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IT is
dark, it is moody, it is grown-up....That should
summarize Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,
the fifth installment of the phenomenal bestselling
series of books by J.K. Rowling.
If you
haven’t read the book, don’t read any further. This
review won’t give you a synopsis of it. All I can say is
that the movie is more adult in telling the story than
any of the previous Harry Potter films. The acting has
definitely matured (except for Emma Watson’s) and—I
don’t know, maybe with maturity comes clarity, so
dialogue was way, way easier to understand compared with
the other installments.
The
special effects and production values are at par with
the previous installments in the megafilm franchise,
except for the Giant and the Centaurs. They were, uhm,
blah.
If ever,
this would be the first Harry Potter to receive an
acting nomination. Alan Rickman, who does the least but
the most, is brilliant as Professor Snape, expressing
disdain over Harry in a few seconds that should be
immortalized as one great acting moment. But Imelda
Staunton as Dolores Umbridge steals the movie. Her
performance as a forever pink-clad Ministry of Magic
official who takes over Hogwarts is very amusing but, at
the same time, you will hate her for being too harsh on
Harry.
As for
the much-hyped kissing scene between Harry (Daniel
Radcliffe) and Cho Chang (Katie Leung), it was hyped too
much in the press but in the movie itself, there was not
much buildup plot-wise that for those who are not
familiar with the books or the movies, they’d think the
scene was just added. All in all, it was a good film.
Which I
couldn’t say exactly for Transformers: poorly
acted, poorly written with all the cliché plotlines in
the world cramped into two hours-plus of a movie
bombarded with special effects.
But like
The Order of the Phoenix, I truly enjoyed this
movie…because upon entering the movie house, I checked
in my IQ and political correctness at the box office.
That’s how you enjoy a Michael Bay spectacular. Just
expect brain candy and don’t expect him to be Michel
Gondry.
Transformers
is another Bay extravaganza that tells viewers good will
overcome evil, everything is more than meets the eye
and, most important, as one character said it in the
movie, “bros before hos!”
PIOLO PASCUAL has signed up with Lab Works, a
new line of fragrances for men available at Watsons, as
the brand’s newest endorser.
He
visited the Watsons Personal Store at SM Mall of Asia
for the recent launch.
“Lab
Works is for the Filipino man who works hard but allows
himself to enjoy the fruits of his labor,” said Piolo
during his visit. “And I’m sure women will also enjoy
smelling Lab Works on their husbands or boyfriends.”
Lab
Works has 14 variants, all mixed with oil imported from
the US, the UK, France and Australia. “Another great
thing about Lab Works is that the choices come in
variations that are perfect for the Pinoy man’s typical
day—from going to work in the morning and playing sports
in the afternoon, to having intimate dinner or fun
parties at night,” said Piolo. I asked him what “fun
parties” he goes to at night and maybe he could bring me
along. Instead of answering, he just looked at me as if
I were a centaur from the Harry Potter movie.
Anyway,
among Piolo’s favorite Lab Works variants are Hang Five
and Sky Rush. Lab Works is available at Watsons. |
