FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST LIVE ACTION MOVIE REVIEW

THE CURSE OF THE SPAGHETTI WESTERN

When I was (much) younger, I felt strange about watching Spaghetti Westerns. For the uninitiated into 1960's movie culture, Spaghetti Westerns were knock-offs of the then-popular Westerns starring Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson, John Wayne, and  a host of six-shooter-toting, horseback-riding, fistfighting, testosterone-overflowing men in large cowboy hats. Spaghetti Westerns had Italian actors acting like American cowboys, most of the time overacting, in low budget, badly written adventures in the wild west. 

The Philippines, of course, had our own versions of these movies, courtesy of the Lapid clan, starting with legendary patriarch Jess, followed by Lito, Jess Jr., and their male brood. The King of Philippine cinema himself, Fernando Poe, Jr., became widely popular with similar movies. 

The same strange feeling haunted me when I watched Filipino versions of Kung-Fu movies - Filipinos dressed up, acting like, and even faking the accents of, Chinese characters. This was during the martial arts movie boom of the 70's courtesy of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Wang Jing Lee, and an army of martial arts superstars from Hong Kong. 

Now, what does this have to do with The Fullmetal Alchemist live action movie? A lot, actually. Because I couldn't help but feel the strange Spaghetti Western sensation while watching it. Yes, maybe I should have expected the actors to be Japanese with European names and wearing European clothes in a European setting, since I AM a huge fan of the anime, but I couldn't help getting that out-of-place, weird and funny feeling while looking at Asian actors with blond-dyed hair and using Western names. 

This was live action, after all, and that made the difference. In the anime, I could always pretend that  Edward, Al, Winry, et al, were Westerners despite their use of Nihonggo. Here I had to stare at the Asian actors like they were children role-playing in a game. 

Let me be clear, I have nothing against Japanese actors playing the role, it was just a reaction that even I didn't expect. I never had a problem with the three Rurouni Kenshin movies, of course because it was set in Japan and the characters were, well, Japanese.  

As for the movie itself, I was far from impressed or satistfied. Pacing was slow, acting was terrible in some instances, characters from the anime were not used, and the story was a 2-hour condensed version of a series that I spent months enjoying. Going into details would thrust us into SPOILER territory, so I'll stop here. 

Is it blasphemy for me to wish that Hollywood do a version of the same movie, with Western actors? preferably with Joss Whedon at the helm? 

But that's just me. Go watch it yourself, please, and correct me if I'm just being a foolish otaku. 

MOVIE REVIEW - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

One of the perks of living near a mall is getting to watch a movie without the hassle of traffic jams, waiting for the next screening and having to lug a lot of baggage (this third one is SOP for me whenever I bring my kids along – water, snacks, tissue paper, etc.).

And so I watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier at our friendly neighborhood and very nearby Mall, just a footbridge away from our street. Was I satisfied? Generally so.

SPOILER ALERT for anyone who has not seen the movie yet, although it’s been showing in local theaters for 15 days now.

First off, I understand the people who are saying that the title is not very apt for the whole movie, since it did not revolve around the Winter Soldier at all, but on the schemes and world-dominating efforts of Hydra. Hydra, for the comic book-uninitiated, is the breakaway scientific arm of Hitler’s Nazi party in World War II (or at least it is in Marvel Comics Universe) headed by The Red Skull, the villain played by Hugo Weaving in the Captain America: The First Avenger movie.

Yes, there were many exciting fight scenes between Cap and Winter Soldier, and yes, there was a large and dramatic twist (although if you’ve been a fan of comics you probably knew about it already) that involved the antagonist, but mostly the story was about how a good thing can be manipulated and twisted by evil men for their own selfish goals. 

Aside form the title, though, the movie was very well done. The fight scenes were the best I’ve seen so far in a superhero movie (and I’ve seen all the DC and Marvel movies, so that’s quite a mouthful for me), and the use of Cap's shield was maximized and I had flashes of my younger self playing with cooking pot lids and other circular objects way back when. The additional special feature of former UFC Welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre as Batroc The Leaper was also a very welcome thing. Batroc was, by the way, the first villain Cap fought after his resurrection in the 1960’s comics. 

The human body count, however, was also one of the highest in comic book movie history, probably surpassed only by The Avengers, Man of Steel and The Punisher movies. Not that I mind, of course, because this only made the action more believable and exciting because you never know who's gonna croak next. So if you’re thinking this will be a good film to bring the kids along, I would not suggest it.

