Review of ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE TWO WORLDS: Defending the Deeds of the Dead

February 11, 2018

I was not actually planning to watch this Korean film since I had not heard about it before. That was the case until I saw ads that it will actually have screenings in 4DX! Now that caught my attention as 4DX are usually reserved for Hollywood blockbusters. I thought that was convincing enough a reason to go catch its release in local theaters. As of this writing, this film had just overtaken "Ode to My Father" (MY REVIEW), and is now the second biggest Korean box office hit OF ALL TIME!

A fireman named Kim Ja-hong (Cha Tae-hyun) died a heroic death in the line of his duty. A head guardian of the afterlife, Gang-rim (Ha Jung-woo), and his two assistants Haewonmak (Ju Ji-hoon) and Deok-choon (Kim Hyang-gi) escort the soul of Ja-hong in the world beyond. They will have to defend Ja-hong in front of the gods heading the seven hells, namely Murder, Indolence, Deceit, Injustice, Betrayal, Violence and Filial Impiety. Only if he can pass these trials in all these courts can his soul be reincarnated.

I had seen the lead actors in at least one previous film before. Ha Jung-woo also played the lead in "Tunnel" (MY REVIEW) and "The Handmaiden". His portrayal of Gang-rim was noble, fair and willing to go against the rules. Cha Tae-hyun was most famous for "My Sassy Girl" (MY REVIEW). His portrayal of Ja-hong never gave away how the story was going to go. Ju Ji-hoon was in "Asura: The City of Darkness." His character here had a gangster-like vibe to him. Kim Hyang-gi is only 17 years old, but she held her own as Ja-hong's kind and empathetic guardian. 


As far as tear-jerking drama is concerned, Korean filmmakers really know how to hit that sensitive spot. Whenever Ye Soo-jung (as Ja-hong's mute Mother) was on the screen, get your hankies ready. Do Kyung -soo, who was so good in "My Annoying Brother" (MY REVIEW), also had dramatic moments as the guilt- tormented soldier Won Il-byung. There is also a touch of humor in the characters of two persistent prosecutors against Ja-hong, played by veteran actors Oh Dal-su and Lim Won-hee. 

The whole film was a visual effects extravaganza, though some effects were better than others. The various courts of hell were set in various fantastical landscapes which presented a particular challenge for Kim. Murder was in a volcano. Indolence was in a waterfall, Deceit was in a forest. Injustice was on a glacier. Betrayal was in a heavenly passage. Violence was in a sink hole. Filial impiety was in a desert. Kim and the guardians also had to fight with "hell ghouls" unleashed by a vengeful spirit which crossed over in both reality and the afterlife. There were really a lot of exciting action sequences worthy of a 4DX platform (though I only watched in regular 2D).

I found the concept of the afterlife presented by this film to be very interesting. I do not know how much of this was based on actual Korean folklore and how much was just from the imagination of  Joo Ho-min who created the webcomic upon which writer-director Kim Yong-hwa based his script. It says that we have committed some variation of all of these seven crimes in different levels of severity, and we have guardians to help us argue our cases before the gods of the underworld. It was an idea that was as innovative as it was also quite thought-provoking. 

On the debit side, the film tried to squeeze in too many subplots in its 140 minutes such that there are parts that may feel confusing and long. Nevertheless, I'm still looking forward to its coming sequel to be subtitled "The Last 49 Days." 7/10. 

Review of MEET ME IN ST. GALLEN: Three Tries

February 9, 2018

Spring Productions founded by actor Piolo Pascual had its first feature film back in 2009 with "Kimmy Dora: Kambal sa Kiyeme" (Joyce Bernal). Last year 2017 was a big year for them as they released three films -- "Northern Lights" (Dondon Santos), "Last Night" (Joyce Bernal) and most memorably "Kita Kita" (Sigrid Andrea Bernardo), which went on to become the highest grossing Filipino indie film. 

"Meet Me in St. Gallen," written and directed by Irene Villamor, is Spring's first film out this new year. It is practically a two-hander about a couple of millennials, Celeste Francisco (played by Bela Padilla) and Jesse Abaya (played by Carlo Aquino). Their story actually only happens in three days, but these three days are spread out in the course of six years. 

