WEEKEND PIC - April 30 - May 2, 2010

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK

a) IP MAN 2 (HK kungfu thriller with DOnnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Simon Yam, Lynn Hung and Kent Cheng) Rating * * * (3 stars): If you have been missing out on Chinese martial arts action, this is where you can whet your appetite. The sequel comes with fantastically choreographed fighting scenes, especially the one between Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung (to dramatise the two styles of Wing Chung versus Hung Ga Kuen). Again, it is not as impressive as the predecessor (the storyline of the sequel is a bit derivative) but still compelling for Ip Man fans.

b) IRON MAN 2 (fantasy action with Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jon Favreau and Kate Mara) Rated * * * (3 stars): Downey Jr is back as Tony Stark/Iron Man in another action-packed instalment with Rourke as the menacing Whiplash. Not as fun as the first, and the CGI sequences look a bit deja vu but the grand prix mayhem stands out as the best action piece of the film. And yes, Johansson rocks as she provide some nifty fight scenes and eye candy. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG

1. SHUTTER ISLAND (psychological thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Max Von Sydow and Elias Koteas) Rated * * * (3 stars): This is not a movie for the action set but for those who like the challenge of solving puzzles. Martin Scorsese's interpretation of Dennis Lehane's novel is compelling, thought-provoking and even mind-boggling. And it has DiCaprio at his best. (Reviewed below)

2. KICK ASS (comedy spoof with Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Charles Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Nicolas Cage and Tamer Hassan) Rated * * * (3 stars): It's both a comedy adventure as well as a spoof on costumed superheroes that one New York student named Dave decides to become. There are some cool moments, like when Hit Girl does her stuff, but the movie is uneven at best. (Reviewed below)

3. DATE NIGHT (comedy with Steve Carrel, Tina Fey, Mila Kunis, James Franco, Mark Wahlberg, Kristen Wiig, Ray Liotta and Shawn Levy) Rated * * * (3 stars): A wild and wacky couples comedy with Fey and Carrell in good form and chemistry. The plot is rather far-fetched but nonetheless, there are enough sparks and spills for both action and humour fans. (Reviewed below)

4. ICE KACANG PUPPY LOVE (local love story with Nicholas Teo (Ah Niu), Angelica Lee, Penny, Victor Wong, Gary Chaw, Fish Leong, Chan Kwok-kwan) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): A simple yet engaging local drama with interesting locations, especially in Penang. Except for Lee, the cast looks amateurish but a brave effort on the whole by director Ah Niu.

5. THE CRAZIES (horror thriller with Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Danielle Panabaker, Joe Anderson, Preston Bailey and Justin Welborn) Rating: * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This is Breck Eisner’s remake of the 1973 George A. Romero creepfest —
about the accidental release of a genetically-engineered virus that causes insanity in a small town. There's nothing extraordinary about Eisner's reworking and what is sorely missing is the humour.

6. THE LOSERS (action thriller with Zoe Saldana, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Chris Evans and Óscar Jaenada) Rated * * (2 star): Like most comic-book adaptations, it's thick with testosterone-filled action but very low on logic. The plot, about a Special Ops team taking revenge after being betrayed by a power-hungry maniac, is derivative of all the espionage movies. (Reviewed below)

7. WHEN IN ROME (romantic comedy with Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Will Arnett, Alexis Dziena, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Kate Micucci, Bobby Moynihan, Danny DeVito and Anjelica Huston) Rating: * * (2 stars): A cliched and predictable rom-com that tries too hard to please everyone and ends up not satisfying anyone. Still Duhamel and Bell provide the requisite charm that saves the movie from being a total flop.

IRON MAN 2 - More Thrill & Spills

IRON MAN 2 (comic book fantasy)
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jon Favreau and Kate Mara
Director: Jon Favreau
Screenplay: Justin Theroux based on the comic books by Stan Lee
Time: 125 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)



PREAMBLE: Understandably, the first Iron Man was such a well-crafted and fun movie that its sequel would be hard put to keep up the standard. Well, this one, directed by Jon Favreau, tries hard and is nearly there. It has all that one would expect from an Iron Man sequel, even if it is unevenly plotted in some places.

What's more, there is Mickey Rourke (above) thundering in as the menacing Ivan 'Whiplash' Vanko and the sexy Scarlett Johansson (right) as the ass-kicking Natalie Rushman (a coveri for Black Widow?).

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The narcissistic and egoistic Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) has owned up to being Iron Man. Under pressure from the US government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military, Tony is unwilling to divulge the secrets behind the Iron Man armour because he fears the information will get into the wrong hands.

Meanwhile, Tony's past is coming back to haunt him. A demented Russian inventor named Ivan Vanko (Rourke) seeks revenge for the wrongs that had been done to his father. With Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and James 'Rhodey' Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at his side, Tony forges new alliances and confronts the powerful new forces that have ganged up on him.

