10 reasons why I hate 'Quantum Of Solace'

I believe 'Quantum of Solace' is one of the worst Bond movies that I've seen. I will tell you why.


10) Daniel Craig is not a bad actor, But can we see a smile once in a while? And what's with the disheveled look? Where's the tuxedo? And there's no humour and one-liners either.
9) What happened to the gun barrel sequence at the beginning of the film? Maybe the director does not want to remind us that we are watching a Bond movie. Instead the gun barrel sequence appears at the end of the movie.
8) The title song sung by Alicia Key and Jack White is possibly one of the worst Bond songs ever. The tune is so monotonous and boring. Give me Shirley Bassey or Sheena Easton anytime.
7) The opening car chase sequence made me nauseous. The poor shooting and editing of the scene made it look like an MTV video.
6) Bring back Moneypenny and Q! What's a Bond movie without the gadgets and the firtations.
5) Dominic Green must be the worst villain in Bond history. There's nothing evil about him at all. While the villains in the other Bond movies plan to destroy earth or detonate nuclear bombs, Greene's crime is stealing water! And in the final fight scene between Greene and Bond, did you notice how Green keeps squealing like a girl.
4) And what about the henchman?! With a name like Elvis, who could be afraid of him? He looks like a sissy with his toupee. Remember Jaws and Oddjob?
3) Even though it's a supposed to be a sequel from 'Casino Royale', must Bond keep reminding us of how sad he is of losing Vesper? "Boo-hoo, Vesper is dead, and I'm so sad. Boo-hoo-hoo." Get over it, dude!
2) There's no chemistry between Bond and the female leads. Rolling Stone magazine calls Camille "perhaps the dullest Bond girl ever." Whatever happened to the final scene where Bond always nails his leading lady?
1) James Bond is NOT Jason Bourne! QOS is trying to imitate something which is not meant to be. And like Jason Bourne, who has forgotten his identity, had Bond or maybe the producers acquired amnesia too?

Nominations for the 66th Golden Globe Awards

Here are the nominees for the 66th Golden Globe Awards. Winners will be announced on Sunday January 11th 2009.

The biggest surprise of the list is Tom Cruise who earned a Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 'Tropic Thunder'. Personally I'm disappointed that 'The Dark Knight' was not nominated for Best Motion Picture, and neither was director Christopher Nolan nominated. Anyway my prediction is that 'Benjamin Button' will sweep the awards this year with Best Motion Picture (Drama), Best Actor (Brad Pitt) and Best Director(David Fincher).

Best Motion Picture - Drama
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio for Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn for Milk
Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie for Changeling
Meryl Streep for Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas for Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Javier Bardem for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrell for In Bruges
James Franco for Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson for In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman for Last Chance Harvey

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Rebecca Hall for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand for Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep for Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson for Last Chance Harvey

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Tom Cruise for Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes for The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams for Doubt
Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis for Doubt
Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler
Kate Winslet for The Reader

Best Director - Motion Picture
Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry for The Reader
David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes for Revolutionary Road

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Eric Roth, Robin Swicord
Doubt: John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon: Peter Morgan
The Reader: David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire: Simon Beaufoy

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Bolt ("I Thought I Lost You")
Cadillac Records ("Once in a Lifetime")
Gran Torino ("Gran Torino")
WALL·E ("Down to Earth")
The Wrestler ("The Wrestler")

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Changeling : Clint Eastwood
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button : Alexandre Desplat
Defiance : James Newton Howard
Frost/Nixon : Hans Zimmer
Slumdog Millionaire : A.R. Rahman

Best Animated Film
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL·E

Best Foreign Language Film
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (Germany)
Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick (Sweden/Denmark)
Gomorra (Italy)
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (France)
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

Best Television Series - Drama
Dexter
House M.D.
In Treatment
Mad Men
True Blood

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Californication
Entourage
The Office
30 Rock
Weeds

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Bernard and Doris
Cranford
John Adams
A Raisin in the Sun
Recount

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Ralph Fiennes for Bernard and Doris
Paul Giamatti for John Adams
Kevin Spacey for Recount
Kiefer Sutherland for 24: Redemption
Tom Wilkinson for Recount

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Judi Dench for Cranford
Catherine Keener for An American Crime
Laura Linney for John Adams
Shirley MacLaine for Coco Chanel
Susan Sarandon for Bernard and Doris

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock
Steve Carell for The Office
Kevin Connolly for Entourage
David Duchovny for Californication
Tony Shalhoub for Monk

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Christina Applegate for Samantha Who?
America Ferrera for Ugly Betty
Tina Fey for 30 Rock
Debra Messing for The Starter Wife
Mary-Louise Parker for Weeds

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Gabriel Byrne for In Treatment
Michael C. Hall for Dexter
Jon Hamm for Mad Men
Hugh Laurie for House M.D.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers for The Tudors

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
Sally Field for Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
January Jones for Mad Men
Anna Paquin for True Blood
Kyra Sedgwick for The Closer

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Neil Patrick Harris for How I Met Your Mother
Denis Leary for Recount
Jeremy Piven for Entourage
Blair Underwood for In Treatment
Tom Wilkinson for John Adams

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Eileen Atkins for Cranford
Laura Dern for Recount
Melissa George for In Treatment
Rachel Griffiths for Brothers & Sisters
Dianne Wiest for In Treatment

Bolt Caption & SMS Contest

Mittens talking to Bolt: "Have you ever wonder how he does his business in there?"

Astro Boy teaser trailer

How many of you remember Astro Boy? This Japanese anime is currently being made for the big screen and will be released in 2009.

The story tells of a young robot created by a brilliant scientist in the image of the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving man's expectations, the robot embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the father who had rejected him.

The movie will feature voices of Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell, Nicholas Cage and Nathan Lane.

Will the world end in 2012?

With the Mayan calendar ending in 2012, it is believed that the world will end then. This movie is based on this prediction. See the trailer below:

David Cook - The Time Of My Life

This is the studio version (as well as the first single) from American Idol David Cook.

(Please wait while the widget loads.....)

Why didn't David Archuleta win American Idol?

