G-Force (2009)
Tsunami At Haeundae (2009)
Here is one of my favorite 15Malaysia shorts so far and I think is better than Potong Saga as a comedy piece.
Featuring Malaysian funny-men Harith Iskandar and Patrick Teoh, Slovak Sling is directed by Woo Ming Jin and is an absolute riot. Watch it for yourself below.
A comedic re-enactment of how one politician tries to entice another to switch party allegiance as DVD pirates look on.
Next up: Gerhana
Now that the summer movie season is over, you might wonder what movies coming out before the year’s up are worth being excited for. Well other than the no-brainer Avatar, you should be very excited for Spike Jonze’s big-screen adaptation of Where The Wild Things Are. Here are four very cool brand new character posters.
Where the Wild Things Are is directed by visionary filmmaker Spike Jonze, of films like Being John Malkovich and Adaptation previously as well as numerous famous music videos as well. The screenplay was co-written by Spike Jonze and author Dave Eggers, a former Salon.com editor who also wrote Sam Mendes' Away We Go. This is based on Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book of the same name.
American theaters will get Where the Wild Things Are October 16 but Malaysians will need to wait until November 19 to experience the fantasy.
If you’re like me and loved Thank You For Smoking and Juno, then you should be, as I am, very excited for Jason Reitman’s next film called Up in the Air starring the one and only George Clooney.
This trailer may be two minutes long but it’s more a teaser than a proper trailer. With Clooney doing the voice-over, the trailer features plenty of amazing individual scenes from the movie. Check it out below.
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a corporate downsizing expert - someone who fires people for a living - whose cherished life on the road is threatened by young hotshot just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and after he's met the frequent-traveler woman he never thought he'd meet.
The official release date for Up in the Air has been up in the air for the longest time but just recently got confirmed. It will be hitting American theaters December 4, 2009 but unfortunately, Malaysians will have to wait until February 25 of next year.
The eighth short of the 15Malaysia project is quite different from seven before it. One Future directed by Tan Chui Mui is simply a slideshow of photos of politician Tian Chua and actress Ida Nerina with narration from 15Malaysia producer Pete Teo. It may be simple but it speaks volumes. Watch it for yourself.
An edgy and powerful science fiction story of a society where everything is perfect, except no one is allowed to speak.
Next up: Gerhana
Where Got Ghost? (2009)Where Got Ghost? is a Horror-Comedy Chinese Movie. 3-in-1 Horror tales told in a good old comedy fashion.
Roadside Got Ghost: Swindlers Cai, Fu and Shou have a new scam - using a hotline to make random calls to people, promising them fortune. Those who win the lottery are required to pay commission to Cai or be scared into submission.
One day, Cai receives a phone call. The caller gives Cai deploying the same hotline trick. Believing it is a copycat of his scam, Cai naturally disregards the call, but goes ahead and tries his luck with the given number anyway. To his surprise, he wins. Mysterious happenings assume...
Forest Got Ghost: Nan and Lei return for army reservists' training. They learn that the place they will be sent is the widely known 'haunted hill', so they take the short cut. Suddenly, the 'haunted hill' seems to come alive - tombstones, red dress spirit and other strange sightings. Then it rains. Nan and Lei seek refuge at Yin Yin's house, a girl they just met. Little do they know their road to hell has been cut short...
House Got Ghost: It is the Lunar 7th Month, weird sightings happen at home, children can only think it is the late mother's doings. The truth slowly surface as they begin their road trip only this time it seems to be more than what they bargain for
The Ugly Truth (2009)
Gamer (2009)Barely 3 months since his passing, Sony Pictures have released the poster for the This Is It movie. The movie, if you didn’t already know, will be a sort of music-documentary type focusing on the final couple of days of Michael Jackson’s life when he was rehearsing at the Staples Center for his 50-date This Is It concert at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Some 80 hours of rehearsal footage was captured by AEG Live, the company that organized the concert, and Sony are using a fraction of those 80 hours to make this film. The film is directed by Kenny Ortega, the same person who directed the High School Musical movies, Michael Jackson’s This Is It concert in London as well as his public memorial at the Staples Center in June. Check out the poster below.
Michael Jackson’s This Is It is set for release in America October 28 and a day later here in Malaysia.
Been awhile since I posted a 15Malaysia short. So here’s the one that premiered on Merdeka day last week. It’s called Lumpur and is directed by Kamal Sabran. Why is it called Lumpur, you ask? You find out at the end of the film so watch below.
A modern, poetic and beautifully constructed ode to Malaysia – its common people, places and enduring spirit.
Next up: One Future
I know this is pretty old news by now but I just want to write about what this deal means to everything Disney and Marvel we consume. After the announcement was made that Disney were to buy Marvel for $4 billion in cash and stocks, fanboys all over the world went “NOOOO!!” in tandem. It is pretty scary to know that fewer companies are controlling the content we consume but there are plenty of positives that can be taken out of this deal.
First off, Disney have already said that they will not interfere with the current Marvel management. Which means we will not see Mickey-man or High School Musical Origins: Troy, which is a good thing. From here on it’s just uphill.
Imagine what a powerhouse company like Disney can do with the 5,000-odd characters from the Marvel catalogue. They have already stated their plans to work on lesser known Marvel characters which should be good news for fanboys.
Also, there is the AWESOME possibility of having Pixar work on some Marvel movies. And with their Disney-ABC Television Group, don’t be too surprised to see superhero TV series to start popping up in the future and kicking Heroes’ butt.
Disney are of course known for their straight-to-television, low-budget movies like the first two High School Musicals and numerous others. So there that possibility of them making superhero movies for the Disney channel. The only problem would be the inability to include violence in the movies.
Putting the film and television industries aside, Disney also have the largest collection of theme parks and imagine how epic it would be to have Marvel superhero amusement rides.
Of course, everything above is completely hypothetical and only time will tell whether this deal will be a good one for fanboys and the general consumer alike. If Disney do what they say and leave the Marvel team to do their own thing, then I think we have nothing to worry about but a lot to be excited for. I know I’m excited!
Feel free to let me know what you think of this merger. I forgot to mention that $4 billion is a ridiculous amount of money! Spare change for Disney though, I bet.
