Super Parental Guardians

DIRECTOR:  Joyce Bernal  LEAD CAST:  Coco Martin & Vice Ganda  SCREENWRITER: Danno Kristoper Mariquit  PRODUCER: Charo Santos-Concio, Malou N. Santos  EDITOR: Joyce Bernal, Bengbeng Bandong  MUSICAL DIRECTOR:  Carmina Cuya  GENRE: Comedy/Action CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Eli Balce  DISTRIBUTOR: Star Cinema  LOCATION: Philippines  RUNNING TIME: 115 minutes

Technical assessment:  3

Moral assessment: 3

CINEMA rating:  V13 and below with parental guidance

Tagapamahala ng isang magarang bahay si Arci (Vice Ganda) na pag-aari ni Marife (Assunta Da Rossi).  Lingid sa kaalaman ni Arci ang amo niyang si Marife pala ang utak sa pagpatay sa matalik niyang kaibigan na si Sarah (Matet De Leon)  bilang ganti sa atraso ng sigang kapatid na si Paco (Coco Martin). Sa pagkamatay ni Sarah parehong aakuin nina Arci at Paco ang pangagangalaga sa dalawang anak na naulila ni Sarah. Pagtatalunan nila dahil kay Arci inihabilin ni Sarah ang mga bata sa isang kwentuhan nila noong buhay pa ito, samantalang bilang tiyuhin ay si Paco naman ang pinakamalapit na kamag-anak ng mga bata.  Subalit bilang kasapi ng gang  ay mapanganib na manatili sa poder ni Paco ang mga bata kaya mapipilitan siya na ipisan kay Arci ang mga pamangkin, sa paniniwalang kay Arci ang bahay na tinitirhan nito. Sa sitwasyong mas magiging matatag ang kanilang pagkakaibigan at itataguyod nila ang dalawang bata.

Sa kabila ng malabnaw na daloy na kwento ay makabuluhan at napapanahon ang tema ng pelikulang Super Parental Guardian. Epektibo ang naging treatment  ng director sa istorya. Tagumpay ito sa pagpapatawa at nakakalibang panoorin ang mga eksena at pagbibitaw ng mga linya.  Natural at walang effort ang pagganap ni Ganda, at sinabayan pa ito ng husay ni Martin at ng mga batang aktor.  Maganda ang paghahatid ng mga eksenang aksyon na medyo matagal na din hindi napapanood sa pelikulang Pilipino. Hindi na masyado napansin ang mga effects  na ginamit sa halip ay naging kaabang-abang ang mga eksena ng mga tauhan at mga linya na kanilang sasambitin. Maganda ang mga kuha ng kamera sa squatters’ area at malaking bahay. Tama at akma lamang ang iba pang teknikal na aspeto ng pelikula tulad ng disenyo ng produksyon at make-up, mga ilaw at inilapat na tunog at musika.

Ang tunay na kaibigan ay isang kayamanan. Katulad ng mga tauhang Arci at Paco sa pelikulang Super Parental Guardians, ang kanilang pagkakaibigan ay nagpakita ng pagtanggap, paggalang, pagtutulungan, kahandaang magsakripisyo at hindi pagsasamantala. Sa kabila ng pisikal na pagkaakit ni Arci bilang binabae kay Paco na isang siga ay isinantabi niya ang personal na interes at sa halip ay binigyan-diin ang malasakit sa kanyang puso para sa mga batang naulila.  Isang mensahe ng pelikula ay posible palang manatili ang pagkakaibigan ng isang bakla sa kapwa lalaki nang walang malisya (sa kabila ng masugid na panunukso ng bakla); at ang lalaki naman ay maari din makipagkapwa-tao sa bakla nang hindi nagsasamantala sa kagandahang loob at pagkahumaling ng bakla sa kanya. Sa pamilya naman ay ipinakita ang pagtanggap ng ina sa pagkabakla ng batang anak. Sa kabilang banda, hindi magandang gawing dahilan ang pagproteksyon sa pamilya para maging siga at malapit sa basag ulo, katulad ng pinakita sa pelikula kung saan humantong ito sa pagkakapatay sa kapatid.  Bahagya din pinakita sa pelikula ang sensitibong isyu ng extra judicial killing na kahit saang anggulo tingnan ay mali at hindi dapat gawin ng kahit sino man.

