@ The Movies With Lim Chang Moh

WAR HORSE - Touching Tale of Joey

2012-02-02T03:45:00.003+08:00

WAR HORSE (adventure)
Cast: Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch and Toby Kebbell
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenplay: Lee Hall, Richard Curtis, based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo and the play by Nick Stafford
Time: 145 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

Jeremy Irvine and Joey

PREAMBLE: War Horse is Spielberg's tale about an equine named Joey and its adventures in Europe during World War 1. Adapted from a children's book by Michael Morpurgo, the story is told from the point of view of the horse, how it touches the lives of the people it encounters, and sometimes brings out the best in these humans.

It is not about the horrors of the war, as some critics have griped about.

Celine Buckens and Joey

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Joey, a horse born and bred in Devon, is owned by Albert (Jeremy Irvine); his father, Ted (Peter Mullan); and his mother, Rose (Emily Watson). When their landlord (David Thewlis) threatens to foreclose on the farm unless the rent is paid, Ted is forced to sell Joey to army major Stewart (Benedict Cumberbatch), who rides it into the early battles of World War I.

After Stewart is killed in action, Joey is taken by the Germans. Over the next few years, he ends up pulling ambulances and gun wagons, and being the pet of a lonely French peasant girl (Celine Buckens) and her grandfather (Niels Arestrup). When Albert is old enough to join the British army, he starts looking among the front lines for his beloved Joey.

HITS & MISSES: After suffering scenes of brutal violence in movies like 300 and Conan The Barbarian, I am thankful that Spielberg has left out the gory details of the war. Touching on the surface of it - the muddy and murky life in the trenches and the barbed wires - is enough for us to picture how bad the war was. Spielberg, however, chooses to concentrate on the good side: how Joey's tenacity and courage bring out qualities like courage, compassion and charity in the humans it touches. This is especially true in the No-Man's Land sequences.

Part of the heartwarming tale includes Joey's friendship with a black horse. Yes, it is old-fashioned story-telling (without computer-generated wizardry) and it is unabashedly sentimental (bring more tissues) but it is mainly for the family. Joey's story is told in vignettes, starting from its birthplace in scenic Devon. Then, as a cavalry mount of a British officer, we see how swiftly the status of the mighty war horses becomes obsolete with the invention of machine guns, cannons and trench warfare. Another scene of a horse being 'cornered' in an alley by a tank also shows how vulnerable horses have become in the 'new' era.

Among the flaws in the movie is the lack of character development of the humans, especially of Albert. This in turn diminishes the emotional kick that should have come at the climax. Still, Spielberg ends the movie with the conventional sunset scene of cowboy movies, but instead of riding into the sunset, he shows a horse galloping from it. A promise of a new age for equines, perhaps?

THE LOWDOWN: A touching tale not just for animal lovers.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO - Riveting Thriller

2012-02-01T05:27:00.006+08:00

THE GIRL WITH THE GOLDEN TATTOO (drama)
Cast: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Robin Wright, Stellan Skarsgård, Embeth Davidtz, Joel Kinnaman, Joely Richardson, Goran Visnjic and Julian Sands
Director: David Fincher
Screenplay: Steven Zaillian, based on a story by Stieg Larsson
Time: 135 mins
Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 4)

COLLEAGUES and LOVERS: Daniel Craig and Robin Wright

PREAMBLE: "What is hidden in the snow comes forth in the thaw" - this is the tagline of David Fincher's remake of the 2009 Swedish film by Niels Arden Oplev. I have seen the 2009 movie and had thought that it was a well-rendered version of Stieg Larsson's novel. Are there any more things hidden in Larsson's 'snow' that can be uncovered by Fincher?

Apparently, there are...

COLLEAGUES and LOVERS: Rooney Mara and Craig

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The title character is Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a Goth-styled computer hacker and investigator who has some childhood issues and problems with a legal guardian. The main plot, however, involves Swedish political journalist Mikael Blomqvist (Daniel Craig) who, at the start of the movie, has lost a libel case and finds his career and life ruined. He is contacted by industrialist Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) who wants to hire him to write his memoirs. Mikael soon finds that Vanger is more concerned with finding the murderer of his favourite great-niece Harriet who disappeared from family’s island home in 1966...

HITS & MISSES: Larsson's book is rather convoluted and long-winded and Fincher has made it a point to be more concise with the narrative. This version is more comprehensible than the 2009 film and it is also technically more superior. Almost every scene accentuates the cold, bleak and isolated atmosphere of Hedeby island, and Fincher has an eye for details - like a 'subplot' about a stray cat.

I caught both the R-rated movies in the States and did not have to tolerate censorship cuts. In the 2009 movie, we saw the sexual relationship between Mikael (played by Michael Nyqvist) and his editor Erika Berger (Lena Endre) but here their affair is suggested through body language between Craig and Robin Wright. There are steamy and sexually explicit sequences involving Mara and her guardian (Yorick van Wageningen) and a lurid seduction scene between Blomkvist and Lisbeth that will cement their relationship in the sequels.

I was impressed by Noomi Rapace's portrayal of Lisbeth in the 2009 version but Mara (above) is even better. Like Rapace, she portrays the lesbian and feminist qualities of Lisbeth well enough but Mara exudes a sensual charm that is both captivating and awe-inspiring. With her lithe figure in black leather jacket and on motorbike, she comes across like a panther on the prowl. Craig sometimes appears like her sidekick. Now that I have seen Mara in action, I can understand why she is nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. The rest of the cast are solid too, with Stellan Skarsgard standing out as the enigmatic Martin Vanger.

THE LOWDOWN: A powerful and engaging detective thriller.

NB: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is scheduled to open in Malaysia on Feb 23.

'The Grey' Leads US Weekend Pack

2012-01-31T05:07:00.003+08:00

JAN 30, 2012 - The Grey gave its upstart distributor Open Road Films their first number one debut this weekend. Meanwhile, One For the Money had an okay opening that exceeded most expectations, while Man On A Ledge was the latest mid-range Summit movie to underperform. The Top 12 grossed an estimated US$99.4 million, which is up 7.6 per cent from the same time period last year.

The Grey devoured an estimated US$20 million this weekend. Among star Liam Neeson's recent action movies, The Grey opened lower than Taken's US$24.7 million and also a tad below Unknown (US$21.9 million).

Last weekend's winner Underworld Awakening dipped 51 percent to an estimated US$12.5 million.

Here are the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Jan 27-29, 2012 weekend, in terms of rank, (previous week ranking), Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo. (US$1=RM3)

1. (-) The Grey (Open Road Films) $20.0 million ($20.0 million) 1

2. (1) Underworld Awakening (SGem) $12.5 million ($45.1 million) 2

3. (-) One For the Money (LGF) $11.7 million ($11.7 million) 1

4. (2) Red Tails (Fox) $10.4 million ($33.7 million) 2

5. (-) Man on a Ledge (Sum.) $8.3 million ($8.3 million) 1

'The Help' Bags 3 SAG Awards

2012-01-30T12:02:00.004+08:00

JAN 29, 2012 - The Screen Actors Guild honoured the stars of The Help as the top ensemble cast of 2011 and gave it two other awards for Best Lead Actress and Supporting Actress in a surprise over heavily favoured silent movie The Artist. The ceremony was held at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center.

The Help earned three awards and The Artist won only one for French actor Jean Dujardin as Best Actor in a drama for his role as a fading actor at the end of the talkies. Dujardin was genuinely surprised as he held his statue, thanking the audience of A-list actors including Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams.

TV icon Mary Tyler Moore was also honoured with a lifetime achievement award, presented to her by her TV husband, Dick Van Dyke. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 won the movie stunt ensemble award while the TV stunt ensemble prize was won by Game of Thrones. The stunt awards were announced on the arrivals' red carpet before the show began.

SAG Awards winners have in the past have gone on to earn Oscars. In 2011, all four acting winners also won Academy Awards.

Here are the winners:

Cast in a Motion Picture:
The Help

Male Actor in a Leading Role:
Jean Dujardin for The Artist

Female Actor in a Leading Role:
Viola Davis for The Help

Male Actor in a Supporting Role:
Christopher Plummer for Beginners

Female Actor in a Supporting Role:
Octavia Spencer (pic, left) for The Help

TELEVISION

Ensemble in a Comedy Series:
Modern Family (2009)

Ensemble in a Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire (2010)

Male Actor in a Comedy Series:
Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock (2006)

Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Betty White for "Hot in Cleveland" (2010)

Male Actor in a Drama Series:
Steve Buscemi for "Boardwalk Empire" (2010)

Female Actor in a Drama Series:
Jessica Lange for American Horror Story (2011)

Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries:
Paul Giamatti for Too Big to Fail

Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries:
Kate Winslet for Mildred Pierce

MONEYBALL - Where Sports Meets Economics

2012-01-27T13:23:00.003+08:00

MONEYBALL (sports drama)
Cast: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Robin Wright, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt, Kathryn Morris, Tammy Blanchard, Erin Pickett, Sergio Garcia and Stephen Bishop
Director: Bennett Miller
Screenplay: Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, based on a story by Stan Chervin and the book by Michael Lewis.
Time: 135 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in MONEYBALL

PREAMBLE: Moneyball is about baseball and it has limited appeal outside the US. If not for Brad Pitt and its nomination in all the major film awards, Moneyball would not have generated so much interest outside America. Even then, there is still no word of Moneyball being released in Malaysia. (I caught the movie in Decatur, Georgia, where I am currently blogging from).

GOOD CHEMISTRY: Pitt and Jonah Hill

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is a baseball player-turned-General Manager of the Oakland Athletics (the A's) team in the 2000s. However, the Oakland A's keep losing their best players to bigger and higher-paying clubs, leaving Billy the task of rebuilding the team on a tiny budget. When Billy meets economics graduate Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), Peter convinces him that there's a way to field a successful team of lower-paid and cast-off players, based purely on how often they get on base. This is based on an economics practice called sabremetrics.

Snubbed by both baseball experts and his own team of professional scouts, Billy makes Peter his assistant manager and goes ahead with the plan. At first, it seems like a disaster and the team lose almost all their first few games. However, after out-manoeuvring his unco-operative coach Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Billy finally gets the team on a winning streak.

FATHER AND DAUGHTER - Pitt with Kerris Dorsey

HITS & MISSES: Actually one need not know much about baseball to follow what is going on on the screen. The title refers to the way players are being traded like cattle by their managers, and we root for Pitt's Billy not only because the character is well developed (with touching scenes of his ex-wife played by Robin Wright and Kerris Dorsey as his pre-teen daughter) but also because deep inside Billy is a guy who dislikes firing and selling his players.

Pitt is superb as the middle-aged Billy who is weary of the routine hiring and firing and is excited about trying out something new and radical. His performance is aided by Reed Thompson, who portrays the younger Billy in the flashback scenes. Hill supports well and together, they have good chemistry. What I like most about Moneyball is that it avoids the usual sports film sentimentality and cliches. For this intelligent script, credit goes to Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin (who wrote for Social Network).

THE LOWDOWN: An engaging film for any sports fan.

WEEKEND PIC - Jan 27 - 29, 2012

2012-01-26T23:50:00.002+08:00

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING (sci-fi thriller with Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, India Eisley, Stephen Rea, Charles Dance and Michael Ealy) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Selene (Beckinsale) awakens from a 15-year coma and finds that she has a hybrid (vampire-lycan) daughter (Eisley)! Now, she must help to stop a bio-tech company from creating an army of super-Lycans. Rendered in 3D, this one ups the ante on visuals but the narrative is pretty much the same. For fans of the series, it is another chance to see Beckinsale in kick-ass action.

2. THE VIRAL FACTOR (action thriller with Jay Chou, Nicholas Tse, Lin Peng, Andy Tien, Bai Bing, Liu Kai-chi, Carl Ng, Philip Keung, Elaine Jin and Crystal Lee) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): After a promising start, this Dante Lam actioner gets shoe-horned into the usual action-over-narration slot. Character development and plausibility takes second seat to action set pieces filmed in Jordan, Norway and Kuala Lumpur. Mayhem and destruction are the order of the day but there is little or emotional connection with the audience. Just the right popcorn treat for the Lunar New Year period, I suppose.

3. CONTRABAND - (action thriller remake with Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Diego Luna, J.K. Simmons, Lukas Haas and William Lucking) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): It is January - the low season for the box-office - and this is typical cinema fodder with Wahlberg playing 'Wahlberg' in a predictable "one last job" crime action thriller. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, based on a 2008 Icelandic thriller that Kormakur starred in, Contraband is derivative and implausible.

4. JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (fantasy adventure with Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens, Kristin Davis and Luis Guzman) Rating: * * (2 stars): With Hutcherson and Hudgens in the lead, this sequel to 2008's Journey To The Center of the Earth is obviously intended as a 3D-enhanced CGI feast for the kids. Adults may balk at the childish story, Dwayne Johnson's pec-popping and singing, and its vain attempts at being funny. Mainly for die-hard adventure fans and kids below 15.

Bummers and Surprises in the Oscar Race

2012-01-26T02:06:00.004+08:00

JAN 25, 2012 - As usual, the Academy awards nominations came with many surprises and bummers for movie fans. After following the Golden Globes, BAFTA and other awards, each of us has our own favourites for the Oscar race.

For me, the big surprise is that Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is running for Best Picture while Drive is almost ignored except for a measly Sound Editing nod which it has no chance of winning!

And of course, my big disappointment is that Ryan Gosling is nowhere on the Oscar radar despite his promising performances in Drive and The Ides Of March, both my favourite picks.

Another letdown for me is the exclusion of The Adventures of Tintin in the Animated Feature slot and the entry of two almost unheard of films: A Cat In Paris and Chico & Rita. That Tintin is named in the Original Music Score contest smacks of mere consolation.

Among the acting nods, the surprise is the inclusion of Rooney Mara (pic, left: Girl With The Golden Tattoo) in the Best Actress category - and the exclusion of Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin). Still, this category is a race between Viola Davis (The Help) and Michele Williams (My Week With Marilyn).

