A good day to die hard

Cast: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch, Sergei Kolesnikov, Yuliya Snigir; Direction: John Moore; Story and Screenplay: Skip Woods, based on the characters by Roderick Rhorp; Cinematography: Jonathan Sela;  Editing: Dan Zimmerman; Music: Marco Beltrami; Producers: Alex Young, Wyck Godfrey; Genre: Action; Running Time: 110 minutes;  Location: Russia; Distributor: 20th Century Fox
 

Technical assessment:  3

Moral assessment: 2.5

CINEMA rating:  V18

  

In Moscow, Victor Chagarin (Sergei Kolesnikov), a high ranking official coerces whistle-blower and political prisoner Yuri Komarov (Sebastian Koch) into handing over a secret file which Chagarin believes to have incriminating evidence against him.  Simultaneously, Jack McClane (Jai Courtney) is arrested and offers to be a witness against Komarov in exchange for a shorter sentence. In New York, John McClane (Bruce Willis) learns of his estranged son’s arrest and decides to go to Russia to bail him out.  What John doesn’t know is that Jack is actually a CIA operative who is trying to rescue Komarov and retrieve the file, too, as part of his mission to thwart a major crime in Chernobyl.  But John’s sudden appearance spoils the CIA’s plans and Jack is left to continue his mission on his own. Jack, trying to win back the son he has never known, trails along and constantly proves to be their life saver with his street smart keenness and wit to counter the double crossing and deceptions that happen along the way.

From one explosion after the other, the film desperately tries to fill in the crevices of storytelling with a poor excuse of a father-son plot, which may not sustain the audience's sympathy or interest.  The chase sequences, which must have received the biggest investment in the production, are just loud and tiresome to watch. Unless the McClanes have found an amulet to shield their bodies from death,  the action sequences are implausible for ordinary humans to survive. The greatest satisfaction is counting the minutes before the end credits roll because between waiting for the next explosion and for Jack to finally call John "dad", the scenes pass through like a madman's train of thought—absolutely meaningless and senseless.                                                                                     

John McClane follows this philosophy—“Get the bad guys.”  Okay, that is good so far.  But then, he continues this statement with  "at any cost".  Now it becomes problematic because at any cost in the movie means blowing up cars, destroying property, endangering lives of innocent by standers who happen to be in the way of the action.  Fine, the McClanes are supposed to be macho heroes who take fear and danger by their horn but with all the damage and violence that came hand in hand with the action, one would have to ask if the effort was worth it. 

On the other side of the plot is a father desperately trying to win the affection and respect of the son he had neglected in his youth.  The film’s attempt to make a statement for the importance of the father-son bond, albeit against a backdrop of violence, is the movie’s saving grace.  It has tender father-son moments to emphasize the need for family unity and love but the explosions and the violence are much too loud to have that lesson instantly heard.  One has to pay attention to the close-ups—the exchanges between father and father, father and son, father and daughter—to get the message.   A good day to die hard wants to say that the human need for family and the parental need for filial love outlast a man’s need for success in his career even if that career were as dehumanizing as detective work.   It is never too late to begin to heal wounds and start over again.

Upside down

Cast: Jim Sturgess, Kirsten Dunst; Direction: Juan Diego Solanas; Story and Screenplay: Juan Diego Solanas; Cinematography: Pierre Gill; Editing: Dominique Fortin;  Music: Benoit Charest; Producers: Claude Leger, Dimitri Rassam, Aton Soumache; Genre: Sci-fi Drama;  Location: Running Time: 110 minutes; Distributor: Touchstone Pictures

Technical assessment:  3

Moral assessment: 3

CINEMA rating: V14

MTRCB rating:  GP (General Patronage)

In another part of the universe, twin worlds exist with the following rules of gravity:  1) All matter is pulled by the gravity of the world it comes from; 2) An object’s weight can be offset by matter from the opposite world or inverse matter; 3) Matter in contact with inverse matter burns after some time.  The inhabitants of each world are not allowed to have any relationship with each other and their only contact is through Transworld, an industrial corporation built by the world above that enables it to get gas from below at the same time supplying it electricity at such high cost.

In the poorer exploited world below, Adam (Jim Sturgess) lives as an orphan who has inherited from his aunt a secret formula that allows matter to defy gravity while on the richer oppressive world above, Eden suffers from amnesia after a fatal accident when she was a teenager. The memories Eden lost before her accident were the secret meetings she made with Adam. Ten years after the accident, Adam sees Eden in a TV program sponsored by Transworld and decides to use his secret formula to gain employment and meet Eden once more.  But to win her back, he must defy gravity, confront the prejudices of the world above, regain Eden’s trust and try to make her believe the dreams she has been having were memories of their past.

