My Top 10 Movies of 2008

Hey guys, here's my Top 10 movies for 2008.


1. The Dark Knight
2. Iron Man
3. WALL-E
4. The Kite Runner
5. Body Of Lies
6. Ip Man
7. Gone Baby Gone
8. Kungfu Panda
9. Tropic Thunder
10. Once

LADY COP AND PAPA CROOK: Sammi's Back

LADY COP AND PAPA CROOK (crime drama)
Cast: Sammi Cheng, Eason Chan, Michelle Ye, Chapman To and Kate Tsui
Directors: Felix Chong and Alan Mak
Time: 97 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL: The big deal is that this is actress-singer Sammi Cheng's first feature film after a three-year absence from the Hong Kong cinema scene. Her last film was 'Everlasting Regret' in 2005. Her fans may be thrilled but she does look more matured and rather rusty at her craft.

Also, while the title gives one the impression that 'Lady Cop And Papa Crook' is a comedy, it is not. It is basically a crime thriller with occasional but rather lame lapses into comedy.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Eason Chan is John Fok, the boss of a diesel smuggling ring in Hong Kong and China. When an oil tanker explodes during a police car chase, John becomes the focus of investigation by the Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese police and is forced to put his business on hold and wait it out. Just when John is planning on a comeback, his son is kidnapped.

This brings us to Inspector Maureen Szeto (Sammi Cheng) who heads the investigation into the boy's kidnapping and gets tangled in John's murky past and criminal affairs. I suppose if one is looking for comedy, one may find it in Maureen's love life. She has a 10-year relationship with her sculpture boyfriend who seems to be behaving like an idiot. Our concern is how she could put up with him for so long.

HITS AND MISSES: Story flow and plot development are uneven. Having two directors do not seem to have helped matters. Every now and then, the characters seem to break out into a brawl - ostensibly to liven up the movie when the police probe starts to get dull.

Eason and Sammi manage to give the movie a few tensed and comic moments but the kidnap plot is so flawed that even they could not save it. Also, there is no English subtitles for those whose understanding of Cantonese and Mandarin is below the mark (like yours truly) - and a cameo by Richie Jen looks like the film-makers are doing him a favour but it adds nothing to the movie.

THE LOWDOWN: Stay with Mama and have a Happy New Year!

FOUR CHRISTMASES: Too Little Too Late

FOUR CHRISTMASES (comedy)
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Tim McGraw, Mary Steenburgen, Kristen Chenoweth, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight
Director: Seth Gordon
Time: 82 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)


WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL: The big deal is that Christmas is over and 'Four Christmases' opens late! The holiday mood is wearing thin when the film opens in Malaysia on New Year's Day. And to make things worse, this particularly American Christmas film is not funny enough to hold local audiences.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Each Christmas San Francisco couple Kate and Brad (Witherspoon and Vaughn, pictured above) invent an exotic charity project as cover for a tropical vacation so as to avoid spending the Yuletide with their parents. This year, their planned escape is foiled by a massive fog, and with a day to spend waiting for the fog to lift, they are forced to divide the time visiting their four sets of divorced parents.

The first visit takes Kate into the rednecky testosterone-filled home of Brad's father (Robert Duvall) and brothers, Denver (Jon Favreau) and Dallas (Tim McGraw). This is where a woman's role is to be kept barefoot and pregnant. Next, they visit Kate's 'pious' mother (Mary Steenburgen) and sister (Kristen Chenoweth). This is followed by a visit to Brad's cradle-robbing mom (Sissy Spacek) then to Kate's dad (Jon Voight). By the time they do their "fourth Christmas," the couple's relationship is in tatters and in dire need of mending.

HITS AND MISSES: Basically, this is a case of too many cooks or rather four script-writers who seem to take the comedy their own way. Yes, the comedy is uneven and with each scripter probably doing one of the 'Christmases', we have a few pieces that do not fit into the plot puzzle. Instead of being gradually developed as characters we may like, Brad and Kate remain comic caricatures. And Vaughn and Witherspoon have other 'compatibility' problems besides their huge difference in height. They lack chemistry, and Witherspoon, who takes on an uneven persona here, seems miscast. The other big names like Voight, Steenburgen and Duvall, however, help to give the movie some distraction and even sparkle.

THE LOWDOWN: It's not a turkey, but it's no bright star, either.

'Marley' Is Top Dog at US Weekend B-O

THE naughty dog movie, 'Marley And Me' is top dog at the US box-office stakes in the post Christmas weekend, followed by three new films, including Bedtime Stories at No. 2.