However, the nod for Gary Oldman (for Tinker Tailor soldier Spy) is a pleasant surprise for me. Oldman, fresh off a BAFTA nomination, gets his first ever Oscar nomination, beating out Best Actor favourites Michael Fassbender (Shame) and Leonardo DiCaprio, for J. Edgar. And who's Demian Bichir anyway? Never heard of him or A Better Life, either.

In the directing category, David Fincher did not get a nomination for Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

George Clooney is expected to get a Best Actor nomination for The Descendants, but he's also nominated in the Adapted Screenplay category, with Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon for The Ides of March. Don't they all love Clooney!

I have never expected Bridesmaids to make the Best Picture list, but it has enough regard from Academy voters - a Best Supporting Actress nod for Melissa McCarthy, and an Original Screenplay nomination for Kristin Wiig and Annie Mumolo.

On Oscar night, one thing we can be sure of is that Iranian film A Separation will win the Foreign-Language film category. However, it is a surprise that it is also nominated for Best Original Screenplay - the first time a foreign film has done so since 2007's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

What are Your thoughts on the Oscar Nominations? Comments are welcome.

'Hugo' Leads Oscar Race With 11 Nods

2012-01-25T04:32:00.004+08:00

JAN 24, 2012 - The Oscar nominees are out and Martin Scorsese's Hugo leads the field with 11 nominations. Silent film, The Artist, follows with 10 nods. With a new voting procedure implemented and the nominees in the Best Picture category not revealed in alphabetical order, nine films were named, including War Horse, The Tree of Life and The Descendants.

Although it had 11 nominations, the nods for Hugo are largely from technical categories such as art direction and costume design, whereas The Artist landed in top groups including Best Actor for Frenchman Jean Dujardin and Supporting Actress for Berenice Bejo. Actors make up the largest voting branch of the Academy.

Among actresses, Meryl Streep playing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady will compete against Glenn Close in a gender-bending role in Albert Nobbs, Viola Davis for The Help, Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn.

Tuesday's nomination marked the 17th for Streep and extended her reign as Oscar's most-nominated actress. She faces stiff competition from Williams in her role as Marilyn Monroe. Earlier this month, Streep won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in Drama and Williams was named Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical.

The nominees were announced by Jennifer Lawrence and Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (pictured above). The contenders are:

Best Picture:

War Horse
The Artist
Moneyball
The Descendants
The Tree of Life
Midnight in Paris
The Help
Hugo
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Actress

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Actor

Demian Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Director

Michel Hazanivicus (pic), The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

Best Original Screenplay

Michel Hazanivicius, The Artist
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumulo, Bridesmaids
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Asghar Farhadi, A Separation

Best Adapted Screenplay

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Descendants
John Logan, Hugo
George Clooney, Beau Willimon and Grant Heslov, The Ides of March
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin, Moneyball
Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Foreign Feature

Bullhead
Footnote
In Darkness
Monsieur Lazhar
A Separation

Best Animated Feature

A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Art Direction

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

Cinematography

The Artist
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Costume Design

Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

Documentary Feature

Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

Documentary Short Subject

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Film Editing

Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Kevin Tent, The Descendants
Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Thelma Schoonmaker, Hugo
Christopher Tellefsen, Moneyball

Makeup

Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle, Albert Nobbs
Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland, The Iron Lady

Music (Original Score)

John Williams, The Adventures of Tintin
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Howard Shore, Hugo
Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
John Williams, War Horse

Music (Original Song)

"Man or Muppet" from The Muppets, Bret McKenzie
"Real in Rio" from Rio, Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett

Sound Editing

Drive
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Sound Mixing

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Monyeball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Short Film (Animated)

Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Short Film (Live Action)

Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic

THE TREE OF LIFE - For the Art-Film Fan

2012-01-24T06:52:00.004+08:00

THE TREE OF LIFE (drama)
Cast: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Sean Penn, Joanna Going, Fiona Shaw, Jackson Hurst, Pell James, Crystal Mantecon, Lisa Marie Newmyer and Jennifer Sipes
Director: Terence Malick
Screenplay: Terence Malick
Time: 138 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)

Brad Pitt (centre) with Hunter McCraken and Laramie Eppler

PREAMBLE: Mention Terence Malick and film critics get ready to go down on their knees and sing his praises. The auteur has made only five feature films (including Badlands, Days Of Heaven, The Thin Red Line and The New World) since 1970s - and are mostly box-office flops but apparently, they have something to wow the critics and his fans.

Indeed, his fans have waited long for The Tree Of Life, Malick's grand opus on the meaning of life and memories of his childhood, and reading their adorations makes me feel like the boy who said the Emperor was naked.

Granted that the images of 'Creation' - and even those of the dinosaurs - can be breath-taking and spectacular but we are not watching National Geographic, for goodness sake. The narrative about an American family in the 1950s is more engaging - but ultimately empty of meaning.

Chastain and Eppler

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The movie opens in Waco, Texas, where Mr and Mrs O'Brien (Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain) grieve after receiving word about the death of one of their three sons. Later, we see their eldest son, Jack O'Brien (Sean Penn), as an architect whose wondering existence forces him to reflect on his childhood in the 1950s where he was raised by his temperamental father (Pitt) and loving mother (Chastain).

His father is such a bully at home that Jack (played as a kid by Hunter McCracken) and his siblings (Laramie Eppler and Tye Sheridan) celebrate with riotious pranks whenever their dad travels long distances to work. And yes, besides documenting the birth of Jack, Malick also blends in the Earth's creation via a series of kaleidoscopic and CG images.

HITS & MISSES: Inspired by a quote from the Book of Job — “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding”. Malick's opus is partly about the loss of innocence and the coming-of-age story personified in Jack. The series about the creation of the universe reminds me of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey but here, it is just confusing and more pretentious. A film that explores the meaning of life can only turn out to be confounding and an exercise in futility. Ultimately, we get pretty images but little sense or plot.

The film tests our patience. Malick does not tell his story, he teases us with visual suggestions. A case in point is the sequence in which Jack steals a woman's lingerie - only to bury it and float it down the stream. Why? Did he masturbate with it?

The young cast of relative unknowns - McCracken, Eppler (who even looks like Pitt) and Sheridan - are splendid and so are Pitt and Chastain who portray the Every Couple of the Fifties. There is very little dialogue and a lot of the narrative has to be interpreted by the audience. This can be fun but it can also be confusing and tedious after a while.

THE LOWDOWN: One for the art-film fan.

NB: This review is for Oscar-watchers. I don't think The Tree Of Life will be released in Malaysia

'Underworld 4' Tops US Weekend B-O

2012-01-23T21:32:00.001+08:00

JAN 23, 2012 - Underworld Awakening sunk its teeth in to the top spot at the U box office this weekend, though that didn't stop Red Tails from also putting up strong numbers in its debut.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Haywire were less impressive, though, and The Artist failed to gain much traction in its nationwide expansion. The Top 12 earned an estimated US$111.7 million this weekend, which is up a whopping 26 percent from the same period last year.

The latest entry in the Underworld franchise opened to an estimated US$25.4 million, which is just a bit behind Kate Beckinsale's last entry, 2006's Underworld: Evolution (US$26.9 million). It did at least mark a slight improvement over 2009's Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (US$20.8 million), though that was sans-Beckinsale and didn't receive a boost from 3D premiums.

Here are the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Jan 20-22, 2012 weekend, in terms of rank, (previous week ranking), Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo. (US$1=RM3)

1. (-) Underworld Awakening (S.Gem) $25.4 million ($25.4 million) 1

2. (-) Red Tails (Fox) $19.1 million ($19.1 million) 1

3. (1) Contraband (Universal) $12.2 million ($46.1 million) 2

4. (36) Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (WB) $10.5 million ($11.2 million) 5

5. (-) Haywire (Relativity) $9.0 million ($9.0 million) 1

'The Artist' Wins Producers' Award for Best Film

2012-01-23T06:35:00.005+08:00

JAN 22, 2012 - The Producers Guild of America named The Artist as its Best Picture last Saturday night, confirming the black-and-white film's status as an Oscar front-runner in the nominations for the 84th Academy Awards on Tuesday morning.

The PGA and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have agreed on best picture winners the last four years.

Directed by Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist is a tribute to Hollywood's Golden Age, telling the story of the intersecting fates of silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) and plucky song-and-dance gal Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) at the dawn of the talkies. Since making its debut at the Cannes Film Festival last year, the movie has been collecting accolades and acclaim.

Steven Spielberg's 3D performance capture film The Adventures of Tintin, won in the PGA's Animated Film category. It also won a Golden Globe. Spielberg accepted the statuette with his producing partner Kathleen Kennedy at the Beverly Hilton. For the full list of winners, click here.

WEEKEND PIC - Jan 20 - 22, 2012

2012-01-21T00:26:00.004+08:00

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES
Wishing readers a Happy New Year of the Dragon

NEW THIS WEEK

a) UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING (sci-fi thriller with Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, India Eisley, Stephen Rea, Charles Dance and Michael Ealy) Rating * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Selene (Beckinsale) awakens from a 15-year coma and finds that she has a hybrid (vampire-lycan) daughter (Eisley)! Now, she must help to stop a bio-tech company from creating an army of super-lycans. Rendered in 3D, this one ups the ante on visuals but the narrative is pretty much the same. For fans of the series, it is another chance to see Beckinsale in kick-ass action.

b) JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (fantasy adventure with Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens, Kristin Davis and Luis Guzman) Rating: * * (2 stars): With Hutcherson and Hudgens in the lead, this sequel to 2008's Journey To The Center of the Earth is obviously intended as a 3D-enhanced CGI feast for the kids. Adults may balk at the childish story, Dwayne Johnson's pec-popping and singing, and its vain attempts at being funny. Mainly for die-hard adventure fans and kids below 15.

N.B. As I am still in the US, I am unable to review the Chinese New Year movies like:
c) The Viral Factor,
d) I Love Hong Kong 2012, and
e) All's Well Ends Well 2012.

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. CONTRABAND - (action thriller remake with Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Diego Luna, J.K. Simmons, Lukas Haas and William Lucking) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): It is January - the low season for the box-office - and this is typical cinema fodder with Wahlberg playing 'Wahlberg' in a predictable "one last job" crime action thriller. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, based on a 2008 Icelandic thriller that Kormakur starred in, Contraband is derivative and implausible.

2. THE AWAKENING (supernatural thriller with Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, Isaac Hempstead-Wright and Shaun Dooley) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Playing a bit like The Others, Sixth Sense and The Orphanage, this British-styled thriller has the requisite eerie atmosphere and engaging performance by lead star Hall. However, the movie kind of buckles at the end with a lame resolution that leaves more questions than answers. (Reviewed below)

3. THE BEAVER (drama with Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Cherry Jones, Paul Hodge, Michelle Ang, Riley Thomas Stewart, Kris Arnold and John Bernhardt) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Directed by Jodie Foster, this psychological drama is about mental depression and how a hand puppet is used as a form of therapy. The plus side here is Gibson's riveting performance as a man on the verge of suicide; the minus side is that Foster allows the subplot about the son (Yelchin) and his girlfriend (Lawrence) to break the momentum of the main story.

4. THE DARKEST HOUR (sci-fi thriller with Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor, Max Minghella and Joel Kinnaman) Rating * * (2 stars): Set in Moscow, this doomsday alien invasion thriller may keep our interest for 20 minutes. Then, when we get over the novelty of the plot (and how Earthlings get vapourised by invisible aliens), we start to realise how utterly silly the script is. Reminds me of Skyline, but with less IQ.

'The Artist' Gets 12 Nods For BAFTA Awards

2012-01-20T09:39:00.006+08:00

JAN 20, 2012 - French film The Artist leads the way in this year's BAFTA nominations, picking up an impressive 12 nods.

It's followed closely behind by spy thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy with 11 nominations, and Martin Scorsese's film Hugo, which received nine nods. The nominations were announced last Tuesday. The awards show will be hosted by Stephen Fry at the Royal Opera House on Sunday, Feb 12.

Here are the nominations:

Leading Actress

Meryl Streep - The Iron lady (pic)
Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn
Viola Davis - The Help
Tilda Swinton - We Need To Talk About Kevin
Bérénice Bejo - The Artist

Leading Actor

George Clooney - The Descendants
Brad Pitt - Moneyball
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Michael Fassbender - Shame
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Supporting Actress

Carey Mulligan - Shame (pic)
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Judi Dench - My Week With Marilyn
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
Octavia Spencer - The Help

Supporting Actor

Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Jim Broadbent - The Iron Lady
Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Ides Of March

Best Film
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Help
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Outstanding British Film
My Week With Marilyn
Senna
Shame
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
We Need To Talk About Kevin

Outstanding debut by British writer, director or producer

Attack The Block - Joe Cornish (director/writer)
Black Pond - Will Sharpe (director/writer), Tom Kingsley (director), Sarah Brocklehurst (producer)
Coriolanus - Ralph Fiennes (director)
Submarine - Richard Ayoade (director/writer)
Tyrannosaur - Paddy Considine (director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (producer)

Foreign language film
Incendies
Pina
Potiche
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

Director

The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius
Drive - Nicolas Winding Refn
Hugo - Martin Scorsese
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Tomas Alfredson
We Need To Talk About Kevin - Lynne Ramsay

Documentary
George Harrison: Living In The Material World
Project Nim
Senna

Animated film
The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn
Arthur Christmas
Rango

Original screenplay
The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids - Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
The Guard - John Michael McDonagh
The Iron Lady - Abi Morgan
Midnight In Paris - Woody Allen

Adapted screenplay

The Descendants - Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
The Help - Tate Taylor
The Ides Of March - George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
Moneyball - Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

Original music
The Artist
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Cinematography
The Artist
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Editing
The Artist
Drive
Hugo
Senna
Tinker Tailor Solider Spy

Production design
The Artist
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Costume design
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Make up and hair
The Artist
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
The Iron Lady
My Week With Marilyn

Sound
The Artist
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Special visual effects
The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
War Horse

Short animation
Abuelas
Bobby Yeah
A Morning Stroll

Short film
Chalk
Mwansa The Great
Only Sound Remains
Pitch Black Heist
Two And Two

Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award
Adam Deacon
Chris Hemsworth
Chris O'Dowd
Eddie Redmayne
Tom Hiddleston

'The Artist' Wins 3 London Critics Circle Awards

2012-01-20T08:37:00.003+08:00

JAN 20, 2012 - Silent movie The Artist scooped three big prizes at the London Film Critics' Circle Awards last night. It won the Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor trophies.

