The Invasion

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Mystery & Suspense

It should have been a winning combination. Pair up one of Hollywood’s most popular and glamorous actresses with one of the hottest leading men today, and you’re supposed to have a guaranteed blockbuster, right? Well, “The Invasion” had Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig in the lead roles, but their box-office performance was somewhat disappointing.

The premise is simple enough. A remake of the classic 1956 horror film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, the 2007 version tells of alien parasites taking over humans through physical contact. That’s mostly done by disgusting acts like puking or sneezing on people, inoculation, or worse, puking on people’s drinks. Yes, those parts were probably the grosses parts of this film and director Oliver Hirschbiegel had the difficult job of trying to merge this old plot with the actors and a less than imaginative script. Unfortunately, it really comes across as just another “alien movie”.

Just as Kidman’s ex hubby Tom Cruise remade “War of the Worlds”, here she goes doing the same thing with “The Invasion”. To her credit, I actually found her film more enjoyable despite it having very little special effects. Jo and I were properly tense in the parts we were supposed to be, and the premise that the only way to be “turned” by the aliens once infected is by falling asleep keeps the anxiety level high. Kidman is still stunningly beautiful despite settling into more mother-like characters these days, while Craig (who got his gig as the new James Bond while shooting this film) shows the roughness that made “Casino Royale” such a success last year.

Why then did we feel that the film still fell flat on its face? It could be a number of reasons. Maybe because, although I never saw the previous “Invasion” flick or its remakes, this plot has been used numerous times since then. It could be that I was expecting more malevolence from the aliens, even just one like Jeremy Northam’s Tucker Kaufman character. Or it’s quite possible that this was really just a paper-thin plot that tried to masquerade itself into a blockbuster film.

Whatever it was, “The Invasion” is enjoyable if you want a decent thriller that will give you the creeps. This is particularly true in the scenes where the aliens are moving in emotionless groups, or when they’re puking left and right and trying to assimilate others. But do yourself a favor and just catch it on DVD. You can do better with the time and money you’ll be spending if you watch it in an actual cinema.

Waitress

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Drama

First of all, I’d like to give a little backgrounder on Jo and I actually going to Gateway to catch “Waitress”. She had heard that this was a good indie-type of flick with Keri Russell of “Felicity” fame was the star. I was cool with going to Cubao to catch it since apparently the movie was only being shown in Gateway. When we lined up at the cinema, the video board called it an “exclusive” (complete with quotation marks) so we already found that funny. Then when we were handed our tickets, the title that was printed out said “D’ Waitress”. Jo said “It isn’t even titled ‘The Waitress’, just ‘Waitress’!” I quickly responded that what this ticket proves is that we are still in d’ Philippines.

Ok, now for the film itself. Jenna (Russell) is a small-time waitress at a pie diner. She learned how to bake pies from her own mother and always seems to come up with new and exciting pie recipes through the emotions she’s feeling at the time. Unfortunately, Jenna is also married to the most controlling, domineering, pushy chauvinist on the planet, a blowhard named Earl (Jeremy Sisto). When Earl got Jenna drunk one night, he also got her pregnant. Jenna goes to her gynecologist but is surprised that she’s now semi-retired and her practice has been taken over by Dr. Jim Pomatter (Nathan Fillion). For all of Pomatter’s quirks and nervous chatter, Jenna is strongly attracted to him and they have an affair (despite both of them being married). Meanwhile, Jenna’s fellow waitresses Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (writer/director Adrienne Shelly) also look for love and get it in varying degrees.

As expected for a small, independent film, you were going to get a lot of dialogue, focus on character, and no gigantic explosions or special effects. Trust me, that’s a good thing. “Waitress” was so well written by writer/director/actress Adrienne Shelly that I sometimes wonder why we don’t get more movies like it. The acting was brilliant, the script superb, and the story was rich. Every actor was cast perfectly from Russell and Sisto to the smaller parts of Ogie (Eddie Jemison) and Old Joe (a great surprise seeing Andy “Matlock” Griffith here). It was easy to hate Earl for the way he bludgeoned Jenna’s ego, and you could easily sympathize with Jenna’s desire to be free of him and to truly be appreciated.

SPOILER ALERT!!! I guess that the most unfortunate thing about “Waitress” was the fate that Shelly met right before it was released. She was murdered by an Ecuadorian illegal immigrant and construction worker who got into an argument with Shelly in her Manhattan apartment. A seemingly random act of violence has taken somebody whom I just found out to be a brilliant storyteller and actress. Though I never saw any of her other films, for all intents and purposes, Shelly was a strong voice in the independent film scene and was quite popular. Thus, with “Waitress”, we are left with one last look at a person’s true masterpiece, something she literally finished before she was taken from the earth.

