More Rants and Ravings:

Well, I saw a lot of movies over the past week, and I would like to start with the most recent one:

First off, I saw Paul Balart: Mall Cop at my sister's house yesterday. It was a bit on the crude side, and perhaps a bit childish in some parts, but there is a certain heartwarming and actually funny concepts to it. Kevin James gave a solid performance. It was rather entertaining, and I don't care much for comedies like this. I give it Two and a half stars out of four.

Then, I saw Shadow of a Doubt, the film which Alfred Hitchcock considered to be his best efforts and the favorite of his films. It is thrilling, well-acted, and the story is superbly crafted. If you think about it, it is quite scary to think that a murderer is living right in your house - and actually paints himself as a gentle, selfless stranger. I love Joesph Cotten and he is indeed the most underrated actors in Hollywood history. Three and a half Stars out of four.

Finally, I saw The Lady Eve, and this one was also for the first time as well. The chemistry between Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanywck was pitch perfect. It was lighthearted, good-fashioned fun and the story was very interesting. The directing was also top notch. Overall, a very entertaining romantic comedy. Three Stars out of Four.

That's all for today, folks - till next time!

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Review

On Saturday, I saw Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs with my nieces on Saturday. It was an entertaining and often hilarious film. The voice cast was excellent and the visuals were lovely. While it is not the best film in the Ice Age movie series (For me, the best installment is the second film), it was still worthy of the the first two installments. I rated the film Three stars out of Four.

Last week, I also saw Harvey with Jimmy Stewart once more. It is a touching, entertain film with unforgettable performances piratically by Jimmy himself. Elwood P. Dowd is so lovable, I think it's unfair of Miss Kelly to choose the doctor over him, LOL. Overall, a tender, entertaining film.

That's all for today, till next time!

More Rants and Ravings!

Well, I have been quite busy the past two weeks. Besides watching An Affair to Remember for the gazillion time, I decided to watch the 1939 original. Although I love both Cary Grant and Charles Boyer, I have to say, Cary Grant would be my choice. Both films are touching and romantic, but perhaps in their own way despite their similarities. The children however were less annoying in the original than in the remake, LOL. Overall, the original is just as great as the 1950s remake and I give it Three and a half stars out of Four.

I also saw Stage Door for the first time. I liked the girls' spunk and determination. I liked the story behind it - the pressure of success and trying to achieve it in a very difficult time. I was shocked on one fact, though: even though Katharine Hepburn is one of the greatest actresses ever produced by Hollywood, the show belonged to Ginger Rogers here. It was a fascinating performance in part due to the fact that it was a huge departure from her musicals with Fred Astaire. Entertaining and with solid performances, I give the firm Three and a half stars out of Four.

Finally, I head for Alfred Hitchcock's Rebeca. This one, however, was not the first time, but it has been a long time since I saw it. I remember It was the first movie I saw with Laurence Olivier, and I became interested in him and his work. It is still very intriguing, even though I was familiar with the various twists and turns the story takes. I loved the performances. The story was entertaining and even though it was barley your typical Hitchcock thriller, it still had certain touches from him and it demonstrated his capacity in handling different kinds of stories. Great film.

Well...that's all for today! I am off to see yesterday's episode of the 8pm soap opera on Univision.
Till next time!

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen review

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen last night. I have so much to say: the movie was loud, rowdy, and not engaging. The direction was terrible, and just as I was thinking that Michael Bay had started to redeem himself after watching the first Transformers film, he goes back to his mindless, in-your-face action roots. The acting was also as terrible, particularly Megan Fox. She and her character are so shallow, that she seems to exist in the film for the sole purpose of eye candy for macho high school and college freshman males. The story and visuals are a mess: you can hardly tell what is going on and the story is incoherent and childish, and is filled with useless, childish moments (A transformer who transforms into a human female? WHAT?! Really? Lame and disgraceful to the classic cartoon.) and unfunny and corny comedic relief: Humping dogs and robots? What WAS THAT ABOUT?! Scenes with Sam's crazed mother at her son's fist day at college were completely childish, stupid and unnecessary. Sam's roommate was annoying and not very interesting. And Shia Labeouf's performance was shallow and dull. As I was sitting my chair, I kept looking at my cell phone, watching the clock, desperate for this mindless, loud action "spectacle" to end. It was way too long for its own good, because the movie dragged, piratically towards the ending.

