The Nines

RATING: 3/5

DIRECTOR: John August

TAGLINE: Y9u never kn9w when y9ur number is up

STARRING: Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy, Hope Davis, Elle Fanning (it is in your best interest that I keep my mouth shut about the roles they play)

eFILM CRITIC SAYS: A challenging loop of spiritual indecision within the confines of a city known for quick creations and their inevitable consequences.

I SAY: Takes the concept of having an avatar and leading a ‘double life’ to a whole new level. This three-part philosophical, meta-physical feature may be flawed but it will resonate on the mind and emotion.

2001: A Space Odyssey

RATING: 3.5/5

DIRECTOR: Stanley Kubrick (The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, Dr. Strangelove)

TAGLINE: Let the awe and mystery of a journey unlike any other begin.

THE GIST: As man tries to solve the mysteries of outer space, they find out that there’s more out there than they have ever imagined.

MOVIE GUIDE SAYS: A beautiful, confounding picture that had half the audience cheering and the other half snoring.

I SAY: There are plenty of reasons why it is hailed as the greatest science fiction film of all time – the enthralling visual effects, the poetic use of classical music, the ingenious jumpcut from prehistoric to futuristic, the enigmatic monolith, and of course, HAL the supercomputer supervillain. Despite the puzzling fourth segment, Kubrick’s space ballet is irresistibly hypnotic.

Trainspotting

RATING: 4.5/5

DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later)

TAGLINE: Never let your friends tie you to the tracks.

BEST LINE/S: Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?

STARRING: Ewan McGregor (dives into a filthy toilet, injects himself with heroin, and runs away with the moolah)

GLOBE & MAIL SAYS: The experience of watching Trainspotting – the electric, nasty and slick descent into the milieu of young Scottish junkies – is a little like speeding through the digestive tract of some voracious beast.

I SAY: Oozing with dark Scottish humor and sheer edginess, this is the most fun you can get with a film about substance abuse.

Dancer in the Dark

RATING: 5/5

DIRECTOR: Lars Von Trier (Dogville, Antichrist)

TAGLINE: You don’t need eyes to see.

BEST LYRIC: They say it's the last song. They don't know us, you see. It's only the last song if we let it be.

BEST LINE/S: You just know when it goes really big... and the camera goes out of the roof... and you just know it's going to end. I hate that. I would leave just after the next to last song... and the film would just go on forever.

STARRING: Bjork (Icelandic songstress turned Cannes Best Actress)

SEATTLE TIMES SAYS: Has moments of unbelievable power and horror ... and these moments make the rest worthwhile.

I SAY: Von Trier unleashes his inner sadist to emotionally torture his audience with this gut-wrenching, soul-crushing, Cannes Palme d’Or winning musical. Although difficult to watch, this film rises above the ranks of greatness as a cinematic masterpiece beyond compare.

Amelia is MEANT to Soar

Amelia is a film meant to soar. Take note of the usage of the word: meant. It’s the biopic of Amelia Earhart, the first woman to cross the Atlantic on a plane. It stars two-time Academy Award winner for Best Actress, Hilary Swank; Golden Globe winner for Best Actor, Richard Gere; and Golden Globe nominee for Best Actor, Ewan McGregor.

Although Amelia aspired to be an eagle flying over high clouds, the filmmaking involved is stuck on the ground. The screenplay’s frail little wings couldn’t hold the weight of the eponymous heroine. We see glimpses of the aviation legend, but the portrayal skips her depth and intensity.

Hilary Swank has proven herself as an outstanding actress with two golden statuettes to boot (one for her androgynous turn in Boys Don’t Cry and another one for the Clint Eastwood melodrama Million Dollar Baby). But for now, the esteemed actress has to be contented with her two Oscars. Amelia is unlikely to be her ticket for a third Academy award.

In this film, Amelia was portrayed as an insipid character who acts on a whim as if she is intoxicated by the whiff of her own stubbornness. With this characterization, it’s a mystery how she achieved celebrity status as the face of early American aviation – a mystery more puzzling than her enigmatic disappearance.

The narrative is flat, without climax or denouement. It’s such a shame that the life of Amelia Earhart is as exciting as watching blips on a radar.

