INVICTUS - Eastwood'S Mandela Drama

INVICTUS (sports & political drama)
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Scott Eastwood, Robert Hobbs, Langley Kirkwood, Bonnie Henna and Grant Roberts
Director: Clint Eastwood
Screenplay: Anthony Peckham from the book 'Playing the Enemy' by John Carlin
Time: 131 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

Freeman (as Mandela) and Damon as team captain Francois Pienaar

PREAMBLE: 'Invictus' is Latin for 'unconquered' and the movie deals with President Nelson Mandela and South Africa's Springbok rugby team. Yes, it is as much about the historical World Cup rugby match as it is about Mandela's struggles to unify the people and heal the wounds of the nation.

Clint Eastwood's film, adapted from John Carlin's book by Anthony Peckham, is not as close to American taste as The Blind Side but it is still an underdog story that bears retelling. It is nominated for two Oscar awards (Morgan Freeman for Best Actor, and Matt Damon for Best Supporting Actor) but I don't expect any win.

THE SKINNY: It is South Africa in 1994 and newly-elected President Mandela (Freeman) faces the tough job of unifying the nation, especially its problems created by decades of apartheid. One of his methods is supporting the mostly-white Springboks rugby team to win the 1995 World Cup being hosted in South Africa. Led by Francois Pienaar (Damon), the team has to compete against the world's best. The players learn not only tolerance but how to become heroes and role models for both white and black South Africans.

THE REVIEW: Unlike his World War II films, Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima, Eastwood seems less adventurous and inventive with his material. He steers the narrative along closely to that of the book and takes no side trips in offering human angle subplots. However, he seems to have enough on his hands with some amusing insights into Mandela's mixed-race bodyguard unit (which provided a few laughs and solid performances too).

Freeman had reportedly been preparing for years to play Mandela and it is easy to see the 'Madiba' (honorary title of Mandela) in him. However, the script does not offer the broad range to showcase his talents - at least not enough for Oscar votes. Ditto that for Damon's role. And of course, Eastwood does a fantastic job boiling up tension during the climatic match between the Springboks and New Zealand's All Blacks.

THE LOWDOWN: Worth the watch.

WEEKEND PIC - Feb 26 - 28, 2010

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK

a) FROM PARIS WITH LOVE (action thriller with John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Kasai Smutniak, Richard Durden, Melissa Mars, Amber Rose Revah and Farid Elouardi) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Luc Besson's actioner offers a high-voltage Travolta as a US Agent roughing up Paris but it is full of ridiculous action and lame lines. Thankfully, it has all the bang-bang stuff that action fans need. (Reviewed below)

b) THE BOOK OF ELI (futuristic adventure with Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Gary Oldman, Malcolm McDowell, Michael Gambon, Jennifer Beals, Ray Stevenson and Tom Waits) Rated * * (2 stars): Just another dose of apocalyptic doom and gloom with Washington as a latter-day prophet guarding a precious Book. Impressive atmosphere but the plot is too incredulous to be convincing. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG

1. LITTLE BIG SOLDIER (war dramedy in Mandarin with Jackie Chan, Wang LeeHom, Steven Yoo and Xiao Dong Mei) Rated * * * (3 stars out of 4): No, you don't get lots of kungfu fighting here or epic-styled battle sequences. Instead, this odd-couple road movie serves up an engaging mix of war-is-hell drama and Jackie Chan-typed comedy that should help brighten up the Lunar New Year celebrations. (Reviewed below)

2. 14 BLADES (martial arts fantasy with Donnie Yen, Vicky Zhao Wei, Kate Tsui, Wu Chun and Qi Yuwu) Rating * * * (3 stars): Writer-director Daniel Lee is not much of a story teller but he has made a crowd-pleaser of a kungfu actioner. There are many impressive fight sequences, including one in which Kate Tsui does a mid-air striptease duel. Oh yes, there is also a nice love story and some wonderful locales and costumes.

3. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: The Lightning Thief (fantasy adventure with Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Catherine Keener, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd, Steve Coogan and Rosario Dawson) Rating * * * (3 stars): Made in the style of the Harry Potter fantasy, this 'pilot' effort about a demi-god kid getting involved in an Olympian conflict is entertaining enough but not outstanding. The CGI is great though, especially of Medusa, played by Thurman.

