The story of "Killers" is familiar rom-com material, with a twist of action. Jen (Katherine Heigl) is vacationing in the very scenic town of Nice with her straight-laced dad (Tom Selleck) and alcoholic mom (Catherine O'Hara). There she meets the suave Spencer (Ashton Kutcher). They fall in love and eventually get married. Little did Jen know though, that three years later, the ghosts of Spencer's old job will come and wreak havoc on their seemingly perfect suburban life.
This is the first movie of Katherine Heigl that I have seen. I know she is in TV's "Gray's Anatomy", but I do not watch that as well. I liked her very much as the geeky beauty Jen in "Killers". She is sexy, funny and bubbly. Ashton Kutcher could never really escape the dumb persona he has built in "That 80s Show" or in "Punk'd." He does try his best here to play an action hero, and I think he passes muster. I think the two of them do have some sort of goof-ball chemistry because of their likable personalities.
The execution of the script is okay. I sort of liked the outlandish plot points and the over-the top comedic violence. I am surprised to see a lot of harsh reviews on IMDB. Hey, I am sure you do not watch a film like "Killers" expecting a serious screenplay and award-winning acting. This film is lightweight, silly and adrenaline-driven for the most part, and I think it delivered well on its shallow premise and objectives.
2012 is just barely 3 years away, and this movie reminds us that Mayan, Chinese and Biblical sources all are telling us that year would bring with it the end of days as we know it.
This movie "2012" is already the third disaster movie by director Ronald Emmerich, after "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow" (unless you also count "Godzilla" and "Eight Legged Freaks"). This is big stuff. It looks expensive from the trailers alone given the elaborate computer-generated imagery we see.
Watching the film itself though is another matter. I do not really know how a film of this immense magnitude can give the feeling of being so shallow. There was a great potential for this movie to deliver a powerful message here. But unfortunately, we get a cartoon-like movie with the most corny and downright cheesy scenes and dialog.
Don't get me wrong, there are several edifying and unprecedented images like that of the White House being destroyed by an runaway aircraft carrier, or that of flooding in the Himalayas. But scenes like those when John Cusack was driving his limo through falling buildings from Pasadena to Sta. Monica Airport, or his getting out alive from a camper swallowed up by the gaping earth at Yellowstone are too ridiculously over-the-top to be any good. Definitely one close call too many.
As for the characters, they are too one-dimensional and too unbelievably super-human to care about. The wild character of Woody Harrelson was too nutty to be likable. In truth, I only liked the geologist Adrian Helmsley (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), his Indian geologist friend and the family of the Tibetan monk. Amidst the chaos, they had scenes of genuine pathos which we can reflect on.
This is one of those films that are so realistic in its portrayal of a very sensitive subject. I had to stop the video many times because of that queasy feeling of discomfort it gave me.
First off, this was set in Romania in the late 1980s when it was still under Communist control. This adds a further sense of tension and desperation to the already tense situation on hand. The whole movie spans only one day in the life of Otilia and Gabita, the fateful day of Gabita's abortion under the cheaper but ruthless (and ironically named) Mr. Bebe.
Yes, this film is about abortion -- a most heinous crime. I did not have any idea that this would be the topic. I know a lot of people would probably stop watching once that situation has been established. The film handled this issue so subtly such that you are already in the middle of it before you realize what it was really about. By then though, it has already captured your attention with the awkward situation where the two lead characters have brought upon themselves.
The movie's tagline says it all. How far would you go for a friend? Otilia was not the one having the abortion. It was her roommate and friend, Gabita. Yet the movie was told in Otilia's point of view as she did all the leg work for her friend, and then some. All this time, she was also battling demons of her own, yet there she was for Gabita. By the time you reach the unforgettable final frame of the whole film, you can "hear" the look on Otilia's face as a cry for help. Amazing ending. Fantastic acting by Ms. Anamaria Marinca.
