Review: Wreck-It Ralph

Remember Toy Story? A lot of toys from our childhood made a cameo appearance on that trilogy and it made millions. Here comes another movie from Disney and this time, characters from our video game childhood are gracing the big screen. Since I first saw the trailer, I told myself that I will watch this film no matter what. And when it finally shown here, I rushed to the nearest movie house and watched it. Is it worth the hype? or Is this a disappointment to all the  gamers out there? Find out after the jump

Review: Resident Evil Retribution

It's kinda uncommon for a movie franchise to get past the trilogy marker unless it has a lot of earnings from the past iterations. The Resident Evil movie franchise got past part four and delivered a fifth installment that sad to say, didn't deliver. Find out why after the jump

Review: The Avengers

Characters like the Iron Man, Thor and Captain America sold millions in their respective movies. What if you place them under one movie, add a mean green raging monster, a sultry assassin, and a well, an archer. Will it sell? or will it try to outshine each other and create a catastrophe?

Review: Chronicle

Found footage filming is traditionally used for horror genres. Popularized by the Blair Witch Project and later on used by Paranormal Activity. This time, found footage filming was used into a super-hero inspired story. Will the fresh take of the found footage filming a success or will it be another headache due to those "amateur video" effect? Find out after the jump.

Review: Underworld: Awakening

Exactly six years after the last direct sequel (Rise of the Lycans being a prequel in 2009). Underworld reminded us how vampires and werewolves  look and act the way they should really be. Is the six year gap from the original story long enough for the people to appreciate this film? Read on to find out.

Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

The second installment of the portrayal of literature's awesome sleuth, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows used a different rendition of the traditional Sherlock Holmes, will it work or will it be a disappointment? Find out after the jump.

Review: The Three Musketeers

A remake of a classic, The Three Musketeers departed from the traditional retelling of the legendary warriors of France. Is this a good move from the Director or will this be its downfall? The Three Musketeers was inspired by steampunk and flying ships. Add some "bullet time" and lots and lots of swashbucklery. A modern approach to the story gave this film lots of good entertainment. I must admit, if they stick to the old traditional retelling of the story, this movie would suck. Come on, hot women, lots of action and great destruction, what more could you ask for? The casting was great as each of the actors and actresses portrayed their character well. Milla Jovovich sexy portrayal of Milady de Winter upped the ante and I will watch this film over and over again just for her. The costume design was spectacular and the props make you feel you were really on that era. There is some minor detail, some items were not historically correct which I think was deliberately left out because the director is really aiming for a steampunk modern feel to an old story. The flying airship scenes reminded me of Pirates of the Caribbean and the fight scenes well, reminded me of The Matrix. Overall, if you are looking for eye candy and value for your money, this movie is for you. Hot men for ladies and hot women for the gentlemen. Everyone is a winner.

Review: Captain America The First Avenger

Marvel completed its Avengers team by finally showing the remake of the real American hero by the name of Captain America. As we all know, Marvel has been having a hit and miss situation with the recent hit of Thor and the X-Men First Class and the flops like Spiderman 3. Will the real American hero deliver the "final justice"? Find out after the jump.

Don't get me wrong here, Captain America is a great film...if you're an American. The plot was taken from the comics but was tailor-fitted for the Hollywood "standards" by concentrating on a love story angle rather than follow Captain America's bond with his best friend Bucky Barnes which was the plot of the comics.

Chris Evans played the part of the all American hero pretty well, but what really stands out was the diabolical performance of the antagonist Red Skull (played by Hugo Weaving). Hugo in my opinion out shined Chris Evans in the film and his performance is highly commendable.

The visual effects and CGI was top notched as expected always on a Marvel film. The World War II atmosphere was realistically captured but some scenes like the top of the train totally looks fake. The transformation of Chris Evans body into a small physique all thanks to CGI totally wowed the audience and could not thell apart what is real and what is not.

Overall, Captain America's target audience were not the die hard sci-fi comic book fans out there who wanted justice for the comic book hero, but the general audience who doesn't mind discrepancies on details but enjoys a popcorn movie with enough love and action to watch with their love ones and friends alike.