4. VALENTINE'S DAY (romantic comedy with Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, et al) Rated * * * (3 stars): Just like the day itself, this ensemble film is cliched, predictable and uneven. But then who can deny it makes a great date movie for courting couples and fans of the two Taylors? (Reviewed below)

5. THE WOLFMAN (thriller with Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving and Art Malik) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This remake of the 1941 werewolf classic comes with strong performances from its lead cast but it is hampered by a weak script. Its love story, which should be emotionally intense, is anaemic too. (Reviewed below)

UP IN THE AIR - Another of Reitman's Gems

UP IN THE AIR (drama)
Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Amy Morton, Melanie Lynskey and J.K. Simmons
Director: Jason Reitman
Screenplay: Walter Kim & Jason Reitman
Time: 109 mins
Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 4)

LOVERS: Clooney and Farmiga in UP IN THE AIR

PREAMBLE: Can one ever get enough of George Clooney? Well, the Americans seem enamoured of him, especially the critics. Last year, he worked on three critically acclaimed movies - the animated and Fantastic Mr Fox, The Men Who Stare At GoatsUp In The Air. These three entries smacked of Oscar award material but somehow the absurd comedy Men Who Stare At Goats got lost along the way, leaving Fantastic Mr Fox with two nominations (for Best Animated Film and Best Score) and Up In The Air with six, including Best Picture and Best Director.

I don't expect any wins, though.

THE SKINNY: Ryan Bingham's (George Clooney) world is one of airports, chain hotels and loyalty cards. His life as a professional downsizer and motivational speaker keeps him travelling around America enjoying his privileges as a frequent business flier. Charming, slick and truly happy with his unencumbered lifestyle, Ryan revels in his life “up in the air” and one of his goals is not to get married but to get into the coveted 10-million mile flyers' club.

His easy-going lifestyle hits turbulence when he encounters two women. One of them is the sexy but enigmatic Alex (Vera Farmiga), a frequent flyer just like Ryan but "with a vagina". In Alex, Ryan finds someone with whom he might actually start a relationship, even if it is in hotels and airports. The second is Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) a new colleague who comes up with the idea of using teleconference technology to sack people. Determined to prove to her that this is not the way to go, Ryan brings Natalie on the road with him with unexpected results.

HITS & MISSES: Jason Reitman's Up In The Air is a character-driven vehicle, not unlike his 2007 Juno. However, while Juno deals with the perennial problem of teen pregnancy, Up In The Air is topical, dealing with the painful problem of downsizing and retrenchment. Reitman first penned this story back in 2002, but completed the movie last year to ride on the waves of 'global recession'. You can be sure those who have been involved in downsizing are going to relate to this film.

Here, it is not only Clooney who shines as the pathetic protag living out of a suitcase, but also co-stars Farmiga and Kendrick (pic, left) who flesh out their characters so convincingly that we get charmed by them and their ideas. Farmiga strings us along with her casual and carefree Alex while Kendrick's Natalie shows a strong facade hiding a vulnerable and emotional centre. Jason Bateman supports as Ryan's boss while Melanie Lynskey plays his sister.

THE LOWDOWN: Mark this as another of Reitman's gems.

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE: Mindless Shoot-'Em-Up

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE (action thriller)
Cast: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Kasia Smutniak, Richard Durden, Melissa Mars, Amber Rose Revah and Farid Elouardi
Director: Pierre Morel
Screenplay: Luc Besson and Adi Hasak
Time: 95 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)


PREAMBLE: Well, whaddaya know? French film-maker Luc Besson has gotten classier these days! Nope, the screenplay (based on his story) is still trashy and the action cartoonish. And his dialogue stinks even more this time around.

However, he has brought some 'class' to the cast - like, instead of a second-stringer like Transporter's Jason Stratham, he has John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers to grace the marquee. And understandably, these two leads help to make this trite blow-'em-up flick more credible than it really is.

THE SKINNY: Rhys-Meyers plays James Reese, a rookie intelligence operative working in the office of the U.S. Ambassador in France. Reese takes on more than he bargained for when he partners Charlie Wax (Travolta), a wisecracking, fast-shooting, high-ranking US secret agent who’ has been sent to Paris to stop a terrorist attack.

Meanwhile, while driving Wax around from one seedy Parisian joint to another, Reese has to worry about his fiancee Caroline (Kasia Smutniak) who wants to invite Wax home for dinner.

THE REVIEW: Typical of Besson's productions, nothing in the plot makes sense. At the opening, we see Reese playing chess with his boss Ambassador Bennington (Richard Durden). Reese check his opponent - and Bennington identifies the move as Fisher's 1972 gambit. Yet Reese manages to checkmate him in the next move!

