DRACULA UNTOLD

by “The Cansinos”

SUMMARY: The movie is about a man named Vlad. When Vlad was a young boy, Turks, by the orders of their sultan, took him from his home, Transylvania, to be trained to fight for them. When he grew up, he returned home to Transylvania and claimed his throne as prince. During the Easter celebration of the Transylvanians, a Turkish soldier arrives unexpectedly and Vlad offers the usual tribute of silver coins but then the soldier declares that the sultan demands an additional tribute of 1,000 boys. Vlad refuses but his army is weak compared to the Turkish army so he approaches the Turkish sultan, Mehmed, and offers himself in place of the boys. The sultan refuses and demands Vlad’s son in addition.

Out of desperation, Vlad goes up into a high mountain cave to seek help from the vampire who cannot leave the cave. The vampire gives Vlad his blood and tells him drinking it would give him the powers of a vampire for three days but will also give him an intense thirst for human blood. The vampire tells Vlad that if resists the urge to drink human blood in those three days, he will turn back to a human but if he does drink blood, the vampire will be free from the cave and Vlad will forever be a vampire.

Vlad returns home and uses his powers to defeat the incoming Turks then he sends his people to a monastery to escape from them. During the journey through the forest, his wife learns of his curse but accepts that he will regain his mortality after defeating the Turks. Then, a mysterious man appears and proclaims himself Vlad’s servant and offers his blood but Vlad resists the urge and leaves the man alone. As the people near the monastery, they are ambushed by the Turks but Vlad and his men successfully drive the Turks away.

The next night, the Turkish army marches on the monastery and Vlad uses an enormous swarm of bats to repel them but the army turns out to be a decoy so several Turkish soldiers could infiltrate the monastery and take his son. His wife tries to defend their son but falls from the edge of the monastery wall and Vlad, even with his superhuman powers, fails to save his wife. His dying wife successfully pleads with him to drink her blood before the sun rises and he loses his powers so he could save their son. He permanently becomes a vampire and goes back to the monastery and turns a small group of survivors into vampires and together, they storm the Turkish camp with black clouds covering the skies. They vanquish the Turkish army and Vlad kills Mehmed and saves his son. The vampires confront Vlad and demands his son be killed for he is human but a monk keeps them at bay with the Christian cross. Vlad orders the monk to take his son and uses his power to clear the black clouds in the sky. The sunlight turns the vampires to dust and Vlad into a burned corpse.

Then the mysterious man from the forest who seemingly knew about Vlad’s curse takes him into the shadows and revives him. In the present day, Vlad meets a woman with a striking resemblance to his wife and they have a conversation about a line of poetry they have in common. The vampire who cursed Vlad watches him from afar and anticipates his future saying, “Let the games begin.”

Adrian’s rating: 4/5 stars

REVIEW: The movie doesn’t tell Dracula’s story but remakes it and Dracula himself. The movie changes Dracula from an evil bloodsucking monster into a good prince and a loving and caring father and husband who would do anything to protect his family and his kingdom. Aside from that, the plot was good. The actors really acted out their part really well and the special effects looked real.          

5/5 starsArvin’s rating:

REVIEW: The movie portrays a side of Dracula that isn’t seen in its other adaptations. For one, the movie focuses on Dracula’s humanity more than his monstrous side that people commonly know about him. He is a father who loves his family to the point that he risked the safety of his kingdom just so his son wouldn’t suffer as he did. In the movie, Dracula has shown fear and desperation, both very human emotions that other interpretations normally don’t portray him having. He showed fear that the Turks will attack his kingdom and fear that his family would get hurt. Yet, he also showed desperation when he confronted the vampire in the cave in order to gain the power to save his kingdom, and more importantly, his family.

                Near the end, the movie showed Dracula “dying” since he didn’t want to be a monster. This is a contrast from other adaptations and even the text since Dracula was previously portrayed to love being a vampire and not someone who wants to die. In my opinion, this more human side of Dracula was refreshing and made Dracula Untold unique compared to other interpretations of Dracula.

Maui Dimagiba                                                                                           October 12, 2014

Migo Fernandez

Emman Salcedo

9D

Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends

The Legend Ends is the third film in the Rurouni Kenshin trilogy, based on the Japanese manga series of the same name. The entire series revolves around Kenshin Himura, a wanderer whose mission is to protect the people of Japan to redeem himself from his sins as a former assassin known as Battousai the Killer. The trilogy is one of the many adaptations of the original manga, including an anime and a video game.

