LibreViews

Bloody bling Review by Vives Anunciacion Directed by Edward Zwick Written by Charles Leavitt Starring Leonardo Di Caprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly R13/ 138 minutes Warner Brothers *** (3 stars) In the 1990s, rebels in the African country of Sierra Leone illegally mined and traded diamonds to finance their war against their government. In Blood Diamond, Leo DiCaprio plays a gem smuggler engaged in the trade and Djimon Hounsou plays one of the rebels’ mining slaves who discovers a rare pink diamond. Both actors deliver brilliant performances, even if the movie’s storytelling requires some polishing of its own. Against a backdrop of poverty and Africa’s beautiful landscapes (captured in beautiful cinematography), Director Edward Zwick melodramatizes (quite commonly with his message films like Glory, Courage Under Fire and Last Samurai) the issue of “conflict diamonds” – diamonds mined in war zones then sold illegally to finance and sustain the insurgency. DiCaprio plays Danny Ar...

Enter the dragon Review by Vives Anunciacion Directed by Stefen Fangmeier Based on the novel by Christopher Paolini Starring Ed Speleers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory G / 104 minutes 20th Century Fox ** ½ stars (2 ½ stars) It’s like Star Wars and Harry Potter with a little Lord of the Rings, and instead of riding x-wings or broomsticks it’s riding dragons. Eragon, at the very least, has marvelous costumes. Lots of it. Behold the most fasyon fantasy adventure for kids. An orphan teenager, Eragon (newcomer Ed Speleers) discovers his destiny as Alagaesia’s last dragon rider after he finds and raises a blue dragon, which he calls Sephira (voiced by Rachel Weisz.) Jeremy Irons plays his mentor Brom, who trains Eragon to be a rider and instructs him on his quest to join the rebel force Vardens and free Alagaesia from the dark rule of lord Galbatorix (John Malkovich.) First, Eragon must rescue the elf princess Arya (Sienna Guillory) who was responsible for teleporting the dragon egg to Erag...

Little darlin’ Review by Vives Anunciacion Directed by Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris Starring Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell. Abigail Breslin 99 minutes/ R13 Fox Searchlight Exclusive at Ayala Cinemas *** ½ (3 ½ stars) I found this movie uproariously engaging for many reasons, but mainly because there on the screen was an exaggerated version of my own crazy family. In the movie, the Hoovers are a nutty bunch of unfulfilled losers on the brink of disintegration. Little Miss Sunshine is an irreverent road trip of dysfunction as a family struggles to keep itself intact despite the seemingly unending series of misfortunes that comes in its way. Daddy Richard (Greg Kinnear) is a failed motivational speaker who can’t motivate his own self to get a real job. Alan Arkin delivers the most memorable and hilarious lines as the foul-mouthed, heroin-addicted Grandpa. In contrast, the talented Ms. Toni Collette is underutilized as a former divorcee and Richard’s new wife Sheryl. Funnyma...

Ante-Bond Review by Vives Anunciacion Directed by Martin Campbell Based on the character created by Ian Fleming Starring Daniel Craig, Eva Green 144 minutes/ PG 13 Sony Pictures/ Columbia Pictures *** 1/2 (3 1/2 stars) After 21 outings, it still represents the grand male fanstasy – crisp clothing, hot cars, lots of gadgets and hot women. But Casino Royale also reshapes James Bond to a new level of seriousness since Timothy Dalton played a darker Bond in License to Kill (1989). Welcome the lean, mean, but emotional, machine. Of all actors who delivered the introduction, “The name is Bond, James Bond.” Daniel Craig’s physique makes him the most believable person to accomplish the physically demanding missions of Agent 007 (let’s see – Pierce Brosnan was too pretty, Roger Moore too stiff; Sean Connery was great too, but first we had to understand his Scottish. That leaves George Lazenby who quit after On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) and Timothy Dalton who’s as charismatic as a gran...

Wala nang next time (in filipino) Rebyu ni Vives Anunciacion Documentary ni Davis Guggenheim Featuring Al Gore 100 minutes/ GP United International Pictures Showing exclusively at SM Megamall and Mall of Asia **** (4 stars) Hindi pa uso sa Pilipinas ang global warming, pero base sa pelikulang ito, walang lugar sa mundo ang hindi apektado nito, at tayo ang dahilan kung bakit ito nagaganap. Manood at makinig, dahil ito na yata ang pinakamahalagang mensahe para sa ating henerasyon. Unti-unti nang umiinit ang klima ng mundo at tao ang salarin. Sa pamamagitan ng mga chart at graphs, pinaliliwanag ni Al Gore, muntik na presidente ng US, ang pagtaas ng temperatura sa atmosphere at ocean surface sa nakaraang ilang taon, dala ng pagdami ng carbon dioxide at iba pang greenhouse gases. Kumakapal ang mga ito sa atmosphere dahil sa masibang paggamit ng tao ng fossil fuels (langis, gas at uling) pagkakaingin at pagsasaka. Amerika ang pinakamalaking salarin, na nagbubuga ng 36% ng total carbon dioxid...