Acting-wise, the cast really brought it on. Perhaps the presence of Robert Redford, one of the true living gods of Hollywood, gave the younger actors incentive to push themselves. Chris Evans improved by leaps and star-spangled bounds as the superhero lost in a new time and generation. Scarlett Johansson was perfect, as always, as the wisecracking, guilt-ridden Black Widow. Samuel Jackson was pushed to do more action and kickass-ery. Even Coby Smulders stepped up as Agent Maria Hill. And Anthony Mackie was convincing as the war veteran Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon.

  

There were many scenes in the movie that surprisingly had me choked up. Steve Rogers’ visit to his love from the 1940’s, Agent Peggy Carter, at the V.A. hospital, Nick Fury’s death scene, Cap’s speech over the SHIELD P.A. system, the lowly launch technician standing up to an armed Hydra agent, and the moments between Cap and Widow expositioning about their current and past lives.

My only gripe, and it’s a very minor gripe at that, was that the movie’s social commentary on government and politics and bureaucracy was not fully explored. Cap’s message about believing that there were still people like him willing to commit the ultimate sacrifice for what was right and true was great, but I felt it needed to be pushed a bit more with a few additional scenes. I was nearly in tears, but then the focus shifted to aerial combat and gunfights. 

Captain America was originally created in the 1940’s, and was rehashed in the 1960’s by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby as a reminder to the American people of what their country (supposedly) stood for. It was the decade of presidential assassinations, Viet Nam war protests, Malcolm X versus the KKK, Watergate, drugs and hippies and sex, violence and rock and roll, and the land of the free and the home of the brave was getting disillusioned by all of it. While Spiderman dealt with teen angst, The Fantastic Four showcased the space race and super-science, and other comics rode on the heels of psychedelia, Captain America became Stan and Jack’s mouthpiece for what they believed the US of A still fought for. He was the old-fashioned American patriot in a time when patriotism was out of style.

Call me old-fashioned, but I have always liked Captain America for his corniness, his devotion to the old values and principles that our world, more than ever, needs today. A man out of his time, still fighting the good fight with a  pure heart, an indestructible shield and a good right hook. 

THE DAY I GAVE UP WONDER WOMAN

To say that I love action figures would be an understatement. Juvenile as it may sound (and a bit retarded, I admit) I still buy toys and even play with them whenever I get the chance. Of course, these days I have my son as an excuse to do that.

As a young boy, I never had a lot of toys, and my parents would never buy me the ones I liked. I made do with cheap knock-offs and makeshift toys of wood and whatever materials were at hand. I guess I never outgrew that part, and now I'm making up for it.

My work as a writer is also another excuse for my childish obsession. Truth is, my story-making skills were honed, as it were, from my days of playing. When I played, I had a full-blown plot, dialogues and background stories for every "character". And, believe it or not, my first stories for TV were inspired by my "play stories".

I am, however, a bit of a cheapskate when it comes to buying for myself, so I only buy my toys at bargains and second-hand shops. If the price is right, I would never resist the urge to make a purchase, whether its still in the box or 'loose' as the used toys are called. I actually prefer the loose toys because they could already be played with unlike the boxed ones that I can't open without a bit of regret because they are collectors' items while still in the box.

I am always on the lookout for good buys, so imagine my surprise when I happened upon a store in Bacolod where an original DC Direct Wonder Woman figure was on sale for P200.00. That is a bargain of the highest degree, since action figures of the same make and quality would sell for three to four times as much even in vaunted Divisoria.

Here's where the problem started. As I began to inquire more into the mentioned toy, the old lady who was minding the store must have seen how eager I was and began to up the price.

"Ay, P250 pala." ("Oh, it's actuially P250.") she said.

I was miffed, of course. I understand that people need to make a living. I understand that the old lady was just hired help, and that she was following what her employer must have told her about upping the price when they can. But I can't help but feel irked that she was ignoring me half the time before she finally realized that I was seriously into buying her merchandise. And then she gave the price a 25% increase on the spot.

Okay, P50 is not a lot, in fact I would have still bought the action figure if she insisted on it. But miffed as I was, I still haggled for the previously mentioned P200 price. So she gave in and I left with my prize.

Upon leaving the establishment, I checked the new addition to my collection and found a price tag behind it - P800.

