Sa'yo Lamang & Despicable Me

Sa'yo Lamang Director: Laurice Guillen (Tanging Yaman, I Love You Goodbye) Starring: Bea Alonzo, Lorna Tolentino, Christopher de Leon, Coco Martin, Enchong Dee, Miles Ocampo, Shaina Magdayao Sa'yo Lamang is a modern take on Tanging Yaman, not that the latter should be modernized because it's so last decade. Oh wait, Tanging Yaman was shown last decade. There are many similarities between the two: the title that pertains to a religious song, the broken family, the sick matriarch, the ensemble treatment, and the central themes of forgiveness and faith. However, Sa'yo Lamang is like a little sister trying to follow the footsteps of her successful older sister. I'm not saying that Sa'yo Lamang is no good. There is just nothing new. But it's better than any of the rom-coms Star Cinema has produced this year. The central drama (the one that involves the dutiful eldest daughter) is strong and the characters are beautifully flawed. Just five minutes into the movie, you'll hear members of the audience sobbing because of Bea Alonzo's cussword scene with Christopher de Leon. This is Bea's acting vehicle and best work to date. A real tear-jerker. Rating: 3/5 Despicable Me Director: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud Featuring the voices of: Steve Carrell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews If you look into the dictionary to search for the meaning of the word despicable, you won't find anything that will describe this film. There is nothing vile or mean or awful or despicable about Despicable Me. Instead, the film is funny and adorable and touching and charming. Despite some slapstick, its overall humor is solid and the characters are memorable: the bidang-kontrabida Gru, the minions, and three girls (most especially Agnes). Rating: 3.5/5

2010 Advance Warning (#6-10)

10. I Am Love (Io Sono L'amore) Directed by: Luca Guadagnino Starring: Tilda Swinton 2 words. 12 letters. Tilda Swinton. After her miracle work in Julia, I’ll watch Tilda recite lines from the bible. It doesn’t hurt that her new film is a gorgeous but tragic love story that revels on her unearthly beauty and the stunning locales of Milan . Truly, Tilda is looooove. 9. Never Let Me Go Directed by: Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) Starring: Carey Mulligan, Kiera Knightley, Andrew Garfield, Sally Hawkins Based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed novel, Never Let Me Go is described as a haunting and poignant story about love and death. The trailer suggests that it’s a coming-of-age story and a three-way love story, but online sources claim that there is a sci-fi aspect to the story. That’s when I stopped searching so as not to spoil it for myself. But now I’m itching to know what the grand mystery is. My wild guess is that they are clones or robots or aliens from another galaxy. 8. The Housemaid (Hanyo) Directed by: Im Sang-Soo (The President’s Last Bang, The Old Garden ) Starring: Do-yeon Jeon, Jung-Jae Lee, Seo Woo, Yeo-Jong Yun This erotically-charged remake of the 1960’s Korean classic was screened at Cannes to mixed reactions. Despite rants that The Housemaid is a sleazy and soapy update of the original, my anticipation is still high especially after seeing the trailer below. The Housemaid remains intriguing, sexy, and irresistible. 7. Enter the Void Directed by: Gaspar Noe (Irreversible, I Stand Alone) Starring: Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta, There are still plenty of films from last year’s Cannes that I haven’t seen like Xavier Dolan’s I Killed My Mother, Lou Ye’s Spring Fever, Tsai Ming-Lai’s Visage, and Chris Chong Chan Fui’s Karaoke. But standing high above everything else is Noe’s psychedelic, visceral, neon-lighted, mind-fuck of a film. Some critics even compared it to the iconic 2001: A Space Odyssey. When will I get my hands on this film? Lord, please make it soon. 6. Blue Valentine Directed by: Derek Cianfrance Starring: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams Blue Valentine charts the unmaking of a relationship through the passage of time. Ryan and Michelle play the young couple trying to salvage their disintegrating marriage. The film, screened in Sundance and Cannes to great acclaim, is poised to be the relationship drama to beat in this year’s awards season. This gives me the same vibe as Revolutionary Road and for that reason alone, I’m bracing myself to be mesmerized. Up Next: Evil exes, evil geeks, and an evil bird

2010 Advance Warning (#11-15)

15. Kaboom Directed by: Gregg Araki (Mysterious Skin, Smiley Face) Starring: Thomas Dekker, Chris Zylka, Roxane Mesquida, Juno Temple Kaboom is a candy-colored comedy/thriller about horny college students and hallucinogenic cookies. With Araki’s reputation of helming “totally fucked up” characters, his latest creations will join the ranks of memorable characters such as: a teenage hustler, an alien abductee, an actress on pot, and an HIV-positive film critic. 14. Somewhere Directed by: Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation) Starring: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning I have no interest in this film initially, but the trailer totally changed my mind. This looks like a tender and touching family drama. Somewhere is about a Hollywood bad boy on a wild goose chase who gets an unexpected visit from his 11-year old daughter. This led him to re-examine his lifestyle and priorities. 13. Buried Directed by: Rodrigo Cortes Starring: Ryan Reynolds This year’s Phone Booth, but our hero is six feet below the ground. With only a cellphone and a lighter, he must find a way to escape before his oxygen supply runs out. This one is tricky. How will you make a 90-minute film set inside a coffin exciting? I’m ready to be surprised. 12. 127 Hours Directed by: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting) Starring: James Franco Like the film above, 127 Hours is another one-man show. Boyle will test the patience of moviegoers with the life story of Aron Ralston who gets stuck in a boulder for five days. You won’t believe what he did to survive this ordeal. Engrossing or boring? We’ll see. 11. Biutiful Directed by: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu (Babel, 21 Grams) Starring: Javier Bardem Described as depression porn, Iñarritu’s latest seems like another laborious stretch of tragedy and hopelessness. How exciting. But before your prejudices take over, watch the trailer below and marvel at this beautiful disaster. Bardem is not a Cannes Best Actor for nothing. Up Next: Films from South Korea , Italy , and France

