MOVIE REVIEW: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

My love for the movies began when my grandma brought me and my cousin to watch Return of the Jedi at the old Luneta Theater in Manila. I was mesmerized by the experience that I instantly became a fan of Star Wars. I saw the other first two afterwards at home with the Betamax format, collected the action figures and hope that there will be more films to come. 

Unfortunately, Episodes 1 - 3 were unlike it's predecessors. There wasn't any charm into and it relied too much on CGI effects. However luck shone upon  for Natalie Portman (Princess Amidala) who won the Best Actress Oscar for Black Swan 5 years later after Revenge of the Sith and Ewan McGregor became well-known internationally as a great actor.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens though brings back the charm and the look and feel of the first 3 films in the series and in the able hands of director J.J Abrams, who now holds the distinction of directing both a Star Wars and two Star Trek films, the series is in safe hands. The film begins 30 years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire and a new threat arises spearheaded by the First Order It's great to see the iconic characters and vehicles (Hello Millennium Falcon) back together with the brand new ones as they join forces to fight the new evil that plans to take over and rule the galaxy.

I saw the film on a regular 2D format and would't mind watching it again in 3D as well in IMAX. It's worth it.

MOVIE REVIEW: In the Heart of the Sea

I never thought that the classic American adventure novel Moby Dick written by Herman Melville was inspired by a true story of a whaling ship's encounter with a Sperm Whale in the Pacific until now. Director Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind & Apollo 13) brings the actual story that inspired the book of the whaling ship Essex and it's encounter with the majestic creature that ended up as a tale of survival not only for the captain and the crew of the ship but also for the whale itself as it fights back due to man's greediness to acquire oil from them.

A good experience going to the movies is when you learn something new from it and In The Heart of the Sea succeeds because even in the past and when it involves something with oil, people tend to be greedy in everything regardless of the consequences. Howard delivers by creating an environment is which we are not familiar of and yet it is one entertaining and exciting Hollywood film by means of the awesome special effects and a great cast led by the charismatic Chris Hemsworth and Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) who plays the dueling first mate and the captain of the Essex.

I saw the film in regular 2D and I can say that with the awesome effects and beautiful shots that it's worth watching it as well in IMAX.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Good Dinosaur

The Good Dinosaur starts off with a promising premise: what if the asteroid that hit earth and drove the dinosaurs off to extinction missed the planet? From then, the animated  movie about a young Apatosaurus named Arlo's quest of conquering his fear is a mashup of previous animated classics: from the father and son relationship from The Lion King, a kid who grew up from the jungle (Tarzan) to even Finding Nemo's adventure, Dinosaurs and humans cohabiting in the same world was fun to see and since the giant reptiles survived that asteroid, they are the dominant species and let's just say that we became man's best friend. 

The Good Dinosaur does not belong to Pixar's groundbreaking films and some might even confuse it to The Land Before Time series but what it lacks in originality fully compensates in its gorgeous visual background (I saw it in regular 2D but from the way it looked, it's worth your hard earned money in 3D) and good sentimentality that hits you in the right spot. Don't be surprised if you and your kids both shed a tear at the same time.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

The first two books of The Hunger Games complimented the series fast paced and engaging narrative and splitting the 3rd and last book Mockingjay was the worst decision the producers ever made. Compared to its predecessors, it does not have the excitement of it's final act that's typical of any young adult adventure sci-fi series. It may had earned them more money but artistically last year's Part 1 was a snoozefest leading up to the conclusion.

The good news though is that Mockingjay Part 2 can stand alone as a film even without the first part. I had read the book and it stayed faithful to it. Those who weren't able to see last years Part 1 and were turned off by the negative reviews can come back to the big screen and enjoy the last act of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and her allies against the head of Panem President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and his cohorts. Some parts were slow and dragging. Current Oscar Best Actress Julianne Moore's President Alma Coin is not given enough time to shine as well the characters we loved in the series: Woody Harrelson's Haymitch Abernathy, Elizabeth Banks' Effie Trinket and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's Plutarch Heavensbee. Again blame it on having a Part 1. Lawrence is indeed the one who elevated the series into something Shakesperian and she saved the film with her usual arresting performance. That can't be said though of her two leading man: Josh Hutcherson (Peeta) and Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne). They can only do as much. 

The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2 is a satisfying but grim conclusion to the successful series. We can also give a sigh of relief to Katniss that her struggles are finally over.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Dressmaker

Brit Kate Winslet with a flawless Australian accent delivers a performance we never have seen before from her plays the titular character  Myrtle "Tilly" Dunnage in The Dressmaker, based on the debut novel of Aussie Rosalie Ham. 

