"Hating Kapatid" Lays Eggs in Davao

"Breaking Box Office Records? How Can That Be? It's Gathering Flies in Davao City!"

My friend Iyaya called me from Davao City. She and her office mates were sent by her company to close a deal (she works in a multinational company based in Makati). I have been telling her the graphic peddling of commercial products in "Hating Kapatid" and I have in fact been egging her on to watch. She rang to tell me that she went to see the 4:40 PM screening of "Hating Kapatid" July 30, 2010 Friday (SM Davao Cinema 2)! She reports: "It's mura here, a ticket costs P90! It was so relaxing because I hated crowds and there were just the 2 of us there, and another guy at the back.Three people for one whole theater! Mike refused to watch it coz he's heard how bad it is so went to watch 'Salt' instead which started an hour earlier!"

Straight from the horse's mouth! Breaking box office records? Baka breaking EGGS! Bwahaha! This news is really easy to verify as the details are very specific - and SM, through Mr. Ric Camaligan (SM Cinema's C.O.O.), usually issues statistics of movies shown in their cinemas nationwide!

3 people on a Friday? Breaking box office record? Let's call it KARMA!

Halik sa Tubig - Of Cluttered Mess, Naughty Men and Spaced Out Goddeses

Kiro Baldemor, Orlando Sol and Marco Morales : Naughty triumvirate!

In Alejandro “Bong” Ramos’ “Halik sa Tubig” (Kiss in the Water), they start with an introduction about those “kwentong bayan” – which, let me tell you up front, are all hogwash. This particular small town lore is about a mythical earth goddess named Mercedita, a powerful wandering earth-bound diwata who watches over the brokenhearted of Binangonan, Rizal (she is territorial – LOL). In this story, we follow Ilo (Paolo Paraiso) who’s pining for the childhood sweetheart who left. Ten years into his search, he finds her married – and ill!

Ilo works as a caretaker of a fishpen, locally called “batilyo”; a job he shares with 3 other guys: Kain (Marco Morales), Pitong (Kiro Baldemor), and Andong (Orlando Sol). One fateful day, he finds a lady washed up amidst floating lilies. Her name – Mercedita. Is she or isn’t she?

Althea Vega is Mercedita

Director Ramos finally shows in his tacky story telling the limits of his capacity as a filmmaker. Good visuals don’t suffice. In fact, even color grading here is experimental at best. Some scenes they OD’ed with color saturation; someone was left unattended playing with his picassa or photo shop – or whatever it is that adjusts cinema colors. Paolo, in one of his rare lead roles (Deo Fajardo Jr.'s "Casa" and Adolf Alix Jr.'s "Imoral"), appears disheveled and uninteresting. He mopes all throughout the film; his character never left the single dimension that he’s in!

It’s actually the triumvirate – Morales, Sol and Baldemor – that’s given the spotlight as they get themselves into different fracas that would highlight their sexual stamina. Orlando Sol registers strongly on screen (and he gets to show his butt up close too) and Marco Morales does what he usually does in films: swears, gets high, shows his ass, and fornicates. Just a couple of years since he started, the strain of his lifestyle is prematurely starting to show. Kiro on the other hand does… damn, what did he do there? Jeff Luna makes a horizontal cameo too.

Ramos’ latest movie is a cluttered mess. At no point did we ever believe on the mythology at hand. Casting Althea Vega ("Walang Kawala", "Big Night") as Mercedita may be contributory to this. There was nothing in her bearing that suggested royalty or mysticism. In fact, if they muted the sound or spliced a few scenes out, I would surmise she's the ecdysiast from the beerhouse down the corner, then got herself accidentally entangled in a sea of water lilies. After all, which goddess in their moments of lucidity would swiftly strip down on top of a hill just to enjoy the fresh ocean breeze? Which goddess would succumb to smoking weeds after a few prods from drunken men? Which goddess carries gravity-friendly size 40 boobs? I rest my case!

There were moments of pure hilarity too. Such as when Mercedita gets raped and we see her curling her toes. She sure loved the misdeed. When the voice over relates the comeuppance of the three guys, the prose went from ponderous to comedic: “… hanggang mabalot ito sa kalibugan ng dagat!” and “at di nila mapigilan ang magparaos”. Ngi! Then as if to save the best for last, the avenging goddess - with Mercedita hanging on a nipa wall - casts a spell upon the baddies: a spell that had them fondling and cavorting with each other. It's a ridiculously meretricious menage a trios. Everytime Ramos loses narrative steam, he turns to tawdry and ill-conceived ménage a trois to redeem his dwindling think board. (See “Araro”.) Brilliant!