The Artistt won three Golden Globes and was the most-nominated movie for Britain's BAFTA awards. It is widely expected to be among the front-runners for the Oscars when nominations are announced on Tuesday. Lead actor Jean Dujardin and director Michel Hazanavicius received their awards in London.

Also taking home three prizes was Iranian drama A Separation, winning Best Foreign Language Film, Best Screenwriter for Asghar Farhadi and Best Supporting Actress for Sareh Bayat.

Meanwhile, Meryl Streep shares the Best Actress award with Anna Paquin; Michael Fassbender wins British Actor of the year.

Here are the 32nd London Critics’ Circle Film Awards winners:

FILM OF THE YEAR: The Artist

BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR: We Need to Talk About Kevin

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM: A Separation

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR: Senna

DIRECTOR: Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

SCREENWRITER: Asghar Farhadi - A Separation

BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKER: Andrew Haigh - Weekend

ACTOR: Jean Dujardin - The Artist

ACTRESS (Tied): Anna Paquin - Margaret; and Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Sareh Bayat - A Separation

BRITISH ACTOR: Michael Fassbender - A Dangerous Method, Shame

BRITISH ACTRESS: Olivia Colman - The Iron Lady, Tyrannosaur

YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER: Craig Roberts - Submarine

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT: Maria Djurkovic, production design - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

EXCELLENCE IN FILM: Nicolas Roeg

THE HELP - A Delightful Ensemble Show

2012-01-19T06:37:00.006+08:00

THE HELP (US civil rights drama)
Cast: Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain, Mike Vogel, Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek, Jessica Chastain and Chris Lowell
Director: Tate Taylor
Screenplay: Tate Taylor (based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett)
Time: 135 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis in THE HELP

PREAMBLE: With its subject matter on the American Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, The Help has limited appeal for viewers in Malaysia. Which is probably why it is not scheduled to be released in Malaysia. However, for Oscar movie watchers and cinema fans, this one boasts a formidable cast and delightful performances.

The Help has already won the Critics' Choice awards for Best Actress (Viola Davis), Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer) and Best Ensemble; a Golden Globe for Spencer (Best Supporting Actress) and a bunch of other awards for Jessica Chastain as well as the whole cast (ensemble). Now that the US has an African-American President, it is interesting to see how different things were just 50 years ago...

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The film is based on Kathryn Stockett's best-seller in which a white girl (Emma Stone as Skeeter Phelan) fancies herself a writer and convinces a bunch of Mississippi maids to publish stories about their work for the genteel white ladies in Jackson.

The maids include Aibileen (Davis) who has devoted her life to taking care of white babies, and Minny Jackson (Spencer), a good cook who isn't afraid to hit out at those who injured her self-respect. The employers include Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain, right), two women from opposite ends of the social scale.

HITS & MISSES: "What's it feel like raising a white child when your own child is at home being raised by someone else?" This question, asked by Skeeter at the opening of the film, is a universal paradox and it applies to married maids everywhere. For those in Mississippi in the Sixties, it is particularly poignant when we see how badly they are being treated by their bosses - despite the attempts by the Federal Government to end racial discrimination.

RECALLING THEIR STORIES: Spencer, Davis and Stone

Director Tate Taylor, who grew up in Jackson, demonstrates a keen sense for the dialect and mannerisms of the folks of his hometown. The women, especially, consider themselves a class above the others and they thrive on gossips and scandals. One of the movie's most talked about scandal is the embarrassing 'payback' that Minny inflicts on Hilly.

Clocking more than 135 minutes, The Help may seem rather long-drawn but we are compensated for it by sterling performances of even the 'extras' like Allison Janney (of TV's West Wing) as Skeeter's social-climbing mom, and Sissy Spacek as Hilly's mother who is a victim of Alzheimer's. They have limited time on-screen but their lines are unforgettable. And oh yes, there's a subplot about attempts to get a beau (Chris Lowell) for Skeeter but this gets side-tracked by the main events.

THE LOWDOWN: A delightful ensemble performance.

NB: The Help is not yet shown in Malaysia. This review is for Oscar Watchers.

'Contraband' Tops US Weekend B-O

2012-01-17T08:49:00.002+08:00

JAN 16, 2012 - With one of Mark Wahlberg's best openings ever, Contraband managed to hold off Beauty and the Beast 3D to claim first place over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend.

Chart stalwart Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol took third place ahead of newcomer Joyful Noise, while The Devil Inside had one of the worst second weekend drops ever. For the four-day frame, the Top 12 made US$141.6 million this weekend, which is about on par with the same frame last year.

Here are the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Jan 13-15, 2012 weekend, in terms of rank, (previous week ranking), Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo. (US$1=RM3)

1. (-) Contraband (Universal) $24.5 million ($24.5 million) 1

2. (-) Beauty and the Beast 3D (BV) $17.7 million ($17.7 million) 1

3. (2) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Paramount) $11.7 million ($186.9 million) 5

4. (-) Joyful Noise (WB) $11.2 million ($11.2 million) 1

5. (3) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (WB) $8.6 million ($170.2 million) 5

'The Artist' Bags 3 Golden Globes

2012-01-16T11:59:00.006+08:00

JAN 16, 2012 - At a show notoriously known as Hollywood's Open-bar Gala, The Artist was the biggest winner of the night with three Golden Globe awards out of six nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. It won Best Picture, Comedy or Musical; Best Actor (for Jean Dujardin) and Best Original Score for Ludovic Bource.

The Descendants went away with two Globes - for Best Picture (Drama) and Best Actor for George Clooney. Martin Scorsese bagged the Best Director award for Hugo; and Meryl Streep is Best Actress (Drama) for The Iron Lady. This is Streep's eighth Golden Globe award - a record. The ceremony also saw Morgan Freeman receiving the Cecille B. DeMille Award presented by Sidney Poitier and Helen Mirren.

The event, held at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, is hosted for the third time by comedian Ricky Gervais who could not resist holding a beer while hosting the show. His jibes, however, were rather watered down but he is funnier than before.

Here are the winners:

- MOVIES -

Best Movie - Drama
The Descendants

Best Performance By An Actress – Drama
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Best Performance By An Actor – Drama
George Clooney, The Descendants

Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
The Artist

Best Performance By An Actress – Comedy Or Musical
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Performance By An Actor – Comedy Or Musical
Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Best Animated Feature Film
The Adventures of Tintin

Best Foreign Language Film
A Separation (Iran)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Director – Motion Picture
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Ludovic Bource, The Artist

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Masterpiece” — W.E. (Music & Lyrics by: Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry)

- TELEVISION -

Best TV Series – Drama
Homeland, Showtime

Best Performance By An Actress – TV Drama
Claire Danes, Homeland

Best Performance By An Actor – TV Drama
Kelsey Grammer, Boss

Best TV Series – Comedy Or Musical
Modern Family, ABC

Best Performance By An Actress – TV Comedy Or Musical
Laura Dern, Enlightened

Best Performance By An Actor –TV Comedy Or Musical
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For TV
Downton Abbey, PBS (Masterpiece)

Best Performance By Actress In A Mini-Series Or Made For TV Movie
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Best Performance By Actor In A Mini-Series Or Made For TV Movie
Idris Elba, Luther

Best Performance By Actress In Supporting Role In Mini-Series, Or Made for TV Movie
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story

Best Performance By Actor in Supporting Role in Mini-Series Or Made For TV Movie
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

'The Artist' is Critics Choice for Best Film

2012-01-13T11:26:00.003+08:00

JAN 12, 2012 - Silent movie The Artist was named Best Picture at the 17th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards celebrated at the Hollywood Palladium on Thursday night. Its director, Michel Hazanavicius was also named Best Director.

"There are so many beautiful people here. I have to force myself not to ask for autographs," Hazanavicius said in his acceptance speech.

Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel are the co-hosts

This year, both The Artist and Hugo led the list of nominees, with 11 nominations each. They were followed The Help and Drive, with eight nods each, and then by The Descendants and War Horse, which both collected seven nods. Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer served as co-hosts of the awards ceremony,

Here are Critics Choices:

Best Picture: The Artist

Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants

Best Actress: Viola Davis, The Help

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Acting Ensemble: The Help

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Best Comedy: Bridesmaids

Best Animated Film: Rango

Best Foreign Film: A Separation

Best Young Actor or Actress: Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Documentary Feature: George Harrison: Living in the Material World

Best Adapted Screenplay: Moneyball, Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, story by Stan Chervin

Best Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen

Best Song: Life's A Happy Song, The Muppets

Harry Potter Finale A People's Choice Favourite

2012-01-12T22:12:00.006+08:00

JAN 12, 2012 - Katy Perry and the "Harry Potter" franchise were the big winners at the 2012 People's Choice Awards ceremony last night.

Perry, who did not show up at the ceremony because of her recent split from husband Russell Brand, won five awards out of seven nominations. She was named Favourite Female artist and Favourite Tour Headliner. She also won for Song of the Year for "E.T." with Kanye West, Favourite Music Video for Last Friday Night, and Favourite TV Guest Star for How I Met Your Mother.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 nabbed four awards including Favourite Movie and Favourite Book Adaptation.

Kaley Cuoco (pictured right) of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory hosted the ceremony but lost Favourite TV Comedy Actress to Glee star Lea Michele.

Here are the winners in the Movies and TV categories:

Favourite Movie
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Favourite Movie Actor
Johnny Depp

Favourite Movie Actress
Emma Stone

Favourite Movie Icon
Morgan Freeman

Favourite Action Movie
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Favourite Action Star
Hugh Jackman

Favourite Drama Movie
Water for Elephants

Favourite Comedy Movie
"Bridesmaids"

Favourite Comedic Actor
Adam Sandler

Favourite Comedic Actress
Emma Stone

Favourite Movie Star Under 25
Chloe Moretz

Favourite Ensemble Movie Cast
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Favourite Animated movie Voice
Johnny Depp as Rango, "Rango"

Favourite Movie Superhero
Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern

Favourite Book Adaptation
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Favourite Network TV Drama
"Supernatural"

Favourite TV Drama Actor
Nathan Fillion

Favourite TV Drama Actress
Nina Dobrev

Favourite Cable TV Drama
"Pretty Little Liars"

Favourite Network TV Comedy
"How I Met Your Mother"

Favourite TV Comedy Actor
Neil Patrick Harris

Favourite TV Comedy Actress
Lea Michele

Favourite Cable TV Comedy
"Hot In Cleveland"

Favourite TV Competition Show
"American Idol"

Favourite TV Crime Drama
"Castle"

Favourite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show
"Supernatural"

Favourite Day Time TV Host
Ellen DeGeneres, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show"

Favourite Late Night TV Host
Jimmy Fallon, "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"

Favourite TV Guest Star
Katy Perry, "How I Met Your Mother"

Favourite TV Celeb-reality Star
Kim Kardashian

Favourite New TV Drama
"Person of Interest"

Favourite New TV Comedy
"2 Broke Girls"

HUGO - A Must for Fans of the Cinema

2012-01-12T09:27:00.004+08:00

HUGO (family drama)
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz, Jude Law, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Ben Kingsley, Ray Winstone, Richard Griffiths, Helen McCrory and Michael Sthalbarg
Director: Martin Scorsese
Screenplay: John Logan (based on Brian Selznick's illustrated novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret)
Time: 125 mins
Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 4)

Asa Butterfield as Hugo

PREAMBLE: Set mostly in Paris' Montparnasse railway station, circa 1931 and coloured in Dickensian tones, Hugo is Martin Scorsese's tribute to the era of the silent movies - just like another potential Oscar contender, The Artist.

Hugo may be rather heavy-going for young children but it should be a delight to fans of the cinema. Scorsese's passion for the history of cinema is evident and infectious, especially when it is so spectacularly rendered in 3D.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is an orphaned boy living within the walls and passageways of the Montparnasse station. He spends his days fixing and maintaining the station clocks - and avoiding the station's inspector (played by Sacha Baron Cohen, pic left) who wants to send him to an orphanage.

When Hugo meets Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz), he's inspired to unlock the mystery of a robot-like device discovered by his late father (Jude Law). Hugo thinks that his father has left him a message in the 'robot'. However, the 'robot' instead points to Isabelle's own grouchy godfather Georges (Ben Kingsley), who turns out to be pioneer film-maker Georges Méliès. Hugo and Isabelle then try to rekindle his love for cinema, aided by kindly film historian Rene Tabard (Michael Stuhlbarg).

HITS & MISSES: I am not too enamoured of the main plot about Hugo's life in the railway station. Questions about his daily existence arise, and there is also the moral stigma of his stealing food and drink from stalls at the station. However, Scorsese furnishes the venue with interesting characters - like Cohen's handicapped Inspector and his romantic link to flower girl Lisette (Emily Mortimer) - and enigmatic subplots like Kingsley's toy-seller Georges.

Moretz and Butterfield

The friendship and adventures between Hugo and Isabelle form an interesting lead to the unveiling of Georges Méliès' real identity and to Scorsese's salute to the masters of silent and 1930s French cinema. There is a screening of the Lumiere brothers' train arrival scene (L'Arrivee d'un train en gare de La Ciotat) and a scene from "Safety Last," in which silent comedy icon, Harold Lloyd, hangs from the hands of a giant clock. This image will soon be repeated at the end of the movie.

The director's passion with old movies is obvious as Scorsese is the founder and chairman of the World Cinema Foundation which has a campaign to preserve and restore old films. There isn't anything impressive in the acting department. Butterfield (who was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) is rather wooden while Moretz (the Kick-Ass girl) is a vision of good-heartedness and chirpiness. Also, look out for Christopher Lee in a non-villain role as a book lender.