Set in the early 1950's in rural New South Wales, the Academy Award winning actress (The Reader) plays a glamorous and talented lady who comes back 25 years later to her hometown of Dungatar to face the ghosts of her past, of what drove her out there and to reconcile with her slightly demented mother Judy Davis (who gave her best performance since her memorable Oscar nominated turn in Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives (1992)). As pieces unravel, Tilly set up shop to dress up the ladies of Dungatar with style she learned while in Paris, fell in love with a childhood friend Teddy (Liam Hemsworth) and exact revenge on those who wronged her.

Part Western with some drama and a lot of black comedy, The Dressmaker is one unpredictable film. Aside from Davis and Hemsworth, Winslet is ably supported by Aussie actors who gave wonderful performances and those who stood our include one of the best discoveries this year, Sarah Snook with her memorable turn as the frumpy Getrude whose transformation by Tilly set the dark comic tone of the film. Veteran Hugo Weaving is also great as the town's only police officer with a secret that channels his Priscilla: Queen of the Desert character.

With beautiful costumes, gorgeous shots of the Australian countryside and beautiful actors, The Dressmaker is Oz's most fun film since Priscilla and Muriel's Wedding.

MOVIE REVIEW: Spectre

There seems to be a trend here in Daniel Craig starred James Bond films: after his debut as the iconic British action hero in the critically acclaimed reboot of Casino Royale, the franchise then stumbles in Quantum of Solace, entertaining yet forgettable. It reinvigorates then in a big way thru Skyfall (which in my book is still the best Bond movie ever) and now here comes Spectre.

After a promising press release months ago about the cast that will join the franchise among them two time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux from the Cannes winner Blue is the Warmest Color and Italian beauty Monica Bellucci (Malena): make no mistake about it, the film is a great throwback to the old days of 007: from it's locations Rome, Morocco and Austria until to the reimaging of one of the most popular villains in the Sean Connery era - Blofeld (Waltz), Spectre is director Sam Mendes tribute to the earlier films of the franchise - it is entertaining and yet after Skyfall I expected more.

From it's great opening scene in Mexico City till its great climax back in London, Spectre sort of bogs down in the middle but it's still worth your time and money to marvel at it's glory on the big screen and format of your choice.

                                       

MOVIE REVIEW: Burnt

Bradley Cooper plays Adam Jones, a chef in Paris who had a notorious reputation in the past whose erratic behavior and drug use made him lose his restaurant in the French capital. After his self imposed exile in Louisiana USA to do his "penance", Jones then attempts to make a comeback in London to earn the elusive third Michelin Star and there he meets people involved with his past as he tries to rebuild his future.

Aside from the 3 time Oscar nominee, Burnt is blessed with an outstanding cast and among the standouts are Sienna Miller reunited with Cooper after American Sniper. She has more presence in the film compared to the blockbuster and Daniel Bruhl who plays Jones rival who secretly has the hots for him. 

Unfortunately though actresses Emma Thompson is wasted in a robotic role as the therapist who guides the lead character's road to redemption and Uma Thurman in a short glorified cameo as a restaurant critic. 2015's It girl Alicia Vikander (Ex-Machina and the upcoming The Danish Girl) is also in the film also in a few short minutes as the ex girlfriend.

With lots of beautiful food shots (it has the food shots feel of Instagram) and learning the basics on how Michelin gives its stars to chefs and restaurants, Burnt achieves that. My problem though is that like a good feast, there should be more servings.

MOVIE REVIEW: Crimson Peak

Just in time for Halloween, visual stylist director Guillermo Del Toro goes back to his Oscar winning Pan's Labyrinth look and feel with Crimson Peak, a gothic horror thriller that is also a glossy soap opera that's reminiscent of the twist and turns that prevalent in the telenovelas that's popular in the director's home country of Mexico.

The lead character Edith Cushing perfectly played by porcelain beauty Mia Wasikowska (Disney's Alice in Wonderland) is an American heiress living in Buffalo, New York at the start of the 20th century. Her simple ambition in life is to be a writer like Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein. She lost her mom to cholera at a young age and her father Carter (Jim Beaver) a self-made engineer only wants the best for her.

Edith also has the supernatural ability to communicate with ghosts and the one of her mom warns her "beware of Crimson Peak".

