Netflix: Review of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (2022): Mindless Mortality

October 29, 2022

It was the spring of 1917, on the third year of the war between Germany and France. In Northern Germany, there was a student Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer) who faked the signature of his parents to allow him to join his friends to become a soldier. After cheering a speech about service to the Fatherland, the boys excitedly donning their new uniforms, singing while marching out to be sent to La Malmaison, Northern France, 25 km to the western front.

The mood changed radically when the boys reached the trenches. Paul felt death staring right at him when he was assigned to gather the dogtags of his departed colleagues. He was able to make friends with an older soldier named Kat (Albrect Schuch) with whom he stole from farms for their food. As the death toll of German soldiers continued to rise, a politician Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Bruhl) was trying to negotiate an armistice with the sarcastic French authorities.

This film is based on a famous anti-war novel published in 1929 written by German author Erich Maria Remarque. It was immediately adapted into a film the very next year 1930 by director Lewis Milestone to critical acclaim, consistently cited as one of the best films in that era. The film won the Oscar for Best Production, the first Best Picture winner to be based on a novel. Milestone won the Oscar for Best Director, his second after winning for "Two Arabian Nights" (1927) on the first Academy Awards ceremony. 

Unlike the original 1930 film (and a 1979 TV movie version), this current film is remarkable because it was produced by German filmmakers in their original language. Films about the first and second world wars are seldom told from the point of view of the Germans, so they were just perceived as "the enemy." Here we see that those young Germans soldiers also tremble or weep. They are not at all the heartless beasts they are usually portrayed. We see that there were also German officials who worked for a peaceful conclusion. 

Faithful to the spirit of the book, director and co-writer Edward Berger depicted the frontlines as a bleak place of mud and grime, a place of endless uncertainty and danger, where death can happen anytime. The main character Paul was one of those nameless young soldiers whose idealism was broken by the experience of actual battle. There was no impressive displays of heroism or bravery, these men just want to survive and go back home. Yet the winds of fate constantly changed right up to the end of the war. 

The destructive violence and senseless tragedy in the battlefields were caught by the beautiful cinematography of James Friend, especially those magnificent long shots of soldiers marching, running and dying across the desolate landscape. The details of the widespread carnage, with the unique injuries of each dead soldier so meticulously recreated with make-up and prosthetics, were realistic and very difficult to look at. Its strong message about the absurdity, pointlessness and stupidity of war was loud and clear. 9/10.

 

Netflix: Review of THE GOOD NURSE: Medical Murders

October 28, 2022

ICU nurse Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain) was a single mother raising two daughters, 9 and 5 years of age. She knew her job well, efficient and no-nonsense in her duties. She was compassionate to her patients, calling them by their first names, relating well with their families. She was afflicted with a condition that limited her endurance at work. However, since she was still new at this present hospital, she had no health insurance.

One day, there was a new nurse hired in the ICU, Charlie Cullen (Eddie Redmayne). He was also efficient and compassionate like Amy, so the two of them became fast friends at work. When he learned about Amy's secret health problem, he promised that he would help to get through the next four months until she can get health insurance. There was a series of mysterious deaths among patients in their ICU, and police were called in to investigate.

Jessica Chastain again proves here how she can totally disappear into her roles, a particular skill that just won her the Oscar for Best Actress for playing a real-life personality in the last Academy Awards for "The Eyes of Tammy Faye." Those best scenes were those where Nurse Amy was suffering from severe dyspnea owing to her cardiac condition were so realistic, audiences will feel her fighting through extreme discomfort as she struggles to take a breath. 

Her co-star Eddie Redmayne is also an Oscar winner for a biopic performance, Best Actor for playing Stephen Hawking for "The Theory of Everything." has got that innocent good guy face and demeanor that made him the perfect actor to play Charlie. He exuded an air of sincerity and kindness which makes him someone you can easily trust. This was why for the rest of the film, we are with Amy in believing that this guy can do no wrong. 