Again, I’m all for the noise and fury that movies like the “Rush Hour” series and “Transformers” provide as far as adrenaline rushes go. But, there is, I believe, always room for quieter, more introspective pieces such as “Waitress”. Even though Keri Russell is now years away from her star-launching turn as the cute, frizzy-haired Felicity on TV, she seems to be quite comfortable in being more of an actress with substance nowadays. Here’s hoping that “Waitress” won’t merely be a blip on her path towards real acting greatness. I personally think that the mouth-watering pies that were constantly onscreen also helped me like this film even more. Then again, that’s just me.

Evan Almighty

Rating:	★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Comedy

I honestly didn’t know what to expect before I watched “Evan Almighty”. I knew it was the sequel to “Bruce Almighty”, the same movie that basically launched Steve Carell’s movie career, and that Morgan Freeman and Carell were returning to their roles, but that was about it. The trailers featured Evan Baxter (Carell) growing a beard and building an ark because God (Freeman) told him of a coming flood. However, I heard bad reviews concerning the film and that it bombed in the US. Still, Jo and I were curious enough that we decided to give this movie a shot.

News anchorman Evan Baxter just won a seat in Congress. He uproots his whole family to a nice area in Virginia and gets a cushy new office thanks to Cong. Long (John Goodman). His life is thrown for a loop when God appears (like he did to Jim Carrey’s Bruce in the first film) and tells Evan that he must build an ark. No matter how he resists, Evan is forced by God to build the ark even as pairs of animals begin gravitating toward him and his family slowly move away from him. Eventually completing the ark and getting his family back, Evan prepares for the coming flood even as Cong. Long is revealed to have cut costs in building a nearby dam.

This film was weird. That’s the consensus Jo and I came up with after we watched it. I mean, it wasn’t as horrible as the reviews I had heard, but it wasn’t great either. With its large number of special effects, it is best seen on the big screen, but I have a hard time justifying paying P180 to catch it in a cinema. All in all, Jo and I agreed that it was “just okay”, and was probably wrongly advertised as a straight up comedy.

I remain a fan of Steve Carell despite this film and we’re still Morgan Freeman fans, it’s just that the film lacks a certain oomph required of a film to get us to really, really endorse it. I get that there are certain parts that were a bit preachy and a bit too religious, they were necessary for the film’s plot. But there were times where I kind of felt like the “God” character of Freeman was a bit too insensitive to Evan’s plight to the point of forcing him to build the ark and effectively rendering him impotent at work. Wanda Sykes, John Michael Higgins, and Jonah Hill give a few funny lines as Evan’s staff members but they weren’t particularly memorable. In fact it was Carell’s “The Office” co-star Ed Helms who stole the most scenes with his newscaster Ed Carson character.

When “Evan Almighty” had finished and Jo and I were leaving the cinema, we agreed that it was a weird film. A day after, we still couldn’t agree on a better term for this film other than “weird”. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not a great thing either.

Rush Hour 3

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Action & Adventure

In the third installment of any movie series, you usually expect a few things. In the case of “Rush Hour 3”, those things are a. Jackie Chan has to do some crazy stunts, b. Chris Tucker has to talk non-stop, c. one or both of the leads have to be in a “fish out of water scenario”, d. both have to get on each other’s nerves, and e. a happy ending has to ensue.

Inspector Lee (Chan) is back as Ambassador Han’s (Tzi Ma) bodyguard while Det. James Carter (Tucker) has been relegated to traffic cop duty. An assassin makes an attempt at Han’s life just as he is about to reveal important information on the leadership of the Triad. Lee chases the assassin, only to find out it is his long lost “brother” Kenji (Hiroyuki Sanada). Lee can’t kill Kenji, who promptly escapes. To protect Han and daughter Soo Yung (Zhang Jingchu), Lee and Carter entrust her to the head of the World Criminal Court, Varden Reynard (Max Von Sydow). Eventually, the trail leads them to Paris and the mysterious performer Genevieve (Noémie Lenoir). Both Soo Yung and Genevieve are in danger and it’s up to Carter and Lee to protect them while also surviving the perils of the Paris underworld.