Against the wishes of her father who wanted their family friend doctor (Charlie Hunnam from TV's Sons of Anarchy) for her to settle down with, she met and got attracted to a mysterious British inventor Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and after a tragic situation marries and moves to his run down and desolate estate across the Atlantic. With his sister Lucille (the always great Jessica Chastain) always at Thomas' side, Edith will soon discover something that the ghosts had always warned and it's not what you expect.
The cast is first rate and the film's production design is vintage Del Toro. There are grotesque scenes but the visual splendor overpowers the carnage and bloodbath. Despite it's plot that mirrors the classic film The Heiress (1949), Crimson Peak is gorgeous entertainment best seen on the big screen.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Martian

Based on the bestselling debut novel of software engineer Andy Weir, The Martian is an exhilarating, exciting yet uplifting tale of human survival in a place where we haven't even conquered: the planet Mars.

When a space mission to the red planet was abruptly aborted due to a severe storm, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) was presumed dead by the crew when he was hit by debris and thrown out of sight. They left but he miraculously survived. With limited supplies left by fellow astronauts and unmanned space missions, Watney must use his ingenuity and apply his job and skills as a botanist in order to live and get back home. 

Beautifully shot by Dariusz Wolski ( the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) showcasing Mars as beautiful yet desolate place giving you the sense of being alone all the time and a lengthy yet tight screenplay by Drew Goddard (World War Z), The Martian is one of the rare films that compliments both its technical and it's acting aspects. Giving his best performance in years, Matt Damon anchors the film as Watney and the supporting cast, among them Oscar nominees Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave)  and Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) are all remarkable.

This is iconic director Ridley Scott's best film since the Oscar winning Gladiator and it's so nice for him to be back in the game and helm one of 2015's best. Well worth your time and hard earned money to see it on the big screen.

MOVIE REVIEW: Everest

I had doubts about the film when I first heard about it and saw the first trailer that came out online and during previews in multiplexes. Memories of K2 (1991), Sylvester Stallone's Cliffhanger (1993) and Vertical Limit (2000) flashed before me but after watching Everest both in 3D and in an IMAX theater, this film tops them all and it is arguably the best film about mountain climbing that I had ever seen. 

Based on the true story of the 1996 expedition that ended up tragic for some and topped with an all star cast led by Jason Gyllenhaal and Jason Clarke who play rival tour guides who team up to bring mountaineers to the "top of the world", Everest is a visual delight to see on the big shot with awesome shots not only of the trek going up but also of the country of Nepal which we don't often see on the big screen. It also helps that its director Baltasar Kormakur is a native of Iceland so he knows a thing or two about beautiful snowy landscapes and vistas.

Also starring Oscar nominees Josh Brolin, Keira Knightley, John Hawkes and Emily Watson together with Sam Worthington and Robin Wright, Everest is the next best thing to see the top for I'm pretty sure most of us won't be able to make it up there. This is one of the movies that is best seen on the big screen and especially in IMAX.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a reboot of the 1960's spy Cold War TV series that I only heard about and not so familiar with it's content and premise is director Guy Ritchie's (Sherlock Holmes, Snatch) most refreshing and relaxed film to date. His brisk pacing and signature editing compliments the good looking cast and stylish costumes that seems similar to TV's Mad Men.

When American CIA Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) team up with Russian KGB Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) to infiltrate Italian industrialists with a rogue nuclear weapon that both the US and the Soviet Union want to seize, it would had been imaginable in that era for the two superpower to join forces but they did. 

It also helps that both Cavill and Hammer have chemistry and rapport that echoed Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes' Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law's Holmes and Watson. He is turning out to be the master of the bromance action film.  Hammer also redeems himself from his two previous box office misfires that also emphasizes male bonding in two ways: J. Edgar and The Lone Ranger. Breakout star Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) though is wasted in a role that was underwritten and it's so good to see Hugh Grant again back into doing a summer blockbuster in a role may be the key for a sequel.

MOVIE REVIEW: Mr. Holmes

Amidst all the summer blockbusters that's been dominating the multiplexes right now lies Mr. Holmes, a small budgeted British period film reuniting the brilliant Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings and X-Men series) with the director that gave him an Oscar nomination for Gods and Monsters Bill Condon. The result is a refreshing and beautiful take on the iconic Sherlock Holmes that takes a 360 turn from the brash Robert Downey Jr. on the big screen and Benedict Cumberbatch's own interpretation on TV that our generation has known.

In the film based on the obscure novel A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin, the sleuth is now a 93 year old living in the English countryside and suffering from dementia. Living with him are a housekeeper (Laura Linney channeling Lynn Redgrave's Gods and Monsters character) and his young son Roger (Milo Parker) who turned out to be his only trusted friend he can rely on.

Mr. Holmes is set in multiple narratives recalling his trip to Japan, to fully solving his last known case and his relationship with Roger as he helps him with his beekeeping hobby. This is not the whodunit Sherlock that the world has known to love but a reflection and an appreciation to a character far close to retiring in pop culture.

