MOVIE REVIEW: Winchester

I often see the Winchester Mansion in which this movie was based on, every time I was assigned to work in Santa Clara, California. I'd never been inside but I researched on it's colorful, infamous history and the people in it. After the success of The Conjuring films, it's no surprise that someone will make a movie about one of the most popular haunted house in the United States.

The great Helen Mirren stars as Sarah Winchester, heiress of the family fortune. The Winchester family made it big in the sales of firearms and after her husband and child died, Sarah purchased a land in San Jose, California to build a mansion whose history still fascinates people up to this day. The heiress believes that the restless souls of those killed by the rifles still haunt her and her family. Her beliefs resulted in building a house that is continuously being built and having a complicated architecture and interiors.

The film directed by The Spierig Brothers gives a very basic history of the family and the house. The movie is "inspired" by the events. It took the horror route. There are some genuine scares and a beautiful twist inspired by 2001's The Others.

Co starring Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) and Sara Snook, Winchester could have been a better movie but it's still commendable for showing the history of the mansion in basic detail. Now, Il make an effort to tour the mansion once I'm back in the Bay Area.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Commuter

The Liam Neeson formula that started it all in Taken is again in full glory in The Commuter. He plays Michael MacCauley, an insurance salesman who takes the regular commuter train for the past ten years to work in New York City. A loving family man to his wife Karen (Elizabeth McGovern) and son Danny (Dean-Charles Chapman). Unfortunately, like most any other American family, they lost in the financial crisis in 2008 and live on a paycheck to paycheck basis.

After getting some bad news at work, Michael met a mystery lady (Vera Farmiga) on the train and offered him something that can ease up his financial burden. As the plot unravels, it is linked into something much more sinister.

The Commuter starts slow but just like a regular train during rush hour, it builds up speed to a highly entertaining climax. There are some loopholes in the story but Neeson's everyman in distress acting and some funny moments make The Commuter the better public transit train movie compared to The Girl on the Train.

MOVIE REVIEW: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

The trailers to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle did not do justice. It looked like an expensive cgi-loaded effects movie that is better suited at a discount bin in Walmart. Two weeks ago when it opened in the United States and in most parts of the world (no thanks to the annual Metro Manila Film Festival where only Filipino movies are allowed to be shown in local cinemas), the buzz is strong that the Jumanji reboot is great entertainment and it exceeded expectations. I saw it a couple of hours ago and yes it's all true - Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is fun fun fun!!

The original 1995 film, adapted from the book with the same name and stars the late Robin Williams in one of the iconic family films in the nineties. Getting stuck on a board game and coming out with wild animals on it to wreck havoc on a town?!! The concept sure is made for the big screen.

Two decades later, Sony Pictures decided on a different approach to the new version. In keeping up with the times, students who are in high school detention for various reasons, saw an old gaming console with the Jumanji name on it. They get into the game and the avatars they selected. The players are then transported to the jungle in a game of survival. Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Guardian of the Galaxy's Karen Gillan and Jack Black all gave excellent comedic performances as the video game characters that are totally opposite of their characters in the real world. The four actors all had great chemistry and impeccable comic timing. It is best seen on the big screen.

MOVIE REVIEW: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

At 2 hours and 32 minutes, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the longest film in the beloved series. Director Rian Johnson (Looper) has made a great entertaining movie from the first part till the last 30 minutes of it. The middle part dragged on a bit. The Last Jedi could have been 40 minutes shorter but it made up for some great visual effects that  is well worth your hard earned cash especially if you watch in premium format theaters such as IMAX. 

The internal conflict of the characters that was missing in the recent Star Wars releases including The Force Awakens is back. Once again, shades of the original trilogy made it presence felt by the leads: from the iconic ones Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher in her final film) to the new ones most especially Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren/ Ben Solo (Adam Driver). The characters arcs of the ones mentioned sets the stage for more engrossing films in the series. Hopefully, they should be helmed by a competent director. The Last Jedi is a good first step. 

Star Wars fans won't be disappointed in The Last Jedi. It elevates the groundwork that The Force Awakens started and it makes you look forward to the upcoming films in the series.