If you are a fan of David Archuleta, you would be crying your heart out that he lost the title to David Cook. The following article from MTVAsia explains what went wrong for the early front-runner:

In a shock to pretty much everyone, it was Cook who walked away with the Idol title, and his margin of victory wasn't even close. The Comb-Over King trounced Archuleta by more than 12 million votes, leaving many Arch-aholics to clutch their Precious Moments figurines tightly, gaze heavenward and wonder just what went wrong.

Well, we're glad you asked. Because we were about as shocked as you were. So we convened an emergency meeting of the MTV News American Idol brain trust, and came up with the following list. It may not lessen the pain of his defeat, but it may get you through the tough times. Or it may just make you mad. You know, whatever.

1. He Was the New England Patriots
More than 97.5 million people tuned in to watch Super Bowl XLII, which featured the undefeated, incredibly hyped (and heavily favored) Patriots take on the New York Giants. And of that audience, do you think more people wanted to see the Pats win and secure their rightful place in history, or lose epically, in a big, bursting ball of flames? Basically, ever since February, when he took a seat behind the big black piano and belted out a version of John Lennon's "Imagine" Archuleta was the Idol version of the Patriots: constantly hyped, shoved down everyone's throats and crowned long before the season was over. Also like the Patriots, none of this was really Arch's fault. Still, the damage was done. America hates a front-runner, which is why there was much rejoicing when the Giants upset the Patriots, and why, in the end, 12 million more people decided to cast their vote for David Cook.

2. He Was Incongruous
David Archuleta mid-note? Graceful, skilled, soulful and powerful. David Archuleta mid-conversation? Gawking, stammering, awkward and goofy. In the history of Idol, there has perhaps been no other contestant who displayed such a disparity between the personal and the professional, and in the end, that cost him. We all loved Archuleta the performer, but after his 47th "aw, shucks" interview (highlighting his bizarre breathing pattern), we were ready to show Archuleta the person the door. This is basically the same thing that did in Melinda Doolittle last season.

3. He Was Al Gore
Or, more specifically, his supporters were Florida Democrats. During the 2000 election, all five major networks called the state of Florida for Democratic candidate Al Gore at 7 p.m. EST, despite the fact that the panhandle of the state actually falls in the Central time zone, meaning that polls there would remain open for another hour. Theoretically, the fact that Gore was the presumed winner could've discouraged Democrats in the panhandle from heading out to the polls, since their candidate had already carried the state. Gore ended up losing Florida by a total of 537 votes. Could Tuesday night's Idol telecast - in which all three judges basically crowned Archuleta as the Idol champ before polls had even opened - have had the same effect? Were Archuleta fans discouraged from voting because they assumed he already had the competition in the bag?

4. He Has a Creepy Stage Dad
There's no nice way to say this: Arch's dad gave pretty much everyone the heebie-jeebies (the goatee, the hat, the resemblance to Kevin Pollak in The Usual Suspects) and his constant presence - not to mention the rumors that his brazen careerism made Joan Crawford and Dina Lohan look like concerned, caring parents - ruined the whole "diamond in the rough" thing for his son. Instead, many came to see Archuleta as a robotic singing machine that had been trained (forced?) to perform since the age of 12 (you know, when he was on Star Search) by his taskmaster father. And when Idol producers banned his father from the backstage area, well, let's just say that didn't help matters any.

5. He Was One-Dimensional
In the end, the biggest knock against Archuleta was that he never showed he had range outside the majestic world of balladry. His choices of songs never strayed much from tried-and-true schmaltz (Robbie Williams' "Angels," the Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road," Neil Diamond's "America"), and when he did try to stretch things a bit, the results were disastrous, like his take on Chris Brown's "With You." While all this may have made him a mortal lock for the cats-and-cardigans set, it didn't endear him much to anyone between the ages of 12 and 40. There's a reason the show isn't called Adult Contemporary Idol.

Scarlett Johansson & Penelope Cruz's lesbian kiss

Scarlett Johansson & Penelope Cruz will share a hot and steamy lesbian sex scene in Woody Allen's upcoming movie "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". Apparently there's also a threesome scene with actor Javier Bardem ("No Country For Old Men").

Just as New York City was the backdrop in Woody Allen's "Manhattan," the stunning city of Barcelona is the setting for the romantic adventures of Vicky and Cristina. These two young Americans spend a summer in Spain and meet a flamboyant artist (Javier Bardem) and his beautiful but insane ex-wife (Penelope Cruz). Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is straight-laced and about to be married. Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is a sexually adventurous free spirit. When they all become amorously entangled, the results are both hilarious and harrowing.

Cool 'Kung Fu Panda' widget

The Incredible Hulk - Behind The Scenes

After 'Iron Man', the next superhero movie to hit our screens this summer will be 'The Incredible Hulk'. Marvel Studios thought that the Ang Lee's version released in 2003 was crap, so they decided to make another one on their own. This version stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner aka Hulk. Tim Roth stars asEmil Blonsky aka The Abomination.

Here's a behind-the-scenes clip of the movie which will be released on 13th June 2008.

Marvel announces Iron Man sequel and more!

With 'Iron Man' soaring into the box office records with a $100.75 million opening weekend debut, Marvel Studios have already started planning the follow-up. The following is taken from Marvel.com:

Fans can expect a second film to hit theaters on April 30, 2010! And a few months later in July, the mighty Thor himself will wield his enchanted hammer across the big screen courtesy of director Matthew Vaughn!

Pumped yet? You should be—and you haven't heard the best part! The summer of 2011 will kick off in style with a Captain America movie, followed just two short months later with the July-debuting Avengers!

Iron Man 'hidden' ending

I know most of you missed the 'hidden' ending which came on after 10 minutes of the credits. So here's a low quality clip for all of you taken from YouTube:

Movie endings that you might have missed

Are you one of those people who walks out of the cinema immediately once the credits start rolling? Or are you one of the few who stays behind and read the credits until the end? If you are the former, you might have missed some great endings to some of the movies.

Nowadays, the directors tend to put additional scenes during or after the credits as an inside joke or a teaser for a possible sequel.

