NEW MOVIES THIS WEEK - 30/04/09

The Hollywood's Summer feast is back again. Last year Iron Man started it with a bang and now, it's another Marvel production to start it all for the year. Mr Wolverine is set to conquer and score some big opening in local cinema as like what Mr Tony Stark did last year. Remind you, the opening record for the first weekend in Malaysia is held by Spider Man 3 in terms of US Dollar.

THIS WEEK 29 April 2009

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE (English) PG13 Action/Thriller (REVIEW)
"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" goes back to the time before the X-Men trilogy to tell the story of Wolverine's epically violent and romantic past, including his complex relationship with Victor Creed (who later becomes Sabertooth) and the ominous Weapon X programme. Along the way, he encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends in the X-Men universe.

THIS WEEK 30 April 2009

FROST/NIXON (English) U Drama/Politic (REVIEW)
For three years after being forced out of office, U.S. President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) remained silent. However in summer 1977, he agreed to sit for an interview to confront the questions about his time in office, especially the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone by selecting David Frost (Michael Sheen) as his televised confessor, intending to outfox the British TV host and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans.



CLAUSTROPHOBIA (Cantonese) PG13 Romance
Veteran Hong Kong screenwriter Ivy Ho (Divergence) makes his feature directorial debut with this tale about a clandestine romance between a marketing secretary and a married manager. No one in the office suspects that Pearl (Karena Lin) and Tom (Ekin Cheng) are having an affair, not even their close friends Jewel (Chucky Woo) and John (Derek Tsang). As the story begins shifting between past and present, the affair is slowly understood as how it came to be and where it could be heading in the future.



SETAN BUDEG (Indonesian) PG13 Horror
Three body hunters have been assigned with the job of finding unidentified corpses scattered around Jakarta. One day, they are surprised when a female corpse that was hit by a train went missing from an ambulance. Joko (Kiwil), the head of the group gives an ultimatum that they must find the body and return it to the mortuary. The female corpse was a deaf girl named Lala, the twin sister of Anita (Dewi Perssik). While the body hunters are looking for Lala's body, they are unaware that a revengeful spirit is following them.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE

ENGLISH - (PG13) - 29 April 2009 - Action/Thriller
Distributor: 20th Fox Century
Running time: about 110 mins.
Director: Gavin Hood
Producers: Hugh Jackman, Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter, Avi Arad
Writers: David Benioff
Casts: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Houston, Taylor Kitsch, will.i.am, Lynn Collins
Plot: "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" goes back to the time before the X-Men trilogy to tell the story of Wolverine's epically violent and romantic past, including his complex relationship with Victor Creed (who later becomes Sabertooth) and the ominous Weapon X programme. Along the way, he encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends in the X-Men universe.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

WARNING SPOILER! 10 years ago, X-Men franchise was brought alive by the revolution in the hands of the Fox. The franchise in general has spawned a few decent but not supremely fantastic features. Now, the franchise goes back to the original roots by discovering the life of each and every character prior to the Professor Xavier's era. As always, the lead Wolverine will be best portrayed by none other than the sexy femme Hugh Jackman himself.

The movie explores Wolverine's early life prior of joining the X-Team. First; his dark family ancestry that rooted back over 160 years ago somewhere in the Mid West, his love and hate relationship with his half-brother as both grew up with some mutant abilities, his first love and of course, how his exoskeleton power was enhanced by an alien metal that he transformed into an indestructible super mutant. In the early life of Wolverine, we may also discover much of the origins of other characters, particularly Gambit, Sabretooth and Cyclops.

Fanboys, beware! If you grew up reading those sophisticated origins of Wolverine, consider throw those novels away. The movie took a liberty by portraying a different approach on the character's early life. There is nothing much to talk about and considering this is the different origin approach, many fanboys may get upset. When Christian Bale took on the cape-crusader Batman and somehow rejuvenate the origins successfully in a highly-acclaimed 2005 reboots, people loved it. However you shall not use that as a comparison as this movie does not deal, neither did it take the audience to explore the darker side of the character.

Fanboys may again upset because this Wolverine character looks sexy rather than entertaining them with their claws. Perhaps, again this is not something fanboys want but the movie was exclusively made not only to please the fanboys, but to whole audience. Rather than focusing on some gritty images, this as a superheroes movie, some how chose not to derail much from its focus as a superheroes movie.