The action picks up with the arrival of Travolta's Wax - who goes around shooting and beating Paris up like it was a cowboy town. It is a good thing that Travolta's cartoonish character is balanced with a few aces up his sleeve that surprise the audience. Rhys-Meyers provides a suitable foil to Wax - helping to pump up his already over-the-top super-agent.

Of course, the movie is aimed at action fans who don't give a hoot about plot credibility as long as the action is charged and the chicks are hot. And here we have Smutniak (pic, right), a newcomer who looks a lot like Besson's ex-girlfriend Milla Jovovich.

THE LOWDOWN: Mindless but fun.

'Hurt Locker' Trounces 'Avatar' at BAFTAs

FEB 22, 2010 - The Hurt Locker trounced blockbuster Avatar at the BAFTA British film awards last night at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, picking up six wins including Best Film and Best Director, besides firming up bets for the Oscars.


The Hurt Locker and Avatar, directed by Kathryn Bigelow and her ex-husband James Cameron respectively, were both nominated for eight awards at the BAFTAs. They also lead the field in next month’s Academy Awards with nine nominations apiece.

Bigelow became the first woman to win the Best Director BAFTA, and said she hoped she would not be the last. Avatar, the biggest box office hit in history, won just two awards – production design and special visual effects. Bigelow played down talk of rivalry between the former spouses.

Meanwhile, Colin Firth won Best Actor award for A Single Man while Carey Mulligan (pic, right) won Best Actress for An Education.

As reported earlier, Vanessa Redgrave was awarded with the BAFTA Fellowship from Prince William, who took over as President of BAFTA from Lord Attenborough.

Here is the winners list of the 2010 BAFTA Awards:

* Best Film: "The Hurt Locker"
* Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
* Outstanding British Film: Fish Tank
* Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: Duncan Jones (Director) - Moon

* Best Leading Actor: Colin Firth (pic, left) - A Single Man
* Best Leading Actress: Carey Mulligan - An Education
* Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
* Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique - Precious
* Rising Star Award: Kristen Stewart
* Best Original Screenplay: The Hurt Locker - Mark Boal
* Best Adapted Screenplay: Up in the Air - Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
* Best Animated Film: Up - Pete Docter
* Best Film Not in English Language: A Prophet
* Best Cinematography: The Hurt Locker - Barry Ackroyd
* Best Film Editing: The Hurt Locker - Bob Murawski, Chris Innis
* Best Production Design: Avatar - Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair
* Best Costume Design: The Young Victoria - Sandy Powell
* Best Special Visual Effects: Avatar - Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andrew R. Jones
* Best Makeup & Hair: The Young Victoria - Jenny Shircore
* Best Music: Up - Michael Giacchino
* Best Sound: The Hurt Locker - Ray Beckett, Paul N. J. Ottosson
* Best Short Film: I Do Air - James Bolton, Martina Amati
* Best Animated Short: Mother of Many - Sally Arthur, Emma Lazenby

'Shutter Island' Tops US Weekend List

FEB 22, 2010 - Shutter Island topped the box office this weekend with an estimated US$40.2 million. This marks the biggest opening of the careers of director Martin Scorsese and lead Leonardo DiCaprio.

With no other films opening in wide release, the rest of the North American Top Five was filled with holdovers, most of which dropped by more than 50% from last weekend's record holiday session.

Here is the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Feb 19-21, 2010 weekend, in terms of rank, Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo.

1. Shutter Island (Paramount) $40.2 million ($40.2 million) 1

2. Valentine's Day (WB) $17.2 million ($87.4 million) 2

3. Avatar (Fox) $16.1 million ($687.8 million) 10

4. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Fox) $15.3 million ($58.8 million) 2

5. The Wolfman (Universal) $9.8 million ($50.3 million) 2

BOOK OF ELI: Trite Plotting

THE BOOK OF ELI (futuristic drama)
Cast: Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Gary Oldman, Malcolm McDowell, Michael Gambon,
Jennifer Beals, Ray Stevenson and Tom Waits,
Directors: Allen and Albert Hughes
Screenplay: Gary Whitta
Time: 118 mins
Rating: * * (out of 4)

PREAMBLE: Another dose of post-apocalyptic doom and gloom. Again, the world as we know it has ended and it sorely needs a lone prophet to bring salvation to the survivors. If this sounds trite and cliched, wait till you catch the movie.