This film, the English-language debut by Danish director Tobias Lindholm, was certainly a riveting true crime drama about the most prolific serial killer in the USA. However, more than that, it was also an indictment of the flaws of the hospital administration systems which allowed a crazy crime like this to go on longer than it should. The deliberately slow pace and the minimalistic musical score make it a chilling viewing experience. 7/10. 

Vivamax: Review of SELINA'S GOLD: Revenge and Redemption

October 28, 2022

It was 1942, in the remote village of El Oro y Luna, somewhere in Northern Luzon. 17-year old Selina (Angeli Khang) was forcibly brought by her father Berong (Soliman Cruz) to sell her to of village's richest man Tiago (Jay Manalo). The old man was immediately aroused by Selina's youthful beauty and supple body, he ravished her right away. All the while, Tiago's blind son Domeng (Gold Aceron) silently listened under the house. 

The whole Japanese occupation scenario was not totally needed, as this story could have been set at any time, even the present. There was only one scene with a Japanese soldier, but this was over in a second. Even if Jay Manalo's tattoos looked anachronistic with their design, the production design crew tried to make the time period look authentic with the money Tiago used in his pawning trade, as well as his method of making gold bars. 

The film contrasted how different women react to abuse. Before Selina, there was Cora (Azi Acosta), offered to Tiago by her desperate mother Magda (Mickey Ferriols) as payment for her debts. The poor girl went insane from her intense trauma. However, Selina would learn to take charge of her own situation and managed to turn her misfortune around to her advantage. Khang embodied Selina's journey from victim to survivor very well. 

Since his "Totoy Mola" days 25 years ago, Jay Manalo had made a career out of playing lust incarnate. With that lecherous leer on his face, Manalo fit right into the character of Tiago. As Domeng, Gold Aceron played yet another young man during his sexual awakening, a role he had played in practically all his prior films starting from his acclaimed debut as an inter-sex in "Metamorphosis." His sensitivity as an actor remains his strong point.

Veteran film writer-director Mac Alejandre (now using his full name McArthur C. Alejandre) had a plot that followed the tried-and-true Vivamax formula of sex and violence, and this was already apparent from the very start. Alejandre threw in a twist revelation that made Selina's abuse feel even more harrowing. However, more knowledgeable cinephiles would immediately call to mind Park Chan-wook's "Oldboy" (2003). 5/10. 

Amazon Prime: Review of WEDDING DRESS: A Daughter's Disposition

October 26, 2022

Wedding dress designer Joan (Cristine Reyes) raised her daughter Sarah (Xia Vigor)  as a single mother after her husband died at a young age. They had frequent dinners together with her brother Jun (Jeffrey Hidalgo), his wife Heidi (Lara Morena) and their children. Joan had tension with another sister, Mean (Andrea del Rosario), who blamed Joan for the death of their mother who did not approve of Joan's choice of husband.

Sarah dropped out of ballet class because she was being bullied by her former best friend Gina (Phoebe Villamayor in full-on Gladys Reyes mode), and chose to take up martial arts instead under coach Gio (McCoy de Leon). Even if she did not have friends, Sarah did not mind because she believed that she will always have her mother on her side. However, Joan already knew that her time with daughter would not be too long anymore.

This Viva movie is yet another Filipino adaptation of a Korean film, after "The Housemaid," "A Hard Day" and just very recently "Always." Again, there was already a ready story formula which they simply had to follow for sure box office success. The melodramatic plot and conflicts of "Wedding Dress" (2010) were actually quite universal, so this was something a Filipino writer could have come up with on their own, but did not.   

Cristine Reyes and Xia Vigor certainly had their characters wrapped around them. In sharp contrast to their last screen roles -- Reyes as a politician's assertive daughter and Vigor as a spirited girl smuggled into prison -- both of them were very quiet and restrained here as introverts who would rather suffer in silence. The all-important believable chemistry as mother and daughter was there, with that formal dance scene showing it best.

