Movie Review: The Stepfather (2009) & Sorority Row (2009)

I spent my Friday and Saturday at home, relaxing and trying to unwind and free my mind of my current "worries". After finishing my work and watching my late night soap, I watched The Stepfather (2009) and Sorority Row (2009) the night after.Both movies are remakes which the originals I haven't seen so I cannot compare which ones are better however, I can compare these two remakes to a lot of other horror/thriller/suspense movies that I have seen and I'm pretty much sure you have also seen.


The Stepfather is a 1987 remake which reminds me of several suspense movies I have watched on cable and those straight-to-DVDs that were not worth watching in the cinemas. It was fortunate I didn't expect anything great about this movie, at least I didn't get disappointed. There is nothing and I say nothing great about this movie, was this shown in the theaters? It was too boring, too predictable, too much waste of a time.

It's so dull that even if I tell you the whole story, I won't be giving away any spoilers. Yes, it is that predictable.


Sorority Row is a 1983 remake which is a lot similar to the movies I Know What You Did Last Summer, Black Christmas, Scream, well you know... those kind of movies. It's about an accidental murder cover-up and how after several months the 5 sorority girls involved and those who knew about the secret get killed one by one.

I read mostly good reviews for this movie (on IMDB) but in my opinion, it's just too typical, too predictable and has got nothing new to offer. I am a fan or suspense/thriller movies. I enjoy guessing who the killer is, I find it entertaining when a shocking twist happens in the middle or near the end of the movie, and I get frustrated (and happy) when my guess is incorrect. Sorority Row is predictable in a way that I already had an idea who the killer was (and I was right) even before the middle of the movie but I'll give it to them that they made me scream a couple of times, made me jumpy and kept me uncertain about my guess (which I didn't change) who the killer is.

Overall rating: 4 out of 10 stars.
Watch only if you are bored. Do not set any day to watch these movies. Just go "Oh, I have nothing to do at home. I've done my laundry, cooked meals, cleaned the entire house and now want to sleep so I'll watch The Stepfather or Sorority Row."

Movie Review: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

For some reason, I had a hard time sleeping last night. I reset my body clock and started sleeping no later than 12 midnight every night for the past 2 weeks. I really have no idea why I couldn't sleep last night. I was already in bed by 11 but since I couldn't sleep, I decided to watch a movie which would hopefully help me feel sleepy.

This is the movie brought me to sleep last night feeling in love:

*This is my personal opinion.

Main Characters:

Matthew McConaughey - Connor Mead

Jennifer Garner - Jenny Perotti

Michael Douglas - Uncle Wayne

Plot/Story:

Connor loves women. He loves them so much that after being in several dates with them, he breaks up with them on video conference--- all 3 girls. He modeled his life to his late Uncle Wayne who taught him how to "treat" girls and what relationships are. Uncle Wayne was a lady-charmer, loved to party but eventually ended up alone. Now, on Connor's brother's rehearsal dinner, after Connor was sent out for voicing out his negative opinion on weddings and love and ruined the dinner, Uncle Wayne appeared in front of him with some good intention. Connor was to see his past, present and future girlfriends' ghosts. Re-call why he turned out the way he is, see the present as it is and have a glimpse on his future if he continues living the way he does.

My Opinion:

As in music, I also watch a lot of movies from different kinds of "genre". I enjoy classics as much as I enjoy romantic comedies, cartoons, action, thriller, sci-fi, and horror. Uh, drama not so much but I do have a few favorites too. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past fits the criteria of romantic comedies. It has a few unrealistic scenes if you take it literally, a couple of good laughs and a good amount of sweet moments and realizations. Of course with this kind of genre, the story is predictable already but with Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, it is enjoyable enough to sit for a good 1 hour and 45 minutes and indulge on a feel-good, relaxing movie.

I have always enjoyed Matthew's movies and I think his roles suit him well. I'm not so much of a Jennifer Garner acting fan but I do loved Alias and seeing pictures of her and her family on celebrity gossip sites but that's just about it. Matthew's character in this movie is too charming although I find him more charming in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (but that's another post). He maybe "old" for teeny boppers but he's still good for twenty-plus-somethings. ;)

Note: Do not expect too much in this movie. There is not much difference with other romantic comedies just that this one has a very, very good lesson especially to guys. And I say very, very good lesson.

My Favorite Quote:

"Someone once told me that the power in all relationships lies with whoever cares less, and he was right. But power isn't happiness, and I think that maybe happiness comes from caring more about people rather than less..." -Connor Mead

My Rating:

3.5/5 - Worth seeing if you can't sleep, feels bored and alone and just want to watch something lighter than heavy drama. Plus you should also at least appreciate romantic comedies. ;)

Movie Review: T2 & Friday the 13th.

The original plan last Sunday was to watch T2 at Powerplant. So we did, Anna, Ace and I, met up at Powerplant around 5PM and the movie started 5:40PM.

T2 is a local (Filipino) horror film about a young girl, about to be taken by "engkantos" (supernatural entities) on her 9th birthday, who met an NGO volunteer and helped her survive her "calling". 

The movie made me jump in some scenes, it's pretty okay, the effects and the story. And since it came from Star Cinema, it didn't disappoint me at all. I love Derek Ramsey! :)

So okay, I said the original plan was to watch only T2 and then we ended up watching another movie right after T2 finished. We've already seen Fast and Furious 4 so there's only 1 left:

 Friday the 13th. 2 scary movies in one night. 

Jason freaked me out more than T2 although T2 wasn't really bad. It's just Friday the 13th is a little gory. I'm at a loss for words on how to describe this. Not that it's the greatest scariest movie of all time but it's indescribable. Watch this one if you're into gory movies. Jason has been around for a long time. He never dies! Haha!

Overall, the two movies were well worth the 4 hours straight of watching. :)

Four Christmases!

The #1 movie in America this week, kicking off Twilight, High School Musical 3 and Bolt.

I watched this movie yesterday at Powerplant and it was good. Really funny. I find the problem and the resolution quite a bit hurried though. The movie was just an hour and a half long and most of the scenes didn't actually introduce the would-be-problem.

Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn were cute as a couple. I'll give them that. They're characters were funny and entertaining. 

There were no dull or boring scenes, there was however a vibe of rushing the movie to end. The conflict didn't even last 15 minutes! Other movies usually have the last 30 minutes trying to resolve the conflict but not Four Christmases. After just a couple of minutes their differences were patched up with no flashbacks, playbacks or whatever it is that made them realize whatever they've realized.

All in all, the movie is okay. Enjoyable and entertaining.

Go watch! :)