The story is however, still appraisal. A good sequence editing of story flow, organized in a manner of easily explored and understanding to provide a better story telling. Good news for people who had never the character so deeply, you may not get lost at all. However, things can get a bit complicated as well, as we have to deal with several story lines that cross-path to each other. Considering a 110 minutes of running time, the plots are pretty thick, condensed but straight to the point.

When Wolverine transforms, the other as well. Hugh Jackman in Wolverine is ever so familiar with the audience that we seems not been bother by how good or how bad he is. But he did a great job by bringing the character so well that perhaps he did the role by his heart. In the movie, the characterization of Wolverine was done averagely well. He lived in a normal life but somehow have to deal so much all along, sees death around him so much, and his hates and loves to his brother did transformed the character in an excellent way.

Liev Schreiber in a stocky Sabretooth was awesome too. He is in fact the best translated character in this movie than anyone else. He had lines and memorable moments all to himself. Others like Deadpool and The Blob serve as an eye to the candy only. Other roles that people anticipated, been Gambit only served important roles in two or three scenes. Wolverine's girl, Kayla Silver Fox (Lynn Collins) has a substantial screen time that we ignored during trailer but turn out in subtle way. William Stryker as the main villain is somehow too sarcastic and a man with many hidden agenda - he is so confusing!!

Been a blockbuster based on another blockbuster, I would said Wolverine as some other passable summer blockbuster you have seen. This film invites you either to love or to hate it. The movie superb effects only serve a noticeable entrance to a galore summer feast. I bet other blockbusters may beat this but for the time been, do enjoy this.

THE RATINGS.....
CAST - 3.5 stars
STORY - 3.0 stars
CINEMATOGRAPHY - 4.0 stars
EFFECTS - 4.0 stars
an overall>> 3.5 stars
GreenTea-O-Meter: 13.8

HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU

ENGLISH - (18PL) - 09 April 2009 - Comedy/Romance
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Running time: about 120 mins.
Director: Ken Kwapis
Producers: Drew Barrymore, Nancy Juvonen
Writers: Greg Behrendt, Liz Tuccillo, Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein
Casts: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Justin Long, Jennifer Connelly, Ginnifer Goodwin, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper
Plot: Based on a self-help book written by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo concerning the ever-widening gap between genders and the misunderstandings that often arise between couples. In the film, a woman who can't seem to get a firm grip on the men in her life pursues an advice columnist who never quite knew what he wanted in a relationship.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

WARNING SPOILER! Based on a popular self-empowerment book, this story stands out as its own, probably in the same value of empowerment as the past "Love Actually" had done to the cinematic audiences. "Love Actually" placed a bar of standard on how a cross-over romantic plots can be intervene into a lovable story. However, the movie did not really reached that standard but somehow it continues to ring the same questions about romance.

The story tells from a four different scenarios, four different sets of casts and four questions of life.

Question #1: "If he's not calling you", from the points of Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) whom have troubles interpreting the signs that men give her about their level of interest in her and began getting dating advice from the Alex (Justin Long). Question #2: "If he's not marrying you", focus on Beth (Jennifer Aniston) whom has been living with her boyfriend Neil (Ben Affleck) for 7 years but he is not ready to commit their relationship into marriage because he does not believe in it.

Question #3: "If she's not sleeping with you", tells the story of Conor (Kevin Connelly) and his pursue for a relationship with Anna (Scarlett Johansson). Question #4: "If he's sleeping with someone else", narrates the trouble marriage between Janine (Jennifer Connelly) and Ben (Bradley Cooper).

These four stories uniquely cross on each other to create some sort of romantic challenges in life. However, the pace is a bit draggy despite a good storytelling. Clocking 2 hours proved to be a bit slow but nevertheless, not in any dull mood. The dialogues are meaningful and contains a clear message that deals around the relationship for every man and woman has to face.

With great essemble of casts, how can you not recognize each and any face on it. The names like Drew Barrymore, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Connelly, as well as Ginnifer Goodwin spark some interest and curiosity. Their performance particularly Affleck, Aniston, Goodwill, and Connelly were even heavily praised by the movie critics. I do agree, their performances were so stand out and it affects the story so much.

Despite the genre been a comedy, I failed to notice and entice any humour on it. It is just a plain comedy that deals too much about self empowerment and focusing a lot on the serious matter. Generally, I would recommend this if you think your relationship life is not that meaningful for you. Perhaps you may get inspired by it.

