Film Works

Twilight Saga: Eclipse Film Review – Eclipse Continues to Suck Blood Out of Pop Culture

Eclipse Continues to Suck Blood Out of Pop CultureBy Rianne Hill Soriano

Twilight Saga: Eclipse is a compelling sequel certain to enthrall die-hard fans.

Twilight is now a legendary brand famous for its teenage angst, pale make-up, and otherworldly love triangle. Now a historical movie franchise breaking box office records worldwide, this third installment clearly marathons every opportunity to please fans. While they ultimately deserve more, this movie successfully utilizes the right blood type to fuel all its bankable possibilities. And whatever critics and non-fans say, its hard-core followers ultimately back up this romantic fantasy flick as an ultimate cash cow.

Eclipse is dull, boring, and overly dramatic; unless the viewer finds it therapeutic, entertaining, or orgasmic to see perfectly pale and powerful vampires and perfectly chiseled, shirtless werewolves making a regular girl happy on the big screen. If just for those, this movie is a sure winner. The movie marathons to as much close-ups and beauty shots while the actors and actresses try to put life to their clichéd lines. Add up some action to boost things up in between the many drags, and that’s about it.

Its vampire boy-meets-ordinary girl-meets werewolf boy story can already be effectively told in a short movie, but of course, the studio needs to prolong it as much as it can. To keep up with the feature-length movie requirement, Eclipse incorporates many visceral set pieces, stylistic flashbacks, and impassioned sentiments to keep the viewers hanging on to its swoony tale of forbidden love.

There’s no middle ground with the Twilight Saga: Either the viewer surrenders to the value of this movie version of the Stephenie Meyer bestseller or the viewer walks out feeling lifeless in disappointment. One thing is for sure, this film confidently provides the commercial requirements to make fans satisfied.

In its own mediocre level, Eclipse’s good points are its pretty good make-up, atmospheric feel, and art direction setting the mood for a sort of emotional pornography for teenagers. The “melodramatic crush factor” works well for those craving for such inner adolescent fantasies. The marketing strategy establishing the vampire-wolf division “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob,” along with the “in-Bella’s shoes” girl fantasies, is developed pretty well throughout the movie. It validates its teen-friendly demeanor where words overcome sexual urges and where fight scenes are meant for viewers who are only concerned about the protagonists winning and looking so cool with it.

Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, and Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black embrace their own sense of camp in this movie about teenage uncertainty, emotional highs and lows, and impassioned teenage love. It is not the stunning locations, special effects, or the plot that “Twilighters” will keep in mind, it’s the characters and their relationships that they shall remember.

Director David Slade taps into what Twilight fans want. He keeps it cold and lifeless in a way that the ultimate teenage fantasies about the characters become the full movie. The adolescents and the adolescents at heart don’t mind how characters shamelessly have their buttons pushed as long as they can relate to these characters’ own personal hurdles.

Eclipse manages to create a teen drama effectively utilizing its cheesy special effects to stage chaste, romantic tensions against the many scenic backdrops. It demonstrates adolescent longing and primal physical confrontations where the ultimate damsel in distress gets saved by not one but two “prince charmings,” not to mention their whole clans helping out.

For those seeking for a quality film offer, this 124-minute movie about convoluted passions and hormonal outrage cries out for life. It seeks for a life-saving blood transfusion. It is like watching two lovers looking at each other’s eyes and feeling the ultimate magic of being in love; while anyone not relating to it would most likely feel bored or apathetic.

With fans undoubtedly willing to get bitten, this third chapter in the Twilight Saga remains foremost a flick for devotees. Given the strength of this franchise, the least non-fans can wish for is for the next chapter/s to take the challenge of better quality over the shallowness of its comfort zone. If it continues to be this programmed and predictable, the only thing to remember it by is that it sucks the blood out of pop culture; while it leaves everybody else outside dead cold.

Jennifer’s Body Movie Review: Capitalizing on a High School Scare Flick

Jennifer’s Body Movie Review: Capitalizing on a High School Scare Flick
In Jennifer’s Body, Megan Fox looks high school foxy as a scarily hot horror queen in the usual teen scare flick set-up. And it could probably work best for midnight screenings and slumber parties.
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New Moon Movie Review: A Swoon Movie for the Fans

New Moon Movie Review: A Swoon Movie for the Fans
This second bite to the hugely popular Twilight saga can’t exactly do the same for the outsiders. It may not be good enough to seduce new fans, but it’s not bad enough to break off relentless infatuations from its very much anticipating target market.
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Movie Review: Masterful, Moody, and Magnificent

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Movie Review: Masterful, Moody, and Magnificent
This sixth installment in the Harry Potter film franchise is of the right mix for the specific needs of the story. It is never dumb and yet it is not pretentiously profound. It is smart as it is honest. It is dark as it is funny.
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Twilight Movie Review: The Teen Bite of Twilight

Twilight Movie Review: The Teen Bite of Twilight
The swoony supernatural romance and the neo-horror motif both amuses and bemuses – depending on the type of viewer.
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Alice in Wonderland Movie Review: Overwhelming Visuals, Underwhelming Storytelling

Alice in Wonderland Movie Review: Overwhelming Visuals, Underwhelming Storytelling
Tim Burton’s individual stamp of masterful storytelling doesn’t seem to register here. And with its wavering tone, Burton and company should really dig a lot deeper if they soon decide to make a sequel.
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Movie Review: A Dark, Adolescent Potter Film

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Movie Review: A Dark, Adolescent Potter Film
Darker, a little more mature, and a little less magical, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire deals primarily with rejection and hormones as Harry and his friends struggle through the transition from childhood to young adulthood.
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Sky High Movie Review: Soaring High School Heroes and Sidekicks

Sky High Movie Review: Soaring High School Heroes and Sidekicks
If you think Hogwarts is the only secret school for extraordinary kids, well there’s also the heroic children’s world of Sky High.
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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Movie Review

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Movie Review
The story centers on a tightly knit group of the four girls Lena (Alexis Bledel), Bridget (Blake Lively), Carmen (America Ferrera) and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn).
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I Love You, Beth Cooper Movie Review: Flip-flopping with the Farce and the Funny

I Love You, Beth Cooper Movie Review: Flip-flopping with the Farce and the Funny
I Love You, Beth Cooper is average stuff… that is to compare what you see in the unimaginative trailer and what this teen movie rehash actually delivers for its worn out theme and story.
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Into the Blue Movie Review: Soaking Deep into the Blue

Into the Blue Movie Review: Soaking Deep into the Blue
But it runs out of air with its contrived plot and the interest for it sinks aimlessly into the deep-waters of the Bahamas. The treasure isn’t priced well. And it’s long soaked and buried deep into the blue…
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Adventureland Movie Review: ‘Roller-Coastering’ Towards Adulthood

Adventureland Movie Review: ‘Roller-Coastering’ Towards Adulthood
Adventureland is a sweet, insightful and heartfelt coming-of-age story with loads of sensitivity and a genuine heart.
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Fans Converge in Stores for New Moon DVD Release

Fans Converge in Stores for New Moon DVD Release
On the evening of March 19, 2010, the eve of the New Moon DVD release, fans flocked to the stores with high anticipation for their DVD copies that were finally getting available by midnight.
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Film Review: New Moon

A Swoon Movie for the Fans
By Rianne Hill Soriano

“New Moon” knows what it should be. It’s clearly meant to be a teen flick that makes fans swoon and quench. This second bite to the hugely popular “Twilight” saga can’t exactly do the same for the outsiders though. It may not be good enough to seduce new fans, but it’s not bad enough to break off relentless infatuations from its very much anticipating target market.

This installment is more of a teen-focused soap opera rendered for the big screen. It manages to shine for those willing to buy in its central romance about the love between a human and a vampire with an adolescent level of audience consummation. Its moments of hotness flirt with various lingering glances, teenybopper kisses, and de-shirting. And it works well in providing reasons for uncontrollable giggles from the willing fans. It manages to shine for those romantic hearts yearning for an enjoyable teen escapism with pretty girl faces and shirtless hunky boys. Add up the fancy look and coolness of pale make-up with red lips, cool cars, magical powers, teen angst, shapeshifting abilities, and raging hormones, then mix them according to the demands of the willing to be bitten fans, then you got that big bowl of adolescent romantic mush garnished with horror-lite action scenes, forest cat-and-mouse chases, and crazy road trip resulting to a showcase of supernatural gifts.

This Stephenie Meyer adaptation lurches from the sublime to the ridiculous – and what makes it work for its expected audience is the well-kept mood that signals moments of candor and romanticism. It has a generally unappealing formula, but it is oddly effective. It offers some juicy, go-for-broke romantic pleasures the way its predecessor did. The eye candy formula is definitely present to cater to the fans craving for two glossy hours of hotties strutting their stuff. The fans will definitely care, but the casual viewers won’t give as much enthusiasm.

