House Bill 6052: Congress working on jailing children instead of the Anti-dynasty Law

Philippines-  A debate on lowering criminal liability from 15 to 12 years old divides the lower house as it tackles House Bill (HB) 6052 titled Strengthening the Juvenile Justice System in the Philippine Act. In summary, the proposed law subjects children over 12 years old to criminal liability once found to have acted with discernment.

These people must be joking!

My fellow voters, this debate is stupid, working on how to jail children instead of crafting meaningful laws like anti-dynasty. This, definitely signals the need to change all members of congress.

Juvenile Justice is an oxymoron. How does one equate justice with children? Justice is such a vast concept that takes years to understand. Even lawmakers are lost as to its meaning like when they become fugitives, Senators Gregorio Honasan and Panfilo Lacson as well known example along with  not a few law makers who are also law breakers. 

HB 6052 was prompted by media reports on rampant shenanigans committed with audacity right in the busy highway of EDSA by out-of-school youth gangs alternately called 'Bakal Boys' , 'Car Wash' and 'Tropang Rugby' .  One very graphic footage captured a taxi driver in mid morning traffic assaulted by a boy, probably no more than 15 whose cohorts, meantime, grabbed the cabbie's earnings. It was a stunning depiction of lawlessness.

And Lawlessness is what it is, the inability of law enforcement agencies to enforce the law. One day Philippine Law enforcement would land in Roget's as an oxymoron.
Children are children. What these children lack for parents, the state must provide but not in form of incarceration.
Poverty kicked these children out of homes, into the street and into sniffing rugby. We know about syndicates who pick up these  children using them to beg. We know about men in uniform, men in high places cuddling these syndicates but what do our lawmakers do, they decide to jail children. S T U P I D !!!!
Poverty is caused by a myriad of corrupt practices that  has stunted the rise of a level playing field- government corruption, oligarchy, dynasty and the alliance of criminals and law enforcement personnel. And what do our lawmakers decide on, to jail children. S T U P I D !!!!
One day we'll see news of an ambush in Antimonan of 200 kids massacred under Oplan Batang Armado.
If they are going to say children of 12 can have discernment, then we should not call them children. These people of 12 years and above should be, if they can be criminally liable :
(1) allowed to vote
(2) contract marriage- (and where will that leave your RH law)
(3) Have consensual sex
(4) be emancipated from their parents
(5) be able to go into a contract
(6) sue
(7) allowed to drive
(8) statistics would include them in the ranks of unemployed if they're not in school
Look at the HB, it doesn't bother to mention these ramifications. What can I say?

The Righteous Path

Philippines-Campaign for election 2013 nears fever pitch with everybody in helter skelter. Candidates of all hues prominently run around covering as much area as humanly possible, spreading good cheers and money as long as their pockets hold out. People cheerily flood candidates' HQ to return home with some booty. Local leaders once again step into the spotlight while the sea of unemployed gain work, at least in the next three or four months. Suppliers are abuzz.
It's Christmas in February!!
Elections- I love elections. It's the only time when ordinary citizens rule; when the corrupt regurgitate what they stole and economics is at its high. Everybody is happy- that is until the last vote has been tallied and the corrupt retains their position. Then it's back to the grind.
As citizens, we should make every election work.
In character , the President dives into the campaign, head first, hands-on, landing squarely on ground zero. Endorsing in Cavite the senate candidacy of the 12 administration bets culled from a hodge fudge of disparate parties, called Team PNoy, he makes his call using the slogan that has kept people , even his detractors, glued to his every move- DAANG MATUWID (THE RIGHTEOUS PATH).

