FIRST IMAGE: The Lone Ranger

First image of Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp as the Lone Ranger and Tonto - something to look forward to in 2013!!

MOVIE REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

It has been a weird time for me at the movies lately,I still haven't seen Bad Teacher, Larry Crowne and Transformers: Dark of the Moon but I saw both Zookeeper and Horrible Bosses days before the actual opening day and make that 3 with the last chapter in the Harry Potter series; Deathly Hallows Part 2 last night.

What a fitting ending to one of the biggest moneymaking film franchises of all time since Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The first part of Deathly Hallows clearly set up on what was to be the ultimate duel almost a decade in the making; Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. After all the anguish that Harry had been too in the other books and the first part, he is now edgier and ready to finish it all, this is Daniel Radcliffe's best performance in the series and rightfully so in the last one.

Those who weren't able to read the book or maybe skipped a book, film or both can still catch up while watching the film. It gave a good backgrounder from Harry's parents to even his mentors Professor Dumbledore and Severus Snape.

This is epic filmmaking at it's best. I saw it in the 3D version but save your hard earned money. Seeing it on a regular screen is well worth it.

MOVIE REVIEW: Horrible Bosses

Gross, unpredictable and very funny, these are the words that describe Horrible Bosses; the new film by Seth Gordon, who also directed Four Christmases, a movie that will always have a place in my heart.

Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis of Saturday Night Live and Charlie Day of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia play buddies who all have stable jobs but with HORRIBLE BOSSES!!

Bateman's boss is played by the great Kevin Spacey (wickedly funny and evil), who slaves him to work, not granting him his promotion and sees the minor small detail that can get people fired.

Sudeikis' is Colin Farrell (with a hideous hairpiece), the cokehead son of his former boss, who wants to drain the company's bank account.

Jason Day plays an engaged dentist assistant, who's boss Jennifer Aniston, is giving him all the sexual innuendos possible to him borderlining on sexual harrassment.

Together, with the help of a hired killer mastermind (Jamie Foxx), they all conspire to murder their bosses who makes them miserable in life.

Among the three leads, it is Charlie Day who steals the movie. He has the best lines in the film and I'm pretty sure that after this movie, he would be a household name in the same way that Zach Galifianakis become in the first Hangover.

Brutally dark comedy but very very funny. Horrible Bosses, joins Bridesmaids as the funniest film of 2011.

REVIEW: A Better Life

All of us want a better life for ourselves and our loved ones. In these modern times,to some it means living the American dream. We have seen and heard countless stories about people coming to the United States, whatever means possible to leave behind a country they lost hope at and make it in the US.

A Better Life, tells that story, from the Latinos point of view. It's about a father named Carlos Galindo, excellently played by Damian Bichir, who came to California illegally, raising single handedly his only child, his son Luis (Jose Julian). Living as a gardener while trying to get his son out of joining gangs and him being caught by authorities.

Director Chris Weitz (About A Boy and New Moon) created a Los Angeles that we never saw before. It seems like in the movie, LA is a city in Mexico. I was even surprised that there was even a rodeo stadium right in the heart of the city that does not look like LA with sponsors with banners such as Tecate Beer. LA turned into Mexico City right into our very eyes.

Surprisingly unsentimental, A Better Life doesn't fall in the melodramatic found in Spanish Telenovelas. It shows the power of a father's love for his child is universal.

REVIEW: Friends With Benefits

I was fortunate enough to watch a screening of the new film Friends with Benefits starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis exactly a month before it's actual release date here in the US (July 22). My verdict: One funny and highly entertaining and notches above the earlier film released this year about the same premise: No Strings Attached.

Kunis plays a headhunter, who just broke up with her boyfriend, who hooks up with Timberlake's character, a graphic artist who moved to New York City, who also just broke up with his girlfriend.

Traumatized by their failed relationships, the two became friends without commitment. Just sex.

The ending is predictable but the movie's best assets are the cast. Justin Timberlake, after all those famous guestings in SNL is really born to be a comedian. Mila Kunis, who proven herself to make people laugh in That 70's Show and Forgetting Sarah Marshall has perfect comic timing. The two have great chemistry.

They are ably supported by excellent actors: Woody Harrelson, who plays Timberlake's co-worker, Richard Jenkins as his father and Patricia Clarkson as Kunis' promiscuous mom. There is a combined four Oscar nominations between these 3 actors.

Cameo appearances also abound in this film. I won't spoil it for you guys. Good, highly entertaining funny film.

MOVIE REVIEW: Fast Five

Finally saw Fast Five and critics and moviegoers were right: this is the best so far among the Fast and the Furious series. Who would have thought that the fifth installment would be up there with Ocean Eleven and the Italian Job (which are both remakes) as the best heist movie of this young century??

Series regulars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster all give commendable performances. As sequels go, most especially the fifth, there must be an impression that they're tired but no, due to a commendable script and lines that are not cheesy and lousy, an example of which is Transformers 2.

Looking forward to a sixth installment of this series.

TRAILER : 127 Hours

Danny Boyle, the director of such films as Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days and Sunshine comes his follow up to his Oscar winning masterpiece Slumdog Millionaire. This is the amazing true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston portrayed by James Franco. Oscar buzz is already building on this film.

TRAILER: Due Date

From the director of Old School and The Hangover Todd Philips, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifinakis, Opens November 5 in the US.

