X-Men: The Last Stand

Rating: 3 out of 5
Directed by Brett Ratner
Starring: Hugh Jackman
[Logan/Wolverine], Halle Berry [Ororo Munroe/Storm], Ian McKellen [Eric
Lensherr/Magneto], Famke Janssen [Jean Grey/Phoenix], Anna Paquin
[Marie/Rogue], Kelsey Grammer [Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast], Rebecca Romijn
[Raven Darkholme/Mystique], James Marsden [Scott Summers/Cyclops],
Shawn Ashmore [Bobby Drake/Iceman], Vinnie Jones [Cain
Marko/Juggernaut], Aaron Stanford [John Allerdyce/Pyro], Patrick
Stewart [Professor Charles Xavier], Ben Foster [Warren Worthington
III/Angel], Dania Ramirez [Callisto], Olivia Williams [Dr. Moira
MacTaggart], Daniel Cudmore [Piotr Rasputin/Colossus], Ellen Page
[Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat], Michael Murphy [Warren Worthington, Sr.],
Shohreh Aghdashloo [Dr. Kavita Rao], Cameron Bright [Jimmy/Leech], Bill
Duke [Bolivar Trask]
Viewed on the big screen

IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE FILM YET, BE WARNED. THIS REVIEW HAS SOME SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

As I start writing this, I’m still unsure about how I feel about X-Men: The Last Stand.
It’s a good thing I sat through it twice today. Was is a great movie?
Was it exactly what I, and many fan boys like me, expected? Is Brett Ratner (really) a hack or a genius? Is this really the mutants’ last stand?

I
guess anticipation, speculation and a very vivid and creative
imagination made this movie "bigger" than it seemed in my mind even
before I saw it. "Hyped up" is the right term (my fault entirely).
After all the first two movies did very well in introducing the mutants
and their struggles (in 2000’s X-Men) and it carried on telling another story of their conflicts with mankind and fellow mutants (in 2003’s X2: X-Men United). So you see why I had such a great level of expectation for this film… to do well.

But
how do I determine if it did well? Would it be in terms of awesome
action? Good storytelling? Pacing? Special effects? Or do I have to
look at X3 in a trilogy context to fully appreciate it? (Where the heck
is this review going?)

I went to the theater early today with
about 10 months worth of pent up excitement and with only a few hours
of sleep. I was nervous waiting for the 20th Century Fox fanfare to come on. I was ecstatic to see that the Marvel logo featured all X-Men comic book pages this time.

The film starts with a flashback to 20 years where we see a pre-wheel chair Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and a pre-Magneto Erik Lensherr (Ian McKellen) visiting a young Jean Grey (Haley Ramm)
to invite her to Xavier’s School for the Gifted. It is established in
this scene how much power Jean has and how protectively Xavier oversees
mutants and their use of powers.

This is followed by a 10 year flashback to a young Warren Worthington III (Cayden Boyd) attempting to amputate his (presumably) newly-sprouted wings from his back. A very emotional moment.

These
two scenes serve as the film’s prologue. There was no monologue from
Professor X at this point and that for me somehow made the film
inconsistent with the other two movies as the monologue was practically
a trademark of the X-films. Well, at least the door to Cerebro was
present.

After the opening credits, the movie wastes no time. It
gets right down to business and moves at a frenetic pace, switching
from action scenes to character moments without seemingly stopping to
catch a breath. And it’s this aspect of the film that somehow didn’t
quite work for me. Yes, the plot is tension filled and is already an
escalation from the previous two, but some scenes just didn’t linger
long enough for the audience to deeply root their emotions on. In terms
of storytelling, the film doesn’t slow down in areas where it should
have.

In terms of action, X3 is loaded with it. More mutants are
featured here and more of them display their powers. This movie is
bursting at the seams with action, most of which are well placed and
appropriately used (like the "hide-and-seek" scene between Kitty Pryde [Ellen Page] and the Juggernaut [Vinnie Jones]).
The final Phoenix scene, however, left me wondering what it was for and
I felt it was misplaced and almost useless. But other than that, the
action in this film is superb. The special effects were also good and
some were even amazing. The 20-year flashback scene was astonishing as
it made Stewart and McKellen look apparently younger than they are.

