WEEKEND PIC - April 24 - 26, 2009

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK:


a. THE UNINVITED (psychological thriller remake with Emily Browning, Elizabeth Banks, Arielle Kebbel, David Strathairn, Jesse Moss and Dean Paul Gibson) Rated * * * (3 stars): This Hollywood version of Korean horror, A Tale of Two Sisters, is not as scary as the original but it is engaging, nevertheless. (Reviewed below)

b. THE SNIPER (actioner with Richie Jen, Edison Chen, Huang Xiaoming, Jack Kao and Bowie Lam) Rated * * * (3 stars): Testosterone-filled thriller about a sniper out for revenge. The movie was delayed due to the Edison Chen sex pix scandal. Mainly for action fans and those interested in catching Chen's 'last' movie. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. PAUL BLART: MALL COP (comedy with Kevin James, Jayma Mays, Keir O'Donnell, Bobby Cannavale, Stephen Rannazzisi and Shirley Knight) Rated * * * (3 stars): Lightweight comedy by a heavyweight 'hero' makes a pleasant watch. It is actually a spoof on the Die Hard actioner. (Reviewed below)

2. FAST & FURIOUS 4 (action thriller with Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, John Ortiz and Laz Alonso) Rated * * * (3 stars): Right from the opening, we are plunged into the F&F world of fast cars, spectacular crashes and hot chicks. Plus, there's chemistry between Diesel and Walker as two fueding rivals caught on the same side of an FBI investigation. (Reviewed below)

3. SHINJUKU INCIDENT (Cantonses action drama with Jackie Chan, Daniel Wu, Naoto Takenaka, Fan Bingbing, Jack Kao, Masaya Kato and Xu Jinglei) Rated * * * (3 stars): No longer the kungfu comedian, this is Jackie's first foray into a serious role in Derek Yee's story about the Chinese refugees in Japan. Contains some violent scenes. (Reviewed below)

4. HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU (romantic comedy with Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Drew Barrymore, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, Kris Kristofferson and Justin Long) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Another ensemble effort about five women in pursuit of love. This one has a cast of top-liners but they are largeky wasted here. We are just not that into them either. (Reviewed below)

5. CROSSING OVER (drama with Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Cliff Curtis, Jaysha Patel, Jim Sturgess, Alice Eve, Alice Braga and Justin Chon) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This ensemble flick of US Immigration stories aims to be like the Oscar-winning Crash but turns out rather messy and unfocused.

6. PASSENGERS (psychological thriller with Anne Hathaway, Patrick Wilson, David Morse, Andre Braugher and Dianne Wiest) Rated * * (2 stars): Obviously another star vehicle for Hathaway but with a badly-written story. The atmosphere is appropriately eerie and the acting is fine. However, the plot, including the twist at the end, is so full of holes. (Reviewed below)

7. NAAK (action thriller with Jesdaporn Pholdee, Ploy Jindachot, Passin Ruangvuth and Sakda Kaewbuadee) Rated * * (2 stars): This multi-genre effort by a first-time director combines ancient Naga myth with modern jungle warfare, science fiction and even romance. In short, a Thai rojak movie. ((Reviewed below)

8. COMING SOON (horror thriller with Chantavit Dhanasevi, Vorakan Rojchanawat and Sakulrath Thomas) Rated * * (2 stars): Offering a movie-within-a-movie, this Thai horror is about a projectionist's attempt to videocopy a movie - with near fatal results. (Reviewed below)

9. FRIDAY THE 13th (horror thriller with Jared Padalecki, Daneielle Panabaker, Aaron Yoo and Amanda Righetti) Rating * * (2 stars): Yet another remake of the 80s slasher horror that tries to outdo the gruesomeness of Saw. Only for horror fans who can't get enough of blood and gore.