Scripter Gary Whitta and the Hughes Brothers must have been very high on something to have conceived such a preposterous conceit.


THE SKINNY: Thirty years after the world is devastated by a nuclear war, Eli (Denzel Washington, above, with Mila Kunis) walks across a ravaged America, guarding his most precious possession – a book. Carnegie (Gary Oldman), the head honcho of a small town, wants the book, thinking that it will give him immense power. When Eli escapes from town with Carnegie’s adopted daughter Solara (Mila Kunis), Carnegie and his gang set out in pursuit of the book.

HITS & MISSES: No prizes for guessing what the Book of Eli is. This is because as soon as we discover what it is, our patience and respect for the movie fade and the plot threatens to become a joke.

We are told that the Book has been blamed for the War and every single copy of it is burned - except the one belonging to Eli. If you can believe that, then you should have no problem sitting through this film.

Basically, the movie plays like a mix of spaghetti western and Mad Max with a bit of The Road thrown in. It has a good cast, though. Washington's hero is believable enough given that he has some god-given powers that allows him to vanquish multiple attackers single-handedly. Oldman also lends credence to the villain Carnegie, while Michael Gambon plays an old-timer who survives by trapping visitors. Kunis, of course, gives the movie the requisite feminine touch and pathos, while an exotic-looking Jennifer Beals plays her mother.

THE LOWDOWN: Mainly for fans of the Brothers Hughes.

WEEKEND PIC - Feb 19 - 21, 2010

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

1. LITTLE BIG SOLDIER (war dramedy in Mandarin with Jackie Chan, Wang LeeHom, Steven Yoo and Xiao Dong Mei) Rated * * * (3 stars out of 4): No, you don't get lots of kungfu fighting here or epic-styled battle sequences. Instead, this odd-couple road movie serves up an engaging mix of war-is-hell drama and Jackie Chan-typed comedy that should help brighten up the Lunar New Year celebrations. (Reviewed below)

2. 14 BLADES (martial arts fantasy with Donnie Yen, Vicky Zhao Wei, Kate Tsui, Wu Chun and Qi Yuwu) Rating * * * (3 stars): Writer-director Daniel Lee is not much of a story teller but he has made a crowd-pleaser of a kungfu actioner. There are many impressive fight sequences, including one in which Kate Tsui does a mid-air striptease duel. Oh yes, there is also a nice love story and some wonderful locales and costumes.

3. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: The Lightning Thief (fantasy adventure with Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Catherine Keener, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd, Steve Coogan and Rosario Dawson) Rating * * * (3 stars): Made in the style of the Harry Potter fantasy, this 'pilot' effort about a demi-god kid getting involved in an Olympian conflict is entertaining enough but not outstanding. The CGI is great though, especially of Medusa, played by Thurman.

4. VALENTINE'S DAY (romantic comedy with Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, et al) Rated * * * (3 stars): Just like the day itself, this ensemble film is cliched, predictable and uneven. But then who can deny it makes a great date movie for courting couples and fans of the two Taylors? (Reviewed below)

5. THE WOLFMAN (thriller with Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving and Art Malik) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This remake of the 1941 werewolf classic comes with strong performances from its lead cast but it is hampered by a weak script. Its love story, which should be emotionally intense, is anaemic too. (Reviewed below)

Kristen Stewart As A Teenage Prostitute

FEB 16, 2010 - Twilight fans in America will get to see Kristen 'Bella' Stewart playing a pot-smoking prostitute in a 2008 film called Welcome To The Rileys this fall.

The movie, which is at the Berlin film festival without its two leading stars — Stewart and James Gandolfini (of The Sopranos fame) — found a distributor for the key US market and will hit cinemas in autumn.

Director Jake Scott, son of Ridley, said he first considered Stewart (pictured) for the part of Mallory when Sean Penn recommended her on the strength of her performance in his movie Into the Wild.

Stewart, 19, is now a teen sensation after the two Twilight movies, and her involvement in Welcome to the Rileys is expected to be a major boost for a low-budget, independently-produced film.

She plays Mallory, a teenaged stripper and prostitute in New Orleans whom Doug Riley (Gandolfini), takes under his protective wing. Riley's affection for Mallory is driven by a desire to find a surrogate for his own daughter, who died in a car crash at age 15.

Of course, this time around, we will not find hordes of screaming fans at the theatres but I wonder if we will get to see more facial expressions from her other than those blinking blank looks in New Moon? Well, anything just to confirm that she is not just a pretty face kissed by good luck.

