WEEKEND PIC - May 4 - 6, 2012

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK:

a) THE LADY (biodrama with Michelle Yeoh, David Thewlis, Jonathan Raggett, Jonathan Woodhouse, Benedict Wong and Susan Wooldridge) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Just like The Iron Lady, this biopic on Aung San Suu Kyi (directed by Luc Besson) is flawed. It skips a huge chunk of her earlier life and youth - and takes us to the part of her life that has been well documented. Still, we get excellent performances from Michele Yeoh as Suu Kyi and David Thewlis as her loving and long-suffering husband. I would recommend it just for Yeoh's effort. (Reviewed below)

b) SAFE (crime thriller with Jason Statham, Catherine Chan, Chris Sarandon, Robert John Burke, Reggie Lee, Danny Hoch and James Hong) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Strictly for Statham fans. The plot is a tad ludicrous and everything is over-the-top. Other than Statham's anti-hero and the little Chinese girl (Catherine Chan) whom he rescues, everyone is a baddie and deserves to be shot. Thus the movie builds up to a predictable bloody mayhem. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS (sci-fi fantasy with Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgard, Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Paul Bettany) Rated * * * 1/2 (3.5 stars): I take it that by now, you would have watched this much-awaited blockbuster of 2012. If you have not,  better do so soon or you are going to feel blur at the tea-time chats at mamak stalls.  What you get is six superheroes for the price of one cinema ticket. My favourite is The Hulk and Black Widow. What's yours? (Reviewed below)

2. THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (horror thriller with Kristen Connolly, Fran Kranz, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford and Sigourney Weaver) Rating: * * * (3 stars): Two girls and three men venture deep into the woods for a weekend break. This is all you need to know about this 'offbeat' horror thriller that messes about with the genre and its archetypes. Written by first-time director Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon (of The Avengers fame), this one boasts a highly inventive script although not all of its 'inventions' work. Should be a blast for horror-comedy fans.

3. BATTLESHIP (sci-fi adventure with Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgård, Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker, Jesse Plemons, Tadanobu Asano, Peter MacNicol and Rihanna) Rated * * * (3 stars): Typical summer action blockbuster in the Transformers and Independence Day mould. Okay, the action set pieces are not as awesome of Transformers: Dark Of The Moon but the storyline, centred around a reluctant hero (Kitsch) and his shapely girlfriend (Decker) is more engaging. We need to leave logic aside in order to enjoy the action, though. (Reviewed below)

4. A BETTER LIFE (drama with Demián Bichir, José Julián, Dolores Heredia, Joaquin Cosio and Nancy Lenehan) Rated * * * (3 stars): The reason A Better Life finds its release in Malaysia is because of Demian Bichir's nomination for the Best Actor Oscar. And this is also the main reason for cinema fans to catch this touching story about how a Mexican gardener (Bichir), working illegally in Los Angeles, tries his utmost to provide a better future for his American-born son (Julian). (Reviewed below)