Mr. & Mrs. SMITH

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt

Robinson's Pioneer, Cinema 2

Highly implausible story, a couple not knowing what each other does for livelihood. But hey Brad Pitt was in it so I'm a happy trooper. And Angelina Jolie rocks too! I like their chemistry together. But according to an article I read in the Time Magazine, the movie was supposed to star Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman. But she got caught up in the taping of "Stepford Wives". So there was a conflict in their schedules. So I guess Brad should thank Nicole for bringing him and Angelina together for the movie as well as into his life.

FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX

Dennis Quaid, Tyrese, Miranda Otto, Giovanni Ribisi, Hugh Laurie

"The only way out is up" 

I never saw the original so I cannot compare this version. Something about films ("Lawrence of Arabia", "Hidalgo") that feature the desert as the backdrop scene interests me. A bunch of people are stranded with a broken plane and they all contribute to rebuild it and have a happy ending. But not before you encounter bandits, desert storms, characters going missing and their water supply running out.

MON IDOLE
(Whatever you say)

Guillaume Canet, Francois Berleand, Diane Kruger

"Prets a tout pour reussir?"

Greenbelt 1. Cinema 1

This was rather hilarious in a twisted kind of way that only European movies can pull through. Everything happens only in a span of 4 days (including the weekend) A guy's life is totally turned upside down, you cannot help but feel pity for him yet laugh at how ridiculous everything seems to be. 

Good laugh!

5 x 2 (cinq fois 2)

Stephane Freiss, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
directed by Francois Ozon

10th French film festival, Greenbelt 1

I saw this at the French film festival in Greenbelt. Interesting theme - 5 important stages in the life of a couple shown in reverse order. Starting with their divorce, an infidelity episode, the birth of their son, their wedding and the day they met. Really simple plot and it mainly focuses on the 2 main characters. The French they used was easy to comprehend unlike some of the films where they use a certain version of the language which can be difficult to decipher. I have to admit my facility with the language is not as fluent as before. I do rely on the subtitles, sometimes

WHITE NOISE

Michael Keaton, Chandra West, Deborah Kara Unger

"The dead are trying to get a hold of you"

A dead person contacts someone he left behind on earth to warn them about some unexplained danger. If only it was that simple! The plot has a twist and things aren't as they seem. It did make my heart jump out of my chest a few times but that's because I scare easily! Michael Keaton is a delight to watch no matter what movie he acts in.

ALEXANDER

Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer,
Jared Leto, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson

"Fortune favors the bold"

Oliver Stone's foray into the grand epic was a failure at the box office. But the controversial director made a good movie which simply didn't get much publicity. It is rather difficult to make a movie about a historical figure. He did succeed in bringing to the screen the multi faceted persona of Alexander. Acting was good, the plot evolved from archives of historical data and I enjoyed watching it.

STAR WARS 3: REVENGE OF THE SITH

Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman,
Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Smits

"The Saga is complete"

Cinema 1, Edsa Shangri-la Plaza

Ok so I didn't fall asleep, simply because the whole movie house reverberated whenever a spaceship flew away. Or the buzzing sound of the sabers of the Jedis felt like a fly was buzzing in my ear. The encounters made my heart pound or maybe it was too much caffeine. But sure I enjoyed the movie if only for the fact that we finally know why Anakin turned to the dark side of the force. The gullible fool did it for love. And what did it get him? He lost Padme and all he had to show for it - A long black cape, black knee length boots and a mask that amplifies the fact that he is a heavy breather! Was it worth it? I don't think so!

LITTLE BLACK BOOK

Brittany Murphy, Holly Hunter, Ron Livingstone, Kathy Bates

"Have you ever been tempted to look inside his ..."

 
You have Brittany Murphy snooping into her boyfriend's Palm Pilot (the modern equivalent of the little black book) to discover he still keeps all his ex-gfs pictures and contact numbers in it. She was urged on by her friend/colleague and it unveils a whole lot of details which the poor girl never knew before. Hmmm first of all I would NEVER snoop into my partner's possessions like cellphone & PDAs. It would be a violation of his privacy. I would trust him enough to tell me only what I need to know. Having said done, how else would the poor girl discover the secrets he kept from her? Oh well it turned out to be a ploy to make a TV show score up ratings. Gosh I was horrified how it all unveiled towards the ending. But ok it wasn't such a good plot but good acting from Holly Hunter, Brittany Murphy & Kathy Bates.

LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning,
Kara Hoffman, Timothy Spall, Meryl Streep, Jude Law

"Mishaps. Mayhem. Misadventures. Oh joy."

I never read the book and only heard of it when it was shown on the big screen. Certainly a role that fits Jim Carrey perfectly well. The 3 children are good, you get to really emphatize with their misery. Their great (mis)adventures, meeting quirky characters along their journey and the set design is befitting the era it was supposed to convey. I loved it.

TWISTED

Ashley Judd, Samuel L. Jackson, Andy Garcia, David Strathairn

"Every murder has its mark" 

Ashley Judd in another of her dysfunctional victim roles. She gets good support from the other actors in this film, Samuel L. Jackson and David Strathairn. And surely it is always riveting to watch Andy Garcia essay any role. With a wide variety of characters, it was fun trying to predict which one was the killer.
 And yes I got it right yet again