In Time for the conspiracy and Trespass on the Rich and famous

In Time is an excuse for the director to put all of the gorgeous people that Hollywood have to offer in one film, it’s the best of how corporate America have finally made the super-super-major mother load, it’s also a love story of a commoner from the ghetto with the princess in the castle.

The storyline is simple, money is replaced with time, u are given a year to live after you reached 25. And the richer you are the more time you have. Even the market is traded in time.

Spoilers~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The twist is when a rich man who’s lived for ages want to die, he gave it all to a man in the ghetto. After losing his mom just seconds from her time loss, he decided to go to the riches area. Of course to have so many time suddenly, he is hunted by the “Time Keeper”. The symbolism really resemblance today’s markets and corporation darkness. And talk about having all the up-and-coming star in the movie, Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried, of course, Justin Timberlake finally as the leading man, and suitably this time too. We see Matt Bomer, and Alex Pettyfer. Vincent Kartheiser is always weird to watch in character, Collins Pennie and Toby Hemingway, but one person who actually looked older than the citizen of the future should look like is Cillian Murphy, not that I’m complaining though on the acting, he’s fantastic as the chief time keeper.

the love story side of the movie is really Bonnie and Clyde really, even until the ending. the love bird Chasing the rush of destroying the very "Time institution" and going for the bigger and bigger Timer.

This is a movie that I think everyone should watch, because it actually puts money into perspective with the replacement of it with life time in the movie literally.

Another movie that came out last week is Trespass. And I believe many people have pass by this movie a dozen time and decide not to watch it. Simply, I think for the new generation, the Nicholas Cage-Nicole Kidman combination really isn’t that attractive to them. But I find that Nicholas Cage is simply in great in the reluctant father and husband with money character. But I must say, the chemistry is a bit lacking and I can feel the strain in the acting almost trying too hard. One person I find acting pretty effectively and convincingly is Cam Gigandet. The semi-Psychotic brother of the burglar and conspirator. there’s not much of a suspense in the movie really. Right from the start the adultery is revealed. Or has it?

It’s a pretty straight forward thriller, but maybe it’s too straight forward, the pressure point is too weak and too quickly resolved for audience to register.

Lion King in 3D Vs Paranormal Activity 3 which 3 you’d rather?

Finally the Lion King has landed in Asian soil. The King of the vast land and Pioneer of CGI Simulated 3D on 2D format, is here. It’s proven that the moving spectacle in2D have pop out of the big Screen this year and once again capture and mesmerizes every living children soul in all of us once again.

As I was watching the familiar storyline, I still can’t stop myself chuckling at Pumbaa and Timon’s Joke line. And the love gaze of Simba and Nala still evoke those eagerness for pure love when we are young. And to see the semi-British accent of Scar is simply remarkable, and amaze me about the writing of the 90’s of such animation. What’s lack in visual then is filled to the fullest potential by the script written, every words that comes out of the character are the brilliant still until now. And now it really comes into full cycle with the 3D effects showing such great visual stimulation.

Now we go from a huge budged animated fantasy to the low, very low budget realist approach horror movie. Which one is the best? If you ask the studio, both of this is earning big bucks, to use old footage of a popular animated movie and put in 3D effects surely cost less than creating one from scratch. But still the budget of putting in the effects can be far more expensive than the Paranormal. Because it don’t need much money, hell it don’t even need any famous people for the sound or acting for that matter. It’s realist movie, which means the flaw is the essence to making such movie real.

So the movie only takes a mere 3 mill to make and have been raking havoc on the box office. Would the studio keep producing this kinda movie? Well with the budget and the profit, you betcha.

Is the movie scary? For first timer, maybe, for old timer? Not so much, the first movie is boring for most part, the second is….. mysterious, because using a dog and we don’t see the actors coming out to promote much this time thus making it more real and people does wonder if the studio is using real footage. This time using unknown again, you find that it’s on sub point level on the scare Richter. The Bloody Mary scene is pretty scary. But the ending simply is a short simple and ridiculous explanation to it all.

Real Steel is a K.O. for The Thing

We are on the band wagon too last week. Real Steel, again for 2 weeks in a roll. And the metal keeps rolling.

To tell the truth, the story is good, the idea is refreshing, the effects are amazing. But the chemistry I must say is a little bit off. It’s either the shot is not focus enough at some moving moments or some editing timing lapse that cause the chemistry to strain. There are something off on this one.

However, one great thing that comes off this big boy is Dakota Goyo. Look out for this boy. Man can he act. Every single emotion is on point. Every move he makes is perfectly in sync with every shot. And he’s only 12. Damn. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, he’s the young Thor that we saw at the 20 minutes mark of the Thos movie.

Alright, back to the movie, a story of a slacker, ex great boxer, abandon when the sport went south to using robots. He become the robots pilot and he is not a good one at it. To say the most here comes the son he never wanted. The ex-Wife died and he is left to take care of his son for a while. And as stubborn as the two try to be, they bonded for the first time and the rest is history. It’s a love story, of a reluctant father and an abandoned child reconnected. Using the effects and the fights as a back ground very Rocky and very Over The Top –esque. Very Stallone really, awkward father, smart child, the sports background.

Another movie opening this week is The Thing. I don’t know is anyone still remembers the original. It’s about 30 years back. I was just 10 when I watch it on replay on the big screen. It’s one of those movie that’s far too in front of the pack that people have a hard time to swallow the too futuristic aspect of the idea of a shadow-morphing body snatcher. It’s on the same blazing trail with Aliens, and Encounter with the Third Kind. The John Carpenter Version is totally not gimmicky too.

