Mostly toothless Noel Vera Garth Jennings' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," is his reasonably faithful adaptation of Douglas Adams' constantly mutating ...
Back from the dead Noel Vera I think it's safe to say George A. Romero's "Land of the Dead" doesn't live up to the previous three zombie films that made him ...
... ***** Interesting article, and Mr. Red has a point: Hollywood has been around, and we are producing poor product. But that isn't the complete picture....
This from Dennis Marasigan, Asst. Vice President for Marketing at the Cultural Center of the Philippines: "We wish to inform everyone that NOEL VERA's book...
All is not Wells Noel Vera Steve Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" is a botched job, and not just because Ebert, who can be counted on to miss the point, thinks...
A botched `Assassination' Noel Vera Niels Mueller's "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" takes its inspiration from a true-life story: Sam Byck's failed...
Sex and thrills Noel Vera Emilio Martinez-Lazaro's "El otro lado de la cama" (The Other Side of the Bed, 2002) is that reliable standard, the sex comedy, only ...
Nestor Torre's advice to new filmmakers (in a recent Inquirer article)and my and Lav's reaction: http://journals.aol.com/noelbotevera/MyJournal/entries/837...
Dark "Chocolate" Noel Vera Tim Burton's film adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a wondrous confection: smooth and ...
Thou shalt not miss this film festival Noel Vera Cinemanila 2005, again the single biggest and best event to hit Manila cinemawise, features yet another...
Lies my father keeps telling me Noel Vera Victor (Leonardo Sbaraglia) is on his way to a Paris hospital to visit his mother, Marie (Geraldine Chaplin), and...
The 'hoodoo' that you do By Noel Vera Iain Softley's "The Skeleton Key," a smart, stylish horror flick (at least for the first half) about "hoodoo" (a Southern...
Lame "high" By Noel Vera I couldn't believe some of the reviews Mike Mitchell's "Sky High" has been getting--and from reputable periodicals, too: "family ...
Rock bottom Noel Vera Bruce Hunt's "The Cave" pretty much proves that the wellspring of more original ideas is close to running dry in mainstream Hollywood. ...
Double, double, toil and trouble Noel Vera Terry Gilliam's "The Brother's Grimm" received poor notices from such reviewers as Manohla Dargis of the New York...
Time out Noel Vera The official line is that Peter Hyams' "A Sound of Thunder," his Hollywood adaptation of the short story by famed writer Ray Bradbury, is a...
Portrait of the Anguished as a Filipino Noel Vera I first encountered Lav Diaz's rather unique sensibility in Joey Gosengfiao and Lily Monteverde's Good...
Two from Cine Europa '05 Noel Vera Cedric Klapisch's "L'Auberge espagnole" (The Spanish Apartment, 2002) focuses on a communal apartment in Barcelona being...
Heart of darkness Noel Vera Alfred Hitchcock's "Notorious" (1946) is the earliest film I can think of that equated espionage and infidelity: both require...
Death and the mother Noel Vera Instituto Cervantes' "Pelikula IV" kicks off this end of September at Greenbelt Cinema 1 with not just Spanish but a variety of...
The man of a thousand movies Noel Vera A thousand may be an exaggeration--but not too much. The title of his 1990 autobiography says it all: " How I Made a...
A story of violence Noel Vera In "A History of Violence," David Cronenberg's loose adaptation of John Wagner's graphic novel, Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is...
Cine in Manila Noel Vera Cinemanila 2005--finally, held in what should be its proper venue, the city of Manila--is showing a choice selection of international ...
A short review of "Critic After Dark: A Review of Philippine Cinema:" "There isn't exactly a surplus of literature on the output of Southeast Asia's most...
Look, ma, all hands! Noel Vera Not exactly true: Steve Box and Nick Park's "Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" features a few CGI fog effects...
From "Bacharach in Bangkok" <http://www.philstar.com/philstar/lifestyle200510240501.htm> Penman by Butch Dalisay Philippine Star 10/24/05 The only book I...
Family planning Noel Vera You might say Robert Rodriguez's "The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D" is really a family affair: his brother and sister...
Ten treasures Noel Vera Sometimes you don't want what's easily available by the dozens at your local video chain, or in the nearest multiplex; sometimes you ...