A DULCET BARK

Finally the Paris Hilton of the Chihuahuas has arrived the Philippine shores. I've been waiting for this Disney movie for four months after it debuted #1 at the US BOX Office last October 2008!!!! Beverly Hills Chihuahua's bootleg DVDs are even selling like hotcakes and our local distributor doesn't care at all. Shame on them! The movie tries to be “Babe” and it almost won me over. However, despite its “cheesiness”, I find this movie so charming, watchable and needless to say fashionable.

Chloe is the darling, diamond-festooned, bootie-wearing Californian chihuahua companion of cosmetics doyenne Vivian Ashe, who lavishes all of her love and her hefty bank balance on the pampered bow-wow. When Vivian is called away to Europe on business and the usual dog sitter is seedy, the fond owner entrusts her most prized monomania to niece Rachel, who only wants to party with her friends. With that, Rachel heads for Mexico on a weekend break with two gal pals and takes Chloe along for the trip. Unfortunately, the persnickety Chihuahua is stolen by a villainous dog-napper. Luckily, a plucky German Shepherd called Delgado steps in to save Chloe and they form a farfetched friendship. Thy must find a way to return to Beverly Hills.

Surprisingly, the story is really good but it's really corny. Nevertheless, I find it humorous and heartfelt. Thanks to the monologues of Chloe. She is a terrific Chihuahua! I love her. This is directed by Raja Gosnell who has done some family movies before like Never Been Kissed (no wonder she hires Drew here), Home Alone 3 , Yours, Mine & Ours and Scooby Doo movies. Gosnell surely knows how to conceal a corny screenplay with his dog trick The canines are simply adorable and they do much better than the actors in the cast. Of course this is their movie. The cheesiness never stops actually because the songs we hear in the movie are bromidic too except the song “Hero” by Enrique Eglesias. When you hear that song in the movie, I think you'll shed a tear. It happened to me. Gosh! The best part in the movie is the friendship of Chloe and Delgado. Their adventures are truly remarkable. Again, these dogs know how to make people cry. I caught some kids on my back weeping on their parents' lap. I advice you to bring some hanky.

The cast is powerful especially the voices. Drew Barrymore is the perfect choice for Chloe. Her voice is simply sweet. When Chloe is pleading, Drew's voice is simply heart-wrenching. Andy Garcia does an excellent job to Delgado. Papi amazingly captivates the kids and thanks to the funny voice of George Lopez. Hands down to the casting director for including Piper Perabo here. I love this lady from Coyote Ugly. She is simply a charming actress. Who is this Manolo Cardona? Oh my God this Latino Hunk is truly scorching. Oh no he has no naked scenes. This is rated GP unfortunately. His eyes are mesmerizing. Piper and Manolo look good together. Jamie Lee Curtis is only visible for a mere 5 minutes I guess and I think she is memorable in her scenes.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua is a pleasant family movie. It's not offensive and sincerely creates a lot of giggles. Yeah, it's terribly corny but you won't even mind in the end. The main thing here is amusement. Truly it offers 100% fun! Try to watch this with your kids, young siblings and even with your lovers, you'll be surprised that you are actually enjoying the ride.

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT

People were daunting me to watch this bridezilla flick since it opened 3 weeks ago in Metro Manila theaters. I told myself if it's still showing on its 3rd week I will give Bride Wars a chance because I'm a fan of Anne Hathaway even since I knew her in The Princess Diaries. I went inside the cinema expecting nothing and simply thought that “this is just a chick flick” most of the time. You know what? This movie is surprisingly cute. I never thought that a silly idea of a writer turns out to be good enough. I'm not a chick but hey this war is quiet engaging in some ways.

Since childhood, Liv and Emma have dreamed of getting married at New York's historic Plaza Hotel. When both of them get engaged, they book their weddings on different Saturdays in June at the Plaza, only to find out that because of a scheduling gaffe, their happy day will be instead happening at the exact same time. They set out to be each other’s maid of honor, ruling out the possibility of doing a double wedding, both Liv and Emma refuse to change dates, causing a riff in their friendship and ennobling each woman to sabotage the other's hymeneals.

Honestly, I'm ambivalent about the script. There are loopholes palpably from the start. A simple mistake from the wedding planner can be resolved so quickly but she just doesn't care. Then, Liv & Emma are lifelong bestfriends, they should've have done something nifty about this predicament. Since their characters are quiet egotistic and persnickety, they have no volition but to declare war. Then I realized, I won't be watching a movie called “Bride Wars” if I won't witness a pettifoggery from them. Right? So instead, I set aside my own problems and focused on the war. The result is imaginably amusing.

