Movie Review: Run All Night

Run All Night is a very manly movie.  It oozes maleness that, if you were a girl, you'd probably be sporting stubbles by the time you're through.  It reminds me of old Hong Kong movies, with maleness and machismo being wielded as deadly weapon.

Despite that, it's not particularly testosterone-laden.  Yes, you can be manly without the chest-beating, or the one-liners designed to taunt your opponent into doing something stupid.  This distinguishes Run All Night from, say, Taken, or your typical Steven Seagal movie -- this movie, in its very core, is  about what it's like to be a father, or how not to be one.

Run All Night is star-studded; nevermind the fact that I only really know Liam Neeson and Ed Harris -- Ed Harris is star power enough (for me) to fill a five part movie about cooking sushi properly with your left hand tied behind your back with a silk necktie.  Add action-grandpa Liam Neeson and you'd get the next ultimate versus movie this side of Stallone and Swarzenegger (or Stiller and De Niro).

What I love the most about this movie (aside from its proper notions of manliness and fatherhood), is the fact that Liam Neeson doesn't do his usual Taken act -- the unstoppable force of nature that kicks down every door and shoots up every villain in his sight, though he does shoot and kill a lot of people here (enough to add to that old Liam Neeson infographic), it was never done in a casual, zip up your fly manner.  You can feel each kill costing him.

I'm glad we ended up watching this movie, I was ready to give it the skip, especially since it hasn't been a year since I've seen the last Taken.  This movie is as gritty as your typical Ed Harris movie without being overly depressing, although, I have to admit, I felt my eyes itch from some strange atmospheric effect causing tears to flow down (a bit), but there's a death scene at the end that was just oozing manliness that I couldn't help myself.  It's just like how manly Japanese guys would cry in anime, when their comrades would do something paricularly brave (like pedaling to exhaustion and not finishing the race so his team mates could push ahead and win).  That sort of manliness.

Verdict: 4/5 Well worth watching!

TL;DR:
+ Liam Neeson, toning down his action-grandpa act
+ Ed Harris
+ Straighforward movie, none of your twists and turns
+ Serious without being overly dramatic, or stressful


Details:
Movie Release Date: 3/18/2015
Seen at: Fisher Mall Cinemas
Notable Stars: Liam Neeson, Ed Harris
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2199571/

Book Review: Tigerman by Nick Harkaway

Tigerman places a superhero in a realistic, modern-day setting, albeit in a fictitious island called Mancreu.  It explores the complex relationship the man behind the mask has with his superhero persona, his environment and the people around him.  Less emphasis was placed on the superpowers (of which there really isn't none, aside from athleticism and combat awareness, no megabillionbuckaroos here); the story focuses on the protagonist's journey from a sergeant of the British Army to Tigerman (not tiger man, mind).

Mancreu, an former British colony, can be attributed to any number of real-world analogue, except in this case, Mancreu is about to be devoured by a cloud of toxic stuff.  This places it in a legal limbo that allows Tigerman to come to being.  It actually makes sense and gives the story a setting that is more grounded in realpolitik; at least, more so than Gotham ever was (to my casual reader's eye at least).

While Mancreu is built in such a way that it becomes a character in the book (albeit a non-speaking one), the core of the book deals with Lester Ferris' (the said British Sergeant) relationship with his side-kick/young friend (aptly named Boy, or the Boy in certain cases) -- this relationship explores, in great personal detail, what Batman's relationship with Robin would possibly be like: father-son, teacher-mentor, pedophile-love interest.

The novel is very, very personal, in the sense that it puts you deep inside Ferris' head.  It's very, very tight-first person storytelling here and it took me ages to read through this novel because I couldn't read beyond a chapter at a time.  There's nothing wince-worthy here, nor was the story-telling particularly bandwidth intensive.  It was just told in a manner that requires me to take a day long breather after every session.

