Dark Shadows

CAST: Eva Green, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller; DIRECTOR: Tim Burton; WRITER: Dan Curtis, John August, Seth Grahame-Smith; GENRE: Comedy / Fantasy; PRODUCED BY: Richard, D. Zanuck, Graham King, Johnny Depp, Christi Dembrowski, David Kennedy; CINEMATOGRAPHY: Bruno Delbonnel; EDITING BY: Chris Lebenzon; DISTRIBUTED BY: Warner Bros.; LOCATION: United States; RUNNING TIME: 113 minutes

Technical Assessment:  3.5

Moral Assessment:  2

Cinema rating:  For viewers 14 years old and above

Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine.  The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green).  A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972.  He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets.— Warner Bros.

Tim Burton revives the classic cult series through Dark Shadows, tagged as a “murderously funny fantasy” starring Depp as Gothic vampire Barnabbas Collins.   The movie may be escapist, all right, and with production designer Rick Heinrichs providing the atmospheric interiors, exploited to the max by cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, and topped off with the tingling score by Danny Elfmann, it does provide an elegant and glamorous escape, whether or not you go for vampires or Goths.

For a bit of history: the original Dark Shadows, Dan Curtis’s vividly melodramatic ABC-TV series, pioneered the use of supernatural elements in soap opera.   It ran weekdays from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971, amassing 1,225 episodes, which is more than most other sci-fi series, including Doctor Who and Star Trek.  Now—both director Burton and star Depp have professed to being obsessed with Dark Shadows in their youth, and especially with debonair vampire Barnabas Collins, the series’ most memorable character.

Those who have seen the original (even internet-smart kids nowadays can download the complete original series) would naturally compare this Dark Shadows to the original concept; they might notice that Burton’s adaptation relies for impact on jokes and special effects instead of the foreboding atmosphere of the original.  The dashing vampire playboy is sometimes overpowered by Depp, the go-to for such bizarre character roles, who as the vampire resurrected after 200 years is a stranger to the modern world circa 1971, when they had only television.  Imagine how that vampire would react had he lain underground for another 40 years, when we have internet and all that!  Anyway, it’s an old team, as Burton and Depp also collaborated on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland.

Would you want children to see Dark Shadows (2012)?   Why not, as long as you warn them it’s fiction.  There’s a lesson somewhat to be learned here about fooling around with love.  Jilted women (like the witch who falls madly in love with Collins) could give you hell even if they can’t turn you into a vampire or curse your whole family; they could be witchy enough to make your life really miserable, even if only through Facebook.  Depp’s role here exhibits a mellowed character towards the end, who—although as a vampire he also inflicts harm on others—may not be totally unredeemable.   

American Pie: Reunion

CAST: Jason Biggs (Jim), Alyson Hannigan (Michelle), Chris Klein (Oz), Thomas Ian Nicholas (Kevin), Tara Reid (Vicky), Seann William Scott (Steve Stifler); DIRECTOR: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schossberg; SCREENWRITER:  Adam Herz, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schossberg; FILM PRODUCER: Chris Moore, Craig Perry, Warren Zide; EDITING BY: Jeff Betancourt;  MUSIC BY: Lyle Workman; GENRE:  Comedy, Romance; CINEMATOGRAPHER     DISTRIBUTOR  Universal; LOCATION: USA; RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes

Technical Assessment:  3

Moral Assessment:  1.5

Cinema rating:  For viewers 18 years old and above

Thirteen Years after they have graduated, Jim (Biggs),Kevin (Nicholas), Oz (Klein), Finch (Thomas) and Stifler (Scott) return to their old town to attend their High School reunion over a long weekend and to momentarily relive their carefree adolescent lives.  Jim, now married to highschool geek Michelle, is suffering from a lacklustre sex life after the birth of their 2-year old son; while Oz’s booming celebrity career and high-profile relationship is merely a façade for the frustration he feels within. Finch is nowhere to be found and Kevin seems happily married and content as a stay-at home dad while Stifler is totally disgusted with his job and his tyrannical boss. When the boys get together, Stifler tries to recreate their high school life complete with slutty behaviour and sluttier parties but realize that his batch mates have outgrown him and actually have matured a notch. Jim gets advice from his dad, now a widower, on how to rekindle their marriage’s romance while the latter gets tips from his son on how to move out of his loneliness. The reunion provides an avenue to each of the characters to resolve their issues and realize how much their friendship means to them after all these years.

American Pie Reunion does not offer anything new. While it remains faithful to its core formula of sexual awakening and the growing up pains that it involves, the fact that the characters are now pushing 40 poses an issue with that premise. It doesn’t help that most of the jokes revolve on exposed body parts,  body fluids and bad attitude because it merely made the movie a little too juvenile. The attempt to give each character a storyline further thinned the already frayed plot.  The actors portrayed their characters as if they were still naïve hormone-driven teenagers raving to explore sexuality which makes them downright silly and pathetic. There are a few cheap laughs here and there and some noteworthy one-lines but who would want to waste two hours on such trashy film?

