Love is Blind's thesis is that we should not judge by outward appearances. It works, even in a meta sort of way: handsome and dashing Wade (Derek Ramsay) is a superficial jerk, and Fe (Kiray Celis), who should be a sympathetic, kind hearted person despite outward appearances, turns out to be kinda creepy and stalker-ish.
The two characters cross paths eventually; Fe's obsession with Wade leads her to seek the help of Yari, a man who sells arcana in his spare time. She eventually gains the ability to look like Wade's ex-girlfriend, and Wade is immediately attracted to the mysterious new girl.
The ideas are solid, but when you get down to the details it doesn't all work for me. The jokes mostly fall flat until the end stretch, the 'main' character is too annoying to be sympathetic, and often the movie gets too boisterous and noisy when quiet moments would have sufficed.
Thankfully the characters mature, mostly Wade, who takes even the more absurd moments of the movie in stride. His character arc is actually my favorite in the film. And I do appreciate the way the movie asks us to apply its thesis on itself - to not judge it by its superficial mainstream trappings. So I won't. The movie is overall okay.
Zoolander 2 is as stupid as its two protagonists, which is par for the course for any Ben Stiller movie. If follows on the heels of a movie that is something of a cult classic, and one of Stiller's more entertaining works.
The plot of Zoolander 2 is as absurd and convoluted as one would expect from a film like this. The comedy usually comes from the absurd situations our protagonists find themselves in and sometimes the results are funny. It's a particular brand of humor that's hit and miss.
Zoolander 2 features cameos from the showbiz and fashion world (including a random cameo from Neil De Grasse Tyson, of all people) and for the most part they are used to full effect. But the overall impact of the film is lacking, especially compared to the first one. There's a feeling that our characters are just rushing through their scenes to get from one plot point to another, and the antagonist is presented far into the last act of the film, making the whole thing feel rushed.
It's fun for a rental or maybe an afternoon watch, but unless you really loved the first film, there's nothing much to see here.
South Korean dramas wear their hearts on their sleeves, wringing out every last drop of drama from its viewers. The Himalayas, which dominated the Korean box office last December, is no exception. The film spends a considerable amount of time developing its characters and making you attached to them, only to yank the carpet out from under you at the last minute.
The actors are all capable, although props have to go to the two leads for having chemistry together as mentor and student, and later, as friends. The cinematography is also pretty impressive. There are lots of wide sweeping shots of the peaks of the Himalayas in all their white and deadly beauty. There are some points in the film where you wonder how the hell some shots even got made. Granted, compared to Hollywood blockbusters like last year's Everest, this is not as impressive as it sounds, but they achieved a similar effect with a smaller budget.
Its climax, dramatic as it is (sometimes overly so) ends on a somber note, almost in contrast to the start of the film, where we found ourselves in a similar situation. For much of the South Korean audience, it probably reminded them of the real Um Hong-gil and the true events that shaped the movie. We don't have that context, but the film is definitely enjoyable either way.
It's amazing how quickly Star Cinema can make an emerging rom-com idea into a formula. The good thing is, it works. Always Be My Maybe (and other movies of their ilk) work because their characters are relatable. Their love struggles are also our love struggles. It takes its sweet time developing its characters, both normal people burned by the prospect of lasting love, either due to trusting the wrong person, or because of their own personal shortcomings.
The dialogue flows well, and there are no overly dramatic moments. The film's greatest strength is that it avoids being over the top, letting us settle in with these characters and getting us to empathize with them. It helps that the two leads have really good chemistry. Arci Munoz hasn't been in a lot of movies (and I think this is her first in a leading role) but she proves here that she can tussle with the best of them. Her stint as Tintin is charming without being noisy or annoying.
Overall I think Always Be My Maybe is better than Dan Villegas' previous movie Walang Forever, as it keeps the emotional volume just right and doesn't turn it up to eleven at the last moment. I do hope that in the future, filmmakers who now follow this emerging formula for rom-coms start experimenting more with the format, or things are going to get stale pretty fast.
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