#525. @Sinepleks : GSC Alamanda Tambah Skrin

Sejumlah 1,394 tempat duduk untuk peminat filem di Putrajaya dan kawasan sekitarnya.

TENTUNYA satu perkhabaran gembira buat penduduk sekitar Putrajaya kerana mulai 28 Mei lalu, tiga lagi skrin ditambah di pawagam Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) Alamanda sempena meraikan ulang tahun pertama panggung wayang berkenaan di kompleks beli-belah terkenal itu.Dengan penambahan berkenaan, kini GSC Alamanda mempunyai lapan skrin kesemuanya. Pertambahan skrin bermakna lebih ramai penonton dapat menikmati hidangan pelbagai judul yang ditayangkan di kompleks pawagam berkenaan. Sekarang, sejumlah 1,394 tempat duduk tersedia buat peminat filem di Putrajaya dan kawasan sekitarnya, seperti Sepang, Kajang dan Puchong.

Sempena ulang tahun pertama itu juga, GSC Alamanda Putrajaya menawarkan satu minuman percuma kepada pelanggannya dengan setiap pembelian kombo bertih GSC saiz biasa atau besar dengan minuman F&N dan Coca-Cola.Sejak dibuka April tahun lalu, pawagam yang menyediakan kemudahan untuk golongan kurang upaya itu mencatat sejumlah kira-kira 600,000 kunjungan sehingga hari ini.Bagi penggemar filem di kawasan terbabit, tentunya dengan pembukaan skrin baru, lebih banyak judul yang dapat mereka ikuti tanpa perlu memandu jauh hingga ke Kuala Lumpur. Antara filem yang kini hangat ditayangkan di pawagam berkenaan ialah Night of the Museum 2: Battle of Smithsonian, Syurga Cinta, Terminator Salvation dan Monsters Vs Aliens.

GSC ialah pemilik dan pengedar filem utama di Malaysia, yang menempatkan 164 skrin di 23 lokasi seluruh negara termasuk Lembah Klang, Pulau Pinang, Sungai Petani, Ipoh, Seremban, Melaka, Batu Pahat, Johor Bahru, Kuantan dan Kota Kinabalu.

Sementara itu, filem Terminator Salvation nampaknya menunjukkan kekuasaan apabila terus melonjak ke anak tangga pertama carta filem pecah panggung di negara ini, pada minggu pertama tayangan. Robot pemusnah berjaya menguis ke bawah juara minggu sebelumnya, Night at the Museum 2 untuk selesa berada di takhta juara.

Bagi peminat yang gemar mengumpul cendera hati filem kesukaan mereka, jangan melepaskan peluang menyertai peraduan Terminator Salvation yang menawarkan pelbagai hadiah menarik seperti kemeja-T, kit kelangsungan hidup, pen dan komik Terminator Salvation yang bernilai sehingga RM5,500!

Anda hanya perlu mengisi borang peraduan yang boleh didapati dengan pembelian Kombo Bertih Jagung Karamel Besar bersama minuman Coke / Sprite atau dua minuman Coke / Sprite dari 21 Mei hingga 15 Julai, dengan melengkapkan slogan "If I’m John Connor, I will ..... because ....." dengan menggunakan tidak lebih daripada 15 perkataan.

Hantarkan borang bersama resit asal ke Peraduan GSC Coca-Cola Terminator Salvation, Peti Surat 8785, Kelana Jaya, 46798 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Anda juga boleh menyerahkan borang berkenaan di mana-mana pawagam GSC berhampiran.

Sepuluh peserta yang menghantar paling banyak penyertaan berpeluang memenangi hadiah istimewa. Di samping itu, 90 hadiah sagu hati disediakan untuk 90 pemenang terpilih. Sekiranya keputusan seri, penentuan pemenang akan dilakukan berdasarkan slogan terbaik.

Terminator Salvation mengisahkan peperangan antara manusia dan robot berterusan selepas berlakunya malapetaka dahsyat. Menggunakan latar waktu sekitar 2018, filem keempat dalam siri Terminator ini dilakonkan Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood, Anton Yelchin, Common, Helena Bonham Carter dan Bryce Dallas Howard.

Carta pecah panggung:

1 - Terminator Salvation

2 - Night At The Museum 2

3 - Monsters Vs. Aliens (3D)

4 - Syurga Cinta

5 - Angels & Demons

6 - I Corrupt All Cops (Hong Kong)

7 - Thoranai (Tamil)

8 - Star Trek

9 - X-Men Origins: Wolverine

10 - Sarvam (Tamil)

Sumber : Berita Harian [06/06/09]
Oleh Nurulhisham Abdul Latiff

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#475. Cinema : Janda Kembang [2009]

PRODUKSI: PT. Kharisma Starsvision Plus
SUTRADARA: Lakonde, PRODUSER: Chand Parwez,
Co-PRODUSER: Hanung Bramantyo,
PEMAIN: Luna Maya, Ringgo Agus Rahman, Sarah Sechan, Esa Sigit, Rifat Sungkar, Joe P Project, Edric Tjandra, Epy Kusnandar

Sinopsis :Ini adalah kisah tentang kekeliruan manusia dalam menterjemahkan keindahan, kadang keindahan dipuja tapi tak jarang juga, keindahan ternoda, karena dicerca.Dimulai saat ASIH (Selasih, Luna Maya), seorang pendatang yang cantik, datang ke pinggiran kota Jakarta (suburban) bernama Pulo Bantal. Suara yang merdu, wajah yang cantik, tubuh yang sexy membuat semua lelaki bertekuk lutut. Termasuk yang terpesona adalah dua remaja bersahabat Radja (Rifat Sungkar) & Fadli (Esa Sigit), jiwa kelaki-lakian mereka yang mulai tumbuh, tiba-tiba lebih terkuak ke permukaan.

Suara merdu serta penampilan Asih, membawanya bergabung dengan group musik 'DODIRAMA' Band, pimpinan Pak Dodi (Ringgo Agus Rahman).Ada hal-hal pribadi yang membuat Asih sering menutup diri, akibatnya orang mereka-reka jati diri Asih, apalagi karena Ia seorang diri, tanpa pasangan. Hingga tersiar kabar bahwa Asih adalah Janda Kembang.Di masa PILKADA, Dodirama Band sering menerima panggilan show, dan penampilan DODIRAMA Band selalu sukses karena didukung oleh bintang barunya, Selasih si 'Janda Kembang'.Tetapi penampilan Asih di panggung maupun di luar panggung, kerap membuat kesal para istri-istri, karena suami-suaminya jadi amnesia, lupa sudah punya istri. Hal ini sangat dirasakan oleh Yuli (Sarah Sechan), Istri Pak Dodi, yang juga adalah Penyanyi Dodirama Band. Kini Yuli merasa posisinya terancam baik di Band maupun rumah tangga.

Kecemburuan masyarakat (terutama ibu-ibu) Pulo Bantal kepada Selasih dirasakan oleh Radja dan Fadli. Mereka lantas melindungi Selasih dengan caranya masing-masing, oleh sebab itu mereka sering mengikuti kemana pun Selasih pergi.Sementara itu keadaan Selasih semakin tersudut... masyarakat mulai mencap Selasih sebagai pelacur, wanita simpanan dan sebagainya. Keadaan menjadi panas, mereka yang cemburu ingin mengusir Asih dari Pulo Bantal. Sanggupkah Asih menghadapi perlakuan-perlakuan anarkis ini?Drama-Tragis ini dibungkus oleh Komedi-Satire lewat mata, kata, hati serta gejolak syahwat dua remaja kita, Radja dan Fadli di masa akil balik.

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#441. LayarRebiu : Machines dominate in fourth `Terminator'

LOS ANGELES – We have seen the future in "Terminator Salvation," and the future is noisy.

This fourth flick in the "Terminator" saga takes place in 2018, 14 years after Judgment Day. John Connor is a rising force in the resistance against Skynet, the artificial intelligence network that started thinking for itself and eradicating humanity. He has seen destruction and listened to the recordings left by his mother that foretell his future, but he has yet to send anyone back in time in hopes of stopping it, including the man who will become his father.