Day 1, Celeste and Jesse meet for the first time in a coffee shop one stormy night. graphic artist Celeste just had an argument with her demanding boss. Medicine student Jesse just got a dressing down from his parents (cameos by Noni Buencamino and Lilet Esteban) for choosing his rock band over taking his studies seriously. They talk about destiny, compromise and sacrifice. They mutually decide to end the night with kiss and that was it.

Day 2 happens four years later when Celeste and Jesse ran into each other in another coffee shop. She was now an emerging multi-media artist who just debuted her first public art exhibit. He had shifted the focus of his medical studies from humans to animals (I know who owns that pet shop for real.). They talk about their dreams, solitude and loneliness. The night ended a major leap further than how it ended before, but again, that's it. 

Day 3 happens two more years later. It was a cold and snowy Christmas Day, and Celeste is now based in St. Gallen in Switzerland (a curious choice of location!). Suddenly, Jesse shows up without any prior warning to surprise her. Will they hit it off great again in their conversations and end another major leap further than their last night together?

At first glance, the script of writer and director Irene Villamor seemed to be just a series of random thoughts and topics with no clear direction where these conversations were leading to. However, looking back after the ending, they actually did. She only gave us three days to know these two characters, with no clarity of why no one thought of following up in between those fateful meetings. But in the end, it turned out to be enough after all. 

Bela Padilla is such an honest actress. It never seemed like she was ever acting. Everything was so natural and free-flowing with her. Carlo Aquino had always been a very sensitive actor since we knew him as a child. Because of their absorbing screen presence and charisma as a couple, we actually hang on to every word they were saying to each other, long and winding as they were. We wanted them to end up together.

"Meet Me in St. Gallen" is like the whole "Before" trilogy by Richard Linklater condensed into one film, where each episode is one day.  It follows pretty much the current trend of local indie romance films which use the conversations between two people to show the development of their relationship. The result can only be two ways -- happy or sad -- and that is for the audience to find out by hanging on to the very end. But by and large, its success clearly hung on the relatability of its script and the sincerity of its actors -- and this one had both winning ingredients. 8/10. 

Review of I. TONYA: Sleaze on Skates

February 5, 2018

Tonya Harding was a very familiar name in figure skating back in the 1990s. In a sport where the athletes were usually sweet and elegant, Harding came across as brusque and rough. Her rivalry with Nancy Kerrigan was inescapable in the news, especially when her name was implicated on an actual physical assault on Kerrigan. Because this dealt with a relatively recent tabloid-fare sports scandal, this film should be interesting to watch. The three Oscar nominations it earned gave it an extra push up. 

The film tells the story of how Tonya Harding began her ice skating career as a child of four being pressed by her abusive mother LaVona Golden to train under coach Diane Rawlinson. As she grew up, her excellent powerful skating skills were recognized in nationwide competitions, but her "white trash" demeanor made her unpopular with the judges and fans. 

As a teen, she married Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan) 3 years her senior, also socially backward, with a streak of violence. Despite being the first female figure skater to stick two triple axels in competition, Tonya's Olympic skating career was inconsistent. This led Gillooly to seek out more "innovative" ways to spook her closest competition, Nancy Kerrigan, but as the world now knew, things go out of hand. 

Since I have only seen Tonya Harding on the ice and on the news, I am not sure how accurate Margo Robbie's portrayal of her was. It felt like a caricature, but very well done, done with tongue securely in cheek. It was a fierce transformative performance, obviously totally out of Robbie's comfort zone, yet so convincingly done, both on at home and on the ice. She had the unenviable task of trying to make the audience take her side despite her character's uncouth personality and unpopular reputation, and she succeeds. Hers was an surprise Oscar Best Actress nomination, but this was fully deserved.

Alison Janney delivered a most unnerving portrayal of LaVona Golden, Tonya's foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, slave-driving mother from hell. She pushed her daughter to athletic perfection by fair means or foul, just like J.K. Simmons' Terence Fletcher character from "Whiplash" (2014), which incidentally won him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor that year. Janney was so memorably hateful as LaVona, from her first scene to her last. She had already won the Golden Globe and the SAG in that category, she is the frontrunner in the Oscar race for Supporting Actress and rightly so.

