DVD QuickPick: October 5,2013 (Late Post)

Last Saturday,I decided to pick up one new DVD since I figured that I haven't bought one since my purchase of Fast 6.And if you're wondering why I typed "DVD QuickPick" instead of "DVD Haul" because like I said,I only have one newly purchased DVD and since I consider 2 DVDs to be a haul,I consider 1 to be a QuickPick since I picked it up quick.Kinda corny if you ask me (yes,I admit),but that's the way it's gotta be.So...here it is,my newly bought DVD...

(Cue intergalactic theme music from a famous Sci-Fi show in the 60s)

Beam Me Up! It's Star Trek: Into Darkness! (Finally)




Among the heap of newly released DVDs (Like World War Z,The Hangover Part III,Iron Man 3,etc.),this one was the only one that struck my interest.I was interested in this for 2 reasons.First,I loved JJ Abrams' 2009 remake of Star Trek and secondly,I've been told that this is one of the films not to be missed this year.If there's gotta be a third reason,it would have something to do with the action and Benedict Cumberbatch.Anyway,I'm really digging that slipcover's front artwork.It gives me the impression that this one's gonna be darker and more action packed than the first film.Speaking of slipcovers,I love them so much.I like Trek 2's,but my problem is that my slipcover is a little soft and easily foldable.Not as hard as Magna's previous slipcovers for Fast 6 and Django Unchained.Regarding the features,this DVD's only got 2.Those are: "The Enemy of my Enemy" and "Ship to Ship".Well,they really are few.They should've added in at least 2 or 3 more featurettes to make up for the value.But anyway,I'm cool with that.Above all else,all I wanna say is that I am so excited to watch this.I was really happy to have this in my hands the moment I picked it up and brought it to the cashier and then finally brought it home.I'm gonna watch this when I have some time.

I know it's been short,but that's it.That's it for today.See ya soon 'til my next DVD QuickPick/DVD Haul (I really hope it's gonna be a haul next time around).Thanks for reading.

*Star Trek: Into Darkness is now available on DVD & Blu-Ray distributed for home viewing by Magnavision Home Video.Thanks to them for releasing a lot of great movies for home viewing.Other blockbusters now available from them would be World War Z,The Hangover Part III,The Great Gatsby,etc.

(C) 2013 Magnavision Home Video.
(C) 2013 Paramount Pictures/Skydance Productions/Bad Robot Productions.

FilmReviews: Gravity (2D)

Don't Let Go.

The moment I saw Gravity's trailer,it left me astonished 'cause the trailer made me believe that the film would be great.And the moment I left the cinema after the film,I was definitely stunned by the film's greatness.In case you don't know much about the film,Gravity is a 2013 space set drama-thriller directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men),written by Alfonso Cuarón & Jonás Cuarón and stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.The film is often categorized as a Sci-Fi,but I consider it to be a drama-thriller.




Damn.That exclusive IMAX poster is just stunning.So...here are the contributing factors of what makes this a review:

>Story/Plot
>Acting/Performances
>Miscellaneous
>Direction/Director's Effort

Alright.Let's start.

Story:

Gravity's story is quite simple but yet,it's what makes it so ambitious.And yet so great.The plot is about a medical engineer and an astronaut who work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space.So yeah,based on the plot description,the film would be about survival in space.And that's one of the best things about Gravity's plot.It's all about survival and hope.Not to mention that it's pretty realistic in terms of the film's overall atmosphere.Which all worked.The way Alfonso and Jonas Cuaron managed to keep the story simple but moving was perfect.Simple but masterful storytelling is what they had.The film's trailer and the poster above made it seem to have homages to the classic Sci-Fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey.And guess what? It seemed to did homage the said classic film.To be particular,the homage was the "astronauts drifting in space".And that homage was terrific and I definitely loved it since the film was really pushing hard to make itself a cinematic masterpiece like that one.And fortunately,it's starting to be one.But definitely,Gravity is no 2001 in terms of legacy and greatness.But it's just so good to see this film tributing such a loved classic.One thing I also thought about Gravity is that it would be another Apollo 13.Never could I be so wrong.It actually was better than Apollo 13 somewhat,somehow.What made it look so similar is the "survival in space" theme.But both differed regarding the way it was executed.Apollo 13 did it dramatically (mostly) but Gravity presented the space survival theme scarily.I really don't know what it is about it,but after seeing Gravity,I realized that getting lost in space (with or without a ship) was definitely no joke.It was scary to get lost in the dark reaches of space.So after watching Gravity,I immediately realized that it and Apollo 13 were two different films.But on which executed the "lost in space/survival" theme better,I would pick Gravity.Gravity did it better,but Apollo 13 will still have a special place in my heart.Kudos to Alfonso & Jonas Cuaron for making Gravity have basic but compelling & masterful storytelling.