As it settles into a somewhat predictable groove, the occasional longeurs tend to suck life out of the story. There are tedious, long-winded parts. There is that turn off for its slow pace, relentlessly downcast tone, and even its excessive length. Gimmicky and worn out aspects appear here and there. Yet, this sequel is clearly effective with its focus on the gratuitous sex appeal of its two lead male stars – which can be readily proven by the shrieking fans surrounding every theater in the city every time they appear or do something romantic or cool in teenage language terms. From the moody teenager girl who can’t stop whining about how her boyfriend dumped her to the shirtless wolf-men flexing their muscles to the suicidal impulses and fantasies for skin paleness and lip redness, this second chapter on this successful popcorn flick is commendably a good example of contemporary low budget cinema in the middle of the recession hitting the blockbuster mark as if there is no economic crisis, just rising teenage hormones.

The technical parts are quite interesting to dig into. Overall, production values are still on the range of just a decently budgeted Hollywood project, but it considerably works for its bearing – and yes, it’s absolutely reaping much more money than the initial capital for it.

This slickly packaged entertainment has that kind of old-fashioned look. It has dark and moody cinematography that indulges well with its own creepy vision of teenage sexuality. The production design keeps up with its tragic-romantic motif. The nominal special effects provide harmless fun. Director Chris Weitz makes it stronger on dream logic than plot; yet the mediocre performances and dumbed down screenplay still make the film shallow, vapid, and cheesy – an observation out of the bias from the already given fan base whom the producers know will never let them down whatever kind of story they offer to the franchise, as long as the established characters are there for their romantic escapades.

This romance relying on the appeal of fangs and paws primarily survives because of the already esteemed lead characters from the movie’s first installment. The romance between the danger-attractive mortal Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and the drop-dead gorgeous vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) delves deeper into the darkness and mysteries of the supernatural. And driving the story into their deeper emotions becomes a priority in the storytelling. At the same time, another character gets inside their circle through the buffed Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a wolf-teen who establishes a budding relationship with Bella. However, the film suffers on the usual sequel syndrome with symptoms including a laborious establishing of forced conflicts, a general air of drift and pointlessness, and a lack of clear direction. Meanwhile, the cliffhanger ending effectively teases and is clearly intended to make fans hungry for more.

“New Moon” gives fans what they’re looking for – which isn’t to say it’s actually great, only that it’s basically successful in achieving the low end goals it sets for itself through enough fantasy and romance to satisfy its devotees; while everyone else outside the “Twilight” circle will just shrug and move on.

Film Review: Jennifer’s Body

Capitalizing on a High School Scare Flick
By Rianne Hill Soriano

“Jennifer’s Body” works more as a teen sex ad that seeks pleasure on seeing Megan Fox looking high school foxy as a scarily hot horror queen in the usual scare flick set-up. And it could probably work best for midnight screenings and slumber parties. Overall, it’s not as frightening as it should be; it’s not as hip and funny as it would like to be; yet, it’s not a complete disaster if merely accepted as a lowbrow gore and titillation offer to hormone-raging audiences and undemanding slasher film lovers.

As a brisk, bloody mix of gory horror and high school comedy punctuated by the typical scare elements and high school cheekiness, the film hobbles with tonal inconsistencies because of merely concentrating on having two-dimensional characters. It fails to capitalize on its campy premise about the usual girl-in-distress who would latter go to the opposite side of the fence – which could have effectively worked side-by-side the commercial appeal of Fox who plays the lead character of the film. Actually, there are moments of inspired cleverness and decent scares, but they are not frequent or sustained enough.

The film seems to want a lot but it doesn’t manage to achieve them accordingly. Screenwriter Diablo Cody (Oscar winner for her “Juno” screenplay) has a few good points to make about the frenemy dynamics in a high school setting including teenage relationships and connections, party fun, fame and power plays, sexual excitement, among other things. Director Karyn Kusama tries to mount a certain atmosphere in what it’s like to be adolescent girls who come into sexual and social power through tragedies. However, the final output still looks amateurish that the film actually renders itself as a lackluster scare flick. The good intentions doesn’t get to deliver well, perhaps because of some mainstream requirements to do this and that to maintain its formulaic cash cow bearing. Kusama seems torn between the duty to female empowerment and the movie’s slasher conventions that the main character is not really defined that effectively. Even Fox’s performance makes it hard to measure up to the ideal character development that the audience should see on her. And while it wants to put that higher level of tone and treatment in itself, it gets too lost in trying to be hip, current, alternative, and mainstream all at the same time.

“Jennifer’s Body” actually takes a common theme on slasher films – the panicky fascination with female sexuality which grows to become a weapon of evil. However, the movie doesn’t live up to its full potential because of many things, part of which is its clunky pace, some distracting elements in the screenplay, and the film’s reliance on Fox’s fame to sell tickets. The idea of Fox playing an evil high school beauty queen who eats the boys she seduces definitely sounds sellout interesting primarily in the box office. Yet, the film is neither cringe-inducingly frightening nor laugh-out-loud funny. It is punctuated by gory episodes and high school fun moments, but much of them are not explored well enough – lacking in suspense and surprise to raise the potential of bringing some real cinematic power to itself.

Though Fox as Jennifer and Amanda Seyfried as Needy considerably work well as high school frenemies in the story, especially in terms of chemistry, their thinly conceived and underdeveloped characterizations, along with the heavy-handed direction of the film, leave little to make their characters fully desirable in terms of cinematic brilliance.

Film Review: I Love You, Beth Cooper

Flip-flopping With the Farce and the Funny
By Rianne Hill Soriano

“I Love You, Beth Cooper” is average stuff. That is to compare what you see in the unimaginative trailer and what this teen movie rehash actually delivers for its worn out theme and story. Considerably, it does provide some laughs for its farcical intentions. But that’s about it.

The story revolves around a nerdy valedictorian Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) who proclaims his love for the most popular girl in school – Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere) – during his graduation speech. Much to his surprise, Beth shows up at his door during his post-graduation party and decides to show him the best night of his life. It’s one of those movies about the nerds getting with the high school hottie. This graduation night-road trip flick adapted from Larry Doyle’s 2007 best-selling novel of the same title seems kind of misguided. Or perhaps, the very story is already contrived to this kind of quality for a commercial film work. Or maybe this kind of movie just feels too outdated. The script, also by Doyle, has a few good flashes of comedy, but at most times, it just tries a little too hard. With its painfully awkward shifts between pat sentimentality, hackneyed teen-movie tropes, and parent-baiting raunchiness, this coming-of-age party movie is highly contrived and lacking the courage and conviction to completely tell a memorable character-based story about girls and boys with hyperactive hormones triggered by puberty. Well at the least, the movie can really induce some laughs.

As one-crazy-night teen comedies go, this film attempts to make itself a solid teen comedy flick; but it merely turns out to become a flabby teen movie trying to revive that same breath as “Superbad.” It fails to grasp that needed sincerity to make a spectacularly effective teen comedy masterpiece. It flip-flops between flailing farcical comedy and dull drama with a mixture of obvious jokes and winsome sentiments. The situations are forced. The script is weak. The pacing sometimes drags. The comedy isn’t funny enough all the time. And the film falls short on hitting all its emotional targets.

Director Chris Columbus provides a by-the-number type of filmmaking here – all manufactured for that farcical comedy in teenybopper fashion. There are some mindlessly funny moments that could probably please its target audience. However, the one-sidedness of the movie kind of robs the film of overall quality and conviction.

“I Love You, Beth Cooper” offers nothing new and original. As a bland mix of dumb comedy routines and teen angst, it touches all the bases that have been touched so many times before, with both better and worse ones. On a slightly positive note, it actually exceeds a little of the basic expectations for it. And it’s not to be branded as a totally unwatchable fare, thanks to some really funny scenes. Amidst the clichés and stereotypical stretches, the comic deliveries from Rust as the nerdy Denis and Jack Carpenter as his movie-quoting best friend Rich induces some pretty fine laughs. Yet, flat and sluggish moments here and there just pull it down further. And the flashbacks are sometimes awkward.

Overall, this graduation comedy movie still flunks; but at the least, there are still specific laughing moments that can make the teacher reconsider it to reach a passing mark.

Film Review: Adventureland

‘Roller-coastering’ Towards Adulthood
By Rianne Hill Soriano

“Adventureland” is a sweet, insightful, and heartfelt coming-of-age story with loads of sensitivity and a genuine heart. It offers a refreshing retro drama-comedy about the joyride of the young adults’ present angst and their preparations for their future. Smart and perceptive as a typical tale about college-aged kids in crappy jobs struggling to learn about love and life, the film presents the hearts of teens and young adults fluttering up and down just like riding the roller coaster.

The film’s strength lies in the power of its well-delivered performances, beautifully written script, and carefully crafted characters – each of whom is both sincerely flawed and purely compelling. The characters are genuinely tarnished and appealing as they seize those uncertain feelings teens have in becoming young adults. Full of humor and nostalgia as a period story resonating with a universal touch on sex talks, drugs, awkward situations, goofs, intrigues, and humor, it does a pretty good job in capturing the teens and their times. From the way kids generally behave in their 80’s American culture to the ups-and-downs of late ’80s rock, it provides a sort of a noteworthy melancholy of a classic young adult novel made for the big screen. Its heart and soul are deeply invested in its shaky, awkward, sweet, funny, and tender drama with an indie-art touch. It manages a certain combination of the maturity, absurdity, and anguish of young adulthood; thus, crafting a refreshing take on “the teen turmoil issues” where the uncertainty and inherent fear of an idealist are intensely charged with personal feelings, doubts, and dreams.

