Movie Review: 'Kita Kita' Is Intimate and Endearing

DO NOT CONTINUE READING IF YOU STILL PLAN TO WATCH KITA KITA. I MIGHT INADVERTENTLY GIVE AWAY SOME OF THE IMPORTANT PLOT LINES WHICH MIGHT DESTROY YOUR MOVIE-GOING EXPERIENCE.

There was a sizable audience tonight when we watched a screening of Kita Kita at SM MOA. It is always great news for local cinema when an indie-produced film makes a breakthrough in the box-office through sheer word-of-mouth only.

While I was watching it, it reminded me of the American movie, Lost in Translation, released in 2003, which had a similar thread to this movie - its simplicity, the surprising unaffected chemistry of the two leads, the blossoming of the romantic possibilities, and the way it showcases the beauty and uniqueness of Japan, as seen through the eyes of the female directors (Sofia Coppola, Sigrid Andrea Bernardo) of these movies.

I highly suggest that you watch both movies one after the other, and explore the complexities of human relationships as the directors present isolation and heartbreak.

One is set in the tranquil (well, that's the way it looked to me) city of Sapporo in the lovely island of Hokkaido, in northern Japan, while the other is set in the frenetic city of Tokyo, amidst the sheen of Park Hyatt Tokyo, and the craziness of Shibuya and Shinjuku.

They are both beautifully photographed, with a tender musical score that would make you want to book a trip to Japan, right here, right now, and follow the leads of both movies, as they visit the delightful sites of both cities.

Well, back to the story.

As both leads find each other, we revel at the connection that they make with each other, even though from face value, they may not seem the most likely of couples. Alessandra looks lovely but is depressed, and so is Scarlet's character, maybe not too depressed but is ignored by her husband.

Come to the rescue, Bill Murray and Empoy Marquez, who are both comedians so they don't exactly have matinee idol looks. Surprisingly, there is a bubbling chemistry that you can feel they have with their beautiful leading ladies. There is no corniness in their facial expressions and you can feel their earnestness to connect with the two women.

I saw that kilig in English is to gush (Kita Kita had subtitles - and you can bring a Japanese-speaking friend along since a good percentage of the movie is in Japanese) - and I won't be surprised if many, especially the millennials, would be able to identify with Alessandra and Empoy.

I was wistful as I left the theatre after watching Lost in Translation and you will too, after watching Kita Kita. The circumstances of how both movies end are not the same, but they tap at the same vein of what might have been.

The third movie that you can bookmark with these two movies is Atonement, with Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, but you'd need too much tissue paper already.

Hacksaw Ridge Movie Review: Jesus in the Battlefield

I am just happy that Mel Gibson is back in form, and that the industry has welcomed him back by virtue of his Oscar nomination for Best Director.

Hacksaw Ridge is one of the most violent films I've seen and the only other director who can shoot war scenes as realistic, visceral and surreal like this is Steven Spielberg.

I was sitting four rows from the screen and the second half of the movie - which is all in the battlefield - played out to me like a terrifying nightmare of men being spliced and their guts spilling out of bellies and bullets blowing their brains apart - simply, do not eat during this part of the movie - or you might throw up!

Since I never play video games, I am not used to such levels of violence - and how Mel shot it was just frenetic and relentless and unmerciful. There is nothing sexy or heartwarming about war. It's very brutal.

Well, I won't tell much about the story except that it's set in Okinawa in World War II and both the US and Japan are fighting to get foothold on the island.

The best thing about the movie is Andrew Garfield. This is his 3rd CONSECUTIVE Oscar Best Actor nomination, and this time, he sports an accent and a countenance that is sincere, pure and friendly, it's impossible not to like him in end.

Movie Review: 'Bakit Lahat ng Guwapo May Boyfriend'

'Bakit Lahat ng Guwapo May Boyfriend' is a pretty witty title for a movie but don't be fooled by the gayness of the title - this is a heterosexual romcom and the gay storyline is just the frills that decorate the bow.

