In this Holywood incarnation of Stephen Sondheim's musical Sweeney Todd (The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), Tim Burton collaborates once again with Johnny Depp and his real-life wife, Helena Bonham Carter to aid him tell the story of the plight of a good family man and the events that lead him on his way to hell as he turns into a vengeful serial killer.

Johnny Depp plays a young and talented barber in London named Benjamin Barker. He was living a happy life as a barber with his wife Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly) and their baby daughter, when the lust of Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) ruined their lives. The Judge has Depp arrested on trumped-up charges and sent away to prison so he can move in and take his wife.

Fifteen years later Barker changes his name to Sweeny Todd and  returns to London with the help of a young sailor named Anthony (Jamie Campbell Bower). He visits the pie shop of Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), an old friend who recognizes him and tells him that after his arrest,  Beadle Bamford (Timothy Spall),  Judge Turpin's henchman, tricks Lucy to attend a masquerade ball and beg the Judge to free Barker.  Lucy was given a devilish concoction that knocked her unconscious and led Turpin to rape her in front of his masked-guests in the party.  Mrs. Lovett tells Todd, that in desperation, Lucy committed suicide by drinking poison. While their daughter Johanna (Jayne Wisener) eventually became the ward of Judge Turpin.

At this point all of Barker's  hope, innocence and optimism are now replaced by anger, bitterness and thoughts of  revenge. As Sweeney Todd, he  unleashes his vengeance not only on Judge Turpin & Beadle Bamford but also on the people of London. He takes up his old profession as a barber… but this time his razor not only serves his purpose for giving closer shaves but has become Todd's instrument of death.



• Visually Stimulating. I'd have to say that Tim Burton's visual style definitely hits the sweet spot for this film.  The combinational use of darkness and muted colors coupled with crimson blood visually stimulates and leaves the viewer with an edgy and gritty feel of how a man filled with vengeance would view his environment. The production design and special effects were used effectively  and definitely enhanced the mood of each scene.  Although,  I'd have to say that the gore of seeing throats getting slit made me feel squirm-ish but I'd have to admit that the violence is quite justified by the story.

• Depp has Depth. If you thought Pirates of the Caribbean's Capt. Jack Sparrow was strange, just wait until you see Johnny Depp's performance as Sweeny Todd. Depp definitely fits the role to a tee and shows his great acting prowess to summon all sorts of dark energy to play a singing, murderous London barber. I'd have to agree with Depp when he said in an interview that in playing Sweeney Todd, he had to make Sid Vicious look like the innocent paper boy. And in my book, Depp absolutely pulled this off...he's simply beyond dark.  He’s acting was spot on in playing a man robbed of his wife and child and unmistakably his sanity, and evidently fueled by rage and vengeance.

• Perfectly Loathsome Villains. Having the main protagonist of a movie as a serial killer poses a problem of how detestable his antagonists should be. It was a huge challenge to have a character be the BAD GUY when Sweeney Todd is standing across from him and make Todd look more sympathetic… .  But Allan Rickman, Sacha Baron Cohen & Timothy Spall delivered the much needed evil, charisma, humor, cleverness and savagery to this film which makes you feel like Sweeney Todd’s murderous streak of vengeance justified.



• Monotonous Music.  I’d bet a lot of musical aficionados would have a thousand reasons why the music of Sweeney Todd is the best musical score ever written for theatre…especially since it was written by non other than the great Stephen Sondheim…but except for “Not While I’m Around”, the rest of the songs used in the film adaptation is simply forgettable for me.


Sweeney Todd definitely has great visual direction and is enjoyably gruesome.  If you’re the squirm-ish type who hates to see gore and blood,  DON’T watch this film.  But if you’re willing to open your mind and accept the darkness of the storyline, then you’ll probably appreciate getting a peak at the life of an outraged man robbed of his wife, child and sanity. Despite the dastardly evil acts revealed in this story, in the end, a morbid twist of serendipity ties all the gruesomeness in place. One can simply deduce that harboring a vengeful soul leads to destruction and that revenge could never truly replace justice.  

I wish there were more songs with greater recall in this Musical so I give it….Four Bottlecaps on my book!

For the past three weeks, I have seen and listened to a barrage of reviews, blogs, photos and soundtrack uploads of Avenue Q. My interest in this musical started when my brother invited me to watch the local run of Avenue Q by Atlantis Productions. At first, I really didn't know what Avenue Q was all about. My brother simply explained to me that this show is similar to Rent with puppets playing the roles of the major characters. I was intrigued with my brother's description that I had to surf Avenue Q's website to know more about the musical. After looking it up and saw that the concept was Sesame Street gone wrong...I definitely ate everything up hook, line and sinker! I downloaded the soundtrack and was instantly impressed with the contemporary relevance of the lyrics coupled with the witty and humorous execution of the songs. The tunes had a lot of recall and I believe that anyone who grew up watching Sesame Street would instantly relate to the nostalgic melodies. Hearing and reading great reviews, from friends, of this Tony Award Winning Musical further increased my anticipation for the local run.

