Reviews

"Rakenrol" is a movie about the Filipino rock music scene and is a fictional account of a band called Hapipaks, a quartet of college kids playing "rock music". As a Filipino, I love the idea of a movie chronicling someone's passion for local, homegrown rock and roll but the movie itself is a frustrating and uninteresting mess. The film draws inspiration from the lethargic side of Pinoy rock music (Cambio, Sandwich and various "pogi rock" bands), hence the boring nature of the film. I mean, the narrator got his start with rock music by listening to "Shooting Star" (one of the most mundane and generic sounding "rock" song by the once great Teeth). I wonder if the movie was written by the same people who made the indie film "Ang Nawawala" because the writer or director obviously have the same taste for insomnia inducing rock.

I mean, if you wanted people to get excited for a movie about rock music, you must at least capture the essence and adrenaline rush of a rock concert or gig or at the barest minimum, portray rock music at its most energetic and electrifying. None of the music or performances in the movie though lives up to the hype. Most of the "live scenes" are devoid and lacking of excitement or urgency. Even the scenes that were intended to be funny weren't funny at all. The fictional "Jacci Rocha", aimed to poke fun at "pogi rock" front men simply does not have a counterpart in real life. He doesn't even resemble Kean Cipriano or Yael Yuzon, also the chant written to identify him is simply annoying ("sinong gumawa nito, alam mo bang pangalan ko, ako si Jacci Rocha").

Not even the appearance of local rockstar, Ely Buendia is able to save this movie from its lack of substance or engagement with the audience. It is merely a film to stroke the egos of several indie rock artists. If you want a movie about rock music, watch either "Velvet Goldmine" or "Sid and Nancy", not this debacle.

I always love and enjoy a good assassin movie. Films like Point of No Return, Assassins, The Jackal, The Mechanic, Leon, etc. explore the world of these very intriguing subjects. That is why I really looked forward to "American Assassin" as it had a really interesting movie trailer.

Sadly, the actual movie left much to be desired in both the action and story department. Honestly, we have another one of those jingoist movies similar to American Sniper (another disappointing film)that portray a majority of people in the middle east as blood-thirsty killers/maniacs.

The movie starts promising enough but towards the middle and latter part of the film, it becomes a yawn fest. The only notable action scenes were the intro scene and the brawl between O'Brien and Adkins. The last fight scene gave me a headache, quite frankly, I wanted to strangle the cameraman. What's up with this shaky cam bulls**t? Also,they should've cast Adkins in the title role and came up with a better script and director.

I don't know any Vince Flynn books but I'm a big fan of action/thriller novels like Brotherhood of the Rose, Fraternity of the Stone, The Man from St. Petersburg, etc. and this film failed to emulate the feel or tone of those books.

After seeing the youth oriented t.v. drama "You're Beautiful", I was quite unprepared by the mature tone of "Always". This is a very engaging Korean melodramatic movie which centers on the characters Chul-Min (So Ji Sub) and Jun Hwa (Hyo Ju Han)and directed by Il Gon Song.

As a fan of action movies, I cannot help but compare the characters to a certain Luc Besson film, 1994's "Leon". Chulmin is very similar to Jean Reno's hit-man; both are isolated from society and are either socially inept or total outcasts. While Jun Hwa's blindness is comparable to Natalie Portman's innocence in her portrayal of the 12 year old girl, Matilda. There are even scenes in both movies that convey the same atmosphere or vibe. Leon approaching the exit while stalked by a gun-toting Stansfield played by the brilliant Gary Oldman is comparable to a bloodied Chul-Min lying on the fight room floor. The same melancholic chiming music can be heard in the background as these scenes are transpiring which is remarkable considering the contrasting styles of the respective directors.But unlike Besson's film, "Always", at least has a happy ending for both protagonists.

The music score is excellent as well as the cinematography. The cast is also very commendable for their individual performances (including the golden retriever playing "Easy/Zinga").

Still, it is not completely without flaws. The film has a middle section that is quite plodding in its pacing when Chul-min and Jun Hwa decide to live together. Fortunately, things once again pick up when a revelation about the cause of Jun Hwa's blindness is revealed.

This is a really sad and touching film and the ending will truly move even those with hardened hearts. In a nutshell, this is highly recommended.