“Adventureland” is the sort of film that seems simultaneously derivative of countless teen-oriented coming-of-age offers while thoroughly exploring the familiar territory to become a genuinely integral story with an effectively loose and scruffy appeal.  Director Greg Mottola puts plenty of heart to this tale. It clearly puts that feeling of “already seen and heard before,” but this linear narrative proves that old stories can be mounted well through authentic touches on its already predictable structure. As long as the storytelling is done well, it can be admirably personal and specific for its dedicated audience.

The heart of the film lies in the emotional microcosm of the local amusement park, a place happily rambling along with its share of laughs and lust. Set in 1987 Pittsburgh, the recent college grad James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) takes a nowhere job at the nearby “Adventureland,” where summer vacation leads to summer jobs, and possibly, summer love. It becomes a sweet and irreverent tale about characters with real hearts under those goofy shirts. Surprisingly, this very place actually becomes a perfect course to get them prepared for the real world outside the realms of childhood and teenage life.

Filled with likable actors and 1980’s pop songs, “Adventureland” entertains without pretending to be more than a tribute to doing odd jobs, meeting unlikely friends, trying anything fun, wild and exciting, and hanging out without the concern for adult responsibilities. Credible performances from the ensemble cast make effective use of music and moments to enrich their eclectic roles. Eisenberg has the ability to endearingly convey gawkiness and mortification, along with his quirky, intellectual, twenty-something virgin character delivering for what makes the story come full circle – his high virtue and worst defect – his sincerity. His life experiences with a bunch of his kind at the amusement park find prime solace in Em Lewin (Kristen Stewart). Stewart shines in a raw and tender performance bursting with charisma. Here, innocent fun, true friendship, and an added spark of love work for the story in which he and Stewart put deft touches of realism to a heartbreakingly genuine couple. Mottola does quite a good job in weaving his characters to be unaffected by their already marked personalities as celebrities – especially with the recent hype for Stewart’s character in “Twilight” and Ryan Reynolds being Wade Wilson/Deadpool in “Wolverine.” Reynolds here as Mike Connell is very low key and fits perfectly for the tricky part he has to play – just like the rest of the characters in the story from main to support to minor roles all working for their specific roles in a similar way as the various jobs inside “Adventureland.”

Film Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

HP 6: Masterful, Moody, and Magnificent
By Rianne Hill Soriano

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is by far the best of the series in so many ways. This sixth installment in the “Harry Potter” film franchise is of the right mix for the specific needs of the story. It is never dumb and yet it is not pretentiously profound. It is smart as it is honest. It is dark as it is funny. It is angsty as it is fun. It is gloomy as it is magical. And above all, it is sincerely the most human.

The film is a masterful work helmed by director David Yates who proves that the Potter franchise and J. K. Rowling’s story are in very good hands indeed. The mounting of the film is at its most spellbinding with his genuine craftsmanship. He knows his shots and doesn’t waste any moment from them. He is aware of its moody demands. He acknowledges what is to be magnificent and what is to be harsh.

The “Half-Blood Prince” is the purest example of virtuoso storytelling. It provides a satisfying visualization of the Rowling cosmos. This emotional and involving installment plays around the fantastic elements and introduces contrasting and playful human experiences set in the realm of magic. Dazzlingly well made and perhaps deliberately less fanciful than the previous entries, the film is a bubbling cauldron of hormonal angst, romance and heartbreak, and a genuine tone of a settling adult gloominess.

Impressively, this book-to-film translation doesn’t feel rushed. And it can stand on its own as a cinematic masterpiece. The film opens and closes well. It invests enough time to tell the story. With a few exceptions, the major plot points from the book have been significantly considered. More than the magic being played, the characters whom the people have come to know and love for more than half-a-decade now is well understood in this sixth film. As the latest one, it is closer to palpable human experiences than any of the others and is quite effective as such. And as a more human affair than its predecessors, it effectively offers flashes of darkness and pleasure to become such an immersive film faithful in capturing the texture and richness of its origin book.

Playing out in a series of both rough and gentle interludes, the film’s darkness lingers around the teen romance and humor. It is funny, moving, honest, sad, and sweet. The acting has improved greatly. The direction is solid. The effects are wonderful, but not overdone, and above all, it is seamless to the story. Its motifs on loss of innocence, the lashings on teen tension, and all the raging young adult hormones stir the story’s fine potion on magic and adventure. The predominantly downbeat mood is carefully utilized in between fun moments and aggressive behavior.

Helming the final four films of the franchise, Yates makes this second HP stint under his belt as dark and brooding while the intricate details of its fantasy aspect become extraordinary in various ways. Visually, this is definitely a solid HP entry, having impressive sets and effects. It has a wondrous physicality led by production designer Stuart Craig. The cinematography courtesy of Bruno Delbonnel completely shifts to a darker, more frightful style that greatly matches the story. The script is witty and steadfast in the hands of screenwriter Steve Kloves who introduces this latest film entry to the saga with a splendid mix of storytelling strokes, primarily through the friendship of the central trio who remains to be the very key to the film’s magically genuine appeal. The editing by Mark Day lives up to increasingly gravitate the matters of the heart and the hormones for the coming-of-age moments of the three major characters and their schoolmates. The original music from Nicholas Hooper mesmerizes the audience accordingly. Indeed, for this film adaptation of “Harry Potter Book 6,” the production team has really worked wonders to make it how it is.

The concerns of Rowling’s characters provide a more mature route for the story. And impressively, it has a strong sense of purpose and ambition that provides hope to countless worthless franchise offers these days. The film bravely leaves its own childhood behind and welcomes a more fiery and aggressive right-of-passage moment for itself. Most film sequels could be wheezing their ways to become shameful cashcow offers; but this latest chapter for the legendary HP franchise is definitely on the rightfully more reliable track.

This more mature installment is quite strong. It has concrete plotting, pacing, visuals, acting, and direction to keep up with the story’s fun, adventure, romance, and thrills. The film’s experienced team gives way to vigorous storytelling while marking due moments in preparation for the final battle between the light and the dark. The individual scenes generally work through well-founded staging. The challenging weaving of sequences carry out clear messages and emotions at most times. The story is not dependent on effects nor dialogues – it’s the overall mounting of each shot, from the framing to the subject, that makes it work.

So many actors shine in so many ways. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter has truly grown up. More than merely getting taller, he delivers such a commendable acting as demanded by his character. Emma Watson continuously validates her strength and charm as Hermione Granger. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasey exudes an equally impressive performance as well. Overall, the acting was superb. Everybody works admirably: Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore; Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape; Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy; Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley; Jim Broadbent as Professor Horace Slughorn; Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange; Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Frank Dillane as Tom Riddle; Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood; Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy; Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown; David Thewlis as Remus Lupin; Timothy Spall as Wormtail; Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall; and all the rest of the many characters who have made this “Harry Potter” offer a success.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is an impressive film that stands out as the new dark jewel in the “Potter” kingdom. For fans of both the films and the books, this is indeed an elegant addition to the canon – a fantastic magical ride of a movie highly recommended to both teenagers and adults. It can also be regarded as one of the most remarkable series in cinematic history. This film really sets up the stage for the last two installments – the seventh and final follow-up book “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” will be divided into two films to cap off this esteemed franchise.

Let’s hope for the best that the last two films also give justice to the final “Harry Potter” book.

Film Review: Dragonball Evolution

Who Deserves a Kamehameha??
By Rianne Hill Soriano
The expectations for “Dragonball Evolution” is considerably low. And yet, most people especially the generations of fans of the “Dragonball” series try to hope for the best by saying that a film’s worth does not equate to what the trailer merely shows…  Sad to say, this blandly adapted rendition of the Asian folklore-inspired Manga is truly a terrible mess – worthy to receive the end of a “Kamehameha wave.”

“Dragonball Evolution” is a flat take on the famous anime series with a storytelling merely relying on the audience’s pre-existing knowledge of the original source material for things to work, somehow. It is uninspired as it is cliché-ridden. It lacks scope and style as it is short of wits and imagination. The production tries hard with doses of wry teen humor and Hollywood style visual effects; and yet, the story seems to have been made for the heck of a movie regardless of quality.

It’s like the script was done as the filming went along that the story suffered with bad dialogues, illogical narrative twists, disappointing characterization, brainless pacing, chintzy effects, and uneven CGI. Too bad, there seemed to be a budget… but looks like it went to the wrong hands, or the wrong style, or the wrong treatment, or the wrong conceptualization, or the worst decisions.

There are a few considerably entertaining parts like the opening sequence that is able to catch some attention with its visuals. However, the bulk of the film is crammed by overdubbed lines and a dull script that really makes the film just another disappointing teen action film. Its host of clichéd moments and poor production value makes it a charmless new installment from a rather popular and bankable franchise.

The giddy, anything goes spirit of this flick could have worked; if given the right story, screenplay, art direction, casting, and acting. However, the film’s plot holes equate to the fake-looking sets. Some effects and color schemes come out fine, but they are still not seamless with the visuals. A few fight scenes are engaging in a way, but the shamefully pathetic acting, even with Chow Yun-Fat (as Master Roshi) who seems to have added a bad element to his pretty good resume, is a total dismay.

