The Possession? More like The Parasite.

When science is defeated by the supernatural, drastic shift of psychological behavior is rashly justified on upsetting circumstances in play, it settles in as a film touching base on something believable. Typical scenarios that capture real drama amidst unexplained phenomena - never going too far, keeping the plot coherent, relatively makes the film tolerable to laudable. It is only rational its chilling appeal is the apparition of a true story.

A bothering recall of The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), The Possession was a new experience for Russovoir because there were elements, concepts, and the wherewithal of fear that had never been done by other horror films, let alone exorcism films. Of course, put into mind, this is only limited to Russovoir's concern.

"Mommy, what's wrong with me?"

Visual effects-wise, Sam Raimi doesn't disappoint. It was unforgiving in face-distorting, body-twitching graphics. Besides what is superficially perceived - it's an exorcism, essentially - The Possession is a touching story of a father, who however is legally restricted to see his children for accusations of the inexplicable sort, did what any loving father would do: get to the bottom of what is killing her daughter from the inside. "Take me instead!", as the most possessing of a plea notwithstanding, the film was al-writhe.

Movie Recommendation Time: Why Stop Now.

A film that had Russovoir to a screaming peaceful feeling. But the unlikeliest of ever being so because it was nothing more than an inopportune comedy. Initially introduced as a short film Predisposed, in which could've still been a fitting movie title, Why Stop Now robs one of an emotion at pivotal scenes where emotional release was readily yielding and only limited to a vulgar frivolity.

Heart to one's sleeve, Russovoir had only Jesse Eisenberg as the simplest and indisputable motivation to watch. With his streak of intrepid roles in films that grew fondly of him ever since the brewing appeal for him from his first film of Russovoir's concern, that captivated him both the role he played and its storyline, Adventureland (2009), an Eisenberg film is like a Facebook notification: an irresistible sight. And boy was he ever in the movie.

"Nobody does anything great without their heart being into it."

Jesse Eisenberg is everything quaintly in one's eyes. He's a spectacle, really, a creature of interest, and Russovoir is a wilderness explorer. It's those little improvs he does on camera, missed by few, unappreciated by many: a stutter of a word, a repetition, the speed and modulation of enunciated delivery, the sentences fighting under his breath, the wry remarks, the blinding wit, the know-it-all fit, the timid stance, the distress in his eyes, the reluctance of his body, the facial expressions - the smile. What I shouldn't be doing when he does; the impulsive gestures, the blank stares of brooding. Truly, he is not a waste of screen time.

Eli Bloom (Eisenberg) has gifted hands, but fate couldn't have ill-drawn enough creases, for he is the son to a drug addict waitress and a Dad who never came bach. Inconvenient life situations are often experienced by mozart-ists, and because of these curses, life owed them a blessing. He has only two (2) hours to turn his blessing to a dream, but familial obligations collapse on him unsuspectingly, forcing a different, threatening note to a familiar piano piece.

Bittersweet: Managing a smile as tears trace its shape.

Russovoir could not, strangely until this point - two (2) days after - properly identify the right emotions for the film People Like Us. It's one of those films that leave one questioning if one fully understood the gravity of the situation, even to a generous or had extremities met, a mutuality. I took the circumstances in the film, on both lives unraveled, to be admirable than to be pitied.

Yet I never hampered a tear or two that somehow felt an intense emotion, escaping through one's eyes from an inexperienced and indisposed being. Honest to one's feelings, Russovoir was unfeeling what were unfamiliar circumstances until it prompted one's affected emotional accounts. Compassion was predominant along with peace in one's heart for although the mutual understanding was absent, Russovoir is human. Humans have a supposed ability to feel for others; friend or stranger, relatable or irrelevant life triumph or tragedy.

"I made him choose."

Even more so that it's based on true events.

If Russovoir had a peso for every time engross took over him each fleeting scene, he would have had other snacks than just a measly bar of Mrs. Field's brownie. How will he tell her? How will she react? What on earth was he thinking? Questions were thrown back and forth, thirsty for answers, and as soon as they were quenched, my brain must've had more than enough because tears flowed out in reaction.

On his feet ever since he knew how to tie his shoelaces to a careful knot, a man estranged with his parents flew back home to his Dad's funeral he found as apathetic as even coming home. People Like Us is a heartwarming true story of how blood is thicker than water, even the ones you didn't know about hitherto from a Dad whom a son chose to run away from, while the other would do anything to run away with.

