FINALLY

MOVIE REVIEW 
THE TWILIGHT SAGA:
BREAKING DAWN
PART 2

by:
G.P. Manalo

Starring:
Kristen Stewart

Robert Pattinson

Taylor Lautner

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 - After Bella gave birth to Renesmee, not only she embraces her life becoming a Vampire but they meanwhile find themselves in a lot of trouble when the Volturi received a false accusation about her being a new-born (since they ****ed shit up a long time ago). And now they must gather an army of vampires because the Volturi will be out to kill them.

Yes, it's finally here the finale of the Twilight Saga. Now, I was supposed to do some reviews of the past 4 to countdown to this but I didn't have the time. But to be honest, I kinda enjoyed the first one, the last 3 not that much. At some point of the saga i enjoy very little snippets of it but I always hate the way every movie is written and executed. This movie on the other hand i found myself enjoying more scenes than that. Does that mean I like this movie, Not really. Let me explain.

Before i can go to anything, I'll try to not compare anything from the book, A movie is a movie after all. I'll judge it for what it is. hence, for what it is, It is still a piece of shit. First of all why I don't like the film. The writing of the dialogue and how the movie progresses is still done very poorly, as always. To be honest everytime i go in a Twilight movie (probably after New Moon) I expect that they will somehow correct their wrongs but they just don't and in this movie they still didn't bother. Making a movie based on a source material is having that opportunity where you can correct your wrongs from the books and make the movie even better than the book (hence, Perks of Being A Wallflower is the prime example for this kind of topic now). Flaws like the acting, writing, directing are still not good. The acting is still bearable to watch and the writing is still bad. Like i said I did read the books and all i can remember from the Breaking Dawn book that the ending of the book felt rushed and anti-climactic for a "Finale" this on the other hand was kinda like that but there was this mid-section of that scene where it just went all out and it was just mind-blowing and entertaining (for me atleast). The other problem here is the development as much as I think this movie is bad I just wish that they developed some characters here and there. I remember some interaction here and there about those other Vampires in the book, because there were a few Vampires here and there are only in the background (meaning they barely done anything at all) and when they do give some Vampires some sort of development, it felt forced and unnecessary. 

The pacing of this movie still feels a bit less compared to the past 4, but throughout the first half there wasn't any intensity (oddly enough  they were still able celebrate Christmas when the Volturi are coming for their heads). The intensity shows in that one particular scene that i was talking about in that battle scene. At some point of the first half felt like nothing is barely even happening (as always) probably after the parts where they invite all these Vampires to fight along with them. You might ask me was it worth it to have Breaking Dawn in two parts? Not really; Part 1 felt like a Music Video there were many scenes that i wished they did cut off to fit this and the first part together it would've been a good choice having two parts separated just feels unnecessary,. Speaking of Music Video, the way they transition some scenes with lyrical music is very awkward it's like how a Phil Collins song will come up in a really really deep scene (ex: Brother Bear), it's that awkward. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson (Taylor Lautner needs to be good in a few more movies to prove that he can be a good actor) can be good actors but they can't in this movie and the writing is to blame. The writing for these movies felt very soap opera, and by saying that i mean it in a very bad way. I don't know why but what was the director doing?  The studio hires great directors (even David Slade who directed 30 Days of Night directed Eclipse and Eclipse still fails) and it felt like they can't really give their all to deliver a good Twilight movie that can be likeable to both fans and non-fans, why couldn't they? But the ones who did stood out to me was Billy Burke as always as Bella's dad, I've always liked him in the past movies being this real dad (not quite a convincing cop since everytime they cut to him he is barely doing anything that a cop does). And also Michael Sheen as Aroh, who is fairly good in this movie (though I don't remember anything in the book of him dressing up like a My Chemical Romance fan) as a flamboyant Vampire villain. Lastly that one Vampire that I can call a Vampire, Garrett. He is probably the only Vampire in this entire saga that we can get, I thought he wasn't bad at all. And also those other two Vampires, Stefan and Vladimir I thought they weren't that bad as well, So pretty much the supporting cast are better than the lead actors, except for Maggie Grace she can kill herself (oh wait she did...).If there is one last thing to bash about this movie it is the fact of how shitty the special effects or should i say "Special Effects". The special effects in this movie shows how horrible it is compared to the last 4, That scene of Bella running in Vampire speed was just awkward to look at, Especially that shot of the baby is just haunting to look at (when you watch the movie you'll see). The wolves are fine, but that baby and the Vampires running are just bad to look at.  

