WEEKEND PIC - Nov 25 - 27, 2011

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK:

a) PUSS IN BOOTS (animated comedy in 3D with Antonio Banderas, Zach Galifianakis, Salma Hayek, Billy Bob Thornton, Amy Sedaris, Constance Marie, Guillermo del Toro, Rich Dietl, Ryan Crego and Tom Wheeler) Rated * * * (3 stars): As the Shrek franchise closes, the saga of Puss In Boots begins. It has done very well Stateside and looks to do well at the Malaysian box-office too, especially for this long school holidays. Nicely fleshed out by Banderas, the swashbuckling feline is fun and charming and is well supported by Hayek's role as Kitty Softpaws as they embark on a quest for the Magic Beans and the Goose That Lays The Golden Eggs. Just purr-fect for the family. (Reviewed below)

b) 50/50 (comedy with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Marie Avgeropoulos, Julia Benson and Philip Baker Hall) Rated * * * (3 stars): Dealing with an unpopular subject like cancer, 50/50 is not as depressing as you would expect. The protagonist (played by Gordon-Levitt) is likeable and it is easy for the audience to relate to him. Wel, it is not an outrageous comedy like The Hangover but there are enough laugh-out-loud moments as well as touching ones to sustain our interest. (Reviewed below)

c) TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN Pt 1 (fantasy romance with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Anna Kendrick, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed and Kellan Lutz) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): With Part One, Twilight fans get what they have always wanted: ogling time with their idols (yes, Jacob still rips off his shirt and there are close-up of Bella's body and wedding dress); the lavish nuptials, the mystery-shrouded honeymoon (what the hell happened to their bedroom?) and the big fuss over a pregnant Bella! Well, there isn't enough narrative to propel the action so director Bill Condon prolongs the events of the book even to the point of milking every scene. (Reviewed below)

d) EAST MEETS WEST 2011 (fantasy comedy with Eason Chan, Karen Mok, Kenny Bee, Jaycee Chan, Ekin Cheng, William So, Huang Yi and Stephy Tang) Rated * (1 star): A voice-over tells us that the movie is about the exploits of eight demi-gods demoted to Earth as humans. However, from the nonsense we see on-screen, they can also be fugitives from the Planet of Idiots and Buffoons. What a waste of talents like Karen Mok, Kenny Bee, Ekin Cheng and Eason Chan! It makes me wonder what hallucinatory drug the film-makers were smoking when they did this movie. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN (animated adventure in 3D with Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones, Mackenzie Crook and Sebastian Roché) Rated * * * 1/2 (3.5 stars): This was my favourite comic book adventure during my teenage years and Steven Spielberg has managed to capture its wonderful sense of mystery and discovery that was alive in Herge's strips. It is like another Indy Jones-type caper - but with more spectacular chases and effects augmented by 3D. Easily one of the best animated movies of this year! (Reviewed below)

2. YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE (romantic comedy with Ko Chen-Tung, Michelle Chen, Steven Hao, Ao-Chuen, Tsai Chang-hsien and Wan-Wan) Rated * * * (3 stars): This rom-com by Giddens swept Taiwan's box-office for over a month and had sold-out halls when it sneaked in Malaysia two weeks ago. It's popularity with the young Chinese-educated crowd is understandable: the cast is lovable and the leads, Ko Chen-Teng and Michele Chen will steal your heart away with their performances. The movie centres a lot on sex - like masturbation and porn - but these are mostly in the dialogue. Certainly a crowd-pleaser with young lovers. (Reviewed here)

3. HAPPY FEET 2 (animated musical with voices of Elijah Wood, Pink, Elizabeth Daily, Sofía Vergara, Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Hank Azaria, Magda Szubanski and Eddie Tang) Rating: * * * (3 stars): While the 2006 original won an Oscar for Best Animated Film, this sequel is no award-winning material. It offers more of the same cute, saccharine-sweet stuff that should pull in the kids and their parents but the vitality and charm of George Miller's original has faded. It is predictable and popcorn entertainment for the young 'uns, no doubt.

4. SEEKING JUSTICE (crime drama with Nicolas Cage, January Jones, Guy Pearce, Jennifer Carpenter, Harold Perrineau, Xander Berkeley, Monica Acosta, Joe Chrest and Donna Duplantier) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Featuring commendable performances by Cage and Jones, this vigilante caper seems to lose steam and sidetracks into a subplot. Still, I am glad that it is not an updated version of Death Wish or Taken. I only wish that director Roger Donaldson had developed its 'vigilante group cleans up New Orleans after Katrina' plot satisfactorily. (Reviewed below)

5. IMMORTALS (fantasy adventure with Kellan Lutz, Mickey Rourke, Freida Pinto, Henry Cavill, Luke Evans, Robert Maillet, Corey Sevier, Alan Van Sprang, Neil Napier and Mercedes Leggett) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): The plot is somewhat like that of Clash Of The Titans and the action is like those of 300. So you can expect mythical Greek gods and titans getting involved with the bloody and gory action generated by the ambitious and brutal Hyperion's (Rourke) quest for conquest of the 'world'. The plot is wafer thin but the blood and violence is as thick as those of 300. And expectedly, the love scenes have been censored. (Reviewed below)