UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER OF SELL-OUTS REPORTED WORLDWIDE FOR FIRST SHOWINGS OF MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT

The first 24-hours of pre-sales activity for Michael Jackson's This Is It has resulted in record-breaking sales throughout the world as fans secure the first tickets to the two-week, limited engagement of the highly-anticipated motion picture. In North America, online ticket sellers Fandango and MovieTickets.com report that there is extraordinary demand for the film with hundreds of showtimes already sold out after one day of pre-sales. In London, This Is It sold more than 30,000 tickets in its first 24-hours. In Japan, more than $1 million in ticket sales were recorded within the first 24 hours of their release, setting an advanced-sales record unmatched by any movie in history. Staggering advance sales were reported in Australia, where tickets for Michael Jackson's This Is It purchased through Village Cinemas exceeded the lifetime pre-sales of such blockbusters as Transformers, and X-Men Origins. In Bangkok, Thailand, fans lined up at box office ticket counters throughout the city and by the end of the first day, all tickets for the first showings across Bangkok were sold-out. Record sales and sell-outs are also being reported in France, Holland, Sweden, Belgium and New Zealand, among other countries. Advance ticket sales in Singapore will start this Thursday, October 1st, across all cinemas islandwide. Moviegoers can get information for the two-week limited engagement by visiting our local site http://www.thisisit-movie.com.sg/

French Film Director Marina De Van to promote “DON’T LOOK BACK” in Singapore

Acclaimed French director Marina De Van will be coming to town from 8 October to 12 October, to promote her latest film DON’T LOOK BACK (French title: Ne Te Retourne Pas), which stars two of Europe’s most revered and internationally-renowned female stars – Monica Bellucci & Sophie Marceau. DON’T LOOK BACK was an official selection of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and the film will premiere in Singapore as the closing film of the 25th Singapore French Film Festival. Ms. De Van has will grace the festival’s closing ceremony and she will make an appearance at the Alliance Française De Singapour on 10 October, 7pm. The film will be commercially released on 3 December 2009.

BLOG ALOUD - DARAH. Tickets on Sale Now!

Catch an exclusive preview screening of DARAH, followed by a dialogue session with the film directors The Mo Brothers and find out more on what goes on behind the scenes in the making of DARAH on Friday, 2 October 7 pm : Movie Screening follow by 8:40 pm : Q&A Session at Cinema Europa, GV VivoCity. Ticket Price: $10, $8 (Student price, only for sale at GV VivoCity Box Office). More details can be found here

Yasmin Ahmad: A Tribute, A Showcase of The Storyteller's Film Collection

Jointly presented by Cathay Organisation, Lighthouse Pictures, Grand Brilliance, Primeworks Studios, MHz Films and Nusanbakti Corporation Sdn Bhd, YASMIN AHMAD: A TRIBUTE is an exclusive showcase of Yasmin’s renowned films. Yasmin’s films will be showcased exclusively at Cathay Cineplex Cineleisure Orchard with the preview screening of Talentime (UPDATE: 100% sold out. 190 seats sold in under 20hrs!) on October 15 marking the official launch of the tribute initiative. Her five films – Sepet, Gubra, Muallaf, Rabun and Muhksin will be screened from October 16 to 18. All screenings from the Tribute are open to the public at a general price of $15 per ticket (and at a price of $12 per ticket for students), with proceeds collected from ticket sales to be donated to Pertapis Children’s Home in dedication of Yasmin’s profound love and care for children in need around the world. For more details on Yasmin Ahmad’s film collection, please visit www.lhp.com.sg/yasmin

Universal Studios Singapore Welcomes "Far Far Away" in "Madagascar"

Themed after DreamWorks Animation’s blockbuster movie Madagascar, Madagascar: A Crate Adventure will be a mega-attraction at Universal Studios Singapore when it opens in early 2010. The hit DreamWorks Animation film will be brought to life with a state-of-the-art indoor boat ride featuring animated figures, digital projection, evocative sound, and special effects that create a one-of-a-kind, funny and fun family ride. Universal Studios Singapore will also be home to the world’s first Far Far Away Castle, a landmark in the box-office hit Shrek series. King Harold’s 40-metre high castle will house attractions such as Shrek 4-D, Donkey Live and Magic Potion Spin. Official Resorts World Website

