At first, Olivia Lamasan's In the Name of Love, seems to be a combination of a Pinoy teleserye and a television commercial: familiar plot yet lovely cinematography. You can tell that the shots and angles are well thought of, and that the editing adds to the appealing visuals of the film, all of which are evident as the story unfolds.
Like any other Pinoy films that are offered lately, this movie gives us several topics: OFW life, rekindled love, predictable redemption, interlaced with numerous backstories. Nevertheless, it's the familiar 'family intervention' that gets in the way of our two protagonists.
Both Angel Locsin and Aga Muhlach showcase their believable characterizations, washing away the issue of age difference or assumption of lack of chemisty between the two because apparently, it is there- evidently-, especially in those intense and sensuous scenes.
Surprisingly, with the kind of Pinoy love stories that are shown lately, In the Name of Love, is heart-tugging. It is poignant, but one that does not necessarily exaggerate. It is intense yet not directly snd always melodramatic.
WITH SPOILER:
Not tragic ending, which for me, could have been more touching, if it were simply a tragedy. Well, typical Pinoy love stories (as expected) both protagonists end up together, and alive...alive...alive forevermore, despite the many even ifs. ;p
Initially, that's what Kung Fu Panda 2 would like you to do. Nevertheless, you'd go out of the cinema bringing with you "twice the awesomeness" it had promised. Jennifer Yuh Nelson's directorial debut is consistently entertaining- the secret of which, apart from the colorful graphic design, are the witty script and appealing voice characterizations, that are, simultaneously, wonderfully juxtaposed in the film.
The scenes, and eventually the sequences are visually and kinetically enthralling, highlighting the spectacular piece set: chariot race throught the allies of a medieval city, luscious landscapes of dream and dreamlike parts, among many others. With all these, expect more than the inner peace, but inner joy.
Notes:
Starring Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, James Hong, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Michelle Yeoh and Danny Macbride.
Poets best translate their ideas, feelings and emotions in the art of wordplay, Reveal their darkest, deepest secrets and frustrations in the most enigmatic yet romantic ways, and with those, hence, attract us in their peculiar and remarkable mysteries.
Kindness and genuine support- these you possess, Attract people like a magnet. But when walls get broken, unknowingly that metal melts- a repulsive force ignites, setting fire to the rain. Of which, no matter what, I'd give anything to witness- glorious, immaculate and divine. Still, I am in awe. Still, I will be there.
Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin in the 2009 romantic comedy by Nancy Meyers, It's Complicated.
Well, it's her day so you have to hand it to the lady whose day we are celebrating and that's uhm, yes, Meryl Streep, the said to be greatest living actress today. For starters, I couldn't give you a definite suggestion, simply because, there's a wide array of movies and performances to choose from, all of which are different from the other, but equally mesmerizing simply because she gives life to the otherwise dull and predictable acting, had it been any other actress/actor.
If it weren't for the watermark, I would have forgotten when I purchased this one. I remember the feeling of being so ecstatic when I first laid my eyes on this.
When I say Meryl collectible, I'm speaking of Meryl collectibles in Pinoy terms. Since, there is evidently a scarcity of Meryl-related things here in the Philippines, I have to say, about 85% of them are rare, and when you have one of those, well you are tad lucky. Hurray! LOL
I must say that among the rare Meryl DVDs that are available in Pinoy stores are: The Deer Hunter, Angels in America, Postcards from the Edge or Heartburn to name some. For books that are Meryl related, I believe that the following are rare stuffs: Angels in America, Heartburn, and the Meryl unathorized bio (which of course I still don't have, because, yes, if you're actually reading, it is rare...) LOL
Meryl likes to play it cool, and you can often hear her giggle as she tries her best not to burst in merry Merryl laughter, be it in interviews, gag reels or photo calls (yes you can see her utter joy even in those)
You can find them over at Simplystreep, which is said to be the best site for everything Meryl-related, video gallery or at Youtube. You'll be surprised, not only at the Meryl videos but also at the fan videos, which give tribute to the one and only Queen of Hollywood, that is if Hollywood is royalty.
8. Celebrate with your fellow Dynamos
Donna and the Dynamos of Mamma Mia! the movie. (L-R) Christine Baranski as Tanya, Meryl Streep as Donna and Julie Walters as Rosie.
Surely, you've heard about Donna and Dynamos, and I'm pretty sure you are Donna in your own right, and you have your fellow Tanya and Rosie in your life? Whether they are fellow Streepers or just plain BFFs period, any celebration with your gal pals will surely add an extra meaning to the party!
9. Make some memorabilia
I made this design for the personalized button pin in line with the Meryl Streep day celebration way back in 2009.
Personalize your Tshirts with anything Meryl. A cliche idea would be to put a "I <3 Meryl Streep" print on your tee. Or putting her face in there, period. How about button pins? Or any other accessories, as long as they are personalized and can display your Meryl-iciousness, then, go ahead! Flaunt them!
10. Quote Meryl Streep
The woman is incredibly witty, she's definitely quotable!. "Overrated but not Today" is just one of the countless quotable quotes from her.
The screen is graced by the obvious and funny chemistry of Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in the classic screwball comedy, It Happened One Night.
Though Roscoe Karns caters a fun performance as the slick salesman in the bus, and Walter Connolly puts a paternal concern as Colbert's father, nothing seems to stop Gable, who ultimately makes this movie his, all the way through.
In the movie, he snakes his way to people's charms as he guides and teases Colbert's character, Ellie, to a doughnut-dunking session, and the enormously fall-out-of-your-seat funny hitchhiking sequence.
