The Dark Knight Posters Debut

The kind folks from Warner. Bros had provided us with some cool posters for the upcoming The Dark Knight.



The Dark Knight opens in cinemas 17th July 2008

Dance of the Dragon: World Premiere Pics

Missed the World Premiere of the Dance of the Dragon last Wednesday at The Cathay? Don't worry as here are some photos from the World Premiere
Singapore's very own starlet Fann Wong
Korean heartthrob Jang Hyuk walking down the Red Carpet
A little chat before the movie
and Fann Wong with Director John Radel

Picture from Silk Road Pictures / Cathay-Keris Films.

Cool Bat

The new DARK KNIGHT poster is found on the Joker's WhySoSerious.com! Welcome to a world without rules! Nothing beats a cool poster and a new tagline.

Jackie Chan in PROJECT WAX

In celebration of The Forbidden Kingdom opening #1, Madame Tussaud’s in New York unveiled a wax figure of Jackie Chan today. The figure is on loan from Madame Tussaud’s Shanghai and had never been seen before in the U.S. Obviously, the color is a bit-off... You can see more pixs here

Money No Enough Leh!

In celebration of the 10th anniversary, Neo Studios and distributor Golden Village Pictures are happy to announce the commemorative release of MONEY NO ENOUGH on 28th April 2008! Screening for a limited period at selected GV cinemas at a special ticket price of $6.50! MONEY NO ENOUGH was released 10 years ago on 7th May 1998. Directed by Tay Teck-Lock starring Jack Neo, Mark Lee and Henry Thia, it earned SGD $5.8 million and still holds the local box office record for a Singapore film.

Go Speed Go!!

For those who can't wait to catch Speed Racer on the big screen (and Rain fans to catch your idol in his first Hollywood film), there's going to be a Charity Gala Premiere on 6 May at GV Vivocity.

Partnering Golden Village Cinemas, the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) will be leveraging on this premiere to raise funds for the sustenance of their sports programmes and services catered for the needs of people with disability. Undertaking all the three roles – Singapore Sports Council, Singapore National Olympic Council and National Sports Associations – in one, the SDSC is the sole body in Singapore that is helping people across all types of disability to earn the opportunity to play sports.

Tickets are going at S$25 each, and for those who want to pledge tickets to the beneficiaries, you can do so too! Contact Nolan at 6342 3565 or nolan@sdsc.org.sg to book a hall for your employees/clients or buy individual tickets. More details can be found here!


Oh, and your ticket will come in a commemorative ticket holder too!

Disney Launches DISNEYNATURE

The Walt Disney Studios is launching Disneynature, a prestigious new production banner that will literally go to the ends of the earth to produce major big screen nature documentaries. In the great tradition established by Walt Disney himself, Disneynature will offer spectacular entertainment about the world in which we live. Among the Disneynature projects currently in development or production include OCEANS, BIG CATS, ORANGUTANS, and CHIMPANZEE. First on the slate is entitled EARTH. It will be narrated by renowned actor James "Darth Vader" Earl Jones and will premiere theatrically on Earth Day, April 22, 2009. Click here for more details

The Forbidden Kingdom Strikes Formidable Opening

The Forbidden Kingdom scores S$1,523,180! SECOND BIGGEST OPENING WEEKEND THIS YEAR behind CJ 7 ($2,002,058) . This result is phenomenal as collections are only from 3 trading days (Fri-Sun) and over a non-holiday period as compared to some of these titles. BIGGEST OPENING WEEKEND FOR JET LI! Beating Fearless ($961,531), Rogue ($342,521), Warlords ($923,600). SECOND BIGGEST OPENING WEEKEND FOR JACKIE CHAN! Only behind Rush Hour 3 ($2,180,045) surpassing The Myth ($889,068), New Police Story ($812,810) etc.

Hannah Montana, Who?

The average age of the staff here at MX is around 30 so that might explain why Hannah Montana is a stranger to us. Fortunately, we have John who falls under the ripe old age of 30, only he can decipher the phenomena behind "Hannah Montana: Pop Star Profile".

Speed Racer Roars

Some music selections from Michael Giacchino's SPEED RACER score is now online. It's snazzy, fun and cartoony. Let's hope the movie is as good. Click here to listen to tracks from the film.

ALVIN!!!

The sleeper hit "Alvin and the Chipmunks" is now available on DVD. The lovable chipmunks comes in Hi-Def as well, costing US$25.95 without shipping. The Code 1 version is US$15.99 (without shipping) or SGD$39.90 in retail stores.

