Author: Wanggo Gallaga

Movie Review: Fantastic Plastic: a review of ‘Barbie’

Who would have thought that the director of such nuanced and meticulous films like ‘Lady Bird’ and ‘Little Women’ would be able to craft such a bombastic film that is fully committed to its absurdity as ‘Barbie.’ Director and screenwriter Greta Gerwig, (with co-screenwriter Noah Baumbach of ‘Marriage Story’) delivers a narrative that never takes itself too seriously, ever, and by doing so manage to break all the rules and expectations set upon as a movie and allows it to go to places both familiar, true, and biting without ever feeling like you are being preached to. Because the politics of the film is part of the joke.

People immediately ask if the film is political, and I find that question difficult to answer. Everything is political and, for sure, ‘Barbie’ gets political, but the film takes its time to set up the parameters of the discussion first and chooses the tone of whimsy and light-hearted comedy. It doesn’t go deep or hit hard until way after the film’s midpoint and you’ve been completely taken over by the absurdist events and hilarity that when the politics comes in, it feels like part of the joke. It doesn’t take away from the truth and the authenticity of it, but it gets to make its statements and they are powerful ones.

After all, the movie presents us with the idea of Barbie world – a place where all the Barbies ever produced (even the discontinued ones) live, living their lives in one perfect day over and over – as an actual place as much as it is an idea. It’s a world that can be left to go to the real world, “our world,” and it can also be visited by humans. When one particular Barbie begins to think of thoughts about death (as seen in the trailer), her perfect world and perfect day is disrupted and her arched feet goes flat.

In order to discover what went wrong, she must travel to the real world to discover the truth. By her side is Ken, who feels his whole life’s objective is to be in support of Barbie. He has no other function, otherwise.

But when they go to the real world, it’s not the world that they expected: not a world of empowered women. Instead, it is a difficult world where men are in power. And things start to change.

What’s great about ‘Barbie’ is that it’s an unhinged, absurdist comedy that is inherently satirical but manages to disguise its most biting commentaries in the form of silliness. It is so fully committed to its style and form that you never feel like the film is standing on a pulpit, though the film actually does go into political monologues. It’s just done in such a way that it is part of the humour and so deep into the film’s narrative that, by that time, you are completely unguarded and just willing to take whatever this film dishes out.

This is achieved by the film’s campy tone – everything is just absurdly colourful and outrageous in its visual style – it leans on the fictional mode that it even skirts the line between cheesy special effects and more sophisticated ones. What is equally incredible is how its stars – most notably Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling – fully commit to the style and aesthetic of this movie.

In fact, Robbie and Gosling provide incredibly textured and nuanced performances. They understand that they are both ideas and actual beings. Robbie works on the level of physicality, her face and body movements are fully in line with that of what a Barbie doll looks like but manages to convey her character’s every thought and feeling. It’s such delicate work that it’s impressive. It’s award-worthy, to be honest. But the one who steals the show is Ryan Gosling, who is so committed to the silliness of his character (and his character gets to do more silly stuff than Robbie’s, who delves into the more existential themes of the film) that it can take center stage sometimes.

But both are amazing and so are the rest of the cast, including such an earnest performance from American Ferrera, who gets the film’s most powerful monologue

For all of the films artifice and how much it leans into its fakeness (of concept, of aesthetic, of its filmmaking) it manages to hit some hard truths about some pressing issues. The film manages to tackle identity and purpose, the roles that are impressed upon us by society, feminism and patriarchy, commercialism, and the pitfalls of capitalism. It manages to poke fun of these things while still asking very serious questions in the process.

And as the film reaches its fever pitch in a huge musical number that is as crazy as it is silly, the film manages to enter a very existential, philosophical conclusion that is completely opposite of the rest of the film, but it feels fitting and honest. The film earns it anyway. It earns every laugh, and every hard-hitting truth that it manages to touch upon.

My Rating:

BARBIE is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here.

July 20, 2023
Movie Review: ‘Oppenheimer’ is everything you’d expect from a Christopher Nolan film

As expected from any Christopher Nolan movie, ‘Oppenheimer’ is visually stunning and presents the story of the invention of the atomic bomb in an epic manner that captures the gravity of that discovery and manages to ponder on the consequences of such. Since his exploration on the concept of cinematic time in his film ‘Interstellar,’ (and even as far back as ‘Memento’) Nolan has been exploiting the way movies can bend and distort time to present the story of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer through the narrative framework of two important events of his life – forming the team of scientists and building the site that gave birth to the invention of the atom bomb and the subsequent attack upon him by the American government for his dealings with socialists and the far left – which unfolds in a non-linear manner to dazzling effect.

The narrative of ‘Oppenheimer’ unfolds from different time frames. They include his early life as a student of theoretical physics and moving to Germany to learn about the new theories of physics to his rise in the ranks of the American academe to his appointment as the head of the Manhattan Project where he lead the team that invented the atomic bomb all the way to the later parts of his life when he was questioned for his dealings with the far left. The past is presented in full color while the later periods are told in black and white and through the perspective of Lewis Strauss, who is nominated for a cabinet post in the White House and is being questioned for his engagement with Oppenheimer.

What the non-linear storytelling does is that it connects all facets of Oppenheimer’s life with each other in a visual tapestry that suggests causality: his engagement with socialism, communism, and left-wing ideology and how this entangled him into the world of politics as his brilliance in his field brings him to the attention of the powers that be. The nuclear race had begun, and World War II was at full-swing and he had the know-how to possibly end it with a weapon that was to end all wars. But as the film continues to jump back and forth in time, what the film does is shows humanity’s greed and hunger for power, in all shapes and sizes, whether it be individual or in the form of an institution or government.