(You definitely need to have seen the first three movies to have a clue as to what's going on here. This is no time to play catch-up. Being a fan also helps.)

McG, director of the "Charlie's Angels" movies and "We Are Marshall," drops into this well-established lore and presents a post-apocalyptic world that is repetitively bleak and relentlessly loud. Yes, the machines have taken over, so of course there's going to be a healthy amount of clanging, crunching metal and automatic weapon fire — but even things that shouldn't be noisy, like the lighting of a flare, sound like a rocket launch.

And Christian Bale steps into the role of John Connor, played previously by Edward Furlong and Nick Stahl, and he ... well, he does the same voice he uses when he dons the black suit for the "Batman" movies, a monotone, guttural growl regardless of the dialogue. Connor's function as Christ figure is clearer than ever in the script from John Brancato and Michael Ferris, who also wrote 2003's "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"; nearly everyone who managed to stay alive describes this "JC" as a messiah and a prophet, but not everyone believes it. The metaphor adds yet another layer of portentousness — but the writers also threw in a couple of classic "Terminator" lines, ostensibly to lighten the suffocating mood. Instead, they're real groaners.

John must find and protect his future father, teenager Kyle Reese (the plucky Anton Yelchin), while also trying to determine whether to trust the mysterious stranger Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) to help him with this quest. Worthington has the masculine good looks and formidable screen presence to stand strong opposite Bale — but, naturally, he also has to scream a lot. This installation sorely needs more of the kind of liveliness Arnold Schwarzenegger brought to the franchise.

"Terminator Salvation" does feature some inventive camerawork, though — McG is a commercial and music video veteran, after all — and the intricate special effects we've come to expect from the series (the work of the late Stan Winston, who died before the film was finished). Several of the new villainous devices are extremely cool, including the Hydrobots, four-foot-long killer eels that attack under water.

But there's not much here in the way of way of humanity, even with the strong feminine presence of actresses including Bryce Dallas Howard, Moon Bloodgood and Jane Alexander. It seems the machines have already won.

"Terminator Salvation," a Warner Bros. Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and language. Running time: 114 minutes. Two stars out of four.

___

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G — General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.


Source : AP [http://news.yahoo.com ]
By CHRISTY LEMIRE, AP Movie Critic Christy Lemire,Mon May 18, 4:45 pm ET

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#438. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian [2009]

Directed by: Shawn Levy
Starring:Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Hank Azaria, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Dick Van Dyke
Running Time: 1 hr. 45 min.
Release Date: May 22, 2009
Synopsis : It's been a few years since security guard Larry Dalen had his romp at the Museum of Natural History, and he's found a bit of success as an inventor. But when his old pals Jedediah Smith and Octavius get shipped to the Smithsonian by mistake, Larry must drop everything to rescue them, and he ends up in over his head. Now the Smithsonian is coming to life, and so Larry must deal with Ivan the Terrible, a surprisingly fetching Amelia Earhart, and a nefarious pharaoh with plans to rule the world.



Official Website : http://www.nightatthemuseummovie.com/

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#421. Cinema : Drag Me To Hell [2009]

Drag Me to Hell is a 2009 American horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, director of Spider-Man and The Evil Dead trilogy, and co-written by Sam's brother Ivan Raimi. It stars Alison Lohman and Justin Long. It is set to be released on May 29, 2009. It is Raimi's first directorial horror film in 15 years. It is rated PG-13 in the US. Synopsis :- Christine Brown is an ambitious L.A. loan officer with a charming boyfriend, professor Clay Dalton. Life is good until the mysterious Mrs. Ganush arrives at the bank to beg for an extension on her home loan. Should Christine follow her instincts and give the old woman a break? Or should she deny the extension to impress her boss, Mr. Jacks, and get a leg-up on a promotion? Christine fatefully chooses the latter, shaming Mrs. Ganush and dispossessing her of her home. In retaliation, the old woman places the powerful curse of the Lamia on Christine, transforming her life into a living hell. Haunted by an evil spirit and misunderstood by a skeptical boyfriend, she seeks the aid of seer Rham Jas to save her soul from eternal damnation. To help the shattered Christine return her life to normal, the psychic sets her on a frantic course to reverse the spell. As evil forces close in, Christine must face the unthinkable: How far will she go to break free of the curse?

Official Website : www.dragmetohell.net

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#419. Cinema : Dance Flick [2009]

Dance Flick is an upcoming 2009 American parody film directed by Damien Dante Wayans, written by his uncles, the Wayans Brothers, and starring Shoshana Bush and Damon Wayans, Jr.. The film is a spoof of the popular dance film Save the Last Dance. It was set for release in North America on February 6, 2009, but was moved to August 14, 2009. It is now set to be released on May 22, 2009.Synopsis :- A rich, suburban girl named Megan White (Shoshana Bush) gets into a series of misadventures when she moves to the inner-city.Street-smart Thomas (Damon Wayans Jr.) helps her along the way.

Website:http://www.thedanceflick.com

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#417. Cinema : The Brothers Bloom [2009]

The Brothers Bloom is a American 2009 caper film written and directed by Rian Johnson and stars Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, Robbie Coltrane, Zachary Gordon, Nora Zehetner and Rinko Kikuchi. Shooting began in Ulcinj, Montenegro on March 19, 2007. The film is budgeted at $20 million.The world's greatest con men, the Brothers Bloom, have made a living off of swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Stephen (Ruffalo) and Bloom (Brody), and their silent partner and sidekick Bang-Bang (Kikuchi) team up for one last job, conning beautiful heiress Penelope (Weisz) by taking her on a tour of the world and relieving her of US$2.5 million. On the way, Bloom (who has no first name in the entire movie) falls for Penelope, which complicates the con severely.

Official Website : http://www.brothersbloom.com

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#391. Filem : Cinta Terlarang - Baler [2009]

BERDASARKAN peperangan yang tercetus di Filipina pada 1898, sutradara Mark Meily akhirnya tampil dengan sebuah karya yang boleh dibanggakan. Pertempuran di antara tentera Filipina dan tentera Sepanyol yang menjadi sejarah di negara itu berjaya di angkat ke layar lebar dengan berkesan.Menerusi cetusan idea menarik, hasil karya Meily yang disulam bersama teknik penggambaran yang artistik menambah tarikan untuk filem ini.

Namun, tidak dinafikan masih ada kekurangan terhadap karya terbaru Meily ini. Penggunaan kostum yang tidak menarik malah barisan pelakon memegang tugas sebagai tentera Sepanyol terdiri daripada wajah-wajah Asia bagai tidak kena dengan watak yang dibawa. Sekurang-kurangnya, tampilkanlah pelakon ‘mat salih.’ Peranan berkenaan lebih berkesan meskipun mereka sekadar pelakon pembantu.

Menyentuh soal lakonan, gandingan dua pelakon utama filem ini, Jericho Rosales dan Anne Curtis cukup serasi. Hasil lakonan mereka juga harus diberikan pujian sehingga berjaya mengangkat filem ini menjadi antara yang terbaik.

Mengulas jalan ceritanya, tidak banyak yang perlu disentuh. Garapan berdasarkan kisah benar itu turut memberikan maklumat mengenai apa yang berlaku. Walaupun tidak sepenuhnya benar namun penonton masih boleh menangkap kisah yang terjadi waktu itu.

Selain itu, Baler turut menceritakan mengenai hubungan dua gadis tempatan yang menjalin kasih bersama dua anggota tentera penjajah ini turut diungkap dengan berkesan.

Hubungan terlarang yang tidak direstui ibu bapa si gadis dan halangan bercinta ketika era peperangan sungguh mengasyikkan. Barangkali, ada yang bakal menitiskan air mata melihat kekasih gadis berkenaan dihukum bunuh rakan sepasukannya sendiri apabila cuba melarikan diri dari medan perang hanya untuk bersama buah hatinya itu.

Lebih menarik, Baler sudahpun memenangi 10 kategori anugerah filem yang diadakan di Filipina baru-baru ini. Kali ini, peminat gabungan filem cinta dan aksi mungkin berpuas hati tatkala menonton cerita ini.