Valentine's Day Tops US President Day Weekend

FEB 16, 2010 - Valentine's Day led to the biggest Presidents' Day weekend, not to mention the highest-grossing February (4-day) weekend ever. Overall Friday-to-Monday business came in at close to US$250 million, up over 10 percent from the same holiday time frame last year, which was the previous Presidents' benchmark.

Also contributing to the bustling weekend were sizeable samplings for Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief and The Wolfman and the continued strength of Avatar.

Here is the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Feb 12-15, 2010 weekend, in terms of rank, Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo.

1. Valentine's Day (WB) $66.8 million ($66.8 million) 1

2. Percy Jackson... (Fox) $38.7 million ($38.7 million) 1

3. The Wolfman (Universal) $36.4 million ($36.4 million) 1

4. Avatar (Fox) $30.0 million ($667.6 million) 9

5. Dear John (SGem) $18.8 million ($56.6 million) 2

Vanessa Redgrave Awarded BAFTA Fellowship

FEB 13, 2010 - The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced that it has awarded British actress Vanessa Redgrave (pic) an Academy Fellowship to be presented later this month in honour of a career spanning six decades.

The fellowship was its highest honour and among its previous recipients are Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor and Julie Christie.

"I'm truly delighted, it's such an honour to be recognised in this way," Redgrave, a member of the famous British acting dynasty, said in a statement. "Looking through the list of past recipients shows what a wonderful accolade this is, and the fact that Alfred Hitchcock was the very first recipient makes it even more special, as my father made his first film with him."

Vanessa Redgrave, 73, has been nominated for an Oscar six times and won once for her performance in Julia.

In recent years she has enjoyed success on the stage, notably in "The Year of Magical Thinking" and in Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night. She is also well known for her political activism and campaigned against the wars in Vietnam and Iraq.

Redgrave will receive her fellowship on Feb 21, when the winners of the 2010 BAFTA awards are announced.

CHINESE NEW YEAR PIC - Feb 12 - 16, 2010

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK

a) LITTLE BIG SOLDIER (war dramedy in Mandarin with Jackie Chan, Wang LeeHom, Steven Yoo and Xiao Dong Mei) Rated * * * (3 stars out of 4): No, you don't get lots of kungfu fighting here or epic-styled battle sequences. Instead, this odd-couple road movie serves up an engaging mix of war-is-hell drama and Jackie Chan-typed comedy that should help brighten up the Lunar New Year celebrations. (Reviewed below)

b) PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: The Lightning Thief (fantasy adventure with Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Catherine Keener, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd, Steve Coogan and Rosario Dawson) Rating * * * (3 stars): Made in the style of the Harry Potter fantasy, this 'pilot' effort about a demi-god kid getting involved in an Olympian conflict is entertaining enough but not outstanding. The CGI is great though, especially of Medusa, played by Thurman.

c) VALENTINE'S DAY (romantic comedy with Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, et al) Rated * * * (3 stars): Just like the day itself, this ensemble film is cliched, predictable and uneven. But then who can deny it makes a great date movie for courting couples and fans of the two Taylors? (Reviewed below)

d) THE WOLFMAN (thriller with Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving and Art Malik) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This remake of the 1941 werewolf classic comes with strong performances from its lead cast but it is hampered by a weak script. Its love story, which should be emotionally intense, is anaemic too. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG

1. UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: A NEW BEGINNING (action adventure with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Andrei Arlovski and Corey Johnson) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This made-for-DVD film by director John Hyams is the sequel to Roland Emmerich’s 1992 movie. Reteaming Van Damme and Lundgren, it offers the kind of action and humour the fans of Universal Soldier films expect and nothing more. The film is subtitled 'Regeneration' on DVD.

2. FAME (dance musical with Naturi Naughton, Kay Penabaker, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, Bebe Neuwirth, Charles S. Dutton and Debbie Allen) Rated * * (2 stars): A totally needless remake of the famous 1980 musical with Irene Cara that spawned a TV series and many similar flicks. This one, however, is both tame and lame - with a cliched plot and characters that are utterly forgettable. (Reviewed below)

3. TOOTH FAIRY (fantasy comedy with Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Stephen Merchant, Julie Andrews, Billy Crystal and Ryan Sheckler) Rated * * (2 stars): A flimsy plot and kiddie humour mark this second comedy outing by The Rock Johnson (after The Game Plan). The one-joke set-up has Johnson being 'sentenced' to serve as a Tooth Fairy by Andrews for crashing a child's dream. (Reviewed below)

4. LEGION (apocalyptic thriller with Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson, Doug Jones, Jon Tenney, Charles S. Dutton, Lucas Black, Kate Walsh and Adrianne Palicki) Rating * * (2 stars): As an apocalyptic thriller about God sending his angels to wipe out the human race for the second time, Legion is a total mess. Technically, there are some cool effects and credible performances. But that's it.