In the acting department, the original cast members and the new ones did their jobs well. Halle Berry’s Storm and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine are the most prominent characters in X3. Famke Janssen
has a very promising part in the conflicted Jean Grey/Phoenix role. In
fact, I think she did very well with what little was given to her.
Sadly her character wasn’t given enough depth and enough lines to say.
A wasted opportunity.

Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are as good as ever. Their characters have some pretty interesting developments in this film. Aaron Stanford’s
portrayal of Pyro is a stand out. He’s only in the very few scenes but
he owns each appearance he makes. All the other actors, even the ones
with smaller roles (like Cameron Bright, who played Leech), gave good performances.

The
script had a lot of potential as it was indeed superior to the first
two X-Men films, in my opinion. The problem was with how the story was
written and with how it was interpreted on-screen. The idea of a cure
for mutancy is actually quite a brilliant plot device as it practically
represents a lot of different things to different people. And of
course, the Dark Phoenix saga in itself would have made the script
complex. Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn did a good job, I
think, but they could have done better. I don’t know if their words got
lost in translation (from paper to film) or if the finished product is
what it is because of Ratner, but The Last Stand lacks something I
can’t put my finger on yet.

I did enjoy John Powell’s
score for the film and I think he took the X-Men soundtrack to the next
level. The main title theme really evoked a sense of action, urgency
and excitement that these films have been known for. It is definitely
as good as John Ottman’s X2 theme. Powell’s music for the dramatic scenes also hit home.

There
are still a lot of things I want to tackle about this film. I’d like to
pick it apart and discuss it thoroughly with anyone interested in
comparing notes (especially on the deaths of significant characters and
the ending that pretty much leaves room for another sequel, which is
good!). But let me just end this review by saying that as a stand alone
film, X-Men: The Last Stand is good, action-packed, fast-paced and not
totally deficient in drama. It could have been better, though. As part
of the X-Men trilogy, it’s an almost coherent final installment with
some similarities and references to the two previous films, as there
were some things that for me wasn’t quite explained and rounded up.

If
you’re an X-Men fan like me, you’d really love the stunts, the use of
powers, the running around, the jumping, the walking-through-walls, the
weather-controlling, the full on mutant war. If you’re an X-Men fan and
a detail freak, you will find certain things here that won’t quite
relate harmoniously to the first two installments. If you’re an X-Men
fan, a detail freak and have a voraciously imaginative mind, this movie
will fall short of your expectations — I guess that’s what happened to
me. The X3 version in my mind was actually far better than Brett
Ratner’s. Oh well.

But I enjoyed the movie. It is good and has
so far been one of the very exciting films this summer. So, go ahead
and watch it if you haven’t yet. Just be sure to sit through the very
end of the end credits because I know it’ll make your day better!

Kid Explains God

(I got this from an email sent by my Auntie Cora)

An
8-year-old named Danny Dutton, who lives in Chula Vista, CA, wrote this
essay for his third grade homework assignment to "explain God". I
wonder if any of us could have done as well?

EXPLANATION OF GOD

"One
of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones
that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on
earth. He doesn’t make grownups, just babies. I think because they are
smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn’t have to take up his
valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to
mothers and fathers."

"God’s second most important job is
listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people,
like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn’t
have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because he
hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears,
unless he has thought of a way to turn it off."

"God sees
everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him
pretty busy. So you shouldn’t go wasting his time by going over your
mom and dad’s head asking for something they said you couldn’t have."

"Atheists
are people who don’t believe in God. I don’t think there are any in
Chula Vista. At least there aren’t any who come to our church."

"Jesus
is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking on water
and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn’t want
to learn about God. They finally go t tired of him preaching to them
and they crucified him But he was good and kind, like his father, and
he told his father that they didn’t know what they were doing and to
forgive them and God said O.K."