THE RATINGS.....
CAST - 4.0 stars
STORY - 3.5 stars
CINEMATOGRAPHY - 3.5 stars
EFFECTS - 3.5 stars
an overall>> 3.5 stars
GreenTea-O-Meter: 14.6

CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC

ENGLISH - (PG13) - 26 March 2009 - Comedy/Romance
Distributor: Buena Vista
Running time: about 105 mins.
Director: P.J. Hogan
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer
Writers: Sophie Kinsella (novel); Tim Firth, Tracey Jackson (screenplay)
Casts: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, Kirstin Scott Thomas
Plot: Based on the book by Sophie Kinsella, "Confessions Of A Shopaholic" is about one Rebecca Bloomwood who unintentionally lands a job writing for a boring financial magazine. Ironically writing about the very consumer caution of which she herself has not abided, Rebecca's wins critical acclaim, public success, and the admiration of her supportive boss Luke. But as she draws closer to her ultimate goal of writing for renowned fashion magazine Alette, she questions her true ambitions and must determine if overcoming her "shopaholic" condition will bring her real happiness.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

WARNING SPOILER! When shopping becomes addiction, of course, it becomes a shopaholic. Now, the movie is based on the popular best selling adaptation of the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella. The lovable chick novel turns into a great deal of magic cards complete with a bright package of brand, luxury and looks.

Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher from The wedding Crashers) is a young woman who had just move to Big Apple to satisfy her shopaholic addiction. After finding herself in big trouble of huge debt that she has due to her excessive shopping habit, she indulge in a journey to look for a stable job to finance herself, evading the debt collector and to upbeat her shopaholic habit. Will she succeed?

This shopaholic movie gives the audience a chance to look deep on the shopping experience life taken from an angle of a shopaholic, at least I know I'm not a frequent shopper, so it is pretty unique. However, in this global economy climate, will this movie been appropriate to suit this kind of situation. From a positive angle, it teaches people about financial management, but on a negative view, it is a bit of encouraging people to have a shopping spree. This movie is so smoky-relaxing and one should find it easy to enjoy.

The subplots are delivered well and intertwined in a simple knot. It is interesting to see how Rebecca using all kinds of tactics to live her life through, thus making the movie a sarcastic one. On the other side, the romance between Rebecca and her boss is fairly entertaining. The emotion is running in ups and downs that make this story alive, while the good times are good and the sad times are good as well. As a whole, the story is compelling well in telling the main point but still shorts of the expecting life lessons and sometimes is a bit sluggish storyline.

Isla Fisher is a very entertaining actress. She manages to take this role with an upcoming, upbeat while her happy-go-lucky styles has paired significantly good with the charming opposite star, Hugh Dancy. They made a lovable couple. I would like to say kudos to the other casts in which they complete the movie without too much attention on Isla alone; her best friend - Suzie (Krysten Ritter), Alette Naylor (Kirstin S. Thomas) and others. They were funny, witty and elegant at the same time.

This romantic comedy has a very mixture in feeling. The music is enjoyable and plausible, possibly the soundtrack of this movie is possibly the best we have this year. Music and shopping lover will definitely buy this movie. If you are a chick-flick lover, enjoy this and if you are not, still give a try. This is a great comedy movie to deal with while there are some sloppy pace in issue. Happy watching and happy shopping!

THE RATINGS.....
CAST - 4.0 stars
STORY - 3.5 stars
CINEMATOGRAPHY - 3.5 stars
EFFECTS - 3.0 stars
an overall>> 3.5 stars
GreenTea-O-Meter: 14.3

NEW MOVIES THIS WEEK - 23/04/09

It's only a week to go before Mr Sexiest Man of the year will be back in his Wolverine style. However, the day of 29 April will come but not now. Before that day comes, save your head-cracking moment for those new movies you want to watch. As usual, like every week, Green Tea will introduce some preview in before hand of several latest offers of the week.

THIS WEEK 23 April 2009

THE UNINVITED (English) 18PL Horror
Teenage sisters Anna and Alex Rydell return home after a stint in a mental hospital, though their recovery is jeopardised by their cruel stepmother, an aloof father, and the presence of a ghost in their home. Is the ghost a figment of their frail mental state, or is it really the ghost of their late mother trying to reach to them? Based on the Korean horror film, "Tale of Two Sisters".



THE SNIPER (Cantonese) 18SG Action/Thriller
Hartman (Richie Ren) is renowned as the top shooter in the police force but he hides a secret past - his former teammate and superb marksman Lincoln (Huang Xiaoming) was jailed for a mysterious case of accidentally killing a hostage and has now just been released. With only vengeance in his mind, Lincoln takes on Hartman and the police, believing they betrayed him. When a high-security prisoner transfer is sabotaged by an unknown sniper and a high profile convict escapes, young upstart OJ (Edison Chen), the hot-headed rookie on the team, surprises everyone by accurately replicating the suspect's impossible shots. A battle of wits ensues as OJ becomes fascinated with Lincoln's skills yet bound by Hartman's rules.



