TRANSPORTER 3

TRANSPORTER 3
Jason Statham, Natalya Rudakova, Francois Berleand, Robert Knepper,Jeroen Krabbe

"This time, the rules are the same. Except one."

Shang Cineplex

Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is back in the 3rd installment of the Transporter. I watched the original and actually liked the 'concept'. A man who happens to be ex military is hired by dubious elements to transport (drive) a package to any destination. He gets paid a hefty sum. He is guided by a set of strict rules. To cite a few - he drives his own car which is custom made to suit all types of dangerous situations. The total weight of his passengers need to be a specific sum. Always wear the seat belt. He never opens the package. He wears impeccable tailored suits. But then rules are meant to be broken and that's when it gets exciting!

The thing about the Transporter is that he is also funny in that dry witty Brit sense of humour kind of way. He is organized, neat and is very calculative. He is 'trained' to drive under any precarious circumstances. He can fight the whole lot of them, them being the bad guys. He also gets to drive to panoramic locales all over Europe. In short, he takes his job seriously and he is really good at it.

In this film, he is now based in a little town off Marseilles, in sort of retirement mode, spends his days fishing with his friend, Inspector Tacori. But he is suddenly and reluctantly forced to take up a new task. He needs to transport a passenger from Marseilles to Budapest and he ends up all the way in Odessa, Ukraine. Once again more scenic routes on his journey, a 'difficult' passenger/package and along the way he 'battles' quite efficiently the villains.

But then they decided to throw in a romantic angle. An unknown starlet who cannot act at all and has only one pained expression on her face. They don't have any chemistry. The love story is forced. The transporter is at his best working alone without any annoying distractions like a love interest.

Otherwise the stunts are still amazing. The driving is top notch and the scenery is breathtakingly gorgeous. The theme is environment protection - quite appropriate. His friend, Inspector Tacori is still around for some good repartee. So it was worth sitting in a cold nearly empty movie theater and be regaled with Frank Martin's antics.

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Madison Square Garden Tickets

Madison Square Garden Tickets

I've always wanted to go to New York. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to explore the Big Apple. Soak in her charms, her little quirks and everything it has to offer. Madison Square Garden is certainly on my list of places to visit in the city that never sleeps. It is a great venue to watch a wide variety of shows from concerts, boxing matches to all sort of sporting events like hockey and basketball games. But it is very difficult to get tickets to any of these shows. It is important to book way in advance if you want to see any of the shows.

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THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, Taraji P. Henson

"Life isn't measured in minutes. But in moments."

Cinema 2, Shang Cineplex

I totally loved this movie. A sweepingly beautiful tale of a unique man's life well lived told in narratives of flashbacks in sepia tone. With contemporary overtones of modern day New Orleans as menacing Hurricane Katrina looms in the background. It is peppered with emotionally strong and very endearing characters whose peculiar lives vividly unfold on screen. Their stories presented in the most intimate cinematographic angles I haven't seen in movies for a long time . A cast of good talented artists whose love for their craft is evident in their heartfelt performances.

Here's the link to the short story of F. Scott Fitzgerald upon whom this David Fincher epic tale is based. But thankfully the film is a lot more poignant than the creepy short story.

It was especially fascinating to watch Brad Pitt turn from a wrinkly old man to a man in his teens. The wardrobe department and the make up artist did a really convincing job of making us believe that short old person was indeed Brad Pitt. I am equally impress with Cate Blanchett's ballet moves. I read that she really did perform those dance steps herself after months of rigid ballet lessons training. While Brad Pitt was slowly getting younger frame by frame, Cate Blanchett was growing older right before our eyes. The contrast between the two characters was evidently the strong selling point of the film.

Supporting roles in the side plots were filled with good artists like Julia Ormond (in a brief role but it has been a while since I saw her in a film, she has been one of my fave actresses of all time), Tilda Swinton (effortless acting as always) and Taraji Henson as Queenie was in my opinion the central character which held the film and dare I say Benjamin Button, together in a world where people can be unkind to deviant characters.

The love story that develops within the film and endures through time was very well presented. It didn't delve into schmaltzy mushy stuff. It was poignant, intimate and very heartfelt. It was further buoyed by being filmed in historic New Orleans. The film showcases its natural charm, its historic significance up to contemporary times. New Orleans has a special meaning to Brad Pitt due to the ravages of Hurricane Katrina and he has done some charitable work of building houses for the victims to help them recover from the devastation.

