Black Swan

CAST: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, Sebastian Stan, Vincent Cassel, Janet Montgomery, Barbara Hershey,Christopher Gartin, Toby Hemingway, Kristina Anapau; DIRECTOR: Darren Aronofsky; WRITER: Andres Heinz, Mark Heyman, John McLaughlin; GENRE: Drama, Suspense/Thriller; RUNNING TIME: 110 min.

Technical Assessment: 4
Moral Assessment: 1.5
CINEMA Rating: For viewers 18 and above.

A ballerina with the New York Ballet Company, Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) gets her dream role as Queen Swan when the impresario Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) thinks Beth (Wynona Rider) has become too old for the role. As Swan Lake’s lead dancer, however, NIna has to inhabit two roles—the good White Swan and the evil Black Swan. The problem is while Nina has her technique honed to perfection, she lacks the passion to fill the Black Swan part. At 28 she is still treated by her mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) as though she were 20 years younger, sleeping in a bedroom all pink and fluffy and populated by teddy bears and other stuffed toys. Not for a moment dissuaded by Nina’s frigidity, Leroy spurs her on with calculated seduction, teasing her and then tormenting her by flying in the passionate Lily (Mila Kunis) from California to dance the Black Swan part. Partly to fulfill her ideal of perfection and partly to spite her overprotective mother—a retired dancer living her life through her daughter’s career—Nina is inevitably lured to explore her dark side.

Every single actor in Black Swan have all their feathers neatly in place: smooth, credible performance, good line delivery, great rapport all the way. Cassel is as charming as a devil can be. Hershey fits the aging stage mama role to a T. And Portman gives a performance worth a standing ovation. She’s really good at such roles—as in The Other Boleyn Girl—playing flawed characters who are definitely assured of a place in Dante’s Inferno. Director Darren Aronofsky carries you away with his sense of aesthetics; you get so busy gawking at his mesmerizing art that you lose track and don’t question anything till the end when you somehow suspect you’ve been had.

The story is seen from the point of view of an artist—Nina—who instead of losing herself in her art loses her sanity. Thus the thin line between reality and fantasy is blurred, and it’s you who lose yourself in Tchaikovsky’s music (albeit chopped up and overlayed with electronic muck reminiscent of Terminator). And when Nina does what she does at the end of the dance, you wake up and say, “Hey, wait a minute! How can you be so sure this act is not another nightmare or hallucination or one of those fears and fantasies that rattle her in her sleep and lull her to stupor when she’s awake?”

Who the hell cares? The point is, for CINEMA, aesthetics isn’t everything—neither is technique. Black Swan is both eye candy and tricky brainteaser, sure, but where’s the meat? Its only saving grace in terms of ethical content is the devotion Nina has for her craft, her drive towards perfection. But then again, the devotion crosses the boundary to neurosis, and the drive leads to the perfection of self-destruction. Black Swan is not about ballet—in fact it’s unflattering to the ballet industry; it’s more about an obsession dipped in the glitter of high art but which remains lowly nonetheless because the film chooses to overpower the heroine by her semi-conscious acquiescence to evil. Ask yourself: In the misguided pursuit of perfection is it worth sacrificing your soul for your art?

From Prada to Nada

CAST: Camilla Belle, Alexa Vega, April Bowlby, Kuno Becker, Wilmer Valderrama, Nicholas D'Agosto, Adriana Barraza, Karla Souza, Alexis Ayala; DIRECTOR: Angel Garcia; SCREENWRITER: Luis Alfaro, Craig Fernandez, Fina Torres; PRODUCER: Gigi Pritzker, Linda McDonough, Rossana Arau, Gary Gilbert &Lisa Ellzey, EDITOR: Brad Maclaughlin; MUSICAL DIRECTOR/COMPOSER: Daniel Hubbert, Andrea von Foerster, Sebastian Zuleta, Neitor Pereira; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Hector Ortega; DISTRIBUTOR: Lionsgate; GENRE: Comedy, Romance; LOCATION: USA ; RUNNING TIME: 107 minutes

Technical Assessment: 2.5
Moral Assessment: 3
CINEMA Rating: V14

Nora (Camille Belle) and Mary (Alexa) are beautiful, rich, spoiled and pampered. Although their last name is Dominguez, they definitely do not consider themselves Latina and have put no effort to learning their mother’s native tongue. The sisters think they have everything until their father dies and they find themselves penniless and at the mercy of the woman with whom their father had an affair with. The sisters are kicked out of the house and are force to live with their auntie in the poor side of East Los Angeles. At first, they are bemused at the living conditions of the people and look at themselves as a class way above the rest. However, the Latino community is not impressed with the newcomers. Over time, only when the sisters learn to live beyond their designers’ clothes and BMWs and value themselves for the real person inside their hearts and start treating other people as equals do they find true meaning in life.

The movie is a weak spin off on Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”. Although, there are numerous instances where we find the girls in hilarious situations, the humor fails to deliver a good punch because the storyline is too predictable and the plot takes a long time to make the necessary twist for character redemption. The problem is in the script. The characters are too shallow and empty-headed that by the time they make the transformation, it is a bit too late to be genuine and to elicit sympath. And because the script is flat and the script shallow, you cannot really expect a stellar performance from the lead actors. On the positive side, the movie is cute and adorable production-wise. The movie starts with an interesting and promising premise but fails to deliver a great movie.

There are several good points that the movie emphasizes:

First, we say that material wealth should not be the basis of judging a person. FROM PRADA TO NADA shows this clearly as characters find meaning in life and self-respect not when they were covered with blings, brands and expensive things but when they were stripped of all possessions and began to interact using their hearts.

Second, people are always capable of changing. We can never say that just because a person was born and raised in a certain way, he or she will remain like that for the rest of his or her life. We clearly see how the lead characters made a complete 360 in dealing and respecting people and in discovering their self-worth.

Lastly, success is sometimes handed down the family line, but it is sweeter and more meaningful when it comes hand in hand with perseverance and hard work. People who have invested sweat, talent and determination in their achievements value the fruits and rewards even more.

The movie is not one of the must-see films but for those who would or plan to, there are good lessons to take home afterwards.

Unknown

CAST: Liam Neeson (Dr. Martin Harris), Diane Kruger (Gina), January Jones (Elizabeth Harris), Aidan Quinn (Martin B), Bruno Ganz (Ernst Jurgen), Frank Langella (Rodney Cole); DIRECTOR: Jaume Collet-Serra; SCREENWRITER: Stephen Cornwell, Oliver Butcher; GENRE: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense; DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros. Pictures; LOCATION: Berlin, Germany; RUNNING TIME: 115 minutes

Technical Assessment: 3 ½ .
Moral Assessment: 2 ½ .
CINEMA Rating: Audience Age 18 and above

American botanist Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) flies to Berlin with his wife Elizabeth (January Jones) to speak at a biotechnology conference. Checking in at the hotel he misses his briefcase, rushes back to the airport in a cab to retrieve it and gets into an accident that causes brain trauma resulting in partial memory loss. After cab driver Gina (Diane Kruger) bravely saves him from death, the police take him to a hospital where he lies in coma for four days. He awakens, wonders why no one has looked for him, and recalls just enough to escape from the hospital and return to the hotel to find his wife he hopes will establish his identity. He finds her with a stranger (Aidan Quinn) who claims to be the real Martin Harris. Worse she denies knowing him and confirms that her husband Martin Harris is the man with her. It’s a mystery the bewildered Harris would give his all to solve, and he is helped by Gina and her friend Ernst Jurgen, a private investigator (Bruno Ganz) who used to work in the East German secret police.