‘Oppenheimer’ is focused on the bigger themes of morality – putting the narrative spotlight on the scientist’s thought and feelings about creating a bomb so powerful that it could risk destroying the world and glosses over the other aspects of his human frailty such as his infidelity (which has more implications on his politics) or his arrogance and self-importance (though the film underlines that he was deserving of this stance).

The back and forth of its narrative style brings a sort of energy into the piece, along with the relentless musical score of Ludwig Goransson, that makes the film feel epic, important, and urgent. It is constantly building momentum towards both the eventual test of the atomic bomb in New Mexico and the buildup of the closed-door inquiry of Oppenheimer’s leftist dealings as well as Strauss’ own inquiry for his cabinet post. All three events are interlinked that sets to amplify what the film seems to be pointing at: that man cannot be trusted with any power whatsoever. Even with Oppenheimer’s own reluctance and eventual submission to the call for harnessing the power of the atom, the government that requested for it took it from him the moment it was done and used it for their own ends.

As much as the film underscores that Oppenheimer wanted this to be the end of all wars, what the film also manages to highlight is how this was also the beginning of a sort of end for human civilization. It is a triumph in Nolan’s direction that he was able to use Oppenheimer’s story as a fulcrum of when things may have started to go bad for the world.

L to R: Robert Downey Jr is Lewis Strauss and Matthew Modine is Vannevar Bush in OPPENHEIMER, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

Rami Malek is David Hill in OPPENHEIMER, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

Nolan is always an interesting director who is able to push boundaries and whose visual style is just perfect for large scale storytelling. He can make a room full of scientists talking about theoretical physics the most interesting thing to watch on the big screen because he understands how to contextualise it through cinema – the scenes preceding it and the context as to why they are having this discussion. Nolan is a storyteller that can present such things in a captivating way.

And it helps that he’s got fantastic actors to help bring out the best of his work. Cillian Murphy is captivating as Oppenheimer, and he manages to do so in the large span of time that Nolan has chosen to tell his story. Murphy has to play him from as young as an eager student in Germany to him at his prime while working on the Manhattan Project and then later on in life as an accomplished man and watching the world pass him by. Emily Blunt also gives a powerful performance with what little she’s given to do (though she does have one moment where she steals the show from everybody). But if anyone manages to really steal everyone’s thunder, it is Robert Downey Jr as Lewis Strauss.

As Strauss, Downey is a fireball igniting every scene he is in. There is a huge range of emotions that is required of him, and he delivers each on a silver platter. It’s a more flashy role than Murphy’s so while Cillian Murphy serves to anchor the film to its main character, it’s the rest of the cast like Blunt, Matt Damon, and Downey Jr who pushes the sails and really helps this movie take flight.

While all of Nolan’s creative team from Cinematographer Hoyt van Hoytema to editor Jennifer Lame and production designer Ruth De Jong and Goransson’s impeccable score are working at peak levels, ‘Oppenheimer’ proves to be exactly what I was expecting from a Christopher Nolan movie about the famous physicist. Except for two nude scenes that felt out of place, and a little too much figurative use of Oppenheimer’s hallucinations on the effects of the nuclear destruction, the film does exactly what it sets out to do in Nolan’s style. It isn’t as surprising as say ‘Inception’ nor does it have that effect of the sublime that ‘Dunkirk’ manages to evoke.

While I appreciate the way ‘Oppenheimer’ highlights the vile practices of any government – in this case, America’s – and man’s own unfitting nature to regulate and safeguard such vital knowledge like how to harness the power of the atom and nuclear energy and what seems like such a nuance treatment of the man’s dealings with socialism and communism; the film is enjoyable for what it is. I don’t know why I was expecting more.

My Rating:

OPPENHEIMER is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here.

July 20, 2023
Movie Review: Deus Ex Machina: A review of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’

One amazing thing about the Mission Impossible franchise is that it always leaned in towards its fictional world so while it can mirror real world events, it never really feels overtly political. It’s enemies were all vague and opaque so as to not upset anyone in politically. If it ever did, I don’t remember it but it doesn’t bother me. You could enjoy it for what it is: a straight-up, fun, action spy adventure. It was good versus evil and always executed in the most amazing ways possible in cinema.

So when you consider the fact that ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ began filming in 2020 and wrapped up filming in 2021, then you will understand how prescient the filmmakers were in the crafting of this movie. This time, Ethan Hunt and the rest of the Impossible Mission Force (the IMF) are battling advanced technology – one that carries no allegiances and has no recognizable agenda. The enemy is an advanced AI that has global internet access and can disrupt, distort, and disable any of our digital devices. When you consider that the IMF and all the spies and governments in the world use digital technology for everything, you can understand the power this AI holds.

Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

If this film gets political, it’s basically within the context that instead of stopping it, all governments and institutions are after its control. It seems only Ethan Hunt has the moral fortitude, and the experience and skill sets to put this AI down and ensure that no one gets it. This puts the IMF as the biggest enemy of the nations of the world; not to mention that AI itself is out to protect its own best interest. Interestingly enough, this premise is so believable, how it hinges upon our belief that governments and people with power do not fear the dangers of such an AI existing. In this current age of AI art and AI written materials, director and writer Christopher McQuarrie and co-writer Erik Jendressen somehow predicted how AI would be received by a general public. They seem to have made a film, unlike the message of ‘Terminator’ or ‘The Matrix’ with regards to sentient machines. Here, the enemy, once again, is us and the people in power who would rather try and take control of a powerful tool regardless of the dangers and the cost than err in the side of caution.

Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

The premise is so strong that it highlights the heroism of a character like Ethan Hunt. Here is a man who is so capable and the world of Mission Impossible is so lucky to have him because he is so morally constant. It’s such a fictional approach and the film indulges in this mode. There’s even a scene where members of the American security council are trying to understand the whole purpose of the IMF – even to the point of making fun of its name – that amplifies the ridiculousness of the whole concept. That one scene underlines the absurdity, but it also impresses upon us that it takes a person of Ethan’s inherent, unmoving goodness to survive the temptations of this sort of work. It’s idealistic and completely unrealistic but it’s also fun to watch onscreen.

Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

McQuarrie knows how to keep all of this interesting. The story is straightforward and simple – like most of the films in the franchise – and he keeps the plot moving. In the first hour alone, we have a submarine fight, a foot chase in an airport, a battle in the desert during a sandstorm, and a car chase in the streets of Rome – the pace is relentless, it only stops to contextualize the mission and what is at stake and even that is done in a way that is exciting. The tensions are high, the urgency is always evident, and the characters are always on the move.

When there are quiet or still moments, McQuarrie is only using it as a build up for a bigger, more explosive scene later on. And he never lingers. The relationships between Hunt and his crew are so ingrained in previous installments that the film confidently just shows us enough to remind us but keeps the narrative in motion.

Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Vanessa Kirby and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

So, while the film is filled to the brim with exciting action pieces whether they are car chases, shoot outs, hand-to-hand combat, and whatnot, McQuarrie and his amazing actors deliver all of this with such speed and brutality that it is just enjoyable to see on screen. They are not even above taking a moment to have a visual, slapstick gag about a pumped-up fiat in the streets of Rome. It had everyone laughing for the sheer silliness of the scene.

Tom Cruise on the set of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

Tom Cruise has really made Ethan Hunt his own. They are almost completely interchangeable at this point. You either like it or you don’t but he knows this character in and out and still manages to find new places to bring him. Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg are back as Luther and Benji and are always such capable support teams. But say what you will about Cruise, he has populated the later installments of the Mission Impossible franchise with a lot of interesting and capable women and while Haley Atwell and Pom Klementieff is a new addition to the franchise, we see the return of Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby, both are excellent in their respective roles of Ilsa Faust and White Widow.

Pom Klementieff in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

While Klementieff gets to show a different side of her this time round (and a lot more of her athletic skills), it is Haley Atwell who gets the biggest role here. Atwell’s Grace is an interesting character because her story is an origin story, so to speak, and somehow we will discover that it parallels that of Ethan, Luther, and Benji. Her introduction sort of gives us an insight into the backstories of the three veteran IMF members. It feels like a full circle even if we never saw how it began (though the film touches upon Ethan’s origin, teases us with it in this installment).

Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

In a cinematic landscape that is overfilled with franchises and sequels, I’m actually always eager for another Mission Impossible story. There’s something about the Tom Cruise stamp that what we’re going to get will always set a new bar in what we can see in terms of action sequences and explosive thrills. Unlike other action stars who try to put socially relevant story points in their franchises to justify its continued existence or overstuff later installments with too much CGI and big-name cameos, ‘Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One’ proves that all you need is to just constantly be serving up simple stories told extremely well. Mcquarrie and Cruise, as a partners, just have that magical touch to deliver the goods.

The fact that they turned this story into one about AI and the danger of advanced technology seems so timely but, really, it’s just prophetic. Another testament that these two filmmakers are still at the top of their game and have their hands on the pulse of the world.

My Rating:

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here.

July 13, 2023
REVIEW: Dissecting Henry Cavill’s final bow as Geralt of Rivia in ‘The Witcher’ season 3

As the final season of Henry Cavill to playing Geralt of Rivia, the very Witcher that is mentioned in the series’ title, one can expect something big and grand. After all, the first season and it’s 8 episodes took its time to really familiarize the audience with the world and laid down the backstory of its three central characters – Geralt, Yennefer of Vengerberg (played by Anya Chalotra), and Ciri of Cintra (played by Freya Allan) – right before making them meet by the finale of season one. Season two began to lay the foundations of the political world that surrounds the Continent, the fictional world where all of this is set. More importantly, it sets up Ciri as the goal for many kings and wizards. She is instrumental to the future of the Continent and she is under the protection of both Geralt and Yennefer.

With all the pieces at play, the world is set, it is very interesting that the first two episodes of the third season is set in playing out a fantasy of the three main characters – running away from all those who seek out Ciri, Geralt and Yennefer and Ciri play house as Yennefer teaches Ciri how to control her immense magical potential; for the first time, these three characters are operating in an almost normal, family-like setting – and it gives the three a taste of what they have been missing, a chance to reconcile from past hurts in the previous season, and something to hold on to in relation to what’s about to come in the rest of the season.

Already, we see distinct changes in Geralt (he’s smiling more, he’s letting down his guard), while Yennefer has found herself more emotionally open to two people, while Ciri is discovering her resolve. The first two episodes are necessary because while this may be what the characters want for themselves – a chance to just be a family and away from all the horrors of this fictional world – but we know that will not last.

One cannot outrun their destiny forever.

Now that the world has been set up, ‘The Witcher” season three puts all of this to motion. All the characters now are making their moves, secrets are uncovered, and everyone is getting closer and closer to Ciri. Geralt and Yennefer have discovered that the best defense may be a strategic offense but are also in a quandary as Ciri has grown up and has come to the conclusion that maybe running away and staying neutral isn’t the solution. Maybe, as a queen, she can make some truly lasting changes.