The way the director/writer Cristian Mungiu told this uncomfortable story is compelling. It was as if I was in that hotel room while the evil deeds were being done. It was very difficult indeed to be a witness to all that and remain detached. However, it never went overboard and it kept its focus tight. It straddled between reality and fiction, dripping with raw emotion and tension, without being excessively exploitative. The way the story was told made the difference between what could be a disgusting movie and art. It succeeds to be a very satisfying (although definitely NOT entertaining) experience for the viewer.
This is the first full length Korean movie I have seen. My wife has recently been bitten by the Korean telenovela craze and I would often see her watching "Boys Over Flowers," "Only You" or currently "East of Eden". But I did not really care too much to spend time on these shows. However, when I learned that there will be a Korean Film Festival at the Shangri-La Mall this week, I decided this would be the ideal way to introduce myself to that country's films.
The movie I caught is had the curious title of "Barking Dogs Never Bite." This is another view of Korean life. There is none of the high lifestyle seen in most telenovelas depicting the Korean rich and famous. The setting is just a regular apartment complex. The action already begins even before the opening titles. A henpecked out-of-work Humanities professor-wannabe who was so annoyed with a very noisy dog of a neighbor. He got so fed up that one day, he decided to get rid of it. From there, this funny black comedy of errors unfolds. Somewhere along the way, his path intersects with that of a bored but kind-hearted bookkeeper who witnessed his crime.
There was a lot of light humor regarding the pathetic life situation of the male and female lead characters. There was a joke about a survey about ideal husbands where Humanities grad students ranked 50, even below masons. There was scene where the exasperated husband ingeniously used toilet paper to settle a bet with his overbearing wife. There was also several scenes showing the interaction of the bookkeeper and her chubby best friend which were quite hilarious.
There was however a lot of dark humor as this movie dealt about killing dogs! There were scenes which were definitely uncomfortable to watch as dogs were seen being maltreated. I'm sure the Western audience would protest about scenes where the dogs were seen being prepared to be cooked! If you are a staunch dog-lover, then this movie is not for you. I do hope that among the Korean words in the closing there is a statement that says that no dogs were harmed in the filming of this motion picture.
Now even if you do not think you would like this particular movie as I described it, there should be another featured film that you may like. This Korean film festival is FREE. Films are shown 2PM, 5PM and 8PM. Tickets are given away an hour before showtime. The Korean film festival started Sept. 23 with a special screening of "Old Boy," which has been recently hailed as one of the 25 best foreign language films of this decade. Try to catch it!
Last night, my wife and I had the pleasure of being invited by Ms. Lorna Lopez to watch the preview of Repertory Philippines’ 2009 Season opener, Nick Joaquin’s famous play “A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino,” a true treasure of Philippine theater.
Over the years, I have been reading several articles in the past about various incarnations of this play, which always featured a high profile cast. The lead roles were Candida and Paula, two spinster sisters who fight to preserve their ancestral home despite familial and societal pressures. Which actresses would be cast to play these challenging roles had always been big theater news.
The play is set in the 1940s in the old house of the Marasigan family located in Intramuros. Don Lorenzo had just painted a masterpiece which he had given as a gift to his two spinster daughters Candida and Paula, who were staying with him. The story revolved around how the sisters steadfastly resisted all efforts of various people to gain possession of the painting. (It was interesting that we the audience do not actually see what was on the painting.) The intended metaphors referring to cultural conflicts of Filipino and Western values can be clearly gleaned when watching the play.
The set design was very classic old Manila. You really feel as if you are transported to another era. It really set the whole mood of the play very effectively. The main language of the play was English, enunciated by the actors with a distinct lilting Filipino accent, which I found charming (most of the time, at least). The little Tagalog expressions interspersed here and there were quite apt as well (and can be funny). The makeup and costumes were truly appropriate to the characters, and the era of the story.
It was always so gratifying to watch great actors at work. Last night, Ana Abad Santos and Liesl Batucan brought to life the sisters Candida and Paula, the hearts and souls of this play, so convincingly. I enjoyed the humorous interactions between the sisters and empathized with their problems. They really felt like our own old aunts whom we all want to help out.