Based on French writer Didier van Cauwelaert's novel, Unknown may keep you at your seat’s edge rooting for the accident victim—credit that to Neeson’s looks which seem to naturally evoke sympathy. But of course he’s an actor who feels his role to the bone, even if his character be in such an absurd situation as Harris. Good direction by Jaume Collet-Serra pulls together the pieces of this brain-teasing story into clarity, aided by the lead actors’ self-convinced portrayal of their roles. Ganz as the ex-spy, wizened and wise and blessed with a prickly humor by his Stasi past, lends depth—even heroism—to the plot. If it were up to us, Ganz should get a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Action and violence abound as the audience is led further into the dark, until close to the end of the 115-minute thriller when the unknown becomes known.

Unknown seems to have been made just to puzzle the brain. Older generations would call it “mental calisthenics”, the younger ones would say it’s “mind f—k”. It may entertain many who like to solve riddles but it offers little ethical guidance for those expecting it. Its redemptive factor comes late in the movie when—the mystery having been demystified—a character tries to influence another towards a new life direction. Unknown, however, may arouse one’s curiosity regarding the killer-for-hire industry, to ask questions like: How deeply is a spy indoctrinated to prepare for his or her mission? How does the training impact his self-image? How much of his real self is lost in the process? Does this then still hold him morally culpable for the acts he is paid to commit? Is there another process by which the killer-for-hire is disengaged totally from his role upon the completion of his mission? You see, even movies that critics would judge unworthy may lead to profound thoughts a world in chaos needs today.

Just Go With It

CAST: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Brooklyn Decker, Bailee Madison, Antoinette Nikprelaj, Nick Swardson,Heidi Montag, Rachel Specter, Elena Satine; DIRECTOR: Dennis Dugan; WRITERS: Allan Loeb, Timothy Dowling; GENRE: Comedy, Romance; LOCATION: Los Angeles and Hawaii; RUNNING TIME: 110 min.

Technical Assessment: 2.5
Moral Assessment: 2.5
CINEMA Rating: For mature viewers aged 14 and above

Former cardiologist turned plastic surgeon Danny (Adam Sandler) plays on different women to get over the trauma of aborted wedding many years ago. He discovers the power of a wedding ring on his finger to win the sympathy of women by pretending to be in an unhappy marriage with a difficult wife. He does not realize that the same fake wedding ring will send him away from Palmer (Brooklyn Decker), a woman he finally falls in love with and likes to marry. Palmer is a family-oriented young woman who works for a children’s institution and does not want to be involved with a married man. Danny is determined to win Palmer back, so he invents another lies and tells her that he is already divorced. The problem is, Palmer wants to meet his “former wife" and eventually the "children". So Danny plans a scheme that costs him money involving his long time clinic assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) and her 2 children from his divorced husband to act as wife and children respectively. As a boss, Adam does not have a hard time convincing Katherine (Jennifer) but not the two children who are so clever to make demands for money and luxury trip to Hawaii to get their cooperation for the scheme. So the show goes all the way to Hawaii. The scheme turns out to be an opportunity of discovery of many things among Danny, Katherine and her two children.

“Just Go With It” is a sex comedy film that appears to make up from the boring plot through an effort to inject a serious family theme at the last part of the story. It was difficult to believe that a popular and rich plastic surgeon can live a lie about his status for the longest time and manages to sleep with one woman to another without being caught. Insertions of twists in the story add up to destructions. The acting does not offer any less with the exemption of Aniston who naturally transformed into the character of a cool clinic assistant and mom to grown up children and finally discovers something special for her longtime boss. The director seems to focus on the delivery of comedy but has the tendency to over do some of the scenes like that of the child in the toilet, the mashing of one-side oversized breast of a woman in the clinic, and the crack of many ‘dick’ jokes. The lighting helps in projecting required emotions in some scenes. The make up and production design in the scenes particularly the settings in the 80’s was not initially good but eventually improved as the film progressed to its ending. Nonetheless, the film has a good cinematography and offers impressive compositions in some of the scenes such as the scenes in Hawaii trip.

In Filipino culture, it is unusual for a single man to pretend that he is married just to play around on women. It is more usual for married man to pretend as single so he can womanize. Morally, neither of the two are unacceptable. The film is about living a life of lies at the expense of women. After victimizing many of them, Danny was trapped but was still able to get away with it. It is difficult to imagine how safe women clients in his plastic surgery clinic from exploitation are. The images of children portrayed in this film as crooked are a bit disturbing too and should not be tolerated. The viewers should be mindful of the context of the children's attitude in this movie that is partly due to parents' separation. Whilst the film ended highlighting the value of family, it did not appear to be the intention for the most part during the entire run of the film. Danny took a long time to recover from his trauma because he finds himself comfortable with lies. People has to be mindful about life's comfort because it may lead to be focusing only to yourself and become insensitive to others. Women and children are human beings and therefore deserved respect their dignity.

The Mechanic

CAST: Jason Stratham (Arthur Bishop), Ben Foster (Steve Mckenna), Donald Sutherland (Harry McKenna), tony Goldwyn (Dean Sanderson), Jeff Chase (Burke); DIRECTOR: Simon West; SCREENWRITER: Karl Gajdusek; GENRE: Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense; DISTRIBUTOR: CBS Films; RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes

Technical Assessment: 3.5
Moral Assessment: 2
CINEMA Rating: Audience Age 18 and above


The mechanic in The Mechanic is Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham), a professional killer employed by a murder-for-money corporation that specializes in murders where murderers are untraceable because the modus operandi mislead and the killings don’t look like murders at all. Bishop is a cool criminal, competent in his field in that he leaves his heart in his freezer when he goes out to kill. He is assigned to kill his friend and mentor Harry (Donald Sutherland); he thinks it is a painful job but proceeds anyway—it’s just a job, and Harry is another killer anyway—all in a day’s work. The Mechanic is actually about the relationship between Bishop and Steve, a bum of a son who idolizes Bishop and pleads to be taken under the former’s wing to learn his trade. He learns fast, until the two practically become a team that kills for money during the day and spends the money on prostitutes during the night.

The Mechanic is a remake of a 1972 Charles Bronson starrer, and is reminiscent of The American of George Clooney. The mere mention of action he-man Statham as lead character should give audiences a clue as to the sound and fury in the movie. Directing is Simon West (Tomb Raiders) who follows in the footsteps of Michael Winner (who directed the Bronson version). Whether their movies are worth making at all is beside the point—these directors are accomplished technicians who have honed their skills to the extent of leading their audience to like noise and action as entertainment. The script by Richard Wenk somehow attempts to inject human meaning into this kill-or-be-killed movie, as when the white-haired, hangdog-faced Sutherland character on a wheelchair is credited with more dignity than it deserves.

It can be so disturbing to watch a movie about a killing corporation—a company that employs people to kill. With all the news nowadays about people getting shot at close range by assassins speeding away on motorcycles, one would think it’s not only in the movies after all, that people are hired to murder. If you are strong enough to separate the reel from the real, you may still find entertainment in The Mechanic, because technically it’s good. Substance-wise it’s not entirely bad as there’s the character Steve who acts like a meat-tenderizer for the whole story—watch closely what goes on between the teary eyed Steve and Arthur on the brink of a confession and you’ll know what we mean. But then the ending is inconclusive and leaves the audience to decide what will now happen to the mechanic. He is a genius at cheating death—he is victorious because he prepares for his victories. So, will his hardened heart finally lead to his turn around? Whatever you wish for him to become, remember that in a world that professes that Jesus is the Son of God, killers (even killers of killers) should never be revered as heroes.

The Rite

CAST: Anthony Hopskin (Father Lucas Trevant), Claran Hinds (Father Xavier), Alice Braca (Angeline), Toby Jones ( Father Matthew), Collin O’Donoghue (Michael Kovak), Rutger Hauer (Istvan Kovak); DIRECTOR: Mikael Håfström; WRITER: Matt Baglio, Michael Petroni; DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros Pictures, New Line Cinema; LOCATION: Chicago, USA, Budapest, Hungary, Rome, Italy; GENRE: Mystery & Suspense, Drama; RUNNING TIME: 112 min.