MOVIE REVIEW: Wonder

I read the bestselling book by R.J Palacio months ago and after watching the film, I can truly say that this one of the rare times in which the movie is better than the book. It has full emotion which the book lacked.

Wonder is about August "Auggie" Pullman played excellently by Jacob Trembley (Room), a boy born with a rare facial disfigurement, who has to enter a regular school for the very first time. He had been home-schooled by his Mom Isabel (Julia Roberts) all his life because of countless hospital confinement while his Dad Nate (Owen Wilson) goes to work. Auggie has an older sister named Via (Izabela Vidovic) who cares for him as well. He never runs out of love and affection in his home so a school is something new and alien to him. 

What is beautiful about the film is that it never strayed from its source material. There's a chapter devoted to the characters that will help you get the know them better. It is not only about Auggie and his family. It's also about Via's best friend Miranda (the beautiful Danielle Rose Russell) as well as Auggie's new found friend in school Jack Will (Noah Jupe). Credit is due mainly to writer/director Stephen Chbosky, in his second full length film after his directorial debut in the excellent The Perks of Being a Wallflower in 2012. He also wrote the book itself and the screenplay as well. He is now 2/2

in my book.

Wonder is a great feel good movie without bordering on sentimentality. It makes us realize that by accepting on our differences, we can live in harmony.

MOVIE REVIEW: Coco

Pixar is back with its old creative ways with Coco. A beautiful love letter to Mexico and its culture of honoring the departed loved ones and the people they left behind. It's also about family and the love that binds each member from the present to the afterlife.

Coco is about Miguel, a young boy who dreams of becoming a musician, like his idol the great late Mexican singer Ernesto de la Cruz. For some reason, his family objects anything related to music in general. A trip to the cemetery on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) suddenly transports Miguel to the other world and there he discovers, with the help of a mischief named Hector (voiced by passion by Gael Garcia Bernal) the truth of everything. The other world is so enchanting that kids would totally forget that it is a world inhabited by the dead. There are some great references to iconic Mexican figures such as Frida Kahlo, the actor Cantiflas and the wrestler Santo.

Coco's script co-written by its director Lee Unkrich is so beautifully written you forget that it's animated movie. I won't be surprised if adults are the ones who are more engrossed in the film rather than the children. The last 30 minutes of the film have the best drama scenes that you can find in any Hollywood movie this year. It has such raw emotions that will leave you teary eyed and make you say a prayer to your departed loved ones.

MOVIE REVIEW: Justice League

I had low expectations about Justice League. This is director Zack Snyder's 3rd film in the DC Extended Universe and the first two films that he helmed: Man of Steel and last year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice were polarizing. There were fans but some people especially those hardcore DC Comics fans were disappointed by the treatment. 

Justice League is different though. There are still some dark, brooding elements that are the signature style of Snyder. Fortunately, writer Josh Whedon  who gave the Avengers series in the rival Marvel Universe, brought some needed humor and vibrance in the film. It also helped that the films running time is only 2 hours which is one of the shortest in superhero comic book films. It sets the stage for more films in the series that hopefully are as entertaining as this one. Gal Gadot fresh from the success of Wonder Woman earlier this year, continues her charm that was a big factor on why her stand alone film was both a critical and box office success. Ezra Miller's Barry Allen/The Flash, Jason Momoa's Arthur Curry/Aquaman and Ray Fisher's Victor Stone/Cyborg were given little introductions in the previous films and now I can say that I'm extremely satisfied with their performances in the film. Miller still has that natural comic timing which made him the breakout star of 2012's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Momoa has the built and look of a superhero built to live and survive water. Fisher has the fewer screen credits among the cast but his Cyborg has a bright future ahead. I'm now looking forward to see them again on the big screen reprising their iconic characters. 

Ben Affleck's portrayal of the Caped Crusader is arguably one of the best and Henry Cavill's Superman died in the previous film but a movie about Justice League ain't complete without the Man of Steel. Be ready to be surprised and entertained.