MOVIE REVIEW: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

After teaming up in one of last years best films Edge of Tomorrow, writer Christopher McQuarrie (Oscar winner for The Usual Suspects) and actor Tom Cruise are at it again in the fifth installment of the Mission: Impossible series. It doesn't disappoint and that's saying a lot for you know that in order for an action film franchise to stay successful - it has to be at least as par as the previous films before it. The last one Ghost Protocol has director Brad Bird's signature style of animated action paralleled by a gripping story. Rogue Nation stays on that course by delivering the usual scenes fans of the series expect of, plus since this is written and directed by the man who wrote The Usual Suspects, there's a lot of interpersonal connection between it's characters and McQuarrie triumphs on both counts.

Tom Cruise may have lost a little bit of that Hollywood pretty boy actor vibe and it shows in the film. Fortunately it helped because this Ethan Hunt looks tired chasing all the bad guys in the world only to find out that his group the IMF has been shut down by the CIA and the burden falls into himself. Ethan Hunt is just as human as us after all.

With the help of his trusted teammates from the previous films William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames), they track down The Syndicate - a network of terrorist bent on taking down the world. Alec Baldwin joins the series as well and plays a CIA officer in his typical persona. British Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson however steals the show in a star making turn playing Ilsa Faust - a rogue British agent who may or not be part of The Syndicate. 

Mission: Impossible is great Hollywood entertainment and so far it is the second best action film of 2015 after Mad Max: Fury Road. 

MOVIE REVIEW: Southpaw

Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) tries his hand in the boxing genre in Southpaw and like any other films that showcase the life inside and outside the ring, the movie doesn't offer something new but Fuqua's grit mood throughout the movie aided by handheld shots and anchored by a tough yet heartfelt performance by Jake Gyllenhaal elevates it among other boxing films.

Southpaw is all about the reigning Junior Middleweight Boxing Champion of the World Billy "The Great" Hope (Gyllenhaal) who has it all: a great boxing career, a loving wife (Rachel McAdams) and daughter Leila (Oona Laurence) and financial success. 

Unfortunately tragedy struck him one by one and when he had nothing, Hope had his hope on a boxing gym owner Tick Wills (Forest Whitaker) to put his life back on track. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson also is in the film as Hope's promoter. He did not act. He just dressed the part.

Southpaw is a feel good movie masquerading as a grim one. Whitaker and young actress Laurence are also standouts in the film and as one who also watched the much hyped boxing event of the year which was the Pacquiao - Mayweather fight two months ago, you will have more fun and be satisfied watching Southpaw and not leave you shortchanged like that expensive live fight in Vegas.

MOVIE REVIEW: Terminator Genisys

Terminator Genisys is another reboot of the successful movie franchise and it is a big improvement compared to the two previous films before this: the dull Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) and the underwhelming Terminator Salvation (2009). It's also nice that Arnold Schwarzenegger is back is his iconic role but since this is a new version, the filmmakers made a role that is suited for his age and stature that befits once who once got elected to be California governor. He plays the Guardian aka Pops to Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke's Sarah Connor who is almost like a father figure to him all these years as they fight the machines amidst the upcoming dominance of the Genisys app that can easily rule the world.

Alongside Sarah Connor are the other characters we know of the movie series. His son John Connor (Jason Clarke) who may or have not changed, Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) and of course Skynet. The story is one long time traveling tale and it doesn't disappoint. Just be alert of it. I also love that they used San Francisco as their city. After San Andreas and Inside Out, we do love our city getting hit in Hollywood!!

 Terminator Genysis may not have the brilliance of Terminator 2: Judgement Day which is the best of the series but it does bode well for the upcoming trilogy that it's filmmakers had planned on doing.

MOVIE REVIEW: Magic Mike XXL

The second male bonding themed movie this summer season after Entourage in a months time is Magic Mike XXL, the sequel to the surprise box office and critical hit in 2012 that's loosely based in lead actor's Channing Tatum's early career as a male stripper or as one of the characters says in a politically correct term: a male entertainer.

Fast forward three years later, Mike Lane (Tatum) left the group Kings of Tampa to put up a business but he was persuaded to go back to the group for a one last gig at the stripper convention in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Minus their big boss and recruit from the first film, Mike back together with the rest of the gang: Ken (Matt Bomer), Richie (Joe Manganiello in a great revelatory comic performance), Tito (Adam Rodriguez) and Tarzan (wrestler Kevin Nash) encounter drag queens, ex flames and cougars on one fun filled road trip that was shot in signature Steven Soderbergh style. The Oscar winning director may had transferred the reign of directing the sequel to his frequent assistant Gregory Jacobs but the script and the overall feel of the movie feels like an Ocean Eleven film transported to the South that you can feel the humidity and the sunshine simply by just watching it.

