Movie Review: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"

Director: David Yates
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, Helena Bonham Carter

I apologise for the late review on "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". I just had to watch all the five previous Harry Potter movies first before writing this. I needed to be sure how the latest installment compares to the previous films in the series. The verdict? Well, I really enjoyed the film and I feel that it is better than 'The Order of the Phoenix' and 'The Prisoner of Azkaban', but not as good as 'The Goblet of Fire' (IMHO the best film in the series, so far).

It's really quite an experience to watch all the young actors grow up right before your very eyes when you plowed through all the six Harry Potter films back-to-back. In the latest installment, the characters continue to grow and evolve.

The acting from all the actors involved is quite good. Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfroy gets more screen time and shows us a different side to his character. Helena Bonham Carter is excellent as Bellatrix Lestrange and she virtually steals all the scenes she's in. The visual effects in the film are absolutely gorgeous and I especially like the water theme they use for the Pensieve memories. Brilliant!

Just like the previous films in the series, some details and sub-plots in the book are excluded due to the limitation of the film's running time. I understand that you can't include everything from the book into a film, but I feel that some of the events in the film just simply happened without much explanation. How did Draco find the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement? Why wasn't Harry playing in the Quidditch finals even though he's the Gryffindor team captain? Well, I'm afraid you'll need to read the book to find out.

Overall I think "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is emotional and visually stunning but at times relies a little too much on the audience’s knowledge of the book to make it satisfying.

Score: 8/10

Film Director Yasmin Ahmad Has Passed Away

Just got this very sad news. Award-winning Malaysian director Yasmin Ahmad has passed away last night.

She collapsed in a TV station on Thursday due to a stroke, and was rushed to the hospital. She died from massive bleeding in the brain.

The 51-year-old movie maker was famed for her TV advertisements and films capturing the essence of the multi-racial communities in Malaysia. She directed the critically acclaimed films "Sepet" (2004) and "Gubra" (2006).

According to The Star, Yasmin’s body will be taken to the SS19 Mosque in Subang Jaya and then buried this afternoon after Zohor prayers.

Source: The Star Online

Official Bruce Lee Website Goes Live

For the past few years, a cyber squatter purchased the rights to the domain www.brucelee.com and simply sat on it. Bruce Lee Enterprises, the company which manages the Bruce Lee brand name has finally acquired the domain and the Official Bruce Lee website went live last Wednesday (July 22, 2009).

The website contains a short biography, some video clips and images of Bruce Lee. There is also a blog by Lee's daughter Shannon and a small store to purchase official Bruce Lee related merchandise. It seems that there isn't much content at the moment but Shannon states that the site is constantly evolving and they are continuously adding new content and merchandise.

So, if you're a big fan of Bruce Lee, check out the site as it does look pretty promising.

Official Bruce Lee website: www.brucelee.com

Teaser Trailer: "Tron Legacy"

Walt Disney Pictures has released the teaser trailer for "Tron Legacy" in Comic-Con yesterday and it looks really awesome. It is a sequel to the 1982 film "Tron". Joseph Kosinski is directing the film, while Jeff Bridges will reprise his role as Kevin Flynn.

Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn, looks into his father’s disappearance and is transported into the computer world and embarks on an adventure in which he learns what has happened to his father.

"Tron Legacy" is expected to be released in 2011.

Movie Trailer: "Ninja Assassin"

The new movie trailer for James McTeigue's "Ninja Assassin" has appeared online. The martial arts film is produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers.

Raizo (South Korean pop idol Rain) is one of the world's deadliest assassins, having been kidnapped as a child and raised by the Ozunu Clan, believed by the world to be a myth. When Raizo's friend is executed by the clan, Raizo flees into hiding. He later reemerges, seeking revenge. Meanwhile, Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) is a Europol agent who investigates money linked to political murders and finds that it is linked to the Ozunu Clan. The clan, finding out about the investigation, attempts to assassinate her, but she is rescued by Raizo. Hiding in Europe, Raizo and Mika must find a way to take down the Ozunu Clan.

"Ninja Assassin" is scheduled for release in the US and South Korea on November 25, 2009.


Related post: "Ninja Assassin" Stunt Reel

Teaser Trailer: "Alice In Wonderland"

The teaser trailer for Tim Burton's "Alice In Wonderland" has debuted in the San Diego Comic-Con yesterday. The film is an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's books 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking-Glass'. The film stars Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and Crispin Glover.

Alice, now 19 years old, returns to Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before, yet doesn't remember. She then reunites with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course the Mad Hatter and embarks on a fantastical journey to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.

"Alice In Wonderland" is scheduled for release in the US on March 5, 2010.

"Back To The Future" Scenes Comparison

I came across this video on the web recently and thought I wanna share it with you all. Those who have watched the "Back To The Future" trilogy may recall that the ending scene of the first film is used as the opening scene in the second film.

The thing is, the film makers needed to completely re-shoot the opening scene of the second film because Claudia Wells, the actress that played Marty's girlfriend in the first film was replaced with Elisabeth Shue in the second.

Anyway, as you can see above, Robert Zemeckis and crew did a pretty good job recreating that particular scene.

Movie Trailer: "Mystery Team"

Internet comedy group Derrick Comedy has unveiled the official theatrical trailer for their first feature film "Mystery Team". The film is directed by Dan Eckman and stars Donald Glover, DC Pierson and Dominic Dierkes, who also wrote the screenplay.

Three kid detectives banded together to form The Mystery Team and dedicated themselves to solve child-sized mysteries, and the town loved them for it. Now they're eighteen years old, about to graduate from high school, yet they're still storming the playground to bust little kids, and everyone is sick to death of it and insists that they grow up. When a little girl asks the gang to find out who killed her parents, they embark on a mystery that tests their claim that they're 'real detectives'.