5. THE SPY NEXT DOOR (comedy with Jackie Chan, Amber Valletta, Madeline Carroll, Will Shadley, Alina Foley, Magnus Scheving and Katherine Boecher) Rating: * * (2 stars): Another greasy kids' stuff the likes of The Pacifier and Old Dogs, with Chan reduced to playing an undercover CIA spy who has to take care of his neighbour's three kids. Yup, the trite, sentimental crap that Chan is now good for.

THE WOLFMAN - Just Another Remake

THE WOLFMAN (thriller)
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving and Art Malik
Director: Joe Johnston
Screenplay: Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self
Time: 105 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)

FUNERAL SCENE: From right: Hopkins, Blunt and Del Toro

PREAMBLE: Oh well, another remake or re-imagining of an old classic. This time around, it is the 1941 horror film of the same name that starred Lon Chaney Jr and Claude Rains. Given the state if CGI magic today, are we going to get a reboot gem like The Dark Knight?

Not quite. Just another remake, like I said...

THE SKINNY: Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro), a Shakespearean actor in the US, receives a letter from his brother's fiancee, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), requesting his help over his brother's disappearance. Reunited with his estranged father, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins) in England, Lawrence learns that his brother has been killed, brutally mauled by a monster near the family home in Blackmoor.

Scotland Yard inspector Francis Aberline (Hugo Weaving) comes to investigate, but as Lawrence's own search intensifies, he discovers shocking family secrets that trigger a bloody and tragic chain of events.

THE REVIEW: First, let's examine the strengths of this remake: a) The acting by the lead cast is blameless. Hopkins is commanding and totally engaging as the elder Talbot, while Del Toro is suitably riveting as the protagonist trapped in a beauty-and-the-beast dilemma. Weaving is the usual Weaving and we wonder if he had wandered into this movie straight from the set of The Matrix. The most captivating performance comes from Blunt - whose deft use of facial expressions and eyes conjure a huge variety of emotions from fear and disgust to longing and love.

b) The sets, technical aspects are way above average, with the dark and dank atmosphere of the moors helping to heighten dread.

And now, the flaws: For such a big production, the werewolf does not look scary or even menacing enough. Why, in certain scenes, the make-up even look amateurish and funny. And then there is the question of romance between Lawrence and Gwen which simply remains a question here. While Blunt oozes sex appeal, the romance is tepid. Our Malaysian censors may be culpable but the love story between the two is undeveloped or 'just badly executed'. What a waste of talent.

THE LOWDOWN: It's a whole lot of bark but no bite.

VALENTINE'S DAY - A Guilty Pleasure

VALENTINE'S DAY (romantic comedy')
Cast: Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner
Director: Garry Marshall
Screenplay: Katherine Fugate
Time: 120 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

BEST FRIENDS: Jennifer Garner and Ashton Kutcher

PREAMBLE: Those who get all soft and fluffy about Valentine's Day can rejoice, this film will reinforce the belief that everyone, even the top Hollywood stars, need to celebrate love. And for those who HATE Valentine's Day and the pressure it brings on them, they too can rejoice because there is something here to reinforce their beliefs also.

So there, a win-win flick about Feb 14 which incidentally also happens to be the First Day of the Lunar Year of the Tiger. Well, we will never know what the Tiger Year brings but Valentine's Day the film is so predictable, contrived and cliched that it probably describes all about the day itself.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT? Valentine's Day is set in Los Angeles where romance and heartbreaks are intertwined all within those 24 hours. Florist Reed Bennett (Ashton Kutcher) proposes to his girlfriend Morley (Jessica Alba) and he is all excited about it. His best friend Julia (Jennifer Garner) is having an affair with Dr Harrison Copeland (Patrick Dempsey), while talent agent in training Josh Morris (Topher Grace) has just met the receptionist Liz (Anne Hathaway), who moonlights on a phone sex line.

