Slumdog Millionaire, Marley& Me, Yes Man, Bedtime Stories & The Haunting of Molly Hartley
Which to watch, which to avoid like the plague, and which to watch out of loyalty
WATCH
Slumdog Millionaire
The Golden Globe win roused my curiosity, because I'm sure everyone's asking how the heck did a bunch of nobodies win over Leonardo DiCaprio, right? Well, as it turns out, the movie isn't half so bad. It ain't bad at all. Compared to other Bollywood movies I was forced to watch, this one was entirely watchable, and never cringe-worthy. I guess, it's not even Bollywood really. The director was entirely western, anyhow. The story is about a young boy who was suspected of cheating onIndia's Who Wants To Be a Millionaire TV quiz show. How can a boy from the slums know so much, they say. I liked the way the story was told, how they took each question from the quiz show as a way to flashback into Jamal's past. I also liked the grittiness of the settings captured on film. India looks a lot like Manila, if you ask me. And the dancing didn't come until after the whole movie was over. So of course, it was tongue-in-cheek, and i didn't hate it.
.
I think Filipinos will like this movie, if they sit through it. There's a lot of things to relate to. I'm not saying though that it's an exceptional film. Just good. Just watch.
.
If You're a Fan...
That's the only reason to watch these films:
.
Yes Man
What if a man who keeps saying no, learn to say yes all the time?
-
Aside from the fact that you have to be supremely stupid to even consider saying yes to everything, this movie wasn't as rotten egg-ish as recent Carey movies I tried to watch. For one, I managed to reach the end without puking or thinking he's such an OA bastard. Well, he's still OA, but because the premise is ridiculous, it's somehow forgiveable he acts so deranged. And it does have its moment, case in point, I laughed when I realized that he was ACTUALLY gonna sing "Jumper" by Third Eye Blind to the man wanting to commit suicide. It's soooo corny, and contrived, but it tickled me because I never thought learning to play one guitar song will help anybody at all. And I like the song. So watch if you're one of those strange people who actually like Jim Carrey. I can't lambast you for it, because this one is okay to me. :)
.
Bedtime Stories
When I was younger, I was on Team Sandler. C'mon, Big Daddy was a laugh and 50 First Dates was a sweetie. But now, I'm realizing, geez, I'm getting tired of this guy. Did anybody ever really liked Zohan?
.
Bedtime Stories though brings us back to the realm of childhood, and it really is a movie for kids or adults who think like kids... in a bad way. Y'know, the self-absorbed kind? Anyhow, I wish I can say something bad about the movie, because at least I'd know it left an impression on me. This one was just, ooookay, if you know what i mean. It also gave me the feeling that it was like the story (and soon to be released in the Phils movie) Inkheart on Juice and Ecstasy.
What's it about? Somestuff. Watch it? Um, yeah. Like it? Um, guesso?
.
Marley & Me
I fell in love with Owen Wilson ever since I watched him singing "Sexual Healing" on of those forgettable agent movies. I guess I still like him because I endured watching the movie. Although it also did feel like you were watching more of "Marley" than the "& Me" part. I'm a dog person, but not much of it to empathize with a dog rather than a human being. There were some story lines there that I wished focused more on the human aspect, some things they glazed over because we have to get back to the dog.
But it was okay. I'm hoping the book is better. Maybe there are more emotional elements there better captured in words than in film. I'll check it out. And if you really do like dogs, watch it.
=
AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE
The Haunting of Molly Hartley
What is the whole friggin' point? Swear, my blood pressure rose when I finished watching this sorry excuse for a movie. What's the story? They never tell you anything, nobody got scared, everybody just looked so confused. So there's this girl whose mother tried to kill her to save her. There's supposed to be some conspiracy about the Devil taking them when they turn 18. I get it, but I don't. The whole plot was just so lame. It ends with the girl successfully being taken by the Devil, and you prepare to witness some evil things, but then kaput. It end with Molly graduating as freakin' valedictorian. Wow. If I only knew.
.