Review by Vives Anunciacion Happy Feet Directed by George Miller Featuring the voices of Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Robin Williams 98 minutes/ GP Warner Brothers **** (4 stars) It started with Madagascar and then with March of the Penguins (locally known as Penguin, Penguin, Paano Ka Ginawa? – by god, who on earth thought of that title), penguins are now officially the cutest animals on earth. In ice-covered Antarctica, Mumble Happy Feet (Elijah Wood) was born to dance and not to sing. His parents (Norma Jean, voiced by Nicole Kidman, and Memphis, voiced by Hugh Jackman) know that he will find it difficult to fit in with the rest of the penguins in Emperor Land, much less find his true love, if he doesn’t find and sing his heart song. Realizing that Mumble’s oddity can disrupt their harmony, Noah the Elder (Hugo Weaving) banishes Mumble from Emperor Land, accusing him of being the reason why the fish has become scarce. Travelling across Antarctica in sea...

(in filipino) Rebyu ni Vives Anunciacion Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Directed by Larry Charles Starring Sacha Baron-Cohen R:18 / 82 minutes Twentieth Century Fox **** (4stars) Barok siya kung mag-Ingles, pero parang tayo rin pag dinurugo na sa tainga kakausap sa mga dayuhang bisita dito sa atin. See Borat. See Borat movie film. Pwede na ba Ingles ko? Si Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron-Cohen, mas kilala bilang Ali-G) ay isang TV reporter na inatasang mag-observe sa kulturang Amerika at gumawa ng documentary para sa ikauunlad ng bansang Kazakhstan (dating probinsiya ng nasirang U.S.S.R.) Mula New York hanggang Los Angeles, maghahasik si Borat ng lagim at katatawanan upang ipapakita ang ibang anyo ng pamumuhay sa Amerika na di madalas ipakita ng Hollywood o ng CNN. Isa itong mockumentary o isang pekeng dokumentaryo na pinapakita ang “normal” na kulturang Amerikano sa mata ng isang foreigner. Sa isang banda maaaring ganito rin ang maging ...

Review ni Vives Anunciacion Flags of Our Fathers Directed by Clint Eastwood Written by William Broyles Jr., Paul Haggis Starring Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach DreamWorks/ Warner Brothers ** (2 stars) A picture is worth a thousand words, pero sa Flags of Our Fathers kulang ang one thousand words dahil paulit-ulit na tatanungin ni director Clint Eastwood kung ano ang tunay na kahulugan ng kabayanihan. Paulit-ulit hanggang matapos ang pelikula, may sermon pa. Actually mas kasalanan ng mga writers. Based on the book by James Bradley and Ron Powers, Flags of Our Fathers is Clint Eastwood’s lavish deconstruction of the famous photo taken by Joe Rosenthal depicting the raising of the star spangled banner by American soldiers on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. More than what it means to the American public, Flags of Our Fathers dissects the true meaning of heroism sa katauhan ng tatlo sa anim na sundalong nagtaas ng bandila. Sina Doc Bradley (Ryan Philippe), Rene Gagnon (Jesse Brad...

Review by Vives Anunciacion The Prestige Directed by Christopher Nolan Starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson Touchstone Pictures *** ½ (3 ½ stars) At more than two hours, the movie is slightly (just a little bit) difficult to finish – there are so many twists and turns and revelations, one can’t wait for the ending to come. But it’s this anticipation that makes the movie The Prestige a rousing success – just like a great magic act, one can’t wait to see the magician reveal his trick. In this case, the magician is director Christopher Nolan and his tools are Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine and a cleverly adapted script from the novel by Christopher Priest. The Prestige is more about two magicians’ obsessive pursuit to create the ultimate magic trick and not about the trick itself. Look closely, they didn’t use digital effects in this movie. This is old-school filmmaking at one of its finest. Christian Bale (formerly Batman) and Hugh Jackman...

Review by Vives Anunciacion World Trade Center Directed by Oliver Stone Written by Andrea Berloff Starring Nicholas Cage, Michael Peña Paramount Pictures ** ½ (2 ½ stars) I always get mixed reactions from an Oliver Stone film. But it’s a personal thing, a matter of taste. In fairness, the set-ups and the acting in World Trade Center are never too showy nor over-dramatic. But it is erratic – beautiful and ugly, poetic and literal in various places. World Trade Center is Stone’s intensely dramatic dedication to the families who survived the 9/11 tragedy. John McLoughlin (Nicholas Cage) and Will Jimeno (Michael Peña) are two of the hundreds of Port Authority police officers called in to rescue the people trapped in the collapsing towers of the World Trade Center when the walls crash in and they themselves get trapped in the rubble. The movie follows the stories above and below ground, between John’s and Will’s physical and mental struggle to stay alive beneath layers of twisted metal and ...

Review by Vives Anunciacion The Departed (3 stars) Directed by Martin Scorsese Written by William Monahan Starring Leonardo Di Caprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg The Departed by all accounts is a reworking of the 2002 Hong Kong megahit Infernal Affairs, never mind if director Martin Scorsese says his movie isn’t a remake. Leo Di Caprio and Matt Damon play two sides of the Boston State Police. Leo’s Billy Costigan is an undercover cop hired to uncover the illegal dealings of the Irish Mafia led by kingpin Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), while Matt’s Colin Sullivan is a hotshot rookie detective who serves as Costello’s inside man. When the police and the Mafia suspect a spy in their ranks, Billy and Colin devise ways to keep their identities secret from within their groups, while they individually try to expose each other. Jack Nicholson’s zesty Costello is enough for him to snatch the lead acting nomination away from Leo, though his role opens the debate on what is and ...