New recruits to the film include Jada Pinkett Smith as a club owner with such a sexy empowering performance you forget that in real life she has teenage kids, Amber Heard and it's great to see Groundhog Day's  Andie MacDowell back on the big screen having fun as a Southern divorcee who longs for some good lovin.

Ladies would love the film for the actors themselves with their fit bodies gyrating onstage and guys like me loved it for it's sheer comic value and the friendship that it's characters showed in the film that I'm pretty sure most of us can relate to whether you take your clothes off for a living or not.

For a sequel of one of the funniest films in this decade, Magic Mike XXL does not disappoint.

MOVIE REVIEW: Max

Inspired by accounts of service dogs accompanying troops in the world's most dangerous places such as Afghanistan and most likely the photos of them beside the casket of their fallen masters that went viral on social media, Max is not your typical dog movie that can easily warm your heart: part American Sniper part Lassie and shockingly part No Country for Old Men, the marketing department at Warner Brothers would definitely had a hard time promoting the film. 

It is just too violent for kids who are primarily the core of the family audience demographic not only due to scenes of war but also a subplot involving Mexican gun smugglers. I'm actually surprised how Max was classified PG with the MPAA considering the instances mentioned.

If you have military themed films then by all means Max is recommended. I had some experience of being near a Belgian Malinois, the breed of dog Max is and seeing the film made me realize how intelligent and affectionate they are to their masters and their purpose in the military. Trust your judgment though if you want to bring young kids to the film.

MOVIE REVIEW: Ted 2

Starting where it's predecessor left off, Ted 2 continues the bromantic friendship between John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) and his foul talking childhood teddy bear who grew up with him Ted (voiced by it's writer, producer and director Seth MacFarlane) as both enter a new phrase in their lives: marriage.

Unfortunately, John got divorced from his wife (played by Mila Kunis in the first movie), however Ted got married to his co-worker girlfriend in the supermarket Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) and that's where the dilemma of the second installment of the 2012 hit movie begins. Defying basic logic, the two wants to have a baby of their own but because of legal issues and common sense, they can't.

The beauty of Ted 2 is that it's creator Seth MacFarlane, known for his pushing the envelope political correctness type of humor is aiming for equality and justice for anyone as timely as today's headlines thru Ted and it works. As in all of his other works, Ted 2 is polarizing - those who loved the first movie will surely enjoy this even though some of the humor falls flat, example of which are a gay couple bullying some nerds which was repeated a couple of times without a dash of humor into it. Inspired cameos though save the day. I won't divulge who, but me along with the preview audience laughed so hard at this.

Mark Wahlberg is Boston comic perfection and Amanda Seyfried is a revelation in a role way different from the ones who saw. Ted 2 doesn't have the charm and curiosity factor of the first movie but just like John Bennett and Ted, we all mature and need some crassness and good old toilet humor along the way to enjoy life.

MOVIE REVIEW: Inside Out

Pixar Animation Studios specialty has always been creating worlds for things we take for granted such as toys, aquatic animals and even cars as well as making monsters seem lovable. It's latest release Inside Out elevates them further by giving characters to our emotions and their working station right in our head. The premise is basically straight out of a Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry movie that makes this latest release from Pixar worthy enough for me to spend two hours in the theater not insulting my intelligence. A big thumbs up also to the film's animators for creating a colorful world completely different from the drab terms usually associated with films with clinical complex terms such as this.

The film is basically a story of a young girl named Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias) whose life will change dramatically when she and her parents (Kyle MacLachlan and Diane Lane) will move from their hometown in Minnesota to San Francisco for her Dad's work. The emotions inside her head include Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Fear (Bill Hader) and Anger (Lewis Black) suddenly will work into full throttle and ready for action since Riley is still a child and not in the right state of mine because of the sadness of moving out with your friends you grew up with. All of us can definitely relate to her struggling to fit in a new place.

Ably directed and sharply written both by the superb Pete Docter (Monsters Inc and Up) , Inside Out is Disney Pixar's best original film since Up.

MOVIE REVIEW: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

The story of one middle class high schooler Greg aka Me in the title (Thomas Mann) who's best friend since childhood is Earl (RJ Cyler), and the two make spoofs of classic films examples of which are Senior Citizen Kane and 2:58 PM Cowboy in their spare time which is a lot!! 

Their lives are about to change when Greg's mother (Connie Britton) asks him to befriend a schoolmate who has leukemia Rachel (Olivia Cooke) the Dying Girl. The two of them are basically like complete outcasts in school, not really close  and together a wonderful friendship developed despite such unfortunate circumstances.