When first heard back in 2010 , I thought it was so cheesy that it would immediately kill the lactose intolerant. Pointedly addressed at his immediate predecessor, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) , the slogan struck a raw nerve in the voting population, made clear in the landslide victory of President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III (PNoy) over his opponents including heavy favorite former president Joseph Estrada and media front runner, senator Manny Villar. After two odd years in office, the slogan remains the resounding battle cry of the administration that has kept the popularity of PNoy at the forefront of national politics. In November 2012, result of the Pulse Asia survey yielded a high trust rating of PNoy at 78% . It is widely expressed that this popularity spearheaded the unexpected economic growth for 2012 of 6.6%.
The exact translation of 'Daang Matuwid' (Daan: path, road, way/Matuwid: straight) in English would be the straight path but that losses the impact of its connotation with governance. Righteous to my mind aptly translates the message of justice with compassion, moral, ethics, social equity and level playing field that PNoy in the image of his mother Cory would like to impart. The slogan brings to the fore, not for the first time I am sure, albeit differently accentuated, the malady of corruption that afflicted the succession of regimes. Corruption in turn, accounts for wide spread poverty and a general climate of lack of opportunities. So it was that the GMA regime was used as a springboard to catapult Daang Matuwid soaring into national consciousness like the Good Year Blimp on a bright sunny day. Not that her 9-year regime towered in terms of corruption in the annals of Philippine governance but the presidency of GMA fell into so much controversies that made her poster girl material. In his inaugural speech, PNoy further defined 'Daang Matuwid'' by calling the citizens his boss and vowed 'Walang Wang-Wang' a reference to practice of government officials in using sirens to sweep clean roads when they pass, avoiding traffic. The speech sounded like the beginning  of a government 'of the people, by the people, for the people' aspirations verbalized by Abraham Licoln and John Kennedy.
PNoy spent the whole first year of his presidency leading the campaign to impeach Supreme Court chief Justice Corona, intruding on the trial by unabashedly criticizing, accusing and indicting Corona publicly which resulted to PNoy garnering criticisms.  He saw Corona as the last visage of the GMA regime, an obstacle to finally holding GMA accountable for her corruptions.
However, rumor mill spins the tale of PNoy's merely exacting vengeance on GMA for her pull out of law enforcement personnel in Hacienda Luisita during a violent incident. Then, there was the pull out of security escorts of Cory which appears left of righteousness and downright petty.
Eventually, Corona was unseated in a dramatic trial that saw an inept prosecution team, and a gathering of  two brilliant aging lawyers, one for the defense and the other as chief impeachment judge. Before anyone can bat an eyelash, PNoy installs Lourdes Sereno as Chief Justice to the howl of protests in the legal circle.  Seen from another angle it seems PNoy was out to control the judiciary.
Now with elections, he might just also control the legislative branch, if he has not already.
The man's on a roll given his batting average. There's the  hiatus on demolition of informal squatter families cheered on by probably half of the residents of metro Manila. Pnoy also pushed the much contested Reproductive bill to now Republic Act 13054 against an intense lobby of the catholic church which has yet to stop. And topping the cake, a 6.6% economic growth hailed by both outside and inside industry leaders.
However, it seems his overriding goal is to see GMA in jail.
Is he living up to the righteous path? As far as he is concerned, Pnoy remains unblemished by any accusation of corruption, so maybe. However, his defense of classmates,shooting colleagues and a myriad of friends  installed as government functionaries have been subject of criticism more prominently those of Viriginia Torres over Stradcom, Rico Puno over Jueteng, Proceso Alcala over Carp and Rene Almendras over the handling of the Mindanao energy crisis. Also PNoy seem prone to the bulldozer tactics as in the Corona impeachment. Likely he sees ends justifying the means, a horrible proposition.
If PNoy succeeds in getting a majority in both houses, he becomes dictator. It would be the biggest irony in Philippine history. There would be no fiscalizer; no check, no balance, no righteous path.
Do you think that if UNA is able to dominate the senate and congress, there would be a fiscalizing element? I think not. They are the same dynasty oriented, pork barrel consuming, MOOE realigning, committee hungry, neurotic lot as their fathers.
It is wise therefore, to look for alternative candidates that may help PNoy really implement this much vaunted  'Daang Matuwid'. But then if you look at the roll of candidates, there's slim pickings made more obvious with three candidates included in both UNA and Team PNoy slate.
Still there are the few promising prospects, so look up: John Carlos Delos Reyes, Kapatiran with his hands-on campaign against social ills; Greco Belgica, Democratic Party of the Philippines with his progressive tax concept and Edward Hagedorn, no none sense former Palawan mayor.

Good Music and Excellent Food at The X Bar

Ortigas Center crawls with bars, there's one on every corner of every kind- from convenience stores that have taken to serving alcohol and music, crowded by the call center practitioners, 24/7; to dives serving cheap street foods and cold beers; to pool halls and sports bar; to KTVs with their Hi-Definition, Sensurround systems; to stand alone bars playing live music with middle income prices and then hotels with their staple of live acts and fancy food. Each cater to a specific market, setting prices and entertainment fare accordingly. So if you're working in the area, there is not going to be a dirt of places to go come special occasions or the occasional three rounds to bide time while traffic flow eases. 