Here are the (Dec 26-28) estimates, according to rank, (previous rank), weekend taking, cumulative gross, week on chart:


1. Marley And Me US$37 mil, US$51.6m 1st Week

2. Bedtime Stories US$28 mil, US$38.5m 1st week

3. Curious Case of Benjamin Button US$27m, US$39m 1st week

4. Valkyrie US$21.5m, US$30m, 1st week

5. (1) Yes Man US$16m, US$49.5m 2nd week

6. (2) Seven Pounds US$13.4m, US$39m, 2nd week

7. (3) Tale of Despereaux US$9.3m, US$27.9, 2nd week

8. (4) Day The Earth Stood Still US$7.9m, US$63.6m, 3rd week

9. The Spirit US$6.5m, US$10.3m 1st week

10. (15) Doubt US$5.6m, US$8.8m, 3rd week

(Figures courtesy of boxofficemojo.com)

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY PICK Dec 25 - 28, 2008

YOUR GUIDE TO THE CHRISTMAS MOVIES

NEW This Week:

a. AUSTRALIA (romantic adventure with Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Bryan Brown, Brandon Walters and David Wenham) Rated * * 1/2 (out of 4): It is not the epic love story to move you but it has enough substance to keep you interested. Good show by Kidman, Jackman and young Brandon Walters. (Reviewed below)

b. THE SPIRIT (comic book recreation starring Gabriel Macht, Eva Mendes, Sarah Paulson, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson) Rating * 1/2 (1.5 stars): Comic book writer Frank Miller's debut directorial effort proves one thing: that he could not flesh out his characters to give them the third dimension. Unlike 'Sin City' (which Miller co-directed with Robert Rodirguez), everything here is flat. SPLATT!

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. IP MAN (Cantonese kungfu drama with Donnie Yen, ) Rated * * * (3 stars): This biopic on the grandmaster of Wing Chun kungfu and the tutor of the legendary Bruce Lee is nicely balanced with great martial arts action and an engaging narrative.

2. YES MAN (comedy with Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, Rhys Darby and Terence Stamp) Rated * * * (3 stars): This comedy plays out better when it goes into romantic comedy mode with Carrey and Deschanel displaying good screen chemistry. Otherwise, a bit uneven. (Reviewed below)

3. BOLT (animated comedy with John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman and Mark Walton) Rated * * * (out of 4): This entertaining canine road-trip movie should put Walt Disney Pictures back in the running for Top Dog in the animation stakes, instead of Underdog. (Reviewed below)

4. TRANSPORTER 3 (action thriller with Jason Statham, Natalya Rudakova, Francois Berleand, Robert Knepper and Jeroen Krabbe) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): If you want ridiculous stunts, chases and crashes, you got them all. Just don't expect director Olivier Megaton to top up on logic and intelligence. (Reviewed below)

5. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (sci-fi remake starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith and Kathy Bates) Rated * * (Out of 4): A rather bland remake of the 1951 Robert Wise classic that is big on CGI effects but low on substance. (Reviewed below)

Carrey, Will Smith Lead Weak Weekend B-O List

THE weekend before Christmas saw slow business in US cinemas, with 'Yes Man', 'Seven Pounds' and 'Tale of Despereaux' forming the Top 3 with weak takings.

This situation is being blamed on inclement weather in America, including severe snowstorms in the Northeast, Midwest and Northwest for as much as 20 percent of their box office woes.

However, the holdovers seemed to hold nearly as well as previous years. Here are the (Dec 19-21) figures, according to
Rank, movie, (previous rank), weekend taking, (cumulative gross), week on chart:

1 Yes Man - US$18,160,000 (total US$18,160,000) 1

2 Seven Pounds - US$16,000,000 (US$16,000,000) 1

3 Tale of Despereaux - US$10,507,000 ($10,507,000) 1

4 Day the Earth Stood Still (1) - $10,150,000 (US$48,627,000) 2

5 Four Christmases - US$7,745,000 (US$100,154,000) 4

6 Twilight (3) - US$5,227,000 (US$158,461,000) 5

7 Bolt (4) - US$4,256,000 (US$95,009,000) 5

8 Slumdog Millionaire (11) - US$3,150,000 (US$12,134,000) 6

9 Australia (5) - US$2,325,000 (US$41,947,000) 4

10 Quantum Of Solace (6) - US$2,150,000 (US$161,300,000) 6

AUSTRALIA - Luhrmann's 'Lady And The Tramp'

AUSTRALIA (romantic adventure)
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Bryan Brown, Brandon Walters and David Wenham
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Time: 165 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)



PREAMBLE: Aussie director Baz Luhrmann got our attention with his 1992 hit 'Strictly Ballroom' and created another buzz in 2001 with 'Moulin Rouge'. This time around, he is making waves with this epic love fantasy which he co-wrote - and starring a cast of mostly Aussie actors.

The catchword here is 'fantasy' because Luhrmann's idea of cinema magic is to sprinkle such 'magic dust' on to the proceedings. Thus his 'Australia' is somewhat like a literal 'The Lady and the Tramp' or 'Sarah In Down Under Land' complete with an aboriginal medicine man as the Wizard of Aus!

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Narrated by a half-caste boy named Nullah (Brandon Walters), the movie opens in 1939 when Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman, above) journeys from England to the Aussie outback to run a cattle ranch that has fallen into disarray following the death of her husband. Her early attempts are thwarted by Neil Fletcher (David Wenham), manager of her ranch, and she becomes the rival of 'Beef King' Carney (Bryan Brown), who is trying to monopolise the local beef sales to the armed forces.

