Yowazzup: A Directory of Happening Things

Chinese Zodiac (2012) Trailer

2012-05-23T01:41:53Z

Chinese Zodiac also known as Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac is an action adventure film by Jackie Chan where a man searches the world for a set of mystic artifacts – 12 bronze heads of the animals from the Chinese zodiac. Directed by Jackie Chan and starring Jackie Chan, Oliver Platt, Caitlin Dechelle, Chinese Zodiac opens on December 20, 2012 in China.

Skyfall (2012) Trailer

2012-05-21T23:35:24Z

Skyfall is the next James Bond film in which Bond’s (Daniel Craig) loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. Directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig, Helen McCrory, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Bérénice Marlohe, Skyfall opens on November 9, 2012.

First 10 Minutes of Teen Wolf Season 2 Premiere

2012-05-18T01:33:06Z

Here’s the first 10 minutes of Teen Wolf Season 2, airing Sunday, June 3 at 11/10c!

The Amazing Spider-Man (3D) – 4 Minute Super Preview (2012) Trailer

2012-05-15T18:48:55Z

Check out the 4 minute trailer of The Amazing Spider-Man: -

Diablo III Has Just Begun

2012-05-15T01:22:51Z

Diablo III is here. Have you pre-order yet?

Diablo III is an action role-playing game that takes place on Sanctuary, a dark fantasy world. After nearly 12 years, finally the best RPG game is back!

Check out the trailer below: -

Get Diablo III: Standard Edition or Diablo III: Collector Edition now!

True Blood Season 5 (TV Series 2012) Trailer

2012-05-14T03:33:54Z

Season 5 of “True Blood” premieres Sunday, June 10th. Check out the full trailer of Season 5.

Dark Shadows (2012) – Movie Review

2012-05-24T07:00:10Z

Casts: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Helena Bonham Carter, Chloë Moretz, Bella Heathcote, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller
Director: Tim Burton
Writer: Seth Grahame-Smith, John August
Running Time: 113 minutes
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy

Dark Shadows is a comedy fantasy film based on the popular 1966–1971 gothic soap opera of the same name.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Johnny Depp in "Dark Shadows"

Joshua Collins (Ivan Kaye) and Naomi Collins (Susanna Cappellaro) sail from Liverpool, England to North America in 1972 to start a fishing business in Collinsport, Maine. Their son, Barnabas (Johnny Depp) is a playboy and the master of Collinwood Manor.

When Barnabas breaks the heart of a witch, Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green), the witch then uses witchery to kill his parents and curses his family including his lovers. Josette (Bella Heathcote) is Barnabas’ last lover and she leaps to her death from a nearby cliff. Angelique then curses Barnabas to turn into a vampire before burying him alive in a chained-coffin.

200 year later, Barnabas is freed from his coffin by a group of construction workers, who then sucks their blood and killing them. Barnabas makes his way back to Collinwood Manor only to find the mansion in total ruin. The manor is occupied by Barnabas’ dysfunctional descendants led by the Collins family matriarch, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer). Elizabeth has a rebellious daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloë Moretz) who likes to touch herself. David Collins (Gulliver McGrath) is Elizabeth’s 10-year-old nephew who claims he sees the ghost of Josette occasionally though no one believes him. That’s when Elizabeth hires Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), a psychiatrist to treat David.

Barnabas tries to rebuild the family fishing business when he learns the town is no longer under their control.

When Angelique discovers Barnabas’ escape, she plots to continue her avenging whilst tries to win him back. In the process, Angelique seduces Barnabas and they end up wrecking Angelique’s entire office in a tryst. After Barnabas tells Angelique he never loves her, Angelique once again locks up Barnabas in a coffin. She then creates a little accident in Collins factory to cause a fire which eventually burns down their fishing business.

In a fight between the witch Angelique and the Collins, we discovers Angelique has summoned a werewolf to turn Carolyn into a werewolf. But, the fight eventually ends when Josette’s ghost unleashes a powerful shriek which gives a huge blow to Angelique as she cracks like how a glass cracks.

