Maleficent (2014)

There seems to be a paradigm shift going on at Walt Disney. It wasn’t that long ago that whenever people

thought of Disney movies, they would immediately think of fairy tales come to the  big screen, complete with happily ever after. For a while, this formula worked well for Disney, and allowed them to be the dominant animated studio during their renaissance. And then Pixar came and changed the game. Since then, Disney has played second fiddle to Pixar’s animated films. The “Disney Magic” seemed to be gone. Something needed to change. The old formula of damsels in distress, to be saved by a knight in shining armor while they sing and dance wasn’t working anymore in this day and age. And then Enchanted came out in 2007.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Except for one or two misses, Martin Scorsese’s films have always been fantastic in my opinion. From his earlier works with Robert de Niro to his more recent films with Leonardo DiCaprio, Marty has that unique touch that seems to resonate well with me. So it came as no surprise that The Wolf of Wall Street was a must see film for me. Given its R-rating and the way cinemas here in the Philippines choose films, I feared that if I were to watch it in the theater, I would get a very censored and edited version. Luckily though, some local malls decided to show the un-cut version, choosing film value over profit. Early reviews of this film have been mostly positive, focusing mostly on DiCaprio’s acting. After finally watching it on the big screen, all I can say is that Scorsese has done it again.

American Hustle (2013)

After the masterpiece that was Silver Linings Playbook, I eagerly anticipated director David O. Russell’s follow-up and entry for the 2013 awards season. The buzz surrounding American Hustle has been constantly strong, add to that it’s recent Golden Globe win and an Academy Award nomination, and moviegoers are definitely anxious to catch what exactly the hype is all about. I’m also sure that Filipino cinephiles are currently very thirsty for a film that deserves their attention and money after the annual atrocity that is the Metro Manila Film Festival. Fortunately, technology has allowed me to watch the film before it hits local cinemas. So is it worth your time and money? In a word, yes.

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Many of us, especially Non-Americans, will never truly understand the horrors and atrocities associated with slavery. While hundreds of books have been written over the past century, slavery is still not a subject that Americans are entirely comfortable talking about or bringing up. It is a black-eye in their history that they would rather not discuss it and just move on. So you can just imagine the difficulty and controversy that comes with trying to make a film about slavery. Most recently, Quentin Tarantino tried his hands at it with Django Unchained. Although it was greatly entertaining, the added spaghetti western element, and the over-all style of the film really didn't give enough attention to the slavery part of the film. In fact, I dare say no Hollywood film has truly tackled the issue of slavery in the United States that would really allow the audience to connect with the characters, and perhaps really know how it feels to live in that time. Ironically, it took a British director, and a British leading actor to truly get the message across. It took a film like 12 Years a Slave to really show slavery in all its inhumanity and degradation.

Good Libations: Global Beer Exchange Limited Release of Dogfish Head Beer (May 23, 2013)

One week after the Racer 5 and Lagunitas launch, I was back at Global Beer Exchange's Bottle Shop for another ThirstDay limited release. This time Jim and company had a very limited number of Dogfish head beers. Ever since I watched the Discovery Channel show Brew Masters, I have considered any Dogfish Head brew one of my holy grails. They may or may not be one of the best tasting beers, but I admired their belief and want to be unique or off-centered. Which is why I was so glad that I would finally be able to try it out.