It’s been some weeks since I last saw some films. I saw Bee Movie, interestingly at the Quezon City Hall. I was waiting patiently for my turn at the City Treasury’s Assessment Lounge where they were screening a pirated DVD screener of the film. It took me almost two hours of waiting, so I actually finished the entire film while on queue. The other two films, Eastern Promises and American Gangster, I watched at home. Again, don’t ask how. Hehe.

Bee Movie (2007, USA, dir. Steve Hickner, Simon J. Smith) is a nice animated movie, not too tame or innocent like mainstream Disney or Pixar films nor was it too adult, like say The Simpsons. It was just the right kind of comedy a grade schooler or an adult would both likely enjoy. It pretty much satisfied and made my hour-and-a-half wait at the city hall quite light and less irritating. In a nutshell, the film is about a bee, fresh out of bee college, who sets out to discover the real world outside the hive, strives and pursues to change it, makes mistakes, and comes into a world of life lessons and realizations. The film can get a little educational too.

Eastern Promises (2007, Canada, USA, dir. David Cronenberg) is about a London midwife’s investigation of the story behind the childbirth death of an Eastern European teenage girl whose diary she eventually holds possession of. In the process, she gets herself involved in the dark, dangerous and criminal world of the Russian mafia in Britain. The movie has some great and gory throat-slashing scenes and other such graphic displays you’ll both cringe at and enjoy at the same time. It also has an excellent and convincing performance from Viggo Mortensen as a Russian mobster. Overall, it is insightfully dark, crime drama, that casually displays its revelations and its gore with depth but without much exaggeration.

American Gangster (2007, USA, dir. Ridley Scott) is about a New York’s top drug lord and organized-crime boss, Frank Lucas, and how he works his way to the top; and a detective, Richie Roberts, who tries to bring down Lucas’ drug empire. It’s based on the real life story of the 70′s New York drug kingpin of the same name. (Though, the real Frank Lucas allegedly claims that much of the movie is fabricated). The movie works on a great story which it stretches into a narrative that lasts almost two and half hours. Despite its length, the film is engaging and entertaining. Plus, Denzel Washington has a commanding performance in the film. He wasn’t your usual drug lord, but he made a strong presence on screen nonetheless.