I'm surprised that the film is based on a book. I presumed that entries from Sundance are not adapted from other sources but kudos to director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon who made the film with such an original feel and atmosphere and it also helped that the author Jesse Andrews also wrote the screenplay. 

Comparisons to last year's similarly themed The Fault in Our Stars in inevitable but Me and Earl and the Dying Girl ain't no romantic movie and devoid of syrupy sentimentality. Props also for inserting some premise of Jack Black's Be Kind Rewind in it. But one thing is sure: Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke and RJ Cyler would achieve the same breakout recognition that Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort did last year in the likely situation that this Sundance Audience and Jury Award Winner would be a sleeper hit at the box office.

MOVIE REVIEW: Entourage

A disclaimer: you don't have to worry if you weren't to catch or follow the TV show until the end of it's final episode four years ago. Writer/director Doug Ellen made sure that the Entourage movie can stand alone without relying on it's old episodes. The movie would actually be a great starter course for those who have no idea what it is and I'm pretty that interest of it would make them watch the series again.

From the hit HBO show about the rise of actor Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) in Hollywood
together with his boys: best friend Eric or E (Kevin Connolly), half brother and bit player Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon), friend Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) and their adventures or challenges of living in Los Angeles. Entourage picks up where the TV series ended: the boys are back being boys and Ari Gold gets to be the head of a movie studio. Gold offers Chase a movie in which he would be the leading star. He then accepted it on only one condition: that he would be the film director as well too.
Like in a typical episode of Entourage, the supporting players shine. Grenier only acts based on his pretty boy looks, there's nothing much else about Vinnie Chase that the movie could have explored more. Connolly and Dillon were much better here in the movie compared to the last season of the show in situations most men can relate too. Unfortunately, Ferrara was underutilized here. It's all just about his goal with hit it off with MMA fighter Ronda Rousey (who plays herself). Jeremy Piven was born to play Ari Gold and once again every scene with him is satisfying. A spinoff series with him would have been perfect.
The Oscar nominated kid from The Sixth Sense Haley Joel Osment is deadpan funny as the son of a Texas billionaire (Billy Bob Thornton) who funded the film. This is a perfect vehicle for him as his first major film role as an adult.
Like the TV series, the movie is flooded with cameos from executive Mark Wahlberg, supermodel Emily Ratajkowski, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, DJ Calvin Harris and many more.
Curses and nudity aside, the movie actually shows us in simple terms on how a movie gets started in Hollywood: from the initial pitch to the money source all the way to the studio head, actors and producers. You will never look at a movie the same way again after this.
Entourage is like comfort food to those who loved and adored the show. It showed us the universal truth that in life when one of us hit it big, life becomes more meaningful when you share it with friends who never left your side.

MOVIE REVIEW: San Andreas

As timely as today's headlines, with the strong one in Nepal and the almost everyday recurring ones in places surrounding the Pacific Ring of Fire, San Andreas is an action packed/CGI effects heavy film that's notches above recently released natural disaster flicks such as The Perfect Storm and 2012. It stars Dwayne Johnson as Ray, a rescue chopper pilot whose passion to his job is marred when his wife Emma (Carla Gugino) moved out of their place with their daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario) and asking for a divorce to marry a rich real estate billionaire Daniel Reddick (Ioan Gruffudd)...then tremors are felt, first in the Hoover Dam area near Las Vegas were there weren't any known fault lines then it moves to California where the infamous fault is located hence the movie title.

San Andreas works primarily because the film simply focuses on Ray's family and people close to them. Despite having a built fit for an action hero, most will sympathize with Johnson's character because of his wife's new love. Unlike his previous characters and his persona as The Rock, people can easily relate to his predicament. In a parallel story in the movie, Paul Giamatti plays a noted earthquake expert who foresaw the catastrophe with the help of his fellow worker who was killed in action. His character is our guide and as a moviegoer, I also learned something about quakes thru him.

The effects, most specifically the ones in San Francisco, quite gave me a scare because I walked and spent sometime on those places AT&T Park to be specific and based on experts analysis, it really could happen in real life. San Andreas might just be now a movie but it also gave us ample warning to be ready and prepared.

MOVIE REVIEW: Mad Max: Fury Road

I had reservations watching Mad Max: Fury Road since almost all apocalyptic themed films are almost the same in execution and the last one in the series Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was released 30 years ago. Things changed once the opening credits started. This new reimagining, conceptualized by it's original creator director George Miller is an exciting, beautifully shot action film anchored surprisingly not by Tom Hardy's lead performance of the iconic Max Rockatansy but by Charlize Theron's phenomenal Imperator Furiosa. 

