Maleficent

Direction: Robert Stromberg;  Cast: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlito Copley, Sam Riley, ; Story : based on Little Briar Rose by The Brothers Grimm; Screenplay: Linda Woolverton; Cinematography: Dean Semler;  Editing: Chris Lebenzon, Richard Pearson;  Music: James Newton Howard; Producers: Angelina Jolie, Joe Roth; Genre: Fantasy;  Location: Earth; Distributor: Walt Disney Motion Pictures Running Time: 97 minutes;

Technical Assessment : 3.5

Moral Assessment : 4

MTRCB Rating : G

Cinema Rating :  V 13 (Age 13 and below with Parental Guidance)

Young Maleficent is a sweet-natured powerful fairy protector of the magical creatures (Moors).  She befriends Stefan, a human boy who tries to steal a jewel from her world.  Although ambitious in his single minded desire to live in the king’s castle when he grows up, Stefan shows concern for Maleficent when he throws away his ring, his only possession, so he can touch her hand.  Over the years, Maleficent and Stefan grow closer.  He supposedly gives her a true love’s kiss before he disappears.  Meanwhile, the world of men and world of Moors coexisted until King Henry decided he needed to squelch the growing powers of the fairies.  An older Maleficent (Jolie) with her Moor allies stand up against the human army and mortally wounds King Henry. In retribution, the king decrees that anyone who kills Maleficent will inherit the throne. Apparently, Stefan (Copley) has found a way in the King’s court and betrays his old friend Maleficent so he can become king. Wounded emotionally and physically, Maleficent with the aide of Diaval (Riley) attends Stefan’s daughter’s christening to curse the infant as her revenge. Stefan asks the three pixies to hide Princess Aurora in the woods until her 16th birthday so she can outlive the curse. Meanwhile, Maleficent closely watches Aurora growing up. Eventually her hardened heart melts in fondness for the young girl’s innocence and kindness. Unfortunately, even she cannot lift the curse bestowed upon Aurora.  In her desire to save Aurora, she braves the iron thorns King Stefan has built around his castle to bring Prince Philip whom she believes will give true love’s kiss. But what is true love?

While professional movie critics complain about the flimsiness of the storyline, the movie remains powerfully engaging if only because of Jolie’s strong performance. Jolie owned Maleficent, as only she can be convincingly dark and light, cruel and loving, spiteful and selfless. Needless to say, all other portrayals paled in comparison. As delightful as Jolie’s interpretation of a betrayed woman whose heart is slowly turning to stone, are the visual effects and production design of the film. Seamless and imaginative, it recreates a magical yet disturbing world. Of course, the lazy narrative cannot be overlooked as it lends too many unanswered question on the characters and motives (How did Stefan manage to be in line for the throne? How dutiful is King Henry’s daughter that she needed to be her father’s successor’s wife? Why did Maleficent not use her magic to retrieve her wings?) But this is meant to be an adult interpretation of a fairy tale so certain narrative lapses can be tolerated in favor of the overall impact of the film.  Besides, how many times are the antagonists of literature given a chance to air their side of the story?  The movie tried to tone down violence but certain scenes may be scary for audiences below 7.

People who are consumed by their negative emotions eventually lose who they are. Even the purest, the most gentle or kindest, once hurt, can transform into a monster.  People in pain regress, withdraw and pretentiously revel in the misery they cause unto the people who hurt them. But they are not happy.  King Stefan and Maleficent represent pent up anger, bitterness and hatred.  While Stefan spiraled down desperation and mistrust, Maleficent opened up her heart and allowed love to heal her.  Cliché as it may sound, but truly love heals all wounds—even those that run deep and wide.  We only have to let go of the pain and learn from past mistakes. Maleficent even learned something more—the meaning of true love—a love that made her willing not only to lift her own curse but also stake her life just to save a loved one. It is also a refreshing statement that true love is not the feeling after meeting a good looking person for the first time but the willingness to change, to sacrifice and to be good looking in the inside for the sake of the beloved. While Maleficent may not become a cinematic classic, it still delivers strong messages on love, redemption and, of course, peaceful co-existence between humankind and nature.