Data
FILEM: Baler
PENGARAH: Mark Meily
PELAKON: Anne Curtis, Baron Geisler, Jericho Rosales dan Phillip Salvador
GENRE: Drama / Romantik
TAYANGAN: 16 April 2009

Sumber : Harian Metro

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#388. Jangan Tegur Masuk Panggung

Selain di negara sendiri filem seram ini turut ditayangkan di Brunei dan Singapura

MENGIKUTI jejak langkah filem seram keluaran Metrowealth Movies Production yang terdahulu, Jangan Tegur, filem terbaru daripada syarikat itu bakal ditayangkan di 64 skrin, termasuk tiga salinan di Brunei Darussalam, bermula 9 April.Salinan sebanyak itu pernah dicatat dua lagi filem seram terbitan ini, Jangan Pandang Belakang dan Congkak. Dua filem berkenaan berjaya memungut lebih RM10 juta apabila masing-masing ditayangkan pada 2007 dan 2008.

Produser David Teo berkeyakinan, filem berkenaan mampu menarik jumlah penonton yang ramai untuk ke panggung, berikutan kualiti tinggi yang dimiliki filem itu sendiri."Sehingga kini, kami mendapat ulasan yang baik daripada mereka yang sudah pun menontonnya. Mereka memberikan lima bintang kepada filem Jangan Tegur. Ia memberikan petanda positif kepada filem ini. Saya sendiri tidak akan bersedia menayangkannya kepada umum, seandainya tidak berpuas hati dengan produk akhir," katanya.

Menurut David, dia sanggup mengeluarkan kos lebih bagi memastikan filem terbitannya sentiasa mempunyai kualiti yang baik.

"Kami perlu mengekalkan imej yang bagus apabila menerbitkan filem seram. Kami sudah membuktikannya dengan Jangan Pandang Belakang dan Congkak. Jadi, kami tidak akan menayangkan Jangan Tegur kalau ia tidak setara atau lebih baik daripada dua judul terdahulu,” katanya.

Di Malaysia dan Brunei, filem arahan Pierre Andre itu sudah mula ditayangkan pada 9 April, manakala peminat di Singapura pula dapat menontonnya mulai 23 April. Sebanyak 11 salinan diputarkan di republik terbabit.

Selain Pierre sendiri, filem berkenaan turut menampilkan pelakon Julia Ziegler, Nadia Mustafar, Almy Nadia, Ellie Suriaty, Azri Iskandar, Kaza, Abu Bakar Juah dan Rozita Che Wan.

Kata David, mutu filem itu dipertingkatkan dengan melakukan penggambaran semula serta rakaman tambahan untuk menyempurnakan lagi ceritanya. Secara keseluruhan, sebanyak 17 minit rakaman semula dilakukan, atas nasihat Ahmad Idham. Sebahagian penggambaran semula dilakukan sendiri Pierre, manakala selebihnya oleh penolong pengarah, Abdul Azizi Awang Ghazali.

"Sebagaimana filem seram kami terdahulu juga, sekali lagi ibu mengandung dan mereka yang menghidapi masalah jantung tidak digalakkan menonton filem ini," katanya yang memaklumkan, Jangan Tegur diklasifikasikan sebagai judul 13PG oleh Lembaga Penapisan Filem.

Menurutnya, filem berkenaan juga tidak perlu menggunakan nama besar untuk menarik perhatian ke panggung. Sebaliknya dia percaya, gabungan usaha keras semua pihak, kekuatan cerita dan genre filem itu sendiri bakal memikat penonton untuk datang menontonnya.

"Dalam penghasilan filem seram ini, kami bergantung pada keseluruhan tenaga produksi termasuk penasihatnya, Idham. Kami juga mempunyai penata bunyi dan penyunting yang bagus, Brian Ng. Tanpa bunyi yang baik, belum tentu sesebuah filem seram berjaya," katanya.

Begitupun dia berkeyakinan, sesebuah filem yang baik mampu menaikkan nama pelakonnya.

Menerusi Jangan Tegur pula, dia memuji lakonan Nadia yang membawakan watak Baizura.

"Dia bukan saja pelakon yang baik, malah memberikan komitmen terbaik sepanjang promosi filem ini diadakan. Sayang sekali tidak banyak peluang diberikan kepadanya untuk menonjolkan keupayaan.

“Saya pula, amat gembira apabila dapat bekerjasama dengan pelakon berbakat besar sepertinya. Pastinya saya akan terus memberikan peluang buat Nadia dalam projek kami yang seterusnya," kata David.

Sinopsis:

JANGAN TEGUR mengisahkan Natasya yang terbabit dalam kemalangan jalan raya dan koma selama beberapa minggu. Sewaktu dalam koma, Natasya bermimpi mengenai seorang gadis bernama Baizura yang disyaki hilang dua tahun sebelum itu, secara misteri. Natasya sering diganggu mimpi aneh yang menceritakan kesengsaraan Baizura yang dibomoh dan sering didatangi makhluk halus.

Tersedar dari koma, Natasya mula mengalami perkara yang sama seperti yang dialami Baizura. Daya penglihatannya tidak membataskan dia melihat makhluk halus itu. Keadaan itu menambahkan kerunsingan suaminya, Kamal. Kamal seorang yang tidak mempercayai benda karut ini sehinggalah dia melihatnya sendiri.

Melalui mimpi yang dialami, Natasya mula menyiasat apakah yang berlaku kepada Baizura. Siasatan itu menyebabkan dia sering diganggu makhluk yang mengganggu Baizura seperti dalam mimpinya.

Sumber : Berita Harian [10/04/09]

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#377. Criminal games

Now Showing
12 ROUNDS
Directed by Renny Harlin
Starring John Cena, Aidan Gillen, Ashley Scott, Steve Harris, Travis Davis, Brian White, Gonzalo Menendez

A CROSS between Die Hard and TV series 24, 12 Rounds is a good old-fashioned action movie, complete with the prerequisite car chases, explosives and life-or-death situations.Special effects, which can sometimes overshadow the script, are kept to a minimum with greater emphasis on the non-stop action and dialogue.Hell hath no fury like a villain provoked, as New Orleans police detective Danny Fisher (John Cena) unfortunately discovers.

When Fisher attempts to take thief Miles Jackson (Aidan Gillen) into custody for a multi-million dollar diamond heist, Miles’ girlfriend is killed as she tries to escape.In true criminal fashion, Miles soon breaks out of prison, vowing to avenge his lover’s death.A cat-and-mouse game ensues as the detective is forced to live his worst nightmare: being a pawn in a bizarre game that sees him fighting for this life in “tests” (12 in all) set up by the lethal mastermind — such as stopping a speeding tram gone out of control or avoiding being crushed to death by a falling lift.

Miles holds Fisher’s girlfriend Molly (Ashley Scott) hostage to draw him into his game.The movie will have pulses racing as viewers watch Fisher race against the clock to save Molly from death by explosives.While a good watch overall, there’s nothing particularly special about 12 Rounds. The script is rather predictable and the plot hardly ground-breaking.

But its intense pace of action is nothing short of riveting. As director Renny Harlin put it, “Even the dialogue is spoken on the run; there is never a moment’s rest.”

What it lacks in originality, however, is more than made up for by its cast.

Former wrestler John Cena gives a stirring portrayal of strength and vulnerability as he tears through town to save the woman he loves. And the chemistry between Cena and Scott is believable.FBI agent George Aiken (Steve Harris) is also good as the traditional tough-guy agent with a soft heart.His single-mindedness in taking Miles down is fodder for conflict with Fisher whenever he puts Miles’ capture before Molly’s safety.

It’s Gillen though who steals the show. Slick, sophisticated and a tad psychotic, he plays his villain to perfection.His cool, detached persona is chilling to watch as he laughingly plans mayhem, death and destruction with Fisher in mind.

Though nowhere near Heath Ledger’s legendary Joker, Gillen does a commendable job.

Source : The New Straits Times

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#376. Horrors,how mindless!

Evil can be passed on through mirrors in The Unborn.
NOW SHOWING
THE UNBORN
Directed by David S. GoyerEvil can be passed on through mirrors in The Unborn.
Starring Odette Yustman, Gary Oldman, Cam Gigandet, Meagan Good, Idris Elba

LOWER your expectations. Heck, just don’t have any at all. The Unborn promotes itself as a tasteful horror flick, but that’s pretty much the only thing that it succeeds in doing ­— tricking and fooling the viewers to believe that it is. What it really is, as you will soon realise, is anything but...A cockamammy of beliefs, myths, ideologies and cinematic traditions, it desperately tries to find its identity and direction halfway through the movie and expects us to stick with its nonsensical plots while the scriptwriter figures this out.

It is a seat-jolting Japanese horror (Ringu), modern zombie flicks (Resident Evil) and a touch of Hollywood tales of exorcisms (The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby). But paying homage is one thing, executing it is another.There’s plenty of predictable, all-too-familiar scenes to jolt you into mindless screams. That’s right, she’s going to the bathroom, look into the mirror and see something scareeaaahhhh! It feels so cheap, like we’re being cattle-prodded to do so.It is a story about an evil something trapped in limbo wanting to cross over to the real world, twins’ supernatural connections, family secrets and Jewish mysticism beliefs. It questions many things and leaves them there.


In the story, a demon travels through mirrors. A baby looking into his own reflection will be possessed. How did it get there in the first place is none of our business, but it jumps from one person to another with a blink of an eye when it’s stronger.
The evil one, manifesting as a boy with a pair of electric blue eyes, is passed down from Casey Beldon’s (Odette Yustman) family.

His ultimate goal is to have Casey as the new host. So that’s why she’s been having all those nightmares and seeing scary things around the house.

We later understand that Jumby — what the evil spirit calls itself, really wants to be born. But after a long-winded plot development that is lame and pointless, it’s perfectly okay to wish for Jumby to be born already!

What a waste of great talents with Gary Oldman playing the two-dimensional Rabbi Sendak and four-time Academy Award-nominee Jane Alexander Sofi as a woman with a dark past.

With Yustman looking like a cross between Transformers babe Megan Fox and Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly (Hulk), and her onscreen boyfriend Mark played by younger Brad Pitt look-alike Cam Gigandet (Twilight), seeing the couple sizzle on the big screen is more exciting than the half-baked plot for a story.

Director/writer David Goyer surely knows how to capitalise on his sexy stars — Yustman keeps appearing in scenes with a white tank top and matching white panties, while Gigandet comes on shirtless, showing off a nicely-toned body.

Good eye candy is the only thing noteworthy about this movie.

Source : The New Straits Times

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#375. Slasherporn blood and gore

Jamie King being chased by the killer in My Bloody Valentine.
NOW SHOWING
MY BLOODY VALENTINE
Directed by Patrick Lussier
Starring: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith, Betsy Rue, Tom Atkins, Kevin Tighe

IF the title sounds curiously familiar to you, it is because My Bloody Valentine was a B-grade horror shown in the early ’80s. Those were the days of the so-called slasherpix, the likes of Friday The 13, Nightmare On Elm Street and Halloween.The 1981 My Bloody Valentine was so shamelessly exploitative and gory that a lot of its scenes were censored.Still, it became a cult hit on the videotape rental circuit for diehard horror fans. Now, what is the reason for this remake of a movie that had so much gratuitous violence?Answer: So that viewers can see body parts and blood splatter in glorious state-of-the-art 3D!

Yes, this movie is actually titled My Bloody Valentine 3D to differentiate it from the ’80s Canadian production.However, since this remake will not be shown in 3D in Malaysia, the 3D suffix has been dropped.Local viewers won’t get the sensation of blood and pieces of flesh flying at their face but even in 2D, it is revolting enough.The action revolves around a small American town called Harmony where an accident at its coal-mine 10 years ago left five men dead and one survivor in a coma.When the patient,Harry Warden (Rich Walters), woke up on Valentine’s Day a year later, he was believed to have gone on a killing spree, chopping up 22 people at the hospital.

Tunnel 5 of the mine had been closed ever since but that did not stop a bunch of teenagers from going there for a booze and sex party. And of course, even before they could consume the first beer, a gas-masked guy with a pickaxe starts attacking them.

Three managed to escape. They were Sarah (Jamie King), Axel (Kerr Smith) and Tom (Jensen Ackles of TV’s Supernatural).

Ten years later, we find Tom returning to Harmony to sell the mine. This upsets the townsfolks, including Axel, who is now the town sheriff.

To complicate things, the two-timing Axel is married to Sarah, an old flame of Tom. This love triangle forms the basis of the whodunit, keeping us guessing who the real killer is...

My Bloody Valentine is nothing more than “slasherporn” where director Patrick Lussier sets up mindless killing sequences and sex scenes (which are censored here) every few minutes or so.

Cult horror fans may like the extremely graphic scenes of heads being cut in two with a shovel, eyes popping out after the head is struck by a pick-axe, etc.

There is a particularly tense chase in a grocery store where Sarah and her assistant are being pursued by the killer.

However, this is a rare gem as most of the movie’s plot devices defy logic and common sense.

Sure, credulity is not a strong point in slasherporn but screenwriters Todd Farmer and Zane Smith seem to have done nothing to improve on the original story by Stephen Miller.

The cast of nubiles and veterans generally manage to earn their keep, considering the undemanding script. However, it is nice to see horror film regular Tom Atkins back in action after such a long time.

Behind the cameras, Lussier has worked frequently with Wes Craven on the latter’s horror efforts but here he seems intent on only delivering blood and gore and to poke fun at the romantic gestures of Valentine’s Day.

Source : The New Straits Times

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#373. In the Yakuza’s Grip

An emotional reunion among the illegal Chinese immigrants in Japan, in Shinjuku Incident.Shinjuku Incident brings together multiple award-winning director Derek Yee and international action star Jackie Chan.

TO Derek Yee Tung Sing, there is no shortcut to success. As one who comes from a family of filmmakers, Yee knows better than others what works for a production.Not one to compromise his artistic integrity, the multiple award-winning filmmaker has a solid track record of movies that are both commercially successful and artistically acclaimed.Dedicated to his art, Yee takes his time to conduct research on issues that interest him and explore its myriad possibilities, and he will not be rushed. His latest release – Shinjuku Incident – took about 10 years to materialise.

Written and directed by Yee, the movie depicts the plight of Chinese immigrants in Tokyo, where they make up about a third of the population.The movie features action star Jackie Chan, hearthrob Daniel Wu, mainland Chinese beauties Xu Jinglei and Fan Bingbing, Japanese stars Naoto Takenaka and Masaya Kato, Paul Chin, action choreographer Chin Kar Lok, Lam Suet and Cambodian-born Ken Lo.“The first time I came across the subject matter in the news was in 1997 or 1998 in Yazhou Zhoukan, the Chinese version of Asiaweek. It is a Hong Kong-based news weekly on international affairs.

“I’ve always liked to do my own research and collect material for my own productions as it is all part of the process (of filmmaking) for me. So, I’d been following the story,” said Yee in a telephone interview from Hong Kong.Up till the past few years, he had not had any direction for the screenplay. The material had been accumulating for several years before he decided to embark on the project.“In Japan, there are illegal immigrants from all over the world, even from South America and Malaysia. I’ve always been interested in such news so I’ve been closely observing the developments.“Basically, I like to derive my topics from reality. I’ve gleaned much about the Japanese triads from media reports, and compiled the issues to form the story.”

It took him a long time to develop the movie, a process that he enjoyed.“Protege (2007), which deals with drugs, also took me a long time. I spent many years chatting with my friends in law enforcement, particularly in the narcotics department.”He had formed the framework for Shinjuku Incident in his mind but only started writing the screenplay a couple of years ago.At that time, Chan’s partner Willie approached him for suitable scripts.“But I was not in a hurry – it took another year or so before things started rolling,” said Yee, who was contented to wait for Chan.

Yee has known Chan for almost three decades. “We were not with the same company, and I was still very new at directing then. Although we wanted to make movies together, it was not the right time.“He was making only action movies because that was what the audience wanted from him. As for my films, they didn’t have much action in them.”

Even with Chin, one of Hong Kong’s top stuntmen and action choreographer directing the action scenes, Yee maintained that the fight scenes are not excessively staged.“The movie is quite true to life but not really like a documentary. It was not easy to find a balance. Although there is action, Jackie’s character in the film is not a fighter. He may fight but doesn’t do somersaults or stuff like that.”

Yee also assured Chan that his character would not negatively affect his image, saying “lots of Western stars play villains with personalities that show an honourable side as well as a darker one”.“Jackie is now more adventurous when picking films to act in. In this movie, a large portion of the dialogue has him speaking in Japanese.” Chan has always wanted to be in control during filmmaking. But in recent years, industry stalwarts have noticed that he has changed a lot.“In this movie, he even assured me that he would just take instructions from me. But of course, for action scenes, I leave it in the hands of experts like him.”

Shinjuku Incident will not be released in China. Yee explained that the main issue was that the country did not have a film rating system. “This means that in China, children can be admitted to every movie screened in the cinemas.“The action in Shinjuku Incident is so real that it gives people the impression of extreme violence. We tried doing a more moderate version, with all the violent scenes removed. But, our producers in Hong Kong and China who watched both versions said that it felt incomplete.“For example, if Daniel’s character did not get bullied so badly, then Jackie’s character would not have responded as he did.“The cuts would affect the storyline. For us to release a movie like that would reflect badly on us. Our concern was beyond box-office returns. So, we decided to preserve the original cut, with the full support of the movie’s producers.”

Yee said that even his previous movies like Protege also took a long time to get through the Chinese censors.“But they eventually did get through, which means that the Chinese market is opening up and is now more liberal than before.“We have to remember that even in Hong Kong, the movie rating system enforced now actually took many years to be worked out. Since China is progressing so speedily, it wouldn’t be long before market forces compel them to put a ratings system in place,” said Yee.

The 51-year-old filmmaker has bagged seven wins and received 17 nominations for directing, screenwriting and acting.Beginning his entertainment career as an actor in 1975, Yee is featured in some 50 films, playing the leading man in 40 of them.He ventured into directing in 1986 when his directorial debut Lunatics won two awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA).C’est La Vie, Mon Chéri became one of the top grossers of 1993/94 and swept six major awards at the HKFA. In 1995, he was named best director for Full Throttle, at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards (HKFCSA). A decade later, Yee again won for best director and best film at the HKFA for One Night in Mongkok (2004) in addition to the best director award at the Golden Bauhinia Awards and HKFCSA.

Confirming recent reports in mainstream Chinese newspapers, the auteur admitted that he was looking forward to working with Cecilia Cheung Pak Chi again.“I have several scripts in hand, which are suitable for her. So I shall wait till she decides on whichever she’d like to do.”The Hong Kong filmmaker even went as far as to compare Cheung to multiple award-winning actor Tony Leung Chiu Wai.Cheung was named best actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Bauhinia Awards for Yee’s romantic drama Lost in Time (2003).

Main cast of Shinjuku

JACKIE Chan plays Steelhead, a tractor repairman from Heilongjiang, China, who enters Japan illegally after losing contact with his gilrfriend Xiuxiu.

Daniel Wu plays Jie, Steelhead’s timid fellow villager, who has settled into life as an immigrant in Japan.

Xu Jinglei plays Xiuxiu, Steelhead’s girlfriend who goes to Japan to study and ends up marrying yakuza boss Eguch i, then changes her name to Yuko.

Fan Bingbing plays Lily, a mama-san at a local nightclub, who later becomes Steelhead’s lover.

Naoto Take naka plays Inspecto r Kitano, a Japanese policeman who feels indebted to Steelhead after being saved by him.

Shinjuku Incident, distributed by Golden Screen Cinemas, opens in cinemas nationwide on Thursday.

Source : The Star

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#372. Antara Realiti dan Bayangan

YASMIN Ahmad melalui filem-filem arahannya telah menunjukkan yang dia adalah tukang cerita yang menarik dengan cerita-ceritanya yang kaya dengan unsur kemanusiaan.

Melalui filem-filemnya dia mengangkat kisah keluarga-keluarga yang bahagia dan juga yang derita. Dia juga menuturkan kisah-kisah zaman kanak-kanak yang nakal tapi menyeronokkan dan kisah cinta zaman remaja yang melampaui sempadan kaum.Melalui filem-filemnya seperti Rabun, Sepet, Gubra dan Mukhsin, Yasmin menonjolkan bentuk keluarga dan masyarakat Malaysia (imagined society) yang dibayangkannya, sebuah keluarga yang hubungannya tidak terikat pada satu kaum, sungguhpun tidak terlalu kaya tetapi terpelajar, berfikiran terbuka dan mampu bercakap dalam bahasa Inggeris yang baik.

Dalam Talentime, Yasmin meneruskan imej keluarga yang dibayangkannya itu. Keluarga Melur (Pamela Chong) boleh dianggap sebuah keluarga yang cukup bahagia. Ibu bapa (Harith Iskandar dan Mislina) yang mesra dan penyayang, adik beradik yang bijak dan mesra serta punya pembantu rumah Mei Ling dari keturunan China (sesuatu yang jarang sebenarnya, tetapi Yasmin memberikan alasan yang wajar tentang kehadiran Mei Ling dalam keluarga itu).Untuk menyediakan alasan yang wajar tentang ahli keluarga ini yang mampu bercakap dalam Bahasa Inggeris dengan baik, maka didatangkan ibu Harith, wanita Inggeris dari Yorkshire, England yang pekat loghatnya.

Maka kita dapat melihat bentuk keluarga ini yang tidak terikat dengan tradisi Melayu, berfikiran terbuka dan yang membacakan puisi sebelum makan.

Namun dalam Yasmin menggambarkan sebuah keluarga moden yang terbuka dan melampaui batas kaum, satu perkara yang konsisten dalam filem Yasmin adalah nama-nama watak utama wanitanya tetap mengambil nama Melayu yang tradisi iaitu Melur, Mawar dan Melati yang diambil dari nama bunga sepertimana orang Melayu dahulu.

Dalam filem-filemnya yang terdahulu Yasmin menggunakan nama Orkid. Hal ini memberikan gambaran bahawa dalam keluarga yang terbuka dan punya kecenderungan Inggeris, tetapi masih diikat dengan budaya dan tradisi Melayu yang kukuh.

Tetapi dua buah keluarga lagi diberikan gambaran sebaliknya. Keluarga Hafiz dan Mahesh adalah sebuah keluarga tipikal masyarakat Malaysia yang berhadapan dengan berbagai masalah, suram dan hampir menemui kemusnahan.

Keluarga Hafiz (Mohd. Shafie Naswip) adalah gambaran keluarga Melayu yang berpecah dan melalui masa-masanya yang suram. Wajah Hafiz adalah wajah yang suram walaupun dia sebenarnya bijak dan cukup berbakat.

Bapa Hafiz meninggalkan ibu Hafiz, Embun (Azean Irdawaty) ketika Hafiz masih dalam kandungan dan kini ibunya sedang bertarung dengan maut akibat menderita ketumbuhan otak.

Bukan itu sahaja, di sekolah Hafiz dicemburui oleh rakannya berketurunan Cina, Kahoe (Howard Hon Kahoe). Yasmin memberikan gambaran tipikal tentang kaum ini yang sukar menerima kekurangan tetapi diseimbangkan dengan gurunya Encik Tan yang bersifat toleransi dan akrab pula dengan seorang guru Melayu, Anuar.

Keluarga Mahesh (Mahesh Kishor) juga tidak jauh bezanya dengan Hafiz, yang berdepan dengan kehidupan yang suram dan masalah yang tersendiri.

Mahesh yang bisu dan pekak berhadapan dengan ibunya (Sukania Venugopal) yang hidup dengan penyesalan kerana gagal memahami adiknya , Ganesh yang menyintai seorang gadis dari keturunan India Muslim.

Apabila Ganesh mati akibat pergaduhan dengan jirannya, keluarga ini hidup dalam trauma dan menjadikan si ibu tambah derita.

Tetapi Yasmin sebenarnya tidak membiarkan trauma dan penderitaan berterusan dalam keluarga ini. Mahesh mempunyai Melur dan keluarganya yang cuba memahami penderitaan mereka.

Begitu juga Embun yang menderita sakit, cuba digembirakan oleh Ismail (Jiid Murad) si pesakit misteri di hospital tersebut.

Kesemua perca-perca kehidupan keluarga ini diikat melalui hubungan persahabatan antara Melur, Mahesh, Hafiz dan Kahoe.

Perca-perca kehidupan ini bagaikan memori buat Yasmin kerana Talentime yang sengaja dibezakan ejaan "n" dengan huruf kecil membawakan maksud kisah dan masa, dan bukan hanya tentang pertandingan bakat nyanyian di kalangan para pelajar di sekolah tersebut.

Hal ini kerana cara filem ini dimulakan dengan adegan petikan suiz lampu yang menyalakan lampu kelas dan kemudian syot koridor sekolah dan tingkap yang terbuka dengan lambaian daun ditiup angin dan kemudian filem ini ditamatkan dengan petikan suiz lampu yang memadamkan bilik darjah yang tinggal kerusi-kerusi kosong adalah gambaran sebuah perjalanan kenangan yang datang dan kemudian pergi.

Imej-imej dalam filem ini seakan membawakan period dekad 70-an kecuali penggunaan komputer yang membawa imej kemodenan. Bandar Ipoh yang menjadi latar filem ini sendiri masih banyak tidak berubah fasadnya yang masih mengekalkan bangunan-bangunan lama.

Kekuatan Talentime selain alur cerita dan lagu-lagunya yang penuh emosi, dilengkapkan oleh kecermerlangan pelakonnya terutama Mohd. Syafie Naswip, Sukania Venugopal, Jacklyn Victor (penampilan yang hebat sebagai Bhavani kakak Mahesh) dan Mahesh Kishor.

Biarpun filem ini tidak memaparkan aksi dramatik secara fizikal tetapi konflik emosi yang dipaparkan oleh Sukania, Mahesh, Azean dan Syafie Naswip sudah cukup menggetarkan.

Apabila ada ruang, Yasmin nampaknya tidak lupa menjentik masyarakat tentang realiti hubungan kaum dan sifat kepura-puraan seperti dialog antara Hafiz dan Kahoe, guru yang mengelat semasa mengundi sedangkan pelajar diingatkan tidak menipu serta persoalan nama orang Islam dan agama.

Seperti filem-filemnya terdahulu, dalam filem Talentime, Yasmin terus memperlihatkan keyakinan terhadap satu bentuk keluarga dan hubungan masyarakat Malaysia. Dan secara halus pula dia mengkritik realiti dan permasalahan dalam hubungan tersebut.

Sumber : Utusan Malaysia

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#370. Cerita Keluarga Yang Mengasyikkan

Jaclyn Victor menampilkan lakonan mantap dalam filem Talentime

Filem: Talentime
Pengarah: Yasmin Ahmad
Pelakon: Azean Irdawaty, Adibah Noor, Jaclyn Victor, Mohd Syafie Naswip, Mahesh Jugal Kishor, Pamela Chong, Sukania Venu Gopal dan Susan Chong
Genre: Drama & Romantik
Tarikh tayangan: 26 Mac 2009

JIKA anda penggemar karya pengarah Yasmin Ahmad, mungkin filem Talentime patut ditonton dan hayatilah sendiri di sebalik apa yang mungkin boleh dilabelkan sebagai cap dagangnya selama ini.

Hasil manifestasi pengarah ini penuh dengan aspek kemanusiaan seperti cinta yang paling asas perlu ada dalam setiap manusia. Malahan paksi majmuk seperti filem terdahulunya masih dikekalkan.

Ingat lagi anda pada cinta gadis Melayu dan lelaki Cina menerusi filem Sepet. Buah tangan terbarunya ini sudah ditayangkan sejak Khamis lalu. Ia mengetengahkan cinta versi lelaki India bernama Mahesh lakonan sulung Mahesh Jugal Kishor dan Melur (Pamela Chong, adik kepada Vince AF1), gadis Melayu berdarah campuran Inggeris.

Percubaan sulung Mahesh di layar perak sebagai lelaki bisu mungkin dilihat agak senang kerana tidak perlu berdialog atau menghafal skrip. Namun, lakonannya masih boleh dianggap membanggakan kerana biarpun tanpa sebarang pengucapan dialog, mainan emosi tetap perlu dijaga kesinambungannya.

Lakonan Pamela pula dianggap biasa saja. Dia kadang-kadang dilihat sebagai gadis yang memberontak tidak tentu fasal. Namun begitu, ia masih dianggap permulaan yang baik kepada Pamela.

Paling mengesankan ialah lakonan sulung juara Malaysian Idol musim pertama, Jaclyn Victor yang nampaknya patut diberi perhatian. Nampaknya ada sisi lain yang sudah mula diserlahkan penyanyi bersuara lantang ini. Memegang watak Bhavani, bakat lakonannya berjaya dibentuk dengan baik oleh Yasmin.

Dalam filem ini, Jaclyn memikul tanggungjawab sebagai kakak yang sangat menyayangi adiknya iaitu Mahesh. Disebabkan keadaan adiknya, Bhavani cuba mengelak soal perkahwinan seperti mana yang dikehendaki oleh ibunya. Lakonannya memang nampak bersahaja. Bahkan pertuturannya dalam bahasa Tamil atau bercakap bahasa Melayu dengan pelat Tamil, membuatkan kita terlupa seketika bahawa itu adalah Jaclyn.

Seperti kebiasaan Yasmin masih mengekalkan pelakon yang selalu muncul dalam setiap naskhah skripnya contoh seperti Adibah Noor, Harith Iskander, Ida Nerina termasuk Mohd Syafie Naswip yang dipuji lakonannya oleh Azean Irdawaty.

Rentak jalan cerita yang indah ini dicacatkan sedikit dengan babak Melur tidur sebantal dengan Mahesh di ruang tamu. Ia sebenarnya sangat kontras dan tiada ada apa alasan kukuh mengapa ia perlu diadakan. Ini kerana emak Melur digambarkan sebagai seorang ibu yang alim dengan pegangan Islam, manakala Mahesh pula adalah seorang lelaki yang tidak ada masalah untuk pulang ke rumahnya.

Entah kenapa Yasmin perlu menyelitkan babak tidak perlu ini, apatah lagi secara realitinya adegan itu tidak molek untuk dipaparkan.

Aspek lain yang cukup menarik perhatian ialah lagu latar yang menghiasi filem ini terutamanya lagu Ore Piya dendangan penyanyi Bollywood, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Sekali pandang, filem ini saling tak tumpah seperti filem Bollywood yang sinonim dengan adegan air mata dan meruntun jiwa. Ada adegan yang mungkin membuatkan air mata anda akan jatuh tertumpah.

Meneliti bait-bait lirik ini yang diterjemahkan dalam sari kata bahasa Melayu, ia cukup melankolik dan indah susunan bahasanya. Tidak dilupakan hasil komposisi penyanyi dan pencipta lagu, Pete Teo. Hasil ciptaannya dipersembahkan cukup baik oleh kedua penyanyi tanah air kita, Aizat dan Atilia.

Sumber : Berita Harian

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#368. Kapoww Filem Gila-Gila Azizi

GENG kampung terdiri daripada Soffi Jikan, Bob Kuman dan Khir Rahman yang sentiasa membuli Atoi

Filem grafik komik jawapan penerbit Malaysia kepada cerita adiwira luar negara

DUNIA perfileman Malaysia nampaknya makin meluas dari segi genre apabila filem demi filem berlainan bentuk dan konsep diterbitkan. Antara pengarah yang berani keluar dari kepompong biasa pembikinan filem tempatan ialah Azizi 'Chunk' Adnan.Selepas menghiburkan penonton negara ini dengan filem Antoo Fighter, pengarah muda ini sekali lagi memecahkan benteng dengan mengarahkan filem Kapoww!!! - Atoi Budak Kultur.

Dipromosikan sebagai sebuah filem grafik komik, Kapoww ialah filem ke-25 terbitan Tayangan Unggul Sdn Bhd. Ia dikatakan jawapan penerbit Malaysia kepada komik adiwira terkenal seperti Batman, Spiderman, Iron Man dan lain-lain. Bezanya ia agak gila-gila dan juga turut menyelitkan pelbagai mesej tersendiri yang disampaikan menerusi jenaka ringan mengikut santun dan budaya Timur oleh Azizi (yang juga penulis skripnya).

Bagi pengarah itu, semuanya mudah saja. Selain menghidangkan sebuah filem dengan jenaka ringan, dialog yang bijak dan lucu, serta senario yang gila-gila, Kapoww juga membawa maksud lebih mendalam.

Filem ini cuba melihat bagaimana manusia begitu mudah lupa diri dan terpengaruh dengan kuasa, kemasyhuran dan tuah. Ia juga memaparkan bagaimana kasih sayang dan sokongan seorang ibu tidak boleh dilupakan, serta perlu mempunyai sikap saling mempercayai.

Kapoww mengetengahkan kisah keluarga superhero - keluarga Astromen - yang berbakti melindungi rakyat Malaysia daripada anasir jahat. Mereka ialah adiwira yang disukai ramai orang.

Atoi, seorang remaja yang sentiasa bernasib malang bercita-cita menjadi superhero. Dia mahu menolong orang dan menjadi kebanggaan ibunya. Dengan keadaan dirinya itu, Atoi sering dibuli dan diperkecilkan oleh samseng kampung, diketuai Faibo. Hanya kawan baiknya, Aboo, yang memahami dan menggalakkan Atoi mencapai misinya.

Pada suatu petang, kerbau Atoi, Dolet, lari dari rumah. Dalam keadaan hujan lebat dan ribut petir, Atoi keluar mencari haiwan berkenaan. Ketika berteduh di bawah sebatang pokok, Atoi disambar petir. Setelah sedar daripada pengsan Atoi memperoleh kuasa luar biasa. Dia kini boleh bergerak sepantas kilat, matanya pula setajam mata pisau.

Atoi terpilih sebagai superhero baru Malaysia. Dia kemudian mengikut pengurus superhero, Din Abu ke Kuala Lumpur (KL). Sebelum itu dia berjanji kepada penduduk kampung, dia tidak akan melupakan mereka.

Atoi Budak Kultur kini menjadi sensasi terkini di KL. Namanya meniti di bibir. Dia menumpaskan banyak jenayah, lebih pantas dan lebih baik daripada Geng Astromen. Atoi mengalami kejutan budaya. Dia menukar namanya kepada Azroy. Sikap berlagak Atoi menyebabkan dia menghina ibu sendiri yang datang mencarinya pada sidang akhbar pelancaran album barunya. Atoi malu dengan ibu yang berbaju kurung, teman wanita dari kampung dan kawan baik yang bodoh-bodoh alang.

Atoi berpura-pura tidak mengenali mereka. Rakyat melihat kelakuan buruknya dan semua orang terkejut. Atoi kehilangan peminat, rakan, penaja, rumah dan kereta lumba dalam sekelip mata. Atoi kini dipulaukan semua orang.

Mengetahui Atoi sangat bergantung kepada sejenis minuman popular untuk merangsang kuasanya, arahan dikeluarkan oleh kerajaan, jika sesiapa dilihat memberi Atoi minuman itu, mereka akan didakwa! Atoi berputus asa. Dia kehilangan kuasa, juga keluarga. Dia kini sedar akan kesilapannya, tetapi semuanya sudah terlambat. Keluarganya diculik oleh kuasa jahat, Alakazambo! Superhero lain juga tidak lagi bersamanya, dan tiada siapa mahu membantu.

Mampukah Atoi menyelamatkan keluarganya? Adakah dia memiliki kembali kuasanya? Siapa Alakazambo dengan kuasa sihir jahatnya itu?

Antara pelakon yang menjayakan filem kedua Azizi ini ialah Zizan Raja Lawak, Bell Ngasri, Lisa Surihani, Rosnah Md Aris, Awie, Harun Salim Bachik, Delyla, Afdlin Shauki, Norlia Ghani, Khir Rahman, Bob Kuman, Soffi Jikan, Usop Kopratasa, Rashidi Ishak, Zailani, Bandi Amok, Sherry Ibrahim, Aishah Sinclair, Henzi Andalas, Patrick Teoh dan Sathiya.

Sumber : Berita Harian

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#361. 3-D marvel

Advanced digital technology is making movies jump to life in three dimensions.

MONSTERS vs Aliens opens with an old 3-D gag: A ball bounces directly into the audience, causing moviegoers to instinctively scoot back in their seats. But the resemblance to old-fashioned 3-D ends there.The film relies on entirely new technology – much of it developed during production – to lend depth to an epic battle in outer space and drama to the collapse of the Golden Gate bridge as four modern monsters fight to save Earth from alien invasion.

“We can dial in the (3-D) to a degree that was unthinkable even 10 years ago,” said the stereoscopic supervisor at DreamWorks, who legally changed his name 12 years ago to Phil Captain 3D McNally (it appears on his driver’s licence as Captain IIID).“What I’m hoping people will see in Monsters vs Aliens for the first time is stereoscopic filmmaking that feels completely integrated into the flow of the story.”Unlike most 3-D movies, which are conceived and shot in two dimensions and then rendered later, the film was made start to finish in three dimensions, with directors watching daily takes through 3-D glasses.Producer Lisa Stewart said it made sense for the story, which she characterised as “a homage to the 1950s and 60s monster horror movies where 3-D really first came into the fore.”

The film follows Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon), who’s transformed into the 15m-tall Ginormica after she gets hit by a meteor on her wedding day. When aliens attack the planet, it’s up to Ginormica and her fellow monsters – a gelatinous blob named B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), a mad scientist called Dr Cockroach (Hugh Laurie) and a fish-ape known as the Missing Link (Will Arnett) – to save the world.

The characters, concepts and landscapes lent themselves to three-dimensional exploration. But there were concerns about the technology. What were its limitations? Would filmmakers be reduced to a series of coming-right-at-you sight gags?

“There was an initial fear that it was going to be a gimmick like it was in the 50s, where we’re suddenly going to be asked to throw a bunch of stuff out through the screen,” Stewart said. “But that was not at all what he wanted to do. ... It was about how can we use this (technology) to tell the story that we’re already telling, how can we use it to our advantage.”

They developed the story as they typically would, she said. The magic – and complications – began when they started shooting.

“There was a lot of trial and error at first,” Stewart said. “And there were a lot of preconceived rules of what you could and could not do in 3-D.”

For example, quick cuts during action scenes were thought to be impossible because such drastic perspective changes caused too much eye strain.

“In real life, there’s no such thing as a cut,” noted Captain 3D.

His team solved the problem by creating a tool that digitally blends depth, so “you get the feeling of a fast cut with the comfort of a slow dissolve,” he said.

McNally’s team developed virtual cameras to allow for more realistic action shots, so when Ginormica skates through the streets of San Francisco on two cars, it feels like a real camera, not a computer, captured the action. The team also learned to manipulate depth frame by frame, switching seamlessly from 2-D to 3-D to make fast-action scenes easier on the eye.

McNally, who has been doing “stereo photography” for almost two decades, said movie fans have been receptive to 3-D pictures since the 1950s – it’s just that technology kept tripping up the format. Not anymore: Computer-generated images and digital projectors have advanced enough to make 3-D cinema viable.

Old-fashioned 3-D films relied on two projectors playing simultaneously, one showing a left-eye image and the other a right-eye image, mimicking the brain’s perception of depth through the merging of these separate images.

If the timing or alignment of either projector was off, moviegoers ended up with a blurry picture, eye strain and headaches.

Digital projectors fixed that. A single projector runs at 144 frames per second (instead of the typical movie pace of 24), projecting sequential images for the right eye and left eye so fast that they appear to be simultaneous.

“It literally projects left eye and right eye three times per movie frame,” McNally said, adding that the projectors also allow for “perfect synchronisation and perfect alignment”.

The result? Seamless 3-D cinema that studios and filmmakers are betting on for future projects.

Studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg promised last year that all future DreamWorks Animation releases would be in 3-D, beginning with Monsters vs Aliens. And at least a dozen 3-D films are set for release this year, including Pixar’s first 3-D venture, Up, and James Cameron’s live-action 3-D epic, Avatar.

While ticket sales for 3-D movies, which typically cost a few dollars more, could boost box-office totals, moviegoers may stand to benefit most.

“I think the 3-D is really cool,” Rogen said.

“I loved it,” said Kiefer Sutherland, who plays General W.R. Monger, the Army officer in charge of the monsters. “I’m 42 years old, and there’s that one shot where the meteorites are heading towards Earth and they slowly pass over your right shoulder, then slowly over your left shoulder and above your head, and I still looked around to see where they were coming from.” – AP

‘Monsters vs Aliens’ hits the screen in May.

Source : The Star

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#357.Cinema : 400 tahun dulu

MENGANGKAT kisah kerajaan Langkasuka 400 tahun dulu, karya terbaru daripada sutradara Nonzee Nimibutr ini sesuatu yang menarik untuk ditonton. Begitupun, jika dibandingkan filem ini dengan karya sebelumnya berjudul Nang Nak, tidak banyak yang boleh dibanggakan.MENGANGKAT kisah kerajaan Langkasuka 400 tahun dulu, karya terbaru daripada sutradara Nonzee Nimibutr ini sesuatu yang menarik untuk ditonton. Begitupun, jika dibandingkan filem ini dengan karya sebelumnya berjudul Nang Nak, tidak banyak yang boleh dibanggakan.

Filem ini mengisahkan mengenai Raja Langkasuka yang mati dibunuh dan tempatnya digantikan Puteri Hijau yang menghadapi pelbagai rintangan dalam meneraju negaranya.Mampukah seorang gadis mengetuai kerajaannya dalam berdepan pelbagai halangan musuh yang mahu menakluki kekayaan negaranya? Dibintangi Jarunee Suksawat sebagai Puteri Hijau, watak dibawa aktres ini mempesonakan.Menceritakan seorang gadis yang kebingungan untuk menerajui sebuah kerajaan masyhur ketika itu dijelmakan dengan baik oleh aktres ini. Ditambah pula gandingan Ananda Everingham sebagai Pari, pahlawan hebat yang memiliki kuasa luar biasa.

Menyentuh mengenai pembikinan filem ini, tidak banyak yang boleh dibanggakan. Durasi tayangan terlalu panjang, dimuatkan dengan subplot yang terlalu banyak, memberi impak negatif terhadap filem ini. Jika dilihat kembali, subplot yang dipaparkan kebanyakannya membosankan.Ditambah pula teknik penggambaran yang tidak profesional menjadikan filem ini kelihatan biasa saja. Begitupun, kesan khas ditampilkan serta babak aksi menghidupkan kembali keseronokan menonton filem ini.Imej janaan komputer (CGI) yang menampilkan ikan paus gergasi serta babak Pari menunggang seekor ikan unik berbentuk pari-pari dijelmakan dengan baik.

Bagi penonton yang meminati filem seperti ini, jangan biarkan kelemahan pada cerita mengganggu persepsi anda. Tonton dulu dan kemudian buat kesimpulan sendiri sama ada ia berbaloi atau tidak.

Data

FILEM: Queens Of Langkasuka

PENGARAH: Nonzee Nimibutr

PELAKON: Ananda Everingham, Jarunee Suksawat dan Sorapong Chatree

GENRE: Aksi / Pengembaraan / Fantasi

TAYANGAN: 9 April 2009

Sumber : Harian Metro

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#356. Hannah Montana : The Movie [2009]

USA[102m] Genre : Comedy/Family/Musical/Teen Directed by : Peter Chelsom Written by : Dan Berendsen Music : John Debney Cinematography : David Hennings Starring : Miley Cyrus,Emily Osment, Mitchel Musso, Jason Earles, Billy Ray Cyrus, Moises Arias

Hannah Montana : The Movie is the film adaptation of the American teen sitcom Hannah Montana,filming began in April 2008, much of it occurring in Columbia, Tennessee, and Los Angeles, California, and has been completed as of July 2008. It is currently in post-production. The film will be released on April 10, 2009 in the United States.

Synopsis
Miley (Miley Cyrus) has become overwhelmed with her alter-ego's Hannah Montana's popularity. After having a catfight over a pair of shoes with Tyra Banks, missing saying goodbye to her brother because she was shopping, and coming late to Lilly's sweet sixteen as Hannah, her father, Robby (Billy Ray Cyrus) tricks Miley into going back to her hometown, Crowley Corners, Tennessee, to reflect on the things that really matter in her life. When the dismayed Miley asks if her career as Hannah Montana is over, Robby says to ask again in two weeks' time.

While in Crowley Corners, Miley spends time with her best friends Lilly (Emily Osment) and Oliver (Mitchel Musso), but has a rough time adjusting to farm life. At Lilly's birthday party, Miley is forced to attend as her alter-ego Hannah Montana, and performs the song "Let's Get Crazy", accompanied by Steve Rushton on the guitar.This goes badly because people direct their attention at Hannah instead of Lilly. In her hometown, Miley develops a deep connection with Travis Brody (Lucas Till), a childhood friend. Robby also has a love interest, Lorelei, played by Melora Hardin. But troubles arise when Oswald, a reporter who is planning on finding out Hannah's secret identity and plans on exposing her for his own means. Miley then starts to realize that she loves her life in Tennesse and questions whether she really does want to choose between two lives.


Official Web site : http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/hannahmontanamovie

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#329. Cinema : You can bank on this thriller

NOW SHOWING: THE INTERNATIONAL

Directed by Tom Tykwer
Starring: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Brian F. O’ Byrne

MOVE over lawyers, drug-dealers and crooked politicians. With the subprime loan debacle and the current economic quagmire crippling the world, the favourite villains of today are bankers!At least that is how it is in The International, a cinematic expose loosely based on the Bank of Credit and Commercial Intl., a Pakistan institution that specialised in money laundering, arms dealing, and financing mercenaries and terrorists from the 1970s until its demise in 1991.

Written by Eric Warren Singer, the bank in question here is renamed the International Bank for Business and Credit (IBBC). It is the subject of a worldwide investigation by Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and New York assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts).

When their colleague suddenly dies of a “heart attack” during a stakeout in Berlin, Salinger suspects murder and starts a personal crusade to bring the people responsible to book.
The International is directed by Tom Tykwer and those who have seen his tensed action-thriller Run, Lola, Run would expect the German to outdo that 2001 hit.

And he does not disappoint. If the unravelling of the case against the IBBC looks a bit far-fetched, viewers will be astounded by the shooting and shoot-out sequences that are the highlights of this movie.

Just like that controversial sex scene at the end of his Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer (2006), the piece de resistance here is the gun-battle at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, which runs for more than 12 minutes. It makes viewers wonder how the museum authorities could have allowed Tykwer to film there. According to the production notes, that sequence was shot in an old railway warehouse in Berlin refurbished to resemble the Guggenheim.

Besides this, the travelogue location shots of Berlin, Milan, Istanbul and New York by cinematographer Frank Griebe are both engaging and lively.

Still, Tykwer’s weaknesses remain. The dialogue is lame; there is no attempt at providing humour or romance.

Lead star Owen looks perpetually angry and tensed throughout the proceedings — and we wonder when he is going to implode.

Watts is left to improvise her way through the movie, playing an obviously underwritten role, especially when it concerns Eleanour’s family and the danger they may be facing. She manages to make the best of her scenes, though.

On the other side of the moral coin, veteran actor Armin Mueller-Stahl, who plays the bank’s trouble-shooter, fares better.

He manages to stay one step ahead of the stale script and makes his character enigmatic and even charming.

Ulrich Thomsen, as the bank’s boss, does a good portrayal of the bureaucrat we love to hate.

However, after all those plotting, political intrigues and moral complexity, the ending is an anticlimax. It feels as if Tykwer and Singer have run out of ideas and patience.

The International is not one of Tykwer’s better works but it has enough thrills to sustain our interest. A suspense thriller we can bank on, so to speak.

Source : The New Straits Times

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