Meanwhile 10-year-old Edison (Bryce Robinson) who is one of Julia's pupils, wants to send flowers to his Valentine; his grandparents Estelle (Shirley MacLaine) and Edgar (Hector Elizondo) also have a surprise after being married for so long. And up in the air, an off-duty soldier (Julia Roberts) travels from afar just to spend one day with someone she loves...

HITS & MISSES: Watching this film is like spending Valentine's Day with the 'Who's Who' of Hollywood. There are so many big-name performers here that you will be struggling to name them - unless you are a star-gazer yourself. However, instead of being distracting, it is kinda fun - especially if you are fans of say, Grey's Anatomy, and get thrilled by seeing its famous doctors onscreen. (Pictured left: Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner as love birds)

And while the script may be predictable, it is only fair to say that writer Katherine Fugate has a few nice surprises up her sleeves too.

THE LOWDOWN: Aw, come on, Valentine's Day is all about flowers, candy and fluff. And this see-and-forget movie is a guilty pleasure.

LITTLE BIG SOLDIER - Jackie's Forte

LITTLE BIG SOLDIER (war 'dramedy')
Cast: Jackie Chan, Wang LeeHom, Steven Yoo and Xiao Dong Mei
Director: Sheng Ding
Screenplay: Jackie Chan
Time: 92 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)


PREAMBLE: Little Big Soldier is actually an odd-couple road movie set during China's Warring States period. The war drama, spiced with the usual Jackie Chan comedy, has been Jackie's brainchild for 20 years before finally hitting the big screen. Chan had initially planned to play the role of the young general but having aged since, he has to settle for the role of the elderly soldier.

Well, having seen Jackie as the titular character, I have no complaints. He provides the role with its requisite charm and experience that it is so easy to root for him. A refreshing change from farcical comedies like The Spy Next Door, I may add.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT? Jackie plays an unnamed soldier from the Liang State who survives an ambush by Qin forces that decimates the 2000-strong Liang army. The lowly soldier, who feigns death rather than fight, captures a young Wei general (Wang Leehom) and plans to 'trade' him for a plot of land as reward.

Along the way, however, captor and captive face a host of mishaps, misadventures and plot twists - and they have to team up in order to survive.

HITS & MISSES: As Jackie's own project, you can be sure of the trademark Jackie stunts and image boosts. Playing a farmer forcibly conscripted into war, Jackie's message (or ego massage) is that war is bad for animals, sparrows and the environment. He throws in lots of slapstick and sometimes the comedy borders on the ridiculous.

Still, these are forgiveable because it is easy to like Jackie's and LeeHom's characters. They have a sparkling screen chemistry that helps us overlook the plot-holes and lapses in logic. What's more important is that Little Big Soldier has a nostalgic feel, reminding us of Jackie's classics like Drunken Master and Snake In The Eagle's Shadow.

THE LOWDOWN: A fitting entertainment for the Chinese New Year season.

'Dear John' Knocks 'Avatar' Off Its Perch

FEB 8, 2010 - Finally, Avatar is knocked off its top B-O perch after 8 weeks at the cineplexes in North America. 'Dear John' topped the box office this weekend with an estimated US$32.4 million (RM110 mil), pulling in large numbers of young female moviegoers.

However, overall ticket sales slipped from last weekend, thanks in part to the Super Bowl distracting millions of Americans. Dear John stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried as lovers whose romance is curtailed by the Sept 11 attacks. It is directed by Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallstrom and based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks.

Avatar earned US$23.6 million in its eighth weekend, taking its total to US$630.1 million. The sci-fi blockbuster surpassed the US$601 million haul of James Cameron's 1997 release Titanic last Tuesday to become the biggest movie of all time in the United States and Canada.

John Travolta’s latest, From Paris With Love, was the actor’s worst start in almost a decade. The crime thriller opened at No 3 with US$8.1 million, falling short of modest industry expectations. Travolta’s previous worst opening was the US$4.5 million start for Lucky Numbers in October 2000. Travolta was in cinemas last November with Old Dogs, which opened at ticket sales of US$17 million.

Here is the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Feb 5-7, 2010 weekend, in terms of rank, Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo.

