A local legend recounts the tale of a nature goddess who had an affinity with humans. Her name was Luciérnaga. One day, her father found out about her dealings with them, it made her father furious. He slapped her senseless breaking her crown of gems into pieces. Each piece transformed into a firefly. The entire mountain was swarmed by them to which the town was named after. Bayan ng Alitaptap (Firefly town).
Another legend spoke of her unearthly beauty wearing nothing but gem stones to cover herself up. During the spanish era, Luciérnaga fell in love with a spanish soldier. She made love to him but woke up with all her jewels gone. The soldier stole them and since then fireflies have disappeared from the town. And all male descendants of the spanish soldier had been plagued by a curse. Each of them die horrible deaths. This intruiging tale is the backdrop of the story.
teddy allegre is played by lloyd samartino
jaime allegre jr is played by alfie anido
luz is played by lorna tolentino
katrina is played lorna tolentino
Rating 4 out of 5 ****
Not bad for a pinoy fantasy
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Friday, May 16, 2008
Death Note 1 and 2 (The Movie)
death note 1 and 2 (the movie)it was only after did i watch and liked the movies did i learn that they (supposedly) pale compared to its manga roots. i have also heard that there was an animé which also surpassed the real live movies. then i suppose it was for the best that i was ignorant when i came to watch them because i enjoyed the anime-like characters and the the mind games they played against each other.
death note is about a magical book granted by shinigamis (death gods) to certain mortals. the book basically kills people. the chosen mortal writes down the name of his/her enemies. and possibly, but not necessarily, the nature and circumstance of their deaths. and those people who have their names written down on the death note helplessly die, written circumstance fulfilled. at the very least, having your name written down on it grants you death by heart attack.
i am not going to read in too much about how the japanese psyche deals with death. certainly, in the story, the seriousness of mortality as it affects all of humanity is caricatured. so i felt unattached to the idea of mortality. to me, the story is an intriguing question. what would you do if you have to power to kill.
3 stars * * *
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Pan's Labyrinth
I've been wanting to do a review of this movie ever since I watched it last October 2007. I'd personally give the movie a six star rating for its imagery, story, and suspense.Pan's Labyrinth (or "El Laberinto del Fauno" in Spanish) is the work of Guillermo del Toro, the same guy who directed the Hellboy movie. At first I was skeptical of the movie's English title, it sounded like a B horror movie. But then after hearing nice reviews, I decided to watch it and see for myself.
The movie is basically an adult faerie tale. By adult, I'm talking about the intense and gruesome violence depicted in the story. I wouldn't recommend having kids watch the movie because of the gory head bashing, torture, and the bloody gun fights.
Pan's Labyrinth is set in the wilderness of Spain, during the country's civil war. The military, led by a maniacal war freak captain, is hunting down rebels - killing them left and right. Amidst all the death and violence, a young girl becomes enamored in the world of faerie. She encounters a satyr and learns of a fantastic faerie world. With the help of the satyr and some pixies, the girl undergoes a series of quests to help improve the lives of her family.
Slowly the girl's secret fantasy world and the realities of war begin to overlap. The rebels waged their final war against the military and the girl is forced to make a choice - to save her dreams or her family.
While the movie revolves around the girl and her struggle to save her family from hardship and suffering. I think that her innocence and belief in faerie kept her protected from the brutalities of war. Since she is the only one who interacts with the Satyr and pixies, I was left thinking whether the faeries were real or if she made it all up.
Despite all the death and violence, the story redeems itself in the end. In the young girl's mind, she has succeeded in her quest and she has brought happiness and prosperity for her family and the land.