The casting adds to the confusion to the film’s already many inconsistencies. The leads and major supports topbilled by Justin Chatwin as Goku, Jamie Chung as Chi Chi, Emmy Rossum as Bulma, Joon Park as Yamcha, are played by actors and actresses who may be too old to be teenagers. Along with the rest of the supporting cast including Randall Duk Kim as Grandpa Gohan, James Marsters as Lord Piccolo, Eriko Tamura as Mai, and Megumi Seki as Seki, the performances are generally shaky not merely because of their own rendered skills but because of the rampant miscast and the poor direction. As a fan, it is truly frustrating to see a shoddy film adaptation that is no bigger than the sort of junk stuff seen on TV.

“Dragonball Evolution” loses the steam of the beloved cartoon franchise because of making no effort to live up to the people’s expectations. It doesn’t have to be artsy to make sense to viewers. For such a superhero flick adapted from a mythic anime series that has charmed a number of generations already, all it needs is a solid story, a faithful treatment, and a powerhouse execution to keep its fan-base and its supposed newfound fans fueled. It is a rather cynical attempt to cash in on the “Dragonball” fame. And it turns out to be just another dumb and depressing flick.

It gets to the point that the viewers would wish to strike the infamous and blistering finishing move called the “Kamehameha” to end up their disappointment.

Film Review: December Boys

A Gentle Slice of Life
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Lee Cormie, Christian Byers, James Fraser
Directed by: Rod Hardy

‘December Boys’ reminds you of those sweet-natured childhood moments as it harks back to the days of the Australian New Wave, the time when films about isolation, loneliness, and the existential dilemmas of life tops such engaging motion picture offerings. And director Rod Hardy makes this film a low-key sentimental tale featuring breathtaking Australian landscapes that take you on a journey with four young orphan boys living in the Australian outback.

While watching ‘December Boys,’ you can’t help but feel like you’re right there under the warm, sentimental glow of the beautiful Australian landscapes. And amidst the many clichéd elements, the film is able to pull off an absorbing, coming of age story about faith and family in the eyes of a quartet of Australian orphans whose deep bonds of friendship and brotherhood are tested during a life-changing holiday vacation in an Australian paradise during the 60’s. Based from the novel of Michael Noonan, this pleasant drama appeals to sentimental adults’ schmaltz as it spells out all the life lessons in childhood and adolescent discoveries.

‘December Boys’ brings back good old-fashioned storytelling and filmmaking with its visually well-mounted and nostalgia-tinged bearing coupled with straightforward melodrama and magic realism. What makes it work is mainly how the story has been handled amidst its very straightforward use of clichés. This period film puts a strongly emotional tone on its religious elements, sea currents, seaside landscapes, rural neighborhood, and the metaphors on fishing, cartwheeling nuns, a big fish, a black horse, and a nearby cave. It focuses on the smaller moments of keen human interaction and observation. And it achieves its purposes of bathing itself with the sunny sea breezes that exude the energy of youth and promise – making it a simple and yet tender journey through childhood and adolescence, and overall, living a life with value.

Beautifully filmed and acted, this film follows the quest of the December Boys on getting adopted. Enhanced by an exotic locale crisply shot by cinematographer David Connell and a complementing music by Carlo Giacco, the copious shots of rolling landscapes and the moody sounds offer a nostalgic, golden glow that really sets the mood to heartfelt sentimentality. Moreover, it earns its right to sentiment through the strong performances from its four leads. The most famous and literally the biggest of the lot, Daniel Radcliffe (as Maps), the oldest December Boy, graciously shares the screen with his equally talented co-stars. He seems to get the hang of the moody teen act. He may not be that cutesy Harry Potter boy anymore, but it seems like he is trying to build a future as a young adult performer once he shelves Harry Potter’s wand and spectacles once and for all. Lee Cormie (as Misty) provides a freshly gentle solicitousness as an idealistic boy taking advantage of an opportunity for a better future during such a glorious, life-changing holiday. James Fraser (as Spit) also keeps up with his character as one of the parentless wonders trying to cope up with the competition on finally getting adopted. Christian Byers (as Sparks) adds dimension to the brotherhood facet of the four – completing the right blend of the roster. And just like these leads, the supporting characters all deliver very well for the film to really work.

Overall, amidst some discontinuity concerns, the ‘December Boys’ is a beautifully written, acted, photographed, and directed film – pulling all the elements together to make a sincerely, well-intentioned and earnestly sentimental story.

Film Review: The Lookout

A heist picture to bank for
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher, Carla Gugino
Directed by: Scott Frank

The moody and brilliantly inventive crime caper ‘The Lookout’ has all the right elements of cinematic tension, engaging story, tight script, heartbreaking human insights, some comic relief, and solid acting. It is a well-crafted thought piece about a young adult coping with the consequences of his teenage aggressiveness when his personal brilliance and the greater future ahead of him vanishes forever due to his acquired physical incapacity. Perceptive and edgy as it is, the film becomes a skillful and compelling character study in the guise of a heist movie. It delivers a beautifully drawn contemporary noir tale of a young man trying to make sense of the future he has lost in a world that he has to learn all over again.

Debuting director and award-winning writer Scott Frank develops characters and layers details so well that this darkly engaging crime thriller also becomes a neo-noir drama and a taut psychological thriller. As director-writer, he sketches the film with a well-established structure that manages to balance subtlety with suspense. The characters are interesting and multidimensional. And though Chris Pratt’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) lookout role in the bank robbery is predicted, the film does a credible job of not signaling where the story is exactly heading as it ramps up with a number of plot swings and unexpected twists and turns.

Frank commands sympathy, affection, and understanding of his characters – boldly taking time to develop them to capture each one’s emotional and intellectual intensity and numbness without resorting to overly sentimental tactics. Treating the film with an unhurried pace, a riveting tone, a yielding musical score, a chilling winter-gray cinematography, and a well-conceived camera work, the small-town setting bows down to the compelling characterizations, the straight-ahead drama, and the poignant crime story.

Character-driven as it is, the elegantly written characters are played by an ensemble cast that greatly drives the story. With or without dialogues, the characters exude intricate humanness that grabs hold of the audience. The many shades of gray create a richly drawn script supported by sharp dialogues. Moreover, the film is populated by characters that can be easily imagined to exist in real life. It’s the characters and what they say and think that really matter. And with the topnotch performances of the actors and actresses, the film becomes a truly absorbing piece.

Fueled by yet another terrific performance, Gordon-Levitt delivers a touchingly nuanced portrayal of a disabled man fighting to win back his old life. He gives a thoughtfully convincing role as a damaged soul – earning the audience’s sympathy without artifice. He makes Chris’ erratic efforts pour such a heartbreaking resignation to what he has used to be and what he wants back. The blankness and minimalist reactions that he makes, as certain memories keep drifting away, ironically bring a certain depth, complexity, and sincerity for what isn’t there – which actually brings genuine things to get there. It could have been just another damaged guy role; but he delivers with such a compelling and star-turning performance that elevates such a perceptive and intelligent portrayal into a classic piece. Indeed, with the way he has executed his nuanced roles at this early stage of his career, and having a hugely appealing combination of a Keanu Reeves physicality, a Marlon Brando/Guy Pierce acting power, and a Johnny Depp capacity for offbeat roles, this young actor is definitely a rising star to watch out for.

The supporting emotional component hinges on the friendship between Chris and the blind but independent Lewis (Jeff Daniels). Their convincing onscreen relationship makes the film work its way forward. Talent and chemistry truly gives a splendid fusion. The character Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode) carries out such a human capacity for criminal action. Deputy Ted (Sergio Di Zio) convincingly plays a striking character that is full of heart and gusto. Luvlee’s (Isla Fisher) sunny role adds a certain commercial appeal that enlightens the dark tale for a bit. The rest of the supporting characters and even the bit players offer such a good mix of performances. However, Bruce McGill as Chris’ father Robert Pratt seems a little off due to their lack of physical resemblance, that during the exposition in the story, he actually strikes as if he is the father of the husband of Chris’ sister – more than being Chris’ own father.

With all the tight plotting and meticulous character building, ‘The Lookout’ is an effective genre picture. It is an effective homage to the kind of small-scale thrillers heading the classic route. It is simple and yet intricate. It is small and yet satisfying.

Film Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

A Passionately Dementored Fifth
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Melling, Emma Watson, Jason Boyd, Rupert Grint
Directed by: David Yates

Not everyone will like ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ mainly because of its really dark and heavy demeanor; but if you look beyond, you will appreciate how passionately intense this deliciously dark affair is. The significant story that is clearly tinged with sharp satirical thrusts keeps up with themes on isolation, loss, and grief. It is a powerful and poignant coming-of-age story about the darker threads and currents of growing up and facing the unpleasant realities in life.

This fifth installment of the Harry Potter franchise is bleak, dark, moody, and malevolent. The childish wonder offered by its predecessors is a true past. Say good-bye to magical chocolate candies and Quidditch fun. And say welcome to hormonal changes, politics, and rebellion. ‘The Order of the Phoenix’ draws as if all happiness has gone from the story, just like how the Dementors attack Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) during the first sequence of the film. And the effectively involving treatment by director David Yates makes a great deal on the creeping heaviness and unease needed by the film. It is an advantage to the story itself, and yet a disadvantage to those audiences who would rather want another dose of fun, colorful, and magical moments with the young wizards and witches of Hogwarts. So far, the only festive moment on the film is the rebellious fireworks display by the Weasley twins Fred and George (James and Oliver Phelps) as they invade the exam hall that is controlled by the new fascist head of Hogwarts Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton).

‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ ushers a climate of mind games, repression, sexuality, adolescent changes, paranoia, betrayal, fascism, power struggle, madness, and death. It overflows with devious plots, clever machinations, vicious mind control, subservient media, crooked government system, social injustice, black propaganda, and adolescent anxieties. The metaphors are mainly implicit and have a lot to do with growing up and greed of power. The magical teens are going through a difficult transition to young adults, and at the same time, they are keeping up with semi-delusional torturers and power hungry fascists. And from here, Harry and his band of school rebels start to prepare themselves on their own for the battles ahead. His underground force named Dumbledore’s Army secretly trains in a hidden spot inside Hogwarts to refine and develop their magical skills amidst the brooding dictatorship inside the school.

In the story, Harry is completely conflicted, isolated, and angry. His inner demons constantly wreck his peace of mind. He is haunted by nightmares and the tragic death of a classmate. He is struggling to evict Voldemort from his own mind. And just like any teenager with adolescent hormones moving here and there, his journey towards the dark becomes imminent.

As the fight turns political, hidden meanings become not so hard to find. Rather than having his heroism and skills regarded as he fends off an attack of two Dementors, Harry is threatened with expulsion from Hogwarts. He is summoned before a hostile tribunal similar to a Stalinist show trial before the increasingly Orwellian Ministry of Magic. Then, the students of Hogwarts are forbidden to learn anything that might be useful in battle with the threat of overpowering the Ministry of Magic (sounds familiar in so many ways, times, and places). Moreover, the altering of media information through the Daily Prophet becomes a much more serious depiction of the misuse of media power for selfish intentions. The pink and stout new teacher and Ministry of Magic puppet Dolores Umbridge becomes a classic force of resistance with a vein for sublimated violence. She embodies a rigidly delusional character abolishing civil liberties that have been a major trademark of Dumbledore’s liberal standards. She treats the students with an iron rod and decisively eliminates most personal freedoms to bring a fascist order in the school.

For such a two-hour film adaptation of what is originally hundreds of pages of a book, it is a true challenge for the film to keep up with the allotted screen time for its many characters and plotpoints. Screenwriter Michael Goldenberg has necessarily compressed and streamlined the material. And understandably, the film is not capable of accommodating every role the best characterization it could have for the benefit of the film’s entirety. With Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), their significance in the story seems to shrink as Harry grows. They seem to only have a slightly more screen time as Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) and the rest of the student characters including the queer and luminous newcomer Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) and Harry’s love interest Cho Chang (Katie Leung) who actually just fades away after her kissing scene with Harry. However, for this installment, Ron’s sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright) makes the most impact among the rest of Harry’s friends as she exudes a certain teenage glow. The teachers also get particularly short acting stints. Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith), Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), Sybil Trelawney (Emma Thompson), and Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody (Brendan Gleeson) only show up with expectations from the audience that they are already established characters from the past Harry Potter films. The doleful Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) keeps up with a short but more significant screen time than most professors with some key revelations on his relationship with Harry and his father.

The film is brimming with impressively dark and gritty performances. Imelda Staunton exudes the creepy charm of a twisted instructor as the plump and pink Dolores Umbridge. This tea cozy bureaucrat sent by the Ministry of Magic to impose its will on Hogwarts leaves such a trademark with her odd little hysterical titters. Helena Bonham Carter as the shrieking maniacal villainess Bellatrix Lestrange adds a lunatic note to her demented character. Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort, the wrathful villain who started it all, keeps such a compelling persona in his every inscrutable stare against Harry. Gary Oldman gives such a simple and yet emotional farewell as Sirius Black. Michael Gambon becomes an elusive character as the Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore. The way it is presented, his significance to this installment is to become Harry’s saving grace. As always, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint as Harry, Hermione, and Ron have clearly imbibed their characters for the entirety of the Harry Potter series. Harry clearly gets the spotlight being the main character. The two supporting characters Hermione and Ron slightly moves away from the spotlight for this installment. Newcomer Evanna Lynch embodies a certain enchanting and beguiling personality as Luna Lovegood. Her falsetto voice generally works, though it seems not perfectly on key all the time. Katie Leung as Cho Chang gets that that kissing moment with Harry under a magically sprouting sprig of mistletoe. However, it lingers just a bit too long and there is not enough chemistry between them.

As always, the special effects are undoubtedly superb. The climactic face-off against Voldemort and his henchmen at a Ministry of Magic storeroom shown in its 3D glory at the IMAX theater adds some resplendence to the wizard dueling as the wands double as deadly weapons. And although the 3D effects are clearly not perfected yet, it is such an exciting medium that is truly delighting to watch already. And noticeably, the IMAX technology is continuously improving in offering a new form of cinematic entertainment for the people.

‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ is a deliciously dark affair. It is the needed transitional work in the seven books of J. K. Rowkling. And while this fifth book is necessarily a dark and heavy one, it could be possibly branded as the least enjoyable of the lot so far. Personally, although Alfonso Cuaron’s ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ is still on top of my list, I do appreciate this fifth installment for the darkness it brings.

Film Review: Transformers

Humans and Machines
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel
Directed by: Michael Bay

Michael Bay’s best film to date ‘Transformers’ is more than meets the eye. This mega-budget sci-fi adventure may have some corny and ridiculous moments, yet it exudes magnificence. A number of people have been waiting around two decades to finally see this eye-popping, robot destruction spectacle in the big screen. And adults and kids alike, the over-the-top CG and stunt treatment, awe-inspiring action scenes, and tremendous set pieces effectively bring back the 80’s inner child to the adults of today, while drawing a new generation of fans with the kids of the present.

Like any of Bay’s earlier blockbusters including ‘Pearl Harbor’ and ‘Armageddon,’ ‘Transformers’ clearly exudes his marked elements; but this time, he doesn’t actually go overboard in terms of the film’s basic mainstream needs. It may not be perfect; but he has clearly created a wholly modern action extravaganza while hitting a new peak in utilizing the power of CGI to showcase spectacular chases and animated transformation sequences. And best of all, the flawless effects blend seamlessly with the live-action parts as the giant transforming robots do massive stunts alongside the human characters. The film wisely satiates the audience’s lust for effects sequences without losing the essence of what the ‘Transformers’ has always been ever since. Add up the pounding score and sound design, and you get right into the heart of the incredible robot action sequences and some human drama to back it up.

Scriptwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, together with John Rogers, have kept the basic Transformers story intact. The simple story about a boy and his first car remains at the center of the film without losing the hype for the Autobots and the Decepticons. No matter how big it gets, the story holds tightly together. They place the robots in a human environment and build a powerful relationship between Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeauf) and his first automobile – who turns out to be more than just a beat up yellow Camaro – the Autobot Bumblebee. Bumblebee is the main connection of the man-machine relationship in the story. The two struggles to communicate with each other due to Bumblebee’s old war injury that his only means to speak is by using beeps and by changing stations of his car radio. Here, the concept of not being perfect and being handicapped come into place without trying too hard in making the human and robot attachments well-developed. And it has some shades of the emotional bond between the two main characters of Steven Spielberg’s ‘E. T.’

The film cuts between stories. Initially, you follow Sam’s exposition about his Arctic explorer great-great-grandfather and his cracked glasses, then to his adventures with his weird new first car. Then, a group of U. S. soldiers based in Qatar gets attacked by unknown alien mechanical beings. Next, you see a group of government researchers trying to decode a strange alien sound – clueless on the robotic spies with the ability to disguise themselves as everyday stuff roaming around their midst. Eventually, everything comes together as the various groups join up with the Autobots to stop Megatron and his band of Decepticons from getting the Allspark.

The story does not completely follow the actual storylines from the old cartoon series, but the way the film’s story is weaved lives up to the essence of such robotic creatures hiding on earth as cars, planes, trucks, helicopters, hummers, jets, and even a boom box. The robots still transform pretty much like in the cartoons. And in between the many dramatic and comedic materials of the film, all these techno creatures are crafted with effective characters having feelings and emotions that the audience can actually understand. Amidst the many product placements and the seemingly car sponsors, and the obvious tried and tested formula of utilizing the many toys of the franchise, the viewers get to see the Autobots including Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Jazz displaying enough personality.

It is nice to add a bit of dialogues paying homage to Japanese animation and technology – the country of origin of the historical ‘Transformers’ series.

