London has fallen

London has Fallen is a film about Chief Security Officer of the United States ensuring that the U.S. President stays alive while London is being terrorized.

The degree of violence on film truly has escalated.  But the story line of the typical American Cinema remains the same.  It contained the usual order - disorder - order restored scenario and the action-oriented scenes. At the helm of the action is protagonist who is supposed to win over all odds, a typical superhero who cannot be wounded, and who can attain his goal at all costs.

Undeniably, one's unquestionable commitment is to ones country and all that it represents.  This is what America stands even when faced with tyranny.  But much more that country affiliation is the advocacy to peace, respect and solidarity among countries.  There could not be any space for violence of any kind.  Humankind's history is marred with so much death and violence because of selfish powers that want to propagate themselves.  It's time to choose the greater good - the
good of all humanity.

Rating: 3 / 5

Hercules

Hercules is a film about a demigod who assists a displaced king against a tyrant.

There are many flaws in the story such that Hercules is relegated to a simple name.  The story line,  dialogue, and choice of characters put a dent to the plausibility the whole film.  Hercules is a name by itself and so is Dwayne Johnson.  But they don't quite go together.

Hercules depicts man's interior strength and his capacity to fight all odds.  But better be sure that whatever strength we have as men/women, we may use it not for evil but for good.  The real strength of man is if he can place himself in the service of righteousness.

Rating: 3/5

The Heat

The Heat is a film about 2 seemingly opposite characters who became the best of friends.

Of course with the Hollywood style nothing could go wrong.  This film presents the most typical of conventions - script, beats, acts, etc., all except the main characters - Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.  Here are two women with the strength of a man.  Moreover, the dashes of comedy make The Heat a truly entertaining film.

Much more that conventions and role reversals, the film strives to enunciate friendship, life's true worth not in power but in self-dedication, and of course, love for family.  Enjoy watching!

Rating: 3.5/5

Man of Steel

Man of Steel is a story of a man who searches for his identity and makes proper use of this to win against the nemesis.

The animation is none like it!  No episodes of artistic portrayal or slow motions.  Everything is done fast paced.  I would consider noble the life-like portrayal of battles and destruction that leaves out nothing for the imagination.  The animated special effects plus the icon of Superman making itself alive in today's times are all meant to visualize in the mind, boost and perpetuate what is basically the American myth - invincible, confident, and and inherently gifted with the sense of righteousness coming from of old.

Undeniably, everyone would amazed at the feat of Superman.  All will fall in love with him.  But it is worth reminding ourselves that the gift of righteousness and courage is not what is out there but in each one of us.  This very identity that makes us human can also be our base to search for what is truly divine in us all - our capacity to change the world for good until we recognize the ultimate goodness that comes from on high.

rating: 3.5/5

Resident Evil: Retribution

Resident Evil: Retribution's particular episode is a woman partnering with her nemesis to counteract a computer virus that has gone global.

Of course we would expect that Alice (Milla Jovovich) would again triumph no matter how impossible it may seem.   The traces of apocalyptic film are in here - evil has taken over and it needs even the collaboration of her enemies to counteract the real enemy.

Is there an end to evil?  Is there are definitive and final confrontation between the forces of good and evil?  In this film, we should expect the good to triumph over evil, but how long?  How many episodes would still be produced or are the filmmakers feasting over the unconscious fears of people?

Whatever the answer may be, good has triumphed over evil 2000 years ago.  But the battle still remains in the hearts of each person.  It is up to us to know whose side we are on.

Rating: 3/5

Cats and dogs: the revenge of Kitty Galore

Cats and dogs: the revenge of Kitty Galore is a digitally animated film about cats and dogs banding together to thwart Kitty Galore's plan to rule the world.

In the world of animation: there's no end to surprises, tricks, and entertainment.  Fantasy is wild.  Yet, underneath it is the world of human ingenuity raring to express itself to everyone, children and adults alike.  Yup, the children are entertained in this wholesome action movie.

Cats and dogs movie also explores the world of unity amidst differences; may it be races, creed, or biological classifications as cats and dogs!  We can be united to fight a common enemy lingering, i.e. the selfish character.  Good still triumphs over evil in a definitive way and friendships save the day.

Rating: 3.5/5

Expendables

Expendables is a story of a man who wishes to free a revolutionary fighter in another country.

Using well-known actors as Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, and Jason Statham among others, its box office success is undeniable.  Its special effects and actions stunts are competitive, and its script is realistic.

