Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

CAST: Michael Douglas, Shia LeBeouf, Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin, Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon. DIRECTOR: Oliver Stone. GENRE: Drama. WRITERS: Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff, based on characters created by Stanley Weiser and Stone. RUNNING TIME: 130 minutes. LOCATION: United States. PRODUCTION: 20th Century-Fox

CINEMA Ratings: TECHNICAL: 3 MORAL: 3 For viewers 14 and above.

Imprisoned for stuffing his pockets while bankrupting his firm, Wall Street trader Gordon “Greed is Good” Gekko (Michael Douglas) is released from behind bars in 2001. Seven years later, he’s the author of “Is Greed Good?” and is back in the limelight as a lecturer to the business community. In one of his lectures promoting his book, he meets up and coming trader Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf) who catches his attention only when he introduces himself as being in love with Gekko’s daughter Winnie (Carey Mulligan). Winnie hasn’t spoken to her father for years since the death of her brother which he blames on him. Gekko sees in the young man a way to reconcile with his daughter. Winnie remains distrustful, but Jake is convinced of Gekko’s repentance and sincere concern for Winnie’s future.

Gordon Gekko is definitely the most colorful character in the movie, played with convincing abandon by Douglas. Indeed, the most interesting footages in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps are those with Douglas in them. Frank Langella also plays a brief but memorable role as Jake’s mentor Louis Zabel who finds an instant solution to the dire financial state he is in. LeBeouf perhaps looks too wholesome to be credible as an ambitious young man—there’s not enough glimmer of covetousness in his pretty boy looks, but that’s more casting’s fault than his. Mulligan does her role in earnest, and while she’s crying half of the time, she does her best to project the anguish and firmness of her character. Despite a somewhat routine dialogue, it’s a good movie, actually—fast paced, informative in a way, appeals to both intelligence and emotions, and provides a twist towards the end that shifts the story’s center to an unexpected axis.

Not only is Gordon Gekko the most colorful character in this movie; he is also its moral center. He is the repentant sinner upon his release from federal prison, a remorseful father who has realized what he has missed in those long years, but when an opportunity presents itself, he drools and backslides like any other money-monger whose motto is “In Greed We Trust”. How does Gordon Gekko end up? We’re not about to spoil your fun—suffice it to say that the conclusion is a home run for pro-lifers.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

Technical: 3.5
Moral: 3
Rating: PG 13 (Aged 13 and below with parental guidance).

Brothers Soren and Kludd may look the same outside but inside these barn owlets are worlds apart. Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess) won’t get tired of the bedtime story their father tells about the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, a noble band of warriors who vanquished the evil army named the “Pure Ones”. For Kludd (voiced by Ryan Kwanten), however, such are silly stories only daydreamers like his brother could buy.
Sneaking out of the family nest one night to try their wings at “flying”, barn owlets Soren and Kludd tumble off a branch to the ground. But before they are captured by a hungry wild boar, they are swooped away in the talons of huge mean-looking owls. Their captors turn out to be the minions of the Pure Ones who run an “orphanage”—in reality a training camp that brainwashes abducted owlets to serve their wicked purposes.

Aware of their captors’ nefarious activities to annihilate the owls of the “lesser species” (meaning those outside of the Pure Ones’ dominion) but deceived by the promises of their evil Queen Nyra (voiced by Helen Mirren), Kludd accepts to be a future soldier while Soren is sent to the camp’s slave labor area when he defends a tiny elf owl Gylfie (voiced by Emily Barclay). Soren and Gylfie think the owldom must be warned of the Pure Ones’plan to wipe them out, but who will escape the camp to do it? An old warrior from the ranks of the Pure Ones, Grimble (voiced by Geoffrey Rush) trains the young pair to fly so that they may one day escape the camp and warn the unsuspecting owls.

Directed by Zack Snyder and brought to the screen by Animal Logic, the same studio that made that penguin movie, Happy Feet, this owl film is definitely something worth hooting about. It’s a visual treat, right from the start. The animators certainly created a magical world—forest, sea, sky—that one could only wish to be real in its majesty and beauty.

