Author: Wanggo Gallaga

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
MOVIE REVIEW: Masterfully crafted, ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ is a work of art

‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ was so revolutionary in both its visual imagery and its engaging storytelling that it’s truly a tough act to follow. It was a perfect cinematic experience that was well-deserving of its Academy Award for Best Animated Feature that managed to properly capture the travails of a teenager – all their thoughts, hopes, and dreams (and disappointments) – while discovering they now have superpowers. Surprisingly, or maybe not, the sequel, ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ takes everything that made the first movie so good and antes up. The five years between films was not wasted as directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K Thompson offer up a smorgasbord of visual styles that manages to merge and mix very well with each other while screenwriters Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and David Callaham continue to infuse all this visual magic with a pulsing heart that surprises at every turn.

Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and his mother Rio (Luna Lauren Velez) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.

Time has passed since the events of the first movie and Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) and Miles is juggling being an exemplary (though often missing) student and fighting crime as Spider-Man. The strains of his double life weigh heavy on his family. His parents, Jefferson and Rio (voiced by Bryan Tyree Henry and Luna Lauren Velez) are worried that they are doing their best as his parents, that he’s changing, that he’s growing up and they are feeling helpless about it. Miles, on the other hand, is feeling alone. No one else knows what he is going through. The only people who do understand are in another universe.

Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) and his daughter Mayday in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.

And that’s when Gwen Stacy (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) returns. Having joined a group of different iterations of Spider-Man from various multiverses, Gwen can now travel to the different dimensions, and she visits Miles while on a mission to stop a villain known as the Spot (voiced by Jason Schwartzman), who is in Miles’ world. This mission, though, leads to larger, more serious events that allows Miles to go to various dimensions, interacts with different Spider-Men (and women) from other worlds, and discovers a truth about himself and a newfound resolve about his powers, his identity, and his relationships.

Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.

What is absolutely incredible about ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ is that, at the very heart of this story, is yet another heartfelt coming-of-age story for Miles. Even with the backdrop of superheroes and stunning animation, fighting crime and death-defying heroic stunts, at the core of every beat is that of Miles and Gwen discovering truths about themselves, the world, and what it means to grow up.

Jessica Drew (Issa Rae) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.

Lord, Miller, and Callaham write this script with such depth but never takes away the fun and the wonder of what’s happening around these characters. By nature, all Spider-Men and Spider-Women are funny, and this isn’t lost to the characters but so many moments are also so incredibly written that they pack a punch. When Gwen first visits Miles, they have a talk while web-slinging through the city and it’s beautiful to watch: all the movements are so graceful and both heroes have distinct styles of web-swinging. But their conversation is so authentic to the experiences of both. I don’t know which one is more arresting.

Even when Jefferson and Rio talk about their son or Rio’s fantastic speech as she tries her best to get through to Miles and Miles is always at the verge of telling his mother his secret, it’s so emotionally true that it can bring a person to tears. The animation is so precise that the posture, the gestures, the mannerisms of each character is expressed so vividly. The film is breathing at every moment.

Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) and Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.

So while the film manages to give us both very powerful human moments, character-driven scenes, it also gives us explosive superhuman sequences that allows us to also enjoy the comic book aspects of the movie and, for the Spider-Man fans, it gives us tons of Easter Eggs to watch out for as Miles enters the world of Miguel O’ Hara or Spider-Man 2099 (voiced by Oscar Isaac) and the hundreds of different Spider-Men,

The voice acting is superb. Especially that of Moore, Steinfeld, and Velez. Daniel Kaluuya also is incredible as Spider-Punk. Can I just reiterate how wonderful Luna Lauren Velez is as Rio and how much warmth and soul she infuses Rio with in each of her scenes? She is the MVP of this movie, for me. The art is phenomenal, changing with every dimension – one that suits the style accordingly to the character – and they all interact so well with each other.

Spider-Man/Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.

You may not be aware (as I was not) but the film is only part one of two. This was an announcement that was made before the release of this film, apparently, and I was not aware so I was shocked to see it end in such a cliff-hanger and I cannot wait for the next installment. Already, as it is, I feel that it is already a sure win at the Oscars for the way by which it revolutionizes the way animated stories are told and the way by which the story really captures the ways by which growing up can make life so difficult. It captures it with so much heart and empathy. I can’t wait to see this film again.

My Rating:

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here.

June 1, 2023
MOVIE REVIEW: Subtle as a sledgehammer, ‘The Little Mermaid’ loses its innocence when turned real

When ‘The Little Mermaid’ came out in 1989, I was just a ten-year old kid, who grew up on cartoons and musical theater. Watching the original ‘The Little Mermaid’ in the cinemas back when it first came out was a core memory for me: the lush and fluid (for its time) animation, the catchy music and songs of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, the visual romance of the underwater world they crafted and the playful tonal grace that they worked on the first of many new animated series that were based on fairy tales and legends. We hadn’t seen one since ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘Cinderella.’

Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s live-action THE LITTLE MERMAID. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

‘The Little Mermaid’ is just so iconic and I really thought hard about why anyone would want to turn it into a live action remake. What would a live-action remake of the-already perfect cartoon (in my memory) add to the story? There was an innocence that tempered the shades of teen angst and rebellion that came with the original animated feature film. Yes, Ariel fell in love with a boy she’s only seen from a distance and turned her world upside down to be “a part of his world,” which was acceptable in the 90s and in a cartoon character. In a live action remake, my fears came true: the living, breathing portrayal of these characters wouldn’t be able to survive the same scrutiny as its animated counterpart.

(L-R): Scuttle (voiced by Awkwafina), Flounder (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), and Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s live-action THE LITTLE MERMAID. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The sequences underwater – probably a mix of live footage and a lot of CGI (so how “live-action” is this film?) – are lush and vibrant with a moving fluid tapestry of sea flora and fauna that tries to recreate the romanticism of the underwater world. Director Rob Marshall, not the most subtle of directors, has a tendency of overdoing every image and showing off his massive budget. When we first see Ariel and later, Flounder, and then Sebastian, we are forced to accept these CGI heavy personas as real.

(L-R): Halle Bailey as Ariel and Javier Bardem as King Triton in Disney’s live-action THE LITTLE MERMAID. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Sure, Hallee Bailey is really there but there is an effect that their hair underwater takes that makes everything look so unflattering (this most obvious with Javier Bardem’s King Triton). In order to approximate being in the water, Bailey, Bardem, Melissa McCarthy (who plays Ursula) must move in very specific ways to simulate being in the water. It isn’t most graceful look and along with the heavy special effects, it’s more distracting than anything else.

In fact, all the actors who have to perform and act under the water are at their worst. It seems they can’t focus on their scene and the emotions because they are involved in the physicality of their movements. McCarthy has the unenviable task of working with Ursula’s relentless blocking – constantly changing positions, mimicking the movements of Ursula in the cartoon – that she can’t really have a moment to just be in character.

And now that Ariel is a living, breathing person – flesh and blood and not literally drawn up – she is now judged for the lengths that she will go to so that she can be part of Eric’s world. She’s a daughter of Triton, a teen with responsibilities over one of the seven seas, and yet she will bring her friend Flounder to forbidden waters where sharks are (and being told that he can’t swim as fast she can) and endanger his life for her fascination with anything above world.

Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s live-action THE LITTLE MERMAID, directed by Rob Marshall. Photo by Giles Keyte. © 2021 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In the cartoon, all these actions – the hoarding of items found in shipwrecks, breaking the rules – take a form of innocence; but in the live action, they feel real, and dangerous, and foolish and hard to root for.

With Bailey, struggling to keep Ariel life-like and in sync with the physics of being under the sea, she isn’t able to give us her all. It is when she makes her deal with Ursula, and she goes above water that you can see the actress at work. Bailey can act and gives Ariel more passion, more fire. She’s a teen at the cusp of womanhood and ready to break loose. It’s a dangerous thing to see, as the film excuses her rebellion as a romantic ideal – of fighting for allowing children to forge their own path – but not realizing that she’s still a teen and her choices have endangered her best friend, she falls in love with a person she watched from afar and makes a deal with a witch.

In a cartoon, it’s excusable. Live action, with Hailee Bailey right there making these decisions, she comes across as spoiled and entitled and deserves all the trouble that comes her way (except other suffer in the wake of her decisions).

(L-R): Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric and Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s live-action THE LITTLE MERMAID. Photo by Giles Keyte. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Narratively, this version of ‘The Little Mermaid’ takes all the same beats as the original cartoon – except Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) is given more of a backstory and his own song, and they added new songs as well – so they don’t really say anything new about the story. The arc is the same, the ending is the same, nothing has changed but that it’s bigger, that it’s not a cartoon but played out by actual people and what it has done is show how superficial and shallow Ariel’s choices may have been.

There is a parallelism created between Ariel and Eric, two royals whose lives are dictated upon by a parent, and they want something different from what has been planned for them. The film wants the young people to question the paths set upon them by their parents and for parents to listen to their children.

Unfortunately, the film shows us the dangers of allowing teenagers to make grown-up decisions. Sure, everything ended up happily ever after but that’s the Disney touch at work. Even when Ariel gives up her voice to get what she wants, the film gives her two songs that she sings (in her head, to maximize Bailey’s beautiful voice) but what it ends up doing is discrediting the sacrifice that she makes. I actually like one of the new songs, ‘For the First Time,’ but I can’t stand that it invalidates the price that she pays for legs.

Marshall went all out for spectacle and commercial appeal. As subtle as a sledgehammer, he hits all the original beats at their exact spots to appeal to the nostalgia of those who loved the original film and hope the same magic that struck over thirty years ago will happen again with a new generation of viewers.

But judging from the applause and oohs and ahhs of the audience I was with at the cinema, the crowd ate it all up anyway.