The Picturehouse Ups The Ante With Film Festivals

After three years since its re-opening in 2006, The Picturehouse has shared its passion for cinema with movie fanatics by screening countless arthouse films and independent movies and now it is taking on a more active approach towards screening the latest cutting edge movies from film festival winners. From October 2009 to January 2010, The Picturehouse plays host to a consecutive lineup of prestigious film festivals including the French Film Festival (3-11 October 2009), German Film Festival (11-22 November 2009), Studio Ghibli Film Series (17-23 December 2009) and Next Reel International Film Festival (31 January 2010-4 Feb 2010). These film festivals will collectively showcase a range of quality films that cover many genres for movie-goers of varying tastes and preferences. For more information on The Picturehouse, please visit http://www.thepicturehouse.com.sg/

Christopher Lee's Signs With Scorpio East Pictures

MediaCorp Artiste Christopher Lee will be signing an exclusive two years movie contract with Scorpio East Pictures Pte Ltd on 25th September 2009. Under this contract, Scorpio East Pictures will represent Singapore's top male actor Christopher Lee in exploring more movie options both locally and within the region. Already in the pipeline are at least two movie projects in the next two years for Christopher Lee. As part of the arrangement, Scorpio East Pictures will also represent Christopher Lee in procuring more opportunities in the entertainment business. This is indeed a great year for the groom-to-be who has just finished shooting a crime thriller for Kelvin Tong set to be released in 2010.

Storm Warriors 12mins Preview Review

After ten odd years, the iconic Hong Kong Wuxia Manhua series, Fung Wan / The Storm Warriors will be returning to the big screen. To create the buzz, Golden Village held a special 12 mins preview of The Storm Warriors on the 16th September 2009 and Moviexclusive was there to sample things to come for this year end blockbuster feature.

Mr Alvin Lam, the producer of The Storm Warriors briefly mention that the preview scenes does not necessary represents the best moments of The Storm Warriors and it’s still lacking a little twitch in the soundtracks and visual effects department. So bear that in mind and here’s the general impression of the preview segments.

The most notable aspect of the preview (and the extended trailer shown on the website) would be that The Storm Warriors had successfully blend special effects with the action sequences to bring out the essence of the Wuxia Manhua kungfu. It’s not an easy feat as Mr Ma (creator of Fung Wan) had dream out one of the most imaginative and beautiful martial arts sequences in the comics form. The preview had assured us that the film makers have the capability to properly reproduce those magnificent fight sequences.

Two particular sequences stood out.

The first one would be Cloud (played by Aaron Kwok) taking on Lord Godless (played by Simon Yam). It got on to a good start when Lord Godless’s monologue about Cloud’s kungfu improvement was cut short by Cloud’s relentless attack. It’s been a long time since such badass attitude was shown in a standoff and the behavior felt so right at home with Cloud’s comic’s character. The special effects display some sort “Cloud Palm Stance” attack and it reminded of Cloud’s character description back in the first movie and in the comics form, unpredictable, formless and destructive. There was a moment in which Lord Godless’s amour was being cut by web-like strings and although personally I don’t recall that stance from the book, it was one of the most impressive moments in this preview.

The other impressive sequence would be Wind (played by Ekin Cheng) attacking Cloud with his Blizzard Sabre. The visual effects successfully capture the whacking power of the combination of the mystical sabre and a skillful martial artist. It’s simply stuff that comic’s readers had been dreaming of.

Beside those computer aided fighting sequences, there a tender moment between Wind and Second Dream (played by Charlene Choi) that hit the right emotional spots for those who remember the romance that they shared in the comics. From Wind’s acceptance of Second Dream’s disfigurement to her own fragile insecurities, those moments were quite adaptively captured for the movie.