Brett Ratner has long ago stated that he was born to do “Rush Hour” films. With Chris Tucker’s last film being “Rush Hour 2” back in 2001, he can probably say the same thing. Like in the first two installments, both Tucker and Chan end up lost or missing in a strange place, in “the City of Lights” no less. Chan, for a 53-year old man, is still a phenomenal martial artist and stuntman. Oliver and I were wowed by the risks he takes and the stunts he continues to pull off throughout this film. As before, Tucker’s loud motormouth serves as a nice compliment to Chan’s fast hands and feet. It’s always entertaining to see these two in action as their onscreen partnership has clearly developed into an offscreen friendship.

This is by no means rocket science, it’s just a “Rush Hour” movie for crying out loud. Therefore, you shouldn’t expect any overcomplicated plots or overly serious storylines. The mere fact that Sanada gets to square off against Chan in this film already had me sold. I’ve been a Sanada fan since I saw him in the original “Ringu”, and his performances in “The Last Samurai” and “Sunshine” just made me a bigger fan of his. It was fun seeing him display some of his martial arts abilities and squaring off against a legend like Chan.

Yes, it may seem like a waste of time for such a great actor like Von Sydow or even director Roman Polanski (as a smarmy French cop) to appear in this kind of film, but they still chose to do it so don’t blame them or Ratner for joining a relatively light action flick. Besides, I, like most guys, enjoy our mindless action films every so often. The formula for a good “Rush Hour” film has long been established, and I personally don’t mind seeing the formula hit the cinemas every few years.

Disturbia

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Mystery & Suspense

I really liked Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window”. I had to watch for a film class a few years back, and I loved the performances by Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Raymond Burr. When I first saw the trailer for “Disturbia”, it felt like a younger, hipper version, but still seemed like “Rear Window” anyway. Therefore, I didn’t have such high expectations for this “remake”, but was still quite surprised to find myself enjoying it.

Kale Brecht (Shia LaBeouf) has become a troubled teen since he survived the car accident that cost his father his life. He punches out his Spanish teacher for insinuating his dad’s disappointment in his study habits, ending up under house arrest. His mother Julie (Carrie-Anne Moss) cancels his Xbox Live and iTunes subscriptions, then cuts off his cable TV to further punish him. He enjoys peeping at his sexy new neighbor Ashley Carlson (Sarah Roemer) and eventually develops a sexually-tense relationship with her. However, Kale notices disturbing thins about his neighbor Mr. Turner (David Morse). Suspicious of Turner, Kale, Ashey and his pal Ronnie (Aaron Yoo) dig up stuff on him, only to find Kale under more suspicion from the authorities. Is it all in his head, or is Turner more dangerous than he lets on?

LaBeouf is clearly becoming more of a lead actor with this film. After the success of “Transformers” and with a fine acting performance in “Disturbia”, the kid seems to have a good enough head on his shoulders to pick quality projects. He doesn’t come across as a whiny, annoying kid here, just somebody who’s got issues and has an overactive sex drive and imagination. Roemer plays the young ingénue who gets the boys’ blood running perfectly. Morse (who I’ve been watching since his “St. Elsehwere” days) has matured to the point that he can play creepy older men with aplomb. I’m just disappointed for the former Trinity, Carrie-Anne Moss. Apparently she’s gotten to the age where she can be tagged to play mother to a near-twenty year old. How quickly she’s fallen from Hollywood’s good graces!

Director DJ Caruso gives his own distinct spin to the “Rear Window” concept here, and does so quite successfully. He still has a good looking cast who just so happen to be good actors as well, and luckily his scriptwriters have come up with a well-paced, frenetic thriller. In this age where voyeurism via webcams and powerful telescopes are a reality, it’s kind of creepy how one’s neighbors, particularly in the suburbs, can just open their windows and learn all kinds of things about you. This could also lead to all kinds of wrong assumptions and assaults on one’s privacy, but that’s what helps lift “Disturbia” from the rest of today’s run of the mill slasher flicks.

Blades of Glory

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Comedy

After the disappointment that was “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”, I was hoping for much better things from the comic genius that is Will Ferrell. Teaming with “Napoleon Dynamite” Jon Heder and portraying male figure skaters immediately got my attention so Jo and I were excited to watch “Blades of Glory”.

Figure skaters Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Heder) are archrivals. They tied for the men’s gold medal at the Winter Olympics, but are both banned for life from men’s figure skating after fighting during the medal ceremony. Three years later, MacElroy has been disowned by his adoptive father while Michaels is a drunk, oversexed buffoon on an ice skating show for kids. Finding a loophole in their lifetime ban, they approach Jimmy’s old coach (Craig T. Nelson) and join the competition as a pairs team. Despite plotting by the top pairs team in the world Stranz (Will Arnett) and Fairchild (Amy Poehler) van Waldenberg, Jimmy and Chazz qualify for the Nationals. Coach is convinced that they must perform the legendary “Iron Lotus” to earn the gold, but can they co-exist long enough to make it?

