Tag Archives: #EthysMovieReview

Apr 18 2015
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6/10, Movies

MOVIE REVIEW: The Longest Ride

  

If you are familiar with Nicholas Sparks’ works you probably know how usually his stories would end but The Longest Ride took a different turn off the beaten path. Someone died but at least it wasn’t the end of the movie.

A story about a bull rider who has to decide which bull should he stay for a ride. There are quite a  number of bullshit in the movie — the parallel plots of the love stories of the characters, the unreasonable demands, the elite-commoner relationship challenges, and the terrible fickle mindedness of the main characters that kept the movie running — but you’ll definitely stay on the ride to the end. Don’t jump off as  the best parts of the movie is on its first and last 15 minutes. 

Chemistry between the lead couple is weak.  The light romance theme of the film wasn’t able to help it. But it doesn’t mean you can’t have a good laugh and sometimes wet eyes along with them. Girls this one is for you.
In general, The Longest Ride is enjoyable, heart warming, and quite predictable. 
6.5/10
#EthysMovieReview
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Apr 06 2015
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8/10, Movies

MOVIE REVIEW: Furious 7 

Furious 7 is breaking box office records here and abroad. It seems to appeal not only the  nostalgia-driven-audiences but also those who are demanding more than the usual Fast & Furious chase scenes  —the airdrop at the Caucasus Mountains and the break out at Abu Dhabi’s Jumeirah and Etihad Towers are the most amazing stunts so far in the Fast & Furious movies. All scenes in the movie practically have their own merit. You should watch it with an empty bladder.

Furious 7 surpasses all expectations. It is not a refurbished of the supposedly-worn-out Fast & Furious plot, as one may expect, but a brand new conveyance, besting its six predecessors.

Aside from the usual Fast and Furious vibe, it drifted to a fresh and new angle that humanizes the characters. (You should see Vin Diesel’s remorseful eyes.) The movie provides a sweet, smooth and very artistic goodbye to a very good friend.  It may take some time to find a chemistry that is Vin and Paul.

It wouldn’t be ludicrous if Universal will renew its franchise for 3 more movies after Furious 7 at the rate on how this movie innovate and defy physics.

P.S.

Fast & Furious (Part 1), Fast & Furious 6 and Tokyo Drift will help the audience to profoundly understand the plot of Furious 7.

#8.5/10 #EthysMovieReview #Furious7

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Feb 20 2015
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8/10, Movies

Must-Watch Movies That You Probably Missed in the Cinemas

You probably missed these movies last year. They are classics and perhaps, among the best films of 2014. Have seen all these three?

Gone Girl

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Gone Girl is a fun sick movie—the good kind of sick—that made Rosamund Pike a star in her stellar petrifying performance as the missing wife (Amy Dunne) of Ben Affleck (Nick Dunne) who reported it to the authorities—that later turned into a media frenzy. A massive search and investigation were conducted based on a series of clues found on the seemingly decontaminated crime scene lead to the most unexpected culprit.

Chilling, intriguing and shocking. An elegant and poignant satire exposing the dangers of truths drawn from the swings of public opinion on the common ills of modern day marriage.

PS. Expect some nudity, shockingly intense sex scenes and gory flesh. The movie runs for 2 hours and 29 minutes. This one is not for the fainthearted.

8.5/10

John Wick

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John Wick could be the best gun-fu movie of the year. I thought the Matrix moves of Keanu Reeves could not be equalled but this gritty movie disproves it, from gunfight to grappling and stabbing, and to kungfu.

Although it lacks publicity, this movie will surprise its audiences with its beautiful dark and extreme violent scenes of a grieving hero thirsty for blood while going through a Russian mob.

Yes, familiar revenge plot, but this one is not just all about the “bang-bang”, it’s actually the impressive style and kinetics.