Nine years ago, I tried a place called the X bar, recommended by Arthur where he performed regularly. Apart from the X, Arthur had dozens of gigs in the circuit at that time, including the Kalesa Bar at the Hyatt-Regency  (Now Midas) where I chanced upon his Tuesday night performance.

Arthur is a big guy with long hair tied in a pony tail, making him look like a sumo wrestler rather than a Tony Bennet-James Ingram, Luther Vandross sound alike. Several foreign acts have chosen  Arthur to open, most famously for Pat Upton of the defunct Spiral Staircase. Conducting his show with a bit of comedic flair sometimes bordering on the ribald, I was immediately captivated by this huge guy and struck a conversation with him. Thus, he gave me his club schedule. His style sometimes goes off the wall as in a show at the Hard Rock Cafe where he poked fun at a foreigner who did not understand a single word of Tagalog. He had him sing obscene lyrics to an otherwise serious ballad that sent the audience rolling down the isle. The companions did not find it funny  and a little altercation ensued or that's how I remember the event.
At the first instance I tried it, the X bar stood unremarkable with its staid interiors, bad sound system and inattentive crew. But the food was great and judging by its prices, were totally cheap compared to other hotel bars. And the coffee,uhmmm was magnifico, made  even better with free refills to boot. With Arthur on stage, my night was complete.It thus became a once a week destination for me specifically on nights of Arthur's performance. Later. I would introduce it to friends who found the atmosphere cozy enough for repeat visits.

Observing the crowd in my weekly jaunt, there was this particular group that came to my attention who seem to attend Arthur's weekly gig as I did. It was a big group, 6 or 7, consisting of mostly gentlemen in their advance years. They seem fairly well-off, drinking single malt scotch or blue as well as gorging on expensive cuisines on the menu . At the last set, the group would invariably take to the stage on what would be an impromptu open mike. Arthur would sit beside me as we watched the going-ons. Looking like they enjoyed sequestering the stage, the group conducted the late night proceedings themselves, calling on  one another for turns on the stage or inviting the other habitues.  They could carry tunes with repertoires markedly 1940's-50's, leaning towards old Sinatra tunes  and classic musical materials from the likes of 'King and I', Guys and Dolls, or South Pacific and a mild sprinkling of 60's ditties  There were times, I myself took to the stage at the egging of Arthur but to my dismay the piano player wasn't familiar with 70's tunes.

In time, I was formally introduced by Arthur to the group. There was Danny who seemed to be always footing the tab and would sing MacArthur's Park (Jimmy Webb, composer, Edwin Morris publishing, 1968) in his inimitable rendition. Joey, another performer who would later replace Arthur does a hilarious parody behind Danny, of course. Another member of the entourage was Chito, the stage actor, who would be invariably asked for several anchors, specially by the ladies. Vic almost always took the house down with his rendition of "Big Spender' (Cole-Fields, from the Musical Sweet Charity, Chrysalis Music Group publisher, 1966) accompanied by a rollicking dance number then seguing into a display of his french. It was amusing hearing  songs with  original french lyrics, back to back with the English version like 'My Way' (Comme d' Habitude written by Claude Fracois and Jaques Revaux). My favorite remains 'Beyond the Sea' originally 'La Mer' composed by Charles Trenet (1913-2001) with the unrelated English adaptation by Jack Lawrence (1912-2009, Songwriters' Hall of Fame 1975)  . Ben, who passed in 2006 sang a variety of Sinatra tunes with an easy style. Once in a while his daughter would join the group singing samba ditties in their original Portuguese lyrics. Mel and Long sang with baritone voices that caught the attention of the crowds. Completing the group was Boy who loved dancing as well as singing. Once in while, he would dazzle with his piano playing.
At the piano was Ferdie Borja, player extraordinaire who was followed by the group of Danny from gig to gig. Prior to the x bar,  Ferdie played in a bar in Mabini for nine years. While never having formally studied piano, he started as a piano demonstrator and salesman and had played gigs with a multitude of big name singers in the club circuit.
Amazingly,he could play back a tune on the piano with just one hearing, sometimes annotating on paper with symbols that only he understands. To me, he is piano superhuman. The thing with Ferdie, however, is that at the time we got introduced, he was lost with 70's music and rock and roll in general. A month of us talking and jamming together sorted the problem.
Ferdie and me became good friends sharing a love for TV trivia apart from music. In his opening pieces, before the featured singers would take the stage, I would challenge him, now and then, to play now obscure TV series themes as that one from Mannix (CBS 1967-1975, music by Lalo Schifrin) or M.A.S.H (CBS 1972-83 theme by Johnny Mandel, Suicide is Painless). Do you remember Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat? Look it up.