"Mystery Team" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and will be released fall of 2009 by Roadside Attractions.


Official website: mysteryteam-movie.com/

Teaser Trailer: "Bodyguards and Assassins"

A new teaser trailer for Teddy Chen's "Bodyguards and Assassins" (十月围城) has been released. The film features an all-star cast including Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Nicholas Tse, Li Yuchun, Wang Xueqi, Hu Jun, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Eric Tsang, Fan Bingbing and Zhou Yun.

The story is a fictional account of an assassination attempt on Chinese revolutionary Dr. Sun Yat-sen when he visited Hong Kong on October 1905 and the efforts of a group of martial artists to protect him.

"Bodyguards and Assassins" is scheduled for release in Hong Kong on December 18, 2009.

First Look At Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in "Iron Man 2"

The cover of this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly features a new image from the upcoming "Iron Man 2". The magazine also featurea an exclusive first look at Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Check it out right after the jump.

"Iron Man 2" is scheduled for release in the US on May 7, 2010.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Stephen Chow Drops Out Of "The Green Hornet"

Stephen Chow has left Columbia Pictures' "The Green Hornet" completely and the studio is now searching for someone else to play Kato.

Chow had initially signed on to direct the film as well, but then in December 2008, he dropped out as director due to creative differences with the studio but still attached to play Kato.

According to Variety, Chow left on amicable terms and had several other projects he wanted to pursue that didn't fit with "Hornet's" production schedule.

"The Green Hornet" first originated as a radio series on WXYZ (a local Detroit station) from 1936 to 1952. ABC then adapted "The Green Hornet" to television on 1966. The television series starred Van Williams as The Green Hornet and introduced martial arts master Bruce Lee to American audiences as Kato.

Source: Variety

"The Karate Kid" Remake Begins Filming

The remake of the 1984 classic "The Karate Kid" has been officially retitled "The Kung Fu Kid" and has kicked off filming in Beijing last weekend.

The remake stars Jaden Smith (son of Will Smith) as Dre, a video game buff who is forced to move to China when his single mother (Taraji P. Henson) is transferred there for work. Unable to speak Chinese, Dre gets beat up by the local bully. Jackie Chan will play Mr. Han, a maintenance man who offers to teach Dre martial arts.

"The Kung Fu Kid" is being directed by Harald Zwart (The Pink Panther 2) and written by Steven Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness).

In the original "The Karate Kid," Pat Morita plays the building handyman Mr. Miyagi who trains one of his young tenants, portrayed by Ralph Macchio, into an accomplished karate fighter.

"The Kung Fu Kid" is scheduled for release in the US on June 11, 2010.

Source: Yahoo! News

Movie Trailer: "District 9"

The full trailer for the upcoming sci-fi flick "District 9" is now online thanks to Yahoo! Movies. The film is directed by Neill Blomkamp and produced by Peter Jackson.

The film is about an extraterrestrial race that has landed in Africa and is forced to live and work in slum-like conditions.

"District 9" is scheduled for release in the US on August 14, 2009.

Movie Trailer: "Jennifer's Body"

Sorry there hasn't been any updates for the past week as I was hospitalised for dengue fever. Anyway, here's the red band trailer for the horror film "Jennifer's Body", directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Diablo Cody. The film stars Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody and J.K. Simmons.

A cheerleader in a small town becomes the girl from hell when she gets possessed and begins killing her male classmates.

"Jennifer's Body" is scheduled for release in the US on September 18, 2009.

Movie Trailer: "Couples Retreat"

Here's the trailer for the upcoming comedy film "Couples Retreat", directed by Peter Billingsley and written by Jon Favreau, who also stars in the film. The cast also includes Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis and Peter Serafinowicz. The music for this movie is composed by A.R. Rahman, making his Hollywood debut.

A comedy centred around four couples who go on a vacation to a tropical-island resort. While one of the couples is there to work on the marriage, the others fail to realise that participation in the resort's therapy sessions is not optional.

"Couples Retreat" is scheduled for release in the US on October 9, 2009.

Movie Trailer: "The Invention Of Lying"

Warner Bros. Pictures has released the first trailer for Ricky Gervais' upcoming comedy, "The Invention of Lying".

The film is set on an alternate reality where no one has ever lied. Yes, everyone... from politicians to advertisers speaks the truth and nothing but the truth. But when a down-on-his-luck loser named Mark (Gervais) suddenly develops the ability to lie, he finds that dishonesty has its rewards.

"The Invention Of Lying" opens in the US on September 25, 2009.

"Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen" Movie Review

Director: Michael Bay
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Ramon Rodriguez

Overall this movie is much bigger and louder than the previous installment. Having a bigger budget, we get to see more robots and bigger action sequences, which are exactly what the fans wanted. Basically they took everything that is good about the first movie and put them on steroids.

However, this movie does have a few flaws. Let's start with the new Autobots characters Mudflap and Skids aka the Twins. I understand they are included in the film solely to appeal to children but I can't help but find them annoying. I feel that they are the equivalent of Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars Episode I. And then there's a scene where Wheelie decides to defect to the Autobots and humps Megan Fox's leg. WTF?

The introduction of the new villain 'The Fallen' is totally wasted. Even though the movie is titled "Revenge Of The Fallen", The Fallen gets less screen time compared to the Twins. He is revealed to be one of the original thirteen Transformers and his brothers were unable to kill him and instead had to sacrifice themselves to seal him away. But in the movie's climax, Optimus Prime was able to kill The Fallen without breaking a sweat. Can someone explain this to me please?

"Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen" is everything a big summer blockbuster should be. It has great action and fantastic effects, and I recommend you to go see it. I would have given the movie a higher score but I'm only going to give it a 7/10 because of its few flaws I mentioned earlier.

Score: 7/10