Though it may seem that Ferrell keeps making sports-based comedies nowadays, “Blades” stands out from the rest of his recent work because of one thing: it’s actually really funny. Heder is in arguably his funniest work since “Napoleon Dynamite” and their contrasting personalities and styles help the comedy in this film. Real-life husband and wife Arnett and Poehler give off all kinds of creepy vibes as Stranz and Fairchild, giving us a good set of villains to root against. As their long-abused sister Katie, Jenna Fischer gets to play somebody a bit different from her secretary role on “The Office”. She’s little more than window dressing here, but it’s still nice to see her outside her sitcom.

Ferrell really works the slobbering, sex addict role to perfection. His initial dance routine and his subsequent appearance at a sex addicts symposium were reminiscent of his previous work on “Saturday Night Live”. Heder plays the effeminate, goody-goody MacElroy well. At least he’s better here than in “The Benchwarmers”, and the contrast between him and Ferrell is very welcome. Of course, this isn’t an intellectual piece by any stretch, yet it is still a funny flick that was good enough to watch on fake DVD on a lazy Friday. Like I told Jo after, this was like watching a sick and twisted version of “The Cutting Edge”, and we still liked it!

So to the future Mrs. Neva Santos, bilhin mo na fake DVD nito! Jo and I thought it was way funnier than “Talladega”, although “Anchorman” and “Old School” are still better in my view.

InterWorld

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author:	Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves

As a comic book fan, I have read my share of stories featuring alternate realities and parallel earths. Whether it be DC, Marvel, or some other publisher, it is one of the more popular science fiction plots that writers have turned to. Even in the world of “Star Trek”, the “mirror universe” was one of the most enduring storylines in the original series, eventually showing up in subsequent series and even “Star Trek” novels. Just when I thought that everything had already been written about these parallel realities, authors Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves gave us “InterWorld”.

Joey Harker is an average high school student. He lives with his parents and siblings, muddles through school, and has a crush on Rowena Danvers. While conducting a social science assignment, Joey gets lost. Not just lost like being lost in a mall. More like lost and ending up on another completely different reality. Joey Harker is about to find out that he’s actually a Walker, one of a near infinite number of “Joeys” who have banded together to protect the Altiverse and all the realities within it from the opposing forces of science (or the Binary) and magic (or the HEX). Joey has to find it within himself to lead a team of “Joeys” against these menaces and unleash the power residing within him.

One of the many amazing things about “InterWorld” is it’s simple enough premise: there are all of these realities and you exist (or an aspect of you exists) in all of them. One earth might have you as female, another may have a cyborg version, you could be forty years older in one earth, or just a teenager on another, still another could have you as a werewolf, or a centaur, you get the picture. Now imagine joining forces with these other “yous” and literally walking between realities, trying to maintain the balance between magic and science. It’s pretty overwhelming yet still intriguing, isn’t it?

Gaiman and Reaves draw you into Joey Harker’s anxiety as he realizes that his life will never be the same once he walks into InterWorld. Trained and educated by “Old Man” Joe Harker, he joins a team composed of Jai, Jakon, Jo, J/O, and Josef, all “Joeys” on a training mission that goes horribly wrong. Trapped by the villainous Lord Dogknife, the mesmerizing Lady Indigo, and her henchmen Neville and Scarabus, Joey ends up leaving his team and facing a virtual court martial from the Old Man. Faced with returning to his peaceful old life or facing danger and rescuing his team, Joey must decide if he’s willing to take that risk.

It’s an engaging, if short read, yet still very entertaining. Though not a typical Gaiman piece in the sense that there are hardly any fairies or magic or dreams involved, it remains a fun read. The authors’ descriptions of the realms of the In-Between, taking a Walk between dimensions, and entering portals to new worlds will likely leave you dizzy while still sparking the imagination.

Through all the dimension-hopping and dealing with mudluffs and fantastic creatures, “InterWorld” remains the story of adolescence evolving into adulthood. The things Joey sees are amazing to say the least, but the decisions he ends up making will prove to be even more substantial as he faces a painful departure from his comfortable home because he knows that he can’t leave his friends in evil hands. Just joining forces with different versions of yourself is already a great idea, adding all of this adolescent angst and insecurity just made it better.

