LibreViews

By Vives Anunciacion (unpublished) Can’t get enough of Hollywood in one year? Here are some more movies baking in the movie city’s back lots, or in their overseas counterparts. Again, there’s no assurance all of these will be distributed locally. Hopefully within the year we’ll see… Aeon Flux (Paramount Pictures) – Charlize Theron plays the sexy leather-clad secret agent in the live-action adaptation of the futuristic MTV cartoon. Bewitched (Sony Pictures/ Columbia) – when a producer decides to remake the classic fantasy TV series, he didn’t expect to cast a real witch for the role. Nicole Kidman is the witch and Will Ferrel plays the guy she marries on the show. Land of the Dead (Universal Pictures) – legendary filmmaker George Romero adds another zombie flick to his endless list of the living dead movies. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Touchstone Pictures) – promising to be the funniest space comedy since Space Balls, this is the movie adaptation of Douglas Adam’s celebrated n...

By Vives Anunciacion Inquirer Libre, April 8 2005 Before and after the summer blockbusters, Hollywood comes up with its more flavorful fare, especially towards the –Ber months when the race for the Oscars begins. Here’s some of the more noteworthy films to be released in the US within the year. However, there’s no assurance all of these films will be released here in the Philippines. Award hopefuls Eros (Warner Independent Pictures) – Eros is three short films about love and sex. The theme may not sound extraordinary, but the filmmakers are: the first short is directed by Italian master Michelangelo Antonioni, the second is directed by American cinematographer Steven Sodebergh, and the third is by Hong Kong avant-garde Wong Kar Wai. Sounds like an art film fan’s wet dream? Spaniard Pedro Almodovar created sequences that bind the films together. Multiple wet dreams. Howl’s Moving Castle (Hauru no ugoku shiro) (Toho Company) – based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones, this Japanese blockb...

By Vives Anunciacion Inquirer Libre March 28. 2005 In the US, the summer season starts around end of April, peaks around July and ends early August. Traditionally, summer is also Hollywood’s blockbuster season – the time when Hollywood rolls out the big guns and lets the cash kachink in the millions a few months before the studios release their less box-office friendly but more memorable movies in the –Ber months. Those months are sometimes referred to as the Oscar season. Here are some of the big movies to watch out for this year, and in the near future. Summer Blockbusters Sin City (Dimension Films) – the graphic underworld novel by Frank Miller turned stylish movie directed by Robert Rodriguez, Miller and Quentin Tarantino. The movie stars Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Kate Bosworth, Mickey Rourke, Jaime King, Nick Stahl, Jessica Alba, Clive Owen, Rosario Dawson and Michael Clarke Duncan. This is one sin we’re all willing to go through hell for. The Intr...

Review by Vives Anunciacion Inquirer Libre, March 7, 2005 Robots Directed by Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha Written by Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel Featuring the voices of Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Robin Williams Unrated / Approx 90 minutes Opens March 16 This movie’s credits list some of the most talented actors and comedians these days, and the list is long and impressive. Let's run them down. Drew Carrey (of TV’s Who’s Line is it Anyway? as Crank), Oscar nominee for As Good as it Gets Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Coolidge (Stifler’s mom in the American Pie series, as Aunt Fanny), Paul Giamatti (recently in Oscar winner Sideways, as Tim), Jamie Kennedy, Stanley Tucci, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Bynes, Carson Daly, Conan O’Brien, Paula Abdul and lastly, the granddaddy of American movie satires, Mr. Mel Brooks himself as the voice of Mr. Bigweld, the granddaddy of all robots in Robot City. Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) is a young inventor who leaves his small town to search for new adven...

So i never get a hundred percent in predictions, so what? A few surprises here and there, but one category is almost a shocker. For the love of god, give Marty Scorsese the Oscar! The aviator is a gorgeous movie though i think the cinematography is erratic and inconsistent, so i really wonder why it won cinematography. i got the supporting actors wrong, hmmm. i thought cate was wonderful in Aviator, but i really thought Virginia Madsen's presence in Sideways should've won. morgan freeman, i love the guy. i just though sideways would get these, because it's not getting anything else. the passion losing makeup to lemony snicket... funny. Finding Neverland wins something.. Original Score. well. i think someone should say something against channel 9's broadcast exclusivity. they advertise for a "live" broadcast at 9:30am, air the thing at 10am obviously late, and fill the thing with so many adverts it runs till past 2pm. sequestered kasi ang channel, kaya ba pinag...

As Hollywood prepares for its biggest show, everyone wants to throw his hat in the Oscars predictions ring. There’s no short supply of prognosticators from reviewers and regular movie buffs alike. But does it really mean anything to be able to predict the winners of Hollywood’s own game? Hardly. Even writers from the States don’t usually make a hundred percent correct guess. It seems many do it for its own sake, so there’s no harm if I did my own thing. Of course this is all just my opinioned guess. PICTURE Who wins: Million Dollar Baby My choice: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Should have been nominated instead of Ray: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (nominees) "Million Dollar Baby" (Warner Brothers) "The Aviator" (Miramax) "Ray" (Universal Pictures) "Sideways" (Fox Searchlight) "Finding Neverland" (Miramax) My friends call Ray the worst biopic in years, not to mention the worst best picture nom in years. I can only agree....

Unpublished Review by Vives Anunciacion Constantine Directed by Francis Lawrence Written by Kevin Brodbin, Frank Capello Based on characters from the "Hellblazer" graphic novels from DC Comics/Vertigo Starring Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz PG 13/ 117minutes Warner Brothers Pictures / Village Roadshow The opening scene features John Constantine exorcising a demon from a young girl in the suburbs of Los Angeles (the girl’s name is Jhoanna Trias). The demon hisses in Tagalog, “papatayin natin sila!” just before Constantine sends it to oblivion. Now why would a demon, in the plural, speak Filipino? I’ve recommended this movie to friends who somehow seem unconvinced that it’s really an interesting movie. The catch probably lies whether the permanently stoic Keanu Reeves can mass-hypnotize the world into believing that he can play the role of Constantine. At the very least, he’s fooled me. This may be Keanu’s best casting yet, though the role had something akin with Mr. Reeves’ thespi...