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Review by Vives Anunciacion Inquirer Libre 16 November 2005 page 6 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Directed by Mike Newell Written by Steven Kloves Based on the novel by J.K. Rowling Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes GP / 147 minutes Warner Brothers Pictures Opens Nov 16 Dark times haunt Harry Potter at Hogwarts this year as he battles fiery dragons, terrible Death Eaters and… puppy love? Horror and hormones abound in the fourth incantation of the Potter series, the most elaborate so far. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is buffeted by nightmares about the dark Lord Voldemort on the night he joins Hermione (Emma Watson), Ron (Rupert Grint) and the rest of the Weasleys before their trip to the Quidditch World Cup. Even before the event would reach its climax, Death Eaters appear and terrify the campsite, presumably in search of something or someone in the crowd. Harry survives the attack and gets a glimpse of the perpetrators, which he reports to the author...

Review by Vives Anunciacion Flightplan Directed by Robert Schwentke Written by Peter Dowling, Billy Ray Starring Jodie Foster, Sean Bean, Peter Sarsgaard PG 13 / 93 minutes Buena Vista International/ Columbia Pictures Opens November 9 A Jodie Foster movie is a required viewing simply because she’s in it. As Sommersby director John Amiel put it, “if God had designed a perfect acting machine, it would be pretty close to Jodie.” Flightplan may not be a top-notch thriller, but Foster’s performance in it is first-class, as usual. Flightplan carries the story of jet propulsion engineer Kyle Pratt (Foster), who is flying from Berlin with her daughter Julia (Marlene Lawston) to bury her late husband in New York. Midway through her trans-Atlantic flight, Julia disappears without a trace. Kyle’s fears mount as she makes a frantic search for her lost six-year-old child. Insisting that something wrong has happened to Julia, Kyle manages to ask flight Captain Rich (squarely played by Sean Bean) to ...

Review by Vives Anunciacion Ispiritista: Itay, may moomoo! Directed by Tony. Y. Reyes Written by RJ Nuevas, Tony Y. Reyes, Antonio Tuviera, Nino T. Rodriguez Starring Vic Sotto, BJ Forbes GP / 105minutes Regal Entertainment, APT Entertainment There’s so much noise from all the screaming and shouting in Ispiritista, it should be enough to scare audiences away from the hammy horror comedy. Alas, it’s making money at the tills. Apparently, what’s keeping the local movie industry alive is the same reason that’s killing it. Formula. Vic Sotto plays Victor Espiritu (how inspired), a sulking widower and lonely father to Tom Tom (BJ Forbes.) By day Victor pretends to be a spirit medium (ispiritista), conning people who have problems with the paranormal. But it is Tom Tom who can commune with the departed, it takes a while for Victor to understand the situation. For the most part, Ispiritista is a collection of Victor’s slapstick antics as a quack medium and chick magnet, aided by two sidekicks...

Review by Vives Anunciacion Ilusyon Direction, Editing and Animation by Ellen Ramos and Paolo Villaluna Written by Jon Red and Paolo Villaluna Starring Yul Servo, JC Parker R18/ 117 minutes Digital Viva Adult content and themes Hunger pangs of different sorts illustrate the struggling painter’s desires in this adult period drama about passions and palettes. Ilusyon stars Yul Servo as provincianic Miguel. He visits his starving artist of a father Pablo (played by digital movie favorite Ronnie Lazaro) at his humble home in Manila only to discover that Pablo has ventured on his own soul searching following the death of his wife and Miguel’s mother. Miguel stays in Manila and takes a painter’s job – house painting that is. Miguel meets Stella (JC Parker) one humid day in 1958. Stella is a nude model scheduled for a painting session with Miguel’s father. Instantly infatuated with the lady in red, Miguel assumes his father’s identity and pretends to be a portrait artist. Meanwhile, Stella d...

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...