WEEKEND PIC June 1 - 3

Your Guide To The Weekend Viewing:

NOTE: Movie fans will not want to miss the on-going Movie Carnival 2007 at the Oval in 1 Utama in Bandar Utama this weekend. There are lots of freebies and free shows to be had. The MC2007 runs from 29 May to June 6. See ya there!

1. SHREK 3 (animated comedy with the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas and Justin Timberlake) Rated: * * 1/2
(out of 4): This third instalment continues the saga of the green Ogre who discovers that he is now heir to the throne of Far Far Away and that he is gonna be a dad! Despite repetitious gags, it is still a fun movie.

2. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (fantasy adventure with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley) Rated * * * (3 stars): This 'trequel' of the POTC franchise is, as expected, full of thrills and spills. With so many subplots and twists in its 168-minute footage, however, it is a bit tough on our butts.

3. THE LAST MIMZY (fantasy flick with Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, Rainn Wilson and Joely Richardson) Rated * * (2 stars): This story about two kids with extra-terrestrial toys that give the super powers is very childish and flimsy, with many product-placement scenes. Only for little minds.

4. SPIDER-MAN 3 (fantasy thriller with Tobey Maguire, Kristen Dunst and Thomas Haden Church) Rated: * * * (3 stars): Die-hard Spidey fans may feel shortchanged by director Sam Raimi's treatment of Venom, but the overall movie and effects are still awesome.

5. 28 WEEKS LATER (sci-fi thriller with Robert Carlyle, Rose Bryne and Jeremy Renner) Rated: * * * (3 stars): A decent and engaging 'sequel' to zombie flick "28 Days Later" by Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo who seems to go overboard with fast-pace editing and an excess of gore.

SHREK 3: Not As Charming Now

SHREK 3 (fantasy comedy)
Voices: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas and Justin Timberlake
Directors: Chris Miller, Raman Hui
Time: 93 mins
Rating: * * ½

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? As far as popular blockbusters go, the original always shines with its novelty and ‘wow factors’; the sequel will usually be a pleasant revisit, while the third invariably draws closer scrutiny and harsher criticism. When you offer something for a third time, people tend to expect more out of it.
This is how it is with "Spider-Man 3", "Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End" and now, "Shrek 3" (or "Shrek The Third"). Of course, the film-makers would give us more of the same, while we look for ‘something extra’ to justify all the waiting and the publicity hype. It’s like listening to a joke for the third time. If there is no ‘unexpected twist’ at the punch line, the joke is considered stale.
Ardent "Shrek" fans may find the going stale in this third instalment. Having got used to the fairy-tale and mythical characters in the franchise, they may find the plot and subplots predictable and trite. However, as a continuation of Shrek’s adventures in the Land Far Far Away, the movie should be entertaining enough to sustain us through the 93 minutes of screening time. Those who expect a witty script will be disappointed.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT? The Frog King (voice of John Cleese) is about to ‘croak’ and on his death leaf, he names Shrek (Mike Myers) as his heir. This frightens the ogre and he starts looking for a suitable replacement. The only candidate is Arthur (Justin Timberlake), who is next in line after Shrek. So our green hero, Donkey (Eddie Murphy), and Puss 'n Boots (Antonio Banderas) set out to find him. When they track him down in a high school, they find that Artie is not really King material. But then neither is Shrek.
Meanwhile, back in Far Far Away, Prince Charming (Rupert Evert), tired of being a two-bit actor at a dinner theatre, has seized control of the palace, imprisoning Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews), Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and the others. All that remains is for Shrek and his pals to come and rescue them in the usual ‘feel good fairy-tale’ fashion.

HIGHLIGHTS & LOWLIGHTS: Did I say ‘feel good fairy-tale fashion’? Well, therein lies the predictability and our disappointment. But then how far off course can a franchise like that go in terms of plot twists and turns? The first two instalments seem to have used up all the possibilities and the scripters (all four of them) seem unwilling to use the ‘road not taken’ to surprise us. Repetitions abound (like gags about Pinocchio’s nose and Rapunzel’s hair) and subplots, like Shrek’s impending fatherhood, is just a natural turn of events, and so is his fear of it.
Still, there are a few chuckles to be had, especially if you are familiar with the works of the voice cast (Julie Andrews does a line from ‘My Favourite Things’), and spoofs on movies like "Rosemary’s Baby" and "Six Million Dollar Man". The sequences involving Arthur’s high school should resonate well with the teenagers in the audience while fans of "Desperate Housewives" would be able to relate to the views of Fiona and her female friends.

