MERDEKA Weekend Pic Aug 31 - Sept 2 2007

Your Guide To The Weekend Viewing:

1. FRACTURE (courtroom thriller with Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn and Rosamund Pike): Rated * * * (out of 4): Tycoon shoots wife but what seems like an open-and-shut case becomes a complex chess game between a young prosecutor and a clever hubby. Not to be missed for fans of Hopkins. (Reviewed below)

2. THE INVASION (sci-fi remake with Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam and Malin Akerman) Rating: * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): The one compelling reason to catch this remake of "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" is because Kidman is playing the lead. Human drama, alas, is inadequate.

3. ROGUE ASSASSIN (action thriller with Jet Li and Jason Stratham, pic, right) Rating * * (2 stars): Yeah, yeah. Expect mindless action and shootouts in this Jet Li vehicle that also comes with a twist at the ending.

4. RATATOUILLE (animated comedy with voices of Brad Garrett, Patton Oswalt and John Ratzenberger) Rated * * * (3 stars): A lip-smacking comedy about a rat who wants to be a chef in the city of Paris. Great animation and an engaging story are a plus to this effort by Brad Bird of "The Incredibles". (See review below)

5. PERFECT STRANGER (murder thriller with Halle Berry and Bruce Willis) Rating: * * (2 stars, 18PL): Here is one perfect build-up to a huge letdown. The desperate need for a surprise twist at the end turns this movie into a bomb despite its able cast. (See review below)

6. OCEAN WONDERLAND 3D (IMAX documentary on the denizens of the Great Barrier Reef) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): A treat for the kids with a sea turtle playing tour guide to the creatures of the reefs. (See review below)