This is one time you’ll forget about those plastic 3D glasses you’re wearing as you note the fine details, colors and textures that the film is never short of: the subtle lighting shifts on the owls’ feathers ruffling in the breeze, on the scenic backdrops of sea or storm, on Soren’s flight through a nasty funnel cloud, or on the clouds made translucent by their gliding across the sun. Such gorgeous photo-realism takes Legend of the Guardians several notches higher than even the better animation films so far made, especially with the impressive rendering of the owls’ eyes.

From childhood we know that owls, with their wide, intelligent looking eyes, have traditionally symbolized wisdom, but being nocturnal, they can hardly be scrutinized at the zoos, so we have never really seen how they move their eyes. But now, Legend of the Guardians gives us owls with eyes as expressive as humans’. We know a bit about CGI and how difficult artists find it to capture the eyes in animation, but here we have owls’ eyes so realistically conveying human emotions about equally human concerns, like their family’s future or vanquishing evil, that we could come to think they’re not really owls, much less animated owls, but actually human beings in owls’ clothing!

Preposterous though that may sound, Legend of the Guardians depicts laudable ideals and most assuredly delivers a message on the human condition. Perhaps the story and the script are rather familiar to adults, but to preteens in search of heroes a tale of bravery like this would be uplifting, inspiring us to self-confidently keep our head and heart in the right place in the face of adversity.

The movie is definitely worth a peek for viewers of all ages, but please keep the younger children (below primary school age) and nervous 10-year olds out of the audience. Although it’s a worthy story about the quest toward self-awareness, the dark story is generously spiked with intense situations, and startling fierce encounters between good and bad owls—the stuff nightmares are made of.

You’d never think that owls would be concerned with heroism, honor, adventure, peace, legends, power, family, orphans and class distinction but Legend of the Guardians says they are, indeed. Well, as we have said, these owls to us feel like humans. The only thing that will probably jolt you out of this “humanowled” world is the warriors’ intricately crafted combat masks. Appreciating the craftsmanship you’d think, “Gee, how could owls make such exquisite metal masks?” Then you’ll realize: it’s only a movie! --By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

I do

Cast: Erich Gonzalez, Enchong Dee, Dennis Padilla, Pokwang, Isay Alvarez ; Director: Veronica Velasco; Producer: Malu Santos; Screenwriter: Veronica Velasco; Distributor: Star Cinema; Genre: Comedy/ Drama; Location: Manila; Running Time: 100 minutes
Cast: Steve Time: 88

Technical: 3 Moral: 2.5 Rating: For viewers 14 and above

Si Yumi (Erich Gonzalez) ay naniniwala sa kapalaran at nangangarap na balang araw ay makikilala niya ang kanyang Prince Charming at sila’y ikakasal sa kanyang dream wedding. Nang makilala niya si Lance (Enchong Dee), aakalain niyang ito na ang kanyang hinihintay. Magiging mabilis ang pangyayari sa kanilang dalawa at makalipas lamang ang ilang buwan ay magugulat na lamang si Yumi na siya ay nabuntis na pala. Sa takot ni Yumi sa kanyang pamilya ay agad niyang niyaya si Lance na magpakasal kahit hindi pa ito handa, bukod sa hindi rin matanggap ng pamilya ni Lance na ikakasal ito sa isang hindi nila katulad na Tsino. Magiging malabis ang kalituhan ni Lance at hindi nito itutuloy ang pagpapakasal kay Yumi. Maraming beses silang mag-uurong-sulong sa pagpapakasal dala ng maraming aberya, pati ang komplikasyon sa kani-kanilang pamilya, damay na rin ang kanilang anak. Matupad pa nga kaya ang inaasam ni Yuming dream wedding?