Acting/Performances:

Gravity (literally) only consists of two A-list Hollywood stars,and I'm happy to say that both of 'em shined.In case you're asking who they are,they go by the names of the talented George Clooney and Sandra Bullock.And even Bullock is criticized by a lot of critics about her acting,she does a nice job in Gravity.I wanna talk about the performances formally,and I wanna start with George Clooney 'cause I wanna save Bullock for the best and last.First of all,Clooney is definitely a talented actor and in Gravity,he gets to show off again,only that he lacks screentime.But despite his short screentime,his character was likeable.Even though Clooney gets short screentime,the performances get redeemed by Bullock.Yes,you heard me right.Sandra Bullock.Bullock who mostly gets criticized for her bad acting redeems herself in Gravity.In my own honest opinion,I thought that her acting was outstanding.Her deliveration of lines/dialogue was terrific and her acting was really great when she was struggling in space throughout the film.She was able to let her emotions out,and her struggle affected my emotions.Therefore,she acted well and she definitely outshined co-star George Clooney.I can't help it,so Imma have to say she's worthy of Oscar gold.That's just my opinion.

Miscellaneous:

Gravity is just amazing in so many ways.All throughout the film,it didn't stop to impress and still continued to amaze me once I left the cinema.Everything about the film's technicality was astonishing.The cinematography,the score,the visuals and everything else.Gravity's cinematography was wonderful.The way the entire film was shot really made you feel like you were in space.The shots of Earth are definitely beautiful,but the shots where the debris were flying around and the astronauts struggle were even more fantastic.But one of my fave camera techniques in the film was the "rotation".You'll figure out what I'm talking about if you've seen the film or the trailers.Gravity didn't use a lot of scoring/music throughout the entire film but when it did,the score intensified the film's atmosphere a lot.The score broke the silence by getting louder and louder.I have to say that this film homages 2001 a lot specially by using a lot of silence.Nonetheless,the film's silence makes the film all the more eerie.For the visuals,that's what this film is rich in.I couldn't say a lot about the visuals because I only saw it in 2D.But all I could say is that the visuals were stunning and would really look great in 3D.Specially in IMAX 3D.Too bad I wasn't able to get the opportunity to see this in 3D.To shorten it up,Gravity might be this year's Life of Pi in terms of visual richness.One of the best things about Gravity is the overall tone and vibe.The fim is dramatic,suspenseful,eerie,dark and intense.And how they incorporated those elements altogether was just perfectly effective.

Direction/Director's Effort:

I don't know Alfonso Cuaron a lot,but all I could say is that he must've outdone himself by directing Gravity.He managed to make a film with 2 A-list Hollywood stars,apply stunning visuals,and homage a lot of space movies.And speaking of space movies,I honestly think that Gravity might be the best space movie yet (Not including 2001: A Space Odyssey).The film and the director is worthy to take home Oscar gold.

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PROS:

+ The film is just great.
+ The two Hollywood stars' performance were terrific.
+ Bullock's acting was top-notch and redeeming.
+ Amazing,astonishing,stunning visuals.
+ Visually rich.
+ Balances style and substance.
+ Pretty nice dialogue.
+ There are a lot of thrills.
+ The score was pretty good.
+ The drama,suspense,intensity,eerieness and dark tone makes the film better by heightening up the film's atmosphere

CONS:

- Clooney needed at least a bit more of screentime.
- Not that entertaining for those entertainment seekers.