The way the drama was built up by director Dado Lumibao, the climactic mortal moment did not exactly have the tear-jerking effect it was supposed to have anymore, providing no satisfying catharsis for me.  Perhaps, there were so many distracting side threads being woven into the mix (like that karate thing or even the wedding gown itself), or maybe I had been steeled and ready for that sad ending since very early on in the film. 5/10. 

Amazon Prime: Review of DAY ZERO: Gutting the Ghouls

October 26, 2022 

Fil-Am ex-Special Forces Emon (Brandon Vera) was a convicted criminal currently serving his sentence and was about to earn his parole. However, one day, zombies suddenly overran the penitentiary where he was locked up. Along with his friend Timoy (Pepe Herrera), Emon was able to fight himself out of the zombie horde in the prison grounds.

He commandeer a vehicle to go find and rescue his wife Sheryl (beauty queen Mary Jane Lastimosa) and their deaf-mute daughter Jane (Freya Fury Montierro) who lived in an old apartment building in the city. When they reached the place, it was also swarming with zombies. When they reached their room, Sheryl and Jane were not there anymore.

This set up the rest of the movie as Emon had to scour their building in search for his family while killing off zombies left and right that one night, the first night of the zombie epidemic. Along the way, Emon and Timoy helped a young man David (Yohance Levi Buie) looking for his cop father Oscar (Joey Marquez), as well as a young couple Paolo (basketball star Ricci Rivero) and Hazel (Jema Galanza). 

The running time was a brisk and economical 80 minutes. The script by Ays de Guzman saw no need for a clear origin story for the zombies. Only the shallow basics of personal relationships were shared. Maybe Emon could have voiced out those sign language scenes between him and Jane for a better emotional connection. Oscar's breakdown scene was unexpected, perhaps illogical, but it lent more tension when it was needed. 

Brandon Vera practically reprised his role in "BuyBust" (2018) as he barreled his bulk through the zombies instead of addicts. Pepe Herrera provided the needed comic relief amidst the chaos. The low budget and the amateurish acting were obvious, but the technique, effort and the energy of cast and crew were clearly there in those pulse-pounding chase and gory fight scenes that director Joey de Guzman had set and shot within claustrophobic confines. 6/10. 

Review of LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE: Rhythmic Reptile

October 20, 2022

Hector P. Valenti (Javier Bardem) was a flamboyant magician from New York City, who could never seem to pass auditions at talent shows. One day, depressed after yet another rejection, he found a cute baby crocodile inside a pet store and was surprised to hear it singing. Seeing how this could spice up his act, he bought little Lyle and trained him to perform. However, Valenti's big plans did not succeed and led him to leave town. 

A year and a half later, Josh Primm (Winslow Fegley) and his parents (Constance Wu and Scoot McNairy) moved into Valenti's brownstone house. When the family saw adult Lyle in their home, they were at first shocked and scared, however, soon they were all charmed by his singing talent. Unfortunately, the grumpy neighbor who lived downstairs Mr. Grumps (Brett Gelman) could not stand all the racket they're making. 

Songs like "Top of the World" had a tune that reminded me of "The Greatest Showman." It turned out that this song and others were written by the songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (the same guys also behind "Dear Evan Hansen" and "La La Land." The songs sung by Lyle here were pleasant and tuneful, but not really too memorable right away. Pop hits like "I Like It Like That," "Sir Duke" and, of course" "Crocodile Rock" are also in the mix.

Unlike the sassy anthropomorphic animated animal characters of past films like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Space Jam" or "Sonic the Hedgehog," Lyle does not talk. He only has his facial expressions and body language to expresses his feelings, and yes, he can make you smile as well as he can move you to tears. With Shawn Mendez's voice coming out of him when he sings, this Lyle is a certified pop sensation.

