I haven’t been posting for some time. For good reason.
I was in London and Paris recently and was out of the Reviewing loop for a while.
Will post about my London and Paris summer – which means the Wimbledon Championships 2024 and Paris Olympics 2024 – soon.
Stay tuned!
The Bad Boys return for a fourth run on the big screen, screaming age is but a dollar number.
At the end of Bad Boys For Life (2020,) Mike (Will Smith) appeared to be striking a deal with his imprisoned drug-dealing son Armando (Jacob Scipio.) That part of the story continues in Ride or Die, where Mike and Marcus (Martin Lawrence) investigate the posthumous corruption charges against former Miami PD captain Howard (Joe Pantaliano.) The buddy cops are set up as working with the criminals, so they work against the system to clear all their names and catch the real guilty baddies.
Almost everyone from For Life reprise their roles in Ride or Die, including Paola Nuñez, (erstwhile Philippine Tourism ambassador) Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig and a few quick appearances from DJ Khaled, Tiffany Haddish and Lionel Messi? McSteamy Eric Dane joins the cast as the new baddy, McGrath. Former Mr Fantastic Ioan Gruffud is here and forgettable as Lockwood.
Ride or Die is just par for course among the rest of the films in this buddy cop franchise that started in 1995 under the helm of Michael Bay, and now under the Belgian filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. That long franchise history may have enough built-in fans to sustain another (fifth) outing as only age and inflamed muscular joints can allow – already showing in some of Smith’s and especially Lawrence’s fairly limited action shots. To be fair, from a filmmaking standpoint, the directors aggressively make use of dynamic movement and angles to keep the action sustained, even when Mike and Marcus are just c̴a̴t̴c̴h̴i̴n̴g̴ ̴t̴h̴e̴i̴r̴ ̴b̴r̴e̴a̴t̴h̴s̴ standing, throwing punchlines at each other. At some point in the climax, the camera swoops down as a drone, takes a closeup of Mike shooting enemies, flips to become a first-person shooter POV, flips back to Mike’s closeup, then zooms out to reveal a mid shot of the room all in one take. Not as choreographed as Extraction 2 or as relentless as The Raid. So yeah, if you liked the past films, you’ll like Ride or Die, with another salute-worthy performance from Dennis Greene as Marcus’ very grown-up soldier son, Reggie. Won’t be surprised if this makes money and a fifth Bad Boys is announced.
It’s been said that the rest of the world sees the US the way US Americans see Florida – it’s Disneyworld, but also Mar-a-Lago. Racially diverse, but also book-banning. It’s like a dysfunctional sibling to the rest of the States. Where am I going with this thesis? That Murica has a guns problem – and the way I see Bad Boys: Ride or Die is that it is such a display of the 2nd Amendment. An entertaining, funny and action-packed celebration of the time when there was no issue about wokeness, and if Murica wanted an action movie, it better have lots of gun shooting and car chases. There’s a tongue-in-cheek scene where Mike and Marcus stray into a 2nd Amendment, Confederate-flagging compound, and the two try to lie their way out from a couple of rifle-toting white guys. Nothing offensive about the joke, I think. But for me, that’s the thing – the film does portray that there’s nothing offensive with carrying rifles on your person. The NRA could endorse this film. Long live Murica.
Its sensibilities may belong to a different time, but Ride or Die’s comedy and action slap really hard.
I have a feeling Ride or Die will make good money at the theaters. Curious to see its boxoffice demographics.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die is in Philippine cinemas now, from Columbia Pictures.
GARFIELD
This is an easy watch. Or is it? It’s illogical and chaotic – totally Garfield! Or is it? Judging by the special screening, it is audience-approved.
Garfield, the world’s most infatamous tabby cat (yup I’m inventing words) is back on the big screen to deal with unresolved daddy issues (and hunger pangs.) Chris Pratt voices another IP that does not involve religion as the indoor feline with the insatiable appetite for Italian.
This somewhat reintroduction of Garfield and friends to the Alpha generation shows how the orange tabby got separated from papa tabby Vic (Samuel L. Jackson) and eventually adopted his hooman Jon (voiced by Nicholas Hoult.)
Vic reappears in adult Garfield’s pampered life out of nowhere but inadvertently drags Junior tabby (that’s Garfield) into Vic’s messy entanglement with Jinx (Hannah Waddingham.) Somehow, a crime involving stealing thousands of gallons of milk from a dairy farm becomes the main plot of the story, with the side quest of saving cattle couple Otto (Ving Rhames) and Olivia (Janella James.) Yes. this movie is intended for children. The basic message is covered: family first, parents love your children, friends and family make for a happy life – yadda yadda Holllywood.
