Alexander -- does Oscar favor the bold? Homophobes keep OUT!!!

Title:
Alexander (B+)
PH Release Date:
November 24, 2004
Actors:
Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Jarred Leto, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Christopher Plummer
Director:
Oliver Stone
Story & Screenplay:
Oliver Stone et al.
Editor / Music:
Tom Nordbgerg et al. / Vangelis
Design / Photography:
Jan Roelfs / Rodrigo Prieto
Producer:
Thomas Schuhly, Moritz Borman et al.
Studio:
Intermedia

The greatest legend of all is real and so is the rumor that I’m hot….

After the hideous retelling of Troy, here comes another epic, bound to touch the most sensitive topic ubiquitous to any Greek related stories. Did the movie touch it? Oh, yes, not once, not twice but an awful amount of times.

Alexander is the greatest conqueror this world has ever seen. He managed to dominate over 2,000,0000 sq. ft. of this planet, from Persia to Egypt to the Far East. He achieved that at the age 32. This movie explores the life of this great titan, from his struggles during his childhood, his immense love for his mother, his anger towards his father, his craving for power and his sexuality.
But most importantly, this picture tried to reflect a heart of a leader, strengthen by his dreams and doomed by his ambitions.

Finally, a movie that deals with the controversy a Greek could never get out of. Oliver stone has gone where no big-budgeted epic director has gone before, a hero’s sexuality. Unlike its predecessor Troy, this movie featured what has long been a controversy, Alexander’s unexplainable fondness of the tail-bearing kind. Oliver was able to portray that delicate side of the hero without being too blunt about it visually. He showed it in a manner where you recognize it, that you start to feel ashamed by it because you are not use to seeing such romantic scenes between two men.

It was a very brave move, for that alone I could have given this movie the highest mark, however, it is not only of that nature where I base my grades. The movie concentrated on showing more what goes inside the head and the queer heart of a man of such great power. What his frustrations and tribulations were. However, due to the desire to show every bit of emotion from every significant event in his life, the director lost control of the story, and the lurid 15-minutes or more battle scenes didn’t help at all. The movie just can’t focus enough. You go from direction to the other leaving one situation unsolved while the next one prematurely touched.

The battle scenes were good, but it was just too long for me to handle that in fact I started to feel uneasy and lethargic. These battle scenes were just somewhat outrageous! The editing was fine, the music was okay, the cinematography was good and the director was great.

Colin Farrell has finally nailed the role that can give him the bald guy, or a nod at the very least, and after watching the movie; I say it’s not that farfetched. For the straight man that he is, this was one hell of a challenge to him that he pulled off so gracefully. Plus, he gave some “dangling bells” and “twin cheeks” exposure. Some will watch this for the mere sight of those. And well, let’s just say you won’ be disappointed. Angelina Jolie took a big risk by accepting a role a decade older than her as Alexander’s mother, but she managed to perform well. Jarred Leto is way too much of an eye-candy. He has this Jake Gyllenhaal (Hephaistion) charisma that can make you just go gaga over him. He still looks hot when he was gay and man, he was just great. And odd as it may sound, I felt the chemistry between him and Colin. You ‘ll believe that they’re actually really lovers. It’s nice to see that Val Kilmer has finally gone out of his cave of B movies. For a while, I didn’t recognize Anthony Hopkins, he played Ptolemy. But the most surprising of them all was Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Cassander) , he played a real queer and man he’s androgynous looks just pulled it off perfectly! He was brilliant in this movie, simply brilliant!

This is clearly not the movie everyone would like. Critics and historians are divided with their opinions of this flick. Some say it completely took fact out of the context and some say it is the truth and some of us just can’t handle them. I believe the latter more. Though the movie clearly failed to focus on one thing, what I admire about this film is that it was courageous enough to take the risk. It’s not your formula epic like Gladiator, this movie showed a hero at their weakest points, at their greatest strength and at their downfall. It may not be factual but for me it was real.

Though the movie didn’t show tongue licking scenes between two men, I still advise you don’t see this film if you’re homophobic. If you’re a typical audience you might feel uneasy with some of the scenes, sign of diversity, because you’re not use to seeing something like this you feel somehow offended, but it is not that, you’re just a little shocked. It’s a movie of utmost sincerity and boldness. Does the box-office favor the bold? We’ll find out soon… does Oscar favor the bold? I hope so……..