Technical Assessment: 3.5
Moral Assessment: 3.5
CINEMA Rating: Audience Age 14 and above


The only way Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue) can go through college—as his father demands—is to continue as a mortician in his father’s business, or become a priest. So, to be independent of his father Istvan (Rutger Hauer), while getting a four-year college education for free, Michael enters the seminary. Michael is a skeptic and has set his mind on leaving the seminary right after his ordination as a deacon. But his superior Fr. Matthew (Toby Jones) who is convinced of the young man’s potential as a pastor despite his skepticism will not let him off the hook that easily. He wants to send Michael off to Rome to take a Vatican-sponsored course on exorcism in Rome; otherwise he will roll his four years in the seminary over into a $100,000 student loan. In Rome, Michael comes under the tutelage of a Dominican priest, Fr. Xavier (Ciaran Hinds). Believing more in psychology than in theology, Michael vents his doubts with Fr. Xavier and a classmate, journalist Angeline (Alice Braga) who is attending the course for research purposes. Seeing Michael to be a hard case, Fr. Xavier assigns him as a virtual apprentice with the eccentric Fr. Lucas who is known for his unusual but effective approach to demon-fighting. Michael comes face to face with evil as he witnesses the aging priest drive away demons from the possessed.

Although it is fiction, The Rite is based on the life story of a priest—Fr. Gary Thomas from the Diocese of San Jose, California—which is the meat of the book “The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist” released in 2009 by journalist/author Matt Baglio. Dubbed as “supernatural horror”, Warner Bros.’ The Rite, being a movie on excorcism, naturally has its share of bodies contorting and convulsing, gory scenes, expletives, abusive language, physical violence, sexual innuendoes and disparaging remarks about Jesus and God. However, nothing of such necessary evil (pardon the pun) is exaggerated, thus the movie doesn’t descend to the level of an average chillfest. Adding to its technical merits is the spot-on casting: newcomers Colin O’Donoghue and Marta Gastini (as the possessed Rosaria) are equally impressive in this first outing; Hauer is credible as the anguished mortician widower, just as Jones and Hinds are effective in their priest-characters. It is Hopkins’ Fr. Lucas, however, that strings everything all together into one neat bundle of thrills. Hopkins seems born to do borderline cases but somehow he escapes the stereotyping trap. Like Geoffrey Rush or Morgan Freeman, he is one thespian whose characters you cannot but take seriously.

The poster for The Rite says that you can defeat the devil only when you believe it. Based on this premise, The Rite intrigues its audience with the idea that a skeptic can be moved to believe in God by seeing the havoc that the devil wreaks. The movie is not a substitute for a theology textbook but it is certainly rich with talking points for those fascinated by or simply curious about absolute good and evil, death of a parent, psychological disorders vs. demonic possession, incest, fear vs. faith, and one’s intention in answering the call to the priesthood. In spite of an incidental colorful word uttered by priests, screenwriter Michael Petroni and director Mikael Hafstrom do not disrespect either the priest’s person or the Catholic religion. In fact the film’s affirmation of faith and the value of priestly ministry reverberates in its entirety, from the opening frame which quotes Pope John Paul II to the closing scene which will be a spoiler to reveal. Suffice it to say that in The Rite, a twist of fate leads to a turn in faith.

127 Hours

CAST: James Franco; DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle; AUTHOR: Aron Ralston; SCREENPLAY: Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy; PHOTOGRAPHY: Anthony Dod Mantle; MUSIC: A.R. Rahman; GENRE: Thriller; RUNNING TIME: 1 hour and 33 minutes

Technical Assessment: 3.5
Moral Assessment: 3
CINEMA Rating: V14

127 Hours is the true and tragic but triumphant story of Aron Ralston, an experienced mountain climber, as powerfully told by Director Danny Boyle and excellently portrayed by the talented actor James Franco. Cocky with self-confidence, twenty seven year old Aron Ralston ventures alone into the Blue John Canyon in Utah, for some climbing and exploring which he does with much exhilaration. Moving around with some familiarity of the territory, he comes across two female hikers Megan (Amber Tamblyn) and Kristi (Kate Mara) who lost their way and he helps them get to their destination. Shortly after, Aron has an accident. He falls down to the bottom of a shaft where a big rock crushes his arm and pins it against a tunnel wall. Unable to free his arm in spite of all his valiant efforts, survival skills and the use of limited tools, he remains trapped within a narrow space for 127 hours, a little more than 5 days from the end of April to the beginning of May 2003. A loner, he left home without telling anyone. He realizes he can die here without anyone knowing where he is. Now, he knows no help is forthcoming. With his camcorder, he does a video of his thoughts and experiences with the hope that whoever finds it may return his body to his parents. Subjected to vagaries of the weather, hunger and thirst, he has dreams and visions. But in spite of his “half-crazed state” he continues his efforts and is determined to live. How does Aron beat the odds? The viewer may be interested in knowing the details.

The film is based on the autobiography of Aron Ralston entitled Between a Rock and a Hard Place which focuses mainly on his particular searing ordeal in the Canyon. Director Boyle has succeeded in transforming a relatively simple survival tale into a singularly intense cinematic experience. He begins with striking, brightly colored visuals and awesome landscape shots to the accompaniment of A.R. Rahman’s throbbing music. These images give us an early insight into the overweening self-worth of the charismatic main character as well as show-off the beautifully photographed vast and rugged setting. In his dynamic storytelling, Boyle successfully captures on the screen the difficulties of the protagonist (as the latter suffers extremes in temperature, dehydration, fatigue, and mental anguish in the face of death) and deftly intertwines these scenes with flashbacks and hallucinations, without much distraction from the storyline. The film builds in intensity (though not in suspense) and has its apex when Aron makes his radical decision and performs the painful procedure on himself in order to live. The scene is unflinching in its realism, stark and graphic. It is difficult to watch and is not for the fainthearted.

James Franco has been known as a support actor in films like the Spider Man franchise but in 127 Hours he has most probably given a career-altering performance. He is on the screen in nearly every frame and often in close-up, so he “carries” the film for more than an hour. His insightful and very good portrayal of his role keeps us interested and engaged all the time. The others in the cast like Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara and Lizzy Caplan do comeo performances creditably.

As mentioned, the film is not for the faint-hearted. Neither is it for the very young. The extreme realism with the violence, gore and self-inflicted pain maybe disturbing for them. But in spite of the negative points, 127 Hours is a life-affirming film. In these days when life is viewed cheap by abortionists and hired killers, a film that champions the value of life is most salutary. This is a story of determination and survival, heroism and courage. When Aron finds himself in the desperate situation when there seems no reason for hope, he does not lose heart; he continues to “fight” it out. He does not give up. He is determined to live. He succeeds but with much pain and sacrifice. He had to give up something in order to have the greater good – his life. We may not be able to do what Aron did, but in other instances when we are faced with a desperate situation in life, we may be reminded of Aron’s predicament. And we remember that the determination to continue trying, even after many failures, maybe rewarded. Or we may be called upon to sacrifice or give up something in order to achieve a greater good. And we might just do that. In a way, he did something heroic: save his life. This film shows or suggests that when one wants to do what is good, often it can be done, even in the face of adversity and difficulty, if one is determined to do it. This film depicts the triumph of the human spirit.