Frenetic is the key word, although that would make this version of Garfield a lot less nonchalant than the jazz-singing late ’80s to mid ’90s TV cartoon variety. A lot less sarcastic, too, this one is. A full song number from Jinx in the end credits makes me believe that songs were considered for Garfield at some point – but maybe the makers decided that the new Garfield is more keen on using Spotify than randomly bursting out in a jazz song. Maybe Jazz is too Boomer for the new market.
Illogical narrative and questionable parenting aside, Pinoys love kittens – so this is almost a no-brainer to bring kids to the cineplex to see Garfield (if your family can, of course.)
#GarfieldMovie opened in Philippine cinemas May 29 from @columbiapicph
Images and links from Columbia Pictures
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IF
For a movie about the wonders of the Imagination, IF had a fairly limited stretch. Where’s the Thin Old Man With A Hat imaginary friend, iykwim? How about a rainbow-farting pink baby pig unicorn with a Jamaican accent? Or how about a green little person with bug eyes – the type that looks like an alien? You know, the types conjured by WILD children’s imagination without abandon. Maybe the Ice Cube in a Cup character fits here, but really?
But also: in Asia, if you have an imaginary friend, nae-engkanto ka na (You’re being bewitched by nature spirits.)
Idk how this film would resonate, it’s emotionally flat (music worked overtime to compensate but ugh.) How would places that don’t usually have imaginary friends in their culture feel about this, I don’t know. Do Vampire friends also go to an imaginary theme park for retirement? Are all imaginary friends cute and cuddly?
Felt like the original child character was written male, then changed into female. The “adventures” skew to the blue spectrum of gender assignment.
Also, felt like a studio attempt at starting an IP with theme park characters – merch here, merch there. Sequel means more merch.
In fairness, Ryan Reynolds tried to sell this show. He ain’t Wonka though. Character felt more Pied Piper.
Looks great though, cinematography by one of Spielberg’s regulars, Janusz Kaminski.
IF was released through Paramount Pictures.
Add this deceptively satisfying, unassuming production to your next fitspiration goals. And enjoy a rom-com while at it.
Somewhere in China, Le Ying (Ling Jia) wastes her time all day doing practically nothing, leaving the tending of their family’s small convenience store to her mother (Haiyan Zhao) and her recently-divorced sister Le Dan (Xiaofe Zhang.) A big argument erupts between the siblings, afterwards Le Ying storms away from home. One would think that she wouldn’t survive on her own. Somehow she manages.
She meets boxing trainer Hao Kun (Jiayin Lei.) She is attracted, he needs her gym membership. One would think she wouldn’t last a week in a gym. She does, of course. And more.
In a case of why-is-this-generic-rom-com-worth-seeing is not the inspiring story of Le Ying’s cinderella transformation to win her boxing prince charming. (But there are some cute funny moments for the rom-com crowd.) The reason comes towards the end of the film, when all is revealed.
It must be noted that Yolo is based on the 2014 Japanese film 100 Yen Love (Hyakuen no Koi) by Take Masaharu, so any credit to the inspiring story must start from that. The Chinese tale, however, leans on the brighter side of romantic comedy and is more empowering in the end than the Japanese original.
For the good entirety of the film, viewers are deceived by the camera (or at least, that’s how I think the film’s look was intended) to constantly wonder how the production pulled off showing the main character at 100kg in the beginning, and nearly half of that weight at the end. Best prosthetic makeup? CGI? Caloric deficit? The thought pestered not just me but other reviewers attending the screening. By the end-credits, you’re either doing Oscars slow claps or shaking your head in disbelief. (Would have also benefited from better and more subtitles, as many are left out untranslated.)
Hilarious, heart-warming, but most importantly, inspiring. YOLO is a hit!
YOLO is in cinemas starting Wednesday April 17, presented by Columbia Pictures Philippines.
(Images from Columbia Pictures)
Warning: the latest from the ghost patrol may cause short term brain freeze from too much exposition. The effect is temporary. The main villain, Garraka, looks gnarly cool though. Fans will enjoy the nostalgia trip.
Spoilers be here, too, so skitattle if you wish.
The Spenglers Callie (Carrie Coon), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) plus their ex-teacher-now-Callie’s-BF Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) have transferred to New York, ghostbusting for the big city. Why, it is unclear. Their action opening scene together shows an atypical family dynamic, but they get the job done, despite the mayor’s frustrations.
Nadeem (Kumail Nanjiani) sells an unusual relic to Ray Stantz (Dan Akroyd) unaware of the evil it contained. That evil is unleashed after Phoebe meets Melody (Emily Alyn Lind), the ghost of a young woman who perished in a fire.