Anyhow, the Thing is not a remake. Rather it is a prequel to the 1982. If you remember it, the original is more suspenseful. A lot of pre-design plot lay on the station because the station started with burned and charred before everyone realize they are being attacked. Fast forward to the new movie, or rather backwards to the current movie time line before the station is blew up. The new movie, explains all the missing pieces, where did the ice block came from, where are all the people from the station, and why are there are a guy trying to kill a dog and a heli blown up?

This year, going back a couple of days of the original, a science team make one of the most amazing discovery ever. The site is enormous and a group of scientist is assembled to research on the discovery. And they have found the creature that have triggered the signal from the site that lead to the scientist to discover the site, under the ice. And all hell break loose. Before anyone can figure it out. Half of the team is already taken. And suspense ensue when one of them discover the sinister way the alien try to take over the station.

the unlikely pair of What's Your Numbers? and The Three Musketeers

What’s your Number? is the question to ask this week. Sex much anyone?!! Haha the sex theme romance comedy are full of Chris Evans and Anna Faris style comedic timing. The charm of Chris chisel…… ahemmmmm…… body….. language and Anna Faris classic clumsy dumb-blonde antiques. No one can make it more natural and strangely enough the awkward chemistry between the 2 mingle perfectly and is really refreshing too. Rather than those look pretty, and act dumb a little bit and lots of strange smooch kinda romantic comedy, or the dumb ass spoofing kind, this one smell pretty fresh really. And I must say, McHale?! How many movies are you in this year?

Anyhow, there’s a tons of laughter in the cinema, Anna plays more than average reluctant sex kitten, 19 bad one is a really big number indeed. And Chris Evans as always is the next door sex machine. Have you ever see one movie without his stripping off either his shirt or pants? Anyhow, there not much flirtation around. Which makes it quite unique, the relationship start when Anna try to not break her number 20 by finding her old one back to get married to. And Chris is finding them for her. And just like that it….. happen. Unpretentious, even by movie standard, everything is really organic, that’s pretty amazing in the genre that pride themselves on every pretentious angle you can get to squeeze out any laughter from the audience.

Of course the biggest opening oversea this week, is non-other than the star-studded Three Musketeer. With Logan Lerman helming(not really any helmet in the movie at all) as the charismatic young D’Artagnan, Mathew Macfadyen as heartbroken betrayed Athos, the up-and-coming Luke Evans (he’s appear in more movies this 2 years than I can count. And he’ll be a really Sexy Zeus next month in Immortals.) as the ever gentleman Aramis and the rough and tumble third musketeer,Porthos, is carried by the rough and rugged Ray Stevenson.(always a delight to see a Irish strut their ruggedness on screen. They just seem so right for the part.)

The story are pretty close to the original, except for the stealing of the war machine part, and the young dumb king part. I like the wider angle takes on most part of the fight scene. Young D’Artagnan come to town to be a musketeer, meet and wanna fight with everyone and setup one with all three, Athos, Porthos and Aramis. But before they begin they are interrupted by the Rochefort, by the ever evil looking (except is artsy independence movie) Mads Mikkelsen (hense the name…no pun intended) captain of the Cardinal Guards. The true Evil behind the screen of course is the Cardinal, by the talented Christopher Waltz (oh he just play villain so well.), who have actually taken the most of the power from the young king Louis. And the quest to help the queen to divert attacks and scheme from the Cardinal begins as D’Artagnan arrival injected a new energy to the faith-lost-still-dashing-and-skillful Musketeers.

Somehow, the biggest names that’s actually promoted the most is not all of the above mentioned, it’s Orlando Bloom as Buckingham and Milla Jovovich as Milady, who both in the original story merely another Pawn in the hands of the Cardinal. Of course no one can miss James Corden as Planchet and Juno Temple as the Queen. The cast is so…. New and energetic and it’s refreshing while story is not though. It is pretty surprising though to see the graceful gore master behind Resident Evil and Event Horizon to be doing a classic like Musketeer but the 3D shot is just perfect. After the testing with Resident Evil:Afterlife, Milla’s husband just did it again and this time it blend perfectly to the story.

it's really funny to have seen 3 remake of the story already now. so which would you rather, the Chris O'Donnell version with Charlie Sheen(Yes, he is a Musketeer once) and Keifer Sutherland (I think this one is the best cast ever) ,or the less known Justin Chambers' version..... or the new reinvented Logan Lerman version?

RIP Steve Jobs

Will The Killer Beat the Ghost of the Past?!

Our weekend start with the very unlikely killer pairing in the world, anyone can imagine Robert De Niro as a Killer Papa from Meet the Parents? And to pair Jason Statham with Clive Owen as opposite? I always love Clive Owen subtle English Acting. And when you fuse it with the raw action star power Statham has. You got some very quiet momentum under the belt.

All seriousness aside, the movie is a successful blend. The smart hired assassin versus the spy. The action is beautifully choreographed. The character have a great depth. All in all it’s a very enjoyable movie to watch as Robert De Niro show us that he is not too old to move around a little bit. And of course the humor is as always spot on.

Another movie of the week is the Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig “Love Sparky” movie. Dream House is where they fell in love…. Ahhhh. And [moan for all the ladies] rumors aside, it’s pretty compacted. A new twist to the normal ghost story. It reminded me of a movie of Schizophrenia that I can’t remember the name of. But all in all the love story merges with the baseline story really well. Love the family theme, the suspense, and the character changes in the middle. Though the transition is a little stiff in the nut house scene, and people keep wandering what just happen. And before anything falls into it’s place in the end the story is kinda told and finished with. If you want a love story with a little suspense this is the one to walk to this week