THE LOWDOWN: The absence of Andrew Adamson from the director’s chair seems crucial to this ‘trequel’. Helmers Chris Miller and Raman Hui do not have Adamson’s sense of timing and plot structure. They merely tell the tale and repeat the jokes. So "Shrek 3" isn’t too bad if you have not seen the first two movies.

WEEKEND PIC May 25 - 27

Your Guide To The Weekend Viewing

1. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (fantasy adventure with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley) Rated * * * (out of 4): This 'trequel' of the POTC franchise is, as expected, full of thrills and spills. With so many subplots and twists in its 168-minute footage, however, it can be a bit tough on our butt.

2. PRICELESS (French romantic comedy with Audrey Tatou and Gad Elmaleh) Rated * * * (3 stars): A must for Tatou ('Amelie' & 'The Da Vinci Code') fans and connoisseurs of French comedies. This light-hearted caper is easy to fall in love with and enjoy.

3. SPIDER-MAN 3 (fantasy thriller with Tobey Maguire, Kristen Dunst and Thomas Haden Church) Rated: * * * (out of 4): Die-hard Spidey fans may feel shortchanged by director Sam Raimi's treatment of Venom, but the overall movie and effects are still awesome.

4. 28 WEEKS LATER (sci-fi thriller with Robert Carlyle, Rose Bryne and Jeremy Renner) Rated: * * * (3 stars): A decent and engaging 'sequel' to zombie flick "28 Days Later" by Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo who seems to go overboard with fast-pace editing and an excess of gore.

5. NEXT (sci-fi thriller with Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore and Jessica Biel) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Lee Tamahori's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's short story (about a man who can see minutes into the future) starts off promisingly but tapers into a confusing cat-and-mouse game. Nice love story, though.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: At WORLD's END - Yo-ho-ho time Again

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END (fantasy adventure)
Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush and Chow Yun-fat
Director: Gore Verbinski
Time: 168 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? Avast there, all ye swabs! It’s swashbuckling time again with Capt Jack Sparrow and his pirates of the Caribbean. It's the summer blockbuster most of us have been waiting for, isn't it?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Since this instalment was shot back-to-back with "Pirates 2", the action opens right smack in the lair of Singapore pirate Capt Sao Feng (Chow Yun-fat) where we find Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Capt Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) persuading the Oriental buccaneer to join them in their quest to rescue Jack (Johnny Depp) from his mind-altering imprisonment in Davy Jones’ Locker.
The slippery Sao Feng happens to have the chart to the World’s End where Jack is trapped – and there is no time to lose as Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander) of the East India Company (EIC) and Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) himself are hot on their tail.
Other attractions in this sequel, originally modelled after the Disneyland ride, include the convening of a Brethren’s Court of the world’s nine pirate lords; the ‘resurrection’ of the mythical sea nymph Calypso; the usual betrayals and treacheries; plus lots of sea-battle showdowns among Jack’s ship, the Black Pearl, Davy Jones’ Flying Dutchman and the vessels of the EIC.

HIGHLIGHTS & LOWLIGHTS: POTC fans who are looking for special effects thrills and spills will not be disappointed as director Gore Verbinski seems to have put every dollar of his US$300 million (RM1.05 billion) budget to good use. Yeah, the scripters have left no coral unturned to explore and expose every pirate and sea-faring myth and legend. The computer-generated visuals, like the army of rock-like crabs and raging storms, just boggle our minds. Indeed, there is so much to marvel at that some times, when the movie goes into its narrative mode, we lose the ‘wow factor’ effects and feel the drag.
Verbinski has no less than 15 plot-lines to thread through and they can get rather tedious to sit through and confusing to keep track of. Don’t be surprised if you find your mind wandering from the proceedings halfway through the action. There is only so much fun that we can digest in those butt-numbing 168 minutes.
Also, I can’t help thinking that Verbinski has targeted this sequel to coincide with Father’s Day celebrations (in June) as some of the plot lines involve the paternal relationships of the leads. Will Turner, for example, reveals a secret quest to rescue his father (Stellan Skarsgard) from the clutches of Davy Jones’; Elizabeth casts a life-line to her late Dad (Jonathan Pryce) at World’s End; and Jack finally meets his Old Man Teague (the controversial Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones) who somehow ends up strumming a guitar (for no conceivable reason).
Among the cast, Chow Yun-fat stands out as the newcomer to the franchise but he is in no way outstanding. He is allowed to ham his way through the proceedings. Depp, as usual, is fun to watch as he slurs his lines and struts his way around. Knightley, who gets more screen time in this instalment, only manages to show her limitations as an action star: pretty to look at but difficult to root for. However, the most memorable supporting star award goes to the little monkey who gets the laughs every time it appears.

