The Smurfs

CAST: Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofia Vergara; DIRECTOR: Raja Gosnell; WRITER: Peyo, J. David Stem, David N. Weiss; GENRE: Animation, Family, SciFi/Fantasy; RUNNING TIME: 86 minutes.

Technical Assessment: 3.5

Moral Assessment: 3

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

SYPNOSIS: The Smurfs make their first trip to the big screen in Columbia Pictures'/Sony Pictures Animation's hybrid live-action and animated family comedy, The Smurfs. When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the Smurfs out of their village, they're forced through a portal, out of their world and into ours, landing in the middle of New York's Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

CAST: James Franco, Tom Felton, Andy Serkis, Brian Cox, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, David Hewlett, Tyler Labine, Leah Gibson, Jamie Harris; DIRECTOR: Rupert Wyatt; WRITER: Amanda Silver, Rick Jaffa, Jamie Moss, Pierre Boulle; GENRE: Animation, Suspense/Thriller; RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes.

Technical Assessment: 4

Moral Assessment: 3.5

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

Rise of the Planet of the Apes opens with a mad hunt for simians in the deep jungle, for transporting to a laboratory in New York, where Will Rodman (James Franco) does research  exploring drug therapies for diseases of the brain.  One of the apes, named Bright Eyes, soon catches the technicians’ eye for her superior intelligence—the effect, apparently, of her being given the test drug.  Convincing his boss that the drug has great potential for medical and financial success, Will makes a presentation for the board of directors to invest in the breakthrough drug.  Bright Eyes is supposed to be the star of the presentation, but as she is coaxed out of her cell, Bright Eyes becomes vicious, resulting in a wild chase in the laboratory that ends in the presentation room where Bright Eyes is shot dead on the conference table.

Soon Will and his assistant discover a baby chimpanzee under Bright Eyes’ bed, and realize that the dead chimp in her ferocious behavior was not being aggressive but only being protective of her new born.  Meanwhile, the boss has ordered that all 12 chimpanzees being drug tested be put away.  Because Will and the assistant do not have the heart to put down the baby chimp, Will agrees to secretly take it home for a few days.  Days stretch into weeks, months and years until the baby chimp, named Caesar by Will’s Alzheimer-stricken father, grows into a remarkably intelligent simian.  Caesar’s loyalty to his human family results in mayhem, disturbing the neighborhood until there is no choice but for Caesar to be hauled away to the local zoo. 

If you have seen Planet of the Apes’ progenitors, you might expect another B-movie of this one, but no.  First, the apes here are no longer actors wearing ape suits.  And the apes here are… well, the apes here rise, as the title says.  Especially Caesar.   Motion-captured by Andy Serkis, Caesar—who reaps our kudos for singlehandedly creating the suspense in this film—is nothing the audience is prepared to meet.   Serkis motion-captured the character Gollum in Lord of the Rings—remember?

Motion-capturing is a fascinating cinematic process where the human actor plays the part but the film character’s image is subsequently superimposed on the actor’s.  Avatar used the same technology and the same WETA FX team of technicians.  In this case, the actor is Serkis, and the character is Caesar the chimp.  Thus in the final product we don’t see Serkis anymore, only the chimp.  That’s pretty tough for Serkis who had to learn how to move and emote like an ape for his character to be credible.  Human acting skills plus technology equals astonishing movie moments.  Director Rupert Wyatt plus Serkis plus WETA FX techno-magic equals the rise of Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  Add to that the just-right script by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver and you have a powerful tale to remember.  Franco’s performance also reveals a compassionate dimension never before seen in past roles.  We cannot go on assessing the film without eventually giving spoilers.   In order to grasp the complexity of the plot as well as the mysteriousness of life that it dwells on, one must view the film—rather, experience the film—even without reading a review of it.    

One exceptionally good thing about Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the confident handling by Wyatt of red-hot issues like DNA manipulation, man’s cruelty to animals, father-son relationship, corporate greed and the dignity of death.  His almost casual treatment of such delicate subjects serves as a flawless background for unexpected tenderness, much like crumpled black velvet cradling exquisite pearls in its folds.  We have yet to meet a person who wasn’t uplifted from watching this film.  Go see it and tell us what you think.

Cowboys & Aliens

CAST: Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Sam Rockwell, Clancy Brown, Paul Dano, Keith Carradine, Abigail Spencer,, Ana de la Reguera, Noah Ringer; DIRECTOR: Jon Favreau; SCREENWRITER:  Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby; PRODUCER: Alex Kurtzman, Scott Michelle Rosenberg, Roberto Orci, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard; EDITOR: Dan Lebental, Jim May; MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Harry Gregson-Williams; GENRE: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller,  Western & Adaptation; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Matthew Libatique; DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures; LOCATION: USA; RUNNING TIME: 118 minutes.