The film as directed by Craig Gillespie presented Tonya's story by way of a documentary style where characters were telling their stories in their own words. The storytelling went back and forth in time with the characters occasionally breaking the fourth wall to address the audience directly. The skating scenes were integrated very well with the story, all done with suspense and thrill. The editing by Tatiana Riegel was remarkable for its smooth execution, winning the Editors Guild award for Comedy, as well as an Oscar nomination. 

"I, Tonya" shows us what happens to someone without class in a sport that demands class. It tells us that Tonya's social class should not have mattered in her sport, only her athletic excellence. In this regard, the film's exaggerated comical portrayal of the so-called "white trash" social stratum can sometimes feel ironic. Because of its over-the-top approach to the story, one can also never be too sure of its historical accuracy as a biopic. Anyhow, as a whole, this movie is an eye-opening and entertaining peek inside the supposedly graceful world of ice skating through the troubled life of one of its least graceful personalities. 8/10. 

Review of FIFTY SHADES FREED: Flimsy Finale

February 7, 2018

In 2015, the first film (MY REVIEW) introduced us to the kinky couple of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. Just last year, the second film (MY REVIEW) had Ana learning more about Christian and his past. Now, barely a year later, the third and final film in the Fifty Shades series based on the books by E.L. James has been released as well. 

Anastasia and Christian are now married. Being married to a controlling billionaire, Ana felt stifled by Christian's rules and security, but she enjoyed defying him to make her point felt. Their European honeymoon was interrupted by news of a fire set inside Christian's office building. Much later, Ana herself was assaulted in their own condo by an intruder who turned out to be her ex-boss Eric Hyde. Aside from trying to figure out why Hyde hated Grey with a passion, the newlyweds also try to deal with an unexpected guest. 

Since this film was shot back to back with the second film by director James Foley, it looked and felt just like it. There was not much improvement to be expected in the acting of Dakota Johnson and Jaime Dornan, though they did seem to be more relaxed already by now. Eric Johnson was one-dimensional in his portrayal of token antagonist Jack Hyde. The rest of the cast may be good-looking but were similarly bland, from Brant Daugherty (as Ana's stiff bodyguard Sawyer) to Arielle Kebbel (as the flirty architect Gia Matteo). 

The cinematography was still lush and vibrant, showing the extravagant lifestyles of the rich and famous Greys (their vacations, their houses, their cars), as well as what happens in their bedrooms. The sexy scenes were not as instrumental to the story anymore as they were in the first two films. These gratuitous scenes basically became fillers to stretch out a lame revenge crime story into 105 minutes. 

The best aspect of all the Fifty Shades films remains to be its musical soundtrack. There is nothing that immediately stood out as strongly as "Love Me Like You Do" or "Earned It" did from the first film, or "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" from the second film. However, "For You" by Rita Ora (who played as Christian's sister Mia) and Liam Payne, and "Capital Letters" by Hailee Steinfeld are definitely ear candy that deserve to be radio hits as well. We also get to see and hear Jaime Dornan sing "Maybe I'm Amazed" while playing the piano -- not bad. 

The paper-thin story actually centered around dreary side character Eric Hyde and his vindictiveness, than about Christian Grey and his BDSM obsession. There was clearly nothing more to tell about Grey anymore here. We see only Christian's petulant immaturity when dealing with adult relationship issues. While Ana had the more interesting story to tell, Niall Leonard's script can occasionally make her come across as flighty and annoying. Anyhow, at least we can see that these two really deserve each other! 4/10. 

Review of A BETTER TOMORROW 2018: Fraternal Friction

February 7, 2018

In 1986, the original "A Better Tomorrow" film, written and directed by John Woo, was a landmark action film. It is recognized as the template for the so-called "heroic bloodshed" type of films where the scenes of violence are imbued with the spirit of honor and brotherhood. Other famous films like "The Killer" (1989), "Hard Boiled" (1992), and even American films like those of Quentin Tarantino or Luc Besson.

"A Better Tomorrow" launched Chou Yun Fat to superstardom, not only in Hong Kong, but also internationally. Chou did not even play either of the two brothers who were the main characters (played by Ti Lung as elder Ho and Leslie Cheung as younger Kit). However, it was Chou's magnetic charismatic performance as the trenchcoat-wearing Mark, the best friend of the elder brother, that fans of the film will always remember about it. 

