QUEZON City, Philippines – Grossing $509 million worldwide, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the fifth highest- grossing film of 2017. And it’s all thanks to baby Groot. Ever since the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie was shown in 2014, Marvel fanatics have been anticipating its follow-up. And the sequel has pretty big shoes to fill because the first movie has that perfect measure of camp, cheesiness and comedy plus lots of amazing […]
Tag: movie review
Humanity, identity, technology – my review of “Ghost in the Shell”
QUEZON City, Philippines (April 10) – What will happen if you take a human brain and transplant it inside an artificial body? That is the profound question asked by the American science fiction/action film “Ghost in the Shell.” Based on the Japanese media franchise of the same name, “Ghost in the Shell” is set in the future. If you are imagining a future that is bright and shiny, you are wrong. In this movie, the […]
Heptapods and Tao Tie – the aliens have arrived!
QUEZON City, Philippines (February 7) – Aliens are among us! Or at least in our movies. 2017 brings two movies about extraterrestrials in the Philippine movie screens! First off is “The Great Wall”, directed by Zhang Yimou of “House of Flying Daggers” fame. It tells the tale of the Nameless Order in its war against the Tao Tie – a war that is waged every 60 years. Hey, you know the drill. Here be spoilers! […]
La La Land – a movie that sings its way to our hearts
QUEZON City, Philippines (February 6) – La La Land is truly the most successful movie of the year. Even though 2017 has barely started, the movie already bagged major awards and nominations from some of the most prestigious award-giving bodies, including the Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards. The film is also expected to win an Oscar after earning 14 nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards! Even if you haven’t watched the film […]
Tasty trolls, shape-shifting tricksters and a singing competition – 2016’s last movie offering for the young ones
QUEZON City, Philippines (January 23) – It may have its ups and downs but 2016 ended on a good note for the kids with three awesome movies which debuted on its last quarter. The last quarter of the year gave us tasty trolls, shape-shifting tricksters and a singing competition! You know the drill, beware of spoilers! First off in the list is “Trolls”! Starring Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake, the movie was released by Dreamworks […]
Relatively stranded – my review of “Passengers”
QUEZON City, Philippines (January 9) – Anyone with a basic grounding on astronomy and – I don’t know – physics knows that space travel takes a very long time. The distance between stars is measured by light-years – that is how many years light will take to reach that particular stellar object. And as we wannabe physics buff know – light is the fastest object in the universe. That is why sci-fi films usually invoke […]
If a Legilimens looked inside my head during “Fantastic Beasts…”
QUEZON City, Philippines (November 23) – Finally, the long awaited movie of the year has arrived. Ever since teasers were released back in 2015, every Potterite, Potterhead and whatever you call die-hard Harry Potter fans have been waiting at the edge of their seats for “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”. As every Potter fan will know, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is one of the textbooks used by students of Hogwarts. […]
Mirror worlds and other dimensions – my review of Doctor Strange
QUEZON City, Philippines (November 7) – As origin stories go, Doctor Strange can be counted as one of the best that Marvel has come up with. Of all of the Marvel Universe characters, Doctor Strange can be considered as the most esoteric, delving into the ancient philosophies as well as concepts like parallel universes, time-space continuum and others, more than enough to make an ordinary movie goer’s nose bleed. But kudos to the filmmakers! They managed […]
Will you ride the “Train to Busan”?
QUEZON City, Philippines (September 8) – At the risk of sounding like an unabashed Koreanophile (which I am not categorically denying), “Train to Busan” is one of the top must-see movies of 2016. Unlike other anticipated films (*cough* Suicide Squad *cough*), “Train to Busan” or to give its proper Korean title “Busanhaeng” made its premiere silently. It was part of the Midnight Screening section of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival which was held in May 13. […]
Hype and the Squad – my review of “Suicide Squad”
QUEZON City, Philippines – Grossing $267.1 million worldwide on its first weekend alone, Suicide Squad proves the power of hype and the advantage of having well-edited trailers. I admit I have been waiting for it, too. Ever since Warner Bros. released the film’s first trailer in the San Diego Comic Con last year, I have waited with bated breath. And I am not alone, millions all over the world expressed the same sentiment. Then came the trailer […]
How dare you! (My “Nerve” movie review)
QUEZON City, Philippines (August 2) – Although I’m a fan of Emma Roberts, that’s not the sole reason why I watched Nerve. Mobile devices, social media and now augmented reality. These developments have great impact in our daily lives. And it can also blur the lines between reality and fiction. Nerve explores the possibilities offered by these developments. Imagine a game seen and watched by millions. A game that can be seen and watched anywhere and […]
Daniel Radcliffe is not a wizard! – my review of “Now You See Me 2”
QUEZON City, Philippines (June 20) – After three years, the Four Horsemen are back in action! They are more than ready to astound the world with their reality-defying magical acts but Daniel Radcliffe stands in their way. And – to be clear – Daniel Radcliffe is no wizard in this. He is actually the stark opposite! “Now You See Me 2” boasts of a stellar cast, with the likes of Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Dave […]