HITS & MISSES: The most nail-biting and inventive sequence of the movie comes about 20 minutes into the movie - at the Grand Prix scene where Ivan causes some spectacular mayhem and destruction. After that, every thing seems to pale beside it. The CGI sequences of the armoured men and droids battles bring a sense of deja vu, especially if you recall the actions of the first film. The other 'villain' of the film, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), remains very much a caricature (even if the film is adapted from a comic book) while Garry Shandling seems to be playing Gary Shandling rather than Senator Stern.

There are a few pleasant surprises though. They are Samuel L. Jackson as the hard-talking Nick Fury and of course, Johansson who lights up every scene she is in. Paltrow maintains her charm as Tony Stark's assistant Pepper Potts but she is overshadowed by the nubile and fighting-fit Johansson. At least she helps us forget the 'down' moments of the movie when director Favreau delves into Tony's 'electronic heart' and blood problems.

THE LOWDOWN: All in all, Favreau has kept the faith and maintained the thrills and spills of the flying Tin Man.

Dragon Still Tops US B-O by Default

APRIL 26, 2010 - With Hollywood dumping its weakest films into cineplexes, moviegoers mostly stayed away and the North American box office slumped to its lowest level of the year.

New releases The Back-up Plan and The Losers generated unimpressive results allowing the five-week old 3D cartoon How to Train Your Dragon to reclaim the number one spot, thanks to its continued durability. For the first time all year the top 10 films failed to gross at least US$90 million. Easing 23 percent to an estimated US$15 million, How to Train Your Dragon again saw the smallest dip among nationwide releases, though it was actually steeper than its previous two weekends.

Here is the Top 5 North American B-O estimates for April 23 - 25, 2010 weekend, in terms of rank, Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo.


1. How to Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks) $15.0 million ($178.0 million) 5

2. The Back-Up Plan (CBS) $12.2 million ($12.2 million) 1

3. Date Night (Fox) $10.6 million ($63.4 million) 3

4. The Losers (WB) $9.6 million ($9.6 million) 1

5. Kick-Ass (Lionsgate) $9.5 million ($34.8 million) 2

'Monsters Inc. 2' for November 2012

APRIL 24, 2010 - Pixar's Monsters Inc. 2 will come out of the closet in 3D on Nov. 16, 2012, Walt Disney Pictures announced recently. Another Pixar picture, The Bear and the Bow, gets a title change to Brave and a new release date, June 15, 2012.


Marking Pixar's fourth sequel following Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3 and Cars 2, Monsters Inc. 2 will mirror the holiday launch of its predecessor, only it won't open as early due to DreamWorks Animation's The Guardians (working title) occupying the Nov. 2, 2012, slot.

The first Monsters, Inc. was Pixar's fourth tremendous success. It made its debut on Nov. 2, 2001, and raked in US$62.6 million its first weekend (or around US$85 million adjusted for ticket price inflation). It went on to gross US$255.9 million (which is comparable to nearly US$350 million today), and it didn't hit DVD until Sept. 17, 2002.

Previously scheduled for Christmas 2011, Brave is reportedly about a defiant Scottish princess, and it continues Pixar's June release strategy. Pixar's next release is Toy Story 3 on June 18, while Cars 2 zooms in a year later on June 24, 2011. Source: Boxoffice Mojo

WEEKEND PIC - April 23 - 25, 2010

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK

a) THE CRAZIES (horror thriller with Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Danielle Panabaker, Joe Anderson, Preston Bailey and Justin Welborn) Rating: * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This is Breck Eisner’s remake of the 1973 George A. Romero creepfest — about the accidental release of a genetically-engineered virus that causes insanity in a small town. There's nothing extraordinary about Eisner's reworking and what is sorely missing is the humour.

b) THE LOSERS (action thriller with Zoe Saldana, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Chris Evans and Óscar Jaenada) Rated * * (2 star): Like most comic-book adaptations, it's thick with testosterone-filled action but very low on logic. The plot, about a Special Ops team taking revenge after being betrayed by a power-hungry maniac, is derivative of all the espionage movies. (Reviewed below)

c) TOY STORY 1 & 2 in 3D (animated back-to-back rerelease in 3D) - Only if you wanna sit through these Disney-Pixar classics in 3D. Comes with a five-minute series of clips of movie trivias and fun facts during the interval between films. A nostalgic trip that kinda takes you back to your childhood days.