Image Source: Netflix.com

‘The Witcher’ season three is divided into two volumes and the first five episodes is one massive build up that seems to be pushing Ciri into making a choice about her future. Geralt and Yennefer are now coming to terms with the position they’ve chosen to be her de facto parents. Can they support their child now that she’s taken the whole world as her responsibility

As the story goes on high gear, there’s less opportunities for Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia to battle strange and frightening creatures like in the past seasons. There’s no time. There are too many characters and a lot of politics at play. In fact, it’s less of Geralt’s story now than it is Ciri’s, as Geralt and Yennefer are more left to be her support as she has to come to a decision (which will probably be explored in the last three episodes of the season to be released on July 27).

The show is not without its social commentary: the Continent is a divided land and all the political strife that is keeping it from thriving is from rampant greed, hunger for power, discrimination, and vengeance. The world is rife with narcissistic monarchs who would wge war for their own vanity and their own beliefs without regard to the damage they’ve done to the world around them. And interestingly enough, even Geralt’s stance of staying neutral and not taking a side is put into question.

But even the show is aware that in these massive games amongst kings and queens, there are no easy choices to be made. They are all evil and corrupt in their own way.

With only three episodes to go, Cavill is leaving the show (to be replaced by Liam Hemsworth) with a changed Geralt of Rivia. He has taken the character from the grim, emotionless Witcher from the first season to a softer, warmer father figure to Allan’s Ciri. He’s managed to bridge the character to this space, which will probably culminate to a major choice he will have to make in the finale but as Ciri’s father and not her mentor or guardian.

If it’s as I suspect, it would be a fitting way to leave the show and a wonderful gift he will leave for Hemsworth. In three seasons, he’s managed to evolve this character so that the person taking over has somewhere new to take it. He definitely will be missed but the show has propped up the rest of the characters and the world that Geralt is no longer at the center of it.

My Rating:

The Witcher Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix. Watch it here.

July 3, 2023
Movie Review: A nostalgia play, ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ is meant for old fans and not out to make new ones

‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Disney’ is meant to be a finale, a closing of the Indiana Jones storyline and character and director James Mangold has spoken about the project as a story about how time catches up with us and wishes to explore Indiana Jones as a “hero at sunset.” It would have been an interesting concept considering the way the current time views the practice of Western archeology and the way Indiana Jones’ usual mantra of “it belongs in a museum” carries with it imperialist connotations. It would have been very interesting to watch the final film in the franchise deal with an aging Harrison Ford and a reconciliation of the work that he’s been doing in the first four films.

Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in Lucasfilm’s IJ5. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

But that’s not the movie that we get. In order to stay rooted to the soul and essence of the previous films of the franchise, ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ is just one grand adventure that gives us an aged Indiana Jones. He is now a relic and a grumpy old man, who fights with his younger neighbours who play their rock music really loud, or is retiring from his teaching position, where his classes are now filled with students who are asleep or uncaring of what he is teaching. It’s a far cry from the Indiana Jones of previous installments. Ford, who is very spritely for an 80 year old man, moves and feels like his age. At a 154 minutes, ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ is one big adventure reminiscent of ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.’ It’s one big chase scene after another, one big fight scene after another big fight scene. It can be exhausting to watch and even with all the stuntmen and invasive John Williams music (complete with variations of the Indiana Jones theme for added effect) at full use, it’s hard to imagine Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones doing all the things he’s doing in this movie.

(L-R): Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

In fact, at some point, I began timing each fight scene and chase scene, and figured for every 15 to 20 minute action sequence, there’s about 3 to 5 minutes of story. ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ is relentless in its adventure plot. It refuses to slow down to work out the relationships between Indiana Jones and his god daughter, Helena Shaw (played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge). It feels as if the movie is afraid that if it slows down, inertia will strike and Indiana Jones, at that age, may need to take a long break before the next big sequence.

(L-R): Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) in Lucasfilm’s INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

And it’s a shame because Waller-Bridge’s Helena Shaw presents an interesting counter-point to Ford’s Indiana Jones. Helena is a darker character, with a questionable past and questionable motives and practices; but she is just as bright, brilliant, resourceful, and physically capable as Jones in his prime. Unlike Indiana Jones, she has no lofty ideals about what to do with her knowledge or skill sets. She even manages the only commentary I noticed in the whole movie about Western Imperialization. I wanted more of it and thought that to explore the relationship of the estranged godfather and goddaughter was a great space to really reconcile Indiana Jones in the modern world.

(Clockwise from right): Colonel Weber (Thomas Kretschmann) and Doctor Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) in Lucasfilm’s IJ5. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

But that’s not the movie we get. We get an overblown adventure story that brings us from Nazi Germany in the 40s to New York and the Mediterranean during the time of the moon landing and then, because of the particular qualities of the supernatural relic, the eponymous Dial of Destiny, to some places in the past.

Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in Lucasfilm’s IJ5. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

The movie is less concerned with reconciliation for the concept surrounding Indiana Jones that it is to celebrate the character and to create a satisfying conclusion to the characte and, in essence, for the fans who love him and the movies of their youth. The film as a whole is about capitalizing on nostalgia. It doesn’t seem invested in contextualizing Indiana Jones for younger audiences or future generations. Much like a relic in a museum, it’s meant to be seen and enjoyed as it is, outside the context of the changing world around it.

Indiana Jones is now just a product of its time and it eventually finds it story closed because it can no longer find its own place in the modern world.

My Rating:

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here.

