Reel Advice

It was August 30, 2008. It was hot, humid yet comforting as the wind slowly cooled things off. Thousands upon thousands lined up, waited, standing and cheered as a Countdown Timer showed up on screen. And as the clock slowly flickered to the final seconds before lift off, people jumped, screamed and tears fell from their eyes as the Eraserheads were back at last. Yes, as you may all know it was the comeback concert everyone wished and hoped for but no one really foresaw coming. For those who came, it was a night most will cherish and never to be forgotten but for those who didn't, some may be just indifferent about the E-heads but surely some have regretted their decision for months on end. Now, thanks to Sony-BMG Philippines, the concert that everyone has talked about can be seen, heard and cherished once more with this release on the big screen. The question to ask now is did it really capture that magical night at the Fort?

The answer is a straight N-O, NO! Nothing leaves us more disappointed than this release. First and foremost, thanks Sony-BMG for releasing a product that is below mediocrity; it dwells to something unedited, uncut yet for most films, people would appreciate that, but here, it just is plain laziness and greed. Here's our conclusion to what may and most likely happened. Someone in Sony-BMG had a brilliant idea that E-heads fans would do anything just to watch or even hear the E-heads again. Now instead of spending time to give thought, money and time to the product, they wanted to save Benjamins and they just released a raw version of the film. They did not even bother to change the video quality to something that is acceptable on the big screen. Hey, we even bet our money that this will be a pixelated junk just on a DVD! Just imagine this, try going to YouTube and searching for E-head Concert videos, what you are going to witness is exactly the same thing as what we saw on the theater. So you just paid for something that you could have gotten for free on the net and that is even without violating any copyright laws. If concerts from the 80's can be fixed to pristine conditions, why not more during this digital age?

Second, we do not deem ourselves as experts on Movie-concerts thing but after experiencing a handful of movie-concerts on DVDs, we believe even the directing and editing of scenes were just a mish-mash of whatever was taken during the concert. In no way does it capture any of the feeling that we felt on August.

Finally, the sound quality was well, normal. Nothing wrong and nothing bright about it and ironically, this is the only good thing about this release. Our advice, just keep your eyes closed and listen and that's it! Enjoy the music not the visuals!

We are fans of the E-heads, it is just so frustrating that something like this was released. It's obviously something to cash in on the renewed E-heads craze and nothing screams "MOOLAH" after watching this. It would have been better if they just made this into a Direct-to-DVD release or better yet, they should have bundled this with the newly released music album of the reunion concert. This is NOT a tribute to the Eraserheads. This is a SACRILEGE to their music and to their fans. Some may enjoy it but for us, we are just saddened by what happened. Please avoid if you can!

Rating: 1 reel




Why you should watch it:
- if you are a die-hard E-heads fanatic and did not get to watch the concert for some unscrupulous reason then maybe, just maybe, you will get to enjoy this ride.

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- video quality that screams YouTube
- really poor editing and directing of shots
- does not capture the magic of the concert
- feels like a mish-mash of shots that were made just to finish off the concert movie on a hurry

Posted by Jed and Vit at 12/03/2008 02:39:00 PM | 0 dared to walk the red carpet Links to this post    
Labels: Buddy Zabala, concert, Eli Buendia, Eraserheads, local, Marcus Adoro, movie review, music, musical, Raimund Marasigan

Who remembers the "superhero" movie, The Underdog? Just like The Wild which we talked about a few reviews ago, The Underdog is just a flopper and never was and never will be a great film. Hell, no one could even remember it except for us. Will Bolt be just thunder and no lightning or will it be one of the sleeper hits this holiday season?

Bolt's plot is actually creativity at its best. Bolt (John Travolta) is a television dog actor but he does not know it. Bolt thinks that he is actually protecting Penny (Miley Cyrus) from Doctor Calico who kidnapped her father as well. Unfortunately, due to unlucky circumstances, Bolt is brought to the real world and he finds out that he is not a dog with superpowers and that Penny and Doctor Calico are fake characters on a TV show. Bolt along the way also meets with several characters like Mittens who is a stray cat and Rhino who is a perennial fan of Bolt.

As for the movie, it is probably the best animated film we have seen this year. It is better than Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and even Wall-E. Everything was well-made from the scenes to the plot. You will never get bored with Bolt. The only downside we saw was the voice-acting was not perfect. Miley's voice was just horrendous while Mitten's actress lacked some character. Overall though, this is another Disney hit that will rival even the best they have made so far, dare we say even Toy Story? Too bad no one would watch it because of Twilight which really sucks when compared to Bolt by the way!





Rating: 4 and a half reels




Why you should watch it:
- another heart-warming Disney movie
- you will get your money's worth
- not just for kids

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- MILEY CYRUS (we thought her character was a "dude" the first ten minutes)
- *cough* Twilight *cough* (waste your time and money everyone!)