The third film follows Kenshin after his defeat at the hands of the Shishio, a heavily disfigured warrior who was originally a replacement for Battousai the assassin, hired by Kenshin’s employers but soon becomes a madman whose goal is to take over Japan. Kenshin is separated from his love interest Kaoru during his climactic battle against Shishio at the end of the second movie, and ends up diving into the ocean from Shishio’s battleship in order to escape his wrath. At the start of The Legend Ends, Hiko Seijuro, Kenshin’s mentor and trainer as a child, finds Kenshin washed ashore, and takes his unconscious body to Seijuro’s home. When Kenshin wakes up, he decides that he needs to train more in order to defeat Shishio, and asks Seijuro to teach him one final technique, the ultimate technique that can be used against Shishio to end his plans to conquer the country.

Visually and aesthetically, the film is absolutely breathtaking. The set for Shishio’s ship, which was the main battleground for the climax, presented a sometimes claustrophobic, sometimes cramped, but always gleefully destructible environment that was the perfect place for the film’s final battles. The visual effects were also great, making up most of the film’s heavy but stylish violence, from the blood oozing from a character’s wounds to the explosions from a firing cannon. The film was also beautifully designed; no matter where the characters were, the set they were in would always complement the scene, whether it’s an elegant background for a solemn conversation between characters or a small and destructible space for a violent clash. Even the costumes added to the film’s authenticity, from Saito’s neat dark grey uniform as a Meiji Government official to Kenshin’s graceful red and white shining “armor”.

The story itself doesn’t fall flat in any way and actually makes for a decent set-up for the film, but it does take the film down a familiar path of retribution and justice without taking any groundbreaking or at least different steps along the way. Even the characters cannot make up for it; not much is given about the characters, and though the film gives a substantial amount of flashbacks to the first and second movie to be able to let viewers who have not seen the first two installments of the trilogy comprehend the story, the members of the audience who have not heard of Rurouni Kenshin might have trouble caring for the characters.

That being said, even with a story that’s all too familiar and a lack of character development, the best thing about the film, the thing that perfectly makes up for its flaws, is the fight choreography. Though the film is filled with stylized visual effects, it still leaves enough space for the audience to appreciate a battle between characters. Each battle is thrilling and violently raw, from Aoshi and Kenshin’s battle in the forest to the climactic clash of Kenshin and Shishio. The choreography is the main centerpiece of the film for casual viewers, and it definitely adds to the movie experience for Rurouni Kenshin fans. Though this type of fast-paced and intricate fight sequences are common in other foreign films such as The Raid, albeit in a modern setting, it cannot beat the authenticity of having a samurai action sequence in a realistic 1870’s Japanese setting.

Maui’s score: 9/10

Migo’s score: 8/10

Emman’s score: 9.5/10

Consensus: The final installment of this fast-paced, manga-inspired trilogy is spectacular, not only for its violent, raw, and sometimes unsettling sequences of clashing swords, but also for its ability to be breathtakingly beautiful at the same time.

Good morning, everyone.


On Wednesday (October 15, 2014), we will be meeting at the library discussion room for our org session (3 to 4 p.m.). See you there and please spread the word to the other org members,


Mr. Hidalgo

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno by Migo Fernandez

First things first, it’s a Japanese movie based on an anime, so don’t expect to understand what is going on if you haven’t seen the series. With that out of the way, let us continue with the review.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie. The main character, who was previously a killer, decides to be a hero this time around because he has seen what he has done wrong. However, he still fights those who pose a threat to his friends, using a back-bladed katana to paralyze enemies instead of killing them.

I also enjoyed the movie despite its being in Japanese; the action scenes were pretty well done because of the great effects. The humor in some scenes was actually funny (like when Kenshin’s friend decided to help him fight, but with a huge blunt sword, while swearing in Japanese).  Another thing is that I think the make-up was really well done because from what I’d seen, the actors really transform into their characters. 

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

A MOVIE REVIEW

BY Lorenzo Vallente and Anton Sobreviñas

Directed by: James Gunn

Starring: Chris Pratt    Zoe Saldana       Dave Bautista

       Vin Diesel    Bradley Cooper

PLOT SUMMARY:

The story centers on a ragtag bunch of “heroes” from very different backgrounds: Peter Quill, a smuggler who steals things from others for cash, Gamora, an assassin for Thanos who seeks redemption for her past sins, Drax the Destroyer, a warrior who is seeking revenge against Ronan the Accuser for killing his family, Rocket, a genetically engineered raccoon who is a weapons expert, and Groot, a tree-like humanoid who is the accomplice of Rocket. The story is quite simple, not uncommon for a Marvel film. Peter Quill steals an orb containing an Infinity Stone, which Ronan wants as well as it will grant him infinite power over the galaxy. Through different circumstances, these five people meet and form the Guardians of the Galaxy, intent to stop Ronan from going through with his master plan. It’s all pretty standard stuff.