"A Better Tomorrow" had been remade in 2010 in Korea, directed by Song Hae-sung and starring Joo Jin-mo and Kim Kang-woo as the two brothers and Song Seung-heon as the best friend. John Woo himself was the Executive Producer. This year, there is yet another remake, this time from China, directed by Ding Sheng, starring Wang Kai and Ma Tianyu as the two brothers and Darren Wang as the best friend, also named Mark. 

The basic story followed the original movie closely. Kai, the elder of the Zhou brothers, had been involved in smuggling abroad in Japan. Kai's best friend is the reckless but fiercely loyal Mark. Chao, the younger brother, idolized Kai, thinking he is working abroad as a seaman. By the time Kai returned to their seaside hometown of Qingdao, Chao is already an idealistic policeman. One day, Kai's criminal activities caught up with him, and this put him directly at odds with his brother. 

There were scenes which were obviously recreations of the first film but tweaked accordingly to more current styles, notably Kai's arrest scene and Mark's revenge killing spree scene. There were some changes in details. Ho's original syndicate dealt with counterfeiting, for Kai, it was smuggling. When he tried to turn over a new leaf, Ho drove taxis in the first film, while Kai sold seafood in the second. The whole ending sequence of the remake though is a major departure from the former.

Wang Kai portrayed Kai as a noble and humble man, even if he led a life of crime. He had a quiet intensity and deep sense of loyalty that makes him a character you'd root for. Ma Tianyu as Chou looked much younger than his actual age of 31. He played the hotshot cop with brashness and cockiness. Darren Wang's portrayal of Mark as a carefree impulsive rascal can be very charming yet badass. Wang had the unenviable job of trying to fill Chou Yun Fat's shoes in this role, and he managed to give the role his own spin. 

Jackie, the girlfriend of the younger brother, was a ditzy cello player in the first film (even with scenes of slapstick comedy). In the second film, she is Lulu, a sober, responsible nurse. The father in the first film was aware of his eldest son's crimes, but in the remake, the father had dementia. Every time the scene featured the Zhou patriarch, those emotional scenes were effectively tear-jerking. As for the villain, the shy apprentice-turned-ruthless boss Cang in the new film basically had the same character arc as Shing in the first film, though the original actor Waise Lee was more sinister than Ailei Yu was in the new one. 

The action scenes were entertaining to watch with their bone-crunching execution. The most memorable ones were those fight scenes with the Chinese opera going on in the background. There is another big gunfight scene with some geisha dancers downstairs adding some interest.  On the other hand, I thought the film had too many melodramatic interludes of seagulls flying over the ocean scored with generic sounding Oriental music.. 

There were nice references to the old film, like the matchstick Chou Yun Fat held in his mouth, and there was even a scene where we see the original 1986 movie poster. Despite all the nifty updating that Ding Sheng and crew did though, I am still not convinced that they they really needed to remake such an iconic film. If this remake gets the new generation to look back and check out the 1986 original, then that would be its best tribute. 7/10.

Review of WINCHESTER: Guns, Guilt and Ghosts

February 1, 2018

I have heard about the Winchester Mystery House located in San Jose, California known for its unorthodox architecture and its ghost stories. However, I had never had the chance to visit this place during the times I visited the West Coast in previous years. Even if there was zero buzz about this film, I welcomed the chance to get a peek inside the house. When I heard that Helen Mirren was the main star, I was sold. 

The year was 1906 in San Jose, California. San Francisco-based psychiatrist Dr. Eric Price (Jason Clarke) was called in by the lawyers of the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. to assess the mental health of their CEO, Mrs. Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren). She had been obsessed about constantly building new rooms and sections to her house with no clear reasons, which caused concern among the members of her board. 

Upon visiting her house, Dr. Price began seeing frightful visions. At first, he thought that these were just illusions from his addiction to laudanum. However, when Ms. Sarah's grandson Henry (Finn Scicluna-O'Prey), son of her niece Marian (Sarah Snook), was showing signs of possession by an evil spirit, Dr. Price needed to get his act together to help the Winchesters figure out how to fight back against the violently disturbed spirit of Cpl. Benjamin Block (Eamon Farren) who was determined to exact his revenge.