The funny scenes are supposed to be funny. Is it risible​? For me, yes! It's actually nice watching Liv & Emma doing their own sabotages. This is Bride Wars hello? Expect cat fights and some mean actions. Actually,you won't have a guffaw but these vicious prank scenes are really cute and laughable. This is just me. I find it a bit sexy. Actually, there were ladies inside the cinema who are also enjoying the war. But here's a bad thing, most of the hilarious scenes are already in the trailer. The following scenes also predictable especially the ending. The movie promises a happy conclusion right from the start and it surely fulfills. However, it's just a bit silly.

The movie is all about Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson. They are both amazing but Anne for me shines the most. Kate Hudson acts like her mother Goldie Hawn but it's a good thing. I really love her in Almost Famous. I think she should do a film like that again. Hathaway, however, is pleasing even if she's mean. It's actually hard to bet who is your favorite bride here when the war starts. But, based on the looks and hotness, I think Anne Hathaway is the one girl to marry here. I wanna give her a fresh bouquet of flowers for her endearing performance in this movie. I'm really excited now to watch her award winning role in “Rachel Getting Married”. The rest of the cast are forgettable and Candice Bergen is a miscast.

Bride Wars is “not a must see for all” of course. There is a core audience for this movie. Yeah, chicks definitely. If you happen to love 27 Dresses last year, I guess you will enjoy this too. The value of friendship is really consequential and that's the true message of this flick.

OH YES!!! FIRST GUFFAW OF THE YEAR!

Do you like Jim Carrey? YES? Do you watch all his movies? YES? Do you want to see his derriere while riding an alacritous Ducati ? YES? Do you like the music of Eels and Third Eye Blind? YES? Do you really love Harry Potter? YES? If you answered YES then you better say NO to Yes Man. The latest from Jim is yet another Hollywood feel-good movie. First I thought that this movie is just a whacky treat but surprisingly it is one of the best romantic comedy films in years. Do you always read my blog? NO? Then you missed one half of your life. Oh Jishcand ,seriously? Do you want to date me? YES? Nah... I'm taken. I think we should talk about this movie. YES?

Loosely adapted from the book by Danny Wallace, Carl is a divorced, middle-aged man in Los Angeles, who spends his days working as a junior loan approval officer in a ban, He is still depressed after his divorce two years ago and habitually avoids contact with everyone, including his best friend However, an encounter with an erstwhile friend convinces Carl to attend a seminar run by self-help guru Terence Bundley , where he's cajoled to alter his life by saying YES to everything that comes his way. But what are the consequences?

The premise is somewhat crazy! However, it's pleasurable watching Carl nodding his head to every offer he gets. It's also excusable to really compare this to Liar Liar. Don't worry coz there's zilch to equate. Carl is a funny character and you will like him. The gags are fresh and I believe Jim's famous face contortions are still working on me. There are few guffaws in the movie and the scene that I truly love is when Jim is singing my favorite Third Eye Blind song called Jumper. Definitely, it's perfect for the scene and I even clapped inside the cinema coz I love that song. Fans of Harry Potter will be delighted to see lots of posters from the film. I'm a huge fan and I was really giggling looking at Jim wearing the wizard's costume. I wanna see Half-Blood Prince now. What's really amazing in the movie is the unexpected beautiful love story. The romance makes you smile. I feel good at the end. The movie makes me think about trying this philosophy on myself too. But all I get everyday is an indecent proposal. Should I say YES to all of them? I don't think so! Or let me cerebrate for a jiffy.

Oh my God his age is showing palpably but Jim Carrey is doing spectacular here. The energy is still there. I also adore him for doing the stunts himself. Jim is really perfect for this role. Zooey Deschanel is a lovely actress and she has a fantastic chemistry with Jim. They look excellent together as an eccentric twosome uncoerced to clasp opportunities life has to offer. Terence Stamp and Rhys Darby are quiet hilarious. But for me the hottest actor here is Bradley Copper who plays Carl's best buddy. He is cute and he is a charming man. Wanna see him more doing some drama.

If you have answered YES to the questions above except the last one, then you should watch “Yes Man”. This is a funny film but not as mirthful like Bruce Almighty. Actually, the best adjective is adventurous comedy. If you think Jim Carrey is not laughable then better skip this. If you think “Ang Tanging Ina N'yong Lahat” and “Iskul Bukol The Reunion” are your Best Pictures then you must not spend your dough on this movie. It might bore you coz unfortunately you are not the target audience. “Yes Man” works for me. I hope you'll say YES!

Jumper - Third Eye Blind