Rating: 2/5

Instead of watching Amelia, catch these following movies instead:

Sin Nombre (3/5)

Zombieland (3.5/5)

The Cell

RATING: 3/5

DIRECTOR: Tarsem Singh (The Fall)

TAGLINE: His mind is her prison.

STARRING:
Jennifer Lopez (child therapist)
Vince Vaughn (FBI agent)
Vincent d’Onofrio (psychotic serial killer)

NEWSDAY SAYS: Taken on its own boldly visual terms, The Cell can be enjoyed as a stroll through a contemporary museum of your purplest imaginings.

I SAY: An optical fantasy journey inside the mind of a schizophrenic. His world is built in pillars of nightmare where every crevice and every nook is infested with grim and horror. Dive into his mind but be warned: it’s not real.

Happy Together

RATING: 3.5/5

DIRECTOR: Wong Kar Wai (In the Mood For Love, Chungking Express)

STARRING:
Leslie Cheung (motto: let’s start all over again)
Tony Leung (motto: martyrdom is the best policy)
Chang Chen (motto: the ears can see better than the eyes)

MOVIEMARTYR.COM SAYS: Through its stunning imagery, it creates an intimate visual essay about the mood swings of a love affair.

I SAY: A realistic portrayal of the fickleness of relationship. One day, you love him. The next day, you detest the very sight of him until you find yourself unable to distinguish what you really feel. You want to go but you can’t leave. As social networking sites put it, it’s complicated.

Beaufort

RATING: 3/5

DIRECTOR: Joseph Cedar

THE GIST: Israeli soldiers guarding Beaufort, a fortress built atop a mountain in Lebanon, await a command to retreat.

WASHINGTON POST SAYS: The camera never leaves the beleaguered compound, and Beaufort itself becomes a character in the story, a surrealistic zone of tunnels, bunkers and sandbags, about as far from the possibility of heroism as possible.

I SAY: Although this is a war movie, there is no enemy in sight (just missiles dropping from the sky) and no fighting. The slow pacing gives the scenes ample time to breathe and showcase the beautiful cinematography and production design.

Cinema One Originals 2009

Wanted: Border
Rating: 3.5/5
Read my review here.

Si Baning, si Maymay, at ang Asong si Bobo
Rating: 3.5/5

Paano Ko Sasabihin?
Rating: 2/5

Maximus & Minimus
Rating: 2/5
Read my review here.

Bala-Bala
Rating: 1.5/5

Wanted: Border Sweeps 2009 Cinema One Originals Digital Movie Festival

Best Film: Wanted: Border
And I agree with the jury.

Best Director: Ray Gibraltar (Wanted: Border)
I agree.

Best Screenplay: Ray Gibraltar (Wanted: Border)
I’m not complaining.

Best Actor: Mikhel Campos (Maximus and Minimus)
This is a toughie. Not because there’s so much talents to choose from, but because of the lack of it. But if I have to choose the lesser evil, I’d hand out the award to Baron Geisler (Maximus & Minimus).

Best Actress: Rosanna Roces (Wanted: Border)
Who I think should have won? The ultra-charming child actress who played Baning in Milo Tolentino’s Si Baning, si Maymay, at Ang Asong si Bobo. Forgive me for not knowing her name.

Best Supporting Actor: Jan Harley Hicana (Si Baning Si Maymay at ang Asong si Bobo)
There isn’t much talents in this category as well. So I’ll just go with the judges.

Best Supporting Actress: Rio Locsin (Si Baning si Maymay at ang Asong si Bobo)
Agree.

Special Mention: Paano Ko Sasabihin
If this is equivalent to the Jury Prize or the Second Best Picture, I’d give the award to Si Baning, si Maymay, at ang Asong si Bobo.

Audience Award (Viewers’ Choice): Paano Ko Sasabihin
Our audience needs to be seriously schooled.

Best Production Design: Al Alacapa, Winston Lazaro and Allan Hilado (Wanted: Border)
Best Music: Malik Lopez and Eric Romulo (Wanted: Border)
Best Cinematography: Ogie Sugatan (Wanted: Border)
Best Editing: Anna Isabel Matutina (Paano Ko Sasabihin)

Special Honorary Award: Brillante Mendoza and Danny Zialcita