Not a few big names visited the X bar in the years 2003-09, either brought along by Danny's group or those who were looking for Ferdie like: Senator Dick (he sings well), Vernie V., Karylle, Jose Marie, A Ferdie namesake who is lawyer of a previous president who also surprisingly sang very well; international singer David and some other movie denizens I cannot recall at the moment.
Some notable staple performers who graced the X bar stage include Joey Bautista of Mulato, guitarist par excellance Paul Sotto, Girl Valencia and the current Friday headline, the Big Bash.
Right now the X is under renovation. Through the years, service had improved to the relief of frequent visitors, I sincerely hope that with the renovation, they would change their sound system. I'm sure that as soon as it opens it would be back to good music and excellent food.

Elementary: Sherlock Holmes on Crack and other Delightful Twists

Sherlock a junkie? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle must be rolling in his grave. Not really.

In the original stories of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Conan Doyle indicated that Sherlock occasionally used drugs. So there is basis on the updated treatment of CBS, titled 'Elementary' which premiered September 2012 featuring Johnny Lee Miller (Trainspotting 1996 Polygram UK) as Holmes and Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angel trilogy starting 2000 Columbia) as Watson.

Wait...Watson a girl and Chinese? She definitely is not Filipino and delineating Watson as a female is old hat,  already done in The Return of Sherlock Holmes in 1987.

What is new is a fast talking, unsuave, unkempt, recovering junkie Sherlock in the age of Google working as an unpaid consultant for the New York police department with an ex-surgeon, sobriety companion in tow. Sherlock's father is rich and owns the brownstone he lives in so there's no Mrs. Hudson, the foil to the bohemian lifestyle of the detective. Mycroft, Sherlock's older brother is also absent in the series  as well as Moriarty his perennial nemesis. In place of the Conan Doyle characters are Captain Gregson played by Aidan Quinn (Blink 1994 New Line Cinema) who would be 'M' if this were Bond and Detective Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill Person of Interest premier 2011 Bad Robot Production) who would be Q.

In premise, Elementary resembles The Mentalist, another CBS program created by Bruno Keller, where both protagonists suffer from deep emotional wounds while working for the police as profilers, being masters at deductions and observations. Both characters rise above the milieu of their environment because of their wit but additionally with their costumes, one being under dressed while the other, GQ cover except for the shoes. They differ, of course, in pedigree where Sherlock is a classic.
While other police programs, Criminal Mind (Also CBS written by Jeff Davis and stars a favorite Joe Mantegna), CSI (Another CBS) among others, have their own brilliant profilers, they rely on  studied procedures to derive conclusion, where Sherlock and Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) work on their intuitions and over developed deductive reasoning to crack open puzzling cases.
The few episodes of the first season of Elementary showed plots of mixed ingenue, with some that really stretches the imagination and then, those worthy of Conan Doyle. Solutions to crimes come by bits of obscure data only Sherlock would pay any attention. As an example, the pilot involved a murder committed by a lunatic on steroids manipulated by the husband of the victim. A bag of rice opens and closes the case. Now it strains to breaking point the elasticity of suspended logic to believe the premise of the most elaborate preparation for a crime: a) the mastermind, a doctor and husband of the victim, has to find a sick perpetrator of an assault which victim resembles his wife b) convince the perpetrator to come to him for consultation  and lastly, c) get his wife to agree on several cosmetic procedures and hair color alteration to hue more closely to the first victim. That is completely preposterous my dear chap, I could hear Conan Doyle admonishing Robert Doherty (Producer, writer of pilot) from his grave.
Now the episode titled 'The Leviathan' is more believable and ingenious where four in a jury panel gets the idea to replicate a crime they have tried, written by Corrine Brinkerhoff and Craig Sweeney, directed by Peter Werner.
The action portion is definitely wanting. It's police drama, somewhere along the way there should be some running, parkour, chase over the skyline, car chases and shooting involving perhaps Sherlock and I don't mean Sherlock being tased (as in Rat Race episode written by Craig Sweeney and directed by Rosemarie Rodriguez).

