TWEEN ACADEMY CLASS OF 2012

CAST: Elmo Magalona ,Joshua Dionisio, Barbie Forteza ,Jake Vargas, Bea Binene ,Joyce Ching, Kristofer Martin, Lexi Fernandez, Derick Monasterio& Louise delos Reyes;DIRECTOR:Mark Reyes;WRITER; Kit Villanueva-Langit;PRODUCER: Annette Gozon-Abrogar (GMA Films),Jose Mari Abacan (GMA Films),Boss Big (SM Development Corporation);GENRE: Comedy/Drama

Technical Assessment: 3.5

Moral Assessment: 3.5       

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

Nababahala na ang magkakaibigan na sina Enzo (Elmo Magalona), Kara (Barbie Fortesa), at Georgina (Bea Binene) sa kalagayan nila sa paaralan. Kung hindi kasi sila pinapansin ay pinagkakatuwaan naman sila.  Tinatawag silang mga "imbals" (short for imbalance) dahil sa gawi ng pagdadala nila ng kanilang mga sarili na medyo kakaiba (o kakatwa) sa mga kaeskuwela nila. Nang muli silang makaranas na mapagkatuwaan ay nagkaisa sila gumawa ng paraan upang matigil na ang mga nang-aapi sa kanila. At iyon ay mangyayari lamang kung babaguhin nila ang kanilang mga sarili mula sa kanilang mga kahinaan. Gumawa sila ng listahan ng mga hakbang na gagawin nila sa kanilang mga sarili at itinakda na sa susunod na prom ng paaralan ay mga bagong Enzo, Kara at Georgina na sila --- may mga kompiyansa sa sarili, pagbutihin ang mga kakayahan, at makilala sa kanilang mga kalakasan. Sa maikling panahon ng pagtahak nila sa inaasam na pagbabago sa kanilang mga sarili ay mga taong naging instrumento upang maisakatuparan nila ang pagbabago ng halos nila namamalayan. Katulad ng nabuong paghanga ni Enzo sa remedial class teacher niya na si Ms Madie (Sam Pinto), ang namuong cyber friendship ni Kara a.k.a Supergirl kay Robin a.k.a Colossus (Joshua Dionisio), at ang pagiging mahusay ni Georgina sa larong football at lihim na pagtingin niya sa kababatang si Jepoy (Jake Vargas). Habang pinagdaraanan ng 3 magkakaibigan ang mga pagbabago sa kanilang sarili ay nakasubaybay naman ang mga kanilang mga magulang samantala ang mga kamag-aral na nanunudyo sa kanila ay hinaharap din ang mga kani-kanyang sitwasyon sa pamilya at sa lipunan.

Simple ang daloy ng  kuwento ng "Tween Academy". Pero may diin ang mga mensahe na binigyan-buhay ng mg eksena. Marami ang miyembro ng cast pero nabigyan-lahat ng highlights ang mga tauhan. Sa madaling salita ay markado ang lahat.  Nakasentro sa 3 magkakaibigan ang kwento pero ang ibang tauhan na sa unang tingin ay walang kaugnayan sa sentro ng istorya katulad ng magkasintahan sa pelikula na sina Ashley (Joyce Ching) at Diego (Kristofer Martin) ay makikitaan din ng koneksyon sa bandang huli kung pagbabatayan ang mensahe na nais ipahatid ng pelikula. Hindi mabibigat ang mga eksena ng pelikula na nangailangan ng malalim na emosyon kaya walang masyadong ibinigay sa kanilang mga pagganap ang artista. Akma lamang ang disenyo ng produksyon pero mas mainam sana kung natural lamang lumabas ang make-up  ng mga bidang babae sa mga eksena ng regular classes dahil high school naman ang setting. Hindi rin maganda sa paningin ang mga composition kung saan hindi kinukunan ang buong katawan ng tao. Maganda ang ideya na ginamit sa musical scoring ang music revivals.  Nakatulong ito sa appreciation  ng mga adult viewers para maalala nila ang kanilang mga kabataan.

