Mico E. Aquino  

2-O

                                                Catching Fire

Not having read the book, I cannot say whether or not the film is faithful to the second book of Suzanne Collins' hit series, Hunger Games.

In Hunger Games, the first installment of the trilogy, the viewers had no idea what was going on. All they knew was that the Hunger Games- an event in the story- was some sort of Battle Royale done every year to commemorate a 'War'. This alone tells us that this was set in a dystopian future. What we do not know is the logic behind the Hunger Games, why it is done, what its purpose is. In the next installment, Catching Fire, we find out.

Catching Fire's story is excellent, as it explores the various secrets "behind the iron curtain", as one would put it. The Iron Curtain, as historians define it, is the partition that separates the Communist countries from the Capitalist countries during the days of the Cold War. The concept of the Iron Curtain and how it was a deciding factor between the relationship of the Communists and the Capitalists during the Cold War is sort of similar to the situation in Panem, where, for some reason, Capitol is richer than any of the of the Districts, even when put together. Now, the definition of the phrase "Behind the Iron Curtain" is that, up front the Communists look like they're having a better time than the Capitalists, but in reality, they're having more trouble than the Capitalists trying to keep things together. This is similar to the situation in Panem where, up front, President Snow and the government are "suppressing" (more like "neutralizing") riots and that any forms of rebellion are being suppressed, but in reality, the rebelling population show no signs of being deterred because of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) being their inspiration/symbol of hope. And from here on out begins President Snow's campaign of making Katniss Everdeen a symbol for his government instead of the Rebellion. President Snow's attempts fail, and he is forced to change the rules of the year's Hunger Games' "The Reaping", where, instead of any random citizen, the "Tributes" will be the winners of past Games, for at this point he is convinced that all winners are symbols of hope for the Rebellion and seek to, as Grand Moff Tarkin said, "crush the Rebellion with one swift stroke!"

This plan backfires, however, for the Rebellion has spies all the way to the highest echelons of the government, in the form of Plutarch Heavensbee, the Gamemaker for the year. With Plutarch, the rebels successfully ruin the Game and, with Katniss in tow, begin their long-planned 'Revolution' against Panem.

Final score: 9/10

“They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power.” 

― Patrick Henry

Short Film (10 minutes!) Groupings:

Cereal Killer - VALLENTE (1A), VILLACAMPA (2H), TICMAN (3B), GARCIA (4C), EDUARTE (1I),             ESQUIVEL (1I), FLAVIER (1I), COLOQUIO (2O)

Base One - PAMINTUAN (1F), EUGENIO (2N), MUSNGI (3C), DELA CRUZ (4L), DIAZ (1M), ORETA (1N), DIVINO (1O), MADRID (1O), SANTOS (1O)

Godmother - DAWANG (1A), QUIZON (2E), CANSINO (3B), TRINIDAD (4B), BAYOT (1G), ICARANGAL (2N), BALMACEDA (3F), FLORENDO (4L)

Ballpen - CHAN (1A), MARCELO (2C), ASTILLA (3B), ARMADA (4B), DAWANA (1G),  DIVINO (1G), AQUINO (2O), ASPERILLA (4M)

Misunderstood - MALLORCA (1G), OLANO (1G), LAVINA (1H), BAUTISTA (2O), LACSON (1A), CONEL (2H), FLORES (3B), BUMAGAT (4C)

Hunger - SANTOS (1I), IBANEZ (1J), SAN PEDRO (1L), DOREGO (2O), ALDABA (1C), CORONEL (2K), CRUZ (3C), DE DIOS (4H)

 

      Thor: the Dark World is in my opinion an improvement on Thor, giving it better action, better comedy, and an overall bigger scale. Thor: the Dark World definitely has more comedy than the first Thor movie. There are many quite funny moments in the movie and Jane's friends provide a lot of comic relief. I felt the comedy could have been toned down a little, but I thought that it was genuinely  funny, making me laugh many times and it did not get in the way. 