Johnny Lee Miller as Holmes is both annoying and engaging. There is the brit accent in formula one speed which is often hard pressed to decipher. For audiences to appreciate the show, they have to be in on what he is seeing and because the plots unravel in the most bizarre way, it is positively required that we understand his explanation. He is a recovering junkie and most recovering junkie friends I have would have this slow sometimes slurred speech pattern, why not try that one. Now in true Conan Doyle fashion, there is very little known about Holmes which is a problem in terms of audience identifying with him. However, running alongside each new episode is the continuing search of Watson for the real Sherlock and the reason for his addiction, which could turn  into understanding, leading to empathy for the character.
On the plus side, Miller was great in Trainspotting and Eli Stone (ABC 2008-July 2009). It is a residual idea that works for the series. We think it's great because Eli Stone is playing Sherlock.
Lucy Liu was most effective and engaging in Ally McBeal (20th Century TV 1987-2002) . Was it the character or the actor? Imagine Liu playing the character of Loretta Divine (Waiting to Exhale 1995 20th Century Fox) in Eli Stone and migrating Divine to Ally McBeal, would they still fit? "That's why they have casting directors dummy" somebody shouted at the back. Oh Yeah.
But what happens if Liu played a bit of Ling Woo crossed with nurse Mildred Ratched (One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest 1975 United Artist) into Watson then develop a would they or wouldn't they thingy like in Moonlighting (ABC 1985-89) or Remington Steele (NBC 1982-87). By the way what's Stephanie up to?
Elementary is already engaging as it is supported by the fact that it has been nominated the People's Choice Awards for Favorite New TV Drama.
Watch it on DVD.
You could develop a hyper deductive reasoning or a hyper british accent.

