The Batman | Gotham's Tragic Hero

When it comes to reboots things are uncertain, it is either a breakthrough or a bomb. The mere term is like something people mostly won’t like to associate with an iconic film or series. ‘The Batman’ is no slouch in terms of a superhero film with Matt Reeves and Peter Craig put in the work to create a new take painting a new canvas. There’s so many aspects of the previous Bat-films have been retold with a different take, but this one breaks that monotone and adds layers gritty and what could be considered a scarier Batman as the Bruce Wayne persona doesn’t pretend to be, but deals with his own mental health and trauma without even re-telling the story how he lost his parents at the back alley of a theatre as a young boy. The best part of it how grounded this world building that it is more of a crime noir-film with superhero elements. The opening just goes straight to the branded red logo taking over the big screen in bold letters and then straight to the Robert Pattison’s narration as how Gotham City has been drowning in fear and darkness. The usual feel how it gets you immersed in the same city with a new perspective. WARNING: Proceed with caution when reading this review as it might contain some minor plot point of the film that would be considered as a SPOILER. But in case you have seen the film or just want to read and don't care for this do read on...

Little Women | Life Challenges in 1868

“Little Women” an original based on the novel from 1868 by the same name is a coming of age film and it is the seventh film adapted for cinema. This reinterpretation was directed by Greta Gerwig (her second solo direction) teaming up again with some of the actors she has worked with on Lady Bird (2017) namely Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet together with an ensemble cast that includes Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, James Norton, Louis Garrel, and Chris Cooper. The film has a running time of 135 minutes (2 hours and 25 minutes) and paced enough to get through the life story of the four sisters going through life as young women, dealing with loss and meeting the men of their lives. It was one of the best films to close out in 2019 as one of the films set in the 1860s as a period piece that shows quality in production that shows the value from the sets and the elaborate costumes of that time. Saoirse Ronan leads the cast the focal point of perspective of the overall narrative, but not outshines her fellow cast mates as Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen have all their scenes in this film and reinterprets the characters from the novel by Louisa May Alcott.

1917 | The War Journey in Perspective

When you talk about Epic War Films they’re grand and mostly inspired or created from real world events. Sometimes half-fiction and the other half are based of real events. There are times some of the film’s elements carry ‘what if’ scenarios. But 1917 is something else and it takes you right to the heart of the action in the thick of it and makes you feel what the main characters feel. It is based in part on an account told to Sam Mendes by his paternal grandfather, Alfred Mendes. The film tells the story of two young British soldiers during the First World War who are ordered to deliver a message calling off an attack doomed to fail soon after the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line during Operation Alberich in 1917. This message is especially important to one of the young soldiers, as his brother is taking part in the pending attack. Visually the film focuses on two characters Lance Corporals William Schofield, a veteran of the Somme, and Tom Blake, are ordered by General Erinmore to carry a message to Colonel Mackenzie of the Second Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, calling off a scheduled attack that would jeopardise the lives of 1,600 men, including Blake's brother Lieutenant Joseph Blake.

Sonic the Hedgehog | Going Supersonic

02.24.2020 – There are iconic videogame characters and there’s Sonic the Hedgehog. It was unexpected seeing this one would be something special since I never was a fan of the character. But it was one of those games I played on the 16-Bit Sega Mega Drive from my high school classmate. Sonic achieved icon statues since Sega produced game consoles up until 2000 with their Dreamcast, which I owned but never had the game that was released in this platform. The cartoon series was heaps of fun getting to know more about the character his friends and Dr Robotnik. If Nintendo has Mario and Pikachu while Sony used to have Crash Bandicoot then Sega had Sonic. When the very first trailer was revealed on YouTube I never had expectations and basing from reactions from social media platforms it wasn’t the most impressive translation from games and animation to live–action. But the redesign was enough to give everyone hope in seeing that this video game-inspired movie would take off the sting of blockbuster failures that plagued previous video games adapted to films.

Birds of Prey | In Harley Quinn's Mind

02.07.2020 – When you thing about the DC Extended Universe or the DCEU it’s convoluted continuity that you try to appreciate how they take their franchise to the big screen. They’re slowly changing course and making good films with the recent success of Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam, which also include the non-DCEU connected Joker film. It’s time for Harley Quinn’s solo outing to take the next step in a bold, colourful, and adventurous outing. When this was announced years ago, which was originally titled ‘Gotham City Sirens’ the idea of Harley Quinn to be the lead character of the said film would add a few more characters from Batman’s rogue’s gallery. But it turns out DC Films and Warner Bros re-clarify that it is going to be Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), which Margot Robbie claims to be her most recent favorite long titled film to date that she also have the title as producer. Though there have been teasers and trailers the expectation was not here, but to see the curiosity what made the higher ups made the decision to green light this film. Sure, Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn caught fire on everyone’s radar on Suicide Squad, which she will reprise in the James Gunn helmed sequel. The concept though invited curiosity despite the hype that produced when word of mouth started to go around for those who were given the opportunity to see the movie a week earlier than the regular screen date.