Sarah takes a liking to Nullah and takes him under her wing. However, in order to save her ranch, she must move her cattle thousands of miles to Darwin and for that, she needs the help of The Drover (Hugh Jackman), the stereotyped cowboy-hero with whom the leading lady is destined to fall in love with (ho-hum).

The film's second half focuses on Australia's preparations for war after the Pearl Harbour blitz, which invariably affects the relationship among Sarah, Drover and Nullah.

HITS AND MISSES: In the style of epic adventures, one thing that is certain is the wide-scope lensing by Mandy Walker which captures Australia in all its gusts, dust and glory. However, this is no 'Gone With The Wind' and the romance between Sarah and Drover is too lukewarm for us to give a damn. There's a torrid scene of Kidman and Jackman, but alas, it is snipped. In the words of Nullah, it is too much 'wrongside business' and not enough justification for audience involvement.

Acting-wise, the two leads lend more credit to the script than it deserves and the aboriginal cast help to spice it up - especially David Gulpilil as 'King George'. It is evident that Luhrmann wants us to be swept by his passion and vision - but only manages to get our feet, and not our eyes, wet. It works better as a record of the Aussie Government's apology to the aborigines for its shabby treatment during the colonial days.

THE LOWDOWN: Not epic but watchable, nonetheless.

BODY OF LIES: Realistic Look at War on Terror

BODY OF LIES (espionage thriller)
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani and Alon Aboutboul
Director: Ridley Scott
Time: 126 mins
Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 4)

Dicaprio and Farahani in a scene from Body Of Lies

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? Written by William Monahan, based on the novel by David Ignatius, 'Body Of Lies' is not for the hardcore action fan. It is for those who want credulity and a bit of mystery in their movies. You won't find the teenage popcorn-crunching crowd here.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? CIA agent Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) is the field guy who has all the contacts, speaks Arabic and knows the terrain. He can move with ease from Iraq to Jordan to Syria. He can tell that a nurse working in Amman is from Iran based on her accent. His boss is Ed Hoffman (Crowe), a controller who watchers over anti-terrorist ops from real-time satellite images. Ferris and Hoffman's latest operation is to nab an elusive terrorist chief named Al-Saleem (Alon Aboutboul).

To do this, they must work with the head of Jordan's Intelligence Agency, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong). However, Hani is as smart and manipulative as any CIA director and Ferris finds himself trapped between orders from Hoffman and Hani's one instruction: "Don't lie to me." We can also see this one as Scott's critique of the Bush Administration's handling of the War on Terror masquerading as a spy thriller.

HITS AND MISSES: Ferris's missions criss-crosses so many areas and countries in the Middle East that it is rather confusing keeping track. However, once we settle in on the action, it is easy to go with the flow, including following a romantic tryst between Ferris and an Itranian nurse (Golshifteh Farahani). I particularly like Ferris's tactic of 'work like a terrorist to catch a terrorist'.

Then, there's Crowe who had to put on 50 pounds for his role as the know-all CIA boss. As expected, Crowe gives Hoffman a nice balance of cockiness and vulnerability which makes him totally likable and real. Technically, the film is top class too, with the camera repeatedly showing bursts of blood spills during the shootouts.

THE LOWDOWN: If you liked 'The Departed' and 'Kingdom Of Heaven', this one is for you too.

WEEKEND PIC - Dec 19 - 21, 2008

Your Guide To The Weekend Movies

NEW This Week:

1. IP MAN (Cantonese kungfu drama with Donnie Yen (pic), Simon Yam, Fan Siu-Wong and Sammo Hung) Rated * * * 1/2 (out of 4): This biopic on the grandmaster of Wing Chun kungfu and the teacher of the legendary Bruce Lee is nicely balanced with great martial arts action and an engaging and even charming narrative. Donnie Yen shines!

2. YES MAN (comedy with Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, Rhys Darby and Terence Stamp) Rated * * * (3 stars): This comedy plays out better when it goes into romantic comedy mode with Carrey and Deschanel displaying good screen chemistry. Otherwise, a bit uneven. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG:

3. BODY OF LIES (espionage thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, and Golshifteh Farahani) Rating * * * 1/2 (3.5 stars): Ridley Scott's thriller on how a CIA team operates between its Langley HQ and an agent in the Middle East is both smart and intense. The plot is rather convoluted but the payoff is really satisfying.