Verdict:

Gravity's compelling storytelling,terrific performances and stunning visuals are enough to consider this as a modern masterpiece.But among all else,Cuaron's direction is amazing.Therefore,Gravity is a solid modern masterpiece.Among the many films released this year,this is one film not to miss.

Gravity gets a high-flying 8.8 stars over 10.Definitely see this in 3D.




*Gravity is still showing in 2D,3D and selected IMAX 3D theaters theatrically distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures .(Philippines) and rated PG-13 by the MTRCB.
**Looking for more space movies? Check out Apollo 13 and2001: A Space Odyssey.Those mentioned films are available to own on DVD & Blu-Ray distributed for home viewing by  Magnavision Home Video.
That's all for now,MovieGeeks.Thanks for reading my review and stay tuned 'til my next.

For the meantime,why not take another look at this clip from the film:





*Film clip courtesy of Warner Bros.Pictures/Heyday Films.*

(C) 2013 Warner Bros.Pictures/Heyday Films.

FilmReviews: Fast & Furious 6

"All Roads Lead To This."

So...It was a dark and rainy sunday and I was looking for a movie to watch then I made a fast decision to watch Fast & Furious 6.Supposedly,I was going to watch Fast Five before Furious 6,but I was running out of time and I felt unproductive.I don't know about it,but during sundays,I always feel not like doing something even though that day's pacing is fast.But anyway,I've made it through the laziness and I've had a really good time after watching this.Before digging into my insights,I'd like to give you few details regarding the movie first.Fast & Furious 6 is the sixth installment in the Fast and the Furious film franchise that launched in 2001.The film is directed by Justin Lin (Fast & Furious/Fast Five) and written by Chris Morgan & Gary Scott Thompson.It stars Vin Diesel (XxX/The Fast and the Furious),Paul Walker (Pleasantville/Flags of our Fathers),Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Pain & Gain/G.I Joe: Retaliation),Jordana Brewster (The Faculty),Michelle Rodriguez (Girlfight/Avatar),Tyrese Gibson (Transformers/2Fast 2Furious),Sung Kang (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift),Gal Gadot,Ludacris,Luke Evans (Immortals) and Gina Carano (Haywire).The film was released in the Philippines in IMAX and regular 2D May 24,2013.The same date as the US release.




Before I start this review's engine up,here are the factors that make this a review:
>Story/Plot
>Acting/Performances
>Miscellaneous
>Direction/Director's Effort

Now...Engine start!

Story/Plot:

One of the key elements I loved in Fast & Furious 6 was the story.It just had to be.In Fast Five,they go heisting which they do of course illegally while in Fast 6,they work for The Rock who orders to capture a group of fugitives led by Owen Shaw.It was good to see these guys face off against another bunch of fugitives just like them.Only to know that the other is more dangerous and tactical.But what Shaw's team didn't know is that Dom's crew can take them down no matter what the cost specially when it comes to family.If there's one thing that you shouldn't mess with them,that should be family.That theme worked in Fast Five,but I would have to say that it was more effective and felt more emotionally grounded in this one.What I would love to speak out is that it was a delight seeing these bunch of fugitives take each other down.And this plot theme made the film play out like a thriller.In the previous film,I liked their take on heisting which was fun,but in this one it feels like a gritty thriller...Fast & Furious style.Which means we have outrageous stunts and cool car action.But aside from the gang against a gang plotline,I also loved F&F 6's story for the film served as a puzzle that completes the others' missing links (Tokyo Drift included).The film itself tells that it truly is directly linked with the others and not loosely connected for in this chapter,few more characters from the past F&F films appear once again and also,these characters have something to do with the film's new character.Thus,I found the tagline "All Roads Lead To This" fitting to the film as it brings the story full circle and it tells that all the previous F&F films paved the way for this big vehicle of a film.I just have to say that F&F6's story is much better when compared with Fast Five.'Cause what I realized in Fast Five is that the story had a few missing links and one of them had the big question which It tend to think remained unanswered and that would have to be "Why the hell do they rob a million dollars from a rich guy?".But in this one,I tend to think that the story is well-written considering that there are a lot of revelations and twists.What's also good is the change in direction.Fast Five felt light,while this one was a little dark but nonetheless,still fun.To writers Chris Morgan and Gary Scott Thompson,all I could say is that you guys did a really good job.You didn't just wrote a story,but you managed to make it a puzzle to fit in with the previous chapters of this high-octane saga.