I was already a fan of Ms. Liesl Batucan, especially after her delightful turn as the Narrator in POC's "The Magic Flute," and this admiration was reinforced last night. Her Paula was so infused with innocence and shyness. Ms. Batucan portrayed the transformation Paula underwent in the course of the story with so much palpable passion. I felt that Paula is the showier role and Ms. Batucan took it to town.
Ms. Ana Abad-Santos' Candida was more underplayed, the portrayal was quiet yet strong, staying true to character. Her scene where she tells Paula what happened to her at the Bureau of Science was heartbreaking. Her scenes while waiting up for Paula to come home were so tense with her silence. Candida will be alternatively played by veteran Ms. Irma Adlawan, who interpretation of Candida should be interesting to watch out for also.
Joel Trinidad was a dapper Bitoy with his new head of hair. This guy was really good as the narrator that brings the story together for us. Randy Villarama played the rascal boarder Tony Javier with just the right amount of charm and smarm. Jeremy Domingo played Don Manolo, the eldest brother.
The repartee of the senior guests during the La Naval festival scene was precious fun, especially by Ms. Baby Barredo and Chinggoy Alonso. Of course, I was very happy to finally see Ms. Lorna Lopez in action on stage as Dona Irene. The rest of the cast includes Jay Glorioso, Dido de la Paz, Jenny Jamora, Astarte Abraham, Oliver Usison, Bonggoy Manahan, Celso Ylagan, Ernie Zarate, Jejie Esguerra and Dingdong Rosales.
Repertory’s “Portrait” was directed by Jose Mari Avellana, whom we previously saw as Morrie in Rep’s opening show last year “Tuesdays with Morrie”. The music was by Lamberto Avellana, Jr. They are the sons of Lamberto Avellana, the director of the movie version of the play released in 1965, and Daisy Avellana, the original Candida on stage back in 1955 as well as in the said film version.
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Performances of "Portrait of an Artist as Filipino" are on January 16-February 8, 2009 at Onstage Greenbelt One Theater, Ayala Malls, Makati City, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:30 p.m.
Call the Rep office 8870710 or Ticketworld 8919999 for ticket inquiries.
This is a Korean movie whose reputation preceded it before I sought it out. I had already seen two Bong Joon-ho movies ("The Host" and "Barking Dogs Never Bite") so in my readings, I had learned that his masterpiece is actually this "Memories of Murder." "Memories..." is about a small very rural town which was terrorized by a serial killer who victimized young women on rainy days in the 1980s South Korea.
The local police detective of that town (played by Song Kang-ho, whom I saw before in "The Host" and "The Show Must Go On") employed very backward simplistic reasoning in his investigation and violent interrogation techniques on his hapless suspects. The case also attracts a detective from Seoul (played by Kim Sang-kyung) who offers his help in the investigation.
But since their logic and approach are polar opposites, the two detectives are constantly at odds with each other. The local detective would especially want to one-up his big city counterpart. This conflict became the source of hilarious black comedy, as well as very effectively tense dramatic moments. I felt this flawed cooperation between these two characters is the heart of the movie, while the serial killer mystery was merely a backdrop.
My description here of the film is very broad. There are many gems of character development scattered throughout the film that are very noteworthy as well. The director very frankly captured the atmosphere of the time, with those creepy scenes while the women were stalked, the feeling of sheer helplessness by the police as a whole, as well as how the case affected each cop personally. The ending is quite abrupt and unexpected, but I read afterward that that was how it actually happened in real life (yes, this movie was inspired by a real case!).
This is a recommended movie in my opinion. Warning on some gory scenes of corpses for those who are queasy. Remember that this is foremost a Korean film, so do not expect a Hollywood-type movie. I definitely would want to watch more Korean movies after this one.
It all started as a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon that October 4, 2008.
To begin the day's homecoming celebration, we batch mates all gathered first in St. Jude Church for Holy Mass. Our beloved Prefect of Discipline Fr. Charles Tchou (now Monsignor) was already there. There were already initial interaction right there with some teachers who also chose to attend the Mass with us.