4. BOLT (animated comedy with John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman and Mark Walton) Rated * * * (out of 4): This entertaining canine road-trip movie should put Walt Disney Pictures back in the running for Top Dog in the animation stakes, instead of Underdog. (Reviewed below)

5. MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA (animated comedy voiced by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith and Sacha Baron Cohen) Rated * * * (out of 4): It's not new but an improved sequel on the exploits of a bunch of zoo animals 'let loose' inbto the wild. Hearty laughs and shakin' music. (Reviewed below)

6. TRANSPORTER 3 (action thriller with Jason Statham, Natalya Rudakova, Francois Berleand, Robert Knepper and Jeroen Krabbe) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): If you want ridiculous stunts, chases and crashes, you got them all. Just don't expect director Olivier Megaton to top up on logic and intelligence. (Reviewed below)

6. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (sci-fi remake starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith and Kathy Bates) Rated * * (Out of 4): A rather bland remake of the 1951 Robert Wise classic that is big on CGI effects but low on substance. (Reviewed below)

7. WILD CHILD (school girl drama with Emma Roberts, Natasha Richardson, Kimberley Nixon, Juno Temple, Sophie Wu, Alex Pettyfer, Georgia King, and Aidan Quinn) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This tale about a rich Malibu brat being sent to a UK boarding school to learn some important life lesson, is as corny and cliched as 'Mean Girls'.

YES MAN: Yes, for Carrey Fans

YES MAN (romantic comedy)
Cast: Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, John Michael Higgins, Rhys Darby and Terence Stamp Director: Peyton Reed
Time: 104 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? At the outset, let it be said that I am no fan of Jim Carrey's infantile facial gags. This comedy is for those who can stand him and his rubber-faced, 'ooh, laugh-at- me-cos-I-am-so-funny attitude. Admittedly, Carrey (pictured) is a good actor as and when he plays it straight - as in 'The Truman Show' and 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'.

Here, he resorts to his old tricks off and on, probably to satisfy his fans.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Carl Allen (Carrey) is a bank-loan officer who has not recovered emotionally from his divorce three years ago. Although his pals Peter (Bradley Cooper) and Rooney (Danny Masterson) try to nudge him out of his shell, Carl turns down every invitation to outings so that he can stay home to watch DVDs. A chance encounter with an old friend inspires him to attend a self-help seminar, where a guru (Terence Stamp as Terrence Bundley) preaches the power of saying 'yes' to every opportunity - and entering into a covenant with Carl to say 'yes' to everything.

Things don't work out well at first. He gives all his money to a homeless man and ends up on a hike to a gas station after his car runs dry. However, things take a turn for the better when he meets Allison (Zooey Deschanel), a woman who is in many ways his complete opposite and in other ways his perfect match. He finds that he can't say "no" to her - until she asks one tricky question.

WILL IT MAKE YOUR DAY? Yes and No. Yes, because Carrey and Deschanel have managed to turn this movie into a romantic comedy and infuse it with good screen chemistry. Yes, because Carrey is funny speaking Korean; for its nods to the Harry Potter franchise, etc..

No, because the work by director Peyton Reed ('The Break-Up'), working from an adaptation of Danny Wallace's book by Nicholas Stoller, Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel, is uneven and episodic, with some laugh-out-loud moments and some really unfunny ones. I believe there are scenes in which Reed allowed Carrey to do his childish schtick. On the other hand, we must credit Reed for getting the best out of the co-stars, especially Terence Stamp and Deschanel.

THE LOWDOWN: If you don't mind Carrey's brand of comedy, yes, go for it.

Weekend B-O turns lacklustre

Weak Start for Day The Earth Stood Still

IT was meant to be THE movie to spark off the Christmas holiday bustle but sci-fi remake 'The Day the Earth Stood Still', stalled compared to last year's sci-fi remake, 'I Am Legend', which opened on the same weekend. Overall business was down more than 40 percent.

Boxofficemojo reported that 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' generated a placid US$30.5 million on about 5,900 screens at 3,560 compared to 'I Am Legend's US$77.2 million last year. The remake of the 1951 sci-fi drama, which distributor 20th Century Fox claimed cost a relatively modest US$80 million to produce, also had much less impact than such similar pictures as 'The Day After Tomorrow', 'War of the Worlds' and 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer'.

The rest of the line-up, according to Box-officemojo, is as follows:

No 2 Four Christmases made US$13.0m (total $87.7) in 3rd week;

No 3 Twilight added US$7.9m (total US$150m) in 4th week

No 4 Bolt made US$7.4m (total US$88.8m) in 4th week

No 5 Australia made US$4.1 (total US$37.7m) in 3rd week

No 6 Quantum Of Solace did US$3.7 (total US$157,5m) in 5th week

No 7 Nothing Like The Holidays opened at US$3.5m

No 8 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa US$3.1m (total US$169.96m) in 5th week

No 9 Milk curdled at US$2.6m (total US$7.5m) in 3rd week

No 10 Transporter 3 did US$2.3m (total US$29.3m in 3rd week.

WEEKEND PIC - Dec 12 - 14, 2008

Your Guide To The Weekend Movies

NEW This Week:


a) THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (sci-fi remake starring Keanu Reeves above, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith and Kathy Bates) Rated * * (Out of 4): A rather bland remake of the 1951 Robert Wise classic that is big on CGI effects but low on substance. Catch its Tamil version at Big Cinemas Brem Mall, Kepong, Big Cinemas Bkt Jambul, Penang, and State PJ. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. BODY OF LIES (espionage thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, and Golshifteh Farahani) Rating * * * 1/2 (3.5 stars): Ridley Scott's thriller on how a CIA team operates between its Langley HQ and an agent in the Middle East is both smart and intense. The plot is rather convoluted but the payoff is really satisfying.