"His dad (God) appreciated
everything that he had done and all his hard work on earth so he told
him he didn’t have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in
heaven. So he did. And now he helps his dad out by listening to prayers
and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which
ones he can take care of himself without having to bother God. Like a
secretary, only more important."

"You can pray anytime you want
and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of
them is on duty all the time." "You should always go to church on
Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there’s anybody you want to
make happy, it’s God!

Don’t skip church to do something you
think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And
besides the sun doesn’t come out at the beach until noon anyway."

"If
you don’t believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very
lonely, because your parents can’t go everywhere with you, like to
camp, but God can. It is good to know He’s around you when you’re
scared, in the dark or when you can’t swim and you get thrown into real
deep water by big kids."

"But…you shouldn’t just always think
of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me
back anytime he pleases.

And.that’s why I believe in God."

Hotel Rwanda

Rating: 5 out of 5
Directed by Terry George
Starring: Don Cheadle [Paul
Rusesabagina], Desmond Dube [Dube], Hakeem Kae-Kazim [George
Rutaganda], Tony Kgoroge [Gregoire}, Nick Nolte [Colonel Oliver], Fana
Mokoena [General Bizimungu], Sophie Okonedo [Tatiana Rusesabagina],
Lebo Mashile [Odette], Antonio David Lyons [Thomas Mirama], Leleti
Khumalo [Fedens], Joaquin Phoenix [Jack Daglish], Jean Reno [Mr.
Tillens]
Viewed on DVD

Hotel Rwanda tells the survival story of hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle),
his family and the thousands of people who sought refuge in the Hotel
des Mille Collines during the genocide crisis in Rwanda.

The
film addresses some really socially relevant issues like apathy,
racism, prejudices and truly giving a damn about the plight of other
people in distant, little heard-off countries.

It is quite
dramatic and full of tension and it really made my heart ache. The
atrocities committed by the Hutu militia groups (the Interahamwe and
the Impuzamugambi) were unspeakable even though I only saw its
dramatization. Must have been definitely worse in real life.

Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo
anchor the film with really emotionally heavy performances. Both were
nominated for Oscars. I was surprised, pleasantly, to see Jean Reno in this film. He has a small role as Rusesabagina’s superior.

Also commendable is Terry George’s direction of the film — nice pacing and good storytelling. The script, which he and screenwriter Keir Pearson wrote, also got an Oscar nomination.

Reminiscent of Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List.

- - - - -

Thank you, Vic, for lending me your copy. =o)

Gloom Index

from “Our Daily Bread”

- - - - -

At midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. (Acts 16:25)

- - - - -

Gray
skies, blue mood. It’s common enough to produce what some have called
the “gloom index.” That’s a way of describing the amount of cloudy
weather a region can expect during a winter season.

A related
idea is called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The theory is that
weather-sensitive people experience a certain amount of cloud-induced
melancholy.

Other factors might be figured into a gloom index.
Think about what Paul and Silas endured (Acts 16). Any one of their
troubles was enough to ruin the sunniest day. Imagine the irritations
of dealing with greedy profiteers who had turned a demon-possessed girl
into a sideshow (vv. 16-17). Think about the pain of confronting an
angry mob and furious judges (v. 22), of receiving s whipping and
imprisonment (v. 23), and of having your feet locked in stocks (v. 24).

But
Paul and Silas rose above it (v. 25). How did they do that? They were
filled with the Holy Spirit, and they had a sense of mission. They were
motivated by a desire to obey God and spread the message of Christ.

Like
them, we can rise above the mood swings prompted by our circumstances.
By being strong in the Spirit, we can overcome the gloom index. — Mart De Haan

- - - - -

God often sends me joy through pain,
Through bitter loss, divinest gain;
Yet through it all –dark day or bright –
I know my Father leads aright. — Conklin

- - - - -

God’s Son can brighten our darkest days.

