in cinema’s on the 24.05.12

Men in Black 3 avoids the curse of the likes of Spider-Man 3 and X-Men: The Last Stand and instead ends up being the best film in the Men in Black franchise. A crazy, wild ride, of the alien-kind, that will leave you wanting more.

What we thought: We found the movie surprisingly entertaining, especially since we watched it in IMAX 3D. It started off weak, but the story-line did eventually pick up, and with it, the action. MIB3 should at any rate, be watched in 3D as many of the highlights of the movie are scenes that involve falling from highrise buildings, swinging and fighting on precariously high launch scaffolding, jumping onto rockets about to lift off, and not to mention being assaulted by aliens snort and tonsils exploding all over the place. The visual effects are impressive, although there are a handful of scenes where effects do look like effects. Rick Baker’s aliens look superb (especially the retro designs in 1969) and they are all even more impressive, gruesome and wacky, than those which have come before. The set designers also deserve a pat on the back for the wonderful job they did of creating an authentic and entirely believable 1969 setting.

In MIB3, fast forward ten years and this installment was definitely much better than MIB2. Director Barry Sonnenfeld and screenwriter Etan Cohen find a good balance of humour, action and impressive visual effects. Will Smith (Agent J) is reunited with Tommy Lee Jones (Agent K) in the first act of the film. However, the escape of the revenge-fuelled Boris The Animal (Jemaine Clement) from a lunar prison means J is forced to head back in time. The villain jumped back to 1969 to kill K and only Agent J can stop this plus the world from alien invasion. If K dies in the past, earth will be destroyed.

Will Smith delivers a solid performance as expected. However, it ends up being Josh Brolin’s younger Agent K who steals the show as the actor delivers a performance which is entirely his own despite being clearly influenced by Jones’s mannerisms. As his younger incarnation, in a parallel universe, Josh Brolin somehow manages to do a better Tommy Lee Jones than Tommy Lee Jones! What makes it even funnier is the way Smith looks at him, with a sideways grin, as if he can’t quite believe it either. Emma Thompson’s O is on fine form as the head of the Men in Black, and Alice Eve who plays the younger version of O, was really hot, and had some fantastic chemistry with K. The cast is also great fun to watch, with a brilliantly eccentric character, Griffin, played by Michael Stuhlbarg and Bill Hader’s take on Andy Warhol, results in some of the funniest scenes in the movie!

A rather entertaining show. A morning well spent – go watch it!

Watch the Trailer:

The Plot: Threatened with war and an impending alien invasion by the evil Loki (Tom Hiddleston) – the bad guy from Thor - Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D, brings together a collection of superheroes to save Earth from total annihilation, and its population from ultimate enslavement. Drawn somewhat reluctantly into the team are World War 2 super-soldier Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), demi-god Thor (Chris Hemsworth), genius billionaire Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), brilliant scientist Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and master assassins Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). Cue whip-smart banter, initial feuds, slowly building respect, uneasy friendships, forged allegiances, and lots of action.

in cinema’s 27th of April 2012

What we thought: The hype on the movie The Avengers has been building and building and now, it has finally reached its breaking point. After a slew of terrific action movies such as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America, all these characters will now come together alongside several other friends and foes in “Marvel’s The Avengers.”

Director and co-writer Joss Whedon, managed to pull off a large juggling act where each persona, gets enough air-time, and everyone gets a chance to shine. This is no easy feat, as you would have probably guessed.. superheros have superegos. The script is cheeky and sarcastic, full of witty banter and moves with an infectious energy that makes you lose track of its two and a half hour running time. As the film gathers momentum, you will notice that these are still comic book heroes full of all the torment and introspection you’d expect.

The highlights of the movie for me , where the banter scenes between Robert Downey Jr.’s sarky, egotistical thinking Iron Man and Chris Evans’ old-school Captain America. Actually, Downey damn near steals the show – he is irresistibly charismatic especially when given the right kind of writing!

Then there is the deceptively reserved Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), serving as the only scientist who can track low levels of gamma rays, as his transformation into the uncontrollable Hulk would eventually threaten the safety of everyone onboard the ship. There is the token superhero chick, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), who more than holds her own amid all the chrome and testosterone, that finally gets to reveal the skeleton in her closet. She later wipes her slate clean by breaking a spell Loki has placed on her old ally, Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner, briefly glimpsed in “Thor”), a skilled archer with super deadly arrows. Cumi found Renner unfitting as a superhero character – the weakest link in the entire movie, but I found his form rather, er, pleasing to the eye:P

Eventually they will all have to come together for one epic battle against their shared enemy in Midtown Manhattan, home of Iron Man Tony Stark’s latest dazzling architectural creation, his eponymous high-rise, and a cool place in general to stage massive movie destruction. Production is technically immaculate, with Seamus McGarvey’s lensing as sharp and focused as Jeffrey Ford and Lisa Lassek’s editing. Even the 3D effects cannot detract from the greatness of this movie!