The trailer already tells us that this was going to be a fun and funny movie, and it was. The CG version of Lyle was very cute, and will not be scary at all even for young kids. I can see how the relationship of Lyle with Valenti or Josh are emotionally important in the story. However, despite the charm of Constance Wu or the sarcasm of Brett Gelman, their subplots could have been dropped so we can see Lyle sing and dance more. 6/10. 

Vivamax: Review of TUBERO: Fixing Frigidity

October 21, 2022

Paula Dimaagos (Angela Morena) was an assistant professor at the university while taking up her masters in behavioral science and writing her book. She was living with her fiance of five years Logan (JC Tan), who was in the process of renovating a house in preparation for their upcoming wedding. However, lately they were experiencing some problems in their relationship because she can't seem to satisfy his lust. 

Logan gave Paula an ultimatum that she should better be more receptive to him, or else accept that they have an open relationship. Paula asked her lawyer friend Maila (Alona Navarro) for advice, and was told to let her libido guide her, suggesting that she can perhaps learn techniques from another man. While Logan was away at sea, she sought the services of a male prostitute Gimo (Vince Rillon) to awaken her sexual desires.  

Angela Morena is distinct from the other typically fair Vivamax girls because of her dusky, pure Filipina beauty. This is the first time she has solo female lead in a film, after sharing the lead with Rob Guinto in "X-Deal 2" earlier this year. Here she was, a university professor, choosing between an oversexed seaman and a gigolo plumber as if she can't live without either of them. It was unfortunate that her role as written made her look weak and pathetic here. 

Eschewing his usual typical "jologs" hairstyles in previous films, Vince Rillon channeled the irresistible charm and loverboy moves of a young Robin Padilla in his portrayal of Gimo. As Logan, Vivamax newcomer JC Tan projected well on screen, but only up until he needed to do some serious acting. In contrast with Morena's stilted acting style, new Vivamax beauty Alona Navarro was very loose and natural as the liberated Atty. Maila. 

This is a rare Vivamax film where the female protagonist was highly educated professional. Yet, writer Cyril Ramos still made Paula's life a big mess only because she fails to satisfy her man in bed. She was forced to debase herself to hire a paid sex worker to unclog her pipes. Then she was unable to separate emotions from the sex, leaving her in a dilemma that still needed a forced deux-ex-machina to resolve. Misogynistic writing. 2/10.

Netflix: Review of THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL: Flipped Fates

October 20, 2022

There were two girls in the village of Gavaldon. Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) had long blond hair and a pretty face. Agatha (Sofia Wylie) had dark curls and plainer looks. They were both outcasts in their community, but they were the best of friends. When they learned about the legendary School of Good and Evil from the bookshop keeper Mrs. Deauville (Patti Lupone), Sophie wanted to go, but Agatha did not.

When the night of red moon came to pass, a giant bird-like creature called the stymph came into Gavaldon and picked the two girls up with it to fly them to the School of Good and Evil. However, witch-like Agatha was delivered to the School of Good, while princess-like Sophie was dropped off to the School of Evil. Sophie kept trying to argue that she had been brought to the wrong school, while Agatha kept wanting to go home.

David Magee's script was based on the YA books by Soman Chainani. The "good" Evers were being trained by Prof. Dovey (Kerry Washington). The girls were all pretty, always with coiffed hair and ball gowns, while the boys were dashing in their princely garb, did archery and sword fighting. The "bad" Nevers were under Lady Leonora Lesso (Charlize Theron). They all wore black Goth outfits, were cross and ill-mannered and engaged in dark shenanigans. 

It was these meticulously imaginative details in its elaborate production design and bombastic costume design that give this film a distinctive atmosphere of its own. Special visual effects are of course essential elements of a fantasy story like this, and their team of graphic artists and animators deliver on those counts as well, albeit in various degrees of finesse -- from arrows turning into daisies, to dragon tattoo on a girl's neck coming to life. 

