WEEKEND PIC - Oct 16-18, 2009

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK:

a) CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (animated comedy with Anna Faris, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Bruce Campbell, James Caan, Tracy Morgan and Mr. T) Rated * * * (3 out of 4 stars): Offbeat family entertainment with a touch of inspired lunacy and subtle messages about fatherly love, puppy love and youthful ambition. Available in 3D, the action makes you hungry at first - and then you may wanna duck for cover. (Reviewed below)


b) WHITEOUT (crime thriller with Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short, Alex O'Loughlin, Shawn Doyle, Tom Skerritt and Nicolas Wright) Rated * * (2 stars): Beckinsale is undeniably hot. This plodding Antarctic murder thriller is not. Thankfully, we get to see Beckingsale's hot bod at the opening of the show and then it's all the way downhill. (Reviewed below)

c) PANDORUM (space horror with Ben Foster, Dennis Quaid, Cam Gigandet, Antje Traue, Cung Le and Norman Reedus) Rated * * (2 stars): Most of the movie is filmed in the dark, the action involving mutated cannibals is long drawn, and it reminds us of space horror films like Aliens and Event Horizon. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER (romantic comedy with Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Clark Gregg, Minka Kelly, Matthew Gray Gubler and Rachel Boston) Rating * * * 1/2 (out of 4): A rather refreshing take on the rom-com genre, this one is about a break-up told in a 'shuffled card' style. For those who even dislike rom-coms.

2. REBELLION (HK crime thriller with Shawn Yue, Elanne Kwong, Ada Choi, Chapman To, Jun Kung and Conroy Chan) Rated: * * * (out of 4): This Herman Yau 'chop-chop suey' actioner is about the tussle for territory among five rival gangs in Hong Kong. It keeps you on the edge of your seat most of the time - with a few comic and romantic interludes. (Reviewed below)

3. SURROGATES (sci-fi thriller with Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Ving Rhames, Boris Kodjoe, Michael Cudlitz and James Cromwell) Rating * * * (3 stars): A better than average sci-fi movie that is both thought-provoking and engaging. Thankfully it's not about robots going berserk but about humans falling for an easier and prettier life - a'la WALL-E.

4. THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE (drama with Robin Wright Penn, Blake Lively, Alan Arkin, Keanu Reeves, Maria Bello, Zoe Kazan, Winona Ryder, Monica Bellucci and Ryan McDonald) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): I like watching the performances of its cast of top stars in this flim than aims for Oscar nods than ticket sales. But writer-director Rebecca Miller tends to be too quirky for her own good. (Reviewed below)

5. BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT (courtroom drama with Jesse Metcalfe, Amber Tamblyn, Michael Douglas, Joel David Moore, Orlando Jones, Lawrence Beron and Sewell Whitney) Rated * * (2 stars): This remake of the 1956 film noir stumbles and stutters because its lead, Metcalf, cannot deliver - and director Peter Hyams has failed to improve the narrative. (Reviewed below)

6. A PERFECT GETAWAY (mystery thriller with Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant, Marley Shelton, Steve Zahn, Kiele Sanchez, Katie Chonacas and Chris Hemsworth) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): The first half of this adventure yarn is a big yawn. Instead of 'red herrings' we are thrown 'red snappers' in this 'big-reveal' flick about a pair of murderers among holidaying couples in scenic Hawaii.(Reviewed below)

7. SORORITY ROW (Slasherpic with Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Margo Harshman, Audrina Patridge and Carrie Fisher) Rated * (1 star): A needless remake of the 1983 film, this one totally defies logic and accepted human behaviour. It is about how a bunch of sorority sisters are being hunted down over a prank-gone-wrong. (Reviewed below)