This is the REAL Bond!

After watching 20 Bond movies back-to-back for the last 2 weeks on Astro, I'm kinda glad that director Martin Campbell has decided to give 'Casino Royale' a breath of fresh air.

Everything, from the gun barrel intro to the title credit sequence are different. The new Bond wears T-shirt and khakis instead of a suit. No MoneyPenny. No Q and his gadgets. And sadly, Bond does not get the girl in the end!

However, a lot of people will agree that this is the best Bond movie ever. The action is raw, hard-hitting and realistic. And not to mention Daniel Craig is surprisingly a good actor and has definitely take on his role very well.

My only complain is that the villain was killed off too easily and some questions were left unanswered.

By the way, Sony seems to have a good time advertising their products any chance they get, from the Sony-Ericsson phines to the Vaio laptops.

Remember Get Smart?

Steve Carell (40 Year Old Virgin, The Office) will star as bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart in Warner Brothers’ upcoming movie Get Smart, a remake of the 1960s TV series, which starred Don Adams, Variety reported. His sidekick Agent 99 will be played by Anne Hathaway (who was originally played by Barbara Feldon).

Warner has been trying for several years to make a film of the spy spoof, created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. Peter Segal, whose credits include The Longest Yard, 50 First Dates and Nutty Professor II, will direct.

The Covenant

I think Renny Harlin is one of the most underrated director in Hollywood. His success came after he directed Die Hard 2 and subsequently Cliffhanger but soon faded to oblivion when his last few movies flopped at the box office. Harlin's Deep Blue Sea is my favorite creature movie of all times and Cutthroat Island was a great swashbuckling flick (long before Depp and Bloom took to the seas).

I had high hopes for Harlin's latest flick The Covenant which is based on the graphic novel by Aron Coleite. I was disappointed because it was not as action-packed as Harlin's previous movies.

The story is about 4 young men, better known as Sons of Ipswich, who possesses supernatural powers passed down from their ancestors. When the body of a dead student is discovered, their secrets begin to unravel and threaten to break the covenant of silence that has protected their families for hundreds of years.

The build-up was slow and the first half of the movie focuses too much on character development rather than on thrills and suspense. The plot had everything going for it....hot guys, sexy chicks, witchcraft, supernatural powers, rock music, cool effects....but somehow the end result didn't quite work out. Don't get me wrong...it's not a bad film, but it's not great either.

Bond trivia

In conjunction with the opening of James Bond's latest movie, here's some trivia that might interest you:

• Sean Connery was NOT the first actor to play James Bond. It was Barry Nelson. He played "Jimmy" Bond opposite bad guy Peter Lorre in an excruciating adaptation of "Casino Royale" for a 1954 episode of TV's "Climax!"
  
• Ian Fleming based James Bond on Dr. John Dee, the first British secret agent.
• Fleming picked the name James Bond because he was looking for a "flat, quiet" name. James Bond was the author of a book Fleming was reading, "Birds of the West Indies."
• The first Bond movie, Dr. No, was made for just under a million dollars.
• Ursula Andress' voice in Dr. No was not her own. It was dubbed by Monica Van der Syl.
• Dr. No was titled License to Kill in Italy.
• In James Bond movies, the armorer who supplies Bond with all his gadgets, is referred to as Q. The Q stands for "Quartermaster."
• Desmond Llewellyn, who played gadget-master Q, appeared in 17 Bond films.
• In the novel upon which Goldfinger was based, the character of Pussy Galore is a lesbian.
• Tom Jones recorded the Thunderball theme, and fainted after singing the sustained high note at the song's climax.
• The longest James Bond film was On Her Majesty's Secret Service, at 140 minutes.
• George Lazenby, who starred in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, was the only one who played James Bond once.
• Smirnoff is the brand of vodka used in all of James Bond's martinis.
• The first 007 movie in which Bond kisses Moneypenny was On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
• The evil organization Bond is often pitted against is SPECTRE. It stands for SPecial Executive for Counter Intelligence Terrorism Revenge Extortion.
• Another nefarious enemy of Bond is an organization called SMERSH. It's a Russian acronym for SMERt SHpionam, meaning "Death to Spies."
• The Man With The Golden Gun was the first James Bond film to be shown at the Kremlin.
• Moonraker is the only Roger Moore Bond film where he does not draw his Walther PPK.
• Roger Moore's contract demanded that he be provided an unlimited supply of hand-rolled Monte Cristo cigars.
• Steven Spielberg was in discussions to direct For Your Eyes Only when George Lucas offered him the opportunity to direct Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• Steven Seagal was the martial arts instructor for Never Say Never Again.
• The practice of using a disclaimer in movies stating "no animals were mistreated during production" got its start in Never Say Never Again. The disclaimer was the result of controversy over a horse jumping off a cliff in the film.
• The villain in A View to a Kill, Max Zorin, was originally going to be played by David Bowie.
• Christopher Walken was the first Academy Award-winning actor to star in a Bond film. He co-starred in A View to a Kill.
• The satellite dish used at the end of Goldeneye was the same used in the film Contact.
• Pierce Brosnan's contract for Goldeneye specified that he could not appear in any other film wearing a tuxedo.
• Goldeneye is the nickname of Bond creator Ian Fleming's beachfront house in Jamaica where he wrote the James Bond novels.
• The first James Bond film to ever be released on DVD was Goldeneye.
• According to Goldeneye, Bond's parents were killed in a climbing accident.
• The pre-credits action sequence in The World is Not Enough runs about 15 minutes, the longest in any Bond film to date.
• Moonraker contains excerpts the themes from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Magnificent Seven.
• Among the places where James Bond has made love are on a train, in a forest, in a plane, in a submarine, on a motorized iceberg, and in a hospital.
• Bond films have been nominated 10 times for Academy Awards, five times in technical categories and five times in musical categories.

