One of my FAVORITE movies and soundtracks.

By Michael Nyman

tracks posted in order.

Vermillion is the color of blood. The color of passion which took many lives. The dragon is a fierce fighter and protector, burning all its enemies; only to be reborn, like a phoenix.

This is an epic about court intrigue in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, which follows in part the Shakesperean "Hamlet" setup of a murderous uncle usurper Li (You Ge) and his duplicitous empress (Zhang Ziyi), with an angry yet distant, brooding prince Wu Luan(Daniel Wu).

The details and setting are different enough so that the new story carries its own weight and is interesting, however. The acting is strong, the martial arts scenes memorable, and the sets are fantastic! In the usual Chinese way of film making, COLOR is a big factor. In Hamlet, the theme color is black...death. Here, reds and blacks and whites. The Prince (and rightful heir) wears white -- purity of soul. Maiden Qing (Zhou Xun) also donned white -- purity of heart. Empress Wan, in red -- power, wealth, passion... and anger. The Emperor Li and his subordinates are in black, symbolizing what is evil and wrong.

This is not a fully realistic historical drama, by the way. Director Feng Xiaogang has crafted a modern art piece, highly stylized and not to mention perfectly choreographed in some parts, and often gory, especially the martial arts scenes, so if you can't stomach people flying and leaping from water and snow while disemboweling each other, skip it. Arterial spray galore (even in places where it shouldn't be there -- CSI mode). The highly artistic feel of the film is kept somewhat in check by the gritty, used, and sometimes decaying feel of the palace, and more so by the tight, sparse dialog, the drama and the tension of the story. Even the Mandarin was simplified (easy enough for me to somewhat understand even with minimal help from subtitles). Although following in the footsteps of highly stylized films like some of Zhang Yimou's, the focus returns very firmly to the story in this one, thankfully. Similarly, the stunning beauty of parts of the film is balanced by the unmitigated ambition of the characters and their other dark flaws.

These left the story with no single, simplified protagonist to cheer for – the very opposite of Hollywood formula. The supporting role played by Zhou Xun might be an exception, but she's the very image of innocence and purity to a fatal flaw, and you pity her more than rooting for her. The raw ambition, incestuous lust, jealous hate, betrayal and/or impotence darken nearly every character. While refreshingly different in this sense, it almost left me reaching for my goblet of hemlock. The Chinese title "Ye Yan" should have been translated as The Night Banquet rather than "The Banquet", as the climax occurs at a midnight banquet unwisely set by the emperor at an inauspicious time, and it would have better reflected the darkness of the film.

One factor in this film where is near perfection is the SOUND. Crispness and clarity are the only words to describe it. I have to give a two thumbs up for this film -- regardless of the other "professional" reviews out there.

Yet one question remains unanswered by the end of the film:


Who Killed Empress Wan?

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Dead Man's Chest

The second installment of PoTC leads the pack of trilogies that'll air this 2006-2007. In the theater, I don't know whether I'll be excited to watch the movie or catch the Spider-Man 3 teaser trailer lol. But anyway, initially, I am there for Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp. I exited the theather thinking that I was there for all of the characters.

PoTC2 wasn't much about the story. There is a story: pirates and Davy Jones, the Cracken, Flying Dutchman and of course, the Black Pearl. Oh yeah, Elizabeth and Will getting married and all that; what is a love story if there is no triangle? *winkwink* The Flying Dutchman reminds me of SpongeBob hahahahahah. And in all the years I've known who (or what) Davy Jones is, never in my imagination did I picture something like that. Lol...

Johnny Depp is Captain Jack Sparrow. Nobody will ever play him like he does. I'm not seeing PoTC like Star Wars, where 10years since the last movie comes out, a set of prequel movies will be made. He's in his usual Jack Sparrow drunken - sometimes schizo - self. Nothing new on his character.

There is a huge improvement -- more like improvements -- on Will Turner (Orlando Bloom). I also some improvement on Orlando's acting per se. Will's character is more of a leader in this movie. He has powerful lines and scenes in his own and unlike in "Kingdom of Heaven", Orli assumed this position quite well. I was more comfortable watching him as Will the leader than as Balian. He makes us laugh too a couple of times. Didn't know Orli had it in him to do soft comedy. A little skin exposure is good too.