In summary, the preview for The Storm Warriors continued to impress with the usage of special effects to bring the beloved Manhua characters and story onto the big screen. As seen during the preview, some of the key moments in the Manhua had been faithfully reproduced and the original sequences that they had created look impressively enough to stand on par with the comic’s counterpart.

Personally, I can’t wait for another 90 odd days before the actual finished work hits the cinema.

-RLJ-

Fantastic Mr. Fox - The World of Roald Dahl

Watch this interesting featurette on how director Wes Anderson and his talented crew brought Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox live to the big screen.

HOP ON TO THE FOREVER FAME PARTY BUS THIS WEEKEND

Join the FOREVER FAME PARTY BUS as it cruises along Orchard Road and Victoria Street this Saturday 19 September 2009. Dancers from Jitterbugs Swingapore will perform a special programme with the Mercy Aid Concert and Roadshow at BUGIS JUNCTION at 3.30pm. The party then heads on to Orchard Road and will be at CINELESIURE ORCHARD at 4.30pm and will end at THE CATHAY at 5.20pm where dancers will perform their final routine at the mall’s outer atrium. FAME, a reinvention of the original Oscar® winning hit film opens island-wide in Singapore on 25 September 2009. Our Review of Fame Official Soundtrack can be found here.

Jay Chou is The Treasure Hunter

Boasting a splendid cast and crew including Jay Chou, Lin Chiling, Eric Tsang, Tony Ching (Action Director), Ivy Ho (Screenplay) and Yee Chung-Man (Stylist), THE TREASURE HUNTER is about a buried treasure of unbelievable riches. The teaser trailer looks promising enough and seems a far superior effort from Director Kevin Chu once dubbed "Taiwan" Wong Jing. The movie opens 31 December 2009 and the teaser trailer can be viewed here.

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Premieres on Blu-ray

The Diamond Collection debut of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs will keep audiences spellbound for hours with exciting content exclusive to this historic release, presented with spectacular newly restored picture and 7.1 Digital Theatre System Hi-Def Surround Sound. Utilizing the latest in technology, possible only by the power of Blu-ray, the release includes “Disney Smart Navigation,” allowing the magic and personality of Disney Characters to come to life as never before. “Disney Family Play”, the ultimate interactive Hi-Def experience offers a variety of immersive games, activities and unprecedented levels of personalization and customization features. The Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition is a Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack (2 Blu-ray discs + DVD) priced at $59.90 and will be released on October 6, 2009.

Patrick Swayze (1952 - 2009)

The 57-year-old "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost" actor died Monday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57. The 1990 film "Ghost" cemented his status as a screen favorite. In 1995, Swayze plays a drag queen in "To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" alongside Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo. He kept on working even after his illness was disclosed last March. His last starring role was the TV series, "The Beast".

Invitation Only

Japanese AV actress Maria Ozawa invites you to her first starring role in a mainstream Taiwanese slasher horror, "Invitation Only" on 1st October 2009. It is the best party ever, a wishing game takes place where the deepest desires of the participants materialize.

We all live in a yellow submarine

We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine, We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine. The Walt Disney Studios has made a deal with Apple Corps Ltd. to develop a new 3D performance capture adaptation of the 1968 hit animated film “Yellow Submarine” to be written and directed by Robert Zemeckis (The Polar Express, Beowulf), it was announced today at the D23 Expo by Dick Cook, chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. The original motion picture released in the U.S. on November 13, 1968 was based on the music of The Beatles. Beatlesmania lives on...