The new Ghostbusters reteam with the old but refurbished Ghostbusters (Akroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts) plus Afterlife holdovers Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) and Podcast (Logan Kim.) The latest cast addition is the group’s resident geek, Lars (played by James Acaster) who runs the Ghostbuster’s newest containment and research facility across town (but still in New York.)
Was that a long intro to the cast? You bet. The film gets busy doing just that. AND THEN it goes to the plot about some ancient general who vowed freezing the world to death after getting betrayed by his king. Why freezing, I dunno, maybe that was his villainpower.
TLDR: Family wins. New York (by that, it means the WHOLE WORLD) is saved.
Grace carries her scenes, er, with grace, as the emotional center of the story that circles around her being the odd member of the group despite being the brains and spirit of the current Spenglers. Akroyd and Kim are also my comedic favorites, since Afterlife (Akroyd since the original.)
Strange that a fairly acknowledged duo of filmmakers (writers-directors Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman) could come up with something generic. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire redoubts itself on the 2021 franchise reboot Afterlife by again bingeing nostalgic the original cast, then creating this new, young atom of Busters, and rehashing the end of the world scenario of the 1984 story (which Afterlife also did.) Plus the endless replay of the original theme song.
Strange that the film brands the new team as a Spengler fam – would that mean in the future spawns of this storyline, no one will take Grooberson as a surname should Callie and Gary tie the knot? Callie did call herself Spengler. Does the empire in Frozen Empire mean Empire State, or the fictional ancient empire that Garraka came from? How did Garraka know what Phoebe will do? Minor quips.
It’s not a particularly bad film – the creatures look awesome for Halloween, and I don’t mind the really scary scenes (the original had sexual undertones, stop thinking this is child’s play.) But for all its production worth, in this REAL day and age of “the world just might ACTUALLY end tomorrow in another pandemic or nuclear war,” shouldn’t Hollywood at the very least not waste time and money on something we as an audience already have wasted time and money on? Oh, wait, they did try that in Ghostbusters 2016.
This kind of cold actually bothered me. Let it go, Hollywood, maybe?
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire opens today April 10 in cinemas, from Columbia Pictures Philippines.
Images courtesy of Columbia Pictures.
How about some pre-Holy Week katatakutan that delivers not just the creeps but full-on stressful moments?
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much before the press screening, but the trailer looked good, and the movie stars one of my all-time favorite Korean actors, Kim Go-eun. No contest. Go Exhuma!
Exhuma (Korean title: 파묘, “digging”) is a nail-biting supernatural thriller from writer-director Jang Jae-hyun.
NOT SPOILERISH (I think)
A rich Korean family in Los Angeles offers a large sum of money to shaman duo Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun) and Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun) to save a young baby. However, the process would involve moving (exhuming) the tomb of an ancestor long gone. Hwa-rim enlists the expertise of veteran geomancer Sang-deok (Choi Min-shik) and mortician Yeong-geun (Yoo Hae-jin.)
In this case of Murphy’s Law goes to the Korean boondocks, everything turns from bad to worse as soon as they dig up that grave.
Now we’ve all seen some Korean shamanism and occult rituals in films and shows before (Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim, The Guest, The Cursed, Bring It On Ghost, The 8th Night.) Often, the more serious of these stories would mix shamanism with some police detective procedural which would be the core of the show. But Exhuma puts these rituals to their believable realism in the center of the story, and the main actors all play their parts excellently, such that these ceremonies tell a story of their own. Never before have South Korean shaman rituals been presented so satisfyingly suspenseful – with the possible exception of 2016’s The Wailing (곡성 Gokseong, by Na Hong-jin), and even then, the rituals didn’t take a big portion of the film. Here in Exhuma, you get creeped out, intrigued, mesmerized and anxious all at once while watching close to actual shaman rituals. But the point is, you’d want (to believe) these rituals would work, because that’s how the bad guy can be dealt with in the story. We want that “expelliarmus!” to be as powerful, effective and believable as if Dr. Strange himself cast it.
What worked: spell-binding acting (regardless of my bias, they’re all good!), top-notch atmospherics and a confident control of tension that does not resort to cheap jumpscares for the heck of it. Also, the back story about Japanese occupation in World War II added some real drama to this fantasy.
What didn’t work (too much) is the final chapter which had to bind together the different strings of the story, but it was fun to have an anime moment when the protagonists banded together to fight the evil. With the surprise (oops?) appearance of another K-drama favorite, Kim Sun-young as Hwa-rim’s senior, Gwang-shim. It’s okay, it’s horror – a messy final act isn’t a deal-breaker.
#Exhuma opens this March 20th in cinemas across the Philippines. Presented by Columbia Pictures Philippines @ColumbiaPicPh
#ExhumaMoviePh
#meangirlsmusical is a fun-enough update to the 2004 comedy that became a cult classic even outside the Lindsay Lohan fandom. It is supposed to be the film adaptation to the Broadway musical also based on the original film, although, if you’ve noticed, there’s hardly any song played in this film’s marketing. It’s the film’s main weakness even though it is the reason for its existence.