Review: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2

Harry Potter is one of the best selling franchise in our movie industry today, and sadly though, all things has an ending. Ten years after the film dominated the big screen and the long journey of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) has come to an end. Is the final iteration epic enough for the millions of Harry potter fans worldwide? Read on..

The previous gritty and moody feel that looks like an overexposed film was still intact as the the movie started with a serious tone. If you read the book, it is natural to predict what will happen next. It is only natural to imagine what you have read and picturing it while watching the film. This technique may disappoint some fans because they will realize that the film was not depicted as it was on the book, from cover to cover. It gave a certain difference from the book as some scenes from the book where different on the movie (read some of J.K. Rowling's journal to know the story behind the changes). Again, the movie may vary from each of us.

The acting of the three main roles (Radcliffe, Watson and Grint) greatly improved. The maturity of the cast gave justice to the characters they were portraying. Sadly though, some of the previous cast had little or no roles whatsoever (it was justified by the progression of the story itself).

Watching this film in 3D is highly recommended as with all of the previous Harry potter films, this one gave a lot of eye candy. From the splash of the water, to the blistering hot fire. The details and blending of the CG was oh so great.

Book fans will be shocked as part of the "ultimate battle" was not taken from the book. They made a "different" and "improved" version which some might like and some may not agree.

In the end, any shortcomings of the film will not be necessary because the fact that this is the last of the Harry Potter films, and each and every one wanted to see how the "19 years later" was interpreted. All was well..

So who's your favorite Harry Potter character?

For me it's Severus Snape. Seriously, Snape's role may not be that important to some, but to me, it was the greatest twist ever executed in a story.

Review: Transformers 3 Dark of the Moon

The third and final installment of of the Transformers franchise was expected to fail in many aspects all thanks to the previous installments. But will the third movie finally shut the mouth of the critics? Or will it finally prove that Michael Bay is all about the explosions not the story? Find out after the jump.
Let me just go straight to the point. I was not excited to watch the third movie of Transformers as I was not impressed with any of Michael Bay's films. But I got the chance to watch it earlier without the hassle of falling in a very very long line. Anyway, as expected, the movie lacks character development and the story was written poorly as if the writers were too busy with the "eye-candy" they forgot that a plot is needed. Sure there are lots of actions, explosions, explosions, and more explosions. But that cannot hide the fact that the story (if ever there really is one) was full of loop-holes. I believed that the story was sacrificed just to emphasize the "drama" of the humans fighting the Decepticons.

If you are looking for eye candy and hot women, then this movie is for you. But if you're into an intellectual plot or just a solid plot to follow, then stay away from this almost three hours long crappy film.

oh, do click the picture below.

Review: Green Lantern

Marvel dominated the superhero movie scene with its million-budget adaptations of their popular comic book characters. DC on the other opted for a quality over quantity approach, with the success of The Dark Knight, every comic book and movie enthusiasts were expecting much from the Green Lantern.

In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power... Green Lantern's light!

Fans of the comic book were thrilled that Green Lantern finally got the chance to be made into a live action. Non-comic book fans were also excited to see something fresh and that what made Green Lantern even more popular.

Story-wise, it was partially adopted from the comic books and tweaked for the movie. Hal Jordan was the famous of all the Green Lanterns and his story was magnificently told in a CGI rich film. Watching this movie will make your jaw drop in amazement. Sadly the amazement stops there. Even though the main essence on how Hal Jordan got the ring was there, the main story line itself wasn't engaging and overall it was shallow and dry. Ryan Reynolds is a good actor and he was good as Deadpool back on Wolverine Origins and his acting here at Green Lantern looks like laid back or restricted.

Speaking of acting, the chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively wasn't that appealing. Don't know if there's something lacking or the story just overshadowed it. What makes a good movie is when people retold some parts they liked over and over again and laughed about it, sadly, Green Lantern lacked that "epic-scene-you-want-everyone-to-remember"

On the positive note, fighting scenes and the aircraft maneuver were note-worthy.