The action I also felt to be better. This is primarily because Thor actually has his hammer for the whole movie, so you can have that larger scale destruction. Battles are clear and easy to enjoy, but never too much that you get sick of it. The villain, Malakith, was underwhelming and never really impressive. This is not due to the performance of Christopher Eccleston, but it is because he is never really seen doing anything that shocked or impacted the viewer. He perhaps had one significant action, but even then it was kind of predictable. It is sad that his potential as a villain was wasted and he became your generic bad guy. 

    Everyone in this movie I felt did a good job, but of course Tom Hiddleston steals the show as Loki. He is in the movie for quite a reasonable time and provides much mischievous entertainment as both Thor and the audience are not sure if he should be trusted. The climax is entertaining and impressive. It has action, suspense, and a bit of comedy, nicely giving a satisfying last few minutes.

Overall, I feel that Thor: the Dark World is a great, entertaining movie and a good improvement on the previous movie.

-   By Karlos Dawang, 1A

THOR: THE DARK WORLD MOVIE REVIEW

by Lorenzo Vallente

                DIRECTED BY: Alan Taylor

          STARRING: Chris Hemsworth

                            Natalie Portman

                            Tom Hiddleston

                            Christopher Eccleston

                            Anthony Hopkins

Plot: The forces of evil are at it again, this time, threatening to destroy Asgard and the Nine Realms. When Malekith, leader of the “Dark Elves”, threatens to plunge the worlds into darkness once more, it’s up to Thor, Jane Foster, AND Loki to stop him. To avert the realms’ impending doom, Thor must destroy the Aether, a powerful weapon Malekith intends to use to destroy the realms.

Review: As you may have noticed, the plot of this movie is very straightforward, much like most Marvel movies. Even if this is the case, this movie in particular seems to feel strangely emptier than most movies coming from the Marvel brand. The movie is undeniably entertaining. The acting is adequate, the direction is fine, the action sequences are suitably bombastic and explosive and the humor is suitably self-deprecating and campy.

Let’s focus on the humor for a second. Much has been said about this movie’s humor. Many say it was brilliant and really funny. While I don’t disagree, I don’t necessarily agree with the statement either. The movie is indeed funny, but the humor comes too often and, at times, actually takes away from the story and the grittiness of the movie. In the scene where Thor is flying a plane, Loki consistently makes side comments and remarks, which are admittedly funny, yet distract from the impact of the action scene itself.

Now, one cannot talk about “Thor: The Dark World” without comparing it to the original “Thor”. If one judges the better movie based on mere mindless popcorn entertainment, Thor 2 is undoubtedly better. It has far more humor and crazier action. However, judging which is truly the better movie on a more technical level, the first movie immediately comes to mind as being superior. The first Thor was gritty, suspenseful and exciting. The direction of the first Thor was more to my liking than the second one as well. Although Alan Taylor did an adequate job, Kenneth Branagh really injected the first movie with his Shakespearean “quirks” and grittiness. The first movie had a lot of tilted camera shots, which helped enhance the mood of the movie, and each action scene was brilliantly staged without being over the top as most “Post-Avengers Marvel movies” seem to be. The first Thor was funny AT THE RIGHT TIMES, without randomly littering jokes throughout the movie as Thor 2 did. The actors, in my humble opinion of course, did a better job in the first movie (most noticeably Hemsworth) because he really played Thor as a gritty, sometimes bitter and even jealous god of thunder. In the second Thor, he is much more goofy and lightweight. The plot development was more rushed in Thor 2 and the finale came all of a sudden.

I know what you’re thinking, wait a minute, I thought you still like Thor 2. I do. I’m merely expressing my preference for the first movie.

Overall, “Thor: The Dark World” is an entertaining action-filled romp packed with (a little too much) goofy humor. I think this will satisfy Marvel fans until the next Avengers movie comes out.

PROFESSIONAL RATING: 7/10

ENJOYMENT RATING: 8/10

OVERALL: 7.5/10    

Mico E. Aquino                                                                                          

Nov. 3, 2013

2-O                                                                                                                 

Film Critics Circle

Thor: The Dark World

Thor 2 is by far the best movie Marvel's come up with for this year. Sure, there was Iron Man 3 (which was a disappointment, by the way) and The Wolverine, but they're nothing compared to The Dark World.

