WEEKEND PIC: June 13 - 15 2008

Your Guide to the Weekend Viewing

1. KUNGFU PANDA (animated comedy with voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu) Rated * * * 1/2 (out of 4): Hey guys, there's a new kung fu kid in town and you're gonna love him and his 'buddies', namely the Furious Five. There are some nice spoofs wrapped up in heart-warming cliche of a story. (Reviewed below)

2. THE INCREDIBLE HULK (fantasy adventure with Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt and Tim Blake Nelson) Rated: * * * (3 stars): This summer's second Marvel Comics adaptation is not quite as engaging as "Iron Man" but there is enough action and plot to satisfy fans. (Reviewed below)

3. THE HAPPENING (Shyamalan's suspense thriller with Mark Wahlberg and Zoey Deschanel) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Although not the disaster that was "Lady In The Water", it is not quite Happening too as the film is 90 per cent build-up with no satisfying twist at the end. Thankfully, Shyamalan does not have a big onscreen role here. (Reviewed below)

4. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (fantasy adventure with Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allen and John Hurt) Rating: * * * (3 stars): Nostalgic Indy Jones trip with the usual spectacular chases, cute close-ups of little animals and bugs, and a bit of human melodrama. After a 19-year hiatus, it should still delight Indy Jones fans despite Ford being 65! (Reviewed below)

5. THE ORPHANAGE (fantasy horror in Spanish with Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep, Mabel Rivera, Montserrat Carulla and Geraldine Chaplin) Rating: * * * (3 stars): If you liked "Pan's Labyrinth", you are gonna like this one. It has a nice storyline that weaves together a number of different plot threads, all of which will come together at the end.

6. AMAZING GRACE (bio-drama with Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, Rufus Sewell, Nicholas Farrell, Michael Gambon, Albert Finney and Ciaran Hinds) Rated * * * (3 stars): It is not about the hymn but some sort of a history lesson on one man's bid to abolish slavery in Britain. Great supporting cast, though. (Reviewed below)

7. SUPERHERO MOVIE (comedy spoof with Drake Bell, Sara Paxton, Christopher McDonald and Pamela Anderson) Rated * 1/2 (1.5 stars): This spoof of "Spider-Man", "The X-Men" and "Batman Begins" is another scatterbrain comedy with more misses than hits. The timing is out most of the time and fart gags abound. (Reviewed below)