8.5/10

Interstellar

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Interstellar is a brilliant adventure into space and time. I remember the scientific idea of time travel and space-time continuum being topics of discussion with some of my mathematically gifted college of engineering friends applying and tweaking Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity. The movie, like our discussion, is full of so many things —so many questions that two hours and fifty minutes is not sufficient to answer them but at least enough to raise mad curiosity on time warp, wormholes and even on the idea of perpetuating humanity in some habitable planets.

Matthew McConaughey is a gift to humanity. He is as effective as Christopher Nolan’s signature flashbacks, silences and drags which humanize the fiction. There were some parts of the film that I was literally holding my breath for him.

Relativity, from one mass to another, a person to another, and gravity to time, is what this ambitious movie is all about. An acquired taste but definitely worth your time. Time is of essence, right nerds?
8/10

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Feb 17 2015
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7/10, Movies

MOVIE REVIEW: Fifty Shades of Grey

Amusing but confusing and repetitive.

Fifty Shades of Grey is a film about a glorified sadist and his willing victim, who mustered a spunk to change him. (Some girls just don’t get it, right? They think love is the cure to anything. They want to change their man when they know fully well what exactly they are in for.)

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Rather than seriously deal with the disorder, the movie took a different turn and instead, it explores the awkward bargaining of pleasures and penalties from due diligence to a consequential sex catalogue.

It is more humorous than arousing. The monotonous conversations fail to stimulate however, the actors’ body language, although contrived, were nonetheless, fascinating. Generally, it’s kind of a bore for a big sex movie like it, but at least not to a point that you have to push the red exit button.

The biggest flaw (or insult to the audience) of the movie perhaps was the blur and the shades of grey to black on the screen. The distributor/producer’s over submissiveness to censorship is an overkill. It distracts the art; a travesty to freedom of expression. They should have learned from Anastasia Steele herself on how to challenge the domineering in the quest for a more profound love of the craft.

Laters, Baby!

7/10 #EthysMovieReview #FiftyShadesofGrey

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Feb 11 2015
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7/10, Movies

MOVIE REVIEW: The Taking of Deborah Logan

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Don’t be misled by the lousy “tagalized” poster of “The Taking of Deborah Logan” because it is in for a good fright with its footage horror film element. It is “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” meets “Blair Witch Project” that deals with common fears — an old lady, black snakes, and a murderous neighbor.

The plot—spiritual parasites exploiting their vulnerable host; as an offshoot of an unfinished ritual of immortality— is not as exciting as the execution, Jill Larson (Deborah Logan) delivers her best. The movie gets interesting as it progresses. It develops in you while shedding off some logic from you and startling you off your seats, in so many unpredictable scenes.

7/10

#EthysMovieReview #TheTakingofDeborahLogan

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Feb 05 2015
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9/10, Movies

MOVIE REVIEW: That Thing Called Tadhana

“That Thing Called Tadhana” is an unexpected wandering by two sad —but not lonely—hearts with the intent to bolt from the past despite all wounds and heavy baggage. Every line in the movie is like an arrow piercing your heart tempered with the ever funny antics of Angelica Panganiban and the brooding and boyish charm of JM de Guzman.

It is a movie that needs to be seen by the world. It is the best Filipino version of Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy with a little inspiration from E. E. Cummings’ poem, “I Carry Your Heart With Me”. It was effortlessly romantic despite the absence of any kissing scene; funny without trying to be. Let alone the movie poster, which is taken from an airport scene in the film, tells you how polished this film is made.

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The movie provided a stirring start and with an even more provoking ending. It tells a story that even how dark, cold and tedious your night was, the sun always rises again — beautiful as the glorious Sagada Sunrise—to usher in a new day for your renewed heart ready to make and fight for your destiny.

8.5/10
#EthysMovieReview #ThatThingCalledTadhana

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Jan 20 2015
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6/10, Movies

MOVIE REVIEW: The Woman in Black 2 : Angel of Death

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Formulaic but still very creepy, with a flash in the pan ghost.