Ang pagiging kabataan ay minsan lamang darating sa buhay ng tao. Napakahalaga na maging makabuluhan at makulay ang yugtong ito ng buhay upang maging pundasyon ng magandang pagkatao sa hinaharap. Tipikal na mga kabataan na may mga supportive family (kahit na pawang single parents ang ipinakita) ang mga itinampok na tauhan sa pelikula Tween Academy.  Inakp ng mga kabataang ito ang responsibilidad na palaguin ang sarili. May kababaang-loob sila na inaamin ang mga kahinaan at naging bukas para matugunan at maging kalakasan. Sa unang tingin ay hatid ng kayabangan ang maghangad na mapansin pero ipinakita sa pelikula na higit pa sa pagyayabang, ang maghangad na mapansin ay maari rin maging motivation upang hugutin ang mga kagalingan na nasa kanilang mga sarili. Puno ng positibong mensahe ang pelikula na nag-aangat sa magandang kultura ng Filipino katulad ng respeto sa magulang, pagpapahalaga sa kaibigan, pagpapatawaran at pagtanggap ng kamalian, at responsableng pakikipagrelasyon. Sa kabuuan ay ipinakita ng pelikula ang mga tipikal na sitwasyon ngayon ng mga kabataan na pumapasok na sa kamalayan ng paghanga at pakikipagrelasyon. Maliban sa mga tradisyunal na paraan pagpapa-cute sa panahon ng school events, ay nariyan rin ang mga kakaibang lenggwahe at modern technologies tulad ng celphone at internet na dapat isaalang-alang ng mga magulang sa pagsubaybay nila sa kanilang mga anak. Sa kabuuan ay maganda at nakaaaliw ang pelikula subalit dahil sa ilang eksena ng pangungutya sa inosenteng kamag-aral at pagpupuyat sa internet chat ay dapat gabayan ng mga magulang ang mga manonood na edad 13 pababa.

One Day

CAST: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson, Ken Stott, Romola Garai, Rafe Spall;DIRECTOR: Lone Scherfig;WRITER: David Nicholls;GENRE: Romance, Drama;RUNNING TIME: 107 minutes

Technical Assessment: 3.5

Moral Assessment: 2       

CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 18 and above

July 15, 1988 is the graduation day of Emma Morley (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter Mayhew (Jim Strugess) – a friendship and an almost-but-not-quite  romance  between the two begins on this day and their lives are never the same. Every July 15ths of the next two decades, they meet to catch up on each eventhough they have gone separate ways. Each time, they explore the possibilities of their failed romance and why can’t it happen between them. They are exact opposites. Emma is a working-class girl who dreams of becoming a writer in the hope of making a difference in the world. Dexter is a happy-go-lucky rich kid who ends up as a TV presenter and sees the world as his playground. She is determined. He is directionless. They will later on be both involved with different partners but still, they would always end up with the wishful thinking – what if, they will be together? Will it be a happy ending for the two of them?

                            One Day could’ve been a well-crafted movie except for two major problems: plot development and casting. The premise of two platonic friends with that “would be” romance is interesting and is able  to keep the audience’s concern for the couple. However, the interest wades down as there is no urgency or stake to look forward to. The relationship of the two and their problems does not seem to escalate and years after, they still have the same issues that are never resolved. Hathaway and Strugess are both good thespians in their own credits and merits but they apparently lack the required characterization and chemistry for the film. Though it’s not really their fault, it is quite a waste for a film like One Day which is intently done to put some flavor and spice to the otherwise worn-out story of the genre.

                            The film deals with sexual tension between friends of the opposite sex. Sort of saying that a man and a woman cannot be “just friends”. The promiscuity of Dexter though is not tolerated by the rather level-headed Emma but she gives up somehwere in the story anyway and the initial refusal is just a “show” or a result of initial reaction to rejection but not on any moral grounding. The inconsitencies in the characters’ decisions and indecisions leave the audience as  confused as the characters. Although One Day probably tries to show that only real love can make one happy, and that loneliness results into misery, the many scenes devoted to sex, alcohol and drugs contradict any moral it has to say. Dexter all the while in the movie seeks love and sympathy but he does not seem to deserve it until the end. Emma on the other hand seems to have taken all the sacrifice for the wrong choices she makes. In conclusion, One Day is a film that tells the audience that fate is as powerful, if not more powerful, than the decisions one makes.  Still quite contradictory to what our faith would always tell us, that our destiny is determined by our own free-will.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

CAST: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei; DIRECTOR: John Requa, Glenn Ficarra; WRITER: Dan Fogelman; GENRE: Comedy, Romance; RUNNING TIME: 107 minutes.