Nightshift | Confusions of Desperate Terror

01.27.2020 – The Philippines is rich with folktales and mythology, but rarely the subject of a theme used in films. Most movies produced these day and age are either taking inspiration from what is trending or taking a page in using those elements to tell a fresh take on what horror films have been made in this generation. Usually, horror supernatural films made internationally have been popularized either from Korea or Japan and with that those concepts get immediately translated to being adapted my other films in other countries. Some are deliberately copies and then others when used certain elements and executed flawlessly it becomes a hit forgetting where they got those ideas that it mistakes it from being an original idea. And then there’s this recently released Filipino film titled “Nightshift” written and directed by Yam Laranas with Yam Concepcion in the lead role mostly focused on her story as the newly hired morgue assistant who was just recently started working for a week now is also the central figure of its narrative. SPOILER WARNING! IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN “NIGHTSHIFT" IN PHILIPPINE CINEMAS, PLEASE DO AVOID SOME INTERESTING REVELATIONS ABOUT THE FILM AND SOME SURPRISES

Knives Out | Sharp Intense Deductions

01.23.2020 – The whodunit murder mystery films are a rare breed theme, and for those who grew up with the board game Cluedo by the Parker Brothers one would recall that there was a film inspired from it that were shown in 1985 simply titled “Clue.” But Knives Out is something more and just like the above mentioned classic it also featured an ensemble of talented actors. With this film it gives you that intense detective guessing from start to finish and for the reason why it was such a hit in other countries that it is still being shown in cinemas and has not yet to reach the streaming service like Netflix, Stan, or Amazon. Rian Johnson may have divided the Star Wars community with his previous direction with The Last Jedi, but this surely is quite redemption in making this film entertaining to watch as actors featured flexed their repertoire at the same time the narrative itself was impressive enough that some people I knew have seen this twice during its run. “Knives Out” was considered an underrated film when it was shown in some part of Southeast Asia, but with a list of well-known actors as part of the cast surely you’ll troop to the nearest cinema to catch and probably see it again and again. The appeal of this film certainly was impressive minus the grand that some movies carry.

The Rise of Skywalker | Closing on a Good Note

12.21.2019 – The “Skywalker Saga” has finally ended and the most anticipated film next to Avengers: Endgame was already here. Everyone has very high expectations for this release, but personally I felt there was too much hype and mixed reaction that divided the fandom. Three months before it was shown in local cinemas in the Philippines there were communities that offered advance ticket sales. It was the ‘usual’ thing in the Philippines since the movie has a limited run in December due to the annual MMFF (Metro Manila Film Fest) that focuses more on the local films released during the duration of the Holiday Season than foreign film. I’m one of the very few to be able to see it in cinema on 20 December 2019 and surprisingly got the ticket on the day itself through an old M-Pass card from Sureseats.com that I had registered eight years ago. I didn’t purchase the ticket since the M-Pass account I had had enough points to get me a movie pass to see it less than the cost of what the pre-selling ones offered by local groups that organized the screening. It is more like getting invited in an advance screening again minus the commotion you seen in the red carpet. Greenbelt 1 may not be as sophisticated as the other cinemas or even the one that hosted the special premier it was enough to witness how JJ Abrams wrap up the last chapter.

Ford v Ferrari | An Intense Race to the Finish

11.14.2019 – There are movies and then there’s a biographical film retelling true to life stories in the form of entertainment at the same time staying true to the facts with a little bit of difference based on what really happened. It is rare nowadays that there’s a biographical film that hold interest and most of it is about human lives. Ford v Ferrari is another of those biographical films that is related to Motorsport with more about the man behind the wheel than the car itself. But this film is more about the heritage that put Ford Performance racing division to the world stage retelling the story how an American car manufacturing competed in 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is also the story how Ford produced the iconic GT-40 that had won several championships competing in Le Mans during those tumultuous days. Behind engineers and drivers at Ford’s disposal they put together what would become one of the high performance cars in history. With the lead cast portrayed by Matt Damon (Carroll Shelby) and Christian Bale (Ken Miles) this was an impressive film that was both intense at the same time educational to how Ford was dead set in beating Ferrari at their own game as premise to the film.

Terminator's Dark Fate?

10.31.2019 – There are so many things to take in when considering taking an optimistic precaution viewing a film that failed so many times. With Terminator: Dark Fate it was something to take a lot of caution having been failed to recapture the essence of what a badass film Terminator 2: Judgement Day was in the 1990s. But this time around it is different; well a lot of people say that all the time if presenting a sequel that has been trying to bring itself to be a better version of the previous is going to be difficult. This is such the case of the Terminator franchise in which considered one of the films that defined Arnold’s career in the action genre. It put Linda Hamilton at the forefront as one of the OG badass women next to Ripley’s Aliens. It also defined James Cameron’s career as a director to his succeeding films. It was ahead of its time when Judgement Day followed up the ‘indie film’ cyborg slasher flick ‘The Terminator.’ When I was young I only saw the original Terminator on home media renting it on Betamax or VHS. But T2 Judgement Day cemented the franchise to new heights with ‘The Terminator’ becoming the protector to John Connor and father figure that he never had. It was also Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor in the spotlight as a badass single mom with a shotgun fighting a T-1000. It was action as you get and after that three Terminator films followed that never had the same energy as the two previous films.