Keira Knightly is young. Her portrayal of Miss Swann in the last movie made her look 30years older. On this one, the 20-something came through. She's like a kid, free from the corsets, petticoats, heels and gowns. Armed with two swords and a gun, she reminds me of Legolas.... light and thin and agile. And she's a *bad girl*.

The secondary characters (there are quite a lot) are more entertaining than the primary characters. The two pirates previously under Barbossa's wing are now on Sparrow's side and the thin one with the removable eye is such a laughtrip! He recounts the happenings for the other Black Pearl members and for the viewers as well.

The other characters: Davy Jones, Bootstrap Bill (yes, William Turner, Sr.), the general something -- do have shallow storylines for now. Yes, save it for the third installment. Several familiar faces are back but the two that made me soooo excited for the third movie were Norrington and Barbossa himself! Five seconds of screentime was enough to make me itch for PoTC3.

Tip: Before watching PoTC2, do watch the first movie. Or else, you won't understand the significance of some of the characters and you will not feel half of the excitement. I remember the girl sitting beside me going, "Who's that? What is he doing there? Anong nangyari? (What happened)." Poor girl, you could've enjoyed the movie if you only watched the first one before spending P90.

Complaint/s: I could understand the lack of richness in the story and the abundance of loose ends in the ending. My only complaint is there are scenes (especially with the Cracken) that are confusing. There are a lot of things going on at one time. And usually, these scenes were a tad too long; it got kind of boring. But once you get over that, it's a fun movie.

As the movie ended, a lot of questions rose. It's like the Matrix Reloaded, starts with something -- no ending. It left you hanging. Thus saying that in order to understand the last movie, you have to have watched this one. Or else, PoTC3 wouldn't make sense. Orlando is the master of trilogies; it's official. Especially of the trilogies-you-have-to-watch-from-first-movie-to-the-third. :D

Rating: ****1/2

Normally, I would start out a movie review with a line that struck me. Like "It all comes down to what you believe in," or "I want a life that is mine." But this movie, surprisingly had minimum dialogue.

Superman aka Clark Kent 'comes back' to Earth after 5years of 'soul searching' -- well, actually searching for his roots, his planet. Then when he came back, a lot have changed. He still has his job at the Daily Planet, but Lois Lane has a kid, not married. *Assume, engaged. Clark gets hurt (but the actor's face doesn't show much of it), and tries to tassel back together the threads he left behind. Lois rejects the communication and denies that she wants the gap to be filled. Hmmm...maybe it is already filled.

Anyway, is it coincidence -- because just when Clark Kent comes back, Superman comes back with him. Did they notice that or pretend they didn't? Haahahha, nevermind that.

A few familiar faces: Lex is still Kevin Spacey. The EIC of the Daily Planet is played by the same person. The 'side-kick' of Clark... I saw him on CSI:NY once. And would I forget -- Brandon Routh can be a twin brother to the late Chris Reeve.

Somebody out of place: Lois Lane.... Kate Bosworth. First of all, this is a totally an unbiased review on her performance as well as on the movie. Second, I watched three of her movies, including this -- and ONLY ONCE did she deliver. This is not that movie. Finally, and least of all... I do not like her. She's not that good of an actress to take on big and rather iconic roles.

I cannot complain on the special effects and the music (NOT the noise). Bravo on those aspects. My complaints lie on the basic storyline, the execution and the sound editing (yes, the noise). For the first half of the movie, I advice you bring something to put in your ears to block the shrill sounds of noise. It's not pleasurable, believe me. Too loud, too high-pitched, short enough to irritate but not long enough to tolerate.

SPOILER ALERT
On to the storyline, er.... yeah. Okay is the most appropriate word for it. It was just okay. Nothing stellar about it. The single most interesting element on the storyline is the kid. Clark Kent has a kid? No. Superman has a kid! Imagine that! Some part in the viewer should figure this out early in the movie. That is, iff you're really into it -- not just there watching for the sake of it. If you haven't... then, well, *the gods will curse me if I type it here*.