Acting/Performances:

From the previous F&F films,the dialogue may be sappy and well,sometimes crappy but in this one,I can say that the dialogue is improved even by a bit.It was less cheesier than Fast Five's.But enough of the dialogue analysis,I wanna talk about the actors.The cast mainly consists of Vin Diesel,Paul Walker,Dwayne Johnson,Jordana Brewster,Michelle Rodriguez and Luke Evans while the supporting cast includes Tyrese Gibson,Gina Carano,Chris "Ludacris" Bridges,Sung Kang and Gal Gadot.First that I wanna talk about is the main casts' acting.I found Vin Diesel's performance here slightly improved here than in Fast Five though there are some parts of his performance here that was reminiscent of his in Fast & Furious.Maybe it was because of his concern for Letty.But enough of the emotional talk.I thought that he was pretty bad-ass in this one.His one-liners were cool and the way he says his dialogue with his deep gruelly voice is just oh so macho.For Paul Walker,I thought his acting was pretty flat but still acceptable though I found his acting here to be almost on par with his in Fast Five.It's like almost nothing changed.It's as if Vin Diesel steals every scene that has him in it.For Dwayne Johnson,his performance was pretty good too and he gets to have fun with Dom's crew which always resulted into a good and fun scene.I found his tranformation from bad guy to good guy pretty well done.He blends with the F&F crew well without losing his militaristic bad-ass attitude.And,the best part is,he gets to make some jokes in this one which are all pretty funny.But still,The Rock was bad-ass and makes a good team together with Vin Diesel.Talk about team muscle.Jordana Brewster's acting wasn't something special.Her dialogue was normal and there were no scenes which let her stand out,but it was still good to see her with the crew.Now,if we're talking about the toughest girls onscreen whether on film or TV,one of them would be Michelle Rodriguez.Rodriguez's character Letty was one of my favorite characters from the original F&F films.And in this chapter,she's tougher than ever.In this one,Rodriguez's acting was bad-ass and I think her character Letty has always been the female counterpart of Dom.She was just so bad-ass and cool specially in this one.Her one-liners and dialogue in Fast 6 were clever,funny and awesome.And let's not forget the highlight of her comeback appearance in this chapter: the fight scene between her and Gina Carano in the subway in Waterloo.That scene was exactly the female counterpart of Dom and Hobbs' fight scene in Fast Five.And of course,Rodriguez stands out in that scene.Representing femme fatale bad-assery.For Luke Evans,both his character and performance were amazing.I think they chose just the right guy to play Owen Shaw.The character was like Dom's,only more notorious,less muscular,but more tactical.And I would have to give Luke Evans a thumbs up for his performance in Fast 6 for he may be the best villain this franchise has ever had yet.Fast Five's rich and corrupt Hernan Reyes definitely was no match for this brains and brawns fugitive.For the main cast,those who I would like to give a thumbs up would be Vin Diesel,The Rock,Luke Evans and Michelle Rodriguez.These four really stand out in terms of character value and performance.As for Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster,they were still good but they needed more.Now for the supporting cast...To start it right,I wanna begin by talking about Tyrese Gibson's perf.In my opinion,I think he improved right where Fast Five left off.I think that in Fast 6,his lines were just funnier and somehow even clever.But let's not forget that he gets a (bigger) piece of the action this time.From the opening chase to runway pursuit,I just had fun with his character getting involved in all these mischievous adventures and believe me,he serves as the film's biggest comedic relief which was great.For Ludacris' perf.,he was pretty decent.And like Tyrese,his lines are occassionally funny and the two of them make up a good team.Behind Tyrese/Ludacris,one of my many favorites performances from the supporting cast would come from the lovely bad-ass duo of Sung Kang and Gal Gadot.It was a really fun time seeing this awesome lovebirds onscreen once again.The best part is,that both get to kick some ass.But really,I just wanna focus on Gal.I thought her very final scene in the film where she triggers the gun just before she falls to her untimely death was well done.I could just somehow feel her emotions and I thought she was sweet to Han by sacrificing herself.For Sung Kang alone,he was quite good.His perf. was on par with his in Fast Five.That and that,the last performance I wanna tackle is Gina Carano's.She was the latest addition in the F&F films,I wasn't expecting her to be good,and turns out that my expectations succeeded.Her performance was quite bland in terms of lines,delivery and dialogue but when it comes to physical or something what I like to call bad-assery,she impressed me.Her fight with Michelle Rodriguez was amazing and will make you cheer at times.Overall,the actors' performances in Fast & Furious 6 sometimes outdid their's in the previous films but some actors' acting were just on par with theirs' in the last film.In terms of dialogue,I found them improved and less cheesy than the last.There were cool one liners and some funny jokes.For the cast,the ones that really stood out were Vin Diesel,The Rock,Michelle Rodriguez and Luke Evans.Their performances impressed me because of their proper execution and delivery of dialogue.Perhaps,a thumbs up for them would work.