The movie starts with a bang but slowly drifts into hetero territory somewhere in the middle - and I realized, this is an Anne Curtis vehicle after all - so the story is going to be about her - and not about Paolo Ballesteros.

Anyhow, having Dennis Trillo as the eye candy is well worth the ticket price. There aren't that many laugh-out-loud scenes though and I find some of the lingo and the jokes about gay men, cliched already.

I'm sure today's younger gay men have a fresher take on love and finding out if a guy is beki.

Acting-wise though, Anne Curtis pouts and smiles her way throughout the movie, looking as pretty as ever, while the stylist allows Dennis Trillo to wear so many polo shirts that resemble my wardrobe. Paolo Ballesteros plays the wacky gay best friend but his role slowly fades into the background as the movie reaches its denouement.

I now understand why the director of The Third Party told me they wanted to veer away from cliches and stereotypes. It kinda drags the movie down and the jokes are repeated to gay people in the audience who have known those jokes for years.

Anyway, having another gay-themed movie from a big local studio coming at the heels of another one with A list actors is not bad at all. It looks like the Pinoy masa is already comfortable with local gay-themed movies.

Gawa pa more! Sana something witty and with bite!

The Unsatisfying Denouement of 'The Girl on the Train'

One of the hardest skills for a film director to accomplish is to create suspense and dread, especially when there is a twist somewhere in the story.

It has worked great for movies like The Sixth Sense and Gone Girl, making you want to watch the movie again and again to find out if everything else in the rest of the movie is plausible, before the twist was revealed.

I haven't read Paula Hawkins' The Girl on the Train but now I may have to because being a woman writer, I'm sure she did not really mean to create three female characters and make them look so helpless and needy and foolish.

Emily Blunt though, is just superb in this movie, going through lengths to make herself look ugly and disgusting - and she has created a character that's just one sad sack.

However, even with the presence of a good cast, it really takes some skill to make a moviegoer be on the edge of his (or her) seat, especially as the story built up to the big reveal.

In the end, I just felt anger at the women characters, for allowing themselves to be played this way - considering that their characters are not entirely dumb, or helpless, or poor, or uneducated.

Feasting on Humans: The Hungry Cannibals of The Green Inferno

My brother Mike loves horror movies so once in a while, he brings me some horror DVDs to watch. Most of them are crap and not really scary.

However, he brought this movie called The Green Inferno and although it took some time for the full gore to happen, it was one of the best horror movies I've seen in a while.

Well, when I say best, I mean full on gore and blood and guts and this time, it's not zombies or ghosts or poltergeists that cause the fear - it's the cannibals!

The movie puts a little touch of social commentary in the movie but we all know it's just a bunch of self-serving crap. We didn't watch this movie to be preached on saving the Amazon. We all know what we came here for.

To feast on the horrible things that may happen if we do get lost in the jungles of the Amazon. I don't fault the cannibals. It's their territory. It was the activists who invaded their territory - and they had to pay with their own pound of flesh.

I dare you to eat popcorn or anything at all when you watch this movie.

Movie Reviews: The Gay Movie Shelter is Endearing!

When I was in my 30s, my brother and I would usually actively watch movies in gay film festivals here in Manila, Hong Kong and Bangkok.

It was our simple way of supporting the LGBT community, and really, a decade ago, it was still a bit subversive to be watching gay films in the open, even abroad. With so many paminta around, nobody wanted to be seen in public, watching a gay-themed film.

I have kinda stopped though nowadays, so it was a real pleasure when I watched this gay-themed movie called Shelter, which was released in the US in 2007.

Since most gay movies, especially the local ones are f*****ng depressing, it was quite refreshing to watch a gay movie where nobody dies in the end! And it helps that the lead is Aga Muhlach-cute! And he can act!

The script could easily be replicated here in Manila but the movie is set in southern California and because the movie has many beautiful shots of the place, parang I want to visit California na talaga in 2016, yun lang, I may need an international driver's license so I can drive around.

Anyhow, the movie is entertaining and any newbie gay person should easily relate to it. There are indeed many things that gay people have to consider before coming out and I really feel for them.