After receiving a lot of hype, I was so pumped-up when I finally got to see Avenue Q on September 22. I tried so hard not to over-expect because, based on experience, too much anticipation on my end often leaves me raising the bar so high that I get to become too critical and oftentimes fail to see the beauty of things. But finally seeing and experiencing Atlantis Productions' Avenue Q was such a pleasing experience that I could personally say that it deserves all the raves and hype its been getting.

If you've read my past reviews, here at Multiply, you'd notice that I'd always have a Thumbs Up and a Thumbs Down section where I write all my raves and rants accordingly. This time however, there will be No Thumbs Down section simply because I have no rants against Avenue Q! Read on below to know why I think this musical is a must-see!


• Phenomenally Inventive. Avenue Q uses a satirical approach to ironically comment and poke on very sensitive issues that are prevalent in society. The use of puppets definitely helps lighten the atmosphere and totally justifies the whimsical parodies of human follies, abuses and shortcomings featured in the story line. Topics on racism, unemployment, gay-relationships and internet pornography were dealt with by means of ridicule, derision and irony with the intent of making the audience aware of basic solutions to deal with these issues and simply get along. From a moralist's POV, the profanity and vulgarity may not be an acceptable means to relay any positive values but it would really take a totally naive person not to find some truth in the humorous situations in Avenue Q. The musical parodies may seem light and childish but the issues tackled head-on in Avenue Q are very real and contemporary.

• Pitch Perfect Cast. Felix Rivera, Rachel Alejandro and Joel Trinidad were simply fantastic. I've heard the original Avenue Q Cast's Soundtrack a Gazillion times but these three local actors I mentioned are way much better than their foreign counter-parts. The vocal affectations were superb and the singing was soulfully divine. Other cast members Frenchie Dy and Aiza Seguerra also did a great job with their roles as Christmas Eve and Gary Coleman respectively. Kudos to Stage Directors Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga for making a great show and perfectly casting Avenue Q.

• Hilariously Self-Reflective. The basic premise of Avenue Q's novelty has been countlessly explained as a cross between Rent and Sesame Street. But if you go much deeper than the Visual and Aural experience of the entire show, I'd bet you'd see a reflection of yourself being played out by one or two of the characters in this musical. It's hard not to relate to at least one situation presented in this show. But the best part is the humor...I laughed so much my cheeks hurt.... and I just can't seem to stop thinking who among my online friends will be a "Trekkie Monster" after reading this review! - LOL



It's too sad that the local run is over "For Now" (I'm singing the Avenue Q song as I'm typing F-o-r N-o-w, haha!). It may seem as though this review will no longer be able to help entice other people to watch the local run, but a friend of mine, who is close to people from Atlantis Productions disclosed to me there may be a possible re-run in December, so let's keep our finger's crossed.


I am confident to say that Avenue Q is the best stage musical I've seen so far. Atlantis Productions and the cast should get awards for staging this magnificently Based on performances I've seen of foreign counterparts over at YouTube, I'm proud to say that our local talents are at par and at times way much better. Five Bottlecaps on My book!

Hairspray is a 2007 musical film produced by Zadan/Meron Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema. The film is an adaptation of the Tony Award-winning 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, itself adapted from John Waters' 1988 comedy film. Set in 1962 Baltimore, the film follows a "pleasantly plump" girl named Tracy Turnblad as she simultaneously pursues stardom as a dancer on a local TV show and rallies against racial segregation.

Adapted from both Waters' 1988 script and Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell's book for the stage musical by screenwriter Leslie Dixon, the 2007 version of Hairspray is directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman. Hairspray stars John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley, Allison Janney, and introduces newcomer Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad. Hairspray features songs from the Broadway musical written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, as well as three Shaiman/Wittman compositions not present in the Broadway version.


• John Travolta’s Fatsuit. My wife was pretty impressed with the prosthetics used in the film to transform John Travolta into the plus-sized shut-in laundress mother of Tracy Turnblad. But… personally? It just didn’t work for me. He does a fair job as the caring mom who is reticent to let her daughter go out into the big, bad world. I couldn’t help but still see Travolta’s long face underneath the tons of rubber and make-up. If I was asked to identify in a line-up…Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire, Martin Lawrence as Big Momma and Eddie Murphy as the Nutty Professor together with John Travolta as Edna Turnblad, I’d definitely be able to recognize Travolta with one-eye closed. In addition to this, I think viewers would agree that we can even see the old Travolta we know and love come alive when Edna dances. Don’t get me wrong, I think Travolta’s performance was spot-on but because the actor simply looks so very wrong in latex and lipstick, it takes away from the performance. I guess John just has too many distinguishable facial features that impair the believable-ness of his fat momma role.


