Wednesday, October 25, 2006

The Almost Weekly Wednesday Midnight Bulletin #5

This week's another one of those insane week with multiple movies making their premieres. With the opening of more screens and more venues available, this should only spell well for cinema goers if the chains continue their respective exclusive showcases to differentiate their cinema halls from others. The selection is wide, but here's the lowdown on this week's worthy picks!

Flick of the Week
An Inconvenient Truth gets my vote for Flick of the Week. I'm still stuck with my commitment to reviewing the movies at the Japanese Film Festival (now on at the National Museum Gallery Theatre), so I haven't had the chance to preview this documentary. But it nonetheless gets my vote as a must see this week, tackling an important crucial theme of global warming. Helmed by The Ex-Almost US President Al Gore, I suspect that the movie will linger in our minds for some time, however it'll be duly forgotten in due course. Such is the state of affairs, and if any of you made life changing decisions, let me know!

BLOCKBUSTER
The US Coast Guard gets the Top Gun treatment, and testosterone gets smeared on the big screen with macho men sweating it on on the high seas. The Guardian marks the comeback of Kevin Costner in an heroic role, and given the dearth of heroic movies these days, this is one welcome change. One of those tribute movies to uniformed groups, it's formula, with Bryan Adams contributing yet another theme song to a movie.

The DUD I
You know, the hype gets to you, the marketing budget bursting to promote it everywhere, but it's all because of the need to cover up a really weak product. The Sinking of Japan, touted as probably the mother of all disaster movies, is a disaster in itself. Don't waste your time, or your money. But yes, the slick advertising campaign will most likely get to you. Don't say you've not been warned!

The DUD II
With so many movies opening, it isn't difficult to locate another turkey. Directed by Oxide Pang, one half of the Pang brothers who had a mixture of hits and misses with their horror movies. In Diary, they take a detour into psychological thrillers. Charlene Choi, the lead actress and one half of Hong Kong Pop Duo Twins, takes a plunge into a very different role here, and given that this is possible her showcase, it's a must watch for her fans. Otherwise, it's a tad too experimental and repetitive, with a storyline that borrows quite a bit from easily identifiable contemporary movies.

The DUD III
OK, so this one ain't that bad, that's why it's the last of the DUD trilogy for the week. If you approach The OH in Ohio as you hope to expect it to be as good as The 40 Year Old Virgin, then prepare to be disappointed. Otherwise this movie does have its moments, but I still think the queen of on-screen orgasm still belongs to Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally.

Acquired Tastes

Days of Glory was one of the movies in the recently concluded French Film Festival for 2006, and it makes it commercial debut this week. Before you go "not another war movie again", this one is slightly different, as it looks at mercenaries fighting for change, and a chance to be recognized in a land that does not love them back, for all the blood and sweat they shed to reclaim France from the Axis Powers during WWII. Compelling.

I would watch DOA (or Dead on Arrival), based on the video game, just to see if Devon Aoki gets to look good on screen. 2 Fast 2 Furious managed to make her look fugly, and she looked like she could use some colour in Sin City. Don't hold your breaths as this is a definite chick flick, and probably strictly for the game fans.

The last acquired taste will be Operation Undercover, following straight from the heels of last week's Exiled. Hong Kong Triad movies seem to be on a resurgence, so it will be interesting to see what's the differentiating factor in this one.

See you at the movies!

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