The ending was heartwarming. Amidst the SFX and the action and stuff, this is by far one of the best scenes in the film. After Lois whisper to a Superman-in-coma 'something' -- he recovers. And that night, Superman visits his son and has a one-way heart-to-heart with him, teary-eyed and all (geez, that was hypen-laden lol). That reduced me to mush..... I'm still gushing about that one scene as I type this out. For that reason, I want to watch it again.

I would gladly recommend this for both Superman fanatics and non-fans alike. I'm not so much on Superman but I enjoyed this movie very much. Sans the noise and Bosworth lol. You'll walk away from this movie thinking...

Christopher Reeve lives on!

PS: Can I add that Brandon Routh is so damn hot? Well-defined but not model-ish-y. Too bad he's attached..... Lol.

"Silent Hill! Silent Hill!!"

Oh how I love the moviehouses here in the Philippines. The ones in the malls, I mean. Because unlike the ones in the States, they let you stay as long as you want and watch the movie as many times as you want. So you can start your movie in the middle and stay althroughout the end, then stay longer to catch the beginning. If you want, you can stay up until you've watched the movie twice or more.... like what I did!

Finally, I got to catch Silent Hill in the cinema. I sorta cheated because I bought a pirated VCD the day before the Philippine premier. Yet, for some reason... I didn't watch it. My conscience got the better of me... hahaha...! Well, I started watching the first 5 minutes of VCD1 -- but when I heard the coughing and the crunching of popcorn in the background, I stopped. Lolz.

Anyway, I've been a fan of the KONAMI game ever since the first one came out. I remember, it was on the PSX/PSone console and my dad and I would play it together. More like he controls the guy on-screen and I figure out the puzzles. It's one of the damn scary games I've ever seen and/or played. Scarier than the Resident Evil franchise even. *Resident Evil movies sucked baaaaad!* And it's just Silent Hill 1 vs. the whole RE games.

"Silent Hill" the movie is a page (or a slide) out of the 3rd game. It had a female hero and this movie has a female protagonist: Rose da Silva. She and her husband Christopher (Sean Bean *is love*)have an adopted daugher named Sharon. She (Sharon) sleepwalks and dreams about this place called Silent Hill. It's an abandoned town cut off from civilization because "coal fires kept burning underground," they say. The town became deserted when a local cult burned down a hotel and then strange things started happening.

Rose wanted to find a 'cure' for Sharon's strange sleepwalking. So she decided to actually go to Silent Hill, West Virginia. She drives there with her daughter against her husband's wishes and gets into a car crash. Whilst getting away from a police officer that stopped her just at the fork to Silent Hill, she sped away and ran over what she thought was a girl....

Her car crashes and when she wakes up, her daughter's gone and there's snow everywhere. She's in the town Silent Hill and it's deserted. Snow all around -- it's not actually white snowy snow (huh?) -- it's ash falling from the sky. Rose runs around the place until she sees Dahlia... a deranged woman. She shows Dahlia a picture of Sharon and immediately the other woman starts attacking her. Escaping, she ran back to her car and tried calling Christopher.

The police officer caught up with her again; for those who play the games, it's still Cybil. She met an accident while following Rose so she walked up to Silent Hill. At first Cybil arrests Rose for resisting arrest (how redundant) but then realizes that there is something wrong in the town.

They follow a 'girl' -- more like chase her -- all around the town, to the school, a hotel, a hospital and a church. The find more 'living' people in the town. In her search of Sharon, Rose ventured deeper in the secrets of Silent Hill. She finds out the truth and where Sharon is, etc. Then she finally drives out of Silent Hill with Sharon.... leaving it forever behind her.... or so she thought.

If you are not a SH gamer, you'll overlook the little things: Why did Cybil's radio and Rose's cellphone went crazy when they saw fiends? Why are their pictures on the ground? Why a school? A hospital? A hotel? A church? What's with the keys? Those things would not make sense if you have no idea what the game is all about. Plus, you would not question why Cybil died. Lolz (I always end with the good ending.)

A SH player, you'll love the movie's attention to detail. From the mesh fencing, to the toppled over baby carriages, the 'snow', starting off in a diner/bowling alley, the road cut-off, the radio going crazy, and the effect of the Darkness. And if you usually end with the good ending, you'll protest as to why Cybil died. Hahahaha....

