Sandler's Candid Camera Trick (Review of the Movie, "Click")

Adam Sandler pulled out a fast one on us. He orchestrates his own version of Candid Camera ( or Punk'd for the MTV generation or Victim for Filipino telly-viewers) to us who watched his latest movie, Click.

We thought that this will be a typical Sandler flick, but nooooo sir, we were at the butt of a Sandler joke and instead of us laughing at him, I'm pretty sure that he is the one laughing at us. Might as well at the end of the movie, he jumps out of the theatre and shout at us: "You all are in Candid Camera!" ( or "You've been Punk'd!" for the Ashton Kutcher fans or "Ikaw ay isang veeek-teeem!!!" for Carlos Agassi ... er...fans.)

From adamsandler.com: Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) is a family man whose busy career as an architect does not leave much time for his wife Donna(Kate Beckinsale) and his two kids. Unable one day to determine which of his many remotes turns on the television, he decides he needs a universal remote that does it all. On his search for the perfect device, he meets Morty (Christopher Walken) who gives him a one-of-a-kind remote that has magical powers. With each click, Michael can control his career and personal life. But complications arise when the remote starts to overrule his choices.

Again, the plot sounds like your typical Adam Sandler movie, and on the start of the movie, it is an Adam Sandler movie. The Sandler formula is there: the pseudo-slapstick shmucks, the juvenile humor, animals, kids, the "Hidden Mickey" Rob Schneider cameo (Didn't see him? Look closely at the Arabs) and many others. Interesting to note too is Baywatch's David Hasselhoff who was great as Sandler's chauvinistic boss.

However, as you watch comfortably and get sucked into this "Sandler movie," you feel that your heart is being stabbed. You do not know what hit you because as the film progresses into the climax, you will feel that you cannot stand it anymore and will begin to cry. Of course it will start as your eyes feeling moist, and then after a few more minutes the dam will burst. When I watched Click for the second time with my friend, Toothfairy, I looked at her at the particular moment, I saw her bursting into tears (and so half of the theatre, I suppose).

The only thing you can ask yourself is this: "What happened? Am I still watching the same movie?" while wiping your tears and blowing your nose (if you're lucky to bring with you a roll of tissue paper).

Ahhh, yes. What hit you? You're on Candid Camera. Adam Sandler's Candid Camera. You've been punk'd. Imagine Adam Sandler saying: Ikaw ay isang veeek-teeem!!!

Chito's Stern Warning (Review of the Movie, "Sukob")

My buying and watching of pirated DVD's has finally caught up on me.

I bought a pirated copy of Chito Rono's new film "Sukob" and watched it alone in the comforts of my room. This turned out to be a dumb mistake. I began watching the Kris Aquino - Claudine Barreto starrer lying on my bed trying to catch some zzzz's, but I ended watching the movie crouched, holding my pillows tight and my blanket covering my whole self.

I shouted so many times, that I'm afraid that my neighbors would call the cops to report that I am being raped inside my own home.

"Sukob" is Chito Rono's way of sternly reminding us to follow traditions and superstitions that are considered too mundane and petty in our high-tech world. He makes us believe that we already know what's going on in the story and throws us all off track in the last second. And on the very last microsecond, he throws us off balanced again. If you've been to Puerto Galera and rode the "Banana" or "Pencil" boats (I heard there's one on Boracay as well), you'll get what I mean.

I am glad to know that this is a Filipino film. Although there are points in the movie that I think are a chopseuy of hommages to Asian scare movies, "Sukob" still stands out to be its own movie. This is the first time I saw a good acting from Kris Aquino and Claudine Barretto did great in justifying her martyr-clueless role. Even the supporting roles are substantive to develop the plot and not follow the usual pinoy style of cut-out cardboard characters. Ronaldo Valdez ,for example, shows us again in this movie why he is on the top echelons of actors in the country.

Chito Rono is very saddistic in this film, not to his characters though, but to us, his viewers. He scares us, then scares us again while being scared just for him to scare us again on that instance.

After watching this movie, I resolve that I:

1. Marry ten years after a sibling of mine or my future wife's get married, to avoid being jinxed. And;

2. Never buy pirated DVD of a spook movie from Chito Rono and watch it alone in my room.


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Thank you, Ms. Jessica Zafra, for that short and sweet email that you sent. As my overlord and dominatrix of this universe, that's the only thing a sentinel like me can do. :)