2. BOLT (animated comedy with John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman and Mark Walton) Rated * * * (3 stars): This entertaining canine road-trip movie should put Walt Disney Pictures back in the running for Top Dog in the animation stakes, instead of Underdog. (Reviewed below)

3. MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA (animated comedy voiced by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith and Sacha Baron Cohen) Rated * * * (out of 4): It's not new but an improved sequel on the exploits of a bunch of zoo animals 'let loose' inbto the wild. Hearty laughs and shakin' music. (Reviewed below)

4. TRANSPORTER 3 (action thriller with Jason Statham, Natalya Rudakova, Francois Berleand, Robert Knepper and Jeroen Krabbe) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): If you want ridiculous stunts, chases and crashes, you got them all here. Just don't expect director Olivier Megaton to top up on logic and intelligence. (Reviewed below)

5. WILD CHILD (school girl drama with Emma Roberts, Natasha Richardson, Kimberley Nixon, Juno Temple, Sophie Wu, Alex Pettyfer, Georgia King, and Aidan Quinn) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This tale about a rich Malibu brat being sent to a UK boarding school to learn some important life lesson, is as corny and cliched as 'Mean Girls'.

6. TWILIGHT (love story with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed and Jackson Rathbone) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This long-awaited chick-flick is expected to replace the Harry Potter franchise, with its popular book appeal. But the attraction seems limited to young girls. (Reviewed below).

7. IGOR (animated comedy with voices of John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Coolidge, John Cleese and Jay Leno) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): It looks like someone is trying to copy Tim Burton's creations with this tale about an 'Igor' (scientist sidekick) who becomes the mad Frankenstein himself. (Reviewed below)

8. LAKEVIEW TERRACE (drama with Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Starts off as an engaging drama about a nasty neighbour but goes downhill with a loud and dumb ending.

Tom Cruise, Mamma Mia Surprise in Golden Globe Nods

'Dark Knight' and 'Milk' Snubbed!

THE nominees for the 66th Annual Golden Globes Awards are out with quite a number of surprises. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon" and "Doubt" led the list with five nominations each. "Button" and "Nixon" were among the Best Picture Drama nominees, which included "The Reader," "Revolutionary Road" and "Slumdog Millionaire".

However, favourites like "Milk" and "The Dark Knight" were snubbed.

Other major surprises included Tom Cruise (picture) and Robert Downey Jr for Best Supporting Actor in "Tropic Thunder." As expected, Heath Ledger got the nod for Best Supporting Actor too.

Here are some of the major nominations:

BEST PICTURE: DRAMA
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST PICTURE: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Burn After Reading
Happy-go-lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST DIRECTOR:
Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"
David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"
Sam Mendes, "Revolutionary Road"

BEST ACTOR: DRAMA
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Revolutionary Road"
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

BEST ACTRESS: DRAMA
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"
Kristin Scott Thomas, "I've Loved You So Long"
Kate Winslet, "Revolutionary Road"

BEST ACTRESS: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Rebecca Hall, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Sally Hawkins, "Happy-go-lucky"
Frances McDormand, "Burn After Reading"
Meryl Streep, "Mamma Mia"
Emma Thompson, "Last Chance Harvey"

BEST ACTOR: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Colin Farrell, "In Bruges"
James Franco, "Pineapple Express"
Brendan Gleeseon, "In Bruges"
Dustin Hoffman, "Last Chance Harvey"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, "Doubt"
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barecelona"
Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"
Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Tom Cruise, "Tropic Thunder"
Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"
Ralph Fiennes, "The Duchess"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"
Heath Ledger,"The Dark Knight"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
Everlasting Moments (Sweden/Denmark)
Gomorrah (Italy)
I've Loved You So Long (France)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

(Source: IndieWire)

Twilight's Rathbone To Star in Shyamalan's 'Last Airbender'

FANS of 'Twilight' will be happy to learn that Jackson Rathbone (pictured), who plays Jasper Hale, one of the vampire boys, has been picked by M. Night Shyamalan for a role in his next film, 'The Last Airbender'.

Shyamalan's latest movie is a live-action film based on the popular anime-inspired Nickelodeon series, 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'. The title was shortened to avoid confusion with director James Cameron's upcoming 2009 film 'Avatar'.

'The Last Airbender' deals with the adventures of Aang, the successor to a long line of superpowered Avatars who must put aside his irresponsible ways and stop the Fire Nation from enslaving the Water, Earth and Air nations.

Besides Rathbone who plays Aang's friend Sokka, singer Jesse McCartney is in negotiations to play Aang's nemesis Zuku, while Nicola Peltz (of Deck The Halls fame) will play Sokka's sister Katara, a Waterbender.