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. SHUTTER ISLAND (psychological thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Max Von Sydow and Elias Koteas) Rated * * * (3 stars): This is not a movie for the action set but for those who like the challenge of solving puzzles. Martin Scorsese's interpretation of Dennis Lehane's novel is compelling, thought-provoking and even mind-boggling. And it has DiCaprio at his best. (Reviewed below)

2. KICK-ASS (comedy spoof with Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Charles Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Nicolas Cage and Tamer Hassan) Rated * * * (3 stars): It's both a comedy adventure as well as a spoof on costumed superheroes that one New York student named Dave decides to become. There are some cool moments, like when Hit Girl does her stuff, but the movie is uneven at best. (Reviewed below)

3. DATE NIGHT (comedy with Steve Carrel, Tina Fey, Mila Kunis, James Franco, Mark Wahlberg, Kristen Wiig, Ray Liotta and Shawn Levy) Rated * * * (3 stars): A wild and wacky couples comedy with Fey and Carrell in good form and chemistry. The plot is rather far-fetched but nonetheless, there are enough sparks and spills for both action and humour fans. (Reviewed below)

4. ECHOES OF THE RAINBOW (family drama with Simon Yam, Sandra Ng, Aarif Lee, Chung Siu To and Evelyn Choi) Rated * * * (3 stars): This family drama strives for nostalgic realism, tempering yesteryear charm and familial bond with a touch of tragedy. It is not a movie for the masses but a rare gem for film buffs who look for something different from the familiar fare. (Reviewed below)

5. CLASH OF THE TITANS (mythical adventure with Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Gemma Arterton, Izabella Miko and Pete Postlethwaite) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This remake of the 1981 Clash may be a technical improvement, especially in its CGI and special effects. But nothing is done to improve or 're-imagine' the myths about the demi-god Perseus or the other characters. They are all 2D! (Reviewed below)

6. WHEN IN ROME (romantic comedy with Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Will Arnett, Alexis Dziena, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Kate Micucci, Bobby Moynihan, Danny DeVito and Anjelica Huston) Rating: * * (2 stars): A cliched and predictable rom-com that tries too hard to please everyone and ends up not satisfying anyone. Still Duhamel and Bell provide the requisite charm that saves the movie from being a total flop.

THE LOSERS - Pulp Action Flick

THE LOSERS (fantasy action)
Cast: Zoe Saldana, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Chris Evans and Óscar Jaenada
Director: Sylvain White
Screenplay: Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt
Time: 105 mins
Rating: * * (out of 4)

Saldana, Evans, Morgan, Short, Elba and Jaenada in THE LOSERS

PREAMBLE: The title of this movie may actually be a fair warning and disclaimer. And if you are still game to catch The Losers, then I guess you won't be bothered much about its ridiculous script that so often crosses the border to Stupidity, or the
inane dialogue.

And if what counts for you is the action - accompanied by the Coke and popcorn, then you will find The Losers an unpretentious, testosterone-charged flick that you would wanna see with the boys - when there ain't no game on the teevee.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? There's this bunch of five US Special Forces guys with silly nicknames like Clay, Jensen, Rogue Pooch and Cougar (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, and Oscar Jaenada respectively) who are
betrayed by a baddie called Max (Jason Patric) and left for dead after botched mission in Bolivia.

Left stranded in that godforsaken country, the five get high-paying jobs as consultants to the Bolivian military! Scratch that. Of course, I am joking. The guys need to take REVENGE and helping them do that is Aisha (Zoe Saldana), a mysterious hot babe with her own agenda.

HITS & MISSES: Director Sylvain White thinks he knows what every hot-blooded action fan wants and he gives them incredible (and incredulous) fighting action every 10 minutes or so. When Clay meets Aisha at the pub and takes her back to his digs, they strip down and beat the heck out of each other - as foreplay!

Of course, as in every action flick, there's the bent-on-world-destruction plot - and here it is about someone building a 'green bomb' that causes maximum destruction with minimum damage to the planet! (Go figure that out, guys). As expected, the lines are real lame, the acting is below par but Saldana puts on quite an array of eye-candy. Thankfully, White spares us the gory and bloody scenes - especially of maimed children - and does not take himself seriously.

THE LOWDOWN: A pulp action flick adapted from the comic books!

'Dragon' Outflies 'Kick-Ass' at US B-O

APRIL 19, 2010 - Kick-Ass didn't kick the US Box-Office ass as expected. It didn't bust out of its unpopular superhero comedy confines nor did it match its hype. Nonetheless delivered one of the highest-grossing starts ever for its sub-genre but that wasn't enough to lead a weekend that saw How to Train Your Dragon spreading its wings further.

Also opening nationwide, Death at a Funeral had a decent gathering of an estimated US$17 million on around 3,000 screens at 2,459 venues.

Here is the Top 5 North American B-O estimates for April 16 - 18, 2010 weekend, in terms of rank, Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo.


1. How to Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks) $20.0 million ($158.6 million) 4

2. Kick-Ass (Lionsgate) $19.7 million ($19.7 million) 1

3. Date Night (Fox) $17.3 million ($49.2 million) 2

4. Death at A Funeral (Sony) $17.0 million ($17 mil) 1

5. Clash Of The Titans (Buena Vista) $15.7 million ($132.9 million) 3

KICK-ASS - Assinine Story, Cool Moves,

KICK-ASS (fantasy-comedy)
Cast: Aaron Johnson (pic), Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz, Mark Strong, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Lyndsy Fonseca and Evan Peters
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Screenplay: Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman, based on the comic book series by Mark Millar
Time: 115 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)


PREAMBLE: 'Kick-Ass' is both a name of a superhero-wannabe and the attitude of this movie. This is apt, given that it is adapted from a comic book series and filmed in the convention that is part comedy and part parody - and all-round kick-ass attitude. Youngsters who are comic book fans would certainly lap this one up.