Technical Assessment: 3.5

Moral Assessment: 3

CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 14 and above.

A stranger (Daniel Craig) who knows and remembers nothing except the English language stumbles into a desert town named Absolution with a shackle around one wrist.  Lean and mean, he s a gunslinger and is feared from the start, but when recognized as the wanted criminal Jon Lonergan, he becomes the target of the town’s iron-fisted ruler Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford).  Absolution’s town folks live in fear but the fear of human tyrants turns into terror of the unknown when the town is attacked by screaming aliens who set it on fire and abduct townsfolk at random.  Then the mysterious stranger Lonergan becomes the town’s sole hope for salvation. Lonergan slowly starts to recall who he is and where he’s been, and discovers the power behind the shackle on his wrist.  Aided by another mysterious traveler Ella (Wilde), Lonergan forms a posse oddly composed of  his opponents, Dolarhyde and his cohort, outlaws, Apache warriors.  They have one thing in common: their survival is threatened by the aliens.

The title sounds jokey, but the movie is not.  It’s in fact a cross between a class B Western (set in 1873) and class B science fiction, but in fairness, director Jon Favreau makes the odd combination work, turning it into light entertainment that is never too funny to look trivial.  But maybe because at this point, one cannot imagine a movie being that funny when Daniel Craig is in it, he who plays characters in movies that forbid him to smile.   Besides, Craig is, after all, still James Bond in the back of our mind, nobody to fool around with.  That may not be too good for Craig’s career in the long run.  Stereo-typing equals predictability, see?  It’s bad for the box office.  But let’s focus on Cowboys and Aliens for now.  Technically it’s okay, even surprising at some turns in spite of its computer generated protagonists, and with some big names in the kitchen like Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Gazer, the viewer is assured the storyline is worth the time it takes to finish a bucket of popcorn in the theater.

Cowboys and Aliens is “new” in the sense that the good guys and the bad guys of the traditional Westerns here stop trying to annihilate each other and instead merge to fight off the extraterrestrials.  When enemies unite to reduce collateral damage by saving the innocent, that’s good for planet earth, isn’t it?  When bad guys rise to goodness and good guys rise to heroism, the transformation does everyone a lot of good, correct?  Cowboys and Aliens is strong on promoting the family, too, and that makes it easier for the viewer to close an eye on its Western style and CGI violence.  There’s a part where a character complains that God hasn’t done much for him, and another answers to the effect that we shouldn't expect God to do everything—we have to “earn His presence... recognize it, and act on it”.   Not a bad message for a movie that aims to be a different Western, one with aliens with secret inner parts that unfold from their chest cavities—like the lethal drills that protrude from James Bond’s car tires—to rip humans open.

Ang Babae sa Septic Tank

CAST: Eugene Domingo, JM de Guzman, Kian Cipriano, Cai Cortez; DIRECTOR: Marlon Rivera; SCREENPLAY: Chris Martinez; LOCATION: Manila; GENRE: Comedy; RUNNING TIME:100 minutes.

Technical Assessment: 2.5

Moral Assessment: 2.5

CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 14 and above.

Hindi magkamayaw sina Rainier (JM de Guzman) at Bingbong (Kian Cipriano) sa ginagawa at binubuo nilang indie film  na pinamagatang “Walang-wala” na siyang ipambabato nila sa mga international film festivals.  Si Rainier ang producer habang si Bingbong naman ang direktor. Kasama nila bilang Production Manager si Jocelyn (Cai Cortez). Habang pinag-uusapan ng dalawa ang binubuong kuwento ay nabubuo naman ang mga eksenang ito sa isip ni Jocelyn. Ang “Walang-wala” ay patungkol sa isang ina na si Mila na nahihirapang tustusan ang pangangailangan ng pito niyang anak kung kaya’t mapipilitan siyang ibenta sa pedopilya ang isa niyang anak. Si Eugene Domingo ang pangunahin nilang artista na nais nilang gumanap bilang bida. Sa sanga-sangang imahinasyon at paghihimay nina Rainier at Bingbong, kasama na rin ang panghihimasok ni Eugene Domingo bilang bida ng pelikula, makikita ang iba’t-ibang perspektibo at posibilidad ng “Walang-wala”. Nariyang maging isa itong dokumentaryo, musical at maging isang soap opera.