The effects and production design are splendid, giving that gritty in your face feel of a hard core reality even with the obvious vignette and color corrections.  The visual effect is breath-taking with the seamless blending of fiction and fairy tale in the work.  It is obvious that this film was challenging to shoot and execute but Solanas pulled it off quite impressively, technically speaking.  This aspect made the film engaging despite its pretentious storytelling.  The story and its tempo resonate Gattaca and move too slow for comfort.  It did not help that Sturgess and Dunst both were irritatingly sugary and stilted.  You just knew from the start that they will end up with each other after the first 10 minutes so why wait another hour and forty? You can just wish there was more to the movie than just the same old love story.

Love is just so great and powerful it defies gravity—literally, in this movie, at least. Love gives hope and determination to (also literally) rise above a predicament. But more than the romantic love is the basic respect for a person not because he or she is loveable but because he is a human being regardless of class, race or social status.  The stronger and more honorable love was not between Adam and Eden but with Bob—Adam’s upper world co-worker in Transworld—who made no distinctions between the poorer and the richer world. Very subtly, the movie talks about equality, brotherhood and breaking that barrier that separates worlds and people based on what they have.

As a whole, the movie is decent and wholesome but suggestions of pre-marital sex and pregnancy outside marriage might be misunderstood by very love struck teenagers. 

(Editor’s note:  MTRCB rates this movie GP, but parents surely have a lot of explaining to do to curious kids, not only about Newton’s law of universal gravitation which all satellites and projectiles obey, but also the probability of pregnancy without sexual intercourse.  Thus it comes as a surprise (spoiler coming!) that Eden announces in the end that she’s pregnant.  Nowhere in the movie do Sturgess and Dunst go beyond prolonged and boring kissing—but hey, wait, could they have “done it” just by floating in the air while locked in an embrace?  You never know in sci-fi.  But that’s what CINEMA is trying to say here.  Upside down is science-fiction, and despite its scientific sounding opening scene laying out the fictional gravitational laws from which the story attempts to draw its claim to credibility, the storyline is burdened with inconsistent physics.  Mesmerized by the stunning visuals, intelligent kids might still wonder: Are there even sunsets or sunrises in either world?  Do the worlds revolve around a sun jointly?  Do they rotate around their individual axis synchronized?  We’re willing to grant that the makers of Upside down are trying to present an ideal society where freedom and equality reign supreme, and that a new civilization is possible through the union of Adam and Eden—the choice of their names is a giveaway—but don’t let their hypothesis turn your science upside down).

Gangster squad

CAST: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Pena, Robert Patrick.  DIRECTOR:  Ruben Fleischer.  PRODUCER: Dan Lin, Kevin McCormick, Michael Tadross.  SCREENPLAY:  Will Beall (based on ‘Tales from the Gangster Squad’ by Paul Lieberman.  MUSIC: Steve Jablonsky.  CINEMATOGRAPHY: Dion Beebe.  RUNNING TIME: 113 minutes.  LOCATION: United States.  DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros.

Technical assessment:  3.5

Moral assessment:  2

CINEMA Rating:  A 18

MTRCB Rating:  R 13

Gansgter Squad is set in post-war Los Angeles, USA, 1949.  A truly vile gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) wants complete control of the city, owning perennial money pots—the dope and sex trades.  To turn LA into his private empire, Cohen has got half of LA’s cops by the balls, so to speak, plus a couple of contacts in high places.  The police chief, William Parker (Nick Nolte) is hot on dousing cold water on Cohen’s fire, by all means.  So he taps another Cohen-hater, the intensely idealistic World War II veteran Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) after he proves himself incorruptible.

O’Mara handpicks the “gangster squad” who will work under the radar to bring Cohen down: fellow war veteran Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling); sharpshooter Max Kennard (Robert Patrick) and his sidekick Navidad Ramirez (Michael Pena); Afro-American tough cop Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie); and wiretapper Conway Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi).  Although off to a cartoonish start, the mystery team scores success after success in sabotaging Cohen’s establishments, getting enough media mileage to provoke Cohen into waging a full blown war against his secret, unidentified saboteurs.  Things get sticky when the slickster Wooters seduces Cohen’s babe Grace Faraday (Emma Stone)—and the two fall in love, trysting right under Cohen’s nose.

