47 Ronin
Dir: Carl Rinsch (2013). USA. Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki. MTRCB PG.
EYES ON: Keanu Reeves with a super long…samurai sword.
BASED ON: A Japanese term used in the feudal era for a samurai who lost his master due to death or loss of privilege. Super old samurai codes dictate that samurais who lost their masters are to kill themselves or risk being banished and discriminated for life as rouges. The movie is also based on the legend of the Forty-seven Ronin which is widely known as Japan’s national legend.
WHY SEE IT: Finally, a Keanu Reeves movie that could be as awesome as The Matrix. Reeves comes back to the silver screen as British-Japanese samurai Kai who leads a band of 47 ronins in a quest to avenge their dead master.
WATCH OUT FOR: Lots of sword fights, shape shifters and super awesome 2D graphics that will mesmerize your eyes with colors, texture and movement. 47 Ronin is a hard hitting full-feature debut movie for director Carl Rinsch whose filmography mainly includes short films like The Gift, The Quiz and Lovely Weather for Rain.
Lone Survivor
Dir: Peter Berg (2013). USA. Mark Whalberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emily Hirsch. MTRCB R-13.
EYES ON: A super beefy Mark Wahlberg wearing nothing but bulging biceps and sexy Navy SEAL uniform.
BASED ON: The New York Times bestselling biographical book Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell.
WHY SEE IT: Listen kids, here’s a good motivation to do good. When you’ve done something awesome in your life like survive a Taliban attack, you deserve to be played by Mark Wahlberg (also if you’re the kind of guy who keeps a talking teddy bear). If you’re a fan of true story accounts like Captain Philips this one’s something you would probably love. Ted star Mark Whalberg plays lone survivor Marcus Luttrell who narrates his experiences during Operation Red Wings, a 2005 failed SEAL mission. Tasked to capture Taliban leader Ahmad Shah’s, the Seal Team 10 went into the mission and were captured and ambushed after releasing two goatsmen they presumed were civilians.
WATCH OUT FOR: Lots of hunks in body-fit shirts, tear-jerker moments and lots of 2D graphics-rich gun fight coupled with the kind of background music that would make you want to get out of the theater with fists high up in the air. The screenplay for Lone Survivor was co-written by Mark Luttrell himself.
Walking With Dinosaurs
Dir: Barry Cook, Neil Nightingale (2013). USA. Charlie Rowe, Justin Long, Skyler Stone. MTRCB G.
EYES ON: A now-all-grown-up Charlie Rowe (the kid who played Peter in Neverland) who plays the role of moody teenager Ricky at the beginning and the end of the story. Also, there’s fine lad Justin Long who voiced Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks as well as the young dinosaur Patchi.
BASED ON: A group of humongous animals that walked the earth more than 200 million years ago.
WHY SEE IT: Patchi is the smallest dinosaur in their herd of Pachyrhinosaurus (see what they did there?). Basically, the film narrates the kind of life dinosaurs lived, the dangers and awesomeness of the late Cretaceous era and how such a little dinosaur (which is still, in actuality, half the size of a full-grown Pinoy adult) can change into a brave leader of the pack.
WATCH OUT FOR: Ever wondered what Land Before Time would look like in 3D? Well this film is the closest you can get to seeing Ducky and Littlefoot in better graphics; the kind of graphics where you can see even the smallest scales vividly! This 3D collaboration between documentarist Neil Nightingale and Mulan director Barry Cook is a family flick you shouldn’t miss.
The Legend of Hercules
Dir: Renny Harline (2014). USA. Kellan Lutz, Gaia Weiss, Scott Adkins. MTRCB PG.
EYES ON: Kellan Lutz in all his pandesal abs glory. Kellan wanted to bulk up big time for his role as a demigod but director Renny Harlin to just make his abs “pop out more”, so there you go girls, feast with your eyes!
BASED ON: The classic Roman myth of Zeus’ son with the mortal Alcmene who has super strength and super good looks (because he supposedly fathered hundreds of kids).
IT’S ABOUT: Not knowing his real identity, Hercules led a normal life and did normal things like fall in love with a princess who has been promised to his brother. Now Hercules is plagued by a choice to runaway with his true love, Princess Hebe (played by Gaia Weiss) or let her marry his brother, Iphicles (played by Liam Garrigan). He eventually chooses to fight for his love and is banished from the kingdom by his father, King Amphitryon (played by Scott Adkins). Then follows an epic adventure to regain his honor as he discovers his real identity.
WATCH OUT FOR: Larger than life abs (I know, I keep going on about it but look at those! You can’t stare at those and not want kesong puti and a cup of coffee to go with it!), and super awesome digital coloring that puts Disney’s Hercules movie to shame (just kidding, musicals are always the best).
