AWARD-BOMBING

Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own

When I first heard the explosive hype about “The Hurt Locker” I became enthusiastic and frantic. Reading with all those praises last summer I even thought of flying to the US just to check this Iraq War Film. Unfortunately, I didn't have money to buy for a plane ticket. But I prayed almost everyday that someday one munificent distributor would release this! Booommmm!!!!! Last month I saw the posters in the mall. Finally, the hype reached our shores and believe it or not it is growing more. I won't break this chain of ballyhoo. I won't lock this treasure somewhere. This edge-of-the-seat thriller is one of the best war movies ever made.



FILM PREMISE: It’s set in Baghdad, Iraq in 2004, during the last 38 days of a year-long tour of duty by a three-man unit of the US Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Squad, a volunteer elite, specially trained to tear down IEDs (improvised explosive devices). Bravo Company has lost their team leader, Staff Sergeant William James whose approach to his work is what you might call unorthodox is assigned as replacement. The truth is, in the disquieted thought of his new colleagues, JT Sanborn and Owen Eldridge, James is entirely careless and unsafe. Now, imagine these three soldiers in an exploding situation.



This film is not mostly about the bang bang bang!!! Boom boom boom!!! Ratatat tatata tattttt!!!! Actually, the film is quiet most of the time. But silence speaks a thousand words and the silence in this film explodes so loudly. What's amazing about The Hurt Locker is how the director creates tension in every scene where our protagonist tries to dismantle a bomb. Those scenes can cause rapid heart palpitation and maybe some shriek if the bomb explodes. The film is really terrifying from start to end. It's hard to watch the lives of these soldiers in Iraq I love this film because it's not preachy and everything. It's also challenging to watch a war movie that manages to be farinaceous and excruciating as well as delicate and touching, the director has done everything to create a phenomenal film. Guess what? The director is a woman! Imagine that? Hands down to you Kathryn Bigelow. The cinematographer does a stirring job too. I love those beautiful frames he pictured. The explosions are artfully captured. The actual filming in the Middle East makes this film so real honestly.



I think the other main reason why The Hurt Locker is gaining momentum on future awards nominations is because of Jeremy Renner who portrays Will James. Who is he? See, I'm not even familiar with him but I think I saw him already playing a supporting role before. I just can't remember his movies right now. Renner plays his character with passion. It's either you'll hate him or love him. His character is kinda haywire but he has a heart. Renner is simply great. What a striking performance from this man! Give him the Best Actor Trophy now!!!! His co-actors are also remarkable. Anthony Mackie who plays Sergeant J.T. Sanborn has a good chemistry with Renner and Brian Geraghty as Specialist Owen Eldridge manages to spark some heat on his character. Ralph Fiennes has a memorable cameo role by the way.



The Hurt Locker is a sure shot for Best Picture next year in the Oscars. This is the first astonishing film this year that I've watched and I want to give them the top honors already. I seldom like war movies but this one bombs my heart. This film changes everything! I just can't stop praising it coz I really want you to watch it now!!!! This best picture rocks!!!!!

BLAH...BASURAH...BOKYAH!

Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own

Alam nyo naman na indie lover ako at lately sunod sunod ang napapanood ko na mga magaganda sa indie sine ng Galleria eh na-curious ako bigla dito sa Ang Laro ng Buhay ni Juan. Ang director pa naman nito ay si Jose Altarejos na siya ring gumawa ng Ang Lalake sa Parola at Ang Lihim ni Antonio. Kung ang “parola” ay pwedeng pagtiyagaan at ang “lihim” naman ay medyo katakam-takam.Sad to say itong “laro” ay kasuklam-suklam. Isang napakawalang kwentang laro sa buhay ni Juan Tamad. Gising naman diyan!!!!