“The Avengers” is the first Marvel production to be released by Disney since it purchased the comicbook giant in 2009, and it won’t be the last: To conclude you know that there is a sequel lurking somewhere in the dark, but that likely won’t materialize until after another round of “Iron Man,” “Thor” and “Captain America” follow-ups that will keep the studio occupied through 2014!

Great movie.. go watch it!!

Here’s the Trailer:

Plot: From filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes John Carter-a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). John Carter is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. Taylor Kitsch stars as John Carter, a civil war veteran whose search for a mysterious gold cave inadvertently leads to his mysterious transportation to Mars, where the change in atmosphere gives him super human strength and agility (naturally). Unknowingly John has escaped one civil war only to find himself in the middle of another, with various tribes and alien races at war for the right to rule Barsoom (the native word for Mars).

Featured are green skinned six limbed behemoths named “Tharks”, blue skinned chrome dome watchers of the galaxy known as “Holy Therns”, and a beautiful red skinned humanoid princess named Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) who is forced to marry her enemy (Dominic West) in order to save her city of Hellium from annihilation. John Carter, becomes embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris. In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

What we thought:

We friggin LOVED it! The Plot and story line was spectacular, and no wonder, as Stanton’s first venture into live action filmmaking (previous credits include animation classics Toy Story, Monsters, Finding Nemo and WALL-E) finds the right balance between vintage action fantasy and modern day blockbuster film-making. Also, fans of John Carter will be happy to know that Andrew Stanton really expanded nicely on the Barsoomian religion, Goddess Issus, Barsoomian astronomy and the superstition of the Tharks in the movie. For those who loved the book, Stanton used a lot of the key scenes in the book, with many memorable pieces of dialogue lifted straight from A Princess of Mars. Not to mention the whole mythology of John Carter himself — his huge mansion, mausoleum etc. John Carter is a lot like an entertaining rehash of Indiana Jones. Those, who are looking forward to “the lore” aspect of the film aren’t going to be disappointed.

Another key attribute to this film’s success is the casting of Taylor Kitsch as John Carter, who in look and action makes a great hero, leaping vast distances and fighting the bad guys while showing off his fighting fit physique. John Carter is the first of three films released in 2012 with Kitsch at the lead (the others being Battleship and Savages). Fab – I can’t wait to see more of him! Lynn Collins is also well cast as the beautiful yet deadly princess – she looks fit and ripped and every bit the fighting, tough as nails princess warrior. But the best performances are of the motion capture variety, with the alien creatures superbly crafted by its VFX team and portrayed by the likes of Willem Dafoe and Samantha Morton. Adding to the humor and heroic feats is Woola the frog-dog creature who is simply too cute as well.

There has been much fretting about the quality of this $250 million picture. Rest assured Stanton has created a blockbuster worth the money spent and worth spending money on at the cinema. Stanton having been involved with Pixar in his earlier career dedicates John Carter to Steve Jobs. We think it’s a fitting tribute as this movie has the excitement and fine execution worthy of dedication. We watched it on 3D IMAX which added a new realm to the viewing experience.

Here’s the Official Trailer:

 JOHN CARTER CONTEST!

And folks – there are some fabulous prizes to be won, thanks to the good people of Disney! Here are the Limited Edition, John Carter high value prizes you stand to win..

2 x John Carter Watch (RM450 each)

2 x John Carter Solar Light (RM300 each)

4 x John Carter T-shirts (RM250 each)

4 x John Carter Notebook with pen (RM60 each)

All you need to do is answer these simple questions and  Write it on the CCFoodTravel Fanpage:

1. What are planets Jasoom and Basoom?

2. Complete this slogan – “If I could teleport and time travel between planets, I would ………………………..”

Winners will be selected based on correct answers (no.1) and most creative answers (no.2).

Good Luck!!

The Plot: According to the synopsis given, War Horse is a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. It is directed by Steven Spielberg. War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young Devon boy called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land. Is it a decent movie to watch?

