Expendables 2

*photo from imdb.com

I enjoyed watching Expendables 2, featuring the ensemble cast of several hit-makers--Sly Stallone, Jason Statham, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Bruce Willias and Arnold Shwarzenegger.  The plot isn't much, one watches these movies to get a break from it all and enjoy wham-bang no-brainer action scenes.  Truly, the overused movie phrases of these actors were punned to death!  Well, in spite of it all, the same lines were still funny for me, hahaha... take this from someone who diligently watched their movies over the past 35 years.  On a positive note, I think the gem in the rough is Nan Yu, a Beijing actress whose character becomes the first female in Stallone's team.  I like her nonchalant air amidst all the stars around her, both in-character, and, it seems, off-character as an actress.  She doesn't come across as a stunning beauty, but I find her very charming and, as an added feature, she can kick butt like the rest of the action stars!  Yup, my kind of lady!

Skyfall

* photo courtesy of forbes.com

It's a painful Bond movie to watch.  More mental that visual, I would suppose.  The theatrics of a Bond film are there, albeit subtler; you hardly see the elements of the gaudier Bond films of yesteryear.  Bond is back, but this time he makes mistakes.  M, his boss, makes a lousy battlefield call.  An inexperienced field agent is asked to fulfill the role of a trained sniper and fails miserably.  A good agent turns, and the outpouring of revenge makes him the worst enemy.  Bond drowns himself in alcohol, and when he comes back into action, he is so unfit for the job--his shooting hand twitches uncontrollably.  He can't get anything right.  His quartermaster has no respect for him.  The oversight committee chairman wants M's retirement, and Bond is a certified dinosaur in the cyber age.  His inherited estate even gets sold on auction; what else could go wrong?  As we learn more about Bond's childhood, his trophy of previous glory (the Goldfinger Aston Martin DB5) even gets crushed by the opposition.  Using his skills and the basest of weapons in his dwindling arsenal, he tenaciously bounces back, only to lay M to rest.  I could go on and on, but up to the end of the film, I felt a heavy burden on my chest.  It's a mature Bond film no doubt, and to get to that point, the acting is superb--kudos to Dame Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes and Daniel Craig.  My only sigh is that by making the franchise too realistic, the fun of watching "the whole new world" of Bond is suddenly gone.  No more megalomaniacs out to rule the world with frighteningly crass cliches, no more femme fatales with almost twisted names, no more cute gadgets, no more witty repartee, no more massive invasion teams landing at the shores of the madman's castle.  The stunts, the chases, the explosions are still there.  However, everything is muted, realistic, even frightening--a statement that mankind will still need heroes, even if heroes are no longer needed by men.

3 Idiots

from glamsham.com via google

I came home from a long day at work, and when I entered the room, Monique was merrily watching 3 Idiots, an Indian comedy about three students who realize the true meaning of success and friendship.  Looked like a funny movie to me but I didn't make much of it until we watched the movie again a few days later, over lunch at the Queens at Bollywood restaurant in Greenbelt.  At the moment I saw the part when Kareena Kapoor shows up, I started watching intently.  Yes, she is absolutely gorgeous!  I tried to find out more about the 2009 film and was pleasantly surprised to learn that this is the highest-grossing Bollywood movie of all time.  The movie centers around Rancho, the character played by Aamir Khan--a very intelligent student intent on learning, as opposed to memorizing in order to merely obtain good grades.  "All is Well" is the buzzword of the film, and a poignant scene is when Rancho correctly guesses that the worn out watch worn by Pia (Kareena's character) was actually owned by her late mother whom she misses dearly.  In the end, Pia is saved by the gang from an unhappy wedding, and is reunited with her true love, Rancho.

As is customary in Bollywood movies, there were a lot of choreographed dances, and this is probably one of the many reasons why Bollywood movies are so much fun to watch!  The underlying message of the movie is very educational too.  This movie is highly recommended for students, and to me, there is no wonder why it is one of the most watched Indian movies of all time.