Our concelebrated homecoming mass was officiated by Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian, SVD. He was a former SJCS Principal, and now bishop of Abra. And then, midway through the Mass, the clouds in the sky turned threateningly gray.
Suddenly, we heard a loud splashing sounds from outside. The rain had started to fall in strong torrents, or as our batch would call it "cats and dogs." Inside, the Mass still went on smoothly. Afterwards, the obligatory group photo was taken.
But then, as feared, the trek from the church to the school after the Mass would not be easy.
Yes folks, that driveway was flooded!
Once you get inside though, you would immediately feel that the atmosphere was already picking up the festive air.
Drummers were playing their familiarly loud fiesta music routines, in keeping with the Street Party theme. Classmates and guests began to get their snacks from the food stalls, and mingling and chatting with each other.
The stage and tables were all set. Luckily the rain had stopped pouring and the housekeeping staff were hurriedly doing last minute clean-up of the party venue.
We hardly minded though.
We were all already in the thick of reunion fever!
The mood was very festive as classmates gathered together among themselves and among the teachers whom they recognized (and those who recognized them!).
Everybody was exchanging stories, catching up, taking pictures, digging up and sharing old memories. The organizers were able to gather teachers from our High School all the way back to our Nursery days. Kudos to Jackson Lee and his assistants!
There were impersonators, mimes, and street magicians doing the rounds of the tables to provide some diversionary entertainment. There was a roving female emcee (in her HS uniform) who went around interviewing people (classmates and teachers) about what their thoughts are re the homecoming.
Because of the clean-up operations, the programme of events was already delayed by about an hour. At around 7pm, the Doxology ("The Prayer" originally by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli) was sung by Iric Chua, Lilibeth Tan and Fred Hawson. You can watch this opening song in this VIDEO LINK
.
After that opening prayer, the dinner buffet was opened. As promised, food was aplenty There was roast beef, garlic prawns, barbecued chicken, among the viand choices. Sumptuous! Soda and beer were also overflowing.
As dinner went on, the ongoing entertainment consistent of impersonators giving life to 80s icons like Boy George, Michael Jackson, Cher, etc. For more exotic excitement, there were also Fire Dancers who displayed their skills onstage.
After these dinner-time show, the formal program began with Opening Remarks from the Caesar Peter Sy and the Empress Irene Ngo, who delivered their speeches in English and Mandarin Chinese respectively. The current Father Rector Fr. Jerome Marquez gave the Welcome Remarks for the school.
After this, they showed the most-awaited, months-in-the-making Audio-Visual Presentation of our Batch. The organizers had been shooting clips for this from the First Photo Shoot in May, all the way to the song and dance rehearsals we had 2 days before the actual event. There were lots of revealing information in it, like Janet del Mundo's
list of male and female heartthrobs of our batch, or that unexpected confession by the Tanya twins of their secret switcheroo during one Chinese oral exam.
That whole video is classic! There were lots of laugh-out-loud moments in there, as well as sentimental moments too. Based on the appreciative audience reaction, everyone loved it. If you like to watch it, click on this VIDEO LINK.
The first big production number of the night (and I mean BIG, probably even exceeding anything we have seen on TV) was presented by our batch mates in the Dance Group. This very exciting number featured songs from back in our 80s days, brought to life in most exhilarating steps and colorful costumes (was that 5 rapid changes or more?).
They started from "Always There To Remind Me," then segued to Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". There was to Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"; Madonna's "Material Girl", Kenny Loggin's "Footloose" and Industry's "State of the Nation". In the middle there was this innovative sub-number by the girls using flashlights (was the music by Eurythmics?) featuring Leslie Wong and Irene Tan showcasing their flexible moves.
This dance number was a true showstopper! Words fail to fully describe the grandness and electricity of this number. You can watch this spectacular number at this VIDEO LINK.