• Almost Perfect Casting. Tracy is the cornerstone to making Hairspray zing. Every actress who has played this role has nailed it in her own way. Ricki Lake gave us a good start as the original; Marissa Jaret Winokur won a Tony playing her on Broadway. Now, we have brilliant newcomer Nikki Blonsky, a former ice cream parlor employee who beat out several hundred girls to win the role. Her happy-go-lucky Tracy quite literally lights up the screen every time she appears, and you find yourself grinning like a fool the whole time she is shimmying and shaking. Let’s hope she isn’t just a one-trick pony. The supporting cast is also very appealing. Michelle Pfeiffer, who once again gets to use those lovely pipes of hers, is perfectly unctuous as Velma Von Tussle, Amber’s scheming mother and the TV station manager. Queen Latifah adds her certain energy as Motormouth Maybelle, the host of Corny Collins’ “Negro Day.” Also good are Amanda Bynes, as Tracy’s lollipop-eating best friend Penny Pingleton, and Elijah Kelley as the groovin’ Seaweed, Penny’s forbidden love. The only one drawback for me is Travolta as the oversized Edna.

• Musical Score. Music producer/composer/co-lyricist Marc Shaiman and co-lyricist Scott Wittman did a terrific job in making the song score for this film. The melodies of the songs used in this musical have very striking recall and I just can’t get them off my mind. As of the moment, I’m still suffering from LSS (Last Song Syndrome) and my iPod has been playing the Hairspray Soundtrack over and over since I downloaded the tunes from my cousin’s multiply site.

• Choreography. Hairspray is the “Grease” for the new millennium, just the kind of bubblegum musical that keeps your toes tappin', except this time John Travolta is wearing a fat suit and nylons. Director Adam Shankman is really a choreographer first before a director, and it shows. He doesn't overdo the cutting on the dance routines but allows us to sit back and savor the dynamics. Fueled by catchy tunes from the Broadway show, plus a few new ones created just for the movie, Adam Shankman orchestrates the big song and dance numbers in such a way to get you moving in your seat every time. He also frames his talent in their more personal, character-driven songs with a steady hand.

• Social Relevance. While we already have laws that protect people from racial discrimination, prejudice is still prevalent in our society. We usually pre-form unfavorable opinions based on irrational feelings, unfounded hatred, fear or mistrust often causing harm or disadvantage to somebody. Being self-righteous and judgmental about other people always leads to condemnation. I like this film because it wittingly takes a stab on these issues and pierces our hearts to try to change the way we view beauty and acceptance. Despite the campiness of the musical, Hairspray remains a story of social outsiders cheerfully bashing their way into the spotlight to fight for their right to be happy.




There is definitely a lot of craft and slyness lurking beneath the circa-1960s goofiness of Hairspray. I like the way the film's hot-topic issues are all presented in the realm of feel-good fantasy, wherein the reality of discrimination and prejudice has been cunningly and comically inserted into the plot. But that's not to say the movie is insincere in its intentions. When Tracy and "Negro Day" host Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah) lead a march promoting "Integration, Not Segregation", it's hard not to get swept up in the emotionalism of the piece.

Dazzling, humorous and wonderfully light, "Hairspray" reminds us that pleasure and enjoyment comes in all colors, shapes and sizes. It's also one of the few "event" movies this year that doesn't outstay its welcome. In any event, forget about Chicago and Dreamgirls - Hairspray is the perfect popcorn movie musical that will get everyone dancing and singing the way “Grease” did a generation ago.

Five Bottlecaps on my book!

Die Hard 4.0 is the best Non-Stop Action flick I’ve seen for 2007. The film has a good balance of imaginative story telling, fantastic action sequences, witty humor and seamless CGI.

The film’s storyline begins when a terrorist plot is in set in motion to take down the entire computer and technological structure that supports the economy of the United States.

Through a series of fortunate or unfortunate events (depending on how you view it), "old school" hero and police detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) is assigned to pick-up for questioning one of the suspected civilian hackers, Matt Farrell (Justin Long) who is unknowingly an accessory to the terrorist plot.

