Hereafter - Official Trailer [HD]

After working together successfully with the inspiring bio-film last year in 'Invictus', Director Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon team up again for another film that might earn them another Oscar nominations. Though empty handed from last year Oscar, 'Invictus' was nominated for two major acting awards, Best Actor for Morgan Freeman and Best Supporting Actor for Matt Damon. Clint Eastwood has a total of four Oscar Best Picture films and won two for Unforgiven (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004). He was also nominated for Best Actor in lead role for both films. Other nominations include Best Films for Mystic River (2003) and Letters from Iwo Jima (2006). Matt Damon also has three nominations and won one for Best in Screenplay shared with best friend Ben Affleck in "Good Will Hunting". Other nominations include Best Actor for Good Will Hunting and Best Supporting role for Invictus.

Hereafter is a supernatural thriller film that centers in three different people that experience death in so many ways (imdb.com). Also starred by Bryce Dallas Howard (Eclipse, Terminator Salvation, The Village). "Hereafter" will be coming out in cinemas this October 22, 2010.

Salt - Movie Review

Watched this film after the trip to Malaysia. Though this was shown before my flight I didn't have the time to watch it on the first day. I was planning to watch it in Malaysia but didn't have time either. So I waited to come home and watched it the next day after arriving to Manila.

Though the film got mixed reviews from the critics, most viewers (the ordinary people who watched the film and not the professional movie critics) liked it. I didn't expect a lot from the film, 'coz as a movie geek, I really trust the critics, but of course even them got their own views, and getting 50+% from rottentomatoes is already something, it means more than half of the critics like it.

The movie started with Evelyn Salt as an CIA agent (starred by my female action favorite Ms. Angelina Jolie) being tortured as mistaken to be a spy, she was rescued by Mike who later became her husband. While working as CIA agent again and living her marriage life with Mike, her reputation as CIA agent put at risk again when an interrogated Russian suspected her to be a spy and is planning to kill the Russian President. She ran for her life and tried to save her husband.

The plot may seem to be known and has been used in several movies but Salt offers more than we we have seen before. Twists were unpredictable and actions were breath taking and even made more intense by Jolie's effortless acting. Aside from the action thrills, movie is also filled with drama and romance for viewers' takeaway. With powerful support cast from Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origin: Wolverine) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (2012) the movie is one of the best spy films that I have seen. The movie somewhat ended telling the viewers that Evelyn Salt is coming back soon, and if its true hopefully it would be as good as this one.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice Review

I watched this film without having too much expectations because of the mixed reviews from the critics and some viewers. Since the trailer came out, The Sorcerer's Apprentice is really on the list of my summer movie guide. I got the chance to watch it last Thursday, I even chose watching it over "The Last Airbender". I sat in the middle seat and there were few viewers since I watched it on the second week.

The movie started with the narration on how magic and sorcery and the battle of good and evil begun which common for movies with similar genre

The story begun with Baltazar (Nicholas Cage), Veronica (Monica Belluci), Horvath (Alfred Molina) as apprentices of Merlin, a good and powerful sorcerer. When Horvath along with Morgana, an evil sorcerer who turned against Merlin in order to user their powers and planned to awaken all the deads to bring havoc to people on earth. Baltazar and Veronica must stop them and should look for the apprentice that is destined to defeat Morgana. The apprentice turned out to be the science-geek Dave (Jay Baruchel). As Dave thorned between his personal life and his responsibilities as an apprentice, he should focus and believe in himself that he can fulfill his destiny to become a great sorcerer to save mankind.

Nicholas Cage and Jon Turtletaub seem to be comfortable working together since National Treasure 1 and 2. The comedic scenes though sometimes not funny at least with Cage, Jay Baruchel regulates it. He fills the boring side of the film. And Jay doesn't need to exert effort, he is really funny by nature. Sorcerer's Apprentice is not Nicholas Cage' best adventure film I've watched since National Treasure films have been phenomenon, but surely is entertaining and worth the admission ticket (3 out 5 stars).

"An Oscar-worthy Thriller" - 'Inception' Movie Review

Christopher Nolan just gave us his another masterpiece after 'The Dark Knight' last 2008. This time it's a breath taking and mind-blowing thriller with great special effects that challenges your imagination or even your dreams. The film centered on a man named Cobb (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) who specializes in extracting ideas from a dream. He does it too well that he makes money out of it working for biggest corporations all over the world. When offered for one last task that would allow him to get back home where his kids are waiting for him, Cobb didn't think twice, without thinking how tough the job would turn out to be. Accompanied by Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 500 Days of Summer, G.I. Joe), Ariadne (Ellen Page, Juno, X-Men: The Last Stand), Saito, Eames and Yusuf, Cobb has to free his mind from the dreams he created that keeps on haunting him and focuses on the dream or even dreams that he is in. The job this time is not the usual way of stealing ideas from one person but planting one instead.

The film goes from one dream to another dream to another dream which makes the movie unique compare to similar movies created before (like Matrix). The scoring, though sounds like similar to which was used in 'The Dark Knight' it really plays well that intensifies all the scenes, not to mention the mind-bending visuals which really perfectly visible in Digital Screens. What I really like about the film is that, though its a fiction, it never deviates itself from reality. Like for instance, what Cobb says "You don't remember how it all begun when you are dreaming" which is really true, you don't know how everything begins in a dream. It just started with you in such situation. And in a dream you will feel everything is real. "When you are in dreams, everything is real while you are in it, you will only feel strange when you wake up" as Cobb explains. And lastly, when you are in dreams, subconsciously, your thoughts wander, and it mostly depicts your worries and conscience. In the case of Cobb's dreams, his dead wife, their children and with all the memories haunt him in every dream he created. Not just in this type of genre that the film has to be based from reality, the reason why most movies are not successful in making the film meaningful is that they stuck with their too wide imagination and forgot about their reality.

Also starred by Academy Award Winners Marion Cotilliard and Michael Caine, Christopher Nolan's Inception is really one of the best films created this year, it's original, thought-provoking and the cast performances are really outstanding. Unless there would be greater movies out this year, Inception will surely be one of the nominated films in Oscar Best Picture and performances of DiCaprio and Cotilliard might score an acting nominations too. Inception, is the type of film that lingers with you for a long time even after leaving the cinema. In fact I don't know if I am even over it. I'm thinking of watching the film again though in regular screen this time (5 out of 5 stars).

"A piece of crap" - 'Predators' Movie Review

What would you expect from a remake of this thriller film?Bloody, more violence, and more actions as what it shown on the trailer .Well sorry to disappoint everyone that the movie is not as what it appears to be. If you enjoyed the old film with Arnold Schwarzenegger this time you might just want to skip watching it 'coz it was nothing but a piece of crap. Forgive me, it was too disappointing. It is more dramatic than what expected to be as action-thriller film.

The movie focuses on the story of eight different people who were trapped in a woods after falling from the sky on a parachute. None of them remembered anything. They later found out that they were trapped with unknown creatures in the forest. With no way out, they should stick together as they struggle to fight for their own survival. With the help of one survivor who came before them they must learn to fight and face their predators to live. Starred by Adriene Brody (The Pianist, King Kong) with Alice Braga (Repo Men, Crossing Over) and Laurence Fisburne (The Matrix).

The movie is lack of action and thrill. It started just fine but got worst and worst as it continues especially when the actual predators showed up. Though the acting is not that bad, the story is really dull (1.5 out of 5 stars).