THE LOWDOWN: A milestone film for fans of cinema history.

NB: HUGO has not yet been released in Malaysia. This review is
for the benefit of those following the upcoming Oscar Race.

WEEKEND PIC - Jan 13 - 15, 2012

2012-01-12T06:37:00.003+08:00

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK

a) CONTRABAND - (action thriller remake with Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Diego Luna, J.K. Simmons, Lukas Haas and William Lucking) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): It is January - the low season for the box-office - and this is typical cinema fodder with Wahlberg playing 'Wahlberg' in a predictable "one last job" crime action thriller. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, based on a 2008 Icelandic thriller that Kormakur starred in, Contraband is derivative and implausible.

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL (action thriller with Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Josh Holloway, Lea Seydoux, Tom Wilkinson, Michael Nyqvist, Ving Rhames and Anil Kapoor) Rated * * * 1/2 (3.5 stars): With Brad Bird (of The Incredibles) at the helm, we have a more compleat M:I caper - nicely coated with typical English humour (courtesy of Pegg), narrative depth and a plot we can sink our teeth in. The set pieces are not bad either, especially the Burj Khalifa building stunts and sand storm in Dubai, and the climactic face-off in Mumbai. This M:I 4 is arguably the best of the franchise. (Reviewed below)

2. SHERLOCK HOLMES: A Game of Shadows (mystery thriller with Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Kelly Reilly and Rachel McAdams) Rated * * * (3 stars): Guy Ritchie's bastardisation of Arthur Conan Doyle's icon continues - with the wedding of Dr Watson and a nefarious plot by Dr Moriarty (Harris). Again, the emphasis is on elaborate action set pieces at the expense of intellectual intrigues that is typical of Holmes' capers. Still, with Downey Jr and Law in the lead, this romp is sheer popcorn entertainment fit for the holiday season. (Reviewed below)

3. THE AWAKENING (supernatural thriller with Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, Isaac Hempstead-Wright and Shaun Dooley) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Playing a bit like The Others, Sixth Sense and The Orphanage, this British-styled thriller has the requisite eerie atmosphere and engaging performance by lead star Hall. However, the movie kind of buckles at the end with a lame resolution that leaves more questions than answers. (Reviewed below)

4. THE BEAVER (drama with Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Cherry Jones, Paul Hodge, Michelle Ang, Riley Thomas Stewart, Kris Arnold and John Bernhardt) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Directed by Jodie Foster, this psychological drama is about mental depression and how a hand puppet is used as a form of therapy. The plus side here is Gibson's riveting performance as a man on the verge of suicide; the minus side is that Foster allows the subplot about the son (Yelchin) and his girlfriend (Lawrence) to break the momentum of the main story.

5. THE DARKEST HOUR (sci-fi thriller with Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor, Max Minghella and Joel Kinnaman) Rating * * (2 stars): Set in Moscow, this doomsday alien invasion thriller may keep our interest for 20 minutes. Then, when we get over the novelty of the plot (and how Earthlings get vapourised by invisible aliens), we start to realise how utterly silly the script is. Reminds me of Skyline, but with less IQ.

The Artists' Hazanavicus Among DGA Nominees

2012-01-10T06:10:00.004+08:00

JAN 9, 2012 - The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has named the five nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures. They are:

1. Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris

2. David Fincher for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

3. Michel Hazanavicius (picture) for The Artist (2011)

4. Alexander Payne for The Descendants

5. Martin Scorsese for Hugo

This is the first DGA nomination for Hazanavicius, 44, for his black and white silent movie about old Hollywood, The Artist, which has wowed critics since its premier at the Cannes film festival in May.

The DGA has a strong track record of foreshadowing the eventual winner of the Best Director Oscar, and the Academy Award for Best Movie also goes to the winner of best director. Since 1948, there are only six occasions when the DGA award winner has not gone on to win the corresponding Academy Award.

The DGA hands out its award at ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan 28 in Hollywood, and it will be hosted this year by former "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer.

'The Devil Inside' Tops US Weekend B-O

2012-01-09T23:26:00.002+08:00

JAN 9, 2012 - The Devil Inside crushed even the most generous forecasts this weekend and easily claimed first place ahead of fellow Paramount release Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Its impressive debut combined with strong holdover performances resulted in an estimated US$128.2 million Top 12 gross, which is up a whopping 30 percent from the same weekend last year (though it's off 14 percent from the same frame in 2010).

Produced for less than $1 million and distributed by Paramount's Insurge label, The Devil Inside scared up an estimated US$34.5 million from 2,285 locations.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol dropped down to second place after leading the box office for the past few weeks. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows also held well this weekend: the sequel was off 33 percent to an estimated US$14.1 million.

Here are the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Jan 6-8, 2012 weekend, in terms of rank, (previous week ranking), Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo. (US$1=RM3)

1. (-) The Devil Inside (Par.) $34.5 million ($34.5 million) 1

2. (1) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Par.) $20.5 million ($170.2 million) 4

3. (2) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (WB) $14.1 million ($157.4 million) 4

4. (4) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sony) $11.3 million ($76.8 million) 3

5. (3) Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (Fox) $9.5 million ($111.5 million) 4

THE IDES OF MARCH - Realistic Slice of Politics

2012-01-09T11:01:00.004+08:00

THE IDES OF MARCH (political drama)
Cast: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Even Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Ehle and Max Minghella
Director: George Clooney
Screenplay: George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon, based on Willimon's play Farragut North
Time: 103 mins
Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 4)

PREAMBLE: The 'Ides Of March' is March 15 and here it refers to the date of the Ohio Primary when Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) hopes to get enough pledges to claim the Democratic nomination for President.

I don't know much about American politics and I thought I would be over my head in the muddle of US politics but it turned out to be a rather interesting lesson in political realism than American politics.

Marisa Tomei and Ryan Gosling

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The protagonist here is Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling), an ambitious press spokesman working on the presidential campaign of Democratic candidate Mike Morris. His immediate boss is campaign director Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an experienced and trusted aide of Morris. When the opposition's campaign manager, Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), tries to get Stephen to switch sides, he finds himself in an unexpectedly compromised position. To make things worse, Stephen is starting an affair with Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood) a pretty and well-connected intern.

Evan Rachel Wood and Gosling

HITS & MISSES: The first half of the movie seems to be bogged down in slow build-up. It lacks adrenaline and we keep wondering which direction the narrative is going. Once the plot milestones are set, the pace picks up and we delight in the twists and turns of Morris's campaign.

Directed by Clooney (based on the the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon), The Ides Of March appears totally realistic and plausible, thanks mainly to a great cast that includes Marisa Tomei as Ida Horowicz, a manipulative New York Times reporter who would go all out for a political scoop. Hoffman and Giamatti (of TV's John Adams fame) are veterans in this type of roles and their performances are faultless. And although Clooney's Mike Morris looks and sounds very much like a Presidential candidate, this is Ryan Gosling's show and he acquits himself well.

The dialogue is excellent and the technical values are all up to par. Indeed, Clooney has successfully transformed the play into an intelligent, thought-provoking film.

THE LOWDOWN: A treat for those who like mental games and thrills.

NB: The Ides Of March has not yet been released in Malaysia. This review is
for the benefit of those following the upcoming Oscar Race.

Harry Potter Finale Wins Golden Tomato

2012-01-07T09:35:00.003+08:00

JAN 6, 2012 - Last year's Harry Potter finale has won the Golden Tomato award, courtesy of movie review website Rotten Tomatoes. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, the top box-office draw of 2011, is also the best-reviewed, wide-release movie of 2011.

While the thought of winning a Golden Tomato might bring a smile to anyone, winning one is no joke in Hollywood. It is a point of pride for filmmakers and signals studio bosses and producers as to which directors are hot among critics.

Matt Atchity, editor-in-chief of Rotten Tomatoes, notes that Disney/Pixar keeps its Golden Tomatoes in the same glass case as it does its Oscars. Indeed, "Potter" producer David Heyman said in a statement that the film-making team was "especially appreciative that this award honours the final film in the series."

"Deathly Hallows - Part 2" earned US$1.3 billion at worldwide box offices and scored a 96 percent "fresh," or positive, rating from 273 reviews compiled by Rotten Tomatoes.

"It is the best reviewed 'Harry Potter' of all. The other ones have had a Golden Tomato for best sci-fi film, but this is the first to win the wide release award," Atchity told Reuters.

Other 2011 Golden Tomato Award-winners include:

* Action-adventure: Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol
* Animation: Arthur Christmas
* Drama: Moneyball
* Horror: Attack the Block
* Kids/Family: The Muppets
* Romance: Weekend
* Thriller: Drive
* User-reviewed: 50/50

Writers Guild Names its 2012 Nominees

2012-01-06T04:28:00.004+08:00

JAN 5, 2012 - The American Writers Guild Award nominations have been announced and Alexander Payne's Descendants, Kristin Wiig's Bridesmaids" and Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris are among the nominees.

Unlike most other film industry guilds, the Writers Guild of America does not allow non-guild members to receive nominations and screenplays must be produced under the guild's labour agreements in order to be eligible. Due to the guild's strict rules, the awards do not serve as a helpful predictor of Oscar nominations.

Last year, four of the 10 Oscar nominees for Best Original and Adapted Screenplay had not also been picked by the WGA. For 2009, six of the Oscar nominees were non-WGA.

Among the ineligible scripts this year are such critics' favorites as The Artist, Beginners, Drive, The Iron Lady, My Week with Marilyn,Shame, and many others. A total of 33 films qualified this year for the WGA's ballot for best adapted screenplay, and 55 for best original screenplay. The winners will be announced on Sunday, Feb 19.

The nominees:

Original Screenplay

50/50: Will Reiser

Bridesmaids: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo

Midnight in Paris: Woody Allen

Win Win: Thomas McCarthy, Joe Tiboni

Young Adult: Diablo Cody (pic, left)

Adapted Screenplay

The Descendants: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): Steven Zaillian
The Help: Tate Taylor
Hugo: John Logan
Moneyball: Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin

Documentary Screenplay

Better This World (2011): Katie Galloway, Kelly Duane
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (2011): Matthew Hamachek, Marshall Curry
Nostalgia for the Light (2010): Patricio Guzmán
Pina (2011): Wim Wenders (pic, right)
Stand van de Sterren (2010): Leonard Retel Helmrich, Hetty Naaijkens-Retel Helmrich
Senna (2010): Manish Pandey

Dramatic Series

"Boardwalk Empire" (2010)
"Breaking Bad" (2008)
"Game of Thrones" (2011)
"The Good Wife" (2009)
"Homeland" (2011)

Comedy Series

"30 Rock" (2006)
"Modern Family" (2009)
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" (2000)
"Louie" (2010)
"Parks and Recreation" (2009)

New Series

"Episodes" (2011)
"Game of Thrones" (2011)
"Homeland" (2011)
"The Killing" (2011)
"New Girl" (2011)

Comedy/Variety Series

"The Colbert Report" (2005)
"Conan" (2010)
"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (1996)
"Jon Benjamin Has a Van" (2011)
"Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (2009)
"Real Time with Bill Maher" (2003)
"Saturday Night Live" (1975)

Episodic Drama

"Boardwalk Empire" (2010): Bathsheba Doran ("The Age of Reason")
"Boardwalk Empire" (2010): Itamar Moses ("A Dangerous Maid")
"Breaking Bad" (2008): Vince Gilligan ("Box Cutter")
"Breaking Bad" (2008): Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett ("End Times")
"Dexter" (2006): Jace Richdale ("Just Let Go")
"Homeland" (2011): Henry Bromell ("The Good Soldier")

Episodic Comedy

"30 Rock" (2006): Tracey Wigfield("Queen of Jordan")
"Modern Family" (2009): Steven Levitan, Jeffrey Richman("Caught in the Act")
"Modern Family" (2009): Dan O'Shannon, Ilana Wernick ("Mother's Day")
"The Office" (2005): Robert Padnick ("PDA")
"The Office" (2005): Greg Daniels ("Goodbye, Michael - Part 2")
"Weeds" (2005): Stephen Falk ("Object Impermanence")

Long Form - Original

Cinema Verite (2011): David Seltzer
Five (2011): Stephen Godchaux, Jill Gordon, Howard Morris, Deirdre O'Connor, Wendy West

Long Form - Adaptation

"Mildred Pierce" (2011): Todd Haynes, Jonathan Raymond
Too Big to Fail (2011): Peter Gould

WEEKEND PIC - Jan 6 - 8, 2012

2012-01-05T09:18:00.003+08:00

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK

a) THE AWAKENING (supernatural thriller with Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, Isaac Hempstead-Wright and Shaun Dooley) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Playing a bit like The Others, Sixth Sense and The Orphanage, this British-styled thriller has the requisite eerie atmosphere and engaging performance by lead star Hall. However, the movie kind of buckles at the end with a lame resolution that leaves more questions than answers. (Reviewed below)

b) THE BEAVER (drama with Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Cherry Jones, Paul Hodge, Michelle Ang, Riley Thomas Stewart, Kris Arnold and John Bernhardt) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Directed by Jodie Foster, this psychological drama is about mental depression and how a hand puppet is used as a form of therapy. The plus side here is Gibson's riveting performance as a man on the verge of suicide; the minus side is that Foster allows the subplot about the son (Yelchin) and his girlfriend (Lawrence) to break the momentum of the main story.