A couple of Asian horror flicks coming in January

Here's a couple of Asian horror flicks that will be coming to our local screens in January 2007.....a bit late though considering that both movies were released in their home countries last August. (I'm still figuring out why nobody is releasing 'The Host' in Malaysia!)

9:56 (aka APT)
Country: Korea
Release Date: 4 January 2007

A young woman who lives in an old apartment notices that the apartment complex next door turns off the lights every evening at 9:56 PM. She begins to suspect that this pattern is related to a series of mysterious deaths in the neighborhood. She becomes deeply involved as she attempts to solve the mystery.

13 (aka 13 Beloved)
Country: Thailand
Release Date: 11 January 2007

Based on a comic book called 13th Quiz Show, this is a thriller about a salesman who receives a call from a seemingly omniscient quiz show moderator enticing him to complete 13 tasks as instructed through a mobile phone for an exorbitant amount of prize money. The tasks become increasingly disgusting, homicidal, and inhumane.

'Flushed Away' - great fun

With the current slew of animated movies on our screen recently, I was a initially sceptical about 'Flushed Away'. However I was pleasantly surprised by the movie...good storyline and brilliant animation. Created by the same people who made 'Wallace & Gromit', the look and feel bears a resemblance to W&G...even the British humour is prevalent in the movie.

The story is about Roddy is an upper-crust "society mouse" who lives the life of a beloved pet in a posh Kensington flat. When a sewer rat named Sid comes spewing out of the sink and decides he's hit the jackpot, Roddy schemes to rid himself of the pest by luring him into a "whirlpool", ie the toilet bowl. Sid may be an ignorant slob, but he's no fool, so it is Roddy who winds up being flushed away into the bustling sewer world of Ratropolis, a replica of London City constructed from junk. There Roddy meets Rita, an enterprising scavenger who works the sewers in her faithful boat, the Jammy Dodger. Along the way, they meet the villainous Toad who despises all rodents, and want to get rid of them.

By the way, watch out for the singing slugs...they are so cute and funny. Overall this is one animated movie worth checking out.

Ghost baby in TGV

I was at TGV One Utama this morning and I saw a creepy promo of the upcoming Thai horror movie 'Colic'. There is baby crib with a cloth hanging around it. As you walk closer, the 'baby' will start to cry. Inside the crib is a scary looking baby, missing his hand.



Colic is a syndrome found in infants, which causes infants to cry continuously for hours. The reason behind this illness is usually credited by medical expects to a number of factors. However, some people believe that it's linked to something supernatural.

'Colic', the movie, tells a story of a couple Pongpob and Praeploy who gets married when Praeploy is unexpectedly pregnant. After the wedding, Pongpob brings Praeploy to his mother's house to settle down. On the night that Praeploy delivers her child, she witnesses the neighbour's house on fire. When the baby is delivered, he often screams and cries with no reason. The doctor considers it a case of colic ailment, but it doesn't go away. Several months later, the baby still can't stop crying, meanwhile the family's members encounter mysterious and unexplained experiences.

'The Departed' - don't compare with the original

When Martin Scorcese first announced that he was going to remake HK's Infernal Affairs, everybody was worried that this is going to be another Hollywood screw-up of Asian movies. Western viewers who have not watched the original is raving about it, whereas those who have watched the original says that 'The Departed' did not live up to the original. Of course credit should be given to Andrew Lau and Andy Mak for the great storyline and clever twists.

