DAYBREAKERS

DAYBREAKERS IS IMMORTAL
By Reymundo Salao

The year is 2019 and the world is not like it was before. The outbreak of vampirism has led to the a change in global civilization, for everybody who lives on Earth is now a vampire, civilization is now run and inhabited by vampires. And in order to sustain their lives, blood for public consumption is produced by corporations who control factories where they farm blood from human specimens. There is a problem, though, because the blood supply is running low, and the corporations are trying hard to find an alternative to help them sustain their lives. Because if they do not feed on human blood, they will biologically deteriorate into mindless mutants. One of the scientists, chief hematologist Edward Dalton stumbles upon the last remaining humans who fight for survival, and discovers that one of them used to be a vampire...

DAYBREAKERS is directed by Michael & Peter Spierig (the Spierig Brothers), who also directed the Australian zombie movie Undead. And they did a magnificent job on this movie. They paint a world where vampires inhabit the earth. That means that everybody stays indoors all day, there are cars that have special functions that will shield its passengers from the sun, and there are public warning curfews that warn everybody how much time is left before the sunrise. Experiencing the vampire world alone is enough to make you enjoy its surreal reality.

On the visual impact, one may also notice the shifts in the color tone of the movie. The lifestyle of the vampires are always seen in an almost monochromatic appearance with mere shades of blue and black, the humans on the other hand are defined by lush vibrant colors. When one vampire character finally transforms into being human, he no longer wears his office suit in a formal fashion, his hair, his overall appearance loosens up.

As expected, Ethan Hawke had a very impressive performance, which is consistent with the rest of his previous works; one may notice that he chooses his projects well. Hawke effortlessly plays a character of repressed angst, one that is silently in turmoil with himself. Up until he meets the character played by Claudia Karvan and Willem Dafoe, who is a vampire-turned-human who is one of outlaws hiding from the current society, he is well defined by the quote from the movie where he announces "We're the folks with the crossbows" Sam Neill, on the other hand, plays the corporate lord who controls the production of blood for mass consumption.

DAYBREAKERS is like no other vampire movie you have ever seen. And if you do consider yourself to be a vampire fanatic, this is one movie you should watch. It breaks the typical vampire storyline; this one is most unique and most original, so much so that it is so unpredictable where the movie will end up. Although there are scare moments in the movie, it is better defined as an intelligent sci-fi movie. It is smartly written and has numerous layers about it. Of course we have the main storyline that concludes that even though vampirism has helped people escape death, in the end, humans are the far superior species. And then we also have the metaphors of consumerism, corporate greed, class struggle, poverty, hunger, and drug addiction represented by the relationship between the blood corporations and those who cannot afford to purchase blood, who end up deteriorated by hunger or rather thirst. Another focus of the film lies on the relationship between Edward Dalton and his brother. Even there is a love story with the leading lady which appears on the outset as one that is given focus, ultimately it takes a back seat at the drama of Ethan's character and his brother.

I am reminded about how District 9 was that one movie last year which I am confident will become a timeless classic. This time, this is the movie which I think will ferment over time and will remain a timeless classic. At the very least, it would be like Blade Runner (which did not have a flashy success when it was released, yet it became an undying classic in the libraries of sci-fi). One heck of a brilliant film that blends a vampire movie, s futuristic sci-fi, and a kickass action movie. DAYBREAKERS is a movie that YOU MUST watch. My thumbs up high for this one.

Movies to Watch Out this 2010

2010 is finally here and here are some movies that you may want to watch out for this year...

Daybreakers - is a vampire film written and directed by Peter and Michael Spierig. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill. Filming took place in Australia from July to September 2007. Ethan Hawke plays Edward Dalton, a researcher in the year 2019, in which an unknown plague has transformed the world's population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race. The movie is scheduled for a January release in the US & UK. No date yet was set for the Philippines

Clash of the Titans - fantasy film which is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name, itself loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus. Directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Sam Worthington, the film is set for release on March 26, 2010

Kick-Ass - is an upcoming superhero film based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. The film is directed by Matthew Vaughn. The plot of Kick-Ass concerns a teenage boy, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who decides to become a real-life superhero after being inspired by the heroes of comic books. He soon encounters a mysterious vigilante called Big-Daddy (Nicolas Cage), and his daughter Hit Girl (Chloë Moretz), who are working to bring down the drug baron Frank D'Amico. This is set for an April 2010 release.

