Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

kinda late but was able to finally watch the film. pretty engaging but not much action in there. they sure did an acceptable version relating what needs to be related based on the book. but i guess “play time” constrained the film makers. there’s just a lot going on in the book that wasnt presented quite well in the film.

the title seemed got lost and wasnt relevant at all in the film. but in the book it was very much one of the centers of the story.. Harry’s curiousities and decisions kinda influenced and revolved in the mystery of the half-blood prince’s true identity.

there’s a bitin factor at the end of the film, that you wanted to see the 7th and 8th film immediately. one cant help but wonder how will Harry continue, single-handedly, what Dumbledore has started now that the latter is gone. will he be able to defeat Voldemort? or he will end up sacrificing his own life?

having said all these, of course im still very much looking for the final installment, which will be divided into 2 films.

 

Joker outshines the Dark Knight

saw the movie this weekend. heath ledger’s psychotic character as Joker is simply superb. for me he is, by far, the worst and really scary villain in all of the batman movies. i must say, that he, Joker, was felt more in the entire film than batman himself   Joker made this movie his.. you can feel it in the character.. complicated, unpredictable, irrational, disturbed, heartless, and very, very evil.
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this one’s really good.
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my rating: five stars *****

 

Kung Fu Panda

aint this movie cute? a panda (Po) who desperately aspires to learn kung fu. and by sheer accident (but accidents dont happen ), Po was declared the new Dragon Warrior. wow! and here began the conflict. the master (Shifu) and his trained students didnt like Po. cos he’s a nobody. he doesnt have the background. he doesnt have the built. he’s not taking everything seriously. being the designated Dragon Warrior means he’s got to be the best in kung fu so he can defeat the antagonist Tai Lung. he’s got to defend the community and restore peace and order to the whole valley. how can Po do that?  hala!
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but eventually Master Shifu took a risk and trained Po. he found a great motivator and Po’s weakness — food. and so began the training.

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time came that the whole village was threatened by Tai Lung’s return and revenge, Po was given the great Dragon Scroll which everybody thought contained a secret writings or techniques or powers to be the ultimate dragon fighter ever. but everybody was shocked upon knowing and seeing that the scroll contained nothing. it was blank. no writings whatsoever. what will they do now? <pause..>

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ha, this is getting longer. tamad na me mag-narrate hehe. so to make the story short, syempre the good won over the bad in the end.
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my rating? 4 stars. had a good laugh on several scenes. not boring at all. despite the predictable ending, i liked the story.

 

Forbidden Kingdom

first ever movie-tandem of Jackie Chan and Jet Li. nothing more say.. the 2 big stars is more than enough to make this movie a hit worldwide.

 

Sinking of Japan

saw the movie trailer first when we watched Transformers at G4 this year. but got to see it na lang on DVD. and it’s really, really great. Ang galing. Kaya pala na-market internationally. You really will hold on to every scene. Nakaka-nerbiyos hehe. imagine what a disaster kung sakaling mangyari sa totoong buhay. volcanoes were erupting left and right. earthquakes and building-high tsunamis were destroying the cities and killing millions of japanese. and in less than a year the whole archipelago will sink. Very moving ang mga scenes. Hindi trying hard ang dating. Nakakalungkot lang na di naging happy ending ng love story ng mga bida. Nakakaiyak ang ibang scenes.. you know how people died because of the natural disasters.. nakakatakot.
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But everything ended well. Naagapan ang pagputok ng mt. fuji which supposedly will trigger the sinking of the whole of japan, and they’ll be gone from the world map.. forever. the bidang lalaki sacrificed his life to go underwater to trigger a bomb that will destroy part of the fault or plate underneath japan’s sea bed. (or something like that hehe.)
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The message was clear though.. that there is hope after all what happened. and japanese people are very famous for that.. rebuilding from rubbles.
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my rating: five stars (Really great movie. very engaging. )

 

Die Hard 4.0

just watched this one on DVD. been a fan of the first 3 movies: Die Hard, Die Hard 2, and Die Hard with a Vengeance.
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was surprised cos i thought the trilogy was over and done with. but this year they came out with Live Free or Die Hard popularly know as Die Hard 4.0. Mr Bruce Willis hadnt lost his touch when it comes to non-stop and bloody action-packed movies. he’s still very much in character as John McClane. i guess they added the 4.0 to the title to make it digital-sounding, you know, to keep up with the latest use of technology. how every software and program releases come out with versions, and so the 4.0. and the movie indeed is centered on how the cyber/virtual terrorist did manipulated and ruined the state resources and basic services with their advance knowledge on hacking, etc. etc.
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but i dont know, something was just amiss. the whole plot just seem not that convincing.. from a techie’s point of view? i dont know. the fourth movie fall short compared to it’s 3 predecessors as far as action and plot are concerned. very predictable ending.. basta may kulang pa.
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my rating: three and a half stars (though didnt live up to my expectations, still it wasnt boring.. puede na hehe.)