I guess for me, the movie was just ok, but not great. Definitely I prefer the sleek and stylish feel of Infernal Affairs. compared to the drab and mundane setting of Boston. My advice is to just watch it as it is and not make any comparisons to the original.

Matt Damon is well cast as the cool and sleek cop who is actually a mole for the mob. However I feel Leonardo DiCaprio is too 'baby-faced' to play the undercover cop. His goatee looks like it's been pasted on. Jack Nicholson, as always gives a memorable performance as the mob boss Frank Costello. I hope he gets nominated for an Oscar next year.

Now for the really, really bad news.....thanks to our local censorship board, the movie was butchered up badly especially the dialogue where every other word is a swear word. It sounded like everybody is talking through a bad phone signal where the conversation starts to break up. (For trivia buffs, the word 'f***' are said 237 time throughout the movie!) Amazingly, our censorship board considers 'cock' and 'cunt' as acceptable because they were not cut out! Some gory scenes were cut out as well, and for those who have not watched the original version, you will probably be wondering what the f*** just happened in the in the lift in the film's climax.

I urge all of you to avoid the cinemas for this one and just wait for the DVD. If you can't wait, then go and watch 'Infernal Affairs' again.

Adam Sandler in post 9/11 drama

I have always liked Adam Sandler....from his goofy days when he starred in Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison to his more serious roles in The Wedding Singer and most recently Click. Now Sandler is finally taking on a completely different role in his new movie 'Reign Over Me'.

The movie follows a man, played by Sandler, who lost his family in the September 11 attack on New York City and runs into his old college roommate who is now a psychiatrist, played by Don Cheadle. Rekindling the friendship is the one thing that appears able to help the man recover from his grief.

The movie also stars Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, Cicely Tyson, Ted Raimi and Mike Binder, who also wrote and directs.

Meet the Princesses of Shrek 3

'Shrek The Third' will be coming our way in Summer 2007, and this time he's got a bevy of beauties to help him.

When his new father-in-law, King Harold (John Cleese) falls ill, Shrek (Mike Myers) is looked at as the heir to the land of Far, Far Away. Not one to give up his beloved swamp, Shrek recruits his friends Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) to recruit the rebellious Artie (Justin Timberlake) as the new king. Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), however, rallies a band of royal girlfriends to fends off a coup d'etat by the jilted Prince Charming (Rupert Everett).

"Amy Poehler is Snow White, the alpha dog of the group," director Chris Miller says. "She's a real pit bull." Maya Rudolph lends what the director calls "her quiet coolness" to Rapunzel. Cheri Oteri is Sleeping Beauty, "a narcoleptic princess." And Amy Sedaris (Strangers With Candy) steps into the shoes of Cinderella, an obsessive-compulsive cleaner who can throw a mean high-heeled pump if need be.

Royal Rumble: (L to R) Cinderella, Snow White, Fiona, Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty.

By the way, the box-office is going to rock next Summer 2007 with Shrek 3, Pirates 3, Spiderman 3 and not to mention Harry Potter 4 and Oceans 13.

'Exiled' banned in Malaysia

Release from Associated Press last Friday 20 Oct 2006:

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Malaysia has banned Hong Kong director Johnnie To's new triad movie, "Exiled" citing excessive violence, a news report said Friday.

The movie, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last month, was originally scheduled for release in cinemas here Thursday, but failed to get the nod from the censorship board as it was deemed to contain excessive violence, The Star newspaper said.

The report didn't give details. No one at the censorship board could be immediately reached for comment.

The movie is set in Macau -- a Chinese gambling haven near Hong Kong -- in 1998, and focuses on two hit men from Hong Kong sent to take out a renegade gang member who's trying to change from a life of crime.

Movies screened in Malaysia must abide by a censorship code that forbids sex, excessive violence and provocative handling of topics such as race and religion.

Banned films have included Steven Spielberg's Holocaust film "Schindler's List" and "The Prince of Egypt," a 1998 animated epic about Moses.

The movie stars Simon Yam, Anthony Wong, Richie Jen and Francis Ng.

'City of Joy' is a joy to watch

I first saw 'City of Joy' when it was first released in 1992. Recently I bought the DVD from ebay. Watching it again, I enjoyed the movie tremendously as much as I did the first time. (By the way, don't let the name of Patrick Swayze discourage you from watching this movie....Swayze is actually pretty good here.)