THREADS OF DESTINY (Japanese) PG13 Romance
The story revolves around the 'red thread of fate' connecting the young pair, Mei (Nao Minamisawa) and Atsushi (Junpei Mizobata) and the trials they face during their high school period. Their romance blossoms when she meets a gentle-natured boy named Atsushi during a school trip to Nagasaki with close camaraderie of her school friends. The two begin to realise that they share many things in common that seem to transcend mere coincidence. Feeling a bond of fate, they grow closer. However, destiny can have a dark side to it too.

N/A

BOHSIA: JANGAN PILIH JALAN HITAM (Malay) 18PL Drama
"Bohsia: Jangan Pilih Jalan Hitam" revolves around two girls, Tasha (Nabila Huda) and Amy (Salina Saibi). Without higher education and proper upbringing, both of them get mixed up in the world of illegal motor racing - a decision changes their lives forever.

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN SHOWEST MONTAGE

Michael Bay has released more pieces and bits of the movie that is due on end of June. The latest footage gives a much detail on how Jetfire, Arcee, the Twins, Devastator and more. The footage was released in conjunction with the ShoWest event in US, where companies were trying to showcase their latest movies all year round.

Some memorable scenes will include the opening 96 seconds of Sam and Bumblebee; Optimus Prime has a kick on his face; The Pyramid complex run and more.



The video above has been removed...



This is the unofficial clips from that same montage but in lower quality..

Tell me if you are not getting too much excited about it!!

PAUL BLART: MALL COP

ENGLISH - (PG13) - 16 April 2009 - Comedy
Distributor: Sony Pictures (Columbia)
Running time: about 91 mins.
Director: Steve Carr
Producers: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Barry Bernardi
Writers: Kevin James, Nick Bakay
Casts: Kevin James, Jayma Mays, Keir O'Donnell, Peter Gerety, Bobby Cannavale
Plot: Paul Blart (Kevin James) is a single, suburban dad trying to make ends meet as a security officer at a New Jersey mall. It's a job he takes very seriously, though no one else does. When Santa's helpers at the mall stages a coup, shutting down the mall and taking in hostages (Paul's daughter and sweetheart amongst them), Jersey's most formidable mall cop will have to become a real cop to save the day.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

WARNING SPOILER! Mall cop or security-themed movie has always been a good family-pleaser generator. The same goes to this Adam Sandler-produced but only feature Kevin James. In the past, he sells a good movie when teams up with Adam but this movie is a solo test for his own.

Paul Blart (Kevin James) is as aspire as any other to join the state police force. However some misfortune landed him a job where he took it seriously for guarding the mall. Personal life, he was left by his ex-wife and still not been able to see someone else in his life. He also suffered from hypoglycemia, which causes him to pass out if his body runs low on sugar. Things about to change when he meet Amy, a new store tenant in the mall. Later, some criminals plan to rob the cash inside the mall and held some customers as their hostages. Can Paul Blart does what he is best for to protect the mall and to save the ones he love the most?

The theme is much intriguing yet interesting. A mall security whom acts like a city cop - issuing tickets and summons around on peoples in the mall for various offences. It reminds me of some old movies about wannabee of becoming a police officer but somehow found self not so competent in some other aspect. Although have been explored in the past, this features a new fun and excitement without the need to use any vulgarities to build up the dialogue. It is perfectly clean and there is no need for any cuts.

The movie itself is a bit hair-wiring with little plots intervene to form a complex movie. However, the movie has a potentially fun and weird comedy that do make people laugh at them. Its hard to imagine that this got to be one of the best comedy performance of the year with much lameness and brain hyperactivity convulsion that trigger the inner sense of one.

Kevin James is no big name, but he delivers it well. Portraying a super nice guy with some funny circumstances, he did the movie all by himself. The villains are just too much underestimating him because of his plus size while other security duds did nothing more than a word of courage. The movie relied on him too much that it only works when he drives the movie forward. The one and only starring is him while the rest serves a supporting character with less characterization building.

The comedy is well like by Roger Ebert which claimed that unlike recent ilking comedies, this has none vulgarities elements, nothing about gayness and sexual explicit act. Sure watch this comedy, I strongly recommend.

