Movie Review: Endless Love

Teaser poster

The American romance drama Endless Love, a 103-min. long, sexy and steamy remake of Franco Zeffirelli's 1981 film of the same name (starring Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt) and a second adaptation of Scott Spencer's well-regarded novel, tells the story of a privileged, tawny, toffee-sweet, reserved, bookish and honor-roll teenager named Jade Butterfield, who falls for the charismatic, handsome but rough-edged David Axelrod who has a classic charm coupled with a mysterious past.  His instant desire sparks a reckless love affair, much to her overbearing and mean father’s dismay.

The film stars an ensemble cast headed by English actors and models Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four, Magic Mike) and Gabriella Wilde (The Three Musketeers) plus old pros Robert Patrick (the T-1000 in 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day) as Alex's father, Joely Richardson (101 Dalmatians) as Jade's mother Ann and Bruce Greenwood (National Treasure: Book of Secrets) as Jade's father Hugh.

Alex Pettyfer

Geared toward a younger audience than the 1981 Endless Love version their parents probably remembered watching, the simplicity of the movie plot of the 2014 remake is reminiscent of the love story in Romeo and Juliet, another Franco Zefffirelli-directed movie (1968) which, incidentally, I also watched. It even has a balcony scene, of sorts.

Gabriella Wilde

Director Shana Feste

For someone who’s that beautiful, however bookish she may be, it’s a surprise that Jade got through four years of high school and graduated without having a boyfriend, much less a single date.  Showcasing the power of a deeply intense and erotic love, the softly-lit love scene, by the fireplace, between the gorgeous Alex Pettyfer and his beautiful co-star Gabriella Wilde plus other lustful scenes barely lived up to its PG-13 rating. Though they sometimes explore their love emotionally, they do so mostly physically and they simply just can't stop their loins from burning. Though this is supposed to be a movie about obsession, it does have its lighthearted moments, especially in the first half of the film where David turns Jade’s lackluster graduation party into the most hip party to be in, all via a crank phone call. Payback for this prank comes later in the movie, when the drama picks up.

Bruce Greenwood and Joely Richardson

Though this movie teems with teenage hormones and passion, it still delves on the message of true love, friendship, sacrifice, betrayal and perseverance.  Directed by Shana Feste (Country Strong), this romantic drama also co-stars Anna Enger as Sabine, Dayo Okeniyi (Thresh in The Hunger Games) as Mace, and Emma Rigby as Jenny.

The movie Endless Love, distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures (UIP) through Solar Entertainment Corporation, will be showing in Metro Manila movie theaters on February 12.

Movie Review: Jack Ryan - Shadow Recruit

(Excerpt from my article featured in www.pep.ph)

I have always been a faithful fan of the Jack Ryan series of films (Hunt for Red October, 1990, Patriot Games, 1992, Clear and Present Danger, 1994, and Sum of All Fears, 2002) and I wouldn’t miss out on watching the premiere of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, its fifth installment.  

Teaser Poster

Based on the character created by the late (who died on October 1, 2013 at age 66 from a brief ailment) bestselling author Tom Clancy, this 2014 blistering U.S. action thriller is a reboot that departs from the previous installments in the franchise as it is not an adaptation of a particular Clancy novel but is, instead, an original story featuring the Jack Ryan character, in a sort of prequel, going back to his early days when he was just a CIA analyst who got in way over his head

Directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh (Academy Award nominee who also plays, with a Russian accent, the main villain Viktor Cherevin) and produced by David Barron, Mark Vahradian, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, this global national security thriller stars Chris Pine as the latest incarnation of Tom Clancy’s intelligence analyst turned unwitting field operative, and the fourth actor to play the role, following Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford (twice) and Ben Affleck.  Pre-production took place at the August Street Films Limited production offices, based at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire (U.K.), and filming took place at the Liverpool City center (which doubled as Moscow) and New York City.

Chris Pine as Jack Ryan

Kevin Costner as William Harper

The story follows Jack in his 20’s, from 9/11, through to his 2003 tour of duty as a Marine lieutenant in Afghanistan (where his lower spine is mashed in a helicopter crash and he has to learn to walk again), then as a one-time Wall Street stockbroker, and into his early days in the covert Financial Intelligence Unit of the modern Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) where he becomes a junior analyst, under the guardianship and moral support of his world-weary and tight-lipped supervising officer William Harper (Academy Award winner Kevin Costner).

