a day in the movies

Ok, so I went to PIA this morning and I met my mom's friend, Tita Grace. Out of nowhere, a trailer of Kim Chiu's latest movie came up on TV. Then my mom suddenly blurted, "'No, diba yan yung gusto mong panuorin?!". Haha! I joked her before kasi na panuorin namin yun. Tita Grace immediate response was, "Nino, gusto mo yun?! Gusto rin panuorin ng mga pamangkin ko yun! They love Kim Chiu!" Shit, hiyang-hiya ako! Haha. Then suddenly, the good part came in: "May extra complimentary tickets ako dito, you can watch any movies you like in any SM Branch!". Yay! I helped her earlier by fixing her wi-fi connection on her laptop.

So when I got home, I quickly ate lunch and took a bath. And as I drive the car out of the gate, the rain dropped! LAKAS! Malas. So while on the way to SM Fairview, I kept on wiping my windshield... it mists because my aircon is still broken (sorry, I got no money and time to spend on it). Luckily, I got there safely. I then watched this two movies which I'll gladly give a review on.



Resident Evil: Extinction
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Oded Fehr
Director: Russell Mulcahy

This is obviously based on the popular survival genre game of the same name by Capcom. This is actually the third movie! I saw the first one, and am actually the few ones who actually liked it. The second one, I skipped with reasons I forgot. Now, I've watched the third today. Early in the movie, I was trying to play "connect the dots" since I never saw the second film. As the movie went through, it became clear that you don't need to watch the second film to actually enjoy and understand this one.

The plot is clear: a dangerous biological virus was being experimented by a rich and powerful corporation (Umbrella) to create the perfect biological weapon. And then, an outbreak occurs and the virus spread all over the world to the brink of extinction by turning all inhabitants into living zombies. And here we are with our protagonist, Alice (a former employee of Umbrella, and actually a successful experiment) has developed her powers (due to past experiments) and is striving hard to help herself and the few remaining survivors to avoid complete and utter extinction.

The movie is actually not bad. I was expecting the worse after hearing a lot of negative things about the second movie... as well as the usual tradition of bad movie adaptations of videogames. This, I can say, is actually a good adaptation of RE. Non-stop action, suspense, frights... it doesn't disappoint. And what can we say about Milla Jovovich that was never been said before?! She's BEAUTIFUL! Even at any angle! Her acting was ok. She definitely redeems herself from playing a part to that abysmal movie named, ULTRAVOILET! Apart from all, I also liked the movie's ending which could actually bridge into a fourth film (they told that Extinction will be the trilogy ender).

The only qualm I have was that the movie relied so much on cheap thrills instead of a more psychological and atmospheric horror. I mean, you get shocked because something would suddenly appear on screen, or because the sound effects suddenly spurred a booming sound which leaves you surprised instead of actually genuinely frightened. Another complaint of mine was the actor who played Wesker. He looks like some B-movie actor that was just dragged into this. Never mind that, it's a personal opinion! LOL!

Overall, the movie was ok. It's actually worth watching. Only the real video game nerds will say otherwise (they are very hard to please, wants an EXACT adaptation from games, and are irritating. LOL). Rating: 6/10



Shoot 'Em Up!
Starring: Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci
Director: Michael Davis

There are movies that are cheesy because of horrible acting, bad production, and bad directing. This is what we call BAD MOVIES. Then there are movies which are too overly cheesy to the point of it being done on purpose, that it turns into a good and entertaining movie. This movies often receives mixed review from critics because not everyone will like them. Since a selected portion like this movie, it gains a following. This turns to something what we call CULT MOVIES. I'm glad to say that Shoot 'Em Up! falls into the latter!

The hero in the movie is Mr. Smith. Supposedly, a bum just minding his own business and eating his carrots at the start of the movie. Then he sees this pregnant woman being chased by a hitman. He just simply can't sit there, and then began helping the woman by shooting all the baddies. He also helped the woman birth her child. Then came the equally mysterious Hertz, who seems to be the head honcho. Hertz and his men were successful in killing the mother, but Mr. Smith was able to save the baby and enlist the (unwilling) help of a prostitute. For some reason, the real target of Hertz and his men was actually the baby more so than the mother. The question is why.

There is little plot and simply NO character development here. The mystery of Mr. Smith's past or Hertz's definite background were only given little shedding. Instead, it's all action! Non-stop, adrenaline-packed action! Heck, the movie won't even last 5 minutes without a gun firing, and a bullet hitting it's target! I even lost count of the body counts! Hence the title, Shoot 'Em Up! Really, it's like Looney Tunes but with real people and ultra-violence. Enemies come on screen and our mad protagonist had no problem of blasting their sorry asses! This is a popcorn movie in the real sense! Non-stop action and little story telling is the main objective of this film, and it succeeds.

The cast is incredible to say the least. I mean you got Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti (Paul Freakin' Giamatti!), and my uber favorite actress Monica Bellucci! These are all very good actors, and with a plot like this, they even have to try hard! Owen was great as Mr. Smith. He was moody, mad at a lot of things (as in galit sa mundo), violent... and Owen really delivered well. This sorta like his payback for being denied the part of the new Bond. LOL. Giamatti, as always, is at his best. He always seems to excel at playing quirky characters... and Hertz was no exception. And last but not the least, Monica Bellucci. This woman's beauty never seems to age! IMO, she IS the most beautiful celebrity right now. Great acting, as well as some exposure of her rack, is greatly appreciated! Haha!

Watch this movie for non-stop action. If you mind too much for plot and character development, look elsewhere. Shoot 'Em Up is a movie that is not to be taken seriously. EVERYTHING in the movie is done over the top. Certainly a great pop corn movie, as well as an outlet for all that violent tendencies of ours. Haha. Rating: 7/10.