THE RATINGS.....
CAST - 4.0 stars
STORY - 3.5 stars
CINEMATOGRAPHY - 3.5 stars
EFFECTS - 3.0 stars
an overall>> 3.5 stars
GreenTea-O-Meter: 14.3

NEW MOVIE THIS WEEK - 16/04/09

This week, learn how to become a mall cop with Paul Blart. Also, catch the horror in a cinema with Coming Soon, and two small movies that goes into heavy issues.

That sums up the new movie choices for this week. Now, in cinemas near you (Malaysia), I presents you these following movies.

THIS WEEK

PAUL BLART: MALL COP (English) PG13 Comedy
Paul Blart (Kevin James) is a single, suburban dad trying to make ends meet as a security officer at a New Jersey mall. It's a job he takes very seriously, though no one else does. When Santa's helpers at the mall stages a coup, shutting down the mall and taking in hostages (Paul's daughter and sweetheart amongst them), Jersey's most formidable mall cop will have to become a real cop to save the day.



CROSSING OVER (English) 18PL Drama
Max Brogan (Harrison Ford) is an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent with a dangerous flaw - he has a heart and sympathy for the very people he must track down and deport. Together with his partner, Iranian-American Hamid (Cliff Curtis) as they run routine busts on illegal immigrants, several other stories are revealed - a defense lawyer (Ashley Judd) negotiates for a new family for an orphaned child and must also arrange a deportation method for a family whose 15-year old daughter is accused of having ties with terrorism; a young Jewish man (Jim Sturgess) tries to use his unpracticed religion to secure a job; and Cole Frankel (Ray Liotta) uses his position as a green card approval supervisor to force a beautiful Australian model (Alice Eve) into some compromising positions.



COMING SOON (Thai) 18PL Horror
Shane (Chantawit Tanasaewe), a young projectionist, decides to join Yod's (Worakan Rojanawat) mission to illegally record a newly released horror movie. Shane falls asleep during the screening and wakes up to find that Yod had already disappeared and left his camera behind. Suddenly, the horror movie that they were watching in the cinema begins to happen to them in real life.



PASSENGERS (English) PG13 Thriller/Mystery/Horror
After a plane crash, young therapist Claire is assigned by her mentor to counsel the flight's five survivors. The survivors' recollections of the incident appear to be at odds with the airline's official explanation. While Claire is intrigued by Eric, the most secretive of the passengers, the survivors begin to disappear mysteriously, one by one. Claire is determined to uncover the truth, no matter the consequences.




NAAK (Thai) 18PL Adventure/Sci-Fi/Romance
In this action fantasy with romance, Nawin (Jesadaporn Pholdee) is a secret service agent who decides to withdraw from a scientific investigation because of its unlawful procedures. Meanwhile, Jin (Ploy Jindachote), a young woman whom Nawin once saved from a brutal attack, is undergoing a strange transmutation within her blood and body. This transformation on Jin, is what Nawin believes the army people are after.

BALER (Tagalog) 18PL Drama/War/Romance

PUSH

ENGLISH - (PG13) - 14 May 2009 - Sci-Fi/Thriller
Distributor: Summit Entertainment
Running time: about 111 mins.
Director: Paul McGuigan
Producers: Bruce Davey, William Vince, Glenn Williamson
Writers: David Bourla
Casts: Chris Evan, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Honsou, Ming-Na
Plot: The Division, a shadowy government agency, is genetically transforming citizens into an army of psychic warriors. Nick Gant (Chris Evans), a second-generation telekinetic or "mover", has found sanctuary in Hong Kong and is eventually forced out of hiding when Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning), a 13-year-old clairvoyant or "watcher" seeks his help in finding Kira, (Camilla Belle) an escaped "pusher" who may hold the key to ending the Division's program. Pushers possess the most dangerous of all psychic powers: the ability to influence others' actions by implanting thoughts in their minds. However, the unlikely duo lands themselves square in the crosshairs of Division Agent Henry Carver (Djimon Hounsou), a pusher who will stop at nothing to keep them from achieving their goal.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

WARNING SPOILER! "Push" is trying hard to be another "Jumper". Maybe due to the fact that it was not heavily promoted and had so far yet to be released in Malaysia, many may not aware for the existence of this movie.

