Mario O'hara sets sights on BIDASARI

Although Mario O'hara's Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio did not make waves at the recent Cinemalaya Film Festival, this did not crush the enthusiasm of the veteran film-making master to plan another history-related project. O'hara is planning a historical epic movie entitled "Bidasari" which is set in the Philippines before the Spanish colonization. O'Hara stated that a movie set in Pre-Colonial Philippines would have beautiful elements which would also include a lot of action, because this would also feature warriors of the early Filipinos. This kind of movie would also be of great help to Filipino students in their studies of History.

Mario O'hara is known for many films that have been etched among the greatest films of Philippine cinema, such as; Bulaklak sa City Jail (1984), Babae sa Breakwater (2004), and the war drama Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos (1976).

SOURCE: Philippine Entertainment Portal

The Last Airbender (2010)

THE EPIC FAIL
By Reymundo Salao

Okay, so this is another LATE review. The movie already had a late release here in the Philippines, now, my review came even LATE-ER. But here it is...

There was a time when the words "Written, Produced, and Directed by M. Night Shyamalan" seemed like a good movie. But after a string of, not just disappointing movies, but really flat out bad movies, Shyamalan's career has gone from bad to worse. It is very surprising that a director who was once hailed as a next Spielberg could have fallen into not just a mediocre film-maker, but a really bad one the likes of Uwe Boll and Joel Lamangan have seen.

THE LAST AIRBENDER is the film adaptation of the phenomenal animated TV series AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER. The TV series was said to be this classic landmark in fantasy sci fi fiction, but those who are familiar with this series claim that Shyamalan has changed many aspects of the story and injected his own elements, and his own style, that is to say that being awful at what you do is a style that he has nowadays.

It is actually incredible how a movie supposedly rich with so many magical elements, martial arts action, breath-taking stunts, bizarre creatures, and exotic and strange locations, can still become a movie that is not even a bit above awful.

The acting was horrible. Forgiving the cast because most of them were child actors is not a good enough excuse because we have all seen too many better child actors and actresses than this. Either that, or the director was just not able to extract a good enough energy to act in this. Even the great Liam Neeson could not give a decent performance in George Lucas' stinky Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, looks like Noah Ringer and the rest of the cast may find themselves in a very similar predicament.

Most of the time, what made their performances awful was the very bland and the disorderly editing. At one point, Aang was acting up an emotion of loss for his monk friends, and the angle never pans or shifts to another, it just stays at a single side, eventually making Noah Ringer's acting look all the more awkwardly bad.

The script itself was just downright tasteless; poorly written and chronically lacking in fluidity and even common sense. I was desperately already lowering my expectations, just so that I could enjoy the movie in my most tolerable state, but the first fifteen minutes just struck me down, crushing my already low expectations. The first fifteen minutes already tells you that the acting is bad and whatever they do and however they react in this story does not make much sense.

The movie tried to force in the love story between Sokka and Yue, which just ended up being extremely bland and hilariously corny.

The only factors remotely edible here was the action and the special effects, the costumes were all great also, and the set design was marvelous, most of all, I adore the musical score. I even did manage to obtain a copy of the soundtrack. But all of those factors, no matter how great they are, cannot redeem the awfulness of the entire movie, and this has already ingrained itself on the throne as the most disappointing movie (possibly, ever). Just as the original animated series was phenomenally good. This movie version is phenomenally bad.

SPOILER DISCUSSION

When they first see Aang inside the icy sphere, they never react much to the creature (Appa).

When they brought Aang to the village, they seem to have just neglected him there, nobody was even curious of such discovery the children made. Nobody was curious about the strange creature (Appa). No elder seemed to made any advice to them.

When Aang discovered that his monk friends were already gone.

Will Robert Rodriguez direct Deadpool?

Is the director of Sin City ready for Ryan Reynolds' "Merc with a Mouth"?

The rumors have been bubbling under for the past few weeks about whether director Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) might be called upon to direct Deadpool, the planned spin-off from last year's X-Men Origins: Wolverine with Ryan Reynolds reprising the role of the "Merc with a Mouth" he played in that movie.