Adults, however, may be a little concerned about its subplot about an under-aged girl messing about with guns and knives.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? "How come nobody's ever tried to be a superhero?" wonders Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) who decides to suit up and fight crime as a costumed vigilante named Kick-Ass. After knocking about with some hoods and becoming an Internet phenomenon, Dave runs foul of a ruthless mobster (Mark Strong) who swears to kill him.

However, two local superheroes, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his daughter, Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz, left), are deep in the crime-fighting game, kicking ass and looking like Dave's salvation. To complicate matters, Kick-Ass has to contend with a new costumed hero named Red Mist (played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse).

HITS & MISSES: The intro sequences to Dave's Kick Ass character are bland. It is when 11-year-old Mindy, aka Hit-Girl, and her Dad show up that the comedy and parody get into top gear. After that, Moretz continues to dominate the movie - with Moretz going way over the top as the cute and efficient crime-fighter. Man, does she rock.

Cage supports admirably as the Batman-styled Big Daddy, eliciting both sympathy and disdain for training his young daughter all those commando and ninja-styled tricks. But wait, there is also the element of budding romance - between Dave and his school mate Katie (Lyndsy Fonseca) who is led to think he is gay.

Still, the main plot is formulaic and predictable but it is the irreverent twists and weird turns that make the movie fun to watch, especially for youngsters. The trailer may give the impression that Kick-Ass is a family film. It is not as it is rated R by the MPAA.

THE LOWDOWN: Cool awesome stuff, dudes!

WEEKEND PIC - April 16 - 18, 2010

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK

a) SHUTTER ISLAND (psychological thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Max Von Sydow and Elias Koteas) Rated * * * (3 stars): This is not a movie for the action set but for those who like the challenge of solving puzzles. Martin Scorsese's interpretation of Dennis Lehane's novel is compelling, thought-provoking and even mind-boggling. And it has DiCaprio at his best. (Reviewed below)

b) KICK ASS (comedy spoof with Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Charles Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Nicolas Cage and Tamer Hassan) Rated * * * (3 stars): It's both a comedy adventure as well as a spoof on costumed superheroes that one New York student named Dave decides to become. There are some cool moments, like when Hit Girl does her stuff, but the movie is uneven at times. Still, it leaves us wanting more. (Review pending)

c) WHEN IN ROME (romantic comedy with Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Will Arnett, Alexis Dziena, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Kate Micucci, Bobby Moynihan, Danny DeVito and Anjelica Huston) Rating: * * (2 stars): A cliched and predictable rom-com that tries too hard to please everyone and ends up not satisfying anyone. Still Duhamel and Bell provide the requisite charm that saves the movie from being a total flop.


STILL GOING STRONG:

1. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (animated adventure with Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrara, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson, Kristen Wiig and T.J. Miller) Rated * * * (3 stars): Somewhat the Viking version of Lilo & Stitch in 3D, this is a rousing adventure for the family during the school holidays. The graphics are great and the dragon flights exhilarating enough to send you into the mythical world. (Reviewed below)


2. DATE NIGHT (comedy with Steve Carrel, Tina Fey, Mila Kunis, James Franco, Mark Wahlberg, Kristen Wiig, Ray Liotta and Shawn Levy) Rated * * * (3 stars): A wild and wacky couples comedy with Fey and Carrell in good form and chemistry. The plot is rather far-fetched but nonetheless, there are enough sparks and spills for both action and humour fans. (Reviewed below)

3. ECHOES OF THE RAINBOW (family drama with Simon Yam, Sandra Ng, Aarif Lee, Chung Siu To and Evelyn Choi) Rated * * * (3 stars): This family drama strives for nostalgic realism, tempering yesteryear charm and familial bond with a touch of tragedy. It is not a movie for the masses but a rare gem for film buffs who look for something different from the familiar fare. (Reviewed below)

4. IT'S COMPLICATED (romantic comedy with Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Krasinski, Lake Bell, Caitlin Fitzgerald, and Zoe Kazan) Rated * * * (3 stars): It's a guilty pleasure watching Nancy Meyers' chick flick, albeit for the older audiences. There's a special chemistry that sizzles between Streep and Baldwin, and a tender flame between Streep and Martin. The script is incredulous, hence the guilt. (Reviewed below)

5. CLASH OF THE TITANS (mythical adventure with Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Gemma Arterton, Izabella Miko and Pete Postlethwaite) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This remake of the 1981 Clash may be a technical improvement, especially in its CGI and special effects. But nothing is done to improve or 're-imagine' the myths about the demi-god Perseus or the other characters. They are all 2D! (Reviewed below)

6. KAIJI (fantasy adventure with Tatsuya Fujiwara, Teruyuki Kagawa, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Yûki Amami and Tarô Yamamoto) Rated * 1/2 (1.5 stars): Adapted from manga, this thriller about a young gambler just reflects the notion that all gaming addicts are losers. Those who catch Kaiji would probably feel like one too because the movie is excruciatingly long and tedious (at 2 hours), the acting is not only lame but annoying and the directing is amateurish. (Reviewed below)

Titans Is Actually The Top Film at US B-O

APRIL 13, 2010 - OOPS! With the actual figures tallied, Clash Of The Titans trounced over Date Night over the weekend.