Iron Man 2 - it's the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, and the second film in a planned trilogy. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and master engineer, also known as the superhero, Iron Man. The film is scheduled to be released on May 7, 2010.

Alice in Wonderland - the upcoming fantasy-adventure film directed by Tim Burton. It is an extension to the Lewis Carroll novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. The film will use a technique combining live action and animation. Mia Wasikowska plays the role of Alice, alongside Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, and Crispin Glover as The Knave of Hearts. The film is due for release on March 5, 2010 and the film will be released through Walt Disney Pictures in Disney Digital 3-D and IMAX 3-D, as well as in regular theatres.

The A-team - Everybody loves the A-team TV series back in the 1980's. This time, it is being made as a full feature movie with all the action and adventure. The film stars Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, Jessica Biel, Quinton Jackson, Yul Vazquez, and will be directed by Joe Carnahan. It is set for a June 11, 2010 release.

Predators - a sequel to the 1987 classic horror film Predator. Robert Rodriguez stated that he named the film "Predators" in relation to how the second film in the Alien franchise was called Aliens. This new movie is actually the third of the Predator movie franchise. The first starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and the second starred Danny Glover. This movie is directed by Nimród Antal, but is produced by Robert Rodriguez, visionary director of From Dusk Till Dawn, Spy Kids, and the El Mariachi series (its most popular of the series is Desperado). It will be starring Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, and Danny Trejo. It's scheduled for a July 9, 2010 release.

The Expendables - This ensemble action film written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, which stars himself along with Jason Statham and Jet Li. The film pays tribute to the blockbuster action films of the 1980s and early '90s, as the film includes action veterans from those decades (such as Stallone himself, Dolph Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, and Bruce Willis). The movie is expected to be released on August 20, 2010.

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (part 1) - Part 1 of the adaptation of Rowling's final Harry Potter book, which is expected to have its grand finale of a successful and highly respected film franchise based on the phenomenal book series. The final chapter of the Harry Potter film series begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave Hogwarts behind and set out to find and destroy the Horcruxes, the secret to Voldemort's power and immortality. In as much as I actually hated the earlier Potter movies, I do think that this series clearly is the Star Wars of this generation. Deathly Hallows part 1 is set on November 19, 2010.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Just after Disney severed its ties from the Narnia franchise, 20th Century Fox came right in to take charge of distributing this Narnia sequel. fantasy film based on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third published novel in C.S. Lewis's fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. It is the third in The Chronicles of Narnia film series from Walden Media, following The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. This time around – Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their pesky cousin Eustace Scrubb – find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to a fantastic Narnian ship headed for the very edges of the world. Obviously this new movie will feature stuff closer to something like Pirates of the Carribean because this will have sea voyage adventures. The Dawn Treader will set sail on December 10, 2010.

Wanted: Border - shot in Iloilo, and made generally by Ilonggos, this movie written and directed by Rey Gibraltar, and stars Rosanna Roces, won seven trophies in the fifth Cinema One Originals Awards, including Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Director, held last November 15, at the Dolphy Theater in ABS-CBN. It also won Best Production Design (Al Alacapa, Winston Lazaro and Allan Hilado); Best Music (Malik Lopez and Eric Romulo), and Best Cinematography (Ogi Sugatan). After (the movie) Yanggaw sparked consciousness in the local masses on how good indie films and Visayan talent and creativity are, there has been a demand to see this new indie movie made by Ilonggo creativity. Cinema One's Festival season is long been over, no release date has been set, yet Ilonggos are still eagerly awaiting its release in Iloilo shores...