To resurrect Paolo’s fastly nondescript character from cinematic limbo, he is given an off-the-wall scene with a ghost for closure! How utterly silly!

Fresh faced Orlando Sol registers strongly on screen. He is part of the overhauled singing group "Masculados".

Orlando and his sequined briefs.

Note:

Please read our featured post on Cinema Bravo and why Web Criticism isn't always about good and reliable writing:

- http://makemeblush2.blogspot.com/2016/10/cinema-bravo-film-criticisms-execrable.html

Nine Times the Musical Magic

As Penelope Cruz sashays into her song "Guido", I was already in awe of the spectacle before me. Such is the power of Rob Marshall's "Nine" that hours after watching this musical, I was still humming songs from it!

Guido Contini (Daniel Day Lewis) is a brilliant but self-centered director who is pressured to start his next movie. And just like his previous works, the process requires him to "suffer" - and so he is! His muse (Nicole Kidman) is demanding for a script that doesn't exist. His mistress (Penelope Cruz) follows him around like a lovesick puppy. His dead mother (Sophia Loren) whispers encouraging words everywhere he goes. Vogue columnist Stepahnie (Kate Hudson) is seducing him for scoops. And his grieving wife Luisa (Marion Cotillard) is slowly losing patience and gradually letting him go. His only confidant is his wardrobe consultant Lilli (Judi Dench) who encourages him to make use of the talent he has, i.e. telling stories that move people. But Guido is drawing a blank! And time it seems is running out on him!

I love musicals, and I can only imagine the visceral pleasures of watching this play on Broadway! So far I am content with the movie - for now! It was such a joy watching Penelope Cruz. She will be the one to beat during the Oscar derby for the Best Supporting Actress! Whaddaya know! She won! My other favorite numbers were Marion's "My Husband Makes Movies" - sung so effortlessly! And of course, Nicole Kidman's "Unusual Way" (which Barbra Streisand lovingly interprets elsewhere).

Sophia Loren is adorable, and so is the young actor who played the child Guido - Giuseppe Spitaleri! What a cute kid!

Lastly, this should be a fitting homage to director Anthony Minghella (one of my favorite directors of all time - who directed "The English Patient") who co-wrote the script with Michael Tolin. (Story goes, Minghella handed his script to Marshall just before he went to the hospital - where he eventually expired!)

This musical is a dark tale of the parsimonious world of film-making; a tale of narcissism! For those who love their musicals frothy and fluffy, try elsewhere! This one's strictly for the thinking adults!

Penelope Cruz keeps surprising us. She opens the musical numbers with an sensuous rope-hugging number, "Guido". She purrs, "I am lusting for more. Should I settle for less? I ask you, what's a good thing for, if not for taking it to excess? One limitation I dearly regret; There's only one of me I've ever met."

Talking about a "real movie star", Nicole is luminous as Guido's main star Claudia. She coos, "In a very unusual way, one time I needed you. In a very unusual way, you were my friend. Maybe it lasted a day. Maybe it lasted an hour. But somehow it will never end."

Jeff Luna Plows The Barren Field in "Araro"

I refuse to be director Alejandro Bong Ramos' trumpet-blower. He doesn't get points from me for admitting the obvious - that all he intends to deliver are "skin flicks" which he still outdated calls "bold" as though we're still in the 80's. These days, we appropriately call them sex exploitation movies which has gotten synonymous with "indie movies" or "gay movies". These terms jubilantly interchange.

In "Araro" (Plow), a farming couple Andoy (Paolo Rivero) and Elena (hopelessly homely Lorraine Lopez) comes home to find a stranger resting inside their shanty. Steve (Jeff Luna) shakes their seemingly harmonious marital existence. Though initially suspicious of the new kid in town, they soon invite him to stay over after Andoy injures himself while farming his rice fields. "Dumito ka muna at tumulong; babayaran kita," offers Andoy, despite his wife's objections. Something in the soft spoken young man intrigues the couple. His presence will eventually rock the boat, what with Steve seductively taking skinny dips by the river. But just when you thought he would run away with Elena, we suddenly find him locking lips with Andoy! How convenient, right?

