Movie Review: The Autopsy of Jane Doe kept me at the edge of my seat!

There's a good horror movie showing this week in local theaters called 'The Autopsy" but I'm afraid it will be pulled out immediately because nobody knows about it.

In fact, I had a 'private screening' of it in an SM theatre tonight, I was the only one watching - which made the experience even creepier.

I heard about the movie during the 2016 Toronto Film Festival which is one of the best barometers to measure whether a movie - horror or not - is worth watching. The TIFF has now become the Oscar barometer for nominations, and this movie had a solid screening there.

The whole set-up of the movie will already give you the creeps. The two main characters, a father and the son, both coroners - and played solidly by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch (who is as cute as ever here!) come face to face with a beautiful corpse whose state of her innards do not match the flawlessness of her outward state.

In a way, it is a claustrophobic movie, as everything happens in the family morgue, and aside from the beautiful Jane Doe, there are three other corpses with them, which makes things even more creepy.

I've had to cover my eyes several times because the autopsy procedure is so graphic and I cannot bear to see so much blood and guts spilled around, even if I know in the back of my mind, they are just prosthetics.

The first hour is set up so fabulously but unfortunately, the climax was not like Get Out's which was a slam bang affair!

Recommended for watching with a date who also loves horror flicks.There are many scenes which may need some 'cuddle' moments.

Movie Review: Christopher Plummer Shines in 'All the Money in the World'

It's amazing to see Christopher Plummer, who is already 88, deliver such a tour de force performance in Ridley Scott's movie, All the Money in the World, for a role that had already been done (by the disgraced Kevin Spacey), so it had to be reshot.

Otherwise, nobody would watch the movie!

He played the billionaire Paul Getty in the movie and the way he handles himself shows glimpses of the billionaire's eccentricities, greed for more money, and the icy demeanor he has shown to his own flesh and blood, even when they need him the most.

I am not going to divulge much of the movie except that both Michelle Williams and Mark Whalberg are good in it.

It's set, once again, in Italy (two Italian set movies in 2 nights!) but this time, it's gloomy and dark because of the movie's theme and the events it presents.

There is a particularly violent scene where a vital body part is cut off, so I hope for your sake, that you've eaten all your popcorn by that scene.

There is a lot of discussion about money in the movie and the dangling of threats and demands which may be a no-brainer to family-oriented societies like the Philippines.

Is there a way you can measure how much you love a family member? Your son, your father, your grandson?

In this movie, everything is calculated that it almost already bordered on the absurd and ridiculous.

I'm sure you'd leave the theatre thinking, with all that MONEY in the world in Getty's stash, why did it have to reach such a long standoff?

Movie Review: Robert Egger's 'The Witch' Is The Real Deal

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.

Movie Review: A Heart as Big as a 'Lion'

I've always thought that people who adopted children will surely go to heaven because it's such a noble thing to do. Taking care of your own flesh and blood is hard enough, but taking care of someone who has no blood relations to you and having to deal with all the complications of raising a child - shows how big your heart is.

The foster mother in the Oscar-nominated movie, Lion, played by Nicole Kidman, is one such person. Living in relative comfort in Hobart, Tasmania, she and her husband adopted two young boys from India and took care of them like they were their own.

This is, by far, Nicole's most restrained performance because for movies like this, it would have been very easy to go through the MMK route and have fountains of tears.

However, be sure to bring a box of tissues when you watch the movie, because it's a tearjerker with such wonderful performances from the two kids in the first half of the movie.

If you still plan to watch the movie, spoiler alert, coming up.

I only started crying though towards the end of the movie - in the reunion scene which was built up wonderfully by the accompanying music and the beautiful cinematography - and it does help that Dev Patel, who played Saroo, the lost boy, is such a sensitive actor.

I think that because Saroo's brother died that same night he was left in the train station, that his life had to go through a circuitous route so that he could return safely to his mother and sister, even if it took more than two decades to happen.

I also thought that revealing his brother's death at the end of the movie was pure genius, because it added to the emotional baggage you had to carry while watching the whole movie. At least now you know that his brother didn't have to worry and carry the burden of losing his younger brother in a train station. Ironically, his accidental death saved him.

