So far, it's the fluffiest movie I've seen this year. Or... Ever. At least in the local movie industry. This movie's got so many romance postulates, you'd think they were making a film compilation of it. Starting with the common interest that brings our 2 main characters together -- in this case, it was cycling, or rather, tandem cycling. And let's face it, any activity that involves a guy and a girl having to spend a LOT of time together, would of course have them develop feelings for each other. But it didn't stop there. Our main characters had to have the same name too: Alex Reyes. And it was cute and all, but after a while, it got weird how they both kept saying "Alex" to each other. Of course, I'm aware that while this may very well happen in real life, but when put in a film, it does reach the point where you get sick of how "cute" it is.

Actually, this movie was really too cute, it sickens you. Let's see...

They went out on dates, checked out each others' Friendster and Multiply sites, met each others' parents, they even got stranded alone together in a cave because of the pouring rain. I swear, it's like a Disney channel movie, only without the "Believe in yourself" theme. Still, I think it's a nice break from the heavy drama or too much comedy that's been dominating the big screen nowadays. The drama part in this movie, the one about their parents' history, got quite dragging and too explicit, considering it was only a side story. I get how it's essential to the ending (which I won't give away), but really, I think they could've found more ways not to have the entire explanation drag on and on in one scene. It was just the most boring 15 minutes ever.

One disturbing scene was one of the couple's arguments -- because Kim Chiu had her back to Gerald Anderson. He had his arms around her, and I guess it was sweet at the start, but the scene just took sooo long that you would think that they should've at least changed positions by the time Kim had finished "crying". In the end, it didn't look so much like she was "breaking down" as she was just feeling uncomfortable (or "nangangawit", I should say. I don't know how to say that in English, sorry).

Anyway, I mostly watched this movie for the cosplayers. The what? I mean, the people who were at the Anime Convention where the 2 Alexs met. I wanted to see how the movie industry would depict such an event. And yeah, it wasn't very accurate. They made the conventions seem like a party that you go to wearing silly costumes, and you bring a date and all. And while I'm aware that there are actually people who do this (bring dates to conventions, I mean), I think the cosplayers take their cosplaying waaay more seriously than the movie characters did. I mean, to the 2 Alexs, cosplaying was just something they had to do, just so they won't be left out in the crowd (To quote Kim's character: "Nandito lang ako para sa cellphone, hindi para sa anime." (or something like that)). But really, when you go to an actual anime/comic book event, you'll find out that the raffle prizes, are mostly secondary targets for the real cosplayers who really spend their money and time and effort making costumes, thinking of sketches for the crowd, and everything else. It's more for the sake of art, than for the prizes. But perhaps, they weren't really going for "accuracy", and I guess they were able to make the whole scene look "cool", so it's really not that bad.

All in all, I'd say it wasn't really that bad a movie. It's actually pretty accurate in describing how "romance" is for teenagers. I'm glad there weren't many too far-fetched scenes, and it didn't focus too much on "teen problems" like unwanted pregnancies, flunking out of school and all that. It's way better than Let the Love Begin, and to be completely honest, I found it even better than some of the Disney channel movies I've seen.

I really wasn't planning on seeing this as it starred Angelica Panganiban and well, I really don't like her. And I'm not a fan of Aga Mulach either, not since the early 90's anyway. I do like Maricel Soriano better than a lot of actresses her age, but one out of three aren't very good odds. But then several people started recommending it to me, telling me I shouldn't miss it, that it was something different,and that I wouldn't be disappointed, and so I thought that well, if I could watch a Sam Milby movie (3 times!), I could watch one with Angelica Panganiban (and Aga Mulach) in it. Besides, truth be told, the actors shouldn't be your only basis for deciding on whether you want to see a movie or not.

So on I went to Market! Market! (Yes, it's spelled with an "!", and you're supposed to say it with feelings too ) to see yet another local film. I haven't seen one in a while, so I guess I was pretty excited. Plus, this was the second time that I got a guy friend to treat me to a local film (and a romance/drama at that!), but that's another story.

It was the first time I saw a movie in Market! Market! and I have to say, the cinemas in it aren't bad. Nevermind that the mall isn't as pretty as the usual Ayala Mall, it was still a lot better than the SM Cinemas. But enough immaterial information. I'm supposed to be writing a review here, right?