In the end Twilight is still bad, though there were scenes here and there that i find satisfying and enjoyable, but the entirety of it is basically bad. The way i see the Twilight films . For an ending I actually thought it was not a bad ending (though i do like the way it should have ended by that one particular scene). Director, Bill Condon was able to deliver an entertaining enough Twilight movie with some ballsiness (It's a word now) sprinkled in here and there. I'm happy that these movies are over and hopefully if they will re-make this movie, that shit better be dark and gritty. It still has the same flaws and unfortunately didn't bother correcting them, The ending isn't quite perfect but it was better than the book version, Hardcore fans won't bother what I'm saying here anyways. Hardcore fans will still love it, but for people like me you could be two sided with it. For a guy like me, you'll get pulled in to this movie if you have a demanding Twi-hard as your girlfriend. You might find yourselves entertained by that one particular scene (as much as how anti-climactic the reveal was). It got a good run, I have memories of laughing so hard of how bad the past movies were. It was a good laugh. This movie being the last was admittedly a better ending than the book. I'm glad it's all over. 

THE GOOD (+):

+SOME SCENES ARE ENJOYABLE ENOUGH

+SOME CORRECTIONS WERE NOT BAD AT ALL

+SOME GOOD PERFORMANCES 

+A FULFILLING ENOUGH ENDING

+PACING IS A LITTLE FASTER COMPARED TO THE LAST 4

THE BAD (-):

-DIDN'T BOTHER CORRECTING PAST MISTAKES

-STILL SOME BAD ACTING

-BAD WRITING

-HORRIBLE SPECIAL EFFECTS 

MY RATING:

3/5 - NOT THAT BAD, NOT THAT GOOD

BACK TO BASICS

MOVIE REVIEW:

SKYFALL

Starring:

Daniel Craig

Javier Bardem

Judi Dench

SKYFALL – James Bond returns in a new mission where he has to stop a cyber-terrorist from stealing classified files from MI6 but when he fails to do so, the entire MI6 find themselves being attacked by a rather large threat and James Bond have to return “back from the dead” and stop this threat once and for all.

There's no point in hiding that I am a huge James Bond fan (I mean aren't we all?), maybe I'll claim that title when i get the 50th Anniversary Blu-Ray. I was anticipating on Skyfall, trailer after trailer feels like this movie will be a comeback to that edgy Bond film that Casino Royale was. (*cough* screw Quantum of Solace) With Skyfall it retires from so-called “Continuity” and goes back to the basics which is having an all-new adventure for James BondI have to say I thought the movie is brilliant, I’m not British but it’s brilliant!

Surprisingly they paid homage to the classic Bond films. And when I say it pays homage, they really paid homage to the classic Bond films. Accompanied by the James Bond formula, the movie is self-aware and nostalgic at the same time. It has that Classic James Bond feel to it, just from the opening scene to the closing credits, Hell even that Adele song had that classy James Bond feel (and it surprisingly fits perfectly, reminds me of Pierce Brosnan/Sean Connery-era of songs). But it has they were still able to take the character and his world very seriously. And I've always like Bond films that stays away from being a campy and over the top film, I believe James Bond is more than that.With Q coming back to the big screen which is a pretty big surprise when i first heard that he’ll be in it, I was pretty curious on how they’ll handle him because Q is the reason why some of the early bond films are pretty campy/cheesy. I love how self-aware this movie is at some point, they even made fun of some old Bond gadgets.

Putting the fact that it pays homage to the classics talk aside, what about the entirety of the movie? The new Bond films aren’t exactly straight forward as it used to be there are layers upon layers of what they can do with the character and it shows here in this movie. In this movie Daniel Craig continues to prove that he can be the most effective James Bond that we ever had in this very strong series of movies. They also develop this new villain played by Javier Bardem as he perform as this (like i said) flamboyant, speechifying and threatening Bond villain yet oddly enough he reminds me of Hannibal Lecter in Buffalo Bill’s body, I know that i keep saying the word surprised but the amount of seriousness they brought to this character is very surprising. He wasn't that cat-petting and world domination type of person, He's one of those villains who is this really hurt person who is just out to kill that one person. And lastly we also have Judi Dench as M and this time around she gets more development personally with James Bond and I thought it was surprising that the movie transitioned that way, I wasn’t really expecting that the movie will end up having those kinds of moments.