The Bourne Legacy

We just had to watch this movie on the first weekend of its theatrical release.  Monique, the Callar kids and I trotted off to the movie house at Cash and Carry Mall, and we spent our Saturday afternoon enjoying the Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz thriller--The Bourne Legacy.  Earlier this year, we spent quite a few weeks trying to navigate through the diverted Sta. Mesa traffic as the movie was being shot in town (other movie locales include the Remedios Circle, EDSA, Plaza Lawton, the Malabon fish port, and Palawan), and we were quite anxious to find out how everything pieced together.

Apparently, the events of this movie take place at the same time the events of the first three Bourne movies also take place (Matt Damon stars in all three earlier films--The Bourne Identity released in 2002, The Bourne Supremacy released in 2004 and The Bourne Ultimatum released in 2007).  Maybe due to the spy jargon, the story was a bit disorienting at first, specially to the kids who had no idea of what the first three films were all about.  One has to have some background on the Bourne story line to appreciate the complex dialogue by the CIA characters.  To cure that, I whispered to Monique (right in the middle of watching the film) that all they had to understand was that because of the actions of Jason Bourne in the first three films, the bad guys decide to kill the other drug-enhanced agents, Aaron Cross being one of them (Jeremy Renner's character).  As the bad guys decide to kill Dr. Marta Shearing too (Rachel Weisz's character), Dr. Shearing is forced to tag along halfway around the world in order to cure Aaron Cross.  I think the kids understood that simple explanation of mine, and simply enjoyed the heart-pounding action after that.

If you will recall, the first TV movie made from this Robert Ludlum book featured Richard Chamberlain in the starring role, and the franchise has passed through Matt Damon and now to Jeremy Renner.  Both Renner and Weisz are no strangers to fast paced action films, Renner having previously done MI: Ghost Protocol and the Avengers, while Weisz did the Mummy films with Brendan Fraser.  I like the way Renner portrays a super-spy--vulnerable, very human, with plenty of boyish wit and charm, yet with fast moves, cool intuition and quick analytical thinking.  I also like the way Weisz portrays the unsuspecting doctor.  Her memorable scenes come when the character is in a state of pure panic--at the lab when her colleague decides to go on a shooting spree, at her house when another liquidation is attempted, and dangling from the backseat of motorcycle during the motorcycle chase.

The Manila scenes were practically one-third of the movie, and the chase scenes were thrilling and very realistic.  I don't think that they employed computer generated special effects, and I understand that both Renner and Weisz shot the chase scenes several times over, without stunt doubles, in order to get the best viewer thrills.  The end, however, was a bit abrupt and bitin (hanging unfulfilled), and I still would like to see just what happens next to the CIA bad guys.  I understand that the movie was shot for US$120 million, and as worldwide gate receipts over the first weekend have gone up to US$88 million already, I'm pretty sure that Jeremy Renner will have another shot at the franchise!

Watch it with lots of popcorn, and don't mind the spy gobbledygook...

Two thumbs up!

The Avengers

The Avengers have been a constant comic book and TV companion since I first got wind of the characters watching the Grantray-Lawrence cartoons featuring these Marvel super heroes in the late sixties.  Those familiar with this early production will recall that the scenes were practically lifted from the comic books, with only sound effects and voice-overs added, and with minimal animation sequences.  Forty-five years later, I find myself watching the live action adaptation at the Rockwell cinema, and it seems that Vicky, Monique and the Callars loved the movie as much as I did.  Bing-bang action throughout, punctuated by witty humor and mind-boggling special effects!

You must watch the movie to appreciate it!  Time flies so fast, and if you compare the two productions in visual terms (prepared 45 years apart), truly you can see how technology sets the pace in our lives (you only need to look at the phenomena of the cellular phone and the internet).  One of these days in the near future, all the movie stuff gimmickry will possibly be commonplace daily occurrence!

The Hunger Games

It looks like Jennifer Lawrence is the new It girl for me, as she plays young archer Katniss Everdeen so well.  We took Monique and the Callars to watch the hit movie The Hunger Games over at the Cash and Carry Mall, and I am now a certified Jennifer Lawrence fan!  I think she'll be making hit movie after hit movie over the next few years, and I hope she will continue on starring in the next two installments of this Suzanne Collins trilogy.  Go buy tickets to the movie and enjoy it yourself!

