Top 10 Movies for 2013

Since 2013 is about to end and as we welcome 2014, I decided to give you MY top 10 movies for 2013 (in no particular order mind you). This of course wouldn't be possible if not for our friends from 20th Century Fox, Dreamworks, Warner Bros. Pictures, Solar Entertainment and new additions like Captive Cinema, CrystalSky and Axinitte Digicinema. 

10. Gravity 

Nothing can be more compelling than humanity overcoming anything being thrown at them including space debris and burning space shuttles. Add to that some stellar acting from Sandra Bullock and George Clooney and Alfonso Cuaron just paved his way to an Oscar.

9. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 

The continued saga of Thorin Oakenshield together with the rest of his dwarf company and Bilbo Baggins continues and it's being shown in magnificent HFR IMAX 3D. Great adaptation and butchering of the J.R.R. Tolkien classic kids book and great way to give the ladies another fellow to swoon over in the form of Thranduil. 

8. Captain Phillips 

The only 'realistic' movie in my list. Captain Phillips is all about humanity in the face of adversity. It's a play on morals and decisions and compassion and it's got Tom Hanks in it playing the titular Captain Phillips. You'll also be amazed at the military tactics and precision that is the US Coast Guard and Navy Seals.

7. This is the End 

This one's on my list for all the sheer hilarity and dirtiness of the characters particular James Franco. I hated that they were pushing too much of the bromosexuality but that's all forgiven the moment you see the Backstreet Boys dancing in heaven to the tune of "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)".

6. Thor: The Dark World

Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Tom Hiddleston return for another serving of Asgardian goodness. There's so many things to love about this sequel. More humor and more Hiddleston however are the top reasons. And they got the ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston to play the bad guy Malekith the Accursed too.

5. Iron Man 3

Never have I ever thought that Tony Stark could actually be twice as good as the Iron Man armor. Shane Black delivers a really good and solid Iron Man movie focusing equally on the massive array of Iron Man armor as well as the man inside the shell. Robert Downey Jr. truly rocked this performance. Great cast too and despite the debacle of The Mandarin, it's still a good movie to watch.

4. Man of Steel

Director Zack Snyder shows us a radically different Superman in Man of Steel. This man really punches hard and even breaks necks (literally!). The world is different and the acting was OK. Henry Cavill also shows us why he was born to play the role of Clark Kent/ Kal El/ Superman. It sucks though that there's very little chemistry between him and Lois Lane Amy Adams. Still, a pretty great movie. It's like Dragonball Z only with DC's main hero in it.

3. Frozen

A DISNEY MOVIE THAT WILL MAKE YOU SING?!?! How long has it been since that were the case. usually it's just there to make us cry but it hasn't made us sing and hum. Frozen does that and delivers a wonderful story that's loosely based on the legend of "The Ice Queen". It's a love story but it's not played out entirely like that and while the main pull might be a love angle between Christoph and Anna, it's really the sisterly love between Elsa and Anna that gets the main spotlight. Massive props too for the addition of Olaf who's quickly become a favorite character of mine.

2. Mama / The Conjuring

Can't figure which of the two I liked best so I'm chucking them as a special two-in-one deal. Guillermo Del Toro has Jessica Chastain playing a reluctant surrogate mother/ aunt whose kids brought along the diabolical 'Mama'. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson on the other hand are real life paranormal experts Ed and Lorraine Warren. Both movies are scary and both have some sense of royalty among other horror movies that came out this year. 

1. Pacific Rim 

Giant fighting robots? Check! Giant monsters called Kaiju? Check! Two brooding and awesome pilots? Check! 3D monster-robot fights?! Check! Fuck the intricacies of the story and just watch this like 5 year old boy and you will surely enjoy this film. Nuff Said!

So there we go. Here's to more movies for 2014 and many more reviews! 

Superman/Batman # 4 Review

Reviewing Superman/ Batman # 4 by Greg Pak and Jae Lee

I was surprised that I actually liked this issue given that my Jae Lee taste went down for the past few issues. 