Overall, Dark Shadows is gothic, entertaining and fun but that’s about it. Tim Burton’s idea to turn the classic soap opera into a comedy has its limit. Although the main cast excel in their acting, the storyline is somehow too weak and at times, characters like Helena Bonham Carter’s Dr. Julia Hoffman doesn’t fit into the film nor is necessary. Perhaps, this is one of the remakes that should be left in the dark shadows.

My rating: 6 out of 10
Verdict: No doubt it’s fun and entertaining but even if you’re a fan of Tim Burton, you’ll still be disappointed at this flick
Mid-credits scene: Not exactly mid-credits scene, but before the ending, Dr. Julia Hoffman is shown awaken as a vampire.

Disney Confirms The Avengers Sequel Is Happening

2012-05-09T01:15:48Z

Disney’s CEO Bob Iger has confirmed on The Avengers sequel just days after the film shattered the US box office record.

Although there are no words on when the sequel will be released, there are some speculations that it might well be May 16, 2014.

For now, read about the full movie review of The Avengers.

Teen Wolf (TV Series 2012) Season 2 Trailer

2012-05-08T04:21:27Z

Teen Wolf is back with its second season. Share the video below to unlock 10 minutes of the first episode of Season 2!

The Avengers Breaks US Box Office Record With $200.3M

2012-05-07T01:16:44Z

Marvel’s The Avengers posted an estimated $200.3 million in its US debut May 4-6, according to The Walt Disney Studios. breaking previous records and positioning the film as the highest-grossing domestic debut of all time. After smashing box office record globally, Marvel’s The Avengers cumulative global box office gross is now an estimated $641.8 million just over 12 days in release.

In just three days, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is the fastest movie to reach $200 million in the US. The film opened on Friday, May 4 in the US and marks the second highest single day take of all time at $80.5 million. Saturday’s box office gross of $69.7 million is the highest Saturday take of all time.

Moviegoers and critics alike have been giving the film rave reviews.

Have you watched Marvel’s The Avengers yet?

This Is 40 (2012) Trailer

2012-05-06T12:11:01Z

This Is 40 is an original comedy that expands upon the story of Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) from the blockbuster hit Knocked Up as we see first-hand how they are dealing with their current state of life. Directed by Judd Apatow and starring Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, Megan Fox, Lena Dunham, Chris O’Dowd, Melissa McCarthy, Charlyne Yi, John Lithgow, This Is 40 opens on December 21, 2012.

Hotel Transylvania (2012) Trailer

2012-05-01T09:27:28Z

Hotel Transylvania is an animated comedy about Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count’s teen-aged daughter. Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky and starring the voice of Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi, Kevin James, David Spade, Andy Samberg, Fran Drescher, David Koechner, Molly Shannon, Cee-Lo, Hotel Transylvania opens on September 21, 2012.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Trailer

2012-05-01T03:32:44Z

The new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises is here, check it out! The Dark Knight Rises is the epic conclusion in Christopher Nolan’s Batman film series. Directed by Nolan and starring Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, The Dark Knight Rises opens on July 20, 2012.

The Avengers Smashes Global Box Office Records

2012-04-30T23:51:09Z

The Avengers, the most anticipated film in the summer, may not open in the U.S. until May 4 but it is already breaking box office records elsewhere in the world.

The Avengers also had the biggest opening weekend ever in 12 countries, including Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Central America, Bolivia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, New Zealand, The Philippines.

Are you excited? Have you bought your tickets yet?

Don’t forget to check out the review of The Avengers (filled with plots and spoilers)!

Dark Shadows (2012) Trailer

2012-04-25T12:51:47Z

Dark Shadows is a gothic comedy by Tim Burton about an imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, who is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection. Directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dark Shadows opens on May 11, 2012.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2012) Trailer

2012-04-24T08:33:12Z

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is the sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Cobra spy Zartan has most of the Joes assassinated, the remaining Joes band together to strike back. Directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, Ray Park, Bruce Willis, Adrianne Palicki, G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens on June 29, 2012.

