First Movie of The Month for 2017

Starting this year, I will post which movie is the best this each month has to offer and make a ranking for the month of the movies I watched. At the end of the year, I will again evaluate these movies which are the best movie for me. It will always be my opinion as a movie reviewer. This is blog is not influenced or affected by any movie label or distributor.

For the month of January, it was the first movie I saw that opened this year collaterally. Collateral Beauty is not what I expected when it was shown in trailers. The trailers gave a deceiving idea that diverted the audience on what was it really about. But it gave something to think about like life and the human struggles that we need to face like death and loss of a loved one plus the true friendships we sometimes didn’t notice.

 

Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Collateral Beauty was given a great performance in acting from a great ensemble not just the big names like Will Smith, Keira Knightley, and Kate Winslett but also Michael Pena, Edward Norton, Hellen Mirren and a breakthrough performance by Jacob Latimore from The Maze Runner movie.

David Frankel did a great job of directing this movie and Allan Loeb for his imagination in writing this original screenplay. The only flaw of this movie was that it was shown while some of the Metro Manila Film Festival entries are still being shown in cinemas and it lasted a week because it didn’t do well in box office but if the general public knew how good the movie was, it is just as good as any movie whether experimental/independent or mainstream.

Here is my ranking of the month:

1. Collateral Beauty
2. Passengers
3. Split
4. Live By Night
5. xXx: The Return of Xander Cage

Agree with my opinion and ranking? Is there a movie that should be on this post? What movie are you recommending and why? For more movie updates and critical movie reviews, follow this blog and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

“RESIDENT EVIL” FINALE BRINGS BACK ALI LARTER, WELCOMES WILLIAM LEVY

Press release

A returning ally and a new comrade. Joining Milla Jovovich in Columbia Pictures' action-thriller Resident Evil: The Final Chapter are Ali Larter and William Levy who play survivors of the zombie apocalypse. They reinforce Alice (Jovovich) where the nightmare began – The Hive in Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for a final strike.

L-R: Levy, Jovovich, Larter, Macken.

Larter is back as Claire Redfield who “had a crash and now she’s become part of this last group of survivors. That’s when Alice comes in and she cannot believe that’s she been reunited with her”, says Larter, adding that her character has been fighting for her life since the third film in the franchise, Resident Evil: Extinction.

“My character has undergone a lot of personal development over the course of the series, and that was really interesting for me. She really wants to believe, she wants to connect, she wants to be able to feel something but there's never time because she is always being hunted.”

As she approaches the end of the franchise, how does Larter look back at the whole experience of having been a part of it? “I am very proud to have been in three films of the Resident Evil series,” she assures. “And it’s exciting that the fans connect with the character of Claire Redfield and reach out to me. I feel really lucky to have been a part of it.”

Cuban-American actor, William Levy, joins the Resident Evil family as Christian, one of the militant survivors working with Claire’s group. Levy describes his character. “He has a very strong personality, he doesn't trust anybody. He shoots first and asks questions later. He's willing to do whatever it takes to save the survivors, to save them all, including giving his life.”

Levy discusses his attraction to the project. “The story is always going to reach different audiences, and I didn’t have to think twice about being part of something as amazing as Resident Evil. I viewed all the previous movies and saw how good they were and when I read the Final Chapter script I knew it was going to be a better movie, in every way. I needed to be part of this.”

Speaking of the new faces in the franchise, Larter says, “William brought some spice, flare and passion to the movie. He is a huge star in Latin America, and it was great to have him on board. And he works hard, is a really cool guy and a dad.”

Asked what should the audience be looking forward to the film, Levy says, “A very exciting movie with a new look, new weapons, new vehicles, new zombies and a lot of cool stuff in it. And the locations are just spectacular! We shot in South Africa in the most amazing places, like this abandoned highway that I’m sure will look great on screen. I think people are going to really enjoy the film!”

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, marks the sixth and final installment in the astoundingly successful film franchise adaptation of Capcom’s hugely popular video game series, having grossed over $1billion worldwide to date and being the most successful video game film franchise ever.

Opening across the Philippines on February 1, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is distributed by Columbia Pictures, the local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

HISTORY’S GREATEST “HIDDEN FIGURES” BEHIND THE APOLLO MISSIONS

Press release

Everyone knows about the Apollo missions.  We can all immediately list the bold male astronauts who took those first giant steps for humankind in space:  John Glenn, Alan Shepard and Neil Armstrong.  Yet, remarkably, Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson’s are names not taught in school or even known to most people -- even though their daring, smarts and powerful roles as NASA’s ingenious “human computers” were indispensable to advances that allowed for human space flight.  These women are the unsung and unlikely heroes of the space race –female mathematicians who blazed multiple trails, trails towards greater diversity in science, equality in America, for human mathematical achievement and to launch John Glenn into mesmerizing orbit at more than 17, 000 miles per hour as he circled three times around the globe in space.  