I am not discouraging anyone from watching the film because if you're into massive CGIs and an ample amount of action then this movie is for you. Hardcore superhero fans may tend to shove off some stuff but will eventually accept this movie.

Review: X-Men First Class

After you concluded a money generating franchise what will you do next? Create a sequel to earn more money! It's been a trend in Hollywood that creating a prequel or a spin-off can restore the flow of money. X-Men First Class takes us way back into he past as discover how Professor X founded the X-Men.

Is the prequel formula a sure hit or Marvel created a flop that will soon be forgotten by fans just like Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace? Find out after the jump.

With the array of super hero movies coming our way and the disappointment of X-Men 3: The Last Stand, a lot of comic book fans wonder if First Class is going to be the saving grace of the franchise.

A lot of people agreed that X-Men The Last Stand was an epic fail. But I can safely say that this prequel/spinoff gave breath to the dying franchise of X-Men.

The story deviated from the original comic book story on how Professor X formed the X-Men. For those who didn't know, the original "first class" were Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman and Jean Grey. But I think Marvel chose to select other members to prevent a rehash of the previous three films. The movie took a complete turn as it narrates the origin of Charles and Erik's friendship totally different from the comics. For me, deviating from the comics help create an alternate story that doesn't require the complicated plots of the comic universe.

The cast gave life to the characters they were portraying from the comic universe. No miscasting here like that from The Last Airbender *goosebumps*. But I think the cast need a little tweak in their acting but those are just minor hiccups.

The visual eye candies are great as some CGI distort the boundaries of reality and fantasy. Seriously, it was beautifully made that you can't tell the difference. I do hope future super hero films have the same awesome CGIs.

Overall, the well written story and the beautifully executed special effects made this movie a much watch not just by the X-Men fans, but by the other movie junkies as well.

Review: Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides

The first three Pirates of the Caribbean established the franchise as one of the box office hit. Is adding a fourth one help continue the streak or it'll be a sign that the series needs a break? Find out after the jump

Pirates of the Caribbean here in the Philippines is like Harry Potter in fame. As early as 10AM, most of the last full seats (10:30PM) were reserved or already purchased. As expected for a film that brought a trilogy that a lot watched. So is a fourth film worth it?

First of all, the fourth film, On Stranger Tides, is not a continuation of the trilogy. It mainly showcases the comic-relief protagonist Captain Jack Sparrow which I believe is the main selling point of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The absence of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann helped prevent a rehash of the first three. Having Rob Marshall instead of Gore Verbinski had the fourth film sailed on a different direction. There story was pretty much straight forward but some twists assured that it will not be predictable. If ever you feel that there's a plot hole somewhere, you can head over to IMDb.com because a lot of fans there were defending the film with a valid point.

As expected with Johnny Depp, his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow was superb, it's like he's always in character the delivery of the humor is spot-on. Penélope Cruz added more spice to the film. Her exotic look and accent fits well and her tandem with Depp was in chemistry. Also, the other characters' portrayal and development (especially that of Sam Claflin (Philip) and Astrid Berges-Frisbey's (Syrena) sub plot) were well written.

The musical score was top-notched, as expected from a Disney film. The movie was filmed in Dolby Digital Surround 7.1 and watching it on DTS theater house is worth it. Just like the other films from the franchise, the music enhances the dramatic scenes and boost the humor. All were properly composed and executed.

I haven't watched the film in 3D due to financial reasons (3D here is expensive) but some say it was't worth it.

In conclusion, the film is a good popcorn flick that packs a punch in humor and a decent story but to serious movie goers it may be sequel that wasn't necessary at all and the franchise is losing its magic.

Review: Priest

Vampires were often a major selling point in a movie, especially if those vampires are sexy babes or hunks that sometimes sparkle when hit by the sun. The movie Priest though offer a different perspective on the appearance of vampires, now portrayed as grotesquely looking beasts with no eyes and possessed huge teeth. Can this movie please the ever growing vampire fanbase or will it be a flop just like the other vampire movies before it? Find out after the jump.

