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Review by Vives Anunciacion Cinderella Man Directed by Ron Howard Written by Cliff Hollingsworth Starring Russell Crowe. Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti PG 13/ 144 minutes Universal Pictures/ Miramax Films Opens September 14 There’s a movie about a people’s champ that’s inspiring to see. It’s not Lisensyadong Kamao. Cinderella Man, starring former Roman Gladiator Russell Crowe is a rousing fairy tale if it is one. Jim Braddock (Russell Crowe) is a promising heavyweight boxer who is forced to retire early due to a disabling wrist injury. Out of work during in early years of the Great Depression, Braddock struggles every day to feed his young family. Temporary work in the local wharf restores his physical strength, but the pay isn’t enough to keep the kids warm in winter. Jim’s tough talking manager Joe Gould, passionately played by Paul Giamatti (from Sideways), enlists him for a one-time supporting bout, which Jim wins much to everyone’s surprise. The win earns Jim recognition from his ...

Review by Vives Anunciacion Sky High Directed by Mike Mitchell Written by Paul Hernandez, Robert Schooley Starring Michael Angarano, Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston G/ 100 minutes Walt Disney Pictures Opens August 31 You don’t need super powers to appreciate this family movie about self-discovery and self-importance. Sky High is a light-hearted high-school comedy that mixes Harry Potter with The Incredibles and X-Men with a little 80’s Pretty in Pink. Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano from Seabiscuit and Almost Famous) is worried that he’s about to start freshman high school at Sky High. He’s not worried about school bullies. He’s not thinking about pimples. He’s worried that his super parents Steve Stronghold (Kurt Russell) a.k.a. The Commander, and Josie (Kelly Preston) a.k.a. Jetstream plus the rest of the super academy will find out that he doesn’t have super powers. At least not yet. His high school troubles begin with Power Sorting. The school separates all freshmen into Heroes and S...

Review by Vives Anunciacion Red Eye Directed by Wes Craven Written by Carl Ellsworth Starring Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy PG 13/ 85minutes DreamWorks Pictures Opens September 7 The phrase “flying the friendly skies” may no longer apply in these days of terror, especially if the threat would come from the person sitting next to your seat. Veteran horror filmmaker Wes Craven successfully crosses genres and makes his first decent psychological thriller set in a jet 30,000 feet in the air. Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls, The Notebook) plays hotel manager Lisa Reisert, who is flying back to Miami after attending her grandmother’s funeral in Dallas, Texas. At Dallas International Airport, she meets the charming Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy, last seen as Scarecrow in Batman Begins). The two immediately establish a friendly bond, as lonely strangers are wont to do while waiting for their delayed flight. They even share a drink at the airport bar. The friendliness would cease as soon as their...

Review by Vives Anunciacion Skeleton Key Directed by Iain Softley Written by Ehren Kruger Starring Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard PG 13/ 140 minutes Universal Pictures Now showing Lots of skeletons hide in this supernatural thriller from the writer of The Ring (US version). Skeleton Key is a decently-made workable thriller with a twisted twister ending that can scare the bones out of any screenwriter. Kate Hudson (Almost Famous, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) plays caregiver Caroline Ellis, who is hired to take care of ageing stroke victim Ben (John Hurt.) To make her work easy, Ben’s elderly wife Violet (Gena Rowlands) entrusts to Caroline a skeleton key that can open all the doors in the 30-room plantation era mansion – except for one door. Caroline is suspicious of the mysterious locked door, which even more mysteriously, Violet prevents her from opening. Determined to discover the secrets behind the door, Caroline’s investigation would lead her from missing mirrors to s...