Sofia Wylie is only 18 year old but she was able to give an empathetic performance as her Agatha learned important life lessons in friendship and love. Sophia Anne Caruso's Sophie had that difficult journey from thinking she was dropped in the wrong school to fully-accepting her inner witch-hood with aplomb. Jamie Flatters had the requisite charm to play the popular jock Tedros, who wielded Excalibur of his father King Arthur. 

Lawrence Fishburne with his strong screen presence could have had more scenes as Headmaster. Michelle Yeo was there, but only had one major scene teaching a trivial class. It seemed illogical for Charlize Theron to be teaching kids how to become ugly. Kerry Washington could not keep her smile genuine with all the meanness and oneupmanship in her School for Good. Cate Blanchett lent her beautiful speaking voice as the narrator. 

With a story involving teenage witches, this will be compared to the Harry Potter films, and come across as a pale copy. There could have been a more substantial back story about the twin brothers Rhian and Rafal (Kit Young) to make the story richer. This had an unwieldy length for a YA fantasy romance at 2-1/2 hours. It seemed director Paul Feig may have shot enough scenes for a mini-series but had to edit the material down to one long movie.  6/10. 

Review of BLACK ADAM: Homicidal Hero

October 18, 2022

The country of Kahndaq is being oppressed by the forces of the criminal Intergang organization for several years now. University professor Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) was being hunted down by the enemy for her work in the resistance movement. She was looking for a legendary crown of pure evil made of eternium, a rare mineral for which a cruel king in the past oppressed and killed his countrymen in order to find.

Along with her brother Karim (Mohammad Amer) and her colleague Ishmael (Marwan Kenzari), she was able to find the crown inside a temple hidden underground. However, they were ambushed by Intergang henchmen who wanted to get the crown for themselves. When Adrianna was cornered, she uttered an ancient incantation which caused a long-buried powerful Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) to emerge from the stone floor.

There is something about Dwayne Johnson that makes his character Teth-Adam come across as noble and heroic, even if he was driven by vengeful rage and had no regard for the loss of  human life. His likable portrayal of this anti-hero makes us root for him despite his ultra-violent methods of killing his enemies. The scenes showcasing Teth-Adam's powerful mix of fighting styles looked better because it was Johnson doing the stunts.

Hawkman a.k.a. Carter Hall (Aldis Hodge) finally comes to life on the big screen with his metallic armor wings. Watching Hodge directly fighting Johnson can actually made Hawkman look bad at first, until you realize and comprehend the strict principles he stood for.  Pierce Brosnan was dashing and respectable as ever as Kent Nelson, and when he donned his golden helmet and turned into Doctor Fate, his CG-aided action scenes were breathtaking.

There were two neophyte superheroes joining their first Justice Society mission. Maxine Hunkel (Quintessa Swindell) is the sweet yet no-nonsense Cyclops, who has the power to manipulate wind. In contrast, Al Rothstein (Noah Centineo) is good-natured but bumbling and foolish, even in his hero persona Atom Smasher, who had the power to manipulate his body size, still causing much collateral damage in his awkwardness. 

The relationship of Adrianna and her skateboard-riding, superhero-worshiping teenage son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui) was the emotional core of the present-day situation, as it was the relationship between Teth-Adam and the brave spirited boy Hurut (Jalon Christian) in the historical flashbacks. Putting family first and selfless sacrifice were always the central themes of these stories, which makes them easily relatable for all audiences. 

Even if I grew up on DC Comics, I confess to have limited knowledge about Black Adam.  However, as the film gradually unfolded his backstory that spanned 5000 years, I now know why Johnson fought hard to have this film made. The storytelling by director Jaume Collet-Serra was very engaging, with some serious geopolitical issues and a healthy sense of humor. That superstar cameo surprise in the mid-credit scene adds one more point! 8/10

Review of HALLOWEEN ENDS: Final Face-off

October 13, 2022

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) was the sole survivor of the first killing spree of masked murderer Michael Myers in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois in the year 1978. She now lived with her grand-daughter, nurse Allyson (Andi Matichak), whose mother Karen, Laurie's daughter, was killed when Myers made a grisly comeback to Haddonfield after escaping from the authorities after 40 years of imprisonment.