Dogma

Rating: 3 out of 5
Directed by Kevin Smith
Starring: Ben Affleck [Bartleby],
Matt Damon [Loki], Linda Fiorentino [Bethany Sloane], Salma Hayek
[Serendipity], Jason Lee [Azrael], Jason Mewes [Jay], Alan Rickman
[Metatron], Chris Rock [Rufus], Dan Etheridge [St. Stephen's Priest],
Kevin Smith [Silent Bob], George Carlin [Cardinal Ignatius Glick],
Brian O’Halloran [Grant Hicks], Alanis Morissette [God]
Viewed on VCD

One of the controversial films of the late 1990s, Dogma
tells the tale of two fallen angels who would do anything to re-enter
heaven. The film tackles several issues on faith and religion and even
has some interesting dialogue, particularly the one where Bartleby (Ben Affleck)
rants about how humans take their God-given privileges for granted. It
makes you examine your own life, your own faith and your relationship
with God.

But there are also some really ridiculous ideas and
scenes in the movie like the "Golgothan", the disgusting shit monster,
and their version of God played by Alanis Morissette, which must have been one of the sources of the controversy.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon star as the angels Bartleby and Loki and both give very good performances. Support players like Salma Hayek, Jason Lee and Alan Rickman also made the film more tolerable for me. And as always, the tandem of Jay and Silent Bob never fails to amuse. They bring a lot of laughs to Dogma.

I
wouldn’t recommend this movie to people who are very defensive of their
religion, as there are doctrines and images in the movie that some may
find offensive and insulting, and to those who can’t separate fact from
fiction. Other than that, enjoy the movie.

The Da Vinci Code

Rating: 5 out of 5
Directed by Ron Howard
Starring: Tom Hanks [Robert
Langdon], Audrey Tautou [Sophie Neveu], Ian McKellen [Sir Leigh
Teabing], Alfred Molina [Bishop Aringarosa], Jürgen Prochnow [André
Vernet], Paul Bettany [Silas], Jean Reno [Bezu Fache], Etienne Chicot
[Lt. Collet], Jean-Pierre Marielle [Jacques Sauniere]
Viewed on the big screen

"TDVC
was great. I don’t know how it compares to the book, but the movie was
awesome, thrilling, suspenseful and intriguing! I liked the story."

This was the content of my international text message to my friend, Jucy, who now lives in New York, right after I saw The Da Vinci Code.

I
made it to the first screening of the film here in Cebu and now that
I’ve seen it I can safely say that all the furor from protesting groups
and the clamor for the film’s prohibition was terribly misplaced. All
for nothing. The film neither appeared to be insulting (although it
presented some pretty radical ideas about the humanity and divinity of
Jesus Christ) nor offensive to certain religious groups (unless of
course those religious groups have "something to hide").

What
The Da Vinci Code is is a very tense thriller, an awesome example of
good storytelling, a suspenseful summer flick and, at best, an
intriguing tale of "what-ifs".

I’m sure the Dan Brown novel, on
which the movie is based, has more plot layers, more exposition and
more mystery. I don’t know if the film was an accurate adaptation of
the bestseller or if director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman took some liberties in translating the story, but I can tell you that I was really floored by the film.

It starts with the murder in the Louvre, to which symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks)
is called to to assist in deciphering the codes and symbols strewn
around the curator’s dead body. As Langdon starts to analyze the codes,
french police cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) enters
the scene and asks Langdon to call a number, which gives him a message
from Neveu herself telling him he is in danger. As both follow the
clues left by the curator, who turns out to be closely related to
Neveu, they find themselves uncovering secret after secret that leads
them to something neither of them was prepared for or even imagined.

What
I liked about the story is how each scene unfolds with the uncovering
of a secret. I felt excited every time a clue came up because I knew
the story would then be moving along. Like Langdon said in the film,
it’s like a treasure hunt. The pacing of the story was tight and scene
transitions were fluid. Ron Howard did a fantastic job.