James Bond

Over the Christmas break, Kongkong was having such a wonderful time watching reruns of James Bond movies on cable TV, and that had good memories going!  I remember waiting patiently in long movie house lines to watch those spy movies! Take "The Spy Who Loved Me" for instance, which we watched in Coronet Theater in Cubao--I must have spent a good 30 minutes in line to get tickets, and we even had to jostle for good seats!  Jolibee had one of their first branches there, and I remember opening their big giant burger (wrapped in aluminum foil) right when the opening credits started to roll--the effect was mouth-watering, with a James Bond movie for the sight and sound, and the burger for taste and smell, hahahaha!

Everyone knows that Ian Fleming based the character on his own experience in the British intelligence forces during World War II.  Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig have all played the character, each with their own unique style.  In the order of production, EON films has presented 22 official films:

1.    Dr. No

2.    From Russia With Love

3.    Goldfinger

4.    Thunderball

5.    You Only Live Twice

6.    On Her Majesty's Secret Service

7.    Diamonds Are Forever

8.    Live and Let Die

9.    The Man with the Golden Gun

10.   The Spy Who Loved Me

11.   Moonraker

12.   For Your Eyes Only

13.   Octopussy

14.   A View To A Kill

15.   The Living Daylights

16.   License To Kill

17.   Goldeneye

18.   Tomorrow Never Dies

19.   The World Is Not Enough

20.   Die Another Day

21.   Casino Royale

22.   Quantum of Solace

Two noted non-official movies are the 1967 spoof version of Casino Royale (starring David Niven), and Never Say Never Again, a remake of Thunderball,  starring an older Sean Connery.  Bond 23, starring Daniel Craig, will be titled "Skyfall" and is slated to hit the theaters this November 2012.

The beautiful scenery, stunningly desirable women, hi-tech gadgets, witty repartees, action sequences, and memorable stunts make the series the highest grossing (adjusted for today's money) and longest-lasting franchise (50 years) the world has known.

I enjoy this as much as the next guy!  Cheers, my good man!

Captain America

Next movie up on our holiday watch list--Marvel's big budget version of Captain America: the First Avenger!  Now there was that feeble attempt to create a show during the eighties (two TV movies starring Reb Brown), and then a more decent 1990 Albert Pyun screen version (starring Matt Salinger) came along, but this 2011 version is a definitely a true blockbuster.  Cinematography was meticulously made to show a believable Second World War backdrop, and the actors were topnotch (Stanley Tucci projects a kind grandfatherly image, Hugo Weaving delivers a megalomaniac's Oscar, while Tommy Lee Jones is a natural as a gruff army general).  The comic book was first launched by Jack Kirby in the early 1940s a moral booster for the American forces, and in the Silver Age of comics (early sixties), Captain America enjoyed a new round of popularity as the head of The Avengers--the A Team of the Marvel Universe.  

I can't wait to see the next Marvel presentation, "The Avengers." as the protagonists (The Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and Captain America) team up to fight a bigger enemy.

As they say, stay tuned to the same bat-time and bat-channel!  Oooops.... wrong universe.... hehehe.....

Cars

Spent some holiday time watching movies and one of these that we picked was Cars 2, which tells of the adventures of not only Lightning Mc Queen (voiced by Owen Wilson)  but also his best friend Mater the Tow Truck (Larry the Cable Guy).  As Lightning competes on the Japanese and European circuits, his best friend gets caught up in some international espionage, and of course, the fireworks begin!  I've had a soft spot for the series, as the first movie had lots of what I call the "possibilities, pride & redemption" phases in a storyline.  Young rookie speedster has the possibilities for greatness, but pride takes control, bringing him down.  But he finally realizes the really important dimensions in life--friendships, loyalty and giving--and thus ultimately finds redemption in the eyes of his friends and his girlfriend.  You can find more of this theme, though lighter in tone, in the second installment--Lightning Mc Queen thinks his best friend is an idiot but realizes the mistake when the unseen espionage becomes apparent.  I'm an absolute sucker for redemption stories!  As I watched the movie, another thing crossed my mind--the wonder of digital animation!  The views of the racing circuit (Tokyo, Italy and London) are captured in such a life-like fashion, that I could have sworn this was a live action film!  You must see it to enjoy the digital artistry of Pixar at work!