The trailer may be promising due to its stylish veneer, but don’t let that fool you.  Gangster Squad opens with Cohen’s rival chained in all fours to two cars that run off in opposite directions, tearing the guy in two, like a frog in a science lab.  Eeeeeeoow!  Expect more gore and guts spilling in most of the 113 minutes of slick killing and amusing vintage car chases.  You can’t ask anything more from a cast that features two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn (whose sterling performance, by the way, should elicit visceral reactions from the audience); three Oscar nominees (Brolin, Gosling and Nolte); and one of the sizzling-est stars in Hollywood these days, Emma Stone.  Stone’s character is thinly-drawn, though, making her look like a high school kid in homemade Laureen Bacall gowns.  Gangster Squad is fast paced, well shot, well written and should appeal to movie fans of that genre.

You have to be a hopeless or an idealistic fool to want to be part of a vigilante squad like this one.  As always with this kind of story where do-gooders are tunnel-visioned about their targeted villain, the question is: does the end justify the means?  Are their ways moral?  Legal?  Is justice served?  If you must watch it, watch it with prudence and discernment.  Immature audience will surely get lost in its tangled (un)ethical web.

Seduction

 

LEAD CAST: Richard Gutierrez, Solenn Heussaff Sarah Labhati.  DIRECTOR: Peque Gallaga. PRODUCER:  Regal Films.  GENRE:  Romantic drama.  RUNNING TIME:  105 minutes  DISTRIBUTOR:  Regal Films.  LOCATION:  Philippines

Technical Assessment: 3

Moral Assessment: 2

CINEMA Rating:  A  18

MTRCB Rating:  R 13

Pilit na pinagkakasya ni Ram (Richard Gutierrez) ang kinikita bilang isang bumbero subalit kapos pa rin. May malubhang sakit sa bato ang kanyang ama na kailangan ng malaking halaga upang maisalba ang buhay nito. Sa panahong higit na pangangailangan ay minalas na masuspende siya sa trabaho dahil sa ginawa nilang pangingikil sa may-ari ng hotel na nirespondehan nila upang apulahin ang sunog.  Habang suspendido ay umupa si Ram sa bahay ni Trina (Sarah Labati) na sa kalaunan ay magiging kasintahan niya. Samantala, isang mayaman na half-Filipino, half-French si Sophia (Solenn Heusaf)  na gustong magpasalamat kay Ram dahil sa pagliligtas sa kanya mula sa sunog.  Nalaman ni Sophia na suspendido si Ram at nangangailangan ng pera kaya para makabawi sa pagliligtas sa kanya ay babayaran niya si Ram ng malaking halaga upang magtrabaho sa kanya bilang driver at body guard. Subalit sa katagalan ay magiging sex partners sila at mahuhulog ang loob  ni Sophia kay Ram. Nang hindi masusuklian ni Ram ang nararamdaman ni Sophia sapagkat mas matimbang sa kanya si  Trina ay magdaramdam si Sophia sa kanya at makakaisip maghiganti.

Maganda ang mga teknikal na aspeto ng pelikula. Mahusay ang mga kuha ng camera lalo na sa mga eksena na nagpapakita ng mga tanawin at tradisyon katulad ng kasalan sa probinsya. Maingat din ang naging trato ng direktor sa mga madalas na eksena ng pagtatalik.  Medyo mahaba at nakakainip nga lang na parang walang katapusan ang mga eksena ng sunog. Nakasentro sa karakter ni Ram ang kwento bilang binata na ginamit ang matipunong katawan at magandang mukha upang katulad niya ay bumigay sa mga kahinaan sa laman ang mga babae kabilang na sina Trina at Sophia. Ipinakita sa pelikula ang iba't ibang hamon at sitwasyon na nararanasasan ng isang bumbero na inaakala ng marami na sa tuwing may sunog lamang nagtatrabaho. Tama lamang ang mga pagganap nina Gutierrez, Heusaff at Labati. Nagsikap ang direktor na mailabas ang hinihinging emosyon mula sa mga artista sa mga eksena.  Nakatulong ang suporta ng mga katulong na aktor katulad ni Jay Manalo maliban sa kanya ay tila hindi kumportable sa pagmumura ang iba pang tauhan lalo na si Ram, kaya pilit ang dating. 

Napakarangal na hanapbuhay ang pagiging bumbero. Hindi lahat ng tao ay nasa posisyon na katulad nila kung saan nakasalalay ang kaligtasan ng  maraming buhay at ari-arian ng mga tao. Subalit saglit lamang ito pinakita sa Seduction; ang mas malaking bahagi ng pelikula at mas naikintal sa mga manonoood ay ang ipinakita na ang mga bumbero na tumatanggap ng lagay, ginagamit ang katawan para makabayad ng utang, at parang mga hayok na ginagawang libangan ang panonood ng pakikipagtalik ng kasamahan. Madalas ang mga eksena ng pagtatalik  na pawang nasa konteksto ng pang-aakit at pagbibigay sa tawag ng laman ng hindi naman legal na mag-asawa. Mahinang karakter ng lalaki ang pinakita sa pelikula. Bahagyang nilagyan ng pagpapakita ng sakripisyo bilang anak para sa kaniyang maysakit na ama, pero mas nangingibabaw at nanaig ang mga kahinaan sa tukso na humantong sa walang saysay na pagbubuwis ng buhay. Sa kabuuan ay walang maihain na magandang aral ang pelikula at maaring mabahala ang isang manonood na gustong maglibang at makakuha ng magandang mensahe sa isang palabas.

Chinese zodiac

Cast: Jackie Chan, Kwom Sang-woo, Liao Fan, Yao Xing Tong, Laura Weissbecker; Director: Jackie Chan; Screenplay: Jackie Chan; Editor: Music: Roc Chen, Nathan Wong,  Producers: Jackie Chan, Stanley Tong, Barbie Tung Genre: Action Comedy; Running Time: 123 minutes; Location: France; Distributor: Star Cinema
 

Technical assessment:  2

Moral assessment:  3

CINEMA Rating: V14

MTRCB Rating: PG 13

A century ago, during the 2^nd Opium War, the Brits invaded Summer Palace in China and stole most of their precious artefacts and national treasure; included were the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals bronze heads. In the present times, MP Corporation sells replicas of these precious collections to the highest bidder and commissions JC (Chan) to recover the remaining bronze heads. JC and his team travel to France where two of the bronze heads are said to have been found. He meets and eventually teams up with Coco (Tong), an idealistic Chinese woman working to return lost antiquities to her native land and Katherine (Weissbecker), the naïve French great great granddaughter of the invaders of the Summer Palace. In the beginning JC sees his mission as another job that will earn him a lot of money. But eventually, he realizes the importance of respecting his nation’s treasures and risks his life to save both the artefacts and the people he cares about.

Chinese Zodiac is nothing more than a vanity project for Jackie Chan. He simply cannot handle all the creative and technical demands of a decent movie and should have been advised to just simply be the lead cast. (The Guinness Book of Records named Chan MOST CREDITS IN ONE MOVIE) In fact for his stature, Chan should be more selective of the roles he accepts. Definitely not one that showcases his limited thespian skill and his aging agility. Between the exhausted and prolonged chase sequences that viewers have seen in older Chan films and the dull pontifications about the industrialized nations pillaging the weaker ones, the movie falls shamelessly on its face with confusing language switches from Chinese to English to French, a miscued framing, artistically challenged camera works, so-so scoring and a really dreadful storytelling. The gadgets are impressive but are obviously imitations of those in James Bond or Mission Impossible films. Save for the opening rollerblade chase and the ending skydiving sequences, there isn’t really much signature Chan moves the viewers can expect. Ultimately, the movie is irredeemably boring and badly made.

Respect for culture and history are romanticized yet consistently overlooked in modern times. More often, culture and history are remembered for the media opportunity and their profitability as tourist attractions.  The real deep-rooted love for heritage is lost—Chinese Zodiac had the intention of getting this message across until it was eaten in the confused creative and technical work of Chan.

The man with the iron fists

LEAD CAST: Russell Crowe, Cung Le, Lucy Liu, Byron Mann, RZA, Rick Yune, David Bautista, Jamie Chung  DIRECTOR:  RZA.  SCREENWRITER:  RZA, Eli Roth  PRODUCER:  Eli Roth, Marc Abraham, Eric Newman, Thomas   EDITOR:  Joe D’Augustine  MUSICAL DIRECTOR:  RZA, Howard Drossin  GENRE:  Action/Adventure  CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Chi Ying Chan  RUNNING TIME:  96 minutes  DISTRIBUTOR:  Universal Pictures  LOCATION:  China

Technical assessment:  3

Moral assessment:  1.5

CINEMA rating:  Not for public showing

MTRCB rating:  R 18

Gold is being stored in a village, and in the basement of the local brothel. The emperor is concerned about it. The villain has killed his master for it. The master’s son arrives bent on revenge. The madam has schemes to hold on to it. The local blacksmith (a marooned American slave) makes weapons that can defend it. An Englishman rides into town and teams up with the goodies. A sinister emissary also turns up to secure the gold.  And a big man who can produce bronze armor over his skin as needed does some dastardly deeds.

