quickieviews -- Up and District 9 Edition

It's a good month for films dito sa 'Pinas. After the mildly successful Cinemalaya experience, na-bombard yata ako ng mga above average slate of films. Iba't-ibang genres pa!

Up - Pakiramdam ko na-manipulate ako ng Up, but not in a bad way. Parang may checklist sila ng kung anong emotion ang dapat mong maramdaman sa isang scene, tapos they hit you with their best shot. Sapul lahat, kahit yung mga seemingly kiddie moments. Lalo na yung montage sa simula ng life-and-death ng marriage ni Carl at Ellie (o tanda ko pa yung pangalan nila, so it must be good). Dun pa lang ang laki na ng investment mo on an emotional level. Yun ang maganda sa Pixar: bago ka pa i-impress ng kanilang technical wizardry (na wala pa ring makatatalo), magke-care ka muna sa mga characters, sa mga inner 'wants' nila. Yun ang wala sa majority ng mga non-Pixar CG films. Ang laki ng diperensya talaga.

That doesn't mean na perfect ang Up; may ilang scenes na, pakiramdam ko, ay masyado nang maraming characters. Hindi ibig sabihin ay pangit na ang pelikula, parang nagkaron lang ng sizable distraction when they could have developed Carl and Russell's relationship (Up is, after all, similar to Gran Torino if you remove all the fantastical elements). Now they also have to handle Dug and Kevin, both with their own subplots. Na-tie up naman lahat sa huli, but given the short running time, parang medyo nasayang lang.

It doesn't matter in the end. Papanoorin ko ulit 'to pag lumabas na ang DVD versions, kahit dun lang sa montage/scrapbook part. Sentimental, nostalgic, funny as hell (kahit may poop joke, at parang laundry list ng unused jokes from past films), adventure worthy of a video game, and with that unmatched Pixar touch, you cannot go wrong with Up.

Trash Thoughts:

1) Hindi ko lang in-expect na ganun kabilis yung journey from Generic City X to Venezuela. Isang storm scene lang tapos nandun na sila? Akala ko a good third of the film will take place inside the house while traveling, pero sige choice ng filmmakers yun.

2) Subtle lang yung 3D effect. Hindi ginawa para lumabas yung elements sa screen, kundi para lumalim yung nasa likod. It literally looks like there's so much more behind the screen.

3) Ganda nung isang shot na lumulutang lang yung bahay sa ibabaw ng mga ulap.

4) After Monsters, Inc., ito na yata ang best Pixar ending na napanood ko. Ang galing ng pagkaka-wrap up. They're both directed by Peter Docter, btw.

5) DTNL moment: Naluha ako sa 'Adventure book' scene sa later part ng film. Tapos pag naaalala ko siya nung pauwi kami, naluluha ulit ako. Epektib, Pixar, epektib.

6) Hindi ito ang pinaka-mature film ng Pixar (whatever that means). Behind Ratatouille and Wall-E, ahead The Incredibles and Cars.



District 9 - pasensya sa napangakuan ko na sasama akong manood nito, pero dahil sa spectacular end-of-day meeting sa opis, I just had the urge to watch a film. It's District 9 vs The Time Traveler's Wife vs Up, kaya ayun, nanalo ang District 9. Babawi na lang ako sa next movie na papanoorin ng 4031.

While looking at its trailer after watching The Hangover, nakuha niya agad ang pansin ko dahil sa concept ng floating mothership over Johannesburg. Unique na agad. Hooked na rin ako sa aking initial impression na kwento 'to ng discrimination and genocide with an alien twist -- after all, everyone in the film wants these almost-parasitic aliens to just leave the planet.

What happens in the first 20-30 minutes of District 9 is a visual, albeit haunting, experience. Talagang ma-i-immerse ka mundong ini-invent (or in-augment) ni Blomkamp. You see these footages, interviews, news clips telling the story and hinting at the tragedy (or is it rebirth?) later in the film -- successful ang myth-building kasi wala nang build up; nandun na ang aliens at 2 decades na silang squatter, tapos.

After the sublime first act, medyo na-disappont na ako. Nag-transform na siya sa isang typical summer action flick na para bang naghahanap na ng pwedeng gawin yung director para sa mga characters niya. Buti na lang may well-defined world na siyang nagawa kaya hindi naman out of the left field yung plot. Problema lang sa akin e yung experience mo sa simula e mas matindi pa dun nangyari sa gitna at sa huli, na hindi pwede since dapat nagbi-build up ka lang dapat pataas. I was expecting a more personal journey for the central character, but instead they decided to cater to the adrenaline junkies.

May isang sequence dun na sa tingin ko sobrang misplaced: yung scene na kausap ni bida sa cellphone ang kanyang asawa. Puro "don't give up on me/us" yung dialogue na sa tingin ko ay out of place sa situation. Yun, o baka cheesy lang yung delivery/writing. Either way, di naman sobrang na-establish yung marriage niya to warrant that sort of dialogue.

For a reported budget of just $30 million, maganda yung effects ng District 9. Malaking tulong siguro dun yung cinema vérité style na ginamit nila; walang still shots na pwede mong ma-analyze in fine detail yung FX. Sa huli lang lumabas yung epekto ng low budget: may isang mecha sequence na parang cheap at unrealistic yung dating, pero after that okay na.

Recommended for jaded sci-fi junkies na sawa na sa Hollywood-blockbuster formula. Mas engrossing 'to, pero 'wag ka lang kumain sa simula kasi ang daming exploding humans (and aliens).