The movie, which is part of a trilogy, is written and directed by Shyamalan, and is scheduled to open in July 2010 under Paramount Pictures. It was reported that after an open casting call in Texas, Shyamalan picked karate star Noah Ringer for the lead role of Airbender’s 12-year old hero, Aang.

Rathbone was born in Singapore on Dec 21, 1984. He is known for his role as Nicholas Fiske, on the ABC family drama Beautiful People and has had guest roles in The OC, and Close to Home. He starred in a few movies before landing that role in Twilight.

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL: Bland Remake

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (sci-fi drama)
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connolly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith and Jon Hamm
Director: Scott Derrickson
Time: 104 mins
Rating: * * (out of 4)

Connelly, Smith and Reeves in a scene from the movie

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? In Robert Wise's 1951 original (based on a sci-fi magazine story by Harry Bates) an alien named Klaatu (Michael Rennie) came to Earth with a warning about the nuclear threat (posed by the Cold War) - and nobody wanted to listen. Its special effects, especially the portrayal of Klaatu's robot Gort, was tacky by today's standards but the movie was deemed a classic by many. It spawned the famous phrase klaatu barata nikto, which sci-fi writers and fans use liberally.

This remake by Derrickson has a spaceship landing in New York's Central Park (instead of Washington) and Klaatu (Reeves) trying to warn us about - don't hold your breath - mankind's devastation of the planet! Again, the authorities (led by Kathy Bates' State Secretary Regina Jackson) are too arrogant to listen, except for a pretty astro-biologist (Connolly as Helen Benson) and her stepson Jacob (Jaden Smith). Klaatu's ultimatum is "If the Earth dies, you die; if you die, the Earth survives!" However, a meeting with Helen's mentor, Prof Barnhardt (John Cleese), along with a little Bach music and self-sacrifice leads Klaatu to believe that mankind might not be as hopeless as he thinks. Klaatu barata nikto!

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? Well, the main idea of doing a remake should be to improve on the original, and perhaps, to add a new dimension to the story. However, other than the obviously better CGI effects (of trucks and buildings disintegrating), this one is actually a dumb movie despite such a huge budget. Unlike Wise's film, there's no thoughtful message here, no insight as to our place in the universe. Derrickson is either too chicken or too clueless to pinpoint what is really wrong and who is the culprit.

WILL IT MAKE YOUR DAY? You may find a few unintentional laughs in the corny lines but other than that, this attempt is pretty bland. And talking about bland, Reeves' emotionless acting seems to fit the bill as Klaatu, an alien incapable of feelings. Come to think of it, Reeves has been playing Klaatu all his life! Connolly is wasted here in a thankless role, while Jaden Smith puts in a fine turn as a modern-day brat.

It is obvious the film-makers have concentrated too much on the effects and the wow-factors and neglected to look at their storyline. We are told the aliens have been spying on Earth for ages and yet they don't see any redeeming factor in mankind until they hear a bit of Bach's Goldberg Variations and see a mother hugging her child! Director Derrickson may be an admirer of Robert Wise but he does not have the latter's ability to tell an engaging story or to fill a movie with convincing characters.

THE LOWDOWN: If you need to catch this one, keep your expectations low.

HVO: Match Point, Silk & Before The Devil Knows You're Dead

Home Video Options

MATCH POINT (DVD 2005, drama)
Cast: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox
Director: Woody Allen
Time: 124 mins
Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 4)

WOODY Allen usually makes arty-farty films that should be tolerated rather than enjoyed. Well, this one is different. It puts Allen back on the winner's scoreboard and gives new prestige to its stars.

Rhys-Meyers is Chris Wilton, a young Irish who coaches tennis and becomes involved with the wealthy Tom Hewitt's (Goode) family and his girlfriend Nola (Johansson). He marries Tom's sister Chloe (Mortimer) and is promoted vice-president of his father-in-law's (Cox) firm. However, a clandestine affair follows, leading him into an ever deepening quagmire that may involve murder.

Well, we have seen many soap operas about infidelity and how it erodes a marriage. This one, with laudable performances by the three main stars, offers something you have probably not seen before. It is engaging and draws you into the fray.

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SILK (DVD 2007, romantic drama)
Cast: Michael Pitt, Keira Knightley, Koji Yakusho, Alfred Molina, Mark Rendall, and Sei Ashina
Director: Francois Girard
Time: 112 mins
Rating: * 1/2 (1.5 star)

THE one good thing about this movie is its cinematography by Alain Dostie who captures travel postcard style scenes. The rest of this movie, based on the novel by Alessandro Baricco, is all in tatters. Under Girard's direction, 'Silk' is highly pretentious, awfully slow and devoid of emotion, let alone sparks of any kind.

Pitt plays Herve Joncour who has to leave his beloved Helene (Knightley) to make the perilous journey to Japan, circa 1862, to buy silkworm eggs for his boss (Molina). In Japan, he becomes obsessed with a beautiful concubine (Sei Ashina) - and his life, like the silkworm eggs in the story, becomes infected with disease.