Well, this ends into a menage a trois that's too unseductive to watch, it was like reading a by-the-number tutorial on sexual orgy sans the requisite passion. Fine, they can then live happily ever after. But then there's that silly subplot about Steve's past (spoilers ahead: he escapes a defensive murder drama from the city) which is bound to catch up with our strapping hunk of a man!

The narrative is rather derivative we don't even have to look far for reference. Jeff Luna's recent release, the straight-to-video "Darang" also tells of an almost similar tale. But this film teeters into legitimacy - but not quite. First, camera work is sparklingly crystal, much like Ramos' other work, "Butas". He has the eye for such visuals which is sad as he has basically surrendered into being a skin flick director. A local palayan (rice field) has never looked this scenic and lovely in the green plains of Laur, Nueva Ecija. Some scenes were just too pretty they looked like gentle brush strokes. Another plus point is the way the narrative is moved by dialogue-free scenes. This is not a "talkative" movie, and it actually works for the story. It has successfully done away with too complicated "explanations" by being "silent". Paolo Rivero carries the performance grade here. His naturally calm presence reeks of an underlying pathos that when he cries for fear of being abandoned, his uhog drips and his heart breaks into tiny little pieces.

Jeff Luna, this season's it-man oozes with enough testosterone charm, it sometimes suffices that he just stands without opening his mouth. When he does, all possibilities of lewd fantasizing drop down exponentially. Much like his earlier movies, - "Libido", "Darang", "Chub Chaser", his straight-to-video sex flicks ("Summer Boys", a walk-on in "Here Comes the Bride", etc.) - he speaks with a doze-inviting, emotionally-hollow monotone, delivering his lines like he was reading from the page of a script. His face is a blank, which only changes when he closes his eyes to depict the emotions of a self-pleasuring gentleman - which he seems to do in every movie he does! Yet, even his masturbation scenes are hardly believable. Someone has to teach Jeff how to deliver emotions on screen fast! Half a dozen movies after and you're still a ham, Jeff? What gives? Otherwise, what becomes of his strong presence but being reduced to a mere phallic symbol! As for the only lady in the film, Lorraine Lopez, you somehow wonder what the makers see in her! Her mere presence is a mystery - and we refuse to further talk about her!

The director is fond of shots that inspire a voyeur; his camera floats on ceiling walls, doors ajar, holes in the wall. He isn't quite over "Butas". And it is obvious that he loves to highlight his actors in their several states of undress, Jeff Luna especially (check out his swimming scenes as he floats and flips over river waters, you'd notice a mushroom - LOL).

A lot of the arrogant indie film directors should learn Visuals 101 from Mr. Ramos. Chances are, it's really a matter of economics and how Mr. Ramos can afford to use a high definition video camera, while the others are content with their visual mediocrity. As for his ambition to wallow in skin flick heavens, what a waste! An admission of his story-telling limitation.

Isn't that sad?

Jeff Luna's testosterone charm and emotionally-hollow monotones.

Note:

Please read our featured post on Cinema Bravo and why Web Criticism isn't always about good and reliable writing:
- http://makemeblush2.blogspot.com/2016/10/cinema-bravo-film-criticisms-execrable.html

Shame on You, Sarah Geronimo! - The Blatant Peddling of Products in an Already Very Commercial Film!

You sometimes forget that there's actually a story behind Wenn Deramas' "Hating Kapatid" because of all the blatant peddling of products within the movie! Trust Viva Films and its bosses to shamelessly thrust these commercial products down our throats just to earn the extra million for their teetering film production outfit! Kaya, kinapalan na nila ang mukha by using the medium of film as an avenue to sell products!

We, on the other hand, shell out our hard earned money (and allowance) to escape the reality of product placements happening in commercial television (go watch ABS-CBN's "Showtime" and you would almost forget that you're watching the show after a hefty 15-minute long commercial gap). But Viva Films and the likes of Sharon Cuneta, KC Concepcion and even their corresponding directors really all come from the same shameless root of brazen, impudent population. They have this mentality that such is an acceptable practice! Not to me!

