2009 Summer Blockbusters Part 3

I have been bringing you the posters and trailers as well as a few details to some of this summer's hottest movies. In this post, we continue with part 3 of the list of the most anticipated summer movies of this year. Only five movies, so enjoy the posters and trailers.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Msia release: July 1
USA release: July 1
I absolutely loved the first one. Second one, not so much.
Not too sure about this one. Hasn't been much buzz about it.
The original cast returns to voice the characters, with the inclusion of Simon Pegg.


Public Enemies
Msia release: July 2
USA release: July 1
I've always loved 1930's American gangster movies. If you do too, you'll love this one, starring a certain Johnny Depp.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Msia release: July 16
USA release: July 15
What can I say about Harry Potter? Everybody loves him.
Half-Blood Prince was my 2nd most favorite book from the series,
Deathly Hallows being my favorite. And I think a lot of you out there would agree.
This movie looks darker, more ominous and definitely more epic than ever before.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Msia release: July 23
USA release: June 12
Denzel Washington and John Travolta team up
in this remake of the 1974 classic by the same name.
One thing though, what is it with Denzel and hostage movies?

The Hangover
Msia release: July 30
USA release: June 5
This could very easily be the funniest movie of the year.
Just watch the trailer. A complete riot!

Bootleg Third Revenge of the Fallen Trailer

The sidebar is acting funny. If you don't see it on the side where its supposed to be, then its all the way down below my posts. Sorry for the inconvenience. Trying to figure out the problem and will get it fixed asap.

A little while back I brought you a little something from Michael Bay's blog where he says that Steven Spielberg told him that Transformers 2 was awesome. In that same post, Bay said that they were just finishing up the third trailer which was to be attached to Wolverine.

Some guy recorded the trailer at the Wolverine screening and it has found its way onto the Internet. There is more dialogue in this trailer and it gives us more of an idea how the film will look like, as oppose to the previous two trailers which only had really awesome massive robot action scenes.

Having found this, how could I have not shared this with you guys right? So here is the very blurry and shaky third trailer for Revenge of the Fallen.


This trailer will officially be available on the web on Friday. Be sure to catch it here on Doctor Popcorn.

*Disclaimer: Doctor Popcorn is not liable for your eyesight going bad. =)

2009 Summer Blockbusters: Part 2

In part 2 we'll cover movies set for release in the month of June. Strangely enough, there aren't many big movies coming out in May. So I've added some movies that aren't actually summer blockbusters, but are worth a watch. With only 6 movies to go through, lets get to it.

Land of the Lost
Msia release: June 5
USA release: June 5
Will Ferrell's remake of the classic 1974 TV series.
If he's at his best, this should be very funny.


State of Play
Msia release: June 11
USA release: April 17
Great cast with Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Helen Mirren.
Reviews have been good for this movie.


Drag Me To Hell
Msia release: June 11
USA release: May 29
Directed by Sam Raimi (Spiderman franchise) this could potentially be good.
Never thought we'd see Justin Long in a horror flick though.


17 Again
Msia release: June 11
USA release: April 17
This is far from a summer blockbuster but I think this would be a popular movie among Malaysians. I'm sure a lot of people out there like Zac Efron. I must admit, even I do.
This is his first non-musical film if I'm not wrong.


Departures (Okuribito)
Msia release: June 18, 2009
Japan release: September 13, 2008
USA release: May 29, 2009
The reason why this Japanese film is on the list is because it won an
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. And we get to see it in June.


Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Msia release: June 24
USA release: June 24
I think I don't need to say anything about this film, except BOOM! Oh, and that Linkin Park have teamed up with Hans Zimmer to score the movie. Oh yeah!



2009 Summer Blockbusters: Part 1

The summer is upon us (the movie season anyway), and high budget, high profile, highly publicized movies are gonna be coming one after another faster than you can say, well, anything. So I'll put together a brief compilation of the biggest movies that are set for release this summer, as well as movies I think is worth a watch. This will be chronological, so movies that are set for release soon in Malaysia will be in Part 1. Lets get started.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Msia release: April 29
USA release: May 1
If early buzz from the leaked workprint is anything to go by,
we'll all be in for an awesome movie.



