The Cold Light of Day: My Movie Reveiw

     No, it’s not a Steven Segal film *chuckling* though I cannot blame anyone who might think that it is. The movie title alone sends you back in the 80’s which is kind of ironic because one of its actors was widely popular for his movies in the later part of that decade. Does “Die Hard” or “Color of Night” ring any bells? Yep, Bruce Willis plays Henry Cavill’s father in the movie “The Cold Light of Day”.

     Will Shaw while in a vacation in Spain finds his family kidnapped by Mossad agents only to find out that his father (who works for the CIA) has something to do with it. Will dangerously treads on foreign soil while desperately finding a way to save his loved ones.

     The synopsis of the movie is enough for us to know what happens in the film and how it will turn out. Though there is a certain twist in the plot that one may be left wondering why the writers opted to go with that idea, still I find it a nice surprise though. Don’t you just hate it when you can pretty much predict what’s going to happen next? Better watch the film for you to know what I’m talking about. The story telling lacks depth and does not give a chance for its characters to shine (though Sigourney Weaver’s steely performance as a corrupt CIA agent adds some spice to the film), except for the star of the film Henry Cavill ( The Man of Steel, The Tudors) who plays Will Shaw. A Wall Street professional who’s somewhat strained relationship with his father (Willis) changes as he uncovers the truth about their family’s secrets.

     At the start of the film, one can’t help but be awed at how much Cavill has physically changed though he has yet to be named as the next Superman at the time they were still shooting this film. Being a Superman fan myself, I’m really looking forward to see how Henry will play the all-time favorite super hero. Personally, I’m really keen on knowing on how he will portray Clark Kent because that will define how his Kryptonian alter-ego would turn out. Is he on the side of good or evil?

                              Here's a first look at Henry Cavill as Clark Kent =)

     I am getting way ahead of myself here, going back to “The Cold Light of Day”. The movie was noticeably poorly lighted. At first I thought it was just me, but even my sister noticed it as well. In a chase scene between Henry and the police (one of them on horseback), it was broad daylight but you could hardly see Cavill’s face which is a shame, because such a handsome face is meant to be seen by the audience.

     Henry is very good at displaying different kinds of emotion, may it be through his body movements or his facial expressions. Many instances you would see him visibly shedding a tear or two (and he cries pretty too!), most of all is that he’s not afraid to show vulnerability which is what’s lacking in most Hollywood celebrities today. This is a true mark of a seasoned actor.  The movie may have not done well in the box office; it still is a smart move to have the audience get acquainted with Henry before he takes on the biggest role in his career to date. That is donning the “S” cape for “The Man of Steel” to be released on June 14, 2013 so mark your calendars people.

                           A fan made poster for the movie "The Man of Steel"

An actual shot of Henry (on set) wearing the Superman suit. Very promising don't you think?

     I told a co-worker that I don’t mind watching a movie more than once, especially nowadays when even the most basic of our necessities could cost so much. However I rarely spend on clothes or make-up and that’s because I have always been a jeans and T-shirt girl also, at this age I still do not know how to put on make-up! As of this writing, I’m getting ready for work and then watch “The Cold Light of Day” (for the second time) later in the day. Just in time before they take it out of the cinemas as “MIB” is due to be shown sometime next week here in Manila.

     Looking forward to see more of Henry Cavill… there are rumors going around Hollywood that he's on of those actors being chosen to play the lead role big screen adaptation of “50 Shades of Grey”. Let's see if Henry will even consider this role.

A well deserved win for Coach Tim Cone

     I was watching the replay of the PBACommissioners Cup Finals Game 7 between Talk n’ Text and B-Meg Llamados, where the former was thought most likely to win the championship. Who would ever think that we would be witnessing so much intensity and emotion in just one game.

               

     Last year, just before the start of the 2011 All Filipino Cup, Alaska head coach Tim Cone who has fourteen championship titles under his belt announced that he is parting ways with his mother team Alaska Aces and switching over to B-Meg (formerly Purefoods). I cannot say that I was totally surprised this huge move from coach Cone, but somehow I kinda saw it coming. Though I have never heard of any rumblings of arguments or misunderstanding of any kind between Cone and his former team, but there were some signs that the once solid relationship between the two is slowly crumbling into pieces. It has been quite some time since Alaska has won a championship and I believe this is due to Cone’s failure to mold new players into championship form, something that Alaska was known for when it still had its key players (Jojo Lastimosa, Johnny Abarrientos, Bong Hawkins, Poch Juinio and Kenneth Duremdes). Tim Cone is known to be a pioneer in using the Triangle Offence here in the Philippines by simply watching tapes of Chicago Bulls’ games over and over and over. He never has any formal training. Alaska management gave Cone the freedom to stir a fairly young and unknown team into achieving its full potential and to be known as “The Team of The 90’s” for winning numerous championships including the very elusive Grand Slam in 1996 (up to this date, Alaska was the only team to have won a Grand Slam in the last two decades).  

     Another instance was when rumors spread wildly about bringing back 1996 MVP Johnny Abarrientos to its playing roster whom has carried them to numerous championships. Now, we all know the story how Alaska traded him to then Pop-Cola… Abarrientos was completely clueless and learned about the trade on the newspapers. Talk about harsh not to mention the lack of gratitude! The man literally carried an entire team on his shoulders, showed up on games with an IV (Intravenous) on his hands only to be put back in the game because they cannot afford to lose their Point Guard. But we never heard Johnny complained. Even at the peak of his career he never showed any kind of attitude or ego and his team mates appreciated more because of that. To Johnny, he was simply doing his job. Did he even get an apology for being treated thus? No. So Abarrientos became a journey man and moved from one team to another and still continued to win championships (a bit of a lucky charm himself) until his retirement in 2009.

     When Alaska celebrated its 25thAnniversary in 2010, all of its current and former players attended the prestigious event including PBA’s only resident import Sean Chambers. Cone expressed his wish to bring back Johnny to play for Alaska for one more season in their attempt to rejuvenate the team. Both parties failed to meet halfway and now we will never what might have been. Today, Johnny Abarrientos works for coach Tim Cone as his assistant coach alongside with former Alaska team mate Jeffrey Cariaso (who was also part of the Grand Slam team.

          In the dying seconds of the game, B-Meg import Denzel Bowles was fouled forcing him to make that difficult trip to the free throw line. We were on the edge of our seats as we witness raw emotion poured out of the players especially from their Team Manager four time MVP winner Alvin Patrimonio. That was a defining moment especially for Bowles. He’s creating a name for himself and those moments were a true test to his character. B-Meg eventually won the championship via overtime, the underdogs has won the championship. But that’s what Coach Tim Cone prefers, to be known as underdogs but come out as undeniable winners. Congratulations to B-Meg and of course to Tim Cone, it was a well earned win and we expect in the years to come.