Based on the bestselling book by Dominique Lapierre, the story tells of an American doctor, Max Lowe who gets disheartened after losing one of his patients on the operating table. Max travels to India in the hope of "finding himself". Not long after he arrives in Calcutta, Max is attacked loses his money and passport. However, a man named Hasari, played by Om Puri, comes to Max's rescue. Despite their poverty, Hasari and his family take Max in and bring him to a medical clinic in the City of Joy, one of the poorest slums in the city. The clinic is run by Joan Bethel (Pauline Collins), an Irish-American nun who urges Max to use his skills to help the people of Calcutta who so desperately need it. Max signs on, and he finds that the experience changes his life.

The movie is very uplifting and enlightening as it shows the strength of the human spirit, no matter how poor. The scenes in the slum area were very realistically filmed. Om Puri is excellent and memorable as the father who wants a better life for his family. The conclusion of the film is very touching and meaningful.

For those who have not seen this movie, I urge you to get hold of this. Excellent movie!!

Watch out for 'Heroes'

Following in the same vein as 'The 4400', 'Lost' and probably even 'X-Men', NBC has produced a new series which has been predicted to be this year's hit series. The premiere episode of 'Heroes' which was broadcasted on 25th Sept attracted 14.3 million viewers overall and received the highest rating for any NBC drama premiere in five years.

The synopsis is as follows:

Heroes is a serial saga about people all over the world discovering that they have superpowers and trying to deal with how this change affects their lives. The relatable superheroes include Peter Petrelli, a 30-year-old male nurse who believes he can fly; Diego Medina, a 28-year-old junkie who has the ability to paint images of the future when he is high; Niki Sanders, a 33-year-old Las Vegas showgirl who can do incredible things with mirrors; Hiro Makamura, a 24-year-old Japanese comic-book geek who literally makes time stand still; D.L. Hawkins, a 31-year-old inmate who can transport himself through walls; Matt Parkman, a beat cop who can hears other people's thoughts; and Claire Bennet, 17-year-old cheerleader who defies death at every turn. Not only are they discovering what having superpowers means to them but also the larger picture of where their superpowers come from. Eventually their superpowers draw them together when they try to evade the series' antagonist who wants to harness their super-DNA for himself. Their ultimate destiny is nothing less than saving the world.

The series will star Greg Grunberg (Alias), Leonard Roberts (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Milo Ventimiglia (Gilmore Girls), and Hayden Panettiere (Ally McBeal). The series is created by Tim Kring (Crossing Jordan, Chicago Hope).

It's no doubt that this is NBC trying to hit back at ABC's huge hit 'Lost'. From the reviews that I've read so far, NBC has succeeded. Some people has even said that it's better than 'Lost'. Anyway it's too soon to tell since only 3 episodes have only been aired so far.

Zombies on a Plane!!

After the success of 'Snakes on a Plane', everybody wants to do a horror movie on a plane, the latest being 'Plane Dead'. Apparently George A. Romero was asked to direct the film but he turned it down because the budget wasn't enough.

The film revolves around an international flight from LA to Paris on which a renegade scientist, on the run from the CIA, has smuggled a secret coffin containing a body infected with a genetically engineered virus. When the plane encounters two large storms, the extreme turbulence causes the flesh-eating body to escape from the plane’s hold. A life-and-death battle then ensues as the virus turns the passengers into the undead.

The terrified uninfected passengers try to survive the flight. No government will allow the 'infected' flight to land. Stranded in the air, the passengers have no place to hide from theirravenous tormentors.....

'Sinking of Japan' coming soon

Already a blockbuster in it's own country, Japan disaster pic 'The Sinking of Japan' recently opened at No. 1 in South Korea with $3.2 million in its first four days. Haul ranks as the second-highest opening for a Japanese film in Korea, trailing animated feature 'Howl's Moving Castle' which opened with $4.8 million on 233 prints in early 2005.

Made with a budget of over 2 billion yen, the movie is a disaster epic which tells of what happens to Japan when it's hit by tsunami, earthquake and volcano eruptions all at the same time, resulting in the total obliteration of the country.

UIP is distributing this movie locally in Malaysia and will open in Dcember 2006.

Hello Darth Kitty

Oh my God!!! What will the Japanese think of next?!!

Lead actor chosen to play 'Iron Man'

Well, it's official. Looks like Robert Downey Jr is going to be Iron Man. Read the latest from Reuters:

Robert Downey, Jr. is suiting up to star in "Iron Man," a superhero movie based on the Marvel Comics character.

Jon Favreau is directing the Paramount Pictures release. Filming is slated to begin in February in Los Angeles.

Downey will portray Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Using his intelligence and ingenuity, Stark instead builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. Upon his return to the U.S., he uncovers a plot with global implications and must don his armor and protect the world.

The comic debuted in the 1960s, and Iron Man's origin involved Stark being a prisoner of the Viet Cong. The movie version will be set in today's geopolitical climate.