The Avengers (2012) – Movie Review

2012-04-28T02:47:17Z

Casts: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Stellan Skarsgård, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany (voice), Lou Ferrigno (voice)
Director: Joss Whedon
Writer: Joss Whedon, Zak Penn
Running Time: 135 minutes
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

The Avengers also known as "Avengers Assemble" in the United Kingdom is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. For the uninitiated, The Avengers is the ultimate film that Marvel has been begun with Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011) and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). In each of those films, we have seen Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. appeared in the all the films’ post-credit scenes to recruit Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America to save the world from destruction as part of the "Avenger Initiative".

The Avengers consists of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), demigod Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) where the latter two are part of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Nick Fury brings them together in order to save Earth from Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his army.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The Avengers

The film starts with Loki’s invasion of Earth through a portal constructed by the Tesseract, a powerful blue cube and causes major havoc to S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. Hawkeye, agent and master archer, Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and Nick Fury all fail to stop Loki as he possesses Gungnir, a powerful spear originally owned by Odin. Instead of killing Hawkeye and Professor Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), Loki uses mind control on them as they can be proved useful for his plan.

Loki’s main plan is more than just a vengeance mission after his brother Thor has sent him to oblivion. Loki is brutal and has a mind of a tyrant and he’s determine to see all human worship him as a form of world peace. As part of his world domination scheme, Loki has been given the Chitauri army in a promise that he will obtain the Tesseract for them.

From this moment onwards, the film begins its exhilarating ride of thrilling and non-stop action, witty humors and non-stop entertainment. Despite having an ensemble cast, Whedon manages to pull this off by giving every characters equal screen time as he brings out the very best in them without overdoing any of them. Even Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Agent Maria Hill get some screen time — Coulson reveals that he’s a big fan of Captain America with his collection of Captain America trading cards.

As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury has to quickly assemble his team of "The Avengers" to stop Loki to prevent any further destruction of Earth and to retrieve the stolen Tesseract. Agent Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. Black Widow is summoned from Russia who later helps to find Dr. Bruce Banner from a hideout in India. Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man is being called upon as well.

Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America who is in the care of S.H.I.E.L.D. is sent to stop Loki in Germany, but is easily overwhelmed until Iron Man appears and the duo manage to stop Loki and escort him to the Helicarrier until Thor intervenes with his unfinished business with his brother.

Thor, Iron Man and Captain America dealing with each other in "The Avengers"

As expected, the superheroes don’t get along well with one another as they frequently trade blow just to show who’s mightier. As Thor is having a heated argument with Loki, Iron Man disrupts and the fight between Iron Man and Thor ensues until Captain America puts a stop to the fight.

Consequently, Loki is imprisoned in a high-tech lock-up (which is built for something a lot stronger than Loki) within the Helicarrier. Loki manages to cause a major disagreement between the members of The Avengers to distract them while he plans an escape. Using his abilities, Loki has his "men" led by Hawkeye (who is under mind control) to hijack the ship in a breakout attempt.

Thereafter, plenty of action sequence follows and a bit of disarray as The Avengers is totally unprepared and does not gel well as a team in the beginning. Thor is tricked by Loki, the God of Lies and Mischief into the cell and is then sent away by Loki. The Hulk is also out of control as he wrecks the ship and attacks almost anyone who crosses paths with him until he’s tricked off the plane. Black Widow faces off with Hawkeye while Iron Man manually powers the failed engine.

Eventually, Hawkeye is knocked off from Loki’s mind control by Black Widow; Iron Man and Captain America work with each other to help to fix the ship. However, Agent Coulson is killed by Loki and Loki has managed to escape despite being blasted off by a S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secret weapon still in its prototype.

At this point though, Nick Fury learns that the team needs to work together in order to fend off what’s about to come and dishes out a desperate manoeuvre. Fury splashes blood on Coulson’s Captain American trading cards and uses them as an excuse to motivate The Avengers team.

Professor Selvig manages to harvest the power of the Tesseract in order to open up a portal for the Chitauri army.

Thor and Captain America in "The Avengers"

In the final action sequence, the battles of Loki and his Chitauri army with The Avengers prove to be among the best action sequences for a superhero genre. Together with witty humors which are perfectly fitted, Whedon has literally transformed the comic book into a nearly perfect superhero live-action film. Whedon’s writing role has certainly helped the film in many areas.