Despite the American topic, this was actually an Australian production. The film was written and directed by Austrailian identical twins Peter and Michael Spierig, billed together as "The Spierig Brothers." I did not recognize the name right away, but I realized that I had seen one of their films before, "Predestination" (2015) which I liked (MY REVIEW). Just last year, they directed the 8th installment of the "Saw" franchise called "Jigsaw" which I was not able to see. Majority of the cast was also Australian, like Clarke, Snook and Farren, along with Angus Sampson (as Ms. Sarah's helper) and Laura Brent (as Ruby, Eric's wife).

Helen Mirren seemed to be having a lot of fun wearing her oppressively black widow's gown and veil, which she wore for the entire length of this movie. Her acting was on the hammy side and was actually quite amusing to watch. She somehow gave the impression that she was not taking this project too seriously, and that may be a good thing in this case. She knows her character had some over-the-top lines and scenes, so she wisely played her with tongue-in-cheek.

I know Jason Clarke mostly for his macho action films, like "Zero Dark Thirty" (2012) (MY REVIEW), "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" (2014) (MY REVIEW) and "Everest" (2015) (MY REVIEW). Him getting jumpy, startled and freaked out as the tormented Dr. Price in this film must have been quite a fun change of pace for him. It was his character who went through a more complete story arc in film, and he did deliver, acting-wise. There was a remarkable detail in Dr. Price's life that was a nice little twist in the film which I appreciated. 

The only other film I saw Sarah Snook in was "Predestination". She was just limited to playing the concerned mother. Viewers of the rebooted "Twin Peaks" last year will recognize Eamon Farren. His character Block was given quite a back story behind his vengeful anger. Of course, Angus Sampson was the comic relief for all the "Insidious" films. Here, all he did nothing much but to hammer doors shut with 13 pieces of nails.

It did not have the Hollywood polish in terms of its cinematography and special effects. The scenes which were set at night or in darkness were too dark and were difficult to watch. The horror visual effects were quite basic, not up to present standards.  A lot of the scares were jump scares brought about by sudden jolts of a ghostly face or a sudden blast of sound. While certain aspects of the story were interesting, the pacing of the storytelling was rather slow and tedious at parts. 5/10. 

Review of PADDINGTON 2: Earnest and Endearing

February 1, 2018

I was introduced to the quintessentially British bear Paddington in his first film back in 2015 (MY REVIEW). I loved that film and in fact it was one of my top 20 films of 2015. I was surprised but happy that they produced a sequel about our favorite teddy bear. This sequel was again directed and co-written by Paul King. For the local prints, Xian Lim had again been tapped to dub over the original vocals of Ben Whishaw. 

This time around, Paddington wanted to buy a gift for his Aunt Lucy for the occasion of her 100th birthday. He saw a charming pop-up book showing various London tourist spots in an antique shop and thought his Aunt Lucy will love it. However, when the store was burglarized and that book was stolen, Paddington was wrongly accused, apprehended and jailed for this crime. While Paddington tries his best to get through life in prison, the Brown family do their best to gather evidence to prove that their bear's innocence.

Among the noted British actors supporting Paddington in this sequel is Hugh Grant playing Phoenix Buchanan, a narcissistic actor who lived right across the Brown's house. Despite him going against Paddington, Grant made me laugh with his various eccentric actor idiosyncrasies and his donning of his old costumes. Another new face is Brendan Gleeson who played Knuckles McGinty, the cook of the prison who took a fancy to Paddington's marmalade recipe and becomes his friend. 

Reprising their roles from the first film were: Sally Hawkins, who was just nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in "The Shape of Water," was a gentle peaceful presence, reprising her role as Mrs. Mary Brown. Hugh Bonneville plays her straitlaced husband, Henry. Jim Broadbent also returns as the owner of the antique shop, Mr. Gruber. Imelda Staunton and Michael Gambon lend their voices to Paddington's dearest Aunt Lucy and Uncle Pastuzo. 

