Sunday, September 20, 2009

Scandal Makers - Korean


In Korean with English & Chinese Subtitles
Genre: Comedy
Director: Kang Hyung-chul
Cast: Cha Tae-Hyun, Park Bo-Young, Hwang Suk-Hyun
RunTime: 1 hr 48 mins
Released By: Encore Films & Cathay-Keris Films
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://www.encorefilms.com/scandalmakers.html
Opening Day: 20 August 2009



Synopsis:

NAM Hyun-soo (CHA Tae-Hyun) is a former teen idol turned radio DJ. Life’s wonderful for the swinging bachelor – he lives in a posh apartment and has no problems with the ladies. At work, ratings are on the rise because a young unmarried mother willing shares her story, of her search for her long-lost father with his listeners.

Before you can even say “scandalicious,” the young girl along with her little son, turns up at his front door claiming to be his daughter (and grandson)! Is this true or is she just a crazed stalker? Regardless, the vain and self-indulgent DJ Nam has to use all means to keep this under wraps or his celebrity image is finished!

Rating
4 out of 5 stars

G-force


Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Hoyt Yeatman
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, Penelope Cruz, Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Steve Buscemi, Tracy Morgan, Kelli Garner
RunTime: 1 hr 29 mins
Released By: BVI
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/gforce/
Opening Day: 3 September 2009



Synopsis:

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer brings his first 3-D film to the big screen with G-FORCE, a comedy adventure about the latest evolution of a covert government program to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws. Tapped for the G-FORCE are guinea pigs Darwin (voice of SAM ROCKWELL), the squad leader determined to succeed at all costs; Blaster (voice of TRACY MORGAN), an outrageous weapons expert with tons of attitude and a love for all things extreme; and Juarez (voice of PENELOPE CRUZ), a sexy martial arts pro; plus the literal fly-on-the-wall reconnaissance expert Mooch, and a star-nosed mole Speckles (voice of NICOLAS CAGE), the computer and information specialist.


Rating
4 out of 5 stars

Departures - Jap


In Japanese dialogues with English and Chinese subtitles
Genre: Drama
Director: Yojiro Takita
Cast: Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ryoko Hirosue, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
RunTime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Released By: GV
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://www.okuribito.jp/
Opening Day: 5 March 2009



Synopsis:


It’s a story about a cellist (Daigo) who loses his job and must move back to his hometown. Once back there he reconnects with his past, and comes to terms with his life, love and dreams. Desperate to find a job, he answers an ad listed under departures, which turns out to be misspelled. It was supposed to say the departed, the job pertains to dressing, washing, and putting makeup on the deceased before the funeral. It is a job that most people look down upon because you earn money when someone dies. At first Daigo, does not like his job but little by little he comes to a new understanding of it. The process of prepping the corpse is shown in detail within the context of the story, and little by little we too as an audience get sucked in. it is an incredible ceremony to witness

Rating
3 out of 5 stars

Monday, September 7, 2009

Ghost Town


Genre: Comedy
Director: David Koepp
Cast: Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Téa Leoni, Jordan Carlos, Aasif Mandvi, Kristen Wiig, Dana Ivey
RunTime: 1 hr 32 mins
Released By: Columbia TriStar
Rating: PG



Synopsis :

A spirited romantic comedy, GHOST TOWN is the story of Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), a cranky Manhattan dentist who develops the unwelcome ability to see dead people. Really annoying dead people. But, when a smooth-talking ghost (Greg Kinnear) traps Bertram into a romantic scheme involving his widow Gwen (Tea Leoni), they are entangled in a hilarious predicament between the now and the hereafter!

Rating
3 out of 5 stars

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Terminator Salvation


Genre: Sci-Fi/Action
Director: McG
Cast: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard, Moon Bloodgood, Common
RunTime: 1 hr 56 mins
Released By: Columbia TriStar
Rating: PG (Intense Sequences and Some Violence)
Official Website: http://www.sonypictures.net/movies/terminatorsalvation/
Opening Day: 28 May 2009



Synopsis:

In the highly anticipated new installment of "The Terminator" film franchise, set in post-apocalyptic 2018, Christian Bale stars as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

Rating
2 out of 5 stars

Friday, September 4, 2009

X-Men Origins: Wolverine


Genre: Comics/Action/Adventure
Director: Gavin Hood
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, will.i.am, Danny Huston, Lynn Collins, Taylor Kitsch, Dominic Monaghan, Ryan Reynolds
RunTime: 1 hr 48 mins
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://www.x-menorigins.com/
Opening Day: 29 April 2009 (Opening at all GV, Shaw, Eng Wah and Filmgarde cinemas)



Synopsis:

In this prequel to the successful X-Men franchise, Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) lives a mutant life, and struggles to unlock the secrets to his past. Set in the 1960s and 70s, the movie portrays Wolverine’s hunt for revenge against the villain responsible for the death of his girlfriend. Logan will ultimately take his search even further when he learns the full truth of his origin, while also heading in a bold, new direction.

Rating
4 out of 5 stars

UP


Genre: CG Animation
Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Cast: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft, Jordan Nagai
RunTime: 1 hr 36 mins
Released By: BVI
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://disney.go.com/up/
Opening Day: 6 August 2009



Synopsis:

From Disney•Pixar comes “Up,” a comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. From the Academy Award®-nominated director Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.), Disney•Pixar’s “Up” invites you on a hilarious journey into a lost world, with the least likely duo on Earth.