Despite Sunday morning studio estimates reporting Date Night in first place, Clash of the Titans prevailed when actual grosses were tallied on Monday, but less than US$1.8 million separated the top three movies.

Titans came in at US$26.6 million, slightly less than its US$26.9 million Sunday estimate, but Date Night had the biggest overestimation: its actual gross was $25.2 million versus the $27.1 million that 20th Century Fox reported on Sunday morning. How to Train Dragon was also overestimated, landing with $24.9 million compared to its $25.4 million estimate.

Here is the ACTUAL Top 5 North American B-O grosses for April 9 - 11, 2010 weekend, in terms of rank, Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo.


1. Clash of the Titans (Warner Bros.) $26.6 million ($110.2 million) 2

2. Date Night (Fox) $25.2 million ($25.2 million) 1

3. How to Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks) $24.8 million ($133.4 million) 3

4. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too? (Lionsgate) $11.0 million ($48.5 mil) 2

5. The Last Song (Buena Vista) $9.8 million ($42.2 million) 2

SHUTTER ISLAND - An Intense Thriller

SHUTTER ISLAND (psychological thriller)
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Max Von Sydow and Elias Koteas
Director: Martin Scorsese
Screenplay: Laeta Kalogridis, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane
Time: 137 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

DiCaprio and Michele Williams in SHUTTER ISLAND

PREAMBLE: Martin Scorsese's interpretation of Dennis Lehane's thriller is not every moviegoer's cup of tea. It is certainly not a movie for the masses or for those who don't like to think about what's going on on the screen. However, for those who like being immersed in mental puzzles, Shutter Island provides an interesting diversion.

What you see is not what you get and one would enjoy it better watching it a second time.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? It is 1954. US Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) travels to an island asylum for the criminally insane with his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo). Daniels' mission is to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess (Emily Mortimer as Rachel Solando) from her cell.

However, Daniels also wants to confront Andrew Laeddis (Elias Koteas), an imprisoned arsonist whom he believes was responsible for the death of his wife Dolores (Michelle Phillips). On the island, Daniels suspects that senior psychologists Cawley (Ben Kingsley) and Naehring (Max von Sydow) are involved in unethical experiments and a conspiracy to cover up the fate of Laeddis. Is he on track?

HITS & MISSES: Those who have read the book would be surprised to find how faithful Scorsese is to the narrative. Everything about the movie smacks of top-notch execution and delivery that leave us in suspense throughout most of the film. Almost all of Scorsese's sequences are made to provide the maximum effect - they are compelling, thought-provoking and even mind-boggling.

I have never thought much of DiCaprio's acting - until now. Taking over from Robert De Niro as Scorsese's favourite star, DiCaprio manages to get us rooting for him all the time, without being menacing like De Niro. It is a pity that Shutter Island was released States-side in February this year, instead of 2009 because DiCaprio would have been a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination. The supporting cast, especially Ruffalo, von Sydow and Kingsley, also throw in solid performances.

The one major complaint I have is that the movie is too long (at more than two hours), delving too much in repeated flashbacks.

THE LOWDOWN: Not Scorsese's best work but close to it.

'Date Night' Tops at US Weekend B-O

APRIL 12, 2010 - Tina Fey and Steve Carrell put Date Night at the top of the North American Weekend Box-office, grossing an estimated US$27.1 million at its opening.

Clash of the Titans fell sharply in its second weekend falling 56% to an estimated US$26.9 million, with How To Train Your Dragon closed at its heels with an estimated US25.4 million.

Here is the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for April 9 - 11, 2010 weekend, in terms of rank, Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo.


1. Date Night (Fox) $27.1 million ($27.1 million) 1

2. Clash of the Titans (Warner Bros.) $26.9 million ($110.5 million) 2

3. How to Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks) $25.4 million ($133.9 million) 3

4. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too? (Lionsgate) $11.0 million ($48.5 mil) 2