Here's some recent blockbusters with "hidden" endings:

(**Beware: Spoilers Alert**)

Pirates of the Caribbean

We see Captain Barbossa dead in the cave. The monkey is swimming through the water up to the ground and scurries up to the chest of gold. He picks up one of the pieces and you see him turn into a skeleton in the moonlight. The monkey shrieks and lunges towards the camera as the film ends.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

The cannibals are dancing on the island. We see the dog that was left behind sitting on the throne with a bone in his mouth. He has been made chief of the cannibal tribe.

Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End

The words 'Ten Years Later' is shown on the screen. We see a little boy of about ten years old running through the fields by the shore, followed shortly by Elizabeth (Kiera Knightley). The pair walks to the edge of the cliff. Elizabeth puts her hand around the boy as both of them watch the sunset. Both of them are humming the tune of "A Pirate's Life for Me". Suddenly there's a green flash of light and both Elizabeth and the boy looks at each other and smile. The scene cuts to Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) hanging on the mast of his ship and he smiles.

The Simpsons Movie

During the rolling of the credits, the Simpsons appear discussing why they are watching the credits. As they get up to leave, Marge tells them that she thinks Maggie is going to say her first word. The word turns out to be "sequel".

At the end of the credits, a cinema worker appears moaning that he spent so many years at film school to sweep up the rubbish and that being assistant manager is not all its cracked up to be.

Constantine

Constantine (Keanu Reeves) visits the gravestone of Chas Kramer (Shia LaBeouf). He leaves his ornamented lighter on top of the stone and says "You did good, kid". As he walks away, Constantine sees Chas' angelic form pause on top of the gravestone. Chas spreads his wings and flies up to the sky.

Daredevil

A couple of guards stand outside a room. Inside, Bullseye (Colin Farrell) lies on a bed in a full-body cast. A fly is buzzing around his face. He starts to reach for a hypodermic needle on a nearby table. The scene cuts back to the guards outside the room. Then we hear a swishing sound. Next, we see the fly pinned to the wall with the hypodermic needle. Bullseye smiles and says "Bullseye."

X-Men 3: The Last Stand

We see Dr Moira MacTaggart and a catatonic patient. (The patient is the same one that Xavier showed on the screen during one of his lectures.) The patient wakes up and says, "Hello Moira," and she says, "Charles?". (This implies that Xavier's mind has transferred into the catatonic patient.)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Lucy sneaks back into the room with the wardrobe. She opens it up and is about to go in when we hear the professor say, "It won't work." He tells Lucy that he's been trying to get back in for a long time with no luck. Lucy asks if they'll ever be able to go back, and he says that they just need to keep their eyes open for the right door. As the two leave the room, the door starts to close by itself, but before it does we can see sunlight shining out and hear a lion's magnificent roar.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The scene returns to Diagon Alley, and the 'Flourish and Blotts' bookstore, where a new book is shown in the front window. "Who Am I?" by Gilderoy Lockhart, featuring a wizard photo of the man in a straitjacket, smiling and looking about happily.

Cloverfield

Technically this is not really an additional scene, but a sound which is heard - some static filled, garbled sort of transmission that lasted a couple of seconds. It sounded like somebody saying "Help us". But when played backwards, it says, "It's still alive!".

and finally, the latest blockbuster to hit town.....

Iron Man

Tony Stark comes home and catches sight of a figure in his living room facing the balcony glass window. The figure says "You think you're the only superhero in the world? Mr Stark, you're part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet".

"Who the hell are you?" Tony asks. The figure slowly turns around, and we see it's Samuel L.Jackson wearing an eye-patch. He answered "Nick Fury, director of SHIELD. I'm here to talk to you about the Avanger Initiative".

Edison Chen is back!

This movie was supposed to have been released earlier but due to Edison Chen's sex scandal, the release date was pushed back. This is Edison's last movie before the scandal broke, so we might not see him in another movie for a long time to come. 'Sniper' is directed by Dante Lam, and stars Richie Jen, Edison Chen and China actor, Huang Xiaoming.

MING (Richie Jen) is renowned as the top shooter in the police force. But behind the legend lies a skeleton in the closet: his former teammate and superb marksman CHING (Huang Xiaoming), who was jailed for accidentally killing a hostage, has just been released. With only vengeance in his mind, Ching determines to take on Ming and the police, believing they are the real culprits for his fall.

When a high-security prisoner transfer is sabotaged by a mysterious sniper and a major convict has escaped, Ming and his team are dispatched to profile the suspect. O (Edison Chen), the hot-headed rookie on the team, surprises everyone by accurately replicating the suspect’s impossible shots. Ming sees the potential in this youngster and decides to take him under his wing. Yet when O becomes fascinated by Ching and determines to top his shooting skills, he might become another wild card on the loose.

Meanwhile, Ching continues his plan with the largest heist ever in the city. Believing that Ming had withheld key evidence that could free him, Ching decides to lure his target in by holding Ming’s daughter as hostage and re-enacting that fateful day. It is the ultimate showdown amongst three expert snipers in the Hong Kong cityscape.

Ken Follett's Pillars for TV

Eighteen years after its first publication, "The Pillars of the Earth", considered by most to be Ken Follett’s masterpiece, is once again Number #1 on the New York Times trade paperback list. Originally published in 1989, the book has sold more than 14 million copies worldwide and recently was picked by Oprah Winfrey as a selection for her book club.

Munich-based Tandem Communications has just acquired the rights to develop the bestseller into an eight-hour miniseries for TV. Ridley Scott (Gladiator) and Tony Scott’s (Spy Game) production company, Scott Free Television, will be producing this series together with Tandem.

"Ken Follett’s story-telling artistry presents a richness and brilliance we dream about when searching for outstanding properties,” says Ridley Scott. “The scope and power of the story and the richness of the characters inspires us to create the highest quality television programming."

"The Pillars of the Earth" is a sweeping epic of good and evil, treachery and intrigue, violence and beauty. This sensuous, spirited and passionate story is set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles which tears lives and families apart. In that time, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge.

