freebird-64 Reviews

A Secret (2007)

One of the better French films but lacks emotional impact

[8/10 · 14 June 2009]

I was able to see to see this film as part of a recent festival of French films shown at Cannes. It was one of the better French movies that I've seen but somehow it lacks the emotional impact to make it a truly outstanding film.

Un Secret is about Francois, who gradually learns about his family's secret history, dating back to World War II, that continues to haunt his parents and himself even up to the present. The director expresses this idea visually by shooting the present day scenes in black and white and the flashback scenes in color.

The plot of Un Secret is well-laid out and comes together satisfyingly enough. I have to admit that one problem I had with the film was that I had some problems following the complicated family relationships among the characters, but once you get past that, the way the story unfolds is ultimately rewarding.

The problem I had with the film, which may just be my problem, is that the film lacks emotional impact. The film'e emotions are understated and, while this is not necessarily a bad thing, prevents it from becoming truly memorable.

Still, its one of the better recent French films and you should see it if you get the chance.

Mademoiselle (2001)

A very sad romantic film

[8/10 · 26 June 2008]

I was able to see this film twice many years ago at a French Film Festival here in Manila and I feel I have to stand up for this film.

Admittedly the film is ultimately slight, neither very dramatic or romantic. It does not engage its audience in any profound way. Nor does it have any deep insights.

However, my lasting impression of "Mademoiselle" is its sense of overwhelming sadness, a feeling that you are living through something very special, an experience that will soon pass out of your life and that you will never regain. This sense is highlighted by the two scenes that bookend the film, which show Claire (Sandrine Bonnaire) in her car looking at the show poster, and then at the end driving away.

The specific scene from the film that I have never forgotten is a brief one in which Claire and her would-be lover Pierre (Jacques Gamblin) take a ride across the city on a borrowed motorcycle. One reviewer has commented that Sandrine Bonnaire's face reflects happiness very well and this quality is well used in this scene where she communicates her sheer joy at being in love and alive at that particular moment. Many of the specific details of the movie have already faded from my memory but I still remember that scene even after all these years.

In relation to this, I also remember a brief scene near the end when the counter girl calls Claire "mademoiselle" (miss), an indicator of how her one-night romance has brought her joy and, if only fleetingly, restored her youthfulness.

If only for this sense of sadness, Mademoiselle remains one of my fondness movie-going memories and one of my favorite romantic movies. It is a reminder of how transient moments of true magic are in our lives when weighted against the mundane routine of "real life".

Dead Man's Hand (2002)

Occasionally funny, but ultimately dull

[5/10 · 25 October 2007]

Dead Man's Hand (Petits Misères) is an odd movie that seems to be a satire of consumerism but ultimately tries to become something deeper, with unsuccessful results.

Jean (Albert Dupontel) is a bailiff who spends his days confiscating goods from the heavily indebted. But what he doesn't know is that his depressed wife Nicole (Marie Trintignant), frustrated over his inability to sire children, is working out her problems through compulsive shopping under the tutelage of Jean's best friend Georges (Serge Larivière). Nicole and Georges also become lovers. Meanwhile, he also has to contend wit too-helpful cop Eddy (Bouli Lanners) who is slowing down the pace of his work.

The most notable element of this film is its surrealistic depiction of consumerism. From a scene in a supermarket, where the shoppers speed across the aisles in fast motion, to a shopping spree at a mall that becomes a dance number, the film adroitly skewers the consumerist mindset.

Unfortunately, the film is not a satire of consumerism. Rather, it's concerned with the domestic problems of Jean and Nicole, and her compulsive shopping is but a symptom of their martial woes. Jean and Nicole are simply not very interesting characters. The acting is just okay, although Trintignant steals what little there is to steal as the depressed Nicole. Even her bangs look like they're sad.

The movie starts to derail when Jean discovers Nicole's unfaithfulness and hatches a plan to resolve both his problems with her and with Eddy, with tragic results. Once the tragedy happens, the movie quickly resolves itself in an unsatisfying fashion. The movie actually tries for black comedy in its third act, but it doesn't work.

There's really not that much to say about this film, which is one of the entries in the Cine Europa 10 European film festival here in Manila. It's kind of obscure, which is not surprising. In fact, its sole claim to fame is the presence of Trintignant, whose career was cut short recently when she was murdered.

Is it worth watching? It's an okay enough time-passer, with a few funny and even inspired comic scenes. But its lack of substance and unsatisfactory resolution may make it seem more like a time-waster.

Kolya (1996)

A film your grandmother would love

[7/10 · 24 October 2007]

I'm puzzled why Hollywood never attempted a remake of Kolya. While I was watching it I kept imagining Billy Bob Thornton in the role of Louka, the lead character of the film. In fact, Zdenek Sverák, the actor who plays Louka, actually resembles slightly the Hollywood actor.