NERVE | Social Media Addicts Vie for Top Spot

07.21.2016 – There have been techno-thriller films that has something to do with the internet, but “NERVE” takes it further more of how to survive social media and live another minute to live in this action packed film that has a lot of high stakes. Based from the novel of the same name NERVE is addicting either you are a watcher or a player life is on the line where privacy does not exit. Voyeurism is at its peak in this year’s most awaited movie on social media and the virtual reality people live today in “NERVE” starring Emma Roberts and Dave Franco.

NERVE | The Sinister Side of Social Media

07.15.2016 – The dark side of social media is played out in the fictional thriller “Nerve”, which features two strangers running for their life against a mysterious group that threatened their privacy that includes their love ones and friends. This may be happening now in the real world, and this is both timely that there’s a film that tells a dark story in effect what social media can do to someone. It’s a thrill ride that would change the lives of these individuals in this upcoming film. Emma Roberts and Dave Franco star in “Nerve,” a timely edge-of-your-seat thriller and a razor-sharp examination of the seductive power of social media.

NERVE | Are You Watcher or Player?

07.07.2016 – Social Media now is the all seeing yes in the interweb. It is a place of opinion and a realm where privacy is slowly just a term in the past. You say something critical it becomes a firestorm for some who becomes the spotlight. In “NERVE” it’s about life or death at the same time in this fictional world you get to play for money, but of course somebody is going to die. There’s no right or wrong but survival in the gritty world which defines this movie...

Reel Review: Point Break!

12.06.2015 – Point Break is a remake of the classic 1991 film that expands its element of surfing to extreme sports. The original was more of the story that happened in the surfing community unlike this new film that’s straight extreme sports. What’s new incorporated to the film is the extreme sports itself that shows how the characters defy the human condition. It is what the film is all about and maybe more that’s certainly visual spectacle for those into action films out there.

Press Film Review: Paper Towns!

07.20.2015 – Not everyone appreciate the little things about some unknown film. If you’re just the usual individual who wants to be entertained, and at the same time find the curiosity in mystery related films that has a few laughs it must be “Paper Towns.” It’s about a coming of age film as what the synopsis describes and from the same author of “Fault in the Stars”, which also have the same screenwriters who wrote the film. But don’t expect or otherwise think it might carry the same this one is different.

PRESS RELEASE: Sean Penn on Secret Life of Walter Mitty!

12.21.2013 - Walter Mitty’s journey is no longer a secret one as it hits international cinemas on Christmas Day and the rest of UK on December 26th. The film focuses on his world who works in a Life Magazine. Ben Stiller stars, produce, and direct the film but Walter won’t venture off his adventure without Sean O’ Connell, the character portrayed by Sean Penn and more here…

PRESS RELEASE: Walter Mitty Extended Trailer Released!

12.09.2013 - The Secret Life of Walter Mitty will be coming out in cinemas internationally on Christmas day and it’s about to be out on Boxing Day in Australia on December 26, 2013, where the rest of UK will follow. The film already had a special red carpet screening in Australia last month, and Hollywood has honored its actor, producer and director in Ben Stiller almost a week ago. 20th Century Fox has now released an extended trailer…

Walter Mitty Premieres in Australia!

11.22.2013 – Walter Mitty premiered in Australia two days ago, which have Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig gracing the red carpet. The film is adventure-fantasy that revolves around the secret life of Mitty. The movie won’t be released in the Philippines until January 22, 2014. But it is set to open in Australia on Boxing Day, which is December 26, 2013 the same day it gets show in UK. While the US release on Christmas Day…

PRESS RELEASE: Celebrating Life in Walter Mitty!

11.18.2013 – Everyone has a secret life and Walter Mitty is one of the few individuals celebrate that reality. Despite being “zoned out” in his world Walter exist to enjoy that part of him that breaks the barriers of imagination. The film tells the story of Walter Mitty which is portrayed by Ben Stiller, and also directs that separates having its own identity with no comparison to the original from the late 1940s...

PRESS RELEASE: Secret Life International Trailer!

10.14.2013 – There more secrets to be revealed about Walter Mitty, where he lives in two different realities that you might find it interesting. The film was first revealed a teaser trailer and alternate theatrical posters in the previous months. Bes Striller as Walter Mitty looks interesting who works at the Life magazine which also has Sean Penn. 20th Century Fox release the international trailer with more revelations…