Friday, January 04, 2008
dragons of the dwarven depths
it is recommended that before you read the lost chronicles trilogy. you must finish reading the chronicles trilogy first. why? because the lost chronicles is about the adventures that happened during the chronicles trilogy but were intentionally left out (i heard as to make more money) but perhaps its a good thing that our favorite companions continue to have "new" adventures way after their lifetimes. ::sob:: ils me manquent bien ... ::sob:: tome 1 dragons of the dwarven depths is about how the companions obtained the hammer of kharas. a gift from the gods of light by which the inhabitants krynn will able to forge the mythical dragonlances. also it showcases the kingdom of the mountain dwarves thorbadin and the different clans of dwarved who dwell in it. my favorite part is when caramon drew a heart on the tunnel wall with tika's name inside. cute cute ^_^ (sigh) the highseekers who continues to be a burden to the companions and the refugees remind me very much of baptists or filipino politicians who charms their way in to the hearts of the mob whispering sweet words but with little or no substance.rating 2 out of 5 .. for a book that has the word depth on the title, i find it lacked depth .. however i did want to make special mention of the artwork on the cover. its nice!
Thursday, December 06, 2007
the golden compass (book and film)
[BOOK]
the golden compass is tome 1 of the trilogy entitled His Dark Materials. its a fantasy world which has similarities to our own.
i enjoyed the different factions. the separation of powers. there is oxford college which traditionally stood for social and scientific progress. the government, puppets of the magisterium which stands for totalitarian rule. one cant help but make the connection between the magisterium mentioned in the book and the catholic church with it's history of oppression of outsiders and suppression of freedom. the gyptians (similar to the fate of gypsies in europe). the free-spirited nomads who are subjects of prejudice, from which our main hero lyra belacqua will get most aid from. i was inspired by the magnificence of the armored bears and the alluring witches.
on page 239. there is, for the first time nearly the end of tome 1, a brief mention of the vatican. the power behind the magisterium and the clever precedent, refering to the practice of castration in catholic europe, to the awful cruelty that is happening in lyra's world.
my favorite part is the confrontation between the armored bears. i thought it a precise metaphor to how weak and dangerous pretentions can become.
[FILM]
have finally watched the movie golden compass. i was very disappointed with the movie. although it was faithful to the general plot, it failed to convey the same level of excitement and dread that it had in the book. to put it mildly .. it lacked soul. if the story had been human, the movie would have been someone who had lost its daemon. by this time i believe most people would have heard about it. or have watched it themselves. so it would be okey if i mention the parts which went missing in it.
1. first, the magisterium was heavily watered down into a regular bad guy. for those who havent read the books. the magisterium is controled by the vatican. even if it did maintain its primary intent, that is to control mankind (his thoughts. his dreams. his life). the change of face made it less of a threat and therefore it was less intriguing. i felt that this was very unfortunate that prof. richard dawkins is once again right in his thesis. why is religion immune to scrutiny. but that is that another story. (another forum for that matter)
2. in the book i felt scared and utterly shocked at the discovery of the ghostly kid who lost his daemon. it was downplayed in the film. i couldn't feel any dread. but instead it felt like a walk in the park on a sunday afternoon where you ignore everything around you. in the book, the boy died. in the movie, they hinted on getting the daemon back. again this couldn't work. the enemy and what it was doing became an inconvenience rather than something to be afraid of. it took away the intensity of the scene. loosing your soul is suppose to be a very big deal. and yet the people just stood there as if the kid just lost a pet.
3. what better way to invade a kingdom but by invading its culture (its spirit). this is exactly what happened during the age of colonization where christian europe settled in the americas and colonized many parts of africa and asia. this story is written all over church history. it starts by converting the ruling class, then the nobles and then finally, the peasants. it then demonizes/ridicules local traditions until eventually everything about their identity had been stamped out completely. much like the king of svalbard who was enticed to convert along with his confused subjects. it must have started that way too for the filipino natives when their datus (chieftains) converted (under the banner of the sword) to catholicism. it must have been awkward and confusing for their subjects. their way of life changed. their spirit gone. they've become slaves to the imported culture. although not portrayed very well in the film, the metaphor was perfectly obvious in the book.
rating - book 3 out of 5 ***
rating - film 1 out of 5 *
the golden compass is tome 1 of the trilogy entitled His Dark Materials. its a fantasy world which has similarities to our own.