While working as an analyst, Jack believes he's inadvertently uncovers evidence of a very scary and imminent Russian financial terrorist attack plot to collapse the U.S. economy (as well as those of London, Tokyo and Shanghai).  

Kenneth Branaugh as Viktor
Cherevin

However, with no intelligence to verify his discovery, he goes on from being an analyst to being shadow-recruited to become a field agent.  

He is sent to Moscow to continue his investigation and soon encounters Viktor Cherevin, the enigmatic but sinister, dangerous and determined Russian oligarch who is at the center of a plot to cripple the global economy via an economic catastrophe of an unprecedented scale.

While learning to navigate the world of intelligence, Jack fends off an assassin while addressing the potential breakdown of his marriage to his in-the-dark fiancée Caroline “Cathy” Mueller (played by Keira Knightley). 

However, he comes to the realization that it may already be too late to stop Cherevin and must fight to save his own life and countless others, while also trying to protect the person who is more important to him than anything else – Cathy.

Keira Knightley as Caroline “Cathy” Mueller

First meeting of Jack Ryan and William Harper

Going back to the assassination attempt on Ryan by Embee (played by Nonso Anozie AKA Xaro Xhoan Daxos from "Game of Thrones"), the Ugandan henchman of Cherevin, it was obvious that Jack’s cover was already blown, even before his arrival in Russia.  

Standard operating procedure dictates that he be pulled out or ordered to flee the scene (as he would be more of a liability than an asset), based on what I’ve read or seen in spy novels or movies.  Yet, in this movie, he is allowed by Harper to go on with his mission.   I also wonder how the CIA was able to clean up the hotel room mess left after that attempt.  Bringing out a dead 300-lb. man from the hotel is no easy feat, to say the least.

Jack and Cathy in a tender moment

Also, the plot of Cheverin to cripple the U.S and global economy by buying up U.S. Treasury bonds through dummy corporations, then ordering a terrorist attack on American soil (after which he intends to sell the bonds, thus crashing the dollar) seems to be, in my opinion, too far-fetched to happen in real life.

This isn’t Chris Pine’s first foray into an action/espionage film, having starred (aside from his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek), in a more romantic and comedic role, as a CIA agent Franklin "FDR" Foster in the 2012 film This Means War.  As Jack Ryan, he was remolded as a younger and rougher version of a Jason Bourne or Ethan Hunt, running and punching his way throughout the film in a way Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and even Ben Affleck never realized.

Branagh as director

Jack battles an assassin (Nonso Anozie)

Alas, action doesn't always come without a price. I would certainly love to know what the late Tom Clancy would think of this version of his original legendary character, an analyst who doesn't do any field work.  

True, a big chunk of that movie is about how uncomfortable and frightened to death Ryan is with a loaded gun and the physical side of field operations - he successfully shows it with a mouth wide open and his startlingly bright, blue eyes darting wildly.

A visibly frightened Ryan

However, in this film, it's obvious that the studio also wanted him to be more, as this neophyte, soon-to-be-operational CIA analyst gets more than he bargained for, being forced to go mano-a-mano with the big, bad guy, taking him out by drowning in a bathtub, with his bare hands, in a Jason Bourne, James Bond or Ethan Hunt-like fashion. It's obvious that they did a major revamp of the character as he was originally imagined.

Fortunately, it's not Ryan's actions that set him apart in this (or in any other Jack Ryan) movie - it's his dazzling analytical mind, thinking and moving with his brain faster than most other people, even those in the CIA, making for an easy-to-root-for hero.  

If only this covert organization had this kind of guy in the past, maybe a scene that appeared at the start of the movie would never had happened – the bombing of the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

The hot, young, teen-friendly and enjoyably talented Chris Pine, with his cocky charm and good looks, had big shoes to fill and he has to spring into action to do it. I liked the way he portrayed Jack Ryan but I do hope the next producers don’t gamble on basically hanging every functioning Paramount franchise on the same actor.

British actress Keira, with her flawless American accent in the movie, convincingly portrays Cathy in a different and feisty light unheard of in past movies within the Jack Ryan series, in roles previously played by Gates McFadden, Anne Archer and Bridget Moynahan.  

