"The Door" - China's First Horror Movie

'The Door' (Men) is China's first domestically produced horror movie. This is a major milestone in China's movie industry considering that foreign horror movies are generally banned by the China censorship board.

[Shanghai, China, January 23, 2007]

The only female director in China’s post-Cultural 'Fifth Generation', Shaohong Li has released her psychological thriller 'The Door' in mainland. The horror story set in the contemporary China centers on a young intellectual’s ominous journey to find his lost girlfriend and the truth behind the breakup. The film was released in theatre nationwide, as well as Shanghai Media Group’s digital TV channel SiTV, IP TV channel BesTV, broadband online TV channel SMGBB, and mobile phone TV platform DNM.

This is the first film in China’s filming history to be simultaneously released in traditional big screens and new media platforms. Besides going to theatres, Chinese audiences now have another four new media channels to choose from, and thus do not have to wait six months to watch the film through TV or rentals. To film producers and distributors, this is a new distribution channel expanded to explore more profitability of a film.

Shanghai Media Group currently has 6 million digital TV service subscribers through SiTV, about 200,000 IP TV users, and a large broadband TV and mobile phone TV service subscriber base. The company has implemented encryption technology to eliminate piracy through airing on these four channels.

Source: Entertainment Asia Network

Nominations for the 2007 Oscars

Here are the nominees for the 2007 Oscars. The 79th Annual Academy Awards ceremony will be hosted by Ellen DeGeneres on Feb. 25.

Best Picture
"Babel"
"The Departed"
"Letters from Iwo Jima"
"Little Miss Sunshine"
"The Queen"

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio - "Blood Diamond"
Ryan Gosling - "Half Nelson"
Peter O'Toole - "Venus"
Will Smith - "The Pursuit of Happyness"
Forest Whitaker - "The Last King of Scotland"

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin - "Little Miss Sunshine"
Jackie Earle Haley - "Little Children"
Djimon Hounsou - "Blood Diamond"
Eddie Murphy - "Dreamgirls"
Mark Wahlberg - "The Departed"

Best Actress
Penélope Cruz - "Volver"
Judi Dench - "Notes on a Scandal"
Helen Mirren - "The Queen"
Meryl Streep - "The Devil Wears Prada"
Kate Winslet - "Little Children"

Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barraza - "Babel"
Cate Blanchett - "Notes on a Scandal"
Abigail Breslin - "Little Miss Sunshine"
Jennifer Hudson - "Dreamgirls"
Rinko Kikuchi - "Babel"

Best Director
Clint Eastwood - "Letters From Iwo Jima"
Paul Greengrass - "United 93"
Martin Scorsese - "The Departed"
Stephen Frears - "The Queen"
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - "Babel"

Best Original Screenplay
"Babel"
"Letters from Iwo Jima"
"Little Miss Sunshine"
"Pan's Labyrinth"
"The Queen"

Best Adapted Screenplay
"Borat"
"Children of Men"
"The Departed"
"Little Children"
"Notes on a Scandal"

Best Animated Feature Film Of The Year
"Cars" John Lasseter
"Happy Feet" George Miller
"Monster House" Gil Kenan

Best Foreign Language Film Of The Year
"After the Wedding - Denmark
"Days of Glory " - Algeria
"The Lives of Others" - Germany
"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico
"Water" - Canada

Best Original Song
I Need to Wake Up - "An Inconvenient Truth"
Listen - "Dreamgirls"
Love You I Do - "Dreamgirls"
Our Town - "Cars"
Patience - "Dreamgirls"

Imported US Titles into China for 2007

[Beijing, China, January 11, 2007]

'Miami Vice' and 'World Trade Center' are finishing up their run in China’s theaters drawing a close to imported US titles in China's film market for 2006. From 'King Kong' to 'Miami Vice', 20 imported foreign films generated more than $102.4 million at the Chinese box office. Recently, a list of films recommended by 7 major Hollywood film studios to be considered for new imports to China market was turned in to the China Film Group, China’s leading film distribution company based in Beijing.

Many highly anticipated hit films were included such as 'Spider-Man 3', 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix', 'Transformers', and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End'. The majority of imported films to be released in Chinese theaters in 2007 will come from this list, upon review by the State Administration of Radio Film and Television, China’s main film bureau and censoring engine.

In 2006, 'The Da Vinci Code' with its concurrent global opening topped the mainland box office among all imported foreign films with $19.19 million before it was yanked by the government before it finished its run in China. 'Mission: Impossible III' was originally intended to be released simultaneously around the world as well, but was released in Chinese theaters two months and a half later than in the US. The movie was still able to climb among the top 3 titles in China for 2006 taking in about $10.4 million total.

Many industry analysts believe that concurrent global openings of imported films could be a promising endorsement to positive box office results in China. In 2007, the most probable imported film that would simultaneously open worldwide would be 'Spider-Man 3'. The previous two titles of the 'Spider-Man' series accumulated more than $12.8 million at the mainland box office.

Since the first imported action film in China was 'Fugitive' in 1994, action films have traditionally been the most selected among all imported foreign films in China for the past few decades. In 2006, 8 out of 20 imported titles were action films, where 3 made it to the top 10 box office for 2006. This trend is predicted to carry over into 2007 as well, as it is clearly shown among all the recommendations submitted to China Film Group for importing are in the action category.

On the list are 6 animated films to be considered for 2007 release including 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles', 'Meet the Robinsons', 'Ratatouille', 'Shrek 3', 'Surf's Up', and 'The Simpsons Movie'. In 2006, there were 5 animation titles recommended and all were imported and released. Because of terrific box office results of many Hollywood animated films in 2006 like 'Ice Age 2: the Meltdown' and 'Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties', industry analysts believe it is highly possible that all of the 6 new recommendations will be presented to Chinese audiences this summer.

In the first quarter of 2007, there will be 9 imported foreign films dropping in Chinese theatres: 'Arthur and the Invisibles', 'The Guardian', and 'Casino Royale' in January; 'The Restless', '16 Blocks', and 'Night at the Museum' in Feburary; 'Deja vu”, 'The Devil Wears Prada', and 'Click' in March. 'Casino Royale' would be the very first of the many “007” series titles to make it to the big screens in China since it was first introduced 45 years ago. With scheduled opening on January 30th, it is anticipated to exceed 'King Kong' box office total of $12.8 million.

Source: Entertainment Asia Network

Chow Yun Fat in Pirates 3

As fans would already know, Chow Yun Fat will star in the upcoming sequel of Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End. He will play Captain Sao Feng. Here's a first look at the promo poster.

George Bush has been assasinated.....

Only in America can you make a fictional movie about the assassination of the still-living President and get away with it! 'Death Of A President' is a fictional account of the events surrounding the assassination of George Bush. Set in year 2008, the film is shot in the style of a documentary.

The movie interestingly combines real archive footage of Bush and Cheney with staged actors to create the fictitious scenes. In one scene, Cheney even gives a funeral eulogy for Bush.

Similar to Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11', this movie tells of the effects of the Iraq on American families. It's also frightening to see how the US government and secret service reacts, by pointing fingers at innocent people to find a scapegoat.

Whilst this film is a work of fiction, it is disturbing enough to make you think this could easily have happened anywhere and anytime. The movie could have easily been called 'Death of Democracy'.

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.