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Reviews
La visa loca (2005)
la cuneta loca
i love unitel for their vision and their ability to bring such films into the Pinoy silver screen. rare and must-see as these films are, i have come to understand that it will be an eternal battle for sugar pop to be defeated by the real thing.
i am delighted by robin padilla's performance throughout the film. his charming and sincere character wins the audience' hearts instantly. the teatro absurdo effect rendered by the pasyon choir, which appears every time robin's character jess huson is at a fork in the road, gives the film a new and delightfully weird texture.
this film barely made it to the billboards, much less in people's mouths -- sadly they were too busy talking about those sickening pop stars that were born from star in a million or starstruck. honestly, why go through all the effort to find that 'gem' when all stars that come from these crazy contests are as dim-witted as they come? this film shines through the screen, goes out and grabs your heart, and delivers bittersweet moments at the right times.
i also love sharon cuneta for producing this film. this actress made her best turn yet as producer of unitel pictures.
i truly hope MORE of these kinds of films reach our blockbuster thrones. this film is a must-see for all Filipinos at home and abroad and those is between.
Siu nin a Fu (2003)
great action, weird film-making
if i wasn't totally ravished by mr. wu and his charming korean counterpart, i would have never have forgiven daniel lee for this careless, unbelievable spectacle of love and action mishmash. this film had so much potential, they were lucky to get very endearing actors, but something went terribly wrong during production. either they were not reviewing the takes that the cameraman made (blairwitch project was much more steady compared to this), and the scriptwriter seemed to have written this overnight, after he has partied and drank enough alcohol. so many elements are thrown in, there is even a comatosed grandfather involved. flashbacks of his lovelife as a soldier with a nurse keep on coming, as if it is a reference to the romance Bond has made with this korean teacher...i needed to consult a psychologist to actually understand what went on with these two. the fight scenes were unbelievable and i commend wu for his outstanding performance...but i couldn't help feeling sorry for all those months that he dedicated to train and to learn the skill -- it was all captured in a rather weird type of film. the filmmakers can't decide if it was an action-drama film, an artistic film, a pop film or a docu-reality type. truly, i would love it if this film would be remade and given enough love to make it rise to its full potential. my love still goes out to wu for such an endearing performance.
Reality Bites (1994)
take your daily angst multi-vitamins everybody...let's locomote!
winona ryder seems to be at the right generation movies every decade. take 'heathers' for the 80's. 'reality bites' for the 90's. and, well, she still has to make her mark for this era, and i know ppl will kill me if i say it's mr. deeds or s1m0me. nevertheless, reality bites is a movie so close to my heart. it definitely serves as a landmark (or film mark?) for the bottled up dreams and anxieties of the nineties. i think people are afraid to say the movie is good, critics don't seem to know what to make of it. the film's obvious appeal and beauty is something that gets people, but it's also something silly that they can't reveal. reality bites is a filmmaker's dream...it stands on its own, grows big and influential on its own, and shines despite all its slop and sarcasm. i would just like to make a stand and say that this film is good, i'm thankful that helen childress wrote it and ben stiller directed it, and winona and jeaneane took the two best roles one could play. I'm thankful that this movie is there when i need it, right when i've reached my own winter of discontent.
Jack & Bobby (2004)
excellent, just leave out the love angles!