The old lady had made a mistake. She sold me the toy for a quarter of its real price.

There came my dilemma. Annoyed as I was, I had the urge to keep the toy, with thoughts at the back of my head like 'teach her a lesson' or 'serves her right' justifying my action.

But there was also a more powerful thought in my head, that of guilt and pity. The old lady would have to pay for the P600 deficiency in her sale. Being just hired help, she probably didn't make that much in a week. She deserved a lesson in respect and fair play, no doubt, but not through me. Not at the expense of my conscience.

Had there NOT been a price tag, I would have walked away a happy man, ignorance would have been bliss. But I did know that I had just cheated an old lady, unscrupulous as she was, of P600, and that wouldn't do.

So I walked back to the store, returned Wonder Woman, and left empty handed, but also guiltless and with a clean head.

Still, it was a nice action figure...

E-BOOK REVIEW: "VOICES IN THE THEATER"

A teenaged girl unknowingly causes the death of a loved one and is haunted by guilt. She discovers that she has the ability to read other people’s thoughts, something that labels her as a freak among other kids. She joins a ghost-hunting club (or, as one of the characters in the story explains – “…it’s a paranormal investigation group, there’s a difference”) to make sense of the things she hears in her head, and ends up talking to angels.

Heard it all before, more or less, right?

Wrong.

While this novel by A.S. Santos has the elements of many YA urban fantasy books in the market, it has new elements that sets it apart from the usual teen literature fare. For one thing, it is set in the Philippines.

That’s right. The story takes place here in our very own Philippine Islands, traversing Makati and Manila and specifically, Dela Salle University, making it easier for us Filipinos to visualize the locations, events and situational contexts, and giving foreign readers a glimpse of an ex-pat’s life in the eerie side of our country.

Also, 90% of the major characters are Filipinos, most from the higher social classes, around 5% are American, actually just the mestiza protagonist, Samantha Davidson and her Dad, and the remaining 5% completely out of the human world – angels, demons and ghosts.

Right again. Angels, demons and ghosts. BUT this is not Fallen or Mortal Instruments or Ghost Whisperer. The mythology in the story is, keeping in line with the Filipino setting and characters, also of the local Catholic/Christian persuasion. Guardian angels and Archangels, focusing much on Saint Michael who has a secret regarding Samantha under his wings. Ghosts who walk the earth, the condenados of local folklore, cursed to haunt the places of their demise until their issues are resolved. And the demons who prey on people’s weaknesses to lead them from the path, whispering lies and instigating doubt and evil whenever they can.

I am fighting off the urge to tell you more of how different and scary and inspiring this novel is because that would spoil the story for you. I can only tell you that it is a tale worth reading, for Filipinos and foreigners alike, for Christians and non-believers, for those who want to be scared of sleeping with the light off, or for those seeking answers to questions of faith.

Voices In The Theater and its sequel Corpse In The Mirror is available at http://flipreads.com/voices-in-the-theater?keyword=Voices%20In%20The and http://flipreads.com/corpse-in-the-mirror?keyword=Corpse%20In%20The%20Mirr

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C-RATIONS INTRODUCTION

So here goes nothing...

I heard someone say that writing a blog about what happens to you can help one maintain his mental health. 

So, being a person of dubious mental stability, here I am. Blogging. 

First, the title: C-Rations. 

For those who don't know, C-Rations was the term used for food rations during the early years of the U.S. Military. You know, the canned and preserved food issued to soldiers in the field? No, I am not from the military. Those who know me personally would probably figure out why I used this blog name, but I'm not giving out any clues just yet.

C-Rations also means you will be getting a regular supply of posts from me, Cris, in effect, Cris-Rations. But what is it that I intend to blog about? 

Again, for those who don't know me, I am a professional TV scriptwriter. At present, I am headwriter of the weekend children's fantasy series on ABS-CBN, Wansapanataym. So I will be writing about my life as a writer, about the daily hangups of writing to live, and living to write. 

I will also probably post parts of the stories I am currently working on, no not from the TV show, but novels that I've been writing in my very rare and fleeting spare time. 

Science fiction, fantasy, superheroes, animation, comics, and most anything fanboy-ish will also make its way through this blog, as these are my obsessions. 

This is all for now, as I need to go back to work. A deadline awaits! 

Hope to see you all here again soon.