Remember how hard sell Sharon Cuneta was, shoving down her McDonald's Chicken in "Crying Ladies"? One generation later, KC Concepcion does the same with Garnier and Palmolive for her "When I Met You". Like mother, like daughter, right? So when Viva Films finds a gold mine in Sarah Geronimo (they even toyed with the idea of remaking "Dear Heart" with Sarah Geronimo on screen until the Megastar vehemently spoke of her displeasure), who better to carry the torch of their peddling practices than the coyly angelic Ms. Geronimo, right?

PRODUCTS GALORE

Here are the products that this sad excuse of a movie shoved down the paying audience's throats, complete with endorsement one-liners: Cebuana Lhuillier, Globe Tattoo, Belo Essentials, Charmee (line: "araw araw ko 'tong ginagamit"), Video City and Xtreme Magic Sing (highlighted by a song-and-dance number - a hilariously choreographed piece where Sarah was tossed on air like a beached whale from one shelf to the next); Jollibee Chicken Barbecue (line: "ang sarap talaga nito"), Selecta Fortified Milk (line: "Ako ba'y bine-baby mo pa rin"), Magnolia Tuti Fruity, Unica clothing line, and a lot more. She must have forgotten her shampoo and that constipation pill she's endorsing in the next few days?

It is a tad insulting that the less talented Geronimo is given this avenue to peddle this much products in lieu of her (in)capacity to transform into Judy Anne Santos' younger sister Cecil. The obviously pregnant Santos comes up with a curiously winning performance as the enduring older sister Rica who took care of Cecil for more than 20 years when their parents (Tonton Gutierrez and Cherry Pie Picache) decided to work in Libya!

The film making skills in this work is another point of discussion. Much of the editing and dubbing are sloppy, you would hear the lines come out 3 seconds later than the movement of the mouth! Moreover, a scene would suddenly shift to a different color grading with over saturated colors and unfocused camera work. This plods through out the film! Would they excuse these gaffes from their use of a digital medium? Probably. And it is obvious how careless they are with its technical aspects. Yup, "pirated copy" quality from a mainstream movie!

And if you haven't noticed, how many times do you "introduce" an actor. Vice Ganda is once again introduced here so it would seem that Mr. Ganda is eternally introduced in every single movie that he appears in. Wasn't he in the political drama, "Noy"? Wasn't he in Vilma Santos' "In My Life" eons ago? Or do the people behind this movie live in Neptune or in the fringes of the constellation? Such carelessness reflects the mind frame of these nincompoops!

On the plus side, Judy Anne Santos shows how the years of experience have taught her! Despite an excessively prissy older sister act, she comes up with a sympathetic characterization that's absolutely endearing! As for JC de Vera, ohmygosh! I forget myself when he is on screen. He smolders with charm and machismo. De Vera is the improved and updated, kayumanggi version of dour and banal Richard Gutierrez! Luis Manzano on the other hand is a pleasant surprise. Though I am not fond of Mr. Manzano, he coasted through his scenes with comic charm and easy chemistry with the tweetums queen of commerce Ms. Geronimo!

Looking back, I didn't care much when Sarah supported Manny Villar during the last presidential campaign. After all, it's easy to forgo personal principles when money is involved. Then they label it "freedom of choice". But, for pete's sake, one commercial endorsement after the next in a film - not a television show - that we paid to watch?

Avarice is such an inordinate pursuit of wealth. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that greed is "a sin against God, in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things." I'm just reminding the prayerful soul in Ms. Geronimo, lest she chokes on her Jollibee Chicken Barbecue. In Dante's purgatory, such greedy people were bound and laid face down on the ground til eternity. And here's a movie they shamelessly peppered with commercials!

Kapal naman ng mukha. Shame on you, Sarah Geronimo!

The peddler and the young superstar.

Gorgeous JC and affable Judy Anne.

More movies please.

UPDATE:

"Breaking Box Office Records? How Can That Be? It's Gathering Flies in Davao City!"

My friend Iyaya called me from Davao City. She and her office mates were sent by her company to close a deal (she works in a multinational company based in Makati). I have been telling her the graphic peddling of commercial products in "Hating Kapatid" and I have in fact been egging her on to watch. She rang to tell me that she went to see the 4:40 PM screening of "Hating Kapatid" July 30, 2010 Friday (SM Davao Cinema 2)! She reports: "It's mura here, a ticket costs P90! It was so relaxing because I hated crowds and there were just the 2 of us there, and another guy at the back.Three people for one whole theater! Mike refused to watch it coz he's heard how bad it is so went to watch "Salt" instead which started an hour earlier!"