There are three problem areas with this movie. First, sex is treated as a commodity. Even with Jim’s “sex is sacred and you should save yourself for someone special” line to Kara does nothing to redeem its view on sex as something available to anyone anytime, anywhere. Everyone is just too horny and self-centered and seem to care nothing more than getting laid.

Second, the movie is composed mainly of immature characters who have no qualms about consequences, values or setting an example. It was one thing when the prequels involved highschool teenagers (although this is still not an excuse for sluttiness). But it is totally disgusting to watch 30 something men – some married, most holding a serious profession – trashing out their lives, getting too drunk to remember to wear their pants and finding themselves in silly situations where their marriage and reputation can be jeopardized over the weekend.

And third, although the ending provides a closure or resolution for each of the characters’ conflicts, it does so with a flimsy twist that neither redeem their previous actions or show hope that they are afterall respectable people just a little late on the maturity department.

American Pie Reunion has some good points though. It emphasizes fidelity in marriage and actually celebrates the commitment given to each other despite odds and challenges. Friendship and brotherhood resonate throughout the film. But sadly, these messages are not enough to drown the disgusting storylines and objectionable scenes.

The Cabin In the Woods

CAST: Kristen Connolly (Dana), Chris Hemsworth (Curt), Fran  Kranz (Marty), Anna Hutchison (Jules), Jesse Williams (Holden), Bradley Whitford, Richard Jenkins, Amy Acker, Brian White; DIRECTOR:  Drew Goddard; SCREENWRITER: Joss Whedon., Drew Goddard; PRODUCER: Joss Whedon; EDITING BY: Lisa Lassek;   MUSIC BY: David Julyan; GENRE:  Mystery & Suspense, Horror; CINEMATOGRAPHER     DISTRIBUTOR: Lionsgate  

LOCATION:   USA; RUNNING TIME:  95 minutes     

Technical Assessment:  3.5

Moral Assessment:  1.5

Cinema rating:  For viewers 18 years old and above

SYNOPSIS: Two technicians in a sophisticated industrial facility are getting ready for an unknown operation, one of several taking place around the world.

Meanwhile, five college students drive out for a vacation to a remote cabin in the woods, while the technicians keep an eye on the students with hidden cameras. Through the use of sophisticated environmental controls and the release of mood-altering drugs into the air, each student is manipulated into a fairly common horror archetype by the organization. These changes generally downplay the students' intelligence, while enhancing sexual libido and lack of 

The Avengers

CAST:  Tony Stark (Robert Downey),  Cris Hemsworth (Thor), Cris Evans (Captain America), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Mark Ruffalo (Dr. Bruce Banner/The Hulk), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Scarlett Johansson (Natasha/Black Widow), Don Cheadle (Col James Rhodes), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Stellan Skarsgard ( Professor Erik Selvig), Cobie Smulders (Agent Maria Hill), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts); DIRECTOR: Joss Whedon; SCREENWRITER:  Joss Whedon, Zac Penn (based on Marvel Comics Superhero Team, sixth installment of Marvel Cinematic Universe); PRODUCER: Marvel Studios;  EDITOR: Jeffrey Ford & Lisa Lassek; MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Alan Silvestri; GENRE:   Action, Adventure, Science Fiction; Fantasy; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Seamus McGarvey ; DISTRIBUTOR Walt Disney; LOCATION: USA; RUNNING TIME: 142 minutes

Technical Assessment:  4

Moral Assessment:  3.5

Cinema rating:  For viewers 14 years old and above

       

Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson), director of the international peacekeeping agency SHIELD, recruits Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to form the superhero team of a lifetime that will take on Loki (Tom HIddleston), the brother of Thor.  Loki suddenly materializes at the SHIELD headquarters to steal the Tessaract, the device that will enable him to open a portal in the skies through which evil metal monsters will enter to attack Earth.  Loki, of course, wants total control of the planet, and so begins to wreak havoc on Manhattan, in New York.     

What happens when you have too many cooks in the kitchen?  As the saying goes, too many cooks spoil the brew, right?  But what happens when you get together six superheroes to fight one villain from out of this world?  Superheroes = superegos.  So, first, a clash of egos, which may begin with words and escalate into actual fisticuffs and then metal clashing against metal, as in Thor’s hammer banging Captain America’s shield and vice versa.   In the movies, that is great entertainment.  Outside of Loki (who looks like a greasy-haired druid, although too clean shaven to appear menacing) it’s hard to tell who’ll emerge as another villain, what with all the superheroes’ superpowers!  It’s a really super-super strangely enjoyable freak show and you’d be hard put to decide which freak to root for.  How can you not be amused, for example, by the exchange between Captain America and Iron Man.  CA mocks IM who’d be nothing without his armor; IM with characteristic braggadocio quips that without his suit he’d be a “genius, playboy, billionaire”.  CM glumly declares what is needed is a hero; IM blurts out, “A hero?  Like you?  You’re a laboratory experiment!  Everything special about you comes from a bottle!”