Against this backdrop, love-stories entwine: Tom, the master builder, Aliena, the noblewoman, the sadistic Lord William, Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, Jack, the artist in stone work and Ellen, the woman from the forest who casts a curse. At once, this is a sensuous and enduring love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age. Follett masterfully weaves these stories through the political turmoil of 12th century England, creating a relevant and viable world for today’s audience and for generations to come.

It was reported that the production budget for the series may be as much as $2 million an episode.

The truth about 'X-Files 2'

The following article was taken from CNN.com:

'X-Files' creator Chris Carter, writer Frank Spotnitz and other crew members gathered last Wednesday to discuss the TV series - and declassify some information about the upcoming film.

The popular Fox paranormal drama, which aired from 1993 to 2002, starred David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

"While this is not a mythology movie, it's true to everything that's come before," Spotnitz said at the William S. Paley Television Festival. "It's true to Mulder and Scully, who they are and where they would be this point in their lives and all of the experiences that they've had."

The series first made the leap to the big screen with 1998's "The X-Files: Fight the Future." Plans for another film were grounded in 2005 when Carter sued Fox over syndication profits for the show. The lawsuit was later settled.

Carter, who also directs the new movie, said it takes place in the present and uses a story envisioned when the series ended. While the show's sprawling alien mythology isn't part of the plot, Carter said there is a reference to Scully's seemingly supernatural son, William, who was born in season eight and later given up for adoption.

The film is due out July 25.

Carter was tightlipped about the title.

"I can't tell you," he said. "I know what I want it to be, but Fox has some ideas of their own."

Is Obama related to Clinton?

US Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama is a distant cousin of actor Brad Pitt and Hillary Clinton is related to Pitt's girlfriend Angelina Jolie, a genealogical society has said.

Researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society have discovered that Jolie and Clinton are ninth cousins, twice removed, while Pitt and Obama are ninth cousins.

Clinton, who is of French-Canadian descent on her mother's side, is also related to Madonna, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette, researchers found. Other cousins include Camilla Parker Bowles and Jack Kerouac.

Obama, the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya, on the other hand, shares his ancestry with six US presidents, including current commander in chief, George W. Bush, and his father, George H.W. Bush.

Other far-reaching Obama relations include Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, Harry S. Truman and James Madison, as well as Vice President Dick Cheney and Sir Winston Churchill.

Genealogist Christopher Child said that while the candidates often focus on pointing out differences between them, their ancestry shows they are more alike than they think.

"It shows that lots of different people can be related, people you wouldn't necessarily expect," Child said.

Child has spent the last three years tracing the candidates' genealogy, along with senior research scholar Gary Boyd Roberts, author of the 1989 book, "Ancestors of American Presidents."

'Storm Riders 2' is coming

Universe Entertainment has just announced the production of their latest big-budget fantasy sequel 'Storm Riders 2', featuring the return of Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng as Cloud and Wind in the comic-book adaptation.

The $12 million sequel to the 1998 smash hit will start next month. Directors Danny and Oxide Pang ('The Eye') are spending big on post-production to get a '300' kind of feel to the movie.

The film is slated for release by the end of 2009 in Hong Kong, China and Asia.

'Storm Riders 2' will be the first Hong Kong movie that is filmed exclusively on blue screen and custom-made sets. Frankly I was not impressed with the visual effects in the first movie. I thought it was too fake-looking. Hopefully, after 10 years, the technology has improved.

The movie also stars Simon Yam as Lord Godless, Nicholas Tse as Heart, Charlene Choias Second Dream and rising star , Tiffany T, will play Chu Chu.

'Storm Riders 2' is an adaptation of comic master Ma Wing Shing's 1990s best-selling 'Fung Wan'.

***UPDATED 10-DEC-2008***
'Storm Riders 2' will also be known as 'Storm Warriors'. The Pang Brothers' sequel has been shooting for a while in Mainland China and now the teaser for the film, coming next year from Universe, has just been released.

Click here to view.

In the meantime, there's an animated version currently doing it's round in the cinemas. The movie is called 'Storm Riders - Clash of Evils'. It basically starts where the first live-action 'Storm Riders' left off, with orphaned martial artists Wind and Cloud taking on Conquer, the man who murdered their parents in order to make them his disciples and secure his rule of the martial arts world.

Review: August Rush

'August Rush' is one of those soppy, predictable, uplifting movie that you can't help but fall in love with!

The main character in the movie is Evan Taylor played by talented Freddie Highmore (from 'Finding Neverland' and 'The Spiderwick Chronicles'). Evan is being raised in an orphanage with no contact with his parents.

Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Evan's parents were a famous concert cellist named Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell), and Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), an Irish guitarist and lead singer from a rock band. They met and fell in love in one night, but through a series of events, were separated. Late in her pregnancy, Lyla was in a car accident and was told by her father (William Sadler) that her child didn't survive.

Evan believes that by creating and playing music, it will bring him back to his parent. So he runs away from the orphanage and head out to New York where he meets some colorful characters who teach him music.

Although some people might scoff at the logical flaws of the movie, I must stress that this is a 'fairy-tale' and the filmmakers must be applauded for making this as entertaining and uplifting as it can be.

My favorite aspect of the movie is definitely the music. The muscial performance by the stars are simply magical, especially Freddie Highmore's solo guitar performance (even though it was not really performed by him).

Overall, this is one of the best movies of the year. Don't miss this.

Final 'Harry Potter' book to be 2 movies

Harry Potter will be pleased to know that the eighth book in the series will be split into 2 movies.

Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday that the final book 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' will be made into 2 films, with the first slated for November 2010 with the second part following in May 2011.

"It was born out of purely creative reasons," producer David Heyman told the Times. "Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book."

The two final 'Potter' films will be shot concurrently, much like the 'Lord Of The Rings' trilogy.

Get ready for a new election campaign!

Now that the election fever is over for us Malaysians, it's time to get ready for a new election campaign....well, a fictitious one anyway.

IBelieveinHarveyDent.com is a website launched as part of the marketing campaign for the upcoming Batman movie, 'The Dark Knight'. The website is part of Harvey Dent's campaign in his run for District Attorney in Gotham City.


The website is asking supporters to submit pictures and videos of themselves holding the campaign poster (which can be downloaded from the website as well).