LaBeouf is pleasantly sympathetic and charismatic as the geeky and bullied main character. Megan Fox as the filthy hot brunette and car expert you wouldn’t expect to be has a working sex appeal in playing her role as Sam’s love interest Mikaela Banes. She and the blonde, heavily-accented researcher-turned-Secretary of Defense adviser Maggie Madsen played by another hottie Rachael Taylor are both developed to emphasize female looks, capacity, strength, and intelligence. Jon Voight as U. S. Secretary of Defense John Keller delivers his part. However, with the film’s 140-minute running time, Voight’s far too many expositional lines could have been chopped a little bit and still keep up with a good story. And though John Turturro is hilarious enough as the head of a secret government organization Agent Simmons, it wouldn’t have hurt the film to have less of him – like how the military characters have been treated in terms of screen time. The smart-looking military dudes Tyrese Gibson as USAF Tech Sergeant Epps and Josh Duhamel as Sergeant Lennox, along with the rest of the soldiers, give just enough relevant moments to keep up with their support for the story. So goes with Bernie Mac’s short screen time as he cameos as a used car salesman. Sam’s comedic parents Judy and Ron Witwicky played by Julie White and Kevin Dunn are pretty much stereotyped, so goes with Anthony Anderson as the comic computer whiz Glen Whitman – though they actually deliver for the film’s formulaic needs.

The voices behind the robots deserve credit as well: Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime; Darius McCrary as Jazz; Charles Adler as Starscream; Mark Ryan as Bumblebee; Reno Wilson as Frenzy; Jimmie Wood as Bonecrusher; and Hugo Weaving as Megatron.

Optimus may have some cheesy talks about loyalty, duty, and freedom, but the audience generally yields to it – seeing the legendary icon moving in the big screen with such a charming comeback. This cinematic offer is definitely big in its effects pieces. However, it could have been more amazing if the fight scenes have less of the fast cuts and tight shots and more on the full shots of the fight scenes, the way the robotic cars, trucks, and aircrafts transform in full frames within a few thoroughly believable seconds of mind-blowing CG effects.

The characters and plot lines are kept simple. The flashes of comedy generally hit the right places. With the multiracial cast, ethnic stereotypes abound. Good enough, Bay has put some sensitivity with the characters from the middleeast, as this time, they are not acting like a band of stereotyped terrorists. The frequently Spanish-speaking military man plays lightly for the comic side of the film – without yielding to a far too insensitive portrayal of his comic character. The story’s frequent speculations that Russia or China could be involved in certain terrorist-like attacks don’t go overboard neither.

The film is obviously brewing up for a sequel. And what pulls down the film in terms of logic and story are the things that happen in the end. Why not completely destroy Megatron and the other Decepticons than simply throwing them deep into the cold ocean waters? Logically, the humans and the Autobots are not that dumb to just let that pass when they know that there could be possibilities of the Decepticons rising in the future through some external help from whoever or whatever. Optimus and the Autobots don’t even mind not seeing Starscream among the casualties… A part two could have been more fun to expect if the end part of this first installment been a little more logical then.

Overall, the giant freakin’ robot war in the classic TV series that the many generations of fans have followed has been successfully re-imagined in this cinematic offer. Amidst its weaknesses, Michael Bay’s jaw-dropping ‘Transformers’ roars with human and technical power and style.

Film Review: The Invisible

The Poetic Pursuits of Teenage Angst
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Justin Chatwin, Margarita Levieva, Marcia Gay Harden, Chris Marquette
Directed by: David S. Goyer

‘The Invisible’ is a character-driven supernatural thriller about the miseries of being young and misunderstood. A formulaic tale of redemption and teen angst, the film becomes a deep metaphor for alienation with a slight touch of an eerie love story.

The film is not that amazing, but it is pretty decent in pushing the characters forward. The beginning of the film is stylishly shot: a very long take marked by poetic choreography and moody music with its nature backdrops and its old high end American home in the upfront. After such a dreamy style, the usual cuts bring back the audience to the actual lives of the characters as they start to unravel bit by bit. The story deals with supernatural themes and sincere human emotions. Certain plot points may seem ridiculously inconceivable at times, but the setting up of the mood for such makes the audience yield to its poetic fantasy premise.

This Americanized retelling of the Swedish film of the same title ‘Den Osynlige’ (in Swedish) – which is then inspired by a novel from the Swedish writer Mats Wahl – is translated into 97 minutes of Hollywood screen time by director David S. Goyer and screenwriters Mick Davis and Christine Roum as a downbeat story of murder, poetry, haunting choices, and spiritual redemption. It seems like a combination of the classic movie ‘Ghost’ and the renowned youth-oriented TV series ‘The O. C.’

‘The Invisible’ deals with a case of mistaken identity – where a young popular high school student named Nick Powell (Justin Chatwin) is brutally attacked and accidentally killed by a school gang led by a troubled girl named Annie Newton (Margarita Levieva). As the story progresses, the two characters both reveal their being invisible in different manners: Nick is physically invisible due to his untimely death; while Annie’s caring heart is figuratively invisible due to her rebellious attitude. And both of them clearly gain maturity while the story moves forward. Goyer adds as few fancy special effects and false scares as possible. And he puts the emphasis on the characters and the moody narrative tone of the film. And through these, ‘The Invisible’ becomes slightly leveled as compared to most flicks of this kind.

The characterization is the main strength of the film. The obscurity of the situation creates an intriguing idea of Nick becoming an invisible spirit who painfully witnesses how his missing body unfolds extremely slowly and frustratingly in the hands of the police. The treatment of him being within the same sphere of the mundane world with the only difference of him being invisible in the eyes of the living makes his character more human. His last and only chance to survive is to somehow get into contact with Annie and convince her to correct her mistakes – cheesy… Good thing the mood set-up for the film and the acting performances from Chatwin and Levieva makes the film survive such a reverent cheesiness.

There are moments of presenting the issues too redundantly. One of which is the mother-and-son issue of Nick and his mother Diane Powell (Marcia Gay Harden). The going on and on of Nick in expressing his side to his mom in the many scenes he does this can considerably be validated by his ‘unfinished business’ with her being an overly protected son as he is, but such could have been better summarized for the story without resorting to having too many scenes of the same issue presented over and over again.

The scene at the hospital where Annie becomes a medium of Nick’s words to his mother is reminiscent of the scene of Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in the 90’s film ‘Ghost.’

There are some overly melodramatic and implausible plot aspects in the film as the many chasing and hunting scenes to the hospital bed scene in the near end. Annie also makes such an easy way in and out of Nick’s room and she always gets to escape the authorities wherever she is. Not all the layers of these escape scenes are convincing, but the acting performances from Chatwin and Levieva actually manage to make their implausible characters convincing enough for a story, even though they never amount to the best – overall, the film could have passed a much better, more effective route.

Nonetheless, ‘The Invisible’ remains an occasionally engaging and character-driven thriller presented with certain poetic provisions.

Film Review: Stomp the Yard

The Energy Stomp
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Columbus Short, Meagan Good, Ne-Yo, Darrin Dewitt Henson
Directed by: Sylvain White

‘Stomp the Yard’ pumps up with energy-filled stomping moments within its minefield of clichés. This decent college dance flick runs on predictable rails, but it finds its strength with its impressive dance routines. And though missing a number of beats because of its soapy subplots, its dynamic dance moves promote enough energy to sustain the vim and vigor of the film.

‘Stomp the Yard’ clearly puts its time, energy, and dynamics into its dance sequences. In this level, it creates a whole stomping culture set in a black university obsessed with step-dancing and fraternity. Formulaic but energetic, the various rousing moves transform into extensive exhilarating routines under the umbrella of college comradeship. Some of the non-dancing scenes yield towards corniness – stopping short on its dramatic potential. But the total package becomes something sweet – and the movie doesn’t stumble into pieces with its clichéd dramatic moments. Thanks to the powerful dance numbers pumping real excitement and vitality to it.

The dancer-choreographer-actor Columbus Short plays the role of DJ, a college freshman lamenting for the loss of his brother, and at the same time, coping up with the demands of his new university environment. A story of loss, acceptance, and belongingness, and brotherhood, he moves around in a shallow frat rivalry and a poor-boy-meets-rich-girl subplot amidst a series of acrobatic dance routines – bringing a particular intensity on him playing the lead character. Short has a certain charm to warm up his performance scenes and he brings some explosive talent to really burn the dance floor. His body coordination in his gangster style dance steps adapted for a competitive fraternity step dancing is undoubtedly impressive. Meanwhile, the charming Meagan Good effectively works as DJ’s captivating love interest April. The rest of the characters contribute to both the movie’s vital, energy-boosting performance sequences and its formulaic collegiate drama details.

The movie starts warmed up with talented break dancers showing it all on the dance floor. Known for making music videos and commercials, director Sylvain White treats the performances in a montage of furious dance-offs with jerking cameras, speed alterations, and frame flashes the way a number of music videos are normally utilized. During the middle part of the story, the initial dance showcase of the fraternities look way so funny, and at a certain point, corny – where drugs, guns, and gang fights are out of the toughness and prestige list – and everything that matters is the prestige of winning the step up championship.

Predictable as it is, ‘Stomp the Yard’ highlights a championship competition with the two fighting fraternities battling out in the film’s final showdown. From start to end, it is full of clichés. But as the performances render so furiously intense during the formulaic climax, it wouldn’t be surprising that a number of the viewers leave the theater stomping their feet and doing some wolf sound or some slithering moves (The stomping kinda reminds me of ‘Happy Feet,’ too!). The incredible talent within the dance scenes makes a room for amazement – making ‘Stomp the Yard’ something energizing and watchable.