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL (action thriller with Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Josh Holloway, Lea Seydoux, Tom Wilkinson, Michael Nyqvist, Ving Rhames and Anil Kapoor) Rated * * * 1/2 (3.5 stars): With Brad Bird (of The Incredibles) at the helm, we have a more compleat M:I caper - nicely coated with typical English humour (courtesy of Pegg), narrative depth and a plot we can sink our teeth in. The set pieces are not bad either, especially the Burj Khalifa building stunts and sand storm in Dubai, and the climactic face-off in Mumbai. This M:I 4 is arguably the best of the franchise. (Reviewed below)

2. SHERLOCK HOLMES: A Game of Shadows (mystery thriller with Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Kelly Reilly and Rachel McAdams) Rated * * * (3 stars): Guy Ritchie's bastardisation of Arthur Conan Doyle's icon continues - with the wedding of Dr Watson and a nefarious plot by Dr Moriarty (Harris). Again, the emphasis is on elaborate action set pieces at the expense of intellectual intrigues that is typical of Holmes' capers. Still, with Downey Jr and Law in the lead, this romp is sheer popcorn entertainment fit for the holiday season. (Reviewed below)

3. WE BOUGHT A ZOO (family drama with Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon, Elle Fanning, Carla Gallo, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Fugit, Stephanie Szostak, Colin Ford, John Michael Higgins and Desi Lydic) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): The movie, about how a widowed dad and his two children take over a decrepit animal park and turn it into a zoo, is rather formulaic but the main lure is the cast that includes heart-throbs like ScarJo and Elle Fanning. Another flaw is its long running time that takes a toll on our concentration. (Reviewed below)

4. THE DARKEST HOUR (sci-fi thriller with Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor, Max Minghella and Joel Kinnaman) Rating * * (2 stars): Set in Moscow, this doomsday alien invasion thriller may keep our interest for about 20 minutes. Then, when we get over the novelty of the uninspired plot (and how Earthlings get vaporised by invisible aliens), we start to realise how utterly silly the script is. Reminds me of Skyline, but with even less IQ.

b) JACK AND JILL (comedy with Adam Sandler, Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Allen Covert, Dana Carvey, Natalie Gal, Tim Meadows, Katelyn Pacitto, Valerie Mahaffey and Regis Philbin) Rated * (one star): The big deal here is seeing Sandler playing both the title characters - as twins. However, he makes no attempt to flesh out the role of Jill - but merely puts on a wig and dress and speaks in falsetto. And the idea of Al Pacino wooing Jill makes us cringe rather than burst out in mirth. (Reviewed below)

Nominees for Producers of America Awards

2012-01-04T07:02:00.003+08:00

JAN 2, 2012 - The Producers Guild of America has announced its 10 nominees for Best Picture of the Year, and along with expected contenders like The Artist, War Horse, The Descendants, The Help, and Hugo are two minor surprises: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Ides of March.

Left off the list are Drive, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and most interestingly, The Tree of Life. That polarizing film, which has done well in the critics awards so far, clearly takes the biggest hit in the overall Oscar race and is no longer a sure thing for a Best Picture nomination.

Last year, the PGA honorees matched the eventual Best Picture nominees nine for 10, but this year it may not be as easy to compare the two — the Academy’s new voting rules dictate that there will be somewhere between five and 10 Best Picture nominees this go-round, depending on how many films receive at least 5 percent of the overall No. 1 votes. The PGA awards will take place on Jan. 21. The nominees are:

BEST PICTURE
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
War Horse

BEST ANIMATED FILM

The Adventures of Tintin
Cars 2
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
Bill Cunningham New York
Project Nim
Senna
The Union

LONG-FORM Television
Cinema Verite
Downton Abbey
The Kennedys
Mildred Pierce
Too Big to Fail

TV COMEDY
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation

TV DRAMA
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Mad Men

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT & TALK
The Colbert Report
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Real Time with Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live
The 64th Annual Tony Awards

COMPETITION TV
The Amazing Race
American Idol
Dancing With the Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef

NON-FICTION TV
30 for 30
American Masters
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
Deadliest Catch
Undercover Boss

THE AWAKENING - Good Start, Lame Ending

2012-01-04T00:12:00.002+08:00

THE AWAKENING (supernatural thriller)
Cast: Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, Isaac Hempstead-Wright and Shaun Dooley
Director: Nick Murphy
Screenplay: Nicky Murphy and Stephen Volk
Time: 106 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)

West and Hall

PREAMBLE: It's a bit like The Others and The Orphanage but what I enjoy most about The Awakening is its detailed circa-1920 Britain atmosphere, its eerie setting and an engaging performance by Rebecca Hall. The letdown is its disappointing ending.

Then again, I was bowled over by Rebecca Hall in The Town and I was glad to see more of her here...

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? After World War One, Londoners are grieving over the deaths of their loved ones and fraudsters cash in on this to make a fast buck. Author and investigator Florence Cathcart (Hall, above) has developed a reputation for exposing such fake psychics and spiritualists. When school teacher Robert Mallory (Dominic West) asks her to investigate ghost sightings at a Rockwood boys' boarding school in the country, Florence is naturally sceptical. However, she's intrigued by the stories she heard and, armed with chemical powders, trip wires and electromagnetics, she is determined to uncover what's really going on.

HITS & MISSES: Instead of piling up on the scares, director Nick Murphy presents them like clues in a puzzle. Horror thriller fans may find scenes derivative of movies like Sixth Sense and The Others but Murphy manages to capitalise on the cold and dank atmosphere and build up the frights.

It is a treat to see Hall fleshing out Florence as a well-rounded character who is not above spying on a naked Mallory, or getting her convictions overturned. The one flaw with Florence may be that she appears too modern (even wearing pants at one point) to be from the 1920s. Imelda Staunton provides a nicely understated performance as the school's matron while Joseph Mawle plays a creepy handyman with a grudge against Mallory. West's Mallory has a romance with Florence but it is not that convincing. The ending, of course, leaves us with more questions than answers.

THE LOWDOWN: Flawed by the ending, but still watchable.

The Top 10 Movies of 2011

2011-12-31T10:12:00.004+08:00

DEC 31, 2011 - It's the time of year for making lists again - and here's my Top 10 Films of 2011. One glance at the list below and you will see that it consists almost solely of blockbusters, except for Drive, my No.1 pick.

Unfortunately, Drive was pulled out of the Malaysian cinema at the eleventh hour, due to technical reasons. After watching the media preview, I was astounded by its 3-in-1 blend of genres: crime thriller, revenge caper and love story.

Also in the list is Punished, the sole Hong Kong entry. If you can't see any of the so-called 'probable Oscar nominees' in the list, it is probably because movies like Iron Lady, The Artist and being released in the last weeks of December so that they can qualify for the 84th Academy Awards. Other notables like War Horse, The Ides Of March, The Help, Hugo and The Descendants had not been released in Malaysia. (As I am now in the US, I will be catching some of these films and review them in this blog).

And in the spirit of the season, here's a HAPPY NEW YEAR to all readers and movie fans.

The Top 10 of 2011

1. Drive

2. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

3. Captain America: First Avenger

4. X-Men: First Class

5. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

7. Cars 2

8. Kungfu Panda 2

9. Punished (HK crime thriller)

10. Bridesmaids

The Biggest Disappointment: Sucker Punch

WEEKEND PIC - Dec 30 - Jan 1, 2012

2011-12-29T11:03:00.003+08:00

GUIDE TO THE NEW YEAR WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK

a) THE DARKEST HOUR (sci-fi thriller with Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor, Max Minghella and Joel Kinnaman) Rating * * (2 stars): Set in Moscow, this doomsday alien invasion thriller may keep our interest for about 20 minutes. Then, when we get over the novelty of the uninspired plot (and how Earthlings get vaporised by invisible aliens), we start to realise how utterly silly the script is. Reminds me of Skyline, but with even less IQ.

b) JACK AND JILL (comedy with Adam Sandler, Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Allen Covert, Dana Carvey, Natalie Gal, Tim Meadows, Katelyn Pacitto, Valerie Mahaffey and Regis Philbin) Rated * (one star): The big deal here is seeing Sandler playing both the title characters - as twins. However, he makes no attempt to flesh out the role of Jill - but merely puts on a wig and dress and speaks in falsetto. And the idea of Al Pacino wooing Jill makes us cringe rather than burst out in mirth. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL (action thriller with Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Josh Holloway, Lea Seydoux, Tom Wilkinson, Michael Nyqvist, Ving Rhames and Anil Kapoor) Rated * * * 1/2 (3.5 stars): With Brad Bird (of The Incredibles) at the helm, we have a more compleat M:I caper - nicely coated with typical English humour (courtesy of Pegg), narrative depth and a plot we can sink our teeth in. The set pieces are not bad either, especially the Burj Khalifa building stunts and sand storm in Dubai, and the climactic face-off in Mumbai. This M:I 4 is arguably the best of the franchise. (Reviewed below)

2. SHERLOCK HOLMES: A Game of Shadows (mystery thriller with Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Kelly Reilly and Rachel McAdams) Rated * * * (3 stars): Guy Ritchie's bastardisation of Arthur Conan Doyle's icon continues - with the wedding of Dr Watson and a nefarious plot by Dr Moriarty (Harris). Again, the emphasis is on elaborate action set pieces at the expense of intellectual intrigues that is typical of Holmes' capers. Still, with Downey Jr and Law in the lead, this romp is sheer popcorn entertainment fit for the holiday season. (Reviewed below)

3. WE BOUGHT A ZOO (family drama with Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon, Elle Fanning, Carla Gallo, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Fugit, Stephanie Szostak, Colin Ford, John Michael Higgins and Desi Lydic) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): The movie, about how a widowed dad and his two children take over a decrepit animal park and turn it into a zoo, is rather formulaic but the main lure is the cast that includes heart-throbs like ScarJo and Elle Fanning. Another flaw is its long running time that takes a toll on our concentration. (Reviewed below)

3. NEW YEAR'S EVE (romantic comedy with Lea Michele, Michele Pfeiffer, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl and Hilary Swank) Rated * * (2 stars): After Valentine's Day, Garry Marshall comes out with another ensemble flick centred around the traditional Ball Drop at Manhattan's Times Square, NYC. It comprises a bunch of vignettes involving that special day and night but only a few are worthy enough of their starry cast. Many of the romantic threads are implausible while some are overly sentimental. Good for gawking at your idols, though. (Reviewed below)

4. ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS 3 (animated and live action comedy with Jason Lee, David Cross, Jenny Slate, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate) Rated * * (2 stars): The Chipmunks and Chipettes (female version) are cute. They can sing and dance. They are also 'rodents' and they can be pesky and annoying. How much of these attributes can you take in a movie about the whole gang of them ending up on a deserted island? The answer, I believe, depends on how young your accompanying kid is. Suitable for those below five. (Reviewed below)

The 18th Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominees

2011-12-28T04:56:00.004+08:00

DEC 27, 2011 - The nominees for the 18th annual SAG Awards were announced on Wednesday, Dec. 14. The Help led with four nominations, earning a leading role nomination for Viola Davis who plays the maid Aibileen Clark, supporting nods for Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer, and a motion picture ensemble nomination. Other films nominated for best motion picture ensemble include The Artist, The Descendants, Midnight in Paris and Bridesmaids.

For the television nominations, ABC’s Modern Family leads total of five nods, including outstanding comedy ensemble. Dexter and 30 Rock follow with three nominations each.

The 18th annual SAG Awards will take place on Sunday, Jan. 29.

- MOTION PICTURE -

Outstanding Cast In A Motion Picture

Bridesmaids
The Artist
The Descendants
The Help
Midnight in Paris

Outstanding Male Actor In A Leading Role

George Clooney, The Descendants
Demian Bichir, A Better Life
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Outstanding Female Actor In A Leading Role

Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help (pic)
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Outstanding Male Actor In A Supporting Role

Nick Nolte, Warrior
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Armie Hammer, J. Edgar
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Outstanding Female Actor In A Supporting Role

Octavia Spencer, The Help
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

Outstanding Stunt Ensemble In A Motion Picture

The Adjustment Bureau
Cowboys & Aliens
Harry Potter and the Deahtly Hallows: Part II
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
X-Men: First Class

- TELEVISION -

Outstanding Male Actor In A Television Movie Or Miniseries

Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Greg Kinnear, The Kennedys
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
James Woods, Too Big to Fail

Outstanding Female Actor In A Television Movie Or Miniseries

Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult (pic)
Betty White, The Lost Valentine
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Outstanding Male Actor In A Drama Series

Patrick J. Adams, Suits
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Outstanding Female Actor In A Drama Series
Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law
Glenn Close, Damages
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Julianna Margules, The Good Wife
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Outstanding Male Actor In A Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Steve Carell, The Office
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Outstanding Female Actor In A Comedy Series

Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Betty White, Hot In Cleveland

Outstanding Ensemble In A Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Dexter
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife

Outstanding Ensemble In A Comedy Series
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office

Outstanding Stunt Ensemble In A TV Series
Dexter
Game of Thrones
Southland
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena
True Blood

The 69th Golden Globe Awards Nominations

2011-12-28T03:45:00.006+08:00

DEC 27, 2011 - The Hollywood Foreign Press announced nominees for the 69th annual Golden Globes on Thursday, Dec. 15. The Artist led film categories with six nominations, including best motion picture, comedy or musical. The Descendants and The Help followed with five nominations, with Moneyball, Ides of March and Midnight in Paris each earning four.

In the television categories, Downton Abbey and Mildred Pierce both lead with four nominations, while series Boardwalk Empire, Modern Family and newcomers The Hour and Homeland each earned three nominations a piece.

The Golden Globes will be presented on Sunday, January 15, 2012.