TRAILER: Love Ranch

Inspired by true events, Oscar Winners Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci plays a couple who opened the first legal brothel in Nevada. Opens in limited release this July in the US.

TEASER TRAILER: Buried

Unique concept: A man finds himself inside a coffin, alive and buried. Armed with only a lighter and cellphone, he tries to get out. Starring Ryan Reynolds, this could be the sleeper suspense hit of 2010.

TRAILER: Inception

I am so looking forward to this movie. Great cast and director plus an original story too. I hope it lives up to the hype. Opens July 16, 2010 here in the US

Brand New Shrek The Final Chapter Poster

For me, better than the trailer and the previous posters for the upcoming fourth installment.

MOVIE REVIEW: How to Train Your Dragon

For me, this is the first animated film that fully utilized 3D in all it's glory. Based on the children's book by Cressida Cowell, How to Train your Dragon carries the universal theme of a son trying to prove himself to his father. Set in the world of Vikings, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel of Tropic Thunder, Knocked Up and recently She's Out of my League) is the son of the village cheiftain Stoic (voiced by Gerard Butler) who always leads his people when the village is constantly attacked by dragons.

Unlike the people in the village, Hiccup is smaller and therefore looked down upon. Therefore he is also not expected to fight the dragons. But an accidental encounter with the mysterious Night Fury dragon changes everything.

This film is fun, entertaining and in the end surprisingly touching. I had low expectations watching this film but in the end, I believe like most people, were pleasantly surprised. See it in 3D. It's worth it.

TEASER TRAILER: The Company Men

Coming out later this year: Oscar winners all: Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner and Ben Affleck. There's an American Beauty and Up in the Air vibe over this trailer.

FIRST OFFICIAL TRAILER & POSTER: Eat Pray Love

Based on the 2006 bestselling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert. This is the first official trailer and poster of it's film version starring Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem and James Franco. I read the book and it makes you wanna travel to the three biggest countries in the world that Gilbert visited: Italy, India and Indonesia. Opens August 13, 2010 in the US.

EAT PRAY LOVE Trailer

Just Wondering.....

Among the four movies released last weekend: Green Zone, Remember Me, Our Family Wedding and She's Out of my League, the last one still does not an ad in any of the Bay Area newspapers that I had seen on it's second weekend while it's estimated that League will have the best second weekend gross among the four. Just wondering....

MOVIE REVIEW: Repo Men

The talents of Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker and two time nominee Jude Law are wasted in this movie which has a very promising concept - in the distant future, human organs can now be paid in installment and if you fail to do after a couple of days after the deadline, the repo men will find out and get back the organs. A movie that echoes today's economic situation.

But there are some unnecessary scenes in it, with the proper writing and editing - it had the potential to be a Fight Club type of dark comedy. Unfortunately, from the middle part till the end - it's just another sci fi B movie.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Ghost Writer

A former British Prime Minister played by Pierce Brosnan is being questioned for authorizing England in joining the United States in an unpopular war in the Middle East. His seeks his redemption by writing his memoirs through a "ghost writer".

As the writer finishes the book, secrets are unraveled and it's much more complicated on what things seems to be. Ewan McGregor plays the titular character in this well-crafted political thriller masterfully directed by Roman Polanski who deservedly won the Best Director award at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.

Based on the book by Robert Harris, The Ghost Writer is a triumph. Aside from Brosnan and McGregor, the actresses in the film also gave top-notch performances. Rushmore's Olivia Williams plays the Prime Minister's wife and Kim Cattrall in a British accent, the PM's assistant and occasional lover. This is easily one of the best films this first quarter of 2010.

MOVIE REVIEW: She's Out of my League

She's Out of my League is a story of a nerdy, awkward young TSA employee played by Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder, Knocked Up and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) who during one of his regular working days at Pittsburgh International Airport encounters a hot, attractive lady (Alice Eve), whom everyone around him rates her a 10, as opposed to him a 5, finds him nice and falls in love with him.

I can safely say that this film is the offspring of Knocked Up. Same concept but different body type for the lead actor. The lady however does not get pregnant.

Baruchel and Eve have great charm as a couple. Their set of friends also give ample comic support. Warning: there is also a great scene in the movie involving meeting the girl's parents. It's just that it would be weird if you're watching the film with any of your parents, especially your Mom and any female relatives.

And also like Knocked Up, there is this good moral lesson that She's Out of my League imparted: what matters is always when one has a great personality.

Corey Haim: A Tribute

One of the best movies I ever saw in VHS then in Laser Disc is the 1988 Corey Haim and Corey Feldman flick License to Drive. A story about a teenager named Les Anderson (played by Haim) who failed driving school but one time drove his grandfather's prized Cadillac in order to impress a girl played by Heather Graham.

As a 13 year old then, I was awed by it. Driving around Los Angeles, living the American life and getting a hot girl. What made License to Drive more believable is by Corey Haim's performance as your all around boy next door in which most guys at that age can relate to. His skinny, lanky built adds points too as most of us who passed that phase more popularly known as puberty had that same body form. I will always remember that movie from my childhood.

Corey Haim lived a short life. Along with License to Drive, he was also in Lucas and The Lost Boys; his three well known pictures. He was not able to translate his film success into adulthood but, by virtue of that three films alone, he left a nice legacy for boys about to be men.