The way they take the character of James Bond, to another level since Casino Royale. I always noticed that you tend to forget that this is a Bond film. Sure in Quantum of Solace tries to be different, trying to put the character to another level fails in terms of execution. But here it shows that they really took the character to another level, It's more of a very, very intense drama (don't worry there's action in the film, why do you think I said it was intense). Sam Mendes, did a flawless job bringing this dark, Intense, and action packed drama to us. This is Sam Mendes' love letter to the franchise, It's one of the best Bond films I've seen, yet defintely the one of the best movie I've seen EVER. I highly recommend that you see this movie immediately. I would also recommend seeing this in IMAX a friend told me that it looks immaculate in IMAX screens. From the shots of the film (which is very, very well shot) I can tell that this surely looks tremendous in IMAX screens.

My Rating:

5/5 - EPIC WIN! 

DISNEY BUYS LUCASFILMS!

This is probably the biggest yet most surprising news this week. I literally woke up, opened my computer (besides amusing pictures about the topic on my facebook feed) saying that Disney now owns Lucasfilms which is the studio behind both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films both created by George Lucas. 

"I see a new home for the Death Star, right there next to Tomorrow Land"

With Disney buying Lucasfilms what will happen now? Well, from what we heard. Disney already announced to expect a 7th Star Wars film (no the CG Clone Wars movie doesn't count) in the year 2015 (expect a Star Wars theme park in Disneyland soon). Now that wasn't something out of the blue. You can actually tell this deal has been in talks for years now. from the past years before this deal was ever done you can tell Disney and Lucasfilms have always been 50/50 about everything. Sure they had a ride named after Indiana Jones and some other bits of Star Wars here and there so i guess this time Disney crosses the line and start making this deal. 

Fans of the Star Wars franchise are two-sided of the choice. Then again to those who keeps crying that "Star Wars is Dead" forgot the fact that Star Wars died 13 years ago (Remember, Remember the 19th of May). Do i see this as good news? Hell Yeah! George Lucas not directing or writing Star Wars or Indiana Jones related is the best thing i heard since Nicolas Cage is going to be in a good movie (Kick-Ass). We've seen this play out in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Empire Strikes Back being the best of the series) and Return of The Jedi and they are both great in the series (But IV was great as well, that's all i can give for Lucas) but George Lucas both directed and written Episodes I, II and III. Imagine a great Star Wars film without George Lucas fucking shit up and letting the grown-ups do their thing. 

The 7th Film being handled by Disney worries me. The blockbuster movies Disney keeps putting up lately have been pretty weak. Blockbusters like Pirates of The Caribbean (from Dead Man's Chest to Stranger Tides), Tron: Legacy and John Carter (hopefully Lone Ranger wouldn't be part of the list) have been labelled as “good but could've been better” Hopefully (And i mean hopefully) the said new Star Wars trilogy won’t be under that list of movies. This being a continuation and all with Luke, Han, and Leia set to return. God knows they don’t look good anymore to reprise their roles.... Would this mean that Disney will be back putting CGI young versions of the actors like what they did to Jeff Bridges in Tron: Legacy? Or will they cast fresher actors (Please don’t choose Selena Gomez as Princess Leia)?. But what are the possibilities of the story, Will they have a clone of the sith lord storyline in the mix? 

The only continuity they have left is the fact that there are still more Emperial armies out there (even if they blew up the main branch). Would they adapt stories from the comics or books (Hopefully it won’t be convoluted like what Disney does to John Carter or Pirates of The Caribbean). If I would choose someone to direct the movie it could be Brad Bird (Mission Impossible IV: Ghost Protocol, The Incredibles) or maybe even Jon Favreu to direct the 7^th Film. Putting talks about Episode VII aside i heard that the development of videogames (such as Star Wars 1313) won’t be affected by any means. But what about Image Comics? Would that mean the Star Wars comics will move to Marvel now? Maybe when we hear more news.  Thinking about it, 2015 is a packed summer. You got Avengers 2, Justice League and now Star Wars Episode VII I don’t want to get my expectations too high for now I’ll just see and wait for years to come for the development of the film and how will the deal does effect on the studio properties itself (A good Indiana Jones movie this time perhaps?). If it's ever good, I'll be happy to say that I can't believe i was alive to see a good Star Wars movie on the big-screen.

So what do you guys think? Are you excited? Are you skeptical about this? Are you not on-board with this? talk about this under the comments below!

RETRO

MOVIE REVIEW: WRECK-IT RALPH

 

 Starring: 

John C. Reily 

Sarah Silverman

Jack McBayer

Wreck It- Ralph is an 8-bit arcade game villain who no longer wants to be the villain anymore because he longs to be loved by the people around him just like the protagonist of his game, Fix-It Felix Jr.  He sets out “game-jumping” to win some sort of medal to make him feel fulfilled but he meanwhile finds himself that his actions is costing the lives of the people who lives in his game.

