The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

PG-13  | 117 mins  | Biopic, Drama  | December 15, 2006 (USA)

Director: Gabriele Muccino

Starring: Will Smith, Thandie Newton, and Jaden Smith

When you think your life is so tough...watch this movie. Plus it made me buy and figure the Rubiks cube.

RATING: 8/10

10,000 Hours

R-13 | Filipino, Drama | Release Date: December 25, 2013

Director: Joyce Bernal

Starring: Robin Padilla, Michael de Mesa, Mylene Dizon, Bella Padilla, Pen Medina, Carla Humphries, Cholo Barreto

10,000 Hours' big win at the 39th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) definitely raised curiosity among moviegoers. The film took home most of the coveted awards - Best Director, Best Actor, Best Picture, the FPJ Memorial Award for Film Excellence & the Gat Puno Antonio Villegas Cultural Award. 

Year 2010, Sen. Gabriel Molino Alcaraz (Robin Padilla) is about to spill the details of a pork barrel scam implicating Pres. Genoviva Martinez Obrero (Bibeth Orteza). But the senator gets pinned on an alleged 1986 rub out case instead and his NBI director friend gets killed trying to warn him of the plan to arrest him. Sen. Alcaraz escapes with the help of a brash news reporter Maya Limchauco (Bela Padilla), eluding authorities led by Gen. Dante Cristobal (Michael de Mesa). He becomes a fugitive and goes into hiding in Amsterdam. A Filipino expatriate, Isabelle Manahan (Carla Humphries), shelters the senator and helps him find Salvador Jago (Pen Medina), the man who could clear his name. Back home, the family (Mylene Dizon, Cholo Barreto, Markki Stroem, Winwyn Marquez) falls into despair from the backlash of the senator's controversial escape.

Although the film ends with a disclaimer that the events depicted are entirely fictional, it was obviously inspired by real-life political affairs. The title 10,000 Hours refers to the number of hours Sen. Alcaraz was on the lam - that's one year, one month, and one week. It's loosely based on (and I'd say, the closest to) Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson's story when he fled the country years ago.

Sure, I judged it too soon because of Robin Padilla. Ooops! But apart from the ludicrous premise of a virtuous politician & Amsterdam depicted as boring, the movie was actually good. 

I had my preconceived notion of the action star, but Robin Padilla is convincing as the lawmaker and gave the role plenty of acting cred that it didn't matter anymore. Padilla's performance had the right subtle and subdued quality needed for the character. The rest of the cast did incredible too, they definitely delivered. Bela Padilla, first time on the big screen, was natural in her role as a prick. Mylene Dizon's gun pointing and shooting was badass for a senator's wife. Pen Medina's authentic cussing. Michael de Mesa's big dilemma between enforcing the law and preserving a friendship. I was ready to give Cholo Barreto, Markki Stroem, & Wynwyn Marquez who played Padilla's children some slack because it was probably their first time acting, but I was pleasantly surprised by their acting chops & range. And Carla Humphries, God, Carla Humphries! Uh-uhm. Even Antonio Aquitania, in his short role, was gold in this movie.

Bb. Joyce Bernal didn't disappoint! An action-drama master work by the director who's more known for rom-com movies; this was her first full-feature action film in fact. 

I'm not saying it's because this movie was directed by a woman, because that's just sexist, but you won't find violent, bloody action scenes here or the nervous suspense of On The Job (OTJ). LOL. But like OTJ, this film says a lot too about the Philippine government.

The girls collectively did all the heavy lifting for the movie though, acting-wise and production-wise. 10,000 Hours was mainly backed by a female crew. The film's score by Teresa Barrozo. Screenplay by Ryllah Epifania Berico and Keiko Aquino. Cinematography by Marissa Floreindo. Film editing by Marya Ignacio. 

10,000 Hours deserved the A-rating given by the Film Evaluation Board. 

But, oh, I remembered! The most ridiculous part of 10,000 Hours was that there were CCTVs in NAIA Terminal 3. 

RATING: 9/10

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

PG-13 | 146 mins | Sci-fi, Adventure | November 22, 2013 (USA)

Director: Francis Lawrence

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland

(Based from the novel written by Suzanne Collins)

After watching this movie, I had three (3) realizations:

1. Catching Fire is better than Divergent.

2. Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) is a revolutionary just as much as the rest, only in a different way.  

3. I want a book (or a spinoff movie) about Johanna Mason's (Jena Malone) life.

#ReadyForMockingjay 

RATING: 7/10

Pitch Perfect

PG-13 | 112 mins | Musical, Comedy, Romance | October 10, 2012 (Philippines)

Director: Jason Moore
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin and Rebel Wilson



It is about young adults. It involves music and has a romantic element. 

LOL.

Pitch Perfect is something between Bandslam, Glee and Easy A. Only, imagine that all of the characters are in uni, and imagine they're more hilarious, more talented, and more badass.

Pitch Perfect follows a female acapella voice choir, The Bellas, competing to be the best of all the universities. I loved how understated Beca (Anna Kendrick), the main character, was. Her love interest, Jesse (Skylar Astin), was cocky yet cool. Everyone else in the cast were all exaggerated and funny characters. Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) is easily my favorite character. She's so funny I found myself eagerly waiting for her witty one-liners. 

As far as the music was concerned, it was topnotch. Man, they could sing! Awesome harmonies, great mash-ups. Our office has had to endure hours of people singing the same songs!

This movie is not your usual cheesy teen rom-com; the predictable love story and the girl bitching aside. It has funny puns via singing (watch out for the riff-off) & projectile vomiting. Haha.  