Through all his naive misadventures in this film, Paddington remains as endearing a bear as ever. One of the funniest scenes in the film was that one about the red sock getting mixed up in the washing machine where all the black and white striped jailbird uniforms were loaded with hilarious results. Only a kind and sweet cutie pie like Paddington can tame the most hardened criminals like he did here. Those climactic action scenes by the CG Paddington had on the train were also executed in the most fun and exciting manner. They were thrilling without becoming too seriously scary but certainly not too kiddie or safe. 8/10.

Review of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN: Exhilarating Entertainer!

January 31, 2018

I know the name P. T. Barnum, but I did not know anything about the kind of man he was, nor what the story was behind the circus that bore his name. When I heard about this movie that was going to tell about Barnum's life and career, I thought that should be interesting. The fact that this was a musical with original songs and starred Hugh Jackman in the lead role made everything even more exciting.

Phineas Barnum was a very poor boy growing up. Despite all odds, he was able to marry Charity Hallett (Michelle Williams), the daughter of one of his tailor father's rich clients. Even if his wife and two daughters seemed to be contented with the modest life they had, Phineas himself was obsessed with his dream of transcending his station in life. Phineas began with a wax museum of the strange and the macabre, but his idea really hit its stride when he developed a show that featured "freaks" as the main stars. But even then, Phineas wanted much more, and that was when success began to unravel.

Despite better known for this tough and violent action persona as the Wolverine, Hugh Jackman had been an acclaimed musical theater star first before he became a big movie star. Starring as Jean Valjean in the movie version of "Les Miserables" (Tom Hooper, 2012) (MY REVIEW), Jackman's musical talent became more widely known and appreciated by the non-theatergoing public. 

As P.T. Barnum, Jackman was obviously too old to have been realistic as the young impoverished Phineas, and this was distracting at the start. However, he would eventually grow into the role so well, such that this age disparity would later not matter. He displayed musical versatility, performing songs like "A Million Dreams," (with Williams and daughters), "The Other Side" (with Efron) and "From Now On" (on his own) with flair and heart.

Zac Efron played Philip Carlyle, a playwright from a rich family whom Barnum convinced to join his circus show to give it more "class". Carlyle was romantically attracted to trapeze artist Anne Wheeler (played by Zendaya), whose race and class was unfavorable to his family. It was good to see Efron back to the type of role he was first known for as a singer and dancer. You can still see some of his "High School Musical" dance moves here. His featured number with Zendaya with the song "Rewrite the Stars" as they took to the air on ropes was a romantic and dramatic spectacle thrilling to behold on the big screen.

Nine of the songs in the film's soundtrack were written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the same duo won an Oscar for "La La Land" and a Tony for "Dear Evan Hansen." I am surprised that of all the melodic and powerful songs in the film, the only film  being cited for awards is "This is Me" (not Demi Lovato's similarly titled anthem from "Camp Rock" of course). That song and its message is strong and positive, and the performance of Keala Settle as Lettie Lutz the Bearded Lady was mindblowing. But the other songs were also so very good, just one musical highlight after the other. From the bombast of the title song to the intimacy of "Tightrope", it is not fair that only one song gets all the attention.

For me, the song that mesmerized me the most is Jenny Lind's absolutely riveting rendition of the song "Never Enough" during her first concert in New York City. Performed with gorgeous elegance by Rebecca Ferguson mouthing vocals recorded by Loren Allred (a finalist on Team Adam of the The Voice Season 3), I was staring at the screen slack-jawed the whole time she was singing, and I wanted to give her a standing ovation right there and then. OK, Allred's singing vocals was not exactly the soprano Jenny Lind's real voice was supposed to be, but I was taken with the whole illusion of that scene.

I am sure there was a lot of cinematic license taken by writers Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon (of "Gods and Monsters" fame) and first-time feature film director Michael Gracey to tell P.T. Barnum's story. He was made to look as sympathetic a hero as possible, making others (like the theater critic Mr. Bennett and opera star Ms. Lind) look worse than they actually were. Anyhow, we cannot really expect historical accuracy here, they never claimed it.;

Too bad the art direction and costumes were totally snubbed at the Oscars. I thought they did well to create a realistic period setting and lavish spectacle of a show with all the flashy colors and over-the-top designs. I admit I am biased when it comes to musical films like this. I really liked this film a lot and I am definitely going to watch this again (and again). 9/10.  