I enjoyed the anagrams used as a plot device to get things going. It was really clever. Draconian Devil = Leonardo da Vinci. So Dark The Con of Man = Madonna On The Rocks. Brilliant! The anagram geek in me went straight to the clouds with that! I guess kudos should go to Dan Brown for this.

The actors in the film were good. Tom Hanks
was really impressive. I was particularly impressed by how he used his
voice to enhance his acting here. I noticed he has a different tone and
texture when he spoke his lines. He’s always been good at that and at
doing accents as well. More than the hair, it was the quality of his
vocal performance that impressed me.

Audrey Tautou was also good. All images of Amelie
in my head were totally erased when she made her first appearance
on-screen as Sophie Neveu. She came out really different, miles removed
from Amelie Poulin from Mont Marte and she made me believe in her
cryptologist character.

Sir Ian McKellen did a fine
supporting job. Didn’t realize his significance in the plot until
further into the film. And his lines! He had some of the best lines to
deliver and oh how he delivered them. What a superb Shakespearean actor
he is!

And of course that Paul Bettany guy, wow! He
appears only a few times in the film and only has a few lines to say,
but man does he nail it! He was great as Silas. His performance pretty
much made up for the fact that the first image I saw of this film was
his ass (came in the theater during the flagellation scene).

I
also loved the cinematography and overall style of The Da Vinci Code.
Very nice photography of the greens of Paris, the Louvre, even a quick
shot of the Eiffel Tower. There were some visual elements in the film
that brought me back to another Ron Howard film (A Beautiful Mind),
like the ones where Langdon deciphers the anagrams. The flashback
scenes were fascinating, with that really washed out and worn out look
that made it feel like actual footage of ancient times. The overlapping
images in certain scenes made it really stylish as well.

The
musical score by Hans Zimmer was very appropriate, as it evoked the
right emotions at the precise moments in the film. He captured the
story’s sense of mystery in the score and it had a sort of espionage
feel to it. Very compelling music. It added intensity to the film

The
Da Vinci Code is great work of cinematic fiction. Those who were so
eager to have it banned should have watched it first before throwing a
hissy fit about its contents. It did very little to shake my faith in
Jesus and I doubt it would everyone else’s.

Just Friends

Rating: 2 out of 5
Directed by Roger Kumble
Starring: Ryan Reynolds [Chris
Brander], Amy Smart [Jamie Palamino], Anna Faris [Samantha James],
Chris Klein [Dusty], Chris Marquette [Mike], Julie Hagerty [Chris'
Mom], Stephen Root [KC]
Viewed on DVD

I’ve mentioned in a previous review that romantic comedies tend to be predictable. Just Friends is just that. Predictable.

It was fun watching the fat Ryan Reynolds in contrast to the buff Ryan Reynolds. Amy Smart didn’t really dazzle me. And the story didn’t really present anything I haven’t seen before.

But wait! There is one funny Anna Faris
present in this film. She seems to really excel in comedic roles, this
girl. Loved her in her Scary Movies. At least she brought some laughs
to the film.

Man Thing

Rating: 2 out of 5
Directed by Brett Leonard
Starring: Matthew Le Nevez
[Sheriff Kyle Williams], Rachael Taylor [Teri Elizabeth Richards], Jack
Thompson [Frederic Schist], Rawiri Paratene [Pete Horn], Alex
O’Loughlin [Deputy Eric Fraser], Steve Bastoni [Rene LaRoque], Robert
Mammone [Mike Ploog], Patrick Thompson [Jake Schist]
Viewed on DVD

Another
movie adapted from a Marvel comic book, this time by Artisan
Entertainment. Having been quite unfamiliar with the source material I
couldn’t really say if the film was truthful to the comics, but as a
stand alone movie it was below average.

The script was below
average — bad dialogue. The performances were below average — B movie
kind of acting. The effects were below average. A bigger studio and a
better scriptwriter might have turned this into another Marvel hit.

Maybe they weren’t really looking to make it one.