Yes, this is the movie where we get to see Knightley's boobs but they are not worth having to sit through such a dreary film. What's more Pitt can't at for nuts and Knightley and Molina are wasted.

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BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD (DVD 2007, crime thriller)
Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei and Rosemary Harris
Director: Sydney Lumet
Time: 123 mins
Rating: * * * (3 stars)

THE title comes from an Irish toast which goes like this: "May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead!" And as you would expect, this is a toast for plotters and sinners and one of them is Andy Hanson (Hoffman) who conspires with his brother Hank (Hawke) to rob their parents' jewellery store.

The plan is actually clever and safe: Hank would scare the hell out of the old lady assistant, empty the trays into the loot bag and scoot. No one would lose because their parents can claim insurance. Of course, Hank, the loser, still manages to foul things up and sets in motion a series of events that will wreck the lives of everyone in the family.

The movie works because of great performances from Hoffman, Hawke and Finney - plus some needless distractions from Marisa Tomei in some topless scenes.

'Four Christmases' Tops US Weekend B-O Again

'Four Christmases' tops the US weekend (Dec 5-7) box-office again, collecting US$18.2 million in its second week for a total of US$70.8 million in what is supposed to be the lull period after the Thanksgiving holidays. The Christmas comedy stars Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn as a couple who has to make four visits to their respective divorced parents.

Vampire love story 'Twilight' stays at No. 2, making US$13.2mil over the weekend (grossing US$138.6 mil in its third week), followed by 'Bolt' which made US$9.7 mil (total: US$79.3 mil, also in its third week).

At No. 4 is the epic 'Australia' (pic, right), collecting US$7.0 mil in its second week for a total of US$30.9 mil, followed by 'Quantum of Solace' with US$6.6 mil over the weekend and grossing US$151.5 overall.

The rest of the line-up, according to Box-officemojo, is as follows:

No. 6 'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa' US$5.1 mil (total US$165.6 mil in 5th week);

No. 7 'Transporter 3' made US$4.5 mil (total US$25.3 mil in its second week);

No. 8, 'Punisher: War Zone', US$4.0 mil in its opening weekend;

No. 9, 'Cadillac Records', US$3.5 mil in opening weekend;

No. 10, 'Role Models' - US$2.6 mil (total US$61.6 in its 5th week).

Heath Ledger's AFI Award May Lead To Oscar Nod

THE posthumous award bestowed on Heath Ledger by the Australian Film Institute (AFI) today (Sat, Dec 6) will probably spark off a series of other international awards leading up to an Academy nomination for the late Aussie actor.

Reuters reported that Ledger was awarded one of his country's most prestigious film awards for his final role as The Joker in the Batman movie 'The Dark Knight'.

Ledger, 28, died of an accidental overdose of painkillers and other medicines in his New York apartment 11 months ago. He was awarded the AFI International Award for Best Actor for a role that was acclaimed by both critics and moviegoers as main attractions of 'The Dark Knight', a sequel to the 2005 hit, 'Batman Begins'.

Personally, I think Ledger deserves at least an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor that defining role (read my review here). His influence among Hollywood circles may spur the momentum for him to be voted for an Oscar, I hope.


Ledger garnered world attention when he starred as a gay guy and kissed Jake Gyllenhaal in Ang Lee's 'Brokeback Mountain' in 2005 (above).

WEEKEND PIC Dec 5 - 7, 2008

Your Guide To The Weekend Movies

NEW This Week:


a) BODY OF LIES (espionage thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe pictured above, Mark Strong, and Golshifteh Farahani) Rating * * * 1/2 (out of 4): Ridley Scott's thriller on how a CIA team operates between its Langley HQ guy and an agent in the Middle East is both smart and intense. The plot is rather convoluted but the pay-off is really satisfying.

b) TRANSPORTER 3 (action thriller with Jason Statham, Natalya Rudakova, Francois Berleand, Robert Knepper and Jeroen Krabbe) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): If you want ridiculous stunts, chases and crashes, you got them all. Just don't expect director Olivier Megaton to top up on logic and intelligence. (Reviewed below)

c) WILD CHILD (school girl drama with Emma Roberts, Natasha Richardson, Kimberley Nixon, Juno Temple, Sophie Wu, Alex Pettyfer, Georgia King, and Aidan Quinn) Rating * * (2 stars): This tale about a rich Malibu brat being sent to a UK boarding school to learn some important life lesson, is as corny and cliched as 'Mean Girls'.

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. BOLT (animated comedy with John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman and Mark Walton) Rated * * * (3 stars): This entertaining canine road-trip movie should put Walt Disney Pictures back in the running for Top Dog in the animation stakes, instead of Underdog. (Reviewed below)

2. TWILIGHT (love story with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed and Jackson Rathbone) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This long-awaited chick-flick is expected to replace the Harry Potter franchise, with its popular book appeal. But the attraction seems limited to young girls. (Reviewed below).