All kidding aside, Kolya is actually pleasant viewing, the kind of sentimental middle-of-the-road, life-affirming fare that Hollywood seems to embrace when it comes time to pick out the Best Foreign Language Film nominees (See France's The Choir and Joyeux Noel as examples). This is not to denigrate its modest virtues, but really, this is the kind of film your grandmother would love.

Kolya is about a 55-year old confirmed bachelor who despite his age, can still score hot chicks half his age that look like they came from the pages of Playboy Czech Republic edition (probably not surprising since Sverák also wrote the screenplay of the movie). Denied a place in the national philharmonic orchestra for not being politically correct enough, he makes ends meet with a variety of odd jobs, including playing for cremations and restoring headstones. Still, Louka is heavily in debt, he needs a car and his mother is nagging him for money to repair the family house.

A gravedigger friend of his offers him the chance to make some serious money by entering into an arranged marriage with a Russian woman who wants to stay in Czechoslovakia longer. But the deal goes wrong when the "wife" defects to West Germany, leaving him in charge of little Kolya (played by cute but not too cute Andrei Chalimon), a kid he can't even talk to since he's not conversant in Russian.

One of the most notable things about this film is its subtlety. Unlike a Hollywood movie, it does not rely on too-obvious characterizations to show the transformation in Louka. In fact, Louka does not have that far to go in his character arc from commitment-phobic bachelor to potential family man material; he's not a mean man, he simply does not want the responsibility of taking care of a child, in the same way that he has avoided getting married to avoid commitment.

This subtlety extends to the ending, which follows its premise to its logical end. I won't tell you what happens, but you can probably figure it out. There are no big surprises at the end. But the filmmakers also allow for a happy ending for Louka, in a brief shot that you may miss if you blink.

My irreverence toward Kolya does not mean that I didn't like the film. It's pleasant enough viewing, not great but not bad either. Its probably most notable for the pitfalls it avoids, rather than what it actually achieves. Perhaps it's good that the film was never remade by Hollywood after all.

FC Venus (2005)

An Unique Concept but Disappointingly Developed

[7/10 · 24 October 2007]

FC Venus is a movie with a unique concept that unfortunately never realizes its potential. The movie plays off the gender stereotypes that men are crazy over sports while women are vehemently not in order to generate comedy. FC Venus revolves around a group of "soccer widows" (wives and girlfriends, plus one gay man) who view their partners' passion for football with resignation edged with resentment. In fact, the movie highlights early on how football-crazy the gang of men is when they play a game immediately after one of them gets married.

Things come to a head when the men reveal their plans to go to the World Cup in Berlin during a child's birthday party. The women are all up in arms, and led by Anna (Minna Haapkylä), challenge the men to a soccer game. The women will get the World Cup tickets if they win, and the men will have to give up soccer in any form forever. If the men win, however, the women have to pay for their tickets.

Fortunately for the women, Anna is a skilled player, having been a promising amateur when she was a girl. But she also holds a grudge against the game, blaming it for breaking up her family (her father Lauri (Taneli Mäkelä) left her mother for a coaching job abroad)). But her coaching skills are minimal forcing her to bring in her estranged father to help the team.

What makes this film unique is the concept of using soccer as a metaphorical way to deal with gender conflicts between wives and husbands. But the filmmakers fail to develop this concept to its fullest potential, seemingly being unable to make its mix of sports movie and relationship comedy into a coherent organic whole. A particular disappointment is the climatic game, which should not only have been funny and exciting, but also have resolved the conflicts running through the film. Instead, it ends up being dull and confusing, with the filmmakers being unable to communicate the flow of the game.

Further hampering the film's thematic development is the fact that there is no strong chemistry between Anna and her partner Pete (Petteri Summanen). Their relationship is actually the focus of FC Venus, but it is not very well developed. The audience is really given no reason to care if the two end up together or not (although of course they do). In general, in fact, the men of FC Venus are not very interesting characters.

Still, FC Venus has plenty of minor pleasures. Minna Haapkylä is an engaging actress and the film has several entertaining minor characters, notably Noora Peltokukka's daffy Sari. The movie also provides plenty of character-based comedy as the women gradually evolve from soccer ignoramuses to football fanatics themselves.

Ultimately, the message of FC Venus seems to be that that the relationship between partners or spouses can only be strengthened if the women are more involved with their men's interests. The movie shows at the end that the women have bonded with their men over the love of football, and that is supposed to be the happily ever after of the film.

FC Venus is worth watching, but only if you keep your expectations low and don't mind a weak (but still slightly amusing) ending.

