Unstoppable

CAST: Denzel Washington (Frank), Chris Pine (Will), Rosario Dawson (Connie), Ethan Suplee (Dewey), Kevin Dunn (Inspector Werner) DIRECTOR: Tony Scott WRITER: Mark Bomback
GENRE: Action/Adventure, Drama, Suspense/Thriller RUNNING TIME: 98 min.

Technical: 3.5
Moral: 3
CINEMA Rating: R 14 (For viewers aged 14 and above)

Thinking he had brought the train to a full stop, the engineer (Ethan Suplee) dismounts. But to his surprise, the train pulls away, under full throttle. On another train, veteran engineer Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) is training a new man on the job, Will Colson (Chris Pine). The half-a-mile long runaway train is carrying hazardous materials—according to the station yard master Connie Hooper (Rosario Dawson) who is in charge of dispatch and operations—and is speeding towards a head on collision with the train carrying Barnes and Colson. To make matters worse, rookie Colson and veteran Barnes are like oil and water, bickering for control as the precious minutes tick away. Besides sidetracking the collision they know they have to set their mutual disdain aside in order to stop the unstoppable locomotive from hurtling towards a populous district of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

It might not be a good idea for people suffering from hypertension to watch this movie. It is such a superb thriller that keeps you at the edge of your seat—and your neck and shoulder muscles tense from beginning to end. Nearly all Hollywood movies these days come up with a chase scene, either for laughs or for thrills, and if it’s for thrills, the chase is usually between the good guys and the bad guys. But in Unstoppable, the chase is between people and a train! And as the sound effects and photography establish beyond doubt—particularly in those shots where the train rockets towards the audience over the camera placed on the tracks—the runaway train is a murderously heavy machine: having no soul, it couldn’t care less what it destroys.

It’s the people who provide the soul in the story. Barnes and Colson know that even with the right decisions, things could go wrong and thus spell their death. Nonetheless, in their race against time towards a possible tragic ending, they exchange glimpses of their family life which in turn enable them to bond and put their animosity aside. While the story and viewer attention is naturally focused on the problem posed by the runaway train, a softly voiced message is beneath it all: human beings thrive on the love of a family. Making Unstoppable more worthy of viewing is the fact that it is inspired by true events surrounding an incident on May 15, 2001 when an unmanned CSX train “ran away” and in two hours sped through 66 miles before it was stopped in a similar way as the movie shows. Perhaps young kids wouldn’t care to watch Unstoppable but CINEMA gives it a PG 13 rating just the same.

Due Date

CAST: Robert Downey Jr., (Peter Highman), Zach Galifianakis (Ethan Tremblay), Michelle Monaghan (Sarah Highman), Jamie Foxx (Darryl), Juliette Lewis (Heidi), Danny r. McBride (Lonnie) DIRECTOR: Todd GENRE: Comedy RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes LOCATION: USA DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros. Pictures

Technical: 3
Moral: 3
CINEMA Rating: Audience Age 18 and above

High-strung father-to-be Peter Highman is forced to hitch a ride with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay on a road trip in order to make it to his child’s birth on time.

Two different personalities: Ethan is wild, clumsy, bearded and disheveled while Peter is composed, handsome, dry and sarcastic.

Peter a strung-out guy who just wanted to get home to California to see the birth of his child while Ethan is an aspiring actor who is heading to California to pursue his dream in Hollywood.

Both are booted off a Los Angeles-bound flight, their only option of getting there is to rent a car and drive. Given that they cannot stand each other, chaos ensues.

Each one with different sensibilities is funny, some with dark humor and some slapstick. Peter and Ethan’s experience of shame and guilt and their acceptance lead them to become friends.

You Again

CAST: Kristine Bell (Marni), Odette Yustman (Joanna), Victor Garber (Mark), Jamie Lee Curtis (Gail), Sigourney Weaver (Ramona), Jimmy Wolk (Will) DIRECTOR: Andy Fickman SCREENWRITER: Moe Jelline GENRE: Comedy RUNNING TIME: 105 minutes LOCATION: USA DISTRIBUTOR: Touchtone Pictures

Technical: 3
Moral: 4
CINEMA Ratings: PG 13 (For viewers aged 13 and below with parental guidance)

Successful PR pro Marni heads home for her older brother's wedding and discovers that he's marrying her high school arch nemesis, who's conveniently forgotten their problematic past. Then the bride's jet-setting aunt bursts in and Marni's not-so-jet-setting mom comes face to face with her own high school rival. The claws come out and old wounds are opened in this crazy comedy that proves that not all rivalries are forever. (MRQE)

A relevant movie showing the effects of bullying in school and how envy and jealousy can lead to violence. You Again proves that acknowledgment of one’s guilt over offense committed even many years back can heal the victim. The message of forgiveness though shown in comedy situation is effective.

The Social Network

CAST: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Max Narendra, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer Jr, Josh Pence DIRECTOR: David Fincher SCREENWRITER: Aaron Sorkin MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Trent Reznor GENRE: Drama RUNNING TIME: 120 minutes LOCATION: USA. DISTRIBUTOR: Columbia Pictures

Technical: 3.5
Moral: 2.5
CINEMA RATING: R 14 (For viewers aged 14 and above)

The Social Network explores the moment at which Facebook, the most revolutionary social phenomena of the new century, was invented—through the warring perspectives of the super-smart young men who each claimed to be there at its inception. The result is a drama rife with both creation and destruction; one that audaciously avoids a singular point of view, but instead, by tracking dueling narratives, mirrors the clashing truths and constantly morphing social relationships that define our time. Drawn from multiple sources, the film captures the visceral thrill of the heady early days of a culture-changing phenomenon in the making—and the way it both pulled a group of young revolutionaries together and then split them apart. (MRQE)

Till My Heartaches End

Cast: Kim Chiu, Gerard Anderson, Mark Gil, Desiree del Valle, Matet de LDirector: Jose Javier-Reyes; Screenplay: Jose Javier-Reyes; Producer/ Distributor: Star Cinema; Running Time:100 minutes; Location: Manila; Genre: Romance, Drama

Technical Assessment: 3
Moral Assessment: 3
Rating: For Viewers 14 years old and above

Mataas ang pangarap ng baristang si Paolo (Gerard Anderson) at makikilala niya sa pinapasukang coffee shop si Agnes (Kim Chiu), isang probinsiyanang nagpunta ng Maynila upang mag-review sa nursing board exams. Magkakalapit ang kanilang loob habang unti-unting inaabot ni Paolo ang kaniyang mga pangarap. Magiging matagumpay si Paolo sa bagong karera bilang real estate agent. Yun nga lang, sa pagbabago ng kanyang mundo ay hindi naman makasabay si Agnes na nagiging ugat ng madalas nilang pag-aaway. Habang nararating ni Paolo ang tugatog ng tagumpay ay unti-unti namang napapalayo si Agnes sa kanya. Dagdag pa dito ang pagnanais ni Agnes na sundan ang kanyang ina sa America. May patunguhan pa kaya ang pagmamahalan nila sa kabila ng marami nilang pinagdadaanan?

Isang tipikal na kuwentong pag-ibig ang Till My Heartaches End na sinubukang bigyan ng bagong-bihis sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng naiibang paraan ng pagkukuwento. Ang kuwentong pag-ibig ng dalawang pangunahing tauhan ay inilahad sa punto de vista ng mga taong nakapaligid sa kanila. Isang makabagong paraan ito ng pagkukuwento. Yun nga lang, halos hindi maramdaman ang damdamin ng dalawang bida. May pagka-malamlam ang pagganap ni Anderson at Chiu sa kabila ng kanilang sinseridad pero may kilig pa rin ang kanilang tambalan. Maayos ang kuha ng kamera at malinis naman ang daloy ng damdamin ngunit tila nakakainip paminsan-minsan ang paikot-ikot na problema ng dalawang bida. Marahil ay sinasadya naman ito sa kuwento. Epektibo ang mga pangalawang tauhan pero hindi naman gaanong nabigyan ng kuwento ang mga ito at naging halos palamuti na lang. Sa kabuuan ay nakaka-aliw at nakakakilig pa rin ang pelikula at ang pagsusubok nitong bigyan ng bagong timpla ang isang tila gasgas na kuwentong pag-ibig.

Ipinakita ng pelikula kung paanong ang dalawang magkaibang pagkatao ay maaring magkatagpo sa pag-ibig. Dumaan sa maraming unos ang pagmamahalan nila Paolo at Agnes dahil sa maraming komplikasyon sa kanilang paligid at sa pagkakaiba na rin ng kanilang pananaw sa buhay at pag-uugali. Totoong-totoo ang mga problemang ito at naging totoo rin ang pelikula sa pagsasabing mahirap talaga itong lutasin sa kabila ng pagnanais ng isa’t-isa na magparaya. Ngunit tunay na pag-ibig pa rin ang natatanging pag-asang pwedeng panghawakan sa bandang huli. Marami ring argumento ang pelikula na nararapat pag-isipan ng manonood ukol sa kung ano nga ba ang dapat mas bigyan ng halaga, pangarap o pag-ibig? Maaari bang magtagpo ang paghahangad ng yaman at pagpapayabong ng relasyon? Sa nagbabagong panahon at nagbabagong mundo, saan nga ba dapat ilugar ang puso? Sa ipinakita ng pelikula, sinasabi nitong pagmamahalan at relasyon pa rin ang pinakamalaga sa mundo ngunit hindi naman nito lantarang ipinakita ang nararapat na sakripisyong kaabikat nito. May mga ilan ding nakakababahalang mensahe ang pelikula tulad ng maaaring ipagsawalang-bahala na lang ang ilang maseselang isyu sa relasyon gaya ng pagsiping sa iba. Bagama’t wala namang ipinakitang maseselang eksena bukod sa ilang halikan, masasabi pa ring ang tema ng pelikula ay nararapat lamang sa manonood na may edad 14 pataas. --By Rizalino R. Pinlac, Jr.