The movie starts with an introduction of the Dark Elves (of the realm Svartalfheim, but they're actually called 'dwarves' in Norse mythology), and their campaign to destroy all realms "to return them into darkness" during "the convergence, a once-every-5,000 years event where all the realms were lined up to each other and all forms of barriers between them just disappear", using a weapon known only as "The Aether".

Of course, the Dark Elves fail, only because of Odin's father, Borr. Instead of destroying the Aether, Borr decides to hide it in the void that forms underneath all the realms during the convergence, and this would play a major role in the plot.

Of course, the fights between the Dark Elves and the Asgardians aren't the only good thing in the movie (like when Heimdall destroyed that fighter thing with daggers). There are the unexpected plot twists, which I will no longer explain in detail so as to prevent any readers who are yet to watch the movie to be 'spoiled'.

A downside to the movie, though, is that it contains a lot of terms that probably are being used the wrong way in the movie, and could just result to a viewer being confused half the time.

The visual presentation of the movie is fantastic though. It looks like a complete overhaul of the tech they used for Iron Man 3 into something more advanced. The lighting used in the movie also made good effects that put emphasis into certain elements of the film.

Unlike Phase 1 Marvel movies (pre-Avengers movies), this movie seemed to inherit Phase Two's legacy of a great sense of humor (like when Stan Lee was seen in the film living in what seemed to be a mental hospital) and as such causes great impact onto the crowd.

All in all, Thor: The Dark World has been a great Marvel movie, surpassing blockbusters Iron Man 3 and Pacific Rim, and making the Thor movie adaptations not so bad at all, after the crappy movie you'd call Thor.

Score: 9/10

Paolo Flores                                                                                                                                       August 12, 2013

3B                                                                                                                                                           FCC – Filipino Movie

Review

Film Review: Sister Stella L.

Paglalahat: Matapos malaman ni Sister Stella ang pagwawalang-bahala sa kalidad ng pag-aalaga at respeto sa mga trabahador, nabuksan ang kanyang pananaw sa politikal na aspeto ng pamahalaan at sa mga trabahador, at nakisali siya sa kanilang mga demonstrasyon sa harap ng pabrikang pinagtatatrabahuhan nila. Nakaranas siya at ang iba pang mga manggagawa ng mga problema – patayan, madaming nasaktan – siya pa rin ay nagpursugi sa pagbubukas ng mga mata ng Pilipino sa kalagayan ng mga manggagawa hanggang sa pinakahuling eksena ng pelikula.

Review:

                Ito ang isa sa Pilipinong Pelikula na puno ng mura kapag si Jay Ilagan, ang actor para kay Nick Fajardo, ang dating kasintahan ni Sister Stella, ang magsasalita na. Inilalarawan ang isa sa mga problema sa Pilipinas noong matapos ang Martial Law, at kakalaya lang ng mga Pilipino sa isang panahong narerestrikto ang kalayaan ng pagpapahayag, na takot silang magpalabas ng mga artikulong bumabatikos sa pamahalaan, sa takot na maaaring maulit ang kanilang naranasan; marahil, ito ang isa sa mga dahilan kaya makikita na kahit ang mga nagpoprotesta ay natatakot dahil sa trato sa kanila noon ay di pa rin nagbago sa kasalukuyang panahon.

                Ang pelikula ay di gaanong maganda, lalo na sa transitional effects; nagkakaroon ng saglitang pagbabago o putol na walang koneksyon sa panahon na nangyari ang isang pangyayari sa isa pang pangyayari. Problema pa, yung audio na ginamit, mas malakas pa ang background sound kaysa sa boses ng mga karakter, kaya minsan di maintindihan ang sinasabi. Ang medyo nagpaganda lang ay ang tindi ng emosyon na ipinahihiwatig ng bawat karakter; bawat saglit may drama, ngunit di naman gaanong nakakalimutan lagyan ng ligaya ang iilang eksena, lalo ng kapag ipinagsasama sina Sister Stella at si Nick.