Utopía (2003)

Nice to look at but ultimately disappointing

[5/10 · 23 October 2007]

Utopia has an intriguing premise that it unfortunately fails to live up to. The film revolves around Adrián (Leonardo Sbaraglia), a young clairvoyant who is a member of a mysterious group called Utipia. The aims of the group are to protect people who will make the world a better place, from threats on their life foreseen by Adrián. But the young man leaves the group after a failed attempt to stop one of the members from a killing spree, resulting in the death of a police inspector's wife and daughter.

Years later, he is persuaded by his foster father Samuel (Héctor Alterio) to participate in one last mission for the group: save the life of Ángela (Najwa Nimri), who has become embroiled with a cult. But opposing him is Hervé (Tcheky Karyo), the cop who was blinded in the explosion that killed his family. He is hired by Ángela's mother to "deprogram" her daughter.

So far, so good. Unfortunately, the director and the scriptwriters fail to generate much tension. Director Maria Ripoll seems more interested in the relationship between Ángela and Adrián rather than developing the thriller aspects of the movie. As a result there is little sense of urgency to the film, and thus audience interest ebbs.

Further hampering the film is the fact that the characters never really come to life. Nimri, so sexy in El Metodo, seems unable to give any dimension to her underwritten character. Neither does she develop any chemistry with Sbaraglia, which also compromises the love story. The best performance is left to the veteran Karyo, who seems to have the best-written role with the most well defined motivations.

The film also fails to develop its concept. Utopia could have been an examination of the two opposing points of view: predestination vs. free will. But the filmmakers are uninterested. In fact, they ultimately settle on the most pat message possible to end the film, namely that despite clairvoyant visions, the future can still be changed, which honestly is kind of trite. There's also an intriguing scene in which the cultists murder a family in as part of a rite to gain clairvoyance, but the film unfortunately never picks up on this.

Still, the filmmaker does succeed in creating some intriguing visuals to punch up the film. One particular highlight is the last scene of the film, where Adrián, who now fully accepts his gift, is surrounded by his visions. Another is the opening of the film, reminiscent of the film Seven, which intercuts the activities of the serial killer with scenes of Adrián experiencing a nose-bleed as he tries to track down the killer. But these scenes, while visually striking, fail to contribute anything substantial to the film.

Sad to say, the best one can say about Utopia is that it is disappointing and fails to live up to its potential. When this film was screened at Pelikula, the recently concluded Spanish film festival, Maria Ripoll was in attendance, and she admitted in a short forum afterward that she is really more into comedies than thrillers, and that she doesn't even like violence. In this light, perhaps she should stick to comedies like the exemplary Tu Vida en 65.

La Vie En Rose (2007)

A spectacular mess

[4/10 · 23 October 2007]

Take this down.

Edith Piaf (1915-1963), born Edith Giovanna Gassion to a former café singer and a street acrobat. Abandoned by her parents, she lived for a time in a brothel run by her paternal grandmother. From three to seven years old, she allegedly went blind as a result of meningitis, but later recovered her sight after going on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Therese. At 14 she joined her father in street performances, during which she sang in public for the first time.

She later went her own way as a street singer along with her half-sister Simone Berteaut (nicknamed Momone). In 1935 she was discovered by nightclub owner Louis Leplee, who gave her the nickname La Mome Piaf (the little sparrow). Her career was momentarily derailed after Leplee was murdered, allegedly by gangsters she had previous ties with. To save her career, she turned to Raymond Asso, who gave her the stage name Edith Piaf and commissioned Marguerite Monnot to write songs for her. Monnot became a life-long friend and collaborator.

During this period she rose to prominence as one of France's most popular entertainer and toured all over the world. However, she initially met with little success in the US until a glowing review by a prominent New York critic launched her to fame in America. Her greatest performances were at the Paris Olympia concert hall, the most famous venue in Paris.

The great love of her life was the heavyweight world champion Marcel Cerdan, who was a legend in France in his own right. After a car crash in 1951, she became addicted to morphine and alcohol, two addictions she could never shake for the remaining years of her life. She died at 47 of liver cancer. Did you get that? Good, because unless you're from France, you'll need all the above information to make heads or tails of La Môme (aka La Vie en Rose), a movie about the life of Edith Piaf. The film pingpongs in a roughly chronological fashion from her early years to her later years with little narrative logic or thematic sense. One problem I have with the film is that it assumes that you already know all about Piaf's life and are watching the film simply to see recreations of key moments in her life – a sort of greatest hits if you will. Or maybe a Behind the Music special. Watching La Môme, you would never understand what made Edith Piaf a French icon.