What We Thought: This film will be nominated for 6 categories at the 84^th Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography,  and Best Original Score which prompted me to catch the preview recently and it would probably be the same reasons why you would watch it. Heck, it’s helmed by Spielberg and his regular collaborators, Janusz Kamiński, Michael Kahn, and John Williams. All of whom, with their individual talents, have achieved great fame and wowed audiences worldwide translating screenplays to moving images and captivating music. Many of us have grown up watching Spielberg movies. War Horse was adapted from a famous novel of the same name written in 1982 by Michael Morpurgo which was successfully adapted to the stage as well.  With such experienced hands behind the War Horse production, I walked out of the screening feeling rather empty and disappointed. While I’ve never read the book nor watched the stage production, I had expected an entertaining interpretation from the Spielberg team to deliver beautiful sceneries, rouse up great performances from actors, and a grandeur music score that would envelope me in its magic for 146 minutes. Instead for the first hour, I found my interest lingering away and sinking into boredom. My lapse of concentration had me twiddling my thumbs while waiting for something more intriguing to happen. The second hour, while it picked up a notch, failed to bring me to the entertainment level I would have expected from a Spielberg production.

The poor direction, I felt, left performances of an experienced cast empty of good performances and creating scenes (or missing scenes) that failed to make sufficient sense to a movie goer unless they have read the novel. The performances from the European cast all seemed so wooden that I would have preferred them to speak in their native tongue to encourage better character portrayal. Throughout the movie, I was irritated by the harsh lighting delivered by Karminski, a renowned cinematographer. Worse was the film noir sunset ending that seemed out of context of the movie. Camera work done to capture the lead character Joey the horse’s emotions did little to stir any interest in me and I noticed, nor in the audiences around me.  Production teams from Discovery or National Geographic would have done a better job capturing animal emotions. Even John William’s poor delivery in the music department failed to create any emotive appeal.

I am a little harsh in my judgment of this epic film but we should not expect anything less from the Spielberg team with their fat paychecks and royalties earned from film distribution. Many famous reviewers have also panned the film’s delivery and have expressed surprise in its nominations (and other film nominations) in the upcoming Academy Awards. I would have only agreed with the nominations in art direction as the costumes, sets and filming locations were nice.

War Horse, besides my ranting on its technical faults, is still a reasonably entertaining movie for general audiences. There are several scenes which depicted the harsh realities of war, and there were comical scenes to inject humor. All of these deliver messages of hope, friendship and loyalty as the main premise of the film. There is a comical scene between Joey the horse, a British and German soldier in the area of land between two enemy trenches, generally known as ‘No Man’s Land’ which will probably be remembered as “the famous” War Horse movie scene. Watch it to find out.

Luscious English babe, Kate Beckinsale, returns to her most famous role in her career, Selene, the werewolf assassin. In this new installment the humans have staged a genocidal war against Vampires and Lycan werewolves, eradicating many of both species and driving them further into the underworld. Selene and her vampire-werewolf hybrid lover, Michael, are captured and kept in cryogenic state in a research center, Antigen. Selene is unexpectedly awakened over a decade later and escapes (leaving a trail of dead bodies behind her, as you’d expect) to discover a new world where not only does she need to do battle with the Lycans but the humans as well. Adding to this confusion, Selene is troubled by visions from another subject that had escaped from the research center which she later discovers is her offspring, Eve. She must now find Eve and defend her from the humans who want her daughter dead, and from the Lycans who want the teen for more insidious reasons.

This is the second movie from the Underworld series not directed by Lens Wisemen, who is the creator and franchise holder. The first one being Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans which was the prequel, that explained the reasons behind the feud between the vampires and the werewolves. Helming the director’s chair for this Underworld: Awakening are Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein whose only work I’ve ever seen was the disappointingly badly shot and edited ghost thriller, Shelter (2010), which starred veteran actress Julianne Moore. With that initial poor impression in mind, I was worried if this movie would fall off its appeal pedestal. Fortunately, with a good cast and crew plus Wisemen’s external involvement in the production, the show managed to keep the Underworld’s eerie quality intact. This new instalment matched all of last episode’s good screenplay, fast paced action and in my opinion, those aristocratic English accents, that make any good gothic movie even more appealing. There are plenty of acrobatic fights, car chases, blazing gunfire, special effects, gore plus lots of femme fatale coolness from sexy Beckinsale in her body hugging latex suit to wow your senses.

If you need a quick re-cap of the Underworld series, this is a good one.