Godzilla

Direction: Gareth Edwards; Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche; Story : David Callaham; Screenplay: Max Borenstein; Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey;  Editing: Bob Ducsay;  Music: Alexandre Desplat; Producers: Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni; Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, ;  Location: Japan, USA; Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures Running Time: 123 minutes

Technical assessment:  3

Moral assessment:  3

MTRCB rating:  PG

Cinema rating:  V14

Sometime in the 50s, a hugged spiked creature rises from the waters as a bomb detonates. In 1999, an unknown skeleton of a huge creature and two hatched eggs are being investigated by Serizawa (Watanabe) and Graham (Hawkins) in a mining site in the Philippines. Then after, a series of seismic radioactivities has been observed in Japan. Power plant supervisor Joe Brody (Cranston) asks a team, led by his wife Sandra (Binoche), to investigate the activity, which unfortunately turns disastrous and kills the entire team. Fifteen years after, Joe’s son, Ford (Taylor-Johnson), an explosive officer of the US Navy, goes to Japan to bail his father out of prison after trespassing in his former plant which is now part of the quarantined area.  They discover that the quarantine is actually a cover up for a creature hatching inside a chrysalis and feeding off radiation. The chrysalis hatches and from it emerges a MUTO. (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism) which apparently has been in communication with another creature in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Godzilla, the gigantic creature present during the 1954 bomb explosion, travels to the US to hunt the MUTOs.  Amidst an impending nuclear strike aimed to kill the three monsters before they create further damage, Ford tries to destroy the MUTO’s nest to allow Godzilla to successfully fight them.

While sci-fi disaster movies tend to bank on a human-interest story, Godzilla fails to connect its lead characters to its viewers mainly because of the stiff performances, one-dimensional characters and dreary script. What makes up for this is the brilliant art direction responsible for the creature design, special effects and monster fighting. Although director Edwards succeeds in keeping the suspense by showing only glimpses of the monsters until the 2^nd half, it lacks the tension of a monster-disaster movie.  Despite providing the mandatory large-scale destruction, the action is basically extended, repetitive and feels worn-out.  Godzilla tried but failed to offer anything new after six decades of countless remakes.

Godzilla presents two main themes: family and the consequences of abusing nature.  Family relationship is a primary motivating factor to survive and help others. Moreover, the welfare of the family becomes the ultimate goal in the decisions and actions of a person. In times of crisis, a person can forgo his personal motives and sacrifice for the sake of the ones he loves. On the other hand, the repercussions of human irresponsibility and greed results in monster-like situations that come back to bite society. More often, every single disaster and calamity is a direct cause of hunger for wealth and power. The movie reiterates that man will always lose against the wrath of nature. While Godzilla in this version is presented as a savior against the MUTO, he does so with much violence and gore with so many minutes dedicated to repeated destruction, explosion and human casualties.

The other woman

DIRECTOR: Nick Cassavetes  LEAD CAST: Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kate Upton, Don Johnson, Taylor Kinney, Nicki Minaj  SCREENWRITER: Melissa K. Stack  PRODUCER:  Julie Yorn & company  EDITOR: Jim Flynn & Alan Heim  MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Aaron Zigman  GENRE: Romantic Comedy  CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Fraisse  DISTRIBUTOR: 20th Century Fox  LOCATION:  USA RUNNING TIME:   109 minutes

Technical assessment:  3.5

Moral assessment:  2.5

MTRCB rating:  PG

CINEMA rating:  V 14

High powered Manhattan lawyer Carly Whitten (Cameron Diaz) clears the bench of former lovers, having now fallen in love with Mark King (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), a charming, hot, suave and thoughtful (but married) man.  Frustrated that Mark is begging off from a dinner date to meet Carly’s father in order to attend to some plumbing problem in his Connecticut home, Carly, on the advice of her father (Dan Johnson), nonetheless pays him a surprise visit, only to be met at the door by Mark’s wife Kate (Leslie Mann). The encounter between lawyer and wife leads to an odd partnership that will lead to an even odder triad when the two women discover another mistress, Amber (Kate Upton). 