Max and Furiosa team up to escape the wrath of the ruler of their area Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and brought along his 5 wives to escape to her birthplace. 90% of the film happens on "Fury Road" when the villains are chasing the leads and where all the glorious action and mayhem occurs. Cinematographer John Seale found beauty in a post apocalyptic world and it ain't like those similarly themed films.

Hardy channeling his The Dark Knight Rises' character Bane's mask and voice has the Mel Gibson aka the original Mad Max's aura and demeanor. He displayed strength and flexibility in all the action scenes in the film. Ironically even though the title says Mad Max, the film's lead is actually Charlize Theron whose character Furiosa provides the required action scenes yet gives great emotion as the mother figure of the 5 wives plus the trauma of her past experience before driving the War Rig. Her performance here in Mad Max: Fury Road ranks alongside Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in the Alien Series and Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor in Terminator 2 as one of the best female performances in an action movie in recent memory.

Also starring Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz and Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Mad Max: Fury Road successfully brought back the franchise that we all thought would never see the light of day again.

MOVIE REVIEW: Focus

The movie trailer did not give justice to Focus - it is actually a fun crime/caper comedy that puts Will Smith back in the game after some lackluster films (After Earth, Seven Pounds and that awful Winter's Tale anyone?). He plays Nicky, a 3rd generation con artist who trains a neophyte (Margot Robbie, on a roll after The Wolf of Wall Street) under her wings and eventually falls in love with. 

The film basically shows the pair dealing on with different groups that they live and thrive on from football games to auto racing. 

Smith and Robbie are joined by terrific character actors such as Major Dad and House of Cards' Gerald McRaney, Rodrigo Santoro (300), BD Wong (Father of the Bride) and scene stealer Adrian Martinez as Nicky's fellow conman and friend Farhad. As the title suggests, with a lot of things happening and each character trying to outsmart each other, one and even us the audience shouldn't lose focus. 

Credit should also be given to the film for choosing Argentina as one of it's locations - the only memory I have of the South American country in movie pop culture was in Evita. Buenos Aires was photographed well and it reminded us that there's more in that continent than Brazil alone. 

Focus is written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, the team who made the highly entertaining and smart comedies I Love You Phillip Morris and Crazy, Stupid, Love.

MOVIE REVIEW: McFarland USA

McFarland USA, the latest true to life sports inspirational film produced by Disney is the story of the 1987 McFarland, California High School cross country team coached by Jim White (Kevin Costner), who moved into town after being fired as a football coach in Boise, Idaho after being hot-headed and physical with one its student player.

The Hispanic dominated town of McFarland is a 360 turn for him, his wife Cheryl (Maria Bello) and their two daughters Julie (Morgan Saylor) and Jamie (Elsie Fisher). On their first dinner night out, the family went into the neighborhood Taqueria and were amazed and bewildered by it's menu and asked for the usual burger when they don't know what to order. They also had to overcome the usual character stereotypes for Hispanic folks and in true Disney fashion won them over by their openness and kindness in such an impoverished town whose students leave school early to work and help their parents in the field after doing the same thing before going to school early in the morning.

When Coach White or Blanco as the people in the town would call him, saw the potential of some of its students in running, he proposed to the high school principal (Valente Rodriguez) to create a cross country team for the school and focus on it instead of having a football team, hesitant at first but gave in the end, White formed a group of students to train and set it sights at the State Championship.

We have seen the underdog sports story before in films also produced by Disney such as Cool Runnings, Miracle, The Rookie and Invincible but ably directed by Niki Caro who helmed the Oscar nominated films Whale Rider and North Country, McFarland USA succeeds as a sports film anchored by Kevin Costner's performance. After Bull Durham and Field of Dreams, this is his best sports film compared to the recent Draft Day and Talent for the Game. We also see the Central California that we rarely see in the movies and the struggles of its mostly Hispanic residents who rely on picking fruits, nuts and vegetables on the field for their daily survival. This is the first feel good movie of 2015 and it deserves to be seen by many to be inspired.

MOVIE REVIEW: Black or White

Black or White starring Academy Award winners Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves) and Octavia Spencer (The Help) is a good intentioned racial melodrama that involves a custody battle amongst grandparents portrayed by the lead actors, of their granddaughter Eloise (Jillian Estell in a charming performance).

When's Costner's character Elliot's wife dies and Spencer's Rowena wants custody of her as well so that Eloise can live in a house filled with more relatives that she can count on.

This is Kevin Costner's best film role in years and portraying his alcoholic lawyer character is no easy task. A string of bad luck has always been on his side since aside from losing his wife in a car accident, he also lost his daughter while giving birth to Elaine. To add salt to the wound, his absentee granddaughter's Dad Reggie (Andre Holland) is a convicted criminal. Naturally Elliot despises him.