Which leads to my major problem with the film: the filmmakers seem determined to present Edith Piaf in the most unflattering light possible. Quite apart from her extraordinary voice, what you would learn about her from La Môme is that she is: an alcoholic and a junkie, a spoiled, arrogant diva, and a home-wrecker. She was also, unfortunately, quite ugly, a fact that Piaf herself readily acknowledges in the film. By the time she was in her forties, the film portrays her as looking easily twenty years older, with a ravaged face and an old woman's stoop. Did the woman have no redeeming qualities whatsoever?

Marion Cotillard really deserves some kind of an award for not downplaying the ugly qualities of this supremely unpleasant figure. Unfortunately, the filmmakers also seem determined to cut anything resembling a performance from this film. Quite apart from the physical impersonation, there is nothing to Cotillard's performance that would tell you anything about Piaf's character.

The best parts of the film are those involving Piaf's early life, which have all the fascination of a Dickens novel. But once Cotillard takes over as the adult Piaf, watch out, the film starts to make little sense. There are even some puzzling artistic choices, such as the decision to play a key concert scene without vocals, backed only by the score. Even worse, the scene is further reduced to a series of quick close-ups of Piaf's lips and hands, inter-cut with shots of the audience reaction.

If you have to watch the film, make sure you read up on Piaf first before you go. Oh, and enjoy the songs, which are mainly actual recordings of Piaf herself. They're really the only reason to watch La Môme.

Springet (2005)

Tries to be life-affirming, but is just confusing

[5/10 · 22 October 2007]

Springet (English title: The Leap) is yet another obscurity from the ongoing Cine Europa 10 European film festival. Its so obscure that I had trouble locating it in IMDb under its English title and had to look it up through its director, Henning Carlsen. Sad to say, the movie is mediocre and not very well done. It begins as one type of film, abruptly changes to something else at its mid-point, and then ends without really resolving anything.

The movie opens with 42-year old Tobias (Mikael Birkjǽr) being told he has pancreatic cancer, is terminal and has only a few months to live. Despite the support of his loving wife Ruth (Susanne Storm), he becomes depressed and begins reflecting on his childhood love Ida (Marina Bouras) and an incident that happened (the "leap" of the title) wherein she encourages him to leap from the balcony of their house with an open umbrella.

The first half of the movie seems to be moving towards being a life affirming drama about facing death, with Tobias being encouraged by Ruth to pursue his ambition of being a professional musician, and the flashbacks to the childhood leap a metaphorical way of telling Tobias that he needs to "take the leap" and pursue his dreams.

But then, without warning, Tobias suddenly announces that he's alright, he's not dying. Even more surprising, the doctor who diagnosed him turns out to be Ida's father, Overlǽgen (Peter Steen) who beat him up when he was 15 after he caught Tobias and the sexually-precocious Ida making out. So it then becomes a mystery: why did Overlǽgen lie to him? And what happened to Ida, who became a professional ballerina, then abruptly ended her career several years past. Is her father indeed keeping her a virtual prisoner in their home? This second half is the less engaging part of the film, as the mystery is not satisfactorily developed and resolved. In fact, because of this abrupt shift in tone, the would-be life-affirming climax loses its impact and the resolution is unsatisfying. Making the end even more confusing is a brief epilogue in which Tobias, in voice-over, says that if given a choice, he would choose eternal death over eternal life.

So is it worth watching? Not really. I don't regret watching it but at the same time, I really can't recommend it to others. The performances are okay, with the actors who play the young Ida and Tobias particular standouts. But the weakness is in the script and direction, which are uninspired and muddled. The filmmakers seem unsure as to what they really want to say. Are they making a statement about living life to the fullest? About the impact of the choices we make in life? Its not really clear.

Still, if you have the time and you can see it for free, as I did, then you might want to try it. After all, you might react in a different, hopefully more positive, way than I did to the movie.

As esi tu (2006)

The Forest has Eyes

[7/10 · 21 October 2007]

One of the pleasures of the annual Cine Europa European film festival here in Manila is the chance to see obscure curiosities like this film from Lithuania. Part ecological film and part love story (maybe), You am I revolves around a man named Baronas (Andrius Bialobzeskis), who designs and builds a tree house in the forest along ecologically sustainable principles. The house even comes with a small generator operated by running water that generates enough power to provide light at night.

Baronas' quiet life in the woods is interrupted when a group of youths arrive at an isolated cabin to celebrate the birthday of Dominyka (Jurga Jutaite). He crashes the party and strikes up a friendship with the young girl, which ends ambiguously.

My pet title for this movie is The Forest has Eyes because its basic set-up resembles that of a Friday the 13th movie, with nubile young people frolicking in the woods while a stranger watches them from the trees. There's even a hint of Deliverance, with the arrival of two country yokels to do some repair work on the cabin. Of course, the film isn't a horror movie, it's actually an ecological fable about the possibility of man living in harmony with nature (I guess). In fact, one of the other characters actually writes a story about an ecological disaster, a deluge that destroys the earth.

