War of the Worlds

* * *
Starring Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Justin Chatwin, Tim Robbins
Directed by Steven Spielberg

What’s it about?

The second film adaptation of the H.G. Wells 1901 novel (the first one being the Byron Haskin directed 1953 movie), War of the Worlds
gives us a glimpse into what might happen if the world gets invaded by
‘bloodsucking’ (quite literally) extraterrestrials. This is basically
your requisite summer end-of-the-world, disaster flick amplified by the
fact that it stars nowadays tabloid fodder Tom Cruise and helmed by uber-director Steven Spielberg.

It’s
about aliens who have been observing our planet, who got mad at us
(something that was lost on me while watching the film), who then
activated their long dormant spacecrafts buried underground to decimate
humans and burn cities to the ground. And somewhere in the middle of
all this is a father-and-kids trio (Cruise, Dakota Fanning and Canadian actor Justin Chatwin) who are trying to get to Boston from New York to get to the kids’ mother.

And
lest you think this piece is a complex, heart-warming fare, let me tell
you it’s not. There isn’t much in the script in terms of drama and
emotion, but it’s oozing with chills and thrills that come routinely
with action films. And if you’re familiar with Spielberg’s body of
work, you know won’t get short-changed in that department.

What you’d like about it

* The fact that, even though the film is soulless, you’d still enjoy this War for it’s pure entertainment value

* The visual effects. This is a Spielberg film after all. The master still delivers.

*
Dakota Fanning. This is the first film I’ve seen her in and it’s proven
that everything that’s been said about her is true–this kid’s a great,
smart actress. You’re just gonna love her.

Go or no?

Go,
if you’re okay with watching a sci-fi flick that offers nothing more
than intergalactic tripods running around your hometown and whose
demise was brought about by Earth’s most "secret" weapon (very lame, in my opinion).

No, if you want your summer blockbusters to offer more heart and soul to compliment its digitally dominated background.

Whatever you chose, just remember: you have been warned!

33 Q&As

1. how’s your heart lately?
beating. flustered. determined.

2. did you ever cheat during exam?
yes. once. and i got caught too.

3. first boyband that made you go gaga?
Menudo

4. how many pairs of shoes do you own?
six pairs i think

5. what CD’s are you currently listening to?
Thunder and Lightning by the MCF Riverband

7. do you buy pirated CD’s, VCD’s or DVD’s?
i used to but not anymore

8. have you ever been suspended in school?
never

9. how many different faces can you make?
a lot especially in front of a mirror

10. how many times do you brush your teeth in a day?
at least twice

11. what perfume do you use?
i don’t use any. i’m not into perfumes. but my soap (Olay) makes me smell really good

12. do you watch pinoy televovelas?
i do. i was a fan of Saan Ka Man Naroroon (with Claudine Bartetto playing three characters). I also liked Hiram (with Kris Aquino) and I’m currently gushing over Darna (with Angel Locsin).

13. how about asianovelas?
oh yeah baby! i went nuts over the korean novela Lovers in Paris!

14. favorite cartoon character?
Justice League’s version of Wonder Woman

15. can you drive?
yes and no. yes, i can drive as in i know how to, but no i can’t as in i don’t have a license

16. favorite streetfood?
fried peanuts

17. describe your room. what can we find inside it?
unfinished. bare walls. cramped. in it you’d find lots of movies (VCDs), lots of boxes

18. do u like to party?
not really. but i enjoy spending time with people i love

19. do you still ask permission from your parents about stuff?
not anymore

20. how often do you change your underwear?
every day! come on!

21. favorite radio station?
DYFR Fm–the life changing radio

22. have you ever been under arrest?
never

23. what song do you sing in the shower?
it varies. sometimes i’m singing songs from my choir. sometimes i’m singing the last song i’ve heard

24. what’s the biggest difference you’ve made in the world?
only the people around me can answer this

25. do you keep a diary?
i have a journal and i have at least 3 blogs on the Internet

26. what do you do when you feel low about yourself?
rebuke the negative spirit and pray to God for help

27. can you cook/bake?
yes, but i haven’t done both in years

28. worst gift you had ever received?
i’ve gotten quite a few but naming them would be bad form

29. are you facing a major problem right now?
i face a major problem every single day

30. how’s your relationship with your parents?
fine

31. are you in love?
not yet. i will be though

32. are you handsome or gorgeous?
i am gorgeously handsome and handsomely gorgeous

33. do you have glasses?
yes. i upgrade it once a year

Batman Begins

* * * * *
Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Ken Watanabe, Rutger Hauer, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Linus Roache (what a powerful cast!)
Directed by Christopher Nolan

What’s it about

This is how one of the greatest detectives came to be; how one of the most efficient crime-fighters emerged; how billionaire Bruce Wayne becomes Gotham City’s protector, dark knight and caped crusader. This is how Batman Begins.

Clearly set apart from previous bat-films, Begins explores the origins of the Batman legend by examining the motivations, the fears, the preparations and the struggles of a budding crime-fighter.

We find Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) halfway around the world looking for the "means to fight injustice" in all the wrong places and through all the wrong ways. He is captured and incarcerated until a mysterious man named Ducard (Liam Neeson) springs him out of jail, promising to give him what he’s been seeking.

Long story short, Bruce is trained by Ducard, and ‘front man’ Ra’s Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), in different types martial arts and other disciplines to make him "more than just a man".

