teens. But for Sam, it is not enough to shelter the LRA’s intended victims. Determined to save as many as possible, he leads armed missions deep into enemy territory to retrieve kidnapped children, restoring peace to their lives--and eventually his own.  His strong-minded wife (Michelle Monaghan), supports him and urges him not to give up though it takes a toll as Childers becomes completely obsessed by his mission--to the point where his daughter accuses him of loving the "little black babies" more than he does her.

Some people may not be able to stand the violence in Machine Gun Preacher.  For instance, when the LRA group captures a young boy in a village, they slice his face and put a sledgehammer in his hands as he faces his sobbing mother. They demand that he kill her, and we watch as the sledge starts to fall. Later, the boy confesses to Sam that his captors told him they would kill him and his brother if he didn't kill his mother.  LRA soldiers also burn down villages, gunning down families as they flee, screaming. 

Machine Gun Preacher confronts viewers with this valuable question:  When does a faith-fueled commitment to a just cause become idolatry?  When Sam's faith falters and he rejects God and contemplates suicide, the film offers up a sobering reminder of the valleys a valiant man will always face. Sam's heart is reawakened by a conversation with a boy who's suffered unspeakable things; the story ends with him re-engaging with his mission.

The true-to-life Childers is still working in Sudan.  Photos of him and his family as well as video footage are shown in the final credits.  Critics note that those interested in the machine gun may lose interest in the religious dimension of the Machine Gun Preacher, while those interested in the preacher may be put off by his warrior-like Christianity in fighting for the rights of the oppressed.  At the end of the credits, Childers tosses the confronting question: If a member of our family were to be abducted and Childers promised to get them back, would we question or object to the way he would do it?  That is a key question for muscular Christians who defend the rights but do not countenance turning the other cheek.

Titanic 3D

CAST:  Leonardo DiCarpio (Jack), Kate Winslet (Rose) Billy Zane (Cal); DIRECTOR:   James Cameron; SCREENWRITER:  James Cameron; PRODUCED BY: James Cameron, Jon Landau;  EDITING BY: James Cameron, Conrad Buff IV, Richard A. Harris;  MUSIC BY: James Horner; GENRE:   Drama, Romance, Classic; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Russel Carpenter; DISTRIBUTOR  20th Century- Fox & Paramount; LOCATION:   North Atlantic Ocean; RUNNING TIME:  195 minutes

Technical Assessment:  4

Moral Assessment:  2.5

Cinema rating:  For viewers 14 years old and above

In 1912, RMS Titanic, aka “The Unsinkable Ship,” is about to set sail for her maiden voyage, and everyone is excited to board it; everyone except Rose Dewitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), that is, who calls it a “slave ship” that will take her back to America and to a life of privilege with her fiance, Cal Hockley (Billy Zane). Meanwhile, Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his friend Fabrizio win a Third Class ticket onto the Titanic in a game of poker five minutes before the ship is to depart, and they run through the crowded English streets trying to catch the ship before it leaves. Rose ends up making Jack’s acquaintance in an unusual situation once on-board, and even Cal and his henchman (David Warner) cannot tear them apart. The romance is tested, of course, when the ship hits an iceberg and it is revealed by the ship’s architect Mr. Andrews (Victor Garber) that Titanic will be at the bottom of the ocean within two hours. 

     People below age 24 couldn’t have seen—or liked, if they’ve seen it—the original Titanic, the blockbuster film by James Cameron circa 1997 that earned for Kate Winslett an Oscar nomination.  Whether or not you go for love stories or romantic fantasies, Titanic will prove too big for you or anyone to ignore.  Okay it’s a formulaic number—rich girl is engaged to rich man who’ll bail her family out of debt; rich girl meets spirited, self-confident poor boy who gives her all the excitement missing in her life; rich girl and poor boy fall in love and go for it; then the gigantic unsinkable boat sinks.   Never mind that it could be manipulative in some parts, the film has the power to carry viewers away—and much of this would be due to the exceptional editing.  Even if you have seen the 1997 original, this 3D version will most likely blow you away.  Unlike most movies that decide to remarket themselves in 3D, Titanic 2012 is enhanced by the 3D conversion.  Released worldwide to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912, Titanic’s return has been announced in movie theaters since months back, and guess who are most eager to see it?  People from teeners to senior citizens—just shows the enduring power of well-told love stories.  It also shows how Cameron—who also did Avatar 12 years after Titanic—is so ahead of his time, able to pull off convincing CGI that would still stun audiences a dozen years after its maiden screening.  If only to feel with the characters what it's like to be confronted by the inevitability of your own death, the movie is worth the price of admission.  By all means, see it.      