As much as I would prefer a male lead on this, (because Sean Bean is LOVE)Australian Rhada Mitchell did a good job on this one. Cool clothes hahaha... and a right amount of screaming. Good acting. As for Mr.LOVE... not enough of him, but I don't care. He can't get away with the accent though. Another guy that I recognized, a CSI:NY detective -- the episode where Danny and Aiden solved a fetish-related case. Hahaha, Kim Coates. Nothing about him, apart from him being an obnoxious detective again. The girl who played Sharon and the devil 'girl' was nice! Great acting especially with the "possession" scene.

One part of the story/movie that I fell in love with is the editing in once scene. In the school, Christopher and Detective Gucci (Coates) were looking for Rose. In Rose's Silent Hill (foggy and ashen), she's running for her life. They chance to be in the same spot (bay of lockers) but they don't see each other. Chris' scene was daytime, Rose's nighttime. Very seamless and if you look closely, you'll understand the logic behind it - why it was done in that fashion. This great editing extends even towards the end.

The only complaint I have -- the sound is tooooooo loud at some points. Shrieking, booming, crashing, banging.... not to mention the people around you screaming. Hahahaha.... it's not even THAT scary. Lolz.

Like always, I found several points where I can refer to LOTR trilogy. I saw the "Balrog of Morgoth", "Denethor's Death Pyre" and not to mention "Boromir" haha.

"Silent Hill" is not exactly your petrifying scary movie. It's more like a psychological thriller. Case in point, the ending. You might think Rose and Sharon parked their Jeep at their home and saw Christopher sleeping on the couch waiting for them. But no; notice that in Rose's POV, it's foggy. And Christopher's is all clear and raining. Rose didn't see Chris sleeping on the sofa and Chris didn't see Rose nor Sharon in the home but the door is open. Sharon had a sinister look in her eye as she walked through the foggy house. It'll be easier to understand if you'll see the movie. (I just gave away some of the ending... sorta.)

It's worth your while. Make sure you eat first then watch it. Eating in the cinema while watching SH is not practical. You'll be drawn into the story. Be a SH gamer or not, I recommend it.

Mission Accomplished!
I was allowed to watch "The Da Vinci Code" the Movie.

No special story behind me being able to buy a ticket. Scare them with a UP Identification Card and have your Mom vouch for you -- that's all you need.

Anyway... er -- maybe I spoke against the R-18 rating too soon. After watching it, I sort of agree with it, quite frankly. Let's face it, the thought of blood, pain and controversy can raise some flags. And not all people aged 18 and above are capable of comprehending these things; there are some 'minors' out there that are 'adult enough' (if there is such a thing) and will be able to understand the things said on the movie. But the thing is... for everyone's safety (I think), R18's ok.

No, I'm not foaming on the mouth, brainwashed and praising trees and the stars. It all comes down to what you believe in, said Robert Langdon. And I believe that the book as well as the movie are FICTION.

Fiction is the term used to describe works of the imagination. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction

It just so happens that Dan Brown has a very outrageous imagination backed up by years and years of research, related literature, studies, factual organizations, places and very convincing wordplay. Pair that with the mastery of Ron Howard and the great cast, the movie becomes almost a carbon copy tie-in.

The movie starts out as in the book, in the Louvre, Jacques Saunier on the run from the albino monk Silas (Paul Bettany yum!). Both characters were introduced quickly and early which set a fast pace for the whole film. Silas asks - Saunier 'buckles' - Silas shoots - Saunier does his final thing. After that, we go to Robert Langdon's (Tom Hanks) lecture... which was like reading it out from the book. The scriptwriter had minimal work on this scene and so many others. After Langdon, into the Louvre with Bezu Fache (Jean Reno) and to the crime scene. The telling of the writings on the floor and Saunier's body was quite good, not too long and more or less complete. Like all others, Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tatou) was introduced quickly. She was there right away, the first 10-15mins of the film, no explanations. Again, the voice mail scene was like an exact cut-out from the book.

After that, they decided to press fast-forward. Instead of being meticulous with how it happened, the 'passing on the key' scene came and went, no explanations as to why that painting or in what circs they were in. I was sort of waiting for the description of the "Madonna on the Rocks" but oh well... that will do. Not much explanation on the Priory of Sion as well. Minus points, that is.