Another viral site is WhySoSerious.com which is supposed to be The Joker's website. Previously the site is contains a scavenger hunt with hidden messages, instructing fans to uncover clues at certain locations. Recently the site has been changed to link to another site called 'Rory's Death Kiss' where fans could submit photographs of themselves dressed up as the Joker. Those who sent photos were mailed a copy of a fictional newspaper called 'The Gotham Times', the online version of which led to the discovery of numerous other websites.

Harvey Dent will be played by Aaron Eckhart in the movie. Christian Bale reprises his role as Batman. 'The Dark Knight' opens in cinemas in July 2008.

(*spoilers ahead*)
Harvey Dent's campaign against crime ends tragically during the prosecution of crime boss Sal Maroni for murder. Enraged Maroni throws sulfuric acid on Dent, resulting in one side of his face horribly scarred.the left half of his face while leaving the other half undamaged. Dent's disfigurement brings out his latent multiple personality disorder and transforms him into the villainous Two-Face.

***UPDATES***
Two more websites have surfaced - Gotham City Clerk and Gotham Election Board. Not much info on these sites yet. Check back later for details.

New Iron Man Poster

New channel for women

It's time for women to reclaim the remote!

Korean American television personality May Lee says that Asia's modern women need a new voice. Which is why she is helping to launch a new channel which would focus solely on women. The Lotus Channel launches into a gap for a chic, sexy, useful television destination that doesn't pretend to be anything other than 100% focused on women.

Lotus Channel, targeting women aged 25-45, is looking to roll out in Southeast Asia by second quarter 2008.

Shopaholic comes to the big screen

Fans of Sophie Kinsella would be glad to know that the author's best-selling novel 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' will be coming to the big screen soon.

Sophie Kinsella, aka Madeleine Wickham, raced to the top of the bestseller lists in September 2000 when her novel 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' was published. To date, there are 6 books in the Shopaholic series. The entire series has been optioned by Hollywood.

Here's the synopsis:

The story is about 25-year old Rebecca Bloomwood who has a very boring job writing for a financial magazine. Her weakness is her shopping addiction.

When she was offered a hefty line of credit by a London bank, she blew the limits within a few short months, and begins furtively to scan her credit-card bills at work, certain that she couldn't have spent the reported sums. Struggling with her spendthrift impulses, she tries to heed the advice of an expert and appreciate life's cheaper pleasures: parks, museums, and so forth.

Eventually, Rebecca's uncontrollable shopping and her "imaginative" solutions to her debt attract the attention not only of her bank manager but of handsome Luke Brandon - a multimillionaire PR representative.

The lead role of Rebecca will be played by Isla Fisher. Isla is a former soap opera star who managed to break into mainstream Hollywood movies recently with roles in 'Wedding Crashers', 'The Lookout' and 'Definitely, Maybe'. Hugh Dancy ('Blood And Chocolate') will play the romantic lead role.

John Goodman, Joan Cusack and Krysten Ritter co-stars.

The romantic comedy will be directed by PJ Hogan and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

The following are some other novels which will be made to movies:

• PS I Love You (Cecelia Ahern)
• Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
• Nim's Island (Wendy Orr and Kerry Millard)
• Marley and Me (John Grogan)
• jPod (Douglas Coupland)
• The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
• Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
• The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho and Alan R. Clarke)
• Angels & Demons (Dan Brown)

How to download videos from YouTube

Have you ever came across a cool video in YouTube and wanted to download it? Well, YouTube does not allow downloading of its video easily (unless you search in your cache file). Even then the format of the YouTube videos are in FLV and you probably have to download a FLV viewerto play the video on its own.

1-Click YouTube Batch Downloader

Anyway, I came across this excellent software which enables you to download videos from YouTube - either a single video or multiple videos in a batch. You can select the format of the downloaded videos as well (eg. MP4, WMV, AVI) The program is fairly easy to use, and comes with some video tutorials as well.

Click here to go directly to the Home Page to download the program. The software is freeware and adware-free.

Is David Archuleta the next American Idol?

David James Archuleta is a Honduran American with dark brown hair and hazel eyes who was born on December 28, 1990 in Miami, Florida, USA. When he was 12 years old, David won the Junior Singer category of Star Search. Four years later, David Archuleta auditioned for the 2008 American Idol in San Diego and won his ticket to the Hollywood auditions. After the last 2 performances ('Shop Around'and 'Imagine'), David is considered to be one of the front-runners in the show. Seeing how the producers and judges of AI is grooming him, many people have predicted that he will be the next American Idol.

Michael Slezak, from Entertainment Weekly says:

"I think at this point calling him the 'early front-runner' would be an understatement. He's that cuddly, cute contestant that tweens and grandmas alike can get behind, and that's a pretty powerful voting bloc. We've seen what Sanjaya Malakar and John Stevens and Kevin Covais did in the competition without being particularly great vocalists, just on the cute, teen merits alone, that I think this kid has that plus — what we've seen so far — a pretty good singing voice. I don't know if I'm ready to call it a great singing voice yet. It's too early to hand him the competition, but on the other hand, if someone said bet all your money on one contestant to win, it would be David Archuleta."

Who's who in 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine'

Although everybody is tight-lipped on plot details, the cast of the upcoming movie 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' keeps getting bigger, featuring “a good bit of cameos of new and familiar mutants.” Reprising his role as Logan aka Wolverine is Hugh Jackman. Set 17 years before the X-Men trilogy,the movie will focus on Wolverine's violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe.

The film is directed by Gavin ('Rendition') Hood and written by David ('The Kite Runner') Benioff.

Here's a look at the characters which will make their appearance in the movie:


Sabretooth (aka Victor Creed) will be played by actor Liev Schreiber. Both Sabretooth and Wolverine were victims of the supersoldier program called Weapon X. Sabretooth possesses bestial superhuman physical abilities, most notably a rapid healing factor, razor-sharp fangs and claws, and hyper senses. He is a vicious killer responsible for numerous deaths both as a paid mercenary and for his own, personal pleasure.


Silver Fox (aka Kayla Silverfox) will be played by fairly unknown actress Lynn Collins. Silver Fox is a member of the Blackfoot Native American tribe. She formed a serious relationship with Wolverine when they met in the Canadian Rockies.


