Waiting for 'The Echo'

Now that post-production work on 'The Echo' has wrapped up according to director Yam Laranas' blog, I can't wait for the official release date of this film. They have already released the teaser poster last month as well as some stills and so far it looks great.

The anticipation is further heightened by two positive initial reviews of the Echo so far. Todd Brown of twitchfilm.net, in the first review of the film, takes note of the impressive cinematography and sound design. Beyond Hollywood describes 'The Echo' as "... many things - both art-house and commercial, both subtle and shocking — but one thing it certainly is — it’s a gem of a ghost story".

I loved 'Sigaw' when I saw it for the first time last year that I even blogged about it. I hope 'The Echo' will succeed in the cutthroat world of Hollywood and becomes another triumph of Pinoy talent in the international scene.

Update [06.13.08]:

The teaser trailer for 'The Echo' has just been released. Check it out:

Will 'The Hobbit' Finally Happen?

After the spectacular achievement that is the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, I was expecting that Peter Jackson will start working on the 'Rings' prequel, 'The Hobbit'. However, another battle (very much unlike those fought at Helm's Deep and Pelennor Fields) left the possibility of a Jackson-directed 'Hobbit' film as good as dead.

There has been a nasty legal scuffle raging for years between director Jackson and Robert Shaye, New Line Cinema's co-chairman, over unpaid profits and the denial of Jackson's request for auditing of the films' income (which isn't much, only $3 billion dollars - loose change. hehe) . The rift got so bad and too personal that the future of 'The Hobbit' became quite grim.

But if the latest news is true and the two parties are indeed moving towards a resolution, we might see hope for 'The Hobbit' after all. Personally, I'd like to see no other director to work on ‘Hobbit’ other than Peter Jackson. I am quite sure that the books’ millions of fans feel the same way. In fact there are several ongoing campaigns calling for a ‘Hobbit’ film with no other than Peter on the helm.

Peter Jackson has perfectly captured J.R.R. Tolkien’s vision and made it more real for us. I’d love to see Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and others, brought to life once again by Jackson and his team. For me, ‘The Hobbit’ was a more enjoyable and fun read compared to the trilogy, and I just can’t wait to see that thrilling story of adventure, bravery and loyalty realized on screen. I’m hoping that things will turn out great for ‘The Hobbit’ and Peter Jackson and he will indeed be directing this much-awaited prequel. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, I don’t have any idea on who might be the perfect actor to portray Bilbo, though. Ian McKellen has expressed interest in playing Gandalf once more and frankly I can’t think of any other actor for the role. The other LOTR stars have also professed their allegiance to Jackson and to whatever he is planning to do, although most of their roles don’t really have much significance in the story of ‘The Hobbit’. Who do you think can portray Bilbo best?

Must-See Films Before 2007 Ends

There’s roughly three months to go before we bid 2007 adieu but a line up several highly anticipated films are yet to be released. A quick look at Wikipedia reveals the films that are set to premiere later this year. Here are my picks of must-see films before 2007 ends, in random order.

Beowulf – Anyone who passed through English Lit in high school or college will be familiar with Beowulf, the great Anglo-Saxon heroic epic poem. There have been previous movie adaptations of Beowulf’s story but this new film promises to be special because its screenplay is co-written by Neil Gaiman and will be directed by Robert Zemeckis (of Forrest Gump). Angelina Jolie’s portrayal of Grendel’s mother is also highly anticipated.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age – I’m a bit of a sucker for historical flicks and I really liked the first ‘Elizabeth’ film. It’s no wonder I’m looking forward to its sequel, ‘The Golden Age’. The new movie follows the Queen as she struggles to crush her enemies, secure her position and defend her empire from invasion while controlling her heart’s wills in the name of duty.

I think Cate Blanchett is perfectly cast as Elizabeth I. This early, she is already being tipped for another Academy Award nomination and a possible win, an honor that should have been given to her back in 1998. With the original cast, crew and director still intact, ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age' might prove to be a winner as well.

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass – I have yet to read Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy but I intend to do so before this movie adaptation of the first novel, The Golden Compass, is released. Earlier big screen adaptations of well-known fantasy novels such as ‘The Lord of the Rings’, the ‘Harry Potter’ series and the first ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ film have set quite a high standard for fantasy epic films.

I'd like to see how this film will fare given that it was made with a budget of $205M. ‘The Golden Compass’ stars Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and newcomer, Dakota Blue Richards in the lead as Lyra Belacqua.

Alvin and the Chipmunks – Alvin, Simon and Theodore, the three lovable chipmunks are set to make their big screen debut in the new Alvin and the Chipmunks film. The film will be released just in time for Christmas, so this is perfect for kids and kids-at-heart.