Young man Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) was shunned by town residents when a little boy he was babysitting died under his watch on Halloween 2019. Laurie recognized his good heart and introduced him to Allyson, who also liked him a lot. However, after Corey fell into a deep ditch after an encounter with a group of neighborhood bullies, he was pulled into an empty sewer pipe by a shadowy figure with a mask.

I was never a fan of slasher films. I only got started on watching "Halloween" films in 2018 when a sequel came out set 40 years after the events of the original 1978 movie. In that one, original survivor Laurie Strode was already a grandmother, with her estranged daughter Karen and grand-daughter Allyson. It was followed by another sequel in 2021 "Halloween Kills," where Myers again escaping death by the mob and killed Karen at the end.

The strange thing about this latest (and final) sequel was that Myers was hiding under the sewers for majority of the film. Myers became a mentor of sorts here, feeding the psychologically-disturbed mind of young Corey with murderous inspiration. It was Corey (wearing Myers' mask) who went around Haddonfield in a killing rampage that Halloween, with the neighborhood bullies an arrogant DJ and his nagging mother among his body count. 

It was only towards the end did Laurie and Myers (both still played by their original actors Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle) have their showdown in Laurie's house. But since the title already tells you that Halloween ends here, the final outcome of their fight to the death was apparent even before it began. The repeated screen appearance of an industrial shredder in the junkyard presaged Myers' final fate. There were no surprises in this finale. 6/10. 

  

Amazon Prime: Review of HOW TO LOVE MR. HEARTLESS: Genius with Guilt

October 15, 2022

Blue (Diego Loyzaga) was an antisocial science nerd in school. He kept to himself most of the time. When there was a group assignment, he would rather do the whole project by himself so he can be left alone to have his peace and quiet. He lived with his sick mother Chu (Yayo Aguila) and the family of his aunt. Even at home he was short-tempered, miserable and would usually shut himself up in his room in his books. 

During one out of town ecology trip, his group mate Yanyan (Sue Ramirez) was injured when her foot was wounded by sharp mollusks on the seabed. Blue stayed with her and tended to her wounds. When they returned back to school, Yanyan wanted to make up for Blue's kindness by cooking him her special viands. However, Blue rudely rejected her overtures of friendship, even citing the scientific basis why her food was unhealthy for him. 

Sue Ramirez's Yanyan lived with her mother Helen (Marnie Lapuz) and her younger siblings. Her father Mario (Garry Lim) is serving a jail sentence for a serious crime. However, Yanyan remains to be idealistic and cheerful (as most of Ramirez's roles seem to reflect her bubbliness). Yet, Yanyan carried inside her a dark harrowing secret and sense of guilt, and Ramirez pulled off that sensitive confession scene with remarkable emotional restraint.

Diego Loyzaga's Blue was quite a departure from his recent roles. Loyzaga was convincing as a genius with low EQ, delivering those challenging jargon-filled lines about a range of topics from nutrition, astronomy, physiology, and even law, in an amusing deadpan manner. Blue also harbored serious mental anguish borne out of frustration that threatened to push him over the edge, and Loyzaga was able to see that darkness through.

Add "How to Love Mr. Heartless" to that list of writer-director Jason Paul Laxamana's best romance films to join "100 Tula Para Kay Stella" and "Between Maybes". His story was deceptively simple, yet so complex in substance. His eloquent script delivered everything from biting sarcasm, supreme sacrifice and heartfelt romance. His beautiful camerawork, effective motivation of actors and excellent emotional crescendo deserve awards.  8/10.