Shaolin

CAST: Andy Lau, Jacky Chan, Fan Bingbing, Nicholas Tse; DIRECTOR: Benny Chan; SCREENPLAY: Allan Yuen; DISTRIBUTOR: Cinestar; GENRE: Action/Drama; LOCATION: China; RUNNING TIME: 130 minutes

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

Set in China at a time when feuding warlords are expanding their territories in neighboring lands, young and arrogant general Huo Chieh (Andy Lau) desecrates a Shaolin temple as he kills a wounded enemy who has sought refuge with the monks. But betrayal of a trusted soldier will turn his fate, losing his power and family in the process. He ends up seeking refuge in the very same Shaolin temple he desecrated. Left with nothing, he realizes the mistakes of his past and decides to dedicate himself through living the way of the monks. Eventually he learns to let go of his anger and follow the righteous path. However, civil unrest and people’s suffering will force him and the monks to take a fiery stand against the evil warlords and the soldiers who betrayed him.

Although Shaolin works on a rather time-tested story template of an arrogant man fallen from grace finding redemption in a different way of life, still, the film has its universal charm that has worked effectively in its totality. The movie is packaged as an action genre but it turns out that it’s more dramatic than action-filled. The highlights of the film are not really the action scenes but the dramatic ones when characters pour out their emotions. This is quite unusual for a kung-fu film but it fits quite well and has given the film a different turn. Andy Lau delivers the part in multi-faceted levels of action and drama. Jacky Chan underplays the character as support but his mere screen presence and brand of humor is as always a delight to the audience. The relatively unknown supporting characters deliver well and each is able to make an impact. The fight and chase scenes are spectacular though sometimes a bit toned-down. The coherent and solid storytelling elevates the kung-fu genre into a film that is worth taking seriously.

Amidst the violence and some level of gore, Shaolin advocates more than anything else, universal values of love, sacrifice, forgiveness, peace, humility and courage through the ways of the monks. The realization of Huo that greed for power leads to destruction is a timely message now that wealth and power are on top of people’s priorities. Absolute power corrupts absolutely and this is what happened to Huo. His karma has taken away all he’s got but he is able to find renewal through sincere repentance. He takes full responsibility for what his soldiers have become. This is such a rare trait of a remarkable leader. Even in the middle of the war, peace can still reign for as long as there is goodness in man’s heart. The evil may destroy everything but still hope springs eternal for those who follow the path to righteousness. Though in context, Shaolin inevitably shows graphic violence, and that may influence the vulnerable minds of the very young, so CINEMA recommends the film to be appropriate to viewers 14 years old and above.

Exorcismus

CAST: Doug Bradley, Sophie Vavasseur, Richard Felix, Stephen Bellington; DIRECTOR: Manuel Carballo; SCREENWRITER: David Munoz; GENRE: Horror; LOCATION: Spain

BRIEF FILM SYNOPSIS

Emma Evans is having problems and strange occurrences around the home. Turns out she is possessed Her family calls in a troubled priest with a troubled past who has to exorcise this demon from Emma. (www.deadderickreviews.com/blog)

Technical Assessment: 1.5
Moral Assessment: 1.5
CINEMA Rating: Not for public showing

Yogi Bear

CAST: Anna Faris, Justin Timberlake, Dan Aykroyd, T.J. Miller,Nathan Corddry, Tom Cavanagh, Andrew Daly, Dean Knowsley; DIRECTOR: Eric Brevig; WRITER: Brad Copeland, Joshua Sternin; GENRE: Animation, Family; RUNNING TIME: 82 min.

SYNOPSIS: Jellystone Park has been losing business, so greedy Mayor Brown decides to shut it down and sell the land. That means families will no longer be able to experience the natural beauty of the outdoors -- and, even worse, Yogi and Boo Boo will be tossed out of the only home they've ever known. Faced with his biggest challenge ever, Yogi must prove that he really is "smarter than the average bear" as he and Boo Boo join forces with their old nemesis Ranger Smith to find a way to save Jellystone Park from closing forever.

Technical Assessment: 3.5
Moral Assessment: 4
CINEMA Rating: PG 13 (For viewers aged 13 and below with parental guidance)

Season of Witch

CAST: Nicolas Cage (Behmen), Ron Perlman (Felson), Stephen Campbell Moore (Debelzaq), Claire Foy (The Girl), Robbie Sheehan (Kaylan), Kevin Rees (Dying Monk); DIRECTOR: Dominic Sena; SCREENWRITER: Bragi F. Schut; GENRE: Mystery & Suspense; DISTRIBUTOR: Relativity Media; LOCATION: Europe; RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes

SYNOPSIS: The church elders, convinced that a girl accused of being a witch is responsible for the devastation, command the two to transport the strange girl to a remote monastery where monks will perform an ancient ritual to rid the land of her curse. They embark on a harrowing, action-filled journey that will test their strength and courage as they discover the girl's dark secret and find themselves battling a terrifyingly powerful force that will determine the fate of the world.

Technical Assessment: 3
Moral Assessment: 3
CINEMA Rating: V 14 (Viewers aged14 and above)

Gulliver's Travel

CAST: Jack Black, Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Billy Connelly,Amanda Peet, Catherine Tate, James Corden, Olly Alexander; DIRECTOR: Rob Letterman; WRITER: Jonathan Swift
GENRE: Comedy, Action/Adventure; RUNNING TIME: 85 min.

SYNOPSIS: In a contemporary re-imagining of the classic tale, Gulliver, a big-talking mailroom clerk who, after he's mistakenly assigned a travel piece on the Bermuda Triangle, suddenly finds himself a giant among men when he washes ashore on the hidden island of Lilliput, home to a population of very tiny people. At first enslaved by the diminutive and industrious Liliputians, and later declared their hero; Gulliver comes to learn that it's how big you are on the inside that counts. MRQE

Simple assessment"
Technical Assessment: 3
Moral Assessment: 2.5
CINEMA Rating: PG 13

Love and other Drugs

CAST: Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal, Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria,Judy Greer, Brenna Roth, Gabriel Macht, Jaimie Alexander,George Segal, Katheryn Winnick; DIRECTOR: Edward Zwick; WRITER: Marshall Herskovitz, Charles Randolph; GENRE: Drama; RUNNING TIME: 113 min.

Technical Assessment: 3
Moral Assessment: 2
CINEMA Rating: V 18 (For viewers 18 and above)

Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a first-class jerk who lost his job as audio equipment salesman when he slept with the boss’ girlfriend. ) Next he works as a pharmaceutical salesman from Ohio with ambitions of hitting the big market in Chicago. If he must flirt with receptionists at doctor’s offices to push his drugs (which include Viagra), he will, and then do more—or worse. He has polished the art of flirting to a high buff, and women fall for his tricks, leading him to feel that he can have any woman he wants. Which is what happens, actually. Except when he meets 26-year-old Maggie Murdoch (Anne Hathaway) who enchants him with her loverly but noncommittal brand of intimacy. Maggie has a reason for not wanting deeper involvement, but she keeps it a secret: she is on the early stages of Parkinson’s disease and shuts herself off from serious relationship as her defense mechanisms. But the two who begin a casual affair grow into wanting a more serious and maybe permanent relationship. Is it love? Or is it simply an addiction for Jamie and morphine for Maggie?

Directed by Edward Zwick, Love and Other Drugs is based on the book “Hard Sell: the Evolution of a Viagra Salesman” by Jamie Reidy. Written by Charles Randolph, Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz for this 20thCentury Fox production, the movie is a cross between a romantic comedy and drama. The genre apparently shifts halfway through the 112-minute film, parallel with the development of the Jamie-Maggie relationship from devil-may-care encounters to careful considerations of an uncertain future. The fast paced story is backed by snappy dialogue and crisp cinematography. Gyllenhaal and Hathaway, who played a couple inBrokeback Mountain, deliver a totally different performance here that demonstrates the level of chemistry they may actually possess, or can manage for the camera.