This is a story in a pace of human with power kinetic and psychic that brings over the reachable bar for humankind. Nick Grant (Chris Evan) and his father are two Movers that are on the run from the "Division". Since young, Nick was told by his father of some vision that he will meet a little girl in the future and he must help her in order to "save them all". Ten years later in Hong Kong, the vision somehow comes true and Nick meets Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning) and explains that she is a Watcher and that they need to retrieve a case which may be the elusive key to bring down the "Division" which is led by Agent Henry Carver (Djimon Hounsou). However, at the same time, they are pursuit by another local Triad - a now defunct Chinese "Division".

The premise of the story is pretty much interesting because of the usage of human inner depth of telekinetic and psychic powers in the a-la form of "Jumper". However, this film is trying so hard to follow "Jumper" in many aspects. The plot of "running away from a group of anti-hero" and "agenda to stop them" are seen in Jumper too that if transferred into this will prove nothing new. However, it proves me wrong. Push is a stand-out on its own styles and one can never easily guess and predict the outcomes.

However, Push suffers from too much buzzy and dizzy visualization of unknown energy. The story at most of the time can becomes pointless, chaotic, monotonous and non-sense. Although there is a theme and a plan to follow, it quickly evaporated into a very hard to focus and confusing story.

Chris Evan - the Human Torch in Fantastic Four, is not an appeal at all. However, he delivers some great persona and coolness into the movie. Dakota Fanning is a growing teenager now and in the movie she is drunk. Not even her drunk scene made her anything special or outstanding. Perhaps Camilla Belle the only candy to the eye that gives a bit of unpredictable for the role she is in. In general, the acting was on average with nothing so gutsy about it.

Perhaps the best thing about this movie is perhaps its blessed flashy sequence of kinetic action and effects. The sequences are no where near The Matrix but it just catchy to see those qi-gong energy been fired. Somehow, the movie is much better than the unlikely circumstances of the huge disappointing Dragonball Evolution.

The movie is recommended if only you are interested in knowing what it is about. Or else watch it for the sake of Dakota Fanning.

THE RATINGS.....
CAST - 2.5 stars
STORY - 2.5 stars
CINEMATOGRAPHY - 3.5 stars
EFFECTS - 3.5 stars
an overall>> 3.0 stars
GreenTea-O-Meter: 11.2

NEW MOVIES THIS WEEK - 09/04/09

This week, take things lighter with He's Just Not That Into You. Then, take it serious with Queens of Langkasuka, while close your eyes from Friday The 13th. And most probably Fast and Furious 4 will retained the biggest movie of this week.

THIS WEEK

HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU (English) 18PL Comedy
Based on a self-help book written by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo concerning the ever-widening gap between genders and the misunderstandings that often arise between couples. In the film, a woman who can't seem to get a firm grip on the men in her life pursues an advice columnist who never quite knew what he wanted in a relationship.



FRIDAY THE 13TH (English) 18PL Horror (review)
In yet another version of the famous story, five friends - Whitney, Clay, Mike, Jenna and Trent - decide to explore the famous Crystal Lake campsite but their seemingly fun weekend turns tragic quickly. Before they know it, each of them are hunted by a machete-wielding maniac known as Jason.



QUEENS OF LANGKASUKA (Thai) 18PL Action/Adventure/Fantasy
Helmed by "Nang Nak" director Nonzee Nimibutr and starring Siamese sex god Ananda Everingham riding on a giant stingray, this Thai action-adventure takes you back to the Malay Peninsular some 400 years ago when the King of Langkasuka was assassinated and the royal family had no choice but to let Princess Hijau ascend the throne as the first ruling queen of the kingdom. Hijau and sisters Biro and Ungu try their best to protect their rich kingdom from detractors, fearsome pirates and other nefarious powers in the region. When their efforts to acquire a powerful cannon from a Dutch weapon master turn disastrous with the cannon falling into the hands of pirates, the three sisters find their position more vulnerable than ever.



JANGAN TEGUR (Malay) PG13 Horror
After being involved in an accident, Natasya (Julia Ziegler) had a dream about a girl named Baizura. Natasya is determined to discover the truth about her. Since waking up from a coma, Natasya is haunted by creepy images of evil spirits that only she can see. This causes a lot of trouble for her husband, Kamal (Pierre Andre) because he doesn't believe in superstitions.



CARAMEL (Arabic) PG13 Drama/Art/Foreign
In Beirut, five women meet up at a beauty salon where they discuss subjects like sex, men, and motherhood. It is a place for them to openly discuss their thoughts and confess private sins and pleasures: Layale is in love with a married man. Nisrine is a Muslim and getting married - but she isn't a virgin. Rima finds herself attracted to women and can't understand why. Jamale is not allowing herself to grow old while Rose is looking after her sister instead of herself.