Don’t expect a movie of this type to have much of a plot; with six superheroes kicking ass, a meaty plot would just be a distraction.  What director and writer Joss Wheadon does here is use the formulaic plot as a board on which to pin his characters and action sequences.  It’s a good vs. evil story and we all know who’ll win in the end.  But how the good will win is the challenge that will showcase Wheadon’s directorial talents.  Wheadon is able to delineate the hero-characters admirably, which may be the main reason not one of them emerges as the super-superhero; all are allowed to shine according to their nature and they come out equally victorious in the end.  Even Black Widow who possesses no superhuman qualities turns out to deliver more punches with her bare hands than any of the guys, precisely because she’s got no magical props to lean on.

The Avengers delivers a message that upholds teamwork as the essence of the war against evil.  And it scores high because it explodes with stunt after stunt but doesn’t take itself too seriously.  It’s a good show, it doesn’t tax your emotions, and it’s even unexpectedly funny at times—especially what it does to the megalomaniac villain.    

Battleship

CAST:  Taylor Kitcsh (Lt Alex Hopper), Alexander Skarsgard (Stone Hopper), Broklyn Decker (Samantha Shane), Rihanna (Petty Officer), Liam Neeson (Vice Admiral Shane); DIRECTOR:  Peter Berg; SCREENWRITER:  Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber; PRODUCED BY: Peter Berg, Brian Goldner, Duncan Henderson, Bennett Schneir, Scott Stuber; EDITING BY: Colby Parker Jr., Billy Rich, Paul Rubell;   MUSICAL BY: Steve Jablonsky; GENRE:  Science fiction & fantasy, action & adventure; CINEMATOGRAPHER     DISTRIBUTOR Universal Pictures

LOCATION: United States; RUNNING TIME:   131 minutes  

Technical Assessment:  3.5

Moral Assessment:  3

Cinema rating:  For viewers 14 years old and above

SYNOPSIS: Peter Berg produces and directs Battleship, an epic-scaled action-adventure that unfolds across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force. Inspired by Hasbro's classic naval combat game, Battleship stars Taylor Kitsch as Lt. Alex Hopper, a Naval officer assigned to the USS John Paul Jones; Brooklyn Decker as Sam Shane, a physical therapist and Hopper's fiancée; Alexander Skarsgård as Hopper's older brother, Stone, Commanding Officer of the USS Sampson; Rihanna as Petty Officer Raikes, Hopper's crewmate and a weapons specialist on the USS John Paul Jones; and international superstar Liam Neeson as Hopper and Stone's superior (and Sam's father), Admiral Shane.

The Lucky One

CAST:  Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Blythe Danner, Jay Ferguson; DIRECTOR: Scott Hicks; SCREENWRITER:  Will Fetters based on novel by Nicholas Sparks; EDITOR: Scott Gray; MUSIC: Mark Isham, Hal Lindes; GENRE:  Drama; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Alar Kivilo;    DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Brothers; LOCATION: USA; RUNNING TIME:  101 minutes

Technical Assessment:  3.5

Moral Assessment:  2.5

Cinema rating:  For viewers 14 years old and above

An Iraq War veteran searches for the woman from a mysterious photo that he credits with saving his life during three tours of duty in this romantic drama adapted from the book by Nicholas Sparks. U.S. Marine sergeant Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) was serving his country overseas when he happened across a discarded photo of a beautiful woman. An inscription on the back read "Keep Safe," yet the photo revealed no clues about either the subject or her whereabouts. Upon returning home to civilian life, Logan conducts his own research and discovers that the woman's name is Beth (Taylor Schilling) and that she cares for dogs at a small-town kennel. Before long, Logan manages to get a job at the kennel, and sets his sights on winning Beth's heart. But it won't be easy because Beth's past experiences have made her wary of relationships. Meanwhile, as Logan works to earn Beth's trust, a dark secret from her past threatens to derail his hope for a happy future together 

The Lucky One is the product of the imagination which also brought to the movie world Message in a Bottle and The Notebook.  That told, the viewer would know what to expect, more or less, from this romantic escapist number, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks.  While the plot is predictable, the movie tries to strike a balance between sheer coincidence (as the title implies) and stark reality.  There is enough chemistry between Efron and Schilling to make their sizzling scenes credible, though the characters are familiar stereotypes: the precociously clever son Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart);  the wise grandmother Ellie (Blythe Danner) who can spot good husband material at first glance; the ex-husband Keith (Jay R. Ferguson) a bully of a cop with inferiority issues.  The cinematography is appropriate to the genre, and the location is an enviable setting for a coincidence-laden romance whose foundational elements are the woods with a brook in the backyard, sunlit days of bathing dogs, a placid lade for rowing and chatting, and a lifestyle that thrives on meeting the characters’ simple needs.