Movie Recommendation Time: Bloodwork.

It's all about the decisions you make on the roles you play that make one stand out in the business - a small role in Transformers (2007), cast in an ill-rated film Asylum (2008), and another one in the mirthless Meet the Spartans (2008). But I guess this is the locale of show business: you're only as good (and profitable) as your compliance to the script provided. Most applicable to the rising stars.

Combined efforts of coincidence and destiny, and the timely intervention of a hankering, came to Russovoir's attention the suspense/thriller film Bloodwork (2011), a crowning film that looked out his best interests. Travis Van Winkle (below, foreground) is the devil spoken of, finally have a leading role in a brilliant film.

"I don't think it's that bad. We're just wearing... dresses."

The plot of Bloodwork is an indication of improvement from his other films of no lingering impact. A lead role, in fact, from what were once minor to forgettable roles. A film of such imaginative and presumptive storyline, one must have thought it had been the beginning of something familiar: zombies. More like wolverine-esque zombies.

Three thousand one hundred fifty dollars - money - as their motivation, two college students decided to sign up for a supposedly pharmaceutical breakthrough experiment. Their bodies didn't reject the drug coursing through their veins to alert any immediate threat. Nor the drug was unavailing to show side effects of unrecorded magnitude.

Our body's ability to feel disgust, both in tangible substances and behavior, is a defense mechanism against bacteria and human extinction. Withdrawal of disgust of any kind is the revealing symptom that what had been for the restoration of life was a medical irony.

Movie Recommendation Time: Truth or Dare.

You don't mess with the Brits because they know filmmaking. They know suspense. They create twists that wring you speechlessly impressed and dumbfounded, if not singly, surely both altogether. Having recently acquired a new kind of fear for social networking sites in Panic Button (2011), there is a story that used the risque Truth or Dare game to a whole new, messier level. I kept calm and sorely carried on.

As one tries not to be swooned over by their insatiable British accents, the plot escalates carefully, one relatively choosing the Truth at some point to have lost sustenance from that initial, driving interest. Respin the bottle and choose Dare to finish the film as its twist happens towards the end, the last ten (10) minutes. Trust Russovoir the twist will crease one's face to a gaping realization.

There is a sixteen generations old reputation that must be protected at all costs. Even to the point of tying all loose ends, to say the least (and euphemistic). Five (5) friends were invited to a party at an exclusivity of just them on the checklist. When the host was declared dead, the party couldn't be more dead as it was awakened.

A confession has to be done and unlike the rules of the proposed game, everyone is a victim even after the bottle has spun. They may be lying, or the wrong lot arranged aggresively in a circle, but one thing is not spinning for odds, someone somehow sometime has to die. 

MOB YO ASS for Step Up: Revolution!

Step Up: Revolution has done the impossible, or if I were sinfully optimistic, but even so, it has done the improbable. Overdone? I'd like to think slightly otherwise. A film that centers strictly around dancing, with only dancing as their selling point, or as restaurateurs would say, their "focal point", can be outrageous to draw appeal. One has to shun all logic and reason and embrace utopian circumstances, distract the mind with sick beats, sicker choreography, and sickest (I'd like to use sick because awesome doesn't feel it has cut it. Not to mention it validates disbelief.) visual effects if visual effects were even remotely responsible for such an impressive production.

It has an original concept. That's why Russovoir thought it was interesting. And remember how dancing as its selling point? It did two (2) things: 1) It invested on dancing too well, too soon that disinterest slowly had a duet with 2) It dragged on. Most of the performances were mind-blowing, vivacity often at a boiling point, but observing closely, it wears you out in between scenes because you realize 1) Ryan Guzman (lead actor) has little of a stage presence than he is with his crew, and that affected 2) the chemistry that is nowhere near a lab accident with Katharine McCormick (lead actress).

But with a semblance to a repeat chorus of a fading, favorite song, the film picks up with a climax what one finds the vivacity to sing again, and ends finally with one feeling good and giddy inside.

"Sometimes it's okay to break the rules."

Hand to my crotch and thrusting it upward, the skeptics, pessimists, and cynics will surely not enjoy Step Up: Revolution as much as those who overlook poor security, daft city councilors, inexplicable source of funding, suspicious increase of members, and an insane business venture that led to an expensive defeat. It's only pure kinetic energy trying to penetrate the body; one has to decide where to make use of it: in the brain or otherwise capable of busting a move?