One of the main highlights of the film, not surprisingly, its spectacular nature cinematography. The filmmakers succeed in giving us a palpable sense of the natural world. Baronas' house is also particularly inviting, with its elevated location, plastic sheeting for walls and its single electric light (the only way you can get there is to climb, which is why Baronas constantly has a lineman's harness on his belt)..

You am I takes its title from a line uttered by a forest spirit (I guess) who occasionally appears to Baronas to utter profundities (When Baronas lies in an empty grave, the spirit appears to tell him, "Death is the ultimate cure".) What does it all mean? I'm not entirely sure, but it's watchable enough over its brief length. And if you need some extra incentive to watch this film when you get the chance, there's a hot sex scene early in the film. It's the only one though, as none of the teenagers who come to the cabin take off their clothes, or if they do, the director doesn't let us see anything.

If I sound kind of flip and irreverent about this film, I apologize. Its just that You am I is the kind of film guaranteed to divide audiences between those who like it (like me) even if they can't quite articulate why, and those who think it's a pretentious (and dull) piece of crap. Both reactions are valid, I guess, depending on your frame of mind. But if you can get into it, its worth giving You am I a chance.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

Craptastic

[3/10 · 13 June 2007]

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer continues Marvel's losing streak of crappy movies (Daredevil, Electra, Ghost Rider, anyone?). This latest monstrosity seems to indicate that Marvel lucked out in landing Sam Raimi and Bryan Singer to helm their Spider-man and X-Men franchises but otherwise are as clueless as any of the suits in Hollywood as to how to adapt their characters to the big screen.

Mistake one was hiring Tim Story. Although he did succeed in finally bringing the Fantastic Four to the screen after years of false starts, he also interpreted the material as a situation comedy featuring a bickering family who just happen to be superheroes instead of a group of superheroes who eventually become a family.

Thus, he wastes screen time on the endless bickering between Sue Storm and Reed Richards over their umteenth postponed wedding. Sorry, but Jessica Alba and Iowan Gruffyd are not exactly Hepburn and Tracy. He also wastes his special effects budget on a corny sub-plot in which Johnny's encounter with the Surfer results in their switching powers (which of course means that Jessica Alba gets naked but, too bad, this movie is rated PG).

By making time for all this sitcom material, Story shortchanges the main story regarding the Silver Surfer and his mission on Earth. The Surfer just seems to fly around wreaking havoc but basically doing nothing to prepare the way for the coming of Galactus, Then when he's interrogated he reveals that his board is a homing device that will draw Galactus, and he really doesn't need to do anything else. Duh.

The reportedly increased budget (the movie is said to have cost $130 million) doesn't show on the screen. The Thing, in particular, looks awful and unbelievable. He also gets little to do apart from grumble in the background and dab his teary li'l eyes at yet another Sue-Reed wedding attempt. The bulk of the FX budget seems to have gone to realizing the Silver Surfer, which admittedly looks impressive.

The film also wants to harp on a "we are family"-type theme, but then what happens during the big climax? Instead of fighting as a team, Johnny absorbs the powers of the rest of his teammates and fights Dr. Doom alone. Double duh.

Still, Michael Chiklis as The Thing and Chris Evans as the Human Torch do succeed in engendering some good will as they successfully embody their characters. But the film is a failure on virtually every other level, and another black-eye for Marvel.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

Redeemed by a streak of anarchic comedy

[7/10 · 24 May 2007]

By any objective standard, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End does not work. It is ineptly directed by Gore Verbinski, who turns the action set-pieces into chaotic hash while failing to make the movie's convoluted plot coherent. Its script (by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio is a mish-mash of twists and developments that ultimately lead nowhere. The movie's second act, in particular, may leave the audience feeling as tipsy and off balance as Jack Sparrow himself, with the characters pursuing their own agendas while confusing plot twists fly aplenty. The climactic showdown involving the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman is by turns chaotic, generic and confusing.

But, guess what, I still left the theater smiling. Why? Simply because the filmmakers seem to have acknowledged their weaknesses and given At World's End a streak of absurd comedy that its predecessor, Dead Man's Chest, did not have. Its as if they decided to give in to the anarchic, fun-loving spirit of Jack Sparrow.

One example of this approach is the final showdown between the soldiers of the East India Company and the pirates. It starts as a purely generic fight scene. And then in the middle of the scene, Will Turner abruptly asks Elizabeth Swann to marry him. When she accepts they ask Captain Barbossa to do the honors. The result is a loony delight, with Turner and Swann kicking soldier butt while pledging eternal fealty, and Barbossa enjoining Will to kiss the bride in between gunshots.