I can already hear the three chipmunks' cute Christmas songs. Hehe. The poster implies that Alvin and his gang will go hip-hop this time around. That should be interesting.


Hitman – I used to play ‘Hitman’ so I was pleasantly surprised to see that a movie adaptation of it is slated to premiere later this year. Vin Diesel would have been ideal as Agent 47 but he backed out. Timothy Olyphant will play the role instead.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets – I thoroughly enjoyed the first National Treasure film’s Indiana Jones-esque style so I’d like to see what they will offer in the new sequel. The film is subtitled ‘Book of Secrets’, referring to an alleged document that holds all the nation’s secrets, for the President’s eyes only. I think the idea of the president of the most powerful country in the world keeping all his secrets in a ‘book’ is a bit far-fetched, but we’ll just wait and see if the film can pull it off.

The Other Boleyn Girl – Another semi-historical film, ‘Boleyn Girl’ tells a romanticized account of the life of Lady Mary Boleyn, rumored to be a one-time mistress of King Henry VIII who eventually married Mary’s sister, Anne. We already know what happened to Anne Boleyn and to her daughter, the future Elizabeth I. This film will throw light on the life of the Boleyns, although it is based on a controversial and semi-fictional historical novel. Mary and Anne will be portrayed by Hollywood babes Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, respectively. That’s two more reasons to watch out for this film.

Sweeney Todd – I am not familiar with the award-winning musical on which this movie is based. But as this is the sixth collaboration between director Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, I expect the same magic that ignited their previous films such as Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Also in the cast is Helena Bonham Carter, who is always memorable in her roles (last seen as Bellatrix Lestrange in HP5), and Alan Rickman, more famous for portraying Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series. I am quite sure atomicgirl can't wait to see this one. hehe

These are just some of the films that stood out from the Wiki list, in my opinion. Of course, some of these films might turn out as duds after all. There's still quite a lot of big-name movies just waiting for the premiere date. Meanwhile, there may be a gem of a film in that list which, although hidden behind an unfamiliar title, cast and crew, may prove to be a hit when released.

Movies You Shouldn't Miss

Jaws Paws

More after the Jump

Pirates of Mr. Bean: The Curse of the Green Mini

Die Old 4.0

I,Phone

The Chronicles of Narnia Riddick

Diet Another Day

Stephen King's It Eat

Source

Sigaw (The Echo)

When Yam Laranas' Sigaw was shown on local theaters roughly 3 years ago, I didn't get the chance to see it. I think it wasn't really popular back then. But, the film soon gained a lot of positive, even rave, reviews and began to be noticed internationally, even amidst the glut of Asian horror films such as The Grudge, Ring and others.

The film went on to garner a number of awards and was eventually signed up for a Hollywood remake with no less than the producers of The Ring and Grudge remakes. I was curious what all the hype was about.

I finally saw Sigaw today, on free TV, and I must say it really is an impressive piece of work. Sigaw doesn't rely on the usual elements of gore, shock and surprise that has become quite commonplace in the horror genre. There are no chainsaw-wielding wackos here nor bloodthirsty zombies. Instead, the film evokes dread and an uneasy feeling from the viewer only through the use of a creepy soundtrack, dim lighting, strange camera angles, and the very eerie-looking apartment. Yes there are bloody scenes but they are kept to a minimum.

All these contribute to make a very effective setting. I know a little bit about how setting can play a very important role in a story. I did a paper back in college on how setting can convey a story's theme. Sigaw succeeds in using setting as an important part of the story (which is actually a rather cliched plotline). The decrepit apartment helped establish the atmosphere of desperation, decay and suffering that highlight the characters' ordeal and fate. The film isn't really that terrifying but it left me feeling uneasy and creeped-out - in that sense, the film succeeds.

Now I can't wait for the remake of this film, retitled as 'The Echo'. The original director, Mr. Laranas will be at the helm, and one of the original cast members, Ms. Iza Calzado, will reprise her role. Being noticed in the ultra-competitive world of Hollywood is already an achievement in itself, but I hope the new film will be another stellar triumph for Filipino talents in the international scene. So, if you haven't seen it, watch this little Pinoy horror film before the rest of the world does. 'The Echo' - Proudly Pinoy!

Check out Yam Laranas' blog here.

Pinoy Transformers

If you think the latest Transformers movie rocked, wait till you see the Pinoy version. haha. Check out BumbleJEEP. Sarao pa gayud ini. Eat your heart out Chevrolet Camaro! I like StrICEsCREAM and OptiBUS Prime na Victory Liner. Olops, my colleague forwarded these to me earlier. Credits to David, of course, whoever he is.

More after the jump

StrICEsCREAM

OptiBUS Prime

MegaTRIKE

FrenZYKAD

BarriCART