The reunion of Saroo with his mother also wouldn't have happened without Google Earth - and it also couldn't have happened earlier since he was too young when he disappeared and only knew snatches of information, which is normal for most five year olds.

In the scene where the two "mothers" met, I was a mess. Just the thought that these two women took care of this wonderful boy - a man now - at different times in his life - makes you feel that there are still good people within our midst.

Get Out Movie Review: Horror as Social Satire

Last Christmas, a director acquaintance of mine asked me if I watched any of the MMFF movies. I said no - and he chided me for not supporting independent films.

I did not bother to argue with him anymore because if you really knew me - you'd know I'm the biggest supporter of independent films who is not a graduate of UP MasKom or a MassCom graduate for that matter!

For me, the real test for any independent film comes when a giant Hollywood movie collides with these David's of cinema - and it happened this week as the mammoth box-office remake Beauty and the Beast came to Manila.

If you were truly loved independent films, you'd give Belle and la Bete a shrug and opt instead to watch two very well-directed and well-acted indipendent movies - one local and one foreign.

I already wrote about 2 Cool 2 Be Forgotten, so today, I watched one of the two screenings in SM MOA of the horror flick, Get Out, a movie which debuted at Sundance this year - and is one of the coolest horror social satires I've seen in years! This director, Jordan Peele, is another talent we can watch out for.

Too bad Get Out will disappear from the cinemas tomorrow but if you are a horror fan, or if you like intelligently made horror movies - and know what a satire is - watch this movie!

I don't want to give much away and I suggest you don't watch the trailer too, so you'd have a fresh look at the movie. As you watch the movie, there always stays with you this sense of dread that something really bad is going to happen to this nice young man.

Two of my favorite actresses, Catherine Keener and Allison Williams (of 'Girls') are here and it's so refreshing to see them play against type.

The movie is a slow burn which descends quickly into a very brutal final act - blood, guts and brain matter splattering all over the screen! Just the wayI wanted it to end!

The Cute Boys of '2 Cool 2 Be Forgotten' - Movie Review

While my straight male millennial friends in FB and Twitter have been raving about how pretty Emma Watson is in the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, I can only react with a raised left eyebrow and say "Di rin kami patatalo mga gurls noh?"
There is a small local indie movie showing right now, which is tailored fit for those who love goodlooking boys and it's entitled 2 Cool2 Be Forgotten.
I don't know these guys much since I don't watch local TV masyado but they're very good actors and for gay men and straight women who love twinkies - hmmmm......don't miss this one, because every boy gets to take his clothes off! And I mean, everything off!
There's a masturbation scene and a shower scene so, stuff that any man - gay or straight goes through in his sexual awakening.
Ano pa ang silbi ng R-18 na rating kung icecensor pa, di ba?
(Spoiler alert, go on at your own risk.)
Anyhow, this is still an indie movie, so meaning - depressing ang story - so be prepared to leave the moviehouse with a - "what happened there?" look. Translation - may mamamatay!
The movie starts off nice and breezy and I kinda liked it until things started getting sinister towards the third act. I wonder why these boys don't have any gigs on local TV since they can act better than some of the main draw actors.
I guess the two Fil-Am guys have to polish their Tagalog. Khalil Ramos is just amazing! It's really his character's journey - his sexual awakening baga.
I do find his character very lucky since he found his sexual awakening in high school. I was a nun in high school! I thought people f****d wearing bathing suits! This was during the Medieval Ages when there was no porn in our phones.
His journey ends with tragedy though - and with the lahar-stricken Pampanga landscape as a backdrop - it's hard not to leave the moviehouse with a heavy heart.

Arrival Movie Review: Aliens Helping Humans

Sci-fi movies have really changed these past few years. They have become deeply psychological, posing questions about humanity and why we are here and what do these aliens want from us?

Gravity, Ex Machina and The Martian were the last sci-fi movies which I enjoyed very much.

This year, it's the turn of one of my favorite directors, Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Prisoners, Incendies), as he presents his take on man and aliens in Arrival. I won't give too much of the story away since I would really urge everyone to watch it (not in the moviehouse anymore, since today is the last day).

There are moments of excitement (when man meets alien) and moment to ponder (man vs. aliens in a war?).

