WEEKEND PIC - Aug 12 - 14, 2011

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK

a) COWBOYS & ALIENS (western and sci-fi thriller with Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford,Sam Rockwell, Clancy Brown, Paul Dano, Keith Carradine, Abigail Spencer, Ana de la Reguera and Noah Ringer) Rated * * * (3 stars): Aliens invade a cowboy town in New Mexico! That's all there is to the plot but the fun is in the blend of these two genres that stir up our curiosity and wonder. Craig is back in his silent hero/gunslinger mode; Wilde is still smouldering hot but Ford appears to be past his prime, sporting his standard sneer throughout the film. (Reviewed below)

b) HORRIBLE BOSSES (comedy with Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Donald Sutherland and Jamie Foxx) Rated * * (2 stars): This comedy, about three guys who come up with an idea to have their horrible bosses killed, leans too much on the illogical and sometimes even insulting our imagination. It is fun watching A-list stars like Spacey, Farrell, Aniston and Foxx playing offbeat characters but many of the scenes are just too ridiculous to stomach. And the situation is made worse by the many censorship cuts. (Reviewed below)

c) ZOOKEEPER (romantic comedy with Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, Ken Jeong, Donnie Wahlberg and Joe Rogan and voices of Nick Nolte, Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Judd Apatow and Jon Favreau) Rated * * (2 stars): Written by no less than five guys, this cluncky comedy seems to have been the result of the proverbial 'too many cooks'. The main plot about the relationship between a zookeeper (James) and a sexy model (Bibb) is highly implausible to start with, and sequences of talking animals are just not as hilarious as they should be. Throw in a clownish Ken Jeong and the movie goes further south. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (fantasy adventure with Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, Dominic Cooper and Toby Jones) Rated * * * 1/2 (3.5 stars): Coming after The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man and Thor, Captain America is a lot more entertaining than Green Lantern and even the critically-acclaimed Thor! Thanks to the wonderful performances by the leads, as well as Tommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci; to a gradually built up romance between Chris Evans' Steve Rogers and Hayley Atwell's agent Peggy Carter; and to the old-style Saturday matinee look and feel that director Joe Johnston provides. Remember to stay back during the closing credits for a glimpse of what The Avengers has to offer next year. (Reviewed below)

2. RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (sci-fi thriller with James Franco, Tom Felton, Andy Serkis, Brian Cox, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, David Hewlett, Tyler Labine, Leah Gibson and Jamie Harris) Rated * * * (3 stars): This is not a remake but a reboot of the Planet Of The Apes franchise based on the 1963 French novel by Pierre Boulle. Set in modern-day 'Frisco, the movie follows the adventures of Caesar (played by Serkis), a highly intelligent primate brought up by a genetic scientist (Franco). As an origin film, it details the start of the Ape Revolution and the roles Caesar and his friends play in transforming the face of our planet. (Reviewed below)

3. THE HANGOVER 2 (comedy with Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Jamie Chung, Justin Bartha, Tanner Maguire, Ken Jeong, Todd Phillips and Mike Tyson) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): It is merely a repeat of the same shit - albeit in a different venue. Instead of Vegas, the 'crazy shit' shifts to Thailand where the three Wolf Pack members (Cooper, Galifianakis and Helms) grapple with a body, a bloody finger, angry monks and a drug peddling monkey. It is deja vu right from the start but the movie gets more tolerable as it progresses. (Reviewed below)

4. THE LOAN SHARK (local drama in Cantonese with Sam Lee, Jojo Goh, Eddie Cheung, Irene Wan, Lam Suet, Fung Hak-On and Yuka Dai) Rated * * (2 stars): A rather unevenly executed movie about the scourge of illegal moneylenders in Kuala Lumpur. Sam Lee and Jojo Goh play siblings caught in the clutches of the loan sharks, while MCA Public Service and Complaints Department chief Datuk Michael Chong has a cameo doing what he does best. There are some obligatory fight scenes and stunts but the 'action' is mostly about beer bottles being thrown or cracked repetitively on someone's head. (Reviewed below)