The story may be flimsy and improbable, bordering on the female fantasy of teaching a philandering husband a bitter lesson, but achieves its aim to entertain by delivering enough funnies.  The funnies and the humor also swing from witty to crass but director Cassavetes must have deliberately made it so, exaggeration being a hallmark of fantasy.  The humor carousel is such that some lines will make you guffaw, while some scenes will elicit an “Eeew!” or a “Yuck!” from you.  The actors couldn’t have been more seamlessly cast though their roles tend to be stereotypical, and yet, everything syncs.  In fact, The Other Woman could have been titled “The Lawyer, the Wife and the Boobs”, and still deliver its brutal best with a brainy Diaz, an unraveling Mann and a bikini-filling Upton in the title roles.  And oh yes, for good measure throw in “the Cad” for Waldau, the same cad who does nasty things with his sister as Jaime Lannister in TV’s “Game of Thrones.”        

The thing to ask is—is it believable?  Can a weird sense of sisterhood grow and bind erstwhile rivals all in a month’s time?  Could a number of women who fall for the same man be real friends with one another to get even with a rat of a man in the name of justice?  Can justice be served simply by returning stolen money, tossing your wedding ring into the sea, or getting a divorce?  Because of The Other Woman’s theme—adultery treated lightly—CINEMA will give the movie a V18 rating.  The laughs and easy solutions tend to trivialize a serious malady in marital circles, infidelity, which in real life deserves much more than just a cursory glance in order to be understood and dealt with.  The Other Woman is a romantic comedy all right, but it is a comedy for mature adults.  For viewers with susceptible minds, such as children and teenagers still developing a sense of values, The Other Woman could be caramel coated poison.

So it's you

DIRECTOR: Jun Lana  LEAD CAST: Carla Abellana, Tom Rodriguez, JC De Vera, Joey Marquez, Arlene Muhlach, Bangs Garcia  SCREENWRITER: Jun Lana  PRODUCER:  Regal Films  GENRE: Comedy  LOCATION:  Manila  RUNNING TIME:  1 hour: 55 mins.

Technical Assessment: 2.5

Moral Assessment: 3

MTRCB rating:  PG

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

Si Lira (Carla Abellana) ay iniwan ng kanyang kasintahang si Tony (JC De Vera) sa araw mismo ng kanilang kasal.  Maraming araw at buwan ang makalilipas ngunit sadyang di pa rin malilimutan ni Lira si Tony kahit pa ang lagi niyang ipinapakita sa madla ay masaya na siyang muli.  Si Goryo  (Tom Rodrguez) naman ay isang sapatero ama ng isang pipi na mag-isa niyang itinataguyod.  Ang dati niyang kinakasama (Bangs Garcia) ay ikakasal na rin sa kasintahan nito. Sa isang hindi inaasahang pagtatagpo ay magku-krus ang landas nina Goryo at Lira.  Magkakagaanan sila ng loob at maisisiwilat sa isa’t isa ang mga dinadalang damdamin. Si Lira, ibubuhos ang sama ng loob kay Tony na malapit na ring ikasal at si Goryo ay ganun din. Magpapasya silang magpanggap bilang magnobyo at dadalo sila sa kasal ng kani-kanilang mga dating kasintahan. Lingid sa kaalaman ni Lira ay unti-unti nang nahuhulog ang loob ni Goryo sa kanilang pagpapanggap. Si Lira naman ay nag-aasam pa ring maagaw si Tony. Sino kaya ang magkakatuluyan sa huli?