Green Lantern

The DC comic book heroes find another screen version brought to life--Ryan Reynolds stars as Hal Jordan, the test pilot, who becomes chosen by a green ring to become the champion of justice in this part of the universe (Sector 2814) known as Green Lantern.  The ring does not have continues power though, and must be recharged on a regular basis by touching the ring to the lantern, and speaking the oath "In the brightest day, in the darkest night, no evil shall escape my sight; to those who worship evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's light."  In this case, the green light is the "emerald energy of will power," which Hal Jordan has plenty of.  I understand that the original comic book in the forties stated that the lantern was powered by mystical forces, but the 1960s reboot of the franchise changed the story line to make the lantern powered by sheer human will.  Very interesting, as it connotes the human story--a battle of the will to succeed versus the the forces of the unknown, which conjures up fear in humans.  In the DC universe, the ring is supposed to be one of the most powerful weapons in existence--all fueled by will power.  Hmmm--so much power for human beings!  Interestingly, Reynolds has also appeared in the Marvel screen as Deadpool, an assassin who is a former teammate of Wolverine.  Also, his ex-wife Scarlet Johansson, plays the Russian agent Black Widow, in the very successful Marvel Iron Man franchise.   When these actors were a married couple, they were called the "sexiest couple" in Hollywood, and their continuous gigs as costumed heroes is probably the offshoot of their celebrity status.  My only objection to the movie is that the enemy of Green Lantern turns out to be an cloudish & octopus-looking yellow ooze...not much to be frightened about.  Oh well, you can't win them all!  Over-all, still an enjoyable movie for a grown-up kid like me!

The Sound of Music

It's been around 45 years since Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer teamed up in the 1965 Academy Award winning musical, The Sound of Music.  While still quite active, both of these actors are nearly approaching their eighties, and whenever I hear any song from the musical, I automatically think of them when they were in their prime.  Such a wonderful movie!  The story takes place in the years just before the Second World War, and tells us of the life of the Von Trapp family singers--of their governess Maria, a former novice, who falls in love with Captain Von Trapp and becomes stepmother to 6 children.  As Captain Von Trapp is politically pursued by the Nazi regime, the story tells of their subsequent escape to Switzerland.  It's the classic love story, and Christopher Plummer plays the dashing German aristocrat, while Julie Andrews is perfect as the ex-novice ingenue.  A sucker for tear-jerkers, I always cry every time I watch the prelude to the wedding scene, where the Mother Superior of Maria, tells Maria to "climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, till you find your dream."  These days, I have been seeing the posters for the musical all over the metro--on billboards, on buses, in the newspapers--because a local production group is staging another round at the Resorts World performing theater in front of NAIA Terminal 3.  It just reminds me that some stories are timeless, and will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Heroines!

Never mind the script... I'm here to watch the stunts, the explosions, the action and most of all, the beautiful women!  My top 10 list of the hottest heroines in the movies, again in no particular order:

1.   Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft:

2.   Mila Jovovich in Resident Evil:

3.    Charlize Theron as Aeon Flux:

4.  Jennifer Garner as Elektra:

5.  Kate Beckinsdale in Underworld:

6.  Uma Thurman in Kill Bill:

7.   Rhona Mitra in Doomsday:

8.   Jessica Alba in Fantastic Four:

9.  Emily Browning in Sucker Punch:

10.   Rose Mc Gowan in the upcoming movie Red Sonja (I've been waiting for this; originally slated for 2009, production difficulties have reportedly moved the release date to late this year):