Nearly every characters in the film has a funny line and this includes Black Widow and even The Hulk. Puny God.

The Avengers manages to pull off this time around as they keep the enemies at bay and protect the Earth, but not without team work. In the end, Loki is taken prisoner to Asgard by Thor as the rest of The Avengers goes on separate ways with Banner and Stark leaving together in Stark’s Acura.

Overall, The Avengers is simply mind-blowing from the start to the finish — with non-stop actions, funny moments, thrilling scenes and entertainment at its best. Almost every actors shines and brings out the best of themselves, just like how every superheroes strive to save the Earth. Most of all, director Whedon has done a brilliant job in making a near perfect superhero film.

My rating: 10 out of 10
Verdict: Best-ever live-action superhero film, watch it whether you’re a fanboy or not; watch it whether you’ve watched the previous films by Marvel Studios; watch it if you’re the type who goes to the cinema once a year, watch it no matter what!
Mid-credits scene: During the mid-credits scene, the alien who provided the fleet of Chitauri army to Loki happens to be an associate of Thanos. The associate utters to Thanos that any attempt to conquer Earth would be to court death. But Thanos smiles back and says that it works according to plan — implying a possible sequel with Thanos as the main villain.
Post-credits scene: Not in the special screening, but rumored to be one when the film opens to the general public.

The Avengers (2012) – Non Review

2012-04-18T07:48:24Z

This is a non-review of the film "The Avengers" as the movie reviews for are embargoed until April 21st for Malaysia (April 20th for the United Kingdom and May 2nd for the United States).

I was one of the lucky fans who get the chance to fly to Singapore and watch "The Avengers" before anyone else. But as the distributor of the film has mentioned the embargo of movie review or any spoilers until a later date, I can only blog about how good the film is.

The Avengers

The Avengers as expected is a mind-blowing film with plenty of actions as well as humor from the start to the end. The last time I experienced such an amazing time in the superhero genre was during the screening of "The Dark Knight". Even so, The Avengers is like twice as mind-blowing as "The Dark Knight" without the gloomy elements and sick jokes.

Unlike some of the X-Men films where too many characters didn’t work exactly well, The Avengers has made it to work out pretty well with each characters having sufficient screen time and even some character development. One thing which I felt excited about was the fighting scenes with one another within "The Avengers" as no superheroes would always agree with each other, right?

The special effects were amazing and as real as it could get. Even the music and sound editing were so seamless.

While some other superhero films may have plenty of actions, most of them lack either one or two other elements. The Avengers has them all — full of actions, plenty of humors, solid storyline.

Stay tune for the full movie review!

In the meantime, check out the fans reaction to "Marvel’s The Avengers".

That’s My Boy (2012) Red Band Trailer

2012-04-13T03:52:00Z

That’s My Boy is a comedy film starring Adam Sandler and Tony Samberg. While still in his teens, Donny (Adam Sandler) fathered a son, Todd (Andy Samberg), and raised him as a single parent up until Todd’s 18th birthday. Now, after not seeing each other for years, Todd’s world comes crashing down. Directed by Sean Anders, That’s My Boy opens on June 15, 2012.

Ted (2012) Restricted Trailer

2012-04-09T05:17:07Z

Ted is a comedy film centered on John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) and his teddy bear, Ted (voice by Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy) who comes to life as the result of a childhood wish. Directed by Seth MacFarlane and starring Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Giovanni Ribisi, Seth MacFarlane, Jessica Stroup, Ted opens on July 13, 2012.

Total Recall (2012) Trailer

2012-04-04T21:53:00Z

Total Recall is a sci-fi film based on the 1990 film. In Total Recall, Euroamerica (formerly North America and the European Union) and New Shanghai (formerly China and South East Asia) fight for political power in the far dystopian future in the year 2084. A simple factory worker suffering from violent nightmares (Colin Farrell) begins to suspect that he’s a spy whose memory and personality were erased and replaced — though he is unaware which side of the fight he’s on and how important his lost memories will be in its outcome. What matters to him the most is that he must team up with a young female freedom fighter (Jessica Biel) in order for both of them to change the political system in their own country, Euroamerica, which is currently controlled by Euroamerican President Vilos Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston) and his government that rules with extreme austerity. Directed by Len Wiseman and starring Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Nighy, Bryan Cranston, John Cho, Total Recall opens on August 3, 2012.