July 2, 2023
Movie Review: The Old School Vibe of ‘No Hard Feelings’ Keeps Things Light and Easy and Doesn’t Try To Do Anything New

There’s an old school sex comedy vibe that lingers around the premise of director Gene Stupnitsky’s ‘No Hard Feelings,’ which features a down-on-her-luck 32 year old Maddie (played by Jennifer Lawrence), who takes on a strange Craigslist posting from helicopter parents who wants to bring their sheltered son out of his shell by having sex with him before he hits college. The risque subject matter runs along the lines of films like ‘American Pie’ and even the older films like ‘Risky Business’ and ‘Porky’s.’ These older examples did not have today’s progressive – and even militant and extreme progressive values – to contend with in the forming of their comedies, which makes ‘No Hard Feelings’ a delicate matter to attend to.

After all, how does one even find the humor in a story about parents manipulating circumstances so that their son can be devirginized before college? In an era when consent is vital, how does Stupnitsky and co-writer John Phillips go about this?

Laird (Matthew Broderick) and Allison (Laura Benanti) in Columbia Pictures’ NO HARD FEELINGS

Never, in the film, does the film glorify nor romanticize what the parents of Percy (played by Andrew Barth Feldman) are doing for him. In fact, all throughout the film, Maddie and her friends question the parents and make fun of helicopter parents and Maddie is constantly trying to defend or justify her taking the job in the first place.

Jennifer Lawrence and Director Gene Stupnitsky on the set of Columbia Pictures’ NO HARD FEELINGS

Key to the narrative is Maddie’s need for the car that is being offered for the service. As payment for “dating” their son, Percy’s parents are giving her a car, one that Maddie needs as an Uber driver, whose car was repossessed. Maddie needs the money to save her home that her deceased mother had left her.

Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) and Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) in Columbia Pictures’ NO HARD FEELINGS

It’s a desperate time that calls for desperate measures and this is where Stupnitsky and Phillips lean into in their film. Instead of focusing on the sex aspect, they put the focus on how desperate Jennifer Lawrence’s Maddie is to get that car: the crazy situations they put her in, the physical comedy that arrives with slapstick situations that gets her very, very hurt – and which we can laugh at because she’s not a very nice person, after all, she’s willing to seduce a young man for a car – and, interestingly enough, the areas by which the generation gap between the 32-year old Maddie and the 19-year old Percy are different in relation to sex.

Because Percy is not an easy target. He’s a loner with severe trust issues from a story point that is explored as Maddie gets to know him. What’s interesting is that the techniques that Maddie thinks boys his age would find sexy are completely not sexy to the boys of this generation that is Percy’s age. Maddie is from a time without these progressive values and so everything she does is a red flag and brings out a defensive stance on the young man. It leads to some very funny situations.

Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) and Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) in Columbia Pictures’ NO HARD FEELINGS.

There’s so much that this film could have gone for, though: the film could have really delved into the world of helicopter parents, or really fully explored the difference between the attitudes of two generations about sex. One of the funniest lines, to me, is seen on the trailer, when Maddie is searching for Percy at a house party and she goes to each room and finds all of Percy’s peers just hanging out and on their phones and Maddies says under her breath, “Doesn’t anyone ever f#$& anymore?” or something like that.

Unfortunately, Stupnitsky and Phillips merely use these as punchlines – making fun of helicopter parents, making fun of calling Jennifer Lawrence an old woman, – rather than really go hard on the social implications of these concepts. ‘No Hard Feelings’ prefers to stay in the area of light comedy, making full use of Lawrence’s versatility and bravado and Feldman’s charm and earnestness. The two have amazing chemistry and they really make the whole thing work.

Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) and Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) in Columbia Pictures’ NO HARD FEELINGS.

Much like the old school vibe that it inhabits, ‘No Hard Feelings’ doesn’t rock the boat too much. It is meant to startle and to tickle but never does it attempt to subvert the genre or do anything revolutionary or groundbreaking. Once the film gets over the hurdle of the “sex comedy” genre and move into light comedy fare, it maintains its light-heartedness and just sets out to put a smile on your face.

What I enjoyed most about the film is how it’s not a romantic comedy and never does it try to justify or normalize the sexual tension between the two characters or the strange circumstances of their meeting. Instead, it puts the attention, front and center, to the needs of some level of personal bond before any sexual act. It does take a few side jabs at “woke culture” and overly progressive thinking but, by the end of the film, it takes a side and stands squarely in that arena.

The funniest bits are already in the trailer but in a cinematic landscape that is filled with big budget blockbusters, a light hearted comedy of this tone and field is a welcome addition to the theatrical experience.

My Rating:

NO HARD FEELINGS is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here.

June 23, 2023
Movie Review: Pixar does it again: ‘Elemental’ is a moving feature that is more than just a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ love story

Pixar does it again. Their latest release, ‘Elemental’ presents us with an interesting Romeo and Juliet love story but set against the backdrop of an immigrant story and a coming-of-age story about reconciling our parent’s sacrifices for us. It’s a lot to do while building a world that is unlike we’ve ever seen. Director Peter Sohn imagines a world where the four classic elements – fire, water, earth, and air – are alive and have very human characteristics.

It’s the story of Ember, a fire person, whose parents have left their original home to move to Element City and have started a shop that sells authentic fire items and has become the heart of Fire Town. Her father, Bernie, plans to retire soon and leave the shop with his daughter, the moment he is sure that she can control her temper. But things turn upside down when she meets a city inspector, a water person named Wade and while they discover that Bernie’s do-it-yourself aesthetics may have gotten him so citations and fines, Wade and Ember discover a spark between them.