Denzel Washington soars anew in Flight, 2012 Paramount

Wikipedia, in its page 'Aviation Accidents' reports that according to Aircarft Crashes Records Office (ACRO), a non-government organization based in Geneva,  2,179 aeronautical incidents occurred between 1999 and 2011 claiming 17,928 fatalities worldwide. There is an uptrend in annual incidents but some interpret this as a function of the exponential increase in flights. Planecrashinfo.com published the information that the odds of an air mishap is 1 to 29 million. That impresses little comfort. Did you know pilots caused 50% of the accidents while 22% are attributed to mechanical failures?
Air disasters are so delicate materials that you don't see them often as movie subjects. It's a treat when a fine treatment do come along.
Flight narrates a fictional tale of an aeronautical disaster commanded by a druggie on a personal tailspin and the aftermath filled with tortured realization. It is an emotional drama that jolts and surprises, fronted by a thrilling crash sequence, a most satisfying fare for mature audiences.
After a heroic maneuver out of a turbulence, Captain Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington, Oscar Best Actor, Training Day, 2001 Warner Bros.) takes a 'vodka nap'  rudely awakened by the convulsing aircraft on a dead stick. The craft rapidly dives to a deadly pitch until Whip turns the plane upside down, crashes it in a field in an outcome that prevented a bigger death toll. Only 6 are dead of 102 in the manifest. Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle, Oscar best actor nominee for Hotel Rwanda 2004 United Artists), lawyer for the Union and Whip, explains that several pilots simulated the crash and ended up killing everybody on board.
Amidst a media frenzy on the heroic daredevil maneuver, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducts its investigation on the circumstances surrounding the incident. Whip presents a cocky version of his participation but deep inside realizes his liability once his problem with substance abuse is explored. Assisted by his dope dispensing crony Harlin Mays (John Goodman,King Ralph 1991 Universal Pictures), Whip hies off to his father's farmhouse to avoid media scrutiny and resolves to rehabilitate himself.
Charlie Anderson (Bruce Greewood, Nowhereman 1995-6 touchtone TV) and Hugh Lang inform Whip that a toxicology report indicated a high level of alcohol and heroine found in his blood and this was going to be investigated. While the duo kept assuring Whip that Lang can sideline and kill the report, it falls short of comfort and Whip slides back into an alcohol and substance binge. Seeking emotional rescue, Whip decides to look up Nicole Maggen (Kelly Reilly, Lake Eden 2008 Weinstein Company) an overdose victim with which he shared a stairwell for a smoke in a hospital. He found her being harassed by her landlord and decides to bring her to the farmhouse. Whip and Nicole develops a relationship that falls apart precipitated by Whip's binges. She decides to leave because of her resolve to reform while he just wants to escape his situation. Again alone, Whip attempts to reconnect with his estrange family, however he is rebuked by his ex-wife and son.
A day before the NTSB hearing, Anderson and Lang corals Whip in a hotel which room is barren of alcohol to prevent him from jeopardizing his position. However, Whip is awakened by a loose door leading to a connecting suit where he discovers an alcohol treasure fridge. He fights with himself in a tug of war for resolve.
In the morning, he is found by Anderson and Lang still in a lethargic stupor over the alcohol binge of the night before. Helpless Anderson and Lang enlist Mays who immediately comes to the emergency. Whip is up and about after a good snort. Everything is fine.
At the hearing, the discussion pointed to an aircraft maintenance failure leading to mechanical fatigue and off the toxicology report on Whip. However, upon raising the probability of one crew member being drunk on the job with three fully consumed miniature bottles of Vodka, Whip is driven by conscience to protect the image of lover and crew member Katerina (Nadine Velasquez, My Name is Earl 2006-9 NBC). He confesses to consuming the alcohol during the flight. The film ends with Whip in a correctional facility being visited by his son.
Flight received so much excellent reviews but failed to register in the Oscar radar. A climate of grit on-screen pervaded non-stop which should have been enough to put  it on the Oscar map. The movie kicks off with a prolonged shot of the breast of Nadine Velasquez against a bedside clock  in a hotel (7:14 in the bedside clock maybe unintended but that's a verse on Chronicles calling for repentance for evil ways). It then segues to the horrifying conditions leading to the crash. The crash aftermath showed the gritty struggle of the main character to recover a life falling apart. Everything culminates to the climactic NTSB hearing where Whip decides to own up.
Robert Zemeckis ( Oscar Best director-Forrest Gump 1994 Paramount) spreads the tension evenly in the main protagonist's search for redemption in a broad mosaic environment of pride, family, death, lovers, corporate politics, failure, success, friends as well as life deranging events in a story by John Gatin (writer Real Steel, 2011 Touchtone). The dialogue feels spontaneous while clearly conveying the arguments, the exchange of Whip and Lang in their first meeting as an example.  Why the picture and director got passed for the Oscars, who knows?
The camera work was great specially in the moments leading to the crash. The tilt while moving the camera up and down the isle of the plane puts the audience in the center of chaos, more acutely when the plane rolled up inverted and hung people upside down to helter shelter. Staging the crash it itself with CGI was effective.
However, truth to tell, I enjoyed the prolonged breast exposure of Nadine at the start more, really. Great work!Great body!
Denzel Washington, meantime, earned the nomination as best actor in the Oscar, which result is still pending. In the Golden Globe, Washington looses to Daniel Day Lewis' portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in the movie with the eponymous title. Washington calibrates effectively the acting to show the conflicting, alternating emotions of hubris and despair without turning the character into a screaming wreck out for sympathy. Kelly Reilly portrays the frail but resolved reforming junkie who hooks up with Whip in the same mood of desperation. Her performance matches the quiet intensity of Washington particularly in the scene her character decides to leave but kept it to herself. James Badge Dale (Rubicon 2010 AMCTV) makes a marked appearance as the fast talking cancer patient with a cavalier life attitude in the smoking stairwell scene. Don Cheadle handled the exasperation of the character with a show of diminishing emotional investment. His eyes disconnect in a scene where before he turns and walks, he tells  Anderson to "Just get him to the church on time". Bruce Greenwood underplays to exact proportion the empathizing but confused colleague. Keeping emotion in check to guide, the character  is resolved to complete his task if not for Whip then for the union. John Goodman turns in another wonderful performance as a good natured dope dispensing druggie that earned him a Golden Globe but not an Oscar. Well in my book, he should have gotten a nomination for Argo(Warner Bros. 2012), Flight and Trouble with the Curve (Warner Bros. 2012).

After seeing this movie, I am not about to fly in the immediate future. But this movie definitely takes off.
It's a ten for me like Bo Derek. Go see it again.

A Splendid Kevin James Movie- Here Comes the Boom. Columbia 2012

You know the thing about ex-Saturday Night Live (SNL) comics who make it to the big screen? They have this penchant for making awkward, out of this world situation movies that they identify as comedy but which clearly escape audiences. Adam Sandler and Will Ferell typifies the genre, visibly inspired  by off the wall comedy segments of Andy Kauffman. However, the Kauffman variety are mere segments and stretching them to movies spell disaster because of limited dimension such as the Blues Brothers by Belushi and Ackroyd; Zohan by Sandler, that Will Ferell thingy and yeah a few from Ben Stiller. Surpringly some made good money, the Fockers as an example, which I thought only Jerry Lewis would like.
It comes as a great relief that comedy is back to normal with Here Comes the Boom.
For my money this is the best Kevin James flick. Written by James with Allan Loeb and Martin Sollibakke, it comments on the American school system then proceeds to take the guise of an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) movie. It works on so many levels- the situation comedy , the visual gags, the story development- although the main plot comes off as a bit of a stretch.