5. The Last Song (Buena Vista) $10.0 million ($42.4 million) 2

WEEKEND PIC - April 9 - 11, 2010

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK

a) DATE NIGHT (comedy with Steve Carrel, Tina Fey, Mila Kunis, James Franco, Mark Wahlberg, Kristen Wiig, Ray Liotta and Shawn Levy) Rated * * * (3 stars): A wild and wacky couples comedy with Fey and Carrell in good form and chemistry. The plot is rather far-fetched but nonetheless, there are enough sparks and spills for both action and humour fans. (Reviewed below)

b) ECHOES OF THE RAINBOW (family drama with Simon Yam, Sandra Ng, Aarif Lee, Chung Siu To and Evelyn Choi) Rated * * * (3 stars): This family drama strives for nostalgic realism, tempering yesteryear charm and familial bond with a touch of tragedy. It is not a movie for the masses but a rare gem for film buffs who look for something different from the familiar fare. (Reviewed below)

c) KAIJI (fantasy adventure in Japanese with Tatsuya Fujiwara, Teruyuki Kagawa, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Yûki Amami and Tarô Yamamoto) Rated * 1/2 (1.5 stars): Adapted from manga, this thriller about a young gambler just reflects the notion that all gaming addicts are losers. Those who catch Kaiji would probably feel like one too because the movie is excruciatingly long and tedious (at 2 hours), the acting is not only lame but annoying and the directing is amateurish. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (animated adventure with Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrara, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson, Kristen Wiig and T.J. Miller) Rated * * * (3 stars): Somewhat the Viking version of Lilo & Stitch in 3D, this is a rousing adventure for the family during the school holidays. The graphics are great and the dragon flights exhilarating enough to send you into the mythical world. (Reviewed below)

2. GREEN ZONE (conspiracy thriller with Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs and Khalid Abdalla) Rating * * * (3 stars): A thinking man's movie with keen insights into the reasons for the Iraq war. Again Damon is back at his best in his familiar Bourne role although not as Bourne-like in his quest to seek out weapons of mass destruction.

3. IT'S COMPLICATED (romantic comedy with Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Krasinski, Lake Bell, Caitlin Fitzgerald, and Zoe Kazan) Rated * * * (3 stars): It's a guilty pleasure watching Nancy Meyers' chick flick, albeit for the older audiences. There's a special chemistry that sizzles between Streep and Baldwin, and a tender flame between Streep and Martin. The script is incredulous, hence the guilt. (Reviewed below)

4. CLASH OF THE TITANS (mythical adventure with Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Gemma Arterton, Izabella Miko and Pete Postlethwaite) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This remake of the 1981 Clash may be a technical improvement, especially in its CGI and special effects. But nothing is done to improve or 're-imagine' the myths about the demi-god Perseus or the other characters. They are all 2D! (Reviewed below)

5. DAYBREAKERS (vampire thriller with Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Claudia Karvan, Michael Dorman, Isabel Lucas and Sam Neill) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): An Aussie version of the vampire genre, Daybreakers does not break any major rules of the vampire myths but the atmosphere and effects are catchy. It is just too bad that the narrative is rather dull and static. (Reviewed below)

Dynasty star Christopher Cazenove dies

APRIL 8, 2010 - British actor Christopher Cazenove, 66, died yesterday of complications brought about by septicaemia, his family said.

The Old Etonian actor was best known for his role as Ben Carrington in the 1980s soap opera Dynasty.

In a statement released through his agent, his family and girlfriend Isabelle Davies said: "Christopher died peacefully surrounded by loved ones, having contracted septicaemia (a blood disease) at the end of February."

Cazenove, who was previously married to actress Angharad Rees and had a son Rhys, 33, collapsed at his London home in February after suffering migraines on a business trip to the US.

In Dynasty, he played Ben alongside Blake Carrington actor John Forsythe, who died a week ago at the age of 92. Cazenove also played CharlieTyrrell in The Duchess Of Duke Street and starred several times in Judge John Deed.
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ECHOES OF THE RAINBOW - Nostalgia Trip

ECHOES OF THE RAINBOW (drama in Cantonese)
Cast: Simon Yam, Sandra Ng, Aarif Lee, Chung Siu To and Evelyn Choi
Director: Alex Law Kai Yu
Screenplay: Alex Law
Time: 117 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

Sandra Ng and Simon Yam in ECHOES OF THE RAINBOW

PREAMBLE: Movies often transport us to worlds of fantasy and hype. This one, however, strives for nostalgic realism, tempering yesteryear charm and familial bond with a touch of tragedy. It is not a movie for the masses but Echoes Of The Rainbow is a rare gem for film buffs who look for something different from the familiar fare.

It will take you back to the Sixties, at the time when Neil Armstrong walked the moon, and maybe wring a tear or two out of you...

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Eight-year-old Big Ears (Buzz Chung Siu To, who narrates), grows up on Wing Lee Street in Hong Kong's Sheung Wan district, where his father (Simon Yam) runs a shoe shop on one end while his uncle owns a hair salon at the opposite end. Together, they take care of their customers' top and bottom, or so they boast. (picture: Lee and Buzz Chung)

Big Ears is a pampered child who makes a hobby of pinching stuff, quite unlike his elder brother Desmond (singer Aarif Lee) who is both a model student and a top athlete in school. The narrative follows the adventures of the two brothers, with Desmond courting the pretty Flora (Evelyn Choi) - and Big Ears wearing a fish bowl on his head, dreaming of becoming Hong Kong's first astronaut.