i enjoyed the different factions. the separation of powers. there is oxford college which traditionally stood for social and scientific progress. the government, puppets of the magisterium which stands for totalitarian rule. one cant help but make the connection between the magisterium mentioned in the book and the catholic church with it's history of oppression of outsiders and suppression of freedom. the gyptians (similar to the fate of gypsies in europe). the free-spirited nomads who are subjects of prejudice, from which our main hero lyra belacqua will get most aid from. i was inspired by the magnificence of the armored bears and the alluring witches.
on page 239. there is, for the first time nearly the end of tome 1, a brief mention of the vatican. the power behind the magisterium and the clever precedent, refering to the practice of castration in catholic europe, to the awful cruelty that is happening in lyra's world.
my favorite part is the confrontation between the armored bears. i thought it a precise metaphor to how weak and dangerous pretentions can become.
[FILM]
have finally watched the movie golden compass. i was very disappointed with the movie. although it was faithful to the general plot, it failed to convey the same level of excitement and dread that it had in the book. to put it mildly .. it lacked soul. if the story had been human, the movie would have been someone who had lost its daemon. by this time i believe most people would have heard about it. or have watched it themselves. so it would be okey if i mention the parts which went missing in it.
1. first, the magisterium was heavily watered down into a regular bad guy. for those who havent read the books. the magisterium is controled by the vatican. even if it did maintain its primary intent, that is to control mankind (his thoughts. his dreams. his life). the change of face made it less of a threat and therefore it was less intriguing. i felt that this was very unfortunate that prof. richard dawkins is once again right in his thesis. why is religion immune to scrutiny. but that is that another story. (another forum for that matter)
2. in the book i felt scared and utterly shocked at the discovery of the ghostly kid who lost his daemon. it was downplayed in the film. i couldn't feel any dread. but instead it felt like a walk in the park on a sunday afternoon where you ignore everything around you. in the book, the boy died. in the movie, they hinted on getting the daemon back. again this couldn't work. the enemy and what it was doing became an inconvenience rather than something to be afraid of. it took away the intensity of the scene. loosing your soul is suppose to be a very big deal. and yet the people just stood there as if the kid just lost a pet.
3. what better way to invade a kingdom but by invading its culture (its spirit). this is exactly what happened during the age of colonization where christian europe settled in the americas and colonized many parts of africa and asia. this story is written all over church history. it starts by converting the ruling class, then the nobles and then finally, the peasants. it then demonizes/ridicules local traditions until eventually everything about their identity had been stamped out completely. much like the king of svalbard who was enticed to convert along with his confused subjects. it must have started that way too for the filipino natives when their datus (chieftains) converted (under the banner of the sword) to catholicism. it must have been awkward and confusing for their subjects. their way of life changed. their spirit gone. they've become slaves to the imported culture. although not portrayed very well in the film, the metaphor was perfectly obvious in the book.
rating - book 3 out of 5 ***
rating - film 1 out of 5 *
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Marvel 1602
I recently purchased the hard cover edition of Marvel 1602. This graphic novel is written by Neil Gaiman and drawn by Andy Kubert. Here, Gaiman reinvents the marvel universe by transporting iconic Marvel heroes to seventeenth century England.
We can see Stephen Strange working as the court magician of Queen Elizabeth, and Nick Fury acting as the Queen's spymaster (ala 007). Both Strange and Fury are working against the political maneuvering of Count Otto von Doom.
The two groups are seeking for the fabled treasure of the knights templar. Fury and Strange get to meet (and work with) other Marvel heroes: like the minstrel Matthew Murdoch (Daredevil), Peter Parquagh (Spiderman), Carlos Javier and his witchbreed (Professor X and the X Men), and the Four survivors of the Fantastick ship.
I like the way Giaman integrated the Marvel heroes into a Elizabethan-like setting. The plot invokes a sense of mystery and urgency. What is the legendary treasure of the Knight's templar? Who is Virginia Dare and his white American Indian bodyguard Rojhaz?