the first episode of jack and bobby moved me in such a way that i swore to myself i would watch every episode until production ended. so i was there for the second, and the third, and the fourth, and then...oh no, wait a second. no...NO...this can't be happening...it's turning into dawson's creek! when the relationships started flooding in - jack with courtney, then jack with missy, then jack with courtney, then missy with courtney, then bobby with dex, then the mom with the school president, then the mom with the TA...i was becoming so wary to the point of paranoia. every time one of the three leads gets close to a guy or a girl my brain goes...oh no, not a love triangle, not a wrong relationship....oh no! i mean, THIS IS A GREAT SHOW HERE,one with SO MUCH POTENTIAL...the actors are great beyond all expectations from TVland acting...but the writers had to stick with the Love angles?? goodness, there's SO MUCH MORE TO EXPLORE! COME ON! get on it already...how did bobby build such an extraordinary character? will jack and bobby's love/hatred for each other only root from girls?? there has GOT TO BE OTHER angles than these circles of relationships. the mom doesn't even have to have that angle! she could probably have that near the last season or something, but there's just so much boy and girl hoopla here that i can't seem to find the excellence, the passion, the greatness that was in the first episode. EXPLORE FRIENDSHIPS, REAL RELATIONSHIPS, for jack and bobby's sake. I OPEN THIS TO ALL THE PRODUCERS, THE WRITERS...go back to what you started in the first episode! there's so much more to this!
The Time Machine (2002)
i can't believe this is dreamworks
i watched this film near midnight, and it didn't help that i was tired and was just pleading for a good movie to come on screen. and then the time machine came on, complete with a close-up of the clock after the opening credits. i sat up a little when i saw simon wells' name, who i thought was probably connected to the great h.g. wells, and which, i later learned, was. so guy pearce entered with a silly hairstyle,and then his ladylove dies and then he wanted to go to the past to correct that certain misfortune. i TRULY HOPED i already slept, but being the hopeful that i was, i continued to see what else was in store. UNFORTUNATELY,the time machine was already built before even a clue of micro-orgasmic minuteness was given to explain how in the world was it conceptualized and created by Alexander. i mean, the title is the TIME MACHINE right? THE MOVIE WAS SUPPOSED TO EXPLAIN THAT. where was the physics? the math? the logic? the common sense? the profound idea that's supposed to sweep us all in awe for the creation of the machine??? so that was what i was wondering until i was transported to 2030 and then to 9234567 and then to 9700800 and what have you. and then Alexander stumbles upon a stone age recap type tribe after the moon shattered...and he meets this tribe girl...and it becomes WORSE than ever. I CAN"T BELIEVE so much brain went into the staggering special effects, but not one neuron was spent in actually telling the freaking story, and giving tribute to the work of h.g. wells. what was simon thinking? what was the poster designers thinking? this movie is soooo worth throwing in the time machine and transported to unknown infinity. it's so sad, so empty...so cheesy...so stone age. i give it four for the special effects effort. i can't believe how this crappy version got into this film era. bleah....
Anastasia (1997)
my curiosity for Anastasia was cured for a moment, then came back more strongly right after the credits
The heavy mystery of Anastasia was delightfully twirled and enhanced with Don Bluth's 1997 adaptation. Surprisingly alert and classical, this movie was determined to capture the haunting and vibrant world of Russia and Paris. The name Anastasia has become as generic as Titanic and Evita, but it is her story's unrequited ending that has kept readers and researchers quite entranced. Going for this angle, and cleverly exploring the woman that has been, and will be, Anastasia, this movie carries a certain air of old-fashionness and socio-historical commentary all wrapped into that bittersweet animated theme.
The all-star cast provided the glamor that the film needed. Lyrical dialogue and thematic songs continuously built the story and provided simple yet satisfying action, conflict and realizations. Dimitri was an excellent character to be added to Anya's story, he provided that other layer of conflict that didn't push romance into the package, but made it bloom so naturally. Rasputin was so carefully created into a trademark villain, his appearance and nature very essential to his metaphor - a living corpse. All characters were well-developed, contributing to the energy and excitement of the story.
I rushed to the theaters almost seven years ago because I knew of Anastasia, and I came out of the theater wanting more of her story. Flipping through Disney channel during the past weeks made me realize how the magic of Anastasia still gripped me, how very daintfully the animated film was made that it puts hasty musicals today in competition. Anastasia was a great experience indeed, one that is fit for any adult audience and one that is enough to stir the wonder in children all over again.