Warm Bodies: A Witty Zombie-Human Love Affair

           

          

             Have you ever heard of the phrase, “There’s life after death.”? Apparently it’s true or that’s how the film Warm Bodies put it. Everyone’s past the vampire-human-werewolf love affair because that’s so mainstream. As we’re nearing the apocalyptic era, the spotlight’s on zombies now. Thus, it’s the perfect time for a new take on the whole zombie thing.

            

            Others would still say that the zombie theme has been used and every possible twists has been done over and over and over again. But fear not for the death of the zombie genre because Jonathan Levine (The Wackness, 50/50) prepared a romance-comedy film based on the debut novel of Isaac Marion.

            

            Some say it’s another Twilight film. Some say it’s Twilight done better. Although they have a different set of characters they basically have the same star-crossed lovers, Rome and Juliet feel. As to the film being better than Twilight I would say it is. But setting the comparisons aside here’s what I have to say about the film.

            

              Well-plotted is the very term I would use to describe the film. I like how it did not focus much on how R, the main character, became a zombie and how the world reached its destruction. It rather focused on the development of the love story between the zombie and human and tried its best to make it believable. It’s a bit cheesy as well since a zombie who was looking for brains found the heart of a girl and made his dead heart beat once more. Unlike other zombie films, Warm Bodies present zombies still having a part of their humanity inside them and that it only waits to be triggered. That is the essence of the film- the dead can be brought to life through affection and yes, love. It may sound cliché but the story makes you want to sit in front of the big screen and see how the story would end. Another big factor that made the film stick to one’s brain is its sense of humor. All the punch lines are executed perfectly and even the simple acts of the characters (like the groaning/murmuring of conversing zombies) will crack you up. Plus the narration of R, in his perspective, is definitely humorous as well.

            

           The film, although comprising of only a few characters, was made big by the actors. Nicholas Hoult (X Men: First Class) is laudable for his portrayal of the zombie R. The funny thing is that he only has few lines (because he doesn’t talk that much) but I found his acting superb. It’s as if he really is a zombie who’s got more brains than the usual zombie. He may still be that hunchbacked scuffling groaning zombie but he’s the zombie who, at back of his head, knows that there’s something more beyond their abode in the airport. Teresa Palmer as Julie, on the other hand, somehow balances the affair. She may seem to be the typical damsel in distress but the she proves to be more than that. She played her role well but cannot be equated to Hoult’s. The subcharacters include Rob Corddry who plays another zombie character named M who had most of the comic lines in the film. Analeigh Tipton as Nora, the best friend of Julie, also stars in the film. And of course John Malkovich as the overbearing father of Julie and the leader of the survivors who would put a bullet straight to the head of any zombie that would come his way. The Bonies also appear in the picture. These are the zombies in the final stage of “zombification” who would haunt both living and the dead.

           

             Adding to the beauty of the film is its cinematography. The transition of the scenes is reflected in the film through its color palette that gives emphasis to the dull and dead scenes while the sceneries vibrantly contrast them. As the movie develops and R begins to be “undead”, the atmosphere of the film also brightens. The songs used are also well-chosen. R has this amazing collection of hit soundtracks ranging from Guns N’ Roses to Feist to The National which are fitting for every scene. The graphics used for the Bonies remind me of I Am Legend but less terrifying and startling with wee bit of gore.

            

               In totality, I’d say that the film is a simple one but it pulled off what it wanted to present. They did not go overboard with the plot and the effects, just enough to make one believe of the possibility that the dead can be brought to life with the power of love and a little bit of funny.

               Now say hi to R... Just R... :)

Everything is Connected

 “Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb we are bound to others. Past and present. And by each crime and every kindness we birth our future.” 

            Cloud Atlas at last! This is a film worthy, not just for Oscar nominations but awards as well. Although not everyone may appreciate it, I’m sure every moviegoer would like to know what the film is all about. And to those complaining how movies these days lack imagination and creativity here’s why you should give this movie a try.  Action, romance (even bromance), comedy, sci-fi, adventure all rolled into one!

            David Mitchell’s novel, which bears the same title as the film’s, was finally brought to life by the Wachowski siblings (The Matrix) and Tykwer (Run Lola Run).  The book which was thought to be unfilmable turned out to be an over-the-top motion picture. 

