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saintelmosfire71
Reviews
Cavite (2005)
Commendable effort but short on film-making logic
I saw Cavite recently here in L.A., in the only theater it is being released, the Nuart at West LA. I've been hearing the buzz on this film so it was curiosity that drove me from Long Beach to L.A to watch it. OK, as a prospective filmmaker, I laud and commend the efforts of the filmmaker for just doing the film. With very limited budget, equipment and actors, they were able to pull it through despite the meager means they have. I can understand the sloppy camera work and even the not-so-great acting of the actor/director, but it makes me uncomfortable not to mention that the filmmakers left some important detail in the movie - logic. First, Cavite is, a conservative estimate, 40 miles from Quiapo church in Manila. In the Philippines, were traffic is part of the daily commute, we measure the distance between two locations not by miles but by travel time. And Cavite is more or less a 2 hr drive from Manila. How the hell did Adam get back in forth from Cavite to Quiapo and vice versa in such quick time? And using public transport no less? And how did his cellphone battery last that long? I mean, they should've considered people who are familiar with the location that are going to see this movie. Its like insulting them, I should know, I grew up in Quiapo. Anyways, like I said, I still admire them for their mere guts in doing this film. And please stop using scenes of poverty as a depiction of the Philippines! Scenes like these get manipulated so much in movies like these.
Fantastic Four (2005)
Nothing fantastic about it
I'm a big Marvel superheroes fan, my favorite among the hundreds are, the Xmen, Spiderman and the Fantastic Four. I've followed their animated versions on TV, plus of course their big screen adaptation, the other two, Xmen 1 & 2, and Spiderman 2, were standouts, they've really made it a true superhero movie that every fan can be proud of. Now, here comes the Fantastic Four, I must say, that I was excited for this movie, the trailers looked great, and I was intrigued by how they're gonna show the evolution of their powers, I know with today's technology in CGI, there is virtually nothing impossible, so for one movie with lots of CGI to stand out, one has to have the human emotion, vulnerability and empathy, even with out too much of the computer graphics, people can relate with the character. That i think has been the problem of Fantastic Four, we didn't relate well them, unlike in the Xmen 1 & 2 and Spiderman 2. These four character have such great superpowers, there's one who can elongate himself to limitless nights, one has the ability to ignite himself on fire and can even be hot as the temperature of the sun, then there's one woman who can be invisible and generate force fields which can contain the power of the human torch, and the Thing, which has superhuman strength and a virtually invincible body, and yet all they do is engage in child play, and lots of stupid bickering and engaging in numerous cat fights. What are they trying to show, that all of this is supposed to be fun? Well, it wasn't, the only good thing about is actually Michael Chiklis' makeup for the Thing, it really showed a sad face, that within the thick armor and muscular frame, their is a gentle person inside.
Batman Begins (2005)
The Dark knight shines bright
I guess that by this time, a lot has been said about Batman Begins, a lot of rave, thumbs-up and good stuff that is. Well, I can't blame them, indie-oriented Christopher Nolan's version of the dark knight, was truly of one this summer's must-see, and knowing his films, I wondered how will his version be? I really liked Tim Burton's Batman and Batman returns, the dark, Gothic and bizarre touch he marked on the two films were classic, but in here, we see a fresh, original and innovative adaptation of the comic superhero. No one has ventured in this concept before, as to how Batman became the Batman. I believe Batman is one of the unique, if not the most, superheroes we have, for one, he doesn't have special powers, like Superman's super strength and flight, or the Flash's speed, etc, he is just like any normal human being, who had to endure rigorous and painstaking training to become the super fighter he is. All his super skills were learned and his state-of-the-art gadgets were a product of meticulous research and intelligence by him and his trusted friends. As like Christian Bale's character, Bruce Wayne said in the movie, "what kind of man dresses as a bat? He clearly has issues." Well, those issues were the main focal point of the movie, what's inside Bruce's psyche and how this influenced and developed his very dark alter ego, or was it vice-versa? And in this psychological approach where Chris Nolan triumphs, he is brilliant in this films, remember the mind-boggling Memento and the gripping Insomnia? Here, he takes us into a very familiar universe but made us look it into a totally different perspective. Even the recognizable characters in Batman, like loyal butler/father figure to Bruce, Alfred, Lt. Gordon (who will we know as Commissioner Gordon later), even Gotham city, were given new existence and I felt like I've encountered them for the first time. I also liked that he used Chicago as his Gotham, compared to previous films wherein they used New York. It fitted with the movie as well as to Bruce's development to Batman and as to why he evolved as a vigilante/superhero to wage war on crime and injustice. There is also a lot to be learned in this movie, I particularly like, and I must say it made me weepy, when Alfred said to Bruce. "why do we fall sir? So that we might better learn to pick ourselves up." I have to commend Nolan and Goyer for the astounding screenplay, they truly created a masterpiece and I must say it deserves a recognition in the Oscars.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
Brad and Angelina sizzles on screen!
Doug Liman's Mr. & Mrs. Smith, may not be as gripping as his previous work, The Bourne Identity or as stylish as Go, but his latest work, surely has one advantage over the two - Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, two of Hollywood's most bankable stars, join forces in a fun, witty and pleasurable movie experience. Sure, it has moments where it kinda didn't know where its going, but Pitt and Jolie's chemistry just sizzles the screen, they look hot together! Brad plays John Smith, an assassin for a top secret agency, and so as Angelina, who plays Jane, an assassin for a rival agency. They meet in Bogota, Columbia, 5 or six years ago (as Brad's character would say in the movie), in what it seems a very unstable place brought about by political turmoil, which obviously caused by either of them. Since, every foreigner traveling alone, are being questioned, their characters meet, and pretended they were together, which I must question if you're a professional spy, wouldn't you suspect each other, what were you doing in such place and time? So, they liked each other and got married under the impression that both have such ordinary jobs, they believed that they're both safe for each other. So, 5 or six years have passed and both of them are meeting a marriage counselor trying to figure out what seems to be the problem, here Angelina says one of the funniest one liners in the movie- "There's this huge space between us, and it just keeps filling up with all the things we don't say to each other. What's that called? Marriage!" says the counselor. Here, we witness the comedic prowess of the two as they exchange dialogues and present their arguments to the marriage counselor, I had more fun with Angelina's pun but I would say Brad's reactions and mannerisms he gave his character was better.
Then just one fine day, they each got an assignment to put a hit on a certain Benjamin Diaz, played by the OC's Adam Brody, little did they know that this was actually a set-up so both can be eliminated, for their identities were discovered by both agencies. And this is where I think the movie falters, of course we know that they still love each other and will join forces and battle their respective agencies, and with their combined expertise, who could stop them? The action scenes were really explosive, and the stunts were exciting. The car chase scene, where Angelina drives a minivan (which she says she drives it better for she's a suburban mom), and while being pursued by 3 BMW's and getting peppered with bullets, she and Brad has moment wherein they confess their lies and the truth about all this time, was just really funny. We know how this will end but for a moment in the scene where they get trapped inside a shopping mall and all the snipers are ready to take them down, I kinda hoped that they will live and survive, even you know what's gonna come, that is why over all, I still enjoyed this movie.