MOVIE REVIEW: Stronger

After his critically acclaimed role as Jack Twist that earned him his ONLY Oscar nomination, Jake Gyllenhaal has always been starring in films that are awards bait. He may finally receive  that elusive nod and most likely his first lead acting nomination for Stronger. It is a raw, gritty, powerful yet heartwarming film about the power of love and family.

Gyllenhall portrays real-life Boston Marathon victim and survivor Jeff Bauman, who lived to tell his tale and co wrote the bestselling book from which this movie is based on.

He was just an average man working at Costco who went to the 2013 edition of the marathon to support his on again off again girlfriend Erin Hurley, masterfully portrayed by Emmy Winner Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black). Bauman was unfortunately in the wrong spot but what's remarkable is that he was able to see and tell the authorities the identity of the bomber. He turned what could had been a life dominated by suffering and misery to a heroic one.

It's so nice to see acclaimed British actress Miranda Richardson back on the big screen playing the mom with a full Boston accent. The film though, still belongs to Gyllenhaal. With similar looks and built to the bombing survivor, he was born to play Jeff Bauman.

MOVIE REVIEW: Battle of the Sexes

I only read in passing the infamous tennis match tagged the Battle of the Sexes at the Houston Astrodome in 1973 between the two tennis superstars of that time Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King. It's to determine which gender is more superior in playing the sport. It's laughable now but back then it was a serious thing, when being a male chauvinist is a badge of honor in society. It was shocking to see how sportscaster can mock not only women athletes but women in general on live TV.  I was glad when I found out months ago that the directing team of the highly entertaining Oscar winning indie Little Miss Sunshine are on board to making a film about it.

Emma Stone, in her first role after winning the Academy Award for La La Land, proves that she's the hottest and smartest actress around in Hollywood. Her physical transformation of Billie Jean King is remarkable but most important she nailed the tennis superstar's struggle to fight for equal rights for women in the sport as well as unmasking her true sexuality. She is married but in love with her hairdresser Marilyn Barnett (played by Andrea Riseborough).

Steve Carell is vintage Steve Carell in Bobby Riggs. Like a comedian, Riggs searches for respect not only in tennis but also being a male. It's so nice to see Elisabeth Shue back on the big screen. She plays Riggs' wife Priscilla who's running out of patience with his boorishness. Sarah Silverman, Alan Cumming and Bill Pullman round up the exceptional cast. 

Battle of the Sexes is a well made crowd-pleaser that deserves to be seen in times of uncertainty such as now. It entertains yet it makes us realize that all of us are equal regardless of sex and gender preference. Bobby Riggs paved the way for athletes such as Michael Jordan on how to market oneself while thanks to Billie Jean King, we now have female tennis superstars such as the Williams sisters, Steffi Graf, Martina Navrativola among others.

MOVIE REVIEW: mother!

Director Darren Aronofsky's filmmaking style has always been out of the box. From his first full-length film Pi (1998) to the Oscar nominated ones Requiem For a Dream (2000), The Wrestler (2008) and to the one that gave Natalie Portman her Best Actress award Black Swan. Unconventional and emotionally draining you gotta have a right state of mind to appreciate his skills.

Now here comes mother! a film that is divided into two parts. The first half is more like a stage play. A newlywed couple played by Javier Bardem a poet and his younger wife Jennifer Lawrence live in a huge Victorian styled house in the middle of nowhere. Then a visitor (Ed Harris) from out of the blue, knocked on their door. He thought that the house was a bed and breakfast place. The husband took a liking into him and asked him to stay the night. The wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) then came and they seem to have something in mind with the man of the house. Their sons (real life brothers Domhall and Brian Gleeson) came as well  and their conflict set the stage for the second half.
 mother! then turns into something that is rarely seen on mainstream cinema. An exercise in extreme filmmaking that is polarizing. You will love it or hate it. References to the Bible and idol fanaticism abound. There's no middle ground to it. Enter at your own risk.

MOVIE REVIEW: Kingsman: The Golden Circle

A sequel was inevitable when the first Kingsman became a surprise hit in 2014. It was an entertaining but unexpectedly violent cartoonish film that stayed true to it's graphic novel origins. It was so different yet fun. Aside from Colin Firth who was part of the original cast, the sequel attracted three Oscar winners (Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore and Halle Berry) and a global music icon (Elton John) to join in and have a great time.

Taron Egerton as back as Eggsy and together with his guardian in the Kingsman Merlin (Mark Strong more endearing here) enlists the help of their American counterparts or "cousins", the Statesman headed by Bridges with Channing Tatum, Halle Berry (both underutilized but from the looks of it, the saga won't end with this film) and Game of Thrones' Pedro Pascal to help them fight an enemy (Julianne Moore having fun and playing it easy as the bad girl Poppy) bent on destroying mankind. The film also tackles the war on drugs which bears some similarities to today's headlines especially in the Philippines and Indonesia.

 Kingsman: The Golden Circle isn't as unpredictable and loud (Samuel L. Jackson took care of that in the first film) compared to it's predecessor but it's still great entertainment and well worth your hard earned money for a trip to the theater primarily of the cast and it's running time of 2 hours and 20 minutes that's worth spending on those comfortable lazy boy reclining chairs that most cinemas worldwide offer now.

MOVIE REVIEW: Rebel in the Rye

Nicholas Hoult (About A Boy, Mad Max: Fury Road) plays the reclusive author J.D. Salinger who penned one of the most controversial books of the 20th Century: The Catcher In the Rye. The movie audience got a glimpse of the time of his life before he wrote the iconic novel.

 From a young man living an affluent lifestyle in New York City until after World War II, the film relied on tidbits that can easily be found on the internet. Fortunately, director and writer Danny Strong, elevated Rebel in the Rye with an excellent cast that also featured two time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey as Salinger's professor and mentor Whit Burnett and Emmy winner Sarah Paulson as Salinger's loyal literary agent Dorothy Olding.

Rebel in the Rye gave us an entertaining glimpse on a forgotten era wherein only a few privileged people were given a chance to write a book due primarily to ones talent.

MOVIE REVIEW: It

Who would have thought that a horror movie which was based  on a book and made into a TV movie 27 years ago will make going to the movies fun again!! It, written by Stephen King in 1986, brought out our fear of clowns. The 1990 version with an iconic performance of Tim Curry as Pennywise the Dancing Clown scared my generation of the circus staple. This year, Bill Skarsgard, son of Stellan and brother of Alexander, steps out of his family shadows to deliver a scary yet funny performance of the character.

However, the real stars are the ones who are a part of "The Losers Club", a group of kids who are constantly being bullied in school. Their banter of jokes and insults among each other brought out their comic talents and makes the film's running time of 135 minutes more bearable. The scenes are shot with an eighties touch yet it does not forget this current time by using drone shots in some scenes.