The Lucky One would have deserved the PG-13 rating given by the MTRCB if the bed scenes had been pruned considerably or treated with more subtlety.  Even if other critics might say “But this is America”—where premarital sex is almost de rigeur—still CINEMA would classify The Lucky One as an adult movie .  The one character here that exhibits an unexpected but acceptable change is Beth’s ex, Keith, who switches from insufferable bully to lifesaving father.  Credit goes to Ferguson’s sensitive acting—as a bully you’d wish a bigger bully would teach him a lesson, but when he softens watching his son playing the violin with a man he is jealous of, and then switches back to being a bully the next scene, you could see a bad man wanting to be good but can’t become one as yet.  The viewer can resonate with this conflicted character because he is so close to being real. 

    

Machine Gun Preacher

CAST:  Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michelle Shannon; Madeline Carroll, Kathy Baker, Souleymane Sy Savane, Rhema Marvanne; DIRECTOR:  Marc Foster; SCREENWRITER: Jason Keller; PRODUCED BY: Robbie Brenner, Deborah Giarratana, Craig Chapman, Gary Safady; GENRE:  Action, Drama, Biography, Crime; DISTRIBUTOR Relativity Media; LOCATION: USA, East Africa; RUNNING TIME:   129 minutes    

Technical Assessment:  3.5

Moral Assessment:  3

Cinema rating:  For viewers 14 years old and above

The hero is Sam Childers (Gerard Butler), an ex-biker, Pennsylvania tough guy who loved guns and served a prison sentence.  Sam goes through a conversion experience after thinking he and a friend (Michael Shannon) had killed a man.  His wife, his daughter and his mother have found God and lead him to church and baptism.  When he gets his life in order, he is impressed by a preacher visiting from Uganda, and makes the life-changing decision to go to East Africa to help repair homes destroyed by civil war.  Here he is outraged by the unspeakable horrors faced by the region’s vulnerable populace, especially the children. Ignoring the warnings of more experienced aide workers, Sam breaks ground for an orphanage where it’s most needed-in the middle of territory controlled by the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a renegade militia that forces youngsters to become soldiers before they even reach their teens. But for Sam, it is not enough to shelter the LRA’s intended victims. Determined to save as many as possible, he leads armed missions deep into enemy territory to retrieve kidnapped children, restoring peace to their lives--and eventually his own.  His strong-minded wife (Michelle Monaghan), supports him and urges him not to give up though it takes a toll as Childers becomes completely obsessed by his mission--to the point where his daughter accuses him of loving the "little black babies" more than he does her.

Some people may not be able to stand the violence in Machine Gun Preacher.  For instance, when the LRA group captures a young boy in a village, they slice his face and put a sledgehammer in his hands as he faces his sobbing mother. They demand that he kill her, and we watch as the sledge starts to fall. Later, the boy confesses to Sam that his captors told him they would kill him and his brother if he didn't kill his mother.  LRA soldiers also burn down villages, gunning down families as they flee, screaming. 

Machine Gun Preacher confronts viewers with this valuable question:  When does a faith-fueled commitment to a just cause become idolatry?  When Sam's faith falters and he rejects God and contemplates suicide, the film offers up a sobering reminder of the valleys a valiant man will always face. Sam's heart is reawakened by a conversation with a boy who's suffered unspeakable things; the story ends with him re-engaging with his mission.

The true-to-life Childers is still working in Sudan.  Photos of him and his family as well as video footage are shown in the final credits.  Critics note that those interested in the machine gun may lose interest in the religious dimension of the Machine Gun Preacher, while those interested in the preacher may be put off by his warrior-like Christianity in fighting for the rights of the oppressed.  At the end of the credits, Childers tosses the confronting question: If a member of our family were to be abducted and Childers promised to get them back, would we question or object to the way he would do it?  That is a key question for muscular Christians who defend the rights but do not countenance turning the other cheek.