Overall, the film was well executed. The cast were precise in their acting. The story was interesting to follow despite being almost 3 hours, for me it wasn't boring to watch. It is different, unique and unusual yet it still felt familiar and was inspirational in echoing its poignant message across - that life goes on inspite and despite our shortcomings, our misgivings and our flaws, it's up to us to make each and every single moment count!

GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS WINNERS

I woke up early to catch the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards show, live. I sat back and was awed by the beautiful and elegant gowns. This year the trend seem to be one shoulder strapped gowns in neutral and pastel colors. The winners list include a posthumous award (for Heath Ledger), underdogs (cast and crew of Slumdog Millionaire) taking center stage and a has been star (Mickey Rourke) thanking his canine friends for sticking with him through thick and thin. Awww!

Here are the complete set of winners:
Best Motion Picture - Drama
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Winner: Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)

Best Television Series - Drama
Winner: "Mad Men" (2007)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Winner: Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road (2008)

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Winner: Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Winner: Colin Farrell for In Bruges (2008)

Best Director - Motion Picture
Winner: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Winner: Tina Fey for "30 Rock" (2006)

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - A.R. Rahman

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Winner: "30 Rock" (2006)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Winner: Paul Giamatti for "John Adams" (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Winner: Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - Simon Beaufoy

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Winner: Laura Linney for "John Adams" (2008)

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: Vals Im Bashir (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Winner: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Winner: "John Adams" (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Winner: Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

Best Animated Film
Winner: WALL·E (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
Winner: Anna Paquin for "True Blood" (2007)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Winner: Gabriel Byrne for "In Treatment" (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Winner: Laura Dern for Recount (2008) (TV)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Winner: Tom Wilkinson for "John Adams" (2008)

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Winner: The Wrestler (2008)("The Wrestler")

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Winner: Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)

KUBRADOR (THE BET COLLECTOR)

(BET COLLECTOR)

Gina Pareno, Fonz Deza, Nanding Josef, Domingo Landicho

Cinema One

Normally I don't watch local movies. Why not? Well there are several reasons which I rather not discuss. But as I was waiting for hubby to come home, I was flipping the TV remote and chanced upon "Kubrador" on Cinema One. Fortunately it just started so for want of something to watch, as well as knowing fully well that it won raves and awards in the international film festivals circuit, I stayed put to view the film.

It tells the story of Amy, a bet collector of the illegal numbers game, jueteng. Amy is an interesting character of contrasts - she is deeply religious yet earns her living through illegal means. She puts up a tough bossy exterior yet she is also easily affected by grief.

The slums or the depressed areas as we like to refer to it in this country is the main setting of this bleak film. A film that doesn't hide behind glossy technical aspects. Through shaking hand held cameras, it vividly presents the tiny alleys of the congested surroundings, the squalor, the rampant corruption and the daily grind of ordinary slum dwellers. It also features a myriad of supporting roles essayed by good actors, thespians known in the theater as well as the celluloid industry.

But kudos goes to Gina Pareno for convincingly depicting a humanely resilient character complete with valid fears, immeasurable flaws, yet driven by a fatalistic belief in God and in mankind. Her personification of a mother who earns a meager income through jueteng is very poignant, sympathetic and emotionally powerful. The typical matriarch of a dysfunctional family who just keeps on giving her very best even when she is ill. She defines the whole film and she truly deserves all the awards she has accumulated so far.

Although the main essence of the film is Amy. It also puts an indelible mark on the ills of Philippine society where sadly poverty, corruption and injustice take center stage. And Jeffrey Jeturian, the director makes no qualms nor excuses about presenting this 'ugly and raw' side of the Philippines to the world through his thought provoking film.

WANTED

James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, Terence Stamp

"Choose your destiny"

The main attraction of this film are the kick ass stunts performed by Angelina Jolie. And I'm sure there will be people who will say that Jolie herself was the main draw. I'd have to agree on both counts. Because frankly if not for those adrenaline pumping action scenes, this film won't really appeal to ordinary moviegoers.

A group of assassins calling themselves the Fraternity set out to kill 'bad' people whose names are deciphered using a loom of fate. Sounds preposterous I know. A plot only plausible in comic books but since they decided to adapt it into a film, somehow the idea or the whole premise works to the advantage of its main character.

Wesley Gibson is portrayed by the indefatigable James McAvoy who unfortunately loses his sexy Scottish accent for this role. An ordinary accounts executive stuck in a job he hates with a girlfriend who is cheating on him with his best friend. Things though change for the better once his past catches up with him. His life is suddenly thrust into a world of high powered guns, assassins and death defying stunts. A complete turnabout from his old boring life. A reluctant phase where he discovers talents he never knew he had and superhuman killer instincts he rather not acquire. He is ably trained by a group of highly skilled experts in the field led by Sloan (Morgan Freeman) and Fox (Angelina Jolie).

