WEEKEND PIC - Oct 2 - 4, 2009

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK:

a) (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.

b) FAR CRY (action adventure with Til Schweiger, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Natalia Avelon, Michael Paré, Craig Fairbrass and Udo Kier) Rated * 1/2 (1.5 star): Directed by the infamous Uwe Boll, this outing is an improvement on his earlier efforts. Still, the trademark Bollshit is there and it needs to be overlooked. (Reviewed below)

c) 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 written by Mark Rosman, this one totally defies logic, reasoning and accepted human behaviour. It is about how a bunch of sorority sisters are being hunted down by a mystery killer over a prank-gone-wrong. (Reviewed below)


STILL GOING STRONG:

1. THE UGLY TRUTH (romantic comedy with Gerard Butler, Katherine Heigl, Cheryl Hines, Bonnie Somerville, Bree Turner and Eric Winter) Rated * * * (3 out of 4 stars): It's derivative and predictable but also hilarious and fun. Also the teaming of Butler and Heigl sparkles with screen chemistry. (Reviewed below)

2. ACCIDENT (crime thriller with Louis Koo, Richie Jen, Michelle Ye, Lam Suet and Fung Shui-Fan) Rated * * * (3 out of 4 stars): The story about a team of hired assassins has no gunplay or kungfu fighting but it is thick with tension and intrigue. There are also a few flaws that strain credibility but not bad enough to affect the overall entertainment. (Reviewed below)

3. WHERE GOT GHOST? (Singaporean thriller-comedy with Jack Neo, Mark Lee, Henry Thia, Richard Low, Marcus Chin, John Cheng, Wang Lei, Tay Yin Yin and Tony Koh) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Typical Jack Neo comedy about Singaporeans' belief in the supernatural. There are three shorts in this movie, with Neo saving the best for last. (Reviewed below)

4. G-FORCE (animated fantasy with voices of Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, Penélope Cruz, Steve Buscemi and Tracy Morgan) Rating: * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Basically an action flick for kids below 12, this furball fantasy about heroic guinea pigs boasts lots of stunts and explosive scenes. The plot is the usual rubbish but entertaining enough for little minds.

5. 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)

6. TSUNAMI AT HAEUNDAE (disaster thriller with Ha Ji-won, Park Joong-hoon and Sol Kyung-gu) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 out of 4 stars): Made at about US$10 million (RM35 million), this is South Korea's first blockbuster disaster flick. The big waves only come at the 45-minute mark, preceded by lots of human angle subplots. The effects are above par but not the narrative. Something to tide action fans till 2012?

7. GAMER (sci-fi action thriller with Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Amber Valletta, Alison Lohman, Logan Lerman, Terry Crews and John Leguizamo) Rating: * * (2 stars): This futuristic Gladiator-game story, reminiscent of Death Race (2008), is high on butts, boobs and bullets but low on everything else. Its shaky camera scenes are a put-off and it is mainly for joystick-jockeys.