A Love Story. I'm not too crazy about the title for this one. I mean, I am glad that they didn't use another song title, and if you ask me what title would've been able to describe the movie, I wouldn't be able to answer you either. But I just don't think the story/characters were able to depict the usual romanticism of "love"--the risk all, ends-of-the-Earth kind, for it to deserve the title of "A Love Story". At least, not from the first couple shown on screen, which was of Ian (Aga Mulach) and Joanna (Maricel Soriano). Sure, they looked happy, but I think it's easier to relate to the characters when you see exactly how they fall in love with each other. It's just more believable that way. I mean, it's difficult to root for the characters when you don't know who they are, how they met, and what their special moments were. I guess it's done on purpose so as to keep the mystery of their relationship, but it just didn't work for me.

I think the part that showed Karyn's (Angelica Panganiban) relationship with Ian -- how they met in an elevator in Macau, and how they traveled together, and how they had a special game they played with each other, better illustrates how people fall in love. And also, how people fall out of love.

I don't like to admit it but I liked their (Karyn and Ian) story better. Minus all the love scenes (Okay, I'll acknowledge the need for it -- the point was to show how they lived in pure bliss, the first few days (weeks? months? years?) they were together), because really, there were just too many. And for a movie that's rated PG-13, I just think that Angelica showed too much skin. But I guess times-a-changin', and compared to Ian and Joanna's story, I found theirs (Ian and Karyn) to be a lot more romantic. I actually like the game they kept playing (You can only say questions, and the first one who says something that's not a question loses). I liked it better when they "played" it during a dramatic scene, because Karyn's playful nature came out, even during tough times. It's great character-establishment.  Kudos to Angelica Panganiban (what?! I'm complimenting her?!) for giving life to Karyn's character. Where were all these skills when she played "Kikay" in All About Love?!

There were several funny lines throughout the movie (e.g. "You must be the husband."), and some quotable ones (e.g. "Hindi mo siya kailangan, kailangan ko siya."). Well, I don't want to spoil too much in here, for those who haven't seen it yet, but all in all, I guess I'm going to say that I liked it. It's not as dramatic as most local dramatic movies (like the Sharon Cuneta ones), but it wasn't so comedic that you don't take the characters' issues seriously. It's all very well-balanced.

I'd recommend it to people who are sick and tired of too much drama (or Philippine soap operas I should say), but are still craving for a good story that'll make them think, reflect, and that might just make their lives more interesting.

Oh, and yay! for Alabang Town Center's cameo! Did 'ya catch the fountains in Corte De Las Palmas and Bizu and The Body Shop? :P [Okay, I'm getting a bit obsessed about these (movies with ATC in them, I mean.)]

Okay, I only got to see this movie last Monday. A bit late for a Harry Potter fan, I guess. But I had to wait for my sister, and reserving tickets at the IMAX Theatre isn't exactly easy. Ah, but before I talk about whether it's worth seeing it on IMAX or not, let me discuss the movie...

I guess because it was a pretty thick book, a lot of scenes really had to get cut. And even in the book itself, The Order, didn't really get that much attention, despite them being the subject of the title. But what are titles anyway other than a name? And "a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet".

I liked it. The movie, I mean. It's way better than the fourth one, though still reminiscent of some bad directing, specifically with Hermione (Emma Watson). She used to be so cool (at least up until the 3rd movie), but I guess it all went to her head because since the 4th movie, she's been overacting--saying her lines too quickly and with too much emotion, too much anger. I mean we all know Hermione's an uptight know-it-all, but there's nothing in the book that says she's angry all the time and that she makes a big deal out of everything.

This could be due to the fact that Ron (Rupert Grint), seems to be pushed to the sidelines. He should speak up! I think somebody really ought to tell that new screenplay writer Michael Goldenberg that Harry has TWO best friends, and not just one. I mean, what's up with giving Ron so very few lines? And what's up with Rupert saying them so softly?

Other than that, can someone also tell whoever was in charge of the Cho character, that Cho (Katie Leung), is the one whom Harry's supposed to like? I mean, why make Hermione hug Harry all the time when Cho is the one he's kissing? And yeah, hugs are very platonic, but still I think there was just too much physical contact between Hermione and Harry and not enough between him and Cho, despite their kiss--which was a bit awkward, but I guess that's not really a bad thing since it is supposedly Harry's first kiss and all.