Priest was adapted from the Korean manhwa (Korean's version of manga) with the same title. The manhwa was inspired by the anime and video game Blood which turned into a movie last 2009.

The visuals of the film were limited due to the fact that the movie's setting was in the middle of the desert. The movie was turned into 3D during post production so watching it on 3D was a disappointment. Only a number of scenes can be appreciated in 3D and the rest were just plain and boring. I expected lots of action sequences involving the main character ,which by the way is cool according to my standards, but sadly not much action were shown. Fast paced action were slowed down reminiscing those of past action films like the Matrix and was beautifully executed but nothing new there.

The story deviated from the manhwa (just like other adaptations) and turned into a cliche of past vampire films. Some minor plot holes can be noticed (which is typical on a Hollywood film) and the character development were limited (due to the a sequel perhaps?). Action fight scenes seems limited so you might be looking for more.

Paul Bettany portrayed the character of the priest well which performed most of the action sequences. Maggie Q was just for eye candy as her participation was limited. The antagonist was bad-ass and should have more action sequences as well. If ever there will be a sequel, the writers should focus more on the character development and add more screen time to the other characters.

The musical score was right on as you can hear Mozart's masterpiece fill the theater house. Sound effects and constant growling from the vampires were executed well.

Overall, this movie was good on the outside, but if you look closer, it's just another vampire slayer cool enough to kill some vampires and live another day to slay some more. Nothing much new here except for the cool weapons of the priest and the somewhat message to the Catholic Church (better watch to find out). If you're a vampire fan and looking for action like the Underworld, then this movie is for you. But if you want a deep storyline and more character development then you better look elsewhere.

Review: Thor

Comic book fans are always happy when Stan Lee and the rest of the Marvel team decided to make a movie about their favorite comic book hero. There were hits that truly gave justice to the comic book hero they loved and there where misses that fans tried to forget. Now that the "God of Thunder" has his own movie, did Marvel gave justice to this hammer wielding hero or should they have a "reboot" just like what happened to the Incredible Hulk? Find out after the jump.

The elements in making a movie a hit are eye candy, reasonable plot, good acting and good musical score. Thor fortunately are good on all of the above mentioned.

If we talk about eye candy, women will tell you that it's all about the nice body of Chris Hemsworth and the men will tell you it's all about Natalie Portman and Jaimie Alexander. Geeks will tell you it's the awesome design of Asgard and the special effects that look marvelous in eye popping 3D. The shiny effect on armor and other glittering objects were really done well and watching this movie entirely on 3D is definitely a must. Unlike previous movies claiming to be 3D, but just had 3-5 minutes of actual 3D, Thor will treat you full 3D through-out the duration of the film.

Regarding the plot, It was nice that Marvel considered the audience that had no idea what's Asgard and the whole Thor universe. The almost 1 hour of prologue is enough to answer questions that may rise during the progression of the story. The only flaw I saw (which is only minor) is that there's not enough character development on minor roles, like Thor's friends and several other characters. Also, the origin of Thor's power was not based on the comic books but an entirely new one (typical to most movie adaptations)but these small cracks did not affect the awesomeness of the movie.

The acting of Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman on-screen is noteworthy. The added romance to the plot increases the likelihood of having a ThorxJane fans club and attract the younger audience. Other characters performed their part well, which is good, since like I said previously, that not all characters where fully developed.

The enchanting musical score was given justice by the DTS of the theater house I had watched Thor and it really captivated the mood of the scene. Some may overlook this small detail but the music has a major impact when combined with the rich visuals of the film.

Overall, this movie is a bang for the buck. Watching it on 3D will never get you wrong. Also, I wouldn't mind if a sequel may come out in the future. By the way, wait till the credit roll end, as with the previous Marvel films, a nice epilogue will appear.

Review: Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830

Every smartphone that comes out in the market is always labeled as the "iPhone killer" and when Samsung introduced this budget-wise Samsung Galaxy S x iPhone love child, you can't help wonder if this is just one sick joke or it's now a new ball game.