Once teacher of the year turned slacker, Scott Voss undertakes to save the music program of Wilkenson high from being scrapped because of budget cuts. Among the consequences of the scrapping of the music program is the lay off of  his friend Marty (Henry Wrinkler, Happy Days ABC 1974-84) who has a baby coming. His attempt at raising the school funds takes him to a job, teaching American citizen class. There Voss strikes a friendship with Niko (Bas Rutten, UFC Heavy weight, actor The Eliminator 2004 MTI home Videos) who introduces him the UFC where the idea to fight for money germinates. Voss proceeds to take on fights assisted by Marty, Niko and Mark Della Grotte (Pro Muay Thai boxer) to the consternation of principal Becher while continuing to teach biology, additionally, wooing school nurse Bella Flores (Salma Hayek Frida 2002 Miramax) and helping student Malia  (Charice Pempengco, Alvin and Chipmunks: the Squeakquel 2009 20th Century) deal with her father (Reggie Lee, Sgt. Wu of Grimm NBC). He succeeds to reach the UFC in MGM Grand through a participant fall out and endorsement of Joe Rogan. In the end, Voss gets the money and the girl as well as bringing harmony back to Wilkenson.
Frank Coraci again megs James after the Zookeeper, a movie also co- written by James. The story telling is paced just right bereft of lingering scenes that exhaust audience patience. It would be tempting to pan back and forth on the faces of James and Hayek on some scenes but I think Coraci made an effort to unhook the action from too gooey romantic sequences. Visual gags work because of timing and the reaction of real UFC fighters who didn't clown as non actors would do. On top of my list is the fight under the rain where the opponents kept slipping, a real riot. Another was when the the whole cage collapsed under the weight of James.
That scene where Voss is shown throwing up on his opponent seems like out of a Sandler movie and should have been clipped. The joke was set up too long from the car where James eats..whatever it was but doesn't really hook on anything except it was done in a fight. That Marquez punch should have been enough to propel the action.
Phil Meheux captured really nice angles in the fight scenes (better than Rocky) and visual gags. I like the opening shot of the motorcycle careening and weaving through traffic in daredevil speed. The rain fight, the trio against James, the collapsed cage and of course the Voss-Dietrich match are among the many visual gems.
Kevin James is a physical comedian in the mold of Buster Keaton and it stood well that focus of the movie was the action instead of the emotion. The table dance, the dunk mishap, the rain fight really took off.
Salma Hayek as the love interest is no stranger to comedy and action flicks displaying her fluidity in both.  She wrestles James after dinner in one sequence. Greg German (Ally McBeal 1997-2001 Fox) isn't given much to chew on but sufficiently delineates the role of a hapless principal harassed by budget cuts and an out of control biology teacher. Henry Wrinkler plays goofy Marty that shows how the Fonz would have aged had he become a music teacher. Charice Pempengco is given a lot of exposure in this movie and sufficiently showcases her wares from acting to singing. Reggie Lee who doesn't look Filipino (another actor of Chinese descent, Lucy Lui does not want to look Filipino) plays father to Charice and successfully deviates from Sgt. Wu. Gary Valentine, older brother of James plays...James' older brother. However, the surprise of the show was Bas Rutten who you have to see to appreciate. All the actors who played UFC fighters, the actual fighters and men behind the UFC Joe Rogen and Bruce buffer contributed immensely to lending reality to the film.
Overall I would give the film an eight on a scale of 1-10.
See it and have a nice laugh.

Clint Eastwood does a Matthau in Trouble with the Curve/Warner Bros/2012

I like this film because it's breezy but tight, just right for an afternoon movie fare with your 80 year old mother over tea and biscuits. The film is so linear and predictable that going to the bathroom will not be a problem.
The screenplay of Randy Brown weaves stories of  curve balls in life and the protagonists' ways of handling them at bat. The center of the action revolves around the strained relationship of a father, Gus Lobel, an aging baseball scout, with his daughter, Mickey, a  lawyer with prospects of landing partner in her firm. Their disparate lives are thrown together on a scouting sojourn. As a double play, enter Johnny Flanagan, a dead arm turned scout, out to snare his first draft into the big leagues in hope of entering baseball broadcast. However, his out pitch is reserved for Mickey.
Not really aiming to be Oscar material, it pitches some funny lines (" Get out before I die of a heart attack trying to kill you" Clint Eastwood growls at a guy in a bar harassing Amy Adams), some cutesy love scenes, interesting insider trade crafts on baseball (hands drifting at bat cannot hit a curve), a little office politics and a bit of drama, all neatly wrapped in a package. One scene had Eastwood talking to the gravestone of his wife supposedly dramatic in intention but comes off funny reminding one of the chair monologue he did in the Romney campaign. If just for this, the movie becomes worthwhile.