Overall, I find the series a nice read. It's been a long time since I enjoyed reading a comic book with an excellent storyline. I'm planning to buy the next series of the 1602 series (where some of the heroes have arrived in the New World).
We can see Stephen Strange working as the court magician of Queen Elizabeth, and Nick Fury acting as the Queen's spymaster (ala 007). Both Strange and Fury are working against the political maneuvering of Count Otto von Doom.
The two groups are seeking for the fabled treasure of the knights templar. Fury and Strange get to meet (and work with) other Marvel heroes: like the minstrel Matthew Murdoch (Daredevil), Peter Parquagh (Spiderman), Carlos Javier and his witchbreed (Professor X and the X Men), and the Four survivors of the Fantastick ship.
I like the way Giaman integrated the Marvel heroes into a Elizabethan-like setting. The plot invokes a sense of mystery and urgency. What is the legendary treasure of the Knight's templar? Who is Virginia Dare and his white American Indian bodyguard Rojhaz?
Overall, I find the series a nice read. It's been a long time since I enjoyed reading a comic book with an excellent storyline. I'm planning to buy the next series of the 1602 series (where some of the heroes have arrived in the New World).
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
narnia
narnia is a typical disney movie. there was no blood shed. and problems were magically whisked away by some powerful force that is beyond the world and undertanding.
the villains appeared ugly save for the witch who was enchanting. the heroes were valiant and noble looking. clear templates of what defines noble and not so noble. the villains were doomed and didnt have a chance. perpetuating yet again the myth of good and evil in the world.
i got a strong feeling that it fell short of showing a very good battle scene (potentially). like the ones in the lord of the rings. or with la coeur valiant. i didnt feel the same desperation as i did when i watched these other films. i wished that edmond had sticked to his true convictions. and that is to bring destruction to his meddling siblings. i mean, i would .. ^_^
i like the two sword wielding centaurs. the creatures. the taurens. the polar bears! and my personal favorite la sorcière. the acting was good, convincing. and the english accent was charming.
this movie is definitely for kids. im predicting that local producers will start copying certain elements of this film. and make it appear as if they were original.
rating 3 out of 5
stereotypes abound
the villains appeared ugly save for the witch who was enchanting. the heroes were valiant and noble looking. clear templates of what defines noble and not so noble. the villains were doomed and didnt have a chance. perpetuating yet again the myth of good and evil in the world.
i got a strong feeling that it fell short of showing a very good battle scene (potentially). like the ones in the lord of the rings. or with la coeur valiant. i didnt feel the same desperation as i did when i watched these other films. i wished that edmond had sticked to his true convictions. and that is to bring destruction to his meddling siblings. i mean, i would .. ^_^
i like the two sword wielding centaurs. the creatures. the taurens. the polar bears! and my personal favorite la sorcière. the acting was good, convincing. and the english accent was charming.
this movie is definitely for kids. im predicting that local producers will start copying certain elements of this film. and make it appear as if they were original.
rating 3 out of 5
stereotypes abound
Sunday, December 25, 2005
king kong
what i hate about this movie. it didnt explain why these animals evolved into those giants. how did the inhabitants survive all that? who put the ruins there. they could not have made them with all the dinosaurs and insects running around. kingkongs fate was sealed even before he went to NYC. he was bound to die alone back in the island. that scene on the ice was the worst. how were they able to trasport a N foot giant with a tug boat. insects are known to travel oceans (see monarch butterflies). those giant insect would have found its way off the island. notice how the fog was conveniently done away with once they entered the island. it was almost impossible getting in. which slightly explains the mystery, how it would have stayed hidden from everyone all the way up to the 20th century. and suddenly theyre able to get out without a cinch with a giant primate tugging along.
the movie should have at least tried to explain its own physics. otherwise, then its all just kind of a mess .. isnt it. i slept thru half of the movie. there was not much in it except for the cool graphics. 5 years ago maybe before jurasic park i would have been impressed .. it takes more than a bunch of fireworks to impressed THIS audience ..
