WEEKEND PIC - May 8 - 10, 2009

YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND MOVIES

NEW THIS WEEK:

a. STAR TREK (sci-fi adventure with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, John Cho, Ben Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, and Zoë Saldana) Rated * * * 1/2 (3.5 stars out of 4): It's a new beginning for Start Trek franchise - just like it was for Batman Begins - and a must for every Trekkie and sci-fi fan. (Reviewed below)

b. SELL OUT! (Malaysian comedy with Jerrica Lai, Peter Davis, Hannah Lo, Kee Thuan Chye and Lim Teik Leong) Rated * * * (3 stars): Newcomer Yeo Joon Han's black comedy offers some refreshing insights into Malaysian life and foibles. There should be enough laughs for your money.

c. MONGOL (historical adventure with Tadanobu Asano, pic below, Sun Hong-lei, Khulan Chuluun and Aliya) Rating * * * (3 stars): An old-fashioned historical epic about the early life of Temudjin (Genghis Khan) with fantastic scenery and realistic action.


d. POWER KIDS (Thai action fantasy with Nantawooti Boonrapsap, Sasisa Jindamanee, and Johnny Nguyen) Rating: * * (2 stars): Greasy kids' stuff about four martial-arts-trained children and their bid to save a child with heart problems.

STILL GOING STRONG:

1. X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE (Fantasy actioner with Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Dominic Monaghan and Lynn Collins) Rated * * * (3 stars): This action-packed tale about the origins and relationship between Wolverine and Sabretooth should please Marvel comics fans. (Reviewed below)

2. THE UNINVITED (psychological thriller remake with Emily Browning, Elizabeth Banks, Arielle Kebbel, David Strathairn, Jesse Moss and Dean Paul Gibson) Rated * * * (3 stars): This Hollywood version of Korean horror, A Tale of Two Sisters, is not as scary as the original but it is engaging, nevertheless. (Reviewed below)

3. THE SNIPER (actioner with Richie Jen, Edison Chen, Huang Xiaoming, Jack Kao and Bowie Lam) Rated * * * (3 stars): Testosterone-filled thriller about a sniper out for revenge. The movie was delayed due to the Edison Chen sex pix scandal. Mainly for action fans. (Reviewed below)

4. SHINJUKU INCIDENT (action drama with Jackie Chan, Daniel Wu, Naoto Takenaka, Fan Bingbing, Jack Kao, Masaya Kato and Xu Jinglei) Rated * * * (3 stars): No longer the kungfu comedian, this is Jackie's first foray into a serious role in Derek Yee's story about the Chinese refugees in Japan. Contains some violent scenes. (Reviewed below)

5. NAAK (action thriller with Jesdaporn Pholdee, Ploy Jindachot, Passin Ruangvuth and Sakda Kaewbuadee) Rated * * (2 stars): This multi-genre effort by a first-time director combines ancient Naga myth with modern jungle warfare, science fiction and even romance. In short, a Thai rojak movie. (Reviewed below)

6. COMING SOON (horror thriller with Chantavit Dhanasevi, Vorakan Rojchanawat and Sakulrath Thomas) Rated * * (2 stars): Offering a movie-within-a-movie, this Thai horror is about a projectionist's attempt to videocopy a film - with near fatal results. (Reviewed below)