Love and Other Drugs may be viewed in many ways, depending on which side of the morality fence you’re on. Some people may see its positive message—that commitment is more important than casual sex—but others would say it makes casual sex more enticing than commitment. That’s the conflict in the movie—and the director’s or the writers’ intentions notwithstanding, the movie leaves its resolution to the viewer. It seems convinced about its positive message but it also titillates the viewer first with voyeuristic and vicarious experiences of almost unbridled fornication before it attempts to be heard. In effect it’s saying that true lovedoes come, but only after indulging yourself in false lovemaking. Try telling a child to want yoghurt as the ultimate health food, but don’t give it to him unless he finishes his chocolate cake first. And to the adult it says, “Don’t neglect your vitamins, but first take Viagra.” If only for this movie, CINEMA should create a new rating: PG 18—for mature viewers with parental guidance.

The Green Hornet

CAST: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz; Edward James Olmos, David Harbour, Tom Wilkinson, Edward Furlong, Chad Coleman, Robert Clotworthy; DIRECTOR: Michael Gondry; WRITER: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen, Fran Striker, George W. Trendle; SCREENPLAY: Seth Rogen; PRODUCER / DISTRIBUTOR: Columbia Pictures; GENRE: Action/ Adventure; RUNNING TIME: 108 minutes

Technical Assessment: 3
Moral Assessment: 2
CINEMA Rating: For viewers 14 and above

Having to deal with the loss of his mother at a young age and with a father (who owns a journalism empire who doesn’t seem to have time for him), Britt Reid (Seth Rogers) grows up into becoming an irresponsible, directionless man who parties all night with alcohol and different women. But when his father suddenly dies mysteriously because of a bee sting, Britt finds himself overwhelmed inheriting the family newspaper business and living up to his father’s legacy, thus, turning him all the more into a useless bum. Then he finds rescue with his father’s brilliant mechanic Kato (Jay Chou) who knows martial arts as well. After the two have a night of encounter with criminals, Britt gets an idea of how they could further help resolve criminality in their area by becoming masked vigilantes themselves. Their actions later blow up into proportions that attract the attention of hard core underworld boss Chudnofsky (Christoph Watz).

The Green Hornet is a deconstruction of the usual superhero audiences see on screen. This time around, the main superhero seems to be less competent and hardly dependent on a sidekick that he takes for granted. Britt Reid as the Green Hornet is just as flawed and weak as any other man. This is quite an interesting premise to begin a story with, however, something is still missing in the whole gamut of exploring the dynamics of hero/anti-hero characters in the film. Although there are some hilarious and comic moments in the movie, some parts still lack the supposed wit it tries to convey. Rogers is solid as the Green Hornet while Chou still needs a bit of a push to register strong screen presence. Their contrasting characteristics works well as a tandem at times, but sometimes, it falls flat. Camera works, editing and direction are imaginative but some fight and chase scenes seem to lack coherence. As a whole, The Green Hornet still delivers a certain level of entertainment value and does not really disappoint, only that it can still do better than what it is.

What do audiences really get out of an anti-stereotypical super hero? Well, it makes them realize and appreciate even more that human weakness can possibly be turned into strength. Although his past is not a justification, Reid’s character could well be a wake-up call to parents to nurture their children even more. Time and again, the family remains to be most crucial in bringing up useful citizens of the land. The Green Hornet says it is never too late for anyone to start over. However, looking at the film closely, such intention is not quite coherent with its plotlines as a whole. Reid wants the Green Hornet and his sidekick to be heroes while appearing as villains but they kill people (although yes, criminals) without remorse. They took the law in their own hands through executing criminals via extra-judicial means. There’s no way that this can ever be right. This might also be rooted in the fact that Reid’s intention of becoming a vigilante-hero is fuelled by his anger towards his father. Although such intention is later on purified, still, their end does not justify their means. How could Green Hornet and his sidekick be really heroes if they cause unnecessary destruction, thus, hurting and killing lives in the process? The way Reid manipulated the press for his own agenda is also disturbing. Some scenes of suggestive sex, violence and gore, although a necessity to portray the underworld, might leave a lasting impression on the vulnerable minds of a young audience, so CINEMA finds the movie unfit for viewers below 14 years old.

Hereafter

CAST: Matt Damon, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jay Mohr, Richard Kind, Cécile De France, Lyndsey Marshal, Mylène Jampanoï, Steve Schirripa, Marthe Keller, Niamh Cusack; DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood; WRITER: Peter Morgan; GENRE: Suspense/Thriller; RUNNING TIME: 129 min.


Technical: 4
Moral: 3
Rating: V 14 (14 years old and above)

An illness in the childhood of George Lonegan (Matt Damon) gave him the ability to communicate with the recently departed. Becoming a celebrated psychic, he realizes he cannot ever enjoy a normal life if it is spent connecting with the dead. He hides from the public by working in a warehouse in San Francisco, but somehow is found by people needing to communicate with their dear departed or to simply understand death. One of them is a French television reporter Marie LeLay (Cecile De France) who, on a holiday with her producer-lover (Thierry Neuvic), goes through a near-death experience that changes her life. Another is a widower who is distraught over his wife’s sudden death. Then there is also a young boy Marcus (Frankie McLaren) who cannot get over losing his beloved twin brother Jason (George McLaren). It seems George cannot escape his mysterious ability which people say is a gift but which he sees as a curse.

If you’ve ever seen a perfectly braided hairdo, you will note that its beauty depends on balance, as the hair is divided into three equal parts which are made to criss-cross over one another to form a perfect braid. That is the image Hereafter evokes, with its three separate tales involving death somehow skillfully woven until they are revealed to be part of one whole story that bears a powerful message about death. The master weaver here is Clint Eastwood, getting even better as a director at age 80. The plot is seamless and the treatment of the subject of communicating with the dead handled with discretion, prudence, and—again—balance. No mushiness, no fear-inducing special effects, no notions that make death larger than life while plumbing the depths of feelings and thoughts that haunt people who have been confronted with death. Nothing more, or less, may be asked of Damon’s acting; watching him the viewer does not see the actor but the character, a gifted man who refuses to buckle under the weight of his gift. Technically at least, Hereafter deserves an Oscar.

The three main characters consulting the psychic do not know one another. They are separated by space, their circumstances in life cocoon them from the rest of the world, and yet their individual world share a gloom that every man in their situation must inevitably face. It is a gloom that a person must learn to grapple with by himself to understand and accept, but in time the gloom gives way to light. Hereafter is a film that can make you think about your own mortality, even as you try to understand other people’s loss by it. There is something to be learned, too, from the psychic’s attitude towards his unusual ability. In the film, the psychic’s feet are firmly anchored to the ground—while he cannot question that he has an unusual ability, he is not awed by it nor overwhelmed by people adulation of him. Hereafter presents a sensible view that may be good for viewers to adopt, particularly in our culture where such abilities are all too quickly accepted as “powers” and “gifts” that put the psychic several notches above the average man.

The Tourist

CAST: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell,Timothy Dalton, Ralf Moeller, Raoul Bova, Steven Berkoff,Clément Sibony, Igor Jijikine; DIRECTOR: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck; WRITER: Julian Fellowes, Christopher McQuarrie, Jeffrey Nachmanoff; GENRE: Drama, Suspense/Thriller; RUNNING TIME: 103 min.

Technical: 3.5
Moral: 2.5
CINEMA Rating: Age 14 and above

Pursued by Scotland Yard, Englishman Alexander Pearce is in hiding, having stolen 740 million dollars from an English gangster in the past. Interpol and a few Italian cops on the corrupt side are tailing Pearce’s girlfriend Elise Ward (Angelina Jolie) in the hope of pinning the fraudster down. Pearce sends Elise a note instructing her to take a train to Venice, pick up a passenger who matches his weight and height proportions, and take the stranger with her to her hotel room to fool the agents into thinking he is Pearce after changing his face through plastic surgery. Once the decoy is arrested, Pearce and Elise can escape their pursuers to be together. On the train, Elise finds and picks up Frank Tupello (Johnny Depp), an American math teacher from Wisconsin holidaying in Europe to nurse a broken heart, who easily falls into the trap. Elise engages Frank in a passionate kiss by the window, knowing she is the under constant surveillance by the agents, thus setting off a chase to get the wrong guy. Elise leaves the sleeping Frank the following morning, but Frank, bewitched by Elise, is determined to find her while running for his dear life.