I just feel really lucky I did not have to endure many of those things. May advantages din if bakla ka na nung bata ka! Wala nang need to come out. It just makes one's life much easier.

Movie Review: Let the Right One In - Bleak, Cold, Lonely, Mysterious

Sweden is such a beautiful country, whether you go there in winter or summer. It is not crowded and public transport arrives like clockwork. The people can speak good English and I love ogling at the tall blonde boys, be they at the park, at the train station or at the swimming pool!

That is why I wonder why popular Swedish cinema is populated by really sick, really mentally sick, really lonely, really scary characters. Their cinema just doesn't reflect how beautiful their country is.

The American horror movie 'Let Me In' was my personal Best Film of 2010. It was probably the scariest movie I've seen since The Sixth Sense.

And then I learned that it was just a remake, and that the original was from Sweden and the title came from a Morrissey song, Let the Right One In.

The two movies are virtual mirror images of one another, as the American remake stayed almost 100% faithful to the original version. A few changes were made, but the atmosphere of dread, and cold, biting cold, and the degree of violence were very similar.

We watched the Swedish version of the movie on Christmas dawn, after we had our noche buena. Laura was the only one awake with me and I told her that it was one of the scariest movies I've ever seen - and she agreed with me soon as the end credits came up.

This is also one of the cleverest spins to a vampire story that I've ever seen. I assure you that as the end credits roll, there will be sick feeling in your stomach.

Amour: Not Very Easy to Watch a Movie About Dying

It was but fitting that the DVD I slipped into my player during Hallow's Eve was a movie about death.

And although Amour is already 3 years old, I don't recall a movie in recent memory that was as brutal, as savage and as unyielding of its portrayals about old people and of dying that watching this movie was not an easy experience for me. I admit it made me feel uncomfortable, queasy, uneasy.

I even wanted to fast forward many of the scenes because I was uncomfortable watching them because in the back of my mind, I know I will be old one of these days, helpless, unable to communicate, unable to walk or stand up, and to be dying of dementia to boot. Definitely not a walk in the park for the person left caring for me.

I guess no movie about death or dying should make one feel relaxed. Also, since I've never been in a relationship that lasted for decades, like this couple did, it would be very difficult for me to judge the actions of the lead actor.

It must be very hard for him to see his wife wasting away very slowly, even taking her to the point where she had already lost all her human dignity. It's never easy to admit that death would be the easier thing to deal with and a much better option for the suffering patient.

After that controversial death scene, my brother said, matter of fact-ly, they should've hired a Filipina caregiver. It would've made their lives more bearable.

Ang Pinoy talaga, kahit super serious na ng topic, andun pa rin ang sense of humor!

Movie Review: Saint Laurent Too Long

There's so much male nudity in the movie Saint Laurent, one could effectively fill one's lifetime quota of male genitalia seen in a non-pornographic movie.  This is a French movie after all, so total nudity is par for course.

I admit when I saw that scene where Gaspard Ulliel came out of that closet, I was like, oohhh la la, now THAT is hung like a horse!  The real YSL though was not as muscular as the actor, but anyway, Gaspard's hot and he does resemble YSL after some clever hair and make-up.

The movie though, was too long for me, the film editor could've helped the director take out some scenes or shortened others to make it more compact.  

Another complication is the movie's nonlinear chronology of events which does not allow any emotional build up to happen and anyone new to Yves' life can possibly just mistake him for a drug addict junkie who led a hedonistic life of aimless orgies and debauchery.

Actually, Yves is one of the few designers whose own name carries the brand, who really cashed in on their talent, with him getting a cool 350 million euros during an IPO on his brand.  Not bad after a lifetime's contribution to fashion.  I don't think Chanel or Dior or even Louis Vuitton were that lucky.

Movie Review: While We're Young Is Like Holding A Mirror To My Face

When I saw writer-director Noah Baumbach's name on this big cardboard advertisement of his new movie, While We're Young, two weeks ago in Trinoma's cinemas, I was pleasantly surprised and happy as well, that finally, one of his movies will be screened commercially here in Manila!  