This would probably never make it as far as a live action film, but the potential for an animated movie is clearly there. Here’s hoping somebody from Hollywood picks up on this latest brilliant piece from Gaiman and writing partner Reaves. But if they don’t, I’m pretty satisfied with the writing done here already.

10 Items or Less

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Independent

After going through all the usual big-budget summer blockbusters, it’s nice to hang back and see a quiet “independent” movie. That’s what “10 Items or Less” is. If there ever was a departure from the typical Hollywood fare, this would be it.

Directed by Brad Silberling, the movie tells the story of a once-popular Hollywood actor (never identified by name but played by veteran actor Morgan Freeman) who is researching for his next possible part. While at the local community market, he meets feisty checkout girl Scarlet (Paz Vega). She runs the “10 items or less” counter and, in effect, runs the market more than the store manager does. Freeman is fascinated by Scarlet’s personality and learns that she’s up for a job interview later in the day. When he can’t seem to find a way to get home, he instead volunteers to help her prepare for her interview. What follows is a humorous take on what might happen in the span of one day between two strangers, something that could quite possibly happen as unlikely as the situation may be.

This was a fun yet different approach from the many movies that we are usually exposed to from the U.S. Freeman, now often cast in venerable roles as either a high government official, an army leader, a police investigator, or even as God, seems to really enjoy playing the has-been actor who is slowly trying to get back in the game. After four years of being out of work, Freeman the character sees his DVDs with Ashley Judd being sold at 50% off in the bargain section of the supermarket. I couldn’t help but feel that Freeman the actor was able to relax a bit more in this portrayal and he looked relaxed in the scenes where he’s at the community market, at the car wash, and shopping in Target.

After seeing Vega as the struggling Spanish-speaking single mom in “Spanglish”, it’s nice to see her play an even more assertive type of character here. Though there are times when it is difficult to understand what she’s saying, her performance still comes across as genuine, as someone who knows and feels she is better than what life has given her. This is a beautiful woman who comes across as someone who wants her acting to be taken seriously, as evidenced by the roles she has taken.

As fun as this movie was, I also couldn’t help but feel that it was a bit incomplete, if not rushed. In the scenes where Freeman has Scarlet’s car washed and where they are teaching each other songs, it almost feels like an extended music video. It also made me feel like they were trying to stretch the film to make it run close to one and a half hours. As it stands, the movie runs at one hour and 22 minutes, an unusually short film that’s even shorter than most animated films released nowadays.

Still, if you should ever find the desire for a change or a healthy replacement from the loud and oftentimes inconsequential films from Hollywood, this little movie might just be the film for you.

License to Wed

Rating:	★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Romantic Comedy

In recent years, I’ve been exposed to a lot of romantic comedies. Some, like “Music and Lyrics” and “Must Love Dogs” were actually pretty good. They were the type of films that made you think that these romantic comedies aren’t just “chick flicks” in disguise. Then there comes a movie like “License to Wed”. A picture so horribly executed that you want to get their scriptwriters and director together to smack them across the head while screaming “What the hell were you thinking?!?!”

Ben Murphy (John Krasinski from “The Office”) and Sadie Jones (Mandy Moore) have been dating for just a few months, yet decide to get married. Sadie’s dream has always been to marry in their local church since her grandfather helped build it. She’s also dreamed of asking their local pastor, Reverend Frank (Robin Williams) to officiate her wedding. Frank seems like the type of priest who his parishioners would love. Too bad for Ben that he’s also overprotective of Sadie and will do anything to make sure she’s marrying the right guy. If that means putting their relationship through the wringer and spying on the lovebirds, Rev. Frank will do it. Can their love survive Frank’s unorthodox tests?

This film is one big ball of confusion. John Krasinski and Mandy Moore look like a good couple, yet they don’t seem to have any real chemistry onscreen. Robin Williams is his usual manic self, but his character of Rev. Frank is just way too annoying. What concerned priest in his right mind would go through such lengths (even resorting to planting bugs to eavesdrop on the couple) to break up a relationship? His equally annoying choir boy (Josh Flitter) was both creepy and ridiculous. Those disgusting robot babies that Rev. Frank dumped on Ben and Sadie seemed like rejects of molds made for Yoda in “Star Wars”! Mandy’s Sadie comes across as such a flighty airhead that she was willing to call off the wedding just because Ben hadn’t written his wedding vows with just one day left till the wedding! How stupid is that?!