HITS & MISSES: The first thing that grabs us is the movie's attention to detail, recreating a part of Hong Kong that vibrates with local street life and small-time enterprise. The mood of nostalgia is further enhanced by director Law Kai Yu's inclusion of catchy Sixties songs, especially those of the Monkees, that Desmond loves to listen on the transistor radio. In this world, poverty may be romanticised with the neighbourhood community gathering together for dinner but the dark side, of widespread bribe-taking and corrupt cops and nurses, is also explored.

The cast is exemplary too, with young Buzz Chung effortlessly stealing the show from Aarif Lee and even veteran Yam. Chung helps to give the film a touch of playfulness and naivete, showing us Big Ear's kiddie point of view. Lee is rather bland in his role as the 'model son' and student but Sandra Ng is in her element as the resourceful and sweet-tongued mom. I find the ending rather melodramatic and predictable. Still, it seems the only way to close the story.

This movie won the Crystal Bear Award at the 60th Berlin Film Festival for Best New Generation Film and has been nominated for six awards including Best Actor and Actress (Yam and Ng), Best New Artist (Chung and Lee), Best Screenplay (Alex Law) and Best Original Song (by Lee)

THE LOWDOWN: A rare and refreshing family movie.

DATE NIGHT - Wild Romp for Bored Couples

DATE NIGHT (comedy)
Cast: Steve Carrel, Tina Fey, Mila Kunis, James Franco, Mark Wahlberg, Kristen Wiig, Ray Liotta and Shawn Levy
Director: Shawn Levy
Screenplay: Josh Klausner
Time: 88 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? I have always wanted to see more of 30 Rock star Tina Fey, especially on the big screen and Date Night provides a great opportunity to catch her at her 'wildest' role. Her pairing with Steve Carrell is nothing short of a casting coup and they make a flimsy plot work.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Claire and Phil Foster (Fey and Carell) are a typical suburban couple from New Jersey whose lives - including their weekly date nights of dinner and a movie - have become routine. To reignite their marital spark, they hire a babysitter and make an impromptu, no-reservation visit to a trendy Manhattan seafood restaurant.

Unable to get a table, they pose as the Tripplehorns - but a case of mistaken identity turns their romantic evening into a dangerous adventure involving gangsters, large scale bribery and crooked cops. In desperation, they seek help from Holbrook (Mark Wahlberg), a former real estate client of Calire's, and try to get to the bottom of the mystery of a stolen pen-drive.

HITS & MISSES: I find the plot, concocted by Josh Klausner, a little cliched and far-fetched but there is enough perilous action and easy banter to make us overlook this flaw. The one stunt that stands out is the car chase sequence along the streets of Manhattan in which Phil and Claire find their car 'stuck' to a taxi.

Of course, there is also a neat supporting cast that includes a shirtless Mark Wahlberg who has a delicious self-mocking role, Ray Liotta 'hamming' it up as a mobster; and Mark Ruffalo and Kristen Wiig, playing a couple on the verge of divorce. Undoubtedly, it is the bubbling chemistry of Fey and Carrell that fuels this comedy, taking jibes at the boredom of suburban couples, at posh stuffy eateries and corrupt politicians (provided by William Fichtner of Prison Break fame). Indeed, not all of these subplots or gags work as intended (the scene with Carrell doing pole-dancing looks rather desperate) but the fun and funny moments offset these setbacks.

THE LOWDOWN: Recommended for bored couples who seek wild and romantic romps.

'Titans' Tops Easter Weekend US B-O

APRIL 5, 2010 - Clash of the Titans topped the Easter weekend with US$61.2 million, shattering the Easter opening weekend record formerly held by Scary Movie 4 (US$40.2 million). Between the Titans, Tyler Perry, Dragons and Miley Cyrus, the weekend as a whole set an April benchmark and was up 14 percent from last year.

Showing at approximately 6,700 screens at 3,777 theatres, Clash of the Titans, which grossed $63.9 million including its Thursday night previews, boasted the second highest-grossing April debut ever behind Fast and Furious, which generated US$71 million on the same weekend last year.

Tyler Perry is at No 2 with Why Did I Get Married Too?, a sequel to his 2007 ensemble comedy hit.

Here is the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for April 2 - 4, 2010 weekend, in terms of rank, Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo.


1. Clash of the Titans (Warner Bros.) $61.4 million ($64.1 mil) 1

2. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too? (Lionsgate) $30.2 million ($30.2 mil) 1

3. How to Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks) $29.2 million ($92.3 mil) 2

4. The Last Song (Buena Vista) US$16.2 million ($25.6 mil) 1

5. Alice in Wonderland (Buena Vista) US$8.3 million ($309.8 mil) 5

KAIJI - A Film For Suckers

KAIJI: The Ultimate Gambler (mythical adventure)
Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Teruyuki Kagawa, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Yûki Amami and Tarô Yamamoto
Directors: Toya Sato
Screenplay: Mika Omori, based on manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto
Time: 130 mins
Rating: * 1/2 (out of 4)

UTTERLY ANNOYING: Tatsuya Fujiwara (centre) in KAIJI

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? This manga-to-screen effort by Toya Sato may have 'cult status' written all over it but only for its penchant to irritate and annoy viewers with all that sucks in terms of movie-making. Its sequences are all melodramatic - with the director trying to milk every scene for all the (fake) melodrama and bathos that it is worth.

