WEEKEND PIC - Oct 7 - 9, 2011

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK

a) THE THREE MUSKETEERS (fantasy adventure in 3D with Matthew MacFadyen, Milla Jovovich, Logan Lerman, Luke Evans, Ray Stevenson, Orlando Bloom, Mads Mikkelsen, Christoph Waltz and Gabriella Wilde) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): A lavish and almost spoofy version of the Alexandre Dumas tale with mind-boggling sets and exe-popping costumes. Alas, the 'futuristic' embellishments of flying airships and Matrix-styled slow-mo bullets are tempered by a retro-styled narrative. Still, it is a popcorn flick for action fans and videogamers who love the sight of heaving bosoms mixed with fencing and brawling. (Reviewed below)

b) THE CAT: TWO EYES THAT SEE DEATH (Korean horror with Park Min-young, Kim Dong-wook and Shin Da-eun) Rating * * (2 stars): For those who are new to the Asian horror genre, this generic flick will seem scary and engaging. However, if you have your fair share of films like The Eye and Ju-On, this will be more of a copy-Cat film, with sudden loud noises and cheap scares to jolt you. On the plus side, we have a rather notable performance from Park Min-young.

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. DREAM HOUSE (psychological thriller with Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Marton Csokas, Claire Geare, Taylor Geare, Rachel G. Fox, Mark Wilson, Jonathan Potts and Lynne Griffin) Rated * * * (3 stars): It takes a while to get used to seeing Bond star Craig as a loving father and hubby in his 'dream house'. However, all these gradually dissipates when we unravel the murder mystery in this suspense thriller. Besides Craig, Weisz is both charming and sexy as the wife while Watts provides the enigma as the neighbour who may have the answer to the murders. (Reviewed below)

2. KILLER ELITE (action thriller with Jason Statham, Robert De Niro, Clive Owen, Yvonne Strahovski, Dominic Purcell, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Grant Bowler, Michael Dorman, Ben Mendelsohn and Aden Young) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Claiming to be based on a true story, this one seems too far-fetched to be a slice of real-life. What it really is is a Statham staple - with chases, shootouts and punch-ups every few minutes. What's more, we have Owen and De Niro providing well-needed support as rival and friend respectively. (Reviewed below)

3. JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN (comedy spoof with Rowan Atkinson, Gillian Anderson, Rosamund Pike, Dominic West, Daniel Kaluuya, Richard Schiff and Ben Miller) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Those who like the childish antics of Mr Bean will be laughing at Atkinson's Johnny English. However, those who want something new and witty in terms of gags and plot will not find any here. The best laughs are those shown in the trailers - and what we have left is a predictable and inane story about an assassination plot against a Chinese premier - for dubious reasons. It's nice to watch Anderson, Pike and newcomer Kaluuya, though. (Reviewed below)

4. THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE (fantasy tale with Jet Li, Eva Huang Sheng Yi, Raymond Lam Fung, Charlene Choi, Wen Zhang, Vivian Hsu, Miriam Yeung, Lam Suet and Chapman To) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Basically, this is yet another rendition of the Madam White Snake myth with Jet Li providing the star attraction as the sorcerer monk. The other attraction is of course the CGI effects of snakes and bats - but they are more tacky and childish than scary. What's more there is also an 'animal farm' show-within-a-show with Miriam Yeung, Lam Suet and Chapman To playing kiddie characters like chicken, rabbit, mice and tortoise. (Reviewed below)

5. ABDUCTION (mystery drama with Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello, Michael Nyqvist, Antonique Smith and Denzel Whitaker) Rated * 1/2 (1.5 stars): Aimed at screaming female fans of Twilight, Abduction is just a showcase for Lautner to show off his washboard abs at the slightest excuse - since he has no acting talents to speak of. And despite the big names like Weaver, Nyqvist and Molina, the movie stinks, even when compared to Hana. The plot is lame and even though there's no vampire here, the dialogue sucks. (Reviewed below)