Technical Assessment: 3

Moral Assessment: 2.5

CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 14 and above.

SYNOPSIS: At forty-something, straight-laced Cal Weaver is living the dream-good job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high school sweetheart. But when Cal learns that his wife, Emily, has cheated on him and wants a divorce, his "perfect" life quickly unravels. Cal is taken on as wingman and protégé to handsome, thirty-something player Jacob Palmer. Jacob opens Cal's eyes to the many options before him: flirty women, manly drinks and a sense of style that can't be found at Supercuts or The Gap. Cal's son is crazy about his 17-year-old babysitter, who harbors a crush on Cal. And despite Cal's makeover and his many new conquests, the one thing that can't be made over is his heart, which seems to keep leading him back to where he began.

Conan The Barbarian

CAST: Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, Rachel Nichols, Saïd Taghmaoui, Leo Howard, Bob Sapp, Katarzyna Wolejnio, Nonso Anozie; DIRECTOR: Marcus Nispel; WRITER: Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer; GENRE: Action/Adventure; RUNNING TIME: 112 minutes.

Technical Assessment: 4

Moral Assessment: 2

CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 18 and above.

A character originally created by Robert E. Howard, Conan is a great warrior in the continent of Hyboria.  When Conan (Jason Momoa) is but slightly older than a boy, he loses his father.  He alone survives when his village of Cimmeria is razed to the ground and his people, including his father, massacred by a marauding army led by Khalar Zym (Stephen Lang).  This sadistic man is assisted by his sorceress daughter Marique (Rose McGowan) in his search for the missing fragments of a strange mask which will give him the powers of a god.  He finds the last missing fragment in Cimmeria and his army marches on its path of destruction.  Conan grows up in the fringes of the cities, sharpens his fighting skills and nurtures in his heart the desire to avenge his father’s death.  When he is ready for his mission of revenge, he goes in search of his father’s murderer.  Khalar Zym, on the other hand, is on another quest for the only surviving descendant of the pure bloodline of an ancient royal dynasty.  He believes the blood of this descendant, a beautiful girl named Tamara (Rachel Nichols) will bring back to life his sorceress wife and thus usher in an era of unprecedented power and evil in Hyboria.  Conan finds himself thrust into a mission that is more than self satisfying revenge.

Conan The Barbarian is an unadulterated war spectacle. Except for some “peaceful” interludes which are actually scenes of impending bloodshed, the film is crowded with graphic gory fights and fierce battles from the beginning to the end.  And at the end everyone and everything evil is annihilated by the hero just like the expected ending of a fairytale.  For the movie is also like a dark hued fairytale with its sorcery, black magic, monsters, accursed object (a mask, not a ring this time), and the “knight” (but not in his shining armor) who rescues a damsel in distress after slaying, not the dragons, but equally hideous serpents and other sea monsters.  This present movie is a remake of an earlier one that is said to have helped launch an unknown (at that time) Arnold Schwarzenegger into his successful movie career.  It is doubtful, however, that this present movie will bring the lead actor into sudden fame.  Though Jason Momoa has a body that may be the envy of many and fighting skills meant for an action picture, this movie can hardly make an impression.  The setting (some building and castles in the midst of barren deserts look like cardboard sets), the costumes, lighting, dialogues, even the music may need upgrading.  Some of the lead actors, though not so well known, are adequate in their acting.  Rose McGowan as Tamara looks lovely but does not have much chemistry with the hero.  The movie with its hi-tech CGI and good special effects may be entertaining for action picture aficionados.