1. Dear John (Sony / Screen Gems) $32.4 million ($32.4 million) 1

2. Avatar (Fox) $23.6 million ($630.1 million) 8

3. From Paris with Love (Lionsgate) $8.1 million ($8.1 million) 1

4. Edge of Darkness (Warner Bros.) $7.0 million ($29.1 million) 2

5. Tooth Fairy (Fox) $6.5 million ($34.3 million) 3

WEEKEND PIC - Feb 5 - 7, 2010

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

1. UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: A NEW BEGINNING (action adventure with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Andrei Arlovski and Corey Johnson) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This made-for-DVD film by director John Hyams is the sequel to Roland Emmerich’s 1992 movie. Reteaming Van Damme and Lundgren, it offers the kind of action and humour the fans of Universal Soldier films expect and nothing more. The film is subtitled 'Regeneration' on DVD (pic).

2. FAME (dance musical with Naturi Naughton, Kay Penabaker, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, Bebe Neuwirth, Charles S. Dutton and Debbie Allen) Rated * * (2 stars): A totally needless remake of the famous 1980 musical with Irene Cara that spawned a TV series and many similar flicks. This one, however, is both tame and lame - with a cliched plot and characters that are utterly forgettable. (Reviewed below)

3. TOOTH FAIRY (fantasy comedy with Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Stephen Merchant, Julie Andrews, Billy Crystal and Ryan Sheckler) Rated * * (2 stars): A flimsy plot and kiddie humour mark this second comedy outing by The Rock Johnson (after The Game Plan). The one-joke set-up has Johnson being 'sentenced' to serve as a Tooth Fairy by Andrews for crashing a child's dream. (Reviewed below)

4. LEGION (apocalyptic thriller with Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson, Doug Jones, Jon Tenney, Charles S. Dutton, Lucas Black, Kate Walsh and Adrianne Palicki) Rating * * (2 stars): As an apocalyptic thriller about God sending his angels to wipe out the human race for the second time, Legion is a total mess. Technically, there are some cool effects and credible performances. But that's it.

4. THE SPY NEXT DOOR (comedy with Jackie Chan, Amber Valletta, Madeline Carroll, Will Shadley, Alina Foley, Magnus Scheving and Katherine Boecher) Rating: * * (2 stars): Another greasy kids' stuff the likes of The Pacifier and Old Dogs, with Chan reduced to playing an undercover CIA spy who has to take care of his neighbour's three kids. Yup, the trite, sentimental crap that Chan is now good for.

5. CASE 39 (horror thriller with Renée Zellweger, Jodelle Ferland, Ian McShane, Kerry O'Malley, Callum Keith Rennie, Bradley Cooper and Adrian Lester) Rated * * (2 stars): Derivative and predictable horror about a family services officer who takes her case to her own home. Expect lots of stuffed borrowed from The Omen, The Orphan, et al. (Reviewed below)

The 82nd Oscar Nominations

FEB 2, 2010 - I am blogging at Indy Airport, waiting for my flight back to KL. Just saw the Oscar Nods on TV and felt the need to share it.

Here are the nominees in the 10 major categories for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. Avatar and The Hurt Locker each scored nine nominations. So it looks like it is gonna be a Battle of the Exes - between James Cameron and his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow. The winners will be announced on March 7.

Best Picture

Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Best Supporting Actor

Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress

Penélope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo’Nique, Precious

Best Director

Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Best Original Screenplay

Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman, The Messenger
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Pete Docter, Bob Peterson & Tom McCarthy, Up
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Best Adapted Screenplay

Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche, In the Loop
Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell, District 9
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
Nick Hornby, An Education
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

Best Animated Film

Coraline (pic)
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up

Best Foreign Language Film

El Secreto do Sus Ojos (Argentina)
Un Prophete (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)
Ajami (Israel)
The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)

The rest of the categories:

Best Art Direction

Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

Best Cinematography

Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

Best Costume Design

Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
The Young Victoria

Best Documentary

Burma VJ
The Cove
Food, Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home

Best Editing

Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious

Best Makeup

Il Divo
Star Trek
The Young Victoria

Best Score

Avatar
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hurt Locker
Sherlock Holmes
Up

Best Song

“Almost There,” The Princess and the Frog, Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans,” The Princess and the Frog, Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname,” Paris 36, Reinhardt Wagner & Frank Thomas
“Take It All,” Nine, Maury Weston
“The Weary Kind,” Crazy Heart, T-Bone Burnett & Ryan Bingham

Best Sound Editing

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

Best Sound Mixing

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Best Visual Effects

Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

Best Documentary Short

China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Music by Prudence
Rabbit à la Berlin

Best Animated Short

French Roast
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)
Logorama
A Matter of Loaf and Death

Best Live-Action Short

The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants