The Coen Brothers' A Serious Man Trailer

I have to say I am a fan of the Coen brothers Joel and Ethan. And I cannot express how excited I am for their new film, A Serious Man. Their last film, Burn After Reading, wasn't well received here in Malaysia but I loved it and thought it was hilarious. And I bet A Serious Man will have the same effect. Both on the general Malaysian audience and me.

A black comedy set in 1967 and that centers on Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother won't move out of the house.

The trailer in itself is brilliant already. And it doesn't give too much away and most probably won't be one of those cases where the trailer is better than the film proper. Like I said earlier, I cannot be more excited for this movie. Check out the trailer I've embedded below.



A Serious Man gets a limited release in the USA October 6 so don't expect the film to hit Malaysian shores this year. In fact, don't expect it to hit our shores at all. That way, if it ever does, it'll be a bonus.

Source: FirstShowing.net

The Hurt Locker Review

I just saw The Hurt Locker and I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on the film. The movie is basically an Iraq war film. But it’s not just any war film; it follows the everyday missions of a bomb squad and it’s bomb disarming specialist, Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner), based in Baghdad.

I liked the film quite a bit but thought some scenes were a little too unrealistic. And to add to that, the hero of the movie was being too much of a hero, verging on superheroism. If you watch the film, you’ll get what I mean.

Bad points aside, the rest of the film was fantastic. I have to say that this is one of the most intense films I’ve ever seen. And the intensity hits you real hard right from the get go. I thought the opening sequence was the best of the whole movie. The entire film isn’t smothered in suspense because in between the action scenes, the soft and heartfelt scenes, if you will, are pretty dull. When an action sequence comes around, which is pretty often in this movie, it is gritty, riveting and gut-wrenching.

Having about three or four bomb disarming scenes in the movie that are all pretty similar, you would think that you’d already know what’s going to happen next. Amazingly that isn’t the case. I found my mind being blown a couple times during the movie as I was expecting the same scenario in the bomb disarming scene as the previous one. There is also one sniper scene that can only be described as being super intense. I was sweating just watching that scene. Absolutely amazing.

If I were to sum the movie up really quickly, I’d say its a must-watch because it simply is one of the most captivating stuff you’ll see in a war movie. Not to mention the great sounds that were produced in the film. This movie isn’t perfect, unfortunately, and has a few scenes where common sense just doesn’t apply. That could be a good thing though, purely because it makes for great fun.

I’ll give this one a 8.5 out of 10 Popcorns.

Tron Legacy Trailer

I can hardly remember Tron because I was a kid when I saw it but I do remember I hated it. Maybe because I was so little. Now that a sequel is in the works, I'll have to give Tron another watch to see if I hate it any less or maybe even like it now that I'm older. But for now, the huge news is that the official title to the Tron sequel is Tron Legacy and you can expect it to be released in 2010.

The movie, helmed by Joseph Kosinski, stars Olivia Wilde, Jeff Bridges and John Hurt. Check out the trailer I've embedded below.

Opening This Week: Ghosts of Proposals Past

We have two similar Rom-Com movies coming to cinemas this week in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and The Proposal. Read on to know which one is worth catching, and which is not. So let's get started.


Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner
Director: Mark Waters
USA release: May 1
Msia release: July 30
USA gross: $54,916,376
Worldwide gross: $78,605,844
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Runtime: 1 hour 42 mins
Rated in USA: PG-13 for sexual content throughout, some language and a drug reference
Rated in Msia: 18PL
IMDb User Rating: 5.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 28%

A womanizer, Connor, finds himself being haunted by the ghosts of his former girlfriends at his younger brother's wedding. Through the spiritual guidance from The Ghost of Girlfriend's Past, Present and Future, these spirits hope to help Connor come into realization about his ways with the women. [Cinema Online]

Reception of the film doesn't look too good with critics saying the movie pretty much stunk and the general audience giving a very average rating on IMDb. If you want a first-hand account from someone who has seen the film, head on over to my good friend, Louis' blog, Behind Corrective Lenses for his review of the film.




The Proposal (2009)
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds
Director: Anne Fletcher
USA release: June 19
Msia release: July 30
USA gross: $135,798,000
Worldwide gross: $157,317,386
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Runtime: 1 hour 48 mins
Rated in USA: PG-13 for sexual content, nudity and language
Rated in Msia: PG-13
IMDb User Rating: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 44%

When a Canadian book editor working in the US is threatened to be deported back to Canada, she makes up a fake engagement and marriage to her male assistant.