Finally, the Code 3 has 2 versions, one with the lovable chipmunks softies at SGD$39.90 while the normal version is at the usual price of SGD$27.90.

Take your pick this weekend. (Disclaimer: This post comes without any endorsement from the relevant distributors)

Sinema on Good Morning Singapore

The handsome duo from Sinema.sg went on national TV today to talk about how they came about setting up Sinema. Joining them is director Boi Kwong of the upcoming movie, "The Days". Check it out.

Dance of the Dragon

From ex-TV star/producer Robin Leong comes a romance drama about national ballroom dancing championship, "Dance of the Dragon". The movie stars our own local starlet Fann Wong, Korean star Jang Hyuk and Jason Scott Lee. For a sneak, 'The Making Of Dance Of The Dragon' will air on Channel 5 next Thursday 24th April at 7pm.

For trailer, photos, info from "Dance of the Dragon", click here

Under The Banyan Tree: Open Air Cinema

Under The Banyan Tree: Open Air Cinema

A Programme of the National Museum Cinematheque

When: Fri 25 April 08, Sat 26 April 08, Fri 30 May, Sat 31 May, Fri 27 June, Sat 28 June
Where: Stamford Garden (open-air screening), 8pm
Free admission

The popular Under the Banyan Tree monthly outdoor screenings return to the National Museum this April!

Celebrate the romance and magic of cinema with your family and friends in a refreshing open-air setting as we screen some of your favourite and most beloved movie classics.


Wizard of Oz
Dir: Victor Fleming
1939 / USA / 101 min / 35mm / PG
Friday 25 April 08, 8.00pm
Stamford Garden
Free admission

Follow Dorothy over the rainbow and down the Yellow Brick Road in a wondrous adventure in the magical Land of Oz! Through the years, this story of a young Kansas girl who dreams of a better world has become one of the most popular and beloved film of all time, and has been seen by children of all ages around the world. More than 60 years since it was released, the magic
of its appeal remains undiminished as it converts a new generation of fans every time it is shown.


Singin' in the Rain
Dir: Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly
1952 / USA / 103 min / 35mm / PG
Saturday 26 April 08, 8.00pm
Stamford Garden
Free admission


One of the most iconic and enduring movie images is Gene Kelly swinging from a lamp-post, singing the theme song of the quintessential Hollywood musical Singin' in the Rain. Set in the late 1920s, during the time when Hollywood was making the transition from silent films to talkies, the film is a joyous and funny insider look at the movie business. Although not a big hit
when initially released, the film's reputation grew over the years and today it often tops the list of the greatest Hollywood musicals made. The famous sequence of Gene Kelly singing in the rain was referenced and parodied in numerous films from A Clockwork Orange (1971), to Fame (1980) and even a Volkswagen commercial.


Hong Kong Nocturne
Dir: Inoue Umetsugu
1967 / Hong Kong / 128 min / Beta / Rating TBC
In Mandarin with English subtitles
Friday, 30 May 08, 8.00pm
Stamford Garden
Free admission


Stylishly directed by Inoue Umetsugu, one of Shaw Brothers' most distinctive filmmakers is the dazzling and raucous musical Hong Kong Nocturne. The film tells the story of three beautiful sisters, played by Lily Ho, Chin Ping, and Cheng Pei Pei, and their trials and tribulations in the entertainment business. The movie brilliantly captured the glamour and exuberance of the world of song and dance, and it features several memorable musical numbers that ran breathlessly from epic show-tunes to sixties bubblegum pop and romantic ballads.


Come Drink With Me
Dir: King Hu
1966 / Hong Kong / 91 min / 35 mm / PG
In Mandarin with English subtitles
Saturday, 31 May 08, 8.00pm
Stamford Garden
Free admission


Widely considered as one of the best Hong Kong movies ever made, Come Drink With Me set a new standard for the martial arts genre when it was released in 1966. The film stars the then nineteen-year-old Cheng Pei Pei as the valiant Golden Swallow on a mission to save her brother, a government official, from a band of ruthless kidnappers. The film features several
spectacular fight sequences including the famous scene in the teahouse. It is a landmark classic that inspired an entire genre.

Come Drink With Me will be presented on a new, fully re-mastered 35 mm film print.