- MOVIES -

Best Movie - Drama

The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse

Best Performance By An Actress – Drama

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady (pic)
Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin

Best Performance By An Actor – Drama

George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar (pic)
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
My Week With Marilyn

Best Performance By An Actress – Comedy Or Musical
Jodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage

Best Performance By An Actor – Comedy Or Musical
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

Best Animated Feature Film
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Best Foreign Language Film
The Flowers of War (China)
In the Land of Blood and Honey (USA)
The Kid With A Bike (Belgium)
A Separation (Iran)
The Skin I Live In (Spain)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Director – Motion Picture
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanvicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Abel Korzeniowski, W.E.
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Howard Shore, Hugo
John Williams, War Horse

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Hello Hello” — Gnomeo & Juliet (Music by: Elton John, Lyrics by: Bernie Taupin)
“The Keeper” — Machine Gun Preacher (Music & Lyrics by Chris Cornell)
"Lay Your Head Down” — Albert Nobbs (Music by: Brian Byrne, Lyrics by: Glenn Close)
“The Living Proof” — The Help (Music by: Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason Jr., Lyrics by: Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason Jr., Damon Thomas)
“Masterpiece” — W.E. (Music & Lyrics by: Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry)

- TELEVISION -

Best TV Series – Drama

American Horror Story, FX
Boardwalk Empire, HBO
Boss, STARZ
Game of Thrones, HBO
Homeland, Showtime

Best Performance By An Actress – TV Drama
Claire Danes, Homeland
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Madeleine Stowe, Revenge
Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness

Best Performance By An Actor – TV Drama
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Kelsey Grammer, Boss
Jeremy Irons, The Borgias
Damian Lewis, Homeland

Best TV Series – Comedy Or Musical
Enlightened, HBO
Episodes, Showtime
Glee, FOX
Modern Family, ABC
New Girl, FOX

Best Performance By An Actress – TV Comedy Or Musical
Laura Dern, Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Best Performance By An Actor –TV Comedy Or Musical
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
David Duchovny, Californication
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For TV
Cinema Verite, HBO
Downton Abbey, PBS (Masterpiece)
The Hour, BBC America
Mildred Pierce, HBO
Too Big to Fail, HBO

Best Performance By Actress In A Mini-Series Or Made For TV Movie
Romola Garai, The Hour
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey
Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Best Performance By Actor In A Mini-Series Or Made For TV Movie
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Idris Elba, Luther
William Hurt, Too Big to Fail
Bill Nighy, Page Eight
Dominic West, The Hour

Best Performance By Actress In Supporting Role In A Series, Mini-Series, Or Made for TV Movie
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce

Best Performance By Actor in Supporting Role in Series, Mini-Series Or Made For TV Movie
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

JACK AND JILL - And All Came Tumbling Down

2011-12-27T04:55:00.003+08:00

JACK AND JILL (comedy)
Cast: Adam Sandler, Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Allen Covert, Dana Carvey, Natalie Gal, Tim Meadows, Katelyn Pacitto, Valerie Mahaffey and Regis Philbin
Director: Dennis Dugan
Screenplay: Steve Koren and Robert Smigel
Time: 91 mins
Rating: * (out of 4)

Katie Holmes and Adam Sandler

PREAMBLE: I wouldn't say that Jack And Jill is the worst movie of 2011, but I can safely attest that it is the worst Adam Sandler movie I have seen. Basically, this one-joke comedy is about watching Sandler in drag as Jill, a crude woman who is generally out of touch with the world. And the fun wears out after 10 minutes of seeing Sandler playing Jill.

It says a lot about a movie when Al Pacino, who plays himself in the film, is funnier than lead star Sandler.

Sandler, Holmes and Rohan Chand

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Jack Sadelstein (Sandler) is a thriving advertising executive in Los Angeles with a beautiful wife (Katie Holmes) and kids (Elodie Tougne, Rohan Chand). Presently, Jack has two problems: His agency stands to lose a major client if he can't persuade Al Pacino to sign on as a Dunkin' Donuts spokesman; and his twin sister Jill is coming to spend Thanksgiving with him. A lonely spinster still living in the siblings' Bronx home, Jill has never heard of the Internet, has the manners of a sailor and a pet bird named Poopsie.

Now, would you believe that a guy like Pacino can be attracted to Jill?

Sandler and Al Pacino

HITS & MISSES: The one 'hit' in this screechy mess of a film is Pacino's cameo - including poking fun at his films like Dog Day Afternoon and The Godfather Part 2. It sets us wondering how much they are paying him to appear in this trash. The comedy seems forced and senseless - like Jill jet-skiing in the swimming pool and getting knocked unconscious on the set of "The Price Is Right." Indeed, Sandler makes no attempt to flesh out his role as Jill. He merely puts on a wig and dress and speaks in falsetto. The idea of Pacino wooing his Jill makes us cringe rather than burst out in mirth.

The other 'fun' stuff that director Dennis Dugan includes in the movie are blatant product placements, the poop, fart and sweat gags, and celebrity cameos (yes, there's an uncredited Johnny Depp among them).

THE LOWDOWN: For those who find idiocy funny.

'M:I 4' Claims No 1 Spot at US Weekend B-O

2011-12-26T21:07:00.007+08:00

DEC 26, 2011 - Even with three new movies entering the market this week, the top of the box office charts looked awfully familiar. After expanding to 3,448 locations, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol jumped ahead of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked to claim first place, a position it should be able to hold throughout the remainder of the holiday weekend.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo took fourth place, while The Adventures of Tintin and We Bought a Zoo were unable to lure family audiences in large numbers. The Top 10 earned over US$37 million on Friday, which is just a tad up from the same date in 2005 (the last time Dec. 23 landed on a Friday), and it doesn't look like this batch of movies is going to do a whole lot to end 2011 on a high note.

We Bought a Zoo debuted in sixth place with an estimated US$7.8 million in weekend gross. That's not an overly impressive start, though the movie does still have a chance to turn things around with children off from school next week.

Here are the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Dec 23-25, 2011 weekend, in terms of rank, (previous week ranking), Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo. (US$1=RM3)

1. (3) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Paramount) $26.5 million ($58.9 million) 2

2. (1) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (WB) $17.8 million ($76.5 million) 2

3. (2) Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (Fox) $13.3 million ($50.2 million) 2

4. (-) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sony) $13.0 million ($21.4 million) 1

5. (-) The Adventures of Tintin (Paramount) $9.1 million ($17.1 million) 1

WEEKEND PIC - Dec 23 - 25, 2011

2011-12-22T22:08:00.005+08:00

GUIDE TO CHRISTMAS WEEKEND MOVIES

(Merry Christmas to all Readers. I am presently blogging from Atlanta, USA)

NEW THIS WEEK:

a) SHERLOCK HOLMES: A Game of Shadows (mystery thriller with Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Kelly Reilly and Rachel McAdams) Rated * * * (3 stars): Guy Ritchie's bastardization of Arthur Conan Doyle's icon continues - with the wedding of Dr Watson and a nefarious plot by Dr Moriarty (Harris). Again, the emphasis is on elaborate action set pieces at the expense of intellectual intrigues that is typical of Holmes' capers. Still, with Downey Jr and Law in the lead, this romp is sheer popcorn entertainment fit for the holiday season. (Reviewed below)

b) WE BOUGHT A ZOO (family drama with Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon, Elle Fanning, Carla Gallo, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Fugit, Stephanie Szostak, Colin Ford, John Michael Higgins and Desi Lydic) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): The movie, about how a widowed dad and his two children take over a decrepit animal park and turn it into a zoo, is rather formulaic but the main lure is the cast that includes heart-throbs like ScarJo and Elle Fanning. Another flaw is its long running time that takes a toll on our concentration. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL (action thriller with Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Josh Holloway, Lea Seydoux, Tom Wilkinson, Michael Nyqvist, Ving Rhames and Anil Kapoor) Rated * * * 1/2 (3.5 stars): With Brad Bird (of The Incredibles) at the helm, we have a more compleat M:I caper - nicely coated with typical English humour (courtesy of Pegg), narrative depth and a plot we can sink our teeth in. The set pieces are not bad either, especially the Burj Khalifa building stunts and sand storm in Dubai, and the climactic face-off in Mumbai. This M:I 4 is arguably the best of the franchise. (Reviewed below)

2. PETALING STREET WARRIORS (comedy with Mark Lee, Yeo Yann Yann, Chris Tong, Namewee, Frederick Lee, Henry Thia, Ramasundran Rengana and Alvin Wong) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Set in KL's famous Petaling Street circa 1908, this Malaysia-Singapore effort is more of a spoof than a martial arts actioner. There is a nice historical twist to the plot about a hokkien mee seller (Mark Lee) and his wife (Yeo Yann Yann) whose marriage has something more than meets the eye. Also, there are some surprising cameos from celebs of both sides of the Causeway. (Reviewed below)

3. NEW YEAR'S EVE (romantic comedy with Lea Michele, Michele Pfeiffer, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl and Hilary Swank) Rated * * (2 stars): After Valentine's Day, Garry Marshall comes out with another ensemble flick centred around the traditional Ball Drop at Manhattan's Times Square, NYC. It comprises a bunch of vignettes involving that special day and night but only a few are worthy enough of their starry cast. Many of the romantic threads are implausible while some are overly sentimental. Good for gawking at your idols, though. (Reviewed below)

4. ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS 3 (animated and live action comedy with Jason Lee, David Cross, Jenny Slate, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate) Rated * * (2 stars): The Chipmunks and Chipettes (female version) are cute. They can sing and dance. They are also 'rodents' and they can be pesky and annoying. How much of these attributes can you take in a movie about the whole gang of them ending up on a deserted island? The answer, I believe, depends on how young your accompanying kid is. Suitable for those below five. (Reviewed below)

WE BOUGHT A ZOO - Nice But Formulaic

2011-12-21T00:07:00.002+08:00

WE BOUGHT A ZOO (family drama)
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon, Elle Fanning, Carla Gallo, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Fugit, Stephanie Szostak, Colin Ford, John Michael Higgins and Desi Lydic
Director: Cameron Crowe
Screenplay: Aline Brosh McKenna and Crowe, from the book by Benjamin Mee
Time: 123 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)

PREAMBLE: Here's another contender for the sentimental Yuletide fare at the cineplex. From the title and poster, you should be able to guess that it is soppy family stuff with some animal antics thrown in. However, with such a crowded list of offerings in store, I don't expect this Matt Damon-ScarJo vehicle to do well at the holiday B-O stakes.

We Bought A Zoo is adapted from a true story and book by Benjamin Mee.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) is a recently widowed dad struggling to raise a teenage son (Colin Ford as Dylan) and a young daughter (Maggie Elizabeth Jones as Rosie). Taking advice from his elder brother (Thomas Haden Church) to start anew, Benjamin goes looking for a new house. When he finds the perfect place he discovers that it has a catch: it’s actually a defunct zoo.

For Rosie's sake, Benjamin decides to invest in the Rosemoor Animal Park and, with the help of its zookeeper, Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson), and her motley crew, try to restore the park to its former glory.

HITS & MISSES: This is Cameron Crowe's comeback film after Elizabethtown in 2005. It is definitely not his best work (which is still the 1996 Jerry Maguire) but his talent for bringing out the best in his cast is evident. Damon carries the movie solidly as its lead, ScarJo (pic left with Maggie Elizabeth Jones) is a bit underwritten but her Kelly is compelling whenever she is onscreen, and Church provides some comic relief.

The star who attracts us most is Elle Fanning who plays Lily, an assistant at the zoo and romantic foil for Colin Ford's Dylan. Fanning's is a small role but she brightens up the screen whenever she appears, providing the star attraction for youngsters in the audience - besides Spa the tiger and Buster the bear, of course.

On the minus side, the film is rather long drawn with many repetitive scenes; there are some loose ends and plot holes, while some attempts at comedy fall flat (especially those by John Michael Higgins as the zoo inspector).

THE LOWDOWN: Its heart is in the right place, everything else is formulaic.

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS - Popcorn Flick

2011-12-20T04:45:00.006+08:00

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS (mystery thriller)
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Kelly Reilly and Rachel McAdams
Director: Guy Ritchie
Screenplay: Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney, based on characters by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Time: 128 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr as Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes

(Sing to the tune of Do You Hear What I Hear?):

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy, Do you hear what I hear?
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy, Do you hear what I hear?
A turn, a turn, Turning in his grave,
That's Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
Yes, it's Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

PREAMBLE: Another Christmas season, another Sherlock Holmes flick. But wait, this is Guy Ritchie's sequel to the 2009 blockbuster and if you expect a mind-teaser of a thriller worthy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, you are in the wrong movie.

Under Ritchie's direction, Holmes and Watson are more like a European Indy Jones and Sidekick, dodging bullets, explosions and fists. It is a see-and-forget guilty pleasure, really, so pass the popcorn, please.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? In the first film, we learned that Dr Watson (Jude Law) has a girlfriend named Mary (Kellly Reilly). At the start of this sequel, they are set to wed and Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) does not look too pleased by the nuptials of his buddy, even though he is Watson's best man and organiser of his stag party. No, Holmes does not really hate Mary even though he throws her off the train during their honeymoon. You see, this is all for her own good and part of the detective's quest to foil the nefarious plot of Dr Moriarty (Jared Harris).

The 'mission' takes Holmes and Watson to Paris, Germany and ultimately Switzerland's Reichenbach Falls and it involves Madam Sim (Noomi Rapace, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), a gypsy whose missing brother holds the key to Moriarty's fiendish plans.

Noomi Rapace as Madam Sim

HITS & MISSES: Again, there are some entertaining and nail-biting set pieces, like the train and Reichenbach Falls sequences, that are the trademarks of Ritchie's films. The most enjoyable elements are still the homoerotic chemistry between Downey Jr and Law as the opium-addict detective and adventurous doc, respectively. For good measure, Ritchie and his scripters involve the duo in a fight during which Watson rips Sherlock's clothes off.

We also get to meet Holme's brother Mycroft, played by Stephen Fry who puts in an irrelevant nude romp for the benefit of Watson's bride. One of the film's biggest flaws is that the action overwhelms the narrative so much so that we lose sight of the plot. What's worse, we don't care about it. Some sequences seem long drawn and repetitive, while the roles of Rapace and Rachel McAdams (as Irene Adler) are not as well-written and juicy as the men's. (Pic right: Jared Harris as Dr Moriarty)

THE LOWDOWN: Just another option for the holiday entertainment.

Sherlock Holmes Is No. 1 at US Weekend B-O

2011-12-19T09:07:00.003+08:00

DEC 19, 2011 - While franchise titles did claim the top three spots at the Norh American box-office this weekend, it wound up being a very mixed frame for sequels. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Alvin and the Chipmunks 3 both tallied solid grosses, though they were notably down from their predecessors. On the other hand, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol had a robust start in limited release. Even with all of these established brands entering the marketplace, the Top 12 wound up down roughly 13 percent from the same period last year.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows opened to an estimated US$40.02 million, which is way down from the original Sherlock Holmes' US$62.3 million over Christmas weekend in 2009. In what could be an even more concerning comparison, the movie wound up lower than Tron Legacy's US$44 million start at the same time last year. That's shocking, considering Game of Shadows opened just two years after a well-received original while Tron hit cinemas 28 years after a first movie that wasn't even widely available on DVD or Blu-ray until after Legacy's release.