I've been a fan of his work and two of my favorite movies of his - The Squid and the Whale and Margot at the Wedding - are not really your normal Hollywood studio movies since even though they're comedy-dramas - they talk about real life.

Noah is about my age so when I watched this movie, it was like he was holding a mirror to all the fortysomethings in the audience - the demographic he is writing this movie for.  I have my opinions about how it is to live in one's 40s and I really felt for this childless couple - played by Ben Stiller and the radiant Naomi Watts have to navigate all the "Why don't you have a kid yet" question and "We don't go anywhere anymore" comments which people my age grapple with.

I really enjoyed the first two -thirds of the movie as Stiller and Watts' characters meet and get to know this pair of twentysomethings played by Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried.  This is where all the fun and the cute observations about generational differences occur.  There is a bit of conflict in the movie but I feel it was handled awkwardly and unsatisfyingly towards the end.  

Interestingly though, Baumbach's observations and comments on today's generation may put today's twentysomethings on the defensive.

Kidnapping Freddy Heineken: The Movie is the Title

While I was watching Anthony Hopkins in the movie Kidnapping Freddy Heineken, playing the movie title's namesake, I couldn't help want to see him go on a "Hannibal Lecter" mode as he delivered his lines!  It's been more than a quarter of a century since The Silence of the Lambs, yet every time I see him, I see Hannibal Lecter! 

My mind was going like "Why can't he escape? He could eat these guys' livers with a glass of Chianti if he wanted to!!"  Talk about being seriously stereotyped in one's mind!

This time, the whole movie was shot in Amsterdam, and it's not the Amsterdam I would like to visit.  I guess because of the whole aura of the movie - it being a crime film - the city looked dreary, sad, cold, forbidding, and dark.  

By the way, this is a true story and it was set in a far more innocent world, where billionaires don't have bodyguards and complex security systems.  This is the Netherlands after all, and I guess crime like this rarely happens there.  

The movie is the title and there are no surprises here.  I didn't even feel much tension.  I guess if a far more experienced director like Spielberg or Scorsese did this script, there would be more blood, more craziness, and we would all be on the edge of our seats.  It really takes a lot of skill and creativity to put people on the edge of their seats!

Movie Review: Unfinished Business Shows Berlin's Hedonistic Side

I want to go to Berlin!! Those were the thoughts that went to my head as I watched Vince Vaugn and his workmates in the movie, Unfinished Business, weave their way through that city's uber-hedonistic party places!

The city does not photograph well, as maybe, Paris or New York, and since the only known landmark I know is the Brandenburg gate, I couldn't tell if they were in Hamburg, or Stuttgart or Berlin (they had to go to different cities in Germany for business).

The movie itself is a lot of light fun written obviously from a man's point of view. It's rated R16 because there's so much shameless nudity - and these guys are just pushing and pushing the limits of what may be deemed funny!!

I never dreamed of seeing a "glory hole" scene in a typical Hollywood movie! Or a unisex sauna!! Or a hotel room that's in a museum! Ever since a decade ago, the buzz from Berlin's art and party and social scene has been great and this movie just shows the more base and hedonistic side of it. Oh well, it would be great to try a few risque things even when I'm a bit older already.

It's a good thing the writer and director decided to set this in a cool European capital, otherwise, it would be just like the Hangover series.

Redmayne and Jones Shine in The Theory of Everything

Do not read this piece if you are still planning to see Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything or you don't know anything about Stephen Hawking's life - spoiler alert!

Like many college students at that time, I too, bought a copy of Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time. This was in the early 90s, when his brilliance - and his attendant sickness - brought him worldwide fame and adoration.

I remember reading the book and not understanding a thing about it. I think that's what separates geniuses from ordinary people like me. It did make one feel very very minuscule compared to the vastness of the universe that Hawking's has envisioned for all of us.

After watching The Theory of Everything last night, I may have to look for that book again in my book stack upstairs. It should be there between my college yearbook and my 90s diaries.