Santa Santita --- am not a saint to let this one pass

Title:
Santa Santita (B-)
PH Release Date:
November 17, 2004
Actors:
Angelica Panganiban, Jericho Rosales, Johnny Delgado, Hilda Koronel, Cherry Pie Picache
Director:
Laurice Guillen
Story & Screenplay:
Jerry Gracio, Michiko Yamamoto, Johnny Delgado
Editor / Music:
Efren Jarlego / Vincent de Jesus
Design / Photography:
Edgar Littaua / Lee Meily
Producer:
Tony Gloria, Laurice Guillen
Studio:
Unitel Pictures

“Kaya nga Malen ang pangalan niyan eh, kasi malandi yan --- ah! Kaya pala Mapog ang pinangalan sakin ng magulang ko, now I know!”


Panganiban plays the “daring” wannabe woman Malen, who up to know I have no idea what age she’s suppose to be playin’, and whose blunder is that? Definitely not mine! And I also wonder whether it’s just a coincidence that her name almost became Malena, the movie that starred Monica Bellucci that dealt with the harrowing experience of a lady. She lives with her mother Chayong played by Hilda Koronel which if I am not mistaken, which I rarely am, is the same name of her character in Crying Ladies which was also produced by Unitel. Tony Gloria must have really fallen in love with that name; maybe it’s his mother’s name. Chayong works as a prayerer* and Malen seemingly out of school works as a vendor of anik-anik**. Malen meets Mike played by Jericho Rosales, who works as a rent-a-car driver. They met and they fell in lust. Delgado played an alcoholic, a sickness common to all priest, I mean they don’t miss drinkin’ during a mass right? And Cherry Pie Picache plays the scabies-doomed nun. Their lives got mixed up in this theater-like movie that questions the practice of a faith believed by many.


Just when I thought my craving for new skin will finally be satisfied, it just didn’t happen. Well, everything they said about this movie, is not that true. Let’s play a game shall we. You answer this on your head whether it’s true or false.

Angelica showed a lot of flesh in this movie and that she was a revelation in this movie. Well, true, she did, flesh that you can usually see from a Sharapova tennis match. I was expecting piglike flesh, oh, that was mean! I mean piglike that she ain’t wearin' anything besides her skin. She was indeed a revelation in this movie, she exposed that she can’t consistently act well and needs a lot more workshops. She’s not yet ripe for the role and she couldn’t carry it. If she’s size 12, this is supersize. It was like Babe trying to do the role of Ms. Piggy isn’t that odd? And am I not just the meanest bastard you’ve ever met?

It supposedly won an award for it’s writing, this I am not sure, but I am certain that it has got to be not for its script. It must have been the play or whatever it was based on but definitely not this precipitated string of one-liners. A lot of the lines were so lame and cheesy and is so well thought off that it’s too unnatural. In the scene where Jericho was talking to Johnny, my ears automatically shut-off because of the aberrant exchange of dialogues. The classic altercation scene that can only be found in Philippine movies is invigorated in this movie. The scene wherein Hilda and Angelica were fighting and the latter said something offensive to her mother and the next thing you know, that bitch gets the slapping she deserves. And then Angelica ran inside the bathroom crying, leaving her mom outside the door suppliant to her daughter to forgive her. Isn’t that just so innovative?

Laurice Guillen did a fantastic job. True, if we’re talking about making a play like movie. It felt nothing but a theater act. It was so theatre in a lot of ways, and it was not just because of the script but also due to the direction. Guillen has this funny style of making a scene very intimate while gyrating around it. Take for example the confrontation scene in Tanging Yaman, where Edu Manzano and Johnny Delgado’s character fought. The same technique was used in the movie specifically during the climax. I loved her work in Tanging Yaman but in this movie, she could have explored more. She was so boxed on a style that emerged affected.