Rivals Three / Madu Tiga
Dir: P. Ramlee
1964 / Singapore / 100 min / Beta / PG
In Malay with English subtitles
Friday, 27 June 08, 8.00pm
Stamford Garden
Free admission


P. Ramlee takes a hilarious dig at polygamy in Madu Tiga (Rivals Three). Jamal (P. Ramlee) takes three wives without one knowing the other's existence. Together with his father-in-law's approval and help, he delicately juggles his marriage(s) with ingenious lies, but as luck will have it, the three women become friends after a chance meeting at the salon. Jamal's "three-way tango" soon gets discovered and his wives gang up to teach him a lesson he will never forget. This gem of a comedy won the Best Comedy Award in the 11th Asian Film Festival in Taipei.

Old Bachelor / Bujang Lapok
Dir: P. Ramlee
1957 / Singapore / 105 min / Beta / PG
In Malay with English subtitles
Saturday, 28 June 08, 8.00pm
Stamford Garden
Free admission


One of the most popular and well-remembered films of P. Ramlee, this is the first of four Bujang Lapok adventures that featured the famous trio P.Ramlee, S. Shamsudin and Aziz Sattar. The comedy tells the story of finding and surviving love in a small kampong (village). The trio, with their unique brand of humour and bungling antics, also has to deal with the rapid social
development of Singapore in the 1950s.

This film is perfect testimony as to why P.Ramlee is so revered not only as an actor and comedian, but also as a musician. The beautiful theme song for Bujang Lapok is written by him and this same song is also featured in the Film Gallery of the National Museum of Singapore in a special edited centrepiece projection on three screens.

Expect SWEET RAIN on 15th May

We interrupt our daily posting for the weather report. "Sweet Rain" will be expected on the 15th of May. Takeshi Kaneshiro plays the Grim Reaper in "Sweet Rain" or locally known as “The Accuracy of Death”. His job is to observe the person for seven days, and then decide either to ‘execute’ or ‘pass over’. If Kaneshiro is really the Grim Reaper, a lot of people will be screaming: "TAKE ME!"

"The Accuracy of Death" trailer can be view here

Congkak

Fancy some horror flick from our neighbouring country? The Director of Malaysia's & Singapore's 2007 Box Office horror hit "Jangan Pandang Belakang" (Singapore's Top 100 Movie of Year 2007), returns with his latest most hair-raising masterpiece yet. Scheduled to haunt Eng Wah cinemas from 15 May 2008. More details here...

Latest Updates from 21st SIFF

Some latest updates from the 21st SIFF including the Singapore Panorama Interview, Liew Seng Tat interview, capsule film reviews: "Lucky 7", "Lady Chatterley" and more

Gourmet Popcorn Reviewed

Heard of Gourmet popcorn yet? Available in 4 flavours: Sour Cream & Chives, Caramel, Cheese and Caramel with Almond respectively, gourmet popcorn is made of mushroom corn which is larger and rounder than the normal ones and they are touted to have greater intensity in terms of flavour and taste.

I tried the Sour Cream & Chives and found it to be pretty disappointing though. It smells too light to be sour cream and the corns turned out to be soft and fluffy. While you might urge the fact that at least it’s not that overpoweringly strong but how do you explain the crunchy factor which is surprisingly missing here. I gave it: 2 MX stars

The Caramel on the other hand fairs better. I’m not really one with a sweet tooth fortunately the caramel popcorn turns out to be just fairly sweet and have a nice tinge of caramel. Overall I gave it: 3.5 MX stars

It costs $5 each for a regular tub and I sure hope the seasonings and ingredients can be improved on my next visit consider the hefty price. Gourmet Popcorn is available at The Cathay Cineplex, Basement 1. Give it a try on your next visit to The Cathay and tell us which one fare better.

"CJ7" DVD Reviewed

Stephen Chow's CNY offering "CJ7" DVD is now out in stores! Catch the adorable CJ at the comfort of your home. "Do give Chow a chance with his first attempt at something closer to his heart." - Read the full code 3 DVD review

Experience the Magic!

The June school holidays are approaching, why not drop by Hong Kong Disneyland and enjoy the latest attractions including a revamp of the classic ride, "It's a small world" and more. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort offers immersive, unique Disney experiences for all families, generations and ages to enjoy. Make plans to surprise your kids and your love ones this summer! Click here for more details and photos

What are they looking at?

The answer is a click away

New Photos from Dark Knight Leaked

The War Reigns On!