Michael Galasso (1949 - 2009)

US violinist and composer Michael Galasso best known for his score for Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai's "In the mood for love," has died in Paris aged 60 after suffering from Hepatitis C. Galasso also composed the score for Iranian director Babak Payami's "Secret Ballot" and Turkish director Yesim Ustaoglu's "Waiting for the Clouds" but was best known for his music for "In the mood for love" in 2000. (Thanks to our fellow reviewer, Stefan for the heads-up)

Warner Bros. Creates DC Entertainment

Following Disney's takeover of Marvel, Warner Bros has created DC Entertainment Inc., a new company founded to fully realize the power and value of the DC Comics brand and characters across all media and platforms. DC projects in the work for the big screen include Green Lantern (Ryan Reynolds), Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin and Megan Fox), The Losers (Chris Evans), Lobo (to be helm by Guy Ritchie) and of course the third Batman instalment. The long-delayed Wonder Woman by Producer Joel Sliver, the live-action Justin League and reboot of Superman were not mentioned in the press release though. Still it's exciting times ahead...

moviexclusive.com is a Hitwise Top 10 Award winner

Dear Readers, once again thanks for making us a Hitwise Top 10 Award winner for the period January - June 2009 based on market share of visits among all Singapore websites in the Hitwise Entertainment - Movies industry.

The Fashion Bible for Fashion Fanatics

If you love fashion and adore the recent Chanel biography Coco Before Chanel, then you should not missed this documentary, The September Issue about Anna Wintour, the legendary editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine for twenty years. The September Issue won the Grand Jury Prize for Excellence in Cinematography at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and will be shown in cinemas 24 September. Vogue not included.

A mega tsunami strikes Korea

Of the total 3365 cuts in the movie, CGI was applied to 560 cuts. Cuts that required complex skills were over 100 in "Haeundae: The Deadly Tsunami". For comparison, "The Day After Tomorrow" had under 100 CGI cuts. In terms of complexity, the water CGI used in "Haeundae" was challenging even in Hollywood standard. An American CGI specialist, Polygon Entertainment took on the challenge of producing the tremendous special effects of water scenes and to provide the CGI for the picture. Headed by Hans Uhlig, the company’s credit includes the Star Wars series, "The Day After Tomorrow" and "Perfect Storm". "Haeundae" is the birth child of the Hollywood master’s passion and cutting-edge technology. The movie will flood local cinemas on 8 October.

I want my scalps!

Our reviewer, John Li decides to pen Quentin Taratino a letter after watching his "Inglorious Basterds". Click on the above url to know what is it all about...

Anime Festival Asia 2009

It’s time for South East Asia’s BIGGEST event celebrating all things related to Japanese animation and popular culture at Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre (Halls 403 and 404) from 21st to 22nd November. A new highlight this year will be Kids Land especially for younger children ages above 4 years old. Bandai will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Gundam where visitors can walk through Gundam Time Tunnel Showcase featuring items and memorabilia from the Gundam franchise through the years. AFA09 Music Concerts will be collectively themed as ‘I Love Anisong’ and will feature a power-packed list of Japan’s top music performers. Asian top blogger Danny Choo whose blog covers Japanese pop culture will also meet his readers at AFA09. Cosplay this year will have a bigger stage where AFA09 will host the first ever Regional Cosplay Championship in Asia. For more information on AFA09, please http://www.afa09.com/

COCO BEFORE CHANEL: A BOX OFFICE HIT IN SINGAPORE!

COCO BEFORE CHANEL broke the record of having the highest four-day opening weekend box office for a French language film. Opening on ten prints island-wide last Thursday (27 August), the movie has grossed SGD$110,648 last weekend from Thursday to Sunday, highest among French language films that opened in Singapore. Following close behind was French documentary MARCH OF THE PENGUINS. Audrey Tautou played the lead role in this biopic and shines in her portrayal of the fashion designer Coco Chanel.

Utt Speaks Dolphins

Singapore-based celebrity Utt has chose to celebrate his birthday (3 September) helping the dolphins by hosting a special Blog- Aloud session for THE COVE to expose the shocking truth of the annual dolphin slaughter which commences today in Japan. This third Blog-Aloud session will be held on 3 September at GV Plaza Singapura 7pm hosted by the Director of ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre Ms Anbarasi Boopal and Utt. For more information on tickets sales, please visit the Golden Village website www.gv.com.sg. Tickets are on sale now.