The 2 Hobbit movies have official titles and release dates now...
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/movies/titles-and-release-dates-announced-for-two-part-hobbit-prequel/story-e6frf9h6-1226066311593
10 years ago
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Hobbit
The 2 Hobbit movies have official titles and release dates now...
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/movies/titles-and-release-dates-announced-for-two-part-hobbit-prequel/story-e6frf9h6-1226066311593
Monday, May 30, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Review - Karak
Karak. A tiny town in Pahang. Used to be the way for KL people to go to Kuantan. Not anymore, after the highway was built. There were plenty of urban legends and ghostly stories associated with the back roads of Karak. So when I heard KRU Studios was going to do a movie about them, I was excited. Even more excited when I find out Shahir (of AF8 fame) was starring in it. Yes, yes, I am a closet Shahir fan. Shhh.... dun tell anyone... hihi...
So yesterday, I was suddenly informed that Karak the movie had a premiere showing in KLCC. Premiere means stars would be there so I jumped to the chance to go. Plus KLCC is really near my office.
My media invite/entrance pass...
So the movie begins with a family stranded at the side of the road. Car problems. So the husband went off to find help, leaving the wife and baby in the car. Yup, this is the creature eating the husband urban legend. Seriously creepy scene. But it turns out it was just Nik (Shahir) telling the story in a car with three others.
They were stuck in a jam on the highway because there was a huge accident up front. They needed to get back to Kuantan because of classes in the morning so they decided to use the back roads, which would require them passing through Karak town. They stopped for a breather and that's when trouble started. The paranormal kind.
Story-wise, the plot really was exciting and new. There had never been a movie about Malay urban legend before. At least not that I know of. Or I remember. The opening scene with the flying creature eating the husband was good and creepy and scary. Dare I say it, right up there with the murder of Drew Barrymore in Scream. Okay, okay, it's not that good. Maybe Jada Pinkett's murder in Scream 2. Haha. But yes, it was good.
So the scene really set the expectations in my mind about the movie. And when they stopped at Karak town, the mood from the opener was still strong and the scare/horror kept on coming. Although I do detest the usage of loud music just to scare people or make them jump, there were genuine scares and horror abound.
At least until after a third of the movie. Then, it was just ghostly barrages, one after another. So much so that the entities stopped being scary.
I do feel the movie was split into three. The first part - scary shit. The second part - confusion. The third part - wrapping up. But looking at it now (and remembering), it was not as bad as I thought. I do have issues with part 2 and 3 of the movie.
For example: why would you pull a Sofea Jane and go 'berkemban' in the middle of the night and in the middle of a jungle when you just came out of an accident caused by ghostly presence and you are staying in at a creepy man's house. You might get mauled by a creature or a tiger or even by the creepy old man. The sexual part is unnecessary I think.
The necklace? What's the significance of it? Is that the source of the demonic activity? But she was already harassed by it before she put that thing on. So which is it? Which entity was actually doing the haunting? The one that was already at the house or the one that's been following them since they stopped at Karak? Why follow her? Why follow their car? It was never really explained why things are happening to them, except for the fact that the entity wanted to corrupt the girl. Hmm, sometimes I wish scary movies would stop using religion as the go to object to solve the hauntings. It's cliche and if it really was that easy to get rid off the entities, then why not just straight away call for the bomoh or pak imam and deal with it in the first five minutes of the movie? Coz there won't be a movie... I know...
Also, during the opening credits... it would have been a lot nicer if they put in a montage or illustrations of the Karak urban legends... at least, we'd know em before we watch this movie... I am sure some people don't know of the legends...
Acting-wise, pretty good debut for most of them. Shahir and Shera Aiyob, was pretty natural and kinda convincing in their acting. The best friend guy, Md Eyzendy, is no beginner, having been in two other horror movies in recent memory, Seru and Khurafat. In Seru, his character was the same as the one in Karak. The disbeliever. Even though the evidence is right there in front of his face. Kilafairy, the girl who went Sofea Jane in the jungle, was the weakest of the four. Not sure whether it was due to her inexperience or because that's the way her character was written. So damned annoying. Guess that's the cliched dumb blonde characters in horror movies that are always first to die.