The film is filled with the training sessions of Wesley, his 'adventures' as an assassin and ends with a invariable twist where the cards are turned against him, dare I say in a good way. I did notice something I found odd. The fact that the transactions details in the ATM scenes were in Russian and not in English. It just seemed out of sync with the rest of the film.

The stunts are visually appealing with CGI shots of a bullet curving in slow motion. As well as Angelina Jolie merely pouting her alluring lips while performing incredulous action scenes. The acting was good with Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy taking the helm by pumping some much needed depth into their characterization. The editing was alright, it didn't numb your senses with non stop action scenes. It actually had a valid storyline, mind you. So this film isn't a total waste of your precious time.

DvD Movie Catalog Program

Throughout the years, I have collected quite a number of films in different formats like VHS tapes, Vcds and lately DVDs. They are all scattered around in boxes, on shelves or under the TV rack. Now I found a useful way to organize them in one easy to use DVD Catalog program. I can manage them into a neat orderly DVD database.

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SEVEN POUNDS

SEVEN POUNDS

Will Smith, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson

"Seven Names. Seven Strangers. One Secret."

Will Smith in a serious dramatic role is just as believable as any of his funny, goofy characters in his comedic roles. He's good, period!

In this movie, he plays a depressed IRS agent named Ben Thomas who is on a personal quest to atone himself for his horrific past. Here, Will Smith as befitting his role looks haggard and forlorn. A deeply troubled man trying to stay on the path of his decision. His character looks totally dejected that you can't help but feel his agony. A well acted convincingly realistic portrayal.

There are also good solid performances from the supporting cast like Rosario Dawson, Barry Pepper and Woody Harrelson. Their vital roles added some heart and soul to the overall dramatic effect/vibe of the film.

The plot is basically a tragic story but filled with poignant scenes of hope, new beginnings and a deep belief in the kindness of mankind. In between all the depressing storyline, a real pure love story develops and it envelopes you within its intimate, feel good warmth albeit with sad streaks of looming tragedy. Running at a little over 2 hours, the pace of the film can be slow during certain sequences. Clues about the traumatic event are shown in flashback format throughout the movie. But if you are clever enough you can more or less guess what really happened. The film sort of picks up and reaches its crescendo at a fast pace with a big reveal/twist right before the ending.

So regardless of whether you agree or not with the decision of Ben Thomas, this film can make you ponder about just how precious life really is.

THE HAPPENING

Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashley Sanchez

"We've sensed it. We've seen the signs. Now it's ... happening"

The thing with M. Night Shyamalan movies is that you always expect it to be as good if not better than his first venture, "The Sixth Sense". And as usual more often than not, you end up terribly disappointed!

So on that premise alone, you can figure out that "The Happening" wasn't up to par with the other Shyamalan thrillers wherein some unexplained phenomenon wrecks havoc on the characters' lives culminating with a twist towards the end.

But once you let go of any expectations and simply sit back to try and 'enjoy' the movie, "The Happening" isn't that bad, after all. Because you do still have that strange and weird threat going on. A certain fear of the unknown circumstance still permeates throughout the entire movie. You still have the main characters running for their lives with that terrified look on their faces. There is still a child involved. So all these and more still sustain your somewhat limited interest till the very end.

You simply need to excuse or gloss over certain flaws. For instance, the way the dialogue uttered by some of the characters seemed totally on cue and scripted. Or the bad acting in certain scenes by a few of the characters. Speaking of main characters, Mark Wahlberg does his best to portray Elliot Moore as a multi-dimensional persona. The hero who is expected to know what to do during stressful situations yet at the same time he is also vulnerably weak in the face of an unknown life threatening occurrence. The rest of the characters pretty must just breeze through during the entire film.

In the same manner that Zooey Deschanel's portrayal of Alma Moore as some spaced out and troubled wife was difficult to read, this movie was also out of bounds. It is not quite the thriller you expected but neither is it your standard horror flick with disturbing scenes of violence. Probably just chalk it up to some unknown fluke of nature which just happened to capture your attention deficit interest for 90 minutes. I like to think that the esteemed director wanted to warn us of global warming and/or climate change and chose to highlight it by presenting us with this nature.taking.its.revenge movie. So if only for that 'warning', the movie pretty much got its message across the screen visually, vocally and graphically, loud and clear!