William Stryker will be played by actor Danny Huston ('30 Days Of Night'). Stryker is a religious fanatic, with a military history which has connections to the Weapon X project


Agent Zero (aka David North aka Maverick) is played by American-Korean heartthrob Daniel Henney ('Seducing Mr Perfect'). Agent Zero, who has the power of absorbing kinetic energy through impact, was one of the mutant operatives that Weapon X experimented on. Agent Zero is also an expert tracker with lethal marksman skills.


John Wraith will be played by Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am. Wraith's power is teleportation. He also has a life-extending serum in his blood, due to his involvement in the Weapon X program


Gambit (aka Remy LeBeau) will be played by model and actor Taylor Kitsch ('The Covenant'). Gambit is a Cajun thief who is able to turn any object he touches into kinetic energy, forcing it to explode.


Beak (aka Blackwing aka Barnell Bohusk) will be played by Dominic Monaghan ('Lost'). Beak started developing his powers at puberty. His body changed into that of a humanoid-bird form. Beak wears an advanced body suit that gives him the ability to fly, superhuman strength, and energy blasts, as well as giving him enhanced protection.


Deadpool (aka Wade Wilson) will be played by Ryan Reynolds, better known for his role in the sitcom 'Two Guys, A Girl and A Pizza Place'. Deadpool is a sarcastic, scheming hero known for his wisecracks and black humor. Deadpool's abilities are man-made, derived from samples of Wolverine's mutation, but expanded to an almost limitless degree, allowing him to regenerate entire body parts, and even his entire body, making him effectively immortal.


The latest addition to the cast is Kevin Durand who will play The Blob (aka Fred Dukes). The most dominant physical trait of The Blob is obviously his size. The Blob possesses an extreme amount of pliable body mass, which grants him superhuman strength. He mostly uses his powers for petty crime.

***UPDATES***

Tim Pocock will play Scott Summers aka Cyclops.

Scott Adkins will play Weapon XI. Weapon XI will be featured in the end sequence fight scene against Wolverine. Scott Adkins is a British-born martial-arts actor who has appeared in movies like 'Unleashed' and 'The Medallion'.

Troye Sivan will play young Logan.

'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' is due for release on May 1, 2009.

And the winners are.....

Here are the winners of the 80th Academy Awards:

BEST PICTURE
No Country for Old Men

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood

BEST ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

BEST DIRECTOR
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, Juno

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

BEST FOREIGN MOVIE
Fälscher, Die (Austria)

BEST ANIMATED MOVIE
Ratatouille

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Atonement, Dario Marianelli

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Once ("Falling Slowly")

Where in the world is Osama bin Laden?

'Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?'

I wrote about this movie a while back in one of my post. Here's the trailer which has just been released. Very hilarious!

Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? : Trailer

The 'American Idol' controversy

As the 24 final contestants of American Idol Season 7 was announced last week, a new controversy has come to light.

Irish singer Carly Smithson (the one with the tattooed hand) is basically a professional singer. She recorded an album called Ultimate High with MCA Records in 2001 under her maiden name Carly Hennessy. Apparently MCA spent millions to promote the album, which turned out to be a complete flop. The record only sold 300 copies!

The latest news is that Carly was signed to MCA Records during the same time period that Randy Jackson was the senior VP. Carly was at MCA in 1999. Randy started at MCA in 1998 and was there for 4 years. The question on everybody's lips is whether she has been 'planted' by the producers.

(Closer to home, even our own Malaysian Idol, Jaclyn Victor, mentioned during a press interview that she was 'asked' by 8TV CEO Ahmad Izham Omar to enter the competition.)

The sad part is that Carly is not an exception this year. There are other contestants who are have failed careers.

Aussie Michael Johns (the one who brilliantly sang Bohemian Rhapsody during Hollywood Week) was formerly the lead singer of a band called The Rising and a band called Film. He also changed his name from Michael Lee. Michael was signed to Maverick Records with Film, and they were supposed to release a debut album in 2003. But according to reports, Michael allegedly screwed the band by stealing their songs and passing them off as his own.

Kristy Lee Cook (the kick-boxing gal) was previously "discovered" by Britney Spears. In 2005, Kristy Lee Cook released her debut CD “Devoted” under Ren-Hen Records. In 2007, Kristy got out of her contract with her manager Marty Rendleman (who formerly managed LeAnn Rimes) so she could be eligible to join American Idol.

Was anyone bothered that she sang 'Amazing Grace' during both the audition and the 2nd round of Hollywood week, and during the time when she sang some other song, the judges were not impressed. So basically she can only sing one song, and yet the judges put her through. Is she also one of the 'planted' contestants?

(Notice how the producers always portray the contestants as innocent, unprofessional singers living in a farm, working two jobs to support a family etc, but nobody thought to emphasize that they have already cut record deals before.)

Robbie Carrico (the blonde haired rocker with the beanie cap) is one of the four singers from the pop group Boyz N Girlz United. The band opened for Britney Spears and LFO before disbanding, and he was even one of Britney's first boyfriends. Robbie now fronts the band Missing Picket.

David Archuleta and Alexandrea Lushington were contestants in Star Search. David won the Junior Singer category of Star Search in 2003 when he was 12 years old. During Idol's first season, David met all of the finalists and even sang for Kelly Clarkson and the gang. A few days later, David met with a host of record labels and producers with connections to the show.

***UPDATES***
David Archuleta's dad, Jeff Archuleta runs a company call Arch Music Group which has "spent the last 5 years working with American Idol and Star Search performers as well as young up and coming singers and songwriters who want to compete in the top 40 arena." As if David didn't already have the previous connection where he met with Idol producers during season one, now his dad has been working with show contestants.

The latest news is that Syesha Mercado has appeared in a recent Ford Sync commercial. And of course Ford is one of the sponsors of American idol! Is there a connection there?

By the way, did anybody notice that a handful of the contestants have practically no exposure in the previous episodes. The producers managed to get through four long weeks of auditions and three whole hours of Hollywood Week without showing a single minute of Jason (Dreadlocks) Castro, Luke Menard, Garrett Haley, and Jason Yeager. Are they just selected as 'fillers' for the other contestants?