Who knew they can insert some GTA driving action in the movie? And I WANT A SMARTCAR! It's the cutest thing since cuteness! That Neveu woman is one heck of a driver. The following scenes - getting the keystone from the bank, being transported in the armored truck - pages fresh out from the book. They even included the mundane things... do all truck drivers wear expensive Rolex watchest?

Fast-forward once more to Chateau Vilette. Ah, Sir Ian McKellen. Gandalf. Magneto. Sir Leigh Teabing. The questions he asked Langdon before entering his chateau where... er... wrong. But all the answers are Brown's own words -- thank you, scriptwriter. Then the whole conversation about the Priory of Sion, Jesus having a 'companion', Mary Magdalene's tainted reputation as a harlot being a deed of the Church, pagan symbols for male and female.... and the analysis of Da Vinci's "Last Supper". I call that the Archie moment. (Watch the movie to see what I mean.) We see Silas again here.

So okay, (I'm going way too fast here) they're on the run again. Now, they're in England. On the way there, Sir Leigh tried opening the cryptex (the keystone from the bank), trying different 5-letter words. Until Langdon.... uh, words again straight from the book takes "under the rose" literally and discovers yet another clue. This takes them to a temple and then a staged hostage scene in exchange for the keystone. Blah... blah. (Just read the book).

As it ends, there's no more surprises and such. Like I said, scriptwriters were of no help. It all came down to the actor's performances. And good, they delivered. The total turn-around of Fache was one of the best moments, IMO, in the film. It came as a total shock to the people in the cinema when it was Sir Leigh that was arrested, not Sophie nor Langdon.

One more great moment.... the no-dialogue montage while Langdon was solving the cryptex riddle. APPLE. Very clever, both on Brown's side and the moviemaker's. Fast-forward one more time and then Sophie and Langdon are in Roslin church. They follow the riddle and find Mary Magdalene's former 'last resting place'. Of course, it won't be a Ron Howard movie without rising action shocker. In the movie (and in the book), it reveals why Sophie... Princesse Sophie. I think at this point, this scene's content is where the MTRCB and church organizations got their panties in a bunch for.

Then comes my favorite scene. Where is Mary Magdalene's sarcophagus now? Very ingenious on print but on film, oh goodness! The magic of computer technologies this day. That final scene almost reduced me to tears! IT WAS THAT GOOD!

Over-all, it is worth the watch -- whether you read the book or not. It all comes down to what you believe in. Keep in mind that it is fiction -- no more, no less. Yes, you can go to Louvre and Roslin and there is such a thing as Opus Dei. But religion and religious belief had ages to be learnt and written and studied. Why would you let a new book ruin all of that?

Just two glitches: Albinos eyes are pink or red, right? Silas had blue eyes. And uh... where's the part where Sophie asks Langdon out on a date? Hahhaahha..... the romantic in me got hungry. Lolz...

Everytime I watch something religious, there is always something gory in them...

I guess, that's one of the reasons for the R18 rating. When Silas was using "The Discipline", it was almost too painful to watch. The thing on his thigh, I imagined something similar but what they showed in the movie... was sumthin' else. Ouch!

And oh, would I forget a "Lord of the Rings" reference? Apart from Iam McKellen.... remember the 'Battle At Pelennor Fields' sequence -- with the catapults and towers and such? Well, they have those here too.

Six degrees of separation. Ian McKellen played Gandalf in LOTR which also starred Orlando Bloom as Legolas. Orli starred as Balian in "Kingdom of Heaven" which showed the Knights Templar and the equal-armed cross. The Knights Templar was mentioned in the Da Vinci Code movie which starred Jean Reno. He was in the movie "Ronin" with Sean Bean. Sean Bean was also in LOTR with McKellen who also plays Magneto in the X-Men movies. X-Men is a Marvel comic as well as Spider-Man. Spider-Man stars Tobey Maguire whose girlfriend is a big Constantine Maroulis fan. Constantine Maroulis looks like a younger Gary Sinise. Gary starred alongside Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump" and "Apollo13". Tom Hanks played Robert Langdon in the new movie, "The Da Vinci Code".

Boy, that was long...