Reel Advice Movie Reviews

Before I Self Destruct: Underground Movie Review

Posted by Jed and Vit On 11/22/2009 03:00:00 PM 0 dared to walk the red carpet

Marketing is a key strategy for a product to succeed. Some may deny its power but products need marketing for the masses to know about it - with knowledge comes power as they say. In films, there are a lot of examples of creative marketing strategies. Very recent specimens are the films "2012" or "Paranormal Activity" that have successfully garnered a lot of attention and with that exponentially larger ticket sales. "Before I Self Destruct" has the same intention but in reverse - promoting the music album through film. The movie coincides with the release of 50 Cent's awaited album of the same name. What is interesting though is that 50 Cent wrote and directed the film. Can it succeed as a film or is it just a filler, a tool for the music album? Is 50 Cent talented not only with music but films as well? Read on to find out our say.

Clarence (Curtis Jackson) was a streetball legend in the making until a knee injury took his game away. One year after, Clarence is struggling to cope in a life without basketball. He has trouble landing a job and his mother is doing a lot of extra work to support him and his younger brother, Shocka. When his mother is accidentally shot dead, Clarence seeks revenge on the shooter, Tiny, and kills hims. Clarence finds out that Sean (Clifton Powell) was the one who told Tiny to do the shootout and when he confronts him, Sean offers him Tiny's job for a lot of money. Out of financial desperation, Clarence accepts and soon enjoys the life of a hired hitman.

"Before I Self Destruct" is a good first try for 50 Cent but the film needs polish in a lot of areas if it wants to appease the mainstream crowd. For the good things, the movie had an interesting story and clearly showed that it was not all action. Deep moral and life issues are tackled here and will leave you thinking what is the right (or wrong) decision and mindset. The soundtrack was booming indeed and we really liked that it was only played on the right scenes and instances. As for the bad part, the movie gives off an amateurish feel. Serious revamps are needed in the dialogue. The acting was a bit off too. There were also countless scenes that we feel were unnecessary and should have gotten the ax. Finally, the pacing at the end was a bit whacked. Everything happened so fast and it also ended abruptly. Overall though, it is a film that 50 Cent fans will enjoy and from what we heard, this comes with the album. So if you have it then you won't definitely waste your time by watching this - it is its own entity with or without the album.

Rating: 2.5 reels

Why you should watch it:

- the film has a pretty interesting story
- this is not all action - film tackles a lot of moral and life issues
- soundtrack had a great selection and were played at appropriate times

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- needs more polish when compared to other films
- most acting and dialogue needs revamping
- numerous scenes leaves you wondering why they were even included
- had some pacing problems at its latter parts

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Ninja Assassin: Movie Review

Posted by Jed and Vit On 11/19/2009 10:44:00 PM 0 dared to walk the red carpet

Rain's first take on Hollywood was a big disappointment. People expected a lot from his "Speed Racer" performance but instead of making a loud, pounding growl it was more like a puny meow. He was almost non-existent in the film but who could really blame him? The movie just did not give him much capacity to show what he was made of. With "Ninja Assassin", the Asian superstar gets his chance to become the main protagonist on a Western film. For sure, this is his chance to impress both in his acting and martial arts skills. Can Rain impress or would this be another big flop for him? Read on to find out our verdict.

Raizo (Rain) is taken from the streets as a child and transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. The Ozunu are known as being assassins in the ancient world. Raizo, haunted by the execution of his friend by the Clan, breaks free from them and vows to stop the clan someday, somehow. Meanwhile, Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris), a Europol agent, is investigating money linked to various political murders around the world and discovers that the Ozunu are behind these killings. Soon, she finds her life threatened by the Ozunu Clan's ninja assassins while an unlikely hero saves her life.

If you expect "Ninja Assassin" to bring out balls-out action then you won't be disappointed but expecting anything beyond is a no-no. To really get a picture of what "Ninja Assassin" is, think blood and gore of the "Kill Bill" movies interspersed with the intense action and visual style of "300". Sadly, this does not equate to it being better than these films - in reality, it is actually a mediocre version of both. Rain was amazing in the fight scenes (a sight to behold indeed) but his acting skills need to improve. At this point in his career he is all just flash and nothing more. The supporting cast didn’t do much help as well, making things even worse. The plot of the movie is a bit quirky and predictable which may tick some people off. Finally, if you really hate guts flying abound, then avoid this one for sure. Our recommendation is to watch "Ninja Assassin" if you just want intense action and fight scenes but avoid it if you want substance.

Rating: 2.5 reels

Why you should watch it:

- balls-out action from start to finish
- fans of Rain will definitely drool

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- blood and gore may be too much for some to digest
- so-so acting and plot means there is no substance to the movie

"Ninja Assassin" is brought to you by Warner Bros. Pictures. Catch it on cinemas starting November 25, 2009.

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Clash of the Titans: Trailer Sneak Peek

Posted by Jed and Vit On 11/17/2009 11:00:00 PM 0 dared to walk the red carpet

In the upcoming epic adventure "Clash of the Titans", the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods but the war between the gods could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus is helpless to save his family from Hades. With nothing left to lose, Perseus leads a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a journey into forbidden worlds battling demons and beasts. Watch the trailer after the jump.

Leading the international cast is Australian actor Sam Worthington as Perseus, the mortal son of Zeus. Liam Neeson takes on the role of Zeus while Ralph Fiennes plays the role of Hades. "Clash of the Titans" is directed by Louis Leterrier of "The Incredible Hulk" fame.

Clash of the Titans will be released worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures sometime in 2010.