My Rating:

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

May 26, 2023
MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Fast X’ is fun, light, loud, and easy that doesn’t sweat the little things

I actually haven’t seen any of the films in the ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise since the first movie, and the second half of the second movie when it was playing on the tv of a meeting room I was in that I was waiting to start. I know nothing outside of the franchise’s origins other than who was starring in it when the trailers would play in the cinemas or on YouTube. So coming into ‘Fast X’ was a little intimidating, knowing that it is the finale of the franchise, the tenth overall (eleventh if you count the spinoff ‘Fast and Furious presents: Hobbs & Shaw’) and that there might be things that I was going to miss out in the experience.

But I had nothing to fear. With only having seen the first movie, half of the second movie, and seeing the trailers of the various other installments, I was quickly able to catch up as the story unfolds: Dominic Torreto (Vin Diesel) appears to be settling down with his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and his son, Brian (Leo Abelo Perry), with his crew taking on a mission without him but someone from his past (namely a retelling of events from ‘Fast Five’ with new material shot and mixed with archived footage that includes the late Paul Walker to include him into the finale) has come back to threaten Dominic and the things he most cares about, his family.

As a finale, ‘Fast X’ goes personal as Jason Momoa’s Dante Reyes is out for revenge against Dominic and his team. He lost everything to Dominic and he’s out for payback, and in the grandest way possible. The agency gets mixed up, the team is split apart, and everyone is scrambling to gather together as “lines are drawn” and people are “forced to choose a side” as it is stated and everyone and anyone who played a major part in the franchise is either mentioned or referred to or makes an appearance.

Fast X, directed by Louis Leterrier.

As someone who was very dismissive of the ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise, I actually had a lot of fun in ‘Fast X.’ So much fun that I’m willing to go and search out ‘The Fate of the Furious’ and ‘F9’ just to see Charlize Theron’s earlier installments. ‘Fast X’ is the kind of campy big budget action film that doesn’t sweat the details. During all the complicated car chases around various cities in the film, there’s a whole lot of property damage but somehow all the pedestrians manage to get out unscathed from the explosions and the stuff. The bad guys and maybe some policemen, on the other hand, never make it. The good guys, though, always do. It’s the kind of film where the laws of physics don’t really work out realistically and the good guys can manage to swing large, heavy building parts that are strapped to speeding cars by doing drifts and hitting their target as if they’ve been practicing this all their lives.

Vin Diesel is Dom in FAST X, directed by Louis Leterrier

There is a brainlessness that’s fun in ‘Fast X.’ I’m never actually worried about any of them because the film talks a lot about the risks and the dangers but everything moves in clockwork and even the dialogue tells us what’s happening and reminds us that Vin Diesel’s Dominic Torreto is so cool. In fact, Jason Momoa’s Dante Reyes, who hates Dominic so much, is throwing compliments at him left and right. It almost feels like it was placed on the script to help Vin Diesel look cool.

Jason Momoa is Dante in FAST X, directed by Louis Leterrier

Because, unfortunately, the most bland thing about the movie is Vin Diesel. In an effort to look cool at all times, his character ends up becoming uninteresting. Instead, I’m enjoying watching everybody else when they get a turn – every time Michelle Rodriguez and Charlize Theron are in a scene, it ends up becoming explosive; Ludacris and Nathalie Emmanuel are charming (not so much Tyrese Gibson, who oversells what feels like the typical ‘dumb but arrogant character’ that Roman is written as); even Brie Larson and Alan Ritchson, who both make their debut in the franchise, gets the whole tone of the film and has fun with it – and trust me, they all get a turn to do something cool or crazy.

But the one who is eating up the scenery is Jason Momoa, who is approaching his Dante Reyes with so much gusto that it goes overboard. I honestly don’t know if I like the performance or not. It feels so cartoon-y and way over the top, even for this movie, that he feels like he doesn’t belong in this film. And for some reason, as much as I can stand it, I think it works. It goes against everything that the ‘Fast and the Furious’ is all about. Momoa was allowed to play against type, balancing masculine and feminine gestures, and treating this like the campy 60s ‘Batman’ tv show with Adam West. It’s definitely a choice it allows him to not get swallowed up by everything else the movie throws at us.

Because with its reported huge budget, you are sure that ‘Fast X’ offers tons of action, tons of crazy car chases and car stunts, and a whole lot of explosions. The cast alone is explosive enough with a whole bunch of Oscar winners that was actually quite surprising like Larson, Theron, and even Helen Mirren (reprising her role as Queenie).

FAST X, directed by Louis Leterrier

Strange to be coming back into the franchise at its finale. But the way these movies are made and how they were meant to be enjoyed means that I didn’t miss much to still be able to enjoy what I got. I’m sure I’m missing a lot of details and inside jokes I’m missing but I still managed to enjoy myself. From what I’ve read, this finale is going to be in three parts, with ‘Fast X’ being the first of a trilogy that signals the end of the franchise. The film ends with a cliffhanger and some end credit surprises that I’m sure will get cheers and maybe even raised eyebrows from fans of the series. But as someone who is very late to the party, I don’t mind jumping in for the last two if it’s as fun and as light and easy as ‘Fast X.’

My Rating:

FAST X is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here

May 17, 2023