Miscellaneous:

The music,the score,the cinematography,the actions and everything else miscellaneous were all amazing in Fast & Furious 6 and they worked on so many different levels.I wanna tackle them one by one properly.The music is a big part of the F&F culture and F&F6's music was great and I wanna say that part of it reminded me so much of the first film.The film's theme "We Own It" by rappers 2 Chainz & Wiz Khalifa worked properly in the film.The moment it played in the opening credits,it gave me goosebumps.The song was aggressive and furious in tone and it fits properly with the film due to song's tone and the film's aggressive,serious vibe.And IMO,it was better than Fast Five's theme "How We Roll".Other than "We Own It",the techno music in F&F6 was amazing too and was very reminiscent of the first film's techno music.And when part of it was played in the "Letty & Dom" race scene,believe me that it made me wanna engage in a race.And oh yeah,that song worked effectively in that scene.This time,the score is not composed by Brian Tyler,but instead it's handled by some guy named Lucas Vidal.I really haven't heard of him until this,but I can say that this guy was good in terms of being a composer but of course not as good as Brian Tyler who composed the scores for Fast Five,Fast & Furious and The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift.His score was quite good.He made it quite more serious than Fast Five's fun score which was good in terms of changing direction.Perhaps my favorite piece from him would be the piece which plays during the scene where Riley and Gisele go recon and hunt down one of Owen Shaw's teammates. What I found relieving though is that numerous times within the film,glimpses of the last 2 F&F films scores are heard and that makes it better.Hearing those memorable themes from the previous two films were good to the ears.But still,I thought that Lucas Vidal needed to improve his score.For the cinematography,the film was shot pretty well.The camera work was better in this one than in Fast Five.Perfect example of the well-done camera work was the tank chase scene.The way the camera moves when Rome jumps off from his car to Brian's was pretty awesome.The cinematography was definitely improved thanks to director of photography Stephen F.Windon who also did Fast Five's photography.For the action set pieces,it couldn't get any more ridiculous in Fast 6.If you saw a vault get dragged in the streets of Rio in Fast Five then in Fast 6 you get to see a tank roaming the busy highways of Spain,two chicks beating off each other and don't forget Dom's team taking down a big-ass plane.Sure Fast 6's action scenes are ridiculous but damn are they fun despite the lack of realism in those scenes.Specially the tank chase and the runway pursuit.Those scenes outdid almost every action scene in Fast Five IMO.For the other stuff,I thought that the opening credits was a pretty cool move.It made me happy as an F&F fan seeing those montages of clips from the first,second,fourth and fifth film with "We Own It" as the background music.And yeah,it gave me goosebumps the first time I saw it.That was unexpected and it was a true surprise.For the post-credits scene,I didn't see that one coming and the way that scene was built was astonishing.It revealed that Han's death from Tokyo Drift wasn't just an accident but instead,it was all part of a plan.To be exact,Ian Shaw's plan who's played by Jason Statham.Judging from that small but surprising scene,I can say that Jason Statham would do a great job in playing Ian Shaw in Fast & Furious 7.