Not going to beat around the bush here, so the strongest part of this issue falls around the end. In some weird way we get to understand the motivations behind Darkseid's attack on Justice League's first story arc plus the start of "Earth 2" and goes down further to what's currently happening to that book. 

Pak scores a home run with an OK ending for the two pairs of Supermen and Batmen. In some way, it's like a fitting start to the careers of the New 52 version of the World's Finest and at the same time, a way for us to peer into the world of the 'Wonders' from Earth 2 which we were seriously deprived in Earth 2.

I like the tease for the ending and the possible return of the villain too. Plus that scene revisiting the kid from issue # 1 was a good call. A really good bookended story arc. 

I'd say this issue's one of the strongest issues that's been produced for the title. Can't wait for what Greg Pak, Jae Lee and the rest of the creative team will be revealing next. 

Verdict: B+

CARRIE Review

Reviewing CARRIE starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore from Columbia Pictures.

The Carrie remake is just as scary and grossly amusing as the first one with Sissy Spacek. Moretz did justice to Sissy Spacek's classic role of teenage telekinetic. Not only that Moretz and the movie itself brings some modern sensibilities to the classic Stephen King story.

So what's to like about this one. For starters (and I'm still raving about this till now) Julianne Moore's performance here in this film is up there. The proper term for the film was "epistolary horror" and boy did Moore's acting as deeply religious Margaret White bring about the term. Not only that, the physicality and visuals that Moore conveyed was pretty hardcore here. In fact there was a scene in the film where I really thought I was watching Guillermo Del Toro's "Mama" rather than a Carrie remake.

Chloe Grace Moretz was good as the troubled teener Carrie. I said good not great because there were moments wherein she just didn't really convince me that she was troubled at all borderline 'lazy acting' is what I'd say. but she still shines bright (like a diamond) when the scene requires anger, shyness or sadness. She's grown leaps and bounds since her days as Hit-Girl. Still not too convincing particularly in those slow, 'romantic' moments.

Carrie: a little too late for the 'Red Wedding'

The visuals for "Carrie" was neat. This film was good in my opinion because it didn't use shock value or too much gore. Gore level here is actually minimal except if you count the pig blood and seeing levitating things stabbing crazy women.

The beauty of this remake lies in the underlying message. Bullying is bad. It destroys people's lives. It's a sort of beautifully tragic reminder to what society is doing to people who appear weak. I guess that's one of the great things about having a female director at the helm of a movie about sexuality, feminism and teenagers.

San Ka Galing lalake ka?

There's a couple of plot points I'd like to point out but that'd be flogging a dead horse. After all it's been decades since the first Carrie and this new version is a clear indication that they lifted everything from the first movie adaptation. Not changing anything also worked for this remake mainly because it avoids some no-no's like the thread about Carrie being a product of marital rape (which was in the original King story).

VERDICT: -B

Special thanks to Columbia Pictures Philippines. CARRIE is now showing in all Cinemas nationwide.

FANTOMEX MAX # 1 Review

I was never a big fan of the MAX series but the moment they put in "Fantomex" and "Max" in the same sentence as in FANTOMEX MAX # 1, I knew I had to check the book. And I was happy with what I saw thanks to Andrew Hope and artist Shawn Crystal.

The plot is incredibly simple actually. Fantomex steals an alien weapon, gets to tangle with a somewhat-sexy superspy who with somewhat-flirts with. Said superspy then ends up being a hostage by this strange crew of killers who forces Fantomex to do something for them. 

In the vein of stuff like Punisher MAX and other stuff that came out from Marvel's Adult friendly MAX line, FANTOMEX MAX # 1 wouldn't cut it. It's too kiddie for the line. It's pretty obvious that it's at the wrong place and at the wrong time. The jokes would level between "heh" to "was that even a joke". Plus if it creeps you out, you'll also see a lot of pseudo-sexual stuff happening between E.V.A. and Fantomex. 