Da Vinci Code

I just watched the Tom Hanks' movie Da Vinci Code last night via DVD.  When the movie was showing in theaters and everyone was talking about the implications of the film's plot on the growth of Christianity as a religion, I wasn't able to comprehend what the brouhaha was all about.  I remember reading a film review that noted the enormous amount of research time that Dan Brown, the author of the book, must have done in order to weave the complex storyline (it's a work of fiction, by the way).  Yet the plot is quite simple.  Tom Hanks' character solves a series of puzzles coded by Leonardo Da Vinci in order to determine the location of Mary Magdalene's corpse.  Why is Mary Magdalene so important?  Because she bore a child sired by Jesus Christ, and the last remaining descendant of thier union actually lives in 21st century France.  The tomb of Mary Magdalene has been closely guarded by the Priory of Sion, a secret society that has been in centuries-long conflict with some of the more sinister factions within the Opus Dei, a conservative sect of the Roman Catholic Church.  A DNA comparison of the corpse and the last remaining descendant of Jesus Christ would establish some proof that will shatter the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church--the primacy of Peter as the first Pope.  In other words, Mary Magdalene lost the political pole position of her child as successor and heir of Jesus's church to Peter, and the power struggle continues to this day, with the Priory of Sion championing the cause of Mary Magdalene against the ultra-rightists in the Vatican.  What struck me was the part in which the character of Ian Mc Kellen describes the manner in which Emperor Constantine puts his "Roman" stamp on the "Jesus" ideology, calling for the Council of Nicea, and giving political clout to the newly organized "Roman Catholic Church."  At that point in the debates, Jesus became elevated from prophet to God.  Yes, as such, we forever will debate on whether God created Man or Man created God--the phenomenology of an idea whose time has come.  Truly a thought-provoking and poignant movie, the film ends with a question thrown by Tom Hanks' character--what do you believe in?  In the end, this question we all face, we all must answer.  Nice to think of it ahead of time...

Spiderman

I understand that the editors at Marvel comics have approved the story arc concerning the death of humble Peter Parker and smart-talking Spiderman.  Now that's a sad thing, as we have had much fun reading the comic book, and watching the cartoons and the television series (starring Nicholas Hammond, who also appeared in the Sound of Music) throughout the seventies and the eighties.  We most certainly thoroughly enjoyed the 3-part big-screen adaptation starring Toby Mc Guire (come on, we almost wept at the near-death scene!).  We will always remember the wise words of Peter's Uncle Ben, "With great power comes great responsibility."  Thanks Stan Lee, for the great ride...

Bollywood Time!

Spent the last 3 hours watching the movie "Krrish," enjoying the beauty of former Miss World Priyanka Chopra, featured at your left.  I must admit Monique and I get lots of enjoyment watching Bollywood movies, the last one being "Veer."  With all the oozing romanticism, the fantastic fight-scenes, the melodious songs and the dancing (yes, the famous dancing), we found ourselves transported to a totally different world, and again yes, it was quite fun!  I have always found the Indian female leads to be attractive, and somehow, the dancing makes the female leads so exotic (yes, the famous dancing) and is exactly what sets the Bollywood movies apart!  Yup, I'm relaxed today...  Well, relaxed and famished--just in time for Vicky's Korean beef stew... hmm... also super delightful!

Mighty Thor!

I first encountered the Mighty Thor comic series of Marvel's Stan Lee via Lawrence Gantray's stop-motion animation series in the mid sixties... yes, such vivid memories of a long gone era, when summer meant slipping off to West Riverside to borrow comic books of my good friend Manny (now the head of a big radio station)!  I would even endure that long (and dizzying) boat ride to Cebu so that I could read the comic stash of my much older cousin Arthur (as in Mighty Thor issue no. 1), and that just goes to show how much of a fan I am... So when the theatrical release date of the much-awaited movie arrived, I made it a point to watch the movie on the very first weekend... and I was not disappointed!  I had the pleasure of dragging my daughter Monique to the showing, and quite surprisingly, she was happy with movie too!  The storyline made me shed a tear, and the special effects were quite impressive.  Monique though, thinks the Iron Man special effects had a much bigger bang...hehe, to each his own i guess...  Kudos to director Kenneth Branagh, the movie looks so real.  I usually watch movies on DVD, but some big-ticket items just deserve to be enjoyed on the big screen!  This is one of those blockbuster extravaganzas...Have fun!