2010 Advance Warning (Introduction, #16-17)

Now that the US summer is over, it’s time for quality cinema to reign. Aside from Inception and Toy Story 3, is there any other noteworthy 2010 release that comes to your mind? None, I thought so. The latter part of the year is filled with prestige films, arthouse fare, Oscar baits, and films “for your consideration”. Why do producers and distributors do whatever it takes to secure a 4th quarter release date for their films? The answer is simple. They want to be fresh and easily remembered by the time film critics make their top 10 lists and hand out their critic’s choice awards. And so, a tidal wave of quality films will come crushing down on us in the next four months. Looking back 2009 set a number of milestones in the landscape of cinema. Avatar became the gold standard in 3D filmmaking and box-office success. Katheryn Bigelow stumbled upon Oscar gold and became the first woman to win Best Director. As Hollywood slaughtered originality for remakes, sequels, and squeakquels, independent cinema offered a viable alternative. Elsewhere in the world, South Korean and Romanian directors continue to astound everyone with their distinct filmographies. If these are signs of things to come, 2010 promises something bigger. Moving forward The factors that influenced my level of anticipation for these films are the following: the director’s reputation, the star wattage in the cast, the film’s story and style, and the buzz generated from early reviews. Given that Venice and Toronto Film Festivals are just around the corner, promotional materials are already abundant. There are already teasers, trailers, and posters which gave me a taste of how the final product may turn out. With that said, let me share the 17 films I am dying to see in 2010. 17. The Town Directed by: Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone) Starring: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Blake Lively Can you believe that Ben Affleck will turn out to be an acclaimed filmmaker? He will try to convince non-believers that Gone Baby Gone is no fluke, so he directs himself in this crime saga that looks as intense and as gripping as his debut film. 16. The Tree of Life Directed by: Terence Malick (The New World , The Thin Red Line) Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn My excitement for this film is not as great as everyone else for the mere reason that I haven’t seen any Malick film. But since The Tree of Life is on everybody’s lips, it’s hard not to get carried away by the pandemonium. According to Wikipedia, this is the tale of a Midwestern boy’s journey from the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as a lost soul in the modern world and his quest to regain meaning in life. Up Next: One-man shows by Ryan Reynolds and James Franco

August Film Logs

Reconstruction

Director: Christoffer Boe (Allegro, Everything Will Be Fine)

Starring: Maria Bonnevie, Nikolaj Lie Kaas

An existential urban romance that resembles a perfume commercial and a Twilight Zone episode.

Rating: 4/5

The Expendables

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa, Rambo)

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Steve Austin

A throwback to '80s action movies. It is over-the-top, ridiculous, and excessively violent. The Expendables did to action what Drag Me To Hell did to horror.

Rating: 2/5

Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Directed by: Brad Peyton

Starring: James Marsden, Nick Nolte, Christina Applegate, Bette Midler, Neil Patrick Harris

It will appeal to its intended crowd of kids and pet lovers because of its unabashed cuteness. But it’s silly nonetheless.

Rating: 1/5

Step Up 3D

Directed by: Jon Chu (Step Up 2)

Starring: Rick Malambri, Adam G. Sevani, Sharni Vinson

Yet another unnecessary sequel rendered in 3D. You're better off watching America's Best Dance Crew and Showtime.

Rating: 1/5

Salt

Directed by: Phillip Noyce (The Bone Collector, Rabbit-Proof Fence)

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber

Evelyn Salt will never be Jason Bourne. Salt is disappointing from beginning to end.

Rating: 2/5

Most Played Songs On My iPod (August ’10)

Love the Way You Lie - Eminem Ft. Rihanna

It glorifies domestic abuse and Megan Fox addiction. This is bad. Don't let kids watch this video.

Come Alive (The War of the Roses) - Janelle Monae

One of the most original artists to come out in a long time. Presenting the musical genius of Janelle Monae. Listen to her song here.

Club Can't Handle Me - FloRida Ft. David Guetta

David Guetta is selling out and is going mainstream big time. But as long as he keeps churning out dance tracks like this, I ain't complaining.

Dancing On My Own - Robyn

Robyn still has it. This somber club song is in the same vein as With Every Heartbeat.

King of Anything - Sara Bareilles

Don't you find her lyrics adorable? I can't embed the video, so here is the link instead.

Fire With Fire - Scissor Sisters

Freddie Mercury of the 21st century.

Closer to the Edge - 30 Seconds to Mars

An epic rock anthem from Jared Leto. Watch the video here.

Kickstarts - Example

UK artists are definitely more interesting than their US counterparts. Here is an "example".

Once - Diana Vickers

Diana Vickers is an X-Factor frontrunner turned 4th placer. Her debut single maximizes her breathy vocals for this electro-pop rock song that has her singing "I'm only gonna let you kill me once". Watch the video here.

Shots - LMFAO Ft. Lil Jon

No party is complete without LMFAO in the background.