The intention to fill the film with absurd comedy is actually communicated early in the film with the first appearance of Jack Sparrow. He is aboard the beached Black Pearl, which is now crewed by duplicates of him. The real Jack then proceeds to shot one of them in order to gain possession of a single pea. Shortly after that, a group of white crabs carries the Black Pearl back to the sea.

If that's not enough, just wait till you find out what the Brethren Court's nine pieces of eight actually are. Or Captain Teague's (Keith Richards) morbid response when Jack asks him, "How's Mum?" The movie actually opens with a scene you thought you would never see in a Disney movie: mass hangings conducted by Becket's men, with a child as one of the victims.

The film also possesses a surprising sweetness and melancholy. Witness the reunion of Tia Dalma and Davy Jones, in which Jones momentarily regains his humanity. Or the final fate of Will and Elizabeth, which is either incredibly romantic or incredibly sad, or a combination of both. Either way it's oddly life affirming, particularly a brief coda that happens after the end-credits (so stick around for it).

One victim of the film's inept execution is its attempt at social relevance. In some interviews the filmmakers have said that At World's End is a kind of anti-globalization fable, with the East Asia Company cast in the role of a ravenous corporation gobbling everything in its path and the pirates as small traders who fight the corporation for the right to exist. But if that was part of their intention, sorry, but it definitely does not communicate this message in the midst of the film's general atmosphere of mayhem.

Definitely, props have to be given to the actors for whatever success At World's End achieves. Johnny Depp is predictably outstanding, but Geoffrey Rush is just as good. Even Keira Knightly gets to boost her game; at one point she even gets to deliver a "Braveheart"-like speech about the need to fight for freedom. But Orlando Bloom remains bland, and Chow Yun-Fat is wasted in an underdeveloped role as Capt. Sao Feng.

Definitely Dead Man's Chest will go down in history as one of the most undeserving films ever to earn a billion dollars at the global box-office. But At World's End redeems the franchise somewhat, even as one hopes that the producers choose to end the series on this (somewhat) high note.

Sin vergüenza (2001)

A Valentine to Actors

[9/10 · 8 May 2007]

This is one of my favorite movies and one that I feel hits closest to the reality of an actor's life and struggles.

The one thing I like the best about it is its honesty regarding what actors are really like. While the movie shows the sense of community that develops among young actors struggling to make it in the acting life, the filmmakers also do not hesitate to show how actors can can also be selfish, conniving and self-centered. It doesn't romanticize the hard life of an aspiring and as such, ultimately becomes a valentine to actors and the acting life. In fact, the movie is dedicated to the several thousand strong acting community in Madrid.

But for those not really interested in the plight of aspiring actors, Sin Verguenza is also a charming and engaging romantic comedy. Veronica Forque is simply adorable as the head of the acting school and her awkward chemistry with co-star Daniel Gimenez Cacho is the source of much of the movie's humor.

When I first saw this film I remember comparing it to Tootsie, which is my other favorite film spotlighting aspiring actors. But in hindsight, for all Dustin Hoffman's intention to make the movie a tribute to struggling young actors, Tootsie is primarily a romantic comedy with insights into gender roles and how they affect relationships. As far as paying tribute to actors goes, Sin Verguenza is the real thing.

I have already seen this movie twice and I look forward to seeing it again in two weeks when it is screened at the Instituto Cervantes cultural institute here in Manila.

300 (2006)

300 is the epitome of a comic book brought to life

[7/10 · 8 March 2007]

300 is the epitome of a comic book brought to life. And while that's not a bad thing, it's not necessarily good either.

On the plus side, 300 (based on what I've read since I haven't seen the graphic novel its based on), authentically captures Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's visuals. Some panels from the book that I've seen testify to director Zack Snyder's success in reenacting 300 for the big screen. But even taken on its own, 300 is undoubtedly visually striking.

On the other hand, Snyder's fealty also ensures that 300 is as one-dimensional and emotionally hollow as a comic book page. It's hard to take the proceedings entirely seriously when your actors have impossibly ripped and defined chests and your lead actress is shown with nipples as large as pencil erasers.

As a result, the film is never as emotionally engaging as other movies it is sure to be compared with, such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Even a climactic scene in which Leonidas faces down a virtual cloud of Persian arrows while declaring his love for Queen Gorgo, which he could never tell her in person, fails to move the audience. In fact, the target audience of this film, like Gladiator, might well be wrestling fans, particularly given its homo-erotic undertones.

Given Snyder's obvious focus on the visuals, the actors are left on their own to cope as well as they can, with mixed results. Lena Headley gives dignity to Queen Gorgo but Gerard Butler has the unhappy task of bringing to life King Leonidas, who seems to have to scream every other line of dialog once he leaves Sparta.