Review of DOWNSIZING: Maximizing by Minimizing

January 25, 2018

The setting is in an unspecified future time when scientists in Norway had developed a process called "downsizing," a way to safely shrink people to a height of five inches. While the grander advantage of this remarkable technology is its environmental benefit, downsizing also lessens the financial burden of daily living.

Meanwhile, Paul (Matt Damon) and Audrey (Kristen Wiig) Safranek are a happy married couple living in Omaha, Nebraska. After meeting with a couple of friends who had been downsized, the Safraneks explored this option to escape their financial woes, visiting a nearby downsized community called Leisureland. Convinced, they decide to undergo the process themselves. However, things do not go according to plans.  

Ever since "Election" (1999), a film written and directed by Alexander Payne always stood out among the best of the year because of its intelligent incisive writing and heartfelt homespun direction. "About Schmidt" (2002), "Sideways" (2004) "The Descendants" (2011) (MY REVIEW) and "Nebraska" (2013) (MY REVIEW) have all been nominated or awarded as Best Screenplay, Best Director or Best Picture by various critics, including the Oscars.

The basic premise of "Downsizing" is very original and very interesting. How imaginative is that solution it proposes to the environmental crisis facing the world as well as the financial crisis many face all over the world. When humans are just five inches tall, everything he needs and uses also gets downsized accordingly. This greatly reduces all the waste each human being generates. It also reduces the money needed to sustain a desired way of life. 

The first half of the film while the Safraneks were deciding whether to undergo downsizing or not was really fascinating. Audiences will definitely be provoked to think about this fantastic scientific breakthrough, if they will go for it or not if given the chance. Unfortunately, in the second half, when the action shifts to life within the downsized community itself, the stories and the storytelling both began to derail. 

I found the characters whom Paul encountered in the second half  of the film to be very odd and unlikable. Christoph Waltz was Dušan Mirković, a middle-aged man who loved to party loud in complete disregard of his neighbors. Hong Chau was Ngoc Lan Tran, a Vietnamese activist who was punished by her government by being shrunk against her will. While I appreciated an Asian character in there, why does she have to talk in an offensively stereotypical Asian accent? Rolf Lassgård was Dr. Jørgen Asbjørnsen, the inventor of the downsizing procedure, who acted suspiciously like a lunatic cult leader.  

The whole Downsizing concept was set up so well by the first hour, but by the second hour, it all came crumbling down. It had so much potential to tell very humanistic stories about the advantages of being small, but it didn't. The second half instead told half-hearted stories where being small did not even matter. It was not explain why poverty and squalor still existed within a community of the small. There could have been so much to compare and contrast between the two co-existing worlds, but the filmmakers did not go there. It was really disappointing that Alexander Payne failed to deliver on his innovative story idea this time, unlike his previous films. 5/10. 

Review of MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE: Harsh Humanity

January 26, 2018

"Maze Runner" (MY REVIEW) is probably the least memorable among the teenage dystopian film series we have had in the recent years after "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent." When I was watching this latest one, the names of the actors in the cast do not immediately come to mind, and nor did the plot. It took some time for me to get back into the continuity of the story, especially since the last film was shown back in 2015. Frankly, I did not even expect this third episode at all. 

At the end of "The Scorch Trials" (MY REVIEW), because of her blind trust in WCKD (wasn't the acronym obvious enough?) and its leaders Ava Paige (Patricia Clarkson) and Janson (Aiden Gillen), Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) betrayed her virus immune friends from the Glade. One of the boys, Minho (Ki Hong Lee) was captured to develop a serum against the zombie-fying Flare virus. At this point, the infected are already outnumbering the uninfected 3:1. 

Meanwhile, the remaining boys Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Frypan (Dexter Darden), along with their new friends Brenda (Rosa Salazar) and Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito), continue to find ways to penetrate the city walls to break Minho out. They encounter a rebel group outside the wall with their deformed leader Lawrence (Walton Goggins). Among this group, they reunite with their old "frenemy" Gally (Will Poulter) who apparently survived the his severe stab wound he sustained in the last film.