Observe and Report
Msia release: May 7
USA release: April 10
Apparently an incredibly funny but vulgar Seth Rogen comedy.
Probably won't be much fun watching this in the theater



Star Trek
Msia release: May 8
USA release: May 8
There has only been positive things said about this movie.
If you're not a Trekkie, J.J. Abrams will make you one after you see this movie.



Angels & Demons
Msia release: May 14
USA release: May 15
The DaVinci Code was a let down for anyone who read the book. This movie might be more of the same because if anything, Angels & Demons was a better book than The DaVinci Code.



I Love You, Man
Msia release: May 14
USA release: March 20
This film got a lot of buzz and is said to be very funny.



Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Msia release: May 21
USA release: May 22
There hasn't been much buzz about this movie,
in which Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Robin Williams all return to reprise their roles.



Monsters vs. Aliens
Msia release: May 28
USA release: March 27
Dreamworks animated film competitor to Pixar's Up.



Terminator Salvation
Msia release: May 28
USA release: May 21
This looks epic. Oh and did you know Arnie will be making a
cameo appearance in this film? Can't wait for it.


Check back tomorrow for Part 2.

Opening This Week: Wolverine/Frost/Nixon

This is the week people. The week that officially starts off the summer blockbuster period. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is finally here. In the next couple of weeks we will see the swift arrivals off most of the year's highly anticipated films like Star Trek, Angels & Demons, Night at the Museum 2, Terminator: Salvation and Disney/Pixar’s Up.

Four films are new to theaters this week- the aforementioned X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Frost/Nixon, Claustrophobia from Hong Kong and Setan Budeg from Indonesia. I'm only covering the first two films so let's get right into it, starting off with of course, Wolverine!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber
Director: Gavin Hood
USA release: May 1
Msia release: April 29
Genre: Comic book, Action
Runtime: 107 mins
Rated in USA: PG-13
Rated in Msia: PG-13
IMdb User Rating: 7.2/10

The film is set before the X-Men trilogy, going back to when Logan was a mere mortal human being. Explaining his past and uncovering how he came to be Wolverine, X-Men Origins:Wolverine also gives us a glimpse of many different mutants, some we've seen before, some we have not, like Gambit.

Wolverine is the first spin-off movie from the X-Men franchise with many more in store if rumors are true. Supposedly, the next movie in the X-Men Origins series is Magneto. And then there will possibly be X-Men: First Class in 2010. The run up to the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine has definitely been shrouded in tons of buzz. First, there were stories that some scenes underwent re-shoots then there was the news that the film was leaked onto the Internet leading to thousands of people downloading the workprint copy and watching it. Then the head of Fox, Tom Rothman came out and said that the leaked workprint had 10 minutes of film missing. People who watched the leaked copy noticed that the theatrical release had a runtime of 107 and so did the workprint. So Tom Rothman was lying. Only this week we found out the resons for the earlier re-shoots. Director Gavin Hood has said at a press screening recently that there will be multiple endings spread across all the theaters in the US. Obviously this is a gimmick to fight the piracy of the leaked copy. I'm not sure if we're going to get that here in Malaysia but I hope we do.




Frost/Nixon (2008)
Starring: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen
Director: Ron Howard
Producer: Brian Grazer
USA release: January 23, 2009
Msia release: April 30, 2009
USA gross: $18,622,031
Worldwide gross: $27,015,079
Genre: Drama, True events
Runtime: 122 minutes
Rated in USA: R for some language
Rated in Msia: U
IMDb User Rating: 8.0/10
Rotten Tomatometer: 92%

After Richard Nixon resigned from the office of the President of the United States, he had never said a word about his time in office, especially about the his involvement in the Watergate scandal. That is until he was interviewed by the popular British talk show host David Frost. Frost/Nixon is the story of those dramatic and historical interviews.

Nominated for five Oscars this year, Frost/Nixon is a fantastic movie with incredible acting from both Frank Langella and Michael Sheen. I doubt this film will be popular among the Malaysians, especially with all the summer blockbusters on the horizon, but if you're looking for a good quality movie that you can learn something from, Frost/Nixon's the film for you.



Check back tomorrow for a special post where I round up some of this year's summer blockbuster movies.