Titanic 3D

CAST:  Leonardo DiCarpio (Jack), Kate Winslet (Rose) Billy Zane (Cal); DIRECTOR:   James Cameron; SCREENWRITER:  James Cameron; PRODUCED BY: James Cameron, Jon Landau;  EDITING BY: James Cameron, Conrad Buff IV, Richard A. Harris;  MUSIC BY: James Horner; GENRE:   Drama, Romance, Classic; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Russel Carpenter; DISTRIBUTOR  20th Century- Fox & Paramount; LOCATION:   North Atlantic Ocean; RUNNING TIME:  195 minutes

Technical Assessment:  4

Moral Assessment:  2.5

Cinema rating:  For viewers 14 years old and above

In 1912, RMS Titanic, aka “The Unsinkable Ship,” is about to set sail for her maiden voyage, and everyone is excited to board it; everyone except Rose Dewitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), that is, who calls it a “slave ship” that will take her back to America and to a life of privilege with her fiance, Cal Hockley (Billy Zane). Meanwhile, Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his friend Fabrizio win a Third Class ticket onto the Titanic in a game of poker five minutes before the ship is to depart, and they run through the crowded English streets trying to catch the ship before it leaves. Rose ends up making Jack’s acquaintance in an unusual situation once on-board, and even Cal and his henchman (David Warner) cannot tear them apart. The romance is tested, of course, when the ship hits an iceberg and it is revealed by the ship’s architect Mr. Andrews (Victor Garber) that Titanic will be at the bottom of the ocean within two hours. 

     People below age 24 couldn’t have seen—or liked, if they’ve seen it—the original Titanic, the blockbuster film by James Cameron circa 1997 that earned for Kate Winslett an Oscar nomination.  Whether or not you go for love stories or romantic fantasies, Titanic will prove too big for you or anyone to ignore.  Okay it’s a formulaic number—rich girl is engaged to rich man who’ll bail her family out of debt; rich girl meets spirited, self-confident poor boy who gives her all the excitement missing in her life; rich girl and poor boy fall in love and go for it; then the gigantic unsinkable boat sinks.   Never mind that it could be manipulative in some parts, the film has the power to carry viewers away—and much of this would be due to the exceptional editing.  Even if you have seen the 1997 original, this 3D version will most likely blow you away.  Unlike most movies that decide to remarket themselves in 3D, Titanic 2012 is enhanced by the 3D conversion.  Released worldwide to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912, Titanic’s return has been announced in movie theaters since months back, and guess who are most eager to see it?  People from teeners to senior citizens—just shows the enduring power of well-told love stories.  It also shows how Cameron—who also did Avatar 12 years after Titanic—is so ahead of his time, able to pull off convincing CGI that would still stun audiences a dozen years after its maiden screening.  If only to feel with the characters what it's like to be confronted by the inevitability of your own death, the movie is worth the price of admission.  By all means, see it.      

Wrath of the Titans

CAST: Sam Worthington (Perseus), Liam Neeson (Zeus),  Rosamund Pike (Queen Andromeda), Ralph Fiennes (Hades), Danny Huston (Poseidon), Edgar Ramirez  (Zeus' other son Ares), John Bell (Helius), Toby Kebbell (Agenor), Bill Nighy (Hephaestus); DIRECTOR: Jonathan Liebesman; SCREENWRITER: Dan Mazeau, David Johnson; PRODUCED BY: Basil Iwanyk, Polly Cohen Johnsen; EDITING BY: Martin Walsh; MUSIC BY: Javier Navarrete; GENRE:  Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy; CINEMATOGRAPHY : Ben Davis DISTRIBUTED BY: Warner Bros; LOCATION: USA; RUNNING TIME:  99 minutes

Technical Assessment:  3.5

Moral Assessment:  2.5

Cinema rating:  For viewers 14 years old and above

SYNOPSIS: A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus-the demigod son of Zeus-is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus' godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans' strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned...

The Hunger Games

CAST: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland; DIRECTOR:  Gary Ross; SCREENPLAY BY: Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, Billy Ray; PRODUCED BY: Nina Jacobson, Jon Kilik;  Executive Producers: Robin Bissell, Suzanne Collins, Louise Rosner-Meyer; EDITING BY: Stephen Mirrione, Juliette Welfling; CINEMATOGRAPHY: Tom Stern; DISTRIBUTED BY: Lionsgate; GENRE:  Action/Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller; LOCATION: USA; RUNNING TIME: 142 minutes

Technical Assessment:  4

Moral Assessment:  2

Cinema rating:  For viewers 14 years old and above

 District 12 is in the Republic of Panem which is ruled by the elite in the distant Capitol.  The citizens of Panem’s 12 districts exist to serve the Capitol’s needs.  An earlier uprising of the Districts results in the extinction of District 13, and the creation of “The Hunger Games”, a televised survival reality show that has contestants called “tributes”—a boy and a girl from age 12-18 from each District—participating until all but one remains alive.  Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) lives with her mother and younger sister Primrose in District 12.  When Primrose’s name is drawn to be District 12’s girl tribute, Katniss volunteers to take her place.  She together with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are swept away to the Capitol to be trained at jungle survival with 22 other youngsters, knowing fully well that they would be compelled to kill in order to win, and, in fact, could even be each other’s killer.  