Wrath of the Titans

CAST: Sam Worthington (Perseus), Liam Neeson (Zeus),  Rosamund Pike (Queen Andromeda), Ralph Fiennes (Hades), Danny Huston (Poseidon), Edgar Ramirez  (Zeus' other son Ares), John Bell (Helius), Toby Kebbell (Agenor), Bill Nighy (Hephaestus); DIRECTOR: Jonathan Liebesman; SCREENWRITER: Dan Mazeau, David Johnson; PRODUCED BY: Basil Iwanyk, Polly Cohen Johnsen; EDITING BY: Martin Walsh; MUSIC BY: Javier Navarrete; GENRE:  Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy; CINEMATOGRAPHY : Ben Davis DISTRIBUTED BY: Warner Bros; LOCATION: USA; RUNNING TIME:  99 minutes

Technical Assessment:  3.5

Moral Assessment:  2.5

Cinema rating:  For viewers 14 years old and above

SYNOPSIS: A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus-the demigod son of Zeus-is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus' godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans' strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned...

The Hunger Games

CAST: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland; DIRECTOR:  Gary Ross; SCREENPLAY BY: Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, Billy Ray; PRODUCED BY: Nina Jacobson, Jon Kilik;  Executive Producers: Robin Bissell, Suzanne Collins, Louise Rosner-Meyer; EDITING BY: Stephen Mirrione, Juliette Welfling; CINEMATOGRAPHY: Tom Stern; DISTRIBUTED BY: Lionsgate; GENRE:  Action/Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller; LOCATION: USA; RUNNING TIME: 142 minutes

Technical Assessment:  4

Moral Assessment:  2

Cinema rating:  For viewers 14 years old and above

 District 12 is in the Republic of Panem which is ruled by the elite in the distant Capitol.  The citizens of Panem’s 12 districts exist to serve the Capitol’s needs.  An earlier uprising of the Districts results in the extinction of District 13, and the creation of “The Hunger Games”, a televised survival reality show that has contestants called “tributes”—a boy and a girl from age 12-18 from each District—participating until all but one remains alive.  Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) lives with her mother and younger sister Primrose in District 12.  When Primrose’s name is drawn to be District 12’s girl tribute, Katniss volunteers to take her place.  She together with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are swept away to the Capitol to be trained at jungle survival with 22 other youngsters, knowing fully well that they would be compelled to kill in order to win, and, in fact, could even be each other’s killer.  

Unfairly compared with Twilight, Hunger Games is of a totally different genre.  The former is romance/adventure; the latter is adventure-scifi.  The only thing they have in common is their box office aim: teenage girls as the primary target audience.  Lawrence’s intensity as the heroine Katniss carries the movie, but, of course, with the able support of secondary actors that include Donald Sutherland, Wes Bently, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and others.  It is a film version of the trilogy by Suzanne Collins who is also its hands-on scriptwriter.  The Hunger Games incorporates touches from Greek mythology and Roman history as well as themes from productions in the not-so-distant past, like broadcasting of violent contests to pacify the masses (Vengeance on Varos), best friends fighting to the death (Amok Time, a Star Trek episode), the bloodthirsty crowd (Survivor).  The plot is fast paced, making its 140 minutes running time strangely entertaining and thought provoking at the same time.

“The Hunger Games” as entertainment for the elite in the Capitol is the reality tv show to end all reality tv shows.  Unlike the ordinary “survivor shows”, it is not just a question of being voted off the island—it means having to kill human beings for no reason at all but to satisfy the murderous instincts of the audience, and we ought to know the dire consequences of such an episode on the life of the winner-killer.  The “hunger” in the movie could be two-faced—the audience’s hunger for bloodshed and man-against-man violence, and the actual hunger of the contestants who must for instance navigate a mine field in order to get to the food pile.  The Hunger Games may actually mirror a reality in human society where the decadent and powerful one percent “in the Capitol” live in abundance with no other concern but to adorn and indulge themselves while the impoverished and powerless 99 percent work like beasts of burden just to survive and do the elite’s bidding.  The movie attempts to insert a ray of hope towards the end with the decision of the two youngsters, but still, it fails to assure that the hope is potent enough to effect a turn towards justice.  Watch with caution—we shouldn’t let such slick reality shows dictate our realities. 