However, if you're more interested in the science and in the mathematics that goes with Hawking's theories, you won't find it in the movie because the movie is based on the book written by Stephen's first wife, Jane. that's why this movie should've been released during Valentine's day - because it's a bittersweet romantic story between two very selfless people - one, who, despite his terrible affliction, turned the world upside down with the way we envisioned our universe - and the other one, who sacrificed her life and career just to make sure the genius of her husband shines through.

The movie is so lovingly done I wish all divorces were that civil! Eddie Redmayne probably saw Oscar written all over the script when it was given to him - you can actually see him disappear and be Stephen! It's a very flashy role and I'm not surprised why the Academy voted for him. While I was watching him, he kinda reminded me of the young Daniel Day-Lewis, who played a paraplegic poet in My Left Foot - another showy role that got Daniel his first Oscar.

However, the real revelation, at least for me, in this movie, is Felicity Jones. I already knew, Eddie can act, but this is the first time I've seen this girl, and she delivered an amazing performance! I'm really impressed! Any other actress with lesser talent would've made her character a pity party persona, which would be a tragedy.

Now that his love story has been told, it would be great if the science behind his genius becomes the focus of another movie on Stephen Hawking, much in the same way that The Imitation Game, another movie about another British genius - Alan Turing, showed how Alan broke the Enigma.

Now that two movies about geniuses have been shown in mainstream cinema, I kinda realized that even the brightest people the world has ever produced have the same problems as ordinary people - and that they are not immune to love, divorce, society's hypocrisies, and medical anomalies.

Kingsman Makes Spy Movies Rollicking Fun

Sometimes you'd think Hollywood has already done its bit in stretching the spy genre yet they still come out and produce stylish, funny and cool spy movies with dashing heroes that will make you forget, at least for 2 hours, the mundane problems of your life.

Of the 20+ or so movies I've already watched this year in theatres, Kingsman is the most insane fun I've seen! It covers all the cliches of spy movies and adds its own sense of humor to it. I'm not exactly a dog lover, but that "Shoot your dog" scene was heartbreaking to watch.

Taron Egerton is another name I have to add to my new hunks list of 2015. Sometimes cocky, sometimes nerdy, he has just the right British sex appeal which should help this franchise. I don't know how the movie has done in the US and the UK, but it's doing healthy business here in Manila. This is a great date movie because you can just lie back and relax and maybe laugh here and there. Sometimes, that's just what good movies have to do - entertain us!

The Movie Tragic Theater: Scary Na Rin

Upon the advise of my good friend Manila, I decided to watch the horror movie Tragic Theater instead of the rom-com hit English Only Please.  It was a good thing there were many people in the theater when I watched so I didn't feel alone since I watched the movie on my own!

Anyway, scary na rin sya, but nothing really that would freak out seasoned horror movie fans like me.  One revelation to me is that Andi Eigenmann can act pala!  She really got the acting genes of both her Dad and Mom, both award-winning thespians.

One thing I like about the movie though has nothing to do with horror or being scared.  I noticed that all the guys in the spirit warrior group - basta the group who went to the Film Center to talk to the ghosts - were all cute! Even the chubby one!  Hindi sila nakakasawa tingnan.  Some were really cute, some were macho ang dating, some were chinito - but the funny thing is - I like them all!  The girls in the group weren't that ugly either.

Yun lang!  I was distracted by how handsome the boys were in the spirit group!  Except for maybe the seasoned actor there - the chubby chinito one.  The rest, I'd date them if they were alam mo na.......

Denzel Washington: Amazing in Flight

I wasn't able to watch the movie Flight in the cinemas when it was shown here in Manila. However, I caught a screening of it on HBO and I was very impressed with Denzel Washington's acting!  I remember he got an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for this movie and deservedly so.

His character was just slowly descending to a grand mess and there was nothing that could stop him, and his dependence on alcohol was making things worse.  It was great to see Washington play a flawed character - not the usual heroes that we are used to seeing him play.  

Don't get me wrong, this character is a hero but not the perfect one because he's hiding some critical flaws from the public.  I love the direction of Robert Zemeckis as well.  Keeps one entertained throughout the movie.