May karagdagang mga puna lamang ang CINEMA tungo sa ikalalalim ng ating pangunawa sa ilang mensaheng nababalot sa kababawan sa Super Parental Guardians.  Kung may mga kasama kayong nanonood na mga bata, ipaliwanag lamang sa kanila na siryoso ang patayan—hindi ito bagay na katatawanan lamang tulad ng inilalarawan sa pelikula kung saan ang lamay ni Sarah ay nasapawan ng kabaklaan.  Sa halip na pag-isipin ang mga nanonood tungkol sa karahasan sa ating kapaligiran na nagdudulot ng trahedya, ginagawang dahilan lamang ng pelikula ang kamatayan upang ilungsad ang batukan, barahan, sampalan, sisihan, palusutan, at patarayan ng mga “bida.”

Tila sinikap din ng Super Parental Guardians na antigin ang simpatiya ng mga manonood sa kalagayan ng mga bakla sa lipunan nang isalarawan nito ang “bullying” sa batang binabae ng kanyang mga kaeskuwela at ang kasamaang-ugali ng mga magulang ng mga “bullies.”  Di man sinasadya, naipakita din ng pelikula ang masamang bunga ng pagkukunsinti sa kabaklaan ng batang lalaki—lumalabis ang kumpiyansa nito sa sarili at nawawalan ito ng paggalang sa nakatatanda.  Sa halip na pagsikapang makisama nang may pagpipitagan sa taong kumupkop sa kanila, sinita pa ng batang bakla ang matanda sa pagsasabing: “Halika nga’t mag-usap tayo, bakla sa bakla!” 

Upang maging sulit ang ating ibinabayad sa tiket, manood tayo ng sine hindi lamang upang tayo’y malibang, kungdi upang tayo’y may matutunan din.  Sa mga temang maselan, maging bukas ang ating isipan, ngunit maging matalas din.

Your Name

DIRECTOR: Makoto Shinkai  LEAD CAST: Voiced by Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryo Narita, Aoi Yūki, Nobunaga Shimazaki  SCREENWRITERS: Makoto Shinkai, Clark Cheng (English script)  BASED ON: Your Name by Makoto Shinkai  PRODUCERS: Noritaka Kawaguchi, Genki Kawamura  EDITOR:  Makoto Shinkai  MUSIC BY: Radwimps   GENRES: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Romance  CINEMATOGRAPHER: Makoto Shinkai  DESIGNER OF CHARACTERS: Masayoshi Tanaka  PRODUCTION COMPANY: CoMix Wave Films  DISTRIBUTOR: Toho  COUNTRY:  Japan  LANGUAGE: Japanese  RUNNING TIME: 1hour & 46 minutes

Technical assessment:  4

Moral assessment:  3

CINEMA rating:  V14

Mitsuha Miyamizu (Mone Kamishiraishi), a high school girl, yearns to live the life of a boy in the bustling city of Tokyo—a dream that stands in stark contrast to her present life in the countryside. Meanwhile in the city, Taki Tachibana (Ryûnosuke Kamiki) lives a busy life as a high school student while juggling his part-time job and hopes for a future in architecture. One day, Mitsuha awakens in a room that is not her own and suddenly finds herself living the dream life in Tokyo—but in Taki's body!  Elsewhere, Taki finds himself living Mitsuha's life in the humble countryside.  In pursuit of an answer to this strange phenomenon, they begin to search for one another.

Kimi no Na wa revolves around Mitsuha and Taki's actions, which begin to have a dramatic impact on each other's lives, weaving them into a fabric held together by fate and circumstance.

Rogue One

Direction: Gareth Edwards; Cast: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Medelsohn, Donnie Yen, Forest Whitaker;  Story:  John Knoll, Gary Whitta; Screenplay: Chriz Weitz, Tony Gilroy; Cinematography: Greig Fraser; Editing: John Gilroy, Colin Goudie; Music: Michael Giacchino; Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur, Simon Emanuel; Genre: Sci-fi Adventure; Location: Galaxy Far Away; Distributor: Walt Disney;  Running Time: 133 minutes; 

Technical assessment: 3.5 

Moral assessment: 4 

CINEMA rating: VA 

MTRCB rating: GP 

Rogue One happens in between Revenge of the Sith (Episode 3) and A New Hope (Episode 4) wherein the Jedis have been wiped out and the Emperor through Darth Vader controls the galaxy. Galen Erso, (Mikkelsen) a research scientist is kidnapped by Orson Krennic (Mendelsohn) to have him complete the Death Star. Galen’s young daughter, Jyn survives the attack of the Imperial army and is taken to safety by the family friend and rebel leader Gerrera (Whitaker). After 15 years, Jyn (Jones) is in Imperial Captivity for being a rebel. Meanwhile Galen influences an Imperial pilot—Rook—to defect and transmit a message to Gererra informing him that he has placed a vulnerability within the Death Star and urges them to retrieve the schematics and free the galaxy from Imperial Control.  Jyn and other rebels group together and face several battles in order to steal the schematics. The ending of this film directly connects to Star Wars A New Hope wherein Princess Leia holds the schematics and prepares to attack the empire. 

Rogue One provides texture and depth in the Star Wars universe without contradicting the narrative and characters already set by the original storyline. It works both as a standalone film and a part of the epic. For non-Star Wars fans, the movie has a lot of characters and terms to keep track of and at times feels thin and underdeveloped. And because the film picks up one element to work on, it leaps from battle to battle from one planet to another. But as previously mentioned, the movie works because of the dynamic action sequences and impressive CGIs. The visual artistry of the film stays faithful to the franchise but adds contemporary flavor that blends seamlessly. 

The main deviation of the film is the theme. Whereas most oppression-related movies rely on the “chosen one” or characters destined to deliver freedom. Rogue One brings ordinary people doing extra ordinary works. The absence of the JEDI powers is significant because the rebels rely on their own resourcefulness and commitment to save mankind against the tyrannical ruling of the Emperor and Darth Vader. Rebellion as theme is developed as hope—that which allows us to see the greatness ahead. But this hope is not one that falls from the skies and into the hands of a lucky person who had to do nothing except exist. Hope is the inspiration but sacrifice is the key. CINEMA believes that the bravest heroes are those whose names are almost forgotten because they fought without the need for recognition or acknowledgement. While Rogue One is not necessarily violent, it is recommended that the parents guide their very young children when watching.  

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

DIRECTOR: Ang Lee  LEAD CAST: Joe Alwyn, Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Garrett Hedlund, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin  SCREENWRITERS:  Jean-Christophe Castelli  PRODUCERS: Marc Platt, Ang Lee, Rhodri Thomas, Stephen Cornwell  EDITOR: Tim Squyres  MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Jeff Danna, Mychael Danna  GENRE:  War, Drama  CINEMATOGRAPHER:  John Toll  DISTRIBUTOR:  Columbia Pictures  LOCATION:  USA, Morocco  RUNNING TIME:   110 min

Technical assessment:  3.5

Moral assessment:  3

CINEMA rating:  V14

Set in 2004, the story follows the members of Bravo Squad, American soldiers from the Iraq War on a publicity tour led by Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) who became a hero when a video of his rescue of a fellow soldier during a firefight went viral. For most of the single day we observe them as they prepare to take part in a halftime show at a Dallas football game.  The film flashes back and forth to the squad’s experience in Iraq, the stadium show, and to Billy’s scenes with his family, especially his sister (Kristen Stewart) who feels responsible for getting Billy to enlist.

Your Lie in April

DIRECTOR: TAKEHIKO SHINJO;  LEAD CAST: KENTO YAMAZAKI, SUZU HIROSE, ANNA ISHII, TAISHI NAKAGAWA;  SCREENWRITER: YUKARI TATSUI  (ORIGINAL STORY BY NAOSHI ARAKAWA);  MUSIC: MASARU YAKAYAMA; PRODUCER: JUICHI EUHARA, KASUMI YAO;   GENRE: TEEN ROMANCE, MUSIC, MANGA COMIC STORY;  CINEMATOGRAPHER:  MITSURU KOMIYAMA;  DISTRIBUTOR: TOHO;  LANGUAGE: JAPANESE (WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES) LOCATION:  JAPAN;  RUNNING TIME:   122 minutes

Technical assessment: 3.5

Moral assessment: 3

CINEMA rating: V14

Since his mother’s death when he was a young boy, piano prodigy Kousei Arima (Kento Yamazaki) has refused to play the piano.  Blaming himself for the death of his mother’s who was his mercilessly strict piano teacher, he is consumed with guilt, and claims he has lost his ability to hear his playing in spite of his otherwise perfect sense of hearing.  He continues school, maintaining his friendship with childhood friends Tsubaki (Anna Ishii) and Watari (Taishi Nakagawa), but daily retires to his monochromatic, monotonous world, far removed from his glorious past when he was known as a “human metronome” for his exceptional piano playing skills.  One day when the cherry blossoms are in peak bloom, Kaori Miyazono (Suzu Hirose) enters Kousei’s life.  Kaori is a free spirit, and it shows in her verve in playing the violin.  She is entering a violin competition, and wants Kousei to accompany her on the piano.