Boasting a 800 MHz ARM 11 processor and 278 usable RAM. The Galaxy Ace is Samsung's way of giving cheap affordable Android phones that looks like the iPhone! Come on, with a P16,500 SRP you can't get wrong with this shiny piece of gadgetry.

Came packed with the not so latest Android Froyo 2.2, You can access the Android marketplace for thousands of free apps. Trust me, you'll spend lots of hours just looking for apps and trying each and every one of them.

But what about performance? Given that you bought this gadget to utilize each and every feature it have, You're in for a keeper. Multiply apps running on the background like Tweet Deck, Facebook app, Plurk and Angry Birds, you will never experience major slowdowns and application errors. That's a nice feat for a 800 MHZ processor IMO. The camera take decent shots especially if utilized the highest available resolution. The sound quality when playing music is awesome thanks to the DNSe sound enhancement. The bundled 2GB microSD memory might be a letdown but hey, you can upgrade to 32GB without any issues. Texting and calling is not an issue all thanks to Samsung's TouchWiz UI, at least there's no problem with the basics.

But like every gadgets, Galaxy Ace have its Achilles heel. The battery life might be too short for some people (like me!), well, let's say that if you use Ace as an "internet phone", it will took only 2-3 hours for the battery to drain. I guess that aspect may vary on each user anyway. But how I wish it has the strong battery life of an iPhone or even an iPod it will really make this gadget a sure winner.

Overall, if you're looking for an Android phone that's not too painful to your wallet, why go for 600 MHZ budget phones when you 'll add a couple of thousands more and you'll get a decent phone like Samsung Galaxy Ace.

You can view the full specifications here at GSMArena.com

Review: Source Code

When I first heard about this movie I thought it's gonna be another The Social Network movie about nerds becoming billionaires. Instead, this movie is about a "secret government project" was used into solving crimes like terrorism. The "source code" brings back the "user" in the final eight minutes of a recently deceased individual. More like a Minority Report but instead of going into the future, the program let you return to the past to investigate the unsolved crime. With that premise, this movie caught my attention.

To be honest, if you haven't learn the premise of the story, you will be confused on the earlier part of the film. But as the story progressed, the "source code" was explained. This approach made the movie a lot more interesting and it lets you get hooked with the story.

The story, as most sci-fi movies out there, have plot holes all over it. A lot of debates spawned over the interwebs and I was amazed that a lot of netizens were defending this movie. What that in mind, this movie had acquired a fan base of its own. As for me, I'm just thinking that this is Hollywood, and in Hollywood, plot holes really do appear because the main objective of the movie is to entertain the viewer (Michael Bay films anyone?).

I was happy that the cast of characters were really developed through out the film, well given the fact that the train scene was recreated over and over again. But at least they gave justice to each character, even the minor ones.

The music though needs more to be desired. The film was lacking music that might boost the emotions in the movie, much like the background music from Inception. But this minor hiccup can be forgiven.

Overall, this movie is a keeper for some sci-fi movie buffs like me and I recommend you watch it with a love one or with your buddies.

Review: Sucker Punch

With Zack Snyder, the director of Watchmen and 300, at the helm of one of the most anticipated movie of 2011, you can't help but expect a lot. Did this movie deliver or it's like an apple in a bunch of lemons? Here we go.

Swords check, guns check, Nazi check, zombies check, dragons check, intense brutal action check, petite school girl check, explosions and death check. This movie is packed with lots of eye candy that caters a lot of perverts fans out there.

Most of the film takes us on a dream sequence within a another dream sequence (OMG this sounds familiar!) and this is where the action takes place. Visually, this movie is highly detailed from the tiny falling snow to the biggest explosion. This will make you want more. If this film's eye candy were to be real candies, I'm gonna be diabetic.

In the music department, majority of the story was set on the mood by the musical score. Some scenes make you wonder if this film is a collection of music videos. I almost jumped from my seat when I heard Bjork singing Army of Me, I was a fan of her way back. Anyway, I was disappointed that the mall where we watched this movie haven't placed Sucker Punch on a DTS equipped cinema, but instead, some local film was placed there. It could have been great to hear those slashing and blowing in digital surround.