Brüno Poster and Red Band Trailer

Vassup? Remember Borat Sagdiyev? The guy who brought us Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan? Well, he was so 2006. May I present to you this year's atrocity- Brüno.


Brüno is another creation of Sacha Baron Cohen who previously acted as Ali G and of course, Borat. This year comes his new 'mockumentary' entitled Brüno. Being Sacha Baron Cohen, his latest character proves to be as controversial, if not more than Borat. Apparently, Brüno is a gay Austrian fashionista.

Initially, the MPAA gave Brüno the box-office killer rating NC-17. After Universal Pictures edited it a bit and resubmitted it, the rating was lowered to an R-Rating. That is how vulgar this movie is people. Want more proof? Below is the Red Band trailer, for mature audiences only. Viewer discretion is advised. Kids, stay away. Otherwise, enjoy!



Check out some pics on IMDb. Brüno hits theaters in the United States July 10. Don't expect it to ever be shown in Malaysia. Sorry guys.

Jack Black, Michael Cera, Andy Samberg, MTV Movie Awards, 'Nuff Said

Hypothetically speaking, if I told you that Jack Black and Michael Cera had a son together, and their son would be Andy Samberg, what would you say? Would you believe me? Or would you say "That would make such an awesome commercial for the upcoming MTV Movie Awards!"? Well, you tell me. By the way, all the hypothetical talk wasn't hypothetical. Or was it??

Aah just watch the video. Its hilarious.



Andy Samberg, mostly known for his very funny work on SNL and The Lonely Island, is hosting the 2009 MTV Movie Awards this May 31. No details on if we in Malaysia will get to see it live or not, but I'll keep you posted.

Third Wolverine Trailer (Of Sorts)

http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/wolverine.jpg

Apple has made available on the web, what is believed to be the third and most probably final X-Men Origins: Wolverine trailer. Its strange because Apple has said its an "Exclusive Clip" but it totally looks like a trailer, and it we're only a week away from its official release.

With only a week til the release, the people over at 20th Century Fox must have thought there's no harm in putting out another trailer and it might help combat the piracy of the leaked workprint copy. Also, this trailer might be an alternate cut or a combination of different cuts that were just thrown together.

In any case, the trailer is the best one of all. Gives us more of a look into the story and its characters. Watch it on the Apple site or just click on the picture above. Remember to click on "Exclusive Clip".


X-Men Origins: Wolverine opens April 29.

The Deathly Hallows Split

Harry_Potter_and_the_Deathly_Hallows_spread

As we all know by now, the seventh and last book of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be split in two for the onscreen adaptation. The question was, how would the book be split into Part 1 and Part 2? When Empire sat down with David Heyman, the series producer this is what he had to say.

"We’ve played around with a couple of places and ultimately settled on a place that we think is very exciting, and I think quite bold, in that it’s not necessarily where one might expect. You want to give a sense of completion, on one hand, but a sense that there’s another piece, more to come. We tried one and then Steve [Kloves] came up with the idea to try it another way and when we tried that, it felt just right."

If you're even the average Harry Potter fan, you would remember the last chapter of Deathly Hallows where we get a glimpse of Harry, Ron and Hermione 19 years after the main story. Well, there were two options on how they are going to make this happen on the big screen. One, to go with doubles to play the grown-up versions of the main characters; two, to use advanced CG technology, Benjamin Button style, to alter their appearances. Here's what the man himself, Daniel Radcliffe had to say about this.

"I am nervous about that because if it’s good I’ll be really, really pleased; if it’s not good and that’s what people are left with, that would be awful. If it’s a choice between having me, Rupert and Emma looking a bit stupid and it being slightly comical or having other actors play us, I would go for other actors every time. So, we’ll see."

So what do you think? Do you think they'll use doubles or CG technology? I think they'll risk it and go for the spectacular tech. And where do you think they're going to split the finale in two? I have absolutely no clue. So many things happened in that book. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is set for release November 19, 2010. Fans will have to wait almost eight months for Part 2 when it opens July 15, 2011.

New Half-Blood Prince Posters

These posters come on the back of an amazing new trailer I posted just a few days ago. If you missed it, you can check it out here. Now for these new posters, I think they're pretty much match the trailer in epic-ness.