K-20: LEGEND OF THE MASK (Japanese) U Drama/Crime
In the fictional capital of Teito, there are rumours about a mysterious thief known as K-20 who only steals from the rich and aids the poor. Heikichi Endo (Takeshi Kaneshiro), a circus acrobat was conned and mistaken as K-20 and is subsequently arrested by Akechi Kogoro (Toru Nakamura), a famous detective who once arrested K-20 himself. In the midst of clearing his name, he must escape from jail and track down the real thief with the help of a beautiful police detective who is being targeted by the real K-20. In the non-stop battle with K-20, the true identity of the thief may finally be revealed.

FAST AND FURIOUS

ENGLISH - (18PL) - 02 April 2009 - Drama/Action
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Running time: about 107 mins.
Director: Justin Lin
Producers: Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Ricardo Del Rio
Writers: Chris Morgan (screenplay); Gary Scott Thompson
Casts: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, John Ortiz, Laz Alonso
Plot: Vin Diesel and Paul Walker re-team for the ultimate chapter of the successful franchise built on fast cars and furious drivers. When crime brings them back to Los Angeles, fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Diesel) reignites his feud with agent Brian O'Connor (Walker). However they are forced to confront a common enemy, so Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanoeuvre him. The two men go back to doing what they do best - push the limits of what's possible behind the wheel.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

WARNING SPOILER! What is fast enough to make things go out furiously? With an unfamiliar face of Justin Lin, a young Taiwanese director with little directorial background whom last directed the third installment, Tokyo Drift, one can expect a different swing of mood in the story. Besides that, the fourth installment will go back deep into the original roots, with four original characters will be introduced into it. Do remember this; this fourth movie will serves as a sequel to the original and prequel to the Tokyo Drift.

Set 5 years after the first movie, new information coming in as Brian O'Connell (Paul Walker) finally get the name of the person that he believes will be a key for bringing down the Braga operation, a drug cartel that transports drug from Mexico to US. Meanwhile, while on exile, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) found out that his girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) was murdered by one of the man in the Braga ring. Revenge for the same organization brings Brian and Dom back together to take down the organization despite their past dark history.

The story is interesting enough to be portrayed. It contains the theme of loyalty and friendship which dominates the screen time. However, I found that the story is not as interesting as the third installment Tokyo Drift due to the differetn setting and originality. Nevertheless, the pace of the story is convincing enough for me and at least it has a flowable story that despites come from two different routes but ended up in a single route. There are no unrealistic crossovers and any silly dialogues. Just as expected, the story is pretty much predictable, good twist on guessing on who Braga is and much reliable. However, there are some potholes around and despite the good flow, it still lack in consistency.

With car racing and pretty women around, what do you hope for more. Although no more street racing, money laundering and car drifting, we still can see some high speed chasing for gold and fame. Take the opening scene for example, Vin Diesel and team try to hijack a liquid gold - petroleum in Dominican Republic. It was a breathtaking and nail-biting scene that we have seen in trailer yet still enjoyable to watch in bigger screen. Then, comes Paul Walker chasing a criminal over the roof top - resembling Bourne and Point Break?

Then comes dirty racing into the tunnels of the US - Mexican border. It was pretty daunting and amazing to see those cars going through the tight corners inside the tunnel in which appeared twice in the movie. You also get an audition racing which is pretty close to call before some swiping and skidding in the end. Well, no more original street racing but welcome crimes in fast motion.

It is amazing feeling to see both main characters coming back into this film. Vin Diesel is a huge draw and adding in Paul Walker, it became even huge. Both played the role well which not only pumping adrenaline, but some dramatic sidelines about friendship. Jordana Brewster serves as a candy to the eye. The same goes to the Israeli-born Gal Gadot whom played Gisele, a liaison to Dom and Brian in taking down the Braga's empire. Although Michelle Rodriguez as Letty been short in screen time, her role provides some impact to the story.

The movie is pretty much about racing, but the stunt choreography is excellent. The movie should best be enjoyed for what it is and not be compared to the earlier films, and I can tell you that this is ain't the end. A reportedly fifth installment will be made and the attention is now shifted to Europe.