Last week at Comic-Con, Rodriguez was asked by MTV about the project and he confirmed he had received the script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland) but wasn't sure if he would direct or not.

Just one week later and the L.A. Times is reporting that Rodriguez is now in active negotiations to direct the movie and that it would likely happen after he finishes Spy Kids 4: Armageddon, which he's currently shooting for release next year. Rodriguez does have a lot on his plate right now with Predators still in theaters and Machete coming out later this summer, and he has a few other original ideas he's been developing.

One presumes that one way to stay in the public eye and maintain his relationship with 20th Century Fox would be to take on a high-profile superhero movie like Deadpool, which combines humor and violence, two things Rodriguez has made his specialty. The question is whether he could make the movie PG-13 or 20th Century Fox might allow Rodriguez to do what he does best when not having to soften things up for a younger audience. (Of course, having made four PG movies and working on a fifth, it's not like Rodriguez would have problem making a movie that falls somewhere in between.)

source: SuperHeroHype

There Really is Going to be a TITANIC 2 (funny but true)

Several years ago (during the early days of Youtube), me and my friends found this funny edited video of what looks like a sequel of Titanic; entitled TITANIC TWO: THE SURFACE (made by a certain Derek Johnson). It was one of those mashed-up edited videos (with scenes from movies like Con-Air, Demolition Man, the Abyss, the Hulk, Forever Young, and more) and that were tied together to make it look like it's all the same movie. That spoof/parody/trailer-mash-up is hilarious, and I've heard that it even fooled some dimwits into believing that there really is a Titanic 2

Check out that mash-up parody trailer here:

Well, now it seems that there really is going to be a TITANIC 2. Asylum, the direct-to-dvd production company responsible for producing cheap knock-offs of the latest big budget Hollywood movies, is going to release TITANIC 2. Asylum is responsible for movies such as AVH: Alien vs Hunter, Transmorphers, Transmorphers 2: Fall of Man, Street Racer, I Am Omega, Da Vinci Treasure, Snakes on a Train, and The Pirates of Treasure Island. Check out the trailer of TITANIC 2! (I love the fact that we're in the middle of the San Diego Comic Con season, there are so many movie news to report, yet we're right now featuring the shittiest but the FUNNIEST bit of movie news out there)

Salt

SALT: TRULY ESPIONAGE ACTION THRILLER  BY DEFINITION
by Reymundo Salao


Before I begin, I'd like to just warn you that this review has some level of spoilers. I know many of you will want to walk into this movie without any suggestive idea in mind, fresh from any predictions or expectations for how the movie would go. But don't worry, before we get to the spoiler section, I will tell you my verdict. SALT is a full-price movie; action-packed, intriguing, and oftentimes unpredictable. SALT brings back Espionage Action-Thriller to a level that is highly spectacular and is both very fast-paced and smartly done. It is directed by Philip Noyce, who is responsible for brilliant espionage/spy thrillers like Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger (both movies based on the Tom Clancy novels which feature his most famous protagonist Jack Ryan), The Saint, and The Quiet American. Noyce is very reliable when it comes to such genre. SALT delivers a movie that captivates action junkies while never compromising a well-made spy story. (spoilers from this point on)

SPOILER SECTION
Who is Evelyn Salt? Well we all know that she's some kind of super-spy ( the first scene of the movie already reveals that); but the real question is: On whose side is she on?

What I love about it is that it dares to make twists that take you to an unpredictable route. There are "Whoa" moments that surprises the audience and makes them crack their heads as to what will happen next. Although at the second half of the movie, keen audiences could plot out how it will end.

The intrigue and the level of twists kinda remind me of Robert Ludlum style storylines. Stories that seem a bit fantastic at first, but are actually based on actual, real-world issues and occurrences. SALT deals with the story of sleeper agents implanted unto American society by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. And yes, these things do exist in real life.