For me, the only redeeming factor in this film was a small one. Krasinski became a star on the U.S. version of “The Office”. So it was a pleasant surprise to see a few of his co-stars on the sitcom pop up in this film. Brian Baumgartner, Mindy Kaling, and Angela Kinsey all had little cameos, while the Sandals Resort in Jamaica (where Steve Carell’s character Michael Scott vacationed on the series) was also featured. I consider these as shoutouts to us “Office” fans who want to see John Krasinski do well in his first starring role. After all, director Ken Kwapis directed 9 episodes of the show himself.

As nice as that little touch was, they couldn’t save this horrible disaster. As Jo said, the beginning and end were okay, it’s just that the middle was pretty bad. It wasn’t just bad, it was unwatchable and completely devoid of logic at certain parts. I pray that this does not hinder John Krasinski from getting any more starring roles in the future. For Robin Williams, the days of good acting in films like “Good Will Hunting” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” seem like distant memories now. And for Mandy Moore, here’s more proof that she should just stick to the singing and stop trying to cross over into films. It just isn’t working.

Ratatouille

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Animation

There are few things more disgusting than seeing rats in a kitchen. The dirty, hairy, gross little buggers find ways to go through the smallest crevices, ingratiating themselves on food whether it be new or spoiled. Consider then what would happen if one of these grimy, dirty rats wants nothing else in the world except to cook the finest meals possible. That’s the dilemma facing Remy, the lead character in “Ratatouille”.

The latest in the long line of collaborations between Disney and Pixar Animation, “Ratatouille” tells the tale of Remy, a rat who wants to be less of a scavenging thief, more of a chef who prepares food for fine dining. Voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt, Remy teaches himself to cook by reading Chef Auguste Gusteau’s book “Anyone Can Cook”. Gusteau (Brad Garrett) died after a stinging review from food critic Anton ego (the great Peter O’Toole) and his restaurant has been suffering since.

Under the supervision of Gusteau’s former sous-chef Skinner (the equally great Ian Holm), the Gusteau name has been used for selling ready-to-cook meals. When janitor Alfredo Linguini (Lou Romano) tries making soup (with horrible results), Remy intervenes to fix the recipe. The result is a tasty delight and Linguini agrees with Remy to keep preparing meals under Remy’s supervision. However, Remy’s dad Django (Brian Dennehy) doesn’t trust humans, warning Remy that they kill rats. It turns out that Linguini is actually Gusteau’s long lost son, and he inherits the restaurant. Now Ego wants to sample Linguini’s cooking, looking to close down the restaurant once and for all.

As one would expect from a Disney/Pixar collaboration, the animation is phenomenal. Just when you think that these movies can’t get any better visually, the people from Pixar always manage to outdo themselves and elevate the medium even further. The images of Paris seem so alive, the movements of the characters so fluid, and the food really looks good enough to eat! If there is a negative to this film, it’s probably the scenes that feature so many rats scampering about on the floors, in the sewers, and particularly in the kitchens! But that’s only because rats, as we all know, aren’t the most pleasant animals to say the least. Kudos to director Brad Bird and his staff for not resting on past animation laurels.

Of course, with luminaries like Peter O’Toole and Ian Holm providing voice work, you get nothing but the best. Holm’s Skinner is creepy, demented, and French in every way imaginable. O’Toole’s smarmy, arrogant, aristocratic Ego truly feels like the food critic from hell, someone you don’t want to disappoint when he orders off your menu. Janeane Garofalo is virtually unrecognizable as Colette as she puts on a very convincing French accent that convinced me she grew up wearing berets and eating baguettes. The same can be said of Garrett of “Everybody Loves Raymond” fame. Oswalt and Romano, though they’re the lead characters, don’t stand out from this crowd, perhaps due to the experienced actors who share screen time with them.

Clocking in at almost two hours of running time, “Ratatouille” is a bit long compared to traditional Disney animated fare. However, no scene is wasted, no dialogue is useless, as they all serve to advance the story of “little chef” Remy and hapless Linguini. My favorite of the Disney/Pixar collaborations has long been “Finding Nemo” with “Cars” coming in at a close second. After watching “Ratatouille” however, I might have to squeeze this latest masterpiece right near the top of my list. Bon appetit!

Ateneo-La Salle UAAP Season 70 round 1

Ateneo renews it's old rivalry with La Salle after the Archers were suspended in Season 69. Entering the game as underdogs, the Blue Eagles took the lead then held off a fiery La Salle rally to win 80-77 in overtime. Jai Reyes, Chris Tiu, and company gave coach Norman Black his first win over DLSU. One big fight!