There are four of them, with two characters in each. Harry and Professor Dumbledore; Ron and Ginny; Hermione and Professor Slughorn; Snape and Draco. Click to enlarge and feel free to download them.




AMBP First Contact at Studio V

keyart

First off, what is AMBP? AMBP, otherwise known as the AllMalaysian Blogger Project is a joint effort between The Star Online and AllMalaysia.info sites to bring Malaysian bloggers under one site. Basically a Malaysian blogger community, the AMBP is a great place to go to discover new blogs as well as to submit your blog to the ever growing directory of Malaysian blogs.

If you’re not already a member of MyStar, you can sign up here. After registering, head on over to the AMBP site to submit your blog URL to the directory here.

star_trek_xi_ver16_xlg

What is First Contact? First Contact is the latest event hosted by the AMBP. On May 1, First Contact will be held at Studio V, One Utama. It will be the AMBP’s 3rd annual blogger gathering and 100 bloggers registered on the site will be invited to the event. If you’re one of the lucky 100, you’ll be able to play games, go on a treasure hunt and to cap the day off, watch the special premiere of the latest J.J. Abrams flick, Star Trek, thanks to United International Pictures. That’s right! Having been given tons of great reviews since the special screening in Austin, Texas and world premiere in Sydney, Australia, Star Trek will be shown to AMBP blogger’s a whole week before the rest of Malaysia and most of the world for that matter.

star_trek_xi_ver17_xlg

Here are some more details about the event:

Date: May 1, 2009 (Friday, Labour Day)
Time: 1.30pm onwards
Venue: Studio V & V2, 1 Utama (Rainforest, New Wing)
Screening Venue: Hall 3, Golden Screen Cinemas, One Utama*
*There will be full security at this screening and guests will not be allowed to bring in any recording and electronic devices i.e mobile phones, PDAs, notebooks etc

Itinerary

1.30pm
Registration of guests and Movie Ticket Redemption

2.00pm
Intro speeches, and activities highlight/Ice-breaking Games

2.15 pm
Luncheon/Star Trek Trailers

2.45pm
Gopher Product Intro Talk followed by Treasure Trek

3.00pm - 5.30pm
Treasure Trek
AMBP Interviews Bloggers
Photo op with Star Trek Captain's Chair
Auction of Star Trek Captain's Chair
Photo Session with Star Trek Characters
(Studio V2)
Fun time with Red FM

5.30pm
Star Trek Trivia Challenge

6.00 pm
Lucky Draw

6.20pm
Prize Presentation: Treasure Trek /Trivia Challenge /Online Contest

6.45pm
Usher guests to Cinema Hall

7.00pm
Movie Screening

ST 1-Sht

About Studio V. Studio V is the The Star Media Group’s new multimedia outlet located at 1 Utama shopping complex.

Where is Studio V situated exactly? The little outlet is in the New Wing of One Utama shopping complex in the Rainforest area. Check out the map below to give you more of an idea.

map

Didn’t know that a new Star Trek movie was coming out this year? Been living in a cave have you? Or are you really excited for the new movie? Either way, you can check out my preview of the film below.


Star Trek (2009)
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Eric Bana, John Cho, Leonard Nimoy
Director: J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost, Mission Impossible III)
Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman (Transformers 1 & 2, Mission Impossible III)
USA release: May 8, 2009
Msian release: May 8, 2009
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Runtime: 126 mins
Rated in USA: PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content
Rated in Msia: U
IMDb User Rating: 8.0/10
Rotten Tomatometer: 100%

Star Trek follows the amaing adventure of a young crew aboard the state-of-the-art ship, U.S.S. Enterprise. It is up to a young Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) to stop the evil missions of Nero in order to save all mankind.

On a sidenote, a sequel to this Star Trek has already been announced. It is reported that J.J. Abrams will once again helm the movie. Check out the trailer below. Remember to click on the HD button and watch it fullscreen for a better experience.


Enjoying the badass posters? Here are some more character posters for you to download if you like. (click to enlarge)

star_trek_xi_ver15_xlg star_trek_xi_ver12_xlg

star_trek_xi_ver13_xlg star_trek_xi_ver14_xlg

Are you really excited now? Bottomline is, whether you’re a Trekkie or not, you must catch this movie. I’ve heard its not like any other Star Trek movies before. It’s just another awesome action movie. Remember to check out the AMBP site for more details on the special screening of Star Trek on May 1 and the movie hits theaters May 8.

