Forbidden Kingdom

Title: Forbidden Kingdom Cast: Jacky Chan, Jet Li, Michael Angarano, Liu Yifei, Collin Chou Director: Rob Minkoff Producer: Casey Silver Screenwriter: John Fusco Music: David Buckley Editor: Eric Strand Genre: Fantasy Action Cinematography: Peter Pau Distributor: Viva International Pictures Location: Ancient China Running Time: 153 min.

Technical Assessment: 4
Moral Assessment: 3
CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 13 and below with parental guidance

Jason (Micheal Angarano) is a young timid boy from Boston who loves Martial Arts. He frequents Old Hop’s (Jacky Chan) pawnshop/video store in the Chinatown area to rent kung-fu movies. On one of his trips, a group of bullies manhandle him and force him to lead them to the Old Hop’s store for them to rob. In the mayhem, Old Hop gets shot and turns over a mysterious staff to Jason for him to “return to its rightful owner”. Jason runs for his life and falls off the roof just to wake up transported back in time to ancient China where the supernatural Jade Warlord (Collin Chou) rules with oppression. Jason learns that he is the “seeker” and reluctantly fulfills the ancient prophesy to find the Monkey King (Jet Li) and return his staff. Unfortunately for him, he has to deal with the Jade Warlord and his formidable army. He is aided and tutored by a wine-loving poet and comical fighter Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) and the pensive Silent Monk (Jet Li). They are also joined by the exquisite orphaned Golden Sparrow (Liu Yufei) who vows revenge for her parents’ death and kills her enemies with hairpins. Together, they must free the Monkey King so he can fight the Jade Warlord and return peace to the empire.

The movie is delightful to watch with its breathtaking scenery, creative sets and costume design, graceful and impressive martial arts sequences and a few funny quips every now and then. The plot seems to be a
combination of borrowed themes from other Hollywood fantasy movies and Ancient Chinese legend but with a competent direction and straightforward storytelling, audience can follow the story effortlessly. Although Chan and Li play supporting roles to American teenager Angarano, there are still enough fight sequences and comic moments where the two martial art legends are pitted against each other. Overall the movie may not be memorable compared to other Chinese epics but is enchanting enough for the audience to want to watch it again.

The movie talks about friendship, perseverance and unity. At first the main characters have a low regard for each other but eventually learn to appreciate, respect and care for one another all in the effort to accomplish a common goal. It shows also how people, once consumed with the moral obligation and desire to do what is right can be willing to risk and sacrifice himself. The movie also makes a stand against revenge and hate. There are several words of wisdom offered by Chan’s character which will be remembered and can be used for one’s daily life choices. Although the movie is light and seemingly harmless, the charmingly choreographed fight scenes are violent although bloodless. There are a few cuss words and sexual reference although not portrayed explicitly. Substance abuse is apparent with Chan’s character. Viewers below 13 should be guided by mature adults.

Ikaw Pa Rin

Title: Ikaw Pa Rin Cast: Ai-Ai Delas Alas, Robin Padilla, Eugene Domingo, Riza Santos, Deejay Durano, Nanette Inventor Director: Wenn Deramas Producer: Vic del RosarioScreenwriter: Mel Mendoza-del Rosario Genre: Comedy Distributor: Viva Films Location: Philippines Running Time: 110 min.

Technical Assessment: 3
Moral Assessment: 2 ½
CINEMA Rating: For viewers 14 and above

Si Boy (Robin Padilla) ay isang matapat na bumbero na parating inaasahan sa kanilang lugar dahil sa kanyang pagiging bayani sa oras ng pangangailangan. Sa kabila nito, si Boy ay iniwan ng kanyang nobya matapos siyang bigyan ng isang anak. Nag-aalala si Boy na ang kanyang anak (Rhap Salazar) sa kawalan ng ina ay pawang nagiging alanganin ang kasarian. Si Baby (Ai-Ai delas Alas) naman ay isang beterenaryo na malas sa pag-ibig hindi pa nakakaranas na seryosohin ng mga lalaki, subalit mayisang inaasam: ang maging ina. Magku-krus ang landas ni Boy at Baby kung saan ililigtas ni Baby ang buhay ni Boy. Dahit sa laki ng kanyang pasasalamat sa doktora, nagbitiw si Boy ng salita sa publiko, na anuman ang hilingin nito ay ibibigay niya. Sinagot ito ni Baby na ang hiling niya'y si Boy ang maging ama ng kanyang anak. Napasubo si Boy at dahil nakataya ang kanyang salita, ngayon siya’y naguguluhan kung paano niyang tutuparin ang kanyang pangako kay Baby sa kabila ng pagtutol ng lahat.

Bago ang tambalang Ai-Ai delas Alas at Robin Padilla. Ngunit hindi bago ang klase ng komedya na ipinakita ng pelikula. Gasgas at pawang hindi nakakaaliw ang karamihan sa eksena. Salamat na lamang at may Eugene Domingo na patok pa rin sa pagpapatawa. Predictable din ang kuwento at walang gaanong surpresa sa mga manonood. Maraming eksena ang hindi epektibo at pawang hindi kailangan sa pagpapausad ng istorya. Sa kabila nito, maayos naman ang pagganap ng mga artista kahit pa pawang karikatura ang kanilang mga tauhang ginampanan.

Umikot ang kuwento ng Ikaw Pa Rin sa pagnanais ni Baby na magkaron ng anak sa kahit paanong paraan. Hindi ito magandang mensahe at halimbawa para sa mga kababaihan na pawang ibinababa ang kanilang pamantayan para lamang matupad ang kanilang inaasam-asam. Bagama’t may pambawi naman ang pelikula nang sina Baby at Boy ay dumaan sa normal na proseso ng ligawan, hindi pa rin maiaalis sa kuwento na ang dalawa ay nagtalik na nang hindi pa sila naikakasal. Pinalabas din ng pelikula na tama at dapat ipagdiwang ang pagbubuntis sa labas ng kasal na pawang nakakabahala. Ang tanging magandang aral sa Ikaw Pa Rin ay ang pagpapakabayani at pagmamahal nang wagas na hindi tumitingin sa panlabas na kaanyuan. Nararapat pa ring gabayan ang mga batang manonood upang hindi maging taliwas ang kanilang pagpapahalaga sa kababaihan at pagpapamilya.

Harold & Kumar

Title: Harold & Kumar; Escape from Guantanamo Bay Cast: John Co, Kal Penn, Rob Corddry, Dannel Harris, Roger Bart, Neil Patrick Harris, Paula Garces Directors: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg Producers: Greg Shapiro, Nathan Kahane Screenwriters: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg Music: George S. Clinton Editor: Jeff Freeman Genre: Comedy Cinematography: Daryn Okada Distributor: New Line Cinema Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands Running Time: 140 min.

Technical Assessment: 2
Moral Assessment: 1 ½
CINEMA Rating: For mature viewers 18 and above


Buddies and boardmates, Harold (John Co) and Kumar (Kal Pen) are preparing to leave for Amsterdam to look for Harold’s girlfriend-to-be, Maria (Paula Garces). Trouble for them begins when Kumar refuses, at a security check-point in the airport, to allow a random search before boarding their airplane. Just as they are about to board, however, the two friends meet once Kumar’s girlfriend Vanessa (Dannel Harris) and her fiancé Colton (Eric Winter). On the plane, Kumar, unable to endure the long journey calmly, decides to take some drugs he has on him. Using the “bong” (a container) to facilitate his taking in the weed, a big commotion of fright that there is a bomb on board takes place. Harold and Kumar are arrested as terrorists and imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay . Experiencing atrocious forms of punishment, the two manage to make good their escape. There follow some unusual encounters: finding themselves in a women’s sauna, where the two escapees are challenged before they would be helped and protected; and then they are re-arrested. However, they are finally vindicated by a lawman who believed and helped them.

The movie presents two bumbling simpletons as the center of the story. The happenings and sequences are sometimes unclear. There are barely a few laughable situations. Most of the scenes are either corny or objectionable.

Harold and Kumar is filled with the issues on nudity sexual situations, the use of drugs, violence, objectionable language, etc. Harold an Indian, and Kumar, a Korean, are right away judged as terrorists, a sign of some discrimination. Migrants may be looked upon with suspicion, which instills fear and insecurity. A filthy prison condition projects the immoral acts of cops and guards towards their prisoners. This maltreatment of prisoners shows their abuse of power. The movie appears to focus on sex, suggesting it as a pleasure for men and women. Camera angles focused on naked bodies; sex as the center of their conversation; images of the inside of prostitution establishments; and when the purpose/s of showing the scenes become vague, are questionable to the intention of the movie. Using drugs is shown several times by different characters. In almost all dialogues each of the characters mentions the word “fuck” and use other objectionable words and phrases. Harold and Kumar is rated for adults, 18 years old and up; however, there are better films to watch.

What Happens in Vegas

Title: What Happens in Vegas
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Rob Corddry, Lake Bell, Jason Sudeikis
Director: Tom Vaughan
Producers: Michael Aguilar, Dean Georgaris, Shawn Levi
Screenwriter: Dana Foz
Music: Christophe Beck
Editor: Matt Friedman
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Cinematography: Matthew F. Leonetti
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Location: New York, USA
Running Time: 99 min.

Technical Assessment: 2.5
Moral Assessment: 2.5
CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 13 and below with parental guidance

Jack Fuller (Ashton Kutcher) is a first class bum who can’t even keep a job at his own father’s company. He’s also a commitment-phobe, and a party animal who likes being around attractive, unattached women. After being fired by his own father, Jack packs off to Vegas with his best friend Hater (Rob Corddry). Joy McNally (Cameron Diaz), a Wall Street whiz kid, is dumped by her fiancé, and decides to drown out her sorrows in Vegas, dragging along her gal pal Tipper (Lake Bell). Jack and Joy literally bump into each other in—of all places a hotel suite: the Front Desk clerk apparently mistakenly gave them the key to the same room. Since both are trying to escape being dumped, Jack and Joy soon get drunk, and while very very drunk, get married Vegas style. They of course regret it the morning after, and vow to make life miserable for each other getting a divorce, until one quirky twist of fate—or the slot machine—gets them fighting tooth and nail over how to split the three million dollar jackpot.

About the first 45 minutes feels like a not-so-funny TV sit-com, and as far as romantic comedies go, What Happens in Vegas offers nothing really that novel. For that length of time the acting matches the script and the screenplay, and though Diaz is always pleasing to the eye, somehow the viewer gets the feeling this role is so “beneath her”. Rom-coms are not really that great nor are they expected to be, as far as depicting reality goes, but in What Happens in Vegas, the protagonists even come across as one- dimensional caricatures drawn by a writer and moved by a director who’d try anything to make people laugh. (Example: there’s a character named Richard Banger. “Oh, Dick Banger, ha ha ha,” says Jack. Dick Banger retaliates, “And you are Jack off!” The viewers will probably laugh, for a while, and then forget. Things change midway and get more real when Kutcher and Diaz succeed in getting the viewer to care about their characters as people—when Jack and Joy fall in love, that is. But even with that, it’s not likely you’ll want to keep this movie in your DVD list of “must-watch-over-and-over-again.”

The one shining lesson for viewers in What Happens in Vegas recalls an old Filipino adage about marriage not being like eating rice that you could just spit out when your mouth can’t stand the heat. It’s trying to say something, too, about money not being the most important thing on earth, although it’s glossed over by trivialities—and the amount of footage devoted to fighting over it. Okay, okay, romantic comedies aim to make you laugh, not to make you think. Fine, so just read between the lines and draw your own conclusions.

Deception

Title: Deception
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Maggie Q, Natasha Henstridge
Director: Marcel Langenegger
Producers: Robbie Brenner, David L. Bushell, Christopher Eberts, Hugh
Jackman, John Palermo, Arnold Rifkin, Marjorie Shik
Screenwriter: Mark Bomback
Music: Ramin Djawadi
Editors: Douglas Crise, Christian Wagner
Genre: Action-Thriller
Cinematography: Dante Spinotti
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Corporation
Location: New York, USA
Running Time: 110 min.

Technical Assessment: 2
Moral Assessment: 2
CINEMA Rating: For mature viewers 18 and above

Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor) is a shy corporate auditor working on class A accounts but leading a lonely and dull existence. Meanwhile co-employee and high profile lawyer Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman)starts spending time with him to make him feel a little more welcome. Wyatt introduces Jonathan to an exclusive sex club, The List, where professional women working 18 hours a day look for intimacy through a “no string attached-one-night-stand” with members they fancy as a way to ease work tension and tiredness. However, “The List” has a strict set of rules: no exchanging of names, no business or personal talk and definitely no developing of intimate relationships. When Wyatt is called for a business trip in London , Jonathan meets “S” (Michelle Williams) whom he instantly falls for. And as soon as Jonathan starts to break rules, club members turn up dead with him as the main suspect. He scrambles to clear his name and soon discovers Wyatt’s deception.

The production wasted a good ensemble of performers with a storyline full of holes and a flat and unintelligent screenplay. The early scenes would make you think there is some huge twist at the end where unfortunately there is nothing more than just a ridiculous conclusion. The cinematography tries to be unique and reflective by using desaturated colors for effect but it instead it comes out dark and gloomy. Even the strong performances of Mcgregor and Jackman could not save the poorly written script. The direction is mediocre and is obviously done by a
newcomer. Overall, the movie is not enjoyable to watch and not worth the time and money.

"Intimacy without intricacy" is how one character explains the movie, as though sex were the ultimate fulfillment of life. But the protagonist soon realizes that one’s emptiness can only be filled not by vices and short-term pleasure but by a real and pure personal relationship. In this
world, emptiness comes to everyone. There are holes and walls in our lives that prevent us from living fully but if we are able to find love and real relationship, holes can be mended and walls can be broken to allow us to experience the beauty of life. The movie painfully tries to convey this message. However, with the weak script and meager creativity, it does not come across clearly. Scenes, themes and language are not suitable for the youth.