WEEKEND PIC - Dec 31 - Jan 2, 2011

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

NEW THIS WEEK

a) THE TOURIST (romance thriller with Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Steven Berkoff and Rufus Sewell) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): With Jolie and Depp headlining this 'romantic thriller', their star power looks sure to churn the box-office waves. However, their talents and charm are not enough to overcome the weak plotting and ostentatious action sequences that recall Hitchcock's North By Northwest classic. After an hour of watching these two attractive stars, disappointment sets in.

STILL GOING STRONG

1. FAIR GAME (political drama with Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Bruce McGill, Brooke Smith, David Denman and Noah Emmerich) Rated * * * (3 stars): With the stunning disclosures by WikiLeaks and the recent memoir by President George W. Bush, Fair Game is a fitting addition to the political revelations. However, this real-life tale of how Valerie Plame and her husband Joe Wilson (Watts and Penn) 'fight' the White House over evidence of 'nuculear' weapons in Iraq, is both touching and infuriating. It is definitely not for the action fan but if you like a thought-provoking film, this is it. (Reviewed below)

2. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: Voyage of the Dawn Treader (fantasy adventure with Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Will Poulter, William Moseley and Anna Popplewell) Rated * * * (3 stars): Not all the Pevensie siblings are back for this Narnia sea adventure in this third instalment involving Edmund and Lucy. However, their cousin, Eustace Scrubb (Poulter) 'accidentally' comes along for the trip - and provides most of the laughs and comic relief. Under Michael Apted's direction, the pace is more compact and faster in providing C.S. Lewis' magical monsters and wonders. (Reviewed below)

3. TRON: LEGACY (Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, Michael Sheen, James Frain and Beau Garrett) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): After all the promotion and hype, Tron: Legacy comes with good news and bad news. Good news is the state-of-the-art visuals and pulsating music score are awesome; bad news: the narrative sucks. So if you are curious to see how Disney revisits the Game Grid of the 1982 sci-fi, put your brain on neutral and keep your eyes and ears in gear. (Reviewed below)

4. GULLIVER'S TRAVELS (fantasy comedy with Jack Black, Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Billy Connolly, Amanda Peet, Catherine Tate, James Corden and Olly Alexander) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Essentially a Jack Black vehicle with the attendant butt and pee gags. The 3D does not enhance the trills here but some of the stars do. They are Blunt, Connolly and Segel. (Reviewed below)

5. LITTLE FOCKERS (comedy with Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Jessica Alba, Laura Dern, Harvey Keitel and Barbra Streisand) Rated * * (2 stars): This sequel is not as funny as it is cringe-worthy as we see Stiller going the rounds against De Niro. De Niro is a legend at menacing, villain roles but not in comedy, especially one that is so badly written as this which pokes fun at his former hits like Godfather and Taxi Driver. (Reviewed below)