Bagama’t kung tutuusin ay gasgas na ang kwento ng I do, nagawa nitong bigyan ng bagong bihis ang tila palasak nang konsepto. Maraming nakakaaliw na eksena na binigyang buhay at kulay ng mga batikang komedyante at aktor. Ang mga bida naman, bagama’t halatang mga pa-cute pa ay nagawa namang umarte sa mga eksenang kinakailangan at sadyang ibinagay sa kanila ang kani-kaniyang papel. Pero nagkulang pa rin sa hagod ang pelikula. Bukod sa kakulangan ng hagod ang pag-arte ng mga pangunahing tauhan lalo na si Dee, kulang din sa lalim ang kabuuang pagkukuwento ng pelikula. Hindi gaanong napalalim ang mga tunay na isyung dapat tinalakay. Sa halip, nasobrahan ng pagkaka-sentro sa kasalan ang kwento, kaya’t halos mawalan na ito ng saysay. Maaring ito rin ang gustong palabasin ng pelikula sa kabuuan ngunit nabigo ito dahil sa mahinang pundasyon ng kuwento. Sa kabuuan tuloy ay madali ring makakalimutan ang pelikulang ito.

Ang kuwento ng mga kabataang mapupusok na nauuwi sa di-inaasahang pagbubuntis ay palasak na rin sa lipunan. Isa itong problemang dapat pagtuunan ng pansin at hindi magkakaroon ng solusyon kung dadaanin na lamang sa tawa. Ito ang ginawa ng I Do – ang gawing katatawanan ang isang napakaseryoso, at maging mga sagradong sitwasyon. Walang nakakatawa sa maagang pagbubuntis nang wala pang kasalan. Magiging sanhi ito ng marami pang komplikasyon na dapat sanang ipinakita sa pelikula upang maging halimbawa sa mga kabataang manonood. Oo nga’t mabigat na ang buhay at hindi na dapat lalo pang pabigatin ngunit sa ginawang pagpapagaan ng I Do sa sitwasyon ay lalo itong naging nakakabahala. Wala ngang matinding halikan o hubaran na ipinakita ngunit ang pagkauwi ng isang bubot na relasyon sa pagbubuntis ay hindi dapat ipinagsa-walang bahal ng perlikula. Wala man lang matapat na pagsisisi mula sa sinumang tauhan. Bagkus, nakatuon pa rin ang babaeng tauhan sa maraming ilusyon— ilusyon ng pag-ibig at pagpapakasal. Hindi dahil sa isa itong mahalagang sakramento kundi dahil, isa itong magandang palabas. Hanggang sa huli’y parang hindi naman nabago ang pagtingin na ito. Para bang ninais pa nitong sabihin na, basta’t mahal mo’y, yun na. Hindi isina-alang-alang ang kahalagahan ng sakramento at ang malalim na inspirasyong kaugnay dito. Sa malaking bahagi ng pelikula, naging insidental at tila palamuti na lamang ang naging anak ng dalawang tauhan. Kahit paano mo ito tingnan, ito’y isang kamalian. --By Rizalino Pinlac, Jr.

Charlie St. Cloud

GENERAL INFORMATION

LEAD CAST: Zac Efron, Amanda Crew, Charlie Tahan, Augustus Prew, Donal Logue, Kim Basinger, Ray Liotta DIRECTOR: Burr Steers SCREENWRITER: Craig Pearce, Lewis Colick PRODUCER: Marc Platt GENRE: Drama RUNNING TIME: 109 minutes DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures LOCATION: New England, USA

Technical: 4 Moral: 3 For viewers 14 years and above

Overcome by grief at the death of his younger brother, Charlie St. Cloud takes a job as caretaker of the cemetery in which his brother is buried. Charlie has a gift and special bond with his brother (Sam) whom he can see. Charlie meets up with his deceased brother each night to play catch and talk, but when a girl walks into Charlie’s life, he must choose between keeping his promise to Sam, or going after the girl he loves. The movie presents life after death in a realistic way: the dead are still alive though in a different form.