Emily Browning gave justice to that "petite school girl" fetish we were talking before and the other girls played their part well. Too bad character development was not prioritized in this film which resulted to some gaps and questions that plagued the film.

Finally the story. It's one of those movies where you really really need to think in order for the story to sink in. It's like Inception but with less complications and a lot more action. A lot of critics did not agree with the story but I guess we have our own opinion about it. As for me, Even though the story lack some punch to it, it delivered the message well.

If you are into action and have a knack for eye candy, then this film is right up on your alley.

Review: Catch Me..I'm in Love

No people, the world hasn't come to an end yet. What you're seeing on my site is really a review of the local film Catch Me..I'm in Love starring Sarah Geronimo and Gerald Anderson. I know it may or may not affect the credibility of my review but have you ever wonder why this movie earned 15 million pesos on its first day? What the hell is this movie anyway? Why on Earth do people watch it? Find out after the jump.

Let's cut to the chase, no sugar-coated review here. First off the ever so important story, If you look at it closely, the entire plot is all about the guy from a "higher class" and the girl from the "lower class". Yes folks, we still have caste system here. Probably because of Meteor Garden fandom back then. Anyway, the story progressed damn right predictably and the cliché is never ending. remember "A Very Special Love"? Well..replace John Lloyd with Gerald and you have Catch Me..I'm in Love. I know right?! But why, why do people still dig this? Why do they still watch this kind of film even though they know what's the story and what will the outcome be? The answer lies on the so called "kilig moments" Seriously, you can feel the intensity inside the theater during these moments and you will realize that every couple, every heart-broken individual can relate and/or emulate by the situation. Topped it up with the natural acting of Sarah Geronimo as a "lower class" girl (you can pair any guy with this talented girl and you can still achieve that poor girl persona) and you have a sure win formula.

Hollywood films may have the best story lines and/or the best effects, but it all boils down to what the people really want..that "kilig" factor that made this movie a top grosser.

Review: RPG Metanoia

It's the Metro Manila Film Festival once again and it is mandatory to show all Filipino made movies from December 25 up to January 7. One of the entries got my attention, the first Filipino full length CG animated movie finally became a reality. RPG Metanoia is an all Filipino CG movie production. Did the movie lived up to its promise? Or is this another epic failure? Find out after the jump.

During the promotion of RPG Metanoia, I confess that I was skeptical. Due to the history of fails in past films, my faith in the Philippine movie industry was a size of a walnut. I was a bit curious in this "innovation" so I ended up watching Metanoia.

A heed of warning, This movie was five years in the making and you can see it in the quality of the animation. It's true that the movie is in full Computer Generated (CG). But like I said, it was bit of outdated.

Story-wise, the plot reminded me of the famous anime .hack but with added Filipino twist. As with other film fest entries, this movie gave a moral lesson specifically for the children who waste their youth on MMORPGs. You can see in the entire movie the elements of the "Pinoy culture", from the tricycle to the pakbet and longanissa, everything is all Filipino. Hardcore movie geeks may find Metanoia heavily referencing to past successful movies, from some actions sequence of the Matrix, to some dialog of Pinoy heroes. But some Hollywood films also do this so I think Metanoia can get away with it.

The musical score was impressive. No cheesy novelty song here (thank God). My only gripe is the the quality of the dialogs. It's like watching an anime dubbed for local TV. The sound is kinda monaural and it will get in your nerves when all of the kid characters speak at the same time. Don't get me wrong, I like the sound effects and the insert songs, but when it comes to the dialog, I hate it.

The eye candy can make little kids drool, but to the "older" audience it was kinda repetitive and old. But who am I to criticize the works of my countrymen who clearly showed that the Filipino can do it. Maybe, if we have the top of the line hardware, the future of our 3D animation will be at par with those of Pixar and Dreamworks.

RPG Metanoia is made by the Filipino, for the Filipino. A little tweak and it will be a world class quality of animation.