Known in Japan as “Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso”, Your Lie in April is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoshi Arakawa, and has had an anime television series adaptation.  As a full length feature film, it can stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the better teen romance films of recent memory, with cinematography that enhances the beauty of the setting without overpowering the plot.  Fresh faces, simple, straightforward dialogue, and seemingly unstudied performances add to the credibility of the story while preventing it from descending into melodrama.  Outstanding are the recitals that focus on the pianist and the violinist.  All throughout the concerts the viewer cannot but believe that the actors themselves are actually playing their instruments onstage, otherwise there is the film editor to thank for the seamless job.

--> Your Lie in April is saying something about obsessive parents who demand perfection and superhuman performance from very young children.  Kousei’s mother may have had his best interest in mind, but circumstances may not always be kind, thus the trauma and psychological imbalance the boy goes through as a result of his mother’s misguided discipline threaten the very future of the child.  But there is hope, the movie shows, and the boy’s recovery also stems from his very trauma—just as certain as spring follows winter.  No spoilers coming; suffice it to say that Kaori the violinist has a secret—she lied in springtime, in April when the landscape is pink with cherry blossoms, a lie that is to be uncovered when the dying blossoms are falling to the ground.

Office Christmas Party

DIRECTOR:  Josh Gordon, Will Speck  LEAD CAST:  Jason Bateman, T.J. Miller, Olivia Munn, Jennifer Aniston, Kate McKinnon Mary, Courtney Vance, Jillian Bell  SCREENWRITER:  Justin Malen, Laura Solon, Dan Mazer & Jon Lucas, Scott Moore and Timothy Dowling  PRODUCER:   Guymon Casady, Daniel Rappaport, Scott Stuber  EDITOR:   Jeff Groth, Evan Henke  MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Theodore Shapiro  GENRE:  Comedy  CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jeff Cutter  DISTRIBUTOR: Paramount Pictures  LOCATION:  Chicago, Illinois; Georgia  RUNNING TIME: 105 minutes

Technical assessment: 3.5

Moral assessment: 2

CINEMA rating: V18

The film tells the story of a struggling branch of an IT company specializing in internet servers.  The branch head Clay (TJ Miller) is the son of the former owner, whose sister Carol (Jennifer Aniston) was made CEO after the death of their father.  Carol is bent on closing the branch for missing its targets, which she arbitrarily set.  The chief technical officer Josh (Jason Bateman) is caught between the two warring siblings as the company tries to set up a Christmas party to impress a potential client (Courtney Vance) who may be able to deliver the account to keep their branch going.

Office Christmas Party delivers the most entertainment with perfect timing. Here the characters and gags rule. Technical elements are good enough; mishaps, even with the storyline, are overshadowed by the ensemble of talented actor-comedians that makes this movie a treat for adults. The office situations, the jokes and running gags can get predictable towards the end but the cast manages to deliver the laughs.  Bateman and Miller perform their lead parts admirably, but it is the supporting cast of characters that makes the movie memorable. Among them Kate Mckinnon as the straitlaced HR head, Randall Park as standard office accountant, Jillian Bell as the soft menacing pimp and Fortune Feimster as a newbie Uber driver. The movie is a jolly ruckus. Credit should go to the directors and the team of six credited screenwriters for making this chaotic world coherent enough to be a crowd pleaser and surprisingly mainstream.

Although the movie does not purport to depict the spirit of Christmas, the use of Christmas as its setting is nevertheless offensive to Christians.  The meaning of Christmas, that of the birth of our Savior, is trivialized in the film. It is commercialized, used as a platform for impressing a potential client, and an excuse to indulge in excesses.  Symbols of high spiritual value for Christians, including the image of Jesus Christ, are presented with irreverence.