Straight from the horse's mouth! Breaking box office records? Baka breaking EGGS! Bwahaha! This news is really easy to verify as the details are very specific - and SM, through Mr. Ric Camaligan (SM Cinema's C.O.O.), usually issues statistics of movies shown in their cinemas nationwide!

3 people on a Friday? Breaking box office record? Let's call it KARMA!

What Gives, Mr. Shyamalan? - May It Really Be The Last of the Benders

It felt like I've never been inundated with preposterous stories since, errr... Christopher Nolan's "Inception". I am not even gonna pretend that I liked "Inception". But it has been sort of a heartbreaker to watch 2 successive films from two favorite directors I was crazy with - Christopher Nolan and M. Night Shyamalan.

Just a few days ago, I had to forgo purchasing a pair of stilettos I've set my eyes on for a couple of weeks now. This turn of event is major, and my mom was smug for a couple of days thinking I'm finally over "shoes" to have to prioritize watching "The Last Airbender" over a P1,800 commodity! You see, I had to cut P250 off my budget as that's how much a 3D cinema ticket costs!

But I froze on my seat! I had to pinch myself several times before realizing it was indeed Shyamalan's work. They had to stereoscope THIS B-looking movie? My stiletto shoes had to wait for a dark, grainy, dour film that bordered on being outright silly?

You see, this film takes place in a fantasy world where people live in 4 kingdoms: Fire, Air, Water and Earth. These "tribes" have powers to "bend" - sort of manipulate these elements. It is such a wonder then that most of these populace seem like invalids, at best! And their powers are sketchy and exceedingly underused! Take for example, the earth kingdom. Why didn't I see girls wearing those divine shoes made from earth-bending machinations? I would have made 1,800 pairs on my first fortnight of acquiring such powers alone. LOL

Reality is, these decrepit tribes, despite all their powers, are too lazy to even think they could overpower those naughty, naughty fire people! Did I say "invalid" already?

As to M. Night Shyamalan, whose work has slid down hill since 2006's "Lady in the Water", he seem to have lost grip with his storytelling prowess. "The Last Airbender" is shoddy, thoughtless, unexciting filmmaking at best - with horrible photography to boot, and some of the most ridiculous posturings in cinema land! Every time Aang (the charmless Noah Ringer, who pretends to be Asian) starts waving his karate moves, stooping down like he has juvenile osteoarthritis, I just wanted to douche him with cold water! Para tumigil agad!

Is this really where new age cinema is taking us? P250 3D garbage with bad cinematography a la Pinoy indie films? Yan na nga ba ang sinasabi ko! This local indie fever is infectious, even Hollywood is catching up with Pinoy mediocrity! Damn!

In a recent New York screening of Christopher Nolan's "Inception", a trailer of Shyamalan's next film, "Devil" was screened. Suddenly, several people started booing when the trailer flashed "From the mind of M. Night Shyamalan" on screen. This was followed by a theater full of laughters and howls! This series of mediocrity is catching up fast, Mr. Shyamalan. Conceit is ok if you deserve an enviable reputation.

Jackson Rathbone as the other invalid (but dashing) warrior Sokka. Check out the movie if Sokka has actually done anything that helped child hero, Aang!

Gorgeous Jackson Rathbone. As Sokka, he reminds me of Orlando Blooms' Legolas ("Lord of the Rings"). He was that sumptuously evilish Jasper (who once wanted to eat Bella) in the vampire romance, "Twilight" (New Moon).

Jackson Rathbone - Yummy 5'9" cutie!

Jackson Rathbone - They never make them this gorgeous here in Manila. 26 year old Jackson's take on love and lust: "Lust tastes like tequila and love tastes like whiskey...Love burns for longer and warms you up on the inside and sometimes it makes you do stupid things. Tequila just makes you wasted."

Though Dev Patel looks gorgeous in "The Last Airbender", his constant scowl does nothing to a poorly written role: Prince Zuko, who was cast away by his royal father for being, you bet, "an invalid". He is "too soft", declares Fire Lord Ozai (Cliff Curtis). Dev is currently in a relationship with his "Slumdog Millionaire" co-star Freida Pinto. Now, every idiotic movie is being shown in 3D, even the forgettable "Streetdance"!