When one hears the word “barbarian”, one conjures up images of cruelty, immorality or behavior unacceptable in civilized society.  Well, all of these are found in this movie.  And since Conan the protagonist here is called the “barbarian”, one wonders if he can be both barbarian and hero at the same time.  For to most of us, a hero vanquishes what is evil and is the embodiment of what is good and noble, though not without a flaw. Well, Conan is consumed with hate and desire for revenge for his father’s death.  And one can understand why he feels this way.  One can empathize with a son who has lost a reversed father and most especially if the father has been murdered.  It is a crime that cries to heaven for justice and yet one can never justify revenge and exact another death or “take the law into your own hands”.  Our Christian values are such that we cannot right a wrong by doing another wrong.  Now this “barbaric” side of Conan is tempered by another facet of his character – his kindness to others especially the oppressed and the unfortunate as seen in his fights to free the slaves and captives from cruel treatment.  He does not have to risk his life for them or for the girl Tamara who he does not know and to whom he is not attracted, at first.  But he does.  This spirit of self sacrifice, also bravery and heroism in the face of great odds especially when done for others are positive values in the movie, but the  excessive violence, gore and brutality are objectionable especially for the young who can get desensitized  to violence.  Although the sexual scenes are mostly done in the shadows, still there is implicit sexual intimacy outside of marriage and this cannot be condoned.

Revenge Of The College Ghost

CAST:  Carly Schroeder, Cody Linley, Micah alberti; DIRECTOR: Tyler Olier; GENRE: Horror/Suspense; RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes

Technical Assessment: 2

Moral Assessment: 2

CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 18 and above

Newly high school graduates Sandy (Carly Schorader) her brother and friends are having fun in their graduation party when they suddenly decide to go to the graveyard where they used to play hide and seek with rhyme as children and do it again as adults.  On arrival at the game site, a strange girl appears and wants to play with them.  Despite finding it odd, they think there is nothing wrong to have her in the game so they take her in.  They continue the fun until the strange girl is trapped to be the end loser of the game and at the full sight of Sandy jumps off the cliff.  The friends report the incident to the police, however the body is nowhere to be found.  Since then, the friends of Sandy are killed one after another without any trace. They disappear together with memories of them except with Sandy who is the only one left to remember her missing friends.  Because of this, she is mistaken to have developed lunatic tendencies and needed medical helps. In Sandy's struggle to prove otherwise, she realizes that a childhood friend named Angela whom they have wronged many years ago has something to do with the strange happenings particularly the disappearance of her friends. 

One thing unusual in the story of the film Revenge of the College Ghost is that, the spirit in revenge is not of the dead rather that of a living person under the state of comma relying on life support who has been confined for a long time at the hospital.  The idea of deleting people in the memories of people they lived with except the lead character is mind boggling for viewers.  However, this niche of the story does not compensate the overall treatment of the film.  The settings together with the flashback scenes are like bits and pieces put together without continuity.  The cast does not look like newly high school graduates in their teens. They appear to be all experienced adults who are into active sex, drinking and looting spree.  Acting wise most of the actors in the film could not do any better.  The film is actually more of a suspense thriller than horror.  The appearance of the shaking ghost does not help either.  Overall, the film has not much to offer technically.

Everybody is called to be good at any stage of life.  The film Revenge of the College Ghost depicts that the wrong deeds in childhood will haunt and even make a person's life miserable.  It touches on a confusing theme of the unlikely wandering of a revengeful ghost of a still living person that is capable of  killing people who wronged her in the past.  With the varying manners of death particularly the very gory ones, obviously, life is not valued in this film. The young people depicted in the film have the tendency to be irresponsible and insensitive.  Whilst the film has the context of the western culture, the Filipino viewers may be cautioned that high school graduation weekend happening can be wholesome as against sexually-oriented, alcoholism, looting and daring graveyard night game as depicted in the film.  Even the lead character who initially resists but eventually joins the looting and even unofficially applies euthanasia to the girl in comma.  The little effort that show good sides of the characters are hardly notice due to overwhelming exposure of conflicting values in the film.