THE LOWDOWN: Watching this ‘three-quel’, we have no doubt that Verbinski and crew are still passionate about their yo-ho-ho franchise. There is already talk about a fourth movie being planned. Let’s hope that the film-makers don’t go overboard with their passion and leave us afloat in a plot-muddle again.

WEEKEND PIC May 18 - 20

Your Guide To The Weekend Viewing

1. SPIDER-MAN 3 (fantasy thriller with Tobey Maguire, Kristen Dunst and Thomas Haden Church) Rated: * * * (out of 4): Die-hard Spidey fans may feel shortchanged by director Sam Raimi's treatment of Venom, but the overall movie and effects are still awesome.

2. 28 WEEKS LATER (sci-fi thriller with Robert Carlyle, Rose Bryne and Jeremy Renner) Rated: * * * (3 stars): A decent and engaging 'sequel' to zombie flick "28 Days Later" by Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo who seems to go overboard with fast-pace editing and an excess of gore.

3. NEXT (sci-fi thriller with Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore and Jessica Biel) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Lee Tamahori's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's short story (about a man who can see minutes into the future) starts off promisingly but tapers into a confusing cat-and-mouse game. Nice love story, though.

4. BLADES OF GLORY (ice-skating comedy with Will Ferrell and Jon Heder) Rated * * (2 stars): With Ferrell in the lead, this uneven comedy is more or less like "Talladega Nights" on skates. Highlights: Watch Ferrell and Heder doing a number that is a lot like 'gay foreplay'.

5. SUMO-LAH (comedy with Afdlin Shauki, Gurmit Singh and Awie) Rated * * (2 stars): If you think watching a bunch of Malaysians (and a Singaporean) trying their hand at sumo-wrestling is fun and funny, stay away from this one or you will definitely change your mind. Mainly for 'Phua Chu Kang' fans.

WEEKEND PIC May 11 - 13

Your Guide To The Weekend Viewing

1. SPIDER-MAN 3 (fantasy thriller with Tobey Maguire, Kristen Dunst and Thomas Haden Church) Rated: * * * (out of 4): Die-hard Spidey fans may feel shortchanged by director Sam Raimi's treatment of Venom, but the overall movie and effects are still awesome.

2. 28 WEEKS LATER (sci-fi thriller with Robert Carlyle, Rose Bryne and Jeremy Renner) Rated: * * * (3 stars): A decent and engaging 'sequel' to zombie flick "28 Days Later" by Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo who seems to go overboard with fast-pace editing and an excess of gore.

3. NEXT (sci-fi thriller with Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore and Jessica Biel) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Lee Tamahori's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's short story (about a man who can see minutes into the future) starts off promisingly but tapers into a confusing cat-and-mouse game. Nice love story, though.

4. WILD HOGS (comedy with Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy) Rated: * * ½: (out of 4): This mid-life road trip plot is so lame that it would make you cringe. However, there are some laughs and fun provided by the veteran cast, especially Macy.

5. THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 (suspense thriller with Michael McMillan, Jessica Stroup, Daniella Alonso and Jacob Vargas) Rated * ½ (1.5 stars): This sequel to the 2006 remake is just a lame excuse to load viewers with blood and gore. It is filled with cardboard characters whom we do not care about.

'NEXT': Strictly a Cage Vehicle

NEXT (sci-fi thriller)
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel and Peter Falk
Director: Lee Tamahori
Time: 96 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? "One thing about the future is that if you can see it, you will invariably change it. It keeps changing just because you can see it." This is the lament of Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage), a Las Vegas showroom magician who has the ability to see a few minutes into the future.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? This ‘gift’ is both a blessing and a curse for him. A blessing because it allows him to make a decent living perform magic tricks and winning ‘a few bucks’ at the gambling tables; and a curse because even as a child, he has been ‘probed’ and examined by the government regarding his abilities. Vegas is the perfect place for him to ‘hide in plain sight’ from the authorities.
Not for long, though. The FBI, led by Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore), is on his tail, seeking his help to track down a gang of terrorists who has smuggled a nuclear bomb into the US. On a personal level, Cris needs to meet up with Liz (Jessica Biel), a woman he has never met, but has been having visions of her future. He wants to determine how and why she is connected with his visions…