Rating
4 out of 5 stars

The Unborn


Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: David S. Goyer
Cast: Odette Yustman, Gary Oldman, Cam Gigandet, Meagan Good, Carla Gugino, Jane Alexander, Idris Elba, Rhys Coiro, James Remar
RunTime: 1 hr 27 mins
Released By: UIP
Rating: PG (Horror)
Official Website: http://www.theunbornmovie.net/
Opening Day: 26 March 2009



Synopsis:

Writer/director David Goyer (Blade: Trinity, The Invisible, Batman Begins) gives a terrifying glimpse into the life of the undead in The Unborn, a supernatural thriller that follows a young woman pulled into a world of nightmares when a demonic spirit haunts her and threatens everyone she loves.

Rating
2 out of 5 stars

Suspect X - Jap


In Japanese with English & Chinese Subtitles
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Hiroshi Nishitani
Cast: Kou Shibasaki, Masaharu Fukuyama, Kazuki Kitamura, Yasuko Matsuyuki, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi
RunTime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Released By: Encore Films & GV
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://www.encorefilms.com/suspectx
Opening Day: 26 February 2009



Theme Song


Synopsis:

A male body is discovered. He is strangled to death where his face pulverized beyond recognition and fingers burned to a crisp. Kaoru Utsumi (played by Kou Shibasaki) is assigned to the case. The police face great difficulty in cracking the case. Thus, she seeks advice from brilliant physicist Manabu Yukawa (played by Masaharu Fukuyama), aka Detective Galileo.

After analyzing the case, Yukawa suspects that the true genius behind everything is Tetsuya Ishigami (played by Shinichi Tsutsumi), the neighbor of victim's ex-wife. Ishigami happens to be Yukawa's college friend whom he regards as a true mathematics genius.

Elaborate bluffs, false testimonials, loopholes in logic - all begin to appear in Detective Galileo's way as if intentionally placed as a challenge by someone with mathematical brilliance.

Rating
4 out of 5 stars

The Sniper - 神枪手 (HK)


Genre: Action
Director: Dante Lam
Cast: Edison Chen, Richie Jen, Huang Xiaoming, Wilfred Lau, Bowie Lam, Liu Kai Chi, Jack Kao, Charmaine Fong
RunTime: 1 hr 29 mins
Released By: Shaw
Rating: NC-16 (Violence)
Official Website: http://www.mediaasia.com/thesniper/
Opening Day: 9 April 2009



Synopsis:

HARTMAN (RICHIE JEN) is known as the top shooter in the police force. But behind the legend lies a skeleton in the closet. His former teammate and superb marksman LINCOLN (HUANG XIAOMING), who was jailed for accidentally killing a hostage, has just been released. With only vengeance in his mind, Lincoln determines to take on Hartman and the police, believing they are the real culprits for his fall.

When a high-security prisoner transfer is sabotaged by a mysterious sniper and a major convict has escaped, Hartman and his team are dispatched to profile the suspect. OJ (EDISON CHEN), the hot-headed rookie on the team, surprises everyone by accurately replicating the suspect’s impossible shots. Hartman sees the potential in this youngster and decides to take him under his wing. Yet when OJ becomes fascinated by Lincoln and determines to top his shooting skills, he might become another wild card on the loose.

Rating
2 out of 5 stars

Inkheart


Genre: Adventure/Family/Fantasy
Director: Iain Softley
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis, Eliza Hope Bennett, Rafi Gavron, Sienna Guillory
RunTime: 1 hr 46 mins
Released By: Warner Bros
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://www.inkheartmovie.com/
Opening Day: 22 January 2009



Synopsis:

Based on the book by Cornelia Funke, "Inkheart" is a timeless adventure tale of imagination that centers on Meggie, a young girl whose father has a secret ability to bring characters from books to life when he reads them aloud. But when a power-hungry villain from a rare children's fable kidnaps Meggie's father to bring others out of the boundaries of fiction, she and a disparate group of friends both real and magic embark on the kind of adventure she has only read about in books to save him and set things right.

Rating
3 out of 5 stars

Hotel for Dog


Genre: Comedy/Family
Director: Thor Freudenthal
Cast: Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Kyla Pratt, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon, Don Cheadle
RunTime: 1 hr 40 mins
Released By: UIP
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://www.hotelfordogsmovie.com/
Opening Day: 19 March 2009



Synopsis:

When dynamic siblings Andi and Bruce find themselves in a foster home with a strict “no pets” policy, Andi has to use her quick wit to help find a new home for their dog Friday. Despite warnings to stay out of trouble from their sympathetic social worker Bernie, the kids stumble upon a derelict hotel and begin transforming it into the perfect home for Friday and all the strays in the city – running the risk of being separated if they’re caught. In no time, the kids have transformed the old hotel into something truly magical: a home for both the dogs and for themselves.

Ratng
3 out of 5 stars

Dance, Subaru! (Jap)


In Japanese with English and Chinese Subtitles
Genre: Drama
Director: Lee Chi Ngai
Cast: Meisa Kuroki, Miku Sano, Ara, Yuta Hiraoka, Ken Maeda, Toshio Kakei, Kaori Momoi
RunTime: 1 hr 54 mins
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films & Mediacorp Raintree Pictures
Rating: PG
Official Website: www.subaru-movie.com
Opening Day: 28 May 2009



Synopsis:

Adapted from a popular Japanese manga (comic book) of the same title, Dance Subaru! is a motivating tale about the self-realization of a young ballerina under adversity. Subaru tells the story of genius ballerina Subaru Miyamoto with a special emphasis placed on the harsh training she undergoes and the immense social and psychological pressure she experiences. Subaru overcomes these issues to give a performance that leaves her audience crying for more.

Rating
21/2 out of 5 stars