The slave is the title man—who has lost his arms but has been able to produce and connect hands, arms and, especially, fists of iron while working as a blacksmith. He is played by rapper RZA who co-wrote the film with Eli Roth (Hostel) and directs. It is a Chinese production, but also presented by Quentin Tarantino (echoes of the Kill Bill films).  That outline doesn’t necessarily spoil the action for potential audiences. All that plotline does is provide the occasion for martial spectacle.—(Excerpted from Fr. Peter Malone, Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting)

CINEMA rates this movie "NPS", or Not for Public Showing. 

The Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA) has rated it "R", or Restricted "for bloody violence, strong sexuality, language, and brief drug use"?  In the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) website, a review is published by Catholic News Service which states,  "the film contains excessive bloody violence, gruesome images, graphic sexual activity, implied aberrant sex acts, a prostitution theme, drug use, an anti-Catholic slur, much rough language and a few crude or crass terms" and classifies it as "O"—morally offensive.

The following notes taken from various various Canadian Film Classification boards add this information to explain why The Impossible has earned their "R" rating.

Violence:

- Frequent hand-to-hand and weapons violence, with blood and detail shown.

- Explicit depictions of evisceration and dismemberment.

- Detailed gory and grotesque images.

- Frequent and prolonged portrayals of graphic violence.

- Disturbing scenes.

- Depictions of beating, shooting, stabbing, dismemberment, torture and decapitation.

Sexual Content:

- Infrequent portrayals of sexual activity with no nudity, but some detail.

- Simulated and implied sexual activity.

- Sexual references and innuendo.

- Embracing and kissing.

Language:

- Infrequent use of the sexual expletive and variations in a non-sexual context.

- infrequent use of scatological slang.

- Ethno-cultural slurs.

Drugs and Alcohol:

- Infrequent references to drug use.

- Tobacco use.

(Editor's note:  Due to a miscommunication error, the MTRCB rating on this movie was earlier cited as PG 13.  The correct MTRCB rating for "Man with the Iron Fists" is R 18).

Menor de edad

Cast:  Meg Imperial, Wendell Ramos, Ara Mina, JC Parker, Chynna Hortaleza; Director:  Joel Lamangan: Screenplay: Raquel Villavicensio;  Producer: Viva Films; Running Time: 90 minutes; Genre: Drama; Location: Philippines

Technical Assessment: 2

Moral Assessment: 2

CINEMA Rating: A 18 (for ages 18 and above)

MTRCB Rating: R 13

Si Jen (Meg Imperial) ay isang 15-anyos na estudyanteng maraming pinagdadaanan sa buhay. Hindi niya nakilala ang kanyang ama at kanyang ina (Ara Mina) naman ay may kinasakasamang tomboy (JC Parker) na tumatayong padre-de-pamilya. Dahil dito’y tampulan si Jen ng tukso sa eskuwelahan kung kaya’t mapapasama na lamang siya sa isang gang ng mga kabataang babae sa kanilang lugar na kinabibilangan ng kanyang pinsan. Mapapansin ng kanilang guro sa Pilipino na si Ariel (Wendell Ramos) na tila laging malungkot si Jen at nag-iisa. Magmamagandang-loob ito na tulungan si Jen sa kanyang pag-aaral at dito magsisimula ang kanilang pagkakaibigan. Ngunit dala ng bugso ng damdaming kabataan ay magkakagusto si Jen kay Ariel.  Magsisimula ang gulo ng akusahan ni Jen si Ariel ng dimuano’y panggagahasa sa kanya.

Masyadong maraming nangyayari sa Menor de Edad.  Bagama’t naka-sentro ang kuwento kay Jen, madalas itong nagpapaligoy-ligoy sa sa napakaraming tauhan na halos wala namang kinalaman sa pinakabuod ng kuwento. Resulta’y isang pelikulang mahirap panoorin ang Menor de Edad. Isabay pa rito ang pagiging magulo ng mga kuha ng kamera na animo’y nag-iistilong moderno ngunit wala naman sa hulog ang pagkakagawa at hindi naaayon sa nais nitong iparating na kuwento. Maging ang pag-arte ng mga tauhan ay pawang stereotyped din. Walang bagong inihain maging sa script. Maraming katanungan ang nangangailangan ng kasagutan ngunit pawang di naman nararapat pang pag-aksayahan ng panahon dahil ang mismong gumawa ng pelikula ay tila hindi naman interesadong alamin kung ano talaga ang gusto nilang palabasin. Kung ang ninais nila’y magsabog ng kalituhan at pasakitin ang ulo ng mga manonood, nagtagumpay sila dito.