The first Transformers was solid, popcorn munching fun. It even made you feel for the Autobots. In this one, not even - SPOILER - the death of one makes you feel or shed a tear. It was actually almost laughable. This one is not even worthy of being called its sequel. It was childish, stupid, incoherent and I actually want to think to myself, "What were they thinking?". If I could rate the film no stars, I could, but I have to rate it 1 out of 4 stars.

That's all for today, till next time!

Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Okay, so over the weekend, I was able to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire, two of this year's Best Picture nominees at the Oscars, with the latter winning the prize.

First up, Benjamin Button: I thought the story was quite creative and well constructed, although a little strange for my tastes, but creative and entertaining, nether less. It features great performances and a lovely look all its own. It was a story with a lovely meaning behind it and I enjoyed the haunting score. I give the film Three stars out of Four.

Up next, Slumdog Millionaire, the winner of this year's Best Picture Oscar. While, in my opinion, it did not really deserve to win, it was an entertaining picture, it had solid performances and the film managed to hold my interest until the end. The soundtrack really rocked, too. While the story was a bit slow to develop, it developed well in the end. I liked the look of the film, it seemed like a film straight out of Bollywood. I also give it Three Stars out of Four.

Finally, I decided to watch Gaslight again with Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer. While Ingrid won the Oscar and gave a great performance, I couldn't take my thoughts off of Charles Boyer. It was a marvelous performance, and man, does his accent make me melt! I was a little annoyed by Angela Lansbery's accent, but she gave a good performance and it was her feature debut. Thrilling and entertaining film with a beautiful look and wonderful performances.

That's all for today, everyone - till next time!

Up Review

Yesterday, I saw Disney and Pixar's latest film, Up. As I came out of the theater, I could not help but think, is there anything Pixar can't do? Can Pixar ever disappoint? The answer, for me, is no. The guys and gals at Pixar are geniuses of animation - storytelling and visual marvels who break new ground with every film that they make. I also though that there traditional animated short shown before the actual film was the best animated short they have created - it's Partly Cloudy, and it was cute, funny and poignant. Entertaining, funny and extraordinarily poignant, the film is indeed the best animated film since Wall-E, another Pixar film. Its creativity and excellent story makes for a fun and visually stunning film with valuable life lessons - certainly Pixar can do no wrong, and here's hoping for more animated gems from them. I give Up Four stars out of Four.

At home, I saw Roman Holiday for the millionth time. It is still a timeless, romantic and heartwarming romantic comedy. I love Gregory Peck's performance - and Audrey Hepburn was so cool and classy. It is one of my favorite romantic comedies, and even though the ending was not what you expect, it was fresh and realistic.

Well, that's all for today, till next time, enjoy!

Rants and Ravings - 6-10-09

This weekend, I saw for the God-knows-how-many-times The Maltese Falcon and It Happened One Night. First up, The Maltese Falcon never gets old. It's still exciting, fresh and darn, does Bogie kick serious booty! The only thing that bothers me about the film is Mary Astor's haircut...it may have been seen as stylish to some, but it is horrid, in my opinion. Thank God that it does not distract much from the film - unlike Tom Hank's hair in The DaVinci Code...LOL. It's great fun and it is suspenseful all the way, even though it is best the first time when you do not know spoilers - because the fill has various plot twists, but at the same time, even if it's your 1,000th time seeing it, it is still very entertaining and one of the great classic Film Noirs. Indeed, it is "the stuff that dreams are made of".

Next up, It Happened One Night. A witty and charming romantic comedy. Man, oh man - was Clark Gable HOT. And man, could he act! He and Claudette Colbert had a very strong chemistry. I admit I was a little upset that they did not kiss in this movie, but at least their feelings are acknowledged. All in all, it is one of the most romantic movies of the 1930s and of all time.

Also, a few days ago, my nieces persuaded me to watch Hotel For Dogs with them. The story acting and dialogue were overly corny for my tastes, but not so much as 2001's Cats and Dogs, and it was much more realistic. Furthermore, it is a typical film for children and animal lovers, and it is a film which they could identify with and I suppose that is why my nieces like it. However, there is really nothing adults would like, with corny performances by charming actors like Don Cheadle and Lisa Kudrow - although I do not blame them, I blame the writing and story. Overall, it was charming for children, lame for adults. One Star and a half stars out of Four.

That's all for today, folks, till next time!