Of course, Bernie is against any water person, a prejudice that was born out of fear that water people would snuff out their fire. At the same time, the history of Element City is that it was the water people that arrived in the land first and so the whole infrastructure of the metropolis is water-based. Huge canals allow transport throughout the city and water splashes in and out of everywhere. The earth people arrived next and they are welcome the way by which water allows things to grow on their bodies. Air came next and found themselves easily to slip into things. The fire people arrived last and thus found themselves in a city that threatens their existence and so they build fire town just on the outskirts.

MEET MY MOM — In Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental,” go-with-the-flow guy Wade (Mamoudou Athie) introduces fiery young woman Ember (voice of Leah Lewis) to his mom, Brook (voice of Catherine O’Hara). Ember is decidedly out of her element, but quickly warms up to his family. Directed by Peter Sohn (“The Good Dinosaur,” “Party Cloudy” short) and produced by Denise Ream (“The Good Dinosaur,” “Cars 2”), Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” releases on June 16, 2023. © 2023 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

As the film unfolds and Ember and Wade must figure out how to save Bernie’s shop from closing down due to a leak in the water system, they also begin to fall in love and asks an essential question: can we truly love someone who is different from us?

Sohn and his team design this world with so much heart and flair. The city is alive with color and they take into account all the eccentricities of a world where the inhabitants are made of the elements. Imagining a house made of glass and filled with water to accommodate the water people or the various transportation available for each person depending on their elemental type. Fire people have affinity to steel and metal. It is such a vibrant concept that takes flight in various forms that it’s so exciting to watch.

LIGHTHEARTED FUN — In Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental,” go-with-the-flow guy Wade (Mamoudou Athie) ushers fiery young woman Ember (voice of Leah Lewis) out of her comfort zone to experience Elemental City like never before. Directed by Peter Sohn (“The Good Dinosaur,” “Party Cloudy” short) and produced by Denise Ream (“The Good Dinosaur,” “Cars 2”), Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” releases on June 16, 2023. © 2023 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Even the physics of what happens when Wade and Ember come close to each other. He begins to boil as she comes close to him. The light of her fire changes matching her mood. Everything about the film’s visual design is inextricably linked to the ebb and flow of the story’s emotional progression.

Because as Ember and Wade navigate the complicated nature of their feelings, Ember must also face the equally complex feelings she has about her father and her history. For as much as this is a love story, it is also a father-and-daughter story that is rooted into the immigrant story. The culture of the fire people, as it is envisioned in the movie, is so wonderfully encapsulated. There are shades of various eastern cultures with the way the music and cultural affectations are presented – from bowing, beliefs, music, and food – though at no time, I felt that it was mocking or parodying any existing culture. The language, “firish” that was designed for the film is an original language from the same person who designed the original languages from ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Dune.’

When this much care has been taken to build the world, it’s no doubt that the emotions that run through the film are just as moving. Even the character design of Ember and Wade, that she would be so guarded and withdrawn and Wade being so emotionally available and sensitive and open-minded creates comparisons to the contemporary world. It asks us to open our minds and really see that the difference that we all have just makes the world a much more rich and beautiful place and that should they find chemistry within their mingling, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with it.

It’s so wonderfully done that the romance that blossoms between Ember and Wade is symbolic for interracial couplings, maybe even same sex couples, or couples who come from different religions. The film has such a powerful beating heart that it reaches out from the screen and grabs hold of you. The visuals are insane, the voice acting is precise, and the music is so infectious. Pixar does it again.

My Rating:

ELEMENTAL is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here.

June 15, 2023
Movie Review: ‘The Flash’ manages some fun despite the weight of its real-world baggage

It is very difficult to look at ‘The Flash’ movie without taking a look at its context as a movie, a product of a studio with a lot of uncertainty hanging above its head. First off, there is a bit of a comic book movie weariness that hangs over its head. This is the most recent superhero film that explores the idea of the multiverse, and to think that one of the most successful explorations of this concept, ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once,’ was not a comic book movie but an original one that received multiple awards from various bodies including the Oscars. Second, with the studio bringing in James Gunn to restart the DC Universe in the film landscape, there’s an uncertainty whether this film is a part of any larger thing. While there’s a lot of press that talks about its possible inclusion, there are elements within that come from a different era such as Ben Affleck playing Batman.

And then there’s the star, Ezra Miller, who carries with them (Miller prefers to use the pronouns they/them) allegations of criminal behaviour that even the studio has admitted to and are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that they will overcome their issues and come off a better person. It’s hard to root for a character when the person playing them is accused of the things Miller is accused of.

And it is unfortunate, because Miller has always been a terrific actor. Since the first time I came across them in ‘We Have To Talk About Kevin,’ Miller has been nailing every performance that has come his way. In ‘The Flash,’ they play a dual role, sharing scenes with two versions of Barry Allen and Miller wonderfully portrays both with such distinct textures that they are two individuals with essential similarities. They are characters cut from the same core but their gait, their posture, their mannerisms and approach to life is so unique to each character that it is a wonder to see. Miller handles that really well.

But it’s still Miller and it gets in the way.

Because, if anything, ‘The Flash’ is your all-out comic book superhero movie. It appeals to our child-like inclinations of super powered human beings who are fighting for truth and justice. It’s a CGI-infested smorgasborg that even offers a sort of mini-Justice League ambitions by bringing in Batman (albeit a different version) and Supergirl. The action sequences are meant to elicit “oohs and ahhs” from the audience and by using the multiverse concept, there are story moments and production choices that are meant to evoke a thrill amongst hardcore fans.

Even the opening that introduces us to Miller’s Barry Allen has an action sequence that shows us the speedster’s superpowered speed in a very elaborate, long-winded set up involving physics, falling babies, and a lot of visual gags. It’s bonkers, it’s over-the-top, it’s unrealistic, but it’s a tongue-in-cheek way of setting the tone, which should be all about having fun.