Unfairly compared with Twilight, Hunger Games is of a totally different genre.  The former is romance/adventure; the latter is adventure-scifi.  The only thing they have in common is their box office aim: teenage girls as the primary target audience.  Lawrence’s intensity as the heroine Katniss carries the movie, but, of course, with the able support of secondary actors that include Donald Sutherland, Wes Bently, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and others.  It is a film version of the trilogy by Suzanne Collins who is also its hands-on scriptwriter.  The Hunger Games incorporates touches from Greek mythology and Roman history as well as themes from productions in the not-so-distant past, like broadcasting of violent contests to pacify the masses (Vengeance on Varos), best friends fighting to the death (Amok Time, a Star Trek episode), the bloodthirsty crowd (Survivor).  The plot is fast paced, making its 140 minutes running time strangely entertaining and thought provoking at the same time.

“The Hunger Games” as entertainment for the elite in the Capitol is the reality tv show to end all reality tv shows.  Unlike the ordinary “survivor shows”, it is not just a question of being voted off the island—it means having to kill human beings for no reason at all but to satisfy the murderous instincts of the audience, and we ought to know the dire consequences of such an episode on the life of the winner-killer.  The “hunger” in the movie could be two-faced—the audience’s hunger for bloodshed and man-against-man violence, and the actual hunger of the contestants who must for instance navigate a mine field in order to get to the food pile.  The Hunger Games may actually mirror a reality in human society where the decadent and powerful one percent “in the Capitol” live in abundance with no other concern but to adorn and indulge themselves while the impoverished and powerless 99 percent work like beasts of burden just to survive and do the elite’s bidding.  The movie attempts to insert a ray of hope towards the end with the decision of the two youngsters, but still, it fails to assure that the hope is potent enough to effect a turn towards justice.  Watch with caution—we shouldn’t let such slick reality shows dictate our realities. 

The Witness

CAST:  Gwen Zamora, Pierre Gruno, Marcelino Ledrandt, KimberlyRyder, Feby Febiola, Agung Saga; DIRECTOR:  Muhammad Yusuf; SCREENWRITER: Beby Hasibuan; PRODUCER: Sarjono Sutrisno; EDITOR:  MUSICAL DIRECTOR; GENRE:  Suspense, Thriller/Drama; CINEMATOGRAPHER     DISTRIBUTOR: GMA & Skylar Pictures; LOCATION:  Indonesia; RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes

Technical Assessment:  2.5

Moral Assessment:  2

Cinema rating:  For viewers 18 years old and above

     

SYNOPSIS: A Filipina expat who works as general manager of a hotel in Jakarta finds her whole family massacred by a mysterious man. Her parents, her only sister Safara, her maid, security, are all dead. She was also shot but somehow managed to survive. Haunted by the incident and a strange dream that keeps coming over and over, she then decides to uncover all the mystery by herself to find out the reason of what she has been going through.

Mirror Mirror

CAST:  Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, Sean Bean, Nathan Lane, Michael Lerner and Mare Winningham; DIRECTOR: Tarsem Singh; SCREENWRITER:  Melisa Wallack, Jason Keller, Jacob Girmm, Wilhelm Grimm; PRODUCED BY: Ryan Kavanaugh, Bernie Goldmann, Brett Ratner, Kevin Misher; EDITING BY: Robert Duffy, Nick Moore;  MUSIC BY: Alan Menken; GENRE:  Fantasy, Science Fiction, Comedy; CINEMATOGRAPHY: Brendan Galvin; DISTRIBUTED BY: Relativity Media; LOCATION: Czech Republic; RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes

Technical Assessment: 4

Moral Assessment: 3.5

Cinema Rating: For viewers 13 years old and below with parental guidance      

SYNOPSIS: An evil queen steals control of a kingdom and an exiled princess enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright.

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

CAST: Voices—Danny DeVito (Lorax), Ed Helms (the Once-ler), Zac Efron (Ted), Taylor Swift (Audrey), Rob Riggle (Mr. O’Hare), Jenny Slate (Ted’s Mom), Betty White (Grammy Norma); DIRECTOR:   Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda; SCREENWRITER: Ken Daurio, Cincon Paul; PRODUCER: Chris Meeldandri & Janet Heally; EDITOR: Ken Schretsmann, Claire Dodgson, Steven Liu; MUSICAL DIRECTOR: John Powell; GENRE:  Adaptation from Dr. Seuss’ book, Animation, Musical,; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Eric Guillon; DISTRIBUTOR:  Universal Pictures; LOCATION:   Universal Studio; RUNNING TIME:  96 minutes

Technical Assessment: 3.5

Moral Assessment: 4

Cinema Rating: For viewers 13 years old and below with parental guidance       

SYNOPSIS: A  3-D animated feature “The Lorax” is a musical entertaining of the 1971 Dr. Seuss eco-cautionary fable that seems to tell all people of the danger in the environment if we cut all the trees. It’s about 13-year-old Ted (voiced by Zac Efron), who seeks out the legendary Truffula Tree far beyond the confines of his treeless, prefabricated town of Thneedville, where fresh air is sold in bottles.

Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang

CAST:  Erich Gonzales (Corazon), Derek Ramsay (Daniel), Mark Gil, Epy Quizon, Mon Confiado, Tetchie Agbayani; DIRECTOR: Richard Somes; SCREENWRITER:  Jerry Gracio; PRODUCER:  Star Cinema, Skylight Films; EDITOR:  MUSICAL DIRECTOR  

GENRE:  Dram/Horror; CINEMATOGRAPHER     DISTRIBUTOR: Star Cinema, Skylight Films; LOCATION: Philippines; RUNNING TIME:  100 minutes     

Technical Assessment:  3.5

Moral Assessment:  2.5

Cinema rating:  For viewers 18 years old 

Synopsis: A married couple of five years, so desirous to have their own baby, seeks help from a lady who recommends devotion to Saint Gerard, patron of women praying to have a child. They are soon gifted with a child, but their baby is stillborn. The mother who could not accept that her child is dead becomes insane and disappears from their home.

John Carter

CAST: Taylor Kitsch (John Cater), Lynn Collins (Princess Dejah Thoris), Willem Dafoe; DIRECTOR: Andrew Stanton; SCREENWRITER: Andrew Stanton, Mark Andrews, Michael Chabon, Edgar Rice Burroughs; PRODUCEd BY: Jim Morris, Colin Wilson, Lindsey Collins;  EDITING BY: Eric Zumbrunnen; MUSIC BY: Michael Giacchino; GENRE: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy; CINEMATOGRAPHER  DISTRIBUTOR Walt Disney; LOCATION:  USA; RUNNING TIME: 118 minutes

Technical Assessment:  4

Moral Assessment: 3

Cinema Rating: For viewers 14 years old and above 

SYNOPSIS: From filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes John Carter-a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). John Carter is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

Money Ball

CAST:  Brad Pitt (Billy Beane), Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jonah Hill (Peter); DIRECTOR: Bennett Miller; SCREENWRITER: Aaron Sorkin; FILM PRODUCER: Brad Pitt, Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz; EDITOR:  MUSICAL DIRECTOR; GENRE: Comedy/Sports/Drama; CINEMATOGRAPHER     DISTRIBUTOR: Columbia Pictures; LOCATION: USA; RUNNING TIME:   135 minutes    

Technical Assessment: 3.5

Moral Assessment: 4

Cinema Rating: For viewers 14 years old and above 

SYNOPSIS: Based on a true story, Moneyball is a movie for anybody who has ever dreamed of taking on the system. Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A's and the guy who assembles the team, who has an intuition: all of baseball's conventional wisdom is wrong. Forced to reinvent his team on a tight budget, Beane will have to outsmart the richer clubs. The onetime jock teams with Ivy League grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) in an unlikely partnership, recruiting bargain players that the scouts call flawed, but all of whom have an ability to get on base, score runs, and win games. It's more than baseball, it's a revolution - one that challenges old school traditions and puts Beane as a target of those who say he's tearing out the heart and soul of the game.

The Devil Inside

CAST:  Fernanda Andrade (Isabella Rossi), Evan Helmuth (David), Simon Quarterman (Ben), Suzan Cowley (Maria Rossi); DIRECTOR:    William Brent Bell, Joaquin Perea; SCREENWRITER:  William Brent Bell, Matthew Peterman; PRODUCER: Mr. Peterman & Morris Paulson; EDITOR: Timothy Mirkovich and Mr. Bell  MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Brett Detar & Ben Romans; GENRE:  Horror; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Gonzalo Amat; DISTRIBUTOR: Paramount  Pictures; LOCATION: Rome, Italy; RUNNING TIME: 85 minutes    

  

Technical Assessment:  2.5

Moral Assessment:  2

Cinema rating:  For viewers 18 years old and above

In recent years, the Catholic Church has established a course in Rome for exorcists and those interested in these experiences of the devil.  The course featured in the 2011 film with Anthony Hopkins, The Rite, and also features in this film.

The Devil Inside might be seen as a commercial rip-off of such films as The Rite—and it probably is.  However, quite some thought has been given to the screenplay and its plausibility and checking out a lot of Catholic details.  Critics will say that too little thought has been given to the screenplay—and with some justification concerning the ending since the film just stops with a more than melodramatic moment.  Perhaps, the makers had run out of ideas and/or budget.

Again, the makers use the now tradition of The Blair Witch Project, disguising fiction as fact.  They also do quite a bit of hand-held camera work to pretend that it is all authentic footage (often with dates and times indicated as in the Paranormal Activity series).  It opens with a video of a crime scene walk through by detectives with commentary introducing the deaths of two priests and a nun during an exorcism of a housewife.  After being declared criminally insane by the Connecticut courts, she was transferred to a Roman institution for the criminally insane.  That was in 1989.