I was surprised at how relieved she was when she found out that Jack was, instead of having an illicit love affair (she even hops into a plane to “surprise” him), working in the CIA.  It’s not every day that you get to hear that kind of reply from a woman.  Not only that, she too gets in on the dangerous undercover action.  However, true chemistry between Pine and Knightley, reminiscent of the chemistry between Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp in The Tourist, is sorely missing.

As in this movie and in other Tom Clancy movies, high-tech, cutting-edge and state-of-the-art gadgets (including the newest cell phones), weapons and surveillance systems are always present and the action (rooftop jumps, car crashes, etc.), especially towards the end of the movie, was well staged.

The cool and classy Kevin Costner, as Harper, the guy who brings Jack Ryan into the world of international espionage, carries an authority that is sorely needed for this kind of movie.  Even when he is not doing much, he looks mysterious and dangerous.  Costner, coincidentally, was also offered, 25 years ago, the role of Jack Ryan in the Hunt for Red October but had to pass because he was busy with Dances with Wolves (which won him an Academy Award).

This is probably Paramount Picture's last best hope, now that Tom Clancy is gone, at spearheading the rebooting and revival of this half-dead franchise of the Jack Ryan series.  

I think they succeeded with this nicely shot, never dull and fun piece of popcorn entertainment.  

However, as a parting shot, I do hope they choose a better title next time.

The cast at the movie's premiere

The movie Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is released (January 15, 2014) and distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures (UIP) through Solar Entertainment Corporation.

Movie Review: 47 Ronin

Teaser poster

The film 47 Ronin is a fantastical take (being set in a world of witches and giants) and stylized version of a story of a real-life group of early 18th-century leaderless and outcast Japanese samurai  who avenged the murder of their master.   Stories, plays and other dramatic performances of the real 47 Ronin story are commonly referred to, in Japan, as Chūshingura ("Treasury of Loyal Retainers"). 

This 2013 Universal Studios epic 3-D fantasy and action film by visionary director Carl Erik Rinsch (The Gift), was produced by Pamela Abdy (Identity Thief, upcoming Endless Love), Scott Stuber (Ted, Identity Thief) and Eric McLeod (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Austin Powers film series) and was based on a screenplay by Chris Morgan (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) and Hossein Amini (The Wings of the Dove). It started filming in Budapest (Hungary) on March 14, 2011; moved to Shepperton Studios in London (United Kingdom) in late August 2012; and additional filming was done in Japan.

It stars Keanu Reeves as the interesting, mysterious and denigrated outcast and former slave Kai, the orphaned son of a British sailor and a Japanese peasant woman but believed to have been raised by demons. The very monotone Keanu, with his intensely neutral screen persona, fits in and is perfectly believable with this tailor-made role, playing an outsider who receives no respect from the other characters (he is disgraced even when he displays great courage) but is still devoted to social codes of selflessness and rank, rendering a solid performance in this tragedy based on unrequited love, arcane intrigue and social mores.  Subdued and stone-faced much of the time, he gives his character strength in the face of, what seems to be, insurmountable adversity. Coupled with his Matrix sort of appearance here, Keanu Reeves looks like a movie star again.

Keanu Reeves (Kai)

Hiroyuki Sanada (Oishi)

Kai joins a group of rōnin, led by Kuranosuke Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), who seeks vengeance on Lord Kira Yoshinaka (Tadanobu Asano), a ruthless and treacherous rival daimyo (The historical Kira, however, was a protocol officer of the shōgun, not a daimyo.) who, aided by the sorceress Mizuki (Rinko Kikuchi), engineers the shaming of their master Lord Asano Naganori (Min Tanaka)  by goading him into attacking him, an act that ultimately led him to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) and the banishment of Oishi and his retainers by the shōgun Tsunayoshi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). 

To restore honor to Ako (now a small fiefdom in western Honshū), their homeland, and get their revenge (katakiuchi, 敵討ち), the 47 selfless, noble, proud but compassionate ronin embark, after 2 years, upon a journey that challenges them with a series of trials that would defeat most warriors.