So here we are with two movies of similar genres. It's very simple, really. You will want to watch The Proposal and give Ghosts of Girlfriends Past a pass. Haha. And I'll tell you why. Here are reasons to watch The Proposal this weekend.

1. Although critics didn't really like The Proposal, they definitely like it better than Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
2. The general audience liked it better.
3. It made more money at the box office in the USA and worldwide.
4. It got a pretty good IMDb score.
5. And because I say so. OK, no. I'm just kidding.

Source: IMDb, Cinema Online, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo

First Look at Tony Stark’s Mark IV Iron Man Suit

If you’re a big comic book fan or even if you just watched the Iron Man movie, then you should know that there were 3 versions of the suit- the one Stark built in a cave to bust out of it, the prototype suit and of course the final red and gold suit.

A little under a week ago, Jon Favreau Tweeted that they had wrapped production of Iron Man 2. Just about a day or two ago in San Diego at Comic-Con, a picture of all three suits including a brand new one on show at the Marvel booth, was taken. Check it out below.

Very cool eh? Let’s zoom in a little bit.

Here you can see that the Mark III suit (left) that was in the last film is similar to the Mark IV suit which we will see in the next film. Also, the Mark IV suit is much less bulky and looks sleeker than the Mark III. How will this look on RDJ? We’ll just have to wait until the movie gets release to find out. And that will be May 7 of next year.

Here’s the Mark IV suit all by its lonesome.

Source: Screen Rant

Shutter Island Poster

This movie, I want to watch so badly. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sir Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Emily Mortimer, and Jackie Earle Haley as well as directed by an awesome director in Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island has had it’s Malaysian release date bumped up from early December to October 15 of this year. Check out the cool poster featuring Leo DiCaprio below. Also click here to watch the trailer.

It's 1954, and up-and-coming U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital. He's been pushing for an assignment on the island for personal reasons, but before long he wonders whether he hasn't been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose radical treatments range from unethical to illegal to downright sinister. Teddy's shrewd investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would break the case wide open. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals "escape" in the confusion, and the puzzling, improbable clues multiply, Teddy begins to doubt everything - his memory, his partner, even his own sanity.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Teaser Posters

Prince of Persia has always been a popular video game. In following the current Hollywood trend of transforming video games into feature films, Walt Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer are producing Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, starring Brokeback Mountain star Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arteton, Sir Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina.

Dastan (Gyllenhaal) is a street urchin adopted by the King, an ends up going after the Sands of Time, a time-controlling artifact held by the evil Nizam (Kingsley).

Here are two teaser posters for the movie.

I was never and isn’t a Prince of Persia fan, purely because I’ve never played it. And I’m not even sure if I should be ashamed of that statement or not. Either way, the film is slated for a May 28, 2010 release.

Are you a Prince of Persia fan? Tell me if you’re excited for the movie.

First Look at Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger

Fans of Freddy Krueger and slasher films in general will be excited this, the first image of Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger in the upcoming remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street directed by Samuel Bayer. Check out the picture below. And the teaser poster further down.

If you have no clue as to who Jackie Earle Haley is, then the picture below should help you a little bit.

Check out the teaser poster for A Nightmare on Elm Street below. It hits theaters April 16, 2010.

District 9 Compilation Post

I have done a couple of posts on District 9 already but since Nuffnang are giving out passes to a special screening, I thought I’d blog about it one more time, including as much promotional and informational material for the movie as possible. If you want to see my past posts on District 9, click here.

Before I talk about anything else, watch this teaser trailer. If you haven’t got a clue what District 9 is about, this will blow your mind to the back of the room.

Now that your mind is probably blown, I can tell you guys what District 9 is about. The plot is simple. The movie is set in Johannesburg, South Africa, where aliens landed some many years ago. Unlike aliens in other movies, these aliens want to go home in peace. However, the South African government are preventing them from returning home. Instead, the aliens are held captive on Earth. They are quarantined and kept separated from humans in an area called District 9.

Let’s check out some of it’s posters and banners for their viral advertising campaign.

Since District 9 is shot with a fictional-documentary feel to it, the movie’s marketing department tried to replicate this feeling in the real world by putting up billboards and banners on the streets in the States to make it seem as if aliens really were living on Earth.