HIGHLIGHTS & LOWLIGHTS: With such conceits about meeting one’s destiny – and the "Spider-Man" tag line of ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ – we get a tender romantic interlude (involving Cris and Liz at a motel near the Grand Canyon) as well as a pulsating cat-and-mouse game between Cris and Callie. The first offers a welcome respite before the main action takes over, while the latter works like a watered-down version of television’s "24". Indeed, we are never sure if what we see on the screen is Cris’s imagination or if it really happens. After a while, we just don’t care anymore.

"Next" is adapted from Philip K. Dick’s short story, ‘The Golden Man’, and directed by Lee Tamahori of "Die Another Day" fame. However, like most ‘time-travel’ stories, this see-into-the-future plot is too mind-boggling to contemplate, not to mention the mental hernia we would suffer just to mull over Cris’s options and plot possibilities.

One way to enjoy, or at least absorb, "Next" is to treat it purely as a Nicolas Cage vehicle. Although this is not Cage’s outstanding or most expressive effort, he manages to evoke screen chemistry with both Biel and Moore. Biel is appealing and enigmatic as Cage’s love interest and salvation, while Moore brings intensity to her role as a female Jack Bauer out to save the world. Certain scenes suggest that her Callie is being driven by some personal demons but this is not resolved or clarified.

THE LOWDOWN: The movie ends rather abruptly, leaving most viewers dissatisfied. Well, we are supposed to mull over the proceedings and be ‘impressed’ by Dick’s ingenuity, but in reality, many would have wished that they had Cris Johnson’s gift and saved 96 minutes of their time.

'Jangan Pandang Belakang' Breaks Record

8 May – Local horror "Jangan Pandang Belakang" has overtaken "Sembilu 2" to become the top-grossing Malaysian movie of all time. As of 5 May, it collected RM6.33 million to knock the 1995 "Sembilu 2" out of its perch.
"Sembilu 2", which was written and directed by Yusuf Haslam, had maintained its top-grossing honour for more than a decade at RM6.2 million.

"Jangan Padang Belakang", which opened in 51 screens nationwide on April 5, was going great guns right from Day One when it collected a record RM410,000 on its opening day. This puts paid the predictions of David Teo of Metrowealth Movie Productions, the producer of "Jangan Pandang Belakang", when he predicted last month that he is confident that the movie would surpass the collection of "Sembilu 2".

"Jangan Pandang Belakang" is now showing at 12 locations in Singapore – the biggest release for a Malaysian movie in the island republic. Teo said that the prints (film reels) for Singapore have been specially made with Mandarin and English subtitles. The movie is going head-on against "Spider-Man 3" which is showing in Singapore at the same time but Teo said the response in Singapore is ‘encouraging’ as it collected S$25,000 (RM73,000) on its opening day on May 3.

WEEKEND PIC: May 4 - 6

Your Guide To The Weekend Viewing:

1. SPIDER-MAN 3 (fantasy thriller with Tobey Maguire, Kristen Dunst and Thomas Haden Church) Rated: * * * (out of 4): Die-hard Spidey fans may feel shortchanged by director Sam Raimi's treatment of their favourite characters, especially Venom, but the overall movie and effects are still awesome.

2. WILD HOGS (comedy with Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy) Rated: * * ½ (2.5 stars): This mid-life road trip plot is so lame that it would make you cringe. However, there are some laughs and fun provided by the veteran cast, especially Macy.

3. THE NUMBER 23 (mystery thriller with Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen) Rated: * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This thriller, about Jim Carrey's obsession with the number 23, gets embroiled in tedious explanations and will ultimately leave viewers dissatisfied. Blame that on Joel Schumacher's uninspired direction.

4. SPIRIT OF THE VICTIM (Thai horror with Pitchanart Sakakorn, Apasiri Nitibhon and Penpak Sirikul ) Rated * * (2 stars): A convoluted plot, incorporating a film-within-a-film makes this Thai effort a run-of-the-mill thriller wil a few scares.

5. THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 (suspense thriller with Michael McMillan, Jessica Stroup, Daniella Alonso and Jacob Vargas) Rated * ½ (1.5 stars): This sequel to the 2006 remake is just a lame excuse to load viewers with blood and gore. It is filled with cardboard characters whom we do not care about.