There was one question in the end, which Amy Adams' character poses to Jeremy Renner, "If you could see your life from beginning to end, what would you change?". Jeremy Renner's character said "I wish I expressed my feelings more."

That basically is one of the main points of the movie. Communication. How we communicate with each other - man to man, man to alien, mother to daughter, father to daughter - and many other permutations - can truly strengthen our relationships and veer us away from needless conflict.

The soundtrack is amazing and I learned later that Johann Johansson, the composer, is Icelandic! No wonder! The Icelanders (Bjork, Sigur Ros) have produced some of the most mesmerizing songs ever!

This movie should be seen though in a big screen, much like the movie Gravity. It's like Inception as well, because soon as you leave the moviehouse, I'm sure everyone in the group has an opinion on what they just saw. A perfect coffeehouse movie topic!

Movie Review: La La Lovin' La La Land!

I still remember very well that cute and funny scene in the movie Crazy Stupid Love where Emma Stone's character dares Ryan Gosling's character to take off his shirt - and her naughty reaction upon seeing his six-pack abs!

Well, there's so much more of that great chemistry between the two in the musical La La Land, which I think should be headed for Oscar gold. I think it's time again to give the Best Picture award to a musical. It's been more than a decade since Chicago won.

Anyhow, I was surprised by the almost sold out screening I went to tonight. I guess the local distributors made great timing by releasing it the day after it swept the Golden Globes - and I have learned now that Ryan is so famous pala here because of The Notebook (I haven't seen the movie yet). I know him more from his more serious work in Half Nelson, Lars and the Real Girl and Blue Valentine.

When I first heard of this movie's buzz a few month's ago, I thought it would be a bit of a hard sell here because it's a musical - and it plays a lot of jazz music - which is difficult to sell to most people. I would know, I've been inviting people to watch jazz shows and I never get a yes! But happily, even the young son of my friend enjoyed the movie!

This is a heartbreaking love story and the last two songs with the accompanying scenes could bring you to tears - so bring a tissue. I love the soundtrack especially the piano piece that Ryan keeps on playing throughout the movie.

And, like an ABS-CBN telenovela, this movie imparts a positive message which I'm sure will make you leave the theater smiling and more inspired.

Movie Review: The Stylish Thriller "Chloe"

I don't know why I missed this movie during its theatrical release.  I love it!  I watched it last night on HBO and I was hooked from the very first scene.  It's shot in a very lush, luxurious manner with beautiful lighting, and beautiful people.  I learned later it was Toronto and I admit I fell in love with the city!

Amanda Seyfried is just glowing here and ethereally beautiful.  And so is Julianne Moore!  I mean, I don't think her husband would be looking around if his husband were as beautiful as she!  As for Liam Neeson, whew, sexy as ever, to think he did this after the death of his wife, Natasha Richardson.  Their son in the movie, Max Thieriot is also very cute, and he gets to be shirtless many times too!  Sayang, I missed the theatrical run of this one, it would've been eligible for some of the awards last year, tsk tsk

The Paperboy Shows Zac Efron at His Sexiest....and was that Matthew McConnaughey's B*m? (Post Big Smile)

I usually read movie reviews after I watch the movie and not before because I want to form my own opinion first and see if it matches with any of the general public.  

I don't even watch trailers because I want as little information about a movie as possible and just watch it because of star power.

Yeah, just like any movie fan, I want my favorite actor in that movie and I want him or her to surprise me!

So when I saw the DVD of The Paperboy lying on my desk - and saw Zac Efron on the cover picture, I said to myself, ok great, a light relaxing movie for this afternoon.

Was I very wrong!!  

A movie with such Oscar wattage - Nicole Kidman, Matthew Connaughey, and Lee Daniels - will most likely not be a light, fluffy movie.  

The Paperboy is not a light, fluffy movie.  It's like a lighter version of a movie that Quentin Tarantino would have directed. It's violent, it has plenty of white trash characters and it has plenty of characters that you would not normally care about.

But, it has enough scenes where Zac Efron is just frolicking in his skivvies.  The truth is, Zac Efron is many times more naked here than in any of the romantic movies he was in.  

And that his character is in love with Nicole Kidman's character, makes it even more sleazy since age-wise, he could be Nicole's son.