Wacky 10 Rules for Sleeping Around: Lots of Manly Butt Exposure

As I was watching the movie, 10 Rules for Sleeping Around, I actually didn't get what the 10 rules were - or remember any of it!  I think the rules apply to couples and of course, with sleeping around come the consequences of it!  

I don't remember that many really funny scenes or dialogue although the movie tries hard because there are so many mistaken identities and caricatures like trashy New Jersey girls which may be able to elicit some laughs.

I love the scenes where the dudes shirk off their shirts and pants, especially Reid Ewing, who was totally naked for almost 10 minutes!

Anyway, the movie's forgettable but it's one way to spend a stress-free weekend!

Movie Review: Ryan Guzman Sizzles in Step Up All In

There are actually so many things to like in the latest Step Up movie series, Step Up All In.  I don't know how many they have come up yet, but I started watching this dance movie franchise way back in 2006, when Channing Tatum was still this relatively unknown hot guy has been the springboard of a new host of hot looking guys who can be both models and dancers at the same time!
And that is exactly what Ryan Guzman does in this movie.  It's not difficult to love those puppy eyes and those 6-pack abs and that the guy can dance too is just icing on the cake! And that he can also act just tells you that there are so many goodlooking men like him in Hollywood just wanting to be the next big star.  Channing Tatum eventualy became an A-list actor.  If Ryan Guzman plays his cards right, he could follow Tatum's footsteps as well.

As for the movie, just lay back and relax and just enjoy all the dancing that almost 50-60% of this movie offers!  I love each one of the dance sequences and now that I've actually danced in a big venue, I already know the hard work that each dancer puts in just to do that 3 minute video!  It's definitely hard work guys and I appreciate a lot what the dancers in the movie put in here.  Not only do they have to dance well, they also have to act, at least in a believable manner!

Izabella Miko as Alexxa is our next favorite character in the movie and I believe that if enough gay men watch this movie, Alexxa would be top the next drag queen contest.  She's just so camp and they way she talks and moves her hands and the clothes she wear - truly a drag queen's fantasy!

Well, now that the movies today cost 200-250 pesos per ticket, this would be better seen on a big screen rather than on your tablets or your TVs! All the dance sequences are well-thought off and the cast, the director and the choreographers really did a good job in making everything glossy and flashy and joyful to watch!  Definitely worth the ticket price!

Movie Review: Really Enjoyed "Water for Elephants"

Water for Elephants is another movie I was not able to watch during its theatrical run here - and once again, I regret it now.  The movie was pretty interesting since it is set in a traveling circus - not the usual setting for a love story.  Well, at first glance, Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson have almost zero chemistry but even then, I still liked the movie.  

I wonder though why Robert Pattinson's fans do not watch his other movies when they go gaga over him when they watch him in those vampire movies!  He only has almost one face in the movie though - his famous smirk - but I admit, without his white make-up here - he does look kinda cute - and I understand why the girls go wild over him!

Well, what I love about this movie are the circus animals, particularly Rosie, the elephant!  She's quite endearing!  Also, Reese looks particularly graceful when she rides both the horse and the elephant!  Para talagang totoong circus performer (Just like a real circus performer!) Critics say her body really followed the period body of the women at that time.  I think what they are saying is true!  

As for Christopher Waltz, well, he's an Oscar-winning actor who can play meanie roles really well - and he does it again here.

Movie Review: 'The Campaign' and Filipinos in America

Will Ferrell's The Campaign is a hilarious comedy about a congressman who has been running unopposed for several terms until big business, who funds for his campaign, finds him useless - and props another unknown candidate - played by Zach Galifanakis.  What's interesting about the movie is that it featured a group of Filipinos in them - I think they were Filipinos working for a certain fast food - I was not too sure.  Oh well, it's about time we were represented in American cinema - it's like we're invisible in America!

The movie has many crazy scenes!  Imagine a baby getting punched!!  And a dog as well!!  I love how Zach does his role here - borderline gay but borderline nerdy straight as well!  This is one movie you could watch without thinking since its premise is very simple.