Jericho Rosales deserves an award for his acting and is the future Christopher de Leon. False and False. First of all I was beyond delighted to finally hear him speaking in Tagalog and not in his trying-hard English accent. When people ask him in Tagalog he keeps on speaking in English as if he’s obliged to do so, and consistently makes mistake and appear stupid to everyone. Jericho’s acting in this movie was, well, good enough for me. His strongest scene was when he got arrested, he exhibited great acting feat on that one, very natural, very real, unlike the rest of his OA scenes. He’s far from being a Christopher de Leon and he need to know that what he thinks as strong and emotional approach that he does is actually a funny and irritating style.

Hilda, Johnny and Cherry gave outstanding support. True, true and true. Hilda Koronel is one of those veteran actresses who don’t need to do anything at all but you still find them brilliant. That goes for Johnny and Cherry Pie as well. The confrontation scene between Hilda and Angelica, though I find it uncalled for, she shined on that scene. Johnny Delgado is possibly one of the scariest actors around. He got this certain style that is like Denzel Washington in nature, smooth but very effective. This is what Jericho needs to learn. Cherry Pie is the usual Cherry Pie, great and fabulous, and she lost a lot of weight, and that’s what Angelica needs to do.

It’s a must-see! Can be considered true if you consider seeing Madam Auring in bikinis a must-see, if you think otherwise then stay the hell out of it. The best way to describe this movie is that it was premature and inconsistent. Angelica was premature, the script was hurried, Angelica and Jericho were both fickle, the phasing gets tedious sometimes, and it gets a little boring. It just can’t grasp the audience because it confuses them of what the movie really is. It was like just a theater play and nothing else. Though the photography and editing were great, it still felt too theatrical.

If you’re looking for steamy scenes, this is not the movie for you. The only thing that went steamy at some point was Jericho’s tongue. If you’re expecting a movie in the level of Himala, you’re wrong again, it’s just a notch higher than Lito Lapid’s God save the babies! It was a commendable effort, being able to shoot on such a difficult location like Quiapo, but what would be more commendable is if they actually told something that I never heard before or shown something I’ve never seen before. Because as far as I’m concerned this was just a collage of previously heard ideas about the iniquitous questions of faith.

* a person who give praying sevices as devotion or way of living
** accesories

The Incredibles --- truly incredible!!!!!!

Title:
The Incredibles (A)
PH Release Date:
November 10, 2004
Actors:
Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, Elizabeth Peña
Director:
Brad Bird
Story & Screenplay:
Brad Bird
Producer:
John Walker
Studio:
Walt Disney and Pixar

“You’ll never look at superheroes the same way again…. Really?”

The Incredibles hauls us to the life of Bob Parr a.k.a. Mr. Incredible, one of the many superheroes who used to safeguard USA from mischief. He’s wedded to another former superhero Helen (I can’t remember her name, was it Elastigirl?) and together they raise three children; two of which exhibits the making of a superhero. After Bob got fired from his incredibly horrendous job, a proposition that will give him the chance to finally fight will take him and his family to their wildest power packed adventure.

I have only one word for this movie, kick-ass!!!!!!! The undeniably absurd rate they charge for this one is tolerable because this movie simply rocks. It’s the old superhero story but the twist makes it most intriguing. They ain’t no longer the superheroes you expect them to be, physically fit and with tremendous aesthetic value that you won’t mind jumping off a building if you know they’re around, just so he can catch you and feel his arms around you. They’re fat, emotionally incapacitated and restrained to exercise their abilities.

The movie took turns that you never expect it will assume. It was emotionally charged and completely realistic, except of course their eyes are so big and their color is too vivid. Speaking of which, it helped a lot in making this film entertaining. The color was just as bright as one would fancy them to be, there were times that I thought I was looking at a real life scene like when they showed the buildings in New York but then the characters comes along and you snap out of it that instant.

Why is it that up to this time and age, with the advancement of today’s technology, animation studios still can’t come out with a perfectly humanlike character? Even the 3d ones still don’t look human enough. And these ones are definitely far from looking flawlessly human.

Yeah I know that the animation is so cool and all but I think the one who truly deserve all the credits for this movie is the writer/director Brad Bird. This movie came totally from him. This is his concept and he made it into reality—well, animated reality. He was able to create the characters ordinary yet very unique. You learn to really fall in love with the characters and it has that one thing that Shark Tale didn’t have – a heart.