True Blood Season 5 (TV Series 2012) Teaser Trailer

2012-05-14T03:30:54Z

Check out the teaser trailer of True Blood Season 5 which will begin this summer.

Rise of the Guardians (2012) Trailer

2012-04-02T02:04:11Z

Rise of the Guardians is an animated film about the mythic beings which join forces to protect the children of the world when the Boogieman launches an assault on Earth. Directed by Peter Ramsey and starring the voices of Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher, Chris Pine, Jude Law, Rise of the Guardians opens on November 21, 2012.

Wrath of the Titans (2012) – Movie Review

2012-03-31T14:03:50Z

Casts: Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Danny Huston, Édgar Ramírez, Bill Nighy, Toby Kebbell, Rosamund Pike, John Bell
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Writer: Dan Mazeau, David Johnson
Running Time: 99 minutes
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Wrath of the Titans is the sequel to Clash of the Titans starring Sam Worthington as Perseus.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Sam Worthington and Rosamund Pike in "Wrath of the Titans"

The film begins moderately with Perseus (Sam Worthington) goes fishing with his 10-year-old son Helius (John Bell) as he chooses to live his life as a fisherman. There is nothing mentioned about Io (Gemma Arterton) who mysteriously disappeared from the film. When Zeus (Liam Neeson) tells Perseus the world is in danger as the walls of Tartarus are breaking, Perseus refuses to help his father.

Meanwhile, Zeus has gone down to Tartarus to meet with Hades (Ralph Fiennes), Poseidon (Danny Huston), and his son Ares (Edgar Ramirez) with a hope to unite to rebuild Tartarus but instead is betrayed by Ares and Ares and Hades join forces to destroy Zeus and Poseidon as they plan to drain Zeus’ power to revive their father Kronos in exchange for immortality.

The film then moves in a fast pace skipping the unnecessary details. A Chimera attacks Perseus’ village and thus, as predicted, no one other than Perseus dares to challenge and defeat the creature, which immediately prompts him to the Mount of Idols to speak to Zeus. Poseidon arrives instead as he tells Perseus of Ares and Hades’ attempt to save Kronos and they have imprisoned Zeus before Poseidon succumbs to his death.

Perseus then flies on the Pegasus to find Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike) who has imprisoned Poseidon’s demigod son Agenor (Toby Kebbell) who in return knows the whereabouts of the fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy). Hephaestus also happens to know how to get into Tartarus as he’s the one responsible in creating it as well as the weapons of Zeus, Hades and Ares which can be combined to form the Spear of Triam, the only weapon that can stop Kronos.

Fast-forward, the trio of Perseus, Queen Andromeda and Agenor manage to reach the center of Tartarus where Zeus is chained but they realize they are too late as Kronos already gains the power he needs. Ares manages to get hold of them as he throws Hades’ pitchfork into Zeus’ back, almost killing him. As Hades has a change of heart, he gives his power to Zeus restoring him back to normal.

As Zeus and Hades join forces to stop Kronos, Andromeda has her armies prepare to withhold Kronos in order to buy time for Perseus who plots to get Zeus’ thunderbolt from Ares in an attempt to forge the Spear of Triam.

Kronos as one of the Titans appears to be completely CGI made of lava, and a hundred times bigger than any of the Gods or humans but is easily defeated by Perseus using the Spear of Triam.

Overall, the film lacks a good and complete storyline and is filled with special effects which doesn’t look too impressive either. Battle Los Angeles director, Jonathan Liebesman seems to rush the film cutting it as short as 99 minutes, even shorter than the first film.