Once he’s learned all he can, Wayne goes back to Gotham City where he starts introducing himself to the bad guys and cleaning up after them as he goes. Along the way he makes ‘friends’ with police detective James Gordon (Gary Oldman), rekindles an old flame in Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) and gets all the help he can in gearing up from Wayne Enterprises exec Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and his ever loyal butler, Alfred (Michael Caine).

Batman then saves Gotham City from its criminal elements, as he always does or, actually, for the first time since this is his debut story. At the end of the film, he manages to get rid of the baddies and establish himself as a force to be reckoned with. And as Bruce Wayne, he takes back his life and the rest of what his father left him.

What you’d like about it

Where do I begin? I mean this movie is such a smorgasbord of everything one could possibly want in a good superhero movie–or even just a good movie at that.

Okay, for starters–Christopher Nolan! His direction of this film is awesome. He’s already proven himself formidable in films like Memento and Insomnia, and in Begins, he does it again! You’re gonna love how this whole movie plays out.

The cast. The stellar cast. The immensely talented cast. You’ve got a marvelous cast that includes Oscar winners (Caine and Freeman), Oscar nominees (Neeson, Watanabe and Tom Wilkinson), versatile actors (Hauer, Oldman and Linus Roache), and up-and-coming stars (Holmes and Cillian Murphy). A director’s dream team–they probably didn’t need much motivation playing their roles.

And of course smack in the middle of the mix–Christian Bale. He nails it as Bruce Wayne and Batman. He brings his intensity and dedication to the role and what you get is the best incarnation of the Caped Crusader.

You’d also like how this story was written and how it unfolds. Hats off to David Goyer and Chris Nolan for giving the Bat emotional weight and depth. There is one twist in the film that I hadn’t seen coming–it’s all smoke and mirrors but Goyer and Nolan pull it off quite nicely. There’s also some really tasty sequel set ups at the last act of the film, which I’m sure will whet your appetite whether you’re a Bat fan or not. Great script!

The special effects are minimal here but every time you see the effects shots, you’d see that they serve a purpose and that none of it is wasted. You’re gonna love the halucinations induced by Dr. Crane/Scarecrow (Murphy) and Batman’s creepy voice (something that hasn’t been exploited before). Lovely!

I could go on and on but the list just doesn’t stop for me. You can find out the rest for yourself.

Go or no?

This is a no brainer! You should GO… now! Now! Now! Don’t be the last person to see this wonderful movie! =o)

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

* * *
Starring Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie
Directed by Doug Liman

What’s it about

A husband and wife who are married for five (or six) years both find out each is a spy working for a competing company. All hell breaks loose when they try to kill each other. "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" takes a look at the dynamics of a marriage–what makes it work, what makes it exciting, and what makes it go ballistic–and shows us that even seasoned killers have marital problems like everyone else does.

A lot of action, too, but nothing out of the blue here. The only thing that carries this film is the star power of its leads–Brad and Angelina. They both are gorgeous actors and makes the "spy" aspect of their roles more glamorous and sexy.

There are also some funny moments especially when Vince Vaughn is around–obviously as comic relief.

What you’d like about it

If you enjoy action movies with lots of guns and gunfire and car chase scenes (or, in this case, "a" car chase scene) then you’d most probably have a blast watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith. And since this isn’t entirely a romantic movie, don’t expect much of mush in this film.

I found watching Vince Vaughn a delight and you too might enjoy his performance here. He doesn’t do so much physical acting, but pay attention to his lines and you’ll see (er, hear) what I mean. =o)

Another point I should point out is Doug Liman’s direction of the action sequences. He’s good at capturing rapid motion shots of his actors and putting them together seamlessly–scenes like that fistfight between Brad and Angelina and that car chase sequence give the film more life.

Go or no?

I think this one has to be a NO! It was a good movie but it wasn’t really that spectacular. You’d be better off waiting for the DVD to come out and watch this on your couch. =o)

Sin City

****

Directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez with Quentin Tarantino
Starring (among the many big-name stars) Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Jaime King and Rosario Dawson

What’s it about

Three different stories. All intertwined. Three different types of heroes. All about women. In a place where crime is ubiquitous, it’s hard to draw the line between the bad guys  and the good guys. Welcome to "Sin City"!

It’s basically about three men–a cop (Bruce Willis), an ex-convict (Mickey Rourke), and a private eye (Clive Owen)–and the lengths they go through to protect the women in their lives told in a violent yet stylish, film noir fashion.

What you’d like about it

If you’ve always wanted to see what a comic book would look like if (almost) every detail of it were translated into film, this movie is the best answer you can find. I felt like I was flipping through the pages of Frank Miller’s graphic novels as I was watching the film.

The visuals in Sin City are reminiscent of old movies–noir movies–which transports viewers back to the 50s and 60s. It feels like the film was made in that period. That’s one of the things I liked here.

I also enjoyed how the stories were told and how they all were connected to each other. Nice script too.

Another thing you might like is Mickey Rourke’s performance. I haven’t seen him on the big screen in a while, so it was refreshing to see him again and in a screen stealing  role at that.

Go or no?

I say GO and watch this movie even just for the sheer fun of it’s visual style. Bear in mind though that this is based on a "graphic" novel and is directed by Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn and the Mariachi trilogy) with Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill) as guest director, so there will be violence and partial nudity. It is rated R and that should keep the unintended audience away.

Have a good time at the movies!