Isang matalinong produksiyon ang Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank. Nagawa nitong kilitiin ang imahinasyon ng mga manonood sa maraming posibilidad ng isang materyal pampelikula. Sa pagsilip sa mundo ng paggawa ng independent film ay makikita ang maraming realidad na nakapaloob dito. Bagama’t simpleng maituturing ang kuwento ay hitik ito sa mensahe patungkol sa pang-aabuso ng sistema ng sining na siya mismong kinabibilangan ng pelikula. Walang itulak kabigin ang mga nagsiganap at nangungun na riyan si Eugene Domingo na gumanap bilang siya at ginampanan din niya sa iba’t-ibang atake ang papel ni Mila. Isa ito sa pinakamahusay na pagganap ni Domingo at hindi tatayo ang pelikula kung hindi dahil sa husay niya. Sa kabuuan ay pulido ang pagkakagawa ng pelikula sa kabila ng kakulangan nito ng tunay na kuwento. Ang mga komentaryo nito sa lipunan ay sapat na upang mapukaw at makiliti ang mga manonood.

Sa gitna ng matitinding hagalpak ng tawa ay hinahalukay ng Ang Babae sa Septic Tank ang maraming sakit ng ating lipunan. May matinding kahirapan sa ating paligid at walang konkretong aksiyon ang mga mamamayan upang ito ay maibsan. Sa halip, ito ay niroromantiko at inaabuso ng ilang sektor ng lipunan na tulad ng pulitika at particular na rin ang sining ng pelikula. Sa kahirapan ng buhay nakakatagpo ng inspirasyon ang mga alagad ng sining na ginagamit lamang nila sa pansariling interes. Ang kahirapan, prostitusyon, at marami pang sakit ng lipunan na makikita sa mga bansang kung tawagin ay Third World tulad ng Pilipinas, ang siyang pumapatok at bumebenta sa mga film festivals na karaniwang ginagawa sa mga bansang mauunlad. Ang pelikulang tumatalakay sa mga sakit ng ating lipunan ang siyang ipinapamalas sa mata ng mga banyaga. Sa prosesong ito, nagiging mababa ang tingin sa atin bilang lipunan kapalit ng tagumpay para sa mga tinuturing na alagad ng indie filmmaking.  Katulad ng mga simbolong umiinog sa pelikula, sa kabila ng kinang ng mga bituin at makinang na daigdig ng pelikula, pawang “dumi” lang ang  lahat na itinatago ang kabulukan sa halip na usisain at gawin ang nararapat upang maiangat ang uri ng pamumuhay ng mahihirap nating mga kapatid at kababayan. 

Larry Crowne

CAST: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Rami Malek, Bryan Cranston, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wilmer Valderrama, Taraji P. Henson, Pam Grier; DIRECTOR & WRITER: Tom Hanks; GENRE: Comedy, Drama; RUNNING TIME: 99 minutes.

Technical Assessment: 3

Moral Assessment: 3.5

CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 14 and above.

Just-divorced Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) has been Employee of the Month for eight months straight at the local UMart store.  But he is the first to go when retrenchment time comes.  Reason?  He has no college degree.  Now jobless and with a mortgaged house, he sells all but the barest necessities through his neighbor Lamar (Cedric the Entertainer) and enrols at the local community college.  There he is befriended by a fetching young woman Talia (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) who playfully christens him “Lance Corona”, updates his look and his lifestyle to match the new name, and invites him to join their scooter club.  In Public Speaking class he meets the teacher Mercedes Tainot (Julia Roberts), and from then on life becomes one safe and  wholesome scooter ride.

 

The story is good, no doubt about that.  But in its telling, the viewer might somehow expect something more gripping, some seismic spurts to lend spice to break the bland succession of events and to heighten the impact of the plot’s positive aspects.  But then, although the subject is serious enough to merit a more profound, dramatic treatment, Larry Crowne is still billed as a romance-comedy, so it’s a compromise at best, but not without merits.  As far as the script demands, lead stars Hanks and Roberts did their best and came out convincing and credible personae as what you might encounter in a small town that can pretty much exist without the rest of the world encroaching on private lives.   You get to view them as Larry Crowne and Mercedes Tainot, stripped of the glamour of their real life Hollywood identities, which makes them real good actors in our eyes. 

 

In its own quiet way Larry Crowne succeeds in giving hope for fresh beginnings to persons nearing the end of their line.  Larry is tearful over his retrenchment but it also serves to emphasize his tender nature: he is one hero who rises above misfortune without firing a gun, burning a building or plotting revenge on his oppressors.  The only “violence” here is when he smashes his scooter onto a couple of tables displaying cheap garage sale items.  Hanks as director and writer (with Nia Vardalos) probably created the Larry character to remind us that gentlemen are a vanishing breed in this day and age.  For what male nowadays would have the guts to disengage himself from a woman’s tight embrace and a devouring kiss-hungry mouth, say goodnight politely, and while tickled to high heavens still walk away without looking back?  Larry Crowne is also a subtle statement about prejudice against non-college graduates in America, a bias so common it’s been taken for granted.