The next big number was the very cute Modern Dance number presented by the kids of our batch mates. The first part with the younger kids with songs like Christina Aguilera's "Candy Man" and Kat DeLuna's "Whine Up". The second part was with the older kids who danced to more hiphop type songs like Flo Rida's "Low". The last part danced to the tune of Pitbull's "Boom Boom Shake Shake Now Drop" brought all the kids together, along with our batch mates who are their parents! Watch this fun number at this VIDEO LINK.
Other jubilarian batches also presented their numbers to join in the celebration. The most impressive was that of Batch 78 who gave a very energetic and well-choreographed disco dance number. Penthouse Live levels! Batch 73 (the very first SJCS graduates) and Batch 98 both had song numbers.
Next up, all our past teachers and administrators were gathered up and presented onstage. And then they were serenaded by what I think was a most inspired choice for balladeer for this occasion, no less than Jose Mari Chan! He sang Petula Clark's 1969 song "You and I" and some teachers were singing along to the familiar tune. You can watch his performance on this VIDEO LINK.
Our class representative, the "Emperor" Constantine Kohchet-Chua then went up the stage to present our mentors with our individual gifts to them, Round-trip Air Philippines tickets for 2 to any domestic destination!
After the teachers left the stage, Mr. Chan sang a couple of more songs. Then, he was followed by another pop singer from way back, Janet Basco, who still looked very good in her shimmering costume.
After the series of love songs, our tireless Batch dancers took to the stage again, this time with The Manoeuvres! Yes these are the original Manoeuvres with the infusion of some new blood. We saw our classmates Wilson Chan, Jonathan de Guzman, Jackson Lee & Cons Kohchet Chua go step to step with them in some intricate dance moves. And wow, Francis Pua had a spot number by himself and two Manoeuvres! You have to watch this exciting dance at this VIDEO LINK.
After this number, our batch ceremonially presented the symbolic key as homecoming hosts over to the representative from Batch 84 (who had the guts to say that they will come up with something better than what we had! LOL!) The next ceremony involved our batch reps presenting the school with our gift to help the school -- a check worth P2.5 Million to serve as our batch scholarship fund.
Then, it was time for the Batch Song Medley, beginning with Cats & Dogs staple, Florante's immortal hit song "Handog." After an a capella solo intro, the rest of the choir came in together with the music. This was followed by another timeless inspirational song, Lea Salonga's "Journey." Lilibeth Tan then addressed the school and our mentors with a short but moving message of thanks, as our pictures were being flashed on screen. I could have sworn Lilayh's voice was cracking with emotions already, as indeed the moment was very dramatic.
Then we sang Nikki Gil's "Glowing Inside" which is basically a song of "thank you's". After that, we came back to "Handog," concluding with an a capella solo once again. After this, all our other batch mates in attendance took their place on stage behind the choir and joined in to sing the upbeat Mandarin song of hope "Ming Tien Hui Geng Hau"!
Witness and listen to our signature sentimental Batch 83 style of serenading our teachers on this VIDEO LINK.
With that, Cons Kohchet-Chua went center stage to thank everyone for attending and joining in our celebrations. He called SJCS "the best school in the Philippines", which was of course greeted with wild applause by everyone.
It was not yet over as the Grand Raffle Draw for the big prizes was still held. The only batch mate I know who won a major prize was Rosana Fuentes who won a Sony Ericsson cellphone (4th Prize). The First Prize was a trip to Singapore for 2 w/ US$500 pocket money, and I think it went to someone from a younger batch. With that, the formal program came to a close. By then it was already 12 midnight.
The ageless Joey Generoso and the rest of local premiere band Side A band played the night away with old and new favorites. This band is really good! They can sing their own material, as well as covers from Aerosmith to Maroon 5 effortlessly.
While some people hung on to watch the concert, some were already making their way to the exit to claim their generous (meaning very heavy) loot bags. Everyone was very tired, but obviously very happy.
The 2008 SJCS Grand Alumni Homecoming sponsored by Batch 83 was an unqualified success! Kudos to the dedicated and tireless members of the Synod who worked so hard to ensure that everything fell into the right place. Congratulations to all of us, SJCS Batch 83! Onwards, classmates!