Now I’ve been anticipating in seeing Wreck It Ralph when I first heard from Disney that this will be “The Toy Story for Video Games” That one quote got me curious and it all stopped when I saw the first trailer (which everyone goes crazy about).  The first trailer had me geeking out at some point even watching the entire movie as well. And I have to say, I had a great time watching this movie.

I fear that this movie will be like that one movie which is just a scene after scene of videogame references (A commercial to someone’s product if you will). But It’s not there’s actually a lot of heart in this movie. I know It’s weird that a movie has this much heart put into it coming from Disney (Disney and Pixar are both different animation studios okay?), hell this is something Pixar can do (which can’t right now). They handled the Video game references really well and they don’t feel forced at all. The video game references are like music to a movie, they don’t necessarily play a huge role in the movie but it helps the movie progress throughout the film.  Story-wise I thought at first the movie will look like this very generic yet predictable movie, But it wasn’t like I said there is more heart put into this movie. It’s surprisingly emotional by the end of this movie, Almost a Toy Story 3 emotion to it. And it wasn’t predictable too there was this one thing by the end of the movie and that plot-twist really caught me off-guard. Animation-wise I thought it was fun to see these old school games come to life in 3D CGI form, I find it clever how the transitions look like from a 2D Side-scrolling people and inside the Arcade game world they look like modern video game designs. The animation in this movie is just beautiful to look at, like I said it’s a joy to see my favourite old school video game characters come to life in this form of animation. By the way unfortunately i did not see this in 3D the cinema i went to doesn't have the 3D version of this movie  but it does look like you'll get a lot of great shots in 3D. I thought the dialog and the comedy was well thought out especially that famous scene in the trailer where Ralph goes to this Bad-Guy rehabilitation meeting ,trust me in the movie It’s longer and you’ll find yourself geeking out from the things they’re saying to  each other.

Voice Acting I thought that Disney always have masterful voice acting for both known and unknown actors. Everyone is definitely perfectly casted for this film.  John C. Reily did a great job bringing Wreck It Ralph come to life. His voice is perfect and fits the character very well especially Jack McBayer as Fix-It Felix Jr. was also perfectly casted, Him in movies he always plays this awkward happy and free-spirited guy and Fix-Felix Jr. Is somewhat like him. And then we have Sarah Silverman as Vanellope Von Schweetz at first I thought she is annoying but when you get to know her more in this movie and she builds this father and daughter-like relationship with each other I thought it was heart-warming to see the way it progress throughout the movie, At first I really didn’t know what kind of role will she have in this movie but she plays a really big role in the movie. They also have this really great interaction with Ralph because they can relate to each other and like i said I just love how their relationship progress throughout the film. And we also have Jane Lynch as this badass commando in a videogame world which looks like a combination of Halo, Gears of War and Mass Effect. I loved how they made fun of her type of character, which is this badass being “programmed” with a tragic back story, I just giggled when they mentioned it that way. And finally we have Alan Tudyk as King Candy, First of all the Sugar Rush world plays a big part in the movie and this world is very (how i describe it) Disney with a mix of Super Mario  Kart. There were tons of elements here and there that felt SOOOO Disney King Candy has that Mad Hatter character to him and I can’t really go into detail about his character. But still Alan Tudyk dida great doing a spot on impression of the Mad Hatter, That’s all I can say.

In the end, I love this movie. Definitely my favourite animated movie of the year (which is saying too early because we still have one last animated movie to watch out for by end of November). This movie blew me away, It even surprised me at many points of the movie. This is a very enjoyable movie for a gamer or non-gamer. This is not necessarily for kids and kids only type of animated movies, Older kids or Adults will love it as well. Both new and old school Gamers will love the video game references here. I had a very great time watching this movie. I thought the movie had great voice acting, great music by the way I forgot to mention it (Dubstep fans will also be happy too with a certain cameo as well). The animation is beautiful as always, It’s also cleverly written, And the movie all in all is definitely the best I’ve seen all year. I would highly recommend you see this movie immediately.

MY RATING:

EPIC WIN! - 5/5

And by the way I saw this animated short before the movie called, Paperman. I've heard that this will be in the film though i  don't know nothing about it going in the movie. And i have to say that this is a very good Animated short and sweet at the same time. I thought the storytelling and the animation is very creative and it makes up a remarkable and unique short with it's corky music and creatively silent storytelling.