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2012: Movie Review

Posted by Jed and Vit On 11/15/2009 10:57:00 PM 2 dared to walk the red carpet

People like disaster films and that is the truth. Some may argue that it was just a fad mostly from the late Nineties but disaster films have been steadily coming out since then. Problem with disaster films though is that they are predictable as more emphasis is given on the disaster than anything else. The year 2012 specifically December 21, 2012 has always bothered modern man. The Mayan long count ends at this date and some even contest that not only sages but even computers have predicted that something will definitely happen on this date. It comes to no surprise then that a film out of the disaster genre was made about the year 2012. Can "2012" be more than your average disaster film? Read on to find out.

The year is 2009, an Indian scientist discovers that a solar flare has caused an abnormality in the Earth's interior. Soon they discover that this rise in temperature of the Earth's core will lead to its inevitable destruction. In 2010, the G10 leaders are told about the problem and they begin a secret project to save a portion of humanity. Fast forward to 2012, Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) is going camping with his kids. When they arrive in Yellowstone National Park, they discover that the lake has dried up. They meet a man (Woody Harrelson) who tells Jackson that the end is near and that the government has always known about it. He shrugs off the man as crazy but soon, a massive earthquake destroys L.A. and Jackson and his family barely escape. Jackson now knows that the man was telling the truth. Can he and his family survive?

We feel that the whole 2012 story was irrelevant throughout the movie - they could have set the disaster time in 2011 or 2013 and it wouldn't have made a difference. There was nothing about "2012" that makes it special as the movie's main point is to just show massive worldwide destruction. "2012" may be your typical disaster film but even though this was the case, the film never got boring. Disasters you'll witness from start to finish will leave you awestruck for sure. Some people may see the film though as repetitive and unimaginative. For example, they had to ride a plane to get out of disaster - THREE times! The setting was different but can't they think of anything else? The acting was good at most parts but some of the dialog just became too cheesy for our tastes. Also, there is a big moral dilemma towards the end of the film that just did not make much sense to us (which some people may find otherwise). In the end, it just boils down if you are too serious of a watcher or not. If you expect this film to be a realistic look into humanity's struggle for existence, then it will fall flat on you. But if you will watch this not expecting much than what is typical, then you will enjoy it hands down. "2012" is not for everyone - we wished it could have been executed a lot better than your typical Nineties disaster film but we cannot deny that it was enjoyable on some end.

Rating: 3 reels

Why you should watch it:
- destruction and chaos were all breathtaking
- never gets boring with all the action on screen even with a running time of two hours

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- scientists at heart would have a hard time accepting this film as reality
- becomes too repetitive even with the outcomes of the disasters
- really predictable - if you have seen other disaster films, then this is not much different

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Ang Tanging Pamilya (A Marry Go Round): Movie Review

Posted by Jed and Vit On 11/14/2009 12:57:00 AM 4 dared to walk the red carpet

After the tandem of Wenn Deramas and Ai-Ai Delas Alas in the box office hit "Ang Tanging Ina" six years ago, we cannot remember any project from both of them that actually came close to the 2003 movie. "Ang Tanging Ina" was such a hit because it was genuinely funny, smartly written and most importantly, original at the time. The tandem is back again with "Ang Tanging Pamilya (A Marry Go Round)". The film is former president Joseph Estrada’s comeback movie, as well as the very first big screen debut of Pacman's mom, Aling Dionisia. The all star cast looks like a promising recipe for a laugh out loud family movie. Will this become a political platform for Erap? Can Aling Dionisia be more than what she really is capable of? Would this film actually merit another spin-off of "Ang Tanging Ina?" See our review after the jump.

Charlie (Toni Gonzaga) is in a long distance relationship with Prince (Sam Milby), who one day appears on her doorstep and asks for her hand in marriage. Charlie’s dad (Joseph Estrada) is not quite convinced of Prince’s intent so he puts Prince into all kinds of tests and hard labor. Things even got messier as Charlies’s mom (Ai Ai Delas Alas) comes into conflict with Prince’s mom (Dionisia Pacquiao). Will Charlie and Prince get their happy ending and will the wedding ever happen?

Throughout the movie, we could not help but ask ourselves “Aren’t stories important anymore for local writers?” We could not understand how Star Cinema could even allow such a script to pass. The story was so confused, forced and shallow that there were times wherein we could not figure out why the scene in front of us was happening in the first place. Our heads were already hurting halfway through the film with all the innate stupidity happening on screen. Some scenes were funny, but more often than not, we wished we never entered the movie house. Ai-ai was consistent and both Toni and Sam were okay. We only wished they did not star on this film as it was a total waste of their talents. We feel that Joseph Estrada might be losing his charm already. As for Dionisia Pacquaio, not bad for her first movie although we felt that she just showed one facial expression from her first to the last scene. Overall, we wished we did not even bother watching this one as there was nothing much to like and nothing worth looking forward to.

Rating: .5 reels

Why you should watch it:
- some scenes will leave you entertained and laughing, but that's just about it!

Why you shouldn’t watch it:
- purely chaotic movie, with scenes here and there that do not mesh well together
- terrible story; definitely a waste of time and money

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Sun Broadband Wireless Now Only P888: Downloading, Streaming and Surfing Now More Affordable

Posted by Jed and Vit On 11/14/2009 12:06:00 AM 0 dared to walk the red carpet

Sun Broadband Wireless, the country’s fastest wireless mobile internet modem is now the most affordable as well. Sun announces modem price drop from P1895 to only P888. This P888 package also comes with one day unlimited surfing.

For postpaid users, modem is now also only P888. Subscribers can enjoy unlimited surfing for P799 monthly. 2 months advance payment (P799 x 2) will also be collected upon applying.

What are you waiting for? Grab your Sun broadband wireless today and start downloading and streaming all the movies you want anywhere, anytime metro-wide!

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