Octavia Spencer's Rowena might be a caricature of the black woman stereotypes that we usually see on the big screen but the Oscar winner rose above it and gave a performance that's a worthy foil to Costner's. Luckily the two have excellent chemistry and it makes Black or White rise above from a material that can easily mistaken for a Tyler Perry and/or a Hallmark movie if not for Costner and Spencer's performances.

MOVIE REVIEW: Two Days One Night (Deux Jours, Une Nuit)

In Two Days One Night, French superstar Marion Cotillard gave her best performance since she won the Oscar best actress as chanteuse Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose. She portrays Sandra Bya, a worker at the Solwal solar plant who after being hospitalized finds herself with no job after her co-workers opted to vote her out for a bonus instead.

But when Sandra was able to persuade the company's head Dumont (Baptiste Sornin) to go on a second ballot after she found out that their supervisor Jean Marc (Olivier Gourmet) persuaded the workers, she together with her loving husband Manu (Fabrizio Rongione in an affecting performance) reached out to her co-workers to vote for her over the weekend hence the title.

Cotillard with her sad eyes and frail frame is perfection as Sandra. You can't help but be sympathize for her as she talks to everyone on the ballot uncertain on the outcome. The best thing about Sandra is that her character can easily be made a saint/martyr but her bouts with depression, relying on the pills she takes only makes her human.

Directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne showed the other side of present time Europe which we don't see in the movies. The struggles of the working class and their individual response on how to face it make Two Days One Night a socially relevant movie to come out of the region yet a highly entertaining one due to it being a highly unpredictable suspense film anchored by Marion Cotillard's amazing performance.

MOVIE REVIEW: Kingsman: The Secret Service

The TV ads and it's movie poster are misleading. Kingsman: The Secret Service doesn't fall into the Spy Kids and Agent Cody Banks genre of film aimed primarily on kids, this is venturing more into Kick Ass territory with a substantial amount of violence and profanity that makes any James Bond movie tame.

Make no mistake however, the film is a pure delight to watch which comes as a no surprise as the movie is directed by Matthew Vaughn of X-Men First Class (2011) which for me was the best one of the series and the first Kick Ass. 

When an old super-secret spy organization disguised as a tailoring shop named Kingsman in London's famed Saville Row lost one of it's membesrs, it's up to Agent Harry Hart aka Galahad (Colin Firth playing a well mannered British gentleman which is right on his alley yet who does all those fight scenes that is all new to us as moviegoers) to look for a new member as a tech CEO (Samuel L. Jackson) slowly plans to control the world.

Alongside with Michael Caine and perrenial villain playing a good guy for a change Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes), it is amazing to watch Firth and Jackson all together on the big screen having fun and newcomer Taron Egerton who played it's young new recruit Eggsy held up well on his own with his veteran co-actors.

MOVIE REVIEW: Selma

Selma chronicles one of the lesser known incidents in US history (as far as I'm concerned) in the 1960's, in the deep South when the Civil Rights movement attempted to march peacefully from Selma, Alabama to the State capital of Montgomery to demand voting rights for African-Americans in the time where segregation was still fully implemented and recognized in that State. 

Working from a wonderful unsentimental script by Paul Webb, and ably directed by Ava DuVerney, Selma is a powerful film in a chapter of Martin Luther King Jr.'s remarkable life as he fights the sitting US President at that time Lyndon B. Johnson to pass the Voting Rights Act. 

British actor David Oyelowo was born to portray the Civil Rights leader. Aside from some strking resemblance to MLK Jr., he gave a passionate performance that showed Dr. King was really a highly principled and charismatic man who never accepted violence as means to get their point across the nation and yet he was no saint. It is only in this movie that I found out that he was having problems with his wife Coretta (an elegant Carmen Ejogo) about infidelity. Selma proved that Martin Luther King Jr. was human after all. 

It's amazing that four of the major characters in the movie were portrayed by British actors. Oyelowo (MLK Jr.), Ejogo (Coretta), President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) and Alabama Governor George Wallace (Tim Roth). All of them were great. 

The heart of the movie though belongs to the film's producer Oprah Winfrey, who played Annie Lee Cooper. In one of the film's early scenes, she displayed firmness yet surrender as she was trying to register to vote. This is a different Oprah from her previous film The Butler as well as the talk show host the world has learned to love. She may not have much scenes compared to the other actors but when you're Oprah, you better make sure your supporting role would be a memorable one and she passed with flying colors.

Selma is a perfect companion piece to 2013's Oscar Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave, we can see how civil rights in the world's most powerful country has progressed and sadly until now there's still a long way to go.