Though Colbert first appeared a bit too formal and stiff as the pri madonna, spoiled rich girl, she manages to lighten up as Gable loosens her up while director Frank Capra's expertly captures her facial expressions through innovative lighting techniques.
In an era of Depression-driven audiences, the fabled "Walls of Jericho" scene, where the (unmarried) characters are separated only by a blanket hung on a clothesline, stirs a heap of sensations.
In the most recent work of Charlie Kaufman, writer of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, he does not only write for the screen but this time also directs his work in Synecdoche, New York.
In the movie's first part, Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a theater director who resides in Schenectady, N.Y., is seen leading a surreal life. His wife (Catherine Keener) leaves him, taking their daughter too, while he develops this mysterious degenerative illness in vague poles, introducing him to various surgery procedures (premature ageing, pustules). In this part, Hoffman clearly manages to exude his brilliant acting chaps: from his character going quite demure to wildly intriguing.
But in the movie's second half, Caden stages his life as a play, looking for actors to play his life (and in that pursuit, finding others to play other people too. Weird? That's how exactly Charlie Kaufman's works are). In the process, Caden piles up his theatrical-turned-life-changing experiments.
Tales of fear, family ties, and all visionary Kaufman stuffs make up this movie. And as always, the lead actors are always challenged in a Kaufman film (just like John Malkovich, who played a lot of him in the 1999 movie Being John Malkovich). Hence, Hoffman's acting is tremendously highlighted in the film. Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams, Hope Davis did stimulating performances too.
In a simple way, the movie can be expressed as a creative pursuit in challenging people to embrace reconciliation, ageing and death but with Kaufmans's always unconventional flair-to the point of uber-vagueness and tantamount obscurity and visual labyrinths- the film is snatched farther from its main point, sometimes too far away from the real concept.
Rarely can we experience the thrill of movies that are so unconventional, it deserves to have a genre of its own. From writer, Charlie Kaufman and director, Spike Jonze, of the dazzling Being John Malkovich, comes this witty and wildly amusing movie, Adaptation.
Based from the national best-seller book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, is the off-the-wall uniqueness along with the ironic humor and melancholic parody of Adaptation. Completely bending off the traditional rules of visual play fair and predictable story line, it sets forth a distinctive and eccentric voice in modern cinema- Charlie Kaufman’s.
To deconstruct its plot is a challenge; in much the same way to box it in a category would only leave a person trailing behind its bewildering intricacies. But to put it simply, the movie, instead of completely relying on a ‘plotless’ and ‘conflictless’ book, writer Kaufman has ingeniously adapted the book while actually interlacing it with his own experience of writing the book. Sounds confusing? It really is.
The film centers about The Orchid Thief in a vastly imaginative yet thoughtful account of Orlean (Meryl Streep) making an in-depth coverage of the account of John Laroche (Chris Cooper), an orchid poacher who is studying a rare variety of orchid-‘the ghost orchid’. In what supposed to be a story about Orlean and Laroche, their passion for orchids and everything in between, the script went beyond it and gave off some eerie twists. As the film progresses, the movie has now incorporated Charlie Kaufman (Nicolas Cage) in his journey in translating the book into a movie. Now here is where the story becomes even more confusing but also becomes increasingly interesting.
The process of adapting the book into a movie not only gravitated through Kaufman’s personal failures but also by the nosiness of another Kaufman- Donald Kaufman (also played by Nicolas Cage), Charlie’s twin brother and seemingly his polar opposite. Donald’s whimsical decision to land in the field of screenwriting, like his brother Charlie, convinced him to write a formulaic thriller. And with this, he’s willing to learn via helping Charlie in his adaptation of the book.
Cage, who plays both Charlie and Donald Kaufman gave both characters different but genuine portrayals. Admirably, he creates both light-hearted and pesky light to their personas. The audience’s intellectual ethos for Charlie is complemented with Donald’s dumb-luck and unfeigned thoughtfulness. While, Streep, often hailed as the best actress of her generation, gave another brilliant performance as carefree but troubled Orlean. She inhabits the character with an air of wonderful skepticism and dramatic vulnerability that is somewhat a bit experimental but surprisingly effective. Her dazed telephone call to Laroche aka ‘the dial tone’ scene is one of the most comical depictions of someone high on drugs. Cooper as Laroche is one of those mystifying personalities who grace the screen and Cooper has managed it with firm conviction along with bits of hilarity. He lets us examine and understand Laroche’s puzzling natures.
Fellow actors Tilda Swinton, Brian Cox and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and John Malkovich (with his appearance at the Being John Malkovich set) may have been featured on screen for only quite a while but all had unforgettable parts.
Based on a true story, Wilson Nanawa is tasked to find a version of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci for a television commercial. He selects the final three qualifiers for the shoot, but then he loses the Last Supper no. 3 owned by Gareth Pugeda. What seems to be a simple settlement over a minor loss of the canvass leads to a funny yet irritating journey about the legal system in the Philippines.
How will Wilson face the charges-estafa and serious physical injury- against Gareth? How will he fare through the 'nakakalokang' justice system and bureaucracy in the Philippines? Will he be imprisoned for losing the precious Last Supper No. 3?
With its amusing ways and simple plot, it is not surprising that Filipinos can easily relate to the story of Wilson Nanawa. As a comic piece, it effectively takes Pinoys into a reality check over the 'palpak' and the circuitous 'pasa' ways in our justice system.
Cheri (2009) Directed by Stephen Frears Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates, Rupert Friend
The movie is visually stimulating. Obviously, the production design was very well thought of; it was spectacular. As a period drama, the costumes are sumptuous, the imagery very vivid, the setting is overhwhelming, but the script is well, no way that near the three. It is somewhat 'loose'.