Budgeted at more than $100 million, it marks the first feature film to be produced independently by Marvel Entertainment, which previously licensed its characters, such as "Spider-Man" and "X-Men," to other studios.

Marvel president of production Kevin Feige said the filmmakers looked for the best
actor to embody the character.

"The Marvel characters are not just about how high they jump or how fast they fly, they're about their character flaws," Feige said. "They're about their inner demons. They're about the struggles that they go through between being a man and being a hero."

Downey, who has battled his fair share of inner demons, worked hard to get the role, getting in shape and even growing a goatee like the one Stark sports in the comic books.

"In every casting announcement we've done, people in their mind's eye have their own view of it and let us know about it. We're used to it," Feige said. "The point is, we looked at everybody, and we found the best person for the role. It's as confident a casting move as we've ever done. The proof will be in the pudding, but he is Tony Stark."

Downey returns to theaters on November 10 in the Diane Arbus bipic "Fur" opposite Nicole Kidman.

'Hard Candy' - not for everybody

'Hard Candy' is not for everybody. First of all, there are only 2 actors in the whole movie. Then of course there's the taboo subject of paedophile and the dangers of meeting people through the internet.

32-year old photographer Jeff has been chatting online with 14-year old Haley for three weeks. They decide to meet up at a cafe. Then Jeff takes Haley back to his house. But soon the twist of the story explodes and Haley turns the table on Jeff as she informs him that she knows he's a paedophile and intends to punish him. She drugs him and ties him to a chair. Jeff is forced to undergo intensive questioning from Haley, including being set up for castration. The tension mounts to a peak as the two characters uncover aspects of each other.

As I mentioned, the movie is not for everybody, especially those expecting to see an action-packed thriller like Saw. It will probably work better as a play rather than a movie. Some parts gets really dry as the conversations between the two characters drag on. The twist at the end was not really compelling either.

The two actors are pretty good though, especially 19-year old Ellen Page who plays the 14-year old Haley. She really creeps me out in her role!

I guess one of the things that you learn from this movie is to be careful meeting people over the internet. Guys beware! You never know the chick that you are chatting with might be a serial killer!

One of the best monster movie...

I wrote about the Korean movie 'The Host' a few months ago. Since reading about its release, I was very much looking forward to watching it. However there was no news of its immediate release in our local cinemas. I was in Bangkok last week and was so excited when I found out that it was showing there.


The synopsis is as follows:

Hee-bong is the owner of a small food stand in the Han River Citizen's Park. Gang-du is one of his three children, a man who seems a bit slow mentally and whose one motivating strength is a devotion to his schoolage daughter Hyun-seo. Rounding out the family is Nam-joo, an amateur competitive archer and her brother Nam-il (Park Hae-il), who is unemployed and always gets drunk.

When the creature snatches the young Hyun-seo away, the family stands together fight the monster and rescue her before she becomes fish food.

If this movie had been produced in Hollywood, you would probably get a team of military guys fighting the monster. However the director goes beyond stereotypes and plays out the monster story in a totally new and unique way focusing on the strength of the family. The story combines a little bit of comedy, drama and thriller. And I tell you there are definitely some scenes which will make you jump out of your seat!

The monster effect is one of the best I've seen, even from Hollywood. The movement of the creature is very nicely done, especially when it swings from the bridge with its tail.


I find some parts of the movie too draggy. I wish they would show more of the monster. Even then, this is one of the best monster movies I've seen. For your info, in just over a month of its release, this movie has set a new record in Korean box office with viewers over 12.4 millions.

DOA - lots of action and hot babes

I went to the premier of 'DOA: Dead or Alive' last night without really knowing anything about the movie, except that it's got some hot babes. I understand that it's based on a video game, but I've never played it before. I was quite dissapointed with the outcome because it's just a rehash of the Mortal Kombat/Street Fighter genre. At least the plot in Mortal Kombat was interesting.

It's all about a group of people who are invited to an island to fight each other, and the ultimate winner gets $10 mil.

One of the users in IMDB.com wrote 'Teenage boys are going to love it'. I think not only teenage boys, but boys of all ages will watch this movie if only for the sexy kick-ass babes...and director Cory Yuen probably wanted it that way because there's lots of close-up shots of the ladies' boobs, bottoms and legs.

The fight sequences are OK but it's nothing we haven't seen before in countless chinese movies like Hero, Fearless, House of Flying Dagger etc etc.

At the end I thought it was just a silly, cheesy movie with lots of action and hot babes and nothing much else. Anyway, if I want to watch a kick-ass chick flick, I'd rather watch a rerun of Charlie's Angels.