May The Force Be With You. Eh, wrong franchise. Haha! What’s the Star Trek tagline? I don’t know, I’m not a Trekkie. Probably will be one after this movie.

Doctor Popcorn. Out.

Green Lantern To Start Shooting In November

GL-BG

New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees has confirmed the Warner Bros. and DC Comics’ Green Lantern will start shooting at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney. Pre-production will start this July and the cameras will roll come November this year. According to THR, the budget for the film will be around $150 million.

Being shot from start to end in Australia, the film is eligible for a 15% rebate. Along with that, the film will contribute to the local economy by employing 500 people at any given time and thousands of extras. With the decline in value of the Australian dollar, the studio will get a lot more out of the $150 million dollar budget than if the film were to be shot back in the United States.

Green Lantern is set for a November 17, 2010 release.

Opening This Week: The Uninvited Sniper Making It Happen

New to cinemas this week are five films- two from Hollywood, The Uninvited and Make It Happen; one from Hong Kong, The Sniper; one from Japan, Threads of Destiny and one from Malaysia; Bohsia: Jangan Pilih Jalan Hitam. I'm only gonna preview the first three, so let's go!


The Uninvited (2009)
Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Arielle Kebbel, David Strathairn, Emily Browning
Directors: Charles Guard, Thomas Guard
USA release: January 30, 2009
Msia release: April 23, 2009
USA gross: $28,596,818
Worldwide gross: $29,881,717
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Runtime: 87 mins
Rated in USA: PG-13 for violent and disturbing images, thematic material, sexual content, language and teen drinking
Rated in Msia: 18PL
IMDb User Rating: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatometer: 33%

Based on the 2003 Korean horror flick, A Tale of Two Sisters, The Uninvited is about two sisters who have just recently returned home from a mental institution. To make matters worse, the girls return to a home inhabited by their evil stepmother and a ghost.




Make It Happen (2008)
Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Reardon, Tessa Thompson
Director: Darren Grant
Msia release: April 23, 2009
Genre: Drama, Dance
Runtime: 90 mins
Rated in Msia: U

In this movie filled with self-discovery and realizing dreams, Lauryn, a young woman from Indiana moves to Chicago to make it into the Chicago School of Music and Dance. After getting rejected, she finds herself working in a burlesque club.

Watch this if you liked movies like Save the Last Dance and Step Up.




The Sniper (2009)
Starring: Edison Chen, Huang Xiaoming, Richie Ren
Director: Dante Lam
Hong Kong release: April 9, 2009
Msia release: April 23, 2009
Country: Hong Kong
Language: Cantonese
Genre: Action
Runtime: 87 mins
Rated in Msia: 18 SG

Hartman (Richie Ren) is renowned as the top shooter in the police force but he hides a secret past - his former teammate and superb marksman Lincoln (Huang Xiaoming) was jailed for a mysterious case of accidentally killing a hostage and has now just been released. With only vengeance in his mind, Lincoln takes on Hartman and the police, believing they betrayed him. When a high-security prisoner transfer is sabotaged by an unknown sniper and a high profile convict escapes, young upstart OJ (Edison Chen), the hot-headed rookie on the team, surprises everyone by accurately replicating the suspect's impossible shots. A battle of wits ensues as OJ becomes fascinated with Lincoln's skills yet bound by Hartman's rules. (Cinema Online)



Sources: Cinema Online, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo, YouTube

Transformers 2 ShoWest Montage Video

A couple of weeks back, Michael Bay was the recipient of the Vanguard Award for Excellence in Filmmaking at ShoWest 2009, held in Las Vegas. Right after he accepted the award, he presented exclusive footage of his upcoming blockbuster- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The video is now on the web.

The footage starts off with Sam telling Bumblebee that he's going to college but the Autobot can't come with him.

Edit: I've changed the video to the YouTube one. If you still wanna watch the original Vimeo one, check it out on Michael Bay's blog, or on Vimeo. Here's the video. Remember to click on the HD button and watch it fullscreen.