rate 1 out of 5
dum movie
the movie should have at least tried to explain its own physics. otherwise, then its all just kind of a mess .. isnt it. i slept thru half of the movie. there was not much in it except for the cool graphics. 5 years ago maybe before jurasic park i would have been impressed .. it takes more than a bunch of fireworks to impressed THIS audience ..
rate 1 out of 5
dum movie
Monday, October 10, 2005
Ladyhawke, La Femme De La Nuit
i am looking for a DVD copy of this old 80s movie starring michelle pfeiffer. its about this couple; a lady and a knight who were cursed to spend their days separate. the lady turns into a hawke during the day and into a woman during the night. while the knight turns into a man during the day and into a wolf during the night.
i am not sure if the story was original for it bears ressemblance to several other medieval romantic stories. but if it is, i think the breaking of the curse was unsurprisingly obvious.
there was minimal special effects, or nothing at all, that i can recall from this movie. the story and actress michelle pfeiffer were both the only "special effects" it needed. it is a simple fantasy love story. very entertaining.
rating: 4 of 5 ****
i am not sure if the story was original for it bears ressemblance to several other medieval romantic stories. but if it is, i think the breaking of the curse was unsurprisingly obvious.
there was minimal special effects, or nothing at all, that i can recall from this movie. the story and actress michelle pfeiffer were both the only "special effects" it needed. it is a simple fantasy love story. very entertaining.
rating: 4 of 5 ****
Monday, May 30, 2005
Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (rob review)
Watching this made me finally appreciate the rich story and characters of the Star Wars Universe. I've always been lukewarm about anything Star Wars. I liked the original trilogy, found The Phantom Menace boring, and enjoyed Attack of the Clones. But with this one, I finally 'got it'. I had fun from beginning to end, watching the story unfold, seeing the master politician Palpatine manipulate both sides, observing Anakin's final transformation to the dark side.
Lots of good action, the story was interesting. I think George Lucas would have been better served to let someone else write the screenplay, but I guess wooden dialogue will always be a part of Star Wars, no big deal. My main issue with the movie was that I found some events to not be believable and consistent. I found Padme annoying. Some of Anakin's actions were not logical. I understand this is a fantasy movie and all, but I believe the plausibility of the events leave much to be desired.
Best characters: Obi-Wan and R2D2! That little droid had a lot of good scenes. Palpatine too, almost forgot. Hey they didn't give Jar-jar one funny line?
Despite all its flaws, I had a good time, and you don't need me to tell you to go watch this if you haven't already. For a surreal experience, try watching Episode IV 'A New Hope' again after seeing Revenge of the Sith. Mr. Lucas sir, can we have some more?
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars * * * *
Best movie among the prequels both action and story-wise.
--- SPOILERS BELOW ---
Don't read any further if you haven't watched the film. I'll discuss some of the parts I didn't like, plot holes, and the plot elements I didn't find believable.
---o---o---o---o---o---
- The whole 'Anakin wanting to save Padme's life so he had to give in to Palpatine' was kind of lame. I would have preferred if it were more of a slow descent to the dark side as Anakin is seduced by power and out of frustration with the Jedi Council.
- Max and I debated this issue. Was Palpatine's disfigured face a result of his battle against Windu? Or was Darth Sidious wearing a Palpatine mask all along. From the movie you are led to believe that his face changed from the battle. What I didn't like was that immediately afterwards, he addresses the Republic in his disfigured form, and receives cheers? The transformation was too sudden.
- I found it too convenient that Obi-Wan would leave Anakin to die in the lava. A better way is for Anakin to either get saved by Palpatine in the nick of time. Or perhaps the lava gets in the way of the battle, preventing Obi-Wan from finishing him off.
- C3PO's memory getting erased at the end seemed like an afterthought by Lucas.