               

Photo credit: 20th Century Fox

                “Hidden Figures” uncovers the incredible, untold yet true story of a brilliant group of women who changed the foundations of the country for the better -- by aiming for the stars.  The film recounts the vital history of an elite team of black female mathematicians at NASA who helped win the all-out space race against America’s rivals in the Soviet Union and, at the same time, sent the quest for equal rights and opportunity rocketing forwards. 

                At last, the story of a visionary trio of women who crossed gender, race and professional lines on their way to pioneering cosmic travel comes to the screen starring Oscar®-nominee Taraji P. Henson (Empire, Benjamin Button, Hustle And Flow), Academy Award® winner Octavia Spencer (Allegiant, Fruitvale Station, The Help), singer Janelle Monáe making her motion picture debut and two time Oscar® winner Kevin Costner (Black Or White, Field Of Dreams, Dancing With Wolves). 

                For Katherine G. Johnson (Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Monae), the chance to use their knowledge, passion and skills opened up just as the demands of World War II were shifting the nation’s social fabric.  Faced with a daunting shortage of male scientists and mathematicians and with new laws prohibiting racial discrimination, defense contractors and Federal Agencies began seeking out women and African-Americans with the skills to keep pushing essential research onwards. 

                “This story takes place at the collision of the Cold War, the space race, the Jim Crow south, and the birth of the Civil Rights movement.  It is incredible territory for a rich and powerful story few people know about at all,” says director Ted Melfi.

                “Now we know there were amazing women behind how John Glenn came to orbit the earth in space -- we finally get to hear their story.  I think the story is beautiful and important. It is amazing that these women, not only black women, but white women too, have been erased out of history. We've seen women play politicians, lawyers and doctors in films. I don't think I've ever seen a black female scientist or mathematician, so I thought, ‘Wow, what an opportunity to give young girls something else to aspire to. These women were thinkers with brilliant minds. Right now with social media, the options for young people are becoming quite shallow and limited; so I think certain things happen naturally, when it's time; when they are needed. I think right now this film is relevant not just for girls of color, for girls, period. For everyone.” adds Taraji P. Henson.  

                “Hidden Figures” opens February 22 in cinemas from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. 

Split movie review

Movie reviewer's note: I am reviewing this movie on my own accord. There was no screening invite. This review is unsolicited and not biased.

After many movies, M.Night Shyamalan is back in doing suspense movies starting with Split. It’s a story about a man with 23 split personalities and the 24^th one is about to manifest. But what if one of the personalities has a tendency to be violent.

Photo credit: UIP/Columbia Pictures

Kevin is played by James McAvoy, better known for his role as the younger Professor X in X-Men movies. Split is not really a great story but this is a lot better than Shyamalan’s previous work, The Last Airbender, which flopped really badly in cinemas.

The only thing that made this movie worthwhile watching is McAvoy’s performance. He was able to shift personalities in an instant and you can also see another angle of the movie as if you are looking at the perspective in the eyes of Kevin or his other personalities.

Although critics said that Split put Shyamalan back to fine form but he does not deserve all the credit but to McAvoy. When McAvoy was asked to be part of this movie, he asks; what role he will play. The director answered,” Read the script. It is hard to say.” He immediately accepted and asks the director to challenge him more. Now, that is an actor.

Thanks to James McAvoy, I ranked this movie four split personalities out of five. For more critical movie reviews, follow this blog and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

“SPLIT” BRINGS SHYAMALAN BACK TO FINE FORM-ACCORDING TO SOME CRITICS

PRESS RELEASE

With a 78 percent Fresh rating at reviews-aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, Universal Pictures' new suspense thriller Split (see my review here) starring James McAvoy has undeniably marked the official comeback story of filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan.

As critic John DeFore writes in The Hollywood Reporter, “genre fans should embrace what is arguably the director's most satisfying picture since The Sixth Sense. In some quarters, it will generate talk of a comeback for a filmmaker who has suffered both critical drubbing and box-office humiliation over the past decade.”

Peter Debruge agrees in his review in Variety. He shares, Spit is “A welcome return to form from Shyamalan whose unhinged new mind-bender is a worthy extension of his early work.

“Rest assured, there are plenty of proper twists to follow, none more unexpected than the fact that Shyamalan himself has managed to get his groove back after a slew of increasingly atrocious misfires,” Debruge continues. “To be fair, it’s hard to imagine any writer/director sustaining a career based almost entirely on surprising audiences. And though he lost us for a while there, by trading on ingenuity rather than big-budget special effects, Shyamalan has created a tense, frequently outrageous companion piece to one of his earliest and best movies.

“Ultimately, Split belongs to McAvoy, who has ample scenery to chew, but doesn’t stop there — he practically swallows the camera with his tiger-like teeth. With his head shaved, the actor conveys his transformations through body language, facial expression, and accent...While Shyamalan is basically making up rules for dissociative identity disorder as he goes along, the condition has afforded McAvoy the role of his career.”

Film reviewer Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian, assures, “It’s important to say that Split doesn’t hinge on a twist ending. It is a full and satisfying film that, if you stopped watching 18 seconds before the conclusion, would still suit as a juicy bit of smart horror.”