THE RATINGS.....
CAST - 3.5 stars
STORY - 3.5 stars
CINEMATOGRAPHY - 4.0 stars
EFFECTS - 4.0 stars
an overall>> 3.5 stars
GreenTea-O-Meter: 14.6

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 - Official Trailer

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3
Release Date: JUL 23, 2009
Paramount Pictures

• A group of hijackers, led by Bernard Ryder (John Travolta), take a New York City subway train and its passengers, threatening to kill them if their ransom of one million dollars per hostage is not paid in one hour.
• Zachary Garber (Denzel Washington) tries to negotiate with the hijackers in delivering the ransom money while saving the hostages.
• When Garber realizes that time is running out, he voluntarily offers his surrender to Ryder and the hijackers in exchange for freeing the hostages aboard the train.
• Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (which owns the original film) are co-distributing the film, this being a result of Columbia parent Sony owning a stake in MGM since 2005.

G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA - OFFICIAL TRAILERS

G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA
Release Date: AUG 7, 2009
Paramount Pictures

• Set ten years in the future, the film is an origin story, showing the rise of the Cobra Organization.
• Stephen Sommers said, "For people who know nothing about it, it'll make sense. And to people who love this stuff, it'll show where they all came from."
• The film focuses on Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord's (Marlon Wayans) induction into the G.I. Joe Team, providing the audience's point-of-view.
• Locations include the Arctic, Paris, Moscow, Washington, D.C., Australia and the Sahara.
• The G.I. Joe Team is based in the Pit, while it was indicated Cobra Island will appear.

STATE OF PLAY - Official Trailer

STATE OF PLAY
Release Date: JUN 11, 2009
Universal Pictures

• The plot will be similar to that of the original six-hour program, retaining several main characters, but condensing and changing certain aspects to fit the two-hour format.
• The film is set in Washington, D.C. and tells of Stephen Collins (Affleck), a fast-rising United States Congressman with ambitions to become his party's presidential candidate. This goal is threatened after his mistress (Maria Thayer), a former research assistant, is found dead in suspicious circumstances, while right-wing opponents to Collins' campaign for social reform attempt to use the scandal to kill his political career.
• During a probe into a series of seemingly unrelated murders, Cal McCaffrey (Crowe), an investigative journalist and Collins' former campaign manager, finds himself tasked with solving the case, becoming romantically involved with the Congressman's estranged wife (Wright Penn) in the process.

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN - OFFICIAL TRAILER

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

Release Date: JUNE 26, 2009
Paramount Pictures/Dreamworks Studio

• Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) discovers something about the origins of the Transformers and their history on Earth. The evil Decepticons need to capture him for information. The climactic battle takes place at the Giza pyramid complex, where a temple is located within.
• Lorenzo di Bonaventura explained the film will show the Transformers who visited Egypt before the pyramids were built, and "all our heroes end up here because of the Decepticons' master plan."
• Furthermore, Egyptian hieroglyphs resembling helicopters and other present day vehicles in real life will be explained in the film as being depictions of those Ancient Cybertronians who visited Earth.

TERMINATOR SALVATION - OFFICIAL TRAILER

TERMINATOR SALVATION

Release Date: MAY 28, 2009
Warner Bros./Sony Pictures

• Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor (Christian Bale), the man fated to be the leader of the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators, and the future he 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. John must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, John and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations, where they find out a terrible secret that may lead to the possible annihilation of mankind.

ANGELS AND DEMONS - OFFICIAL TRAILER

ANGELS AND DEMONS

Release Date: MAY 14, 2009
Sony Pictures

• Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is summoned to investigate a murder victim at CERN, who was branded with the Illuminati ambigram. Langdon discovers the Illuminati plan to kill four cardinals and destroy St. Peter's Basilica with stolen antimatter during a papal conclave.
• Filming took place in Rome and the Sony Pictures Studios in Los Angeles.
• Tom Hanks reprises the lead role of Robert Langdon, while director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman also returned.

STAR TREK - OFFICIAL TRAILER

STAR TREK

Release Date: MAY 8, 2009
Paramount Pictures

• Early reviews have so far been very positive. Aubrey Day of Total Film give it 4/5 stars, saying, "Buoyant, buffed and with the promise of even better to come, this is the freshest Trek in decades."
• SFX magazine praised the Abrams vision for the franchise, claiming, "This summer, after Abrams’s explosive epic has nerve-pinched all the opposition, back gardens and parks will ring with the sound of young boys zapping imaginary phasers as they play Kirk and Spock."
• Empire Magazine awarded 4/5 Stars, saying, "for the first time in the franchise, the Enterprise is a genuine thrill-ride"; however, it also notes that "Very much like its dynamic young cast, this Trek is physical and emotional, sexy and vital even, but it is not cerebral."