   

          As the film revolves in six different epochs, the film ambitiously tried to depict what each era would like to show. From costume, makeup, prosthetics and backdrops, I would say the movie went overboard and accomplished what they would like to convey. 

            We’ve all seen movies that involve the past, present and future and even reincarnations, but we’ve not seen a movie that involves six different eras and so twisted a plot until Cloud Atlas. The movie begins with the voyage of a certain lawyer named Ewing (Jim Sturgess) on the Pacific on the 1800s where he writes a journal about his adventures. In the 1930s, this journal was read by Frobisher (Ben Wishaw), a homosexual composer who sends letters to his lover. These letters are read in the 1970s, as his lover becomes a nuclear scientist with a deep and deadly secret and so on and so forth. The movie basically establishes that everyone is connected in one way or the other.

            Although the film is divided into different parts, unlike the book (where one story is finished before going to the next), the editing of the film was effective but in some way disorienting. It was baffling in a way that you had to take time to think what era you are on and what’s going on in the scene if it were not for the narrations-which seemed too much for me. They could’ve lessened the narrations and focused on building the scenes more efficiently.

            One more thing I noticed is that they showed how everyone was connected and quite focused on that aspect on the whole film that it fell short in bringing and prolonging the thrill and suspense.

       

              The cast, which includes Tom Hanks, Jim Broadbent, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, and Ben Wishaw, had to play multiple roles in the film. What makes it more intriguing is that the actors played their characters well and was covered with loads of makeup that you don’t realize that it’s them until the credits are shown in the end. You would either get surprised or frustrated that you didn’t notice them in the film. The movie also presents inspiring characters such as Tom Hank’s who, from a greedy killer, turned into a selfless hero as the story evolves. As to the visual effects, knowing the Wachowski’s, it definitely displayed bravura.

            

           Cloud Atlas is a film that presents how the past, present and future is wonderfully weaved. A film that explores the possibility of life and love, shared in different eras with people from different walks of life- breaking the boundaries of time and space.

        

                  I’ll give the film an 8.5 out of 10.

Breaking The Dawn

Who would've thought that something so perfect could end? I'm talking about the epic finale of the Twilight saga-Breaking Dawn Part 2. 

Excited is an understatement to what I'm feeling right now as I type this post. FINALLY! The long wait is over! My anticipation to watch the film has, at long last, subsided. But my eagerness to share to you what I've seen is only just beginning to rise.

BREAKING DAWN PART 2 IS OUT IN CINEMAS!!!

I am a self-confessed Twilight fan and there is no doubt to that. But bias aside, I'm inviting you to go watch the film. Not only because it's the last installment of the Twilight saga but because it's worth your money.

While most people think that the film would be all cheesy moments and love scenes of Edward and Bella, the film completely did not put too much emphasis on that this time. Yes, the film still revolves with Edward and Bella's love story but on this film it established what they can do to fight for their love especially now that they have their daughter Renesmee.

Another thing that spices up the movie are the new set of characters. Now that the Volturi is after Renesmee, the Cullen's seek help from their vampire friends. In the long run (literally and figuratively), 18 vampires come to their aid, some of which are "gifted". And did I mention? What makes it even more thrilling is that Bella and Renesmee have their own gifts too. I could say that the new characters are well-chosen most especially Renesmee! She is befitting to own the role. I swear she was just as I imagined her to be when I read the book.

Furthermore, the biggest question I had after I finished reading the book was as to how the film would depict the battle. And awesomely enough, the film pulled it off that I could actually say that it was the part I liked the most! I also appreciated the fact that they commemorated the different actors that took part of the film from start to finish. Kudos to whoever thought of putting that!

On the other hand, what I didn't like the most are the effects on some parts of the film. Don't get me wrong, the effects are great but I wasn't satisfied with it. There were parts were I felt I was watching an old film because of the poor graphics. In addition to that, I also hated how the film was quite slow-paced. I didn't like the way they built the story in the beginning.

So the film gets an 8 out of 10 for me. :)

Go watch the film! Congratulations to the director Bill Condon, Rob Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner for the success of this film! 

And we continued blissfully into this small but perfect piece of our forever.