BUOD NG PELIKULA : Taga-Masbate si Juan (hmmm...sa dinami-dami ng probinsiya ng Pilipinas Masbate pa ang napili), at isa siyang live show performer pero kapwa lalake ang mga nakaka-sex niya sa harap ng mga gays. Pero parang nararamdaman ni Juan na parang mahirap pa rin siya. May ka-live-in siya na kapwa rin lalake pero jobless naman so lalo silang maghihirap. Kaya napatanong tuloy si Juan? Uuwi na ba ako ng Masbate o mananatili na lang ako dito sa Maynila habang pinapanood akong nag-mamasturbate?



First 30 minutes ng pelikula: BORING.Next 30 minutes: BORING again. Then tinapos na lang. Naubos ang first half na palakad lakad sa kawalan na walang kwentang panoorin. Nakakabagot! Then biglang nag-heavy drama na mapapatanong ka: bakit sila nag-iyakan at di man lang ako maka-relate? Yung central character natin na si Juan eh di ko alam kung kaaawaan ko ba siya? Ano ba naghihirap ba talaga siya? Bakit parang andami naman niyang pera? May mga umuutang pa nga sa kanya eh!Tapos di naman makatotohanan yung pag-li-live in nila ng kanyang bf na pag titingnan mo eh parang mahirap pa sila sa daga. May ganitong gay relationship ba sa Pinas? Tapos ang sabi nilang pambato daw dito ay yung mga sex scenes at nudity. Huh? Yun lang ba? Eh naku kung soft porn hanap mo eh baka magwala ka sa sinehan dahil exploitation lang ang naipakita. Yung “live show” na ginawa eh poorly executed at ang gulo ng set! Isang ekesena lang nagustuhan ko yung pamumulot ng biskwit sa sahig. Touching kasi. Pero yung pamumulot ng bigas sa kanal is a big blah!!!!! Huh?

Sa totoo lang sa dalawang pelikulang napanood ko na gawa ni Jose eh wala ka naman talagang makikitang good shots. Kahit average cinematography wala rin. Dito sa “laro”, akalain mo wala pa ring magandang kuha!!!! May isang sex scene sa live show dito na may similarity sa recent indie film na napanood ko na “Boy”. Kung sa Boy eh gumamit sila ng aquariium eh dito naman ginamit nila eh garapon at kandila. Ang result??? Nakakatawang basura! Kung sex lang habol mo dito manood ka na lang ng porn. Shaky pa ang camera from start to end. Nanginginig ang cameraman. Madilim ang lighting kahit may araw. Ang mga extra hindi kontrolado at nakatingin sila sa camera. Hindi ko rin nagustuhan yung ending nila na may pagka-anti-government. Pwede isantabi muna ang politika!!! Doon sa last part ipinakita ang tarpaulin ni PGMA na randam ang asenso tapos sila nagtutulak ng kariton dahil sa kahirapan. Ang nakakaasar lang kasi itong si Juan eh college graduate naman pero mas pinili pa niyang mag-live show! Like duh???



Kumusta naman ang acting nila? Huh? Acting ba yun? Napaka-OA ng mga artista rito. Yung bida eh walang kabuhay buhay. May mga crying scenes pa sila na hindi naman nakakaiyak kundi nakakatawa lang. Miscast itong si Ray An Dulay... kasi kung “live show performer” siya eh sana may kagandahan man lang sana ang katawan niya. Anlaki ng bilbil niya at walang korte ang katawan. Yung gumanap na bf niya eh sobrang OA rin pero in fairness mas brusko ang katawan. Siya na lang dapat doon sa live show.



Kung gagawa uli ng movie si Jose, siguro hindi muna ako manonood. Hintayin ko muna kung may strong word-of-mouth. Ang hilig niya sa title na may "Ang L" sa simula. Hmmm.. next movie niya hulaan ko "Ang Lihim ng Langaw na Isang Araw na sa Parola". Sayang ang binayad ko na P161. Para nga akong sumugal sa isang laro eh kaso lumabas akong talunan at bad trip!!! Natapos ang pelikula na wala akong naramdaman na sulit ang binayad ko talaga!!!Please save your money. Sayang ang pera ko sa pelikulang ito.

