WEEKEND PIC Nov 29 - Dec 2 2007

Your Guide To The Weekend Viewing:

1. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (musical with Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood and Joe Anderson) Rated * * * 1/2 (out of 4): This love story told through Beatles' songs will take fans on a nostalgic trip to the Sixties. Don't be shy, sing along with it and have a great time (reviewed below).

2. THE KINGDOM (war thriller with Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and Chris Cooper) Rated * * * (3 stars): Unlike "Lions For Lambs", this actioner about the FBI probing into terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia is much more engaging. This ain't no US propaganda as it does not take sides in the War on Terror. (Reviewed below)

3. ENCHANTED (Fantasy romance with Amy Adams, James Marsden, Patrick Dempsey and Susan Sarandon) Rated * * * (3 stars): This is an account of what happens when animated fairytale clashes with reality in New York City. A fun outing for the family during the school holidays. (Reviewed below)

4. HITMAN (Actioner with Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Olga Kurylenko and Robert Knepper) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Adapted from a video-game, this one offers the usual brainless action about a hitman called Agent 47. Keep expectations low, if you must go for it.

5. THE DRUMMER (adventure with Jaycee Chan, Tony Leung Ka Fai and Angelica Lee) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): A rather pulsating drama especially for fans of Jaycee who seems to in following the footsteps of his father Jackie Chan.

6. Mr MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM (fantasy comedy with Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman and Jason Bateman) Rated * * (2 stars): For such a lavish movie, the magic and wonders are minimal. The subject matter is dreary, cliched and uninspired. (Reviewed below)

7. THE LAST BREATH (Korean horror thriller with Lee Dong-kyu, Kim Bo-kyung, Kim Tae-woo and Jin Goo) Rated: * 1/2 (1.5 stars): This effort by the Korean Jung Brothers aims to be an arty horror flick. It succeeds in its visuals but fails in the scares and story development department. (Reviewed below)