Hitik din sa nakababahalang moral ang pelikula sa kabila ng pagsusubok nitong talakayin ng napakaraming problema ng lipunan na nag-uugat sa kahirapan. Nariyan ang pagkunsinte nito sa relasyong homosekswal na ipinakitang katanggap-tanggap. Nariyan din ang pagtatalik ng mga kabataang menor-de-edad na ipinakikitang karaniwan na lamang. Mayroon ding “incest”, bawal na relasyon ng ama at anak na ngunit hindi rin naging malinaw ang tayo ng pelikula patungkol dito. May mapang-abusong media at may guro na lulong sa masamang bisyo at ang pinakasentro ng kuwento ay kung paanong ang kasinungalingan ay maghari sa sistema ng ating hustisya. Ang lahat ng ito ay inihain sa paraang mababaw at walang malabis na pagninilay. Walang malinaw na damdamin na nais iparating ang pelikula dahil sa magulo nitong punto-de-vista.

Walang aral na matututuhan sa Menor-de-Edad, bagkus, magiging masama lamang ang tingin ng manonood sa mundo at walang anumang kabutihan ang makakasagip dito dahil narito ang isang pelikula kung saan kasinungalingan ang naghahari, ang mga bata’y walang buting napupulot sa tahanan man o paaralan, walang Diyos na pinaniniwalaan, at ang lahat ay walang pakialam sa kinabukasan. Kung ang pelikula ay sumasalamin sa lipunan, nararapat na malaman ng manonood na ang Menor de Edad ay hindi malinaw na salamin kundi isang malabong pagtingin sa tunay na kalagayan natin. Dito sila malabis na nagkulang—sa sinseridad. Hindi naging matapat ang pelikula sa kanyang layuning magmulat dahil ang mismong binuo nila ay isang pagmamalabis at pananamantala sa kawalang-malay at muwang ng mga menor-de-edad na nagsiganap dito. Ito’y isang pelikulang hindi nila maipagmamalaki sa kanilang pagtanda. Dahil sa tema nitong sekswal, at mga eksenang nagpapakita ng karahasan, krimen, pagdo-droga at pag-inom ng alak, minamarapat ng CINEMA na ang pelikulang ito ay para lamang sa  mga manonood na hinog ang isipan, 18 gulang pataas.  

The impossible

Cast: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Oaklee Pendergast, Samuel Joslin  Director: Juan Antonio Bayona  Screenplay: Sergio G. Sanchez  Cinematography: Oscar Faura  Music:  Fernando Velazquez  U.S. Distributor:  Summit Entertainment Genre: drama Running Length: 114 minutes

Technical assessment:  4

Moral assessment:  3.5

CINEMA rating:  PG 13

MTRCB rating: PG 13           

The impossible is a drama set during the 2004 tsunami, detailing one family's incredible fight for survival.  Following an eventful Christmas day at a beach resort in Thailand, Henry (Ewan McGregor), his wife Maria (Naomi Watts), and their three sons Lucas (Tom Holland), Simon (Oaklee Pendergast) and Thomas (Samuel Joslin) are enjoying their tropical poolside holiday when one of the worst natural disasters in modern history changes their lives in the blink of an eye—the tsunami that rocked the world.  With no time to run for safety, Henry and his family, just like the dozens of other horrified tourists on the resort, lose one another as they are washed away by the 90-foot wave.  As the devoted parents fight all odds to find and protect their children, they encounter scenes of heart-wrenching tragedy and experience acts of incredible compassion amidst the chaos.

The actors did a marvelous job—you have to see it to feel their sincerity.  The depiction of the horrendous event is flat out stunning.  The impossible’s technical perfection leaves the audience no room to nit pick about flaws—or to try to guess which is actual footage and which is CGI—as it rips right into the viewers’ emotion and carries them away to rush along with the bodies getting slammed on trees, electric posts, broken masonry and other debris.  Witnessing on film and empathizing with the victims’ suffering is a moving and unnamable experience for us who have never been through a tidal wave.  So this is what a tsunami does…  Bodies battered by the merciless waters, scores of cadavers, live victims covered in blood and filth, the anguish of the suddenly orphaned … could the victims be blamed if they were never to believe in God again?