- I found this to be utterly unbelievable, it almost spoiled the movie. The scene where Padme 'loses the will to live' was just too precious. I mean, wouldn't giving birth to twins give you a new reason to live?
- Yoda acknowledging Chewbaca was entirely unnecessary. I liked the scene with the Wookies but it just felt too convenient. And I always thought Chewie was more of a trader/smuggler rather than war hero.
- Max mentioned this (which I didn't find to be a big deal), the proud Jedi were too easily defeated after Palpatine's double-cross. You'd think they would have given a better fight. Only Yoda was able to fight back.
- A minor gripe: Count Dooku's role was too limited. I actually felt bad that he went down so quickly.
- I liked the ending, I thought it was perfect. But I found it unnecessary for Darth Vader to shout out after learning of Padme's death. It seemed out of character for a Sith Lord.
- And lastly... what happened to Jar-jar? Just kidding.
Lots of good action, the story was interesting. I think George Lucas would have been better served to let someone else write the screenplay, but I guess wooden dialogue will always be a part of Star Wars, no big deal. My main issue with the movie was that I found some events to not be believable and consistent. I found Padme annoying. Some of Anakin's actions were not logical. I understand this is a fantasy movie and all, but I believe the plausibility of the events leave much to be desired.
Best characters: Obi-Wan and R2D2! That little droid had a lot of good scenes. Palpatine too, almost forgot. Hey they didn't give Jar-jar one funny line?
Despite all its flaws, I had a good time, and you don't need me to tell you to go watch this if you haven't already. For a surreal experience, try watching Episode IV 'A New Hope' again after seeing Revenge of the Sith. Mr. Lucas sir, can we have some more?
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars * * * *
Best movie among the prequels both action and story-wise.
--- SPOILERS BELOW ---
Don't read any further if you haven't watched the film. I'll discuss some of the parts I didn't like, plot holes, and the plot elements I didn't find believable.
---o---o---o---o---o---
- The whole 'Anakin wanting to save Padme's life so he had to give in to Palpatine' was kind of lame. I would have preferred if it were more of a slow descent to the dark side as Anakin is seduced by power and out of frustration with the Jedi Council.
- Max and I debated this issue. Was Palpatine's disfigured face a result of his battle against Windu? Or was Darth Sidious wearing a Palpatine mask all along. From the movie you are led to believe that his face changed from the battle. What I didn't like was that immediately afterwards, he addresses the Republic in his disfigured form, and receives cheers? The transformation was too sudden.
- I found it too convenient that Obi-Wan would leave Anakin to die in the lava. A better way is for Anakin to either get saved by Palpatine in the nick of time. Or perhaps the lava gets in the way of the battle, preventing Obi-Wan from finishing him off.
- C3PO's memory getting erased at the end seemed like an afterthought by Lucas.
- I found this to be utterly unbelievable, it almost spoiled the movie. The scene where Padme 'loses the will to live' was just too precious. I mean, wouldn't giving birth to twins give you a new reason to live?
- Yoda acknowledging Chewbaca was entirely unnecessary. I liked the scene with the Wookies but it just felt too convenient. And I always thought Chewie was more of a trader/smuggler rather than war hero.
- Max mentioned this (which I didn't find to be a big deal), the proud Jedi were too easily defeated after Palpatine's double-cross. You'd think they would have given a better fight. Only Yoda was able to fight back.
- A minor gripe: Count Dooku's role was too limited. I actually felt bad that he went down so quickly.
- I liked the ending, I thought it was perfect. But I found it unnecessary for Darth Vader to shout out after learning of Padme's death. It seemed out of character for a Sith Lord.
- And lastly... what happened to Jar-jar? Just kidding.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
The Matrix Reloaded
I watched this movie twice, once on the big screen when it opened, and the second time several weeks ago on HBO. I didn't appreciate it as much on the first viewing, but it grew on me on the second watch.