 

Beowulf

this is one great animated movie. you’ll be so engrossed with the plot and the series of events, you’ll forget that what you’re watching are not real people.. they are cgi (computer-generated images, or whatever equivalent term they use.) sobrang galing parang totoong mga tao na din. kahit nga wrinkles kita. nagagawa nga naman ng teknolohiya.
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it’s PG13 ‘cos of too much violence since lagi nga may away. some scenes i just cant take.. masyadong brutal.
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eww moment: when monster Grendall chewed off the head of one of Beowulf’s men. ewww as in kadiri nginuya-nguya pa.

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angelina jolie’s character was mesmerizing.

kuhang-kuha ang features niya.

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my rating: five stars (despite the violence hehe. very refreshing to see a full-length animated movie that could pass up being portrayed by real people. )

 

Movie Marathon

the movie buff in me did a dvd marathon the other day. staring at the 21″ tv was not good for one’s eyes and mental equilibrium, mind you
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anyway, here’s the list:
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A Walk to Remember

(adopted from Nicholas Sparks novel)
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i guess i’ll never tire seeing this one. ang gwapo ba naman ni Shane West hehe. well, the story itself was really touching. great, great lessons in life.. and death. coupled with great soundtrack pa.. hay naku galing.
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My Rating: five stars

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The Notebook

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adopted from the 1996 romance novel by Nicholas Sparks.. again. curiosity made me watch this movie. puro good reviews kasi naririnig ko. and so i didnt let it pass. again, how touching the ending was. this guy who was insanely in love with this girl (who eventually became his wife of course) even the first time he set his eyes on her, chose to live in the same “home” where his wife was “confined”. she got this illness.. Alzheimer’s.. she lost her memory, maybe due to her age.. whatever. she cant remember her past. cant remember her husband and her children and granchildren. her husband never tired reading and re-telling their love story hoping it will “make her remember” even for a few minutes or seconds. his patience and his determination was really admirable. kaiba. the ending was a mixed feeling. you have to see it for yourself and you’ll know why.
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My Rating: five stars
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If Only
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Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and this English guy, di ko kilala e. anyway, this guy had a dream ’bout a series of events that will lead to the death of his girlfriend. syempre na-praning siya. made some changes on his lifestyle and the way he treated her.. blah blah blah.. ewan not inspired to re-tell the story cos ’twas kinda boring hehe. napaka-dry ng acting ng actor kasi. not very convincing. a movie i will just forget finorward ko na lang kasi nothing’s spectacular with the events.. ah ewan. a total waste of my time.
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My Rating: di pumasa sa panlasa ko hehe
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Music and Lyrics
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hmmmm Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. very simple plot. very simple love story. the music “way back to love” was good to listen to. just a feel good movie. not much conflict. no fireworks either. it’s just a so-so movie.
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My Rating: Three stars
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more to come this weekend ..

 

Mr Bean’s Holiday

lemme jumpstart october with a movie i just watched. had a rainy weekend. what better thing to do but watch a dvd movie.
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this one’s funny. just a light one. dear good old mr. bean’s antics can still break a chuckle or laugh out of you. no complicated plot or storyline.. just a holiday vacation coupled with misadventures. or was he just plain unlucky or dumb? hehe. anyway, you either love or hate mr. bean’s character. in my case, it’s both. minsan kasi kaasar siya di ba? but through the years, his innocence (or ignorance?) has endeared him in the heart of young and old alike.
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my rating: **** (four stars)

 

Apocalypto

another one great movie by mel gibson. i dont know any of the actors but that really wont matter. it’s the story and the fast turn of events that will capture your attention till the end. some scenes are too gross to see.. but that’s the way they live during their time, i guess. my favorite scene was when it was the turn of the bida, Jaguar Paw, to be beheaded (they were offered as sacrifices to the gods) when the solar eclipse happened. man, was he saved by said natural phenomenom.
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after what seemed to be an endless chasing, and yes gross killing, everything ended well for the Jaguar Paw and his family (the rest of the tribes were either killed or made slaves
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ewww moment: kadiri yong mga ulong nahuhulog from the sacrificial pyramid-like altar ewwwwwwww!

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my personal rating: 5 stars *****
(no dull moment.. if there was one, didnt notice it hehe)