REVIEW PROPER:

VALLENTE’S OPINION

As usual, much has been said about this movie. Most, if not all of the human population seem to love this movie, and the amazing reviews and box-office results seem to prove this statement correct. In my humble opinion, the movie was not all that amazing. Let’s start with the positives. The direction was very confident and the special effects were spectacular. James Gunn was the right choice for director as he captures the world he is bringing to life well. He handles the action scenes very adeptly. The one that sticks to my mind the most is the action scene between spaceships at the midway mark of the movie. It was genuinely exciting and fantastically shot. The special effects are also amazing, as we have come to expect from Marvel movies with gigantic budgets. Most of the acting was great as well, save for a few underwhelming performances.

Now to the negatives: as stated before, not all of the acting was superb. I found some actors to be too dry, and the glaring example is Zoe Saldana. While she has genuine acting chops, for the most part, it seemed like she was either acting too emotionlessly or was just genuinely bored. The dialogue also felt too expository. I did not think that people could actually tell these lines to other people without sounding a bit loony or dull. While the characters were developed enough, I thought the villain was very lackluster. There was nothing wrong with the actor’s performance. It’s just that the script does nothing but make him sound scary without him actually doing anything that scary. He was too one note to me.

SOBREVINAS’ OPINION:

I disagree with my partner and think that this is an exceptionally made film. The story, while basic, was effective. The acting by most of the actors was great, the special effects were amazing and the humor was genuinely funny. James Gunn really took this world and made it his own.

VALLENTE’S RATING: 6.9/10

SOBREVINAS’ RATING: 8/10

25           Jaan Gabriel C. Lacson       10-A                       Movie of the Week (The Giver)

Summary:

In a seemingly perfect world without pain, lies or feelings, Jonas, an 18 year old is chosen to be the next Receiver of Memory, the one who has the memories of the old world. This Receiver gets the memories from the previous Receiver, who is now known as the Giver. After receiving memories, Jonas realizes that there is more to his world than meets the eye, and that there is still a lot left for him to learn.

Review:

          About the script, it can be said that it can leave a lot to be desired from the audience. Compared to the book that it is based from, it did not have the same impact because it didn’t make you stop and think like the book did. The themes of freedom and such are there but it did not flesh them out that well. It felt like you were watching the scenes unfolding compared to actually experiencing them because of the lack of emotional and mental impact.

However, the visuals used were great, for example the community really seemed like it was a world that was perfect, especially the airborne shots. Also, the scenes in the wilderness were also well done; the landscape shots were brilliant in their execution. The acting was fine; there were some highlights from the Chief Elder and the Giver. However, after the movie, the performances tend to start to mix. Also a small point, sometimes the reality of the movie doesn’t make sense; I don’t think it’s possible for someone to not fall off when sliding tens of stories down a metal slope using a tray, among other things. All in all, it is still an okay experience in the cinema, which can still be enjoyed; however, it’s not one to win an award.

Joaquin Quizon

Chef: Movie Review

Story:

The story is pretty simple; a chef comes into conflict with his boss over creativity and quits. He then starts his own venture with the help of his son and some friends. I personally enjoyed the story as firstly, it’s about food and secondly, it is also about standing up for one’s principles and learning to get back on your feet. However, I feel like the ending was rushed and it gives you a feeling that something should be there but itsn’t.

Acting:

Jon Favreau does an excellent job in portraying Casper as he made it seem that he was a real chef and not an actor portraying one. The others were not really that astounding in terms of performance but were still good nonetheless, especially Robert Downey, Jr. who only appeared for like 5 minutes but still gave an above average portrayal.

Technicality:

The movie was well-made, the lighting was spot-on and the camera work felt natural. The sound was clear and I liked the twitter feature used for some scenes, which really brought the movie to life. The soundtrack was not really that great as there were no memorable songs or tunes. Everything else was great and the movie was a joy to look at.

Overall:

Chef is a great movie and one that I find rather inspiring. It has a great cast, wonderful camera work, and a great story. Although I think the ending fell flat, it was still a joy to watch and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good foodie movie once in a while.