My rating: 6 out of 10
Verdict: Entertaining and action-packed but not engaging enough despite the big names casting
Post-credits scene: No

The Hunger Games (2012) – Movie Review

2012-03-23T04:04:32Z

Casts: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Hemsworth, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Amandla Stenberg, Donald Sutherland, Willow Shields, Paula Malcomson, Alexander Ludwig
Director: Gary Ross
Writer: Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins
Running Time: 86 minutes
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

The Hunger Games is a science-fiction action drama film based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games"

In a not-too-distant future, North America has fallen apart, crippled by drought, fire, famine and war to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year two young representatives from each district, one boy, one girl, aged 12-18 are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. The 24 participants are forced to kill each others as there can be only one survivor. The Hunger Games are broadcast throughout Panem with all citizens required to watch.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrenece) volunteers to represent District 12 when her twelve-year-old sister, Primrose “Prim” (Willow Shields) is selected. Together with Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), the male tribute from District 12, they will be pitted against stronger opponents who have been training for their whole lives.

Before the games begin, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), a drunk and the only survivor from District 12 mentors both Katniss and Peeta. Stylist, Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) is assigned to prepare Katniss to help her make a good impression with the sponsors before the games begin. Peeta confesses his crush on Katniss since childhood during the introduction and hence, make both Peeta and Katniss popularity goes up.

Once in the arena, Katniss must rely on her wits and her hunting skills in order to survive. As tributes from Districts 1 and 2, led by Cato (Alexander Ludwig) gang up in an attempt to get rid of Katniss, Rue (Amandla Stenberg) from District 11, a tribute with the least odd to win The Hunger Games rescues her and becomes her ally. When Rue is killed by a member from Team Cato when she falls into their booby trap, Katniss becomes depressed and angry at the Capitol, her sadness is shared among the people of District 11 and causes a riot in District 11.

In order to keep things back in order, the organizer decides to change the rule of the games by allowing two survivors as long as they are from the same district. That prompts Katniss to find Peeta only to discover that he’s critically injured. When Katniss tries to retrieve medicines for Peeta, she is almost killed by Cato’s follower until Thresh saves her. Thresh spares Katniss life this time around because of Rue’s friendship with her.

During the finale, Katniss and Peeta have the run of their lives in order to escape a carnivorous monster created by The Capitol’s programmers (which is later spawned into five). When they reach the apex of a steel tent at the starting base, they realize that Cato is there too. The brawl ends with Cato threatens to kill Peeta by twisting his neck. Katniss shoots an arrow onto the hand of Cato instead of his head and Cato falls off the tent and is eaten alive by the monsters.

When Katniss and Peeta think they have already won, the organizer decides to change the rule and makes them kill each other. As both Katniss and Peeta are in love with each other, they decide to kill themselves by consuming poisonous berries only to have the organizer to let both of them live.

Overall, The Hunger Games is well-played with a balance mix of romance, emotions, violence and action. The film is no doubt heart-pumping and enthralling from start to finish with solid performance from Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. Good news is that the second film is already in the making and is scheduled to be released in November 2013.

Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!

My rating: 8 out of 10
Verdict: Entertaining and enthralling film to watch even if you don’t read the book
Post-credits scene: No

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012) Trailer

2012-03-21T05:40:29Z

You have seen the teaser for Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, now check out the full trailer. The film opens on June 8, 2012.

Prometheus (2012) Trailer

2012-03-18T03:00:49Z

Prometheus is an action horror Sci-Fi about a team of explorers who discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race. Directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) and starring Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron and Patrick Wilson, Prometheus opens on June 8, 2012.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012) Trailer

2012-03-16T00:18:59Z

The Pirates! Band of Misfits is an animated film directed by Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt. Pirate Captain sets out on a mission to defeat his rivals Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz for the Pirate of the year Award. The quest takes Captain and his crew from the shores of Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Starring the voices of Hugh Grant, Salma Hayek and Jeremy Piven, The Pirates! Band of Misfits opens April 27, 2012.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (2012) – Movie Review

2012-03-14T05:59:53Z

Casts: Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Betty White, Rob Riggle
Director: Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda
Writer: Ken Daurio, Dr. Seuss
Running Time: 86 minutes
Genre: Animation, Fantasy, Adventure

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, also known as The Lorax is an animated film based on Dr. Seuss’ children book.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax

The film revolves around Ted (voiced by Zac Efron), a 12-year-old who lives in “Thneed-Ville”, where everything is artificial except the human. In order to win the heart of Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift), Ted sets out the city wall to fulfil Audrey’s wish of seeing a real tree. For that, Ted’s super cool grandmother (voiced by Betty White), who can snow-skate faster than Ted on a scooter, suggests Ted to talk to Once-ler (voiced by Ed Helms).