Poseidon

Rating: 3 out of 5
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Starring: Josh Lucas [Dylan
Johns], Kurt Russell [Robert Ramsey], Jacinda Barrett [Maggie James],
Richard Dreyfuss [Richard Nelson], Jimmy Bennett [Connor James], Emmy
Rossum [Jennifer Ramsey], Mike Vogel [Christian], Mía Maestro [Elena
Gonzalez], Andre Braugher [Captain Michael Bradford], Kevin Dillon
[Lucky Larry], Freddy Rodríguez [Marco Valentine]
Viewed on the big screen

Action. Adventure. Adrenalin. Wolfgang Petersen
knows how manipulate all three. Look at his body of work and and you’ll
see how he’s become a master of telling exciting stories with a sense
of grandeur. That’s exactly what he does with Poseidon.

Although
not really big on the plot department, this film is huge in thrills.
And don’t think the gigantic rogue wave shown in the first few minutes
of the film is the only highlight, because it isn’t. There are a lot of
action set-pieces that will make you twitch in your seat and your pulse
pound faster.

Okay, okay. So it’s a little bit reminiscent of
Titanic (tragedy in a ship)… and The Perfect Storm (monstrous,
mega-wave) but for a summer popcorn flick, Poseidon delivers quite an
adrenalin high (even if just for an hour plus) and its sinking ship
yarn actually floats.

Making that possible is the cast of very good-looking actors who are also not deficient of make-believe skills. Josh Lucas leads the pack as the ex-navy Dylan Johns who initiates the whole escape the sinking cruise ship plan. Veterans Kurt Russell and Richard Dreyfuss
are also in the mix — Russell playing the father looking for his
daughter and her boyfriend; Dreyfuss playing the gay architect who
intended to take his own life by jumping overboard but decided not to
do so upon seeing the enormous wave coming straight at him.

Did I say good-looking? I must have meant Emmy Rossum, Jacinda Barrett and Mia Maestro,
as these ladies really light up the screen each time they’re on. I
particularly liked seeing Maestro on the big screen after seeing her a
lot of times on Alias. She should be in movies more often.

The
film got me scared of being in a sea vessel again. And yet the
excitement of finding a way out of a sinking ship to save my life
sounds… interesting. Go see for yourself.

Oh, by the way, this is a remake of the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure.
And as far as my memory is concerned, it pretty much plays out the same
way. Just with better special effects this time around.

Walk the Line

Rating: 4 out of 5
Directed by James Mangold
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
[Johnny Cash], Reese Witherspoon [June Carter], Ginnifer Goodwin
[Vivian Cash], Robert Patrick [Ray Cash], Dallas Roberts [Sam
Phillips], Dan John Miller [Luther Perkins], Larry Bagby [Marshall
Grant], Shelby Lynne [Carrie Cash], Tyler Hilton [Elvis Presley], with
Waylon Malloy Payne, Shooter Jennings, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Dan
Beene, Clay Steakley, Johnathan Rice
Viewed on DVD

The movie is a good reminder that no matter how screwed up you get in life, God is always ready to give you another shot at it.

The life story of Johnny Cash (played here by Joaquin Phoenix)
is laden with disappointments, victories, longings that were almost
unresolved, and a love that was almost unrequited. It spans from his
early childhood days of being unappreciated by his father to his
adulthood of living out the impact of that.

It also traces
Johnny’s rise and fall (and rise…again!) in the music industry, his
struggle with his demons (drugs and groupies, among other things) and
how he found salvation and more career success with June Carter (Reese Witherspoon in her Oscar winning role).

There
were quite a few things in the film that I could relate to (like Johnny
Cash’s personality and his bouts with his addictions), which made it
more emotional for me. I also liked how he picked his life up towards
the end and used his talents to uplift and inspire others.

It
reminds me of a quote from Ernest Hemingway’s "A Farewell to Arms" that
goes: "The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the
broken places". Johnny was broken in several places, several times in
his lifetime but he became stronger in those broken areas and he used
his brokenness to reach out to others.

An admirable film with an inspiring message.