My favorite character in the movie is singer Macy Gray.  She's so adorable here because aside from Zac, nobody is.  I just wish she'd do more movies or TV work.

I read later that this movie was trashed by critics everywhere including a long booing session at the Cannes Film Festival.  

What did you expect?  That was the year Amour won and this movie and Amour are just poles apart!

Anyway, I enjoyed the movie because of its camp moments, especially two hilarious scenes which could've played out really well in American Pie 7. 

The scenes are supposed to be sexually charged but just like what David Oleyowolo's character did after one of the scenes, I was just laughing after seeing them.

By the way, Nicole Kidman is superb here, playing a serial flirty white trash peroxide blonde to the hilt.  She even did a 'Sharon Stone' - only with panties on!

The Movie Version of the Last Five Years Tells The Story Better Onscreen

The movie The Last Five Years explores what happens when a couple that's so in love have to break up because one half of the couple experiences career success while the other one is stuck in a rut.  It definitely is an issue for any married couple, but I think the successful ones have at least one half eat their pride and not be so insecure about their partner's success.  Instead, they should be happy for their partner's successes.

I had seen the musical The Last Five Years as a musical play and I admit I didn't quite get the story as to why they broke up.  I guess when I watched it, I was not in a good seating place and I didn't get to hear clearly ALL the lyrics.  

However, in this movie version of that musical, I finally understood why they were breaking up and I finally understood what the fuss was all about! It was because the director cleverly placed all the lyrics of the songs on the film!  Like a musical karaoke!!  So there, I finally understood the dynamics of their relationship - and why they had to break up!!

It does help that Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan play (or rather sing) their roles very well!  And they're a pretty couple too! What was funny though that some guys in the theater that I was in, didn't know that the movie was A MUSICAL!  So I guess a few audience members would be stuck watching a musical instead of a usual movie with conversations!

This movie though is an acquired taste so if you're not into musicals, better stay clear.  I though, enjoyed it, because I love the characters (a writer and a struggling actress!) and I love the theme that it explores!

J. Lo and Ryan Guzman Sizzle in The Boy Next Door Thriller

There is nothing new in The Boy Next Door that hasn't been done before by any TV movie thriller, or a B-movie thriller, for that matter.  I think the only thing that makes this movie interesting are that the two main leads - Jennifer Lopez and Ryan Guzman - are such eye candies!  Watching the movie is not really a bad idea for a date movie!  You will surely get horny watching these two make-out - and there are several scenes in the movie which actually made the audience shout and shriek!  Even though everything in the movie is formulaic, it does have its own jolt moments!  Or I guess, the audience I watched it with, just really cared for J.Lo's character.  

After all, Ryan Guzman's character here is a meanie stalker!  That would be a very easy mistake for any one to make - be they a boy or a girl!  He's such a looker, that guy!

Movie Review: Scary 'Mama' Asks For Your Sympathy

I'm a big fan of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth so I didn't waste time in checking out his latest horror opus, Mama.  Well, it is scary - and it's really mostly a ghost story.  It also involves children finding themselves in the most difficult of situations.  You can bring your kids to watch this but I suggest you cover their eyes in the 7th minute as there is a scene there which may be difficult for you to explain to them.  The first ten minutes though is crucial to the whole story, so except for that short scene, it keeps you wanting to discover who is Mama and how she gets involved with these kids.

By the way, Jessica Chastain disappears here in black colored hair but she's still very good acting-wise.  There are some holes in the story though like why is an uncle taking care of these kids and why didn't they go to the nearest relative, instead, landing in the lap of a non-relative, played by Jessica.  It is explained a bit in the movie but still, it's quite a stretch, considering how very strict child custody rules are in the West,

The cold, chilling, almost always snowing atmosphere lends perfectly to making the movie eerie and scary.  The styling of the ghost hues to the style of del Toro.  That's how he wants scary to look like - so there's not much departure from his other horror movies.

Still, worth a trip to the cinema.  This one should be seen on a big screen!

Still: Taai Hong (Die a Violent Death): A Middling Thai Horror Film

Well, some Thai horror movies are really scary, some are so-so, this one is kinda in-between. It's actually a collection of four different stories, very much like our local Shake, Rattle and Roll series. They're all unrelated although, as the title suggests, they all die a violent death.