Reneé Rapp fabulously steals the show reprising her Broadway role as queen bee Regina George, while supports Auli’l Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey (as Janice and Damian) deliver the message and the laughs as musical narrators. Won’t be surprised if Rapp gets some recognition when awards season kicks in later this year.
Interestingly, the romantic leads to this glittered play (Angourie Rice as Cady and Christopher Briney as Aaron) aren’t front and center in story and song, barely getting any solos to their credit.
What should be credited is the camera choreography, with most (if not all) productions in long single (or fake-single) takes.
Everything else is familiar territory to existing fans, but in Gen Z fashion. Yes, including Glen Coco. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows reprise their original roles as well as Ms Norbury and Principal Duvall respectively.
Mean Girls is out in Philippine theaters today February 7. Rated PG.
Images courtesy of Paramount Pictures Intl.
It’s almost antithetical to Hollywood. The cinematic equivalent of getting revived.
If indeed it is the master’s final work, generations on this planet would like to extend their deepest gratitude and most sublime praise for his life’s work.
Domo arigato どうもありがとう Hayao Miyazaki. #TheBoyAndTheHeron
Here we go again. The series may not be over, but we’re saying thank you and goodbye to some.
Many thanks to MAPPA for their exceptional work this year. Please give your animators a long paid vacation, plus bonuses. And pay raise. Please. And to all your staff and crew, thanks.
To Gege Akutami who despite everything story-wise, gave a whirlwind of a second season that was often knuckle-baring, sometimes frustrating, sometimes funny but ultimately heartachingly tragic. Damn you.
To the voice actors who breathed life to these characters this season as well as in the last, take a bow. You made us laugh, angry, cry. Many many thanks. And hear you in your next shows.
We won’t forget #JujutsuKaisenSesson2 anytime soon. #JJKS2 #ShibuyaArc
(S2 End music “more than words” by #HitsujiBungaku)
Maybe I had more time to watch this year, maybe it was because I consciously avoided Kdramas, but I saw a lot of anime this year. That said, it’s the same year I’ve decided I’ve seen enough transported (or reincarnated!) to another world isekai.
Obligatory list of what I enjoyed seeing this 2023. This isn’t a list of (what I think is) the best of 2023, but I’ve narrowed down this list to the films and shows which I truly liked and enjoyed.
As in the previous years, I didn’t get to see a lot of films. Fortunately, I did get to see a few gems.
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Talk to Me
Jujutsu Kaisen S2
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (ongoing)
Blue Eye Samurai S1
Pluto
Zom100: Bucket List of the Dead (anime ver) (ongoing)
Heaven Official’s Blessing S2 (ongoing)
Silo S1
The Last of Us S1
I Cannot Reach You
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S2
Mentions:
The Super Mario Bros Movie (because it’s Mario and I saw it on my birthday)
May December
Past Lives
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Gamera: Rebirth
The Wheel of Time S2
Foundation S2
Apothecary Diaries (ongoing)
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (ongoing)
Yuyu Hakusho
Interview With A Vampire S1
Three Body (Tencent, China)
Hells Paradise S1
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
Demon Slayer/ Kimetsu no Yaiba S3: Swordsmen Village Arc
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre
Dirty Linen (Philippines) (parts of it, and I didn’t even finish the entire series)
Maybe Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (if only for the train sequence)
I’ve only just started with Skip and Loafer, which recently was named the year’s Best Anime by Filmarks, Japan’s largest review site. Not my pick for best of the year, but I can understand the choice.
Not in the list but deserves, if only they weren’t too toxic for me:
Beef
The Bear S2
I should be watching:
Fellow Travelers
Dr. Who
Slow Horses
I haven’t seen yet but i def wanna see:
The Boy and The Heron
Poor Things
Godzilla Minus One
Saltburn
Beau is Afraid
The Creator
Zone of Interest
Anatomy of a Fall
All of us Strangers
The Taste of Things
Monster (Japan)
Perfect Days
Society of the Snow
20 Days in Mariupol
Totem
Io Capitano
Looks like 2024 won’t be any less busy with a good number of shows and films on the horizon. Dune Part 2, Mickey 17, Furiosa, Wicked Part 1, The War of the Rohirrim, Solo Leveling, Kaiju No.8, Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc, Maboroshi, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom, House of the Dragon S2, Avatar: The Last Airbender, 3 Body Problem, The Brothers Sun, The Regime, The Woman in the Wall, Masters of the Air.
Bring on the new year. Hopefully with no more wars around, please.
acid reflects 