Film Review: Alpha Dog

Drugs, Sex, Crime, and Teenagers
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Bruce Willis, Matthew Barry, Emile Hirsch, Fernando Vargas, Justin Timberlake
Directed by: Nick Cassavetes

‘Alpha Dog’ is a gritty urban crime drama about drug-fueled teenagers. This morality tale puts together a sort of docu-style approach about a kidnapping and murder based from a crime incident in Southern, California a few years ago. As a flashy retelling of a real-life tragedy without mainly laying out the facts but utilizing the creative license to come up with a fictional story, it shows the tapestry of the unhappily affluent youth having a bite at the psychologically violent tendencies of their being lost.

‘Alpha Dog’ offers a pointed critique of a youth culture at their worst times. A story of bad decisions and ultimate partying, it depicts a standard tabloid issue turned into a true-crime movie fare. Within the California drug scene and lowlife, drugs, casual sex, and offensive language are very much apparent as seen in the film. Drugged-out and overly tattooed characters party most of the time as the story keep up in an MTV Cribs fashion. It poses the usual issues on parents’ responsibilities to their children – where guidance and discipline becomes the major concerns. Moreover, it justifies the idea in cases like when a person is overprotected, the person could have a hard time realizing that s/he is already playing with too much fire and s/he just realizes the world is already crumbling before her/him… and it’s too late… Indeed, in a family, the thin line between freedom and protection becomes issues to contend with.

‘Alpha Dog’ plays around a crime that has still come out so possible amidst the fact that there have been too many witnesses who could have stopped it. The murder scene is very effective that it builds good tension with its ironic but very much validating acting and dialogues. This scene holds the viewer’s interest while carrying the emotional weight needed.

‘Alpha Dog’ keeps up through a number of both effective and ineffective performances. But overall, the cast delivers okay. Sharon Stone’s striking monologue near the end of the film is a revelation – a very sincere interpretation of a mother losing a child. However, her being buried inside a fat suit becomes a bit bothering as it looks quite fake. Ben Foster effectively gets into his role as the disturbed Jake Mazursky. With those dilated eyes and menacing and self-loathing appeal, he really pulls off his performance as a drug addict. Justin Timberlake generally delivers as Johnny Truelove’s right hand man Frankie Ballenbacher. Emile Hirsch renders good with his physicality for his Johnny Truelove role but he seems to lack something to really pull off his performance. Anton Yelchin as Zack Mazursky, the naive, 15-year old brother of Jake who wants to get out of his contrived life within his affluent sphere, becomes such a sympathetic character. He delivers his best lines during the murder scene. Bruce Willis as Sonny Truelove does his part in his more verbal role as the father of Johnny.

This film has some good scenes within its couple of missed opportunities to be at its best. There are striking moments in between some frivolous and shallow affairs. Overall, director Nick Cassavetes manages to chill the film on occasion, but still, he doesn’t get to completely master the tone, style, editing, and directing of this story about jaded teenagers and their drug deal gone awry.

Film Review – The Covenant

Modern Warlocks
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Steven Strait, Laura Ramsey, Sebastian Stan, Taylor Kitsch, Chace Crawford

Directed by: Renny Harlin

‘The Covenant’ conjures a sleek but quite empty picture about four handsome high school seniors who have inherited supernatural powers from the ancient pact among their families. Going by the name the Sons of Ipswich, Caleb (Steven Strait), Pogue (Taylor Kitsch), Reid (Toby Hemingway) and Tyler (Chace Crawford) are the latest descendants in a long line of New England witches sworn to a centuries-old covenant of silence. They have inherited magical powers. However, there’s an unfortunate side effect. If they overuse their powers, the young sorcerers age prematurely. The more you use your power, the faster your body deteriorates.

The main weakness of this seemingly homoerotic teen escapism movie is that it couldn’t put a convincing spell to get rid of its mediocrity. It doesn’t completely tap into the thriller aspect. In fact, there is no reinvention of any kind. Its intriguing theme about mysticism is not well-utilized. As a guys-for-girls kind of ‘Charmed’ or ‘The Craft,’ this movie has not even bothered to develop a coherent story or remotely likable characters (except that the guys’ good looks and model abs are good to look at) to sustain the CGI effects, ear-splitting music, and hyperactive editing.

Convincingly, magic and the supernatural can make effective allegories in dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing up. And taking some references to using magic like taking illegal drugs, it becomes effective – supposedly. However, the movie has explored nothing beyond the surface. It has become too flat in so much aspects. The dialogues, sets, and special effects don’t get to find a good niche of its own – it’s more of an episode of a generically dull supernatural teen soap. And it is not even as entertaining as an episode of ‘Charmed’ or ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’

‘The Covenant’ is not just about addiction in the use of supernatural powers. It is also addicted to the use of fog and smoke machines to convey a mysterious, gothic mood. Visually, there is just too much of it… The shots are not that lame, but the soundtrack becomes quite annoyingly loud like thunderous swooshing noises in some scenes, too. The hurling ‘magical’ watery-like gelatin blob as a form of a strong magical energy thrown at each other by feuding male witches looks too funny than exciting. Moreover, there’s nothing thrilling about the big climactic showdown between Caleb and Chase (Sebastian Stan), in which they hurl the funny-looking giant bubbles of energy at each other. Though the other stunts seem good enough for the output of the effects department, the said fight scene tend to look funny with the fake-looking movements of the two throwing the energy bubbles at each other.

Not a scary scene can be seen in the movie. The story and screenplay are quite disappointing. Some of the effects like the eyes turning black, the spiders and the spider spells are quite okay. But the scary factor is totally lost the whole time. Worse, it doesn’t give a high on the teen-witch genre it belongs. The director has probably eyed for something new and different (not the usual power show-offs through wands, voodoo dolls, crystals, stones, etc.) by making a modernized way to feature the young warlocks’ powers. However, the way it has been shown is just too lame as the characters have mainly utilized only telekinesis and some minor supernatural powers like shapeshifting and letting someone vomit in a whim (I just wonder how people knowledgeable about real ‘new age’ stuff would react on how these teenage boys go around for some power conjuring).

With just a little more effort, ‘The Covenant’ could have been a good one. Sadly, the film is not at all suspenseful or creepy or as interesting as it could have been with its theme.

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Film Review: First Day High

First Day High: presences and absences
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Geoff Eigenmann, Maja Salvador, Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, Jason Abalos and many more
Directed by: Mario Cornejo

‘First Day High’ is both good and not good. The premise saying that life begins on the first say of school is a good point to incorporate in the story. But the sloppy dialogues uttered poorly by most of the actors and actresses have not worked well for the story. There are some comic moments. But there are a lot of comic executions that have been too complicated than making the audience laugh. The glossy look creates the usual flattery for the visuals. But the technical discontinuities and roughly cut and too choppy closeups tend to bother the keen-eyed viewer’s demands for seamless visuals. And people may just start comparing Mario Cornejo’s commendable Cinemalaya film ‘Big Time’ to this mainstream teenybopper offer that is lacking some effective elements and heart.

‘First Day High’ seems to create the same effect as the movie ‘Jologs’ where the things that happen to the characters turn out interconnected. The flow of the story tries to solve the mystery behind the university’s Basketball Water Contamination Accident. The Nice Guy Nathan, Brainy Indi, Basketball hottie MJ2, Sosy Pre, and Rebel Gael, who start their freshman year with a number of complexities, pressure and personal struggles, are the suspects for the said case. The five of them make seemingly ordinary, harmless decisions on their first day in school – only to discover how these trifle decisions can eventually set a more complicated future for each of them and their new college alma mater, FDH University.

Initial investigation shows that the water drank by the basketball players during the game was contaminated by a mysterious substance. And the suspense in finding the culprit to this college basketball game sabotage becomes the backbone of the story – establishing the characters of the 5 freshmen/suspects for the said case. And the resolution brings into focus the greater mysteries in their young lives that involve family, love and friendship. The characterization becomes culturally-correct in representing and defining the generation of college newbies – the 5 teens that typify the major characteristics seen in the students that make up a college campus: the nice guy who gains a large circle of friends but doesn’t know how to express his emotions to his loved one and tries to be too nice just to save his friends from trouble (without thinking of the more serious consequences of his actions), the brainy stud who suffers the life of having a broken family and a wounded heart, the MVP hottie who is torn between love and sport and the pressure that comes along with the high expectations for him becoming the next superstar (being the current MVP’s younger brother), the rich sosy girl trying hard to fit in (and becomes really lost along the way), and the rebel artist who would do anything to become his own person (even at the expense of getting caught in too much financial obligations and even criminal deals). Indeed, such characteristics tend to mix and match on the different personalities and situations found within the school grounds.

The young at heart treatment of celebrating life, filled with fleetingly ecstatic and precious but considerably shallow experiences, comes parallel to this youth-oriented movie flick. It tries to thrill familiar adventures and misadventures of the audience’s school life. However, the lack of out-of-the-box deals and the too shallow creative treatment have merely made the so-so script sink into the deep. The movie miserably fails on having effectively funny scenes (except for a few good ones) and living up to the 80′s and early 90′s style of having to let the cast suddenly sing and dance to add color to the scenes. Sadly, the overall comic touch and the song and dance idea have made it cornier rather than letting it keep up with a more uplifting effect. The director could have tried to transform the overused story into a new form (the kind of humor, timing, design, punchlines, dynamic shots, multiple cuts, audio-visual stingers, character quirks, etc.), but it has not really worked too well. The focus on such a treatment seems to let the film get off hand to the more important concerns of uplifting the emotions and having a sincere heart to make the audience empathize, sympathize and relate to the characters’ experiences, shortcomings and accomplishments. Letting the emotions come out without much urge to force it upon the audience is not taken much into consideration. The ‘astig humor’ and characters’ quirks apparent on ‘Big Time’ which have been quite adapted here have not really worked out well.