M:I - Ghost Protocol was the one bright spot at the box office this weekend. Opening at just 425 locations, Ghost Protocol earned an estimated US$13 million for an impressive per-theatre average of US$30,588. By releasing the movie five days early in IMAX and consistently pushing the format's immersive benefits, distributor Paramount Pictures managed to at least initially turn Ghost Protocol in to an event movie that demands to be seen on the big screen.

Here are the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Dec 16 - 18, 2011 weekend, in terms of rank, (previous week ranking), Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo. (US$1=RM3)

1. (-) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (WB) $40.0 million ($40.0 million) 1

2. (-) Alvin and the Chipmunks 3 (Fox) $23.5 million ($23.5 million) 1

3. (-) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (UIP) $13.0 million ($13.6 million) 1

4. (1) New Year's Eve (WB) $7.4 million ($24.8 million) 2

5. (2) The Sitter (Fox) $4.4 million ($17.7 million) 2

WEEKEND PIC - Dec 16 - 18, 2011

2011-12-14T22:26:00.004+08:00

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK:

a) MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL (action thriller with Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Josh Holloway, Lea Seydoux, Tom Wilkinson, Michael Nyqvist, Ving Rhames and Anil Kapoor) Rated * * * 1/2 (3.5 stars): With Brad Bird (of The Incredibles) at the helm, we have a more compleat M:I caper - nicely coated with typical English humour (courtesy of Pegg), narrative depth and a plot we can sink our teeth in. The set pieces are not bad either, especially the Burj Khalifa building stunts and sand storm in Dubai, and the climactic face-off in Mumbai. This M:I 4 is arguably the best of the franchise. (Reviewed below)

b) ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS 3 (animated and live action comedy with Jason Lee, David Cross, Jenny Slate, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate) Rated * * (2 stars): The Chipmunks and Chipettes (female version) are cute. They can sing and dance. They are also 'rodents' and they can be pesky and annoying. How much of these attributes can you take in a movie about the whole gang of them ending up on a deserted island? The answer, I believe, depends on how young your accompanying kid is. Suitable for those below five. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. 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)

2. ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (animated comedy with James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton and Ashley Jensen) Rated: * * * (3 stars): A highly inventive and at times riotous British comedy about an attempt to deliver a forgotten present to a little girl. Besides putting a new spin on the Santa myths, we also get a rather different look at the Claus clan. Should go down well with today's inquisitive and 'thinking' child. (Reviewed below)

3. THE MUPPETS (puppet and live action with Amy Adams, Jason Segel, Chris Cooper, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the other Muppets) Rated * * * (3 stars): The Muppets franchise gets a new lease on life with this inventive film co-written by Segel himself. It has everything one would expect from a Muppet movie (except Big Bird) - especially its self-effacing guests like Jack Black, Emily Blunt and Zach Galifianakis. The songs are rather catchy - and yes, they break into a song-and-dance every now and then. Don't watch this without being accompanied by a kid. (Reviewed below)

4. PETALING STREET WARRIORS (comedy with Mark Lee, Yeo Yann Yann, Chris Tong, Namewee, Frederick Lee, Henry Thia, Ramasundran Rengana and Alvin Wong) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Set in KL's famous Petaling Street circa 1908, this Malaysia-Singapore effort is more of a spoof than a martial arts actioner. There is a nice historical twist to the plot about a hokkien mee seller (Mark Lee) and his wife (Yeo Yann Yann) whose marriage has something more than meets the eye. Also, there are some surprising cameos from celebs of both sides of the Causeway. (Reviewed below)

5. NEW YEAR'S EVE (romantic comedy with Lea Michele, Michele Pfeiffer, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl and Hilary Swank) Rated * * (2 stars): After Valentine's Day, Garry Marshall comes out with another ensemble flick centred around the traditional Ball Drop at Manhattan's Times Square, NYC. It comprises a bunch of vignettes involving that special day and night but only a few are worthy enough of their starry cast. Many of the romantic threads are implausible while some are overly sentimental. Good for gawking at your idols, though. (Reviewed below)

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL - The Best So Far

2011-12-13T23:25:00.006+08:00

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL (action thriller)
Cast:Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Josh Holloway, Lea Seydoux, Tom Wilkinson, Michael Nyqvist, Ving Rhames and Anil Kapoor
Director: Brad Bird
Screenplay: Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec and Christopher McQuarry (based on the TV series by Bruce Geller)
Time: 130 mins
Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 4)

Cruise's Ethan at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai

PREAMBLE: Up to now, the Mission: Impossible franchise has been trying so much to outdo its previous efforts - and other action flicks - in the stunts and crashes department that it overlooked the basic elements that power all movies: a credible plot, realistic characters that we can root for, a bit of humour and a sense of 'real' danger.

Well, director Brad Bird (who gave us The Incredibles and Ratatouille) seems to understand these flaws and has tweaked the franchise a bit to include all those elements - and more. And with some of its scenes shot with IMAX cameras, we can get totally immersed in its thrills, spills and laughs. UIP showed the film to us (the media) at TGV Sunway's spanking new IMAX cineplex so that we can experience those awesome effects.

Patton and Cruise in Mumbai

SYNOPSIS: After being falsely implicated in a bombing at the Kremlin, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his entire IMF team are shut down and termed terrorists by their own side. Ethan's new mission, dubbed Ghost Protocol, is to steal nuclear codes and devices from war-monger Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), who plans to start a global nuclear holocaust so he can 'restart the world'.

This is the first time that Ethan has his team already 'picked' for him, comprising English tech specialist Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), Agent Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and Brandt (Jeremy Renner). Left on their own, the team has to track down the deadly Hendricks from Russia to Dubai and Mumbai.

HITS & MISSES: The M:I franchise is nothing if not for its eye-boggling and palm-sweating stunts and elaborate set pieces. These start with a jail-break and they seem to peak midway in the movie with Ethan scaling and dangling from the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building in Dubai. Still, the pace picks up again when we get to Mumbai, India, where Ethan and Hendricks face-off at a multi-storey electric car park. (Pic, left: Patton and Pegg)

However, the best part of this M:I 4 is not its stunts, it is the cast. Cruise, at almost 50, shows he still has what it takes to be an action star. Simon Pegg is a welcome addition as he provides the much needed humour and laughs to lighten up the proceedings. The femme fatale action is courtesy of Paula Patton who sizzles as the hot Agent Carter, and French starlet Léa Seydoux (pic, bottom) whose hit-woman Sabine is so cool and efficient that she will send a chill up our spines. When the two women face-off in Dubai, expect the attendant 'catty sparks'!

Renner's Brandt is made use of to give narrative depth to his relationship with Ethan. Yes, the writers take care to tighten up loose ends too. Normally, my back and buttocks would protest at movies that are over two hours long. Well, they did not with this one. It is so seamlessly exciting that I didn't feel the drag.

THE LOWDOWN: Arguably the best Mission: Impossible instalment so far and best watched in IMAX.

ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED -Cute But Bland

2011-12-12T22:17:00.004+08:00

ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED (comedy)
Cast: Jason Lee, David Cross, Jenny Slate, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate
Director: Mike Mitchell
Screenplay: Johnathan Aibel and Glenn Berger
Time: 87 mins
Rating: * * (out of 4)

The Chipettes (left) and Dave (Jason Lee, hugging the mike)

PREAMBLE: Joining The Muppets, Puss In Boots, Happy Feet 2 and Arthur Christmas in the kiddie fare stakes this festive season is the third instalment of Alvin And The Chipmunks. Subtitled Chipwrecked, you can safely guess that the squeaky rodents are gonna be castaways on some island and...

I am not a fan of these furry pests (yes, they can be annoying) and just like in the 2009's Squeakquel, there are six of them here, including the Chipettes, the female singing trio who can also dance up a storm. Man, those Chipettes are made to look so cute that we can blush just watching them.

THE PESTS: Simon, Alvin and Theodore

SYNOPSIS: Alvin and his brothers Theodore and Simon are on an ocean cruise with their 'dad' Dave (Jason Lee) and girl group the Chipettes. Alvin, as expected, gets into more mischief like hijacking the ship’s intercom and gatecrashing into the casino, going hang-gliding and getting his family, including 'Uncle Ian' (David Cross), stranded on a deserted island.

HITS & MISSES: On the plus side, it is good to see some character development in that Alvin (voice of Justin Long) learns to be more matured just as Dave learns to let go a bit. I also like the way the writers Johnathan Aibel and Glenn Berger allude to Tom Hanks' Cast Away in its subplot about Zoe (Jenny Slate) a girl who has somehow managed to survive for 10 years alone on the island. Unlike the previous outings, there is less singing and more 'munk action', especially involving a 'Rambo-styled' French alter ego that grips Simon.

On the downside, the flaws of the previous films are repeated here. The plot is predictable, badly contrived, full of pot-holes and loose ends that even the kids will notice. Like, how do the Chipmunks make a raft, complete with a sail and helm in such a short time? How do the Chipettes dance with humans without getting trampled? etc. Indeed, there's loads of cuteness but not enough hearty laughs.

THE LOWDOWN: For kids below five.

'New Year's Eve' Tops US Weekend B-O

2011-12-12T17:04:00.002+08:00

DEC 12, 2011 - While it did finish in first place, New Year's Eve dropped the ball this weekend with a disappointing US$13.7 million opening. Things were comparatively better for The Sitter, though Jonah Hill didn't impress in his solo debut. Adding these two movies to an already weak field turned out to be box office poison — the Top 12 wound up with an estimated US$69.7 million, which is the second-worst gross of the year so far.

There is also a very good chance that once all movies report tomorrow, overall box office will wind up at its lowest point since 2008.

New Year's Eve's estimated US$13.7 million was off 75 percent from Valentine's Day's $56.3 million debut in February last year. Breaking Dawn Part 1 dipped 52 percent to an estimated $7.9 million and took third place for the weekend.

Here are the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Dec 9 - 11, 2011 weekend, in terms of rank, (previous week ranking), Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo. (US$1=RM3)

1. (-) New Year's Eve (WB) $13.7 million ($13.7 million) 1

2. (-) The Sitter (Fox) $10.0 million ($10.0 million) 1

3. (1) Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (Sum.) $7.9 million ($259.5 million) 4

4. (2) The Muppets (BV) $7.0 million ($65.8 million) 3

5. (4) Arthur Christmas (Sony) $6.6 million ($33.5 million) 3

WEEKEND PIC - Dec 9 - 11, 2011

2011-12-09T14:42:00.003+08:00

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK:

a) THE MUPPETS (puppet and live action with Amy Adams, Jason Segel, Chris Cooper, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the other Muppets) Rated * * * (3 stars): The Muppets franchise gets a new lease on life with this inventive film co-written by Segel himself. It has everything one would expect from a Muppet movie (except Big Bird) - especially its self-effacing guests like Jack Black, Emily Blunt and Zach Galifianakis. The songs are rather catchy - and yes, they break into a song-and-dance every now and then. Don't watch this without being accompanied by a kid. (Reviewed below)

b) NEW YEAR'S EVE (romantic comedy with Lea Michele, Michele Pfeiffer, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl and Hilary Swank) Rated * * (2 stars): After Valentine's Day, Garry Marshall comes out with another ensemble flick centred around the traditional Ball Drop at Manhattan's Times Square, NYC. It comprises a bunch of vignettes involving that special day and night but only a few are worthy enough of their starry cast. Many of the romantic threads are implausible while some are overly sentimental. Good for gawking at your idols, though. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. 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)

2. ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (animated comedy with James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton and Ashley Jensen) Rated: * * * (3 stars): A highly inventive and at times riotous British comedy about an attempt to deliver a forgotten present to a little girl. Besides putting a new spin on the Santa myths, we also get a rather different look at the Claus clan. Should go down well with today's inquisitive and 'thinking' child. (Reviewed below)

3. MADE IN DAGENHAM (drama with Sally Hawkins, Rosamund Pike, Miranda Richardson, Bob Hoskins, Richard Schiff, Geraldine James, Rupert Graves, Robbie Kay, Joseph Mawle and Daniel Mays) Rated * * * (3 stars): This 2010 film is about the 1968 labour battle for equal pay between a bunch of women and Ford car company. Of course there is a documentary-feel to it but nary a dull moment as we see how an unassuming Rita O'Grady (Hawkins) takes on the powers-that-be - and male chauvinism. Only at GSC International Screen cineplex (Reviewed below)

4. 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.

5. 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)

6. PETALING STREET WARRIORS (comedy with Mark Lee, Yeo Yann Yann, Chris Tong, Namewee, Frederick Lee, Henry Thia, Ramasundran Rengana and Alvin Wong) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Set in KL's famous Petaling Street circa 1908, this Malaysia-Singapore effort is more of a spoof than a martial arts actioner. There is a nice historical twist to the plot about a hokkien mee seller (Mark Lee) and his wife (Yeo Yann Yann) whose marriage has something more than meets the eye. Also, there are some surprising cameos from celebs of both sides of the Causeway. (Reviewed below)

NEW YEAR'S EVE - New Year, Old Stories

2011-12-08T12:14:00.004+08:00

NEW YEAR'S EVE (romantic comedy)
Cast: Lea Michele, Michele Pfeiffer, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl and Hilary Swank
Director: Garry Marshall
Screenplay: Katherine Fugate
Time: 115 mins
Rating: * * (out of 4)

SECOND CHANCE: Jon Bon Jovi and Katherine Heigl

PREAMBLE: After Valentine's Day, Garry Marshall comes out with another holiday-themed ensemble flick centred around the traditional Ball Drop at Manhattan's Times Square, NYC. For me, the big deal is Times Square - a nostalgia factor for my wife and me as we visited the area a couple of times last year. Crowded with tourists and revellers almost every night of the year, the celebratory mood there can be infectious and electrifying fun.