Direction/Director's Effort:

About my opinion on Justin Lin in directing this film,I would say that he did a really good job by piecing everything together in the film's story,creating the action set pieces,bringing the team back and choosing the locations.But the thing is,he wasn't able to bring back the fun vibe Fast Five had.He made this film more serious but thankfully still fun,entertaining and highly enjoyable.In conclusion,he made Fast 6 more entertaining and more enjoyable than Fast Five but he wasn't able to make Fast 6 just as good as Fast Five was.Either way,I thought he did a job well done.But what's sad is that he isn't coming back to direct the next F&F.Taking in his place would be Insidious director James Wan who I think will make Fast & Furious 7 darker in tone.I just hope that Wan will do a good job just as Lin did in 5 F&F sequels.

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PROS:

>Fast & Furious 6 is incredibly enjoyable and more entertaining than Fast Five.

>The storytelling is amazing.

>MORE ACTION!

>The villain Owen Shaw is the best villain this franchise has ever had to date.

>Michelle Rodriguez's comeback is very refreshing.

>So many surprises.

>It's refreshing to see the F&F team back.

>The action set pieces outdoes those in Fast Five.

>The performances are amazing.
CONS:

>Sure there is more action,but damn are they ridiculous.

>Gina Carano's (verbal) performance is dull.

>Lacks realism.

>Still not as good as Fast Five.

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Verdict: More ridiculous,more action packed and more enjoyable is what you can describe Fast & Furious 6,but it fails to bring the strong sense of fun Fast Five had.What's good though is that F&F6 has a strong,well structured story which is also a puzzle,and the film brings so many surprises with it.Long story short: Fast & Furious 6 is highly entertaining and for fans,you may call it the best in the series.I am also a fan but I still think Fast Five is the best but F&F6 is more enjoyable,entertaining and better in terms of plot.

Fast & Furious 6 gets 7.5 stars over 10.



*The high octane 6th installment in the F&F franchise Fast & Furious 6 is now available to own on DVD & Blu-Ray distributed for home video by Magnavision Home Video.The previous 5 F&F films are also available to own on DVD & Blu-Ray also distributed by Magnavision Home Video.

**Catch the next high-octane chapter in the F&F franchise Fast & Furious 7 in theaters July 2014.

That's it MovieGeeks.Thanks for reading my review and stay tuned for my next FilmReview.

For now,check out this clip from the film:



Film clip courtesy of Movieclips.com and Universal Pictures.

(C) 2013 Universal Pictures/One Race Films/Original Film/Relativity Media.All rights reserved.

DVD Haul: September 7,2013

Last Saturday,I managed to pick up 2 DVDs.Yeah,you heard 'em right,two just two.But even though I know it's a small amount,I'm still happy to have them added in my collection.Let's not wait,here are the 2 DVDs I bagged last Saturday...

Captain America: The First Avenger

Just to let ya know,I actually own the 2011 release of this,but it wasn't working anymore so I decided to pick this up so I can watch it again since I missed watching this.In case you wanna know my opinions regarding the film,I thought this was a nice one Marvel came up with.It's entertaining and fun to watch but I just found Thor to be better than this.The film isn't worth re-buying though I just bought it again to replace my original copy which doesn't work anymore plus,it's available for a cheap price.But even though it was on sale for a cheap buck,I just found out that this in fact the 2011 release only slipcover-less.Talk about a bang for your buck.Captain America is available on DVD for a cheap but valuable price of P100 along previous Marvel films Thor and Iron Man.