I wouldn't call Tigerman a particularly fast-paced novel, it's pretty much like a month at the beach -- slow going, almost idyllic, with moments of intense activity.  But it's a very interesting read -- the core idea is one that appeals to the (casual) comic book fan in me and treats the thesis with the gravitas it deserves, without taking itself too seriously.

Verdict 4/5 Good read, solid piece of work.

TL;DR:
+ Very well written, the central idea is solid, so is the storytelling
+ Great characters, you really get inside the protagonist's head, with all that implies
+ The setting, Mancreu, comes alive.  It almost makes me want to go visit. Almost
- Pace is a bit slow, not exactly a book that you pick up and won't put down.


Details:
Author: Nick Harkaway
Genre: Superhero, Political/Real-world Fiction
Book Length: 352 Pages (Hardcover Version)
Read on: Ebook Version
Published: July 29, 2014
Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Tigerman-A-novel-Nick-Harkaway/dp/0385352417

Movie Review: Crazy Beautiful You

Crazy Beautiful You is a teeny-bopper movie.   This statement is not to inflame, nor to denigrate the film, it is a romantic story between two young people who aim to start a relationship despite their respective situations.  It is a feel good movie, beautifully shot, with beautiful people, a bleak yet photogenic set of locations, and with a simple yet inoffensive script about love and family that's sure to entertain.

Taken in that context, there's little to criticise about this movie.  While I'm not a hardcore fan, I've enjoyed the Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernado 'love-team' back from their TV tele-serye days.  Daniel usually plays the bad-boy and Kathryn the goody-two-shoe;  their roles are reversed this time around, and it works!

Daniel seems more comfortable playing a happy person, which Kathryn can play a boy and she'll still be good at it.  The chemistry is there, and the director milks it for all its worth, with long, drawn out shots of the two doing their thing.  GF said there were kilig moments a-plenty.  I admit nothing.

While the movie is plenty good, there are some niggles I'd like to point out (none of which can be considered deal-breakers but I am splitting hairs here).  You get your requisite product placement shots (ABS CBN Mobile, a long-ass sequence involving KFC, and maybe a Condora ad-let).  You get about four disruptive transitions (music stopping abruptly, scene changing just as suddenly) and Inigo Pascual's character.

Inigo plays the perfect second fiddle here, and (requisite cover-your-ass disclaimer) while there is no accounting for taste, he simply does not match up to Daniel's character or looks or situation -- he's a straw man built just to be toppled down, probably one of the story's weakest points (aside from an exposition between Kathryn and her mother, full of feels but not enough storytelling).

In the end, you watch this movie because of Daniel and Kathryn -- you see them growing more mature with their role, and you can see glimpses of what they can become.  Daniel is the winner here, being charming without being shallow, sensitive without being too weepy.  Kathryn is, well, her usual excellent self, though she does this by supporting Daniel in subtle ways.

The support case is decent, but entirely forgettable. Lorna Tolentino (playing Kathryn's mom) had the biggest support role, though it's a shame to see an actress of her caliber play a bit part.  Gabby Concepcion plays your typical well-heeled politico (he plays Daniel's dad) with even less screen time (or consequence) than Ms. T.  Oh, Annaliza (Andrea Brilliantes) is here, marking her first step into maidenhood (but only with a tiny amount of screen time).  And, well, there's also Inigo but yeah :P

Who should watch this?  If you like Daniel+Kathryn, then it's a given.  If you enjoy feel-good local movies, yep, this one should be on your to watch list.  Or if you just like watching beautiful people and places, then you'd have that aplenty.

Verdict: Highly Recommended (4/5)

TL;DR:
++ Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla
+ Daniel Padilla levelling up his acting skills
+ Beautiful shots
+ Kilig Momments
- Inigo Pascual
+/- Supporting cast pretty much negligible
+/- Simple, Inoffensive story
- Requisite tear-jerking scenes

Details:
Movie Release Date: 2/25/2015
Seen at: Eastwood Citywalk 2 Cinemas
Notable Stars: Daniel Padilla, Kathryn Bernardo