The Tourist is the kind of movie you may want to see twice to get right, yet two viewings won’t guarantee you certainty that you indeed have it right. Credit that to the implausible plot and the great acting especially of Depp and Jolie that will have the viewer believing the story is really what it seems. The major twist towards the end might make you come to your own conclusions, but not quite so. Hold it, put your thinking mechanism on auto pilot, and just enjoy the suspenseful fluff. Take the train ride for free; explore the side streets and have a splash on the canals of Venice in a boat with an elegant Jolie at the wheel; check in at the plush Danieli (and note how Americans are an amusement on that part of the globe); dare to chase the barefooted Depp traipsing the rooftops in his pajamas—after all The Tourist is technically superb, from the cinematography to costumes. (Yes, drool over la Jolie’s gowns which she displays to best advantage as she sashays through life as though the world’s admiration is her birth right. It might as well be). It’s an entertaining remake of a 2005 French movie, Anthony Zimmer, with more comic touches added by the new writers Florian Henckel von Donnersmark andChristopher Macquarrie. If at the end you feel you’ve been had, blame the clever direction of von Donnersmark who won the Oscar and universal fame for his first feature film The Lives of Others. The Tourist is but his second; imagine what the next would be.

The theme, the war among thugs and fraudsters killing and getting killed over money may be serious, but because of its light treatment it might not be worthwhile to discuss the morality, immorality or amorality the movie displays. Suffice it to say that stealing is bad, even if it’s stealing from a bad man; killing is bad, even if you’re killing your inefficient employee. And what of returning the money stolen? Is that good? Reality check: why would a thief do that? But it happens in The Tourist. Nobody says it’s a true story.—By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

Little Fockers

CAST: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro; Jessica Alba; DIRECTOR: Paul Weitz; SCREENPLAY: John Hamburg, Larry Stuckey; PRODUCER: Jane Rosenthal, Robert de Niro, Jay Roach, John Hamburg; EDITING: Greg Hayden, Leslie Jones; MUSIC: Stephen Trask; GENRE: Comedy; DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures; LOCATION: Chicago; RUNNING TIME: 107 minutes

Technical Assessment: 3
Moral Assessment: 2.5
CINEMA Rating: V14 (For viewers 14 and above)

Little Fockers is the 3rd franchise of the Meet the Parents series. This time Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) and wife Pam (Teri Polo) are proud parents of 5-year-old twins Sam and Henry. Apparently, patriarch father-in-law Jack Brynes (Robert De Niro) is having some health issues and must pass on the headship of the family to a successor. And he chooses Greg to be the “Godfocker”. The rest of the movie is a series of skits wherein Greg tries to authenticate his upcoming role and Jack tries to prove his theory that Greg is having an affair with a sexy pharmaceutical representative Andi Garcia (Jessica Alba).

Little Fockers is a pathetic and lame attempt to cash in on a film that made some money when it first came out. The movie is clean and acceptable technically but fails miserably on the creative side. The story is boring, corny and flat. The characters are caricatures matching the over the top performances. And because of a full pack cast, the attempt to provide a storyline for everyone further confused the story. The script and plot are almost nonsense and characters are placed in the scene merely to create a joke that unfortunately is not even funny. Apparently, the writers loved the “Godfocker” joke so much that they made sure it was repeated constantly throughout the movie.

This 3rd installment of the movie franchise repeats the message in the very first movie: in-law problems are caused by prejudice, self-centeredness and the refusal to open up and reach out. In-laws are important in the family as they provide support and assistance as proven by Greg saving Jack’s life at the end of the movie. The imperative joke about father and son-in-law (or daughter and mother-in-law) clashing with each other to provide the comical situation is actually a dangerous stereotyping of the relationship because people may begin to be wary even before getting to know their would be in-laws. This movie once again reiterates how much happier a home can be when in-laws get along and actually love and trust each other.

The pro-family message is passable, but the sex jokes, toilet humor, the nonsensical turkey carving mishap and other failed attempt to create comedy makes the film inappropriate for young audiences. Perhaps it would make for adult entertainment, as demonstrated during a full-house Sunday night showing at a Makati theater where the audience lapped up the jokes. And you’ve got to give it to De Niro and Hoffman—it takes some guts for respectable actors to appear for the third time in a comedy series that’s wearing thin.—By Pie Mabanta

Rosario

CAST: Jennilyn Mercado, Dennis Trillo (Alberto), Isabel Oli (Carmen) Sid Lucero (carding), Yul Servo (Vicente), Philip Salvador (don enrique), Eula Valdez (dona adela); Dolphy (Hesus). DIRECTOR: Alberto P. Martinez. PRODUCER: TV5 and Cinemabuhay. STORY: Manny Pangilinan.

Technical Assessment: 3.5
Moral Assessment: 3
CINEMA Rating: R 18

Taong 1920, darating mula sa Nuweba York and kaakit-akit na dalagang si Rosario (Jennylyn Mercado) upang magbakasyon sa kanilang hacienda. Dahil sa lubhang makabago niyang mga gawi, madali siyang lulutang sa mga pagtitipon, bagay na kanyang ikagagalak ngunit ikababahala naman ng kanyang amang si Don Enrique (Philip Salvador). Mapusok si Rosario at hindi itatago ang kanyang nasa kay Vicente (Yul Servo), katiwala ng kanyang ama sa kanilang pataniman ng tabako na mapapa-ibig naman ng dalaga. Hindi maglalaon, matutuklasan ni Don Enrique ang bawal na pag-ibig, palalayasin ang binugbog na binata at ikukulong sa kumbento si Rosario. Makakatakas naman si Rosario at magtataanan sila ni Vicente patungong Maynila. Sapagkat mahusay sa gawain at masipag si Vicente, giginhawa naman ang buhay nila at ng kanilang anak sa Maynila ngunit magkakasakit si Vicente ng tuberkulosis at titigil ito sa trabaho, bagay na magiging dahilan upang si Rosario ay maghanap ng trabaho. Papatol si Rosario sa masugid niyang mangliligaw na makikilala niya sa kanyang pinapasukang opisina, si Alberto (Dennis Trillo). Mahuhuli ni Vicente ang kapalaluan ng dalawa, at ihahabla nito ang asawa at ang kanyang kalaguyo sa hukuman. Mapapatunayang nagkasala si Rosario’t si Alberto at hahatulang itapon sa Hongkong kung saan iluluwal ni Rosario ang anak na lalaking si Hesus. Pagbabalik ng mag-anak sa Pilipinas, lalayasan naman ni Alberto ang mag-ina sa paghihinalang nakikiapid si Rosario kay Carding (Sid Lucero), pamangkin ng may-ari ng bahay na kanilang tinutuluyan. Titiisin ni Rosario ang hirap ng buhay, tatanggap ng labada at palantsahin upang maitaguyod ang anak, ngunit sadyang magiging malupit sa mag-ina ang tadhana.

Ang Rosario ay base sa tunay na pangyayari ayon sa Producer nitong si Manny Pangilinan, at isinagawa naman sa pelikula sa pagdidirihe ng kilalang aktor na si Albert Martinez bilang kanyang unang proyekto bilang direktor. Ang paglalahad ng kuwento ng karanasan ni Rosario ay nagmumula sa pananaw ng kanyang anak na si Hesus (Dolphy), na siyang magbubukas at magsasara ng pelikula. Hindi lamang ginastusan kundi pinaghirapan ding sadya ang Rosario, at ito’y mababakas sa maayos na pagsasalarawan ng panahong 1920.