Steven Spielberg Says Transformers 2 Is "Awesome"

About 3 days ago, Michael Bay updated his blog. Titled "60 Days - Revenge", this is what he said in the blog post.
Steven Spielberg sat next to me in a big 100 person theater at Sony today. There were 98 empty seats. The lights came up after we just watched my cut of Revenge of the Fallen. He turned to me and said "It's awesome". He felt this movie was better than the first - and probably my best, who knows - at this point in a movie you start to lose your objectivity. I just hope the fans like it. I'm going to start putting it in front of audiences in a few weeks - no you are not invited, yet.

We have 60 days left. Let me tell you it will be a race to finish. It's 12 at night and we are still working here in the edit room. Everyone at ILM and DD are killing themselves right now, they are doing a stellar job on the effects. We also just finished our trailer which is coming out with Wolverine. Talk to you soon.
How awesome is it to sit next to Steven Spielberg in an empty theater, watching Revenge of the Fallen and having him say "It's awesome". Incredibly sweet.

New Half-Blood Prince Trailer

The latest and probably final trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in HD is now on the web. Without a doubt, this trailer is by far the best. Check out the previous trailers here, here and here. Only one word can describe this trailer and that is EPIC. It makes the latest movie looks much different and much darker than previous ones. And lets face it, after Order of the Phoenix which was arguably the worst movie of the series, all Potter fans need Half-Blood Prince. The USA finds out if it is on July 15 and it hits theaters here in Malaysia July 16.



So what did you think of the trailer? Was it epic? Best of them all?

Coming Soon Review

[This review is spoiler-free]

In my book, Thai horror films somehow exceed expectations time and time again. They have a way about them that just makes the films that more realistic yet frightening. Maybe its how the Thais perceive what a spirit/ghost/supernatural being should look or, maybe its just that I like Thai horror films. Coming Soon, just like Shutter and Alone has a pretty an out-of-the-ordinary premise that hooks the audience right in from the word GO! But thats just the plot.

Coming Soon revolves around a cineplex somewhere in Thailand, where Shane (the Thais say it as "Chain"), Yod and Som are employees. Yod proposes to Chain that they pirate a horror film that is due for release the next week. So Chain joins in Yod's little scheme and they sneak into the cineplex after hours to record the movie. Chain falls asleep and wakes up the morning after to find Yod gone and the camera on the floor in between seats in the cinema hall. What Chain sees in the camera freaks him out but its only the beginning of his worries. From then on, he is haunted by the ghost from the horror movie they were attempting to pirate.

Going into the movie, I had high hopes of this being as good and if not, better than Shutter. My hopes were completely dashed within the opening sequence of the movie. Although right off the bat, there was great suspense, it quickly became predictable. All within 5 minutes of the start of the movie. Also, the way it was shot was like the cameraman was on a roller-coaster. We all get the shaky cam method is really great for action scenes or chase scenes and stuff like that but in this film, it was clear that it was over done.


Apart from the cinematography, the acting was at times, quite atrocious. The leads had little to no emotion in their performance and it resulted in very awkward conversations between the characters. Another thing I should mention is how annoying Som (which is a girl's name in Thailand) got when she kept shouting "CHAIN", "CHAIN", "CHAIN" over and over again. Talking a little bit on the ghost/spirit in the movie, the make-up/effects kinda sucked. It looked too much like some lady wearing a mask she bought from a shop selling Halloween costumes.

Not sure whether this is good or bad, but I found myself and the rest of the theater laughing a number of times during the movie. Either the dialogue was just so horrendous, it turned out to be funny or the humor was intended. Regardless of why it was funny, the movie definitely had moments where I thought I was seeing a comedy. As the film progressed, the horror methods were so textbook- with all the scary music and the girl looking over her shoulder to find something behind her. All these techniques, we've seen before and unfortunately, the film doesn't really veer away from that. Towards the end of the movie, the parts which were meant to fill me up with suspense and scare me, became so predictable. But I have to give props to the storyline. It really was interesting and be warned people, there is a twist. A pretty good one at that. For me, the twist, the plot and the unorthodox humor were the only positive points I could take out of this movie.


So, if my memory serves me right, Shutter was a better film than Coming Soon. The start of the film reminded me of Cloverfield- "Caution: Film may induce nausea". It was predictable. Acting and make-up weren't that good. But it was funny, the premise was enthralling and there was a twist. So if you want a cheap thrill, or to get a girl you like to want you to hold her, see this film. For me, it was disappointing to say the least.

Popcorn-meter: 4.5/10 Popcorns

The movie premiere was courtesy of Cinema Online. Thanks!

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Poster

Here's the first poster for the upcoming Ben Stiller sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Expect it to hit cinemas here in Malaysia on May 21, 2009.

Check out the trailer here.

Signs

Not much to talk about this today so I'm gonna show a short film called Signs that had tons of buzz on YouTube awhile back. I Tweeted about this some time ago but I feel that more people needs to see this brilliant short film which is why I'm posting it up here.

Directed by an Australian commercial and short film director, Patrick Hughes, this film is incredibly well shot and connects with people on so many different levels. About non-verbal communication and what it can do for us, Signs is a must-checkout. So, check it out right here.



What did you think of it? Please do drop your comments. Hope you liked it! Maybe I'll post more short films in the future.

Opening This Week: Passengers, Crossing Over and Paul Blart Are Coming Soon

Four films new to theaters this week- Passengers, Crossing Over, Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Coming Soon. Check out the previews below.


Passengers (2008)
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Patrick Wilson
Director: Rodrigo Garcia
USA release: 24 October 2008 (limited)
Msia release: 16 April 2009
USA gross: $292,437
Worldwide gross: $4,423,290
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Runtime: 94 mins
Rated in USA: PG-13 for thematic elements including some scary images, and sensuality
Rated in Msia: PG-13
IMDb User Rating: 5.6/10
Rotten Tomatometer: 21%

When 5 people survive a tragic plane crash, Claire (Anne Hathaway) is assigned to counsel the survivors. The stories of the 5 lucky people clash with the airline's official statements. As the survivors start to disappear, Claire is determined to uncover the cause of all this mystery.




Crossing Over (2009)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta, Jim Sturgess
Director: Wayne Kramer
USA release: 27 February 2009 (limited)
Msia release: 16 April 2009
USA gross: $436,612
Worldwide gross: $721,372
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 113 mins
Rated in USA: R for pervasive language, some strong violence and sexuality/nudity
Rated in Msia: 18PL
IMDb User Rating: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatometer: 12%

Crossing Over is a multi-character canvas about immigrants of different nationalities struggling to achieve legal status in Los Angeles. The film deals with the border, document fraud, the asylum and green card process, work-site enforcement, naturalization, the office of counter terrorism and the clash of cultures. (IMDb)




Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
Starring: Kevin James
Director: Steve Carr
USA release: 16 January 2009
Msia release: 16 April 2009
USA gross: $143,162,362
Worldwide gross: $162,951,938
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 91 mins
Rated in USA: PG for some violence, mild crude and suggestive humor, and language
Rated in Msia: PG-13
IMDb User Rating: 5.5/10
Rotten Tomatometer: 32%

Paul Blart (Kevin James) is a security guard at a mall and is incredibly dedicated to his job. When the mall gets held up by criminals, taking hostages in the bank, Paul is justice's only hope. He becomes the police's inside man and attempts to single-handedly take down the crooks and save the hostages which includes his daughter.

I've seen this movie already and I must say it was pretty funny. Having said that, I felt that it wasn't up to Kevin James' regular standards if you know what I mean. But, regardless, it is a fun movie to watch with family and friends.




Coming Soon (2008)
Starring: Chantawit Tanasaewe, Worakan Rojanawat
Director: Sopon Sakdapisit (Shutter, Alone)
Country: Thailand
Language: Thai
Thailand release: 30 October 2008
Msia release: 16 April 2009
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 84 mins
Rated in Msia: 18PL

Shane and Yod attempt to illegally record a horror movie in the theater. Soon after, they find themselves living out the horror movie in the real world.

Until this day, I regard Shutter as one of the most frightening horror films I have ever seen. Had me terrified for days. Especially because of the scene where the ghost is climbing up the ladder. And the last scene where the ghost is on the dude's shoulders. Freaky! Well, Coming Soon should scare all our socks off, even more so if you watch it in the cinemas. So make sure you do.



Sources: Cinema Online, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo, YouTube

Related Posts with Thumbnails