So, all things considered, is this a good movie? Like all of April's horror flicks, this movie fell short of its intended awesomeness. Which would make one think that people are just jumping on the horror bandwagon because horror movies are quite profitable... just checked Finas' website... I stand corrected... the previous years' horror movies were profitable... April's movies were all not profitable... Khurafat was the only horror to make it big... hmm, maybe that had something to do with it was the only Malay movie showing in that part of January... and now all the Malay movies have to fight against the summer blockbusters...
Anyway, Karak is pretty watchable. The first 1/3 of the movie is really good and would satisfy horror movie fans. The rest of the movie? Just leave logic and brain at the door and enjoy... I know I did... :)
P/S - Now that I really think about it... it made no sense that the three of them are dead but they still interact with one another and we get to see their interactions... whose POV was that? When Nik and Jack were talking... if only Shera Ayub's character survived, then shouldn't she be in all the scenes where the other three are talking?
PP/S - What exactly did Tok Malam see when the entity using his wife's face were grappling with Nik and Jack? Coz he could not see Nik and Jack in the flashback. So he would've just seen the entity right? Speaking of Tok Malam, why did he not yank the necklace off of the girl when he sees her wearing it?
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Final Two
The final two performing tonight! Will it be Lauren? Will it be Scotty? I prefer Lauren coz she can sing a wide variety of genres but I think Scotty will take the title... Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Trailer - True Blood
True Blood will be back on the small screen soon since most of the regular fall shows are finishing up... time for summer shows to start...
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Review - On Stranger Tides
Whoa. It’s the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie already? Wow.
The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was phenomenal. The Curse of the Black Pearl propelled its three stars to superstardom. Okay, okay, Johnny Depp has always been a superstar but his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow actually earned him his first Oscar nomination and solidified his career. Orlando Bloom was already famous as Legolas from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but this movie proved he could be a swashbuckling hero without the pointy ears. Keira Knightley went on to earn an Oscar nomination for her work in Pride and Prejudice.
So yes, it was a phenomenal movie. The right amount of humor, the right amount of action, the right amount of romance.
You would think that there’s no more storylines and that they would leave the series alone right? No. At World’s End left it open-ended.
Fast forward to this year. On Stranger Tides opens. I was first turned off by it because I thought the other two Pirates of the Caribbean movies were not as good as the first one. And then I read Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom were not coming back. Not really a good sign.
Penelope Cruz was then cast as the female lead. Guess they really haven’t had a Spanish influence on Pirates of the Caribbean yet. I like Penelope Cruz. She was the single best thing about Nine. I love musicals but there was no saving that. Okay, maybe Marion Cotillard was good as well.
Anyway, I saw the trailer. But it did not really excite me still. But it is a Pirates of the Caribbean movie and it is Johnny Depp… so I went to watch it anyway.
On Stranger Tides starts with Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) attempting to rescue one of his crew. Then he hears a rumor about him recruiting people to go to the Fountain of Youth. Which peaked his interest because he was not the one recruiting. Turns out, it was Angelica (Penelope Cruz) who was recruiting in his name/disguise. Angelica wants to go to the Fountain of Youth to help her father, the infamous Black Beard, who is dying. Hot on their trails is Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who has a score to settle with Black Beard… and the Spanish fleet, who are also seeking out the legendary fountain.
So there you have it. This movie is about the adventure to go find the Fountain of Youth. And what an adventure it is. Seriously. I thought the movie might have lost its magic and/or spark but I was wrong. It still got it. Johnny Depp did not phone in his performance and Penelope Cruz is a fine addition to the series.
However, the movie did get off to a slow start. Like the first few minutes for example. It’s classic Jack Sparrow. Has a ‘been there, done that’ vibe. But as soon as they get off sailing the high seas, then the movie starts to take on top form. I’m talking about zombies and mermaids and ghost ships.
Is this movie any better than the first three movies? It is definitely in a class of its own. In a good way. Nothing can touch the first movie though. Not even the second and third movie. But this one comes quite close to equaling the amount of thrills from the first movie. I guess the second movie suffered greatly because the ending was a set-up for the third movie and that turned off most people. Just like the second Matrix movie… felt like an unfinished movie...
But I am not saying they were bad movies… just not as good…
So I guess if there were a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, then I’ll go watch it and it will probably be good as well. Or they could pull a Fast & Furious and have the next movie with Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom… but Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow is essentially the movie so not sure if it would work…
The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was phenomenal. The Curse of the Black Pearl propelled its three stars to superstardom. Okay, okay, Johnny Depp has always been a superstar but his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow actually earned him his first Oscar nomination and solidified his career. Orlando Bloom was already famous as Legolas from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but this movie proved he could be a swashbuckling hero without the pointy ears. Keira Knightley went on to earn an Oscar nomination for her work in Pride and Prejudice.
So yes, it was a phenomenal movie. The right amount of humor, the right amount of action, the right amount of romance.
You would think that there’s no more storylines and that they would leave the series alone right? No. At World’s End left it open-ended.
Fast forward to this year. On Stranger Tides opens. I was first turned off by it because I thought the other two Pirates of the Caribbean movies were not as good as the first one. And then I read Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom were not coming back. Not really a good sign.
Penelope Cruz was then cast as the female lead. Guess they really haven’t had a Spanish influence on Pirates of the Caribbean yet. I like Penelope Cruz. She was the single best thing about Nine. I love musicals but there was no saving that. Okay, maybe Marion Cotillard was good as well.
Anyway, I saw the trailer. But it did not really excite me still. But it is a Pirates of the Caribbean movie and it is Johnny Depp… so I went to watch it anyway.
On Stranger Tides starts with Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) attempting to rescue one of his crew. Then he hears a rumor about him recruiting people to go to the Fountain of Youth. Which peaked his interest because he was not the one recruiting. Turns out, it was Angelica (Penelope Cruz) who was recruiting in his name/disguise. Angelica wants to go to the Fountain of Youth to help her father, the infamous Black Beard, who is dying. Hot on their trails is Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who has a score to settle with Black Beard… and the Spanish fleet, who are also seeking out the legendary fountain.
So there you have it. This movie is about the adventure to go find the Fountain of Youth. And what an adventure it is. Seriously. I thought the movie might have lost its magic and/or spark but I was wrong. It still got it. Johnny Depp did not phone in his performance and Penelope Cruz is a fine addition to the series.
However, the movie did get off to a slow start. Like the first few minutes for example. It’s classic Jack Sparrow. Has a ‘been there, done that’ vibe. But as soon as they get off sailing the high seas, then the movie starts to take on top form. I’m talking about zombies and mermaids and ghost ships.
Is this movie any better than the first three movies? It is definitely in a class of its own. In a good way. Nothing can touch the first movie though. Not even the second and third movie. But this one comes quite close to equaling the amount of thrills from the first movie. I guess the second movie suffered greatly because the ending was a set-up for the third movie and that turned off most people. Just like the second Matrix movie… felt like an unfinished movie...
But I am not saying they were bad movies… just not as good…
So I guess if there were a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, then I’ll go watch it and it will probably be good as well. Or they could pull a Fast & Furious and have the next movie with Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom… but Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow is essentially the movie so not sure if it would work…
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
AI Top 3
The Top 3 performs! Which one will be eliminated?
Scotty McCreery? Haley Reinhart? Lauren Alaina?
Scotty McCreery? Haley Reinhart? Lauren Alaina?
http://www.rickey.org/haley-reinhart-what-is-and-what-should-never-be-american-idol-top-3-video-mp3/
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Casting - Two and a Half Men
Charlie Sheen has been replaced...http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/cbs-confirms-ashton-kutcher-will-join-two-and-a-half-men--2967
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Eliminations
So Idol now only has three left... who went home? The Rocker? The Country Girl? The Husky Voiced Girl or The Country Boy?
Thursday, May 12, 2011
AI Top 4
http://www.rickey.org/haley-reinhart-i-who-have-nothing-american-idol-top-4-video-mp3/
http://www.rickey.org/james-durbin-love-potion-no-9-american-idol-top-4-video-mp3/Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Casting - The Host
Saoirse Ronan has been cast as The Host...
http://www.deadline.com/2011/05/twilight-saga-author-stephenie-meyers-the-host-lands-saoirse-ronan-to-star/
Monday, May 9, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie Awards has announced its nominees...http://www.hitfix.com/articles/twilight-harry-potter-inception-dominate-mtv-movie-awards-nominees
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
AI Top 5
American Idol Top 5 performing two songs...http://www.rickey.org/ai10-recap-yesterday-today-whos-gone-tomorrow/
http://www.rickey.org/scotty-mccreery-gone-american-idol-top-5-video-mp3/http://www.rickey.org/scotty-mccreery-always-on-my-mind-american-idol-top-5-video-mp3/
http://www.rickey.org/lauren-alaina-flat-on-the-floor-american-idol-top-5-video-mp3/http://www.rickey.org/lauren-alaina-unchained-melody-american-idol-top-5-video-mp3/
http://www.rickey.org/james-durbin-without-you-american-idol-top-5-video-mp3/http://www.rickey.org/james-durbin-closer-to-the-edge-american-idol-top-5-video-mp3/
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Review - The Roommate
The Roommate... it's like Single White Female, the college years... except this one is less psychotic... but definitely not any less scary...
Single White Female is 1992 movie starring Bridget Fonda as the one looking for a roommate and Jennifer Jason Leigh as the psychotic roommate. Leigh's character had a twin sister who died and she never forgave herself so she goes around trying to find a replacement for the sister, by assuming the identity/looks of her roommate.
The Roommate stars Minka Kelly in the Bridget Fonda role and Leighton Meester in the Jennifer Jason Leigh role, except this time, she has psychological issues like multiple personalities or something, instead of a trauma.
But the rest of the movie goes similar to Single White Female's plots. Every time something bad happens to Sara (Minka Kelly), Rebecca (Leighton Meester) would take care of it. Up to a point where she would murder someone. Even murdering an animal. Just like in the 1992 movie.
Does these make The Roommate bad? Actually, it is unfortunate that it was written that way. Either a homage or just plainly trying to make it Single White Female: The College Years... but you can't not compare the two... however, The Roommate was not a bad movie...
Minka Kelly, who incidentally looks a little bit like Megan Fox and Jaclyn Smith... who incidentally would star in a remake of Jaclyn Smith's old show, Charlie's Angels... she did a good job as the 'straight' roommate... she's adorable and pretty...
I haven't seen Gossip Girl at all... but Leighton Meester's doing a good job at being angelic and devilish at the same time... quite creepy...
Cam Gigandet is seriously making a career out of playing the cute boyfriend to the main character... this is like his second role in 2011 after Burlesque...
The Roommate is a nice thriller, bit of a dumbed-down version of Single White Female... but it is nice nonetheless...
Oh, for The Vampire Diaries' fans... you can find both Elena and Bonnie in this movie... yup, Nina Dobrev has a cameo and Katerina Graham plays one of the students that live in the same dorm as the main characters. :)
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Review - Thor
I am a comic geek, but I have to admit that I don’t read nearly enough comics. Mostly I stick to the X-Men. And Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8. Maybe I am just a comic fan or comic reader?
But I do know a thing or two about comic superheroes. This summer, we’re getting a bunch of superhero movies, beginning with Thor, followed by the Green Lantern, X-Men (First Class) and Captain America.
So the first one out in cinemas is Thor, the Norse God of Thunder.
You know, this movie was foreshadowed in Iron Man 2. After the credits, there was a short clip of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, being discovered.
