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carybalin
Reviews
Damsels in Distress (2011)
Pretentious and pointless
This is one of the most pretentious and irritating films I've ever seen.
There is no plot or story to speak of. It's about four conceited girls, all named after flowers, who want to prevent suicide attempts by such pretentious means as distributing doughnuts and trying to create a dance craze called The Sambola! (exclamation included in the dance title; I told you it was pretentious).
Most of the film is taken up by the incessant talking of the characters, particularly the lead player played by Greta Gerwig, who is a poor man's Chloe Sevigny. The characters speak in an excessively eloquent and elaborate manner, and are ridiculously open about sharing their feelings. Gerwig's character actually thanks her roommate for chastising her, and she is sincere about this.
The whole film is as dull and monotone as the speaking voice of the lead actress, Greta Gerwig. It is incredibly pointless and painfully irritating. The girls are all named after flowers, the men are either eloquently well spoken or painfully "doofi" (totally pretentious, I told you).
Darna (2005)
A waste of time
Another garbage to flog Philippine television. "Darna" was a fairly anticipated show but a few weeks after its debut, viewers have more to complain about than celebrate.
What's wrong with this series? There are too many cast members. Not enough screen time for all of them. Too many evil characters. The plot is lacking. Character development is insufficient. The series starts off okay at first, but after a few episodes, it predictably goes the route of a soap opera --- a bad one. The lead actress looks great in her costume but lacks charisma. The supporting actors are either over the top or can't act. Avoid this one like the plague.
Feng Shui (2004)
Surprisingly impressive
This movie has a nice plot and the cast turn in nice performances. And I was glad that the central haunting figure wasn't some girl with long hair covering her face. The ending could've been a little better, though.
Kris Aquino loses her trademark facial expressions and distracting shrill voice. A nice improvement, but she comes off a little wooden. More impressive are the supporting actors. Jay Manalo as Aquino's husband is his usual reliable self. Lotlot de Leon delivers a particularly notable turn as Aquino's ill-fated best friend. Ilonah Jean is subtle but effective as their card-reader friend and the child actors show depth at their young age.