                Minsan nga lang, sobra ang drama na kanilang ibinibigay, na dumadagdag ito sa problema ngunit walang relasyon sa pinakasinasabi ng pelikula; halimbawa na lang, yung buntis na alaga ni Sister Stella sa Kumbento, isinaad niya ang kanyang problema kay Stella, at habang nagpatuloy ang storya, niabunyag kung ano ang nangyari sa kanya, kung paano iniwan lang siya ng kanyang kasintahan. Sa huli, pinakita na di niya na kinaya ang pagod at gulo na nangyayari sa kanyang isipan, at sa pagtanggi ni Sister Stella na manatili sa kumbento, siya ay nagpakamatay. Sinasabi nito kung paano tayong mga Pilipino ay nagiging emosyonal, lalo na sa oras ng kalungkutan o problema.

                Nailantad din ang iilang problema noong panahong iyon na sa hanggang ngayon ay makikita pa rin: pag-aabuso sa mga manggagawa, lalo na sa mga manggagawang di nakatapos ng kolehiyo o kaya mataas na edukasyon. Hindi sila binibigyan ng gaanong importansya, at tingin ng mga namumuno ng mga pagawaan ay gamit lang sila na madaling pallitan. Halimbawa nga eh kung paano pinatay ang namumuno sa demonstrasyon ng mga inutusang tao ng may-ari ng pabrika sa pag-iisip na titigil ang kani-kanilang demonstrasyon, pero hindi ito tumigil. Tumatag pa ito at naipakita ang kagalingan ng mga Pilipino sa kanilang pagkakaisa.

                Naipakita din ang mga problema sa Komunismo, lalo na sa grupo ng CPP/NPA (Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army) kung saan ay tutol sila sa pamumuno ng babaeng presidente.

                Maibibigay ko sa pelikula na ito ang 3 out of 5 stars. Maganda ang isinasabi, ngunit magulo ang daloy at ang mga epekto na ginamit upang mapaganda ito. 

Karlos Inigo Dawang

1A              CN 11

 

Synopsis:

A couple of years after the events of X-Men 3: The Last Stand, Wolverine is still very much affected by the events of the last movie. He is further damaged, alone and with no purpose.  When a woman brings him to Japan to meet a man he once saved who offers him mortality, complications will arise that will put Wolverine at his most vulnerable and his most dangerous.

 

Critique:

The Wolverine is a great return to form for the character of Wolverine. Hugh Jackman as ever is fantastic as Wolverine, really showing his vulnerability, pain, and desperation well. Wolverine also gets some good character development over the course of this movie. The other supporting characters were also pretty good but only a few spring to mind as memorable.

This new movie is noticeably more serious than the previous X-Men movies as it is definitely darker and grittier. Despite this, it still has some comedic moments and lines, but they do not come very often. The story is quite entertaining and intriguing, but it is quite predictable and never really surprises you.

While the movie uses the Japanese setting reasonably well with its themes, areas, and battles, it does underuse certain elements such as Wolverine's katana, ninjas, etc. This does not really take away from the movie, but I wish the makers of the film would have taken advantage of it more.

The action in this movie is well done, not overdoing it by giving you time to breathe Some though may not like the length of these quiet moments as they may get bored by this. Due to Wolverine's vulnerability, action scenes carry a bit more weight and we get to see its consequences. While most action scenes are grounded, some come off as a bit cheesy (the train section comes to mind), but these are still quite entertaining. The weakest action scenes are when they use the shaky cam, which is still disorientating and annoying.

The Wolverine overall is a great movie, but certain elements stop it from being a fantastic one.

 

8/10

 

Oh, and on a final note stay for the mid-credits scene because it is absolutely incredible.

Grown Ups 2

Movie of the Week  ( Improved Version)

By Lorenzo Vallente

 

Directed by: Dennis Dugan

Starring: Adam Sandler

             Kevin James

             Chris Rock

             David Spade

 

Plot: What plot? The entire movie is a string of usually funny and jokey scenes strung together. Basically, Lenny Feder and Co. have moved back to their hometown. The entire movie takes place on the last day of school.