However, undeniably, films produced nowadays trivialize violence and its effects over the unsuspecting viewers.   The values of justice and friendship are laid in the background.   It may well signal the beginning of the death of the audience's moral sensibilities in watching these high-level action packed films.

Rating: 2.5/5

Salt

Salt is a film about a woman of the CIA who avenges the death of her husband.

The world of action films again amazes us, much more if the action figure is a woman!  Angelina Jolie is well-established this genre.  I believe that the film is geared to produce a second part.

This is a world of spy films where the desire is to retaliate against another country.  But at the expense of using people and brainwashing them?  Sooner of later, suspicions will have to be replaced by collaboration and sharing.  The only thing left for the moment is an adherence to truth and honest living.  Vengeance is still an unacceptable alternative to life.

Rating:  2.5/5

Knight and Day

Knight and Day is a story of a woman whose peaceful life is disturbed tremendously by a mystery man and wants to know who he is.

This action film and love story combined qualifies only as an entertainment film that doesn't need much thinking about.  It may be set in some exotic country but it failed to give enough substance toward a credible plot.

Could acts of violence be justified under any circumstance?  Probably, but only in the act of self-defense.  But to make this the very theme of the movie and to orient an innocent into this world is something else.In this world only the strong and powerful survives.  Enjoy the movie only because of its entertainment value.

Rating: 2.5/5

The A-team

The A-team is a film about the U.S. rangers who are out to do impossible missions and come out alive!

Of course, being a remake of the of a popular TV series of the same title, this film delivers a lot of hot actions and digital animation.  The script does not call for any depth; yet it satisfies audience curiosity of a credible plot.  Overall, this film is entertaining.

The A-team can be considered a remnant of the American superhero mentality where characters get bruised but don't die from a great fall or from the bullet of a gun.

Secondly,  it maybe giving a skewed message of embracing violence as better alternative than peace and non-violence.  But can a show of force be justified under any circumstance?  In this paradigm, a sense of moral upbringing of persons may be irrelevant; only power rules.  The audience should be aware of the message this film brings to them.

Rating: 3/5

Killers

Killers is a film about an assassin who wants to starts life anew with the woman of his dreams but ends up dragging her in the dark secrets of his past.

The twists in the story seems to be so zany it's believable and entertaining.  It just seemed that Ashton Kutcher is playing the role of a teenage heartthrob rather than an action star.  Nevertheless, the characters generally are apt for their job to bring the film to the level of comedy.

Beyond the zany plot lies a simple reality: Crime doesn't pay.  But there's something much more to it: Love conquers all.  Finally, give a person a chance to change.

Rating: 3.5/5

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Prince of Persia is a story of a street boy - turned prince who discovers the power of the magic dagger and protects it from getting into the wrong hands.

While it may be true other actors would play Dastan's role better than Jake Gyllenhaal, Prince of Persia still merits joining the high-budgeted computer-animated action-adventure films.  The script is also compelling; there is sense in joining the characters' quest to protect the dagger at all costs.

In real life, we may never turn back the hands of time; that is why prudence and the wisdom of the ages count a lot in making wise decisions.   We may also use the present to undo the harmful things we've done in the past and the future to instill a ray of hope the we can do something to change this world for good.

Rating: 4/5

KIck-Ass

Kick-Ass is a story about a boy who wants to be a superhero but ends up in a super-messy situation.

An apocalyptic film that focuses on destruction of the present paradigm, its language eventually demythologizes the sensationalized, dazzling world of superheroes.  Actually, this film has something it needs to deliver its message in a very compelling way.

Although Kick-Ass is an eye-opener to people who are so enamored with the fictionalized world of superheroes, it may also have created its own destructive world - where children are abused and exposed to violence, where brutality has its place in the world, and where human dignity is relegated to zero level.  True, anything is possible nowadays, but not at the expense of human dignity.  This film is not EVER recommended for the youth; nor it is for people who simply seek to be entertained.  It contains a huge degree of violence, physical, psychological, and moral.

Rating: 1.5/5

Robin Hood (2010)

Robin Hood is a film about an outlaw and how he came to be one.

The script was well-written; the special effects were seamless; the whole story was engaging. The challenge is to bring out a legend to visual imagery. Now it is not important whether a story is fact or fiction; more important is the meaning they give to the audience watching the film and the social identity it tries to create.