Anyway, the whole angle on Cho makes me think that there might have been a missing scene in the 4th movie. I mean, if you hadn't read the books, would you really have understood why Cho was so upset over Cedric's death? Their only scene in the 4th movie was during the Yule Ball, and it wasn't even that noticeable because again, the Ball seemed to be all about Hermione!

I'm amending my previous statements to this:
Somebody should tell the filmmakers that this story's about Harry Potter and not Hermione Granger!
You'd think it'd be obvious enough, given that all the titles have "Harry Potter" in them...

Okay, don't get me wrong. I love Hermione. I mean, she's a great character (and I guess role model), but that doesn't mean she should get more lines (and attention) than other equally great characters (i.e. Ron), and essential ones (i.e. Cho).

I do like how they're building up Ginny's character in this movie, though, showing her strength, and at some point, a little jealousy for Harry & Cho. It's too bad they didn't put any scenes of Quidditch -- so movie-Ginny'd have even more skills under her belt, and Ron would, too. After all, didn't Rupert say he was excited about the 5th movie because Ron plays some Quidditch in the 5th book?

The special effects and all the other aspects of production were way impressive. I'm glad they didn't use the usual Harry Potter theme song -- I'm getting kind of sick of it, and I suspect other people are, too. But...

It was totally not worth the Php400 on the IMAX Theatre. Or maybe it would be, at some other IMAX theatre, but definitely not the one in Mall of Asia, no way. I know that one experience isn't enough to judge something, but I'm really kind of hating that theatre (and quite possible the entire mall) right now.

For one thing, there was a technical problem in the middle of Dumbledore's speech (during Harry's hearing). The screen was blank for a few minutes, and the audio stopped. And when the movie resumed, they didn't even rewind it, so we ended up missing the speech! And I guess it doesn't affect the story all that much, but still, if it had happened in a more critical part of the movie, I'm sure they would've done the same, and well, that's just very thoughtless.

And, thanks to the stupid IMAX plug, they totally ruined the music for the credits. Actually, they ruined the whole credits part, because even before it was finished, they turned off the music, so people would be forced to leave. Now, I know the custodians need all the time they can get to tidy up the theater for the next set of audiences, but still, forcing any audience member to leave before the credits finish (whether they care about seeing the credits or not (and can people please acknowledge that some people do watch the credits?)) is just way impolite. It's not our fault they didn't start the movie on time (which may be the reason they needed to hurry cleaning up (Screening was at 8PM, it started 8:10)).

So yeah, hell if I'm watching there again. No 20-minute 3D finale (no matter how cool the effects are (and they really are cool in this movie)) is worth that and 400 bucks.

How's about it for the new Disney film? I actually cried several times during this movie. Unfortunately, I can't remember which parts I cried at. But anyway, just believe me when I tell you that it's kind of a tear-jerker. Then again, most of Disney's movies are. But I'm glad this one didn't flop, despite it not being as popular as the other Pixar-style animated films (i.e. Cars, Toy Story, A Bug's Life, etc).

So Lewis is a genius orphan boy who's got low self-esteem due to the fact that he's always being rejected by the parents who interview him in the orphanage. Add to that the fact that his inventions never actually work, well, it's enough to make anyone feel bad. Anyway, he meets a strange kid named Wilbur Robinson who tells him how the future is in jeopardy because of a Bowler Hat Guy, and that Lewis is the only one who can save them. Naturally, Lewis agrees to go with him, because really, if you're a bored orphan, what else are you going to do, right?

Anyway, they go to the future, meet a really quirky (but fun) family, and eventually save the world (of course I won't tell you how because that spoils the whole thing). And of course, they learn lessons along the way, they get to be more appreciative of the things they have, learn that family is very important, etc etc.

It's all very typical Disney stuff if you ask me, but for some reason, it's not boring. The quirky characters are enough to keep you interested, the humor is just right, the ironies and plots are of course not too complicated because it's for kids, but not too simple either that adults won't like it, and the graphics are fantastic. I liked it better than The Incredibles, even though it's less publicized, and a lot simpler.