 

Review: If you liked the first Grown Ups, you’ll like this too. I find this movie to be a pleasant and good-hearted film, albeit raunchy and gross at the same time. Grown Ups 2 is a more rapid-fire and crazy film than its predecessor. One example of this is a scene where a drug-addicted school bus driver opens a raft in a department store, therefore making it explode and crashing him through many shelves of groceries. Then, the bus driver ties the raft to the top of his school bus while Lenny is driving it. The bus driver then hits a tree, does a backflip and lands on his feet. All in about 10 seconds. Although not deep at all, this is a fun movie that met my expectations and offers many people a chance to escape from their everyday worries for an hour and a half. Surely, film “critics” will hate this movie. I don’t know if they were expecting a tour de force or an artsy, beautiful movie. Nevertheless, Grown Ups 2 will entertain anyone who simply wants to laugh or to kill time in a theater.

 

 

Overall:

8/10

Good movie. Funny, good natured, yet sometimes too over the top and crude.

 

 

PS: In my opinion, The Wolverine was horrible. I was falling asleep the whole movie.

Enzo Coloquio 2-0

                                                                       Pacific Rim Review

Official Synopsis:



When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot and an untested trainee —who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

Review:



First of all, I’d say that I haven’t really watched a lot of monster flicks.  But what I DID love was the kaiju kicking a@# throughout the film. After all, it was more of an “Action” kind of movie. And the 3D? It was used very effectively. However, it felt sort of anticlimactic, as the ending wasn’t as good as the Battle of Hong Kong, and it was WAY too short.

Final Verdict : 9/10

Mico E. Aquino                                                                                  July 17, 2013

2-O                                                                                             Film Critics Circle

Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim is a great movie, in its own right. It's one of the major blockbusters students would want to watch after taking long tests or submitting projects. But Pacific Rim, like any movie, also has it downsides. Let's find out what those downsides are.

In the beginning of the movie, the screen will flash the definition of Kaiju and Jaeger, two things that the movie revolves around. The problem with these definitions is that they used "Giant Beast" to define Kaiju, when in actuality, Kaiju means "strange beast". Although this won't be seen as an error by most people, I pointed this one out because it can imply that the people who made the film can be a little illiterate.

The concept of having two pilots share a brain to pilot a Jaeger is awesome to some people, but what they don't know is that this concept was introduced as far back as the '90s, with a movie like Robot Jox, where robots would fight it out for some sort of competition, and Japan's G Gundam, from the very popular anime franchise Gundam, whose concept is very similar to Robot Jox and Pacific Rim in a way. In G Gundam, pilots would fight in a competition using Gundams that are built with the fictional Mobile Trace System, which allows the Gundam to move the way its pilot can move. This Mobile Trace System is somehow similar to the system used by Jaeger pilots. Now, what the downside here was that Jaeger pilots can't handle the strain put by the system, and thus have to get a co-pilot. I don't know what de Toro was thinking. If he was going to base some elements of the movie on certain Japanese anime TV shows, he might as well include an element that somehow puts the Jaeger pilots out of a corner. Then again, if you don't like cliched scenarios where the protagonist always has nothing hindering him, this movie might be a change, since the pilots must both synchronize their brains before piloting a Jaeger. And wings. D@#N EVA WINGS! THOSE JAEGERS JUST GOT UGLIER WITH EVA WINGS!!!!!

One more thing about this movie is the design of the Kaijus. Now don't get me wrong, I love the Kaijus. But was it really necessary to base their designs on certain anime mecha that made most people puke in front of their TV sets? Take the Knifehead Kaiju. If you watched Macross Frontier, you would notice a striking resemblance between Knifehead and the red Vajra. Or another kaiju somewhere in the movie whose name I've forgotten, somehow it looks like the Evangelion Unit 01 from Neon Genesis Evangelion but a little fatter and a little less... skeletal. The point is, though, is that del Toro must have run out of ideas on what the Kaijus would look like, and instead decided to incorporate the designs from certain anime mecha to his monstrosities. What he did was nice, if he's planning to have certain people like me not like his creation. AT ALL.

The plot. Oh, that plot. There is that "I-raised-her-because-she-lost-her-parents-so-I'm-not-allowing-her-to-fight-simply-because-I'm-her-guardian." between Pentecost and Mako. Then there's that VERY CLICHED "Oh-look-he-saved-the-world-I'm-going-to-like-him-now." A LOT OF CLICHED STUFF, I TELL YOU.

Score for Pacific Rim: 8/10