If you’re thinking you’re falling behind the movie scene because you have no idea who the actors are or who’s directing, no to worry because they are relatively unknown names. The movie is directed by South African native, Neill Blomkamp. He is the guy who was supposed to helm the Halo movie that has yet to become anything yet. People were speculative of Blomkamp and his abilities, seeing as he’s never directed a feature length movie before. So to prove himself worthy of directing the Halo movie, he’s directed District 9. The only big name in this movie is, of course, Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Neill Blomkamp is supposedly Peter Jackson’s good friend and apprentice. Peter Jackson is producing this movie in support of his friend.

District 9 is actually based on a short film that was written and directed by Neill Blomkamp. Check the short film out for yourself below. It’s called Alive in Joburg.

So far, what we have seen from District 9 in their trailers and viral marketing schemes, this seems to be the most intriguing movie of the year, for me. With that been said, trailers really suck you in and may portray a movie to be much better than it really is. So we’ll just have to wait and see. Below is the 2nd as latest trailer for the movie where more is explained with some action scenes.

I am so excited for this movie, words cannot even explain. Here are some cool links that are associated with the movie.

Official websites: District9Movie.com, D-9.com

Fictional websites: MNU, MNU Spread Lies

Twitter accounts: @D9Movie, @MultiNationalU, @MNU_Lies

District 9 opens in theaters August 13 but Nuffnang are giving out passes to catch it a day earlier. So click here for more deets.

Follow me on Twitter at @mikecampton

Opening This Week: The Taking of Land of the Lost 123

There are two remakes making their debut on Malaysian screens this week. One of which I'd watch in the theater; the other, I wouldn't. Read on to find out what is which and which is what. Let's goooo!

The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
Starring: John Travolta, Denzel Washington, Luis Guzman, John Turturo, James Gandolfini, Ramon Rodriguez
Director: Tony Scott
USA release: June 12
Msia release: July 23
USA gross: $62,900,310
Worldwide gross: $67,779,996
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Drama
Runtime: 2 hours
Rated in USA: R for violence and pervasive language
Rated in Msia: 18SG
IMDb User Rating: 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 51%

When a bunch of terrorists hijack a subway train and demand a hefty ransom be paid in an hour before they start killing hostages, it is up to a transit operator to save the day.

Tony Scott teams up with Denzel Washington once again to do this remake of the original 1974 The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three. When you have Tony Scott and Denzel together, you can't really go wrong. Case in point - Man On Fire and Deja Vu. Actually, even if you just have Denzel alone, you can't go wrong. He is just a phenomenal actor, especially when he plays a negotiator, which is the case in almost all his movies. What I'm trying to say is that any Denzel movie is worth watching, including this one. So go see it this weekend but don't bring kids. Rated 18SG and R for violence and pervasive language. =)




Land of the Lost (2009)
Starring: Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Anna Friel
Director: Brad Siberling
USA release: June 5
Msia release: July 23
USA gross: $48,608,305
Worldwide gross: $56,359,046
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Adventure
Runtime: 1 hour 33 mins
Rated in USA: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and for language including a drug reference
Rated in Msia: PG-13
IMDb User Rating: 5.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 28%

Based on the 1974 TV series Land Of The Lost, this movie is about a forest ranger together with his two children who stumble upon a mysterious land - a land that is almost forgotten and no one really knows about its existence. In his adventures on the lost land, he encounters strange creatures like the reptilian Sleestaks population and also the monkey people. [Cinema Online]

Will Ferrell is undoubtedly one of the industry's most popular and well-known funny men, up there with Adam Sandler and Eddie Murphy and the rest of the SNL comedians. But I've found it hard for me to like Will Ferrell. Only on few occasions I've found his sense of humor entertaining, like in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Blades of Glory and Step Brothers. All the other times, even on SNL, I've found it hard to like his funny mojo. From what I've seen in the trailer for Land of the Lost, it looks like its going to be classic, goofy Will Ferrell. As far as the general reception of the movie went, it got panned by movie critics and did not do well at the box office. Although this movie might have its funny moments, I have a feeling that the majority of the movie will be smothered with incredibly unfunny, awkward and crude stuff. If that's your kind of thing, by all means catch the movie this weekend. I, for one, though, would rather jump on the Pelham 123 train and get held hostage by John Travolta and get rescued by the man himself, Denzel. But that's just me.

Source: IMDb, Cinema Online, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo