CAST: KC Conception (Raffy Slavador), Sam Milby (Eugene Servero), Matet de Leon, Robi da Rosa; DIRECTOR: Cathy Garcia-Molina; PRODUCER:  Charo Santos; DISTRIBUTOR: Star Cinema; GENRE:  Drama/Adverture/Romance; LOCATION:  Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon,  Lanao del Norte; RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes.

Technical Assessment: 3.5

Moral Assessment: 4

CINEMA Rating: For viewers of all ages.

SYNOPSIS: The story is about a man who pushes himself to the limits, a man who is always up for the challenge. He is proud. He only lives for himself. He then meets a woman one day, a woman who is more cautious in life, a woman who teaches him to embrace and appreciate life, love and all its smallest blessings.

Insidious

CAST: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Angus Sampson, Ty Simpkins, Andrew Astor; DIRECTOR: James Wan; SCREENPLAY:  Leigh Wannel; LOCATION: US; GENRE: Horror; RUNNING TIME: 102 minutes

Technical Assessment: 3

Moral Assessment: 3

CINEMA Rating: For viewers 13 and below with parental guidance.

The Lamberts have just moved in to their new house. Josh and Renai (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) with their three children are just settling in when their eldest son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) suddenly falls into an inexplicable coma. Renai starts to feel and see mysterious beings she suspects to be ghosts and concludes that the house might be haunted so they immediately move out. But then the same strange things happen and seem to have followed them even in their new home so they seek the help of ghost hunters and a psychic who believes that it’s not their house that’t haunted, but it’s their son Dalton.

Insidious lives up to the challenges and expectations of a haunted house theme and horror genre. This time, the film takes on a different take through going beyond a place that is haunted which appears to be logical and believable and at the same time, very frightening. The film barely uses computer graphics in their portrayal of ghosts and demons that makes the scares all the more effective. The ghost-hunting part is a  balancing comic relief and at the same time makes the audience still attune with the “reality feel” of the entire picture. The actors were able to deliver their parts well. Their emotions do not go beyond mere hysterics and the silences and subtleties are enough to scare the audiences even more. This film could be well-remembered through it’s for real “frightentainment”. 

In between screams and scares, Insidious makes a lot of sense when the story deals with family matters and issues. The mysterious coma of Danton, Renai’s paranoia, and Josh’s past are all difficult challenges for the Lamberts yet they tackled these problems head on and they did not succumb into their miseries. Josh’s ultimate sacrifice of risking his life to save his son is commendable. Renai’s dedication as a mother and wife sets a good example for every family. However, the theme of the entire film is problematic. If soul travelling is an ability, there should be a way that such can be used for good and not just a mere habit. If it’s a curse, then proper exorcism should have been done. In dealing with the supernatural, the couple relied on science experts and psychics instead of church exorcists. The film subtly insinuates that the church knows nothing and has nothing to do with anything that is supernatural. Apparently, the film depicts the presence of evil which could well be a concern of the church. Good thing, the ultimate evil in the film is defeated by courage, the willingness to live and love for the family so Insidious is still a worthwhile feature. Spoiler alert: the ending suggests that the battle between good and evil is not yet over. 

Super 8

CAST: Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich,Gabriel Basso, Joel Courtney, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Amanda Michalka; DIRECTOR: J.J. Abrams; WRITER: J.J. Abrams; GENRE: SciFi/Fantasy; RUNNING TIME: 112 minutes.

Technical Assessment: 4

Moral Assessment: 3.5

CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 13 and below with parental guidance.

Super 8 begins the day after a tragic accident in a factory killing Joe Lamb’s (Joel Courtney) mother. Apparently, she had to work extended shifts because Louis Dainard (Ron Elard) had been drinking the previous evening and could not report for work. Four months after the funeral, Joe helps his friends finish a zombie movie shot in a Super 8 camera. While doing a scene with Alice, Louis’ daughter, and his longtime crush, the group accidentally witnesses and film a truck derailing a train and causing a massive accident. The group then discovers the truck driver is their Chemistry teacher and is told to never talk about the accident or their parents will be killed. Meanwhile, the Air Force arrive to secure and clean up the disaster, much to the suspicion of Joe’s father Deputy Jackson (Kyle Chandler). During the next few days, the town folks experience mysterious phenomena like dogs running away, car engines and cable wires stolen, fluctuating power and people disappearing.    The Air Force attempt to clean up the town to hide their secret, thus enforcing “Operations Walking Distance”; wherein  a wildfire is deliberately started in the pretense of evacuating the town. But when Alice is abducted by the unknown creature, Charlie and friends brave the military attacks and the danger of the creature on the loose to save her

Super 8 is a masterfully told story. Abrams knows subtlety creates deeper impact. You particularly remember the simple way the camera hovered around the “days since last accident countdown” and how the man quietly replaced 700++ to 1 and cutting to the post funeral scene of Joe’s mom. This choice had more dramatic effect than actually showing the accident and the funeral. The tender moments between Joe and Alice, as well as the playfulness of the boys make audiences sympathize with the characters so much more. The plot unfolds is ways that get you hooked in the story because you just can’t guess what the next scene will be? The storyline development is completely unpredictable but reasonable and logical. The CGI’s were perfectly executed and created tension and excitement while the actors were authentic. Both the script and direction enabled each character to stand out against the mystery and tension of the unknown. Super 8 is an enjoyable and memorable family film.

The movie brings several striking multi-layer messages on friendship, forgiveness, bravery, selflessness and letting go. The friendship between Joe and Charles is so genuine and noble. Joe lives up to his promise to help his friend finish achieve his dream while Charles learns to set aside his personal feelings for Alice to give way to Joe. Jackson and Louis’ strained relationship is a commendable example of learning to forgive. One blamed the other for the tragedies in their lives but in the end, as they joined hands to look for their children, the two fathers realized what he has done and what he needs to do to restore their friendship. Self-sacrifice and bravery are exemplified by characters who brave the dangers of death and pain to save another life – human or alien. Finally, the scene where Joe silently lets go of his mother’s necklaces speaks so loudly of learning to let go of past hurt and pain and move on to a new day. These beautiful messages were intensified by the brilliant screenplay and direction of Abrams.

The movie, though contains scenes of substance abuse, military torture and intense explosion and violence which may be disturbing for the younger audience. 

Hangover 2

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Paul Giamatti, Mike Tyson, Jeffrey Tambor, Mason Lee, Jamie Chung, Sasha Barrese, Gillian Vigman, Aroon Seeboonruang, Nirut Sirichanya, Yasmin Lee, Nick Cassavetes, Sondra Currie  Writers: Todd Phillips, Craig Mazin, Scot Armstrong  Director: Todd Phillips  Running Time: 102 minutes  Distributor: Warner Bros.

Technical:  3

Moral Assessment:  1.5

CINEMA rating:  R18  (For viewers aged 18 and above)

Phil  (Bradley Cooper), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Stu (Ed Helmes) wake up in a seedy hotel room in Thailand with no memory of the previous night.  What’s worse, they are missing their fourth companion, 16-year-old Teddy (Mason Lee), but find Teddy’s finger sitting in a bowl of ice.  A monkey drops from the ceiling and another person wakes up, but everyone remains clueless about how they all came to be where they are.  What they all know is they must all make it to Stu’s wedding pretty Thai girl Lauren (Jamie chung)—which is the reason they have flown to Thailand in the first place—but how can they appear at the wedding without Teddy, Stu’s future brother in law?  So they embark on a mad search for the missing teenager, encountering gangsters and other gun-toting characters along the way.

Let’s talk about the plot.  If you’ve seen Hangover 1 (2009) you’ll have a fair idea of what to expect from Hangover 2.   Same cake, fluffier, fattier icing.  We resonate with a web reviewer who writes, “Director Todd Phillips seems to have taken the Hangover screenplay and moved it laterally from Las Vegas to Bangkok while retaining the same sequence of scenes: Call to bewildered bride to be, flashback to wedding plans, ill-advised bachelor party, four friends waking up with terminal hangovers in unfamiliar hotel room, ominous signs of debauchery, desperate quest to discover what happened, etc.”  If you were not offended by Hangover 1, you’ll enjoy Hangover 2 as it presents more of the same ingredients rejected by those who found the movie offensive.  But that’s not an absolute—middle of the roaders who saw some redeeming factors in Hangover 1 and therefore laughed along with its raucous humor might, just might, think that Hangover 2 has gone way over the top.  But even if you have not seen Hangover 1, you can either thumbs-up or thumbs-down this one as there’s a story all right, and a screenplay that’s easy to follow. 

If you had a stake in producing Hangover 1, what could possibly motivate you to invest in Hangover 2?  Clue: the 2009 version grossed $485 million, the highest grosser of the year in R-rated comedy.  Its production budget was $30 million.  Those guys must have thought, “If audiences lapped up Hangover 1, why not give them more of the same?”  So they plunked down $35 million on the sequel—do you hear the clinking of the cash registers in the background?  You’re not wrong.  Money is never a mean motivator.  We wonder, though, how this movie will register among Thai viewers—it shows the side of Bangkok that their tourist brochures would probably never even mention.  Hangover 2 is definitely not for impressionable or immature viewers, whatever their age.  In fact, actor Galifianakis (who plays the Alan character), when swamped by children-fans for his Hangover role, reportedly yelled at their parents for letting them see it.  We hope it was a sincere gesture, but then, again, in this gimmick-moved world, that could have been another ploy to get more xxx-hungry adults to go see it.   

X-men: First Class

Lead cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, Oliver Platt, Álex González, Jason Flemyng, Zoë Kravitz, January Jones, Nicholas Hoult, Caleb Landry Jones, Edi Gathegi, Lucas Till, Demetri Goritsas, Glenn Morshower, Matt Craven, James Remar, Rade Serbedzija, Ray Wise, Michael Ironside, Bill Milner, Morgan Lily, Laurence Belcher, Hugh Jackman. Director: Matthew Vaughn. Screenplay: Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn, based on a story by Sheldon Turner, Bryan Singer. Cinematography: John Mathieson. Music: Henry Jackman. Distributor: 20th Century Fox. Running Time: 132 minutes.

Technical Assessment: 3.5
Moral Assessment: 2.5
CINEMA Rating: V-14 (Viewers 14 years old and above)

1944, in a concentration camp established by the Nazis on occupied Polish soil, Erik Lensherr, a boy with metal bending ability witnesses the murder of his mother. Nearly two decades later the boy is to become Magneto (Michael Fassbender), and to team up with professor and CIA advisor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) who is to be known as Professor X. Agent Moira Mac Taggert (Rose Byrne) gives them the task of assembling a collection of mutants to halt the machinations of an ex-Nazi madman, Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) and his superhuman cohorts. A clash of ideals develops between Charles and Erik: Charles believes peace for men and mutants would be attained once the evil Shaw is done away with; Erik believes in the inevitability of violence and a global war. Erik’s motive for joining the war against Shaw is personal: it was Shaw who killed his mother.


X-Men: First Class is an origin story that charts the epic beginning of the X-man saga—what the mutants were before they became superheroes. It can be uplifting to watch superheroes battling with megalomaniacs out to destroy the planet, and it could be pure entertainment seeing the young mutants gather and display their hidden powers to one another, like kindergarteners at a show-and-tell assignment. However, it is rather ambitious of X-men: First Class to interweave real-life history (Nazi in World War II, Cuba showdown in early 60s, etc.) and Marvel comics super-action since the result presents too many elements that only serve to compete against one another for audience focus. The actors embody the characters well enough, although again, perhaps the story could have been more pointed and cohesive with fewer mutants showing off their powers. For example, the character sprouting dragonfly wings is cute to watch but has doubtful essential value in the plot. Same with the guy with oversized feet. As it is, the movie is almost a supermarket of superpowers which distracts the viewer from the real message of the story which is actually meaty.

One lesson worth remembering amidst all that jaw-dropping, eye-popping CGI effects is the need for controlling one’s anger. Whether you’re a man or a mutant, it’s never cool to be controlled by one’s anger. For that and the abovementioned technical superiority as far as effects are concerned, it is certainly worth seeing X-men: First Class.