Through it all shines the power of the human spirit not only to overcome but more so to put the welfare of others before one’s own.  Complete strangers weep shamelessly and comfort one another in their grief.  Having heard a child crying beneath the debris, Maria, herself badly cut,  bruised and almost breathless tells Lucas to rescue the child.  Lucas at first refuses lest another wave tear them apart again, but Maria insists “We must… even if it’s the last thing we do…”   In the hospital, Maria, bandaged and strapped to an oxygen tank, tells Lucas to go help others in any way he can instead of just sitting by her bed.  Such instances winess to the undying human spirit and fortify the central self-sacrificial theme of this true story.  Himself going through the angst of yearly adolescence, Lucas absorbs the impact of this vital lesson about life, giving, and sacrifice. 

So this is what a tsunami does… When your life hangs by a thread, you just stop caring about gifts, careers, travel plans—you come to see what really matters in life: life itself, family, compassion.  Try and imagine what you would do when all the things you so enjoy in life are claimed in a split second by an unfeeling tidal wave, when your whole family is grabbed away by a watery hand that’s bigger than your prayers.  What would you do?

Parental Guidance

CAST: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marissa Tomei, Tom Everett Scott, Bailee Madison  DIRECTOR: Andy Fickman;  SCREENWRITER:  Lisa Addario, Joe Syracuse;  PRODUCER: Billly Crystal, Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark; EDITOR:  Kent Beyda; MUSICAL DIRECTOR:  Marc Shaiman; GENRE:  Comedy; CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Dean Semler; RUNNING TIME:  105 minutes; DISTRIBUTOR:  20^th Century Fox; LOCATION:  USA

Technical assessment: 3

Moral assessment: 3

CINEMA Rating:  PG 13

MTRCB Rating:  G (General Patronage)

Artie Decker (Billy Crystal) was laid off work as a sports announcer—a job he held for the past 20 years. His wife Diane (Bette Midler) keeps fit by pole dancing with her friends at home. While Artie is still shocked and devastated by the sad news and wonders how to tell Diane, they receive a frantic call from their daughter Alice (Marisa Tomei).  She has to leave town with her husband Phil Simmons (Tom Everett Scott) for work (and a getaway), and could they please look after their three children Harper (Bailee Madison), Turner (Joshua Rush) and Barker (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf)? Despite protests from Artie, Diane agrees to babysit their grandchildren while their parents are away.

Determined to reconnect with her grandchildren, Diane is willing to do all she can to make them love her, but Artie is still chasing a dream. Both are not prepared for Alice’s and Phil’s automated lifestyle and 21^st century methods of rearing their kids, that is, allowing them to do what they want and never saying no to them or correcting them. Would old school parenting techniques work in the absence of their helicopter parents?

Parental Guidance (previously titled Us & Them) seems to be a parody of present day America and some of the issues that beset family life—despite sophisticated gadgets and technology, parents have less time for themselves or their children, kids are stressed and unable to cope with school or the challenges of growth, older people are left behind by current trends and are not appreciated, the dynamics at work in schools, etc.

Despite the predictable plot, Parental Guidance is fun and enjoyable. The lead actors, especially Billy Crystal and Bette Midler adequately portray their roles. There are many hilarious moments and touching ones, too. It is unfortunate that it had to use some potty humor—could this be for lack of creativity or is it a concession to popular taste?

Grandparents Artie and Diane take care of their three grandchildren using a different approach from what the kids are used to with their parents. Parental Guidance shows that when done to the extreme, both ways can have negative results, hence the need to keep a balance. Despite the differences, what holds the family together is what makes Parental Guidance a good film.  

CINEMA recommends that this be seen by children below 13 with parental guidance.  Even the younger members of the family may be stimulated to comment on the value of the film.

