Tagged oscars

Movie Review: 127 Hours (2010)

Genre: Drama Directed by: Danny Boyle Stars: James Franco 127 Hours is about mountain climber Aron Ralston (James Franco) who goes on a journey to a remote Utah canyon but finds himself trapped in a lonely crevasse after a boulder falls and pins his arm. What happens next is 127 hours of trying to survive and get out of the earthy prison. So wait, wait, wait a minute, does that mean you’re gonna have to watch a man struggle to set himself free through the duration of the movie? Well, yes. But thanks to Danny Boyle’s filmmaking precision and James…

Movie Review: Black Swan (2010)

Genre: Suspense, Thriller Director: Darren Aronofsky Stars: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel The moment she broke her toe nail, it was on. Directed by Darren Aronofsky (the same man who gave us The Wrestler and Requiem for a Dream), Black Swan is a passionate, tension-filled suspense drama about a ballerina named Nina (Natalie Portman) who is chosen to play the much coveted lead in New York Ballet Company’s production, Swan Lake. The role calls for not just a perfect portrayal of the innocent White Swan, but also the much more difficult Black Swan. Although Nina performs the White Swan…

Movie Review: Milk (2008)

Genre: Drama; Director: Gus Van Sant Stars: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the United States. Well, the film is about that. Oh yeah, it’s so timely. With Obama now the President (not that Obama is gay) and the Proposition 8 issue and all. And since it’s a biopic, you know what to watch out for — acting performances. And man did Sean Penn deliver a divine one. It’s probably his best ever. His every twist and turn is so swishy convincing, even…

Movie Review: Revolutionary Road (2008)

Genre: Drama; Directors: Sam Mendes Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Michael Shannon Suburbia. Boring as it seems, suburbia is a deep well of materials for film and TV. The loneliness and grief found in suburbia, as shown in films such as American Beauty and The Safety of Objects, make me wanna thank God I’m living a cosmopolitan life despite EDSA and MMDA. Wala lang, nabanggit ko lang. Revolutionary Road is about two people who are trapped in a predicament called “family.” Personally, I know so many people who call that walled place they stay in a “prison,” rather than a…

Movie Review: The Reader (2008)

Genre: Drama; Director: Stephen Daldry Stars: Kate Winslet, David Kross, Ralph Fiennes “What would you have done?” “Is that kinder?” These questions may not have an impact on you now but watch The Reader and you’ll see. And the funny thing is, the movie does not answer these questions. It just asks. And it’s up to you to find answers for yourself. Only two emotions get the better of me: shame and guilt. Director Stephen Daldry and screenwriter David Hare (people behind The Hours) explored these emotions gracefully in The Reader. You can just imagine how much this film affected…

What’s Up With Me

Because updating Twitter and Plurk every whatever hour is too grueling a task for me (yeah, I’m lazy like that), why not deliver updates all at once every week? Wahaha. February na! Birthday season. Hahaay. Most of my friends are Februarians. And as I said before, unlike January which I have a love-hate relationship with, February is ALWAYS kind to me. And I know this year ain’t gonna be different.  😀 Kelly Clarkson is baaaaack! Although I actually think that My Life Would Suck Without You isn’t one of her best singles, I’m just ecstatic she’s back on top, making…

Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Genre: Comedy; Director: Danny Boyle Stars: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Freida Pinto After watching the film, I felt disappointed. I wasn’t expecting myself to like it. But I DID. Tremendously.  Haha. And this might be the first time that I’m rooting for an Oscar frontrunner. (Two years ago, I liked Little Miss Sunshine better than The Departed; Crash than Brokeback Mountain; Munich than Brokeback Mountain; The Hours than Chicago.) But then again I haven’t seen The Reader yet. But so far, Slumdog gets all my loving. People say that there’s nothing new to the story. It’s the same old third-world…

Movie Review: Doubt (2008)

Genre: Drama; Director: John Patrick Shanley Stars: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis My professors at Film school had always said that the measure of a good film is if you are still able to digest the story completely on first viewing after you turn it to mute. Stanley Kubrick also uttered something like that. In other words, it has to be visual. Show, don’t tell, they say. I believed that, too. Until I realized that sometimes, what is told is just as important as what is shown. Films can still be great even with the visuals…