All the "teenage" characters here are now played by actors all well into their 20s already and they look their age. The youngest among the boys is Will Poulter at 24. The oldest among them is Ki Hong Lee, who is actually turning 32 this year. While some of them can still pass for teens, a few, the leads Dylan O'Brien and Kaya Scodelario in particular, look too mature for their character's age. 

Even if I did not immediately remember their names, Thomas and his gang did work together as a team very well. There is an effective chemistry among the actors so this carried the adventure through for the most part. You'd admire their loyalty and dedication to stay united with each other no matter what. It was tough to watch though that they insist on their idealism, in spite of the the possibility of causing more casualties in the process.

This film took almost two and half hours to finish, so I have to admit it had me looking at my watch several times. I definitely felt its length, and there were parts in the middle where I zoned out. Some scenes felt endless because they took so long despite the inevitability of their outcomes, like that fight with the Cranks in the tunnel, or that scene where Janson was stalking Thomas in the laboratory. I also wished director Wes Ball provided better closure about the virus, a cure or the Cranks.

Bloated finale that it may have been, it still had a number of awesome action scenes which were a lot of fun to watch. The film opened with an exciting train rescue scene. In the middle there was a big unbelievable stunt with a bus full of teenagers which can make you feel like you were on a thrill ride with them. Loyal fans will get emotional with the cast members who die in this one. That long sentimental farewell coda made sure of that. However, casual viewers may not really remember too much about it anymore after a while. 5/10. 

Review of CALL ME BY YOUR NAME: Daring to Desire

January 23, 2017

This critically acclaimed film was first shown locally during the CinemaOne Originals 2017 film festival last November. All four screenings were sold out. Due to the demand, an extra screening was added which also got sold out. I did not get to watch it back then. Despite (or probably because of) its controversial topic, this Oscar-buzzed film promptly gets a limited commercial run this month in selected Ayala Mall theaters, with an MTRCB rating of R-16.

It was the summer of 1983 somewhere in a quiet Eden of a town in Northern Italy. There lived a 17-year Elio Perlman (Timothee Chalamet), who loved music, languages and his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel) who fawned over him. One day, his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), a professor of Greco-Roman archeology, welcomed an American graduate student, 24-year old Oliver (Armie Hammer), into their home as an intern for the summer. The tall, handsome, aloof Oliver wakens an unfamiliar yearning in young Elio. Will Elio be able to reveal his hidden desire to Oliver before the summer ends?

Working with a script adapted by James Ivory (yes, of those nostalgic Ivory-Merchant films of old) from the 2007 novel written by author Andre Aciman, director Luca Guadagnino brought us to an idyllic setting of rural quietude and simplicity. It was the perfect ambiance for the blossoming of a young love with its sun-kissed meadows and ponds, dusty paths for bicycle rides and empty town plazas and al fresco cafes.

22-year old and androgynous Chalamet and 31-year old 6'4" All-American chap Hammer seem to be ideally cast as Elio and Oliver. Chalamet was staring with his simmering longing in his eyes as Hammer was strutting around nonchalantly with his attractive over-confidence. Between the two of them, Chalamet was certainly the more sincere and effective actor than his co-star from whom discomfort can be felt. 

Even with all these positive things going for it, not to mention all those numerous award nominations, I personally thought that this film was over-hyped. The progression of the storytelling by director Guadagnino was too slow, with repetitive distractions. When intentions were revealed, that moment came too abruptly and with little sense of romantic thrill in its execution. 

Even the meaning of the title is lost to me. Why should one call the other by his name be an expression of love? It was pretentious and certainly unrealistic. Those scenes when they were calling out to each other with the other's names felt corny and made me cringe. 

Also uncomfortable to watch was that sticky love scene with a peach, which was done in all seriousness probably as a metaphor of some nebulous sort. A similar scene with the apple pie seen in "American Pie" was at least done purely for the sake of humorous raunch.  

Those scenes of making the first move on one's dream guy, as well the that remarkable final scene of paternal candidness and unconditionality, will definitely resonate positively for any young gay man seeking love and acceptance. Therefore, this film would work very well for that niche of viewers. 

However, for those who aren't in that particular demographic, the effusive awards hype may lead to high expectations which may not be met. As far as gay-themed mainstream movies go for me, "Brokeback Mountain" and "Moonlight" engaged better than this one.  6/10.