The children are back in the haunted Eel Marsh house after more than 40 years from the first fright strike of the Woman in Black—the stories are not necessarily connected although referenced.

Feeding on bad feelings, the Woman in Black surreptitiously takes control over one of the wards of the stunningly beautiful Eve Parkins (Phoebe Fox) who is determined never to let him go.

Treading on the same haunting experience from the original, this sequel is presented with a glossier and darker scenes that would kept the audience anticipating for more, at least for a while.

Although the movie provides no explanation, one can assume that the Angel of Death is the Woman in Black.

6/10

#EthysMovieReview, #WomanInBlack2

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Sep 11 2014
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6/10, Movies

MOVIE REVIEW: Waves

Waves' Movie Poster

Waves’ Movie Poster

Waves reminded me of Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy (Before Sunrise – 1995, Before Sunset – 2004, and Before Midnight – 2013) — a look at modern love with flair for naturalism. It is an eavesdropping on the intimate conversations of Ross and Sofia who both plunged into love by taking impulsive detours and catching chancy tides, which unwittingly brought them to their feet at the shore. It swells with an unspoken confusion that rippled from the characters, especially that of Baron Geisler’s— in his stellar performance in years. His persuasive and empathic facial sobriety kept the movie alive.

It was an unexpected jaunt to Cebu and Palawan’s instagrammable hot spots like the Cansaga Bay in Consolacion, Amara in Liloan, Oslob and Coron Island. The cinematography was the key element of the film’s presentational technique —less dialogue and fewer actors. It is the film’s biggest success. In general, the film triumphs because of its superb technical components with a special mention to the musical scoring, specifically, on the diegetic sound.

Sadly, Filipino audience in general still has so much to learn on visual literacy. Our idea of entertaining movies is about something that pops and explodes, a wife confronting the other woman in a slapfest, speeding cars or sloppy and exaggerated physical activities . Unfortunately, these elements are not found on this film. In fact it develops rather slowly. However, like the waves of the ocean, one has to go deeper from the surface to see the beauty of the whales — although not all are ready to dive.

The movie is set for a commercial run. More details to be announced soon.

Waves is the young Cebuano, Don Gerardo Frasco’s directorial debut  on feature-length filmmaking. He is the founder of Waverly Pictures. He deserves the support of all Cebuanos for his commendable talent and enthusiasm. This work shall be a significant contribution to Cebu’s claim in the global filmmaking industry.

Congratulations, Don!

Waves – Official Trailer – Waverly Pictures from Waverly Pictures on Vimeo.

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Aug 31 2014
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6/10, Movies

The Giver

Dystopian teens feeling R of Warm Bodies, that is The Giver.

Although it struggles with its sameness with Divergent and The Hunger Games among others, the movie started artfully with visual artistry despite of it being devoid of color. It progresses with a promis of something more, something that goes beyond elsewhere — much like its screenplay that seems to go nowhere. My apologies for the lack of precise language.

Anyway, because it is true that too much information spoils the fun, just watch the movie for the love of Meryl Streep, the delight of hearing her voice and feeling her talking to you is just awesomely perfect.

Casting was superb. Hollywood found a new gem in Brenton Thwaites. Hey, was Taylor Swift out of tune?

 

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Aug 31 2014
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8/10, Movies

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno

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By now you should have summoned all your ninja friends and watchers to join you to watch Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno else you are missing a lot.

This sequel is a foreshadowing of the real war to come in Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends, the third and final installment of the Kenshin Himura saga, which will be shown in September this year. A shadow that could stand on its own- on the intricate details of production, set design and cinematography for a period film. It’s crazy how the characters look alike with their anime counterparts.

I have to disclose that I am a big fan hence, I don’t even have to tell you how awesome the fight scenes were.

So mark X your calendar this weekend (and on September 24, 2014 too) as you’ll wander again in 1878 Japan.

 

Meanwhile… here is what is yet to come.

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