If there were a subtext or satire about how the dregs of Japanese society are caught in a self-imposed rut, it is overdone to the point of being ridiculous. However, if it is to reflect on the ridiculousness of Japanese TV game shows, it hits the nail on the head.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The protagonist is Kaiji Ito (Tatsuya Fujiwara), a typical born-loser whose gambling habit lands him with a huge debt. His sins catch up with him when Rinko Endo (Yuki Amani) shows up with a list of his debts - and offers him a chance to repay them - by taking part in a winner-takes-all game on a darkened cruise ship.

Those who lose the simple paper-scissors-stone game will end up working like slaves to build a ludicrous underground 'kingdom' planned by Endo's boss. Since every gambler is essentially a loser, Kaiji ends up in the slave detail. Still, since this is a gambling film, Kaiji gets a few more chances at getting out of his 'rut'.

HITS & MISSES: The main problem with this movie is that director Sato seems to be interpreting the manga comic for a bunch of morons instead of modern cinema audiences. Every aspect of the plot is over-explained and over-emphasised, stretching the film to an excruciating two-hour nightmare for viewers.

Sato, a former TV director, allows Fujiwara to overact and over-talk like he is performing for a campfire. He prolongs every scene, especially the one involving the characters crossing a narrow beam suspended 200 metres above ground. There is nothing remotely realistic about the way the characters behave, especially at a time when their lives depended on it. There is no attempt made to provide backgrounds to Kaiji's character or any of the other cast members from the cult series Death Note. And if there are any funny moments, they are all unintended.

THE LOWDOWN: Those who like to take a gamble on this movie may end up feeling like a loser, or worse, a sucker.

WEEKEND PIC - April 2 - 4, 2010

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK

a) IT'S COMPLICATED (romantic comedy with Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Krasinski, Lake Bell, Caitlin Fitzgerald, and Zoe Kazan) Rated * * * (3 stars): It's a guilty pleasure watching Nancy Meyers' chick flick, albeit for the older audiences. There's a special chemistry that sizzles between Streep and Baldwin, and a tender flame between Streep and Martin. The script is incredulous, hence the guilt. (Reviewed below)

b) CLASH OF THE TITANS (mythical adventure with Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Gemma Arterton, Izabella Miko and Pete Postlethwaite) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This remake of the 1981 Clash may be a technical improvement, especially in its CGI and special effects. But nothing is done to improve or 're-imagine' the myths about the demi-god Perseus or the other characters. They are all 2D! (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG

1. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (animated adventure with Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrara, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson, Kristen Wiig and T.J. Miller) Rated * * * (3 stars): Somewhat the Viking version of Lilo & Stitch in 3D, this is a rousing adventure for the family during the school holidays. The graphics are great and the dragon flights exhilarating enough to send you into the mythical world. (Reviewed below)

2. GREEN ZONE (conspiracy thriller with Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs and Khalid Abdalla) Rating * * * (3 stars): A thinking man's movie with keen insights into the reasons for the Iraq war. Again Damon is back at his best in his familiar Bourne role although not as Bourne-like in his quest to seek out weapons of mass destruction.

3. ALICE IN WONDERLAND (fantasy adventure with Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Mia Wasikowska, Matt Lucas and Marton Csokas) Rating * * * (3 stars): This is Tim Burton's remake of the Lewis Carroll classic with his trademark opulence and weirdness. Nice eye candy but nothing spectacular though.

4. DAYBREAKERS (vampire thriller with Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Claudia Karvan, Michael Dorman, Isabel Lucas and Sam Neill) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): An Aussie version of the vampire genre, Daybreakers does not break any major rules of the vampire myths but the atmosphere and effects are catchy. It is just too bad that the narrative is rather dull and static. (Reviewed below)

5. EDGE OF DARKNESS (murder mystery with Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Shawn Roberts, Peter Hermann, Denis O'Hare, Jay O. Sanders and Bojana Novakovic) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Gibson is back on the screen after a hiatus of eight years playing a role he does best - as a hot-headed cop like Martin Riggs of Lethal Weapon. He is still watchable but his character here is so over-the-top in its Mad Max caricature that we don't feel for him. (Reviewed below)

6. THE LOVELY BONES (murder drama with Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Saoirse Ronan (pic, below), Michael Imperioli, Amanda Michalka and Nikki SooHoo) Rated * * (2 stars): It is a real pity that Peter Jackson's rendition of Alice Sebold's bestseller misses the mark. Production values are above par but Jackson seems too self-indulgent in portraying the novel's surrealistic aspects. (Reviewed below)