Hindi madaling gumawa ng period movie pagkat mahirap maghanap ng mga elementong bubuo ng mga production sets upang higit na maging tapat sa panahon at kapani-paniwala ang pelikula. Marahil madaling tumahi ng mga costumes o damit para magmukhang “unang panahon” ang pelikula; gayon din sa make-up at ayos ng buhok, pati na ng mga ekstra, basta’t masusing sinaliksik ito at hindi ginawang tantiya-tantiya o hula-hula lamang. Subali’t ang paghahanap ng mga bahay, pier at barkong luma, halimbawa, ay kailangang pagpawisan; tulad din ng pag-iipon ng sapat na mga sasakyang sinauna na magagara pa at tumatakbo nang maayos upang ipakita ang karangyaan ng buhay-hacienda ng dalagang si Rosario. (Kung sabagay halos wala nang hindi magagawa sa tulong ng Computer Generated Imagery o CGI ngayon.) Ang mumunting mga bagay na ito ay may kani-kanyang ambag tungo sa ikabubuo at ikagaganda ng pelikula. Para madala ng pelikula ang manunood sa nakaraan, hindi siya dapat makasulyap man lang ng kahit anong makabago o magpapaalala sa kanya sa kasalukuyan. (May nasilip ba kayong kotseng Toyota, o plantsang de-koryente, o MacDonald’s noong sa Maynila na naninirahan sila Rosario?)

May mga bagay din naman sa Rosario na nakakabawas sa pagiging buo ng pelikula, tulad halimbawa ng labis na liwanag sa mga mukha ng artista magkaminsan na nakakahadlang sa pagkakaroon ng akmang “mood” ng eksena. O kaya’y ang pag-iiba-iba ng hugis ng kilay ng mga babaeng artista—hindi “consistent” ang guhit, ika nga, na nagpapahiwatig na hindi sanay ang make-up artist sa pagpinta ng make-up noong panahong iyon. Dapat sana’y may giya silang larawan ng mukhang gusto nilang palabasin, at tularan iyon hangga’t kinakailangan ang ganoong anyo. Maaari namang pagpikitan na lang ng mata ang mga kapintasang iyon lalo na’t kung susukatin mo ang katapatan ng pagganap ng mga pangunahing aktor.

Mahusay na ginampanan nila Servo, Trillo at Lucero ang kani-kaniyang papel—pinangibabaw nila ang kani-kanyang karakter, kaya’t “buhay” ang mga ito. Sa ma-dramang papel naman ni Rosario ay makikitang nagsisimula nang mamukadkad ang talino sa pag-arte ni Mercado. Bagama’t ang kanyang karakter ay isang babaeng may sariling pag-iisip noong mga panahong hindi ito tanggap ng lipunan, nakuha ni Mercado na manulay sa pagitan ng pagiging malaya at pagiging api. May sapat na karakter ang mukha at kilos ni Mercado upang siya ay maging kapani-paniwala bilang isang biktima man o isang nambibiktima. Hindi namin mapigilang magtaka kung bakit hindi man lamang nakakuha ng nominasyon si Mercado bilang “Best Actress” sa nakaraang Manila Film Festival (MFF) samantalang bukod-tanging Rosario lamang ang pelikulang may napakalaking hamon para sa mga nagsisiganap.

Rosario lamang ang hindi naglalaman ng komedya sa mga pelikulang tampok sa nakaraang MFF; ito’y isang kuwentong hango mula sa tunay na buhay na isinalaysay ng tunay na anak ni Rosario, si Hesus, kay Pangilinan. Ang mga inilahad ng pelikula ay sumasalamin lamang sa mga totoong pangyayari; wasto lamang na hindi sinikap ng direktor o ng pelikula na pangunahan ang manunood na husgahan si Rosario. Sa halip, ipinakikita lamang ng pelikula na ang tadhana na mismo ang siyang humuhusga sa gawain ng tao. Sa sinapit ni Rosario sanhi ng kanyang kapusukan at dala ng kagipitan, maaaring masabing may isang buhay na nasayang, mga pamilyang nawasak, kayamanang tinalikuran, at kinabukasang itinapon. Maganda, matalino at may husay sa pagtugtog ng piano si Rosario, ngunit pinili niya ang pinili niyang buhay. Maihahalintulad si Rosario sa isang maapoy na konsiyertong inihinto sa kalagitnaan ng paglikha, isina-isang tabi, natabunan ng limot, hanggang sa hindi na ito matagpuan—tulad ng mga labi ni Rosario na hindi na rin malaman kung saan dadalawin ng mga naiwan. -Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

The Fighter

CAST: Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo,Robert Wahlberg, Dendrie Taylor, Jack McGee, Jenna Lamia,Salvatore Santone, Chanty Sok; DIRECTOR: David O. Russell; WRITER: Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson; GENRE: Drama; RUNNING TIME: 114 min.

Technical: 3.5
Moral: 3
Rating: For viewers 18 years and above

A true-to-life story of boxer Micky Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg), The Fighter opens with Micky’s younger half-brother, ex-boxer Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) being filmed by an HBO crew for a story which he boasts to everybody is about his comeback, but which is actually a documentary about drug abuse in America. Dicky’s claim to fame is his having knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard in a fight ten years ago, but since then he has been addicted to cocaine and to training Micky who has in turn their fork-tongued mother Alice (Melissa Leo) as manager. Micky’s eye is caught by a smart barmaid, college dropout Charlene (Amy Adams); they set a dinner date, and disappear for three weeks. Micky returns home with Charlene in tow. Meanwhile Charlene has convinced Micky he’d be better off with a trainer and manager who will really look after him, unlike his predatory blood relatives Dicky and Alice who make him fight for the money. Defying his opportunistic family’s wishes Micky goes into intensive training and metamorphoses into a true fighter, starts winning and gaining self-confidence.

The realities of family life are vividly portrayed in The Fighter, thanks to solid performances from the lead actors. It is reported that Wahlberg and Bale, in particular, took the trouble to observe and “internalize” Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund for a more sterling portrayal of their characters. Bale went so far as losing weight to the point of looking emaciated, shaving some hair to make for a receding hairline, and perfecting his imitation of Eklund’s gait—all that so that none of Christian Bale is left on the screen.

On the other hand, Wahlberg—who admits he is a great fan of the Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao—wanted his performance “to have the caliber of Manny Pacquiao”, and so, following his idol during the latter’s training sessions at the Wild Card Gym, underwent training himself with the champion’s trainer Freddie Roach.
Fans will most likely compare the two lead actors’ performances and root for their respective idols, but it must be pointed out that they are portraying extremely contrasting personalities: Dicky is the swaggering junkie high on dope and his delusions of grandeur; Micky Ward is the upright but timorous guy who prefers to stay in the background. Micky is a man of few words; Dicky is vociferous. Micky lacks self-confidence; Dicky has an excess of it.

Melissa Leo paints Alice, the hateful mother whose domineering stance can castrate a husband, terrify her sons, and mute seven squabbling daughters. Not to be outshone in this den of cuss word spewing brood is Adams who departs from her sweet lighthearted roles (Enchanted, Night at the Museum) to play a relatively well-mannered girl until provoked—then she out-swears everybody else.

The Fighter presents a finely chiseled story that need not depend on surprises or clever dialogue to make its point. That it is a true story makes the viewer’s interest in it more than just passing. The daily situations that spin about the world of one big family in one small town may mirror the dramas going on in families anywhere in the world. The hub of the mayhem is Micky, and everyone wants a piece of him. In this boxer’s story, the fiercer fights take place outside of the ring. Look at the family dynamics and see your own in them: at times while we profess love for our family members, we do not always act in their best interest. We use them for our selfish ends, compete against them, knock them down when they don’t do our bidding; parents play favorites, children take advantage of parents’ weaknesses, etc.