The dubbing was great. I love the voice of the designer very funny and cute as well as Helen’s. They delivered it very well and don’t think there’s anyone in particular that I didn’t like the voice portrayal.

It’s a movie of class A humor, class A fun and class A excitement. It’ll take you to the world of superheroes you never thought could possibly exist. The one wherein they look worse than you and they’re as emotionally psychotic as you are. It’s a flick for everyone, I think it’s better than Finding Nemo and much enjoyable than Shark tale, in fact I think it’s one of the best films I’ve seen this year, and it’ll definitely give Shrek 2 a run for their money at the Oscars. We’ll see who can lay his tummy better, Shrek or Mr. Incredible. But in the meantime, go ahead and rush to the cinema and be saved by the brand new breed of superheroes. Get yourself some incredible movie time.

The Manchurian Candidate --- definitely won't make you a sleeper...

Title:
The Manchurian Candidate (A-)
PH Release Date:
November 3, 2004
Actors:
Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight, Kimberly Elise
Director:
Jonathan Demme
Based upon the:
Screenplay by George Axelrod and the Novel by Richard Condon
Screenplay by:
Daniel Pyne and Dean Georgary
Editor / Music:
Caorl Littleton and Craig Mckoy / Rachel Portman
Design / Photography:
Tak Fujimoto
Producer:
Tina Sinatra and Scott Rudin
Studio:
Columbia


“It’s not a nightmare if it’s really happening --- dah! You don’t need no brain to know that”

The long awaited remake of a 1962 Sinatra film has finally landed our soil and I cannot stop myself from rushing to the cinema to see it. It’s 3 month overdue already. With a powerful cast and an excellent director this movie is bound to be highly-acclaimed. Well, at least I thought so.

Denzel Washington stars as Capt. Bennett Marco. He worked together with Sgt. Raymond Shaw (Schreiber) in the Persian Gulf War. A decade later Shaw becomes a powerful Congressman and with the help of her senator mother (Streep), he clinched the vice-presidential seat in their party’s campaign. But Bennett’s nightmares about them being brainwashed in the gulf war to put a sleeper in the white house will force the captain to stop this conspiracy before it becomes too impossible to do so.

I haven’t seen the original movie because it was shown during the time when my mother was just being born. I heard that it was a great movie and it’s most definitely going to be a test of real talent for it’s director to come up with if not better at least equal to the original. Demme directed one of the most haunting movie for me which is Silence of the Lambs. So I know that his the perfect man for the job if we’re their aiming for a suspense thriller and I was right.

The screenplay was given a few makeovers to fit our time. I have not much idea how much more they changed cuz I haven’t read the book as well, so I have no points of my own to use for comparison. But I know a flawed script when I encounter one. The idea of brainwashing is still highly implausible at the moment, but you have no choice but to just embrace the idea of it cuz if you don’t then you won’t appreciate anything else this movie has to offer.

This movie has two strengths: the director and the actors. Jonathan Demme just knows how to scare his audience. He knows how to grab your attention and glue you on the screen. It might seem quite fanciful at some moment but his good pacing and excellent antics makes it highly watchable. It was simply done, not much camera tricks but just more of storytelling, plain and uncomplicated.

I consider Denzel the most talented African-American (that’s the right term) that ever walked the face of the earth and he just keeps on proving that. He’s performance was no less than exceptional. He’s just way too good, and he’s true, just like Meryl Streep. Whoah, never in my wildest dreams did I thought she’ll manage such a sinister role. Man, she was so good and like Denzel I couldn’t imagine anybody else to do it or at least pull it off as good as they did. Schreiber was very good as well, being with such great talents could make an ordinary actor squirm but he did just fine and he wasn’t eaten by them in their scenes. Acting wise, they’re all Oscar-worthy.

The technical aspect of this film was good. The editing was fine though some of the scenes were a little off, or could have been better. The photography was good as well; they were able to depict that haunting environment. The music flowed smoothly with the picture and as I’ve said it was very simply in most of its aspect.

If this is not a remake, this movie might have been more liked. It could possibly be a prominent name on the race for Oscar. But even if you haven’t seen the original or haven’t read the book, I still suggest you go see this movie. It is not a waste of time and money and I consider it one of the best if not the best thriller of the year.