Overall, as comic book adaptations go, 300 is way above such clunkers as Ghost Rider and Daredevil but not in the same league as Spider-man, X-Men and Batman Begins.

Take My Eyes (2003)

Inishgtful look on spousal abuse

[7 March 2007]

I've already seen this film twice and the subsequent viewing has not diminished much director Iciar Bollain's powerful treatment of domestic violence. In fact, I was actually reluctant to see it again because its potent portrayal of spousal abuse was too disturbing.

There are two things notable about this film that make it stand out from other films on the same subject. One is that it features almost no violence. In fact, there is only one full-blown case of abuse portrayed, and it is less about physical abuse than it is humiliation and emotional abuse.

Another is the nuanced portrayal of the abusive husband. For this, credit must go to actor Luis Tosar, who portrays Antonio. Although the film does its best to give a more balanced portrayal by showing that Antonio does go to therapy and makes some attempt to change his ways, it is Tosar's performance that brings out his human side.

It would have been easy for Tosar to have demonized Antonio, particularly since the actor already a scary appearance, what with his bushy eyebrows and deep-set eyes. But Tosar chooses to take the high road in his performance, focusing on Antonio's deep-seated insecurity and inferiority complex, which are the roots of his violence towards his wife.

His most notable scene is the last one in the film when his wife finally leaves him. As she and her friends go around the apartment packing up her things, the expression on his face is not one of anger but of incomprehension.

But equal credit should be given to Laia Marull, who portrays the wife, Pilar. Because of her performance, the filmmakers literally do not have to show much violence. The literally palpable fear she shows when Antonio is about to go into once of his rages makes that unnecessary.

The film also shows the sexual bond between Pilar and Antonio in order to explain why she continues to return to him despite his abusive behavior, through a frank sex scene that would be possible only in Europe, since American movie makers seem averse to that kind of frankness.

Te doy mis ojos is difficult to watch at times, because of the intensity of its emotional violence. But it is ultimately rewarding for the insights it gives on spousal abuse and the relationship between abusive husband and abused wife.

S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine (2003)

Familiarize yourself with the Khmer Rouge before seeing this film

[7/10 · 27 February 2007]

I got to see this film at a special screening at the Alliance France in Manila, the French embassy's cultural center. Many of the small audience in the screening room (the copy screened was a DVD) did not bother to finish the film.

For myself, I found the film a flawed but powerful experience. One major flaw is, as other reviewers have pointed out, its cold opening. In other words, it assumes you already know what S-21 is and what the Khmer Rouge are. Without this valuable background information, which the documentary does not provide, the viewers may be lost at first.

It is also kind of dry, since the movie takes place only within the walls of S-21, involving only the few survivors of the prison and some of their former jailers. Essentially they spent the entire film talking. There is no attempt on the part of the director to make it more cinematic.

However, the patient viewer will soon find him or herself immersed in the horrors of the Khmer Rouge as detail after detail of the atrocities committed in the prison emerge. The handful of survivors go through mementos of the prison, including logbooks detailing the tortures committed against inmates, along with some of those who worked in the prison, including a guard and a doctor. The question the survivors constantly ask their former jailers is: How? How could you do these things? And they have no answers.

The most chilling scenes in the film involve a former prison guard recreating in an empty cell the routine he took with the prisoners, bringing them food, water or a container to pee in, threatening them with a beating if they don't go to sleep or cry too loudly. Its throughly disturbing to see, even if there are no actual prisoners there.

S-21 is not for everybody. But if you're already familiar with the Khmer Roune and this part of Cambodian history, the documentary may be worth watching to deepen your understanding of this dark period of history.

The Echo (2004)

A must for horror fans

[8/10 · 27 February 2007]

I got to see this movie back when it was first shown as part of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival (when only local films are allowed to be shown in theaters). The audience reaction was overwhelmingly positive as we all screamed and gasped in the right places.

Admittedly, the film is hardly original but it still manages to create a personality of its own, distinct from the Japanese and other Asian horror films. The film's worst flaw is its use of similar looking actors for scenes taking place in the past and present. This creates some confusion in the audience as to what exactly is happening.

Otherwise, the film is laudable in the way it effectively marshals its limited resources (it takes place essentially in one setting) to create a very creepy and atmospheric film. This is a must for fans of horror movies.

En la ciudad (2003)

Too many characters, it goes nowhere

[5/10 · 26 February 2007]

En la Ciudad (In the City) is a Spanish language film revolving around the troubled lives of a group of friends. Tomas is in a relationship with his student, 16-year-old Ana. Irene is hiding her pregnancy from her husband Manu. Sara is having an affair behind the back of her husband Mario, who also has an affair with Cristina. Sofia is in a relationship with Frenchman Eric, but breaks it off when she discovers he's married, hooks up with philosophy teacher Andres, but eventually returns to Eric.