Final Score: 8/10

Movie of the Week: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

A continuation of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", it takes place many years into the future, where humans were thought to be extinct and apes rule as the dominant race. The movie revolves around the struggle that Caesar and the other apes deal with when they are re-introduced to humankind. This struggle then turns into all-out battle against the humans in pursuit of power led by Koba, an ape who had usurped Caesar as leader of the apes.

This movie had a lot more action in it when compared to its prequel as it was more focused on the conflict between each character rather than on character development. It was also quite dark, both in lighting and in nature. For the lighting, there were many scenes that were shot at night or in a dark area, which made it a bit difficult to see what was happening. For the nature of the film, there were times when the scene would be centered around joy and laughter, and would suddenly change to hate, anger, and even murder.

As a fan of the first film, I really liked how the sequel was made. The pacing of the story was a bit slow, but it had a good plot. What got me the most though was that despite using many computer-generated graphics, and the fact that the apes were talking in incomplete and sometimes incoherent sentences for most of the film, the emotions of the apes were still shown and emphasized.

If you liked the first film, I highly recommend that you watch this one if you haven't already.

- Lee Balmaceda, 12-F

The review was written by Karlos Dawang of 10-A.

Summary: A couple years after the near destruction of Chicago, the Transformers face backlash from the world and go into hiding. A down-on-his-luck father and his daughter then find a transformer and their lives are changed forever.

Review: What people really expect from a Transformers movie is a fun action movie with giant robots, good special effects, and the chance to turn off their brains for some action and large spectacle. So it is very disappointing that what we get after 3 tries is a long boring movie with dumb humor, only a few entertaining action sequences, and an extreme overuse of explosions and special effects that at times looks worse than the first movie. 

The movie's worst problem is its length. Clocking in at about 2 hours and 40 minutes, the tolerance for the movie's problems nosedives at about the 1 hour-30 minute mark. The plot starts off reasonably well, but as the movie progresses, more elements just keep getting added in and the plot becomes this huge mess. 

The characters don't fare better. Mark Wahlberg's character is just a generic hero type; his daughter is a typical teen that gets on your nerves as the movie goes on. The Transformers get a new team of characters that feel mostly expendable but some get a few pretty fun moments. Bumblebee really feels like a side character and Optimus Prime should be in the movie more. And of course the Dinobots , which received heavy promotion, are in the movie for about 10 minutes and they did not feel significant. 

The special effects are shockingly obvious at times. There are moments when it is painfully obvious the actors are in front of a green screen. The movie also has a lot of explosions and destruction, and in a 2 hour-40 minute movie, it gets old and boring really fast. After a while, you just become dulled to explosions. They become loud noises and flashy lights instead of adding to the spectacle.

Many of the problems I have stated have been problems in the previous movies, so if you can get past these, then perhaps you will like the movie. However, the movie's running time and its special effects blunders cannot be forgiven. One also can't help but get the feeling of been there, done that.

                                                                              AM+DG
                                                                      1  Ali  Aldaba  1-C
                                                                      
                                                              Film  Critics  Circle  Report
                                                      Paranormal  Activity:  The  Marked  Ones

                                                                       SPOILER  ALERT:

                     The  following  statements  are  my  opinions  and  thoughts  on  the  aforementioned  film. 

Honestly,  I  would  rate  the  frightening  scenes  3  out  of  10.  I say  so  because  I  only

felt  fear  in  anticipation  of  what  would  appear  and  scare  me.  When  the  scary  scene  itself 

happens  however,  I  did  not  feel  terrified  as  I expected  myself  to  be. 

          I  would  rate  the  film  an  overall  rating  of  7  out  of  10.  I say  so  because  of   the  scenes  that  occurred  in  the  near  ending  of  the  film’s  rising  action.  What  occurred  in  those  particular  scenes  were  two  main  characters  and  two  other  supporting  characters  risking  themselves  in  an  attempt  to  rescue  the  main  protagonist  who  was  abducted  by  Satanic  witches.  Their  attempts  in  doing  so  involved  breaking  into  the  house  where  the  protagonist  was  being  held  and  even  murdering  witches  who  were  guarding  the  house  with  weapons. 

          Specifically,  my  favorite  part  of  the  whole  film  was  in  the  near- climax.  That  part

was  when  one  of  the  two  main  characters  begins  searching  for  the  other  main  character,  a  girl, 

and  finds  her  falling  from  and  through  the  house’s  ceiling  to  her  death  on  the  floor. 

                       I  would  say  that  this  film  was  a  fine  installment  in  the  series  because  it  exhibited

some,  if  not  a  lot, of violence,  one  of  the  qualities  I  search  for  in  horror  films.