As the virtual doomsday starts to take over and threaten the U.S. stock markets, traffic systems and network infrastructure, it’s up to the heroism of John McClane, aided by young hacker Matt Farrell, to stay ahead of the cyber-terrorists and put a stop to the impending downfall of the world’s biggest economy.


• Imaginative Self-Contained Story. The way the story was presented was very straightforward and the viewer/s need-not-see the previous Die Hard flicks to be able to understand this fourth installment. Each scene was beautifully stitched together leaving no room for any story loopholes.
• Fantastic Action Sequences. The fight choreographies for this movie may not be at par with other great Kung-Fu movies but most of the fight scenes were definitely entertaining. The fight scene between Maggie Q and Bruce Willis seem awkwardly funny but it has a certain coolness to it in terms of choreography.
• Spectacular Stunts & CGI. There are tons of great stunts in Die Hard 4.0 but I found it difficult to tell which ones where made with real stunt men, practical, CG or miniature effects. My personal favorite scenes are: (1) Bruce Willis crashing a car into a helicopter and (2) John McClane versus an F-35 Lightning II Jet. These action sequences may be unrealistic but the film execution was definitely jaw-dropping that you tend to suspend any disbelief you have and just enjoy the awesome-ness of it all.
• Muted Colors. I loved the way director Len Wiseman desaturated the colors of the movie. It definitely heightened the doomsday feel of the impending cyber-terrorism threat.
• Kevin Smith. If you’ve seen Mallrats, Dogma, and Clerks then you’ve probably seen Kevin Smith. He actually plays the role of Silent Bob opposite a dope-sniffing partner named Jay. He’s also a comic-book writer for a couple of Marvel titles which include Marvel Knight’s Daredevil. Kevin’s role as “Warlock” in Die Hard 4.0 may not be big but seeing him in this flick just added a smile to my comic-geeky persona.


• Unrealistic Plotline. The root cause of John McClane’s dilemma in this film is the Cyber-Terrorist Plot referred to in the film as a “Firesale”. The terrorist’s goal was to cripple the entire computer-based network of America, which happens to automatically back-up the entire U.S. economy on a single super-computer at NSA headquarters in the event of a nationwide Firesale. However, while it is true that the whole process of backing-up data automatically is technologically viable, the film’s premise of the U.S. government having a single back-up computer for everything is far-fetched and utterly idiotic. If this is how the U.S. really stores their data and the government does not have any redundant back-ups then I guess the idea of a “Firesale” threat would really be imminent.


This film definitely paints a scary picture of our growing dependency on computer-based systems. The impending threat that a “firesale” poses to society is so massive that it makes us feel like we’d want to go back to the Stone Age. But of course, this is just Hollywood telling a story and we just have to take everything presented based on its entertainment value. Despite the unrealistic plot, I could honestly say that I was totally entertained by Die Hard 4.0. I highly recommend seeing this flick in widescreen view to be able to appreciate the spectacular stunts and effects it has to offer. Five Bottlecaps on my book!

I believe it's about the right time to write my review of the 2007 Transformers Movie by Michael Bay since I'm guessing that most of you have already seen the film over the 1st weekend. Just in case you have not seen the flick yet, do come back to read this after watching the film and share your raves and rants about it on this site. All you need to know from me is that this is a must-see movie if you're into Sci/Fi & Action/Adventure films. It may not have the best plot but at least the film makers succeeded in making people without any background on Transformers understand the story line. For the over-analytic movie-goer, this film would leave you questioning the veracity of some scenes especially those that involved the response of the military to an impending threat to humanity. However, despite the unbelievable scenarios, the Transformers movie still succeeded in making me believe that all the robots in disguise were interacting with human actors for real...the CGI used is definitely superb and a must-see for everyone. If you do not want to read any spoilers, stop reading now!

I have been a fan of the Transformers since it aired in Philippine Television in the 80's. I'm basically a purist by heart and I will always consider the G1 Transformers as the definitive measure of the film's faithfulness and accuracy. I do not claim to be an expert on the various incarnations of the Transformers, but I do know enough to appreciate any cool homage or abomination made to the Generation 1 series. I guess this is the main reason why I felt short-changed when I first saw the concept designs of the robots for the movie. However, I do understand that a new look for the characters was necessary since it would translate to millions of dollars of revenue on new merchandise, so I decided to give that to the producers who spent a lot of big bucks to make this film. Surprisingly, I learned to appreciate the coolness of the robot designs after more character design photos were released on the web. From a graphic artist’s perspective, all the intricate detailing and realistic CG rendering was definitely eye-candy. From then on, I started loving the way these robots looked, and my excitement and anticipation for the film just kept on growing until I saw the film on June 28th. Unfortunately after seeing the film, I cannot say that it was totally awesome. Wanna know why?....Read On....