But I'm not giving up "Hope" just yet as I'm vaguely reminded about the fun and sex appeal of "Danger Girls" with this one thanks to Crystal's artwork. I'm never too keen on technical crap but I do know that the art looks good. Period. 

The writing and plotting needs to be tuned up a bit because there's really a lack of Ooomph and a lack of smartness in the story. Plus if you re-read FANTOMEX MAX # 1 you'll see that it kinda wastes the MAX opportunity stamped into it by showing people getting their heads blown off and cussing. 

Still, I enjoyed FANTOMEX MAX # 1 and I'm planning to go for repeats on this mini.

VERDICT: B-

PS: I just lurve looking at the cover which was done by Francesco Francavilla.

P.P.S.: It's a bummer that CBR gave this book a 2-star rating. 

All New X-Men Special # 1

Here's a quick review for All New X-Men Special # 1  written by Mike Costa and Kris Anka.

ALL-NEW X-MEN SPECIAL #1
MICHAEL COSTA (W) • KRIS ANKA (A)
Cover by ALEXANDER LOZANO
Interlocking Variant Cover by J. SCOTT CAMPBELL
PART ONE OF “THE ARMS OF THE OCTOPUS!”
• The All-New X-Men cross over with the Indestructible Hulk and Superior Spider-Man!
• What does Doctor Octopus want with the All-New X-Men and HOW IS HE ALIVE?!
• This gets the immediate attention of Superior Spider-Man, but what does it have to do with the Hulk?
40 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T …$4.99

It's been awhile since we were actually treated to a good Original Five story. Bendis was keen on using these time displaced mutants so we all forgot that having the Original Five X-Men in the present day can make for good stories.

ALL NEW X-MEN SPECIAL # 1 is a classic example of how fun these characters are when they are let out of the box.

What you should know about this is that it's basically a three-issue special 'team-up' book involving the aforementioned Original X-Men (sans Angel who's gone over to Cyclops' Uncanny team), the maniacal Superior Spider-Man and a very different Agent of T.I.M.E. Indestructible Hulk. We got a good thing going thanks to the premise written by Costa about the X-Men 'conveniently' being in downtown New York at the moment when a very much alive Dr. Octopus attacks ESU. You really don't have to question the timing, just know that it's much better if you just suspend your disbelief.

Mike Costa definitely weaves a very simple and fun story. The plus side to this is that the dialogues are pretty light-hearted. No emo drama. No Jean going bat-shit crazy and yet, it keeps us up to speed with whatever the hell has happened with these teenage mutants. The writing isn't "shove whatever crap I think of down your throat" nor is it "I love my fans, I'm giving them what they want". Prime example is young Beast who just so happens to be brooding over the fact that he and Jean Grey kissed; moments later we see him flirting AND impressing a pivotal character.

KRIS ANKA is a god. I love his stuff. That is all. If you're a fan of the artist, get the book. If you're not, then you'll change your mind once you're through with this issue.

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN/ Slotto sucks. And the way the character is written sure makes it ring that way. Still we can't help but go 'wow' with everything that's happened to the wall-crawler here. Costa also made sure that he's as much confused about the situation as everything in the funny book.

VERDICT: A

10 Thoughts on Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity

Caught Alfonso Cuaron's GRAVITY last night and all I can say is "floored"! I was floored by the script, the visuals and the spellbinding power that Cuaron used in crafting this space-age story of survival, life and death. Here's a rundown of 10 thoughts about the film which comes out Oct. 3 from Warner Bros. Pictures.

1. The film is as close as we can get to actually be in space. The first thirty minutes of the film was a major doozy. It not only introduces us to the cast but in a way shows us that we are small specks in the universe.

2. Sandra Bullock's performance here rocks. I was turned off by her role in "The Heat" (although there were great reviews for that film) but seeing her as Dr. Ryan Stone in Gravity brought her back to "Academy Award Winner" status in my book. Bullock goes from sardonic to frantic to dejected and finally to a fighter. All that in a well written movie.