FINALLY.... AND THE FIRST!!!!

Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own






After months and months and months of waiting for this film to land in our shores, and days and days and days of hopeless anticipation due to its delayed play date. Finally, the film that I've been waiting since last year has finally reached its motherland. Indeed, the first Hollywood remake of a Pinoy Blockbuster is truly worth the wait! The Echo totally breaks the curse of Hollywood's Pile of Asian Horror Remake Drecks. I'm so proud to say ! Mabuhay kayo Yam Laranas and Iza Calzado!

FILM SYNOPSIS: Bobby is freshly released from prison after serving some years for killing a man who was trying to rape his girlfriend. He is looking to put together a new living. His old links have either moved away or won’t return his calls, his girl has moved along with her life without him, he is jobless, the only house available to him is the shabby apartment left empty when Bobby’s mother died alone and horrified of invisible voices while Bobby was in jail. Regardless of being frequently delimited by the din and buzz of New York City, Bobby is lonely and alone.



This remake is quiet different from the original film “Sigaw”. The astonishing “door twist” in the Pinoy film is probably one of the biggest plus in that movie. Surprisingly, in this Hollywood remake the twist is missing but I find it cool though. The supernatural twist however is still here and believe me it scares me more! The new premise makes sense to me. I think it is nifty to have an ex-convict playing the lead. Yam Laranas adds a lot of surprising elements in his second echo. For me this remake is scarier than the original. Some scares they put here are new and those scenes really create echoes inside the movie theater. The film right from outset and to its last scratch has this eerie feeling and you can still feel it once you leave cinema. You can really see Yam's touch all over the film. His camera movements are palpable but his magic when it comes to photography is quiet truant. I wish he was the cinematographer too. But still the visuals are still amazing! Oh God what a talented auteur you are Mr. Laranas!!!! I can't wait for his new project this month!



What I really love about The Echo is its spooky setting. Gosh, I just couldn't live in that apartment. It also looks believable that the story happens in New York even if they filmed this entirely in Toronto. They have pictured it perfectly. This film does a magnificent job in building sinister atmosphere. I salute the sound department on that. The stirring echoes across the walls makes me cringe. The whispers makes me shiver. The disturbing issue here really makes me wanna cry. I think that domestic violence is more terrorizing than the actual ghosts we see. We've been seeing a lot of crawling zombies in recent Asian Horror Remakes, don't you worry we won't see those over-the-top funny creatures from hell with Mena pearl cream all over their grisly face. The ghosts here will scare the shit out of you.



Surprisingly, Jesse Bradford is the perfect choice to play Richard Guttierez's original role. He owns this film. This is his film and he looks hot too! I remember reading that Yam asked Bradford to work out and his sexiness is truly scorching on the big screen. Bradford looks scared all the time. He does a marvelous job as Bobby just by looking in his eyes. I'm ambivalent on Amelia Warner. She is a deadringer for Keira Knightley but her acting is an enigma. Carlos Leon manages to steal a scene frankly. Guess who shines so effulgent? Our very own Iza Calzado who has a minor role in this film proves that she can also be a Hollywood Actress! Great job Iza!!! Honestly, I cried watching your painful scene. I shed tears because I was so happy to see you on the limelight. You owned that particular scene and because of you the earth stopped suddenly on me. Hands down to you Iza!!!



The Echo is a very good film. It is a stunning horror film. It is a moving drama film. It is a powerful Hollywood remake of a Pinoy film! Yam Laranas' effort works!!! Congratulations man! Unfortunately, this is going straight to DVD in the US but I don't care at all. They can still watch this nonetheless in their comfy couch. I believe that the pirates are also celebrating right now. Please don't buy the bootleg DVD because the experience inside the dark cinema is truly “once in a lifetime”. Yeah, I can still hear the “echo” right now. It's frightfully scary!