Muli

Cast: Sid Lucero, Cogie Domingo, Rocky Salumbides; Director: Adolf Alix, Jr. Screenplay: Jerry Gracio; Running Time:100 minutes; Location: Baguio; Genre: Drama/ Adult

Technical Assessment: 3
Moral Assessment: 1
Rating: For Viewers 18 years old and above



Magsisimula ang kuwento nang dekada 70. Pagkalabas ng seminaryo, si Jun (Sid Lucero) na ang namahala ng kanilang inn at humalili sa yumao niyang ina. Mahihikayat si Jun na sumali sa isang komunistang kilusan na naghahangad ng pagbabago mula sa diktadurya, at dito ay magkakaroon siya ng relasyon sa kapwa lalaki nilang lider. Sa kasamaang palad ay masasawi ang kasintahan niyang ito at ibubunton sa kanya ang sisi kung kaya’t siya’y ilalaglag ng samahan. Makikilala naman niya ang abugadong si Errol (Cogie Domingo). Magsisimula sila sa kaswal na pagkakaibigan na hahantong sa isang sekswal na relasyon. Lilipas ang panahon at makakapag-asawa si Errol at magkakaroon ng dalawang anak. Minsan isang taon ay umaakyat si Errol ng Baguio upang makipagkita kay Jun kahit pa ito’y may iba na ring kinakasama. Sa pagdaan ng mga taon ay hindi malilimot nina Jun at Errol ang isa’t-isa ngunit may kani-kaniya na rin silang buhay pamilya at pag-ibig, at ang kanilang relasyon ay hindi rin tanggap sa lipunan. Magawa pa kaya nilang mapanindigan ang kanilang pagmamahalan?

Ang Muli ay uminog sa iba’t-ibang panahon ng kasaysayan ng Pilipinas mula dekada 70 hanggang sa kasalukuyan. Maganda sanang panimula ito at tila isang bagong bihis para sa isang kuwentong pag-ibig na namamagitan sa dalawang lalaki. Ninais ng pelikula na pagsabayin ang paghahayag ng kalayaan ng bansa mula sa diktadurya at ng kalayaan sa paghahayag ng piniling kasarian o sekswalidad. Ngunit hindi ito naging maliwanag sa kabuuan ng pelikula dahil hindi gaanong naipakita ang malinaw na koneksyon ng dalawa. Pawang lumalabas na nagkataon lamang na naganap ang kanilang kuwento sa nasabing panahon. Ilagay man ito sa ibang panahon o lugar, hindi pa rin magbabago ang takbo nito. Hindi naman matatawaran ang husay ng mga nagsiganap lalo na si Lucero na naging kapani-paniwala sa kanyang papel. Maging is Domingo at iba pa ay pawang mahuhusay din. Nabigyang buhay nila ang kani-kanilang ginampanang tauhan. Yun nga lang ay nagkulang ng kaunti sa hagod ang karakterisasyon kaya lumabas na napakababaw ng kanilang mga pagkatao. Mahusay naman ang kuha ng camera at paglalapat ng musika.

Maraming ibinatong argumento ang pelikula sa lipunan at simbahan. Pilit nitong inilalarawan ang namamayaning kaapihan ng mga mamamayan, sa larangang ekonomiya man o sekswal, na nag-uugat sa gobyerno at lalo na sa simbahang Katoliko. Naging talamak , tahasan at talaga namang lantaran ang ginawa nitong pagkukuwestiyon sa turo ng simbahan ukol sa relasyon at sekswalidad. Pinalabas nitong makitid at sarado ang isipan ng simbahan sa usaping homosekswalidad. Hindi isina-alang-alang ng pelikula ang kahalagahan ng pamilya. Bagkus, malabis nitong binigyang pansin ang sekswal na relasyon ng dalawang lalaki na wala namang lalim kundi nakaugat lang sa pagluluto ng isa ng kaldereta. Bukod dito, wala nang makitang dahilan kung bakit nila minamahal at inaantay ang bawat isa. Sa tuwing sila’y magkikita, pagtatalik lang naman ang inaatupag nila. Walang malalim na kumustahan, walang matinding pinag-uugatan ang kanilang pag-iibigan. Naipakita naman kung gaano katindi ang naging epekto kay Errol ng ginawa niyang pagsisinungaling sa asawa ngunit sa bandang huli’y niromansa pa rin ang pag-iibigan nina Jun at Errol. Kung magiging ganito ang basehan ng wagas na pag-ibig, wala nang pamilyang mabubuo at ang lahat ng pagkakaibigan ay parati na lamang mag-uugat sa kababawan o tawag ng laman. Hindi marahil nauunawan o natatanto ng mga gumawa ng pelikula na ang simbahan ay sadyang maunawain at maawain sa sinumang nagkakasala. Ngunit ang kanilang isipin at palabasin sa pelikula na walang masama sa relasyong homoseksuwal ay siyang tunay na nakakabahala. --Rizalino R. Pinlac, Jr.

Resident Evil: After Life

LEAD CAST: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts DIRECTOR: Paul W.S. Anderson SCREENWRITER: Paul Anderson PRODUCER: Paul Anderson RUNNING TIME: 97 minutes LOCATION: Tokyo & LA

Technical: 2.5 Moral: 2 For viewers 18 and above


Resident Evil opens with gripping scene showing umbrellas on a rainy day in Tokyo. In the middle of all this hustle and bustle stands a girl, dripping wet and apparently stoned. Soon she sinks her teeth into the neck of an innocent passerby—aaah, so she’s “one of them,” a newly converted zombie, one of those that will engage Alice (Milla Jovovich) in her battle to save the world from the bad guys.

Real life fashion model Milla Jovovich slips back into her black tights as Alice for this fourth entry in the series based on the video game. In post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, Alice is armed with an arsenal of high-powered guns and flying knives to fight off zombies infected with a virus developed by the Umbrella Corporation (with headquarters in Tokyo). Whatever the zombies’ role is in the bad guys’ attempt at world domination is obscured by their clicheic participation—mobbing after humans, waving their arms and sputtering monosyllables which together may be taken to mean they want the humans as snacks, just as moviegoes crave popcorn and soda.

Clearly, Resident Evil relies on its main attraction Jovovich to make a story out of a video game. If there is an attempt to make a moral pronouncement, it is pitifully overshadowed by the stylish presence of its main star, shown throwing flying knives are people in an obviously choreographed way, and in all-too-often close-up shots that distract from the story with her parted lips. Even if you didn’t know that Jovovich is a five-star fashion model whose face and figure has appeared in so many high-end advertisements, you’d wonder here if she’s a heroine out to save humankind or an endorser selling guns. One question pops up: is it okay to be killing so many people on the way to finding the real culprits? What happens to the families of those killed? But what do you expect when a video game is given flesh and blood via a full length feature film? Forget about the justice and the value of human life and the consequences of killing. The lesson Resident Evil: After Life incidentally teaches is: if you want your kids to grow up smart, cut down their video game playing.

Going the Distance

GENERAL INFORMATION

TITLE: Going the Distance LEAD CAST: Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Christina Applegate DIRECTOR: Nanette Burstein EDITOR: MUSICAL DIRECTOR: GENRE: Romance/Comedy DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros RUNNING TIME: 97 minutes LOCATION: USA

Erin and Garrett meet in a Manhattan watering hole on the very night when Garrett's girlfriend has broken up with him, citing his insensitivity and commitment phobia. He just hasn't met the right girl yet. Enter Erin, a Stanford graduate student in New York for a summer internship at a daily newspaper. They sleep together, but in the morning realize something more meaningful than a one-night stand is possible. After a six-week idyll, she must head back out West and they agree to attempt a bicoastal relationship. Over the better part of a year, when they aren't texting or saying goodbye in the airport after brief visits, Garrett banters with pals Box (Jason Sudeikis) and Dan (Charlie Day), while Erin fields advice from her protective older sister Corinne (Christina Applegate). Erin has been burned before after dropping everything for a guy. Garrett, who works as a talent scout for a record company, tries to find a job in San Francisco without success. Unless something gives, they're doomed. In addition to whining about being apart, Erin and Garrett lament the beleaguered state of the newspaper and music industries—a plaint that will resonate most with so-called media elites. Lacking authenticity, the graphic language and unsavory situations overlaying the plot, by contrast, will ring false to a cross-section of viewers. For two educated, presumably intelligent people, Erin and Garrett have limited vocabularies and imaginations. Ditto their cohorts. The copious amount of alcohol everybody consumes may be a contributing factor.

One positive element of Going the Distance is that it implicitly endorses committed, monogamous relationships. Still, there's no indication Erin and Garrett will marry in the end. (From the USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting)

Technical: 3 Moral: 2 For viewers 18 and above.

Two Funerals

LEAD CAST: Tessie Tomas, Benjie Felipe, Xtian Lim, Robert Arevalo, Epy Quizon, Mon Confiado. DIRECTOR: Gil Portes. SCREENWRITER: Eric Ramos. PRODUCER: Teamwork Productions. GENRE: Drama, Social/Political Commentary. DISTRIBUTOR: Cinemalaya RUNNING TIME: 80 minutes. LOCATION: Tuguegarao, Nueva Ecija, Bicol Region

Technical: 3 Moral: 2 Rating: For viewers aged 14 and above

Following a fatal bust accident, a funeral home mixes up two of the bodies, sending them to the wrong places. In Nueva Ecija, the Buensuceso family receives the body of criminal Dodong. Meanwhile in Sorsogon, Mulong Buenviaje (Benjie Felipe) receives the body of the Buensuceso daughter, Charm. Charm’s fiancée Gerry (Xtian Lim) and her mother, Pilar (Tessie Tomas) take the road trip to Sorsogon, rushing to get Charm’s body back before the Holy Week is over. Mulong, on the other hand, has been convinced by his con man buddy that they can use the body as a means to make money.

Two Funerals caricatures our country’s ills: corrupt policemen, warring politicians and philandering priests, but neither develops nor suggests solution to societal problems. Perhaps it merely wants to call attention certain practices like our lack of solemnity in the observance of Holy Week, our disrespect for the dead, etc.

Splice

By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS



Cast: Adrien Brody; Sarah Polley; Delphine Chanéac; David Hewlett; Brandon McGibbon; Simona Măicănescu; Abigail Chu as Young Dren. Director: Vincenzo Natali. Writers and screenplay: Vincenzo Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryant and Doug Taylor. Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror

Technical: 3.5 Moral: 2.5 Rating: R 14

Genetic engineers and live-in partners Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) specialize in creating new life forms by splicing genes from different animal species, in the hope that the results would contain new nutrients that will solve ills (like hunger) and cure illnesses (like cancer). They work for Nucleic Exchange Research and Development (NERD), which takes pride in the couple’s creations, Fred and Ginger, “designer species” that look like blobs of raw animal fat but which, being male and female, are expected to procreate.

Clive and Elsa want to take their experiments to the next level—splicing human genes—but NERD prohibits them, fearing backlash from morality groups. The couple proceed in secrecy, however, working nights and using an artificial womb, and in time their “baby” is born. The new species looks like a sweet, helpless hatchling but is as agile and untamed as a wild monkey. Extremely difficult to restrain, the little animal wreaks havoc in the laboratory, prompting Clive and Elsa to smuggle it out and confine it in their old barn. They name it “Dren”—“nerd” spelled backwards—and treat it like their own offspring although they would not take it home to live with them.

Elsa (who lost her daughter some years back) lavishes attention on Dren who has grown up looking like a bald but comely little girl with kangaroo legs and webbed feet. Elsa dresses her up with her own daughter’s clothes retrieved from the attic, gives her dolls and stuffed toys, puts up with her tantrums and eating problems, but also disciplines her as she would her own child. Clive thinks Elsa is getting dangerously devoted to the indefinable creature whom they have seen devour a live squirrel; he suggests they put her away, but Elsa’s reawakened maternal instinct would render her deaf to it.

Dren (Delphine Chaneac) develops alarmingly fast and blooms into adolescence. She shows good mimetic skills but possessing no power of speech, she can only chirp like a bird. Elsa the mother continues to dote on her, applying make-up on her face and clothing her with jewelry to match, but when Dren starts to exhibit rebellious teen tendencies and kills a cat, Elsa the scientist punishes her creation as only a spurned creator can. Clive is torn between pity and fear: particularly when the increasingly attractive Dren poses a bigger menace, having sprouted retractable wings and a deadly blade at the tip of her tail. Meanwhile, Dren, now outgrowing Barbie dolls and teddy bears, begins to get bored indoors and sets her eyes on Clive who is in turn unnerved to discover the reason behind his strange attraction to Dren: in creating Dren, Elsa had used her own DNA.