Of course there are contestants who have recorded albums and performed professionally before. But the question is whether these singers have been courted by the producers to participate in the show and probably got a free ticket into the final 24. Is it fair to the other contestants who had to go through the grueling 2-3 days audition process?

American Idol Season 7 Top 24 - Unmasked

Back Row L-R: Alexandrea Lushington, Robbie Carrico, Jason Castro, Danny Noriega (striped shirt), Brooke White, Amanda Overmyer, Michael Johns, David Cook (bandana), Luke Menard and Carly Smithson (standing far right).

Bottom Row L-R: Chikezie Eze, Colton Berry, Asia’H Epperson, Kady Malloy (seated, black dress), Joanne Borgella, Ramiele Malubay, David Hernandez (seated, front), Amy Davis, Alaina Whitaker, Syesha Mercado, Jason Yeager, David Archuleta (seated), Garrett Haley and Kristy Lee Cook.

Pictures and info courtesy of justjared.com.

American Idol Season 7 Top 24

Here's a teaser pic of the Top 24 contestants of American Idol Season 7. All of them are holding up Simon Cowell masks.


For those of you who can't wait for the results tomorrow, here's the list:

Top 12 Guys: Chikezie Eze, Colton Berry, Danny Noriega, David Archuleta, David Cook, David Hernandez, Garrett Haley, Jason Castro, Jason Yeager, Luke Menard, Michael Lee Johns and Robbie Carrico.

Top 12 Girls: Alaina Whitaker, Alex Lushington, Amanda Overmyer, Amy Davis, Asia'h Epperson, Brooke White, Carly Smithson, Joanne Borgella, Kady Malloy, Kristy Lee Cook, Ramiele Malubay and Syesha Mercado.

For more info on the contestants, you can visit the American Idol link here.

'Star Wars' is back!

Good news for all 'Star Wars' fans, 2008 will be seeing more of the series. This is the recent article from starwars.com:

A new era of Star Wars entertainment begins in 2008 when Star Wars: The Clone Wars, from creator George Lucas, premieres as an all-new feature film in August, followed by the television series debut in the fall, in a partnership announced today between Lucasfilm Ltd., Warner Bros. Pictures and Turner Broadcasting System Inc.

Produced by Lucasfilm Animation, Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes audiences on incredible new Star Wars adventures, combining the legendary storytelling of Lucasfilm with an eye-popping, signature animation style. Star Wars: The Clone Wars will open in North American theaters Friday, August 15. International release dates will be announced soon.

The theatrical debut of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is only the beginning of all-new Star Wars adventures that continue in the fall when the long-awaited television series premieres on Cartoon Network, followed by airings on TNT. Details regarding international broadcasts will be announced shortly. Star Wars: The Clone Wars showcases an entirely new look and feel to the galaxy far, far away -- combining the expansive scope of the Star Wars Saga with state-of-the-art computer-generated animation. Each week, viewers will see a thrilling, 30-minute "mini-movie" created by the talented artists at Lucasfilm Animation.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is set during the 3-year time period in which the Clone Wars occur — between events of Episode II and Episode III. The 'Clone Wars' is the name given to the major galactic conflict fought between the Galactic Republic (the bad guys) and the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS) (the good guys). The war was named after the clone troopers utilized by the Republic against the battle droid forces of the CIS.

Unbeknownst to most, the conflict was manipulated by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious (aka Senator Palpatine), whose ultimate goal was the transformation of the Republic into the Galactic Empire with him as Emperor as well as the eradication of the Jedi Order. The conflict would lead to the Sith Order becoming the dominant galactic government once again.

Happy Chinese New Year

Wishing all my readers a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year!!
May the new year bring lots of joy, peace and good fortune....
...and Happy movie-going :-)

Colin Farrell is a hitman

Colin Farrell stars as a hitman in the new comedy 'In Bruges'.

Bruges, the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travellers from all over the world. But for hitmen Ray and Ken (Farrell and Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination; they have been ordered to go Bruges to rest and lay low after a hit gone horribly wrong. Very much out of place amidst the gothic architecture, canals, and cobbled streets, the two men fill their days living the lives of tourists. They find themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes, and a potential romance for Ray in the form of Chloe, who may have some dark secrets of her own.


The movie comes out in April 4 2008.

Justin Timberlake is selling Pepsi

Justin Timberlake is appearing in a new commercial from Amazon.com and Pepsi. It's pretty cool and funny.

David Beckham is proud of his naked wife

Victoria Beckham is appearing nude on t-shirts for American fashion designer, Marc Jacobs in an initiative to raise awareness about skin cancer. Victoria (looking all tanned up...lol) is seen in the US$35 t-shirt that bears the slogan "Protect The Skin You’re In".


"Since we have moved to California, I have realized how important it is to practice safe sun for myself and to keep the skin of my three boys well protected as well," Victoria said. "Skin cancer is a huge problem and I really wanted to help raise awareness by taking part in Marc and Robert’s initiative." (yeah, right!)

Anyway it didn't take long before hubby David donned the shirt himself.

Photo scandal rocks HK entertainment industry

Variety Asia Online has just released the following press release:

HONG KONG (31 January 2008) – A series of obscene photographs that appeared online seemingly featuring various local celebrities has sent shock waves through the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

On Sunday, pictures of a young man and woman seemingly taken during sexual intercourse, appeared on a popular news discussion forum. Images bear close resemblance to Edison Chen, a Canadian-born Hong Kong singer and actor who has minor roles in Hollywood pics such as "The Grudge 2" and the upcoming "The Dark Knight," and Gillian Chung, one half of Hong Kong pop duo Twins.

The images were quickly removed from the site, but copies quickly circulated through email and were reposted to some 400 other Websites.

A day later more appeared. These seem to show Chen receiving oral sex from television actress Bobo Chan and others with Chen and Chung in different positions. Still others apparently showing award-winning movie actress Cecilia Cheung at Chen's apartment have slowly been released on various Internet forums in the following days.