Les Miserables

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Rusell Crowe, Anne Hathaway ; Direction: Tom Hooper; based on the novel by Victor Hugo; Screenplay: William Nicholson, Alain Boubil, Claude- Michel Schonberg, Herbert Kretzmer; Cinematography: Danny Cohen; Editing: Melanie Ann Oliver, Chris Dickens; ; Music: Claude- Michel Schonberg; Producers: Tim Bevan, Cameron Mackintosh, etc.; Genre: Musical-Drama; Location: France; Running Time: 117 minutes; Distributor: Universal Pictures

Technical Assessment: 4

Moral Assessment: 3.5 stars

Rating: A 14

Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) has just been given parole by prison guard Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe) and is set to start a new life. But soon he discovers no one will give an ex-convict a chance.  He comes to the convent of the Bishop of Digne (Colm Wilkinson) where he is offered food and shelter. However, Valjean steals the church’s silver and runs away. He gets caught and is quickly returned to the convent by the authorities but to his surprise the bishop supports his lies and even offers him the church’s silver candlesticks. Touched and shamed by the bishop’s actions, Valjean vows to be a different man and start a new life without his past.

Eight years later, Valjean, now a mayor and businessman, has successfully erased his past by changing his name, but is still hunted by Javert for breaking his parole. Fantine (Anne Hathaway), one of his factory workers, is dismissed by the foreman after being discovered to be sending money to her illegitimate child, Cosette (Isabelle Allen). Desperate to support her daughter, Fantine becomes a prostitute and gets arrested by Javert when she attacks a rude customer. Valjean saves Fantine and vows to care for her daughter.  He buys Cosette’s freedom from the Thenardiers (Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter), wicked tavern owners and professional pickpockets.

Later, Javert who is unaware of the mayor’s disguise, informs him that the man he is after, Valjean, has confessed to his crime of breaking parole and is condemned to die. Unable to accept that an innocent man should die in his place, Valjean appears in court to reveal his true identity, that he is indeed prisoner 24601.  Valjean nonetheless ecapes to find Cosette.

Nine years later, Valjean has raised Cosette as his own daughter but refuses to tell her about the past. Consequently, the death of Lamerque has pushed a group of idealistic students to start a revolution. Marius (Eddie Redmayne), one of the students, sees the grown-up Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) and instantly falls in love with her, breaking the heart of Eponine (Samantha Barks), the Thenardiers’ daughter.  When the revolt ensues, Javert who has posed as a rebel to spy on the group is exposed and handed over to Valjean, who in turn joins the rebels to protect Marius. However, Valjean allows Javert to escape. When the revolt fails, Valjean carries Marius into the sewers and is confronted by Javert at the exit. Javert threatens to shoot him if he does not surrender but Valjean ignores him and shows more concern for the fatally wounded Marius.

The film is almost a sure ball success because it works with givens that are solid and popular. But of course, between the literature and the stage, Hooper has to make sure he creates a cinematically effective translation of the songs and scenes. The production design is striking and impressive with the proper combination of live scenes and CGIs to heighten every emotional theme. There are moments when the direction feels confused between being more theatrical, realistic or cinematic but then again, an ordinary viewer will get so impressed with the treatment that this will be overlooked.

With so few dancing scenes, Hooper’s Les Miserables is more opera than musical.  We cannot question the prowess Hathaway gives to Fantine—her “I dreamed a dream” rendition is one of the most powerful and emotive scenes in the film.  Cohen and Carter are just fabulous as the Thenardiers, though they at times come across as reincarnations of past roles.  Redmayne and Seyfried are lame and forgettable.  Crowe is a disappointment—vocally he is weak, personality-wise, his Javert is bland; maybe he’s just too pretty to look mean or even stern.

Noting all that, and the better aspects of the film—particularly the strong material—we tend to think that actors had been chosen more for their sincerity and passion than their singing prowess.  Perhaps the director wants us to listen to the truths between the notes instead of just being awed by the singing.  As the central character, Jackman is no Pavarotti, but who would not be touched by his soliloquy which he sings direct to the camera, “Why did I allow this man to touch my soul and teach me love?”  Such a soulful performance gives justice to the point of the plot—were he to croak in the middle of the song, still it wouldn’t diminish the power of its message.

Les Miserables may be a Javert-Valjean story, but there wouldn’t be a story without the Bishop—he whose Christ-like forgiveness transformed Valjean’s hardened heart and filled it with new knowledge. (Hooper must have deemed the role so important that he assigned it to the original Valjean, Colm Wilkinson, who played the part for the first time in 1985).  Despite the background of a revolt or the anti-climactic wedding scene, the film is not about a revolution, much less about a love story, but it speaks of a revolution in the heart and of a love so great it can forgive everything. This is perhaps what has attracted audiences to Les Miserables through its long stage and screen history—its message of forgiveness unmistakably echoing the love of God itself.

CINEMA ratings:  AA, All Ages; PG13, Age 13 & below with parental guidance; A14, Age 14 & above; A18, Age 18 & above; NPS, Not for Public Showing.