3. Sandra Bullock looks hot by the way. 

4. George Clooney's role is a surprisingly good one. Clooney plays Matt Kowalski, the mission leader in this disastrous mission ins the cold vacuum of space. He's also playing the role of the exposition tool, a means for the audience to get to know more about Bullock's Stone. 

5. Gravity is a story about life. It begs us to answer the question of whether or not we are willing to just lay down and die when facing a bigger problem or do we fight. It's a basic question that's been tackled on so many different levels. Gravity just upped the ante by putting the scenario in space.

6. It's not science fiction but rather science fact. People who have seen the trailer for Gravity thinks that this is going to be one of those big sci-fi epics. Yes, it's grand and big but there are no laser guns or aliens. Just an astronaut with a huge chip on her shoulders thrust into a very dangerous and shitty situation. More fun for moviegoers. Gravity is also a good way to introduce kids to life in space and how it can be very terrible to stay up there for months.



7. The symbolism is just rich here in this film. I'm not sure if Cuaron made sure that viewers would get some of the stuff that he placed but it's really there. Just train your eyes to keep out for those "small things" and subtle imagery. One of the very best subtleties at the top of my head was that part where Bullock enters the Russian space station and just sucks in as much oxygen as possible while taking off her space suit slowly. The chapter/ act ends with her just lying there in zero-g in a fetal position with cords all around her. It's that part of the movie where you go "wow" to everything presented on that big-ass silverscreen.

8. Plot twist. Leave it to Cuaron and the rest of the team to escalate things quickly and make a good surprising "plot twist". Plus that ending is very uplifting.

9. Again, Gravity ain't exactly original. We've seen this story from stuff like "2001: A Space Odyssey" to "Castaway". That being said, have a source of inspiration didn't act like a crutch for the film. In fact, I feel that these "predecessors" has given a lot of good things for the film. Just don't call this a "space age version of Castaway" because that is not entirely true.

10. This is one of the top-notch films that came out this year and I'm happy I got the chance to see this. The film warrants a second and a third viewing (again all in IMAX) and you'll see how well crafted and brilliant this film is.



Special thanks to the good folks at Warner Bros. Pictures Philippines.



GRAVITY OPENS OCT. 3.

Runner Runner Review

Saw 20th Century Fox's RUNNER RUNNER tonight starring Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck and Gemma Arterton and I think it's a pretty decent crime drama. More on those thoughts later.

So what do I think of this film. I think it was eye-candy with a potential with some wasted away while others are not fully realized. Still, this does make for one great popcorn muncher. There's just so much jargons here related to the world of online gambling that it might confuse non trendy viewers.

Ben Affleck shines as the notorious Ivan Block, the owner of this shady "online gaming" website that scams Timberlake's Richie Furst for all his hard earned savings. If anything, I consider Affleck's role here in Runner Runner as a trial run for his eventual role as billionaire Bruce Wayne / Batman in "Man of Steel 2".  On the performance itself, it was "just OK". The guy does look like a natural amongst the yachts, girls and fast cars so I can really see why he was cast as Batman's alter ego.

Justin Timberlake shows us that he can play more serious roles. While there's barely any action here in the film, Timberlake takes that challenge for himself to actually make this somewhat droll story interesting. And he does so partly with charisma and just looking all awesome in suit and tie.




Gemma Arterton was pure eye candy. The way her character was written, she was trying to be a femme fatale and partly be the damsel in distress. Both aspects fail spectacularly. Still all those scenes where she's supposed to be alluring work to her advantage.

The film looks beautiful and is typical. But face value simply cannot be the only basis to this caper-crime film. That's where Runner Runner flounders; its got no real "twist" and just follows the motions leaving moviegoers with a story that you could probably tell in 5 to 10 minutes tops.

Despite that I still like Runner Runner. It offers an interesting world, one which is highly secretive and very lucrative. Plus its a good inspiration if you're already well on your way to establishing your own online poker site. :D

Verdict: C

Special thanks to 20th Century Fox for the invitation. RUNNER RUNNER is now showing.