The cast of this movie consists of Chris Hemsworth (A Perfect Getaway) as Thor, Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs) as Odin, Tom Hiddleton as Loki and a barely recognizable Rene Russo as Odin’s mother.
The human cast consists of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Stellan Skasgard as Dr Selvig, Kat Dennings as Darcy and Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson.
Kenneth Brannagh, who is notable as an actor and director of a bunch of Shakespearean movies, directed this movie. At first I thought it was John Favreau, directing because it had touches of Iron Man in it but I suppose there’s not much leeway when it comes to superhero movies, especially two from the same stable. And it is not necessarily a bad thing. Iron Man was a delicious movie that was full of heart and action and was anchored by a great leading man who is charming, sexy and a bit dark. J
Chris Hemsworth is definitely not Robert Downey Jr but he did not do a bad job with Thor. He is charismatic and tall and blonde and hot and sexy… and cocky … just like Thor.
Natalie Portman’s role as Jane Foster should be a walk in the park for an actress of her caliber, especially after Black Swan.
But I do know a thing or two about comic superheroes. This summer, we’re getting a bunch of superhero movies, beginning with Thor, followed by the Green Lantern, X-Men (First Class) and Captain America.
So the first one out in cinemas is Thor, the Norse God of Thunder.
You know, this movie was foreshadowed in Iron Man 2. After the credits, there was a short clip of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, being discovered.
The cast of this movie consists of Chris Hemsworth (A Perfect Getaway) as Thor, Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs) as Odin, Tom Hiddleton as Loki and a barely recognizable Rene Russo as Odin’s mother.
The human cast consists of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Stellan Skasgard as Dr Selvig, Kat Dennings as Darcy and Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson.
Kenneth Brannagh, who is notable as an actor and director of a bunch of Shakespearean movies, directed this movie. At first I thought it was John Favreau, directing because it had touches of Iron Man in it but I suppose there’s not much leeway when it comes to superhero movies, especially two from the same stable. And it is not necessarily a bad thing. Iron Man was a delicious movie that was full of heart and action and was anchored by a great leading man who is charming, sexy and a bit dark. J
Chris Hemsworth is definitely not Robert Downey Jr but he did not do a bad job with Thor. He is charismatic and tall and blonde and hot and sexy… and cocky … just like Thor.
Natalie Portman’s role as Jane Foster should be a walk in the park for an actress of her caliber, especially after Black Swan.
The supporting casts is quite good here, bringing a level of humor and lightheartedness to the movie that would not have been there because Thor and Jane are far too serious here.
So… was the movie good enough for a summer blockbuster? For a superhero movie? For a Marvel movie? Yes definitely.
But I do think it’s missing a bit more action. Like for example… when Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three rushed back to Asgard to thwart off Loki, there was no fighting left, other than the inevitable fight between Thor and Loki. What of the Frost Giants? There should be a big final battle at the end. But I guess that was wishful thinking on my part.
The ending of this movie did not really suggest Thor 2 but of course, much was left hanging and since this movie was quite good, I am thinking that there might be more Thor after this. But we’ll have to wait and see for the box-office figures yes? But definitely more Thor in the upcoming Avengers movie.
Ooh, ooh, speaking of the Avengers… Hawkman has a cameo in this movie. When I saw Jeremy Renner’s face, I was deliriously happy and clapping like a loony. Unfortunately, I wished he’d do more than just stand around.
Like every other Marvel superhero movie, there is a post-credits scene where Dr Selvig is taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility where he meets Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) and was asked to study a recently discovered Cosmic Cube. It was also revealed that Selvig was under the control of Loki, who had been transported to Earth.
In case you had to leave before the credits end… :)
Monday, May 2, 2011
Box Office
Fast Five upstaged Rio...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/01/boxoffice-chart-idUSN0320628820110501
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Birth - Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey safely delivered her twins...
And... Beyonce made a new video based on Michelle Obama's campaign against childhood obesity, which is a cute, fun video that is a re-do of Get Me Bodied...
