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Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - As much as I was delighted with the first film, the sequel proved to be the opposite. I felt the whole story was bogged down with too much back story, despite the kick-ass special effects and battle sequences. The flow of the plot was also surprisingly dragging for a film of this genre. I found myself fidgeting in my seat, looking at my watch, and even yawning at times. It definitely could've benefited from tighter editing to speed up the pace of the film.

On the upside though, for the carpet munchers out there, the girls are smokin'!

Urgh. I don't believe I just said that! *barfs*

EW rating: 3/5. Ho-hum

Drag Me to Hell - Yes, please do so. I came in expecting a good horror film, and came out scratching my head and wondering, "What the fuck was that all about?" The plot line and the horror scenes were so ridiculous that it bordered on high camp. I couldn't help but laugh out aloud at the most inopportune moments, most especially in the scary scenes of the movie. The whole film had a very B-movie feel to it that I think was very much intentional. My cup of tea most certainly it wasn't. I very much want my horror films scare the shit outta me, thank you.

I have to admit, the cadaver retching the nasty stuff (formalin?) into the mouth of the lead actress was priceless in gross kind of way. Hehehe

EW: 2/5. Can be a cult classic 20 yrs from now.

Ice Age : Dawn of the Dinosaurs - The first movie was cute. The second one, less cute. This one was crap. Talk about being being dinosaur-paced (pun most intended) with the intermittent jokes thrown in once for good measure. It was so boring I actually dozed off for a good ten minutes or so. The only saving grace was that Cubao Boy and I watched it in 3-D. I had more fun watching the objects zoom out of the screen than paying attention to the story.

EW: 1.5/5. Skip it. You'll definitely save money.


Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - This is the proverbial calm before the big storm of the finale in the whole franchise of the series. Very much like the book, the movie functioned more as a back story filler rather than than a device to move the narrative of the saga. The result? It was slower-paced compared to the other movies, but rewarding in terms of adding more layers to the saga as a whole. The lead trio were no longer the cutesy tykes from the first film, and they were given just the right adolescent touches in this movie. I still think that Helana Bonhan Carter as Bella Lestange was a brilliant casting coup, and I could think of no other actress fit to portray Minerva McGonagall than Dame Maggie Smith. I just can't wait for the last film to come out!

EW's rating: 4/5. Slow but steady rise to the climax.

Next movie. And in IMAX, too. Woohoo!!

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Mga Piling Piling Pelikula 1

I just realized I relatively chalked up a lot of movie-going this year. I guess the convenience of downloading stuff has taken its toll on my at least once-a-week routine of watching movies in a real cinema house. But like I said, lately, I've found myself watching movies the old fashioned way with Totoy Mola, Cubao Boy, and Ting Ting Cojuangco in various permutations. Good thing, since it serves as a reminder to me that nothing really beats watching movies where they were meant to be seen: on the big silver screen.

Here are some of the movies I've watched this past few months:


The Watchmen - For a comic geek like me, this has gotta be a dream come true. After about 20 years, the ground-breaking series was finally brought to the big screen. But like any other adaptation, there were some parts that were taken out, condensed, and revised. And yes, there stretches that dragged a tad bit for comfort. But the basic Machiavellian premise of the comic book still came across clear as water in the movie: is it justified to sacrifice a couple million of people for the greater good of the billions?

Eternal Wanderer's rating: 3.5/5. Very much watchable even if you're not familiar with the comic.


Pssst...Tenament 2 - The third installment of Chito Roño's horror trilogy (and perhaps the weakest of the three). Coincidentally, the 2nd installment, Sukob, was probably the last Filipino film I watched in a movie house (yes, shame on me). It was interesting for Roño to dig-up the mythos surrounding the folkloric beliefs about encantos, but for all the modernization surrounding the film, it lacked one of the basic requirements of an engaging film: a good and focused narrative. I felt there was too much meandering in the plot, and at the end, I couldn't decide if it was a crappy horror film or a fantaserye gone rotten. Too bad, since Fung Shui and Sukob were films I really, really enjoyed.

EW's rating: 2.5/5. If you're looking for something to do to kill time, be my guest.


Star Trek - The best lot of the films I've watched so far! In this case, the updating of the Star Trek franchise worked very much to its favor. The result was a fresher and edgier twist to familiar characters. I loved the way they incorporated the time-travel factor to open the gate to a fresh reboot. This plot twist allowed the most seasoned Trekkie to experience the origins with a brand-new perspective, and at the same time, presented to newbie a very approachable initiation into the franchise itself. It had none of the clunky special effects you'd associate with the older films and the the original TV series. Instead, one is rewarded with eye-popping space battle scenes coupled with a fast-paced and tightly knit narrative. Definitely a winner!

And if you ask me, never in my life has it crossed my mind that Capt James T. Kirk can be extremely HOT in his undies!

Teehee

EW rating: 5/5. Don't miss this one!

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