2 Guns Movie Review

2 Guns - It's everything you really want from an action movie, maybe even more without having to go down the Michael Bay path.

2 Guns opens in a very non-linear story and it's a beautiful movie filled with beautiful people, badassery, explosions and double crosses. It's a perfect movie if you're simply looking to simmer down from all the emo-filled chick flicks that are coming out lately.

The film stars Denzel Washington as Bobby and Mark Wahlberg as Stig, two unlikely partners each carrying their own secrets. After pulling a heist things go awry and before they (and we) know it, we're running up and down the Mexican border looking for a billions of dollars worth of dirty money.

With recent turn of events, this movie might be considered as your gateway to everything that director Baltasar Kormákur has done. And why is this important you ask? Well, you see, Kormakur's name is being linked to a Hollywood adaptation of the recent Erik Matti hit "On The Job". This and "Contraband" anyway.

I like the movie for a couple of reasons. One is that it's one huge cat-and-mouse game with multiple double crosses and stuff. You can't trust anybody in the movie except maybe for Washington's character who, despite having a role that's as untrustworthy as a drug junkie in a stranger's sari-sari store, and that's actually saying a lot. 

Surprisingly there were a couple of Laugh-out-loud moments in "2 Guns". One of the best being Wahlberg's line about a certain baddie looking like a "Mexican Einstein". Again the laughs are hard to come by but when they do, you'll laugh. 

I love the posturing here and the literal Mexican standoff. You may not want to believe that somebody can be as accurate with a lowly pistol but 2 Guns suspends that belief. I mean c'mon, you seriously can't believe that a .45 caliber gun can take out an attack chopper that's flying in at a low level. That's physically impossible. And yet they do that and more. 

Other notables in the film are James Marsden and Paula Patton. Eye candy material, some tend to think that Mrs. Blurred Lines mammary glands were the real '2 Guns'. And after seeing that scene I'm inclined to say yes! 

Oh and Bill Paxton as Earl (?!) is also a welcome addition to this weird yet great film. That and that last fight scene was all the elements that made me love this movie. So good in fact that I plan on getting the DVD when it comes out locally. 

And did I mention that this was actually a loosely based adaptation of a graphic novel of the same title written by Steven Grant with art by Mateus Santolouco. 

Giving this film a -B. It did not disappoint and was actually surprisingly funny. But it did falter a couple of times. If anything it's a good subversion on the whole "buddy cop" trope we've seen millions of times on the big screen. 

2 Guns is NOW SHOWING and locally distributed by Columbia Pictures Philippines. 

INFINITY # 3 Review - Minor Spoilers

Reviewing Infinity # 3 by Jonathan Hickman, Jerome Opena and Dustin Weaver.

This week's INFINITY # 3 shows us that Captain America is still the baddest mofo in the Universe and that having no powers do not mean he can't beat battles with powerful enemies like The Builders. It's also a prelude of bigger things coming down with the Inhumans.

Hickman plays the galactic opera very well with a badly beaten Galactic Council turning tail and leaving behind only a handful of troops. Luckily for readers it happens to be Earth's Mightiest Heroes, The Avengers led by Captain America. 

I like the dichotomy of this issue. One side we see a victory on the space front led by Captain America and on the other side of the playing field we see a kingdom crumble partly due to that supreme a-hole Thanos. 

So far, I'm impressed with how Hickman is handling Infinity. Issue 3 is a great addition to the list of good products that Marvel Comics has released in the past few months. There's this elegance and grandness in terms of scope and he yet he micromanages everything to make it cohesive. 

Opena and Weaver's art was fantastic. Opena is a monster when it comes to doing xenomorphic creatures and weird spacecrafts. Plus he pulled off something fantastic in my book. He managed to make Captain America look so cool barking orders at his team.

Weaver's work was excellent here, on equal footing with Opena's work actually. That guy can convey emotions with his art such as the madness in Maximus the Mad's eyes, the worry in Queen Medusa's face and Black Bolt's adamant stance vs Thanos.

Go pick up INFINITY # 3, you'll be happy you did. 