It is not known whether the makers of Splice had intended the movie to be a warning against human cloning and procreation, but it certainly delivers a strong message to genetic engineers to stop “playing God”. More of a sci-fi than a horror film, Splice may be seen as a timely challenge to scientists, lawmakers, priests, teachers and parents—people who are bound by ethics and morality to moderate thought, reason and decision affecting the creation of life in laboratories.

Splice would have been another B movie were it not for the elements that elevate it from the mundane. Brody and Polley give A-class performances , matching director Vincenzo Natali’s mature handling of what in lesser hands would have been obscene episodes. The CGI of Dren—from its endearing guinea-pig like appearance in infancy to its wickedly seductive teen form—also suggests such a species may in fact already be existing.

Far from being another shriek movie, Splice is of a genre which is in reality counter-cultural. While governments and “forward looking” citizens the world over laud the advances of genetic science and the advantages of stem cell research, movies with genetic engineering and human cloning themes, from Frankenstein onward, flash a red light warning to scientists, “Hands off!” Is it because movies are the mouthpiece of the human conscience that sees what science cannot?

While the whole movie proffers no clear ethical or moral resolution on the timely issue of human cloning, the fate that Elsa suffers in the end validates the Catholic Church’s teaching that creating life outside of what Mother Nature has intended is none of man’s business. The script contains gems that alert individuals would recognize as fertile grounds for debates or discussions on good and evil, for they reflect the ambiguity of man when it comes to the limits of experimenting with the creation of life in test tubes.

Listen well to the arguments of Elsa and Clive, delivered with conviction by Polley and Brody, and you might find yourself asking questions like: Being their creation, is Dren the child of Elsa and Clive? If so, would copulation then between Clive and Dren constitute incest? Is the live entity resulting from genetic engineers’ experiments theirs to do as they please? If human cloning is illegal, would splicing animal with human DNA be considered human cloning? Would such cloning be justified to give hope and wellness to the hungry and the dying?

If you missed it in the theatres, try to get a DVD copy, but watch it only when you’re in the thinking mode. Splice may not entertain but it can provoke deep thought about the meaning of creation.

Sa 'Yo Lamang

Cast: Lorna Tolentino, Bea Alonzo, Christopher de Leon, Coco Martin, Enchong Dee, Miles Ocampo ; Director: Laurice Guillen; Story and Screenplay: Ricky Lee; Producer: Star Cinema; Running Time: 120 minutes; Genre: Drama; Location: Manila


Technical Assessment: 3.5
Moral Assessment: 3.5
Rating: For viewers 14 and above

Matapos mawala ng sampung taon, si Franco (Christopher de Leon) ay magbabalik sa pag-asang siya’y muling tatanggapin at patatawarin ng kanyang pamilyang iniwan at pinabayaan niya. Ang asawa niyang si Amanda (Lorna Tolentino) ay nakahandang patawarin siya at tanggapin alang-alang sa kanilang mga anak. Ngunit hindi magiging madali para sa kanila na tanggapin muli si Franco. Ang panganay na si Dianne (Bea Alonzo) ang may pinakamalalim na hinanakit sa ama. Si Coby (Coco Martin) naman ay pilit na lalapit sa kanyang ama dahil lamang sa nagrerebelde ito sa ate niyang si Dianne. Sina James (Enchong Dee) at Lisa (Miles Ocampo) naman ay halos hindi na makilala ang ama dahil mga bata sila nang sila’y iwan nito. Sa kabila ng pagpupursigi ni Amanda na ilapit si Franco sa mga anak, magsasanga-sanga naman ang kani-kaniyang problema ng mga ito na pilit pang maglalayo sa kanila at magpapalala sa kanilang pagkakawatak-watak. May pag-asa pa kayang muli silang mabuo bilang pamilya?