• Unparalleled CGI. This film is another milestone for Computer Animation. ILM definitely raised the bar with this movie. The rendering of the robots made me think that they were made from practical effects rather than CG. I just could not tell where real props end and where CGI takes over. The complexity of the robot designs definitely helped add realism to the movements. The seamless CG is definitely “more than meets the eye”!

• Bumblebee Rocks. The design of Bumblebee and his characterization in the film was perfect. He could kick any Decepticon-butt single handedly making him uber-cool in my book. How I wish they gave Optimus the same screen time and character development in this film.

• Perfect Casting. Thumbs up for letting Peter Cullen be the voice of Optimus Prime. Fanboys definitely dig casting the original voice talent of Prime for the movie. Shia LaBeouf did a great job acting as the perfect underdog that would save humanity from an intergalactic war. Megan Fox was definitely testosterone friendly, a few more acting workshops would help boost this hot-chick’s career. Bernie Mac and Jon Voight simply showed that they were truly seasoned actors.

• Nice Touch of Faithfulness to the Animated Series. The All-Spark seemed to be an amalgam of energon cubes and the Autobot matrix. I loved the way they made it as a significant element that lead to the war between the Autobots and Decepticons. Although not every transformation sequence used the G1 Transformation score, you’d still hear it in several occasions as a homage too the cartoon series.


• Underdeveloped Characterization of Autobots & Decepticons. Given the many robot characters involved in the film, not all of them were given the appropriate attention to show their true characters. It would have been sweet if Starscream’s character played a bigger role in the beginning rather than Frenzy. Barricade also lost some screen time in the final battle while other Decepticons such as Brawl (Devastator?) and Bonecrusher seemed to be mindless drones that were just added in the end. The first 45 minutes could have been spent better with some scenes showing Decepticons interacting and planning so that we could see more of their personalities. As for the Autobots, there was at least a short introduction scene of each one when they first met Sam and Mikaela. I would have loved more Robot-to-Robot interaction but I guess it would have been too expensive to have any more CGI scenes.

• Transformations from Robot to Vehicle Mode (Vice-Versa) defied the laws of physics. A lot of people may not notice it, but the film-makers definitely cheated the audience by making sure that you cannot tell how each part got to where it is after transformation. Most of the transformation sequences, particularly that of Optimus Prime’s, was always shot at close-range with a lot of different parts moving, therefore complicating the entire scene. I would have appreciated it better had the transformations been simpler and more logical. As a toy collector, I simply hated the idea that the complexity of the movie transformations rendered the toy merchandise less movie accurate. Furthermore, I didn’t dig the way they showed how Bumblebee transformed from a Junk Camaro into a 2008 Model. If assuming a different form was a simple as that then there would be no reason to mechanically transform from robot to vehicle mode. They could have at least made it look like it took some time to re-configure from one form to the other.

• Unrealistic Scenarios and Reactions. In real life, the military would always bring any combat scenario as far away from the city to prevent civilian casualties and property damage. Why then would they even attempt to bring the All-Spark to the city when they were already in the desert? Furthermore, the All-Spark would have been better safe guarded by an Autobot who has the necessary weaponry and battle experience than Sam Witwicky. It should have been Optimus safeguarding the All-Spark! That way, more robot-to-robot fight scenes would ensue since Megatron would be after Prime and not Sam.

• Anti-Climactic Ending. Any Transformers fan would love to see Optimus kick Megatron’s butt. The movie failed in this aspect. Simply put, Optimus did not look like he was in his Prime form when he battled Megatron. Instead of Optimus defeating Megatron in battle, it was Sam Witwicky who delivers the final blow. The way Megatron died just didn’t feel right.

• Insignificant Death of Jazz. I would have accepted the fact that Jazz dies in the movie. However, the way he died was pretty lame. They could have at least given him a cool scene wherein he sacrifices his life for a human or a comrade rather than just being split in two shamelessly by Megatron.




If you don’t mind inconsistencies and loopholes in the story then you’ll probably rate this film with five stars for the seamless CG I rendering. Some people would probably say that I’m being too critical with all the rants I’ve mentioned, but that’s just my way of pointing out where possible improvements could be made especially if a sequel is in the works. My nit-picky brother, who seems to share the same sentiments as I, told me that viewing the film the 2nd time around gave made him appreciate the movie more. I plan to watch it again to see if my pricky fanboy mentality would dissipate after my second viewing. Kudos to the filmmakers of Transformers for the larger-than-life visceral experience. I just hope that the sequel would at have a more epic story line to tell. I do have a couple of rants about it, so I’m giving it only Four Bottlecaps.