Movie Review: Felt So Joyful After Watching Joy!

There is a scene in the movie 'Joy' which I'm sure many stressed and harassed Pinoys can relate to.

After Joy, played by Jennifer Lawrence, learns that she has to take a second mortgage on her house to raise US250,000, she goes out of her Dad's office, into their firing range, and politely asks a patron, if she could do a few rounds on his rifle.

And she fires away! And the audience can sense the relief she feels after each shot she makes.

I want to do that to, some days, just to release some steam!

I came to love David O. Russell's work after watching 'The Fighter'. I hate movies about boxing but after watching his movie, I was left in tears, caring for the characters in the story, who where working class Americans on the other side of the fence.

As my brother said, that's how the real America looks like - not the glossy, shiny people you see in MTV videos. That's how ugly they really are he said, LOL! I don't think he meant ugly, I think he meant, realistic.

However, in 'Joy', in a similar cast Russell has worked with in Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, Jennifer Lawrence, once again, grabs the character by the neck and plays it with such gusto and vibrancy, I wanted to be her - to have that positive attitude and gung-ho spirit, despite all the odds stacked in my favor.

Especially if those odds are cause by your own family members!

I guess that's the chord that really struck me in the movie.

I started business at 18 and always, my nemesis would be Mama and then my lola, and other family members, always wanting a piece of the pie. I was just lucky I had Vic by my side and I guess together, we made things happen.

So I could really relate to Joy's predicaments and how she carefully balances her family relations, and making her dreams come true. There is no fierce adversary than your own family members.

Other s***heads who are not family, I can deal with easily, and I don't give a damn about them, but when family members are causing you the pain, hay Diyos ko, tulungan mo ako!

The movie goes through a roller coaster ride of emotions that's why I was crying quietly for joy for Joy in the end. I was so happy for her.

And I understood where all her magnanimity comes from.

It's a pity I am teaching now and not in the world of business.

This movie is so inspiring for anyone who wants to start a business.

Jennifer Lawrence Deserves All the Attention

To Oscar watchers like me, Jennifer Lawrence is not a newbie actress anymore.  Since her nomination for Best Actress in Winter's Bone a few years back, we knew that only time will tell when she's really going to break out of the indie movie circuit - and she does it with a big bang!  I think she came to the right place at the right time, since her groundbreaking role in The Hunger Games fits her acting style and beauty and build perfectly.  She's like the contemporary Sigourney Weaver - beautiful but not distractingly so.  And the best thing is - she can act well - which makes The Hunger Games interesting viewing! 

The Impressive Hunger Games

It's a pity that I did not immediately catch on to the book The Hunger Games.  I should really follow the New York Times bestsellers list so that I would know what the rest of the world is reading.  Anyhow, now that I've seen the movie, I now see clearly why the book would've been more interesting because the time constraints of a film cannot do enough justice to the interesting characters I have gotten to know in the movie!  There's a lot of them, from Katniss to Rue, from Peeta to Gale - it's a treasure trove of interesting young people and their oppressive adult leaders.

Well, I loved the movie!  Jennifer Lawrence is just perfect for the role!  It's a good thing she got this role because she's actually an Oscar-nominated thespian and having a big franchise like this should help her career more! I secretly love Elizabeth Banks' work here!  Her fashion sense here, though weird, is certainly unique.  The cast is impressive, from seeing Wes Bentley to Stanley Tucci to the cool Lenny Kravitz and Woody Harrelson, plus the cute Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth - it was a cast I really loved!  And those are the famous ones I know - there's a host of pretty young things that I have to get to know as well, including the girl playing Rue and those two vicious players from the other sectors.  Although the premise of the movie is disturbing, the director, Gary Ross, toned it down without messing up the story too much.  I think he did a great job at it!

I had to check myself while watching this movie because I was so gigil na gigil in some scenes when the weaker players were slaughtered, I wanted revenge against them.  I admit I too fell sway into the bloodbath mentality similar to what we've seen during fights of the Roman gladiators.  I realized I too was cheering - which makes me no different from the oppressive leaders in the movie!  Que horror!

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Jennifer Lawrence: #GoldenGlobes 2013 Best Actress Comedy or Musical

I knew it was only a  matter of time before Jennifer Lawrence wins a Golden Globe and finally tonight, she snags one as Best Actress in the comedy Silver Linings Playbook.  At least it would show her younger fans from the Hunger Games series that she too can really act!  Actually, of all the films nominated for this year's Best Picture Oscar, her movie is the one I am really looking forward to watching!  Not only to see Jennifer, but to see sexy Brad!!  Yum yum!!

Movie Review: 'The Beaver' - Depression is Never Easy to Portray Onscreen

Well, having Mel Gibson and the theme of depression in one movie would really be a hard sell for any Hollywood movie producer so I am not surprised why this movie did not catch on very well with many people - which is a pity, really, since if you take out Mel Gibson's rant history away from it, it is quite a touching movie about a guy dealing with depression and how his family is coping with it.

I have always been a fan of Mel ever since his Mad Max days way back in the 80s so I make it a point to watch whatever he releases.  Yes, I did watch Edge of Darkness (and liked it too!).  However, interestingly, the two main characters that really draw me into this movie, (it's not even the beaver!), are Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence!  They're not only cute and hot, they can also act!  I won't be surprised to see more of them in the future.  In fact, if they are the future of Hollywood, then the future looks exciting!

As for the movie, well, the father-son relationship was what touched me most!  Anton's character is so much like me when I was his age.  (That will be in another blog article).  I still need a psychologist to explain to me the plausibility of what was happening to Mel Gibson's character.  Is that like borderline schizophrenia?

This movie is a good foil from all the noisy summer movies.  It's well-acted, well-written and you might see some of your life in it.  The theme is dark and sad but like any Hollywood movie, it ends up hopeful.

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