Apart from Anna Kendrick (Twilight, Up in the Air, Rocket Science) & Brittany Snow (John Tucker Must Die, Hairspray) the cast aren't exactly 'star studded'. But each one of them has 'one-to-watch' potential, which you may know by now because you realize you've heard about them all over and seen them in one or more other movies. 

Boys might not like this film as much, because there aren't any guns (although Fat Amy assumed she's been shot in one scene). So, yeah, this may sound unlikely as f*ck, but I want you all to know that I loved the movie. I thought it was quite good and didn't complain once!

Everything in this movie is musically and comically on key. It's what Glee wishes it could be! Kidding. It's refreshing to see a musical and comedy combo like this.

If you like a feel-good movie with excellent music and lots of really good laughs, then this one is definitely worth checking out. You're gonna like it whether you want to or not.

RATING: 7/10

Life of Pi

PG  | 127 mins  | Adventure, Drama, Sci-fi | November 22, 2012 (USA)

Director: Ang Lee

Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, and Rafe Spall

A feast for the eyes & a riddle for the mind.

Azlan was my favorite feline, until Richard Parker came along. This movie had me wanting to get a cat...and call him Richard Parker!

RATING: 9/10

Skyfall

PG-13 | 143 mins | Action, Adventure | October 31, 2012 (Philippines) 

Director: Sam Mendes

Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, and Ralph Fiennes

Agent 007 is definitely back, and the cool factor is higher than ever. 

Skyfall starts with Bond’s end. At the beginning of the film, we are treated to an action sequence -- James Bond (Daniel Craig) in pursuit of a crook who has stolen the precious hard drive of M's computer containing a list of all undercover MI-6 agents positioned in terrorist organizations. But the mission goes wrong when the head bitch in charge, M (Judi Dench), instructs young agent Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) to fire her sniper rifle, even with James in the way. Agent 007 gets shot instead of the thief and presumed dead. Fast forward 3 months and M is now pushed into early retirement for the stolen hard drive and the (wrong) decisions she's made over the last year. But courtesy of the return of now-out-of-shape Bond, M gets a second chance to redeem herself. 

This 23rd James Bond movie, more than an homage, is in itself an assessment on the 50 year old franchise. It taps into whether our world still needs undercover agents from super-intelligence organizations (like the MI-6) on the ground when everything can be easily supervised online. The franchise afterall stemmed from the Cold War and the espionage that was so widespread at the time. It is this theme of irrelevance and outdated-ness that overwhelms Skyfall. Even the new geeky Q/ Quartermaster (Ben Whishaw) suggests that he can do more in his pajamas, and his computers, in a week than Bond can do in a year. To further prove that point, the film's brilliantly menacing villain, Silva (Javier Bardem, with blonde hair!), challenges the idea behind and the need for the primitive MI-6. He shakes the MI-6 and is out to make M realize, with his clever methods comparable to Christopher Nolan's The Joker, that her ways and means are obsolete. 

Great story. Impressive action. Stunning visuals. From the tense three-way chase through grey London to the climactic and blazing finale in the damp Scottish highlands, Skyfall is simply gorgeous and exciting as hell. Emotional depth and all, the acting is excellent collectively. Craig splendidly channels the humanized version of the aged secret agent with all that charm and grit and handsome griminess; Dench's indelible performance as M could easily win her an Oscar; Bardem's portrayal totally makes his flamboyant and mad cyberterrorist character by far the best Bond villain; and Ralph Fiennes who plays Mallory will keep you guessing whose side he is on until towards the end of the film. I also love Daniel Kleinman’s work. His title sequence, with Adele's throaty vocals, is so surreal. And Thomas Newman’s musical score gets an A+ from me, his best to date. 

Sam Mendes' two-and-a-half-hour Skyfall is one of the best films of 2012 and the best James Bond film of the franchise. Highly recommended, Bond fan or not. 

Lesson to the next M: do not, I repeat, DO NOT keep a single file with the name of every agent in the MI6 on a hard drive sitting idly in your office. 

RATING: 9/10

Taken 2

PG-13 | 92 mins | Action, Adventure, Drama | October 4, 2012 (Philippines)

Director: Olivier Megaton
Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen

Taken was one of my unexpected favorites in 2008. So imagine my excitement for this action flick's sequel.

The movie introduces Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) reestablishing his relationship with his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) and ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen). Taken 2 picks up a year after the events of the first film, where Bryan successfully saved his daughter from human traffickers in Paris. Now, Bryan will be haunted by the consequences of that rescue. The father of one of the men he killed to get Kim back is seeking revenge. On a trip in Istanbul, Bryan and Lenore gets abducted, but cleverly managed to escape with Kim's help. The action begins here, as this former CIA agent is forced to retaliate.

Taken 2 was a decent follow up, although predictable. A sequel where the baddies' nearest and dearest strike back at your hero and his family is just unoriginal. 

There's more running here. I mean far-better-than-The-Bourne-Legacy kind of running, and a cliché  but awesome car chase sequence.

The movie felt like Transporter. But of course, this was also directed by Transporter 3's Olivier Megaton. 

As a sequel, it’s rather underwhelming because the story wasn't as smart as Taken, nor as intense, although the fragile-daughter-becoming-the-heroine-and-not-the-victim-anymore subplot was pleasantly refreshing. The action and fighting scenes are great; it just lacked the brutality that its predecessor showed when a father was so hell bent on rescuing his precious daughter. Even Megaton's Colombiana had more kick-ass action scenes than Taken 2, I think. But Neeson made up for the slack, thank goodness. Maggie Grace did so very well too, playing a bigger role this time around.

It's a lot of fun if you fancy seeing Neeson run around -- shooting, driving, and killing thugs. It’s got a good amount of conflict, adrenaline and drama.

I’m not jumping up and down about Taken 2, but I had a good hour-and-a-half with it. 

RATING: 7/10