Recommend everyone to watch it! I'm glad I did!

By the way, just want to mention, sorry for not reviewing Spider-man 3 and Pirates of the Carribean 3:At World's End. Nothing against the movies, I just don't feel like writing about them. :P

Whoa! Has it been a long time or what? Apologies for the lack of activity in this blog for quite some time. I have been watching movies, but not as often as before, and I don't have as much time as I used to to write my reviews. I was going to write one for Spider-man 3, but I didn't really like it that much. I couldn't find anything to rave about, so I decided not to write a review about it. Anyway, what am I doing talking about another movie in the entry for Ocean's Thirteen? Let's get on with the review!

First, I didn't think it would really happen. When I first heard of "Ocean's Thirteen" (in one of the episodes of Star Movies' Opening Night - for Ocean's Twelve) I thought the producers wouldn't do it because by that time, people would probably already be sick of George Clooney, Brad Pitt and the others. But I guess since trilogies are a big thing these days, and the 3rd parts of trilogies especially (Spider-man 3, Pirates of the Carribean 3, Shrek 3 -- do you see how there are no new and original stories in Hollywood anymore?!), obviously, I was wrong in assuming that this movie wouldn't work out.

I actually enjoyed this one more than the second. It's just that with Ocean's Twelve, I think they tried to accomplish too much -- what with having to pay Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) back and being challenged to be the best thieves in the world, add to that the love story between Rusty (Brad Pitt) and Isabel (Catherine Zeta-Jones), plus Danny (George Clooney) and Tess' (Julia Roberts) continuing love story, and Isabel's relationship with the cops and the once greatest theif of all time--well, I like it better when they keep things simple. Like in this one.

Reuben (Elliot Gould), the Ocean's 11's usual financier, gets double-crossed by his business partner Willie Bank (Al Pacino). So Danny and crew decide to get revenge--ergo, theft job in Vegas.

I like the fact how they brought things back "home". Although it was a little premature (for me), because aside from Europe, we haven't really seen the guys in action elsewhere (I'm flashing back to that interview with Brad Pitt in Tokyo where he said that he predicts that if there was going to be a third movie, it would probably be set in Asia). But I guess the producers thought it would be too much of a risk because if they do Asia, they might have to have to make fourth movie, just to bring the guys back to Vegas. And that might be too expensive, considering that 3rd installments aren't always shoo-ins for blockbuster hits. Anyway, despite that, I don't see any other problems with bringing them back, because although the setting is the same as that of the first movie's, the stories are worlds apart.

I think one of the things that Ocean's Thirteen is all about is keeping the balance -- in the characters' lives and in their work. If Ocean's Eleven was a sample of how good they are, Ocean's Twleve a testament to it and at the same time a show of how they're still humans who make mistakes, Ocean's Thirteen shows how they can cope with those mistakes, and minimize them, as in this story, there are times that they fumble, but unlike in the 2nd film where it got to the point that they all ended up in jail, here, they were able to keep things under control, making their foul-ups just near-misses.

Also, there's more justification to what they're doing this time. We all know that stealing is wrong, but just like how Robin Hood doesn't seem so bad at times because he gives what he steals to the poor, here, they make Willie Bank so much of a bad guy (even worse than Terry Benedict), that no audience member would sympathize with him when he gets screwed. And the casualties along the way are also duly compensated (but I won't elaborate on this as I don't want to post spoilers).

Even the comedy aspect of this film is balanced. Unlike in the 2nd movie where, because they made a lot of mistakes, the characters found themselves in several funny situations, here, and probably because the characters have matured, there are less scenes of "goofing around". Although, the movie's not so serious that you won't still find parts that will make you laugh out loud.

A disadvantage I found in this movie though, is that because you already know the characters and what they're capable of, things tend to get a tad predictable, i.e. when you know that there's more to their schemes than meets the eye -- because that's how it was in the first 2 movies, then towards the end of this one, when it appears that they didn't succeed, you'll be able to tell that they didn't really fail, they're just not telling you everything yet. However, it's really a small thing that can be not considered when you're looking at the entirety of the film, because all in all, it really is great fun.

Kudos to the creators, actors, producers and whoever else who helped in making this movie worth my time! :D