It’s no secret that Michael Keaton returns as Batman on this movie, and let me tell you, there are a few more surprises along the way that comes with any sort of story that involves the multiverse. Marvel has done it twice with ‘Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness’ and then ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’ It’s fan service, through and through, and so when the film tries to get serious, like it feels off and discordant. Director Andy Muschietti does a good job at playing for the laughs and playing for fan service but can’t balance that out with the tender moments of the film.

Because, at the heart of ‘The Flash’ is a story of a young man who wants to turn back time to save his parents from the tragedy that befell them. The crux that starts this whole adventure in the first place is the fact that Allen’s mother is murdered when he was still a child and his father is the main suspect even if Allen is sure he’s innocent. When this part is handled, it is handled with such vulnerability and tenderness that runs counter to the rest of the film’s wackiness. And while it’s resolution manages to pull the heart strings, there’s not enough of it to give this film any real weight.

While ‘The Flash’ is fun and all over the place (which can be a good thing, for the right audience), the fact that it does try to play with this level of emotional depth is where the film loses its footing. It has the elements for something more real, more purposeful but never gets there. It’s swallowed up by way too many gags, way too much special effects that some of the human elements are replaced by CGI created people that really register badly on screen.

The experience of a comic book movie, especially in this day and age of shared universes, and comic book and game tie-ins, ‘The Flash’ had to hit the ground running. It’s hard to invest in a film that can be rebooted the moment the box office returns have come in or the lead actor is replaced. It’s hard to invest when the film’s continuity is uncertain. And while the film is still fun with all of its superhero antics, it sacrifices developing the story with gags and plot that favors a more team-oriented adventure that really digging deeper into Barry Allen’s relationship with his parents.

It’s great for the hardcore fans. But for the audiences who needs just a bit more to their comic book movies to reel them in, it’s still in need of something more character-driven.

My Rating:

THE FLASH is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here.

June 15, 2023
REVIEW: On its third staging, The Necessary Theater’s ‘Red’ by John Logan is as relevant as ever

Disclaimer: John Logan’s ‘Red‘ is probably one of my favourite plays of all time. I’ve seen it twice before, as staged by Bart Guingona ten years ago also for The Necessary Theater. He produced it once at the SDA Theater in Benilde in 2013 and again in the CCP in 2014, both with Joaquin Valdez. My attachment to the play and its earlier productions have given me a different insight into Logan’s very cerebral, very articulate play about a fictional hypothesis of why celebrated abstract impressionist Mark Rothko returned a then-very lucrative 35,000 dollar commission to paint murals in the Seagram building’s bougie Four Season restaurant, which rocked the art world in that period.

Running approximately 90-minutes with no intermission, ‘Red’ is a two-hander, with Bart Guingona playing the eccentric painter and JC Santos playing the fictional assistant Ken, who comes to work with Rothko at the time of the painting of the Seagram murals. Broken down into scenes, the play becomes a means by which Rothko can openly discuss his views on art and commercialism and consumerism and the then-modern world’s deterioration in its ability to “be human.” In the play, Rothko is deftly smart and unafraid to lord it over his new assistant. He lashes out and asks Ken to “be a human being for once in your life” while asking the same assistant to “be kind” to his paintings.

Ten years ago, Guingona approached this role with a bit of humor. There was a knowing delivery in the way that his Rothko went at Ken. But with Santos eager, bright-eyed Ken looking so vulnerable and fragile, it brings out the cruelty in Guingona’s new approach. He’s mean. He’s condescending. Ten years have aged Guingona’s approach and there’s a world weariness to his Rothko that is emphasized later on in the play when he starts to feel attacked by the pop artists like Warhol and Lichenstein who have begun to take the art world by storm.

The play is didactic. Rothko and Ken argue, debate, and discuss the intricacies of the color red, Rothko’s own vision and belief about art and culture, and the world’s movement away from all things sophisticated and high brow. Through it, we also investigate the complex relationship between the two characters as Rothko inadvertently becomes mentor, friend, and even father figure to the young Ken, something which he explicitly says he isn’t at the very start.

What makes all of these nuanced shifts and tonal changes apparent is Santos’ portrayal of Ken. As mentioned, he opens the play doe-eyed and innocent but as each scene unfolds, he adds new layers to his relationship with Rothko. He is more comfortable with him as time passes – at first he deigns to ask questions, his posture shifts, the way he looks at the master artist tempers down and then later, he stands his ground and even answers back, he can look at Rothko in the eye and not flinch – the way by which Santos conveys the passage of time is so distinct that it makes the play. Unfortunately, Guingona has chosen to portray Rothko at a fixed point. He doesn’t change except for the ending when he manages to bring out a vulnerability Guingona wasn’t able to tap in earlier productions, it’s only at the finale that he becomes human. But throughout the first three quarters of the play, his approach feels of one note.

And there’s a mannered direction to their line delivery. It’s as if Guingona, who also directs the play, leans heavily into the theatricality of the material. Both characters are very eloquent and very articulate. The mannered way of line delivery lends very well to the moments when the characters enter into their monologues. By emphasizing the scriptedness of the play, the message of the play really jumps out. But there’s also a tension that is created when the play also obsesses over the workings of painting. While talking, the two are engaged in busy-ness. Santos is either always mixing paint or setting up a canvas. The canvasses are huge too and the pair must navigate the cluttered set to move things around. Oftentimes, the stage feels too small for their movements but it helps create this tension of organic activity with the theatricality of the performances.

