RIO 2 - An audio-visual delight !

RIO 2

Blu and Jewel who now have  three kids leave their domesticated life in the city of Rio De Janeiro for a journey to the Amazon jungle, where their former owners Linda and Tulio were doing an expedition that seemingly found a hidden tribe of Blue Macaws.. Nigel the cockatoo then decides to seek revenge on the macaws, enlisting poison dart grog Gabi and ant-eater Charlie as his minions. Upon arriving at the Amazon, the family comes across Jewel's long-lost father, Eduardo, who is in hiding with his macaw tribe. As Blu has trouble fitting in, Nigel infiltrates the tribe, and illegal loggers kidnap Linda and Tulio on their way to reach the macaws' hideout..

This sequel to Rio is filled with more adventure, colors, songs  and new characters.  The 3 cute kids, Jewel's father Eduardo, and Jewel's childhood sweetheart Roberto (played brilliantly by Bruno Mars). Another one is Nigel's sidekick Gabi (voiced by the highly entertaining Kristin Chenoweth). With catchy Brazilian tunes, splendid scenery, great voice-acting by the whole cast, kids & adults will surely  enjoy this one. I especially loved the aerial sequences where birds were doing all those formations ! Featuring the voices of  Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Bruno Mars, Jamie Foxx,  Will i Am,  Rodrigo Santoro,  Leslie Mann, Kristin Chenoweth, etc.

(with Mae Romero Vecina, Golda Padre-Chua, Angelei Yu,  Jewel Yu, NomerCris Yu, Jayne Dlc, Joel E. Dela Cruz, Dennis Dela Cruz, Kit DelaCruz DeDios, Pyke Dela Cruz Agaid, Rose Enriquez Majid Jerry, Rowena Enriquez Moll, Roxanne Enriquez)

THE BOOK THIEF - An inspiring story

THE BOOK THIEF

The Book Thief  tells the story of an extraordinary, spirited young girl sent to live with a foster family in WWII Germany. Intrigued by the only book she brought with her, she begins collecting books as she finds them. With the help of her new parents and a secret guest under the stairs, she learns to read and creates a magical world that inspires them all.
This film will capture your heart and your mind from beginning to end as it tells the story of an illiterate girl who learns to live with the holocaust. It is filled with fascinating performances by the cast led by Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush as the surrogate father Hans, and Oscar nominee Emily Watson as the surrogate mom Rose. But most especially we have a new star in Sophie Nelisse as the 12 year-old girl Liesel. She exudes both the innocence of a child and the understanding of an adult. Notable performances also by Nico Liersch (Rudy) and Ben Schnetzer (Max) who play Liesel's friends.  

(with Mae Romero Vecina, Golda Padre-Chua, Richard Bradley Arma, Primadonna Uy, Liezl Barrientos, Dana Amistad, YinXoo Barbie, Tiny Go, Joshua Michael Ramirez, Nicky Trivino, Jayne Dlc, Kit DelaCruz DeDios, Pyke Dela Cruz Agaid)

WINTER'S TALE A great date movie !

WINTER'S TALE
It's a story of miracles, crossed destinies, and the age-old battle between good and evil.
Peter Lake (Colin Farrell) is a thief in 1916 New York City. He is hounded by the nefarious Soames, who was once his mentor, and his band of cutthroats. During one of these encounters with Soames , Peter happens upon a gorgeous white stallion who whisks him away and saves his life. On their way out of New York, Peter decides on one last job --- breaking into an impressive mansion on Central Park, where he meets Beverly Penn ( Jessica Brown-Findlay) and instantly falls in love.
This is one romantic tale that is intertwined with fantasy. So if you can suspend your disbelief, you'll be able to enjoy the story that spans a hundred years. Colin Farrell is back in his charming self after dabbling in off-beat roles. Jessica Brown-Findlay is lovely and mesmerizing. The two leads have great chemistry onscreen. And the cinematography is just splendid. It's definitely a great date movie !

(with Jay Gonzales, Sionee Lagman, YinXoo Barbie, Tiny Go, Jonas Gruet, Camille Defensor Gallano, Fiona Eleni Gallano, Ang Rebeccaa, Clarence Soh, Richard Bradley Arma, Primadonna Uy, John Lozañes, Mae B. Salinel, Liezl Barrientos, Dana Amistad, Regi K. Libre, Jayne Dlc, Kit DelaCruz DeDios, Pyke Dela Cruz Agaid, Rose Enriquez Majid Jerry, Rowena Enriquez Moll)

300 : RISE OF AN EMPIRE Well-choreographed battle scenes and impressive CGIs !

300 : RISE OF AN EMPIRE

It's a follow-up to the 2007 film 300, taking place before, during, and after the events of that film. It centers on Themistocles of Athens and Artemisia I of Caria, as well as Xerxes I of Persia, and Gorgo, Queen of Sparta.. This time the battles take place on the sea, as Greek general Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war against Persia.
Eva Green as Artemisia is a bad-ass killing machine; while Sullivan Stapleton is an adequate Greek hero. But the real star of this film are the well-choreographed battle scenes and the impressive CGIs. Those who enjoyed the first 300 will surely love this one. It's a visual spectacle ! 

 (with Jay Gonzales, Richard Bradley Arma, Atticus King, Paul Perez, Marvin Oliva, Martin Buen, Vien Alen King, Ipe Ipe, Jonas Gruet, Terence Guillermo, JC Cantor, Dexter Navarro, Kian Kazemi, Jose Sarasola, Jommy Teotico, Manuel Chua Jr)

MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN One of the best animated feature from DreamWorks Studios !

MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN : 

 The most intelligent dog in the world Mr. Peabody, and his adopted human son Sherman, use their time machine - the WABAC (Wayback) - to go to different time zones and meet history's greats such as Leonardo da Vinci, King Tut, & Gandhi. But when Sherman takes the WABAC out for a joyride to impress his classmate Penny, the space-time continuum gets all messed-up as the past and present begin to merge, and it's left to our hero to fix things up.
This is probably one of the best animated feature from DreamWorks Studios. It is both entertaining and educational. with a good mix of jokes for the kids and adults, and a fine balance of adventure & tender moments between father and son.          

(with Mae Romero Vecina, Golda Padre-Chua, NomerCris Yu, Joel E. Dela Cruz, Dennis Dela Cruz, Kit DelaCruz DeDios, Pyke Dela Cruz Agaid, Jayne Dlc, Jayda D. Rodriguez, Angelei Yu, Jewel Yu, Micah Mangulabnan, Liezl Barrientos, Marvin Oliva, Maria Linda Jurado, Vilma Angeles, Gi Baldonado, Martin Buen, Paul Perez, Paul Clark, Dexter Navarro, Richard Bradley Arma, Romano Vasquez, Cris Villanueva, Richard Ibasco Arellano, Nick Sarmenta Tejedor, Chuckie Dreyfus)