Across the Spider-Verse | Redefining a Franchise

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is superior to “Into the Spider-Verse,” where there is a lot to unpack in terms of scope visually and the number of characters that appeared in this animated film from Sony Animated Pictures. If the first one was something to be elated about in terms of visual style and narrative the producers and directors really went to it in making sure the original was just an appetizer. There is an amount of Spider-People in this film that have their own story to tell, and you’re only seeing it revolve between Miles and Gwen. The main protagonist in the film expands not just Miles growing up and getting acclimated to his new role as Eath-1610’s Spider-Man, but dealing with everyday life like most young adults in the world. For Gwen, the struggle of trying to prove herself to his father, Captain Stacy is the only two parts of a bigger story that unfolds in 140 minutes of a visually impressive world where all these characters exist. Every Spider-Man fan is treated to this epic adventure as a love letter that the people behind this film listened to from the original. It shows that this superhero genre is no longer just for kids to enjoy but for the fans and ‘True Believers” out there to show that they care for this franchise and will continue to support it.

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.

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.

Toy Story 4 | Reached For The Sky...

06.24.2019 – Toy Story 4 is the latest installment in the film series that ushered Pixar Studios in the mainstream. It has been almost two and a half decade with this successful franchise that became the face of the studio that developed it. Every kid in the 1990s and the succeeding generation have grown up to Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the gang. It has been almost a decade since the third installment and everyone thought the last film would have closed the franchise, but for a surprising fourth film, there were still stories to tell about these toys. From the very first Toy Story, there was a progression to the aesthetics and the ever-evolving technology that improved the animation and in that span of 25 years with this latest film some would say everyone would say it never goes old. The franchise has been timeless on its own even though the imagery from the very first one seemed outdated as Pixar was really ahead of the curve. But what makes Toy Story one of the favorite CG animated feature films is the well-written narrative for each film. The evolution and character development that began in Andy’s room to Bonnie’s playroom was not just about the adventured of these toys it was about the film in general that made it timeless.

Elise | An Emotional Colors of Life

02.11.2019 – There have been very exceptions when watching movies in the Philippines. It is rare that new concepts or inspired by western films make it to what is local films are made nowadays. Sometimes you need a fresh new perspective and take the risk. These risks sometimes equate very little box office returns, but get positive critical acclaim due to word of mouth. Sometimes it is very rare to have both, but with local films as a discussion, it is like digging for a diamond in a rough. With Elise it was probably something people should not take high expectations and trust those who have actually seen it. There’s more to share about this film to avoid the ‘Spoiler Alerts’ and that’s where you might find this interesting. Elise appears to be a romantic coming of age film that most have dismissed it just another tried and overused concept in the country. But that’s just above the surface it’s actually a subtle film quite hardly noticed that would change your perspective about Filipino-produced films. There was no huge expectation but this film deserves a second re-watch if you’re keen to be entertained.

The Upside | Odd Pairs of Friendships

01.26.2019 – Movies that are inspired from actual events or true story is a hit or miss. Sometimes it surprises you how these films real it hard with reality and definitely find inspiration to the viewer who needed motivation the most, but sometimes it’s more than just entertaining at the same time finding its way to be that interesting. “The Upside” is one of those films that play it straight at the same time making you laugh for its simple but benign scenes. It features an interesting cast in Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart, Julianna Margulies, and Nicole Kidman rounding up the leads.

Glass | It's An Origin Story

01.20.2019 – We live in the Golden Age of Superhero genre that’s appearing in movies and television. With Marvel’s trailblazing success on their Cinematic Universe and DC Comics' Extended Universe that also include their ever-growing Arroverse on The CW it is not slowing down. The New Year certainly bring some more but there are also others too that’s not produced by the big two. Truly, the slew of animation, films, television, and video games has brought the genre to its impressive era. There are also other superhero-type genres that are getting the same attention.

Bumblebee Movie | Transformers Back to Life

01.07.2019 – The Transformers Film Series for 10 years have been met with good to critical reviews under the direction of Michael Bay prior to this prequel spin-off featuring the solo adventures of Bumblebee. Its previous film “The Last Knight” has been met with negative feedback. With this Prequel, Spin-Off fans and the media were holding their breath on the announcement that focuses more on one of its beloved characters. Bumblebee has been a well-loved character that connects to the younger generation as with his childish characteristics.

Rainbow's Sunset | Lost in Grey Tones

12.29.2018 – The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) has been one of the important events in the Philippines when they only screened Filipino made films from December 25th to the first week of January the following year. This has been a tradition since being introduced as an annual event since 1966. There are no foreign films that get shown during the Holiday Season to focus on showing this type of films. In other countries, there is no such thing as cinemas in Australia are well diverse to show all types of movies. It’s not about having a bigger market it’s getting you to have enough choices to see well-produced quality films. But of course Filipino produced films that go with that standard of the category is very rare when you think about it for the reason the movie market in the Philippines is very much more on they think would sell than what would be more appreciated by the audience. For this year there were eight films that are presented for the 44th annual MMF that appear to be less expecting when it comes to standards. There is a hint of bias on some of these films but the one that really stands out was the one that has less glamour and more about substance as some might think but they’re actually not.

Into the Spider-Verse | Miles Morales World

12.18.2018 – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a revelation that feature-length animated films can still be relevant in this action-filled superhero genre. It was one of the most anticipated animated films for 20218 that definitely delivered beyond everyone’s expectation. This Spidey film did not have Peter Parker as the lead but introduces Miles Morales.

Aquaman | A Redeemed Hero

12.15.2018 – There have been popular DC heroes most people are familiar with the trinity of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. The fans gravitate to these characters compared to the rock stars they follow, and none of them would be interested on the underrated ones that would make them relevant. Aquaman is not your cup of hero as previous representation of the character is ridiculed in the past for his lame abilities in communicating with sea creatures. This is the reason his comic books where rebooted several times in the past.

Creed II | For Family & Friendships

12.01.2018 – There are sports films that are built upon the underlying drama that defined its identity, which has become an iconic franchise like Rocky and its continuing saga where the fictional athlete evolved throughout the years. Of course, Rocky Balboa steps back and becomes the mentor of the former Apollo Creed’s son. Adonis Creed is going to have new challenges and Rocky will be with him all the way. They will face insurmountable odds that tie to their legacy and it is an interesting narrative that makes you appreciate the little things about this sequel to Creed even if you’re not a fan of the previous films.

Doco Films | Spitfire: Inspiration of a Nation

11.30.2018 – Documentaries are rarely appreciated as compared to theatrical films. They may not entertain you but it tells you about real life and most of them is experience in history that also includes events that change a culture. In the Philippines there is no market for documentaries being shown in cinemas. They go straight to home video editions. There’s not much interest to seeing documentaries in cinemas that appeal to other countries.