An Education - Carey Mulligan Romances Greatness

Director Lone Scherfig beautifully captures the spirit of sixties London in the coming-of-age tale, "An Education". An ambitious and intelligent 16 year old high school Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is courted and seduced by a charming, albeit predatory scoundrel (Peter Sarsgaard) who takes her to operas, art auctions and French films; dines at the best restaurants; toasts on the best wines and dances at the coolest clubs. Suddenly, her sight earlier set for Oxford is muddled. She gets a proposal, but learns of a secret that leaves her empty-handed.

Does a hard earned education mean anything when you've got a more luxurious option thrown your way? Scherfig's low-key British drama captivates us.

Jenny and David visit Paris!

Carey Mulligan takes on the wrong period, gets an Oscar nomination, and a plum role in Oliver Stone's "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" (a horrid title, if you ask me) with Shia LaBeouf and Michael Douglas.

Peter seduces with a smile!

TV Series - Transplant Doctors and Amateur Investigators in "Three Rivers" & "The Forgotten"

Two TV series caught my attention last weekend. While I was caught compelled to keep watching one of them, the other left me disappointed.

"Three Rivers" follows the lives of organ donors, their corresponding recipients, and the medical staff in a leading transplant hospital in Pitsburgh called Three Rivers. Heading this amazing set of characters is Dr. Andy Yablonski played wonderfully by Alex O'Loughlin. I've so far finished 6 episodes that had nail-biting and tear-inducing episodes, a great combination of pathos. I was constantly amazed with how, even their daily morning conferences happen with state of the art audio-visual technology. For a while there, I thought I was watching "Startrek - The Medical Episode". Too bad CBS eventually cancelled this show. There are minor gaffes - a woman sues her doctor who saved her life because the latter "saved" her uterus during an emergency operation. How was the doctor to know the patient wanted hysterectomy - knowing fully well that there was no one to consent for the life-saving operation? And the patient is 34 years old - a child-bearing age!

At the other end of the spectrum is the Jerry Bruckheimer produced "The Forgotten". This series concerns about a group of amateur volunteers who go out of their way to identify the John and Jane Does that the police eventually consider as "cold cases", burying their unidentified bodies in unmarked graves and forgotten forever! This group of individuals has little stories of their own - gradually revealed as the stories unravel in each episode. Though the cast is made up of attractive stars, there is something about the script that puts me off. They feel too "self-important" and though they seem to say otherwise ("It's not just us; many people helped!"), the posturings are palpably superficial!

Christian Slater is Alex Donovan - he heads the Forgotten Network, a former cop whose daughter was kidnapped 2 years prior, and was never found. With a few more brainstorming to iron out the kinks, this could have been a lot more compelling.

Between Alex O'Loughlin - who moves on with a high-profile TV remake of "Hawaii Five O" - and Christian Slater, Alex delivers a more earnest characterization, something that its audience can empathize with! I can identify with a not-too-dark character with not so many demons hiding in his closet. He is smart, he is conscientious, and he is cute and sexy! The episodes are intelligent (though not as brilliant as "House"), and obviously better researched than other medical dramas like "Private Practice".

Alex O'Loughlin

I kinda prefer a short-haired Alex better!

"The Forgotten"

Anthony Carrigan is the facial sculptor Tyler Davies in "The Forgotten".

The Men Who Stare at Goats - Ending War Through Goats?

Grant Heslov's "The Men Who Stare at Goats" has got to be one of the weirdest films I've ever seen. It seems to be borne out of psychedelia - from the mind of Jon Ronson, author of the novel from which this film was based. Must have been a great novel because the film attracted a stellar cast.

In the film, a reporter (Ewan McGregor) gets more than he bargained for when he unravels a secret psychic military unit whose goal is to end war as we know it. His adventure takes him to Kuwait, with the intention of crossing the border to Iraq to get a Pulitzer caliber story. He meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) who reveals the nature of this secret military unit - with psychic soldiers! Weird? I told you!

George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey star in this comedy adventure that will give you an inkling of what "spaced out" might really mean. Though every one seems to do their best, all the best effort is an exercise in futility when the major story is a big wad of absurdity. Ewan MGregor is such a handsome sight though. Right, Iyaya?

Freedom from all wars! Freedom for the goats?

Marooned in a desert!

Let's make love, not war!

Ewan McGregor