Exclusive: Teejay Marquez for ‘Pagari’

Apologies for not having a Filipino Friday post last week. I wasn’t able to take a break *wink* from work. That said, here I am now with what I was supposed to upload last week: an exclusive interview with tween actor Teejay Marquez about his upcoming independent release, Pagari.

What is there to be said about Pagari? I’ll let Teejay fill you in on that one. So here we go: video time!

Much thanks to Teejay for the time (and the patience). My DSLR wasn’t cooperating well that day, and we had to do a lot of do overs and take twos during the interview–as you can probably tell from while watching the interview. Much thanks too to my friend Ceres who was my camera person for the day!

And before I completely end this post, I have a question to ask you: what should I improve on for my next interview/video feature?

Movie: Jack the Giant Slayer

“Jack the Giant Slayer tells the story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult) into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend-and gets the chance to become a legend himself.” — (C) Warner Bros

Not a fan.

Okay, so I might be a little tired from all the things I have been doing in real life. But I was well-rested, sort of, before coming in to watch Jack the Giant Slayer. So imagine my surprise when I slept through the opening scenes.

It wasn’t until the beanstalk sprouted from the ground that things started to feel like something was happening. I didn’t fall asleep after that. I did start to wonder though what story the movie was going to tell, because by that point, I realized that the movie was only about one thing: Jack wants to get inside the princess’s pants.

I read somewhere online that the film was very handsome. And it is. Everything looks great. The computer animated bits? Seamless. Well, the giants looked a tiny bit too clean, but that was it. The rest were visually pleasing. The costumes, the sets–everything. Now, if only the people behind the film spent just as much time on the story.

The story of Jack the Giant Slayer really starts on the night the beanstalk shoots up, up to Jack finding a way to stop the giants from killing everyone. The rest of what happens feels like filler, scenes to stuff the film with just so it looks like there’s a lot happening. What it succeeds in doing though is make the film drag.

Seriously. The film takes so long to get anywhere, and by the time it does, everything just suddenly speeds up and before you know it, the movie’s done.

And the worst part is, I wasn’t even entertained. Well, I was a little. Ewan McGregor is a hoot as Elmont, the leader of the King’s elite guard. Stanley Tucci’s Roderick was exceptionally evil. The rest of the cast, I think, took their roles too seriously. And that created a disjoint, I think. A movie that has sight gags and cheeky winks at the audiences shouldn’t allow their leads act like they’re on a sweeping love story.

I think this was the biggest reason why I couldn’t connect with the film. The film couldn’t even connect with itself!

But that’s just how I see it. Have you seen the film? What can you say about the retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk?

Movie: Silver Linings Playbook

“Life doesn’t always go according to plan. Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) has lost everything — his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother (Jacki Weaver) and father (Robert DeNiro) after spending eight months is a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. All Pat’s parents want is for him to get back on his feet-and to share their family’s obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he’ll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.” — (C) Weinstein

The Silver Linings Play Book is one of the first books I’ve posted about in this blog. Which is why, when I found out that there was going to be a movie, I knew I have to watch and write about it. So here I am. Writing about it. But first–

I loved the book. More so now that it’s been almost three years since I last read it. Rose-tinted glasses and all. And this, I think, might have been detrimental to my enjoyment of the film version. Because, as it stands, I do believe that Silver Linings Playbook was a good movie–it just wasn’t good enough.

Admittedly, I did set expectations. With Jennifer Lawrence winning award after award, and the rest of the cast getting equal amounts of accolades, I thought the film would offer something more. What we get is actually a watered down version of the book. Not that there’s anything wrong with that–unless you’re a fan of the source material.

Sure, I understand that they can’t fit in the whole book into one movie. And some liberties have to be taken to make the characters more film-friendly. What I don’t get is why they didn’t use Total Eclipse of the Heart for the movie. Was the rights to the song too pricey? Because I’m sure they had enough money to get the rights for it.

And, okay, I’m not really complaining because they didn’t get the song. My main beef with the film, I guess, is how they elevated the dance in terms of importance–and yet, didn’t give it the importance it deserved. Look into the lyrics of Total Eclipse of the Heart, and put it side by side to what the source material (and the film) is about.

The dance plays a major part in the book, but it’s not the centerpiece. In the film, it ties things together. And yet, in the book, you can really see the significance of the song and the dance–of the whole thing. In the film, it’s just to win a stupid bet.

I’m probably going to go on and on about this, so I’m cutting myself short.

The film is nice. It’s good. It’s totally worth the ticket price. Just… Just make sure you haven’t read the book yet before you go and watch the film.