The movie, however, is anything but infectious or electrifying. Alas, the huge starry cast only offer the audience some "Hey, look at what's-its-name up there" moments and a chance to gawk at their idols. Otherwise, it is a rather predictable and bland outing.

Hero electrician: Hector Elizondo and Hilary Swank

SYNOPSIS: Claire Morgan (Hilary Swank) is in charge of the Ball Drop festivities on New Year's Eve but a technical glitch occurs, allowing us to take a look at other people connected with the celebrations at Times Square and elsewhere. Like Bon Jovi playing a rocker who wants to make up with party chef Laura (Katherine Heigl); a messenger (Zac Efron) taking his 'client' (Michele Pfeiffer) around to fulfil her New Year resolutions; a young grouch (Ashton Kutcher) trapped in a roomy elevator with a cheery back-up singer (Lea Michele); a nurse (Halle Berry) spending time with her cancer patient (De Niro); a teenager (Abigail Breslin) sneaking out to the festivities being followed by her mom (Sarah Jessica Parker), etc, etc.

HITS & MISSES: Most of the romance vignettes (some of which involve love interest being rekindled after a year's lapse) are pretty implausible, especially the stuck-in-elevator caper. The Pfeiffer-Efron subplot is the most cringe-worthy as it suggests not only a May-October romance but also hints of despair and suicide. Another weird entre is the post-midnight rendezvous between Josh Duhamel's Sam and a mystery woman. The 'surprises' that work are those involving Halle Berry's Nurse Aimee (above) who has to attend an important 'date', and Claire's rendezvous on a certain roof-top.

The comical subplots, one of which has two expecting couples (Jessica Biel and Seth Meyers, Sarah Paulson and Til Schweiger) competing with each other to win a US$25,000 prize for the new year baby born at the hospital, fare a little better. Other plot threads, like Hector Elizondo's 'hero electrician who saves the day' role seems to have been written just for him - and he hams it up 'real good'.

The message of the film in welcoming 2012 is the usual list of hope renewal, forgiveness and family closeness - but the best laugh can only be found in the end credits - when Carla Gugino pulls out a DVD of Valentine's Day from between Jessica Beil's thighs, instead of a wailing newborn. By the way, that film is almost two years old!

THE LOWDOWN: New year, old stories.

THE MUPPETS - Likable Treat for the Kids

2011-12-06T23:23:00.003+08:00

THE MUPPETS (puppet and live action comedy)
Cast: Amy Adams, Jason Segel, Chris Cooper, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the other Muppets
Director: James Bobin
Screenplay: Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller
Time: 98 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

PREAMBLE: The Muppets has everything I would expect from a movie about the Muppets (a 'hybrid' of marionettes and puppets). Like the 1979 The Muppet Movie, it has the same self-effacing and self-deprecating humour; celebrity cameos making fun of themselves, and the cast unabashedly breaking into songs aimed at both kids and adults.

Personally, I sorely felt one thing missing as I watched the show at the media screening last week: my grand-daughter Sophy! The film is better enjoyed with a young child.

Amy Adams, Jason Segel and Walter meeting Rowlf the Dog

SYNOPSIS (as provided by Disney Studios): On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theatre and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds.

To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the US$10 million needed to save the theatre, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate.

Chris Cooper plays the villain Tex Richman

HITS & MISSES: One reason for the movie's success is the role played by Segel both in front and behind the camera. An avid fan of the Muppets, Segel co-wrote the screenplay with Nicholas Stoller, the guy who directed him in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I wouldn't say the script is original (the plot is even similar to that of The Muppet Movie) but it has the little touches that make a lot of difference, especially to the grown-up fans of the TV series created by Jim Henson. One of the little touches is the addition of Walter - a rather 'ornery' suburban Muppet but one whom many children and fans can relate to.

Besides the main story, there are two romantic subplots: a rekindling of an estranged relationship between Kermit and Miss Piggy, and the courtship of Gary and Mary which hits the rocks when he forgets their anniversary. Heading the celebrity guest cast is Jack Black whom we 'meet' at an anger management group. He is later kidnapped to help in the Telethon. Emily Blunt lights up the screen as Miss Piggy's secretary and Zach Galifianakis plays a hobo. Others who also show up are James Carville, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez and Neil Patrick Harris.

THE LOWDOWN: Another engaging treat for the kids.

'Breaking Dawn' Tops for Third Weekend

2011-12-05T11:22:00.003+08:00

DEC 5, 2011 - Twilight's Breaking Dawn Part 1 claimed the top spot at the box office for the third weekend - thanks to an average hold and a comparatively poor second-weekend performance from its biggest competitor, The Muppets. On aggregate, the Top 12 grossed around US$75 million, which is slightly off from the same period last year (US$78.3 million).

Breaking Dawn Pt 1 dropped 60 percent to an estimated US$16.9 million. That tally is the best third-weekend gross out of all of the Twilight movies including New Moon, which fell 64 percent to US$15.4 million on the same weekend in 2009. Through 17 days, the penultimate Twilight movie has earned US$247.3 million.

The Muppets held on the second place with an estimated US$11.2 million. The movie has so far made US$56.1 million, and it should pass The Muppet Movie (US$65.2 million) next weekend to become the highest-grossing entry in the franchise (though it has no chance of surpassing that movie's attendance).

Here are the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Dec 2 - 4, 2011 weekend, in terms of rank, (previous week ranking), Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo. (US$1=RM3)

1. (1) Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (Sum) $16.9 million ($247.3 million) 3

2. (2) The Muppets (BV) $11.2 million ($56.1 million) 2

3. (5) Hugo (Paramount) $7.6 million ($25.2 million) 2

4. (4) Arthur Christmas (Sony) $7.3 million ($25.2 million) 2

5. (3) Happy Feet Two (WB) $6.0 million ($51.7 million) 3

WEEKEND PIC - Dec 2 -4, 2011

2011-12-01T13:09:00.003+08:00

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK:

a) ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (animated comedy with James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton and Ashley Jensen) Rated: * * * (3 stars): A highly inventive and at times riotous British comedy about an attempt to deliver a forgotten present to a little girl. Besides putting a new spin on the Santa myths, we also get a rather different look at the Claus clan. Should go down well with today's inquisitive and 'thinking' child. (Reviewed below)

b) PETALING STREET WARRIORS (comedy with Mark Lee, Yeo Yann Yann, Chris Tong, Namewee, Frederick Lee, Henry Thia, Ramasundran Rengana and Alvin Wong) Rated * * 1/2 (2.5 stars): Set in KL's famous Petaling Street circa 1908, this Malaysia-Singapore effort is more of a spoof than a martial arts actioner. There is a nice historical twist to the plot about a hokkien mee seller (Mark Lee) and his wife (Yeo Yann Yann) whose marriage has something more than meets the eye. Also, there are some surprising cameos from celebs of both sides of the Causeway. (Reviewed below)

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. 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)

2. 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)

3. MADE IN DAGENHAM (drama with Sally Hawkins, Rosamund Pike, Miranda Richardson, Bob Hoskins, Richard Schiff, Geraldine James, Rupert Graves, Robbie Kay, Joseph Mawle and Daniel Mays) Rated * * * (3 stars): This 2010 film is about the 1968 labour battle for equal pay between a bunch of women and Ford car company. Of course there is a documentary-feel to it but nary a dull moment as we see how an unassuming Rita O'Grady (Hawkins) takes on the powers-that-be - and male chauvinism. Only at GSC International Screen cineplex (Reviewed below)

4. 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.

5. 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)

6. 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 voiceover 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)

MADE IN DAGENHAM - The Fight For Equal Pay

2011-11-30T21:46:00.002+08:00

MADE IN DAGENHAM (drama)
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Rosamund Pike, Miranda Richardson, Bob Hoskins, Richard Schiff, Geraldine James, Rupert Graves, Robbie Kay, Joseph Mawle and Daniel Mays
Director: Nigel Cole
Screenplay: Billy Ivory
Time: 113 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

Miranda Richardson (centre) flanked by Geraldine James and Sally Hawkins

PREAMBLE: I must confess that I was not very excited about watching this 2010 movie about a bunch of British women staging labour protests in the Sixties. However, when I finally got down to it, Made In Dagenham turns out to be an enjoyable and even entertaining effort. Directed by Nigel Cole, the guy who gave us Calendar Girls in 2003, the movie captures the Sixties mood and ambience rather vividly, and even plays the period's pop songs on the sound track.

Of course, the narrative, based on real-life events about one woman's guts and grit in fighting for equal pay, helps a lot in keeping the audience interested.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Dagenham is a small town in England where the Ford factory employs 187 women 'machinists' and 55,000 men in 1968. The women, who sew car seats together, work in appalling sweatshop conditions, many having to loosen their dresses to counter the summer heat. When the female workers are labelled 'unskilled' and forced to take a pay cut, a union rep (Bob Hoskins) urges them to take their grievances to the top management. (PIC RIGHT: Jaime Winstone as Sandra)
A spunky Rita O’Grady (Sally Hawkins) is picked to be the spokeswoman and her quest for 'a fair shake' and equality (women get 15 per cent less pay than men) leads to protests and strikes. Rita's own family and those of the others are also hurt by the industrial actions but they are determined to win. After a while, Barbara Castle (Miranda Richardson), the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity, sees it fit to intervene in the cause.

HITS & MISSES: Director Cole resists the temptation to go for the melodramatic, opting for the soft and more realistic approach where we see how an ordinary and unassuming Rita and her gang quietly push for their rights. This is a fitting vehicle for Hawkins whose nervousness belies an iron will and determination to 'do the right thing'. It is easy to see how she can win over so many people. Hawkins is supported by a sterling cast including Geraldine James as the wife of a World War II veteran with mental problems; Daniel Mays as Rita's long suffering husband, Eddie; and Rosamund Pike (left) as Lisa, the resentful wife of an executive (played by Rupert Graves) at the plant.

I also like the little details Cole includes to remind us of the Sixties - smoking indoors, the a-go-go parties and the shock in men's faces at the thought of women getting the equal pay as men. Understandably, 'Dagenham' is not going to do as well as Calendar Girls, which is a comedy with controversial delights. Still, for those who appreciate good acting and a bit of nostalgia, this one more than fits the bill.

THE LOWDOWN: An inspiring and uplifting story.

PETALING STREET WARRIORS - More Spoof than Kungfu

2011-11-29T21:30:00.004+08:00

PETALING STREET WARRIORS (comedy in Mandarin and Cantonese)
Cast: Mark Lee, Yeo Yann Yann, Chris Tong, Namewee, Frederick Lee, Henry Thia, Ramasundran Rengana and Alvin Wong
Directors: James Lee and Sampson Yuen
Screenplay: Lim Boon Siang & James Lee
Time: 106 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)

Sunny Pang (left) Mark Lee and Yeo Yann Yann (centre) and Namewee (right)

PREAMBLE: With a title like Petaling Street Warriors, many local movie fans and the media have imagined it to be James Lee's version of Stephen Chow's Kungfu Hustle. They had expected it to be another kungfu comedy but that is not what it turns out to be.

'PSW' is a spoof on Hong Kong's martial arts/gangster movies and on Malaysian foibles. Pirated merchandise could not have been on sale at Petaling Street in 1908, yet there is a standing joke about piracy in the movie. The same goes for that "looks like me, sounds like me but it's not me" gag.

Yeo Yann Yann and Chris Tong in a fighting scene

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Shi Duyao (Mark Lee) and his wife Zhung Lichun (Yeo Yann Yann) operate a Hokkien mee stall in Petaling Street, circa 1908. As hawkers trying to eke out a living, they face oppression by the colonial government as well as extortion by local gangs who demand all sorts of protection money.

One day, Duyao encounters a mysterious but beautiful kungfu exponent, Xiaoju (Chris Tong), who seduces him because she believes that Duyao is a descendant of the fugitive Emperor Jianwen of the Ming Dynasty. To stop a group of Qing warriors and Japanese ninjas from getting their hands on a treasure map that Duyao doesn't even know he has, Lichun and her cousin, Liu Kun (Namewee), must reveal their true identity and kungfu prowess, turning Petaling Street into a battleground. Is Duyao really who they think he is?

The cast and crew at a Press Conference on Nov 25 at GSC MidValley

HITS & MISSES: The film has a cast comprising Singaporeans and Malaysians - augmented by Hong Kong's Yuk-Sing Ma (of Storm Riders 2 fame) in martial arts choreography. I wouldn't expect too much of the kungfu sequences here, though, as it is more a comedy than action flick. Shot in the town of Siputeh (near Batu Gajah) in Perak, the production values and location are rather credible in masquerading as Petaling Street of one century ago.

With Singapore's Mark Lee in the lead, the movie maintains a tongue-in-cheek mood, as its plot delves into the controversial legend of dethroned Ming Emperor Jianwen who was rumoured to have fled to Southeast Asia in 1402. (Some historians have gone on to argued that the real purpose of the voyages of Admiral Zheng He - which began three years after Emperor Yongle's ascension to throne - was not just for trade or national pride, but to seek out Jianwen who was believed to be hiding in the Malay peninsula). Fast-forward five centuries later, the descendants of Jianwen can be anywhere and everywhere and thus the narrative is moot.

While Singapore stalwarts like Henry Thia and John Cheng have cameos as a money lender and gang leader, respectively, Malaysia is aptly represented by Namewee, Chris Tong, Alvin Wong and Ramasundran Rengan. Namewee, starring in his first full-length movie (Nasi Lemak 2.0 is the second), has rather few lines ostensibly because his Liu Kun has speech problems due to his short tongue. Chris Tong provides the sex appeal - and a touch of enigma in her role as seductress. Alvin Wong and Ramasundran provide the laughs in the same way they do on TV. It is not fair to lump PSW with Stephen Chow's mo-lei-tau comedies. At least PSW has an engaging narrative and some hearty laughs. Also watch out for an uncredited appearance by Jack Neo in drag.

THE LOWDOWN: Interesting local popcorn flick.