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Fast & Furious 6


In case you don't know,this isn't available yet in the US 'til October,but look! it's now available on DVD here in the Philippines.Anyway,just to let you know I really really anticipated this but wasn't able to have the opportunity in theaters but instead I saw this first on (pardon me) pirated DVD.So yeah,you may say I'm a non-supporter of the film industry but I would like you to think "no" 'cause I am definitely a true supporter of the film industry.It just so happened that I wasn't able to beat off my temptation.But look on the bright side! I'm now able to see it on original DVD properly with crystal clear picture quality and groundbreaking 5.1 audio.Just in case you wanna know what I thought of the film,I thought that it was a little bit better than Fast Five because of the actions and everything else.By the way,I really am loving that slipcover.Even though it doesn't include the entire crew due to spacing conflicts,the four main stars of the film really look furious in there.And yeah,the logo looks more "furious" in red.It's bathing in fury.Also gotta love that London backdrop.Looks beautifully furious.Alright,that's enough.Fast & Furious 6 is available on DVD for P750.

So...that's it.My 2 new DVDs.I still consider it a DVD Haul despite the small quantity.In my future DVD Updates,when I pick up only 1 DVD,I'm going to call it a QuickPick.But if two or more,it's gonna be called a DVD Haul then.

That's all folks for my DVD Haul update.Stay tuned for the next DVD Haul and thanks for reading.See ya soon!
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*Captain America: The First Avenger and Fast & Furious 6 are available to own on DVD distributed by Magnavision Home Video.

**Own the previous F&F films The Fast and The Furious,2Fast 2Furious,The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift,Fast & Furious and Fast & Furious 5 on DVD.Distributed by Magnavision Home Video.

FilmReviews: Elysium

From the director of District 9 comes another Science Fiction thriller,Elysium.

Just watched Elysium last Sunday night at SM MOA.This was the only good film showing last night next to The Conjuring and OTJ.And I thought that the plot was interesting so I gave it a go.Before I start this review,I would like to give some details regarding the film.Elysium is the sophomore directorial effort of District 9 director Neill Blomkamp.It is both written and directed by Neill Blomkamp and stars Matt Damon (The Departed/The Bourne Trilogy),Jodie Foster (The Silence Of The Lambs/Flight Plan),Sharlto Copley (The A-Team/District 9),Alice Braga (I Am Legend),Diego Luna and William Fichtner (The Dark Knight/Drive Angry).




Now,to start this review properly,here are the contributing factors of what makes it a review:>Story/Plot
>Acting/Performances
>Miscellaneous
>Direction/Director's Effort

Now,we may begin...

Story:

Elysium is set in 2154 where Earth is overpopulated and the poor live in Earth while the rich and wealthy live in a city outside the Earth called Elysium.That's the film main concept but it still has another.In the film,we are introduced to Max Da Costa,a regular worker who repairs droids or robots.While repairing a robot,he gets stuck in the repairing chamber and gets radiated by the chemicals the repairroom emitted.After getting radiated,he begins to learn that he only has 5 days left to live and that in order to get healed,he must get up to Elysium knowing that there are healing pods there.In order to get up to Elysium without a ticket,he gets a deal from his past workmate who stole cars with him to insert an exoskeleton that can steal data/codes from the persons from Elysium with the highest position.Elysium's story is somewhat reminiscent of other Science Fiction films from the modern classic Inception to the highly respected classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.Therefore,it is not original but I consider the plot interesting.Other than that,it is all seen and done before by past Sci-Fis.For my opinion,Elysium needed to be written not by Neill Blompkamp but instead other low-rent but smart writers.All I can say about Elysium's story is that needed so much more,the concept is very interesting but it needed to be executed properly.For Neill Blompkamp,I can say that he did a good job and I appreciate his effort but he should have done better and had some originality in some moments of the film.He should keep it up on his next film,Chappie.