I love the fact that the entire first half of the movie, you really have no idea if Salt is really to be trusted or not. I also loved the fact that this could possibly have been the kind of movie where Salt truly is the villain, and is only the title character the same way as Doctor No and Goldfinger are title characters, or like some sort of Slasher movie monster.

I think the second half of the movie was the part where it faltered slightly and made things a bit predictable.

It was kind of different on my part; I actually could not hold myself, and cant help but respond to the call of nature, so I had to go to the CR for a brief moment; At the scene where Salt discusses with Orlov about the next step in their plan (this is also after we see Salt's husband killed off), I was not able to see the scene where Salt killed Orlov and the other KGB agents/Russians. Maybe if I'd have seen that scene, it would have ruined the rest of the final part of the movie for me. Because those moments where Salt was charging towards the president, are moments wherein I really didn't know how this thing will go, and I thought it was an intensely thrilling scene to see this villain (at least I thought she was) charging relentlessly to her target, never knowing that the resolve of the crisis was her secretly turning against her Russian trainers.

Letting the audience know midway that Salt would betray his KGB comrades would certainly decrease the intensity of the scene where the President declares that the country go to Def-Con 2. But that for me is just a very minor flaw that can be ignored. The flaw of the movie that actually really bothered me was that nobody seemed to be too alert of tracking down Orlov after he escaped from the CIA facility; everybody seemed to have been too busy with Salt to the point that nobody (AT ALL!) seemed to bother to look for Orlov. What also bothered me was during the car wreck scene where Salt too easily walked away from the scene when there were too many people there that could have at least stopped her or asked her a question. And another thing: nobody even bothered to shoot her when she was killing Agent Winter (Liev Schreiber)? Is that how that place was so poor in security? When we get to the chopper scene between Salt and Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor, who did a great performance, as always), the end could easily be spelled out. But regardless of flaws and minor nitpick details, I still loved this movie, and will probably watch it again this weekend.

Before I end, there is just one thing; As I mentioned earlier, the real question is: On whose side is Salt on? Those who have watched it already know the answer. But I wonder if you also asked a similarly important question: If Orlov did not kill her husband, would Salt still stand by the same side?

New Movies this Week

For the usual Wednesday Change-Picture day, there's only one new film; it's SALT, which starts Angelina Jolie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Liev Schreiber, and is directed by Philip Noyce (who directed Patriot Games, Clear & Present Danger, the Saint, and the Quiet American). SALT centers on a CIA officer (Angeline Jolie) who is fingered as a Russian sleeper spy. She eludes capture by superiors who are convinced she is out to assassinate the president. While trying to reunite with her family, she struggles to prove someone else is the traitor.

Avengers Cast Officially Revealed!

Online buddies were able to pick up this video clip which officially announces the cast of Marvel's The AVENGERS and its director Joss Whedon at the recent 2010 San Diego Comic Convention

Yes, the main cast list of the upcoming movie that unites a number of Marvel Superheroes into one team, known as The AVENGERS. The main cast list are Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury, Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Robert Downey, Jr. as the Iron Man, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk-haunted Bruce Banner, and the film will be directed by the geek god Joss Whedon.

The AVENGERS is scheduled for a May 4, 2012 release. 

Godzilla to Return on 2012?

Okay... I know there are many people who hated the Hollywood version of Godzilla made by Roland Emmerich, specifically because that one did NOT look like the original Godzilla. Well it looks like Hollywood is taking a crack at it again, this time, making him look like the original Godzilla.

At this year's San Diego Comic Convention, Legendary Pictures unveiled a first look (here is that concept art) at the new Godzilla using Augmented Reality at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Well we all know concept art really does always look good. Even the sh1tt1est movie can look great if all you ever looked at was its concept art. But then again, we will still hope that this will be a great movie.

As of the moment, no director or cast has been announced yet. Warner Bros. Pictures is targeting for a 2012 release.2012? (Wow, talk about a tie in topic with Roland Emmerich, Godzilla, and the end of the world!)