3. QUANTUM OF SOLACE (Bond film with Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko, pictured above, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Gemma Arterton, Mathieu Amalric and Olga Kurylenko) Rated * * * (3 stars): Director Marc Forster takes the Bond franchise closer to the Bourne films in this sequel to 'Casino Royale'. Many of the 007 traditions are discarded for a shorter and more functional action film. (Reviewed below).

4. MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA (animated comedy voiced by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith and Sacha Baron Cohen) Rated * * * (3 stars): It's not new but an improved sequel on the exploits of a bunch of zoo animals 'let loose' into the wild. Hearty laughs and shakin' music. (Reviewed below)

5. IGOR (animated comedy with voices of John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Coolidge, John Cleese and Jay Leno) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): It looks like someone is trying to copy Tim Burton's creations with this tale about an 'Igor' (scientist sidekick) who becomes the mad Frankenstein himself. (Reviewed below)

6. LAKEVIEW TERRACE (drama with Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Starts off as an engaging drama about a nasty neighbour in a US suburb but goes downhill with a loud and dumb ending.

TRANSPORTER 3: More Stunts, Less Brain

TRANSPORTER 3 (action thriller)
Cast: Jason Statham, Natalya Rudakova, Francois Berleand, Robert Knepper and Jeroen Krabbe
Director: Olivier Megaton
Time: 102 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)



THE BUZZ: It is a bit of a paradox, really. As the action stunts in the Transporter franchise get better and more awesome with each sequel, the plot and its credulity get more and more ridiculous and stupid. Thus while 'Transporter 3' delivers its requisite car chases, bicycle and train chases and clashes, it falls short on logic and credibility.

But then again, to its fans, logic is immaterial just as long as they get their high...

THE SKINNY: Frank Martin (Jason Statham, pictured above) is 'persuaded' to transport Valentina (Natalya Rudakova), the kidnapped daughter of Leonid Vasilev (Jeroen Krabbe), head of the Environmental Protection Agency for the Ukraine, from Marseilles through Stuttgart and Budapest right to Odessa on the Black Sea - on what is called a 'mission'.

Aided by Inspector Tarconi (Francois Berleand), Frank has to contend with the goons sent by his employer (Robert Knepper of TV's Prison Break as Johnson), agents sent by Vasilev to intercept him, and the general non-cooperation of his passenger. Despite Valentina's cynicism and attempts not to get involved, Frank and Valentina fall for each other, while escaping from one life-threatening situation after another.

THE REVIEW: Since we all know for sure that our one-man courier service is not going to be harmed, much less killed even by machine-guns, there is no sense of danger in the stunts. Choreographed by the legendary Corey Yuen, many of the fight and chase sequences are a visual ballet, cheating the eye and boggling the mind with quick cuts and idiotic fast forwards. Statham delivers what is expected of him - as deadpan fighting machine - and the nubile Rudakova provides a fresh (and freckled) face to the franchise.

As usual, the scripters have also kept the women in the audience in mind, providing the obligatory romance between Frank and Valentina - after the mandatory mutual dislike for each other, of course. Still, for many Statham action fans, the car-on-two-wheels chase stunt should be worth the price of the ticket - and Statham's topless shirt fight scene is a bonus, especially for the ladies.

THE LOWDOWN: Join this chase for your adrenaline boost, but leave your brains at home.

After Thanksgiving, it's 'Four Christmases'

The Top 10 at the US Weekend (Nov 29-30) Box-Office

AS soon as the turkey is carved and Thanksgiving is over, America gets ready for Christmas. This Yuletide mood is apparent in the box-office figures as 'Four Christmases' edges out the previous weekend's top flicks, 'Twilight', 'Quantum of Solace', and 'Bolt'.

According to Box-officemojo, 'Four Christmases' (pictured) topped the box-office last weekend (Nov 29-30) with an estimated US$31.7 million at 3,310 theatres States side. This is just about half of what 'Twilight' bit of the previous weekend (US$69mil), confirming the vampire-styled love story to be the most popular movie this week (followed by 'Quantum of Solace').

At No. 2, 'Bolt' did US$26.6 million at 3,654 screens for a total of US$66.9 million in its second weekend, while 'Twilight' collected US$26.4 million at 3,425 screens to gross US$119.7 million at 3rd Place in its second week.

At No. 4, Bond movie 'Quantum of Solace' shot up another US$19.5 million last weekend to total US$142.1 million in its third week.

At No. 5, epic film 'Australia' scored a disappointing US$14.8 million at 2,642 screens (for a total of US$20.0 million so far) in its opening week.

No. 6, 'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa' made US$14.5 mil (total US$159.5mil in 4th week);

No. 7, 'Transporter 3' made US$12.3mil (total US$18.5mil in its opening week);

No. 8, 'Role Models', US$5.2mil, (total US$57.9mil in its 4th week);

No. 9, 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas', US$1.7mil (total US$5.1 in 4th week);

No. 10, 'Milk' - US$1.3mil (total US$1.9mil in opening week).