Although a tad slow-moving, I was fascinated by the Saudi Arabian culture and the really interesting visuals. Tom Hanks was brilliant as always.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
(Originally published June 1, 2016.)
Category: Foreign – 2016
MOVIE REVIEW: COLOSSAL (Nacho Vigalondo, 2016)
Started as a cool concept where Anne Hathaway controlled a Godzilla/Cloverfield-like monster in Seoul, but eventually abandoned its metaphors and never went beyond its “There’s a monster in all of us” tagline. I wonder what Charlie Kaufman could have done with this conceit.
By the time it reached its final act, it had turned into an actual disaster by way of Ashley Judd revenge B-movies where all men were the real monsters.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
(Originally published May 30, 2017.)
MOVIE REVIEW: WARCRAFT: THE BEGINNING (Duncan Jones, 2016)
Game over.
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
(Originally published May 29, 2016.)
MOVIE REVIEW: MONEY MONSTER (Jodie Foster, 2016)
Mission implausible, but who could resist George Clooney dancing like a more lesbian version of Ellen DeGeneres?
Rating: ★★★☆☆
(Originally published May 28, 2016.)
MOVIE REVIEW: X-MEN: APOCALYPSE (Bryan Singer, 2016)
Sweet dreams are not made of this.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
(Originally published May 28, 2016.)
MOVIE REVIEW: THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE (Clay Kaytis, Fergal Reilly, 2016)
To paraphrase the infamous Chito Miranda:
“Ang mga birdie na ito ay medyo masungit, konting hawak lang siguradong magagalit.”
Rating: ★★★☆☆
(Originally published May 28, 2016.)
MOVIE REVIEW: A MONSTER CALLS (J.A. Bayona, 2016)
About a boy that occasionally lived in a fantasy world to escape the harsh realities of his sad life that included a sick mother, a loathing grandmother, and an absentee father.
The transitions between the actual world and the glorious animated landscapes were superb. I was easily drawn to the fairy tales that may or may not have been manifestations of the boy’s depression.
In a cast that had such fine performances (Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, the voice of Liam Neeson), it was Lewis MacDougall that delivered the heartbreak and pain in a breakthrough role, reminiscent of last year’s Jacob Tremblay.
The humans here were indeed complicated beasts and by the time someone spoke the truth, I was sobbing loudly in my seat.
Bring a box of tissues.
Rating: ★★★★★
(Originally published November 2, 2016.)
MOVIE REVIEW: MOTHER’S DAY (Garry Marshall, 2016)
Too many stars, too many stories, too predictable. Ironically enough, the best bits involved fathers.
(And yes, naiyak ako, ok?)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
(Originally published May 8, 2016.)
MOVIE REVIEW: MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (Jeff Nichols, 2016)
E.T. phone home!
Rating: ★★★★☆
(Originally published April 24, 2016.)
MOVIE REVIEW: THE JUNGLE BOOK (Jon Favreau, 2016)
Surprisingly, it had more than just the bare necessities. The voice performances (a menacing Idris Elba, a regal Ben Kingsley, and a singing Christopher Walken) were just top-notch. Bring the kids.
Rating: ★★★★☆
(Originally published April 10, 2016.)
The Spotless Mind 