Isang makabagbag-damdaming kuwento ang Sa ‘Yo Lamang. Sa gitna ng dalisay at relihiyoso nitong tema ay nagawa nitong ipakita ang lahat ng aspeto ng isang pamilya – ang maganda’t ang pangit, mga kalakasan at mga kahinaan, mga tagumpay at mga kabiguan. Nagawa nitong magpakita hindi ng isang “banal” na pamilya kundi ng isang ordinaryong pamilyang nagsusubok at nagpipilit magpakabanal sa gitna ng maraming unos at pagsubok. Mahusay ang pagkakasulat at pagkaka-tagni-tagni ng iba’t-ibang kuwento na umiikot lamang sa iisang tema—pagpapahalaga sa pamilya. Mahusay ang pagkakadirehe at kitang nais ipalutang ang puso ng kuwento. Walang itulak kabigin ang pag-arte ng lahat ng tauhan lalo na si Tolentino at Alonzo na pawang mahuhusay na aktres. Sina de Leon at Martin ay pawang mahuhusay na aktor din. Akma rin ang tunog at musika sa bawat eksena at sa bawat pagtaas ng emosyon ay sadyang nakakaantig sa damdamin ng manonood.

Sa gitna ng makabagong panahon ng teknolohiya, sa kabila ng nagbabagong pagtingin sa mga relasyon at pananaw sa buhay, narito ang isang pelikulang nagsasabing walang pinakamahalaga kundi ang pagmamahal na magmumula sa pamilya na itinatag ng Diyos at Simbahan. Ipinakita ng Sa ‘Yo Lamang ang tunay na kalagayan ng maraming pamilya sa panahon ngayon: magulo, watak-watak, walang pagkakaisa at abala sa kani-kanilang buhay. Tulad ng maraming pamilya, ang pamilya ni Amanda ay hindi perpekto. Sa kabila ng nakamit nitong kaunting karangyaaan bunga ng pagsisikap, marami itong itinatagong madilim na lihim. Ngunit sapagkat may matibay na pananalig sa Diyos, nagagawa ni Amandang pagbuklurin at itaguyod ang kanyang pamilya. Sa panahon man ng hirap o ginhawa, hindi siya nakakalimot tumawag sa Diyos. Kahanga-hanga ang ipinakitang pananampalataya ni Amanda na sa kabila ng mga pagsubok ay hindi bumitaw sa pagdarasal at paghahangad ng mabuti para sa kanyang pamilya. Ang kanyang mga anak, katulad din nila ng kaniyang asawang si Franco ay hindi rin mga perpekto. Nagkakamali sila at nadarapa. Ngunit ang mahalaga’y natututo silang bumangon at nagagawa nilang itama ang kanilang mga pagkakamali. Ito rin ang nagpatibay sa kanila bilang mga tao at bilang isang pamilya. Higit sa lahat, ipinakita ng Sa ‘Yo Lamang ang kahulugan at kahalagahan ng pagpapakasakit at pag-aalay ng sarili ukol sa ikabubuti ng marami. Sa panahon ng labis na kalungkutan at kahirapan, tunay na walang ibang malalapitan ang tao kundi ang Diyos at tanging Siya lamang ang dapat kapitan sa oras ng pighati upang ito’y maging mas makahulugan at makabuluhan.

Maaaring makita ng mga pamilya ang kanilang mga sarili sa mga tauhan ng Sa ‘Yo Lamang. Sa gayon, iminumungkahi ng CINEMA na magsama-sama ang mga kabilang ng pamilya sa panonood nito pagkat mayaman sa mga paksang maaaring pag-usapan ang pelikula, tulad ng: Maganda ba ang ibinubunga sa pamilya ng pagtataksil ng isang magulang? Maaari bang sabihing makatuwiran ang nangyari sa pinagtaksilan? Tumpak ba ang naging damdamin ng panganay na anak laban sa pagbabalik ng ama? Kailangan bang mabingit muna sa kamatayan ang isang magulang upang matutong magpatawad ang mga anak? Pawang susudan ng “Bakit?” ang mga katanungang iyan, bagay na makatutulong sa pang-unawa ng mga kabataan sa sakramento ng kasal. May ilan lamang tema at eksena sa pelikula na hindi angkop sa mga bata at kailangan ng patnubay ng mga magulang upang maipaliwanag ang dala nitong aral.