Acting/Performances:

Elysium's cast aren't that well known,but I can say that they all did a good job.Perhaps the only ones whose performances I thought were good and praisable would be Matt Damon's,Jodie Foster's and even Sharlto Copley's.From the mentioned trifecta,the best performance or performances I would have to consider would be from Jodie Foster's and Sharlto Copley's.But if you really were to let me choose between Jodie and Sharlto,my pick would be Sharlto.Sharlto's character here is very different from the one in D9.If in D9,he played a reporter who then gets exposed from alien-liquid,slowly transform into a Prawn and then fully becomes one but in Elysium,he plays a cold blooded agent/hunter in pursuit of killing those who attempt to illegally enter Elysium.I loved Sharlto in here because I thought that he was irresistible not to praise,he became one of the film's high points for his strong,villainous performance plus,he was just bad-ass.Jodie Foster's performance was praisable also,but in my opinion Sharlto tops her.Sure,Jodie was amazing but her role was too common either way I also praise her having a strong portrayal.For Matt Damon's,I liked him too but his performance here made me remember of him from The Bourne Trilogy at some points throughout the film.Only these three are the ones that I praise,'cause above the rest they stand out as a trifecta.On to the other side,these 3 are the only known stars this film has.Matt Damon and Jodie Foster perhaps garners the film's star-power.

Miscellaneous:

Elysium had amazing camera work as I would say.The outer shot of Elysium (the space station) had me gazing at it beautifully.Then there's the aerial views of  wasteland Earth or Los Angeles that I liked.Maybe for the way it fit into the story,since the film is set in a distant future where Earth is thrashed and has become a deserted wasteland sprawling with sickness.For the film's sound editing/score,I liked it but I thought that it sounded generic like the ones used in previous Sci-Fi films of last year such as Total Recall or even this year's Oblivion.Despite the lack of proper execution,one of the small things I loved in Elysium was the realistic side it was on which made me consider it a political Sci-Fi film.Despite the film's setting is in the future,the political agenda within the film made me realize that this is the futuristic depiction of how life is now.The wealthy are treated as if they were kings and queens while the poor are given less attention.You'll know what I'm talking about once you see the film.But what I didn't like that much in Elysium though is that it recycled one main theme from District 9 and that is equality.The film also aimed at equality like D9 did.Replacing humans and aliens with the poor and the rich persons.But I understand it,I think Neill Blompkamp did that intentionally.Maybe he's just a very realistic person,who thinks too political.I respect him though.

Direction/Director's Effort:

Neill Blompkamp made District 9 a masterpiece by having Peter Jackson's name plastered all over it and by having a strong script and plot.However,that's not what happens with Elysium despite having Hollywood A-stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster's name being mentioned in every marketing material.What happens with the film is that it had a quite decent plot but almost weak execution,almost no originality and the script was kinda dull in some points.All I could say to him is that,sure he made a good job but he should've kept it better,'cause Elysium for me is a letdown after District 9's massive success.On the other side of the road though,as mentioned above,I liked how me made the film realistic and gritty.

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PROS:

>Sharlto Copley and Jodie Foster's performances are outstanding

>Gritty and realistic,making it non-mainstream but still a decent Sci-Fi

 film

>Damon was quite good,his character Max Da Costa was interesting.

CONS:

>The film's plot/concept sure is interesting,but wasn't executed well.

>Lacks action
 
>Some characters feel like cardboards and have no depth
>Some moments in throughout the movie have been seen before in past films.
>Script not written well

>Damon's acting felt reminiscent.

Verdict: Elysium may be one of this year's interesting films,but it almost fails to deliver.It lacks action,and the film may not be original but at least it redeems itself thanks to Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley who both gave fantastic performances.



Elysium gets 7.1 over 10 stars.

*Elysium is still showing in theaters nationwide and is rated PG-13 by the MTRCB theatrically distributed by Columbia Pictures Philippines.

**Want more Sci-Fis? Check out Oblivion,Total Recall (Original and Remake),Star Trek (2009),Star Trek Into Darkness and G.I Joe: Rise of Cobra/G.I Joe: Retaliation.All available to own on DVD for home viewing distributed by Magnavision Home Video.

That's all folks,thanks for reading this review and see ya soon 'til the next FilmReview.This has been TheMovieGeek.

But before I say goodbye in this review,check out this clip from the film first:




(c) 2013 TriStar Pictures/Columbia Pictures.