Posted by Jed and Vit at 11/30/2008 10:34:00 PM | 0 dared to walk the red carpet Links to this post    
Labels: 3D, animated, Animation, Bolt, John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, movie review

The Twilight series is known as one of the best-selling fictions of this generation, probably second to Harry Potter. This vampire love story won millions of young fans worldwide and it wasn’t long before it was adapted into a movie. Ever since it became official that Twilight will soon arrive into the big screen, fans all over the world have eagerly waited for the showing day to come. Could the movie live up to all the worldwide hype or will it just be another novel that was turned into a really bad movie?

Posted by Jed and Vit at 11/27/2008 09:53:00 PM | 1 dared to walk the red carpet Links to this post    
Labels: drama, novel, Robert Pattinson, romance, Stephenie Meyer, Twilight

Who remembers "The Wild"? We bet our money that at least more than half of our readers would be stump to even know that a CGI-movie came out with that title. Who's fault was it anyway you may ask? Well, there's no one to blame but Madagascar 2's predecessor, Madagascar. Both films showcased almost the same set of animals, with almost the same setting and amazingly almost the same plot as well. Who checks plagiarism in our movies anyway? In the end, the Disney-made movie (which was developed and made for the longest time) became a total flop and a waste of time while Madagascar, as we all know, stole the show. Can Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa make a repeat of its grand daddy's success? Well, Let's see!

Madagascar 2's plot is a continuation of the first film's plot. To make a short recap of the first film, animals from the New York Zoo escape and terrorize the Big Apple. After they are finally controlled, people decided that they should be shipped off to Africa but instead, the ship gets lost when it hits a storm and the animals land in Madagascar. The second film starts off with the animals planning to go back to New York using an old rundown plane. Unfortunately for them, the plane runs out of fuel and they crash land in Africa. Surviving the crash, the animals set off and discover that Africa is truly their home. The film tackles the struggles, difficulties and joys of these animals as they discover another aspect of their lives. The film also takes a look at the past of Ben Stiller's character, Alex the Lion.

For the movie, it left as satisfied and wanting more. The jokes were really good and honestly, the plot was well-written. The voice acting was A-class as well. The only problem we really saw in this one is that it's just too normal. There is nothing much really that makes it truly memorable or that can make it surpass Madagascar 1. But all in all, it would not be a mistake for people to watch this film, even for those who are mature at heart.





Rating: 4 reels




Why you should watch it:
- the film has a deep plot; not just for the kids!
- really funny
- one of the final ode's for Sir Bernie Mac

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- may be too corny for some
- is not much different to the first film; which may be a good thing actually

Posted by Jed and Vit at 11/18/2008 11:01:00 PM | 0 dared to walk the red carpet Links to this post    
Labels: 3D, Alec Baldwin, Ben Stiller, Bernie Mac, Chris Rock, comedy, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, movie review, Sacha Baron Cohen

And yet welcome to another James Bond film. Quantum of Solace is the 22nd James Bond film ever created and the second one for Daniel Craig. Quantum of Solace, unknown to many, is a direct continuation of Casino Royale which was a reboot for the Bond franchise. Daniel Craig surprised as all with Casino Royale. Many thought he was not the right guy to portray Bond but looking at his performance from the first film, many accepted him. Can Sir Daniel make it a second time or will he be forced to do find his own solace after this film?

Quantum of Solace starts off right after Casino Royale. Bond has kidnapped Mr. White, the main protagonist from the first film, and bringing him for interrogation. White reveals that there organization is so secretive that even MI6 has not heard of them. After that while White is being questioned, Bond and Q are betrayed by Q's bodyguard. White escapes and Bond tries to find out about the secret organization revealed by White. Soon after that, Bond locates a certian Dominique Greene and finds all about Quantum its members.

For the film, it was so-so. For us, it was not the best Bond film and Casino Royale may have even been better. Daniel Craig was good. You can really feel the dark, gritty feel of this Bond by his portrayal and the action sequences were really good. The biggest gripe we have about this Bond film though is the forgettable villain. Domique Greene was just too normal to put it simply. Bond films are not only about James Bond but it is about his enemies as well. For this one, Greene was just a plain, money-hungry fake. He doesn't even have a special scar or mark on his body! Ending this review, Quantum of Solace will be enjoyed by Bond fans and those who watched and still remember the first film. Just avoid it at all costs if you have not watched Casino Royale, better yet just watch it before this one.





Rating: 3 and a half reels




Why you should watch it:
- full of action sequences
- because it is Bond ,James Bond!

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- if you did not watch Casino Royale or even just remember it
- if you have a hard time understanding "British!"
- lame lame villain!

Posted by Jed and Vit at 11/10/2008 08:25:00 PM | 3 dared to walk the red carpet Links to this post    
Labels: action, Daniel Craig, Ian Fleming, James Bond, movie review, mystery, Olga Kurylenko, Quantum of Solace, suspense