The only reason I sat through it? Chace Crawford. He's a god on earth. But not even his divine male beauty can save this movie.
WATCH
Slumdog Millionaire
The Golden Globe win roused my curiosity, because I'm sure everyone's asking how the heck did a bunch of nobodies win over Leonardo DiCaprio, right? Well, as it turns out, the movie isn't half so bad. It ain't bad at all. Compared to other Bollywood movies I was forced to watch, this one was entirely watchable, and never cringe-worthy. I guess, it's not even Bollywood really. The director was entirely western, anyhow. The story is about a young boy who was suspected of cheating onIndia's Who Wants To Be a Millionaire TV quiz show. How can a boy from the slums know so much, they say. I liked the way the story was told, how they took each question from the quiz show as a way to flashback into Jamal's past. I also liked the grittiness of the settings captured on film. India looks a lot like Manila, if you ask me. And the dancing didn't come until after the whole movie was over. So of course, it was tongue-in-cheek, and i didn't hate it.
.
I think Filipinos will like this movie, if they sit through it. There's a lot of things to relate to. I'm not saying though that it's an exceptional film. Just good. Just watch.
.
If You're a Fan...
That's the only reason to watch these films:
.
Yes Man
What if a man who keeps saying no, learn to say yes all the time?
-
Aside from the fact that you have to be supremely stupid to even consider saying yes to everything, this movie wasn't as rotten egg-ish as recent Carey movies I tried to watch. For one, I managed to reach the end without puking or thinking he's such an OA bastard. Well, he's still OA, but because the premise is ridiculous, it's somehow forgiveable he acts so deranged. And it does have its moment, case in point, I laughed when I realized that he was ACTUALLY gonna sing "Jumper" by Third Eye Blind to the man wanting to commit suicide. It's soooo corny, and contrived, but it tickled me because I never thought learning to play one guitar song will help anybody at all. And I like the song. So watch if you're one of those strange people who actually like Jim Carrey. I can't lambast you for it, because this one is okay to me. :)
.
Bedtime Stories
When I was younger, I was on Team Sandler. C'mon, Big Daddy was a laugh and 50 First Dates was a sweetie. But now, I'm realizing, geez, I'm getting tired of this guy. Did anybody ever really liked Zohan?
.
Bedtime Stories though brings us back to the realm of childhood, and it really is a movie for kids or adults who think like kids... in a bad way. Y'know, the self-absorbed kind? Anyhow, I wish I can say something bad about the movie, because at least I'd know it left an impression on me. This one was just, ooookay, if you know what i mean. It also gave me the feeling that it was like the story (and soon to be released in the Phils movie) Inkheart on Juice and Ecstasy.
What's it about? Somestuff. Watch it? Um, yeah. Like it? Um, guesso?
.
Marley & Me
I fell in love with Owen Wilson ever since I watched him singing "Sexual Healing" on of those forgettable agent movies. I guess I still like him because I endured watching the movie. Although it also did feel like you were watching more of "Marley" than the "& Me" part. I'm a dog person, but not much of it to empathize with a dog rather than a human being. There were some story lines there that I wished focused more on the human aspect, some things they glazed over because we have to get back to the dog.
But it was okay. I'm hoping the book is better. Maybe there are more emotional elements there better captured in words than in film. I'll check it out. And if you really do like dogs, watch it.
=
AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE
The Haunting of Molly Hartley
What is the whole friggin' point? Swear, my blood pressure rose when I finished watching this sorry excuse for a movie. What's the story? They never tell you anything, nobody got scared, everybody just looked so confused. So there's this girl whose mother tried to kill her to save her. There's supposed to be some conspiracy about the Devil taking them when they turn 18. I get it, but I don't. The whole plot was just so lame. It ends with the girl successfully being taken by the Devil, and you prepare to witness some evil things, but then kaput. It end with Molly graduating as freakin' valedictorian. Wow. If I only knew.
.
The only reason I sat through it? Chace Crawford. He's a god on earth. But not even his divine male beauty can save this movie.
Comments
Post a Comment