Movie Review: Live By Night (2017)

2017 is officially here, and eyes are focused towards what new things the new year will bring - especially in the realm of entertainment and popculture. In the case of Hollywood cinema, January brings up a number of big film choices that will garner the attention of movie buffs plus those who enjoy quality and attention to detaul. Warner Bros. serves that up with the latest offering by superstar actor and director Ben Affleck - who's accolades include directing the crime drama hit "The Town" and the historical drama "Argo" - which won three Academy Awards including "Best Picture". In addition to directing and starring in these, Affleck is also the current actor to play Bruce Wayne/ Batman in Warner Bros. and DC Films' "DC Extended Universe" - debuting in last year's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and is set to reprise the role in this year's "Justice League".

After going through a lengthy and delayed process in production, Affleck's latest project "Live By Night" is finally out in theaters. Set during the 1920's Prohibition era, the film features an endemble cast that includes Affleck in the lead, as well as supporting roles played by Brendan Gleeson, Sienna Miller, Elle Fanning, Zoe Saldana, Chris Missina, and Chris Cooper. Opening this week courtesy of Warner Bros. Philippines, I got to see a preview of the movie and it is the kind of film that appeals to those who enjoy gangster and period films set in times of old filled with dreams and consequences. Here's my review of the film.

Movie Review: Assassin's Creed

"We work in the dark to serve the light."

Most video game properties that get movie adaptations for the big screen tend to stray away from the lore that made it so beloved by its fans in order to impart a sense of realism and believability for cinematic purposes. It's a hit or miss Hollywood formula that has persisted over time, but most video game companies who own these properties are quite protective of their IPs want to have a controlling stake on things to ensure that the transition to film is a smooth one. In the case of Ubisoft and their long-running Assassin's Creed action adventure series, it was high time for the franchise to take the brave step into getting a feature film made - one that is set in the same universe as the games but tells a completely original story that introduces a new set of characters into the mix. With a diverse cast of talents that includes Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard and reuniting the two with their Macbeth film director Justin Kurzel, the first Ubisoft Motion Pictures produced film in "Assassin's Creed" has hit cinemas - co-produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox and bringing the signature free-running action and stealth that the games are known for into live-action cinema for the first time.

Special thanks goes to 20th Century Fox Philippines again for the screening last December 20th - one of the last films I saw before the end of 2016! Here's a pic of me and my fellow Assassins attending the screening in cosplay!

Movie Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

The Cast of "Rogue One". Photo c/o Lucasfilm

"Rebellions are built on Hope." - Jyn Erso

For the second year in a row, a brand new Star Wars film has finally graced cinemas and welcomes fans of The Force and a galaxy far, far away back into the fold where heroes seek to battle the forces of evil and darkness in epic battles taking place in space and beyond. This time around, the newest chapter is not part of the main canonical numbered entries, but rather a side story that takes place just before the events of the very first 1977 Star Wars film, which was retroactively called "Episode IV: A New Hope". Directed by Gareth Edwards of "Monsters" and "Godzilla" fame, the world meets a ragtag group of individuals who unwittingly come together to fight for the cause of the Rebel Alliance - seeking to steal the plans of the great super weapon the Galactic Empire has under its thumb and are designating themselves as "Rogue One".