Some problems with the continuity also become apparent. For instance, the conversational shots of Indi (Kim Chiu) and her mom during the initial establishing of their mother-daughter relationship are visually dragging — and the discontinuities, mainly with Indi’s facial reactions with her intercutting close-ups with her mom, are quite obvious. At times, her facial reactions and movements don’t match the next shot – which is really distracting especially to those who are too keen about such mismatches. Even a number of already choppy edits could have been cut further so the scenes become more concise without much of the drag and the rough feel. Also, it has not worked wonders for the film that the characters almost tend to not change their clothes (not just the color as assigned for each of them for the movie but the designs as well). They tend to show more of having unchanged clothes after 1 year has passed in the story � which is quite unlikely and disappointing. Furthermore, the idea of the sorority seems to lose touch with the dialogues of one of the characters saying that she still has to recruit a number of boys and girls � it sounds more like an org than a sorority. And during the party of one of the sosy sorority girls, the group of Ashley (Kat Alano) really stands out as they seem to be the only cluster that can be defined as sosy in the supposed sorority known for being high class. In fact, all the other backgrounders and extras that fill up the party scene don’t look in par with them. And most of them look recycled, not just during the party sequence but even to the other sequences all over the film.

‘Kamikazee,’ the band who has brought chart-busting hit single entitled ‘First Day High’ (where the title of this film originated) makes a cameo in this youth-oriented movie. But the undoubted appeal of their hit song can’t cover up the movie’s weaknesses. The scene of Indi and MJ2 with the rabbit, where they get to bring their pet inside a moviehouse (as easy as bringing a popcorn inside) looks quite lame, and for some reason, it lacks that ‘kilig factor’ still. Even the corny scene of the basketball team having to serenade Indi in such a time and place looks too forced than ‘kilig.’ And for a possibly more redeeming factor, the script could have favored something like incorporating or using the presence of the rabbit during the resolution part for a plant-pay-off kind of effect. There are no much touching lines. The scenes quite lack that romantic touch.

The actors and actresses render various degrees of good and bad performances. Kim Chiu needs more acting workshops to help her out in her acting skills – being one of the newest bankable stars of Star Cinema. Kat Alano and the rest of the sosy sorority girls maintain their cono stances consistently. Character actors and actresses Michael De Mesa, Cherrie Pie Picache, Gardo Versoza, Bembol Roco, and Arlene Muhlach render good supporting portrayals. Boy2 Quizon and Ketchup Eusebio in their minor roles to perk up the comedy are okay. Geoff Eigenmann works as a rebel artist-type. Maja Salvador exudes great acting talent that shows with the kind of delivery she has given for her perky role. Jason Abalos seems to act only within the surface, but it’s somehow good that his features kinda yield to the personality he portrays. Gerald Anderson looks like a newbie in his acting too, like her partner Kim Chiu. But no doubt, their rising fan base give them all the support with their fans swooning over the love team during the screening of the movie.

Film Review: Lovewrecked

A real wreck
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Amanda Bynes, Chris Carmack, Jonathan Bennett, Jamie-Lynn DiScala
Directed by: Randal Kleiser

The cinematic location of the Caribbean paradise has not saved ‘Lovewrecked’ from its B-movie special effects and very lame storyline. Amanda Bynes’ acting style tries to add life to the lousy script through her light-hearted quirky personality in the movie. However, the entire cinematic cruise does not become an enjoyable ride still.

‘Lovewrecked’ delves around a teeny-bopper story about Jenny (Amanda Bynes) who finds herself trapped in a seemingly deserted island with her dream guy, rock star Jason Masters (Chris Carmack).

Jenny, along with her lifelong friend Ryan (Jonathan Bennett), works as intern at a Caribbean resort for summer. When Jenny saves super rock star Jason after falling off a cruise ship, Jenny and Jason need to survive life in an uninhabited island. From here, Jenny starts to rock his world without him knowing that Jenny has already realized that they are just around three miles away from the luxury resort. Jenny takes advantage of the situation so she can spend more time alone with Jason by making him believe that they are castaways stranded in a remote beach. Things get even more complicated when Jenny’s rival Alexis (Jamie-Lynn DiScala) pretends to be shipwrecked too, and they both compete for Jason’s affection.

The filming location can’t hide the spectacular view of nature’s fine looks. And yet, the cinematography is far from impressive. And more than the Carribean charm and the soaking wet bikinis, there is nothing else for the audience to enjoy the movie. Worse, it runs out of air with its poor story and ineffective exaggerations.

The movie has not even regarded coming up with impressive special effects to at least cover up its inferior characterization and weak dialogues. A number of shots of Jenny and Jason while on their lifeboat and on their way to the supposedly unknown island don’t match the establishing shots of the wide seas – as if they have been placed there during post-production without any attempt for a seamless touch (or this maybe due to low budget…).

Just like Jenny getting overboard in order to get the guy of her dreams, the movie deliriously goes overboard as well in allowing too sloppy acting and dull production values to dominate the entire movie. Too bland and uninspiring, it manages to merely stay within the bounds of flimsy plotpoints in the midst of its cinematic Caribbean locations. Indeed, it has no attempts to come up with a certain level of creativity whatsoever.

In any case, this romantic flick has never gotten any form of compromise to rock the audience’s simplest taste. It’s better of and more likely a bit more bearable if it has just been a TV episode of a teenybopper series. Just save your hundred bucks for a better movie next time around.

Film Review – Take the Lead

A charming lead delivers it all
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Rob Brown, Yaya DaCosta, Alfre Woodard, Dante Basco
Directed by: Liz Friedlander

The charming Pierre Dulaine (Antonio Banderas) and a bunch of school rejects turned impassioned dancers take the lead in an inspirational story about the harsh realities in a New York public school. A dance-filled teen melodrama mainly set in a high school detention hall, the theme of ‘Take the Lead’ clings on to the interesting and exciting mix of hip-hop and ballroom music. And it turns out to be a predictable story hanging on to some good and entertaining dance and comic sequences in a pop fairy tale fashion. Its inspirational teacher movie formula where Banderas’ charisma mainly becomes its only source of strength associates it with films like ‘Dangerous Minds,’ ‘Mad Hot Ballroom,’ and ‘Shall We Dance.’

Inspired by a true story, the film revolves around the idea of a professional dancer Pierre Dulaine volunteering to teach ballroom dancing in New York City’s South Bronx High School. When his formal background and classic methods clash with his students’ rebellious and hip-hop instincts, his efforts are given due credit when his class gets to create a new style of dance so interesting, inspiring and challenging in every step. A feel-good story utilizing music and dance to infuse their emotions with their passion for dancing, Dulaine guides the problem kids with the complications in their personalize lives.

As a kickoff to set the mood is an impressive opening sequence that introduces a swing as a form of music and dance form. And from then on, the music shifts from the tango and the foxtrot to the hip-hop and some groovy remixes – combining ballroom and hip-hop moves in some exciting ways.

The hip-hop and ballroom music mix becomes a marketable concept. It has a certain appeal to peek the curiosity of the audience. The dances make the movie vivid but not as spectacular as expected. The movie’s dynamism and the characters’ coming-of-age adversities don’t stand as clear as the expectations for the film. What redeems the movie is a combination of splendid dance scenes, good music, and an Antonio Banderas making it energetic from the surface. Moreover, it seems like the debuting film director Liz Friendlander mainly leaves a mark of her music video directing roots with the film’s shifts in tone and its stylish cuts. Physically, it works at a certain extent; but its feature film potential weakens with its superficiality and lack of deeper sensation for the story. The film extends more on the flashy dance sequences and falls a bit short on depth and direction, along with its commercial compromises.

There are plenty of funny parts. The interesting character conflicts and drama make interesting accents. However, the ending doesn’t seem to wrap up everything. And although the film is convincingly pegged under the Hollywood mainstream formula, some issues are not clearly resolved. The dance performances and Bandera’s appeal deserve applause. The script is another story.

The wonderfully magnetic and charming Banderas in the lead delivers it all for the film. It certainly helps that he plays Dulaine. Oozing with charm and talent, he fits the role as if he were born to play it. The film loses redemptive power without his sophistication. His compassion, his accent and his flowery courtliness can obviously make girls swoon. From the way he effectively carries both his dramatic and comedic scenes as the perfect sexy gentleman to his mad hot dance performance with Morgan (Katya Virshilas), the endorphin rush for the film really takes the lead because of him.

The rousing finale is no less engaging – the audience tends to anticipate something hopefully surprising in the end. However, there are many false steps with its choppy finale and vague ending. Even the fusion of classic dance and hip-hop moves doesn’t give a clear final bow. It is entertaining but it could have used a better tempo to make it more worthwhile in the end and not just leave all the cliches unturned. The film knows which way to swing but it doesn’t know where and when to end itself with a thrill.