While the transformation of the characters—notably of Micky who is now empowered to stand on his own and gain liberation from his delusional family—offers a justifiable denouement, CINEMA recommends The Fighter only to older teens and up due to strong language, imitative behavior and premarital sex scenes.—By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

Shake, Rattle and Roll 12

CAST: Shaine Magdayao, Ricky Davao, Andi Eigenmann, Carla Abellana; Nash Aguas DIRECTORS: Zoren Legaspi, Topel Lee, Jerrold Tarog; PRODUCERS: Roselle Monteverde-Teo, Lily Monteverde; LOCATION: Luzon; GENRE: Horror; DISTRIBUTOR: Regal Films

Technical Assessment: 2.5
Moral Assessment: 2.5
CINEMA Rating: V14

Ang unang kwento ay umiikot sa magkapatid na naulila na sa ina. Sa isang pagdalaw nila sa sementeryo ay makakapulot ng isang lumang manyika ang mas nakababatang kapatid. Iuuwi niya ito at tatawagin MAMA DOLL dahil tila ba pupunan nito ang pangungulila niya sa ina. Pero malaki ang pagdududa ng kanyang nakatatandang kapatid na si Anna (Shaina Magdayao) na may masamang espiritu nakapaloob sa manyikang ito at hindi nito titigilan hangga’t hindi matuklasan ang kwento sa likod ni Mama Doll.

Ang sumunod na kwento ay pinamagatang ISLA dahil naganap ito sa isang liblib na islang tinitirahan diumano ng engkanto. Daranting sina Andrea (Andi Eigenmann) dito upang magbakasyon at paghilumin ang puso. Susubukan niyang idaos ang SOULMATE RITUAL kung saan ay makikita niya ang mukha ni Rey (Rayver Cruz), ang tagapangalaga ng isla na nawalan na rin ng kasintahan dito. Pero sa halip ay matitipuan si Andrea ng engkanto at tuwing gabi ay susunduin siya ng mga lambana upang dalhin sa kaniyang kuta. Mapipigilan ba ni Rey na maulit kay Andrea ang nangyari sa kanyang kasintahan?
Ang huling kwento ay ang PUNENARYA at umiikot ito kay Diane (Carla Abella) at ang kanyang karanasan sa pamilya ng mga batang kanyang tinuturuan. Dahil sobrang sensitibo sa liwanag ang kanilang pamilya ay mapipilitan si Carlo (Sid Lucero) na kumuha ng tutor para sa kanyang mga anak sa kabila ng panganib na matuklasan ni Diane ang kakila-kilabot na liham ng kaniyang pamilya.

Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit kung kailan panahon ng pagsasaya at pagdiriwang ay gugustuhin ng mga taong manuod ng kakatakutan. Sa ika-12 serye ng Shake, Rattle and Roll lalong ginawang nakakikilabot and mga eksena dahil talaga namang nakadidiri ang umaapaw na dugo at lamang loob. Isa-isahin natin ang aspetong teknikal ng 3 kwento.
Sinikap ni Legaspi na bigyan ng bagong atake ang istilo ng pananakot sa MAMA-YIKA sa pamamagitan ng tila hapyaw at magulong mga kuha. Maganda sana ito at nakadagdag sa tensyon kung sinikap din ng manunulat na ayusin ang mga dialogue at gawing mas orihinal ang kwento. Hindi lamang korni ang script kundi nakakabagot pa ito. Hindi rin buo ang kwento dahil maraming eksena o tauhan ang maaring alisin nang wala naming mawawala sa itinakdang istorya. Nakakatawa rin ang halimaw na manyika. Kunwa’y imortal at di tinatablan ng patalim o ng pagpugot ng ulo pero namatay pangsumandali nang tamaan ng bala. Ang walang buhay na pagganap ni Magdayao ay lalong nakapangit sa yugtong ito.

Kung nakaiinis ang mala Chuckie doll na MAMA-YIKA ay nakalilito naman ang kwento ng ISLA. Hindi mo na nga maintindihan ang tinutukoy na misyteryo ng Engkanto at ni Ray, magulo pa ng pagtatagni-tagni ng mga eksena. May mga lumitaw na engkanto na bigla na lamang nawala at nakalimutan. Maging ang tauhan ni Maya (John Lapus) ay hindi naman nakatulong sa istorya, bagkus ay pampatawa lamang para siguro hindi naman mahalata ng tao na walang saysay ang yugtong ito. Hindi ko na rin bubusisiin ang hindi magandang visual at computer generated effects nito na para bang isiningit lamang ng wala ni kaunting pagplaplano.

Pinakamatino na sana ang PUNENARYA. Magaling ang supporting cast, malinaw ang istorya at buo ang daloy ng kwento. Maganda rin ang katauhan ni Diane (kahit magtataka ka kung bakit ang pilay na kapatid pa ang pinasundo niya nang siya ay malagay sa panganib) bilang bida dahil matapang siya at marunong manimbang kumpara sa iba babaeng pinatatakbo at pinasisigaw lamang habang hinahabol ng mga halimaw. Kaya lang ito rin ang yugto na talaga namang nakadidiri at dinaan ang pananakot sa pag-agos ng dugo, mga asong kumakain ng laman at pagtiwangwang ng lamang-loob ng biktimang kinakain nnag buhay.

Sa kabuuan, hindi sulit ang panunuod ng Shake Rattle and Roll 12; mas tipid pa kung aabangan na lamang ang pagpapalabas nito sa telebisyon o cable para malibang naman ang manunuod sa mga isisingit na commercial. Kadalasang nakikita sa mga pelikulang horror ang katapangan ng bida at katapatan sa kanyang mga mahal sa buhay. Sinikap ng pelikula na ipakita ito sa pagmamalasakit ni Anna sa kapatid, sa mga kaibigan ni Andrea at sa kabaitan ni Dianne. Magandang halimbawa rin sana ang katauhan ni Carlo na may paggalang sa tao kahit kaunti kaya’t pinili nilang bangkay lamang ang kainin (mala –Cullen ng Twilight). Pero ang katangiang ito ay nasasapawan ng maliit ngunit nakababalisang mensahe.

Una, sa MAMA-YIKA, hindi marunong magpatawad si Anna dahil hanggang kalagitnaan ng kwento ay sinisisi pa rin niya ang kanyang ama sa pagkamatay ng ina. Ikalawa, ang pagmamahal ng kanyang ama ay katumbas lamang ng mga laruan at materyal na bagay na naibibigay niya sa anak. Parang hindi siya nagsumikap na makabawi o mapunuan sa mga anak ang pagkawala ng kabiyak dahil sa kanyang kasalanan. Ikatlo, sa ISLA, tila ba ang paraan ng pagsasaya at paglimot sa sakit ng kalooban ay ang paglulong sa alak gabi-gabi.

Subalit ang pinakanakababalisa sa lahat ay sa tatlong kwento, para bang hindi naggapi ang kasamaan. Ang katapusan ng tatlong istorya ay nagpapahayag ng muling pagsasaboy ng lagim at kamatayan. Oo nga’t ganito ang buhay, umiikot at madalas nagpapatuloy pa rin ang kasamaan sa kabila ng pakikipaglaban ng ilan pero sana ay nagbigay naman ang pelikula ng kahit kapirasong pag-asa upang maipakita na sa huli kabutihan pa rin ang mangingibabaw.

Hindi angkop ang pelikula sa mga bata dahil sa tema, mga tagong mensahe at labis na karahasan ng mga eksena.—Ni Josefina Fenomeno