And the play is as relevant as it ever was! This is an age where AI technology threatens to replace artists and the making of art. This is an age where the new generation boasts of such short attention span that they seem unable to handle overwhelmingly heavier things. This is an age of smart shaming and a changing of the guard. In a way, ‘Red’ as a play becomes a cultural signpost – an anchor, if you will – that reminds us to not be afraid of knowledge and to ask more from the world. To not just settle for “pretty pictures” but to grapple with the stuff of life so passionately.

My Rating:

Don’t miss out on the final weekend of RED, John Logan’s play, in Manila. Catch the remaining shows on June 16 at 8pm, June 17 at 3pm and 8pm, and June 18 at 3pm and 8pm. These are the last 5 shows! RED is currently being staged at PETA. Secure your tickets now by purchasing them here.

June 14, 2023
REVIEW: Disney+’s ‘American Born Chinese’ is a pleasant surprise that gets better with each episode

I have to admit that the first two episodes of the Disney+ original series ‘American Born Chinese’ was a strange watch. It was a mix of what seemed like a bad wuxia or kung-fu film and a generic coming-of-age high school story. The wire work in the first fight scene in episode one looked a bit awkward and the overall design was a bit strange to me. It felt very American (bright colours, more for effect than for use) when compared to things like ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ or ‘House of Flying Daggers’ or even the 80s kung-fu shows I used to watch (whose title escapes me at the moment and can’t seem to find via Google search).

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE – “What Guy Are You” (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)

It’s the story of the son of Sun Wukong, the famed Monkey King that is immortalized from the classic novel ‘Journey to the West.’ The son, Wei Chen, finds his way to earth, in a middle school in the US, to find a guide to help guide him to discover a magical fourth scroll. Disguised as an exchange student from China, he is partnered with Jin Wang, a typical Asian-American student with typical dreams. Despite being a big fan of manga, he wants to upgrade his status from being friends with the cosplay group and joining the soccer team. But being saddled with Wei Chen is putting a damper on his attempts at climbing the social ladder.

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE – “What Guy Are You” (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)
BEN WANG, JIM LIU

But, to his own surprise, Wei Chen has identified Jin as his guide and in the 8 episodes of ‘American Born Chinese,’ we are introduced into a world that is as heavy into its mysticism and adventure as it is in its social commentary on race relations in America.

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE – “What Guy Are You” (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)

The first two episodes was really just a set-up for a much more complicated dissection of typical narrative tropes found in American stories about Asia (specifically the Chinese) as well as deconstructing and analyzing the relationships between old and younger Asian Americans in the United States.

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE – “What Guy Are You” (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)

Because while the main story follows Wei Chen and Jin, it also takes it time to focus on the stories of Sun Wukong and his nemesis Niu Mowang, the Bull Demon; the stories of Jin’s parents as their marriage reaches a crossroads; and even side stories of the goddess of compassion, Guanyin, as she interacts with various supernatural beings hiding away in America in efforts to help Wei Chen in his attempt to discover the fourth scroll.

Once ‘American Born Chinese’ manages to settle into all of its various tonal shifts – from coming-of-age comedy, to mystical martial arts adventure, to a biting social commentary – it starts to show off how very much aware the show is of itself and what it is trying to do. The first two episodes looked off because it was off, and it feels it’s done on purpose. This is most evident in episode four when the whole episode is devoted to the history of Sun Wukong and Niu Mowang. Executed in the form of a 70s comedy show, the very tongue-in-cheek, very Americanized way by which they portray the Chinese world of the gods and goddesses, you understand the whole show itself is pushing back against the years of misrepresentation of American media on Asian American stories.

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE – “Hot Stuff” (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)
KE HUY QUAN

There’s even a magnificent side story about Jamie Yao, a former actor who played a very offensive stereotypical portrayal of a Chinese character in a fictional show called Beyond Repair. The snippets of ’s story intersects wonderfully into the show, as do all the varying subplots, that manages to become completely interconnected by the last two episodes.

What felt like a hodgepodge of different shows with different styles and genres come crashing together to tell a really strong story about a young man (Jin and Wei Cheng) who has to come to terms with the world and what their stake in it is.

Despite its uneven opening, I watched for the very precise performances of all its stars including Michelle Yeoh as Guanyin, Daniel Wu as Sun Wukong, Leonard Wu as Niu Mowang, and even Ke Huy Quan as Jamie Yao. The younger actors like Ben Wang (Jin Wang) and Jimmy Liu (Wei Chen) are still a bit awkward in carrying the whole show but it works so well as their characters are also still getting in tune with their surroundings. They are instantly elevated anyway by their co-stars. A big stand out is Yeo Yann Yann as Jin’s mother.

While the wire work in the first episode looked awkward, in later episodes it gets better, especially when Michelle Yeoh joins the fight. Leonard Wu and Daniel Wu have exceptional fight scenes later on in the show as well. There’s an equal play of English and Chinese, which I appreciated. It never felt like it rallied towards English just to satisfy its American audiences. When scenes needed to be in Chinese, they did so, and very generously.

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE – “A Monkey on a Quest” (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)

At the same time, there were many instances when I thought they would resort to typical bullying character tropes, especially with Jin and his white soccer friends but it never does. It doesn’t deny that bullying does happen and there’s even a short subplot about it, but by and large, Jin is surrounded by ordinary people with nuanced relationships with race.

Overall, ‘American Born Chinese’ is a very surprising and refreshing show that is light and easy to watch but carries with it some really tough lessons if you dig deep enough. It’s refreshing and doesn’t feel like it’s pandering to its intended audience.

My Rating:

Watch ‘American Born Chinese‘ on Disney+

June 7, 2023