Unlikely pairings spring surprises

We must confess to being among the overwhelming majority invited to the Born To Love You presscon who gave it little chance of survival. There is no chemistry between Coco Martin and Angeline Quinto; hindi sila bagay; it was premature of Star Cinema to field a newbie like Angeline as lead in a movie without training her through TV shows like Maalaala Mo Kaya and other guest appearances to prove her worth.

Still, we decided to go against the grain and off we went to watch the movie in the midst of a brewing typhoon, greatly surprised at the long queue at the lobby. They were predominantly female and therefore more of Coco’s fans rather than Angeline’s. Inside the theater, like the typical Pinoy moviegoer who never fails to irritate foreigners, they discussed loudly what they liked or disliked, which was exactly what we needed. It was like getting immediate feedback straight from the horse’s mouth. Their verdict: “Parang ito ay story ng hindi magka-bagay who fell in love.”  

We compared notes with Christine Dayrit of the Cinema Evaluation Board, who had graded it B. We both agreed we liked the film for its honesty. It has heart. Rex (Coco) is a photographer who never forgave his mother for leaving him as a kid. Joey (Angeline Quinto) is devoted to a family who adopted her and loves her with passion. She works as a Korean translator hopeful to one day meet her Korean father.

Coco suffers from his angst day by day, while Angeline sees a rainbow after the rain. They couldn’t be more different, and more in need of each other. And this, director Jerome Pobocan made sure he would use to its best advantage. It might not be award-winning material, but has made its target audience happy, its main purpose to begin with.

Another film being stalked by negative reviews is the epic retelling of the Brothers Grimm legend Snow White by first-time director Rupert Sanders in Snow White and the Huntsman. The film stars Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame, Charlize Theron who clinched a Best Actress Academy Award in 2003, and Chris Hemsworth, star of Thor.

Kristen Stewart as Snow White and Chris Hemsworth as Eric the Huntsman

Every other critic complained of Sanders’ emphasis on special effects, why he couldn’t use real dwarves and had to “dwarsify” famous British actors, why there were eight and not seven dwarves, the boring midsection of the film, the sloppy storytelling, the one-dimensional characterizations, why Ravenna (Charlize) had to lock up the princess for eight years in the Tower instead of killing her right off, and lastly how in heaven’s name could Sanders steal Peter Jackson’s White Tree of Minas Tirith emblem from Lord of the Rings and put it on Snow White’s shield of battle.   

There are more, including Charlize’s propensity for screaming, and the swift transition of Kristen from inexperienced child-woman to warrior after her exposure in the land of the fairies, and the lack of love and passion from either of her two leading men, Chris as the drunkard Eric the Hunstman who is suffering from the death of his wife, and Sam Claflin as the childhood friend Prince William. According to legend, the princess is killed by a poisonous apple, and can only be revived by a kiss and tear from one who loves her. She does come back to life, but by whose kiss?

Whatever it may be, the results of the screening surprised even Universal Pictures since in one weekend, Snow White & the Huntsman pulled in nearly as much as the $62.4M that the year’s previous Snow White adventure, Mirror Mirror, took in domestically over its entire run. Again, the unlikely pairing of a young girl and a drunkard has brought in disparate audiences of male action seekers, and the female fans of Kristen.

Once again, the critics have been proven wrong, they who nitpick at every little detail. It was only Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times film critic, who saw beneath its flaws: “Snow White and the Huntsman, starring a fierce Kristen Stewart and an even fiercer Charlize Theron as warring sides of good and evil, is a baroque enchantment filled with dazzling darkness, desultory dwarfs, demonic trolls and beastly fairies.”

Still, even she admits that what this revisionist fairy tale does not give is passionate love. In addition to notions of immortality, the pure of heart and the blackest of souls, the film examines all the ways in which power-mad politics can bleed a country and its people dry. At the same time, the Queen’s desperation for youth and immortality are frighteningly reflective of our times, she writes.

Charlize Theron rules as Ravenna in Snow White & The Huntsman

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