The Witness

CAST:  Gwen Zamora, Pierre Gruno, Marcelino Ledrandt, KimberlyRyder, Feby Febiola, Agung Saga; DIRECTOR:  Muhammad Yusuf; SCREENWRITER: Beby Hasibuan; PRODUCER: Sarjono Sutrisno; EDITOR:  MUSICAL DIRECTOR; GENRE:  Suspense, Thriller/Drama; CINEMATOGRAPHER     DISTRIBUTOR: GMA & Skylar Pictures; LOCATION:  Indonesia; RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes

Technical Assessment:  2.5

Moral Assessment:  2

Cinema rating:  For viewers 18 years old and above

     

SYNOPSIS: A Filipina expat who works as general manager of a hotel in Jakarta finds her whole family massacred by a mysterious man. Her parents, her only sister Safara, her maid, security, are all dead. She was also shot but somehow managed to survive. Haunted by the incident and a strange dream that keeps coming over and over, she then decides to uncover all the mystery by herself to find out the reason of what she has been going through.

Mirror Mirror

CAST:  Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, Sean Bean, Nathan Lane, Michael Lerner and Mare Winningham; DIRECTOR: Tarsem Singh; SCREENWRITER:  Melisa Wallack, Jason Keller, Jacob Girmm, Wilhelm Grimm; PRODUCED BY: Ryan Kavanaugh, Bernie Goldmann, Brett Ratner, Kevin Misher; EDITING BY: Robert Duffy, Nick Moore;  MUSIC BY: Alan Menken; GENRE:  Fantasy, Science Fiction, Comedy; CINEMATOGRAPHY: Brendan Galvin; DISTRIBUTED BY: Relativity Media; LOCATION: Czech Republic; RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes

Technical Assessment: 4

Moral Assessment: 3.5

Cinema Rating: For viewers 13 years old and below with parental guidance      

SYNOPSIS: An evil queen steals control of a kingdom and an exiled princess enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright.

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

CAST: Voices—Danny DeVito (Lorax), Ed Helms (the Once-ler), Zac Efron (Ted), Taylor Swift (Audrey), Rob Riggle (Mr. O’Hare), Jenny Slate (Ted’s Mom), Betty White (Grammy Norma); DIRECTOR:   Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda; SCREENWRITER: Ken Daurio, Cincon Paul; PRODUCER: Chris Meeldandri & Janet Heally; EDITOR: Ken Schretsmann, Claire Dodgson, Steven Liu; MUSICAL DIRECTOR: John Powell; GENRE:  Adaptation from Dr. Seuss’ book, Animation, Musical,; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Eric Guillon; DISTRIBUTOR:  Universal Pictures; LOCATION:   Universal Studio; RUNNING TIME:  96 minutes

Technical Assessment: 3.5

Moral Assessment: 4

Cinema Rating: For viewers 13 years old and below with parental guidance       

SYNOPSIS: A  3-D animated feature “The Lorax” is a musical entertaining of the 1971 Dr. Seuss eco-cautionary fable that seems to tell all people of the danger in the environment if we cut all the trees. It’s about 13-year-old Ted (voiced by Zac Efron), who seeks out the legendary Truffula Tree far beyond the confines of his treeless, prefabricated town of Thneedville, where fresh air is sold in bottles.

Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang

CAST:  Erich Gonzales (Corazon), Derek Ramsay (Daniel), Mark Gil, Epy Quizon, Mon Confiado, Tetchie Agbayani; DIRECTOR: Richard Somes; SCREENWRITER:  Jerry Gracio; PRODUCER:  Star Cinema, Skylight Films; EDITOR:  MUSICAL DIRECTOR  

GENRE:  Dram/Horror; CINEMATOGRAPHER     DISTRIBUTOR: Star Cinema, Skylight Films; LOCATION: Philippines; RUNNING TIME:  100 minutes     

Technical Assessment:  3.5

Moral Assessment:  2.5

Cinema rating:  For viewers 18 years old 

Synopsis: A married couple of five years, so desirous to have their own baby, seeks help from a lady who recommends devotion to Saint Gerard, patron of women praying to have a child. They are soon gifted with a child, but their baby is stillborn. The mother who could not accept that her child is dead becomes insane and disappears from their home.

John Carter

CAST: Taylor Kitsch (John Cater), Lynn Collins (Princess Dejah Thoris), Willem Dafoe; DIRECTOR: Andrew Stanton; SCREENWRITER: Andrew Stanton, Mark Andrews, Michael Chabon, Edgar Rice Burroughs; PRODUCEd BY: Jim Morris, Colin Wilson, Lindsey Collins;  EDITING BY: Eric Zumbrunnen; MUSIC BY: Michael Giacchino; GENRE: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy; CINEMATOGRAPHER  DISTRIBUTOR Walt Disney; LOCATION:  USA; RUNNING TIME: 118 minutes

Technical Assessment:  4

Moral Assessment: 3

Cinema Rating: For viewers 14 years old and above 

SYNOPSIS: From filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes John Carter-a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). John Carter is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.