The 47 Ronin rides again

I enjoyed watching this film as it brought to life the stunning landscapes and enormous and gritty battle scenes (similar to those seen in the 2000 film Gladiator, whose director Ridley Scott, was Rinsch’s mentor), blended with fantasy-like elements seen in The Lord of the Rings epics, as they depicted the timeless, almost Shakespearean, 300 year old ronin story, often referred to as Japan's "national legend," in a way that’s never been seen before by audiences here and abroad. Over the centuries, the ronin story has been embellished many times and this film version is no exception, with the addition of a witch (making it an epic battle of physical skill versus witchcraft), dragons, giants, orges and a half-breed (to provide a role for a Western actor) into the plot, presumably to placate a young audience.

Rinko Kikuchi (Mizuki)

The actors' costumes in this Far Eastern costume drama, designed by Penny Rose (Pirates of the Caribbean), though based on culture (almost everybody was in a kimono), still had a kind of fashion twist as it was full of color. 

Worth mentioning is the craftsmanship of the ornate and meticulously-crafted suits of armor worn by the samurai warriors which provide a history-based feel, bringing to life the Edo Period of feudal Japan.

The complex, well-crafted and ornate production settings were also riveting and a sight to behold as I was treated to one gorgeous sight after another where free form backdrops with exaggerated historical elements and fairy-tale tropes seem equally at home.  They include the shadowy, ghost-haunted bamboo forest; the bevy of tethered ships that formed a floating den of iniquity; and the arena of death at the Pirates of the Caribbean-like Dutch trading post at Dejima where Kai, forced to repeatedly fight for his life with ogres in gladiatorial combat, is rescued by Oishi. The computer-generated imagery (CGI) characters were well-crafted and 3-D enhanced the look of the characters and the stunning landscape. Complimenting the lovely spectacle is a beautiful score by composer Atticus Ross.

Kai (in red armor) battles a giant in a gladiatorial contest

Kai battling Mizuki while Mika watches

As for the 5 major Japanese actors cast in the film (between March and April 2011), Rinko Kikuchi, as Mizuki the malevolent, shape-shifting witch with heterochromatic eyes and long, tentacle-like hair (used by her as an extra set of limbs) is, hands down, the film’s absolute scene stealer and life of the party as she occasionally disappears into a swirl of colorful fabrics. 

Tadanobu Asano and Hiroyuki Sanada also stand out. Mika (singer-actress Kou Shibasaki), Lord Asano's beautiful daughter and Kai’s star-crossed love interest, is quite tepid. Her romance with Kai never gels with the rest of the narrative.  The love interest at the Tom Cruise 2003 film The Last Samurai was much better. Finally, unlike at the aforementioned film (where Sanada also appeared but spoke in Japanese), I was a little disappointed by the fact that, in 47 Ronin, they spoke in English.

Kai and Mika in a rare tender moment

Despite the film’s troubled history of production problems (disagreements between director and studio; adding of a second director for reshoots; shifting release dates; etc.); dark and mysterious setting and atmosphere; and lack of greatness, 47 Ronin is still a well-crafted, visually sumptuous adventure film with a nice blend of action, fantasy and drama, that befits a good samurai tale, plus betrayal and romance.  My sympathies with the ronin lay with me from the start and the quite riveting trials they faced (and there are many) made me become immediately involved with their quest.

Director Carl Rinsch and Keannu

Also, despite the substantial negativity about this movie (it did not live up to the expectations generated by its astronomical budget of US$170 million plus it did poorly in Japan, of all places), very un-Hollywood ending (watch it to find out) and its share of flaws (some elements don’t quite fit), 47 Ronin is still, very much, a watchable, serious but still refreshing rendition of a ronin’s true inspiration in life - honor, loyalty and redemption. The addition of the supernatural element within the context of the film, objected to by purists, also did not overwhelm the story.

Ronin cast with director Rinsch

A movie's success at the box office is never an indication of its artistry.  I have seen shoddy films make millions of dollars while well-crafted but misunderstood films, like 47 Ronin, largely go ignored or unnoticed via the negative press surrounding it. This multi-colored (rich reds, deep purples, bursts of yellow and mint green) downer fantasy, with a bleak view of the world, still combines bursts of imagination (with its inclusion of fantastic beasts, immortal warrior sects and black magic) and is a singular viewing experience.

47 Ronin is released (January 8, 2014) and distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures (UIP) through Solar Entertainment Corporation.