My favorite is the fourth story, which is a combination of horror and comedy, basically, because the lead actress in that segment, is so funny! And she plays a hooker! Sometimes I think the Thai's do it well when they combine comedic elements into their horror - and they don't even try too hard in doing it! I'm sure the audience that night agreed with me as we would laugh at all the right moments. But don't forget though that it's still a horror movie and there are gory scenes even in this segment.

As for the other three, well, the one with the dead girl in the water tank had a very promising premise but wasn't scary enough. The audience actually laughed in the scene where the foolish caretaker of the apartments drank the putrid water! Her performance was just plain deadpan it was funny to watch!

The prisoner segment was fine but I fell asleep because the pacing was too slow. The nightclub story was also ok, not quite scary since it had a love storyline in it. As a whole though, the movie is fine. Some horror elements work, some don't but it can still give you goosebumps here and there.

Machine Gun Preacher: Gerard Butler as God's Warrior on Earth

I am a big fan of Gerard Butler, so any movie he's in, whether it be a comedy or a drama or an action film, I will most likely watch.  And yeah, you do get a lot of him here in this move, Machine Gun Preacher. He's virtually in every frame and his presence is so commanding and his voice, so deliberate, you are caught in the maelstrom created by the sheer force of the character he is playing.

 I suggest you google, 'Sam Childers', because this is basically his story - and Gerard Butler portrays him here really well! The movie is heartwarming and you know that even if the method he uses to combat evil is 'an eye for and eye', I'm sure you'd understand that God too, even in the Bible, uses force to strike down those with evil ways. Have a strong stomach though, when you watch this movie.

The brutality against children is sickening to the core of your gut, and I did cry in some scenes, out of sheer frustration and sadness that some human beings can be very cruel against those who are weaker and smaller than them. Even Sam's personal story is quite intriguing and could actually be a movie all to itself but of course, his achievement is saving all these kids from harm.

As I was leaving the theater, I prayed that God's angels would continue to rescue these poor and helpless children, and that there will be more people like Sam Childers, whose heart is as big as the continent of Africa.

 

Anonymous: Just Concentrate on the 'Fashion Show'

I admit I got kinda lost watching the movie.  There are just too many schemings happening onscreen in which I don't quite comprehend the motivations driving the characters to them.  I'm sure this movie has caused an uproar among those who love Shakespeare but, like most literature, this is just fiction, another point of view, albeit, a very expensive one.  So if you watch this, try a detached manner so you won't freak out at all the falsities it is implying. I guess, even the actors, like Vanessa Redgrave and Rhys Ifans are just here for the fun of it - the what-if factor of it.

As for me, I just LOVE the costumes!  They're just delectable to watch!  This is actually the frontrunner right now for my annual Fabelous Movie Awards for 2012.  However, it's only April, so there's a lot of other movies coming.

 

21 Jump Street: Movie Comedy No Resemblance to Original TV Series

Actually, it's fine that the movie version of 21 Jump Street has no resemblance whatsoever to the iconic TV series that launched the career of the then unknown actor, Johnny Depp.  Putting a comedy spin into the mix and enlisting Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as the two detectives reenergizes the franchise for today's young generation.  I really enjoyed watching the movie - although the plot is simple and not complicated.  This is targeted to the young male audience anyway, and it doesn't have to be Goodfellas.  However, like any action movie, it does have many chase scenes and bad guys doing bad things and the victims here are high school students.  I strongly suggest that you watch this movie especially after you had a not-so-good day in the office.  Both guys are hilarious here and it's light fare that you will certainly enjoy.

Three Things I Liked About The Cold Light of Day

#1  The setting - Since I can speak rudimentary Spanish, I enjoy movies that are set in a Spanish-speaking country.  Since we arrived a bit late for the movie, I did not know that the setting was in Spain. I only learned about it when the clerk in the store said 'De nada' after Henry Cavill said 'Gracias'

#2 Henry Cavill - He had several shirtless scenes here and he looks hot! Yum yum!

#3 Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver - it was great to see two 80s icons in this movie!  They had pivotal roles so they weren't just part of the scenery

Otherwise, this movie was just lightweight fare and did not leave me in a state of suspense for any minute.