WE'RE THE MILLERS Movie Review

Got the chance to see Warner Bros. Pictures' "WE'RE THE MILLERS" and I must say I loved it. Here's why you're going to love this comedy flick.

We're The Millers is your typical family adventure movie turned sideways then given a pretty bad attitude (in a good way). It retains all the traditional stuff that most comedies featuring families have and they even have the archetypes here. The only smart difference is that they're not really a family.

Funnyman Jason Sudeikis leads the charge here as David Miller, the drug dealer who's in the middle of everything. David is tasked to go to Mexico to gather as I quote Ed Helm's character "a smidge and a half" of mari-juana. To pull this off he recruits his hot and sassy stripper neighbor Rose (Aniston), another neighbor Kenny (Pouter) and a reckless, runaway Casey to bring along as his fake family. Hilarity ensues. 

Sudeikis isn't rubbing off as a good leading man for me but he still brings the laughs in this movie. Good thing he's got a stellar cast behind him to save him including a slow-clap worthy performance for Jennifer Aniston who proves that she's got the goods (both literally and figuratively). 

Emma Roberts' role here was a nice change of pace as she's a bad girl who has a soft and sweet inner side. She's gone a long way from her teeny booper role in "Valentine's Day" and "Nancy Drew". Plus she's an eye candy. Will Pouter is practically a newcomer for Hollywood films but he does hold his own comedy wise against SNL man Sudeikis and FRIENDS star Aniston. 

One of the things that annoys me with the Millers is that it could've stood on it's own, with it's cast but they had to rely on added support from RON SWANSON himself Nick Offerman. Offerman and co. roles here suddenly expand towards the third act, something I wasn't really expecting. Still fun though. 

Like I said, this could be a highly sexed up version of RV and "Vacation" but it won't stop you from laughing. There's this also a bit in the film featuring a suddenly short Luis Guzman wanting to get fellatio or a bribe. Or that kinda racy moment where Pouter gets to tongue kiss both Aniston and Roberts while Sudeikis takes a video. Trust me it looks kinkier than it reads. 

If there's any real grand reason to see We're the Millers, it's (and I'm saying this in a pragmatic and non-chauvinistic way) because of this. 

Yup. Really, go see it. It's worth the admission price in terms of laughs.

We're The Millers opens Sept. 18 and is locally distributed by WARNER BROS. PICTURES PHIL. 

BATMAN AND ROBIN # 23.2 - COURT OF OWLS Review

Quick review for BATMAN AND ROBIN # 23.2 featuring the Court of Owls by James Tynion IV and Jorge Lucas.

The Court is back or rather retreating in the midst of the chaos that the Crime Syndicate has unleashed in FOREVER EVIL. This issue stands as both a way to introduce us to follow the Court of Owls and at the same time show us their dark and sordid history. 

In this issue we find out how they take out their enemies, how they effectively coerce their pawns and shows us how deep the relationship is between the Court and their Talons. Tynion writes some grim and gritty scenery splattered throughout the book and raises reader curiosity. 

But while the art works fine in this tale of tragedy and resilience it still rubs us as a bad version of Howard Chaykin. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure Mr. Lucas can do great stuff given a happier mood but the pairing of the story with the artist just went too far for. Too perfect in fact, that it started to look weird. Not bad, just weird. 

There's also the opening pages which harkens back to the good old classic suspense/ horror movies of old where the characters turn around and the killer is already behind them, draped in darkness and ready to kill for whatever nefarious reasons. Tynion IV excelled in those particular scenes, heck the little kid reciting the Court's classic poem added more 'creep' factor IMHO.

Reader/ buyer beware as there's just a lot of bloodletting in this issue. Just letting you know. 

The premise was concise and clear and shock of the climax for this issue proves us that just because the members of the Court of Owls are mere mortals and rich people wearing creepy masks; they also have the penchant to murder and maim when the chance presents itself. Finally the mystery behind "the first Talon" is definitely something I want to get back too especially since I think TALON is such an underrated Bat-book.