However, like any cities in the world, Thneed-Ville is controlled by rich and greedy mayor Mr. O’Hare (Rob Riggle) who happens to own a bottled oxygen company. Since the city has no trees, Mr. O’Hare profits from his citizens by providing them bottled oxygen for a price.

Ted learns about how Once-ler’s personal greed led to the destruction of the entire Truffula’s forest and his encounter with The Lorax (voiced by Danny DeVito), the guardian of the trees. In the process, Once-ler has made Ted to come back for the story for at least a few days. In the end, Once-ler gives Ted the last Truffula seed to plant and to impress Audrey only to be stopped by O’Hare as he does not want the trees to undercut his business. When the citizens learn about the wasteland outside the wall, they defy O’Hare and has the seed planted.

It is known later that Once-ler has planted many Truffula trees which have started to grow back and The Lorax returns and thank him for his conservation of the world by planting the trees.

Overall, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is a simple, fun but engaging film which highlights the importance of conservation of the trees and the consequences of what greed can do onto one person.

My rating: 6 out of 10
Verdict: Fun, simple animation for the whole family
Post-credits scene: No

John Carter (2012) – Movie Review

2012-03-09T00:50:57Z

Casts: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Bryan Cranston, Polly Walker, Daryl Sabara
Director: Andrew Stanton
Writer: Andrew Stanton, Mark Andrews
Running Time: 132 minutes
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Adventure

John Carter is an action adventure fantasy film largely based on A Princess of Mars, the first novel of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 11-volume Barsoom series. The film is directed by Pixar’s Andrew Stanton who directed Finding Nemo and WALL-E.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Lynn Collins and Taylor Kitsch in "John Carter"

The film begins with a war between Helium and Zodanga on the planet Barsoom. When Helium has almost defeated Zodanga, Matai Shang (Mark Strong) leader of Holy Therns is sent by the Goddess to give Sab Than (Dominic West) an advanced weapon with infinite power which overwhelms his opponents.

Back on Earth, John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is a former American Civil War captain who during his search for gold in a cave in Arizona finds himself mysteriously transported to Barsoom and inadvertently interfere with the feud between Helium and Zodanga.

John Carter is no Jonah Hex or Prince of Persian wielded with weapon that has superpower, but in the Planet of Barsoom which John Carter later learns is actually Planet Mars, John Carter can actually jump over 100 feet and has incredible agility mainly due to the gravity on Mars. Who could have thought of that?

In the middle of all that, Barsoom is inhabited by the Tharks tribe — tall, four-hands E.T.-like creatures complete with tusks. Although, the Tharks hopes to cash in on eliminating both Helium and Zodanga, wishing they would fight to death, they play quite a vital role in assisting the final outcome of the war.

When Helium is almost defeated, Tardos Mors (Ciarán Hinds) the Jeddak of Helium surrenders by allowing Sab Than to marry his daughter Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), Princess of Helium, until of course John Carter interferes.

While the film brings on similarity from many films from the Prince of Persia to Battlefield Earth, Star Wars to Avatar, and at some point, even Gladiator, you can’t really fault Andrew Stanton for his first live-action film as his bring his screen adaption from animation to live-action and he did it incredibly well.

Overall, John Carter may not be perfect with loopholes here and there and it certainly does not make any sense, but I’m certainly looking forward a possible sequel as the film is entertaining and at times, too surreal I wish I were at Barsoom instead of Jarsoom, um, Earth.

My rating: 7 out of 10
Verdict: Fun, harmless, entertaining film that combines Star Wars, Avatar, Prince of Persia and the likes
Post-credits scene: No