Movie: Warm Bodies

“A funny new twist on a classic love story, WARM BODIES is a poignant tale about the power of human connection. After a zombie epidemic, R (a highly unusual zombie) encounters Julie (a human survivor), and rescues her from a zombie attack. Julie sees that R is different from the other zombies, and as the two form a special relationship in their struggle for survival, R becomes increasingly more human – setting off an exciting, romantic, and often comical chain of events that begins to transform the other zombies and maybe even the whole lifeless world.” — (c) Summit

It’s funny how, almost two years ago, I couldn’t imagine the book being turned into a film–much less a film worth recommending. But that’s just what happened. Summit has made a good movie.

What I really liked about Warm Bodies was how it was trying to change the zombie genre. But, as I said, I couldn’t imagine how the people behind the film would translate that. What we end up with is a romantic-comedy sort of film. And it works.

Warm Bodies, in essence, is a Romeo and Juliet story. You have two factions, and a love that was as much impossible as it was inevitable. But it happens. And the film captures this, and celebrates this. So much so that we actually get a balcony scene between Juliet and R which I found really hilarious.

Though, much as Nicholas Hoult and (a strangely plain) Teresa Palmer do great in their roles, it’s actually Rob Corddry and Analeigh Tipton who steals the film for me. They are awesome and hilarious–and they hit the right notes. Especially Analeigh Tipton. This is, I think, the first time that a movie version of a character made me like a book character that I didn’t really notice. And now that I love Nora, I’m very much looking forward to the paper book version of Isaac Marion’s The New Hunger which makes Nora a bigger character than she is in Warm Bodies.

Before I move on to the other things I liked about the film, I want to bring this up: what happened to Teresa Palmer? I’ve seen her in I Am Number Four, in Bedtime Stories–and she looked hot. So why does she look like a blonde Kristen Stewart in this film? That’s not a good thing, let me tell you.

Moving on.

What I like best about Warm Bodies the film is the subtle things they incorporated–especially with R’s character. Something is changing in R. As per the synopsis, he’s increasingly becoming more human. And the make-up department does wonders with their gradual change of his skin tone. Nicholas Hoult also does well with the slow subtle changes he puts into his character–like the fact that he’s always slouching in the beginning of the film, and starts to stand up straighter as he turns more human.

R’s asides in the book fit nicely with the voice overs for the film.

And I like how there are four different looks for the film: the blue-gray tint of the zombie ruins, the harsh lighting of the survivor camp scenes, the toned-down and yet vibrant colors of memories–and the warmer colors of the ending scenes. This is a great use of color-grading, I think. Something I hope the makers of Tiktik take notice of when they get to the post production of their sequel.

Overall, the movie is a must watch. It’s not perfect, but it’s totally worth the ticket price.

Movie: Hansel & Gretel, Witch Hunters

“After getting a taste for blood as children, Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) have become the ultimate vigilantes, hell bent on retribution. Now, unbeknownst to them, Hansel and Gretel have become the hunted, and must face an evil far greater than witches… their past.” — (C) Paramount

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is good, fun entertainment. It’s not particularly jaw-dropping or anything remotely resembling brilliance, but it sure gives you what you pay for–release from the stress of every day life.

The film tells the story of the titular characters after defeating the witch that wanted to eat them. In the original story, Hansel and Gretel find a cache of treasures and find their way back home to their father, finding out that their evil mother has already died. In this version, Hansel and Gretel never find their way back home–instead, they carve a place for themselves in towns they stumble into… as witch hunters.

When the story really begins, Hansel and Gretel are already well-known witch hunters. They arrive in a town just in time to save a woman from being falsely accused of being a witch. But saving her, the town is left with no one to blame for eleven missing children. Our main heroes rise to the occasion, and they do sound and logical detective work… which they didn’t really have to do after all.

The plot of the story twists into Hansel and Gretel’s past, as the main villain reveals that she will be coming for Gretel before it’s all over–because the girl has something that the villain requires.

And as the adventure continues through well-placed (but completely obvious) foreshadowing of who Hansel and Gretel really are, the movie delivers on the main thing it promises: action and gore. And it does it well.

The only things I really didn’t like were things that made the era feel strange. They have injections and customized weapons that are too advanced for the time period. It doesn’t look like the industrial revolution has already happened, and yet they are utilizing tools that won’t get invented until after the said revolution. I understand that the film is stylized, that it isn’t aiming for historical accuracy–but if so, why not just go completely out of the bank? Why not go for a steam punk feel, which would make Hansel and Gretel fit into the setting better.

Of course, it can be argued that it was intentional: that Hansel and Gretel really shouldn’t fit in amongst the rest of the characters, as they really shouldn’t. But it was something that bugged me throughout. The only thing that bugged me.

At the end of the day though, the rest of the film was enjoyable. Not stellar, not mind-blowing, not completely original–but it was completely enjoyable. And that’s what is important, isn’t it, when taking a break?