Now, in 2009, her daughter, Isabella, wants to understand what happens and decides to make a documentary.  For the first part of the film, it continues in a documentary style, a film that you might see on television.

Isabella sits in on the course in Rome, which gives the film a chance to offer some thoughts on possession and raise questions about true possession and mental states.  In the class are an American doctor become priest and an English priest whose uncle was an exorcist.  They use technological equipment for their exorcisms and reveal that they are doing their work without church approval (with some comments in the vein of hierarchy cover-ups and bureaucratic mind-sets).

They take Isabella and her cameraman to an actual exorcism—echoes of The Exorcist with contortions, hurlings and prayer in English and Latin.  Isabella agrees to a similar exorcism for her mother who has recognized her but is hostile—and has been officially declared mad rather than possessed.

By this time, the skeptic audience is probably in full scorn mode.  The believers are wondering whether this can really happen.  Those who have been following it sympathetically are hoping that the exorcism will be a success but their movie-going experience is probably warning them that this is the stage where you surrender belief and just go with the ever-increasing melodramatic and violent flow.  It actually does become more melodramatic than expected—and then that stop and the final credits.

It’s only a small-budget, 83 minute possession thriller so better not to make a mountain out of a mole hill.  (In 2010, there was a Protestant/ Evangelical variation on this theme, The Last Exorcism).  There is an initial disclaimer that the Vatican did not give any official approval of the film or help in its making!

Chronicle

CAST: Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Kelly, Alex Russell; DIRECTOR: Josh Trank; PRODUCED BY: John Davis, Adam Schroeder; GENRE: Fantasy / Sci-fi / Thriller; SCREENPLAY BY: Max Landis; CINEMATOGRAPHY: Matthew Jensen;  LOCATION: United States; RUNNING TIME: 83 minutes

Technical Assessment:  3

Moral Assessment:  2.5

Cinema rating:  For viewers 18 years old

Chronicle sounds a fairly straightforward title – though the film runs for only 84 minutes, rather a short time for a chronicle.

This is another hand-held camera story, allegedly using footage taken by Andrew (Dane de Haan), the central character, with his new camera.  In the latter part of the film, other alleged footage from surveillance cameras and other sources is edited in.  So, we are in the Blair Witch tradition, though the story takes us in quite a different direction.

All seems rather domestic at first: Andrew’s room, his alcoholic father, his ailing mother, school where he is put down all the time, a party where he irritates people by filming.  His main friend is his cousin Matthew (Alex Russell) who tries to put the brakes on all the filming, hoping Andrew will get a life.  He does, but the most hoped-for.

Matthew is joined by class president, Steve (Michael B. Jordan) as they explore a mysterious hole in the ground and ask Andrew to film.  Something in the hole exercises a strange power and they become telekinetic as well as finding they can soar into the air.

Strong change of pace at this juncture.

What first seems something jokey and a bit of horseplay becomes something dangerous, fatal for one of the group.  And Andrew seems to be taken over by the power, becoming extremely vindictive, cruel to friends and his many foes, ultimately becoming, not a superhero, but a supervillain.  He could have become a Spiderman type for good but turns into the Green Goblin and the other evil characters from the Spiderman films.

The film becomes rather spectacular by the end as Andrew wreaks his revenge as well being destructive just because he can.  He rationalizes his attitudes with theories of evolution and survival of the fittest, rather Nietschean (though Schopenhauer and Plato are quoted), an evil super-man beyond morality.

Chronicle was filmed in South Africa with quite some interesting special effects – South Africa did a very good job with District 9 and its effects some years ago.

Younger audiences will identify with the characters and the situations and then be challenged by Andrew’s behaviour.  This one has proven popular and may be on its way to cult movie status.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

CAST:  Tom Hanks (Tomas Schell), Sandra Bullock (Linda Schell), Thomas Horn (Oskar Schell), Zoe Caldwell (Thomas grandmother), Max von Sydow; DIRECTOR: Stephen Daldry; SCREENWRITER:  Eric Roth, Jonathan Safran Foer; PRODUCER: Scott Rudin; EDITOR:  MUSICAL DIRECTOR; GENRE: Drama; CINEMATOGRAPHER    DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros; LOCATION: New York City; RUNNING TIME: 129 minutes    

Technical Assessment: 4

Moral Assessment: 4

Cinema Rating: For viewers 13 years old and below with parental guidance     

SYNOPSIS: Oskar is convinced that his father, who died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, has left a final message for him hidden somewhere in the city. Feeling disconnected from his grieving mother and driven by a relentlessly active mind that refuses to believe in things that can't be observed, Oskar begins searching New York City for the lock that fits a mysterious key he found in his father's closet. His journey through the five boroughs takes him beyond his own loss to a greater understanding of the observable world around him.