There are just too many characters, they're not very interesting and neither are there problems. I've seen this film twice already and I'm still not sure about what the characters' relationships are with each other.

One problem with the film is that because of the sheer number of characters, the filmmakers compress events and leave out vital continuity, forcing the audience to infer as to what exactly is going on. For example, at one point, Irene and a female friend talk as if they've had an affair but we can only infer that they did, we're not exactly sure because the director did not include a scene showing them actually hooking up.

It also fails to really resolve anything, so the audience is ultimately left unsatisfied, particularly in the film's last scene, in which the characters all gather together to celebrate Irene's birthday.

The film is watchable enough and well-acted, but ultimately does not add up to very much.

The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Highly entertaining but historically shaky

[8/10 · 26 February 2007]

Wouldn't it be interesting if movies ostensibly based on true people and events added a caveat like "but otherwise, this movie is 100% fiction." That was the thought that crossed my mind when I saw the caption at the start of the movie, telling viewers "this story is inspired by true people and events".

Otherwise, The Last King of Scotland is a thoroughly entertaining thriller but of negligible value in giving insight into what Uganda was really like under Idi Amin's reign. In fact, Amin is actually a supporting character in this movie, but Forest Whitaker's incredible performance pushes him front and center, in the same way that Anthony Hopkins made The Silence of the Lambs about Hannibal Lecter despite having only some 30 minutes of screen time.

In actuality, the movie could well be subtitled The Nicholas Garrangan Show as the movie is actually about the young Scotish doctor (energetically played by James McAvoy) who goes to Uganda in search of adventure and ends up as Amin's personal physician and one of his closest advisers.

Director Kevin McDonald really knows how to ratchet up the tension and if he wanted to, he could easily join Paul Greengrass in bringing grit and edge to mainstream thrillers. He also keeps the film briskly paced, which keeps audience interest up despite the two-hour length.

But in line with the focus on Dr. Garrigan, the horrors of Amin's reign are kept in the background, until its time for the good doctor to realize what kind of a fix he's gotten himself into, whereupon the photos of those violently killed by Amin's men are brought out.

The filmmakers also have no insight into what makes Amin tick, other than Garrrigan's calling him a child at a crucial point in the movie. In other words, the only insight the movie can come up with is that Amin is a walking Ego, given absolute power and then turned loose on Uganda.

So watch The Last King of Scotland as an entertaining thrill ride, but do try to read up on Amin if the subject interests you.

Music and Lyrics (2007)

No real sparks between Hugh and Drew

[5/10 · 18 February 2007]

At the early part of the film I thought I would be able to rate it as entertaining but disposable. But then as the film went on it just got more and more dull, with only a few sporadic laughs to keep it watchable.

The basic problem with this film is that a comedy like this, which does not have an inherently comedic premise, needs well-defined characters and good plotting, neither of which the film has. Both Hugh Grant (Alex) and Drew Barrymore (Sophie) are thus forced to fall back on their default personas: Hugh with his self-depreciating humor laced with the caddishness he developed for the Bridget Jones movies while Drew once again plays the flaky girlfriend.

Since there's no real tension between the two, particularly when they're struggling to write the song that will possibly resurrect Alex's career, there's no real comedy. If these scenes are watchable at all, its only because the two actors playing them are so charming.

As a side note, is it supposed to be a bad joke that Kirsten Johnson, who looks on the heavy side in this film, is supposed to be running a company that sells weight loss products?

Ghost Rider (2007)

Mark Steven Johnson is the new Joel Schumacher

[3/10 · 15 February 2007]

Mark Steven Johnson is the new Joel Schumacher and what Schmacher did with Batman Johnson did with Daredevil and now, Ghost Rider, namely give a bad name to comic book adaptations. Ghost Rider is the epitome of what turns people off about comic books and the movies made from them: all special effects, little logic, characterization or drama.

Admittedly, the movie starts out fine by telling the story behind Johnny Blaze's deal with the devil. But once Ghost Rider is introduced, Johnson eschews coherent narrative for a series of "cool" scenes cribbed from the comics, with little logic or coherent dramatic context.

Among the actors, the movie's saving grace seems to be Wes Bently, who aptly plays the role of Blackheart. Nicholas Cage is entertaining to watch, particularly when he tries to explain his "situation" to childhood sweetheart Roxanne (Eva Mendes) but his flippancy otherwise undercuts his character's should-be mythic status.

Overall, the film is a big disappointment, although it shouldn't have been given Johnson's track record with Daredevil. He is losing whatever goodwill audiences developed for 'comicbook'movies in the wake of Batman Begins and the Spider-man and X-Men films.