There were some problems. I fell asleep halfway through Morpheus' speech. Also, the scene with the crowds of Zion people chanting and dancing like wild teenagers was a huge turnoff and made me want to root for the machines. This whole part of the movie was pointless, including the Neo/Trinity sex scene.
More problems. What's up with the council of Zion? The council of elders seemed out of place. And now they're telling me there's a chain of command hierarchy within the Zion defense force? Sheesh, this sounds suspiciously like Starfleet or the Jedi Council. Not a good move.
What I did like were the philosophical references in this one. Without revealing too much about the story, I have to say I liked the scenes with the Oracle and the Architect. Listen carefully to what the french guy and Persephone say, it will enhance your understanding of the story. And yes, the action scenes are good and will satisfy moviegoers looking for cheap thrills.
A running theme throughout the movie revolves around the concept of 'choice'. Are we here to make our own choices, or merely to understand why we made them? There is also a major plot twist revealed near the end of the movie which I enjoyed. Everything you took as fact in the first Matrix installment will be torn apart in the sequel.
This movie made me think. Were it not for the stupid Zion scenes, this would have been an excellent film.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars * * * *
Watch this movie, then tell me your interpretation.
There were some problems. I fell asleep halfway through Morpheus' speech. Also, the scene with the crowds of Zion people chanting and dancing like wild teenagers was a huge turnoff and made me want to root for the machines. This whole part of the movie was pointless, including the Neo/Trinity sex scene.
More problems. What's up with the council of Zion? The council of elders seemed out of place. And now they're telling me there's a chain of command hierarchy within the Zion defense force? Sheesh, this sounds suspiciously like Starfleet or the Jedi Council. Not a good move.
What I did like were the philosophical references in this one. Without revealing too much about the story, I have to say I liked the scenes with the Oracle and the Architect. Listen carefully to what the french guy and Persephone say, it will enhance your understanding of the story. And yes, the action scenes are good and will satisfy moviegoers looking for cheap thrills.
A running theme throughout the movie revolves around the concept of 'choice'. Are we here to make our own choices, or merely to understand why we made them? There is also a major plot twist revealed near the end of the movie which I enjoyed. Everything you took as fact in the first Matrix installment will be torn apart in the sequel.
This movie made me think. Were it not for the stupid Zion scenes, this would have been an excellent film.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars * * * *
Watch this movie, then tell me your interpretation.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Shrek 2
I went to watch Shrek 2 on the big screen with some co-workers who were huge Shrek fans. The story follows the events of the original Shrek. Shrek is now happily living together with Princess Fiona in her Ogress form. They venture off to visit the princess' parents. On the way there they team up with a cat named 'Puss in Boots' voiced by Antonio Banderas.
The bad guys here are the Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming who desires to become king. Like the original, all roles in popular fairy tales are reversed. The Ogre and Dragon are good, the Fairy Godmother and Prince are bad.
Artwork and animation is very good. I particularly like the graphics effects in the scene when Shrek and the Princess made their journey to Far Far Away Land. It was also cool to see what Shrek would look like in human form.
This is an average movie. I just don't understand what most people enjoy about it. A lot of the scenes were just pure corn. Don't get me wrong, the film is very nicely made, and there are a few good spots. It just feels that the characters and voices are trying too hard to be funny. Whatever this movie is good in, I just don't get it.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars **
Watch this for the graphics and artwork, but don't expect much more.
The bad guys here are the Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming who desires to become king. Like the original, all roles in popular fairy tales are reversed. The Ogre and Dragon are good, the Fairy Godmother and Prince are bad.
Artwork and animation is very good. I particularly like the graphics effects in the scene when Shrek and the Princess made their journey to Far Far Away Land. It was also cool to see what Shrek would look like in human form.
This is an average movie. I just don't understand what most people enjoy about it. A lot of the scenes were just pure corn. Don't get me wrong, the film is very nicely made, and there are a few good spots. It just feels that the characters and voices are trying too hard to be funny. Whatever this movie is good in, I just don't get it.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars **
Watch this for the graphics and artwork, but don't expect much more.
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