Finally, Haley Foutch of Collider, declares, “Ladies and gentlemen, M. Night Shyamalan has officially caught his second wind. Last year’s The Visit surprised audiences with a delightfully twisted spin and with Split, Shyamalan has reaffirmed his status as B-Movie extraordinaire.”

In Spit, though Kevin (James McAvoy) has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley), there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him—as well as everyone around him—as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.

Split reunites Shyamalan with producer Jason Blum, who produced the filmmaker’s latest commercial and critical success, The Visit.

LIVE BY NIGHT movie review

Live By Night is a novel adaptation of an award winning novel by Dennis Lehane. Live By Night takes us back during the Great Depression in U.S.  Even though the drugs are already illegal, this was also the time when liquor was also banned.

It was also a time for personalities like Joe Coughlin, played by Ben Affleck. During these times, criminals like Billy The Kid back in the Old West and notorious bank robbing couple Bonnie and Clyde are considered cult heroes during their time. Coughlin is only fictional and not on the same level as the famous bank robbers but he is considered an antihero long before there was no word to describe them.

Unlike any gangster movie, this is not just action-packed. It also has drama. Just like any American novel that spans years, it also involves history. It might also be a good TV series since it is an adaptation. But as a movie, it was done pretty well.

As a gangster drama, it was expected that the movie is male dominated but the women characters also shows a powerful role in the lives of the men. Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana and Elle Fanning did well on their characters. Who would have thought that the late 1920’s to 30’s can be sexy and appealing?

 

Photo credits: Warner Bros.

Chris Messina also played a good role as Coughlin’s right hand man. The author Lehane describe this character as a heavy man so Messina added more weight to play the part. This is how detailed the movie is from the book.

Behind the camera, Ben Affleck has done well in this movie as expected. He is just as good in acting as well as directing. He already had an Oscar when he first started in Good Will Hunting. Back then, he is starting to make a name in the movie industry. I also hope that Live By Night will get noticed just like his previous works The Town and Argo.

In my opinion, the character Joe Coughlin shows similarities with local gangster Asiong Salonga. Both are considered antiheroes but they are considered honorable personalities. Both of them have big roles in their communities they belonged to. I believe Filipino audiences should watch this movie.

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BEN AFFLECK IN “LIVE BY NIGHT”

Press release

BEN AFFLECK, A GANGSTER WITH A CONSCIENCE IN “LIVE BY NIGHT”

Two-time Academy Award-winner Ben Affleck – most recently seen in the critically praised The Accountant and in early 2016 playing crime fighting icon Batman/Bruce Wayne in the global blockbuster Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – now directs and stars in Warner Bros. Pictures' new gangster film Live by Night.

Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Affleck plays Joe Coughlin who went overseas to fight valiantly for his country, but quickly found himself utterly disillusioned by the war. He ultimately finds himself back home in, as he tells us, a life he didn’t expect…paying the price for the American dream.

“Joe fully acknowledges that he’s chosen to be an outlaw in a town run by gangsters, with the Irish and Italian mobs at war,” offers Affleck. “What I find most intriguing about him though is that, while he breaks the law and makes his own rules, it’s his own morality that prevents him from considering himself one of them, a gangster.”

But it’s Joe’s inherent sense of decency that could be his undoing.

For the ten years following the war, Joe Coughlin managed to live like an outlaw—under his policeman father’s roof, no less—before it all caught up to him. “The things that Joe witnessed as a soldier made him decide there wasn’t any meaning to the rules we follow in life, to playing it straight,” Affleck states. “He even sees the organized hierarchical nature of the gangster life as an equal anathema to the hierarchy of the military. He wants no part of that, no part of taking orders from anybody. He’s going to make his own rules.”

And he does so with a fair amount of success, so long as he keeps it, as Affleck describes, “small-time, running around with just two other guys and doing little stick-ups, that kind of thing.”

But it isn’t Joe’s distaste for authority, or even an ill-chosen robbery, that causes him to make his gravest error. It’s love. And it’s that singular emotion in its many forms—from passion to compassion—that will continue to be his downfall for years to come.

Live by Night was a true passion project for Affleck, who says, “As a filmmaker, this was a chance to pay homage to the classic Warner Bros. gangster movies of the 1930s through the `70s. I grew up watching them and they had an epic, sprawling feel that really took you into a different world, a different era.”

Affleck adapted the screenplay from author Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name; the two first collaborated when Affleck made his acclaimed directorial debut with his screen adaptation of Lehane’s crime thriller Gone, Baby, Gone. Lehane served as an executive producer on Live by Night.

As a lifelong film buff, Affleck posits that the story has all the tropes that made him a fan of the gangster genre in particular: beautiful women, dangerous men, cops, the mob, shootouts, car chases…the whole fiery, combustible mix. “As soon as I read Dennis’s book I knew that there was something there for anyone who just really likes to have a great time at the movies.”

Opening across the Philippines on January 18, 2017, Live By Night is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.