InnoForm Media and Shaw Organisation are proud to announce that "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon", the latest period action-war blockbuster starring Asian superstars Andy Lau, Maggie Q and Sammo Hung saw a stunning opening and scored as the #1 movie at the local cinemas over the last weekend. Three Kingdoms is launched on 27 screens in Singapore and the promising opening figures of $595,000 also surpassed Andy Lau’s other war epic "A Battle of Wits", who collected $328,000 during its opening weekend in 2006. InnoForm Media and Shaw Organisation are expectant of Three Kingdoms marching towards the million-dollar mark at the local box office.

You Are Not Alone

The Will Smith’s hit “I AM LEGEND” is now available on DVD. Not a surprise, the local market is flooded with at least 3 versions of it. Let’s do a breakdown and perhaps might assist in your purchase.

The China Code 6 version – This dirt cheap version costs only SGD$12.90. While it doesn’t actually come with special features at least you can enjoy the company of Smith and his pup in DVD surround sound and clarity.

The local Code 3 version – Boasting a 2-Discs special edition consisting of an alternate ending and special features, similar to the import version except for the slight color difference for the cover, this local edition will set you back SGD$29.90.

The import Code 1 version – Features are similar to the code 3 version with the exception of a digital copy of it in the DVD. It cost US$22.99 on Amazon and some retail stores here are selling it at around SGD$44.90.

Giving the current slump of the US currency, audiopiles will no doubt go for the import version and the rest of the family crowd will be picking up the parallel import (China). So that left one question, who will be interested in the local code 3 version? On the other hand, the hi-def Blu-ray version is only selling at US$18.95. Tough choice in a tough economic world.

What’s your decision in the end?

AKAN DATANG: THE DAYS

Come september, a local action drama "THE DAYS" which tells a cautionary tale between two brothers, set between 1989 and 1990 will be seen on the big screen. Starring a pool of upcoming young blood Justin Chan, Ivan Lim, Avery Ang, Kevin Tan with cameos by veterans Yeo Yann Yann and Richard Low.
Based on director Boi Kwang's own personal experience, the film has taken him years to prepare and will be his feature debut. Watch this space for more newsbits!

Special thanks to Nicholas Chee, founder of sinema.sg for the beautiful brochure.

The Start of the 21st Singapore International Film Festival

The 21st Singapore International Film Festival begins from 4 – 14 April and our writers, Justin and John are busy coming up with advance reviews from some of the selected films in the festival. The much acclaimed "I'm Not There", starring the late Heath Ledger, Christian Slater and Cate Blanchett.
"I Just Didn't Do It", Japan’s foreign-film entry to the 2008 Academy Awards. The famously disqualified as Israel's foreign-language entry to the 2008 Academy Awards, "The Band's Visit" and much more. We hope you have a great time here and the SIFF. Enjoy!

Click here for more MX coverages on the 21st SIFF

Three’s not a Crowd, it’s Good Company

On a weekend morning, movieXclusive.com manage to get our local filmmakers Han Yew Kwang, Kan Lume and Sun Koh to meet at a coffee joint to chat about their films which will be part of the Singapore Panorama at the 21st Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF). And here's the dough...

For more coverages on the coming 21st SIFF which will start tomorrow, click here

Loved by The Ladies of Indonesia - Lim Kay Tong

Singapore actor Lim Kay Tong likes and is impressed with how the female director, leading actress and producers of his latest feature film works. And the 53-year-old tells movieXclusive.com how he manage to get the role in the Indonesia film "The Photograph". The insights from Lim Kay Tong is just right here.

For more coverages on the coming 21st SIFF which will start on 4th April, click here

AN EMPRESS AND THE WARRIORS TOPS SINGAPORE WEEKEND BOX OFFICE!

Despite less than stellar reviews, director’s Tony Ching Siu-Tung’s romantic war epic film, AN EMPRESS AND THE WARRIORS is the Number 1 movie in Singapore cinemas last weekend. It beats off the competition and has earned S$407,348.63 since its opening last Thursday (27 March 2008). Distributors are optimistic that the movie will challenge the $1 million dollar mark in Singapore.

(The hot air balloon might give the Singapore Flyer a run for it's money!)

Wayne Wang - A Good Mix in the Bag

Before Ang Lee make it big in Hollywood, there's another acclaimed Chinese filmmaker named Wayne Wang who did such memorable fusion films such as "Eat A Bowl of Tea" and "The Joy Luck Club" in the West. Wang is back with an independent work called "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers". And we managed to get some insights from the veteran filmmaker right here.

For more coverages on the coming 21st SIFF which will start on 4th April, click here