Ed Lauter

When Mickey Lobel (Amy Adams, Junebug 2005 Sony Pictures) joins her aging baseball scout father Gus (Eastwood) on a trip to North Carolina to spot players, The Bad News Bears (Paramount, 1976) immediately comes to mind. It doesn't help that Eastwood tries a Walter Matthau, complete with the trademark grumpiness,  slobbery and a know it all persona.
Adams for her part is fitted with a role that almost resembles that of Tatum O' Neil- smart talking, baseball savant, billiard playing, single-malt drinking lawyer, well almost. A trio of other scouts (Lauter, Ross and Thomas) sprinkles the movie with funny bits of screen nostalgia as they go about their business like how Sammy Davis should have played the Sundance kid instead of Redford (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969 20th Century Fox) or Ice Cube being versatile compared to De Niro. HD actor Ed Lauter is made to sit all throughout  his scenes without a line, makes one wonder why they needed his services at all.
The strain on the relationship gets ugly as they spend the days together because Gus is unwilling and unable to discuss his desertion of his daughter when she was 6 while Mickey seemed bent on holding her father responsible for her over-long psycho therapy. Flanagan (Justine Timberlake, Friend with Benefits 2011 Screen Gems) joins the father and daughter duo in their search for baseball talents.
The focus of the scout expedition, a heavy hitter, Bo Gentry (Joe Massingil) does not impress Gus.  In turn Gus  advises Flanagan to pass on the player for the draft. Flanagan follows Gus but later discovers that Gus' group picks up Gentry (prodded by Sanderson played by Mathew Lillard, Scream 1996 Dimension Films) and feels betrayed, specially by Mickey with whom he develops a relationship. Meantime, Mickey's partnership prospect in her law firm comes to a standstill because she had now spent an inordinate time with her father in North Carolina.
Gus decides to leave Mickey on her own after explaining his desertion when she was six. Meantime Mickey chances upon Rigo Sanchez (Jay Galloway) and decides he is a better pick than Gentry. Some sequences portrayed Gentry as an asshole (together with his father) probably to push audience sentiment towards Sanchez which I thought was unnecessary.  With Pete Klein (John Goodman, King Ralph 1991 Universal Pictures) Mickey is able to showcase Rigo which results to the dropping of Gentry (I suppose), the firing of Sanderson, the patching up of Mickey and Flanagan as well as the resolution of the relationship problem of father and daughter.
The movie feels like it's made for TV except for its power house cast. The directorial debut of Robert Lorenz feels technical which is to say, it seemed he just set up the shots forgetting to leave character notes to the actors.
Tom Stern makes no attempt to jazz up the visuals even the CG of the curve ball does not make an impact which is what the film was all about, curve balls of life.
Eastwood's attempt at Matthau is hampered by the gruff  because for the character to be lovable, inspite his personality, it should have a wise- cracking, fast talking side. Amy Adam reminds one of Melissa Joan Hart with her goody-goody face. So she looks miscast as street smart Mickey even as she delineates her role clearly. She doesn't even look a bit like old Clint. Timberlake playing a washed up pitcher trying to clinch another career had his moments but if the script allowed him to sing, I'd say it would have been better.
Lillard passes for a corporate ass wipe while Robert Patrick seem to be still in the set of Terminator II with his unchange expression all through the film.
Now John Goodman is another story. Either playing the concerned friend of Eastwood in this film or the drug dispensing crony of Denzel in Flight (2012 Paramount) or the villain in another Denzel film, Fallen ( 1998 Turner) or the make up guy in Argo (2012 Warner Bros), Goodman is always able to make the characters believable through the tone of his voice or the way he walks or gestures with his hand. Also he always comes up hip.
Oh Yeah, the pick of the songs in this movie is oh so good, more specially that Hollies hit Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give this movie a 6. Buy the DVD and enjoy a delightful afternoon with your mom or your grandmother.