Robin Hood is not just about a legendary figure robbing the rich to give to the poor. It is a story about gallantry, integrity, honesty, and nobility. The only conflict is still the age-old question of justifying thievery because of corruption, injustice, or social imbalance. Only a discerning audience would be able to judge whether in the gamut of human realities, a moral action is justified. In the case of Robin Hood, it may seem so.

Rating: 3/5

Ironman 2

Ironman 2 is a film about a man who, in possessing an iron suit, is the subject of threats from his competitors.

Hollywood cinema has never failed to unleash its creativity in digital animation to tickle the audience.  It is more imaginative, more fantastic than real live drama of human characters.  It visualizes anything the mind can think of.  So, everyone's asking, "After digital animation, what's next?"

Can weapons of destruction be used to maintain peace?  The film seems to be telling us that it is so.  But this kind of outlook further propagates violence and power through arms.  In this case, you are relying on a Superhero and place your whole life to trust him to take of you.  We just want to bring out the fact that it takes the whole population to bring the world at peace through dialogue and understanding.  Unless this is so, just enjoy the film for its entertainment value.

Rating: 3/5

Avatar

Avatar is an semi-animated film about a man who has to fill up the shoes of his twin brother to manage his avatar as he enters into a new world and learn its culture.

The most significant thing is how the script develops to make you glued to your seat in a span of three hours. There wasn't any dull moment with Avatar. The animated world blended seamlessly with the real world, thus, enmeshing these two. The digital world definitely awakens the viewer that the film he is watching could not be real. But he is left to look for any resonance of the film with the real life.

Many other "alien" films are produced with this kind of theme, i.e., picturing the humans' inhumanity and the aliens' innocence. These films pose a challenge to us, "What have we done to our own world?" We may have gone a long way in advancing technology, but we haven't become more humane. Unless we change our outlook, our world may actually disintegrate and die, leaving the next generation to suffer extinction and decay.

Rating: 5/5

2012

2012 is a film about the impending doom of the earth and how man desperately tries to survive it to the point of killing others.

This film is a combination of a classic Hollywood-style that seeks a good ending and an apocalyptic film that aims to destroy all conventions. It is digitally animated and destroys buildings and states. But while the whole world is being destroyed to pieces, the people still continue to communicate via cellphone, making the film too incredible and impossible.

2012 is not a film about the end of the world. Rather, it is a film about the beginning of real life. We have created so much that add to the destruction of things - sinful unmarried relationships, selfish lifestyles, etc. But the characters have valuable realizations in the course of the film. Unfortunately, the film tackles only the human perspective. Only God is the ultimate source of life. He destroys so he can start building again.

Rating: 3/5

G-force

Get ready for 4 rodents who are out to save the world!

Excellent animation! It is blended seamlessly with real characters and scenes. But the film is lacking in believable "real characters", creatures far surpassed the acting abilities of the live characters. Nevertheless, the story is believable and capable to tickling the audience's fancies.

The film centers around the issue of family more than functions and performances. The heart is far more important than any of these.

Rating: 4/5

G.I. Joe: The rise of the cobra

G.I. Joe: the rise of the cobra is a story of a special Battalion capable of fighting the enemy using the latest state-of-the-art artillery.

The action is just "ka-boom!", from one action to another; the story doesn't seem to end. The script is tailored for children, that is why the plot is simple. The key to fast-paced action is computer animation - the most impossible tasks come to life. The sound adds up to the feeling of realism of this science fiction fantasy film.

With this film, nothing is left to the imagination. But there probably might too much of this so-called "action", as if everything is pushed to the limitless sphere of violence and death. There is no entertainment, just plain violence and death. It desensitizes children to the world of gruesome death. If that is the filmmaker's orientation, too bad for our children to loose their childhood simply because of this nonsense action-packed film. Let us warn them that there is nothing glamorous about violent deaths and wars; life is much precious than these.

Rating: 2.5/5

Ice Age 3: dawn of the dinasours

This is the third sequel about a set of prehistoric animals on a quest to save their friend in the land of the dinosaurs.

The comedy is exquisite, the animation is superb, the script is simple to behold, and the characters as engaging as ever. The producers have perfected the craft of improving them in animation as well as character development.

Loyalty to friendships has always been the theme of this movie, but so too are love and concern for others, especially not of their kind. This is generally a feel-good movie for children, so enjoy!

Rating: 3.5/5