WEEKEND PIC - July 23 - 25, 2010

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND FILMS

NEW THIS WEEK

a) CHLOE (suspense thriller with Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Julianne Moore, Nina Dobrev, Max Thieriot, Meghan Heffern and Laura DeCarteret) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Remade from the French film Natalie, Chloe may be remembered for the real-life tragedy Neeson suffered when his wife, Natasha Richardson, died after an accident and interrupted the filming schedule. It is also director Atom Ergoyan's rather tittilating effort about a doctor (Moore) who hires a 'social escort' to seduce her husband (Neeson) to verify his fidelity. I watched this on DVD some time ago. Expect some cuts in the screening in Malaysia. (Review pending)

b) THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (fantasy thriller with Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Toby Kebbell, Nicole Ehinger, Peyton List and Monica Bellucci) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This Disney cartoon, with its title from the 1940 Fantasia segment, is loud, noisy and largely uninspired. Still, the kiddie crowd may be enthralled by the cute special effects, in this tale about how a boy is told he is apprentice to the magician Merlin's protege (Cage).

STILL GOING STRONG

1. INCEPTION (sci-fi thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine and Lukas Haas) Rated * * * * (4 stars!): By now, it is impossible for one to escape reading or listening to people taking about Inception, Christopher Nolan's 'dream-travel' masterpiece. The tale is so intriguing and complex that it may take more than one viewing for one to appreciate its nuances and conceits. The special effects are top class and so are the performances and plot. (Reviewed below)

2. TOY STORY 3 (Computer animated comedy in 3D with Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger and Estelle Harris) Rated * * * 1/2 (3.5 stars): This is a winner of a comedy for both young and old right from start to finish. I had not expected it but Pixar has done it again with this highly creative and mischievous sequel greatly enhanced by 3D. Yup, it is fun and enchanting to be back with the toys again.

3. DESPICABLE ME (animated comedy with Jason Segel, Steve Carell, Russell Brand, Will Arnett, Julie Andrews, Danny R. McBride, Kristen Wiig and Jack McBrayer) Rating * * * (3 stars): With its tale about a villain named Gru, it's quite the opposite of The Incredibles but just as funny and fun. It represents the inaugural entry for Universal into the field of 3D CGI and will give Pixar a run for the money.

4. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (romantic fantasy with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Jackson Rathbone and Dakota Fanning) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): This third instalment is a great improvement on New Moon with better performances and more action but for non-Twilight fans like me, the triangle love story is getting tiresome and silly. It would have helped if Stewart had made Bella more credible and sympathetic to the audience but she is just not up to it. (Reviewed below)