Nagsubok maghain ang So it’s you ng napapanahong romantic comedy pero nabigo ito sa paglalahad ng matinong kuwento.  Wala sa hulog at sa tamang pag-iisip ang pangunahin nitong tauhan na si Lira na hindi malaman at hindi maintindihan ng mga manonood kung bakit patay na patay kay Tony. Bukod sa guwapo at mayaman, wala nang ibang katangian pa si Tony upang manatiling in-love si Lira dito sa kabila ng pagtalikod sa kanya nito sa araw mismo ng kanilang kasal. Nang dumating sa buhay ni Lira si Goryo, kitang mayroon na siyang pagpipilian, ngunit sa di pa rin maipaliwanag ng pelikula ang dahilan, mas pinipili pa ring pilit ni Lira ang sarili kay Tony. Walang mga sapat at matibay na motibasyon ang mga tauhan sa kanilang pagmamahal. Maliban kay Goryo, pawang mga hindi na totoong tao ang mga tauhan sa pelikula. Sayang ang galing ng mga nagsiganap lalo na si Abellana at Rodriguez. Maging ang paggamit ng mga uso sa internet at social media ay pawang ipinilit lang para masabing “modern” ang pelikula pagka’t wala itong masyadong kinalaman sa takbo ng kuwento. Hindi rin malaman ng pelikula kung ito ba ay magpapatawa, magpapaiyak, o sabay dahil parang hindi sila magkasundo-sundo kung ano ba ang nais nilang maramdaman ng mga manonood.

Kaakibat ng mga kakulangan sa kuwento ay ang kakulangan din sa dalisay na mensahe ng pelikula. Ano ba talaga ang nais nitong sabihin? Si Lira, bilang isang desperada ay gagawin ang lahat magbalik lamang ang nobyong nang-iwan sa kanya. Nagkabalikan sila sa kabila ng maraming pagpapanggap at sa panahon na kung saan ay dapat niyang ipinagtulakan si Tony sa asawa nitong nangangailangan. Bumawi sa bandang huli si Lira ngunit hindi malinaw kung bakit matagal bago niya gawin ang tama at nararapat. Si Goryo ay may malinis na hangarin kay Lira at siya ang pinaka-dalisay sa lahat ng tauhan. Magandang halimbawa siya sa mga kalalakihan at mga haligi ng tahanan. Ang tauhan ni Goryo ang nagsasabing may pag-asa pa sa pagmamahal dahil mayroon pa ring handang maghintay at magsakripisyo alang-alang sa minamahal. Hindi naman masyadong nabigyan ng pansin ang anak ni Goryo na may kapansanan. Pawang hindi malinaw kung bakit ginawa pang pipi ang karakter. Hindi malinaw ang koneksiyon ng kanyang kapansanan sa kabuuan ng kuwento. Hindi tuloy nabigyan ng karampatang hustisya ang katayuan ng mga batang tulad nila sa lipunan. Pipi na nga ang bata, wala pa rin siyang naging malinaw na boses sa kuwento. Maging ang ilang mga moral na usapin ay nakalimutan nang payabungin sa pelikula tulad ng pagmamalabis at pag-aaksaya ng yaman, ang pagkunsinti sa gawing homosekswal at pag-iwan sa asawa sa panahon ng karamdaman. Mga seryosong usapin na naligaw na lang sa kawalan at hindi binigyang-pansin.

The amazing Spider-man 2

DIRECTOR:  Marc Webb  LEAD CAST:  Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Paul Giamati, Sally Field  SCREENWRITER:  Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner  PRODUCER:  Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach  EDITOR:  Pietro Scalia, Elliot Graham   MUSICAL DIRECTOR:  Hans Zimmer, The Magnificent Six   GENRE: Drama, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy  CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Daniel Mendel  DISTRIBUTOR:  Columbia Pictures  LOCATION:  United States  RUNNING TIME:  142 minutes

Technical assessment:  3.5

Moral assessment:  3.5

CINEMA rating:  V 14

In one of Spider-man's (Garfield) crime-fighting adventures, he gets to save Max Dillion (Foxx), a lonely and unrecognized Oscorp Engineer who later believes that they have formed a deep friendship. Spider-man/Peter Parker gets a call from his girlfriend Gwen (Stone) who is about to deliver her Valedictory message in their high school graduation rites as Peter sees a vision of her father who seems to remind him to stay away from Gwen. Eaten by guilt, Peter confides to Gwen but she decides to break up as she can no longer keep up with the emotional roller-coaster Peter drags him to everytime he feels guilty. Meanwhile, Max falls into a tank full of genetically altered electric eels and gets transformed into a electricity-generating freak. At the same time, Harry Osborne (DeHaan) returns to New York and discovers he has inherited his father's disease and only Spider-man's blood could cure him. However, Maxx/Electro and Harry both feel betrayed when Spider-man steals the limelight and moment of recognition from the former and refuses to give blood to the latter. Simultaneously, Peter discovers the truth about his parents’ disappearance as Gwen follows her hunch about Max and snoops for his files in Oscorp. Spider-man/Peter tries to catch Gwen who is on the way to the airport to fly to Europe but Electro causes another blackout in the city and the two team up to fight and destroy him. Harry, now transformed as Green Goblin, arrives and deduces Spider-man's true identity. Vowing revenge for Spider-man's refusal, Green Goblin kidnaps Gwen.

            The Amazing Spider-man 2's greatest strength is the honest vulnerability of the characters—from Peter to Aunt May. It exposes certain human traits and allows the narrative to poke at them gently so that the audience also feels the tinge of pain and helplessness. But it does not allow the viewers to wallow in desperation or tears like a melodrama does, because very timely, goofy Spider-man comes and throws his one liners or Gwen and Peter electrify the screen with their genuine chemistry. The film is successful at garnering emotional investment from viewers so that they understand not only the characters' back stories but also their motivations. While its storytelling does have one too many webbed subplots, foreshadowing helps explain and tie the narrative together in the end. There is no question about the post production works and special effects. Every battle scene between Spider-man and his enemy is gives roller-coaster highs and thrills (even in 2D).

            The movie has several good points : a positive father-son plot where each other's love is tested and withstands time and trials, a strong warning on the corrupting influence of resentment and desperation, a superhero who becomes a role-model for children, and having courage over pain and failure. But more importantly, the message of hope and selflessness resounds throughout the movie. Explicitly laid down during Gwen's speech, viewers are challenged to be beacons of hope not only as an empty symbol or image but by doing what is right and what is good all the time, regardless of appreciation or recognition. And as one rallies to bring hope through one's choices and actions for the common good, he develops a spirit of self-sacrifice, incorruptibility and commitment to the common good. On the side, The Amazing Spider-man 2 gives us a heroine who is not a helpless high pitch damsel in distress but a strong-willed and intelligent woman who knows what she wants, makes her own choices and supports the man she loves to the end. The Amazing Spider-man 2 may not please everyone, especially those who feel that is merely an expensive movie whose director is undecided whether it is a love story or a superhero film but it does leave a positive impression which will last longer than the criticisms.  Some action sequences and themes may be too violent for very young audiences.

Heaven is for real

Technical assessment:  3

Moral assessment:  4

CINEMA rating:  VA

MTRCB rating:  G

                                               

DIRECTOR:  Randall Wallace  LEAD CAST:  Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly, Connor Corum, Lane Styles, Margo Martindale, Thomas Haden Church,  SCREENWRITER:  Chris Parker (adaptation from the book Heaven is for Real)  PRODUCER:  Joe Roth, T.D. Jakes  MUSICAL DIRECTOR:  Nick Glennie-Smith  CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Dean Semier  GENRE:  Drama  DISTRIBUTOR:  Sony Pictures Entertainment  LOCATION:  United States  RUNNING TIME:  100 minutes

            In Imperial Nebraska, bills never seem to end for Todd and Sonja Burpo (Greg Kinnear and Kely Reilly), parents of 10-year-old Cassie (Lane Styles) and four-year-old Colton (Connor Corum).  Todd is a well-liked pastor at the Crossroads Wesleyan Church but his main source of income is his work as an electrical repairman; Sonja is a full-time housewife and choirmaster.  They’re deep in debts and when Todd gets hospitalized for a broken leg and kidney stones, the situation seems to swallow them like quicksand.  As if it weren’t bad enough, their son suffers a ruptured appendix, calling for surgery and causing more hospital bills.  Life seems to turn for the worst when Colton, recovering against the odds, starts telling his parents stories of going to heaven, seeing Jesus and angels singing to him while he was under surgery, meeting long-dead relatives he never met.  The stories attract the press, disturbing some parishioners who feel that their church is turning into a circus.  The financial and emotional burden adversely affects Todd’s preaching, further upsetting the community’s skeptics who move to have him replaced as its pastor.

            In this fact-based drama adapted from New York Times bestseller “Heaven is for Real”, heaven unfolds through the eyes of a child, which the CGI aptly supports: heaven is a place of light and beauty among the clouds but is located somewhere beyond the sacristy; angels are ethereal winged beings of light with such delightful laughter; Jesus sports a beard, bushy eyebrows, and “greenish blue eyes”.  Also, Colton says nobody wears eyeglasses in heaven, and “everybody’s young there”.  Semler’s cinematography happily brings out the charm of the Midwestern farm country, and blended with the sensible CGI makes for a realistic setting for the theme.  Minus some melodramatic moments that could be taken as the natural outcome of the characters’ incredulity, the movie is well-acted, effectively bringing out the crisscrossing viewpoints surrounding the question of near death experience.  A big factor contributing to the accessibility of Heaven is for real is its casting—had it used big name stars it would have been a flop.  It’s the ordinary-people quality of the actors that works for the credibility of the story.  Colton’s actor, the adorable 6-year-old Corum, is born for the role.

            The mature handling of a sensitive issue—the existence of an afterlife—makes Heaven is for real an effective tool of faith-examination without off-putting preachiness.  It considers heaven but also focuses on relationships on earth: father-son bonding, strong sibling ties, a tenacious marriage that won’t be shattered by crisis.  The little boy asks his father “They don’t believe me, do they?” but goes on guilelessly telling his stories.  He is right, almost everybody tends to dismiss his experience as little boy’s tales, including his mother who, at breaking point over Todd’s obsession with their son’s experience, yells at her husband that everything the boy says is nothing but “an echo” of the environment he grew up in.  But again heaven asserts itself when Colton softly tells his mom that (in heaven) “I saw my sister who died in your tummy without a name”.   “How could he have known that?”, a bewildered Sonja asks Todd.  Heaven is for real is a movie that crosses denominational boundaries because the desire for an afterlife is almost universal, touching people of all cultures or civilizations.  It is a hope-giving statement that echoes the bible’s Psalm 8 “Out of the mouth of babes and infants You have drawn a defense against Your foes, to silence enemy and avenger.”

Rio 2

Technical Assessment: 3.5

Moral Assessment: 4

CINEMA Rating: VA

MTRCB Rating: G

Direction: Carlos Saldanha; Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann, Bruno Mars, Jamaine Clement, Jamie Foxx; Story: Carlos Saldanha; Producer: Bruce Anderson, John Donkin; Music: John Powell; Genre: Animation; Distributor: 20^th Century Fox; Location: Brazil Running Time: 101 minutes

 

Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (Anne Hathaway) travel to the Amazon with their three kids and their friends Rafael, Nico and Pedro to help Linda Gunderson (Leslie Mann) and her husband locate the near extinct Spix macaws apparently residing in there. Big Boss (Ferrer), head of  illegal loggers and Nigel (Jamaine Clement), Blu’s former nemesis, attempts to trap the macaws and the Gundersons for revenge and personal interest. In the Amazon, Blu meets Jewel’s family and tries hard to win their respect and acceptance despite being domesticated.  All these adventures take place as the animals of the Amazon, led by the Macaws against the loggers.

Rio 2 is definitely above par most animated sequels with all the colors, music and production sequences that make animation endearing to viewers. But after getting over the cinematic efforts of the producers, Rio 2 lacks the narrative and creative charm of its predecessor. The story flows but not without effort and mostly because of the music and hilarity instead of the plot.  The movie is well-animated, well performed, well produced but just has too many sub-plots and conflicts and characters to the point of being a little senseless. Despite narrative shortcomings, Rio 2 is still an entertaining and worthwhile film for the family.

Sadly, man, whom God entrusted His creation, is at the forefront of the destruction of nature. Rio 2 reminds to become faithful stewards and caretakers of the beauty of life around us. We appreciate how Scarlet and Spix Macaws, enemies by nature, easily put their differences aside to defend their habitat—if only people can learn to set aside personal interests and serve the common good as well. On the other hand, Rio 2 attempts to bring forth in-law issues of acceptance and fitting in. These are perhaps the greatest struggles spouses go through, especially if the other family has opposing ideals and principles. How much will a person be willing to let go of himself/herself for the sake of peace and unity between families. Again, if only people can learn to set aside personal interests for the common good then family life (and in-law life) will be a breeze.

Son of God

Director: Christopher Spencer Producers: Roma Downey and Mark Burnett Screenplay: Richard Bedser, Christopher Spencer, Colin Swash, Nic Young based on New Testament Narration: Keith David Cast:  Diego Morgado, Roma Downey, Darwin Shaw Music: Lorne Balfe  Cinematography: Rob Goldie Editing: Robert Hall Studio Lightworkers Media Distributor: 20th Century Fox  Location: United States  Running time: 138 minutes

Technical assessment:  3

Moral assessment:  3

CINEMA rating:  PG 13

A condensation of the 10-hour mini series “The Bible” in 2013, Son of God opens with a narrative, with the exiled, salt-and-pepper haired St. John the Evangelist (Sebastian Knapp) telling the story from the island of Patmos (Greece).  Son of God hops from Adam and Eve to Noah to Abraham apparently in preparation for the birth of Jesus, but the story finally begins as Jesus (Diogo Morgado) launches his ministry, asking Peter (Darwin Shaw) to be a fisher of men after giving the fisherman a miraculously bountiful catch of fish.  The rest is history familiar to believers.

Coming into a territory where superior films of the same genre have trod, Son of God may find it difficult to impress sophisticated viewers with its episodic treatment of the life of Christ.  Technically it will suffer by comparison to the likes of Franco Zeffirelli’s television miniseries “Jesus of Nazareth”  (1977), and Mel Gibson’s all-time blockbuster The Passion of the Christ (2004).  

While the miracles of Jesus almost take center stage here, somehow their portrayal lacks the jaw-dropping magnificence of the divine and the supernatural combined.  The rising of Lazarus from the dead doesn’t grip the heart—instead it just looks like… well, like over-aged students acting at a high school drama.  Jesus walking on the water?  So cheesy it mocks the real thing.  The multiplication of the bread and fish—aw, enough!  There’s something amiss in these and in many other scenes so that most of the movie feels like a movie, period.  Does the cinematography lack imagination?  Are mere trainees in charge of CGI?  Is the dialogue, the delivery of the lines, the director, or the music at fault?  Is the culprit the viewer-friendly Jesus, the Portuguese model-turned-actor Morgado?  Maybe he smiles too much or reminds the viewer of Marlon Brando and Brad Pitt so that he fails as a worthy communicator of divine action—but to young viewers he will most likely come across as a cool Jesus.  So cool one couldn’t warm up to his agony on the cross.

There are also little things that tend to unsettle a discriminating viewer, like that first appearance of Jesus to the apostles after the resurrection.  We are told that the disciples, out of fear, locked themselves inside a room with doors shut, and that Jesus appeared in their midst.  In Son of God, this episode shows Jesus walking through an open door, smiling, and showing them the CGI hole in his hand.  Another one: Jesus was buried in a new tomb in a garden, right?  Here his grave is something like a cave in the middle of a desert.  Et cetera, et cetera.

This is not to say that Son of God has absolutely nothing worth seeing about it.   Despite its disappointing (technical) flaws, it is still a good introduction to the life of Jesus Christ.  It is an earnest production, for one.  The lead cast—Greg Hicks as Pontius Pilate, Adrian Schiller as Caiphas, Joe Wredden as Judas, Roma Downey as Mary, Amber Rose Revah as Mary Magdalene—carry out their roles with sincerity and passion.  Even the extras appear dead serious about their bit parts.  The apparent conviction behind the performance of the cast is Son of God’s saving grace—the actors all seem to believe they are engaged in a laudable project, and that is enough to make believing viewers feel it’s a worthy reminder to have in an increasingly irreligious world.

An added surprise is the prominence given to Mary from beginning to end in this supposedly non-Catholic production.  That it highlighted the mystery of the incarnation, focused all throughout on the closeness between Mary and her son Jesus, and featured CeeLo Green’s moving song “Mary Did You Know” as the credits rolled in the end speaks volumes about the quiet work the Mother of God does in the hearts of her children.   

While CINEMA gives Son of God a PG 13, parents are advised to shield younger children from the possibly frightening effects of the violence in this movie.

300: Rise of an Empire

Direction: Noam Murro; Cast: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey. Hans Matheson, Rodrigo Santoro: Story: based on Xerxes by Frank Miller; Screenplay: Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad; Cinematography: Simon Duggan; Editing: Wyatt Smith, David Brenner; Music: Junkie XL; Producers: Gianni Nunnari, Mark Canton, Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Bernie Goldmann; Genre: Fantasy-Adventure-Action:  Location: Greece /Persia; Distributor: Warner Bros; Running Time:102 minutes.

Technical Assessment:  3

Moral Assessment:  2

CINEMA Rating: V18

After witnessing General Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) of Greece murder his father, King Darius, Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) through the malicious prodding of his adoptive sister Artemisia (Eva Green) journeys through the desert and becomes transformed as a golden God-King. Xerxes returns to Persia and declares war on Greece with Artemisia leading the naval fleet.  Artemisia’s reasons for fighting for Persia despite being Greek are self-serving. Apparently, her family was raped and murdered by Greek hoplites when she was a young girl while herself made into a sex slave before being left for dead. Fortunately, she was rescued and trained by the Persians until King Darius, recognizing her sword fighting skills, promoted her as naval commander. Meanwhile, Themistocles gathers his Spartan fighters and delivers his most soulful speeches to unite the Athenians to fight for Greece.  Lena Heady (who provides a voice over narrative) plays Leonidas' wife who advocates the superiority of Sparta and in time leads her fleet to the action. 

300: Rise of an Empire reeks with male testosterone as it narrates events before, during and after the 2007 film 300 and deliberately fills the screen with blood and body parts at every opportunity. Sans the waves of blood every 10 seconds, the movie is a visual feast with ambitious computer-generated effects blended evenly with live action footages. The cast was authentically graphic and caricature-like with lust for violence, aggression and more blood. The scoring is suitable and paces the movie well. The narrative is complicated as it tries hard to hold on to history and recreate imaginary characters in events leading to the Battle of Salamis but again with all the blood so pointlessly gushing, splattering and spurting here and there, one’s senses are numb before they can try to comprehend the gist of the story. But is it any good? Depends on one’s preference for gore over a solid and creative story telling. Needless to say, the movie will only be remembered for the amount of carnage on screen.

While people suffer injustice and abuse—sadly from people they trust and rely on—they also experience healing and love, surprisingly from strangers. Artemisia learned both—betrayal from her countrymen and care from the enemy country. She could have taken the higher road and practised forgiveness for her abusers and gratitude for her rescuers but instead she let vengeance consume her soul and turn her into a monster. Christ did otherwise. He forgave those who hurt Him. So did most of our Church heroes and heroines who embraced those who persecuted them and returned love and forgiveness for every violent action received. And at the end, the fruit is peace and reconciliation. Something Artemisia never experienced but unwittingly longed for. She had everything laid down at her feet yet she was never complete and never happy. The movie showed glimpses of the ill-effects of harboring revenge but did so in the most brutal and graphic manner.  Technically and visually 300: Rise of an Empire is an artistic, well-crafted film, but the carnage and the amount of blood shed in so many scenes deduct from the film’s aesthetic value, and overshadows whatever morals the story could have portrayed.