Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

stars: jim carrey, kate winslet

okay folks, i hardly do this, but i highly recommend this film. really. jim carrey represses his normal goofy comic self to play a vulnerable character very much in love with kate winslet's offbeat spontaneous moody personality. and don't be intimidated by its title. despite impressions that it might be another random gimicky attempt on the part of producers, it really has purpose and relevance.
it's also a movie i can afford to be philosophical. what it is is another relationship film that you might not want to watch with your bf/gf, but this is a lot less dramatic or overwhelming than 'closer'. no, erase that. you CAN watch this with your better half. it gives a light look on how love and happiness are feelings that you shouldn't try so hard to rationalize or speculate. just enjoy it and the person you're with. these are experiences that you shouldn't miss out on. it doesn't guarantee a safe, smooth ride all the way. it's really a rollercoaster, which means people shouldn't be afraid of trying it. this is life. LIVE IT.

Ocean's Twelve

stars: george clooney, brad pitt, catherine zeta-jones, julia roberts.. and a lot more.

FINALLY watched it. the euphoria was there when i got the DVD copy in my hands.. and then the few minutes of watching go by...
what is about sequels? they have a lot of hype, but they have a lot of bad rep, too. and for this one, i would say... i have to agree (winces, while ducking for cover).
somehow, i felt myself reduced to just watching the actors having all the fun for themselves. and this fun is not inside the film itself, but in making it. and horror of horrors, not even brad pitt could stop me from yawning and fighting the urge to press the forward button. maybe i should have watched this in the movie (the theatre experience plus the crowd can change one's outlook on a film).
i don't want it to sound bad, but the comparison is inevitable, and it was found to be a little disappointing, especially the part when they describe how they pull out the big heist. the gang's all back but the show lacked the ingeniousity(?) of the first. i got particularly distracted by bernie mac's role in the film. if you call it a role. more like guest-appearance, actually. i could say he only got 10min max exposure time, and even then it wasn't enough to give any idea on what his specialty or contribution to the group.
or maybe it was because of catherine zeta jones. save for 'the mask of zorro', CSJ prescence in movies tend to be, what, overwhelming? like 'the haunted mansion' (ack.. teka.. tama ba to.. can't remember. basta with liam neeson and owen wilson), 'terminal', and 'entrapment'..
gaaaa! i dunno!!! but watching oceans 12 had sorta was close to bordering the popular notion that sequels are nothing more than additional vehicles to milk more money out of movie-goers suckers like me, who persist to believe (or be blind) that it's worth the watch.

Taxi

they don't say it, but this is a women-empowering movie. all the females are strong and capable of handling each other. male counterparts, natch. queen latifah, you rule!
of course, the title calls to attention to the other star in the film - the freakin' taxi!! even non-car afficionados can't stop themselves from marveling at the sheer complexity and awesomeness of the splendid vehicles featured in the film. it had the same effect as 'fast and the furious', where to be sure, it WILL have you noticing cars with more scrutiny and respect.
i won't focus too much on some absurdiness on the plot, characters, and the possibility of cars driving too fast in new york. overall, the movie was a fun one to watch.

Sin City

SIN CITY -- words fail me with this one. first of all, i went to see it for all the hype. had i been a frank miller fan, i would've enjoyed the film.
not that i'm saying i didn't. story-telling was done well, especially when the ending narration ties up with the introduction. it's set in a dramatic black and white setting, with splashes of bold color in between scenes for contrast and highlight. the characters are stereotypes, but well-cast (this in itself is a feat since there were many of them in the film). then there were some that moved stiffly, but it was understood to be done so only to capture that perfect perspective shot of that scene. the movie aims to be dark and succeeds. grotesque scenes are carefully edited, but is poignant enought to stir your imagination with its sick horror. it also successfully woves 3 stories in it (the first being the best one for me) and takes that faithful step to make the artist's work (or ink, rather) come to life. at one point, i even half-expected narration boxes to appear on the screen.
so, i appreciated "sin city" for all those (and maybe more). yet they are logical reasons, i suppose, and that perhaps be why i couldn't enjoy it completely. the experience for me was lacking. but to another, it may have been different, and i wouldn't begrudge that person for liking it more than i do. really.
now the actor that made the most impact on me? benicio del toro. he just has this commanding on-screen prescence. he fits as the sly scroundel who loves working in the shadows. the lowlife scary creep you would want to hit back if only you had the guts to. the perfect enigmatic villain.
and then there's elijah wood. he must be determined to show his versatility as an actor to shed his good hobbit status. what exactly his role was in the movie, you just have to see.