Representatives of the stars in question insist the photos are doctored and are seeking legal advice. The Hong Kong Police say they are investigating two reported cases of publishing indecent materials on the Internet. Local papers reported that the Police are working with Interpol as well as Internet forum administrators and Internet service providers to provide information on users who have posted the photos.

Many in the Hong Kong biz have publicly denounced the pictures and their publication. The Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild calls the incident not only "tragic for the entertainment industry, but for all Hong Kong people. Such immoral behavior is poison to the minds of youth today."

The Guild is also calling for the government to take more action in curbing indecent and obscene behavior in the media. In 2006 naked photos of Chung taken in the changing room of a Kuala Lumpur concert venue appeared in a Hong Kong tabloid paper caused an uproar in the industry.

The photos of Chen and his 'conquests' have captured the attention of Hong Kong, with many people apparently trying to prove the authenticity of the photos. Although the more responsible newspapers are still describing the photos as 'doctored,' many experts and industry insiders believe the photos are unlikely to be fake.

The incident has political ramifications too. As Police have issued warnings that distribution of such photographs is likely to be in breach of the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance, which could carry a jail sentence and heavy fines, operators of Websites and Forums have moved quickly to delete pictures. But many sites have engaged in blatant self censorship and removed any discussion of the incident. That of course has got the free-speech brigade riled. "Nothing is allowed to be discussed, whatever happened to freedom of speech? When did Hong Kong become China?," one forum user asked.

Over the border in China distribution of the pics is spreading like wildfire, despite a recent SARFT initiative to crack down on Online obscenity. A file purportedly containing all the photos is reported to be being downloaded at the rate of 10,000 times a minute.

'Lost' is finally back

It has been more than six months since we saw the Season 3 finale of 'Lost'. The series is finally back. The 2-hour Season 4 premiere will kick off today in the US at 9pm ET/PT.

For those of you who have forgotten what happened previously, here's a video recap of the previous 3 seasons at YouTube.

For your info, due to the writers' strike, only 8 episodes have been completed so far out of the original 16 episodes planned.

'Forbidden Kingdom' posters

The following posters have just been released for the movie 'Forbidden Kingdom' starring Jet Li and Jackie Chan.






Shot on location in China, 'Forbidden Kingdom' marks the historic first-ever on-screen pairing of martial arts superstars Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and features the awe-inspiring action choreography of Yuen Wo Ping.

The story is about a modern-day American teenager, Jason (Michael Angarano - 'Sky High', 'Black Irish') who gets sent back in time to ancient China. There, Jason is charged with a monumental task: he must free the fabled warrior the Monkey King, who has been imprisoned by the evil Jade Warlord. Jason is joined in his quest by wise kung fu master Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) and a band of misfit warriors including Silent Monk (Jet Li).

The movie will be released on April 18th, 2008.

'Hud' on location in Cloverfield

After a show at The Slipper Room in New York City's Lower East Side, comedian/actor TJ Miller (better known to everybody as 'Hud') steps outside and points out locations from the blockbuster monster movie, 'Cloverfield', to his friends.

'Hud' on location in Cloverfield

Will Smith is an alcoholic superhero

This summer, Will Smith is back to form in then new comedy 'Hancock'. In the movie, Smith plays an alcoholic superhero despised by everyone. Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock’s well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough - as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy.

One day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. Facing that will be Hancock’s greatest challenge yet - and a task that may prove impossible as Ray’s wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), insists that he’s a lost cause. The superhero eventually begins an affair with Mary.

'Hancock' is directed by Peter Berg (The Kingdom, Friday Night Lights). The movie rolls out in theaters on July 2.

You can watch the trailer here:
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hancock/

Postnote:

For the editors of AMBP, here's the answer to your questions:
i) Will Smith plays the eponymous character in the movie Hancock.
ii) In a bid to save a whale, Hancock heaves it out to sea, only to see it smash a sailboat.

Bond 22

The 22nd installment in the Bond series has finally got a title - 'Quantum of Solace'. The title is based on one of Ian Fleming's short story in the For Your Eyes Only compendium. However, producers and writers have mentioned that the story will be original. Producer Barbara Broccoli says it accurately sums up Bond's inner turmoil with regards to Vesper, who betrayed him in 'Casino Royale'.

The movie picks up minutes after the close of 'Casino Royale' and will be a continuation of the story established in 'Casino Royale'. Here's the full synopsis:

Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, Bond (DANIEL CRAIG) fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M (JUDI DENCH) interrogate Mr White (JESPER CHRISTENSEN) who reveals the organisation which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Forensic intelligence links an Mi6 traitor to a bank account in Haiti where a case of mistaken identity introduces Bond to the beautiful but feisty Camille (OLGA KURYLENKO), a woman who has her own vendetta. Camille leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene (MATHIEU AMALRIC), a ruthless business man and major force within the mysterious organisation.

On a mission that leads him to Austria, Italy and South America, Bond discovers that Greene, conspiring to take total control of one of the world’s most important natural resources, is forging a deal with the exiled General Medrano (JOAQUIN COSIO). Using his associates in the organisation, and manipulating his powerful contacts within the CIA and the British government, Greene promises to overthrow the existing regime in a Latin American country, giving the General control of the country in exchange for a seemingly barren piece of land.

In a minefield of treachery, murder and deceit, Bond allies with old friends in a battle to uncover the truth. As he gets closer to finding the man responsible for the betrayal of Vesper, 007 must keep one step ahead of the CIA, the terrorists and even M, to unravel Greene’s sinister plan and stop his organisation.

The movie will be directed by Marc Foster whose credits include 'Monster's Ball', 'Finding Neverland', 'Stranger Than Fiction' and the critically acclaimed 'The Kite Runner'.

'Quantum of Solace' is currently in production and is tentatively scheduled to be released on 7 November 2008.

Here are some pictures from the recent press conference of 'Quantum of Solace'.

Daniel Craig and the Bond girls - Olga Kurylenko (l) and Gemma Arterton (r)

Mathieu Amalric, Olga Kurylenko, Daniel Craig, Gemma Arterton

Michael G, Gemma Arterton, Mathieu Amalric, Olga Kurylenko, Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Marc Foster, Barbara Broccoli