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Review by Vives Anunciacion Bewitched Directed by Nora Ephron Written by Nora Eprhon, Delia Ephron Starring Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell G/ 102 minutes Columbia Pictures Opens Aug 10 In Nora Ephron’s latest comedy, award-winning actress Nicole Kidman plays a friendly witch trying to live a normal mortal’s life until a very famous mortal tricks her into living every mortal’s fantasy life – as an actress in a famous TV show. Bewitched is an example of how all of Hollywood’s star power isn’t enough to conjure a spectacle. Actor Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrel, recently in Wedding Crashers) is looking for a publicity blitz to revive his waning fame. When network executives decide to remake the classic TV sitcom Bewitched, Wyatt is cast as the show’s unassuming husband Darren. What the production doesn’t realize is that the person they cast as Darren’s wife Samantha (Kidman, playing the innocent Isabel Bigelow), is in fact a real witch. At first, Bigelow is just excited being able to find work in a ...

Review by Vives Anunciacion Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Directed by Tim Burton Written by John August Based on the book by Roald Dahl Starring Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore G/ 115minutes Warner Brothers Pictures Opens August 3 Director Tim Burton cooks up a visually delectable treat for the sweet-toothed that’s halfway between jaw-dropping and criminally insane. Don’t fear – we’ve come to know Burton’s movies to be like that all the time. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a satisfying family tale about wishes coming true. Based on the 1964 children’s book by Roald Dahl, the film opens with gigantic factory machines busily churning boxes and boxes of chocolate candy bars. The world’s largest factory of candy is opening its gates to the public for the first time in many years. But only five kids and their guardians will be allowed entrance by the factory’s very reclusive and unusual owner, Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp). Five Golden Tickets are to be found under the wrappers of Willy...

Review by Vives Anunciacion The Island Directed by Michael Bay Written by Caspian Tredwell-Owen Starring Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson PG 13/ 127 minutes Warner Brothers/ Dreamworks Pictures In this futuristic action-thriller, director Michael Bay fires his usual arsenal of spectacular stunts and flamboyant camerawork to tell a surprisingly engaging story about human survival. It seems that for the first time, Mr. Bay understands the word Emotion. In the mid-21st century, humans live in a controlled-environment facility that protects them from a polluted world. The high-tech antiseptic facility supervises each person’s daily living on a 24-hour basis. Every person wears the same uniform every day, distinguishing the inhabitants from the personnel. Everything is controlled, resources are shared, all is healthy. Large video screens scattered around the walls of the facility display community bulletins and programs. A community bulletin announces the winner of the day’s Lottery, whic...

Review by Vives Anunciacion Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros Directed by Aureus Solito Written and Produced by Michiko Yamamoto and Raymond Lee Starring Nathan Lopez, JR Valentin, Soliman Cruz ufo Pictures Gawad Balanghai (Cinemalaya) Best Production Design Special Jury Prize Best Picture Special Citation for Performance With a title like that, who can ignore it? Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, more than its intriguing title, is at its core a rare and powerful coming-of-age narrative unequalled in recent years. Pre-teen Maximo Oliveros, or Maxi (unforgettably played by Nathan Lopez), gaily devotes his time to his family of small-time criminals. He mends their clothes, cooks their meals and cleans the small shanty like the young housewife without the husband. He doesn’t go to school, in his off time, he watches pirated movies in a tiny “rental” under the stairs. The Oliveroses is a typical, tightly knit Pinoy family, except that they are all men. Maxi’s doting father, Paco (pla...

Review by Vives Anunciacion Fantastic Four Directed by Tim Story Written by Michael France, Mark Frost Based on the Marvel characters created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby Starring Ioan Gruffudd, Julian McMahon, Chris Evans, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis G/ 105 minutes Twentieth Century Fox/ Marvel Enterprises Opens July 6 The first family of superheroes gets a big-screen debut, asserting themselves as the original Fab Four - but not without a few makeovers here and there to make the screen transformation worthy. Based on the characters of the longest-running comic book series that first appeared in 1961, Fantastic Four presents the origins of the classic team as well as their arch-nemesis Doctor Doom in a family-oriented, breezy narrative full of laughable punch lines and serviceable effects. A violent cosmic storm accidentally exposes a group of scientists to cosmic radiation. Multi-talented scientist Reed Richards (Ian Gruffudd, Lancelot in last year’s King Arthur) is in a space station t...